Preview - Sunderland
WHUFC.com
The background
West Ham United make the long journey to Sunderland this Saturday for their
latest Barclays Premier League assignment
Sunderland are currently propping up the top flight table and are without a
win from their first seven games.
In fact it has been a miserable start to the 2015/16 campaign for the north
east as a whole, as Sunderland and Newcastle are the only two teams yet to
taste success this term.
As a result, Dick Advocaat's men are eleven points and 17 places worse off
than the Hammers at this early stage, and the visitors will be hoping to
maintain their 100 percent away record.
Having seen off Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, a trip to Sunderland
might look easier on paper, but Slaven Bilic will be having none of that as
his team travel to the Stadium of Light.
As for Sunderland, their two points have come from draws with Swansea City
and Aston Villa, while Leicester, Norwich, Tottenham, Bournemouth and
Manchester United have all triumphed against the Black Cats this term.
The history
Saturday's game will be the 89th meeting between the Hammers and Sunderland,
and it is West Ham who have the edge with 34 victories to the Black Cats'
31.
In recent times, West Ham have won two of the last three games – a 2-1
victory at the Stadium of Light in 2013/14 thanks to goals from Andy Carroll
and Mohamed Diame, and a 1-0 success at the Boleyn Ground last term, with
Diafra Sakho on target.
Before then West Ham had gone five games without victory against Sunderland,
so they will certainly be looking at that last three game spell for
inspiration this weekend.
Sunderland include former Hammer Jermain Defoe in their ranks. Defoe scored
41 goals in 105 games for West Ham, and has notched nine times in 26 matches
since joining the Black Cats.
Match info
Team news
West Ham United
Slaven Bilic will make a late check on Winston Reid, who has been nursing a
slight problem in his hip area.
Angelo Ogbonna remains out with a hamstring injury, while Andy Carroll
missed training in the early part of this week with a minor ankle problem.
Alex Song and Enner Valencia continue to make good progress in their injury
rehabilitation but are unavailable on Saturday.
Sunderland
Midfielder Jack Rodwell is expected to recover from the ankle injury which
forced him to miss last weekend's defeat to Manchester United in time for
Saturday.
Meanwhile, former West Ham striker Jermain Defoe could be recalled up front
as the Black Cats look for their first win of the season.
Match info
Saturday's referee will be Neil Swarbrick. He will be assisted by Scott
Ledger and Eddie Smart. Craig Pawson is the fourth official.
West Ham are undefeated in their last four league meetings with Sunderland
(W2 D2).
Diafra Sakho's 88th minute goal secured victory for the Hammers in the last
meeting, which also happened to be Dick Advocaat's first game in charge of
Sunderland.
West Ham have the best away record in the Premier League this season, having
won all three games at the cost of just one goal conceded.
Should they win on Saturday, the Hammers will record a fourth consecutive
away win in the same Premier League season for the first time.
Sunderland have the worst defensive record in the division, having conceded
16 goals.
The Black Cats have won only four of their 26 league games in 2015, scoring
just 21 goals.
Ticketing, travel, coverage and other info
A limited number of tickets will be available at the Stadium of Light for
Hammers supporters. Click here for full information.
Saturday looks like being a dry, if dull day on Wearside. Temperatures are
on the autumnal side, with a high of 11C (52F) at kick-off.
Click here for the latest travel news on the roads and here on the railways.
If you're not heading to the game, our digital channels are where to stay up
to date with all the latest news. Our whufc.com match centre will have live
audio, stats, photos and more, while you can get involved with the
conversation on social using the hashtag #SUNWHU
For fans making the trip to the north east, Sunderland have launched a brand
new fanzone outside their East Stand this season. Including bars, food
stalls, football games and FIFA for the kids, live music from top bands
across the North East and player appearances pre-match and post-match, it
will be open three hours before kick-off and is open an hour after the game
too.
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Chadwell Chatter - Manuel Lanzini
WHUFC.com
It's a dream come true to play in the Premier League
Hola!
I would like to first start by thanking everyone connected to the club for
welcoming me into life at West Ham United! The fantastic support I have
received has certainly helped me to settle in quickly, and after speaking to
the other new foreign players – Dimi and Pedro, I know it has helped them a
lot too. We have made an excellent start to the season, and we are all
determined to keep this unbeaten run going for as long as possible. Having
watched the Premier League when I was growing up, it has been a dream of
mine to play in England for a very long time. I've always knew about the
passion and the pace but I didn't appreciate how hard this league really is.
In the Premier League, you can never underestimate any team. It is a very
competitive league, and we've already seen how any team can beat anyone. So
far, I am enjoying every game and every training session, the quality and
intensity is really amazing.
This weekend we travel to play Sunderland and while we are at opposite ends
of the table, we are not going underestimate. We have to continue carry on
playing as we have been, and try and maintain our position in the league. No
matter who the opposition is, we always look to play the same style, at home
and away. We know the quality we have in our team and we have some very good
players; that's why we have been getting such good results.
On a personal note, I can't help but mention my goal against Liverpool away
at Anfield. It is a moment I will never forget, and brings a smile to my
face whenever I think about it. At the time, I didn't know it had been so
long since West Ham had last won at Anfield. It was a huge win for us and a
great achievement. Liverpool are one of the biggest clubs in the world, and
have a huge following back home in Argentina. To score in such an iconic
stadium as Anfield meant a lot to me. It's always been a dream of mine to
score goals, like it is for every attack minded player so hopefully I will
score a few more this season! The most important thing is for the team to do
well, I am happy to celebrate every goal, no matter scores. My priority is
to help the team, whether that is scoring or making goals.
A lot of people are talking about the impact of Dimitri Payet. He is a very
important player but what people may not realise is how hard he works in
training. We've been getting on very well; he is one of the best players we
have here and I am learning a lot from just watching him training. He can
change a game in an instant and he creates so many chances.
Finally, I would also like to thank the manager because ever since I
arrived, he has treated me very well, as has all the staff. He knows the
game inside out and has a great reading of the matches. He picks out aspects
of the game we need to improve on, during the game, and helps us adapt to
it.
Hasta luego!
Manuel
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Adrian signs new contract
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are delighted to confirm that Adrian has signed a new
two-year contract with the Club, with the option of a further two-years. The
Spanish goalkeeper has become a firm fans' favourite at the Boleyn Ground
following his move from Real Betis back in June 2013 and few could forget
his memorable winning penalty that helped the Hammers beat Everton in the FA
Cup last season. Adrian has now put pen to paper on a deal that will keep
him in east London until 2017, with the Club having the option to extend the
stay for a further two years. The 28-year-old has once again showed this
season why he is rated so highly with some outstanding performances. Adrian
was one of the star performers as West Ham recorded a memorable victory over
Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. The talented keeper says he is
thrilled to pledge his long-term future to the Club and is relishing the
chance to play at the new Stadium next summer.
Adrian said: "This is a proud moment for myself, my family and friends and I
am really happy to have signed my second contract with the Club. I feel
really happy for the Club and the fans. "I never imagined this kind of
relationship with the fans. I spent 16-years at Real Betis and it was
difficult to leave your home. "But from the moment I arrived in London the
West Ham fans had a special relationship with me. "For me this is a really
good moment and I just want to enjoy it. This is my third season here and I
want to stay here for a long time. "Next season is really important for the
Club. I have enjoyed playing at Upton Park and I want to enjoy playing in
the new Stadium. It is a big step for the Club and I am really excited about
this moment."
Adrian San Miguel del Castillo, more commonly known as Adrian, is an
imposing 6'3 shot stopper who spent virtually his entire career with his
hometown club Real Betis , enjoying an outstanding 2012/13 season in the
Spanish top flight. His performances did not go unnoticed and West Ham acted
quickly to secure his signature in the summer of 2013. Adrian faced a battle
to get into the side when he first arrived as Jussi Jaaskelainen was the
first-choice keeper. He made his debut against Cheltenham in the Capital One
Cup as Ricardo Vaz Te and Ravel Morrison helped the Hammers secure a 2-1
victory. Adrian waited patiently for his chance but he finally made his
breakthrough into the team when he made his Premier League debut against
Manchester United at Old Trafford in December 2013 and has established
himself as the first-choice goalkeeper ever since.
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From the Boardroom - David Gold
WHUFC.com
I am looking forward to the big game against Sunderland on Saturday and I
know Slaven and the players will be heading up there with the aim of coming
away with another away win this season. We are hopeful of getting straight
back on the winning trail following the 2-2 draw with Norwich last weekend.
Before the game we were the favourites to win, but after what happened right
at the end, we see it as a point gained. We made a mistake which led to
their goal and we had the same thing against Bournemouth and Leicester. If
we cut out those mistakes we are going to win more points than we lose.
There are no easy games in the Premier League. I know that is a cliché but
it is a fact. The gap between victory and defeat is a very thin line in the
Premier League. Any time you score in the last minute of a game, whether it
is a win or a draw it is a great feeling and we managed to take two points
away from Norwich in the last minute. I don't think the home form is a
long-term problem. We could have easily had more points on the board had we
not made individual errors.
My message to the fans is that I am sure we will do a lot better at home
than what we have achieved in the opening four games. Those individual
errors will disappear and with that comes confidence and success. We have
still got 13 points from seven games which is fantastic. We have played an
extra home game but that will get levelled out when we face Sunderland away
and we can then have a better judgement of the league. I will look at the
league on even numbers after all the teams have played this weekend and if
we are still in third place I will be thrilled. I have said it before but I
genuinely believe this is the best squad we have had at the Club for some
time and we are slowly getting back all our injured players. Obviously
someone will get a kick or knock that will keep them out for a couple of
weeks, but we don't want the long-term injuries. I have a lot of sympathy
for what Bournemouth are going through at the moment losing some of their
key players having just gained promotion into the Premier League. We are
fortunate to have a strong squad of players. But it is about luck and that
is the element that no-one can control. They say you make you own luck but
we deserve a bit of luck on that front.
Enner Valencia and Alex Song are not far away from making a return to action
so it looks good on that front. We now head to Sunderland on Saturday and if
we can make it four away wins in a row it will be an amazing achievement and
something that is very hard to do. I have no doubts we will be going there
looking to win the game. Slaven will tell you he is going there to win and
the players will feel the same. We are not going there to battle out a
point. We have lifted the fans expectations and rightly so. That is what
comes with success and you lift the spirits of the players, people inside
the football club and most importantly the fans. It is incredible what is
going on with the two north east clubs this season and they have been
struggling. But we will be concentrating on winning the game on Saturday.
Dimitri Payet had another great game last weekend and he is great to have
around the football Club. I can remember watching players like Trevor
Brooking and Alan Devonshire and you always get excited when they get on the
ball. It is the same with Dimitri and he is only going to get stronger. He
seems very capable of coping with the expectation and very capable of
continuing to deliver. He has settled in, is very measured and genuine. He
works very hard in training and it is great to have players of that quality
around. We have other good ball players like Victor Moses, Manuel Lanzini,
Alex Song – all creative footballers and we have an abundance of players who
look to create for other people.
I hope all the fans who are travelling have a safe journey to the Stadium of
Light on Saturday and that we can come away celebrating another three
points.
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Goalkeeper Adrian signs new two-year West Ham contract
BBc.co.uk
West Ham goalkeeper Adrian has signed a new two-year contract which will
keep him at the club until 2017, with the option of a further two years. The
Spaniard's previous deal had been due to expire next summer. Adrian, 28,
joined West Ham from Real Betis on a free transfer in June 2013 as backup to
Jussi Jaaskelainen but established himself as first choice. "This is my
third season here and I want to stay here for a long time," Adrian told West
Ham's website. "From the moment I arrived in London the West Ham fans had a
special relationship with me." West Ham will leave the Boleyn Ground at the
end of the season and move into the Olympic Stadium and Adrian is excited to
be part of the new era. He added: "I have enjoyed playing at Upton Park and
I want to enjoy playing in the new stadium. "It is a big step for the club
and I am really excited about this moment."
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Sunderland v West Ham
KO 15:00
2 October 2015
Last updated at 11:26
BBC.co.uk
Barclays Premier League
Venue: Stadium of Light Date: Saturday, 3 October
TEAM NEWS
Sunderland midfielder Jack Rodwell is expected to recover from the ankle
injury that caused him to miss last weekend's defeat at Manchester United.
Jermain Defoe could be recalled as the Black Cats look for their first
league win of the season.
Andy Carroll is pushing for his first West Ham start since January, having
come off the bench last weekend. Angelo Ogbonna and Alex Song are out
injured, while Winston Reid is a doubt with a hip problem.
MOTD COMMENTATOR'S NOTES
Steve Bower: "These two clubs couldn't have had more contrasting starts.
Facing West Ham is back where it all began at Sunderland for boss Dick
Advocaat. There must have been moments so far this season that he has
questioned his decision to come back for more. "The longer the winless run
continues the more the pressure will build. With the international break on
the horizon, the importance of victory is huge. "Such has been West Ham's
form on the road, they are expected to leave the North East with a positive
result. They will look to use the anxious atmosphere around the Stadium of
Light to their advantage." Twitter: @SteveBowercomm
WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic: "Our three wins and where we got them mean
absolutely nothing. If we start to think for a couple of seconds about how
we did against Arsenal, Liverpool or Manchester City and think it is going
to be easier against Sunderland, we had better stop that before we even
start. "Are we confident? Yes, we are. But we are playing a team who have
also been unlucky in some of their games. They have to start collecting
points. We are expecting a tough, tough game on Saturday."
LAWRO'S PREDICTION
West Ham have been brilliant away from home, so you might think this will be
a straightforward victory for the Hammers. But football does not work like
that, which is why we love it. I just have a feeling we are in for a
surprise result at the Stadium of Light.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
West Ham are unbeaten in the last four league meetings (W2, D2).
The Hammers won the last meeting 1-0 in Dick Advocaat's first game in charge
of Sunderland.
Sunderland
Sunderland have failed to win any of their last 10 league games (D4, L6) -
the longest current run in the division.
They have only won four of their 26 league games in 2015, scoring just 21
times.
The Black Cats have yet to keep a clean sheet in their nine matches in all
competitions this season.
Dick Advocaat's side scored more goals (seven) in their two League Cup ties
than they have managed in seven Premier League matches (six).
They have the worst defensive record in the division, conceding 16 goals.
West Ham
West Ham have the best away record in the Premier League this season,
winning all three fixtures and only conceding one goal.
They have never won four consecutive away games in the same Premier League
season.
The Hammers have scored an unsurpassed 15 Premier League goals - opponents
Sunderland have managed just six.
Dimitri Payet has been involved in 13 goals (four goals, nine assists) in
his last 15 league appearances in England and France.
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Reid in, Carroll out of Sunderland test
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 2nd October 2015
By: Staff Writer
Andy Carroll is almost certainly out of this weekend's trip to Sunderland
after being omitted from Slaven Bilic's travelling party. The 26-year-old
striker has not flown to the North East with the rest of the squad having
failed to recover completely from a knock, despite training with the fitness
coaches yesterday. However there is better news concerning key defender
Winston Reid, who has been in excellent form so far this season. The Kiwi
was also considered a doubt after pulling up with a hip injury in training
this week. Although he failed to train with the rest of the first team
squad yesterday (Thursday), Reid has been included in the squad to face the
Black Cats at the Stadium of Light tomorrow afternoon. Also likely to
feature in the 18-day match day squad once again is 16-year-old Reece
Oxford, whose most recent top flight outing came in the 3-0 win at Liverpool
at the end of August.
West Ham Utd v Sunderland - likely starting XI: Adrian; Jenkinson,
Cresswell, Tomkins, Reid; Noble (c), Kouyate, Moses, Payet, Lanzini; Sakho.
Earlier today Slaven Bilic backed England striker Carroll to win his place
back in the national team - despite having none of his players selected in
the latest squad by Roy Hodgson.
"The England squad will come as a logical result if things are cured," he
said. "First of all he has to stay away from injuries. Only with that can he
be in a position to have a great season. "In the past it has not been
because he dropped in form, it's because he was injured. Step number one, he
has made it, he has had a good pre-season, even it was after the season
already started. "The quality was never in doubt, the problem was fitness
and without that you can't have form."
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Sunderland v West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 2nd October 2015
By: Preview Percy
Unlike Jeremy Corbyn, not only would Preview Percy press the big red button
in the event of a nuclear war, he'd probably do it in peacetime. Croydon,
Liverpool and White Hart Lane are first on his hit list. Sunderland isn't on
the list. Yet........
Next we visit the naffly-named Stadium of Light where our hosts will be
Sunderland. Kick-off is 3pm on Saturday (hurrah). There doesn't seem to be
any engineering works between here and there and even the trains and tubes
into town like they will be behaving themselves, with the exception of those
running into Liverpool Street from Tottenham territory which, in an attempt
to keep the rest of the city free from contamination will be closed. If
that's your route to Kings Cross for the journey north, check before you
leave. Oh, and move.
Our hosts will come into the match in less than rude health. Not to put too
fine a point on it, they are rock bottom. Two points is their sole reward
this season courtesy of a home draw against Sunderland and one on the road
at Villa. Other than that it's been defeats all the way, going down 4-2 at
Leicester, 3-1 at home to Norwich, 2-0 at Bournemouth and 3-0 at Man Utd.
Hell they even managed to go down 1-0 at home to Spurs.
They are of course used to scrapping about the nether regions of the league
in recent times. Last season looked a little bleak up to St Patrick's Day at
which point Dick Advocaat (still sounds like the sort of game those wacky
rugby types play) took over from "Father Of A Hammer" Gus Poyet. Advocaat
took over on a deal that was to keep him there until the end of the season
after which, whether or not they stayed up, he was to ride off into the
sunset. His first match was at the Boleyn and ended in a 1-0 defeat. Things
got better the following week with a 1-0 defeat of Newcastle and over the
course of the next few months they gleaned enough points to escape by the
penultimate game of the season, a 0-0 draw with Arsenal.
At the conclusion of the season Advocaat carried out his original plan of
retiring from the game. However, and reportedly much to his wife's disgust,
he was persuaded to stay on for another season. That's a decision that he
may well be regretting at the moment, though the way results are going Mrs A
may well get her way after all, with Burnley croakmeister Sean Dyche already
going into print to deny interest in the role, amid speculation that the
Mackems have been setting up a shortlist including Dyche's name.
Advocaat reversed his decision to sling his hook in June, the timing of
which may or may not have had an effect on transfer dealings. In the end
they brought in five players on permanent deals. A closer look at the five
new boys shows that two of them had already been on loan at the club in a
past life.
The biggest fee paid according to the work experience kid with the Harry
Potter spectacles was the £10m (including add-ons) lobbed in the general
direction of Anfield in exchange for the services of Fabio Borini. Before
joining the Merseyside Diving Academy, Borini had spent some time being
loaned out to Swansea as part of the Chelsea player hire operation and it
was during this period that he first encountered Brendan Rodgers. Despite
this the player elected to become David Brent's first signing at Anfield,
having been conned by Mario Balotelli into believing that Liverpool's
supporters were somehow "exciting". Maybe it's just whenever we go up there
that they are so quiet. Borini failed to stir the Anfield faithful out of
their collective slumbers during his time there, though a number of lengthy
spells on the treatment table didn't help much. He spent much of 2013/14 on
loan at Wearside and on his return to Scouseland it was reported that the
Mackems had had a £14m bid accepted. Borini didn't want to go but after a
season on the fringe of an average Liverpool side he elected to cut his
losses and swap coasts.
The other returning old boy also came from Liverpool with £2m going in the
other direction. Sebastian Coates – and I expect that I'm still the only one
to nickname him "Ralph" – arrived on a season-long loan last season but the
centre-half seemed to annoy his compatriot Poyet after a 3-1 defeat by Hull
and was banished to whatever the reserve team is called these days. Coates
might have returned to Liverpool never to be seen again at the end of the
season had Sunderland not dispensed with Poyet's services. However, he was
given a fresh start by Advocaat and he didn't miss a minute of the five game
unbeaten run that kept them up. Such was the reversal of fortune that the
centre back, who has 17 caps at full level for Uruguay, signed a four-year
deal this summer.
They coughed up £8m for Dutch winger Jermain Lens. Lens arrived from what I
insist on spelling as Dynamo Kiev this summer having done the double with
the Ukranian outfit last season. Lens had previous with Advocaat, who had
been his gaffer at AZ "Where's The 67 Gone?" Alkmaar and PSV Eindhoven. Lens
is one of the increasingly rare bunch who have played international football
for two different countries. Although born in Amsterdam, he qualified for
Surinam through ancestry and because "he felt more Surinamese". In 2009 he
represented the former Dutch colony in the never to be forgotten PARBO Bier
Cup. Oh come on you MUST remember that one. No? Well you're not alone. It
seems that it wasn't quite the major festival of football that the good
people at PARBO Bier had hoped and it also escaped the attention of FIFA,
who failed to interrupt their money laundering for long enough to actually
give the tournament any kind of official recognition. This came in handy a
year later when, after the 2010 World Cup, Lens suddenly felt slightly more
Dutch after all, making his debut in the orange in a 1-1 draw against
Ukraine, scoring the Dutch goal in the process. He now has over 30 Dutch
Caps (come on that joke is becoming traditional now) and the rules now mean
that should he come over all Surinamese again that's tough.
They also brought in Younes Kaboul into the centre of defence. The poor
bloke had two separate spells with Spurs, popping down to Pompey inbetween.
The return to Spurs happened on the Redknapp watch and took place whilst
cash-strapped Pompey still owed £3m to Spurs over the original transfer. It
was wryly noted by many observers that the £9m fee paid by Spurs for Pompey
for the return of the player, might be considered to have been, well, a bit
generous to say the least. Which was odd because it's not like a transfer
involving a member of the Redknapp family to raise eyebrows is it? Kaboul
can console himself with the fact that, as bad as things may seem for
Sunderland at the moment, at least he's not at White Hart Lane.
The final permanent deal brought Welsh international right back Adam
Matthews in from Celtic. £2m was paid for the former "Football League
Apprentice Of The Year" who won the award for his clever idea for a device
to enable apprentices polish multiple pairs of first team players' boots. Or
was that another programme? I forget.
They brought in a further three loan bodies during the window. Most
interesting of these is French international midfielder Yann M'Vila. M'Vila
is on a season with an option loan from Russian League outfit Rubin Kazan,
which is just one of a number of clubs he's fallen out with over the years.
Even back in his early years in France the words "possible attitude problem"
were being bandied about. Having had a look at his record in recent years I
think we can dispense with the word "possible". He's currently on the
naughty step in Tatarstan having walked out of Rubin's training camp in
Turkey to go back to France a couple of years back. He was loaned out to
Inter at the start of 2014/15 on a season with an option deal which lasted
only up to January when it was announced that he'd been sent back to
Tatarstan after a bust-up with Inter boss Roberto Mancini. He then spent a
spell training with Dynamo Moscow, a period which came to an end after an
unspecified incident resulted in him trashing his Moscow lodgings.
Disciplinary issues are a recurring theme for M'Vila. Although he has 10
full caps for the French, he hasn't featured in the squad since 2011/12,
receiving an international ban until June 2014 after an unauthorised night
out. He hasn't been selected since. So you might think that the move to
Wearside represents something of a chance to get his career on track at the
ripe old age of 25. If that's the case, it wasn't the most auspicious of
starts which saw him get his marching orders in a development squad match v
Norwich for head-butting an opponent. He has since appeared for the first
XI, scoring a 20 yard free-kick to open the scoring in the match against his
namesake team. However, I'd suggest that he is still probably one to file
under "nutjob".
And so to us. Last week was a match full of ifs and buts. We'd started off
ok until Noble's hospital pass left Tomkins stranded. That knocked us for
six and, if Jerome had been better than the journeyman he obviously is, a
0-2 deficit might have proved difficult to overcome. There again, as the old
saying goes, if my granny had wheels she'd be a skateboard.
The equaliser was a fine goal and served to spur the team on for the
remainder of the half. I thought the second half was pretty even and we had
a couple of good chances to go ahead and later equalise before we actually
did. So all in all a fair result. Pack up, eat the pigeon, go home. Prepare
for next week.
We do have a few injury doubts. There can be few who didn't think "here we
go again" when Carroll went down shortly after coming on as a sub.
Thankfully he managed to run the knock off but he is still not 100% for the
trip north. Of slightly more concern is the hip/back problem that saw
Winston Reid pulled out of training the other day. With Ogbonna still not
quite right, Reid's absence would mean a start for Ginge. Good job we didn't
sell him during the window then. Valencia and Song are still improving but
still some way away whilst Amalfitano may be on the blower to M'Vila to
compare notes.
Prediction? Well the presence of one Defoe, J. amongst the opposition ranks
probably means that we'll concede at some stage – he often nets against us.
However, such footage as I have been able to look at of Sunderland suggests
that they are currently weaker than the lager they serve in the Swan &
Superinjunction to those not able to handle real beer. Defoe has often
looked a bit isolated up front and they may elect to pair him with Borini,
whose record doesn't exactly match the transfer fees laid out for him over
the years.
Now in the hundred or so years that I have been following this club of ours,
we have built up a reputation amongst ourselves as "sequence busters." Your
team hasn't won for ages? Play West Ham. Striker hasn't scored for you? Give
him a start against West Ham. Now I don't know how genuinely common such
events are with us. It may be that that's the sort of coincidence that
happens to every team once in a while and we just happen to notice it a bit
more because we're looking at our team. However, the way things are at the
moment I really can't see us losing up there.
This match is being touted as "make or break" on Wearside at the moment.
However, an early goal will serve to put their heads down so I will stick
the Avram Grant Olympic Rest Home For The Bewildered's fund (£2.50 + 5p for
the carrier bag) to buy Roy Hodgson a map that has somewhere other than
Liverpool on it (Ings? Really? I'm back in the home now Roy if you want to
make that call) on a 2-1 win to us which will probably please Mrs Advocaat
and create some sort of record for consecutive away wins. Probably. I
expect. The work experience kid with the Harry Potter spectacles has gone
for his tea so you'll have to look it up yourselves.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met Up There: Drew 1-1. Downing equalised a Gomez penalty after
a(nother) Johnson dive.
Danger Man: Jermain Defoe. Their top scorer and main threat. And that's even
before you factor in the "law of the ex".
Referee: Neil Swarbrick Last seen by us in the FA Cup 3rd round replay
against Everton, the match of "Adrian's Gloves".
Irritating Celebrity Supporter Of The Week: Not a great crop of celebs this
week but purely for ruining Sunday evenings for a generation of kids forced
to watch the oh so bland "All Creatures Great And Small" I give you the late
James "Hand Up A Cow's Backside" Herriott.
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Sunderland v West Ham preview: Black Cats still chasing first win
Last Updated: 02/10/15 5:38pm
SSN
Sunderland will be hoping to claim their first victory of the season when
West Ham visit the Stadium of Light on Saturday. Dick Advocaat's side have
started the season in terrible form, and are propping up the Premier League
table having claimed just two points from their first seven games. West Ham,
meanwhile, have had a very different opening to their campaign, and are
currently sitting in third with 13 points. It is their away form which will
be of most concern to the Black Cats as Slaven Bilic's side have a 100 per
cent record on the road so far following wins at Arsenal, Liverpool and
Manchester City.
Team news
Sunderland boss Advocaat does not envisage any fresh injury concerns, and he
will be tempted to restore striker Jermain Defoe to his starting line-up
after leaving the former England man on the bench for last weekend's 3-0
defeat at Manchester United. Defoe has fully recovered from the hamstring
problem that dogged him in the build-up to the trip to Old Trafford while
Jack Rodwell is also aiming to return from an ankle injury, but Adam
Matthews (ankle) remains sidelined.
Andy Carroll could make his first league start in more than eight months for
West Ham at Sunderland. Carroll tore ligaments in his knee in February but
came off the bench against Norwich last weekend and is expected to shake off
a sore ankle ahead of the game at the Stadium of Light. Angelo Ogbonna
(hamstring) and Alex Song (ankle) are both out while Winston Reid is a doubt
with a hip problem. Enner Valencia has returned to light training following
a knee injury but is short of match fitness.
Opta stats
Merson's prediction
It just doesn't get any easier for Sunderland, does it? If you looked at
this at the start of the season you would have probably said this wasn't a
bad game for Sunderland, but West Ham are probably the worst team to play at
the moment at home. West Ham have been phenomenal on the road this season
and they are set up perfectly for the win. Sunderland will have to come out
and have a go and that plays right into West Ham's hands. They've counter
attacked a lot better teams than Sunderland and they'll be too strong come
Saturday.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-2 (Sky Bet odds 8/1)
Betting
Away-day specialists West Ham are Sky Bet's favourites 7/5 favourites with
winless Sunderland 19/10 and the draw 12/5. The Hammers have already
recorded wins at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City and are 100/30 to
add the Black Cats to their list of scalps in a win to nil. Last year this
fixture finished 1-1 and Sky Bet are offering 5/1 for a repeat of that
outcome.
The Soccer Saturday pundits and Jamie Redknapp are all backing West Ham to
win in their Sky Bet tips, including Charlie Nicholas' 50/1 fancy for
Dimitri Payet to score first in a 2-0 victory.
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Silliness…secrecy…and the Andy Carroll affair
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 2, 2015 in Hugh's Blogs, News, Whispers
C and H
Most people realised last Saturday that Andy Carroll had a problem for on
Sunday morning I was receiving facebook messages and e mails asking if the
striker was injured. On Monday – when things came back to life at UP – we
asked the question and were told "As far as we know he's ok" which seemed a
dubious answer given how closely his fitness is monitored. So it came as no
big surprise to learn later in the week that he's been taken to hospital for
checks, that Slaven Bilic believed he may or may not be fit, before David
Gold said it was likely he would turn out although he did have a small
injury. Tonight, our friends over at www. kumb.com reported that he hadn't
travelled to the north east with the rest of the squad and was highly
unlikely to make it tomorrow. Now one of two things are happening here.
Either, as CandH's chief analyst Leroy Rosenior said last night, the club
have become paranoid about him and treating him as if he's made of glass, or
he really is becoming a totally unknown injury quantity. Either way it's bad
news.
Whilst all of this was going on Slaven chose to claim, with an odd sense of
timing, that "if he can stay fit" he can reclaim his international place.
Weird. But what I really don't get in any of this is all the secrecy and
mystery. He's either fit or he's not and it would hardly be a huge surprise
to the opposition were they to have learned days back that the lad wouldn't
be playing tomorrow.
Indeed I'm sure they have made their plans on the basis that he won't be.
What we've seen this week though is typical of what goes on in this game all
the time with everybody giving the impression they are all signed up to the
Official Secrets Act and the boss of the club is a geezer called 'M.'
Secrecy – often for no good reason – is the name of the game at this club
and every other and it really is all rather sad and silly. Andy Carroll's
future however and I do have a big impression it's all gonna end in tears.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Advocaat dismisses quit claims if Irons win
Posted by Hammers Newshound on October 2, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
Sunderland Manager Dick Advocaat has dismissed suggestions that will quit
the Mackems if the Black Cats suffer another defeat against the Hammers at
home tomorrow. Advocaat told a pre match conference "There's all these
reports about 'if, if, if'. But there is no 'if'.
"The fact is I'm here and I will do the game tomorrow. And then I will do
the game next week. But I don't know what will happen next week, next month
or what will happen in nine months. That's football. SamA"I'm the one who
takes the decisions about my future. "If I felt I wasn't the right person,
then I wouldn't be here now." "If you don't get a result and the other teams
are winning, then the gap becomes bigger," We still have 31 games to go,
but the difference could be bigger than last year." Former Hammers Boss Sam
Allardyce is joint favourite to replace Advocaat at Sunderland this season
at odds at 2/1 with Patrick Vieira.
Dick Advocaat is the odds on favorite as the next Premier League manager to
be sacked with odds as short as 2/5 Brendan Rogers is second favourite at
3/1
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Mr Lawrenson – you are a joke!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 2, 2015 in Hugh's Blogs, News, Whispers
C and H
Mark Lawrenson truly has become an absolute joke to most people at West Ham.
Week in week out his apparent dislike of the club is becoming more and more
apparent but today he truly manages to surpass himself. For whether we win,
draw or lose at Sunderland tomorrow there really is no good reason to
predict defeat for the Irons in the north east. And even in tipping us to do
so, the lamest pundit in the game himself fails to come up with a single
reason why reason which is surely of some importance if you are expecting
to be taken seriously.
We can only assume the former player turned media clown has given up on that
score too for his latest pronouncements smack of bias in the extreme.
Writing for the BBC ( what on earth are the guardians of decent journalistic
standards thinking of?) Lawrenson declares: 'From what I have seen so far
this season, Sunderland are the worst team in the Premier League. West Ham
have been brilliant away from home, so you might think this will be a
straightforward victory for the Hammers. But football does not work like
that, which is why we love it, and why I am going for a surprise result at
the Stadium of Light.' Lawro's prediction: 2-0
In normal circumstances I wouldn't have bothered writing a word about such
nonsense but his constant predictions of defeat have become a joke. This one
– without a single qualification as to why such a defeat could happen – is
the most ridiculous of them all.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Leroy: "Here's how we get 3 points at Sunderland"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 2, 2015 in News, Whispers
C and H
Tomorrow at Sunderland will be all about how we start! There's been a
criticism of West Ham at home that they have surrendered too much space to
the opposition as they have attempted to hit them on the break. That may
well be the case but I'm sure they will turn that around soon as the new way
of playing develops. However tomorrow at Sunderland we have to make a quick
start and quieten down the already anxious fans and players. Do that, grab a
goal and we'll have 'em on the run in a big way and could go onto an even
better win than at Arsenal, Liverpool or Man City. Sunderland are – without
question as shown by their league position – by far the worst team in the
Premier League and I really can't think in terms of any other result than a
convincing Irons win. There will come a time when Sunderland get a result
and go on a little run but that won't be tomorrow – we will be too good for
them but a fast start is really essential. Jermain Defoe still has something
about him and can be a threat, maybe, but after that where do they go in the
face of such as Payet, Sakho, Lanzini and Moses for example.
Everything points to a win for our lads and I don't expect there to be a
hint of complacency. Slav is proving hmself far too professional for that
stuff. So for me a good 2-0 win – possibly even more with the goalscorers
being Sakho and Tomkins from a set piece.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic: As much as I respect Dick Advocaat, it's my job
to make his position worse
SLAVEN BILIC Friday 2 October 2015 12:08 BST0 comments
Evening Standard
Tomorrow we play Sunderland, who will be fighting for their Premier League
lives after no wins so far. Fortunately, I have not managed a team yet who
are at the bottom of the league — and I would like to keep it like that.
Every team and every manager suffers bad spells. Maybe your club's aim is to
qualify for the Champions League, but you find you are struggling in seventh
place. No one is happy, but you always have next year. That is not good but
it doesn't compare to when you are fighting for your football lives. If you
go down, that is a major setback.
I know Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat a little. We met at one or two
seminars when I was in charge of the Croatian national team and he was
manager of Russia. Those meetings are good because you are with top coaches
for a couple of days. You could see then how well respected he was. We also
played a friendly against Belgium when he was manager there. He also won the
UEFA Cup with Zenit St Petersburg in 2008. He is vastly experienced and has
managed six national teams — Holland, the UAE, South Korea, Belgium, Russia
and Serbia — and last year he saved Sunderland from relegation. He wanted to
retire but there was a lot of emotion surrounding the club at that time and
he decided to stay on. Now he faces another big challenge in his long
career. It is still comparatively early in the season, but Sunderland
haven't won yet in the Premier League — and the longer that goes on, the
greater the pressure becomes. Yes, there is still a long way to go and the
media can make your problem bigger, but Sunderland have to start winning. As
much as I respect Dick, I have to try and make his position worse. We're all
under pressure at West Ham, too. We're not happy we only drew our most
recent game against Norwich. We have 13 points, however, and are in third
place, while Sunderland are bottom with just two. The pressure on them is
much bigger and it is a negative pressure. In that situation, it is tempting
to change a lot, but big managers — the experienced ones — are reluctant to
alter their philosophy, especially the Dutch ones.
Managers such as Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff were real innovators,
pioneers in fact, and Dutch coaches in general believe in their philosophy
and don't change it because it has brought them success. I remember Croatia
playing Turkey in the 2012 Euro play-offs in Istanbul and we were 3-0 up
early in the second half. Guus Hiddink was their coach and put a striker on
— but for another striker! He didn't go two up front and take a centre-back
off — he said: "This is the way I am playing, this is the way we've been
practising, this is the way it stays."
I am not saying necessarily that Dick will not change anything for tomorrow.
He has hinted that he may play two strikers. I suppose, when you haven't won
a match, something like that is worth trying at home. When it rains, it
pours. They still have quality players like Jermain Defoe and they have been
unlucky in some games, but we want to maintain our 100 per cent away record,
that is for sure.
Alex was a gamble but one we had to take
For us managers, international breaks are a double-edged sword. Training is
disrupted because many players are away and you just keep everything crossed
that they will all come back from various parts of the globe fit and well
afterwards. One positive, though, is that your injured players can press on
with their recovery programmes. In our case, we have both Alex Song and
Enner Valencia progressing really well and close to a return to full
training. I can't wait for both to be available, but we have to be patient.
Enner was here when I arrived, but Alex's future was uncertain after he had
returned to Barcelona. We were determined to try to get him. Alex is a great
player and, at 28, at the peak of his powers. He has lots of experience at
the top level with Arsenal and Barca, but most importantly he has real
quality. He can defend, he can close gaps, he helps you be compact. With the
ball he can hurt you with a pass. He showed that to West Ham fans in the
first half of last season. The problem was that he was not going to be fit
for maybe the first three months of the season. I took a risk there. I am
not in a position of signing a young talent who will produce in a couple of
years' time. I have to do well in my first season and then, hopefully, reach
that status in the future. With Alex, though, I was prepared to take a risk.
I saw that we had enough good players in midfield and that we could wait
until he was fit again — and so far it's worked out. We checked the
situation, of course, we did our homework with doctors and physiotherapists.
I also talked to him even when I was back in Split, before I came here for
pre-season. I could heard in his voice his enthusiasm for coming back. That
was before his ankle injury and the operation, but we still decided to take
the gamble.
Pressing problem can be overcome
One win from four home games is not good enough for us and we have some
ideas about how to improve things. There have been suggestions that we
should play a pressing game further up the pitch. Although that has some
merit, you can't press for 90 minutes, unless you are Barcelona. They
probably only press out of possession 10 times in a game because the rest of
the time they have the ball. While they are playing their tiki-taka
football,they are resting, comparatively speaking. So when they lose it,
they are fresh. To press, you have to keep the ball longer. We've done it in
spells, but need to improve in that respect.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Dick Advocaat set to quit Sunderland post if they lose to West Ham
By CRAIG HOPE and MIKE KEEGAN FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 10:11, 2 October 2015 | UPDATED: 10:25, 2 October 2015
Dick Advocaat looks set to quit Sunderland if they lose to West Ham on
Saturday, Sportsmail understands. The head coach, who turned 68 on Tuesday,
took his first-team staff for dinner on Thursday and club sources say it had
the feel of a farewell meal. Indeed, we understand that Burnley's Sean Dyche
is the man Sunderland will target should Advocaat go.
WEARSIDE WOES - SUNDERLAND 2015-16 PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS SO FAR
Saturday 8 August - Leicester City (A) - LOST 4-2
Saturday 15 August - Norwich (H) - LOST 3-1
Saturday 22 August - Swansea (H) - DREW 1-1
Saturday 29 August - Aston Villa (A) - DREW 2-2
Sunday 13 September - Tottenham (H) LOST 1-0
Saturday 19 September - Bournemouth (A) LOST 2-0
Saturday 26 September - Man United (A) LOST 3-0
The Black Cats boss is said to be growing increasingly disillusioned with
the limitations of his squad and has promised to walk if he feels another
man could do a better job.
Sources say that scenario looks increasingly likely and defeat at home to
West Ham – which would leave them bottom and winless heading into the
international break – would see him call time on seven months at the Stadium
of Light. Sunderland's Jermain Defoe during their English Premier League
soccer match between Sunderland and Tottenham Hotspur at the Stadium of
Light, Sunderland, England, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015. Dyche, meanwhile, was
top of Sunderland's wanted list before Advocaat decided to return to the
club in June having earlier told owner Ellis Short he planned to retire from
club management after guiding the Wearsiders to safety last season. But
Advocaat was frustrated with the quality of players brought in during the
summer and, with just two points from seven matches, he fears a first
relegation in 28 years as a manager.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
How West Ham could finally have some England recognition from Roy Hodgson
07:10 02 October 2015
London 24
Andy Carroll will play for England at next year's European Championships -
if he can stay fit, according to West Ham boss Slaven Bilic. Roy Hodgson has
announced his squad for next week's qualifiers against Estonia and Lithuania
but Carroll, who is yet to start a league game this season, was not in
contention. Carroll has been ravaged by fitness problems since signing for
the Hammers in June 2013. He missed five months of the 2013-14 campaign with
a heel injury and last season made only 16 appearances after separately
tearing ankle and knee ligaments.
Carroll is now close to full fitness, after starting West Ham's Capital One
Cup defeat to Leicester last week, and Bilic believes the striker will win
an England recall if he avoids further time on the sidelines. "The England
squad will come as a logical result if things are cured," Bilic said. "First
of all he has to stay away from injuries. Only with that can he be in a
position to have a great season. "In the past it has not been because he
dropped in form it's because he was injured. "Step number one, he has made
it, he has had a good pre-season, even it was after the season already
started, he is now fit. "The quality was never in doubt, the problem was
fitness and without that you can't have form."
Carroll came off the bench in West Ham's 2-2 draw against Norwich last
Saturday but raised concern after taking a heavy challenge on his ankle. A
scan has shown no serious damage, however, and the fearless 26-year-old is
expected to be available for Saturday's trip to struggling Sunderland. "You
don't want to take it away from him, that's why he is Andy Carroll," Bilic
said.
"It's his biggest enemy but also his biggest quality, that he rolls up his
sleeves and he goes straight in the box, gives the centre half and
goalkeeper a bit of a strange look - that's why he's like that. "You want to
moderate that a little bit, maybe 10 per cent, tell him not to go for those
crazy challenges, but you don't want to take that away because then he would
be half the player."
Carroll may have to work hard to re-establish himself in the West Ham side
given they have scored the highest number of goals in the division so far
this season. Fellow forward Enner Valencia also returned to light training
on Thursday after injuring his knee against Astra Giurgiu in July. "Enner is
great news for us," Bilic said. "It's a matter of two or three weeks now if
everything goes well. He's a naturally fit player."
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