WHUFC.com
The club will continue to make sure supporters are at the heart of plans for
the future
28.10.2011
Following the club's recent communication on 11 October updating you on the
developments regarding the proposed Olympic Stadium move, we are aware that
supporters have many new questions.
West Ham United's bid, as we have advised supporters throughout the process,
focuses on delivering a world-class multi-use venue for the benefit of our
supporters, the local community, the rest of the UK and an international
audience.
Our entire plan focuses on ensuring first-class views for our supporters
whilst delivering a legacy for athletics. We see the move just down the road
as a move home to our origins in West Ham. Our commitment is and always has
been to driving West Ham United forward to enable us to compete at the
highest level.
You our supporters, the heartbeat of the Hammers, have been the driving
force behind our ambitions to grow the club to a level deserving of your
support.
Every step of the way our proposals have been fully informed by your
passionate responses to our questions, surveys and the ongoing dialogue
through fan forums, presentations and the Supporter Advisory Board. We know
that your priorities are seating, sightlines and security for the club's
future. These are our priorities too.
We still await further information regarding the Government's plans for the
Olympic Stadium post Games. These plans have always involved a tenancy of
some nature. This type of arrangement has proved successful elsewhere and
brings with it potential new benefits for the club.
Until we are fully informed of the proposed process going forward, we are
unable to share further information. We are closely monitoring the feedback
we sought following our recent statements. As the process moves on there
will never be a better time for consultation to help inform our decisions
going forward.
West Ham United with our partners the London Borough of Newham, great
diligence and a lot of hard work were able to deliver a robust bid to occupy
the Stadium from 2014/15.
Our bid was unanimously endorsed back in February. We re-state our belief
that our stadium works for football. It would be a world-class venue to
rival all others - a fitting stage for our proud club. Rest assured, it has
to work for you to work for us. We would never act in isolation and, as we
know more, so will you.
Please continue to provide us with your feedback via
olympicproject@westhamunited.co.uk
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Leicester City match preview
WHUFc.com
All the early team news and background for Saturday afternoon's big Boleyn
date with Leicester
29.10.2011
WEST HAM UNITED v LEICESTER CITY
npower CHAMPIONSHIP
SATURDAY 29 OCTOBER 2011
KICK-OFF: 3PM
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
iPHONE APP I TWITTER I FACEBOOK I PODCAST
Introduction
• West Ham United entertain Leicester City in their 14th npower Championship
fixture of 2011/12 seeking their fourth home league victory of the season in
seven attempts. The Hammers have previously beaten Portsmouth (4-3),
Peterborough United (1-0) and Blackpool (4-0), drawn with Leeds United (2-2)
and lost to Cardiff City and Ipswich Town (both 0-1).
• The Hammers know a victory over the Foxes could put them top of the table,
with leaders Southampton hosting third-place Middlesbrough at St Mary's.
• Both of West Ham United's home defeats have come by way of goals in the
89th minute or later. Kenny Miller netted for Cardiff City on the opening
weekend of the season, while Lee Bowyer scored for Ipswich Town last time
out. Ross McCormack also secured a point for Leeds United with a last-minute
strike on 21 August.
• Leicester City are without a permanent manager following the departure of
Sven-Goran Eriksson on Monday. Academy director Jon Rudkin, goalkeeper coach
Mike Stowell and development coach Steve Beaglehole will take
joint-caretaker charge of the squad this afternoon.
• The Foxes go into the weekend 14th in the npower Championship table
following a 3-0 home defeat by Millwall last Saturday.
• Sam Allardyce and his players are seeking a second straight home victory
following their 4-0 win over Blackpool a fortnight ago.
• Victory will take West Ham United's all-time total of league points to
4,000.
• West Ham United have helped their hosts set stadium record attendances in
each of their previous two away matches at Southampton (St Mary's) and
Brighton & Hove Albion (American Express Community Stadium).
• Leicester City have not won away since the opening-day trip to Coventry,
drawing four and losing one of the five subsequent games and failing to
score in the last three.
Team news
West Ham United
• Robert Green (knee) and James Tomkins (groin) have been added to the
matchday squad.
• Carlton Cole will be absent agan after a minor ligament issue that saw him
miss the club's last three matches. He could be fit for Tuesday's visit of
Bristol City
• Matt Taylor (calf) is hoping to be back after the international break.
Henri Lansbury is definitely out for several weeks with a knee injury.
• Guy Demel is still being treated for a hamstring injury that has delayed
his debut.
• Gary O'Neil (ankle) is out with long-term ankle injury.
• Pablo Barrera and Jordan Spence are on season-long loans at Real Zaragoza
and Bristol City respectively. Ahmed Abdulla and Cristian Montano (Swindon
Town), Robert Hall (Oxford United), Herita Ilunga (Doncaster Rovers), Olly
Lee (Dagenham & Redbridge), Callum McNaughton (AFC Wimbledon), Frank Nouble
(Gillingham), Marek Stech (Yeovil Town) and Dominic Vose (Braintree) are all
out on temporary loans.
Leicester City
• The Foxes will be without captain Matt Mills, who is suspended after being
sent-off at Birmingham City on 14 October.
• Striker Paul Gallagher is available after coming through 70 minutes of a
reserve-team outing against Coventry City on Tuesday.
• Leicester City have allowed England Under-21 striker Martyn Waghorn to
join npower Championship rivals Hull City on loan until January 2012.
Last time out
Monday 24 October 2011
npower Championship
Brighton & Hove Albion 0-1 West Ham United
West Ham United: Almunia, O'Brien, Reid, McCartney, Faye, Faubert (Baldock
90), Nolan, Collison, Noble, Diop (Sears 54), Carew (Piquionne 65)
Subs not used: Boffin, Moncur
Goals: Nolan 17
Saturday 22 October 2011
Leicester City 0-3 Millwall
Leicester City: Schmeichel, Peltier, Konchesky, Bamba, St. Ledger, King,
Johnson (Fernandes 74), Wellens, Abe (Dyer 45), Beckford (Vassell 45),
Nugent
Subs not used: Weale, Pantsil
Last six meetings
18 March 2005 West Ham United 2-2 Leicester City (Championship)
7 August 2004 Leicester City 0-0 West Ham United (Championship)
12 January 2002 West Ham United 1-0 Leicester City (Premier League)
22 December 2001 Leicester City 1-1 West Ham United (Premier League)
23 December 2000 Leicester City 2-1 West Ham United (Premier League)
23 August 2000 West Ham United 0-1 Leicester City (Premier League)
Overall record v Leicester City (all competitions) W 48 D 29 L 42
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2010/11 Premier League 20th (relegated to Championship)
2009/10 Premier League 17th
2008/09 Premier League 9th
2007/08 Premier League 10th
2006/07 Premier League 15th
2005/06 Premier League 9th
2004/05 Championship 6th (promoted to Premier League via Play-Offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th
2002/03 Premier League 18th (relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th
Leicester City
2010/11 Championship 10th
2009/10 Championship 5th
2008/09 League One 1st
2007/08 Championship 22nd
2006/07 Championship 19th
2005/06 Championship 16th
2004/05 Championship 15th
2003/04 Premier League 18th
2002/03 Division One, 2nd (promoted to Premier League)
2001/02 Premier League 20th (relegated to Division One)
Referee
• Saturday's referee will be James Linington.
• Linington was appointed to the Select Group of assistant referees in 2006,
but has yet to be promoted to the Select Group of referees who officiate in
the Barclays Premier League.
• Linington will be taking charge of a West Ham United first-team fixture
for the second time in his career this evening, having previously controlled
the Hammers' 1-0 Carling Cup victory over Oxford United in August 2010.
• After giving up playing football at the age of 15, Linington moved into
refereeing and originally specialised in being an assistant referee through
his career in the professional game.
• After running the line in the 2006 League One play-off final at Cardiff's
Millennium Stadium, the official took charge of the 2010 League Two play-off
final between Dagenham & Redbridge and Rotherham United at Wembley in May
2010, having joined the National Group as a referee in 2008.
• Linington has yet to officiate at a West Ham or Leicester City fixture
this season, but has been in charge of three previous npower Championship
matches in 2011/12.
• He will be assisted by Brett Huxtable and Richard Kendall, while the
fourth official will be Michael George.
Us and them
• The following players have worn the colours of both West Ham United and
Leicester City during their careers - Syd Bishop, David Connolly, Tony
Cottee, Brian Deane, Les Ferdinand, George Hebden, Andrew Impey, Dai Jones,
David Kelly, Paul Konchesky, Colin Mackleworth, William Oakes, John Pantsil
and Norman Proctor.
• Barking-born Paul Konchesky played 70 times for West Ham United between
August 2005 and March 2007, scoring twice. The left-back netted one of those
goals in the 2006 FA Cup final defeat by Liverpool in May 2006.
• Ghana international right-back John Pantsil made 24 appearances for West
Ham United between August 2006 and May 2008.
• The largest crowd to witness a West Ham United versus Leicester City
fixture was the 39,000 who turned out to watch the Hammers defeat the Foxes
3-2 in Division Two on 10 April 1936.
• West Ham United's largest home victory over Leicester City was the 6-2
Division One success recorded on 21 September 1974. Billy Jennings and Bobby
Gould both scored twice, with Billy Bonds and Keith Robson also hitting the
target. Frank Worthington netted both goals for the Foxes in front of a
21,377-strong crowd. West Ham also recorded 4-0 home wins over Leicester
City in March 1928 and November 1968.
• Leicester City's biggest-ever win at the Boleyn Ground came in the shape
of a 5-2 Division One success on 11 September 1965. Geoff Hurst put West Ham
United two goals up before braces from Derek Dougan and Jackie Sinclair and
a late goal from Jimmy Goodfellow completed the Hammers misery. The result
constituted the third straight league game in which West Ham had conceded
five goals following defeats by Sheffield United (3-5) and Liverpool (1-5).
• Fifteen players have made their West Ham United debuts against Leicester
City - William Waugh (January 1922), Wally St Pier (October 1929), Frederick
Gamble (April 1931), Jack Weare, Charlie Walker (both September 1936), Ken
Wright (September 1946), Eric Parsons (January 1947), Bob Wyllie, Eddie
Lewis (both November 1956), Alan Sealey (April 1961), Roger Hugo (March
1964), Ian Bishop, Trevor Morley (both December 1989), Sergei Rebrov and
Teddy Sheringham (both August 2004).
• Mark Noble is the sole survivor from West Ham United's previous meeting
with Leicester City on 18 March 2005. The midfielder started the
Championship fixture which finished in a 2-2 draw at the Boleyn Ground.
• Kasper Schmeichel made his Manchester City debut in Sven-Goran Eriksson's
first match in charge - a 2-0 Premier League win at West Ham United on 11
August 2007.
• Sam Allardyce has an unbeaten record against Leicester City as a manager.
In five matches at Bolton Wanderers, Big Sam guided the Trotters to two
victories and three draws against the Foxes.
• Kevin Nolan netted twice in Bolton Wanderers' 5-0 Premier League victory
at Leicester City in August 2001. Nolan also scored in the reverse fixture,
a 2-2 draw at the Reebok Stadium in December 2001.
Up next
• West Ham United will play host to Bristol City at the Boleyn Ground on
Tuesday, while Leicester City will go to Burnley.
General information
• Fans can pay on the day. For the latest ticket information, click here. To
order online, visit www.whufcboxoffice.com
• Saturday's weather forecast is for a cloudy day with sunny intervals. The
temperature is set to peak around the 18C mark.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam on Leicester
WHUFC.com
The manager admitted he did not know how Leicester City would react to their
tough week on Saturday
28.10.2011
Sam Allardyce was in good spirits when facing the press before Saturday's
major meeting with Leicester City at the Boleyn Ground. The manager began
with a special statement regarding El Hadji Diouf that he wanted to address
before getting the news conference up and running. He then went on to
confirm positive squad news and confirmed his belief that his Hammers would
be facing a difficult test against Leicester, even with the departure of
manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.
What is the latest with El Hadji Diouf?
El Hadji Diouf, all considerations taken by myself and myself only, I feel
that he needs a lot of catching up with regard to his lack of conditioning
at the moment. He is not ready to play for a considerable period of time. By
the time he would be fit enough to play, all my injured players would be
back and available to play. The fan response, of course, I have considered
as well - so all three things in consideration, I haven't offered El Hadji
the short-term contract we were first talking about.
Obviously I had to bear in mind the situation at the club with the fans. It
was sensible to take everything into consideration and the most important
thing is we are going pretty well at the moment and there shouldn't be any
distractions. The sensible thing to do always is to consider all the
possible consequences and then make the decision. He's a good player and he
did well for me at Bolton, but I'm aware of the issue with the fans here at
West Ham.
What's the team news?
The injuries are improving. Robert Green is fit. He played a behind closed
doors game on Monday against Tottenham. He came through that fine. He has
trained for the rest of the week so joins the squad. James Tomkins has
joined in the squad for the last few days so he is back, which boosts the
strength in depth very well.
The rest of the players are obviously still not available. Guy Demel still
hasn't performed yet which has been a real disappointment. He is nearly
ready to join in the training. The long-term injuries of course are Henri
Lansbury and David Bentley. By the end of the international break, nearly
all we would hope - Gary O'Neil and David Bentley aside - will be ready with
Henri certainly a lot closer with his knee injury. Matt Taylor is a small
calf strain, not a tear. Carlton Cole's knee has responded to some treatment
and he could be available for Tuesday. We don't want to suffer any more
injuries from there on.
How much is a worry is Carlton's knee?
It is not really a worry because it is long-standing. You accept there are
times when the knee flares up and he just needs a little tender loving care
to get him back out playing again.
Have you looked elsewhere at any other players to potentially come in?
We have been but there is not enough availability of players with the type
of quality that we need to be able to loan. Loans are massively important
part of every football club outside of the Premier League today, even within
the Premier League lots of loans are occurring from one Premier League club
to another so those players that have been available we have got. We used
the loan system for three players and everyone is the same in the
Championship. We also have ten out on loan at the moment, gaining
experience. The loan system means everyone has done a lot of that. There is
very few players available and of the right quality to make an impact on
your team.
Do you have a big decision in goal on Saturday?
Manuel [Almunia] has done extremely well. The lad has been great for us and
he has really enjoyed the time he has spent with us. We will find out on
Saturday. Rob is back at least two weeks ahead of schedule. I have to give
some credit of course to the surgeon first and foremost ... and then the
rehabilitation by the medical staff. Robert's application as well is the
most important thing after you get the other two right. He has pushed
himself for hours and hours every day to speed up his recovery.
How does the situation at Leicester affect West Ham? Is it positive or
negative?
Generally, it is a team [without a manager] for some bizarre reason goes and
gives more. I can't think why a football player goes and plays better after
a manager has been sacked. It is talked about a lot in the media. The
disappointing thing for Sven is he wasn't given the time with a team he felt
was capable of promotion. He is very sad he didn't get the opportunity to do
that but he was sure that whoever takes the reins will get them up.
Certainly with the quality of player they have I understand what he is
saying.
Are they one of the main threats to you?
Anybody that goes into the transfer market puts themselves under extreme
pressure to be and do what it wants to do as quickly as possible. As always
the problem is building and bonding and uniting a new group of players with
yourself and your staff as quickly as possible. When you make a lot of
changes and you create a different atmosphere and a different infrastructure
that takes time for everyone to adjust to. The bottom line at the end of the
day is you have still got to get results. No matter how much you need the
time, you have to make your own time. The only way you can make time is to
get results as quickly as you possibly can. As difficult as it is, you've
got to make sure you do that. We will just have to wait and see [what
happens on Saturday] but it is about us being on top of our game. If we are
on top of our game, reverting back to the Blackpool performance then we are
going to cause Leicester a lot of problems.
How do you respond to people saying that wasn't a West Ham performance on
Monday?
What were West Ham's performances away from home before I came? Lose, lose,
lose, lose, lose, lose, lose, lose, lose, draw, lose, lose, lose, draw…If
they want me to play the West Ham way and lose, I don't want to be here.
Are the team scared to play here?
I wouldn't say scared. We have been anxious and sometimes the anxiety has
caused us to try and force a victory and try and force ourselves into
delivering the victory everyone wants and we have left ourselves exposed on
several occasions to the counterattack and not been able to cope with that.
We got a really good performance against Blackpool and, let's face it, it
should have been six or seven but then at the other end, there were little
or no opportunities for Blackpool to score or sneak a goal at an important
time of the game when it stood at maybe one-nil. A good side in control of
the game, finishes people off and that's what we are striving to do.
Hopefully we can do that again on Saturday. Every game here in the
Championship and away from home, is so competitive. The teams are very well
organised, players are committed and give their all. That's why every result
is a difficult one to get.
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West Ham v Leicester
Page last updated at 11:12 GMT, Friday, 28 October 2011 12:12 UK
BBC.co.uk
Npower Championship
Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday, 29 October Kick-off: 1500 BST Coverage:
Watch highlights on The Football League Show; listen on BBC Radio 5 live and
BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC Sport website
TEAM NEWS
Henri Lansbury (knee) and Matt Taylor (calf) recently joined West Ham's
lengthy injury list. James Tomkins (groin), Carlton Cole (knee), Guy Demel
(hamstring), Gary O'Neil (ankle) and goalkeeper Robert Green (knee) are also
out.
Leicester are without Matt Mills, who is serving a three-match ban. But Jon
Rudkin and Mike Stowell, who are in caretaker charge, can call upon Paul
Gallagher following the forward's recovery from an ankle injury.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• West Ham have won 48 competitive matches against Leicester, and lost
42, with 29 drawn.
• This is their first meeting in seven seasons, and Leicester are
vying for a first league victory at Upton Park in 11 years.
• The Hammers need to score four times to total 200 league and cup
goals against the Foxes.
West Ham United
• Second-placed West Ham, three points behind Southampton, are aiming
to collect a fourth win in seven league outings, and an eighth of the
season.
• All their league wins have been against clubs outside the current
top 10.
• Victory will take their all-time total of league points to 4,000.
Leicester City
• Managerless Leicester have lost just four league games this season,
but two of those have come in the last three outings.
• Last Saturday's 3-0 home reverse to Millwall cost Sven-Goran
Eriksson his job, even though it left the Foxes just two points off the
play-off places.
• But they have not won away since the opening day trip to Coventry,
drawing four and losing one of the five subsequent games and failing to
score in the last three.
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Allardyce rules out Diouf signing
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 28th October 2011
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce has revealed that he will not be signing El Hadji Diouf. The
West Ham manager, who came under heavy fire this week for considering
signing a player who spat at West Ham supporters back in 2002 whilst a
Liverpool player has just revealed that the deal is off. Explaining the
decision, Allardyce said: "Everyone seems to be aware that we've had El
Hadji Diouf training with us but I've decided today not to offer him a
short-term contract. We've had a good look at him over the past few days but
because he's had no real football for some time his conditioning wasn't
good. "With that in mind - and the possibility that some of our injured
players will be hopefully have recovered in the not too distant future - we
won't be looking at a deal. "Obviously I had to bear in mind the situation
at the club with the fans. It was sensible to take everything into
consideration and the most important thing is we are going pretty well at
the moment and there shouldn't be any distractions."
Although Allardyce is understood to hold the final say with regards to
transfers it is thought that the board pleaded with him not to sign Diouf,
whose mere presence at Chadwell Heath in the past fortnight has caused a
great deal of bad feeling between the manager and the fans.
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Manny's swansong
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 28th October 2011
By: Staff Writer
Manuel Almunia could be in between the sticks for the last time tomorrow
when managerless Leicester City provide the opposition at the Boleyn Ground.
The on-loan goalkeeper's short stint as stand-in for the injured Rob Green
comes to an end after this weekend's fixture, with the England international
pencilled in to return for Tuesday's visit of Bristol City, Almunia's spell
at west Ham has seen Sam Allardyce's side pick up seven points from a
possible 12, with United having won twice (1-0 at Brighton in midweek and
4-0 at home to Blackpool), drawn once (2-2 at Crystal Palace) and lost once
(0-1 at Southampton) since his arrival. Meanwhile City, who fired manager
Sven Goran Erikkson earlier in the week following an underwhelming start to
their 2011/12 Championship campaign have placed Academy Director Jon Rudkin
and first team coach Mike Stowell in temporary charge for the game. "West
Ham away is one of the first fixtures you would have looked at so everyone
is very much looking forward to it," Rudkin told lcfc.co.uk. "It's a great
opportunity to go down there with the determination to get a result. "It
will be tough. They've got a number of good players, but we've got some very
good attributes ourselves and we'll be looking to maximise that and pose one
or two problems for West Ham."
West Ham supporters wishing to attend but currently without a ticket will be
able to pay on the door tomorrow, with cash turnstiles operating for the
West Upper and Bobby Moore Upper stands.
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West Ham Utd v Leicester City
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 28th October 2011
By: Preview Percy
We had to drag Preview Percy out of the pub to rewrite this following
Leicester's change in management this week.
We say 'pub'; it was 'Peppermint Hippo' - more of a lap dancing club where
they have an OAP special every Wednesday afternoon. Unfortunately, 'OAP
Special' refers to the women on show so we probably did him a favour.
Here's his look at Saturday's match followed by John Northcutt's look at
some of the history between the clubs.
And so the season moves on as we play host to Leicester City for a 3pm
kick-off at the Boleyn that, thankfully, the TV companies have forgotten all
about. Transport? Well whilst Upton Park is open there are closures to the
more central bits of the District lines and some parts of the DLR so you may
want to plan your journey. Weather? No idea – you're on the internet, look
it up.
The visitors come to the Boleyn in 13th place on 19 points, some five points
behind ourselves. Inconsistency seems to have been the watchword for our
opponents who have managed to beat Southampton and Derby but somehow managed
to contrive to lose at home to both Bristol City and Millwall.
Their overall record reads Won five, Drawn four and Lost four, whilst away
from whatever their ground is called this week they have won just the once
(1-0 at Coventry), drawn four (at Forest 2-2, Barnsley 1-1 goalless draws at
both Boro' and Cardiff), and lost once (at Birmingham).
It's probably fair to say that whilst the League table is remarkably
concertina-ed at present, 14th place is not quite where Leicester's owners
had anticipated them being at this time of the season. The Thai-based Asian
Football Investments group (which sounds suspiciously like the sort of mob
that used to sabotage floodlights a few years back) took over in August 2010
from Milan Mandaric, about whom I will say nothing since m'learned friends
seem to be all over any reporting of events linking him to a certain
ex-manager and ex-MD of ours.
Rather inconveniently, after I'd written the first 1,538 words of this
preview, the Thai owners decided to dispense with the services of Sven Goran
Eriksson meaning lots of radical rewriting has been required. And will I get
an extra bag of Werthers Originals for writing this from the editors? Of
course not. And the sell by date on the last packet they sent me was so long
ago I reckon they bought it off Ken Tucker as well.
Meanwhile, while the Thais work out who they want next, academy coach John
Rudkin and goalkeeper coach Mike Stowell will be in charge.
Pre-season, the bookies made them favourites along with us to go straight
up, largely on the back of the money spent by the owners in the summer. Much
of that money seemed to go on players familiar to the now former manager
Sven Goran Eriksson, who took over from Paulo Sousa just over a year ago
following a poor start to 2010/11.
Eriksson has, obviously, been all over the newspapers since he first arrived
on these shores. So much so that it may have escaped your notice that he is
actually a football manager by profession who once managed the England
national team, rather than just somebody who is just well-known for being
famous . Eriksson has made himself fairly rich on the back of his severance
pay from leaving managerial jobs over the years and no doubt this latest
agreement will put off his having to adopt a new career as a Big Issue
salesman for a little while yet.
First choice 'keeper is Kaspar Schmeichel. Schmeichel is of course son of
the famously red-nosed ex-Man Utd 'keeper Peter . Schmeichel junior started
his career at Man City where Eriksson was manager at the time. City's
signing of both Shay Given and Joe Hart meant that first XI opportunities
were severely limited and, following a spell or five on loan, he was allowed
to move to Notts County (manager Eriksson S) in 2009.
There were weird goings on at Meadow Lane in those times. Schmeichel arrived
whilst new owners seemed to be awash with cash and he was on a decent wedge
for the 4th Division. However much of the promised cash was illusory
(familiar story eh?) and when the dust settled the Magpies were struggling
to meet his wages.
At the end of 2009/10 County released the player from the final three years
of his four-year contract with Schmeichel in return sacrificing the three
years' worth of £15k a week he was contractually entitled to. He then went
to Leeds but when Leicester (Manager SG Eriksson) came knocking this summer
he was reunited with his old boss. If Eriksson ever returns to international
football expect a change of nationality.
Their skipper will be missing for this match. Matt Mills started off at
Southampton and had a spell at Man City where his career overlapped that of
a manager by the name of Eriksson, though Mills made but a handful of first
XI appearances at that time. Doncaster, then Reading followed before
Eriksson pounced in the summer to make Mills Leicester's record signing at
£5m (£5.5m with add ons), making Mills captain in the process.
His absence is down to a suspension for a two-footed tackle in their defeat
to Birmingham that I missed, nodding off while watching the match in the tv
lounge in the rest home, probably as a result of the stuff they put in the
tea. Regular readers will know that we do love a good middle name about here
so it is with great delight that I add Matthew Claude Mills to our list,
even if he's not playing.
Talking of names, we can't omit that of former Preston defender Sean St
Ledger. Or, to give him his full splendid moniker: Sean Patrick St
Ledger-Hall. St Ledger is a regular in the Republic of Ireland team and was
another of the summer signings, coming in for a reported £1.2m from the
Deepdale club.
St Ledger's first brush with fame saw him feature in the toe-curlingly awful
documentary that Sky did on Peterborough United a few years back. The
programme, featured Ron Atkinson acting as "advisor" to the club, managing
to nause everyone off in the process, with the reported exception of
Peterborough's bank managers who were more than happy with the £100,000 Sky
were said to have paid the club.
St Ledger was shown in heated arguments with the then manager Steve
Bleasdale who eventually walked out of the club an hour before a match. St
Ledger joked that he would sue Sky for making him look like a "bad boy", a
comment taken seriously by no one apart from our tabloid press for whom
"soccer star sues Sky" was an easy, if inaccurate, headline to print.
The full back berths in the squad include two ex-Hammers. Paul Konchesky is
an alumnus of the 2006 FA Cup final side, scoring with a finely placed shot
that was in no way a rather flukey, mishit cross. Since leaving the Boleyn,
Konchesky has had spells at Fulham and Liverpool.
Liverpool's supporters subjected the player to dogs' abuse throughout his
career and went ballistic when Konchesky's Mum ventured to suggest that they
were "scum" for doing so, thus breaking the unwritten law that thou shall
not criticise anything about the city or people of Liverpool. The arrival of
Dalglish saw the player move to Forest on loan before a permanent move to
Leicester was sealed this summer. Konchesky won a few England caps between
2003-05. Have a guess who the manager was then.
The other ex-Hammer is John Pantsil or Paintsil, depending on whether you
believe him or his passport. Pa(i)ntsil spent a short and not particularly
distinguished career at the Boleyn and most of his appearances were made
from the bench. His obvious keenness never quite compensated for a lack of
talent, though it did lead to his becoming something of a cult figure in his
time with us.
The "better than Kaka" chant was a particular hit amongst those who like
their football humour served with a large dose of irony. As far as I can
make out Pantsil has never before been at a club which has employed Sven
Goran Eriksson as manager, which is why he seems to have been on the bench
most of the time with Lee Peltier usually being preferred in the right back
slot.
In midfield they have Michael Johnson who is in on a season long loan at
Manchester City where he played under the managership of you know who.
Johnson's career never quite took off as one might have expected at
Eastlands and the arrival of the oil money up there meant that first XI
opportunities were going to be at a premium for the player.
Up front they have a number of familiar names to choose from. David Nugent
has been about for a while, winning one England cap as a scoring sub in a
Euro qualifier against Andorra joining Paul Goddard and Francis Jeffers in
that particular quiz question. No, Eriksson wasn't England manager at the
time – it was, of course, Steve McLaren. Nugent was another summer arrival,
coming in on a free once his contract at Portsmouth expired. Much of his
time at Fratton Park was actually spent on loan at Burnley with Pompey
struggling to pay wages at the time.
Another familiar name is that of Darius Vassell. Stop me if you've heard
this but the player was previously managed by Mr Eriksson at both Manchester
City and, before that, England. It was always a mystery to me how he used to
look half decent playing for England despite often failing to impress at
club level.
Ultimately it's your club form that gets you the international recognition
and it's a fair bet that he won't be adding to his 22 caps, the last of
which was gained in the defeat to Portugal in Euro 2004 during which he
added himself to the ever-increasing list of England players to have missed
in a penalty shootout. Vassell arrived in summer (yes another one) from
Turkish outfit Ankaragucu.
Yet another summer arrival was Jermaine Beckford. Beckford came in from
Everton where he failed to impress having joined from Leeds in 2010. That
didn't stop the Toffeemen charging Leicester £2.5m for his services.
Beckford is uncapped at international level. Former Hammer Tommy Taylor
asked him to turn out for Grenada in 2009 but nothing appears to have come
of the request and Beckford has been linked in recent months with Jamaica.
For us, my spies tell me that James Tomkins is progressing well but this
might be a few days early for the defender, similarly Matt Taylor is still a
doubt. Demel's hamstring is beginning to take on mythical status akin to
Devonshire Flu or Kieron Dyer Anything I presume we will see him eventually
but just not yet. Almunia will continue in goal I believe.
Monday night was a strange one wasn't it. How many times have we seen what
happened to Brighton happen to us at home over the years – particularly the
last time we were at this level. One was reminded that when eyebrows were
made at his appointment, Mr Allardyce made comment to the effect that we'd
be more likely to play football at home – away would be a different matter.
This was the ultimate embodiment of that statement, though I wonder if this
was a reversion to "away plan A" prompted by the defeat at Southampton,
where, initially at least until Taylor's injury forced a reshuffle, we'd
started with a more attacking outlook in mind.
Though being as pleasing to the eye as the first Mrs Percy first thing in
the morning (shudder) the plan was executed well I suppose, though had we
played Brighton a few weeks earlier before they went off the boil I wonder
would things have been different. The opposition showed a naivety and a lack
of patience that led to Almunia having but one save worthy of the name to
make and I have to say that, particularly when Sears came on and ran at
people, we looked to have a bit more cutting edge.
I would hope that we would have a bit more ambition for this one,
particularly at home against a team that must be in some sort of disarray
following the Swede's latest pay-off. I know we have this habit of being the
sequence busters of football – if you haven't won in ages, or have a player
who hasn't scored for eons or if you've just sacked your manager seeing West
Ham next up on the list will bring a smile to your face. The bookies must
have lost a fortune to Hammers fans when Torres scored against us last year.
However, I do think that we'll win this one – if we go for it more in the
manner of a home side chasing points rather than an away side aiming to
avoid defeat. My prediction this week is there fore for a 2-1 win –so, given
my track record, get your money on any score but that if you like a flutter.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met: You have to go back to March 2005 for this one as a brace
from Edward Sheringham saw us twice come from behind to pick up a point.
Marlon Harewood missed a late penalty which would have given us all three
points. Earlier we'd drawn 0-0 up there on the opening day of the season.
Referee: James Linington – another for whom this will be a first time in
charge at the Boleyn. Has spent most of his season in Divisions 3 and 4 –
this will be his third match at this level this term. Comes from the Isle Of
Wight so don't be surprised if he stops the match to point at the bright
shiny things when the floodlights come on.
Danger Man: David Nugent – top scorer this season. Also Beckford is without
much in the way of goals this season and given that sequence-busting record
we have….
Daft fact of the week: The double decker South Stand at their old Filbert
Street ground was an exact copy of our old West Stand, apart from the little
box precariously perched at the front of the upper tier from which Bill
Remfry played James Last records. They thought about copying the old Chicken
Run as well but didn't want to spoil the Midlands supporters with too much
luxury.
Stat man John: Northcutt's corner
Bad boys: sent off
Don Hutchison (h) 1994-95; Igor Stimac (h) 2000-01; Rufus Brevett (a).
They played for both
Sid Bishop; Albert Carnelly; David Connolly; Tony Cottee; Les Ferdinand;
Andy Impey; William Jackson; Peter Kyle; Colin Mackleworth; Fred Milnes;
Mike Newell; Chris Powell; Norman Proctor; Jimmy Quinn; Keith Robson; Nobby
Solano.
Three Hammers who became Leicester manager
Frank O'Farrell (1968-1971); Jimmy Bloomfield (1971-1977); Martin Allen
(2007).
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No West Ham deal for Diouf
Allardyce concerned about lack of fitness and 'bad-boy' image
Last Updated: October 28, 2011 3:19pm
SSN
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has confirmed he will not be signing
El Hadji Diouf. The Senegalese had been on trial with the Championship side
in a bid to win a contract after having his deal terminated at Blackburn in
the summer. But having previously signed Diouf while boss of Bolton and
Blackburn, Allardyce has decided against offering the former Liverpool
player a contract for a third time. The Hammers said on their official
twitter feed: "Sam Allardyce has confirmed that El Hadji Diouf will not be
signing for West Ham United."
Allardyce had been searching for a 'missing link' in his squad as he bids to
guide the Hammers to an immediate return to the Premier League. But Diouf,
who spent the second half of last season on loan at Rangers, will not be
staying at Upton Park due to a lack of fitness and fears over a 'bad-boy'
image.
Future
Allardyce said in his Evening Standard column on Friday: "Everyone seems to
be aware that we've had El Hadji Diouf training with us, but I've decided
today not to offer him a short-term contract. "We've had a good look at him
over the past few days, but because he's had no real football for some time
his conditioning wasn't good. "With that in mind and the possibility that
some of our injured players will be hopefully have recovered in the not too
distant future, we won't be looking at a deal. "Obviously I had to bear in
mind the situation at the club with the fans. It was sensible to take
everything into consideration and the most important thing is we are going
pretty well at the moment and there shouldn't be any distractions. "The
sensible thing to do always is to consider all the possible consequences and
then make the decision. "He's a good player and he did well for me at
Bolton, but I'm aware of the issue with the fans here at West Ham. "There's
always been so-called 'bad boys' in football - Eric Cantona is just one that
springs to mind - but it's not for me to criticise any West Ham supporter
for having a stance on this. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I
respect that."
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West Ham v Leicester preview
Last updated: 28th October 2011
SSN
Team news ahead of Saturday's Championship clash between West Ham United and
Leicester City at Upton Park. West Ham will still be without a host of
players.
The Hammers recently lost loanees David Bentley and Henri Lansbury to
long-term knee injuries, fellow midfielder Matt Taylor has calf trouble,
defender James Tomkins a groin problem and striker Carlton Cole a knee
injury. Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia plays the last game of his initial
month-long loan spell from Arsenal as Robert Green continues to recover from
knee surgery. Midfielder Papa Bouba Diop will be checked over after going
off with a dead leg during the 1-0 win at Brighton on Monday. Sam Baldock
could start alongside John Carew if boss Sam Allardyce opts to go with two
up front at home.
Leicester begin life after Sven-Goran Eriksson with a difficult away trip.
Academy director Jon Rudkin and coach Mike Stowell have been preparing the
team since the Swede's departure on Monday. They inherit a squad with no new
problems following the surprise 3-0 home defeat to Millwall last weekend,
which proved to be Eriksson's final game in charge. Captain Matt Mills will
complete his three-match suspension but Paul Gallagher could be in
contention to return to the squad. The forward has been sidelined since
suffering ankle ligament damage during the 1-1 draw at Barnsley on September
10. Gallagher has been training with the rest of the squad for around 10
days now and played 70 minutes for the reserves this week. Rudkin and
Stowell must decide whether he is fit enough to be considered. Leicester
hope to have a new manager in place by the time Leeds visit the King Power
Stadium next weekend.
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West Ham fans' fury blocked Diouf deal
Published 22:00 28/10/11 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce admits that fan power played its part in not offering striker
El Hadji Diouf a West Ham deal. The Hammers boss has been hit by a major
injury crisis at a critical stage of the season and invited the Senegal
hitman to have a trial with the east London club. Hadji Diouf has faced
nothing but controversy after he was accused of spitting at Celtic fans
almost 10 years ago. He was then found guilty of the same offence against
Portsmouth defender Arjan de Zeeuw. Big Sam still felt he could get the best
out of a player who displayed his top form under his guidance at both Bolton
and Blackburn. But a number of Irons supporters lodged heavy objections to
the proposed move.
And with Hadji Diouf, 30, being well below the required fitness levels,
Allardyce pulled the plug on the deal. He said: "It is not my job to scroll
through everything that has been said, but I considered the response from
the fans. "I wanted to know what it was like and I took that into
consideration and made the decision. "Hadji Diouf's a good player and he did
well for me at Bolton, but I'm aware of the issue with the fans here at West
Ham. "With his lack of conditioning at the moment he needs a lot of catching
up and is not ready to play for a considerable time. "By the time he would
be fit enough, all my injuries would be back and available to play. Taking
those factors into account, I have not offered El Hadji the short-term deal
we first talked about."
Allardyce was upset with comments made about his team's 1-0 victory over
Brighton on Monday. He was accused of not getting West Ham playing
attractive football, but with the Irons second in the Championship, he
feels that is complete nonsense. The Hammers aim to heap more misery on
Leicester – who sacked Sven Goran Eriksson this week for not getting the
right results – at Upton Park on Saturday. But Allardyce is not prepared to
change his tactics. He added: "It is bull**** as normal. West Ham's displays
away from home before I got here were lose, lose, lose, lose, lose, lose.
"If they want me to play the West Ham way and lose, then I don't want to be
here. If we are on top of our game we are going to cause Leicester a lot of
problems."
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Steve Lomas in line to land SPL job
Published 21:29 28/10/11 By Footbal Spy
The Mirror
Steve Lomas is in talks with SPL side St Johnstone about a shock move to
become their boss. The former Northern Ireland skipper, who played for
Manchester City, West Ham and QPR from 1991-2007, met with Saints on Friday
and is the surprise favourite. Lomas, who was West Ham's reserves boss last
season, could get the nod over the weekend.
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SAM ALLARDYCE'S GOT IT JUST BRIGHT
Daily Star
29th October 2011 By BRIAN WOOLNOUGH
FANS who knock the tactics of West Ham boss Sam Allardyce should ask
themselves a question: Do you want to win or not? Allardyce has wrongly been
dismissed as a long-ball merchant for too long. Brighton fans baited him
during their 1-0 home defeat to the Hammers on Monday night. So who will
finish higher in the Championship this season – Brighton or West Ham? I know
who my money is on
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Allardyce turns down opportunity to sign out of shape bad boy Diouf after
trial
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 9:09 PM on 28th October 2011
Dialy Mail
El Hadji Diouf will not be signing for West Ham after manager Sam Allardyce
decided the striker wasn't in the right condition. The Senegalese
international has been without a club since the start of the season but has
had offers from the Championship and beyond. However the option of Upton
Park is no longer there. 'Everyone seems to be aware that we've had him
training with us, but I've decided today not to offer him a short-term
contract,' Allardyce said. 'We've had a good look at him over the past few
days, but because he's had no real football for some time his conditioning
wasn't good. 'With that in mind and the possibility that some of our injured
players will be hopefully have recovered in the not too distant future, we
won't be looking at a deal. 'Obviously I had to bear in mind the situation
at the club with the fans. It was sensible to take everything into
consideration and the most important thing is we are going pretty well at
the moment and there shouldn't be any distractions. 'The sensible thing to
do always is to consider all the possible consequences and then make the
decision. He's a good player and he did well for me at Bolton, but I'm aware
of the issue with the fans here at West Ham.' Doncaster Rovers remain
interested in the 30-year-old.
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