Daily WHUFC News - 22nd December 2012

Everton match preview
WHUFC.com
All the stats, news and background information ahead of Saturday's match
against Everton at the Boleyn Ground
21.12.2012

WEST HAM UNITED v EVERTON
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
SATURDAY 22 DECEMBER 2012
KICK-OFF: 3PM
REFEREE: ANTHONY TAYLOR
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV

Introduction
• Alou Diarra has returned to full training after recovering from a thigh
injury suffered in training.

• Momo Diame will be missing after picking up a hamstring injury in the 3-2
loss to Liverpool.
• George McCartney will also be absent after picking up a knee injury in
training.

• Andy Carroll (knee) and Ricardo Vaz Te (shoulder) are both making good
progress but are still some weeks from making a return.

Everton

• Captain Phil Neville will not feature after being ruled out for two months
following an operation on his knee. Full-back Tony Hibbert is also out after
undergoing calf surgery.

• Marouane Fellaini is unavailable after being banned by the FA for three
matches after headbutting Stoke City's Ryan Shawcross last weekend.

• Ross Barkley, who played in the Development Squad's 5-1 win over Everton
earlier this season, has been recalled from his loan at Sheffield Wednesday
and is likely to be on the bench.

• Former Hammers midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger was on the bench for
Everton's 1-1 draw against Stoke City last weekend and could potentially
feature.


Background

• West Ham United and Everton have met 104 times in league matches. Everton
have won 51 times, West Ham have won 32 and there have been 21 draws.
Overall, the two clubs have met 124 times, with Everton winning 61, West Ham
36 and there being 27 draws.
• The Toffees are unbeaten in nine matches against their hosts, including
the last eight Premier League meetings. Everton have won 16 of the 32
Premier League meetings between the two, while West Ham United have won just
six. However, the most-recent three league games have ended in draws.
• The first-ever meeting between West Ham United and Everton was an FA Cup
second-round tie played on 2 February 1907. Harry Stapley scored for the
Hammers, who were then a Southern League side, but the Division One Toffees
ran out 2-1 winners through goals from Jimmy Settle and Jack Sharp. Everton
would go on to reach the final, losing 2-1 to The Wednesday at Crystal
Palace.
• West Ham United and Everton have met twice at the FA Cup semi-final stage,
with each club winning through once on their way to lifting the trophy at
Wembley. The Toffees scored a 2-1 victory at Molineux on 18 March 1933, when
Vic Watson's goal was cancelled out by Ted Critchley and James Dunn, before
beating Manchester City 3-0 at Wembley. The Division Two Hammers gained
their revenge on 16 April 1980, when Frank Lampard and Alan Devonshire
scored in a 2-1 replay victory at Elland Road. West Ham went on to beat
Arsenal 1-0 in the final.
• West Ham United have never scored more than four goals in a game against
Everton - achieving that feat on six occasions. The Hammers' biggest home
victor over the Toffees was a 4-0 Division One success on 11 February 1961,
when Harry Obeney scored twice and John Dick and Malcolm Musgrove once each.
• Vivian Gibbins scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 Division One win at Goodison
Park on 10 April 1929, while Jimmy Ruffell repeated the feat in a 4-2 home
Division One victory on 5 December 1931 - they remain the only two trebles
netted by West Ham United players against Everton.
• Everton's biggest victory at the Boleyn Ground came on 26 February 2000,
when the Toffees scored a 4-0 Premier League win. Nick Barmby scored a
hat-trick and American Joe-Max Moore added a fourth.
• Winston Reid scored past Everton goalkeeper Jan Mucha at the 2010 FIFA
World Cup when his last-minute header secured New Zealand a 1-1 group-stage
draw with Slovakia at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg.
• Mohamed Diame lined up alongside Everton winger Magaye Gueye at the London
2012 Olympic Games, where the pair helped Senegal to reach the
quarter-finals


Last time out

Sunday 16 December 2012
Barclays Premier League
West Bromwich Albion 0-0 West Ham United
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Reid, O'Brien, Collins, Demel (Tomkins 81),
Nolan, Jarvis (Maiga 76), Taylor, Noble, O'Neil, Cole.
Subs not used: Spiegel, Spence, Moncur Lletget

Saturday 15 December 2012
Barclays Premier League
Stoke City 1-1 Everton
Everton: Howard, Baines, Jagielka, Distin, Coleman, Gibson, Osman, Pienaar,
Fellaini, Jelavic, Naismith (Barkley 70).
Subs not used: Mucha, Heitinga, Duffy, Oviedo, Hitzlsperger, Vellios.
Goals: Shawcross og 36.


Previous meeting

Everton and West Ham United drew 2-2 at Goodison Park in the Premier League
on 22 January 2011. Marouane Fellaini scored in added time to rescue a point
for Everton after an 84th-minute strike from Frederic Piquionne looked to
have sealed victory for West Ham United. Jonathan Spector opened the scoring
after 26 minutes before Diniyar Bilyaletdinov smashed home with 13 minutes
remaining. Piquionne put the Hammers ahead soon after heading in from Wayne
Bridge's cross but the forward was dismissed moments after for his
over-exuberant celebration. It was not to be though as Fellaini collected
Jack Rodwell's flick before turning and firing past Rob Green from 10-yards
to end the game 2-2.
Everton: Howard, Heitinga, Baines, Coleman, Distin, Neville (Rodwell 86),
Fellaini , Osman, Arteta, Anichebe (Bilyaletdinov 69), Beckford (Saha 45)

West Ham United: Green, Tomkins, Spector, Faubert, Bridge, Parker, Boa
Morte, Noble, Hines (Sears 81, Reid 90), Piquionne


Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)

22 January 2011 - Everton 2-2 West Ham United
28 December 2010 - West Ham United 1-1 Everton
4 April 2010 - Everton 2-2 West Ham United
8 November 2009 - West Ham United 1-2 Everton
16 May 2009 - Everton 3-1 West Ham United
8 November 2008 - West Ham United 1-3 Everton

Overall record v Everton (all competitions) W 36 D 27 L 61


Ten-year records

West Ham United

2011/12 Championship 3rd (86 points - promoted via Play-Offs)
2010/11 Premier League 20th (33 points - relegated to Championship)
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted via play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
2002/03 Premier League 18th (42 points - relegated to Championship)

Everton

2011/12 Premier League 7th (56 points)
2010/11 Premier League 7th (54 points)
2009/10 Premier League 8th (61 points)
2008/09 Premier League 5th (63 points)
2007/08 Premier League 5th (65 points)
2006/07 Premier League 6th (58 points)
2005/06 Premier League 11th (50 points)
2004/05 Premier League 4th (61 points)
2003/04 Premier League 17th (39 points)
2002/03 Premier League 7th (59 points)


Referee

• Saturday's referee will be Anthony Taylor.

• Taylor is in his third season on the Select Group of referees appointed to
control Barclays Premier League fixtures.

• The Greater Manchester-born official started refereeing in the Northern
Premier League in 2002 before being appointed to the Football League list at
the start of the 2006/07 season, refereeing his match between Wrexham and
Peterborough United in League Two on 12 August 2006.

• Taylor's first Premier League appointment was the 3 February 2010
encounter between today's visitors Fulham and former West Ham United manager
Avram Grant's Portsmouth, with the Cottagers winning 1-0.

• Taylor has taken charge of one West Ham United game this season, the 3-0
win over Fulham in September, and was the fourth official in the 0-0 draw
against Norwich City at Carrow Road.

• The 33-year-old took charge of the Hammers' final Barclays Premier League
fixture before they were relegated to the npower Championship in May 2011
when Sunderland secured a 3-0 win at the Boleyn Ground.

• When asked in an interview what his favourite match that he has refereed
was, he named British Gas Business Southern League Midland Division side
Chasetown's victory over Port Vale in the FA Cup second round in December
2007.

• Taylor will be assisted by Gary Beswick and Simon Long, Andy D'Urso is the
fourth official.


Old boys

• Everton midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger spent the 2010/11 season at the
Boleyn Ground joining the club in June 2010. Injury hampered his spell at
the club and he did not make his debut until February 2011 when he played in
the FA Cup fifth round against Burnley. He made his league debut in a 3-1
win over Liverpool and he scored his first goal in a 3-0 win over Stoke City
on 5 March 2011.

• Among the players who have represented both clubs are Niclas
Alexandersson, Ray Atteveld, Slaven Bilic, Ian Bishop, Joe Blythe, David
Burrows, Tony Cottee, Charlie Crossley, George Eccles, William Kelly, George
Kitchen, Alex McCartney, Lucas Neill, John Russell, David Unsworth, Mark
Ward, William Wildman, Danny Williamson and Richard Wright.


General information

• Tickets are now SOLD OUT.

• Saturday's weather forecast at the Boleyn Ground is for light rain with
maximum temperatures reaching 10C (50F).
• West Ham United host Everton in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday as
they look to get back to winning ways following last weekend's 0-0 draw away
at West Bromwich Albion.

• Just four points separate the two sides in the Barclays Premier League
table, with the Toffees in sixth on 27 points and the Hammers in eleventh on
23 points. A win for the Toffees could see them end the day in third place
if other results go in their favour, while West Ham United could rise as
high as eighth if Norwich City, Stoke City and Swansea City all fail to win.

• Both sides have had mixed fortunes during December, Everton started with a
1-1 draw against champions Manchester City before beating Tottenham Hotspur
2-1 at home and drawing 1-1 at Stoke City. The Hammers started well too
beating Chelsea 3-1 before narrowly losing out 3-2 to Liverpool and drawing
0-0 at West Bromwich Albion.

• West Ham United's match with Everton is one of eight games in the Barclays
Premier League this Saturday, the rest are as follows (kick-off 3pm unless
stated): Liverpool v Fulham (5.30pm), Manchester City v Reading, Newcastle
United v QPR, Southampton v Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur v Stoke City, West
Bromwich Albion v Norwich City, Wigan Athletic v Arsenal (12.45pm).


Team news

West Ham United

• Jack Collison made his return to action in the Development Squad's 3-1
defeat against Norwich City on Monday and is likely to be in the squad.
Collison has been nursing a knee problem and has not featured for the first
team since last season's npower Championship Play-Off final.

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Ginge relishing Toffees test
WHUFC.com
James Collins is looking forward to a big battle with Everton in Saturday's
Barclays Premier League fixture
21.12.2012

James Collins wants to help West Ham United get in the festive mood by
achieving a positive result against Everton on Saturday. The Wales
international defender admitted that the Toffees will be no pushovers.
However, Collins believes the Hammers will take the solid defensive display
they put on at West Bromwich Albion last weekend into this weekend's
Barclays Premier League fixture. Everton have lost just two of their 17
league matches and are on a five-match unbeaten run, but have drawn four of
those games. Meanwhile, West Ham have lost just two of their nine home
league matches and just three of 22 home league fixtures in 2012. "Everton
are well organised and have had a good season so far," said the No19. "Over
the years they have been a team that has started off slowly and then got
better as the season has gone on, but this year they have started off well,
made some good signings in the summer and had their players ticking from
the kick-off. One positive for West Ham and Collins in particular is the
absence of the suspended Belgium international Marouane Fellaini, who starts
a three-match ban on Saturday. However, the centre-back said the Hammers
will not be able to relax, even if Everton's biggest threat will not be on
the pitch. "Fellaini is a handful so it is good he is not playing, but I am
sure they will have someone who is just as much of a handful as he is to
take his place against us. So, we will have to be on our toes. "We are
expecting a tough game, but if we can defend like we know we can and
certainly how we did last Sunday and get something at the other end, then
hopefully we can get three points. That is the aim."

Collins is in fine form and enjoying being part of a West Ham defence that
has kept six clean sheets in the league and conceded just 20 goals in 17
matches. The big Welshman is also relishing playing alongside both Winston
Reid and James Tomkins. "I have played with some of the best centre halves
over the years. In my first season here I partnered Danny Gabbidon whom I
had also played with at Cardiff. Then I went to Aston Villa and played
alongside Richard Dunne. Since returning here, I have played mostly with
Winston and there is also Tonks [James Tomkins] and I have to put them in
the same bracket.
"I think Winston has been great. I watched a lot of the games in the
Championship last season and Reidy and Tonks were superb together.
Fortunately for me, I have come in and been able to get into the team. I
don't think Winston has had a bad game, really. He's solid and really
consistent and it is quite easy to play alongside him. "He is a strong and
commanding character and has presence on the pitch makes my job easier.
Partnerships can take time but he has international experience as well,
which helps. He is still young even though the way he plays makes him seem
older. I knew a lot of the boys when I returned from before, but not
Winston. Since I have arrived, he has been great with me on and off the
pitch, so all credit to him. If he can carry on the way he is playing, he
will have a terrific season and that can only be good for West Ham."

Although the Boxing Day fixture away to Arsenal has been postponed, there is
still a busy match schedule coming up. Following the visit of Everton is a
trip to Reading on 29 December and the New Year's Day home match with
Norwich City. One player who could play his part in those games is Jack
Collison, who has recently returned to action following a long-term knee
problem. Collins said his compatriot's presence would boost the Hammers over
the festive period. "Hopefully we will have the injured lads back sooner
than later. It has been frustrating for Jack. A lot of people won't know the
extent of the work he has been doing around the place to get back playing,
so it is massive news to see him back and he is such a terrific lad on and
off the field. It is vital for us if we can keep him fit."

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West Ham v Everton
KO 15:00
21 December 2012
Last updated at 10:57
By Steve Wilson
BBC Match of the Day commentator

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday, 22 December
LINEUP, BOOKINGS (0) & SUBSTITUTIONS (0)

TEAM NEWS

Jack Collison is in the West Ham squad for the first time this season after
a serious knee injury. Fellow midfielder Yossi Benayoun has a knee problem
and is unlikely to be fit enough to play.

Everton will be without top scorer Marouane Fellaini, who begins a
three-match suspension. Phil Neville has recovered quicker than expected
from a knee injury but this weekend is likely to be too soon for his return.

MATCH PREVIEW
West Ham may have found wins tough to find recently, but they can be
reasonably satisfied with how they have dealt with a really tricky run of
fixtures: nine points from eight games against Manchester City, Newcastle,
Stoke, Spurs, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and West Brom is not too
bad at all - even if they have slipped from a heady sixth to a more
realistic 11th. Sam Allardyce deserves credit for getting the best out of an
achingly average squad, one touched by only a few sprinkles of real
stardust. He has also been helped by the distinctly patchy quality of most
of the teams around the middle reaches of the Premier League. There isn't a
club in the top half of the Championship that should be intimidated by
promotion and the prospect of rubbing shoulders with most of the top flight.


Everton, however, are a cut above; tenacious, quick, intelligent and
skilful, it's been some considerable time since they had such a good team at
Goodison Park. Unfortunately for David Moyes, Everton will not be at full
strength at West Ham. Marouane Fellaini's suspension is bad news, with Kevin
Mirallas and probably Phil Neville already sidelined. Fellaini has been
brilliant this season, and the prospect of him and Mohamed Diame coming face
to face would have had them strengthening the foundations of Upton Park to
cope with the shockwaves of the impact. Everton's loss is West Ham's gain.
Everton have lost only two of their last 26 Premier League games, drawing 13
of those matches. I would not be surprised if this is another to add to that
list.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head
The last three meetings between these teams have ended in a draw.
Everton are unbeaten in their last nine games in all competitions against
West Ham. They are unbeaten on their last four league visits to Upton Park,
winning on three of those occasions.
The Toffees' 4-0 win at West Ham in February 2000 remains their biggest
Premier League away win.

West Ham
West Ham have won just one of their last four home league games (W1, D2, L1)
- but they did beat Chelsea and hold Manchester City to a draw at Upton
Park.
Only four teams have conceded fewer than the 20 goals let in by The Hammers
in the league this season. They have kept six clean sheets.
So far in 2012-13, West Ham have won just one of their nine games against
clubs in the top half of the table (W1, D4, L4).
The Hammers are the only top-flight team not to have conceded a headed goal
in this league campaign.

Everton
Everton have lost just twice in the league this season - only Manchester
City have suffered fewer defeats.
David Moyes's side have drawn nine of their last 13 Premier League away
games and five of the last six (D5, L1).
The Toffees have conceded the first goal nine times in this season's top
flight, but on only one of those occasions have they gone on to lose the
match.
They have conceded in their last 12 league matches - their longest run
without a clean sheet in three years since a 12-match streak from October to
December 2009. They have not gone 13 without a clean sheet since a Premier
League club record 14-match streak from April to October 2008.

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West Ham United v Everton
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 21st December 2012
By: Preview Percy

Next up we have Everton who visit the Boleyn for a 3pm kick-off on Saturday.
Unless of course certain predictions in the Mayan calendar turn out to be
true. In which case kick-off might be delayed a bit. TfL have declared a
Christmas truce on engineering works on the tube so apart from a few bits of
the DLR here and there your journey by tube should be plain sailing.

The less arrogant half of Merseyside arrive in unusual circumstances. Over
the past few years it has been the tradition for them to start the season
slowly before picking up points and moving up the table. This season,
however, they have reversed their usual policy and have started well.
Following Arsenal's win on Monday night, they currently lie in sixth spot
with 27 points from 17 games. That's four points and five places above us as
things stand.

Recent form has been a bit mixed, admittedly. They've won just the one of
their last six – a highly amusing 2-1 victory over Tottenham in a match in
which they were 1-0 down as the clock turned 90. They've only lost the one
in that period, a 2-1 reverse at Reading in mid-November. The rest, you will
have worked out, ended up in draws. All of these ended up 1-1, the opponents
being Norwich and Arsenal at home and Man City and Stoke away.

The Stoke away fixture provided much to talk about, with the Belgian
Marouane Fellaini garnering most of the headlines over his contretemps with
Ryan Shawcross. I do have a tiniest thread of sympathy for Fellaini, given
that his opponents last weekend constantly and openly flout both the laws
and the spirit of the game. There can be few outside the Potteries who
haven't wanted to exact some sort of retribution on the likes of Shawcross
and Huth so one can understand the loss of discipline if not actually going
so far as to condone it.

It was quite refreshing also to hear David Moyes' comments on the subject.
Most managers asked about such an incident would either fudge the question
("I'm not going to comment on that – we'll deal with that internally") or,
if you're Arsene Wenger, just lie (I didn't see the incident that you have
video of me looking straight at"). So Moyes' comments that such actions are
unacceptable and that he had told the player so are a welcome change from
the usual rubbish.

I feel less impressed by the "apology" attributed to Fellaini himself mind –
that had all the hallmarks of "it's a fair cop guv" being released in the
hope that any retrospective action taken by the authorities might somehow be
mitigated by such a plea. As it happens, the three match ban that will keep
him out of this match is the minimum that he might have expected.

Looking at those who will be playing, Tim Howard will be their custodian of
the onion bag. Howard originally arrived from Man Utd on loan – and,
although the rules back then allowed players to play against their parent
cubs, Man Utd enforced a so-called "gentlemen's agreement" to ensure their
employee didn't play against them. His replacement had a poor game, which
Man Utd won.

Once the Premier League's kangaroo court had fined us for transgressing the
rules on third party influence it was pointed out that the Howard
arrangement was an actual (rather than theoretical) breach of the same
rules. Rather than hit Man Utd with the same punishment the authorities came
up with a "gentlemen's agreements don't count" fudge, which meant that they
didn't have to consider awarding the title to runners-up Chelsea. They
quickly followed this up with an amendment to the rules to prevent them
being caught in the embarrassing position of having to punish Man Utd again.


Howard famously suffers from Tourette's syndrome. Popular mythology would
have us believe that Tourette's sufferers pepper every conversation with
expletives though the truth is that happens in only the more extreme of
cases. Arse. Howard scored with a wind-assisted clearance against Bolton
last season though he refused to celebrate out of sympathy for Bogdan, his
opposite number. Not over the goal, more over the brightly red-haired
'keeper being forced to wear a pink shirt.

Left back Leighton Baines is one who is having a fine season. He's unlucky
to not have more caps for his country, often being behind Ashley Cole in the
pecking order, Cole's selection often being made out of habit than for any
logical reason involving form. The usual skipper is Phil Neville but he's
got an injured fetlock or something that he picked up in the defeat to
Reading so those of you working on some sort of taunt involving the fact
that he's not as good as his not-particularly-talented brother can put your
biros away.

This week we are able to combine the usual Crimewatch award with the
"ex-Hammer" slot. Herr Thomas Hitzlsperger looked to be a promising signing
at the start of our last relegation season. He even came with a readymade
nickname of "Der Hammer". However, his understandable desire to throw
himself into West Ham United culture meant that he became the 4,763rd player
to pick up a serious injury before he'd kicked a ball for us in anger.

By the time he finally got fit he was too late to influence things. For our
final game of the relegation season, Kevin Keen's pitch as caretaker manager
for the full job included making Hitzlsperger captain for the Sunderland
match, a position that it was implied would be made permanent should Keen
get the job. The job went to Mr Allardyce and Der Hammer didn't stick around
long enough to be introduced.

Hitzlsperger's Crimewatch Award is awarded for the chutzpah shown in
mitigation whilst being sentenced for speeding at 107mph on the A14. In a
desperate attempt to avoid a ban, the player claimed that, since he was
unemployed, he would need to be able to continue to drive in order to find a
new club. It seems not to have occurred to anyone that a professional
footballer earning many thousands a week might just have enough change down
the back of the sofa for a cab.

Or, failing that, that the agent of a professional footballer earning a
percentage of many thousands a week might just have their own car in which
to give their meal ticket a lift. Hitzlsperger therefore ended up with a
£750 fine and six points on his licence. I would be intrigued to find out if
anyone else out there is unemployed and escaped a ban in similar
circumstances.

Elsewhere in midfield, in one of Roy Hodgson's stranger moves, midfielder
Leon Osman gained his first cap in the recent England friendly in Sweden. A
steady performer, one can't nevertheless help but wonder about the thought
process that went into awarding a cap to a 31-year-old who is unlikely to
add too many to that total. Still his selection did mean that Mark Noble did
avoid injury from a non-competitive match, though I'd wager he'd have
preferred to have got his first cap.

With his nine siblings, Osman has had a successful recording career over the
years, though he wasn't the one who wrote the seminal ecology-based
anti-pollution anthem "Crazy Horses". He did, however, come up with that
wailing synth sound, following an accident involving an experiment with an
elastic band, a nine volt battery and the neighbour's cat. Strangely, this
is an experiment I intend to replicate once I've caught up with the Avram
Grant Rest Home For The Bewildered spotty work experience Herbert that was
responsible for this week's research.

Top scorer at present is the absent Fellaini who has eight – all in the
league. Second on that list is Croatian striker Nikica Jelavic whos six
goals thus far have also all come in the league. Jelavic arrived in January
from Rangers who tried to spark up a bidding war between ourselves and the
Toffeemen.

Our interest in the player cooled when it appeared that Rangers were after
£8m for the player whilst the player himself didn't appear too keen to
moderate his salary demands, something that would have been required if he'd
come to the Boleyn. In the end Everton shelled out a reported £5m, which was
closer to what we wanted to pay, though presumably they were more able to
meet the player's wage demands. Jelavic is what you might call an
"uncomplicated" player which means Ginge could be in for a bit of fun.

The other main striker is sweaty Stephen Naismith. Naismith is also an
alumnus of Rangers where he played alongside Jelavic for a while. He's
currently involved in a legal battle with those involved in "New Rangers" (a
bit like "New Coke" in that it leaves a nasty taste in the mouth). When "Old
Rangers" went down the pan the player contracts were transferred to "New
Rangers". However the legal niceties of such a move are subject to question.
The player maintains that the descent into insolvency of "Old Rangers" meant
that the original contract became void, leaving him to be a free agent. "New
Rangers" beg to differ.

Gers fans are bitter about the whole affair pointing out that Naismith had
spent much of the two years immediately preceding his departure recovering
from a serious knee injury so he's probably more popular at Parkhead than he
is in the Ibrox area at the moment. Naismith is also deployed in midfield
from time to time and both he and another possible alternative for a
striking role, Victor Anichebe, have three for the season thus far.

Anichebe has been used sparingly this season having made just the six
appearances of which four were from the bench and he wasn't about for the
Stoke match last week. Though born in Nigeria, for whom he plays at
international level, he's been in Liverpool since the age of one and is a
product of the Everton youth system. He probably won't be looking forward to
a reunion with Kevin Nolan.

A frankly disgraceful tackle from our skipper whilst playing for Newcastle
in 2009 put Anichebe out of the game for a whole year with a severely
damaged cartilage in his right knee. Anichebe's contract at the time
included a whole bunch of stuff that was appearance-based and Newcastle
ended up settling out of court with the player for what was a reported
six-figure sum for potential loss of earnings. Although Nolan did apologise
at the time I think it's fair to say that it wasn't the skipper's finest
hour.

Having written all that, I'm now told by the Avram Grant Rest Home for the
Bewildered spotty work experience Herbert that Anichebe has a knackered
hamstring so at least he'll be spared the embarrassing handshake moment. His
absence means that it would be pointless of me to point out that he is the
Everton player to have made the most substitute appearances in the club's
history. So I won't.

Us? A good point last week under the circumstances I thought. Winston Reid
once more was outstanding – a performance that was all the more poignant
given the nightmare that was his previous visit to the Hawthorns a few years
ago.

Injury news is the same as ever though the appearance of Jack Collison in a
Development Squad match during the week suggests that there is a pinprick of
light beginning to develop at the end of that particular tunnel. Yossi was
last seen hanging around West London, there being no room at our own physio
complex though some sources reckon that he may be close to a return to the
squad.

We're looking at a few weeks for Diarra, Carroll and Vaz Te, though Diarra
is apparently "in full training" according to Mr Gold on that there twitter
thing the other day.That means that the team just about picks itself really
– and being at home we should be able to muster a full complement of seven
subs, even if one of them has to be a spotty work experience Herbert. In the
meantime I reckon Mr Allardyce is far from gutted that the Boxing Day trip
to Arsenal is off, giving the players a few more days of recovery.

This will be a tough one. Our record in recent years against Everton at the
Boleyn has not been the greatest – though it has to be said that there have
been a couple of cases of daylight robbery in that time, where they've
somehow picked up all three points when even a single point would have
flattered them.

They've drawn a lot lately, and, in some of those games, they ought to have
put the game to bed well before the opposition picked up an equaliser. We
have that bare bones thing going on and, whilst the likely eleven starters
are decent enough, the bench is going to look thinner than the
suspiciously-shaped turkey that they'll be serving us here at the rest home.


Last week proved (again) that there are guts in our squad and we'll need
those qualities to see us through the holiday period to when we can look
forward to possibly seeing the return of one or two players. My instinct
therefore is to place the proceeds of the Avram Grant Rest Home For The
Bewildered collection to buy the spotty work experience Herbert a tube of
acne cream (£2.50) on a wager with Mr Winstone for the match to end up as a
1-1 draw.

Enjoy the game and merry Christmas!


When last we met at the Boleyn: Drew 1-1 (December 2010). An own goal from
Hibbert that Upton Girlie still claims belongs to the brass-botherer Kovac
was cancelled out by Coleman. Declared open season on Tomkins as a
succession of visiting players left the defender flattened on the ground.
Our match report notes an inability to beat the first man at corners. We've
had two years to sort that issue out….

Referee: Anthony Taylor. Last seen handling the 3-0 win over Fulham in
August. A relative newcomer to the Select Group he hasn't yet succumbed to
the Dean Syndrome of believing that we've all come to watch him.

Danger Man: Nickica Jelavic. There's a long tradition of players that we
were interested in but never signed turning up to bite us on the backside.
Here's another potential member of that club.

Daft Fact Of The Week: The mother of one of KUMB.com's moderators used to
work as a waitress in a posh restaurant in Hampshire which was often used by
former Everton hero Alan Ball when he was manager at Pompey. The mod's Mum –
who has never really kept up to date with football – was clearing away the
coffee cups and asked the diminutive late World Cup winner "do I know you
from somewhere?" Ball smiled patiently and informed the waitress that he was
a former professional footballer. "That's it!" exclaimed the waitress
"You're Bobby Charlton!"

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Christmas Carrolls or tight Spenders?
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 21st December 2012
By: Jason Eves

With Big Sam openly admitting we need a few fresh faces in the wake of the
upcoming transfer window, January could make or break of our season.

With our form suffering blips through the loss of up to seven players, we
are unenviably third in the Premier League physio room table trailing behind
the other stuttering campaigns of constant relegation battlers Wigan and
once resurgent powerhouses Newcastle.

With the owners remaining tight-lipped over our transfer funds for this
January window, possibly tactically to keep the cards close to their chest,
it's hard to tell whether we will splash the cash as we did over the summer
or whether we will wheel and deal.

Of course the constant press speculation will carry on long into the new
year. It's great drumming up speculation for the adoring fans of our club,
but there will always be pessimism (and maybe realism too) that we aren't
always going to sign our top targets.

I believe the biggest signing we can pull off this January is handing
Mohamed Diamé a bumper deal for his efforts this season. Recent speculation
suggested he has a release clause in his contract - something that led
several clubs to take notice - so the sooner he signs, the less concern for
Big Sam. It's said that talks are under way.

With Andy Carroll (again) struggling with injury, we need an established
striker to keep the in-form Carlton Cole on his heels. I've been sceptical
of Cole's ability in past years, but we now have some decent competition for
the coveted striker's role and he has stepped up to the mark with some
inspiring performances.

Cole's contract is up this summer, and with no news of contract talks on the
horizon should we cash in on Carlton while he's on form - or risk losing him
for free?

I believe Big Sam may also be tiring of Andy Carroll being constantly
wrapped in cotton wool, although he's an influential player when he plays.
For the wage he is picking up, I hope he can put in some more worthy
performances but with Liverpool inserting a recall clause which can be
activated in January, we could be seeing a premature end of Carroll's West
Ham career.

Time will tell if he is worthy of his £17million clause; a full season's
assessment of his ability and, more importantly, fitness under the tutelage
of Big Sam will allow the board to make a better judgement on parting with
such a large sum for him.

The return of Yossi Benayoun, another loan signing over the summer has so
far failed to live up to expectation. Being frozen out of the starting
line-ups during his time at Liverpool and Chelsea has clearly affected his
confidence and ability. Again, for the pay packet he is picking up, surely
I'm not alone in saying we should be expecting more from a player of his
ability.

Jack Collison's slow but steady return from injury should hasten the
departure of Benayoun, and also sway Sam from investing further in our most
congested part of the field. Having Jack put in some heart-on-sleeve
performances during our Championship run-in could have dealt some long term
repercussions to his health. With admissions that he may never fully
recover, again only time will tell on Jack's health, but it would be a shame
to lose a player with such promise.

With our youth setup recently awarded Category One status, we may not need
to invest so heavily for new players in the over-priced January market, with
a number of youth players making the subs bench for recent games. This is
either because our squad has been left so threadbare through injuries, or
because Allardyce reckons they are ready to be blooded into the first team.

We have an aspiring upcoming defender in Jordan Spence, who has skippered
England's youth set-up at various competitions. At the age of 22, with
various loan stints under his belt, if we suffer any injury setbacks to our
established defenders I believe Jordan should be given the chance to show
his worth and stake a claim for a place in the first team.

And with various youth players farmed out to continue their football
education elsewhere, I would like to hope we will continue our philosophy of
bringing our Academy players into our first team; hot prospects such as
upcoming goalkeeper Stephen Henderson, U21 International Danny Potts,
England U19 striker Robert Hall and Ravel Morrison being loaned to Ipswich,
Colchester and Birmingham respectively.

The January transfer window could make for a quick fix for West Ham in the
second half of our campaign and I believe Big Sam will work his magic on
whatever budget he has been handed by the board. He has an uncanny ability
of resurrecting players' careers (look at his record with Bolton as proof),
with the Bosman market surely to provide some interesting players that would
have previously been unavailable.

With a few cover players brought in, we can steady the ship and enjoy a
great second half to the season. I believe the future is looking bright, and
we have every reason to be feeling positive going into the new year.

In West Ham I trust.

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Everton travel to West Ham looking to continue top-four push
Last Updated: December 21, 2012 11:19am
SSN

Everton will look to continue their push for a top-four spot when they
travel to West Ham on Saturday. The Toffees have lost just twice this
season but nine draws have hampered their progress and David Moyes knows his
team's away form must improve if they are to challenge at the top. Everton
are on a run of six without a win away from Goodison Park and will be eager
to put that right with three points at Upton Park. But West Ham have saved
their best performances for their own supporters, winning four games and
losing just twice. One of those defeats came last time out against Everton's
city neighbours Liverpool as a second-half turnaround scuppered the Hammers'
hopes. Sam Allardyce will be anxious to avoid a repeat of that showing and a
victory will lift his side back into the top half of the Premier League and
within a point of the visitors.

West Ham
Last 6
0-0
2-3
3-1
1-0
3-1
1-1

West Ham welcome midfielder Jack Collison back into their squad for their
clash with Everton. Collison has not featured for the Hammers since last
season's play-off final but is back in action after recovering from a
serious knee injury. The return of the Wales international provides a
much-needed boost for Sam Allardyce as the Hammers boss is having to deal
with a lengthy injury list. Mohamed Diame (hamstring), Ricardo Vaz Te
(shoulder) and Alou Diarra (thigh) are all missing, while Andy Carroll and
Yossi Benayoun remain out with knee problems.

Everton
Last 6
1-1
2-1
1-1
1-1
1-1
2-1

Marouane Fellaini is unavailable for Everton as he serves the first of a
three-game suspension. The Belgium international was handed a ban by the
Football Association for his headbutt on Stoke's Ryan Shawcross last
weekend. Phil Neville is also out with a knee injury so there could be an
opportunity for Germany international Thomas Hitzlsperger against his former
club. And there remain doubts over Tony Hibbert and Kevin Mirallas who are
struggling with calf and hamstring injuries respectively.

Opta Facts

West Ham have won none of the last eight Premier League games against
Everton (W0 D4 L4), drawing the last three in a row.
Everton have scored in each of their last 14 Premier League games; the
longest-such run seen in the competition this season.
However, Everton have also conceded in their last 12 Premier League games -
no side are currently on such a long run.

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Colchester extend Potts loan
Last Updated: December 21, 2012 6:14pm
SSN

Colchester have extended the loan of defender Dan Potts from Premier League
outfit West Ham for a further month. Potts joined the U's from the Hammers
towards the end of November and will now remain with the League One club
until January 27 2013. Potts has made three appearances for Joe Dunne's side
and the extension means he will be available for another eight matches. The
first of those fixtures is the away game at Walsall on Saturday and he has
been included in the travelling party.

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Neil McDonald reveals Nikica Jelavic rejected West Ham before Everton move
Last Updated: December 21, 2012 2:45pm
SSN

West Ham assistant manager Neil McDonald is hoping Everton striker Nikica
Jelavic will not show the Hammers what they missed out on. The Croatia
international rejected the advances of the Hammers in favour of a switch to
Goodison Park when he left Rangers at the end of January. And the Toffees
have had a great return for the reported £5million fee they paid for the
27-year-old, who has since netted 17 goals for the Merseysiders. McDonald
said: "There was a definite interest there and we did speak to him.
Obviously he went to Everton and scored goals and proved he can play in the
Premier League. "When we saw him at Rangers we thought he could score goals
in the Premier League and he's proved that. That's Everton's gain."

McDonald admits it was hard to take on a missing out on a player like
Jelavic, but his rejection at least allowed the Hammers to bring in Andy
Carroll on loan from Liverpool. He said: "You are always disappointed when
you don't get players who come into the Premier League and do well but we
got Andy Carroll so there is a little bit of a pay-off there. "We are
pleased with Andy's contribution so far, even though he has got injured. If
you don't get one (target) you try and get another."

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Marseille insist they have no plans to sell Newcastle target Loic Remy
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo. Last Updated:
December 21, 2012 4:40pm
SSN

Marseille president Vincent Labrune has cooled talk linking Loic Remy with a
possible move to the Premier League. Newcastle are reported to be leading
the chase to sign the French international when the transfer window reopens
next month with Queens Park Rangers and West Ham also credited with an
interest.
The Magpies are thought to be drawing up a list of striking targets in case
Demba Ba leaves and Remy is thought to figure highly on it. Remy has
struggled to hold down a regular place in the Marseille side this season,
but Labrune insists he is not actively trying to sell the 25-year-old. "I'm
not looking for a way out for Loic," Labrune told Le Parisien. "I like him,
and I know his potential." Labrune claims Marseille are under no pressure to
sell Remy and that they are actually looking to bring in new faces rather
than lose anyone in January. "Our finances are healthy," added Labrune. "I
don't have to sell this winter, we're rather in a position to buy one or two
players to help continue the best start to a season the club has made in
nearly 20 years."

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Coll ready to roll for Hammers
By MATT PARKER
Published: 21st December 2012
The SUn

WEST HAM boss Sam Allardyce will rush Jack Collison back into the first team
today in a bid to ease their injury crisis. The midfield ace, 24, has been
out crocked since the Championship play-off final against Blackpool in May
with a long-term knee problem that will need to be carefully managed for the
rest of his career. But he completed his latest comeback by playing 45
minutes for the development squad against Norwich this week and is in line
for an early recall against Everton. With Ricardo Vaz Te, George McCartney,
Alou Diarra, Yossi Benayoun, Andy Carroll and Mohamed Diame all out until
the New Year, Big Sam could only name six subs for the 0-0 draw at West Brom
last Sunday. And only two of those had Premier League experience. And with
that in mind, assistant manager Neil McDonald confirmed Collison is likely
to be on the bench for the clash at Upton Park despite wanting to ease him
back gently. He said: "Jack needs more games and time on the training pitch
but no doubt he'll come in to the squad as we need him. "We had one less sub
on Sunday so if he gets through training it wouldn't surprise me if he's on
the bench. "We have other players that could possibly come on but if we need
him we know he can come on for a short space of time and even if he's not
100 per cent match fit he'll put pressure on everyone else. "He's important
to us as he's a good player. He scores goals as well as creating them. "He
is a positive lad and wants to play. Yes, he's had problems before but in my
time here I've never heard one person say he should call it day. "He's
proved, with hard work and dedication, you can come back." The Hammers face
an Everton side who have gained many admirers under David Moyes. McDonald
added: "I think they are a model for any club."

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Karren Brady's football diary – so glad about 'Nuddy'
By KARREN BRADY
Last Updated: 22nd December 2012
The Sun

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15

JUST when it seemed the wicked art of headbutting had been whistled out of
the game, along comes Marouane Fellaini to show us it is alive and, well,
butting.
Everton manager David Moyes plays it exactly right. Many would have
delivered the Nelson 'I see no ships' card but Moyes comes clean and
immediately condemns the Belgian, whose later apology shouldn't save him
from Christmas in chains.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16
THE two priceless assets of any team are knowing how to win and knowing how
not to lose. West Ham have to employ defiance at The Hawthorns and, in a
way, I'm as proud of the goalless draw as I was in the defeat of Chelsea.
It's the result of training and coaching of a very high order. I take off my
Santa hat to our boys. You have only to check how many Chelsea and Spurs
have let in to see that preventing goals is not easy.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17
TO my husband Paul's great relief, he takes a 6am call to hear that former
Blues winger Peter Ndlovu is off the danger list after a car crash in
Zimbabwe.
Paul room-shared with 'Nuddy' for four years and was in awe of his pulling
power. But sometimes his libido was bigger than his brain. Once a so-called
princess sitting on a fortune turned out to be a con-woman. The fortune she
was sitting on was Nuddy.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18
THERE is a lot of envy in the room at our Premier League funding meeting —
aimed mainly at Manchester City and Chelsea. They are the moneybags and
trying for a balanced agreement on players' wages and club sustainability is
like searching for one-size-fits-all on a knickers stall. Absolutely
impossible.
So we trundle along, ruing the power this gives to unscrupulous agents and
the difficulties in attempting to fit in with UEFA threats that might cost
one of us European competition. I fear Fulham's Mohamed Al-Fayed is correct
— ultimately, each of us is alone and must seek our own salvation. If the
League's chief executive Richard Scudamore can find one rule that suits
everyone, he deserves to find himself on the New Year's honours list!

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19
MARIO BALOTELLI withdraws his appeal against a £340,000 fine for his poor
disciplinary record last season. I hope his case was better than that of a
player who once took me to a tribunal on the basis he didn't think he should
have to pay the fine because he hadn't read the terms of his contract.
Needless to say he lost. The Manchester City striker seems to have decided
he didn't want to damage his relationship with the club, although it comes
as a surprise to some that he still had one. With three red cards last
season and the continuing reputation of a five-year-old boy with a short
attention span, Balotelli has now lost an awful lot of cash he could have
used on fireworks and a train set.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20
TWO Premier League CEOs and I go for lunch to reminisce about the era when
agents did not have control of the game. Two of us remember the 1990s — a
time when you did not need permission from the agent to have a meeting with
your own player. We all hope that one day soon the players will work out
that some agents are only worried about providing for their own families to
be bothered about the players. After lunch they ask me to help with their
Christmas shopping. One is buying for his wife and the other his girlfriend.
Girlfriends get twice as much spent on them as wives! The bad news later is
that our televised Boxing Day game against Arsenal is postponed because of a
tube strike.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21
YOU can bet Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers, next door to Paul Lambert on the
Anfield touchline last Saturday, was coveting his neighbour's striker. And I
dare say he may be feeling a little that way about Dimitar Berbatov when
Fulham visit this weekend. It seems that every day we hear of Rodgers' hunt
through the highways and byways of football to find a lively front-man —
Daniel Sturridge and Theo Walcott to name but two. It's also a total
coincidence that the managers appointed to change the style of Liverpool and
Villa, two of England's most famous clubs, at minimum cost have left a total
of £60million worth of strikers in the refrigerator.

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Hello stranger! Forgotten man Jack Collison is back to solve West Ham's
injury crisis
The Mirror
21 Dec 2012 22:29
Ian Walton

Forgotten man Jack Collison is back from his career threatening injury and
ready to solve West Ham's injury crisis - but only once he has introduced
himself to his team-mates again. The Wales international, still just 24, has
a long-standing knee problem, similar to the one which forced Ledley King
into early retirement. West Ham boss Sam Allardyce revealed his career would
never be the same again and like King and Paul McGrath before him, he is
unable to train properly in the build-up to a big game. But West Ham have
worked out how to manage him properly and, after 45 minutes for the reserves
on Monday, Collison is set for his first involvement of the season with a
place on the bench for Saturday's visit of Everton to Upton Park. Hammers
assistant Neil McDonald said: "We had one less substitute on Sunday against
West Brom so it wouldn't surprise me if he makes the bench. "We have other
players that could possibly come on but if we need him we know he can come
on for a short space of time. He needs more game time and more time on the
raining pitch but no doubt he will come in to the squad because with the
injuries we need him."

Collison's presence on the training pitch at Chadwell Heath has been so rare
that his West Ham team-mates have pretended not to recognise him. But
McDonald reckons the midfielder's timely comeback will provide the entire
squad a healthy dose of festive cheer. "When you have a long-term injury you
spend a lot of time in the gym and with the physio," said McDonald. "But it
has given the rest of the squad a boost to have him back. "The lads have
been jibbing him, saying 'is this is a new player? Nice to meet you!' "He is
a very positive lad and he wants to play football. Yes, he's had problems
before but in my time here I've never heard one person say he should call it
a day. "We don't train him every day. We have to manage his knee to make
sure he is available for games. He's proved that with a little bit of hard
work and dedication you can come back, and hopefully he'll be the same
player he was before."

The news will come as an early Christmas present for Big Sam, whose squad
has been crippled by injuries this month. Fellow central midfielders Mohamed
Diame and Alou Diarra are both ruled out while on-loan striker Andy Carroll
is not expected to return until February. Allardyce described Collison as
his 'forgotten man' earlier this season, but McDonald is backing the
Welshman to remind everyone of his quality once he returns. The midfielder
was instrumental in West Ham's promotion from the Championship last season,
scoring both goals against Cardiff in their 2-0 play-off semi-final first
leg victory. He then played 90 minutes in their 2-1 win over Blackpool in
the Wembley final - his last appearance for the Hammers. Big Sam's No.2
added: "He's in a good place himself, he's full of confidence with his knee.
We look forward to having him back in the fold, even if he isn't match fit.
"He is important to us because he's a good player. He contributed to getting
us promoted last year. He scores goals as well as creating them and that's
what we need, especially in this league. "For someone of his experience,
even though he's a young lad, with all the games he's played at every level,
international level as well, it's good to have him back. Even if he's not
100% match fit he'll put pressure on everyone else. And if we do need him
for a short space of time he'll be able to come on no problem."

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