Daily WHUFC News - 21st December 2012

Macca on: Everton
WHUFC.com
Neil McDonald looks ahead to Saturday's game against his former side Everton
20.12.2012

Neil McDonald is looking ahead to facing his former club Everton on
Saturday. The West Ham United assistant manager played 90 games for The
Toffees during a three-year spell and knows they will provide a stern test
for Sam Allardyce's side during Saturday's meeting at the Boleyn Ground.
Jack Collison could be set for a place in the squad after coming through a
Development Squad game on Monday afternoon.

Macca, could you start by giving us an update on team news ahead of
Saturday's game?

NM: The team news is the same as it was for the game against West Bromwich
Albion. Jack Collison got through a reserve team game and will probably come
into the squad but he is still short of match practice. He has been training
with us this week and he has suffered no ill effects after making his
comeback on Monday.

Do you expect Jack to be involved over Christmas considering it is a very
busy period and you have a lot of injury problems?

NM: I think we have to take it slow with Jack because he has been out for a
long time. We have to manage his knee carefully but we got him through 45
minutes on Monday, which is great. We will see how he progresses but if we
need him he will be available because we know he can play at least 45
minutes.

Another player who is a big miss for you is on-loan forward Andy Carroll,
how is he progressing with his recovery?

NM: He is progressing well as are all the players with injuries so now it is
time for the healing process to take its course. Further down the line we
will have a better idea of what date he will be back.

Over the past few weeks your form has been largely inconsistent but
considering the standard of opposition you have faced you must be pleased
with the points you have recorded?

NM: We set a total going into the last eight games and we have reached it.
We had some very big games but the confidence is there. It is always going
to be difficult for a newly-promoted side to win games but we have the
points on the board. Last week we played a team who have been outstanding at
home but we went there and thoroughly deserved a point.

We are roughly at the halfway stage of the season so how would you assess it
so far because there were a few doubters at the start of the campaign?

NM: I think that is only natural for a promoted team. We are happy with
where we are right now and we need to carry it on and keep picking points
up. The more we do that the more confidence we will have and that will allow
us to pick up even more points. We are very much looking forward to the
second half of the season.

Were you confident at the beginning of the season that you could prove those
doubters wrong?

NM: It was always going to be difficult because I think a lot of people
expected us to be promoted automatically last season. We didn't and we went
up through the Play-Offs which was a fantastic achievement considering the
manager had only been at the club for one-year. The expectation for this
year was to pick up as many points as we can and we have done that,
hopefully we can continue to play well and as I say we are pleased with
where we are at the moment.

What would you consider a realistic goal going into the second part of the
season?

NM: Looking at where we are now you would expect us to push on and finish
near the middle of the table but if we replicate our form from the first
half of the season then a top ten position could be a possibility.

Everton are usually slow starters in the Barclays Premier League but they
have had a good start so far, how would you assess their start to the
season?

NM: I think they have been brilliant. They are obviously very organised
under David Moyes and they have got some fantastic players who give
everything for one another. The game on Saturday will be tough but we have
been very good at home and only lost twice to Arsenal and Liverpool. We look
forward to playing anybody at home but they have started well and are in the
top half for a reason so like I said it will be a tough game.

You will not be facing Marouane Fellaini who is a big part of how they play
so that must be a massive boost for you?

NM: He has been their talisman this season and not only is he a very good
midfielder he is also a big threat from set-pieces. They have lost a big
part of their game so we need to take advantage of that as much as we can.

Both clubs are trying to sort out their future stadium plans but on the
pitch are Everton a model for a club like West Ham United?

NM: I think that they are a model for any club. Over the past ten-years
since David has been there they have been in the top half the majority of
the time. They have showed that with a little bit of finance and a good
recruitment policy it is possible to get into the top six and push on
towards the top four. I would think David is very pleased with where they
are right now and they have a good platform going into the second half of
the season.

Do you expect to be active in the January transfer window?

NM: We have got a few injuries at the moment but they will be coming back
soon. It always helps to receive some backing in the transfer window and if
we can add a couple of extra players it will boost the squad and add more
competition for places.

What would you do to improve sportsmanship within football in 2013?

NM: I think if the players could take more responsibility when it comes to
diving that would make a big improvement. It is a big issue at the moment
and if the players can take it upon themselves to kick the ball out when a
player is injured that would also help. They are the two things that I would
put forward.

Do you think that not playing on Boxing Day will be an advantage for you as
it will give you more time to get players back to full fitness?

NM: I think you can look at it both ways, yes it gives us an extra couple of
days to get players back but it does mean we will have an even busier
January. We would probably have preferred to play the game and we are
slightly disappointed that it has been called off but we will be ready when
the game comes in January.

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The 43k Boleyn Ground
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 20th December 2012
By: Staff Writer

11 years ago West Ham United were granted permission to redevelop the Boleyn
Ground to a stadium capable of hosting circa 43,000 people. However the
fully-revamped arena - as seen in the image below, which was recently
recovered from the KUMB.com archives - was never completed due to a lack of
available funds. Terry Brown, Chairman of West Ham United at the time the
plans were presented to and passed by Newham Council was forced to shelve
plans to redevelop the East Stand, the only part of the current stadium over
20 years old, following relegation from the Premiership in May 2003. And
that led to the large gap between the Chicken Run and the pitch which
remains to this day. Back in 2001, when the West Stand became the third
stand at the BG to be rebuilt within a decade, the pitch was moved closer to
the new stand in order to accomodate the new East Stand which would have
completed the rebuilding process. The proposed new stand, which would have
extended over and above Priory Road would have increased the Boleyn Ground's
capacity by some 7,000 - taking it to just under 43,000, or 11,000 less than
the Olympic Stadium will eventually hold. But that is unlikely to ever
happen now with the current board having ditched the plans in favour of
moving to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford some four years from now.

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Igoe goes
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 20th December 2012
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United will say goodbye to long-term Financial Director Nick Igoe
at the end of the month. Igoe, who has been at the club for 15 years
officially parts company with West Ham at the end of December having
recently handed in his notice. He will be replaced by Andy Mollett, the
former CEO of Chrysalis Plc who has been working at the club since October.
Prior to joining West Ham under Terry Brown's regime in August 1997 - which,
coincidentally, is when KUMB.com first went online - Igoe had worked as
Finance Director for Wood Conversion Limited and the Tele-Cine Cell Group
plc. Never one to embrace publicity, Igoe - who leaves on amicable terms and
is expected to visit the Boleyn Ground frequently in the future - was in
charge of the books during the most turbulent financial period in West Ham
United's history. He had been at the club for six years when then-temporary
manager Trevor Brooking warned that the club would be unable to pay player's
wages unless a string of sales followed United's relegation from the
Premiership at the end of the 2002/03 season.

Much to the bemusement of many supporters Igoe - speaking in an interview
with Five Live - described relegation as "an immense opportunity", adding
that West Ham's potential earnings in the nation's second flight "will be
the envy of many clubs in the Nationwide". He was also left to face the
fury of hundreds of fans at the now infamous AGMs of 2002-03 which were
packed with supporters who had taken advantage of campaign group WHISTLE's
'single share' scheme.
Later, Igoe was also in control of the purse strings during the period of
Icelandic ownership, which left the club with almost £100million-worth of
debt - a potentially catastrophic situation that threatened West Ham
United's very existence. That was until current co-Chairman David Gold and
David Sullivan stepped in to purchase 50 per cent of the club; Igoe has
worked alongside the duo and vice-Chair Karren Brady for the last three
years.

Igoe's replacement is 51-year-old Andy Mollett, who graduated with a First
in History from Leicester University in 1982. He began his management career
with auditors KPMG that same year and spent five years there before going on
to brief stints at CIC video International, Newman Levinson and Studio
Editions.
In 1993 Mollett joined Virgin Radio where he became the founding Finance
Director, before later becoming CFO of Ginger Media Group when it acquired
the station.

Eight years later he was hired as CFO at Virgin Radio Asia, a new venture
funded by Virgin's UK arm. Just ten months into the post he was on the move
again, this time joining International Sportsworld Communicators. In
September 2003 Mollett became CFO of EMI Music Publishing's UK division, a
role he reamined in until summer 2007 when he became anon-executive director
of broadcasters Channel 4 - where he proudly boasts of not missing a Board
meeting for six years.
That role was interspersed with his employment by independent music
publishing company Chrysalis Plc, for whom he wroked from 2007 until July
2011 - his most recent post before being hired as replacement for the
outgoing Igoe

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Sam Allardyce wants to stay as West Ham boss beyond their move to the
Olympic Stadium in 2015
Last Updated: December 20, 2012 11:07am
SSN

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has spoken of his desire to stay at the club for
the long-term. Allardyce's newly-promoted Hammers currently sit 11th in the
Premier League table, above a number of established top-flight sides
including Liverpool, Aston Villa and Fulham. Earlier in December, West Ham
were confirmed as the 'preferred bidders' to take over the Olympic Stadium
site in 2015 and Allardyce is eyeing the stadium move as a potential
milestone in his management at the club with a view to establishing himself
as "one of the longest-serving managers around".

Allardyce told the Daily Express: "For every manager, the sack is just
around the corner but the Olympic Stadium is a nice light at the end of the
tunnel.
"It would be a massive achievement for anyone to stay at a club that long
these days. But after a number of experiences, you get confidence in your
own abilities. If you don't have that, you won't survive."

In his last two jobs, at Blackburn and Newcastle, Allardyce was sacked
following protests and abuse from fans, but Allardyce stated his belief that
he has gradually won over any Upton Park sceptics. He said: "Even when we've
lost, the crowd have appreciated what we've tried to do. The Chelsea
turnaround (in a 3-1 victory at Upton Park) was a huge booster for
everybody." Allardyce is in the final season of a two-year contract with the
Hammers, although a decision on his future is thought to be unlikely to be
made until West Ham's Premier League safety is secured. West Ham currently
sit eight points off the drop zone after 17 league games.

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David Gold confident Mohamed Diame and Andy Carroll will remain at West Ham
Last Updated: December 20, 2012 9:29pm
SSN

West Ham United co-owner David Gold is confident Mohamed Diame and Andy
Carroll will see out the season at Upton Park. Gold revealed during a
question and answer session on Twitter that he expects the pair to remain
part of Sam Allardyce's plans throughout the 2012/13 campaign. Diame has
been strongly linked with a January switch elsewhere, having shone for the
Hammers since linking up with them as a free agent over the summer. Carroll,
meanwhile, is on a season-long loan from Liverpool, but it has been
suggested that agreement could be cut short due to the striker's inability
to steer clear of injury. A switch elsewhere in the New Year has also been
touted for the England international, which would bring an end to his stay
in the East End. Gold, though, has rubbished claims that a loan could be
cancelled due to injury and when asked if Carroll will end the season with
the Hammers, he said: "Yes, I believe so." The Hammers supremo was later
pressed on whether there was any truth in reports that Arsenal have
expressed an interest in Diame. He said: "I'm not aware of any offers."
He then went on to say 'I believe so' when asked if Diame would still be a
West Ham player next summer.

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West Ham's Neil McDonald would have preferred to play Arsenal next week
Last Updated: December 20, 2012 3:27pm
SSN

West Ham assistant manager Neil McDonald is disappointed about the
postponement of their Boxing Day derby clash with Arsenal. A strike by
London Underground staff means the game has had to be rescheduled, easing
the Hammers' festive congestion a little but adding to another busy spell at
the end of the transfer window. West Ham are dealing with a lengthy injury
list at the moment, naming only six subs against West Brom last weekend, but
McDonald still thinks they would have been better off playing Arsenal next
week. "I think you can look at it both ways; yes it gives us an extra couple
of days to get players back, but it does mean we will have an even busier
January," he said. "We would probably have preferred to play the game and we
are slightly disappointed that it has been called off, but we will be ready
when the game comes in January. "After the good performance against West
Brom away, keeping a clean sheet, and giving Arsenal a really good game
earlier in the season, we were looking forward to going to the Emirates. "I
know they have picked up over the past couple of games but putting them
under pressure would have been interesting to see."

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Sam Did his Home Work, as Allegedly the Race Hots Up for Remy!
By S J Chandos
West Ham till I Die

There is an interesting article today in the Daily Express, in which Sam
Allardyce talks about his position at West Ham and the home work that he
undertook before taking the Manager's job at Upton Park. In it, he talks
about the body blows of being subject to two brutally unfair sackings, at
Newcastle Utd and Blackburn, and his understanding of the culture and
tradition of West Ham as a football club.

Contrary to what some may think, Allardyce states that he had spoken to
hardened West Ham supporters before taking the job and was fully appraised
of the aspirations and beliefs associated with the club. He knew about the
fans appreciation of players that give 100% commitment to the shirt and our
famous tradition of cultured football. And he suggests that the trick is to
deliver this, whilst addressing the bread and butter issues, such as will to
win and defensive solidarity. He seems to indicate that latter issues have
been addressed and, that as we re-establish ourselves in the PL, attracting
top class signings along the way, the former will also come increasingly to
the fore. Allardyce notes that the fans instinctively understand that we are
currently making a transition from the 'creme dela creme' of the
Championship to to re-establishing ourselves amongst the elite. And the fans
have got behind him and everyone at the club in that key transitory
endeavour. The article talks of the 3-1 home defeat of Chelsea as being a
watershed moment in Allardyce's acceptance at West Ham and the development
of a new relationship with the fans, something, for instance, that never
happened during his time at Newcastle Utd.

Allardyce is right when he talks about addressing the issues that are in the
DNA of all successful sides, such as ability to defend as a team,
organisation/discipline and team spirit. And this interview would seem to
underline something that I have long hoped, that Allardyce can effect a
synthesis between these 'DNA' footballing issues and the, rightly treasured,
traditional culture and traditions of the club. Allardyce has a great
platform and project at West Ham. He has the unique opportunity to take a
great, but under-achieving club, and take it forward to a whole new level.
In doing so, he can transform for the better not only West Ham's more
negative image as a 'soft touch,' but his own false reputation as a coach
and Manager that can only play so-called one dimensional, 'long ball'
football. One of the great prevailing myths of the contemporary English
game.

Elsewhere, there are reports today that West Ham are battling with Newcastle
utd for the signature of the Loic Remy. West Ham are allegedly offering cash
plus Maiga in part-exchange and Newcastle Utd are supposedly offering cash
plus Obertan. Could this be a instance where the pulling power of London,
and a prospective move to the OS, might prove a positive factor; or will the
established French player contingent in the north-east be decisive?
Alternatively, if it is a 'two horse' race, will it all come down to the
basic issues of who offers the superior terms, allied to the respective
league positions of the two clubs this season? Signing Remy could be another
key watershed moment in itself and signal a significant shift in the way
that top quality players view the prospect of joining the club?

Other current transfer stories have linked West Ham with moves for Butland
at Birmingham City and Kalou at Lille. Butland has publicly stated that he
is ready to step up to the PL, which could be interpreted as a clear 'come
and get me message,' to interested PL clubs, in advance of the January
window. While Kalou has failed to settle at Lille, following his summer
Bosman move from Chelsea, and the French club are allegedly prepared to sell
at around a fee of £3.5m, which is quite reasonable for a player of his
pedigree and ability. Who knows if Kalou's personal terms might be a
sticking point? They are usually always enhanced at a club after a player
makes a Bosman move!

Making one or two top notch signings in January could re-vitalise and
refocus the squad &, accordingly, refresh our push to finish in the top
eight of the PL. Which, in itself, will raise the issue of whether Europa
Cup qualification is possible in this first season back in the top flight?
This could usher in a new, fresh paradigam, in which the club's sights are
formally raised from PL survival to the top 8 and European qualification.
Why not, if it is there for the taking, then we must be ambitious, bold and
not let it pass us by!

Because we have been there before recently, remember Zola's first season and
the missed opportunity to secure European qualification? Many argued that it
was too early and would prove counter-productive, the fact is that the
opportunity came, went and never presented itself again. In fact, it is
often 'counter-productive' to wait for opportunities to fit in with your
pre-conceived, deterministic plans. Often, events do not happen to an
'ideal' plan, some times you just need to grab an opportunity with both
hands and adjust your plans accordingly to achieve long-term success!

The prior history of West Ham Utd FC is often characterised by lost golden
opportunities, a fatal lack of ambition and frustrating under-achievement.
That must change once and for all in order to fully realise the true
potential of the club as one of the great names of English football. Surely,
that is an inspiring ambition and vision around which the board, manager,
players and fans can rally, to at long last, truly put the UNITED back in to
West Ham UNITED FC!

SJ. Chandos.

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Sounders good to me
Published: 19th December 2012
The Sun

WEST HAM are eyeing a move for Seattle Sounders midfielder Osvaldo Alonso.
The 27-year-old has impressed on trial this week and is seen as a
replacement for Mohamed Diame, who is out for two months with a hamstring
injury. Tough-tackling Alonso is valued at £1million.


Saints, West Ham go on the Rob
Published: 20th December 2012

FORMER England goalkeeper Paul Robinson is being sold by Blackburn. Premier
sides Southampton and West Ham could try to get him.

Big Sam fancies some Punch
Published: 19th December 2012

WEST HAM are lining up a £2million January bid for Saints' Jason Puncheon,
26. The winger's deal expires this season and fresh terms are yet to be
offered.
Newcastle are also keeping tabs.

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Hammer blow: West Ham line up swap for striker who'd rather join rivals
The Mirror
19 Dec 2012 22:30
Mike Hewitt

West Ham want to swap Modibo Maiga for Marseille's Loic Remy. But the
£8million-rated France striker Remy is keen on a move to Newcastle, Spurs or
Liverpool. Maiga only joined Hammers from another French side, Sochaux, this
summer and has managed four goals so far despite only starting twice in the
Premier League. Highly-rated Remy has also been linked with QPR, whose
manager Harry Redknapp was linked with him while Tottenham boss, and
Arsenal.

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