Daily WHUFC News - 30th October 2012

Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce will be making sure West Ham United's standards do not slip when Manchester City visit
29.10.2012

Sam Allardyce says he will be using this week's training at Chadwell Heath to make sure his West Ham United team learn the lessons from Saturday's defeat at Wigan Athletic ahead of Manchester City's visit the Boleyn Ground on Saturday. The Barclays Premier League champions are likely to provide the Hammers with their sternest test yet since their return to the top division and the manager is adamant that his team will not have another off-day this weekend. West Ham were second best for much of Saturday's 2-1 defeat and Big Sam knows that they cannot afford to offer City any leniency as they enter a tough-looking run of fixtures. "You can have an off-spell but not an off-spell for 90 minutes," Big Sam said. "When you look at the fixtures we've got coming now, we've got a group that if you give anything other than your very best it is going to be a problem to get a result and even your best might not be enough. "We had a very good performance against Arsenal and still got beaten 3-1 and now the big boys are coming round on a regular basis, we'll have to see if we can hit top form and see if we can get a result out of Saturday's game. You've got to minimalise your slip-ups."

Saturday's loss was only West Ham's third in the league this season and the failure to take maximum points prevented the Hammers securing their best-ever start to a Premier League season. Big Sam admitted that the result and performance were unexpected in the circumstances. "I was surprised at our performance and it was the kind of performance that you know you've got to avoid when you're a newly-promoted side playing away from home. We've got to give 100 per cent in every game because we you don't we'll get punished and we didn't do that on Saturday. "It was down to us as a unit not doing anything well enough in possession - not keeping the ball, not playing the ball in the right areas, not playing quality balls to the front-three and delivering. It just never happened, the quality wasn't good enough. The one thing that has got us where we are is that our technique has been very good in possession, which has kept the pressure off us at home and away from home, which is how we've managed to get results that perhaps people didn't expect us to. "When you play at this level and you want to win a game away from home you've got to play to your best. We didn't do that on Saturday at any time at all really."

Ivan Ramis scored his second goal against West Ham this season with a stunning volley from a corner, although Allardyce argues that he may have been aided by a push on Winston Reid. "The technique in the volley was good. Ramis has managed to get himself a bit of space by pushing Winston Reid off him so that was our first goal conceded this season off a set play, so we've been exceptionally good at those. "The defence was having to deal with situations on a constant basis and if we allow that to happen then it'll be a difficult day for them. Andy Carroll went into battle with Gary Caldwell, Ramis and Maynor Figueroa and often came out on top on a testing afternoon. His manager was once again pleased with the No8's efforts, but feels that he does not always get the rub of the green when it comes to refereeing decisions. "He doesn't get given enough free-kicks as he gets manhandled by defenders struggling to handle the quality that he's got. They don't seem to give the free-kicks that they would perhaps give against shorter players. Andy knows all that, so he's just got to be patient with it."

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Hendo happy with Dev Squad progress
WHUFC.com
Ian Hendon looks back on a fifth successive win for the Development Squad
29.10.2012

Ian Hendon was once again in a positive mood after seeing his Development Squad chalk up a fifth consecutive Barclays U21 Premier League victory against Everton. Played in cold and windy conditions, the match was nothing like the 5-1 drubbing that the Development Squad handed out to the Toffees at Finch Farm in August, but instead was a hard-fought, intense but equally satisfying 1-0 win. Reflecting on a fifth straight victory and fourth straight clean sheet, Hendon expressed his pleasure with the way his team dealt with the adverse weather conditions and praised the impact made by match-winner Elliot Lee. "We most definitely deserved the win, it was very windy and the pitch was not perfect but I think we dealt with the conditions a little better than they did. I was also very pleased for Elliot Lee because he came into the side and scored a very good goal.

"We were at the training ground on Friday afternoon doing some pre-match preparation and we watched a DVD of the last game and did a few set plays. We scored from a corner and it was one we had practiced so it is nice to see it come to fruition and know that the players are paying attention."

Hendon was without Jordan Spence, Leo Chambers, Rob Hall and Raphael Spiegel on Friday which made the result even more enjoyable. Second-year scholar left-back Frazer Shaw impressed on his Development Squad debut, while Jake Larkins made a solid first appearance of the season in goal. "We made four changes from the side who beat Bolton and, in a way, I am pleased because four went away with the first team [to Wigan] and four others came in and did very well. "Elliot and Frazer Shaw are both scholars yet they came in and looked like they had been playing all season, so I was very pleased."

The Development Squad's supremely-talented forward line have often taken the plaudits this season, but Hendon took a moment to praise the work being done at the opposite end of the field. "Jake Larkins played his first game for the Development Squad on Friday and kept a clean sheet, making some good saves. You also have to credit the back four because to be fair to Jake he had very little to do, I am very pleased with all of the lads, especially those who came in."

Qualification for the post-Christmas Elite Group Stage looks almost certain now but Hendon refused to get carried away following a difficult run of games.
"In recent weeks we have had to grind out results. We beat Everton comfortably away and did the same at home against Arsenal, but the last few games have been tough. Whether that is because people have wised up to the way we play or they know who our danger men are I do not know, but I do not get carried away as a coach."

Luck has also played its part according to Hendon, whose side have taken two 1-0 wins from two with both goals coming from corners in the second-half.
"We were very lucky at Bolton last week. We did not defend particularly well and we cleared a couple off the line, as did they, but we still came away with the win. "It was similar on Friday. We played a big, strong side who tested us early on and caused us problems. Right at the end they hit the post and luckily it landed in Jake's hands."

After a 2011/12 season in which the Dev Squad played friendly after friendly, Hendon made his intentions clear by demanding that his side continue their winning ways at Reading on Friday. "We are here to learn how to win. The players have come out of Academy football now and it is all about winning, so at the moment it is going very well. The one-nil win over Everton was our fifth on the bounce and what is even more pleasing is that it was our fourth consecutive clean sheet."

Sam Allardyce and Neil McDonald were both in attendance for the 1-0 win at Bolton and Hendon believes they will have been encouraged by what they saw.
"I think gives the lads extra incentive to perform when they see them at the games, Macca is at every game without fail and it is nice to now see the manager and the chief scout in attendance. I complete a match report for Sam after every game. I give him a hard copy and a copy via email and now he is here to see for himself which is great."

Hendon was previously assistant manager at Gillingham but believes he made the correct decision in making the decision to move to take over the Hammers Development Squad a little more than a year ago. "Last year I had a season to settle into the role because I did not know which players would be training with me and which would be with the first-team. That was initially hard to swallow but after a period of adjustment I am thoroughly enjoying it and it is making me a much better coach. "I am pleased because I am helping players into the first team and that is what it is all about. If we can keep playing well and keep making the step up it can only be healthy for everyone at the football club."

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Dangers of perception
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 29th October 2012
By: Paul Walker

"Perception" is one of Sam Allardyce's favourite words. He reckons he has suffered from an unfair perception about his style of play, and he's probably right...

Now we are suffering from a perception about our team. Sometimes it helps to see ourselves as other see us, to understand the problem. And there is now a clear perception that we are a bunch of argumentative cheats.

You only have to look at the amount of bookings this season for dissent to understand that. You have to search hard for cautions for arguing with referees in the top flight, but our crime sheet is littered with them.

Perception is a dangerous thing when it starts to work against you. Look at Luis Suarez. He is really suffering now, and not just because of the racist stuff from last season, criminally handled by Liverpool and Kenny Dalglish to the extent that it helped towards the manager's sacking.

Maybe I am in a minority, but I don't see too much wrong with Suarez. He is lightening quick, well balanced at speed and possesses great close control. Touch him and he will go over. If he was in our team, big Sam would be telling him to run at and commit defenders at every opportunity.

But now Suarez is branded a cheat. I even feel that the exaggerated swallow dive at Stoke was his way of showing exasperation to the referee at being continually kicked. Maybe I'm wrong, but surely it was too obvious to be taken seriously.

Suddenly Andy Carroll is finding himself tarred with the same brush. It seems to have started after the Southampton game, when I felt he was continually fouled and impeded. Southampton's youngster Adam Lallana started to moan in the papers that Carroll went down too easily.

Now referees read newspapers. And the performance of referee Jon Moss at Wigan on Saturday bordered on the disgraceful. He had it in for us from the word go. Mark Clattenburg, an officially I dislike intensely because of his infuriating self-importance - and whose shocking display at Chelsea yesterday just about sums up why I feel the way I do about him - started sticking the knife in at QPR.

He dished out countless bookings, some absolutely ridiculous but certainly some for dissent. Moss was no better, he was waving cards around whenever we complained about anything, and continually penalised Carroll.

Players and managers pick up on such things very quickly. Wigan's lot were pointing and moaning to the officially at every opportunity. We saw the same thing from Everton's David Moyes about Suarez ahead of Sunday's Mersey derby with Liverpool.

Don't forget that Moyes has employed Andy Johnson and Thomaz Radzinski in his time, two men not known for staying on their feet too long. Ironically, the only cheating came from his own captain Phil Neville's daft dive and booking.

But Moyes had openly complained about Suarez ahead of the game, trying to influence the official, Andre Marriner. This time it didn't really work. Suarez did little wrong but was verbally hounded by players and fans throughout, trying to underline the perception that he cheats.

Suarez's only suffering was the disallowing of what would have been his hat-trick and the winner, when he patently wasn't offside.

What I'm trying to do is explain why I believe we are now suffering because of a perception. Carroll is a big boy, he can handle himself and he is very good at getting his body between defender and ball. So if he is pushed, tugged (even his ponytail) or manhandled, of course he will go down. He has been fouled.

As for the moaning and dissent, yes, Kevin Nolan does maintain a near non-stop dialogue with officials which can look like a barrack roam lawyer at work. First Clattenburg didn't like it, and the inexperienced (at Premier League level) Moss has got in on the act.

The perception that we are only long ball has become tiring. But now every set of opposing fans takes the mickey. Southampton were the last, and they have Ricky Lambert in their squad! Wigan knock long balls up to Franco Di Santo. And then you get daft nonsense from Roberto Martinez claiming that he does not really approve of set piece goals!

That's only marginally worse than Fulham boss Martin Jol complaining that "West Ham's corners are really long balls, you know." Sometimes you can't make it up.

But all this adds to a perception about us, and it starting to hurt us, certainly as the cautions mount up and the decisions continually go against Carroll.

Mind you, even a perfect display from Mr. Moss would not have saved us at Wigan. We were awful, which was so disappointing for 4,000 plus of us who arrived at the DW stadium full of confidence after the mauling of Southampton and our high position in the table.

Sam, though, was never more than honest afterwards, even if we nearly sneaked a point at the end of a really inept display.

He picked up on our shocking lack of confidence in possession. Wigan pressed us really high up the pitch, no doubt to stop the supply to Carroll. They hounded our back line into countless mistakes and the defence never looked happy on the ball. Heaven help us against the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United in the weeks ahead.

Wigan also isolated our midfield men. They got between Nolan , Mark Noble and Mo Diame with neat passing. Sam also picked up on Wigan's better technique, and you could see that with their one-touch passing in tight situations.

It is very hard to tackle and win the ball if it is being moved first time, at pace. Wigan do not have better players than us, but on Saturday they had confidence in possession we never looked like matching.

But this may have quelled talk of Champions League positions for us. We are so far from that level it is laughable.

Our club website do not help but going on about records and high places. That only gives us unrealistic targets to match.

I got into trouble with my bunch of mates at the Southampton game by walking out of the Bobby Moore end proclaiming that we still needed 26 points to stay up. I hate to point out that it is still 26 needed, or in our case after recent history, a couple more than that.

I was told I should be thinking in terms of top four. Now this nonsense did not come from the youngest member of our group, nine-year-old Oscar, watching one of his first Hammers games. He was too bright for that (have you seen what nine year-olds can do with I phones? Frightening).

No, the misplaced confidence came from someone who can be free with grand claims (I wonder who he gets it from?)

Let's hope we can get things back into perspective now. I have done quick run-through the rest of our games, and reckon we may still have to get something on the last day against Reading. I hope not.

But we are now going into a seriously hard set of games, ones that Sam has been flagging up as very, very tough for some while. Frankly I cannot see us getting anything from the Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle, Spurs, Everton and Arsenal before the new year.

It means we must get something against Stoke, West Brom and Reading before the turn of the year. If we have six more points from those next 11 games I will be surprised.

Call me a pessimist, as people do. But I doubt Sam is counting on much more. I really hope I'm wrong. But that's the trouble with perceptions, they can give a false impression of things.

Mind you, a good time will be had by all on Saturday when we face Carlos Tevez and Manchester City. It's the home game looked forward to more than any other by my family and close friends, a group littered with fans of both clubs.

The worst thing about relegation was that the away-day trip from Manchester was put on hold. We travel down together on the early train (one lad is even bringing his wife this time!) and enjoy a beer or two ahead of the game, and a shandy on the way home. It's a cracking day out, even if the old hands struggle a bit to keep up the pace.

We don't hold out much hope of halting the champions, I know, but come on Sam and the boys, send me home with a smile on my face with all my City mates.

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Paolo Di Canio interview: Cup giant-killings are like sleeping with Madonna
The Mirror
29 Oct 2012 22:31

Scoring the winner in an FA Cup tie against Manchester United at Old Trafford was like "having sex with Madonna", according to Paolo Di Canio. And now the Swindon boss wants to recreate that feeling by knocking Aston Villa out of the Capital One Cup. The Italian, who famously netted for the Hammers in the fourth round in 2001, said: "I have to tell you, when I scored that goal to knock out Manchester United, it was a very exciting moment. "It was like having sex with Madonna. "I don't know if this will be the same as a manager. Probably yes. "It would be fantastic. Let me try it."

Di Canio took over at Swindon in May last year and has already won eight cup ties out of 10 against higher league opposition, including victories over top-flight sides Wigan and Stoke. The giant-killing Robins have scored 10 goals in their three Capital One Cup ties this season. "Since my arrival, we have tried to play more like football is played in the Premier League," added Di Canio. "The way I work on the details with my football, I think it is easier to play against Manchester United [than lesser sides] because we play good football "I am sure that if we play them one day, we are going to create four clear chances - and maybe concede six goals. "I'm never going to lie to my players. I told them we can win against Villa - we can win against any side. "But we play Macclesfield in the FA Cup on Saturday and that is more important than Aston Villa."

Di Canio also admits he feels sorry for today's referees – because so many players now behave like he used to. And the Swindon manager even tells his squad: 'Don't act like me on the pitch. I was stupid.' The fiery Italian was famously hit with an 11-match ban in 1998 after pushing ref Paul Alcock to the ground whie playing for Sheffield Wednesday – the highlight of a long disciplinary rap sheet. Di Canio, now 44, said Mark Clattenburg should be punished if he did verbally abuse Chelsea players during their match against Manchester United on Sunday. But he added modern referees are now under intolerable pressure from modern-day Di Canios. "He is the man that has to respect the rules – but the players should do this as well," said the former Wednesday, West Ham and Celtic star. "One day, I didn't. I was wrong, I paid the price. "The man that has to stay in the middle and let the others respect the rules, also has to maintain the healthy professionalism. "He can't blame the players. Even if I know that they have very high pressure. In the past only Di Canio used to go round the referee and protest. "But unfortunately, in modern football, even for a simple throw in, six or seven players will go round and abuse him more. "This is something that we should look carefully at, because the fact is that in a new era, saying a bad word that 20 years earlier would be punished heavily is normal. "The kids aged seven are saying it. It is normal, but it is not normal! "We have to stop that with education. In general. In life."

Di Canio has had a zero-tolerance approach to dissent since taking over at the County Ground. "I am stricter with my players because of my experience," he said. "Since last year, I have not had one player sent off and just a few yellow cards for throwing the ball away, which is wrong and stupid anyway to receive a yellow card for. "I tell them to protest less and think about playing football. "When someone says to me, 'How can you teach your players this? One day they will come back to you and say, 'You did this.' "But it is easy for me. I would say, 'I was wrong and I was stupid. I can help you. You want to be stupid like me? No. I was wrong.' "I am tough on this because I know. I lost a lot of energy during games and now I realise I missed a lot of chances, and would have been a better footballer and been more effective. I can help them. "At this club, there used to be a group of people who would go overnight and sleep away from home and throw away food. This is not discipline – this is like animals. "I know they used to come in here and have lunch together with both feet on the table. "That is rubbish. Not just for a footballer, but for a person in general. That reflects also in the field. "I think it is clear that in this club, and in my squad specifically, there is a very high level of discipline."

Robins captain Alan McCormack admitted: "He brings a fear factor. He is just so passionate and outspoken. He can be intimidating. You have got to accept that. If not, you would be a nervous wreck all the time."

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Mayor of London Boris Johnson's appeal for Games surplus fund to be used in Olympic Stadium rejected by Treasury
The future of the Olympic Stadium has again been thrown into doubt after the Government ruled out handing any of the £377 million London 2012 surplus over to the project.
Telegraph.co.uk
By Matt Scott10:00PM GMT 29 Oct 2012

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, had suggested that some of the surplus be used to finance the installation of retractable seating into the Stratford stadium to accommodate both football and athletics, at an estimated cost of up to £200 million. The sports minister, Hugh Robertson, has made clear to Johnson that his London Legacy Development Corporation would have to hold talks with the Treasury to gain access to the funds. But Telegraph Sport can reveal that when Treasury officials are approached they will reject Johnson's appeals because the department has more pressing needs for the cash. "Any financial benefits from the Olympics coming in under budget will be used to pay off our debts or help the economy," said a Treasury spokesman. The mayor is understood to planning to make a personal appeal to George Osborne, the Chancellor, for the funds. He will wait for reliable costings for the retractable seating and sources close to the mayor said that he would not be deterred by the Treasury's position.

As Telegraph Sport revealed on Oct 15, so far the LLDC's discussions have focused on demountable, temporary stands to be used during the football season. That would cost up to £500,000 a year and the works would also put the multi-use venue out of action for weeks during the close-season when concerts and athletics could otherwise be scheduled.

Johnson therefore considers the retractable-seating plan logistically preferable but it is costlier and if he wants to pursue it, City Hall is likely to have to foot the cost. It is certainly clear there will be no further funding from central government.

Working out a seating solution is becoming a matter of urgency as the process has been due to reach a conclusion. There have been hopes within the LLDC for a decision over the future of the venue to be reached by the middle of next month but the latest development might set that timetable back, perhaps beyond the next board meeting on 6 December.

The Treasury has already provided £38 million for the Olympic park transformation budget. City Hall has separately received commitments totalling £261.2 million from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and from the LLDC in return for the additional tax contributions paid by Londoners ahead of the Games.

Robertson announced to parliament last Tuesday that the 2012 Olympics had cost £8.921 billion against a £9.298 billion total budget including contingency. However the Treasury privately stresses that the contingency budget was only ever money funding held in reserve in case of cost overruns on the Olympic project. "This is taxpayers' money not spent on other things because we thought we might need it for the Olympic Games, so this frees it up for other growth-related projects," said one Treasury official. That might also disappoint sports bodies envisaging a new post-Olympic windfall after last week's news from the sports minister. Quangos such as Sport England and UK Sport already know their future funding arrangements and will not receive any further boost from an Olympics legacy fund. Apart from the future seating-configuration of the stadium other matters still to be decided include whether the athletics track will remain in situ for the 2017 World Athletics Championships due to be hosted there. Also the length of the lease and financing of the refit are up in the air. With three other bids from Leyton Orient, a joint tender involving formula one and a football-business college also having made the short list, it is West Ham United who remain favourites to land the tenancy contract.

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Former West Ham player Savio Nsereko arrested in Thailand
The ex-Germany Under-20 international was reportedly trying to extort money from his relatives before he got caught by the authorities in Pattaya
Goal.com
29 Oct 2012 20:59:00
By Chris Kvesa

Former West Ham winger Savio Nsereko has been arrested by police in Thailand for claiming to his family that he was abducted, before then demanding a sum of €3,000 [£2,500]. The 23-year-old had spent €25,000 [£20,000] on his trip before he allegedly thought about taking the unusual measures to refill his holiday bank account, a report by the Bangkok Post states. Having signed with West Ham from Brescia for a sum of €11 million [£9m] in 2009, the Uganda-born attacker has since enjoyed spells at Fiorentina, Bologna and 1860 Munich before ending up at German third division side SpVgg Unterhaching.

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West Ham's Trio of Second Generation Stars Impressing in Reserve Action
Elliot Lee, George Moncur and Dan Potts are all hoping to emulate their famous fathers by becoming first team regulars at West Ham
By ADRIAN BACK: Subscribe to Adrian's RSS feed
October 29, 2012 4:04 PM GMT
Ibtimes.co.uk

West Ham maintained their lead in the Under-21 Premier League thanks to a 1-0 win over Everton on Friday night which moved them six points clear of second placed Arsenal. The Hammers have always relied heavily on their academy and have a reputation as being able to bring through a number of talented individuals who have gone on to have great success for both club and country. A quick look around the Premier League shows former West Ham players at some of the top sides in the country. Liverpool can call upon Glen Johnson and Joe Cole, Manchester United have Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick, Tottenham rely heavily on Jermain Defoe for goals and Chelsea have the midfielder with the most goals ever in the Premier League in Frank Lampard. Even the current West Ham side often features on former academy players in Mark Noble, Jack Collison and James Tomkins. It is a tradition that the club is proud of and it seems likely to continue for some time. The latest batch of youngsters seems to be producing once again. It is perhaps no wonder when we see that there are three players whose dads also represented West Ham at some point in their careers. Against Everton it was Elliot Lee that grabbed the headlines as he scored the only goal of the game, superbly heading home a cross from Blair Turgot. The 17-year-old is the son of Rob Lee, the former England international who played more than 700 games in a career that saw him become a club legend at both Charlton and Newcastle.

Unlike his dad, a hard-working midfielder, Elloitt is a striker who has shown great promise in the youth ranks at West Ham and is a regular for the Under-18 side. However, he has made the step up to the Under-21 side this season and already has one goal in his two appearances. Lee was not the only son of a former player in that side as George Moncur and Daniel Potts also played the full ninety minutes against Everton. Moncur, whose dad John was at West ham for close to a decade, impressed last season while sent on-loan to AFC Wimbledon where he managed to score two goals in his 20 appearances. Capped at Under-18 level for England, Moncur is a box-to-box midfielder who has been an ever present in the Under-21 side this season, making nine appearances and scoring one goal.

The third youngster hoping to emulate his dad is Daniel Potts, son of Steve who joined the West Ham academy back in 1983 and did not leave the club for 19 years, making over 400 appearances in all competitions. The 18-year-old full-back has already managed to break into the West Ham first team and earlier this year made his debut for the England Under-18 side in a 3-0 win over Poland. He has made five appearances for the Under-21 side this season, further highlighting his ability which saw him win the Young Hammer of the Year award in May 2012. Having been diagnosed with Leukemia at the age of 12, Potts overcame the illness and was given the all clear when he was 16. Now he will be looking to further cement his place in the first team squad under Sam Allardyce. All three players will be hoping to continue the rich tradition of the East End club and become regulars in the first team in the coming years. They certainly have the pedigree and a fantastic youth team coach in Ian Hendon who will hope that the trio can help the Hammers win the inaugural Under-21 Premier League.

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