Daily WHUFC News - 12th May 2012

Vaz Te delighted with double
WHUFC.com
Ricardo Vaz Te had three reasons to celebrate on Monday
10.05.2012

West Ham United's official 'Signing of the Season' Ricardo Vaz Te was a
proud man after picking up his double Player of the Month awards for April
after impressing with six important goals for the Hammers. Vaz Te picked up
both the April npower Championship Player of the Month and the SBOBET Player
of the Month awards after scoring a hat-trick against Brighton plus two
further goals against Birmingham and one away Barnsley at the beginning of
the month. "I'm so happy to have won these awards and I have got my
team-mates to thank really for putting me in positions to score. I'm
delighted and hopefully I can keep it going into the Play-Off final."

Vaz Te was also keen to show his appreciation for the West Ham fans who have
given him a great reception since his January move from Barnsley. Vaz Te
arrived having scored 12 goals for the Tykes already this season and has
carried on where he left off with eleven goals in 15 starts for his new
side. Since day one the fans have been great; they have accepted me and
given me the opportunity to show what I can do which I am very grateful for.
It's a nice way to repay them with my performances. Vaz Te said, "When I
came here the pressure was on me to perform. I had to hit the ground running
and I made sure I did my homework and adapted quickly and it paid off which
is fantastic. I just have to make sure I'm ready for all the challenges
ahead."

With the Play-off final against Blackpool at Wembley just nine days, Vaz Te
is looking to use the favourites tag as a springboard for Wembley success.
"I'm definitely looking forward to it (playing at Wembley). Since day one
there has been a huge amount of pressure on the club to get promotion. The
club are used to this pressure so I think we should use it to our advantage.
We have the experience needed to win this game."

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Sir Trevor's Wembley memories
WHUFC.com
talkSPORT's Ian 'Moose' Abrahams talks to West Ham United legend Sir Trevor
Brooking
11.05.2012

Moose on the Loose - Ian 'Moose' Abrahams talks to West Ham United legend
Sir Trevor Brooking

When I was a kid my favourite West Ham player was Trevor Brooking. I wanted
to be Trevor Brooking. I remember when, aged nine, I was at Charlton when we
lost 1-0. Trevor didn't play that day but afterwards my uncle Roger and I
were in the players' lounge, and Trevor was standing behind us. You won't
believe it but I needed encouragement to go over and ask Trevor for his
autograph. In the last 20 years I've met Trevor many times, so I'm not so
star-struck anymore, but I always cherish conversations we have had. This
week I went to FA HQ at Wembley and enjoyed an hour in the company of the
last man to score a winning goal at Wembley for West Ham; a man who was the
perfect gentleman on the pitch and remains one off it; a man who simply is
Mr West Ham United.

COFFEE WITH MY CUP FINAL HERO

Over a coffee in Trevor's office, I began with 1980 and that goal against
Arsenal and asked if it was the best moment of his illustrious footballing
career. "Oh yes. At the time, I scored in the 13th minute and although we
were excited, I didn't think it was going to be the only goal of the game.
Later, I spoke to Paul Allen and said to him 'It's lucky you didn't score
and Willie Young bought you down, otherwise I wouldn't have been the hero'!"

Trevor laughed but went on: "He was only 17 and probably didn't appreciate
the joke. We went into the game really confident. Arsenal were a great side
and everyone thought whoever won their semi-final saga with Liverpool, which
went to four games, would just turn up and beat us. "But because late on in
the season we'd become used to winning, you get that momentum and I can
honestly say we fancied our chances. John Lyall changed things tactically on
the day as they were quite good in midfield with the likes of Liam Brady and
Graham Rix, so he dropped Stuart Pearson back into a midfield role and
sacrificed David Cross up front on his own. "I remember we kept the ball,
passed it, and apart from the goal we had other chances. I never felt at any
stage that we were going to lose the match. We had a terrific back four,
little Pikey [Geoff Pike] was our anchor man and because of Brady and Rix,
Paul Allen was bought in to help with my legs. "He started on the right and
never left Brady's side, and of course we had Dev [Alan Devonshire] on the
left who was a fantastic outlet for us. Stuart Pearson dropped in deep and
of course David Cross was upfront occupying their back four."

Few would argue with the statement that Trevor is one of the most elegant
footballers this country has ever produced and yet the goal the won the FA
Cup that sunny, warm May afternoon was as un-Brooking like as you could
imagine, or was it? "We got the ball in midfield and spread it out to Dev,
and we knew that one-on-one with the defender, he'd get past the full-back
and to the by-line and cross it in. Of course his cross was tipped by Pat
Jennings to the far post and David Cross had a shot that hit Willie Young
and rebounded to Stuart Pearson just inside the area. "All this took place
within a few seconds and I just wandered into a spot inside the area midway
between the six-yard line and the penalty spot admiring the fracas when the
element of luck happened because Stuart didn't pass to me - he had a shot of
goal.

"As we all know most strikers don't hit the target and Stuart's wasn't on
target either! He'd dragged it across goal and suddenly it starting heading
towards me. I knew that if I'd stood still it would've clipped me on the
right ear, so knowing the goal six yards to my left, I instinctively fell
back and guided the ball towards the goal and Pat couldn't get it. "I was
left unmarked even though there were a lot of people around because they
never thought I'd score with a header."

A RARE HEADER?

I'd seen Trevor score some very special goals - the one at Upton Park in the
mud against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Cup Winners' Cup semi-final second
leg in April 1976 when he ran onto the ball, came inside the defender and
curled it into the net, and the Big Match's Goal of the Season at Derby in
November 1975, when he allowed the ball to run across his body and curled it
in from the edge of the box. Trevor's Wembley winner wasn't a patch on those
stunning goals, but as he explains it was his most memorable goal.

"Of course it's the most memorable thing I've ever done, although of course
not from a technical point of view. But over the last 32 years, genuinely
not a week has gone by when someone hasn't reminded me of that goal or
wanted to talk to me about that goal. Every time I get into a taxi, the
cabbie seems to be an Arsenal fan and within a minute says to me 'I can't
believe you got that header' and starts a debate with me about how many
headers I got in my career - it's great banter!
"So technically it may not have been the best goal, but it was a
life-changing goal because it's become a topic that gives hundreds of people
something they can talk to me about, people that I've never met. That goal
gives something which can trigger a discussion, be it when I'm at a function
or in a cab. It's a conversation starter which is great.

"It was a precious moment and to get an FA Cup medal, added to the one I got
in 1975, it's only when you've packed up and look back you appreciate it.
That's why I always find it mystifying when managers play weakened teams in
cup competitions because they want to stay in the top-flight. Ten years
after you've packed up, nobody remembers that you stayed in the top division
for six seasons, but they will remember a Wembley goal and sometimes players
are deprived that precious moment that I had that day."

A HOME FROM HOME

I put it to Trevor that Wembley was almost his second home as a player. He
played two FA Cup finals, a League Cup final, two Charity Shields and
numerous England Internationals there. Wembley continues to be Trevor's home
now with the FA based there, but the modern day stadium is very different to
the one he knew as a player, and he quickly told me about the element of
Wembley he loved which now no longer exists - that long walk from the
dressing rooms to the halfway line where the players line up before the
game.

"The walk was special. In fact two things were special - the first was the
wait in the tunnel because the old tunnel was uphill and you were told to
wait there. You could hear the noise and then when you were told to go, the
eruption of the crowd as you came out was tingling, it was such a unique
feeling.
"The second was the walk across which was quite long, but it was good for a
player because it gave you time to settle, to look around and to really soak
up the atmosphere. By the time you lined up to be presented you were really
raring to go. It was a stage like no other. "You stood there and realised
that you'd worked your whole career to be here - all the training and
practicing was to get you to this stage where you wanted to deliver and
perform because you do have your defining moments.

"Having said that I saw the decline of the old stadium when I was a
broadcaster and the new Wembley is starting to create its own atmosphere.
There isn't that long a walk so the modern players wouldn't understand that,
but it's a long walk to go up and get your medal! "I'm not sure I would've
made it in my day with my fitness levels. It is such a long walk up to the
Royal Box now you've got to make it worthwhile and make sure you're going up
to get a winner's medal and the cup!"

THE KNOCKOUT BLOW!

As we saw recently with Chelsea and their UEFA Champions League semi-final,
discipline today is everything. It would be awful to get to Wembley but have
some or any of our key players missing through suspension. Now, Trevor had a
disciplinary record that really was second-to-none, but as he told me there
was an occasion where he knocked out a referee on the pitch and wasn't even
booked. "I suppose with my disciplinary record this is something of an
ironic story. I was only booked three or four times in my career at West
Ham, I was never booked during my England days, and I was never sent off,
but I did once knock out the referee.
"It was 26 August 1968, quite early in my West Ham career, and we were
playing Burnley at Upton Park. We eventually won the game 5-0, and although
I scored twice, it was another incident in that game that I will be
remembered for. It was during the game I left the referee Mr Edward David
Wallace unconscious in what was the most embarrassing thing that ever
happened to me. "The ball had gone out of play near the halfway line and as
we were preparing to take the throw I was thinking in my mind that I had to
get myself into space. I walked away from the area trying to make out that I
wasn't interested in getting the ball as I tried to shake off my marker. "I
turned back into the space that I had created and as I span back,
unfortunately the referee was just trying to get out that particular area
and as I turned, I caught him on the temple with my elbow and he collapsed
and fell. "We all froze for a second or two and, showing why he was such a
great man and skipper, our captain Bobby Moore came up to the stricken
referee and blew the whistle to stop play. The linesman came on and then
unfortunately even with the smelling salts they couldn't bring the ref
round. Eventually when he did get up he was too dazed to continue. "So the
linesman replaced him and in those days they had to put the call out over
the PA system for somebody who was a qualified referee to come down and run
the line, which duly happened. "Obviously that was an accident but it does
enable me to say that I am one of the few footballers to have knocked out
the referee and gotten away with it - although afterwards, when the ref had
recovered, his wife came over to me and joked that she was going to call the
police and make sure I got at least 25 years!"

As a footnote to Sir Trevor's story, on 12 March 1977 the West Ham legend
was involved in an exact same incident. In the 1-0 win over Manchester City
at Upton Park, he accidently knocked out the referee Eric Read with his
elbow in the second half! Here's hoping with respect to my all-time hero
this is the last interview he does as the last West Ham player to score a
winning goal for the Hammers at Wembley - a sentiment he echoes. "I hope we
get to the final at Wembley. It will be a big occasion and somebody will be
lucky enough to look back on that game, as I do 32 on, as it being one of
the defining moments of their football career."

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Anton aiming for perfect hat-trick
WHUFC.com
Former Hammers defender Anton Ferdinand is eager to end the season on a high
11.05.2012

Anton Ferdinand is aiming to finish the 2011/12 season by enjoying the
perfect hat-trick. The former West Ham United defender, who was back at the
Boleyn Ground for Monday's npower Championship Play-Off semi-final
second-leg win over Cardiff City, is now with Queens Park Rangers. This
Sunday, Ferdinand hopes his QPR side can ensure their Premier League status
by holding Manchester City, handing brother Rio's Manchester United the
opportunity to snatch the title from their rivals' grasp on the final day.
Six days' later, the 2005 Play-Off final winner will be at Wembley to cheer
on his former club as they go for promotion in the npower Championship
Play-Off final. Speaking to whufc.com after a weekend that also saw QPR nick
a massive 1-0 win over Stoke City through Djibril Cisse's late goal,
Ferdinand is feeling positive about the future for both his current and
former clubs. "It was a good weekend for me. It was a game we needed to win.
We left it late but better late than never! Djibril came up trumps like he
does all the time and scored a good goal. I was going for goal myself, truth
be told, but Djibril was luckily in the right place at the right time to
finish it off. The main thing is that we got the three points. "Monday was
brilliant. I love coming to watch the Hammers. I've been down a few times
this year and it's nice to see them in the Play-Off final and hopefully in
the Premier League next year."

Ferdinand was part of the side which beat Preston North End at the
Millennium Stadium to gain promotion in May 2005 and the defender knows just
how big and important an occasion the 19 May trip to Wembley is for the
Club. "The Play-Off final is a massive game but the calibre of player West
Ham have got are big-game players - the likes of Carlton Cole, Mark Noble,
the captain Kevin Nolan and James Tomkins at the back who has had a
fantastic season. It's nice to see him doing very well and playing good
football, especially as he's someone who is in the same position as me and
was coming through when I was here. "West Ham have got players who can
really turn up the heat when it comes to big games. "There are pressures of
playing in a Play-Off final, especially at a club like West Ham where the
fans expect to be in the top league all the time. With the players who have
come through this club and who are at this club and the history, that's why
they expect so much. "The fans are fantastic and for the players it makes
the pressure greater in a Play-Off final, knowing myself having played in it
in 2005. Once you're on the pitch, though, you forget about the pressure and
just get on with the game and if West Ham win, they will see how great the
fans are."

Looking forward, Ferdinand is hoping he, Rio and his old pals at West Ham
all have something to celebrate come the season's end. "That would be the
ideal month! Whether it happens or not I don't know but that would be the
ideal month. I'm sure Rio will be on the phone to me telling me we need to
get something at Man City so they can win the league!"

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Allardyce - we can handle pressure
Boss calling for Cardiff repeat at Wembley
Last Updated: May 9, 2012 9:50am
SSN

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is confident his side can handle the pressure
of a Wembley play-off final and secure promotion back to the Premier League.
The Hammers were denied automatic promotion on the final day of the regular
Championship season by Southampton, setting up a play-off semi-final tie
with Cardiff City. The Londoners subsequently breezed past Malky Mackay's
men, winning 2-0 in Cardiff before a 3-0 victory at Upton Park on Monday
rounded off a 5-0 aggregate rout. Allardyce will now lead his team out at
Wembley in the final against either Birmingham or Blackpool,who play the
second leg of their semi-final at St Andrew's on Wednesday evening. The
former Bolton boss insists his side will not be overawed by the occasion on
19th May and is confident of reaching the promised land of the Premier
League should they perform like they did against the Bluebirds. He said:
"I've no doubts we'll handle this pressure. It's a better stage to go and
deliver on, isn't it, Wembley?

Very difficult

"I don't know who I would prefer to play - whoever we play it's going to be
very difficult. "We can now look forward to it and make sure we deliver what
we've all wanted right from day one. "We'll be difficult to beat if we
reproduce the performances against Cardiff. "We've all delivered - whether
we can deliver in the final now is the ask."

The Championship play-off final is widely considered the richest game in
world football given the immense wealth on offer to those who make it up to
the Premier League. Having managed three Premier League sides Allardyce is
all too aware of the riches on offer in England's top flight.

More pressure

However, Allardyce admits he felt more pressure trying to keep his former
side Bolton in the top flight back on the final day of the 2002/03 season
than he does preparing for Wembley today. He added: "We had to beat
Middlesbrough at home and by doing so we sent West Ham down, so I probably
shouldn't mention it!
"But that was more pressure than a Wembley final. "We were chasing the
millions as always and chasing Premier League status. "It was massive
because Bolton are still in the Premier League. That's nine years times
£50million - which is a big bank-roll."

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Olympic Stadium Decision Delayed?
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die

A decision on the tenant for the Olympic Stadium, arising from the 2nd
procurement process, was due to be forthcoming on or around the 21 May 2012.
However, a report in the Telegraph today suggests that the decsion is now
likely to be subject to substantial delay.

The Mayor of London has confirmed that his new appointee to the Chair of the
Olympic Legacy Authority is to undertake a wide ranging review of the
post-games usage of the Olympic Park. This will, in turn, impact on a
decision on the OS tenancy. It has also been confirmed that the post-games
reconstruction works on the Olympic Park's facilities mean that public
access will be severely restricted under 2014, although some areas may be
accessible in 2013. So, there could be a potential 18 month to 2 year hiatus
in securing the much anticipated sporting and comunity legacy from the
Stratford site. Although disappointing, it was perhaps inevitable that the
necessary re-modelling would necessitate the delay. The important thing is
that the facilities do actually deliver on the legacy in the longer-term for
the benefit of the deprived communities in east London. Those communities
have always had a great tradition of producing top class sports people and
hopefully these new facilities will continue that; as well as ensuring that
it improves fitness/physical activity amongst the local populace and helps
tackle East London's horrendous health inequalities.

As for West Ham's tenancy of the OS, we shall have to wait to see what
happens? As I have sad previously, the move has to be right for the club and
a lot will depend on if the post-games works will make the Stadium more
football friendly? If they can do then, although it will never have the
closeness to the pitch of Upton Park, we may need to accept it in order to
secure the extra revenues to take the club forward. We shall see? What is
certain is that with the lose of the Stadum naming rights, the Stadium is
probably a less attractive financial proposition than it was under the
previous deal. And David Gold has clearly stated that the move will not
happen if it is not right for the club. Although that might be a public
gambit to apply pressure to secure more concessions on the tenancy. There is
little doubt that the Stadium needs West Ham as the anchor tenant to make it
viable. Accordingly, after the Para-Olympics, football should take priority
and the other sports/events must fit in around West Ham's season and
requirements, whether other sporting interests like it or not!

We also have this issue that Leyton Orient bang on about, in terms of West
Ham having permisson to move to the OS from the PL, but allegedly not the
Football League. Is that correct? If it is, perhaps that is yet another
incentive to win at Wembley on 19th May? Could it also be aother reason for
delaying the decision on the OS tenancy? Or is that too suggestion a bit too
conspiratorial?

Regardless, this OS farce has been just running and running. It would
certainly be nice to get some clarity if we are actually moving there or
not, some time soon.

SJ. Chandos.

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Is Scott Dann on West Ham's Transfer Wish List?
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die

Inevitably, it is getting to that time of the year when speculation
commences on possible transfer targets for next season. We have already been
linked with Blackburn Rovers keeper, Paul Robinson, and now there s another
story circulating that we may be interested in his team mate, Scott Dann.
Apparently, Southampton are also interested, but have had second thoughts
about the £6m escape clause allegedly in Dann's contract.

I am not sure if the transfer link is true, but he is certainly a very
strong centre-half, who formed a highly effective central defensive
partnership with Roger Johnson at Birmingham City. To be honest, I had been
hoping that, if we were promoted, we might consider a move for Johnson, who
has fell out of favour at relegated Wolves. Personally, I would prefer
Johnson, but either player would provide good competition and cover for
Tomkins and Reid. Indeed, there are a couple of other players at Wolves, who
we should rightly be interested in, such as Matt Jarvis and Stephen
Fletcher. While, I am sure that Sam Allardyce would be interested in
bringing Junior Hollett to the club if he has not already committeed to a
move elsewhere. Spurs, and a few others, will be interested in signing him.
We certainly need more width and pace down the flanks, especially if we
return to the PL. And players like Jarvis and Hollett can provide it.

Although the club's focus is rightly on winning the play-off Final, the fact
is that the club have probably already completed their transfer wish list,
based on the alternative scenarios of success and failure on 19th May, and
approaches are geared up to go. It will certanly make life a lot easier if
we can emerge victorious at Wembley. Because the focus will then be on
signing better quality players rather than staving off interest in our own.

Anyway, at present, all roads lead to Wembley!

SJ. Chandos.

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West Ham want Blackburn's Dann but Southampton put off by £6m buy-out clause
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 22:45, 11 May 2012 | UPDATED: 22:45, 11 May 2012
Daily Mail

Blackburn's Scott Dann is a target for West Ham should they gain promotion
to the top flight. The 25-year-old centre back has a £6m buy-out clause
which is putting off Southampton, who may turn to Bolton's out-of-contract
Zat Knight, and Reading.

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Southern: The pressure is on West Ham
Keith Southern
Published on Friday 11 May 2012 15:04
Blackpool Gazette

KEITH Southern says Blackpool could be up against a non-league team at
Wembley and they'd still be labelled underdogs. The Seasiders midfielder,
who is targeting a dream end to a season during which he was diagnosed with
testicular cancer, was reacting to West Ham being installed as firm
favourites with the bookies to win next weekend's play-off final and reach
the Premier League. The 31-year-old said: "We are used to the other team
being favourites. "We could be playing Aldershot Town at Wembley and they'd
still be the favourites. "It goes with the territory being at Blackpool FC,
I'm afraid. But that suits us down to the ground. West Ham won't want to
play us, trust me on that. "I genuinely think we can win. We wouldn't bother
turning up if we didn't. They beat us twice this season, so what? "We hadn't
got much from Birmingham in either league game yet we knocked them out. "So
all the pressure is on West Ham and let's see how they handle it."

Southern has been desperately unlucky to find himself on the bench for the
last few games, losing his place because of a three-game ban for a harsh
sending off against Barnsley. He was thrown on for the last half-hour at
Birmingham to help them over the finish line. He loved every minute but
admits it was tough, saying: "It was like being thrown into a cauldron when
I went on, and although I was delighted to get on the pitch it wasn't easy.
"Birmingham were piling people forward. I was just trying to stem the tide.
"At 2-2 we were worried. It was the land of the giants towards the end and
they were throwing balls into the box. "We were defending for our lives but
we held out and full credit to everybody. The back four and goalie were
different class. "The lads dug in. We rode our luck a little bit but I think
over the two legs we fully deserved it. "Now we have a great opportunity to
get back to the Premier League. That would be brilliant."

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