WHUFC.com
West Ham United have been seeded in Thursday's Carling Cup first-round draw
15.06.2011
West Ham United could be drawn to face Paolo Di Canio's Swindon Town in the
Carling Cup first round. The Hammers have been seeded in Thursday's draw,
meaning Sam Allardyce's side will avoid playing any of the eleven other
npower Championship sides in the southern half. Instead, West Ham will face
one of 18 League One and League Two clubs in the opening round, raising the
possibility of a mouth-watering clash with Di Canio's Swindon, where the
Italian took charge in May. Among the other clubs who could be drawn to face
the 2010/11 semi-finalists in the first round are League Two outfit Oxford
United, who were beaten 1-0 at the Boleyn Ground at the second-round stage
of last season's competition, and former West Ham defender Chris Powell's
Charlton Athletic, who finished 13th in League One last term.
Local rivals Dagenham & Redbridge and Southend United, who will both compete
in League Two in 2011/12, and Football League new boys Crawley Town or AFC
Wimbledon, who face each other in a play-off due to Birmingham City's
involvement in the UEFA Europa League, are also among the 18 unseeded teams.
Should West Ham be drawn against Crawley or AFC Wimbledon, the tie would be
the first competitive meeting between the two sides. The same would be true
if Allardyce's team are drawn to face Cheltenham Town, Dagenham & Redbridge,
Stevenage or Yeovil Town.
The full list of unseeded clubs who could be drawn to take on West Ham is -
Aldershot Town, Barnet, Bristol Rovers, Charlton Athletic, Cheltenham Town,
Crawley Town or AFC Wimbledon, Dagenham & Redbridge, Gillingham, Hereford
United, Northampton Town, Oxford United, Plymouth Argyle, Southend United,
Stevenage, Swindon Town, Torquay United, Wycombe Wanderers and Yeovil Town.
The full first-round draw will be published on whufc.com and the club's
official twitter feed here shortly after 10am on Thursday 16 June.
First-round ties will be played in the week commencing Monday 8 August 2011.
The final will take place at Wembley on Sunday 26 February 2012.
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Faye ready to fire
WHUFC.com
Abdoulaye Faye has told West Ham TV he is prepared for the challenge of
fighting for promotion
15.06.2011
Abdoulaye Faye has spoken of his pride of signing for a 'great club' in West
Ham United. The Senegal defender told West Ham TV he is looking forward to
rising to the challenge of helping the Hammers gain promotion to the Premier
League after choosing a switch to east London ahead of the claims of several
interested sides. The 33-year-old, who will join up with his new team-mates
for pre-season training on 1 July, is also looking forward to joining forces
with manager Sam Allardyce again, having enjoyed great success under his
former boss at Bolton Wanderers and Newcastle United. "I am very happy to
sign for West Ham," said Faye. "I think this is a great club and a big, big
club and I cannot wait to get started here. I can't believe we are in the
Championship because this club has everything - the stadium and the fans -
and I am happy to be here and to look forward and to go up quickly. "I am
looking forward to helping the team and I have confidence we can do it
because we have great players here. We have everything and I have confidence
we can go up. "I know many of the players who play for West Ham and I know
many players want to play for West Ham because London is a big city and West
Ham is a big club."
Faye admitted the presence of Allardyce was a big factor in him choosing
West Ham over a number of clubs on the continent, as was the lure of staying
in English football and helping the Hammers bounce back to the top-flight at
the first attempt. Having been brought to this country by the West Ham boss
when he joined Bolton in 2005, Faye has enjoyed a superb six years,
excelling for the Trotters and later Newcastle and Stoke City, who he left
this summer after a successful three-season spell at the Britannia Stadium.
"Sam is a very good manager and I am very pleased to be playing for him
again - he gave me a chance here in England and he is someone who gives me
confidence. "I did well in Bolton and Newcastle and I have gone to clubs to
help him and to help me and I'm very proud that he likes me. I have to give
him everything because I know he likes me, so I want to do everything for
him. I'm very happy to work for him. "He likes strong teams that work hard.
He is a good manager - the best manager. He can get the best out of players.
Everyone respects him because he is a good manager. He will do well at West
Ham.
"I enjoy playing in England because I think the league is the best in the
world. I had many clubs which would have liked me to come, but I preferred
to stay in England because I think it's the best when you play football
here."
The powerful centre-back, who has been capped more than 30 times by his
country, had no reservations about dropping into the Championship. Indeed,
he is relishing the opportunity to thrill the Boleyn Ground faithful by
leading the charge back to the Premier League. "I like the challenge. When I
played for Stoke everybody I was crazy to leave Newcastle and asked 'Why did
you go to Stoke?' but now everybody knows Stoke and I liked the challenge.
I'd like to go up quickly with West Ham and rise to the challenge and have
that experience. "I like the challenge every time. In Stoke I had a lot of
fans and I'll do my best here for me, my family, for Sam, for the supporters
and for everybody here. I have confidence."
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Pre-season update
WHUFC.com
A West Ham United XI will head to Blue Square Bet South side Sutton United
for a pre-season fixture
15.06.2011
A West Ham United XI will contest a pre-season friendly match at Blue Square
Bet South club Sutton United in the build-up to the 2011/12 campaign. The
Hammers will send a squad to Ganders Green Lane on Tuesday 2 August, with
kick-off at 7.45pm. Sutton will be full of confidence after securing the
Ryman League Premier Division title last season. The Us also famously pulled
off one of the biggest giantkillings in FA Cup history in January 1989, when
they knocked then-Division One Coventry City out in the third round. Sutton
manager Paul Doswell is naturally looking forward to the visit of the
Hammers to south west London. ''I know Wally Downes, who is a coach at West
Ham, very well," he said. "I asked if there was any chance of them bringing
a team down in pre-season and I'm delighted that they've agreed. "West Ham
will be coming down and they may use the game to field some new signings, so
it should be a good evening for the club.''
Ticket news will appear on Sutton United's official website here shortly.
The first-team squad will prepare for their npower Championship promotion
push by partaking in a busy pre-season schedule at home and abroad. Sam
Allardyce will take his players to Switzerland for the four-team Uhren Cup
competition, where they will face Swiss Super League champions FC Basel and
third-placed BSC Young Boys before returning to England for fixtures at
League One new boys Wycombe Wanderers and League Two side Dagenham &
Redbridge. An extra 500 tickets has been made available for the trip to
Wycombe on Saturday 23 June, taking the club's total allocation to 1,000.
Further tickets may be released to Hammers supporters should there be
sufficient demand.
Tickets for the visit to Adams Park are priced at £12 for Adults, £6 for
Seniors/Students and £4 for Juniors. To purchase, call in person at the West
Stand Ticket Office, telephone 0871 222 2700 or send a cheque or postal
order to The Ticket Office, PO Box 6731, London, E13 9RA.
Pre-season friendly schedule
Monday 11 July, 6pm - BSC Young Boys v West Ham United (Uhren Cup, Bruhl
Stadium, Grenchen, Switzerland)
Wednesday 13 July, 7.30pm - FC Basel v West Ham United (Uhren Cup, Bruhl
Stadium, Grenchen, Switzerland)
Saturday 23 July, 3pm - Wycombe Wanderers v West Ham United (Adams Park)
Tuesday 26 July, 7.45pm - Dagenham & Redbridge v West Ham United (Victoria
Road)
Tuesday 2 August, 7.45pm - Sutton United v West Ham United XI (Borough
Sports Ground, Ganders Green Lane)
Click here for all the latest ticket information, or click the link below to
buy your 2011/12 season ticket.
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West Ham 'close to signing' Kevin Nolan from Newcastle
Page last updated at 12:53 GMT, Wednesday, 15 June 2011 13:53 UK
By Paul Fletcher
BBC Sport
Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan is set to rejoin former boss Sam Allardyce at
West Ham, BBC Sport understands. The 28-year-old is still in Newcastle ahead
of a medical but it is expected he will soon be reunited with his former
Bolton manager at Upton Park. Magpies team-mate Joey Barton wrote on
Twitter: "Just on my way to Ascot, feel sick. "Great player, leader,
captain, person, trainer and mostly a friend for life. Devastated to see him
SOLD." Barton also hinted on the social networking site that he along with
team-mates Jose Enrique and Jonas Gutierrez could be set to leave the club,
writing "#mejoseandjonasnext". Enrique has yet to respond to the club's
offer of a new deal, while Barton's agent claimed earlier this week that his
player would not be offered a new contract. Magpies skipper Nolan is
currently recovering from surgery on an ankle injury but is expected to be
fit for the start of pre-season training. He scored 12 goals in the Premier
League last season and 18 during the 2009-10 campaign as Newcastle won
promotion back to the top flight. Nolan joined Newcastle for a fee of £4m
in January 2009 from Bolton, for whom he made almost 300 appearances after
joining as a schoolboy. The Magpies skipper had been in talks with the
Tyneside club over a new contract, but negotiations broke down after the two
parties could not agree on the length of an extension. It is thought that
the Hammers, who were relegated from the Premier League, made an initial
offer of £1.5m for Nolan. The former England Under-21 international, who was
the Football League player of the year in 2010, had a close relationship
with recently recruited Hammers boss Allardyce at Bolton. Allardyce was
appointed at the start of the month and made his first signing on Tuesday
with the capture of defender Abdoulaye Faye on a free transfer from Stoke.
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Nolan on his way
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 15th June 2011
By: Staff Writer
Kevin Nolan is undergoing a medical ahead of a move to West Ham, according
to PA reports this lunchtime. The 28-year-old captain of Newcastle United
was the subject of a rejected offer, thought to be in the region of
£3million, last week. However with talks having continued it would appear
that a deal has finally been struck, with the former Bolton player said to
be undergoing tests today.
More to follow as it happens...
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Barton 'devastated' by Nolan departure
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 15th June 2011
By: Staff Writer
Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton has slammed the imminent sale of club
captain Kevin Nolan to West Ham. The controversial midfielder is a good
friend of Nolan, who is currently finalising his move to east London - the
biggest transfer coup of the summer window so far. However the decision to
let Nolan leave Tyneside has been blasted by Barton, who told his Twitter
followers today: "Great player, leader, captain, person, trainer and mostly
a friend for life. Devastated to see him SOLD!"
Nolan should be confirmed as a West Ham player within the next 24 hours,
after his medical at West Ham was confirmed by current club Newcastle. The
fee is set to be undisclosed but with the Hammers having already seen a
£3million bid rejected, the fee is thought to be worth around £4million.
Demba Ba - who is currently considering his future and has spoken with
Newcastle - is not thought to be part of the deal.
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Ba closes on Hammers exit
Magpies favourites to land Hammers striker
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo. Last Updated: June
15, 2011 3:11pm
SSN
Skysports.com understands West Ham striker Demba Ba is to return from
holiday this week to finalise a move back to the Premier League. Ba is due
to arrive back in England in the next 48 hours as he looks to sort out his
future. The Senegal forward is being chased by a host of clubs after
impressing during the second half of last season at Upton Park. Newcastle
boss Alan Pardew has confirmed his interest in Ba, while Everton are also
thought to be keen on the 26-year-old. Ba is believed to have turned down
the offer of a new deal at West Ham as he wants to return to the Premier
League following the Hammers' relegation.
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Nolan in Hammers medical
Big Sam closes on Magpies midfielder
By Pete O'Rourke - Tweet me: @skysportspeteo. Last Updated: June 15, 2011
3:16pm
SSN
Newcastle United have confirmed Kevin Nolan is having a medical at West Ham
after agreeing a fee for his services. The Hammers saw an initial bid
rejected by Newcastle last week, but they have now gone back with an
improved offer. The Magpies have now accepted the offer and have given the
midfielder permission to hold talks with West Ham and undergo a medical at
Upton Park. Newcastle revealed earlier this month Nolan had rejected the
offer of a new deal at St James' Park and they are now ready to let him
leave. New West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has made Nolan one of his top
transfer targets since taking charge at Upton Park, having worked with the
midfielder during his time in charge of Bolton.
Barton
Nolan enjoyed a fine season at Newcastle last term, scoring 12 goals in the
Premier League, but it appears he could be swapping Tyneside for East
London. Fellow midfielder Barton expressed his surprise via Twitter,
writing: "Just on my way to Ascot, feel sick." Barton added: "Great player,
leader, captain, person, trainer and mostly a friend for life. Devastated to
see him SOLD". And he added the hashtag "£mejoseandjonasnext", suggesting
he, Enrique and winger Jonas Gutierrez could follow.
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Nolan to spark Toon exodus
Published: Today
The Sun
KEVIN NOLAN is set to spark a Newcastle exodus by sealing a shock switch to
West Ham. The Toon skipper could be one of FOUR key players heading for the
St James' Park exit this summer. Nolan today had a medical in East London as
he looks certain to join his former manager Sam Allardyce at Upton Park. The
pair will be reunited after working together at Bolton and Newcastle despite
the Hammers' relegation to the Championship. News of Nolan's move brought an
angry reaction from his close pal and Magpies team-mate Joey Barton on
Twitter. The midfielder, who has been told he will not get a new contract,
claimed he would also be leaving, along with left-back Jose Enrique and
winger Jonas Gutierrez. Barton tweeted: "Great player, leader, captain,
person, trainer and mostly a friend for life. Devastated to see him SOLD!
#mejoseandjonasnext."
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Kevin Nolan undergoing medical ahead of West Ham move
Published 12:42 15/06/11 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
Newcastle skipper Kevin Nolan appears to be closing in on a move to West Ham
after it emerged he is to undergo a medical with the London club. Press
Association Sport understands the Magpies' top scorer from last season has
travelled south to have the tests after rejecting a new contract at St
James' Park. Newcastle rejected an offer described as "derisory" for the
28-year-old, who has two years remaining on his existing deal, from the
Hammers last week, but their pursuit seems to have taken a step forward.
Neither club was commenting on the matter this lunchtime as a man, whose
retention was a priority for manager Alan Pardew this summer, edged closer
to the exit door. The Londoners are understood to have initially offered
around £1.5million for the midfielder, who would be re-united with former
Bolton boss Sam Allardyce at Upton Park if the deal went through. Nolan, who
arrived on Tyneside in a £4million switch from the Trotters in January 2009,
has been a key figure in Newcastle's fightback from the ignominy of
relegation from the Barclays Premier League at the end of the 2008-09
season. He, along with Steve Harper, Alan Smith and Nicky Butt, pulled
together a dispirited dressing room and helped to foster the new spirit
which saw the Magpies storm to the Championship title at the first attempt
and then secure their top-flight status in relative comfort last season.
Nolan contributed 18 goals to the promotion campaign and a further 12 during
the season which ended last month, the first time he has made double figures
in the Premier League. However, talks over a new deal stalled with the club
operating under Mike Ashley's stringent policy unwilling to meet the
player's requirements in terms of length of contract. He could have seen out
the remaining two years of his deal at St James' and then left for nothing,
but it appears that the Magpies are ready to cash in on him now. With Joey
Barton having been told he will not be offered a new deal and Jose Enrique
having to date failed to respond to his latest offer, Pardew could yet lose
all three men he had hoped to tie up before starting his recruitment work in
earnest. That will not go down well with fans who thought the summer would
be spent augmenting a relatively settled squad. Pardew has managed to add
France midfielder Yohan Cabaye to the mix and will have Hatem Ben Arfa and,
fitness permitting, Dan Gosling at his disposal next season. The club also
remains in the market for a series of targets, although they have already
missed out on Lorient frontman Kevin Gameiro. Newcastle later confirmed that
Nolan was undergoing a medical after the two clubs agreed an undisclosed
fee. Fellow midfielder Barton expressed his surprise via Twitter, writing:
"Just on my way to Ascot, feel sick."
Barton added: "Great player, leader, captain, person, trainer and mostly a
friend for life. Devastated to see him SOLD", before adding the hashtag
"£mejoseandjonasnext", suggesting he, Enrique and winger Jonas Gutierrez
could follow.
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Newcastle agree fee with West Ham for Kevin Nolan
By Damian Spellman, PA
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
The Independent
Newcastle skipper Kevin Nolan appears to be closing in on a move to West Ham
after it emerged he is to undergo a medical with the London club. Press
Association Sport understands the Magpies' top scorer from last season has
travelled south to have the tests after rejecting a new contract at St
James' Park. Newcastle rejected an offer described as "derisory" for the
28-year-old, who has two years remaining on his existing deal, from the
Hammers last week, but their pursuit seems to have taken a step forward.
Neither club was commenting on the matter this lunchtime as a man, whose
retention was a priority for manager Alan Pardew this summer, edged closer
to the exit door. The Londoners are understood to have initially offered
around £1.5million for the midfielder, who would be re-united with former
Bolton boss Sam Allardyce at Upton Park if the deal went through. Nolan, who
arrived on Tyneside in a £4million switch from the Trotters in January 2009,
has been a key figure in Newcastle's fightback from the ignominy of
relegation from the Barclays Premier League at the end of the 2008-09
season. He, along with Steve Harper, Alan Smith and Nicky Butt, pulled
together a dispirited dressing room and helped to foster the new spirit
which saw the Magpies storm to the Championship title at the first attempt
and then secure their top-flight status in relative comfort last season.
Nolan contributed 18 goals to the promotion campaign and a further 12 during
the season which ended last month, the first time he has made double figures
in the Premier League. However, talks over a new deal stalled with the club
operating under Mike Ashley's stringent policy unwilling to meet the
player's requirements in terms of length of contract. He could have seen out
the remaining two years of his deal at St James' and then left for nothing,
but it appears that the Magpies are ready to cash in on him now.
With Joey Barton having been told he will not be offered a new deal and Jose
Enrique having to date failed to respond to his latest offer, Pardew could
yet lose all three men he had hoped to tie up before starting his
recruitment work in earnest. That will not go down well with fans who
thought the summer would be spent augmenting a relatively settled squad.
Pardew has managed to add France midfielder Yohan Cabaye to the mix and will
have Hatem Ben Arfa and, fitness permitting, Dan Gosling at his disposal
next season . The club also remains in the market for a series of targets,
although they have already missed out on Lorient frontman Kevin Gameiro.
Newcastle later confirmed that Nolan was undergoing a medical after the two
clubs agreed an undisclosed fee. Fellow midfielder Barton expressed his
surprise via Twitter, writing: "Just on my way to Ascot, feel sick."
Barton added: "Great player, leader, captain, person, trainer and mostly a
friend for life. Devastated to see him SOLD", before adding the hashtag
"£mejoseandjonasnext", suggesting he, Enrique and winger Jonas Gutierrez
could follow.
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Newcastle fire sale feared as Nolan heads to West Ham
News.ladbrokes.com
Hands up who saw that one coming? It was common knowledge that negotiations
between Kevin Nolan and Newcastle over a new contract had stalled and West
Ham were interested, but very few believed that he'd consider a Championship
return. However, the breaking news on Wednesday afternoon is that West Ham
have agreed an undisclosed fee with the Magpies and that he has made his way
to east London for a medical, with the prospect of a reunion with Sam
Allardyce seemingly tempting him. The absence of any known Premier League
suitors is something of a surprise given how integral the midfielder was to
their relatively successful top-flight return, netting a dozen goals, and
the 11/2 Championship favourites look set to benefit. But even bigger than
that transfer which has the potential to be the most surprising of the
summer so far is the disillusioned reaction of his team-mate Joey Barton,
who is also in contract limbo at St James' Park, on social networking site
Twitter.
Barton responded to the developing situation by posting: "Great player,
leader, captain, person, trainer and mostly a friend for life. Devastated to
see him SOLD! #mejoseandjonasnext" The players that he referred to in the
hash tag at the end are Liverpool target Jose Enrique and Jonas Gutierrez,
the implication obviously being that he suspects Newcastle of lacking
ambition and trying to cash in on their star men. It could of course be that
Alan Pardew, in his first pre-season as manager on Tyneside is carrying out
a complete overhaul of his squad, to which end selling Nolan to West Ham
could boost his chances of signing Demba Ba, though it doesn't look that
way.
Andy Carroll was sold to Liverpool for £35 million in January so there
should be funds for adding to the team, and instead the failure to tie
settled players like Barton and Nolan to fresh deals indicates that Mike
Ashley wants to cut costs. Such a policy carries a real risk of backfiring,
so there are sure to be some takers on the tempting price of 5/1 that the
Magpies suffer a second relegation in four years next season
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Faye swayed by Big Sam
Wednesday 15th June 2011 10:16
TalkSport
Abdoulaye Faye admitted the chance to work with Sam Allardyce again
persuaded him to turn down offers elsewhere and sign for West Ham. The
33-year-old defender, who has been released by Stoke, was rumoured to be a
target for Celtic as well as a number of clubs on the continent. But having
played under Allardyce at Bolton and Newcastle, Faye was delighted to become
the new Hammers manager's first signing since taking over at Upton Park.
"Sam is a very good manager and I am very pleased to be playing for him
again," Faye told West Ham TV. "He gave me a chance here in England and he
is someone who gives me confidence. "I did well in Bolton and Newcastle and
I have gone to clubs to help him and to help me, and I'm very proud he likes
me. I'm very happy to work for him. "He likes strong teams who work hard. He
is a good manager - the best manager. He can get the best out of players.
Everyone respects him because he is a good manager. He will do well at West
Ham."
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