WHUFC.com
West Ham United U18s will travel to Chelsea in the FA Youth Cup fifth round on 15 February 2012
18.01.2012
West Ham United will travel to Chelsea in the FA Youth Cup fifth round on 15 February 2012. The last-16 fixture will take place at Staines Town FC, with a quarter-final place up for grabs to the winner. Kick-off at Wheatsheaf Park is at 7pm. Tickets will be priced £3 for Adults and Seniors and £1 for Under-16s. West Ham have reached the fifth round courtesy of fine victories at Wolverhampton Wanderers (3-2) and at home to Brighton and Hove Albion (4-1). Chelsea, meanwhile, defeated Doncaster Rovers (2-1) before prevailing in a penalty shootout against Norwich City following a goalless draw at Carrow Road. The Hammers have won the FA Youth Cup on three occasions and finished as runners-up four times, while Chelsea have also lifted the trophy three times, the most recent success being as recent as 2010.
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Hammers chance for Dixon
WHUFC.com
Striker Joe Dixon has joined West Ham United on a short-term deal
18.01.2012
Young forward Joe Dixon is to spend two months with West Ham United after signing a short-term contract. The 22-year-old is set to initially go into Ian Hendon's development squad in the hope of catching the eye at Chadwell Heath. He has enjoyed an interesting career to date, having started out as a trainee at Manchester United. Upon being released, he headed to Romania as an 18-year-old and played for then top-flight club Gloria Buzau.
However, he was soon on the move again after financial difficulties led to Gloria's relegation and he ended up in Turkey. While playing for second-tier Kartalspor, he caught the eye of Fenerbahce but a hoped-for move to the Turkish giants was cut short when Dixon picked up a groin injury. The Londoner returned to England and made three appearances for Ryman League side Grays Athletic in November. "I'm very happy to have signed for West Ham," he told whufc.com. "It's a big club with a lot of history. It's good to be here and I'm looking forward to starting. "I've been to the training ground and I met the manager and some of the players. The manager has got a lot of experience so I'm sure I can learn a lot from him. "A lot of the players are experienced too so I'm sure I can learn a lot from them as well. For me it's just about learning and improving as much as I can. I need some time before I'm ready and hopefully it can happen as quickly as possible."
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The Big Interview
WHUFC.com
As he approaches six years at the Boleyn Ground, Carlton Cole looks back on his 50 goals to date
18.01.2012
Carlton Cole is having a season to remember in West Ham United colours. The club's second-longest serving player after homegrown Mark Noble, Cole is a proud Hammer through and through. His passion for the cause, hard work and commitment have marked him out as a fans' favourite worthy of his own song. He recently reached a half-century of goals in claret and blue and is now targeting another ten to get on to the all-time top 20 list of West Ham scorers. First and foremost, is his determination to fire the Hammers to promotion back to the Premier League. He has eight to his name so far this campaign. Now 28, Cole has been leading the line to distinction for the Hammers since his debut against Charlton Athletic back in August 2006. He sat down with whufc.com to talk through his favourite strikes, his best partner and his role as a senior pro
How good was it to score your 50th goal [against Birmingham City]?
CC: It was really good. Obviously the result on the day wasn't what we wanted but to get my 50th goal in West Ham colours was brilliant.
Did you know the milestone was coming up?
CC: I have never really been focused on just me. I have just been focused on the team doing well. When I got to that milestone I didn't know but it is a real privilege to do that in a West Ham shirt.
It is a team game but obviously as a striker, scoring goals is important for you?
CC: I am a team player and put the team before myself. Hopefully in the foreseeable future, I will do the same but not a lot of people have scored 50 goals so I am very happy and privileged.
Do you remember your first West Ham United goal?
CC: I remember my first goal. It was a really good day, It was a nice sunny day playing against Charlton and it was my debut. I came on and I scored with one of my first touches. That was a good start to my goal tally. It was a dream debut. It broke the ice with the fans and it sometimes takes time to score goals for a new club so I was happy it came straight away.
What is your top three in West Ham colours?
CC: I quite like my Manchester City goal away a couple of years back [20 January 2008]. It was an overhead kick, reaction kind of goal and I do like my Tottenham goal [23 August 2009]. That was left footed from outside the box and was really good.
I also like the Wigan goal [4 March 2009] just for the all-round build-up play and the finish at the end was really good. They are up there in my top three but any goal for a striker is a good goal, whether it comes off your head, shoulder, chest, knee or even arm if the referee doesn't see it!
Any goal is good for the team, especially if it puts us on the way to winning the game
You just need ten more to get on the top 20 all-time West Ham scorers.
CC: Hopefully I can get to that as soon as possible. If I could do it this season, it would get me up near the 20 mark for the season which would be good for the club. If I can do that and a few of the other players are up there as well that would be good for us in the league as well. That is my main target.
Aside from the forwards at the club now, who is your favourite strike partner over the years?
CC: Over the years, I probably enjoyed playing with Craig Bellamy, because he had vast experience, his running and his energy. He used to talk me through games so I learnt a lot from him. It looked as if he was a moany person but he wasn't. He would only moan if something really happened that he wanted to have a go at. That is what you expect from another team-mate. They want you to do well. He encouraged me to get the best out of me.
You are one of the senior players now and the roles have reversed?
CC: Now I have to do that to the young players here now, the roles have changed and I am one of the senior pros. I have to help them along in the game as well because that is what they need.
How does that make you feel?
CC: It is nice to be one they look up to. I am privileged to be giving advice to them. We have some good players coming through and I am still getting advice from the players who are more senior to me. I am still learning every day. I need to do that as well. I give my advice because they need it at this level, you need to learn a few things. Young Pottsy is coming through, he has needed some help on his first outings - first away, first home. Even players like Jack Collison still need guidance but he is doing well.
Have you ever thought about having a trademark goal celebration?
CC: I don't really have one. My celebration is after the game, and before that we just have to make sure we win the game. I do like to run to the fans and share it with them. When I score a goal, I just want everyone to enjoy it. We have to all celebrate goals together. It is all about the team being in a winning posiiton, that is the main thing.
And what of the future? More Carlton Cole goals?
CC: Hopefully I can notch in the games coming up. We will see what happens. I am aiming for wins every time I play. That is the most important thing.
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Noble aim for Olympics
WHUFC.com
Five West Ham United players are in contention for a place in this summer's Olympic Games
18.01.2012
West Ham United could be represented at the 2012 Olympic Games with five players in contention for provisional squads. Team GB bosses have written to Mark Noble, James Tomkins, Jack Collison and Robert Hall to ask if they would like to be considered for the squad, with all four expressing an interest in taking part. The quartet form part of a long list of potential Team GB players, which will eventually be whittled down to make manager Stuart Pearce's final party of 18 players.
United States Under-23 midfielder Sebastian Lletget has also been involved in his country's recent Olympic training camps. The Amercians still have to play a qualifying tournament against other CONCACAF teams on home soil in March and April in order to secure a place in London. Special rules for the Olympics stipulate that only three players over the age of 23 can be selected as part of a final squad. Tomkins, Hall and Lletget will all still be eligible as under-age players, while Noble and Collison will both be classed as over-age players if selected. The final squads must be submitted to FIFA by 9 July.
Former England U21 captain Noble said: "Obviously I would be very proud to represent Great Britain in the Olympics, as I am sure the other lads would be as well. It would be a great honour. I have always been really proud to represent my country before and this would be another proud moment for me. "At the moment all we know is that we could be selected but there is a process to go through first so we don't know if we will be chosen, but to be in the hat possibly is a great thing. "With the Olympics also being in London, it gives it an extra attraction - as everyone knows, it is right on our doorstep and I am sure our fans are excited about the Olympics being here as well; it should be an exciting time for London. Being a London club, it is right in our community."
The tournament takes place between 16 July - 11 August with matches played at Wembley, City of Coventry Stadium, Hampden Park, Millennium Stadium, Old Trafford and St James' Park.
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On This Day: 18 January
West Ham United goalkeepers Robert Green and Jim Standen feature in today's look back
18.01.2012
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On This Day: 18 January
Anniversary
Robert Green
Date of birth: 18 January 1980
National team: England
Clubs: Norwich City, West Ham United
Unerringly consistent, Robert Green has long been considered as one of the finest goalkeepers in England. Born in Chertsey, Woking FC fan Green joined Norwich City as an aspiring young player, working his way through the ranks before making his debut in the East Anglian derby against Ipswich Town - a game that he marked with a clean sheet. He would go on to make 241 appearances for City in all competitions, helping Norwich to win the Championship title in 2004.
Green went on to become hugely popular at Carrow Road and there were very few Canaries supporters happy to see him make the switch to West Ham United in August 2006. Since his arrival at the Boleyn Ground, Green has become equally popular, impressing supporters and pundits alike with his agile shot-stopping and near-faultless handling.
Those qualities earned Green a first England cap as a substitute in a friendly against Colombia during the national side's tour of the United States in May 2005, and he would go on to represent his country at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Green's heroics were also rewarded with the coveted Hammer of the Year award in 2007/08, while he finished runner-up in 2008/09 and 2010/11 - a measure of the huge esteem in which he is held by Hammers fans.
Classic Match
West Ham United 1-0 Liverpool
First Division
18 January 1964
West Ham United went into this match against title-chasing Liverpool 17th in the First Division table and staring at a long, hard winter fighting against relegation. With just one win in their previous ten league games, Ron Greenwood's side had dropped from the top of the table after four fixtures to well down the bottom half with 26 of their 42 matchescompleted.
Thankfully, just three weeks on from the Hammers' infamous 8-2 Boxing Day defeat at Blackburn Rovers, Johnny Byrne ensured both he and Greenwood would have plenty to smile about as Liverpool were beaten at the Boleyn Ground.
Heroes of the day were forward Byrne himself, who scored a fine 28th-minute goal, and goalkeeper Jim Standen, who made a superb late save to deny Roger Hunt an equaliser for the Reds. In between, the home defence, expertly led by Bobby Moore, produced an outstanding display to keep Bill Shankly's team at bay.
Come the end of the season, Liverpool would finish as champions - four points ahead of nearest rivals Manchester United - while Greenwood would guide West Ham to the safe waters of 14th position and, more famously, their first ever FA Cup success.
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West Ham United bring in forward Joe Dixon
BBC.co.uk
Page last updated at 09:55 GMT, Wednesday, 18 January 2012
West Ham have signed forward Joe Dixon on a two-month deal and he will go into their development squad. The 22-year-old former Manchester United trainee has played in Romania and Turkey for Gloria Buzau and Kartalspor respectively. His most recent club were Isthmian League Division One North side Grays, where he made three substitute appearances in November. He told the Hammers website: "I need some time before I am ready."
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London 2012: Fourth arrest over Spurs spy claims
BBC.co.uk
A fresh application process has been launched to find a sporting tenant for the Olympic Stadium
A fourth suspect has been arrested by detectives investigating allegations that Tottenham Hotspur spied on Olympic officials during its stadium bid. Police said a 45-year-old man was being held at a south London station on suspicion of fraud after his property was searched. West Ham United and the Olympic Park Legacy Company allege information was unlawfully obtained, the force said. Spurs has denied putting officials under surveillance. The club had lost out to West Ham in the race to become the Olympic Park Legacy Company's (OPLC) first choice to move into the stadium after the 2012 Games. A deal with West Ham and Newham Council to use the stadium in Stratford, east London, collapsed in October. The government announced that the stadium would instead remain in public ownership.
Challenges by Tottenham and Leyton Orient, plus an anonymous complaint to the European Commission, had led to fears that court action could drag on for years while the stadium remained empty. A new tender process is being launched by the OPLC and the showpiece venue will now remain in public ownership and rented out to an anchor tenant. Three other men, aged 29, 39 and 57, have been arrested in recent months during the inquiry by the Metropolitan Police's Economic and Specialist Crime Command. They have been bailed to return to a south London police station in February, police said.
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What's your goal?
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 18th January 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham vice chairman Karren Brady and former professional footballer Robbie Savage have teamed up to lead a 'Dream Team' of eleven high profile football experts to launch npower's 'What's Your Goal? 2012'. What's Your Goal? is a nationwide work experience scheme designed to inspire young people to explore the vast and varied careers found in our national sport. Working in partnership with the Football League Trust, npower is seeking to support young people's employment opportunities for the future, by showcasing the wide range of job opportunities available within football and demonstrating that you don't have to be the star player on the field to make your mark within the industry. What's Your Goal? 2012 will see npower work with all 72 clubs in the Football League to offer over 300 valuable work experience placements to school children in years 10–11 in their local areas. In addition to these exciting placements, npower is also offering the nation's young people the chance to win the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend a day being mentored by the WYG 'Dream Team'. Children in Years 7–11 are invited to apply for the chance to gain first-hand experience of working life by spending time with high profile experts such as Karren Brady and Robbie Savage and trying out their jobs for themselves!
Having proved their worth after submitting a CV and video evidence demonstrating their enthusiam, 11 young people will be chosen to take on roles such as being a pundit with Robbie Savage at the npower Championship Play Offs, helping Karren Brady make boardroom decisions at West Ham and putting a team of professional players through their paces working as first team coach with Paul Trollope at Birmingham City.
"npower's What's Your Goal? 2012 is a fantastic way to show young people that you don't need to score goals to shoot to the top in the football industry," said Brady. "Whether you're passionate about business, photography, presenting or refereeing the nation's favourite sport, this scheme offers young people a great way to learn skills from the best in the business.
"I've never played professional football but I've managed to create a successful career by working hard and taking my chances when they arose. This industry is full of opportunities, as long as you work hard."
Clare McDougall, npower's head of education and community, added: ""It's really hard out there for young people at the moment and this campaign can help get young people thinking 'what is my goal? With mentors like Karren Brady we really are giving young people the opportunity of a lifetime – to shadow people who are the top of their game, who know the football business better than anyone."
Footballing names such as Sir John Madejski, Malky MacKay and Sasa Ihringova, the Football League's most senior female referee, have also come on board to offer their time to support the initiative.
Making up the rest of the Dream Team is Liam Sweeting, match analyst at Blackpool FC; Paul Redman, TV producer for The Football League Show; John Sibley, match photographer; Clare Tomlinson, TV presenter for Sky Sports and Simon Boynton, website publisher at Digital Sports Group.
To enter, students are asked to fill out a job application, downloadable at www.npower.com/whatsyourgoal.
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Hammers land young striker
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 18th January 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham have signed former Manchester United trainee Joe Dixon on a free transfer. The 22-year-old forward, who made his way to east London via Romania and Turkey has been given a two-month contract in order to give the club a chance to run the rule over him. "I'm very happy to have signed for West Ham," Dixon told whufc.com. "It's a big club with a lot of history. "It's good to be here and I'm looking forward to starting. I've been to the training ground and I met the manager and some of the players. The manager has got a lot of experience so I'm sure I can learn a lot from him. "A lot of the players are experienced too so I'm sure I can learn a lot from them as well. For me it's just about learning and improving as much as I can. I need some time before I'm ready and hopefully it can happen as quickly as possible." Dixon, who played for Gloria Buzau in Romania before spending time in Turkey with Kartalspor has most recently featured for Grays Athletic, for whom he made a handful of appearances in November 2011.
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The net closes: fourth man arrested
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 18th January 2012
By: Staff Writer
Police have confirmed that a fourth man has been arrested in relation to the theft of personal information belonging to employees of West Ham United FC. We reported on Saturday how a third man has been taken into custody in connection with the theft of personal documents, which included files and records belonging to United vice chair Karren Brady. And this morning it was revealed that a 45-year-old man was 'helping police with their enquiries' at a south London station, whilst his property was searched for evidence of wrongdoing. The man's arrest follows those of two individuals last November and that of former PKF (the company employed by Tottenham to investigate West Ham's Olympic Stadium bid) partner Howard Hill last week. As of yet, the individual's indentity has not been revealed. Meanwhile, Tottenham continue to deny any involvement.
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New arrest in spy probe
Police continue to investigate claims
Last Updated: January 18, 2012 12:13pm
SSN
Police have arrested a fourth suspect as they continue to investigate claims Tottenham spied on Olympic officials. Baroness Ford, chair of the organisation initially charged with choosing the Olympic Stadium's tenants, alleged in November that private investigators hired by Spurs had spied on all 14 members of her board. Tottenham deny the accusation, while the latest arrest of a 45-year-old man means four people have been now been questioned by detectives. Three other men, aged 29, 39 and 57, have previously been arrested by the Metropolitan Police's Economic and Specialist Crime Command. West Ham and Newham Council won the right to use the Stratford arena after this summer's Games only for a deal to collapse late last year against the backdrop of ongoing legal action by Spurs and Leyton Orient. The Government announced the stadium would remain in public ownership and asked the Olympic Park Legacy Company to oversee a new tender process.
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Hammers chance for Dixon
Championship club bring in ex-United trainee on short-term deal
Last Updated: January 18, 2012 11:32am
SSN
Former Manchester United trainee Joe Dixon has signed a two-month contract with West Ham United. Dixon, 22, will initially be part of Ian Hendon's development squad at the Championship club. The forward has had spells in Romania and Turkey, and most recently made two appearances for Grays Athletic in the Ryman League in November. "I'm very happy to have signed for West Ham," Dixon told the club's official website.
Learn
"It's a big club with a lot of history. It's good to be here and I'm looking forward to starting. "I've been to the training ground and I met the manager and some of the players. The manager has got a lot of experience so I'm sure I can learn a lot from him. "A lot of the players are experienced too so I'm sure I can learn a lot from them as well. "For me it's just about learning and improving as much as I can. I need some time before I'm ready and hopefully it can happen as quickly as possible."
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Transfer Update Wednesday 18th January
January 18th, 2012 - 10:52 am by Bradley Palmer
West Ham Till I Die
Update 21:33: West Ham will offer around the asking price of £4.5m to seal the deal for Sordell. This could go through very shortly. I will keep you all posted when I hear further news.
Update: As I said earlier, Hudersfield have answered our bid of £5m with an answer of 'no, £8m will talk' my opinion, forget it!! Look elsewhere.
Okay, so we are now well into the second half of this month's January Transfer window and Jack Sullivan, David Sullivans son, confirmed that two bids have gone in for two strikers. One bid of £5m and the other £3.5m. Adzman alerted to this and confirmed that the players in question were Rhodes (£5m) and Sordell (£3.5m). Both players I think would do an excellent job in ensuring a top two status this year. Celik's agent is currently in the process of dealing with his move to a club this window, though as a free agent, it isn't something that has to be rushed. We still remain interested in Reading wide man Kebe who is keen to join us but the club won't sanction a move whatsoever, which I'm also led to believe will be the same with Huddersfield striker Jordan Rhodes. Reports suggesting Huddersfield want near the £8m mark is ridiculous for a player who has only proven his trade in League One. Yes I think he would be a great signing but there are other options out there I think that are just as good who will come cheaper. These players (perhaps being Bristol City striker Nicky Maynard, Watford's Sordell and Burnley striker Jay Rodriguez) each know where the goal is and have proved themselves at this level. Others will argue that Baldock managed the step up for us so why won't Rhodes? It is a very fair point but Baldock is a success story. Would Rhodes be the same?? £5m for a league one player is a lot of money but I still don't see Huddersfield negotiating…The only way we could perhaps tempt Huddersfield would be a £5m offer + Piq and Sears which I personally think is a great offer though difficult to get each to agree terms.
The Guardian has us interested in Yakubu. How many times have we been linked with him? To put it simply…not going to happen IMO!
One confirmed bit of news is that Joe Dixon, a young 22 year old striker has signed on a two month loan deal and will go straight into the development squad with a hope to impress and earn his way into the first team squad.
As always, any gossip or news updates, I will post as soon as possible.
Bradley Palmer (Braderz)
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Southampton join West Ham in Rhodes race
Published 22:29 18/01/12 By Darren Lewis
The Mirror
West Ham are set to make a renewed bid for Jordan Rhodes to head off Championship promotion rivals Southampton. Hammers boss boss Sam Allardyce has already had a £4million bid for the 21-year-old Huddersfield striker rejected. Rhodes has hit 27 goals this season for the League One promotion chasers, and now Saints are said to be keen on him.
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Tony Cottee Column: It may not be pretty, but West Ham are on track for promotion
London24
Tony Cottee, London24 West Ham columnist
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
4:15 PM
It was great to see West Ham getting back to winning ways at the weekend, although it wasn't the prettiest game and there weren't many highlights to be honest.
However, as I have said before, it was all about getting the three points. I have sounded like a broken record sometimes this season, but in the Championship, 1-0 can be a really good result. We kept a clean sheet and secured three vital points away from home. The only goal in the game came from the penalty spot and what a crucial taker of spot-kicks Mark Noble is proving to be. He has now scored four out of four this season and all of them have been crucial. The Hammers have produced many decent penalty takers over the years, I played with Ray Stewart and Julian Dicks, but Paolo Di Canio had his moments and now Mark has taken that responsibility. As a player, I never enjoyed taking them, I think I only ever took 10, maybe 12 in my career. There is a huge difference between slotting a penalty in your back garden and doing it in front of 30,000 people at Upton Park, or a stand full of away fans, pulling faces at you. It takes real guts to do it and that is what Mark is made of. It is a huge responsibility and one that I think he is enjoying. And it just so happened that although Southampton also won, Cardiff and Middlesbrough slipped up, which gives us a nice cushion of four points. I don't think that you can read too much into the league table at the moment, and I am sure that there will be many see-saw weeks between now and the end of the season. There is always one team that comes from nowhere to challenge the top six, although I hope that West Ham will stay in the top two between now and the end of the
season. We are just behind our two points a game target, and that would see us finish with 92 points which I am pretty sure would guarantee automatic promotion, if not first place. On the transfer front, it has been a frustrating time for Sam Allardyce, who is still looking to bring in another striker. I can see his problem is that we are creating chances but just not taking them, and I don't want this to cost us later on in the season. The January transfer window is one that seems to really puzzle me. The window is open for the whole month, yet most of the deals seem to be done on the last couple of days. I am sure that the club are doing all they can to bring in top quality players before the end of the month. The latest name linked with the club is Watford's Marvin Sordell and I have seen quite a lot of him
recently. He is a good finisher, quick and strong as well, three vital components for a striker in this league He is also young and eager and I think he would be a good signing. This weekend, Nottingham Forest come to Upton Park and I think it is a real chance for Carlton Cole and Sam Baldock to get back to scoring ways. Any positive result takes us top of the league, but I think we can lay down a marker with a big, big win to send the fans home happy.
Tony Cottee was talking to Nathaniel John
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Reid all about it! Winston can shoulder West Ham pressure
London24
Dave Evans, West Ham Correspondent
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
10:58 AM
Mark Noble may have been the penalty hero on Saturday at Portsmouth, but for defender Winston Reid it was a case of the penalty-winning hero for the second week running. Last week at Sheffield Wednesday, the New Zealand international defender was tripped for a spot-kick which Sam Baldock could not convert. This time round, he was wrestled to the ground by Tal Ben Haim and Noble did the rest. "It got flicked on by Kevin Nolan and I was just trying to hold him off really. I felt that I got overbalanced and he just pulled me over and it was a penalty for me," said the 23-year-old. "I think the referee was in a good position and everyone could see, so I thought it was a penalty."
Reid was also at the centre of the other pivotal moment in the match as David Norris was sent off for an x-certificate challenge on the defender, but like many of us, but perhaps more surprisingly, he didn't see it either. "I couldn't really see it myself because I was just concentrating playing the ball forward," he explained. "There was definitely contact there and he asked me if I was okay. "I don't really think that he was that unhappy about it, it wasn't as if the rest of the players came over to argue. It was up to the ref to judge on that."
Reid has now made 30 appearances in claret and blue and his understanding with James Tomkins at the heart of defence is getting better and better. It has left the player brimming with confidence. "Obviously when you get some trust from the manager as we have it is nice," said Reid. "The first season I was here was very difficult, but I think personally things are going much better for me this year. "I am very happy at the moment and I am just looking forward to the rest of the season."
No doubt manager Sam Allardyce is also happy with Reid's performances this term. The defender has only just returned from a shoulder injury, but it is as if he had never been away. However, the Kiwi revealed that the injury could have kept him out for much longer than it did. "With the shoulder, it was always going to be more complicated because if they didn't get it right this time and it popped out again, then it would have meant an operation and I could have been out for six or seven months," he confirmed. "So we took our time with it and I came through okay and my shoulder feels all right now. You still have some jittery moments, but I think you just have to get your head around it." Reid has certainly got his head around life in the Championship. The team have let in the least amount of goals this season and the form of Reid, Tomkins and Faye have been a vital part of that statistic.
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West Ham's Noble comes out of the shadows to be the star
London24
Dave Evans, West Ham Correspondent
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
10:51 AM
West Ham midfielder Mark Noble showed on Saturday at Portsmouth that he has the ability to be an accomplished Premier League player. There were many who said that the England under-21 international lived firmly in the shadow of Scott Parker when he was at Upton Park. And there were those who suggested that the arrival of Kevin Nolan would plunge Noble back into the gloom. But while Nolan's form has been inconsistent, the 24-year-old has shown that he can adapt to a new role and play a vital role in the Hammers' promotion push. "To be honest I am really happy with my form," said Noble after his penalty was enough to earn West Ham all three points in a 1-0 win at Fratton Park. "I spoke to the manager the other day and obviously when he first came he was asking me to play in a way that was a little different to the way I have played for the last few years."
That role is largely the one played by Parker when he was at the club. While Papa Bouba Diop provides cover in front of the back four, Noble is the link man of the midfield. Never was that more evident than at Pompey on Saturday, especially in the second half. He was the support for the wide men, always providing an outlet for them, while he also prompted the pace of the West Ham attacks as they looked to pass the ball about against 10-man Portsmouth. "I am used to that new role now and I am really enjoying my football, enjoying playing with the lads and enjoying the role I have got in the team," he said. "It is a nice feeling going home a lot of the weeks winning, because we haven't done that for a few years!"
Noble certainly knows that as well as any other Hammers fan. The Canning Town-born West Ham supporter is the longest serving player, having chalked up just four short of 200 appearances for the club. This season he has notched four goals, all from the penalty spot and it is a role that seems to give him confidence. "Obviously if you put a lot of pace on the penalty and it is at a height that the keeper doesn't like, then he is always going to struggle with it," explained Noble. "I don't want to talk too much about it because I don't want to jinx myself, but when we get one, both me and the boys know who is taking it and may they keep coming."
Noble's penalty proved the difference between the two teams on Saturday, but the midfielder felt that the gap between the two sides was much wider. "I thought we started really well and got into them and played like a proper team," said Noble. "They had five or six corners towards the end of the first half and got back into the game a bit, but you are always going to get that away from home because teams press you more and they are going to give that extra 10 per cent to try and beat us.
"We rode that storm, came out in the second half and they obviously had a man sent off and from then on it was a pretty easy."
Noble was rested last week and in his absence West Ham not only went out of the FA Cup, they also saw Sam Baldock miss a penalty. But it seems that the weekend off helped recharge the batteries of the midfielder. "The manager pulled me in and said you are going to have the weekend off. I had covered a lot of ground and had played two games in three days, so he said I could spend it with my family and be ready for the Portsmouth game," he said. "We got the win so I am happy now as you can see, it worked a treat."
It certainly did. Noble seemed to cover every blade of the Fratton Park grass and now he is looking for the team to go on a good run. "You have to get back-to-back wins or go on a run in this league if you want to break away," he said. "Obviously we have seen Middlesbrough losing and Cardiff only drawing so we have a little cushion again, but as we have seen, we had a little cushion before and lost it, but we are determined this time to stay strong and keep pushing. "As long as we all stick together – the fans, the players the staff have all been fantastic and as long as that continues, I have no doubt where we are going to end up."
And with Noble in this sort of form, you can't really argue with that scenario.
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Blackburn striker linked with West Ham United switch
10:05am Wednesday 18th January 2012 in
Guardian Series
West Ham United are reportedly considering a move for Blackburn striker Yakubu. The Nigeria forward has netted 13 goals for Rovers this season including four against Swansea last month. West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is searching for a striker to boost their promotion hopes and a move for the 29-year-old could be on the cards.
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