Daily WHUFC News - 29th December 2012

Reading match preview
WHUFC.com
All the stats, news and background information ahead of Saturday's match at Reading
28.12.2012

READING v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
SATURDAY 29 DECEMBER 2012
KICK-OFF: 3PM
REFEREE: MICHAEL OLIVER
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV

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Introduction

• West Ham United go into Saturday afternoon's game against Reading following an extended break after their Boxing Day clash with Arsenal was called off due to industrial action on London Underground.
• The Hammers currently sit 12th in the Barclays Premier League on 23 points from 18 games. The Royals are 19th on ten points from 19 games, with just win to their name so far.
• West Ham United will be hoping to cast off the memories of last season, as Reading beat the Hammers on both occasions. The first meeting saw the Royals win 3-0 at home before they won 4-2 at the Boleyn Ground four months later.
• Despite Reading's vital wins, both sides went on to achieve promotion to the Barclays Premier League, Reading claimed top spot on 89 points and the Hammers were promoted via the Play-Offs.
• Last time out the Hammers suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to Everton, when Carlton Cole was sent-off. The FA have since rescinded his red card so he is eligible to face the Royals.
• West Ham United have made only two errors leading to goals, with only Stoke having made fewer in the Premier League this season.
• West Ham United verses Reading is one of eight Barclays Premier League games taking place on 29 December. The others are as follows (3pm kick-off unless stated):
Sunderland v Tottenham (12.45pm)
Aston Villa v Wigan Athletic
Fulham v Swansea City
Manchester United v West Bromwich Albion
Norwich City v Manchester City
Stoke City v Southampton
Arsenal v Newcastle United (5.30pm)

Team News

West Ham United
• Jack Collison is pushing for his first start of the season after his late cameo against Everton. The Wales international has not started a game since the Play-Off final against Blackpool in May.
• Guy Demel should return to the matchday squad after recovering from the virus that kept him out of the Everton match. He could take the place of James Tomkins, who filled in at right-back last time out.
• Alou Diarra has also returned to full training after recovering from a thigh injury and will be hoping for just his second taste of Barclays Premier League action following four months out.
• Ricardo Vaz Te is inching ever-closer to a first-team return and it is hoped he will be ready to return to action in the New Year.
• 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, with no date yet set for his return.
• Andy Carroll (knee) is making good progress but is still some weeks from making a comeback.

Reading
• Alex McCarthy is out long-term after undergoing shoulder surgery.
• Jason Roberts is unlikely to feature after missing the last two games with a hip injury.

Background
• The clubs have met just eleven times in their history; Reading hold the edge with six wins to the Hammers' three in that time.
• The biggest win for either side came on 1 January 2007 when the Royals hit six past West Ham United with no reply. Brynjar Gunnarsson, Stephen Hunt,
Kevin Doyle and an Anton Ferdinand own goal gave the Royals a 4-0 lead at the break with Leroy Lita added a fifth before Doyle added his second and Reading's sixth in the second half.
• Reading have won five and lost just one of the last seven league meetings with West Ham.
• There have been three red cards in the last three games between the Royals and the Hammers. Collison and Joey O'Brien were both sent off in last season's match at the Madejski Stadium.
• Reading have conceded more goals than any other team in the Premier League this season (37).
• Jobi McAnuff, the Reading captain, played 14 games for the Hammers in the second half of the 2003/04 season.
• Reading Academy manager Eamonn Dolan is a former Hammers youth striker, who rose through the ranks to play 15 league games for the first team and scored three goals between 1985 and 1990
• Former Hammers manager Alan Pardew has been in charge at both clubs, taking the helm at the Royals in his first managerial role in 1999 and staying there until 2003, when he moved to West Ham United.
• The following players have worn the colours of both West Ham United and Reading during their careers - Tommy Allison, Ken Bainbridge, John Blackwood, Charles Cotton, William Davidson, Steve Death, Tommy Dixon, Jack Fletcher, Jack Flynn, Harry Gunning, Shaka Hislop, Jim Holmes, Sam Jennings, Thomas Kinsell, Herbert Lyon, Jobi McAnuff, Steve Mautone, Trevor Morley, Hayden Mullins, Geordie Reid, James Reid, Horace Ricketts, William Robson, Peter Simpson, Ron Tindall, Ernest Watts, Rod Williams, Alan Wooler and Len Young.

Last Time Out
Saturday 22 December 2012
Barclays Premier League
West Ham United 1-2 Everton
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Reid, Tomkins, O'Brien (Spence 81), Collins, Nolan, Jarvis (Collison 88), Taylor, Noble, O'Neil (Maiga 58), Cole.
Subs not used: Spiegel, Diarra, Moncur, Lletget.
Goal: Cole 14.

Wednesday 26 December 2012
Barclays Premier League
Swansea City 0-0 Reading
Reading: Federici, Gunter, Pearce, Mariappa, Harte, Kracan, Leigertwood, McAnuff )Robson-Kanu61), Kebe, Guthrie, Pogrebnyak (Le Fondre 61).
Subs not used: Taylor, Morrison, Cummings, Tabb, Hunt.

Previous meeting
West Ham United 2-4 Reading
Reading moved four points clear of West Ham United in the Championship promotion chase with a crucial 4-2 win at the Boleyn Ground. Carlton Cole gave the home side an early lead but two goals in two minutes from Kaspars Gorks and Noel Hunt gave Reading the edge at half-time. Ian Harte made it 3-1 from the spot after the break before Ricardo Vaz Te's header reduced the deficit. Mikele Leigertwood sealed a precious three points for the away side with six minutes remaining. The teams that day were:
West Ham United: Green, McCartney, Tomkins, Faye, Faubert, Nolan, Taylor (Baldock 60), Noble (Collins 46), O'Neil, Cole (Maynard 72), Vaz Te.
Subs not used: Lansbury, Carew.
Reading: Federici, Pearce, Gorkss, Harte, Cummings, Karacan (Tabb 55), Leigertwood, McAnuff, Kebe (Afobe 82), Hunt, Roberts.
Subs not used: McCarthy, Robson-Kanu, Church.

Last six meetings
(Barclays Premier League unless stated)
31 March 2012 - West Ham United 2-4 Reading (Championship)
10 December 2011 - Reading 3-0 West Ham United (Championship)
26 December 2007 - West Ham United 1-1 Reading

1 September 2007 - Reading 0-3 West Ham United

1 January 2007 - Reading 6-0 West Ham United
1 October 2006 - West Ham United 0-1 Reading


All-time record v Reading: W3 D2 L6
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2011/12 Championship 3rd (86 points - promoted via Play-Offs)
2010/11 Premier League 20th (relegated to Championship)

2009/10 Premier League 17th

2008/09 Premier League 9th

2007/08 Premier League 10th

2006/07 Premier League 15th

2005/06 Premier League 9th

2004/05 Championship 6th (promoted to Premier League via Play-Offs)

2003/04 Division One 4th

2002/03 Premier League 18th (relegated to Championship)


Reading
2011/12 Championship 1st (Promoted to Premier League)
2010/11 Championship 5th

2009/10 Championship 9th

2008/09 Championship 4th

2007/08 Premier League 18th (relegated to Championship)

2006/07 Premier League 8th

2005/06 Championship 1st (promoted to Premier League)

2004/05 Championship 7th

2003/04 Division One 9th

2002/03 Division One 4th


Referee
• Saturday's referee will be Michael Oliver.
• Oliver was introduced to refereeing by his father, Clive, at the age of 14. He quickly rose through the ranks and was promoted to the National List of referees in 2007.
• In 2007 he became the youngest referee to officiate at Wembley Stadium when he took charge of the 2007 Conference play-off final. He also went on to become the youngest fourth official for a Barclays Premier League match.
• The Oliver family enjoyed a referring double in 2009 when his father took charge of the 2009 League Two play-off final a day before he took charge of the League One play-off final.
• In August 2010 he was promoted to the Select Group of referees and soon became the youngest-ever Barclays Premier League referee when he took charge of Birmingham City v Blackburn Rovers on 21 August 2010.
• Oliver will be assisted by Simon Bennett and Mark Scholes, the fourth official will be Paul Tierney.

General Information
• For ticket information please click here. Please note all away tickets for the game have now SOLD OUT.
• Saturday's weather forecast is for a sunny day with maximum temperatures reaching 9C.

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Big Sam on: Reading
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce has previewed West Ham United's match with Reading on Saturday
28.12.2012

Sam Allardyce entertained the media on Friday morning ahead of Saturday's final game of 2012 against Reading. The manager was in fine form as usual, boosted by the news that Carlton Cole is available after his successful appeal against the red card he was shown against Everton last weekend. Last season's top scorer will therefore lead the line once more as the Hammers look to bounce back from the double defeat they suffered against Reading last season.

Sam, can you start off by letting us know the latest team news ahead of Saturday's game against Reading?

SA: "Ricardo Vaz Te has trained with the lads this week and obviously Jack Collison and Alou Diarra returned to the squad last week. I think the limited players we have had available has definitely had a bearing on the results we have picked up but not so much our performances. We go to Reading and then play on New Year's Day but the game against Arsenal was called off so I am hoping that our energy levels will be really good for what are two very important games."

Is there any update on when Andy Carroll will return to action?

SA: "We hope that Andy will return to training sometime next week. The biggest and the best news we have had this week is that Carlton Cole's red card was rescinded. It is obviously the correct decision but from our point of view it is crucial because of the limited players we have available right now."

Did you expect the FA to overturn Carlton Cole's red card?

SA: "I do not think I was surprised but I was anxious because what has looked like a good case in the past has sometimes resulted in the red card standing. Often people in the refereeing world agree that a decision should be overturned but then they are not. On this case we are very pleased to have Carlton return during a very difficult time of the year."

He also seemed very pleased with the decision judging by his comments on twitter?

SA: "Well he should be because he is playing very well, he is leading the line and he is the pinnacle of all our creative play. His hold up play is very good and he is scoring goals at the moment, the one he scored against Everton was particularly good. We are seeing the Carlton Cole that we all want to see consistently and hopefully he can keep it up because he is a major threat against opposition players. It is important that when he is playing like this that we have him in the team so hopefully like I said he can carry on in the same vein."

He showed so much promise as a youngster at Chelsea but do you still feel you can get more out of him?

SA: "I do not think that Carlton is going to change hugely anymore but I do believe he has been more consistent during my time here. He has been better than I expected purely because of the perception of what Carlton is and is not from the outside world. He has been somebody I have really enjoyed working with, all players have their faults but I have enjoyed his company, his personality and when he is on song, his footballing ability. The question around Carlton has always been has he done it consistently with the ability he has but now he is certainly doing it and long may it continue."

Are the games against the bottom three the biggest you face because I would imagine at the start of the season survival was the aim?

SA: "Of course, I think the ultimate target was to stay in the division but the real target is what is the best we can possibly achieve? That real aim would have been about tenth in the league, that was our top outcome if everything went in our favour, we did not get too many injuries and we did not have too many decisions go against us. I hear Brian (McDermott) complain bitterly about the decisions he has had to take on more than one occasion but whether he is right or wrong I do not know.
"I have certainly suffered that in previous times and years in football and they do make a lot of difference because they do not even themselves out over the course of a season. They can get managers the sack irrespective of what people say because they can happen at crucial times and on a consistent basis. It is not the only reason but it contributes because your team could also not be scoring enough and conceding too many."

West Ham United and Reading were both promoted to the Barclays Premier League last season, but do you believe it is harder to stay up this season compared
to when you were promoted with Bolton?

SA: "No, I think it is just the same. It is about your players, your beliefs and how you prepare your team. Then it is about external factors like the referee, the bounce of a ball and getting a little bit of luck. First and foremost you have to try and control what you can control, at the end of the day somebody has to win the title and somebody has to get relegated.
"What you have to do is make sure that you are away from the pressure pot, and the pressure pot is where Reading have been knocking about all season. It is a massive burden to carry especially at this point of the season because the players will not be very happy and they will be feeling extremely down. They will have come into this division excited but they are now facing the harsh realities week in week out and not getting results."

We have spoken before about Nicolas Anelka and the possibility of him joining the club in January. Is that a move that could potentially happen?

SA: "Nicolas is a player of great talent and great ability, I think that the one problem we would have is can we afford him. That would be the only thing blocking me from wanting to sign Nicolas Anelka."

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Noble aims to end 2012 with win
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble wants to finish a successful year for West Ham United with victory at Reading on Saturday
29.12.2012

Mark Noble is aiming is to finish a successful 2012 for West Ham United with a positive result at Reading on Saturday. The current year saw Hammers gain promotion via the npower Championship Play-Off's and take their place back in the Barclays Premier League, where they have enjoyed a solid first half of the season. While West Ham will be going all out to bring a good result back from the Madejski Stadium, Noble said he and his team-mates are aware that it will be tough clash with Brian McDermott's bottom-of-the-table side, who go into the game having picked up just one point from eight matches. "It has been a good year for us," confirmed Noble, who was crowned Hammer of the Year for the first time in April. "We got ourselves promoted, which was the main focus for all of us here at the club, so it would be nice to finish off 2012 with a win and start off as we hope to go on in the New Year. "It will be a difficult game at Reading. They might be at the bottom of the table at the moment, but that doesn't make it easier. They are at home and we know from last season what a hard place it is to play at. But we are in good spirits and confident that, if we play to our best, then we can get something."

Reading also had a successful 2012 by winning the npower Championship title and took maximum points off the Hammers in 2011/12 - facts the team are well aware of. "The Madejski Stadium is not an easy place to play. We were disappointed losing there last season. It was not a good day for us and they got us at home, as well, so we will be looking to try and put that right this time around if we can."

With the Boxing Day clash with Arsenal postponed due to industrial action on the London Underground, Noble said West Ham are more than ready for match action now after working hard on the training pitches at Chadwell Heath during the festive week. "It was a bit strange not to have a game on Boxing Day, as we are so used to playing on that day as a tradition. But we have been training hard, getting ourselves prepared and hopefully all the hard work will pay off and we can get a good result."

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Reading v West Ham
KO 15:00
28 December 2012
By John Motson
BBC Match of the Day commentator

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Madejski Stadium Date: Saturday, 29 December

TEAM NEWS

Reading manager Brian McDermott has no new injury worries ahead of the visit of West Ham. Jason Roberts is nearing a return from a hip injury but this game could come too soon for the striker.

Striker Carlton Cole can play for injury-hit West Ham after his three-match ban was overturned on appeal. Cole was sent off for a challenge on Everton's Leighton Baines last weekend but the FA rescinded the red card on Thursday.

MATCH PREVIEW

The phrase "a must-win game" is often over-used but Saturday's fixture against West Ham really is one from which Reading need three points. The Royals did arrest a run of seven straight defeats with a draw against Swansea on Boxing Day but they would have hoped to have won that game - as it is, they remain marooned along with QPR in the relegation zone. Reading just cannot allow the gap between themselves and safety to grow any bigger, but if they are to turn things round, they need to start scoring goals. It's been a real problem for them this season, with Pavel Pogrebnyak having to plough a lone furrow up front in the last few games. Brian McDermott seemed happy with his team's display against Swansea so I don't visualise many changes - but he does have the likes of Adam Le Fondre and Noel Hunt up his sleeve if needs be.

Like Reading, West Ham came up out of the Championship last season but have had a different experience to the Berkshire club in the first half of this campaign, and have established themselves in a mid-table position. Sam Allardyce has a big injury list - he could only field six substitutes against West Brom earlier this month. However, he has had some good news in the build-up to this game with Carlton Cole's red card rescinded - correctly, in my opinion; I was at the game and felt a sending off was the wrong decision. The Hammers are already without Andy Carroll, and the absence of another natural striker or targetman like Cole would have prevented the team from playing the way they prefer. Allardyce's squad have also had the benefit of extra rest after their scheduled Boxing Day game against Arsenal was called off because of industrial action on the London Underground. But West Ham have struggled to score on the road this season, which should give Reading a glimmer of hope.

McDermott remains optimistic and positive that the Royals can turn things around but they need to start now - games like this are ones they have to win.
Saturday's Football Focus will come live from the Madejski Stadium (BBC One, 12.15pm).

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head
Reading did the double over West Ham in last season's Championship - there were nine goals over the two games, with Reading winning 4-2 at Upton Park, having won 3-0 at home, a match which West Ham finished with nine men after Joey O'Brien and Jack Collison were sent off.
Reading's 6-0 win in this fixture on New Year's Day 2007 remains their biggest Premier League victory.

Reading
Their 0-0 draw with Swansea on Boxing Day ended a run of seven straight defeats and was their first clean sheet since 10 November.
Reading have won just one of their nine home games this season, a 2-1 victory over Everton in November. That has been their only league win so far in 2012-13.
The Royals have failed to score in four of their last five league matches.
Only one team has ever avoided defeat from the Premier League after accruing 10 points or fewer after 19 matches - West Brom, who stayed up by a point in 2004-05.

West Ham
West Ham have won one of their last seven Premier League games (W1, D2, L4).
The Hammers have won just one of their last five away league matches. They have scored a mere five goals on the road this season, fewer than any other top-flight team.
Only four clubs (Stoke, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal) have conceded fewer goals than West Ham (22) in this season's Premier League.

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Reading v West Ham: Andy Carroll still missing for Hammers
By Tim Oscroft.
Last Updated: December 28, 2012 1:13pm
SSN

Reading will be aiming to build on the draw with Swansea that ended their losing streak, while West Ham are looking to a first win in four games. Reading prepare to host West Ham with a glimmer of hope from Boxing Day that may have partially lifted the midwinter gloom over the Madejski Stadium. The goalless draw with Swansea City may not linger long in the memory, but it ended a soul-destroying sequence of seven consecutive defeats for Brian McDermott's side.
With half the season gone, Royals' fans will hope that the point gleaned on Wednesday can kick-start a climb towards safety. Reading did the double over the Hammers last season and they must be looking to take all three points.

A Tube strike gave West Ham a day off on Boxing Day, and Sam Allardyce will be looking for a first win in four games against the Premier League's leakiest defence. Victory over Chelsea at the start of December raised hopes of a move up the table, but just one point from a possible nine since have seen the Hammers anchored firmly in mid-table. Carlton Cole will be available for the short trip to Berkshire, with the red card controversially shown to the striker against Everton having been subsequently rescinded. A swathe of injuries forced Allardyce to call a halt to full-contact training over the Christmas period for fear of losing any more players at such a busy time.

Reading
Last 6
0-0
1-0
2-5
3-0
1-0
3-4
Jason Roberts could be in contention after missing Reading's last four games with a hip injury. Sean Morrison's ankle forced the defender to miss the draw with Swansea on Boxing Day, while Alex McCarthy is a long-term absentee with a shoulder problem.

West Ham
Last 6
1-2
0-0
2-3
3-1
1-0
3-1
Andy Carroll is still out with a knee problem, while Ricardo Vaz Te has only recently returned to training after recovering from a dislocated shoulder. Yossi Benayoun has returned to parent club Chelsea with an injury, and Mohamed Diame remains sidelined because of a hamstring problem.

Reading v West Ham Opta facts

Reading have won five and lost just one of the last seven league meetings with West Ham
West Ham have scored just five away goals this season, fewer than any other side
Reading have conceded more goals than any other team in the Premier League this season

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Sam Allardyce says the Festive period is usually a bad time for referees
Last Updated: December 28, 2012 1:34pm
SSN

Sam Allardyce believes 'fatigue' is often the reason why Premier League referees make the wrong decision. The West Ham manager made his comments following the decision by the FA to rescind the red cards shown to his own striker Carlton Cole and Everton's Darron Gibson at Upton Park last week. Allardyce believes there should be a larger pool of referees to cope with a congested fixture schedule over Christmas and New Year and believes tiredness can lead to officials making the wrong call. He said: "This is a difficult period for referees. Why do they always seem to make more wrong decisions now? "It's probably because they are overworked and they are fatigued and the system has to be looked at. "Referees are travelling all over the country and out in Europe and have been since the start of the season. "There's not enough of them. They try their very best to get things consistently right. But it happens every year around this time of year. "We had a couple in our last game and there have been many throughout football over the Christmas period. "Fatigue is everything in terms of decision making. Once it kicks in you lose the ability to make those decisions correctly. "They need to ease the load on the referees we have. The game needs to move on and look at recruiting better refs from all avenues."

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What Does the January Window Have in Store for Us?
By S J Chandos 1 day ago 44 comments
West Ham Till I Di e

Well, we certainly missed Mo Diame's power and pace through the middle in the Everton match. His injury absence meant that a crucial component of our well balanced, three man midfield unit was missing. Moreover, we do not have a fit player, with similiar qualities, to cover for him. The obvious choice to cover is Jack Collison, but he is badly missing match fitness, as is fellow midfielder, Alou Diarra. Gary O'Neill is a better player than many give him credit for, especially in terms of his work rate and closing down of the opposition, but he is just not the same sort of player as Diame.

We ideally need four new players in January. A goal keeper, a defender, a midfielder and a forward. Although we could probably get by with what we currently have in the goalkeeping department, if the transfer budget will not stretch that far? We have adequate cover at right-back, with O'Brien, Demel and Spence, but if Potts is not ready then we probably need to sign another left-back. If we could get a player that can also cover central defence, then so much the better! It is essential that Diame is signed to a new contract and he commits his immediate future to the club. But Diame's injury absence has highlighted the question whether another powerful, box-to-box midfielder is necessary to provide cover and competition for the Senegalese international?

Up front, a lot depends on Andy Carroll's availability and whether he is to remain on loan with us until the summer? Yossi Benayoun's likely January exit means that we definitely need to add another forward. There has been much conjecture about signing Kalou from Lille and he would certainly be an interesting signing, especially within the context of Sam Allardyce's preferred 4-3-3 formation. While, the squad probably needs an out and out goal scorer and the likes of Loic Remy and Darren Bent have been recently linked with the club. There was a story last week that Marsailles have offered West Ham Remy for £8m and Maiga in part-exchange, but West Ham have rejected the potential deal. If so, then Sam Allardyce must surely rate Maiga's potential and want to retain him. However, that deal, if offered by Marsailles, sounds like an attractive one to me!

We shall soon see what the club are prepared to invest in January? Whether it is permanent or loan deals, what we need is quality and players who clearly strengthen the squad. At a push, I would accept just two signings, as long as the quality is right and they improve us. In those circumstances, we should probably need to target a defender and a forward. The squad is currenty looking a bit over-stretched and signing two quality players would not only strength the squad, but would also give it a psychological lift. At the same time, the return to match fitness of Collison, Diarra, McCartney, Vaz Te and, hopefully, Carroll should also give us another timely New Year boost.

Elsewhere, it has been confirmed that Carlton Cole's red card has predictably been rescinded. Unfortunately, the decision to send off Cole probably cost us a point, but that is now water under the bridge. Everton are a good side and they have demonstrated what can be achieved with consistency, patience and a coherent plan to build a team, long-term, under a good manager. A point would have been a good result and I, personally, think we would have held on to secure it had not a very poor refereeing decision intervened and adversely impacted.

The objective now must be to take at least 4 points from the forthcoming Reading and Norwich City matches, which is an attainable objective. Reading are a team low on confidence and increasingly looking completely out of their depth in the PL. However, we should never under-estimate the ability of West Ham's 'fall guy' tendency to strike once again, especially against a side like Reading FC. We need to go there on Saturday, put in a committed and disciplined display and deliver a clinical, professional performance to get the result. Norwich City should be the more difficult of the two fixtures, at least on paper, although home advantage should see us take all three points.

Sticking my neck out, I am going for a 0-1 away victory over Reading FC and a 3-1 home win over Norwich City, to welcome the New Year in on an exceedingly positive note. COYI!

SJ. Chandos.

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Karren Brady's football diary – It's terrible being Villa
The Sun
By KARREN BRADY
Published: 28th December 2012

SATURDAY, DEC 22
RED cards for high kicking used to come — and possibly still do — from aroused gentlemen who wished to meet Can-Can dancers after the show. Carlton Cole's dismissal against Everton was for something much more innocent — a kick aimed at the ball. No one I speak to or hear disagrees with this verdict, but referee Anthony Taylor decides to send the player on the lonely walk, anyway. His decision possibly costs us a point as Everton go on to scramble a winner through Steven Pienaar. Then, as if to try to prove his impartiality, the ref sends off Darron Gibson for a similar offence. Justice done? Injustice repeated, most say.
With the transfer window approaching and the squad having suffered so many injuries, we on the West Ham board have some major decisions to make.

SUNDAY, DEC 23
RAY WILKINS wonders why Chelsea seem intent on off-loading Frank Lampard. If he doesn't know, then who on earth does? Lampard has just scored with a magnificent half-volley in the eight-goal annihilation of Aston Villa. At 34, the prolific midfielder still looks every inch a Premier League player. But I don't believe that this, or the fact that the Chelsea fans love the record goalscorer they bought from West Ham nearly 12 years ago, will make an iota of difference to his footballing future. You don't need me, Wilkins or a succession of managers to tell you that when the bell tolls, the time is nigh. It is a cruel contrast that this is also the day on which Liverpool let it be known that Steven Gerrard — Lampard's long-time England midfield partner — is being offered a new contract at Anfield.

MONDAY, DEC 24
BEING Aston Villa is a terrible thing today. How do you face the smugness of the rest of the football world? Nobody else lost 8-0 yesterday. Very few have ever done so. Well, I've pretty much been there — it was actually 7-0 to Liverpool in an FA Cup tie at St Andrew's in March 2006 — and the after-shocks of a season that had gone bad by Christmas sent us purling into the Championship. Paul Lambert at Villa has much longer to manage a recovery but his job has been made twice as hard. There are worse things than a heavy defeat, though, I can tell him. A few days after the Liverpool shellacking, I was fighting for my life after a brain operation.

TUESDAY, DEC 25
I HOPE that all those children whose puppies, fed with a Christmas dinner of West Ham dog biscuits, remember that your club is not just for Christmas, it is forever. Our dog loves 'em and as he dined out in style today, we intoned "one for Kevin Nolan, one for Mark Noble... half for Andy Carroll and an extra big one for Sam Allardyce". Later I saw a real footballing hero — French legend and World Cup-winning midfielder Zinedine Zidane. Unfortunately I think he saw more of me than we both intended! I would explain but, trust me, it's a rather long story!

WEDNESDAY, DEC 26
LITTLE to report today, except that I saw former Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka. I'm pleased to report that he is fit and well and relaxed in Dubai. Sam Allardyce would like to bring him back to the UK, so let's see what happens.

THURSDAY, DEC 27
IT seems a manager is not only not for life, but not even for Christmas as Blackburn sack Henning Berg after just 10 matches in the job. It merely emphasises the problems newly-relegated clubs tend to have in the Championship. Bolton, Wolves and Blackburn all sit dangerously close to the drop zone. It just goes to show what an exceptional job Sam did for West Ham last season, backed by two fantastic chairmen. We appointed him because we knew he had the belly for a grinding battle — no future in appointing apprentices. At least we have some good news — Carlton Cole wins his appeal against his red card in the Everton match.

FRIDAY, DEC 28
IN my football life — which is approaching 20 years — everything has changed except Alex Ferguson. You leave as little as possible to chance in the chanciest game of all. Reading prepared one way for the top flight, West Ham did it another. We have 23 points at halfway, they have 10. And I'm not gloating. Do that and you're dead. I know our game at Reading is as important to Brian McDermott's team as any this season — and it is hardly less so for us. We've seen how quickly Sunderland have clambered from immediate trouble and the slide down can be just as unpredictable. I'm looking over my shoulder and crossing my fingers. Reading have a big revival in them and we must try to delay it.

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