Daily WHUFC News - 17th November 2012

Matt gets booked
WHUFC.com
West Ham United midfielder Matt Taylor urged youngsters to improve their
reading skills at a community event
15.11.2012

Matt Taylor urged youngsters to improve their reading skills at a recent
community event. The popular West Ham United midfielder visited Rainham
Library in Essex to speak to a group of local schoolchildren about how
becoming a bookworm can be an enjoyable experience. Around 50 youngsters had
taken part in a summer reading scheme organised by the library and were
invited to meet the West Ham United No14 as a reward for completing a number
of books and activities. The scheme had a sporting theme, with the children
reading an array of different books on the subject. Taylor spoke about his
memories of reading at school before revealing that his favourite childhood
book was the Roald Dahl classic James and the Giant Peach. "My most vivid
memory of books when I was at school were the Roald Dahl books," said
Taylor, "purely because they were written in such a way that they got me
hooked into the story straight away. It was all about adventure and had
great animation to go along with it. "As a child, your imagination runs wild
and these books were perfect foil for that. James and the Giant Peach, which
I think a lot of children still read today and I would still read it as an
adult, was great. It was a book that certainly fired my enthusiasm to read
more."

It was then the turn of the children to question Taylor on subjects ranging
from what inspiration he got from reading to how he became a footballer.
"There were some good questions out there, it was better than a press
conference!" he joked. "Kids tell you how it is, you know where you stand
with them. I have three children of my own, so I really enjoyed speaking
with them and hope that they got as much out of this visit as I did.
"Hopefully, I have helped a few more children to want to read a few more
books and enjoy reading. "Reading is a life tool - when I get into my car in
the morning I need to read the road signs so I can travel into training. In
all walks of life we need to read and write. If you can, it opens all doors
of opportunity to you, so if we can encourage kids to read then that is one
more life skill they will have to spur them on to do more."

Taylor's visit proved popular with the children, their parents and guardians
and library staff alike. Rainham Library manager David Dennison said: "We
enjoyed meeting Matt and the children certainly enjoyed meeting him and
getting the chance to ask him questions. For them to see that someone they
look up to in a sport like football was talking to them about reading was
also really good. "The scheme we ran in the summer resulted in great
achievements for a lot of the children and the reward for their hard work
was to be here at this event and hopefully, at the end of it, encourage them
to read more and enjoy it."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham midfielder Mark Noble hopes for England call-up
By Frank Keogh
BBC Sport

West Ham midfielder Mark Noble says he is playing the best football of his
career and hopes his form could earn a first full England cap. The former
England under-21 skipper has started every game as the Hammers have risen to
sixth in the Premier League in their first season since promotion. Noble,
25, says hard work may catch the attention of England boss Roy Hodgson.
"I've just got to keep playing as well as I can for West Ham, and hopefully
that will happen," he told BBC Sport.

Mark Noble factfile
Age: 25
Debut: August 2004 League Cup v Southend
Contract: Signed new three-year deal in September
Appearances: 230
Goals: 28

Noble has thrived under manager Sam Allardyce, and has started 57 of the 60
league matches played since the former Bolton, Newcastle and Blackburn boss
took over in the summer of 2011. "He's been good for me. I'm probably
playing the best football of my career," said Noble, who represented England
at every level from under-16 to under-21. "I'm growing up. I've become
mentally and physically a much better player than I was before. I played the
whole of last season, and started nearly every game under the manager."
Noble said being selected by his country would be "the pinnacle of any
English player's career" and he would be honoured to have the chance of
playing at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. "I've got ambitions and goals and
to be involved in something like that would be fantastic, but I've got to
prove myself first," he added. "I'm just back in the Premier League this
year. If you work hard, hopefully you make those goals come true.

Noble in Premier League this season
Starts: 11 (from 11)
Minutes played: 964
Goals: 2
Chances created: 20
Total passes: 620
Pass accuracy: 83.87%
Yellow cards: 3 Reds: 0

"Every manager has their own opinions of players. At the minute I'm
thoroughly enjoying things and if that day does happen, then I will enjoy it
just that little bit more." Noble, who made his debut aged 17 for West Ham
in 2004, is the club's longest-serving player and said a friend at school
had placed a wager on him being capped by England. "When I was a kid, a mate
of mine had a bet on me playing for England. I haven't spoken to him for
years and years so hopefully he kept the betting slip," he said. "If it does
happen one day, hopefully he can skip down the bookies and get paid. I can't
remember how much he put on me but hopefully he's got it tucked away in a
draw somewhere."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gold: Beware fake Santas
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 16th November 2012
By: Staff Writer

David Gold admits that he'd be happy to bring a wealthy benefactor on board
at West Ham - but only in the right circumstances. United's septuagenarian
co-owner purchased a 51 per cent share of West Ham along with business
partner David Sullivan in January 2010. And although they recently extended
their joint ownership of the club to more than two-thirds, Gold confesses
that he'd be delighted to bring a third party on board.

However he warned that not everyone with access to vast financial sums would
necessarily be fit for purpose.

"I'd like a very wealthy person to come and join us," he told a tabloid
newspaper. "Of course, I'd welcome a Father Christmas. But then you look and
discover that it might not be the real Father Christmas.

"And you know why? Because there isn't a real Father Christmas; he doesn't
exist. In an ideal world, though, if you ask what I'd like to see happen, I
would like a very wealthy person to come and join us.

"David [Sullivan] and myself are wealthy by normal standards but not by
football standards. We would be reluctant to sell the whole football club
because we feel part of it.

"It's taken us a lifetime to earn enough money to return to our roots and we
won't give that up lightly. We're doing our best but it would be that much
easier if there were three of us."

In order to purchase West Ham, Gold and Sullivan sold previous club
Birmingham City to Asian businessman Carson Yeung. The Hong Kong tycoon in
now trying to sell the Championship club for half the figure he paid for it
having seen his business empire collapse.

It was a similar situation at West Ham five years ago when Icelandic
businessman Bjorgolffur Gudmundsson nearly destroyed West Ham when the
banking collapse wiped out his £2.3billion fortune almost overnight - a
scenario that Gold is keen to avoid revisiting.

"When we sold Birmingham we thought that, under those people, Birmingham
would probably win the Premier League within a few years. But it all turned
out a bit unfortunate," he added.

"In football, there is no certainty. There's also the danger that when you
think you're passing a club to a super-wealthy person that it can all
evaporate, as happened at Birmingham and other clubs. There's that great
danger here as well."

But should West Ham eventually find that elusive benefactor - the search for
whom would no doubt be enhanced by a move to the Olympic Stadium - Gold
believes that West Ham could challenge the very best.

"We're not going to be a top four club straightaway," he admitted, "but one
day it's possible, if there is a super-wealthy West Ham fan who wants to
come and join the club. That could change things for us.

"For now we have to do the best we can within the areas of our ability. To
grow the club and, fingers crossed, get to the Olympic Stadium which could
change our whole image [and] help us attract better players. But it all
boils down to income and we have to generate more.

"Arsenal doubled theirs by moving and Manchester City - even before Sheikh
Mansour bought the club - doubled their income by moving to a stadium that
they didn't buy, but rented. It can be done."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Olympic Stadium - The 'End Game' Cometh!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die

Guardian Sports have run an article that suggests that the ongoing
negotiations between West Ham Utd FC and the LDCC have reached the 'end
game' stage. Basically, the situation is that West Ham's board want to move
to the OS and the LDCC would prefer the Hammers to be the PL anchor tenant.
However, neither party will agree it at 'any price.' West Ham are quite
rightly arguing that as tenants, the emphasis lies upon the land lord (The
LDCC) to fund the bulk of the necessary conversion works. The club could
quite reasonbly assert that the LDDC effectively 'want their cake and eat
it,' by changing the contract to a tendency, yet still expecting substantial
capital investment by the chosen tenant in a resource that they do not own.
Whereas, the LDDC, no doubt constrained by the Government, are arguing that
a PL anchor tenant cannot be secured at an unreasonable cost to the 'public
purse.'

The OS procurement process has been unduly complicated and drawn out.
Guardian Sports contend that West Ham have returned with a final 'take it or
leave' offer. They believe that West Ham's revised final offer entails a
significant increase in the club's original £10m contribution to the
estimated £160m cost of converting the stadium (ie. new roof, retractable
seating and hospitality facilities) for PL use. In addition to an estimated
£2.5m a year in rent, index-linked to RPI, Guardian Sports report that,
sources close to the negotiations have said that West Ham believe their
offer is worth an additional £6m a year to the LLDC given a commensurate
uplift in stadium naming rights and catering income. If accepted, Newham
Council have also indicated that they are prepared to increase their initial
£40m investment in return for a stake in the ownership and control of the
Stadium

The offer is designed to force the issue and get a decision. And there is no
doubt that this is necessary for all concerned, this farcial deadlock has
gone on far too long. It is time that a decision was made. Lets just hope
that it is the right one for the long-term future of the OS. This is
arguably best served by a West Ham anchor tenancy, something which, in turn,
is also in the best interests of the club. While the Mayor and Chair of the
LDDC probably favour West Ham's bid, it is thought that there are other
elements on the LDCC Board, who wish to rule PL football out of the
equation, on the grounds of cost, and develop a multi-use sports/events
facility with an alternative focus. That is the blinkered, sort-sighted,
non-strategic thinking that got the Stadium in this situation in the first
place. It is also likely to guarantee that the Stadium requires a
substantial public investment in the foreseeable future. In contrast, a deal
with West Ham/Newham Council that facilitates the £160m conversion is
undoubtably the best option for guaranteeing both the successful use of the
Stadium (both in sporting and community terms) and its financial viability.

Of course, the Coalition Government could break this deadlock, and secure
the best possible option for the Stadium, if they designated the conversion
an approved capital project and released some of the London 2012 contingency
budget to help bridge the gap financially between the LDDC and West
Ham/Newham Council negotiating positions. And they could justifiy it as a
capital project designed to create economic stimulas in East London. No
doubt all of the construction firms, sub-contractors, SMEs, suppliers and
trades people who secured work/orders via the initiative would warmly
welcome it. But unfortunately this most myopic and ideologically driven of
Governments is unlikely to do that, rejecting it on the usual 'austerity'
grounds.

It is probable that most of the major players in the LDCC know that West
Ham's involvement is crucial in the long-term success of the Stadium. If
they take the non-football route it is, arguably, far more likely that the
Stadium will become a under-utilised, publicly subsidized, 'white elephant.'
As such, it is better to bite the bullet and commit the additional
investment to give it the best possible chance of long-term sustainability
and realising the 2012 Olympic legacy. To take the non-football route would
arguably, compound past mistakes and consign the Stadium to an uncertain
future.

The OS aside, West Ham face a very interesting challenge in the form of
Stoke City on Monday evening. No doubt certain quarters will portray the
contest as that between the two major 'long ball' teams in the PL. Never
mind the fact that the opta stastics show that other teams are more direct
than West Ham and the % of 'long ball' played by us has decreased recently.
Regardless, both teams can play direct, possess physical strength and are
hard to beat. Is it not possible, in those circumstances, that the teams
might cancel each other out on the 'direct play' front and the greater
technical ability of the West Ham squad could be the deciding factor?

It's likely to be a hard fought match, but I am going for a 3-1 victory for
the Hammers. COYI!

SJ. Chandos

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
I've sent DVDs to Roy
The Sun
By KARREN BRADY
Published: 16th November 2012

SAT NOV 10
SITTING at Elland Road this afternoon wearing his angry grandpa look, you
might think Ken Bates is glad to be going out of football. But I know Ken
and it is not necessarily so, even if he will be comforted by departing from
Leeds with an estimated £33million goodie bag from the sale of the club to
Bahrain investment bank GFH. Leeds have just suffered a spot of GBH
themselves at the hands of mighty Watford, and it already looks as if they
are going to miss out on what they consider their natural habitat, the
Premier League. For manager Neil Warnock, a feisty survivor himself, the new
owners might well do a QPR reprise on him. But Crafty old Ken at 80 and with
his milk float days far behind him, still knows how to bring home the real
cream.

SUN NOV 11
WEST HAM lost a leader in Scott Parker last year when we were relegated. And
the measure of Sam Allardyce as a manager is he recognised Kevin Nolan from
previous connections as the man to replace Parker, 32, in that role. Odd how
things turn out. Spurs are suffering from the long absence of Parker with an
Achilles heel injury, while 30-year-old Nolan is thriving with us. Today he
scored his fifth goal of the season — from midfield, don't forget — in our
highly satisfying win at Newcastle. Sam is also bringing a lot more out of
Mark Noble. Are you watching, Roy Hodgson? Just to be sure I've sent you
five DVDs.

MON NOV 12
IN England, baby boys are entered for Eton within hours of being born. This
was probably the case with Prime Minister David Cameron. As The Sun reveals
today, in Argentina they have a different priority. There Lionel Messi's old
club, Newell's, have signed Thiago — the two-week-old son of the world's
best footballer — on the basis that he might have inherited his father's
footballing genes. The problem is, of course, the baby's skills may be more
like Cameron's.

TUES NOV 13
IS Steven Gerrard the last of the true loyalists? You can't begin to imagine
him wearing any other club shirt but Liverpool's — rather in the way that
you couldn't see Superman in pink pants. Supporters love a player who sticks
by their colours and so they should. Yet you can make a decent case for
stating that Gerrard's stance has not worked to his advantage or the
country's. Had he moved to Chelsea to play alongside Frank Lampard he would
have won more domestic medals and England would have benefited by a settled
partnership. My feeling though is that Arsenal would have been a better
destination. Arsene Wenger would have made a world-beater of him. Still,
Gerrard is England captain again tomorrow when he wins his 100th cap, which
isn't at all bad.

WED NOV 14
I DIDN'T say it, he did. UK Athletics chairman Ed Warner describes the
Olympic Stadium process as "a farce" and while it may not be that, it is now
clear that West Ham and other bidders are in a steeplechase not a sprint. UK
Athletics and my club share a vision. We are ready and so are they. Yet it
has been announced that it could be 2016 before the stadium conversion is
complete. By the time we get to the finish line I fear I will be well and
truly knackered.

THURS NOV 15
IT HAS taken three years for Portsmouth to be confident they have a future.
And only today it was confirmed because it has been legally handed to a
supporters' trust. All but one of the Premier League clubs are determined
not to allow such ordeals by administration to affect them. So much so, that
at the shareholders' meeting in London today we are considering various
options to force clubs to get a handle on their costs and at least break
even. How these will be enforced is the difficult bit. It's so long since I
last appeared at one of the open meetings that chief executive Richard
Scudamore likens my attendance to rocking horse dung. Very rarely, if ever,
seen. Most chairman were pleased to see me. One in particular looked at me
as if I had just promised him a unicorn for Christmas and another said I
looked well, 'not a day older than 32' — I have always attracted liars. But
one was most definitely not happy with my attendance and sat positively
sullen all day.

FRI NOV 16
WORD has it that England manager Roy Hodgson and Stuart Pearce, his Under-21
coach, aren't the closest of buddies — not exactly a meeting of minds there,
I suspect. An odd link, though, is that Hodgson managed both Paul Ince, at
Inter Milan, and his son Tom, who was also in Pearce's team this week. So
what did Hodgson call you at Liverpool, Tom is asked: "Paul," he says.
Shades of another England manager Sir Bobby Robson who also had name blanks
and once famously referred to his Newcastle winger Laurent Robert as 'Lauren
Bacall'!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham U21 1 Albion U21 0
Wba.com
PUBLISHED
21:10 16th November 2012

David Oldfield's side suffer late Hammers sucker punch

ALBION suffered late heartbreak as they were defeated 1-0 by West Ham United
in the Barclays Under-21 Premier League this evening. The Baggies went into
the Rush Green Stadium clash with the top-of-the-league Hammers buoyed by
their 4-0 victory over Norwich on Sunday. But Paul McCallum's strike four
minutes from time ended Albion's hopes of picking up points at the Premier
League pace-setters. And development coach David Oldfield was pleased with
his side's display despite the disappointing nature of conceding so late in
the game. "It's certainly disappointing as the lads worked very hard and
deserved something out of the game," said Oldfield. "The game was finely
balanced and on occasions we just lacked a little bit of quality. "We
created opportunities and came very close so the nature of the defeat is
disappointing. "It's very important for us to understand the work that is
needed and to continue learning. "There are many positives to take from the
game and we need to continue to progress and continue to learn. "The defeat
hurts but we'll go again."

ALBION: Lewis; Atkinson, D Daniels, Gayle, Garmston; O'Neill, Thorne;
O'Sullivan, Roofe, A Nabi; Sawyers. Subs not used: Palmer (gk); Birch, A
Jones, C Jones, Wedderburn.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com