Arsenal match postponed
WHUFC.com
The Boxing Day meeting with Arsenal has been called off due to proposed
industrial action
19.12.2012
As a result of Monday's strike ballot and the proposed industrial action on
London Underground on Boxing Day, West Ham United's Barclays Premier League
match against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium, originally planned for Wednesday
26 December, has been postponed.
West Ham United and Arsenal liaised closely with all the relevant agencies,
including the Metropolitan Police, Transport for London, London Underground,
The Premier League and Islington Council, in order to reach this decision.
The paramount concern was always the duty of care towards supporters of both
sides and everyone else who was planning to attend the match on Boxing Day.
In addition to the proposed industrial action on London Underground on
Boxing Day, there are extremely limited services operating on National Rail
train services into London on this day. Also, normal parking restrictions
close to the stadium still apply. This would have caused severe disruption,
or at worst, inability for supporters or matchday employees and workers to
get to Emirates Stadium.
We apologise for the inconvenience this may have caused supporters but we
feel that the right decision has been made. Tickets already purchased for
this match are still valid for the rearranged date, which is yet to be
confirmed. However, supporters should note that the rearranged fixture will
be played on either Wednesday 23 January (kick-off 7.45pm) or Saturday 26
January (kick-off 3pm). The date of the fixture will be determined by the
results in the FA Cup Third Round, which is being played on the weekend of
Saturday 5 January and Sunday 6 January. Please look out for updates on
whufc.com, the club's twitter and Facebook pages.
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Hammers delighted by 2017 choice
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are delighted with the news that the Olympic Stadium will be
hosting the 2017 Paralympic World Championships
19.12.2012
West Ham United are delighted by the announcement to name the Olympic
Stadium as the host for the 2017 Paralympic World Championships. The east
London club were recently named as the Highest-Ranked Bidder in the process
to find an anchor concessionaire for the iconic Stratford venue and would be
playing football at the stadium by the time the event begins. The club have
always maintained that the stadium must have a multi-sports capability
post-2012 and are excited about east London being given the chance to host
another world-renowned event.
West Ham United Vice-Chairman Karren Brady said: "I am absolutely thrilled
that the Olympic Stadium has been chosen to host the 2017 Paralympic World
Championships. With the 2017 World Athletics Championships taking place just
a month later, it means the people of East London can look forward to
another spectacular summer of sport. "This is exactly the kind of lasting
sporting legacy that has been part of our vision since we first signalled
our ambition to move to Stratford in 2017. Having a regular, high-profile
and well-supported tenant like West Ham using the stadium during the winter
months guarantees it will be available for the people of east London to
enjoy during the summer. "Our proposal means tens of thousands of sports
fans can enjoy the stadium all-year round, without a drain on the public
purse."
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The Big Interview - Winston Reid
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's No2 looks back on his man of the match display at West
Brom and forward to facing Everton
19.12.2012
West Ham United centre-back Winston Reid has enjoyed a truly outstanding
season so far. The New Zealand international has started all 17 Barclays
Premier League matches, helping the Hammers to keep six clean sheets and
scoring in the 3-0 win over Fulham in September. On Sunday, the No2 was in
imperious form at West Bromwich Albion, earning man of the match honours and
coming within inches of scoring an all-important goal shortly after the
half-hour mark.
In this week's Big Interview, Reid told whufc.com he feels he is
consistently playing the best football of his career so far and revealed
that he is looking forward to his first experience of Christmas football.
You certainly earned your money at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday, didn't
you?
WR - "Not only the back four defend well, but the whole team worked really
hard. We were playing against a West Brom side who had a very good home
record, so it was tough out there, but I thought we played a good game and
defensively we did well."
You maintained your positional discipline against a West Brom side who move
a lot off the ball and could easily have been pulled out of position, didn't
you?
WR - "Obviously we work on it through the week on how the opposition are
going to play. We had a feeling that if we could keep a clean sheet we could
maybe pop one in at the other end. On Sunday, it wasn't to be, but we came
away with a point and that is good."
You could have scored the winner yourself, couldn't you? Or had the referee
blown for a foul before you shot over the crossbar?
"He didn't blow and I really should have put that in, but life goes on. We
were under pressure for parts of the game, but you are always going to do
that away from home. It is just how you handle it and I thought we handled
it well. Obviously, they had some opportunities but overall I thought we did
well.
You picked up another man of the match award at The Hawthorns. Do you feel
this is the best you have ever played?
WR - "Obviously, we are playing at the highest level, so compared to the
first year [in the Premier League in 2010/11] when I didn't really get a run
in the team, this year I've been really pleased with my performances. I
think you are learning with every game and when you are training as well."
We have a hectic Christmas period coming up. Are you looking forward to it,
or would you rather be putting your feet up?
WR - "This will be the first Christmas where I have been playing full out,
so hopefully we will be able to pick up some points. Last year I was injured
with my shoulder so I only played the last game before the New Year. I was
training over Christmas, though. In my first season here I was not involved
in the team over Christmas."
We have another tough fixture coming on Saturday with the visit of Everton.
However, we know that a victory should see us in the top half at Christmas,
so you and your team-mates must be feeling confident of picking up three
points?
WR - "I think we are a side with the mentality that we are tough to break
down. The manager has instilled into us that we work really hard for each
other. These are exciting times, I am looking forward to the games coming
up. We take confidence from where we sit in the table, but the main thing is
to pick up points from every game we play and keep it up."
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Arsenal's West Ham game called off over Underground strike
BBC.co.uk
Arsenal's Premier League match against West Ham on Boxing Day has been
called off because of possible industrial action on the London Underground.
The Tube network's drivers may strike over pay on 26 December. Arsenal said:
"We apologise for the inconvenience this may have caused supporters but we
feel that the right decision has been made." Top-flight fixtures at London
sides QPR and Fulham are set to go ahead. The Gunners were concerned about
the "difficulties of getting 60,000 supporters, plus matchday staff and
employees to the stadium safely in the event of disruption to public
transport on a public holiday" Arsenal officials spoke to police, Transport
for London, London Underground, The Premier League, West Ham United FC and
Islington Council before making the decision. Last season, the Gunners moved
their Boxing Day game with Wolves back a day because of industrial action.
The West Ham match will be staged on Wednesday, 23 January or Saturday 26
January.
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Possible Early Transfer Stirrings and the Return of Der Hammer!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
The are reports of some possible early stirrings on the transfer front,
ahead of the opening of the January window. Firstly, there is a report that
MLS Seattle Sounders midfielder, Osvaldo Alonso, is on a week long, training
attachment at the club. Note that this is not described as a formal trial,
but a 'training attachment.' Alonso is apparently a more than useful ball
winner, who can also pass it proficiently and push forward to get on the end
of knock downs. His background is interesting, as it appears that the 27
year old is Cuban, but defected to the US and has recently acquired American
citzenship. Alonso has attracted previous PL interest, having had a trial
with Everton FC in 2010. However, it should be noted that he has no
international caps and, without a EU passport, it is unlikely that he would
qualify for a UK work permit. So, realistically, I am not sure that this one
has that much of a chance of coming to pass!
More positively, it appears that West Ham have signed 18 year old, Waterford
Utd striker, Sean McGuire, on a two and a half year contract. By all
accounts McGuire is a decent prospect and is highly thought of in the Irish
League. A number of other PL clubs have shown an interest, but West Ham were
the first to make a decisive move. The Dunstable born youngster will go
straight in to the Development Squad and it will be interesting to watch his
progress over the remainder of this season.
This coming weekend will see us come face-to-face with a former Hammer,
Thomas Hitzlsperger. As supporters will recall, Hitzlsperger, or Der Hammer
as he was nick named by the Villa fans for his ability to strike the ball
hard, had a disasterous time with us in the 2010-11 relegation season. He
signed on a Bosman deal and was then badly injured in a pre-season friendly
with Germany and subsequently missed well over half the season. His best
game in a West Ham shirt was undoubtedly in the 3-1 home victory over
Liverpool, in which he scored and ran the midfield superbly. It was perhaps
a glimpse of what we had missed, but it also proved to be a bit of a false
dawn and he, arguably, never replicated the same authority or performance
levels demonstrated in that match. After the confirmation of the club's
relegation, he allegedly activated a release clause and moved to Wolfsburg,
in the German League, where he had a similarly disappointing time.
After being released by Wolfsburg at the end of last season, he was
unattached for a substantial period of the pre and early 2012-13 season. He
was eventually signed by Everton FC, as a free agent, to add depth and
experience to their squad. So far, Hitzlsperger, has only featured on the
Everton bench, as he seeks to build up his fitness. But with injuries and
suspensions, he could feature over the Christmas fixtures, perhaps even as
early as this Saturday at Upton Park? A video interview with Hitzlsperger is
currently being featured on the Everton website, in which he talks about his
frustrating season at West Ham and his hope for more pleasant memories
arising from his return with Everton. He is actually very complimentary
about the club and the Hammers fans and comes across as a very decent and
articulate fellow. Hitzlsperger is not a typical Hammers crowd villain, in
the mold of Ince, Lampard Jnr or Defoe, and I do not think that he is really
a worthy target of the supporters famous zeal for nurturing a grudge towards
those that transgress against our beloved club. While some others probably
deserve the stick, Der Hammer did not do too much terribly wrong in my book.
Although I am sure some fans will disagree with that assessment!
I was really pleased that my prediction was fulfilled that the injury
depleted Hammers team would dig deep to grind out a result at WBA. The now
familiar organisation and defensive discipline was a joy to behold. Yes, we
rode our luck once or twice, but Taylor, O'Brien, Nolan and Cole could also
have converted some good half chances during the course of the match. As
Steve Clarke, very honestly admitted, a draw was a fair result on the day.
As I have previously pointed out, this Hammers team is organised and
possesses fantastic team spirit and togetherness. Those are great qualities
to help a side through an injury crisis, as they amply demonstrated last
Sunday. But one can only concur with Sam Allardyce's post-match view that we
urgently need some of the absentees to return to fitness and to add some
good quality reinforcements in the forthcoming January window. Otherwise,
there is the danger that the current depleted squad will not be able to
continue to deliver results over a prolonged time frame; as a restricted
pool of players are over-extended, become increasingly tired and lose form &
suffer further injuries as a consequence. There is little doubt that the
club will move to avoid that at all costs and ensure that the hitherto
positive momentum to our season continues in its third and fourth and final
phases.
Can we beat Everton on Saturday? Yes, of course we can, but it is not likely
to be easy. Everton are a good team and they have had a bit of a hoodoo over
us at Upton Park in recent seasons (if you believe in that sort of thing?).
They will be missing Felainni, which is a real potential bonus for us. He
has been their biggest goal scoring threat so far this season, but they also
have Jelavic (the one that got away!). If we play it tight, defend as well
as we did against WBA and take our chances then we can win this one. It
would certainly be a massive bonus to take 3 points to achieve 12 points for
the 2nd phase up to the Norwich City match on New Years Day. Thus reaching
my projected, minimum, upper points tally for the phase.
However, a point against Everton is not to be sniffed at and would take us
to my lower, anticipated, minimum tally of 10 points. A victory is more than
possible, but I reckon that we could end up with a score draw. There is
always the away match against Reading FC on the 29 December to secure
further points in 2012! (With the increasing possibility of the Boxing Day
fixture at the Emirates being rearranged for next year). After all, don't we
owe Reading FC a defeat after the two significant reverses that they
inflicted on us last season? Still, it just goes to show that the qualities
that get teams automatic promotion from the Championship are not always
necessarily sufficient to ensure that they subsequently thrive in the PL!
SJ. Chandos.
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Gary Hoops for Prem move
Published: 18th December 2012
The Sun
GARY HOOPER is eyeing the Premier League after talks over a new Celtic deal
stalled. Essex-born Hooper, 24, has hit 65 goals in 111 starts since joining
Celtic for £2.5m from Scunthorpe in 2010. West Ham, Sunderland, QPR and
Southampton could swoop.
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It's all Gho for Faouzi bid
Last Updated: 19th December 2012
The Sun
WEST HAM and Stoke are keen on St Etienne star Faouzi Ghoulam. Left-back
Ghoulam, 21, rated at £3milliion, is on the brink of a senior debut for
Algeria after switching allegiance to his parents' birthplace.
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