Daily WHUFC News - 24th June 2013

Rat can't wait to pull on the shirt
WHUFC.com
Summer arrival Razvan Rat cannot wait to get started with West Ham United
23.06.2013

Razvan Rat is counting down the days until he can sport the claret and blue
of West Ham United at the Boleyn Ground. The captain of the Romania national
team joined the Hammers on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk last month,
ending a hugely successful ten-year spell with the Ukrainian champions. He
became one of the first players to try on West Ham's new adidas home kit on
its launch this week, which is available to pre-order here, and is looking
forward to putting it on for real on the opening day of the campaign. "First
of all I am very happy to wear a West Ham United kit," Rat told West Ham TV.
"I think this kit has a very good quality and is of high standards. "For me
it's an honour to wear this shirt and to play in the Premier League. I will
be very proud to wear the claret and blue colours and I hope to satisfy the
fans. "I'll be very excited when I pull on the kit for the first time,
because it will be my first game here."

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Potts features in World Cup draw
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Dan Potts helped England to a 2-2 FIFA U20 World Cup Group
E draw with Iraq
23.06.2013

West Ham United defender Dan Potts played the full 90 minutes in England's
2-2 FIFA U20 World Cup Group E draw with Iraq in Turkey on Sunday. The Young
Lions started their World Cup quest well in a group which also contains
Chile and Egypt, roaring into a two-goal lead through Liverpool midfielder
Conor Coady's header and Middlesbrough youngster Luke Williams' strike.
Potts, who has represented England at Under-18, 19 and 20 levels, was booked
in between the two England goals for a foul on Iraq's Durgham Ishmael, and
things got worse in the closing stages at the Akdeniz University Stadium in
Antalya. On 75 minutes, Manchester United goalkeeper Sam Johnstone fouled
Mohamed Abdulraheem as he was racing through and Ali Faez drilled home the
resultant penalty. Then, with 93 minutes on the clock, Ali Adnan struck a
dramatic equaliser following an individual run into the England penalty area
and low shot.
England play Chile in Antalya on Wednesday before facing Egypt in Bursa on
Saturday. The top two nations in each of the six groups, plus four best
third-placed teams, will qualify for the quarter-finals.

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Lapthorne sure of Hammers progress
WHUFC.com
Paralympian Andrew Lapthorne has backed Sam Allardyce to keep pushing the
Hammers on in 2013/14
23.06.2013

Paralympian and West Ham United fan Andrew Lapthorne believes the east
Londoners are well-placed to continue along the path of forward progression
they have enjoyed under Sam Allardyce's management. Big Sam penned a new
contract this summer after guiding the Hammers to a tenth-place finish in
the Barclays Premier League - just twelve months after leading them to
promotion from the Championship via the play-offs. Lapthorne, who a year ago
was en route to winning a silver medal in quad doubles wheelchair tennis at
the London 2012 Paralympics, is also sure the prospect of playing in front
of 54,000 fans at the Olympic Stadium will entice more top quality players
to West Ham after this week's arrival of Andy Carroll. He told West Ham TV:
"David Moyes was at Everton for eleven years and took them to a position
where they can move forward. That's the route we need to go down and
hopefully Big Sam can be here for a few years to come. "He's the best
manager we've had for years - he brings stability and that's what we need
going to the Olympic Stadium. "I had one of the best experiences of my life
in the Olympic Stadium - the opening ceremony of the Paralympics was
unbelievable. I've been there and seen the atmosphere it can create. "I was
going around the stadium thinking 'this is going to be ours, it's going to
be brilliant'. I was constantly thinking about West Ham, not even really
thinking about the Paralympics, so I'm really looking forward to it and
hopefully we can make it into our home."

Lapthorne's own career has also moved along an upward curve following the
Paralympics and he has his sights set on the number one spot in the world
rankings. He continued: "I won a massive event over in South Africa recently
and that moved me up to number two in the world for singles. "I'm British
number one and looking to be world number one by the end of the year
hopefully. "The Paralympics have spurred me on - losing in the final and
getting a silver medal was tough, especially with it being in east London.
"I had dreamt of winning a gold medal, but to win a medal being so young was
good. It's given me the footing now to go on to Rio and try and win two gold
medals."

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Razvan Rat eager to make West Ham debut
Last Updated: June 23, 2013 12:24pm
SSN

New West Ham signing Razvan Rat has spoken of his excitement at the prospect
of playing for the Hammers in the Premier League. The Romania captain, who
has won 88 caps for his country, joined West Ham on a free transfer from
Shakhtar Donetsk last month following a ten-year spell with the Ukrainian
champions. And the 32-year-old defender signed a one-year deal with the
Hammers and is now looking forward to making his debut for Sam Allardyce's
team when the season gets under way. "First of all I am very happy to wear a
West Ham United kit," he told West Ham TV. "For me it's an honour to wear
this shirt and to play in the Premier League. I will be very proud to wear
the claret and blue colours and I hope to satisfy the fans. "I'll be very
excited when I pull on the kt for the first time, because it will be my
first game here."

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