Friday, September 16

Daily WHUFC News - 16th September 2011

Millwall match preview
WHUFC.com
All the background and early team news ahead of Saturday's London derby at
The Den
14.09.2011

MILLWALL v WEST HAM UNITED
npower CHAMPIONSHIP
SATURDAY 17 SEPTEMBER 2011
KICK-OFF: 12.30PM
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV

Messsage to supporters

West Ham United would like to remind all those travelling to the Millwall
match next Saturday of their responsibility as Hammers supporters. The club
have had a tremendous start to the season - in no small part because of the
terrific and passionate following we have had at Doncaster Rovers, Watford
and Nottingham Forest. At all three matches, the travelling Irons have won
wide praise.

Our away support is second to none and this has rightly been flagged up in
the media and throughout the football world. We are calling on all fans
heading to The Den for the next fixture to show their support in the right
way once again and back Big Sam's team from start to finish. There will be a
high-profile police presence at this game, which gets under way at 12.30pm,
and supporters are requested to abide by the rules imposed by Millwall FC in
respect of fan behaviour.

Any football-related incidences reported before, during or after the game
will be thoroughly investigated. There will be serious implications for
anyone found responsible for wrongdoing in terms of their ability to follow
West Ham United at home or away in future. Remember - whether following the
team home or away - we are we are all ambassadors for West Ham United and
how we act has a direct consequence on the club we love.

Thanks for your continued support.

* Supporters are advised that parking in the area around The Den is
extremely limited with restrictions being enforced on matchday. The easiest
and most direct route is for fans to take the train from London Bridge to
South Bermondsey, with the ground a short walk direct from the station.

Introduction
• West Ham United will go top of the npower Championship table for the first
time in 2011/12 if they can achieve victory over Millwall at The Den. The
Hammers go into the weekend in fourth place, having collected 13 points from
their opening six league matches. Millwall are 15th, having picked up six
points from six matches played. A draw would lift the Hammers above
Middlesbrough into third.
• Sam Allardyce's men are seeking a fourth straight away npower Championship
victory at The Den, having defeated Doncaster Rovers (1-0), Watford (4-0)
and Nottingham Forest (4-1) on their own turf already this season. Should
they win, West Ham will record four consecutive away league victories for
the first time since April-September 2007, when they overcame Wigan
Athletic, Manchester United, Birmingham City and Reading.
• Carlton Cole has scored in each of his previous four league matches.
Should he score on Saturday, he would match the five-straight league matches
he scored in between December 2008-January 2009, when he netted against
Portsmouth, Stoke City, Newcastle United, Fulham and Hull City.
• Millwall have not tasted victory in the league since defeating Nottingham
Forest 2-0 at The Den on 13 August. Since then, the Lions have drawn at home
with Peterborough United (2-2) and Barnsley (0-0) and lost at Southampton
(0-1) and Birmingham City (0-3).
• West Ham United have not won any of the previous six league meetings
between the clubs, all of which have come in the Championship. However, the
Hammers did taste victory the most-recent fixture between the
near-neighbours, scoring a 3-1 League Cup second-round victory at the Boleyn
Ground on 25 August 2009.
• The Hammers' most-recent league victory over Millwall took place on 24
February 1991 with a 3-1 win at home in the old Division Two. Frank
McAvennie scored twice.
• Millwall are unbeaten in four home matches against West Ham United - a run
stretching back to the Hammers' 1-0 Division One victory at The Den on 3
December 1988, when Paul Ince was the match-winner. The match also marked
West Ham's only success at Millwall since the Second World War.
• Mark Noble is the only survivor from the West Ham United side that drew
1-1 with Millwall in the clubs' most-recent league meeting at the Boleyn
Ground on 16 April 2005. Marlon Harewood was on target for the Hammers that
day.
• Carlton Cole is seeking to score in his fifth consecutive league match,
having netted against Watford, Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and
Portsmouth in recent weeks.
• Millwall's Irish goalkeeper David Forde spent two years at West Ham
between 2002 and 2004 but never featured in the first team. He moved to
Millwall in 2008.
• Millwall manager Kenny Jackett was busy during the summer transfer window,
bringing in Hull City striker Jay Simpson on loan and Bournemouth winger
Liam Feeney, Leicester City forward Dany N'Guessan, West Bromwich Albion's
Ryan Allsop, Sheffield United striker Darius Henderson, Charlton Athletic's
French midfielder Therry Racon and the unattached Jordan Stewart. Jackett
also allowed Wales striker Steve Morison to join Premier League new boys
Norwich City and veteran forward and club-record goalscorer Neil Harris to
move to Southend United.
• Sam Baldock scored twice in a 4-0 League One victory for MK Dons at
Millwall on 4 October 2008.
• Henri Lansbury scored a 90th-minute winner for Norwich City in their 2-1
Championship victory over Millwall at Carrow Road on 1 February 2011.

Team news
West Ham United
• Sam Allardyce could hand a full debut to David Bentley after the England
midfielder appeared as a second-half substitute against Portsmouth last
weekend.
• Summer signings Sam Baldock, Papa Bouba Diop and Brian Montenegro will all
hope to be involved. Diop and Montenegro both featured for the development
squad in a 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur on Monday. Guy Demel was also
involved but substituted early with a tight hamstring.
• Frederic Piquionne begins a three-match suspension after being sent-off in
the 4-3 npower Championship victory over Portsmouth on Saturday.
• Gary O'Neil (ankle) is out with long-term ankle injury. However, Peter
Kurucz has returned to training after a lengthy absence with a knee injury.
• Pablo Barrera and Jordan Spence are on season-long loans at Real Zaragoza
and Bristol City respectively. Ahmed Abdulla (Swindon Town), Jordan Brown
(Aldershot Town), Olly Lee (Dagenham & Redbridge), Cristian Montano (Notts
County) and Callum McNaughton (AFC Wimbledon) are all out on temporary
loans.
Millwall
• Millwall are likely to be without summer capture Therry Racon (ankle).
• Striker Shaun Batt has a calf strain.
• Winger Chris Hackett has missed the club's last two league games with back
problems.

Last time out
Saturday 10 September 2011
npower Championship

West Ham United 4-3 Portsmouth
West Ham United: Green, O'Brien, McCartney, Reid, Tomkins, Lansbury, Noble,
Nolan, Faubert (Bentley 57), Taylor, Cole (Piquionne 85)
Subs not used: Boffin, Faye, Baldock
Goals: Taylor 9, Lansbury 53, Noble 72 (pen), Cole 76
Sunday 11 September 2011

Birmingham City 3-0 Millwall
Millwall: Forde, Robinson, Mkandawire, Craig, Ward, Dunne, Bouazza (Henry
61), Trotter, Feeney (N'Guessan 61), Simpson (Marquis 72), Henderson
Subs not used: Mildenhall, Abdou
Goals: None

Previous meetings
• The most-recent meeting between the two clubs was for a Carling Cup
second-round tie at the Boleyn Ground on 25 August 2009. Millwall took the
lead through Neil Harris on 26 minutes and looked set to complete an upset
victory until Junior Stanislas equalised with three minutes of normal time
remaining. Stanislas then netted a penalty eight minutes into extra time
before Zavon Hines completed the scoring after 100 minutes.
West Ham United: Green, Faubert, Gabbidon, Tomkins, Spector, Collison,
Parker, Kovac (Nouble 62), Payne (Hines 46), Cole (Upson 109), Stanislas
Subs not used: Kurucz, Daprela, Collins, O.Lee
Millwall: Forde, Dunne, Smith, Frampton , Barron , Hackett, Fuseini, Laird,
Martin (Price 91), Alexander (Bolder 99), Harris (Grimes 99)
Subs not used: Sullivan
• The teams last meeting at the Den took place in the Championship on 21
November 2004, when Daniele Dichio scored the only goal of the game to
secure a 1-0 victory for Millwall.
• This will be the 25th meeting between the two clubs. West Ham United have
nine wins, with ten draws and five victories for Milwall.

Head to head
(Last six meetings)
25 August 2009 - West Ham United 3-1 Millwall AET (Carling Cup second round)
16 April 2005 - West Ham United 1-1 Millwall
21 November 2004 - Millwall 1-0 West Ham United
21 March 2004 - Millwall 4-1 West Ham United
28 September 2003 - West Ham United 1-1 Millwall
28 March 1993 - West Ham United 2-2 Millwall
Overall record v Millwall (all competitions): W 9, D 10, L 5

Ten-year records
West Ham United
2010/11 Premier League 20th (33 points)
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted to Premier League via
play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
2002/03 Premier League 18th (42 points - relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th (53 points)

Millwall
2010/11 Championship 9th (67 points)
2009/10 League One 3rd (85 points - promoted to Championship via Play-Offs)
2008/09 League One 5th (82 points)
2007/08 League One 17th (52 points)
2006/07 League One 10th (66 points)
2005/06 Championship 23rd (40 points - relegated to League One)
2004/05 Championship 10th (66 points)
2003/04 Division One 10th (69 points)
2002/03 Division One 9th (66 points)
2001/02 Division One 4th (77 points)

Referee
• Saturday's referee will be Lee Mason.
• Mason started refereeing in 1988 and in 1992 he was added to the North
West Counties Football League assistant referees' list, and progressed to
full referee for that competition four years later.
• He was included on the Football League list of assistant referees in 1998,
and was then added to the Premier League list in 2000.
• In 2002, he was promoted to referee for the Football League and in 2003
became a 'Development Group' referee, before finally reaching the Premier
League list of Select Group referees in 2006.
• His first ever match in the top tier was on 4 February 2006, when
Middlesbrough lost 4-0 at home to Aston Villa.
• Mason was chosen to control the League One Play-Off final between Barnsley
and Swansea on 27 May 2006.
• The 39-year-old took charge of three West Ham United Premier League
fixtures last season - the 1-1 draw at Stoke City, the 3-3 draw at West
Bromwich Albion and the 4-2 home defeat by Manchester United.

Old boys
• West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce spent two seasons with Millwall as a
player between 1981 and 1983, scoring twice in 63 league appearances.
• Billy Bonds and Pat Holland have both formed part of the Lions' management
in recent years.
• Among the players to have represented both clubs are Harry Cripps, Lawrie
Leslie, Jim Standen, Brian Dear, Paul Allen, Paul Goddard, Tony Cottee,
Teddy Sheringham, Neil Ruddock and Lucas Neill.

Up next
• West Ham United host Peterborough United in the npower Championship on
Saturday 24 September, with kick-off at 3pm. The club is running the Kids
for a Fiver scheme for this match.
• Millwall travel to Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Carling
Cup third round on Tuesday 20 September for a 7.45pm kick-off.

General information
• All standard tickets for Saturday's match have SOLD OUT.
• Supporters travelling to The Den are encouraged to use public transport.
The easiest route is by train to South Bermondsey, which is just a
five-minute ride from London Bridge. From the railway station, there is a
specially-built walkway for away supporters to take them directly to the
away turnstiles and back to the station after the match.
• The weather forecast is for a cloudy day with a daytime high temperature
of 16C (61F).

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Nouble loaned to Gills
WHUFC.com
Striker Frank Nouble will join Gillingham on an Emergency loan until 15
October
15.09.2011

West Ham United can confirm that Frank Nouble will join League Two club
Gillingham on Emergency Loan on Friday. The forward, who has also been given
permission to appear for the Gills in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, will
remain at the MEMS Priestfield Stadium until Saturday 15 October. Nouble,
who scored in the Hammers' pre-season match against Swiss side BSC Young
Boys in July and turns 20 on 24 September, could make his debut at Hereford
United on Saturday.
The south London-based striker could play up to six matches for the Kent
club over the coming month, including a potential meeting with fellow loanee
Callum McNaughton when Gillingham travel to AFC Wimbledon on 1 October. The
England Under-19 international, who has previously been loaned to West
Bromwich Albion, Swindon Town, Swansea City, Barnsley and Charlton, becomes
the eighth player to be allowed to leave the Boleyn Ground on a temporary
basis. Pablo Barrera (Real Zaragoza) and Jordan Spence (Bristol City) are on
season-long loans, while Olly Lee (Dagenham & Redbridge), Cristian Montano
(Notts County), Ahmed Abdulla (Swindon Town), Jordan Brown and Robert Hall
(Oxford United) are all away gaining valuable experience for shorter
periods.

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Noble determined for derby
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble imagined playing football with his friends to net a vital penalty
against Portsmouth
15.09.2011

Lifelong West Ham United fan Mark Noble is desperate to earn victory at
Millwall on Saturday lunchtime. While he knows it will not be easy, the
Canning Town-born player is adamant that Big Sam's side can bring three
points back through the Blackwall Tunnel from The Den. "With the players
that we've got, we can go to any place and win," he told West Ham TV. "There
is no other aim. We aren't going anywhere thinking a point is good enough,
because a point isn't good enough for us. We want to win every game and
that's what we're hoping to do. "When you win games, everyone is happy,
training is happier and the ground is happier and everything is a little bit
better. "We need to keep on winning to get to the place where we want to be
- the Premier League - and carry on our form there."

Noble goes into the Millwall game on a high having imagined playing football
with his friends to help him score his first goal of the season in the
thrilling 4-3 npower Championship victory over Portsmouth last weekend. The
club's longest-serving player showed nerves of steel to convert from the
spot after Pompey captain Jason Pearce had been penalised for handball, and
revealed that his calmness was drawn from visualising himself playing
football in the park with his friends. Carlton Cole added a fourth a short
time later to render Greg Halford's late spot-kick meaningless. "The only
think going through my head was where to hit it," the No16 said. "You just
have to block everything out and imagine you're playing over the park with
your mates. "Luckily enough the keeper went the wrong way and I managed to
score.
"The most important thing was Coley's goal which gave us a little bit of a
cushion and we won the game, which is all that matters."

Noble was delighted not just to break his own seasonal duck but also to help
his team record their first home win since overcoming Stoke City on 5 March
2011. "We needed to get the voodoo off our backs. In the last couple of
games, we've put in good performances but let in two late goals - one
against Cardiff and one against Leeds. We needed to put them behind us and
we did that. "We got the three points and that's what we wanted."

Noble knows he will have to keep up the good work if he is to retain his
place in the manager's starting XI. With Henri Lansbury scoring and earning
Man of the Match honours on debut, David Bentley catching the eye as a
substitute, Kevin Nolan and Matt Taylor on form and Jack Collison left out
after his midweek exertions with Wales, the 24-year-old is one of a host of
midfielders battling for a staring berth. "Of course we know we've got to
play well to get picked. Jack played in midweek and we know his situation
[coming back from injury] so he was rested. Henri came in and impressed and
obviously Bents came on and showed little glimpses of what he's about. "We
just need to keep winning. If we can get on a roll and win, win, win then
everything gets a bit easier."

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Leo learning fast
WHUFC.com
Leo Chambers is eager to enjoy success with club and country this season
15.09.2011

Leo Chambers is eyeing success with club and country this season. The
defender recently led England's Under-17s to victory at a four-team FA
International Tournament and is now eyeing further glory in the Young Lions'
UEFA European U17 Championship qualifiers against Latvia, Bosnia &
Herzegovina and Netherlands in October. At club level, the first-year
scholar is already an important member of the Under-18 side that has won
four matches in a row and sits top of the FA Premier Academy League.
Chambers, who should play away to Coventry City on Saturday morning, is
looking to push on at international level as well, despite only turning 16
on 5 August. "We have got the European Championship qualifiers in October,
so I'm looking to make the squad for then. I think I've done myself justice
in the tournament we just played. "I captained the team in the two games we
won against Italy and Portugal and we won the tournament, so I think I did
well. "We've got quite a strong side at Under-17 level. We've got some
really talented individuals and now we just have to get together as a group
and working as a team."

"Here at West Ham, it's been a very good start for us and it's just a
question of continuing it into our next game. "We're looking to win the
league and go a long way in the FA Youth Cup. It's just about putting things
together and we can have a good season. "It's been hard moving away from
home, but that's a sacrifice you have to make and hopefully it'll pay off. I
am enjoying living with the lads in the Academy House, so it couldn't be
going any better."

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The joy of six
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 15th September 2011
By: Staff Writer

Frank Nouble has joined Gillingham on a short-term loan. The 19-year-old
development team striker has joined the Kent side on an emergency loan. His
stay at the Priestfied stadium is set to last until mid-October (15th).
Incredibly, Gillingham will become the SIXTH club for whom Nouble has played
on a temporary basis since moving to West Ham from Chelsea in the summer of
2009. His first spell out on loan came just six months after he moved to
east London, when he joined then-Championship outfit West Bromwich Albion
for a month. Less than a fortnight after returning from the Midlands, Nouble
was sent to Swindon for the remainder of the 2009/10 campaign. Just a month
into last season the Lewisham-born striker joined former-Championship club
Swansea for six weeks, before moving north to join fellow second flight
outfit Barnsley on transfer deadline day last January. Six weeks with the
Tykes was immediately followed by three weeks with League One side Charlton
during March of this year; his move to Gillingham making the Gills his
eighth club. Gills boss Andy Hessenthaler, speaking on Gillingham FC's
website tonight said: "I've seen Frank a few times, in fact I saw him play
for Chelsea as a youngster. He was 13 years old then and he was already a
big lad. "He is quick as well, so he will bring something different to the
side. He has good experience and has been around a few clubs already on
loan. I think he should slot in nicely and hopefully bring a few goals to
the club. "Frank has an excellent pedigree and comes to us from a proper
club and I would like to thank West Ham and Ian Hendon for helping us out on
this one. Frank needs games and hopefully we can help him, like we helped
Cody McDonald last season. "He will train with us tomorrow and he has every
chance of being in the side on Saturday."

Currently on loan

Abroad: Pablo Barrera (Real Zaragoza); Championship: Jordan Spence (Bristol
City); League One: Cristian Montano (Notts County); League Two: Olly Lee
(Dagenham & Redbridge), Ahmed Abdulla (Swindon Town), Jordan Brown
(Aldershot), Robert Hall (Oxford United), Frank Nouble (Gillingham).

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Millwall v West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 15th September 2011
By: Preview Percy

Preview Percy is actually away on a Saga Cruise on the SS Marco Boogers
which is currently touring somewhere where he'll complain about the food,
water, tea, heat and anything else he can think of while he's not chasing
after rich widows. Which is exactly what he's like when he's at home really.

In his absence, we got an old Millwall preview of his, dusted it down and
added a few bits and pieces in the hope none of you would notice. We're not
going to give him any more Werthers Originals though...

Since the date of this weekend's derby was announced every teenage keyboard
warrior on both sides of the divide has been chipping in about 'standing
your ground' and 'making sure that they don't take liberties', seemingly
oblivious to the fact that Green Street was fiction rather than a
documentary. It was a bloody awful film as well for what it's worth.

Of course it's fair to say that they have more than their fair share of
unpleasant characters amongst their numbers. Years ago your correspondent
lived not a million miles away from their ground. Unsurprisingly, most of my
then local pub was actually Chelsea. One of the funniest things I've ever
heard a Chelsea supporter say came up in a debate he was having with a
Millwall fan who was spouting forth very loudly that only Millwall fans had
any true passion for their team.

The Chelsea fan calmly pointed out that: a) the side for whom the fans
showed 'so much passion' were playing at home in a vital promotion match as
they spoke; b) the ground was literally half empty; c) the ground was only
two miles away from the pub; and d) neither the Millwall supporter nor any
of his replica kit-wearing mates had managed to muster up enough 'passion'
to either make the two-mile trip to the ground or to bother to watch the
match on any of the five big screens that the pub possessed.

Of course whenever Millwall are mentioned there is usually someone on hand
to point out the strides the club have made in recent times to disassociate
themselves from the more Neanderthal elements of society, though employing
Dennis Wise as manager a while back was probably a bit of a publicity own
goal in that respect.

In researching this piece I did happen across one unofficial attempt to give
the club a slightly different image in the form of a website aimed at gay
supporters called The Pink Lions. The home page calls upon the London gay
community to adopt the club in order to 'reclaim the club from the thuggish
element' and asks us to imagine a 'sell-out at the New Den every week with a
carnival atmosphere'.

Sadly for those of us who love cheap jokes, since the site was set up some
years ago that appears to have been it, with little activity taking place
since. You have to give them ten out of ten for trying mind, though I'd say
that the home page slogan 'You ain't a real man 'til you've had a 'Wall fan'
is probably a few years ahead of its time in New Cross.

Last time the two clubs met in the 2009 Carling Cup (a game won 3-1 by West
Ham after extra time), Millwall had just missed out on promotion after a
hilarious play-off final that saw them go down 3-2 to Scunthorpe, a team
that play in in claret and blue and are known as 'The Iron'. Which made a
few of us smile at the time.

Goalscorer for the Lions that day was Gary Alexander, another player who
started life out at the Boleyn and eventually ending up the wrong side of
the river via spells at Exeter, Swindon, Hull and the Os. Alexander missed
an absolute sitter at Wembley and, if one were in mischievous mood, one
might almost think that he was simply doing his job as a former Hammer. An
amusing thought but for the fact that he was reputedly a Millwall supporter
as a boy.

On the pitch it's been an unbeaten start at home thus far for 'Wall. They've
beaten Forest (2-0), Morecombe in the Carling Cup (2-0) whilst drawing with
Peterborough (2-2) and Barnsley (0-0). These results, combined with just one
win and a draw from their four away games leaves them in 15th place in the
Championship going into the game.

Leading goalscorers in the league this season are Darius Henderson -
Millwall's summer signing from Sheffield United - and Liam Trotter (no,
really) with two apiece. Hameur Bouazza, who moved to the Den on a free
transfer in the summer having been released by French Ligue 2 club
Arles-Avignon also has two to his name, although one of those came in the
Carling Cup.

In between the sticks should be regular stopper David Forde, one of a number
of players to have featured for both clubs. The 31-year-old Irishman spent
two years at West Ham from 2002-2004 but failed to make a single first-team
appearance; subsequent spells at Derry City, Cardiff, Luton and Bournemouth
led Forde to Milwall in 2008, for whom this weekend will mark his 150th
league appearance.

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce - who made 65 apperances for George Graham's
Millwall during a two-year spell in the early '80s as part of a side that
featured a young Teddy Sheringham - has a plethora of options to choose from
this weekend but will almost certainly stick to his favoured 4-3-3
formation. That should leave Carlton 'Goals' Cole as as shoo-in for the
target man role with John Carew likely to take the suspended Freddy
Piquionne's place on the bench.

Julien Faubert and Matt Taylor started out wide against Portsmouth last
weekend and with both likely to pose unique problems for the opposition -
Taylor from his free kicks and corners, Faubert with his pace and crossing
ability - the likes of David Bentley and Sam Baldock will almost certainly
have to settle for the bench, at best. Mark Noble has his best game of the
season against Pompey which should guarantee him the nod ahead of Papa Bouba
Diop, whilst Kevin Nolan and Henri Lansbury did little to suggest they
deserve to be dropped.

However the defence represents Sam Allardyce's biggest problem, with West
Ham having conceded eight goals in their last four outings. Joey O'Brien and
George McCartney will probably start given the lack of competition -
although Guy Demel could be an option for Allardyce due to his size - but
the boss faces a real conundrum at centre half where he will decide whether
to stick with youngsters James Tomkins and Winston Reid, or introduce
Abdoulaye Faye for a little added steel and experience.

Enjoy the game - and stay safe.

Danger man: Darius Henderson. Signed on a free during the summer, the
30-year-old striker maintained a 'one in three' goalscoring record for some
six years in the Championship whilst with Watford and Sheffield United. With
two from six games so far this season, he looks set to continue that
respectable record.

Referee: Lee Mason. His first appointment with West Ham this season although
he officiated on three occasions last term; the 1-1 draw at Stoke, the 4-2
home defeat against Man Utd and, most notably, the 3-3 Scott Parker-inspired
draw at West Brom. The other officials on duty are Ceri Richards and Simon
Bennett (linos) and fourth official Gavin Ward.

Look out for: People trying to tell your fortune or sell you heather. If you
must buy the heather make sure it comes from a sustainable source and on no
account agree to have your drive tarmaced.

Last meeting: West Ham Utd 3 Millwall 1 AET (Stanislas 2, Hines) - 25th
August 2009.

Head to Head: (Football League only) West Ham 9; Millwall 5; Draws 10.

Leading goalscorers: Cole (West Ham) 4; Nolan (West Ham) 2, Henderson
(Millwall) 2, Trotter (Millwall) 2, Bouazza (Millwall) 2.

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Noble - Draw won't cut it
Midfielder sets sights on three points from every game
Last Updated: September 15, 2011 5:22pm
SSN

West Ham midfielder Mark Noble says his side must go into every game looking
to win, insisting a point is not a good enough result. The 24-year-old
scored his first goal of the season in the Hammers' 4-3 victory over
Portsmouth last weekend, recording their first home win since beating Stoke
in March. And ahead of the trip to local rivals Milwall on Saturday, Noble
believes the Hammers have what is needed to take three points. Noble told
the club's official website: "With the players that we've got, we can go to
any place and win. There is no other aim. "We aren't going anywhere thinking
a point is good enough, because a point isn't good enough for us. We want to
win every game and that's what we're hoping to do. "When you win games,
everyone is happy, training is happier and the ground is happier and
everything is a little bit better. "If we can get on a roll and win, win,
win then everything gets a bit easier."

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Gills delight as Nouble signs
Last Updated: September 15, 2011 6:28pm
SSN

Gillingham boss Andy Hessenthaler is delighted at completing the signing of
Frank Nouble from West Ham on a one-month loan deal. The 19-year-old - who
has enjoyed loan stints at West Brom,Swindon, Swansea, Barnsley and Charlton
- arrives at Priestfield to bolster Gillingham's attacking options.
Hessenthaler told Gillingham's official website: "Frank has an excellent
pedigree and comes to us from a proper club and I would like to thank West
Ham and Ian Hendon (former Gills assistant manager and now development coach
at Upton Park) for helping us out on this one." Gills have been short in the
final third since losing Adam Birchall over the summer to a long-term knee
injury, with Hessenthaler earlier this week missing out on the services of
Jon-Paul Pittman after he decided to complete a loan switch to Crawley
instead. Nouble, an England Under-19 international, started his career at
Chelsea before completing a switch to West Ham in the summer of 2009. He has
made a total of 10 Premier League appearances for the Hammers. He is
available to make his debut in Saturday's clash at Hereford.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce in 'cool it' plea to Hammers fans
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: Today
The Sun

SAM ALLARDYCE has told West Ham fans and players to keep cool in tomorrow's
clash at Millwall. The Hammers boss knows all about the rivalry between the
two clubs having played for Lions for two years back in the 1980s. Allardyce
said: "It seems to be more about my era than today's. "From what I hear it's
about the old boys coming out of retirement just for this game. "I can't
understand that because I'm 57 so they must be in their 50s. "It's just
about a good game and hoping everyone behaves themselves."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Interpol join search for missing ex-West Ham striker
Published 10:36 15/09/11 By Neil McLeman
The Mirror

Former West Ham forward Savio is being sought by Interpol after disappearing
in Italy. The Ugandan-born German citizen signed for the Hammers in a £9m
deal in January 2009 but only started one match and failed to score. He is
now on loan to Juve Stabia from Fiorentina but the 22-year-old has not been
seen since texting his coach he would not make training for "personal
reasons" last Thursday. Juve Stabia sporting director Salvatore Di Somma
said: 'The player's mother lodged a complaint with Interpol and the police
have released a photo of him to try to find him soon. Currently there is
still no trace of the player and his family, close friends or police know
where he is or what has happen. "I am sorry above all for the human impact
of this affair and naturally hope he can be found as quickly as possible."
Serie B side Juve Stabia are from Castellammare di Stabia, a town on the Bay
of Naples.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Police vow to prevent more Millwall-West Ham trouble
Published 21:00 15/09/11 By Neil McLeman
The Mirror

Police are determined to prevent a repeat of crowd trouble between West Ham
and Millwall fans at their London derby on Saturday. The last meeting
between them, two years ago, saw a supporter stabbed, 64 arrests and both
clubs charged by the FA. West Ham were fined £115,000 for failing to control
their fans. Superintendent Suzanne Wallace said: "Our message to fans is
simple - we will police matchday fairly but firmly. "If you're coming to
enjoy the game, we will help you do that. However, if you intend to cause
trouble you will find your efforts thwarted."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce wants fight but no fighting in Millwall showdown
Published 22:30 14/09/11 By Ann Gripper
The Mirror

Sam Allardyce has urged his West Ham players to use the red-hot derby
atmosphere at Millwall as inspiration. The bitter London rivals meet at the
New Den at Saturday lunchtime with Hammers fourth and the Lions a lowly 15th
in the Championship. Allardyce has called on both sets of fans to behave
themselves, after a Carling Cup clash between the clubs two years ago was
marred by large-scale trouble, but does hope the passion on show inside the
stadium will help his team maintain their 100 per cent away record. "Our job
is to control ourselves and produce the quality of football we have within
our abilities, to make it a thoroughly entertaining game against our local
rivals in the right way," he said.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tony Cottee column: West Ham have better players than Millwall
London 24
Tony Cottee, West Ham columnist
Thursday, September 15, 2011
12:23 PM

"There is no doubting that we have the better players, it is all down to
effort, application and determination" This weekend, West Ham travel to
Millwall and I am just hoping that the football makes the headlines and not
any trouble. We all remember what happened two years ago and I hope that
there is no repeat of that and the that both sets of fans can get to and
from the game safely. The Hammers will receive a hostile reception from the
home crowd on Saturday and if they deal with that, then I expect that West
Ham will have too much for the home side. There is no doubting that we have
the better players, it is all down to effort, application and determination.
Having said that, The New Den is a tough place to go to and Millwall are
unbeaten at home this season and it hasn't been a happy hunting ground for
the Hammers of late. Despite West Ham's great away record this season, at a
local derby, recent form tends to go out of the window. However, if we show
the same level of desire, passion and effort that we did last weekend
against Portsmouth, I expect the Hammers to get the win and continue their
push up the Championship table. Tony Cottee was talking to Nathaniel John

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Thursday, September 15

Daily WHUFC News - 15th September 2011

Savio goes AWOL - again
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 14th September 2011
By: Staff Writer

Former Hammer Savio Nsereko has gone missing in action once again. The
former German youth international, now 22, has been reported missing by his
current club Juve Stabia. Nsereko joined the Serie B club on loan from
parent club Fiorentina for the season during the summer. Both his family and
agent have denied any knowledge of his whereabouts whilst Salvatore Di
Somma, Stabia's techincal director told Italian media: "Nobody can find him.
His mother and sister are worried too. We hope that everything will be
resolved as soon as possible."

His current club, who have already indicated that they are prepared to annul
Savio's contract upon his return are reported to have received a text
message from the Ugandan-born midfielder last Thursday in which Nsereko said
that he would not be attending training that day. That was the last anybody
is said to have heard from the player, who joined West Ham in January 2009
in a deal that could have potentially cost West Ham United some £9million
(the actual cost of the deal remains hotly disputed to this day).

After just eight months in London, Savio was sold to Fiorentina for
£3million plus Manuel Da Costa (who, incidentally, returned to London this
week to face charges of assault). Since moving back to Italy in September
2009, the Ugandan-born German youth international has played for FIVE clubs
- Fiorentina, Bologna, Munich 1860, Chernomorets Burgas (Bulgaria) and most
recently, Juve Stabia.

Having failed to break into Fiorentina's first team, he was sent on loan to
Bologna in January 2010. However after just two appearances the troubled
youngster was sent back to Fiorentina, from where he was subsequently loaned
to 1860 Munich in July 2010. That spell lasted just three months before he
was sent back to his parent club after going AWOL - for the first time - for
a week; the player later surfacing at his sister's house in Germany. In
February of this year, Nsereko joined Bulgarian side Chernomorets Burgas,
again on loan.

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West Ham can keep goals coming against Millwall
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 14th September 2011
By: Guest Writer

West Ham United gained a great result against Portsmouth last week to
maintain their position as the favourites to bounce straight back from
relegation with a return to the Premier League. The Hammers are now down to
just 8/11 to be promoted this season and are 15/8 favourites to win the
Championship. But if they are to justify these odds, West Ham need to get
something from this weekend's tough match away to Millwall. The Lions have
not made the best start to the season - in fact, they have less than half
the points that West Ham have - but the Den remains a tough place to go to,
as is proved by their home record this season which reads one win and two
draws from three home league matches.

The bookies seem to have taken this into account by offering a big price on
an away win for West Ham. 6/4 is the top price at the time of writing,
whilst Millwall are 2/1 to win and the draw 12/5.

Millwall have been hard to beat at home this season, but one win from three
games reflects the fact that they are 15th in the table at the moment. West
Ham look overpriced at 6/4 considering United have a great away record so
far this season, winning all three matches on the road, scoring nine goals
and conceding just once.

West Ham's superior attacking ability was once again in evidence last
weekend against Portsmouth with four goals going in against a defence that
had previously conceded just four goals in their last five league matches.
You can currently get 12/5 that West Ham score in both halves at the Den,
and that looks a more than fair price. The Hammers are available at 9/2 to
score three or more goals - and that too looks overpriced, given West Ham's
recent form. Carlton Cole is proving a very good goalscorer in the
Championship. He was amongst the goals again at the weekend taking his tally
up to four in the league, twice the next best goalscorer currently. Cole
should be a good bet to score both the first goal and at anytime for which
he is 5/1 and 11/8 respectively.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Marquis relishes derby
Millwall youngster looks forward to Hammers clash
By Chris Galea. Last Updated: September 14, 2011 5:09pm
SSN

Millwall striker John Marquis is looking forward to this weekend's London
derby against West Ham United in the Championship. The Lions have made a
disappointing start to the new season and have collected just six points
from as many matches, while West Ham are third in the table with 13 points,
three off the pace. The two fierce London rivals have not met in a league
match since April 2005 when they drew 1-1, and Marquis, who was 13 at the
time, believes that Saturday's clash with make up for lost time. "It is the
one that everyone was looking out for when fixtures were announced and
although they have just come down from the Premier League, the form book
goes out of the window when it comes to a big local derby," the 19-year-old
told skysports.com. "It will be all about determination, will to win and a
little bit of luck to decide who comes out on top, but it is one which I'm
sure everyone will be relishing on both sides. "The build-up this week has
been great and hopefully we can go out there and do the fans proud."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Freddie Piquionne loses red card appeal
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: Today
The Sun

FREDDIE PIQUIONNE will sit out West Ham's visit to arch-rivals Millwall on
Saturday after losing his appeal against a red card. The Hammers French
striker was sent off for shoving Portsmouth sub Greg Halford in last
Saturday's dramatic 4-3 win. FA bosses rejected the club's appeal and
Piquionne, yet to score this season, will now be banned for three matches.
Hammers are set to offer 39-cap Australian international David Carney a
one-year deal after he impressed on trial. The left-back, who had spells at
Sheffield United, Everton and Dutch side Twente, is a free agent after
leaving Blackpool.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce wants fight but no fighting in Millwall showdown
Published 22:30 14/09/11 By Ann Gripper
The Mirror

Sam Allardyce has urged his West Ham players to use the red-hot derby
atmosphere at Millwall as inspiration. The bitter London rivals meet at the
New Den at Saturday lunchtime with Hammers fourth and the Lions a lowly 15th
in the Championship. Allardyce has called on both sets of fans to behave
themselves, after a Carling Cup clash between the clubs two years ago was
marred by large-scale trouble, but does hope the passion on show inside the
stadium will help his team maintain their 100 per cent away record. "Our job
is to control ourselves and produce the quality of football we have within
our abilities, to make it a thoroughly entertaining game against our local
rivals in the right way," he said. "And we have to use the atmosphere that
will be at the stadium to bring the best out of us."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
SAM ALLARDYCE WILL FIGHT FIRE WITH FLAIR
Daily Star
15th September 2011 By Mike McGrath

WEST HAM boss Sam Allardyce has vowed: We won't be intimidated at The Den.
West Ham face bitter Championship rivals Millwall on Saturday for the first
time since their Carling Cup clash two years ago led to violence between
fans and pitch invasions. Sam Allardyce said: "Our job is to control
ourselves and produce the quality football that we are capable of. "We need
to use the atmosphere that will be at the stadium to bring the best out of
us." Hammers winger Matt Taylor said: "In away games we play with a bit
more freedom. ''So I expect we'll play well, and if we do we'll get a

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Police chiefs meet to finalise plans for West Ham's trip to Millwall
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 8:30 PM on 14th September 2011
Daily Mail

Metropolitan Police chiefs have held a high-level meeting to finalise their
strategy to combat the potentially volatile clash between Millwall and West
Ham on Saturday.
Sportsmail understands New Scotland Yard will issue a statement today
specifically outlining how they intend to combat violent behaviour as well
as warning supporters intent on causing trouble to stay away from the Den
this weekend. Police will significantly beef up their usual match-day
operations for what is likely to be a highly explosive clash to ensure their
is no repeat of the last time the two clubs met two years ago.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham consider signing trialists
London24
Dave Evans, West Ham Correspondent
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
5:30 PM

Hammers boss Sam Allardyce is running the rule over two trialists at Upton
Park at the moment. The transfer window may be closed, but West Ham are
still considering adding to their squad with two free agents currently on
trial at Upton Park. Aussie left back David Carney and Brazilian midfielder
Juca have been training with the club for the past two weeks and both played
in the development squad's 2-2 draw with Tottenham on Monday afternoon.
International Carney, 27, played in Blackpool's relegated team last season
before being released and he could provide cover for current left back
George McCartney. The Aussie has also had spells at Sheffield United,
Norwich City and FC Twente in Holland, so may well have the experience that
manager Sam Allardyce is looking for. The only other left back at the club
is Congo International Herita Ilunga, but he seems to be completely out of
the picture at the moment, to the extent that he was not included in the
club's official team photo. Juca, 31, spent the past two years at Deportivo
La Coruna in Spain, scoring three goals in 24 appearances, but before that
he had a much more successful period at Partizan Belgrade. The defensive
midfielder made 43 starts for Partizan and helped them to the league and cup
double in Serbia. He is a specialist free-kick and corner-taker and
demonstrated that art in the friendly with Spurs. Allardyce will keep his
options open with regard to both players with another possible signing being
a central defender on loan. Both trialists will continue to train at the
club over the next week.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham to Offer Australian International Defender One-Year Contract
Posted on 14 September 2011
Sportsvibe.com

Championship side West Ham United could be set to offer Australian
international David Carney a one-year contract after impressing during a
short term trial with the club. The 27-year-old is a free agent after
leaving previous club Blackpool in the summer and is said to have impressed
during a reserve team match with the east Londoners. The vastly experienced
left-back has had short spells at Sheffield United, Everton and Dutch side
Twente where he won the league title under former England boss Steve
McLaren. Carney has been capped 39 times by the Socceroo's and according to
FourFourTwo Australia is set to be offered a one-year contract with the
Hammers. He has previously been linked with Nottingham Forest where he
would be reunited with McLaren, but it now seems as though any deal has
fallen through and he will instead ply his trade at Upton Park. Carney took
part in a trial match against a Spurs XI and Sam Allardyce is said to have
been impressed with he performance of the left-back. A report on the West
Ham website seemed to suggest that Carney played well and could soon be the
newest addition to Allardyce's squad. "Carney has improved as the game has
gone on and also caught the eye at the attacking end of the field. He's a
strong player and experienced and composed in possession."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Henri Lansbury 'gambled on West Ham loan to force new Arsenal deal'
Metro.co.uk

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has convinced want-a-way midfielder Henri
Lansbury to ditch his proposed exit from the club and a sign a new deal,
ending his long running transfer saga. The England Under-21 international
had told Wenger of his desire to leave Arsenal earlier in the summer, after
being forced to spend pre-season with the reserve team, following a
successful loan spell with Norwich City. A host of Premier League outfits
including Blackburn, Wolves and Queens Park Rangers were all alerted to his
availability, but Wenger, boosted after positive talks before Arsenal's
pre-season friendly with Benfica in early August, was hopeful he could
convince the player to stay. Lansbury then made the move across London to
join Championship side West Ham on a season-long loan on transfer deadline
day, despite only having a year left on his contract, and with talks still
at a tentative stage over an extension. The apparent gamble paid off
though, and the exciting box-to-box midfielder has already confirmed he
plans to return to the Emirates and fight for a place next season.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham legend Sir Trevor Brooking opens Lawford Football Club's John Lyall
Pavilion
3:30pm Wednesday 14th September 2011
Gazettenews.co.uk
By James Cox »

FOOTBALL legend Sir Trevor Brooking has unveiled a new sports pavilion. The
former England and West Ham United midfielder greeted a crowd of more than
500 people at the opening of Lawford football club's John Lyall Pavilion.
The £513,000 facility in School Lane, named after former West Ham manager
Lyall, will be used by Lawford Lads and Lawford Juniors. Sir Trevor said it
was important for the community to continue to support the clubs. He said:
"A facility like this will be great for the surrounding communities and they
can offer fundraising events and functions here. "It is good to see a club
that wants to expand, but obviously with that there is a cost. "In the
long-run it will rely on support and volunteers and it is great to see so
many faces turn out today."

"On a sunny day like today, it might not seem obvious, but the players will
be thankful for it in January in the cold and rain." The pavilion has
changing rooms with showers, a changing room for officials, im-proved
disabled facilities, a bar and function room, kitchen and kit storage
lockers. A memorial section has the names of sponsors, patrons and community
figures etched into the brickwork. Sir Trevor, 62, who works for the
Football Association, gave a speech in which he recalled his playing career
and ex-manager Mr Lyall. He then drew the curtain to reveal a plaque
dedicated to Mr Lyall, who died in 2006. John Duchars, chairman at Lawford
Juniors, and Andy Rudd, chairman of Lawford Lads, also gave speeches in
which they thanked the sponsors and volunteers who have brought the project
to fruition.
The project has been a result of work from Lawford Parish Council, Tendring
Council, the Essex Football Association, the Football Foundation and
volunteers. Each of the four changing rooms have been dedicated to
volunteers who have died since the plans were drawn up. Mr Rudd said: "We
hope the pavilion will be home to hundreds of footballers for many years to
come."

Team members of the Junior and Lads teams kitted up for a kick-about under
the gaze of their VIP guests.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham striker scores on debut for Oxford against Dagenham and Redbridge
3:18pm Wednesday 14th September 2011
Guardian Series
By Simon Mail »

West Ham striker Robert Hall marked his Oxford United debut by scoring their
winner. The 17-year-old started his loan spell by netting in Oxford's 1-0
win over Dagenham and Redbridge in League Two. United boss Chris Wilder told
BBC Oxford: "It's possibly the hardest place that he (Robert Hall) could
have made his debut. He's a local lad and they know a lot about him here.
"They made it difficult for him, they wanted to make contact with him but he
grew into the game, it was a great goal. And in the second half, he was a
real handful. He's given us that little bit of spark."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ugandan footballer Nsereko goes missing
www.monitor.co.ug
By Mark Kirumira
Posted Wednesday, September 14 2011 at 15:18

Disappearing Acts is a 2000 romantic drama and Ugandan-born German Savio
Nsereko is proving to be a candidate for a casting role in its sequel.
Reports from Italy indicate that the Fiorentina player, now on a season-long
loan at Serie B side Juve Stabia, has mysteriously gone missing from his
club. He last reported at the club last Wednesday and this has forced his
bosses to contact the police who have started investigations into the
matter. No one, including his agent Patrick Bastianelli and family, knows
his whereabouts. Savio was signed by Londoners West Ham United from Italian
club Brescia in January 2009 on a four-year deal for a fee of £9 million.
After a few appearances, he moved to Florence for an undisclosed fee. His
current contract expires in 2016. The last official contact the player had
was a text message sent to his coach Pierro Praglia, indicating that he
would be absent from the team's training camp. Consequently, he missed in
his club's 1-0 defeat to Brescia last weekend. Juve Stabia's sporting
director Salvatore Di Somma said Wednesday; "Nobody can find him, his mother
and sister are worried, too. We hope that everything will be resolved as
soon as possible."

Contract threat

The club's press office has released a statement, indicating that there is
likelihood that the player's contract at the club could be terminated like
it were the case when he went AWOL while on loan at German side 1860 Munich
last October. "We take note of his behaviour, by virtue of which we have
come to the conclusion that he can not be part of our family," the statement
read. Former Sampdoria front man Claudio Belucci has already been singled
out as his likely replacement. Early this year, he was also sent on loan to
Bulgarian side Chernomerets Burgas having had a similar spell at Bologna the
previous season. By Wednesday, the police had alerted border officials in
Italy and the Force is also tracking his credit card transactions so as to
trace the midfielder. Early last year, Savio was in Uganda and he met
Federation of Uganda Football Association, the local governing body,
officials, indicating his readiness and desire to join the Uganda Cranes if
needed – provided the necessary paperwork to allow him play for Uganda are
done. The two parties, it is known, have since not closed the door on each
other.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Wednesday, September 14

Daily WHUFC News - II 14th September 2011

Taylor hails team ethic
WHUFC.com
Matt Taylor says West Ham United's one-for-all approach will stand them in
good stead at Millwall
14.09.2011

If West Ham United are to achieve their goal of winning promotion from the
npower Championship this season, then Matt Taylor believes team spirit will
play a massive part. The Hammers No14 has been an ever-present so far,
chalking up four assists in five league matches and also netting his first
goal for the club in Saturday's 4-3 home victory over Portsmouth. The
29-year-old has also brought experience and hard work to the left side of
midfield, showing exactly why Sam Allardyce brought him to the club from
Bolton Wanderers in July. "I think my form has been all right to be honest.
When you break it down, I've made a few goals and got one of my own now, but
the main thing is to win football matches as a team. "Obviously it's great
individually to play well, but to help the team is the most important
thing."

Concentrating on his maiden strike in claret and blue - a trademark 25-yard
free-kick to equalise just moments after Portsmouth had gone ahead through
Carlton Cole's own-goal - Taylor was delighted to get off the mark. The goal
was just one of a host of important moments that combined to see West Ham
record their first home win of the 2011/12 campaign. "My thinking was to
stick it in the back of the net and thankfully it went in! No, I was just
happy to see it to go in to be honest.
"The win was a bit overdue but we haven't waited that long - it was only our
third home league game if you look at it that way, but if you look at the
timing through the season it was obviously important for us to get that win
and get a few people talking about something else. "It can be difficult to
play here sometimes because the fans are so passionate. It's fantastic and
I'm so pleased we have won for them more than anything else."

Portsmouth proved to be tricky opponents, closing their hosts down and
snapping away at their heels - an approach that saw Pompey have three
players shown yellow cards and captain Liam Lawrence sent-off for two
bookable offences. "It was a niggly game. You've got to remember that we're
one of the biggest fish in this league and people are going to want to
frustrate us when they come here because I believe we've got a lot of
quality. "Portsmouth tried to frustrate us and I think they did it well, to
be honest. They had a gameplan and stuck to it, but fortunately we've
managed to win the game."

West Ham's approach at Millwall this coming Saturday is likely to be very
different. Having recorded three wins from three away games this season and
scored nine goals in the process, Taylor expects the Hammers to go on the
front foot from the start at The Den. The presence of new signings Henri
Lansbury and David Bentley - both of whom made positive debuts against
Portsmouth - will undoubtedly boost their chances of picking up another
three points. "I think we'll go and play our normal game. When we play away
from home, we seem to play with freedom so I expect we will play well and if
we do so, we'll get a positive result. "The new boys were very good. When I
look at the squad, I feel we've got a heck of a lot of quality. I would
suggest that there are a few teams in the Premier League who would like our
squad. "We've only got ourselves to blame if we don't have a good season.
We've definitely got the squad to do well in this league and hopefully, if
we continue playing like we have done in the last three or four games and go
on an unbeaten run, we should do well."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Fan Forum on Thursday
WHUFC.com
Supporters can still apply to attend a Fan Forum at the Boleyn Ground this
week
14.09.2011

Limited places are available for Joint-Chairman David Gold's Fan Forum at
the Boleyn Ground on Thursday evening. The event will start in the Legends
Lounge from 6pm on 15 September and is primarily open to season ticket
holders or members with a valid client reference numbers. The Joint-Chairman
will discuss a wide range of topics and share insights from behind the
scenes at the Boleyn Ground. Because of high demand and the desire to ensure
a wide cross-section of supporters are represented, the club is operating a
first come, first-served system with anyone interested required to email a
short sentence or two stating why they want to be involved to
fanforum@westhamunited.co.uk Entry is strictly by invitation only, which
will be issued by return email to those successful. The Fan Forum is part of
the ongoing commitment at the club to ensure fan feedback is at the heart of
all decisions at West Ham United. The successful Supporters Advisory Board
which launched in the summer with Joint-Chairman David Sullivan and
Vice-Chairman Karren Brady is going from strength to strength and is already
having a significant impact.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Champions League? You're having a laugh
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 14th September 2011
By: Staff Writer

West Ham's Championship fixture against Portsmouth last weekend managed to
draw a greater crowd than half of last night's Champions' League fixtures. A
grand total of 33,465 packed into the Boleyn Ground on Saturday afternoon to
witness United's thrilling 4-3 win over Pompey - just 2,000 less than the
Upton Park-based ground's capacity.

Meanwhile, in last night's Champions League fixtures, four of the eight
games had lower attendances whilst at only two - Barcelona and Dortmund -
were considerably larger gates recorded. Elsehwere Porto and Chelsea managed
to attract roughly the same number; the Blues recording a crowd of 33,820 -
just 355 more supporters than at the Boleyn last weekend - for their 2-0
Group E win over Bayer Leverkusen.

The four clubs to draw lower gates were Olympiakos, Genk, Apoel FC and
Viktoria Plzen.

Kings of Europe? Last night's Champions' League attendance figures
(including, for the first time ever, WHUFC)

96,641: Barcelona 2-2 AC Milan
75,000: Dortmund 1-1 Arsenal
36,612: Porto 2-1 Shaktar Donetsk
33,820: Chelsea 2-0 Leverkusen
33,465: West Ham Utd v Portsmouth (Championship)
33,300: Olympiakos 0-1 Marseille
22,000: Genk 0-0 Valencia
21,000: Apoel FC 2-1 Zenit St Petersburg
20,801: Viktoria Plzen 1-1 Bate Borisov

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
A Bridge Too Far, as Henri Needs to Beware!
September 14th, 2011 - 2:22 pm by S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die

Sam Allardyce has been reported as stating that he was happy with the
quality and depth-in-strength of the West Ham squad and, as such, will not
be pursuing a loan deal for Wayne Bridge from Man City. However, he did not
confirm whether that included or effectively excluded the addition of
current, free agent, trialists David Carney and Juca? Personally, I feel
that it may indicate that David Carney will be offered a contract, as he
gives Allardyce cover both at left-back and wide left. As for Juca, a lot
will depend on his performance in training and assessments of his
contribution in the Developmental Squad match against Spurs yesterday? From
reports of the Spurs game, Juca put in a strong display in a defensive
midfield role, in front of BP. Diop, who played at centre-back.

Elsewhere, Stech's proposed loan to Ipswich Town appears to have fallen
through, due to the fact that they were not guaranteeing playing time.
However, other short-term loan options are actively being sought, so that
Stech can add to his competitive experience. It has also been announced that
Robert Hall has gone on a short-term loan to Oxford Utd. Hopefully that
will assist his development and a possible first team debut this season.
Hall is a superb prospect and it was always likely, all things being equal,
that he would be one of those exceptional players who debut early in their
careers. Lets hope that he makes sufficient progress to ensure that he makes
a break through at some point this season. Just think what a lively and
exciting combination Robert Hall and Sam Baldock would be in a future West
Ham forward line!

Elsewhere it has been announced that Henri Lansbury has signed a contract
extension at Arsenal. This is presumably in response to the player's public
statement that he may need to seek a permanent move to secure first team
football? It is typical of the position of English prospects, at clubs like
Arsenal and Chelski, that Lansbury has only been given limited first team
opportunities since 2007. These type of clubs will always bring in
expensive imports, rather than show faith in domestic players coming through
their Academy. The result is that they stagnate in the reserves or end up
perpetually on loan. West Ham have benefited from that situation this
season, with the aquisition of Lansbury, but it is not good for the long
term future of the English national team.

As such, Henri Lansbury should beware of signing too long a contract
extension at the Emirates. If he has a good season at West Ham, he
definitely needs to follow it up with regular PL fooball. Of course we do
not know Lansbury's contractual situation, it may be that he is in the final
year-18 months of his current deal and the extension is partly about
ensuring that he does not walk away without a fee being paid? Certainly,
the reports do not confirm the length of the contract extension that he has
signed? Anyway, the extension does not necessarily mean that he will not
exit the Emirates next summer. If he does there will probably be no
shortage of interested clubs, but West Ham are currently in pole position!
In the meantime this season, lets just enjoy his displays in a West Ham
shirt, alongside home grown players like Tomkins, Noble, Collison and,
hopefully, Brown, Montano and Hall.

One thing is certain, there is definitely life after Scott Parker!

SJ. Chandos.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tony Cottee Column: Relief after West Ham put Upton Park hoodoo behind them
Tony Cottee , London24, West Ham columnist
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
12:30 PM

It was great to see West Ham finally get that important home win in a game
that had a bit of everything at the weekend. There were red cards,
penalties, deflected goals, well-worked goals - the game was a great advert
for the Championship and I am sure that it was a great match to watch as a
neutral. What is important though, is that the Hammers got the result that
they wanted, which was a win. I know that the lads would have got back into
the changing room after the game and be relieved to have finally got that
win.

I said last week that I would have settled for a 1-0 win before kick-off but
it was great to see West Ham scoring four goals once again, although this
time it was in front of the home fans. We didn't get off to the best of
starts by going 1-0 down, but the team showed good character to pull a goal
back almost immediately and then build from there. I enjoy seeing West Ham
score goals for fun - we are the joint top-scorers in the Championship
alongside Southampton and long may it continue. By scoring goals we are
showing that the team is creating and more importantly taking chances, which
is a real positive for me. The only downside is that we conceded three goals
in the process, but I feel that even when the Hammers do concede, they have
more than enough firepower to outscore any team in the Championship.

Another positive note was the inclusion of Henri Lansbury. I saw a lot of
him last year when I was working at Championship games and I liked what I
saw. We now have a wonderfully talented midfield that is good enough for the
Premier League, let alone the Championship and it is a pleasure to watch. I
was also pleased to see Carlton Cole back on the scoresheet yet again. That
is now four goals in as many games for him and he is showing just how
dangerous he can be at this level. I have always been a big fan of Carlton's
and I know that he is a very good striker. He will be the first to admit
that he didn't have the best of seasons last year, but as a frontman, you
are only as good as your service. Last season that service was non-existant.
This season with the likes of Matty Taylor, Julien Faubert and now David
Bentley, the service is there and Carlton is scoring.

I was surprised not to see Baldock involved on Saturday, but maybe he isn't
ready yet. Allardyce will know when to include him and I am excited about
what Baldock can do, but it is a big step up from League One to the
Championship. Baldock needs to be ready for that and if he is patient I am
sure he will get his chance.

Tony Cottee was talking to Nathaniel John

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham Noble's secret to penalty taking
London 24
Dave Evans, West Ham Correspondent
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
8:30 AM

Hammers midfielder Mark Noble has a tried and trusted formula from the spot
which worked a treat against Portsmouth on Saturday. Mark Noble has a secret
which he doesn't mind sharing. The 24-year-old Hammer placed the ball on the
penalty spot on Saturday with the score delicately poised at 2-2 and 34,000
fans watching him holding their breath. Just how do you keep your cool in a
situation like that? Noble has a tried and tested method. "You sort of have
to blank out the crowd and pretend you are back over the park with your
mates," revealed West Ham's longest serving player who was given the tough
task of trying to fire the Hammers back in front against Portsmouth at Upton
Park on Saturday. "You are thinking about where you are going to put it and
luckily enough the keeper went the wrong way and I managed to score it."

It was one of the turning points of Saturday's match. Just five minutes
after Pompey captain Liam Lawrence had been sent off for a second bookable
offence, Jason Pearce handled just inside the box and West Ham got
themselves in front again from the spot. It was not the end of the story,
but the Hammers did manage to grab their first home win of the season and
for Noble it was a great relief. "We need to get that hoodoo off our backs,"
said Noble, who has now made 177 appearances in claret and blue, scoring 19
goals along the way. "The last couple of games we have put in decent
performances, but let in late goals, so it's good that we have actually done
it this time round."

Noble's performances so far this season have left him vulnerable in the West
Ham midfield, though Saturday's display and goal will certainly give him
some renewed confidence. "With the new boys coming in, you have to be at
your best of course," said the Canning Town-born midfielder. "Jack Collison
played midweek (for Wales) so I think he was rested today, but Henri
Lansbury has come in and done brilliantly for us and David Bentley has come
on and shown little glimpses of what he is about. "We just need to keep
winning. If we can get on a roll of win, win, win, then it makes everything
a little bit easier." It certainly does.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers consider double signing
West Ham - David Carney and Juca have trials with club
By Will Haine September 14, 2011
GiveMeFootball

Sam Allardyce is considering offering contracts to David Carney and Juca,
after the unattached pair were given trials by the West Ham boss. Australian
winger Carney, 27, has been training with the east London club having been
released by Blackpool at the end of the last campaign. Juca, meanwhile, is
an experienced defensive midfielder, and the 31-year-old is available on a
free transfer having left Spanish outfit Deportivo La Coruna. Both players
were handed opportunities to prove themselves on Monday as the Hammers'
development squad took on a Tottenham XI in a behind closed doors friendly.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammer blow for Allardyce in midfielder pursuit
West Ham - Henri Lansbury signs contract extension with Arsenal
By Will Haine September 14, 2011
GieMeFootball.com

Arsenal appear to have put paid to suggestions that Henri Lansbury could
join West Ham on a permanent basis after the midfielder signed a contact
extension with the north London club. The 20-year-old midfielder is
currently on a season long loan with the Hammers, and had claimed he would
consider joining the club on a full-time basis should opportunities at the
Emirates Stadium no longer present themselves. However, Lansbury has put pen
to paper on a deal he initially signed in 2009 to further extend his stay at
Arsenal. The England under-21 international has been with Arsenal since the
age of eight, and has steadily worked his way up through the ranks.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 14th September 2011

Hall's debut delight
WHUFC.com
Rob Hall scored on his Football League debut on an busy evening for West Ham
United's loanees
13.09.2011

Rob Hall was the star turn on a busy night for West Ham United's band of
young loanees. The 17-year-old forward marked his Football League and senior
debut with the winning goal for Oxford United in their 1-0 League Two
victory at Dagenham & Redbridge. The England Under-18 international, who
signed his first professional contract with the Hammers in October 2010,
struck four minutes before half-time to secure all three points for the Us
at Victoria Road. Hall's goal would have been welcomed by everyone
associated with West Ham - except on-loan Daggers midfielder Olly Lee, who
played the full 90 minutes for the home side. Elsewhere, Cristian Montano
was unable to maintain his recent goalscoring run, but the Colombian
youngster did start Notts County's 1-1 League One draw at Exeter City.
Montano, who had scored in each of the Magpies' previous two fixtures,
completed 52 minutes at St James's Park before being replaced by Lee Hughes.
In League Two, Ahmed Abdulla made his full Football League debut for Paolo
Di Canio's Swindon Town. The Saudi Arabian-born midfielder was booked, but
that did not take the shine off a superb 3-0 victory at Conference National
champions Crawley Town. Callum McNaughton made his home debut for AFC
Wimbledon, but was unable to help the newly-promoted Dons from falling to a
3-0 defeat by Northampton Town.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Piq-ing up the pieces
WHUFC.com
Frederic Piquionne was happy to hit the target twice just 48 hours after his
sending-off against Portsmouth
13.09.2011

Frederic Piquionne rebounded from the disappointment of being sent-off at
the weekend by scoring both goals in the development squad's 2-2 draw at
Tottenham Hotspur. The former France international hit the net in each half
at Spurs Lodge and could easily have had at least a hat-trick, heading one
opportunity wide before prodding the ball past the post when clean through.
For Piquionne, Monday's game was the perfect tonic, coming less than 48
hours after he was shown the red card late in West Ham United's 4-3 npower
Championship victory over Portsmouth at the Boleyn Ground. "It is not hard
to motivate myself for these games because I enjoy playing football. We had
a good team here today and we played well against a good, young team from
Tottenham. "I was pleased to get my goals and it is just a pity we could not
go on and win the game at the end because we had a lot of chances."

Piquionne will miss Saturday's trip to Millwall through suspension, but the
experienced forward knows he will need to keep impressing at development
squad level and in training if he is to gain playing time under Sam
Allardyce in the future. With Carlton Cole scoring goals for fun and the
likes of John Carew and Sam Baldock also seeking opportunities, the No30
admitted he may have to settle for a substitute's role more often than not
this term. "I don't find it difficult to be out of the team because I am
32-years-old and I know my role in the squad. I hope I can do well when the
manager needs me, but I have spoken with him and I know what he expects from
me. "We have a lot of good strikers at the club who are playing very well,
so I know I cannot start every game. "Carlton is playing very well and
scoring his goals and we are winning a lot of matches, so that is why the
manager is not changing his team very much."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'Terrific support' at Westfield
WHUFC.com
David Sullivan reflected on a great first day for the new Hammers store at
Westfield Stratford City
13.09.2011

David Sullivan was left to reflect on a successful first day after the
official opening of the new West Ham United store at Westfield Stratford
City on Tuesday. The Hammers Joint-Chairman signed autographs and posed for
pictures with supporters, before catching up with manager Sam Allardyce -
with the pair having worked together closely during a busy transfer window
to leave the high-flying Hammers extremely well placed in their npower
Championship promotion push. He said: "It was great to visit the new store
at Westfield. We had terrific support from fans, which we have come to
expect after the fantastic following we have had at all our matches this
season. That backing makes such a difference to the club at every level. "We
also hope the new store will also attract floating supporters and neutrals
to come and follow the club. Around 400,000 customers are expected through
the doors every week so it can only help to grow the club and the supporter
base to flourish."

Looking ahead to Millwall on Saturday, Mr Sullivan hoped the match was one
that would be remembered for all the right reasons. "Our fans have followed
us brilliantly this season and we expect the same at The Den this weekend.
Hopefully we can keep our winning run going and everyone will have a great
day in the right way.
"It is important our supporters remember they are ambassadors of the club
wherever they are. That's what football should be all about."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam launches new store
WHUFC.com
A high-profile Hammers contingent were out in force for the official opening
of the new club store
13.09.2011

Sam Allardyce led a trio of his West Ham United players to the new store at
Westfield Stratford City. The manager, Kevin Nolan, Carlton Cole and Jack
Collison met hundreds of supporters that flocked into the shop from 2pm on
Tuesday to mark the official opening of the biggest shopping centre in
Europe. The quartet signed all manner of items purchased in store from
nodding dogs to the new 2011/12 Macron kits, and even someone's leg, with
the brave fan's intention to have the players' names tattooed on
permanently. Scores of journalists and photographers turned up to see the
big launch event, with the Hammers buzz spreading around the state of the
art centre. Big Sam said: "It is great to see everyone turn out for this new
store. It is in a good location and it is always nice to meet fans face to
face. They gave us their best wishes for the weekend and hopefully we will
do them proud."

All four were greeted by the two Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold,
while the Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales was also in attendance. With the
store now open seven days a week, fans should look out for more great
promotions and also a new loyalty card scheme running from today. Skipper
Kevin said: "The store looks really good and it was great to see so many
fans here on the first day of its opening. By coming along, they are
supporting the club and we are really grateful to them for turning out. We
were as happy to meet them as they were to see us."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Henri Lansbury extends Arsenal contract
Page last updated at 11:59 GMT, Tuesday, 13 September 2011 12:59 UK
BBC.co.uk

England Under-21 international midfielder Henri Lansbury has extended his
contract with Arsenal. The length of the new deal for the 20-year-old,
currently on loan at West Ham, has not been disclosed. Lansbury has made
eight senior appearances for Arsenal since his debut in 2007 and played on
loan for Scunthorpe, Watford and Norwich before joining West Ham. He scored
in Saturday's 4-3 win over Portsmouth in the Championship.

LANSBURY'S LOANS
Scunthorpe United (2008/09) - 16 games, 4 goals
Watford (2009/10) - 39 games, 5 goals
Norwich City (2010/11) - 23 games, 4 goals
West Ham United (2011/12) - 1 game, 1 goal

Lansbury's only goal for Arsenal came in the Carling Cup tie against North
London rivals Tottenham in September 2010, but he netted four times in 23
appearances for Norwich last season as he helped Paul Lambert's team to
promotion to the Premier League. He played for England in the 2011 Uefa
Under-21 Championship Finals in Denmark, coming on as a substitute in all
three group games. His initial long-term contract at the Emirates Stadium
was signed in December 2009.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Piquionne scores, Hammers draw
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 12th September 2011
By: Staff Writer

A West Ham XI eked out a 2-2 draw with their Tottenham counterparts at Spurs
Lodge earlier this afternoon. Freddie Piquionne, who has had a quiet start
to the 2011/12 campaign got both goal for Ian Hendon's side, who were forced
to come from behind twice in order to earn a share of the spoils against
their north London rivals, managed by Tim Sherwood. The home side - who,
like West Ham, have no reserve team this season - took the lead after just
eight minutes when Alex Pritchard put Cameron Lancaster through on goal; the
youngster beating Ruud Boffin with some aplomb. However Hendon's side were
on level terms on the quarter-hour mark after Piquionne was first to react
to Boffin's huge goal kick, beatin goalkeeper Oscar Jansson to the ball.
After a number of chances had been squandered by both sides - including one
for Freddie Sears who was denied by Jansson when one-on-one with the
goalkeeper - the home eventually regained the lead with 18 minutes left to
play. Dean Parrett picked up a stray pass from Piquionne before running
half the length of the field and placing a clever chip over the advancing
Boffin.
Sears squandered another opportunity to level the scores a minute later
before the Hammers eventually drew level on 76 minutes. A decent ball in
from right-back Callum Driver - who had replaced Guy Demel after just 22
minutes - was latched on to by the experienced Piquionne, who was given the
freedom of Spurs Lodge before firing home from close range.

West Ham Utd XI: Boffin, Demel (Driver 22), Carney, Faye (Wearen 67), Diop,
Moncur, Sears (E.Lee 85), Juca, Nouble (Turgott 85), Piquionne, Carew
(Montenegro 67).

Tottenham Hotspur XI: Jansson, Barthram, Veljkovic, Nicholson, Stewart,
Luongo, Parrett, Pritchard, Bostock, Ceballos, Lancaster.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hall change
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 12th September 2011
By: Staff Writer

Teenage striker Robert Hall has become the latest Academy player to go out
on loan, joining League Two Oxford United. The 17-year-old was touted as
'the next big thing' two years ago but his progression took a serious
nose-dive last year. Amidst a string of minor injuries, Hall failed to
recapture his form of the previous season and for the first time since
joining the club, doubts over his credentials were raised. However Hall
couldn't have started the 2011/12 season in better fashion and has already
gone some way to answering his critics by scoring six goals in his first
seven games of the season, all for Ian Hendon's development squad. Hall will
become the fifth young Hammer to feature in League Two, where he will join
Callum McNaughton (AFC Wimbledon), Jordan Brown (Aldershot), Ahmed Abdulla
(Swindon) and Olly Lee (Dagenham & Redbridge). Meanwhile Cristian Montano
continues to impress at Notts County, as does Jordan Spence at Championship
side Bristol CIty - whilst Pablo Barrera, currently at Li Liga basement club
Real Zaragoza is the eighth and final current loanee.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Leader or leaner?
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 13th September 2011
By: Daniel Nussbaum

Kevin Nolan's summer switch, the one that saw him leave a Premier League
club in Newcastle to reunite with his mentor at West Ham, raised quite a few
eyebrows.
As captain of the St. James' Park brigade, his decision to drop down a
division was strange. Why does a 28 year-old midfielder, playing some of the
best football of his career, decide to join the newly relegated West Ham?

Well, the need for financial security is an obvious reason. According to
reports, Nolan was not offered a new long term deal by the Toon, even though
he had just finished the season with 12 goals to his name. A massive blow
for a professional footballer's ego, no doubt.

Another usual suspect is Nolan's relationship with Sam Allardyce, the
manager who gave Kevin his first real chance in football back in 2000. Big
Sam's vision and reputation were enough to secure Nolan's services, a move
that proved popular within the Boleyn Ground. His purchase was a clear sign
of intent: we plan to get back up to the Premier League, and are willing to
pay a premium (a reported £50k-a-week wage on top of an undisclosed fee,
thought to be around the £3million mark) to get Premier League class players
in order to do so.

Allardyce immediately gave Nolan the captain's armband, calling him a
natural leader and a positive influence. When trying to analyse his
all-round game, his leadership skills should not to be overlooked. Coming
off the back of a very bad season, with an absent manager and team captain,
Nolan's combative, no-nonsense and never-say-die attitude were like a breath
of fresh air. Always first to stick up for a team mate and never shy of
letting the referee know what's on his mind, the players and fans seem to
have rallied around him.

Just look at Andy Carroll, who needed an arm around his shoulder to get his
head in the game when playing for Newcastle. Nolan was there to get the
young striker playing the best football of his career, as he was for Joey
Barton who had recieved a world of stick. The former is currently struggling
to hold down a place at Liverpool, while the latter moved to London based
Q.P.R after publicly criticising Newcastle's decision to let their captain
go. Nolan seems to be relishing the responsibility and is 'a manager on the
pitch', according to his actual manager. A rarity in the modern game and a
throw back to the good old days.

However, putting his mental strength aside, what does Nolan actually
contribute from a footballing point of view?

Not a lot, according to quite a few West Ham fans. Described as unfit,
immobile and a limited footballer, it is quite clear that Nolan is yet to
win the hearts of the entire West Ham support. Questions have been raised as
to how a well-paid footballer is not yet at the top of his fitness, seven
games into the season. His work rate is suspect, and there are times where
the game looks to be passing him by.

Mind you, there are some positives to Nolan's game. You don't get to be a
Premier League player for so long without possessing some sort of talent.
His heading ability and positioning at set pieces are very good, as is his
passing.

Looking at the money invested in him, Nolan is quite clearly going to be a
permanent fixture within the starting line-up. This means that in order to
accomadate him, Allardyce is going to continue playing him in the hole, as
Nolan's tackling and pace aren't good enough allow him to play in defensive
midfield, and also rule him out for the box-to-box position. Thus, we are
forced to play with one up-front, making Carlton Cole's knock-downs
impossible to exploit. A very frustrating position to find ourselves in this
early in the season.

At the end of the day, the question that needs to be asked is: is Nolan's
influence irreplaceable?

If the answer is yes, and we have someone ready to step up to the plate,
then we can afford to let him earn his place through hard work in training,
possibly even losing some weight to bacome a leaner leader.

However, if Sam thinks he has no other vocal leaders within the squad, then
Kevin Nolan has to be the first name on the team sheet. The Championship is
a tough league to win promotion from, with clubs fighting tooth and nail for
every point. It's players like Nolan who carry teams at tough away grounds,
through organisation and referees' respect.

Whatever you may think of him, it does appear as though Nolan has Big Sam's
faith. We can only hope he can win that of the entire West Ham support.
Guide us to victory, Kev.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham bring in World Cup winger
Published 21:01 13/09/11 By Mike McGrath
The Mirror

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has given trials to Australia winger David
Carney and Brazilian midfielder Juca. Carney, who played for the Socceroos
at last summer's World Cup finals, is training with the club after leaving
Blackpool earlier this year. Juca, a 31-year-old defensive midfielder, was
with Spain's Deportivo La Coruna until last season and is available as a
free agent. Both men played in a behind-closed-doors friendly against a
Tottenham XI on Monday. New Hammers signing Papa Bouba Diop played at
centre-back in the game and development coach Ian Hendon said: "He got
through the game and looked quite composed, so I was impressed with him."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tottenham Hotspur were so close to new stadium deal
Telegraph.co.uk
By Paul Kelso, Chief Sports Reporter10:30PM BST 13 Sep 2011


Tottenham were so close to abandoning their legal challenge to West Ham's
tenancy of the Olympic Stadium last month that a press release was prepared
announcing the club's decision to commit to building a new ground next to
their historic home at White Hart Lane. The Daily Telegraph can reveal that
the draft statement was in circulation the night before last month's High
Court hearing at which Spurs were given permission to launch a full judicial
review of the Olympic Stadium decision.
In the event a deal with the Government and London Mayor Boris Johnson was
not finalised and the release was not circulated. Instead Tottenham's
lawyers, backed by Leyton Orient, won permission for a full judicial review
of the Olympic Stadium decision. That hearing is scheduled for Oct 18, but
Tottenham remain in talks with the mayor and Government and all parties are
increasingly hopeful of reaching a deal to keep the club in Haringey before
then. Until Tottenham are satisfied that the Northumberland Park Development
is viable however they will not withdraw their interest in the Olympic
Stadium, a position that prompted hopes of a deal to collapse on the steps
of the High Court last month.

The draft statement seen by The Daily Telegraph confirms just how advanced
talks were. Tottenham had spent the previous weeks in detailed negotiations
with London mayor Boris Johnson, who had offered £8.5 million to help
regenerate the area around White Hart Lane in the wake of the riots.

As well as the £8.5 million contribution from the mayor Tottenham had also
asked for their legal costs to be met, and demanded that the Olympic Stadium
contract with West Ham be strengthened so that the Hammers could not remove
the running track in future. The government is understood to have agreed to
these concessions.

On the basis of these discussions, on Aug 23 the draft release was prepared
in which Tottenham would announce their intention to remain in Haringey. It
said the club would be focus on the "viability and deliverability" of the
Northumberland Development Project, adding: "The Club can also announce that
as a result of its decision to concentrate on the NDP as a preferred stadium
solution, it shall be withdrawing from any further or continuing legal
action or interest in respect of the Olympic Stadium."

The draft also quoted club chairman Daniel Levy, who said that the riots had
served as a reminder of Tottenham's crucial role in the community.
"Tottenham needs our concerted efforts to reverse the decline of decades and
create a community with hope and prospects of future prosperity," he said.
Westminster sources have suggested that talks foundered over Tottenham's
demands for all litigation to be withdrawn. Tottenham deny this and say the
delay was a matter of timing, and caused by the complexity of reaching
arrangements with a number of stakeholders. They also insist that their
request for an end to all litigation was standard corporate practice
confined to civil actions, not the ongoing police inquiry into allegations
of data hacking made by West Ham.

Tottenham say they remain focused on negotiations over remaining in Haringey
and appreciate the goodwill of the mayor's office, who are desperate for the
club to remain in the borough to help drive regeneration in the wake of the
riots. Concerns over transport links are being addressed, with proposals to
open up access to White Hart Lane overground station enabling it to cope
better with increased crowds. Meanwhile Leyton Orient, whose legal challenge
to West Ham is not dependent on Tottenham's case, are in talks over a
possible new stadium development at Eton Manor in the north of the Olympic
Park. Were that to come off and end to the long a messy sage of the Olympic
Stadium would truly be in sight.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Police warning for West Ham fans
London24
Kirk Blows, Recorder Reporter
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
5:31 PM

After violence marred the last meeting between the two, police are stepping
up their numbers for West Ham's visit to the New Den on Saturday. Police
have urged West Ham fans to stay away from Millwall on Saturday if they do
not have tickets for the lunchtime clash between the two clubs. The
Championship fixture has been branded a top-category game by police, meaning
there will be increased numbers of officers on duty for the 12.30pm
kick-off. West Ham have been allocated 2,000 tickets for the game, with both
clubs pleading for good behaviour from fans after the last meeting between
the sides – a Carling Cup second-round match at Upton Park in August 2009 –
was marred by crowd trouble both inside and outside the ground. One Millwall
fan was stabbed outside the Boleyn Ground while the game was disrupted by
three pitch invasions. The authorities are therefore anxious that everything
is done to ensure Saturday's event passes without incident. A Metropolitan
Police spokesman said: "Our intelligence tells us there is a high risk of
disorder so in policing terms it has been a made a top-category game. "That
means there will be increased numbers of police on duty for the game, which
has been given an early kick-off time. "We'd urge for people who have
tickets to enjoy the football match and those who don't to stay away."

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Allardyce rules out move for Bridge
TalkSport
By Marc Isaacs
Tuesday, September 13

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has ruled out a move for Manchester City
defender Wayne Bridge. The full-back has been strongly linked with a move
back to east London after spending a four-month loan spell at Upton Park
last season. The England defender was not named in Manchester City's 25-man
Premier League squad and Roberto Mancini revealed he would be happy for him
to join a Championship club. But Allardyce is happy with the business he
conducted in the lead-up to the transfer window and says he will not be
making moves to sign Bridge. Allardyce said: "We are full up now. We have
filled our squad with all the players we need for the time being and we have
a squad that is good and has strength in depth."

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Arsenal midfielder Henri Lansbury claims West Ham have stronger squad than
Norwich City
2:31pm Tuesday 13th September 2011
By Simon Mail »
Guardian Series

New signing Henri Lansbury believes West Ham have a stronger squad than
Premier League newcomers Norwich City. Arsenal midfielder Lansbury helped
the Canaries win automatic promotion last season but thinks the Hammers are
in a stronger position to follow them up to the top flight. Lansbury, who
has joined on a season-long loan, said: "I think it is a better squad, I
think there is a bit more experience in this team. I think if we work hard
on and off the pitch then we will have a great chance. "Yeah, it's an
unbelievable squad. There were some great players left out [against
Portsmouth] and everyone will have to fight for their place, but that is
what makes you better. "I think you have to have a good team spirit first of
all. You need to work hard at every training session and take that out on to
the field. I think the spirit here is good and we have a great chance of
getting promotion."

The England Under-21 midfielder marked his Irons debut by scoring in their
win over Portsmouth at the weekend and could not have wished for a better
start at Upton Park. Lansbury added: "It was nice to get a chance to play
football. I've had a good week away and come back here and to score on my
debut is a good feeling and a good start. "I played in the Championship last
season and most games were like that. You've just got to come out and get on
top of them and we have done that today and I think we did it well."

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Ex-West Ham defender Da Costa 'groped and punched woman in Essex nightclub'
By LEON WATSON
Last updated at 11:36 AM on 13th September 2011
Daily Mail

A former Premier League footballer has gone on trial accused of punching a
young woman in the face and sexually assaulting her. Ex-West Ham defender
Manuel da Costa, 25, allegedly grabbed the 21-year-old's crotch in Faces
nightclub in Gants Hill, Essex, in the early hours of October 17 last year.
Snaresbrook Crown Court heard the player - now with Lokomotiv Moscow -
admitted hitting the victim but denied sexually assaulting her. Miss Sonya
Saul, prosecuting, told the eight women and four men of the jury: 'Manuel da
Costa had absolutely no reason or right to touch her in that way.'

A police video interview with the victim was played to court in which she
said of Da Costa that 'he had a smug look on his face' during the alleged
assault. She was enjoying a night out with four friends and arrived at the
club at 10.30pm. As the evening wore on, the woman sat in a booth because
her feet were sore, then went to look for her friends. As she made her way
through the club, she said the Portuguese player reached out and grabbed her
between the legs before rubbing her left breast. Reliving the ordeal - and
alleging the French-born star also hit two of her friends - she said:
'Someone grabbed my hand. He grabbed my downstairs and grabbed my boob. 'I
pushed his face to get him off me. As I have turned around, he has punched
the left side of my face.' The victim said she felt 'violated' by the
assault. Da Costa's friends tried to intervene but he punched her again, she
said.

The witness, giving evidence from behind a screen, described the way Da
Costa assaulted her as a 'gropey slide' The scene 'kicked off', she said, as
she tried to find help from door staff. Her friends became involved in a row
with Da Costa, who punched two more women, said the victim, who cannot be
named for legal reasons.
The complainant said Da Costa squeezed her breast so forcefully it hurt and
left her face 'throbbing' and 'pulsating' after hitting her. She said his
expression said 'well, you deserved it'. The woman and her friends drove to
Ilford police station and reported the incident. The victim told officers
she was informed in the nightclub that the man was called Da Costa and
played for West Ham. Da Costa made no comment during his police interviews,
the court heard. As part of jury selection, potential jurors were excused
from serving if they or close family were either West Ham or Tottenham
Hotspur fans. The trial is scheduled to last four days.

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