An Academy graduate and victory at the start of a successful cup run are the
focus today
WHUFC.com
08.01.2012
Anniversary
John Ayris
Date of birth: 8 January 1953
Clubs: West Ham United, Wimbledon, Brentford
Born in nearby Wapping, John Ayris was a wing-forward with sublime talent.
Unfortunately, a series of injuries put paid to the youngster's hopes of
making it to the very top of the game, but he still managed to total 65
appearances and two goals for West Ham United. A product of the club's
Academy, Ayris signed full professional forms in October 1970. That same
month, he made his league debut in a 3-1 First Division win over Burnley at
the Boleyn Ground. Used regularly as a substitute, the player nicknamed
'Rat' was selected seven times to play for England's youth team in 1971.
That same year, he overcame an air embolism on his lung suffered in a
challenge with Chelsea's Ron 'Chopper' Harris.
Having missed the 1975 FA Cup final - he spent three months playing for Cape
Town City in South Africa - Ayris found his opportunities increasingly
limited in east London and opted to join Wimbledon on a free transfer at the
end of the 1976/77 season. After retiring from playing, he would later work
in the sports department at Selfridges before getting married and moving to
the Essex town of South Woodham Ferrers and becoming manager of the town's
leisure centre.
Other anniversaries
Matthew Kilgallon (1984)
Classic match
West Ham United 2-1 West Bromwich Albion
FA Cup third-round replay
8 January 1980
A crowd of 30,689 watched West Ham United take the first step on their route
the club's third FA Cup success. Having drawn 1-1 at The Hawthorns three
days previously, John Lyall drafted in Geoff Pike as a makeshift striker for
the replay at the Boleyn Ground. Pike responed to the manager's call by
having a superb game, scoring the Hammers' opening goal eight minutes after
half-time. Earlier, the Baggies' John Deehan had missed a sitter that would
have put his side ahead. Trevor Brooking added West Ham's second goal with
seven minutes remaining before Tony Brown scored to set up a grandstand
finish, but the hosts clung on. Lyall's men would go on to defeat Leyton
Orient, Swansea City, Aston Villa, Everton - after a replay - and, famously,
Arsenal, to become one of the few Second Division teams to lift the FA Cup
five months later.
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Reid steeled for Sheffield test
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid is relishing Sunday's FA Cup with Budweiser third-round tie
08.01.2012
Winston Reid is aiming to repeat his FA Cup trick by firing West Ham United
to victory at Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday. The New Zealand defender netted
his first goal for the club in the 5-1 fifth-round victory over Burnley last
season and is looking forward to taking part in the famous competition
again. Reid, who has recently returned to first-team duty after eight weeks
on the sidelines with a dislocated shoulder, is also aiming to get some more
much-needed gametime under his belt at Hillsborough after starting the
defeat at Derby County and victory over Coventry City. "I've been out for
eight weeks and had only trained two or three times before I made my
comeback so it's going to take me a little more time to reach full
match-fitness," he told the official website. "Monday was an improvement on
the Derby game so I'm happy that with that and the fact we kept a clean
sheet and won, which was the main thing. "I haven't had too many
opportunities to go out and do some running so it was a case of just getting
through the injury and saving my energy so I'm getting there. The shoulder
is getting better. It's still a bit sore but I've got through two games and
it'll be all right. My timing could be a lot better but that will come."
Reid was part of the West Ham squad which reached the FA Cup quarter-finals
last season before being beaten 2-1 at Stoke City. Having enjoyed victories
over Barnsley, Nottingham Forest and Burnley last term, the 23-year-old is
targeting another extended run in the competition in 2011/12. "We would like
to do well in the FA Cup because it is a good competition to be part of. Of
course I'd love to play because I want to work on getting my match-fitness
up to where it was before I got injured. "I've got good memories from last
year and it would be great to go on a decent run again this season."
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Powell power downs Chelsea
WHUFC.com
Tony Carr was thrilled to see the U18s warm up for the FA Youth Cup with a
great derby win
07.01.2012
Chelsea Under-18s 2-3 West Ham United Under-18s
Jack Powell hit a last-gasp winner to help the Academy side prepare for
Wednesday night's FA Youth Cup fourth-round tie against Brighton & Hove
Albion in perfect fashion. The midfielder gave the Hammers a hard-fought
victory in west London, with the Academy side twice having been pegged back
in the contest. Blair Turgott and Taylor Miles had put the visitors in
front, only for Chelsea to find equalisers each time that meant it was
honours even at the break. Chelsea had dominated the first half in terms of
possession but the Hammers changed things around after the interval in the
hope of finding a winner. They had to be patient but, with the game
seemingly destined to finish honours even, Powell came up with a winner.
Substitute Matthias Fanimo had forced a free-kick in the Chelsea box when
the keeper picked up a back-pass. The Blues had begun the brighter and
Turgott's opener on ten minutes was against the run of play. The England U17
international cut in from the right flank before firing into the net with a
left-footed drive. Chelsea were soon level, though, with a fine free-kick
beating Dave Wootton in goal. The Hammers restored their advantage when
Pelly Ruddock latched on to a long ball forward from Fraser Shaw. Ruddock
wrestled his way through on goal before cutting back for Miles to lash in
the second.
Controversy then ensured with the second Chelsea equaliser of the day. The
Hammers disputed the award of a corner in the home side's favour but were
over-ruled. Then, when the ball was played into the box, the Chelsea scorer
appeared to head in from an offside position. It looked like there would be
no scoring after the break with both teams having tightened up defensively
until Fanimo harried a Chelsea defender into playing the ball back to his
keeper, who promptly picked it up under pressure. The referee awarded a
free-kick eight yards out which meant the Chelsea defence had to retreat on
the line. Dominic Vose stepped up and touched the ball to Powell, who found
the space in the Chelsea net to give the Hammers a great away win. It was
the perfect boost for them as they look forward to their big date at the
Boleyn Ground this Wednesday night. Tickets will be available on the door,
priced at £3 for adults and £1 for concessions.
"We rode our luck a bit in the first half, they missed some good chances and
we did too," said Academy Director Tony Carr. "They dominated in terms of
possession and we found it hard to get out of our half at times but we
managed to score first. "Eventually we turned around at 2-2 at half-time
against a strong Chelsea side as you always expect.We changed the system
slightly and that helped us get a better foothold in the game. "We had a
couple of good chances and we have pinched it in the last minute with Jack
sneaking the ball in. It was a great finish to the game."
The coaching staff had one eye on Wednesday's tie and were keen to get as
many minutes into the players as possible. "Everybody needed some part in
the game because we hadn't played for a month. "We play Brighton in the cup
now when Chelsea play Norwich, and if we can come through we would play the
winners of that tie in the fifth round. We will back in on Monday for a
couple of days' preparation and we hope that we may have Dan Potts and Rob
Hall back after first-team duty."
West Ham United: Wootton, Young, K Lee, Chambers, Shaw, Powell, Miles
(Fanimo 46), Vose, Turgott, E Lee (McCallum 60), Ruddock (Hurley 46)
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Sheffield Wednesday v West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 7th January 2012
By: Preview Percy
When we said "Happy New Year" to Preview Percy he tried to have us arrested
for "threatening behaviour". Here's his take on this weekend's trip to
Hillsborough for the FA Cup 3rd round tie against Sheffield Wednesday. The
much nicer John Northcutt will be popping by later with the historical
background to the match...
Next it's cup time as we journey up the M1 to Hillsborough for Sunday's 3pm
kick-off at Sheffield Wednesday in the third round of the FA Cup which is
sponsored by something or other.
A quick word about the journey: The M1 is closed in both directions around
junction 19 with the M6 while they remove an old viaduct. Shame they didn't
build it out of the same stuff they built the Hammersmith flyover out of –
it would have come down all on its own. The northbound diversion will add a
reported 25 miles to the journey not to mention the time added by having all
the stuff that would normally go straight up the M1 going up the M6/M69
instead. Might be worth getting the road atlas out for alternative routes.
Incidentally, although the works are due to finish by midday on Sunday, I'd
suggest that you check before you leave Sheffield just in case they overrun.
It's been known to happen.
Our opponents come into this game going well in the league where they sit in
second place in the third division with 49 points from 24 games. That's five
points behind Charlton and two ahead of Huddersfield over whom they have a
game in hand. Their last six matches – including their 2nd Round FA Cup tie
– have seen them won four, drawn two and lost just the once. The most
notable match may have been the draw in which they shared the points with
Huddersfield Town at Hillsborough in a 4-4 thriller that saw alleged Hammers
target Jordan Rhodes score all four for the visitors, including a 97th
minute equaliser. They have reached the third round of the Cup by virtue of
an away win at Morecambe (2-1) and a 1-0 defeat of Aldershot at
Hillsborough.
The club are owned by Milan Mandaric, which is probably just about all I'm
allowed to say at the moment. The manager is Gary Megson who was appointed
boss by Mandaric back in February following the departure of Alan Irvine.
It's not the first time the two have worked together – Megson was a Mandaric
appointee at Leicester City. Wednesday's current good form means that the
manager's stock is high with Owls fans at present, something which much make
a pleasant change for the manager whose relationship with fans at former
club Bolton made the spat between Paul McCartney and the bird with the false
leg look like a love-in of Woodstock proportions. Counting his playing
career it's Megson's third spell at the club for whom his dad Don made over
400 appearances. Amongst many other clubs Megson (G) also had a spell at
Forest under Clough who once described the player as being unable to "trap a
bag of cement" – an unusual skill the use of which in modern football has
never been satisfactorily explained to me.
First choice in goal would appear to be former Charlton 'keeper Nicky
Weaver. He's recently back from injury having had knee problems – past
operations include having a dead man's cartilage inserted into the offending
joint, something that sounds like the plot for a very bad 1970's horror
movie. Weaver has been with the Owls since the summer of 2010 although he
had visited on loan about five years previously.
Also available for selection will be ex-Hammer Stephen Bywater. Bywater came
in on loan from Derby to cover Weaver's injury absences earlier this season.
That loan spell ended a couple of weeks ago but, with Derby so uninterested
in retaining the player they couldn't be bothered with the inconvenience of
even issuing him with a squad number, he was allowed to leave and joined the
Owls on a permanent deal when the window opened on New Year's Day. Official
psychiatric reports describe the player as "bonkers in the nut – even by
goalkeeper standards" and he has frequently claimed to be considering a
career in cage fighting when he retires from football. "How hard can it be
to beat up a budgie" is something that he probably hasn't said – though
nobody would be surprised if he had. This being a cup match he may get the
nod over Weaver if Megson decides to give the no.1 choice's knees a bit of a
rest after a busy holiday period.
The skipper is Rob "not the one that played once for the Irons in an
Intertoto Cup match" Jones. Jones came up through non-league ranks to
Stockport then Grimsby. At the end of 2006/06 he made a strange move to Hibs
where he spent three years before returning to (relative) civilisation with
Scunthorpe. He joined the Owls on loan last March, the deal becoming
permanent in the close season whereupon Megson made him skipper. At 6'7"
tall, the defender is useful at set pieces and he is much missed in the
non-league scene. Since he left Gateshead in 2003 they have to do piggy
backs to get the nets up.
Top scorer at the moment is striker Gary Madine. Madine picked up a broken
toe (yup the word "metatarsal" is definitely out of fashion) towards the end
of November and was set to be out for six weeks, a period that ends just
about now. He has 11 goals so far this season and has been linked with a
move to Norwich in amongst the usual transfer speculation. The home support
will therefore be reading all sorts of conspiracy theories into things if he
doesn't return for this one, though they could be forgiven for giving him
one more week as they face league leaders Charlton in their next match. He
had a rather interesting return to former club Carlisle with Wednesday back
in October. He was sent off and did one of those "moving the head but not
quite a headbutt" things on the ref, something that got him a fine for
improper conduct. Like a pub drunk who won't leave the argument lie he then
got into a war of words with Carlisle fans on twitter before closing his
account. The pub drunk analogy may be a good one – in 2010 he beat up a fan
in a Carlisle pub getting 250 hours community service for his trouble.
They'll be missing winger Ben Marshall. Marshall has been refused permission
by parent club Stoke to play lest he become cup-tied. If I were Megson I'd
pick him as sub and bring him on for the last ten anyway without telling
anyone. I mean it's not as if anyone would be stupid enough to pick a
cup-tied player in an important match, is it?
Team news for us is that we are likely to show a number of changes from the
XI that walloped Coventry 1-0. In last weekend's post-match press conference
the manager hinted that John Carew might get a run out if fit. Since his
return from loan at Gillingham Frank Nouble has looked lively and it
wouldn't surprise me to see him given a start. The opportunity may be taken
to give Gary O'Neil some pitch time as he bids to improve his match fitness.
There are a number of other options available to Mr Allardyce, some of which
will be afforded to him by the luxury of being able to name a sensible seven
players on the bench instead of the ludicrous five he is limited to in the
league. I'd like to see an appearance at some stage from young Hall whose
few minutes up at Derby were a tantalising glimpse of potential talent. I
think the BBC's suggestion that Callum McNaughton might leave AFC Wimbledon
a bit fed up though, given that he signed for them on a permanent deal
yesterday.
A few months ago we laboured to a 0-0 draw against Bristol City, a match
which the manager was convinced we dominated and were unlucky not to win by
five or six. If Mr Allardyce has some strange talent for seeing into the
future and really meant to say "Coventry" instead of "Bristol" then maybe he
had a point – the Sky Blues' keeper Murphy had a fine game and the fact that
it was only 1-0 was largely down to his form. In a way it was good to
actually really see us dominating the opposition in this way (as opposed to
the "statistical" domination of the Bristol City match). However, it was a
bit worrying that we hadn't put the match well beyond reach before the last
few minutes when we got the usual jitters. The failure to convert chances
into goals is something of a worry – something we are apparently working to
rectify in the transfer window.
Prediction? Well it's all set up for a fall isn't it?! High-flying team from
a division below comes up against a team likely to be populated with not
exactly first choice players. However, unlike the Aldershot match earlier
this season in the League Cup where the second string included a number of
players less than interested in being there, we will be looking at some
fringe players with more of a point to prove. I am legally obliged to
include some sort of FA Cup giant-killing cliché in this preview and I
should therefore say that the Cup is a great leveller. I'll therefore go for
a 2-2 draw and a replay, which, because they usually take place ten days
after the first match, will at least mean that M1 will be open. Possibly.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met: We turned them over 4-2 at Hillsborough in the second
round of the League Cup back in the 2005-06 season. Two from Zamora and one
from Dailly put us 3-0 up. They scored two in a minute to peg it back to 3-2
before the on loan David Bellion sealed the match with an 84th minute
effort.
Referee: Keith Stroud Last seen doing our 2-1 win at Coventry. So short that
Sam Baldock towers over him. It'll be funny if he has to have a chat with
the aforementioned Jones.
Danger Man: Gary Madine – if fit he could be a handful – particularly if
there are scouts from higher level clubs about to watch. Skipper Jones will
also need watching at corners.
Daft fact of the week: Sheffield Wednesday used to play at Bramall Lane and
were called "The Blades". They ditched the ground for their own place when
they got fed up with sharing the gate money with the ground's owners,
eventually ending up at Hillsborough. The nickname was ditched when it
became clear that supporters of the other club in Sheffield were too stupid
to come up with anything original, a tradition that they still adhere to to
this very day.
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FA Cup Preview: Sheffield Wednesday v West Ham
January 7th, 2012 - 2:39 pm by Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die
There's nothing we Hammers fans like more than a good cup run. But you know,
this season we have one priority and one priority alone, and that is to get
promotion. Nothing, but nothing, must get in the way. So much as I would
like us to go far, I will not be heartbroken if we go out at some point. But
not against Sheffield Wednesday. They are doing will in League One, but we
ought to beat them. But as we know, this is West Ham in the FA Cup we are
talking about.
I suspect Sam Allardyce will put out a side to do a job tomorrow, not hist
first choice eleven. Which means that the side is more or less impossible to
predict. Up front I can see him experimenting with Frank Nouble partnering
Sam Baldock, or even Robert Hall coming into the equation. It's also a good
chance for Gary O'Neil to get some match fitness. This is the side I would
pick.
Green, Reid, Tomkins, O'Brien, Potts, O'Neil, Collison, Diop, Lansbury,
Baldock, Nouble.
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Karren Brady's football diary
KARREN BRADY - First lady of football
Email the author
Published: 07 Jan 2012
The Sun
SATURDAY, DEC 31
NOT an auspicious end to 2011 as I turned up at Derby County only to
discover there was no car park pass for me for the game. I managed to
persuade the stewards to let me in but it got worse as there were no
directors' box or boardroom tickets either. Derby, who my husband played
for, were very gracious about it and squeezed me in. I should have known it
was a sign of things to come as we were beaten. Football League referees are
No 522 on my list of 1,000 reasons as to why promotion is important to me.
Today's ref issued four yellow cards, but only to my players, apparently
blinkered to anything Derby players got up to. No wonder Sam Allardyce gets
the hump.
SUB SUNDAY, JAN 1
WOKE up without a hangover having had a relatively quiet New Year's Eve. A
well-connected football pal of mine rang me to say he was in St Bart's in
the Caribbean, having been invited to Roman Abramovic's party. At midnight
he sent me the following text...
HNY. Fantastic party, but everyone else's wife is 20 years younger, 3 stones
lighter and 4 shades blonder'. I know what my NY resolution is!
Two minutes later, his soon to be ex-wife texts me...
HNY. XXXX needs plastic surgery. He's the ugliest one here!
A match made in heaven, I suspect!
MONDAY, JAN 2
I GOT over the defeat at Derby with a well-earned home victory over Coventry
which got our promotion campaign back on track. And the ref? Well, Simon
Hooper did better today, he missed only one certain penalty for us. All over
the country there were a spate of sending offs. QPR's Joey Barton got
himself red carded against Norwich, more because of his reputation than
anything else. While Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, who is a model
professional and devoid of malicious intent, escaped dismissal for a bad
foul on Wolves' Adam Hammill. For anyone to say past history doesn't affect
refereeing decisions, just look at those two. It does. One was off, one
stayed on.
TUESDAY, JAN 3
EXCHANGED 'Happy New Years' with Alex McLeish and although I wish nothing
ill of Chelsea, I was delighted his Aston Villa side did so well at Stamford
Bridge.
Alex is one of the really good guys in football. He was my manager at
Birmingham and I felt he was a boss who'd really go places with the right
backing. It remains to be seen if he'll get it at Villa where it looks to me
like the owner may have fallen out of love with the game.
WEDNESDAY, JAN 4
PROOF that rugby players have overtaken footballers in the bad-boy stakes.
That's after Danny Care became the seventh England star to be punished by
the RFU in recent months after admitting drink-driving. Seven? During the
World Cup we had drunken dwarf throwing and one player even jumped off an
Auckland ferry. At this rate there won't be enough players to make a XV.
THURSDAY, JAN 5
LIVERPOOL'S Luis Suarez issued an apology, of sorts, following the
allegations of racist language directed towards Patrice Evra. It sounds
like only the two players will ever know the whole truth but, throughout the
whole of this saga, football has been the loser. Kenny Dalglish and his
Liverpool players have shown their support for their team-mate. But wouldn't
it be for the best if we all moved on now?
FRIDAY, JAN 6
THE window is open and to prove it offers are being received and rejected
here at the Boleyn Ground thick and fast — £4million in here and £4m out
there. But compared to our neighbours that's the change down the back of
their sofa. Gary Cahill's move to Chelsea will cost in terms of the
transfer, a year's wages, the football levy and the agent fee in excess of
£21m — that's 21 MILLION POUNDS. Who said the game's gone mad? Oh yes, that
would be me.
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Allardyce fears for death of clubs outside top flight
Published 22:55 07/01/12 By Paul Smith
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce is a worried man. And like any experienced, responsible
manager, his principal concern is money. Not fears for West Ham's coffers —
though the East London club's debts have been well-documented in the past.
No, Big Sam's fears concern new rules that could destroy clubs currently
outside the top flight. He knows the problem of spiralling costs and
excessive spending has to be addressed — or some clubs will go out of
business. But he feels the new Football League fair play rules could
create an even bigger gulf between the Premier League and the rest. Next
month, clubs will vote in favour of radical proposals to prevent them
spending more than they earn. It's a move intended to mirror the Uefa
system that will affect clubs in European competition from 2014. Allardyce
said: "I accept there is a need to address issues related to finances,
but these financial fair play rules will destroy the dream for many clubs.
You are effectively taking away the golden egg if clubs are prevented from
spending more than they earn. The gulf between the Premier League and
Football League will just widen and be almost impossible to bridge."
As Bolton manager, Sam experienced the joy of gaining promotion to the top
flight and he acknowledges the balancing act that club owners face. "I
accept owners have an obligation to ensure clubs are run on a financially
sound footing and they don't over-extend to the point where they can't
service debt," he said. "But in order to compete you have to spend. As it
is, the clubs coming down from the Premier League have a distinct
advantage over their rivals with four years of parachute payments. "That
will become an even bigger advantage if these financial fair play rules are
introduced next season. I think the idea that you will get penalised if you
spend outside the structure that is put in place is madness. Surely it's a
restrictive practice? Football is no different to any business that wants
to grow. "And what does a business that wants to grow do? It speculates and
gambles on expanding and the only way to do that is to borrow money. These
rules will put paid to that. Clubs will no longer be afforded the
opportunity to chase the dream because it will be out of reach. It will kill
football. It will virtually be impossible to develop and survive."
Allardyce also feels clubs that do get promoted to the Premier League from
the Championship are unlikely to compete against their more established
rivals. He added: "Surviving will be extremely difficult. It will lead to
distortion if clubs are prevented from spending more than they earn. What
hope do they have against clubs established in top-flight football? You
have to take a calculated risk to survive. Without that, businesses
stagnate and go bust."
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Carew told to start scoring
Published 22:55 07/01/12 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce has challenged John Carew to prove he has a West Ham future.
The Norwegian, 32, makes a rare start at Sheffield Wednesday today in the FA
Cup.
Carew has scored two goals since his arrival from Aston Villa last summer.
Boss Allardyce said: "He hasn't played well enough when he's had a chance.
He had a couple of injuries that knocked him back."
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Spurs keen to swoop for West Ham defender
Published 22:55 07/01/12 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror
James Tomkins is on Spurs' wanted list. The 22-year-old has been under
scrutiny all season and boss Harry Redknapp believes the centre-back is
ready to join his squad. Spurs may offer West Ham £8m for Tomkins, with the
sale of Sebastien Bassong set to raise £5m of that.
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Sheffield Wednesday defender excited for West Ham clash
Published 22:55 07/01/12 By Michael Morgan
The Mirror
Jon Otsemobor cannot wait to get to grips with West Ham, because he thinks
it will be a proper test of his club's Championship credentials. Sheffield
Wednesday's injury-plagued defender also reckons it his big chance to
convince boss Gary Megson that he is worth a place in the starting-line-up.
Otsemobor said: "It was so frustrating being out for four months, but it's
great to be back. The FA Cup is special, everyone wants to play in it. You
look forward to playing against teams like West Ham because they are a big
club who are doing well in the Championship. "You want to test yourself
against the best players, and they have quality players. It will be good to
pit our wits against them."
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West Ham move in jeopardy
ALAN HUBBARD SUNDAY 08 JANUARY 2012
The Independent
The Olympic Stadium will not be occupied by West Ham after the 2012 Games
unless retractable seating is installed, according to the club's co-owner
David Gold.
"We are not prepared to have fans sitting 60 yards from the pitch," he said.
"We still want to move into the stadium but will not do so if the track
remains uncovered. There has to be some form of retractable seating."
However, there is no provision to install seating of this nature by the
Olympic Park Legacy Company. The deal to award West Ham the stadium
collapsed last October when the OPLC ended negotiations. The stadium remains
in public ownership but talks on a new tenant will re-open this month.
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THIS CREATIVE MIDFIELDER COULD JUST BE WHAT THE HAMMERS NEED
Posted on Saturday, 7th January 2012 by Bill West
Foreverwestham.com
It's January and the transfer window is open. As usual West Ham have been
linked to a number of players, one of these being Peter Whittingham. The
Cardiff City midfielder has been subject of a bid from the Hammers, thought
to be around £3 million, which was rejected a couple of weeks ago but would
the creative midfielder be a good signing for us?
I think Whittingham is a very good player, has to be one of the best players
in the Championship. He is a goal-scoring midfielder, something every team
should look to buy. In the 2009-10 season Whittingham was the joint top
scorer in the championship, netting 20 goals. He scored 11 the season after
and in this current season he already has seven for the season. Whittingham
was a left winger during his time at Aston Villa and his first few seasons
at Cardiff. But in the last couple of seasons he has been playing in a
centre midfield role, showing he is versatile, which could prove to be a
very useful trait.
Whittingham is known for his composure on the ball, his ability to exploit
space on the football pitch. Pundits have praised Whittingham for his
vision, agility, passing and ball control all of which allow him to dictate
the flow of play. His ability to control the tempo of matches is widely
recognised as one of his most impressive traits. He is also known to be a
set-piece specialist, which is an added bonus. If Whittingham was to join us
I believe he would improve our side, a team that has been struggling for
goals in the last few matches
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Pike recalls Hammers' 'fantastic' Final
By Jamie Bradbury - Saturday, 07 January, 2012
Ex-Hammers midfielder looks back at The Final in 1980.
Thefa.com
West Ham United travel to Hillsborough on Sunday to start their latest FA
Cup campaign, no doubt hoping they can emulate their predecessors of 1980,
who beat Arsenal in the Wembley Final. A goal from Trevor Brooking, now The
FA's Director of Football Development, separated the two sides as the 'old'
Division Two club beat First Division Gunners - their last triumph in the
competition. It was a special day for many Hammers, none moreso than
midfielder Geoff Pike, who describes the occasion as a 'fantastic
experience'. Pike, who nowadays works in Sir Trevor department at Wembley as
one of The FA's National Coach Educators, looks back on the game fondly.
"We played on the Monday night prior to The Cup Final against Charlton, and
I scored. But I didn't know if it would have an affect on the selection for
the Saturday at Wembley," remembers Pike. "At the time I was in and out and
not really a regular in the team, so it was a bit of a stressful week.
"John Lyall, our manager, called us into the dressing room at training on
Friday and named the team, so it was then that I found out. We stayed at
Hendon Hall that night, and the player I took the place of, Pat Holland who
was injured, shared a room with me at the hotel. He was absolutely
first-class, and even though he was injured he supported me as much as he
could. "One of the things I remember vividly were the suits we wore to
Wembley; brown trousers and a beige jacket, which weren't great but everyone
wore them and we got on with it."
Pike continues: "For a team like West Ham, who probably didn't have any
expectation to win a League title, our only real route to success was
through one of the cups, and The FA Cup was the competition that most teams
were striving towards. The FA Cup was on a par with the League Championship,
and it was a route into European competition, too. "It was a fantastic
experience, I played in most of the games in the previous rounds and scored
in a couple, which was fantastic. Then to play at Wembley against Arsenal,
who were one of the best teams in the country, and beat them as a Second
Division side, there are no words really to describe the feeling. I wasn't a
nervous type of player, so I was quite fortunate. I just wanted to get out
there and play."
The Hammers went on to lift The Cup thanks to a headed goal from Pike's
current boss Brooking after 13 minutes, and it remains their most recent
success in football's oldest cup competition. "I was really close to Trevor
when he scored, and it was the fastest I've ever seen him move - I tried to
catch him but I couldn't. We scored quite early on, so to play against a
team like Arsenal and protect a one-goal lead, while trying to do something
going the other way was quite a test for us. We did exceptionally well in
the end to do that."
He adds: "In the old days at Wembley, where they would park the coaches was
a huge gate. I got my parents in through and they had a swig of champagne
out of The Cup. A couple of weeks later I had The Cup at my house, my family
came round and we sat my neice in The FA Cup and she's still got that photo,
so there were some great memories. My wife was also eight and a half months
pregnant at the time of The Final, so in the space of two weeks I'd won an
FA Cup medal and my first son was born. "The following year we got to the
quarter final of The FA Cup, the Final of the League Cup and the quarter
final of the Cup Winners' Cup and that all came from The FA Cup Final win.
It gave us a the impetus to know we were as good as teams in the First
Division. It was a cataylst for where we were going. We had a really strong
squad, the manager went on and strengthened at the start of the next season
and we just grew from there."
Pike joined The FA's Football Development department six years ago as a
Regional Coach Development Manager, but it September moved into one of the
four newly-created National Coach Educator roles. Former Aston Villa captain
Dennis Mortimer works alongside Geoff, but he remembers back to 1980 when
they were on the opposing teams. "We played Aston Villa at Upton Park in the
quarter final of The FA Cup on the way to Wembley. Denis was playing for
Villa and I was in the West Ham team. With only a couple of minutes left Ken
McNaught handled the ball, Ray Stewart scored the penalty and we won 1-0. To
this day, though, Denis is still adamant that it wasn't a goal!"
On Sunday, the latest Hammers team take on League One side Sheffield
Wednesday away from home, and Pike expects a tricky affair, though he feels
Sam Allardyce's side will progress to the Fourth Round. "I watched them the
other week against Barnsley and it probably wasn't the best performance, but
I know Sam and I know his staff and they are very organised. If nothing
else, organisation will get them to where they want to be. They'll do well
because of organisation and preparation. "Whether they beat Sheffield
Wednesday remains to be seen, as they are a potential banana-skin, but I
would expect West Ham to get through as they have been better on the road of
late than they have been at home." "I always follow what West Ham do, I'd
like to go more, but I don't get the opportunity. I do some bits and pieces
at the club now and again and they always look after us, which is nice."
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CUP CLASH HOLDS KEY TO JAMES TOMKINS' DREAM TOON MOVE
Sunday Express
Sunday January 8,2012
By Colin Mafham
BIG Sam Allardyce will make a late decision on whether to play the
heartbreaker at Hillsborough this afternoon. The West Ham boss has to decide
if defender James Tomkins will feature against Sheffield Wednesday and in so
doing wreck his chances of a dream move to link up again with his old boss
Alan Pardew at Newcastle.
Pardew has already had a £2.5million bid for Tomkins turned down by the
Hammers, but is expected to up that to at least £3m. But the deal will
almost certainly be scuppered if Tomkins plays today and is cup-tied as a
result. Allardyce, who against his wishes let Scott Parker move to Tottenham
last August, hinted that he may not do the same with Tomkins, unless Pardew
comes back with a mega offer. "There's a price for every player, but we
can't afford to let our best players leave," he said. "I had to leave out
Parker because all the Tottenham stuff was affecting him before his move to
White Hart Lane. It was no good either for him or ourselves.
''But as far as James is concerned, he's playing well, is at the right club
for him and we want to keep him. "It's as simple as that." In the meantime,
West Ham will face the proverbial banana skin this afternoon in front of a
packed house of close on 40,000. Assistant manager Neil McDonald said: "The
FA Cup is still a boyhood dream for everybody who plays football. "It's a
memory you can keep for the rest of your life and to play in front of a big
crowd and in the FA Cup is a great motivation."
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