Jack, Josh and David's School Report
WHUFC.com
Jack and David Sullivan and friend Josh Klein tackled West Ham United on the
topic of racism in football
21.03.2013
Jack and David Sullivan Jnr and school friend Josh Klein tackled the issue
of racism in football during a recent visit to West Ham United's training
ground.
The Joint-Chairman's sons and Josh - joined by project co-ordinator Paulette
Pewsey - were welcomed to Chadwell Heath by manager Sam Allardyce and his
players for a special BBC School Report. Jack and Josh, both 13, asked the
questions to Big Sam, captain Kevin Nolan and his team-mates, while David,
15, filmed the visit from behind the camera. To close the report,
Joint-Chairman David Sullivan himself also discussed his views on the
subject.
Jack and Josh asked the manager, captain, Jordan Spence, Carlton Cole, Mark
Noble and Mohamed Diame for their views on racism in football, whether it is
on the increase or decline, how they would handle being or hearing a
team-mate being abused and what the club does to combat prejudice. The boys
explained that they had been inspired to investigate the issue by the story
of Arthur Wharton - the first black professional footballer in the world,
who represented Darlington, Preston North End, Rotherham United and
Sheffield United during the 1880s and 1890s. "We felt it was important to
come down and speak to the manager and players because this is a big topic
at the moment - not just in football, but in sport and in the world in
general," said Jack.
The boys said that they had been pleasantly surprised to learn that the
manager and players seldom came across racism during their careers. "I
didn't realise that they didn't witness racism as much as I thought they
would," said Josh. "Jack and I were inspired by Arthur Wharton, who came
over from Ghana and was the first black player in the English league, so we
thought he would be a good base of our story and we went from there."
"I was pleased to hear that because I thought it was a bigger issue," added
Jack. "The players said they had never really witnessed racism, so you do
have to wonder if the press and people like that blow it out of proportion."
Thankfully, the two boys found their experience while playing sport at
school to be similarly racism-free. "At school, I have not witnessed
racism," said Josh. "Jack and I thought it was important to do this School
Report because we are both big football fans and we thought people would
like to know what is happening by getting the players' and the manager's
views." "I think there will always be a small minority who make prejudicial
chants, but I am sure we can get rid of them in the future," added Jack,
confidently.
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Harney helps Northern Ireland to draw
WHUFC.com
West Ham United youngster Jamie Harney plays his part as Northern Ireland
U17s claim memorable draw
21.03.2013
West Ham United's Jamie Harney helped Northern Ireland Under-17s get their
UEFA U17 Championship Qualifying Elite Round campaign off to a good start by
claiming a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands on Thursday evening. Northern
Ireland looked down and out with 43 minutes gone as the Netherlands, playing
on home turf in the town of Uden, moved into a two-goal lead thanks to
Dabney Souza and Stef Gronsveld. But the visitors roared back to claim a
share of the spoils, with first sub Mikhail Kennedy pulling a goal back on
62 minutes, before Joshua Tracey made it 2-2 with just four minutes left to
play. Defender Harney, a first year scholar with the Hammers, played the 90
minutes as his country kept themselves in the hunt for qualification for
this summer's finals in Slovakia.
Northern Ireland now face games with Norway on Saturday and Italy on
Tuesday, with the group winners making progress. Fellow defender Dan Potts
was also in action on Thursday, starting as England Under-19s continued
their preparations for the Elite Round of the UEFA U19 Championship with a
1-0 victory over Turkey at AFC Telford United. Potts earned his second cap
for the Young Lions at this age group, playing his part at Noel Blake's men
kept a clean sheet.
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Reid to captain New Zealand
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid has been named New Zealand captain for the first time for two
vital FIFA World Cup qualifiers
21.03.2013
Winston Reid will captain New Zealand for the first time in their crucial
FIFA World Cup qualifier against New Caledonia in Dunedin on Friday. The
West Ham United centre-back has captained the Hammers in each of their
previous two Barclays Premier League fixtures in the absence of injured
regular skipper Kevin Nolan. Now, Reid has been handed the armband by All
Whites manager Ricki Herbert ahead of Friday's fixture and next Tuesday's
trip to Honiara to tackle the Solomon Islands. "It's a tremendous honour and
privilege to captain your country and I'm humbled by the opportunity," said
Reid, who has started all 29 Barclays Premier League fixtures for the club
this season. "As a captain, I just try to give 100 per cent and try to help
out my team-mates. I try to be a good role model and try to do my best and
encourage everyone to try their hardest and be a winner."
Reid was first handed the West Ham captaincy by manager Sam Allardyce for
the FA Cup with Budweiser third-round replay at Manchester United in
January.
Capped 14 times by his country and a veteran of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
finals, the 24-year-old will lead out his country for the first time at the
Forsyth Barr Stadium, where kick-off will be at 6.35am UK time on Friday.
"We've thought long and hard about this decision," said All Whites coach
Herbert, "Winston plays and at a high level week in and week out and has
captained his side in that environment, just as Ryan Nelsen did previously.
"For a young man to have that level of responsibility speaks volumes of his
character, especially when you look at his peers in similar roles within the
Premier League."
Reid will be one of nine West Ham players in action for their respective
countries over the weekend.
• Jack Collison and James Collins are in the Wales squad for 2014 FIFA World
Cup European Group A qualifiers with Scotland in Glasgow on Friday 22 March
and Croatia in Swansea on Tuesday 26 March.
• Emanuel Pogatetz is in the Austria squad for 2014 FIFA World Cup European
Group C qualifiers with Faroe Islands in Vienna on Friday 22 March and
Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Tuesday 26 March.
• Mohamed Diame's Senegal host Angola in a 2014 FIFA World Cup African Group
J qualifier in Guinee Conakry on Saturday 23 March.
• Raphael Spiegel is in the Switzerland U21 squad for international friendly
matches with Germany in Cologne on Friday 22 March and Baden on Tuesday 26
March.
• Kieran Sadlier and Sean Maguire are in the Republic of Ireland U19 squad
for an international friendly with a Gibraltar Select XI in Malaga on Friday
22 March.
• Marcio Martins is in the Portugal U17 squad for UEFA European U17
Championship Elite Round Group 6 qualifiers with England, Slovenia and
Russia in Walsall and Loughborough between 23-28 March.
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George gearing up for Baggies test
WHUFC.com
George McCartney is setting his sights on the visit of West Brom, as he
edges closer to full fitness
21.03.2013
George McCartney is gearing up for a return to first-team action, as the
fit-again full back sets his sights on the Barclays Premier League visit of
West Bromwich Albion. The Northern Ireland international played 45 minutes
for the Development Squad on Friday, before completing the full 90 minutes
in Tuesday's 3-1 friendly win over a Queens Park Rangers XI. McCartney, who
suffered knee ligament damage in training, has not featured for Sam
Allardyce's men since December 9 but made a welcome return to the matchday
squad for Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge. Though the 31-year-old was
not to join the fray, McCartney was nevertheless thrilled to be back in the
mix and with minutes under his belt, is confident of being involved come the
clash with the Baggies. "It has been a long time out and the last time I
played 90 minutes was December," he told West Ham TV. "I had a run out on
Friday night for the Development Squad and it was good to play the full game
on Tuesday and get a positive result. "The knee's feeling good, I think I
probably need a bit more fitness and a bit more sharpness but that will come
with the next few days' training and hopefully some more game time. "I've
only been back training for about ten days to two weeks. The next game's not
until the end of March so that gives me a bit of time to do some more
training, more fitness work and I'll be raring to go come the West Brom
game. "To be honest I was bit surprised to be on the bench against Chelsea
on Sunday, it was nice to get away with the squad again and hopefully come
the West Brom game I can maybe be pushing to get back in the team, if not
try to play some minutes as a substitute. But it's nice to be part of the
team again and over the injury that I had."
As for Tuesday's outing at the Boleyn Ground, McCartney lauded the impact of
Blair Turgott, whose hat-trick paved the way for a morale-boosting 3-1
success over an experienced QPR side. Meanwhile, in assessment of his own
contribution, the full-back was content with a job well done, despite
latterly feeling the effects of a three-month hiatus. "QPR had quite a
strong team out, so it was always going to be a tough game," he added. "But
Blair came up with a very good hat-trick and I think you'd be hard pushed to
find three better goals. "I was feeling quite fit in the first half and the
start of the second half, as the game went on I fatigued a bit, but it was
nice to be back out there and getting some game time. "It was a good day,
considering how strong QPR's team was. I know we had three or four
first-teamers out there as well, but there were a few young lads who did
themselves justice and overall it was a good team performance."
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Potts proud of England call
WHUFC.com
Hammers defender Dan Potts is looking forward to a return to the
international scene
21.03.2013
Dan Potts is relishing his return to the international stage as England
Under-19s prepare to take on Turkey at AFC Telford United on Thursday night.
The 18-year-old defender wil be hoping to earn a second cap at U19 level
after recently recovering from a head injury to make a successful return to
the Hammers' Development Squad. His last involvement with England came in
November as the Young Lions defeated Finland and now he wants a similar
result as Noel Blake's side warm up for the UEFA U19 Championship Elite
Qualifying Round in May. He said: "We came away with the win that night
[against Finland] and those are the sort of games that we might come up
against in these Euro Championships and, at the end of the day, it's a win.
"We dominated the chances and possession, even though they had good spells
in the game before we scored the late penalty through [Everton midfielder]
John Lundstram. In a qualifier or tournament, that's the most important
thing so it was pleasing to get a victory. "I've found international
football a little bit different to what we're used to with our clubs - you
get times when you play against countries who are happy to dig in and put in
terrific work-rate off the ball and try to play on the counter attack.
"But we've got a good squad and there's a lot of talent in there so it's up
to us to break that down."
For fans living in the Telford area, tickets are still available by calling
01952 640 064, priced £3 Adults and £1 Concessions.
Also hoping for international action on Thursday is Northern Ireland's Jamie
Harney, whose UEFA U17 Championship Elite Round qualifying campaign begins
with a meeting with mini-group hosts the Netherlands in Uden this evening.
Kick-off is at 6pm UK time.
Northern Ireland will follow that with fixtures against Italy and Norway,
with all four nations battling for a place at this summer's finals in
Slovakia.
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West Ham's George McCartney closing in on return from knee injury
Last Updated: March 21, 2013 2:11pm
SSN
West Ham full-back George McCartney is hoping to return to the first team
when West Brom visit Upton Park on 30 March. The Northern Ireland
international has been absent since 9 December, having picked up a knee
ligament injury in training. However, he played a half for the development
squad last week, was an unused substitute for Sunday's 2-0 Premier League
loss at Chelsea, and then played the whole match on Tuesday as a West Ham XI
beat a QPR XI 3-1 in a friendly. The 31-year-old told the West Ham website:
"It has been a long time out and the last time I played 90 minutes was
December. "I had a run-out on Friday night and it was good to play the whole
game on Tuesday and get a positive result. "The knee's feeling good. I think
I probably need a bit more fitness and a bit more sharpness but that will
come with the next few days' training and, hopefully, some more game time.
Raring to go
"I've only been back training for about 10 days to two weeks. The next
game's not until the end of March, so that gives me a bit of time to do some
more training and fitness work, and I'll be raring to go come the West Brom
game. "To be honest, I was a bit surprised to be on the bench against
Chelsea on Sunday. It was nice to get away with the squad again and,
hopefully, come the West Brom game, I can be pushing to get back in the team
or, if not, try to play some minutes as a substitute. "But it's nice to be
part of the team again and over the injury I had."
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West Ham have recalled goalkeeper Stephen Henderson from his loan spell at
Ipswich
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo. Last Updated: March
21, 2013 2:00pm
SSN
Ipswich have suffered a blow with the news on-loan goalkeeper Stephen
Henderson has been recalled by West Ham. Henderson was due to remain at
Portman Road until the end of the season, but West Ham have activated a
24-hour release clause to bring the highly-rated keeper back to Upton Park.
The 24-year-old has impressed during his time at Portman Road and has kept
six clean sheets in his last nine matches to help Ipswich climb clear of
trouble at the wrong end of the Championship table. West Ham boss Sam
Allardyce has been keeping tabs on Henderson's progress at Ipswich and has
decided to bring him back to the club for their Premier League run-in. The
news is a blow for Ipswich chief Mick McCarthy as he looks to secure their
Championship survival. Henderson enjoyed two loan spells at Ipswich this
season, making 16 appearances between October and January before returning
on loan for a second stint on transfer deadline day in the winter transfer
window.
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Olympic Stadium Bid Is Won... At Last!
By Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die
Various news outlets are reporting that the a deal between West Ham and the
LDDC is done and that there will be a press conference at 1030am this
morning, at which it will all be announced by London Mayor Boris Johnson.
West Ham will not own the stadium but have a 99 year lease. There will be
retractable seating over the athletics track which can be removed within 8
days and the stadium will be used as a concert venue as well as for
athletics in the summer. West Ham will remain at Upton Park for another
three seasons after this and move in in 2016-17. Quite why it takes that
long to convert the stadium remains somewhat of a mystery. We should now be
able to see some pictures of what is envisaged for the 60,000 seater
stadium. More later.
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A Pat on the Back and an Eye to the Future!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
West Ham have recently done excellent work in striving to tackle
discrimination and promote equality.They took a very firm line in
identifying and banning the perpetrators of the anti-semitism at Spurs;
issued strong statements confirming the club's commitment to
anti-discrimination, inclusion and community cohesion; led the way in
holding a holocaust memorial day commemoration at the QPR home match on 19
January 2013; strongly supported Newham Council's holocaust memorial event
on 27 January 2013; supported the Football vs Homophobia campaign in
February 2013; marked International Women's Day on 8 March 2013; and agreed
a wider programme of annual equalities events over the remainder of this
calendar year. In addition, it is noticable on the official website that the
club are undertaking some quality work in the local community, running
school/holiday coaching programmes, promoting inclusion & cohesion via Kickz
initiatives, employability & health promotion programmes; as well as
supporting a range of different community based causes and initiatives.
The club is speaking out and giving strong leadership and I can say, without
reservation, that I have never been prouder of the club's policy and
practice in supporting initiatives and disseminating positive messages to
the fan base/local community. To me a football club is a very powerful
thing, an institution grounded in and representing local communities, with
affilitations/strong ties built up over generations. The club is in a very
unique position to influence hundreds of thousands of people in communities
right across east London and Essex and even further afield. When the club
speaks, and takes socially progressive positions, then it has a positive
social impact, of a type that public authorities cannot hope to emulate. As
such, I believe that it has a duty to use that power/influence to give
leadership and tackle these issues on an ongoing basis.
The club has obviously recognised this and are rapidly becoming seen as a
leader/exemplar of good practice in the English game. This is to its very
great credit. The fan base and wider communities are now aware of the club's
position and the ongoing dissemination of a strong, progressive message is
increasingly reinforcing it. The racist and discriminatory minority are
being marginalised and shown to be unrepresentative of the Hammers wider fan
base. Yet, that reactionary element is undoubtedly still present. And while
we can rightly celebrate recent progress, we must also maintain and then
increase the momentum going forward.
So, what can be done to continue and accelerate the fight against
discrimination and exclusion? The club has done everything absolutely right
in giving a high profile lead, establishing its position and setting
standards of acceptable behaviour for supporters. However, I would now argue
that it is time to move to the next stage, which is to launch a campaign
that proactively involves and enlists the clubs supporters themselves in
tackling these issues. The club could establish it via the existing
supporter consultative forum and actively secure the participation of fans
in a campaign or steering group. There could even be a Junior Hammer strand
to the campaign, with targeted work with children and young people. There
could be targeted adverts, co-ordinated debate via fanzines and fans
websites and events/co-ordinated action via fans events, club sponsored
activities and the various projects/services delivered by the West Ham
Community Trust. The proposed 'U-N-I-T-E-D : West Ham for All' campaign
could take the issues in to the body of fans itself and enlist their
energies and convictions to effect a lasting change in attitudes and
perceptions. In doing so it would seek to 'win hearts and minds' by
reinforcing the views of the decent majority. Thus rendering any lingering
reactionary elements permanently powerless and marginalized. 'The campaign
could also provide a strategic umbrella, under which the club's
activities/events, statements of commitment by the players/management and
the activism of fans could combine to create a sharper focus going forward.
'West Ham for All!' No doubt some will say that it already is, all you have
to do is go to matches and support the team! Unfortunately, that ignores the
fact that some people of diverse backgrounds may not feel able to do that at
present. There may be barriers that stop them attending, such as being
visibly different to the vast majority of the crowd, feeling intimidated and
fearing potential abuse or even violence. There may be other subtle cultural
barriers, some communities may not have a natural connection with football,
they may have a preference for other sports/activities and, subsequently,
not be naturally pre-disposed to participate in or watch the game. In
contrast, in some other local communities, the game is popular, but there is
a ethnic/cultural schism with the mainstream, in which players and managers
set up their own separate teams and leagues (i.e. Asian football) or have
pre-dominant supporter affiliations to overseas clubs and leagues (i.e. the
Turkish/Kurdish communities). A 'U-N-I-T-E-D: West Ham for All' campaign
could reach out to those detached communities and build long-term bridges
and affiliations with the club. It could introduce a new pool of youngsters
to participate in/watch the game and, even, open up an untapped source of
talent for the Academy.
Obviously, a club must strive to retain its existing fan base, but should
also seek to establish a following amongst more, newly arrived communities.
It is important in general, but doubly so when a club is based in
communities where there has been wholesale demographic change over recent
decades. its importance is for socially progressive reasons and also for
equally strong business imperatives. A club must tap in to all sources of
potential support and ensure that it harnesses the eonomic purchasing power
of all available communities, in terms of ticket sales, club shop sales and
hospitality/commercial income generation. As well as diversifying the fan
base, there is also a need to connect with the emerging black and minority
ethnic (BME) business sector in east London and Essex. Otherwise, it is
missing a trick to help sustain its future, long-term financial success both
on and off the pitch. And of course, there is the vital, extra dimension
provided by the move to the Olympic Stadium, the new 60,000 seat capacity
and the need to be genuinely inclusive of all communities and diverse groups
in delivering the London 2012 community and sporting legacy.
Arguably, a 'U-N-I-T-E-D: West Ham fo All' campaign vehicle could be an
important in tackling these issues and gaining socio-economic advantage for
the future development of the club. In my opinion, West Ham have never been
so socially aware and progressive at any time in its history, as at present.
It has done very well recently and it can continue to build upon its
achievements in future. But for me, the fans need to be more actively
involved, as we seek to win 'hearts and minds, gain new supporters and forge
partnerships and affiliations in hitherto largely untapped communities. In
doing so, we can reconcile our past and future and create a even more
representative family/community focused club, well positioned to deliver the
2012 legacy to all diverse communities resident in east London and Essex.
SJ. Chandos.
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Golden handshake: West Ham agree 99-year lease to move into the Olympic
Stadium
21 Mar 2013 22:30
The Mirror
West Ham have agreed a 99-year lease to move into the Olympic Stadium from
2016. Hammers were named as preferred bidders for the venue in Stratford,
east London, in December. Now, after months of negotiations, a deal has been
struck to see the club finally move from their famous Upton Park home.
The London Legacy Development Corporation have insisted on getting a share
of the profit if the Irons' owners sell up in the future. The Olympic
Stadium cost £429million to construct and it could take up to another £200m
to convert it into a 60,000-seater football stadium with retractable seats
over the athletic track.
The agreement, to be announced at a Friday news conference, will also allow
the venue to stage matches when England hosts the Rugby World Cup in 2015.
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Lamb's minted: Southampton hand Rickie Lambert a new contract to fend off
West Ham
The Mirror
21 Mar 2013 22:30
Rickie Lambert has snubbed interest from West Ham to sign a new two-year
contract extension at Southampton. The deal ties Lambert, the leading
English scorer in this season's Premier League, to the south-coast club
until 2016. Saints have moved quickly to snap up their prized asset, whose
old deal was due to expire in the summer of 2014. Lambert, 31, netted his
13th goal of the campaign in the win over Liverpool last weekend and has
scored 101 goals for the club since a £1million move from Bristol Rovers in
August 2009. The Liverpool-born forward joins the likes of Morgan
Schneiderlin, Jason Puncheon, Luke Shaw and Kelvin Davis in penning new
deals at St Mary's Stadium this season. Lambert said: "To be spending the
next three years at Southampton is something I am absolutely delighted
about. "There is a lot of ambition at this club and that was one of the main
reasons why I have signed a new contract - I want to finish my career here.
"It has been a great week for me starting with a goal and win against
Liverpool, and now finishing with a new contract. "I am already enjoying
myself massively and my aim is to be here for the next three years. I want
to push the team on to achieve more than we have already."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Friday, March 22
Thursday, March 21
Daily WHUFC News - 21st March 2013
Brilliant Blair celebrates new deal
WHUFc.com
Blair Turgott marked a new two-year deal with a memorable triple at the
Boleyn Ground
20.03.2013
Blair Turgott is unlikely to forget the last two days in a hurry, as the
18-year-old winger put pen to paper on a new two-year-deal with an option
for a third, before promptly smashing a brilliant hat-trick at the Boleyn
Ground. They are the latest landmarks in an already momentous season for the
young man, who played his part in Bradford City's remarkable run to the
Capital One Cup final. Turgott's triple in a 3-1 friendly win over Queens
Park Rangers also marked his first strikes at the Boleyn Ground, and the
Hammers starlet is expecting Tuesday's goalscoring exploits to become a more
regular occurrence. "It's going well at the moment and that's a great way to
celebrate signing a new contract," he told West Ham TV. "It just shows that
I've got to really push on from now and then the hard work starts again. But
it's a good way to mark the new deal. "I've been at West Ham ever since I
was little, so to sign for another two years is a great opportunity for me
and just another stepping stone for me to push on in the future. "West Ham
is all I know, so this has been good for me, learning my trade here and
trying to make myself a better player. Ultimately, this is the club that I
want to be at and that's why I've signed the contract. "I thank the
management staff for giving me the opportunity to show what I'm about and
hopefully in these two years I can repay the favour and show what type of
player I am and hopefully push on from there."
Though Turgott opted not to celebrate any of his three goals in the
behind-closed-doors contest, he was nevertheless thrilled to impress in the
company of several senior players, as he basked in the glory of three
superlative strikes. "The first one, the ball just came to me on the edge of
the box and I thought why not, have a shot," he added. "The second one I
knew what I was going to do, I tried to get it onto my right foot, and like
the third, I just hit it really. Luckily every time I hit it, it went in!
"This is the first time I've scored at Upton Park, I've played in youth team
games and a couple of Development Squad games but it's good to get my first
goals here and hopefully the first of many. "I remember last season I scored
two against Dagenham and Redbridge. They were two good goals, but obviously
a hat-trick is even better and to get it here is even sweeter. "It's always
good to play alongside the senior boys and have that experience of seeing
what it's all about. QPR had a few senior players out in their team, so you
can measure yourself up against the first-team players, which is good.
Ultimately it's just about me, what I can do and showing what I'm about."
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The Big Interview - Matt Jarvis
WHUFC.com
West Ham United winger Matt Jarvis has been in impressive form in recent
Barclays Premier League matches
20.03.2013
West Ham United winger Matt Jarvis was in the thick of the action during the
visit to London neighbours Chelsea on Sunday. Although Hammers went down 2-0
on the day at Stamford Bridge, manager Sam Allardyce spoke in his post-match
press interviews of the threat Jarvis posed in the game, as the No7 provided
a succession of threatening crosses for his team-mates to attack. The
Hammers No7 himself echoed Big Sam's sentiments that the Hammers want to
pick up as many points as possible between now and the end of the season,
finishing as high up the Barclays Premier League table as possible.
We may have been defeated at Chelsea, but what do you take in positives from
the game?
MJ: "It is always a tough place to go and get a result at Stamford Bridge.
We created chances against them and that gives us confidence as a team, but
paid the price unfortunately for not taking them. They then scored two goals
out of the chances they had, which were enough to see them get the victory.
You know they are a top, top side, but we were boosted by the fact we
created a lot of chances, just unfortunately for us, we didn't put these
away in the game."
Why is so difficult to get a foothold in games against teams like Chelsea?
MJ: "They have fantastic players and they keep the ball well, Once we got
the ball they are pressing us, so it was harder to keep the ball. We managed
to win at home against them earlier in the season and we did well at times
on Sunday and created some really good opportunities and on another day, if
they had gone in, it might have been a different story."
You were among the players creating chances in the match. Tell us how you
felt about your own game against Chelsea?
MJ: "I was pleased to be able to try and get about creating opportunities
for the team. Especially in the first half, I was able to put in a few
crosses in to try and provide the chances for the boys in the box. We
carried on trying to do that in second half and at times, maybe we were a
bit unlucky they didn't come to anything for us. We just wanted one to have
gone in the back of the net and the game might have gone a bit in our
favour, you never know."
We go into another break in domestic matches this week, this time due to the
internationals being played. Is that frustrating or is it a good thing in
terms of getting injured players back?
MJ: "It is a bit frustrating. We had a good win at Stoke away at the start
of the month and then we had to wait two weeks before we played Chelsea on
Sunday. Now we go from this match to another fortnight before the next game,
which is against West Brom at home the end of the month, so it can be hard
to get momentum. But, it is a time when players who are injured can use that
space to work on their fitness knowing they haven't missed a match."
How do you as a player deal with those breaks in the match routine?
MJ: "You just get on with it. We must make sure we continue to work hard in
training over the next two weeks again and look towards getting a positive
result at home in our next game. You just focus on what is next and although
you want to get back out there, after winning or losing, whether it is to
keep a run going or put things right after a loss, you just focus on keeping
fit and well and looking towards the next game, whenever that may be."
What are your thoughts on the upcoming games? There are some tough fixtures
still but the team is confident in being able to get the results needed?
MJ: "They are all difficult games in this league. At this time of the season
you are facing sides fighting for different things before the end of the
season, titles or trying to escape relegation. For ourselves, and that is
all we are concentrating on, we want some more points on board to help us
reach a position as high as possible. In the next game, we would be looking
to try and get three points that will get us nearer to that target."
The manager has been asked several times about how many points are needed to
be absolutely safe. What's your view on what is needed?
MJ: "It is about taking one game at a time. We look at the next match coming
up, try to get three points in that and then build on that result in the
match that follows. Obviously the Gaffer knows what we have to do and what
he thinks will be the targets we need to go for and we will go out to put
the performances in which will hopefully be rewarded with good results."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Full-time training model hailed
WHUFC.com
Under-15s manager Mark Phillips has hailed the Academy's new full-time
training model
20.03.2013
West Ham United Under-15s manager Mark Phillips has hailed the club's new
full-time training model. Having been granted Elite Player Performance Plan
(EPPP) Category One status, the Hammers accepted their first intake of
full-time schoolboy players last summer, with the Year 10 students being
taught and coached at the Academy's Rush Green base. A partnership with
Robert Clack School has led to the installation of classrooms at Rush Green,
with teachers from the school providing for the players' educational needs.
The system's full-time training model allows the club's coaches to spend
more time on the pitch with the players, with the hope that they will
develop and improve at a faster and higher rate than they would have
previously. "Robert Clack have been fantastic and it's worked out well,"
Phillips confirmed. "From the start of the season until now, I have seen a
marked improvement of the boys training every day on the full-time model -
every one of them has improved over the last eight or nine months."
In August, the number of players on the full-time model will double as this
season's Under-15s move up to Under-16s are joined by the next group of
Under-15s. "The more contact time we have with the players can only make
them better players - that's what it's all about from a football side. "The
education side is taken care of by Robert Clack, who have a very good
reputation in the area."
The Academy also test their players by measuring them up against foreign
touring sides. Recently, the Under-15s played host to Kleinburg Lions from
Ontario, Canada. Manager Phillips was delighted to see his team achieve a
5-1 victory. "Because we are on a full-time programme, we can accommodate
touring teams and play against them on a weekday afternoon at our facilities
at Rush Green," he confirmed. "We have played quite a few visiting teams and
sometimes they are from different age-groups to give us more of a test.
Kleinburg were a Canadian regional side comprising Under-16 and Under-17
players and although we won the game 5-1, it was still a good physical test
for us."
The Under-15s take on their counterparts from clubs such as Arsenal and
Tottenham Hotspur, but the matches are stand-alone fixtures rather than
being part of a league set-up. Phillips said the contrast in styles between
the Hammers' various opponents helped the club's youngsters to improve and
develop their own games. "At their age, it's all about development and their
learning curve, so we might play teams of Under-17 or Under-18 age-groups to
give them a more physical encounter, or we might play against a team like
Arsenal who bounce the ball about. "It's all about developing their game so
that hopefully, in five or six years, they are playing for the first team at
Upton Park and have an all-round game. "They will play against different
styles and it's about us teaching them to play against the various different
styles they will come up against."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
International call-ups galore
WHUFC.com
A host of West Ham United players will be in action for their respective
countries in coming days
20.03.2013
A host of West Ham United players have been called-up by their respective
nations over the coming fortnight:
• Jack Collison and James Collins are in the Wales squad for 2014 FIFA World
Cup European Group A qualifiers with Scotland in Glasgow on Friday 22 March
and Croatia in Swansea on Tuesday 26 March.
• Emanuel Pogatetz is in the Austria squad for 2014 FIFA World Cup European
Group C qualifiers with Faroe Islands in Vienna on Friday 22 March and
Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Tuesday 26 March.
• Mohamed Diame's Senegal host Angola in a 2014 FIFA World Cup African Group
J qualifier in Guinee Conakry on Saturday 23 March.
• Winston Reid is in the New Zealand squad for 2014 FIFA World Cup Oceania
Round 3 qualifiers against New Caledonia in Dunedin on Friday 22 March and
Solomon Islands in Honiara on Tuesday 26 March.
• Raphael Spiegel is in the Switzerland U21 squad for international friendly
matches with Germany in Cologne on Friday 22 March and Baden on Tuesday 26
March.
• Dan Potts is in the England U19 squad for a friendly international with
Turkey U19 in Telford on Thursday 21 March.
• Kieran Sadlier and Sean Maguire are in the Republic of Ireland U19 squad
for an international friendly with a Gibraltar Select XI in Malaga on Friday
22 March.
• Marcio Martins is in the Portugal U17 squad for UEFA European U17
Championship Elite Round Group 6 qualifiers with England, Slovenia and
Russia in Walsall and Loughborough between 23-28 March.
• Jamie Harney is in the Northern Ireland U17 squad for UEFA European U17
Championship Elite Round Group 7 qualifiers with Netherlands, Norway and
Italy in Uden and Echt between 21-26 March.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn won't give up fight for Olympic Stadium
By Graeme Bailey - Tweet me: @graemebailey. Last Updated: March 20,
2013 2:35pm
SSN
Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn has told Sky Sports that he fully intends
on continuing his fight over the Olympic Stadium. Hearn is proposing a
ground share with West Ham and he is relying on the courts to rule in his
favour. West Ham are expected to be confirmed as the new tenants of the
Stadium on Thursday. "Obviously we have applied to the High Court for a
judicial review of the bidding process, they may well announce that West Ham
are going into the stadium but it would have to be subject to the judicial
review," he told Sky Sports. Hearn hopes that the decision on the judicial
review will arrive before the summer. "It is a question of weeks rather than
months," he said. "We think our case is straightforward, we see it is cast
iron and let us see if the judges agree and if they do then all bets are off
and we will have to sit down and start talking again. "This is a long
running process and I do apologise for the delay but until they get it right
I am not going to sit down and let someone steamroller my little football
club. "We are suggesting a ground share with West Ham but we are not getting
much support...so we are fighting our corner as we do from the East End."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Olympic Stadium decision expected this week
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 20th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United's move to the Olympic Stadium is expected to be ratified
later this week. According to a source close to the deal, West Ham will be
confirmed as the Olympic Stadium's long-term tenants this Friday following
months of wrangling over the cost of converting the stadium. Speaking via
building.co.uk - a website dedicated to development and planning in the
building sector - the source said: "The costs of the conversion will be
split between West Ham, Newham Council and the London Legacy Development
Corporation. That's what the argument has been about all along."
The cost of converting the stadium into one fit for football are likely to
amount to around £150million. That's almost a third of the £429million it
cost to erect the stadium from scratch. West Ham were awarded preferred
bidder status for a second time in December 2012. The previous decision to
name the club as tenants of choice was overturned following legal action by
Leyton Orient and Tottenham Hotspur, the Premier League and Football League
clubs geographically closest to Stratford. Once confirmed as the
Stratford-based arena's tenants - West Ham are expected to sign a 99-year
lease agreement - the Club will plan towards moving into the Stadium in
2016, in time for the start of the 2016/17 season.
* Interested parties may tender for the contract to redevelop the Olympic
Stadium - including the installation of a new roof - at tendersdirect.co.uk.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hearn ready to throw in the towel
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 20th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
Orient chairman Barry Hearn has admitted that he expects to be defeated in
his latest battle to overturn the decision by the LLDC to award West Ham
United preferred bidder status for the Olympic Stadium. Hearn, who
successfully challenged the London Legacy Development Company's last
decision admitted tonight that whilst he will fight West Ham's move for as
long as possible, he is unlikely to prove ultimately successful. "Eventually
I will get beaten. They may go through the motions," he said. "If I lose the
judicial review, I have got to walk. "I've cost people a lot of money and
spent a lot of money myself but I don't regret it because I think I am in
the right. "We think they [the LLDC] are in breach of their own rules. We
are hoping the judge says 'no, these are the rules, you have not followed
them, you must sit down and talk about teaming'."
Hearn insists - with little to no evidence - that his own club will be put
out of business should West Ham be allowed to move into the Olympic Stadium.
Earlier this month he confirmed that he would be seeking a judicial review
over the LLDC's latest decision to grant West Ham preferred bidder status,
basing his decision on the Development Company's failure to explore a
ground-share option involving both West Ham and Orient. West Ham's move to
Stratford is a step closer tonight after it was revealed that the club are
set to be confirmed as the stadium's new tenants this coming Friday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFc.com
Blair Turgott marked a new two-year deal with a memorable triple at the
Boleyn Ground
20.03.2013
Blair Turgott is unlikely to forget the last two days in a hurry, as the
18-year-old winger put pen to paper on a new two-year-deal with an option
for a third, before promptly smashing a brilliant hat-trick at the Boleyn
Ground. They are the latest landmarks in an already momentous season for the
young man, who played his part in Bradford City's remarkable run to the
Capital One Cup final. Turgott's triple in a 3-1 friendly win over Queens
Park Rangers also marked his first strikes at the Boleyn Ground, and the
Hammers starlet is expecting Tuesday's goalscoring exploits to become a more
regular occurrence. "It's going well at the moment and that's a great way to
celebrate signing a new contract," he told West Ham TV. "It just shows that
I've got to really push on from now and then the hard work starts again. But
it's a good way to mark the new deal. "I've been at West Ham ever since I
was little, so to sign for another two years is a great opportunity for me
and just another stepping stone for me to push on in the future. "West Ham
is all I know, so this has been good for me, learning my trade here and
trying to make myself a better player. Ultimately, this is the club that I
want to be at and that's why I've signed the contract. "I thank the
management staff for giving me the opportunity to show what I'm about and
hopefully in these two years I can repay the favour and show what type of
player I am and hopefully push on from there."
Though Turgott opted not to celebrate any of his three goals in the
behind-closed-doors contest, he was nevertheless thrilled to impress in the
company of several senior players, as he basked in the glory of three
superlative strikes. "The first one, the ball just came to me on the edge of
the box and I thought why not, have a shot," he added. "The second one I
knew what I was going to do, I tried to get it onto my right foot, and like
the third, I just hit it really. Luckily every time I hit it, it went in!
"This is the first time I've scored at Upton Park, I've played in youth team
games and a couple of Development Squad games but it's good to get my first
goals here and hopefully the first of many. "I remember last season I scored
two against Dagenham and Redbridge. They were two good goals, but obviously
a hat-trick is even better and to get it here is even sweeter. "It's always
good to play alongside the senior boys and have that experience of seeing
what it's all about. QPR had a few senior players out in their team, so you
can measure yourself up against the first-team players, which is good.
Ultimately it's just about me, what I can do and showing what I'm about."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Big Interview - Matt Jarvis
WHUFC.com
West Ham United winger Matt Jarvis has been in impressive form in recent
Barclays Premier League matches
20.03.2013
West Ham United winger Matt Jarvis was in the thick of the action during the
visit to London neighbours Chelsea on Sunday. Although Hammers went down 2-0
on the day at Stamford Bridge, manager Sam Allardyce spoke in his post-match
press interviews of the threat Jarvis posed in the game, as the No7 provided
a succession of threatening crosses for his team-mates to attack. The
Hammers No7 himself echoed Big Sam's sentiments that the Hammers want to
pick up as many points as possible between now and the end of the season,
finishing as high up the Barclays Premier League table as possible.
We may have been defeated at Chelsea, but what do you take in positives from
the game?
MJ: "It is always a tough place to go and get a result at Stamford Bridge.
We created chances against them and that gives us confidence as a team, but
paid the price unfortunately for not taking them. They then scored two goals
out of the chances they had, which were enough to see them get the victory.
You know they are a top, top side, but we were boosted by the fact we
created a lot of chances, just unfortunately for us, we didn't put these
away in the game."
Why is so difficult to get a foothold in games against teams like Chelsea?
MJ: "They have fantastic players and they keep the ball well, Once we got
the ball they are pressing us, so it was harder to keep the ball. We managed
to win at home against them earlier in the season and we did well at times
on Sunday and created some really good opportunities and on another day, if
they had gone in, it might have been a different story."
You were among the players creating chances in the match. Tell us how you
felt about your own game against Chelsea?
MJ: "I was pleased to be able to try and get about creating opportunities
for the team. Especially in the first half, I was able to put in a few
crosses in to try and provide the chances for the boys in the box. We
carried on trying to do that in second half and at times, maybe we were a
bit unlucky they didn't come to anything for us. We just wanted one to have
gone in the back of the net and the game might have gone a bit in our
favour, you never know."
We go into another break in domestic matches this week, this time due to the
internationals being played. Is that frustrating or is it a good thing in
terms of getting injured players back?
MJ: "It is a bit frustrating. We had a good win at Stoke away at the start
of the month and then we had to wait two weeks before we played Chelsea on
Sunday. Now we go from this match to another fortnight before the next game,
which is against West Brom at home the end of the month, so it can be hard
to get momentum. But, it is a time when players who are injured can use that
space to work on their fitness knowing they haven't missed a match."
How do you as a player deal with those breaks in the match routine?
MJ: "You just get on with it. We must make sure we continue to work hard in
training over the next two weeks again and look towards getting a positive
result at home in our next game. You just focus on what is next and although
you want to get back out there, after winning or losing, whether it is to
keep a run going or put things right after a loss, you just focus on keeping
fit and well and looking towards the next game, whenever that may be."
What are your thoughts on the upcoming games? There are some tough fixtures
still but the team is confident in being able to get the results needed?
MJ: "They are all difficult games in this league. At this time of the season
you are facing sides fighting for different things before the end of the
season, titles or trying to escape relegation. For ourselves, and that is
all we are concentrating on, we want some more points on board to help us
reach a position as high as possible. In the next game, we would be looking
to try and get three points that will get us nearer to that target."
The manager has been asked several times about how many points are needed to
be absolutely safe. What's your view on what is needed?
MJ: "It is about taking one game at a time. We look at the next match coming
up, try to get three points in that and then build on that result in the
match that follows. Obviously the Gaffer knows what we have to do and what
he thinks will be the targets we need to go for and we will go out to put
the performances in which will hopefully be rewarded with good results."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Full-time training model hailed
WHUFC.com
Under-15s manager Mark Phillips has hailed the Academy's new full-time
training model
20.03.2013
West Ham United Under-15s manager Mark Phillips has hailed the club's new
full-time training model. Having been granted Elite Player Performance Plan
(EPPP) Category One status, the Hammers accepted their first intake of
full-time schoolboy players last summer, with the Year 10 students being
taught and coached at the Academy's Rush Green base. A partnership with
Robert Clack School has led to the installation of classrooms at Rush Green,
with teachers from the school providing for the players' educational needs.
The system's full-time training model allows the club's coaches to spend
more time on the pitch with the players, with the hope that they will
develop and improve at a faster and higher rate than they would have
previously. "Robert Clack have been fantastic and it's worked out well,"
Phillips confirmed. "From the start of the season until now, I have seen a
marked improvement of the boys training every day on the full-time model -
every one of them has improved over the last eight or nine months."
In August, the number of players on the full-time model will double as this
season's Under-15s move up to Under-16s are joined by the next group of
Under-15s. "The more contact time we have with the players can only make
them better players - that's what it's all about from a football side. "The
education side is taken care of by Robert Clack, who have a very good
reputation in the area."
The Academy also test their players by measuring them up against foreign
touring sides. Recently, the Under-15s played host to Kleinburg Lions from
Ontario, Canada. Manager Phillips was delighted to see his team achieve a
5-1 victory. "Because we are on a full-time programme, we can accommodate
touring teams and play against them on a weekday afternoon at our facilities
at Rush Green," he confirmed. "We have played quite a few visiting teams and
sometimes they are from different age-groups to give us more of a test.
Kleinburg were a Canadian regional side comprising Under-16 and Under-17
players and although we won the game 5-1, it was still a good physical test
for us."
The Under-15s take on their counterparts from clubs such as Arsenal and
Tottenham Hotspur, but the matches are stand-alone fixtures rather than
being part of a league set-up. Phillips said the contrast in styles between
the Hammers' various opponents helped the club's youngsters to improve and
develop their own games. "At their age, it's all about development and their
learning curve, so we might play teams of Under-17 or Under-18 age-groups to
give them a more physical encounter, or we might play against a team like
Arsenal who bounce the ball about. "It's all about developing their game so
that hopefully, in five or six years, they are playing for the first team at
Upton Park and have an all-round game. "They will play against different
styles and it's about us teaching them to play against the various different
styles they will come up against."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
International call-ups galore
WHUFC.com
A host of West Ham United players will be in action for their respective
countries in coming days
20.03.2013
A host of West Ham United players have been called-up by their respective
nations over the coming fortnight:
• Jack Collison and James Collins are in the Wales squad for 2014 FIFA World
Cup European Group A qualifiers with Scotland in Glasgow on Friday 22 March
and Croatia in Swansea on Tuesday 26 March.
• Emanuel Pogatetz is in the Austria squad for 2014 FIFA World Cup European
Group C qualifiers with Faroe Islands in Vienna on Friday 22 March and
Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Tuesday 26 March.
• Mohamed Diame's Senegal host Angola in a 2014 FIFA World Cup African Group
J qualifier in Guinee Conakry on Saturday 23 March.
• Winston Reid is in the New Zealand squad for 2014 FIFA World Cup Oceania
Round 3 qualifiers against New Caledonia in Dunedin on Friday 22 March and
Solomon Islands in Honiara on Tuesday 26 March.
• Raphael Spiegel is in the Switzerland U21 squad for international friendly
matches with Germany in Cologne on Friday 22 March and Baden on Tuesday 26
March.
• Dan Potts is in the England U19 squad for a friendly international with
Turkey U19 in Telford on Thursday 21 March.
• Kieran Sadlier and Sean Maguire are in the Republic of Ireland U19 squad
for an international friendly with a Gibraltar Select XI in Malaga on Friday
22 March.
• Marcio Martins is in the Portugal U17 squad for UEFA European U17
Championship Elite Round Group 6 qualifiers with England, Slovenia and
Russia in Walsall and Loughborough between 23-28 March.
• Jamie Harney is in the Northern Ireland U17 squad for UEFA European U17
Championship Elite Round Group 7 qualifiers with Netherlands, Norway and
Italy in Uden and Echt between 21-26 March.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn won't give up fight for Olympic Stadium
By Graeme Bailey - Tweet me: @graemebailey. Last Updated: March 20,
2013 2:35pm
SSN
Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn has told Sky Sports that he fully intends
on continuing his fight over the Olympic Stadium. Hearn is proposing a
ground share with West Ham and he is relying on the courts to rule in his
favour. West Ham are expected to be confirmed as the new tenants of the
Stadium on Thursday. "Obviously we have applied to the High Court for a
judicial review of the bidding process, they may well announce that West Ham
are going into the stadium but it would have to be subject to the judicial
review," he told Sky Sports. Hearn hopes that the decision on the judicial
review will arrive before the summer. "It is a question of weeks rather than
months," he said. "We think our case is straightforward, we see it is cast
iron and let us see if the judges agree and if they do then all bets are off
and we will have to sit down and start talking again. "This is a long
running process and I do apologise for the delay but until they get it right
I am not going to sit down and let someone steamroller my little football
club. "We are suggesting a ground share with West Ham but we are not getting
much support...so we are fighting our corner as we do from the East End."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Olympic Stadium decision expected this week
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 20th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United's move to the Olympic Stadium is expected to be ratified
later this week. According to a source close to the deal, West Ham will be
confirmed as the Olympic Stadium's long-term tenants this Friday following
months of wrangling over the cost of converting the stadium. Speaking via
building.co.uk - a website dedicated to development and planning in the
building sector - the source said: "The costs of the conversion will be
split between West Ham, Newham Council and the London Legacy Development
Corporation. That's what the argument has been about all along."
The cost of converting the stadium into one fit for football are likely to
amount to around £150million. That's almost a third of the £429million it
cost to erect the stadium from scratch. West Ham were awarded preferred
bidder status for a second time in December 2012. The previous decision to
name the club as tenants of choice was overturned following legal action by
Leyton Orient and Tottenham Hotspur, the Premier League and Football League
clubs geographically closest to Stratford. Once confirmed as the
Stratford-based arena's tenants - West Ham are expected to sign a 99-year
lease agreement - the Club will plan towards moving into the Stadium in
2016, in time for the start of the 2016/17 season.
* Interested parties may tender for the contract to redevelop the Olympic
Stadium - including the installation of a new roof - at tendersdirect.co.uk.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hearn ready to throw in the towel
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 20th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
Orient chairman Barry Hearn has admitted that he expects to be defeated in
his latest battle to overturn the decision by the LLDC to award West Ham
United preferred bidder status for the Olympic Stadium. Hearn, who
successfully challenged the London Legacy Development Company's last
decision admitted tonight that whilst he will fight West Ham's move for as
long as possible, he is unlikely to prove ultimately successful. "Eventually
I will get beaten. They may go through the motions," he said. "If I lose the
judicial review, I have got to walk. "I've cost people a lot of money and
spent a lot of money myself but I don't regret it because I think I am in
the right. "We think they [the LLDC] are in breach of their own rules. We
are hoping the judge says 'no, these are the rules, you have not followed
them, you must sit down and talk about teaming'."
Hearn insists - with little to no evidence - that his own club will be put
out of business should West Ham be allowed to move into the Olympic Stadium.
Earlier this month he confirmed that he would be seeking a judicial review
over the LLDC's latest decision to grant West Ham preferred bidder status,
basing his decision on the Development Company's failure to explore a
ground-share option involving both West Ham and Orient. West Ham's move to
Stratford is a step closer tonight after it was revealed that the club are
set to be confirmed as the stadium's new tenants this coming Friday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Wednesday, March 20
Daily WHUFC News - 20th March 2013
Hendo pleased with friendly victory
WHUFC.com
Ian Hendon praised his West Ham United side following Tuesday's 3-1 victory
over Queens Park Rangers
19.03.2013
First-team coach Ian Hendon was rightly proud of his West Ham United team
following Tuesday's 3-1 friendly victory over Queens Park Rangers. Hendon
took charge of a Hammers side containing a mixture of senior first-team
players and promising youngsters, with first-year professional Blair Turgott
netting an eye-catching hat-trick. Afterwards, Hendon praised the players
for their work-rate, attitude and for giving everyone a welcome boost
following Sunday's 2-0 Barclays Premier League defeat at Chelsea. "There are
players there who have been out of the first-team picture at the moment and
obviously George McCartney who is coming back from a long-term injury," he
said. "They all wanted to go out and play and they performed very well. The
young lads are desperate to impress all the time and they came in and did
their fair share as well. "We had a few experienced players in our team and
looked at their team on paper before the game and they had eight players who
have been regulars this year, so we knew it was going to be a competitive
game. I just think our lads went about their game a little bit better than
they did - we pressed the ball better than them, we kept nicking it high up
the pitch and we broke on them from there. We were solid as a team and
played off of our shape and broke them down and played ever so well. "You
always have that concern when senior players come down to reserve games that
they won't quite give it their all, but Matt Taylor in particular worked
very hard. He played for an hour before we took him off because he had
played a half at Chelsea on Sunday. James Tomkins, George McCartney and
Marouane Chamakh all put in good performances so they will give the manager
a nudge as well. "All in all, it was a good workout and exactly what we
needed."
While the senior professionals did their jobs well, the headlines were
grabbed by 18-year-old Turgott. The winger, who has recently returned after
helping loan club Bradford City to reach the Capital One Cup final, scored
three truly outstanding goals. The first two came courtesy of long-range
efforts before half-time, while the third arrived when the teenager cut
inside former England full-back Luke Young and rifled a shot into the far
top corner off the upright. "We had a game this time last year away at
Dagenham and Redbridge and he scored two similar goals, one of them on the
volley, so he has got that in the locker. "He has had a little spell away at
Bradford and he played in a Development Squad game [against Arsenal] the
other night and he didn't really perform how he should do. He has come out
there among the seniors, which has perhaps given him a lift, and the boy has
shown what he is all about. "He has got that in his locker and Macca
[assistant manager Neil McDonald] was there, so it's given him a little
nudge. That's how you want them to perform and it's refreshing when the
young lads do that."
As first-team coach, Hendon said the result and all-round performance would
give everyone associated with the club a lift ahead of nine vital Barclays
Premier League fixtures - starting with the visit of West Bromwich Albion on
Saturday 30 March. "I think we'd be more disappointed if we had gone to
Chelsea and it had been a really disappointing performance. It wasn't the
case - we got beaten on the day by a better team but it wasn't all doom and
gloom after Sunday.
"We've re-grouped and got a team together and gone out and performed ever so
well [against QPR]. The three goals will give everybody a lift - the
players, staff and the fans who see them - because you can't beat winning."
West Ham United XI: Trialist, Spence (Shaw 77), McCartney, Tomkins, Ruddock,
Moncur (Driver 77), Taylor (Marlow 65), Turgott, Bywater (D.Tombides 77),
Chamakh, Paulista
Subs not used: Baxter
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
JC targets two wins - twice!
WHUFC.com
Jack Collison believes two victories are exactly what is required for both
club and country
19.03.2013
Jack Collison reckons two victories will be sufficient to see West Ham
United secure their Barclays Premier League place come the season's end -
and help Wales to qualify for next year's FIFA World Cup. The Hammers have
collected 33 points from their opening 29 fixtures to sit 14th in the table,
six points ahead of 18th-placed Wigan Athletic with nine games still to play
- including the visit of Roberto Martinez's side to the Boleyn Ground in
April. With Sam Allardyce's side also possessing a superior goal difference
to the Latics and a number of the other teams below them, Collison is
confident that two wins will be enough to stay up. "Between now and the end
of the season, we're obviously aiming to get as many points on the board as
we can," said the No10, speaking after Sunday's 2-0 Barclays Premier League
defeat at Chelsea. "The sooner we can do it, the better for us, and then
maybe we can look to push on. "It's hard to say [how many points we need].
It's very tight down there, but as long as we concentrate on ourselves, work
hard and get a couple of wins on the board, we'll be fine. "There are a lot
teams down there but, we feel that with the squad and manager we've got,
we're good enough to stay up. The sooner we can get the points on the board,
the better for us. "We'll work hard. Unfortunately we've got to wait two
weeks for our next game but we'll be ready come West Brom."
Looking back at Sunday's loss at Stamford Bridge, Collison conceded that
West Ham had simply lost to the superior team - albeit one comprised of
players costing in excess of £200m in total. One Blues player to stand out
was Collison's fellow West Ham Academy graduate Frank Lampard, who opened
the scoring with his 200th goal for Chelsea - an achievement his fellow
midfielder was quick to recognise. "We went to Chelsea and we worked hard
but I think we were beaten by the better team. They have got some
world-class players and I think it showed. "Frank always seems to score
against West Ham doesn't he? We're disappointed but you've g ot to say 'Fair
play' to him because he's got 200 goals. It's a massive milestone and
congratulations. "He's not done badly has he? Fair play to him because he's
been brilliant, not just this season but over the last ten years."
Before Collison returns to action in claret and blue with the visit of West
Bromwich Albion on Saturday 30 March, the 24-year-old has the small matter
of two vital 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers with Wales to attend to. The
Welsh travel to Scotland before welcoming Croatia, knowing two victories are
required if they are to retain hope of reaching a first major finals since
the 1958 FIFA World Cup finals. Collison said a recent friendly victory over
Emanuel Pogatetz's Austria and a 2-1 win in the reverse qualifier against
Scotland in Cardiff in October - courtesy of two late Gareth Bale goals -
had given Chris Coleman's squad a massive confidence boost. "We are looking
forward to it and we've got a bit of momentum going into it because we won
our last game against Austria. "These are two massive games, two massive
qualifiers, and where better to start than in Scotland? It's going to be a
hostile atmosphere because it's a game we're looking forward to. "You could
say it was luck or a bit of brilliance from Gareth Bale [that we beat
Scotland in October]. We scored two late goals so I'm sure they'll be
looking to turn us over, but at the same time we're going to go there
looking for the win and then move on to the following Tuesday against
Croatia."
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Trio support school football finals
WHUFC.com
Rob Hall, Leo Chambers and Pelly Ruddock attended the Barking and Dagenham
Borough football finals
19.03.2013
West Ham United youngsters Rob Hall, Leo Chambers and Pelly Ruddock showed
their support for local football by presenting trophies at the Barking and
Dagenham Borough football finals at Rush Green. Academy graduates Hall and
Chambers and Ruddock, who joined the Hammers from non-league Boreham Wood in
December 2001, watched the Year 9 and Year 12/13 finals before handing
medals to all four teams and cups to the winning captains. Fittingly, both
finals were won by Robert Clack School, whose teachers cater for the
educational needs of West Ham's Academy, providing lessons for the club's
promising youngsters in purpose-built classrooms at Rush Green. Hall and
Chambers shared their own memories of playing in school and Sunday League
football with West Ham TV. "I played for a team called SouthSide based in
south London and we trained once a week and had a game every Sunday and that
was it," said Chambers." Now, of course, we train every day and have games
at weekends. At the time, it was very good to get along there with my
friends."
As Chambers was speaking, a Robert Clack player scored a late winner in the
Year 12/13 final on the pitch behind him, sparking wild celebrations. "As
you can see, that is what it means to the lads! It's a great time and
experience to play for your Sunday League club or school and I enjoyed it
greatly. It's great for the lads and it was great for me when I was there."
Hall has been with West Ham since the age of eight, but the 19-year-old can
still remember playing for his local team Aylesbury Town as a schoolboy.
"I played for an Under-9s team for Aylesbury Town because my brother player
for the same club two years above me. My mum took me every Saturday and
Sunday and I played with the younger team. "You start somewhere and luckily
I got spotted in one of the tournaments we played in. Like Leo says, it's
good for players to play in games like the Borough finals because it's one
of the biggest games of their careers so far. You start somewhere and you
can only enjoy it."
Hall said Ruddock's example should serve as an inspiration to any youngster
hoping to get scouted. The midfielder came through the ranks at Boreham
Wood, where he took part in the club's successful PASE (Programme for
Academic and Sporting Excellence) coaching scheme. "Pelly has come in and
done really well, considering he came to the club as a late call-up," said
Hall. "He was 17 and at Boreham Wood and training hard and he has managed to
get the breakthrough and he has pushed on from there."
Academy operations manager Adam Raimes said hosting the finals at Rush Green
was another example of West Ham's commitment to supporting local football.
"We have got a fantastic partnership with Robert Clack, who managed to get
five teams into the six finals," said Raimes. "The partnership we built with
Robert Clack was paramount to our success in getting Elite Player
Performance Plan (EPPP) Category One status. "We have got classrooms at Rush
Green where the full-time boys (the Under-15s) are educated and as a thank
you to them we were more than happy to host the finals and give something
back to one of our club's local Boroughs. "It's fantastic that Rob, Leo and
Pelly came down. It's good for the schoolboys because it provides a little
inspiration to succeed for them to receive their medals from players they
have already seen playing for West Ham."
Raimes also revealed that the club's Academy scouts would be keeping a close
eye on the finals to unearth any diamonds who have yet to be signed by
professional clubs. "A few of our Academy boys were playing in the finals
for their schools and there were some boys from Dagenham and Redbridge, too,
so a lot of them have been picked up but there could be a few around there
who haven't been. "Our Academy head of recruitment has been having a look
because it's never too late to be spotted."
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Ruddock back with a bang
WHUFC.com
Pelly Ruddock is eyeing a productive end to the season after returning to
action against Arsenal
19.03.2013
Pelly Ruddock was all smiles after marking his return from injury in style,
as he laid on the equaliser for the Development Squad in a 1-1 Barclays
Under-21 Premier League Elite Group draw against Arsenal. The former Boreham
Wood youngster was forced to sit out the Hammers' away-days against
Manchester United and Liverpool, but was seemingly back to his bustling best
at the Boleyn Ground last Friday night, having been restored to his
preferred midfield role.
With 32 minutes on the clock, the fleet-footed 19-year-old skipped to the
by-line with the help of a step-over before whipping in a left-footed
centre, prompting Nico Yennaris to put through his own net. Ruddock rightly
took the acclaim from his teammates and is hoping to have a similarly
telling influence in the final third from here on in.
"I've been trying the step over in training so I thought I'd try it in a
match," he told West Ham TV. "I pulled it off and fortunately a goal came
from that. It was good in front of the fans at the Boleyn Ground. "The ball
came over and I was there at the back post. I just did a little skill and
crossed the ball in. I was expecting someone to get across the defender and
then it went in off the defender, so I'm claiming that. "I've not had so
many assists but I need to get among them and help the team score more
goals. Hopefully there will be more goals between now and the end of the
season."
Despite his all-action display, Ruddock subsequently admitted feeling the
pace against a fluent Arsenal side, though he expects it is only a matter of
time before he is back at full throttle. Meanwhile, having played much of
the campaign at centre-half, Ruddock embraced the relative freedom of a
midfield berth. "Having trained only the day before the game, it was a
hard match, they moved the ball about and kept the ball. It was hard and I
got cramp, so it was a tough game.
"I'm feeling good and fit, but just need to work on my stamina a little bit
and then hopefully press on. "It was good in midfield. You get more of the
ball and are able to drive at the defence and take some shots. I find you
get about the pitch more, so I enjoyed it."
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Hammers trial goalkeeper
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 19th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
Triallist Jordan Santiago played a full 90 minutes for a West Ham XI as they
beat a Queens Park Rangers XI 3-1. The 21-year-old Canadian, who spent four
years with Cardiff City before being released last summer featured as United
ran out 3-1 winners against an experienced Rangers team this afternoon. All
three goals on the day were scored by Blair Turgott; you may view highlights
from the game below (video courtesy of westham.tv). Also featuring in the
game as a second-half substitute was Dylan Tombides, West Ham's 19-year-old
striker who was making his first appearance for several months since
receiving further treatment for cancer.
West Ham Utd: Santiago, Spence, McCartney, Tomkins, Ruddock, Moncur, Taylor,
Turgott, Bywater, Chamakh, Paulista.
Subs: Baxter, Driver, Marlow, Shaw, D.Tombides.
QPR: Murphy, Young, Doughty, Derry, Onouha, Ehmer, Mackie, Granero,
Bothroyd, Taarabt, Hoilett.
Subs: Sutherland, Magri, Hitchcock, Brown, Shariff, Lumley.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Are we just the new 'bitters'?
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 19th March 2013
By: Paul Walker
Recent events have left me wondering whether we have produced a generation
of 30-something fans so deprived of success over the last three decades,
that they have become bitter and twisted about everything and everybody.
I know I am embarking on a theme now that is risking me being on the wrong
end of all sorts of abuse, but here goes!
Why do some, maybe a small minority, throw coins at our former players, why
do they indulge in racist abuse, why are we accused of anti-sematic
chanting, why do we abuse our ex-players, why, why, why?
And why does the mere suggestion that Frank Lampard would be welcomed back
at the Boleyn produce such outrage? It ain't going to happen, of course,
because we could not begin to match his wages, and he'd be mad to consider
it when there's easy money in the US on hand.
But Karren Brady started it all by making the suggestion in her Sun column,
and Gary O'Neil then agreed it would be a good move.
Since then Frank has been bombarded with coins after scoring against us, and
O'Neil has been slaughtered on fans' websites for daring to suggest such as
thing. And during the last home game against Spurs, Scott Parker found
himself being booed throughout the game.
I will come to the thorny subject of how we treat our ex-players later, but
firstly I want to explore the reasons for the illegal behaviour some,
hopefully just a few, of our fans indulge in.
Up in Manchester where I live, United fans have long called City fans
'Bitter Blues' or just Bitters for short. It's all to do with City fans
spending so much time moaning and whining about Old Trafford's years of
success while City couldn't win a raffle without losing the ticket!
City fans respond by calling United's support 'Munichs', because they
believe that Old Trafford has dwelt on the 1958 disaster and turned it into
an industry of grief.
City's lot are not so bitter these days now they have trillions of pounds
and can match their local rivals and have started to win things.
Sadly we too have acquired a reputation for being bitter. All around us the
likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs (even Fulham have been to a European final)
have had plenty to celebrate. But we have had so little due to incompetent
management from the very top and a continued financial shambles.
We are a selling club. Our best young talents have been sold or wanted out
to further their careers, just like you and I would want to move on from a
small firm to a bigger one with more money if we had the chance. Nothing
wrong with that, unless you are a footballer and are branded disloyal.
So we end up with fans who are full of suppressed anger, bitterness at the
lack of success and intent on abusing anybody and everybody as they see fit.
I have never been embarrassed of my club, it has been my life, but sometimes
I am embarrassed by the antics of some of my fellow fans, and it does the
reputation of this club no good at all, giving the media plenty of easy
ammunition.
The defeat at Chelsea was depressing enough, beaten comfortably by a much
better team of expensive players. Just to get it into perspective, the
player who caused us the most trouble, Eden Hazard, cost more than twice as
much as the entire West Ham side that started the match.
We are a team of rejects, second division players or aging free transfers.
What do people expect? Our manager did not spend a penny in transfer fees in
the January window, and is now making noises about wanting big money to
rebuild the squad.
Sam knows what he has got, knows what he needs for the future and knows what
this group of players cannot achieve. We looked like a team that had played
just twice in the previous 33 days, and we were always going to be overrun
by a Chelsea side of such expense and talent.
Only the most unrealistic went to Stamford Bridge expecting anything
different to what happened. So many of our games over the recent years when
we have been in the top flight, have been like that.
So what do our fans do? They hurl coins at John Terry and Lampard, and now
we find that some of them been have been arrested and bailed, accused of
racial abuse. Our name is tarnished yet again, in the same season that we
have been accused of anti-sematic behaviour at Spurs - a police
investigation that is still on-going, while a couple of fans have already
had their collars felt after that and have been banned by our club.
Is all this driven by jealousy, or just bone-headed stupidity? We really
need to be above all this, there is too much hatred and bitterness. It does
the image of our club no good.
As does the way we treat our ex-players. Yes, I'd have Lampard back, we
could do with 200 goals from midfield. I'd welcome back Rio Ferdinand and
Michael Carrick, Glen Johnson too. Even Jermain Defoe and 'arry too. Because
they are all better than what we have and life is too short to bear grudges
for this long.
Lampard left because his father, one of our greatest-ever players, was
sacked along with his uncle. No wonder he was upset. Wouldn't you if your
relations were treated the way Terry Brown treated Redknapp and Lamps
senior?
Sure the kid made a few daft remarks, but he's had to face continued abuse
for 12 years now, for what? Being the unwilling victim of Brown's treatment
of his father.
And of course, our fans heap dogs abuse on Redknapp now at every
opportunity. Defoe left after a quick-fire transfer requested penned by his
agent. Ferdinand, Carrick and Johnson went to balance the books, as did Joe
Cole, and he has been welcomed back.
People say things when they are young, stupid things. I defy anyone not to
look back into their own past and not find something they wish they had not
done or said. Blimey, we are even abusing Paul Ince's son Tom now, and it
could have cost us the Play-Off Final.
He is just the sort of promising youngster we should be trying to sign. Fat
lot of chance with that one. And now Scott Parker is getting stick. I had
become almost immune to the abuse our ex-players get, so often does it
happen. But even I was surprised to hear Parker booed.
Yes, he joined our most hated enemy, I suppose he half expected it. But when
he was with us he gave everything, including the great goal against Wigan
that saved us the season before we were eventually relegated.
I am sure behind the scenes he made it clear he wanted out to protect his
England place and to prolong his Premier League career. But can anyone
really blame him?
Sadly he has become yet another scapegoat for the lack of success over the
last 30 years. Everyone gets booed, everyone gets the blame.
Liverpool fans have a way of welcoming back former players. If they like
them, the reception is stunning. If they don't - and Michael Own falls into
this category sometimes - they just ignore them, which must hurt even more.
Maybe we should try something similar.
But we all love Paolo, even though he went missing for a long spell during
the relegation season of 2003. And Carlos too, even though his transfer has
cost this club £30m plus. Is there not some twisted logic here somewhere?
Sadly, I feel the abuse aimed at our ex-players is now so ingrained into the
club's culture, that it just won't go away. But am I the only one who finds
it all now just a little tedious? It is all so counter-productive.
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West Ham midfielder Mark Noble is set to have an operation on his shoulder
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo. Last Updated: March
19, 2013 2:30pm
SSN
Sky Sports understands West Ham star Mark Noble is set to undergo shoulder
surgery which could rule him for the rest of the season. Noble has been
struggling with a trapped nerve in his shoulder and the midfielder's last
appearance came in the defeat at Aston Villa last month. West Ham were
hoping rest might help the injury, but they have now decided to send the
influential midfielder for an operation on his shoulder which is likely to
be on Wednesday. The operation is likely to rule Noble out for a month,
meaning he faces an uphill battle to return before the end of the campaign.
The news is a major blow for West Ham boss Sam Allardyce as the likes of
Kevin Nolan and Joe Cole are already on the sidelines as they look to secure
their Premier League survival.
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Matt Taylor is playing for West Ham despite a fractured jaw
Last Updated: March 19, 2013 9:19am
SSN
West Ham winger Matt Taylor has revealed he has been playing with a
fractured jaw in recent weeks. The 31-year-old suffered the injury after
receiving a boot in the face from Stoke's Peter Crouch earlier this month
but still played against Chelsea the following week. Taylor admits the
injury is still causing him problems but insists he is happy to play on
through the pain. "I have a small fracture in my jaw and it is a bit sore
now," said Taylor, quoted in the Daily Express. "But it is just one of those
things that will heal and I was given the choice whether I was happy to
continue playing with it and I was." The former Portsmouth man has played 21
Premier League games for the Hammers this season, scoring one goal.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Ian Hendon praised his West Ham United side following Tuesday's 3-1 victory
over Queens Park Rangers
19.03.2013
First-team coach Ian Hendon was rightly proud of his West Ham United team
following Tuesday's 3-1 friendly victory over Queens Park Rangers. Hendon
took charge of a Hammers side containing a mixture of senior first-team
players and promising youngsters, with first-year professional Blair Turgott
netting an eye-catching hat-trick. Afterwards, Hendon praised the players
for their work-rate, attitude and for giving everyone a welcome boost
following Sunday's 2-0 Barclays Premier League defeat at Chelsea. "There are
players there who have been out of the first-team picture at the moment and
obviously George McCartney who is coming back from a long-term injury," he
said. "They all wanted to go out and play and they performed very well. The
young lads are desperate to impress all the time and they came in and did
their fair share as well. "We had a few experienced players in our team and
looked at their team on paper before the game and they had eight players who
have been regulars this year, so we knew it was going to be a competitive
game. I just think our lads went about their game a little bit better than
they did - we pressed the ball better than them, we kept nicking it high up
the pitch and we broke on them from there. We were solid as a team and
played off of our shape and broke them down and played ever so well. "You
always have that concern when senior players come down to reserve games that
they won't quite give it their all, but Matt Taylor in particular worked
very hard. He played for an hour before we took him off because he had
played a half at Chelsea on Sunday. James Tomkins, George McCartney and
Marouane Chamakh all put in good performances so they will give the manager
a nudge as well. "All in all, it was a good workout and exactly what we
needed."
While the senior professionals did their jobs well, the headlines were
grabbed by 18-year-old Turgott. The winger, who has recently returned after
helping loan club Bradford City to reach the Capital One Cup final, scored
three truly outstanding goals. The first two came courtesy of long-range
efforts before half-time, while the third arrived when the teenager cut
inside former England full-back Luke Young and rifled a shot into the far
top corner off the upright. "We had a game this time last year away at
Dagenham and Redbridge and he scored two similar goals, one of them on the
volley, so he has got that in the locker. "He has had a little spell away at
Bradford and he played in a Development Squad game [against Arsenal] the
other night and he didn't really perform how he should do. He has come out
there among the seniors, which has perhaps given him a lift, and the boy has
shown what he is all about. "He has got that in his locker and Macca
[assistant manager Neil McDonald] was there, so it's given him a little
nudge. That's how you want them to perform and it's refreshing when the
young lads do that."
As first-team coach, Hendon said the result and all-round performance would
give everyone associated with the club a lift ahead of nine vital Barclays
Premier League fixtures - starting with the visit of West Bromwich Albion on
Saturday 30 March. "I think we'd be more disappointed if we had gone to
Chelsea and it had been a really disappointing performance. It wasn't the
case - we got beaten on the day by a better team but it wasn't all doom and
gloom after Sunday.
"We've re-grouped and got a team together and gone out and performed ever so
well [against QPR]. The three goals will give everybody a lift - the
players, staff and the fans who see them - because you can't beat winning."
West Ham United XI: Trialist, Spence (Shaw 77), McCartney, Tomkins, Ruddock,
Moncur (Driver 77), Taylor (Marlow 65), Turgott, Bywater (D.Tombides 77),
Chamakh, Paulista
Subs not used: Baxter
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
JC targets two wins - twice!
WHUFC.com
Jack Collison believes two victories are exactly what is required for both
club and country
19.03.2013
Jack Collison reckons two victories will be sufficient to see West Ham
United secure their Barclays Premier League place come the season's end -
and help Wales to qualify for next year's FIFA World Cup. The Hammers have
collected 33 points from their opening 29 fixtures to sit 14th in the table,
six points ahead of 18th-placed Wigan Athletic with nine games still to play
- including the visit of Roberto Martinez's side to the Boleyn Ground in
April. With Sam Allardyce's side also possessing a superior goal difference
to the Latics and a number of the other teams below them, Collison is
confident that two wins will be enough to stay up. "Between now and the end
of the season, we're obviously aiming to get as many points on the board as
we can," said the No10, speaking after Sunday's 2-0 Barclays Premier League
defeat at Chelsea. "The sooner we can do it, the better for us, and then
maybe we can look to push on. "It's hard to say [how many points we need].
It's very tight down there, but as long as we concentrate on ourselves, work
hard and get a couple of wins on the board, we'll be fine. "There are a lot
teams down there but, we feel that with the squad and manager we've got,
we're good enough to stay up. The sooner we can get the points on the board,
the better for us. "We'll work hard. Unfortunately we've got to wait two
weeks for our next game but we'll be ready come West Brom."
Looking back at Sunday's loss at Stamford Bridge, Collison conceded that
West Ham had simply lost to the superior team - albeit one comprised of
players costing in excess of £200m in total. One Blues player to stand out
was Collison's fellow West Ham Academy graduate Frank Lampard, who opened
the scoring with his 200th goal for Chelsea - an achievement his fellow
midfielder was quick to recognise. "We went to Chelsea and we worked hard
but I think we were beaten by the better team. They have got some
world-class players and I think it showed. "Frank always seems to score
against West Ham doesn't he? We're disappointed but you've g ot to say 'Fair
play' to him because he's got 200 goals. It's a massive milestone and
congratulations. "He's not done badly has he? Fair play to him because he's
been brilliant, not just this season but over the last ten years."
Before Collison returns to action in claret and blue with the visit of West
Bromwich Albion on Saturday 30 March, the 24-year-old has the small matter
of two vital 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers with Wales to attend to. The
Welsh travel to Scotland before welcoming Croatia, knowing two victories are
required if they are to retain hope of reaching a first major finals since
the 1958 FIFA World Cup finals. Collison said a recent friendly victory over
Emanuel Pogatetz's Austria and a 2-1 win in the reverse qualifier against
Scotland in Cardiff in October - courtesy of two late Gareth Bale goals -
had given Chris Coleman's squad a massive confidence boost. "We are looking
forward to it and we've got a bit of momentum going into it because we won
our last game against Austria. "These are two massive games, two massive
qualifiers, and where better to start than in Scotland? It's going to be a
hostile atmosphere because it's a game we're looking forward to. "You could
say it was luck or a bit of brilliance from Gareth Bale [that we beat
Scotland in October]. We scored two late goals so I'm sure they'll be
looking to turn us over, but at the same time we're going to go there
looking for the win and then move on to the following Tuesday against
Croatia."
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Trio support school football finals
WHUFC.com
Rob Hall, Leo Chambers and Pelly Ruddock attended the Barking and Dagenham
Borough football finals
19.03.2013
West Ham United youngsters Rob Hall, Leo Chambers and Pelly Ruddock showed
their support for local football by presenting trophies at the Barking and
Dagenham Borough football finals at Rush Green. Academy graduates Hall and
Chambers and Ruddock, who joined the Hammers from non-league Boreham Wood in
December 2001, watched the Year 9 and Year 12/13 finals before handing
medals to all four teams and cups to the winning captains. Fittingly, both
finals were won by Robert Clack School, whose teachers cater for the
educational needs of West Ham's Academy, providing lessons for the club's
promising youngsters in purpose-built classrooms at Rush Green. Hall and
Chambers shared their own memories of playing in school and Sunday League
football with West Ham TV. "I played for a team called SouthSide based in
south London and we trained once a week and had a game every Sunday and that
was it," said Chambers." Now, of course, we train every day and have games
at weekends. At the time, it was very good to get along there with my
friends."
As Chambers was speaking, a Robert Clack player scored a late winner in the
Year 12/13 final on the pitch behind him, sparking wild celebrations. "As
you can see, that is what it means to the lads! It's a great time and
experience to play for your Sunday League club or school and I enjoyed it
greatly. It's great for the lads and it was great for me when I was there."
Hall has been with West Ham since the age of eight, but the 19-year-old can
still remember playing for his local team Aylesbury Town as a schoolboy.
"I played for an Under-9s team for Aylesbury Town because my brother player
for the same club two years above me. My mum took me every Saturday and
Sunday and I played with the younger team. "You start somewhere and luckily
I got spotted in one of the tournaments we played in. Like Leo says, it's
good for players to play in games like the Borough finals because it's one
of the biggest games of their careers so far. You start somewhere and you
can only enjoy it."
Hall said Ruddock's example should serve as an inspiration to any youngster
hoping to get scouted. The midfielder came through the ranks at Boreham
Wood, where he took part in the club's successful PASE (Programme for
Academic and Sporting Excellence) coaching scheme. "Pelly has come in and
done really well, considering he came to the club as a late call-up," said
Hall. "He was 17 and at Boreham Wood and training hard and he has managed to
get the breakthrough and he has pushed on from there."
Academy operations manager Adam Raimes said hosting the finals at Rush Green
was another example of West Ham's commitment to supporting local football.
"We have got a fantastic partnership with Robert Clack, who managed to get
five teams into the six finals," said Raimes. "The partnership we built with
Robert Clack was paramount to our success in getting Elite Player
Performance Plan (EPPP) Category One status. "We have got classrooms at Rush
Green where the full-time boys (the Under-15s) are educated and as a thank
you to them we were more than happy to host the finals and give something
back to one of our club's local Boroughs. "It's fantastic that Rob, Leo and
Pelly came down. It's good for the schoolboys because it provides a little
inspiration to succeed for them to receive their medals from players they
have already seen playing for West Ham."
Raimes also revealed that the club's Academy scouts would be keeping a close
eye on the finals to unearth any diamonds who have yet to be signed by
professional clubs. "A few of our Academy boys were playing in the finals
for their schools and there were some boys from Dagenham and Redbridge, too,
so a lot of them have been picked up but there could be a few around there
who haven't been. "Our Academy head of recruitment has been having a look
because it's never too late to be spotted."
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Ruddock back with a bang
WHUFC.com
Pelly Ruddock is eyeing a productive end to the season after returning to
action against Arsenal
19.03.2013
Pelly Ruddock was all smiles after marking his return from injury in style,
as he laid on the equaliser for the Development Squad in a 1-1 Barclays
Under-21 Premier League Elite Group draw against Arsenal. The former Boreham
Wood youngster was forced to sit out the Hammers' away-days against
Manchester United and Liverpool, but was seemingly back to his bustling best
at the Boleyn Ground last Friday night, having been restored to his
preferred midfield role.
With 32 minutes on the clock, the fleet-footed 19-year-old skipped to the
by-line with the help of a step-over before whipping in a left-footed
centre, prompting Nico Yennaris to put through his own net. Ruddock rightly
took the acclaim from his teammates and is hoping to have a similarly
telling influence in the final third from here on in.
"I've been trying the step over in training so I thought I'd try it in a
match," he told West Ham TV. "I pulled it off and fortunately a goal came
from that. It was good in front of the fans at the Boleyn Ground. "The ball
came over and I was there at the back post. I just did a little skill and
crossed the ball in. I was expecting someone to get across the defender and
then it went in off the defender, so I'm claiming that. "I've not had so
many assists but I need to get among them and help the team score more
goals. Hopefully there will be more goals between now and the end of the
season."
Despite his all-action display, Ruddock subsequently admitted feeling the
pace against a fluent Arsenal side, though he expects it is only a matter of
time before he is back at full throttle. Meanwhile, having played much of
the campaign at centre-half, Ruddock embraced the relative freedom of a
midfield berth. "Having trained only the day before the game, it was a
hard match, they moved the ball about and kept the ball. It was hard and I
got cramp, so it was a tough game.
"I'm feeling good and fit, but just need to work on my stamina a little bit
and then hopefully press on. "It was good in midfield. You get more of the
ball and are able to drive at the defence and take some shots. I find you
get about the pitch more, so I enjoyed it."
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Hammers trial goalkeeper
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 19th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
Triallist Jordan Santiago played a full 90 minutes for a West Ham XI as they
beat a Queens Park Rangers XI 3-1. The 21-year-old Canadian, who spent four
years with Cardiff City before being released last summer featured as United
ran out 3-1 winners against an experienced Rangers team this afternoon. All
three goals on the day were scored by Blair Turgott; you may view highlights
from the game below (video courtesy of westham.tv). Also featuring in the
game as a second-half substitute was Dylan Tombides, West Ham's 19-year-old
striker who was making his first appearance for several months since
receiving further treatment for cancer.
West Ham Utd: Santiago, Spence, McCartney, Tomkins, Ruddock, Moncur, Taylor,
Turgott, Bywater, Chamakh, Paulista.
Subs: Baxter, Driver, Marlow, Shaw, D.Tombides.
QPR: Murphy, Young, Doughty, Derry, Onouha, Ehmer, Mackie, Granero,
Bothroyd, Taarabt, Hoilett.
Subs: Sutherland, Magri, Hitchcock, Brown, Shariff, Lumley.
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Are we just the new 'bitters'?
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 19th March 2013
By: Paul Walker
Recent events have left me wondering whether we have produced a generation
of 30-something fans so deprived of success over the last three decades,
that they have become bitter and twisted about everything and everybody.
I know I am embarking on a theme now that is risking me being on the wrong
end of all sorts of abuse, but here goes!
Why do some, maybe a small minority, throw coins at our former players, why
do they indulge in racist abuse, why are we accused of anti-sematic
chanting, why do we abuse our ex-players, why, why, why?
And why does the mere suggestion that Frank Lampard would be welcomed back
at the Boleyn produce such outrage? It ain't going to happen, of course,
because we could not begin to match his wages, and he'd be mad to consider
it when there's easy money in the US on hand.
But Karren Brady started it all by making the suggestion in her Sun column,
and Gary O'Neil then agreed it would be a good move.
Since then Frank has been bombarded with coins after scoring against us, and
O'Neil has been slaughtered on fans' websites for daring to suggest such as
thing. And during the last home game against Spurs, Scott Parker found
himself being booed throughout the game.
I will come to the thorny subject of how we treat our ex-players later, but
firstly I want to explore the reasons for the illegal behaviour some,
hopefully just a few, of our fans indulge in.
Up in Manchester where I live, United fans have long called City fans
'Bitter Blues' or just Bitters for short. It's all to do with City fans
spending so much time moaning and whining about Old Trafford's years of
success while City couldn't win a raffle without losing the ticket!
City fans respond by calling United's support 'Munichs', because they
believe that Old Trafford has dwelt on the 1958 disaster and turned it into
an industry of grief.
City's lot are not so bitter these days now they have trillions of pounds
and can match their local rivals and have started to win things.
Sadly we too have acquired a reputation for being bitter. All around us the
likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs (even Fulham have been to a European final)
have had plenty to celebrate. But we have had so little due to incompetent
management from the very top and a continued financial shambles.
We are a selling club. Our best young talents have been sold or wanted out
to further their careers, just like you and I would want to move on from a
small firm to a bigger one with more money if we had the chance. Nothing
wrong with that, unless you are a footballer and are branded disloyal.
So we end up with fans who are full of suppressed anger, bitterness at the
lack of success and intent on abusing anybody and everybody as they see fit.
I have never been embarrassed of my club, it has been my life, but sometimes
I am embarrassed by the antics of some of my fellow fans, and it does the
reputation of this club no good at all, giving the media plenty of easy
ammunition.
The defeat at Chelsea was depressing enough, beaten comfortably by a much
better team of expensive players. Just to get it into perspective, the
player who caused us the most trouble, Eden Hazard, cost more than twice as
much as the entire West Ham side that started the match.
We are a team of rejects, second division players or aging free transfers.
What do people expect? Our manager did not spend a penny in transfer fees in
the January window, and is now making noises about wanting big money to
rebuild the squad.
Sam knows what he has got, knows what he needs for the future and knows what
this group of players cannot achieve. We looked like a team that had played
just twice in the previous 33 days, and we were always going to be overrun
by a Chelsea side of such expense and talent.
Only the most unrealistic went to Stamford Bridge expecting anything
different to what happened. So many of our games over the recent years when
we have been in the top flight, have been like that.
So what do our fans do? They hurl coins at John Terry and Lampard, and now
we find that some of them been have been arrested and bailed, accused of
racial abuse. Our name is tarnished yet again, in the same season that we
have been accused of anti-sematic behaviour at Spurs - a police
investigation that is still on-going, while a couple of fans have already
had their collars felt after that and have been banned by our club.
Is all this driven by jealousy, or just bone-headed stupidity? We really
need to be above all this, there is too much hatred and bitterness. It does
the image of our club no good.
As does the way we treat our ex-players. Yes, I'd have Lampard back, we
could do with 200 goals from midfield. I'd welcome back Rio Ferdinand and
Michael Carrick, Glen Johnson too. Even Jermain Defoe and 'arry too. Because
they are all better than what we have and life is too short to bear grudges
for this long.
Lampard left because his father, one of our greatest-ever players, was
sacked along with his uncle. No wonder he was upset. Wouldn't you if your
relations were treated the way Terry Brown treated Redknapp and Lamps
senior?
Sure the kid made a few daft remarks, but he's had to face continued abuse
for 12 years now, for what? Being the unwilling victim of Brown's treatment
of his father.
And of course, our fans heap dogs abuse on Redknapp now at every
opportunity. Defoe left after a quick-fire transfer requested penned by his
agent. Ferdinand, Carrick and Johnson went to balance the books, as did Joe
Cole, and he has been welcomed back.
People say things when they are young, stupid things. I defy anyone not to
look back into their own past and not find something they wish they had not
done or said. Blimey, we are even abusing Paul Ince's son Tom now, and it
could have cost us the Play-Off Final.
He is just the sort of promising youngster we should be trying to sign. Fat
lot of chance with that one. And now Scott Parker is getting stick. I had
become almost immune to the abuse our ex-players get, so often does it
happen. But even I was surprised to hear Parker booed.
Yes, he joined our most hated enemy, I suppose he half expected it. But when
he was with us he gave everything, including the great goal against Wigan
that saved us the season before we were eventually relegated.
I am sure behind the scenes he made it clear he wanted out to protect his
England place and to prolong his Premier League career. But can anyone
really blame him?
Sadly he has become yet another scapegoat for the lack of success over the
last 30 years. Everyone gets booed, everyone gets the blame.
Liverpool fans have a way of welcoming back former players. If they like
them, the reception is stunning. If they don't - and Michael Own falls into
this category sometimes - they just ignore them, which must hurt even more.
Maybe we should try something similar.
But we all love Paolo, even though he went missing for a long spell during
the relegation season of 2003. And Carlos too, even though his transfer has
cost this club £30m plus. Is there not some twisted logic here somewhere?
Sadly, I feel the abuse aimed at our ex-players is now so ingrained into the
club's culture, that it just won't go away. But am I the only one who finds
it all now just a little tedious? It is all so counter-productive.
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West Ham midfielder Mark Noble is set to have an operation on his shoulder
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo. Last Updated: March
19, 2013 2:30pm
SSN
Sky Sports understands West Ham star Mark Noble is set to undergo shoulder
surgery which could rule him for the rest of the season. Noble has been
struggling with a trapped nerve in his shoulder and the midfielder's last
appearance came in the defeat at Aston Villa last month. West Ham were
hoping rest might help the injury, but they have now decided to send the
influential midfielder for an operation on his shoulder which is likely to
be on Wednesday. The operation is likely to rule Noble out for a month,
meaning he faces an uphill battle to return before the end of the campaign.
The news is a major blow for West Ham boss Sam Allardyce as the likes of
Kevin Nolan and Joe Cole are already on the sidelines as they look to secure
their Premier League survival.
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Matt Taylor is playing for West Ham despite a fractured jaw
Last Updated: March 19, 2013 9:19am
SSN
West Ham winger Matt Taylor has revealed he has been playing with a
fractured jaw in recent weeks. The 31-year-old suffered the injury after
receiving a boot in the face from Stoke's Peter Crouch earlier this month
but still played against Chelsea the following week. Taylor admits the
injury is still causing him problems but insists he is happy to play on
through the pain. "I have a small fracture in my jaw and it is a bit sore
now," said Taylor, quoted in the Daily Express. "But it is just one of those
things that will heal and I was given the choice whether I was happy to
continue playing with it and I was." The former Portsmouth man has played 21
Premier League games for the Hammers this season, scoring one goal.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Tuesday, March 19
Daily WHUFC News - 19th March 2013
Big Sam eyes big response
WHUFC.com
Big Sam sets target of claiming six points as quickly as possible for
Hammers to look upwards
18.03.2013
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce believes a further six points will secure their
Barclays Premier League position for another season. While goals from Frank
Lampard and Eden Hazard were sending West Ham to defeat at Chelsea on
Sunday, Wigan Athletic were registering a 2-1 win over Newcastle United.
That cut the Latics' deficit on the Hammers to six points, but Allardyce is
more concerned with his side fulfilling their targets, rather than the
issues of the clubs around them. The Hammers now face an international
break, but with a home fixture against West Bromwich Albion next on the
agenda, Big Sam wants the east Londoners to claim those six points as
quickly as possible. He said: "You're always looking at what could happen
and what couldn't, but my belief in our own record and our performances this
year say we're good enough to secure the points we need to be safe. "At the
end of the day it's not about Wigan being six points off us, it's about us
getting to 39 points. It wouldn't matter what Wigan do then or anybody else.
Not all of them will get to 39 points and that's us. Our concern is, forget
about what's happening down below - and I know it's difficult, but the
bottom line is, no matter how they get on, you get to 39 points or more and
you're all right."
Allardyce was left frustrated as his side drew a blank at Stamford Bridge,
especially as he felt they had created enough openings to worry the hosts a
little more. However, he did concede that an attacking performance from the
Blues, led by the outstanding Eden Hazard, was difficult to counter. He
continued: "We know we've got the talent, and I want the talent to be
maximised every game. I don't want them to underperform because I don't
think they should. I want them to maximise their performances whoever
they're playing and if the best isn't quite good enough at the end of the
day, then fair enough. "To ask a team who are newly promoted into the
Premier League to beat a top four team twice is a pretty big ask isn't it?
So, we have to be well satisfied that we actually beat Chelsea at our place
3-1 earlier in the season and on Sunday we weren't good enough to take
anything from the game."
With two weeks between games, Allardyce is hoping to use the break to nurse
some of his walking wounded back to fitness. He added: "It's always
important to get the players who are injured back. Those three [Joe Cole,
Kevin Nolan and Mark Noble] would have probably been on the teamsheet from
the start on Sunday, so while there's only three injuries, it's to three key
players for us at the moment. "I think that Mark Noble is the biggest worry
because he's had a recurrence of the injury we thought we had cleared up
after a four-week rest. That's a major problem for us. Nolan is a broken toe
and Joe's is a slight hamstring, and I'd expect him to be fully fit and
available for West Brom."
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'We win and lose as a team'
WHUFC.com
Jussi Jaaskelainen said team spirit is strong despite Sunday's 2-0 defeat at
Chelsea
18.03.2013
Jussi Jaaskelainen says West Ham United's team spirit remains strong,
despite Sunday's 2-0 Barclays Premier League defeat at Chelsea. The stopper
was again at the top of his game, making a host of fine saves, but the
Hammers were unable to take advantage as they passed up a succession of
opportunities to beat his opposite number Petr Cech. Andy Carroll had one
goal disallowed and had four other efforts, while substitute Carlton Cole
was denied by the Czech late on. "We did create quite a lot of chances but
we need to be a bit more ruthless and punish our opponents by getting that
one goal or two goals because it would make a massive difference to how we
could play," the No22 told West Ham TV. "We just need to be more ruthless -
otherwise we played quite well.
"I always think we win as a team and we lose as a team. If we don't score
goals it's much the same as if we are conceding goals - it doesn't make any
difference. It's all about how we perform as a team and how we're going to
get points."
The Finn did appreciate, however, just how difficult it was for his
team-mates to keep tabs on Chelsea's outstanding midfield of Eden Hazard,
Juan Mata, Victor Moses and Frank Lampard, who opened the scoring with his
200th goal for Chelsea midway through the first half. Hazard himself added
an individual second after the break to make the game safe. Indeed, Chelsea
could have added to their tally had Jaaskelainen not made two outstanding
saves from former Hammer Demba Ba and a deflected effort from Hazard. "Mata
and Hazard are top-class players but the way we kept the ball in the first
half wasn't good enough because we gave them chances. We were a little bit
lucky not to concede more. In patches, we kept the ball well and created
chances. "We just have to keep going. We have a weekend off now and then we
have to go again in a massive game against West Brom in two weeks' time."
The reigning SBOBET Player of the Month continued his recent fine form with
a succession of saves and catches, but Jaaskelainen was typically modest
when asked about his own performance. "It's my job and if I didn't make
those saves then somebody else would be there in my place. That's my job. We
just need to go away and get that first goal and that will help us to win
games. The key point is that when we get the chance away from home, we have
to take it,.
"It would have been nice to get back-to-back wins and get a double over
Chelsea, but now we know we have performed well in the home games and we
have to keep that level up when West Brom come."
After an unwelcome 15-day break following the 1-0 win at Stoke City on 2
March, West Ham now have 13 days to prepare for the visit of West Bromwich
Albion. This time around, however, Jaaskelainen said the squad would welcome
the opportunity to get injured players back into the fold before a vital
meeting with the Baggies. "Sometimes you don't want to have a break - after
the Stoke game we thought it would be great to have a game the next week.
Now it comes at a good time because we'll get three or four players back in
and we'll be stronger. Hopefully we can benefit from that. "We just need to
make sure we prepare well for the game and we look at what we need to do
tactically against them to beat them. We need to keep a clean sheet and
build from there,
"At the end of the day, we just need to get a positive result in our next
home game."
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Loanee round-up
WHUFc.com
Stephen Henderson kept a clean sheet as Ipswich Town recorded a 1-0 win over
Bolton on Saturday
18.03.2013
It was a busy weekend for West Ham United's trio of loan stars in the npower
Football League, with Stephen Henderson excelling in Ipswich Town's 1-0
Championship victory over Bolton Wanderers. The young Hammers goalkeeper is
in his second loan spell of the season with the Tractor Boys and Saturday's
shutout was his second in succession. Ipswich's three-point haul was a
welcome one, as it maintained their four-point advantage over Peterborough
United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the relegation zone, who also both
triumphed over the weekend.
Staying in the second tier, Ravel Morrison, who is on a season-long loan at
Birmingham City, was involved in a winning effort on Saturday too. The
20-year-old played the 90 minutes as Lee Clark's Blues won by the only goal
at Middlesbrough. The St Andrew's club are safely in mid-table at present,
ten points off the play-offs but seven clear of relegation.
In League 2, Paul McCallum's Aldershot Town suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to
his former loan outfit AFC Wimbledon. The striker played 45 minutes and has
scored one goal in three games since joining the Shots earlier this month.
Over the Channel, Alou Diarra played an hour in Rennes' 1-0 defeat away at
Reims in the French Ligue Un. Mohamed Fofana scored the only goal of the
game to leave Rennes tenth in the table, seven points behind the European
places.
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Ladies frustrated in Essex derby
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies paid the penalty for a missed spot-kick in a 1-1 draw
with Colchester United
18.03.2013
West Ham United Ladies missed the chance to keep pace with FA Womens Premier
League South leaders Millwall Lionesses, as they were held to a 1-1 draw
with Essex rivals Colchester United. At a sodden Ship Lane, the contest
was to hinge on three penalties, as Julia Setford's side had to battle from
a goal down to claim a share of the spoils. The struggling U's broke the
deadlock just five minutes prior to the interval, as Karissa Rodney went to
ground in the area. Maegan Doyle was charged with the responsibility from
the spot and duly slotted home. West Ham, however, were to reply before the
half was out, in the fifth minute of additional time, no less. A right-wing
cross struck the arm of Megan Lawler, enabling Becky Merritt to level
matters, as she slammed her spot-kick off the underside of the bar to notch
her ninth of the campaign. In unrelenting rain, the Hammers were handed the
chance to complete the turnaround, as Lindsey Morgan was impeded by Megan
Jiggins. Merritt again stepped up from 12 yards, but this time her strike
came crashing back off the bar. It was to prove a costly miss, as West Ham
would ultimately have to settle for the point, a second draw in as many
weeks. The frustrating stalemate leaves Setford's side in fourth, some ten
points behind frontrunners Millwall, albeit with two games in hand. Next up
for the Ladies is a trip to Tadley Cavella for Sunday's crunch clash with
second-placed Reading, the first of back-to-back meetings with the Berkshire
club.
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West Ham fans arrested over Chelsea match race offences
BBC.co.uk
Two West Ham fans have been arrested over racially-aggravated public order
offences following Sunday's Premier League match against Chelsea. The men
have been released on bail until later this month, the Met said. The arrests
come as the police force launched a separate investigation after coins were
thrown when Frank Lampard scored his 200th goal for Chelsea. As Lampard
celebrated with substitute John Terry, objects were thrown from the crowd in
their direction. The incidents took place as the two sides clashed lashed in
the London derby match at Stamford Bridge in west London, which Chelsea won
2-0.
Officers are studying CCTV footage from the stadium and no arrests have been
made as yet over the coin throwing. The Football Association said it would
liaise with the police and the two clubs involved. Nine years ago England
midfielder Lampard, who moved to Chelsea from West Ham in 2001, was hit by a
coin during a League Cup tie between the clubs.
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Allardyce disputes Carroll call
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 18th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
A naturally disappointed Sam Allardyce slammed referee Michael Oliver for
ruling out what appeared to be a perfectly legitimate 'goal' by Andy
Carroll.
Carroll appeared to have scored an equaliser just three minutes after
Chelsea had taken the lead in yesterday's Premier League London derby at
Stamford Bridge, when he bundled the ball over the line having shaken off
the attention of defender David Luiz. However Luiz's theatrical fall was
enough to convince match official Oliver that a foul has been committed,
resulting in the strike being chalked off and a free kick given to the home
side - something that infuriated Allardyce. "I thought the free kick on
[David] Luiz was a soft one, when Andy scored," said Allardyce. "If that had
happened outside the box I think the referee would have waved play on. "But
losing at Stamford Bridge is not going to define our season, and it wasn't
so long ago we were celebrating beating Chelsea. Beating them once in a
season is enough, beating them twice is getting a bit greedy."
It was the second time this season that Allardyce was left to question the
validity of a referee's decision against Chelsea this season after Kevin
Nolan saw an effort ruled out in the corresponding fixture at the Boleyn
Ground back in December. However he admitted that even if the goal had been
allowed to stand, his team were very much second-best on the day. "Sometimes
you come to places like this and you have to hope their top players are not
quite 'on song', but today young [Eden] Hazard made life extremely difficult
for us all the way through," he continued. "The quality of the players in
that area - [Juan] Mata as well, with the support of Frank Lampard - was too
much for us on the day, as hard as we tried. "We had a couple of chances and
when you get them at Stamford Bridge, you've got to try and put them in the
net. We didn't do that and we've suffered for it in the end. They deserved
to win, they were better on the day and we have to accept that."
Allardyce also has a special word of praise for the revitalised Jussi
Jaaskelainen, who made a string of fine saves during the game. "Most of the
time, particularly at home, he hasn't had a lot to do this season," said
Allardyce. "But when we needed him, he's kept us in the game."
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Addicted to drama?
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 18th March 2013
By: Tim Keen
West Ham fans have an addiction to excitement. Just as the vast majority of
fans want to be entertained, supporters of West Ham United are no different.
However the West Ham fan's addiction is not just to entertainment; we are
also hooked on drama.
The recent history of the club is such that we have become used to being
relegated or narrowly avoiding such tragedy in highly dramatic
circumstances. We have been winning promotion at Wembley or Cardiff or being
denied that uncontainable joy. There was also the small matter of last
minute disappointment in the FA Cup Final in an almost unimaginable finale.
As fans we have become so familiar with these epic struggles that cause
anxiety and joy in almost equal measure that we have forgotten what the
normality of being a football fan feels like.
West Ham have seen involvement in end of season relegation, promotion or FA
Cup drama in all but two of the last ten seasons. It has become normal for a
season finale to be high-pressured and adrenalin inducing. Each and every
game matters, in many cases to the very last game or minute.
We've spent the majority of the last decade being dragged along on a
footballing rollercoaster and experienced the extremes of emotions as a
result. The exhilaration has become not an incidental occurrence, but our
staple diet.
In addition to the on-field theatre, there has been no shortage of
restlessness behind the scenes also. We've seen a manager collapse with a
brain tumour that brought about the return of a Hammers legend, a dream-like
Icelandic takeover that after its initial promise soon brought about
horrific consequences.
And then there was Carlos Tevez - who can forget the day he signed along
with Javier Mascherano? - the Argentinian genius who helped keep us up but
whose third-party ownership dragged the club's reputation through the mire,
the cost of which is still impacting the club's finances today.
The only period of our recent history in which saw a glimpse of stability
was under Alan Curbishley. After keeping us up he then set about using the
Icelandic money to turn us into a solid mid-table team, but we were
dismissive of the style in which he achieved the stability that the club
needed and he was largely derided.
The football may not have been what we had hoped for under Curbishley but
perhaps we got a bit greedy, perhaps we were a little bored when he didn't
keep up the drama we had grown accustomed to. Perhaps under Sam Allardyce we
have become ever so greedy and slightly bored again?
The nature of the modern day top-division in English football is that only a
select handful of teams can win it. The rich are getting richer and more
dominant across European football. Several sides have the resources to be in
the chasing pack; they won't win, but they won't go down. Then there are the
rest who compete for the scraps from the table and a slice of glory in one
of the cups.
As dedicated followers of the club we have the right to be disappointed with
the style of football, though possibly not as critical of it as some have
been. We are entitled to be frustrated at the neglect shown towards cup
competitions, though maybe not surprised at the prioritising of the league
by the manager.
Amongst all the unrest though, there is a real danger of failing to
appreciate what we do have and where we have come from.
2012/13 could be a season where we are not looking over our shoulders with
trepidation at the relegation zone and may even finish in a comfortable
mid-table position. That is in stark contrast with the final seasons of
Gianfranco Zola and Avram Grant's tenures (35 and 33 points respectively).
If a mid-table finish is seen by many as mediocre then it is significant to
note that mediocrity is not a quality restricted to Sam Allardyce, it is the
reality for many in the Premier League, and indeed numerous clubs crave it
including recently promoted clubs. We can hope for more, but how much more
can we realistically expect?
How much does the modern day Premier League allow us? The qualities of
stability, hard-work and organisation are being devalued in football,
players and managers that do their jobs are under-rated compared to the
set-piece specialist who can't defend or the boss who has flair but no
substance.
Society has become more demanding, every supporter has an opinion and they
can voice it through social media and on forums. 24-hour sports news means
there is a desire for stories to fill the minutes and football fans are in
need of constant entertainment, we'd almost rather have 'fake' news than no
news at all.
This all leads to over-analysis; football forums are able to debate the
detail of every game, of every selection and each decision by the manager.
As a result there are more knee-jerk reactions and less patience afforded.
If there is a brief period of inactivity in the transfer window then there
is not understanding of why, there are questions about the club's entire
transfer policy. After a defeat there is not sympathy for the difficult
choices being made with limited resources, but huge criticism of the
approach and tactics.
So at a time when the football supporter has become more demanding, the
football world and particularly the Premier League has become less generous.
It charges more for less. As West Ham fans we want entertainment, success
and we've become used to the drama, but achieving that has become harder and
there are plenty of other clubs trying to achieve the same with varying
degrees of success.
For Swansea City read Leeds United, for Stoke City read Wolverhampton
Wanderers. Every club, bar a select few, are toeing the line and flirt with
success and financial meltdown in equal measure if they get the balance
wrong.
The concern is that at West Ham we are creating a desire for change almost
because we want to see what happens. We are failing to appreciate what we
have achieved, how far we have come and that it may not be glamorous - but
the stability that the manager has instilled does in fact represent a form
of success.
Our rose-tinted specs think back to good times under Curbishley, Zola and
even Avram Grant and we think that maybe it would be different and better if
there was managerial change.
Do we want Di Canio? There are no guarantees about what he will bring to the
club, all we do know is that it will be different to Sam Allardyce and
because of our recent history there is a craving for more from our football
team.
We don't want mediocre, we want drama and excitement. Mid-table security is
too normal for a set of fans that have forgotten what normal is in football
and actually what represents success.
It would be a terrible shame for a manager to have regained West Ham's
Premier League status, and re-establish the club in the division to then be
shown the door. Allardyce has won promotion and in the process instilled
organisation, a strong work-ethic, as well as some stability. He deserves
far more appreciation than he has so far been afforded.
We've been used to the drama, to the emotion, the roller-coaster ride and to
dismiss the manager because we have become restless and maybe a little bored
would be a mistake. As fans we have forgotten that having a season or two,
or even three of normality is not such a terrible thing.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Stevens says fans caught
throwing missiles to be dealt with
Last Updated: March 18, 2013 1:52pm
SSN
Former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Stevens says any supporters
caught throwing missiles onto football pitches or at players will be
punished by the full force of the law. Lord Stevens, speaking to Sky Sports
News HD in Doha at the start of the International Centre for Sport Security
summit, was unequivocal in his condemnation of coin throwing during the
Premier League London derby between hosts Chelsea and visiting West Ham at
Stamford Bridge. West Ham fans threw missiles onto the pitch after their
former player Frank Lampard celebrated his early opener with his Chelsea
team-mates, including club captain John Terry, in the 2-0 home victory. The
Hammers have revealed on their club website that they will assist Chelsea in
an investigation into the incident, while the Met Police have launched a
probe of their own. Stevens said: "Those people who have thrown those coins
are basically in possession of an offensive weapon let alone offences
against a public order act. "Those people need to be identified, and dealt
with by the criminal courts. The technology that's available for that is
considerable. "All of those spectators will be CCTV and it's just a matter
of identifying them and then dealing with them."
Asked whether he wouldd like to see netting at grounds to try and stop the
coins reaching pitchside, Stevens added: "Absolutely not. I think if you do
that you've actually given in to a very, very small minority "It'd be
horrible to see netting in front of you at a football match, cricket match
or tennis match. That's the last thing we should be doing. Let's deal with
those people who decided to throw coins and inflict, on occasions, some
serious injury on people."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chelsea v West Ham: Police arrest two men on alleged racially aggravated
public order offences
Last Updated: March 18, 2013 5:52pm
SSN
Police are investigating several ugly incidents that took place during
Chelsea's 2-0 derby victory over West Ham at Stamford Bridge. Sunday's clash
was decided by goals for Frank Lampard and Eden Hazard - but focus has since
fallen on the behaviour of fans during the game. Police are in the process
of investigating what appeared to be a hail of coins thrown in Lampard's
direction as he celebrated the opener - and have already made two arrests
regarding alleged racially aggravated public order offences. A Met Police
spokesperson said: "We are investigating instances of coin-throwing at
Chelsea versus West Ham on Sunday, March 17. There have been no arrests.
Inquiries continue."
A West Ham statement read: "West Ham United will be working with Chelsea to
investigate the reports of missile throwing during Sunday's game at Stamford
Bridge. "Any individual found to have acted in an inappropriate way will
have to face the consequences of their actions." The fixture has a history
of coin-throwing incidents; Mateja Kezman was struck by a coin in October
2004 while playing for Chelsea against West Ham in a League Cup tie.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Big Sam sets target of claiming six points as quickly as possible for
Hammers to look upwards
18.03.2013
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce believes a further six points will secure their
Barclays Premier League position for another season. While goals from Frank
Lampard and Eden Hazard were sending West Ham to defeat at Chelsea on
Sunday, Wigan Athletic were registering a 2-1 win over Newcastle United.
That cut the Latics' deficit on the Hammers to six points, but Allardyce is
more concerned with his side fulfilling their targets, rather than the
issues of the clubs around them. The Hammers now face an international
break, but with a home fixture against West Bromwich Albion next on the
agenda, Big Sam wants the east Londoners to claim those six points as
quickly as possible. He said: "You're always looking at what could happen
and what couldn't, but my belief in our own record and our performances this
year say we're good enough to secure the points we need to be safe. "At the
end of the day it's not about Wigan being six points off us, it's about us
getting to 39 points. It wouldn't matter what Wigan do then or anybody else.
Not all of them will get to 39 points and that's us. Our concern is, forget
about what's happening down below - and I know it's difficult, but the
bottom line is, no matter how they get on, you get to 39 points or more and
you're all right."
Allardyce was left frustrated as his side drew a blank at Stamford Bridge,
especially as he felt they had created enough openings to worry the hosts a
little more. However, he did concede that an attacking performance from the
Blues, led by the outstanding Eden Hazard, was difficult to counter. He
continued: "We know we've got the talent, and I want the talent to be
maximised every game. I don't want them to underperform because I don't
think they should. I want them to maximise their performances whoever
they're playing and if the best isn't quite good enough at the end of the
day, then fair enough. "To ask a team who are newly promoted into the
Premier League to beat a top four team twice is a pretty big ask isn't it?
So, we have to be well satisfied that we actually beat Chelsea at our place
3-1 earlier in the season and on Sunday we weren't good enough to take
anything from the game."
With two weeks between games, Allardyce is hoping to use the break to nurse
some of his walking wounded back to fitness. He added: "It's always
important to get the players who are injured back. Those three [Joe Cole,
Kevin Nolan and Mark Noble] would have probably been on the teamsheet from
the start on Sunday, so while there's only three injuries, it's to three key
players for us at the moment. "I think that Mark Noble is the biggest worry
because he's had a recurrence of the injury we thought we had cleared up
after a four-week rest. That's a major problem for us. Nolan is a broken toe
and Joe's is a slight hamstring, and I'd expect him to be fully fit and
available for West Brom."
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'We win and lose as a team'
WHUFC.com
Jussi Jaaskelainen said team spirit is strong despite Sunday's 2-0 defeat at
Chelsea
18.03.2013
Jussi Jaaskelainen says West Ham United's team spirit remains strong,
despite Sunday's 2-0 Barclays Premier League defeat at Chelsea. The stopper
was again at the top of his game, making a host of fine saves, but the
Hammers were unable to take advantage as they passed up a succession of
opportunities to beat his opposite number Petr Cech. Andy Carroll had one
goal disallowed and had four other efforts, while substitute Carlton Cole
was denied by the Czech late on. "We did create quite a lot of chances but
we need to be a bit more ruthless and punish our opponents by getting that
one goal or two goals because it would make a massive difference to how we
could play," the No22 told West Ham TV. "We just need to be more ruthless -
otherwise we played quite well.
"I always think we win as a team and we lose as a team. If we don't score
goals it's much the same as if we are conceding goals - it doesn't make any
difference. It's all about how we perform as a team and how we're going to
get points."
The Finn did appreciate, however, just how difficult it was for his
team-mates to keep tabs on Chelsea's outstanding midfield of Eden Hazard,
Juan Mata, Victor Moses and Frank Lampard, who opened the scoring with his
200th goal for Chelsea midway through the first half. Hazard himself added
an individual second after the break to make the game safe. Indeed, Chelsea
could have added to their tally had Jaaskelainen not made two outstanding
saves from former Hammer Demba Ba and a deflected effort from Hazard. "Mata
and Hazard are top-class players but the way we kept the ball in the first
half wasn't good enough because we gave them chances. We were a little bit
lucky not to concede more. In patches, we kept the ball well and created
chances. "We just have to keep going. We have a weekend off now and then we
have to go again in a massive game against West Brom in two weeks' time."
The reigning SBOBET Player of the Month continued his recent fine form with
a succession of saves and catches, but Jaaskelainen was typically modest
when asked about his own performance. "It's my job and if I didn't make
those saves then somebody else would be there in my place. That's my job. We
just need to go away and get that first goal and that will help us to win
games. The key point is that when we get the chance away from home, we have
to take it,.
"It would have been nice to get back-to-back wins and get a double over
Chelsea, but now we know we have performed well in the home games and we
have to keep that level up when West Brom come."
After an unwelcome 15-day break following the 1-0 win at Stoke City on 2
March, West Ham now have 13 days to prepare for the visit of West Bromwich
Albion. This time around, however, Jaaskelainen said the squad would welcome
the opportunity to get injured players back into the fold before a vital
meeting with the Baggies. "Sometimes you don't want to have a break - after
the Stoke game we thought it would be great to have a game the next week.
Now it comes at a good time because we'll get three or four players back in
and we'll be stronger. Hopefully we can benefit from that. "We just need to
make sure we prepare well for the game and we look at what we need to do
tactically against them to beat them. We need to keep a clean sheet and
build from there,
"At the end of the day, we just need to get a positive result in our next
home game."
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Loanee round-up
WHUFc.com
Stephen Henderson kept a clean sheet as Ipswich Town recorded a 1-0 win over
Bolton on Saturday
18.03.2013
It was a busy weekend for West Ham United's trio of loan stars in the npower
Football League, with Stephen Henderson excelling in Ipswich Town's 1-0
Championship victory over Bolton Wanderers. The young Hammers goalkeeper is
in his second loan spell of the season with the Tractor Boys and Saturday's
shutout was his second in succession. Ipswich's three-point haul was a
welcome one, as it maintained their four-point advantage over Peterborough
United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the relegation zone, who also both
triumphed over the weekend.
Staying in the second tier, Ravel Morrison, who is on a season-long loan at
Birmingham City, was involved in a winning effort on Saturday too. The
20-year-old played the 90 minutes as Lee Clark's Blues won by the only goal
at Middlesbrough. The St Andrew's club are safely in mid-table at present,
ten points off the play-offs but seven clear of relegation.
In League 2, Paul McCallum's Aldershot Town suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to
his former loan outfit AFC Wimbledon. The striker played 45 minutes and has
scored one goal in three games since joining the Shots earlier this month.
Over the Channel, Alou Diarra played an hour in Rennes' 1-0 defeat away at
Reims in the French Ligue Un. Mohamed Fofana scored the only goal of the
game to leave Rennes tenth in the table, seven points behind the European
places.
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Ladies frustrated in Essex derby
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies paid the penalty for a missed spot-kick in a 1-1 draw
with Colchester United
18.03.2013
West Ham United Ladies missed the chance to keep pace with FA Womens Premier
League South leaders Millwall Lionesses, as they were held to a 1-1 draw
with Essex rivals Colchester United. At a sodden Ship Lane, the contest
was to hinge on three penalties, as Julia Setford's side had to battle from
a goal down to claim a share of the spoils. The struggling U's broke the
deadlock just five minutes prior to the interval, as Karissa Rodney went to
ground in the area. Maegan Doyle was charged with the responsibility from
the spot and duly slotted home. West Ham, however, were to reply before the
half was out, in the fifth minute of additional time, no less. A right-wing
cross struck the arm of Megan Lawler, enabling Becky Merritt to level
matters, as she slammed her spot-kick off the underside of the bar to notch
her ninth of the campaign. In unrelenting rain, the Hammers were handed the
chance to complete the turnaround, as Lindsey Morgan was impeded by Megan
Jiggins. Merritt again stepped up from 12 yards, but this time her strike
came crashing back off the bar. It was to prove a costly miss, as West Ham
would ultimately have to settle for the point, a second draw in as many
weeks. The frustrating stalemate leaves Setford's side in fourth, some ten
points behind frontrunners Millwall, albeit with two games in hand. Next up
for the Ladies is a trip to Tadley Cavella for Sunday's crunch clash with
second-placed Reading, the first of back-to-back meetings with the Berkshire
club.
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West Ham fans arrested over Chelsea match race offences
BBC.co.uk
Two West Ham fans have been arrested over racially-aggravated public order
offences following Sunday's Premier League match against Chelsea. The men
have been released on bail until later this month, the Met said. The arrests
come as the police force launched a separate investigation after coins were
thrown when Frank Lampard scored his 200th goal for Chelsea. As Lampard
celebrated with substitute John Terry, objects were thrown from the crowd in
their direction. The incidents took place as the two sides clashed lashed in
the London derby match at Stamford Bridge in west London, which Chelsea won
2-0.
Officers are studying CCTV footage from the stadium and no arrests have been
made as yet over the coin throwing. The Football Association said it would
liaise with the police and the two clubs involved. Nine years ago England
midfielder Lampard, who moved to Chelsea from West Ham in 2001, was hit by a
coin during a League Cup tie between the clubs.
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Allardyce disputes Carroll call
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 18th March 2013
By: Staff Writer
A naturally disappointed Sam Allardyce slammed referee Michael Oliver for
ruling out what appeared to be a perfectly legitimate 'goal' by Andy
Carroll.
Carroll appeared to have scored an equaliser just three minutes after
Chelsea had taken the lead in yesterday's Premier League London derby at
Stamford Bridge, when he bundled the ball over the line having shaken off
the attention of defender David Luiz. However Luiz's theatrical fall was
enough to convince match official Oliver that a foul has been committed,
resulting in the strike being chalked off and a free kick given to the home
side - something that infuriated Allardyce. "I thought the free kick on
[David] Luiz was a soft one, when Andy scored," said Allardyce. "If that had
happened outside the box I think the referee would have waved play on. "But
losing at Stamford Bridge is not going to define our season, and it wasn't
so long ago we were celebrating beating Chelsea. Beating them once in a
season is enough, beating them twice is getting a bit greedy."
It was the second time this season that Allardyce was left to question the
validity of a referee's decision against Chelsea this season after Kevin
Nolan saw an effort ruled out in the corresponding fixture at the Boleyn
Ground back in December. However he admitted that even if the goal had been
allowed to stand, his team were very much second-best on the day. "Sometimes
you come to places like this and you have to hope their top players are not
quite 'on song', but today young [Eden] Hazard made life extremely difficult
for us all the way through," he continued. "The quality of the players in
that area - [Juan] Mata as well, with the support of Frank Lampard - was too
much for us on the day, as hard as we tried. "We had a couple of chances and
when you get them at Stamford Bridge, you've got to try and put them in the
net. We didn't do that and we've suffered for it in the end. They deserved
to win, they were better on the day and we have to accept that."
Allardyce also has a special word of praise for the revitalised Jussi
Jaaskelainen, who made a string of fine saves during the game. "Most of the
time, particularly at home, he hasn't had a lot to do this season," said
Allardyce. "But when we needed him, he's kept us in the game."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Addicted to drama?
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 18th March 2013
By: Tim Keen
West Ham fans have an addiction to excitement. Just as the vast majority of
fans want to be entertained, supporters of West Ham United are no different.
However the West Ham fan's addiction is not just to entertainment; we are
also hooked on drama.
The recent history of the club is such that we have become used to being
relegated or narrowly avoiding such tragedy in highly dramatic
circumstances. We have been winning promotion at Wembley or Cardiff or being
denied that uncontainable joy. There was also the small matter of last
minute disappointment in the FA Cup Final in an almost unimaginable finale.
As fans we have become so familiar with these epic struggles that cause
anxiety and joy in almost equal measure that we have forgotten what the
normality of being a football fan feels like.
West Ham have seen involvement in end of season relegation, promotion or FA
Cup drama in all but two of the last ten seasons. It has become normal for a
season finale to be high-pressured and adrenalin inducing. Each and every
game matters, in many cases to the very last game or minute.
We've spent the majority of the last decade being dragged along on a
footballing rollercoaster and experienced the extremes of emotions as a
result. The exhilaration has become not an incidental occurrence, but our
staple diet.
In addition to the on-field theatre, there has been no shortage of
restlessness behind the scenes also. We've seen a manager collapse with a
brain tumour that brought about the return of a Hammers legend, a dream-like
Icelandic takeover that after its initial promise soon brought about
horrific consequences.
And then there was Carlos Tevez - who can forget the day he signed along
with Javier Mascherano? - the Argentinian genius who helped keep us up but
whose third-party ownership dragged the club's reputation through the mire,
the cost of which is still impacting the club's finances today.
The only period of our recent history in which saw a glimpse of stability
was under Alan Curbishley. After keeping us up he then set about using the
Icelandic money to turn us into a solid mid-table team, but we were
dismissive of the style in which he achieved the stability that the club
needed and he was largely derided.
The football may not have been what we had hoped for under Curbishley but
perhaps we got a bit greedy, perhaps we were a little bored when he didn't
keep up the drama we had grown accustomed to. Perhaps under Sam Allardyce we
have become ever so greedy and slightly bored again?
The nature of the modern day top-division in English football is that only a
select handful of teams can win it. The rich are getting richer and more
dominant across European football. Several sides have the resources to be in
the chasing pack; they won't win, but they won't go down. Then there are the
rest who compete for the scraps from the table and a slice of glory in one
of the cups.
As dedicated followers of the club we have the right to be disappointed with
the style of football, though possibly not as critical of it as some have
been. We are entitled to be frustrated at the neglect shown towards cup
competitions, though maybe not surprised at the prioritising of the league
by the manager.
Amongst all the unrest though, there is a real danger of failing to
appreciate what we do have and where we have come from.
2012/13 could be a season where we are not looking over our shoulders with
trepidation at the relegation zone and may even finish in a comfortable
mid-table position. That is in stark contrast with the final seasons of
Gianfranco Zola and Avram Grant's tenures (35 and 33 points respectively).
If a mid-table finish is seen by many as mediocre then it is significant to
note that mediocrity is not a quality restricted to Sam Allardyce, it is the
reality for many in the Premier League, and indeed numerous clubs crave it
including recently promoted clubs. We can hope for more, but how much more
can we realistically expect?
How much does the modern day Premier League allow us? The qualities of
stability, hard-work and organisation are being devalued in football,
players and managers that do their jobs are under-rated compared to the
set-piece specialist who can't defend or the boss who has flair but no
substance.
Society has become more demanding, every supporter has an opinion and they
can voice it through social media and on forums. 24-hour sports news means
there is a desire for stories to fill the minutes and football fans are in
need of constant entertainment, we'd almost rather have 'fake' news than no
news at all.
This all leads to over-analysis; football forums are able to debate the
detail of every game, of every selection and each decision by the manager.
As a result there are more knee-jerk reactions and less patience afforded.
If there is a brief period of inactivity in the transfer window then there
is not understanding of why, there are questions about the club's entire
transfer policy. After a defeat there is not sympathy for the difficult
choices being made with limited resources, but huge criticism of the
approach and tactics.
So at a time when the football supporter has become more demanding, the
football world and particularly the Premier League has become less generous.
It charges more for less. As West Ham fans we want entertainment, success
and we've become used to the drama, but achieving that has become harder and
there are plenty of other clubs trying to achieve the same with varying
degrees of success.
For Swansea City read Leeds United, for Stoke City read Wolverhampton
Wanderers. Every club, bar a select few, are toeing the line and flirt with
success and financial meltdown in equal measure if they get the balance
wrong.
The concern is that at West Ham we are creating a desire for change almost
because we want to see what happens. We are failing to appreciate what we
have achieved, how far we have come and that it may not be glamorous - but
the stability that the manager has instilled does in fact represent a form
of success.
Our rose-tinted specs think back to good times under Curbishley, Zola and
even Avram Grant and we think that maybe it would be different and better if
there was managerial change.
Do we want Di Canio? There are no guarantees about what he will bring to the
club, all we do know is that it will be different to Sam Allardyce and
because of our recent history there is a craving for more from our football
team.
We don't want mediocre, we want drama and excitement. Mid-table security is
too normal for a set of fans that have forgotten what normal is in football
and actually what represents success.
It would be a terrible shame for a manager to have regained West Ham's
Premier League status, and re-establish the club in the division to then be
shown the door. Allardyce has won promotion and in the process instilled
organisation, a strong work-ethic, as well as some stability. He deserves
far more appreciation than he has so far been afforded.
We've been used to the drama, to the emotion, the roller-coaster ride and to
dismiss the manager because we have become restless and maybe a little bored
would be a mistake. As fans we have forgotten that having a season or two,
or even three of normality is not such a terrible thing.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Stevens says fans caught
throwing missiles to be dealt with
Last Updated: March 18, 2013 1:52pm
SSN
Former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Stevens says any supporters
caught throwing missiles onto football pitches or at players will be
punished by the full force of the law. Lord Stevens, speaking to Sky Sports
News HD in Doha at the start of the International Centre for Sport Security
summit, was unequivocal in his condemnation of coin throwing during the
Premier League London derby between hosts Chelsea and visiting West Ham at
Stamford Bridge. West Ham fans threw missiles onto the pitch after their
former player Frank Lampard celebrated his early opener with his Chelsea
team-mates, including club captain John Terry, in the 2-0 home victory. The
Hammers have revealed on their club website that they will assist Chelsea in
an investigation into the incident, while the Met Police have launched a
probe of their own. Stevens said: "Those people who have thrown those coins
are basically in possession of an offensive weapon let alone offences
against a public order act. "Those people need to be identified, and dealt
with by the criminal courts. The technology that's available for that is
considerable. "All of those spectators will be CCTV and it's just a matter
of identifying them and then dealing with them."
Asked whether he wouldd like to see netting at grounds to try and stop the
coins reaching pitchside, Stevens added: "Absolutely not. I think if you do
that you've actually given in to a very, very small minority "It'd be
horrible to see netting in front of you at a football match, cricket match
or tennis match. That's the last thing we should be doing. Let's deal with
those people who decided to throw coins and inflict, on occasions, some
serious injury on people."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chelsea v West Ham: Police arrest two men on alleged racially aggravated
public order offences
Last Updated: March 18, 2013 5:52pm
SSN
Police are investigating several ugly incidents that took place during
Chelsea's 2-0 derby victory over West Ham at Stamford Bridge. Sunday's clash
was decided by goals for Frank Lampard and Eden Hazard - but focus has since
fallen on the behaviour of fans during the game. Police are in the process
of investigating what appeared to be a hail of coins thrown in Lampard's
direction as he celebrated the opener - and have already made two arrests
regarding alleged racially aggravated public order offences. A Met Police
spokesperson said: "We are investigating instances of coin-throwing at
Chelsea versus West Ham on Sunday, March 17. There have been no arrests.
Inquiries continue."
A West Ham statement read: "West Ham United will be working with Chelsea to
investigate the reports of missile throwing during Sunday's game at Stamford
Bridge. "Any individual found to have acted in an inappropriate way will
have to face the consequences of their actions." The fixture has a history
of coin-throwing incidents; Mateja Kezman was struck by a coin in October
2004 while playing for Chelsea against West Ham in a League Cup tie.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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