Daily WHUFC News - 1st May 2012

Noble voted Hammer of the Year
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble has been crowned 2011/12 Hammer of the Year - sponsored by Alpari (UK)
30.04.2012

Mark Noble has been crowned Hammer of the Year.

The midfielder capped a superb 2011/12 season by scooping the prestigious award - sponsored by Alpari (UK) - at West Ham United's fourth annual Awards Dinner at the London Hilton on Park Lane. Alpari (UK) COO David Stuart was on hand to present Noble with his award. Twice runner-up, Noble was rewarded for his outstanding performances over the past nine months by edging James Tomkins into second place after more than 10,000 votes were cast by West Ham supporters. Robert Green came in third and Kevin Nolan fourth. "It does sound really nice to be named Hammer of the Year, to be honest!" said a delighted Noble. "I have been runner-up a few times so it is just nice to win one. "I just want us to get back in the Premier League - that's my aim and I've just tried my best to help my club to do that. We've got three more games left and hopefully we can do it."

Lifelong Hammers Noble joins an elite band of winners that includes greats such as Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Billy Bonds, Trevor Brooking and Scott Parker. He is naturally honoured to be in such company. "Some of the players I have come second to over the years have been pretty special. I lost to Teddy Sheringham the first year when I got Young Hammer of the Year, then Carlos Tevez and then it was Scotty Parker. If I have half the career those players have then I'll be happy."

Homegrown hero Noble has enjoyed a fantastic season in claret and blue, scoring a career-high nine goals and chalking up a club-best 45 npower Championship appearances and nine assists. Perhaps the 24-year-old's best run of form came during February, when he was the driving force behind the Hammers collecting seven points from a possible nine - despite having a player sent-off in fixtures against Millwall, Southampton and Blackpool. Noble has fired in eight nerveless penalties out of eight this season, helping his side to secure vital victories over Peterborough United, Nottingham Forest and Portsmouth, while his tenacious tackling and tireless tracking was a constant thorn in the side of the opposition. The Academy graduate is the sole survivor from West Ham's 2004/05 Championship Play-Off-winning squad and is hoping to celebrate his first Hammer of the Year award by inspiring the club to promotion to the Premier League via the same route.

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Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
West Ham United have begun their preparations for Thursday's Play-Off semi-final first leg at Cardiff City
29.04.2012

West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce was happy that the Hammers once again have promotion to the Barclays Premier League back in their own hands. Big Sam and his squad were back at Chadwell Heath on Sunday morning after Saturday's 2-1 win against Hull City did not prove to be quite enough as Southampton secured the final automatic promotion spot. That means West Ham will now face a Play-Off semi-final away at Cardiff City on Thursday before a Bank Holiday Monday second leg to decide who goes through to the Wembley final. "It'll be a Bank Holiday Monday and everyone will be looking to finishing the long weekend off by coming here and supporting us and hoping that we can get through the two-legged tie," said the boss. "We just have to not worry about it and relax and enjoy the couple of days that we'll have to recover from Saturday, not just with ourselves, but at home with our families, to make sure we rest the bodies and get as much mental and physical fatigue out as you can. "We're stronger and fitter than we were at the start of the season and that's an important thing at this stage of the season. We've increased the fitness levels by preparing and recovering and using them in the right way and keeping them as fresh as we can."

Allardyce had the luxury of a near fully-fit squad on Saturday and will help the minor knocks and bumps will be patched up in time for Thursday night's game. James Tomkins and Kevin Nolan are both expected to be passed fit from head and leg injuries respectively, while there is some concern that Gary O'Neil will not make the game after a strong second-half tackle from Hull's Corry Evans left him with a sore right ankle. "The main problem is the short time between now and Thursday after 46 long and tough games," said Big Sam. "We could have done with a bit longer to overcome the injuries that we might have but the schedules have to be met and that's where it fits it in. "I had 21 players available on Saturday and I think the last time I had that was about five games in. The rest of the injured players have recovered and they'll come back into the squad. "The players who are in very good form are key to us. The only disappointment from Saturday was that it was out of our hands and the injury to Gary O'Neil, which was very unfortunate and for him considering how well he's been playing."

West Ham will go into the Play-Offs full on a high, having lost just once since 1 February and with four wins in their last six games. Better still, Carlton Cole's brace against the Tigers demonstrated how Big Sam's strikers have started finding the net again on a regular basis, which is unlikely to have gone unnoticed by Cardiff City's Malky Mackay. "We will all go into the game with a lot of confidence as we're playing well and we've all produced good performances. We've had some disappointing draws but the performances weren't bad but the end result was. "18 games with one defeat is very good. We'll see what happens in the semis and then we'll worry about the final after."

Big Sam admitted that although there was some frustration that West Ham were unable to leapfrog the Saints on the final day, he knows that the togetherness of his squad will ensure only positive emotions will remain going into Thursday. Undoubtedly the support of the Hammers faithful be essential to maintain the good vibes, with the 35,000 packed into the Boleyn Ground on Saturday making West Ham's game the second-highest attended game in the country on the day. "Coming into the ground on a day-to-day basis makes you smile as we've got a fantastic group of players. We're disappointed that we haven't achieved our ultimate goal of automatic promotion. "What I've got to do is show them the way forward and produce that form that will be good enough for the Play-Offs two legs and not concern ourselves with the final or even think about it yet. "Of the 30 teams that have been relegated in the last ten years, only eight have gone straight back up. For four of last five seasons, 86 points were enough and that shows you we are a bit unlucky but we've got to master our own destiny and prove that what we've got is good enough."

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Loanee round-up
WHUFC.com
Freddie Sears scored for Colchester United on a busy weekend of loanee action
30.04.2012

Three of West Ham Uniteds loanees were in action for their respective clubs this weekend as the Football League season nears its end. Cristian Montano, Freddie Sears and George Moncur all featured on Saturday with striker Sears taking the plaudits for scoring Colchester United's fourth goal on Saturday afternoon. The U's beat Tranmere Rovers 4-2 as they look to secure a top-ten finish in League One and Sears got on the scoresheet six minutes after coming on as a substitute. The striker cut in from the left-hand side before unleashing a fine strike that beat Rovers keeper Andy Coughlin at his near post.

Elsewhere Cristian Montano played the final 15 minutes of Oxford United's 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Southend United. The defeat dealt a blow to Oxford's Play Off hopes but they are still in with a chance going in to the final game.

George Moncur played the full 90 minutes for AFC Wimbledon as the Dons went down 4-0 away to struggling Barnet. The result leaves Wimbledon in 17th place in League Two, but safe from relegation.

Frank Nouble (Barnsley), Jordan Spence (Bristol City) and Pablo Barrera (Real Zaragoza) were all not involved, while goalkeeper Peter Kurucz (Rochdale) has returned to West Ham due to injury.

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Cardiff's Don Cowie says play-off pressure is on West Ham
BBC.co.uk

Cardiff City midfielder Don Cowie believes that the greater pressure will be on West Ham United when they clash in the Championship play-offs. The first leg is at Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday, 3 May, with the return at Upton Park the next Monday. "They [West Ham] were very close to going up automatically," said Scotland international Cowie. "They've got a great squad, they've spent a lot of money and I'm sure there'll be a lot of pressure on them."

The Hammers just missed out on an automatic promotion place, having to settle for third as Southampton and Reading booked their Premier League spots for next season. Cardiff also kept their hopes alive after Saturday's 2-1 win at Crystal Palace secured sixth place and the final spot in the play-offs. "There'll be a lot of pressure on us within our dressing-room," added Cowie, who scored the winner at Selhurst Park.

"Now that we're in these play-offs we don't want to let it slip, we've got a great opportunity and we want to make the most of it. "We're 10 games undefeated, first and foremost we've showed that we're hard to beat. "We go into the game on Thursday very confident that we'll definitely give West Ham something to think about."
Cowie's fellow Bluebirds midfielder Peter Whittingham, their other goal-scorer against Palace, says that despite West Ham's pedigree the sides should be evenly matched. "It's going to be a hard game, we know what a great team they are and they've been vying for the top two all season," Whittingham said. "But we're going into it full of confidence, we've not lost in a while so it's one of those games we're really looking forward to. "It's always going to be a lottery in the play-offs, you need that little bit of luck and hopefully this year we'll have some. "Maybe we've sneaked in under the radar a little bit and no one really knew who was getting sixth place. "But we knew that we were confident coming down here and we knew if we played our own game and stuck to the task that we'd get the win." Should Cardiff win through against West Ham, they will face one of two other former Premier League sides Birmingham and Blackpool in the play-off final at Wembley.

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The Academy: a season review
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 30th April 2012
By: Willis Jamieson

Success in youth football can be measured in different ways.

It can be measured in matches won, in players that get promoted to the first team, the progression of the scholars or even just in the way that they play the game. It is fair to say that whichever of those ways you judge the West Ham Academy teams this season, it can be called successful.

Including a pre-season that counted being runners up on goal difference to the Estonia national side in the Tallinn Cup as one of their achievements, The under 18 side won an impressive 23 games and drew five out of a possible 40.

The competitive season began with an eight-game unbeaten run including a 4-1 opening day victory against Sheffield United. Elliot Lee, son of former player Rob Lee carried on from his seven goals in pre-season by scoring an impressive hat-trick. After finishing last season with a final day hat-trick against Chelsea, Lee was continuing his fine form. In the next game he would complete his hat-trick of hat-tricks by scoring all three goals in a five-goal thriller away at Sunderland.

Perhaps the most enjoyable performance from the young Hammers came in their next game, an away trip to London rivals Tottenham. The style of the 4-0 victory was what impressed most with a solid defensive display from Jake Larkins in goal as well as Jake Young, Kenzer Lee, Leo Chambers and the soon to break into the first team Dan Potts all working hard for the clean sheet.

At the other end, late replacement Kieran Sadlier gave the Hammers a half time lead and two goals from Blair Turgott and one more from Jack Powell in the second half provided the travelling fans with a memorable victory.

Other impressive wins included beating the Academy teams of Chelsea and Arsenal as well as an enjoyable cup run that saw a great 3-2 away victory at Wolves and a 4-1 victory against Brighton in front of a 1,500+ crowd at The Boleyn.

The Cup run came to a heart-breaking end at Staines against a strong Chelsea side. A good crowd travelled to support the lads who although struggling in the first half fought back to be leading 3-2 with just seconds to go, sadly deep into injury time Chelsea scrambled an equaliser and went on to win 5-4 on penalties.

With the game being shown live on TV it was a great opportunity for the fans to see the quality that we have coming through, as well as their excellent team spirit.

Another way to measure success is by the progress of the players through the ranks and once again this season can be counted as a positive one. Three Academy players made their first team debuts in Rob Hall, Dan Potts and Callum McNaughton - whilst Olly Lee and George Moncur made the bench on a couple of occasions.

Along with Dan Potts and Rob Hall, others have also enjoyed representing their country at youth level. Blair Turgott, Mathias Fanimo, Leo Chambers and Josh Cullen have all represented England and Kieran Sadlier has been capped by Ireland.

So whether you judge success at Academy level by games won, style of play or if, like Academy director Tony Carr, you judge it by progression and development of players, then the Academy at West Ham continues to move forward with many of the scholars having bright futures ahead of them.


Goalkeepers

Jake Larkins (14 appearances): Started season as first choice and performed really well, suffered a groin strain that kept him out of last part of the season.

Dave Wooton (8 appearances): Took over from Larkins and did very well. Good performance in the Chelsea cup match keeping us in it a number of times.

Sam Baxter (6 appearances): A first year scholar who, at the start of the season was third in line so spent time on loan. His 6'4" frame saw him play a number of times for the Development Squad and six more for the under 18s. Expect to see him a lot more next season.


Defenders

Leo Chambers (24 appearances): An excellent season at centre back for Leo that at just 16, saw him play regularly for the under 18s - but also a number of times for England, including captaining and scoring as the England under 17s won the Algarve Cup.

Kenzer Lee (26 appearances; 1 goal): Formed a good partnership with Chambers and has helped keep the under 18's solid at the back.

Dan Potts (15 appearances; 2 goals): Started off as captain of the under 18s and played well at left back and centre back. His performances earned him a well-deserved call-up to the first team and he has been in and around the match day squad ever since. He impressed on his debut and also enjoyed an international call up.


Dan Potts


Frazer Shaw (26 appearances; 1 goal): A left back who enjoys supporting the attack, he had a good season as part of a strong back four.

Josh Siafa (11 appearances): A centre back and first year scholar, Josh has had limited chances but played a bit more towards the end of the season when more first years were brought into team with a view to next season.

Jake Young (27 appearances; 1 goal): Jake formed a good relationship at right back with the rest of the back four, although he has now left the club and is currently having trials with Colchester United. Tony Carr recently stated that Luke is a credit to himself and his family and along with us, wishes him well in the future.


Midfielders

Dominic Vose (18 appearances; 2 goals): A mixed season for the attacking midfielder who has put problems in his personal life behind him. He has a lot of quality and will hope to play a lot more next season for the Development Squad and push for a first team debut. Vose scored four in 14 appearances for the Development Squad; his most memorable game was coming on as a substitute in the Cup tie with Chelsea where he turned the game in our favour. Sadly it was his poor penalty miss that ultimately lost it.

Blair Turgott (30 appearances; 10 goals): An excellent season for Blair that has seen him progress well. He has enjoyed playing for both the Development Squad and under 18s scoring a total of 13 goals. Blair has captained the under 18s a number of times and having already signed a professional contract, the future looks bright.


Blair Turgott


Kieran Sadlier (25 appearances; 10 goals): A first year scholar with great technical ability and an excellent eye for goal. Kieran has frequently played on the left but looks most dangerous behind the striker.

Pelly Ruddock (11 appearances): A strong holding midfielder who hasn't been able to enjoy a run of games, but has looked good whenever he has appeared.

Jack Powell (26 appearances; 4 goals): Really enjoyable to watch as he is very good on the ball and has great vision and passing ability.

Taylor Miles (27 appearances; 2 goals): A perfect partner for the more technically gifted Powell, Miles always works hard and is excellent in breaking up play and simply distribution. He also has great shooting ability as his wonder goal in the Chelsea Cup tie proved.

Lamar Hurley (21 appearances; 1 goal): A holding midfielder who enjoyed a decent start to the season, although Lamar has since been released by the club.

Mathias Fanimo (26 appearances; 6 goals): A tricky, skillful winger who has been called up to the Development Squad on 12 occasions. With his pace and the way he runs at defenders he has looked good on most occasions he has featured.

Kieran Bywater (7 appearances): Kieran has progressed from the under 16s to play a few times towards the end of the season. Kieran will be looking forward to making the central midfield position his own next season.


Strikers

Elliot Lee (29 appearances; 20 goals): Being the main striker for most of the season it is no surprise that Lee ended the season as top scorer. Seven goals in pre-season was followed by hat-tricks in his first two games of the season. As the season has progressed he has found it harder, but has a great eye for goal and doesn't stop working.


Elliott Lee


Nana Yiadom (6 appearances; 1 goal): Nana only started one game and made five substitute appearances. He often played for the under 16s before joining the under 18s in the second half of the campaign. Nana has enjoyed a good season and has scored a number of times for the under 16 and fully deserves his full time scholarship.

Dylan Tombides: A special mention for Dylan as although he has been unable to play a part this season due to fighting cancer, he has progressed really well - so much so that in the last couple of weeks he has returned to training with the rest of the squad. We wish him well as he continues his recovery and lookforward to seeing him play again soon.


With 11 players from the U16's being given fulltime scholarships to join up with this year's first year scholars, the Academy system continues to move forward. We have a good squad to look forward to further success next year.

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Noble named HotY
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 30th April 2012
By: Staff Writer

Mark Noble has been crowned Hammer of the Year at tonight's swanky awards ceremony at the London Hilton. Tonight's bash, to which most fans were priced out of attending with tickets costing up to £275 saw the 24-year-old named as the latest recipient of the award that has been running since 1958. Noble narrowly beat central defender James Tomkins into second place, with goalkeeper Robert Green coming in third. It was the first time that the Canning Town-born midfielder has won the award, which was first won by Andy Malcolm at the end of the 1957/58 promotion season. Voting for KUMB.com's 15th annual awards will open next week. Stay tuned for more details.

HotY: Previous Winners

1958 Andy Malcolm
1959 Ken Brown
1960 Malcolm Musgrove
1961 Bobby Moore
1962 Lawrie Leslie
1963 Bobby Moore
1964 Johnny Byrne
1965 Martin Peters
1966 Geoff Hurst
1967 Geoff Hurst
1968 Bobby Moore
1969 Geoff Hurst
1970 Bobby Moore
1971 Billy Bonds
1972 Trevor Brooking
1973 Pop Robson
1974 Billy Bonds
1975 Billy Bonds
1976 Trevor Brooking
1977 Trevor Brooking
1978 Trevor Brooking
1979 Alan Devonshire
1980 Alvin Martin
1981 Phil Parkes
1982 Alvin Martin
1983 Alvin Martin
1984 Trevor Brooking
1985 Paul Allen
1986 Tony Cottee
1987 Billy Bonds
1988 Stewart Robson
1989 Paul Ince
1990 Julian Dicks
1991 Luděk Mikloško
1992 Julian Dicks
1993 Steve Potts
1994 Trevor Morley
1995 Steve Potts
1996 Julian Dicks
1997 Julian Dicks
1998 Rio Ferdinand
1999 Shaka Hislop
2000 Paolo Di Canio
2001 Stuart Pearce
2002 Sébastien Schemmel
2003 Joe Cole
2004 Matthew Etherington
2005 Teddy Sheringham
2006 Danny Gabbidon
2007 Carlos Tévez
2008 Robert Green
2009 Scott Parker
2010 Scott Parker
2011 Scott Parker

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Play-off picture
Sky Sports considers the promotion credentials of those clubs entering the Championship play-offs.
Last Updated: April 30, 2012 4:33pm
SSN

Four teams have bought a ticket for the Championship play-off lottery, but only one will see their numbers come up. For the lucky ones, fame and fortune in the Premier League awaits, with the richest game in world football set to take them to the Promised Land. Three of those looking to hit the jackpot have tasted the high life before and are desperate to rub shoulders with English football's elite once more. In fact, they are all looking to bounce back into the big time at the first time of asking, with the relegation pain of last season countered by the joys of a promotion push. Making up the quartet of hopefuls is a club that have endured play-off heartache on an all too regular basis in the recent past and have been forced to watch on as their fiercest rivals have taken the top flight by storm - making history in the process. All four clubs have every reason to believe that 2012 will be their year, but who has what it takes to negotiate three epic encounters and experience the highest of highs at Wembley Stadium on 19th May?

West Ham United

The Hammers were billed as pre-season title favourites, with it widely expected that their flirtation with the second tier would last no longer than 12 months. For much of the season it appeared as though they would live up to the hype and secure a top-two finish, but their inability to turn draws into wins - especially at home - means they will have to take the scenic route back to the Premier League. They will be hoping that the vast top flight experience they boast within their ranks plays into their hands, with the likes of Robert Green, George McCartney, Carlton Cole, Jack Collison and Papa Bouba Diop international stars who are accustomed to gracing grander stages. West Ham will also be looking to manager Sam Allardyce to mastermind their ascent back to the big time, with his past experience of promotion pushes a possible ace in their pack.

Birmingham City

The one concern for Birmingham heading into the end-of-season shake-up will be running out of gas. The Blues have done remarkably well to juggle domestic and European commitments and give themselves a shot at promotion. The Blues have already taken in an energy-sapping 60 games in 2011/12 and there will be a few in the St Andrews camp that are running on fumes. They are, however, only three games away from an immediate return to the top flight and Chris Hughton will demand one last push from his players. They have the quality to pip their rivals to the post, with Marlon King and Nikola Zigic a strike force to be reckoned with and Curtis Davies a consistent performer who would grace many a Premier League back four. The Blues will be in with a shout if they can field their strongest side and steer well clear of extra-time.

Blackpool

Ian Holloway has turned Blackpool from Championship relegation-fodder into a Premier League surprise package and a club that feels they now belong at the top table. Their exploits in 2010/11 proved that they are capable of holding their own among the best in the business and they will feel better prepared for another shot at the big time for having been through that experience. Holloway must have feared the worst when he saw a number of his leading lights head through the exits last summer, but his man management skills and ability to bring the best out of those available to him has seen him carry the Seasiders to within touching distance of a second play-off success in three years. Veteran frontman Kevin Phillips has proved to be an inspired singing, while Matt Phillips has blossomed into a forward of international calibre. The fact that they know what it takes to prevail in the play-offs makes them a considerable threat, and there is every chance that they could line up against Cardiff at Wembley in a repeat of the 2009/10 final.

Cardiff City

The side that finishes sixth has a history of faring well in the play-offs, and Cardiff will be hoping that trend continues. There is, however, little to choose between the four clubs, with there no record which stands out and suggests that one team has the momentum firmly behind them. All of those in the mix ended the campaign with useful unbeaten runs, and the Bluebirds have gone 10 games since they last came unstuck. Cardiff will be hoping to emulate Swansea's success from last season and join their fellow Welshmen in the Premier League, but it could be a mental barrier that holds them back. Cardiff fell at the final hurdle in 2010 and slipped up at the semi-final stage last season. They must not allow previous failures to weigh on their mind this time around and will be looking to the likes of Liam Lawrence, Peter Whittingham and Kenny Miller to see them over the line.

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Hammers duo to make play-offs
Nolan and Tomkins will be ready to face Bluebirds
Last Updated: April 30, 2012 12:28pm
SSN

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce will have Kevin Nolan and James Tomkins available to him in Thursday's play-off clash with Cardiff. The Hammers travel to South Wales in midweek for the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final. They will make the trip with a strong squad at their disposal, with key men having shaken off knocks to put themselves in contention. Centre-half Tomkins suffered a head injury during Saturday's 2-1 victory over Hull City and club captain Nolan limped off with a dead leg. Both are, however, expected to line up against the Bluebirds.

Schedule

Gary O'Neil may be forced to sit the tie out, though, after taking a blow to his ankle from Hull's Corry Evans. Allardyce told the Hammers' official website: "The main problem is the short time between now and Thursday after 46 long and tough games. "We could have done with a bit longer to overcome the injuries that we might have but the schedules have to be met and that's where it fits in. "I had 21 players available on Saturday and I think the last time I had that was about five games in. The rest of the injured lads have recovered and they'll come back into the squad. "The players who are in very good form are key to us. The only disappointment from Saturday was that it was out of our hands and the injury to Gary O'Neil, which was very unfortunate for him considering how well he's been playing."

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Mark Noble urges West Ham to forget their final-day agony
Ken Dyer
30 April 2012
Evening Standard

Mark Noble today claimed it is vital West Ham do not let the disappointment of failing to secure one of the automatic promotion places affect their preparation for the play-offs. West Ham's 2-1 win over Hull on the final day of the Championship season wasn't enough to overhaul Southampton, who were promoted along with champions Reading following their 4-0 victory over Coventry, and Sam Allardyce's team now travel to Cardiff for Thursday's play-off semi-final first leg. Noble is the only member of West Ham's squad who was involved when they last won promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs, in 2005. "Last time we did it, I was a young kid and I remember Alan Pardew telling me to get ready to go on with about 25 minutes left," said Noble."It was unbelievable to get on and see the final out, I've had that feeling only a couple of times before in my career and hopefully I can experience it again. "We set out for automatic promotion at the start of the season and after the game against Hull I said to the lads that we had better get our heads around the situation quickly. "When you just sneak in finishing sixth, as we did last time, everyone is buzzing but you could tell on Saturday we were disappointed having ended up third and just missing out. "We need to banish that disappointment quickly because Cardiff are a top team with a top manager."

Allardyce has injury concerns over captain Kevin Nolan (dead leg) and Gary O'Neil (ankle injury), following the win over Hull and admitted he would ideally have wanted longer for his players to recover. "One of the problems is the short recovery time between now and Thursday after 46 arduous matches," he said. "We could have done with a week to rest the injuries and bruises but as always tight schedules have to be met." O'Neil, who missed the first half of the season with an ankle injury, is hoping he will be fit in time. "I knew it wasn't too serious," said the midfielder. "But it was a kick on the same ankle and I wasn't too pleased with the tackle, especially as it was late in the final game of the season. It was unnecessary and it's a bit sore at the moment."

Cardiff v West Ham, Thursday, 7.45pm (live on Sky Sports 1/HD)

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