Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce has work to do to as he tries to identify a player that can
help his resilient rearguard
07.11.2011
It may be the international break but there will be no let up for Sam
Allardyce as he looks for a possible defensive addition to his in-form
squad. The Hammers are on a roll with three wins and a draw from their last
four outings, with Saturday's 2-0 success at Hull City perhaps the most
notable given the opposition's home form this season. The team were firing
up front, with Sam Baldock and Jack Collison grabbing the goals that
underlined the team's attacking and creative potential from set-pieces and
open play, even without the injured trio of David Bentley, Henri Lansbury
and Matt Taylor.
However, with Winston Reid (shoulder) also absent along with Joey O'Brien
and Guy Demel (both hamstring), the manager knows defensive reinforcements
are required. "My main priority is to find a central defender to loan for
the next two or three months. Abdoulaye Faye and James Tomkins were
outstanding [at Hull] but they were the only two defenders we have at the
club at the moment. I have to fill that position and help us carry on this
great run of results that we are on."
The break for internationals until the trip to Coventry City on Saturday
week will also afford the medical staff the chance to work overtime on the
absentees. O'Brien and Demel could both be in contention for the Ricoh
Stadium awayday, while it is hoped that Taylor may also have recovered from
his troublesome calf. "The results have shown the quality in the squad is
good enough but the depth of it is the problem. The two-week break is at the
right time for us. We don't have many players away which is a blessing and
we should get some of our injured players back in the squad to help us
restart the league."
The Hull win owed much to Robert Green and Carlton Cole, with both having
recently left the treatment table after their own knee concerns. The manager
felt that, in Green's case, he was actually playing with more freedom and
mental strength than he was before his operation at the end of September.
"He has recovered two weeks ahead of schedule and he feels brilliant. There
is a real spring in his step by how comfortable he feels after the
operation. Mentally he feels so much better about the knee than he did
before he had the operation so that is a massive plus for any player when
they have to go under the surgeon and come back feeling miles better. "It is
just the curing of his knee. He has a fantastic goalkeeping coach. I have
had a few in my time and Martyn Margetson's dedication to the job means he
covers every little angle and every little thing a goalkeeper needs to cover
from positioning, to how to deal with crosses to where your hands and feet
should be.
"He has got the great support there that's always needed for a goalkeeper
and a real good defence in front of him that means when he is called upon it
is only now and then. He is not being bombarded on a regular basis like he
was before. Robert calculated that he had 19 shots per game at him last
season."
Similarly, Cole's return after a five-game return was to be critical. The
manager changed things at half-time to ensure more mobility up front, as
well as putting Papa Bouba Diop in a conventional holding role, shifting
Kevin Nolan into a deeper-lying position to wrest control of the game and
giving Mark Noble more licence to play balls into the front three.
"Carlton's movement was the key element while Sam Baldock sniffs out chances
and spaces. We can change it around and mix it up [with our strikers]. That
is very important for me to sit on the bench and make my mind up that I was
going to put in Carlton at half-time. It is always important to have a
strong bench that you know you can make the team better. "I didn't think we
were getting enough movement on the frontline so we changed the shape of
midfield. We dropped Nobby deeper, put Papa in front of the back four,
pushed Mark Noble up, put Carlton on and said 'Let's control midfield'.
"That first ten-15 minutes in the second half won us the game because we
controlled the game. We started off from the very first whistle, got the
opposition on the back foot, punished them severely on the corner. We went
on to get the next one and when we did we did it with our best move of the
game and our best finish. "As a group of players they knew that more goals
would be nice but as long as Hull don't get one we knew that's three points
in the bag. It was a very precious three points after our great performance
but disappointing result on Tuesday [against Bristol City]."
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Board hail 'amazing' supporters
WHUFc.com
Joint-Chairman David Sullivan has lauded the brilliant backing given to the
team at home and away
07.11.2011
Hammers fans continue to set the standard in the npower Championship - with
an incredible 6,313 heading to Coventry City on Saturday week. The claret
and blue faithful have been impressive at the Boleyn Ground this season but
their devotion has been particularly striking away from home. After helping
Southampton and Brighton & Hove Albion to set record attendances, they then
contributed to the biggest crowd of the campaign at Hull City last weekend.
That will all be surpassed by the thousands who will head to the Ricoh Arena
to see if Big Sam's men can maintain the excellent run of form that has
lifted them to second place. It will be the biggest travelling following for
West Ham United since the 9 May 2004 trip to Wigan Athletic when 7,400 away
fans were present. Joint-Chairman David Sullivan hailed the support. "It's
totally amazing," he told whufc.com. "I've never known such amazing away
support so early in the season. "The club is so proud of our travelling away
supporters. Not only do they make a massive amount of noise, but they are
impeccably well behaved. Every one of them is a true ambassador for the
club."
With more than a month to go as well until the trip to Reading on Saturday
10 December, more than 70 per cent of the 4,200 allocation has already gone.
The away support is also mirrored by the Boleyn backing received by the
team, with the Board keen to reward season ticket holders and also make
family football affordable for all - although demand is naturally high for
the special offers. For example, the next Upton Park fixture against Derby
is kids for a fiver, while the match is also free to Youth Academy members.
Season ticket holders can apply for up to two extra tickets for friends and
family with a ten per cent discount during an exclusive selling period. For
all the Derby deals, click here. With the team pushing for promotion, those
who back the team now - especially with season tickets and the new
half-season tickets can play a major part in the club's ambitions. There is
also a special three-game Christmas bundle to act as a taster for the
terrific half-season package available for what should be a thrilling
run-in.
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Academy update: Carr content
WHUFc.com
Academy Director Tony Carr with the latest news from Little Heath
07.11.2011
Academy Director Tony Carr has taken time out to speak to whufc.com about a
number of subjects. Carr discussed Saturday's 1-0 home FA Premier Academy
League defeat by Chelsea, the involvement of Danny Potts in the first-team
squad at Hull City and England call-ups for Rob Hall, Matthias Fanimo, Blair
Turgott and schoolboy Josh Cullen.
Can we start by discussing Saturday's 1-0 FA Premier League defeat by
Chelsea at Little Heath?
"Yes. It was a 1-0 defeat by Chelsea at home, but it was much-improved
performance on our part. I thought we played quite well, especially in the
second half.
"We had lots of chances and Elliot Lee has hit the post with a header, we've
had two efforts cleared off the line and numerous other opportunities.
"Chelsea are a very good team and are technically a very good side and are
strong defensively. They broke away and scored the only goal of the game. We
might say we didn't go with the runner in midfield, which was the case, and
he popped up in the box and scored with their one real chance of the game.
"After the goal, we chased the game and threw more and more men forward and
got caught on the counterattack a couple of times and they could have added
to their total. "I think it was a game in which it was important for us to
have scored first and, if we had done, it would have turned the tables our
way. Overall, it was a much-improved performance on our part so we're not
too despondent about the result. "We go on to the next match, which is
Norwich City away, and hopefully we can get something there."
You were without Danny Potts on Saturday as he was called into to the
first-team squad for the npower Championship fixture at Hull City, which
must have been pleasing?
"People will look at the results of the youth team and as we've said many,
many times we want to win every game we play, but the bottom line is the
development of individual players and how far they can progress. "The
pleasing part for us at the weekend was that Daniel Potts, who has had a
decent season for us in the youth side, was on the bench for the first team.
"They are short of defenders after losing Winston Reid against Bristol City
and obviously Danny had done enough to catch the eye of the senior staff in
the development squad games and they had no hesitation in drafting him into
the squad. "He is another one who has come through and from the Academy
point of view that is more important than any result we get on a Saturday
morning."
You must also have been pleased to see four players called up by England
recently?
"Yes. Rob Hall has been included in the Under-19s, who play Denmark in
Brighton on Thursday, while Matthias Fanimo and Blair Turgott have been
called-up by the Under-18s for a friendly in Slovakia next Wednesday. "Rob
has moved on very quickly because he came back in the summer and went
straight into training with the senior squad. He has been out on loan at
Oxford United for a couple of months, so he's only been back at the club for
fleeting moments. "He is back at the moment and will now go away for a week
with England, but he was on the bench against Bristol City and it will be
important to see how much he has learnt and how much he has improved during
his time away. I wouldn't rule out another loan at a later stage of the
season, but for now I expect him to feature in the first-team arena and
hopefully get on the bench and on the pitch sometime soon. "Josh Cullen, a
promising young schoolboy, was also playing for England last week in the
Under-16s Victory Shield competition and he did very well. I spoke to the
England coach Kenny Swain and he was very pleased with Josh's performance.
"He has a lot of competition in midfield, but we certainly think he is a
bright young player and those games can only help his development."
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No pain, no gain for Cole
WHUFC.com
Carlton Cole is willing to give his all to aid West Ham United's promotion
push
07.11.2011
Carlton Cole might not be 100 per cent fit, but he is feeling good about
West Ham United's future. The England striker made a game-changing impact
after being introduced as a half-time substitute in Saturday's 2-0 npower
Championship win at Hull City, providing vital assists for Sam Baldock and
Jack Collison. The No9 is playing in pain after feeling a medial knee
ligament problem in the 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace last month, but showed no
ill-effects at the KC Stadium. Cole played the central role in a revised
4-3-3 formation introduced by manager Sam Allardyce at half-time, flicking
on Mark Noble's corner for Baldock's 49th-minute opener before sliding a
perfect pass through for Collison's clincher eight minutes later.
"I think I showed quality at the right time," he told West Ham TV. "We were
disappointed on the back of the last result against Bristol City and wanted
to come out and show that we can win games well. "The first half wasn't
pretty and the second half wasn't pretty either, but we got in the right
positions at the right times to score the right goals at the right times.
That's what we're about at the moment and even if we have to play ugly, it's
nice to win games. "Baldy was in the right place at the right time and he's
the sort of striker we need in the box. It's nice to play up front with
someone like that because they're always on the shoulder of the defender who
is always worried about where he is. He drags defenders out of the way and
makes my job easier than playing up front alone. "John Carew and Freddie
Piquionne will tell you the same - it's nice to play up front with a small
guy sometimes if the manager wants to switch it up. It's nice to have that
option and it gives a striker greater confidence to know that someone is
there with him pestering the defenders. "For the second goal, it was a great
run from Jack and he made up my mind really. I just had to get it on a plate
for him, but you can always scuff them up and get them wrong, but thankfully
I got the right weight on it and he got through for a one-on-one and put it
away. I'd have been proud of that finish."
Cole revealed that his fitness issues had restricted his time on the
training pitch in recent weeks, but the 28-year-old is hopeful he will
regain full-fitness and the goalscoring form he showed in the opening weeks
of the season before too long. "I don't need rest. I need to train. I think
I've only had one training session for the past month and a half. I've been
called upon and have tried to put in good performances in the last two games
and it's been really hard to get match-fit. "You don't realise how long a
month really is until you get back on the field. It's really hard to get
back into the swing of things, but the manager is feeding me in nicely and
John and Freddie have done a great job while I've been away and obviously
Sam is scoring goals emphatically. "As everyone knows, I've had a knee
problem but that hasn't been the problem. I twinged my medial knee ligament
against Crystal Palace and ever since then it's been niggling. It's not my
main injury that everyone knows about - it's something totally different -
so I've just got to keep on top of it and it will fade away with time. "I'm
still playing with a little bit of pain but it's not that bad at the moment.
It's obviously frustrating but as any footballer will tell you, you've just
got to work hard and get back to full fitness and it will pay off in the
end. That's the main thing. "We've got great cover here, so it's not as if I
had to be rushed back. The manager has understood the situation and he has
done brilliantly with me. He's brought me back slowly and hopefully I can
get back to the form I was in before Christmas comes. "I really want to get
some more goals. I had a couple of chances on Saturday that perhaps people
didn't see as chances but I did. I know what I've got to do."
While Cole did not score himself, his assists helped West Ham to maintain
their hold on second place in the table - five points behind leaders
Southampton and a point clear of third-placed Middlesbrough. With a trip to
struggling Coventry City and home games against Derby County and Burnley
next on the fixture list, the forward believes the Hammers are ready to
strengthen their position. "We've got the right options up front and the
right players to push each other to do well for the team and get us up to
the top of the league. Right now, we're trying to stay in touch with
Southampton because they're doing brilliantly at the moment. We just need to
keep the progress up and win games. "We're on track and that's the main
thing. We were very disappointed about the Bristol City game, because if
we'd just got one goal there it would have been brilliant. We just need to
keep in touch and stay in the top two until Christmas and then see where we
can go from there."
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England call for Hall
WHUFC.com
The Young Lions have named Robert Hall in their squad for Thursday's
friendly against Denmark
07.11.2011
Robert Hall's tremendous season has continued with a call-up for England to
play Denmark in an Under-19 friendly against Denmark. The Amex Stadium
encounter will take place this Thursday and is just reward for Hall's
efforts at club level of late. He scored six goals in ten matches on loan at
Oxford United before being recalled and getting his first Hammers league
experience as an unused sub against Bristol City last Tuesday. Hall, who
turned 18 last month, has plenty of Young Lions pedigree behind him. He was
a Victory Shield winner within the U16 set-up and helped England to win the
2010 UEFA European U17 Championship. He has also been capped at U18 level.
The in-form striker is not the only Academy ace in the England set-up. Josh
Cullen, 15, is in the England U16 set-up, Leo Chambers is an U17 regular
while Matthias Fanimo and Blair Turgott are both in the Young Lions squad
for an U18 friendly away to Slovakia on 15 November. The 7.30pm kick-off at
the home of Brighton & Hove Albion has sold out and will be shown live on
FATV via TheFA.com.
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Is our support really that bad?
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 7th November 2011
By: Gary Portugal
Well that depends on whether we're talking about home or away. If it's away
you talk about, our support is consistently top drawer both in volume and
number –all the players and manager will tell you that.
If it's home however, that clearly is a totally different story altogether.
The issue at Upton Park is not one of numbers – we consistently get
25-30,000 fans, which is quite good for this division. Especially when you
compare it to a club like Middlesborough ,who played this weekend to a half
empty ground or worse, despite sitting third in the table. Or Leeds who on a
recent Sunday couldn't fill half their ground against Cardiff, one of the
top sides.
No. The issue of course at the Boleyn Ground is one of atmosphere, not
numbers. And it has been that way for a long, long time. In fact, the last
time Upton Park was anything like Fortress Upton Park was probably 2001-02
when we finished seventh, ahead of the 2002 World Cup attended by three
members of that season's West Ham team. And you could argue that in our
first season back in the Premiership after relegation,the season that saw us
nearly win an FA Cup against Liverpool under Alan Pardew, Upton Park was a
bit of a fortress. Maybe,except when it involved Bolton.
But the truth is that for a decade now, Upton Park has been a relatively
easy place for opposition to come as West Ham simply haven't collected a
whole lot of points at home over that period - regardless of what division
we played in or who the manager was. Hence why we have been relegated twice
in a decade and never finished higher than ninth in the top flight since the
01/02 season.
Part of the reason for our mediocre-at-best home performance over the last
decade (and at worst, absolutely shambolic) is that the quality of our
support at home over the past ten years has deteriorated . Nosedived.
Plummeted. Fallen through the trap door.
The atmosphere at Upton park now - and for many years - has been completely
non-existent. There is more noise in a morgue or a library than there is at
the Boleyn these days. The only noise, and all too often, comes from away
supporters who love to take the absolute p*ss out of us because we sit there
in virtual dead silence.
The songs, few and far between, are very half-hearted and are often limited
to 'Bubbles' alone. It is absolutely depressing and explains why some season
ticket holders have thrown in the towel in recent years – that and the
substandard results, of course.
All this makes us very easy to stifle or even beat at home. We've already
lost to sides like Cardiff and Ipswich, who although potential promotion
candidates are really nothing special. Opposition managers and players come
to Upton Park with a definite game plan: they know very well that if West
Ham don't score early, or heaven forbid, concede early, the home fans will
turn on them. And start booing them, cursing them, fingering them etc.
So the atmosphere, rather than being positive, can become negative in Upton
Park very, very quickly. And the opposition know that and thrive on it. They
know that it is so easy to completely take the home supporters out of the
match at Upton Park. So that playing at home actually becomes a DISADVANTAGE
- and even when the opposition trails, even if it's by two goals or more,
they know that they are NEVER out of the match completely. They know how
nervy our fans are even if we're ahead late in the game at home, because of
our horrific record of conceding late goals.
Like anything else in life though, it takes two to tango. Has the club
really given the fans that much to shout about over the past decade? Hardly
. Even in our promotion winning season, we scraped into the last play-off
spot very late in the proceedings. Neither the results, nor the
performances, have been anything to inspire good vocal backing at home.
Many times the style or manner in which we have played,especially under the
likes of Roeder, Curbishley, Grant and even Zola has been mindnumbingly
dull, simply frustrating to watch or both. With respect to the current
season,the one and only time there was any kind of proper atmosphere at
Upton Park was the 5-0 defeat of Blackpool. So is that what it takes to get
the Boleyn 'faithful' to sing ? Anything less than a mauling of the
opposition and we can't be bothered?
Alas, there are further explanations, if not excuses, for the graveyard
atmosphere at Upton Park over and above results. For a start, prices across
the Football League have gone up tremendously over the past decade which
perhaps has affected the type of supporter that comes to matches now . You
could argue that some of the more passionate supporters have simply been
priced out - not only at West Ham, but across the country.
You could also argue that is not just the Boleyn Ground where the atmosphere
is dreary - you can hear a pin drop at some other former bastions of passion
or glory, which in some cases remain half-empty. You also point to growing
resentment amongst supporters at West Ham (and elsewhwere, for that matter)
at how grossly overpaid footballers are today. And how lazy they can be
despite being so absurdly overpaid.
So fans aren't interested in 'supporting' overpaid, lazy tarts, especially
given that some of these players either end up in jail or else embarrassing
themselves in a highly public way. In fact, some supporters - at West Ham
and elsewhere - may have simply lost respect for footballers . As a result,
they are quick to slag off or abuse their own players, rather than encourage
or get behind them. A real gap or disconnect has developed between players
and supporters – and again, this is not just at West Ham.
And then of course there is another very specific reason why the atmosphere
has become dreadful at Upton Park: the absolute incompetence of Terry Brown
and the Icelandics as owners. Owners who soiled our reputation with
Tevezgate and who wasted tens of millions of pounds on absolutely daft
contracts for even dafter players. Is it any wonder that the fans at Upton
Park have lost heart after the financial mess created by mainly the
Icelandics and to a lesser extent, Brown?
After all, what have we really had to look forward to? Remaining permanently
in debt; fearing bankruptcy; being constantly at risk of losing our best
players; always fearing that relegation is right around the corner - despite
a couple of great escapes... There is, after all, only so much pain
supporters can be asked to take.
One last thing to take into account is to consider what has happened around
the world over the past ten years. We've had 9/11 and we've had 7/7 amongst
other horrific terrorist events. Not to mention wars, two of which are not
finished yet (in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya). Which have resulted in the
loss of a lot of British lives. And that lovely global credit crunch
/recession that stumbles on ,and if anything looks set to get worse before
it gets better.
Maybe West Ham fans - and fans at many other clubs - have decided that Bill
Shankly was wrong. That football is NOT more important than life or death.
And that overpaid primadonnas with no loyalty, who prostitute themselves to
the highest bidder,really aren't 'heroes' or even 'role models'. Yes, Upton
Park is a part of society and can reflect trends in broader society in some
ways. Upton Park does not exist in a vaccum, nor does any football ground.
So yes, perhaps our support at Upton Park is genuinely that bad. And though
I don't condone, like or agree with it, I can certainly UNDERSTAND it. But
we have a choice to make as West Ham supporters. We can continue to sit
silently, except to boo or abuse when things don't go our way. Or we can try
to back this manager, this set of players and, I daresay, this set of owners
who have dug deep into their pockets to win promotion right here, right now
- and to win it convincingly, not via the lottery of the play-offs.
It is very simple. To win promotion this club must dramatically improve its
home record. Draws with Bristol City and Leeds and losses to Cardiff and
Ipswich, especially to late goals, are not good enough. We as fans have a
big role to play in that. If we want to play it. By providing positive
support and helping our lads stay switched on and focused for the full 90
minutes, no matter how exhausting they are. By getting behind our team, on
both good days and bad, to make Upton Park an intimidating place to come,not
a soft touch.
To win promotion, Upton Park needs to become something it has not been for
ages again: a fortress and a cauldron where the opposition hate coming to
play. We have to do our bit. If we don't, we are not going to have much to
cheer about for a very long time.
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Another letter to Sam
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 4th November 2011
By: Chris Trethewey
Dear Sam,
I am just an ordinary man. I work hard for a living, and there is nothing I
love more than a trip to the old Boleyn when I have a bit of spare time. I
have never once been disappointed that I made the effort to come and see my
beloved West Ham play regardless of the result.
Sometimes it's been hard to watch, sometimes its been downright frustrating
- but I have always left the ground satisfied that I have spent my money
well and have supported my club to the best of my ability. As of late
though, even when we win it has been troublesome.
A new plague has sprung up in E11, a pernicious and debilitating condition
which springs from our glorious team, who it seems find it impossible to
make life easy for their long suffering fans. And so, for the last 20
minutes of every home game, we all fall victim to protracted and severe
bouts of 'quacking arse syndrome'.
Away from home it seems it's a simple thing to smash in goal after
unanswered goal. At Watford, four goals with no reply; at Nottingham, four
goals with only one reply. How we revel in the delight of it all.
And then we come home again and can we do it there? Can we Hell. Pompey,
four goals but we ship three and the chocolate starfish of 30,000 loyal and
true fans rippled so hard it measured eight on the richter scale.
Then last weekend, Leicester City. We score three and ship two leaving us
with a horror twenty minutes to endure standing up, because the involuntary
spasming of the old tea towel holder made it safer to stand than to utilise
the moulded plastic Boleyn seats which would surely crack under the
terror-enduced, repeated bum tics which the sporting fare served up by our
team rendered unto us.
It is all but too much to bear when we are clearly the better team, that we
are incapable of finishing a game off before the final whistle goes.
Time and again that end of match pressure comes home to roost on the minds
and more importantly the bodies of our fabulous fans, who must surely be
paralysed with lengthy spells of stress-enduced Rangoon Crut at the hands of
our opposition, who, invited in, take the opportunity to at the very least
make the faithful itch with frustration for as long as possible.
Please Sam, please, for Christmas this year can we have a nice tidy 2-0 win?
It's Barnsley and they're not that good eh?
Surely you can contrive to make that one a little less than stressful so
that we, the minions of the mighty Hammers , may settle down into the
approaching season of goodwill with our minds settled our hearts easy and
our bottoms still!
As a special new year treat can we come to the Boleyn and see 90 munutes of
West Ham domination, a subtle blend of one touch, smooth passing, fast,
steady, patient, long ball, high line, defending from the front football
culminating in a steady and well earned 3-0 result acheived with better than
20 minutes of the game left to play?
It seems like a lifetime ago since I last spent a second half celebrating in
the sure and certain knowledge that the game was beyond the opposition (if
the last time wasnt just a dream) and I really would like to have that
chance again.
Is that really too much to ask?
Would it really be too much trouble?
I think the entire population of the ground, with the likely exception of
the away fans of course, would greatly appreciate it - and to that end I am
quite willing to get down on my knees and beg if I have to.
If it will make any difference at all I will make obeisance before you and
beesech you in the most purile and grovelling terms to do something to shore
up the back line at the Boleyn.
For the sake of my sanity and the sanctity of my rusty sherrif's badge I
plead with you, for once, keep a bloody clean sheet at home can ya?
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Allardyce seeks defender deal
Hammers chief targets loan move
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo. Last Updated:
November 7, 2011 11:36am
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has revealed he is hoping to bring in a new
central defender on loan. Allardyce is desperate to bring in defensive
reinforcements after New Zealand international Winston Reid suffered a
dislocated shoulder last week. The Hammers chief will now use the
international break to step up his efforts to bring in some defensive cover.
"My main priority is to find a central defender to loan for the next two or
three months," said Allardyce. "Abdoulaye Faye and James Tomkins were
outstanding against Hull on Saturday but they were the only two fit
defenders we have at the club at the moment. "I have to fill that position
and help us carry on this great run of results that we are on."
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Carlton Cole is a target for Marseille
Published: Today
The Sun
CARLTON COLE is a target for Marseille. The French giants are bossed by
Didier Deschamps, who spent the 1999-2000 season at Chelsea, while Cole was
in the Blues' academy. Deschamps now wants the West Ham and England hitman
to boost a Marseille side that has just 17 goals in 16 Ligue 1 games this
term. Championship outfit West Ham value Cole, 28, at £6million. But
Marseille, who can offer Champions League football, are not willing to go
that high.
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Allardyce frustrated in search for reinforcements
By talkSPORT
Monday, November 7
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce admits he faces a tough challenge in his search
to sign a defender on loan over the international break. Allardyce has been
hit by a major injury crisis at a crucial stage of the season and was rocked
by the news that New Zealand international Winston Reid will be ruled out
for six weeks with a dislocated shoulder. With Abdoulaye Faye and James
Tomkins the only recognised central defenders left available, Allardyce
knows he needs to bring in another top quality central defender. The Hammers
boss said: "We have been looking in wider areas with the loss of David
(Bentley) and Matt (Taylor) but we have not been able to find a player on
loan in a more attacking position. "I'm sure the defensive position will be
just as difficult because everyone else has got the same programme going
into Christmas and they will want to keep their players. "The ones they
wanted to loan are already at other clubs now so it is difficult, but we
will keep looking."
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Hammer time for one lucky defender as Allardyce goes hunting for cover on
loan
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 3:23 PM on 7th November 2011
Daily Mail
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is once again scouring the loan market after
yet another injury to a key member of his team. The Hammers are keen to
bolster their defensive options after New Zealand international Winston Reid
suffered a dislocated shoulder. And with the international break meaning a
brief respite from the day-to-day efforts of training and preparing for a
match, Allardyce will step up his efforts to add cover which will help
maintain West Ham's promotion push. He said: 'My main priority is to find a
central defender to loan for the next two or three months. 'Abdoulaye Faye
and James Tomkins were outstanding against Hull on Saturday but they were
the only two fit defenders we have at the club at the moment. 'I have to
fill that position and help us carry on this great run of results that we
are on.'
Allardyce has already used the market to his advantage, bringing in Arsenal
stopped Manuel Almunia when Rob Green was forced into an extended spell on
the sidelines.
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Alessandro Del Piero 'eyes summer transfer to Spurs or West Ham'
Metro.co.uk
Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero is reportedly keen to finish his career
in England, with a move to either Spurs or West Ham next summer. The
36-year-old has been told he can leave the Bianconeri in June, bringing to
an end an illustrious 19-year spell at the club. Speculation is rife in
Italy about what the forward will do next, after he made it clear he has no
intention of retiring just yet. The former Italy captain has now set his
sights on a move to the Premier League because he is a fan of English
football, reports Tuttosport. Spurs are said to be interested in speaking to
Del Piero about a deal for next season, while West Ham could also come into
his thinking if Sam Allardyce can guide them back to the top-flight. Del
Piero, who is Juventus's all-time record goalscorer and appearance maker,
has been linked with moves to AC Milan and Swiss club Sion in recent days.
He is also certain to receive lucrative offers from clubs in the US and
United Arab Emirates, but has indicated he would prefer to play in a more
competitive league.
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West Ham United boss praises England keeper Robert Green
2:21pm Monday 7th November 2011
Guardian Series
By Anthony Matthews »
Sam Allardyce believes Robert Green "looks pretty impregnable" and says the
West Ham keeper is reaping the benefits of now being injury free. The
England stopper was kept busy throughout Saturday's 2-0 victory at Hull City
– a result that kept the Hammers in the Championship's top two – but saved
his best until the end of the contest, making two outstanding saves to deny
Jack Hobbs and Paul McKenna. Reflecting on those stops afterwards, his
manager said: "In the last embers of the game, which would have lifted them
[Hull] had they got a goal and they worked and worked and worked to try and
get the chance and when they did Robert was there to make sure they didn't
get the ball in the back of the net. "That's the difference between us and
Hull today is our clinical finishing at one end and our goalkeeper making
the right saves at the right time at the other. That's the difference
between the top and middle and bottom."
The clean sheet at the KC Stadium was Green's fifth of the campaign and his
second consecutive shut out after spending most of last month on the
sidelines. "Robert Green has got better by the fact that he's cured of his
knee problem," Allardyce explained. "There was obviously a slightly tear in
the cartilage that could be managed before it got bigger and had to go for
the operation. "Because he's had the operation, because he's recovered two
weeks ahead of schedule he feels brilliant, so his whole well-being as a
footballer, as a goalkeeper is far, far better than what it was before he
had the operation and that's why you see a man that's got great stature and
great ability in between the goalposts. "At the moment he looks pretty
impregnable and when the opposition comes up against him he looks like, and
he feels like, he's going to save everything."
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Huge West Ham turnout for Championship trip to Coventry
12:19pm Monday 7th November 2011
Guardian Series
West Ham will take their biggest away contingent for seven years when they
travel to Coventry City this month. The Hammers visit the Championship
strugglers on Saturday, November 19 and are taking more than 6,200
supporters to the Ricoh Arena. West Ham's previous biggest away turnout came
in May 2004 when they took 7,400 fans to Wigan.
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West Ham's Cole: 'I have not had a knee injury'
London 24
Dave Evans, West Ham Correspondent
Monday, November 7, 2011
8:30 AM
West Ham striker Carlton Cole revealed that he had only one proper training
session in the last six weeks before coming on as a second-half substitute
to turn the game the Hammers way at Hull City on Saturday. The 27-year-old
England international climbed off the bench to make both goals in West Ham's
battling 2-0 victory at the KC Stadium, before confirming that the injury he
has is a different one to his usual knee problem. "As everyone knows, I've
had a knee problem, but that has not been the problem this time," revealed
Cole. "It has been my medial ligament. I kind of twinged it against Crystal
Palace and I had to come off. "Since then it has been niggling and niggling.
It is not my main injury that everyone knows about, it is something totally
different so we are just going to try and keep on top of it and hopefully it
will fade away with time. "I'm still playing with a little bit of pain, but
it is not that bad at the moment."
It certainly didn't look too bad on Saturday when he first rose highest at a
corner to head goalwards and see Sam Baldock poach the opening goal, and
then provide a perfect pass for Jack Collison to make it two. West Ham now
have a week off for the international break, but Cole is raring to go. "I
don't need rest, I need to train," he said. "I think I've only had one
proper training session in the last month and a half. I've been called upon
to have a good performance against Bristol City and again against Hull and
it has been really hard to get match fit because you don't realise just how
long a month is not to get out on the field."
Cole, who has four goals to his name already this season is keen to get back
to regular action, but he also was quick to praise the part manager Sam
Allardyce has played in his latest fitness battle. "We have got great cover
here so it is not like I had to be rushed back," he explained. "I came back
nicely and the manager has understood the situation and has done brilliantly
getting me back slowly. Hopefully I can now get back to the form I was in
before Christmas even comes."
Cole must have been delighted with his contribution at Hull, but like every
striker he is not happy when he is not scoring and he has targets for
himself this term.
"There is still the main target that I want to hit," he said. "I am getting
a few more assists now, but really I want to get a few more goals. "There
was a couple of chances today that I should have taken. You might not see it
is a chance, but I did, so in my head, I know what I've got to do."
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