WHUFC.com
Hammers fans will have been delighted to see the name of Gary O'Neil back in
the first-team picture
28.12.2011
Eight months ago, Gary O'Neil may have been contemplating the prospect of
spending the whole of Christmas and New Year at home with the family. On 16
April at home to Aston Villa, he suffered a serious ankle injury following a
challenge by Nigel Reo-Coker. It prompted fears over his long-term future
and many thought he would be out for at least a year. The midfielder was
having none of it though, and his determination to return saw him put
himself through months of painstaking rehabilitation with the club's medical
staff. After hours upon hours of solitary strength work led to three
development squad matches in as many weeks, Sam Allardyce felt he had seen
enough to give O'Neil the moment he had been waiting for. He was named in
the manager's selection to travel for the Boxing Day game at Birmingham
City. Still only 28, O'Neil has been in full flow on the practice pitches at
Chadwell Heath but was still surprised to get the call when it came. He
knows he has to keep working hard to continue his progress and still has a
lot to prove. "It was quite late notice," he told whufc.com. "It wasn't
something i was expecting. I had a decent 80 minutes in a reserve game and a
couple of decent training sessions with the first team this week. I looked
up on Christmas Eve and my name was on the board to travel. It was nice to
be back involved."
O'Neil may have remained on the bench as an unused substitute at St Andrews
but he was just grateful to feel the matchday buzz once again and be a full
part of the dressing room banter. " I spent a lot of time working hard on my
own to get to this position, no one gets to see that. It was nice to finally
get a reward and get to feel part of the squad again. It is just a shame
that the result didn't go our way but it was really good to be involved."
Of course, with one taste comes the hunger for more and O'Neil will want to
remain a full part of it now until the end of the season. With just eight
games in the claret and blue under his belt, and plenty of experience of the
division having won promotion with Portsmouth, he wants to be a major asset
for Big Sam. He is certainl hoping to help the team build on the Birmingham
draw with the New Year's Eve trip to Derby County and then Monday's visit of
Coventry City to the Boleyn. "We are looking forward to the next couple of
games, starting with Derby on Saturday. The position the lads were in at
Birmingham we expected to go on and win but a point away from home is good
and we have another two big games this week. It is important we get the
results."
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Carlton cheered by half-century
WHUFC.com
The main man in attack this season, Carlton Cole is firmly putting the team
before personal accolades
28.12.2011
Carlton Cole has plenty of targets of 2012 but none as significant as
getting West Ham United back to the Barclays Premier League. The club's
second-longest serving player notched his eighth goal of the season in the
1-1 draw at Birmingham City on Boxing Day. It moved him on to 50 in the
claret and blue, a stat that surprised but delighted him when he learned
about it in the tunnel at St Andrews. "I'm honoured to have done that," was
his simple reaction. Cole knows though that he has to keep on scoring if the
promotion aim is to be realised. Goals win matches and he is the attacking
talisman this season - as demonstrated by the volume with which the fans are
singing the adapted Spandau Ballet song 'Gold' in his honour. On a personal
level, eight more goals would move him ahead of Marlon Harewood, the last
Hammer to get to the half-century mark who ultimately managed 57. Even
better, were Cole to get ten goals in the second half of the season, he
would move into the top 20 list for all-time West Ham United scorers. In
truth, Cole did not feel much like celebrating after the Birmingham point,
feeling he should have had a second but for Boaz Myhill's tremendous save
just before half-time. He had opened the scoring with an opportunist strike
in the fourth minute after robbing Pablo Ibanez and firing in an unstoppable
drive in front of the away support. "From a personal point of view, it was a
nice goal but the performance wasn't great and we got what we deserved, we
got punished," he said. "We should have scored more, we had more chances
than them and should have put more away and secured the game but we didn't
so and all the players were disappointed with the all-round performance."
Cole has been speaking of late of 'respecting the point', the manager's
mantra when the three points are proving hard to come by. As such, he
acknowledged it was not too disheartening to finish honours even. "You have
to look at it again and we have gone away from home and grinded a point out.
That's the main thing, we didn't lose. It reminded me of the cup game we
came up here last year in the Carling Cup. We should have secured that game
and we didn't. "It was the same again and we should have got the win and we
didn't. We were very disappointed but that's the way the game has gone. At
least we didn't lose that's the main thing."
So to Derby, and Cole looks likely to lead the line again at Pride Park. "We
have to look at the positives. Although it wasn't a good performance,
Birmingham have only conceded four goals all season at home so to get the
fifth was good. We just need to do more at the right times to kill off
games. "If we can get a result at Derby we will be right in the thick of
things. We are up there and we just need to keep plugging away and getting
the results away from home. "I feel good. We will get on the training field
this week and be prepared for Derby. We have got the players and we know we
can score goals at any time. We need to do more. That's the main thing. We
know how to defend but we need to do the basics better. "Everyone that is
involved right through the squad has a part to play. The manager has to chop
and change now because his hands are forced. We need to all come together as
a team and the experienced lads have to help the young lads coming through.
"That's the way forward. Everyone needs to pull in the same direction and
help the team through troubled times with suspensions and injuries. We need
to grind out the results."
Cole may be looking for goal No51 but the main thing is the end result that
usually follows one of his strikes - as it did when he scored the first in
the 3-1 Hammers' home win against the Rams back on 26 November. "It will be
nice to start the new year rolling with a win. We'd like to do the double
over Derby and hopefully it will mean more goals for me. That would be
brilliant."
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O'Neil glad to be back in frame
Hammers star back from serious ankle injury
Last Updated: December 28, 2011 2:23pm
SSN
West Ham's Gary O'Neil has revealed that he is delighted to be back in the
mix after suffering a serious ankle injury back in April. The midfielder's
career was reportedly thought to be hanging in the balance following a
challenge by Nigel Reo-Coker during the Hammers' home game against Aston
Villa. However, the former Portsmouth and Middlesbrough star showed plenty
of determination during his rehabilitation over the past eight months to
fight his way back into first-team contention.
O'Neil was named in Sam Allardyce's squad which travelled for the Boxing Day
game against Birmingham in the Championship and the 28-year-old admitted
being surprised at the call-up, despite remaining on the bench in the 1-1
draw. "It was quite late notice," he told the club's official website. "It
wasn't something I was expecting. I had a decent 80 minutes in a reserve
game and a couple of decent training sessions with the first team this week.
I looked up on Christmas Eve and my name was on the board to travel. It was
nice to be back involved. "I spent a lot of time working hard on my own to
get to this position, no one gets to see that.
"It was nice to finally get a reward and get to feel part of the squad
again. It is just a shame that the result didn't go our way but it was
really good to be involved."
The East London outfit face a New Year's Eve trip to Derby before the visit
of lowly Coventry to Upton Park on Monday and O'Neil is hopeful of gaining
maximum points. He added: "We are looking forward to the next couple of
games, starting with Derby on Saturday. "The position the lads were in at
Birmingham we expected to go on and win, but a point away from home is good
and we have another two big games this week. It is important we get the
results."
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Sam heads for the high Rhodes
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: Today
The Sun
SAM ALLARDYCE has made a £3million bid for Huddersfield wonderkid Jordan
Rhodes. Rhodes, 21, is the most talked about striker outside the Premier
League. He has already scored 20 goals in 20 League One appearances this
season. His huge tally includes all four in the 4-4 draw with Yorkshire
rivals Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on December 17 and a classy
winner against Chesterfield on Boxing Day. West Ham's offer was rejected but
boss Big Sam is set for another go to lure the Scottish hot-shot to Upton
Park to boost his side's promotion push. Rhodes is a full Scotland
international and Allardyce reckons he would be the perfect addition to his
squad as injuries and suspensions take their toll in a tough season. The
Hammers are still second in the Championship but have seen the gap cut to
just goal difference between them and third-placed Middlesbrough. Allardyce
has set his sights on automatic promotion at the very least if the title
proves beyond his team and has targeted a two-points- per-game average to
achieve it. But impressive new striker Sam Baldock, snapped up from League
One MK Dons, has been struggling with a hamstring injury. And wideman Matt
Taylor has also had injury problems, along with several other key players.
Allardyce hopes that the prospect of Premier League football next season,
higher wages and a bigger stage with the Hammers could help close a deal for
Rhodes. West Ham, determined to bolster their squad during next month's
transfer window, are also interested in Crystal Palace wideman Wilfried Zaha
and Southend's highly-rated and versatile midfielder Kane Ferdinand. Hammers
striker Carlton Cole wants their senior players to get the club through
their current injury crisis. He said: "Everyone involved, right through the
squad, has a part to play. "The experienced lads have to help the young
lads."
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BBC set to wield axe on Football League Show
Published 23:59 28/12/11 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
The BBC will axe the popular Football League Show at the end of the season,
fuelling fans' speculation that Match of the Day could follow. The news
comes after supporters complained when the Show was not shown on Boxing Day.
An insider said: "This will be the last season the BBC broadcasts the
Football League Show.
"It is coming to the end of a three year contract and it will not be
renewed."
Amid fears that Match of the Day, which is up for tender next year, could
follow there are also concerns over future broadcasts of England
internationals and club games - with the BBC's Head of Sport, Barbara
Slater, admitting live football is "out of reach" of the licence-payer
budget. Insiders claim the Football League Show is being axed because it was
too expensive. The BBC has seen 15% cut from its sporting budget - with
football coverage under serious threat. After the Show was not shown on
Boxing Day angry supporters vented their frustration on Twitter, prompting
the programme's presenter Manish Bhashin to respond, saying: "I understand
your frustration" after the show was not beamed on Boxing Day. He said it
was a "budget decision" and when asked about the show's future he Tweeted:
"It's on til May and who knows maybe even longer....but..." The BBC
confirmed the Football League Show, which shows every goal from England's
league clubs on Saturday nights, will not return to screens until mid
January.
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Cole issues rallying cry to West Ham teammates
By talkSPORT
Wednesday, December 28
West Ham striker Carlton Cole has called on the senior players to help the
club through their current injury crisis and ensure they keep their
promotion hopes on track. Sam Allardyce is currently missing seven
first-team players through injury, while influential skipper Kevin Nolan,
George McCartney and Julien Faubert will all miss the game against Derby on
Saturday through suspension. West Ham dropped more points on Boxing Day when
they had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Birmingham and remain three points
behind leaders Southampton. Allardyce is now struggling to find a fit
central defender to play alongside James Tomkins on Saturday, but Cole
believes the established players need to help the youngsters through this
troubled period and ensure they get back on the winning trail. Cole said:
"Everyone that is involved right through the squad has a part to play. The
manager has to chop and change now because his hands are forced. "We need to
all come together as a team and the experienced lads have to help the young
lads coming through. "Everyone needs to pull in the same direction and help
the team through troubled times with suspensions and injuries."
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