Daily WHUFC News - 19th November 2012

Noble not getting carried away
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble insists West Ham United will not lose focus ahead of Monday's
visit of Stoke City
18.11.2012

Mark Noble believes West Ham United's team spirit will again will be key if
the Hammers are to overcome Stoke City on Monday evening. The midfielder is
enjoying life in the top half of the Barclays Premier League table following
last weekend's fantastic 1-0 win at Newcastle United, but Noble says nobody
at the club is looking past the visit of the Potters. "It is good to be in
the position we are in, as you can imagine," said the reigning Hammer of the
Year. "It is good coming into training every day, but we are keen not to get
too carried away as there is long way to go in the season. "We need to keep
our feet on the ground and keep working hard. That is why we are getting
results at the minute, because everyone is pulling their weight in the team
and throughout the squad."

Noble said everyone was looking forward to the sell-out visit of Stoke but
said the Hammers are more than aware of the threat Tony Pulis and his men
will present, including former Hammers Matty Etherington and Matthew Upson.
One of the keys to the Hammers making such a solid start is that the bulk of
the team have been together for more than a year under Sam Allardyce. Noble
feels that the quality additions made over the summer have further boosted
the squad. "We had a long season together last year, playing over 50-odd
games, and enjoyed the thrill of getting promoted as a team. "Everyone is
still buzzing from coming up and I think the players that we had in the
squad from last season and the players we have brought in the summer,like
Yossi Benayoun, Ginge [James Collins], Andy Carroll, Matt Jarvis, Van
[Modibo Maiga] and Mo [Diame] have come in and become part of the squad
straight off. "We had Premier League players already in the squad and that
helps when you get promoted. Then the lads I mentioned are all top players
and have made a difference."

West Ham have collected four points from their last two Barclays Premier
League fixtures at home to champions Manchester City and at Newcastle United
- results Noble puts down to the way manager Sam Allardyce and his staff
have prepared the players for each and every match. The No16 said Big Sam's
influence has paid massive dividends in terms of his own personal form -
form that has seen him championed for a senior England call-up in recent
weeks.
"The Gaffer's man-management is second to none and that is important in
football these days. He allows us to express ourselves as a team. I do think
I am playing some of the best football in my career at the moment. "The
manager likes us to be organised. Every detail is spot-on and I think that
is making a difference for us as a team. We are keeping more clean sheets,
which is a big key in trying to win games. We are working really hard and
are harder to break down. "With some of the football we are playing - the
way we passed it about against Newcastle last weekend and the way we played
against Manchester City, - it is enjoyable to be playing out there. "The
Gaffer tells me every game to get on the ball, make us play and then I can
bring the qualities of the other lads into it. I have never been told by the
Gaffer to boot the ball and all of that! "Winning games is important and we
are doing that more often than not, while playing some really good football,
and it is a joy to be involved."

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West Ham v Stoke
KO 20:00
18 November 2012
Last updated at 14:46
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Monday, 19 November
LINEUP, BOOKINGS (0) & SUBSTITUTIONS (0)

TEAM NEWS

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce may restore defender James Collins to his
starting XI. Matthew Taylor has returned to training following a calf
injury, but Jack Collison and Ricardo Vaz Te are long-term absentees.

Stoke are monitoring the fitness of Glenn Whelan after he limped out of the
Republic of Ireland's match with Greece in midweek with a hamstring injury.
Dean Whitehead is suspended, while Jon Walters and Charlie Adam are doubts.

MATCH PREVIEW

A look at this season's results suggests a glut of goals is unlikely to
materialise at Upton Park as West Ham and Stoke City put two of the Premier
League's best defensive records on the line. They have conceded a miserly 21
goals between them in a combined 22 games played so far this season.

The Hammers are proving to be extremely hard to break down, as proven by
clean sheets against Manchester City and Newcastle in their last two games.
Stoke, although solid at the back, have scored just nine goals in their 11
league games so far and they are without an away win for 15 matches. It's a
run of form that has baffled Potters' boss Tony Pulis. "The disappointing
thing is that if you look at the performances this season away from home, we
have probably been better than we have at home," he said. "We have played
well - we just haven't turned it into wins. If you are asking me the reason
why, I just can't work it out."

Pulis's side have come under fire yet again for their brand of defensive
football. Not, though, from Hammers boss Sam Allardyce, who is himself a
firm advocate of building from the back. "Tony has suffered his fair share
of criticism down the years for the way his teams play - but not from me",
says Allardyce. "I believe the art of good defending is the catalyst to your
team's success - or otherwise."

Comparisons have been made between the style of West Ham's play under
Allardyce and Pulis's Stoke, but the Hammers boss is having none of it.
"They are not the same", he said. "Mine are not the same as Tony's. I'm an
individual. Nobody copies Sam Allardyce. I don't copy anybody else." Stoke
have played out three goalless draws in the Premier League this season,
while West Ham are one of four sides to have played in two - odds on a 0-0
anyone?

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head
West Ham have won four and lost one of their last five home games against
Stoke in all competitions.
The Hammers were unbeaten in both Premier League meetings between the clubs
in the 2010-11 season. They drew 1-1 at the Britannia Stadium and won 3-0 at
Upton Park.
Both sides have kept five clean sheets in the league this season - the joint
highest in the top flight prior to the weekend.

West Ham
A Sam Allardyce-managed team has failed to beat or even score a goal against
Stoke in the last four attempts.
West Ham have won three and lost just one of their six home games in the
league this season.
Eighteen points from 11 matches is their equal-best points total at this
stage of a Premier League season.

Stoke City
Stoke are winless in their last 15 Premier League away matches (D6, L9),
scoring just eight goals in those games.
The Potters have averaged 40.8% possession in top-flight matches this
season, which is the lowest in the league.
Their total of 12 points is the same as at the same stage of last season.

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West Ham United interested in Nicolas Anelka - Sam Allardyce
BBC.co.uk

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has said he is keen on re-signing Shanghai
Shenhua striker Nicolas Anelka. Allardyce, 58, bought the player for Bolton
for a then-club record fee in 2006 and could move to work with the
33-year-old again in January. "It could interest me, of course it could," he
said. "It would be of interest if that is a possibility financially and he
wanted to come. "I have had no conversations with Nicolas's agent at this
time." West Ham have enjoyed an impressive return to the Premier League this
season and currently sit in seventh spot, in front of sides such as
Tottenham, Liverpool and Newcastle, ahead of Monday night's game at home to
Stoke at Upton Park.

After initially struggling at the Reebok Stadium, goes on to score 12 goals
in his debut season before Allardyce agrees switch to Newcastle in May 2007
The team already boasts England international centre forward Andy Carroll in
attack, although he has yet to score for the London side following his loan
move from Liverpool. Anelka, who scored 123 top flight goals during spells
at Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Bolton and Chelsea, joined the
Chinese Super League outfit in January. The former France international is
thought to have signed a £250,000-a-week, two-year contract with Shenhua -
where he is a team-mate of former Chelsea star Didier Drogba - and that
could prove an obstacle to any deal. But Allardyce hoped his former charge
would be prepared to take a wage-cut to be near to his family home. "He had
a girlfriend, who is now his wife, and his family and I think that has
matured him - I think Nicolas has still got his family here in London, I
don't think they moved out to China," Allardyce said. Question marks have
often been raised about Anelka's attitude throughout a career where he
previously earned the nickname "Le Sulk". When asked about his questionable
temperament, Allardyce insisted he had not had any problems with the ex-Real
Madrid and Paris St-Germain star. "He never was like that in his entire time
I had him," he replied. "He was disappointed I left, when he came and played
for me I had him at a very, very good time - probably at the height of his
career, I would think, because he had matured into a dedicated professional.
"I think he has always been dedicated but he got sidetracked by certain
situations through his younger days but he learnt from that, his experience
across Europe."

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West Ham: What's going right for Sam Allardyce's team?
By Frank Keogh
BBC Sport

West Ham co-chairman David Gold takes a deep breath as he ponders the
question - what was the club like when he and business partner David
Sullivan took over nearly three years ago? "I dread to think back. We had
serious debt issues, the club was close to administration. Had we not done
the deal the incumbent owners would have had nothing else to do than sell
three of their best players," he said. Last Sunday seemed a world away as
victory at Newcastle pushed the Hammers to sixth in the Premier League in
their first season since promotion via the play-offs. Gold said West Ham's
debts, which stood at £110m when they took over in January 2010, will be
down to nearer £70m by the end of the season.

West Ham league finishing positions
2011-12: 3rd Championship, promoted via play-offs
2010-11 : 20th Premier League, relegated
2009-10: 17th Premier League
2008-09: 9th Premier League
2007-08: 10th Premier League
2006-07: 15th Premier League
2005-06: 9th Premier League
2004-05: 6th Championship, promoted via play-offs
2003-04: 4th Championship, beaten in play-off final
2002-03: 18th Premier League, relegated

"I have to confess we would not have taken on any other football club in
that financial state," said lifelong Hammers fan Gold. "If you have got a
serious debt that is harming the club and you are making cuts all around,
it's a negative. "The performance on the pitch helps the financial
situation, and the financial situation helps what happens on the pitch."
Midfielder Mark Noble, who has been at the club since he was 11, says there
is a happier feel now. "It was sort of all over the place. They've come in,
settled the place down and brought in a top experienced manager in Sam
Allardyce. The place needed a bit of stability and the club are seeing the
benefits on the pitch," he said.

Noble, 25, and 76-year-old Gold may be half a century apart in years but
they are cut from the same claret and blue cloth. Local lads who grew up
supporting the side. They both point to the influence of Allardyce, an
appointment in the summer of 2011 which was not universally accepted by fans
of the so-called 'Academy of Football' worried about his perceived long-ball
game. "His man management is second to none," said Noble. "Sam likes his
teams to be organised and every detail to be bang on and that's making the
difference. We are keeping clean sheets, we are working hard as a team and
are hard to break down. It's enjoyable to be out there at the moment."

While statistics show West Ham have played a relatively high percentage of
long balls, many fans have warmed to Allardyce.
Long ball game?
Total West Ham passes: 3,798 (ranking 16)
Long passes attempted: 572 (8) Newcastle top
Long passes %: 15.06 (4) 1 Newcastle 2 Reading 3 Stoke
Figures from Opta for 2012-13 Premier League, 16 November. Long passes
defined as +35 yards

"The supporters are generally happy with the progress of the team and the
kind of football being played," said Graeme Howlett, editor of supporters'
website Knees Up Mother Brown. "In the 1966 World Cup final, Bobby Moore
played a 60-yard pass on to Geoff Hurst's toe for England's fourth goal and
I don't recall too many people complaining about that. "Sam Allardyce is
doing a good job with one of the best squads we've had for many, many years,
and he's adaptable, changing tactics when necessary." Noble talks of
Allardyce's attention to detail, analysing opponents' strengths and
weaknesses, and targeting free-kicks, corners and throw-ins as areas to
focus on. "He reminds us every weekend how many goals are scored from
set-plays, free-kicks and corners. He likes to nail them down and it's made
a huge difference to us over the last two seasons," said the club's
longest-serving player. "I know the manager gets labelled with the long
ball. He tells me every game to get on the ball and make us play and he's
never ever told me to just get the ball and boot it. "Some of the passing
against Newcastle, Manchester City, Southampton and QPR was brilliant where
we played on the floor."

West Ham's new owners sacked Gianfranco Zola and Avram Grant as managers in
their first 18 months at the club and Gold said he studied videos of
Allardyce's former sides before appointing him. "Once we were relegated, we
knew Sam was our main target because we knew what was lacking at the
football club, particularly at the training ground, I recognised it, and
that was discipline. There was no discipline, there was a lack of
camaraderie. There was some, but it was fragmented. "You needed a man with a
bit of steel about him. There was a concern, and fans made it clear to us,
that he plays the long ball game. "It was a strange old situation. It was a
surprise to come on and I'd just turned 17 and couldn't even drive. I took
my boots to the game but the kit man took them back to the training ground
so I felt like half a professional. I walked the two miles home in my suit -
it looked like I'd just finished a day's work in London."

"When you looked at the DVDs of when he was at Bolton, Newcastle and
Blackburn, I didn't see this long ball game. What I did see when he was
losing 1-0 with 10 minutes to go was a barrage of long balls, but then I saw
it from Barcelona - they hump it into the box, it's human nature. There's a
lot of great football coming from Sam."

Gold said captain Kevin Nolan, who dropped down a division to team up again
with his former Newcastle boss Allardyce in the Championship, has been the
lynchpin in West Ham's success. "Nolan is probably the best captain I've had
in my 20 years in football. He's certainly as good a captain as Steve Bruce
at Birmingham, if not better," said Gold, who was at St Andrew's for 16
years. "He's not just a captain on the field but also in the dressing room,
on the training ground, in the dining room. He encourages, he leads by
example."

Midfielder Nolan has teamed up with former team-mate Andy Carroll, and West
Ham hope the striker will stay until the end of the season despite a loan
deal which gives Liverpool the option of recalling him in January. "I'm
hoping things stay as they are because there's no doubt the relationship
between Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan is a strong one. Although Andy isn't
scoring the goals, Kevin is. They play off each other and Kevin is
benefiting from Andy's presence," said Gold. "Andy Carroll is a big strong
man, and the relationship between him and Kevin Nolan on and off the pitch
has been really special." Noble wants to see West Ham, who host Stoke City
on Monday night, established as a Premier League fixture. "We've had a great
start. I think the target is not to get sloppy and think we've done enough
already," he said. "Look at the likes of Everton and clubs like that who are
in about eighth, seventh, sixth every season. "We have got the foundations
to be a top eight team and I think that will be the main goal of me being at
the club. To win a cup would be fantastic."

Many of Noble's friends are West Ham supporters and he senses an enthusiasm
among them. "The fans are absolutely buzzing at the minute. There were times
before when I didn't want to answer my phone after games as I didn't want to
answer the questions. The last couple of seasons we have been winning games
and it's been enjoyable."

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West Ham United v Stoke City
KUMb.com
Filed: Sunday, 18th November 2012
By: Preview Percy

Next we play host to Stoke City on Monday night. Kick-off for the benefit of
space telly is 8pm, meaning the phrase "don't wait up luv" is one that will
be used quite a lot I imagine. As it's a Monday we'll be spared the spectre
of the usual weekend engineering works, though rush-hour travel on the tubes
is painful enough as it is.

Our visitors arrive in 13th place at the time of writing having amassed 12
points from their eleven fixtures so far. They are what you might call draw
specialists, having picked up single points from six of the 11 matches.
Rather oddly they drew their first four matches of the season, away at
Reading (1-1), home to Arsenal (0-0), away at Wigan (2-2) and at home to Man
City (1-1). The sequence came to an end at Stamford Bridge where Chelsea
prevailed 1-0.

They picked up their first win of the season at home to Swansea (2-0) before
returning to drawing ways with 0-0 draws at Liverpool and at home to
Sunderland, between which they went down 4-2 at Old Trafford. Their last two
matches have both ended up 1-0 – a defeat at Norwich and, most recently a
1-0 home win over QPR. The more observant of you will have noted from all
that that they have yet to win on the road, their six matches away from the
Britannia providing three draws and three defeats.

They are managed by Tony Pulis. Pulis has been raking up the column inches
in recent months, fearlessly speaking out against the evils of diving in the
modern game. Those who made the effort to attend the FA Cup quarter final at
their place the other year will have been amazed by this apparent Damascene
conversion, having seen the sad sight of ex-Hammer Matthew Etherington
throwing himself to the floor to win a penalty. Given the few penalties we
can recall seeing him given while he was with us, we can only presume such
unsteadiness is something he's picked up in the Potteries. Either that or he
did it for a bet.

Meanwhile, since Pulis seems to be such a beacon of fair play we reckon that
local charities are doing very well at the moment as they must be collecting
thousands each week from player fines. Either that or Pulis is a humbug of
the highest order. It certainly seems that he was up to some old tricks
again in the match against Norwich, berating referee Marriner at half-time
over some perceived injustice in the hope that he would even things up in
the second half, a tactic familiar to anyone who witnessed Mike Jones'
disgracefully spineless performance at the Britannia that day.

We have been treated (and I use the word quite wrongly) this week to the
sight of central defender Ryan Shawcross playing international football for
England. Over the years Shawcross has probably put more people in hospital
than the Lamb's Liver at Raymond Blanc's restaurant. He's accompanied in the
centre of defence by Robert Huth, whose "skills" include decking opposition
players off the ball with snidey punches from the blind side.
Matthew Upson was one victim of such a cowardly approach, an assault that
left him dazed and confused. Which meant that, but for the bloodstains,
nobody would have ever known that Huth had hit him. This all means that the
scene is set for a rather tasty battle between Huth and Shawcross on the one
hand and Andy Carroll on the other. Carroll of course is quite capable of
looking after himself so ref Foy may require a lot of help from his
assistants.

Upson, in the meantime, is unlikely to start. In South Africa 2010 he spent
the whole tournament trying to do his own job and that of John Terry, whose
contribution as ever involved much shouting, much pointing and much blaming
of others for his own shortcomings. In fact it was joked at the time that if
he were ever to be pulled over for speeding, John Terry would give Upson's
name to the traffic cops.

Having been Terry's scapegoat at international level Upson is now perennial
bench-warmer for the Potters. He's not much missed around here, his
indifferent form in the Avram Grant "era" making a major contribution to our
relegation. So anonymous was he as captain that every single match report
outside kumb.com seem to contain the phrase "captain Scott Parker" .

In midfield they have Scotsman Charlie Adam. Adam is another who can put it
about a bit – he seems to have some one-man crusade against Gareth Bale for
example. Adam first came to prominence at Rangers where a promising start to
his career seemed to peter out as he piled on the pounds. The less than
spectacular tenure of French manager Paul Le Guen at Ibrox brought forth a
number of changes in the background, including the imposing of a stricter
dietary regime – a brave move at any football club let alone one based in
Glasgow. This brought one of the great football quotes of all time from Adam
who remarked "I'd never thought of eating salads before". The comment caused
a major internet failure in Scotland as thousands of Glaswegians went online
to look up the meaning of the word "salad".

Adam was released by Rangers and ended up at Blackpool where an off-the-ball
stamp on an opponent saw him red-carded on his debut. Blackpool's promotion
to the top flight saw him gain rave reviews but there were signs that the
player was beginning to believe some of the hype about himself. Rather
cheekily he took Blackpool to a tribunal as, having trousered a promotion
bonus thanks to their 3-2 win over Cardiff, he also argued that he was due
another bonus for having avoided relegation. He threw in a "breach of
contract" claim at the same time, suggesting that he might be on the lookout
for a cheap exit. The tribunal awarded him the relegation avoidance bonus
but slung out the "breach" claim.

The victory was somewhat pyrrhic in nature though as the tribunal failed to
award the player costs, the total of which all but wiped out his
non-relegation bonus. A none-too exciting year at Liverpool followed before
Stoke came in for him at the start of this season, the Scousers taking a
reported loss of nearly £3m on the player. His winner against QPR last
weekend was his first goal for the Potters and, for those of you who love
totally meaningless stats, is the only goal scored by Stoke City at home
this season not to be scored by Peter Crouch. (I did warn you it was
meaningless).

Up front we will be spared the prospect of Michael Owen scoring his
statutory goal against us. He may not have scored in every game he's played
against us but it sure feels that way. He's picked up what must be the least
surprising hamstring injury in the history of association football (outside
any that Kieron Dyer may have had over the years). However, there is a
theory that the player is actually 100% fit and Stoke are just keeping him
out of the way due to the embarrassment caused by the ridiculous facial hair
he is currently sporting in the name of charity.

Another who will be missing through injuries is Rory Delap. Although there
have been more than a few words written about his notorious long throws over
the years, the statistics apparently prove that few goals have resulted from
his long-range ballistics, especially over the past few seasons as teams
have worked out how to counter the tactic. Feel free to look the stats up if
you're that fussed. Delap will be missing with something called an "inguinal
hernia". Something to do with lizards I think.

The line will be led by Peter Crouch. With five goals this season Crouch is
their top scorer. It is an oft-repeated statement that he is "much better on
the ground than you'd think for such a tall man" but that has to be tempered
by the fact that he's not nearly as good in the air as he ought to be at
that height.

I have a theory about this – I may have mentioned it before but I can't be
bothered looking through over 160 previous previews to find out. My theory
is this. It may not have escaped your notice that Crouch is taller than your
average footballer. Barring a really late growth spurt it's probably likely
that he's always been much taller than those around him and, while most of
us of a less lofty stature as kids practised our heading by learning to jump
to meet the ball, Mr Crouch never had to learn such skills. The result is
that he often loses out in aerial battles to shorter players.

Ok as theories go it may not have such earth-shattering ramifications as
those currently being looked at by CERN relating to the Higgs Field and
Boson, but you've got to admit that, at a packet of Werthers Originals a
column, I'm a hellofalot cheaper. Meanwhile, whilst CERN continues to mess
about using the Large Hadron Collider for experiments in particle physics,
they continue to dodge the really difficult question of how Crouch has won
quite so many caps for England.

Crouch's usual strike partner is Jonathan Walters. When I was a kid growing
up on the Hawley Harvey Crippen estate there was a kid of that name who was
the snivelly sort who would start a fight then run home to Mum when you hit
him back. Between you and me it's probably not the same person as the Stoke
player is probably some 50 years younger than the person I'm thinking of.
Although Walters picked up the "Sir Stanley Matthews Potteries Footballer Of
The Year" award for 2011/12 he was none too prolific last season and, of the
9 goals to his name in all competitions, five came from the penalty spot. He
did net twice against in a 2-2 draw against Bolton though, a result that
confirmed Bolton's relegation so it's not all bad news. He has been capped
at full level for the Republic of Ireland by virtue of an Irish-born Mum,
who is definitely not the one that the kid I knew used to run back to after
a scrap.

For Crimewatch corner we'll gloss over the tragic (and that word is quite
properly used for once) affair of the former Stoke academy player who is
currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his 15-year-old
girlfriend and move on to the much funnier record of Jermaine Pennant.
Pennant came to fame as the first professional footballer to play wearing an
electronic tag. This followed his release from a 90 day prison sentence
after he'd wrapped his Merc round an Aylesbury lamppost. He'd been serving a
16 month ban for drink driving at the time and his cause wasn't helped by
his response to the question "what is your name" to which he replied "Ashley
Cole". Perhaps he should have said "John Terry".

In 2007 he received a fine for a public order offence having had an
altercation with the glamour model he was stepping out with at the time.
Apparently, she had found CCTV footage that suggested that his
interpretation of the phrase "playing away" did not necessarily involve
football. For the young lady's part (no I can't remember her name) her
revenge involved destroying £200,000 worth of the player's designer
clothing. Prices sure have gone up at Marks & Sparks lately.

As if trying not to be outdone by his son, Pennant's dad copped a 4 stretch
for drug dealing before Pennant Jr returned to the headlines as his Porsche
Turbo with personalised number plate turned up in
Zaragoza weighed down by five months' worth of parking tickets. The player
claimed that he'd forgotten all about owning the car. We've all done it I
suppose.

Back on home shores Pennant continues to have difficulty with one or two of
the more obscure elements of the Road Traffic Acts. However, you'd have
thought he'd have been familiar with the sections dealing with drink
driving, driving without insurance and driving whilst disqualified.
Apparently not. After an accident last April he was convicted of all three
offences leading to a further three-year driving ban and a suspended 8 week
jail sentence. Perhaps he thought that leaving the personalised number plate
on the car in Spain would somehow render him invisible to traffic police in
the UK. In the meantime I'm a bit surprised that nobody has had the idea of
suggesting that it might be a good idea to divert some of his clothes budget
to shelling out for the occasional minicab.

And what of us. That was a good win up on Tyneside wasn't it. Preview
Alastair of the Joe Kinnear Centre for Tourette's Research was moaning
post-match about the lack of a penalty for a dive so lame that even a ref as
useless as Mike Dean wouldn't give it but, treating Preview Alastair's
comment with the distain it deserves, that doesn't cover the fact that we
saw a fine professional performance up there. Yes our opponents seemed to
have developed a strange allergy to putting players into our penalty area
but the fact remains that we kept a clean sheet on a ground where fortunes
have been mixed.

Injuries were a bit worrying of course. Benayoun's collision with Gutierrez
left both players unable to complete the 90 minutes and knocks to Linda and
Jarvis were also cause for concern. On the credit side of that equation we
did see the return of Demel and O'Brien – who is having a fine season –
proved his versatility by shuffling across to accommodate Demel when
McCartney went off. O'Brien has now played on both sides and in the middle
of the back four in recent weeks and his performances have gone beyond the
merely "not letting anyone down" stage.

Winston Reid is also worthy of mention – he's had to adapt to a variety of
partners over the past few games. Eyebrows were raised – I'll admit mine
were amongst them – when he was preferred to Tomkins in the opening games of
the season. In particular the memory of his performance at West Brom away
when we were last in the top flight still makes me shudder. However, his
performances last season in the 2nd division (or whatever it's called) were
superb. Maybe coming up against players of lesser quality at that level
helped rebuild his confidence, maybe it was just a matter of playing week in
week out that's done the trick but what we have here is a completely
different player who looked like a frightened rabbit in headlights up at the
Hawthorns that year. Fair play to Mr Allardyce for having the guts to pick
him I say.

On the injury front, the extra week and extra day mean that both Collins and
Tomkins should be available for selection, whilst Matt Taylor should also be
close to a return from the calf injury that has kept him out of the squad
for a few weeks.

Stoke will be a tough nut to crack and discipline will need to be at its
best – perhaps another quiet word with young Andy Mr Nolan? I'm wavering
between a draw and a home win. They do like a draw and in the past it would
have been typical for us to have followed up a decent win with a rotten
performance in the following match. However the current boss seems to have
quietly dispensed with such time-honoured "traditions" – the win on Tyneside
itself being a case in point. So I'm allowing myself to be swayed by the
feelgood factor of seeing Arsenal and Spurs beneath us in the table. This
week's charity of the week at the Avram Grant Home for The Bewildered is the
Support For Victims Of Undercooked Lamb's Liver in Posh Reastaurants. Worthy
though that cause may be I'm taking the complete collection (£2.50) along to
that nice Mr Winstone and placing it on a narrow win. May I be so bold as to
suggest 2-1 to us?

Enjoy the game!


When last we met (at the Boleyn): March 2011, won 3-0. Bizarrely, having
beaten Liverpool the previous week we managed to win back to back matches
for the first time in aeons, giving us what turned out to be false hope. Ba
– who had failed a medical at Stoke a few months previously – opened the
scoring after a comedy lapse from 'keeper Begovic. Da Costa's towering
header made it two and a late rocket from Hitzlesperger made it three late
on. That was their sixth consecutive away defeat incidentally.

Referee: Chris Foy. Multi Olympic gold winning cyclist, according to Spurs
fans. Makes you wonder how he finds the time to referee at all. Won plaudits
for his fine judgement over a penalty call when last we saw him up at
Norwich.

Danger Man: Peter Crouch. He just is that's all.

Daft Fact of the Week: The city of Stoke on Trent is famously made up of a
confederation of six towns, those being Burslem, Hanley, Barney McGrew,
Cuthbert, Dibble and Grubb.


Stat man John: Northcutt's corner

Head to Head
Pld 82; West Ham Utd 33, Stoke City 30, Draws 19.

First Meeting
27th September 1919: Stoke City 2-1 West Ham Utd (Victoria Ground, Division
Two)

Last Meeting
13th March 2011: Stoke City 2-1 West Ham Utd (Britannia Stadium, FA Cup)

Biggest Win(s)
16th November 1957: West Ham Utd 5-0 Stoke City (Boleyn Ground, Division
Two)

Heaviest Defeat(s)
6th November 1982: Stoke City 5-2 West Ham Utd (Victoria Ground, Division
One)

Memorable Match
26th January 1972: Stoke City 3-2 West Ham Utd (Old Trafford, League Cup)

It was the days of endless replays - there were no penalty shoot-outs back
then - and West Ham's epic League Cup semi final tie with Stoke was entering
a FOURTH game. Whilst the original two-legged affair had ended 2-2 after
extra time a first replay, played at Hillsborough, finished goalless (also
after extra time). Old Trafford was the venue for the fourth match in the
series which was taking place SEVEN weeks after the first leg had been held
at the Boleyn Ground. With Hammers 'keeper Bobby Ferguson temporarily off
the field having been concussed following a collision with City's Terry
Conroy, Bobby Moore stepped up to take the number one jersey - and within
minutes, Stoke had been awarded a penalty after a shocking back pass by John
McDowell saw the defender foul John Ritchie. "It must be 100 to 1 against",
commentator Gerald Sinstadt remarked on Moore's prospects of saving Mike
Bernard's spot kick - but that's precisely what he did. Sadly he couldn't
stop the rebound and West Ham eventually went down 3-2 on the night, despite
briefly recovering to lead 2-1 (through Bonds and Brooking) at one stage.

They Played For Both
Henri Camara; Clive Clarke; Robert Dixon; Matty Etherington; Kevin Keen;
Lawrie Leslie; Nicky Morgan; Matthew Upson; John Carew; Abdoulaye Faye;
Geoff Hurst.

Bossing It
Our former manager Lou Macari (1989-90) also managed Stoke City (1991-93).

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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce wary of threat from Stoke
Last Updated: November 18, 2012 2:01pm
SSN

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce believes Stoke are currently in a false position
in the Premier League. The Potters are 14th in the table ahead of Monday's
trip to Upton Park with only two wins so far this term but Allardyce expects
them to finish much higher. "Tony Pulis' team are well drilled and
disciplined in the way they want to play," Allardyce said. "I think that
they get the defensive side of it right, as I try to do as well. "I think
the improvement in the quality of their players has made them an established
Premier League side now.

Live on Sky Sports
West Ham v Stoke City
November 19, 2012 7:00pm

"I think Tony probably thinks they are under-achieving a bit at the minute
with the team he has built over the last few years. "He had a more difficult
start to the season in terms of fixtures than we did, so I'm sure they'll
get back to winning ways, but I hope it's not on Monday." After taking a
point against champions Manchester City and beating Newcastle last weekend,
Allardyce is hoping his own side can keep the momentum going. He said: "The
tough phase has already begun for us and, after Stoke we go into a run
against the other big boys. We've coped very well so far and I hope we
continue to cope on Monday night because that's a big game for us. We want
to continue our home form and home results and get a very important three
points against a well-experienced and well-organised team with a really good
manager."

Allardyce also believes the rest of the Premier League are now starting to
sit up and take notice of the Hammers. "I think so. I think that, at the end
of the day, when you continue to get results then people cannot ignore what
you're doing, both as a manager and a group of players and coaching staff,"
he said. "From our point of view, most of us have been here (in the Premier
League) before - certainly I have for a long time and we know the position
we're in is a very good one. "But we know only a quarter of the season has
gone. It's early days and a lot can happen between now and the end of the
season. "If we're around this position going into the last six or seven
games, then that's a great season. At the moment, it's a great start and
that's all it is."

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Big Sam's no hoof and hope merchant
By ALAN SHEARER
Published: 18th November 2012
The Sun

I HOPE West Ham fans are starting to give Sam Allardyce some of the credit
he deserves for what he is doing at Upton Park right now. A look at the
Premier League table going into this weekend's fixtures saw them in sixth
place, ahead of Arsenal and Tottenham. Victory tonight against Stoke would
come on the back of a creditable draw against champions Manchester City and
an impressive win away to Newcastle last time out. I was at that match and
was hugely impressed with the way West Ham played. What Sam has always done
with his teams is organise them well from front to back and get the very
best out of what he has got. Against Newcastle last week he played Andy
Carroll (on loan) with Kevin Nolan (£3million) just behind him and Mohamed
Diame (free) with Mark Noble in the centre of midfield. It was vastly
effective and led to a well-deserved win. I know Carroll is yet to score but
he does a great job up front for the Hammers.

Nolan was an inspired signing and is the team's real leader. Diame is a
great capture for nothing from Wigan while Noble has come on in leaps and
bounds
under Allardyce. He has changed from what some would call a pretty passer
into someone who is determined to get on that ball and start moving it
forward. For years Sam has had the long-ball bullying tag placed on him.
Normally by big clubs who have been outplayed and beaten by his teams. I
remember when he was at Bolton, Arsene Wenger and Rafa Benitez would moan as
they left the Reebok about the tactics used against them. Well let's look at
those tactics. Sam is no hoof and hope merchant, believe me. Yes, he works
on set-pieces, yes, they get the ball forward quickly. Yes, his team is
physically fit and strong. He concentrates on keeping the ball out and has
one of the best defensive records in the league. Yes, you know when you face
Sam's team you are in for a fight, a battle. This West Ham team is also
physically very fit — a lot stronger than a year ago. What's wrong with all
that?

And I can report that when it came to playing football on the floor, his
side were easily Newcastle's equals. I have laughed down the years with
Hammers fans going on about the 'West Ham way' as if they have a copyright
on pretty football. It was pretty under Avram Grant and led to pretty poor
results and relegation. Sam came in and brought them back up at the first
time of asking, via the play-offs. No, it wasn't automatic promotion but he
still did the job asked of him. He is doing so again — his way — and it is
effective and deserves credit. Those two clubs who came up ahead of him —
Southampton and Reading — are looking in a far more perilous state than West
Ham as they teeter on the relegation trapdoor.

Surely fans want to see their team winning, defying the odds, outfighting
the opposition. And that is what Sam's team do. You want quality as well and
West Ham have got that. From Jussi Jaaskelainen at the back — another free
transfer — through the team. Bolton and Blackburn fans must look misty-eyed
back to the time when Sam was their manager and doing a very similar thing.
Both clubs are now much worse off for his departure and languishing in the
Championship. The one place it did not work out for him, of course, was when
he went up to Newcastle. I felt the fans never really gave him a chance
despite a good start and when Mike Ashley took over he wanted his own man
in. But Sam has bounced back and proved himself again. I understand the West
Ham fans are yet to sing his name. Sometimes you wonder just what people
want.

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Seek and destroy, Steve
Published: 18th November 2012
The Sun

STEVEN N'ZONZI is ready to destroy a West Ham midfield tonight he was once
earmarked to marshal. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce tried to snap up the
23-year-old as soon as he took over at Upton Park. But Blackburn refused to
sell N'Zonzi, having fallen out with Big Sam following his sacking. That
left the door open for Tony Pulis to snap him up and Stoke duly grabbed the
enforcer for a bargain £3million in the summer. Pulis said: "Sam said we
should get him if we could. "I'm glad for the advice because he's a top
player. If he keeps improving he can play for any of the top four teams.
He's been outstanding — one of the best signings we've made." Stoke could
lose N'Zonzi for a month in January if he commits to playing for Congo in
the African Nations Cup instead of France, his country of birth. Pulis
added: "I'll leave the international stuff to Steven. But if he picks Congo
I'll never speak to him again!"

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Fans roll with dyce
Published: 18th November 2012
The Sun

WEST HAM gaffer Sam Allardyce reckons his side's flying start is finally
winning round the Upton Park faithful. Last term Big Sam came under fire
from some fans despite guiding them back to the Premier League. Hammers go
into battle tonight with Stoke knowing a win could send them fifth. And
Allardyce said: "I don't suppose you ever win over all the fans, I've never
won over every fan I've worked for. "What really matters is we're selling
out. People are enjoying watching us." Kevin Nolan had a goal wrongly
disallowed against champions Manchester City in the 0-0 draw last time out
at the Boleyn Ground. Allardyce said: "The fans stayed with us against City
because they understood we couldn't be quite as adventurous as we might have
been against Fulham and Sunderland."

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Sport Football News West Ham United FC
By Jeremy Butler
The Mirror
18 Nov 2012 22:30

Steven N'Zonzi is tonight ready to destroy a West Ham midfield he was once
earmarked to marshal. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce tried to snap up the
Frenchman as soon as he took over at Upton Park. But Blackburn refused to
sell N'Zonzi to the Londoners, having fallen out with Big Sam following his
sacking.
That left the door open for Tony Pulis to snap him up and the Potters
grabbed the enforcer for a bargain-priced £3million in the summer. And now
Pulis believes the 23-year-old is good enough to play for the one of the
Premier League's top four sides. He said: "I spoke to Sam about him a while
ago and he felt Steven will be a top player who hasn't realised his
potential yet. "He had wanted to sign him but I think that was being blocked
because of his ­relationship with Blackburn at the time. But having worked
with him, Sam said we should get him if we could. "I'm glad for the advice
because he's a top player. If he keeps improving he can play for any of the
top four or five teams. "He's very good in the air, his mobility is
­excellent as well and it is just getting him more disciplined in the team
structure. We also feel he can score more goals. "He's that good he should
be scoring goals. He's been outstanding for us – one of the best signings
we've made at this football club. He has real potential to be a top player."

Stoke could lose the midfielder for a month in January if N'Zonzi decides to
commit himself to playing for Congo instead of France, his country of birth.
Tying his flag to the Congo mast would mean N'Zonzi jetting out to South
Africa for the Africa Cup of Nations in January. But surprisingly Pulis is
remarkably cool about letting his star make up his own mind. He added: "I'll
leave the international stuff to Steven. I think when ­nationalities come
into play you have to leave it to the player to decide. But if he picks
Congo I'll never speak to him again!" Wilson Palacios is likely to make a
rare start for Stoke alongside N'Zonzi tonight after Glenn Whelan damaged
his hamstring and Dean Whitehead picked up a ban. The midfielder has
­struggled for form and fitness since turning up at the club from Spurs with
a knee injury a year ago. Pulis said: "Wilson's trained better and it's just
taken him time. He's had a real bad injury that he got over, but then he was
hurt again. "We've had to be patient but he's a great lad around the place."

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Hair apparent: Everton will turn to West Ham's Diame if Chelsea lure away
Fellaini
The Mirror
17 Nov 2012 21:48

Everton boss David Moyes will pounce for West Ham's Momo Diame if Chelsea
lure star midfielder Marouane Fellaini away from the Toffees, writes the
Sunday People. Hammers chief Sam Allardyce does not want to lose Diame but
he has a £6million release clause in his contract. Diame was due to join
Liverpool in Kenny Dalglish's last deal before the Kop chief left – and he
lived in the north west during his Wigan days. Diame, who was born in France
but represents Senegal, joined the Hammers during the summer. Meanwhile,
Allardyce is weighing up a double swoop for Marseille brothers Jordan and
Andre Ayew. Allardyce watched Jordan score in Marseille's 2-2 Europa League
draw with Borussia Monchengladbach last week. Joey Barton, Allardyce's first
signing at Newcastle, scored the first Marseille goal. Born in France, both
Ayew brothers are Ghana internationals.

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