Daily WHUFC News - 31st October 2012

Jussi looking forward
WHUFC.com
Jussi Jaaskelainen believes West Ham United will learn from their mistakes
29.10.2012

Jussi Jaaskelainen believes West Ham United will learn from the mistakes
they made during the 2-1 Barclays Premier League defeat at Wigan Athletic on
Saturday. The experienced Finn conceded that the Hammers did not put in the
kind of performance fans have come to expect his season, but hopes the
experience will prevent it from happening again. Jaaskelainen also believes
that West Ham might even have grabbed a point if their goal - scored by
James Tomkins in the third minute of added-time - had come a few minutes
earlier. "We did not really turn up in the first-half and in the second-half
we gave them a soft goal which did not help," said the No22. "After that I
think we played OK. We created a few chances and as always when you are
losing we would have liked to play for a few more minutes at the end. "We
did not play well as individuals or as a team and we did not cope with the
counter-attacking way in which Wigan played, so it is very disappointing."

The goalkeeper admitted that Wigan had enjoyed the better of the game before
half-time, when their five-man midfield controlled the game. When West Ham
themselves moved to similar formation after the break, Jaaskelainen feels
they more than matched their hosts. "The level of performance we have had
this season has been very good and when we went system-against-system in the
second half we woke up a bit and played a lot better, but it was too late."

Whatever system the Hammers employ against champions Manchester City this
weekend, Jaaskelainen knows his side cannot afford to make a slow start as
they have done in their previous two Barclays Premier League matches. "Last
week against Southampton it was a similar kind of game. We did not turn up
in the first half but we got two early goals after half-time and it gave us
that little lift to go on and win the game. "We came in at half-time 1-0
down at Wigan but our biggest mistake was letting them take a 2-0 lead
[within two minutes of the restart]. You do not get second chances in this
league and once you make a mistake, the ball is in the back of the net."

Moving forward, the goalkeeper is hoping that he and his side will remain a
more focused, stronger and complete unit. "There was a few shots I had to
save but not a lot. The first goal came from a set piece and I think that is
the first we have conceded from all season. Hopefully it will not happen
again in the future but it is one of those things that can happen in
football so we cannot afford to dwell on it."

When asked if he was pleased with his individual performance Jaaskelainen
remained modest. "That is my job at the end of the day and if I did not do
it well somebody else would come in and do it - that is always the way I
look at it. They scored two goals but other than that we did OK which shows
how harsh the Barclays Premier League can be. "When I came here I knew Big
Sam was a great manager and I knew he would expect me to play well if he
gave me the opportunity to play. Working with Martyn Margetson is also going
very well so hopefully I can keep working hard and the results will be
better than Saturday."

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The Big Interview - Leo Chambers
WHUFC.com
Leo Chambers is relishing the step up from youth football to the Barclays
Premier League
29.10.2012

Leo Chambers has enjoyed an outstanding 2012/13 season so far with West Ham
United. The defender celebrated his 17th birthday at the start of August
before establishing himself in Ian Hendon's all-conquering Development
Squad. Chambers' form saw him called into Sam Allardyce's first-team squad,
with the teenager being named on the bench for each of the last two Barclays
Premier League fixtures. At international level, Chambers recently completed
a full 90 minutes in England Under-18' 2-0 friendly win over Italy. With Rob
Hall, Jordan Spence and Matthias Fanimo all making the step up to Big Sam's
squad this season, Chambers hopes he is next in line to graduate from the
Academy of Football to the first team.

You have been on the bench for the last two Barclays Premier League games
which is quite a step for someone who only turned 17 in August?

LC: "Being in the squad for the past two weeks has been a very good
experience. The team has been doing well, so I am very pleased to make the
step up and it has come earlier than I expected or hoped."

Did you get nervous at the possibility of making your first-team debut?

LC: "As a youngster I never really got too nervous and, even though it is a
great achievement, I will just take it stride by stride."

What have you done or changed this year that has allowed you to play well so
consistently?

LC: "My Under-18s coach at West Ham, Nick Haycock, will be pleased to hear
this but I have moved into the Academy House and it has stood me in good
stead because there have been no distractions at home. I am trying to get
into the England Under-19 squad for the next European Championships [in
Lithuania in 2013], which is something else to aim for. I am not content
just playing with my age group - I want to push on and play at as high a
level as possible."

In your absence the Development Squad picked up their fifth successive win
and another clean sheet against Everton on Friday. It is a great group that
you are
part of and the team is doing very well?

LC: "Definitely. It is a very good, talented group of players but as we
always say talent can only take you so far. The work ethic we have got not
just amongst ourselves but within the club is very good. Six wins out of
eight is a great run of results for any age group and it would not be
possible without our combined talent and hard work."

How do you mentally handle the high of being called into the first-team
squad with the relative low of being an unused substitute? Or do you
consider it all part
of the learning curve?

LC: "I would not really class it as a setback because these things happen in
football when you are young. Situations like this are what separate the best
from the rest because it is all about how you bounce back and react.The
experience has been wonderful and I will take that experience into whatever
I do next within football."

You can play at full-back or centre-half but have been playing regularly in
the middle this season, so would you say you have settled in that position
now?

LC: "I would not say that I have settled in a particular position but I have
often said I prefer to play at centre-back. If I have to play at right-back,
left-back, centre-back or even centre midfield I will do so because I am
happy to adapt for the team."

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Ladies lose at Yeovil
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies were edged out 1-0 in the West Country on Sunday
30.10.2012

West Ham United Ladies slipped to their second FA Women's Premier League
Southern Division defeat of the season courtesy of a 1-0 reserve at Yeovil
Town.
A goal just before half-time from Stacey Pearson was enough to condemn Julia
Setford's side to a narrow loss at the Athletics Ground in Wells on Sunday
afternoon. Pearson scored the all-important goal with a diving header that
gave Hammers goalkeeper Toni Anne Wayne no chance. The goal came at the end
of a first half that saw both teams create chances. After a quiet opening 20
minutes, Wayne was forced to save smartly to turn away a low shot. West
Ham's first real chance came in the 36th minute when Zoe Lipley-Hinton rode
a couple of tackles but on rounding the Yeovil goalkeeper, could she not
find the finish as the angle closed. Lindsey Morgan then shot over before
Pearson's header put the visitors on the back foot. Setford's team found a
better rhythm after the break and Danica Revell found space to fire just
over from distance on 55 minutes. However, despite the Hammers now having
greater possession and several corners, Yeovil were still defending
comfortably. As the game went into the final ten minutes only a brilliant
double save by Wayne stopped the hosts extending their lead. Wayne's actions
were the signal for West Ham to throw caution to the wind and pour forward
in a late charge to salvage a point. Rosey Sullivan came closest, but her
header was turned away by the Yeovil goalkeeper at the far post. Wayne even
came forward for a late corner to support the attack, but the Hammers could
not fashion an equaliser. The Ladies travel to Colchester United for their
final FA Women's Premier League group-stage fixture on Sunday knowing only a
win will be good enough to see them qualify for the knockout stages.
Kick-off at Shrub End Community Sports Centre is at 2pm.

West Ham United Ladies: Wayne, Barling, King, Revell, Sullivan, Little,
Morgan, Lipley-Hinton, Merritt, Bowers, Rowland
Subs used: Stimson, Bottom

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Trailblazers
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 30th October 2012
By: Staff Writer

It's now 40 years since West Ham United became the first top flight club to
feature three black players in the same team - although you might not know
it.
A report on the BBC news website this morning perpetuates the myth that it
was actually West Bromwich Albion who were the first Division One club to
achieve this particular landmark when Laurie Cunningham, Brendan Batson and
Cyrille Regis featured for Ron Atkinson's Albion in 1978. Hoever more than
five years earlier - on April Fools' Day 1972, to be precise - Ron
Greenwood's West Ham United beat Tottenham 2-0 in a London derby with a team
that featured three young black players - 21-year-old Clyde Best, Clive
Charles (20) and Ade Coker, who was just 17. Coker, who was making only his
fourth appearance for the Hammers - some five months after his previous
outing for the first team at Manchester City in November 1971 - scored the
second of West Ham's goals in a 2-0 win (the other being a
goal-of-the-season contender from Trevor Brooking). Clive Charles - brother
of John 'Charlo' Charles, who was the the first black player to play in the
top flight when he featured for West Ham in a 1-0 defeat at Blackburn in May
1963 - was making just his second appearance for the first team having
debuted at Coventry three weeks earlier. Clyde Best - who went on to make
more than 180 appearances for the Hammers - was the most-established player
of the trio, having already played more than 75 times for West Ham since
moving from Bermuda to England in the late 1960s.

Trailblazers: Where are they now?

Clyde Best

After leaving West Ham in 1976, Best moved to the United States to continue
his pro career. Having featured for clubs such as the Tampa Bay Rowdies and
the LA Lazers he eventually hung up his boots in 1984 and took on various
(non-sporting) jobs in the private sector. He was hired as the national
manager of Bermuda in the late 1990s, a post he remained in for two years,
before leaving the game once again to work with prison inmates. Now
semi-retired, 61-year-old Best - who was awarded the MBE for his services to
football in 2006 - spends his time coaching young footballers and cricketers
in Bermuda. Still a regular visitor to England, he last visited the Boleyn
Ground in August.

Ade Coker

The Nigerian-born striker moved to England at the age of 11 and was spotted
playing local football by West Ham's legendary scout Wally St Pier. Like
Best, he moved to North America in 1975 having failed to become a permanent
fixture in West Ham's first team squad and spent the next 13 years playing
for various teams - including the USA national squad for whom he made five
appearances - before retiring. Now 58 and living in Seattle with his family,
Coker works for Home Depot - the US equivalent of Homebase.


Clive Charles

Clive Charles made just a handful of first-team appearances for West Ham
before moving on. A three-year stint at Cardiff between 1974 and 1977
preceeded six years in the USA where Charles, like Best and Coker,
eventually settled down. However it was as a coach that he truly excelled
and having cut his teeth managing High School and University teams, Charles
managed the national under 20s womens team, the men's under 23 team and
then, most notably, the USA men's senior team from 1995-1998. Sadly Charles
developed prostate cancer at the turn of the century and died in 2003.

*You may read more about Best, Charles and Coker in Brian Belton's book East
End Heroes, Stateside Kings.

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West Ham face new delay over Olympic stadium
Evening Standard
Ken Dyer
30 October 2012

West Ham may now have to wait until the new year before they discover
whether they will become the main tenants of the Olympic Stadium. It was
hoped that the London Legacy Development Corporation would finally make a
decision at their next board meeting on December 6 but fresh doubts about
the cost of retractable seating may cause a further delay. Mayor of London
Boris Johnson is keen for some of the £377million surplus from last summer's
Olympic Games to be spent on providing permanent retractable seating for the
stadium, rather than the temporary version originally planned. However, the
Treasury have indicated that the surplus cash will be used to boost the
economy rather than be spent on the stadium although it is understood that
Johnson is intending to make a personal appeal to the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, George Osborne. Whatever the outcome of those discussions, West
Ham, still favourites to be awarded the main tenancy of the £486m stadium,
will remain patient despite this latest uncertainty regarding the future of
the venue.

Meanwhile, the Hammers will continue to be without full-back Guy Demel for
at least two weeks, following a groin injury while France international Alou
Diarra will be sidelined until Christmas with a torn thigh muscle.

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Demel blow for Hammers
By talkSPORT | Tuesday, October 30, 2012

West Ham defender Guy Demel is expected to be sidelined for at least another
two weeks with a groin injury. Demel has been missing since the start of
October after picking up the problem during the 3-1 defeat against Arsenal.
The Ivory Coast international was hoping to be back for the game against
Wigan last weekend, but the injury is taking longer to heal. Demel has been
badly missed as West Ham suffered a 2-1 defeat at the DW Stadium and is now
expected to miss the next two games against Manchester City and Newcastle.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce will be hoping that his talented right-back
will be fit to return for the Premier League game against Stoke on November
19.

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Jaaskelainen confident West Ham can surprise Manchester City
The goalkeeper admits the team didn't perform well enough for the fans at
Wigan but is confident they will regain their form against the reigning
champions on Saturday
Goal.com
30 Oct 2012 14:27:00
By Tom Dunn

West Ham goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen believes him and his team-mates will
learn from their mistakes against Wigan and will bounce back against Premier
League champions Manchester City on Saturday. The Finland international
feels that the team did not produce the performance that the fans deserved
after travelling up to Lancashire last weekend, but added that the system
the team have been playing so far this season has been effective and their
second-half performance on deserves credit. "We did not play well as
individuals or as a team and we did not cope with the counter-attacking way
in which Wigan played, so it is very disappointing," Jaaskelainen told the
club's official website. "The level of performance we have had this season
has been very good and when we went system-against-system in the second half
we woke up a bit and played a lot better, but it was too late." And, even
though the Hammers have fallen behind in a number of games this season,
Jaaskelainen thinks that the London outfit can spring a surprise on
Manchester City even if they concede first.
The goalkeeper added: "Last week against Southampton it was a similar kind
of game. We did not turn up in the first half but we got two early goals
after half-time and it gave us that little lift to go on and win the game."
The former Bolton man spoke of his admiration for Sam Allardyce, and
insisted West Ham will do well this season if they stick to their manager's
playing style. He concluded: "When I came here I knew Big Sam was a great
manager and I knew he would expect me to play well if he gave me the
opportunity to play. Working with Martyn Margetson is also going very well
so hopefully I can keep working hard and the results will be better than
Saturday."

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Adidas and Nike lock horns for Premier League supremacy
Here Is The City
by Mathew Nash
@MathewNash89

As Adidas look set to takeover from Nike at Arsenal it represents a major
coup in control of London for the German company. With Fulham all set to
join them and West Ham up for grabs it leaves Nike doing battle from
up-north with Manchester United, Manchester City and Everton in the 'battle
of the brands'. It is a battle that goes on in front of our very eyes in
professional football yet it may sometimes escape you but the battle I speak
of is for corporate supremacy. To use another example if you are at a school
in America the likelihood is that school will sell only Coca-Cola soft
drinks; the school down the road however will more or less sell Pepsi soft
drinks and it is a balancing act that has gone on for an extremely long
time.

In football it is no different and despite the growing prevalence of the
Puma brand German company Adidas and American giants Nike rule the roost. In
the past there has been a propensity for city divides across continental
Europe particulary. Real Madrid and Atletico are opposites in this
fight(Barcelona are also Nike) and AC Milan and Internazionale have been
provided by Adidas and Nike respectively since 1998.

In the UK new battle lines are starting to be drawn. Now the companies are
aiming to control entire cities. It came after Nike felt they were going
head-to-head for the Liverpool market. In the wake of Everton's growing
reputation worldwide they took up the manufacturing of The Toffee's kit to
do battle with the three stripes at Liverpool. However US brand Warrior
changed the game when they signed a record breaking deal with the Anfield
club this summer.

However the dissolution of Umbro has leant its weight to Nike; as of next
season both clubs in Manchester will be sponsored by the American firm.
Adidas however now look set to take on Manchester by gaining a major
foothold in London. Nike have made huge steps in the capital, with the Nike
store occasionally looking like a shrine to Arsenal FC in recent years. The
likes of Thierry Henry have been great poster boys for the company but now
it seems Adidas will re-associate themselves with the North London club.

Adidas are also set to take over at Fulham and with Chelsea already in the
bag they are looking to gain the territory in the capital, despite Nike now
owning the rights to the England kit.

West Ham United's deal with Macron expires this summer and Adidas could
reignite the relationship they had in the 80's with The Hammers. While
gaining ground via Spurs will be difficult considering their long standing
contract with Under Armour there will be no doubting that London has become
Adidas territory.

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West Ham's style means they fit the bill to upset Man City
No-frills teams tend to do well when hosting a Mancini-led team
News.ladbrokes.com

West Ham v Manchester City
Match betting
Manchester City4/6
Draw11/4
West Ham4/1

West Ham's uncouth footballing style makes them prime candidates to get
something off Man City when the sides meet at Upton Park. City have been
unconvincing in their opening Premier League games and Sam Allardyce's
hard-working, direct style is akin to that of Everton, Sunderland and Stoke,
all of who the reigning Premier League champions have failed to beat away
from home under Roberto Mancini, adding value to the Hammers' sizeable price
of 4/1.

Unlike last season, West Ham have enjoyed playing at Upton Park, where they
have won three games from five in league action; their only defeat falling
against Arsenal. They bounced back from that setback with a 4-1 drubbing of
Southampton in their last home match and with City looking shaky, especially
on the road, where they were fortunate to beat both West Brom and Fulham,
they needn't fear the champions.

Recent history begs to differ with that statement, however, as West Ham have
lost five of their last six home games against the defending champions,
shipping 16 goals in that period. Their solitary win came against City's
arch rivals Man United, who they overcame in a 2-1 victory in 2007/08. Their
head-to-head record also suggests they are long overdue a win against the
Citizens. In the last six league and cup renewals of this fixture, the hosts
have won just once, as opposed to Man City's three wins, keeping as many
clean sheets in the process.

City look suspect at the back this season, Andy Carroll has it in his locker
to cause all kinds of chaos in their ranks with his strength and aerial
prowess, making it difficult to imagine the visitors keeping another clean
sheet this time around.

For the Hammers to keep their next adversaries at bay for 90 minutes,
however, will represent a momentous achievement; one even the might of Real
Madrid, or anyone else for that matter, has been able to pull off. This
means West Ham will be expected to score at least twice if they are to win
the game and the fact that they've only done this twice in five home league
games indicates how big victory in this one would be.

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