Daily WHUFC News - 24th August 2012

Captain's Blog
WHUFC.com
Kevin Nolan is looking to build on the Hammers' fine away form last season
23.08.2012

Welcome back everyone for the new season - it's great to be back in the
Barclays Premier League. Since we all returned for pre-season we have been
waiting for the first game, like I am sure all of you were, and it was great
to get the new campaign off to a winning start. First of all, I would just
like to say a big thank-you for the magnificent support that greeted us as
we walked out on to the pitch at home to Aston Villa. There was a fantastic
buzz around the stadium and all of you our fans were in great voice again.
It took me back to the Play-Off final with the noise you were all making and
it was absolutely brilliant for us to get the win and for me to be able to
pop up with the goal. The packed house we had and the atmosphere you all
made meant it was even more special. A win breeds confidence and there have
been smiles on the faces around the training ground this week. We have to
take that and the work we have been doing this week into the game at Swansea
this weekend.

It will be a tough game, they also had a fantastic result of their own on
the first day and deservedly so, so we under no illusions about what we are
facing. But if we can get on top of them and give a 110 per cent, we will
certainly be giving it a go. This season will be all about giving everything
for you all, playing good football along the way and I think you saw both of
those things against Aston Villa on Saturday. We will be working hard and
pushing each other. As we all know, it will be tough at times. No games in
this league are going to be easy - away games especially - so your support
will be a big factor for us again this year and we don't take it for
granted. I'd like to say a big thanks to all of you travelling to see us at
Swansea and if anyone else fancies coming I've heard there are still a few
tickets left.
I would like to welcome the new lads who have joined us this season so far
and I thought they were brilliant on Saturday. If Ginge keeps to that level
of performance throughout the season he will be top notch for us. Mo Maiga
came on was very close to marking his debut with a goal, but I am sure he's
going to pop up with some lovely goals for us this season.

Momo Diame has been doing what you saw him doing on Saturday for Wigan for
years. His work rate is boss, he is good on the ball and he has great
awareness. It was nice to have him and Nobes beside me helping me out! The
new lads seemed to have settled in well. Something I have always believed in
massively is to have good spirit and togetherness in the dressing room,
especially if you want to go far, and I think we gained from that last year.
It gives the new boys a sense of security early on and they can just
concentrate on their football. We are a family here and we make sure we
stick together when there are rough patches, but by sticking together we
will have more good times than bad. The gaffer and the club are still
working hard to bring some more new lads in to strengthen us and so that
will be good for us as we go forward.

With the injury I picked up in pre-season, I have not been training fully
and have mostly been in the gym and getting my fitness up for the past three
weeks. To have got 70 minutes under my belt against Villa was great and full
marks go to our backroom staff of Andy Rolls, Eamon Swift, Monte Colombo,
Taka Yamamoto and Will Storey. I don't think I could have done it without
them and the care and that they gave me was fantastic. We are a Premier
League club again and it feels good pulling on the shirt with the Premier
League patches on and playing the other clubs in this league. What we have
to try and do this year is prove we should be here and remain in this
league, I feel we can do that and then look to keep going for the future and
have the club where we want it to be in this league.

Off the pitch, there has been some house-moving this summer for the Nolan
family. I have my wife and children down here with me now, so it is really
nice and great to have them with me again. We are looking forward to
enjoying our life here. It has been a good week of training and we will take
this hard work into our game at Swansea and then into the Capital One Cup
game on Tuesday against Crewe Alexandra. It's been a busy week and one which
is not easy, but with hard work and effort, hopefully we can do the
business.

Come on you Irons!
Kevin Nolan
Captain

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Fulham now Kids for a Quid!
WHUFC.com
The 1 September home match with Fulham is now Kids for a Quid!
22.08.2012

West Ham United's next home Barclays Premier League match with Fulham on
Saturday 1 September has been designated Kids for a Quid. The superb offer
from the Board as part of their 'affordable football for all' campaign means
any number of Under-16s pay just £1 when accompanied by a full paying adult.
That means any attending adult can buy multiple Under-16 tickets for £1 and
it is not limited to one child per adult. Please note that Under-16s are not
permitted to attend unaccompanied by an adult.

Adult tickets start at just £36 for Academy Members and £39 for non-Academy
Members. And if the ticket price was not enough of a draw, a packed Boleyn
Ground can expect a thrilling contest with both sides getting off to winning
starts in the opening weekend. West Ham United were worthy 1-0 winners
against Aston Villa on Saturday thanks to Kevin Nolan's close-range stike,
while Fulham put five goals past Norwich City.

If recent form is anything to go by then it could be a good afternoon for
Big Sam's side. They are unbeaten in six at home to the Cottagers and have
lost just once in the last 12 meetings between the two clubs. There could
also be a new signing or two on display so make sure you secure seat today
to avoid missing out

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Academy Ace - Gines Guzman Rosique
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's new young Spanish goalkeeper is hoping to achieve big
things
23.08.2012

Having finally secured his dream move to England, new Under-18s goalkeeper
Gines Guzman Rosique is hoping to achieve big things in the footballing
world.
Born in the Spanish city of Murcia, Guzman Rosique has been seeking a move
to England for more than a year and, after complications involving a
possible switch to Peterbrough United, he joined West Ham United earlier
this summer. Still only 17, he is now setting his sights on climbing the
goalkeeping ladder with the Hammers. "I started playing five-a-side with my
local team Ranero FC and after we won the cup I was scouted and moved to
seven-a-side," said Guzman, who learned English while studying alongside
expatriate youngsters at school. "From there I moved up to eleven-a-side and
played for another local team called Baniajan FC until two or three years
ago. "I appeared in the Peterborough squad last year and they offered me a
contract but one of my old teams couldn't agree compensation and it all
stopped. "My father told me 'One door closes and another opens', and after
returning to Spain for a year here I am."

While Spain has a fantastic reputation for producing young talent, Guzman
Rosique explained that he feels he has a greater chance of progressing in
England.
"People always talk about how clubs like Barcelona bring through world-class
talent but in reality it is not that simple. "Teams in Spain have ten youth
teams and ten reserve teams, so the chances of you getting through are
impossible, but here it is one youth, one reserve then the first team."

While he has left his homeland to pursue his dream, the teenager still looks
back to Spain for inspiration - most notably from Barcelona stopper Valdes.
"My dream would be to receive a professional contract, and I would love that
to be here at West Ham. Then I ultimately hope to return to Spain and play
for one of the big teams in La Liga. "I want to start here, build my
experience, develop and then in the future we will see. "Victor Valdes
provides great inspiration for me. The way he moves, reacts, and the way he
plays with the ball at his feet are something I really feel I can learn
from."

While he recognises Valdes' strengths, Guzman Rosique is not so keen to
discuss his own abilities. "I am very quick, but it's hard to say what I
like about myself and I would rather let others watch me and make up their
own minds. "I want to improve everything. I feel my main quality is that I
want to learn and will work hard to do so. It is a different game over here
- more physical - so I need to make sure I adapt. "Not many people back in
Spain have the opportunity I have and even though my parents were worried
and wanted me to study, they understood this was an opportunity I couldn't
turn down."
Having been brave enough to move to England, everyone at the club is backing
Guzman Rosique to make the most of his opportunity.

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Swansea v West Ham
BBC.co.uk
KO 12:45
23 August 2012
By Dan O'Hagan
MOTD commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Liberty Stadium Date: Saturday, 25 August

New Swansea signing Kyle Bartley was not considered for selection last
weekend, but may make his debut against West Ham. He could replace injury
doubt Chico Flores, who will have a late fitness test.

West Ham are set to be without Jack Collison, who missed the start of the
season because of a knee injury. Summer signings Alou Diarra and Modibo
Maiga lack match fitness and may again have to settle for places on the
bench.

MATCH PREVIEW

I'm a massive fan of clubs making left-field, innovative managerial
appointments. It would have been very easy for Swansea to replace Brendan
Rodgers with a predictable name from the perennial list of jobbing Premier
League managers. That they didn't shows a maverick bravery which has thus
far been rewarded in both Michael Laudrup's transfer market nous and, of
course, last weekend's bolt-from-the-blue thumping of QPR. It was the club's
record top-flight win, home or away.

Swansea's summer signings
Michu (Rayo Vallecano)
Chico Flores (Genoa)
Jonathan de Guzman (Villarreal)
Itay Shechter (Kaiserslautern)
Kyle Bartley (Arsenal)
Scott Tancock (Cardiff)
Jamie Proctor (Preston)

The quality Swansea have added is impressive. Michu grabbed the headlines,
but Jonathan de Guzman should prove an excellent driving force in midfield,
alongside the imminent addition of Ki Sung-Yueng. It's a measure of how far
the club has come in just two years that the potential departure of Scott
Sinclair to Manchester City would cause neither significant disruption nor
weakening.

In preparing for a commentary I hand-write both squads side-by-side on a
sheet of A4. Swansea's list is markedly longer than West Ham's - and that's
with a number of junior players too. West Ham's lack of bodies might not be
a problem in August, but the race is on to add depth for battles further
down the line.
Matt Jarvis will do for starters. I've watched him develop from his
beginnings at Gillingham into a full international at Wolves. If that deal
is completed the Hammers will have bought wisely, even if the Molineux
bosses quite rightly drove a hard bargain.

A home game with a transitional Aston Villa was probably the perfect opener
for West Ham. Newly-promoted sides need to get points on the board early -
remember the seasons Norwich (2004-05), Sunderland (2005-06) and Derby
(2007-08) suffered after slow starts?

Like Swansea, West Ham won on the opening day, and are also still in the
process of strengthening by signing Matt Jarvis from Wolves. The Hammers are
difficult to play against and difficult to beat. The win against Villa
continues last year's momentum, and perhaps lifts the pressure for the trip
to the Liberty Stadium, with their points tally already in credit. And
speaking of points, I love a good stat, and my interest was piqued by this
one, which is that Sam Allardyce is just a single point away from 1,000 of
them as a manager. Given Swansea's blistering start at Loftus Road, I'm sure
the Hammers would happily take that single point back along the M4 with them
come the end of Saturday's encounter, while the Swans will fancy themselves
in Laudrup's first competitive home match.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

It is 32 years since Swansea's last league win against West Ham, a 2-1
victory in Division Two on 29 March 1980.
The Hammers are unbeaten in their last six league games against the Swans, a
run which includes all four previous top-flight encounters.
The last competitive meeting came in an FA Cup third-round replay in January
1999. Swansea (then playing in the fourth tier of English football) beat
Premier League West Ham 1-0 through a Martin Thomas goal.
This fixture has not produced a goalless draw since 1937.

Swansea
According to Opta, the Swans scored with five of their six shots on target
against QPR.
Last season it took the Welsh side until October to score five Premier
League goals.
The 5-0 victory at Loftus Road was the Swans' biggest win in the top flight.

West Ham
Sam Allardyce's men have won their last six competitive games (including
last season's play-offs), and are unbeaten in 10. Their last defeat was a
4-2 home loss by Reading on 31 March.
The Hammers won more away games (13) than home games (11) in last season's
Championship.
They have lost their last four Premier League away matches. Their most
recent away win in the top flight was a 3-1 victory at Blackpool on 2
February 2011.

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Allardyce still keen on Carroll
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 23rd August 2012
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce has revealed that he is still hopeful of doing a deal with
Liverpool for Andy Carroll. The Hammers broke their transfer record earlier
today when agreeing to pay £7.5million + add-ons to Wolves for the services
of winger Matt Jarvis - a deal expected to be confirmed by the club tomorrow
(Friday) morning.
However they could yet eclipse that should Liverpool manager Brendean
Rodgers agree to allow the 23-year-old striker to leave Anfield - despite
having admitted earlier in the week that he would be 'crazy' to do so.
Allardyce, who has been chasing the England international all summer
appeared to have given up the ghost at the end of July after Carroll
rejected the chance to move south to London, despite Liverpool having
accepted West Ham's £2million season-long loan offer.

However having bagged the 26-year-old Jarvis, he insisted tonight that all
may not be quite as done and dusted as previously thought. "Many things in
the final week of the transfer window emerge and should it be the case that
we would be able to do something then I think it would probably only be a
loan," he told a TV sports channel. "My problem is there may not be funds
available for Andy now. But If Andy became available or anybody became
available and they wanted to join West Ham, I would ask the owners. At the
moment that is not the case and we just have to wait and see if and when
that situation arises. We would see if we could pursue it and clinch it, but
if we only finish with Matt and nobody else I would be happy with the squad
I've got. "While it is not quite as big as I'd like it to be, I think it
has got a lot of quality. What isn't there is a proven Premier League
goalscorer, apart from Carlton Cole who can get 10 or 11 goals a season."

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Jarvis close to Hammers move
Wolves winger set to complete Premier League return
Last Updated: August 24, 2012 12:03am

Sam Allardyce has described Matt Jarvis as one of the best creative players
in the Premier League after confirming the winger is undergoing a medical
with West Ham. Allardyce made Jarvis his top transfer target this summer
after impressing with Wolves last season, despite their relegation from the
top flight. And Allardyce's pursuit has paid off as the West Ham boss has
confirmed that Jarvis, who earned an England cap last year, is having a
medical at Upton Park as revealed by Sky Sports. The deal could be completed
on Thursday evening and would make Jarvis the most expensive signing in the
Hammers ' history at a reported £10.75million. But Allardyce is confident
the 26-year-old will provide the cutting edge West Ham need to re-establish
themselves in the top flight following promotion last term. "From my point
of view it is a big piece of business," he said. "I think a quality young
man who has got a lot of qualities that will add to the team we have already
got. "When you are trying to create in the Premier League and score goals,
he is one of those players who can certainly give defences a really hard
time and that is what we are hoping he can do for us."

Should Jarvis be registered in time then Allardyce has no qualms about
throwing him straight into his starting line-up for Saturday's trip to
Swansea. "This is not a player that is coming in from abroad or coming from
a foreign club," he said. "He had a full pre-season at Wolves, he played on
Tuesday night for Wolves and I watched him play against Leeds sat in my
office waiting for our first game last week, and was obviously thoroughly
impressed with him again. "He has been a huge success at Wolverhampton
Wanderers since his move from Gillingham and we hope he will be as big a
success for us as he was for them. He is fit, he is eager and he is ready to
go."

Backing

The fee is set to eclipse the £9m West Ham paid for Savio Nsereko in January
2009 and although Allardyce was reluctant to name the exact figure, he
praised the club's owners for their support. "All I know is it is me asking
the co-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold to try and secure this player
- to make sure that if we can do it financially, let's do it," he said.
"They have done that and we are extremely pleased to sign what we consider
to be a high-quality player for our team."

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Hammers not giving up on Carroll
But Hammers boss doubts he has the funds to sign striker
Last Updated: August 23, 2012 11:47pm
SSN

West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has not ended his interest in
Liverpool striker Andy Carroll but fears he would not have the money for a
permanent deal.
The Hammers have throughout the summer been linked with the England
international, who missed his club's Europa League win over Hearts on
Thursday due to a hamstring injury. It is thought Carroll does not feature
in the future plans of Brendan Rodgers but the Anfield manager is adamant he
would not loan the £35million to any other club. Liverpool are also
determined to recoup as much as possible of the record-breaking fee they
paid Newcastle United just over 18 months ago, while Carroll is understood
to only be interested in joining a club who play in Europe. And with
Allardyce on the brink of spending a reported £10.75m on Matt Jarvis, the
West Ham boss does not think he would be able to afford anything other than
a loan. But he does remain hopeful, as he said: "Many things in the final
week of the transfer window emerge and should it be the case that we would
be able to do something then I think it would probably only be a loan.

Quality

"We would see if we could pursue it and clinch it, but if we only finish
with Matt and nobody else I would be happy with the squad I've got. "While
it is not quite as big as I'd like it to be, I think it has got a lot of
quality. "My problem is there may not be funds available for Andy now. "If
Andy became available or anybody became available and they wanted to join
West Ham, I would ask the owners. At the moment that is not the case and we
just have to wait and see if and when that situation arises."

The former Newcastle boss added: "If we play Carlton Cole, Nicky Maynard,
Ricardo Vaz Te,(Modibo) Maiga - they are all players that play in the front
three wide positions. "What isn't there is a proven Premier League
goalscorer, apart from Carlton Cole who can get 10 or 11 goals a season.
"Nicky, Ricardo and Maiga are not proven so you hope it will be all right,
but you cannot tell until you get eight or 10 games in."

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West Ham Sign Matt Jarvis!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die

News reports this morning have confirmed that Wolves have accepted West
Ham's latest offer of £7m, plus £3m of appearance related payments, for the
services of winger Matt Jarvis. The player has supposedly had a medical and
could be available for selection for Saturday's match at Swansea.

If true, it is the end of a long running saga, which has seen Wolves reject
three previous West Ham offers for Jarvis. It's a ambitious move for an
English winger of great ability, with even further potential for
development. Also, encouragingly, from reports, it would appear that Matt
Jarvis actually wants to play for West Ham, which is always a positive! This
would be a important addition to the squad that provides pace and excellent
delivery of the final ball from the left flank. Hopefully, the player will
also be able to work on his finishing at West Ham and score his quota of
goals per season. Some will no doubt express reservations about the eventual
£10m fee, but quality costs and Jarvis would definitely add that to the
squad in my book, in a position where we have had a lack for some
considerable time. So, once officially confirmed, we can only say well done
to the board for committing the resources to land a very good player.

The question now, is what will happen with the potential deal for Boukari
from Rennes and Drenthe's Bosman move from Real Madrid. Will the club sign
both players to give us added strength in depth on the flanks? If so, it
seems that wingers are like London buses at West Ham, none for ages and then
three come along together! It could happen if the club can secure both
players on the right terms. Drenthe can cover for Jarvis on the left flank
and can also play at left-back, while Boukaris is right sided and offers
balance. We shall have to see what happens on those deals.

Elsewhere, Sam Allardyce will want to complete the summer's main transfer
business with the acquisition of another striker and a centre-back. Today's
Daily Star suggests that West Ham might make a move for WBA's Peter
Odemwingie. Not too sure whether that one is a runner? Have the club given
up on acquiring the impressive young Senegalese centre forward, Konate and
is the Carroll loan deal absolutely dead? How about a cheeky move for
Dempsey from Fulham or Sturridge from Chelski? At centre-back, West Ham are
said to be interested in Marseille's Stephane Mbia, who is one of a number
of stars currently available from the financially squeezed French club.
Could he join former team mate, Alou Diarra, at West Ham? Mbia was said to
be in London earlier this week, but all has gone quiet on that front. The
other possible London destination for Mbia was said to be QPR, but they
appear to have since secured other central defensive targets, so we need to
keep an eye on that potential deal. Another possible deal recently mooted,
is the acquisition of free agent Tal Ben Haim after his release from
Portsmouth. Ben Haim is a Bolton 'old boy' and has the added attraction of
being able to play right across the back line if needed. Personally, I am
not sure whether this is a deal that we should pursue.

Finally, it will also be intriguing to see if we bring in any loan signings
at the last knockings of the transfer window, to for instance, provide extra
options at right-back. Although Allardyce has expressed satisfaction with
his current options at full-back, so who knows? Anyway, it should be an
interesting run in to the closure of the transfer window on 31 August 2012.
Sam Allardyce has slowly secured his targets and another good result at
Swansea, plus the new additions arriving should set us up for a good season.
Least ways, lets hope so!

SJ. Chandos.

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Sam: I've a gem in Jarvis
By VIC HOLLY
Last Updated: 24th August 2012
The Sun

SAM ALLARDYCE hailed record signing Matt Jarvis and admitted: "It's a new
dimension for us." The Hammers boss paid a club record £10.75million to
Wolves for the winger. And Allardyce said: "It's a new dimension for us
because this is a player of dribbling skills, pace and trickery. "He's a
player that not only provides chances but also relieves pressure off your
defence. "When he takes the ball he will keep hold of it and can take it
from one end of the field to the other and then produce a cross." Allardyce
was so keen on the England player he made FOUR bids before finally getting
his man. And he even watched Jarvis play for Wolves on a TV in his office
only hours before West Ham took on Aston Villa last Saturday. Allardyce also
hinted that another approach could be made to Liverpool for Andy Carroll. He
said: "If Andy became available or anybody became available and they wanted
to join West Ham I would ask the owners." Hammers' John Carew, who scored
just twice in 19 games, is set to rejoin Norwegian club Valerenga.

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League of his own: Jarvis could be the Prem's No.1 winger beams Big Sam
The Mirror

Sam Allardyce believes he has bagged one of the best wingers in the Premier
League after securing Wolves' Matt Jarvis in a club-record £10.75million
deal.
West Ham boss Allardyce finally got his man after seeing two bids turned
down for the England winger during the summer. And there could be even more
big names to arrive at Upton Park after Allardyce refused to rule out
another loan move for Liverpool forward Andy Carroll before the transfer
window closes at the end of August. Allardyce has nothing but praise for the
way his co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan kept backing him in pushing
through a deal to secure the signing of Jarvis after it seemed a move had
fallen through last week. The 26-year-old had the best record for crossing a
ball in the Premier League last season and Allardyce believes that will be
crucial as his side look to push for a top half finish. Allardyce said:
"From my point of view, it is a big piece of business. He has got a lot of
qualities that will add to the team we have already got. "Certainly from an
attacking sense this is one of the best final-third crossers in the Premier
League. His stats are extremely good and he delivers in the business end of
the field. "When you are trying to create in the Premier League and score
goals he is one of those players who can certainly give defences a really
hard time and that is what we are hoping he can do for us. "I watched him
play against Leeds in my office waiting for our first game last week and was
obviously thoroughly impressed with him again. "It's a new dimension for us
because this is a player of dribbling skills, pace, trickery. A player that
not only provides chances but also relieves pressure off your defence. "He
will go up the pitch and take the opposition back into their own box and
that's a critical part of being successful in this league, a player of his
calibre and capabilities and it's something we don't have at this moment in
time.
"We've paid really good money for Matt but it's thanks to David Gold and
David Sullivan for doing it and he gives us something that we haven't got
already and you have to pay for that. "You have to pay for the quality that
you need in the Premier League and I believe that he has the quality."

Allardyce may have spent a large part of his transfer kitty to secure the
signing of Jarvis, but he is still keeping his options open - and will not
rule out making another move to sign Carroll from Liverpool. With Liverpool
wanting to take Clint Dempsey from Fulham, Carroll's days look to be
numbered at Anfield. Reds manager Brendan Rodgers has been extremely
dismissive of the possibility of Carroll returning to former club Newcastle,
but he could still opt for a move to Upton Park. The West Ham boss would
love the chance to team Jarvis up with Carroll and is preparing himself for
a crazy final week in the transfer window.
Allardyce added: "If Andy became available, or anybody became available and
they wanted to join West Ham, I would ask the owners what the financial
position would be and see if we could move forward if that is the case. "If
we play Carlton Cole, Nicky Maynard, Ricardo Vaz Te, Modibo Maiga - they are
all players that play in the front three wide positions. "What isn't there
is a proven Premier League goal-scorer, apart from Carlton, who can get 10
or 11 goals a season. "Many things in the final week of the transfer window
emerge and if that be the case that we would be able to do something then I
think it would probably only be a loan."

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Tony Cottee Column: West Ham can finish in the top 10
Tony Cottee , London24 West Ham Columnist
Thursday, August 23, 2012
11:24 PM

James Collins said that West Ham can realistically chase a top-10 finish in
their first campaign back in the Premier League – and I make him right. I
know some people will think we're getting carried away after just a one-goal
victory against Aston Villa on Saturday. But let's be realistic – James
didn't say the Hammers were going to challenge for a European place, simply
a top-half place and that includes eighth, ninth and tenth positions, which
I think are attainable. Outside the top seven teams, there are plenty of
clubs that can talk about getting into the top half of the table and West
Ham are one of them. James is quite right to say that is what we should be
aiming for and I'd much rather hear that than that they would be happy just
to avoid relegation. The Hammers finished ninth under Alan Pardew in 2006
after getting promoted via the play-offs, so I certainly wouldn't say it was
an impossible task. Collins performed so well against Villa on his second
debut for the club that it was as if he'd never been away. To be honest, I
don't think he should have left West Ham in the first place. Finances
dictated that he had to go in 2009, but I was disappointed because we
struggled to replace him. I'm delighted that James has returned to the club
because he's a good central defender and a great lad. Hopefully we can get
James Tomkins in the team as well and the pair of them can develop a really
good partnership together.

I've got to say that I think the win against Villa was a fantastic result.
It wasn't necessarily the most exciting game in the world but it was so
important for the team to get a first win under their belts. You don't want
to be in a situation whereby you've played three, four or five games and
still looking for victory. It puts everybody under so much pressure, whereas
a first-day win serves as a massive confidence booster. Villa didn't have a
good time last season but it was always going to be a very difficult match
for us. People might say it was a good time to play them because it was Paul
Lambert's first game as Villa boss, but I think that only made it tougher
for West Ham.

If anything, players are trying even harder to impress their new manager, so
I don't think that helped West Ham at all. Obviously, Villa's players
weren't happy to see Kevin Nolan's goal stand after the linesman raised his
flag for offside, but the referee was spot on in giving it. Mike Dean can be
appear a bit over-officious at times, but I like him and think he's one of
the better referees in the Premier League. He was very certain about the
Villa defender heading the ball on and quickly made it clear what had
happened. I think many refs would have simply trusted the linesman's word,
so let's give Mike some credit for getting it right.

West Ham face a difficult first away game of the season when they head to
Swansea on Saturday. Swansea played some wonderful football last season and
appear to have hit the ground running under new boss Michael Laudrup with
their 5-0 win at QPR. I'd like to see us squeeze up as a team and put
pressure on Swansea rather than sitting back – and then hopefully they'll
come home with a result. There's been a lot of talk about West Ham's style
of football under manager Sam Allardyce. But in the situation we are at the
moment, we need to get the result first.

Would West Ham fans have preferred to see us play dazzling football against
Villa and lose 5-4 or be solid and win 1-0? To be fair to Sam, I thought we
did play some good stuff last season – and I'm sure we will this term.

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Revealed: Kenny's cruel phone rant mocking fellow keeper Green over QPR
defeat
By NEIL ASHTON
PUBLISHED: 22:56, 23 August 2012 | UPDATED: 00:30, 24 August 2012
Daily Mail

Sportsmail can reveal goalkeeper Paddy Kenny's amazing voicemail rant to a
member of QPR's coaching staff, attacking the decision to replace him with
Robert Green. The message was left on Sunday at 1.30am. It mocks former
England keeper Green's performance during the 5-0 opening day home defeat
by Swansea.
In the message, Kenny, who appears to have been celebrating Leeds's victory
over Wolves on Saturday lunchtime, says: 'It's Rob Green's agent here, I
just wondered, er, how you got on today. I didn't really see the f******
score but I heard it didn't go too well. 'But, never mind, Robbo's a good
keeper. Don't you worry about that, he's a good keeper.' Kenny then hung up.

The content of the voicemail was disclosed to Sportsmail by a QPR source. It
has been obtained with the full consent and knowledge of the club official
concerned and was one of a number of abusive messages left by the Leeds
keeper that night. He bombarded Rangers owner Tony Fernandes and another
member of QPR's coaching staff with text messages and voicemails.

The member of Mark Hughes' technical team was out of the country at the time
and had his alarm set for 4am in order to catch a flight back to London. He
was disturbed on Saturday evening by a number of phone calls and text
messages poking fun at the decision to replace him with the former England
No 1. Green, his country's first-choice keeper for the opening game of the
2010 World Cup against the USA, had a difficult Rangers debut. The former
West Ham man failed to stop Swansea striker Michu's speculative 25-yard
effort in the eighth minute and conceded another four goals.

Kenny clearly enjoyed the moment after linking up with Warnock at Elland
Road in the summer for £900,000. QPR lodged a formal complaint with Leeds in
an email sent to Elland Road on Sunday and want the FA to step in. Kenny was
asked for his version of events at the training ground on Monday and has
denied any wrongdoing. Leeds chief Warnock, preparing for Saturday's
Championship clash against Peterborough, refused to comment. The former
Rangers manager, sacked last season after winning promotion to the Premier
League, is conducting his own investigation. Green is known to be furious
about another keeper making fun of him.

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