Daily WHUFC News - 6th June 2012

Hall's season to remember
WHUFC.com
Rob Hall completed a fine 2011/12 campaign by being named Academy Player of
the Year
05.06.2012

It has been yet another unforgettable season for West Ham United starlet Rob
Hall. Even before he helped England to win the UEFA European Under-17
Championship in the summer of 2010, Hall was earmarked for great things
within the Academy of Football. In 2011/12, he has taken a number of steps
further along the road to establishing himself as a first-team regular at
the Boleyn Ground. On 13 September, the youngster made his npower Football
League debut for loan club Oxford United, scoring the winner in a 1-0
victory over Dagenham & Redbridge. In all, he would net six goals in 14
appearances for the U's. In November, a month after his 18th birthday, Hall
made his England Under-19 debut, scoring the winner against Denmark in
Brighton. Seven weeks later, on New Year's Eve, Hall was handed his Hammers
debut as a second-half substitute in the 2-1 defeat at Derby County - the
first of four substitute appearances for the club he joined at the age of
nine in 2003. On 30 April, the teenager's season was completed as he was
named Academy Player of the Year by Tony Carr. "I have had a really good
season at all levels," said Hall, who also netted twice in the 3-2 FA Youth
Cup third-round win at Wolverhampton Wanderers in January and ten goals in
eleven starts for the Development Squad. "I was really happy to collect the
award because it is a nice recognition of the hard work that I've put in
this season."

Hall said his loan spell had proved to him and his coaches that he could
play senior football at a tender age. "I had a really good experience there
at Oxford. They gave me a great opportunity to go there and get the chance
to play. I have always just wanted to play football. "I enjoyed myself there
and managed to get myself a couple of goals and assists, which was great. It
was nice to be able to pay them back with some good performances."

When the big moment arrived at Pride Park, Hall was not overawed. Indeed, on
his four first-team appearances, he has always looked threatening. Having
travelled around the M25 regularly as a child to train and play and left
home at 16 to live in the Academy House, all the sacrifices were made
worthwhile. "It was upsetting that my parents couldn't make it to Derby, but
I've been at the club since a very young age and they have always been very
good to me and my family. "The day came and it was very exciting. I didn't
really have any fear, just excitement on the day. I was just happy to get
the opportunity to go and play and I enjoyed it, even though we didn't win."


Next season, Hall is eyeing his full debut. "I can't wait, but I'm going to
have to be patient and keep working. If we are promoted then the level will
go up again, but I'd love to make my debut against someone like a Manchester
United - that would be a real buzz!"

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Now We Are Being Linked to a Move for Steven Naismith!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die

Reports yesterday evening suggested that West Ham are considering a move for
Glasgow Rangers forward, Steven Naismith. It is alleged Naismith has a
clause in his contract that he can talk to clubs if a bid of £2m is
submitted. However, there is also thought to be interest from Everton.
Naismith is a Scotish international, but he does not have an outstanding
scoring record for Rangers in the SPL. So whether he would 'pull up any
trees' in the EPL is questionable.

We are also being linked to a move for Nicholas Anelka, who is currently
plying his trade in China. He was a quality, EPL striker, but at 33 years of
age, is he the right target for the Hammers? That's even if we can offer him
enough money to tempt him away from Chinese football. Sam Allardyce
obviously has history with Anelka, from his Bolton days, but perhaps it
would be better to look at alternative targets.

Elsewhere, the old story about James Tomkins being targeted by Spurs has
been dusted off and put back in to circulation by some media outlets. Now,
no doubt Spurs would like a young centre half of Tomkins' ability, but West
Ham are not likely to agree to sell him. So, that is a total non-story in
all probability. It has been accompanied by the suggestion that Spurs are
also interested in signing Rob Green on a Bosman deal. This rumour has more
credability, but as we know Green has also been linked with WBA, QPR and
Malaga recently. As such, it is anyone's guess where he will eventually end
up? Spurs are the biggest club of the four, but it might well be that it is
QPR who will offer the best terms?

Finally, there is a story on the club website about Pablo Barrera's recent
exploits with the Mexican national team. He is very much the forgotten man
at West Ham. But it would appear that he is still under contract to the
Hammers. It will be recalled that he was loaned to Real Zaragosa, in the
Spanish Ligue, for the whole of last season. Will Sam Allardyce fancy
bringing Barrera back to give him another crack at the EPL? Or is it far
more likely that he will he off-load the player this summer?

SJ. Chandos.

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Green light for Spain
The Sun
By MATT BUTLER
Last Updated: 04th June 2012

WEST HAM have lost their battle to hang on to keeper Rob Green — who is
eyeing a Champions League adventure with Malaga. The England keeper's
contract expires at the end of this month and he has failed to agree new
terms with the promoted Hammers. Green, 31, was hoping for a £45,000-a-week
deal at Upton Park but co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold were not
prepared to meet his demands. West Ham have lined up Bolton's Jussi
Jaaskelainen, who worked under boss Sam Allardyce at the Reebok, as Green's
replacement. Jaaskelainen, 37, is set to sign for the east Londoners next
week, subject to a medical. Gold tweeted: "Robert is a free agent, he has
chosen to move on. He is out of contract, he has refused to sign a new one.
Matthew Upson did the same thing last summer. "Nobody wants Rob to leave but
nothing is for ever, he must do what's best for him and we must do what's
best for us."

QPR are keen on Green but he could plump for Spaniards Malaga, who clinched
fourth spot in La Liga last season. Green spent six years at West Ham —
making 241 appearances — after then-boss Alan Pardew signed him from Norwich
for £2million.

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THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE RIDICULOUS!
Posted on Tuesday, 5th June 2012 by Tom Kilbey
Foreverwestham.com

It's transfer season once again. We have been a Premier League club for
little more than a fortnight and we have already been linked with dozens of
players, from the awful to the absurd. Here, I will try and give you the
latest on all the transfer rumours. I am not an "ITK" tweeter, nor am I in
the business of inventing rumours for the sake of it. I have compiled this
list based on a variety of reliable sources and the latest news I have
available to give an indication of what deals are non-starters, and which
ones could potentially happen.

Deals expected to be done:

Jussi Jaaskelainen – Goalkeeper – Free Agent. After the departure of Rob
Green, Sam Allardyce has moved fast to snap up the experienced keeper who he
worked with at Bolton Wanderers. Status – Will sign this week subject to a
medical

George McCartney – Left Back – Sunderland – Free Transfer. After a
successful loan spell, both parties are eager to get this deal done. The
defender doesn't feature in Martin O'Neill's plans, and will be completed in
the next few weeks. Status – This deal is essentially a certainty.

Kieran Richardson – Full Back, Centre Mid (basically everywhere!) –
Sunderland -£2.5m deal We have had a bid accepted for Richardson, and will
sign him in the next couple of weeks subject to personal terms. Status –
Deal expected to be completed

Kenwyne Jones – Striker – Sunderland – £3m deal – Jones is extremely
interested in joining West Ham, and it appears as if Allardyce is going to
give him his wish. Status – Expected to be completed in the near future.

Ahmed Elmohamady – Winger – Sunderland – Loan Deal – The player has been
keen to state that he is in talks with West Ham. Despite everyone thinking
we were in for a permanent deal, at this stage, it appears as if we are
bidding to loan the player who has not featured under O'Neill at all. Status
– Very likely to happen, most probably on loan.


Deals that have a fair chance of being completed:

Paul Robinson – Goalkeeper – Blackburn – £1.5-2m deal – The issue
surrounding our goalkeepers is particularly unclear. Despite the fact we
have almost seal the deal for Jaaskaleinen, it appears we are still in the
market for another goalkeeper. If so, Paul Robinson could definitely fit the
bill. Status – If BFS indeed wants another keeper, this deal could
definitely happen. Watch this space.

Mohamed Diame – Midfielder – Free Agent – This is one deal that on a
personal level, I am keeping an eye on as I think this would be a very
shrewd acquisition for us. We are definitely in talks with him, but so are a
host of other unnamed clubs, so we will have to wait on this one. Status –
If we fight off the competition, there's a chance of this coming true.

Robert Snodgrass – Winger – Leeds United – £5mill – Leeds appear to be
playing hard ball with this one. They want £5million and Snodgrass is keen,
but this seems to be too much for us. Status – If either side budges, this
deal could all of a sudden be on.

Wilfried Zaha – Winger – Crystal Palace – Around £8mill – This deal is
another example of a Npower Championship keen to hang onto their prized
possession. We had originally put in a cash + Sam Baldock offer in for the
highly rated youngster, but the deal has broken down. However he appears to
be a player very high on Allardyce's wishlist. Status: If we can agree a fee
with Palace, this seems very likely.

Deals in early stages/ unlikely to be done / non starters:

Jordan Rhodes – Striker – Huddersfield – £6mill – Despite our interest in
the football league's most prized property, a deal is a very long way from
being done. We are likely to bid around £6mill, but I highly doubt this will
be enough considering Huddersfield wanted more than this in January prior to
promotion, they could hold out for more money from a bigger club. Status – A
bid is expected, which would put the ball in Huddersfield's court.

Grant Holt – Striker – Norwich – £6 milion – 24 hours ago, we were reported
to have bid £4mill for Holt. Norwich denied this. Hours later, West Ham
claimed a bid had been rejected. No one is certain what's happening at
Carrow Road, but we do know a few things. Firstly, Holt wants out after a
fall out with Norwich regarding his contract. Norwich are standing firm on
their valuation of £6mill, and sensibly, it appears that we have not played
ball. Status – Norwich's overvaluation of their 31 year old striker could
stop this deal in its tracks

Yakubu – Striker – Blackburn – £1million – This deal is one of a minority
where the problem lies in the player's contract. We will cough up the cash
for the transfer without any problems, but the Yak is tempted by huge wages
in China, and will probably play out his career in Asia. Status – Money
talks volumes, and appears to be drowning out common sense in this case.

Abdoulaye Ba – Defender – Porto – Unknown – This deal was looking fairly
likely, but stumbled due to the fact the player would fail to gain a work
permit. Status – Non starter.

Matt Jarvis – Winger – Wolves – £8million – Wolves' valuation of the player
seems way too high for what we are willing to pay. We want to pay around
half of this, perhaps up to £5mill, but £8million is far too much. Status –
Wolves want too much money for this to happen.

Nicolas Anelka – Striker – Shanghai – Unknown – The story surrounding
Anelka's trip to China is hilarious. His strike partner last week was the
clubs owner, he was made assistant manager of his club without consulation,
and he is (understandably) fed up. Apparently, not fed up enough to return
to England with his ridiculously high wages. Status – Unless something else
hilarious happens in Asia, this is a no go.

Joe Cole – Midfielder – Liverpool – Unknown – Every West Ham fan wants this
to happen, but its essentially a non-starter. The player has no real
interest in a return to his former club, and with Rogers hinting that the
player may have a future at the club, this isn't going to happen. Status –
Sorry to dispel all hope, but this isn't going to happen.

Michael Owen – Striker – Manchester United – Unknown – This one has
absolutely no chance. He has told us he wants to stay in the north. Status –
0% chance.
Ronaldinho – Attacking Midfielder- Unknown. Really!? Let's get real here.

*Disclaimer* – Once again, I do not claim to have my own source for this
information. The information has come from a variety of sources including
newspapers, player's quotes, as well as a select group of tweeters:
Adzman89, WHUFC_news among several others.

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Hammer 'n Nais
The Scottish Sun
EXCLUSIVE
By GARETH LAW
Published: 05th June 2012

WEST HAM have joined the £2million race to sign Stevie Naismith. Hammers
boss Sam Allardyce has started reshaping his squad for their return to the
English Premier League. And he's determined to pip Everton and West Brom to
the Scotland star. We told last month how the Baggies had bids rejected by
the administration-hit Ibrox side for Naisy who is nearing fitness again
after snapping his cruciate in October. Goodison gaffer David Moyes is also
a huge admirer but Upton Park boss Big Sam could steal a march on their
Premier League rivals by slapping in an offer that would trigger the
25-year-old's £2m release clause. That figure was inserted into Naismith's
deal when he and other top Gers earners took a 75 per cent cut to their
wages in a bid to keep the ailing club going until the end of the season.
Salaries are due to return to normal when they are paid out later this
month. Would-be owner Charles Green has claimed it would be his mission to
renegotiate deals to keep his top stars. But time is fast running out with
creditors having two weeks to agree to a CVA with the 28-day cooling off
period up on July 14. Ironically, Naismith could team up with Norwich
striker Grant Holt after the Hammers were linked with a £4m move at the
weekend. But both could have been team-mates at Ibrox if Ally McCoist's
cut-price January deadline day bid had been accepted. Now the pair could be
sharing a dressing room in East London if the Hammers can piece together a
package to tempt Naismith away from Ibrox.

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Rovers keeper Robinson on Allardyce list
Lancashire Telegraph
7:34am Tuesday 5th June 2012 in Sport By Andy Cryer, Blackburn Rovers
reporter

FORMER Blackburn Rovers boss Sam Allardyce is ready to offer Paul Robinson a
route back into the Premier League – should Robert Green carry out his Upton
Park quit threat. England stopper Green is out of contract at the end of
June and has not agreed new terms having helped the Hammers win promotion
back into the Premier League. West Ham chairman David Gold has admitted on
Twitter that he expects Green to leave this summer, leaving the Premier
League new boys looking for a replacement. Rovers' number one Paul Robinson
is understood to be high up on Allardyce's wish list of replacements, having
been a big admirer of him during their time together at Ewood Park.
Allardyce (pic-tured right) has other names on his short list though,
includ-ing free agent Jussi Jaaskelainen from Bolton, and might be put off
Robinson by the expected high price tag Venky's are likely to place on him.
The departure of Robinson would help cut Rovers' wage bill in preparation
for Championship football, with Mark Bunn and Jake Kean ready to slot into
the number one and number two berths. Rovers know they will be unable to
keep both Robinson and Bunn at the club next season and so would be tempted
into offloading the former England goalkeeper for the right price.

Allardyce touted Robin-son for an England recall when he was his boss at
Ewood Park and would jump at the chance to be reunited with him. Rovers
skipper Robinson could also be tempted into being handed another stint in
the top flight but could be priced out of a move. Meanwhile preparations for
next season at Ewood Park remain on hold as club staff wait for clear
direction from owners Venky's. With only boss Steve Kean in contact with
club matriarch Anuradha Desai, Rovers' board members remain in the dark
about the direction the club is heading. Season ticket prices have yet to be
announced, leaving people being turned away from attempting to purchase one
for next season, while all transfer market plans have yet to be given the
green light. Rovers players remain as confused as the backroom staff as they
look to decide on their own futures, with a plethora of the club's stars
wanted men.

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