Big Sam on: Newcastle United
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce spoke to the press ahead of the Hammers' Barclays Premier
League trip to St James' Park
22.08.2013
Sam Allardyce urged his West Ham United players to continue where they left
off against Cardiff City, as the Hammers bid to replicate last season's
superb 1-0 Barclays Premier League victory at Newcastle United. Big Sam
insists there will be no let up from his side whatever, well aware that West
Ham need to improve on last year's haul of just three victories on their
travels. Meanwhile, their prospects of success at the weekend are boosted by
a virtual clean bill of health, with no additional injury concerns stemming
from Saturday's 2-0 triumph over the Bluebirds.
Good morning Sam, could you start by giving us the latest on Andy Carroll?
SA: "Andy's had an injection to finally finish off the last bit of pain he's
suffering in his heel. It's not anything other than to shift a little bit of
inflammation, the repair is complete, the specialist tells us. He just
hasn't been able to get rid of this little bit on inflammation, which has
been causing him some pain "Within the next few days we'll expect him to
step up his training and then take it one day at a time from there in terms
of his progression."
Have you got a vague idea of a return date?
SA: "Not really. It could be pretty quick but it could be something that
takes a little bit longer. We just go day by day based on how Andy feels and
if he's feeling good from the previous day, we step the training up and we
do that each day. As long he's feeling any pain we continue to step it up
until he joins in with the lads."
In view of Andy's injury, are you happy with the cover you've got?
SA: "I've got the squad I've got and that's it. If there is a new player to
come in, we'll need to sell first, yes. But I don't envisage that happening,
I'm not looking at doing it, because I'm happy with the squad I've got at
the moment. "It's not frustrating for me. There's a new set of regulations
that says you've got a limit on your wages, set by these new rules. I've hit
my limit and that's it, we move on. I've got no panic going on, I'm not
anxious about any transfers, like a lot of managers will get in the next few
weeks. Because we did all of our business as quick as we possibly could and
that's it. We've got a very good squad.
So, eleven days to go, and there are unlikely to be any ins and outs at West
Ham?
SA: "Unlikely that there will be any ins and outs. You never say never, but
we're not actively looking at any players to bring in, nor are we actively
looking at selling any players either."
Looking ahead, it's obviously hugely important to build on that great win on
the opening day of the season...
SA: "It should have been more than 2-0 based on the chances that we created.
I think that we were totally the dominant team in the first game of the
season, but at the end of the day, it's only game one. And we're not to
become over confident. We all know that we were poor away from home last
season, even if Newcastle wasn't one of the venues that we slipped up on
away from home last year. "I'll just remind the lads over the next couple of
days that we had a great start last season and then went to Swansea and got
beaten 3-0, and that could have been four or five. The Premier League is
obviously a very difficult place to play your football and without 100 per
cent commitment and focus on every single game, you won't get the result
that you're looking for. "You cannot ease off, every time you do that in
this league you get punished. We have to be 100 per cent focused and we have
to improve our away form from last season, starting with Saturday's game at
Newcastle." "Even though Newcastle had, probably a poor performance Alan
[Pardew] would say in the end, that was only brought about by circumstances
and Manchester City being absolutely brilliant. "First game of the season
at St James' Park and the fans will lift the players, so we will have to be
on top form to make sure we get a result."
Is it a strange feeling going back there?
SA: "Not now, I think I've been back quite a few times. From my point of
view, it's always been a very positive result whenever I've gone back. I
haven't gone back and been beaten yet, so I want the lads to keep that
record up for me if they can. It's a difficult place to go and a difficult
place to get points.
"As the years go by any [antipathy] soon diminishes, you look to the future
and look to build your career. Thinking about the past is not in my make up,
it's not my philosophy to keep going backwards. It's always about what's
going to happen next, how we're going to build a better future, how we're
going to become better as a team and improve the Club."
Sam, you mentioned Andy's injury, are there any other places you'll be
without at the weekend?
SA: "There's only George McCartney but he's moving into training with us and
we do have a game on Tuesday in the Capital One Cup, which he'll probably
figure in. It'll be nice to have him back in the squad. Everybody else at
this moment in time, apart from Andy, is fit, which is a wonderful piece of
news for me this morning. So we've completed the whole of pre-season and the
first game with a squad that has been fit all summer, so it should be raring
to go, whichever team I select!"
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Watch the U21s for free this Friday
WHUFC.com
Dev Squad defender Pelly Ruddock is looking forward to Friday's Under-21
game at the Boleyn Ground
22.08.2013
West Ham United Development Squad defender Pelly Ruddock cannot wait to
strut his stuff at the Boleyn Ground this Friday evening when Nick Haycock's
Under-21 side take on Tottenham Hotspur - and Season Ticket holders can get
in for free. The U21s have won their opening two matches of the league
season, seeing off both Aston Villa and Everton in the first week of the
campaign. Ruddock has been at the heart of a defence which has only conceded
one goal across those two matches and he wants that solidity to continue
against table-topping Tottenham. He explained: "We've been unlucky the last
few times we've played Tottenham. Hopefully we can get one over them on
Friday. "With it being a derby game, there'll be a little bit of an edge to
it and I'm sure it will be a good match. "It's always good to play at the
Boleyn Ground too, it's a great stadium and we want to produce the goods
there to get the win. "We've done well defensively, we kept a clean sheet
against Aston Villa and it was only a great strike that went in for Everton.
Hopefully we can continue that against Tottenham, keep a clean sheet and see
where that takes us."
Monday's win over Everton came late - Sebastian Lletget's goal for 2-1 came
in the very last minute - but Ruddock felt it was a just result. He
continued:"It's been a good start, and we just want to win game-by-game and
see how far we can progress. Hopefully we can continue how we've started.
"First half on Monday we should have scored. Moncs [George Moncur] missed a
penalty, but we got the goal in the second half from Callum Driver. It was a
bit of fluke but we'll take that. They equalised, but we deserved the win
and it was good for Seb to get the winner. We've got a great team spirit,
the eleven people on the pitch, plus the bench and that came through to help
us win."
Friday's game against Tottenham Hotspur at the Boleyn Ground kicks-off at
7pm. Admission is free for Season Ticket Holders or just £3 for adults and
£1 for concessions. The Stadium Store will be open up until kick-off for
supporters to stock up on new adidas kit, training wear and all Hammers
merchandise.
The Dev Squad are also in action at the Boleyn Ground on Friday September
13, when they play host to Manchester City, also with a 7pm kick-off.
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Six of the Best - Newcastle United
WHUFC.com
We look at six classic encounters with Saturday's opponents Newcastle United
22.08.2013
As whufc.com continues the countdown to Saturday's Barclays Premier League
trip to Newcastle United, we take a look back at six memorable St James'
Park clashes.
Newcastle United 0-1 West Ham United
Premier League
11 November 2012
Our first game is one that will be fresh in West Ham supporters' memories,
having come less than twelve months ago. Former Magpies boss Sam Allardyce
was to enjoy a fruitful return to his old club as West Ham moved up to sixth
in the Premier League table with a 1-0 victory. Another man with Newcastle
connections, Kevin Nolan, notched the winner, turning in a Joey O'Brien shot
as the Hammers celebrated one on only three away wins last season.
Newcastle United 0-3 West Ham United
Premier League
31 October 1998
The Hammers' previous win in the north east came under Harry Redknapp's
management, 14 years earlier. Following a tight first half, the game was
still scoreless, but West Ham ran away with the contest following Stuart
Pearce's dismissal for the hosts on 48 minutes. Ian Wright opened the
scoring eight minutes later, before Trevor Sinclair made sure of the points
with 76 minutes played. Wright's second in injury time added gloss to the
final scoreline and took the Hammers into the top half of the table.
Newcastle United 1-2 West Ham United
Division One
5 October 1985
The Hammers were in the middle of a recovery from a slow start to the
campaign when they travelled to Newcastle in October 1985. A six-game
unbeaten run had dragged them away from the foot of the early table and they
continued the momentum with a 2-1 win at St James' Park. Frank McAvennie and
Tony Cottee were on target - as they were so often in a season during which
West Ham continued to produce good form as they ended in third place, their
best ever league position.
Newcastle United 0-3 West Ham United
Division Two
23 August 1978
West Ham enjoyed a free-scoring start to the 1978/79 season, backing up an
opening day 5-2 win over Notts County by defeating another team in
black-and-white stripes, Newcastle United, 3-0. The Hammers were trying to
recover from relegation the previous season and made a good start, with Alan
Devonshire, David Cross and Bryan Robson scoring the goals. However, West
Ham could not maintain their flying start and ended the season in fifth
place, six points off the promotion places.
Newcastle United 2-3 West Ham United
Division One
3 September 1977
The previous season had also seen West Ham return home from the long journey
north with the points in their pocket. This match was a much closer-fought
affair, however, as the Hammers prevailed by the odd goal in five. Bryan
Robson scored in this game too, with Alan Taylor and Billy Jennings notching
the others. West Ham would also defeat Newcastle at the Boleyn Ground that
season, although it would end in agony for both sides as they suffered
relegation to the second tier.
Newcastle United 5-5 West Ham United
Division One
10 December 1960
West Ham and Newcastle shared ten goals in this thrilling draw at St James'
Park in the 1960/61 campaign. The game featured eight different goalscorers,
with Jackie Bell, John McGuigan, Len White (2) and Bobby Mitchell scoring
for the hosts. The Hammers' cause was helped by an own goal, as John Bond,
John Dick, Malcolm Musgrove and Dave Dunmore also hit the back of the net to
ensure a share of the spoils.
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Chamakh-down
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 22nd August 2013
By: Staff Writer
Crystal Palace striker Marouane Chamakh has accused Sam Allardyce of
reneging on a promise to give him first team football. The Morrocan striker
made the switch to Selhurst Park earlier this month having been allowed to
move across the capital on loan for the duration of the 2013/14 season,
after failing at both Arsenal and at West Ham where he spent the latter half
of last season on loan. Chamakh made just three appearances for West Ham
after moving to the Boleyn at the beginning of January - two starts (in
which he was substituted on both occasions) and one from the bench. However
speaking to L'Equipe, the 29-year-old former Bordeaux hitman claimed that
Allardyce had deceived him with regards to the amount of playing time he
would get at the Boleyn Ground.
"West Ham was a bad choice. It did not go well at all," he said. "The
manager promised me that because of the injury to Andy Carroll, I would get
playing time. Alou Diarra had warned me [about the manager]. "I know I'll
have plenty of time here at Palace. I'm going to get chances and find the
net. But I do not regret coming to England."
Chamakh was sent back to Arsenal at the end of the 2012/13 campaign having
played just 151 minutes of competitive football for West Ham in five months.
12th January: Replaced Carlton Cole as a 57th minute substitute to make his
debut in the 3-0 defeat at Sunderland. 19th January: Made his first start
for the club in the 1-1 draw with relegated Queens Park Rangers. Should have
been awarded two penalties before being replaced with an hour on the clock.
30th January: A second start in what would prove to be his third and final
appearance for the club as West Ham went down 3-1 to Fulham at Craven
Cottage.
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Crystal Palace striker Marouane Chamakh says he has no regrets
Last Updated: August 22, 2013 2:43pm
SSN
Crystal Palace striker Marouane Chamakh insists he has no regrets about
moving to England, but admits that joining West Ham last season was a
mistake.
The 29-year old, who initially signed for Arsenal from Bordeaux in 2010,
found opportunities limited at the Emirates Stadium, and joined the Hammers
on loan in January before making a permanent switch to Selhurst Park this
summer. Chamakh has only managed eight top-flight goals in his three-year
spell in England, but he says his love of the Premier League is his
reasoning for rejecting a move abroad. "There were several opportunities, in
Greece, Turkey, Spain, France and even the Middle East. But I preferred to
stay one more season in England because I love the league," he told
L'Equipe. "Do I regret moving to England? Not at all, even if it didn't go
as I had hoped. But I don't regret it because I found what I came for - the
league, the atmosphere. "It is just wonderful, even at a small stadium like
Crystal Palace's. This is what I want - just the game in a great atmosphere.
"It will be difficult not to end the season in the bottom three but if we
apply ourselves and show solidarity, we can stay in the Premier League." The
Morocco international made only three appearances during his spell at West
Ham and he says that the deal turned out to be based on false promises for
the striker. "My loan at West Ham? I made a bad choice. It didn't go
smoothly at all," he admitted. "The manager promised to play me considering
the Andy Carroll injury. He had words he didn't respect. "Alou Diarra warned
me but I did exactly as I pleased and I went anyway. I have been taken for a
ride. "That is the reason why I took my time to accept Crystal Palace. I
didn't want to make the same mistake twice."
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce says no Cardiff City bid for Ricardo Vaz Te
Last Updated: August 22, 2013 12:23pm
SSN
West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce has dismissed talk suggesting that
Cardiff City have made an offer for striker Ricardo Vaz Te. The 26-year-old
joined the Hammers in January last year, helping them to a top-flight return
by scoring the decisive goal in a 2-1 play-off final win over Blackpool. Vaz
Te has been linked with an Upton Park exit this summer, but Allardyce denied
that the newly-promoted Welsh side have been in touch regarding a move. He
said: "There's no official bid from Cardiff for Ricardo Vaz Te. It always
happens at this time of year - it's just agents getting busy."
The Hammers broke their transfer record earlier this summer, spending
£15million on Andy Carroll, but when asked whether there would be any
further arrivals, Allardyce was quick to dismiss the idea. "Not unless the
chairman has found some money he hasn't told me about," he said. "I've got
no more money left, so the squad I've got is the squad I've got."
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The Gaffer
What are the secrets to football management? Alan Curbishley is next in our
'The Gaffer' series and the former Charlton and West Ham boss tells us about
the skills of being a boss
By Peter Fraser - Follow me on Twitter @SkySportsPeteF
Last Updated: August 22, 2013 9:30am
SSN
After a playing career which included time with Birmingham City and Aston
Villa, Alan Curbishley has built a fine reputation as a football manager
with another two of his former clubs, Charlton Athletic and West Ham United.
His managerial achievements over more than 15 years to date saw him linked
with the England job in the past and his other highlights have so far
included keeping Charlton in the Premier League, having twice been promoted
- once via an incredible penalty shootout play-off win over Sunderland at
Wembley and once as champions.
Curbishley has been out of football management since leaving West Ham in
2008 after a fallout with the club over transfer policy, having also
succeeded in a Carlos Tevez-inspired battle against relegation with the
Hammers in 2006/07. But, here, he gives Sky Sports an insight into being a
boss.
Have you always wanted to be a manager?
Yes. I had various managers and coaches in my playing career and I have
learned a bit and disregarded a bit. I always thought, if I was lucky
enough, I would give it a go. Management was exactly how I expected it would
be when I started - 24 hours-a-day work, full on and mad.
Who were your managerial role models?
I had Ron Greenwood and John Lyall when I was a player at West Ham. I
learned the art of coaching from them. They were always trying to make
everybody better. Whenever I came into contact with them, the decisions they
took were to improve my game. I also had Ron Saunders at Birmingham. He came
just after he had won the league at Aston Villa. We were only there together
a couple of weeks but I realised why Villa were such a good side. I
understood what he was trying to do and how he approached it. I took a lot
from that.
What so far has been your best day in management?
I think it has to be getting my first job. You have to get in. I got in at
Charlton and obviously we won promotion and stayed in the Premier League.
But, actually, getting my first job was better, because it is so difficult,
especially at Championship and Premier League level.
What so far has been your toughest day in management?
Leaving West Ham. It should never have happened. I have still got the best
win percentage of any West Ham manager in the Premier League. I left the
club when they were fifth from top. Who knows what could have happened if I
had not left. But, unfortunately, it is history now.
What are the keys to man-management? How do you decide if a player needs an
arm around the shoulder or the infamous hairdryer treatment?
That comes with experience. But the game has changed so dramatically. What a
lot of managers could do 10 years ago, you cannot do that now. It is a
totally different situation. Experience is a massive thing. It helps you
steer clear of problems and, obviously, solve problems. But the art of
man-management is now even more important, because of the way the game has
changed.
How important is a strong relationship between a club's manager and
owner/chairman/director of football?
I think it is the main relationship. I think it is more important than the
relationship between the manager and the players in some respects. I think
the relationship between the manager and the owner or chairman is paramount
to being successful.
Is there a difference between managing a team in a relegation battle and
managing a team in a race for promotion? Do you apply the same management
principles?
Being in a relegation fight is much more difficult. If you have got the
chance of going up, especially into the Premier League, you can see the big
prize. Relegation is horrible. No matter what league it is, I would much
prefer to be in a promotion push to a relegation scrap. The pressure,
especially coming out of the Premier League, is enormous. You have to adapt
in terms of principles. There are certain situations where you must get
something from a game. That is how you mentally approach it. The hardest
part about being involved in a relegation tussle is keeping the confidence
up and asking the players to do what they are good at.
What is your opinion on transfer windows? Are they positive or negative?
It all depends on what side of the phone you are on! If you are trying to
buy people, you could say it is a good thing. If you are desperate not to
sell, it can unhinge you. We sold Scott Parker to Chelsea [in 2004] when
Charlton were fourth in the Premier League. We ended up finishing seventh. I
am convinced we would have finished in the top five if we had kept Scott.
But these things happen.
How vital is it for a manager to have trust in their scouting network when
it comes to recruiting players?
You trust the scouting system as far as it can go and then you have got to
go and make the call yourself. You have got to go and see the player. You
cannot just rely on scouting reports and you cannot just rely on videos. You
have got to go and see the player at least, in my case, five or six times.
How do managers view football agents? Are they a good or bad thing in the
game?
There is good and bad in it. Agents can often alert you to something that is
going to happen and they can often make something happen. You have to take
the rough with the smooth. There is no manager who can say they have been on
the receiving end all the time from an agent. Managers can get players,
because of the agent's influence. So, they are a necessary evil.
Are managers increasingly under pressure to sign foreign imports, who can
often prove to be cheaper?
That is a point. Finding home-grown talent is a lot more expensive. You can
perhaps buy a more experienced player. It all depends on the situation at a
club and what you want.
How influential are statistics and technology becoming in management?
It became important five or six years ago. A lot of managers were heavily
influenced by it. But I do not think it has the same power as it did have. I
think managers manage with their own eyes. Statistics and technology became
all too powerful. Perhaps the fitness coaches and psychologists were picking
the team and training sessions. Although they are vitally important, I do
not think statistics and technology have as much say as they used to in
football.
Finally, what one piece of advice would you give for someone starting in
management?
It is the same piece of advice that I was given when I took over at
Charlton. I picked up the phone to some experienced managers and asked the
same question. The answer came out resoundingly - win games.
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IS SAM ALLARDYCE THE NEW ALASTAIR CAMPBELL?
By Iain Dale 22 Aug 2013 at 21:02
West Ham Till I Die
I tell you what, politicians have got nothing on football managers when it
comes to spin. Sam was at it at his press conference today, trying to make
out that he was perfectly happy only having one striker in his squad,
totally ignoring that the other one is trying to get a move to St Etienne.
And of course, no one has come in for Vaz Te. Perish. the Thought. Or Matt
Taylor. Or anyone come to that. And of course the club haven't been talking
to Juventus, or any other club for that matter, about bringing in another
striker. Well if that's the truth my name's Wim Van Hanegam. [Where did that
come from? Ed]. And if it really is the truth then someone isn't doing their
job properly.
I have rather lost count of all the European strikers we have been linked
with. Quagliarella seems to be the hottest tip, although Norwich might well
be competing with us for his services. Not sure the Norwich nightlife would
suit him, to be honest. but maybe it's changed since I was at university
there in the early 1980s. A nice pizza at Pizza One, Pancakes Too in
Tombland, then a night at Bonds or Ritzy's. I knew how to live. Eleven
pernod & blacks (remember, I come from Essex) in two hours was a particular
achievement. The night took a turn for the worse when I asked the captain of
the UEA Rugby Club: "Do you come here often?" I was dragged away by friends
before he could shove it where the carrot wouldn't crunch. Anyway, I
digress…
Quagliarella
If we are happy to pay £7 million for a 30 year old Italian, why not pay £6
million for Jermain Defoe or not much more for Jordan Rhodes. They are both
proven goalscorers and could both either lead the line or play alongside
Andy Carroll.
We have a chance to finish well inside the top half of the league this year.
But I can't see that happening if we are totally reliant on the midfield
players to chip in with ten goals each. Neither Jarvis nor Downing are known
for their goalscoring exploits, and while Nolan and Cole will always get
their fair share, what if Andy Carroll gets injured? Again. It hardly bears
thinking about.
Sorry if that all sounds depressing. I really feel we can push on this
season, but not if we have to rely totally on one player for goals. We've
seen what Swansea have done. We've seen Norwich sign a couple of cracking
strikers in Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Gary Hooper. I think both of them
could finish in the top half. We could well finish above them, in the top 8,
but only if we do what we all know needs to be done. And there are only 9
days left in which to do it.
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LADIES NAME NEW CAPTAIN
By Tommy Wathen 22 Aug 2013 at 17:38
West Ham Till I Die
This week, West Ham United Ladies have confirmed that midfielder Becky
Merritt will be the club's new first team captain for the coming season. The
news was confirmed on Merritt's own Twitter account on Tuesday evening when
she tweeted: "Delighted and honoured to be chosen as @Westhamladies captain.
The future looks bright and I am proud to be a part of it. #happy"
Merritt, who takes on the role from the start of the 2013/14 season,
replacing centre back Rosey Sullivan, told westhamtillidie.com that she was
delighted with being given the captain's armband.
"It is a massive achievement to be selected as captain for any team, but to
do it for the team that's in your heart is a huge honour.
"I am immensely proud and thankful for this opportunity. The support has
been amazing from within and outside of the club.
"I know the gaffer [Mark Saunderson] selected me because I understand him,
his expectations and what he wants on the pitch. He trusts me to be his
voice on the pitch.
"Even without the arm band, I had players coming to me for advice and I will
always go out of my way to help them. It is a pleasure to work with such an
established manager and my aim is to continue to help push the team forward
as the future is exciting."
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West Ham's Joe Cole aims to make England World Cup squad for fourth finals
running
22 Aug 2013 22:30
The Mirror
Joe Cole has targeted appearing in his fourth World Cup finals. The West Ham
star must first win a first-team place, and a new contract, at Upton Park.
But, after scoring for the Hammers as they beat Cardiff in the first Premier
League game of the season, Cole is confident he can also return to the
national set-up under his former Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson. The
31-year-old, who won the last of his 56 caps at the 2010 World Cup, said: "I
think any Englishman will want to play for his country, especially when you
look at how few English players are in the Premier League at the moment. "I
have been to three World Cups, so I would love to do it again, but it is
just a case of how well I play at West Ham - that's the main thing. "I had a
good pre-season, played a lot of minutes and a lot of games and it was nice
to get out there at Upton Park again. "The 18 months at Liverpool where I
didn't play is obviously a bad time in my career, but when I did play there
I felt I did all right. "Then I had a good season in France [on loan], so
there is nothing wrong with me. I am still only 31, so if people look at it
like that, I can still do a job for England, but we will just have to see
what happens."
Cole went to the 2002 finals in Japan and South Korea as a youngster, scored
an absolute belter in Germany four years later and was also in Fabio
Capello's party in South Africa. He has taken inspiration from Manchester
United's evergreen Ryan Giggs, who'll turn 40 in November, as he looks to
prolong his career.
"I want to play on for as long as I can and someone like Ryan Giggs is the
benchmark for players over 30," said Cole, who is in his second spell at the
Hammers. "I watched him in the Charity Shield and he was fantastic. "As to
the coaching, I am passionate about youth football in England. "It is
something I would enjoy and youth football in particular, developing young
players is something I am passionate about."
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West Ham reject St Etienne bid for Maiga... and free agent Cole's next on
their shortlist
By JOHN DRAYTON
PUBLISHED: 22:52, 22 August 2013 | UPDATED: 22:52, 22 August 2013
Daily Mail
West Ham have rejected St Etienne's bid to take Modibo Maiga on loan. The
French could yet revive interest in free agent Carlton Cole, however.Cole
has been without a club since leaving The Hammers at the end of last season.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Friday, August 23
Thursday, August 22
Daily WHUFC News - 22nd August 2013
Peters happy with Hammers progress
WHUFC.com
Martin Peters MBE was delighted to return to the Boleyn Ground to see the Hammers defeat Cardiff
21.08.2013
One of West Ham United's World Cup winners, Martin Peters MBE, dropped in at the Boleyn Ground this week for a chat with West Ham TV. The legendary former Hammers midfielder was delighted to see Sam Allardyce's men start the season with a 2-0 victory over Cardiff, with both goals coming from midfield - a trait he was known for in his playing days. "I always love coming back to West Ham after all the years I spent here," he told West Ham TV. "I enjoyed watching them play on Saturday, they won 2-0 and they won very easily I thought. "When you haven't got a big striker up front, the midfield men have got to go beyond the centre forward and get in the box. That's what they did and Kevin Nolan is very good in the position he plays because he floats around behind the striker but he also works back. "I'm pleased to see Joe Cole back too and he took the goal very well."
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The Big Interview - Iain Dowie
WHUFC.com
whufc.com caught up with Iain Dowie to discuss the Hammers' prospects for the new season
21.08.2013
Former Hammers striker Iain Dowie is excited by the prospect of another season of progress at the Boleyn Ground. Sam Allardyce's men made the perfect start to the new campaign by defeating Cardiff City 2-0 on Saturday, continuing the fine home record they enjoyed last year. Dowie believes Allardyce has made the right additions to his squad and is expecting big things in E13 this term.
What do you make of West Ham's prospects for the season?
ID - "If last season was anything to go by, then I'm really looking forward to it. I thought the job Sam did was amazing and he was a little bit unlucky not to be considered for Manager of the Year. They've made some exciting signings, and there's Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan, who hopefully will continue to do what he does, which is score goals at every level, and I think one of the most exciting players this year will be Jarvis. "Late last year he hit some great form, he can go both ways and cross the ball. Add that to the good defensive record, and you've got players like Diame with power and pace, so it's a recipe for another good season. Whatever happens you know Kevin Nolan and Sam will have their team organised."
Just how big a coup was it to get Andy Carroll?
ID - "It was a big coup. I think a lot of people were looking at him and I saw Andy almost go back to the way he played at Newcastle last year. I worked briefly with him there and he's got two or three great things. He's got a rocket launcher of a left foot, when he hits it it stays hit, and it's very difficult to stop if it's on target. Heading for goal, I'm not sure there's too many better in the division, if there's anyone better. "If you put the right ball in the box for him, with Downing or Jarvis, he's unplayable at times. It's a little reminiscent of the side Sam built at Bolton, if you think of Jay-Jay Okocha and Djorkaeff, Anelka, Hierro, Campo, quality players. "He likes to do that, he likes to surround himself with good technical players. People underestimate what Sam's about, and I as a West Ham fan am certainly looking forward to the season."
What sort of impact do you think Stewart Downing can have here?
ID - "I think it's a big coup as well. I'm a little bit surprised Liverpool moved him on, because he did really well for a period last season and was in vogue again. Maybe they feel Coutinho will play there, but Sam again has got a big player to come. "He's done well to get him here. If he can get to the form he had two years ago and three years ago at Aston Villa, he was arguably the best winger in the Premier League. "He must have that desire to reignite that form, and there'll be big expectations with a big player coming to West Ham. They like their wingers here and Sam's good at getting the best out of players."
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Driver's delight at rare goal
WHUFC.com
He may not have meant it, but Callum Driver will not let that take the gloss off his goal at Everton
21.08.2013
With goals coming as rarely as they do for Development Squad full back Callum Driver, he will take one however it comes. The young full back opened the scoring in Monday night's 2-1 Barclays U21 Premier League win at Everton with his first goal since netting whilst on loan with Burton Albion in February 2012.
That his effort which sailed over goalkeeper Taudul and flew into the net was actually a cross will not bother him as he was delighted to play his part in a deserved victory. Sebastian Lletget's last minute strike settled the contest in West Ham's favour and came as just reward for a dominant Hammers display.
Driver told West Ham TV: "If I'm honest then no, I didn't mean it [as a shot], but I'll take a goal - I'm a full back, I don't score. "I'm going to tell everyone I meant it though! It was a great feeling to put us 1-0 up because Moncs was unlucky with the missed penalty, we'd been on top and needed to keep going.
"We carried on pushing and the goal came eventually, so it was good to get it. "The lads are buzzing. it's the best feeling when you get a goal just at the end. Everyone's head dropped when they scored, so to get back in the game and get the win, everyone's buzzing around the changing room."
Monday's victory backed up a 3-0 success over Aston Villa in the Development Squad's first fixture of the season and now Driver cannot wait for the visit of Tottenham Hotspur to the Boleyn Ground this Friday evening. He added: "It's two wins out of two and you couldn't ask for a better start. We'll go into the Spurs game on Friday full of energy and confidence, and we hope to get a good result there as well. "We did well to keep Everton out on Monday, they've had a couple of chances so obviously we'll look back and see what we need to work on ahead of the Tottenham game, so we can cut that out. "We're a good team, we don't have just a starting eleven, we're a good group of lads who push each other. There are no individuals, we're all one team."
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Big Sam and West Ham should push for the Capital One Cup this year
21 Aug 2013 12:10
The Mirror
Up in the Upton Park stands on Saturday was West Ham hero Billy Bonds. As well as his status as a revered player, Bonds has another claim to fame and it is one he could without in all honesty. In May 1980, Bonds lifted the FA Cup after the win over Arsenal. Take out the Inter-Toto Cup and the win in the Championship play-off last year, and that was the last major trophy West Ham won... 33 long years. Manager Sam Allardyce now has a golden opportunity to rectify that record. Next Tuesday, West Ham start their campaign in the Capital One Cup. They play Cheltenham Town at Upton Park and a healthy crowd looks likely with a heavy reduction in ticket prices. A bit of an atmosphere rather than a sparsely populated stadium - and a squad from which Allardyce can select a more than decent team. The Capital One trophy is a realistic target for West Ham this season and hopefully Allardyce will go for it rather than just pay lip service to competing. Yes - survival in the Premier League is the priority but with the players available, West Ham can make a genuine push for a place at Wembley early next year. It is the chance to blood untried youngsters for the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United but in truth the CIC is the fourth-ranked of the ambitions for the season behind the Premier League, the Champions League and the FA Cup.
Allardyce made the point himself after the 2-0 win over Cardiff at the weekend. He is clearly delighted at the depth he now has at West Ham and pointed to the likes of Matt Taylor and Jack Collison who could not even make the bench - which by the way, included Stewart Downing, Ricardo Vaz Te, Razvan Rat and Abou Diarra. Experience and talent there.
And the match will also be the chance for born-again striker Ravel Morrison. Morrison's talent and natural ability have never been doubted. His professionalism, however, has been open to question.
Allardyce has now given him an opening to rebuild a career that once promised so much but has produced so little. But for Allardyce and his instincts, Morrison could well have been playing for Cheltenham rather than be considered for a part against them.
The chance is there for West Ham. Hopefully, Allardyce will take it. And Bonds will be the first to agree. Mind you, Bonzo got the hump if he lost a training game five-a-side so his commitment was never in question.
Over to you Sam.
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Juventus Striker Nearing West Ham Switch
ForzaItalianFootbal.com
Fabio Quagliarella - JuventusDespite reports to the contrary last week, it seems that Juventus forward Fabio Quagliarella is now close to joining Premier League side West Ham. He had been strongly linked with a move to Qatari club Al-Gharafi last week but it now seems that England is his likeliest destination.
Transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio reports that the Hammers have offered €1 million to loan the player for the coming campaign and then €6m to sign him permanently next summer. Juventus had hoped to offload the former Napoli man on a more permanent transfer but it is understood that they would be open to it. Quagliarella had also been linked with a switch to the Premier League earlier in the mercato as Norwich City continually had their attempts to sign him rebuffed.
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West Ham owner David Gold ready to reject Arsenal if they come calling for Mo Diame
Daily Express
By: Charles Perrin
Published: Wed, August 21, 2013
WEST HAM UNITED owner David Gold says he is doing everything in his power to keep hold of Mo Diame. Mo-Diame-was-connected-to-Arsenal-in-the-January-transfer-window Mo Diame was connected to Arsenal in the January transfer window The midfield powerhouse was heavy linked to Arsenal during the January transfer window, but were unable to close out a deal. The Hammers have been busy in the transfer window thus far, and completed a £6m deal for Stewart Downing last week. Gold has tried to reassure fans that they have no intention of letting Diame go on Twitter after a fan asked whether they will reject Arsenal should a bid be forthcoming. "We are doing everything possible to keep Diame. dg," tweeted Gold. West Ham, Mo Diame, transfer windowStewart Downing became West Ham's latest signing last week Meanwhile, Gold believes the club need some more firepower up front despite beating Cardiff in their opening game of the season. "I think it's clear that we are still short of a striker," Gold recently told Sky Sports. "David Sullivan agrees with that, Sam agrees with that, but until we release those wages by players leaving there is little we can do. "The next couple of weeks, we will see what happens." West Ham owner David Gold ready to reject Arsenal if they come calling for Mo Diame
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Martin Peters MBE was delighted to return to the Boleyn Ground to see the Hammers defeat Cardiff
21.08.2013
One of West Ham United's World Cup winners, Martin Peters MBE, dropped in at the Boleyn Ground this week for a chat with West Ham TV. The legendary former Hammers midfielder was delighted to see Sam Allardyce's men start the season with a 2-0 victory over Cardiff, with both goals coming from midfield - a trait he was known for in his playing days. "I always love coming back to West Ham after all the years I spent here," he told West Ham TV. "I enjoyed watching them play on Saturday, they won 2-0 and they won very easily I thought. "When you haven't got a big striker up front, the midfield men have got to go beyond the centre forward and get in the box. That's what they did and Kevin Nolan is very good in the position he plays because he floats around behind the striker but he also works back. "I'm pleased to see Joe Cole back too and he took the goal very well."
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The Big Interview - Iain Dowie
WHUFC.com
whufc.com caught up with Iain Dowie to discuss the Hammers' prospects for the new season
21.08.2013
Former Hammers striker Iain Dowie is excited by the prospect of another season of progress at the Boleyn Ground. Sam Allardyce's men made the perfect start to the new campaign by defeating Cardiff City 2-0 on Saturday, continuing the fine home record they enjoyed last year. Dowie believes Allardyce has made the right additions to his squad and is expecting big things in E13 this term.
What do you make of West Ham's prospects for the season?
ID - "If last season was anything to go by, then I'm really looking forward to it. I thought the job Sam did was amazing and he was a little bit unlucky not to be considered for Manager of the Year. They've made some exciting signings, and there's Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan, who hopefully will continue to do what he does, which is score goals at every level, and I think one of the most exciting players this year will be Jarvis. "Late last year he hit some great form, he can go both ways and cross the ball. Add that to the good defensive record, and you've got players like Diame with power and pace, so it's a recipe for another good season. Whatever happens you know Kevin Nolan and Sam will have their team organised."
Just how big a coup was it to get Andy Carroll?
ID - "It was a big coup. I think a lot of people were looking at him and I saw Andy almost go back to the way he played at Newcastle last year. I worked briefly with him there and he's got two or three great things. He's got a rocket launcher of a left foot, when he hits it it stays hit, and it's very difficult to stop if it's on target. Heading for goal, I'm not sure there's too many better in the division, if there's anyone better. "If you put the right ball in the box for him, with Downing or Jarvis, he's unplayable at times. It's a little reminiscent of the side Sam built at Bolton, if you think of Jay-Jay Okocha and Djorkaeff, Anelka, Hierro, Campo, quality players. "He likes to do that, he likes to surround himself with good technical players. People underestimate what Sam's about, and I as a West Ham fan am certainly looking forward to the season."
What sort of impact do you think Stewart Downing can have here?
ID - "I think it's a big coup as well. I'm a little bit surprised Liverpool moved him on, because he did really well for a period last season and was in vogue again. Maybe they feel Coutinho will play there, but Sam again has got a big player to come. "He's done well to get him here. If he can get to the form he had two years ago and three years ago at Aston Villa, he was arguably the best winger in the Premier League. "He must have that desire to reignite that form, and there'll be big expectations with a big player coming to West Ham. They like their wingers here and Sam's good at getting the best out of players."
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Driver's delight at rare goal
WHUFC.com
He may not have meant it, but Callum Driver will not let that take the gloss off his goal at Everton
21.08.2013
With goals coming as rarely as they do for Development Squad full back Callum Driver, he will take one however it comes. The young full back opened the scoring in Monday night's 2-1 Barclays U21 Premier League win at Everton with his first goal since netting whilst on loan with Burton Albion in February 2012.
That his effort which sailed over goalkeeper Taudul and flew into the net was actually a cross will not bother him as he was delighted to play his part in a deserved victory. Sebastian Lletget's last minute strike settled the contest in West Ham's favour and came as just reward for a dominant Hammers display.
Driver told West Ham TV: "If I'm honest then no, I didn't mean it [as a shot], but I'll take a goal - I'm a full back, I don't score. "I'm going to tell everyone I meant it though! It was a great feeling to put us 1-0 up because Moncs was unlucky with the missed penalty, we'd been on top and needed to keep going.
"We carried on pushing and the goal came eventually, so it was good to get it. "The lads are buzzing. it's the best feeling when you get a goal just at the end. Everyone's head dropped when they scored, so to get back in the game and get the win, everyone's buzzing around the changing room."
Monday's victory backed up a 3-0 success over Aston Villa in the Development Squad's first fixture of the season and now Driver cannot wait for the visit of Tottenham Hotspur to the Boleyn Ground this Friday evening. He added: "It's two wins out of two and you couldn't ask for a better start. We'll go into the Spurs game on Friday full of energy and confidence, and we hope to get a good result there as well. "We did well to keep Everton out on Monday, they've had a couple of chances so obviously we'll look back and see what we need to work on ahead of the Tottenham game, so we can cut that out. "We're a good team, we don't have just a starting eleven, we're a good group of lads who push each other. There are no individuals, we're all one team."
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Big Sam and West Ham should push for the Capital One Cup this year
21 Aug 2013 12:10
The Mirror
Up in the Upton Park stands on Saturday was West Ham hero Billy Bonds. As well as his status as a revered player, Bonds has another claim to fame and it is one he could without in all honesty. In May 1980, Bonds lifted the FA Cup after the win over Arsenal. Take out the Inter-Toto Cup and the win in the Championship play-off last year, and that was the last major trophy West Ham won... 33 long years. Manager Sam Allardyce now has a golden opportunity to rectify that record. Next Tuesday, West Ham start their campaign in the Capital One Cup. They play Cheltenham Town at Upton Park and a healthy crowd looks likely with a heavy reduction in ticket prices. A bit of an atmosphere rather than a sparsely populated stadium - and a squad from which Allardyce can select a more than decent team. The Capital One trophy is a realistic target for West Ham this season and hopefully Allardyce will go for it rather than just pay lip service to competing. Yes - survival in the Premier League is the priority but with the players available, West Ham can make a genuine push for a place at Wembley early next year. It is the chance to blood untried youngsters for the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United but in truth the CIC is the fourth-ranked of the ambitions for the season behind the Premier League, the Champions League and the FA Cup.
Allardyce made the point himself after the 2-0 win over Cardiff at the weekend. He is clearly delighted at the depth he now has at West Ham and pointed to the likes of Matt Taylor and Jack Collison who could not even make the bench - which by the way, included Stewart Downing, Ricardo Vaz Te, Razvan Rat and Abou Diarra. Experience and talent there.
And the match will also be the chance for born-again striker Ravel Morrison. Morrison's talent and natural ability have never been doubted. His professionalism, however, has been open to question.
Allardyce has now given him an opening to rebuild a career that once promised so much but has produced so little. But for Allardyce and his instincts, Morrison could well have been playing for Cheltenham rather than be considered for a part against them.
The chance is there for West Ham. Hopefully, Allardyce will take it. And Bonds will be the first to agree. Mind you, Bonzo got the hump if he lost a training game five-a-side so his commitment was never in question.
Over to you Sam.
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Juventus Striker Nearing West Ham Switch
ForzaItalianFootbal.com
Fabio Quagliarella - JuventusDespite reports to the contrary last week, it seems that Juventus forward Fabio Quagliarella is now close to joining Premier League side West Ham. He had been strongly linked with a move to Qatari club Al-Gharafi last week but it now seems that England is his likeliest destination.
Transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio reports that the Hammers have offered €1 million to loan the player for the coming campaign and then €6m to sign him permanently next summer. Juventus had hoped to offload the former Napoli man on a more permanent transfer but it is understood that they would be open to it. Quagliarella had also been linked with a switch to the Premier League earlier in the mercato as Norwich City continually had their attempts to sign him rebuffed.
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West Ham owner David Gold ready to reject Arsenal if they come calling for Mo Diame
Daily Express
By: Charles Perrin
Published: Wed, August 21, 2013
WEST HAM UNITED owner David Gold says he is doing everything in his power to keep hold of Mo Diame. Mo-Diame-was-connected-to-Arsenal-in-the-January-transfer-window Mo Diame was connected to Arsenal in the January transfer window The midfield powerhouse was heavy linked to Arsenal during the January transfer window, but were unable to close out a deal. The Hammers have been busy in the transfer window thus far, and completed a £6m deal for Stewart Downing last week. Gold has tried to reassure fans that they have no intention of letting Diame go on Twitter after a fan asked whether they will reject Arsenal should a bid be forthcoming. "We are doing everything possible to keep Diame. dg," tweeted Gold. West Ham, Mo Diame, transfer windowStewart Downing became West Ham's latest signing last week Meanwhile, Gold believes the club need some more firepower up front despite beating Cardiff in their opening game of the season. "I think it's clear that we are still short of a striker," Gold recently told Sky Sports. "David Sullivan agrees with that, Sam agrees with that, but until we release those wages by players leaving there is little we can do. "The next couple of weeks, we will see what happens." West Ham owner David Gold ready to reject Arsenal if they come calling for Mo Diame
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Wednesday, August 21
Daily WHUFC News - 21st August 2013
On this day - 20 August
WHUFC.com
Frank McAvennie nets twice on his Boleyn Ground debut on this day 28 years
ago
20.08.2013
Classic match
West Ham United 3-1 Queens Park Rangers
Division One
20 August 1985
With just one win in 13 outings on this day in history, 20 August is hardly
the most treasured of dates in the West Ham United archives, but prolific
frontman Frank McAvennie is not likely to forget it. Having enjoyed his
Hammers bow three days earlier in a 1-0 reverse at St Andrews, the
Glaswegian made quite the impression upon his first runout at the Boleyn
Ground. A £340,000 signing from St Mirren, McAvennie struck twice, in
addition to an Alan Dickens goal, as John Lyall's men emerged comfortable
3-1 victors against Queens Park Rangers. It proved to be the first of some
26 league goals for the Scot that season, with the Hammers famously
embarking on their finest ever league campaign, eventually finishing third,
just four points adrift of champions Liverpool.
Complete record - 20 August
2005 Newcastle United 0-0 West Ham United (Premier League)
1994 West Ham United 0-0 Leeds United (Premier League)
1991 Sheffield United 1-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1985 West Ham United 3-1 Queens Park Rangers (Division One)
1979 West Ham United 0-1 Chelsea (Division Two)
1977 West Ham United 1-3 Norwich City (Division One)
1969 Chelsea 0-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1962 West Ham United 1-4 Wolverhampton Wanderers (Division One)
1960 Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-2 West Ham United (Division One)
1956 West Ham United 1-3 Blackburn Rovers (Division Two)
1955 West Ham United 1-1 Rotherham United (Division Two)
1949 Luton Town 2-2 West Ham United (Division Two)
Played 13, Won 1, Drawn 6, Lost 6, Scored 13, Conceded 22
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Joey's joy at winning start
WHUFC.com
Joey O'Brien was happy with a victory and a clean sheet in Saturday's
opening-day win over Cardiff City
20.08.2013
For any defender, a clean sheet and a victory are the twin aims whenever
they step onto the pitch. To that end, Joey O'Brien enjoyed a perfect
afternoon in West Ham United's 2-0 Barclays Premier League opening day win
over Cardiff City at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday. The Republic of Ireland
international was at his solid best against the Bluebirds, nullifying the
threat of the Championship title winners alongside his tried and trusted
colleagues Guy Demel, James Collins and Winston Reid. Speaking to West Ham
TV, O'Brien revealed that the Hammers have been set the target of eclipsing
last season's record of eleven Barclays Premier League clean sheets this
term. "The object of the season is to get more clean sheets than last season
and we started with a clean sheet on Saturday, so we got that and
attacking-wise we created plenty of chances and probably should have won by
a couple more," he said. "Just towards the end the big man [Rudy Gestede]
came on and they chucked it up a bit more. He's a big lad and he's good in
the air so that caused us a few little problems, but that's all it was
really. I don't think Jussi Jaaskelainen really had a save to make. "I was
delighted to get a clean sheet and a good performance to start the season at
home. It was a good day for us."
O'Brien was also pleased to rekindle his productive partnership with winger
Matt Jarvis down the left flank, with the No7 chalking up his first assist
of the season within 13 minutes by setting up Joe Cole's opener. "He is a
smashing player, as I've said before, and full-backs must dread playing
against him just when they see his name on the teamsheet," the No17
confirmed. "With the way he plays, he is so direct and there are probably
not many wingers like Matt in the Premier League. "He's a really, really
good asset for us. Last season, he created a lot of chances and it's good to
see one go into the back off the net from one of his crosses. "I was
delighted because I think he's a smashing player, like I said, so hopefully
his confidence will grow and he can play better and better."
Kevin Nolan added a second goal late on to cement Saturday's victory in a
game that saw manager Sam Allardyce select eleven players who were at the
Club last season. However, with the likes of Stewart Downing, Razvan Rat and
Adrian on the bench and Andy Carroll soon to return from injury, O'Brien
believes West Ham have more strength in depth than they had last term. "It
was like that last year and it's the same again this year," he observed.
"There are a few who have come in, so it's hard [to keep your place], but
once you're out there you want to play well and as a back four you want to
keep clean sheets and do well going forward. "Modibo Maiga played on
Saturday and I was delighted with the way he played. He didn't get much
football last season, so it was great to see him play well and be the main
man out there."
With the summer signing of Romania captain Rat, O'Brien might have been
forgiven for thinking his days as West Ham's left-back were numbered, but he
was selected on Saturday and is determined to keep his place in the starting
XI. "[Saturday's team selection] probably had something to do with how it
went last season and the manager not wanting to change anything on the first
day and seeing how it was," he said. "I was delighted to get the nod.
"Roland is a smashing player and George McCartney is on his way back as
well, so hopefully I can stay there or whoever comes in can play well."
O'Brien will be confident of retaining his place at Newcastle United on
Saturday, when West Ham return to a ground where they chalked up a superb
1-0 victory last season. The 27-year-old played an instrumental role in the
success, setting up the winner for Nolan with a wayward shot that was turned
in by the captain. "It is a very hard place to go, but we'd take what
happened last season and if Kev could score again that would be great," he
enthused. "We're going up there setting off to keep a clean sheet and we'll
see how we go from there. "That will be aim and hopefully we can defend the
way we did against Cardiff and get a result."
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Haycock happy with tenacity
WHUFC.com
Development Squad boss Nick Haycock was thrilled with the performance in
victory at Everton
20.08.2013
The Development Squad may have left it late to defeat Everton and maintain
their 100 per cent start to the season on Monday night, but U21s boss Nick
Haycock felt the final 2-1 scoreline was fully justified. Sebastian
Lletget's well-taken 89th minute strike eventually settled the contest after
Everton threatened to frustrate the visitors through Luke Garbutt's stunning
equaliser. West Ham hit the crossbar three times and failed to take
advantage of a first half penalty, but would not be denied and Haycock had
praise for their tenacity in seeing the job through to the end. The three
point haul was the second from two Barclays U21 Premier League fixtures at
the start of the campaign, ensuring Haycock would travel back to London as a
happy man. "We thoroughly deserved the victory," he told West Ham TV. "I'm
delighted because we've played two fantastic football clubs in Aston Villa
and Everton in the first week of the season [and won both games]. "Credit to
Alan Stubbs' Everton team tonight. They're a young side and they tried to
play the game in the right way. It was a good contest.
"I think that as the game went on we started to assert our authority. I said
to the lads at half time that I felt we could play higher up the pitch and
we did in the second half. Consequently we got on the ball and played the
type of football I know we can. "A mixture of fantastic defending, blocks,
clearances and the woodwork [was denying us] and you just think it might get
away from you. "Elliot Lee hit the bar at 1-0, and if it goes 2-0 you think
it might kill their energy, but then the kid Luke Garbutt scores a fantastic
strike. "Sebby's tucked a great goal away at the end to win it and we showed
great energy levels. He had a good pre-season and got that first team
experience - he's got two goals in two games now and it's pleasing."
Having taken the lead their play merited thanks to Callum Driver's
cross-shot midway through the second period, the young Hammers' heads may
have dropped when Garbutt levelled just six minutes later. That they
remained strong and came again was testament to the togetherness amongst the
Development Squad group, according to Haycock. He explained: "They're a good
group of lads, I keep saying it but the football club's a great place to be
at the moment. There are some fantastic people in there, Sam's driving the
Club towards the Olympic Stadium and you saw the first team performance at
the weekend. "The character in there, the professionalism we're showing on
and off the pitch, that's the staff I've got with me, the group of us that
drive hard every day and hopefully the rewards are that the teamship comes
out on the pitch. I think it did tonight, I was delighted to see every one
of the players celebrate together. I think that shows the camaraderie
there."
The U21s have only conceded one goal in their two games to date - Garbutt's
thunderbolt at Everton - and Haycock wants to see that good defensive work
continue. He added: "I've been pleased with us defensively in the two games
because the precedent the football club sets is to keep clean sheets to give
yourself a chance of winning the game. "We're working hard on the defending,
and Martyn Margetson, the goalkeeping coach with the first team, did a
presentation on the importance of set plays because we conceded one or two
in pre-season, "The block on the free kick was something we've worked on.
we'd seen Everton score a goal against Wolves with it so we were pleased
with that. It's the transition through the Club, all playing the game in the
same manner. That's what's going to help them try and assert their position
within Sam's squad. We're a unit working together."
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Kids for a Quid against Stoke
WHUFC.com
Under-16s tickets for the Stoke City game on 31 August are priced at just £1
20.08.2013
West Ham United will look to continue their winning start to the 2013/14
season at the Boleyn Ground on 31 August when Stoke City are the visitors.
The match is a Kids for a Quid game, as the Club continues to back its
commitment to affordable football for all. Under-16s tickets are priced at
just £1 when purchased with a full paying adult, so bring your child along
to experience the unforgettable atmosphere of Barclays Premier League
football at the Boleyn Ground. Adult tickets start at £37 for Academy
Members or £42 non-members, and are available from our online box office at
www.whufcboxoffice.com, over the telephone on 0871 529 1966 via Option 1*,
or to personal callers to the Alpari Stand Ticket Office. Sam Allardyce's
men got off to the perfect start when defeating Cardiff City 2-0 in their
first game, so make sure you are there when the Hammers look to make it two
home wins from two!
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Mackay on.... West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 20th August 2013
By: Staff Writer No.2
Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay reacts to his side's 2-0 defeat on its
Premier League debut in the post-match press conference…
Malky, it seemed to take you 45 minutes to adjust. You looked far more
dangerous in the second half,…
I thought we started the first 15-20 minutes slowly. After that I thought we
had an awful lot of possession so yes, I agree with the first part of your
statement for the first 15 minutes or so. We knew we were coming to a good
team, with a good atmosphere and a good stadium. We knew we were up against
a decent team and we knew we had to start better than we did. In that first
15 minutes they were obviously clinical with the finish and got the goal.
After that and for the last half an hour of the first half I thought we had
plenty of possession, although we had no penetration. We had a couple of
shots blocked on the edge of the box.
Second half I thought we grew into the game and again had good last parts of
the game. The second goal again was clinical. We had one good chance in the
second half of the game and they did. They scored theirs and we didn't. It's
a matter of learning as far as that's concerned, but I can't be too harsh on
my players. We've come to Upton Park and gave a good account of ourselves.
You used the word "possession" a lot there but you also used the word
"penetration." In the final third there was not much happening – I think the
'keeper only had one save to make and there was that good chance that went
over at the end. Is that an area of concern?
It just needs to be better. We're playing away from home against a good
team. They had three shots on target – and they're the home team. They were
clinical with their two finishes and we weren't. It's something we've got to
work on in the final third but we've come here and we weren't overawed.
.
Would you like to see this as a lesson in what's required in the Premier
League? To be clinical?
No I don't think so. We already knew we had to be clinical. It's about
choices. It's about the final ball or the final pass or whatever it is you
finally decide to do. Rudy [Gestede] had one there late on when he should
have played in Nicky [Maynard]. We had one in the first half when we had
three on two and Kim Bo-Kyung decided to have a shot instead of playing
Bellamy in. Then we had the one we hit over the bar from five yards. So in
terms of actual chances it's all about decision making.
We knew what we were coming into and we new what our game plan should be and
for vast parts of the game we controlled the ball.
Any new signings in the pipeline?
We're certainly trying but so is everyone else in the Premier League. We're
trying to get good players in but sometimes it's not always within your
control. You have to be patient and there's often competition for players as
well. If everything comes together with the clubs agreeing and the player
agreeing then I'll try to act but it's all about getting players in who are
better than what you've got.
How far is Andreas Cornelius away from playing?
He joined in yesterday but really wasn't quite match fit. He took a knock to
his ankle in training two weeks ago and he was nearly ready. For the sale of
another week – if he got another knock on it it could be another four weeks.
Hopefully he'll be back training next week.
Hopefully good to go next week?
Everything being equal he should be involved in the squad if training goes
ok
Were you encouraged by what you saw today? The Premier League is a different
world from the Championship where it's a dogfight every week.
I think it's what we spoke about just then in terms of being clinical with
your finishing. You're punished for small errors in the Premier League. Both
finishes were clinical in our box. In terms of the overall ebb and flow of
the game I thought we were a match for West Ham.
Sam's just made the point that it's not easy to pick up points away from
home in the Premier League…
Sam's certainly one who would know about that. It was always going to be
toughto come here this afternoon. We always knew that – I played here. We've
obviously got to make our stadium a fortress but at the same time you have
to pick up as many points as you can on the road. I thought we did well – we
just have to be slightly better than we were.
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Dubai Hammers
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 19th August 2013
By: Tony Sutton
As the sand slowly runs out of the timer counting down the days to West
Ham's first game of 2013/14 it is not just the East End that is filling with
excitement.
Mark Noble said in an interview recently that everywhere you go in the world
you see a West Ham fan, and Dubai is certainly no different. Despite the
time difference and overwhelming urge to head down to the beach each weekend
there is a small corner of the United Arab Emirates that turns into a claret
and blue mini Boleyn Ground for a couple of hours.
The Dubai Hammers are an official supporters club, with a rapidly increasing
member base and a Facebook page that has attracted over 200 followers in
just one season through word of mouth.
The club was born back in May 2012 after word spread that several different
bars were packed full of Hammers fans to watch the demolition of Cardiff in
the play-off semi-finals. A plan was quickly put into action to bring all
the different groups together under one roof for the final.
Despite a lack of time and backing the results were very impressive and a
bar full of East London expats went berserk just after Carlton Cole nudged
that ball into the path of Ricardo Vaz Te for him to slam into the roof of
the net.
There was an added joy to that day for the fans packed into the bar as it
meant not only a return to the Premier League but also a return to weekly
live coverage of West Ham meaning that they would not have to miss a single
kick of the entire season.
The wheels were in motion and rigorous pre-season regime was in place. There
are a lot of bars and pubs in Dubai and the club organisers wanted to make
sure they picked the right one naturally tried them all out.
It didn't take long for a front runner to emerge. Nelson's is an old
fashioned English style pub with classic wooden décor and a mock log fire
flickering away. It has two giant projector screens as well as a plasma TV
on pretty much area of available wall space.
The bar food menu is made up of dishes such as pie and mash, pork bangers
and roast dinners. There are regular drinks promotions and happy hours, and
to top it all off, the pub is situated within the Media Rotana Hotel. A
hotel group as it turns out which has a regional CEO with a son who are both
West Ham fans.
At last, the club had the backing it needed to really push on.
A deal was made to set aside a separate area at the top end of the pub which
would show every single West Ham game of the 2012/13 season. Timeout City
cards are available to members giving them 20 per cent off all food and
drink, the staff hand out complementary chip butties to all Hammers fans at
half time and there are regular competitions such as guess the time of the
first goal in each half.
The highlight of last season for the Dubai Hammers was without a doubt the
win over Chelsea. The game drew easily the largest crowd of the season to
Nelson's and the reaction to the goals scored by Mo Diame and Modibo Maiga
took everyone by surprise. Security and bar staff stood amazed and
bewildered as they looked on not really knowing what to do.
The Dubai Hammers were lucky enough to have a VIP area set aside for the
open mic night with Sam Allardyce during the warm weather training trip that
that the team took last season. There were also a few nights out in local
clubs that went down well with the playing staff but… What happens in the
desert stays in the desert.
This week Nelson's and Dubai Hammers announced that the partnership is set
to continue for the 2013/14 season so those of you lucky enough to be in the
ground on Saturday can sing "Bubbles" with pride and gusto knowing that as
you look out of the South East corner of the ground, 3396 miles away there
is a small corner of the Boleyn Ground backing you up.
If any Hammers fans are thinking of a trip to the UAE this year be sure to
connect with the Dubai Hammers via their Facebook page and pop along to
Nelson's to help support the club and of course more importantly West Ham
United.
* By way of a footnote, the first game of the season was really well
received. We had over 40 fans in for the game which is very impressive for a
supporters club in the UAE.
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The missing link
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 19th August 2013
By: Gary Portugal
Many of us will tell you that the reason we have not been able to get
another striker is that nobody wants to warm the bench for Andy Carroll.
They 'll say that
this was the case with Bony and Lukaku. And to a certain extent,this is
true. But the real issue is something else. It is the limitations on the way
we play with Kevin Nolan in the side that is the real issue. Yes , Nolan
makes a solid contribution and scores goals , as against Cardiff in the
season opener. But it comes at a price. Because of his lack of pace, we
cannot play 4-4-2 with Nolan in the side. Hence the difficulty in attracting
another striker. With Nolan unable to drop back into a traditional midfield
role ,it really limits the opportunities that any new striker could have at
West Ham. But somehow , before this window shuts, we MUST find another
striker, as any long term injury to Carroll could see us dragged into a
relegation scrap. Yes, Maiga played well against Cardiff, and already looks
much improved over last season. But that was against weak opposition.
How will Maiga fair against sides in the top half of the table? With Carroll
set to miss the first three matches , I would be very surprised if he plays
in even 30 matches this season given his susceptibility to injury. Is there
a solution? There are no easy answers, but we must find a solution in the
next two weeks.
The obvious answer is to sell one or two players in order to free up space
in the wage cap to bring in another striker. But that is easier said than
done. Who could we sell that anyone would really want?
There may be clubs in the Championship or bottom six of the Premier League
who would take an ageing Matt Taylor. But I can't see there being a long
list of suitors. Jack Collison could attract interest, but is questionable
whether he would pass a medical. Not to mention that it would be a shame to
lose a good product of our Academy.
What about Ricardo Vaz Te? I think that we could live without him,
especially now that we have Downing although again, I'm not sure how many
Premier League sides would have an interest in him. Which brings us back to
Maiga himself. Perhaps a promising prospect,if given time. But we are at a
crucial stage of the season. The opening fixtures are winnable, but after
Southampton they become much harder. So we need to pick up points early,
with or without Carroll.
Could Maiga be either loaned out, or sold, perhaps back to France? He may be
the best choice in terms of selling a player to make room under the wage cap
for a better striker. It's a tough call, as he looked very good on the ball
against Cardiff –but will he be able to hold the ball up against tougher
opponents?
Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing are undoubtedly excellent signings. But
we'd better hope that under the new fair play wage rules that we have not
left ourselves dangerously short of cover up front. We had a real problem
with this in 2003 when Freddie Kanoute and Paolo Di Canio were injured for
long periods of time and we had only a young Defoe as a recognized striker.
We cannot afford to leave ourselves exposed like that again,no matter how
good the rest of the squad is.
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Five ways the Hammers can free up cash for a new striker
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 19th August 2013
By: David Meagher
As the transfer window closure looms ever closer the pressure upon West Ham
to find a striking back-up for Andy 'injury-prone' Carroll has intensified
to breaking point.
The Hammers board have emphasised that their failure to identify a suitable
understudy for Wild-horses Carroll is not due to any skin-flint behaviour on
their part, but rather relates to UEFA 'fair' play rules regarding the total
wage bill that is allowed for any single club. As such, unless the Hammers
can reduce the bill (by offloading some high earners) then they simply
cannot offer the colossal salaries that any talented forward in today's game
would undoubtedly expect.
With no clear contenders seeking the services of Ricky VazTe and other
possible exports, The Hammers management have been forced to consider a
range of more extreme measures
Option One: Kill off some first team squad members. Unfortunately, the
current squad lacks an obvious unpopular member. Both Alou Diarra and Ravel
Morrison have previously been in the sin bin but this was for mere 'needs a
bit of a spanking'-type offences, and as such the death penalty would be
perceived as too harsh a punishment for the crimes of sulking or pretending
to be a gangsta etc. The likes of Gary Breen, Julien Faux-Pas and the
legendary Allen McNightmare can count themselves lucky that their tenure at
Fortress Upton Park predated the new regime, as a firing squad would have
been an inevitable (sell out) intervention in all three cases!
Option Two: Offer a pay cut for existing squad members but with payment in
kind. The Hammers close association with high-brow lingerie retailers, Ann
Summers would seem to offer an ideal means of 'rewarding' our lads for their
on-field efforts. In particular, the man-boob support braces and knickerbox
underbody armour range could prove pretty useful for the squad both on and
off the field and thus allow for a massive cut in wages. However, any such
plans have been scuppered by Captain Kevin Nolan who has warned any first
teamers who wear provocative underwear beneath their training and match kit
that they will be forced to room with him on the upcoming away trip to
'crazy and anything goes' toontown. Hmmmm.
Option Three: Encourage high earning players to fake their own deaths. The
Hammers bosses, having trapped themselves in a situation with a lack of
anything approaching adequate striking resources have resorted to leaving
subtle hints to their first team squad that might encourage them to exit the
Hammers payroll. Drawing from the amazing success of Timothy Dexter – the
19th century American entrepreneur who announced that his wife was dead and
that the woman (of similar appeareance) who was occupying his house was
merely her ghost – the Hammers might pretend that Kevin Nolan has passed on
and that the guy who keeps popping up out of nowhere to score for the
Hammers is in fact a poltergeist!
An alternative ruse might be to take a similar option to Ken Kesey, author
of "One flew over the cuckoo's nest" who faked his own death to escape a
marijuana possession rap in the mid-1960s only to return alive and well a
few months later from Mexico where he had been hiding out. A similar 'loan
period' arrangement might apply between the Hammers and their less
sophisticated and quite economically challenged neighbours south of the
Thames at Millwall. However, the ultra-violent Mexican street gang culture
of South London might prove too terrifying for any of the current Hammers
squad.
Option Four: Cook the books. No. Tevezgate sent a warning to all clubs that
all paperwork must be precise and in order. In particular, Sheffield United
fans would resist any moves that might result in their receiving another
massive 20 million cash injection as the last one has almost resulted in
their club getting relegated from the football league as they languish in
the third tier having squandered colossal amounts of Hammers-donated cash on
what has become a veritable donkey sanctuary at Bramall Lane.
Option Five: Try to reason with UEFA! As always with any serious news item,
we like to finish with a light-hearted piece – the cat rescued from a
tree-type of thing – and as such we have included the ridiculous notion of
trying to reason with the geriatric fascists at UEFA. With the amount of
dosh that is sloshing around in soccer these days, it is abundantly clear to
anybody with the slightest grasp of economics that such rules around
expenditure merely serve to divert the money elsewhere e.g. under 21 players
are now massively increased in value which will only serve to populate
soccer with spoilt and overpaid wannabes who haven't yet even kicked a ball
at the highest level (think Chadwell Heath pre-Allardyce!).
Some observers have suggested that if the Hammers invested a bit more in the
youth system (which includes giving developing stars some occasional game
time) this wouldn't be such a problem for the club as we would have the
usual burgeoning flow of young talent. Either way this option is, of course,
laughably naïve as the unreasonable and out of touch UEFA ubërlords would
simply use any such representations to further amuse and titillate
themselves while they feast upon the continued corruption and demise of the
beautiful game.
I guess it's time to summon the firing squad.
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U18 PREMIER LEAGUE FORMAT EXPLAINED
By Tommy Wathen 20 Aug 2013 at 16:26
West Ham Till I Die
This season, West Ham United under 18s will be competing in the Barclays U18
Premier League.
The Barclays U18 Premier League replaced the Premier Academy League at the
start of last season because of the league aiming to enhance youth
development and help transition players between academy and the first team.
Little Heath
Overall, there will be 22 clubs competing in the Barclays U18 Premier League
this season, after all the clubs applied for 'Category One' status in the
Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP). 16 of the clubs competing this season
are from the Barclays Premier League, five from the SkyBet Championship and
one from the SkyBet League One.
The clubs have been split into two 11 team groups based on regional
location; north and south. This is a new format that has been introduced
this season.
Each club will play opposing clubs in their own regional group twice, both
home and away. Also, clubs will face each opposing club in the other
regional group once, either home or away. The season will last for 31 games.
At the end of the season, the top two teams in each regional division will
progress onto the semi finals, with the winner of the north group facing the
runner up in the south group and vice versa.
Every players taking part in league matches must be from within the U18 age
category. Any player over that age category is not permitted to be fielded,
with one exception being the goalkeeper who can be from the U19 age
category.
West Ham United U18 will take part in the south group alongside Arsenal,
Aston Villa, Chelsea, Fulham, Leicester City, Norwich City, Reading,
Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and West Bromwich Albion.
The 11 clubs competing in the north group are Blackburn Rovers, Bolton
Wanderers, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United,
Middlesbrough, Newcastle United, Sunderland, Stoke City and Wolverhampton
Wanderers.
PLEASE NOTE: West Ham U18 home matches will kick-off at 11am at the West Ham
United Academy, Little Heath, Hainault Road, Romford, Essex, RM6 5RX unless
otherwise stated on the official West Ham website.
Keep an eye on my website, Tommy Wathen – Sports Journalist, for latest news
about the West Ham United U18.
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IS QUAGLIARELLA ON HIS WAY TO UPTON PARK?
By Iain Dale 20 Aug 2013 at 09:52
West Ham Till I Die
Various reports, including THIS ONE ( see below ) suggest West Ham have
reached an agreement on personal terms with 30 year old Juventus striker
Fabio Quaglierella. Crucially, though, terms haven't been agreed with
Juventus. I know videos only ever show the best bits, but this video of
Quagliarella's 20 greatest goals certainly gets your mouth watering.
He's certainly much travelled, having played for 8 Italian clubs, but his
goalscoring record at all of them has been very consistent – 1 goal every 3
games. For Juventus he struck 22 goals in 67 appearances. He's also scored 6
in 25 international games for Italy. While I'd prefer Demba Ba, I think
Quagliarella would be a very good second best option.
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West Ham United Reach Agreement With Juventus Striker
Forzaitalianfootball.com
Juventus striker Fabio Quagliarella could be on his way to West Ham United
after reportedly agreeing a deal with the club. The 30-year-old looks set to
be on the fringes of the Bianconeri set up following the arrival of Carlos
Tevez and Fernando Llorente and is thought to have been made available for
transfer.
According to Sky Sport Italia, the Italian has agreed personal terms with
the Premier League side with regards a transfer but an accord between the
two clubs has yet to be found. It is thought West Ham want a loan deal with
option to buy, whereas Juve would prefer an outright sale. Quagliarella made
27 appearances last season in Serie A, scoring nine goals.
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West Ham offered Juventus forward Fabio Quagliarella - but must sell first
20 Aug 2013 12:19
The Mirror
West Ham will have to sell before striking any deal for Italy forward Fabio
Quagliarella. Juventus want to offload the 29-year-old after buying Carlos
Tevez and Fernando Llorente this summer - and have offered him to the
Hammers. Norwich, Sunderland and Qatar side Al-Gharafa have also been
contacted for the £7m-rated international. Sam Allardyce wants another front
man but has spent over £20m on Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing. West Ham
are interested in a loan deal for Quagliarella with an option to buy but the
Italian champions want a cash deal. And co-owner David Gold said: "I think
it's clear that we are still short of a striker. David Sullivan agrees with
that, Sam agrees with that, but until we release those wages by players
leaving, there is little we can do. "We have reached our target laid down by
the new rules in terms of wages. "The only possibility now is if players are
sold. That's up to Sam, that's in his hands. If he releases wages, that will
give us the opportunity to bring in replacements for those players."
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West Ham Prepared to Sell Four In Upton Park Clear-Out
by Aidan McCartney August 20th, 2013
caughtoffside.com
Upton Park side look to free up funds by offloading unneeded squad players.
West Ham United could offload at least four players to free up funds as Sam
Allardyce looks to recruit another new striker before the transfer deadline
passes reports the Evening Standard. Sam Allardyce has reportedly sanctioned
the departures of squad players including midfielder Matt Taylor, French
international Alou Diarra, forward Ricardo Vaz Te and reserve goalkeeper
Stephen Henderson who could now all leave before the end of the month.
Hammers co-owner David Sullivan has confirmed that he will be working
roundthe clock to reduce the club's wage bill as he tries to release extra
money to spend on another centre-forward for Allardyce's side. Club record
signing Andy Carroll will be out of action until mid-September as he
recovers from a heel injury leaving just Modibo Maiga to lead the line in
attack and the Malian international started during Saturday's comfortable
2-0 victory over Cardiff City. Sullivan has now admitted that under the new
financial fair play regulations they must sell before they can buy after
closing in on their strict £52million salary cap. 'In our case, we start
with a £52 million limit,' explained Sullivan in his programme notes for
Saturday's game against the Premier League newcomers. 'If you exceed the
figure you could be hit with a points deduction, so I hope you can see that
players can only be brought in if there is money left in the wage budget. We
are close to that limit now but that is not to say that our dealings in the
transfer market are complete for the summer. 'Players could well leave
before the transfer window closes on 2 September, which would give us the
money to add a couple more to the squad, so we will continue to work hard
over the next couple of weeks'.
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Newcastle new-boy Remy ruled out of West Ham clash
By Mark Bowering
Goal.Com
20 Aug 2013 18:34:00
Loic Remy looks set to miss Newcastle's clash with West Ham on Saturday, but
could make his debut against Fulham next weekend. A calf injury prevented
the on-loan QPR striker from featuring in Monday's 4-0 defeat at Manchester
City, with manager Alan Pardew expecting to be without him when West Ham
head north this weekend. Newcastle looked toothless in attack at the Etihad
Stadium and Pardew endured an evening to forget as defender Steven Taylor
was sent off and Jonas Gutierrez hobbled off with the recurrence of a leg
problem. The availability of Remy, who scored six times in 14 Premier League
appearances for QPR last term, would be a welcome boost for Pardew, but he
will have to wait to see the 26-year-old in competitive action. "We have
Loic Remy coming back and he is two weeks away," said Pardew. "Maybe he
might make the Fulham game. The West Ham game is a bridge too far." The
heavy defeat at City leaves Newcastle propping up the rest of the Premier
League after the opening weekend of the season.
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West Ham United linked with Benfica's Oscar Cardozo and Roma's Marco
Boriello
Guardian Series
4:22pm Tuesday 20th August 2013 in News
West Ham United face a race against time to clear some deadwood before the
end of the transfer window as they eye moves for two of Europe's top
strikers.
Benfica star Oscar Cardozo and Roma frontman Marco Boriello are reportedly
interesting Hammers boss Sam Allardyce as he looks to add weight to his
frontline. Paraguayan Cardozo has also been linked with a move to a number
of European clubs including Spartak Moscow and Fenerbache, while Boriello
ended last season as Genoa's top scorer with 12 goals during his loan from
Juventus and he could be available at a cut price after falling out of
favour in Turin.
Club record signing Andy Carroll is set to be out until mid-September and
with only Modibo Maiga and Ricardo Vaz Te for cover, the Irons are eager to
sign another striker. However, any potential moves are on the premise that
they can offload several unwanted assets before the close of the window on
September 2. Allardyce said over the weekend that he believes West Ham's
current squad is the best he has ever worked with but is still keen to
create funds to keep improving the squad. Vaz Te, Alou Diarra and Matt
Taylor have all been linked to moves away from East London within the next
two weeks.
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West Ham trying to free up space for Cardozo swoop
By talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) | Tuesday, August 20, 2013
West Ham are keen to finalise a move for Benfica forward Oscar Cardozo - but
only if they manage to sell players before the transfer window closes on
September 2. Sam Allardyce wants to bring in another striker as club record
signing Andy Carroll is not expected back in action until mid-September.
Cardozo, 30, has been one of the most prolific forwards in the Portuguese
League over the last few seasons and would relish the chance to showcase his
talents in England. The Paraguay international has a wealth of experience
and Allardyce knows he would add vital competition for both Carroll and
Modibo Maiga. Reports in Portugal suggest a deal could be completed in the
next two weeks, but West Ham have to sell before they can bring anyone else
in as they have reached their salary cap limit. Ricardo Vaz Te, Matt Taylor
and Alou Diarra have all been linked with moves away from Upton Park and
their possible departures would free up funds for the West Ham boss to bring
in his sixth summer signing.
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Jarvis interview
By Adam Bate - Follow @GhostGoal | Last Updated: August 20, 2013 2:38pm
SSN
Adam Bate caught up with West Ham winger Matt Jarvis to discuss his World
Cup ambitions, the signing of Stewart Downing, Sam Allardyce's love of
statistics and how it felt to finally get that first Hammers assist...
Occasionally there are statistics that just resonate. Some are flattering,
such as the one that saw the passing of Swansea midfielder Leon Britton
favourably compared to Barcelona's Xavi. Others are curiosities such as the
fact that it took Gareth Bale until his 25th Premier League game for
Tottenham before he was on the winning side... And that after more than 40
hours of action, Matt Jarvis was still waiting for his first West Ham
assist.
The likeable Hammers winger put in more crosses than any other Premier
League player in 2012/13 and set up his fair share of opportunities. In
fact, the 27-year-old created more than any other player not to have an
assist to his name. But after a season spent plugging away on the left
flank, Jarvis delivered on the opening day of the new season - providing the
cut-back for Joe Cole to slam the ball home for the breakthrough goal
against Cardiff on Saturday.
When the dreaded stat is mentioned his relief is palpable. "Yeah, exactly!
It's was nice to get it," he admits. "Especially after being top of the
chances created without getting one. That wasn't great reading but it's nice
to be up and running this season already."
Benefit
Jarvis didn't have a pre-season with West Ham last year, joining from Wolves
for a then record £10million just before the window shut with the campaign
already underway. This time he appears to be feeling the benefit of a summer
with the squad, having produced a man of the match performance in a win over
Hamburg last month and then impressing against the Bluebirds when the league
season began.
"It's helped that we've had quite a few games as we wanted to get as
match-fit as we possibly could ahead of the new season," he explains. "It's
always nice during pre-season to get a few assists and feel like you're back
in the swing of things. To hit the ground running on Saturday and get an
assist was a nice little confidence-booster.
"I think the start that we had last year was the key. We got 14 points from
our first eight games. It was the massive boost of confidence that we needed
and I think we were around sixth to eighth in the table at that stage and
that really motivates you. That really helped us last season."
Some would suggest Jarvis needed a good start himself. Having dealt with the
pressures that came with his transfer fee last season, the signing of fellow
England international winger Stewart Downing on the eve of the opening game
might well threaten his spot in the team. It was Jarvis who made way for
Downing at the weekend.
He bats away the issue of his place being under threat in predictable
fashion. "It's another fantastic signing and it means competition for
places, which is always healthy in a squad," says Jarvis. "It makes everyone
play a bit better and that always helps the team. Hopefully we can play in
the same team."
There is certainly some reason for optimism in that regard given the fact
that both men can play on either flank. Sam Allardyce may appear a manager
at home with the knockabout banter on the Goals on Sunday sofa but his love
of the science of the sport is also well-documented. So it seems unlikely he
is unaware of the fact that Downing is one of only two men to fire in more
than 200 crosses since the 2010/11 season. Jarvis is that other man, having
achieved the feat in each of the last three campaigns.
As such, it is easy to imagine Allardyce licking his not inconsiderable
chops at the prospect of his wingers loading the box for the hulking figure
of Andy Carroll with the canny Kevin Nolan latching onto the knockdowns. Big
Sam will be seeing that chicken dance in his sleep.
"He's very much into his statistics," notes Jarvis. "We use all the analysts
and all the statistics we have in order to work out how we are going to
approach a game. For me personally, we look at whether I am going to cross
the ball or whether I'm going to run at the defender and things like that.
"With players like Andy and Kev running into the box, if we can get as many
crosses into the box as we can from good areas that are going to unsettle
the defenders then it is always going to create chances."
Jarvis scored seven goals in his last 14 games for Wolves but followed up
with just two in his debut season for the Hammers. That's an area he is keen
to improve in the hope of forcing his way back into the England set-up - an
ambition he is happy to bring up without prompting.
"My hope for the season is to play well and keep creating the chances for
the team," he says. "I want to keep getting the assists and hopefully get a
few goals myself. I'd like to get more than I got last season and maybe get
nearer to the eight that I got in my last year with Wolves.
"If I can add more goals and keep the assists and crosses coming in then
I'll be pleased. And hopefully if I can do that then I can put myself in the
window for the England team." His voice tails off - almost tentative about
the mere suggestion - but when the World Cup is mentioned he is animated
once more.
"That would be nice! It's one of those things that you dream about when
you're little. That is the ultimate aim and goal in your career. It was an
absolute dream come true to get the call-up and to then actually play at
Wembley in front of 85,000 fans was absolutely incredible.
"Just training with all these top-class players and being involved in and
around the qualifiers was a great experience and when you get a taste of it
you just want more. That is what I'll be working hard to do."
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ARE WE IN FOR A TENSE FINALE TO THE TRANSFER WINDOW?
By S J Chandos 21 Aug 2013 at 01:18
West Ham Till I Die
The answer to the question posed is, in all probability, yes, we are! With
the club right up against its proscribed player salary cap, and an
additional player or two still needed, we will have to sell before we can
buy. In that respect, Henderson, McCartney, Taylor and Vaz Te are obvious
candidates for outgoing transfer business. The issue, however, is whether we
can actually sell them and if the accrued savings on their salaries are
sufficient to facilitate us bring in players of the class of Quagliarella or
Ba? If not then we may be forced to sell one or two other members of the
squad. If we find ourselves in that territory, then names such as Diarra and
Maiga could come in to the equation.
Personally, I find it difficult to understand how we have got ourselves in
to this uncomfortable position. I can understand the emphasis being upon
incoming signings, but the club must have known some time ago that we were
approaching the salary cap and could have made plans to move out one or two
fringe players. We know that Sam Allardyce began warning against the
possible adverse impact of the new Fair Play rules, on our transfer
dealings, back in May. We also know that Stephen Henderson was marginal for
virtually the whole all of last season. So, why did we not move to quickly
sell him when the signing of Adrian was confirmed weeks ago? Similarly, it
was a strong proposition that we needed to trade up on players such as
Taylor and Vaz Te as a pre-requisite for progressing as a club this summer.
So, why not seek to sell them earlier in the transfer window? I hope that I
am not being unduly unfair to the club, but surely our current transfer
hiatus is at least partially a result of some poor planning.
Do not get me wrong, I think that we have made some very good acquisitions
this summer. Securing Andy Carroll's services on a permanent deal was a
landmark piece of business; while Razvan Rat, Adrian and Stuart Downing are
all excellent signings that improve the quality of the squad. And all due
credit to the club for transacting that business. However, we knew that
signing a quality, second striker was always the top priority, once Carroll
was on board. Yet, we find ourselves entering the final two weeks of the
window and that key signing has still not been secured. And, to compound the
situation, our room for manoeuvre is severely restricted by this salary cap
obstacle. Arguably, the club should have anticipated this potential problem
arising and taken prompt action to circumvent it. I always strive to be fair
and view an issue from all possible angles, but that is an inescapable
conclusion in my book.
So, time is beginning to run down rapidly and the club have to do some
pretty slick business to achieve their objectives before the deadline at
11pm, on 2 September 2013. As stated, it is a possibility that players like
Diarra and Maiga may have to be sacrificed to facilitate a deal(s) for a
class striker(s). That is a shame because both Diarra and Maiga have shown
quality in pre-season. Diarra is exactly the type of defensive midfield
anchor that we will need in some of the tougher away matches this season. He
is also a very useful as a player to put on to help 'close up shop' and
protect a lead. While I would have liked to have seen Maiga get another
chance to prove himself in the PL. His ability to play both as a central
striker and out wide is also useful to retain in the squad. But if one or
both players need to be sacrificed for the greater good of our season then
so be it.
One proposed move that I am, however, totally opposed to is the sale of
James Tomkins, especially for a fee in the region of £6m! I believe that
with Reid, Collins and Tomkins we have good cover in central defence. Add
the highly promising Leo Chambers in to that mix and the situation looks
even better. But what is the value of weakening our central defence to
strengthen our attack? That is arguably a classic case of 'robbing Peter to
pay Paul.' I also do not rate our chances of signing a centre-back as good
as Tomkins, nor do I believe the rumour that we will sign the likes of
Christopher Samba. As such, if Reid or Collins are injured or suspended we
could find ourselves with defensive problems. I continue to believe in
Tomkins' ability and the likelihood that he and Reid will recommence their
promising defensive partnership sooner rather than later. Lets hope that
David Gold remains consistent in his prior view that Tomkins will not be
sold because he represents the future of the club.
So it is my expectation that we could be in for a nerve racking finale to
the transfer window. However, there is always the hope that this
interpretation is unduly pessimistic and the club manages to complete any
remaining transfer business quickly and well before the window closes. We
are one PL match in to the new season and the really encouraging thing is
that we are solid in defence and scoring goals from midfield. Allied to
that, we now have pace and skill on the flanks. These are all very positive
developments and if we can just secure a greater cutting edge up front, then
the indicative signs are pointing towards another very good PL campaign and
a possible cup run.
SJ. Chandos.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Frank McAvennie nets twice on his Boleyn Ground debut on this day 28 years
ago
20.08.2013
Classic match
West Ham United 3-1 Queens Park Rangers
Division One
20 August 1985
With just one win in 13 outings on this day in history, 20 August is hardly
the most treasured of dates in the West Ham United archives, but prolific
frontman Frank McAvennie is not likely to forget it. Having enjoyed his
Hammers bow three days earlier in a 1-0 reverse at St Andrews, the
Glaswegian made quite the impression upon his first runout at the Boleyn
Ground. A £340,000 signing from St Mirren, McAvennie struck twice, in
addition to an Alan Dickens goal, as John Lyall's men emerged comfortable
3-1 victors against Queens Park Rangers. It proved to be the first of some
26 league goals for the Scot that season, with the Hammers famously
embarking on their finest ever league campaign, eventually finishing third,
just four points adrift of champions Liverpool.
Complete record - 20 August
2005 Newcastle United 0-0 West Ham United (Premier League)
1994 West Ham United 0-0 Leeds United (Premier League)
1991 Sheffield United 1-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1985 West Ham United 3-1 Queens Park Rangers (Division One)
1979 West Ham United 0-1 Chelsea (Division Two)
1977 West Ham United 1-3 Norwich City (Division One)
1969 Chelsea 0-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1962 West Ham United 1-4 Wolverhampton Wanderers (Division One)
1960 Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-2 West Ham United (Division One)
1956 West Ham United 1-3 Blackburn Rovers (Division Two)
1955 West Ham United 1-1 Rotherham United (Division Two)
1949 Luton Town 2-2 West Ham United (Division Two)
Played 13, Won 1, Drawn 6, Lost 6, Scored 13, Conceded 22
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Joey's joy at winning start
WHUFC.com
Joey O'Brien was happy with a victory and a clean sheet in Saturday's
opening-day win over Cardiff City
20.08.2013
For any defender, a clean sheet and a victory are the twin aims whenever
they step onto the pitch. To that end, Joey O'Brien enjoyed a perfect
afternoon in West Ham United's 2-0 Barclays Premier League opening day win
over Cardiff City at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday. The Republic of Ireland
international was at his solid best against the Bluebirds, nullifying the
threat of the Championship title winners alongside his tried and trusted
colleagues Guy Demel, James Collins and Winston Reid. Speaking to West Ham
TV, O'Brien revealed that the Hammers have been set the target of eclipsing
last season's record of eleven Barclays Premier League clean sheets this
term. "The object of the season is to get more clean sheets than last season
and we started with a clean sheet on Saturday, so we got that and
attacking-wise we created plenty of chances and probably should have won by
a couple more," he said. "Just towards the end the big man [Rudy Gestede]
came on and they chucked it up a bit more. He's a big lad and he's good in
the air so that caused us a few little problems, but that's all it was
really. I don't think Jussi Jaaskelainen really had a save to make. "I was
delighted to get a clean sheet and a good performance to start the season at
home. It was a good day for us."
O'Brien was also pleased to rekindle his productive partnership with winger
Matt Jarvis down the left flank, with the No7 chalking up his first assist
of the season within 13 minutes by setting up Joe Cole's opener. "He is a
smashing player, as I've said before, and full-backs must dread playing
against him just when they see his name on the teamsheet," the No17
confirmed. "With the way he plays, he is so direct and there are probably
not many wingers like Matt in the Premier League. "He's a really, really
good asset for us. Last season, he created a lot of chances and it's good to
see one go into the back off the net from one of his crosses. "I was
delighted because I think he's a smashing player, like I said, so hopefully
his confidence will grow and he can play better and better."
Kevin Nolan added a second goal late on to cement Saturday's victory in a
game that saw manager Sam Allardyce select eleven players who were at the
Club last season. However, with the likes of Stewart Downing, Razvan Rat and
Adrian on the bench and Andy Carroll soon to return from injury, O'Brien
believes West Ham have more strength in depth than they had last term. "It
was like that last year and it's the same again this year," he observed.
"There are a few who have come in, so it's hard [to keep your place], but
once you're out there you want to play well and as a back four you want to
keep clean sheets and do well going forward. "Modibo Maiga played on
Saturday and I was delighted with the way he played. He didn't get much
football last season, so it was great to see him play well and be the main
man out there."
With the summer signing of Romania captain Rat, O'Brien might have been
forgiven for thinking his days as West Ham's left-back were numbered, but he
was selected on Saturday and is determined to keep his place in the starting
XI. "[Saturday's team selection] probably had something to do with how it
went last season and the manager not wanting to change anything on the first
day and seeing how it was," he said. "I was delighted to get the nod.
"Roland is a smashing player and George McCartney is on his way back as
well, so hopefully I can stay there or whoever comes in can play well."
O'Brien will be confident of retaining his place at Newcastle United on
Saturday, when West Ham return to a ground where they chalked up a superb
1-0 victory last season. The 27-year-old played an instrumental role in the
success, setting up the winner for Nolan with a wayward shot that was turned
in by the captain. "It is a very hard place to go, but we'd take what
happened last season and if Kev could score again that would be great," he
enthused. "We're going up there setting off to keep a clean sheet and we'll
see how we go from there. "That will be aim and hopefully we can defend the
way we did against Cardiff and get a result."
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Haycock happy with tenacity
WHUFC.com
Development Squad boss Nick Haycock was thrilled with the performance in
victory at Everton
20.08.2013
The Development Squad may have left it late to defeat Everton and maintain
their 100 per cent start to the season on Monday night, but U21s boss Nick
Haycock felt the final 2-1 scoreline was fully justified. Sebastian
Lletget's well-taken 89th minute strike eventually settled the contest after
Everton threatened to frustrate the visitors through Luke Garbutt's stunning
equaliser. West Ham hit the crossbar three times and failed to take
advantage of a first half penalty, but would not be denied and Haycock had
praise for their tenacity in seeing the job through to the end. The three
point haul was the second from two Barclays U21 Premier League fixtures at
the start of the campaign, ensuring Haycock would travel back to London as a
happy man. "We thoroughly deserved the victory," he told West Ham TV. "I'm
delighted because we've played two fantastic football clubs in Aston Villa
and Everton in the first week of the season [and won both games]. "Credit to
Alan Stubbs' Everton team tonight. They're a young side and they tried to
play the game in the right way. It was a good contest.
"I think that as the game went on we started to assert our authority. I said
to the lads at half time that I felt we could play higher up the pitch and
we did in the second half. Consequently we got on the ball and played the
type of football I know we can. "A mixture of fantastic defending, blocks,
clearances and the woodwork [was denying us] and you just think it might get
away from you. "Elliot Lee hit the bar at 1-0, and if it goes 2-0 you think
it might kill their energy, but then the kid Luke Garbutt scores a fantastic
strike. "Sebby's tucked a great goal away at the end to win it and we showed
great energy levels. He had a good pre-season and got that first team
experience - he's got two goals in two games now and it's pleasing."
Having taken the lead their play merited thanks to Callum Driver's
cross-shot midway through the second period, the young Hammers' heads may
have dropped when Garbutt levelled just six minutes later. That they
remained strong and came again was testament to the togetherness amongst the
Development Squad group, according to Haycock. He explained: "They're a good
group of lads, I keep saying it but the football club's a great place to be
at the moment. There are some fantastic people in there, Sam's driving the
Club towards the Olympic Stadium and you saw the first team performance at
the weekend. "The character in there, the professionalism we're showing on
and off the pitch, that's the staff I've got with me, the group of us that
drive hard every day and hopefully the rewards are that the teamship comes
out on the pitch. I think it did tonight, I was delighted to see every one
of the players celebrate together. I think that shows the camaraderie
there."
The U21s have only conceded one goal in their two games to date - Garbutt's
thunderbolt at Everton - and Haycock wants to see that good defensive work
continue. He added: "I've been pleased with us defensively in the two games
because the precedent the football club sets is to keep clean sheets to give
yourself a chance of winning the game. "We're working hard on the defending,
and Martyn Margetson, the goalkeeping coach with the first team, did a
presentation on the importance of set plays because we conceded one or two
in pre-season, "The block on the free kick was something we've worked on.
we'd seen Everton score a goal against Wolves with it so we were pleased
with that. It's the transition through the Club, all playing the game in the
same manner. That's what's going to help them try and assert their position
within Sam's squad. We're a unit working together."
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Kids for a Quid against Stoke
WHUFC.com
Under-16s tickets for the Stoke City game on 31 August are priced at just £1
20.08.2013
West Ham United will look to continue their winning start to the 2013/14
season at the Boleyn Ground on 31 August when Stoke City are the visitors.
The match is a Kids for a Quid game, as the Club continues to back its
commitment to affordable football for all. Under-16s tickets are priced at
just £1 when purchased with a full paying adult, so bring your child along
to experience the unforgettable atmosphere of Barclays Premier League
football at the Boleyn Ground. Adult tickets start at £37 for Academy
Members or £42 non-members, and are available from our online box office at
www.whufcboxoffice.com, over the telephone on 0871 529 1966 via Option 1*,
or to personal callers to the Alpari Stand Ticket Office. Sam Allardyce's
men got off to the perfect start when defeating Cardiff City 2-0 in their
first game, so make sure you are there when the Hammers look to make it two
home wins from two!
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Mackay on.... West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 20th August 2013
By: Staff Writer No.2
Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay reacts to his side's 2-0 defeat on its
Premier League debut in the post-match press conference…
Malky, it seemed to take you 45 minutes to adjust. You looked far more
dangerous in the second half,…
I thought we started the first 15-20 minutes slowly. After that I thought we
had an awful lot of possession so yes, I agree with the first part of your
statement for the first 15 minutes or so. We knew we were coming to a good
team, with a good atmosphere and a good stadium. We knew we were up against
a decent team and we knew we had to start better than we did. In that first
15 minutes they were obviously clinical with the finish and got the goal.
After that and for the last half an hour of the first half I thought we had
plenty of possession, although we had no penetration. We had a couple of
shots blocked on the edge of the box.
Second half I thought we grew into the game and again had good last parts of
the game. The second goal again was clinical. We had one good chance in the
second half of the game and they did. They scored theirs and we didn't. It's
a matter of learning as far as that's concerned, but I can't be too harsh on
my players. We've come to Upton Park and gave a good account of ourselves.
You used the word "possession" a lot there but you also used the word
"penetration." In the final third there was not much happening – I think the
'keeper only had one save to make and there was that good chance that went
over at the end. Is that an area of concern?
It just needs to be better. We're playing away from home against a good
team. They had three shots on target – and they're the home team. They were
clinical with their two finishes and we weren't. It's something we've got to
work on in the final third but we've come here and we weren't overawed.
.
Would you like to see this as a lesson in what's required in the Premier
League? To be clinical?
No I don't think so. We already knew we had to be clinical. It's about
choices. It's about the final ball or the final pass or whatever it is you
finally decide to do. Rudy [Gestede] had one there late on when he should
have played in Nicky [Maynard]. We had one in the first half when we had
three on two and Kim Bo-Kyung decided to have a shot instead of playing
Bellamy in. Then we had the one we hit over the bar from five yards. So in
terms of actual chances it's all about decision making.
We knew what we were coming into and we new what our game plan should be and
for vast parts of the game we controlled the ball.
Any new signings in the pipeline?
We're certainly trying but so is everyone else in the Premier League. We're
trying to get good players in but sometimes it's not always within your
control. You have to be patient and there's often competition for players as
well. If everything comes together with the clubs agreeing and the player
agreeing then I'll try to act but it's all about getting players in who are
better than what you've got.
How far is Andreas Cornelius away from playing?
He joined in yesterday but really wasn't quite match fit. He took a knock to
his ankle in training two weeks ago and he was nearly ready. For the sale of
another week – if he got another knock on it it could be another four weeks.
Hopefully he'll be back training next week.
Hopefully good to go next week?
Everything being equal he should be involved in the squad if training goes
ok
Were you encouraged by what you saw today? The Premier League is a different
world from the Championship where it's a dogfight every week.
I think it's what we spoke about just then in terms of being clinical with
your finishing. You're punished for small errors in the Premier League. Both
finishes were clinical in our box. In terms of the overall ebb and flow of
the game I thought we were a match for West Ham.
Sam's just made the point that it's not easy to pick up points away from
home in the Premier League…
Sam's certainly one who would know about that. It was always going to be
toughto come here this afternoon. We always knew that – I played here. We've
obviously got to make our stadium a fortress but at the same time you have
to pick up as many points as you can on the road. I thought we did well – we
just have to be slightly better than we were.
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Dubai Hammers
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 19th August 2013
By: Tony Sutton
As the sand slowly runs out of the timer counting down the days to West
Ham's first game of 2013/14 it is not just the East End that is filling with
excitement.
Mark Noble said in an interview recently that everywhere you go in the world
you see a West Ham fan, and Dubai is certainly no different. Despite the
time difference and overwhelming urge to head down to the beach each weekend
there is a small corner of the United Arab Emirates that turns into a claret
and blue mini Boleyn Ground for a couple of hours.
The Dubai Hammers are an official supporters club, with a rapidly increasing
member base and a Facebook page that has attracted over 200 followers in
just one season through word of mouth.
The club was born back in May 2012 after word spread that several different
bars were packed full of Hammers fans to watch the demolition of Cardiff in
the play-off semi-finals. A plan was quickly put into action to bring all
the different groups together under one roof for the final.
Despite a lack of time and backing the results were very impressive and a
bar full of East London expats went berserk just after Carlton Cole nudged
that ball into the path of Ricardo Vaz Te for him to slam into the roof of
the net.
There was an added joy to that day for the fans packed into the bar as it
meant not only a return to the Premier League but also a return to weekly
live coverage of West Ham meaning that they would not have to miss a single
kick of the entire season.
The wheels were in motion and rigorous pre-season regime was in place. There
are a lot of bars and pubs in Dubai and the club organisers wanted to make
sure they picked the right one naturally tried them all out.
It didn't take long for a front runner to emerge. Nelson's is an old
fashioned English style pub with classic wooden décor and a mock log fire
flickering away. It has two giant projector screens as well as a plasma TV
on pretty much area of available wall space.
The bar food menu is made up of dishes such as pie and mash, pork bangers
and roast dinners. There are regular drinks promotions and happy hours, and
to top it all off, the pub is situated within the Media Rotana Hotel. A
hotel group as it turns out which has a regional CEO with a son who are both
West Ham fans.
At last, the club had the backing it needed to really push on.
A deal was made to set aside a separate area at the top end of the pub which
would show every single West Ham game of the 2012/13 season. Timeout City
cards are available to members giving them 20 per cent off all food and
drink, the staff hand out complementary chip butties to all Hammers fans at
half time and there are regular competitions such as guess the time of the
first goal in each half.
The highlight of last season for the Dubai Hammers was without a doubt the
win over Chelsea. The game drew easily the largest crowd of the season to
Nelson's and the reaction to the goals scored by Mo Diame and Modibo Maiga
took everyone by surprise. Security and bar staff stood amazed and
bewildered as they looked on not really knowing what to do.
The Dubai Hammers were lucky enough to have a VIP area set aside for the
open mic night with Sam Allardyce during the warm weather training trip that
that the team took last season. There were also a few nights out in local
clubs that went down well with the playing staff but… What happens in the
desert stays in the desert.
This week Nelson's and Dubai Hammers announced that the partnership is set
to continue for the 2013/14 season so those of you lucky enough to be in the
ground on Saturday can sing "Bubbles" with pride and gusto knowing that as
you look out of the South East corner of the ground, 3396 miles away there
is a small corner of the Boleyn Ground backing you up.
If any Hammers fans are thinking of a trip to the UAE this year be sure to
connect with the Dubai Hammers via their Facebook page and pop along to
Nelson's to help support the club and of course more importantly West Ham
United.
* By way of a footnote, the first game of the season was really well
received. We had over 40 fans in for the game which is very impressive for a
supporters club in the UAE.
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The missing link
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 19th August 2013
By: Gary Portugal
Many of us will tell you that the reason we have not been able to get
another striker is that nobody wants to warm the bench for Andy Carroll.
They 'll say that
this was the case with Bony and Lukaku. And to a certain extent,this is
true. But the real issue is something else. It is the limitations on the way
we play with Kevin Nolan in the side that is the real issue. Yes , Nolan
makes a solid contribution and scores goals , as against Cardiff in the
season opener. But it comes at a price. Because of his lack of pace, we
cannot play 4-4-2 with Nolan in the side. Hence the difficulty in attracting
another striker. With Nolan unable to drop back into a traditional midfield
role ,it really limits the opportunities that any new striker could have at
West Ham. But somehow , before this window shuts, we MUST find another
striker, as any long term injury to Carroll could see us dragged into a
relegation scrap. Yes, Maiga played well against Cardiff, and already looks
much improved over last season. But that was against weak opposition.
How will Maiga fair against sides in the top half of the table? With Carroll
set to miss the first three matches , I would be very surprised if he plays
in even 30 matches this season given his susceptibility to injury. Is there
a solution? There are no easy answers, but we must find a solution in the
next two weeks.
The obvious answer is to sell one or two players in order to free up space
in the wage cap to bring in another striker. But that is easier said than
done. Who could we sell that anyone would really want?
There may be clubs in the Championship or bottom six of the Premier League
who would take an ageing Matt Taylor. But I can't see there being a long
list of suitors. Jack Collison could attract interest, but is questionable
whether he would pass a medical. Not to mention that it would be a shame to
lose a good product of our Academy.
What about Ricardo Vaz Te? I think that we could live without him,
especially now that we have Downing although again, I'm not sure how many
Premier League sides would have an interest in him. Which brings us back to
Maiga himself. Perhaps a promising prospect,if given time. But we are at a
crucial stage of the season. The opening fixtures are winnable, but after
Southampton they become much harder. So we need to pick up points early,
with or without Carroll.
Could Maiga be either loaned out, or sold, perhaps back to France? He may be
the best choice in terms of selling a player to make room under the wage cap
for a better striker. It's a tough call, as he looked very good on the ball
against Cardiff –but will he be able to hold the ball up against tougher
opponents?
Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing are undoubtedly excellent signings. But
we'd better hope that under the new fair play wage rules that we have not
left ourselves dangerously short of cover up front. We had a real problem
with this in 2003 when Freddie Kanoute and Paolo Di Canio were injured for
long periods of time and we had only a young Defoe as a recognized striker.
We cannot afford to leave ourselves exposed like that again,no matter how
good the rest of the squad is.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Five ways the Hammers can free up cash for a new striker
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 19th August 2013
By: David Meagher
As the transfer window closure looms ever closer the pressure upon West Ham
to find a striking back-up for Andy 'injury-prone' Carroll has intensified
to breaking point.
The Hammers board have emphasised that their failure to identify a suitable
understudy for Wild-horses Carroll is not due to any skin-flint behaviour on
their part, but rather relates to UEFA 'fair' play rules regarding the total
wage bill that is allowed for any single club. As such, unless the Hammers
can reduce the bill (by offloading some high earners) then they simply
cannot offer the colossal salaries that any talented forward in today's game
would undoubtedly expect.
With no clear contenders seeking the services of Ricky VazTe and other
possible exports, The Hammers management have been forced to consider a
range of more extreme measures
Option One: Kill off some first team squad members. Unfortunately, the
current squad lacks an obvious unpopular member. Both Alou Diarra and Ravel
Morrison have previously been in the sin bin but this was for mere 'needs a
bit of a spanking'-type offences, and as such the death penalty would be
perceived as too harsh a punishment for the crimes of sulking or pretending
to be a gangsta etc. The likes of Gary Breen, Julien Faux-Pas and the
legendary Allen McNightmare can count themselves lucky that their tenure at
Fortress Upton Park predated the new regime, as a firing squad would have
been an inevitable (sell out) intervention in all three cases!
Option Two: Offer a pay cut for existing squad members but with payment in
kind. The Hammers close association with high-brow lingerie retailers, Ann
Summers would seem to offer an ideal means of 'rewarding' our lads for their
on-field efforts. In particular, the man-boob support braces and knickerbox
underbody armour range could prove pretty useful for the squad both on and
off the field and thus allow for a massive cut in wages. However, any such
plans have been scuppered by Captain Kevin Nolan who has warned any first
teamers who wear provocative underwear beneath their training and match kit
that they will be forced to room with him on the upcoming away trip to
'crazy and anything goes' toontown. Hmmmm.
Option Three: Encourage high earning players to fake their own deaths. The
Hammers bosses, having trapped themselves in a situation with a lack of
anything approaching adequate striking resources have resorted to leaving
subtle hints to their first team squad that might encourage them to exit the
Hammers payroll. Drawing from the amazing success of Timothy Dexter – the
19th century American entrepreneur who announced that his wife was dead and
that the woman (of similar appeareance) who was occupying his house was
merely her ghost – the Hammers might pretend that Kevin Nolan has passed on
and that the guy who keeps popping up out of nowhere to score for the
Hammers is in fact a poltergeist!
An alternative ruse might be to take a similar option to Ken Kesey, author
of "One flew over the cuckoo's nest" who faked his own death to escape a
marijuana possession rap in the mid-1960s only to return alive and well a
few months later from Mexico where he had been hiding out. A similar 'loan
period' arrangement might apply between the Hammers and their less
sophisticated and quite economically challenged neighbours south of the
Thames at Millwall. However, the ultra-violent Mexican street gang culture
of South London might prove too terrifying for any of the current Hammers
squad.
Option Four: Cook the books. No. Tevezgate sent a warning to all clubs that
all paperwork must be precise and in order. In particular, Sheffield United
fans would resist any moves that might result in their receiving another
massive 20 million cash injection as the last one has almost resulted in
their club getting relegated from the football league as they languish in
the third tier having squandered colossal amounts of Hammers-donated cash on
what has become a veritable donkey sanctuary at Bramall Lane.
Option Five: Try to reason with UEFA! As always with any serious news item,
we like to finish with a light-hearted piece – the cat rescued from a
tree-type of thing – and as such we have included the ridiculous notion of
trying to reason with the geriatric fascists at UEFA. With the amount of
dosh that is sloshing around in soccer these days, it is abundantly clear to
anybody with the slightest grasp of economics that such rules around
expenditure merely serve to divert the money elsewhere e.g. under 21 players
are now massively increased in value which will only serve to populate
soccer with spoilt and overpaid wannabes who haven't yet even kicked a ball
at the highest level (think Chadwell Heath pre-Allardyce!).
Some observers have suggested that if the Hammers invested a bit more in the
youth system (which includes giving developing stars some occasional game
time) this wouldn't be such a problem for the club as we would have the
usual burgeoning flow of young talent. Either way this option is, of course,
laughably naïve as the unreasonable and out of touch UEFA ubërlords would
simply use any such representations to further amuse and titillate
themselves while they feast upon the continued corruption and demise of the
beautiful game.
I guess it's time to summon the firing squad.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
U18 PREMIER LEAGUE FORMAT EXPLAINED
By Tommy Wathen 20 Aug 2013 at 16:26
West Ham Till I Die
This season, West Ham United under 18s will be competing in the Barclays U18
Premier League.
The Barclays U18 Premier League replaced the Premier Academy League at the
start of last season because of the league aiming to enhance youth
development and help transition players between academy and the first team.
Little Heath
Overall, there will be 22 clubs competing in the Barclays U18 Premier League
this season, after all the clubs applied for 'Category One' status in the
Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP). 16 of the clubs competing this season
are from the Barclays Premier League, five from the SkyBet Championship and
one from the SkyBet League One.
The clubs have been split into two 11 team groups based on regional
location; north and south. This is a new format that has been introduced
this season.
Each club will play opposing clubs in their own regional group twice, both
home and away. Also, clubs will face each opposing club in the other
regional group once, either home or away. The season will last for 31 games.
At the end of the season, the top two teams in each regional division will
progress onto the semi finals, with the winner of the north group facing the
runner up in the south group and vice versa.
Every players taking part in league matches must be from within the U18 age
category. Any player over that age category is not permitted to be fielded,
with one exception being the goalkeeper who can be from the U19 age
category.
West Ham United U18 will take part in the south group alongside Arsenal,
Aston Villa, Chelsea, Fulham, Leicester City, Norwich City, Reading,
Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and West Bromwich Albion.
The 11 clubs competing in the north group are Blackburn Rovers, Bolton
Wanderers, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United,
Middlesbrough, Newcastle United, Sunderland, Stoke City and Wolverhampton
Wanderers.
PLEASE NOTE: West Ham U18 home matches will kick-off at 11am at the West Ham
United Academy, Little Heath, Hainault Road, Romford, Essex, RM6 5RX unless
otherwise stated on the official West Ham website.
Keep an eye on my website, Tommy Wathen – Sports Journalist, for latest news
about the West Ham United U18.
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IS QUAGLIARELLA ON HIS WAY TO UPTON PARK?
By Iain Dale 20 Aug 2013 at 09:52
West Ham Till I Die
Various reports, including THIS ONE ( see below ) suggest West Ham have
reached an agreement on personal terms with 30 year old Juventus striker
Fabio Quaglierella. Crucially, though, terms haven't been agreed with
Juventus. I know videos only ever show the best bits, but this video of
Quagliarella's 20 greatest goals certainly gets your mouth watering.
He's certainly much travelled, having played for 8 Italian clubs, but his
goalscoring record at all of them has been very consistent – 1 goal every 3
games. For Juventus he struck 22 goals in 67 appearances. He's also scored 6
in 25 international games for Italy. While I'd prefer Demba Ba, I think
Quagliarella would be a very good second best option.
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West Ham United Reach Agreement With Juventus Striker
Forzaitalianfootball.com
Juventus striker Fabio Quagliarella could be on his way to West Ham United
after reportedly agreeing a deal with the club. The 30-year-old looks set to
be on the fringes of the Bianconeri set up following the arrival of Carlos
Tevez and Fernando Llorente and is thought to have been made available for
transfer.
According to Sky Sport Italia, the Italian has agreed personal terms with
the Premier League side with regards a transfer but an accord between the
two clubs has yet to be found. It is thought West Ham want a loan deal with
option to buy, whereas Juve would prefer an outright sale. Quagliarella made
27 appearances last season in Serie A, scoring nine goals.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham offered Juventus forward Fabio Quagliarella - but must sell first
20 Aug 2013 12:19
The Mirror
West Ham will have to sell before striking any deal for Italy forward Fabio
Quagliarella. Juventus want to offload the 29-year-old after buying Carlos
Tevez and Fernando Llorente this summer - and have offered him to the
Hammers. Norwich, Sunderland and Qatar side Al-Gharafa have also been
contacted for the £7m-rated international. Sam Allardyce wants another front
man but has spent over £20m on Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing. West Ham
are interested in a loan deal for Quagliarella with an option to buy but the
Italian champions want a cash deal. And co-owner David Gold said: "I think
it's clear that we are still short of a striker. David Sullivan agrees with
that, Sam agrees with that, but until we release those wages by players
leaving, there is little we can do. "We have reached our target laid down by
the new rules in terms of wages. "The only possibility now is if players are
sold. That's up to Sam, that's in his hands. If he releases wages, that will
give us the opportunity to bring in replacements for those players."
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West Ham Prepared to Sell Four In Upton Park Clear-Out
by Aidan McCartney August 20th, 2013
caughtoffside.com
Upton Park side look to free up funds by offloading unneeded squad players.
West Ham United could offload at least four players to free up funds as Sam
Allardyce looks to recruit another new striker before the transfer deadline
passes reports the Evening Standard. Sam Allardyce has reportedly sanctioned
the departures of squad players including midfielder Matt Taylor, French
international Alou Diarra, forward Ricardo Vaz Te and reserve goalkeeper
Stephen Henderson who could now all leave before the end of the month.
Hammers co-owner David Sullivan has confirmed that he will be working
roundthe clock to reduce the club's wage bill as he tries to release extra
money to spend on another centre-forward for Allardyce's side. Club record
signing Andy Carroll will be out of action until mid-September as he
recovers from a heel injury leaving just Modibo Maiga to lead the line in
attack and the Malian international started during Saturday's comfortable
2-0 victory over Cardiff City. Sullivan has now admitted that under the new
financial fair play regulations they must sell before they can buy after
closing in on their strict £52million salary cap. 'In our case, we start
with a £52 million limit,' explained Sullivan in his programme notes for
Saturday's game against the Premier League newcomers. 'If you exceed the
figure you could be hit with a points deduction, so I hope you can see that
players can only be brought in if there is money left in the wage budget. We
are close to that limit now but that is not to say that our dealings in the
transfer market are complete for the summer. 'Players could well leave
before the transfer window closes on 2 September, which would give us the
money to add a couple more to the squad, so we will continue to work hard
over the next couple of weeks'.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Newcastle new-boy Remy ruled out of West Ham clash
By Mark Bowering
Goal.Com
20 Aug 2013 18:34:00
Loic Remy looks set to miss Newcastle's clash with West Ham on Saturday, but
could make his debut against Fulham next weekend. A calf injury prevented
the on-loan QPR striker from featuring in Monday's 4-0 defeat at Manchester
City, with manager Alan Pardew expecting to be without him when West Ham
head north this weekend. Newcastle looked toothless in attack at the Etihad
Stadium and Pardew endured an evening to forget as defender Steven Taylor
was sent off and Jonas Gutierrez hobbled off with the recurrence of a leg
problem. The availability of Remy, who scored six times in 14 Premier League
appearances for QPR last term, would be a welcome boost for Pardew, but he
will have to wait to see the 26-year-old in competitive action. "We have
Loic Remy coming back and he is two weeks away," said Pardew. "Maybe he
might make the Fulham game. The West Ham game is a bridge too far." The
heavy defeat at City leaves Newcastle propping up the rest of the Premier
League after the opening weekend of the season.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham United linked with Benfica's Oscar Cardozo and Roma's Marco
Boriello
Guardian Series
4:22pm Tuesday 20th August 2013 in News
West Ham United face a race against time to clear some deadwood before the
end of the transfer window as they eye moves for two of Europe's top
strikers.
Benfica star Oscar Cardozo and Roma frontman Marco Boriello are reportedly
interesting Hammers boss Sam Allardyce as he looks to add weight to his
frontline. Paraguayan Cardozo has also been linked with a move to a number
of European clubs including Spartak Moscow and Fenerbache, while Boriello
ended last season as Genoa's top scorer with 12 goals during his loan from
Juventus and he could be available at a cut price after falling out of
favour in Turin.
Club record signing Andy Carroll is set to be out until mid-September and
with only Modibo Maiga and Ricardo Vaz Te for cover, the Irons are eager to
sign another striker. However, any potential moves are on the premise that
they can offload several unwanted assets before the close of the window on
September 2. Allardyce said over the weekend that he believes West Ham's
current squad is the best he has ever worked with but is still keen to
create funds to keep improving the squad. Vaz Te, Alou Diarra and Matt
Taylor have all been linked to moves away from East London within the next
two weeks.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham trying to free up space for Cardozo swoop
By talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) | Tuesday, August 20, 2013
West Ham are keen to finalise a move for Benfica forward Oscar Cardozo - but
only if they manage to sell players before the transfer window closes on
September 2. Sam Allardyce wants to bring in another striker as club record
signing Andy Carroll is not expected back in action until mid-September.
Cardozo, 30, has been one of the most prolific forwards in the Portuguese
League over the last few seasons and would relish the chance to showcase his
talents in England. The Paraguay international has a wealth of experience
and Allardyce knows he would add vital competition for both Carroll and
Modibo Maiga. Reports in Portugal suggest a deal could be completed in the
next two weeks, but West Ham have to sell before they can bring anyone else
in as they have reached their salary cap limit. Ricardo Vaz Te, Matt Taylor
and Alou Diarra have all been linked with moves away from Upton Park and
their possible departures would free up funds for the West Ham boss to bring
in his sixth summer signing.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jarvis interview
By Adam Bate - Follow @GhostGoal | Last Updated: August 20, 2013 2:38pm
SSN
Adam Bate caught up with West Ham winger Matt Jarvis to discuss his World
Cup ambitions, the signing of Stewart Downing, Sam Allardyce's love of
statistics and how it felt to finally get that first Hammers assist...
Occasionally there are statistics that just resonate. Some are flattering,
such as the one that saw the passing of Swansea midfielder Leon Britton
favourably compared to Barcelona's Xavi. Others are curiosities such as the
fact that it took Gareth Bale until his 25th Premier League game for
Tottenham before he was on the winning side... And that after more than 40
hours of action, Matt Jarvis was still waiting for his first West Ham
assist.
The likeable Hammers winger put in more crosses than any other Premier
League player in 2012/13 and set up his fair share of opportunities. In
fact, the 27-year-old created more than any other player not to have an
assist to his name. But after a season spent plugging away on the left
flank, Jarvis delivered on the opening day of the new season - providing the
cut-back for Joe Cole to slam the ball home for the breakthrough goal
against Cardiff on Saturday.
When the dreaded stat is mentioned his relief is palpable. "Yeah, exactly!
It's was nice to get it," he admits. "Especially after being top of the
chances created without getting one. That wasn't great reading but it's nice
to be up and running this season already."
Benefit
Jarvis didn't have a pre-season with West Ham last year, joining from Wolves
for a then record £10million just before the window shut with the campaign
already underway. This time he appears to be feeling the benefit of a summer
with the squad, having produced a man of the match performance in a win over
Hamburg last month and then impressing against the Bluebirds when the league
season began.
"It's helped that we've had quite a few games as we wanted to get as
match-fit as we possibly could ahead of the new season," he explains. "It's
always nice during pre-season to get a few assists and feel like you're back
in the swing of things. To hit the ground running on Saturday and get an
assist was a nice little confidence-booster.
"I think the start that we had last year was the key. We got 14 points from
our first eight games. It was the massive boost of confidence that we needed
and I think we were around sixth to eighth in the table at that stage and
that really motivates you. That really helped us last season."
Some would suggest Jarvis needed a good start himself. Having dealt with the
pressures that came with his transfer fee last season, the signing of fellow
England international winger Stewart Downing on the eve of the opening game
might well threaten his spot in the team. It was Jarvis who made way for
Downing at the weekend.
He bats away the issue of his place being under threat in predictable
fashion. "It's another fantastic signing and it means competition for
places, which is always healthy in a squad," says Jarvis. "It makes everyone
play a bit better and that always helps the team. Hopefully we can play in
the same team."
There is certainly some reason for optimism in that regard given the fact
that both men can play on either flank. Sam Allardyce may appear a manager
at home with the knockabout banter on the Goals on Sunday sofa but his love
of the science of the sport is also well-documented. So it seems unlikely he
is unaware of the fact that Downing is one of only two men to fire in more
than 200 crosses since the 2010/11 season. Jarvis is that other man, having
achieved the feat in each of the last three campaigns.
As such, it is easy to imagine Allardyce licking his not inconsiderable
chops at the prospect of his wingers loading the box for the hulking figure
of Andy Carroll with the canny Kevin Nolan latching onto the knockdowns. Big
Sam will be seeing that chicken dance in his sleep.
"He's very much into his statistics," notes Jarvis. "We use all the analysts
and all the statistics we have in order to work out how we are going to
approach a game. For me personally, we look at whether I am going to cross
the ball or whether I'm going to run at the defender and things like that.
"With players like Andy and Kev running into the box, if we can get as many
crosses into the box as we can from good areas that are going to unsettle
the defenders then it is always going to create chances."
Jarvis scored seven goals in his last 14 games for Wolves but followed up
with just two in his debut season for the Hammers. That's an area he is keen
to improve in the hope of forcing his way back into the England set-up - an
ambition he is happy to bring up without prompting.
"My hope for the season is to play well and keep creating the chances for
the team," he says. "I want to keep getting the assists and hopefully get a
few goals myself. I'd like to get more than I got last season and maybe get
nearer to the eight that I got in my last year with Wolves.
"If I can add more goals and keep the assists and crosses coming in then
I'll be pleased. And hopefully if I can do that then I can put myself in the
window for the England team." His voice tails off - almost tentative about
the mere suggestion - but when the World Cup is mentioned he is animated
once more.
"That would be nice! It's one of those things that you dream about when
you're little. That is the ultimate aim and goal in your career. It was an
absolute dream come true to get the call-up and to then actually play at
Wembley in front of 85,000 fans was absolutely incredible.
"Just training with all these top-class players and being involved in and
around the qualifiers was a great experience and when you get a taste of it
you just want more. That is what I'll be working hard to do."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
ARE WE IN FOR A TENSE FINALE TO THE TRANSFER WINDOW?
By S J Chandos 21 Aug 2013 at 01:18
West Ham Till I Die
The answer to the question posed is, in all probability, yes, we are! With
the club right up against its proscribed player salary cap, and an
additional player or two still needed, we will have to sell before we can
buy. In that respect, Henderson, McCartney, Taylor and Vaz Te are obvious
candidates for outgoing transfer business. The issue, however, is whether we
can actually sell them and if the accrued savings on their salaries are
sufficient to facilitate us bring in players of the class of Quagliarella or
Ba? If not then we may be forced to sell one or two other members of the
squad. If we find ourselves in that territory, then names such as Diarra and
Maiga could come in to the equation.
Personally, I find it difficult to understand how we have got ourselves in
to this uncomfortable position. I can understand the emphasis being upon
incoming signings, but the club must have known some time ago that we were
approaching the salary cap and could have made plans to move out one or two
fringe players. We know that Sam Allardyce began warning against the
possible adverse impact of the new Fair Play rules, on our transfer
dealings, back in May. We also know that Stephen Henderson was marginal for
virtually the whole all of last season. So, why did we not move to quickly
sell him when the signing of Adrian was confirmed weeks ago? Similarly, it
was a strong proposition that we needed to trade up on players such as
Taylor and Vaz Te as a pre-requisite for progressing as a club this summer.
So, why not seek to sell them earlier in the transfer window? I hope that I
am not being unduly unfair to the club, but surely our current transfer
hiatus is at least partially a result of some poor planning.
Do not get me wrong, I think that we have made some very good acquisitions
this summer. Securing Andy Carroll's services on a permanent deal was a
landmark piece of business; while Razvan Rat, Adrian and Stuart Downing are
all excellent signings that improve the quality of the squad. And all due
credit to the club for transacting that business. However, we knew that
signing a quality, second striker was always the top priority, once Carroll
was on board. Yet, we find ourselves entering the final two weeks of the
window and that key signing has still not been secured. And, to compound the
situation, our room for manoeuvre is severely restricted by this salary cap
obstacle. Arguably, the club should have anticipated this potential problem
arising and taken prompt action to circumvent it. I always strive to be fair
and view an issue from all possible angles, but that is an inescapable
conclusion in my book.
So, time is beginning to run down rapidly and the club have to do some
pretty slick business to achieve their objectives before the deadline at
11pm, on 2 September 2013. As stated, it is a possibility that players like
Diarra and Maiga may have to be sacrificed to facilitate a deal(s) for a
class striker(s). That is a shame because both Diarra and Maiga have shown
quality in pre-season. Diarra is exactly the type of defensive midfield
anchor that we will need in some of the tougher away matches this season. He
is also a very useful as a player to put on to help 'close up shop' and
protect a lead. While I would have liked to have seen Maiga get another
chance to prove himself in the PL. His ability to play both as a central
striker and out wide is also useful to retain in the squad. But if one or
both players need to be sacrificed for the greater good of our season then
so be it.
One proposed move that I am, however, totally opposed to is the sale of
James Tomkins, especially for a fee in the region of £6m! I believe that
with Reid, Collins and Tomkins we have good cover in central defence. Add
the highly promising Leo Chambers in to that mix and the situation looks
even better. But what is the value of weakening our central defence to
strengthen our attack? That is arguably a classic case of 'robbing Peter to
pay Paul.' I also do not rate our chances of signing a centre-back as good
as Tomkins, nor do I believe the rumour that we will sign the likes of
Christopher Samba. As such, if Reid or Collins are injured or suspended we
could find ourselves with defensive problems. I continue to believe in
Tomkins' ability and the likelihood that he and Reid will recommence their
promising defensive partnership sooner rather than later. Lets hope that
David Gold remains consistent in his prior view that Tomkins will not be
sold because he represents the future of the club.
So it is my expectation that we could be in for a nerve racking finale to
the transfer window. However, there is always the hope that this
interpretation is unduly pessimistic and the club manages to complete any
remaining transfer business quickly and well before the window closes. We
are one PL match in to the new season and the really encouraging thing is
that we are solid in defence and scoring goals from midfield. Allied to
that, we now have pace and skill on the flanks. These are all very positive
developments and if we can just secure a greater cutting edge up front, then
the indicative signs are pointing towards another very good PL campaign and
a possible cup run.
SJ. Chandos.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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