Daily WHUFC News - 23rd January 2013

Big Sam on: Arsenal
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce spoke to the press ahead of West Ham United's trip to the
Emirates Stadium
22.01.2013

Sam Allardyce intends to take a leaf out of Chelsea's book as he plots a
positive result against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday
evening. The Gunners conceded twice inside the opening 17 minutes at
Stamford Bridge on Sunday, a slow start which saw them fall to a second
successive Barclays Premier League defeat. Though Arsenal are, no doubt, a
different proposition at home, Big Sam reckons the Blues' tactical approach
could prove similarly effective for his West Ham side in the rearranged
fixture from Boxing Day.

Sam, could you start with team news for Arsenal?

SA: "There are one or two knocks and bruises without anything major in terms
of injuries. But obviously with the game coming around quite quickly, we'll
assess those on Wednesday and make a decision on whether it's right to risk
them or leave them out and put someone else in the squad. There are no other
injuries to the team from Saturday, which is pretty good. We're still a
little short of defensive cover, everywhere else is looking fine now, even
though we're obviously still waiting for Andy Carroll and George McCartney
to recover as quickly as possible, and James Collins to get back in the
squad."

How close is Wellington Paulista to making his debut?

SA: "He's just had five weeks off in his break to the season. So, he's going
through what we'd normally go through at the July stage, which is pre-season
work. It's about sustaining and maintaining a fitness level which is good
enough to cope with playing in the Premier League. So he's not there for a
week or two yet."

Do you wish this game had been played on Boxing Day?

SA: "I'll tell you after Wednesday night! If we get a performance and a
result on Wednesday night, then we'll be very happy that we're playing the
game this week. I think, generally, everyone wanted to play on Boxing Day.
Everybody loves to play on Boxing Day and everybody looks forward to it.
There's a tradition in this country.

You've had a few frustrating results of late, do you feel like you need a
positive performance at Arsenal?

SA: "We had more than a positive performance on Saturday. We had the best
performance we've produced this season. There was an outstanding performance
of a complete domination of one team, who have been in the Barclays Premier
League longer than us. They had little or no attacks at our goal, they did
manage to score, but on the break, which was a fault from our defenders
sadly. But because of our lack of finishing quality we didn't win 4-1 or
5-1, which we should have done. We're kicking ourselves on that one, but it
certainly was the best performance we've produced this season. The sad thing
is we didn't win."

Is this a good time to be playing Arsenal?

SA: "I don't know, I think whatever Arsenal team is out there at the
Emirates it's always going to be very tough to play against them. We've got
to try and frustrate them in terms of not letting them get into that nice
free-flowing football that they like to play. I saw how well Chelsea
disrupted them in the first half on Sunday, and how they went about the
task. "Even though they were playing at home, they went about the task of
stopping Arsenal playing, and then exposing some of the spaces that Arsenal
left when Chelsea did so well at closing them down and then pinching the
ball back off them. And obviously the quality of the finishing then was the
reason why they got into a comfortable lead. That will be the order of the
day for us, about making sure we don't make life easy for Arsenal when
they're in possession. That's them at their best, that's their strength and
if we allow them to do that, they can run you ragged. So if we can do that,
and that frustrates them and the crowd we've got a chance. We'll get a
chance to get at their defence and a chance to score against them.
"Which means we're going to have to get a whole lot better at accepting our
chances if we are to get something at the Emirates, because that has been
our weakest link at the moment. It's been one of the massive
disappointments over the last few weeks the fact we've not been able to
finish several chances that we've been creating home and away. Hopefully
that will turn on Wednesday, it will certainly have to if we're going to get
anything out of the game."

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Henderson gets international call
WHUFC.com
The Dublin-born goalkeeper is bidding to make his first appearance at full
international level
21.01.2013

Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Stephen Henderson heads a list of five West
Ham United players to receive international call-ups. The 24-year-old
stopper, who has previously earned eight U21 caps, has been named in a
provisional 25-man squad for Republic of Ireland's friendly with Poland next
month. Giovanni Trapattoni's side are set to take on Poland at the Aviva
Stadium on 6 February, before critical FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifiers in
Sweden and then at home to Austria. Henderson, whose loan spell at Ipswich
Town was curtailed due to an ankle injury, is yet to make his senior
international bow. Meanwhile, Academy graduates Dan Potts and Blair Turgott
are both included in the England U19 squad to face Denmark at Doncaster's
Keepmoat stadium on Tuesday 5 February.
Head coach Noel Blake has selected an 18-man squad for the friendly, in
preparation for May's European Under-19 Championship qualification campaign.
England's young guns will compete against Belgium, Georgia and Scotland as
they bid to book their place at this summer's finals in Lithuania. Potts,
who turns 19 in April, has made five starts for the Hammers' first team this
season, while Turgott continues to make an impression at Npower League Two
side Bradford City. Finally, development squad players Kieran Sadlier and
January recruit Sean Maguire feature in the Republic of Ireland U19 squad
for their forthcoming friendlies against Czech Republic. The Irish pair are
due to meet the Czechs twice in the space of just three days in February, as
they step up their preparation for the UEFA Championships elite qualifying
round in June.

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Arsenal v West Ham
KO 19:45
22 January 2013
BBC.co.uk
TEAM NEWS

Arsenal welcome back Lukas Podolski and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, both of
whom missed Sunday's defeat at Chelsea through illness. However, the Gunners
are short of midfield options, with Abou Diaby doubtful (thigh) and Francis
Coquelin (hamstring) ruled out.

West Ham have no fresh injury concerns, but Arsenal loanee Marouane Chamakh
is ineligible to face his parent club. James Collins is again expected to
miss out because of a hamstring problem.

MATCH PREVIEW

Arsene Wenger admits he is worried by the inconsistent form that has left
Arsenal seven points adrift of a Champions League spot. After back-to-back
defeats to Manchester City and Chelsea, the Frenchman concedes that his side
just "do not win the big games". The Gunners have indeed won only once
against a side currently above them in the table. That means it is doubly
important they develop a ruthless streak against clubs in the bottom half.
Arsenal have 34 points from 22 league matches - their lowest at this stage
under Arsene Wenger. "The position we are in now is a bit backs to the wall
because we have to respond," Wenger admits. "I'm confident we will, but the
team was very down after the Chelsea game."

West Ham became the first visiting team to win at the Emirates Stadium in
2007 but have enjoyed little luck against the Gunners since then. Mohamed
Diame gave the Hammers an early lead when the sides met in October, but
Arsenal hit back to win 3-1, extending their unbeaten run against West Ham
to 10 league and cup games. Diame is reported to have a £3.5m release clause
in his contract, and has emerged as a possible transfer target for Arsenal,
with Wenger this week praising his "great presence" and ability to "drive
the midfield". Hammers boss Sam Allardyce would be loathe to lose the
Senegalese international, and has played down the chances of him leaving.
"You are always worried about losing players but we have not had a bid from
Arsenal for Diame," Allardyce insists. "I can't see where he would fit into
their side."

MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 10 league and cup games against West Ham,
winning eight of those matches.
The last five Premier League games between the sides have produced four
penalties.

Arsenal
Theo Walcott has scored or assisted five of Arsenal's last six league goals,
and has netted in 11 of his last 15 league and cup games for the Gunners.
Arsenal have yet to lose a league game in which they took the lead this
season, winning seven times and drawing twice.
The Gunners could lose three successive league games for the first time in
12 months.

West Ham United
The Hammers have claimed eight points from the last 30 available, and have
lost four of their previous five away league games (D1, L4).
Sam Allardyce's men have scored five away goals this season, fewer than any
other Premier League side. Their last goal on the road was scored by Andy
Carroll at Tottenham on 25 November.
They have only kept one clean sheet in their last 11 league games.

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These boots were made for winning
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 22nd January 2013
By: Staff Writer

On 19th May 2012 Ricardo Vaz Te scored the goal that took West Ham United
back to the Premier League - and now you can own a piece of history by
bidding for the boots worn by Vaz Te against Blackpool at Wembley on that
very day. The Portuguese forward has kindly donated his Adidas Adizero boots
- with which he scored the 87th-minute winning goal - so that they may be
auctioned on behalf of the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK. "I wore
these boots all last season, they scored more than 20 goals and are very
special to me," he said. "A friend of mine bought me the boots from a sports
shop because I did not have an endorsement deal at the start of last season,
so they really are my lucky boots! "However, I know the Bobby Moore Fund is
a very important cause and does a lot of fantastic work, so I felt it was
right that I put the boots up for auction to raise as much money as possible
for the charity. "So many people's lives are touched by cancer, so any work
that is done to try to find ways to prevent and cure it is extremely
valuable, so whatever money we can raise by selling the boots will be put to
good use in this area. At the same time, one West Ham fan will own a pair of
very special boots!"

The auction for Vaz Te's boots runs until midday on Saturday, 26th Janury.
You may place a bid by visiting the auction page on eBay. All proceeds from
the auction will go to the Bobby Moore Fund. Next month marks the 20th
anniversary of the death of West Ham and England legend Moore, who died from
bowel cancer aged just 53. The Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK will
be marking the anniversary with their own programme of events, details of
which we hope to bring you here on KUMB.com shortly.

Meanwhile, West Ham United FC will be marking the occasion with a 100-page
commemorative match day programme for the game against Tottenham on 25th
February, whilst that and the home fixture with Manchester United on 9th
March have been designated as Bobby Moore Fund awareness matches.

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West Ham set for Irish tour
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 23rd January 2013
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce is set to return to the home of his first managerial position
when he takes his West Ham squad on a summer mini-tour of Ireland. The Cork
Evening Echo has revealed that United have agreed to take part in two
pre-season friendlies in Ireland this July against Cork and Limerick, where
Allardyce cut his managerial teeth in the early 1990s. The Hammers, who will
base themselves at the luxurious, five-star Fota Island Hotel in Cork, face
Limerick on Sunday, July 7th before facing Cork City at Turners Cross on
Tuesday, 9th July. Last summer saw West Ham open their pre-season programme
with a week in Austria, during which they were beaten 3-1 by Austria Wien.
Following a string of friendlies back in England, the Irons returned to the
European mainland for a mini-tour of Germany and matches against Dynamo
Dresden (0-3) and Energie Cottbus (2-2).

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Diame wants out
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 23rd January 2013
By: Staff Writer

Mo Diame is ready to leave West Ham - just six months after joining the
club. According to a story in this morning's Daily Mail, Diame wants the
opportunity to speak with a number of potential suitors - including
tonight's Premier League opponents Arsenal - who have made their interest in
the 25-year-old known.
Despite West Ham's best efforts, the midfielder - who it is claimed, sees
his future away from Upton Park - has steadfastly refused to sign new,
improved terms which would replace the paltry £3.5million release fee clause
in his current contract. But in a twist, it is also claimed that the
Senegalese international is now threatening to report West Ham to FIFA for
refusing to allow other clubs, who are willing to meet the minimum fee
release clause, to speak with him.
West Ham, who are yet to respond, are understood to have given Diame until
tomorrow (Thursday) to make a final decision with regards to signing a new
contract - presumably so they made find an adequate replacement before the
transfer deadline on January 31st if necessary.

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Why Asian fans don't watch live football
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 23rd January 2013
By: Saqib Khan

A brief introduction: I am in my late thirties, was brought up in Ilford and
have supported Liverpool - mainly from my sofa - since the early '80s
because they were the glory team and my immigrant father (from Pakistan)
followed no particular team. I went to watch football matches the moment I
was on my own at university and past the age of being prevented to travel by
a fearful mum, scared by the hooliganism she saw on TV at the time.

I have been going to Anfield every other season or so since my early
twenties. Now I'm settled in Wanstead with my family and am going to be here
for the long haul.

When it came to raising my young son, I wanted to have an enduring, shared
interest that would give us both time and space to develop a real
relationship. It made so much sense to raise him to follow a London team and
I made the decision for us to actively support West Ham United (more than
I'd ever supported Liverpool) by becoming Academy members. By the time this
season is done, I'll have been to eight home games in 12/13.

I think when there are so many Asians and East Europeans on West Ham's
doorstep, it would be a mistake not to actively target them with
introductory offers in the hope of hooking them into the fold. I've spent in
excess of £500 this year already and still have at least two more games to
go to, taking into account business travel commitments. As time goes on,
that yearly spend will only increase with another child on the way and,
quite likely, more frequent attendance in the coming seasons.

The introductory offers that might attract new fans make financial sense and
West Ham United, to their credit, are doing more than most Premier League
clubs are (other than those in parts of the country where the local economy
is really at rock-bottom).

I've read how a few people on the KUMB.com Forum wonder and presume why
Asians don't follow West Ham at Upton Park in any great number. Here is my
tuppence:

Immigrant parents having a 'save' rather than 'spend' mentality
Many of the first generation immigrants like my father also sent money back
home to support extended families. Leisure spend was - and still is for many
- deemed a luxury. Our cultural relationship with money was about building
security and not frittering it away on intangibles. My father for example
worked near seven-day weeks and apart from going to Pakistan in an emergency
when his parents died, went through the 11-year period of 1986-1997 without
a holiday. I'm not sure that I, as a born and bred Brit, could now go more
than a year without one.

A legacy from a time when Asians often feared feeling out of place or worse
- be made to feel unwelcome
Prior to this season, I'd been to 19 football matches in total yet I still
googled 'Asians at West Ham' and found this forum thread and read all the
posts before feeling comfortable in committing to West Ham United. There was
a fear that it might be a dicier club for an Asian to follow than Arsenal or
Spurs (Chelsea was NEVER an option).

Asians tend to have more family commitments on a weekly basis
Looking around at most of my married Asian friends, we often meet with both
partner's families every week, that generally takes away one day in the
weekend and one night in the week. Taking an afternoon for football puts
time with immediate family (wife and kids) even more at a premium. Luckily,
my wife sees it as me giving her a chance for a much needed break from
looking after our son when I take him with me and he loves it too. If
however, she was to feel that we needed to be spending together what's left
of the weekend not consumed by extended families as so many of my mate's
weekends are, then would be a different story.

No historical tradition of going to the footy
Asians in general have not been taken to the football by their dad or
grandad like most of my (white English) university mates were. So those that
are going are starting their own traditions that in time, through
generations will multiply, but is in generational terms, still in its
infancy.

As for West Ham, only those who wish to go regularly are likely to get off
the glory-train
As the majority of Asians in the area came in the late '60s, '70s and early
'80s, Manchester United and Liverpool have a big stronghold within the
community. As their children have grown, they've continued following those
teams and their children are doing the same because it doesn't make a
difference where a team is in the country if you only ever watch them on TV.
Even those who might go to the odd game once a season don't mind making a
once-in-a-blue-moon trip to Anfield or Old Trafford and following them on
Sky the rest of the time.

It's those that want to go regularly and are aware of the football and its
presence in the greater community and want to really be a part of all that,
that are re-thinking their allegiances. I'm more than a little embarrassed
now of ever having supported anyone other than my local West Ham who I'm
prouder to call my club than I ever was to follow Liverpool remotely. I love
the fact that regardless of whether it's Upton Park or Stratford, that
taking my kid(s) for a midweek evening game after work will be a normal
thing without the crappy hassle of an eight-hour round trip.

A minor point, but still one worth making: no breakout Asian football star
yet
Yes, there is the odd person with an Asian connection – only Michael Chopra
and Zesh Rehman come to mind; hardly household names. A big star might have
the same attention that lead to Irishmen in the '70s supporting Arsenal with
Jennings, Brady and O'Leary in the team.

After being born and bred here, I want for me and my family to be rooted and
invested in our local community (I'm a member of my local Wanstead Society).
Ive set up not just my home but also my new business in Wanstead - employing
local people - and supporting our local team is just an extension of that.

I just hope drawing attention to some of the factors above make people
understand it's more than a simple yes/no, like/dislike thing about Asians
going or wanting to go to watch football.

I understand the sentiment with those fed up at segmenting fans into
ethnicities and feel that on match day, we are all simply West Ham fans.
However, to those tired of such discussions, please bear with the others as
I think there is a genuine desire to try and understand why such a large
local demographic might not be engaged with West Ham and what can be done to
increase participation - especially when we might have another 20,000 seats
to fill in a few years.

Journalists who want to believe it's mainly because of some inherent racial
indifference from clubs may be missing the point. The truth is there are
quicker wins to be made from Sky and other corporates than the slow,
long-term recruitment of new fans with a much longer pay-off of return on
investment - and it's a lack of real insight into the underlying factors of
non-attendance of the Asian communities.

My apologies to have gone on so long - but I wanted this to be a considered
answer from a fan with an insight (though not the only one) into the Asian
community on football.

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Shooting the messenger
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 22nd January 2013
By: Paul Walker

So Big Sam has been 'done' by the FA for misconduct, isn't that a surprise?
And once again they have shot the messenger rather than tried to tackle the
real problem.

And that, as everyone knows, is that Manchester United and Fergie get the
best of debatable decisions at Old Trafford. Be it possible offside goals,
dodgy penalties or players who should be red carded and are not - and that's
just against us last week in the FA Cup replay - everything seems to go
their way.

It has been going on for years, and it's getting worse. And I have always
maintained, having spent 15 years of my working life attending matches at
Old Trafford, that there is an orchestrated intimidation at the place, with
that cunning old Scot pulling all the strings.

Now I don't believe that Sam suggested that referee Phil Dowd was biased.
Our manager was pointing out that the intimidating atmosphere at Old
Trafford makes it hard for officials to make calm, correct decisions. And
situations like last week happened regularly.

The place is a howling cauldron at times, and that has got worse as the
stadium has got bigger and Fergie has become virtually untouchable. He
doesn't care about fines and touchline bans, he's only bothered about doing
everything possible to keep Manchester United at the forefront of English
football.

And he is succeeding.

And while all this is going on, the softies from the FA are frightened to
death about taking on the biggest club in the land. They seem to do
everything they can NOT to haul Fergie up before the disciplinary committee.
While at the same time hitting everyone else with all sorts of dubious
charges.

Sam had seen two near identical penalty decisions go Man United's way.
Firstly Rafael handled twice in the box at one end and nothing was given,
while soon after Jordan Spence - trying to pull his hand away - was
penalised when a cross hit his hand.

Then there was that shocking late tackle by Paul Scholes on Matt Taylor. It
was high, late, studs up and into the ankle. It was by far the worst of
recent tackles of late that have seen other players sent off. But not
Scholes, just a booking, and Dowd even looked like he called him "Scholsey"!
What bit of 'tackle likely to cause harm to an opponent' did Dowd not
understand?

But then Scholes is the best midfielder of his generation. Well we keep
being told that, by the OT machine. I'd take Steven Gerrard and Frank
Lampard any day.

Sam was right. One penalty decision went in favour of Manchester United, and
the other went against the visiting team. Nobody was surprised, it goes on
all the time. Sam was not doubting Dowd's honesty, he was underlining how
tough it is to officiate at OT under such circumstances, people will make
mistakes under that sort of pressure.

Sam is a big mate of Fergie's and has spent much of his managerial and
playing career in the Manchester area. He would know only too well just how
orchestrated the intimidation of visiting teams and officials really is.

And, of course, Fergie gets away with transgressions almost on a weekly
basis without being taken to task by the weak, frightened men at the FA.

Three times now in a matter of weeks, Fergie has committed offences that
would see other managers charged. And his attack on linesman Simon Beck at
Spurs on Sunday, could well have backed the FA into a corner.

The most recent offence in my book saw Fergie not only complain that the
official 'gave us nothing all day' but he dragged up an incident of a couple
of seasons ago when the same official allowed a debatable offside goal for
Didier Drogba at OT that went a long way to seeing Chelsea take the title at
Man United's expense.

Firstly, I am amazed Fergie could remember specific linesmen like that. Even
Alan Curbishley on TV on Monday said as much. But that is Fergie, he
harbours grudges. And is not a man to cross ,as I have found to my cost, but
I'll come to that later.

Fergie, at the back of his mind, remembered the official. And then by
mentioning a past incident clearly implied that the man was biased against
Man United. It was a far worse offence than Sam's.

Fergie lives a charmed life on such occasions, and that's because I believe
the FA are well aware that careers can be severely damaged by taking on
Manchester United. I recall Alfi Haaland's career being ended by that
horrendous Roy Keane tackle back in 2001, because of something out of turn
the Norwegian had once said to the Man United hard man.

And then there was the career of referee Andy D'Urso, following his own
run-in with Keane. It has taken the Essex official a very long time to come
back from that one. I always felt that if D'Urso had stood his ground back
in 2000 and not back-pedalled like he did while being chased by Keane and
his gang, he would have done referees a real service.

If D'Urso had stood still and let players run into him or manhandle him,
even knocked him to the ground, the FA would have been able to make a real
stand against intimidation of referees, and maybe we wouldn't have the
nonsense that goes on now when they are slagged off routinely after every
match.
But now the FA have a problem. They have charged Sam, surely Fergie should
also be up for something even worse.

A few weeks back Ferguson attacked Swansea captain Ashley Williams after the
ball had been kicked back at Robin Van Persie's head. Now Fergie knew before
he went off on his rant claiming that Williams should be hammered by the FA
and how he could have killed the Dutchman, that nothing further could be
done because the referee that day had seen the incident, dealt with it and
booked Williams. But that didn't stop Ferguson's character assassination.

Then there was the infamous Newcastle match and his clash with Alan Pardew.
Whatever the merits of that match and the Mike Dean decision that annoyed
Ferguson, Man United and their manager went way over the top.

I will accept that Ferguson and Dean could have an animated man-to-man chat
as they walked off at the break down the touchline. But that should have
been it.

What happened then was way over the top. Ferguson was still berating the
officials as they walked back for the second half, and continued to hound a
linesman during the match from way outside his technical area.

That official was caught trying to do his job while distracted and fending
off Fergie's rant. That alone was worthy of a charge, as Pardew pointed out.
But nothing has happened.

That vast technical area at OT is Fergie's kingdom. It is full of ground
staff, TV men, juniors, various admin staff, players not involved in the
game, substitutes, and a whole army of technical people.

Just watch it next time. Mike Phelan stands leaning against the back wall,
various kitmen and medical staff all have an opinion and Fergie is the
puppet master. It all adds to intense pressure on the fourth official and
linesman, not to mention the referee.

Now the OT fans cannot hear what is being said, but they take their lead
from the antics of their manager, and that just cranks up the atmosphere
even further. I always thought that only one person can be standing in the
technical area at any one time, it's a pity that rule wasn't enforced
properly.

Referees must dread working there. They get abused and got at by all sorts
of Man U people, particularly in that walk back to the players' tunnel. And
have you ever noticed that the substitutes are always sent out to warm-up to
the right of the dug-out and behind the linesman, who gets an ear bashing
from them. I watched it for years and nobody ever stopped them. It's
organisation and manipulation on a grand scale.

So that's three incidents involving Fergie in a matter of weeks. I suppose I
can get away with saying such things now, I don't think Fergie can get me
anymore.

He banned me twice from his press conferences in my time working in
Manchester, not for anything I did, more what my London office - handily
placed I did mention out of the firing line - did. Once we carried a column
when it was suggested Fergie would be in charge of the club when he was 65.
Wouldn't happen, would it?

The column was amusing, but the art department came up with a cartoon
drawing of what Fergie might look like at 65. Red faced, boozers nose, all
spitting venom and ranting. Pretty accurate, I would say, in hindsight...
Fergie took the hump and banned me for six months.

Then there was the time I was asked to produce three big features telling
his life story one summer, but through the words of people who had worked
with him. Alex McLeish was one, Bryan Robson another. They were all gushing
about him.

So at his first pre-season press conference I walked happily in only to be
hit by a barrage of abuse and swearing. I was banned again for three months.
It seems my paper had omitted to tell me they wanted to used the features as
a 'spoiler' because the rights to Fergie's own autobiography had been sold
to one of our rivals.

So I know how much damage Fergie and Manchester United can do to individuals
who cross them. That's why there is such a grovelling group of bum-licking
journalists who now work in Manchester and fear for their every move.

Sadly the FA seem sometimes to also try not to cross the old fella, or his
club. It means that our manager gets charged with misconduct for telling the
truth and Fergie keeps getting away with murder.

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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce frustrated by defender hunt
Last Updated: January 22, 2013 5:11pm
SSN

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce admits he is struggling to bring in the
defensive reinforcements he believes his side needs this month. Injuries to
a number of players mean the Hammers boss is on the lookout for new
defenders in January but he has been frustrated as moves for Dnipro's Samuel
Inkoom and Nancy defender Massadio Haidara failed to materialise. With his
quota of domestic loans taken up by strikers Marouane Chamakh and Andy
Carroll, Allardyce is looking abroad for potential recruits. "We're not
making as good progress as I would have liked," said Allardyce. "It has been
hugely frustrating. We've been trying in the whole of the window to try and
bring in a defender, but not been able to clinch a deal yet. "That is
probably because we have been looking for a short-term deal in loans, as in
terms of not permanent deals. I think at this stage of the window everybody
wants to, if they are going to release a player, let him go on a permanent
basis, not on a short-term loan basis. "I think that will probably change as
the window gets closer to closing and hopefully we will be more successful
in our plight to get a defender in at that stage."

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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce will hold talks with Alou Diarra on his future
Last Updated: January 22, 2013 11:50am
SSN

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce plans to hold talks with Alou Diarra after the
midfielder indicated his unhappiness at the club in an interview. The
31-year-old, who has struggled with injury since arriving from Marseille in
the summer, has been quoted in L'Equipe, saying: "I have wasted my time".
And Allardyce has hinted he would prefer the France international to knuckle
down and try to win a regular starting spot in the team. "He is obviously
clear, without telling me, that he is not happy with the situation, which is
understandable," Alladyce said. "You get this all the time as a manager when
you bring a player of his experience and calibre over from France. "It
hasn't quite worked out and he feels a little disgruntled in terms of
playing more, this or that. "It is a fact of life, whereas I look at the
situation and play what I consider the best team and because of Alou's
long-standing injury he has found it hard to adjust to what is needed in the
Premier League. "If he is unhappy, he just has to tell me what he wants to
do and we'll see how we go from there. We'll have that discussion and we'll
make a decision after that on the future of Alou."

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The 'End Game' of the Diame Saga Approaches!
By S J Chandos About 2 hours ago 3 comments
West Ham Till I Die

Will Mo Diame leave the club this January? If the press are to be believed
it is largely a formality, with Arsenal due to swoop with a £3.5m bid after
our Wednesday evening match at the Emirates. Others have sought to spice
things up further by claiming that Arsenal could have late compeition from
Spurs and Newcastle Utd. The latest reports have Diame threatening to report
West Ham to FIFA if the club attempt to obstruct him talking to clubs that
offer the magic £3.5m 'trigger' fee. While in some quarters, it has been
reported that West Ham have set a Thursday deadline for Diame to accept the
alleged new contract offer of £60,000 a week!

It could all be speculation, who knows? What we do know is that Diame has
been offered an improved contract, which has not yet been accepted. If Diame
does leave, after just six months, it will be both a blow and a very great
pity for West Ham. Diame has been outstandng for us this season and has
provided a drive and energy that has transformed our midfield unit. It is an
axiom that if you aim to build a squad capable of challenging for honours
then you need to keep your best players and add quality to improve the mix.
However, if Diame wants to speak to other clubs then, in reality, there is
very little that we can do to prevent it. If Arsenal want Diame, they will
think nothing of offering £3.5m for a player whose real value is undoubtedly
much higher. All we can do is identify a suitable replacement. Although that
is likely to cost significantly more than £3.5m, unless there is another
release clause around that we can exploit or a Bosman deal available.

All we supporters can do is watch developments and hope that Mo Diame is
still a West Ham player come 1 February 2013. Losing him could have an
adverse impact upon our season. Unless Sam Allardyce can find a replacement
of similar quality? No doubt the midfield targets have been identfied and
the bids lined up. So, lets wait and see what transpires, one way or the
other?

Elsewhere, Sam Allardyce has voiced frustration at the difficulties
experienced in bringing in new defenders. The Olsson deal has seemingly
stalled and loan deals for various foreign targets have apparently been
unsuccessful. So, regardless of 'getting out of the blocks' quickly, in this
transfer window, it is still likely that some of our deals could still go to
the wire on deadline day. Did we really think that all the major business
would be done early and our club would have minimal involvement in the
transfer deadline day deals.

Oh well, who wants to be disinterested observers on transfer deadline day
anyway!

Finally, Sam Allardyce has claimed in reports, that beating Wenger's Arsenal
has always given him extra satisfaction. Well, lets hope that he is an
appropriately satisified manager at tomorrow evening's post-match press
conference! Arsenal are obviously the hot favourites at the Emirates, but
can we go there and get a draw? Not likely, but then we have had some
unlikely results at Highbury and the Emirates in the past. So, here's hoping
for the best!

SJ. Chandos.

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Diarra Discontent!
By S J Chandos
West Ham till I Die

There are reports in the press today that Alou Diarra has some pretty harsh
things to say about his situation at the club. He is quoted in the French
press as stating that he was misled in joining West Ham, there is litle
communication between him and the Manager and his time at the club has been
'a waste of time.'

In the interview, he admits that he is not unhappy financially at the club,
but he argues that he made the move to play and not enter semi-retirement.
There is talk of him being misled by promises made prior to signing for the
club, but the gist of his discontent seems to be that he is not an automatic
first team selection! Firstly, no one should be an automatic selection,
slection should be based upon the triple considerations of ftness, form and
tactical considerations. Regardless, how could he play, when he was out
injured for three months? Diarra only become available for selection in
December and he has played since his return. Diarra played very well in the
two FA Cup ties against Man Utd. Is not the best way forward is to knuckle
down and win a regular starting place on merit rather than some sort of
perceived entitlement! One understands that at 31 years of age, regular
football is a priority for Diarra, but surely he should give it the rest of
the season before seeking a move: especially as he was out injured for a
sustained period!

Sam Allardyce has since reponded at his pre-Arsenal match press conference
and it appears that there will be urgent talks with Diarra to try to resolve
the issue. Presumably, if those talks are not fruitful, then Diarra could
potentially leave in the January window. There has been reported interest,
from Spanish club Espanyol, in taking Diarra on loan. Could that prove to be
Diarra's route out of the club?

SJ. Chandos.

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Alou? Goodbye
Big Sam hits back
Published: 11 hrs ago
The Sun

SAM ALLARDYCE has told unhappy Alou Diarra: If you don't like it here, then
leave! Diarra last night launched an amazing attack on West Ham, accusing
the club of "lies" and claiming his move from Marseille had been a waste of
time. The France star signed a three-year deal in the summer but is already
desperate to quit the Hammers. Allardyce insists the first time he heard
about Diarra's personal hell was when he read about it in the papers this
morning. But the Upton Park boss said: "If he is unhappy, he just has to
tell me what he wants to do and we'll see how we go from there. "At the
moment, yes, he has contributed well but he's frustrated and he obviously
wants to play more. "We'll have those discussions and we'll make a decision
after that on the future of Alou."

Big Sam added: "He is obviously clear, without telling me, that he is not
happy with the situation, which is understandable. "You get this all the
time as a manager when you bring a player of his experience and calibre over
from France. "It hasn't quite worked out and he feels a little disgruntled
in terms of playing more, this or that. "It is a fact of life, whereas I
look at the situation and play what I consider the best team and because of
Alou's long-standing injury he has found it hard to adjust to what is needed
in the Premier League."

Diarra has just played twice in the Premier League since his switch from
France. And the midfielder had last night claimed he had been duped into
moving to East London. He added: "They sent an officer who landed at
Marseilles in a private jet and promised me the moon. The speech was
attractive. "It was England, London, West Ham, a popular club with a true
identity. It was an opportunity to settle in the Premier League. I did not
ask, I trusted. "After a few weeks, I realised that there were a lot of
lies. This agent has fooled me. Some people have made money on my back.
"Admittedly, I have three year contract but I'm not unhappy financially, but
I came to play, not to take an early retirement. "I am positively at
breaking point."

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Trial run: Mohamed Diame can earn Arsenal move by helping West Ham beat them
The Mirror
22 Jan 2013 22:32
Richard Heathcote

West Ham's Mohamed Diame has got 90 minutes against Arsenal on Wednesday
night to earn himself a winter-window switch to the Gunners. Diame fears
Hammers are trying to block a dream move to the Emirates by playing
hardball, even though there's £3.5million buyout clause written into his
contract.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger confirmed his admiration for Diame in the
build-up to Wednesday's match, and the battle surrounding the Senegal
midfielder is likely to take centre stage as the two teams meet. Diame, 25,
has been offered a new contract by West Ham with better terms if he agrees
to drop the buy-out clause and they are desperately trying to stop him
leaving. But Diame is determined to go this month if a club meets the clause
- even if it turns ugly and he has to take legal advice. It leaves Diame
knowing the battle for his signature is hotting up as he prepares to face
one of the interested clubs. When asked about the player on Tuesday, Wenger
said: "He has a great presence in the games. I've seen him in games where
he's had a big impact, for example against Chelsea where he had a big impact
where he came on. "They have many players who can be dangerous, but he can
drive the midfield." Wenger refused to be drawn on the names of transfer
targets, but it is clear he rates Diame. No club has yet to match the
buy-out clause, but it is believed Arsenal have made enquiries even though
there are some concerns about whether Diame is the right. So Wednesday's
match will give him the perfect opportunity to prove himself. Wenger has
admitted that he need to strengthen his midfield and Diame fits the bill in
that regard. The Arsenal manager has claimed he would like to sign two
players in January, but fears the right ones might not be available.
Meanwhile, the Gunners are set to make a last-ditch push for Barcelona's
David Villa, who now appears to be their most likely striker target for the
winter window. Barca have insisted he is not for sale but Villa is believed
to want to leave this month in search of regular football after losing his
guaranteed first team place Wenger has a habit of leaving it late in
transfer windows and there is still a feeling Arsenal may yet be able to
persuade Barcelona to sell - especially as they have done a lot of business
with the Spanish giants, after selling them Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song.

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Big Sam: It's no shock the Gunners are struggling
By VIKKI ORVICE
The Sun

SAM ALLARDYCE says Arsenal have landed themselves in trouble by flogging off
their best players. The West Ham boss takes his team to the Emirates tonight
aiming to win away to the Gunners for the first time in his managerial
career. He faces a side who have suffered back-to-back losses in the Premier
League with defeats to Manchester City and Chelsea. Arsenal — in sixth place
— are already 22 points behind table-topping Manchester United. But
Allardyce, who has drawn three and lost five of his eight trips to Arsenal
as a manager, believes the Gunners cannot be shocked after selling
top-scorer Robin van Persie to United in the summer. Stars like Cesc
Fabregas and Samir Nasri have also gone. And Big Sam said: "It's not
surprising because I don't know where you go and buy a player of Van
Persie's quality unless you're going to pay more than £24million. "Everybody
says it's great business in terms of his age but it's not really great
business for Arsene Wenger when he can't replace the goals that he's lost.
"When you sell your best players, which is not normally expected of Arsenal,
then it is difficult to replace them. "There is no doubt the players who
have come in are very good but are they better than the ones they have sold?
"It's a big ask, even for Arsene with his huge recruitment policy, to
replace those players immediately. "They have suffered with their level of
results. "The football is still very good but when you lose that many goals
— particularly from Van Persie — and miss more chances than they did before,
they won't get as good results. "I'm sure Arsene is frustrated because he's
been the best manager Arsenal have ever had. "When you build the club and
then cannot sustain that, it becomes very frustrating for any manager. "They
are still one of the top sides but they are just going through a period of
transition with the amount of players they have lost.
"They played Chelsea on Sunday and we played 24 hours earlier on Saturday,
which gives us a slight advantage physically because they've had less time
to recover. "We also hope the disappointment of their 2-1 defeat against
Chelsea means there might be a little lack of confidence. "If that's the
case then we might have a chance of getting a result. "If Arsenal are on top
form, then Arsenal will beat us, no matter how well we play." Allardyce has
never seen eye-to-eye with Wenger from the days he managed Bolton. The West
Ham chief said: "We had some tussles. Whenever we beat Arsenal, if we
weren't labelled 'long ball' then it would be 'physical'. "It was
frustrating but it used to make me really enjoy the fact we beat an Arsenal
side which included players like Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira. "It was
about finding a chink in their armour and exposing it. "When you do that to
top teams and beat them then their manager is not going to be very happy.

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Maiga fit to face Ghana
Ghanaweb.com

West Ham striker Modibo Maiga will feature for Mali in a Group B match
against Ghana Thursday after recovering from a thigh injury. Maiga missed
the opening group game against Niger, which Mali won 1-0 last weekend
through a late Seydou Keita goal. "Maiga is fully fit and will play against
Ghana. It's a big boost for us," team manager Amadou Cisse told AFP in this
Indian Ocean city. However, the Mali official said Lens midfielder Samba Sow
has not recovered from an illness that sidelined him for the Niger game.
Mali top the group with three points, ahead of Ghana and the Democratic
Republic of Congo, who have one point each after a thrilling 2-2 draw. Group
winners and runners-up qualify for the quarter-finals.

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EXCLUSIVE: Diame threatens to report West Ham over dirty tactics to avoid
release fee being activated
By SAMI MOKBEL
PUBLISHED: 22:55, 22 January 2013 | UPDATED: 02:22, 23 January 2013
Daily Mail

Mohamed Diame is threatening to report West Ham to FIFA over fears the club
are trying to renege on his £3.5million release clause. The tough-tackling
midfielder, who is interesting a number of Premier League sides, is free to
leave Upton Park if a club matches the stipulated fee. But Diame suspects
West Ham are ignoring the agreement as they continue with their attempts to
keep him at Upton Park. However, Sportsmail understands the midfielder is
willing to take heavy action against his employers if they do not abide by
the contractual agreement. Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham have all shown a
strong interest in the former Wigan man. But the Hammers are trying to sign
Diame to a new contract in an bid to get rid of the release clause. So far
the powerhouse midfielder is refusing to sign a new deal, knowing he is a
target for a number of bigger clubs. West Ham want any bid formalised and in
writing before allowing Diame to speak to prospective employers. However,
the 25-year-old believes his current employers are using unfair tactics to
spoil a potential move. The alarm bells started ringing for Diame last month
when the club announced he would miss three months with a hamstring injury
picked up in the defeat to Liverpool on December 9. However, just 24 hours
later Diame revealed he hoped to be fit for early January, significantly
less than three months. Had Diame missed three months, he would not have
been such an attractive signing given he would not be available until March.
Arsenal are understood to have lodged their interest in Diame with West Ham
officials. And Gunners manager Arsene Wenger will ran the rule over the
Senegal international in Wednesday's Premier League clash at the Emirates
Stadium. Speaking about Diame, Wenger said: 'He has a great presence in the
games, I have seen him have a big impact.'

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