Manager on Monday
WHUFC.om
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce reflects on the tour of Germany
29.07.2013
Sam Allardyce is delighted with the progress he witnessed from his West Ham
United side over their tour of Germany. The Hammers bounced back from a 4-1
defeat to Mainz at the start of the trip, to train solidly and then defeat
both Hamburg and Eintracht Braunschweig, notching three goals in each game.
With the season three weeks away, that step up in intensity was what the
manager wanted to see and he is pleased with the position the Hammers
currently find themselves in. He explained: "When we first arrived in
Germany we put a youngish side out against Mainz, and because we'd won four
games on the trot, I think we got caught a little bit cold by the Mainz
team. "They are a bit in advance of us because they start the season earlier
than we do. That showed that we weren't quite at the level where we need to
be and we got beaten handsomely in the end. "That turned us around to say we
need to get our basics better in the next game. We put a stronger side out,
more of the first team, and we came away with a comfortable victory against
Hamburg. "We had the not-so-good and then the much, much better and it's
important to see the progression. "It was a good training camp over the
eleven days we were in Germany; we've had good training facilities and a
great welcome from everybody here. "Because of the weather, and the way
we've got these facilities, we've been able to focus on having two or three
sessions a day. In the end that should stand the lads in good stead for the
start of the season on 17 August."
West Ham were among the first Barclays Premier League sides back in
pre-season training from 1 July and Allardyce says that early start is
necessary with the ever-increasing physical demands of the top flight. He
added: "The change in fitness over the last five years has been one of the
biggest improvements of football in the Barclays Premier League. "You can
see the increase in the physical activity that a player has to reach in a
game of football from the stats that are gathered. "That fitness is the
first part of our training in pre-season, to get that level as best we
possibly can, and then from here on it it's more about the technical and
tactical side, mentally switching the lads on. "Those who are better
prepared mentally and physically get the early results that you need and
when you get the early results you can see what benefit you get."
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Second chance for Mo
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 29th July 2013
By: Staff Writer
Salomon Kalou's decision to reject West Ham's overtures could open the gate
for an unexpected return for Modibo Maiga. The Malian international barely
featured for West Ham last year despite Sam Allardyce paying £5million to
bring him to London from Sochaux a year ago this month and look destined to
leave the club this summer. Since the end of last season West Ham have
signed Andy Carroll on a permanent basis and made several offers to fellow
strikers - all to no avail, with Kalou being just the latest to turn West
Ham down. But that could allow Maiga - who has featured in most of West
Ham's pre-season fixtures - to challenge for a place in the first team
squad, especially with Carroll currently injured and unlikely to be fully
fit by the start of the season next month. Indeed, Allardyce's assistant
Neil McDonald hinted at the possibility of Maiga being promoted when asked
about the 25-year-old forward at the weekend. "If the penny drops on where
we want him to run and play the ball to, Maiga has one hell of a chance of
starting the season," he said. Maiga, who made just 19 appearances for West
Ham last season - most of which came from the bench - opened his pre-season
account with a brace against Eintracht Braunschweig on Saturday, a game in
which he also grabbed an assist. He managed to score just four goals last
season - against Crewe, Wigan, Southampton and Chelsea - only one of which
came after September 2012. Sam Allardyce admitted at the weekend that the
race for Kalou had hit rocky ground as a result of the player not wishing to
play second fiddle to Andy Carroll or feature in a wide role. "We understand
the player wants to come back and play in England," said Allardyce.
"Obviously from his record at Chelsea, his goalscoring record this season in
France and his age he's very appealing to us. "Whether that'll come off or
not [we'll see] but the regular, [central] position he wants to play may
have been the stumbling block."
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Cole has one eye on World Cup
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 29th July 2013
By: Staff Writer
Joe Cole has refused to rule out a return to the international stage, with
the World Cup in Rio less than a year away. The 31-year-old midfielder
returned to West Ham last summer after ten years away and immediately
settled back into the swing of things in east London. And whilst the end of
the 2012/13 season was affected by injury, Cole believes that with a bit of
luck - conbined with some good on-pitch performances - his chances of making
the plane to Rio might not be as futile as may have been the case six months
ago. "The main thing for me is to get in the West Ham team, play as many
games as I can and play well," he said. "Then we'll see what happens from
there. "I think any English player would be looking at that, because to go
to a World Cup and perform for your country is the pinnacle of your career.
But first and foremost, for me, is playing well for West Ham."
Another Hammer who will be challenging for a place on the plane to South
America next summer is striker Andy Carroll, who earlier in pre-season
signed a long-term, permanent deal with West Ham. And Cole, who also played
with the 24-year-old forward at Liverpool, believes that Carroll has the
potential to be one of the very best. "The player who's playing for West Ham
is full of confidence, strong and aggressive. You can see what a great
player he is," lauded Cole.
"He had a difficult time at Liverpool but the West Ham Andy Carroll is a top
player and a real handful. He'll be looking to get in the England squad as
he's scored goals for England. He's a good lad and we're glad to have him in
our team. "He can be anything he wants to be. Look at Didier Drogba - that's
the level he can get to."
However Cole admits that thoughts of Brazil will be placed firmly in the
back of his mind once the 2013/14 Premier League campaign kicks off in
earnest when West Ham host newly-promoted Cardiff City at the Boleyn Ground
on Saturday, 17th August. "You get excited every year, you want to play and
you want to do well," said Cole. "We start with Cardiff at home and
everyone's saying what a good game that is for West Ham but on the other
hand, Cardiff are coming up for the first time in years so it's going to be
a tough fixture. "We want to get a result in that game and we know it's
going to be tough."
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Allardyce: fitness is key
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 29th July 2013
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce admits that he is pleased with the progress made during West
Ham's whistle-stop tour of Germany. Despite opening the three-match tour
with a disappointing 4-1 hammering at the hands of Bundesliga outfit Mainz
last weekend, Allardyce's side regrouped to secure comfortable wins over
Hamburg (3-1) and Eintracht Braunschweig (3-0) on Saturday afternoon. Now
back on British soil, Allardyce revealed that there were plenty of positives
to take from the trip. "It was a good camp over the eleven days we were in
Germany," he admitted. "We had good training facilities and a great welcome
from everybody. "Because of the weather we were able to focus on having two
or three sessions a day. In the end that should stand the lads in good stead
for the start of the season on 17th August. "The change in fitness over the
last five years has been one of the biggest improvements of football in the
Barclays Premier League. You can see the increase in the physical activity
that a player has to reach in a game of football from the stats that are
gathered. That fitness is the first part of our training in pre-season, to
get that level as best we possibly can, and then from here on it's more
about the technical and tactical side, mentally switching the lads on.
"Those who are better prepared mentally and physically get the early results
that you need and when you get the early results you can see what benefit
you get."
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West Ham assistant Neil McDonald backs Mobido Maiga to start
Last Updated: July 29, 2013 4:08pm
SSN
West Ham assistant manager Neil McDonald believes Mali forward Mobido Maiga
can seize his chance if handed a starting role in the early stages of the
Premier League season. The Hammers find themselves short on options in
attack with £15m signing Andy Carroll struggling for pre-season fitness -
and McDonald has handed Maiga hope he may be the man to fill the void.
McDonald told the club's website: "Modibo is in the team to score goals and
interlink and that side of his game was much better than it has been. "He
was running in behind and causing problems, which is great to see as it
stretches teams. It was a huge improvement on the last few games we've
played. "Modibo's ability is there as we paid a fair bit of money for him.
When you sign new players sometimes they take a bit longer to settle into
the team. "He has just been waiting for his chance to show what he can do
and hopefully he can score goals on a regular basis, try to work out where
we want him to run to, hold the ball up and interlink. He's got one hell of
a chance to start the season." Maiga found the net consistently for French
club Sochaux before arriving at Upton Park in last summer for an undisclosed
fee.
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Southampton don't plan to sell Rickie Lambert and Gaston Ramirez
Last Updated: July 29, 2013 7:10pm
SSN
Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino is not planning to let Rickie
Lambert and Gaston Ramirez leave the club during the transfer window.
Lambert was Saints' top scorer in the Premier League last season after
netting 15 times, but he has been linked with a reunion with former manager
Nigel Adkins at Reading.
West Ham United are also reported to have shown an interest in the
31-year-old, but Pochettino is adamant Lambert is a key part of his plans
for the coming season. "We count on Rickie," said Pochettino in the Daily
Echo following the weekend friendly against Besiktas. "We are happy with
him. I didn't know there was any interest in him. This is a surprise for
me." Uruguay attacker Ramirez only joined Southampton 12 months ago from
Bologna and scored five goals in the Premier League last term. He has been
linked with a return to Serie A with Inter Milan, but Pochettino is not
worried about the prospect of losing Ramirez.
Pochettino added: "I just listen to Gaston. Not his agent. Gaston is happy
here and we expect him to stay and to put a lot into the team."
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Carroll can be our Euro star
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: 29th July 2013
The Sun
KEVIN NOLAN says Andy Carroll could fire a European push for West Ham. Nolan
topped the club's goal chart with 10 last season as the Hammers finished
10th on their return to the Premier League. But with Carroll's loan from
Liverpool made permanent in a £16million deal, the skipper is expecting much
more this term. Nolan said: "We're looking for double figures — me, Andy,
all the strikers have to chip in with a fair amount if we want to finish top
10 again. "The expectancy within the camp is to do better than last season.
We want to make sure we're 10th or above this year." And Hammers boss Sam
Allardyce could boost his attack with a move for £8m-rated Nigerian striker
Emmanuel Emenike. Reports in Russia suggest West Ham are set to open talks
with Spartak Moscow over a move for the 26-year-old.
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