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Nolan: No regrets over West Ham move
Published 22:30 30/11/11 By The Mirror
Kevin Nolan insists he has no regrets at leaving Newcastle. The West Ham skipper is looking to bounce straight back into the top flight following a shock summer move to Upton Park. The 29-year-old Scouser was part of an exodus of big names after falling out with the Toon hierarchy over a new contract. He is happy his old club is riding high in the Premier League and hopes to join them next season with the Hammers. "I don't regret anything I've done in my life," said Nolan. "It was a tough decision to leave Newcastle, but it was right for me and everyone involved." And with West Ham second in the Championship table, he added: "It's going very well for us. I'm using the experience I got two years ago [in the same division] with Newcastle."
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EXCLUSIVE: West Ham must play name game with Olympic Stadium to be branded
By MATT LAWTON
Last updated at 10:52 PM on 30th November 2011
Daily Mail
West Ham are likely to become the latest club to be housed in a branded stadium if they prove successful in their bid to be the tenants at the Olympic Park. The Olympic Park Legacy Company, Sportsmail understands, are looking to raise about £10million a year in naming rights for the three main arenas in Stratford after the 2012 Games. This would be done by securing naming rights partners for the Olympic Stadium — valued at £6m a year — the velodrome and the aquatics centre.
Branded stadiums are becoming increasingly common in football, with Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley taking the astonishing decision to rebrand St James' Park the Sport Direct Arena. That certainly offended supporters of Newcastle and the prospect of playing under the banner of a random brand is unlikely to appeal to the traditionalists at Upton Park. But the OPLC will quite rightly argue that it is more important to pursue such initiatives in order to protect the legacy of the Olympic Park and, as tenants, West Ham will simply have to accept the situation. OPLC will be entering a crowded, competitive naming rights market in London. Chelsea have spent the last year searching for a stadium title sponsor without success, although Stamford Bridge chief executive Ron Gourlay is hopeful of completing a deal in the new year. Tottenham and QPR will also be looking to raise such funds if they continue with their plans for building new stadia. Even Wembley are looking for an associate sponsor. The Wembley name will be protected but the chance to be a stadium partner is available to the right kind of brand. Betting companies and mobile phone network suppliers are being considered.
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Demel's delight at making a winning West Ham debut
London 24
Nathaniel John, West Ham correspondent
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
5:15 PM
West Ham defender Guy Demel was delighted to finally make his debut in claret and blue in the Hammers' 2-0 win at Middlesbrough on Tuesday night. The Ivory Coast international came into the side for Joey O'Brien, putting in a solid display at right-back, and showed that his injury worries are behind him in his first competitive game since April. "It has been a long while," said the 30-year-old. "My last game was in April for Hamburg. I suffered the injury at the start of the season and I have been trying to get fit ever since. "It has been frustrating, so I am happy to get on to the pitch and get the chance to play. "I felt tired towards the end, so I need to do more training with the squad and I will get much better. "It is just a matter of time and hard work, but I was pleased I played for 78 minutes, so that was good."
On his debut at the Riverside, Demel caught the eye with some strong tackling as well as a keenness to get forward at every opportunity, linking up well with Julien Faubert on the right-hand side. "It worked well between us, but it could be better," said Demel. "I think when I am fully fit it will work much better. "I like to go forward, that is the way I played when I was with Hamburg, but I don't forget that my first job is to defend. "After that I like to get up there and get in some balls for the strikers."
With the Hammers only having two recognised central defenders fit with the injury to Winston Reid, it was suggested that Demel could cover in that position if called upon. However, the former Hamburg man sees himself predominantly as a right back. "I have spent the last three years at right-back, even for the Ivory Coast," he said. "I have worked on playing in that position and I feel very comfortable playing there. "For me the most important thing is my fitness. When I am fit I do not have a problem playing in different positions. "All the time at Hamburg I played in different positions. I played right-back, but also centre-back and centre midfield."
Having spent a decade in Germany, first of all playing for Borussia Dortmund, before a 2005 transfer to Hamburg, Demel admits he has found a difference between the Bundesliga and the Championship. "The game is much faster," he said. "The teams like to play the ball very quickly up to the front and the referee doesn't like to stop the game too much, so you don't have too much of a break. "But football is football, and it is all about kicking the ball, so it is the same also."
Demel is also confident that West Ham have what it takes to maintain their current form and gain automatic promotion come next April. "I think right now we are in a very good position," he said. "We are second in the league and we have most of our players back from injury. "So I think the squad is very strong right now and the way we are playing with confidence, I think we can do something good. "We have to prove ourselves every week, the league is not easy and we have to fight for every result."
Having made his debut away from Upton Park, Demel is keen to also feature this Saturday, when the Hammers host Burnley at home. "Of course, I am looking for that," he said. "I will be working hard up until Saturday, so I am hoping to get the opportunity. "I know it is not easy to get into the team. We have a good squad, there are a lot of good players in the team and some that are not even in the team at the moment. "I hope that if I get my chance I will use it well."
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Sam Allardyce hopes Burnley cast-offs won't haunt him
Jason Mellor
30 Nov 2011
Evening Standard
Sam Allardyce fears Junior Stanislas will be out to prove on Saturday that the West Ham boss should not have sold him this summer. Allardyce was full of praise for his much‑changed side after they opened up a six‑point gap on third‑place Cardiff with a comfortable victory at The Riverside. Goals from Frederic Piquionne and Carlton Cole sealed a fourth consecutive win but the manager's thoughts then turned to this weekend's clash with Burnley, who are within five points off the play‑offs after back‑to-back wins. Former West Ham trainee Stanislas has proved a hit after heading north to Turf Moor on the last day of the transfer window and Allardyce is keen the 22‑year-old forward endures a fruitless return to Upton Park. Keith Treacy, the Irish midfielder who left Blackburn during Allardyce's Ewood Park reign, is another who will have an extra reason to put on a good show against the Hammers. The West Ham boss said: "Burnley have got a couple of players who I've sold in the past who will want to come and prove me wrong, so I'll be telling the lads to make sure they don't return to haunt me. "It could be a big nine‑point week for us, however we have to keep our feet on the ground and make sure that we don't slip up. "I'll be warning the lads that Burnley have all of a sudden sparked with two very good results, coming back from two goals down at Hull is no mean feat. "They've gone on to win with four goals against Ipswich, so they'll be on a high."
Allardyce could welcome John Carew back from a knee injury at the weekend but fellow forward Sam Baldock is looking at a return nearer Christmas following a hamstring problem. The boss added: "Sam will be about three weeks but John won't be so long. I'd expect him to be back this weekend and the bonus is that it doesn't appear we've picked up any new injuries last night."
West Ham remain two points behind leaders Southampton after Piquionne headed his second goal in three games early on, before substitute Cole sealed the win in stoppage time, pouncing on an error by Middlesbrough skipper Matthew Bates. Allardyce said: "We've made a big statement here and it's looking pretty good for us at present. The important thing is that little gap between third and ourselves, which breeds that bit of confidence in the players."
Tony Mowbray drew parallels between the Hammers and the Queens Park Rangers side who were the last visitors to win at The Riverside before West Ham. Neil Warnock's side claimed a 3-0 victory in February as they swept to the Championship title. The Boro manager said: "West Ham are a strong and experienced team, and they're capable of grinding out results like they did here. "They've got a lot of Premier League experience and it showed. I can see similarities with QPR. They're big and strong and have plenty of know-how."
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West Ham United boss praises near perfect away win at Middlesbrough
12:13pm Wednesday 30th November 2011 in
By Simon Mail »
Guardian Series
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce described his side's 2-0 win at Middlesbrough last night as "close to the perfect away performance". The Hammers extended their unbeaten run to seven matches and inflicted the first home defeat on Tony Mowbray's side since February. Freddie Piquionne's early header and a late goal from subsitute Carlton Cole kept up the pressure on leaders Southampton. Allardyce told the club website: "It was as close as it can get I think to the perfect away performance. "It was a fantastic start. We were on the front foot, we wanted to impose our own football on them and we did just that. "Freddie might have scored before he did from Matt Taylor. It was a good ball from Kevin Nolan, an excellent cross from Matt that showed what we have been missing since he was injured, and Freddie headed it in. "We were glad to see Freddie score because he had three good chances on Saturday and missed them. "That got us off to a fantastic start. You would expect Middlesbrough to come back as they haven't lost here for a long time but the defence was solid."
The Hammers' fourth consecutive win puts more distance between them and the chasing pack below them in the Championship, with Burnley the next visitors to Upton Park on Saturday. "It is getting greater and greater," Allardyce said. "It leaves the challenge open for us and Southampton to fight it out but really it is far to early to say that will be the case. We are only 19 games in of a 46-game season. It is a long haul yet but we are playing some fantastic stuff and winning games of football."
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