Daily WHUFC News - 7th October 2012

Big Sam rues missed chances
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce believes his side had the opportunities to gain a positive
result from Saturday's 3-1 defeat by Arsenal
06.10.2012

Sam Allardyce said a lack of quality finishing was the only reason his West
Ham United side did not achieve a positive result against Arsenal. The
Hammers pushed the Gunners all the way in Saturday's Barclays Premier League
derby at the Boleyn Ground, taking the lead through Mohamed Diame's
first-half special, only for two goals in the final 13 minutes to see
Arsenal run out 3-1 winners. While the visitors controlled possession for
the most part in the early stages, West Ham were organised and resolute.
Their reward came on 21 minutes when Diame spun, beat Aaron Ramsey and shot
high into Vito Mannone's top right-hand corner to send the Boleyn Ground
wild. Arsenal probed for an opening, but it took a loose pass from
goalscorer Diame to allow Lukas Podolski the time and space to cross for
Olivier Giroud, who converted his first Premier League goal with an
expertly-taken volley four minutes before half-time. Even then, Kevin Nolan
came within a yard or two of putting his side back in front just before the
break. West Ham started the better after the interval, overcoming the loss
of Ricardo Vaz Te to a dislocated shoulder and Guy Demel to a thigh injury
to create another fine chance, only for Andy Carroll to head Matt Jarvis's
cross just wide of the gaping net. Arsenal's second goal also came from a
turnover of possession. When Diame's cross was blocked, the Gunners raced 80
yards upfield before substitute Theo Walcott slotted calmly past Jussi
Jaaskelainen. After Nolan had shot uncharacteristically over from 14 yards,
Spain midfielder Santi Cazorla rubbed salt into the West Ham wounds,
collecting a loose ball before lashing an unstoppable drive high into
Jaaskelainen's goal.
When asked if the final scoreline had been harsh on his side, Big Sam
pointed to Arsenal's greater quality in front of goal as the main reason for
their victory.
"It was probably harsh, but that's Arsenal for you - if you don't take
advantage of your chances when you get them then they will punish you and
they certainly punished us towards the end of the game," said the manager.
"Obviously the disappointing thing from our point of view was actually
getting our noses in front and finally ending up losing at home. It was a
great team we were playing against and we've experienced how difficult it is
to play against the likes of Arsenal, which is something we need to remember
when we come across the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle and
Tottenham. "We did really, really well and, of course, needed to finish the
chances when we got them. We did with the first one - Mo's goal was
brilliant - but then there was one just before half-time when Kevin couldn't
quite dig it out from Mark Noble's free-kick, and then in the second half
Kevin has had two golden chances. "The first one he has either got to just
hit it or square it for Matt Jarvis, but instead he decided to come in on
his left foot and lost it. That was a brilliant chance against an Arsenal
team playing so well. Kevin also had a shot with his left foot from the edge
of the box and he normally doesn't miss those, as we know. "Then Andy has
had his header. The 'keeper has come and thought he could catch it and Andy
has outjumped him and won the header and the goal was open and free and
unfortunately the ball dropped the wrong side of the post. We'll look back
at those and think that, at one-one, that would have put us in front."

Aside from the lack of clinical finishing, Big Sam also lamented the nature
of Walcott's goal, which stemmed from a Diame cross that was cut out inside
the Arsenal penalty area. "Mo has done ever so well to wriggle his way down
the left-hand side but then he hasn't picked the right pass out and his
cross has hit an Arsenal player. They played one pass forward and within
five seconds Walcott has put the ball in our net. That was a real killer for
us. "I don't think there was anything we could do about the third goal.
Cazorla has hit a brilliant strike. "We will be disappointed with how we've
lost it but they are a very good team and we've tried our best. The good
thing is that we've created some reallty good chances against a very good
team but we didn't take them. It was critical at the stage of the game
because it would have put us back in front. "I was really pleased with the
fantastic goal we did score but disappointed there was nothing at the end of
it."

Extra disappointment came in the shape of injuries to Vaz Te, Demel and
Winston Reid. "I don't think we'll have them back in two weeks - I think
they'll be out for a little bit longer than that by the looks of their
injuries. Certainly Ricardo is a big blow because it ilooks like a
dislocated shoulder and that's anything from eight to twelve weeks. "I think
Guy Demel has pulled a thigh muscle and that could be four weeks and Winston
Reid had a back spasm and we couldn't bring him off because we'd used all of
our substitutes and had nobody else to bring on. With eleven points
collected from seven matches and a winnable home game against Southampton up
next on 20 October, it is not all doom and gloom in east London as summer
makes way for autumn. "There is cause for optimism because we have started
the season very well. It was a disappointing result on Saturday but not a
disappointing performance. We've only put in one poor performance in seven
league games and that was at Swansea. "We can't linger on this
disappointment. We have to get back to winning ways in two weeks' time. That
will be the big test for us now - can we bounce back after a defeat and can
we beat Southampton and make sure we get three points on the board again."

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Nolan grabs SBOBET award
WHUFC.com
Kevin Nolan has been named the SBOBET Player of the Month for September
06.10.2012

Congratulations are in order for captain Kevin Nolan after being voted
September's SBOBET Player of the Month with 29.9% of the vote. Nolan, who
was also awarded the same accolade for his performances in August, has
continued to inspire the Hammers as they picked up eleven points from six
games. He collected his award before kick-off against Arsenal. September
began in style for the former Newcastle United man as he opened the scoring
within a minute in the 3-0 Barclays Premier League win over Fulham. His form
continued as the Hammers secured two draws, first away at Norwich City and
then at home against Sunderland. Nolan once again came to the rescue against
the Black Cats, volleying home past Simon Mignolet in the 90th minute after
being thwarted by the Belgian stopper on more than one occasion. Momo Diame
was September's runner up. The combative midfielder has been in impressive
form, providing cover for the defence as well as driving forward in a host
of energetic performances. Winston Reid was the third with 19.5% of the
vote, with Mark Noble a close fourth on 19.1% of the vote. Jussi
Jaaskelainen and Guy Demel wrapped up the voting.

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Lletget feeling at home
WHUFC.com
Sebastian Lletget believes the togetherness within the Dev Squad is the key
to their recent success
06.10.2012

Sebastian Lletget believes that making the jump from United States 'soccer'
to English football earlier than most has allowed him to progress into a
much better player. The United States Under-23 international has become an
integral part of the Development Squad's success this season and he feels he
has the club to thank. Lletget has reaped the rewards of the hard work of
the Academy staff that have aided his development into what he calls 'a
pretty good footballer'. "Coming over from the US earlier than most has
definitely helped my development, the club has made me into a pretty good
player and hopefully I will continue to improve. "I have everyone here at
the club to thank for this, the coaches, the Academy and now of course our
[Development Squad] manager Ian Hendon, he has transformed a group of good
players into a great team."

The American also believes that the togetherness within the camp is brining
positives to performances, Blair Turgott and Rob Hall have already played
together for over a decade and Lletget states understandings like theirs
provides a massive boost. "I think that it is a massive help, I have been at
the club for around five years and have known a lot of the team since then,
we have all come through the ranks together. "It is especially important now
we our hitting the peak of our youth, we are on the edge of the first team
and the understanding of how we play is showing now more than ever."

Hall was once again on the scoresheet against Norwich CIty last weekend and
Lletget praised the striker's attitude and impact, whilst also hailing his
midfield partner George Moncur. "Rob will often get the limelight and it is
thoroughly deserved. He has been excellent this season, not just for us but
also in the first team. He is a very hard worker. "My midfield partner Monkz
is another player who I also have great respect for. He is great to play
with and we have established a good telepathic connection over the past few
years both on and off the ball."

Friday's win against the Canaries secured the Development Squad's first
clean sheet of the season, Hendon has been critical of his team's defensive
play in previous weeks, but Lletget feels confidence will now soar. He
added that he believes that the reasons behind this new defensive solidity
is focus, anticipation and hard work, with Hendon and his coaching staff
putting the impetus on building from the back. "It is very important to get
our first clean sheet, we have a great squad and I think if we keep
performing well and winning games that our confidence will get higher and
higher. "Our chemistry is also excellent and it will only continue to grow
if we keep winning games, hopefully we can keep doing that and qualify for
the Elite League."

"I think we prepared very well for the game against Norwich, defensively we
worked very hard in training and during the game I think it showed, it's
great to secure our first clean sheet. "We analysed the video from previous
games to see what we could improve upon and our anticipation ahead of the
game was very good."

Next up for the Development Squad is a trip to lowly Blackburn Rovers but
Lletget ensured that complacency will not become an issue. "I think that the
one thing we do very well is treat every opposition team the same whether it
be an Arsenal, a Manchester United or another team. "Obviously next week we
face Blackburn Rovers, we will do the same against them and treat them with
respect, hopefully we will keep playing well and get a win."

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Rovers edge out Under-18s
WHUFC.com
The Hammers fell to a 1-0 Barclays U18 Premier League defeat by Blackburn
Rovers at Little Heath
06.10.2012

Academy Director Tony Carr gave an honest assessment of West Ham United's
1-0 Barclays U18 Premier League defeat by Blackburn Rovers at Little Heath
on Saturday A tight game saw both sides struggle to gain a foothold long
enough to dominate proceedings, but West Ham were denied a positive results
by missing a succession of good chances. Blackburn then punished their hosts
by scoring the only goal of the game. Nana Boakye-Yiadom and Kieran Sadlier
both failed to take advantage of decent openings and Carr admitted the
Hammers' profligacy had cost them. "Unfortunately we lost 1-0," said Carr.
"The game was incredibly tight and it could have gone either way. We created
three very good chances before they took the lead but were unable to take
them. "Nana Boakye-Yiadom had two good chances, as did Kieran Sadlier, but
like so often happens in football they hit us on the break and got the goal
that mattered."

Carr also believes that the way in which the game was played did not help
his side, describing it as a 'dour' affair. "It was a dour game," he
continued. "Both teams didn't allow their opponents any space and the
players had very little time on the ball. "If I am being honest it wasn't
pretty to watch. The game lacked any kind of flair and we wasted a lot of
good opportunities, but I suppose at least we did create them."

The best chance of the game fell to Sadlier but the Republic of Ireland
forward, who has been in good form recently, failed to make it count, Carr
believes the Hammers taking the lead would have changed the outcome of the
game. "The best chance of the game fell to Kieran Sadlier. He went through
on goal one-on-one with the goalkeeper and he should have done better than
he did. "If we had taken that chance or one of others I think we would have
gone on to win the game but we didn't and we got punished."

Next up for the Under-18s is another home game against Bolton Wanderers.
Carr, coach Nick Haycock and the West Ham players will all be hoping for an
improvement. "For me the most worrying thing from the game was not the
defeat, but it was the fact we were not clinical enough in front of goal.
"We are always going to create chances because of the way we play but to not
take them was very disappointing. We lacked quality, coolness and composure
in front of goal."

Under-18s: Baxter, Alexander, Shaw, Harney, Onnariase, Miles (Bywater 70),
Makasi, Cullen (T.Tombides 45), Mavila (Nasha 75), Sadlier, Boakye-Yiadom

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Sam Allardyce reveals Ricardo Vaz Te suffers dislocated shoulder
BBC.co.uk

Sam Allardyce revealed West Ham striker Ricardo Vaz Te dislocated his
shoulder in the Hammers' 3-1 defeat by Arsenal. Vaz Te, 26, fell heavily
after colliding with Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone in the second half.
"Ricardo Vaz Te has a shoulder dislocation by looks of it so that's not so
good," said the West Ham boss. Guy Demel was also brought off with a thigh
strain, Winston Reid played on with a back spasm and Andy Carroll played 90
minutes on his full return.
Allardyce had used all of his substitutions by the time Reid suffered his
problem so was forced to leave the New Zealand international on. "Guy Demel
looks like a thigh strain and Winston Reid had a back spasm but we could not
bring him off, so that's a little worrying for us," said Allardyce. The
Hammers manager admitted he did not want to play Carroll for the full 90
minutes. The England international, 23, made his first start since suffering
a hamstring injury in West Ham's 3-0 win over Fulham in September, having
come off the bench in the Hammers' 2-1 win over QPR on Monday.

Allardyce had agreed with England manager Roy Hodgson that the striker would
not play the full game ahead of the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against
San Marino on Friday 12 October and Poland on Tuesday 16 October. But the
West Ham manager was forced to leave the former Newcastle forward on because
of West Ham's injury problems. Carroll had a great chance to score when the
game was level at 1-1 but he headed just wide and the Hammers boss believes
the 90 minutes will benefit him. He said: "Carroll is fine, I spoke to Roy
Hodgson this week. We didn't want him to do 90 minutes today but because of
the injuries we had to and it would have done him the world of good. "It's a
shame he didn't score, that one header dropped the wrong side of post.
Hopefully he will be fit for a long time now and be an asset to us."

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West Ham 1 Arsenal 3
6 October 2012
By Alistair Magowan
BBC Sport

Olivier Giroud scored his first Premier League goal for Arsenal as the
Gunners came from behind to beat West Ham. West Ham took the lead against
the run of play when Mohamed Diame beat Vito Mannone with a curling shot.
Giroud equalised before the break when he poked in Lukas Podolski's cross at
the near post. Kevin Nolan missed two chances for the hosts and was made to
pay when Theo Walcott came off the bench to make it 2-1 with Santi Cazorla
hitting a third.

Walcott, who replaced the disappointing Gervinho, helped the Gunners take
advantage in the last half hour as West Ham tired. But having been on top
for large parts of the game, it was no more than Arsene Wenger's team
deserved as they extended their unbeaten record against the Hammers to nine
games and moved to fifth in the Premier League table. Sam Allardyce's side
had to defend stoutly throughout the game but they came up against a
midfield again run by the impressive Cazorla. And their disappointment in
losing their first Premier League home game of the season was compounded by
an injury to forward Ricardo Vaz Te, who went off with a suspected
dislocated shoulder. Walcott and Cazorla's late goals in the space of six
minutes gave the scoreline added gloss as Andy Carroll caused concern in the
visitors' defence on the striker's first start since suffering a hamstring
injury.

But the result was the perfect response to the Gunners' defeat by Chelsea
last weekend and means that is the only league defeat of their season so
far. Carroll's value was also underlined when he spent much of the first 20
minutes bolstering the Hammers defence as Arsenal wasted a number of
promising opportunities. Giroud almost scored in the first two minutes when
Jussi Jaaskelainen tipped his shot round the post and Carroll blocked the
French striker's goal-bound effort later in the first half. So when West
Ham's goal came on 21 minutes it was something of a surprise. Diame was fed
by George McCartney down the left and the Senegalese player skipped past
Aaron Ramsey before curling a delightful finish into the far corner for his
first Hammers goal. Referee Phil Dowd booked the midfielder for his
celebration and perhaps Diame was fortunate to stay on the field soon after
when he clattered Mikel Arteta.

Then, just as Carroll began to become more influential in the attacking
half, Diame had his pocket picked in midfield leading to the equaliser. The
ball was swept to Podolski on the left and Giroud burst to the near post to
tuck in the German's cross for a true poacher's goal. Having got themselves
back on level terms, Arsenal took time to warm to a similarly attacking
theme as the first period. By that stage, Carroll had almost made it 2-1 but
his header from a long diagonal ball was just wide with Mannone beaten to
the delivery, while Nolan wasted a great chance when clean through. As
Arsenal began to assert their authority on the game, Walcott latched onto
Giroud's through ball just 16 minutes after coming on to score his fourth
goal of the season with a precise near-post shot. Another chance fell to
Nolan, but he fired over from the edge of the penalty box, and that miss
proved costly once Cazorla smashed in Arsenal's third from 20 yards to cap a
superb individual performance. The only worry for Arsenal was with left-back
Kieran Gibbs, who left the field in the second half with what Wenger
described afterwards as a "thigh problem".

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Wenger on....West Ham
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 6th October 2012
By: Staff Writer No.2

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger discusses what he saw during his side's somewhat
flattering 3-1 win at the Boleyn...

Arsene are you still unsure whether Theo Walcott is a centre forward or not?

He's getting there. We're confident now that when he gets in front of goal
he will score now. he scored an important one today at the moment when the
game was a little bit 50-50. We weakened a bit physically in the second
half. It was a very important test for us today. We expected a difficult
game and we were not disappointed. It was a game with a lot of pace where
both teams went for it in different styles. It was a good test - mentally as
well because we were one-nil down from their first shot on goal but we came
back to win the game.

Olivier Giroud's goal came at a good time after going one nil down

It came at the right time and in similar situations he nearly scored against
Olympiakos on Wednesday night. he was good today - he had a physical
presence and scored a goal. That will help him a lot I think to adapt very
quickly.

Santi Corzola showed his class as well with a spectacular finish

He was, overall, a delight to watch from the first to the last minute. He
was very influential in our team and it was fantastic to watch him play.

How do you think you coped with Carroll?

Quite well. You can never control Carroll completely for 90 minutes. You
have to fight for him and be good on the second ball - the problem with west
ham is not only Carroll but also Nolan on the second ball in the box. We
could have been punished once or twice but overall we coped well with it. He
was really up for it Carroll I must say and he did fight absolutely from the
first to the last minute.

You had to put up with some pretty terrible abuse today

I don't listen to that.

It was kind of back to the bad old days

I don't want to talk about that stupidity. It's not my problem. It only
punishes people who talk stupidly.

That moves Arsenal up to 5th in the table. It's good to have some momentum
going into the international break

It was important for us to respond well after our game against Chelsea. We
won against Olympiakos on Wednesday night then had a different game three
days later. We knew today that a draw was not good enough for us. We went
for it. We could have lost it as well - I think maybe it was Nolan who had a
very good chance but we gave absolutely everything to win the game.

Arsene you seemed very unhappy with some of the decisions in the first half.
Was that the case?

We got a cheap yellow card for Gervinho. We got a penalty turned down for
Ramsey. We'll have to watch it again.

What's happening with Kieran Gibbs?

Gibbs has a thigh problem. He might be out for England.

Would you have expected him to get a chance maybe?

I believe that Cole and Baines are in front of him but it would have been a
good opportunity for him in training to show that he can get in front of
them.

There were shades today that your passing game was at its best. Was this
game a watershed for you to push on, to get into the top four and stay
there?

Look we started with a lot of questions raised about the team this season. I
believe that we've now played seven games and the belief is in the squad and
that we have a chance. Of course, it's now down to us to do it week after
week. The spirit is there, the quality is there. It's all about how
consistent we can be now.

Cay you talk for a second about the effect Steve Bould's had helping you
defensively?

That's very difficult I feel. When you look at us last year we did not
concede many goals from set pieces. He has done well but you cannot measure
what the coaches bring to the team. He is doing very well but we are united
as a staff team with Neil Banfiels, Boro Primorac and Steve Bould we do our
job. We'll see where we are at the end of the season.

Theo Walcott's made his position clear to you. He can't do anymore than he
did today, coming on and scoring like that

Yes that's what you want from the players. Theo has an outstanding attitude
and I don't rule anyone out. If I did I wouldn't bring him on in a crucial
moment of the game - I believe in him. I brought him on at 1-1 - Gervinho
was looking a bit tired and he made the difference. He scored the second
goal and that was the most important one.

He was obviously signed as a striker. Do you see that as his long-term
position?

Yes.

(long pause)

He could play with Carroll maybe (laughter).

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West Ham Utd 1 Arsenal 3
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 6th October 2012
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United fell to their first home Premier League defeat of the season
- but gave their opponents a run for their money in the process. Sam
Allardyce has won many famous victories over Arsene Wenger over the years
and when Mo Diame put United ahead midway through the first half it looked
as if yet another might be on the cards. But Olivier Giroud restored parity
shortly ahead of half time and two late goals - after West Ham's right side
had been decimated by injury - ensured all three points went to the
visitors. A win today for the Irons would have ensured the club's best top
flight start for nearly 30 years - and having looked all at sea initially
they took a deserved lead when Diame scored an absolute belter from out wide
have jinked his way into the penalty box.

After Kevin Nolan - usually so assured in and around the six yard box - had
missed a golden opportunity to double United's lead, Giroud converted Lucas
Podolski's centre to send the team's into the break on level terms.

Following the break, West Ham looked the stronger of the two teams but
injuries to the impressive Ricardo Vaz Te - a dislocated shoulder that could
keep him out of action until the New Year - and another to the equally
effective Guy Demel left United severely weakened on one side.

That gave the away side the impetus to push on and that's exactly what they
did 13 minutes from time when substitute Theo Walcott beat Jussi
Jaaskelainen at his near post at Arsenal countered.

Six minutes later and the visitors put the game beyond all reasonable doubt
when the excellent Santi Cazorla picked his spot from some 25 yards with
Jaaskelainen a passenger.

Despite the defeat West Ham could be proud of their efforts today with a
thoroughly engaging performance.

Andy Carroll, back in the starting line-up for the first time since his
debut led the line superbly and went close twice, once either side of the
break - firstly when forcing Vito Mannone to make a save from a corner and
then when he beat the 'keeper to the ball with his header narrowly missing
the target.

Although all in the camp will no doubt be disappointed with the defeat, that
impressive start gave the Hammers a comfortable cushion going into today's
fixture which meant defeat certainly wasn't the end of the world.

A two week international break now ensues before West Ham return to action
against Southampton - a game they will be hoping to win in order to continue
their good form that was temporarily halted by a strong Arsenal side.

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West Ham forward Ricardo Vaz Te could be out for 12 weeks with a dislocated
shoulder
Last Updated: October 6, 2012 8:45pm
SSN

West Ham forward Ricardo Vaz Te is facing up to 12 weeks on the sidelines
after suffering a dislocated shoulder in the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal. The
26-year-old had to be replaced by Matt Taylor just after the hour-mark after
falling awkwardly following a challenge with Arsenal goalkeeper Vito
Mannone. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce confirmed after the match that Vaz Te
would not be fit to return until after the international break and could be
out until the festive period. "No he won't be right, it will be six to 12
weeks depending," he said. "We can't get it back so he is going to have to
go to hospital to have an anaesthetic put in it to slot the shoulder back
into the socket. "The specialist will determine how long it will take to
sort that out so it is a bit of a shame, but we all suffer injuries and we
just have to make sure we use the squad we have got."

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Sam Allardyce stayed upbeat after West Ham's defeat by Arsenal
Last Updated: October 6, 2012 11:22pm
SSN

Sam Allardyce felt his injury-hit West Ham side showed plenty of spirit in
the 3-1 defeat by Arsenal at Upton Park. Mohamed Diame opened the scoring
for the Hammers, who lost Guy Demel and Ricardo Vaz Te through injury, but
the Gunners replied with goals from Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott and Santi
Cazorla.
The fit-again Andy Carroll was forced to play the whole match and Allardyce
felt his patched up team produced a creditable display. When asked about
Carroll, he said: "He is okay, he is fine. We didn't want to play him for 90
minutes because he has only just come back from that long spell injured and
hasn't played that much - but unfortunately our injury plight continued as
the game progressed. "It is a little worrying because we got injuries
against QPR and we got three more injuries today, Winston Reid was suffering
badly with sciatica but we had used all of our subs. "Guy Demel came off
with a thigh (injury) and Ricardo Vaz Te unfortunately with a dislocated
shoulder. "We are disappointed with the result and disappointed with those
injuries we have picked up, but I'm not disappointed with the lads'
application and performance. "We tried our best, it wasn't quite good
enough, but we are pleased with our performance and perhaps a little
disappointed that we didn't get a draw."

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Hammered! West Ham fan objects to Carroll's arrival after he beat up her
girlfriend
The Mirror
Julian Andrews

A furious West Ham fan has vowed to stay away from Upton Park while Andy
Carroll plays for her ­favourite team. The arrival on a season-long loan of
the £35million Liverpool striker was seen as a masterstroke by many Hammers
fans. But Claudine Wykes begs to differ. She's outraged that a club famed
for family values and a caring approach has recruited a man with a proven
record for beating up a girlfriend. Claudine, a PA from Grays, Essex, said:
"I have been a season ticket holder for 10 years and I have been going to
Upton Park for 30 years, so I am a loyal fan of West Ham. "But I object
strongly to Andy Carroll being at the club. "He is proven to have hit a
woman and I cannot support the team while he is at the club."

The England international, 23, paid Samantha Morrison £11,000 ­compensation
in November 2010 for ­injuries she received when she was struck by Carroll
outside a nightclub in Newcastle. He was also charged with assaulting
girlfriend Laurie Henderson that year but the charges were later dropped.
Claudine was so upset by Carroll's ­arrival that she contacted the club to
vent her feelings and ask for a refund. She said: "I have spoken to the club
about it but the only way I can get my money back is if someone else agrees
to buy my ticket. They will then give me the refund and send a bill to the
new ticket holders. "I don't think that is satisfactory. I would have
thought the club would have acted better than that. "It has a reputation as
a family club. Violence against women is a serious issue and I don't want a
player with Andy Carroll's record in the team."

West Ham have confirmed to Sunday Mirror Sport their refusal to give a
­direct refund. The club point out that the terms and conditions under which
Claudine bought her ticket state they are not bound to give any money back.
In line with other London clubs like Arsenal, Tottenham and Fulham, they
make refunds on specific grounds such as the ticket holder's death or their
inability to attend matches ­because of serious illness. They confirm that
Claudine can get her money back if she can find someone to buy her ticket.
They would then bill the new ticket holder and reimburse her. Claudine is
not content with that offer but a West Ham spokesman said: "We have abided
by the terms and ­conditions under which the season ticket was sold."

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