Daily WHUFC News - 28th September 2012

Spence's learning curve
WHUFC.com
Jordan Spence admits West Ham United's youngsters will have learnt a lot
from the defeat to Wigan Athletic
26.09.2012

West Ham United Man of the Match Jordan Spence believe that despite the
short-term pain, West Ham United's youngsters will become better players
following Tuesday's 4-1 Capital One Cup defeat against Wigan Athletic.
Spence was voted the home side's best player by sponsors Mash Media, but
after being part of a defence that conceded four times as many goals as the
Hammers had at home all season, the 22-year-old admitted it was a
bittersweet conclusion. Drawing on the positives, though, the Academy
graduate admits that the loss has given him plenty of pointers for
development. "To be honest I am just happy to play," Spence said. "I am
extremely grateful for the opportunity and everybody knows that whenever I
pull on that claret and blue shirt I will give my all. "When I get a chance
in the first team I just want to show everybody what I can do, it was nice
to do that in a winning side against Crewe but to lose this game leaves an
extremely bitter taste in my mouth. "It was a good opportunity for us
younger lads to come in and gain experience and show that we are still
pushing for a place in the first team, unfortunately we didn't do that. "I
will go away now and analyse the game from a personal point of view to see
what I did well and what I can do better because I am all about improving."

The Hammers failed to kick on after taking a seventh-minute lead through
Modibo Maiga's fine strike and Spence, who was deployed at right-back for
the night, conceded that the back five did not do enough defensively to earn
a place in the fourth round. "We are extremely disappointed with the result.
We spoke before the game about continuing our unbeaten run at home and we
started really well by getting the opening goal but to concede four goals
and to lose the game the way we did is extremely disappointing. "It is an
old cliché but everybody knows that goals win games, Wigan played very well,
kept their shape and moved the ball well, but we knew we could capitalise if
we pushed up onto them. "We did that with the first goal but after that we
have to admit our disappointment, we will look at the goals again and try
and decipher them, but we didn't do enough defensively to warrant anything
from the game."

Spence has been a regular starter in Ian Hendon's Development Squad who have
been in exceptional form so far this season, not least against Arsenal last
Friday when they came away with a 4-1 win. He will now be hoping to maintain
their lofty position in the table when Norwich visit Rush Green on Friday
evening for a 7pm kick-off. "We have a lot of confidence and a winning
feeling in the Development Squad, it is a culture we want to build within
the football club. "We are top of the league and you saw confident
performances against Wigan from the likes of Rob Hall and Matty Fanimo. The
boys are doing really well and we want to show we are ready and capable at
any point we are called upon."

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Ohuruogu shares Hammers' vision
WHUFC.com
Olympian Christine Ohuruogu has outlined her vision for a lasting Olympic
legacy in east London
26.09.2012

Christine Ohuruogu was a special guest at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday to
see West Ham United snatch a dramatic last-minute equaliser against
Sunderland.
Ohuruogu won the silver medal in the 400m at London's 2012 Olympic Games and
she now hopes Team GB's achievements can inspire the next generation of
potential stars. The 28-year-old was brought up in Newham so she can
appreciate how important it is to once again having a Barclays Premier
League football team working in the local community. "I have really enjoyed
my summer, it is great for me to compete in Stratford and then be able to
come and watch Premier League football here at the Boleyn Ground," she said.
"It is really great to have a Premier League football team doing well in the
area, it really does boost the community and everybody's emotions. It is
great that sport can do that. It is a real testament to how east London is
developing through sport and how it is really at the forefront in the world
of sport at the moment. "The last few months have been intense and although
it was great to win it doesn't really stop once the games are finished."

West Ham United, through the work of their award-winning Community Sports
Trust, have already been working hard at offering coaching and job
opportunities to youngsters in the area and now the 2008 Beijing Olympic
gold medallist is keen to mirror that kind of commitment as she looks to
give back to the community that helped shape her. "It is great that we are
really helping to bring the next generation through and give them something
positive to aspire to. We have an unwritten obligation as athletes to drive
the next generation. "It is so often a problem with young people,
particularly in London, that they haven't really had anyone to aspire to, so
hopefully we have done that or we are on our way."

Ohuruogu also expressed her desire to consider using her passion for sport
to coach youngsters once she decides to hang up her running spikes. "I am on
my break now so I do not really want to see a running track," joked
Ohuruogu. "But I am really hoping that once the season starts I can go in
and show the youngsters what I have learnt. "The Olympics really have
brought a huge momentum, not just to sport but to achieving positive change
and positive thinking, that we really need to jump on that momentum and keep
it going. "It is useful, it is not something that only happens once every
four years or for just two weeks in London, we really can use this to change
everybody's lives."

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The Julian Dicks Column: 28th September
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 27th September 2012
By: Julian Dicks

It's with great pleasure that we welcome West Ham United FC legend Julian
Dicks to KUMB.com. Julian shares his thoughts with the readers of Knees up
Mother Brown on a regular basis via his weekly column, the latest of which
begins with the sad passing of a West Ham legend...

John Bond

It's probably a year or so since I last saw John Bond. I'd never said it to
him before but that day I told him that he was one of the best managers I'd
played under - and he was, he was incredible. He just said: "Thank you very
much!" When Ron Saunders - who signed me for Birmingham - resigned, John
took over. He was a big, big bloke and I was only 16 or 17. I went training
for the first time and I remember it like it was yesterday. John stuck me up
front with Wayne Clarke and said: "I want you to do this and this," - and I
couldn't do it, I couldn't understand what he wanted me to do. So he shouted
at me and said: "Oi you, f*ck off over there!" - and that was it! In the
beginning, when he first came in I thought, "f*cking Hell, what's happening
here?" - because he just b*llocked me left, right and centre! But once I
started playing, it was very different.

When John took over from Ron at Birmingham, it was a total change of
direction. It was get the ball on the floor, play, pass; he didn't even want
you to boot it in your own box and I'd never heard that before! So, he
shaped the early days of my career and when I went to West Ham, that was
just the normal way to play football. I signed my first professional
contract under John. We'd just played against Luton and I'd had a blinding
game. The next day, he came in and said: "I want you to sign a professional
contract". I was only 17.

Along with Ron Saunders, John Bond probably shaped my footballing career.
Because he'd played for West Ham he didn't want me to get the ball and just
smack it up front, he wanted me to play. He didn't want me to play for
England because that was the way the football was being played. As a manager
you take bits from every manager you've worked under, even if you don't
think you do. Ron Saunders liked to play direct football at Birmingham, then
there was John Bond. When I went to West Ham, we had John Lyall.

John [Bond] was both an incredible man and manager; his record speaks for
itself. We didn't keep in touch after we'd left Birmingham but when I went
to West Ham we used to see each other frequently. He was an absolutely
fantastic person. He was funny - and loved a cigar! - but was incredible.
He's a massive loss to football.

Lucky - and unlucky

I thought West Ham did well against Sunderland and I thought they deserved
more than a point - even though in the end they were lucky to get one! They
dominated the game and I thought when they got going, West Ham were going to
win quite easily.

Kevin Nolan's goal was a fantastic volley - but Simon Mignolet's save in the
first half was just as good. But overall, whilst you think we should have
got three points you've got to be happy with one in the end.

It was good to see them work for the whole 95 minutes; sometimes when a game
enters injury time you resign yourself to not getting a result but they
carried on fighting, which was pleasing.

Head and shoulders above everyone else for me was Momo Diame. I thought he
was fantastic; he reminded me of a poor-man's Yaya Toure! I think if we can
keep him, your Jarvises and your Nolans fit then we have a great chance of a
good season.

I also thought Matt Jarvis did particularly well when he came on. Carlton
Cole played but he was substituted - and rightly so - but you want someone
like that or Andy Carroll up front when Jarvis is playing. He put some great
crosses in the box and I think had Andy been in there we may well have got
another couple of goals.

That was the first time I've seen Jarvis play a full game this season and he
impressed me. At the end of the day he's a winger and it's about crossing
balls - and he put in more than anybody. He also played on against Wigan
without the same success but obviously he has just come back from injury.

Sam put a load of kids out on Tuesday night but any way you look at it, it
was a disappointing result. Personally, I would have kept the same side.

We know West Ham aren't going to win the Premier League so that's one chance
of silverware out of the window. We could win the FA Cup, or have a great
run, but the Capital One Cup is a trophy that we could win - which means a
trip to Wembley and a great day out for everybody.

If I was going to change the side I would have changed one or two players,
maximum. I know some managers like to rotate but we have almost a week
before the next game. They worry about injuries but you can get injured in
training just as easily so I would have kept a similar side.

The likes of Manchester United might not think twice about the Cup because
they're going to be challenging for the Premier League and the Champions
League but I would have liked to have seen West Ham progress and perhaps win
some silverware this season.

I'm not convinced by the theory that says a good Cup run can hinder progress
in the league. As a player, you want to play games more than you train - at
least that's how I used to come into the season. As a player it's great to
have a chance of playing in a Cup Final. I wonder whether Sam will also rest
players in the FA Cup, or whether he thinks the Capital One Cup is the
lesser competition?

On the bright side, it was good to see Dylan Tombides play against Wigan.
Fighting cancer is going to be the biggest battle of his career - everything
else should be easy by comparison. For him to get over that is incredible
and it's great to see him back and getting a few minutes on the pitch.

Looking back: League Cup woes

The League Cup is a competition that West Ham have never won. Julian was
part of the West Ham team that reached successive semi finals in 1989 and
1990 only to be humbled on both occasions - firstly by Luton Town and then
by Oldham Athletic on their Boundary Road plastic pitch. Julian takes up the
story...

Against Luton we put our best team out - and came up short. In the first leg
I gave a penalty away after grabbing someone round the neck. I remember John
Lyall coming in and asking: "did you touch him?" - and me replying: "No, I
didn't!" But I definitely grabbed him round the neck!

At the end of the day we lost 3-0 at home in the first leg and the second
leg 2-0 - but Luton were a very good side then, they had some good players
like Mick Harford and Roy Wegerle.

The following year against Oldham was embarrassing - even though we nearly
made an unexpected comeback! We lost 6-0 in the first leg on their plastic
pitch which was a huge advantage to them. It wasn't like the synthetic 3G
pitches we have today, the ball used to bounce all over the place.

In the second leg we gave it our best shot. We absolutely battered them like
they battered us up there but once we got 3-0 ahead the ball just wouldn't
go in the back of the net again. We hit the crossbar, the post, the 'keeper
pulled off a couple of great saves as well. But if you're getting beat 6-0
you know you're not going to win the tie - it would have had to be some
comeback to win 7-6!

But we had opportunities; it wasn't the case that we gave up. We went out to
win that game which we did - and we should have won it by more. Oldham were
a decent side but when you're playing on a pitch that they played on day in,
day out, it helps them. I think that's why the pitches got ripped up because
they were unfair for every other team.

But the League Cup tie many remember was the game at Stockport in 1996 [West
Ham lost 2-1].

I scored with a header from a corner to put us in front before Iain Dowie
scored a better one at the other end a minute later. It was just one of
those things; I think he forgot which end he was scoring in! He was about 12
yards out - and it was a great [own] goal - but these things happen. After
the game I remember him sitting there with his head in his hands. I was half
expecting him to run away!

The thing is, losing to lower league opposition happens at every club. When
I was at Birmingham we got beat by Altrincham who were non-league whilst
Manchester United got beat by Bournemouth. These games happen, especially in
the FA Cup where the lower league teams have nothing to lose and all the
pressure is on the big clubs. It shouldn't happen, but it does.

Julian Dicks was talking to Graeme Howlett.

* Julian is currently available to coach both junior and senior football
teams. For more details, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JULIAN3DICKS.

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Was the Wigan Defeat that Much of a Surprise?
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die

Perhaps the 1-4 scale of the defeat was a surprise, but not the reverse
overall. As Sam Allardye has stated, it was largely due to a series of
defensive mistakes and lapses. It has also been pointed out that the team
was relatively inexperienced, with the inclusion of Potts, Spence, Hall,
Famino and Tombides (the latter two players from the banch). Allardyce was
surprisingly radical in his team selection, obviously gambling on his squad
and younger players delivering on the night. Yet, was it wise to completely
replace the whole defensive unit in that way? Yes, play Henderson and Spence
& Potts at full-back, but surely it would have been a better play to retain
an experienced central defensive pairing of Tomkins and Reid/Collins. That
would have have allowed the two youngsters to have started, but provided the
extra assurance of a tried and tested central defensive pairing. Instead, he
went for a totally untested and unfamiliar defensive unit of Henderson,
Spence, Potts, McCartney & Tomkins. In addition, McCartney has been missing
due to injury, showed clear signs of being affected by the lay off and it
was also not exactly a surprise that he was off the pace in his first match
back.

I did not actually see the match, due to illness, and had to suffer
listening to the London BBC commentary on my sick bed and later saw the BBC
highlights on Tuesday evening (which almost gave me a relapse! Goodness
knows how it affected those who suffered it live?). However, it seems to me
that the youngsters actually performed fairly well. Yes, they showed
inexperience, but the catch 22 is that actually playing first team football
is the only solution to that! Spence seemed to do well at right-back and
only had one lapse, which was cruelly punished, in allowing the Wigan player
to get the cross in for the equaliser. Potts seemed to have had a steady
game. Both Hall and Famino (when the latter got on) impressed and it was
really pleasing to see Dylan Tombides make his full-team debut (this is
youngster that rivals Hall in his potential). So, I do not totally subscribe
to the 'the youngsters did not perform' thesis being put forward. They did
not set the match alight, granted, but individually, they were not a
disaster. No, the fault, as I see it, lies with the overall team selection.
Not, the forward line, which I thought looked well balanced and a good
combination, but the rearguard. They had not previously played together
regularly as a unit, two of the players were relatively inexperienced
(Spence and Potts) and the other two had varying degrees of fitness and
injury issues going in to the match.

And this is not a case of hindsight, because I really had my reservations
about that selection when I heard it on the radio. It was a clear risk and
Allardyce came unstuck on the night! So while the players must accept the
majority of the blame for our cup exit, Allardyce also has to bear some
degree of responsibility for the result. Nor do I completely buy this, the
youngsters are not currently 'up to scratch' and need to go out on loan
argument. One or two, like Turgott, Famino and Tombides, might well benefit,
but not Spence, Potts and Hall. They have done the loan thing and are at a
stage where they need to be at the club, training with, and learning from,
the senior professionals, and being used from the bench. Arguably, just
throwing four or five youngsters in to a match with a PL club, like Wigan,
is not the way to do it. They should be slowly introduced in to a settled
team unit, with experienced players around them to guide and support them.
Starting with appearances from the bench and working up to a full 45 and 90
minutes.

The manner of Tuesday's defeat was certanly a huge learning curve fior the
youngsters and lets hope that, long-term, it has positive rather than
negative effects. But my thesis is that it should never been allowed to
happen in that potentially counter-productive way. Now, others may take a
different, they are in the squad and they need to be tested line, but
looking back on West Ham's history, were the likes of Bobby Moore, Trevor
Brooking or Tony Cottee thrown in that way, without fully fit and
experienced players around them? No, of course not. Moore had the likes of
Cantwell, Bond around him when he debuted against anMan Utdin 1958-59;
Brooking had the support and guidance of Moore, Hurst, Boyce in the late
sixties and Peters; and Cottee, in turn, was introduced in the 1983 home
match, vs Spurs, with experienced players around him.

It just seems to me that at present we are either too conservative in
utilising our youngsters or we allow the situation that occurred against
Wigan to arise, with not unsurprising consequences. Yet, arguably, there is
an alternative and more sensible middle-ground in all this. Others will not
doubt disagree, but hey, that's football, a game of diverse and alternative
opinions. And long may it be so!

Like many of you, I was disappointed tha Yossi did not figure on Tuesday,
due to the religious observance of a Jewish religous festival. I was hugely
encouraged by the positive impact of his 2nd half introduction against
Sunderland. Yossi can supply the vision, touch and killer ball in the final
third that we have been missing. Similarly, Jarvis did very well when he was
introduced and his 'never say die' attitude in retrieving and keeping the
ball in play, for Nolan's equaliser, was an important moment in saving the
match. I totally agree with those that have argued that our opening line up
was too conservative and that either Jarvis or Benayoun should have started.
However, the positive thing is that we now have the playing resources to
change things mid-match and switch our tactics, that was far less the case
last season. Yet, regardless, we more than had enough chances against
Sunderland to have won. Yes, they could also have caught us on the
counter-attack and scored a second. But when you are chasing a game, and
pushing hard for an equaliser, that is always a possibility. But ultimately,
our all out attacking approach in extra-time ultimately paid off with the
salvaging of a valuable and well deserved point.

Other recent positives, have been the effective introduction of Maiga, with
a crucial assist and a well struck goal in the last two matches.There is far
more to come from this player in the matches ahead. The crossing of Jarvis,
which in its accuracy is first class, allied to his wonderful ability to run
at and take on the full-back. Players like him scare full-backs and unsettle
defences. He was strangely quiet against Wigan, but he is obviously feeling
his way back after his short injury lay off. The combination of Diame and
Noble has been outstanding in midfield and Kevin Nolan is red hot in the
final third at present. Finally, both Guy Demel and Winston Reid deserve
huge praise for their performances so far this season, both have been
outstanding at the back. The fact that we still have James Tomkins,
(hopefully) Jack Collison and Andy Carroll to return to the side is also a
comforting and encouraging thought.

There are also negative factors in play at the moment. I am not totally sure
of Jussi and Henderson's form in goal; McCartney's injury absence has
exposed our weakness at left-back (although Potts and Famino could well
prove to be the medium-longer term solution?); Collins has impressed on
occasions, but also shown some costly lapses of concentration; Diarra is a
great player to have available in the squad, but it is as yet unsure how he
will be best deployed (perhaps injury or Diame's potential African League of
Nations absence in January will see him come in to his own?); Vaz Te is
having a very difficult time at present; but it is nothing that a couple of
goals will not put right (to me this is more a test of his temperment than
his ability); and the fustrating failure of Carlton Cole to grasp the
nettle, and make his mark so far, in Carroll's absence.

As I stated previously, we are set up to have a good season, but there are
bound to be one or two poor results along the way. Tuesday was one of those
poor results, but the unfortunate thing is that it was avoidable. Still, it
was far preferable that it happened in the League Cup than the PL. QPR on
Monday night is another match and, hopefully, they will respond to
Allardyce's call for a positive response in the aftermath of Tuesday's
disappointment. McCartney is probably not ready yet for am immediate return,
so I hope that he plays Taylor at left-back to accommodate the inclusion of
Jarvis on the left-flank. That Taylor-Jarvis combination along the left
should be a very potent attacking force, whilst Demel-Vaz Te have also shown
the 'green shoots' of a good understanding. I also hope that he plays
Tomkins with Reid to counter QPR's more mobile attack. No doubt, Jussi will
return and the vital midfield triumvirate of Noble, Diame and Nolan will be
restored. The interesting thing will whether Allardyce picks a hitherto out
of sorts Carlton Cole or an increasingly promising Maiga to play at the apex
of our attack? Yossi should feature from the bench, at some point, and I
would definitely select Robert Hall as one of the seven substitutes and play
his introduction 'by ear, depending on how the match goes? Arguably, Hall's
performance against Wigan warrants his inclusion on the bench.

QPR 's Lofthouse Road has not been an 'happy hunting ground' for us in
recent decades, that I can recall? I have not had time to checkout the match
statistics, but my subjective recollection is of a series of disappointing
results there and unhappy post-match journeys back from West to East London!
Still, if that is supported by the statistics, it will no doubt change at
some point. Apparently, they currently have a bit of a defensive crisis,
with Anton Ferdinand, Fabio, Armand Traore and Jose Bosingwa all out
injured. So, hopefully it might be a good time to play them and adventure
rather than conservativism, in our play, might be a productive policy? Will
Mr Allardyce agree? We shall have to wait and see?

I hate missing matches, but health fully recovered and away match tickets
safely received, I am looking forward to the game on Monday evening. I am
hopeful that we can get a result if we approach the match in the right way?
But that, as they say, is the big question?

SJ. Chandos.

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Spence: West Ham youngsters failed to deliver against Wigan
Goal.com
27 Sep 2012 22:49:00
By Glenn Noble

West Ham defender Jordan Spence has admitted that the Hammers' youngsters
did not deliver in the heavy 4-1 defeat in the League Cup against Wigan
Athletic. Sam Allardyce elected to field a youthful team against the
Latics, including the 22-year-old, but Roberto Martinez's side cruised to
victory. Spence, however, was awarded the home side's man of the match award
despite the loss and says that the defeat was hard to take. "To be honest I
am just happy to play," Spence told the club's official website. "I am
extremely grateful for the opportunity and everybody knows that whenever I
pull on that claret and blue shirt I will give my all. "When I get a chance
in the first team I just want to show everybody what I can do, it was nice
to do that in a winning side against Crewe [in the second round] but to lose
this game leaves an extremely bitter taste in my mouth. "It was a good
opportunity for us younger lads to come in and gain experience and show that
we are still pushing for a place in the first team, unfortunately we didn't
do that."

West Ham have only lost once in the Premier League this season and the loss
on Wednesday evening ended their unbeaten start to the campaign at Upton
Park. "We are extremely disappointed with the result," Spence continued. "We
spoke before the game about continuing our unbeaten run at home and we
started really well by getting the opening goal but to concede four goals
and to lose the game the way we did is extremely disappointing. "It is an
old cliché but everybody knows that goals win games, Wigan played very well,
kept their shape and moved the ball well, but we knew we could capitalise if
we pushed up onto them."

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Cottee: Mark Noble's new contract is a fantastic boost for the Hammers
London 24
Tony Cottee
Thursday, September 27, 2012
6:00 PM

It's fantastic to hear Mark Noble has signed a new five-year deal with West
Ham. He was an integral part of the side that got promoted last season. In
fact, he's been outstanding since he broke through eight seasons ago. Noble
has been a great servant to the club and I hope he plays at West Ham for his
whole career, he's the type of player we will always want to have in our
team. He's a homegrown player, a West Ham fan and he plays with passion, but
there is so much more to him than that. It's selling him short to say
otherwise. Mark is a very skilful player and a great passer of the ball. His
delivery from set-pieces is superb too. My only criticism of him over the
years would be with regard to the number of goals he scores. But his role in
the team at the moment is to sit in front of the defence and with Kevin
Nolan alongside him you don't need Mark to go tearing forward at every
opportunity.

It's fantastic to have a midfielder in your squad who can score more than 10
goals in a season and that was one of the reasons why Big Sam brought in
Nolan.
In the dressing room he is a great leader and captain and can sort out any
issues. Plus he's a goalscorer and they're so difficult to come by. It's
hard enough to find a striker who can do that. Some people questioned Kevin
after he dropped down to the Championship, but he's showing he has the
talent to still cut it in the Premier League. His goals help relieve some of
the pressure on Carlton Cole who has had a difficult start to the season –
with no goals in his five Premier League appearances.

Speaking from experience, there is nothing worse as a forward than going
through a period of not scoring. There were two spells in my career when I
went 10 games without scoring – once at West Ham and once at Everton. To
break those runs I scored two of the worst goals you're likely to see, but
the relief is such a great feeling. My advice to Carlton would be to keep
getting in the right positions, because he's got to try and stay confident
and give himself every chance to score. It annoys me when people say 'he's
paid a fortune, he should score goals' – the money is irrelevant. Sometimes
there are reasons why you can't find your form, you go out on the field and
you can't engage your brain. Footballers are human beings and sometimes you
can't solve your problems until the ball hits the net. You become so
frustrated with yourself and I hope he gets the chance to play against
Queens Park Rangers on Monday and get back into form.

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QPR defensive crisis to continue for West Ham clash
London 24
Thursday, September 27, 2012
5:17 PM

QPR manager Mark Hughes does not expect his injured defenders to return to
the side for their home game with West Ham. Anton Ferdinand, Fabio, Armand
Traore and Jose Bosingwa are all currently injured and set to be sidelined
yet again when the Hammers come to W12 on Monday. "I don't anticipate there
to be any guys coming back," Hughes said. "Armand Traore possibly might
start training next week but he won't be ready for selection. Apart from
that, no (there won't be anyone back)." New signing Stephane Mbia made his
full debut in QPR's depleted defence on Wednesday night. The Cameroon
international has struggled with a groin complaint since joining from
Marseille but made a good impression on his first start for the Hoops,
despite giving away a penalty late on.
"I thought he did fine," Hughes said of Mbia. "Obviously it was a different
type of game to what he is probably used to, but for the most part I thought
he looked strong and showed what a good player he will be for us. "He hasn't
played for a couple of weeks and hasn't had that many training sessions in
fairness. "I wasn't really anticipating having to play him for the whole
match, but he came through it thankfully and he'll get better. "It was a
good test for him and he understands that this is the type of game that on
occasions we'll have to play in both cup competitions and the Premier
League."

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