U17s go goal crazy
WHUFC.com
Steve Potts' youngsters recorded a welcome 7-2 friendly victory over
Dagenham and Redbridge
21.02.2013
Steve Potts guided West Ham United's youngsters to a 7-2 Under-17 friendly
victory over Dagenham and Redbridge on Thursday. With the Hammers having a
free weekend in their Barclays U18 Premier League Tier One fixture list and
the club's U16 schoolboys available due to the half-term holiday, Potts took
the opportunity to welcome the Daggers to Little Heath. Portugal U17 striker
Marcio Martins, who recently returned from a successful spell on
international duty at the Algarve Tournament, netted a hat-trick, while
schoolboys Jerry Amoo, Reece Burke and Jami Rafati were also on target. The
scoring was completed by an own-goal. Potts was pleased with West Ham's
victory, with his side racing into a 4-1 half-time lead before keeping their
collective foot on the gas after the break to score three more goals. "We
had a mixture of first-year scholars and Under-16 schoolboys and we played
some really good football and scored the goals to go with it," said the
manager. "The players have been playing well in the league in the last few
weeks but haven't quite got the results. "On Thursday, we put the ball into
the back of the net and it was very pleasing on the eye and very good. "I
think everyone did well in their own way but the midfield played very well.
They linked the game up well - Moses Makasi, Kieran Bywater and Kieran
Sadlier - and alternated their roles quite well. A few of the younger boys -
Kyle Knoyle and Jerry Amoo - came in and obviously Marcio up top got himself
a hat-trick, so that was good."
Potts closed by urging the club's scholars to keep aiming for the top, with
Development Squad places possibly up for grabs ahead of next Tuesday's
Barclays U21 Premier League trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers. "They are
certainly getting pushed in the league we are in at the moment and every
game is a difficult game, and the way we have been pushing them up the
age-groups as much as we can has certainly tested the boys. "To be honest,
we saw the benefit of that against Dagenham because we looked very strong
out there and the football was good. Hopefully, in the long-term, we are
doing the right thing."
Under-17s: Baxter, Knoyle, Onariase, Marlow (Burke 59), Mavila, Bywater
(Rafati 59), Makasi, Sadlier, Parfitt (Pike 59), Amoo, Martins
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Parkes remembers 'humble' Moore
WHUFC.com
Our tribute to the great Bobby Moore continues with Phil Parkes' memories
21.02.2013
Twenty years ago this Sunday, West Ham United and England's greatest-ever
defender passed away. Bobby Moore OBE, the first Hammers captain to lift the
FA Cup and the only man to skipper England to FIFA World Cup glory, was just
51 when he lost his battle with bowel cancer in February 1993. In a
week-long tribute to Moore, the official website, West Ham TV and the
Official Programme for the Barclays Premier League visit of Tottenham
Hotspur on Monday 25 February will feature a series of interviews and
features paying homage to West Ham's No6. Goalkeeper Phil Parkes made 344
league appearances for the Hammers between 1979-1990, and although his time
at the Boleyn Ground didn't coincide with Bobby's, he has fond memories from
an appearance.alongside him in a match in 1970.
He told West Ham TV: "Bobby was still playing for England when I first got
into the squad, so we were in a lot of those squads together. "The only time
I actually played with him though was way back in 1970 when I signed for
QPR. I got called very late to play in a testimonial game at Reading for
Dennis Allen, who was Martin Allen's father. It was a London XI v a Reading
XI and I think Gerry Francis, myself and Dave Clement got pulled in as young
lads to fill places.
"I was only 19 or 20 years old - and four years earlier I'd been watching
Bobby Moore lift the World Cup, with everyone else at Wembley - and he was
the first person who came over as I walked into the dressing room. "He put
his hand out and said 'hello, who are you? I'm Bobby Moore'. I almost wanted
to say 'what are you introducing yourself to me for because everyone knows
who you are', but that's the kind of person he was. He'd come over to chat
to you and he put us really at ease, even though we were playing with some
real superstars. He was an amazing person."
This week, West Ham TV will bring you interviews with those who knew Moore
best, including his daughter Roberta and his former West Ham, Fulham and
England team-mates.
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Twenty years gone, never forgotten
WHUFC.com
Supporters are invited to pay their respects to Bobby Moore on the 20th
anniversary of his passing
10.02.2013
West Ham United will mark the 20th anniversary of the passing of Hammers and
England legend Bobby Moore OBE around the weekend of the Barclays Premier
League fixture with Tottenham Hotspur. The Hammers' 1964 FA Cup and 1965
European Cup Winners' Cup-winning captain passed away at the age of 51 on 24
February 1993 following a dignified battle with bowel cancer. To honour his
memory, a wreath-laying ceremony will take place at the Heroes statue on the
corner of Green Street and Barking Road at 11am on Sunday 24 February.
There, club officials will pay their respects on the 20th anniversary of
Moore's death, and supporters are invited to attend too. The following
evening, at West Ham's home match with Spurs on Monday 25 February, a series
of special events are planned to commemorate the life of the man who
skippered England to FIFA World Cup glory in July 1966. A host of Moore's
contemporaries have been invited to attend as special guests of the club,
including fellow World Cup winners and West Ham team-mates Martin Peters and
Geoff Hurst, and five-times Hammer of the Year Sir Trevor Brooking. Prior to
kick-off, a minute's applause will be held in memory of the man who made 544
appearances for the Hammers between 1958 and 1974. Supporters sitting in the
Bobby Moore Stand will also be invited to take part in displaying a special
mosaic depicting Moore's famous claret and blue No6 shirt, which was retired
by the club in August 2008 to mark the 50th anniversary of the defender's
West Ham debut.
The Match is also one of this seasons designated Bobby Moore Fund matches
and the Fund will be the beneficiary of all charitable activity carried out
at this fixture. A special 100-page Official Programme is also being
produced for the occasion, including exclusive memories of Moore from those
who knew him best, on and off the pitch. Priced at £4, a donation of 50
pence from the sale of each programme will be made to the Bobby Moore Fund
for Cancer Research UK.
A bucket collection will also be held at the Boleyn Ground to allow
supporters to make their own personal donations to the charity founded in
Moore's memory devoted to fighting the disease that took his life. The West
Ham squad will also warm-up in Bobby Moore Fund T-shirts before kick-off to
create awareness for the charity and the first team players will sign the
shirts they play in on the night in order that they can be auctioned to
further boost the club's fundraising total for the charity.
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Viva Bobby Moore: Jonathan Pearce
KUMb.com
Filed: Thursday, 21st February 2013
By: Chris Scull
KUMB.com caught up with Match of the Day presenter Jonathan Pearce, a former
colleague of Bobby Moore's at Capital Gold, for a chat about the former West
Ham captain on the 20th anniversary of his passing. Firing the questions on
behalf of Knees up Mother Brown was Chris Scull...
Jonathan - thank you for talking to us. Why do so many consider Bobby
England's finest?
I think it was the way he played and the way he conducted himself on and off
the pitch. He was a master of the 'steal' tackle - he used to steal the ball
but very rarely went to ground, you'll remember that fantastic tackle in
Mexico 1970 against Jairzinho but also in the 1975 Cup Final for Fulham
against West Ham when he nicked the ball there. He was fantastic at that art
and a fantastic passer of the ball but it was just the way he led people,
let alone the West Ham and England teams. Beckenbauer and Pele have said
that he was the best defender ever and he was certainly the best defender I
ever saw play.
Were you in awe the first time you met him?
Not really, because Bobby was so easy with everyone. He made you feel
special right from the first moment you met him, he built you up to be as
important as he was in any given situation. Your ideas were as valid as his,
your suggestions and thoughts on football were equally valid. He just put
people at ease and treated me the same way as people he'd won the World Cup
with, great legends of the game. And he was an unbelievable person really,
the finest man I've ever met in football and one of the finest I've met in
my life.
What was he like as a colleague?
He loved being part of a team. At that time we ran Capital Gold very much on
the same lines as a team; we had our season, we had our pre-season, we had
our Christmas do, our end of season bash. We worked week-to-week and had a
lot of young reporters coming through, most of whom are now working in
television and Bobby was great with them.
He wasn't an overly vocal captain. Did he ever have any advice for you as a
football commentator?
What he did, he wouldn't sit and say "this is a tip for how you should
commentate on football" because he didn't know commentary and he was very
good at commenting on defensive performances. He wanted defenders to play
the way some are playing now; he didn't ever want them to lunge in with a
challenge. But what he would do was tell the younger reporters stories of
the past and he just used to enchant people like that. Because of that he
increased their overall knowledge of the game, he enriched your experience
of it.
It came about because a friend of mine called Mick Lowes, who used to work
with me - probably the best radio commentator I've ever worked with - who's
now up at BBC Radio Newcastle. I had a friend called Steve Lillis who worked
at the [Daily] Sport newspaper and Steve said that Bobby wanted to do more
from a social situation. We then progressed it, spoke to Bob and from the
minute he came to speak to us he wanted to come in and join us.
Was I surprised that he didn't have a role in football? Yes I was and to
this day I'm astonished and disgusted by the fact that football ignored him
for so long. People say "oh, he'd never make a manager, he's too nice" -
that's utter rubbish. He was never given the chance at a club with resources
and I think he could have passed on his knowledge to footballers of any age.
He certainly could have played the same ambassadorial role that Beckenbauer
did with the German Football Association.
He was chronically underused by the game so was I surprised that he was
available to us? Yes. Was I surprised that he wanted to come and join us?
No. It was almost as if he was back in the dressing room again and he loved
that.
What was the reaction when you walked down the street with Bobby?
You get a lot of double-takes, you know and then inevitably you'd have
people... When we used to go to away games we'd sit on a wall somewhere or
stand outside a fish and chip shop eating chips from paper or go to a cafe
or service station on the way like ordinary fans and he loved that. He'd
never experienced that side [of the game] as a player and he really enjoyed
it.
Inevitably fans would come up and talk to him, he'd talk the hind legs off a
donkey if they wanted to talk about football. He really concentrated on the
football of there and then, he never talked about himself or his own career.
He was more interested in talking about the current players and he'd ask
fans what they thought. That was it really; he always used to listen to the
thoughts of other people and those thoughts were as important to him as his
own. He was very good with fans and if they were ever bothering him on a
train he used to say "excuse me boys, a man of my age needs to shut his eyes
now and again - I must have 40 winks" - and he'd close his eyes and pretend
to be asleep until they'd gone when he'd open his eyes and say "have they
gone Pearco?" and carry on the conversation! Because he was Bobby they used
to take that on board!
It's funny, but he was a devil at cutting people up on the road in his car.
If you hit a traffic jam or something like that on a motorway Bob would
always be roaring along in the outside lane then cut in late. People would
be honking their horns but as soon as they realised who it was they'd pull
up alongside him again, pull an autograph book out of the window and ask him
to sign it! One minute they were enraged by him, next minute they saw it was
Bobby Moore and they were enchanted again. He had the ability to enchant
anyone; as soon as he entered a room, heads turned.
Did he have as much humility as people say?
Yeah, I think that's what made him so special really; he was so humble.
World Cup '66 wasn't about him; World Cup '66 wasn't about Peters and Hurst,
the goalscorers in the Final - it was about George Cohen, Ray Wilson, Nobby
Stiles and Jack Charlton. He used to talk about all of them, he used to talk
about the forgotten squad members. He used to talk to me about those people.
I can't remember where we were but I remember saying... The context was that
someone had said to me about playing, or something, and I said "no, I wasn't
good enough". Although I trained at Bristol City when I was a kid I never
had any pace, couldn't head a ball or get over the half way line and back in
the same week! Mooro, quick as a flash turned round and said "well neither
could I Pearco and look what happened to me!"
He was just like that, very self-deprecating. He'd had a wonderful career;
this was a man who captained his country for a joint record amount of times.
In fact, thinking back to it I remember having a conversation with him about
that and he was so proud that he'd captained his country as many times as
Billy Wright, I think it was. He was very proud of that record, I know that
but he was a very modest man.
When you were sat with Bobby at Wembley against San Marino, did you get a
sense that he was saying goodbye to the scene of his many triumphs?
No. In fact he was, but no I didn't. I only found out how seriously ill he
was the previous Saturday morning when a newspaper man phoned me up and said
the papers were going to run a story saying that Bobby was terminally ill. I
was just about to go out the door to an Arsenal versus Nottingham Forest Cup
tie and Bobby was off to Chelsea against Villa, I seem to remember. When I
spoke to him on the phone he told me what the situation was and I was
absolutely distraught, because the previous day I had been in hospital and
had the all-clear from a cancer scare. I'd phoned him up on that Friday,
talked to him and he never even let slip. Then, the following day, he told
me what the score was and I was in an awful state.
He asked me to come over to the house to do an interview. He was going to do
two interviews; one with me for the radio and TV around the world and
another one that Jeff Powell was going to do for the newspapers. So I went
down on the Monday and he was still very positive; he wanted people to think
that he believed he could beat the illness because he didn't want people to
give in if they had cancer, he wanted people to fight against it. He didn't
want to appear defeated even though he knew he was dying. I don't think
either he nor I thought it was going to be so quickly from that moment.
On the Wednesday he went to Wembley and he was fine during the game,
absolutely fine. The pictures that went round the world clearly shocked the
world and Stephanie, his wife and I decided that he shouldn't go to West Ham
on the Saturday against Newcastle because they'd have had a camera lens in
his face and we just didn't think that it would be fitting. We thought it
would be very upsetting for the family, so I phoned him up and told him I
didn't think he should go. He respected me - he didn't agree with the
decision but was happy with it. He respected everything that I'd always said
to him and that was it really. Sadly I never got the chance to speak to him
again because he died the following Wednesday.
I was out of the country in Goa when he died. So I'm pretty convinced that
he didn't know that night would be his last Wembley. I think he knew he'd
never see England win another trophy but I think he'd have known that since
Euro 1992. So he knew that he'd never see them win anything which deeply
saddened him. But he was so incredibly positive, even in the last days. He
took it remarkably stoically, an incredibly brave man.
You've mentioned with regret that you persuaded Bobby to stay away from the
Newcastle match shortly before he died. If you could turn back the clock,
would you have changed this?
No. No, I wouldn't. The fact is I never had the chance to speak to him again
and that will live with me for the rest of my life. But I've spoken to
Stephanie about it - we've had long conversations about it. Bobby didn't
hold anything against me for it, he respected my decision and that was it. I
wish he was here today; I wish he had lived to see my kids and I wished he'd
live to lead his son Dean down a healthier path. I wish he'd lived to see
his grandchildren on Roberta's side, I wish he was here today - but
unfortunately that cannot be. But would I have exposed him to that circus on
the Saturday? No I wouldn't - and it would have been a circus. It would have
been too much for his family to take at that time.
Do you recall the tributes at Upton Park in 1993?
I was out of the country and didn't come back for ten days afterwards, so
missed a great deal of it. Everything was taped for me; I watched the first
two minutes of film footage of the floral tributes, the scarves and the
shirts outside of Upton Park but it was too much, I couldn't watch any more.
It was too hard for me to watch. I've still got the tapes; I've not watched
them since. It's still too raw. You know, I wasn't in Bobby's family - I was
only a friend but he had that effect on people. I thought it was a
remarkable testament to the man, the way the game came together and the way
the minute's silence was meticulously observed around the country. The way
the football world came together.
I think it was the first time really that that had happened, that the
football world came together for one man. It's happened subsequently but not
to the same effect and I think it was just unparalleled, really. It just
spoke volumes about his importance to the world game and his standing in the
world game.
How should have the FA and West Ham United used Bobby while he was alive?
He should have had an ambassadorial role, like I said earlier, at least. He
could have been fantastic going into schools and encouraging kids to play
football. I think he would have certainly been a person worthy to have in
your back room staff or even as a manager at a club but he was never really
given the opportunity. He had that spell at Oxford City where he introduced
Harry Redknapp to football coaching - that was Harry's first job, so there's
a legacy. He had a dabble at Southend and then became a director there but
there was no money so he was on a loser right from the start. I think he
would have developed, he was very young at that stage. People come in now in
their 30s, late 30s as manager and people say they're too young. AVB came
in, "oh he's far too young to be a manager". Bobby was still young then and
had he been trusted with a role in his 40s I think he would have done it
very well.
If he were still alive, what do you imagine he'd be doing now?
I think he would have carried on doing what he did with me as long as he
wanted, as long as I was there. I think he would have got more TV because
suddenly, with Sky, TV blossomed and there were more opportunities. He
certainly would have got more media work. Then, with Sky blossoming there
were more commercial opportunities through sponsors, boot companies and
things like that. I think they would have got Bobby on board in some way or
another. Would he have been used by companies like McDonalds in the same way
Geoff Hurst had been to flag up their coaching scheme? Probably, but I don't
think the FA would have used him because have they used Bobby Charlton?
Trevor [Brooking] is the figurehead, Trevor's a different sort of character.
He might have been used by a club.
I think Bobby was very content. He was never bitter towards the game, he was
never bitter towards players making a lot of money than he ever made. I
would imagine if Bobby was still here today on a Sunday he'd be looking
forward to going to a game with myself or someone else and afterwards, we'd
find a little bar and have a glass of chilled white wine. That was Bobby,
really.
How should Bobby's memory be enshrined if West Ham move to the Olympic
stadium?
There's a lovely statue of Bobby at Wembley now and the statue of the World
Cup winners outside the Boleyn pub, but I'd like to see a whopping great big
statue of Bobby Moore as you walk into that Olympic Stadium so that Bobby is
honoured there with a major statue. I'd love to see West Ham put up other
statues of great legends around the whole ground; Billy Bonds, Frank
Lampard, people like this. Trevor Brooking, Phil Parkes, Malcolm Allison,
who played such an important part in Bobby's life. But Bobby should be the
centre piece of it, definitely.
How would you like the world to remember Bobby Moore?
As the greatest English captain of all time. In any sport. The greatest
English captain of all time in any sport.
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Viva Bobby Moore: Hugh Southon
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 21st February 2013
By: Hugh Southon
Hugh Southon knew and worked with Bobby Moore. Here he recalls our legendary
skipper...
Bobby Moore was the best of us!
With his passing 20 years ago today, a light went out which has never been
replaced. He was the one player who defied the well-loved cliché that no man
was bigger than the club... or indeed the country.
Bob was all that was best about this great game and a man who left those
whose lives he touched better people... I am forever grateful I was one of
those.
There are so many memories of Bob the player. The blood pulsed through the
veins just a little faster as he looked imperiously around him among the
blood and thunder of '60s and '70s football.
How a smile would spread across the faces of us Hammers fans as he would
calmly take two or three opponents out of the game with a simple pass. His
ability to dictate the pace of a game; the calm authority he exuded and his
supreme charisma at the heart of the team are irreplaceable and insistent
memories for me and millions who were blessed to live through the amazing
Mooro decades.
Of all the footballing memories he left behind, one has stayed with me for
nearly 50 years. On the afternoon of March 14, 1964, Bob led the Irons into
their first FA Cup Final since 1923.
That semi-final against Manchester United was to provide a defining moment
of Mooro the player! Leading 2-1 against Manchester United on a total
quagmire of a pitch where the pitch markings had all but disappeared into
the mud, the skipper picked up the ball on the touchline in the dying
minutes.
Any other player would have blasted the ball into Row Z but not Bob who
amazingly, despite the conditions, played a perfect ball down the touchline
for Geoff Hurst to pick his way through and blast home a third after Ron
'Ticker' Boyce had scored twice.
Never has Bobby's game better typified. He was an artist and his Upton Park
legacy remains as great and important today as it did ten, twenty years ago.
Nearly 20 years after that great game of football I met him when he became
sports editor of the Sunday Sport – the newspaper launched by our owners
David Sullivan and David Gold.
I became Bob's ghost writer each week and the man's modesty and
self-effacing approach to life was soon to show me that he was an even
greater man than he was a footballer.
Always gracious, I recall during one conversation he decided to say there
wasn't much to captaining England: "After all what do you do, only carry the
ball out!"
He added: "Every player who represents his country should be a captain…you
have reached the peak of your career. It should be expected."
He loved West Ham with a passion... his heart never really left Upton Park
but there was a sadness the fabulous football we played hadn't produced more
trophies.
But 1966 was the compensation of compensations and he again deflected all
personal glory claiming: "It was all about Alf Ramsey. He got the best
players defensively and offensively and produced a system to suit them
rather than asking them to fit his system."
We watched football together – he as the reporter, me as his writer and his
insights into the game were often nothing less than extraordinary. There was
never any side to him – what you saw was what you got. I remember leaving
myself short of cash at one game - Bob's hand was the first into his pocket.
I last saw him in the winter of his life. He was drinking tea from a cracked
cup in the Hawthorns press room where he was reporting for Capital Radio. He
was three months or so from his passing and very ill. But there was no
complaining, whinging, whining – he was a man of total dignity and declared
himself as "doing fine."
What a way to treat a hero. The man who had won the greatest prize this game
has to offer, reporting for a radio station in the west midlands on a
winter's afternoon . Poor… very poor indeed.
A few short months later Bobby was gone, having made one last emotional trip
to Wembley to look over and re-live, no doubt, memories of his greatest
triumph.
Twenty years later we remember him again, although some of us remind
ourselves of the great man every week and wonder what he'd have made of the
game today.
Knowing Bob, it would have been with great kindness and affection for I can
remember him saying: "Don't knock anyone for what they earn – if they have
managed to reach the top they deserve every penny."
Bob's contribution to this great club is immeasurable. He was, I believe,
the greatest player ever to wear the claret and blue of WHUFC and the white
of England.
And on his 20th anniversary I go out where I came in: "Bob you were the best
of us."
* Follow Hugh's regular Hammers updates at www.sportsdirectnews.com,
@SDN_sportsnews and @hughsouthon on Twitter.
Hugh also appears as a guest in Episode 3 of the KUMB.com Podcast - the
Bobby Moore special.
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There is No Vacancy!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
West Ham co-Chairman, David Gold, has publicly responded to the speculation
about Sam Allardyce's future and the possibility of Paolo Di Canio replacing
him at the managerial helm. And that response was pretty emphatic in its
tone and logic. In summary, Gold stated that Di Canio was not a candidate
for the manager's job because there was not currently a vacancy!! He also
went on to reaffim the intention of the board to open discussions with
Allardyce on a new contract, once the season is over and the club's PL
status secured.
The West Ham board really cannot be much clearer in declaring their intent.
No doubt, in some sections of the support, there will be much gnashing of
teeth, stamping of feet and throwing of toys out of prams. However, failing
a dramatic change in the current circumstances, it would seem that we may
all have to reconcile ourselves to another two or three years of the current
management. That is neither pro nor anti-Allardyce, it is just stating a
strong probability, based upon the prevalent factors at play. Not least, Sam
Allardyce's proven track record of keeping sides in the PL season after
season; and the tendency of his former clubs to decline and suffer
relegation in the aftermath of his exit. The board are almost certainly
aware of this and it must be foremost in their thinking on the subject.
It was good to see the club once again publicly supporting Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) equality. The squad have marked LGBT HIstory
Month by supporting the Football Vs Homophobia campaign and have been
pictured wearing the FvH tee-shirts. This follows on from the squad's
support for LGBT rights last season, one of the vey first professional clubs
to do so. This, following on from the tough action taken against the
transgressors at White Hart Lane last November, the publication of the
club's schedule of prioritized equality events in the Man Utd match
programme and the Holocaust Memorial Commemoration at the QPR match,
indicates that things are changing very much for the better down Upton Park
way. Well done to the club and long may it continue. Our club must give
leadership on these issues and be seen to be united, inclusive and
anti-discriminatory. And we appear to be making significant headway in
achieving these objectives.
In a similar vein, it has been reported that the Spurs match programme will
include a warning that tough action will be taken if racist, anti-semitic or
fascist chanting occurs at any point in Monday's match against Spurs. I
think this is partly motivated by the knowledge that an incident would
undermine recent progress on equalities issues, but also by the attack on
Spurs fans by anti-semitic thugs in Lyons. There is no place for the type of
thing at the club and especially not on the 20th anniversary of Bobby
Moore's death. Any such incidents occurring would be an injury to our great
club and an insult to the memory of the great man. So, lets make sure that
it does not happen!
SJ. Chandos.
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Di Canio back at Swindon (shows CCTV footage!)
Italian accused of carrying out a midnight raid
The Sun
By ALEX CROOK
Published: 5 hrs ago
PAOLO DI CANIO was last night accused of carrying out a midnight raid on his
old Swindon office. Just three days after quitting as boss, the Italian was
captured on CCTV sneaking into the Robins' stadium. The League One club
checked the footage after believing they had been BURGLED when club-owned
pictures went missing. Swindon have now changed the codes on the door locks.
A club insider said: "Even by Paolo's standards this was a crazy thing to
do.
"The cameras picked out Paolo and three members of his staff sneaking into
the ground at 12.45am on Thursday. "They took everything from the office,
including the photos from the wall. "The door was protected by a pin code
but Paolo had access from when he was manager. The codes have now been
changed. "If he wanted to come and collect his belongings he should have
asked." The insider claimed the footage also showed ex-assistant Fabricio
Piccareta, former goalkeeping coach Domenico Doardo and an ex-masseur. Di
Canio was unavailable for comment.
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Gold: No Canio do, Paolo
By CARL LONG
Published: 21st February 2013
The Sun
WEST HAM co-owner David Gold has told Paolo Di Canio there is no job for him
at Upton Park. And he insisted they intend to open talks with Sam Allardyce
over a new deal. Di Canio has been strongly linked with the managerial
position at West Ham after he left Swindon this week. The Italian is a cult
hero with Hammers fans and many have been calling for him to become the next
boss. A section of West Ham fans are still unhappy with boss Big Sam's style
of football. But Gold said: "I want to make this clear: there is no
managerial vacancy for Paolo or anyone else at the club. There is no job
available. "I understand he's a hero here but, as we'll hold talks with Sam
at the end of the season, that's where it stands." Swindon's takeover by
local consortium Seebeck 87 Ltd has been completed after receiving clearance
from the Football League.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Friday, February 22
Thursday, February 21
Daily WHUFC News - 21st February 2013
On this day - 20 February
WHUFC.com
Bobby Moore helped the Hammers record a valuable point against Manchester
City on this day in 1971
20.02.2013
On This Day: 20 February
Anniversary
Name: Billy Jennings
Date of birth: 20 February 1952
Clubs: Watford, West Ham United, Leyton Orient, Luton Town
Born in Hackney on 20 February 1952, Billy Jennings (pictured) started out
his professional career at Watford in 1970, scoring more than 30 goals over
the next four years and earning England youth international honours.
In the summer of 1974, speedy striker Jennings would make a £110,000 switch
across London to West Ham United, making a goalscoring debut on 7 September
in a 2-1 home defeat to Sheffield United in Division One. It was the start
of a relatively brief yet successful career with the Hammers.
At the end of the 1974/75 season, Jennings would pick up an FA Cup winners
medal, despite the embarrassment of scoring an own-goal in the semi-final
replay victory over Ipswich Town at Stamford Bridge. The following campaign,
1975/76, he would score twice at the right end as West Ham fought back from
4-0 down at one stage to beat Den Haag on away goals to reach the
semi-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup.
Jennings would go on to make at total of 127 league and cup appearances for
the club, scoring 41 goals. However, a serious achilles tendon injury
suffered in September 1977 put him out of action for a year and, on his
return, he would play just six matches before moving to Leyton Orient. Since
his retirement, Jennings has forged a successful career as a football agent.
Classic Match
West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City
League Division One
20 February 1971
West Ham United welcomed Manchester City to the Boleyn Ground just one place
above the top flight relegation zone in the 1970/71 campaign.
The Hammers never dropped below the line and into the bottom two all season,
but they were hovering dangerously, so the point gained from this 0-0 draw
was most welcome.
30,168 were in attendance in east London to watch a West Ham side including
the likes of Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds and Harry Redknapp bounce back from a
1-0 defeat suffered at Liverpool in their previous game.
Burnley and Blackpool were eventually cut adrift in the drop zone, with the
former finishing seven points behind the Hammers and four above rock-bottom
Blackpool. Manchester City enjoyed slightly more success that term, ending
the campaign safely in mid-table in 11th place.
Complete record - 20 February
2010 West Ham United 3-0 Hull City (Premier League)
1999 Liverpool 2-2 West Ham United (Premier League)
1982 Southampton 2-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1971 West Ham United 0-0 Manchester CIty (Division One)
1965 Sunderland 3-2 West Ham United (Division One)
1960 West Ham United 3-5 Newcastle United (Division One)
1958 Leyton Orient 1-4 West Ham United (Division Two)
1954 West Ham United 1-1 Nottingham Forest (Division Two)
1937 Plymouth Argyle 2-0 West Ham United (Division Two)
1932 West Ham United 1-0 Liverpool (Division One)
1930 Leicester City 1-2 West Ham United (Division One)
Played 11, Won 4, Drawn 3, Lost 4, Scored 19, Conceded 17
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Fulham colleagues remember Moore
WHUFC.com
Former Cottagers teammate Les Strong recalls Bobby's impact in west London
20.02.2013
Twenty years ago this Sunday, West Ham United and England's greatest-ever
defender passed away. Bobby Moore OBE, the first Hammers captain to lift the
FA Cup and the only man to skipper England to FIFA World Cup glory, was just
51 when he lost his battle with bowel cancer in February 1993. In a
week-long tribute to Moore, the official website, West Ham TV and the
Official Programme for the Barclays Premier League visit of Tottenham
Hotspur on Monday 25 February will feature a series of interviews and
features paying homage to West Ham's No6. Les Strong was a defensive
colleague of Bobby's at Fulham and he credits the success he had in west
London to the help he received from Moore. He told West Ham TV: "It was
brilliant when he was here [at Fulham]. A great man, as everyone knows, and
a great player, as everyone knows, but so humble. The mild success that I
had was all down to him really, playing alongside him. "I played in the
whole of the 1974/75 season. We played eleven games to get to Wembley, still
a record and I played in every one of those games apart from the final.
Unfortunately I got injured two weeks before and missed the big day. When it
was confirmed I wouldn't be playing Bobby came up to me and said if he
could change places with me he would. That was a nice little touch. "It was
amazing playing alongside Bobby. As a full-back, technically, you shouldn't
be too far advanced of your centre-half. I would actually stand on the
halfway line and get one ball from him and I was attacking. People used to
think I was a great attacking full-back, but when he left I don't think I
went over the half-way line."
This week, West Ham TV will bring you interviews with those who knew Moore
best, including his daughter Roberta and his former West Ham, Fulham and
England team-mates. A special 100-page commemorative Official Programme is
also being published for the visit of Spurs, complete with exclusive
interviews with West Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer, broadcaster Jonathan
Pearce and many, many more
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carroll loving Hammers support
WHUFC.com
Supporters' backing has huge impact says West Ham United striker Andy
Carroll
20.02.2013
Andy Carroll has sung the praises of the Hammers fans ahead of Monday
night's mouthwatering London derby with Tottenham Hotspur. West Ham United
take on Andre Villas-Boas' men looking to extend an unbeaten run of four
games at the Boleyn Ground and Carroll is sure the home supporters will have
a part to play. Carroll is grateful for the backing he has received from the
Hammers faithful, especially after spending a period of the season out
injured, and he is keen to repay them over the last 12 games of the Barclays
Premier League campaign. He said: "I love football so I want to play - for
myself, for the manager and for the team. I want to do as well as I can and
play every week, so that's why I need to keep fit. "I was feeling really
good in the Swansea game. I'd been back in training and was raring to go, as
were all the lads. I put myself about and got the winner. "The fans have
been very patient with me. They could have got on my back early doors, with
me being injured, coming back and getting injured again and not scoring the
goals that everyone had hoped I would score.
"To have them singing my name was excellent. I definitely didn't expect to
hear a load of Londoners singing my name when I was growing up in Newcastle!
Everyone has been great with me here."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham plan tributes to mark Bobby Moore's 20th anniversary
BBC.co.uk
West Ham are planning to mark the 20th anniversary of England World
Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore's death with a series of memorial events.
Moore, who played 544 games for the Hammers, died on 24 February 1993, aged
51, after battling bowel cancer. Former West Ham team-mates will attend the
club's home match against Spurs on Monday to pay tribute to Moore.
Bobby Moore factfile
Born in Barking, Essex, on 12 April 1941
Makes his West Ham debut aged 17
Captains England to World Cup success in 1966
Awarded the OBE in the 1967 New Year Honours list
Wins his 100th England cap in February 1973, before becoming West Ham's
record appearance holder three days later
Plays his 108th, and final, England game in November 1973
Joins Fulham in March 1974 after 544 appearances for West Ham
Retires from professional football in 1978
Announces he is suffering from bowel cancer on 14 February 1993
Dies 10 days later on 24 February
A minute's applause will be held before kick-off and supporters will display
a mosaic depicting his old No.6 shirt. A wreath-laying ceremony will take
place outside West Ham's Upton Park ground at 11:00 GMT on Sunday. Club
officials will pay their respects to Moore, who won 108 caps for England,
and supporters are also invited to attend the memorial. "Bobby is not with
us any more but he left us with lots of memories," said his former England
team-mate Bobby Charlton. "He was a true great, a clever person and an
absolute pleasure to play with."
Fellow World Cup winners Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst, along with another
of Moore's former West Ham team-mates, Sir Trevor Brooking have been invited
to attend Monday's Premier League match. The game is also one of West Ham's
designated Bobby Moore Fund matches. All money raised will go to the charity
which was founded in Moore's name and is devoted to fighting the disease
that took his life. The West Ham squad will warm-up in Bobby Moore Fund
T-shirts before the game to help raise awareness for the charity. The
players will sign their matchday shirts which will then be auctioned to
raise more money for the charity.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Boris Johnson upbeat over West Ham plans for Olympic Stadium
Last Updated: February 20, 2013 9:24am
SSN
Mayor of London Boris Johnson remains in positive mood following further
talks over the future of the Olympic Stadium. West Ham were given "preferred
bidder" status last December for the Stratford site and the London Legacy
Development Corporation (LLDC) met again on Tuesday to discuss their bid.
Johnson came out of the meeting in high spirits and he confirmed that talks
had been productive. "There has been a lot of progress, I won't hide that,"
he said. "Good conversations have been going on. "Tax payers put a huge
amount of money, £500m, into building an iconic stadium and they put further
money in to doing it up. "We have got to get the best possible terms for the
tax payer."
Organisers of the 2015 Rugby World Cup are hoping to use the Olympic Stadium
during the tournament and Johnson also stated he would be keen for that to
come to fruition. "It would be great to do it," Johnson added when asked
about World Cup matches being staged at the east London venue. "We are
looking at it. I have asked our engineers to see whether we can make it
work, but this particular negotiation isn't relevant to that."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Montpellier left-back Henri Bedimo unsure on future amid West Ham link
By Giscard Gourizro. Last Updated: February 20, 2013 11:02am
SSN
Montpellier left-back Henri Bedimo has admitted he would like to play in a
different country one day after being linked with West Ham United, and he
will sit down at the end of the season to discuss his future. The Cameroon
international was linked with a move to the Hammers in January but they were
unwilling to meet the demands of Montpellier, according to reports in
Africa. Marseille are also understood to be interested in a move for the
28-year old, who has played in France for his entire career. Bedimo is not
yet sure what the future holds but has expressed a desire to move away at
some point. "I will see at the end of the season, my advisors and myself
will discuss and see what the next step is for my career," he told Sky
Sports. "I definitely want to play abroad one day in my life."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
A Tale of Two Left-Backs, Di Canio's MO and the Class and Dignity of the
Great Bobby Moore!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
Its a tale of two left-backs. One a transfer target, who has presumably
signed a a pre-contract deal to sign for the Hammers in the summer. The
other a 34 year old veteran, with dodgy knees and probably his best days
behind him! Respectively, short and long term moves designed to address the
problem left-back position in the Hammers squad.
Maynor Figueroa has been reported as a summer signing for the club from
Wigan. Figueroa is out of contract in June and able to move on a Bosman
deal. And the way that it is being reported, it is likely that a
pre-contract deal has been struck with the 29 year old Honduran
internaional. He is a good potential signing, who will hopefuly provide a
permanent solution to our left-back problem. While ex-Bolton left
back/leftwinger Richardo Gardner has had a trial via the Development Squad.
Gardner is a free agent and is presumably being assessed as a potential
'stop gap' option for the remainder of the season. I suppose it does not
hurt to look at the player, but the fact remains that Gardner is a 34 year
old, with a poor injury record. Is he likely to be able to perform well in
the PL at this stage of hs career, with his prior fitness issues?
Elsehere, the decision of Paolo Di Canio to resign from his position as
Swindon Town manager was bound to spark a bout of 'managerial change' fever
amongst Hammers fans! Indeed, stories about Di Canio replacing Sam Allardyce
are everywhere on the internet at the moment. But are the club's board
likely to release Sam Allardyce in the summer and replace him with Hammers
cult hero, Di canio? Martin Samuels obviously thinks not, in his Sports Mail
article yesterday, he suggested that the volatile and emotive nature of Di
Canio renders him a liability as a PL manager and that any top tier club
would be fool hardy to contemplate his appointment. Nevertheless, even
Samuels is forced to admit that Di Canio looks a talented manager, having
done a sterling job in getting Swindon promoted fom League 2, in his first
season, and leaving them at the summit of league 1, in his second.
Admitedly, it is the lower leagues, but there is no denying that Di Canio
shows great promise.
Is he ready to take the reins of a PL club? Possibly, but for the sake of
his own future career, he would arguably be better off, finding a vacancy
with a decent Championship club and testing himself at that level, before
taking on the PL managerial challenge. I truly admired Di Canio as a player,
he is probably the last, indisputedly, world class player to wear the claret
and blue. However, there is an element of truth in aspects of the article by
Martin Samuels and Di Canio must prove that he has the maturity and
stability to match his managerial promise.That means curtailing the
grandiose public statements and gestures and projecting a calmer and more
responsible persona: essentially and crucially, adjusting his mode of
operation (MO). It does not mean that he will not continue to be 'a bit of a
character,' that is basic to his personality, but aspire to be one that
operates within certain defined professional confines. Do that and the
managerial seat that he so covets, at his beloved Hammers, can be his one
day, otherwise he is likely to scare off West Ham's board and maybe those of
the other PL clubs as well.
The squad have had their warm weather training and now we hope to see the
benefits, on the pitch, next Monday evening. Psychologically, it was the
right thing to do and hopefully it has broken the downward spiral of poor
form that has been characteristic of recent matches. On virtually every
occasion, when we have had a poor away result this season, the squad have
bounced straight back with a home victory. That pattern needs to reassert
itself once again. We need a victory against Spurs to get our season back on
line. It will not be easy, Spurs are a very good team and they possess the
pace to severely test us. But they are far from unbeatable, especially if
Andy Carroll can use his assets to exploit their defensive vulnerability.
Common sense says that a draw would be a good result, but I still reckon
that, if we get the lucky breaks, we can sneak a 2-1 victory on the night.
Finally, the club have a programme of events to mark the 20th anniversary of
Bobby Moore's death. The other day I was looking at my copy of the match
programme for the 1993 home match against wolves. And it brought back such
vivid memories. It was the Saturday after his passing and Hurst, Peters and
Greenwood placed a floral tribute on the centre circle in the shape of
Moore's iconic No. 6 West Ham shirt. And I well remember the Wolves fans
laying their own wreath in tribute to the great man. Lets hope that the
Spurs fans have the basic class and decency to make a similar gesture. After
all, Bobby Moore may be the ultimate Hammers hero, but he is also England's
greatest ever defender and World Cup winning captain. In that sense, he is
also a hero for the whole English game.
Regardless, this is first and foremost a tribute by the club, and its fans,
to our favourite son and legendary No. 6 and club captain. We must all
behave with a dignity and class typical of Moore himself. We have done much,
as a club, to eradicate the shame brought upon us by a small irresponsible
minority at the corresponding fixture, at White Hart Lane, last November.
This is a golden opportunity to really show what the vast majority of West
Ham fans are all about. Let us have the collective discipline to ensure that
nothing distracts nor detracts from our tribute and celebration of the life
and achievements of the great Bobby Moore, legendary Captain of West Ham &
England.
SJ. Chandos.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Bobby Moore helped the Hammers record a valuable point against Manchester
City on this day in 1971
20.02.2013
On This Day: 20 February
Anniversary
Name: Billy Jennings
Date of birth: 20 February 1952
Clubs: Watford, West Ham United, Leyton Orient, Luton Town
Born in Hackney on 20 February 1952, Billy Jennings (pictured) started out
his professional career at Watford in 1970, scoring more than 30 goals over
the next four years and earning England youth international honours.
In the summer of 1974, speedy striker Jennings would make a £110,000 switch
across London to West Ham United, making a goalscoring debut on 7 September
in a 2-1 home defeat to Sheffield United in Division One. It was the start
of a relatively brief yet successful career with the Hammers.
At the end of the 1974/75 season, Jennings would pick up an FA Cup winners
medal, despite the embarrassment of scoring an own-goal in the semi-final
replay victory over Ipswich Town at Stamford Bridge. The following campaign,
1975/76, he would score twice at the right end as West Ham fought back from
4-0 down at one stage to beat Den Haag on away goals to reach the
semi-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup.
Jennings would go on to make at total of 127 league and cup appearances for
the club, scoring 41 goals. However, a serious achilles tendon injury
suffered in September 1977 put him out of action for a year and, on his
return, he would play just six matches before moving to Leyton Orient. Since
his retirement, Jennings has forged a successful career as a football agent.
Classic Match
West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City
League Division One
20 February 1971
West Ham United welcomed Manchester City to the Boleyn Ground just one place
above the top flight relegation zone in the 1970/71 campaign.
The Hammers never dropped below the line and into the bottom two all season,
but they were hovering dangerously, so the point gained from this 0-0 draw
was most welcome.
30,168 were in attendance in east London to watch a West Ham side including
the likes of Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds and Harry Redknapp bounce back from a
1-0 defeat suffered at Liverpool in their previous game.
Burnley and Blackpool were eventually cut adrift in the drop zone, with the
former finishing seven points behind the Hammers and four above rock-bottom
Blackpool. Manchester City enjoyed slightly more success that term, ending
the campaign safely in mid-table in 11th place.
Complete record - 20 February
2010 West Ham United 3-0 Hull City (Premier League)
1999 Liverpool 2-2 West Ham United (Premier League)
1982 Southampton 2-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1971 West Ham United 0-0 Manchester CIty (Division One)
1965 Sunderland 3-2 West Ham United (Division One)
1960 West Ham United 3-5 Newcastle United (Division One)
1958 Leyton Orient 1-4 West Ham United (Division Two)
1954 West Ham United 1-1 Nottingham Forest (Division Two)
1937 Plymouth Argyle 2-0 West Ham United (Division Two)
1932 West Ham United 1-0 Liverpool (Division One)
1930 Leicester City 1-2 West Ham United (Division One)
Played 11, Won 4, Drawn 3, Lost 4, Scored 19, Conceded 17
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Fulham colleagues remember Moore
WHUFC.com
Former Cottagers teammate Les Strong recalls Bobby's impact in west London
20.02.2013
Twenty years ago this Sunday, West Ham United and England's greatest-ever
defender passed away. Bobby Moore OBE, the first Hammers captain to lift the
FA Cup and the only man to skipper England to FIFA World Cup glory, was just
51 when he lost his battle with bowel cancer in February 1993. In a
week-long tribute to Moore, the official website, West Ham TV and the
Official Programme for the Barclays Premier League visit of Tottenham
Hotspur on Monday 25 February will feature a series of interviews and
features paying homage to West Ham's No6. Les Strong was a defensive
colleague of Bobby's at Fulham and he credits the success he had in west
London to the help he received from Moore. He told West Ham TV: "It was
brilliant when he was here [at Fulham]. A great man, as everyone knows, and
a great player, as everyone knows, but so humble. The mild success that I
had was all down to him really, playing alongside him. "I played in the
whole of the 1974/75 season. We played eleven games to get to Wembley, still
a record and I played in every one of those games apart from the final.
Unfortunately I got injured two weeks before and missed the big day. When it
was confirmed I wouldn't be playing Bobby came up to me and said if he
could change places with me he would. That was a nice little touch. "It was
amazing playing alongside Bobby. As a full-back, technically, you shouldn't
be too far advanced of your centre-half. I would actually stand on the
halfway line and get one ball from him and I was attacking. People used to
think I was a great attacking full-back, but when he left I don't think I
went over the half-way line."
This week, West Ham TV will bring you interviews with those who knew Moore
best, including his daughter Roberta and his former West Ham, Fulham and
England team-mates. A special 100-page commemorative Official Programme is
also being published for the visit of Spurs, complete with exclusive
interviews with West Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer, broadcaster Jonathan
Pearce and many, many more
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carroll loving Hammers support
WHUFC.com
Supporters' backing has huge impact says West Ham United striker Andy
Carroll
20.02.2013
Andy Carroll has sung the praises of the Hammers fans ahead of Monday
night's mouthwatering London derby with Tottenham Hotspur. West Ham United
take on Andre Villas-Boas' men looking to extend an unbeaten run of four
games at the Boleyn Ground and Carroll is sure the home supporters will have
a part to play. Carroll is grateful for the backing he has received from the
Hammers faithful, especially after spending a period of the season out
injured, and he is keen to repay them over the last 12 games of the Barclays
Premier League campaign. He said: "I love football so I want to play - for
myself, for the manager and for the team. I want to do as well as I can and
play every week, so that's why I need to keep fit. "I was feeling really
good in the Swansea game. I'd been back in training and was raring to go, as
were all the lads. I put myself about and got the winner. "The fans have
been very patient with me. They could have got on my back early doors, with
me being injured, coming back and getting injured again and not scoring the
goals that everyone had hoped I would score.
"To have them singing my name was excellent. I definitely didn't expect to
hear a load of Londoners singing my name when I was growing up in Newcastle!
Everyone has been great with me here."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham plan tributes to mark Bobby Moore's 20th anniversary
BBC.co.uk
West Ham are planning to mark the 20th anniversary of England World
Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore's death with a series of memorial events.
Moore, who played 544 games for the Hammers, died on 24 February 1993, aged
51, after battling bowel cancer. Former West Ham team-mates will attend the
club's home match against Spurs on Monday to pay tribute to Moore.
Bobby Moore factfile
Born in Barking, Essex, on 12 April 1941
Makes his West Ham debut aged 17
Captains England to World Cup success in 1966
Awarded the OBE in the 1967 New Year Honours list
Wins his 100th England cap in February 1973, before becoming West Ham's
record appearance holder three days later
Plays his 108th, and final, England game in November 1973
Joins Fulham in March 1974 after 544 appearances for West Ham
Retires from professional football in 1978
Announces he is suffering from bowel cancer on 14 February 1993
Dies 10 days later on 24 February
A minute's applause will be held before kick-off and supporters will display
a mosaic depicting his old No.6 shirt. A wreath-laying ceremony will take
place outside West Ham's Upton Park ground at 11:00 GMT on Sunday. Club
officials will pay their respects to Moore, who won 108 caps for England,
and supporters are also invited to attend the memorial. "Bobby is not with
us any more but he left us with lots of memories," said his former England
team-mate Bobby Charlton. "He was a true great, a clever person and an
absolute pleasure to play with."
Fellow World Cup winners Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst, along with another
of Moore's former West Ham team-mates, Sir Trevor Brooking have been invited
to attend Monday's Premier League match. The game is also one of West Ham's
designated Bobby Moore Fund matches. All money raised will go to the charity
which was founded in Moore's name and is devoted to fighting the disease
that took his life. The West Ham squad will warm-up in Bobby Moore Fund
T-shirts before the game to help raise awareness for the charity. The
players will sign their matchday shirts which will then be auctioned to
raise more money for the charity.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Boris Johnson upbeat over West Ham plans for Olympic Stadium
Last Updated: February 20, 2013 9:24am
SSN
Mayor of London Boris Johnson remains in positive mood following further
talks over the future of the Olympic Stadium. West Ham were given "preferred
bidder" status last December for the Stratford site and the London Legacy
Development Corporation (LLDC) met again on Tuesday to discuss their bid.
Johnson came out of the meeting in high spirits and he confirmed that talks
had been productive. "There has been a lot of progress, I won't hide that,"
he said. "Good conversations have been going on. "Tax payers put a huge
amount of money, £500m, into building an iconic stadium and they put further
money in to doing it up. "We have got to get the best possible terms for the
tax payer."
Organisers of the 2015 Rugby World Cup are hoping to use the Olympic Stadium
during the tournament and Johnson also stated he would be keen for that to
come to fruition. "It would be great to do it," Johnson added when asked
about World Cup matches being staged at the east London venue. "We are
looking at it. I have asked our engineers to see whether we can make it
work, but this particular negotiation isn't relevant to that."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Montpellier left-back Henri Bedimo unsure on future amid West Ham link
By Giscard Gourizro. Last Updated: February 20, 2013 11:02am
SSN
Montpellier left-back Henri Bedimo has admitted he would like to play in a
different country one day after being linked with West Ham United, and he
will sit down at the end of the season to discuss his future. The Cameroon
international was linked with a move to the Hammers in January but they were
unwilling to meet the demands of Montpellier, according to reports in
Africa. Marseille are also understood to be interested in a move for the
28-year old, who has played in France for his entire career. Bedimo is not
yet sure what the future holds but has expressed a desire to move away at
some point. "I will see at the end of the season, my advisors and myself
will discuss and see what the next step is for my career," he told Sky
Sports. "I definitely want to play abroad one day in my life."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
A Tale of Two Left-Backs, Di Canio's MO and the Class and Dignity of the
Great Bobby Moore!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
Its a tale of two left-backs. One a transfer target, who has presumably
signed a a pre-contract deal to sign for the Hammers in the summer. The
other a 34 year old veteran, with dodgy knees and probably his best days
behind him! Respectively, short and long term moves designed to address the
problem left-back position in the Hammers squad.
Maynor Figueroa has been reported as a summer signing for the club from
Wigan. Figueroa is out of contract in June and able to move on a Bosman
deal. And the way that it is being reported, it is likely that a
pre-contract deal has been struck with the 29 year old Honduran
internaional. He is a good potential signing, who will hopefuly provide a
permanent solution to our left-back problem. While ex-Bolton left
back/leftwinger Richardo Gardner has had a trial via the Development Squad.
Gardner is a free agent and is presumably being assessed as a potential
'stop gap' option for the remainder of the season. I suppose it does not
hurt to look at the player, but the fact remains that Gardner is a 34 year
old, with a poor injury record. Is he likely to be able to perform well in
the PL at this stage of hs career, with his prior fitness issues?
Elsehere, the decision of Paolo Di Canio to resign from his position as
Swindon Town manager was bound to spark a bout of 'managerial change' fever
amongst Hammers fans! Indeed, stories about Di Canio replacing Sam Allardyce
are everywhere on the internet at the moment. But are the club's board
likely to release Sam Allardyce in the summer and replace him with Hammers
cult hero, Di canio? Martin Samuels obviously thinks not, in his Sports Mail
article yesterday, he suggested that the volatile and emotive nature of Di
Canio renders him a liability as a PL manager and that any top tier club
would be fool hardy to contemplate his appointment. Nevertheless, even
Samuels is forced to admit that Di Canio looks a talented manager, having
done a sterling job in getting Swindon promoted fom League 2, in his first
season, and leaving them at the summit of league 1, in his second.
Admitedly, it is the lower leagues, but there is no denying that Di Canio
shows great promise.
Is he ready to take the reins of a PL club? Possibly, but for the sake of
his own future career, he would arguably be better off, finding a vacancy
with a decent Championship club and testing himself at that level, before
taking on the PL managerial challenge. I truly admired Di Canio as a player,
he is probably the last, indisputedly, world class player to wear the claret
and blue. However, there is an element of truth in aspects of the article by
Martin Samuels and Di Canio must prove that he has the maturity and
stability to match his managerial promise.That means curtailing the
grandiose public statements and gestures and projecting a calmer and more
responsible persona: essentially and crucially, adjusting his mode of
operation (MO). It does not mean that he will not continue to be 'a bit of a
character,' that is basic to his personality, but aspire to be one that
operates within certain defined professional confines. Do that and the
managerial seat that he so covets, at his beloved Hammers, can be his one
day, otherwise he is likely to scare off West Ham's board and maybe those of
the other PL clubs as well.
The squad have had their warm weather training and now we hope to see the
benefits, on the pitch, next Monday evening. Psychologically, it was the
right thing to do and hopefully it has broken the downward spiral of poor
form that has been characteristic of recent matches. On virtually every
occasion, when we have had a poor away result this season, the squad have
bounced straight back with a home victory. That pattern needs to reassert
itself once again. We need a victory against Spurs to get our season back on
line. It will not be easy, Spurs are a very good team and they possess the
pace to severely test us. But they are far from unbeatable, especially if
Andy Carroll can use his assets to exploit their defensive vulnerability.
Common sense says that a draw would be a good result, but I still reckon
that, if we get the lucky breaks, we can sneak a 2-1 victory on the night.
Finally, the club have a programme of events to mark the 20th anniversary of
Bobby Moore's death. The other day I was looking at my copy of the match
programme for the 1993 home match against wolves. And it brought back such
vivid memories. It was the Saturday after his passing and Hurst, Peters and
Greenwood placed a floral tribute on the centre circle in the shape of
Moore's iconic No. 6 West Ham shirt. And I well remember the Wolves fans
laying their own wreath in tribute to the great man. Lets hope that the
Spurs fans have the basic class and decency to make a similar gesture. After
all, Bobby Moore may be the ultimate Hammers hero, but he is also England's
greatest ever defender and World Cup winning captain. In that sense, he is
also a hero for the whole English game.
Regardless, this is first and foremost a tribute by the club, and its fans,
to our favourite son and legendary No. 6 and club captain. We must all
behave with a dignity and class typical of Moore himself. We have done much,
as a club, to eradicate the shame brought upon us by a small irresponsible
minority at the corresponding fixture, at White Hart Lane, last November.
This is a golden opportunity to really show what the vast majority of West
Ham fans are all about. Let us have the collective discipline to ensure that
nothing distracts nor detracts from our tribute and celebration of the life
and achievements of the great Bobby Moore, legendary Captain of West Ham &
England.
SJ. Chandos.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Wednesday, February 20
Daily WHUFC News - 20th February 2013
Manchester United match postponed
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's home fixture with Manchester United will be re-arranged
for a new date
13.02.2013
West Ham United's Barclays Premier League home fixture with Manchester
United, originally scheduled for Saturday 9 March, has been postponed. The
Red Devils' visit to east London will now be re-arranged after Sir Alex
Ferguson's side reached the FA Cup with Budweiser sixth round courtesy of a
2-1 fifth-round victory over Reading on Monday evening. A new date for the
fixture has yet to be agreed and a further announcement will follow in due
course.
Match tickets previously purchased for the original match will still be
valid for the re-arranged fixture. To purchase your seat now for the visit
of Manchester United, click here. Supporters should note that two other
Hammers fixtures have been moved to new kick-off times. The Hammers'
Barclays Premier League trip to Liverpool has been put back a day to Sunday
7 April, with kick-off at 1.30pm. This is because the original date for the
fixture clashes with the Grand National at Aintree.
West Ham's trip to face champions Manchester City has been selected for live
television coverage by Sky Sports at 12.45pm on Saturday 27 April. However,
supporters should note that, if either Manchester United or Arsenal are
competing in the UEFA Champions League semi-final the following Tuesday, the
trip to the Etihad Stadium will be moved to Sunday 28 April 2013 at 4pm.
Ticket news for both of these away fixtures will be confirmed in due course
on whufc.com and in the Official Programme.
Supporters can purchase tickets for the Barclays Premier League 3pm kick-off
at Stoke City on Saturday 2 March now, as these are on General Sale. To do
so, click here or call 0871 529 1966 via Option 3 (Calls cost 10p per minute
plus network extras).
Seats are also selling fast for the 8pm visit of Tottenham Hotspur on Monday
25 February. The eagerly-anticipated London derby will see the club mark the
20th anniversary of the passing of the late, great Bobby Moore with a series
of special events and guests.
Fans should note that all standard tickets for the Barclays Premier League
trip to Chelsea on Saturday 16 March have now sold out.
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Ruddock adapting to defensive role
WHUFC.com
Pelly Ruddock is growing into his new role at the heart of the Development
Squad defence
19.02.2013
Though Pelly Ruddock joined West Ham United a box-to-box midfielder, the
former Boreham Wood youngster is now getting to grips with the demands of
playing centre-half, as he continues to impress in the Development Squad.
Ruddock, who made the switch from Boreham Wood in December 2011, has now
started each of the Hammers' last seven Barclays Under-21 Premier League
fixtures, having earlier featured six times as a substitute. The 19-year-old
took his place in an unfamiliar back-three in Friday's 1-0 reverse to
Southampton, alongside first-year scholar Amos Nasha and second-year Frazer
Shaw. Though West Ham were to come unstuck, Ruddock played a considerable
part in another accomplished defensive display. "It was different [playing
in a back three], you've got to have that in your armoury to play different
positions, so it was alright and I felt we played well," he told West Ham
TV. "We were very solid, firstly the back three worked well and then went to
the back four, which also worked well. We were unlucky to concede and we
felt very strong at the back. "Amos and Frazer were good. Being so young,
first and second years, it's a good experience for them and just helps them
with their development. It was a good performance by our boys, unlucky for
it to be 1-0 but hopefully next game we can correct that."
As for his new-found role at the heart of the back line, Ruddock is
embracing the experience, confirming he is very much learning on the job.
Meanwhile, the teenager remains hopeful that his performances might lead to
a first-team bow before too long. "I'm adapting to centre-back well," he
added. "It's just another position that I can play, showing the manager what
I can do. Central midfield is my natural position, but I'll happily play at
centre-back. "I'm playing well. Game by game I'm learning more and on the
training pitch, learning from other players so it's good at the moment.
Hopefully I can make the bench or play a senior game for the first team, and
go on from there, but we'll see how that goes."
Looking ahead to next Tuesday's trip to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers,
Ruddock is targeting a third win of their Elite Group campaign, with one eye
on closing the gap on runaway leaders Tottenham Hotspur. "Hopefully we can
get another three points there and climb up the table. It's possible to
catch Spurs, it was a close game between us, so hopefully they slip up and
we can get more points on the table."
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Brabrook pays tribute to Moore
WHUFC.com
Hammers and England winger Peter Brabrook shares his memories of the late,
great Bobby Moore
19.02.2013
Twenty years ago this Sunday, West Ham United and England's greatest-ever
defender passed away. Bobby Moore OBE, the first Hammers captain to lift the
FA Cup and the only man to skipper England to FIFA World Cup glory, was just
51 when he lost his battle with bowel cancer in February 1993. In a
week-long tribute to Moore, the official website, West Ham TV and the
Official Programme for the Barclays Premier League visit of Tottenham
Hotspur on Monday 25 February will feature a series of interviews and
features paying homage to West Ham's No6. Former West Ham and England winger
Peter Brabrook shared victory in both the 1964 FA Cup and the 1965 Cup
Winners' Cup finals with Moore, a player and a person he holds in the very
highest regard. "He's probably the greatest player this football club has
ever had and probably the greatest they will ever have," Brabrook told West
Ham TV."One of the nicest people you'll ever meet as well. A lovely fella, a
lovely fella to be around, a lovely fella to be out with! He was a
tremendous lad. "Twenty years seems a long, long, while ago, it will be
great to be at the ground on Monday to honour a great player."
This week, West Ham TV will bring you interviews with those who knew Moore
best, including his daughter Roberta and his former West Ham, Fulham and
England team-mates. A special 100-page commemorative Official Programme is
also being published for the visit of Spurs, complete with exclusive
interviews with West Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer, broadcaster Jonathan
Pearce and many, many more.
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Len Hurford
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's first Youth Development Officer Len Hurford has passed
away at the age of 74
18.02.2013
Everybody at West Ham United would like to express their sincere condolences
to the family of former Youth Development Officer Len Hurford, who has
passed away aged 74. Hurford, who was the first person to take up such a
role at the club, played a leading role in bringing the likes of Paul Allen,
Paul Ince, George Parris and Tony Cottee to the Hammers in the late 1970s
and early 1980s. The scout, who also worked for Ipswich Town, Chelsea and
the Football Association during a long and distinguished career, was
appointed to work alongside chief scout Eddie Bailey. "Len was our very
first Youth Development Officer," said Academy Director Tony Carr. "Len had
done some very important recruitment work and it was decided that we wanted
to take on someone full-time in that role. "John Lyall appointed him and he
and Eddie Baily took over organising the young players who came into the
club after the retirement of Wally St Pier. "Eddy moved on to a more senior
scouting role with the first team, which opened up the position for a Youth
Development Officer to be appointed. Len came in and recruited the likes of
Paul Allen and helped to bring through youngsters in the early 1980s."
Peter Wheelband has been a scout for West Ham for more than 35 years and
worked under Hurford during the latter's time at the club. "I knew Len for
40 years," said Wheelband. "He made the decisions over which players would
go on at Under-14 to Under-16 levels. "I worked with Len throughout the
years he was at the club and he was a really nice fellow. He was a gentleman
and he knew how to work with people properly. "I was one of the youth scouts
at the time and he helped to bring in and develop players like Paul Allen,
Tony Cottee and Alan Dickens. "We worked under Len and the chief scout Eddie
Baily and they were two people who always told you the truth."
A funeral service for Len Hurford will take place at Forest Park Cemetery &
Crematorium in Hainault on Thursday 21 February at 12.45pm.
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West Ham chief David Gold gives backing to manager Sam Allardyce
BBC.co.uk
West Ham United co-chairman David Gold has given his backing to manager Sam
Allardyce. Gold retweeted posts on Twitter from two West Ham fans calling
for Paolo Di Canio to replace Allardyce after the Italian's exit from
Swindon, then two more supporting the current manager. "Always interesting
to see the different opinions from people on Twitter," Gold himself then
posted. "My view is clear though - Big Sam is our man! dg."
Allardyce's current deal expires at the end of the season, but Gold insists
the club will not enter talks about extending the contract of the former
Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers manager until the Hammers have secured
Premier League safety. "We will sit down and discuss Sam's contract
situation once our Premier League status has been confirmed and not before,"
he said in a statement. "This is purely because the three of us [Allardyce,
Gold and co-chairman David Sullivan] don't want anything to distract
attention from our aim of finishing as high up the league table as
possible."
West Ham are 11th in the Premier League with 30 points, but have won only
one of their last six league games.
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Piquionne departs - at last
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 19th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
Forgotten striker Freddie Piquionne could finally be set to leave West Ham -
having spent the last year playing with the under 21s. The former Portsmouth
forward is poised to join MLS outfit Portland Timbers on trial later this
week, with view to a permanent deal should he impress sufficiently. Now 34,
Piquionne's last game for the Hammers came in the 2-1 win over Nottingham
Forest in January 2012, just over a year ago - since when he has been
featuring, occasionally, for the Development Squad as one of their permitted
overage players. A short loan spell at Doncaster at the back end of last
season - during which he managed to score twice in eight appearances - came
to nothing and the once-capped French international, who was left out of
West Ham's 25-man Premier League squad this season, appeared set to see the
remainder of his contract out at West Ham until Portland's intervention.
Estimated to be earning around £40,000 per week, Piquionne's current deal
ends this summer.
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Celebrating Bobby
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 19th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United will mark the 20th anniversary of the passing of Hammers and
England legend Bobby Moore OBE around the weekend of the Barclays Premier
League fixture with Tottenham Hotspur. The Hammers' 1964 FA Cup and 1965
European Cup Winners' Cup-winning captain passed away at the age of 51 on 24
February 1993 following a dignified battle with bowel cancer. To honour his
memory, a wreath-laying ceremony will take place at the Heroes statue on the
corner of Green Street and Barking Road at 11am on Sunday 24th February.
There, club officials will pay their respects on the 20th anniversary of
Moore's death, and supporters are invited to attend too. The following
evening, at West Ham's home match with Spurs on Monday 25th February, a
series of special events are planned to commemorate the life of the man who
skippered England to FIFA World Cup glory in July 1966. A host of Moore's
contemporaries have been invited to attend as special guests of the club,
including fellow World Cup winners and West Ham team-mates Martin Peters and
Geoff Hurst, and five-times Hammer of the Year Sir Trevor Brooking. Prior to
kick-off, a minute's applause will be held in memory of the man who made 544
appearances for the Hammers between 1958 and 1974. Supporters sitting in the
Bobby Moore Stand will also be invited to take part in displaying a special
mosaic depicting Moore's famous claret and blue No6 shirt, which was retired
by the club in August 2008 to mark the 50th anniversary of the defender's
West Ham debut.
The Match is also one of this seasons designated Bobby Moore Fund matches
and the Fund will be the beneficiary of all charitable activity carried out
at this fixture. A special 100-page Official Programme is also being
produced for the occasion, including exclusive memories of Moore from those
who knew him best, on and off the pitch.
Priced at £4, a donation of 50 pence from the sale of each programme will be
made to the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham co-chairman David Gold backing manager Sam Allardyce
Last Updated: February 19, 2013 9:33pm
SSN
West Ham co-chairman David Gold insists he is fully behind manager Sam
Allardyce. Paolo Di Canio's exit from Swindon, coupled with West Ham's dip
in form, had led to speculation that Gold and his partner David Sullivan
were thinking of bringing the Hammers icon in to replace Allardyce at the
end of the season.
Gold this morning retweeted posts from two West Ham fans calling for Di
Canio to replace Allardyce, as well as two more of the opposing view. Gold
insists the club will not enter talks with Allardyce about extending his
contract until the team are safe from relegation. But he did throw his
weight behind the former Blackburn and Newcastle manager this evening with a
tweet of his own. It read: "Always interesting to see the different opinions
from people on twitter. My view is clear though - Big Sam is our man! dg."
Allardyce brought West Ham up from the Championship in his first season at
Upton Park and they currently sit seven points above the Premier League
relegation zone with 12 games of the season remaining.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
David Gold plays down Paolo Di Canio to West Ham talk
Tuesday 19 Feb 2013 7:08 pm Football
Metro.co.uk
West Ham co-chairman David Gold has played down talk of Paolo Di Canio
returning to Upton Park, instead reaffirming his commitment to current
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce. Gold caused controversy on Tuesday morning when
he retweeted the views of Hammers fans on Di Canio, hours after the former
West Ham striker had resigned as manager of League One Swindon. Gold's
actions, and the fact Allardyce is out of contract in the summer, fuelled
speculation he and co-chairman David Sullivan could be preparing a populist
move for Di Canio. However, Gold returned to Twitter on Tuesday evening,
assuring Hammers fans that Allardyce remains his choice as manager. 'Always
interesting to see the different opinions from people on twitter,' he wrote.
'My view is clear though – Big Sam is our man! dg.' Allardyce has earned
West Ham an impressive 30 points from 26 games in their first season back in
the top-flight, but a direct style of play and a recent downturn in results
has led to speculation that he could be replaced, either immediately, or
when his contract expires. Di Canio tendered his resignation at Swindon on
Monday after growing frustrated at the club's protracted change in
ownership. The Italian also cited a number of 'broken promises'. However, by
Tuesday night some bookmakers were making the former Swindon boss favourite
to also be the club's next permanent manager.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
There's no place for Di Canio in the top flight. He's higher maintenance
than the Sistine Chapel
By MARTIN SAMUEL
PUBLISHED: 23:00, 19 February 2013 | UPDATED: 00:04, 20 February 2013
Daily Mail
Paolo Di Canio resigned as manager of Swindon Town this week. It was no big
deal. Obviously it was in Swindon, and to Swindon as well. The club are
chasing promotion to the Championship. Di Canio has done an excellent job.
To lose the manager at such a crucial stage in the season is a significant
blow. Nationally, however, Di Canio's departure was a footnote, an asterisk
at the bottom of the page compared to Arsenal's last-16 match in the
Champions League, Manchester United's FA Cup victory over Reading, or
further conjecture about the ability of Manchester City manager Roberto
Mancini. Di Canio did make a brief appearance on one back page, but only in
the context of what his resignation meant for Sam Allardyce at West Ham
United. It was a West Ham story, really. Allardyce's future has been under
scrutiny of late, West Ham's form has nosedived and there has been no offer
of a new contract when his present one expires at the end of the season. Di
Canio was always a favourite at Upton Park and the link is an obvious one.
Much depends on what owners David Sullivan and David Gold regard as success
in Allardyce's first Premier League season, how motivated they are to make a
populist decision, and their appetite for aggravation. For Di Canio is high
maintenance, even compared to the majority of modern footballers. To be
fair, he is high maintenance compared to the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
A gifted manager, though, no doubt about it. Swindon won promotion from
League Two last season, and have a very reasonable chance of repeating that
achievement in League One. On Monday when Di Canio left, Swindon were in
sixth place. Then they beat Tranmere Rovers 3-1 to go top.
Even so, the news was no big whoop. Since relegation from the Premier League
in 1994, the manager of Swindon, no matter his name, has had little more
than a walk-on role in the drama of the season.
When Di Canio hooked his goalkeeper after 22 minutes against Preston North
End it got a mention in the press, as did his invitation to return the
season- ticket money of any supporter who disagreed with this decision. Yet
the ripples barely extended beyond the county. Di Canio's excesses remained
local news for local people. The mainstream media might glance across at
some of his more outrageous outbursts, but would quickly return to the
latest twist at Chelsea, Manchester United, or even Queens Park Rangers.
There were headlines when Di Canio called his players stupid donkeys after a
1-1 draw with Hartlepool, but only in lower-division round-up columns tucked
away in the corner of an inside page. The will-he, won't-he saga around his
resignation has dragged on for weeks, beginning with minute-by-minute
coverage on Sky Sports News, quickly relegated to the margins as time
passed. On the day Di Canio finally quit, all eyes were on Arsene Wenger,
who was similarly overwrought, but whose next opponents were Bayern Munich,
not Tranmere Rovers.
It is different for a manager in the Premier League. Had Di Canio walked out
on West Ham with a broadside at the owners on Monday it might have knocked
Wenger's tantrum off the back pages. Indeed, if Di Canio behaved at West Ham
as he has done at Swindon these last weeks — considering his first threat
to resign came on February 1 — the club would have dominated the news agenda
since, and not in a good way. Those in east London still coveting the return
of a local hero — very local, when you look at his record of playing
difficult away games — should be very careful what they wish for. Di Canio's
passion play unfolding in the spotlight could have a ruinous effect on a
smaller Premier League club — one West Ham can scarcely afford as the
imminent tenants of the Olympic Stadium. The treatment of Di Canio's
departure by the Swindon Evening Advertiser told its own story. The Italian
confirmed he would be leaving what the Advertiser called SN1, the Swindon
postcode that houses the County Ground.
Nobody outside Swindon recognises SN1, no more than it is possible to
pinpoint RH11 as Crawley Town or TW8 as Brentford. It is local knowledge.
And this is local news. Swindon's average attendance in League One for
2012-13 is 8,497. It makes them bigger than Doncaster Rovers, but not quite
up there with Milton Keynes Dons.
No doubt Di Canio will be much missed by the correspondent from the
Advertiser, and to Swindon fans this is a huge event, yet the reality is
that until now the club could jog along relatively untroubled, despite the
changing moods of the man in charge. Di Canio's results prove it. For all
his flaws, Swindon have thrived under Di Canio's stewardship. Try the same
act at Upton Park, however, and see what impact it has. There is a method
for achieving success in the Premier League and starring in your very own
daily soap opera should never be part of that plan.
Think of Chelsea. There are controversies over which the club have no
control: John Terry's abuse of Anton Ferdinand, for instance, or Eden
Hazard's clash with a ball boy. Then there are the decisions that will
obviously attract negative publicity: replacing Roberto Di Matteo with
Rafael Benitez, mid-season.
Finally, there are the narratives that occur purely by dint of being a major
Premier League club. Frank Lampard's contract; the lacklustre form of
Fernando Torres. Chelsea have done nothing to fan these particular flames.
They are simply going about their business: deciding which players to keep,
acquiring expensive talent in the hope it brings success. Others have then
made these issues an obsession. Cameras on the owner each time Lampard
scores, the trials of Torres minutely documented as results go awry.
Now imagine if, in addition to this, Chelsea had a manager who kept
threatening to quit, or called his players names for dropping two points, or
invited the fans to buy a season ticket at Arsenal if they did not like his
judgments. Chelsea would never be out of the news. Every press conference
would be an event, each nightly Sky Sports News bulletin a must-watch. There
would be uncertainty and the threat of upheaval in the dressing room with
the potential for cliques and camps; some players would roll with the chaos,
others would find it harmful and debilitating. Premier League managers are
as good as under surveillance. In the modern game so much is out of their
control that if they go rogue too, the club can quickly descend into chaos.
Di Canio in the Premier League would not have to be bland or soulless, but
his behaviour could not become detrimental to his club. Jose Mourinho was
hardly a modest presence at Chelsea but, when angered, his targets — albeit
some misplaced — were on the outside. He took on everybody, from UEFA to Sir
Alex Ferguson and the Reading Ambulance Service, but was not greatly given
to publicly humiliating his players or denouncing his employers.
One of the reasons Di Canio's donkey outburst was largely ignored is that
those the manager insulted were not household names. It would be a huge deal
if included in the attack was England striker Andy Carroll, currently on
loan at West Ham. In recent years, West Ham have also provided two England
goalkeepers: David James and Robert Green. A little more controversial if a
player of that stature was being replaced after 22 minutes, kicking water
bottles and marching off to sit with the away fans, as happened to Swindon's
goalkeeper Wes Foderingham. If Roberto Mancini even implies criticism of Joe
Hart at Manchester City it is a subject for national debate. Imagine if
Mancini responded to questions by inviting all dissenting season-ticket
holders to reclaim their money and then decamp to Manchester United. It
could make for an interesting atmosphere at City's next home match.
Maybe there was a reaction to Di Canio's demand that his critics switch
sides to Oxford United, too. Yet with only 8,000 in the County Ground, how
noticeable would any challenge be? There are protestors at Football League
matches up and down the country every week. If they are not carrying large
banners that read 'GLAZER OUT', however, nobody seems much interested.
There are some who thought this resignation was just another Di Canio
outburst, and he would soon be back at Swindon. But his assistant, Fabrizio
Piccareta, also left the club after the win at Tranmere, apparently marking
the end of their volatile reign.
And even if Di Canio can be persuaded back then, the higher Swindon rise,
the nearer the time will come when the club are subject to the same
scrutiny as humble clubs like Reading or Norwich City. And, yes, those
clubs do manage to fly beneath the radar most weeks. But that may be because
their managers, Brian McDermott and Chris Hughton, are not greatly given to
invective, dramatic resignations or withering substitutions and appreciate
that, at a smaller Premier League club, confidence and stability are key to
survival. Di Canio is wonderful for those who like a show, but whether a
leading club can afford to be part of his next psycho-drama is another
matter entirely.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's home fixture with Manchester United will be re-arranged
for a new date
13.02.2013
West Ham United's Barclays Premier League home fixture with Manchester
United, originally scheduled for Saturday 9 March, has been postponed. The
Red Devils' visit to east London will now be re-arranged after Sir Alex
Ferguson's side reached the FA Cup with Budweiser sixth round courtesy of a
2-1 fifth-round victory over Reading on Monday evening. A new date for the
fixture has yet to be agreed and a further announcement will follow in due
course.
Match tickets previously purchased for the original match will still be
valid for the re-arranged fixture. To purchase your seat now for the visit
of Manchester United, click here. Supporters should note that two other
Hammers fixtures have been moved to new kick-off times. The Hammers'
Barclays Premier League trip to Liverpool has been put back a day to Sunday
7 April, with kick-off at 1.30pm. This is because the original date for the
fixture clashes with the Grand National at Aintree.
West Ham's trip to face champions Manchester City has been selected for live
television coverage by Sky Sports at 12.45pm on Saturday 27 April. However,
supporters should note that, if either Manchester United or Arsenal are
competing in the UEFA Champions League semi-final the following Tuesday, the
trip to the Etihad Stadium will be moved to Sunday 28 April 2013 at 4pm.
Ticket news for both of these away fixtures will be confirmed in due course
on whufc.com and in the Official Programme.
Supporters can purchase tickets for the Barclays Premier League 3pm kick-off
at Stoke City on Saturday 2 March now, as these are on General Sale. To do
so, click here or call 0871 529 1966 via Option 3 (Calls cost 10p per minute
plus network extras).
Seats are also selling fast for the 8pm visit of Tottenham Hotspur on Monday
25 February. The eagerly-anticipated London derby will see the club mark the
20th anniversary of the passing of the late, great Bobby Moore with a series
of special events and guests.
Fans should note that all standard tickets for the Barclays Premier League
trip to Chelsea on Saturday 16 March have now sold out.
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Ruddock adapting to defensive role
WHUFC.com
Pelly Ruddock is growing into his new role at the heart of the Development
Squad defence
19.02.2013
Though Pelly Ruddock joined West Ham United a box-to-box midfielder, the
former Boreham Wood youngster is now getting to grips with the demands of
playing centre-half, as he continues to impress in the Development Squad.
Ruddock, who made the switch from Boreham Wood in December 2011, has now
started each of the Hammers' last seven Barclays Under-21 Premier League
fixtures, having earlier featured six times as a substitute. The 19-year-old
took his place in an unfamiliar back-three in Friday's 1-0 reverse to
Southampton, alongside first-year scholar Amos Nasha and second-year Frazer
Shaw. Though West Ham were to come unstuck, Ruddock played a considerable
part in another accomplished defensive display. "It was different [playing
in a back three], you've got to have that in your armoury to play different
positions, so it was alright and I felt we played well," he told West Ham
TV. "We were very solid, firstly the back three worked well and then went to
the back four, which also worked well. We were unlucky to concede and we
felt very strong at the back. "Amos and Frazer were good. Being so young,
first and second years, it's a good experience for them and just helps them
with their development. It was a good performance by our boys, unlucky for
it to be 1-0 but hopefully next game we can correct that."
As for his new-found role at the heart of the back line, Ruddock is
embracing the experience, confirming he is very much learning on the job.
Meanwhile, the teenager remains hopeful that his performances might lead to
a first-team bow before too long. "I'm adapting to centre-back well," he
added. "It's just another position that I can play, showing the manager what
I can do. Central midfield is my natural position, but I'll happily play at
centre-back. "I'm playing well. Game by game I'm learning more and on the
training pitch, learning from other players so it's good at the moment.
Hopefully I can make the bench or play a senior game for the first team, and
go on from there, but we'll see how that goes."
Looking ahead to next Tuesday's trip to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers,
Ruddock is targeting a third win of their Elite Group campaign, with one eye
on closing the gap on runaway leaders Tottenham Hotspur. "Hopefully we can
get another three points there and climb up the table. It's possible to
catch Spurs, it was a close game between us, so hopefully they slip up and
we can get more points on the table."
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Brabrook pays tribute to Moore
WHUFC.com
Hammers and England winger Peter Brabrook shares his memories of the late,
great Bobby Moore
19.02.2013
Twenty years ago this Sunday, West Ham United and England's greatest-ever
defender passed away. Bobby Moore OBE, the first Hammers captain to lift the
FA Cup and the only man to skipper England to FIFA World Cup glory, was just
51 when he lost his battle with bowel cancer in February 1993. In a
week-long tribute to Moore, the official website, West Ham TV and the
Official Programme for the Barclays Premier League visit of Tottenham
Hotspur on Monday 25 February will feature a series of interviews and
features paying homage to West Ham's No6. Former West Ham and England winger
Peter Brabrook shared victory in both the 1964 FA Cup and the 1965 Cup
Winners' Cup finals with Moore, a player and a person he holds in the very
highest regard. "He's probably the greatest player this football club has
ever had and probably the greatest they will ever have," Brabrook told West
Ham TV."One of the nicest people you'll ever meet as well. A lovely fella, a
lovely fella to be around, a lovely fella to be out with! He was a
tremendous lad. "Twenty years seems a long, long, while ago, it will be
great to be at the ground on Monday to honour a great player."
This week, West Ham TV will bring you interviews with those who knew Moore
best, including his daughter Roberta and his former West Ham, Fulham and
England team-mates. A special 100-page commemorative Official Programme is
also being published for the visit of Spurs, complete with exclusive
interviews with West Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer, broadcaster Jonathan
Pearce and many, many more.
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Len Hurford
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's first Youth Development Officer Len Hurford has passed
away at the age of 74
18.02.2013
Everybody at West Ham United would like to express their sincere condolences
to the family of former Youth Development Officer Len Hurford, who has
passed away aged 74. Hurford, who was the first person to take up such a
role at the club, played a leading role in bringing the likes of Paul Allen,
Paul Ince, George Parris and Tony Cottee to the Hammers in the late 1970s
and early 1980s. The scout, who also worked for Ipswich Town, Chelsea and
the Football Association during a long and distinguished career, was
appointed to work alongside chief scout Eddie Bailey. "Len was our very
first Youth Development Officer," said Academy Director Tony Carr. "Len had
done some very important recruitment work and it was decided that we wanted
to take on someone full-time in that role. "John Lyall appointed him and he
and Eddie Baily took over organising the young players who came into the
club after the retirement of Wally St Pier. "Eddy moved on to a more senior
scouting role with the first team, which opened up the position for a Youth
Development Officer to be appointed. Len came in and recruited the likes of
Paul Allen and helped to bring through youngsters in the early 1980s."
Peter Wheelband has been a scout for West Ham for more than 35 years and
worked under Hurford during the latter's time at the club. "I knew Len for
40 years," said Wheelband. "He made the decisions over which players would
go on at Under-14 to Under-16 levels. "I worked with Len throughout the
years he was at the club and he was a really nice fellow. He was a gentleman
and he knew how to work with people properly. "I was one of the youth scouts
at the time and he helped to bring in and develop players like Paul Allen,
Tony Cottee and Alan Dickens. "We worked under Len and the chief scout Eddie
Baily and they were two people who always told you the truth."
A funeral service for Len Hurford will take place at Forest Park Cemetery &
Crematorium in Hainault on Thursday 21 February at 12.45pm.
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West Ham chief David Gold gives backing to manager Sam Allardyce
BBC.co.uk
West Ham United co-chairman David Gold has given his backing to manager Sam
Allardyce. Gold retweeted posts on Twitter from two West Ham fans calling
for Paolo Di Canio to replace Allardyce after the Italian's exit from
Swindon, then two more supporting the current manager. "Always interesting
to see the different opinions from people on Twitter," Gold himself then
posted. "My view is clear though - Big Sam is our man! dg."
Allardyce's current deal expires at the end of the season, but Gold insists
the club will not enter talks about extending the contract of the former
Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers manager until the Hammers have secured
Premier League safety. "We will sit down and discuss Sam's contract
situation once our Premier League status has been confirmed and not before,"
he said in a statement. "This is purely because the three of us [Allardyce,
Gold and co-chairman David Sullivan] don't want anything to distract
attention from our aim of finishing as high up the league table as
possible."
West Ham are 11th in the Premier League with 30 points, but have won only
one of their last six league games.
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Piquionne departs - at last
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 19th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
Forgotten striker Freddie Piquionne could finally be set to leave West Ham -
having spent the last year playing with the under 21s. The former Portsmouth
forward is poised to join MLS outfit Portland Timbers on trial later this
week, with view to a permanent deal should he impress sufficiently. Now 34,
Piquionne's last game for the Hammers came in the 2-1 win over Nottingham
Forest in January 2012, just over a year ago - since when he has been
featuring, occasionally, for the Development Squad as one of their permitted
overage players. A short loan spell at Doncaster at the back end of last
season - during which he managed to score twice in eight appearances - came
to nothing and the once-capped French international, who was left out of
West Ham's 25-man Premier League squad this season, appeared set to see the
remainder of his contract out at West Ham until Portland's intervention.
Estimated to be earning around £40,000 per week, Piquionne's current deal
ends this summer.
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Celebrating Bobby
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 19th February 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United will mark the 20th anniversary of the passing of Hammers and
England legend Bobby Moore OBE around the weekend of the Barclays Premier
League fixture with Tottenham Hotspur. The Hammers' 1964 FA Cup and 1965
European Cup Winners' Cup-winning captain passed away at the age of 51 on 24
February 1993 following a dignified battle with bowel cancer. To honour his
memory, a wreath-laying ceremony will take place at the Heroes statue on the
corner of Green Street and Barking Road at 11am on Sunday 24th February.
There, club officials will pay their respects on the 20th anniversary of
Moore's death, and supporters are invited to attend too. The following
evening, at West Ham's home match with Spurs on Monday 25th February, a
series of special events are planned to commemorate the life of the man who
skippered England to FIFA World Cup glory in July 1966. A host of Moore's
contemporaries have been invited to attend as special guests of the club,
including fellow World Cup winners and West Ham team-mates Martin Peters and
Geoff Hurst, and five-times Hammer of the Year Sir Trevor Brooking. Prior to
kick-off, a minute's applause will be held in memory of the man who made 544
appearances for the Hammers between 1958 and 1974. Supporters sitting in the
Bobby Moore Stand will also be invited to take part in displaying a special
mosaic depicting Moore's famous claret and blue No6 shirt, which was retired
by the club in August 2008 to mark the 50th anniversary of the defender's
West Ham debut.
The Match is also one of this seasons designated Bobby Moore Fund matches
and the Fund will be the beneficiary of all charitable activity carried out
at this fixture. A special 100-page Official Programme is also being
produced for the occasion, including exclusive memories of Moore from those
who knew him best, on and off the pitch.
Priced at £4, a donation of 50 pence from the sale of each programme will be
made to the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK.
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West Ham co-chairman David Gold backing manager Sam Allardyce
Last Updated: February 19, 2013 9:33pm
SSN
West Ham co-chairman David Gold insists he is fully behind manager Sam
Allardyce. Paolo Di Canio's exit from Swindon, coupled with West Ham's dip
in form, had led to speculation that Gold and his partner David Sullivan
were thinking of bringing the Hammers icon in to replace Allardyce at the
end of the season.
Gold this morning retweeted posts from two West Ham fans calling for Di
Canio to replace Allardyce, as well as two more of the opposing view. Gold
insists the club will not enter talks with Allardyce about extending his
contract until the team are safe from relegation. But he did throw his
weight behind the former Blackburn and Newcastle manager this evening with a
tweet of his own. It read: "Always interesting to see the different opinions
from people on twitter. My view is clear though - Big Sam is our man! dg."
Allardyce brought West Ham up from the Championship in his first season at
Upton Park and they currently sit seven points above the Premier League
relegation zone with 12 games of the season remaining.
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David Gold plays down Paolo Di Canio to West Ham talk
Tuesday 19 Feb 2013 7:08 pm Football
Metro.co.uk
West Ham co-chairman David Gold has played down talk of Paolo Di Canio
returning to Upton Park, instead reaffirming his commitment to current
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce. Gold caused controversy on Tuesday morning when
he retweeted the views of Hammers fans on Di Canio, hours after the former
West Ham striker had resigned as manager of League One Swindon. Gold's
actions, and the fact Allardyce is out of contract in the summer, fuelled
speculation he and co-chairman David Sullivan could be preparing a populist
move for Di Canio. However, Gold returned to Twitter on Tuesday evening,
assuring Hammers fans that Allardyce remains his choice as manager. 'Always
interesting to see the different opinions from people on twitter,' he wrote.
'My view is clear though – Big Sam is our man! dg.' Allardyce has earned
West Ham an impressive 30 points from 26 games in their first season back in
the top-flight, but a direct style of play and a recent downturn in results
has led to speculation that he could be replaced, either immediately, or
when his contract expires. Di Canio tendered his resignation at Swindon on
Monday after growing frustrated at the club's protracted change in
ownership. The Italian also cited a number of 'broken promises'. However, by
Tuesday night some bookmakers were making the former Swindon boss favourite
to also be the club's next permanent manager.
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There's no place for Di Canio in the top flight. He's higher maintenance
than the Sistine Chapel
By MARTIN SAMUEL
PUBLISHED: 23:00, 19 February 2013 | UPDATED: 00:04, 20 February 2013
Daily Mail
Paolo Di Canio resigned as manager of Swindon Town this week. It was no big
deal. Obviously it was in Swindon, and to Swindon as well. The club are
chasing promotion to the Championship. Di Canio has done an excellent job.
To lose the manager at such a crucial stage in the season is a significant
blow. Nationally, however, Di Canio's departure was a footnote, an asterisk
at the bottom of the page compared to Arsenal's last-16 match in the
Champions League, Manchester United's FA Cup victory over Reading, or
further conjecture about the ability of Manchester City manager Roberto
Mancini. Di Canio did make a brief appearance on one back page, but only in
the context of what his resignation meant for Sam Allardyce at West Ham
United. It was a West Ham story, really. Allardyce's future has been under
scrutiny of late, West Ham's form has nosedived and there has been no offer
of a new contract when his present one expires at the end of the season. Di
Canio was always a favourite at Upton Park and the link is an obvious one.
Much depends on what owners David Sullivan and David Gold regard as success
in Allardyce's first Premier League season, how motivated they are to make a
populist decision, and their appetite for aggravation. For Di Canio is high
maintenance, even compared to the majority of modern footballers. To be
fair, he is high maintenance compared to the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
A gifted manager, though, no doubt about it. Swindon won promotion from
League Two last season, and have a very reasonable chance of repeating that
achievement in League One. On Monday when Di Canio left, Swindon were in
sixth place. Then they beat Tranmere Rovers 3-1 to go top.
Even so, the news was no big whoop. Since relegation from the Premier League
in 1994, the manager of Swindon, no matter his name, has had little more
than a walk-on role in the drama of the season.
When Di Canio hooked his goalkeeper after 22 minutes against Preston North
End it got a mention in the press, as did his invitation to return the
season- ticket money of any supporter who disagreed with this decision. Yet
the ripples barely extended beyond the county. Di Canio's excesses remained
local news for local people. The mainstream media might glance across at
some of his more outrageous outbursts, but would quickly return to the
latest twist at Chelsea, Manchester United, or even Queens Park Rangers.
There were headlines when Di Canio called his players stupid donkeys after a
1-1 draw with Hartlepool, but only in lower-division round-up columns tucked
away in the corner of an inside page. The will-he, won't-he saga around his
resignation has dragged on for weeks, beginning with minute-by-minute
coverage on Sky Sports News, quickly relegated to the margins as time
passed. On the day Di Canio finally quit, all eyes were on Arsene Wenger,
who was similarly overwrought, but whose next opponents were Bayern Munich,
not Tranmere Rovers.
It is different for a manager in the Premier League. Had Di Canio walked out
on West Ham with a broadside at the owners on Monday it might have knocked
Wenger's tantrum off the back pages. Indeed, if Di Canio behaved at West Ham
as he has done at Swindon these last weeks — considering his first threat
to resign came on February 1 — the club would have dominated the news agenda
since, and not in a good way. Those in east London still coveting the return
of a local hero — very local, when you look at his record of playing
difficult away games — should be very careful what they wish for. Di Canio's
passion play unfolding in the spotlight could have a ruinous effect on a
smaller Premier League club — one West Ham can scarcely afford as the
imminent tenants of the Olympic Stadium. The treatment of Di Canio's
departure by the Swindon Evening Advertiser told its own story. The Italian
confirmed he would be leaving what the Advertiser called SN1, the Swindon
postcode that houses the County Ground.
Nobody outside Swindon recognises SN1, no more than it is possible to
pinpoint RH11 as Crawley Town or TW8 as Brentford. It is local knowledge.
And this is local news. Swindon's average attendance in League One for
2012-13 is 8,497. It makes them bigger than Doncaster Rovers, but not quite
up there with Milton Keynes Dons.
No doubt Di Canio will be much missed by the correspondent from the
Advertiser, and to Swindon fans this is a huge event, yet the reality is
that until now the club could jog along relatively untroubled, despite the
changing moods of the man in charge. Di Canio's results prove it. For all
his flaws, Swindon have thrived under Di Canio's stewardship. Try the same
act at Upton Park, however, and see what impact it has. There is a method
for achieving success in the Premier League and starring in your very own
daily soap opera should never be part of that plan.
Think of Chelsea. There are controversies over which the club have no
control: John Terry's abuse of Anton Ferdinand, for instance, or Eden
Hazard's clash with a ball boy. Then there are the decisions that will
obviously attract negative publicity: replacing Roberto Di Matteo with
Rafael Benitez, mid-season.
Finally, there are the narratives that occur purely by dint of being a major
Premier League club. Frank Lampard's contract; the lacklustre form of
Fernando Torres. Chelsea have done nothing to fan these particular flames.
They are simply going about their business: deciding which players to keep,
acquiring expensive talent in the hope it brings success. Others have then
made these issues an obsession. Cameras on the owner each time Lampard
scores, the trials of Torres minutely documented as results go awry.
Now imagine if, in addition to this, Chelsea had a manager who kept
threatening to quit, or called his players names for dropping two points, or
invited the fans to buy a season ticket at Arsenal if they did not like his
judgments. Chelsea would never be out of the news. Every press conference
would be an event, each nightly Sky Sports News bulletin a must-watch. There
would be uncertainty and the threat of upheaval in the dressing room with
the potential for cliques and camps; some players would roll with the chaos,
others would find it harmful and debilitating. Premier League managers are
as good as under surveillance. In the modern game so much is out of their
control that if they go rogue too, the club can quickly descend into chaos.
Di Canio in the Premier League would not have to be bland or soulless, but
his behaviour could not become detrimental to his club. Jose Mourinho was
hardly a modest presence at Chelsea but, when angered, his targets — albeit
some misplaced — were on the outside. He took on everybody, from UEFA to Sir
Alex Ferguson and the Reading Ambulance Service, but was not greatly given
to publicly humiliating his players or denouncing his employers.
One of the reasons Di Canio's donkey outburst was largely ignored is that
those the manager insulted were not household names. It would be a huge deal
if included in the attack was England striker Andy Carroll, currently on
loan at West Ham. In recent years, West Ham have also provided two England
goalkeepers: David James and Robert Green. A little more controversial if a
player of that stature was being replaced after 22 minutes, kicking water
bottles and marching off to sit with the away fans, as happened to Swindon's
goalkeeper Wes Foderingham. If Roberto Mancini even implies criticism of Joe
Hart at Manchester City it is a subject for national debate. Imagine if
Mancini responded to questions by inviting all dissenting season-ticket
holders to reclaim their money and then decamp to Manchester United. It
could make for an interesting atmosphere at City's next home match.
Maybe there was a reaction to Di Canio's demand that his critics switch
sides to Oxford United, too. Yet with only 8,000 in the County Ground, how
noticeable would any challenge be? There are protestors at Football League
matches up and down the country every week. If they are not carrying large
banners that read 'GLAZER OUT', however, nobody seems much interested.
There are some who thought this resignation was just another Di Canio
outburst, and he would soon be back at Swindon. But his assistant, Fabrizio
Piccareta, also left the club after the win at Tranmere, apparently marking
the end of their volatile reign.
And even if Di Canio can be persuaded back then, the higher Swindon rise,
the nearer the time will come when the club are subject to the same
scrutiny as humble clubs like Reading or Norwich City. And, yes, those
clubs do manage to fly beneath the radar most weeks. But that may be because
their managers, Brian McDermott and Chris Hughton, are not greatly given to
invective, dramatic resignations or withering substitutions and appreciate
that, at a smaller Premier League club, confidence and stability are key to
survival. Di Canio is wonderful for those who like a show, but whether a
leading club can afford to be part of his next psycho-drama is another
matter entirely.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Tuesday, February 19
Daily WHUFC News - 19th February 2013
Peters leads Moore tributes
WHUFC.com
Hammers and England legend Martin Peters kicks-off a week-long tribute to the great Bobby Moore
17.02.2013
Twenty years ago this Sunday, West Ham United and England's greatest-ever defender passed away. Bobby Moore OBE, the first Hammers captain to lift the FA Cup and the only man to skipper England to FIFA World Cup glory, was just 51 when he lost his battle with bowel cancer in February 1993. In a week-long tribute to Moore, the official website, West Ham TV and the Official Programme for the Barclays Premier League visit of Tottenham Hotspur on Monday 25 February will feature a series of interviews and features paying homage to West Ham's No6. To kick-off our tribute to West Ham and England's finest footballer, Moore's 1965 European Cup Winners' Cup and 1966 FIFA World Cup-winning team-mate Martin Peters MBE remembers the great man. "It was such a sad day because he was such a great guy," Peters told West Ham TV. "Having played with him for so many years, it was a disaster for me and for Geoff Hurst as well. "He could do anything. He could score goals and he was a great defender. He knew exactly what he wanted to do, he would mark people out of the game. He was just a wonderful, wonderful player. "He'll never ever be forgotten. He was such a wonderful man on and off the pitch. It was fantastic to play with him, fantastic to be with him and just a marvellous man."
This week, West Ham TV will bring you interviews with those who knew Moore best, including his daughter Roberta and his former West Ham, Fulham and England team-mates. A special 100-page commemorative Official Programme is also being published for the visit of Spurs, complete with exclusive interviews with West Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer, broadcaster Jonathan Pearce and many, many more.
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Macca on Monday
WHUFC.com
The assistant manager says West Ham United will hit the ground running on their return to action
18.02.2013
Assistant manager Neil McDonald says West Ham United will be firing on all cylinders when they return to Barclays Premier League action against Tottenham Hotspur on Monday 25 February. The Hammers were back on the training pitch at Chadwell Heath on Monday, having completed a warm-weather training camp in Dubai last week. There, McDonald said the players worked hard on maintaining their fitness, but also took the opportunity to recharge their batteries.
West Ham were one of six Barclays Premier League clubs in the Middle East, where the warm temperatures and sunshine provide a mentally and physically beneficial environment for training. With newly-promoted West Ham sitting eleventh in the table with 12 matches remaining, McDonald said everyone at the club is in positive mood and looking upwards rather than down.
Macca, everyone is now back at Chadwell Heath and preparing for the visit of Spurs. How are things shaping up?
NM - "We are certainly looking forward to the game, that's for sure. We have been to Dubai for a bit of warm-weather training and we have done what we needed to do, which was excellent. The boys have been working very hard, whether that has been running along the beach, swimming or daily sessions in the gym. It's been really, really good. "We did the same last year and we came back and only lost one out of 22 games, so that is how much going away in warm weather does for the players. It refreshes them, not only physically but mentally, and I'm sure they are raring to go and get ready for Spurs next Monday.
"The weather has been bad here, so going to Dubai was perfect timing because we might not have been able to have got onto the training pitch here.
Hopefully it will work in our favour and we will put in a decent performance against Spurs. We'll certainly be ready for the game."
The trip to Dubai was certainly not a case of rewarding the players, was it?
NM - "No, it's never a reward, unless it is something like an end-of-season trip after getting promoted or staying in the Premier League. That would be classed as a reward, but this trip was part of our training regime. "Training here, all the lads have tracksuit bottoms, gloves and hats on and they are getting no vitamin D in their bodies through the sun. They have been stripped down to their shorts, running along the beach and swimming in the water and working in the gym on their core strength. "We will get them back on the pitches this week and all tuned in and ready for the Spurs games, which will be very difficult. We're immensely looking forward to it because our home form has been excellent and we want to keep that going."
What other benefits will the warm-weather training camp have had? Will it boost team spirit after a difficult run of results?
NM - "I have seen no cracks in our squad - everyone gets on really, really well. They know what they have to do, and they have certainly done that over the last 18 to 20 months, preparing themselves properly and trying to win games as much as they possibly can. "If you look at where we are in the table, we're eleventh and you'd certainly have taken that after getting relegated two seasons ago. We've come a long way in a short space of time but we still have to improve as much as we possibly can. "Going away for a bit of warm-weather training and getting the camaraderie together can only have helped and we'll be back on the training pitch this week preparing for the Spurs game."
As a coaching staff, presumably you are as determined as the players to put together a winning streak, as nobody likes losing football matches?
NM - "Coming into the Premier League is very, very difficult. We had a fantastic start, getting 14 points from the first eight games which was a tremendous return, and that slightly takes the pressure off. "We've set the bar at a certain height and we're not far away from that bar, which is great. It's easy to look below us and say we're only a certain amount of points away [from the relegation zone], but we're also only a certain amount of points from the top half as well. "We're where we want to be at the moment. We have some difficult games coming up, but we seem to respond when we have those difficult games and Spurs will be one of them."
Looking back, yourself and Sam Allardyce have ended the season strongly on numerous occasions during your time in charge at Bolton Wanderers and here at West Ham United. That must make you feel confident of doing the same again this term?
NM - "We did a similar trip last year and we got positive results. We might not get the result we want straight away, but it is certain over the coming weeks that the players will up their game, their energy levels and the distances they cover. "Our all-round play will be better and we'll create lots more chances because we're fresher and have been away. It's no coincidence that five other teams went to Dubai as well, because they are trying to do the same thing as we are. "We've got plenty of times to switch the players back on again before our next game, so we're really looking forward to it and will be working hard this week to make sure we are ready."
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On this day - 18 February
A look at significant moments in West Ham United history on this date
18.02.2013
WHUFC.com
On This Day: 18 February
Anniversary
Name: Anton Ferdinand
Date of birth: 18 February 1985
Clubs: West Ham United, Sunderland, Queens Park Rangers, Bursaspor (loan)
Born in Peckham on 18 February 1985, Anton Ferdinand graduated from West Ham United's Academy as a trainee in 2002, making his first-team debut in the 2-1 Division One victory at Preston North End on 9 August 2003. The brother of former Hammers defender Rio and a cousin of ex-West Ham and England striker Les, Ferdinand was comfortable at either right-back or in the centre of defence. The youngster was a key figure during the 2004/05 promotion season, playing in the Championship play-off final win over Preston North End at the Millennium Stadium. Ferdinand's form was recognised at international level as he became a regular member of the England Under-21 squad, earning his first cap in a 3-1 win over Ukraine at the Riverside Stadium on 17 August 2004.
Back at West Ham, Ferdinand netted a spectacular goal in the 2-1 Premier League victory over Fulham at the Boleyn Ground on 23 January 2006 - a strike that helped him to win the Premier League player of the month award. Ferdinand also started the 2006 FA Cup final against Liverpool, but unfortunately missed the decisive penalty in the Reds' 3-1 shoot-out victory. He would join Sunderland in August 2008, having made a total of 163 league and cup appearances for the club, scoring five goals. He moved to Queens Park Rangers in 2011 before being loaned to Turkish club Bursaspor in January 2013.
Classic Match
Charlton Athletic 0-1 West Ham United
FA Cup Fifth Round
18 February 1989
The Hammers' most-recent win on this date came in an FA Cup fifth round tie at Charlton Athletic back in February 1989. With Charlton based at Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park ground as The Valley was out of use at that time, John Lyall's men made the trip to south London looking to secure a place in the last eight of the competition. The two clubs had drawn 0-0 at the same venue in Division One on New Year's Eve 1988 and the cup tie was to be another closely-fought affair. Stuart Slater scored the only goal as the Hammers won through to the sixth round, despite having Mark Ward sent off. Slater notched two goals in 22 appearances that season, and West Ham's FA Cup run was to come to an end at the quarter-final stage, as Norwich City progressed following a replay.
Complete Record
2006 Bolton Wanderers 0-0 West Ham United (FA Cup fifth round)
1995 Coventry City 2-0 West Ham United (Premier League)
1990 Swindon Town 2-2 West Ham United (Division Two)
1989 Charlton Athletic 0-1 West Ham United (FA Cup fifth round)
1978 Everton 2-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1953 West Ham United 0-1 Plymouth Argyle (Division Two)
1950 Preston North End 2-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1939 West Ham United 5-0 Nottingham Forest (Division Two)
1935 West Ham United 1-0 Norwich City (Division Two)
1932 Leicester City 2-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1928 Burnley 0-0 West Ham United (Division One)
Played 11, Won 3, Drawn 3, Lost 5, Scored 12, Conceded 11
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Is Big Sam the man?
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 18th February 2013
By: Jason Eves
Sam Allardyce has occupied the West Ham hot seat for almost 21 months since his appointment in the summer of 2011. I believe it's fair to say we can give a fair assessment on how the future of West Ham (on the pitch anyway) is going to be under his tenure.
Our disappointing recent display against Aston Villa has left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I'm sure I am not alone in sharing this sentiment. I think it was a bit cheeky of Sam to claim we shouldn't have left empty handed, but I think Villa just wanted it more than us. We looked lazy going forward and sloppy in the tackle, with the penultimate moment being Mark Noble's clumsy challenge giving away a penalty.
Perhaps I'm being too cynical and critical of our display, but the sad thing is I know what our team is capable of doing on the pitch. We rarely challenged going forward, and when we did it ultimately proved disappointing. A far cry from the masterclass we put on against Chelsea and the unlucky display against Man United.
So it leaves me wondering before every upcoming game, which West Ham will show up this week? Big Sam needs to install consistency or we will slowly be dragged into this relegation battle. The league table flatters to deceive, we seem comfortable perched in 11th, but only seven points separate us from the drop. And with Spurs, Stoke, Man United and Chelsea to face in the upcoming weeks these run of games could make-or-break our season.
So this brings me back to Sam, with contract talks set for the summer* surely based on whether he has secured our Premier League status. Whether that deal should be prolonged is debatable, some fans have become disgruntled at the way the results are turning and our style of play has been severely scrutinised by the press and media.
We all know we shouldn't take what the papers say too seriously about our style and play, sometimes I even question if the press even watch us play at all. But the way Sam has set us up has made us a nightmare to break down for other teams, although it is not appealing to the eye it has won us results, and points mean prizes in the results driven industry of the Premier League.
But along with that strength we come with a glaring weakness, we are lackluster upfront and this needs to be addressed soon. Teams have sussed out we rely heavily on Andy Carroll and as we usually play a 4-5-1 formation, they are more than happy to put two defenders on him and shut him out of the game.
We need a plan B in situations like these, and personally I think the problem may not lie with the players but with our coaching staff focussing enough on tactics. A fresh face in the coaching staff, with a bundle of innovative ideas could see a rejuvenation within the team on the pitch.
I may have been optimistic in my last article on transfer window, the emergence of Danny Potts and other youth players like Jordan Spence in the first team may be down to the fact finances are tight until the summer. I don't think Sam managed to land his top targets in January, with the window notorious for inflated prices on players (look no further than £50million flop Fernando Torres). But we did make some movement boosting our attacking options.
Allardyce is making the most of the tools he has been given, signing fringe players on loan (my jury is still out on Chamakh, we were after him before he went to Arsenal but he seemed uninterested) but he and Andy Carroll have come here with a point to prove so if they knuckle down under Sam's guidance we could have a great stop-gap until the summer. We seem very adamant on signing Andy, but again I'm reserving judgement until the end of season to which hopefully his injury problems are behind him.
I believe the same sentiment can be approached with Sam as well, I would love him to stay as he is an established Premier League manager who guarantees results. Plus, the managers we have been linked to are young managers full of potential, such as an emotional return for Paolo Di Canio and more recently linked - Gus Poyet.
As much as some of the West Ham faithful would love for Di Canio to return, I think it may be too soon. He has only been at Swindon for 18 months (though he is making amazing progress with them) but the Premier League is a whole different challenge to League One, and I don't think he is ready just yet. I think the same feeling can be reciprocated with Gus, he's a very likable manager who is flourishing in the Championship with the set-up he has with Brighton.
But I think Big Sam is a safe bet, and as we want survival we can't take a risk with young managers. We experienced this before when we hired Gianfranco Zola, when the going got tough, the team crumbled. Sam is a been there, done that character so I'm sure he can dig us out of this rut. Patience is a virtue.
* If you'd like to follow me on Twitter you can find me at twitter.com/Jason_Eves
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Hammer time? West Ham on alert after Paolo Di Canio quits as Swindon boss
The Mirror
18 Feb 2013 22:30
Richard Heathcote
Paolo Di Canio last night quit as manager of Swindon – paving the way for a potential return to West Ham. Di Canio ended his 21-month reign at the League One club after a proposed takeover stalled. The maverick Italian had initially threated to stand down at the start of this month after star player Matt Ritchie was sold to promotion rivals Bournemouth behind his back. Upton Park legend Di Canio is among the candidates to succeed Sam Allardyce if his contract is not renewed by the Hammers this summer.
In a statement Di Canio – who was paid £250,000 pounds a year by the Robins – expressed 'deep regret' at his decision after guiding Swindon from League Two to the brink of the Championship. Di Canio added: "There have been a number of broken promises made by the club over the time that I have been manager of Swindon Town. "Despite these problems I have delivered everything and more that was asked of me. "By achieving promotion last year as champions and competing this season for promotion to the Championship and being just three points from top place a year earlier than expected."
Di Canio also revealed he handed in his resignation last week before being persuaded to stay on after a group of local businessman bidding to buy Swindon promised their takeover would be completed yesterday (Monday). He added: "I did not resign immediately, nor publicise my resignation after I had formally confirmed it. "I did not want to jeopardise the negotiations for the sale of the club and I wanted to listen to what the proposed new owners' plans were. "Following a discussion with my representatives put forward a proposal that would secure my future at the club. At a meeting last Friday the proposed new owners accepted and said they were very happy with the new terms. "I entered into a temporary arrangement with the proposed new owners continue in my role as manager. "But all this was agreed subject to Football League approval for the purchase of the club being granted by 5:00pm on Monday 18th February.
"At the time of issuing this statement, I have had no further contact from the proposed new owners and I have been told that unfortunately Football League approval has not been granted. "Therefore my temporary arrangement has ended and my resignation stands."
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By Mirror Football Comments
'Broken promises': Paolo Di Canio quits as Swindon manager
The Mirror
18 Feb 2013 19:30
Richard Heathcote
Paolo Di Canio tonight resigned as manager of npower League One side Swindon. In a statement, the fiery Italian cited "a number of broken promises" and claimed his position had "become untenable" with continuing uncertainty over the club's ownership. The former West Ham striker had issued a statement at the start of this month revealing he was considering his position following the sale of Matt Ritchie to Bournemouth. The 44-year-old, who guided the Robins to promotion last season, claimed he had tendered his resignation last Tuesday but had met with the club's prospective new owners on Friday. As a result of those discussions, Di Canio revealed he agreed to stay on as Swindon boss only to make another U-turn with this announcement today as a takeover was still yet to be rubber-stamped. In the statement, Di Canio said: "Last Tuesday, 12th February, I formally confirmed my resignation as manager of Swindon Town Football Club with immediate effect. "There have been a number of broken promises made by the club over the time that I have been manager of Swindon Town. "Despite these problems, I have delivered everything and more that was asked of me, by achieving promotion last year as champions and competing this season for promotion to the Championship and being just three points from top place a year earlier than expected.
"I did not resign immediately, nor publicise my resignation after I had formally confirmed it as I did not want to jeopardise the negotiations for the sale of the club and I wanted to listen to what the proposed new owners plans were. "Following discussions, my representatives put forward a proposal that would secure my future at the club until at least the end of the season and quite possibly beyond as well. "This proposal actually reduced the club's contractual liabilities to me in the interest of saving Swindon Town FC. At a meeting last Friday the proposed new owners accepted and said they were very happy with the new terms. "I entered into a temporary arrangement with the proposed new owners to continue in my role as manager but all this was agreed subject to Football League approval for the purchase of the club being granted by 5:00pm on Monday 18th February. "At the time of issuing this statement, I have had no further contact from the proposed new owners and I have been told that unfortunately Football League approval has not been granted yet and therefore my temporary arrangement has ended and my resignation stands."
When asked to clarify Di Canio's resignation, a Swindon spokesman told Press Association Sport they were unable to expand on the statement.
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West Ham's move to Olympic Stadium stalls again over approval process
• LLDC was expected to seal West Ham deal on Tuesday
• Premier League club upped their annual rent offer to £2.5m
James Riach
guardian.co.uk, Monday 18 February 2013 21.25 GMT
The £160m-plus conversion costs of a new cantilevered roof and retractable seats for the Olympic Stadium are yet to be approved. Photograph: Locog
Negotiations over West Ham United's protracted move into the Olympic Stadium are set to extend beyond Tuesday as a saga that has lasted more than two years limps towards a conclusion.
The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) was expected to rubber-stamp the move on Tuesday after the Premier League club upped their annual rent offer of £2.5m, as well as £6.5m in sponsorship and catering income, for the £429m stadium.
However, this is not yet the end of the road for a saga that has endured since the club were first named preferred bidders for the venue on a 99-year lease in 2010, as the approval process is expected to take longer than expected.
Once the deal is ratified by the LLDC, Newham council's offer to part-fund the £160m-plus conversion costs of a new cantilevered roof and retractable seats still has to be approved, while a special-purpose body, set-up by the council and the LLDC, will also have to formally confirm any agreement.
The organisation's chairman, Boris Johnson, has negotiated a cut of any profits that are earned should the club be "flipped" in a quick sale to a new owner after the move. However, West Ham are keen to stress that David Gold and David Sullivan, the current co-owners with a 65% stake in the club, have no intention of selling up.
West Ham were awarded "higher-bidder" status in December despite the LLDC wanting more than the proposed £15m that the club were willing to offer towards conversion costs. Newham is now providing £40m of the £160m, with further money from the public purse also contributing.
West Ham have since promised to pay back any additional costs for the roof and seats to the LDCC in less than 10 years. They have also struck an agreement in which any usage costs for matches played at the stadium over their pre-arranged quota will be paid in full, potentially earning the LDCC significant sums in extra revenue, which would see West Ham playing matches at the ground from the 2016-17 season.
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In new role, Lletget rewarded with contract extension
February 19th, 2013 12AM
Socceramerica.com
[AMERICANS ABROAD] Sebastian Lletget, one of the top prospects in the cycle of under-23 players who failed to qualify for 2012 Olympics, has signed a contract extension at English club West Ham United. The 20-year-old Lletget, who has been with the Hammers since 2009 but whose progress was set back by illness and injuries, has suited up for several EPL matches this season and has been moved to a more advanced position on the Hammers' U-21s for whom he has started all but one game.
"I think what the manager's trying to get into my game is to for me to get into the box and making chances and creating things," Lletget told West Ham TV. "As the season goes on, I'm playing in a different position, I'm more advanced and as long as I'm getting in there the chances will come."
Lletget was born to Argentine parents and grew up in Northern California, where he played for Sporting Santa Clara before moving to the U.S. U-17 residency program.
He was one of the stars of the USA's 2009 U-17 qualifying campaign in Tijuana, but was not on Coach Wilmer Cabrera's team in Nigeria after he moved to West Ham.
Lletget returned two years later and started in U-20 national team that failed to qualify for the 2011 world championship in Colombia.
His progress at West Ham was stymied by a severe case of mononucleosis, but he has been playing well for the U-21s, who are first in their group.
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Di Canio in West Ham link after quitting Swindon post
The Independent
KIERAN DALEY TUESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2013
Paolo Di Canio resigned as manager of Swindon last night citing "a number of broken promises" over the League One club's proposed takeover. His availability will attract interest from West Ham, where the Italian was a huge favourite as a player, with Sam Allardyce's contract at Upton Park running out at the end of the season.
Di Canio had issued a statement at the start of this month revealing he was considering his position following the sale of Matt Ritchie to Bournemouth. The 44-year-old, who guided Swindon to promotion last season, claimed he had tendered his resignation last Tuesday but had met with the club's prospective new owners on Friday.
As a result of those discussions, Di Canio revealed he agreed to stay on at Swindon, only to make another U-turn with this announcement as a takeover was still yet to be rubber-stamped.
In the statement, Di Canio said he had resigned last Tuesday and explained: "There have been a number of broken promises made by the club over the time I have been manager."
However, he added: "I entered into a temporary arrangement with the proposed new owners to continue in my role as manager but all this was agreed subject to Football League approval for the purchase of the club being granted by 5pm on Monday 18 February.
"At the time of issuing this statement, I have had no further contact from the proposed new owners and I have been told that, unfortunately, Football League approval has not been granted yet and therefore my temporary arrangement has ended."
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Olympic Stadium decision delay over West Ham tenancy puts chances of hosting Rugby World Cup 2015 in doubt
A final decision over West Ham's proposed tenancy of the Olympic Stadium has been further delayed, putting the chances of the arena hosting matches in the 2015 Rugby World Cup in jeopardy.
Telegraph.co.uk
By Paul Kelso11:00PM GMT 18 Feb 20131 Comment
The London Legacy Development Corporation board will meet on Tuesday but despite expectation at West Ham that it was ready to approve the terms of their deal, it will now only hear an "update" on the stadium. The Daily Telegraph understands that a deal in principle was reached last week, but the terms are yet to receive full legal sign off. The delay makes it more likely that the stadium will not be able to host rugby games in 2015, with the tournament organising committee needing to make a final decision in March. The LLDC indicated on Monday that it was hoping to sign off a final deal with West Ham at their board meeting in March, but with the project repeatedly stalled by delays there can be no guarantee. The bidding process has been mired by controversy and legacy chiefs were forced to stage a fresh contest, which resulted in West Ham being declared 'first-ranked bidder' in December, pending negotiations over the financial terms of a deal that will see them take a long-term lease as tenants.
London mayor Boris Johnson wants to extract an improved contribution to the estimated £200 million capital cost of fitting retractable seats, as well as receiving reassurances that the taxpayer would benefit should the club be sold once they are in the stadium. West Ham say they have offered assurances in both these areas and expected their deal to be approved this week. The LLDC says that there are a number of procedural issues which are still outstanding, including approval from Newham Council, which is expected to put in more than £40 million.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Hammers and England legend Martin Peters kicks-off a week-long tribute to the great Bobby Moore
17.02.2013
Twenty years ago this Sunday, West Ham United and England's greatest-ever defender passed away. Bobby Moore OBE, the first Hammers captain to lift the FA Cup and the only man to skipper England to FIFA World Cup glory, was just 51 when he lost his battle with bowel cancer in February 1993. In a week-long tribute to Moore, the official website, West Ham TV and the Official Programme for the Barclays Premier League visit of Tottenham Hotspur on Monday 25 February will feature a series of interviews and features paying homage to West Ham's No6. To kick-off our tribute to West Ham and England's finest footballer, Moore's 1965 European Cup Winners' Cup and 1966 FIFA World Cup-winning team-mate Martin Peters MBE remembers the great man. "It was such a sad day because he was such a great guy," Peters told West Ham TV. "Having played with him for so many years, it was a disaster for me and for Geoff Hurst as well. "He could do anything. He could score goals and he was a great defender. He knew exactly what he wanted to do, he would mark people out of the game. He was just a wonderful, wonderful player. "He'll never ever be forgotten. He was such a wonderful man on and off the pitch. It was fantastic to play with him, fantastic to be with him and just a marvellous man."
This week, West Ham TV will bring you interviews with those who knew Moore best, including his daughter Roberta and his former West Ham, Fulham and England team-mates. A special 100-page commemorative Official Programme is also being published for the visit of Spurs, complete with exclusive interviews with West Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer, broadcaster Jonathan Pearce and many, many more.
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Macca on Monday
WHUFC.com
The assistant manager says West Ham United will hit the ground running on their return to action
18.02.2013
Assistant manager Neil McDonald says West Ham United will be firing on all cylinders when they return to Barclays Premier League action against Tottenham Hotspur on Monday 25 February. The Hammers were back on the training pitch at Chadwell Heath on Monday, having completed a warm-weather training camp in Dubai last week. There, McDonald said the players worked hard on maintaining their fitness, but also took the opportunity to recharge their batteries.
West Ham were one of six Barclays Premier League clubs in the Middle East, where the warm temperatures and sunshine provide a mentally and physically beneficial environment for training. With newly-promoted West Ham sitting eleventh in the table with 12 matches remaining, McDonald said everyone at the club is in positive mood and looking upwards rather than down.
Macca, everyone is now back at Chadwell Heath and preparing for the visit of Spurs. How are things shaping up?
NM - "We are certainly looking forward to the game, that's for sure. We have been to Dubai for a bit of warm-weather training and we have done what we needed to do, which was excellent. The boys have been working very hard, whether that has been running along the beach, swimming or daily sessions in the gym. It's been really, really good. "We did the same last year and we came back and only lost one out of 22 games, so that is how much going away in warm weather does for the players. It refreshes them, not only physically but mentally, and I'm sure they are raring to go and get ready for Spurs next Monday.
"The weather has been bad here, so going to Dubai was perfect timing because we might not have been able to have got onto the training pitch here.
Hopefully it will work in our favour and we will put in a decent performance against Spurs. We'll certainly be ready for the game."
The trip to Dubai was certainly not a case of rewarding the players, was it?
NM - "No, it's never a reward, unless it is something like an end-of-season trip after getting promoted or staying in the Premier League. That would be classed as a reward, but this trip was part of our training regime. "Training here, all the lads have tracksuit bottoms, gloves and hats on and they are getting no vitamin D in their bodies through the sun. They have been stripped down to their shorts, running along the beach and swimming in the water and working in the gym on their core strength. "We will get them back on the pitches this week and all tuned in and ready for the Spurs games, which will be very difficult. We're immensely looking forward to it because our home form has been excellent and we want to keep that going."
What other benefits will the warm-weather training camp have had? Will it boost team spirit after a difficult run of results?
NM - "I have seen no cracks in our squad - everyone gets on really, really well. They know what they have to do, and they have certainly done that over the last 18 to 20 months, preparing themselves properly and trying to win games as much as they possibly can. "If you look at where we are in the table, we're eleventh and you'd certainly have taken that after getting relegated two seasons ago. We've come a long way in a short space of time but we still have to improve as much as we possibly can. "Going away for a bit of warm-weather training and getting the camaraderie together can only have helped and we'll be back on the training pitch this week preparing for the Spurs game."
As a coaching staff, presumably you are as determined as the players to put together a winning streak, as nobody likes losing football matches?
NM - "Coming into the Premier League is very, very difficult. We had a fantastic start, getting 14 points from the first eight games which was a tremendous return, and that slightly takes the pressure off. "We've set the bar at a certain height and we're not far away from that bar, which is great. It's easy to look below us and say we're only a certain amount of points away [from the relegation zone], but we're also only a certain amount of points from the top half as well. "We're where we want to be at the moment. We have some difficult games coming up, but we seem to respond when we have those difficult games and Spurs will be one of them."
Looking back, yourself and Sam Allardyce have ended the season strongly on numerous occasions during your time in charge at Bolton Wanderers and here at West Ham United. That must make you feel confident of doing the same again this term?
NM - "We did a similar trip last year and we got positive results. We might not get the result we want straight away, but it is certain over the coming weeks that the players will up their game, their energy levels and the distances they cover. "Our all-round play will be better and we'll create lots more chances because we're fresher and have been away. It's no coincidence that five other teams went to Dubai as well, because they are trying to do the same thing as we are. "We've got plenty of times to switch the players back on again before our next game, so we're really looking forward to it and will be working hard this week to make sure we are ready."
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On this day - 18 February
A look at significant moments in West Ham United history on this date
18.02.2013
WHUFC.com
On This Day: 18 February
Anniversary
Name: Anton Ferdinand
Date of birth: 18 February 1985
Clubs: West Ham United, Sunderland, Queens Park Rangers, Bursaspor (loan)
Born in Peckham on 18 February 1985, Anton Ferdinand graduated from West Ham United's Academy as a trainee in 2002, making his first-team debut in the 2-1 Division One victory at Preston North End on 9 August 2003. The brother of former Hammers defender Rio and a cousin of ex-West Ham and England striker Les, Ferdinand was comfortable at either right-back or in the centre of defence. The youngster was a key figure during the 2004/05 promotion season, playing in the Championship play-off final win over Preston North End at the Millennium Stadium. Ferdinand's form was recognised at international level as he became a regular member of the England Under-21 squad, earning his first cap in a 3-1 win over Ukraine at the Riverside Stadium on 17 August 2004.
Back at West Ham, Ferdinand netted a spectacular goal in the 2-1 Premier League victory over Fulham at the Boleyn Ground on 23 January 2006 - a strike that helped him to win the Premier League player of the month award. Ferdinand also started the 2006 FA Cup final against Liverpool, but unfortunately missed the decisive penalty in the Reds' 3-1 shoot-out victory. He would join Sunderland in August 2008, having made a total of 163 league and cup appearances for the club, scoring five goals. He moved to Queens Park Rangers in 2011 before being loaned to Turkish club Bursaspor in January 2013.
Classic Match
Charlton Athletic 0-1 West Ham United
FA Cup Fifth Round
18 February 1989
The Hammers' most-recent win on this date came in an FA Cup fifth round tie at Charlton Athletic back in February 1989. With Charlton based at Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park ground as The Valley was out of use at that time, John Lyall's men made the trip to south London looking to secure a place in the last eight of the competition. The two clubs had drawn 0-0 at the same venue in Division One on New Year's Eve 1988 and the cup tie was to be another closely-fought affair. Stuart Slater scored the only goal as the Hammers won through to the sixth round, despite having Mark Ward sent off. Slater notched two goals in 22 appearances that season, and West Ham's FA Cup run was to come to an end at the quarter-final stage, as Norwich City progressed following a replay.
Complete Record
2006 Bolton Wanderers 0-0 West Ham United (FA Cup fifth round)
1995 Coventry City 2-0 West Ham United (Premier League)
1990 Swindon Town 2-2 West Ham United (Division Two)
1989 Charlton Athletic 0-1 West Ham United (FA Cup fifth round)
1978 Everton 2-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1953 West Ham United 0-1 Plymouth Argyle (Division Two)
1950 Preston North End 2-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1939 West Ham United 5-0 Nottingham Forest (Division Two)
1935 West Ham United 1-0 Norwich City (Division Two)
1932 Leicester City 2-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1928 Burnley 0-0 West Ham United (Division One)
Played 11, Won 3, Drawn 3, Lost 5, Scored 12, Conceded 11
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Is Big Sam the man?
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 18th February 2013
By: Jason Eves
Sam Allardyce has occupied the West Ham hot seat for almost 21 months since his appointment in the summer of 2011. I believe it's fair to say we can give a fair assessment on how the future of West Ham (on the pitch anyway) is going to be under his tenure.
Our disappointing recent display against Aston Villa has left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I'm sure I am not alone in sharing this sentiment. I think it was a bit cheeky of Sam to claim we shouldn't have left empty handed, but I think Villa just wanted it more than us. We looked lazy going forward and sloppy in the tackle, with the penultimate moment being Mark Noble's clumsy challenge giving away a penalty.
Perhaps I'm being too cynical and critical of our display, but the sad thing is I know what our team is capable of doing on the pitch. We rarely challenged going forward, and when we did it ultimately proved disappointing. A far cry from the masterclass we put on against Chelsea and the unlucky display against Man United.
So it leaves me wondering before every upcoming game, which West Ham will show up this week? Big Sam needs to install consistency or we will slowly be dragged into this relegation battle. The league table flatters to deceive, we seem comfortable perched in 11th, but only seven points separate us from the drop. And with Spurs, Stoke, Man United and Chelsea to face in the upcoming weeks these run of games could make-or-break our season.
So this brings me back to Sam, with contract talks set for the summer* surely based on whether he has secured our Premier League status. Whether that deal should be prolonged is debatable, some fans have become disgruntled at the way the results are turning and our style of play has been severely scrutinised by the press and media.
We all know we shouldn't take what the papers say too seriously about our style and play, sometimes I even question if the press even watch us play at all. But the way Sam has set us up has made us a nightmare to break down for other teams, although it is not appealing to the eye it has won us results, and points mean prizes in the results driven industry of the Premier League.
But along with that strength we come with a glaring weakness, we are lackluster upfront and this needs to be addressed soon. Teams have sussed out we rely heavily on Andy Carroll and as we usually play a 4-5-1 formation, they are more than happy to put two defenders on him and shut him out of the game.
We need a plan B in situations like these, and personally I think the problem may not lie with the players but with our coaching staff focussing enough on tactics. A fresh face in the coaching staff, with a bundle of innovative ideas could see a rejuvenation within the team on the pitch.
I may have been optimistic in my last article on transfer window, the emergence of Danny Potts and other youth players like Jordan Spence in the first team may be down to the fact finances are tight until the summer. I don't think Sam managed to land his top targets in January, with the window notorious for inflated prices on players (look no further than £50million flop Fernando Torres). But we did make some movement boosting our attacking options.
Allardyce is making the most of the tools he has been given, signing fringe players on loan (my jury is still out on Chamakh, we were after him before he went to Arsenal but he seemed uninterested) but he and Andy Carroll have come here with a point to prove so if they knuckle down under Sam's guidance we could have a great stop-gap until the summer. We seem very adamant on signing Andy, but again I'm reserving judgement until the end of season to which hopefully his injury problems are behind him.
I believe the same sentiment can be approached with Sam as well, I would love him to stay as he is an established Premier League manager who guarantees results. Plus, the managers we have been linked to are young managers full of potential, such as an emotional return for Paolo Di Canio and more recently linked - Gus Poyet.
As much as some of the West Ham faithful would love for Di Canio to return, I think it may be too soon. He has only been at Swindon for 18 months (though he is making amazing progress with them) but the Premier League is a whole different challenge to League One, and I don't think he is ready just yet. I think the same feeling can be reciprocated with Gus, he's a very likable manager who is flourishing in the Championship with the set-up he has with Brighton.
But I think Big Sam is a safe bet, and as we want survival we can't take a risk with young managers. We experienced this before when we hired Gianfranco Zola, when the going got tough, the team crumbled. Sam is a been there, done that character so I'm sure he can dig us out of this rut. Patience is a virtue.
* If you'd like to follow me on Twitter you can find me at twitter.com/Jason_Eves
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Hammer time? West Ham on alert after Paolo Di Canio quits as Swindon boss
The Mirror
18 Feb 2013 22:30
Richard Heathcote
Paolo Di Canio last night quit as manager of Swindon – paving the way for a potential return to West Ham. Di Canio ended his 21-month reign at the League One club after a proposed takeover stalled. The maverick Italian had initially threated to stand down at the start of this month after star player Matt Ritchie was sold to promotion rivals Bournemouth behind his back. Upton Park legend Di Canio is among the candidates to succeed Sam Allardyce if his contract is not renewed by the Hammers this summer.
In a statement Di Canio – who was paid £250,000 pounds a year by the Robins – expressed 'deep regret' at his decision after guiding Swindon from League Two to the brink of the Championship. Di Canio added: "There have been a number of broken promises made by the club over the time that I have been manager of Swindon Town. "Despite these problems I have delivered everything and more that was asked of me. "By achieving promotion last year as champions and competing this season for promotion to the Championship and being just three points from top place a year earlier than expected."
Di Canio also revealed he handed in his resignation last week before being persuaded to stay on after a group of local businessman bidding to buy Swindon promised their takeover would be completed yesterday (Monday). He added: "I did not resign immediately, nor publicise my resignation after I had formally confirmed it. "I did not want to jeopardise the negotiations for the sale of the club and I wanted to listen to what the proposed new owners' plans were. "Following a discussion with my representatives put forward a proposal that would secure my future at the club. At a meeting last Friday the proposed new owners accepted and said they were very happy with the new terms. "I entered into a temporary arrangement with the proposed new owners continue in my role as manager. "But all this was agreed subject to Football League approval for the purchase of the club being granted by 5:00pm on Monday 18th February.
"At the time of issuing this statement, I have had no further contact from the proposed new owners and I have been told that unfortunately Football League approval has not been granted. "Therefore my temporary arrangement has ended and my resignation stands."
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By Mirror Football Comments
'Broken promises': Paolo Di Canio quits as Swindon manager
The Mirror
18 Feb 2013 19:30
Richard Heathcote
Paolo Di Canio tonight resigned as manager of npower League One side Swindon. In a statement, the fiery Italian cited "a number of broken promises" and claimed his position had "become untenable" with continuing uncertainty over the club's ownership. The former West Ham striker had issued a statement at the start of this month revealing he was considering his position following the sale of Matt Ritchie to Bournemouth. The 44-year-old, who guided the Robins to promotion last season, claimed he had tendered his resignation last Tuesday but had met with the club's prospective new owners on Friday. As a result of those discussions, Di Canio revealed he agreed to stay on as Swindon boss only to make another U-turn with this announcement today as a takeover was still yet to be rubber-stamped. In the statement, Di Canio said: "Last Tuesday, 12th February, I formally confirmed my resignation as manager of Swindon Town Football Club with immediate effect. "There have been a number of broken promises made by the club over the time that I have been manager of Swindon Town. "Despite these problems, I have delivered everything and more that was asked of me, by achieving promotion last year as champions and competing this season for promotion to the Championship and being just three points from top place a year earlier than expected.
"I did not resign immediately, nor publicise my resignation after I had formally confirmed it as I did not want to jeopardise the negotiations for the sale of the club and I wanted to listen to what the proposed new owners plans were. "Following discussions, my representatives put forward a proposal that would secure my future at the club until at least the end of the season and quite possibly beyond as well. "This proposal actually reduced the club's contractual liabilities to me in the interest of saving Swindon Town FC. At a meeting last Friday the proposed new owners accepted and said they were very happy with the new terms. "I entered into a temporary arrangement with the proposed new owners to continue in my role as manager but all this was agreed subject to Football League approval for the purchase of the club being granted by 5:00pm on Monday 18th February. "At the time of issuing this statement, I have had no further contact from the proposed new owners and I have been told that unfortunately Football League approval has not been granted yet and therefore my temporary arrangement has ended and my resignation stands."
When asked to clarify Di Canio's resignation, a Swindon spokesman told Press Association Sport they were unable to expand on the statement.
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West Ham's move to Olympic Stadium stalls again over approval process
• LLDC was expected to seal West Ham deal on Tuesday
• Premier League club upped their annual rent offer to £2.5m
James Riach
guardian.co.uk, Monday 18 February 2013 21.25 GMT
The £160m-plus conversion costs of a new cantilevered roof and retractable seats for the Olympic Stadium are yet to be approved. Photograph: Locog
Negotiations over West Ham United's protracted move into the Olympic Stadium are set to extend beyond Tuesday as a saga that has lasted more than two years limps towards a conclusion.
The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) was expected to rubber-stamp the move on Tuesday after the Premier League club upped their annual rent offer of £2.5m, as well as £6.5m in sponsorship and catering income, for the £429m stadium.
However, this is not yet the end of the road for a saga that has endured since the club were first named preferred bidders for the venue on a 99-year lease in 2010, as the approval process is expected to take longer than expected.
Once the deal is ratified by the LLDC, Newham council's offer to part-fund the £160m-plus conversion costs of a new cantilevered roof and retractable seats still has to be approved, while a special-purpose body, set-up by the council and the LLDC, will also have to formally confirm any agreement.
The organisation's chairman, Boris Johnson, has negotiated a cut of any profits that are earned should the club be "flipped" in a quick sale to a new owner after the move. However, West Ham are keen to stress that David Gold and David Sullivan, the current co-owners with a 65% stake in the club, have no intention of selling up.
West Ham were awarded "higher-bidder" status in December despite the LLDC wanting more than the proposed £15m that the club were willing to offer towards conversion costs. Newham is now providing £40m of the £160m, with further money from the public purse also contributing.
West Ham have since promised to pay back any additional costs for the roof and seats to the LDCC in less than 10 years. They have also struck an agreement in which any usage costs for matches played at the stadium over their pre-arranged quota will be paid in full, potentially earning the LDCC significant sums in extra revenue, which would see West Ham playing matches at the ground from the 2016-17 season.
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In new role, Lletget rewarded with contract extension
February 19th, 2013 12AM
Socceramerica.com
[AMERICANS ABROAD] Sebastian Lletget, one of the top prospects in the cycle of under-23 players who failed to qualify for 2012 Olympics, has signed a contract extension at English club West Ham United. The 20-year-old Lletget, who has been with the Hammers since 2009 but whose progress was set back by illness and injuries, has suited up for several EPL matches this season and has been moved to a more advanced position on the Hammers' U-21s for whom he has started all but one game.
"I think what the manager's trying to get into my game is to for me to get into the box and making chances and creating things," Lletget told West Ham TV. "As the season goes on, I'm playing in a different position, I'm more advanced and as long as I'm getting in there the chances will come."
Lletget was born to Argentine parents and grew up in Northern California, where he played for Sporting Santa Clara before moving to the U.S. U-17 residency program.
He was one of the stars of the USA's 2009 U-17 qualifying campaign in Tijuana, but was not on Coach Wilmer Cabrera's team in Nigeria after he moved to West Ham.
Lletget returned two years later and started in U-20 national team that failed to qualify for the 2011 world championship in Colombia.
His progress at West Ham was stymied by a severe case of mononucleosis, but he has been playing well for the U-21s, who are first in their group.
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Di Canio in West Ham link after quitting Swindon post
The Independent
KIERAN DALEY TUESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2013
Paolo Di Canio resigned as manager of Swindon last night citing "a number of broken promises" over the League One club's proposed takeover. His availability will attract interest from West Ham, where the Italian was a huge favourite as a player, with Sam Allardyce's contract at Upton Park running out at the end of the season.
Di Canio had issued a statement at the start of this month revealing he was considering his position following the sale of Matt Ritchie to Bournemouth. The 44-year-old, who guided Swindon to promotion last season, claimed he had tendered his resignation last Tuesday but had met with the club's prospective new owners on Friday.
As a result of those discussions, Di Canio revealed he agreed to stay on at Swindon, only to make another U-turn with this announcement as a takeover was still yet to be rubber-stamped.
In the statement, Di Canio said he had resigned last Tuesday and explained: "There have been a number of broken promises made by the club over the time I have been manager."
However, he added: "I entered into a temporary arrangement with the proposed new owners to continue in my role as manager but all this was agreed subject to Football League approval for the purchase of the club being granted by 5pm on Monday 18 February.
"At the time of issuing this statement, I have had no further contact from the proposed new owners and I have been told that, unfortunately, Football League approval has not been granted yet and therefore my temporary arrangement has ended."
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Olympic Stadium decision delay over West Ham tenancy puts chances of hosting Rugby World Cup 2015 in doubt
A final decision over West Ham's proposed tenancy of the Olympic Stadium has been further delayed, putting the chances of the arena hosting matches in the 2015 Rugby World Cup in jeopardy.
Telegraph.co.uk
By Paul Kelso11:00PM GMT 18 Feb 20131 Comment
The London Legacy Development Corporation board will meet on Tuesday but despite expectation at West Ham that it was ready to approve the terms of their deal, it will now only hear an "update" on the stadium. The Daily Telegraph understands that a deal in principle was reached last week, but the terms are yet to receive full legal sign off. The delay makes it more likely that the stadium will not be able to host rugby games in 2015, with the tournament organising committee needing to make a final decision in March. The LLDC indicated on Monday that it was hoping to sign off a final deal with West Ham at their board meeting in March, but with the project repeatedly stalled by delays there can be no guarantee. The bidding process has been mired by controversy and legacy chiefs were forced to stage a fresh contest, which resulted in West Ham being declared 'first-ranked bidder' in December, pending negotiations over the financial terms of a deal that will see them take a long-term lease as tenants.
London mayor Boris Johnson wants to extract an improved contribution to the estimated £200 million capital cost of fitting retractable seats, as well as receiving reassurances that the taxpayer would benefit should the club be sold once they are in the stadium. West Ham say they have offered assurances in both these areas and expected their deal to be approved this week. The LLDC says that there are a number of procedural issues which are still outstanding, including approval from Newham Council, which is expected to put in more than £40 million.
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