WHUFC.com
All the early team news and background for Tuesday evening's trip to
Vicarage Road
16.08.2011
WATFORD v WEST HAM UNITED
npower CHAMPIONSHIP
TUESDAY 16 AUGUST 2011
KICK-OFF: 7.45pm
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
Introduction
• West Ham United head to Vicarage Road looking for back to back wins on the
road for the first time since December 2007 - when the Hammers won at
Blackburn Rovers and Middlesbrough before Christmas.
• Sam Allardyce's men got their campaign up and running with a 1-0 win at
Doncaster Rovers on Saturday, courtesy of Kevin Nolan's first goal for the
club, having lost 1-0 at home to Cardiff City on the opening weekend.
• Watford went down by the same scoreline at home to Derby County, having
drawn 2-2 on the opening day at Burnley.
• Both teams saw their Carling Cup first-round ties postponed last week.
Watford will now travel to Bristol City on Tuesday 23 August, the day before
the Hammers welcome Aldershot Town.
• The Hammers were relegated last season after finishing last in the
Barclays Premier League. Watford finished 14th in the Championship.
• This is West Ham's fifth spell outside the top flight since the promotion
season of 1957/58. Those previous occasions lasted for three seasons, two
seasons, one season and two seasons, and in those eight campaigns the lowest
second-tier finish was seventh.
• West Ham spent six seasons in the Premier League, having last been
promoted in 2004/05. Watford have been a Championship club since the 2007/08
campaign, following their relegation from the Premier League.
• West Ham's best away win at Watford was a 2-0 success on Saturday 19 April
1986.
• Watford's best home showing against the Hammers was a 5-0 top-flight win
on Tuesday 2 April 1985.
• James Tomkins and Watford keeper Scott Loach were both part of the England
squad at the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
• Frank Nouble's first professional goal came while on loan at Swansea when
he scored the decisive strike in a 3-2 defeat of Watford at Vicarage Road on
28 September 2010.
• Sean Dyche, like Sam Allardyce, was only appointed this summer after
former Hammers defender Malky Mackay departed for Cardiff City.
• Neil McDonald and Dyche both sat the Warwick Business School certificate
in Applied Football Management for football professionals together in summer
2007. The qualification was commissioned by the Professional Footballers'
Association, the League Managers' Association, and the Football Association
to to sit alongside the Football Association's mandatory UEFA Pro Licence.
Team news
West Ham United
• Peter Kurucz (knee) and Gary O'Neil (ankle) are both definitely out.
Julien Faubert trained last week after a hamstring injury but has still yet
to figure in the Championship this season.
• Zavon Hines and Frank Nouble are hoping to force their way into the
manager's matchday squad, after Junior Stanislas came off the bench at
Doncaster last Saturday. Pablo Barrera was rested at the weekend after
returning late from international duty with Mexico.
• New recruits George McCartney and John Carew are not yet ready to be
involved. Jordan Brown has been back in light training after his ankle
injury in pre-season.
• Jordan Spence is on a season-long loan at Bristol City while Olly Lee and
Cristian Montano are on month-long stays at Dagenham & Redbridge and Notts
County respectively.
Watford
• The hosts are without Scottish midfielder Stephen McGinn, who has been
missing since February with a knee injury.
• Dyche had worries over former Birmingham City defender Martin Taylor and
Craig Forsythe before the Derby game at the weekend but both started.
Last time out
Saturday 13 August 2011
npower Championship
Doncaster Rovers 0-1 West Ham United
West Ham United: Green, O'Brien, Tomkins, Reid, Ilunga, Collison, Noble,
Parker, Nolan, Taylor, Piquionne
Subs not used: Boffin, Faye
Goal: Nolan 5
Saturday 13 August 2011
Watford 0-1 Derby County
Watford: Loach, Doyley, Taylor, Dickinson, Mariappa, Yeates, Eustace,
Jenkins, Forsythe (Massey 87), Iwelumo (Deeney 71), Sordell
Subs not used: Mirfin, Buaben, Gilmartin
Last six meetings
(Championship unless stated)
23 September 2008 - Watford 1-0 West Ham United (Carling Cup)
1 February 2007 - West Ham United 0-1 Watford (Premier League
27 January 2007 - West Ham United 0-1 Watford (FA Cup)
22 August 2006 - Watford 1-1 West Ham United (Premier League)
8 May 2005 - Watford 1-2 West Ham United
27 November 2004 - West Ham United 3-2 Watford
Overall record v Watford (all competitions) W 23 D 5 L 8
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2010/11 Premier League 20th (33 points)
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted to Premier League via
play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
2002/03 Premier League 18th (42 points - relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th (53 points)
Watford
2010/11 Championship 14th (61 points)
2009/10 Championship 16th (54 points)
2008/09 Championship 13th (58 points)
2007/08 Championship 6th (70 points)
2006/07 Premier League 20th (28 points)
2005/06 Championship 3rd (81 points, promoted to Premier League via
Play-Off)
2004/05 Championship 18th (52 points)
2003/04 First Division (now Championship) 16th (57 points)
2002/03 First Division (now Championship) 13th (60 points)
2001/02 First Division (now Championship) 14th (59 points)
Referee
• Tuesday's referee will be Dean Whitestone
• He became a Football League in 2005/06 and has never officiated a West Ham
United match previously.
• His last Watford game was their 3-0 home win against Sheffield United in
the npower Championship on 12 March 2011.
Old boys
• Players to have represented both clubs include Joe Blythe, James Carr,
David Connolly, Alan Devonshire, Colin Foster, Ted Hufton, Roger Hugo, Billy
Jennings, Jimmy Lindsay, Jobi McAnuff, Malky Mackay, David Noble, Jack
Rutherford and Joe Webster.
Next up
• West Ham United welcome Leeds United to the Boleyn Ground next Sunday
afternoon while Watford are on the road at Coventry City this Saturday
afternoon.
General information
• For ticket information, click here.
• Tuesday's forecast in Watford is for a cloudy evening with temperatures
peaking at 15C.
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George settling in
WHUFC.com
There was a familiar face at Chadwell Heath on Monday with the return of
George McCartney
15.08.2011
George McCartney has sat down to speak exclusively to West Ham TV on a busy
first day back at Chadwell Heath. The Hammers left-back signed on a
season-long loan last Wednesday but only reported for duty on Monday morning
with the squad and management focused before then on the weekend trip to
Doncaster Rovers.
McCartney was greeted by plenty of familiar faces from his first spell at
the club, a hugely successful stay that culminated in him being Hammer of
the Year runner-up in 2007/08. He was soon down to work on the training
pitches, taking part in a full session before he and fellow new recruit John
Carew did extra conditioning work with fitness coach Eamon Swift. On what
was a whirlwind few hours, he was then measured up for his new club suit by
official tailors Apsley and then sat down to give an exclusive interview
with West Ham TV. That is playing right now on the club's official online
video service, along with Sam Allardyce and Kevin Nolan's reaction to the
weekend win at Doncaster and all the key highlights from the Keepmoat
Stadium.
Speaking to West Ham TV, McCartney admitted he was glad to be back. "It can
be tough moving to a new club but I've been here before. I know most of the
staff who are still here and the team is quite similar to when I left it -
there are still quite a lot of the lads here. "It's all about me getting my
bearings again and going out to prove to the manager, players, fans and
myself that I'm still the player I was three or four years ago."
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'This is my chance'
WHUFC.com
Young Cristian Montano was delighted to mark his Football League debut with
a goal for Notts County
15.08.2011
As starts to careers in senior football go, few have been as eventful as
that enjoyed by Cristian Montano. The youngster joined League One side Notts
County on a month-long loan on Friday 5 August - the morning after helping a
West Ham United XI defeat Grays Athletic 5-1. After watching his new side
defeat Carlisle nine days ago, Montano was thrown into the lion's den of
County's pulsating Carling Cup first-round derby at Nottingham Forest.
County led twice before conceding a last-minute equaliser and losing on
penalties in front of a 21,605-strong crowd. On Saturday, Montano was
introduced as a half-time substitute with his side trailing 2-0 to Charlton
Athletic and responded by scoring his maiden Football League goal on the
hour-mark, although the Magpies were unable to fashion a late equaliser. The
19-year-old, who excelled in pre-season with the Hammers, has relished the
opportunity to play first-team football. "The loan spell has been going
well," Montano told whufc.com "I'm liking the challenge and the experience
of being able to play first-team football, which is what I've always wanted
to do. "My debut at Forest was probably one of the things I won't forget,
being able to play in a derby in a big stadium in the Carling Cup in front
of 21-odd thousand fans. The atmosphere was great. "At first I was a bit
nervous, but what a game to make your debut! I was really looking forward to
it and was full of excitement - feeling all sort of things I'd never felt
before - but then I came on, forgot about the crowd and got on with my game.
"I was full of confidence due to the way I've been given chances in
pre-season and just want to push on from here."
Having helped the Magpies go so close to defeating Championship side Forest,
Montano caught the eye again at the weekend, scoring from close-range
against Charlton - a side managed by former Hammer Chris Powell and his
assistant, former West Ham reserve-team manager Alex Dyer. "When I found it
was Charlton on Saturday I was so looking forward to it and said to myself
that it would be nice to get a goal against Alex Dyer!," he said. "I came on
half way through the game. We had our first corner and that was when I said
'This is my chance'. I started from outside of the box, lost my man and then
one of their defenders missed the header and the ball landed to me and I
side-footed it in to the bottom right-hand corner. "Scoring my first league
goal in my first league game means a lot and is something I will never
forget."
Montano is looking to continue a memorable few days by making his full
league debut when County host Tranmere Rovers at Meadow Lane on Tuesday
evening.
Looking further into the future, the Colombia-born forward is eyeing a first
senior appearance in a claret and blue shirt. "I'm looking forward to next
game," he confirmed. "I will keep working hard and keep pushing for my West
Ham debut down the line. For now, though I'm focused on Notts County and on
doing well here!"
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Nolan ready for Hornets test
WHUFC.com
Kevin Nolan has scored his first West Ham United goal and is targeting more
at Vicarage Road
15.08.2011
Kevin Nolan is targeting more goals after netting his maiden West Ham United
strike in Saturday's 1-0 npower Championship victory at Doncaster Rovers.
The new skipper broke his duck on just his second appearance with a
trademark finish after stealing into the penalty area and slamming Jack
Collison's cross high into the net.
Nolan's goal not only got him up and running goal-wise, but also got the
Hammers off the mark by registering the club's first npower Championship
points of 2011/12.
The No4 came within inches of scoring twice more at the Keepmoat Stadium,
only to see home goalkeeper Martin Woods deny him with two outstanding saves
- the first of which saw the stopper divert his 30-yard chip onto the
crossbar. "I'm delighted," he told West Ham TV. "I'm just gutted I couldn't
add to it. There was a great save from their keeper when he tipped the ball
on to the bar. "It was a good feeling scoring a goal - it was just a shame
it wasn't in front of our fans to be quite honest, that was the only
negative about it. "I am delighted with the clean sheet and the win away
from home - I think it's only the fourth one in two years, so I'm absolutely
delighted."
Nolan netted 18 times in leading Newcastle United to promotion to the
Premier League two seasons ago and the midfielder believes he can hit the
target regularly this season for the Hammers. "I've been brought here to do
that and luckily enough I was able to get on the end of that one, and
hopefully that'll be a common thing throughout the season. "Sam Allardyce
made no secret that when he bought me, he bought me to score goals. He also
spoke to me about leading the team and so I'm just delighted to have scored
and got us our first three points of the season. Hopefully they'll be the
first three points of many."
Nolan was also praiseworthy of his team-mates' professionalism in bouncing
back from the disappointment of losing to a last-minute goal to Cardiff City
by recording a welcome clean sheet. "We looked at the video of the Cardiff
game throughout the week," he confirmed. "We had a good couple of hours in
the video room and I don't think the lads wanted that again! "They made sure
we got the clean sheet we deserved. I thought we kept Doncaster at bay well.
They play some lovely stuff, but they didn't really affect us in behind or
get through us which was pleasing. "I'm sure, as we go on throughout season,
we'll be able to stamp our authority a bit more and get on the ball a bit
more, but it's a new thing for West Ham being down here and we've got to get
used to scrapping it out. "Once we scrap a few out, hopefully we'll be able
to start getting the ball down and playing and doing it the right way."
With the 100mph nature of the npower Championship, West Ham get the chance
to build on Saturday's success and pick up another three points when they
travel to Watford on Tuesday. The Hornets have picked up just a single point
so far and lost 1-0 at home to Derby County at the weekend, but Nolan knows
the Hammers will have to be at their best to defeat Sean Dyche's men. "It's
great isn't it?" he laughed. "We love playing football so at the end of the
day everybody should be ready and raring to go on Tuesday. "That's what I
love about the Championship - you're never too far away from the next game
and that's good."I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully it'll be another win
and a fantastic few days for us."
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Watford v West Ham
Page last updated at 15:26 GMT, Monday, 15 August 2011 16:26 UK
BBC.co.uk
Npower Championship
Venue: Vicarage Road Date: Tuesday, 16 August Kick-off: 1945 BST Coverage:
Listen on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC
Sport website
TEAM NEWS
Watford boss Sean Dyche has no new injury worries to contend with. Stephen
McGinn remains the Hornets' only absentee as he continues his recovery from
a long-term knee injury.
West Ham winger Julien Faubert could be added to the squad after overcoming
a hamstring injury, while Carlton Cole is also hoping to feature. John Carew
has a week's training behind him and his fitness will be assessed along with
that of George McCartney, who rejoined from Sunderland last week.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• West Ham have dominated the exchanges between these clubs. They have
won 23 of 37 league and cup matches, drawn six and lost eight.
• Watford have only completed three home league victories over West
Ham. The most recent was 5-0, 26 years ago, since when they have gained
three points out of 30 on their own ground against them.
• The Hornets have scored no more than two goals in any of their last
24 league and cup games against the Hammers.
Watford
• Hunting a first maximum of the season (1D, 1L).
• Failed to win 10 of their last 11 Championship outings.
• Always managed at least one victory in the first three games of a
second tier campaign since 2003, when they lost the first three.
West Ham
• Won one league game 1-0, and lost one 1-0 so far.
• Saturday's victory over Doncaster, was only their third in 38
Premier League and Championship matches on the road.
• Defeat to Watford would be the Hammers' 300th loss in second level
league games away from home.
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Hines departs?
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 15th August 2011
By: Staff Writer
Zavon Hines is set to sign for Championship club Burnley after failing to
land the contract he wanted at West Ham, according to reports. The
22-year-old striker has been out of contract at the club since the end of
last season and looked certain to leave east London some months ago. However
at the beginning of last month it looked as if the two parties were edging
towards a deal when Hines told his followers on Twitter that he hoped to
remain at West Ham and was hopeful of signing a new deal. But despite being
involved in the latter stages of the club's pre-season - most recently when
he was part of the Hammers XI that won 5-1 at Grays on 4th August - talks
fell through, and the former England under-21 is now said to be set to join
West Ham's Championship rivals Burnley for a nominal fee. Hines, who was
named Young Player of the Year by KUMB.com readers at the end of the 2009/10
season made his first team debut under Alan Curbishley in West Ham's 4-1
Carling Cup defeat of Macclesfield - a game in which he also scored.
Having failed to make any further appearances for the first team that season
he played 15 times in 2009/10, making his first start for the club in the
1-0 defeat at Wigan in September. However his season ended abruptly in
December 2009 when he was forced to endure surgery to fix a lonstanding knee
problem - an injury that kept him out until November the following year.
Sporadic appearances under Avram Grant despite being fully fit led him to
Hines criticising the manager via his Twitter feed back in May, whilst the
arrival of Sam Allardyce gave hope that his career at the Boleyn could be
salvaged. However that hope was short lived and his departure is expected
to be confirmed by both clubs shortly.
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Green in contract talks
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 15th August 2011
By: Staff Writer
Goalkeeper Robert Green is currently considering signing a new contract with
West Ham. According to reports, the club have offered the England goalkeeper
- whose current contract expires at the end of the 2011/12 season - a new
four-year deal that would effectively tie him to West Ham for the rest of
his career. The 31-year-old was signed by Alan Pardew in August 2006 from
Norwich City for £1.5million, since when he has notched up almost 180
appearances for the club, barely missing a game in the process. In 2008 he
slammed the club after his request for a new contract was denied. Speaking
at the time, Green said: "No matter what the figures are in the workplace in
terms of wages, you either feel a valued member of your staff or you don't.
"At the moment, I don't and clearly West Ham don't care about me. Other guys
are getting rewarded but I'm not. I would just like some parity."
Robert Green: KUMB.com Awards
KUMB.com Player of the Year: 2007/08.
KUMB.com Player of the Year, Runner-up: 2006/07, 2010/11.
KUMB.com Player of the Year, Third Place: 2008/09, 2009/10.
KUMB.com Best Signing, Third Place: 2006/07.
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West Ham 'desperate' to shift Parker
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 15th August 2011
By: Staff Writer
There are still no takers for Scott Parker, despite West Ham's desperation
to offload the England midfielder. The combative midfelder, who is 31 in a
few weeks time, appears equally desperate to quit the club. However as of
today nobody has come close to meeting West Ham's asking price of around
£7million for the former Chelsea and Newcastle player. The failure to
offload Parker is thought to be a major cause for concern in the Boleyn
boardroom, given the moves the club are now making to shift a player
rumoured to be earning in the region of £60,000 per week. On Saturday, vice
chair Karren Brady finally confirmed that the club needed to part with some
of its key players in order to balance the books. "No one has embarked on
negotiations for one of our three England squad players," she said via her
weekly tabloid columm, adding: "We need to sell for our accounts - but not
desperately."
And this morning Harry Harris, a close confidante of chairman David Sullivan
claimed - sans quotes - that Fabio Capello has insisted Parker must be
playing for a Premier League side - despite Capello having already picked
Parker in his squad to face Holland in last week's abandoned fixture.
Harris, writing for Soccernet headlines the piece Parker 'moaning like mad'
for move - although there are no quotes from Parker, just an unnamed 'club
source'.
Supporters have claimed that Parker's body language is indicative of his
desire to leave the club with whom he happily signed a five-year contract
last autumn.
Having produced two mediocre performances in the games versus Cardiff and
Doncaster many have questioned his commitment to the club, with others
suggesting that he should be dropped if he is not part of the club's
long-term plans.
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Watford v West Ham United - Match Preview
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 15th August 2011
By: Preview Percy
When we visited Preview Percy this week he had a smile on his face for once.
We thought it was because we'd won away from home but it turned out that his
dentures were playing up again. Here the miserable old buffer takes a look
at this week's visit to Vicarage Road....
They're coming up thick and fast now as we shoehorn our extra league matches
into the calendar. Next we crawl around the M25 for a 7.45pm kick-off
against Watford.
The Hertfordshire club have had upheaval a-plenty over the summer. Manager
Malky Mackay accepted the invitation to cross the Severn Bridge leading to
the appointment of his assistant Sean Dyche to the no.1 spot. It's fair to
say that Dyche isn't the most experienced of bosses. The Watford post
represents his first full managerial position and his coaching CV contains
little more than the work he's done at Vicarage Road. Dyche's assistant is
former Forest midfielder Ian Woan. Woan has a bit more coaching experience
having been at a number of clubs since closing his playing career in the US
with (and I am not making this up) Syracuse Salty Dogs. Woan arrived in the
summer having latterly worked as first XI coach at Portsmouth.
Their season got off to a decent start with a 2-2 draw up at Burnley, where
they led twice before giving up a late equaliser. Like ourselves their
League Cup match fell foul of the recent civil unrest, the tie against
Bristol Rovers being rearranged for next week. On Saturday they went down
1-0 at home to Derby County who, according to Dyche, "picked our pockets".
The reference to pockets was unintentionally apt, the Rams' winner coming as
it did from Steve Davies. It was apparently a 20 yard effort and the lack of
a deflection prevents me from claiming that it went in off the yellow.
Their first choice 'keeper is Scott Loach. The England U21 international (14
caps) was on the receiving end of some rotten luck a few years back. The
first league goal he is credited with having conceded was the infamous "goal
that never was" against Reading, a goal awarded by serially incompetent
referee Stuart Attwell after confirming the hallucinations of one of his
assistants. Loach has featured in a number of full England squads, usually
when others have been unavailable for selection, but he has yet to win a
full cap.
The captain's armband is currently in the possession of midfielder John
Eustace. Eustace was the luckless player deemed to have scored the
aforementioned "goal that never was", his being the offending clearance that
went a mere 12 feet wide of the upright. Eustace arrived from Stoke back in
2008 and has spent time at Derby on loan. Watford's financial problems
initially threatened to limit the player's appearances for a while during
the 2009/10 season, appearance fee clauses in his contract apparently
meaning that the club couldn't afford to pick him. In the end Eustace signed
a contract amendment, allowing him to return to playing action and, despite
coming close to a move on occasion (at one page he actually passed a medical
at Leeds), he has remained at Vicarage Road ever since, signing a contract
extension this summer that will keep him at Watford for another two years.
Amongst the summer arrivals was Chris Iwelumo who came in from Burnley for
an "undisclosed fee". Watford is Iwelumo's thirteenth club (including loan
spells) since his professional debut for St Mirren in 1995. The
Coatbridge-born striker made his Scotland debut in 2008 in a World Cup
qualifier at Hampden Park against Norway. The match finished 0-0 thanks
largely in part to an astonishingly bad miss from the player. The miss was
so terrible that the tv commentators were even more confused than normal,
carrying on for several seconds as if the goal had actually been scored.
Iwelumo is therefore probably unique amongst the Watford squad (if not the
whole of football) in wishing that a match in which he had taken part had
been refereed by Stuart Atwell.
Another sweaty in the new arrivals lounge is midfielder Craig Forsyth, who
became Dyche's first signing back in June. No proper transfer fee was paid
for the 22 year old but an agreed compensation figure was paid to Dundee,
with whom the player has been since the age of 17.
Dyche went to the other half of Dundee to sign Ghanaian midfielder Prince
Buaben from United. Buaben grew up in the Netherlands and came through the
famous Ajax youth system. He impressed them sufficiently enough for them to
offer him professional contract but Dutch immigration rules meant that he
was a year short of the time required for him to qualify for a resident's
permit, No permit meant no work visa, no work visa meant no professional
contract. He returned home to Ghana, whose Commonwealth status made a UK
visa slightly easier to get hold of than a Dutch one. He signed for Dundee
United in 2007, scoring 9 goals in 123 league & cup appearances and picking
up a Scottish Cup winners medal on the way before making the trip South to
Watford this summer.
Another new arrival this summer is winger Mark Yeates who came in for yet
another "undisclosed fee" from Sheffield United. Yeates spent five years on
Spurs' books, most of which were spent on loan at a succession of other
clubs on loan. He eventually ended up at one of those clubs, Colchester, on
a full time basis after failing a medical at Crystal Palace. Yeates scored
the first competitive goal at Colchester's new ground when they moved from
Layer Road. He did well enough in Essex to earn a move to Middlesbrough,
though things didn't go particularly well for him at the Riverside. Things
went little better for him in a year and a half with the Sheffield
Hypocrites who were, no doubt, as glad to get him off the wage bill as he
was to leave the club. Yeates, alongside the aforementioned Fosyth was on
target up at Turf Moor on the opening day.
And so to us. Well at the weekend we enjoyed that rarest of experiences of
late, an away win. It wasn't the greatest of matches in all honesty but it
made a pleasant change to see us actually hold on to a lead for a change. It
was far from perfect mind – I'd like to have seen us take the game to the
opposition a bit more but hey three points are three points. The win now
means that we are averaging more than one away win a season over the past
three seasons including the current one. Ok so that average stands at
1.3333333 away wins per season but from small acorns grow mighty oaks and if
there's ever an award for most meaningless statistic of the season I'd like
to be in with a shout.
If somebody were stupid enough to pay me to select the side there are a
couple of changes I'd make. I'm not sure what the status of George
McCartney's fitness is but Herita Ilunga hasn't inspired an awful lot of
confidence over the last couple of weeks. At Doncaster, though he did weigh
in with a couple of important challenges, he did continue his worrying trend
of getting caught in possession. Chuck in some wayward passing and the
attraction of starting Linda as soon as possible grows by the minute,
however, given Mr Allardyce's insistence on the highest of fitness levels,
the fact that Linda only arrived at Chadwell Heath on Monday may count
against him.
Up front I'd prefer Cole to Piquionne – the former has put himself about
more than the latter and of the two Cole looks the more likely to make
things happen. Other than these two positions I wouldn't expect the side to
look too different to that which started against Doncaster.
So predictions then. They've started ok – and reports suggest that the Derby
defeat was a bit harsh on them. We'll need to up our game a bit for this one
– if we sit back and wait for them to give the ball away as Doncaster did in
the first half we may well be disappointed. Three points shouldn't be beyond
us but Mr Allardyce is nothing if not a pragmatist and he probably wouldn't
shed too many tears if we came away with just the one point. So I'm going
for a draw this time round. 1-1 sounds about right to me as we extend our
unbeaten run to, er, two matches.
Enjoy the game!
Last season: N/a – again
Player to watch: Mark Yeates – a scan of match reports suggests that he is
the one that creates many of their chances.
Referee: Dean Whitestone – Another new one to us. Few in the Championship
seem to have a good word to say of him, though whoever decided to create the
Facebook page "Dean Whitestone is the Crappest Ref" clearly never
encountered Mike Dean. The last two matches listed for Mr Whitestone ended
up with a 1-0 win for Dagenham & Redbridge at Macclesfield and a 4-1 win for
Leyton Orient at Plymouth last season so a nice East London away hat-trick
would be nice. A closer look at his record shows that he has sent off five
players over his last four matches so don't expect him to be too reticent in
brandishing the cards. By some strange coincidence his last two sendings off
have been goalkeepers, both for deliberate handball outside the box. Better
watch those lines Greeno.
Daft fact of the week: In the whole of 2005 a mere ten people purchased
train tickets for journeys to Watford West railway station. This may seem a
ridiculously small number of journeys in a year until you consider the fact
that the station had effectively closed permanently 9 years earlier. Despite
this, the ticket sales were still more than those made for journeys to
Gainsborough Central, a station that is actually open. Meanwhile, the ten
people who bought the tickets are probably still on a platform somewhere.
Somebody ought to tell them we've won an away match.
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West Ham's Cole thankful for kick up the bum
Published 22:29 15/08/11 By Mike Walters
The Mirror
Carlton Cole has admitted the arrival of John Carew was a timely "kick up
the backside" for travel-sick West Ham. England striker Cole is expected to
earn his first start this season for the Hammers at Watford on Tuesday,
after an impressive cameo from the bench at Doncaster . After just three
away league wins in two seasons, the Eastenders go for back-to-back wins on
the road for the first time since 2007 at Vicarage Road. Norwegian Carew, a
free transfer coup from Aston Villa, is unlikely to make his debut, but
Cole's rejection of a move to Stoke has impressed manager Sam Allardyce.
Cole said: "I am committed to West Ham – I always want to do well for the
club because they gave me an opportunity when things were not going so well
for me in my career, and I'll never forget that. "I am comfortable where I
am, but obviously the manager has brought in some very good players. There
is real competition for places now, and hopefully he will get the best out
of me. "We have good quality up front, good players to support us from
midfield and a good defence - now it is up to our strikers to shine. I am
happy [with] who the manager has brought in to give us a kick up the
backside. "A few of the lads came in a bit disappointed about the way we won
at Doncaster (where the Hammers clung on for a 1-0 success), but it was
important to put three points on the board and any away win is valuable in
this division. We hadn't had one for ages so we were really pleased with the
result."
Big Sam has been thrilled with 27-year-old Cole's attitude, saying: "Carlton
turned down Stoke, so he has to be commended for that. "He turned down the
chance of earning far more money than he earns at West Ham, so when every
player is ridiculed that all they do is play for money, he is the opposite
of that." Watford, who went 22 years without a win against the Hammers but
have won their last three meetings 1-0, were mugged by Derby on Saturday -
but rookie manager Sean Dyche is in no mood to feel sorry for himself. Dyche
said: "Performances will bring results, there's no question in the minds of
the players and my staff about that. Our supporters are a knowledgeable
bunch and they understand we had our pockets picked at the weekend.
"Football can be cruel at times, but you have to respond with the belief and
experience that says things will turn for you if you keep working hard. "We
are well aware of the quality we are facing with West Ham, but my challenge
to our squad is to make sure we bring our own talent to the table. "West Ham
have made a statement with some of their signings and Sam Allardyce is no
doubt tweaking things to his liking, but we have to concentrate on making
our own quality shine."
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Watford boss says respect for West Ham United "will go out the window'
4:20pm Monday 15th August 2011
By Frank Smith »
Watford Observer
Watford are at full complement for the visit of West Ham United and whilst
manager Sean Dyche admits welcoming one of the title favourites to Vicarage
Road will make it a big occasion, he stressed respect for Sam Allardyce's
men will go out of the window come kick-off. The Hornets have been fortunate
with injuries during pre-season and have had a fully fit squad to choose
from in their opening two fixtures, apart from long-term absentee Stephen
McGinn. And Dyche has confirmed he has no fresh injuries following
Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Derby County The Hammers are bookies' favourites to
return to the Premier League but Dyche rebuffed suggestions that victory
over West Ham was a tough ask. Dyche said: "I wouldn't say it is a big ask,
more that it is a big game. A club like West Ham coming is exciting for the
fans and a challenge for the players. "We respect the fact they have played
at a higher level and have achieved things but when we go into the match,
that respect goes out of the window and we focus on what we can deliver and
what we are about. "That is not to say they are not a good team and I am
sure they will be part of that top group and I am sure they will bring more
players in before the window closes - with a few going out as well - but we
feel we have real quality here."
When asked if there has been an extra buzz around the training ground, Dyche
replied: "The reality is we prepare properly for every game. It is only one
game of football. "Yes it will be a big occasion and a bigger crowd, which
brings a different feel to it, but it is still only three points up for
grabs and we go into every game looking to win."
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Parker moaning like mad to get Premier League move
Harry Harris
ESPN
August 15, 2011
ESPNsoccernet understands West Ham midfielder Scott Parker has been advised
by Fabio Capello's England camp to move to a Premier League club to
safeguard his place in the national team. Parker, who was left out of the
final England squad for last year's World Cup, forced his way back into the
England side after some inspired performances for his club despite their
eventual relegation to the Championship. Clubs including Arsenal, Tottenham,
Aston Villa and Chelsea have been linked with a move for Parker this summer
and Hammers boss Sam Allardyce said earlier this month: "At the end of the
day, Scott's position is delicate because at any one time, someone will hit
the numbers that we would value him at. "If that's the case and it's the
Premier League - a place where he wants to be - he will be gone. It would be
wrong of me to plan with Scott." A club source has now told ESPNsoccernet
that Parker, 30, is determined to move away to boost his chances of
inclusion in the Euro 2012 squad. "Scott Parker is moaning like mad for a
move away from West Ham, and it's hardly surprising when you understand that
he's been told by the England assistant manager that he needs to move to
keep his England place," the source said.
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Hammers in talks over Green deal
August 15, 2011
ESPN
By Harry Harris, Football Correspondent
West Ham have offered goalkeeper Robert Green a new four-year contract to
persuade him to stay at Upon Park. Green, 31, is in the final year of his
£25,000-a-week contract and up until now it was not expected that he would
sign another deal at Upton Park. After relegation, co-owner David Gold
believed the club would struggle to keep any of their England stars in the
Championship and Green was thought to be one of the most likely to quit the
Hammers. However, a source told ESPNsoccernet: "We are currently in
negotiations to give Robert Green a new four-year contract."
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