Reid all about it
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid was on a high after netting in West Ham United's 4-1 victory at
Nottingham Forest
28.08.2011
Winston Reid was all smiles after his first goal of the season in West Ham
United's 4-1 npower Championship victory at Nottingham Forest. The towering
No2 got one over first-team coach Wally Downes by netting the final goal in
the Hammers' third straight awayday success. Reid, who also produced another
powerful performance at the heart of the defence, said his big win - as well
as the one recorded by the whole team - would keep spirits high heading into
the international break. "I missed a chance last weekend against Leeds and
at Watford before that, so it was nice to get one.I lost my marker and Nobby
[Kevin Nolan] missed the ball and I was fortunate enough to put it into the
back of the net. "After the Watford game, when I should have scored, I told
Wally that I'd score within the next four games."
Reid and central defensive partner James Tomkins have looked imperious in
West Ham's away wins at Doncaster Rovers, Watford and Forest, while the pair
have also been a constant threat in the opposition penalty area from Matt
Taylor's outstanding set pieces. With Abdoulaye Faye returning to fitness as
a substitute at the City Ground, the 23-year-old knows he will have to
maintain his level of performance if he wants to remain in Sam Allardyce's
starting lineup. "It's good. Abdy has been out injured but obviously he's
come back and was on the bench. He came on on Sunday and that's good for the
squad. Hopefully everybody can keep fit and there will be competition for
spots as well, which will be good for the team. "Of course I'm delighted to
be playing every week. Last year was a difficult year for me - it was my
first year at the club and my first year in the country, so it was a little
bit difficult for me. "I'm happy now and I think I'm getting better with
every game."
Reid revealed that Big Sam has been working closely with the back four to
improve the defensive record that cost the club dear last season. With new
arrivals Joey O'Brien and George McCartney impressing in the full-back
berths, the New Zealand international said there was no reason to believe
West Ham could not continue to look strong at the back. "Normally, once a
week the Gaffer will take the back line so he can talk about shape, how he
wants us to play and how he wants us to defend and I think it has shown in
the first five or six games because we haven't conceded as many goals as we
did last year. We're defending really well as a team as well.
"It was a disappointing season last year but after the start we've made
everybody has smiles on their faces. "We talked about it before the game
that there is an international week coming up and we wanted to go into it
with a win. After a disappointing week last week we had to bounce back and
we certainly did that on Sunday.
"We've got a few days off which I'll use to go back home and see my family.
Then, we'll crack on and we have Portsmouth at home. "We haven't won at home
yet this season so that will be a good opportunity for us to get three
points."
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West Ham United sign striker Brian Montenegro
Page last updated at 13:34 GMT, Monday, 29 August 2011 14:34 UK
BBC.co.uk
West Ham United have signed Paraguay Under-20 striker Brian Montenegro on a
season-long loan deal from Uruguay's Club Deportivo Maldonado. The
18-year-old began his career at Paraguayan club Tacuary where he made 51
appearances and scored seven goals before joining Maldonado. He told the
club website: "I am a fast player, I like to run at defenders and scare
them. "I am still developing physically but I like to attack."
Montenegro, who featured for Paraguay's Under-20 side at the South American
Youth Championship in January, added: "I am very excited to come here and
play in England, especially for a club like West Ham. "I am hoping to get a
chance to show the fans what I can do."
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Diop waiting in the wings
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 29th August 2011
By: Staff Writer
Papa Bouba Diop should complete his move to West Ham within the next 24
hours. KUMB.com reported last week how the 33-year-old Senegalese
international was close to landing a contract with United, although that
decision was subsequently delayed until Scott Parker's immediate future
became clearer. With Parker seemingly now on his way to Tottenham - despite
no deal having been agreed between the two clubs involved by this lunchtime
(Monday) - Sam Allardyce is ready to make his move by bringing in the
out-of-contract Diop in order to provide additional depth to his midfield.
However if the Parker deal does go through, at least one more midfielder is
likely to follow the player known as 'The Wardrobe' - whilst a number of
additional targets are still being monitored as the closure of the Premier
League transfer window rapidly approaches. All in all it promises to be a
very busy 48 hours for Sam Allardyce and his team; as always, we'll bring
you the very latest transfer news as it happens.
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Vinny's Nottingham Forest Report
Vinny 11:38 Mon Aug 29
West Ham Online
Nottingham Forest 1 West Ham United 4
West Ham continued to show how good they can be with another victory on the
road as Nottingham Forest were brushed aside as the away side ran riot at
the City Ground.
This was a quite magnificent result especially against a team who are
supposed to be challenging at the top of the division. This is now the
second consecutive away game we have scored four goals and the concerns
about our apparent lack of goals seem to be forgotten.
It has been a tough week for the club with a last minute equaliser conceded
at home to Leeds United and then a terrible performance and result in the
League Cup against Aldershot. This of course has been further compounded
with the imminent departure of Scott Parker to Tottenham Hotspur and he did
not even travel to Nottingham for this game.
So what a way to perk up everyone spirits going into the international
break. It was not an easy game despite what the score line suggests but like
against Watford we looked a far superior side and made Forest look very
average.
We knew what their weaknesses were and we exploited them. Forest were
punished in the first half for their lack of organisation from corners to
the point where it was almost getting silly as you felt we were going to
score every time we had a corner.
If Allardyce can be criticised tactically for the game against Aldershot he
has to be praised in this one because we had really done our homework on the
home side and when you saw their best player Lewis McGugan being taken off
in the second half you knew that our preparation had obviously been spot on.
As I mentioned against Watford, we have to enjoy moments like this because
we have had far to few of them over the last few years. This was a superb
result and to see us look so must stronger than the opposition is a
wonderful sight to behold.
For me this was a statement of intent and should send out a message to all
teams in the Championship that West Ham will be up their and will be
challenging. We may be struggling at home a little recently but I am
confident that we are going to get through that very soon starting with the
visit of Portsmouth on 10th September.
The Team
Earlier in the week Sam Allardyce brought in a new signing from MK Dons. Sam
Baldock is his name and he is a striker who has been doing well in League
One. Despite his signing on Friday, he was unavailable for selection in this
game.
Their were wholesale changes made to the side who crashed out of the Cup
against Aldershot in midweek.
In goal was Robert Green with George McCartney making his first league start
of the season at left back. Herita Ilunga was dropped from the squad
altogether and it would seem that like last season we will be seeing very
little of Ilunga this season.
Tomkins and Winston Reid were at centre back with Joey O'Brien coming back
into the team at right back.
In midfield with the absence of Scott Parker, Jack Collison took up his
place in the centre of midfield with Julien Faubert playing a more attacking
role in the wide right position.
Mark Noble, and Kevin Nolan took up the other two centre midfield positions
with Matthew Taylor on the left wing.
This left Carlton Cole up front on his own with Frederique Piquionne and
John Carew both having to make do with places on the bench.
Starting for Nottingham Forest was former Hammer and youth team product
Chris Cohen who made his debut for the club under Alan Pardew in 2003-04
season. He went on to make 18 appearances but only started four of those and
eventually left for Yeovil Town in 2006.
First Half
With our superb support behind the goal looking on, we had to watch the home
side put us under some early pressure as we took a long time to get settled.
Forest needed to score in these opening exchanges and it is with hindsight
that it was clear that their brief was to get into us early and get that
early goal to settle any nerves around the City Ground as their recent
League form has been poor under the new management of Steve McClaren.
But it was ourselves who could have opened the scoring within 5 minutes when
a ball was played into Carlton Cole who flicked into the path of Faubert but
his shot was put into the side netting.
Forest had in their side a few players in which you could describe as a
'handful'. Ishmael Miller upfront was causing a few problems with his direct
running, power and pace. Lucky for us that he rarely knew what to do with
the ball when he had it in a good position.
With a quarter of the game gone Forest came close to scoring when McGugan
played a nice one-two and curled his shot just over the bar in a very good
opportunity for the hosts.
The home side seemed to be getting closer and I was fearing the worst as
time was ticking on. We had not been able to get the ball down and play and
every time we pumped the ball forward it would keep on coming back.
The Forest fans were giving Robert Green the usual stick and chanted 'You
let your country down' for the West Ham fans to reply 'So did your manager'!
A free kick was won on the right wing and put into the area by McGugan. It
was a curling cross which evaded our defenders and looked as though it was
about go in only for Robert Green to make a spectacular save to keep it out.
It was a great reaction from Green who saved a certain goal. This wouldn't
be the only time in this game we would be saying this.
And then we woke up. It may have taken us 20 minutes but with the referee
making many inconsistent decisions this seemed to give us a bit of energy
and led on by Kevin Nolan we went forward.
There was a lot of moaning at the referee from both sides at this moment
which Forest having Chris Gunter go down with a head injury but his own team
decided to play on. The ball was played into the area for Miller who went
down as if he had been shot appealing for a penalty which was waved away.
The ball was then played out to Taylor who was clearly pushed off the ball
by Miller but the ref again waved away the appeal. Our players were incensed
by this and the ref and linesman were getting a lot of abuse from both sets
of players.
But in the meantime we went forward as Nolan played a nice ball into the
feet of Cole who got the ball out to the left where Matthew Taylor put in a
brilliant low cross which the defender Luke Chambers attempted to clear but
only ended up putting it into his own goal to make it 1-0 to West Ham.
It was very poor defending from Chambers who was under little pressure in
the area but such was the speed of the cross from Taylor he got himself into
a complete mess and we were one goal up and slightly against the run of
play.
The home side never recovered from this opening goal and we had the bit
between our teeth. That feeling of injustice regarding the referee did
something to our side and I loved the way we looked so much more of a team
than we have done in a long time. We can say what we want about how Kevin
Nolan is playing but the way he drives our team on is worth a lot.
Only three minutes after the first goal we found ourselves in dream land as
we landed another blow to the home side.
It of course came from another Taylor cross as we won a corner. The ball was
put in quickly to the back post for James Tomkins to head into the six yard
box and from a few yards out Kevin Nolan was there to head past the keeper
and make it 2-0.
"How shit must you be, We're Winning Away' bellowed out from the away end as
we had taken control of the game and Forest were shell shocked.
Miller should have done better when he was slipped in on goal but his lack
of a right foot saw him drag his shot into the side netting.
Without Robert Green the result would have been very different as on 25
minutes he made a quite stunning save to deny McGugan.
A cross into the area from Gunter saw McGugan totally unmarked at the back
post and his first time powerful volley was saved down low by Robert Green
who knocked the ball on to the post. It was a stunning save from Green who
was certainly playing his part.
On the half hour mark we came very close to adding another when Julien
Faubert made space and took a shot which deflected off a defender and
whistled just wide. It was very close and many fans thought this was going
in, me included.
But there was nothing to worry about as we scored from the corner which had
resulted.
Taylor put the corner into the area which was cleared only as far as Joey
O'Brien who returned it to the area for Reid at the back post to header
across and Carlton Cole was there to head in from just a few yards out.
This was the knockout blow and despite having ridden our luck at times the
fact is we were clinical and this was superb stuff.
This was also another goal for Carlton Cole who has started three games this
season and scored in all of them. That is all we can ask of Cole and despite
his critics, if he scores goals that is good enough.
Cole was in the thick of things again a few moments later when a ball over
the top from Noble sent the striker away and he attempted to lob the keeper
Lee Camp but it wasn't executed well and Forest cleared their lines.
If that was a decent chance the one which presented itself a minute later
was as clear cut as you will see and how it was missed I cannot quite
fathom.
Cole got in behind the Forest defence again and his left foot cross evaded
Faubert but found Nolan totally unmarked with the goal at his mercy but he
somehow put his finish wide as hands went on heads from players and
supporters alike. It was a terrible miss and should have been the fourth.
But we could still go into half time the much happier side with the game
looking as though it had already been won with much of the damage already
done by those three goals in just eleven second half minutes.
Second Half
The second half was always going to be a more low key affair as it was the
hosts who needed to take the game to us and we just needed to be organised
and keep them out for as long as possible.
We attacked less in the second half but that was to be expected as the
mentality of the players seemed to suggest that they were happy with what
they had got.
Miller continued to hustle up front for Forest and he saw his 20 yard shot
saved down low by Robert Green.
There was little in the way of chances in the opening stages of the second
half and with over an hour of the game played we could be pleased that we
had kept Forest from scoring that early second half goal to get themselves
back in the game.
On 70 minutes Forest did manage to pull a goal back and it was the first
away goal we have conceded this season.
A good move forward saw substitute Joel Lynch pull the ball back for Robbie
Findley to score from inside the area. The Forest fans were brought to life
again and we had to go through a tough few minutes after that goal.
The referee was beginning to really rile some of our players, especially
Kevin Nolan who ended up being booked for dissent as he was clearly unhappy
with the way the referee was handling the game.
The referee was at the centre of things again moments later when a corner
was headed up into the area by Faubert and was Green tried to punch he
seemed to be bundle over by a Forest player. The ball was eventually cleared
but the West Ham players surrounded the referee in protest from what seemed
like a clear foul.
During this time Abdoulaye Faye and Frederique Piquionne had come on for
Jack Collison and Carlton Cole respectively.
As the Forest players and supporters sensed another goal we did the best
thing we could possibly do - score again.
Piquionne won a corner which was taken by Taylor. The corner was actually
poor but it came back out to him and his cross bounced through to the
unmarked Winston Reid who made no mistake from close range as he scored
right in front of the West Ham support.
A good finish, brilliant celebrations and the West Ham fans were quite
clearly loving every minute of it.
Even as we got to the 89th minute our players were still showing that
passion and commitment that was so badly lacking last season. Julien Faubert
got himself booked after an altercation with Andy Reid.
Five minutes of added time was awarded as the home support fled from the
City Ground. 'Is there a fire drill?' was chanted from the away end as the
West Ham fans looked to enjoy taking the piss out of the home support as it
has been done to us far too often.
Every West Ham fan applauded the team as they went off at full time and this
was yet another brilliant away result and we just need to bring this type of
form into the home games
Player Reviews
Robert Green
A top performance from a top keeper. He keeps doing his bit to keep us in
games and he made a couple of crucial saves especially with what the score
line was at the times he made these saves. The way he kept out McGugan in
the first half was quite brilliant.
Joey O'Brien
Good for the most part despite a few slips and tendency to dwell on the ball
for too long. A solid display from the Irishman who has solved our right
back problem.
James Tomkins
Another tough task against the powerful Miller but Tomkins came out winner
yet again as he has done all season. He has become colossal in the air and
this goes for defending and attacking. You feel he is going to win every
high ball and long may it continue as he is my player of the season so far.
Winston Reid
After a difficult night against Aldershot, Reid got back to his good form
with a really solid display in which he also got himself a goal in the
second half. His anticipation of the ball was much better and he is
beginning to read dangerous situations better.
George McCartney
A performance which I remember often from McCartney. He is solid, dependable
and doesn't make mistakes. He does not have any ambitions to get over the
half way line and often players a safe pass instead of a more daring one but
after watching Ilunga make mistake after mistake McCartney is exactly what
we need from a left back in this division and this was a good display.
Julien Faubert
He deserved his place in the team whether Parker was available or not. Gives
us pace on the right win and got forward very well in the first half to
support Carlton Cole. I also like his bit of aggression which I feel we need
to have in this division and Faubert put in a really good shift.
Jack Collison
You could have forgiven anyone for forgetting he was even on the pitch and
he performed poorly again and rarely got into the game. When he did get the
ball he seemed surprised to even be involved and conceded possession on a
few occasions. He needs to do more because at this moment in time he is
simply a passenger.
Mark Noble
He struggled to get involved and could have seen red for a two footed
challenge in the second half which he wasn't even booked for. This tackle
has slipped under the radar in what would have been a really silly sending
off and no matter what you think of the tackle, on another day, another
referee could have seen this very differently. Overall Noble got better
actually as the game went on and showed his good technique which his long
range passing, but he didn't do this enough and we need him to show this
more over the 90 minutes.
Kevin Nolan
A better display than in the last couple of games but again he fluffed a
really easy chance to score. Saying that , he did of course get himself on
the score sheet and I was impressed with his passion and determination which
never waned throughout the whole game.
Matthew Taylor
Another unassuming but effective display from Taylor who isn't exactly
electrifying but at the same time he is doing exactly what we need him to
do. His set pieces are fantastic and we are really reaping the benefits of
signing Matthew Taylor.
Carlton Cole
Or should this be Carlton Goal? Three in three games for Cole and for me
this was his best display of the season. He worked his arse off, closed
players down, won headers, held the ball up and brought others in the game.
This is the type of performance I want to see from Carlton.
Subs Used
Fredrique Piquionne (on for Cole 68)
When ever he comes on as a sub he always looks bright as he seems desperate
to make an impact. This was a good 20 minute run out for Piquionne who was
all over the place trying to get the ball.
Abdoulaye Faye (on for Collison 75 mins)
Was brought on at a time where Forest were looking threatening and he gave
us that extra body in defence.
Subs Not Used: Boffin, Stanislas, Carew
Bookings: Nolan, Faubert
Man Of The Match : Winston Reid
Nottingham Forest: Camp, Gunter, Morgan, Chambers, Cohen, Majewski
(Derbyshire 64), Boateng (Lynch 58), Greening, McGugan (Reid 64), Findley,
Miller
Subs not used: Smith, Garner
Attendance: 21, 379
Overall
I cannot praise the performance and result highly enough because winning 4-1
away from home is no fluke. Yes, we had to do some defending and Green had
to make some good saves but we win as a team and to see us play that was is
a far cry from what we were served us last season.
There is unity within our side and the mixture of youth and experience is
obviously working when we are playing away from home.
I believe we are not even playing at the level that we can play at and with
the introduction of Sam Baldock up front, this will give us another way of
playing and if we are scoring this many goals now just imagine what it will
be like when we have two up front.
Looking at the league table we have the best goal difference in the league
already and we are sitting in 5th place. If our defence continues to perform
to this level we give ourselves every chance of doing well.
Next Game - Portsmouth (h), Saturday, 10th September 3pm
This is our first home 3pm Saturday kick off of the season and one which we
are all looking at to get that first home win of the season. Once we have
that victory then we can look forward with much confidence but we are going
to have to work hard to get the victory as every team who comes to Upton
Park this season are going to be giving it that little bit more and we have
to match it.
Losing Scott Parker is going to be a blow simply because any team in the
country would miss Scott Parker. It is a shame that he is going to leave for
Spurs and yes, I know we should look back on how well he has played for the
club but when it comes to football sentiment and logic soon goes out the
window when a player leaves for a local rival.
So I'll say thanks to Scott Parker for the last few years and believe we
will be talking about his great displays many years from now.
But do I wish him luck at Tottenham?
If he's not at West Ham I really couldn't give a fuck.
Sams Comments
"It is an outstanding victory. It is one I didn't really expect today so I
am absolutely delighted with the players for calming the nerves you feel on
a matchday as a manager and certainly they calmed them in the first half
with the three outstanding goals they scored.
"We really got our homework done right today. The players responded to our
tactics and how we set out to play against Nottingham Forest on the basis of
our scouting giving us the opportunity to play from the back, get the ball
and then go and press them and put them under pressure. It was from there
that we started creating the chances and the opportunities to score the
goals.
"The game plan worked magnificently well in the first half. Three quality
goals with great delivery. The balls into the box and the final finishing
were outstanding and would have caused any teams problems. We took advantage
and put them in the back of the net."
Season 2011/12 Scorers and Bookings
Carlton Cole - 3 (3 League)
Kevin Nolan - 2 (2 League)
Own Goal - 2 (2 League)
James Tomkins - 1 (1 League)
Joey O'Brien - 1 (1 League)
Scott Parker - 1 (1 League)
Winston Reid - 1 (1 League)
Junior Stanislas - 1 (1 Cup)
Yellow Cards
Mark Noble - 1
James Tomkins - 1
Kevin Nolan - 1
Julien Faubert - 1
Red Cards
Callum McNaughton - 1 (vs Aldershot home)
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Brian in, But Progress on Scott's Move Unknown?
August 30th, 2011 - 12:03 am by S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
West Ham have confirmed the signing of Brian Montenegro-Martinez on a one
year loan, with a first option to make the deal permanent. BMM has been
described as one of the best young prospects in South American football and
the deal as something of a potential coup for West Ham. He is a U-20
Paraguay international and can play wide or through the middle, as either an
attacking midfielder or second striker; one of his major assets is
apparently his lightening pace and ability to run at and beat defenders.
As previously stated, it is presently unclear if BMM is ready to compete for
a first team starting place or whether he is more 'one for the future.'
Given Sam Allardyce's comments about needing to boost the numbers in the
first team squad, and the excellent health of our youth set up, I would
hazard a guess that BMM is seen as someone that can make an immediate
contribution at first team level. We certainly need to inject some mobility
and pace into our forward line in order to compliment the size and physical
power of Cole, Carew, Picquionne and Nouble.
There have been plenty of news reports of the 'Scott Parker moving to Spurs
in the next 24 hours' variety, but I have a feeling that negotiations have
been deadlocked. Hopefully, West Ham are digging in their heels and holding
out for the deal that the club want, rather than the one that Spurs are
willing to give them! We will have to see whether the gooners, Chelski and
Man City put in a late bid. There is, of course, still the option of a club
loaning Parker for the season, at a cost of c.£4m, although the player had
seemed to have ruled that out. However, if negotiations remain deadlocked,
and Parker is desperate to play PL footall this season, it could be put back
on the table as a possible solution that suits all parties.
Needless to say, there is a now a pressing time constraint on West Ham
securing their targets before the window closes, although the loan system
remains an option beyond that deadline. The signing of Diop should be
announced soon and there are rumours that West Ham will also attempt to sign
or loan Glen Whelan from Stoke City. We definitely need another centre half
to add to Tomkins, Reid and Faye. It has been suggested that West Ham
should consider going back for Tal Ben Haim, at Portsmouth, and that sounds
a good option to me. He is a strong central defender and he can also cover
in both full-back positions. An added bonus is that Ben Haim is affordable
and he is one of Allardyce's Bolton Wanderers old boys. If he is brought in
in then it takes the pressure off finding full-back cover, although I would
still like to see a conventional right-back added to the squad.
All things being equal, up front we will have Cole, Carew, Picquionne,
Nouble, Baldock and BMM, with Freddie Sears and, the highly promising,
Robert Hall as back up. Sam Allardyce will probably now be happy with his
strike force, although his tactical options will very much depend on how
Baldock and BMM shape up? It may very well be the case that Allardyce's
antidote to our problem in winning home matches will be to adopt a 4-4-2, a
system that the players may feel more comfortable with at Upton Park? This
will probably involve Baldock and BMM coming in to the equation to play
alongside Cole or Carew. I suppose you could play Cole or Carew with
Piquionne or Nouble, but while these combinations have height and power,
they do not have the type of pace and mobility that Baldock or BMM could
provide. I would be surprised to see Maynard join us now, although if any of
our strikers come up short, he might become a target in the winter transfer
window.
On the flanks, we have Faubert Stanislas Sears and Taylor , with BMM as an
alternative option. Will West Ham make a final bid to secure Max Gradel?
Gradel has lighting pace, can play on either flank and score goals. He
would provide good competition for Taylor on the left and fill in on the
right as necessary. Gradel's pace and goal scoring ability also picks him
out as a player that would fit very well in to a 4-3-3 or 4-5-1. He could
be a very useful addition to the squad and increase both cover and the
options available to Sam Allardyce.
I also wonder about the Manager's thinking on the goal keeping situation?
Kuruz is a long-term injury absentee, but on the face of it, we looked well
covered with Green (presuming he stays, which now looks likely) and two
young, promising keepers in Boffin and Stech. I think that Stech is a great
young keeper and could eventually become our No. 1, but Boffin's performance
against Aldershot must have raised some question marks over his readiness to
fill in for Green? Hopefully, Aldershot was just a 'one-off' day night at
the office for Boffin. The question is, will Sam Allardyce be happy to go
with his present stable of keepers or will he try to bring in a older,
experienced custodian, as extra assurance? On balance, I think that
Allardyce will probably go with our current keepers, although there is a
case for promoting Stech as first deputy to Green.
It likely to be a busy time for the club in the run up to transfer deadline.
Sam Allardyce has made it clear that he needs to urgently increase the
strength-in- depth of the squad. Lets hope that the Scott Parker situation
rectifies itself, one way or the other, soon and Allardyce gets in his
priority targets. While we naturally tend to focus upon the preceived
weaknesses in the squad, lets not forget the notable positives so far this
season. We have tightened up at the back, organisation and team morale has
increased considerably and players in all positions are scoring goals;
whether it be O'Brien or Tomkins at the back, Nolan in midfield or Carlton
Cole up front. That is massively encouraging and if can continue that, but
get the strikers increasing their strike rate, then we can be very confident
about winning automatic promotion this season.
The transfer window 'horse trading,' will naturally occupy all our
attentions this week. But beyond that lies Portsmouth at home and a golden
opportunity to psychologically lay the Upton Park hoodoo to rest once and
for all. We cannot be sure who will have joined the club and be available
selection, but lets hope that Sam, does indeed, play a 4-4-2 at home and
partners Carlton Cole with Sam Baldock up front for the first time. If Max
Gradel lines up behind them, wide left or right, then so much the better!
COYI.
SJ. Chandos.
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Scott Parker's dream move to Tottenham has hit the rocks
Published: Today
The Sun
SCOTT PARKER'S dream move to Tottenham has hit the rocks. Talks between West
Ham and Spurs have collapsed after a wrangle over the £6million deal.
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce hoped to get promising midfielder Jake Livermore,
21, on loan for the season as a makeweight. But Spurs have backtracked
because of the uncertainty surrounding Luka Modric's future. A deal for
Parker, 30, looked done on Sunday and the England midfielder was left out of
the side that won at Nottingham Forest. But just before kick-off against
Manchester City, midfielder Modric repeated his desire to join Chelsea.
Parker wants to leave but West Ham are digging in with just 36 hours left
until the transfer window shuts
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England on brink of keeper crisis for crucial qualifiers
Published 22:59 29/08/11 By Alan Nixon
The Mirror
Robert Green pulled out of England's squad on Monday night – alllowing
Under-21s keeper Frank Fielding a dream call-up to the seniors. West Ham
No.1 Green withdrew from the Euro 2012 double-header against Bulgaria and
Wales after picking up a knock. So Derby's Fielding, who impressing in this
summer's Under-21 European Championship, was summoned from the Championship
club's training camp in Spain to take his place. The only other keeper in
Capello's squad is Fulham's David Stockdale, who is currently on loan in the
Championship at Ipswich and last week had seven goals put past him at
Peterborough, just days after letting in five against Southampton. Green's
injury comes at a bad time, as several clubs were considering making a move
for him before Wednesday night's transfer deadline.
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Hammers add yet more firepower after completing Montenegro loan deal
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 3:43 PM on 29th August 2011
Daily Mail
West Ham United have boosted their forward line with the signing of Paraguay
Under 20 international Brian Montenegro. Montenegro, 18, has joined the
Hammers on a season-long loan from Uruguay-based Club Deportivo Maldonado.
The teenager, who previously came through the ranks at Paraguayan side club
Tacuary, starred for his country at the South American Youth Championships
in Peru earlier this year. 'I am very excited to come here and play in
England, especially for a club like West Ham United. I am hoping to get a
chance to show the fans what I can do,' he told the club's official website.
'It is a fantastic stadium. I have seen a game and it is amazing how many
people come to the matches. The fans are very passionate and I would love to
get the chance to play for them. 'I have to prove myself but if I get the
chance I would love to help the club to get promoted this season. This is a
fantastic opportunity and it would be a dream to help the team get to the
Premier League. I am going to work very hard to impress. 'I am a fast
player, I like to run at defenders and scare them. I am still developing
physically but I like to attack.'
The teenager made 51 appearances for Tacuary over the last two seasons and
scored seven times. The forward becomes the eighth new recruit at the Boleyn
this summer, following Abdoulaye Faye, Kevin Nolan, Joey O'Brien, Matt
Taylor, John Carew, George McCartney and Sam Baldock.
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Injured Green out of Euro 2012 qualifiers to leave Capello short of
goalkeepers
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 2:35 AM on 30th August 2011
Daily Mail
West Ham goalkeeper Rob Green withdrew from the England squad on Monday
night for the Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Wales because of
injury.
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Scott Parker's move from West Ham to Tottenham hangs in the balance
By Jason Burt10:38PM BST 29 Aug 20113
Telegraph.co.uk
One well-placed source close to the deal rated the chances of the midfielder
moving to Tottenham as still no more than "50/50" despite the transfer
window closing tomorrow night. Parker is on international duty with England
and manager Fabio Capello will not be pleased at the 30 year-old's future
still being unresolved as he prepares for two crucial Euro 2012 qualifiers.
Parker is due to fly to Bulgaria on Thursday morning with the rest of the
squad. It still seems likely that he will join Spurs – Parker has made it
clear he does not want to stay at West Ham while the club are in the
Championship – but there was a hitch on Sunday evening. West Ham have been
demanding £8 million for Parker all summer and there has been interest from
Chelsea and Aston Villa as well as Spurs but no club have met the asking
price.
West Ham were willing to finally negotiate over the fee with Spurs having
offered a deal close to £6 million with a player also going to Upton Park on
loan for the season. That player was thought to be one of Spurs' promising
youngsters, most probably midfielder Jake Livermore.
However it now appears that Spurs want to send a different player on loan to
West Ham, or simply do a straight cash deal while there has also been a
wrangle over Parker's wages. He earns around £65,000 a week. Spurs manager
Harry Redknapp has also not given up hope of acquiring Real Madrid's Lassana
Diarra but the hitch over his wages — the French international earns 5
million euros a year net of tax — has still not been sorted out. Wilson
Palacios has undergone a medical at Stoke City ahead of his £6 million move.
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