WHUFC.com
Kevin Nolan believes the Hammers showed great composure to secure victory
over Coventry City
03.01.2012
Kevin Nolan believes patience was the key to West Ham United's 1-0 npower
Championship victory over Coventry City. The skipper headed the
all-important goal 24 minutes from full time, ending a spirited challenge
from the struggling Sky Blues and kicking-off 2012 with three vital points.
West Ham's win lifted them back into second place, two points ahead of
third-place Middlesbrough and level on points with leaders Southampton.
Nolan told West Ham TV that teams would continue to come to the Boleyn
Ground to defend and urged both the supporters and his team-mates not to get
frustrated if an early goal does not materialise. "It's been a constant
thing this year - when people come to us they set up that way and if we
don't get the early goal a lot of people get jittery including the crowd and
the players," said the No4. "We've just got to keep plugging away and we did
that on Monday. Credit to the lads because I think they showed a load of
bottle. "Thankfully Tonks has put one to the far post for me - the first one
this year! I've been telling him to do it all season, so hopefully it's an
omen that it'll be a good year for us.
"Hopefully this will catapult us on to a run. We've been disappointed with
the last four or five games. We're looking forward now to a good start to
2012."
Nolan's goal was the result of a positive piece of play from the outstanding
James Tomkins, who enjoyed a superb start to the new year with an
eye-catching display at both ends of the pitch. The centre-back won the ball
in midfield before finding George McCartney and continuing his forward run
into the Coventry penalty area. When McCartney's cross came over, Tomkins
rose above Chris Hussey to head the ball to Nolan, who wrong-footed Joe
Murphy. "Tonks has been doing that all season, to be honest," said Nolan.
"He's a young lad and is still learning. We're trying to teach him the right
things to do and everything. "For a young boy, he's got a good head on his
shoulders - as have a lot of the young lads here. This season is going to
give them the best preparation for the rest of their careers. It's a massive
learning curve, giving them game time and hopefully preparing them for next
season in the Premier League, because that's the ultimate goal. "Everyone in
the dressing room wants to be there and we've got to prove we're good enough
to be there."
With Southampton and Middlesbrough both losing, West Ham made up ground on
their nearest promotion rivals. However, as a Championship winner himself
two seasons ago, Nolan knows it is about what the Hammers do themselves that
will decide their ultimate fate. "To be quite honest, I'm not worried about
what the other teams do," he confirmed. "I can only be worried about what
we're doing here. "It's been a massive turnaround in six months with what's
happened at the club. The fans have been great with us and been very
patient. They've got to continue to be patient and I can't thank them
enough. "What we're trying to achieve and get back to is the Premier League
and that's the ultimate goal. We won't get there without them and we know
that they deserve to be there, so we're going to be trying our socks off
from now until the end of the season. "We hope that they'll stick with us
because with them I'm sure we'll be in the fold come the end of the season."
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Thorn on... West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 3rd January 2012
By: Staff Writer
Andy Thorn was disappointed by Coventry's narrow defeat at the BG - but
insisted that he couldn't ask for any more from his players. His post-match
press conference, exclusively in full...
Andy: Not too much in it at the end?
We were really low on numbers over this period but I thought the boys gave
it everything. We knew we were coming to play a good side but we stuck in
there. We were disappointed to concede the goal. An important goal from our
point of view but I can't ask for any more effort from them because they
were absolutely [excellent] and could have nicked something at the end. I
thought we finished the stronger.
What was it that disappointed you about the goal?
Well I was disappointed with the full-back's tackle - our full back - and I
was disappointed with his recovery and with his header. So basically
everything about him, on the goal! But we ended up with young [Shaun]
Jeffers on the pitch, plus Gael [Bigirimana] and Conor [Thomas] but I
thought everyone gave me everything. [Martin] Cranie and [Richard] Keogh
were excellent and I thought Woody and [Joe] Murphy played really well, they
kept us in it. We knew what we was going to get from them but I thought we
stood up to them well. As it went on I thought we got stronger, we started
getting in and making our own chances. I think one of them could have gone
in for us but...
Did you think they were as strong as you expected?
Well they're going to be up there aren't they, because of the players
they've got and the finances they have. They're well organised and they're
well managed so they're going to be up there, no doubt about it. But I was
just a little bit disappointed that we didn't get anything from the game.
If you had got a point you would have been indebted to [Joe] Murphy?
Yeah, he pulled off some great saves Murphy, didn't he? Some of them were
for the cameras... [laughs] Some I thought he should have held... [more
laughs] No, he's a terrific 'keeper. I've got a great bunch of boys and
we've had a good Christmas period points-wise and performance-wise. Today
I'm disappointed with the end result but when you come to a place like this
and there's such a gulf between the two clubs then I didn't think it was
that massive on the pitch today.
And they've got so much power, haven't they?
Yeah... But as I said, we knew what to expect. They're a decent, strong side
and I thought we stood up to it, I thought we matched it. I'm proud of what
the boys did and disappointed for the travelling fans because we had a good
following. We said at half time, "we have to concentrate, because all the
time the ball's bouncing around in your box you've got to be on your toes".
We just knocked off and got punished for it.
Frustrating though that you probably had your best spell in the last five
minutes?
Yeah. We did get in some great positions as well but it just wasn't to be.
The calibre of the players that they're bringing on; with all respect to
young Shaun [Jeffers], I'm bringing him on. He's done terrific; he's run
around for us, given us some energy and even got in a couple of times as
well. But it wasn't to be.
What was the problem with Lukas [Jutkiewicz]?
Lukas took a whack in the bottom of his back. He was struggling for long
periods but we needed him from set plays, so I was reluctant to take him
off. But in the end we had to.
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Allardyce on... Coventry City
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 3rd January 2012
By: Staff Writer
Big Sam talks injuries, wasted opportunities and transfer targets in the
Coventry post match press conference, which we once again bring you
exclusively in full...
Sam: obviously you should have won by a lot more but it took the cool head
of Kevin Nolan to grab the points today?
Yes. We were all relieved when we saw it go in because we were all wondering
whether it was going to happen today for us or not on the basis of how many
chances we'd created and how good their goalkeeper was. It was an
outstanding performance by him and I was getting a little worried in the
last embers of the game that we wasn't going to get what we deserved and
there's always that nagging feeling about the quick break out the opposition
might get and nick it as we have seen before against Cardiff and Ipswich.
But gladly in the end we got what we thoroughly deserved. We've played very,
very well today and the only thing that I can criticise the lads for is not
winning by more goals. Everything else was fantastic.
[James] Tomkins seems to be growing in strength at the back?
Yes, because he's playing games on a regular basis. I think he struggled
along for a couple of years not being selected by the previous managers or
being injured. But when you start playing on a regular basis, that's when
your game starts to improve. We have to give Winston Reid a huge amount of
credit because for eight or nine weeks he hasn't kicked a ball because of
his dislocated shoulder. He has two days of training then plays two 90
minutes [of football] in 48 hours. That is a massive reason why we're
looking stronger at the back because Abduolaye Faye is injured at the
moment. Obviously, without a doubt, having the suspended players back made
all the difference. You saw the quality and how we controlled the game, how
often we persisted in pressurising Coventry who finally cracked in the end.
Again, John Carew didn't play today. Why?
He hasn't played well enough when he's had the chance. Freddie Piquionne
didn't even get on the bench. He's had the chance but he hasn't played well
enough. Frank Nouble's come back from Gillingham, played really well at
Derby and scored so he gets on the bench.
Have you spoken with John about this before?
If I have, it's got nothing to do with you...
But is he involved in your future plans here?
Yeah, I mean he could get a game at Sheffield Wednesday next week and get
some vital match practise. We really thought we had John on song when he
came on as sub at Crystal Palace and played here against Blackpool, when he
played up front with Sam [Baldock] and we won 4-0. He scored himself, then
he had a couple of niggly injuries that have knocked him back. Our real
problems have not been the front line - apart from them lads not scoring
enough - [but] the amount of injuries and suspensions we've got. It's
devastated our defensive line but we've still come through and got a very
crucial three points. It's a big game to win because the FA Cup's next week
and we don't play in the league again for 11 or 12 days. Everybody rushes in
at this time of year I think to have a listen at what Middlesbrough and
Southampton have done. You're a bit more satisfied because they've slipped
up and we've gained the three points on them today, so it makes it that
little bit sweeter.
[Question re: transfer window and bids for strikers]
I wouldn't say it's a priority but it's an area we're looking at purely and
simply because we had 22 attempts at goal today and scored one; we had 19
attempts on goal against Derby, nine on target and scored one; Barnsley 19
attempts on goal, 10 on target and scored one. Our conversion rate is just
not good enough. Birmingham City, first half - we created six or seven
chances, didn't score the second goal in the end and ended up with a draw.
So the conversion rate is not good enough at the moment. It was alright at
the start of the season, we were going threes and fours. Now we're only
going on the one side and we've really got to try and change that into twos
and threes again.
In an ideal world, how many players would you bring in?
Eleven... [laughs] Sorry. In an ideal world I would say two. Two, because we
only have five subs and we have to rotate the squad but two quality players
would be great. Maybe a quality defender. And if it ended up as three, maybe
a defender, a forward and a wide player because Matt Taylor's [struggling].
We had to play a diamond today because we've got no natural width in terms
of wingers. Matt Taylor, Julien Faubert can play there but he needed to play
right back today because Joey [O'Brien] was feeling his hamstring so we put
him on the bench. We had to play a diamond so a wide area would be
interesting. To be fair, we did try and get Andros Townsend from Tottenham
but he ended up at Leeds rather than with us.
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Hammers need a Sharp shooter
Published: Today
The Sun
WEST HAM are to step up their pursuit of Doncaster striker Billy Sharp after
Conference side Fleetwood rejected a bid for 15-goal hitman Jamie Vardy, 24.
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Tottenham aim to hijack Newcastle's move for West Ham defender Tomkins
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 10:30 PM on 3rd January 2012
Daily Mail
Tottenham are considering a move for West Ham centre back James Tomkins. The
22-year-old broke into the West Ham side in 2008 but has emerged this season
as one of the club's most important player with a string of consistent
performances. Newcastle manager Alan Pardew, who knows Tomkins well from his
time at the club, has made two bids - both rejected - with the last offer
thought to be around £2.5million. West Ham manager Sam Allardyce - who also
wants to bring in Tottenham defender Sebastien Bassong on loan - does not
want to sell but also needs funds to bring in players such as Huddersfield's
Jordan Rhodes, Bristol City's Nicky Maynard and Reading's Jimmy Kebe.
Tottenham's main target was Gary Cahill while Chris Samba may prove too
expensive.
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West Ham United's offer for Reading winger turned down
4:24pm Tuesday 3rd January 2012 in News
Guardian Series
West Ham United have reportedly had an offer for Reading winger Jimmy Kebe
turned down. The 27-year-old attacker is in the final year of his contract
and has rejected a new deal with the Royals. Kebe was accused of showboating
in their recent win over West Ham which led to a red card for Jack Collison.
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Hammers plotting January swoops
Harry Harris
January 3, 2012
ESPN
West Ham are hoping to make "two or three" signings during the January
transfer according to co-owner David Sullivan, who also stressed the Hammers
are not interested in selling any of their big names. Huddersfield striker
Jordan Rhodes is believed to be top of West Ham's wanted list, which
includes the names of 25 players on manager Sam Allardyce's radar. The
Terriers are currently resisting the overtures for their star forward, but
the Hammers are weighing up alternative options, too, and Sullivan expects
new faces at Upton Park before the end of January. "Despite the problems we
expect to sign two or three new players in January, even though it's not
easy to acquire key players clubs don't want to lose," Sullivan told
ESPNsoccernet. One player who will not be moving to East London is Tottenham
outcast Vedran Corluka. The Croatian right-back has been pushed down the
pecking order at Spurs by Kyle Walker but ESPNsoccernet can confirm the
Hammers have not and will not make a move for him. On Monday, Allardyce
revealed the positions he is hoping to fill, saying: "Ideally we will get a
forward, a defender and a wide player because we have no natural width in
the team. We tried to get Andros Townsend [from Tottenham] but couldn't."
Meanwhile, West Ham are fighting hard to hang onto some of their own stars.
Fulham have been linked with a £4 million move for Mark Noble with Martin
Jol anxious to find a long-term successor for veteran midfielder Danny
Murphy, while Newcastle want England Under-21 defender James Tomkins. But
the Hammers do not want to sell unless it is an offer the club simply cannot
refuse, and have already rejected all bids for their players.
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West Ham United line up move for Spurs defender
9:41am Tuesday 3rd January 2012 in News
Guardian Series
West Ham United are reportedly close to sealing a loan deal for Spurs
defender Vedran Corluka. The Croatia full-back has only played three Premier
League games this season and needs regular football to boost his Euro 2012
hopes. West Ham have been linked with a host of players and a loan deal
until for the end of the season for Corluka has been touted despite interest
from Roma.
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Exclusive - Allardyce: West Ham have funds to go and get one or two players
By Nick Rostron-Pike
Tuesday, January 3
Sam Allardyce has told talkSPORT West Ham are still interested in signing
one or two players in this transfer window. The Hammers have already had
bids turned down for Huddersfield's Jordan Rhodes and Cardiff's Peter
Whittingham, but Allardyce claims the club haven't given up on bringing some
new faces to Upton Park.
talkSPORT understands the Irons have cast the net far and wide in thier
pursuit of new signings and are reported to be interested in Bristol City's
Nicky Maynard, Doncaster's Billy Sharp, Birmingham's Liam Ridgewell and
Reading's Jimmy Kebe, along with Rhodes and Whittingham. And Allardyce has
further fuelled those rumours, telling the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast he
is confident of doing business this month. "I have funds to go and get one
or two players," the Boleyn Ground boss said. "Mr Gold and Mr Sullivan have
moved extremely quickly on the club's behalf to secure one or two. "We've
had no success at the moment but we must still aim to do stuff during this
difficult window."
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Celtic join the race to sign Frederic Piquionne
Ken Dyer
3 Jan 2012
Evening Standard
Celtic are the latest club to show an interest in West Ham's Frederic
Piquionne. The striker, who is also a target for Wolves, was omitted from
Sam Allardyce's squad for yesterday's 1-0 home win over Coventry and it is
understood that the club would be prepared to listen to offers. John Carew
has failed to tie down a regular first-team spot at Upton Park and could
also go as Allardyce attempts to shuffle his playing pack this month. The
West Ham manager, who saw his side go equal top of the Championship on
points with Southampton following Kevin Nolan's 66th-minute winner, has been
given substantial funds by owners David Gold and David Sullivan with which
to strengthen his squad during the transfer window. Allardyce, who has
already had bids for Huddersfield striker Jordan Rhodes and Cardiff's Peter
Whittingham rejected, said that ideally he wants to bring in "two or three
quality players" this month. "We're looking at the striker position because
we had 22 attempts at goal against Coventry and scored one goal, 19 against
Derby and scored one, 19 again against Barnsley - scored one. That
conversion rate is not good enough," said the manager, who has also been
linked with Doncaster's Billy Sharp. "In an ideal world I would say we'd be
looking to sign two or three quality players - a defender, a wide player and
a striker."
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West Ham boss Allardyce targets Tottenham outcast Corluka
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 8:45 AM on 3rd January 2012
Daily Mail
Tottenham are poised to off-load full-back Vedran Corluka to West Ham for
the remainder of the season. The Croatia international has dropped down the
pecking order behind Kyle Walker who made the right-back position his own
this season. Corluka has started just one Barclays Premier League game for
Spurs this season and is worried his lack of game time will affect his
chances of playing at the European Championships. The Hammers - who
currently occupy second place in the Championship - are pushing hard for
promotion have had to beat off stiff competition from Serie A outfit Roma.
And chairman David Sullivan has admitted they have already made three bids
for players, but may be thwarted as clubs are unwilling to let players go
half way through the season. He said: 'It's not easy to acquire key players
clubs don't want to lose.'
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