Daily WHUFC News - 5th August 2013

Sporting Clube de Portugal preview
WHUFC.com
All the essential background ahead of West Ham United's opening Torneio do Guadiana fixture
04.08.2013

SPORTING CLUBE DE PORTUGAL v WEST HAM UNITED
TORNEIO DO GUADIANA
ESTÁDIO MUNICIPAL DE PORTIMÃO
MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2013
KICK-OFF: 9.15PM
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Introduction
• West Ham United continue their pre-season schedule at the Torneio do Guadiana in Portugal. The three-team pre-season competition will be held at the Estádio Municipal de Portimão in the Algarve, with the Hammers taking on Sporting Clube de Portugal and SC Braga.
• The Hammers will take on Sporting Clube de Portugal on Monday 5 August and SC Braga on Tuesday 6 August, with both matches kicking-off at 9.15pm local time.
Sporting will take on Braga on Wednesday 7 August.
• Sporting finished seventh in the Primeira Liga last season. Managed by Leonardo Jardim, the club from the capital will be hoping to bounce back this term. Among the star names in Jardim's squad are Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio, Argentina defender Marcos Rojo, Spain winger Diego Capel and Peru forward Andre Carrillo.
• Braga finished fourth in the Primeira Liga last term, qualifying for the UEFA Europa League Play-Off round. The Archbishops will be facing the Hammers for the second pre-season in succession, having held Sam Allardyce's side to a 1-1 draw at the Estadio AXA in August 2012, when Winston Reid scored a late equaliser.
• A penalty shoot-out will be held after the final whistle, which will be used to decide the final tournament positions in the event that teams have level points, goal difference and goals.

Team News
West Ham United
• Sam Allardyce has brought a strong and large squad to Portugal, with the Hammers facing two matches in the space of a little more than 24 hours. However, centre forward Andy Carroll (heel) and George McCartney (knee) remain sidelined.
Sporting Clube de Portugal
• Sporting have been very active in the transfer market this summer, signing Brazilian trio left-back Jefferson from Estoril, right-back Weldinho from Palmeiras and centre-back Mauricio from Sport Recife, Colombia forward Fredy Montero from Seattle Sounders and Guinea striker Salim Cissé from Academica de Coimbra.
• The Portuguese club also sold Dutch striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel to Norwich City, Portugal right-back Miguel Lopes to Olympique Lyonnais, Switzerland midfielder Gelson Fernandes to Freiburg and midfielders Stijn Schaars and Santiago Arias to PSV.

Background
• West Ham United will be meeting Sporting Clube de Portugal for the second time in their history, having previously welcomed the 18-times Portuguese champions to the Boleyn Ground on Tuesday 7 May 1996 for a match to celebrate the Hammers' centenary.
• Perhaps the most eye-catching name on West Ham United's teamsheet was that of Dani Da Cruz Carvalho, known simply as Dani. Dani had joined in January 1996 on loan from Sporting Lisbon, scoring the winner at Tottenham Hotspur on just his second appearance and netting twice in nine appearances in total.
• Sporting Clube de Portugal had finished third in the Portuguese league and spoilt West Ham's night in the shape of a 4-1 victory for the visitors. Julian Dicks netted the hosts' consolation goal.

Last Time Out
Saturday 27 July 2013
Pre-Season Match
Eintracht Braunschweig 0-3 West Ham United
West Ham United: Adrian, O'Brien (Morrison 75), Collins (Tomkins 60), Reid (Ruddock 72), Rat (Demel 75); Noble, Collison (Jarvis 60), Diame (Nolan 46), Vaz Te (Lee 75), Maiga (Taylor 60), Cole
Subs not used: Jaaskelainen, Potts, Lletget, Diarra, Whitehead
Goals: Maiga 22, 44, Diame 42
Thursday 1 August 2013
Pre-Season Match
Nacional 0-1 Sporting Clube de Portugal
Sporting Clube de Portugal: Rui Patrício (Marcelo 46), Cédric (Eric Dier 81), Maurício (Jefferson 46), Eric Dier (Mauricio 81), Evaldo (Rinaudo 46), William Carvalho (Marcos Rojo 46), Adrien, André Martins (Labyad 86), Carrillo (Diego Capel 78), Montero (Cristian Ponde 78), Filipe Chaby (Wilson Eduardo 46)
Goal: Montero 8

Previous meeting
Tuesday 7 May 1996
Pre-Season Match
West Ham United 1-4 Sporting Clube de Portugal
West Ham United: Miklosko (Mautone), Breacker, Dicks, Potts, Martin, Dowie (Cottee), Dani, Boli, Williamson (Hodges), Lampard (Omoyinmi), Bilic (Hughes)
Goal: Dicks

All-time meetings
The clubs have never met in competitive football, but Sporting Clube de Portugal hold the all-time advantage from the one non-competitive meeting between the two - a 4-1 victory at the Boleyn Ground in May 1996 which marked West Ham United's centenary.
15 May 1996 - West Ham United 1-4 Sporting Clube de Portugal
v Sporting Clube de Portugal (all competitions) W 0 D 0 L 1

Ten-year records
West Ham United
2012/13 Premier League 10th
2011/12 Championship 3rd (86 points - promoted via Play-Offs)
2010/11 Premier League 20th (relegated to Championship)

2009/10 Premier League 17th

2008/09 Premier League 9th

2007/08 Premier League 10th

2006/07 Premier League 15th

2005/06 Premier League 9th

2004/05 Championship 6th (promoted to Premier League via Play-Offs)

2003/04 Division One 4th

Sporting Clube de Portugal
2012/13 Primeira Liga 7th
2011/12 Primeira Liga 4th
2010/11 Primeira Liga 3rd
2009/10 Primeira Liga 4th
2008/09 Primeira Liga 2nd
2007/08 Primeira Liga 2nd
2006/07 Primeira Liga 2nd
2005/06 Primeira Liga 2nd
2004/05 Primeira Liga 3rd
2003/04 Primeira Liga 3rd

General Information
• West Ham United supporters can watch the match from the East Stand, with tickets costing €12.50 each. Hammers fans can buy their tickets in person from the Ticket Office at the Estádio Municipal de Portimão on matchday. Tickets for this match are available online here.
• The weather forecast for Portimão on Monday is for a sunny day with maximum daytime temperature of 29C (85F). However, it will have cooled down somewhat by kick-off.

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Taylor made for Portugal trip
WHUFC.com
Matt Taylor is looking forward to facing Sporting Clube de Portugal again on Monday evening
04.08.2013

Matt Taylor has an unfinished score to settle with Sporting Clube de Portugal when West Ham United take on the Portuguese Primeira Division side in the Torneio do Guadiana on Monday evening. Taylor was part of the Bolton Wanderers squad edged out 2-1 on aggregate at the UEFA Cup last-16 stage back in March 2008. Having drawn 1-1 at the Reebok Staduim, a Trotters side without the rested Taylor, Kevin Nolan and Jussi Jaaskelainen were beaten 1-0 in the return leg in Lisbon, despite the presence of a young Joey O'Brien and Ricardo Vaz Te. Five-and-a-half years later, the quintet will get the chance to take on their conquerors again in a pre-season fixture at the Estádio Municipal de Portimão on the Algarve. On Tuesday evening, West Ham will face SC Braga a year after drawing 1-1 with the same opposition in a warm-up match. "We got ever so close to reaching the quarter-finals and we probably should have done," he recalled. "Looking back, we probably should have fielded a different team over in Portugal, but we didn't and we went out. "I played in the home game and we drew one-all. We then went over there and lost one-nil. It was still a great time for me personally, to play in the UEFA Cup. "It'll be good to play against Sporting again and the two games out there will be a good test for us. We have played against some of the best opposition in Germany, and we know how their game is going at the moment, and going to Portugal will be a difficult for us as well. "We went out to Braga last year and came away with a clean bill of health and a draw, so I'm sure these will be a good couple of games for us."

Taylor is looking forward to West Ham's third and final pre-season trip following excursions to the Republic of Ireland and Germany but, like his team-mates, he is now counting down the days until the start of the 2013/14 Barclays Premier League campaign on 17 August. "It's a difficult question to answer because it is great having time away to concentrate on your football, but it's also time away from your family. For the ones of us who have kids, they are off school and it would be nice to spend time with them. "Personally, I quite like going away because it helps me to concentrate on my fitness and getting myself in tip-top condition for the season. This one is only a short trip, so I'm sure we'll enjoy it."

Pre-season training camps help players to both get fit and bond with their colleagues - something the Hammers squad did by fishing during their recent trip to Germany. A keen angler, Taylor was impressed by his team-mates' efforts. "We had a good time fishing over there in Germany. The third place we went to was fantastic because the facilities were great and the food was brilliant and in our downtime we had a chance to do some fishing in the river next to the hotel.
"It wasn't my type of fishing because I don't enjoy catching pike and those sorts of fish, but the lads had a great time. We got a few good-sized fish, as well. Patience was the key and I was impressed with the lads. "It was really good craic and it was nice to spend some time with the lads fishing."

Tickets for the pre-season Torneio do Guadiana will be available on matchdays at the Estádio Municipal de Portimão, with the meeting with Sporting Clube de Portugal kicking-off at 9.15pm on Monday 5 August and the fixture with SC Braga starting exactly 24 hours later.

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Jack Sullivan at the centre of new Twitter storm
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 4th August 2013
By: Staff Writer

Fresh controversy over the Twitter account belonging to teenager Jack Sullivan erupted tonight.

Hammers fans posting across the web on forums such as KUMB.com tonight almost universally condemned a message posted on the Twitter feed attributed to the son of co-owner David Sullivan regarding Gent striker Ilombe Mboyo.

The Buffalos current captain was one of several teenagers convicted of gang rape in his native Belgium a decade ago when he was just 16. The victim was a 14-year-old schoolgirl.

Sullivan - or (hopefully) someone else with access to his social network account - posed the question: "How would you feel if we signed Mboyo of Gent? Terrible crime when he was 16, can he ever be forgiven? What do you think?"

Whilst some believed the tweet related to the potential signing of Queens Park Rangers' Loic Remy, who is himself set to appear in court on a similar charge later this year, others took it more literally believing that fans were being canvassed over the possibility of signing the 26-year-old.

However almost all were in agreement that raising the subject of violent sexual crime on a Twitter account belonging to a 13-year-old schoolboy was an appalling error of judgment.

Whilst KUMB member badgers1 insisted that "his [Jack Sullivan's] Twitter account always was an accident waiting to happen", fellow member Aztec Hammer maintained that what was originally a good way to communicate with the fans had been soured.

"I enjoyed the tweets early on when they were simple and letting us know what was going on," he said, before admitting: "but now it's getting silly."

Meanwhile DaveWHU1964 was rather more scathing of those who sanctioned the posting of the message on young Jack's account.

"There are so many issues regarding this, but one I haven't seen mentioned is the dubiousness of getting a 13-year-old child to conduct a poll about accepting a man who raped a child," he argued.

"I don't think things can get too much more messed up than that. There are those out there who genuinely do not seem to realise the difference between right and wrong - and we've seen a sick and surreal example of that tonight."

The tweet was also condemned by journalist Hugh Southon, who raged: "This has gone too far. Total embarrassment. How many deals are being screwed up by that account? Forget ITK stuff. Just wrong!"

Sullivan's original message was followed up an hour later by a second tweet regarding the Gent striker. "99 per cent of you have said no to Mboyo," it read. "I'll pass it onto my Dad. I'm sure we won't sign him. We respect your views."

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