Daily WHUFC News - 1st June 2013

On this day - 1 June
WHUFC.com
West Ham United reached the inaugural Football League War Cup final on this
day in 1940
01.06.2013

Classic Match
Fulham 3-4 West Ham United
Football League War Cup semi-final
Saturday 1 June 1940, Stamford Bridge

The 1939/40 Football League season was suspended after just three matches
following the outbreak of the Second World War. Into its place came the
regional War League, designed to save on travelling and resources at a time
when the war effort meant everything. The FA Cup competition for that season
was also cancelled, with the national Football League War Cup taking its
place. Played in a condensed period between April and June 1940, the War Cup
proved to be a hugely successful tournament for West Ham United. The Hammers
overcame Chelsea 5-2 on aggregate in the first round before defeating
Leicester City 4-1 over two legs in the second round. Charlie Paynter's team
then drew 3-3 at Huddersfield Town before winning the replay 3-1. A 4-2 home
win over Birmingham City set up a London derby semi-final at Fulham played
on this date in 1940. The Hammers had been defeated 2-1 by the same
opponents just five days previously in the War League, but they would not be
denied in the knockout competition. The match was set for a 6.40pm kick-off
to allow war workers to attend and the 33,000 who turned out were treated to
a thrilling 90 minutes. An own-goal from Brown put West Ham in front before
Len Goulden (pictured) doubled the lead before half-time with a well-placed
shot. Joseph Stanley Foxall made it 3-0 shortly after the break before Sam
Small added a fourth.
It seemed the game was over, but Fulham roared back to score three goals in
the space of 25 minutes through Woodward and then Rooke, who scored twice to
make the score 4-3. West Ham held on, though, and would face Blackburn
Rovers in the final at Wembley on Saturday 8 June 1940.

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Season in Seconds: Gary O'Neil
WHUFC.com
The West Ham United midfielder goes under the microscope in our Season in
Seconds feature
31.05.2013

Gary O'Neil is the latest player to feature in our Season in Seconds
feature. You can watch the full interview with Gary on West Ham TV by
clicking here.

Gary, how would you sum up the season?

GO - "I'd say fairly successful. It's been pretty stress-free staying away
from the relegation zone for all of it."

What was your personal highlight?

GO - "Probably the last ten or eleven weeks for me, getting a decent run in
the side. The West Brom game was good, scoring, setting up Andy and getting
a
big three points all on the same day. That was nice."

What was your funniest moment of the season?

GO - "Mulumbu kicking the ball at me and getting sent off - that was quite
amusing."

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Reid wins Belfast Hammers award
WHUFC.com
West Ham United defender Winston Reid collected another prize for his
outstanding 2012/13 season
31.05.2013

Winston Reid's trophy cabinet welcomed another new addition recently when
the Belfast Hammers selected him as their Player of the Year. Already the
recipient of the Hammer of the Year award, Players' Player of the Year.and
Swedish Hammers Player of the Year, the central defender collected yet
another prize for his fantastic season from the Belfast Hammers. The group
made the journey over the Irish Sea to be at West Ham United's final game of
the season against Reading and were delighted to be able to hand Reid the
trophy.

It also turned out to be an excellent match to make the trip for - West Ham
ran out 4-2 winners and secured a top-ten finish in the Barclays Premier
League.
Belfast Hammers chairman Ronan Muldoon explained why Reid had won the award
and said the members had enjoyed their most-recent trip to east London in an
exclusive interview with West Ham TV. He said: "It was a very tightly
contested competition between Winston and a few others and at the end of the
day the decision came down to a very close divide. "Winston Reid was the
successful nomination and I think he's had a very good season. He's matured
greatly this season through his efforts as an individual and a team player.
"About a dozen of us made the trip over and we were fortunate enough to have
the winner of the competition for designing the Belfast Hammers' new crest
with us. "We come over as a club two to three times a season, and there are
a number of individuals who make more trips than that. In the current
climate it's a big commitment and a lot to ask, but West Ham are very
accommodating in what we do, through their support of the official Belfast
Hammers Club and long may it continue. "We're looking forward to turning out
in our numbers for the pre-season game at Cork now!"

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West Ham's new Adidas kits unveiled?
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 31st May 2013
By: Staff Writer

Pictures purporting to be West Ham United's new Adidas home and away kits
for 2013/14 have been revealed on Twitter. At circa 10pm on Friday night,
Twitter member @djleon1983 posted images of what are said to be the club's
first designs by the German corporation, who recently agreed a two-year kit
sponsorship deal with West Ham. As can be seen below, the home shirt
featured a far lighter blue than that to which we have become accustomed in
recent years, whilst the away kit closely resembles that produced by Adidas
for West Ham in the 1984/85 season. Further images - including a potential
third kit plus leisure wear as modelled by a series of players - may be seen
by viewing twitter.com/djleon1983. Just how the images (which appear to
have been taken at the club's Chadwell Heath training centre) were obtained
has not been disclosed. West Ham previously wore Adidas kits between 1980
and 1987.

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All calm on the West Ham front... for a change
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 31st May 2013
By: Paul Walker

I don't know about you lot, but I've had a brilliant couple of weeks, no
tension, no high blood pressure, no sleepless nights. Not even a mild
nervous breakdown.

Yes, I know, it's so unlike the usual end of season for a West Ham fan. And
it's all because our Sam and the boys finished in a remarkable tenth place,
without any hint of featuring in Sky's 'let's search for a sobbing fan'
final day TV torture.

It's hard to believe that it is two weeks since our last day victory over
Reading, a hugely entertaining day that went totally to plan before we all
drifted happily off into the sunset without a care in the world.

The previous season we were still to endure the draining play-off Final. The
previous season we were left to contemplate the horrors of relegation and
the season before that we had just about limped over the line to safety.

It was quite fun watching Crystal Palace beat Watford at Wembley to claim
their place back in the top flight. Seeing such anguish underlined what it
must have been like to watch us at the same venue a year earlier.

The right side won, too. Palace deserved to win, even though some of our
number wanted to see Gianfranco Zola back into the top flight. I've nothing
against Zola, but I have plenty against Scott Duxbury, who caused so many of
our own problems over the Tevez fiasco. To see him back in the Premier
League at the administrative helm of Watford would have been too much to
bear.

Anyway, I was delighted for Danny Gabbidon. He served us well over the years
and struggled to overcome some shocking injuries that almost ended his
career. Once our Hammer of the Year, he was always a honest, tireless
competitor in our colours.

Forced to play out of position so often, it was nice to see him at the heart
of Palace's defence and doing so well. I do hope he gets a good reception
when he returns to the Boleyn with Palace next season.

The reason, of course, for me being able to feel so happy for a potential
rival is the calm state of mind that follows our more than decent season.
Although I don't go along with Sam's ability to re-write history and claim
we were never in the relegation dogfight. Four points off the bottom three
with a couple of weeks of the season left felt like a dogfight to me, and
it's easy in hindsight to just trot out that we were never lower than 14th.

But tenth place is a real credit to our team. And the statistics make
enlightening reading. In what John Hellier's book rightly called the Elite
Years, basically from 1958-59 when we won promotion from the old Second
Division to now, we have finished above tenth place just 16 times.

And if you want to massage a fact with a little journalistic licence, you
can go back to our first season in the Football League (1919-20) and the
figure is just 18 times above tenth place in 95 years. The war years, and
the fact that we were in the Second Division from 1932 to 1959, does make
that statistic a little dramatic. But you take my point.

What our team and manager achieved in the recently ended season was very,
very impressive, so I was determined to savour the moment for a couple of
weeks before launching into the usual silly summer season of transfer
rumours.

We've not been disappointed. A quick flick through the more lunatic fringes
off football websites and blogs has thrown up 17 names already, probably
more that I have missed or just dismissed as ludicrous.

From Dynamo Moscow midfielder Balas Dzsudzsak to a Serbian born, Albanian
heritage striker Atdhe Huhiu (who plays for Austria) and is on loan to
Eskisehirspor in Turkey. These are just some of the growing list of players
being linked with Sam.

Finishing tenth at least gives us a better quality of rumour, like
Manchester City wanting to sign Ravel Morrison!

AC Milan veteran Massimo Ambrosini's name keeps cropping up; I'm not too
sure about that one, at 36 surely he is too old?

Bordeaux defender Ludovic Sane seems a good shout, mainly because we will
have to sing a new Ludo song! I cannot see Jose Mourinho letting Romelu
Lukaku back out on loan again, while Barcelona reserve defender Marc Bartra
would be interesting, just to see how he handles Sam's defensive and
attacking set-piece set ups after all those years playing the beautiful game
at the Nou Camp.

Razvan Rat seems a decent signing, he's played high quality stuff for years
and will help solve our pressing left-back problem. George McCartney does
seem injury prone and I don't believe Danny Potts is strong enough yet. So
we need experience there and that allows Joey O'Brien and Guy Demel to
contest the right-back slot.

But the real one we are all waiting to hear about is Andy Carroll's future.
And it should not be long, I feel we all made it pretty clear to the lad
during the Reading game that he would be more than welcome back, and it's
all down to his career ambitions now.

But if he thinks he is going to get another crack at Liverpool, I believe he
is seriously deluded. Brendan Rodgers has not changed his mind from last
summer, and must surely have made it plain to Carroll that he is well down
the pecking order.

The main reason everyone was so keen to get him out on loan last summer -
and Rodgers did tell the lad to join us - is that Liverpool's American
owners were not prepared to have a very expensive asset just sitting on the
bench. At £35m and £80,000 a week, that was just not cost effective and
would not be tolerated. I doubt anything has changed.

On a smaller scale, that sort of accounting had a lot to do with Carlton
Cole's departure from the Boleyn. Allardyce was only ever going to use Cole
from the bench, and he was on around £50,000, money that could be spent on
the Carroll deal or bringing in sensibly priced cover up front.

I wish Cole well, he did a good, loyal job for us and he will get one last
decent pay-day at somewhere like Hull or Palace. Or even in the States where
deadbeats like Freddie Piquionne and Nigel Reo-Coker can make a lucrative
living. Good luck Carlton, and thanks for everything.

The Carroll situation is being masterminded, of course, by Mark Curtis, the
agent for Sam and the player. I still don't understand how football can
tolerate what seems a clear conflict of interest, but then what do I know.

Andy has been away on holiday while Curtis makes Liverpool sweat. They
desperately need their wage bill slashed and the money to fund Rodgers'
rebuilding. He has to make his own money and sell before buying, so he needs
cash from the Carroll deal.

And seemingly without any other big offers for Carroll, the lad would be
wise to join a club like ourselves who really want him. And to go somewhere
that his private life is not all over the papers every day.

That is what it was like in Newcastle, just Google his name to find out the
long list of former girlfriends, an ex-fiancee, children plus the usual
array of burnt-out cars and bar room problems. Has anyone heard anything
about Carroll off the pitch while he has been in London? I certainly
haven't, and I doubt little will have changed for him in Geordieland.
Newcastle really is a very small city where he just cannot blend quietly
into the background like he seems to have done in London.

He is desperate to be in the England World Cup squad in Brazil, and he won't
do that without playing a full season in the top flight. And that won't
happen at Anfield for him.

Even if Luis Suarez leaves, and that seems likely, and Daniel Sturridge's
ankle injury is worse than feared, Rodgers will still see Fabio Borini ahead
of Carroll while he is about to spend £7m on Celta Vigo's forward Iago
Aspas. So Andy, come to a club where you are wanted and will play every
week.

As for the rest, I will be interested to see what Sam decides to do about
Alou Diarra and Gary O'Neil. While decisions will need to be taken about the
futures of Rob Hall, Blair Turgott and Elliot Lee, all youngsters who need
to progress.

But just for now, I'm off for more calm on holiday, the only concern is
whether I will like the new Adidas kit enough to finally buy one at my age!


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West Ham fans in court after Sunderland match-day brawl
Sunderlandecho.com
01 June 2013

TEN men have appeared in court after it is alleged they took part in a mass
brawl in Sunderland city centre between warring football fans. The West Ham
supporters, aged between 18 and 28, are said to be have fought with SAFC
fans before their teams clashed on January 12. They have all been charged
with violent disorder, following the confrontation outside Revolution bar in
Low Row. Matthew Dobberson, 18, of Padnall Court, Essex; Andrew Siedlaczek,
23, of Fortinbras, Chelmsford, Hertfordshire; Jack Stephen Sam Donovan, 18,
of Mashiters Walk, Romford, Essex; Craig Defew, 21, of Layhill Close, Bury
St Edmonds, Suffolk; Charlie Adoldh, 21, of Gibbons Close, St Albans,
Hertfordshire; Christopher Robert Draddy, 24, of Cheriton Close, St Albans,
Herts; Ryan Evans, 18, of Cumberland Close, Hornchurch, Essex and Jamie
Daniel David Hume, 28, of Clayburn Road, Hampton Centre, Peterborough, all
withheld their pleas to the charge. Harry Saunders, 19, of Martindale
Avenue, Basildon, Essex, and Danny Brooker, 23, of Priory Avenue, Harefield,
Middlesex, entered not guilty pleas. Magistrates declined jurisdiction and
the case will be heard at Newcastle Crown Court on June 13. All the men were
granted conditional bail, with orders to reside at their home addresses and
not to go within two miles of any football stadium where a Premiership or
international match is due to take place.
l Seventeen SAFC fans appeared before magistrates last month over their
alleged part in the brawl. The six youths and 11 men, aged between 16 and
51, all withheld their pleas to a joint charge of violent disorder. The
adult defendants will be committed to Newcastle Crown Court. Sunderland
Youth Court will hear the cases against the teenagers later this month

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Big Sam looking to raid financial strugglers Betis to land Adrian for West
Ham
By SIMON JONES
PUBLISHED: 22:31, 31 May 2013 | UPDATED: 22:31, 31 May 2013
Daily Mail

West Ham are bidding for Real Betis goalkeeper Adrian. Club scouts are
expected to watch the 26-year-old again this weekend as Betis take on
Levante. Spanish sides Espanyol and Getafe have also shown interest in the
keeper, who has even appeared as an outfield La Liga substitute. Although
his performances were initially indifferent, he has developed throughout the
season and was man of the match against Real Madrid earlier this year.
West Ham have watched him a couple of times recently and can strike a good
deal as Betis are struggling financially. Allardyce has been weighing up
several options, given the glut of goalkeepers this summer. He has been
linked with Allan McGregor, 31, of Besiktas and Aston Villa's Shay Given,
37. However, both are on the list of Hull manager Steve Bruce, who has also
bid for Leicester's Kasper Schmeichel, 26.

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Brooking responds to Ferdinand blast over youth coaching
London24
Friday, May 31, 2013
8:03 PM

Sir Trevor Brooking has admitted that the quality of England's youth players
is not high enough and claims Premier League clubs need to splash some of
their new wealth on paying decent salaries for full-time coaches. Brooking,
the FA's director of football development, responded to Rio Ferdinand's
comments that England's youngsters were technically backward by saying a
strategy was in place - but that it would be nine years before the benefits
would be seen.
A new academy system, the EPPP has been launched, but Brooking said clubs
still needed to employ better coaches on a full-time basis and good
salaries.
Brooking told Press Association Sport: "On the clubs we want them focusing
on making the 16-year-old English players better than they have been. "We
believe you need full-time coaches. At the moment there is an issue in that
those full-time places are being offered at pretty low salaries, around
15-16 grand, and they need to be recognised for the quality and getting
£40,000 to £50,000." Brooking believes top-flight clubs should have at least
two full-time coaches in the 12-16 age group and two in the 5-11 group, at a
cost of £160,000 to £200,000 per year. "In the scheme of things that's not
asking too much to invest in quality coaches in those age groups so that the
16-year-olds are going to be much better than they are at the moment," he
added. "That's going to be our next big challenge. "The salaries are
definitely too low and we need to recognise coaching in the young age groups
as a proper career for a full-time role. "In those lower age groups most of
them are part time and they are not really being supported as they should
be."

Brooking said there is too much focus on results in youth football, and said
that Germany was an example for English football to follow. The German
federation developed a new youth plan after a disasters European
Championships in 2000, and since then the number of German players in the
Bundesliga has increased to 60 per cent, compared to fewer than 40 per cent
of domestic players in the Premier League. Germany did it about 10 years ago
and spent about 50million euros on it," said Brooking. "I was at a workshop
last August when [Germany head coach] Joachim Low was talking about it and I
said to Roy 'that's where we need to be in 10 years' time. "We need to get
18-, 19-, 20-year-olds breaking into first teams of the Premier League. "It
has got to be on merit, I'm not one of those who believes in quotas, and
until we get proper full-time coaches into those age groups we're not going
to do it. "They have actually increased the number of German players in the
Bundesliga and that's because they changed the system. "With the extra
[television] money and the EPPP if we can get that change in coaches we can
start to progress."

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SIX West Ham Youngsters That Deserve A Chance
Date: 31st May 2013 at 5:52 pm
Written by: Jake Letchford | Forever West Ham

The one that stands out for me is Ravel Morrison. He was loaned out to
Birmingham City last season but since he has been there, he's been one of
their best players, if not the best. He received 14 'Man of the Match'
awards out of 25 games that he played. I personally believe that he is ready
to play in the Premier League and although there have been rumours of him
leaving or Birmingham getting him back on loan, I really think West Ham
should have a think about what they do regarding Morrison because he
certainly deserves a chance next season.

Rob Hall was another player that we loaned to Birmingham City last season
and like Morrison, has also done very well whilst he was there. Lee Clark,
the Birmingham City manager was constantly praising Hall on his contribution
to the games, which he played. Hall has got very good pace and a great
delivery on him, which would benefit Carroll (If we sign him) a lot.

Elliot Lee has really impressed this season in the Development Squad and has
scored a lot of goals. He's quick and is good with the ball at his feet. His
only problem is that he's small so it probably won't suit our main style of
play but I think he would be great playing off of Carroll. It's something
that I could see working.

Next we have Jordan Spence. There have been some rumours that we are willing
to let Spence leave but I really can't see why that is. I remember watching
him in the FA Cup game against Manchester United at Old Trafford and I
thought that he completely held his own. Looked good on the ball and didn't
struggle at all when he had players running at him. Spence also has pace,
which is something we lack at right back and left back. Plus he can also
play at centre back if we were ever short on players.

Now, I haven't seen much of him myself but, from what I've heard, George
Moncur good player. I know someone who went to watch the West Ham U21s play
Liverpool's U21s and he said that Moncur ran the game in the middle of the
park. I certainly think he is someone that West Ham should think about
playing a few games next season.

The final player that I believe deserves a chance is Dan Potts. He has
played a few times and has done well. I also remember watching him against
Manchester United in the FA Cup and he looked like he had matured more as a
player. The singing of Razvan Rat probably shows that he isn't going to get
much of a looking but I think that he deserves a chance next season.

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West Ham want to hijack Hull's bid for former Rangers star
By talkSPORT | Friday, May 31, 2013

West Ham could make a late move to hijack Hull's attempts to sign former
Rangers keeper Allan McGregor. Manager Sam Allardyce is looking to
strengthen the goalkeeping area as Jussi Jaaskelainen turned 38-years-old
last month and uncertainty surrounds the future of second string keeper
Stephen Henderson.
Henderson was sent out on loan to Ipswich last season and the West Ham boss
is not sure if he will be happy being second choice once again next season.
McGregor joined Besiktas last summer, but has already been linked with a
move back home after reports suggested that Hull had agreed a fee with
Besiktas for the Scottish keeper Allardyce has wasted no time strengthening
his squad with the signing of Romanian captain Razvan Rat and could now
follow that up with a move for the 31-year-old keeper. McGregor has a wealth
of experience and would relish the chance to play in the Premier League.

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