Daily WHUFC News - 2nd January 2013

Big Sam beams after 'outstanding' win
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was delighted to see West Ham United start the New Year with a
2-1 win against Norwich
01.01.2013

West Ham United got 2013 off to the perfect start with an assured 2-1 win at
home to Norwich City on Tuesday. A Mark Noble penalty opened the scoring on
just three minutes, before Joey O'Brien provided an unlikely source for the
second. After almost constant pressure and numerous chances that were passed
up by the Hammers, Russell Martin ensured it would be a nervous finale by
grabbing one back for the Canaries with a minute to go. Sam Allardyce's side
were good value for their first win in six games, though, after they
dominated possession and created the lion's share of clear-cut chances.
Ricardo Vaz Te struck a post, Carlton Cole fired over from three yards and
only a duo of fine saves from Mark Bunn kept out shots from Jack Collison
and Matt Taylor. "We're probably glad their goal didn't come with a few more
minutes to go," Allardyce explained. "It's a shame the score didn't reflect
the performance. The win was very important but it should have been about
4-1 or 5-1 based on the amount of chances we created and missed. It was an
outstanding performance under the circumstances and an outstanding result.
"It should have been more but we got the three points and that was what we
were looking for. We did it with really good football and some good
finishing and some really good chances created and we've got that vital win.
"We got a little nervous when they popped that one in at the end. At 1-0 or
2-0, we're bound to throw caution to the wind, which we did for the last
five or ten minutes and they got the goal. But it really was a great win for
us."

Noble was offered the platform to score his fourth goal of the season after
Winston Reid appeared to be held in the area by Ryan Bennett. The decision
was hotly contested by the visitors, but Big Sam is confident referee Mark
Clattenburg made the right call. "The referee was in front of me and I could
see Reidy being pulled from the dugout area. You need those decisions to go
for you at the right time and that gets you off to a good start and the
confidence to go and play as well as we did. "With the box crowded,
sometimes that kind of thing can be obscured by the players but the referee
had a clear view of it. Sometimes they let it go and sometimes they give it.
It was the correct decision. After that it was about control and we
controlled the game right from the beginning until the very end."

The result was all the more impressive considering Kevin Nolan and James
Collins were added to the already substantial list of absentees through
suspension. With Gary O'Neil only fit enough for a late cameo from the
bench, Big Sam was forced to call on Collison and Vaz Te from the start as
both made their first starts following long-term injury lay-offs. The
depleted numbers have led Big Sam and the Board to draw up a list of
potential targets for the transfer window, which opened on Tuesday. "We had
Kevin Nolan, James Collins, Andy Carroll, Mo Diame and George McCartney
missing so it was a sensational performance when we're down to the bare
bones squad-wise. "We have been trying very hard over the last few weeks to
line up in the short term rather than the long term. We will wait and see as
January develops whether we get any joy or not but what we can say is that
we've got our feelers out."

West Ham have another big home game on Saturday when Manchester United visit
for a mouthwatering third-round FA Cup tie. Check out West Ham TV for all
the big match build-up.

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West Ham 2 Norwich 1
1 January 2013
Last updated at 17:23
By Owen Phillips
BBC Sport

Mark Noble's controversial early penalty set West Ham on their way to a
comfortable victory which consigned Norwich to a fourth consecutive defeat.
Noble calmly found the corner after three minutes when Ryan Bennett was
deemed to have held down Winston Reid. Norwich almost levelled when a Robert
Snodgrass free-kick hit the post but Joey O'Brien's shot made it 2-0. The
hosts were largely untroubled after the break and secured the win despite
Russell Martin's 90th-minute strike. Defender Martin's third goal in two
games produced a nervy finale, but could not prevent the Hammers
leapfrogging their visitors and moving up to 11th place in the Premier
League table.

West Ham's last league win over Norwich before today was in April 1992 -
although they have since won home and away in FA Cup ties in 2005 and 2006
respectively. The margin of victory - just West Ham's second in nine games -
could have been far greater with Canaries goalkeeper Mark Bunn having to
make several superb saves and the hosts also wasting a couple of glorious
opportunities. But Norwich will point to the harsh second-minute penalty
award as the catalyst for their demise. Three defeats in a row over
Christmas had marred a 10-game unbeaten run for Norwich. And although all
three of those losses were against sides in the top seven - including
Manchester City and Chelsea - the last thing their fragile confidence needed
was to be chasing the game within three minutes. But like the home reverse
against City, that is exactly what happened. Their normally calm manager
Chris Hughton was furious and bemused in equal measure as referee Mark
Clattenburg penalised Bennett for grabbing Reid's shirt as a looping ball
was played into the box. Reid seemed to be impeding Bennett just as as much
but Noble ignored the protests and stayed cool to convert the spot-kick and
put the hosts ahead.

Norwich refused to be rattled, but a side deprived of both injured main
strikers Grant Holt and Steve Morison struggled to create chances. Despite a
willing display from on-loan Tottenham teenager Harry Kane, they lacked
punch and presence up front and West Ham cleverly stifled the main creative
threat from the ever-lively Wes Hoolahan. Snodgrass was desperately unlucky
with a brilliant 20-yard free-kick that hit the post with the score at 1-0,
and they appealed for penalties of their own when the ball hit Reid on the
arm, and then after the break when Kane tumbled in the box under a challenge
from James Tomkins.
But West Ham, with Noble in dominant form and midfield partner Jack Collison
equally impressive on his first start this season, played with a greater
tempo and created the majority of the chances. Bunn pulled off a
breathtaking one-handed reaction stop to keep out Collison's effort just
before the hosts made it 2-0 when O'Brien continued his run into the box to
sidefoot home from 10 yards after great work by Noble. Norwich appealed for
a foul by Carlton Cole on Alex Tettey in the build up but Clattenburg waved
play on, much to Hughton's disgust.

The visitors will feel they have every reason to complain about referee Mark
Clattenburg's decision to award an early penalty but West Ham had the better
chances and could easily have won by more. Norwich managed to hang on for
2-0 at half-time but could not find a way back into the game after the break
and slip to a fourth successive defeat.

Matthew Taylor's fierce 20-yard strike then forced a save from Bunn before
the otherwise impressive Cole produced a terrible miss when he somehow skied
the ball over the bar from three yards after a fabulous move on the right
involving Noble and Guy Demel. West Ham sat deeper after the break and
Norwich saw much more of the ball but were still unable to create much. Kane
appealed hopefully after tumbling when racing through on goal while at the
other end the Hammers almost added a third goal when Ricardo Vaz Te's header
hit the post. But West Ham did not need the security of a third despite
Martin pulling a goal back with just over 30 seconds of normal time
remaining when he did brilliantly to volley into the corner of the net from
substitute Elliott Bennett's right-wing cross.

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "I was wondering if we were going to hold
our confidence and performance level at home. It has been really good even
though we have had two back-to-back defeats. They showed they have the
mentality to cope with whatever is thrown at them. "We are glad that their
goal didn't come a bit earlier but it's a shame the score did not reflect
how well we played. We should have scored a few more and and we did it with
really good football. We deserved the win. "Often in a crowded penalty box
it is impossible to give penalties like that, but I could see it from where
I was in the dugout. That early goal gave us the confidence to go on. "The
disappointing thing was the chances the front lads missed, with balls just
flashing across the box needed a tap in. "We lost a goal in the 90th minute
which made us edgy in the end when we should have been out of sight. We will
continue to try to brush up on our finishing techniques with the lads and
hope the next time round we are more clinical with our finishing."

Norwich City boss Chris Hughton: "The key decisions in the game did not go
in our favour, but we did not start well enough. "We accept Ryan Bennett had
hold of the lad's shirt, but I also saw Reid's forearm in Ryan's chest. They
are very close, he is not pulling Reid so he cannot get away, it is
something you see game in and game out right throughout the country. "On
almost every occasion you do not see a penalty, particularly when it is so
early in the game, so I was very surprised when he gave it. "I also don't
accept it was not a foul on Alex Tettey leading up to the second goal and
certainly was a handball in the first half and then the incident on Harry
Kane. We have been on the end of poor decisions. "We showed in the second
half a bit more of what we are about. Nobody has really given us a beating
and they have all been really close games. We have to be at our best to get
results and we have been close in the last four games."

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Hughton on......West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 2nd January 2013
By: Staff Writer No.2

Norwich City manager Chris Hughton shares his views on his side's 2-1 defeat
this afternoon at the Boleyn in this evening's post match press conference.
As ever we bring you the whole thing in full....

Not the best of starts Chris, really..

No. We were certainly on the end of, well you're looking at the key
decisions in the game. The key decisions in the game didn't go in our
favour. But we didn't start well enough. West Ham started better than what
we did. Came out of the traps quicker than what we did. If you're 1-0 down
after the first couple of minutes it certainly gives them a lift.

Second half we showed why we've been doing well of late. We're in every game
but we didn't do ourselves any favours in that first half period.

We saw you chatting to Mark Clattenburg...

That was just about the first decision. When I speak about things not going
in our favour, One the penalty - we accept that Ryan Bennett had hold of the
lad Reid's shirt.I accept that but I also saw Reid's forearm go into Ryan
Bennett's neck or chest. They're very close. He's not pulling Reid so Reid
can't get away. It's something you see game in, game out right throughout
the country. On almost every occasion you don't see a penalty. Particularly
so early in the game. I was surprised when he gave it. Very surprised.

I also don't accept that it wasn't a foul on Alex Tettey in the middle of
the park leading up to the second goal. So frustration at some of the
decisions, the big decisions. There certainly was a handball in the first
half and there certainly was an incident with Harry Kane. I think we've been
at the poor end of the decisions today.

But, as I say, our performance wasn't good enough in the first half today.
Particularly coming here. You know it's going to be tough. Second half we
showed more of what we're about.

Has Mark given you an explanation of why he didn't stop play for the second
goal?

No Mark was very calm and said that he had given the penalty for Ryan
Bennett grabbing hold of the lad Reid's shirt.That's his decision and I
accept that as fact but it's not one where a player's trying to get away
from somebody and you're pulling him back. These players were touching
eachother, they were that close. You look at Reid's movement and action -
he's a strong lad Reid - and you generally don't see penalties given for
that.

Sorry I meant the second goal when he didn't stop play when Tettey had been
fouled...

I must admit I didn't speak to him about that one. It's clear to see> I
could sit here and try to explain it but you've all seen it or will all see
it again and you'll have your opinions on it. I've seen it again and it
looks worse every time I've seen it.

Is it the inconsistency that annoys managers? I mean the penalty. you could
have 20 of those a game...

My frustration is that if a penalty isn't given to us for the handball....
You accept that referees sometimes get it wrong or they don't see it. When
Harry came through and it's deemed that it's not a penalty because he hasn't
had a clear view, that's fine. That's fair enough. The one that really hurts
us is when penalties are given that you feel shouldn't be given. That really
hurts us.

Do you think Chris that, regardless of whether the second one was a foul, do
you think he should have stopped play for treatment?

It's West Ham's perogative to play on. That's the rules of the game. I don't
think he was going to stop it anyway. If you're going to stop play you've
probably got to accept that it's a foul. But it's West Ham's perogative to
play on and that's part and parcel of the game.

You've lost these four games by a single goal. Is that particularly galling
after a ten-match unbeaten run?

I think you can look at that how you want. What it does mean is that
nobody's given us a beating really. In that period of time it means that
they've all been close games. It's a real frustration. We've also got to
accept that we've had two tough away games; at West Brom, who are in real
good form, and coming here today it's never an easy game for anybody - as
Chelsea saw a couple of games ago.

Two home games now against Chelsea and Man City. We have to be at our best
to get results. It's been close in teh last four games. It probably allows
us to look back on the run and to realise what a good run that was to go
unbeaten for that period of time in this division. We're probably benefiting
from that run. What we did do is get good points and we needed tham coming
into this run. For us it's about trying to get back into winning ways.

Do you think you're a better side now Chris, than you were in October?

I'd like to think so. We're in close games now. All four games we've lost,
ok disappointed that we've lost but the margins have been quite close in all
four games. If we'd had that little bit of luck or quality right at the end
we could have got better results. That's the positives. I'd like to think we
are a better side. The results at the end of the season will determine how
good we are.

Chris you said today and also on Saturday that you didn't start as well as
you'd have liked to, Is that still a concern?

Yeah it is. If you're disappointed in aspects of the game then it's always a
concern. But the penalty obviously affects the game. You're given a penalty
against you in the first two minutes of the game it gives them here a great
lift. You can see from the reaction of our players how disappointed they
were that the penalties were given. We've had two decisions. Even if the
penalty stands you're still not going to tell me that the Alex Tettey one
wasn't a foul. Absolutely it was.

Is it a concern? Obviously it is. We'll need to rectify that.

Robert Snodgrass has tweeted that the referee "killed the game" Would you go
as strongly as that?.

At that stage of the game, you know it's going to be a tough game and you
know they've got that direct style. The decision hurts the game there's no
doubt. To be 1-0 down inside of two minutes against a West Ham who've had
some difficult times of late gives them a massive massive boost. We'll make
no excuses for our first half performance but there's no doubt the goal
gives them a massive lift.

Was Garrido injured?

No it was a tactical decision. With Brad Johnson out of the team and either
a Steve Morison or a Grant Holt you've got two of your main headers out of
the side. Knowing how West Ham get the ball forward and how good they are at
set plays we needed to make sure we could match them a little bit.

You switched Ryan Bennett over in the second half..

That was just tactical.

How far away was Holt today Chris?

No we'd made up our mind over the last few days that he wouldn't be playing
today. We'll assess him over the next few days. He won't be available for
the weekend - we wouldn't take that chance anyway. We'll look for the
Newcastle game.

Steve Morison?

We're still assessing that one. He'll probably be a couple of weeks.

Any transfer news - have you been busy on the phone this morning?

Not this morning. I expect I'll be very busy as will all managers. What will
come of that we'll wait and see. We'll just do our work the same way as
everybody else does.

This chap from Holland you were thinking about?...

What chap from Holland? There's a lot of chaps from Holland! (laughter).

Utrecht striker?

Erm not that I know of. No

You've got no Holt and today you've gone with Harry Kane. In that area of
the squad with those injuries yo may have to go into the market?...

It's a big area. If you look at Holt and Morison as our main two strikers
that'd be the same as anywhere. If you look here Andy Carroll is out and if
Carlton Cole was injured that would be their main strikers out. Most clubs
would find that hard. You have to work your way around that. We know we'll
be light there if we have injuries. It'll be up to me to see if I want to
address that.

Can Russell Martin play up front?...

No but at the moment he can score a goal! But no.

Thank you gentlemen.

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West Ham Utd 2-1 Norwich City
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 1st January 2013
By: Staff Writer

First half goals from Mark Noble and Joey O'Brien sealed was a most welcome
- not to mention a fully deserved - three points for West Ham against
Norwich at the Boleyn Ground this afternoon.

Not even a late consolation for the visitors could dampen the positive mood
at the Boleyn Ground today as Big Sam's boys earned their first victory of
2013 - and more importantly, their first win since the 3-1 defeat of Chelsea
here last month.

Today's was a performance in complete contrast to the miserable effort
produced at Reading last weekend, in which West Ham barely threatened their
opponent's goal.

United could have found themselves three or four ahead by the break today,
such was their dominance in an opening 45 minutes that produced a string of
great goalscoring opportunities.

However it was to be goals from Mark Noble and Joey O'Brien that ensured all
three points stayed in east London; a win that takes West Ham back up to
11th in the table and just a little bit further away from the danger zone
that appeared ominously close following that embarrassing reversal at the
Madejski Stadium.

Noble, installed as captain for the day in the wake of Kevin Nolan's
suspension opened the scoring with less than two minutes on the clock from
the penalty spot, after Norwich's Ryan Bennett was penalised by referee Mark
Clattenburg for a clear tug on Winston Reid's shirt inside the area.

Although Norwich argued the toss, TV replays confirmed a clear tug on the
Kiwi's shirt and Clattenburg was absolutely correct - not for the last time
in the match - to point to the spot.

Former Leeds midfielder Robert Snodgrass almost drew the Canaries level on
20 minutes when his free kick - awarded against Jack Collison for hand ball
when the ball was fired at him from no more than a yard away - struck the
bottom of Jussi Jaaskelainen's left-hand post.

And just a minute later Norwich appealed for a penalty of their own when a
looping ball struck a falling Winston Reid on the hand. On this occasion
however play was waved on by Clattenburg, who was perhaps mindful of the
pressure exerted on Reid by Sebastien Bassong - yet once again, absolutely
right to award no spot kick.

The game continued to ebb and flow and Jack Collison, back in the starting
line-up for the first time this season saw his cheeky toe-poke saved on the
line by an alert Mark Bunn between the Norwich sticks. The 'keeper was on
hand again on the half hour mark to tip over Matt Taylor's fierce 20-yard
drive.

But West Ham were finally rewarded for their efforts when Joey O'Brien
completed a lovely move down the left-hand flank that culminated with (the
excellent) Matt Jarvis pulling the ball back from the touchline for the
Irish defender to expertly steer home through a crowd of bodies.

Once again Norwich complained, this time querying why a purported foul by
Carlton Cole as West Ham broke from their own half in the build-up had not
been awarded. Once again, referee Clattenburg was having none of it - and
once again, TV replays suggested he was right.

Nine minutes before the break Carlton Cole had a glorious chance to put West
Ham beyond the visitor's reach. Mark Noble's defence-splitting pass allowed
Guy Demel to provide a low centre that a stretching Cole somehow got
underneath and lifted over the bar from no more than three yards out.

Such was West Ham's dominance in the opening 45 minutes there was still time
for Matt Taylor to attempt to score directly from a corner - the chance
averted by a last ditch block - and for Vaz Te to slice one horribly wide
having been set up by a clever delivery from Matt Jarvis, who ran Norwich
ragged in the first half.

A clearly frustrated Norwich boss Chris Hughton waited patiently in the
tunnel for referee Clattenburg to leave the field at the break before
voicing his concerns. Yet the man in black was clearly not allowing himself
to be influenced, as proved when Harry Kane went tumbling over in the
penalty box just five minutes after the restart.

In Norwich's first meaningful attack of the second period, a hopeful ball
into the box saw Kane attempt to dash across the path of West Ham's James
Tomkins - although in the end the rookie striker simply bounced off the
defender, who simply held his course, before raising a hand in hope of
winning a penalty.

Clattenburg was absolutely right, yet again, to allow the game to continue,
leaving the prone Kane thumping the turf in mock indignation.

Whilst West Ham continued to enjoy the lion's share of possession,
goalscoring opportunities were proving to be few and far between. A half
chance for Mark Noble turned into a corner via a deflection whilst Carlton
Cole was millimetres away from turning a Matt Taylor corner into the net.

But United's best chance of the second half fell to Ricardo Vaz Te who, like
Jack Collison was making his first start since recovering from a lengthy
injury. With 64 minutes on the clock a deep cross by Taylor found the
Portuguese forward at the far post; reaching the ball before his marker, the
play-off final hero nodded the ball back towards the far post where it
clipped the post before bouncing agonisingly wide.

The last 20 minutes was preceded by a flurry of substitutions and the
visitors benefitted the most as the initiative changed in Norwich's favour.
But despite their control of the final stage of the game it took until the
89th minute for the Canaries to conjure a chance of note, which was taken by
Russell Martin from close range.

Having seen out the three minutes of injury time - just - West Ham were
finally able to celebrate the win that lifts them above today's opponents,
whilst Norwich continued their (unwarranted) protestations to Mark
Clattenburg who, it should be said, had got every big call on the day right.


West Ham Utd 2-1 Norwich City: Match Facts

West Ham Utd: Jussi Jaaskelainen, James Tomkins, Winston Reid, Guy Demel,
Joey O'Brien (Gary O'Neil 71), Mark Noble, Ricardo Vaz Te (Modibo Maiga 82),
Matt Taylor, Jack Collison, Matt Jarvis (Jordan Spence 85), Carlton Cole.

Subs not used: Raphael Spiegel, Alou Diarra, Seb Lletget, Elliott Lee.

Booked: None.

Goals: Mark Noble (pen 3), Joey O'Brien (26).

Possession: 57%.

Shots (on/off target): 14 (8/6).

Norwich City: Mark Bunn, Russell Martin, Sebastien Bassong, Michael Turner,
Ryan Bennett, Robert Snodgrass, Jonny Howson (David Fox 83), Alexander
Tettey, Anthony Pilkinton, Wes Hoolahan (Elliott Bennett 70), Harry Kane
(Simeon Jackson 70).

Subs not used: Declan Rudd, Leon Barnett, Marc Tierney, Korey Smith.

Booked: None.

Goals: Russell Martin (90).

Possession: 43%.

Shots (on/off target): 9 (3/6).

Referee: Mark Clattenburg.

Assistants: S Child, D C Richards.

Fourth Official: G Sutton.

Attendance: 35,005.

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2013 - We have a problem
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 1st January 2013
By: Paul Walker

Way back in 1970, the Apollo 13 commander, James Lovell spawned the famous
"Houston, we have a problem" when his spacecraft was hit by an explosion.
Everybody got back to the States OK, but it was touch and go for a while.

It's a quote that springs to mind as West Ham and Sam Allardyce, somewhat
ironically, approach 2013 with more than a few problems. Our survival in the
top flight might also be touch and go unless there is a quick return to
form.

The first problem is amassing the 17 more points that will take us to the
accepted 40 point mark and Premier League survival. Yes I know we have
bitter memories of acquiring 42 in 2003 and still going down, but hopefully
that was a freak!

After Saturday's dismal defeat at Reading, we reached the half way mark of
our season with 23 points. So there's 19 more games to go and 17 points
needed. We are now just six points above third from bottom Southampton, when
I can recall us having more than a ten point gap at one stage this season.

But getting to our 40 point target is not as simple as that, is it? What we
have learned about our squad is that it is not big enough and does not have
the genuine pace, quality and attacking guile to live with the big boys.
Nine points from our last 11 games underlines that.

And we have been beaten by Arsenal, Manchester United, Spurs, Everton and
Liverpool which suggests we are not good enough to take much from the
division's giants.

Wins against Chelsea and Newcastle and a point against champions Manchester
City have been rare beacons of light recently as our season has slowly gone
down hill. It's a harsh statement because we did so well at the start of the
campaign, but our current form is not good enough and if it stays this way,
we will almost certainly go down.

And from our recent run, we have not got what we hoped for against the likes
of Reading, West Brom , Wigan and Stoke.

From now until the last game on May 19 at home to Reading, we have still to
go to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton, and Manchester City, while Spurs
and Manchester United still have to visit the Boleyn. Frankly I would be
surprised if we got much against any of them on current form, so that means
that 17 points we need must be acquired from the 12 other matches. I
sincerely hope I am wrong on that, prophet of doom that I am at times.

And that means big Sam has to win the battle for decent money for the
January transfer window from the Davids. We need a left-back, midfielder and
striker for sure.

He has decided not to extend the loan of injury-prone Yossi Benayoun, who
will return to Chelsea, so he will definitely need to sign an attacking
midfielder to replace him. His large wages have been saved and will be put
to better use.

What is obvious is that we cannot carry high-wage players on loan who do not
make a real contribution. The injured Andy Carroll, obviously, is the
exception, and the fact that Liverpool are about to sign Daniel Sturridge
surely means they will not be recalling Carroll, unless they want to sell
him.

And with him not likely to be fit enough to get through a medical until
February, we have clearly decided to stick with him, That's good because
with the big Geordie having been out since November 28, and Carlton Cole
having played well in his absence, some people are suggesting we can do
without Carroll.

That's nonsense. Don't forget the wonderful impact his signing produced in
the opening months of the season, and the feel-good-factor that swept the
club when he arrived, a genuine England international. Get him fit and
firing and we will stay up, it's as simple as that.

We have also got rid of coach Wally Downes, interestingly I believe he is
handled by the same agent as Benayoun. When Downes arrived during the Avram
Grant reign, I recall one of our owners saying that Barry Silkman had been
involved. Now Silkman was Grant's agent in the UK and had a working
relationship with Pini Zahavi, who also looks after Benayoun.

So two of Zahavi's people have been shown the door, while we will move
heaven and earth to keep Mark Curtis' boy, Carroll…and we all know that
Curtis represents big Sam, Kevin Nolan, Matt Jarvis, Jack Collison and James
Tompkins. Of course I am sure this is all just co-incidence.

We can only hope, also, that Sam's working relationship with Willie McKay
also means that we keep hold of Mo Diame. He has the same sort of buy-out
clause that Demba Ba has, and one which Chelsea are now exploiting.

A lot of people want to do the same with Diame, including Harry Redknapp,
another who knows McKay well.

McKay is Diame's agent - and he does not represent Ba, before you ask. McKay
recently went into print to defend the buy-out clause in contracts, saying
it gives the buying club a better deal on initial wages and only causes
problems for them further down the line. Some players would just not join a
lesser club without such a clause in place.

We have missed Diame badly, picking up one point and one goal since he was
injured. Our owners insist they are working on a new contract as we speak to
ward off other clubs, but you can be sure agents keep such situations
buzzing along in the media until everyone gets a better deal.

David Sullivan was quoted recently, when the partnership between Sam and
Curtis was being scrutinised, that we have paid more cash in agents fees to
McKay than Curtis of late. Ok, well get on with it then, we all want this
concluded quickly and not on the last day of the transfer window!

There is also a growing rumour that Darren Bent is on Sam's list. Whether we
can afford a player who cost almost £20m a year or so ago is open to debate.
And why would Aston Villa let him go on loan to a club who could be
competing against them in a relegation battle?

Bent, though, has the same agent - Stellar group's Jonathan Barnett - as
James Collins, Carlton Cole, Matt Taylor and Gary O'Neil, so we are used to
dealing with him, an agent with a vast list of clients including Gareth
Bale, Ashley Cole and Joe Hart.

We are also being linked by Nicholas Anelka, Karren Brady having admitted
she met him in Dubai recently. Again, that's big, big money on wages.

But the Davids know we must stay in this division at all costs. Their whole
business plan depends on it, so they are going to have to gamble now rather
than risk the prospect of going down. How rich they are and how capable of
raising capital we will soon see. Just don't blow it all now gentlemen.

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Sam Allardyce delighted to end West Ham's winless run with victory over
Norwich
Last Updated: January 1, 2013 6:52pm
SSN

Sam Allardyce was delighted to end a run of four games without a win after
seeing his West Ham United side beat Norwich City 2-1 at Upton Park. Mark
Noble handed them a third-minute lead from the penalty spot and Joey O'Brien
doubled the advantage with an opportunist strike 23 minutes later. Although
Norwich scored a late goal to set up a nervy finish, the hosts were worthy
winners. Allardyce said: "We have experienced the joy of winning again - it
has been a while.
"It has been a torturous few games for me, but we have got what we deserved
today, which is a win. "It's a shame that the score didn't reflect the
performance. The win was very important to us, but it should have been about
4-1 or 5-1 based on the amount of chances created and missed. "Apart from
the goal they scored in the last minute, we have got the vital win were
looking for and we deserved, right from the start to the very end." West Ham
were severely under-strength for the game, with Kevin Nolan, James Collins,
Mohamed Diame and Andy Carroll all missing. But Allardyce felt their
presence was not missed courtesy of the big impression made by his
replacements. He added: "We had a whole host of players missing, but what a
performance when we were down to the bare bones. What a performance from the
players that played today. Fantastic. "It was an outstanding performance
under the circumstances and an outstanding result. We did it with really
good football and some good finishing." Norwich were enraged by Mark
Clattenburg's decision to award a penalty for Ryan Bennett's slight pull on
Winston Reid, but Allardyce felt the referee was correct. "Sometimes the
referees give it and sometimes they don't," he said.
"He was right in front of the referee and the referee has got a very good
view of it. "The referee had a clear view of it. He saw this one and he gave
it, and I thought it was the correct decision."

West Ham now sit 11th in the Premier League, but Allardyce insisted he was
still keen to improve his squad during the January transfer window. "We will
try," he said. "We have been trying very hard over the last few weeks to
line up [some players] in the short term. "We will wait and see as January
develops."

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West Ham 2 Norwich 1: Controversial decisions hand hosts victory
Last Updated: January 1, 2013 6:55pm
SSN

West Ham United ended a run of four Premier League games without a win after
a series of controversial refereeing decisions helped them to a 2-1 victory
over Norwich City at Upton Park. The hosts took the lead through a
third-minute Mark Noble penalty that was awarded by referee Mark Clattenburg
for Ryan Bennett's negligible pull on Winston Reid.

Best of the Match

Man of the Match: On top of his well-taken penalty, Mark Noble controlled
the game in the first half and drove West Ham forward throughout the match.
Goal of the Match: Russell Martin swept home a beautiful right-foot shot to
give Norwich hope late on after fine wing play from Elliott Bennett.
Save of the Match: Mark Bunn made a number of fine stops in the first half
to keep Norwich in touch, not least from Jack Collison's close-range
snap-shot.
Gaffe of the Match: Referee Mark Clattenburg made a number of questionable
decisions, particularly the two that led to West Ham's goals.
Talking Point: Sadly, it's the referee. Having had two poor games back to
back now, questions have to be asked about Clattenburg's suitability for
Premier League duty.

They doubled their lead 23 minutes later through Joey O'Brien's opportunist
close-range strike, despite the fact that Norwich's Alexander Tettey was
grounded in the build-up with a head injury. Russell Martin handed Norwich
last-gasp hope with an injury-time consolation, but they couldn't force an
equaliser and have now lost their last four league games. The result sees
Sam Allardyce's side leapfrog Norwich into 11th place, with Chris Hughton's
out-of-form team now 12th.
The hosts were given a perfect start by Clattenburg, whose decision to
penalise Bennett for tussling with Reid allowed Noble to send Mark Bunn the
wrong way with a well-struck right-foot shot. Although they then took
control of the game, they were lucky to stay ahead when, after a rare foray
forward, Norwich's Robert Snodgrass struck the foot of the post with a
sublime free-kick from 25 yards. The visitors then had another refereeing
decision go against them when a penalty appeal was waved away, despite a
clear handball in the West Ham box from Reid. And they then fell 2-0 behind,
once again in controversial circumstances. With Tettey down on the floor,
Sebastien Bassong failed to fully clear Noble's near-post cross and O'Brien
sidefooted home the rebound. The goal sapped Norwich's confidence and West
Ham took complete control of the game, with only Mark Bunn keeping the score
at 2-0 courtesy of fine saves from Matt Taylor and Jack Collison. However,
the visitors improved markedly after the break and both teams created
numerous half-chances as the tempo increased and the game opened up.
Substitute Elliott Bennett delivered a superb cross for Martin to sweep home
at the near post in injury time, but West Ham held on for a deserved and
much-needed victory.

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Match Report: West Ham 2 Norwich Ciy 1
By Iain Dale About 12 hours ago 91 comments
West Ham Till I Die

Well that was nice, wasn't it? OK, Norwich were possibly the poorest side to
come to Upton Park this season, but even so, it was a comfortable win even
though the final score might suggest otherwise. Norwich upped their game in
the second half, but with both Grant Holt and Steve Morrison missing they
had no real attacking threat. Wes Hoolihan was probably heir brightest
player but he never really got into the West Ham penalty area. But enough
about them, what about us and our rather makeshift team? Playing with three
wingers was, as Sir Humphrey might say, courageous, but it was Matt Taylor
who played inside the winger and really came into his own. I thought this
Taylor's best game for us. He was ruthless in the tackle and put in some
wonderful sliding passes. Another Matt, Matt Jarvis was another player who
came good. In the first half Norwich didn't know how to handle his mazy runs
down the left and it was a surprise that they didn't lead to further goals.
On the right, Vaz Te looked bright in the first half but in the second half,
apart from hitting a post with a looping header, he did nothing. Whether
this was through chronic tiredness after being out for such a long time, or
whether he just didn't care, I really don't know. It is difficult to tell
with him. I'd have hauled him off long before the 80th minute.

I was really worried about our midfield. But my worries were misplaced. Mark
Noble put in yet another Man of the Match performance. His tackling was
outstanding and some of his passing was breathtaking. One pass in particular
which nearly led to a third goal was simply out of the this world. He led by
example. Jack Collison put in a good shift too. For a player who has been
out for eight months, he was very impressive.Unlike Vaz Te, he didn't seem
to tire, and he was very creative too. And as I have said, Matty Taylor
played a very important role too. This was the first match since Diame's
injury where we genuinely looked like we could play without him.

Carlton Cole should have had at least one goal. He contrived to put the ball
over from two yards out at one stage, but that is to carp. His heading and
hold up play were again class personified. He ran Mark Noble very close for
Man of the Match, although there were two other contenders for that accolade
one being the ever reliable Winston Reid and the other being Guy Demel.
Demel was brilliant down the right. He seems to have discovered some real
pace lately, and looked very dangerous whenever he went on the rampage. If
he could build up an understanding with Guy Demel, the two of them might
produce some very dangerous balls into Carlton Cole. On the other side Joey
O'Bren had a great game, combining well again with Matt Jarvis. He took his
goal well and it was a shame to see him go off. If he's out long term it
means we have no recognised left back, although Matt Taylor has played
there, I suppose.

That win puts us up to 11th in the table, just when the slide down looked as
if it might continue. Our next six matches include home games against QPR
and Swansea and away matches at Sunderland, Fulham and Villa. Oh, and
Arsenal too. I think we need to target 10 points from those games.

Jussi - 7
Guy Demel - 8
Joey O'Brien - 7
James Tomkins - 6
Winston Reid - 8
Mark Noble - 8
Jack Collison - 7
Matt Taylor - 7
Matt Jarvis - 7
Ricardo Vaz Te - 5
Carlton Cole - 8

PS - A word about the referee Mark Clattenburg. And that word is
'outstanding'. He got every big call right, and you can't ask for more than
that. We give referees a hard time when they get things wrong, so let's not
be backward in praising a ref who deserves it. Mr Clattenburg did today.

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Angry bird: Clattenburg penalty decision gets Canary Snodgrass all a-Twitter
The Mirror
1 Jan 2013 22:30
Jamie McDonald
By James Masters

Robert Snodgrass took to Twitter to unleash his fury at referee Mark
Clattenburg following Norwich's defeat. Clattenburg was the centre of
attention at Upton Park after awarding the Hammers a penalty for an
­innocuous looking shirt pull by Ryan Bennett on Winston Reid inside the
opening two minutes. The decision left City's players and boss Chris Hughton
fuming, while he also failed to award a free-kick following Carlton Cole's
foul on Alexander Tettey in the lead up to West Ham's second goal. And
Snodgrass tweeted: "The referee kills the game #gamesgone. "If that's a pen
you will need to give 100 pens a season, small decisions change games. Win
some you lose some. Great support again." Boss Hughton also hit out at
Clattenburg after his side fell to a fourth consecutive defeat by a single
goal. "You accept sometimes referee's get it wrong or they don't see it,"
said the former Newcastle and Birmingham manager. "But the one that really
hurts is when ­penalties are given when they shouldn't be. The penalty
obviously affects the game. "You get a penalty against you two minutes into
the game, which gives these fans a great lift here, and you could see by
the ­reaction of our players at the time how disappointed they were. "Even
if the penalty stands, you're not ­seriously going to tell me the Alex
Tettey ­incident wasn't a foul. Absolutely it was. "That's knocked us a
little bit."

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