Daily WHUFC News - 6th August 2013 II

Sporting 2-3 West Ham United FT
WHUFC.com
Ravel Morrison scores twice and Kevin Nolan once in the Hammers' victory at the Guadiana Tournament
05.08.2013

SPORTING CLUBE DE PORTUGAL v WEST HAM UNITED
TORNEIO DO GUADIANA
ESTÁDIO MUNICIPAL DE PORTIMÃO
MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2013
KICK-OFF: 9.15PM

Final score - Sporting Clube de Portugal 2-3 West Ham United

Penalty shootout
The penalty shootout held to decide final placings if the teams finish level on points, goals and goal difference has finished...level! Madness. I have no idea what the point of that shootout was but it's all over. West Ham have won the match 3-2 and drawn the shootout 4-4. An entertaining and satisfying evening for the Hammers. Don't forget, we'll be back here in Portimao in about 21 hours to do it all again when we take on SC Braga. Join us then! Also, if you want to watch us in action against Pacos de Ferreira at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday, you can get tickets now!

Sporting Clube de Portugal 4-4 West Ham United - It's all level again as Cole sends the goalkeeper the wrong way. And to complete a ridiculous evening, that's it!!
Sporting Clube de Portugal 4-3 West Ham United - Brilliant! Rojo does a Chris Waddle and smashes his penalty over the top. Joe Cole to level things up...
Sporting Clube de Portugal 4-3 West Ham United - He does. Jarvis slots the ball into the bottom left-hand corner. Rojo...
Sporting Clube de Portugal 4-2 West Ham United - Mauricio puts the penalty to Jaaskelainen's left again! Again, the Finn cannot reach it. Jarvis must score...
Sporting Clube de Portugal 3-2 West Ham United - Elliot Lee sends Boeck the wrong way. West Ham still in this...
Sporting Clube de Portugal 3-1 West Ham United - Advantage Sporting in the strangest penalty shootout in history as Chaby smashes his spot-kick high into the net.
Sporting Clube de Portugal 2-1 West Ham United - Morrison sees his penalty straight down the middle saved by the legs of Boeck.
Sporting Clube de Portugal 2-1 West Ham United - Eduardo puts the ball in the same place! Jaaskelainen again goes the right way but cannot get there.
Sporting Clube de Portugal 1-1 West Ham United - Noble runs up and slides the ball low into the same bottom corner as Carvalho. That hit the side netting. Great penalty. Eduardo next for Sporting.
Sporting Clube de Portugal 1-0 West Ham United - Carvalho puts the ball past Jaaskelainen's dive into the bottom left-hand corner. Noble...

OK, don't go anywhere as we now have the penalty shootout! Carvalho is going to take the first one for Sporting...

Lee Richardson: "That was a really pleasing performance. The manager, the coaching staff and the players will all be really happy. The only slight disappointment in the second half was conceding from the free-kick. However, it looked a very harsh decision to give a foul against Joe Cole. Saying that, you still have to defend the set piece. Probably the most pleasing thing of all for everyone would be seeing Ravel Morrison showing his potential."
93 mins - Into the final minute and Sporting have won a throw deep in West Ham territory. Centre-back Rojo dances into the box and the crowd rises, but his cut-back falls to a claret and blue shirt and West Ham survive. Another cross comes over a few seconds later and Reid heads out. Carvalho delivers again and Rat hacks upfield. The final whistle is blown and West Ham have won!

91 mins - We're into three minutes of added time. The Sporting fans don't like it. There's a shock. Don't forget we're going to have a penalty shootout after the game, too!
90 mins - Cole deflects a Fabiano cross behind for a corner. It is the little man Jarvis who is there at the near post to head clear. Well done Jarvo!
88 mins - Montero throws himself to the turf as a high ball forward comes towards the West Ham box. Reid did nothing wrong and thankfully the referee agrees.
86 mins - Mr Martins obviously likes his paperwork as he books Jaaskelainen for time-wasting as he prepares to take a free-kick. The Sporting fans boo and whistle every decision made against their team. It's been a really competitive game, this. Will there be any more late drama?
84 mins - Goal! Maybe it isn't over? Joe Cole is penalised for a foul wide on the right and the free-kick is curled over by Eduardo. No14 William Carvalho gets the slightest of touches and the ball bounces past a helpless Jaaskelainen and into the net.
80 mins - Sporting bring on Magrao for Silva in midfield.
79 mins - GOAL! West Ham have surely won this now and it's Morrison again! Lee Richardson taps me on the leg and says 'Right on cue!' and he's entitled to. Rat's initialy shot is charged down but Lletget retains possession and he finds Cole in space on the left. The England man spins and curls a superb cross that finds Morrison completely unmarked six yards out. He jumps and glances the header into the net, giving the goalkeeper no chance.
Lee Richardson: "We have completely dominated the second half. We have bossed the possession and have nullified them completely as an attacking force. Their only chance came from a foul on Mark Noble and we have created several really good chances and scored two good goals. There have been a lot of positives for Ravel Morrison tonight. He has worked extremely hard for the team and has come up with a moment of quality which is great to see. Youngsters Ruddock, Lee and Lletget are now getting a chance to impress as well. Pelly has settled in quickly into the back four and we're defending well as a team as well."
76 mins - West Ham slowing the game down with Nolan being replaced by Lletget in midfield. Nolan gets some whistles on his way off. I bet he doesn't care a jot.
75 mins - Cisse is on for the final 15 minutes for Carrillo. Seconds later, O'Brien sees yellow for a foul.
72 mins - West Ham are controlling the game here. Meanwhile, you can watch the Hammers take to the pitch and warm-up in Portimao ahead of tonight's game on the Official West Ham TV YouTube channel.
67 mins - Changes for both sides as Eduardo replaces Martins in the Sporting midfield and Pelly Ruddock is on for Tomkins at the back for West Ham.
66 mins - It's a corner for West Ham as a cross from the left flicks off the head of a Sporting defender, but Noble's kick is cleared.
64 mins - Big chance for West Ham as Nolan wins the ball back and finds Cole. He looks up and wants to find his captain in the middle, but the No26 over-hits the pass. Cole is frustrated and waves his arms to show it. He has more quality than that.
60 mins - Before the re-start, Elliot Lee is on for Maiga up front. Big chance for the teenager. The crowd have been stunned by that two-goal salvo from the Hammers. Well, not all of them because the drummer is still drumming away to my right.
59 mins - GOAL! West Ham lead! It's a cracking goal, too. Rat feeds a superb pass inside for Morrison, who takes a touch and opens up his body before slamming a low shot into the bottom right-hand corner from all of 25 yards. Great strike from the youngster.
58 mins - GOAL! Rat's ball down the left is chased by Jarvis and he wins a throw off Marcel. Rat jogs forward and hurls the throw into the penalty area, where Maiga flicks it on with his head and Nolan ghosts in to tap home from six yards. Classic Nolan and West Ham are deservedly level.
56 mins - Noble is caught in possession just outside the box by Carrillo. The winger gets into the box and beats a defender with a neat drop of the shoulder. He shoots left-footed from no farther than 12 yards. Jaaskelainen makes a fine save with his left leg and Reid helps the ball around the post with his out-stretched left foot. A big let-off. Noble felt he was fouled and castigates the referee. The corner is cleared.
Lee Richardson: "The manager was keen for the players to focus on their football in his half-time team talk. There was a disappointment in the dressing room for two reasons - first, it wasn't handball and second that the penalty award came in the third minute of two minutes of added time. There is a feeling that the players and fans of Sporting are not being particularly sporting!"
51 mins - Rat lifts a free-kick into the box from halfway but it's an easy catch for Boeck. This is an even game now. West Ham definitely held the upper hand early on, but the Portuguese have got their noses in front and are holding their own. Morrison commits another foul and No5 Rojo rolls around for a while before recovering to take the free-kick. Nolan gives the centre-back a piece of his mind.
48 mins - The game is showing no signs of losing its edge as Morrison slides in and catches Martins with a late challenge. Referee Ricardo Martins plays on. Morrison is perhaps a bit lucky not to get a caution when the game is eventually stopped.
46 mins - West Ham win a corner within 45 seconds of the re-start but it comes to nothing.

Half-time score - Sporting Clube de Portugal 1-0 West Ham United

Taylor is being replaced by Rat at half-time. Sporting make two changes, with No43 Chaby on for Capel and No14 Carvalho on for Rinaudo. Both are straight swaps for the Portuguese side.
I've just seen a slow motion replay of the penalty decision and it appears that the ball hit Matt Taylor's chest and not his arm. Let's hope West Ham can take their frustration out on Sporting in terms of goals during the second half.

49 mins - Goal! Spain winger Capel steps up and strokes the penalty to Jaaskelainen's right. The goalkeeper goes the other way and Sporting lead. I have a feeling Big Sam is not going to be too happy about what has happened over the last couple of minutes. Capel celebrates as if Sporting have won the UEFA Champions League and the fans behind the goal rush to the front of the stand. The advertising board cannot hold them and there is a bit of an issue as a few fall over. Thankfully, it looks as if everyone has got away unhurt. West Ham kick-off and that's half-time. That was an eventful half of football, I must say.
48 mins - We're 30 seconds over the two minutes and Sporting have a penalty! Taylor is the man penalised for handball, but it looks a bit harsh. The ball bounced up as O'Brien challenged Montero inside the box. Capel...
45 mins - We'll have two added minutes. As we go into added time, the 24th foul of the game sees Nolan brought down.
44 mins - Capel is down on the turf again after being caught by Taylor. A yellow card for the West Ham left-back - the fourth of the game and a third for a Hammers player. Reid and Maiga have also been booked. Moments later, Montero has a shot from 25 yards and Jaaskelainen saves it. The Finn spills the low shot initially, but he's quick to pounce on the ball as it squirms a yard or two clear of him.
43 mins - Sporting have their best spell so far, working the ball from left to right before Fabiano plays a one-two and bursts on to the ball. He gets there and cuts the ball back from the byline, but Cole has tracked back and slides in to concede the corner. The flag kick comes to nothing.
38 mins - Rinaudo has a go from about 30 yards, but it's a daisy-cutter that misses the target by at least ten yards. Jaaskelainen watches it go by.
Lee Richardson: "The game has settled down a little bit. Both teams were guilty of one or two rash challenges. It often happens in so-called friendlies, but both teams need to focus on playing their football and not trying to outdo each other with who has been the biggest victim. The players have been complaining to the referee, but they are settling down a bit now. We've had 17 free-kicks already, according to our performance analyst Jamie Osman."
36 mins - Big Sam is out and patrolling the edge of his technical area. He is not happy about something or other.
34 mins - The West Ham physio is on for the first time, as is the club doctor, as Reid needs some treatment after being caught while winning a header inside the Sporting penalty area. It's a chance for the other players to have a welcome drink of water.
31 mins - It's been a niggly sort of game with quite a few free-kicks. Now, it's boiled over. First, Capel and Noble came together and the Sporting player went down and stayed there for a while holding his knee. Then, on the far side, Maiga is fouled with a knee in the back by No5 Rojo. Something then happens and Maiga springs to his feet to remonstrate with the Argentine. After some handbags involving at least a dozen players, the referee books Rojo and Maiga.
30 mins - It's been a very good half-hour from the Hammers, who have come within a lick of paint of taking the lead. Sporting are having no sustained periods of possession at all.
27 mins - Another free-kick to West Ham. This time it's Jarvis who is shoved to the ground by Marcal just to the left of the penalty area. Noble or Jarvis to take... Noble clips the ball into Nolan at the near post, but the skipper scuffs his volley and Boeck gathers easily.
25 mins - You can view an exclusive gallery of images from Portimao now on our Official Facebook page. It's a colourful occasion down here on the Algarve, where the Sporting fans have tried to turn the stadium into a green and white home from home complete with flags and drums.
23 mins - Carrillo threatens to get in down the left after O'Brien is caught slightly out of position after winning the initial header. Morrison tracks back 50 yards and puts the Peru winger under sufficient pressure that he can only cross the ball high and behind for a goal kick.
Lee Richardson: "We will be reasonably pleased with how we've gone so far. Sporting are a good side and have ability in possession. We have had the best of the game so far and have looked defensively solid, as we always do. We have created the best chances and most of the game is being played in Sporting's half. We are nullifying them. They are playing with one player, Martins, off the main striker and we've restricted them to counter attacks, really."
16 mins - Sporting have been stirred to life by that escape as a dangerous cross from right-back Marcel is cleared only as far as Martins. He lays off for Rinaudo, whose first-time effort from 25 yards hits Nolan and spins away for a throw.
13 mins - So close! A Tomkins free-kick causes havoc as Reid nods it down again. The ball looks to have evaded everybody as it bounces across the penalty area but Morrison reacts quickest and shoots. The shot is blocked but the ball rolls only as far as Cole, who spins and thumps his effort against the post! The ball falls out to Nolan, who cannot control his first-time effort from about eight yards and it just clears the crossbar.
11 mins - Noble is fouled wide on the right. He swings in the free-kick towards Tomkins but the ball bounces away on the near side. Jarvis cannot control and it's a goal kick. West Ham probably on top now in terms of territory.
9 mins - Good strength and tenacity by Maiga to battle for the high ball and then again when it bounces up outside the D. He shapes to shoot and is brought down by Sporting captain Rinaudo. Chance for West Ham from a free-kick right on the edge of the D. Noble, Morrison and Cole stand over the ball. Noble lays it off for Cole, who slams the shot into the wall.
Lee Richardson: "Both teams have started quite scrappily, trying to keep possession. They are cancelling each other out as they are both playing with 4-3-3 formations. The pitch also isn't of the best quality and consequently both sets of players are making errors with their passing."
6 mins - Best move so far from the Hammers as Maiga and Nolan swap passes before the Malian tries to play in his captain. Nolan doesn't have the pace to beat Welder Marcel, however, and the No2 clears. Seconds later, Reid catches Andre Martins on halfway and the No8 goes down theatrically. It's enough to earn Reid an early booking.
5 mins - Capel is left holding his face as Taylor mis-times his jump for a header. No harm done and the Spaniard is soon back to full working order.
3 mins - Tomkins is fouled on halfway and he takes the free-kick himself. The No5 picks out his fellow centre-back Reid on the edge of the box. He nods the ball inside towards Nolan, but the defender is there to volley clear.
61 secs - Sporting have the first chance as a loose clearance from Jaaskelainen falls to Carrillo. He cuts in from the left and rifles a 25-yarder that skims the bar on the way over the top. Some gasps from the sizeable crowd inside the stadium.

9.15pm - Sporting get us underway.
9.13pm - Here come the two teams, accompanied by a bit of 'We Will Rock You' by Queen.
9.10pm - I'm joined in the Press Box tonight by West Ham's club psychologist and former Blackburn Rovers and Aberdeen midfielder Lee Richardson. Lee also managed Chesterfield, so he'll be able to provide us with some professional insight.
9.05pm - Jack Collison, Alou Diarra and Ricardo Vaz Te aresitting out the game tonight. They will be available for tomorrow evening's meeting with SC Braga, however.
9pm - Apologies for the lack of updates over the last hour. I have been running around taking photographs and sorting out wifi access and the like! It's all go. Anyway, the sun has now set here in Portimao and we're only 15 minutes away from kick-off. To start with, here is the team news:
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Taylor, Tomkins, Reid, Noble, Morrison, Nolan, Cole, Jarvis, Maiga
Subs: Adrian, Potts, Rat, Demel, Ruddock, Collins, Diame, Lletget, Lee
Sporting: Boeck, Marcal, Mauricio, Rojo, Martins, Capel, Fabiano, Montero, Carrillo, Rinaudo, Silva
Subs: Rui Patricio, Jefferson, Magrao, Carvalho, Eduardo, Semedo, Soares, Chaby, Cisse
Good evening and welcome to the warm and sunny Algarve for tonight's pre-season Guadiana Tournament opener between West Ham United and Sporting Clube de Portugal - the club better known in England as Sporting Lisbon.
The Hammers arrived in Portugal on Sunday afternoon and the players held a light training session at the team base in Lagos on Monday morning before getting some welcome rest ahead of tonight's game.
The three-team pre-season Guadiana Tournament is being held at the Estádio Municipal de Portimão, a few miles east of Lagos. The competition also features SC Braga, who West Ham will tackle at the same venue on Tuesday evening, with kick-off again at 9.15pm.
It promises to be a late night, whatever happens, as a penalty shootout will be held following the final whistle to determine final group placings in the event of teams finishing level on points, goal difference and goals. The Hammers chose not to practice their spot-kicks after training this morning, so I'm afraid I don't know who will be stepping up to have a go from 12 yards later on!
Tonight's opponents are 18-times Portuguese champions but the men in green and white hoops have fallen on lean times in recent years, having not won the Primeira Division since the 2001/02 season. 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.
Team news-wise, West Ham manager Sam Allardyce will be without centre forward Andy Carroll (heel) and George McCartney (knee), who have remained at Chadwell Heath for treatment. Jack Collison and Alou Diarra will sit out tonight as they are both expected to be involved from the start against Braga on Tuesday.
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.
West Ham will be meeting Sporting 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.

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Macca hails Sporting success
WHUFC.com
Neil McDonald hailed the 3-2 Guadiana Tournament win over Sporting Clube de Portugal as a 'brilliant exercise'
06.08.2013

Neil McDonald hailed West Ham United's action-packed 3-2 Guadiana Tournament victory over Sporting Clube de Portugal as a 'brilliant exercise'. The Hammers assistant manager witnessed a thrilling game that saw his side battle back from a goal down to lead 3-1 before resisting a late comeback from the 18-times Portuguese champions in Portimao on Monday. After a first half largely dominated by the English side, Sporting took the lead in the third minute of added time through a disputed Diego Capel penalty given for an alleged handball against Matt Taylor. West Ham used the perceived injustice to launch a second half onslaught. Kevin Nolan levelled with a tap-in from Modibo Maiga's flick-on after 58 minutes before Ravel Morrison put West Ham in front with a precise finish within 60 seconds. Morrison appeared to make the game safe when he headed in Joe Cole's cross on 79 minutes, only for William Carvalho's 84th-minute goal to set up a nervous ending. Following a surreal post-match penalty shootout held to decide final finishing positions in the event of teams ending level, which ended 4-4, McDonald spoke to West Ham TV.

"It was a brilliant exercise," said Sam Allardyce's No2. "There was a lot of physicality and we were playing against a referee who wasn't really giving much in our favour. "The boys held strong and stuck together and we played with a fantastic tempo, which I thought was really, really good. We scored some good goals. "We still need to work on not conceding because we didn't want to concede two goals, but all in all it was an absolutely brilliant run out. We're happy because that was the best tempo we've played with all pre-season and we're all really pleased with the game."

Like Big Sam had done before kick-off, McDonald hailed his players for their ability to play their football, despite five of them being booked by the referee and the hostile atmosphere created by the vocal Sporting fans. "It was the highest tempo we've played at in pre-season, which was great. We have got two weeks to go until Cardiff and that was the perfect workout. "Everybody has almost come through 90 minutes and we made some changes with Tuesday's game in mind because we must be strong against Braga because they are a Champions League team. We're looking forward to that game. "We're really, really pleased with everybody's performance and it gives us good heart with two games to go until we start the Barclays Premier League season. "We've played Sporting before [during our time at Bolton] and they really get stuck in and are really physical and also try to play some good football, but we held strong. "I think they probably had only one shot from distance in the first half and then the penalty, which I don't think it was. It was rather harsh and the referee has probably given an easy one there to get everybody on his side. "We stayed strong, as I said, and kept playing the way we try to play and to get it down and keep the ball and we scored some really good goals. "As I keep repeating, the tempo of everything that we did was the best it has been in pre-season so that holds us in good stead with the Braga game on Tuesday and leading on to the Cardiff game on 17 August."

McDonald closed by speaking positively about the impact made by young midfielder Morrison following his return from a successful loan spell at Championship side Birmingham City last season. The former Manchester United youngster got his career back on track under the guidance of Blues manager Lee Clark and the Hammers assistant is now hoping he will continue to make progress in a West Ham shirt. "He has certainly grown up a touch. With all due respect, when he first came from Manchester United he thought he was the top kid and he was going to walk straight into our team and it certainly doesn't work like that.
"We sent him away to get the experience at Birmingham and he's certainly come back and he's used that experience. "He had some experience around him as well [in midfield] with Kevin Nolan and Mark Noble pulling and pushing him, as you'd expect. If we can get him on the ball in the final third then he can produce and he's produced two goals on Monday. "He missed his penalty at the end but that's good experience for him. He's come back in good shape, just like the rest of them."

*Tickets for Tuesday's Guadiana Tournament meeting with Portuguese Primeira Division side SC Braga will be available on the night from the Estádio Municipal de Portimão, priced at €12.50. West Ham United fans are urged to sit in the East Stand.

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Sporting Lisbon 2-3 West Ham Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th August 2013
By: Staff Writer

A second half brace from Ravel Morrison helped West Ham to a morale-boosting victory against one of Portugal's 'big three'. Sporting - who along with Benfica and Porto complete the triumvirate of Portugal's domestic giants - were considered favourites to win the Torneio do Guadiana going into the competition.

However the tables were well and truly turned as the Sportinguistas were well beaten by a West Ham team consisting of a mix of first team and fringe players, on a night to remember for the small group of travelling Hammers fans who were able to make the trip to the Algarve.

Having started strongly, West Ham went agonisingly close to opening the scoring when Joe Cole's 13th minute effort cannoned back off the inside of the far post. Kevin Nolan was left with egg on his face when he failed to convert the rebound; an open goal which he put clean over the bar.

Tempers flared on the half-hour mark when a poor challenge on West Ham striker Modibo Maiga sparked a free-for-all after the United striker reacted angrily to what was just the latest of a string of poor challenges on him. The resulting melee saw both Maiga and his nemesis booked, presumably for sparking the incident.

Despite their first half dominance, West Ham were to go into the break a goal behind after Sporting scored from the penalty spot in first half injury time. Matt Taylor was justifiably angry at being penalised for handling a ball that was struck at him from point blank range; his protests in vain, Spanish forward Capel stepped up to send Jussi Jaaskelainen the wrong way.

With Taylor replaced by Razvan Rat at the break, West Ham continued to look the stronger side and got their reward 12 minutes after the restart. Sporting were caught flat-footed as a quick throw was nodded into the six-yard box by Maiga, where Nolan was waiting to pounce in typical fashion.

Still reeling from conceding the equaliser, Sporting found themselves a goal behind just 60 seconds later when a bursting run from midfield by the impressive Ravel Morrison culminated in the teenager firing across goal into the bottom left-hand corner to put West Ham 2-1 ahead.


The game should have been put to bed with just over ten minutes of normal time remaining when Man of the Match Morrison grabbed his second goal of the evening. Joe Cole, who was also excellent throughout curled in a cross from the left touchline which an unmarked Morrison guided into the bottom corner of the net.

However Sporting ensured that the audience - both in the stadium and around the globe via the internet - were kept on tenterhooks until the final whistle when Eduardo's 84th-minute free kick appeared to miss everyone before finding the back of the net.

William Carvalho may have got the slightest of nicks but either way, it was poor defending from West Ham (even if the free kick that led to the goal should never have been awarded against Joe Cole, whose shoulder to shoulder challenge was within the laws of the game).

A frantic few minutes of injury time followed before the final whistle confirmed what was a very impressive win for an experimental United side. Sam Allardyce will no doubt be delighted at what he saw - and, in particularly, the performance of Ravel Morrison who continues to impress in pre-season.

* A post-match penalty shootout to decide tournament placings in the event of a tie ended in a fairly unique 4-4 draw. Mark Noble, Elliot Lee, Matt Jarvis and Joe Cole converted their spot kicks whilst Ravel Morrison was the only Hammer to miss.

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West Ham abandon transfer interest in striker Ilombe Mboyo as rape conviction sparks fan protests
5 Aug 2013 22:31
The Mirror

West Ham chairman David Sullivan has confirmed the club have scrapped a move for a striker once jailed for his part in a gang-rape. The Hammers had considered signing Belgium international Ilombe Mboyo, 26. The Gent marksman hit 20 goals last season and would have played on the right side of attack, a position West Ham have been trying to fill for several weeks. Angry fans have bombarded social media demanding the club abandon the bid, however, after it emerged Mboyo served three years of an eight-year sentence for his part in the gang-rape of a 14-year-old when he was just 16. Sullivan confirmed to Mirror Sport that the Hammers have considered the feelings of the club's fans and pulled the plug. The Upton Park supremo insisted the club's response to the backlash is similar to the one that saw them shelve plans to sign bad-boy El Hadji Diouf two years ago. Sullivan said: "I couldn't go against the supporters. We wanted their opinions and they seem to have said no. "We didn't sign El Hadji Diouf when the supporters indicated he'd not be acceptable to the club. We will not proceed on this occasion either."

Mboyo, who was a Norwich target in last season's winter window, was described by Manchester City as 'a rare pearl' after he came through Anderlecht's academy. During the striker's time in jail, he enrolled in a rehabilitation scheme called Football In Prison and trained with Belgian club Charleroi. A move there was confirmed after his release and he continued his career with moved to Kortrijk and Gent. Only last October, Mboyo replaced Aston Villa's Christian Benteke in Belgium's 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Scotland. Fan revulsion at his inclusion at the time, however, was such that the Belgium FA were forced to defend themselves against widespread criticism. Belgian FA president Francois De Keersmaeker said: "Once someone's time in the cells ends, they don't necessarily have to be lost to society. "It's too easy to stigmatise. Mboyo could be an example for young people who go down the wrong path."

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West Ham Beat Sporting Lisbon in Preseason Thriller, See Ravel Morrison Goals
BY KARL MATCHETT (WORLD FOOTBALL STAFF WRITER) ON AUGUST 5, 2013
Bleacherreport.com

West Ham United picked up an impressive win in Portugal as they defeated Sporting Lisbon in their latest preseason friendly. The Hammers won the match 3-2 after a good showing from troubled youngster Ravel Morrison, before a quirky finish saw a penalty shootout end in a 4-4 draw. Diego Capel scored a first-half penalty to put the Portuguese team ahead, but West Ham turned the match around with two goals in two minutes just before the hour mark. First it was Kevin Nolan who ghosted into the six-yard box to tap home after a long throw-in, before Morrison scored his first of the night and the best goal of the game, firing home from 20 yards. Razvan Rat, a new left-back signing from Shakhtar Donetsk, was instrumental in both goals and he had a hand in the third too, combining with Joe Cole, who crossed for Morrison to head home his second and put West Ham up 3-1.

William Carvalho got a slight flick on a free kick with just a few minutes left on the clock to pull one back for the hosts, but West Ham hung on to record a fine victory. Following an intensive preseason programme, this was West Ham's eighth friendly of the summer and their seventh victory, with only a defeat to German side FSV Mainz spoiling Sam Allardyce and his side's run of form. This game against Sporting was part of the Toerneio do Guardiana, with the Hammers due to face Sporting Braga 24 hours after this match in the second fixture. The 3-2 win after 90 minutes wasn't the only action though; a penalty shootout was held at the end of the game, supposedly to aid determining the competition winners if teams finished level on points, goals and goal difference—but the shootout itself ended in a draw!

Ravel Morrison scored twice during the match, but the former Manchester United youngster couldn't make it a hat-trick of successful finishes as he saw his spot-kick saved. Mark Noble, Elliot Lee, Matt Jarvis and Joe Cole scored the other penalties. West Ham finished last season in 10th place in the Premier League and will hope to build on that during the coming campaign, though the only significant outlay thus far in the transfer market has been to make permanent the loan of Andy Carroll. Left-back Rat, however, showed that there is plenty of value for Allardyce to pick up on free transfers too, and his performance will have given more positives to his boss.

West Ham play Premier League newcomers Cardiff City on the opening day of the new season.

See the goals here : http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1728270-west-ham-beat-sporting-lisbon-in-preseason-thriller-see-ravel-morrison-goals?

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