Preview - Everton
WHUFC.com
Everything you need to know about Tuesday's FA Cup Third Round tie away at
Everton
05.01.2015
EVERTON v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
GOODISON PARK
TUESDAY 5 JANUARY 2015
KICK-OFF: 7.45PM
REFEREE: ANTHONY TAYLOR
In brief
West Ham United travel to Goodison Park for the second time this season as
they kick off their FA Cup campaign on Tuesday evening.
The Hammers lost narrowly to Roberto Martinez's men 2-1 in November when
goals from Romelu Lukaku and Leon Osman were enough to clinch the three
points despite a Mauro Zarate goal.
Everton have been hampered by injuries to key players as well as congested
fixture list which has contributed to their poor league form. The Toffees
currently sit in 13th position in the Premier League with 21 points from 20
games. In contrast, the Hammers are lying in seventh place having taken 32
points.
Fourth Round draw
The winners of this tie will travel to Doncaster Rovers or Bristol City in
the fourth round.
Who are they?
Formed from St Domingo's FC, they played their first game on 1 January 1878
in Stanley Park. They changed their name to Everton Football Club in 1879,
winning their first game under the new name 6-0 against St Peter's. Five
years later, Everton won the Liverpool Cup, their first ever cup with a 1-0
win over Earlestown.
Everton were one of the 12 founder members of the Football League in 1888,
winning their first league title at the third attempt. The Toffees moved to
Goodison Park in 1892, winning their first game 4-2 over Bolton Wanderers.
Since then, Everton have established themselves as one of the more
successful teams in Britain, winning the first division nine times as well
as an impressive five FA Cups.
More recently, trophies have been harder to come by - their last success
came in the FA Cup in the 1994/95 season. However ex-manager David Moyes
established them as one of the best teams in the Premier League, regularly
finishing in the top half and challenging for a European spot.
Team news
West Ham United
Diafra Sakho is unavailable due to a back injury sustained against West
Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day, he is currently being assessed by a
specialist to determine the extent of the injury. Fellow Senegalese
International Cheikhou Kouyate has joined up with the national team as they
prepare for their African Cup of Nations campaign. James Tomkins twisted his
ankle in training and is unlikely to be fit in time, James Collins is set to
continue alongside Winston Reid in defence.
Everton
The Toffees' injury problems have continued into the New Year with Tim
Howard (calf), Tony Hibbert (muscular injury) and Leon Osman (tendon) all
out injured. Further, Antolin Alcaraz is suspended after being sent off
against Hull City in their New Year's Day defeat while Christian Atsu is
also on international duty. Steven Pienaar (knee), Darron Gibson (knee) and
James McCarthy (hamstring) are all unfit. John Stones and Kevin Mirallas
(both ankle) are in contention to play but may not be risked.
Referee
Tuesday's referee is Anthony Taylor who has taken charge of 16 Premier
League games so far this season including the Hammers' 2-0 win over Queens
Park Rangers on Sunday 5 October 2014. Of those 16 games, the homes side has
won five times, with the away side winning seven and there have been four
draws. The assistant referees are Darren England and Michael McDonough,
Michael Jones is the Fourth Official.
Statistics
(2014/15 season - Barclays Premier League only)
Matches refereed: 16
Yellow cards shown: 67
Red cards shown: 3
Penalties awarded: 2
One to watch
West Ham United
With Cheikhou Kouyate on international duty, Mark Noble is likely to start
in the heart of midfield. The tenacious midfielder has not featured as
regularly as some may have expected as a problem with his Achilles tendon
has limited his game time.
However, now he has overcome the injury he will be raring to get back among
the thick of it.
Everton
The highly rated Ross Barkley has caught the attention of many football fans
and pundits alike with his impressive attacking ability and creative spark.
The England international has scored eight goals in 46 starts for his
boyhood club and Martinez may have a tough job keeping him on Merseyside
should his performances continue to impress.
Tickets
Tickets are still available for Tuesday's match, to purchase tickets please
click here.
Travel
For directions to Goodison Park please click here.
Weather
The temperature at kick off is forecast to be a chilly but dry 6C (42.8F).
During the day, Tuesday should be a sunny day.
Last meeting
Everton 2-1 West Ham United
Barclays Premier League
Saturday 22 November 2014
Close, but no cigar for the Hammers, who gave a really spirited performance
at Goodison Park but were ultimately punished for being caught on the break
in the second half.
Following Mauro Zarate's equaliser, it looked as though the Hammers were
beginning to gain the upper hand as the closing stages approached, but it
was not to be with goals from Romelu Lukaku and Leon Osman giving the
visitors their first defeat since late September.
Everton: Howard, Coleman, Jagielka, Distin, Hibbert, Osman, Mirallas (Eto'o
66), Naismith (Atsu 89), Barkley (Besic 80), Lukaku
Subs not used: Robles, Browning, Garbutt, Ledson
West Ham United: Adrian, Jenkinson, Tomkins, Reid, Collins, Cresswell,
Amalfitano (Vaz Te 82), Nolan, Noble (Jarvis 52), Carroll, Cole (Zarate 51)
Subs not used: Demel, Lletget, O'Brien, Jaaskelainen
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AC targets birthday victory
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll is hoping to celebrate his 26th birthday with an FA Cup win at
Everton
05.01.2015
Birthday boy Andy Carroll knows a thing or two about the FA Cup. The centre
forward scored in the third round, fifth round, semi-final and final as
Liverpool finished as runners-up to Chelsea in 2012. On Tuesday, the No9
returns to the city he called home between January 2011 and June 2013, as
West Ham United travel to Everton in the third round of the world's
most-famous knockout competition. As someone who knows first-hand how
passionate the people of Merseyside are for both football and the FA Cup,
Carroll is relishing a tie that will be played on his 26th birthday. "I've
played against Everton a few times when I was at Liverpool," he recalled.
"It's my birthday as well that day so hopefully I'll give myself a nice goal
on my birthday if I get a game! "I think it's a great competition. It gives
you a great chance of winning something. I think us as a club that's
growing, it's something we need to have in our sights. The way we're playing
at the minute I don't see why we couldn't get to the final and maybe even
win it."
Carroll came so close to doing just that three seasons ago, when he scored a
dramatic late winner in Liverpool's semi-final victory over their Merseyside
neighbours at Wembley. Unsurprisingly, he has fond memories of that day. "It
was a great feeling," he smiled. "As a derby it was massive for the fans.
The cross came in and I got my head on it. After the game it was a dream, a
lot of emotions."
The final saw Liverpool take on Chelsea. Again, Carroll found the target,
but it was not enough to deny the Blues a 2-1 success and FA Cup glory. The
striker's frustration was compounded when his 81st minute header was pushed
onto the underside of the crossbar by Petr Cech. Carroll claimed a goal, but
match officials decided it had not crossed the line. "We were getting beat
2-0 and I came on and scored," he recalled. "We got back into it and had
several chances. One chance went over the line but it wasn't given. I think
if we had goal line technology like we do now I think it would have been
given. It was a good game that we should've got something out of."
Fast forward to Tuesday evening, and Carroll believes West Ham can take
confidence from their own position in the Barclays Premier League table, as
well as their performance in a 2-1 defeat at Goodison Park back in November.
"It was a tough game and they're a great team. They've just been beaten by
Newcastle so we know they are vulnerable. The manager will show us how we
can break them down. We know how to break teams down so hopefully we can go
there and get the win. "I feel with the confidence the lads have got at the
moment and the way we're playing well, we can go through. I think it gives
the lads a big boost to know we're pretty much safe in the league and we can
give the cup a good go."
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Big Sam on: Everton
WHUFC.com
The manager held his pre-Everton press conference on Monday morning
05.01.2015
Sam Allardyce has been grateful for the five-day gap between games ahead of
Tuesday's FA Cup third round tie against Everton. The Hammers had a blank
weekend, while many of their Premier League rivals were back in action just
days after their New Year's Day fixtures. That has allowed West Ham's
players to recover ahead of their Cup showdown, in which Big Sam wants to
see a return to winning ways.
Sam, considering how well you are doing in the league at the moment, would
it be right to assume you'll be really going for the FA Cup this season?
SA: "I think that wouldn't be the case if we were playing on Saturday,
having played on Thursday. That would have been nearly impossible with the
fatigue level and I think you could see that in the QPR players. Harry tried
to play his best side for four games in a row and it didn't work and they
ended up losing 3-0 to Sheffield United. "It's not possible to play the best
team each game because of the fatigue levels. But we've had four or five
days rest which has helped so we can play a strong team. It's quite strange
playing on Tuesday night but it has given us a little bit of breathing
space. "We won't have a few players available due to the African Cup of
Nations starting soon and Diafra Sakho has got a back injury which we are
assessing."
How serious is the injury and is Sakho likely to miss the African Cup of
Nations?
SA: "We're still assessing the situation, he's seeing a specialist in London
at the moment. He's all the appropriate scans but we need to see the extent
of it. Obviously the back is a sensitive area which can take some time to
mend depending on the scenario. Until we get the full diagnosis we won't
know the right way forward."
A word on Mauro Zarate, there was talk of Crystal Palace being interested,
among other clubs, do you have any updates on the situation?
SA: "I don't to be honest. I thought it was all done and dusted with QPR but
that doesn't seem to be the case for whatever reason. When the situation has
been decided we'll deal with it from there.
If he does leave, does that create a space for you to bring someone else in?
SA: "I don't think so. What Mauro's problem is, is that he feels he hasn't
played enough here at West Ham. He feels he needs to go play somewhere else,
and if he goes elsewhere he'll have a better chance of playing. I think his
problem is that if he'd played better here, he would have played more often.
But I haven't heard of any other club that is interested in him apart from
QPR."
You've signed Doneil Henry, what can you tell us about him?
SA: "He's a player for the near future we hope. He was recommended by Ryan
Nelsen from his time at Toronto FC, who was my captain at Blackburn Rovers.
Ryan himself was a fantastic central defender. Doneil came here on a trial
and impressed us. He's only 21 so he has a lot of potential and hopefully
he'll be challenging for a place soon."
Is he a player who could replace Winston Reid?
SA: "His contract is out at the end of the year. His future is that his
contract ends on 30 June, he hasn't said that he is or isn't going to sign
at the moment. By the feel of it you'd err on the side that he won't so I
think it's unlikely. We haven't had any approaches for him in January."
How is the rest of the squad fitness wise?
SA: "James Tomkins twisted his ankle yesterday so we'll assess that one. The
three Africa Cup of Nations players won't feature so we've got a bit of a
thin squad."
Does tomorrow's game give some of the players who haven't played as much as
they might have liked to show what they can do?
SA: "Looking at the team there won't be too many changes. Mark Noble and
Kevin Nolan will play a big part. Ricardo Vaz Te might get an opportunity
and Matt Jarvis hasn't played as much as he wants to so he'll get a few more
games soon. We haven't had the results we wanted recently but I think the
performances have still been very good. We'll play the strongest team
available against Everton."
Are you surprised at how Everton have struggled this season?
SA: "No not really, considering the injuries and the amount of fixtures
they've had. They've had injuries to key players in important positions so
that always has a huge effect. Stones, Distin and Jagielka have all been out
so that really disrupts the solidarity at the back which is why they have
conceded so many goals. If there's a lack of confidence hopefully we can
exploit that."
Do you feel you can prioritise the Cup more this year than any others?
SA: "Yes because of our league position. Last year it was the bottom of our
priorities because we were concentrating on getting out of trouble while
also being in the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup."
Has the glamour of the FA Cup gone a bit?
SA: "It's hard to say, it certainly has in terms of its attendances, I think
across the board they've gone down. But overall I don't think it has. It's a
great tournament with the opportunity of playing at Wembley at the end. I
remember watching it from the age of about eight or nine and the chances of
an underdog beating a big boy hasn't lost its glamour. There hasn't been so
many shocks in this round but the glamour is still there."
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Dev Squad 1-0 Leicester
WHUFC.com
Minute-by-minute updates as the Dev Squad beat Leicester City 1-0 at Rush
Green
05.01.2015
DEVELOPMENT SQUAD v LEICESTER CITY U21
BARCLAYS U21 PREMIER LEAGUE
RUSH GREEN STADIUM
MONDAY 05 JANUARY 2015
KICK-OFF: 7 PM
REFEREE: NEIL HAIR
FT: Dev Squad 1-0 Leciester City
FT: The Dev Squad have done it! Parfitt-Williams with a crucial goal seals a
win just when a draw looked like the most likely outcome. The Dev Squad are
in action again this Friday against London rivals Tottenham Hostpur, kick
off 7pm from Rush Green.
92: A lot of tired legs out their now, but can they hold out?
90: Good hold up play by Turgott wastes a few seconds before Lletget buys a
free-kick off Leicester. Not long left to go.
88: The Hammers have got the ball exactly where they want it, right in the
far corner. They work it to Lletget who tries to curl it to the far post.
87: The Foxes have had the wind knocked out of their sails with that goal,
the Hammers have certainly been given a lift. Just a few minutes to hold out
for a vital win.
84: GOAL! 1-0 to the Hammers. Djair Parfitt-Williams gets his head to
another cross from Bywater and it flies into the far corner. A fine goal for
the youngster!
83: Turgott breaks again but his pass is tired and it is easily cut out.
Leicester break with a four on three in their favour, Oxford cuts it out
well.
81: Lewis Page is nailed by Jak McCourt who quite rightly goes into the book
for that challenge.
80: Another great delivery from Bywater, straight into the six-yard box
which goes agonizingly close to Parfitt-Williams. Any connection and it
would have gone in.
78: Bywater floats a terrific ball into the box which Brown attacks. It
falls just wide of the post via a deflection. Corner.
77: Into under the last 15 minutes here. Leicester have looked more
threatening in this second period yet the Hammers know they still in with a
chance.
75: Reece Burke does superbly to bring the ball from the half way line right
to Leicester's box, he tries to play in Brown but the linesman flags him for
offside, another tight call.
73: Djair Parfitt-Williams is coming on for Matty Fanimo who looked like he
had picked up a knock. The two U18s leading goal scorers are on for the
Hammers now, can they find their prolific form tonight?
71: Lletget volleys a dropping clearance which is blocked for a corner.
Jordan Brown almost gets to it at the back post.
70: Lewis Page is on in place of Dan Potts.
68: Dodoo tries his luck from distance, Howes sees it early and allows it go
wide of his post. Leicester have been on top for the majority of this second
half.
65: Hopper almosts scores as his neat flick falls dangerously close to the
near post, good invention from th Foxes' striker.
64: Potts throws himself in front of a shot from Barrington, excellent
defending from the left-back, good to see him back out on the pitch after a
lengthy injury.
62: Fanimo bursts to the by-line but his clipped cross narrowly evades
everyone and is headed out and away.
60: Panayiotou's snap shot goes just wide of Howes' post, the goalkeeper
looked to have it covered anyway.
58: Jordan Brown is on in place Paul McCallum.
56: Dan Potts is caught in posession resulting in Barrington running down on
the Hammers' area. Bywater trips the striker and goes into the book. Taking
one for the team.
53: Marcel Barrington is on in place of Louis Rowley.
51: The Hammers break down the right wing with Turgott who slides a good
ball in to McCallum. Elliot Moore slides in to clear the danger.
48: Lletget is flagged for offside despite looking well on. He and his
teammates look disgusted at the decision as he was clean through.
46: Both teams are back out on the pitch and we're about to resume play. A
big 45 minutes ahead for both sides, the Hammers really needs to find a way
through. Ben Chilwell has replaced Joe Davis in a like-for-like swap at
left-back.
HT: Half way here at Rush Green, both chances have had two good chances to
break the deadlock yet both goalkeepers have defended their clean sheets
admirably. A long way to go still.
41: Free kick for the Hammers in a dangerous position after Lletget was
fouled. The referee adjudges that Leicester's goalkeeper was fouled and they
clear it upfield.
39: Just a moment later and Leicester should really take the lead.
Panayiotou is through but he pokes it wide. Al real let off for the Hammers
there.
38: Jack McCourt stings the palms of Howes with a rasping shot from the edge
of the box. Bit of pressure from the visitors here.
34: Jack Barmby is away down the left flank. Trouble for the Hammers but
Howes dives forward to collect the cross, good goalkeeping from the young
shot-stopper.
31: Good sliding tackle by Reece Burke is stop Hopper making any progress
into the box.
28: Turgott's pace is causing the Foxes real problems. Again Lletget looks
to play Turgott in behind the defence, he sprints to keep up but Smith is
quick off his line to collect the ball. Half-hearted appeals for a penalty
which the referee waves away.
24: McCallum is adjudged to have fouled Elder. The resulting free-kick
causes a few more defensive problems until Burke brings the ball out
expertly, he tries to set Fanimo free but the ball is just over hit.
22: Free-kick to West Ham in a dangerous position, Fanimo to swing it
in...however he over hits it and the goalkeeper collects without any bother.
19: Chance for the visitors as a long throw bu Joe Davis causes the defence
all kinds of problems. Harry Panayiotou heads goalwards and Sam Howes has to
spring into action to save his team.
17: Turgott tries his luck from the edge of the box and he connects well.
The ball swings a bit in the air before Smith clutches it.
15: Smart work from Blair Turgott in a tight space wins his side a corner,
Leicester have got everyone back to defend this.
13: A frantic start here at Rush Green with both teams chasing a win that
they both need. The Hammers have shaded it so far but the Foxes look
dangerous on the break.
10: Great chance for the Hammers to take the lead as Matthias Fanimo is sent
through on goal by a glorious pass. He beats his man for pace but the
goalkeeper Adam Smith stays big and and saves well.
9: Lletget sets Turgott free down the right wing, his drilled cross is cut
out by the first man.
7: Dan Potts choses safety first as he clears it out for a throw in. He wins
the resulting header and clears up field.
5: Another chance for the Hammers as again they break through Lletget, his
cross is cut out for a corner. From the resulting corner, Leicester
eventually scramble it away after Reece Oxford's header was goal bound.
2: Bright start for the Hammers. McCallum knocks on to Lletget who plays the
No9 back in. Unfortunately the linesman has his flag raised and Leicester
get posession.
0: We're off! West Ham United get us under way with Paul McCallum from the
kick off.
It's a surprisingly mild night here at Rush Green, the floodlights are on
and the fans are beginning to
Both teams are out on the pitch warming up, we've got just over half an hour
until kick off.
Leicester City go into this game on the back of a good run having won four
of their last six games, including a 6-2 win over Manchester City and a 3-2
away win over Manchester United.
Academy Director Terry Westley makes four changes to the starting XI that
lost 4-1 away to Newcastle United. Amos Nasha, Reece Oxford, Blair Turgott
and Matthias Fanimo come in for Diego Poyet, Kieran Sadlier, Danny Whitehead
and Lewis Page.
West Ham United: Howes (GK), Westley, Potts © (Page 70), Nasha, Burke,
Oxford, Turgott, Bywater, McCallum (J. Brown 58), Lletget, Fanimo
(Parfitt-Williams 73)
Subs: Whitehead, Boness
Leicester City: Smith, Davis, Elder, McCourt, Sesay, Moore, Barmby, Rowley,
Hopper (c), Panayiotou, Dodoo
Subs: Chilwell, Maddison, Scott, Ndukwu, Barrington
In effect, this is a must win game for both as we reach towards half way
mark of the season.
Tonight's game is huge for both teams as they currently sit at the wrong end
of the table. The Hammers are currently bottom of the Barclays U21 Premier
League with five points from their opening games, meanwhile tonight's
visitors, the Foxes, are only three points better off in eleventh place with
eight points.
Hello and welcome to tonight's live coverage from Rush Green as West Ham
United's Development Squad take on Leicester City U21 in their first game of
2015.
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce predicts Winston Reid exit
BBC.co.uk
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce says he expects Winston Reid to leave the
club when the central defender's contract expires at the end of June. Reid
has been in negotiations over a new deal with the Hammers but Allardyce does
not think the 26-year-old will extend his stay. "It's highly unlikely
Winston is going to sign for us based on what people have said to me," said
Allardyce. Reid has been linked with moves to Arsenal and Liverpool. The New
Zealand international joined West Ham from Danish side FC Midtjylland in
August 2010 and has developed into one of the club's key players. Allardyce
said no approaches had been made for Reid so far in the January transfer
window.
He added: "There is no future for Winston Reid at West Ham at the moment as
his contract finishes on 30 June. He hasn't said he is or isn't going to
sign. "You would err on the back that he isn't, by the feel and look of it,
at this moment in time."
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Doncaster or Bristol City await in the FA Cup fourth round
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham will face either Doncaster or Bristol City in the next round of the
FA Cup, should they overcome Everton at Goodison Park tomorrow night.
The draw, made this evening at Wimbledon FC pitched Everton or the Hammers
away to either League One Doncaster or Championship Bristol City, who drew
1-1 at the Keepmoat Stadium on Saturday.
All ties will be played between 24-27 January. The full fourth round draw
was as follows:
Southampton or Ipswich Town v Crystal Palace
Cambridge United v Manchester United
Blackburn Rovers v Swansea City
Chelsea v Millwall or Bradford City
Derby County v Scunthorpe or Chesterfield
Preston North End v Sheffield United
Birmingham City v West Bromwich Albion
Aston Villa v AFC Bournemouth
Cardiff City v Reading
AFC Wimbledon or Liverpool v Bolton Wanderers
Burnley or Tottenham v Leicester City
Brighton & Hove Albion v Arsenal
Rochdale v Stoke City
Sunderland v Fulham or Wolves
Doncster or Bristol City v West Ham United
Manchester City v Middlesbrough
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Diafra Sakho to miss AFCON through injury?
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer
Hammers striker Diafra Sakho could miss the entire African Cup of Nations
tournament as a result of the injury he sustained against West Brom on New
Year's Day. As revealed here on KUMB last week, Sakho was sent for a scan on
his back following West Ham's 1-1 draw with West Brom at the Boleyn on the
opening day of 2015. And whilst those procedures have already taken place,
Sam Allardyce confirmed this morning that the extent of the damage remains
unknown presently. "We're still assessing the situation, he's seeing a
specialist in London at the moment," he said. "He's all the appropriate
scans but we need to see the extent of it. "Obviously the back is a
sensitive area which can take some time to mend depending on the scenario.
Until we get the full diagnosis we won't know the right way forward."
Sakho has been in sparkling form since moving to England last August,
scoring nine times in his first 15 appearances for West Ham United. He first
suffered a back problem when on international duty back in November and
missed three games as a result. Allardyce was particularly annoyed with the
way Sakho's injury was handled and labelled the way it was handled by
Senegal's medical team as "outrageous", adding that the injury had been
"mistreated so badly".
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Zarate out in the cold as Redknapp cools interest
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer
Harry Redknapp has once again dismissed reports that Mauro Zarate is on his
way to Queens Park Rangers. On New Year's Day it was revealed that the
Argentine's planned move to Loftus Road could be off, with rumours of a
failed medical arising from the KUMB Forum. Redknapp, when questioned,
replied that he was "not sure" or the current situation. Little appears to
have changed in west London over the course of the proceeding four days as
when asked about Zarate again this morning, Redknapp reiterated that the
striker was no closer to a move to Rangers. "We're not close to doing any
deals at all. Not a thing," he told the media. "We're looking for loans and
I really haven't got a clue as to where we're going to find any at the
moment. "I don't know where you find anybody on loan at this time of year.
Who are you going to find on loan who is going to come and make a big
difference to your team? "It's very difficult."
Ironically perhaps Zarate would have almost certainly started for West Ham
at Everton tomorrow night had he not spoken out against manager Sam
Allardyce, who he claimed was failing to utilise him correctly. Diafra Sakho
is definitely out with a back injury whilst Andy Carroll is a doubt having
complained of tightness in an ankle, following three successive starts over
the Christmas period. That leaves Allardyce with only Enner Valencia,
Carlton Cole and Ricardo Vaz Te - who last played for the first team in the
2-1 Premier League defeat at Goodison Park on 22 November - as fit strikers.
Allardyce himself was nonplussed when asked about the ongoing Zarate
situation during his press conference this morning. "I thought it was all
done and dusted with QPR but that doesn't seem to be the case for whatever
reason," he replied. "His problem is that if he'd played better here, he
would have played more often. But I haven't heard of any other club that is
interested in him apart from QPR."
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Allardyce to field "strong" team for Everton trip
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce has revealed that he will be putting out a strong a side as
possible when the Hammers travel to Merseyside tomorrow to face struggling
Everton in the third round of the FA Cup. The hosts, unusually camped in the
lower half of the Premier League took just one point from their three
Christmas games - although of course West Ham fared little better, taking
just the one (WBA at home). However any concerns that Allardyce will rest
key players in order to boost his chances of winning United's next Premier
League clash at Swansea this weekend have been dispelled by the manager. As
revealed here on KUMB last week, Allardyce will be without Cheik Kouyate,
Diafra Sakho and Alex Song. However he still intends to field the best team
he possibly can. "It's not possible to play the best team each game because
of the fatigue levels," he told the media at this morning's pre-match press
conference. "But we've had four or five days rest which has helped, so we
can play a strong team. "It's quite strange playing on Tuesday night but it
has given us a little bit of breathing space. That wouldn't be the case if
we were playing on Saturday, having played on Thursday. That would have been
nearly impossible with fatigue.
"Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan will play a big part. Ricardo Vaz Te might get
an opportunity and Matt Jarvis hasn't played as much as he wants to so he'll
get a few more games soon. We'll play the strongest team available."
One player who definitely won't be available is Mauro Zarate, who is
currently in limbo having signalled his intentions to leave the Boleyn
Ground. Despite having been set to sign for QPR last week, he remains a West
Ham player. None the wiser apparently, is his manager. " I thought it was
all done and dusted with QPR but that doesn't seem to be the case for
whatever reason," said Allardyce. "When the situation has been decided we'll
deal with it from there."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Pardew looks to hijack Zarate QPR move
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer
Former Hammers boss Alan Pardew's is set to hijack (former Hammers boss)
Harry Redknapp's bid to sign Mauro Zarate on loan from West Ham, according
to reports. The unhappy forward appeared set to complete a loan move to the
west London club last week. However last weekend a member of KUMB's Forum
claimed that there had been a problem with Zarate's medical. Subsequently,
Harry Redknapp refused to confirm that the signing would proceed whilst no
official word has been given over the hold up, lending weight to the
aforementioned speculation.
And now the Mirror claim that Pardew, who officially returned to Selhurst
Park last weekend is keen to snatch Zarate from Redknapp's grasp. Pardew,
whose Palace side are desperately short of firepower would be able to offer
Zarate first team football, which he claims is his primary reason for
wanting to leave the Boleyn Ground.
* Rumours that West Ham may be interested in signing Swansea's combative
midfielder Jonjo Shelvey were dismissed earlier today by the son of co-owner
David Sullivan on Twitter. Speculation that the Romford-born player was on
the verge of signing for the Hammers spread this afternoon via social media,
after someone posted a photograph of a vehicle in the Boleyn Ground car park
said to belong to Shelvey.
However a later message posted via the Twitter account belonging to Jack
Sullivan dismissed the rumours - without refuting suggestions that the car
was in fact Shelvey's.
Jack Sullivan @jsullivanwhu
Jonjo Shelveys is not signing for west ham, despite photos of his car being
outside Upton park
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
MORE FROM THE SUPPORTERS ADVISORY BOARD
By Iain Dale 5 Jan 2015 at 22:09
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Safe Hands
There were a few other snippets that I wanted to tell you from the meeting
on 9 December, and even though most of them have surfaced in other
discussions, I thought I'd list them out as Iain's asked for articles.
(There's nothing like setting up a high level of expection for a read is
there?)
• The club want to engage with the fanbase more and give supporters
the opportunity to participate/feedback via Facebook, Twitter, email shots,
and the SAB. Looking at that list, I'd say the more static and less speedy
of these is the SAB (be nice people!).
• The club have adjusted the remit of the SAB as most of the high
activity of going to the OS has now taken place although there is still more
to be done. They have said they will be much more transparent and that when
they tell us something, it will also be published on the website. They have
also halved the number of SAB members and it now stands at 66 – the full
list is HERE
• The club have now employed a Supporter Liaison Officer, James
Rutherford, who will act as the fulcrum for fans' responses and the club's
'go-to' person to garner supporter opinion. FYI He is an ex-SAB member.
• The official website's going to be a changed early in the new year.
• There's going to be another Fan Forum in February – details will be
on the main site idc.
• Moving to the OS – information will be released in January as to how
the seat transition is going to be handled as well as how people can arrange
to sit together. The first appointments to meet with fans to discuss their
new seats will be in April. Despite being questioned, they wouldn't give us
any more information than that.
FYI Many thanks for all your responses to my post about the shirts for our
last season at The Boleyn. I've put them together and sent them to the club.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham set for Alex Song blow with star midfielder set to join Cameroon
for Africa Cup of Nations
Jan 05, 2015 17:00 By Darren Lewis
Song has not yet confirmed that he is set to leave for the tournament but he
is understood currently to be in Cameroon holding talks with key figures in
the national set up
The Mirror
West Ham are steeling themselves for confirmation that Alex Song IS set to
jet off to the Africa Cup of Nations after all. The u-turn is set to come as
a massive blow to the east Londoners' outside hopes of challenging for
Europe. They currently sit seventh in the Premier League, four points off
Southampton in fourth. Song has not yet confirmed that he is set to leave
for the tournament but he is understood currently to be in Cameroon holding
talks with key figures within the country's football federation, who do want
him back. MirrorFootball exclusively revealed last week that the nation was
poised to stage a change of heart over the Hammers' star midfielder, on loan
from Barcelona. Lions' Head Coach Volker Finke left the Irons delighted
before Christmas when he left the 27-year-old out of his squad for the
competition which begins on January 17.
Song has been out of Finke's plans since being sent off at the World Cup
against Croatia last summer. He has impressed hugely since his summer move
to West Ham, however, and Finke is understood to have been pressured by his
country's top brass into changing his mind.
Feelers were put out to Song two weeks ago and the player has responded
favourably to his country reaching out. It means, however, that he is set to
miss West Ham's upcoming Premier League games at Swansea and at home to
Hull, along with their FA Cup Fourth Round tie should they make it past
Everton tomorrow night. Should Cameroon make it to the AFCON quarter-finals
or beyond, Song will also be out of the massive League games against
Liverpool and Manchester United. West Ham are already set to lose Cheikhou
Kouyate to Senegal while that country's top-scorer Diafra Sakho is suffering
from a back problem which means he will unavailable to the club even if he
doesn't join up with his national side.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Arsenal transfer target Winston Reid has ''no future'' at West Ham, admits
Sam Allardyce
Jan 05, 2015 11:35 By Neil McLeman
It is "highly unlikely" that Reid - who has also been linked with Manchester
United - will stay beyond the summer, insists the Hammers boss
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce has admitted it is "highly unlikely" that Winston Reid will
sign a new contract at West Ham. The New Zealand defender is out of contract
at the end of the season and is refusing to sign a new deal. Arsenal and
Manchester United have been linked with signing the centre-back in the
summer. And before tomorrow's FA Cup tie at Everton, the Irons boss said:
"There is no future for Winston Reid at West Ham United at the moment
because his contract finishes. "The only thing is that his contract finishes
June 30. He hasn't said he is going to sign and he hasn't said he is isn't.
"But you would you err on the side that he isn't by the feel and the look of
it at this moment in time, by the know-how in the football world I have been
talking to - other managers and so forth about the situation so I would say
it is highly unlikely that Winston is going to sign for us based on what
people are saying to me." Allardyce has previously stated he would not sell
Reid in this transfer window for less than £20m. "We have had no
approaches," he said.
Diafra Sakho could be forced out of the African Nations Cup with the back
injury he suffered on international duty in November. The Senegal striker
had been due to join up with his country for the tournament in Equitorial
Guinea but Allardyce said: "He is being assessed at this moment by the
specialist in London. "He has had all the appropriate scans. We need to sit
down and assess the extent of the injury - has it got any worse since the
last time? Is it the same? With a back, it is a delicate scenario. "Until we
get the full diagnosis from the specialist today, we won't know which will
be the way forward."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Crystal Palace plot transfer hijack of Mauro Zarate's move to QPR from West
Ham
Jan 04, 2015 22:30 By Darren Lewis
Striker has had a medical and agreed terms with the Rs but HASN'T signed on
loan and now their relegation-fight rivals from across London hope to swoop
in
The Mirror
Crystal Palace are ready to hijack QPR's bid to sign Mauro Zarate on loan
following the appointment of Alan Pardew. The 27-year-old West Ham striker
has had a medical at Loftus Road and has already agreed personal term with
the west Londoners. However, the deal has been delayed as the Hoops are now
looking to lower the terms of the loan. And Palace have since expressed a
late interest. Despite their 4-0 FA Cup third round win at non-League Dover
on Sunday, the Eagles want more firepower up front as they prepare for a
run-in relegation battle under new boss Pardew. We revealed last week that
Zarate wants first-team action after accusing the Hammers' manager Sam
Allardyce of refusing to play him. Southampton, Sunderland, Aston Villa and
Newcastle are all also keen, but Argentine Zarate is settled in London and
would prefer to join another capital club. The forward has made only eight
appearances under Allardyce, scoring twice - with one of them coming AGAINST
Palace at Selhurst Park back in August.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gold: "FA Cup is high priority"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
David Gold has made it clear that the FA Cup remains a "big priority" for
the Irons this season and wants to see the strongest possible team take the
field at Everton tomorrow evening. The co chairman confirmed that despite
injuries and Cheik Kouyate's absence at the African Nations Cup,the board
have focused on this competition since early season. Talking exclusively to
ClaretandHugh he said: "It's always been high on our priority list and I see
no reason why we can't go up there and win. "Mark Noble will be in the side
and Enner Valencia comes in – remember he was the number one striker option
until Diafra Sakho started his heroics. "I know our record at Goodison is
bad but at some stage it has to change so why not tomorrow as Everton aren't
in the best shape."
With either Doncaster Rovers or Bristol City waiting in the fourth round,
there's plenty of incentive for the Irons. Gold said: "I'm very hopeful.
This gives players who haven't had much chance recently to make an
impression. "Unlike last year we can give it a real go with the number of
points we have gathered. I believe Sam Allardyce will put out his strongest
team possible and we are looking for a win."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
For Reid READ Upson
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
It's turning into the longest farewell in West Ham history and today Sam
Allardyce appeared to raise his own hand in farewell. We can of course only
be talking about Winston Reid who now looks totally certain to be on his way
and if I'm wrong, part of me will be sorry because I'm certainly not
convinced he is the player he believes himself to be. I was totally stunned
when I realised he'd collected eight yellow cards in 19 games recently which
at any level is simply not good enough. And I fear that he may be heading in
the same direction as a couple of former irons who fancied themselves a bit,
leaving the Boleyn in haste to regret it at their leisure. Both Mohamed
Diame and Matthew Upson are prominent examples of how it can all go terribly
wrong when players or their agents over-rate themselves or their 'product.'
Upson was looking for the ultimate move after becoming captain and an
England international but instead found himself with only Stoke City ready
to employ him from where he has gone onto the dizzy pinnacles of Brighton
and Leicester City. Given his form this season Winston Reid may be the
luckiest man in the world to receive an offer of around £60k a week from the
Irons. Should he leave for the top four club he's hoping will come in but
with no evidence beyond regular press reports to support it, I can only
forsee only a slow descent. Every one of the clubs he appears to crave would
have been in a long time ago had they really believed he was worth a few
quid.
Instead any move will be made when he becomes a freebie and clubs see him as
a useful squad addition – and therein lies the rub. For despite his average
form he can be assured of regular first team football at West Ham on a more
than decent wage. Personally I believe his and his advisers' behaviour has
not been the best over recent months when it would be just as easy to say:
"We're off" but when did football and straight dealing have much to do with
each other. I won't be unhappy if he leaves as I do believe there are more
reliable central defenders out there well worth the money being offered to
him and who won't be picking up yellows virtually every other game.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Irons in dark on Song call up
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham were this afternoon insisting the club has no word from Cameroon
whether Alex Song has been called into their squad for the African Nations
Cup tournament. The Mail is currently running a story claiming that he has
now been included in the squad after being left out by boss Volker Finke
initially last month. He had fallen out of favour with their national team
following his sending off in the World Cup against Croatia and has not
played since. However, his form for the Hammers has not gone unnoticed it
seems and according to the Mail that has led Finke to perform a U turn and
call the player into the squad. The Hammers however are claiming to still be
in the dark with a source making it clear they had not been contacted by any
Cameroon officials. A source at the club explained: "We've seen the report
but we have heard absolutely nothjing from Cameroon. They have right up to
the 17th to call him up if they choose. We continue to keep everything
crossed."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Leroy: "I cant see Irons failing at Everton"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Everton have a lot more problems than us and I am fully expecting the team
to beat them in tomorrow evening's Third Round clash at Goodison Park.
Wherever I look in the Toffees team they have issues – this is a team that
looks past it's best with the likes of Gareth Barry and Silvin Distin in
particular not the players they were. Tim Howard, Gareth Baines and Ross
Barkley don't look the part these days and Phil Jagielka doesn't look as
secure as he has been. Also I can't think of another club in the country
that would have given Samuel Eto'o a contract at this stage of his career.
All of this puts Roberto Martinez under a huge amount of pressure and I
believe the Hammers will ;pile a lot more on him by the end of the night.
I'm not at all sure Martinez even knows what his best team is. This is a
game the lads should win – given all of the above I don't believe there is a
better time to be playing Everton. Despite the absences of such as Diafra
Sakho, Cheik Kouyate and possibly Alex Song, I believe we have enough and a
way of playing that can unsettle them. The Hammers, like every other club,
has had a little dip in form and I see this as a perfect opportunity to get
back on track.
I don't see them failing.
COYI
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Tuesday, January 6
Monday, January 5
Daily WHUFC News - 5th January 2015
Adrian eyes winning return
WHUFC.com
Adrian is keen to celebrate his 28th birthday with victory at Everton on
Tuesday
04.01.2015
Birthday boy Adrian is determined to help the Hammers get back to winning
ways when they take on Everton in the FA Cup on Tuesday evening. The No13
celebrated his 28th birthday on Saturday, rounding off a fine spell for him,
which has seen him win many plaudits in the West Ham goal and take the
Club's Player of the Month prize for December. However, the team's results
dipped slightly over Christmas and Adrian is more concerned with changing
that at Goodison Park. "We had some chances to win against West Brom on
Thursday, but didn't score the second goal to take the points," he
reflected. "Maybe there was a little fatigue because it was a long week,
with three games in seven days. "The boys need to relax and recover, but we
did show good performances in the games and now we need to come back to our
form. "It's my job to make saves as a goalkeeper and sometimes you can save
the goal, and other times it's not possible. "I'm happy and need to continue
in this vein. It's my second season here and have really adapted to London,
the city, the weather and my English is much better now."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
SHOULD WEST HAM REALLY ASPIRE TO BE THE BEST?
By Iain Dale 4 Jan 2015 at 14:55
West Ham till I Die
Guest Post by DC
Much has been made recently of West Ham's chances of securing Champions
League football next season, or worst case scenario (by the sounds of it) a
lowly Europa League spot. Apparently, Arsenal are all over the place. Spurs
and Liverpool too! A recent suggestion was that only Chelsea and Man City
have better teams than us. The natural progression from this is that we must
therefore be on par with both Man Utd and Southampton. Goes without saying.
It's easy to look at the Top Teams on MOTD and watch how vulnerable they
look on a given day of the season, more often than not after a midweek
flight back from Europe. It's also easy to forget that these teams have
already played around 10 games more than the Mighty Hammers at this half-way
point of the season.
So what exactly does a team realistically contending for a Champions League
spot look like? ….. tell you what , lets stretch it out to the Top 6 just to
be on the safe side. How many points do the Hammers actually need to make
the grade? Take a look at the last 5 seasons of Premier League Football (190
games) and it makes for pretty daunting reading when you look at the average
points tally.
1st 86 pts | 2nd 81 pts | 3rd 75 pts | 4th 72 pts | 5th 68 pts | 6th 64 pts
What about the so-called "Big Six"? How did their points average out over
the same period?
Man U = 81 pts | Man C = 78 pts | Chelsea = 76 pts | Arsenal = 73 pts |
Spurs = 68 pts | Liverpool = 64 pts
Now, I'm no Data Analyst Expert, but I do detect a slight pattern emerging
here. YAWN! Why is the truth so boring?
I'm all for positive mental attitude. It seems vital that our lads really
believe they can turn the big boys over. It seems vital that our Board
aspire to be in and amongst these teams at the end of each season. In fact,
I'd go so far as to say it should be a non-negotiable that Gold and Sullivan
aspire to have the best team in the land – surely that's the only way we
will ever end up being the best team in the land!
Yet, there is a 'not so subtle' difference between aspiration and false
expectations. Recent history suggests that the so called "Big Six" – with
particular reference to Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool – are maybe not about
to roll-over quite as easily as some might think they are. It's tough at the
top!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WOULD WEST HAM UNITED BE BETTER OFF UNDER FOREIGN OWNERSHIP WITH UNLIMITED
FINANCIAL BACKING?
By Iain Dale 4 Jan 2015 at 09:45
West Ham till I Die
Guest Post by Florida Hammer
I've been a frequent visitor to this site now for a while and there are
often some interesting opinions on WHTID, it can be clearly stated that most
folks do not hold back when commenting on this site. Whether it is football,
religion or politics there are always varied opinions on here often leading
to some spicy discussion.
Recently an off-topic discussion centered on foreign ownership; would West
Ham United Football Club be better off with a "sugar daddy owner" worth
billions rather than the paltry $629 million net worth of principal owner
David Sullivan? As fans of a traditional family club how do you feel about
selling the West Ham United franchise to a corporate entity, multi-national
conglomerate or faceless owner in return for a multi-billion dollar bankroll
and unlimited investment potential? The ultimate question remains do we sell
our soul to an unknown billionaire devil in return for Champions League
Football, a regular shot at the title and cup runs?
Before you answer the above questions take a look at the following synopsis
of each club with current foreign ownership in the Premier League. See how
these principal owners made their fortunes prior to purchasing a majority
stake at their respective football clubs. Then decide if this path is the
way to move forward and upwards for our beloved Hammers.
Arsenal
Arsenal is majority owned by American billionaire Stan Kroenke, according to
Forbes he is worth approximately $6 billion. Kroenke is married to Wal Mart
co-founder Bud Walton's daughter Ann, he also owns the Denver Nuggets
(National Basketball Association), Colorado Rapids (Major League Soccer),
Colorado Avalanche (National Hockey League), Colorado Mammoth (National
Lacrosse League), and the Saint Louis Rams (National Football League).
Kroenke is a sports enterprise and real estate mogul in the USA, but is
known as "silent Stan" as he rarely interferes in his teams day to day
operations nor does he give many interviews to the press.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa is owned by Randy Lerner, American businessman who once owned
the Cleveland Browns NFL franchise (sold in 2012). Lerner, who is worth
approximately $1.5 billion according to Forbes started out in life as a
Lawyer, graduating Columbia University in New York (he spent a year at
Cambridge in 1983) where he started to develop a passion for proper
football. Lerner is a major philanthropist who donates heavily to the
National Portrait Gallery and Clare College, Cambridge. The club is
currently up for sale as Lerner does not believe he can take them any
further.
Chelsea
Chelsea is owned by the infamous Russian oil baron Roman Abramovich. He has
a strong political background as he was once the governor of Chukotka
(2000-2008), a peninsular location in the far east of Russia. Abramovich has
a multitude of business and political interests and is considered an
extremely close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin and former
President Boris Yeltsin. However, he got his start in business by selling
imported rubber ducks from his apartment in Moscow with his first wife Olga.
Largely a product of "Perestroika" and the loosening of restrictions in
Russia, Abramovich is no stranger to controversy in terms of bribery and
corruption charges. He has an estimated fortune of $14.6 billion according
to Forbes.
Hull City
Hull is owned by the Allam family of Egypt (estimated net worth of $982
million), Assam and his son Ehab purchased Hull in 2010 stating a need to
pay back the area that adopted him many years ago. Assam fled Egypt and the
brutal regime of Gamel Abdel Nasser in 1968 and arrived in East Riding,
Yorkshire with barely £20 pounds to his name. He studied Economics at the
University of Hull before embarking on his own business interests; his
fortune is created primarily on his success with industrial generators
(Allam Marine). Recently, Assam Allam shockingly put up his team for sale
within 24 hours (as he promised) after the FA refused to allow the football
club to be renamed Hull Tigers. Apparently the matter has been forwarded to
CAS on appeal by Allam.
Leicester City
Leicester is owned by Thai billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who amassed
his $1.6 billion fortune (per Forbes) as the founder and CEO of King Power
Duty Free. Vichai also owns a minority stake in budget airline Nok Air, and
is an avid Polo player with ownership in a club outside of Bangkok. Upon
winning the Championship title last season Srivaddhanaprabha predicted his
team could finish in the top five of the Premiership within three years and
he pledged to spend up to £180 million pounds in order to get there. So far
Leicester is struggling upon their return to the Premiership and has seen
just a mild level of investment in the squad since its return to the top
flight of English football.
Liverpool
Liverpool is owned by American businessman John Henry (worth $1.4 billion
per Forbes) and the Fenway Sports Group; which includes the Boston Red Sox
(Major League Baseball), the Boston Globe newspaper and part ownership of
Roush Fenway racing. Henry bought Liverpool from Tom Hicks and George Gillet
Jr. at the end of the 2011 season. However, Henry subsequently fired
Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish at the end of the 2012 season despite
Liverpool having won the League Cup. Henry is also somewhat of a sports
mogul who started out by purchasing a minor league baseball team, over time
he has owned the Florida Marlins baseball team and negotiated for the
Orlando Magic Basketball team. No matter what he accomplishes in the future
Henry will be best remembered for ending the 86 year Major League Baseball
championship drought endured by the Boston Red Sox and ending the "curse" of
the Bambino (Babe Ruth).
Manchester City
Manchester City is owned in principal by Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan (Sheikh
Mansour) who has an estimated personal fortune worth $31.4 billion; however
this is part of a family fortune that is closer to $1 trillion. The majority
of the Sheikh's income derives from the International Petroleum Investment
Company & Aabar Investments, which is wholly owned by the Government of Abu
Dabhi. Other investments include a stake in Virgin Galactic, Daimler, Tesla
Motors, Falcon Private Bank, and XOJET to name just a few. The Sheikh is an
accomplished horse rider and has won a number of endurance racing events, in
addition to his role as the Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE (United Arab
Emirates).
Manchester United
Manchester United is owned by the Glazer family and was purchased initially
by the late Malcolm Glazer for his sons Avram and Joel Glazer; the Glazer
takeover became official from 2003 to 2005 when he controversially spent the
clubs own assets to complete the buyout leaving the club in debt by over
£525 million pounds. Joel, along with brothers Bryan and Edward are
co-Chairmen of Malcom's other sports team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL),
which has experienced an upswing in fortunes from perennial doormats in the
NFL. Since the Glazers took over (they won Super Bowl 37) and have finished
with multiple winning seasons. There are six total Glazer children who now
share the family fortunes which according to Forbes is $4 billion. The
family also owns and operates a real estate holding firm First Allied
corporation which is responsible for 6.7 million square feet of shopping
mall space over 20 States.
Queens Park Rangers
QPR is owned by Asian power duo (Malaysian) Tony Fernandes (a self-professed
Hammers fan who failed to buy the club in 2011) and Indian steel magnate
Lakshmi Mittal. Fernandes is the principal owner with his 66% stake in the
club after his purchase of shares owned by Bernie Ecclestone in August 2011.
Fernandes is another British educated entrepreneur that got his start with
Sir Richard Branson at Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Records. After joining
Warner music Fernandes decided to leave the company when the merger with
America Online was announced to revive budget, no frills Air Asia which at
the time was $11 million in debt. Within a year of takeover Fernandes had
cleared all debts and was operating with profits. Fernandes has invested in
the Caterham Formula One team, also known as Lotus Racing; his fortune per
Forbes is now estimated at $650 million.
Southampton
Southampton is currently owned by Katharina Liebherr, daughter of the late
Markus Liebherr; a German born Swiss entrepreneur and owner of MALI
International AG. Markus Leibherr took Southampton out of administration in
2009 when he purchased the club and they started play in League 1. Liebherr
had brought in Italian banker Nicola Cortese to run the show. Cortese &
Liebherr had a grand vision of making Southampton into a European power. It
was Cortese who fired Pardew, brought in Adkins and eventually Pochettino
all the while leading the Saints meteoric rise back to the Premier League.
Unfortunately Markus would not live to see out his vision of creating a
European power in Southampton FC as he died of a heart attack in 2010. But
Cortese continued until late October 2013 when a power struggle for MALI
International took place with Katharina who took over operations of her
father's company in January of 2014. Liebherr inherited the $3 billion
fortune of her father and is now in charge of day to day operations.
Sunderland
Sunderland is owned by Irish-American businessman Ellis Short, who is based
in London and the founder of Kildare Partners (a private equity fund that
deals in distressed European real estate). Short started out his career at
General Electric but made his reputation at Lone Star Funds in Dallas,
Texas. Short has incidentally bought Skibo Castle in Scotland (the location
of Madonna's wedding to Guy Ritchie). His ownership of Sunderland began in
2008 and subsequent firing of Roy Keane (who recently trashed Ellis Short in
his biography). Short has hired and fired Steve Bruce, Martin O'Neill and
Paulo Di Canio before finally settling on Gus Poyet as his team continue to
struggle for survival in the Premier League. Short is a very quiet and
unassuming man that prefers to stay out of the limelight, his net worth is
estimated at $6.3 billion.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Irons won't budge as 14 clubs wait in wings
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham are in no rush to push through the Mauro Zarate loan deal to Queens
Park Rangers. Harry Redknapp and the club are understood to be trying to get
a cut price arrangement and the Irons are having none of it. With 14 other
clubs interested, including Newcastle, Sunderland, Torino, Valencia and
others as far afield as Mexico, the Hammers have no need to lower the loan
terms Reknapp remains keen on the player but a Hammers source told
ClaretandHugh: "Things should become a lot clearer on the Rangers thing this
week but we are certainly not short on other options. "And despite the
public fall-out between Mauro and the manager, with Diafra Sakho injured
there's no need for us to be rushing a deal through for the sake of it. "We
all understand how frustrated Mauro feels at the moment but the deal has to
suit all parties when it gets donme. "And with that amount of interest out
there, it's pretty obvious that this is a very decent player we are talking
about regardless of what may or may not have been said. "There's certainly
no way we'll be held to ransom by QPR. They know the terms if they want the
him."
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Time to forgive and truly be BIG Sam
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
We have reached the season-defining time of the year that Sam Allardyce has
been alluding to for a few weeks. At regular intervals he has made it clear
that he won't be discussing end of season objectives until the end of this
month. Tuesday night and the third round of the FA cup beckons with the
pressure mounting on him and the team with every successive game. In
different circumstances, with injuries and the African Nations Cup
intervening, this might have been the perfect game for Mauro Zarate to take
the pressure off himself and Allardyce. With the alternative being Kevin
Nolan for a game which calls for us to play with as much flair and adventure
as possible after looking shy in front of goal lately, how brave would it be
for manager and Argentinan striker to put their antagonism towards each
other aside. Ego is a highly destructive force and the stupid war of words
which broke out between the pair has not done them or the club any good at
all.
With three games yielding one point, the top scorer again injured, along we
are told with the guy on who has proved himself the heartbeat of things this
season – Alex Song – things don't look great for the trip to Goodison Park.
. Chiek Kouyate has joined the Senegal squad and there are persistent
rumours that Song himself will get a late call up for Cameroon. Brave
decisions are called for so and this one only needs a handshake and an arm
around the shoulder. Live up to the nickname Mr Allardyce – truly be BIG
SAM!. The board of directors are still looking for a decent FA Cup run after
the disappointment of the early departure from the Capital One Cup. In part
an end of season contract for the manager undoubtedly rests on an FA Cup
run. So from everybody's point of view this is something of a must win game.
We really can't be slipping out of the two domestic cups at the first hurdle
and there's absolutely nothing lost in telling Zarate: "Go on my son – prove
me wrong!"
I don't expect it to happen and I'm certainly not holding my breath but I am
convinced that given such a chance, Zarate would shine like never before. It
could be a managerial masterstroke and if it doesn't come off Sam Allardyce
has lost absolutely nothing!
Be bold …be BIG Sam!
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Song doubt for Hammers
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham could be without Alex Song for the Tuesday night's FA cup clash
with Everton at Goodison Park. And with Diafra Sakha injured and Cheik
Kouyate having joined Senegal for the African Cup of Nations tournament, we
are likely to be relying on the 'old firm' to help us through a difficult
Third Round clash. Mark Noble is likely to return to the midfield with
skipper Kevin Nolan for a clash which begins to look very tricky indeed.
ClaretandHugh has been told that Song has played the last couple of games
with a sore knee and is likely to be replaced by Noble for a match which has
the potential to define the Hammers season. A source said: "Alex is expected
to be rested as he played two quick games with a sore knee whilst Kouyate
has now joined the Senegal squad. "Logic dictates that it will be Carroll
and Valencia up front with Noble and Nolan coming in to fill the midfield
berths."
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Henry signs …but may have to wait!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 3, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
The Hammers have confirmed that 21 year old Canadian defender Doneil Henry
from Cypriot side Apollon Limassol has been signed on a year three year
contract. However, a club source told ClaretandHugh: "He's about six months
away from becoming a first team regular and will be carefully looked after
as he is prepared for the Premier League. "It's our policy to look for
promising young players this window although you can never rule out a bigger
name coming in! Watch this space" Co chairman David Sullivan's son Jack
announced the news on his Twitter account today but the news was expected as
soon as the window opening with Sam Allardyce having explained a few days
back the player had been recommended to him from former Blackburn defender
Ryan Nelsen.
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WHUFC.com
Adrian is keen to celebrate his 28th birthday with victory at Everton on
Tuesday
04.01.2015
Birthday boy Adrian is determined to help the Hammers get back to winning
ways when they take on Everton in the FA Cup on Tuesday evening. The No13
celebrated his 28th birthday on Saturday, rounding off a fine spell for him,
which has seen him win many plaudits in the West Ham goal and take the
Club's Player of the Month prize for December. However, the team's results
dipped slightly over Christmas and Adrian is more concerned with changing
that at Goodison Park. "We had some chances to win against West Brom on
Thursday, but didn't score the second goal to take the points," he
reflected. "Maybe there was a little fatigue because it was a long week,
with three games in seven days. "The boys need to relax and recover, but we
did show good performances in the games and now we need to come back to our
form. "It's my job to make saves as a goalkeeper and sometimes you can save
the goal, and other times it's not possible. "I'm happy and need to continue
in this vein. It's my second season here and have really adapted to London,
the city, the weather and my English is much better now."
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SHOULD WEST HAM REALLY ASPIRE TO BE THE BEST?
By Iain Dale 4 Jan 2015 at 14:55
West Ham till I Die
Guest Post by DC
Much has been made recently of West Ham's chances of securing Champions
League football next season, or worst case scenario (by the sounds of it) a
lowly Europa League spot. Apparently, Arsenal are all over the place. Spurs
and Liverpool too! A recent suggestion was that only Chelsea and Man City
have better teams than us. The natural progression from this is that we must
therefore be on par with both Man Utd and Southampton. Goes without saying.
It's easy to look at the Top Teams on MOTD and watch how vulnerable they
look on a given day of the season, more often than not after a midweek
flight back from Europe. It's also easy to forget that these teams have
already played around 10 games more than the Mighty Hammers at this half-way
point of the season.
So what exactly does a team realistically contending for a Champions League
spot look like? ….. tell you what , lets stretch it out to the Top 6 just to
be on the safe side. How many points do the Hammers actually need to make
the grade? Take a look at the last 5 seasons of Premier League Football (190
games) and it makes for pretty daunting reading when you look at the average
points tally.
1st 86 pts | 2nd 81 pts | 3rd 75 pts | 4th 72 pts | 5th 68 pts | 6th 64 pts
What about the so-called "Big Six"? How did their points average out over
the same period?
Man U = 81 pts | Man C = 78 pts | Chelsea = 76 pts | Arsenal = 73 pts |
Spurs = 68 pts | Liverpool = 64 pts
Now, I'm no Data Analyst Expert, but I do detect a slight pattern emerging
here. YAWN! Why is the truth so boring?
I'm all for positive mental attitude. It seems vital that our lads really
believe they can turn the big boys over. It seems vital that our Board
aspire to be in and amongst these teams at the end of each season. In fact,
I'd go so far as to say it should be a non-negotiable that Gold and Sullivan
aspire to have the best team in the land – surely that's the only way we
will ever end up being the best team in the land!
Yet, there is a 'not so subtle' difference between aspiration and false
expectations. Recent history suggests that the so called "Big Six" – with
particular reference to Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool – are maybe not about
to roll-over quite as easily as some might think they are. It's tough at the
top!
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WOULD WEST HAM UNITED BE BETTER OFF UNDER FOREIGN OWNERSHIP WITH UNLIMITED
FINANCIAL BACKING?
By Iain Dale 4 Jan 2015 at 09:45
West Ham till I Die
Guest Post by Florida Hammer
I've been a frequent visitor to this site now for a while and there are
often some interesting opinions on WHTID, it can be clearly stated that most
folks do not hold back when commenting on this site. Whether it is football,
religion or politics there are always varied opinions on here often leading
to some spicy discussion.
Recently an off-topic discussion centered on foreign ownership; would West
Ham United Football Club be better off with a "sugar daddy owner" worth
billions rather than the paltry $629 million net worth of principal owner
David Sullivan? As fans of a traditional family club how do you feel about
selling the West Ham United franchise to a corporate entity, multi-national
conglomerate or faceless owner in return for a multi-billion dollar bankroll
and unlimited investment potential? The ultimate question remains do we sell
our soul to an unknown billionaire devil in return for Champions League
Football, a regular shot at the title and cup runs?
Before you answer the above questions take a look at the following synopsis
of each club with current foreign ownership in the Premier League. See how
these principal owners made their fortunes prior to purchasing a majority
stake at their respective football clubs. Then decide if this path is the
way to move forward and upwards for our beloved Hammers.
Arsenal
Arsenal is majority owned by American billionaire Stan Kroenke, according to
Forbes he is worth approximately $6 billion. Kroenke is married to Wal Mart
co-founder Bud Walton's daughter Ann, he also owns the Denver Nuggets
(National Basketball Association), Colorado Rapids (Major League Soccer),
Colorado Avalanche (National Hockey League), Colorado Mammoth (National
Lacrosse League), and the Saint Louis Rams (National Football League).
Kroenke is a sports enterprise and real estate mogul in the USA, but is
known as "silent Stan" as he rarely interferes in his teams day to day
operations nor does he give many interviews to the press.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa is owned by Randy Lerner, American businessman who once owned
the Cleveland Browns NFL franchise (sold in 2012). Lerner, who is worth
approximately $1.5 billion according to Forbes started out in life as a
Lawyer, graduating Columbia University in New York (he spent a year at
Cambridge in 1983) where he started to develop a passion for proper
football. Lerner is a major philanthropist who donates heavily to the
National Portrait Gallery and Clare College, Cambridge. The club is
currently up for sale as Lerner does not believe he can take them any
further.
Chelsea
Chelsea is owned by the infamous Russian oil baron Roman Abramovich. He has
a strong political background as he was once the governor of Chukotka
(2000-2008), a peninsular location in the far east of Russia. Abramovich has
a multitude of business and political interests and is considered an
extremely close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin and former
President Boris Yeltsin. However, he got his start in business by selling
imported rubber ducks from his apartment in Moscow with his first wife Olga.
Largely a product of "Perestroika" and the loosening of restrictions in
Russia, Abramovich is no stranger to controversy in terms of bribery and
corruption charges. He has an estimated fortune of $14.6 billion according
to Forbes.
Hull City
Hull is owned by the Allam family of Egypt (estimated net worth of $982
million), Assam and his son Ehab purchased Hull in 2010 stating a need to
pay back the area that adopted him many years ago. Assam fled Egypt and the
brutal regime of Gamel Abdel Nasser in 1968 and arrived in East Riding,
Yorkshire with barely £20 pounds to his name. He studied Economics at the
University of Hull before embarking on his own business interests; his
fortune is created primarily on his success with industrial generators
(Allam Marine). Recently, Assam Allam shockingly put up his team for sale
within 24 hours (as he promised) after the FA refused to allow the football
club to be renamed Hull Tigers. Apparently the matter has been forwarded to
CAS on appeal by Allam.
Leicester City
Leicester is owned by Thai billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who amassed
his $1.6 billion fortune (per Forbes) as the founder and CEO of King Power
Duty Free. Vichai also owns a minority stake in budget airline Nok Air, and
is an avid Polo player with ownership in a club outside of Bangkok. Upon
winning the Championship title last season Srivaddhanaprabha predicted his
team could finish in the top five of the Premiership within three years and
he pledged to spend up to £180 million pounds in order to get there. So far
Leicester is struggling upon their return to the Premiership and has seen
just a mild level of investment in the squad since its return to the top
flight of English football.
Liverpool
Liverpool is owned by American businessman John Henry (worth $1.4 billion
per Forbes) and the Fenway Sports Group; which includes the Boston Red Sox
(Major League Baseball), the Boston Globe newspaper and part ownership of
Roush Fenway racing. Henry bought Liverpool from Tom Hicks and George Gillet
Jr. at the end of the 2011 season. However, Henry subsequently fired
Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish at the end of the 2012 season despite
Liverpool having won the League Cup. Henry is also somewhat of a sports
mogul who started out by purchasing a minor league baseball team, over time
he has owned the Florida Marlins baseball team and negotiated for the
Orlando Magic Basketball team. No matter what he accomplishes in the future
Henry will be best remembered for ending the 86 year Major League Baseball
championship drought endured by the Boston Red Sox and ending the "curse" of
the Bambino (Babe Ruth).
Manchester City
Manchester City is owned in principal by Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan (Sheikh
Mansour) who has an estimated personal fortune worth $31.4 billion; however
this is part of a family fortune that is closer to $1 trillion. The majority
of the Sheikh's income derives from the International Petroleum Investment
Company & Aabar Investments, which is wholly owned by the Government of Abu
Dabhi. Other investments include a stake in Virgin Galactic, Daimler, Tesla
Motors, Falcon Private Bank, and XOJET to name just a few. The Sheikh is an
accomplished horse rider and has won a number of endurance racing events, in
addition to his role as the Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE (United Arab
Emirates).
Manchester United
Manchester United is owned by the Glazer family and was purchased initially
by the late Malcolm Glazer for his sons Avram and Joel Glazer; the Glazer
takeover became official from 2003 to 2005 when he controversially spent the
clubs own assets to complete the buyout leaving the club in debt by over
£525 million pounds. Joel, along with brothers Bryan and Edward are
co-Chairmen of Malcom's other sports team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL),
which has experienced an upswing in fortunes from perennial doormats in the
NFL. Since the Glazers took over (they won Super Bowl 37) and have finished
with multiple winning seasons. There are six total Glazer children who now
share the family fortunes which according to Forbes is $4 billion. The
family also owns and operates a real estate holding firm First Allied
corporation which is responsible for 6.7 million square feet of shopping
mall space over 20 States.
Queens Park Rangers
QPR is owned by Asian power duo (Malaysian) Tony Fernandes (a self-professed
Hammers fan who failed to buy the club in 2011) and Indian steel magnate
Lakshmi Mittal. Fernandes is the principal owner with his 66% stake in the
club after his purchase of shares owned by Bernie Ecclestone in August 2011.
Fernandes is another British educated entrepreneur that got his start with
Sir Richard Branson at Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Records. After joining
Warner music Fernandes decided to leave the company when the merger with
America Online was announced to revive budget, no frills Air Asia which at
the time was $11 million in debt. Within a year of takeover Fernandes had
cleared all debts and was operating with profits. Fernandes has invested in
the Caterham Formula One team, also known as Lotus Racing; his fortune per
Forbes is now estimated at $650 million.
Southampton
Southampton is currently owned by Katharina Liebherr, daughter of the late
Markus Liebherr; a German born Swiss entrepreneur and owner of MALI
International AG. Markus Leibherr took Southampton out of administration in
2009 when he purchased the club and they started play in League 1. Liebherr
had brought in Italian banker Nicola Cortese to run the show. Cortese &
Liebherr had a grand vision of making Southampton into a European power. It
was Cortese who fired Pardew, brought in Adkins and eventually Pochettino
all the while leading the Saints meteoric rise back to the Premier League.
Unfortunately Markus would not live to see out his vision of creating a
European power in Southampton FC as he died of a heart attack in 2010. But
Cortese continued until late October 2013 when a power struggle for MALI
International took place with Katharina who took over operations of her
father's company in January of 2014. Liebherr inherited the $3 billion
fortune of her father and is now in charge of day to day operations.
Sunderland
Sunderland is owned by Irish-American businessman Ellis Short, who is based
in London and the founder of Kildare Partners (a private equity fund that
deals in distressed European real estate). Short started out his career at
General Electric but made his reputation at Lone Star Funds in Dallas,
Texas. Short has incidentally bought Skibo Castle in Scotland (the location
of Madonna's wedding to Guy Ritchie). His ownership of Sunderland began in
2008 and subsequent firing of Roy Keane (who recently trashed Ellis Short in
his biography). Short has hired and fired Steve Bruce, Martin O'Neill and
Paulo Di Canio before finally settling on Gus Poyet as his team continue to
struggle for survival in the Premier League. Short is a very quiet and
unassuming man that prefers to stay out of the limelight, his net worth is
estimated at $6.3 billion.
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Irons won't budge as 14 clubs wait in wings
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham are in no rush to push through the Mauro Zarate loan deal to Queens
Park Rangers. Harry Redknapp and the club are understood to be trying to get
a cut price arrangement and the Irons are having none of it. With 14 other
clubs interested, including Newcastle, Sunderland, Torino, Valencia and
others as far afield as Mexico, the Hammers have no need to lower the loan
terms Reknapp remains keen on the player but a Hammers source told
ClaretandHugh: "Things should become a lot clearer on the Rangers thing this
week but we are certainly not short on other options. "And despite the
public fall-out between Mauro and the manager, with Diafra Sakho injured
there's no need for us to be rushing a deal through for the sake of it. "We
all understand how frustrated Mauro feels at the moment but the deal has to
suit all parties when it gets donme. "And with that amount of interest out
there, it's pretty obvious that this is a very decent player we are talking
about regardless of what may or may not have been said. "There's certainly
no way we'll be held to ransom by QPR. They know the terms if they want the
him."
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Time to forgive and truly be BIG Sam
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
We have reached the season-defining time of the year that Sam Allardyce has
been alluding to for a few weeks. At regular intervals he has made it clear
that he won't be discussing end of season objectives until the end of this
month. Tuesday night and the third round of the FA cup beckons with the
pressure mounting on him and the team with every successive game. In
different circumstances, with injuries and the African Nations Cup
intervening, this might have been the perfect game for Mauro Zarate to take
the pressure off himself and Allardyce. With the alternative being Kevin
Nolan for a game which calls for us to play with as much flair and adventure
as possible after looking shy in front of goal lately, how brave would it be
for manager and Argentinan striker to put their antagonism towards each
other aside. Ego is a highly destructive force and the stupid war of words
which broke out between the pair has not done them or the club any good at
all.
With three games yielding one point, the top scorer again injured, along we
are told with the guy on who has proved himself the heartbeat of things this
season – Alex Song – things don't look great for the trip to Goodison Park.
. Chiek Kouyate has joined the Senegal squad and there are persistent
rumours that Song himself will get a late call up for Cameroon. Brave
decisions are called for so and this one only needs a handshake and an arm
around the shoulder. Live up to the nickname Mr Allardyce – truly be BIG
SAM!. The board of directors are still looking for a decent FA Cup run after
the disappointment of the early departure from the Capital One Cup. In part
an end of season contract for the manager undoubtedly rests on an FA Cup
run. So from everybody's point of view this is something of a must win game.
We really can't be slipping out of the two domestic cups at the first hurdle
and there's absolutely nothing lost in telling Zarate: "Go on my son – prove
me wrong!"
I don't expect it to happen and I'm certainly not holding my breath but I am
convinced that given such a chance, Zarate would shine like never before. It
could be a managerial masterstroke and if it doesn't come off Sam Allardyce
has lost absolutely nothing!
Be bold …be BIG Sam!
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Song doubt for Hammers
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham could be without Alex Song for the Tuesday night's FA cup clash
with Everton at Goodison Park. And with Diafra Sakha injured and Cheik
Kouyate having joined Senegal for the African Cup of Nations tournament, we
are likely to be relying on the 'old firm' to help us through a difficult
Third Round clash. Mark Noble is likely to return to the midfield with
skipper Kevin Nolan for a clash which begins to look very tricky indeed.
ClaretandHugh has been told that Song has played the last couple of games
with a sore knee and is likely to be replaced by Noble for a match which has
the potential to define the Hammers season. A source said: "Alex is expected
to be rested as he played two quick games with a sore knee whilst Kouyate
has now joined the Senegal squad. "Logic dictates that it will be Carroll
and Valencia up front with Noble and Nolan coming in to fill the midfield
berths."
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Henry signs …but may have to wait!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 3, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
The Hammers have confirmed that 21 year old Canadian defender Doneil Henry
from Cypriot side Apollon Limassol has been signed on a year three year
contract. However, a club source told ClaretandHugh: "He's about six months
away from becoming a first team regular and will be carefully looked after
as he is prepared for the Premier League. "It's our policy to look for
promising young players this window although you can never rule out a bigger
name coming in! Watch this space" Co chairman David Sullivan's son Jack
announced the news on his Twitter account today but the news was expected as
soon as the window opening with Sam Allardyce having explained a few days
back the player had been recommended to him from former Blackburn defender
Ryan Nelsen.
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Sunday, January 4
Daily WHUFC News - 4th January 2015
Jenko up for the cup
WHUFC.com
Carl Jenkinson is looking to get back to winning ways against Everton in the
FA Cup
02.01.2015
West Ham United defender Carl Jenkinson said the Hammers must return to
winning ways when they face Everton away in the FA Cup on Tuesday 6 January.
The Hammers started the New Year with a 1-1 draw at home to West Bromwich
Albion which saw Diafra Sakho score his eighth league goal of the season
after only ten minutes when he headed home the hosts' best move of the
match. The Baggies secured a point when Saido Berahino equalised after
counter-attacking quickly shortly before half time. Speaking after the final
whistle, Jenkinson said: "We didn't play our best football but I think we
did enough to win the game to be honest. "We were pressing well, especially
in the second half and they were struggling to get out of their own half. We
just couldn't find a way to score a second goal."
The draw with West Brom was the Hammers' third game in seven days in what
proved to a gruelling festive season of matches. Despite picking up one
point from a possible nine, Jenkinson is positive the Hammers are pulling in
the right direction, especially given the spirited performance against his
parent club Arsenal on 28 December. The 22-year-old right-back has been in
impressive form this season, featuring in 15 of the Hammers' 20 league games
and he is hopeful that he can keep his place for the Hammers' third round FA
Cup tie with Everton. "We've played a lot of games recently and I think the
lads tired towards the end. We didn't quite have the edge to go and get the
goal that we needed, it's frustrating obviously. We have to get on with it
and focus on the FA Cup on Tuesday. "The FA Cup is massive, everyone loves
playing in it. We want to stay in it and progress as far as we can. We just
have to go there with confidence. We're sixth in the league and doing really
well. It's a massive game and we are all really looking forward to it.
"Thursday was very frustrating because it was a game we said we need to win.
All the best teams go through patches were they don't pick up a win. We've
had three games without a win, but we did that earlier in the season and
then won three or four on the bounce. Football's a strange game, and two of
those games were against top, top teams."
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Hammers sign Henry
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are delighted to announce the signing of Canada
international defender Doneil Henry
03.01.2015
West Ham United are delighted to announce the signing of Canada
international defender Doneil Henry. The 21-year-old centre-back joins the
Hammers on a long-term contract from Cypriot First Division club Apollon
Limassol for an undisclosed fee. Capped 14 times, Henry has spent two
periods training with West Ham in recent months, having been recommended to
manager Sam Allardyce by Toronto FC head coach and former Blackburn Rovers
and New Zealand captain Ryan Nelsen. Henry was the first player to graduate
from the Academy of MLS club Toronto FC and has already made 92 first-team
appearances for the Reds - including 25 during a loan spell back in Canada
from Limassol in 2014.
"It feels good to be given the opportunity to come and train and see what
it's like to be part of a Premier League team and I just want to get started
and get into the team real soon," said Henry. "I had a really good
relationship with Ryan Nelsen and I always wanted to see what it was like to
play at another level, the highest level, and I got the opportunity to come
over here. Since then, I was just hoping to come back and now it's happened,
I want it to continue on and keep playing. "I started with the Toronto FC
Academy when I was 16 and signed for the first-team when I was 17 and now I
just want to continue to develop and keep growing as a player. I'm 21 and I
want to get a role with the team, keep my head down and take my opportunity
when I can. "I love a tackle and I just want to defend hard. I take pride in
my clean sheets with the back line and with the 'keeper, so if we can just
do that, it's job completed."
Despite his tender years, Henry already has extensive experience at club,
continental and international levels. The 6'2 defender joined the Toronto FC
Academy at the age of 15 in November 2008, and captained the team through
two seasons in the Canadian Soccer League in 2009 and 2010. At 17, he
appeared in the CONCACAF Champions League preliminary round before signing
for Toronto FC's first-team squad in August 2010. Henry established himself
as a regular starter in 2011 and 2012, signing a new long-term contract
after scoring his first goal for the club against Real Salt Lake in April
2012. After continuing to impress in both the MLS and Canadian Championship,
winning the latter in three straight years between 2010 and 2012, Henry came
to the attention of Nelsen following the centre-back's appointment in
January 2013.
Late 2013 saw Henry spend a period training with West Ham before he joined
Apollon Limassol, before immediately being loaned back to Toronto. Six
months on and the defender has moved to east London following a successful
second spell at Chadwell Heath. The 2012 Canadian U-20 Player of the Year,
Henry has been a regular starter for Canada over the last two years,
featuring at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament in the United States.
Henry is hoping he can set a trend for other young players from a country
more associated with ice hockey than association football. "There are a lot
of talented young Canadian players coming up through the youth ranks right
now and if they can get some more opportunities to develop at good clubs
under great coaches, I feel that they can definitely be one of the top
countries in competition," he added. "Personally, I want to make my mark as
quickly as possible. The only way to develop is by playing games and putting
yourself under pressure. It's all good for players to get opportunities so
the sooner I can get into the mix the better. "I know I have to earn the
respect of the players here and that's fine. I just want to work hard and
continue with my career.
"The standard here is really good. I definitely feel I can compete so I just
need to adapt to what they want to do here and I don't think I'll have a
problem."
Henry goes straight into Big Sam's first-team squad, and the manager is
hopeful that the Brampton, Ontario-born player can force his way onto the
pitch before the current season is out. "Ryan was my captain at Blackburn
for a couple of years and he rang us and told us about Doneil," the manager
confirmed. "He said this lad definitely has Premier League potential and he
has everything he needs. "With a little coaching from us and work in terms
of how to defend in the Premier League, Ryan says he has all the attributes
to be a good player. "We have invested in him for the near future, so we do
hope he can make some sort of appearance this season if he settles in and
does as well as Ryan thinks he will. If not, we hope he is certainly one for
the future."
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Cresswell wants Goodison glory
WHUFC.com
Aaron Cresswell has his sights set on FA Cup success at Goodison Park on
Tuesday evening
03.01.2015
Aaron Cresswell is relishing a return to his native Merseyside in the FA Cup
on Tuesday evening, not least in a bid to get West Ham United back to
winning ways. The 25-year-old was the width of a post from netting the
winner against West Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day, as his second-half
free-kick thudded back off the upright of Ben Foster's goal. Having earlier
swung in the cross for Diafra Sakho's eleventh-minute opener, Thursday's 1-1
Barclays Premier League draw was an eventful one for Cresswell, who was left
to rue the Hammers' failure to make the most of a fast start. "We had a
great first 15 minutes, Sakho got the goal and had we got a second it would
have killed the game off," he said. "Unfortunately, we couldn't get it and
it fell a bit flat after the equaliser. "In the second half they defended
well at times and looked to counter us. I was a little bit unlucky with the
free-kick, but sometimes they go in and sometimes they don't. It's one of
those things."
With the New Year upon us, Cresswell can reflect on an excellent 2014, both
personally and for his new Club. The full-back remains an ever present in
the Barclays Premier League this term and is understandably thrilled to have
established himself in a high-flying Hammers side. He continued: "We've had
20 games now, we're over halfway through the season and I'm delighted with
the way it's gone for me on the pitch. I just keep my head down, work hard
every day in training and look forward to every game that I play."
None more so, you would imagine, than a trip back to Merseyside, where
Cresswell grew up a Liverpool fan. But aside from his personal allegiances,
he is primarily focused on seeing the Hammers safely into the fourth round
of this season's FA Cup. "It's the FA Cup, it's massive," he confirmed." Of
course we'd like to finish as high as we can in the league, but it would be
nice to get a little FA Cup run this season, so we'll just have to see where
we go. "When you grow up in Liverpool, you're either a red or a blue and for
me, it was red. So going up to Merseyside as well, playing against Everton,
it will be nice to be back and we'll be looking to get through to the next
round. We want to get a good run in the cup, so hopefully we can get the
result."
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West Ham sign Canada defender Doneil Henry on long-term deal
BBC.co.uk
West Ham have signed Canada defender Doneil Henry from Cypriot side Apollon
Limassol. The 21-year-old, who played 92 times for MLS side Toronto FC,
moves to Upton Park on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee. The 6ft
2in (1.88m) centre-back has spent two periods training with the Hammers in
recent months. He was recommended to manager Sam Allardyce by former Toronto
head coach and ex-Blackburn player Ryan Nelsen. "It feels good to be given
the opportunity to come and train and see what it's like to be part of a
Premier League team and I just want to get started and get into the team
real soon," said Henry, who has 14 international caps. "I love a tackle and
I just want to defend hard. I take pride in my clean sheets with the
backline and with the keeper, so if we can just do that, it's job
completed."
Allardyce, who managed Nelsen at Ewood Park, hopes Henry can make his West
Ham debut before the end of this season. "We have invested in him for the
near future, so we do hope he can make some sort of appearance this season
if he settles in and does as well as Ryan thinks he will," Allardyce said.
"If not, we hope he is certainly one for the future."
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Sullivan - I could have had Bony for £8million
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 3rd January 2015
By: Staff Writer
David Sullivan has once again reiterated that he would have signed Wilfried
Bony - if he hadn't been overruled by Sam Allardyce. The Chairman, speaking
to Jason Burt of the Telegraph continued to stress the divide between
himself and his manager by insisting that he wouldn't have signed Andy
Carroll - had the choice been his. "I would have bought Wilfried Bony -
£8million and 40 grand a week," He told Burt. "Swansea paid £12m. I had him
bought for £8m."
Swansea are understood to be willing to listen to offers for the in-form
striker, who had scored nine goals this season - the same as Diafra Sakho,
who Sullivan also recently revealed was his call.
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Hammers keen on Spurs winger - reports
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 3rd January 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are rumoured to be keeping an eye on Tottenham's former England
winger Aaron Lennon, as the winter transfer window officially opens. With
the January window open for business, the Mirror report that the Hammers are
one of several clubs monitoring the 27-year-old's situation, with Lennon
said to be unhappy at White Hart Lane. Other clubs said to be interested
include Queens Park Rangers and Leicester, although Stoke - who are said to
have already made a £6million bid - are currently considered front runners
to land the player.
* West Ham continue to be linked with a move for Scotland Under-21 left-back
Stephen Hendrie. The teenage defender was initially mentioned as a potential
target last weekend, since when a number of sources are claiming that West
Ham are willing to pay around £2million to sign the player.
* Antonio Nocerino, who spent the latter half of last season on loan at West
Ham from Milan could be set for a third move inside 12 months. The
midfielder, 29, signed for Torino on loan at the start of the 2014/15
campaign but has cut his season-long loan shot. Parma are said to be
interested in landing the former international, whose nickname is 'Walnut'.
* There are still no genuine enquiries for Matt Jarvis despite his cameo
against West Bromwich Albion at the weekend. The wide man has barely
featured for West ham this season but played for most of the second half on
New Year's Day as West Ham laboured to a 1-1 draw. Jarvis told whufc.com
that he was "fully fit and trying to get back into the team".
* For the third transfer window running, West Ham are being linked with
Algerian international Ishak Belfodil. Out of favour at Parma, Tutto Mercato
report that West Ham are keen to try and take the striker on loan for the
remainder fo the season with view to a permanent deal.
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West Ham sign Canada international defender Doneil Henry
Last Updated: 03/01/15 5:02pm
SSN
West Ham have made their first signing of the January transfer window after
snapping up Canada international defender Doneil Henry.
The 21-year-old centre-back arrives from Apollon Limassol on a long-term
contract for an undisclosed fee. Henry joined the Cypriot First Division
side in October but returned to Toronto FC on loan and was recommended to
Sam Allardyce by the MLS side's coach Ryan Nelsen.
"Ryan was my captain at Blackburn for a couple of years and he rang us and
told us about Doneil," Allardyce told West Ham's website.
"With a little coaching from us and work in terms of how to defend in the
Premier League, Ryan (Nelsen) says he (Henry) has all the attributes to be a
good player." "He said this lad definitely has Premier League potential and
he has everything he needs. "With a little coaching from us and work in
terms of how to defend in the Premier League, Ryan says he has all the
attributes to be a good player. "We have invested in him for the near
future, so we do hope he can make some sort of appearance this season if he
settles in and does as well as Ryan thinks he will. If not, we hope he is
certainly one for the future."
Henry, who recently spent two spells training with the Hammers, is eager to
get started. He said: "I started with the Toronto FC Academy when I was 16
and signed for the first team when I was 17 and now I just want to continue
to develop and keep growing as a player. I'm 21 and I want to get a role
with the team, keep my head down and take my opportunity when I can. "I love
a tackle and I just want to defend hard. I take pride in my clean sheets
with the back line and with the 'keeper, so if we can just do that, it's job
completed."
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West Ham striker Mauro Zarate faces second QPR medical before move
Last Updated: 03/01/15 1:54pm
SSN
West Ham striker Mauro Zarate has only to complete the second part of his
medical before his proposed six-month loan move to QPR goes ahead, Sky
sources understand. Zarate has scored twice in eight appearances for the
Hammers this season after joining from Argentine side Velez Sarsfield in the
summer. He has since fallen out of favour, slipping behind Andy Carroll,
Diafra Sakho and Carlton Cole in the Upton Park pecking order, and has not
featured for Sam Allardyce's side since the 2-1 win at West Brom on December
2. QPR boss Harry Redknapp is keen to add to his striking options to boost
their survival hopes and is prepared to offer Zarate the opportunity to
impress at Loftus Road. Redknapp must wait a little longer though, to see if
Zarate can pass the second phase of his medical and secure a move from east
to west London.
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FA Cup preview: Everton host high-flying West Ham in third-round clash
Last Updated: 03/01/15 4:15pm
SSN
Everton manager Roberto Martinez is likely to make changes for the FA Cup
clash with West Ham as he looks to bounce back from four straight league
defeats. The Spaniard could recall Romelu Lukaku and Samuel Eto'o up front
but Antolin Alcaraz is suspended following his late red card at Hull. West
Ham will be without Senegal forward Diafra Sakho and midfielder Cheikhou
Kouyate as they head off on international duty for the Africa Cup of
Nations, while Alex Song could yet be a late call-up for Cameroon. Defender
James Tomkins is available after suspension and winger Matt Jarvis is
pressing for a start after coming off the bench against West Brom on New
Year's Day.
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THE EXPULSION FROM PARADISE - WILL ALLARDYCE LEAD US INTO THE OS ?
By HamburgHammer 3 Jan 2015 at 08:00
West Ham Till I Die
Which West Ham fan could ever forget that glorious Saturday in May when Vaz
Te shot the Hammers back into the Premiership just a few minutes prior to
the final whistle. Players hugging and celebrating on the Wembley pitch
while the Hammers fans in the stands were singing their very own version of
the Coldplay smash hit "Paradise".
Suddenly Allardyce was Cockney rhyming slang for paradise and it was true –
Allardyce had brought the club back from its knees to the promised land of
the Premier League where not milk and honey flow but a seemingly endless
stream of TV revenue beckons plus a global audience of hundreds of millions
of football fans.
These days though Allardyce (again) may have bitten off more than he can
chew from the forbidden fruit (or should that be chewing gum ?) as again
fans are not happy with a recent run of just one point of a possible nine,
albeit including games against biggies like Chelsea and Arsenal. It was not
so much the results as such but the manner of the defeats, some baffling
decision by the manager regarding his lineup and resting certain players in
certain games and of course the still somewhat mysterious treatment of Mauro
Zarate.
I think it's fair to say that Allardyce had managed the nigh impossible in
the first two or three months of the season: He had won over a lot of his
fiercest critics among fans and pundits. And most possibly his employers as
well. With Nolan and Carroll unavailable West Ham were playing breathtaking
and exciting football with Sakho and Valencia upfront and a diamond
formation behind them. Players were constantly running, chasing,
interchanging positions. It was unexpected. It was unpredictable. It was
pacy. It was successful. It was downright brilliant.
We all have seen what happened next. Injuries took Sakho and Valencia out of
the equation for a while. Carroll and Nolan were available again and while
the results initially were still good the football had changed again to
something which was eerily similar to the fare on offer for the majority of
games last season, albeit with a generally better quality overall due to our
much improved squad.
Which leads us (and more importantly the board) to the question of what lies
ahead for Allardyce. I'm sure the manager would love to see an extension to
his contract arriving on his doorstep rather earlier than at the end of the
season as originally planned. The board apparently want to wait matters out
though and take in the rest of the season to evaluate performances,
development, maybe even satisfaction among the fanbase.
Make no mistake, Allardyce has done a fantastic job up to this point. He
took on the job when West Ham very much resembled the ugliest bird at the
graduation dance. Not an attractive proposition at all. Relegated. An ageing
and very mediocre squad. With virtually no team spirit to be seen anywhere.
A shambles really.
Allardyce took us back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
And he's kept us there although the football at times was diabolical. And he
did this with very limited ressources. There are not a lot of managers
around who can stretch a limited budget as far as Allardyce, vital for a
club like ours not blessed with owners who have hundreds of millions of
pounds to spend without thinking twice. Our team spirit is the best it's
been in years. We rarely get a thrashing on the pitch these days.
But Allardyce keeps on dividing the fanbase. Some just don't like him as a
person. Some despise his perceived stubbornness and inabilty to shoulder the
blame for anything. Some don't like his formations and lineups or what they
see as an extreme loyalty to certain players while ignoring others perceived
to be better options.
Some fans still think Allardyce knows best and is maybe the best manager
West Ham could wish for at this point.
Others think Allardyce has done a fine job, but taken us as far as he can
and therefore want him gone. At the end of the season or earlier.
It's hard to tell at this point if indeed the board may have actually made
their mind up already about NOT extending Allardyce's contract. And it's
also possible that Allardyce may know, or at least sense, that his days at
West Ham might be numbered. With the OS on the horizon the main objective
can no longer be to just stay up.
Especially after the brilliant first half of the season future West Ham
teams need to constantly play attacking football which is pleasing on the
eye AND pleasing on the points tally. Can Allardyce deliver that and can he
make the West Ham team as unpredictable and nasty to play as in the early
parts of the season ?
Personally I reckon that Allardyce knows he will not be leading West Ham out
onto the pitch of the OS. In my view he's merely going through the motions
which he can afford to do as we are virtually safe already. That's one bonus
payment pocketed for him. More money may be available depending on league
position or qualification for European football. But would Allardyce really
try really hard to get West Ham into Europe if he already knew that another
manager would be taking the squad to Rome, Lyon and Prague next season, and
not him ? I doubt it. Allardyce is not the kind of manager to "go for it".
He is a safety net kind of manager, perfect for putting stability into
clubs, but not good enough to make "the next step".
The ideal solution in my view is an amicable parting of ways at the end of
the season. Which of course may result in the current season petering out in
unspectacular fashion. But if unspectacular in this case means midtable
obscurity, it would be just about acceptable I reckon. West Ham qualifying
for Europe with Allardyce is not impossible, but I have a gut feeling it'll
be up to his successor (whenever he may arrive) to clinch European football
for West Ham.
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Europe and the "fatigue factor"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 3, 2015 in Whispers
By Rich Sprent
Claret & Hugh
The West Brom game demonstrated perfectly just how fragile a good squad can
be when looking at European football. Let's make no bones about it, West Ham
could be worthy of a top six place. Yes, top six which, if Chelsea win a
domestic cup. would qualify the Irons for the Europa League…. assuming of
course we can stand the pace. However, we're looking slightly crestfallen
after two defeats and a draw when playing an extra game over the holiday
period. However, let us not get overawed by what the Europeans do, or
rather, don't do, it is only ONE extra League game fitted in a week between
Boxing and New Year's Days.
It is a good indicator of what could be to come next season with the
pressure of a midweek game each week. We've heard a lot nabout the fatigue
factor this week – we will need to get used to that or do something about
it!
Arguments can be made over forward selections with the African Nations
Cupdrawing near and Mauro Zarate being loaned out but it was the midfield
that looked decidedly average against West Brom.
The team was reliant on Song who had poor support. Kouyate looked energetic
in winning the ball but laboured in his passing. Amalfitano looked lively
but had little movement around him. Downing (pictured) was desperate for
colleagues to win him space. The midfield options on the bench? Jarvis,
Nolan & Noble! A struggling Baggies side nullified arguably the strongest
Irons line up. The benched players weren't going to light up the sky over
the Boleyn. The summer, and indeed January, investment is going to be
critical for West Ham's advancement.
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Henry signs …but may have to wait!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 3, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
The Hammers have confirmed that 21 year old Canadian defender Doneil Henry
from Cypriot side Apollon Limassol has been signed on a year three year
contract. However, a club source told ClaretandHugh: "He's about six months
away from becoming a first team regular and will be carefully looked after
as he is prepared for the Premier League. "It's our policy to look for
promising young players this window although you can never rule out a bigger
name coming in! Watch this space" Co chairman David Sullivan's son Jack
announced the news on his Twitter account today but the news was expected as
soon as the window opening with Sam Allardyce having explained a few days
back the player had been recommended to him from former Blackburn defender
Ryan Nelsen.
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Sakho scan result
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 3, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Diafra Sakho's injury problems were yesterday confirmed by a scan which
sadly rubber-stamped West Ham's s worst fears. ClaretandHugh had already
revealed that club medics feared the striker could be sidelined for several
weeks by an injury sustained during the match against West Bromwich Albion.
And this morning we have learned the scan on Sakho's back problem has now
been carried out and that it confirms that early opinion. A club source told
us exclusively: "He has been scanned and it confirms our worst fears, a
recurring back injury. He's likely to be out for between two to six weeks.
There is of course a wicked irony in the situation as far as the Senegal
national team are concerned who could now be without the player for their
African Nations Cup campaign. For it was whilst the player was on
international duty earlier in the year that the damage was done on the
treatment table according to Hammers officials. Now, unless the
striker makes a super-quick recovery, he will be missing when the tournament
kicks off in Equatorial Guinea on January 17.
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Irons look for Sakho injury solutions
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 3, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Diafra Sakho's back injury will need careful maintaining over the medium and
long term as the club bid to overcome what has become a recurring problem
for the striker! The striker is set to be sidelined for between two to six
weeks after injuring himself against West Brom and the club are now looking
closely at the treatment programme needed by the player. It was originally
thought the problem had been dealt with after the mis-treatment he received
on his last excursion into the international arena with Senegal. But West
Ham are now being forced to face up to the fact that this is an ongoing
problem for and are looking at all possible solutions. A Hammers source told
ClaretandHugh exclusively: "We hope that three to four months of muscle
building might overcome it, but it will still be there.
"He might need an operation at some point and whilst that would put him out
for three to four months it would solve the issue 100 per cent. "We hope
that won't be necessary but all options remain open."
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West Ham Linked With Massive Deal to Sign Carlos Tevez In Summer Deal
by The Newshound January 3rd, 2015
CaughtOffside.com
West Ham have been linked with a truly shocking move to re-sign Juventus
forward Carlos Tevez with the Argentine said to be set to reject a new deal
with the Turin based side according to the Daily Mail. The Upton Park side
are ready to make a massive move for Tevez ahead of the club's final season
at the Boleyn, the 30 year old Argentine still being something of a cult
hero for Hammers fans. West Ham have had an excellent campaign thus far and
if Sam Allardyce's side could secure some form of European football for next
term then perhaps such a deal becomes that little bit more plausible. Tevez
is very much an in-form player and one wonders why Juventus wouldn't make
the experienced goal-scorer a contract offer that goes beyond his current
deal, which expires in the summer of 2016. Since moving to Italy from Man
City Tevez has bagged 29 goals in 43 Serie A starts and played a key role in
the club's continued domestic dominance Tevez may like the idea of moving
back to east London, especially if such a deal was an extended spell that
would see him usher in a new era for the club as they move into the Olympic
Stadium. The lethal finisher enjoyed a hugely successful season at West Ham
in 2006/07, during which he helped the club retain their Premier League
status.
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WHUFC.com
Carl Jenkinson is looking to get back to winning ways against Everton in the
FA Cup
02.01.2015
West Ham United defender Carl Jenkinson said the Hammers must return to
winning ways when they face Everton away in the FA Cup on Tuesday 6 January.
The Hammers started the New Year with a 1-1 draw at home to West Bromwich
Albion which saw Diafra Sakho score his eighth league goal of the season
after only ten minutes when he headed home the hosts' best move of the
match. The Baggies secured a point when Saido Berahino equalised after
counter-attacking quickly shortly before half time. Speaking after the final
whistle, Jenkinson said: "We didn't play our best football but I think we
did enough to win the game to be honest. "We were pressing well, especially
in the second half and they were struggling to get out of their own half. We
just couldn't find a way to score a second goal."
The draw with West Brom was the Hammers' third game in seven days in what
proved to a gruelling festive season of matches. Despite picking up one
point from a possible nine, Jenkinson is positive the Hammers are pulling in
the right direction, especially given the spirited performance against his
parent club Arsenal on 28 December. The 22-year-old right-back has been in
impressive form this season, featuring in 15 of the Hammers' 20 league games
and he is hopeful that he can keep his place for the Hammers' third round FA
Cup tie with Everton. "We've played a lot of games recently and I think the
lads tired towards the end. We didn't quite have the edge to go and get the
goal that we needed, it's frustrating obviously. We have to get on with it
and focus on the FA Cup on Tuesday. "The FA Cup is massive, everyone loves
playing in it. We want to stay in it and progress as far as we can. We just
have to go there with confidence. We're sixth in the league and doing really
well. It's a massive game and we are all really looking forward to it.
"Thursday was very frustrating because it was a game we said we need to win.
All the best teams go through patches were they don't pick up a win. We've
had three games without a win, but we did that earlier in the season and
then won three or four on the bounce. Football's a strange game, and two of
those games were against top, top teams."
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Hammers sign Henry
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are delighted to announce the signing of Canada
international defender Doneil Henry
03.01.2015
West Ham United are delighted to announce the signing of Canada
international defender Doneil Henry. The 21-year-old centre-back joins the
Hammers on a long-term contract from Cypriot First Division club Apollon
Limassol for an undisclosed fee. Capped 14 times, Henry has spent two
periods training with West Ham in recent months, having been recommended to
manager Sam Allardyce by Toronto FC head coach and former Blackburn Rovers
and New Zealand captain Ryan Nelsen. Henry was the first player to graduate
from the Academy of MLS club Toronto FC and has already made 92 first-team
appearances for the Reds - including 25 during a loan spell back in Canada
from Limassol in 2014.
"It feels good to be given the opportunity to come and train and see what
it's like to be part of a Premier League team and I just want to get started
and get into the team real soon," said Henry. "I had a really good
relationship with Ryan Nelsen and I always wanted to see what it was like to
play at another level, the highest level, and I got the opportunity to come
over here. Since then, I was just hoping to come back and now it's happened,
I want it to continue on and keep playing. "I started with the Toronto FC
Academy when I was 16 and signed for the first-team when I was 17 and now I
just want to continue to develop and keep growing as a player. I'm 21 and I
want to get a role with the team, keep my head down and take my opportunity
when I can. "I love a tackle and I just want to defend hard. I take pride in
my clean sheets with the back line and with the 'keeper, so if we can just
do that, it's job completed."
Despite his tender years, Henry already has extensive experience at club,
continental and international levels. The 6'2 defender joined the Toronto FC
Academy at the age of 15 in November 2008, and captained the team through
two seasons in the Canadian Soccer League in 2009 and 2010. At 17, he
appeared in the CONCACAF Champions League preliminary round before signing
for Toronto FC's first-team squad in August 2010. Henry established himself
as a regular starter in 2011 and 2012, signing a new long-term contract
after scoring his first goal for the club against Real Salt Lake in April
2012. After continuing to impress in both the MLS and Canadian Championship,
winning the latter in three straight years between 2010 and 2012, Henry came
to the attention of Nelsen following the centre-back's appointment in
January 2013.
Late 2013 saw Henry spend a period training with West Ham before he joined
Apollon Limassol, before immediately being loaned back to Toronto. Six
months on and the defender has moved to east London following a successful
second spell at Chadwell Heath. The 2012 Canadian U-20 Player of the Year,
Henry has been a regular starter for Canada over the last two years,
featuring at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament in the United States.
Henry is hoping he can set a trend for other young players from a country
more associated with ice hockey than association football. "There are a lot
of talented young Canadian players coming up through the youth ranks right
now and if they can get some more opportunities to develop at good clubs
under great coaches, I feel that they can definitely be one of the top
countries in competition," he added. "Personally, I want to make my mark as
quickly as possible. The only way to develop is by playing games and putting
yourself under pressure. It's all good for players to get opportunities so
the sooner I can get into the mix the better. "I know I have to earn the
respect of the players here and that's fine. I just want to work hard and
continue with my career.
"The standard here is really good. I definitely feel I can compete so I just
need to adapt to what they want to do here and I don't think I'll have a
problem."
Henry goes straight into Big Sam's first-team squad, and the manager is
hopeful that the Brampton, Ontario-born player can force his way onto the
pitch before the current season is out. "Ryan was my captain at Blackburn
for a couple of years and he rang us and told us about Doneil," the manager
confirmed. "He said this lad definitely has Premier League potential and he
has everything he needs. "With a little coaching from us and work in terms
of how to defend in the Premier League, Ryan says he has all the attributes
to be a good player. "We have invested in him for the near future, so we do
hope he can make some sort of appearance this season if he settles in and
does as well as Ryan thinks he will. If not, we hope he is certainly one for
the future."
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Cresswell wants Goodison glory
WHUFC.com
Aaron Cresswell has his sights set on FA Cup success at Goodison Park on
Tuesday evening
03.01.2015
Aaron Cresswell is relishing a return to his native Merseyside in the FA Cup
on Tuesday evening, not least in a bid to get West Ham United back to
winning ways. The 25-year-old was the width of a post from netting the
winner against West Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day, as his second-half
free-kick thudded back off the upright of Ben Foster's goal. Having earlier
swung in the cross for Diafra Sakho's eleventh-minute opener, Thursday's 1-1
Barclays Premier League draw was an eventful one for Cresswell, who was left
to rue the Hammers' failure to make the most of a fast start. "We had a
great first 15 minutes, Sakho got the goal and had we got a second it would
have killed the game off," he said. "Unfortunately, we couldn't get it and
it fell a bit flat after the equaliser. "In the second half they defended
well at times and looked to counter us. I was a little bit unlucky with the
free-kick, but sometimes they go in and sometimes they don't. It's one of
those things."
With the New Year upon us, Cresswell can reflect on an excellent 2014, both
personally and for his new Club. The full-back remains an ever present in
the Barclays Premier League this term and is understandably thrilled to have
established himself in a high-flying Hammers side. He continued: "We've had
20 games now, we're over halfway through the season and I'm delighted with
the way it's gone for me on the pitch. I just keep my head down, work hard
every day in training and look forward to every game that I play."
None more so, you would imagine, than a trip back to Merseyside, where
Cresswell grew up a Liverpool fan. But aside from his personal allegiances,
he is primarily focused on seeing the Hammers safely into the fourth round
of this season's FA Cup. "It's the FA Cup, it's massive," he confirmed." Of
course we'd like to finish as high as we can in the league, but it would be
nice to get a little FA Cup run this season, so we'll just have to see where
we go. "When you grow up in Liverpool, you're either a red or a blue and for
me, it was red. So going up to Merseyside as well, playing against Everton,
it will be nice to be back and we'll be looking to get through to the next
round. We want to get a good run in the cup, so hopefully we can get the
result."
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West Ham sign Canada defender Doneil Henry on long-term deal
BBC.co.uk
West Ham have signed Canada defender Doneil Henry from Cypriot side Apollon
Limassol. The 21-year-old, who played 92 times for MLS side Toronto FC,
moves to Upton Park on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee. The 6ft
2in (1.88m) centre-back has spent two periods training with the Hammers in
recent months. He was recommended to manager Sam Allardyce by former Toronto
head coach and ex-Blackburn player Ryan Nelsen. "It feels good to be given
the opportunity to come and train and see what it's like to be part of a
Premier League team and I just want to get started and get into the team
real soon," said Henry, who has 14 international caps. "I love a tackle and
I just want to defend hard. I take pride in my clean sheets with the
backline and with the keeper, so if we can just do that, it's job
completed."
Allardyce, who managed Nelsen at Ewood Park, hopes Henry can make his West
Ham debut before the end of this season. "We have invested in him for the
near future, so we do hope he can make some sort of appearance this season
if he settles in and does as well as Ryan thinks he will," Allardyce said.
"If not, we hope he is certainly one for the future."
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Sullivan - I could have had Bony for £8million
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 3rd January 2015
By: Staff Writer
David Sullivan has once again reiterated that he would have signed Wilfried
Bony - if he hadn't been overruled by Sam Allardyce. The Chairman, speaking
to Jason Burt of the Telegraph continued to stress the divide between
himself and his manager by insisting that he wouldn't have signed Andy
Carroll - had the choice been his. "I would have bought Wilfried Bony -
£8million and 40 grand a week," He told Burt. "Swansea paid £12m. I had him
bought for £8m."
Swansea are understood to be willing to listen to offers for the in-form
striker, who had scored nine goals this season - the same as Diafra Sakho,
who Sullivan also recently revealed was his call.
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Hammers keen on Spurs winger - reports
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 3rd January 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are rumoured to be keeping an eye on Tottenham's former England
winger Aaron Lennon, as the winter transfer window officially opens. With
the January window open for business, the Mirror report that the Hammers are
one of several clubs monitoring the 27-year-old's situation, with Lennon
said to be unhappy at White Hart Lane. Other clubs said to be interested
include Queens Park Rangers and Leicester, although Stoke - who are said to
have already made a £6million bid - are currently considered front runners
to land the player.
* West Ham continue to be linked with a move for Scotland Under-21 left-back
Stephen Hendrie. The teenage defender was initially mentioned as a potential
target last weekend, since when a number of sources are claiming that West
Ham are willing to pay around £2million to sign the player.
* Antonio Nocerino, who spent the latter half of last season on loan at West
Ham from Milan could be set for a third move inside 12 months. The
midfielder, 29, signed for Torino on loan at the start of the 2014/15
campaign but has cut his season-long loan shot. Parma are said to be
interested in landing the former international, whose nickname is 'Walnut'.
* There are still no genuine enquiries for Matt Jarvis despite his cameo
against West Bromwich Albion at the weekend. The wide man has barely
featured for West ham this season but played for most of the second half on
New Year's Day as West Ham laboured to a 1-1 draw. Jarvis told whufc.com
that he was "fully fit and trying to get back into the team".
* For the third transfer window running, West Ham are being linked with
Algerian international Ishak Belfodil. Out of favour at Parma, Tutto Mercato
report that West Ham are keen to try and take the striker on loan for the
remainder fo the season with view to a permanent deal.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham sign Canada international defender Doneil Henry
Last Updated: 03/01/15 5:02pm
SSN
West Ham have made their first signing of the January transfer window after
snapping up Canada international defender Doneil Henry.
The 21-year-old centre-back arrives from Apollon Limassol on a long-term
contract for an undisclosed fee. Henry joined the Cypriot First Division
side in October but returned to Toronto FC on loan and was recommended to
Sam Allardyce by the MLS side's coach Ryan Nelsen.
"Ryan was my captain at Blackburn for a couple of years and he rang us and
told us about Doneil," Allardyce told West Ham's website.
"With a little coaching from us and work in terms of how to defend in the
Premier League, Ryan (Nelsen) says he (Henry) has all the attributes to be a
good player." "He said this lad definitely has Premier League potential and
he has everything he needs. "With a little coaching from us and work in
terms of how to defend in the Premier League, Ryan says he has all the
attributes to be a good player. "We have invested in him for the near
future, so we do hope he can make some sort of appearance this season if he
settles in and does as well as Ryan thinks he will. If not, we hope he is
certainly one for the future."
Henry, who recently spent two spells training with the Hammers, is eager to
get started. He said: "I started with the Toronto FC Academy when I was 16
and signed for the first team when I was 17 and now I just want to continue
to develop and keep growing as a player. I'm 21 and I want to get a role
with the team, keep my head down and take my opportunity when I can. "I love
a tackle and I just want to defend hard. I take pride in my clean sheets
with the back line and with the 'keeper, so if we can just do that, it's job
completed."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham striker Mauro Zarate faces second QPR medical before move
Last Updated: 03/01/15 1:54pm
SSN
West Ham striker Mauro Zarate has only to complete the second part of his
medical before his proposed six-month loan move to QPR goes ahead, Sky
sources understand. Zarate has scored twice in eight appearances for the
Hammers this season after joining from Argentine side Velez Sarsfield in the
summer. He has since fallen out of favour, slipping behind Andy Carroll,
Diafra Sakho and Carlton Cole in the Upton Park pecking order, and has not
featured for Sam Allardyce's side since the 2-1 win at West Brom on December
2. QPR boss Harry Redknapp is keen to add to his striking options to boost
their survival hopes and is prepared to offer Zarate the opportunity to
impress at Loftus Road. Redknapp must wait a little longer though, to see if
Zarate can pass the second phase of his medical and secure a move from east
to west London.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
FA Cup preview: Everton host high-flying West Ham in third-round clash
Last Updated: 03/01/15 4:15pm
SSN
Everton manager Roberto Martinez is likely to make changes for the FA Cup
clash with West Ham as he looks to bounce back from four straight league
defeats. The Spaniard could recall Romelu Lukaku and Samuel Eto'o up front
but Antolin Alcaraz is suspended following his late red card at Hull. West
Ham will be without Senegal forward Diafra Sakho and midfielder Cheikhou
Kouyate as they head off on international duty for the Africa Cup of
Nations, while Alex Song could yet be a late call-up for Cameroon. Defender
James Tomkins is available after suspension and winger Matt Jarvis is
pressing for a start after coming off the bench against West Brom on New
Year's Day.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
THE EXPULSION FROM PARADISE - WILL ALLARDYCE LEAD US INTO THE OS ?
By HamburgHammer 3 Jan 2015 at 08:00
West Ham Till I Die
Which West Ham fan could ever forget that glorious Saturday in May when Vaz
Te shot the Hammers back into the Premiership just a few minutes prior to
the final whistle. Players hugging and celebrating on the Wembley pitch
while the Hammers fans in the stands were singing their very own version of
the Coldplay smash hit "Paradise".
Suddenly Allardyce was Cockney rhyming slang for paradise and it was true –
Allardyce had brought the club back from its knees to the promised land of
the Premier League where not milk and honey flow but a seemingly endless
stream of TV revenue beckons plus a global audience of hundreds of millions
of football fans.
These days though Allardyce (again) may have bitten off more than he can
chew from the forbidden fruit (or should that be chewing gum ?) as again
fans are not happy with a recent run of just one point of a possible nine,
albeit including games against biggies like Chelsea and Arsenal. It was not
so much the results as such but the manner of the defeats, some baffling
decision by the manager regarding his lineup and resting certain players in
certain games and of course the still somewhat mysterious treatment of Mauro
Zarate.
I think it's fair to say that Allardyce had managed the nigh impossible in
the first two or three months of the season: He had won over a lot of his
fiercest critics among fans and pundits. And most possibly his employers as
well. With Nolan and Carroll unavailable West Ham were playing breathtaking
and exciting football with Sakho and Valencia upfront and a diamond
formation behind them. Players were constantly running, chasing,
interchanging positions. It was unexpected. It was unpredictable. It was
pacy. It was successful. It was downright brilliant.
We all have seen what happened next. Injuries took Sakho and Valencia out of
the equation for a while. Carroll and Nolan were available again and while
the results initially were still good the football had changed again to
something which was eerily similar to the fare on offer for the majority of
games last season, albeit with a generally better quality overall due to our
much improved squad.
Which leads us (and more importantly the board) to the question of what lies
ahead for Allardyce. I'm sure the manager would love to see an extension to
his contract arriving on his doorstep rather earlier than at the end of the
season as originally planned. The board apparently want to wait matters out
though and take in the rest of the season to evaluate performances,
development, maybe even satisfaction among the fanbase.
Make no mistake, Allardyce has done a fantastic job up to this point. He
took on the job when West Ham very much resembled the ugliest bird at the
graduation dance. Not an attractive proposition at all. Relegated. An ageing
and very mediocre squad. With virtually no team spirit to be seen anywhere.
A shambles really.
Allardyce took us back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
And he's kept us there although the football at times was diabolical. And he
did this with very limited ressources. There are not a lot of managers
around who can stretch a limited budget as far as Allardyce, vital for a
club like ours not blessed with owners who have hundreds of millions of
pounds to spend without thinking twice. Our team spirit is the best it's
been in years. We rarely get a thrashing on the pitch these days.
But Allardyce keeps on dividing the fanbase. Some just don't like him as a
person. Some despise his perceived stubbornness and inabilty to shoulder the
blame for anything. Some don't like his formations and lineups or what they
see as an extreme loyalty to certain players while ignoring others perceived
to be better options.
Some fans still think Allardyce knows best and is maybe the best manager
West Ham could wish for at this point.
Others think Allardyce has done a fine job, but taken us as far as he can
and therefore want him gone. At the end of the season or earlier.
It's hard to tell at this point if indeed the board may have actually made
their mind up already about NOT extending Allardyce's contract. And it's
also possible that Allardyce may know, or at least sense, that his days at
West Ham might be numbered. With the OS on the horizon the main objective
can no longer be to just stay up.
Especially after the brilliant first half of the season future West Ham
teams need to constantly play attacking football which is pleasing on the
eye AND pleasing on the points tally. Can Allardyce deliver that and can he
make the West Ham team as unpredictable and nasty to play as in the early
parts of the season ?
Personally I reckon that Allardyce knows he will not be leading West Ham out
onto the pitch of the OS. In my view he's merely going through the motions
which he can afford to do as we are virtually safe already. That's one bonus
payment pocketed for him. More money may be available depending on league
position or qualification for European football. But would Allardyce really
try really hard to get West Ham into Europe if he already knew that another
manager would be taking the squad to Rome, Lyon and Prague next season, and
not him ? I doubt it. Allardyce is not the kind of manager to "go for it".
He is a safety net kind of manager, perfect for putting stability into
clubs, but not good enough to make "the next step".
The ideal solution in my view is an amicable parting of ways at the end of
the season. Which of course may result in the current season petering out in
unspectacular fashion. But if unspectacular in this case means midtable
obscurity, it would be just about acceptable I reckon. West Ham qualifying
for Europe with Allardyce is not impossible, but I have a gut feeling it'll
be up to his successor (whenever he may arrive) to clinch European football
for West Ham.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Europe and the "fatigue factor"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 3, 2015 in Whispers
By Rich Sprent
Claret & Hugh
The West Brom game demonstrated perfectly just how fragile a good squad can
be when looking at European football. Let's make no bones about it, West Ham
could be worthy of a top six place. Yes, top six which, if Chelsea win a
domestic cup. would qualify the Irons for the Europa League…. assuming of
course we can stand the pace. However, we're looking slightly crestfallen
after two defeats and a draw when playing an extra game over the holiday
period. However, let us not get overawed by what the Europeans do, or
rather, don't do, it is only ONE extra League game fitted in a week between
Boxing and New Year's Days.
It is a good indicator of what could be to come next season with the
pressure of a midweek game each week. We've heard a lot nabout the fatigue
factor this week – we will need to get used to that or do something about
it!
Arguments can be made over forward selections with the African Nations
Cupdrawing near and Mauro Zarate being loaned out but it was the midfield
that looked decidedly average against West Brom.
The team was reliant on Song who had poor support. Kouyate looked energetic
in winning the ball but laboured in his passing. Amalfitano looked lively
but had little movement around him. Downing (pictured) was desperate for
colleagues to win him space. The midfield options on the bench? Jarvis,
Nolan & Noble! A struggling Baggies side nullified arguably the strongest
Irons line up. The benched players weren't going to light up the sky over
the Boleyn. The summer, and indeed January, investment is going to be
critical for West Ham's advancement.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Henry signs …but may have to wait!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 3, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
The Hammers have confirmed that 21 year old Canadian defender Doneil Henry
from Cypriot side Apollon Limassol has been signed on a year three year
contract. However, a club source told ClaretandHugh: "He's about six months
away from becoming a first team regular and will be carefully looked after
as he is prepared for the Premier League. "It's our policy to look for
promising young players this window although you can never rule out a bigger
name coming in! Watch this space" Co chairman David Sullivan's son Jack
announced the news on his Twitter account today but the news was expected as
soon as the window opening with Sam Allardyce having explained a few days
back the player had been recommended to him from former Blackburn defender
Ryan Nelsen.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sakho scan result
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 3, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Diafra Sakho's injury problems were yesterday confirmed by a scan which
sadly rubber-stamped West Ham's s worst fears. ClaretandHugh had already
revealed that club medics feared the striker could be sidelined for several
weeks by an injury sustained during the match against West Bromwich Albion.
And this morning we have learned the scan on Sakho's back problem has now
been carried out and that it confirms that early opinion. A club source told
us exclusively: "He has been scanned and it confirms our worst fears, a
recurring back injury. He's likely to be out for between two to six weeks.
There is of course a wicked irony in the situation as far as the Senegal
national team are concerned who could now be without the player for their
African Nations Cup campaign. For it was whilst the player was on
international duty earlier in the year that the damage was done on the
treatment table according to Hammers officials. Now, unless the
striker makes a super-quick recovery, he will be missing when the tournament
kicks off in Equatorial Guinea on January 17.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Irons look for Sakho injury solutions
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 3, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Diafra Sakho's back injury will need careful maintaining over the medium and
long term as the club bid to overcome what has become a recurring problem
for the striker! The striker is set to be sidelined for between two to six
weeks after injuring himself against West Brom and the club are now looking
closely at the treatment programme needed by the player. It was originally
thought the problem had been dealt with after the mis-treatment he received
on his last excursion into the international arena with Senegal. But West
Ham are now being forced to face up to the fact that this is an ongoing
problem for and are looking at all possible solutions. A Hammers source told
ClaretandHugh exclusively: "We hope that three to four months of muscle
building might overcome it, but it will still be there.
"He might need an operation at some point and whilst that would put him out
for three to four months it would solve the issue 100 per cent. "We hope
that won't be necessary but all options remain open."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham Linked With Massive Deal to Sign Carlos Tevez In Summer Deal
by The Newshound January 3rd, 2015
CaughtOffside.com
West Ham have been linked with a truly shocking move to re-sign Juventus
forward Carlos Tevez with the Argentine said to be set to reject a new deal
with the Turin based side according to the Daily Mail. The Upton Park side
are ready to make a massive move for Tevez ahead of the club's final season
at the Boleyn, the 30 year old Argentine still being something of a cult
hero for Hammers fans. West Ham have had an excellent campaign thus far and
if Sam Allardyce's side could secure some form of European football for next
term then perhaps such a deal becomes that little bit more plausible. Tevez
is very much an in-form player and one wonders why Juventus wouldn't make
the experienced goal-scorer a contract offer that goes beyond his current
deal, which expires in the summer of 2016. Since moving to Italy from Man
City Tevez has bagged 29 goals in 43 Serie A starts and played a key role in
the club's continued domestic dominance Tevez may like the idea of moving
back to east London, especially if such a deal was an extended spell that
would see him usher in a new era for the club as they move into the Olympic
Stadium. The lethal finisher enjoyed a hugely successful season at West Ham
in 2006/07, during which he helped the club retain their Premier League
status.
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