Daily WHUFC News - 4th August 2012

Big Sam targeting Ipswich victory
WHUFC.com
Big Sam is looking for a positive performance and result at Portman Road on
Saturday
03.08.2012

Sam Allardyce is looking forward to banishing some bad memories when West
Ham United travel to Ipswich Town on Saturday. The Tractor Boys were one of
only two teams to beat the Hammers home and away in the npower Championship
last season and Big Sam is eager to get one back over old adversary Paul
Jewell at Portman Road. The trip to Suffolk could see Modibo Maiga make his
first appearance on British soil, while James Collins has also been included
in the squad after rejoining the Hammers from Aston Villa. A third new name
in Big Sam's squad is teenage goalkeeper Raphael Spiegel, who will travel as
back-up to Jussi Jaaskelainen and Stephen Henderson for valuable first-team
experience. With just two more pre-season fixtures to play between now and
the big Barclays Premier League kick-off at home to Aston Villa - the other
being at SC Braga on Friday 10 August - the manager is getting closer to
knowing who his starting XI will be on Saturday 18 August. "It's not about
revenge but it's about us getting to our level now," he told West Ham TV.
"It's about making sure we give 100 per cent effort for the maximum amount
of time in the game and hopefully the lads will be able to do that for the
whole 90 minutes. "I'm expecting them to be able to reach as near to peak
fitness as they can possibly get at this stage and then it's a small top-up
before the start of the season. As I've said before, we've got to hit the
ground running and be at 100 per cent and that will give us an opportunity
to get off to a good start in the Barclays Premier League. "The level of
fitness will be all-important, as will the team shape and how the team plays
which will be very important as well. We need to make sure we win the game
and do the right things to win the game - in possession to try and score a
goal and out of possession to work very, very to stop the opposition from
scoring. "If we come away with a win and a clean sheet it means we're
starting to get things right and anything less than that will mean there is
plenty of work to be done."

One player who Big Sam is looking forward to seeing in a West Ham shirt is
Collins, who arrived from Aston Villa in midweek. "Every signing is a worry
for a manager, but there is little to worry about from James's career with
West Ham and Aston Villa and I think his experience of the Premier League is
very important.
"He is only 28 and is in the prime of his career and he was desperate to
come back. That, for me, was another sign and we want to see his solid,
committed defensive performances that the fans know from when he was here
before and him notch a few goals at the other end off set plays. "He's
exactly what you need in the Premier League - an aggressive, good central
defender - and I'm looking forward to working with him."

However, the manager will have to make do without Olympians James Tomkins
and Mohamed Diame as well as the injured Kevin Nolan (toe) and George
McCartney (sciatic nerve), while Jack Collison has recently returned to full
training. "Jack is still not with us as he's still recovering from the end
of last season," Big Sam confirmed. "Unfortunately it's taken a lot longer
than we thought it would and he's only just started training again. "Momo
and James are away on international duty at the Olympics. Momo is doing
fantastically well and I watched him play for Senegal against UAE at
Coventry on Wednesday and he looked a very good player. James is not playing
for Team GB very much - he's only started one game so far - which is a big
concern to me because he won't come back match-fit, which is what we
expected him to do. "It'll be interesting to see the other guys and how good
they are. Hopefully they'll do the good things and beat Ipswich."

*Tickets for Saturday's 3pm kick-off are still available and will also be on
sale on the day from the Cobbold Stand Ticket Office at Portman Road, priced
at £15 for Adults, £10 for Over-65s and Under-20s and £3 for Under-16s. For
full details, click here.

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Join the Supporter Advisory Board!
WHUFC.com
You can shape the future of West Ham United by setting the agenda for the
things that matter most
03.08.2012

If you want to help to shape the future of your Football Club, then there is
no better way than to join the West Ham United Supporter Advisory Board
(SAB). In line with the club's policy of listening to those who matter most,
the SAB was originally set-up last season to give fans the opportunity to
have their say on the Hammers.
Launched in May 2011, the SAB gives supporters a meangingful voice on the
following topics, plus much, much more:

· Retail - kit design and merchandise
· Marketing - branding and emails
· Media - online and publications
· Ticketing - season tickets and membership
· Matchday experience - everything related to the big game

SAB members will also have the opportunity to meet the people that make the
big decisions at the club, including Board members and first-team management
and players.

It is your West Ham United. You set the agenda for the things that matter
most to you. The existing SAB members will continue their important role
during the 2012/13 season, but the club is eager to open the opportunity up
to new members to ensure a fully representative cross-section of the
supporter base. The club would welcome those who have plenty to say. All
input is welcome, providing it is constructive and aimed at improving the
lot of all Hammers fans. Applications from all walks of life, whatever the
gender or age, are wanted, including international members. The only two
criteria is that you must support the club and must have a relationship with
the club, whether that be a Season Ticket holder or Academy member. Key
personnel from the club will be made available to address all areas covered
by the SAB. Those interested in joining the SAB must potentially be
available to attend quarterly meetings and be regularly contactable via
email/phone. The selection process will take into account each individual's
application and the overall balance of the Board. To get involved, fans must
be nominated by five others who are not related and also have a Season
Ticket or Academy membership.

This is a genuine opportunity for fans to influence the key decisions that
will shape the future of West Ham United.
Anyone interested should download an application form here and send it in by
Friday 17 August 2012 . Completed forms should be posted to Esha Chopra,
West Ham United, Boleyn Ground, Green Street, London, E13 9AZ.

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Dev Squad ready for Dons
WHUFC.com
Ian Hendon's Development Squad look to bounce back at to winning ways at AFC
Wimbledon
02.08.2012

Ian Hendon's Development Squad travel to AFC Wimbledon on Saturday as they
continue to build for the upcoming Barclays Under-21 Premier League season.
Last weekend saw Hendon's side defeated 1-0 at Welling United, but the coach
is eager and confident that his players will bounce back to winning ways
against their npower League Two opponents. Hendon will have a strong squad
at his disposal, with the likes of Jordan Spence, Rob Hall and Blair Turgott
all set to feature at Kingsmeadow. "It will be a good game against a good
team," said Hendon. "They did very well in League Two last year, especially
considering it was their first year in the division. "I saw a lot of them
last year as they had George (Moncur) on loan, they are a good, solid side
and it will be the toughest game we have faced."

Turgott and Hall both linked up with the first team during their pre-season
tour of Germany, and Hendon believes their promotion will provide the whole
team with an incentive to do likewise during the upcoming season. "It
provides a massive boost, not just to the players who travelled but also to
those who didn't as ultimately it's where they all want to be. "It gives
them a great experience in being around professionals and learning from them
in terms of how they train and play the game."

Hendon was without a recognised striker during last weekend's defeat at
Welling, but the likes of Hall, Paul McCallum and Frederic Piquionne should
provide more firepower this time around. "Last week was difficult as we were
without a recognised forward, but we're in better shape this weekend. It's a
great pitch at Wimbledon and hopefully we will be able to pick up a more
positive result than in previous weeks to match our overall performances."

In the light of the recent defeats at Dartford and Welling, Hendon is
demanding defensive improvements against the Dons, who could feature
one-time West Ham centre-back Callum McNaughton. "Last week we were too
casual defensively, but we've been working hard this week to make sure it
doesn't happen again. "We've looked over some video footage to see where we
need to improve, and have put the hours and effort in at the training ground
so I'm sure we will see an improvement."

The trip to AFC Wimbledon will be preceded by a testimonial match for Dons
first-team coach Simon Bassey at 12.45pm featuring a host of Wimbledon
legends. Tickets are priced at £12 for Adults, £8 for Concessions and £4 for
Under-16s and can purchased on the day at Kingsmeadow.

Following Saturday's fixture, the Development Squad will travel to
Northampton Town on Tuesday evening (7.45pm kick-off) before completing
their pre-season schedule at Dagenham and Redbridge on Saturday 11 August
(3pm kick-off). Hendon's squad open their Barclays Under-21 Premier League
campaign at home to Reading at Rush Green Stadium on Friday 17 August at
7pm.

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Mixed start for U18s
WHUFC.com
Nick Haycock's youth team won one and lost one on the opening day of a
tournament in Belgium
03.08.2012

West Ham United Under-18s recorded a victory and a defeat on the opening day
of the Yale Eurofoot Tournoi in Belgium. The three-day competition has
attracted a host of top clubs from across Europe and beyond, with Tottenham
Hotspur, Belgian giants Anderlecht and Club Brugge and Croatian side Hajduk
Split among those taking part. West Ham were drawn in Group A alongside AA
Gent, Cercle Brugge, Anderlecht, Hajduk Split and Danish club Nordsjaelland
at the tournament, which is taking place in Oostduinkerke. On Friday, Nick
Haycock's side began their challenge with a 2-0 win over Cercle Brugge, with
Elliot Lee and Jamie Harney scoring the goals. However, the Hammers' second
fixture saw them slip to defeat by an identical scoreline to Nordsjaelland.
"We played well in both matches and, on another day, could have recorded two
victories but overall I was very pleased with the way we started the
tournament," confirmed Haycock. "Against Cercle Brugge we fully deserved our
victory. Elliot scored the first goal by intercepting a pass and lashing a
shot into the bottom corner before Jamie volleyed in from a superb
in-swinging corner from Nathan Mavila. "Elliot and Leo Chambers were the
pick of our players, while there was also a good commanding performance from
our goalkeeper Sam Baxter. Sam didn't have much to do, but he kicked well
from the back and put in a good, solid display. "In our second game, we lost
2-0 against a Danish team who were a lot older and stronger than us - most
of their players were U19s whereas most of ours are U17s with a smattering
of U18s. They won the physical battle, but they certainly didn't outplay us.
"We played well enough to win but a couple of defensive mistakes cost us.
Again, Leo and Elliot were our standout players, while first-year scholar
Ben Marlow did well in the centre of the midfield."

Haycock said the trip would help him and the coaching staff assess the
youngsters' professionalism on and off the pitch. "It is a lovely set-up
here and the hotel is superb. The boys are in good spirits and they could
easily have come away with two wins from the opening day of the tournament.
We play Gent, Anderlecht and Hajduk Split on Saturday to see which knockout
section we go into on Sunday. "The good thing for me is that we get to see
how the boys prepare and how they recover from playing matches, as well as
the way they get over making mistakes that they have made. "We see how
professional they are 24-hours-a-day which is something that is vitally
important if they are going to take the next step towards first-team
football."

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Robins close on Baldock
McInnes hopes to seal striker deal
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo. Last Updated:
August 3, 2012 11:32am
SSN

Sky Sports understands Bristol City are closing in on a deal for West Ham
striker Sam Baldock. City are thought to have agreed a fee with West Ham for
the 23-year-old and are hoping to persuade him to move to Ashton Gate. A
number of other clubs, including Charlton, are believed to be keeping tabs
on Baldock's situation, but Bristol City are in pole position to land the
former MK Dons hit-man. Baldock, who joined West Ham last summer, scored
five goals in his first nine games for the Hammers, but saw his first-team
opportunities dry up in the second half of the season. West Ham are prepared
to offload Baldock with Hammers boss Sam Allardyce having a wealth of
options in attack. Robins boss Derek McInnes has made Baldock his top target
as he looks to bring in a new striker ahead of the new season and is hopeful
of tying up a deal for the talented forward.

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Jussi Seems Set To Be The No 1 Goalkeeper
By Iain Dale
West Hma Till I Die

There's a six minute video interview with Sam Allardyce and Kevin Nolan on
the Premier League website. It seems clear from this that Jussi will be the
Number One goalkeeper. By all accounts neither he nor Stephen Henderson have
looked that impressive so far. Are we really to put a trust in a goalkeeper
who only played 18 times last season and couldn't maintain his place in a
relegated side? Don't get me wrong, Jussi has been a fantastic goalkeeper
for Bolton down the years, but his best days are way behind him. West Ham
(Allen McKnight excepted) have invariably had a fantastic goalkeeper between
the sticks. And we will need one next season. Are we really confident we
have one?

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Big Sam in James Games pain
Published: Today at 00:15
The Sun

SAM ALLARDYCE is getting frustrated at James Tomkins' lack of Olympics
action. West Ham centre-back Tomkins started just one of Team GB's group
games, the 3-1 victory over UAE. He is set to be on the bench again for
today's quarter-final with South Korea. Hammers boss Allardyce said: "James
isn't playing very much which is a big concern as we expected him to come
back to us match-fit."

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My Club: Kriss Akabusi
The Sun
EXCLUSIVE By TOM BARCLAY
Published: Today at 00:15


IF Andy Carroll does not want to sign West Ham, then West Ham don't want
Andy Carroll. That's according to British athletics legend and diehard Irons
fans Kriss Akabusi, who feels the massive money Sam Allardyce is willing to
pay for the Geordie striker could be better spent elsewhere. SunSport caught
up with the former 400m runner for an exclusive chat on his beloved club,
from his thoughts on the move to Olympic Stadium to sneaking into Upton Park
as a youngster.

TB: Why are you a West Ham fan?

KA: When I was a little boy in 1969, I was on holiday and I went into this
caravan which was decorated in claret and blue. One of the pictures I saw on
the wall was of Clive Best, who was a black player who played for West Ham.
People might not be able to believe it today but back then there were very
few black players in the First Division. So straight away I changed my
allegiance from Liverpool – who I only picked because they were top of the
league – and became West Ham United from then on.

What are your memories from your first game?

I can't because what we used to be able to do is go to Upton Park, wait for
about 20 minutes after kick-off and then sneak in. I can't even remember my
first official game! I didn't start paying to go to games until I joined the
army.

Who was your all-time favourite player?

Billy Bonds. He rolled down his socks, literally, and bossed the midfield.
He was an aggressive, all-action player who didn't score many goals, but he
had that no-nonsense, East End style. He put in crunching tackles and was
our Norman Hunter, our Billy Bremner. He epitomised the East End of London –
'Roll your sleeves up, son, let's get on with it'.

Do you get down to Upton Park much these days?

I'm a season-ticket holder – I do pay for my ticket now!

Are you excited about the move to the Olympic Stadium?

It's definite progress. When West Ham first started, they played in the park
and it was all pies and mash, then walk back home in 1895. Then they moved
to what people call Upton Park – the Boleyn Ground – and there the progress
has continued.

But I was at the Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony at London 2012 and
I saw how intimate that stadium can be. With retractable seating, reduced
numbers and a raising of the pitch, that is going to be a magnificent
stadium. In 10-15 years, no one will be talking about Upton Park. It will be
a privilege to call it home.

Will West Ham be able to fill it out though?

They will because we will become the West Ham of 1986. We'll be a top-tier
side. Slowly but surely we'll build towards it. We're a stone's throw away
from Canary Wharf – when we move to the Olympic Stadium we'll be the natural
club for all the banking money. It won't be overnight, but in that setting,
we'll grow, for sure.

The Hammers are back in the top flight now. What are your targets for this
season?

Staying up, of course. I don't want to be biting my nails on the last day of
the season wondering if we'll be going down or not. We need to aim for 40
points past February.

West Ham will have to get used to the long-ball game that Sam Allardyce
prefers, and if it keeps us up, I won't be complaining.

Would you be satisfied with that style of football in the long term?

Sam does say he can be flexible and that he has plans A, B and C. If we can
become like the Bolton of old that was a top 10 team for two or three years,
eventually we will get better players and a better system.

You have faith in Allardyce then?

I do. We'll get there in the end. One thing you do know is that in 10-15
years, Sam Allardyce will not be at West Ham – but I'm a Hammer for life.
Sam has a job to do and eventually someone else will come in to replace him.
Managers come and go but the team will always be there.

Alan Pardew had a wonderful season with Newcastle last year. Do you have any
regrets that he left West Ham?

Pardew plays a gutsy type of football. When he was with us, he got the
players stoked up and we had a terrific cup run. But he can get found out as
well. So it wouldn't surprise me if Newcastle struggle this season but then
it wouldn't surprise me if they finish in the top three!

One former Toon player that you are in the market for is Andy Carroll. What
are your thoughts on the Liverpool striker?

If he doesn't want to come to us, I don't want him either. He's not good
enough to worry about. I can understand Carroll in Sam's team – he would be
the big bustling forward that provides the knock-downs for the likes of Sam
Baldock, Ricardo Vaz Te and Kevin Nolan. But I can think of a lot of better
players for £80,000 a week.

I'm worried about paying someone that kind of money who doesn't want to be
there. It could unsettle the side with people like Mark Noble and James
Tomkins, who are great workhorses, thinking, 'How can this kid be on twice
as much as I am?'

Where would you like to add to the squad this summer?

What West Ham really miss is the guy who scores 20 goals a year. Carlton
Cole has lovely feet but you need someone who is going to score a goal every
other game.

If it were me, I would go and get Kenwyne Jones for a couple of million and
pay him £30,000 a week to play in the Kevin Davies role. Then you spend
£50,000 a week on someone who will bag you 15-20 goals – someone like
Jermain Defoe. Love him or loathe him, that boy is greedy and will score
goals. For the money you're paying for Carroll, you could get Jones and
Defoe. The other strikers would chip in and it would be, 'Well done West
Ham, you're safe by February'.

Did you ever fancy yourself as a footballer?

What school boy doesn't?

Which modern-day player was your style most like?

I wanted to be a striker when I was younger but really my style suited a
full-back, so someone like Ashley Cole.

If I were advising the young Akabusi, I would have told him to forget about
playing centre-forward and focus on full-back. I had a great engine, could
use both feet, cross a ball and wasn't scared of a tackle.

If you were the West Ham chairman, what would you do?

I would bring in Jones and Defoe, then work really hard at getting Joe Cole
back. I would say to him, 'You're not a striker, son, you're my midfield
wizard – you're going to play central midfield and you're going to create
the ammunition'.

I would have an upfront, diplomatic conversation with Allardyce and tell him
that I wasn't sure he was the man for us in the long term, but he is the man
for now. I would tell him that he will be paid well to make West Ham a top
third side, like an Everton. Eventually, I might look elsewhere to get where
I want to go, unless he could prove that he deserves to stay.

I would have an honest conversation with the fans and tell them I'm in it
for the legacy, not the money, so get behind me.

One thing I wouldn't do, which our chairmen have a habit of doing, is
interfere with the manager. I would not come down and talk to the players
and would not make ridiculous statements to the Press on what we're going to
achieve. You have to let people do their jobs.

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TEAM NEWS: West Ham expected to parade new signings at both ends of Portman
Road against Ipswich Town
The GreenUn
By Dave Gooderham
Friday, August 3, 2012
3:41 PM

Ipswich v West Ham: Big-money signings Modibo Maiga and James Collins are
expected to make their West Ham debuts on home soil when the Premier League
newcomers meet Ipswich Town in the Blues' showcase summer friendly. While an
ambitious loan move for England striker Andy Carroll has currently stalled,
Mali international Maiga, a £4.7 million signing from Sochaux, is expected
to lead the line. At the back for the Hammers, Collins could be in the heart
of the defence just days after completing his return to Upton Park on a £2.5
million move from Aston Villa. Fellow new signing Jussi Jaaskelainen, a free
transfer from Bolton Wanderers in place of Rob Green, and Stephen Henderson
wiil vie for the goalkeeper's jersey.

West Ham, who beat Colchester United 2-1 at the end of last month, could
start with a 4-3-3 formation with Nicky Maynard impressing lately in an
unfamiliar wide role. One striker who might miss out on the trip is Sam
Baldock with rumours abound that the Ipswich target is close to agreeing a
£1.5 million switch to divisional rivals Bristol City. Hammers boss Sam
Allardyce will have to make do without Olympic duo James Tomkins and Mohamed
Diame as well as the injured Kevin Nolan (toe) and George McCartney (sciatic
nerve), while Jack Collison has recently returned to full training.

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