Stoke City match preview
WHUFC.com
All the key pre-match info ahead of Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash with Stoke City
30.08.2013
WEST HAM UNITED v STOKE CITY
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
BOLEYN GROUND
SATURDAY 31 AUGUST 2013
KICK-OFF: 3PM
REFEREE: JON MOSS
WEST HAM TV I iPHONE APP I TWITTER I FACEBOOK I PODCAST I YOUTUBE
Introduction
· West Ham United play host to Stoke City in the Barclays Premier League fresh from a 2-1 victory over Cheltenham Town in the Capital One Cup.
· Tuesday night's win continues the Hammers unbeaten start to the season and if they avoid defeat against Stoke it will be the first time since the 1999/2000 season that the club has not suffered a defeat in their opening four fixtures.
· West Ham could be top of the table on Saturday night if victory over Stoke is achieved, as Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester United all play on Sunday, with current leaders Chelsea not in action.
· Three points on Saturday would leave Sam Allardyce's side a point better off than after three games last season when two wins and a defeat yielded six points. After the opening day victory over Cardiff and last weekend's 0-0 draw with Newcastle seven points from a possible nine is now in the team's sights.
· Stoke come into the game on the back of Wednesday night's win over Walsall in the Capital One Cup and a victory over Crystal Palace in their last league outing. That win was however preceded by an opening day defeat to Liverpool.
· Mark Hughes has never been on the winning side at the Boleyn Ground in six previous attempts with three different clubs (Blackburn, Fulham and Manchester City). This is his first visit to the ground as manager of Stoke City.
· Former Hammer of the year Matt Etherington again returns to the Boleyn Ground where he made 195 appearances for the club before leaving to join the Potters in 2009.
· In this fixture last year Stoke held the Hammers to a 1-1 draw on 19 November 2012. In the return game a Jack Collison goal was enough to earn West Ham a 1-0 win at the Brittania Stadium in March.
Team news
West Ham United
· Alou Diarra will miss the game after picking up a serious knee injury during the win against Cheltenham, whilst Andy Carroll continues his recovery from a heel injury.
· George McCartney stepped up his recovery from injury with a 90 minute run out in the midweek win and is in contention to make the squad for Saturday.
Stoke City
· Jamie Ness is expected to miss the game as he continues his recovery from a thigh injury.
· Wilson Palacios and Brek Shea could feature after making their comebacks during the win over Walsall on Wednesday night.
· Hat-trick hero Kenwyne Jones may have done enough to earn a start after his midweek heroics.
Last time out
Tuesday 27 August 2013
Capital One Cup second round
West Ham United 2-1 Cheltenham Town
West Ham United: Adrian, Chambers, Tomkins, McCartney, Rat, Morrison, Diarra (Diame 35), Cole (Downing 46), Collison, Vaz Te, Taylor.
Subs not used: Henderson, Lletget, Ruddock, Nolan, Lee.
Goals: Vaz Te 42, Morrison 46.
Wednesday 28 August 2013
Capital One Cup second round
Stoke City 3-1 Walsall
Stoke City: Sorensen, Huth, Muniesa, Shawcross, Wilkinson, Whelan, Pennant, Palacios (Wilson 50), Shea (Assaidi 46), Adam (Nzonzi 75), Jones.
Subs not used: Butland, Shotton, Kightly, Jerome.
Goals: Jones 22, 31, 84.
Last meeting
The two sides last met at the Brittania Stadium on 2 March 2013. A Jack Collison goal in first-half stoppage time was enough to secure a valuable three points for the Hammers on their ultimately successful quest for a top-ten place. A late Charlie Adam volley which thumped the bar was the only real scare for the West Ham defence as they recorded a crucial three points.
Stoke City: Begovic, Shotton, Shawcross, Wilson, Wilkinson, Walters (Jones 74), Nzonzi, Whelan (Adam 77), Kightly (Shea 66), Jerome, Crouch.
Subs not used: Sorensen, Cameron, Palacios, Whitehead.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins, Reid, O'Brien, O'Neil, J.Cole (Vaz Te 11), Taylor (Collison 11), Diame, Jarvis (Pogatetz 83), Carroll.
Subs not used: Spiegel, C.Cole, Maiga, Chamakh.
Goals: Collison 45+3
Background
· Monday's game is the 85th time West Ham United and Stoke City have faced one another in competitive fixtures. West Ham have won 34, Stoke 30 and there have been 20 draws.
· Stoke City are considered to be the second-oldest professional football club in the world behind Notts County. Formed in 1863, the Potters were also one of the 12 founding members of the Football League in 1888.
· West Ham first faced Stoke in a Southern League First Division match at the Boleyn Ground on 16 December 1911. The Potters won the game 4-3 with William Kennedy (two) and Tom Randall on target for the Hammers.
· West Ham's biggest win over Stoke City came in the 1957/58 season. Vic Keeble bagged a hat-trick in a 5-0 Division Two victory on 6 November 1957, the Hammers would go onto be promoted. Keeble also scored twice in the reverse fixture - a 4-1 win at the Victoria Ground the following March.
Head to head
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
2 March 2013 - Stoke City 0-1 West Ham United
19 November 2012 - West Ham United 1-1 Stoke City
13 March 2011 - Stoke City 2-1 West Ham United (FA Cup sixth round)
5 March 2011 - West Ham United 3-0 Stoke City
27 October 2010 - West Ham United 3-1 Stoke City (Carling Cup fourth round)
18 September 2010 - Stoke City 1-1 West Ham United
Overall record v Stoke City (all competitions) W 34 D 20 L 30
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2012/13 Premier League 10th (46 points)
2011/12 Championship 3rd (86 points - promoted to Premier League via Play-Offs)
2010/11 Premier League 20th (33 points - relegated to Championship)
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted to Premier League via Play-Offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
Stoke City
2012/13 Premier League 13th (42 points)
2011/12 Premier League 14th (45 points)
2010/11 Premier League 13th (46 points)
2009/10 Premier League 11th (47 points)
2008/09 Premier League 12th (45 points)
2007/08 Championship 2nd (79 points - promoted to the Premier League)
2006/07 Championship 8th (73 points)
2005/06 Championship 13th (58 points)
2004/05 Championship 12th (61 points)
2003/04 Division One 11th (66 points)
Referee
· Saturdays referee will be Jonathan Moss.
· Moss was in charge of the last meeting between the two sides on 2 March 2013, when West Ham recorded a 1-0 win over the Potters at the Britannia Stadium.
· In all, Moss showed 86 yellow cards; sent-off one player and awarded nine penalties in the 31 matches he took charge of last season.
· Headteacher Moss was promoted to the Select Group of Referees in June 2011.
· He took charge of the 2005 Conference Play-Off final between Carlisle United and Stevenage and was then promoted to the National Group of Referees.
· He will be assisted by Steve Child and Andrew Halliday, while the fourth official will be Andy D'Urso.
Old boys
· Former West Ham United captain Matthew Upson played 147 matches for the Club between January 2007 and May 2011. He captained the club for the final two years of his stay and scored four goals in total before joining the Potters in the summer of 2011 where he made 25 appearances.
· Stoke winger Matthew Etherington made 195 appearances for West Ham between August 2003 and January 2009, scoring 18 goals. He joined the Potters on 8 January 2009, having moved to the Boleyn Ground from Tottenham Hotspur five-and-a-half years previously.
· Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Clive Clarke, Bob Dixon, Sir Geoff Hurst, Lawrie Leslie, Nicky Morgan, Henri Camara, Abdoulaye Faye and Frank Richardson.
General information
· A handful of tickets remain for this Kids for a Quid match. Click here to buy now.
· The weather forecast predicts a sunny day in east London on Saturday, with temperatures at kick-off of 20C (68F).
· The District and Hammersmith & City Lines have no closures planned this weekend.
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Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
Matt Taylor blogs on Cheltenham, Stoke, fishing and more
30.08.2013
Matt Taylor made his first start of the season in Tuesday's 2-1 victory over Cheltenham Town in the Capital One Cup and is the latest player to blog for whufc.com in our Chadwell Chatter series. It was nice to start a game and play on Tuesday. That ultimately is what we're all striving for, so from that point of view it was nice to play 90 minutes and nice to be on the winning team. I must say that we probably should have won by more than the goal that we did. We reviewed the game on Thursday morning and we had 23 chances, and hit the target ten times. Their keeper has made some very good saves, and for us we should have won the game by more than just one goal but the main thing is that we're in the hat for the next round. From a personal point of view, I had five or six shots and I hit the target with all but one of them which was a positive. I made the keeper made some saves and the defender made a goalline block right at the end. If I'd not struck them so well, they might well have gone in, but it's important to get in those positions. If I wasn't then I'd have concerns.
It's the first game I started since I got knocked out at Stoke away last year so I can't be too unhappy about that. Talking of Stoke, I don't have any memories of that last game, happy or sad, because I don't remember anything after being knocked out so early!. One thing I do know is that it'll be a tough game on Saturday, but we're at home and hopefully we can pack the stadium out, continue our good form and give the crowd something to shout about. We've got a decent record at home, we haven't conceded a goal yet this season in the Premier League and that's something we've got to keep going. We know the threats that Stoke possess, but maybe you'll see them change slightly under the new management. Outside of the top six, I'd suggest that the home form is imperative to the success of your season. That will be no different for us this year, we need to pick up as many points as we can at home. Last season we were only defeated at home by teams inside the top six and that needs to continue if we are to have a successful campaign as lwe did last year.
Off the pitch, I had a little trip fishing last week. Nobes and I took the kids along, and we had some fun for a few hours in the afternoon. The kids enjoyed it which was great as well. I think Nobes is starting to get a bit more into it. I'm trying to persuade him to go on a trip next year to France, but I think he's weighing up France or Vegas. For me it's fishing but you'd have to ask him what he's going to choose! It's something I've done, like a lot of the boys here, since childhood and it's nice to be able to introduce one of your passions to your children as well.
See you on Saturday.
Come on you Irons!
Matt
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The Opposition View - Chris Kamara
WHUFC.com
whufc.com spoke to former Stoke player and boss Chris Kamara ahead of Saturday's game.
30.08.2013
Having played for and managed Stoke City, Sky Sports pundit Chris Kamara is well-placed to know what new Potters boss Mark Hughes is going through as he gets to grips with life at the Britannia Stadium. Stoke arrive in east London on Saturday with three points from their opening two Barclays Premier League fixtures and Kamara expects them to give the Hammers a stern test. He also envisages a gradual change in the style of play under the new boss. He said: "It has all changed [at Stoke this summer]. Tony Pulis did such a wonderful job, but sometimes you have a sell-by date and I think he realised that himself. "He was trying to improve the squad in terms of quality season-on-season and he was with the faces, but the football wasn't changing. "I think the chairman and himself decided between them that he'd done such a wonderful job, quit while he's ahead and that's given Mark Hughes the opportunity to come in. "I think anybody taking over there would have a really good chance because they have got really good players. "I'm not going to criticise Tony in any way, shape or form because what he did was effective. They got results and never were in any danger of going down from the league, and were always competitive in the league. "Mark Hughes is going to change the philosophy, they're going to play a bit more, have a go, but sometimes you have to wait and see, give him his chance. Mark Hughes did a good job at Blackburn Rovers, but he's not at Blackburn any more, he's at Stoke, and he has to prove himself again after QPR."
"They'll be tough to beat, that's one thing for certain. There's no easy games in the Premier League, no matter who you play. "For West Ham, Sam's done some really good business. To get Carroll and Downing was really good, and I don't see any reason why they can't better their 10th place finish from last year."
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Hall compensation package set
WHUFC.com
The Professional Football Compensation Committee have set Bolton's compensation for Robert Hall
30.08.2013
West Ham United can confirm that the Professional Football Compensation Committee have set the compensation package with Bolton Wanderers for the transfer of Rob Hall.
An independent tribunal has ruled that Bolton Wanderers must pay West Ham United an initial sum of £450,000 with the following further additions:
• £250,000 if Bolton are promoted to the Premier League in the next three seasons
• £2,500 per appearance for the first 100 appearances (for Bolton) in the Championship
• or £10,000 per appearance for the first 100 appearances (for Bolton) if in the Premier League
• 20% of any profit made by Bolton Wanderers in selling the player to another club at any point in the future.
West Ham United would like to thank Robert for his efforts during his time with the Club and wish him well in his future career.
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Noble stoked for Potters clash
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble is looking forward to another game at the Boleyn Ground this weekend
30.08.2013
West Ham United midfielder Mark Noble is hopeful home advantage will help the team build upon their unbeaten start to the season, when they entertain Stoke City on Saturday. The Hammers have the opportunity to extend their run to four games without defeat after an opening day win over Cardiff City was followed up with a 0-0 draw away to Newcastle and then a Capital One Cup victory over Cheltenham Town. Noble was rested for Tuesday night's win, but returns to the team eager to carry on the side's decent run against an opponent who has undergone big changes over the summer. He said: "Stoke City pass it a lot more now, they've got some quality players. "It will be a tough game on Saturday. We'll need to be on it to win the game and hopefully we can come away with another three points and make it an even better start."
A win will mean Sam Allardyce's team have taken a point more than at the same stage last season, where two wins and a defeat yielded six points. This season though, the popular midfielder believes the team have raised their expectations and are satisfied with the start they've made. "It's been a strong start; I've just said to someone else that when you're disappointed with a point away to Newcastle it shows how far you've come as a club. "We sat in the changing room after the game disappointed that we hadn't won the game. "We had more than one chance to score a goal and we didn't manage to finish them off. We move onto Stoke on Saturday now which we're looking forward to."
A key reason for the team's strong start to the season has been a miserly defence which has only allowed one shot on target over the course of two matches in the Barclays Premier League. Noble believes that if their fine form is to be maintained then the whole team will have to contribute to keeping the ball away from the Hammers goal. "The whole team works hard for each other, from the forwards through the midfield to the wingers to the backs; we're all working as one. "When you work together you get results and if teams don't have shots on target they don't score, so if we keep that up it will be fantastic. "It's a credit to the lads that we've only had one shot on target against us and it's got to continue all through the team. "The less time the defence have to defend the fewer mistakes there will be and obviously mistakes cost you goals."
Despite not featuring in Tuesday night's win over Cheltenham, Noble is hopeful that the team can make good progress in the Capital One Cup this year and in the process provide fans with the entertainment they deserve. "The lads did brilliantly; a win is a win in the cup no matter what. "We'd like to have a cup run and take the fans all-round the country and hopefully to Wembley, that's the goal. And if we keep our Premier League form up then hopefully it will be a good year. "The fans have been brilliant, they need to keep up what they're doing, keep getting behind the team and hopefully we can reward them with another three points."
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Big Sam on: Stoke City
WHUFC.com
West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce looks ahead to Saturday's visit of Stoke City
30.08.2013
Sam Allardyce has challenged his West Ham United team to continue their fine defensive form when they welcome Stoke City to the Boleyn Ground on Saturday. Big Sam's team have yet to concede in the first two games of the new Barclays Premier League season, and are looking to continue that run against a team who they took four points from in the last campaign. The team will however be without French international Alou Diarra, whose season looks likely to be over after a knee injury he suffered in the Capital One Cup victory over Cheltenham Town.
Good morning Sam, could you start by giving us team news for the weekend?
SA: "Our team news is that only Alou Diarra, who unfortunately got injured the other night, is not involved in the squad. The injury is more serious than we expected and it's an ACL reconstruction it looks like, so that will almost certainly finish Alou's season. It's a big blow to us in squad terms, he was hoping to force his way into the side this season but obviously after that injury that now won't be the case."
Does the injury to Alou affect your thinking ahead of the transfer deadline?
SA: "Like I said, at the moment funds are the restriction in the new rules and regulations and our funds are almost, if not to the limit. Having spoken to David Sullivan, unless it's a really good deal and it's on loan then that might be a possibility, but anything other than that and we will find it difficult to do."
Ravel Morrison is someone you've had to steer in the right direction at times so how pleasing was it to see his performance in midweek?
SA: "It's a carry-on of his pre-season performances and we're all delighted to see the performance he gave against Cheltenham, particularly the goal because that's added to a total of seven in pre-season. He's making a big statement now and that's good. From a midfield point of view now it's Kevin Nolan, Mark Noble and Mo Diame watch out, this boy's after your place. "It's going to really kick-start those three to make sure they perform at the level we know they can because this lad, sooner or later, will get the chance and maybe take it. It's really pleasing that we've got competition for places, and for the lads to come down and watch him play like that, perks their ears up and makes them think they don't want it to be me that they're replacing."
Stoke have undergone a lot of changes over the summer, what do you expect from them on Saturday?
SA: "There's no doubt that every manager has a different way of managing a football club. Every manager, his coaches and backroom staff will have different ideas on what squad you've got, what system you play, and it's all about you getting the best out of your players. So I imagine Mark has adjusted the team, I don't think he will have done anything dramatic, because dramatic change unhinges players from what they're used to. I think his turn will be a slow process, but as we know when you move into a new club fans want you to get results, and they want you to get results and victories as quick as you can otherwise they show their dissatisfaction very quickly these days."
Regarding Mark Hughes, how do you think he will fare taking over from Tony Pulis?
SA: "Mark Hughes is hugely experienced and he'll be glad to get the chance to manage in the Premier League again after the disappointment he had at QPR. He's had his rest, he's no doubt learned huge amounts from the experience he had at QPR, he'll take that and become a better manager than he was before and he was a pretty good manager before that. He knows the pressures of this league so I can't see him having any problems dealing with it. He knows like everyone else that your job is judged on results. You can play whatever system you want, pick whichever players you want to choose but if you don't win then people are dissatisfied and when people are dissatisfied owners change managers and they do it very quickly, so your responsibility first and foremost is to get results for the first team."
It must be pleasing that you've yet to concede in two league matches so far?
SA: "It's very pleasing indeed; the only disappointment is that we don't have six points on the board after last week. It was our own fault that we didn't get it, but the players realise that and in the days after when we've reviewed the game against Newcastle they saw the fact that it was there for the taking and but for their poor finishing in front of goal we would have secured the three points. Defensively speaking, two games in the Premier League and Jussi hasn't had to make a save yet. If Jussi is in the same boat again on Saturday afternoon and he gets a clean sheet then I think we'll win the game. I think we'll score here at Upton Park, it's not often it goes to a 0-0 here, so if we can get that all important clean sheet then I think we'll definitely grab the three points."
What's the situation with Ricardo Vaz Te after he handed in a transfer request?
SA: "He might leave now, if anybody's going to leave now it would be Vaz. You don't keep anybody that doesn't want to stay. If a club comes and makes the right offer for him then we would be more than happy to accommodate the transfer request he's given us."
Have you had any offers for him yet?
SA: "No, but like I said I would expect that in the next few days that we probably will have an inquiry."
Is your relationship with Vaz beyond repair?
SA: "No 18 to 20 years ago he'd probably never have kicked a ball for the club again. In today's world and me perhaps being a bit more mature and mellow, then I'm always ready to give someone a second chance, but at this moment in time if he wants to leave then he can, I've no problem with that. It's just that the club who wants him will have to pay a fair price that we consider is right for Vaz. He won't get to leave this football club just because he wants to and somebody thinks they can get him for a price that we don't value him at."
Where will you be on transfer deadline day?
SA: "I don't know yet, I don't have to be anywhere special because contacts between phone and computer mean you can link up anywhere at any time. But like I said I expected it to be a quiet one for us this year, not like last year when we had Matt Jarvis, Andy Carroll and Yossi Benayoun arriving in the last week. I'm glad to say we haven't got to find three players this time, we haven't got the money to find three players this time either, but if there is the chance of one loan player or if someone goes out it might be two loan players, but if no one does then it might not be anybody."
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West Ham v Stoke
KO 15:00
30 August 2013
Last updated at 13:28
By Simon Brotherton
Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday, 31 August
West Ham are without midfielder Alou Diarra, who looks set to miss the rest of the season after picking up a knee ligament injury in the League Cup. Andy Carroll (heel) and George McCartney (knee) remain out but could return after the international break.
Stoke striker Peter Crouch is back after missing the Potters' League Cup win through illness, although hat-trick hero Kenwyne Jones may keep his place. Jamie Ness has a thigh injury and is City's only certain absentee.
MATCH PREVIEW
This match finished in a 1-1 draw last season and there's every chance there won't be much between the two sides in this one as well.
West Ham have started with two clean sheets, beating newly-promoted Cardiff on the opening day and drawing 0-0 at Newcastle a week ago.
Stoke secured their first win of the season under new manager Mark Hughes last weekend with a 2-1 victory over another of the Premier league new boys, Crystal Palace. That followed their tough opener at Anfield, where they were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool. "Stoke boss Mark Hughes will be pleased so far but he has two problems: first, he has very little money to spend and second, he is trying to change the way they play. That can't happen overnight but he is looking for more quality in the final third and more goals."
The defeat on Merseyside could easily have been a draw, but Simon Mignolet saved Jonathan Walters' late penalty. That result continued a run that has seen Stoke win only one of their last dozen away matches in the Premier league, at QPR in April. I'm interested to see what changes Hughes has implemented already at Stoke following the summer departure of Tony Pulis. I noticed a clear change of style from Everton under Roberto Martinez even on the opening day at Norwich. This game also brings together two former managers of Blackburn Rovers, who were in charge during happier times at Ewood Park. Mark Hughes took them into Europe, while Sam Allardyce started his reign there with a 3-0 win over Stoke City in December 2008 and was surprisingly sacked two years later with the club 13th in the table. What they'd give to be in that position now. Last season's 2-1 win for West Ham over QPR was Allardyce's first Premier League success in the last seven over a Mark Hughes team. The Hammers' solid home form probably makes them slight favourites here, though once again they'll be without striker Andy Carroll, who is still recovering from a heel injury.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
West Ham are enjoying a four-match unbeaten run against Stoke (W2, D2). This includes a 1-0 win at the Britannia Stadium in March courtesy of a Jack Collison goal.
Stoke's only Premier League win in four previous attempts at Upton Park (D1, L2) came in March 2010, when Ricardo Fuller scored in a 1-0 win.
The Potters are two goals away from reaching a 100 goals against the Hammers in all competitions.
West Ham and Stoke have both been involved in six 0-0 draws since the beginning of last season, joint league highs. However, there has never been a goalless Premier League draw between the clubs.
West Ham
The Hammers are unbeaten in their last six home league games (W4, D2) since a 3-2 defeat to Tottenham last February.
Sam Allardyce's men are yet to concede a goal so far this campaign. They have not kept three clean sheets in their opening three Premier League games since the 1998-99 season.
West Ham have kept clean sheets in three of their last four home matches.
The 617 passes attempted by West Ham is fewer than any other side in the Premier League so far this season.
Stoke
Mark Hughes has lost only three of 12 previous Premier League encounters against Sam Allardyce (W5, D4). One of those defeats was in the last meeting between the two men as West Ham saw off Hughes' QPR 2-1 last October.
Stoke, beaten at Liverpool on the opening weekend, won only twice away last season, the equal-lowest tally in last season's Premier League.
Asmir Begovic (14) has made more saves in this season's Premier League than any other goalkeeper.
The Potters' pass completion in their victory over Crystal Palace last week was 78%. Last season they averaged only 70%.
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Alou Diarra: West Ham midfielder likely to miss the rest of the season
BBC.co.uk
West Ham midfielder Alou Diarra is likely to miss the rest of the season with a serious knee ligament injury. Diarra, 31, picked up the knock in Wednesday's Capital One Cup second round win against Cheltenham. "It's a big blow to us in squad terms" said manager Sam Allardyce. "He was hoping to force his way into the side." The France international arrived from Marseille in August 2012. He struggled to settle and joined Rennes on loan for the rest of last season in January.
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West Ham United v Stoke City
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 30th August 2013
By: Preview Percy
We've kept Preview Percy busy this week. Well it stops him from going out and breaking all those restraining orders. Here's his look at this weekend's opponents Stoke City....
Next we entertain Stoke City at the Boleyn – 3pm kick-off on a Saturday. Excellent.
I have a major shock for you all at this point. Are you sitting down? Put that cuppa down. Seriously. Ready? Ok here goes: There are no engineering works on the District Line this weekend. I know, incredible isn't it? The last time that happened Arsenal had won a trophy – I think it was the Inter Cities Fairs Cup.
Our visitors this weekend come having replaced the manager during the close season. Tony Pulis had spent most of his career at the Britannia openly boasting of how he spent training sessions coaching his players in how to break the laws of the game. Quite how he escaped a disrepute charge for tis is a mystery. Actually it isn't – the FA are in charge of disciplinary matters so nobody should have been in the least bit surprised.
Towards the end of last season their form was a bit patchy and the stirrings of fans' unrest were there – at our 1-0 win at their place there was a "Pulis Out" banner on display for example.
Pulis is supposed to have turned up for a meeting at the end of last season with a big dossier over his vision for the view of the club's future. Chairman Peter Coates, possibly worried by a whole generation of Academy players being taught how to dive, punch and kick, decided that it was time for a change in footballing direction and, although the official announcement stated that the parting of the ways was "by mutual agreement" few bought that particular euphemism.
Pulis's replacement was Mark Hughes who had a few issues to sort out. Someone had left a pig's head in Kenwyne Jones' locker, something that resulted in Jones putting a brick through the car window of team-mate Glenn Whelan. This event was dismissed by Pulis as some sort of light-hearted high spirits, though given that it costs a few thousand to replace a sidelight on the average footballer's car, lord knows how much it cost to replace a whole window. I somehow doubt that that Brummie bloke from the ads would have been able to repair it with his "special resin" anyway.
There were other disciplinary issues to be dealt with. Striker Camerone Jerome found himself a cool £50k lighter in the wallet having infringed betting rules – though everyone was keen to point out that the offence involved neither match-fixing nor any matches in which the player or Stoke had had any involvement. So that's alright then. Jerome was highly critical of his former boss, by the way, suggesting that he had a favourite clique of players that were guaranteed a place irrespective of form.
Usually a new manager gets busy in the transfer market. However, with the transfer window about to close, their official site lists only three arrivals. And one of those is hardly a "new" signing, what with it being a re-signing of Jermaine Pennant. Pennant looked to be on his way from the Potteries having fallen out of favour during the latter part of last term. He spent a spell on loan at Wolves but failed to make any impression, other than to become the target of the boo-boys. On his return to the Britannia he was left on the sidelines and, since his contract expired at the close of the season, it looked like tag boy was on his way. However, the player was subsequently offered a one year deal and his name now sits proudly at the head of the list of new signings on their official site. Pennant's chequered personal life has been covered in these columns before – my favourite story is the one about him getting a phone call from the bloke in charge of the car park at Zaragosa Railway Station asking him if he was thinking about picking up that Porsche Turbo he'd left there several months back. "Ah – so that's where I left it". Easily done I suppose.
The biggest outlay so far this summer was the €3.6m (no idea but it doesn't sound much even if I knew what the exchange rate was) spent on left-back Erik Pieters, who arrived from PSV Eindhoven. Pieters was first choice left back for the Dutch national side for much of the past couple of years, though he did miss out on Euro 2012 due to a foot injury. In one of his final games for PSV he came on as sub and was involved in a defensive mix-up with the splendidly-named 'keeper Boy Waterman which let in Ajax for what turned out to be the winner. Ajax went on to win the title and there are some that say that Pieters' subsequent move to the Britannia was some form of punishment for his role in handing the Amsterdam side the title, although the player was quick to come out with the standard speech beloved of foreign players coming to these shores: "I have always wanted to play in the Premier League".
Another who has "always wanted to play in the Premier League" is central defender Marc Munisea. Munisea arrived on a free from Barcelona, signing a four year deal in the process. The 21 year old was part of the squad that won the Euro U21 tournament this summer – though his pitch time was limited to a ten minute cameo at the end of the 3-0 victory in the final group match against the Dutch when qualification for the semi finals had already been assured.. His "full" international career to date consists of a solitary cap for the Catalonian "national" side. This is something of an anomaly in world football as, although there is a Catalonian FA it is neither a member of UEFA or FIFA so their matches are sort of only semi-officially recognised. Gibraltar's recent election to full membership of UEFA and FIFA must have gone down well then.
Munisea was an unused sub in the 1-0 defeat at Anfield which opened their season with Huth and Shawcross preferred as the central partnership. Clearly the transition to total football is going to be a gradual one. They followed up that defeat with a home win against Palace – something I suspect may not be the last for them on the road. They then entertained Walsall in the League Cup coming out 3-1 winners, a slightly flattering result which came courtesy of a Kenwyne Jones hat-trick.
With the retirement of Michael Owen (who we all thought had knocked it on the head years ago), forward duties in the league have been entrusted to Peter Crouch and the somewhat hapless Jonathan Waters. Waters, you will recall, had the ultimate nightmare against Chelsea back in January, managing to score two own goals and miss a penalty all in the one match. He missed another penalty a few weeks later but, strangely, Stoke persisted with him as their spot-kick man into the current season. With only a couple of minutes left on the clock at Liverpool Agger's, handball gave Stoke a lifeline which they handed to Walters, who promptly saw his poor kick saved by Mignolet. I wouldn't have thought we'd be lucky enough to see Walters taking any spot kicks against us should they get one.
Our turn now. The Cheltenham match taught us little to be honest. I'd have thought that we already knew that Ravel Morrison has the potential to be a hell of a player. It's always nice to see Academy youngsters get a run out and Chambers can be happy with his night's work after a slightly nervy start, though I'd say he's still a while away from a challenge for a regular place. Collison disappointed me though. He hasn't featured in the league this season and did little to suggest that he should be pushing for more regular appearances, which is a shame as we all know that he's a good player on his day.
We will obviously revert back to a "first team" line up for this one. Andy Carroll is still not ready – the international break trip to Barcelona where those not on national service will be playing Espanyol in a friendly should see him see some pitch time with a view to seeing him turn out at some point during the Southampton game. So expect to see returns for the likes of JJ, Reid, Ginge, Noble, Nolan, Jarvis etc. I suspect that Joey O'B might get the nod over Roland as well. At time of writing the elusive new striker signing seems as far away as ever with the deal to sign this Roger Ramjet character seemingly now dead in the water.
Prediction time. As mentioned the continued reliance on a central defensive partnership comprised of the far from Messi-like pairing of Huth and Shawcross does suggest that if the leopard is changing its spots, it's not going to happen overnight. This would be the sort of battle that Carroll would relish. Maiga is a different sort of player so if we're to get the best out of him it'll be vital that we get play to his strengths and allow him to get amongst the defence on the deck.
Having said that, it's not been the greatest of starts for them – Liverpool ought to have been out of sight well before Walters' penalty faux pas and, let's face it, they're not going to be the last team to beat Palace at home this season are they? So I'm going to place the AGORHFTB fund to send Catherine Zeta Jones the fare to come and visit me (£2.50) – I believe that she's rather partial to older gentlemen and finds herself a t a loose end at the moment – on a home win. I'll plump for a battling 2-1 to us on this occasion.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met At The Boleyn Drew 1-1 November 2012
Walters scored from a corner where most observers noted at least three fouls by Stoke players blocking off potential challenges to the penalty kid. Joey O'B steered home a second half equaliser that was probably the least we deserved.
Referee: Jon Moss. Took charge of the reverse fixture last season and remained resolute in the face of some of the worst dives seen outside Anfield. The only blot on his copybook that day was his refusal to get the yellow card out for such transgressions. Still not to be confused with the "I'm sorry but they were no good then and I'm not accepting irony as an excuse now" crap 80's pop band drummer from Culture Club.
Danger Man: Ryan Shawcross – I use the word "danger" in its literal sense here – has a history of hospitalising opponents. His selection for an England squad is possibly the only time I've ever thought Carragher actually have been worth a call up.
Daft Fact Of The Week: The Captain of the Titanic Edward Smith, came from Stoke. With a captain from Stoke and its Port of Registry being Liverpool it's little wonder that the ship ended up taking a dive, resulting in the demise of over 1,500 souls and the creation of a film so gobsmackingly awful it made Plan 9 From Outer Space look like Citizen Kane. Had he been around Walters would probably have missed the resulting penalty as well.
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Bolton and West Ham agree Hall package
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 30th August 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham could potentially land around £2million from the sale of Rob Hall to Bolton, after a tribunal agreed a transfer fee this morning. Hall, touted for several years as one of the Academy's brightest prospects left for the Reebok Stadium in the summer after rejecting a new contract offer from United.
And this morning a panel agreed that West Ham would received £450,000 up front for the 19-year-old plus a further £250,000 should Bolton be promoted to the Premier League. Additionally, West Ham will receive a lump sum from Bolton for the first 100 games Hall plays for them. For Championship appearances the figure is £2,500 per game, and £10,000 per game for Premier League games. Additionally West Ham would receive 20 per cent of any profit from a future sale. Sam Allardyce, who was present at the tribunal admitted to being reasonable pleased with its outcome. "Often no one emerges from these tribunals fully satisfied," he said, "but the decisions have been made and we wish Robert all the best at his new club and move on."
The compensation package agreed is however a fraction of the fees West Ham were ordered to pay 15 years ago when signing Stephen Bywater from Rochdale and Jermain Defoe from Charlton. Both clubs received fees of circa £1.5million from West Ham for the pair, both only 16 at the time of their transfers.
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RVT can leave West Ham, says Allardyce
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 30th August 2013
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce says that Ricardo Vaz Te can leave West Ham, after the Portuguese forward handed in a transfer request. The 26-year-old former Bolton and Barnsley attacker asked to be made available for transfer when submitting a request to leave the club earlier this week. And Allardyce - who still harbours hopes of bringing in one or two new faces ahead of the transfer deadline - says that he will be happy to listen to offers. "Iif anybody's going to leave [ahead of the transfer deadline] now it would be Vaz," he confirmed. "You don't keep anybody that doesn't want to stay. If a club comes and makes the right offer for him then we would be more than happy to accommodate the transfer request he's given us. "[We've had no offers yet but] I would expect that in the next few days that we probably will have an inquiry. "I'm always ready to give someone a second chance, but at this moment in time if he wants to leave then he can, I've no problem with that. It's just that the club who wants him will have to pay a fair price that we consider is right for Vaz. "He won't get to leave this football club just because he wants to and somebody thinks they can get him for a price that we don't value him at."
Vaz Te joined West Ham in January 2012 and has scored 16 times in 48 appearances - although just four of those have been scored since West Ham returned to the Premier League. The wantaway forward earned a place in Hammers folklore on 19th May last year when his 87th minute strike aganst Blackpool at Wembley gave the Irons a 2-1 play-off Final win that catapulted them back into the top flight at the first attempt.
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Allardyce: Diarra out for the season
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 30th August 2013
By: Staff Writer
Alou Diarra could be out for the remainder of the 2013/14 campaign having sustained an anterior cruciate injury during Tuesday night's Capital One Cup win over Cheltenham. The French midfielder, who has barely made a first team appearance for West Ham since moving from France to London last summer will be sidelined until early 2014 after the ligament injury was confirmed. Sam Allardyce, speaking about the injury during this morning's pre-match press conference said: "The injury is more serious than we expected and it look like an ACL reconstruction. That will almost certainly finish Alou's season. "It's a big blow to us in squad terms, he was hoping to force his way into the side this season but obviously after that injury that won't be the case." 32-year-old Diarra, who moved to West Ham via Marseille a year ago this month has made just five starts for United since making his £2million switch. Of those five, only one has come in the Premier League.
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Unbeaten West Ham welcome Stoke to Upton Park
Last Updated: August 30, 2013 3:43pm
SSN
West Ham will look to continue their unbeaten start to the Premier League season against Stoke at Upton Park on Saturday. Both sides go into the clash in buoyant mood, with West Ham yet to lose this season, while Stoke are looking for a third-straight win in all competitions. West Ham began the campaign with victory over Premier League new boys Cardiff and the Hammers followed that up last week with a creditable goalless draw at Newcastle. Indeed, Sam Allardyce is disappointed not be going into this match with a 100 per cent record. Stoke opened their season with a one-goal defeat at Liverpool but Mark Hughes' men would likely have taken a point from Anfield had Jon Walters' late penalty not been saved. The Potters came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 at the Britannia Stadium last week and built upon that win with another home victory in the Capital One Cup against Sky Bet League One side Walsall.
Stoke have changed their traditionally-direct style slightly since Hughes took over from Tony Pulis and the new manager is hoping to go into the international break with a third consecutive win.
Paul Merson's prediction
I'm doing this game on Soccer Saturday and I don't see there being too many goals at all. I think West Ham are very strong at home; I've said a few times before that I think they'll pick up a lot of points at Upton Park this year and it will be a tough place to go for a lot of teams. I fancy them to win this game.
Stoke haven't been great in front of goal this season. They gave Crystal Palace a goal head-start last week and turned it around, but you don't want to be doing that away at West Ham. I think they'll lose this narrowly.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-0
West Ham Badge West Ham
Last 6
Cheltenham (h)2-1
Newcastle (a)0-0
Cardiff (h)2-0
Pacos Ferreira (h)2-1
Braga (a)1-0
Hamburg (a)1-3
West Ham midfielder Alou Diarra will be absent after he was ruled out for the season. A serious knee injury in the Capital One Cup second-round victory over Cheltenham appears to have ended Diarra's campaign just two weeks in. Andy Carroll (foot) and George McCartney (knee) are also absent, but could be back in contention after the international break.
Stoke City Badge Stoke City
Last 6
3-1
C Palace (h)2-1
Liverpool (a)1-0
Genoa (a)0-0
Wrexham (a)0-1
Macc'field (a)1-2
Stoke striker Peter Crouch comes back into contention for the Barclays Premier League trip to West Ham on Saturday. Crouch missed Wednesday's midweek Capital One Cup win over Walsall due to illness, but will be vying for the lead forward role alongside Kenwyne Jones following the latter's hat-trick against the Saddlers. Manager Mark Hughes has only one player out through injury, with midfielder Jamie Ness still struggling with a thigh problem.
Opta stats:
West Ham have kept a clean sheet in three of their last four Barclays Premier League games at home.
Since the beginning of last season, West Ham and Stoke have both been involved in six 0-0 draws; joint highs in the Premier League.
Last season, 16.2% of the passes Stoke attempted in the Premier League were long passes. This season, that figure has dropped to 10.3%.
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce suspects illegal approach for Ricardo Vaz Te
Last Updated: August 30, 2013 3:30pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Alladyce suspects wantaway striker Ricardo Vaz Te has been illegally "tapped up". Vaz Te, out of favour at Upton Park this season, has asked to leave the Hammers and Allardyce believes that the timing - just a few days before the end of the transfer window - points to an illegal approach. And Allardyce says he will allow Vaz Te to leave, provided the price is right. "If anybody's going to leave now it'll be Vaz," he said. "You don't keep anybody that doesn't want to stay. If a club comes in to make the right offer for him we'll be more than happy to accommodate the transfer request he's given us. "Generally when you make (a statement) like that, they've been tapped up. Someone would've probably already contacted him. "I am expecting a bid for him in the next couple of days because you don't do that sort of thing this late in the transfer window. "I would expect in the next couple of days we will have an inquiry. If not he's put himself in a difficult position having said what he's said if he doesn't have another club lined up." If Vaz Te does not leave, Allardyce says the former Barnsley star can fight for a first team place. "Nothing is beyond repair with me," he added. "20 years ago, 18 years ago, he'd probably never kick a ball again. In today's world of football and me being a bit more mature and mellow, I'm always ready to give someone a second chance. "At this moment in time if he wants to leave he can. There's no problem with that. The club who wants him will have to pay a fair price we consider is right. He won't just leave the club because he wants to."
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West Ham midfielder Alou Diarra 'out for season'
Last Updated: August 30, 2013 12:30pm
SSN
West Ham midfielder Alou Diarra could be out for the rest of the season after he suffered a serious injury in their Capital One Cup victory over Cheltenham on Tuesday night. The France international was stretchered off in the 34th minute of the second round match at Upton Park and could now be out for an extended period of time with an anterior cruciate ligament problem. "Our team news is that Alou Diarra got injured the other night and is not involved in the squad," Allardyce said of Saturday's Premier League clash with Stoke. "It's more serious than we expected and it looks like an ACL reconstruction, unfortunately.
"That will probably finish his season, that is a big blow to us in squad terms. He was hoping to forge his way into the side this season but, obviously with the injury, now that won't be the case."
No Vaz Te bids yet
Allardyce also confirmed they are yet to receive any bids for striker Ricardo Vaz Te, who recently put in a transfer request. "We've had no offers for Vaz Te yet but I'd expect that we have an enquiry for him in the next couple of days. If he wants to leave, he can," added Allardyce. "But the offer has to be right for us."Meanwhile, Allardyce admits he is happy with the club's start to the top-flight campaign, which has seen them pick up four points from their opening two matches. But he has demanded his team be more ruthless in front of goal after they spurned some excellent chances to claim victory as they were held 0-0 at Newcastle last weekend. "It's pleasing to have two league games without conceding, but our disappointment is that it's not six points," he said. "It's our fault we didn't get the three points at Newcastle, it was there for the taking. "In defensive terms though, two games in and Jussi Jaaskelainen hasn't had to make a save yet. Let's hope that he's in the same boat tomorrow. "If he keeps a clean sheet, I think we'll win."
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MATCH PREVIEW: WEST HAM V STOKE CITY
By Iain Dale 30 Aug 2013 at 22:04
West Ham Till I Die
Will he, won't he? Will Sam Allardyce have the courage to blood Ravel Morrison for the first time in a Premier League game? My bet is that he won't, for the very valid reason that none of our central midfield threesome of Diame, Noble and Nolan deserve to be dropped. Two games in and none of them have had a bad game. Hopefully, the knowledge that Morrison is knocking on the door will spur them on to greater things against Stoke. But I know we all hope that we will see Ravel Morrison at some point during the game.
I can see little case for making many other changes. It's possible that Razvan Rat could make his Premier League debut too, but to be honest it would be hard on Joey O'Brien. One thing I think we can be sure of is that Ricardo Vaz Te won't feature at all. Sam Allardyce is clearly furious with him and sent him to train on his own today.
On the wings, it looks as if Joe Cole will miss out to Stewart Downing, with Matt Jarvis on the other wing and Maiga in front of them.
I'm bringing my web designer Russell to the game tomorrow. He has never been to a football match and has no understanding of the game whatsoever. I'll let you know if he becomes a Hammers convert!
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Chelsea willing to let Demba Ba return to Newcastle on loan for £3million fee
30 Aug 2013 22:43
The Mirror
Mike Hewitt
Chelsea are ready to loan Demba Ba back to Newcastle – but they want £3million to do the deal for one season. Blues owner Roman Abramovich is willing to shake up his squad after signing Samuel Eto'o, which has left question marks over Ba and Fernando Torres. Newcastle are watching developments closely and fancy taking Ba with West Ham also keen – but both will be quoted the sky-high loan fee. Signed from Toon for £7m in January, striker Ba is the most likely departure from Chelsea before the window shuts but if £3m is a stumbling block, Newcastle will firm up their interest in Lyon's Bafetimbi Gomis. Southampton have joined West Brom, Liverpool and Crystal Palace in the battle to sign Chelsea winger Victor Moses on loan. Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino, who has already spoken to Jose Mourinho about the former Wigan ace, said: "We are keeping an eye on what happens in the market before the window closes. "We are not specifically looking at any one position but all teams expect perhaps to add one more player to improve the squad."
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West Ham United's Alou Diarra ruled out for season after cruel knee ligament injury blow
30 Aug 2013 16:24
The Mirror
West Ham United powerhouse midfielder Alou Diarra will be ruled out for the rest of the season with a serious knee injury, according to Hammers boss Sam Allardyce . The French international - who spent the second half of last season on loan to Rennes - tore knee ligaments in the Premier League side's 2-1 win against League Two Cheltenham on Tuesday. Diarra, signed from Marseille in 2012, was only on the pitch for 34 minutes before tearing his cruciate, and Allardyce admitted the injury was a cruel blow for him and his squad. "Alou got injured the other night unfortunately," he said. "The injury is more serious than we expected and it is an ACL [anterior cruciate ligament] reconstruction unfortunately. "That will probably finish his season, that is a big blow to us in squad terms. He was hoping to forge his way into the side this season but, obviously with the injury, now that wont be the case."
The Hammers will be looking to get back to maintain their unbeaten run against Mark Hughes's Stoke City after the 0-0 draw against struggling Newcastle United last weekend . Record signing Andy Carroll is still a week away from a return while George McCartney will also miss out through a knee injury, but could be back in contention after the international break.
Wets Ham United squad: Jaaskelainen, Adrian, Reid, Collins, Tomkins, Rat, Demel, O'Brien, Nolan, Collison, Morrison, Noble, Diame, Taylor, Vaz Te, Jarvis, Cole, Downing, Maiga
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West Ham United Make Offer For Juventus Striker
ForzaItalianFootball.com
West Ham United have reportedly made an offer for Juventus striker Fabio Quagliarella in hopes of signing him on loan for the 2013-14 campaign. According to Sportitalia, the English side have made a bid of €750,000 for the 30-year-old and are aiming to secure his services in a season-long loan deal with an option to buy later on. The proposal was reportedly submitted through Beppe Bozzo, agent of the former Udinese and Napoli man, who is now waiting along with West Ham for an answer from the Bianconeri. Juventus have been on a mission to unload two of their strikers this summer after signing Carlos Tevez from Manchester City and Fernando Llorente from Athletic Bilbao, and have already sold Alessandro Matri to AC Milan for a fee of around €11 million. Quagliarella, who has been with The Old Lady since 2010, has also been linked to other European clubs including Arsenal, Norwich City, Sunderland, and Shakhtar Donetsk.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Saturday, August 31
Friday, August 30
Daily WHUFC News - 30th August 2013
Chambers hungry for more
WHUFC.com
Leo Chambers made his first team debut in midweek and is now on the hunt for
more opportunities
29.08.2013
Leo Chambers has spoken of his delight after making his West Ham United
debut in the Capital One Cup victory over Cheltenham Town. The defender
played the full 90 minutes as goals from Ricardo Vaz Te and fellow debutant
Ravel Morrison helped the Hammers into the third-round. The 18-year-old has
been a mainstay in the clubs Development Squad so far this season, playing
every minute of their three matches. But the defender admits making his
debut for the first team was something special. He said: "It was a very big
moment for me at the start of my career, it was my first start and once I
got into the game I felt very confident."
Chambers fitted in seamlessly at right-back as Sam Allardyce's team
maintained their unbeaten start to the season, despite his usual position
being at the centre of defence. When quizzed on whether he had experienced
any nerves before the kick-off the defender gave an answer as cool as his
performance.
"Everyone was asking me if I was nervous, but my response was 'no', it was
more excitement than nerves. "I thought I would get nervous as I stepped
onto the pitch, but again it was just pure excitement. I didn't really show
nerves out there, I was just confident and got myself into the game."
Chambers looked assured on the right-hand side, linking up well with Joe
Cole and then Stewart Downing as a new look Hammers side created a host of
chances. It is not the first time that the youngster has been named in a
first team squad, having previously been on the substitutes' bench on three
occasions, but he was delighted to finally get a starting berth. "It's very
pleasing. I was on the bench three times last season but unfortunately I was
held back by injury.
"I'm coming back now, I've made my first start and I'm feeling good. It was
good of the manager to start me in a game and that's something I've got to
repay him with good performances and I think I've done that tonight."
Allardyce included fellow Development Squad regulars Sebastian Lletget,
Pelly Ruddock and Elliot Lee in the squad to face Cheltenham and despite
none of them featuring from the bench, Chambers believes they can push for a
place in the first team. "Seb, Elliot and Pelly deserved it; they've had a
good start to the season," he added. "They played a few games for the first
team during pre-season and reports came back saying they did well so I think
they fully deserved it.
"Unfortunately they didn't get on the pitch tonight but I'm sure there will
be other opportunities for them."
The Development Squad have won two of their three games this season and
Chambers feels it has acted as the perfect springboard for himself and the
other players to gain first team recognition. "It's been good not only for
me but the rest of the lads as well. "The Under-21s are doing well, not only
me but the whole team and I'm hoping a few of the other lads can join me and
play for the first team."
It's been quite a journey through the ranks for Chambers who started out
trying to score goals rather than stop them. After making his first start
the defender won't be fooled into thinking he has made it just yet. "It's
been a long road. I trained with the Under-12s playing centre-forward,
tonight I played right-back and I usually play centre-back for the
Under-21s, so it's been a very long road. "Bit by bit, you've got to keep
going, work hard, I've still got a long way to go and I plan to do so."
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Rat: 'We could have scored six'
WHUFC.com
Razvan Rat urged the Hammers to be at their clinical best when Stoke City
are the visitors on Saturday
29.08.2013
Summer signing Razvan Rat hopes West Ham United's fortunes in front of goal
will turn come Saturday, after the Hammers were denied a hatful against
Cheltenham Town in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday. As it was, Sam
Allardyce's side were worthy 2-1 winners against the Sky Bet League Two
Robins, but might have enjoyed an even more comfortable evening at the
Boleyn Ground. The Romanian international, making his competitive debut in
claret and blue, insisted that the Club's safe passage to the third round
was all important, with one eye on a weekend Barclays Premier League clash
against Stoke City.
He told West Ham TV: "It's true that we had a lot of chances and we could
have scored six, maybe. But maybe it was not our day. Hopefully all the
chances will come on Saturday and the ball will go in on Saturday! "It was
interesting for me, my first official game. It's true that it was against,
theoretically, a weaker opponent but as you saw it was not easy because,
this kind of team, when they're playing against a Premier League team, they
give all their best on the field. But it was good, we won, so that's the
most important thing."
Though the Hammers' quality eventually told on Tuesday, the hosts were made
to work hard for the victory and Rat, for one, was not the least bit
surprised with the application of the lower-league visitors. It took a
stunning Ricardo Vaz Te free-kick to break the Robins' stubborn resistance,
a goal that made life considerably easier for West Ham thereafter. He
continued: "They're the same football players like us, they're just playing
in another league. So the difference between a Premier League player and a
Second Division player is just mentally. It's about the mind. They are fit,
they're running hard, so it's just your mentality that makes the difference.
"Vaz Te was amazing, he was amazing on that free-kick. But that goal
released us and the game became much easier afterwards."
Looking further afield, Roland - as he's fast becoming known - is not ruling
out a trip to Wembley, though attention now turns to Saturday's visit of the
Potters.
"I think it's five games 'til Wembley, so we're looking further than the
third round. I'll see you there," he joked! "First of all, I hope to play
[against Stoke, to make my Premier League debut. But this depends on the
manager. I hope also to have a good game on Saturday and get another three
points."
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I'm off! Vaz Te hands in transfer request
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 29th August 2013
By: Staff Writer
Ricardo Vaz Te looks set to leave West Ham after the Portuguese forward
handed in a written transfer request. Vaz Te, who was a bargain £500,000
signing from Barnsley just 18 months ago is reported to have asked to leave
the Club have fallen down the pecking order, following the arrival of the
likes of Joe Cole and Stewart Downing.
The news has received a mixed reception from supporters posting on the
KUMB.com forum today. "A nice bloke with a place in our history," wrote
ClaretDave, "but he is not good enough to be an automatic starter at present
and if being a squad member is not enough, it's quite reasonable to ask for
a move. He will leave with my best wishes."
However Crochend_Hammer was rather less inclined to see the back of the
26-year-old winger. "I'm absolutely gutted by this news," he said. "He is
the only player we have - except maybe Joe Cole - who can do something
unpredictable and provide a little bit of additional quality. To me, this is
just another nail in the coffin of how we are going to play when Andy
Carroll comes back."
Premier League newcomers Crystal Palace have already been linked with Vaz
Te, who is likely to command a transfer free of £2-3million.
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Ricardo Vaz Te hands in transfer request at West Ham
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo | Last Updated: August 29,
2013 11:05am
SSN
West Ham forward Ricardo Vaz Te has handed in a transfer request at Upton
Park. Vaz Te's future at Upton Park has been the subject of speculation this
summer with a number of clubs linked with a move for the Portuguese player.
The Hammers are reported to be open to offers for the former Bolton man as
they look to trim their squad so that they can bring in more new signings
before the close of the transfer window. Vaz Te, who started his first game
of the season in Tuesday's Capital One Cup win over Cheltenham, says that he
has been forced to hand in a transfer request as he does not figure in Sam
Allardyce's plans. "In my 10 years as a professional football player I have
never submitted a transfer request nor issued a statement," Vaz Te said in a
statement released to Sky Sports. "However, I am frustrated at West Ham
United Football Club. "Therefore it is with a heavy heart that I submit a
transfer request and look to join a club where my approach to the game will
be appreciated."
"Last season I was asked to change positions for the benefit of the team
even though I had just scored 24 goals. "The main objective was to finish
top 10 in the Premier League and I followed my instructions to the best of
my ability as the club always comes first. As a result even though I was
injured for three months no other player made more assists than me and no
other winger scored more goals than me. "In addition, since I joined this
football club on 31st January 2012 no other player has scored more goals
than me in all official competitions to date. "Statistics are evident to
all, despite this, it has been made obvious to myself and my representatives
that I am not in the manager's plans. "Therefore it is with a heavy heart
that I submit a transfer request and look to join a club where my approach
to the game will be appreciated."
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By Darren Witcoop Comments
"Frustrated" Ricardo Vaz Te submits West Ham transfer request after falling
down pecking order
29 Aug 2013 22:30
The Mirror
Ricardo Vaz Te has blasted West Ham and slapped in a transfer request. The
Portuguese forward accused the Hammers of playing him out of position and
now wants out before the transfer window closes. Vaz Te scored in the
Hammers' Capital One Cup win over Cheltenham on Tuesday. But that could be
his last outing in the famous claret-and-blue shirt now he's demanded to go,
having falling down the pecking order. He said: "I am frustrated at West
Ham. "Last season I was asked to change positions for the team, even though
I had just scored 24 goals. I followed my instructions to the best of my
ability as the club always comes first. "Even though I was injured for three
months, no other player made more assists than me and no other winger scored
more goals than me.
"Despite this, it has been made obvious to myself that I am not in the
manager's plans. "It is with a heavy heart that I submit a transfer request
and look to join a club where my approach to the game will be appreciated."
Vaz Te joined West Ham from Barnsley in January 2012 and was their
Championship Play-off Final hero after scoring the Wembley winner against
Blackpool.
But the 26-year-old has seen Stewart Downing and Joe Cole join and then
leapfrog him in manager Sam Allardyce's plans. Allardyce will listen to
offers for Vaz Te as he looks to recoup funds following Andy Carroll's
record-breaking £16million summer arrival. Premier League new boys Crystal
Palace and Cardiff have shown interest in Vaz Te, while Championship leaders
Nottingham Forest are also keen. Meanwhile, West Ham's move for Roger Rojas
has collapsed. The Honduran striker failed a medical ahead of a proposed
season-long loan from Club Deportivo Olimpia in his homeland.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Leo Chambers made his first team debut in midweek and is now on the hunt for
more opportunities
29.08.2013
Leo Chambers has spoken of his delight after making his West Ham United
debut in the Capital One Cup victory over Cheltenham Town. The defender
played the full 90 minutes as goals from Ricardo Vaz Te and fellow debutant
Ravel Morrison helped the Hammers into the third-round. The 18-year-old has
been a mainstay in the clubs Development Squad so far this season, playing
every minute of their three matches. But the defender admits making his
debut for the first team was something special. He said: "It was a very big
moment for me at the start of my career, it was my first start and once I
got into the game I felt very confident."
Chambers fitted in seamlessly at right-back as Sam Allardyce's team
maintained their unbeaten start to the season, despite his usual position
being at the centre of defence. When quizzed on whether he had experienced
any nerves before the kick-off the defender gave an answer as cool as his
performance.
"Everyone was asking me if I was nervous, but my response was 'no', it was
more excitement than nerves. "I thought I would get nervous as I stepped
onto the pitch, but again it was just pure excitement. I didn't really show
nerves out there, I was just confident and got myself into the game."
Chambers looked assured on the right-hand side, linking up well with Joe
Cole and then Stewart Downing as a new look Hammers side created a host of
chances. It is not the first time that the youngster has been named in a
first team squad, having previously been on the substitutes' bench on three
occasions, but he was delighted to finally get a starting berth. "It's very
pleasing. I was on the bench three times last season but unfortunately I was
held back by injury.
"I'm coming back now, I've made my first start and I'm feeling good. It was
good of the manager to start me in a game and that's something I've got to
repay him with good performances and I think I've done that tonight."
Allardyce included fellow Development Squad regulars Sebastian Lletget,
Pelly Ruddock and Elliot Lee in the squad to face Cheltenham and despite
none of them featuring from the bench, Chambers believes they can push for a
place in the first team. "Seb, Elliot and Pelly deserved it; they've had a
good start to the season," he added. "They played a few games for the first
team during pre-season and reports came back saying they did well so I think
they fully deserved it.
"Unfortunately they didn't get on the pitch tonight but I'm sure there will
be other opportunities for them."
The Development Squad have won two of their three games this season and
Chambers feels it has acted as the perfect springboard for himself and the
other players to gain first team recognition. "It's been good not only for
me but the rest of the lads as well. "The Under-21s are doing well, not only
me but the whole team and I'm hoping a few of the other lads can join me and
play for the first team."
It's been quite a journey through the ranks for Chambers who started out
trying to score goals rather than stop them. After making his first start
the defender won't be fooled into thinking he has made it just yet. "It's
been a long road. I trained with the Under-12s playing centre-forward,
tonight I played right-back and I usually play centre-back for the
Under-21s, so it's been a very long road. "Bit by bit, you've got to keep
going, work hard, I've still got a long way to go and I plan to do so."
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Rat: 'We could have scored six'
WHUFC.com
Razvan Rat urged the Hammers to be at their clinical best when Stoke City
are the visitors on Saturday
29.08.2013
Summer signing Razvan Rat hopes West Ham United's fortunes in front of goal
will turn come Saturday, after the Hammers were denied a hatful against
Cheltenham Town in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday. As it was, Sam
Allardyce's side were worthy 2-1 winners against the Sky Bet League Two
Robins, but might have enjoyed an even more comfortable evening at the
Boleyn Ground. The Romanian international, making his competitive debut in
claret and blue, insisted that the Club's safe passage to the third round
was all important, with one eye on a weekend Barclays Premier League clash
against Stoke City.
He told West Ham TV: "It's true that we had a lot of chances and we could
have scored six, maybe. But maybe it was not our day. Hopefully all the
chances will come on Saturday and the ball will go in on Saturday! "It was
interesting for me, my first official game. It's true that it was against,
theoretically, a weaker opponent but as you saw it was not easy because,
this kind of team, when they're playing against a Premier League team, they
give all their best on the field. But it was good, we won, so that's the
most important thing."
Though the Hammers' quality eventually told on Tuesday, the hosts were made
to work hard for the victory and Rat, for one, was not the least bit
surprised with the application of the lower-league visitors. It took a
stunning Ricardo Vaz Te free-kick to break the Robins' stubborn resistance,
a goal that made life considerably easier for West Ham thereafter. He
continued: "They're the same football players like us, they're just playing
in another league. So the difference between a Premier League player and a
Second Division player is just mentally. It's about the mind. They are fit,
they're running hard, so it's just your mentality that makes the difference.
"Vaz Te was amazing, he was amazing on that free-kick. But that goal
released us and the game became much easier afterwards."
Looking further afield, Roland - as he's fast becoming known - is not ruling
out a trip to Wembley, though attention now turns to Saturday's visit of the
Potters.
"I think it's five games 'til Wembley, so we're looking further than the
third round. I'll see you there," he joked! "First of all, I hope to play
[against Stoke, to make my Premier League debut. But this depends on the
manager. I hope also to have a good game on Saturday and get another three
points."
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I'm off! Vaz Te hands in transfer request
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 29th August 2013
By: Staff Writer
Ricardo Vaz Te looks set to leave West Ham after the Portuguese forward
handed in a written transfer request. Vaz Te, who was a bargain £500,000
signing from Barnsley just 18 months ago is reported to have asked to leave
the Club have fallen down the pecking order, following the arrival of the
likes of Joe Cole and Stewart Downing.
The news has received a mixed reception from supporters posting on the
KUMB.com forum today. "A nice bloke with a place in our history," wrote
ClaretDave, "but he is not good enough to be an automatic starter at present
and if being a squad member is not enough, it's quite reasonable to ask for
a move. He will leave with my best wishes."
However Crochend_Hammer was rather less inclined to see the back of the
26-year-old winger. "I'm absolutely gutted by this news," he said. "He is
the only player we have - except maybe Joe Cole - who can do something
unpredictable and provide a little bit of additional quality. To me, this is
just another nail in the coffin of how we are going to play when Andy
Carroll comes back."
Premier League newcomers Crystal Palace have already been linked with Vaz
Te, who is likely to command a transfer free of £2-3million.
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Ricardo Vaz Te hands in transfer request at West Ham
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo | Last Updated: August 29,
2013 11:05am
SSN
West Ham forward Ricardo Vaz Te has handed in a transfer request at Upton
Park. Vaz Te's future at Upton Park has been the subject of speculation this
summer with a number of clubs linked with a move for the Portuguese player.
The Hammers are reported to be open to offers for the former Bolton man as
they look to trim their squad so that they can bring in more new signings
before the close of the transfer window. Vaz Te, who started his first game
of the season in Tuesday's Capital One Cup win over Cheltenham, says that he
has been forced to hand in a transfer request as he does not figure in Sam
Allardyce's plans. "In my 10 years as a professional football player I have
never submitted a transfer request nor issued a statement," Vaz Te said in a
statement released to Sky Sports. "However, I am frustrated at West Ham
United Football Club. "Therefore it is with a heavy heart that I submit a
transfer request and look to join a club where my approach to the game will
be appreciated."
"Last season I was asked to change positions for the benefit of the team
even though I had just scored 24 goals. "The main objective was to finish
top 10 in the Premier League and I followed my instructions to the best of
my ability as the club always comes first. As a result even though I was
injured for three months no other player made more assists than me and no
other winger scored more goals than me. "In addition, since I joined this
football club on 31st January 2012 no other player has scored more goals
than me in all official competitions to date. "Statistics are evident to
all, despite this, it has been made obvious to myself and my representatives
that I am not in the manager's plans. "Therefore it is with a heavy heart
that I submit a transfer request and look to join a club where my approach
to the game will be appreciated."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
By Darren Witcoop Comments
"Frustrated" Ricardo Vaz Te submits West Ham transfer request after falling
down pecking order
29 Aug 2013 22:30
The Mirror
Ricardo Vaz Te has blasted West Ham and slapped in a transfer request. The
Portuguese forward accused the Hammers of playing him out of position and
now wants out before the transfer window closes. Vaz Te scored in the
Hammers' Capital One Cup win over Cheltenham on Tuesday. But that could be
his last outing in the famous claret-and-blue shirt now he's demanded to go,
having falling down the pecking order. He said: "I am frustrated at West
Ham. "Last season I was asked to change positions for the team, even though
I had just scored 24 goals. I followed my instructions to the best of my
ability as the club always comes first. "Even though I was injured for three
months, no other player made more assists than me and no other winger scored
more goals than me.
"Despite this, it has been made obvious to myself that I am not in the
manager's plans. "It is with a heavy heart that I submit a transfer request
and look to join a club where my approach to the game will be appreciated."
Vaz Te joined West Ham from Barnsley in January 2012 and was their
Championship Play-off Final hero after scoring the Wembley winner against
Blackpool.
But the 26-year-old has seen Stewart Downing and Joe Cole join and then
leapfrog him in manager Sam Allardyce's plans. Allardyce will listen to
offers for Vaz Te as he looks to recoup funds following Andy Carroll's
record-breaking £16million summer arrival. Premier League new boys Crystal
Palace and Cardiff have shown interest in Vaz Te, while Championship leaders
Nottingham Forest are also keen. Meanwhile, West Ham's move for Roger Rojas
has collapsed. The Honduran striker failed a medical ahead of a proposed
season-long loan from Club Deportivo Olimpia in his homeland.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Thursday, August 29
Daily WHUFC News - 29th AUgust 2013
Collison earns Wales call
WHUFC.com
Jack Collison is among the Hammers players set for international duty next
week
28.08.2013
Jack Collison has been named in a 23-man squad for Wales' FIFA World Cup
Qualifiers against Macedonia and Serbia in early September. The Hammers
midfielder, who has been capped by his country on 14 occasions, will be
looking to help Wales improve on a qualifying campaign which has seen them
take six points from as many games to date. Chris Coleman's side face
Macedonia first in Skopje on Friday 6 September, before returning to Cardiff
to take on Serbia four days later. Meanwhile, West Ham defender Joey O'Brien
is in a provisional 29-man party for the Republic of Ireland's qualification
fixtures against Sweden and Austria on the same dates.
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Cardiff at home in round three
WHUFC.com
Capital One Cup third round draw details
28.08.2013
West Ham United have been handed a home draw with fellow Barclays Premier
League side Cardiff City in the third round of the Capital One Cup. The
Hammers saw off the challenge of Cheltenham Town on Tuesday night to book
their place in round three, while Cardiff won 2-0 at Accrington Stanley on
Wednesday night. It is a repeat of the opening game of the 2013/14 season,
which saw Joe Cole and Kevin Nolan hit the target to give the Hammers a 2-0
victory over the Bluebirds. West Ham will be looking to better last year's
run to the third round, while Cardiff were runners-up to Liverpool in this
competition two years ago. The tie will be played in the week commencing
September 23 and full fixture and ticketing details will be available soon
on whufc.com
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Hammers set for Spanish test
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will take on Primera Division side RCD Espanyol during the
international break
28.08.2013
West Ham United will take on Spanish Primera Division side RCD Espanyol
during the international break. The Hammers will travel to Barcelona to take
on Los Periquitos at the 40,500-capacity Estadi Cornellà-El Prat on Thursday
5 September, with kick-off at 9pm local time (8pm UK time). West Ham will
take a squad containing first-team players who have not been called-up for
international duty to Spain, with the aim of retaining match fitness and
sharpness ahead of the return of Barclays Premier League football at
Southampton on Sunday 15 September.
Assistant manager Neil McDonald explained the thinking behind the trip. "We
just want to keep the lads ticking over and sometimes a game is very good in
doing that," said McDonald. "The opposition that we're playing have a new
stadium which sounds absolutely fantastic, so I'm sure the boys will have a
really good run out and it's better than a training session."
West Ham supporters can attend the game, with tickets available for Sector
125 on the First Tier in the Away Team Supporters Corner. Tickets will be
available through Espanyol's official website. Managed by former Mexico
international and boss Javier Aguirre, Espanyol finished 13th in the Primera
Division last season and have started 2013/14 in fine form, drawing 2-2 at
Celta Vigo before beating Valencia 3-1 at home on Saturday. The club's
best-known players are Portugal internationals Simao Sabrosa and Pizzi and
Spain forward Sergio Garcia, while France U21 international Thevy Bifouma
and Uruguay forward Christian Stuani have both made goalscoring starts to
the new campaign.
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Morrison's debut delight
WHUFC.com
Ravel Morrison marked his full West Ham United debut with a well-taken goal
in Tuesday's win
28.08.2013
Ravel Morrison was all smiles after marking his full West Ham United debut
with a well-taken goal in Tuesday's Capital One Cup second-round win over
Cheltenham Town. The 20-year-old midfielder capped a Man of the
Match-winning display with the Hammers' winner, twisting and turning before
sending an accurate shot into the bottom corner just 38 seconds into the
second half. Making his first start for the Club, Morrison was at the hub of
everything good about West Ham's display, creating space and chances with
his passing and movement and also winning the free-kick that Ricardo Vaz Te
belted in to open the scoring three minutes before the interval. "In the
first 15 minutes, I thought we came out well but they came out well as well
and we were under a little bit of pressure," said Morrison. "We didn't know
exactly what Cheltenham were going to come with but I thought they played a
good game. "Then, after that, we got our first goal and were very
comfortable. We played very well as a team and defended well and got our
second goal."
That second goal was scored by Morrison himself, who collected a pass from
substitute Stewart Downing before wrong-footing two defenders and sliding an
unstoppable low shot past Robins goalkeeper Scott Brown. "I was going to
shoot with my left foot first but I could see I could get more space, so
then luckily the space opened up for so I thought 'Just bang it!'."
Morrison has had to be patient in waiting for his full debut, having joined
the Hammers in January 2012 and he spent last season on loan at Championship
club Birmingham City. Having returned from St Andrews a more mature and
professional person and footballer, the former Manchester United youngster
netted six goals in ten pre-season games before being sent on for his
Barclays Premier League bow as a substitute in Saturday's goalless draw at
Newcastle United.
The No15 has won praise from his team-mates for his fresh approach and he
has thanked his fellow Hammers for their support over the past few months.
"When I first came back, I felt like I settled in and the players helped me.
They were all looking after me, helping me and pushing me forward and I'm
going to try to carry on what I did in pre-season. "I am really enjoying my
football. Hopefully I can get a Premier League start, but let's wait and
see."
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U18s earn Southampton draw
WHUFC.com
West Ham United came from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Southampton in the
Barclays U18 Premier League
28.08.2013
West Ham United came from behind to earn a 1-1 Barclays U18 Premier League
draw with Southampton at Little Heath on Wednesday afternoon. Saints striker
Marcus Barnes put the visitors ahead against the run of play just after the
half-hour mark, latching onto a long ball forward from defender Tom Leggett
before beating Vit Nemrava in the West Ham goal. U16s manager Mark Phillips
took the U18 team for the first time in the absence of Steve Potts and,
after seeing his side miss a host of presentable chances, he was able to
celebrate an equaliser on 67 minutes. It was then that Kieran Bywater
(pictured) converted a controversial penalty to draw the sides level.
Despite appeals from the visitors against claims, the assistant referee
confirmed that the spot-kick had been given for a handball, rather than a
foul by the centre-back, as was initially suspected by the Saints. It was a
confident finish from the penalty spot from captain Bywater, who scored for
the second consecutive league game, having also netted in the 2-1 defeat at
Chelsea on Saturday.
Academy Director Tony Carr MBE, who assisted Phillips, was impressed with
the team's performance, but believed at West Ham could have been well ahead
by half-time, instead of a goal behind. "I think I was pleased with the
performance in terms of that we dominated the majority of the match and
created the most chances," said Carr. "In all fairness, we could have come
in at half-time 4-0 up. "Southampton got one chance in the first half when
our young centre-back made a mistake and they finished it. One shot on goal
and we found ourselves behind."
Carr also admitted that although he had not seen why West Ham's penalty was
given, but was not complaining about the spot-kick that allowed the hosts a
path back to parity. "I didn't really see what happened," he conceded. "All
I saw was the two players fall over in the box, but the linesman was adamant
that the centre-back handled it. "I think that their defender was trying to
manhandle our player and get in front of him and when your arms are flailing
around in the penalty area, that's where it must have hit his hand. "I'll be
honest by saying that I didn't really see it but that was the linesman's
explanation and we will gratefully take it."
West Ham travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, having collected a
win over Manchester United, defeat by Chelsea and draw with Southampton from
their opening three Barclays U18 Premier League matches. After facing three
of the country's top Academy sides to start 2013/14, the Hammers will be
hopeful of gaining a second victory of the season in the West Midlands.
West Ham United U18s: Nemrava, Knoyle, Harney, Burke, Page, Cullen (Makasi),
Bywater, Nasha, Amoo (Parfitt-Williams), Brown (Martins), Mavila
Subs not used: Howes, Girdlestone
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Tomkins pleased with cup progress
WHUFC.com
Stand-in skipper James Tomkins was happy to lead the Hammers to victory over
Cheltenham
28.08.2013
Skipper for the night James Tomkins was pleased to guide his team through to
the third round of the Capital One Cup with a 2-1 victory over Cheltenham
Town on Tuesday. The League Two visitors provided stubborn opposition for
the Hammers, but superb strikes from Ricardo Vaz Te and Ravel Morrison
proved decisive in West Ham's favour. Tomkins had an excellent view of Vaz
Te's 42nd minute opener - the centre back was also standing over the free
kick - and after watching it fly into the top left hand corner of away
keeper Scott Brown's net, he admitted he was pleased to concede taking
duties to his teammate. He smiled: "I was having a think about taking the
free-kick myself, so it was lucky I left it to Vaz as I don't think I would
have done any better with it! "Rav's goal was a good individual one too, and
it was important for us to get that second goal. "Overall, we're pleased to
get through. It's all about the result and once we got the first goal it
seemed to settle us down. "The second gave us that extra cushion, but it was
important to score before half time because they were putting us under a bit
of pressure - the goalkeeper was kicking it on to our 18-yard box - and that
can cause problems. "To be fair to Cheltenham they did start really well,
but we did look the better team once we got the goal."
The Hammers now await the third round draw as they look to better last
year's run in the competition - which saw them be eliminated at that stage
by Wigan Athletic - and Tomkins, who was making his first start of the
season, believes further progress can only be of benefit to his team. He
continued: "It's nice to have a cup run as well as doing well in the league.
Hopefully we can get another good home draw now and see where it takes us.
"Obviously it's one game at a time and there are a lot of good teams in the
competition. "Personally I felt okay on Tuesday. I played a lot in
pre-season so it was nice to play 90 minutes again, and being captain was
nice as well."
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Rojas deal collapses
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 28th August 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham will not be signing Honduran striker Roger Rojas after he failed a
fitness test, according to the Twitter account belonging to Jack Sullivan.
The son of co-owner David Sullivan posted a few minutes ago [Wednesday
lunchtime] to confirm that the 23-year-old striker, who landed in England on
Monday ahead of his proposed move is on his way back home after failing a
fitness test. The news has since been confirmed by a highly-placed Club
source.
Tegucigalpa-born Rojas has spent his entire career with Honduran club
Olimpia, for whom he has made in excess of 100 appearances and scored over
50 goals (including three in his first three matches of this season). He
made his debut for Honduras in 2010 and has since gone on to represent his
country 18 times.
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Eviva España
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 28th August 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are off to mainland Europe for a third time this summer to face La
Liga side Espanyol. United, who have already taken in trips to Germany and
Portugal this summer face the Blanquiblaus on Thusday, 5th September at the
Ground Estadi Cornellà-El Prat (9pm kick off), which is based in Barcelona.
The match is being billed as an opportunity for those players not selected
for international duty to maintain their match fitness, with tickets
available soon only from Espanyol's website (which you may find here).
Assistant manager Neil McDonald told whufc.com: "We just want to keep the
lads ticking over and sometimes a game is very good in doing that. "The
opposition that we're playing have a new stadium which sounds absolutely
fantastic, so I'm sure the boys will have a really good run out and it's
better than a training session."
One player likely to feature is Andy Carroll, who is expected to make his
Premier League return against Southampton ten days later on Saturday, 15th
September when the teams meet at St Mary's.
West Ham Utd: likely squad
Jaaskelainen, Adrian; Spence, Rat, Demel, O'Brien, McCartney, Potts,
Tomkins, Collins; Diame, Nolan, Jarvis, Vaz Te, Taylor, Morrison, Downing,
Cole, Noble; Maiga, Carroll.
On international duty
Winston Reid (New Zealand v Saudi Arabia, OSN Cup); Mo Diame (Senegal v
Uganda, World Cup Qualifier); Jack Collison (Wales v Macedonia/Serbia, World
Cup Qualifiers).
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IS RAVEL THE OLD JOE COLE?
By Tony Hanna 28 Aug 2013 at 11:20
West Ham Till I Die
At the tender age of just 17, West Ham gave the much touted wonder kid Joe
Cole his first team debut in 1999. Touted as the hottest property in English
football it was reported that Manchester United had made a seven figure bid
for him the previous year. The buzz around was that the Hammers had
unearthed a new superstar. The kid had scored seven goals in one match
against Spain in a youth match and the anticipation was growing as Hammers
fans longed to see him play in the first team. Four years later he was
captaining West Ham in a season where the club were relegated despite him
being named "Hammer of the Year". The inevitable happened and Joe was sold.
After a lengthy spell with Chelsea, followed by shorter stints at Liverpool
and Lille, Joe returned to his football home last season, Upton Park. The
return certainly seems to have had a positive effect on the player as he is
visibly sleeker and fitter and playing well. There seems little doubt he is
enjoying the sunset of his career back at West Ham. However, ten goals in 56
appearances for England is probably below what most of us expected of him
back in 1999. Joe could only seem to fit into the Chelsea and England sides
in a wide role where most people seem to think he is less effective? Back
now at West Ham it seems that this is the only likely position he will hold
down as well. Would Joe have been better served in a more central role? What
else could have contributed to Joe not reaching his full potential? A good
career should certainly have been a great one, or so we thought.
In 2002 I had a discussion with the late Eddie Baily, former chief scout at
West Ham. I was drooling over the prospect of the young Joe Cole and I was
surprised that Eddie was adamant that Michael Carrick would become the
better player despite not being as gifted. At the time that seemed absurd.
Even now trying to evaluate who has had the better career would bring
different opinions to the table. However, without going into details, Eddie
explained that Carrick had certain traits that would help him fulfil his
true potential whilst Cole lacked some of the same characteristics and that
would inhibit him from truly fulfilling his. In the end, Eddie was right
(IMO).
So now again in 2013 do we have a new wonder kid in our realms? Sir Alex
Ferguson believed Ravel was the "jewel in the crown" of his latest
generation of starlets, but unloaded the youngster to West Ham as he became
continually frustrated with the lad. Off field problems have been well
documented and Sam sent Ravel off to Birmingham City for a loan spell. It is
believed Kevin Nolan has taken the lad under his wing for some guidance and
help. The question beckons – when Ravel does secure his first team place
will he be used to his full potential, or will he be fitted into the side,
and out of position, as Joe was for much of his career? Will this young
prodigy make the most of his undoubted talent or will it be a case of "if
only"?
Time will tell but one thing is for sure. The anticipation at West Ham is
bubbling again.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's Ravel Morrison earns rave reviews from fellow Hammer after Cup
cracker
28 Aug 2013 22:29
The Mirror
Ravel Morrison has returned to West Ham with the same skills but a much
better attitude, according to team-mate James Tomkins. The troubled former
Manchester United trainee was sent out on loan to Birmingham last season
just six months after his £1m move to the Hammers. But the 20-year-old
scored a superb goal on his full debut in the Capital One Cup win over
Cheltenham – and is ready to stake a claim for a regular first-team place.
"He's a great talent, but he's gone away to Birmingham and matured a lot as
a player and a person and we can all see that," said Tomkins. "All the lads
around the dressing room are good to him and he fits in really well. To be
fair, he's done a lot of that himself. "He scored a lot in pre-season and
against Cheltenham. That just proves what a player he can be. "He's tricky
and nutmegs a lot of people. He's nutmegged me about a hundred times, so I'm
getting used to it. "He's only 20, he can only get better really."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Jack Collison is among the Hammers players set for international duty next
week
28.08.2013
Jack Collison has been named in a 23-man squad for Wales' FIFA World Cup
Qualifiers against Macedonia and Serbia in early September. The Hammers
midfielder, who has been capped by his country on 14 occasions, will be
looking to help Wales improve on a qualifying campaign which has seen them
take six points from as many games to date. Chris Coleman's side face
Macedonia first in Skopje on Friday 6 September, before returning to Cardiff
to take on Serbia four days later. Meanwhile, West Ham defender Joey O'Brien
is in a provisional 29-man party for the Republic of Ireland's qualification
fixtures against Sweden and Austria on the same dates.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Cardiff at home in round three
WHUFC.com
Capital One Cup third round draw details
28.08.2013
West Ham United have been handed a home draw with fellow Barclays Premier
League side Cardiff City in the third round of the Capital One Cup. The
Hammers saw off the challenge of Cheltenham Town on Tuesday night to book
their place in round three, while Cardiff won 2-0 at Accrington Stanley on
Wednesday night. It is a repeat of the opening game of the 2013/14 season,
which saw Joe Cole and Kevin Nolan hit the target to give the Hammers a 2-0
victory over the Bluebirds. West Ham will be looking to better last year's
run to the third round, while Cardiff were runners-up to Liverpool in this
competition two years ago. The tie will be played in the week commencing
September 23 and full fixture and ticketing details will be available soon
on whufc.com
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers set for Spanish test
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will take on Primera Division side RCD Espanyol during the
international break
28.08.2013
West Ham United will take on Spanish Primera Division side RCD Espanyol
during the international break. The Hammers will travel to Barcelona to take
on Los Periquitos at the 40,500-capacity Estadi Cornellà-El Prat on Thursday
5 September, with kick-off at 9pm local time (8pm UK time). West Ham will
take a squad containing first-team players who have not been called-up for
international duty to Spain, with the aim of retaining match fitness and
sharpness ahead of the return of Barclays Premier League football at
Southampton on Sunday 15 September.
Assistant manager Neil McDonald explained the thinking behind the trip. "We
just want to keep the lads ticking over and sometimes a game is very good in
doing that," said McDonald. "The opposition that we're playing have a new
stadium which sounds absolutely fantastic, so I'm sure the boys will have a
really good run out and it's better than a training session."
West Ham supporters can attend the game, with tickets available for Sector
125 on the First Tier in the Away Team Supporters Corner. Tickets will be
available through Espanyol's official website. Managed by former Mexico
international and boss Javier Aguirre, Espanyol finished 13th in the Primera
Division last season and have started 2013/14 in fine form, drawing 2-2 at
Celta Vigo before beating Valencia 3-1 at home on Saturday. The club's
best-known players are Portugal internationals Simao Sabrosa and Pizzi and
Spain forward Sergio Garcia, while France U21 international Thevy Bifouma
and Uruguay forward Christian Stuani have both made goalscoring starts to
the new campaign.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Morrison's debut delight
WHUFC.com
Ravel Morrison marked his full West Ham United debut with a well-taken goal
in Tuesday's win
28.08.2013
Ravel Morrison was all smiles after marking his full West Ham United debut
with a well-taken goal in Tuesday's Capital One Cup second-round win over
Cheltenham Town. The 20-year-old midfielder capped a Man of the
Match-winning display with the Hammers' winner, twisting and turning before
sending an accurate shot into the bottom corner just 38 seconds into the
second half. Making his first start for the Club, Morrison was at the hub of
everything good about West Ham's display, creating space and chances with
his passing and movement and also winning the free-kick that Ricardo Vaz Te
belted in to open the scoring three minutes before the interval. "In the
first 15 minutes, I thought we came out well but they came out well as well
and we were under a little bit of pressure," said Morrison. "We didn't know
exactly what Cheltenham were going to come with but I thought they played a
good game. "Then, after that, we got our first goal and were very
comfortable. We played very well as a team and defended well and got our
second goal."
That second goal was scored by Morrison himself, who collected a pass from
substitute Stewart Downing before wrong-footing two defenders and sliding an
unstoppable low shot past Robins goalkeeper Scott Brown. "I was going to
shoot with my left foot first but I could see I could get more space, so
then luckily the space opened up for so I thought 'Just bang it!'."
Morrison has had to be patient in waiting for his full debut, having joined
the Hammers in January 2012 and he spent last season on loan at Championship
club Birmingham City. Having returned from St Andrews a more mature and
professional person and footballer, the former Manchester United youngster
netted six goals in ten pre-season games before being sent on for his
Barclays Premier League bow as a substitute in Saturday's goalless draw at
Newcastle United.
The No15 has won praise from his team-mates for his fresh approach and he
has thanked his fellow Hammers for their support over the past few months.
"When I first came back, I felt like I settled in and the players helped me.
They were all looking after me, helping me and pushing me forward and I'm
going to try to carry on what I did in pre-season. "I am really enjoying my
football. Hopefully I can get a Premier League start, but let's wait and
see."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
U18s earn Southampton draw
WHUFC.com
West Ham United came from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Southampton in the
Barclays U18 Premier League
28.08.2013
West Ham United came from behind to earn a 1-1 Barclays U18 Premier League
draw with Southampton at Little Heath on Wednesday afternoon. Saints striker
Marcus Barnes put the visitors ahead against the run of play just after the
half-hour mark, latching onto a long ball forward from defender Tom Leggett
before beating Vit Nemrava in the West Ham goal. U16s manager Mark Phillips
took the U18 team for the first time in the absence of Steve Potts and,
after seeing his side miss a host of presentable chances, he was able to
celebrate an equaliser on 67 minutes. It was then that Kieran Bywater
(pictured) converted a controversial penalty to draw the sides level.
Despite appeals from the visitors against claims, the assistant referee
confirmed that the spot-kick had been given for a handball, rather than a
foul by the centre-back, as was initially suspected by the Saints. It was a
confident finish from the penalty spot from captain Bywater, who scored for
the second consecutive league game, having also netted in the 2-1 defeat at
Chelsea on Saturday.
Academy Director Tony Carr MBE, who assisted Phillips, was impressed with
the team's performance, but believed at West Ham could have been well ahead
by half-time, instead of a goal behind. "I think I was pleased with the
performance in terms of that we dominated the majority of the match and
created the most chances," said Carr. "In all fairness, we could have come
in at half-time 4-0 up. "Southampton got one chance in the first half when
our young centre-back made a mistake and they finished it. One shot on goal
and we found ourselves behind."
Carr also admitted that although he had not seen why West Ham's penalty was
given, but was not complaining about the spot-kick that allowed the hosts a
path back to parity. "I didn't really see what happened," he conceded. "All
I saw was the two players fall over in the box, but the linesman was adamant
that the centre-back handled it. "I think that their defender was trying to
manhandle our player and get in front of him and when your arms are flailing
around in the penalty area, that's where it must have hit his hand. "I'll be
honest by saying that I didn't really see it but that was the linesman's
explanation and we will gratefully take it."
West Ham travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, having collected a
win over Manchester United, defeat by Chelsea and draw with Southampton from
their opening three Barclays U18 Premier League matches. After facing three
of the country's top Academy sides to start 2013/14, the Hammers will be
hopeful of gaining a second victory of the season in the West Midlands.
West Ham United U18s: Nemrava, Knoyle, Harney, Burke, Page, Cullen (Makasi),
Bywater, Nasha, Amoo (Parfitt-Williams), Brown (Martins), Mavila
Subs not used: Howes, Girdlestone
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tomkins pleased with cup progress
WHUFC.com
Stand-in skipper James Tomkins was happy to lead the Hammers to victory over
Cheltenham
28.08.2013
Skipper for the night James Tomkins was pleased to guide his team through to
the third round of the Capital One Cup with a 2-1 victory over Cheltenham
Town on Tuesday. The League Two visitors provided stubborn opposition for
the Hammers, but superb strikes from Ricardo Vaz Te and Ravel Morrison
proved decisive in West Ham's favour. Tomkins had an excellent view of Vaz
Te's 42nd minute opener - the centre back was also standing over the free
kick - and after watching it fly into the top left hand corner of away
keeper Scott Brown's net, he admitted he was pleased to concede taking
duties to his teammate. He smiled: "I was having a think about taking the
free-kick myself, so it was lucky I left it to Vaz as I don't think I would
have done any better with it! "Rav's goal was a good individual one too, and
it was important for us to get that second goal. "Overall, we're pleased to
get through. It's all about the result and once we got the first goal it
seemed to settle us down. "The second gave us that extra cushion, but it was
important to score before half time because they were putting us under a bit
of pressure - the goalkeeper was kicking it on to our 18-yard box - and that
can cause problems. "To be fair to Cheltenham they did start really well,
but we did look the better team once we got the goal."
The Hammers now await the third round draw as they look to better last
year's run in the competition - which saw them be eliminated at that stage
by Wigan Athletic - and Tomkins, who was making his first start of the
season, believes further progress can only be of benefit to his team. He
continued: "It's nice to have a cup run as well as doing well in the league.
Hopefully we can get another good home draw now and see where it takes us.
"Obviously it's one game at a time and there are a lot of good teams in the
competition. "Personally I felt okay on Tuesday. I played a lot in
pre-season so it was nice to play 90 minutes again, and being captain was
nice as well."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Rojas deal collapses
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 28th August 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham will not be signing Honduran striker Roger Rojas after he failed a
fitness test, according to the Twitter account belonging to Jack Sullivan.
The son of co-owner David Sullivan posted a few minutes ago [Wednesday
lunchtime] to confirm that the 23-year-old striker, who landed in England on
Monday ahead of his proposed move is on his way back home after failing a
fitness test. The news has since been confirmed by a highly-placed Club
source.
Tegucigalpa-born Rojas has spent his entire career with Honduran club
Olimpia, for whom he has made in excess of 100 appearances and scored over
50 goals (including three in his first three matches of this season). He
made his debut for Honduras in 2010 and has since gone on to represent his
country 18 times.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Eviva España
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 28th August 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are off to mainland Europe for a third time this summer to face La
Liga side Espanyol. United, who have already taken in trips to Germany and
Portugal this summer face the Blanquiblaus on Thusday, 5th September at the
Ground Estadi Cornellà-El Prat (9pm kick off), which is based in Barcelona.
The match is being billed as an opportunity for those players not selected
for international duty to maintain their match fitness, with tickets
available soon only from Espanyol's website (which you may find here).
Assistant manager Neil McDonald told whufc.com: "We just want to keep the
lads ticking over and sometimes a game is very good in doing that. "The
opposition that we're playing have a new stadium which sounds absolutely
fantastic, so I'm sure the boys will have a really good run out and it's
better than a training session."
One player likely to feature is Andy Carroll, who is expected to make his
Premier League return against Southampton ten days later on Saturday, 15th
September when the teams meet at St Mary's.
West Ham Utd: likely squad
Jaaskelainen, Adrian; Spence, Rat, Demel, O'Brien, McCartney, Potts,
Tomkins, Collins; Diame, Nolan, Jarvis, Vaz Te, Taylor, Morrison, Downing,
Cole, Noble; Maiga, Carroll.
On international duty
Winston Reid (New Zealand v Saudi Arabia, OSN Cup); Mo Diame (Senegal v
Uganda, World Cup Qualifier); Jack Collison (Wales v Macedonia/Serbia, World
Cup Qualifiers).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
IS RAVEL THE OLD JOE COLE?
By Tony Hanna 28 Aug 2013 at 11:20
West Ham Till I Die
At the tender age of just 17, West Ham gave the much touted wonder kid Joe
Cole his first team debut in 1999. Touted as the hottest property in English
football it was reported that Manchester United had made a seven figure bid
for him the previous year. The buzz around was that the Hammers had
unearthed a new superstar. The kid had scored seven goals in one match
against Spain in a youth match and the anticipation was growing as Hammers
fans longed to see him play in the first team. Four years later he was
captaining West Ham in a season where the club were relegated despite him
being named "Hammer of the Year". The inevitable happened and Joe was sold.
After a lengthy spell with Chelsea, followed by shorter stints at Liverpool
and Lille, Joe returned to his football home last season, Upton Park. The
return certainly seems to have had a positive effect on the player as he is
visibly sleeker and fitter and playing well. There seems little doubt he is
enjoying the sunset of his career back at West Ham. However, ten goals in 56
appearances for England is probably below what most of us expected of him
back in 1999. Joe could only seem to fit into the Chelsea and England sides
in a wide role where most people seem to think he is less effective? Back
now at West Ham it seems that this is the only likely position he will hold
down as well. Would Joe have been better served in a more central role? What
else could have contributed to Joe not reaching his full potential? A good
career should certainly have been a great one, or so we thought.
In 2002 I had a discussion with the late Eddie Baily, former chief scout at
West Ham. I was drooling over the prospect of the young Joe Cole and I was
surprised that Eddie was adamant that Michael Carrick would become the
better player despite not being as gifted. At the time that seemed absurd.
Even now trying to evaluate who has had the better career would bring
different opinions to the table. However, without going into details, Eddie
explained that Carrick had certain traits that would help him fulfil his
true potential whilst Cole lacked some of the same characteristics and that
would inhibit him from truly fulfilling his. In the end, Eddie was right
(IMO).
So now again in 2013 do we have a new wonder kid in our realms? Sir Alex
Ferguson believed Ravel was the "jewel in the crown" of his latest
generation of starlets, but unloaded the youngster to West Ham as he became
continually frustrated with the lad. Off field problems have been well
documented and Sam sent Ravel off to Birmingham City for a loan spell. It is
believed Kevin Nolan has taken the lad under his wing for some guidance and
help. The question beckons – when Ravel does secure his first team place
will he be used to his full potential, or will he be fitted into the side,
and out of position, as Joe was for much of his career? Will this young
prodigy make the most of his undoubted talent or will it be a case of "if
only"?
Time will tell but one thing is for sure. The anticipation at West Ham is
bubbling again.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's Ravel Morrison earns rave reviews from fellow Hammer after Cup
cracker
28 Aug 2013 22:29
The Mirror
Ravel Morrison has returned to West Ham with the same skills but a much
better attitude, according to team-mate James Tomkins. The troubled former
Manchester United trainee was sent out on loan to Birmingham last season
just six months after his £1m move to the Hammers. But the 20-year-old
scored a superb goal on his full debut in the Capital One Cup win over
Cheltenham – and is ready to stake a claim for a regular first-team place.
"He's a great talent, but he's gone away to Birmingham and matured a lot as
a player and a person and we can all see that," said Tomkins. "All the lads
around the dressing room are good to him and he fits in really well. To be
fair, he's done a lot of that himself. "He scored a lot in pre-season and
against Cheltenham. That just proves what a player he can be. "He's tricky
and nutmegs a lot of people. He's nutmegged me about a hundred times, so I'm
getting used to it. "He's only 20, he can only get better really."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Wednesday, August 28
Daily WHUFC News - 28th AUgust 2013
Macca on Cheltenham victory
WHUFC.com
Assistant manager Neil McDonald on Tuesday's Capital One Cup second round
win over Cheltenham Town
27.08.2013
Assistant manager Neil McDonald said West Ham United had got the job done in
defeating Cheltenham Town 2-1 in the Capital One Cup second round. The
Hammers overcame a spirited Cheltenham side at the Boleyn Ground through
goals from Ricardo Vaz Te and Man of the Match Ravel Morrison either side of
half-time, but created enough chances to have won by a hatful. As it was,
the League Two Robins set up a nervy finale when Matt Richards converted a
penalty just before the hour-mark. Speaking to West Ham TV, McDonald said
Vaz Te's 42nd-minute opener - an unstoppable 30-yard free-kick- had settled
the Hammers down. Morrison added a classy second just 38 seconds after the
break, firing low into the corner after losing two defenders with a neat
piece of skill.
"Whenever you play against a lower league team they are going to come out
and run about for the first half an hour and try to give their best and play
above their ability which, to be fair, they did," McDonald said. "But I
think Ricardo's goal settled us down. "It was a fantastic free-kick into the
top corner and I think we dominated after that up until half-time. In the
second half, we totally dominated the game and really should have scored
more goals than we did. "We put ourselves under that little bit of pressure
because we didn't get the third and fourth goal, which would have been a
fair result, and when we conceded we were just on the back foot a touch.
Saying that, we created lots of chances after their goal to kill the game
off, we're through to the next round and we're pleased."
McDonald agreed that the talented Vaz Te and Morrison both illustrated their
ability with outstanding goals.
"With Vaz, it's good that people practice and he has been practising well on
his free-kicks. He has been taking a little bit of stick off the rest of the
lads but he has shown fantastic technique and a fantastic will to take a
free-kick from outside the box and he has got his rewards. The more you
practise, the better you get. "Ravel is very good on the ball and we have to
get him on the ball as much as we possibly can. He shows lots of composure
and he sees the final pass, which is great. "I think he has shone tonight
and has tried to knock on the manager's door with a good performance and
another goal. He's continued what he did in pre-season, scoring goals from
midfield, which is great. He's shown what he can do and now has to wait for
his chance when the manager picks him in the Barclays Premier League."
At the other end of the pitch, Leo Chambers made his senior debut for the
Hammers just three weeks past his 18th birthday. The south London-born
England Under-19 defender showed his class with a composed display. "He
played really well in the first two Development Squad games against Aston
Villa and Everton and we were pleased with his performance and we had a
great chance to throw him in. "I thought he showed composure, defended well
enough against a tricky winger [Jermaine McGlashan] and he has got through
the 90 minutes and finished on the winning side on his debut."
Debutants Adrian and Razvan Rat, captain James Tomkins, Jack Collison, Matt
Taylor and the returning George McCartney - back from a knee injury suffered
in March - also did their bit in front of a vociferous Boleyn Ground crowd.
"We have some seniors fighting for their places and after the first
half-an-hour which is always a rush and 100 per cent commitment from the
opposition, it started to settle down a little bit and they picked their
passes. Unfortunately, we didn't finish Cheltenham off because we totally
dominated them in the second and created eight really good chances. "You
certainly need to score more goals when you create 12 really good chances -
four in the first half and eight in the second. We're disappointed that we
didn't kill it off and score more goals because the lads are more relaxed
and not worried about making the one mistake that would let Cheltenham back
into it."
One negative on an otherwise positive evening saw Alou Diarra taken off on a
stretcher ten minutes before half-time, having had the physio on three times
during the opening period. "He is a committed player and I think he has
twisted his knee but we're not 100 per cent sure. We'll assess that over the
next couple of days and see how he is. He is a committed player and
unfortunately he has got injured early on. We hope he will be back as quick
as he can."
Looking forward to Saturday and the Hammers host Stoke City in the Barclays
Premier League knowing victory will ensure they go into the international
break in the top six. "We're going into the game full of confidence. We have
got four points on the board, which is a point more than we had last season
at this stage and our home form is really good, so there is nothing to be
scared of. "We'll prepare as we have done, professionally, and make sure the
finer details are all there and will do our best to get the three points to
go into the international break feeling happy about ourselves."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers through to Round Three
WHUFC.com
West Ham United held off a Cheltenham Town fightback to secure progress in
the Capital One Cup
27.08.2013
West Ham United 2-1 Cheltenham Town
Capital One Cup Second Round
West Ham United booked their place in the Capital One Cup Third Round with a
2-1 victory over League Two side Cheltenham Town on Tuesday evening.
The Hammers were made to work for their win by the Robins, who were looking
to progress beyond Round Two for the first time in their history. Ricardo
Vaz Te and Ravel Morrison notched for West Ham either side of the break
before Matt Richards halved the deficit from the spot. It gave Cheltenham a
lifeline just as the Hammers looked to be moving away from them, and despite
the setback Sam Allardyce's men still had enough to ease through. Big Sam
rang the changes as the likes of James Tomkins, Jack Collison, Adrian,
Razvan Rat and Matt Taylor got their first run outs of the season. The teams
exchanged early chances from free-kicks, Taylor firing his through the wall
but into goalkeeper Scott Brown's arms for the Hammers, and Cheltenham's
Richards curling his left-footed effort over the top.
However, the opening exchanges failed to produce many chances of note as the
tempo slowed and Cheltenham did a good job of containing their hosts.
Alou Diarra had aleady been down for treatment twice by the time he was
stretchered off to curtail his first start in Hammers colours since Janaury,
and the mood almost darkened on 39 when a good spell of Cheltenham
possession ended with Russell Penn sending a scorching drive inches over the
top. But three minutes later the Hammers broke the Robins' resistance - and
in some style too - as Vaz Te arced a perfect free kick into the top left
hand corner of the net after a foul on Morrison 25 yards out.
It was just the fillip the hosts wanted, and they began the second period in
devastating fashion too, as Morrison found the bottom corner with precision,
drilling home right footed from the edge of the box after Stewart Downing
slid in to maintain possession and knock to the full debutant. Downing, a
half time sub, had only been on the pitch 37 seconds by the time he set up
Morrison's goal, and Cheltenham's heads could easily have dropped as West
Ham quickly looked for more.
Mohamed Diame made a strong surge from midfield and shot just over, while
Vaz Te and Downing went close with headers in quick succession. Just just as
the Hammers began to think about a simple passage through to the third
round, Cheltenham got themselves back into the contest just before the hour
when Adrian took out Sam Deering inside the area as the Robins man bore down
on goal. Razvan Rat cleared the loose ball off the line, but referee Graham
Scott pointed to the spot on seeing Cheltenham had gained no advantage, and
Richards converted from 12 yards.
West Ham looked to make the game safe again and Jack Collison was only
denied by a fingertip save when he shot fiercely towards goal from a tight
angle with 15 minutes to play. Then, as the Hammers knocked the resulting
corner to the back post, George McCartney headed against the crossbar after
latching on to James Tomkins' knockback. Tomkins flashed one wide from a
long way out as time ticked by, and Cheltenham almost punished the hosts at
the death when sub Ashley Vincent knocked wide from a long throw/ Taylor had
one cleared off the line even later on by Ryan Inniss, but the Hammers had
already done enough to secure their place in the next round.
West Ham United: Adrian; Chambers, Tomkins, McCartney, Rat; Morrison, Diarra
(Diame 35), Collison; Cole (Downing 46), Vaz Te, Taylor
Subs: Henderson (GK), Nolan, Lee, Ruddock, Lletget
Goals: Vaz Te 42, Morrison 46
Booked: Morrison
Cheltenham Town: S.Brown; Lowe, Inniss, Elliott, Braham-Barrett; Taylor,
Richards; McGlashan, Penn (Vincent 83), Deering (Harrison 63); Gornell
(Kotwica 77)
Subs: Roberts (GK), Jones, Jombati, Gillespie
Goal: Richards pen 57
Booked: Elliott
Referee: Graham Scott
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Moncur: 'It wasn't meant to be'
WHUFC.com
George Moncur refused to be too downhearted after the Dev Squad's 3-2 defeat
at home to Tottenham
27.08.2013
West Ham United youngster George Moncur insists the Development Squad should
have been home and dry at half time against Tottenham Hotpsur, having passed
up opportunities to put the game beyond the visitors' reach at the Boleyn
Ground on Friday night. As it was, the Hammers went into the interval two
goals to the good, courtesy of Dan Potts and Sebastian Lletget, before Spurs
mounted an improbable second-half revival, netting three times in 30 minutes
to snaffle all three Barclays Under-21 Premier League points.
Reflecting on a first defeat of the new campaign, the 20-year-old reckoned
it would have been very different had he and Paul McCallum taken their
chances in front of goal. He told West Ham TV: "I obviously thought that
first half we played really well and did all the right things in the right
areas. We got our reward by going 2-0 up, but we had more chances to maybe
get a few more and then the game's dead and buried. Paul McCallum had a few
chances, I had a couple down the line that I could have maybe done a bit
better with. So had we put them away I think the game would have been over
early doors."
That said, Moncur had not foreseen the second half that was to unfold,
expecting the Hammers to continue where they had left off prior to the
interval. He continued: "I thought as we came out [for the second half] we
could have even pressed on and got a couple more, because of the way we
played in the first half. It just wasn't meant to be.
"They came out a bit brighter than us. I think our first pass was poor from
a lot of us and that obviously sets a bad tone right away. They took
advantage of that and scored the early goal, which was lucky off the
deflection. But it gave them a boost and then, of course, they went on to
get a second and third.
"To be fair, whenever we play Spurs, they always pass the ball well and move
it well, they're a great footballing team. They show it every time they play
us, so credit to Spurs for that."
In truth, the visitors owed much to the impressive Lewis Holtby, as the
German international made his first start of the new campaign. The
22-year-old, who suffered a knee injury in this summer's European Under-21
Championship, was excellent on the night and Moncur certainly appreciated
seeing him in such close quarters.
"It's great to play against players like that, especially when you see what
he did here, bending that one in the top corner," he confirmed. "He's very
comfortable on the ball, finds little gaps between the back four and the
midfield. "Everything was going through him. He scored one and he created
chances. All credit to him."
Friday's defeat aside, six points out of nine still represents an excellent
start for Moncur and his colleagues, with the young midfielder already
looking ahead to next Monday's trip to take on Newcastle United. Before
then, however, Cheltenham Town await in the Capital One Cup and Moncur is
hopeful that he, or some of his teammates might play some part in
proceedings. We got off to a great start by winning two games out of two.
This is a bit of a disappointment, losing 3-2, but hopefully we can get our
chins up and win the next game. "It's nice to look forward to a game like
that, maybe some of us will be involved [against Cheltenham] - hopefully we
will, but if not, then we've just got to be keep going and keep playing."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 2 Cheltenham 1
27 August 2013
Last updated at 21:59
Ravel Morrison scored his first goal for West Ham on his full debut to help
the club defeat Cheltenham to reach the Capital One Cup third round. The
League Two side made life difficult for the Hammers in the first half before
Ricardo Vaz Te scored with a free-kick just before the interval. Former
Manchester United midfielder Morrison then scored from the edge of the area
41 seconds after the break. Matt Richards made it 2-1 from the spot after
Adrian had fouled Sam Deering.
Ravel Morrison spent last season on loan at Birmingham and scored three
goals in 23 Championship starts. Morrison, 20, spent last season on loan at
Championship side Birmingham after joining the Hammers from United in
January last year. But after coming off the bench for just his second
Premier League appearance in the goalless draw at Newcastle at the weekend,
the midfielder will hope his goal can cement his place in manager Sam
Allardyce's plans.
West Ham's Matthew Taylor and Cheltenham's Richards both went close with
early free-kicks before Morrison, making his full debut along with
goalkeeper Adrian and defenders Razvan Rat and Leo Chambers, was cautioned
for diving in the area. However, moments later Morrison was judged to have
been fouled outside the box and Vaz Te put the Premier League side ahead
with a bending free-kick. Morrison doubled the advantage in the first minute
after half-time when he made the space to score with a shot from just
outside the area. Richards pulled one back with a penalty on the hour mark
after Adrian fouled Deering. Byron Harrison and Robins captain Russell Penn
came close to scoring for the League Two outfit, but the Hammers, who had
Alou Diarra stretchered off in the first half, held on to progress to round
three.
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Hammers snubbed
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 27th August 2013
By: Staff Writer
Not a single West Ham United player has been included in either the Under 21
or full England squads, which were announced earlier today. The likes of
Stewart Downing, Joe Cole, Matt Jarvis and Kevin Nolan were once again
overlooked as Roy Hodgson and Gareth Southgate named their squads for the
forthcoming fixtures against Moldova (Under 21s and Seniors) and Ukraine
(Seniors only). Instead, the likes of Everton's Ross Barkley - with just six
Premier League starts to his name - and Raheem Sterling of Liverpool - with
just 18 minutes of league football under his belt this season - have been
selected as part of a vast 27-man Senior squad. Although Andy Carroll is a
shoo-in for a striker's spot upon his impending return from injury, the lack
of West Ham players in either squad is slightly surprising given the number
of home-grown players in Sam Allardyce's first team squad. And with Roy
Hodgson preferring alternative destinations on the opening two weekends of
the 2013/14 campaign, it could well be the case that those Hammers may have
to wait a little bit longer before getting the opportunity to show what they
can do at the Boleyn Ground.
Full England Squad
Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster (Celtic), Joe Hart (Manchester City), John Ruddy
(Norwich City).
Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Ashley Cole
(Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones
(Manchester United), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), Kyle Walker
(Tottenham Hotspur).
Midfielders: Ross Barkley (Everton), Michael Carrick (Manchester United),
Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard
(Chelsea), James Milner (Manchester City), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool),
Andros Townsend (Tottenham Hotspur), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Jack Wilshere
(Arsenal).
Forwards: Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur), Rickie Lambert (Southampton),
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Danny
Welbeck (Manchester United), Ashley Young (Manchester United).
Full England Under 21 Squad
Goalkeepers: Jonathan Bond (Watford), Jack Butland (Stoke City), George Long
(Sheffield United).
Defenders: Eric Dier (Sporting Lisbon), Ezekiel Fryers (Tottenham Hotspur),
Todd Kane (Blackburn Rovers, loan from Chelsea), Michael Keane (Manchester
United), Jack Robinson (Blackpool, loan from Liverpool), Luke Shaw
(Southampton), John Stones (Everton), Tom Thorpe (Manchester United), Andre
Wisdom (Liverpool).
Midfielders: Tom Carroll (Tottenham Hotspur), Nathaniel Chalobah (Chelsea),
Will Hughes (Derby County), Nick Powell (Manchester United), Jonjo Shelvey
(Swansea City), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton).
Wide: Sammy Ameobi (Newcastle United), Jesse Lingaard (Manchester United),
Nathan Redmond (Norwich City), Wilfried Zaha (Manchester United).
Forwards: Saido Berahino (West Bromwich Albion), Harry Kane (Tottenham
Hotspur), Connor Wickham (Sunderland).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sullivan: we should have owned West Ham years ago
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 27th August 2013
By: Staff Writer
David Sullivan believes that he and partner David Gold should have owned
West Ham United long before they purchased a controlling stake three years
ago.
Sullivan, speaking to KUMB.com in the second and final part of our exclusive
interview (which we'll be bringing you tomorrow) revealed that between them
the two Daves owned more than a quarter of the Club in the mid-1990s, but
sold their stake having believed - incorrectly, as it transpired - that the
former majority shareholders would never part company with theirs. "Before
we ever bought Birmingham we owned 27 per cent of West Ham," Sullivan told
KUMB. "Terry Brown [who subsequently became Chairman] eventually bought the
shares we bought from Jack Petchey. "The reason we sold them was because
the Hills and the Cearns owned about 70 per cent between them are they were
very close, they weren't going to let anybody new in. They weren't going to
give us a seat on the Board, they weren't going to give us anything for our
27 per cent. "Jack Petchey was a very shrewd man and he couldn't get any
more shares, so we took the view - wrongly - that we didn't think we were
going to get any more shares. The reality is, if you hang on for a couple of
years, people die and people need money. We saw the Hills and the Cearns as
one unit - and they weren't."
The Club was eventually sold in its entirety to Eggert Magnusson and
Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson in 2006. When Gudmundsson, who bankrolled the Club at
the time saw his entire fortune wiped out by the banking crash two years
later, ownership of West Ham United passed on to CB Holdings. It was from CB
Holdings that Sullivan and Gold purchased their initiall controlling stake
of the Club in 2010 - and to whom the pair returned again on subsequent
occasions, resulting in just ten per cent of the Club remaining in Icelandic
hands at present. Yet despite finally taking control of the Club he has
supported since childhood, Sullivan maintains that he and Gold should have
moved earlier. "In the Hills there were five members of the family and
gradually we would have picked them off," he insists. "It was a mistake not
to stay 25 years ago. We would have had control within ten years - or at
least been given some sort of say in how things were run. But we took a view
and moved on."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham beat Cheltenham 2-1 at Upton Park
Last Updated: August 27, 2013 10:04pm
SSN
West Ham United held on to avoid an upset in the Capital One Cup after a 2-1
win at home over League Two side Cheltenham Town. Goals either side of
half-time from Ricardo Vaz Te and Ravel Morrison appeared to have West Ham
cruising into the third round of the competition. Matt Richards' penalty
just before the hour mark gave Cheltenham a sniff of a shock, but the
visitors were unable to find an equaliser. Both manager Sam Allardyce and
co-chairman David Gold made it clear before the game that, with the Hammers
now looking a solid top-flight outfit following last year's promotion, they
fancy a decent stab at the cups this season. Such is the strength of
Allardyce's squad compared to last term he was able to make 11 changes from
the side which drew at Newcastle on Saturday while still bringing in the
likes of Joe Cole, James Tomkins, Jack Collison, Matt Taylor and Vaz Te.
Their first competitive meeting with Cheltenham was certainly a full-blooded
encounter with Cole and Town's Ryan Iniss requiring treatment early on,
while Alou Diarra's rare appearance ended after half an hour when he
departed on a stretcher. New signing Razvan Rat, predictably dubbed 'Roland'
by his team-mates, may have thought he was in for a gentle introduction to
English football but the Romanian full-back was given the runaround by
speedy Town winger Jermaine McGlashan in the opening stages. But Cheltenham
were largely restricted to long-range efforts in the first half with
Richards curling a free-kick over and captain Russell Penn unlucky to see
his 20-yard effort bounce on the roof of the net.
West Ham were hardly posing much more of an attacking threat, although they
felt they could have had a penalty when Morrison tumbled in the area, only
for referee Graham Scott to book him for diving But moments later, in the
42nd minute, Morrison was fouled and this time the official awarded a
free-kick which Vaz Te expertly curled home from 25 yards. Allardyce sent on
Stewart Downing for Cole at the interval and the £6million signing from
Liverpool's tenacity immediately set up Morrison's sparkling strike. Moments
later Downing went agonisingly close to his first Hammers goal but his
header flew inches wide while Vaz Te was denied by a fine save from Brown.
Town pulled one back in bizarre circumstances in the 59th minute when
Spanish goalkeeper Adrian, making his debut, got in a horrible mix-up with
Tomkins and was penalised for a foul on McGlashan, with Richards tucking in
the spot-kick.
But the visitors rarely threatened an equaliser - an Iniss header which flew
wide was as close as they came - while West Ham should have enjoyed a far
more comfortable night but Collison's drive was tipped over, George
McCartney's header hit the crossbar and Taylor's late shot was cleared off
the line.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham line up Honduras international Rojas for transfer that could see
Vaz Te sold
27 Aug 2013 22:30
The Mirror
West Ham are signing Honduras international striker Roger Rojas on loan. The
forward, 23, was at the Hammers' HQ on Tuesday for a medical ahead of his
switch from Honduras outfit Club Deportivo Olimpia. Rojas scored 19 league
goals last season, and already has three this term. His arrival is likely to
see West Ham boss Sam Allardyce sell Ricardo Vaz Te. Premier League new boys
Cardiff are in the frame for the former Bolton forward.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
McDonald on.....Cheltenham Town
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 28th August 2013
By: Staff Writer No.2
Assistant boss Neil McDonald was on duty in the press conference following
the 2-1 win over Cheltenham Town....
Happy with that?
Yeah very much so. I think we'd have been more happy if we'd scored more
goals. From the final 15 minutes of the first half I thought we dominated
the match. Cheltenham ran about and did their best in the first half but
once the game had settled down we dominated the game and really should've
won by a bigger margin.The chances that we had is the only disappointing
thing about tonight, I'm pleased that everyone had a tough test because
Cheltenham weren't easy to break down or to score against but we've got
through and we're pleased to be in the next round.
Ravel Morrison is quite a player…
(laughs) he's not bad is he?! He scored soe good goals in pre-season and
he's continued that today. He's had to be patiemt – he didn't start the
first two games but he's come on today and showed everybody what he's all
about. He's got lot sof composure and he can see and make the final pass as
well as score goals.
That's a knock on the door which is something that the manager wants. He
wants people knocking on the door saying "listen I'm ready for the Premier
League" and he's adding to the competition that we've got for places all
over the pitch.
.
In terms of maturity – as a person not just as a player- how far has he come
since he first arrived?
Well I think as a young kid he came down from Manchester thinking he could
walk straight into the team. It was a big shock to hm that he didn't. With
all due respect to those players we've got some good players at this club
and he had to earn their respect. He didn't do that early on and we sent him
out to Birmingham. I think the penny's dropped at Birmingham – he's played
some games and scored some goals. He's come back a much hungrier and
healthier and wiser young man. So we look forward to him keeping on knocking
on the manager's door with performances like that.
What does he have to do to make himself a Premier League regular?
There's lot sof things. He has to keep the ball, he has to keep on scoring
like he did in pre-season His all-round performance has to be good and it
has to be better than the players we have in the team at the moment. Once he
does that he has to be consistent – he's a young kid. He has to be
consistent in attack and defence. That's what he needs – to get better I
suppose, to get into the team on a regular basis.
Alou Diarra had an "interesting" half-hour or so?
He's a competitive player who likes to stick his foot in and tries to spoil.
Unfortunately he's had a couple of knocks tonight and he's had to come off.
We'll see how it is – he'll havs a scan over the next couple of days. It was
more of a twist than a contact injury though I haven't seen the incident
myself.
When Diame came on it made a bit of a difference
I think offensively we were on top. Diame offensively is very good. He goes
forward and creates chances. He's exciting isn't he? We could do with him
scoring another couple of goals I suppose.
We're pleased with all the performances tonight. It was a good test. The
majority of the team got 90 minutes, which they needed – because they
haven't been involved in the first two games.
It's just nice to get through to the next round. It should have been easier
game with more goals that we should have scored with the chances we created
so there's a bit of work that we have to work on in that aspect of the game.
There's been talk of a player coming in this week, perhaps on loan with
someone going out. Is that the case?
The manager has stated that he's as happy with the squad as he has been.
There's competition for places so if somebody comes in or goes out we'll let
you know. There's competition for places in every position now which we
haven't had in the past and I think that's real healthy for West Ham.
Thanks guys
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Yates on.....West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 28th August 2013
By: Staff Writer No.2
Cheltenham boss Mark Yates shares his thoughts on his side's exit from the
Capital One Cup at the Boleyn….
You nearly nicked one at the end there…
(Laughs) Yeah we had a couple of chances when the young lad's volleyed just
wide and the long throw where Byron's just pulled it wide of the post. But
listen, West Ham are a good side. We know that they've got some quality
players and we rode our luck at times in the second half to even be in it.
We showed we've got a bit about us and if we can put in that effort in our
league games we have a chance.
It didn't look that big a gulf at times – you didn't seem overawed…
More than anything else I wanted them to have a go and to not be overawed.
We had a set up, a shape we wanted to be when we hadn't got the ball at
times when we didn't want them opening us with the quality they've got. But
I wanted us to try and play. We did better than we did against Tottenham,
better than we did against Everton so we've learnt something from it so
we've been better. But we still could've been even better for me. The second
goal was a bit of a killer right from the kick-off. We had various chances
to deal with different balls in and around our box. But the lads have shown
a bit of character on the back of that. We could easily have capitulated and
it could have been three or four or five. We had a bit of luck at times –
there were a couple of chances that Scottie [Brown] our 'keeper's made some
great saves.
Sometimes you need that in cup games and we gave ourselves a chance in the
last 10-15 minutes to really have a go. Byron came on and caused them a few
problems and we had a few chances.
.
What did you make of Morrison?
I know he's a good player full stop. I saw him at Birmingham last season.
His agent was on the phone to me telling me what a good player he was – I've
got couple of his players as well. He told me he likes to shoot. I knew that
– I saw it for myself tonight unfortunately! West Ham have a lot of good
players – we didn't have a clue what they would do. I noticed when they beat
Crewe last year they made seven changes – I was hoping for a few more! They
still have plenty in reserve. Diame came on and made a difference – we
probably didn't need that to happen. But I was pleased with my players'
performance tonight.
Cheers, Thank you.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Assistant manager Neil McDonald on Tuesday's Capital One Cup second round
win over Cheltenham Town
27.08.2013
Assistant manager Neil McDonald said West Ham United had got the job done in
defeating Cheltenham Town 2-1 in the Capital One Cup second round. The
Hammers overcame a spirited Cheltenham side at the Boleyn Ground through
goals from Ricardo Vaz Te and Man of the Match Ravel Morrison either side of
half-time, but created enough chances to have won by a hatful. As it was,
the League Two Robins set up a nervy finale when Matt Richards converted a
penalty just before the hour-mark. Speaking to West Ham TV, McDonald said
Vaz Te's 42nd-minute opener - an unstoppable 30-yard free-kick- had settled
the Hammers down. Morrison added a classy second just 38 seconds after the
break, firing low into the corner after losing two defenders with a neat
piece of skill.
"Whenever you play against a lower league team they are going to come out
and run about for the first half an hour and try to give their best and play
above their ability which, to be fair, they did," McDonald said. "But I
think Ricardo's goal settled us down. "It was a fantastic free-kick into the
top corner and I think we dominated after that up until half-time. In the
second half, we totally dominated the game and really should have scored
more goals than we did. "We put ourselves under that little bit of pressure
because we didn't get the third and fourth goal, which would have been a
fair result, and when we conceded we were just on the back foot a touch.
Saying that, we created lots of chances after their goal to kill the game
off, we're through to the next round and we're pleased."
McDonald agreed that the talented Vaz Te and Morrison both illustrated their
ability with outstanding goals.
"With Vaz, it's good that people practice and he has been practising well on
his free-kicks. He has been taking a little bit of stick off the rest of the
lads but he has shown fantastic technique and a fantastic will to take a
free-kick from outside the box and he has got his rewards. The more you
practise, the better you get. "Ravel is very good on the ball and we have to
get him on the ball as much as we possibly can. He shows lots of composure
and he sees the final pass, which is great. "I think he has shone tonight
and has tried to knock on the manager's door with a good performance and
another goal. He's continued what he did in pre-season, scoring goals from
midfield, which is great. He's shown what he can do and now has to wait for
his chance when the manager picks him in the Barclays Premier League."
At the other end of the pitch, Leo Chambers made his senior debut for the
Hammers just three weeks past his 18th birthday. The south London-born
England Under-19 defender showed his class with a composed display. "He
played really well in the first two Development Squad games against Aston
Villa and Everton and we were pleased with his performance and we had a
great chance to throw him in. "I thought he showed composure, defended well
enough against a tricky winger [Jermaine McGlashan] and he has got through
the 90 minutes and finished on the winning side on his debut."
Debutants Adrian and Razvan Rat, captain James Tomkins, Jack Collison, Matt
Taylor and the returning George McCartney - back from a knee injury suffered
in March - also did their bit in front of a vociferous Boleyn Ground crowd.
"We have some seniors fighting for their places and after the first
half-an-hour which is always a rush and 100 per cent commitment from the
opposition, it started to settle down a little bit and they picked their
passes. Unfortunately, we didn't finish Cheltenham off because we totally
dominated them in the second and created eight really good chances. "You
certainly need to score more goals when you create 12 really good chances -
four in the first half and eight in the second. We're disappointed that we
didn't kill it off and score more goals because the lads are more relaxed
and not worried about making the one mistake that would let Cheltenham back
into it."
One negative on an otherwise positive evening saw Alou Diarra taken off on a
stretcher ten minutes before half-time, having had the physio on three times
during the opening period. "He is a committed player and I think he has
twisted his knee but we're not 100 per cent sure. We'll assess that over the
next couple of days and see how he is. He is a committed player and
unfortunately he has got injured early on. We hope he will be back as quick
as he can."
Looking forward to Saturday and the Hammers host Stoke City in the Barclays
Premier League knowing victory will ensure they go into the international
break in the top six. "We're going into the game full of confidence. We have
got four points on the board, which is a point more than we had last season
at this stage and our home form is really good, so there is nothing to be
scared of. "We'll prepare as we have done, professionally, and make sure the
finer details are all there and will do our best to get the three points to
go into the international break feeling happy about ourselves."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers through to Round Three
WHUFC.com
West Ham United held off a Cheltenham Town fightback to secure progress in
the Capital One Cup
27.08.2013
West Ham United 2-1 Cheltenham Town
Capital One Cup Second Round
West Ham United booked their place in the Capital One Cup Third Round with a
2-1 victory over League Two side Cheltenham Town on Tuesday evening.
The Hammers were made to work for their win by the Robins, who were looking
to progress beyond Round Two for the first time in their history. Ricardo
Vaz Te and Ravel Morrison notched for West Ham either side of the break
before Matt Richards halved the deficit from the spot. It gave Cheltenham a
lifeline just as the Hammers looked to be moving away from them, and despite
the setback Sam Allardyce's men still had enough to ease through. Big Sam
rang the changes as the likes of James Tomkins, Jack Collison, Adrian,
Razvan Rat and Matt Taylor got their first run outs of the season. The teams
exchanged early chances from free-kicks, Taylor firing his through the wall
but into goalkeeper Scott Brown's arms for the Hammers, and Cheltenham's
Richards curling his left-footed effort over the top.
However, the opening exchanges failed to produce many chances of note as the
tempo slowed and Cheltenham did a good job of containing their hosts.
Alou Diarra had aleady been down for treatment twice by the time he was
stretchered off to curtail his first start in Hammers colours since Janaury,
and the mood almost darkened on 39 when a good spell of Cheltenham
possession ended with Russell Penn sending a scorching drive inches over the
top. But three minutes later the Hammers broke the Robins' resistance - and
in some style too - as Vaz Te arced a perfect free kick into the top left
hand corner of the net after a foul on Morrison 25 yards out.
It was just the fillip the hosts wanted, and they began the second period in
devastating fashion too, as Morrison found the bottom corner with precision,
drilling home right footed from the edge of the box after Stewart Downing
slid in to maintain possession and knock to the full debutant. Downing, a
half time sub, had only been on the pitch 37 seconds by the time he set up
Morrison's goal, and Cheltenham's heads could easily have dropped as West
Ham quickly looked for more.
Mohamed Diame made a strong surge from midfield and shot just over, while
Vaz Te and Downing went close with headers in quick succession. Just just as
the Hammers began to think about a simple passage through to the third
round, Cheltenham got themselves back into the contest just before the hour
when Adrian took out Sam Deering inside the area as the Robins man bore down
on goal. Razvan Rat cleared the loose ball off the line, but referee Graham
Scott pointed to the spot on seeing Cheltenham had gained no advantage, and
Richards converted from 12 yards.
West Ham looked to make the game safe again and Jack Collison was only
denied by a fingertip save when he shot fiercely towards goal from a tight
angle with 15 minutes to play. Then, as the Hammers knocked the resulting
corner to the back post, George McCartney headed against the crossbar after
latching on to James Tomkins' knockback. Tomkins flashed one wide from a
long way out as time ticked by, and Cheltenham almost punished the hosts at
the death when sub Ashley Vincent knocked wide from a long throw/ Taylor had
one cleared off the line even later on by Ryan Inniss, but the Hammers had
already done enough to secure their place in the next round.
West Ham United: Adrian; Chambers, Tomkins, McCartney, Rat; Morrison, Diarra
(Diame 35), Collison; Cole (Downing 46), Vaz Te, Taylor
Subs: Henderson (GK), Nolan, Lee, Ruddock, Lletget
Goals: Vaz Te 42, Morrison 46
Booked: Morrison
Cheltenham Town: S.Brown; Lowe, Inniss, Elliott, Braham-Barrett; Taylor,
Richards; McGlashan, Penn (Vincent 83), Deering (Harrison 63); Gornell
(Kotwica 77)
Subs: Roberts (GK), Jones, Jombati, Gillespie
Goal: Richards pen 57
Booked: Elliott
Referee: Graham Scott
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Moncur: 'It wasn't meant to be'
WHUFC.com
George Moncur refused to be too downhearted after the Dev Squad's 3-2 defeat
at home to Tottenham
27.08.2013
West Ham United youngster George Moncur insists the Development Squad should
have been home and dry at half time against Tottenham Hotpsur, having passed
up opportunities to put the game beyond the visitors' reach at the Boleyn
Ground on Friday night. As it was, the Hammers went into the interval two
goals to the good, courtesy of Dan Potts and Sebastian Lletget, before Spurs
mounted an improbable second-half revival, netting three times in 30 minutes
to snaffle all three Barclays Under-21 Premier League points.
Reflecting on a first defeat of the new campaign, the 20-year-old reckoned
it would have been very different had he and Paul McCallum taken their
chances in front of goal. He told West Ham TV: "I obviously thought that
first half we played really well and did all the right things in the right
areas. We got our reward by going 2-0 up, but we had more chances to maybe
get a few more and then the game's dead and buried. Paul McCallum had a few
chances, I had a couple down the line that I could have maybe done a bit
better with. So had we put them away I think the game would have been over
early doors."
That said, Moncur had not foreseen the second half that was to unfold,
expecting the Hammers to continue where they had left off prior to the
interval. He continued: "I thought as we came out [for the second half] we
could have even pressed on and got a couple more, because of the way we
played in the first half. It just wasn't meant to be.
"They came out a bit brighter than us. I think our first pass was poor from
a lot of us and that obviously sets a bad tone right away. They took
advantage of that and scored the early goal, which was lucky off the
deflection. But it gave them a boost and then, of course, they went on to
get a second and third.
"To be fair, whenever we play Spurs, they always pass the ball well and move
it well, they're a great footballing team. They show it every time they play
us, so credit to Spurs for that."
In truth, the visitors owed much to the impressive Lewis Holtby, as the
German international made his first start of the new campaign. The
22-year-old, who suffered a knee injury in this summer's European Under-21
Championship, was excellent on the night and Moncur certainly appreciated
seeing him in such close quarters.
"It's great to play against players like that, especially when you see what
he did here, bending that one in the top corner," he confirmed. "He's very
comfortable on the ball, finds little gaps between the back four and the
midfield. "Everything was going through him. He scored one and he created
chances. All credit to him."
Friday's defeat aside, six points out of nine still represents an excellent
start for Moncur and his colleagues, with the young midfielder already
looking ahead to next Monday's trip to take on Newcastle United. Before
then, however, Cheltenham Town await in the Capital One Cup and Moncur is
hopeful that he, or some of his teammates might play some part in
proceedings. We got off to a great start by winning two games out of two.
This is a bit of a disappointment, losing 3-2, but hopefully we can get our
chins up and win the next game. "It's nice to look forward to a game like
that, maybe some of us will be involved [against Cheltenham] - hopefully we
will, but if not, then we've just got to be keep going and keep playing."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 2 Cheltenham 1
27 August 2013
Last updated at 21:59
Ravel Morrison scored his first goal for West Ham on his full debut to help
the club defeat Cheltenham to reach the Capital One Cup third round. The
League Two side made life difficult for the Hammers in the first half before
Ricardo Vaz Te scored with a free-kick just before the interval. Former
Manchester United midfielder Morrison then scored from the edge of the area
41 seconds after the break. Matt Richards made it 2-1 from the spot after
Adrian had fouled Sam Deering.
Ravel Morrison spent last season on loan at Birmingham and scored three
goals in 23 Championship starts. Morrison, 20, spent last season on loan at
Championship side Birmingham after joining the Hammers from United in
January last year. But after coming off the bench for just his second
Premier League appearance in the goalless draw at Newcastle at the weekend,
the midfielder will hope his goal can cement his place in manager Sam
Allardyce's plans.
West Ham's Matthew Taylor and Cheltenham's Richards both went close with
early free-kicks before Morrison, making his full debut along with
goalkeeper Adrian and defenders Razvan Rat and Leo Chambers, was cautioned
for diving in the area. However, moments later Morrison was judged to have
been fouled outside the box and Vaz Te put the Premier League side ahead
with a bending free-kick. Morrison doubled the advantage in the first minute
after half-time when he made the space to score with a shot from just
outside the area. Richards pulled one back with a penalty on the hour mark
after Adrian fouled Deering. Byron Harrison and Robins captain Russell Penn
came close to scoring for the League Two outfit, but the Hammers, who had
Alou Diarra stretchered off in the first half, held on to progress to round
three.
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Hammers snubbed
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 27th August 2013
By: Staff Writer
Not a single West Ham United player has been included in either the Under 21
or full England squads, which were announced earlier today. The likes of
Stewart Downing, Joe Cole, Matt Jarvis and Kevin Nolan were once again
overlooked as Roy Hodgson and Gareth Southgate named their squads for the
forthcoming fixtures against Moldova (Under 21s and Seniors) and Ukraine
(Seniors only). Instead, the likes of Everton's Ross Barkley - with just six
Premier League starts to his name - and Raheem Sterling of Liverpool - with
just 18 minutes of league football under his belt this season - have been
selected as part of a vast 27-man Senior squad. Although Andy Carroll is a
shoo-in for a striker's spot upon his impending return from injury, the lack
of West Ham players in either squad is slightly surprising given the number
of home-grown players in Sam Allardyce's first team squad. And with Roy
Hodgson preferring alternative destinations on the opening two weekends of
the 2013/14 campaign, it could well be the case that those Hammers may have
to wait a little bit longer before getting the opportunity to show what they
can do at the Boleyn Ground.
Full England Squad
Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster (Celtic), Joe Hart (Manchester City), John Ruddy
(Norwich City).
Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Ashley Cole
(Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones
(Manchester United), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), Kyle Walker
(Tottenham Hotspur).
Midfielders: Ross Barkley (Everton), Michael Carrick (Manchester United),
Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard
(Chelsea), James Milner (Manchester City), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool),
Andros Townsend (Tottenham Hotspur), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Jack Wilshere
(Arsenal).
Forwards: Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur), Rickie Lambert (Southampton),
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Danny
Welbeck (Manchester United), Ashley Young (Manchester United).
Full England Under 21 Squad
Goalkeepers: Jonathan Bond (Watford), Jack Butland (Stoke City), George Long
(Sheffield United).
Defenders: Eric Dier (Sporting Lisbon), Ezekiel Fryers (Tottenham Hotspur),
Todd Kane (Blackburn Rovers, loan from Chelsea), Michael Keane (Manchester
United), Jack Robinson (Blackpool, loan from Liverpool), Luke Shaw
(Southampton), John Stones (Everton), Tom Thorpe (Manchester United), Andre
Wisdom (Liverpool).
Midfielders: Tom Carroll (Tottenham Hotspur), Nathaniel Chalobah (Chelsea),
Will Hughes (Derby County), Nick Powell (Manchester United), Jonjo Shelvey
(Swansea City), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton).
Wide: Sammy Ameobi (Newcastle United), Jesse Lingaard (Manchester United),
Nathan Redmond (Norwich City), Wilfried Zaha (Manchester United).
Forwards: Saido Berahino (West Bromwich Albion), Harry Kane (Tottenham
Hotspur), Connor Wickham (Sunderland).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sullivan: we should have owned West Ham years ago
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 27th August 2013
By: Staff Writer
David Sullivan believes that he and partner David Gold should have owned
West Ham United long before they purchased a controlling stake three years
ago.
Sullivan, speaking to KUMB.com in the second and final part of our exclusive
interview (which we'll be bringing you tomorrow) revealed that between them
the two Daves owned more than a quarter of the Club in the mid-1990s, but
sold their stake having believed - incorrectly, as it transpired - that the
former majority shareholders would never part company with theirs. "Before
we ever bought Birmingham we owned 27 per cent of West Ham," Sullivan told
KUMB. "Terry Brown [who subsequently became Chairman] eventually bought the
shares we bought from Jack Petchey. "The reason we sold them was because
the Hills and the Cearns owned about 70 per cent between them are they were
very close, they weren't going to let anybody new in. They weren't going to
give us a seat on the Board, they weren't going to give us anything for our
27 per cent. "Jack Petchey was a very shrewd man and he couldn't get any
more shares, so we took the view - wrongly - that we didn't think we were
going to get any more shares. The reality is, if you hang on for a couple of
years, people die and people need money. We saw the Hills and the Cearns as
one unit - and they weren't."
The Club was eventually sold in its entirety to Eggert Magnusson and
Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson in 2006. When Gudmundsson, who bankrolled the Club at
the time saw his entire fortune wiped out by the banking crash two years
later, ownership of West Ham United passed on to CB Holdings. It was from CB
Holdings that Sullivan and Gold purchased their initiall controlling stake
of the Club in 2010 - and to whom the pair returned again on subsequent
occasions, resulting in just ten per cent of the Club remaining in Icelandic
hands at present. Yet despite finally taking control of the Club he has
supported since childhood, Sullivan maintains that he and Gold should have
moved earlier. "In the Hills there were five members of the family and
gradually we would have picked them off," he insists. "It was a mistake not
to stay 25 years ago. We would have had control within ten years - or at
least been given some sort of say in how things were run. But we took a view
and moved on."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham beat Cheltenham 2-1 at Upton Park
Last Updated: August 27, 2013 10:04pm
SSN
West Ham United held on to avoid an upset in the Capital One Cup after a 2-1
win at home over League Two side Cheltenham Town. Goals either side of
half-time from Ricardo Vaz Te and Ravel Morrison appeared to have West Ham
cruising into the third round of the competition. Matt Richards' penalty
just before the hour mark gave Cheltenham a sniff of a shock, but the
visitors were unable to find an equaliser. Both manager Sam Allardyce and
co-chairman David Gold made it clear before the game that, with the Hammers
now looking a solid top-flight outfit following last year's promotion, they
fancy a decent stab at the cups this season. Such is the strength of
Allardyce's squad compared to last term he was able to make 11 changes from
the side which drew at Newcastle on Saturday while still bringing in the
likes of Joe Cole, James Tomkins, Jack Collison, Matt Taylor and Vaz Te.
Their first competitive meeting with Cheltenham was certainly a full-blooded
encounter with Cole and Town's Ryan Iniss requiring treatment early on,
while Alou Diarra's rare appearance ended after half an hour when he
departed on a stretcher. New signing Razvan Rat, predictably dubbed 'Roland'
by his team-mates, may have thought he was in for a gentle introduction to
English football but the Romanian full-back was given the runaround by
speedy Town winger Jermaine McGlashan in the opening stages. But Cheltenham
were largely restricted to long-range efforts in the first half with
Richards curling a free-kick over and captain Russell Penn unlucky to see
his 20-yard effort bounce on the roof of the net.
West Ham were hardly posing much more of an attacking threat, although they
felt they could have had a penalty when Morrison tumbled in the area, only
for referee Graham Scott to book him for diving But moments later, in the
42nd minute, Morrison was fouled and this time the official awarded a
free-kick which Vaz Te expertly curled home from 25 yards. Allardyce sent on
Stewart Downing for Cole at the interval and the £6million signing from
Liverpool's tenacity immediately set up Morrison's sparkling strike. Moments
later Downing went agonisingly close to his first Hammers goal but his
header flew inches wide while Vaz Te was denied by a fine save from Brown.
Town pulled one back in bizarre circumstances in the 59th minute when
Spanish goalkeeper Adrian, making his debut, got in a horrible mix-up with
Tomkins and was penalised for a foul on McGlashan, with Richards tucking in
the spot-kick.
But the visitors rarely threatened an equaliser - an Iniss header which flew
wide was as close as they came - while West Ham should have enjoyed a far
more comfortable night but Collison's drive was tipped over, George
McCartney's header hit the crossbar and Taylor's late shot was cleared off
the line.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham line up Honduras international Rojas for transfer that could see
Vaz Te sold
27 Aug 2013 22:30
The Mirror
West Ham are signing Honduras international striker Roger Rojas on loan. The
forward, 23, was at the Hammers' HQ on Tuesday for a medical ahead of his
switch from Honduras outfit Club Deportivo Olimpia. Rojas scored 19 league
goals last season, and already has three this term. His arrival is likely to
see West Ham boss Sam Allardyce sell Ricardo Vaz Te. Premier League new boys
Cardiff are in the frame for the former Bolton forward.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
McDonald on.....Cheltenham Town
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 28th August 2013
By: Staff Writer No.2
Assistant boss Neil McDonald was on duty in the press conference following
the 2-1 win over Cheltenham Town....
Happy with that?
Yeah very much so. I think we'd have been more happy if we'd scored more
goals. From the final 15 minutes of the first half I thought we dominated
the match. Cheltenham ran about and did their best in the first half but
once the game had settled down we dominated the game and really should've
won by a bigger margin.The chances that we had is the only disappointing
thing about tonight, I'm pleased that everyone had a tough test because
Cheltenham weren't easy to break down or to score against but we've got
through and we're pleased to be in the next round.
Ravel Morrison is quite a player…
(laughs) he's not bad is he?! He scored soe good goals in pre-season and
he's continued that today. He's had to be patiemt – he didn't start the
first two games but he's come on today and showed everybody what he's all
about. He's got lot sof composure and he can see and make the final pass as
well as score goals.
That's a knock on the door which is something that the manager wants. He
wants people knocking on the door saying "listen I'm ready for the Premier
League" and he's adding to the competition that we've got for places all
over the pitch.
.
In terms of maturity – as a person not just as a player- how far has he come
since he first arrived?
Well I think as a young kid he came down from Manchester thinking he could
walk straight into the team. It was a big shock to hm that he didn't. With
all due respect to those players we've got some good players at this club
and he had to earn their respect. He didn't do that early on and we sent him
out to Birmingham. I think the penny's dropped at Birmingham – he's played
some games and scored some goals. He's come back a much hungrier and
healthier and wiser young man. So we look forward to him keeping on knocking
on the manager's door with performances like that.
What does he have to do to make himself a Premier League regular?
There's lot sof things. He has to keep the ball, he has to keep on scoring
like he did in pre-season His all-round performance has to be good and it
has to be better than the players we have in the team at the moment. Once he
does that he has to be consistent – he's a young kid. He has to be
consistent in attack and defence. That's what he needs – to get better I
suppose, to get into the team on a regular basis.
Alou Diarra had an "interesting" half-hour or so?
He's a competitive player who likes to stick his foot in and tries to spoil.
Unfortunately he's had a couple of knocks tonight and he's had to come off.
We'll see how it is – he'll havs a scan over the next couple of days. It was
more of a twist than a contact injury though I haven't seen the incident
myself.
When Diame came on it made a bit of a difference
I think offensively we were on top. Diame offensively is very good. He goes
forward and creates chances. He's exciting isn't he? We could do with him
scoring another couple of goals I suppose.
We're pleased with all the performances tonight. It was a good test. The
majority of the team got 90 minutes, which they needed – because they
haven't been involved in the first two games.
It's just nice to get through to the next round. It should have been easier
game with more goals that we should have scored with the chances we created
so there's a bit of work that we have to work on in that aspect of the game.
There's been talk of a player coming in this week, perhaps on loan with
someone going out. Is that the case?
The manager has stated that he's as happy with the squad as he has been.
There's competition for places so if somebody comes in or goes out we'll let
you know. There's competition for places in every position now which we
haven't had in the past and I think that's real healthy for West Ham.
Thanks guys
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Yates on.....West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 28th August 2013
By: Staff Writer No.2
Cheltenham boss Mark Yates shares his thoughts on his side's exit from the
Capital One Cup at the Boleyn….
You nearly nicked one at the end there…
(Laughs) Yeah we had a couple of chances when the young lad's volleyed just
wide and the long throw where Byron's just pulled it wide of the post. But
listen, West Ham are a good side. We know that they've got some quality
players and we rode our luck at times in the second half to even be in it.
We showed we've got a bit about us and if we can put in that effort in our
league games we have a chance.
It didn't look that big a gulf at times – you didn't seem overawed…
More than anything else I wanted them to have a go and to not be overawed.
We had a set up, a shape we wanted to be when we hadn't got the ball at
times when we didn't want them opening us with the quality they've got. But
I wanted us to try and play. We did better than we did against Tottenham,
better than we did against Everton so we've learnt something from it so
we've been better. But we still could've been even better for me. The second
goal was a bit of a killer right from the kick-off. We had various chances
to deal with different balls in and around our box. But the lads have shown
a bit of character on the back of that. We could easily have capitulated and
it could have been three or four or five. We had a bit of luck at times –
there were a couple of chances that Scottie [Brown] our 'keeper's made some
great saves.
Sometimes you need that in cup games and we gave ourselves a chance in the
last 10-15 minutes to really have a go. Byron came on and caused them a few
problems and we had a few chances.
.
What did you make of Morrison?
I know he's a good player full stop. I saw him at Birmingham last season.
His agent was on the phone to me telling me what a good player he was – I've
got couple of his players as well. He told me he likes to shoot. I knew that
– I saw it for myself tonight unfortunately! West Ham have a lot of good
players – we didn't have a clue what they would do. I noticed when they beat
Crewe last year they made seven changes – I was hoping for a few more! They
still have plenty in reserve. Diame came on and made a difference – we
probably didn't need that to happen. But I was pleased with my players'
performance tonight.
Cheers, Thank you.
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