O'Brien in provisional Ireland squad
WHUFC.com
Hammers defender receives call-up to Giovanni Trapattoni's squad for World
Cup qualifiers
25.08.2013
West Ham United defender Joey O'Brien has been named in a provisional 29-man
squad for the Republic of Ireland's FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Sweden
and Austria next month. Giovanni Trapattoni's side are set to play Sweden in
Dublin on Friday 6 September and Austria in Vienna on Tuesday 10 September.
O'Brien, 27, has been capped five times by his country at senior level, with
his last international appearance coming in a 2012 friendly against Oman.
Ireland currently sit fourth in their qualification group, five points off
leaders Germany, but level with second placed Austria and Sweden in third.
Next month's fixtures will prove crucial, therefore, to their chances ot
keeping their hopes of landing a place in Brazil alive.
Republic of Ireland squad: Forde, Westwood, Randolph, O'Shea, O'Brien, St
Ledger, Wilson, Coleman, Kelly, O'Dea, Clark, Dunne, McShane, Whelan,
McCarthy, Green, Hendrick, McGeady, Pilkington, McClean, Brady, Meyler,
Hoolahan, Long, Keane, Sammon, Walters, Madden, Cox.
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Morrison tipped for big season at West Ham
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 25th August 2013
By: Celia Roche
With many believing Ravel Morrison will inevitably end up heading the way of
so many talented English footballers who throw away their massive potential,
the young West Ham midfielder will be going into this season knowing how
important it is to his career.
The youngster arrived at Upton Park after a chequered time at Manchester
United. Even under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson, after signing a
professional contract at 17, Morrison's supreme ability was often
overshadowed during his time at Old Trafford by a series of incidents that
saw him in trouble with both the police and the Football Association.
For whatever reason – be it a better contract or the chance of more regular
first team football - Morrison made the decision to leave Manchester and Sir
Alex and sign for a club with a history of turning talented youngsters into
top-class seniors. While the move may have raised a few eyebrows among
football betting pundits, Big Sam always made it clear that he felt he could
get the best out of one of the most talented young English players for a
while.
After an impressive loan spell in the Championship with Birmingham last
season, the 20-year-old returned to London this summer and set about
establishing himself in Allardyce's plans this season. And after catching
the eye during preseason, the Hammers' manager has tipped the mercurial
midfielder to be a big player for the club this year.
"Ravel does seem to have matured. He's obviously taken a good look at
himself and decided that, if he is going to make it as a professional
footballer, he needed to be more disciplined in his day-to-day life,"
revealed Allardyce. "His contribution in pre-season has been exciting for
us. His big challenge will be when he gets his chance to play in the first
team at competitive level."
It has not just been the management who have been impressed by the returning
Morrison, with fellow midfielder, Mark Noble, another to publicly praise the
youngster for the way he has worked during the club's preseason campaign.
"He's done brilliantly this pre-season. He's not been late, he's turned up
to every session, he's trained hard and obviously he's getting the benefits
now,"
The former England Under-18 international, who has only made one competitive
appearance for the Hammers to date, is clearly part of the manager's plans
this season after making the bench for the club's opening day victory
against Cardiff and featuring briefly against Newcastle yesterday. The
question will now be whether the versatile midfielder can break through and
establish himself as a regular starter in Allardyce's first team.
It will be interesting to see how Morrison will handle the situation if he
fails to feature as heavily as he would want during the opening part of the
new season. Big Sam has shown in the past that he is more than capable of
dealing with those players who like to wear the big boy pants, and Hammers
fans will be confident that the manager can handle Morrison should the
youngster look like he's beginning to start edging off the rails again.
One issue could be just how Morrison would fit into the current midfield
three that Allardyce is playing. With Noble, Nolan, and Diame all similar
types of player in the centre of the park, Morrison could instead be used in
the front-three that have started the season.
An attacking midfield player, the former Manchester United man has the
ability to play as a forward, especially considering how dangerous Morrison
can be in and around the area. While his time at Birmingham only yielded
three goals, Morrison showed repeatedly that he really comes into his own
when he has the ball in that final third of the pitch.
With all the off-field problems that went on at Birmingham last season, it
will have been a real boost to West Ham to have seen just how well Morrison
seemed to handle himself during his time in the Midlands. A slightly wobbly
start to his time at St Andrews was soon forgotten about by manager, Lee
Clark, and the Birmingham supporters when the midfielder begun producing
consistently stand-out performances for the Blues.
While the Premier League is clearly a different beast than the Championship,
there will be plenty that Morrison will be able to take from his season in
the second-tier and use when he is given the chance in the majors.
Long tipped to be one of this country's most naturally gifted players of a
generation, this season is the time for Morrison to show he is worth all the
fuss and capable of living up to all the hype.
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West Ham line up loan deal for prolific Honduras striker Rojas
PUBLISHED: 00:41, 26 August 2013 | UPDATED: 00:41, 26 August 2013
Daily Mail
Roger Rojas is set to complete a loan switch to West Ham United. The
Honduras forward has been prolific for current club Olimpia and is likely to
join up with Sam Allardyce's squad early this week. Rojas, 23, scored 19
league goals last season and already has three in three this season.
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Stewart Downing claims Newcastle blocked his Toon transfer as he's too old
25 Aug 2013 22:30
The Mirror
David Rogers
Stewart Downing has revealed how Newcastle's transfer policy cost Alan
Pardew his chance of signing him. The England winger says he was interested
in joining Newcastle before he made his £6million switch from Liverpool to
join Sam Allardyce at West Ham a fortnight ago. But the former
Middlesbrough man claims the Toon hierarchy were unwilling to fork out the
cash in transfer fee and wages to lure him to back to his native North East
because he is 29. "There were things going on in the background and
Newcastle enquired about me," said Downing. "But it sounds like their owners
are similar to Liverpool on transfer fees and wages and the player's age.
"That all comes into the equation, and I think that was obviously a problem
for Alan Pardew. "It was a move I was interested in and I looked at it, but
when I spoke to Sam Allardyce he wanted me straight away. "He pushed the
boat out to get me, and there's nothing more you want as a player."
Downing's revelation will explain much for the Toon Army, who are agitated
over the club's inactivity in the transfer market this summer. Loan signing
Loic Remy remains their only senior addition. Director of football Joe
Kinnear is the focus for much of their anger, and some supporters unfurled a
banner branding him "a clown" before being told by stewards to put it away.
Remy has yet to kick a ball in anger because he arrived from QPR with a calf
injury. And Newcastle's failure to score for a third successive match
underlined in highlighter pen their desperate need for another striker.
Papiss Cisse was anonymous before being replaced by Yoan Gouffran, who
produced an early contender for miss of the season when he shot over from
three yards out in stoppage time.
Gouffran's miss meant all of Newcastle's 16 attempts on goal have been off
target and they last scored a Premier League goal at St James' Park on April
7. While Newcastle face up to another challenging campaign, Downing believes
the future is bright for him and West Ham.
Allardyce's side have taken four points from their first two games and
Downing reckons their point on Tyneside shows they can build on last
season's 10th-placed finish. The Hammers created the better chances and
Winston Reid, Modibo Maiga and Kevin Nolan all spurned good openings.
Downing was pleased to make his first start for the Hammers and feels
playing regularly for West Ham in his favourite position out wide left can
give him the platform to win back his England place. "That's still a big
ambition," said Downing, who won the last of his 24 caps last year. "I've
not played for a while, I realise that, but you've got to give yourself
every chance. A good season things can turn it around. It did for me when I
went to the World Cup in 2006. "I was injured, but then played for the back
end of the season and got in. "I just thought I've got a chance of playing.
I've got to get back in the squad and at Liverpool that might have been
difficult."
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West Ham blog: Three reasons why Stewart Downing will shine at Upton Park
London24.com
By Kieran Milward
Sunday, August 25, 2013
1:27 PM
Stewart Downing made his first start for West Ham in yesterday's stalemate
against Newcastle, following his £6million move from Liverpool. The winger
had a nightmare of a time at Anfield with only seven goals and 11 assists in
91 games for the club, but our blogger explains that there are three reasons
for West Ham fans to be optimistic over his switch to West Ham.
1. Less expectation on him
Some players cope well under intense pressure and others, like Downing, do
not. Despite recent seasons, Liverpool are still a huge club, with a
worldwide fan base and that puts a lot of pressure on the players to fulfil
their potential, the inflated £20million transfer fee did not help his cause
either.
He had nowhere near the same amount of pressure and scrutiny on him at his
former clubs and, as a result, his performances were deemed good enough for
multiple England call-ups.
I believe that at West Ham he can replicate this kind of form because the
pressure on him will be of a lower intensity and he will be able to put in
the kind of impressive performances that got Liverpool interested in the
first place.
However, it is his inability to play well under pressure that will stop him
from playing for his country and a bigger club again.
2. He will actually improve West Ham's squad
If you look at the wide midfield players that West Ham currently have in
their team, it is clear to see that Downing is well ahead of them all when
it comes to technical ability and the potential to influence matches when it
matters.
West Ham are short on wingers. Matty Taylor has been linked with a move away
from the club and, should that happen before the Septemerb 2 transfer
deadline, then that only leaves Joe Cole and Matt Jarvis, both of whom lack
the ability that Downing has when he is on top of his game.
There is no doubt that Downing will slot straight into the first team at
Upton Park, partly due to the lack of real quality that the Hammers have in
midfield, but also because he has the ability to turn a relegation
threatened season into a comfortable mid-table finish.
3. He will link well with Andy Carroll
Carroll and Downing were not given enough chances to play together at
Liverpool and if they were, there is every chance that they would both still
be at the Anfield outfit.
Downing is the perfect player to have on the wing, providing for the big
number nine for a few reasons.
Firstly, they have trained together before and they know each other's
strengths, so it would not take long for a partnership to blossom.
Secondly, Downing has excellent vision when it comes to passing and crossing
and if Sam Allardyce can improve his passing accuracy, then more often than
not he will create chances for Carroll.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Carroll is not just a typical
lumbering centre forward, he can also play with finesse, which means he will
be able to read Downing's more intelligent passes and be able to link with
him in that respect.
There is always a risk when a club takes on a player that has failed at
another team, but I think West Ham fans should be quietly optimistic with
the potential signing of Downing because, if he can get back up to anywhere
near his best, then he will be a success at Upton Park.
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Bit chilly, Ravel? West Ham midfielder Morrison wears gloves during sub
appearance in August
By JOE STRANGE
PUBLISHED: 10:47, 25 August 2013 | UPDATED: 14:40, 25 August 2013
Daily Mail
Despite torrential rain hitting much of the North East on Saturday,
temperatures remained steady with a high of 18 degrees in Newcastle. But
that didn't stop West Ham midfielder Ravel Morrison sporting a pair of
gloves during his brief substitute appearance against Alan Pardew's side
yesterday afternoon. The former Manchester United player replaced Mohamed
Diame for the last 15 minutes at St James' Park, his first appearance of the
new season. After being shipped out on loan to Birmingham City for the
2012/13 campaign, Morrison scored five goals in pre-season and looks set to
play a role under Sam Allardyce this season. But even with his new gloves,
the former England youth international could not help his side steal all
three points as they settled for a hard-fought 0-0 draw. Newcastle's Cheick
Tiote, who missed Saturday's game though injury, is another player guilty of
wearing gloves outside of winter, having sported a pair in May of last
season. The hard-man midfielder opted for gloves and a short-sleeved shirt
against West Ham at Upton Park, despite the temperature hitting 20 degrees
during another 0-0 draw. Premier League players sporting gloves is not a new
phenomenon, with foreign stars such as Arsenal's Patrick Vieira first
pioneering the trend. Some players even took things a step further by
donning snoods in the winter months, until a ban on the neck-wear was
brought in by the International FA board in March 2011.
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