WHUFC.com
Rob Hall scored on his Football League debut on an busy evening for West Ham
United's loanees
13.09.2011
Rob Hall was the star turn on a busy night for West Ham United's band of
young loanees. The 17-year-old forward marked his Football League and senior
debut with the winning goal for Oxford United in their 1-0 League Two
victory at Dagenham & Redbridge. The England Under-18 international, who
signed his first professional contract with the Hammers in October 2010,
struck four minutes before half-time to secure all three points for the Us
at Victoria Road. Hall's goal would have been welcomed by everyone
associated with West Ham - except on-loan Daggers midfielder Olly Lee, who
played the full 90 minutes for the home side. Elsewhere, Cristian Montano
was unable to maintain his recent goalscoring run, but the Colombian
youngster did start Notts County's 1-1 League One draw at Exeter City.
Montano, who had scored in each of the Magpies' previous two fixtures,
completed 52 minutes at St James's Park before being replaced by Lee Hughes.
In League Two, Ahmed Abdulla made his full Football League debut for Paolo
Di Canio's Swindon Town. The Saudi Arabian-born midfielder was booked, but
that did not take the shine off a superb 3-0 victory at Conference National
champions Crawley Town. Callum McNaughton made his home debut for AFC
Wimbledon, but was unable to help the newly-promoted Dons from falling to a
3-0 defeat by Northampton Town.
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Piq-ing up the pieces
WHUFC.com
Frederic Piquionne was happy to hit the target twice just 48 hours after his
sending-off against Portsmouth
13.09.2011
Frederic Piquionne rebounded from the disappointment of being sent-off at
the weekend by scoring both goals in the development squad's 2-2 draw at
Tottenham Hotspur. The former France international hit the net in each half
at Spurs Lodge and could easily have had at least a hat-trick, heading one
opportunity wide before prodding the ball past the post when clean through.
For Piquionne, Monday's game was the perfect tonic, coming less than 48
hours after he was shown the red card late in West Ham United's 4-3 npower
Championship victory over Portsmouth at the Boleyn Ground. "It is not hard
to motivate myself for these games because I enjoy playing football. We had
a good team here today and we played well against a good, young team from
Tottenham. "I was pleased to get my goals and it is just a pity we could not
go on and win the game at the end because we had a lot of chances."
Piquionne will miss Saturday's trip to Millwall through suspension, but the
experienced forward knows he will need to keep impressing at development
squad level and in training if he is to gain playing time under Sam
Allardyce in the future. With Carlton Cole scoring goals for fun and the
likes of John Carew and Sam Baldock also seeking opportunities, the No30
admitted he may have to settle for a substitute's role more often than not
this term. "I don't find it difficult to be out of the team because I am
32-years-old and I know my role in the squad. I hope I can do well when the
manager needs me, but I have spoken with him and I know what he expects from
me. "We have a lot of good strikers at the club who are playing very well,
so I know I cannot start every game. "Carlton is playing very well and
scoring his goals and we are winning a lot of matches, so that is why the
manager is not changing his team very much."
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'Terrific support' at Westfield
WHUFC.com
David Sullivan reflected on a great first day for the new Hammers store at
Westfield Stratford City
13.09.2011
David Sullivan was left to reflect on a successful first day after the
official opening of the new West Ham United store at Westfield Stratford
City on Tuesday. The Hammers Joint-Chairman signed autographs and posed for
pictures with supporters, before catching up with manager Sam Allardyce -
with the pair having worked together closely during a busy transfer window
to leave the high-flying Hammers extremely well placed in their npower
Championship promotion push. He said: "It was great to visit the new store
at Westfield. We had terrific support from fans, which we have come to
expect after the fantastic following we have had at all our matches this
season. That backing makes such a difference to the club at every level. "We
also hope the new store will also attract floating supporters and neutrals
to come and follow the club. Around 400,000 customers are expected through
the doors every week so it can only help to grow the club and the supporter
base to flourish."
Looking ahead to Millwall on Saturday, Mr Sullivan hoped the match was one
that would be remembered for all the right reasons. "Our fans have followed
us brilliantly this season and we expect the same at The Den this weekend.
Hopefully we can keep our winning run going and everyone will have a great
day in the right way.
"It is important our supporters remember they are ambassadors of the club
wherever they are. That's what football should be all about."
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Big Sam launches new store
WHUFC.com
A high-profile Hammers contingent were out in force for the official opening
of the new club store
13.09.2011
Sam Allardyce led a trio of his West Ham United players to the new store at
Westfield Stratford City. The manager, Kevin Nolan, Carlton Cole and Jack
Collison met hundreds of supporters that flocked into the shop from 2pm on
Tuesday to mark the official opening of the biggest shopping centre in
Europe. The quartet signed all manner of items purchased in store from
nodding dogs to the new 2011/12 Macron kits, and even someone's leg, with
the brave fan's intention to have the players' names tattooed on
permanently. Scores of journalists and photographers turned up to see the
big launch event, with the Hammers buzz spreading around the state of the
art centre. Big Sam said: "It is great to see everyone turn out for this new
store. It is in a good location and it is always nice to meet fans face to
face. They gave us their best wishes for the weekend and hopefully we will
do them proud."
All four were greeted by the two Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold,
while the Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales was also in attendance. With the
store now open seven days a week, fans should look out for more great
promotions and also a new loyalty card scheme running from today. Skipper
Kevin said: "The store looks really good and it was great to see so many
fans here on the first day of its opening. By coming along, they are
supporting the club and we are really grateful to them for turning out. We
were as happy to meet them as they were to see us."
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Henri Lansbury extends Arsenal contract
Page last updated at 11:59 GMT, Tuesday, 13 September 2011 12:59 UK
BBC.co.uk
England Under-21 international midfielder Henri Lansbury has extended his
contract with Arsenal. The length of the new deal for the 20-year-old,
currently on loan at West Ham, has not been disclosed. Lansbury has made
eight senior appearances for Arsenal since his debut in 2007 and played on
loan for Scunthorpe, Watford and Norwich before joining West Ham. He scored
in Saturday's 4-3 win over Portsmouth in the Championship.
LANSBURY'S LOANS
Scunthorpe United (2008/09) - 16 games, 4 goals
Watford (2009/10) - 39 games, 5 goals
Norwich City (2010/11) - 23 games, 4 goals
West Ham United (2011/12) - 1 game, 1 goal
Lansbury's only goal for Arsenal came in the Carling Cup tie against North
London rivals Tottenham in September 2010, but he netted four times in 23
appearances for Norwich last season as he helped Paul Lambert's team to
promotion to the Premier League. He played for England in the 2011 Uefa
Under-21 Championship Finals in Denmark, coming on as a substitute in all
three group games. His initial long-term contract at the Emirates Stadium
was signed in December 2009.
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Piquionne scores, Hammers draw
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 12th September 2011
By: Staff Writer
A West Ham XI eked out a 2-2 draw with their Tottenham counterparts at Spurs
Lodge earlier this afternoon. Freddie Piquionne, who has had a quiet start
to the 2011/12 campaign got both goal for Ian Hendon's side, who were forced
to come from behind twice in order to earn a share of the spoils against
their north London rivals, managed by Tim Sherwood. The home side - who,
like West Ham, have no reserve team this season - took the lead after just
eight minutes when Alex Pritchard put Cameron Lancaster through on goal; the
youngster beating Ruud Boffin with some aplomb. However Hendon's side were
on level terms on the quarter-hour mark after Piquionne was first to react
to Boffin's huge goal kick, beatin goalkeeper Oscar Jansson to the ball.
After a number of chances had been squandered by both sides - including one
for Freddie Sears who was denied by Jansson when one-on-one with the
goalkeeper - the home eventually regained the lead with 18 minutes left to
play. Dean Parrett picked up a stray pass from Piquionne before running
half the length of the field and placing a clever chip over the advancing
Boffin.
Sears squandered another opportunity to level the scores a minute later
before the Hammers eventually drew level on 76 minutes. A decent ball in
from right-back Callum Driver - who had replaced Guy Demel after just 22
minutes - was latched on to by the experienced Piquionne, who was given the
freedom of Spurs Lodge before firing home from close range.
West Ham Utd XI: Boffin, Demel (Driver 22), Carney, Faye (Wearen 67), Diop,
Moncur, Sears (E.Lee 85), Juca, Nouble (Turgott 85), Piquionne, Carew
(Montenegro 67).
Tottenham Hotspur XI: Jansson, Barthram, Veljkovic, Nicholson, Stewart,
Luongo, Parrett, Pritchard, Bostock, Ceballos, Lancaster.
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Hall change
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 12th September 2011
By: Staff Writer
Teenage striker Robert Hall has become the latest Academy player to go out
on loan, joining League Two Oxford United. The 17-year-old was touted as
'the next big thing' two years ago but his progression took a serious
nose-dive last year. Amidst a string of minor injuries, Hall failed to
recapture his form of the previous season and for the first time since
joining the club, doubts over his credentials were raised. However Hall
couldn't have started the 2011/12 season in better fashion and has already
gone some way to answering his critics by scoring six goals in his first
seven games of the season, all for Ian Hendon's development squad. Hall will
become the fifth young Hammer to feature in League Two, where he will join
Callum McNaughton (AFC Wimbledon), Jordan Brown (Aldershot), Ahmed Abdulla
(Swindon) and Olly Lee (Dagenham & Redbridge). Meanwhile Cristian Montano
continues to impress at Notts County, as does Jordan Spence at Championship
side Bristol CIty - whilst Pablo Barrera, currently at Li Liga basement club
Real Zaragoza is the eighth and final current loanee.
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Leader or leaner?
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 13th September 2011
By: Daniel Nussbaum
Kevin Nolan's summer switch, the one that saw him leave a Premier League
club in Newcastle to reunite with his mentor at West Ham, raised quite a few
eyebrows.
As captain of the St. James' Park brigade, his decision to drop down a
division was strange. Why does a 28 year-old midfielder, playing some of the
best football of his career, decide to join the newly relegated West Ham?
Well, the need for financial security is an obvious reason. According to
reports, Nolan was not offered a new long term deal by the Toon, even though
he had just finished the season with 12 goals to his name. A massive blow
for a professional footballer's ego, no doubt.
Another usual suspect is Nolan's relationship with Sam Allardyce, the
manager who gave Kevin his first real chance in football back in 2000. Big
Sam's vision and reputation were enough to secure Nolan's services, a move
that proved popular within the Boleyn Ground. His purchase was a clear sign
of intent: we plan to get back up to the Premier League, and are willing to
pay a premium (a reported £50k-a-week wage on top of an undisclosed fee,
thought to be around the £3million mark) to get Premier League class players
in order to do so.
Allardyce immediately gave Nolan the captain's armband, calling him a
natural leader and a positive influence. When trying to analyse his
all-round game, his leadership skills should not to be overlooked. Coming
off the back of a very bad season, with an absent manager and team captain,
Nolan's combative, no-nonsense and never-say-die attitude were like a breath
of fresh air. Always first to stick up for a team mate and never shy of
letting the referee know what's on his mind, the players and fans seem to
have rallied around him.
Just look at Andy Carroll, who needed an arm around his shoulder to get his
head in the game when playing for Newcastle. Nolan was there to get the
young striker playing the best football of his career, as he was for Joey
Barton who had recieved a world of stick. The former is currently struggling
to hold down a place at Liverpool, while the latter moved to London based
Q.P.R after publicly criticising Newcastle's decision to let their captain
go. Nolan seems to be relishing the responsibility and is 'a manager on the
pitch', according to his actual manager. A rarity in the modern game and a
throw back to the good old days.
However, putting his mental strength aside, what does Nolan actually
contribute from a footballing point of view?
Not a lot, according to quite a few West Ham fans. Described as unfit,
immobile and a limited footballer, it is quite clear that Nolan is yet to
win the hearts of the entire West Ham support. Questions have been raised as
to how a well-paid footballer is not yet at the top of his fitness, seven
games into the season. His work rate is suspect, and there are times where
the game looks to be passing him by.
Mind you, there are some positives to Nolan's game. You don't get to be a
Premier League player for so long without possessing some sort of talent.
His heading ability and positioning at set pieces are very good, as is his
passing.
Looking at the money invested in him, Nolan is quite clearly going to be a
permanent fixture within the starting line-up. This means that in order to
accomadate him, Allardyce is going to continue playing him in the hole, as
Nolan's tackling and pace aren't good enough allow him to play in defensive
midfield, and also rule him out for the box-to-box position. Thus, we are
forced to play with one up-front, making Carlton Cole's knock-downs
impossible to exploit. A very frustrating position to find ourselves in this
early in the season.
At the end of the day, the question that needs to be asked is: is Nolan's
influence irreplaceable?
If the answer is yes, and we have someone ready to step up to the plate,
then we can afford to let him earn his place through hard work in training,
possibly even losing some weight to bacome a leaner leader.
However, if Sam thinks he has no other vocal leaders within the squad, then
Kevin Nolan has to be the first name on the team sheet. The Championship is
a tough league to win promotion from, with clubs fighting tooth and nail for
every point. It's players like Nolan who carry teams at tough away grounds,
through organisation and referees' respect.
Whatever you may think of him, it does appear as though Nolan has Big Sam's
faith. We can only hope he can win that of the entire West Ham support.
Guide us to victory, Kev.
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West Ham bring in World Cup winger
Published 21:01 13/09/11 By Mike McGrath
The Mirror
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has given trials to Australia winger David
Carney and Brazilian midfielder Juca. Carney, who played for the Socceroos
at last summer's World Cup finals, is training with the club after leaving
Blackpool earlier this year. Juca, a 31-year-old defensive midfielder, was
with Spain's Deportivo La Coruna until last season and is available as a
free agent. Both men played in a behind-closed-doors friendly against a
Tottenham XI on Monday. New Hammers signing Papa Bouba Diop played at
centre-back in the game and development coach Ian Hendon said: "He got
through the game and looked quite composed, so I was impressed with him."
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Tottenham Hotspur were so close to new stadium deal
Telegraph.co.uk
By Paul Kelso, Chief Sports Reporter10:30PM BST 13 Sep 2011
Tottenham were so close to abandoning their legal challenge to West Ham's
tenancy of the Olympic Stadium last month that a press release was prepared
announcing the club's decision to commit to building a new ground next to
their historic home at White Hart Lane. The Daily Telegraph can reveal that
the draft statement was in circulation the night before last month's High
Court hearing at which Spurs were given permission to launch a full judicial
review of the Olympic Stadium decision.
In the event a deal with the Government and London Mayor Boris Johnson was
not finalised and the release was not circulated. Instead Tottenham's
lawyers, backed by Leyton Orient, won permission for a full judicial review
of the Olympic Stadium decision. That hearing is scheduled for Oct 18, but
Tottenham remain in talks with the mayor and Government and all parties are
increasingly hopeful of reaching a deal to keep the club in Haringey before
then. Until Tottenham are satisfied that the Northumberland Park Development
is viable however they will not withdraw their interest in the Olympic
Stadium, a position that prompted hopes of a deal to collapse on the steps
of the High Court last month.
The draft statement seen by The Daily Telegraph confirms just how advanced
talks were. Tottenham had spent the previous weeks in detailed negotiations
with London mayor Boris Johnson, who had offered £8.5 million to help
regenerate the area around White Hart Lane in the wake of the riots.
As well as the £8.5 million contribution from the mayor Tottenham had also
asked for their legal costs to be met, and demanded that the Olympic Stadium
contract with West Ham be strengthened so that the Hammers could not remove
the running track in future. The government is understood to have agreed to
these concessions.
On the basis of these discussions, on Aug 23 the draft release was prepared
in which Tottenham would announce their intention to remain in Haringey. It
said the club would be focus on the "viability and deliverability" of the
Northumberland Development Project, adding: "The Club can also announce that
as a result of its decision to concentrate on the NDP as a preferred stadium
solution, it shall be withdrawing from any further or continuing legal
action or interest in respect of the Olympic Stadium."
The draft also quoted club chairman Daniel Levy, who said that the riots had
served as a reminder of Tottenham's crucial role in the community.
"Tottenham needs our concerted efforts to reverse the decline of decades and
create a community with hope and prospects of future prosperity," he said.
Westminster sources have suggested that talks foundered over Tottenham's
demands for all litigation to be withdrawn. Tottenham deny this and say the
delay was a matter of timing, and caused by the complexity of reaching
arrangements with a number of stakeholders. They also insist that their
request for an end to all litigation was standard corporate practice
confined to civil actions, not the ongoing police inquiry into allegations
of data hacking made by West Ham.
Tottenham say they remain focused on negotiations over remaining in Haringey
and appreciate the goodwill of the mayor's office, who are desperate for the
club to remain in the borough to help drive regeneration in the wake of the
riots. Concerns over transport links are being addressed, with proposals to
open up access to White Hart Lane overground station enabling it to cope
better with increased crowds. Meanwhile Leyton Orient, whose legal challenge
to West Ham is not dependent on Tottenham's case, are in talks over a
possible new stadium development at Eton Manor in the north of the Olympic
Park. Were that to come off and end to the long a messy sage of the Olympic
Stadium would truly be in sight.
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Police warning for West Ham fans
London24
Kirk Blows, Recorder Reporter
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
5:31 PM
After violence marred the last meeting between the two, police are stepping
up their numbers for West Ham's visit to the New Den on Saturday. Police
have urged West Ham fans to stay away from Millwall on Saturday if they do
not have tickets for the lunchtime clash between the two clubs. The
Championship fixture has been branded a top-category game by police, meaning
there will be increased numbers of officers on duty for the 12.30pm
kick-off. West Ham have been allocated 2,000 tickets for the game, with both
clubs pleading for good behaviour from fans after the last meeting between
the sides – a Carling Cup second-round match at Upton Park in August 2009 –
was marred by crowd trouble both inside and outside the ground. One Millwall
fan was stabbed outside the Boleyn Ground while the game was disrupted by
three pitch invasions. The authorities are therefore anxious that everything
is done to ensure Saturday's event passes without incident. A Metropolitan
Police spokesman said: "Our intelligence tells us there is a high risk of
disorder so in policing terms it has been a made a top-category game. "That
means there will be increased numbers of police on duty for the game, which
has been given an early kick-off time. "We'd urge for people who have
tickets to enjoy the football match and those who don't to stay away."
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Allardyce rules out move for Bridge
TalkSport
By Marc Isaacs
Tuesday, September 13
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has ruled out a move for Manchester City
defender Wayne Bridge. The full-back has been strongly linked with a move
back to east London after spending a four-month loan spell at Upton Park
last season. The England defender was not named in Manchester City's 25-man
Premier League squad and Roberto Mancini revealed he would be happy for him
to join a Championship club. But Allardyce is happy with the business he
conducted in the lead-up to the transfer window and says he will not be
making moves to sign Bridge. Allardyce said: "We are full up now. We have
filled our squad with all the players we need for the time being and we have
a squad that is good and has strength in depth."
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Arsenal midfielder Henri Lansbury claims West Ham have stronger squad than
Norwich City
2:31pm Tuesday 13th September 2011
By Simon Mail »
Guardian Series
New signing Henri Lansbury believes West Ham have a stronger squad than
Premier League newcomers Norwich City. Arsenal midfielder Lansbury helped
the Canaries win automatic promotion last season but thinks the Hammers are
in a stronger position to follow them up to the top flight. Lansbury, who
has joined on a season-long loan, said: "I think it is a better squad, I
think there is a bit more experience in this team. I think if we work hard
on and off the pitch then we will have a great chance. "Yeah, it's an
unbelievable squad. There were some great players left out [against
Portsmouth] and everyone will have to fight for their place, but that is
what makes you better. "I think you have to have a good team spirit first of
all. You need to work hard at every training session and take that out on to
the field. I think the spirit here is good and we have a great chance of
getting promotion."
The England Under-21 midfielder marked his Irons debut by scoring in their
win over Portsmouth at the weekend and could not have wished for a better
start at Upton Park. Lansbury added: "It was nice to get a chance to play
football. I've had a good week away and come back here and to score on my
debut is a good feeling and a good start. "I played in the Championship last
season and most games were like that. You've just got to come out and get on
top of them and we have done that today and I think we did it well."
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Ex-West Ham defender Da Costa 'groped and punched woman in Essex nightclub'
By LEON WATSON
Last updated at 11:36 AM on 13th September 2011
Daily Mail
A former Premier League footballer has gone on trial accused of punching a
young woman in the face and sexually assaulting her. Ex-West Ham defender
Manuel da Costa, 25, allegedly grabbed the 21-year-old's crotch in Faces
nightclub in Gants Hill, Essex, in the early hours of October 17 last year.
Snaresbrook Crown Court heard the player - now with Lokomotiv Moscow -
admitted hitting the victim but denied sexually assaulting her. Miss Sonya
Saul, prosecuting, told the eight women and four men of the jury: 'Manuel da
Costa had absolutely no reason or right to touch her in that way.'
A police video interview with the victim was played to court in which she
said of Da Costa that 'he had a smug look on his face' during the alleged
assault. She was enjoying a night out with four friends and arrived at the
club at 10.30pm. As the evening wore on, the woman sat in a booth because
her feet were sore, then went to look for her friends. As she made her way
through the club, she said the Portuguese player reached out and grabbed her
between the legs before rubbing her left breast. Reliving the ordeal - and
alleging the French-born star also hit two of her friends - she said:
'Someone grabbed my hand. He grabbed my downstairs and grabbed my boob. 'I
pushed his face to get him off me. As I have turned around, he has punched
the left side of my face.' The victim said she felt 'violated' by the
assault. Da Costa's friends tried to intervene but he punched her again, she
said.
The witness, giving evidence from behind a screen, described the way Da
Costa assaulted her as a 'gropey slide' The scene 'kicked off', she said, as
she tried to find help from door staff. Her friends became involved in a row
with Da Costa, who punched two more women, said the victim, who cannot be
named for legal reasons.
The complainant said Da Costa squeezed her breast so forcefully it hurt and
left her face 'throbbing' and 'pulsating' after hitting her. She said his
expression said 'well, you deserved it'. The woman and her friends drove to
Ilford police station and reported the incident. The victim told officers
she was informed in the nightclub that the man was called Da Costa and
played for West Ham. Da Costa made no comment during his police interviews,
the court heard. As part of jury selection, potential jurors were excused
from serving if they or close family were either West Ham or Tottenham
Hotspur fans. The trial is scheduled to last four days.
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