Tottenham away in Capital One Cup
WHUFC.com
Quarter-Final draw pits London rivals together at White Hart Lane
30.10.2013
West Ham United will travel to Tottenham Hotspur for a Capital One Cup
quarter-final tie in the week commencing 16 December. The London rivals were
drawn together on Wednesday after both sides made progress in the
competition this week. The Hammers saw off Burnley 2-0 thanks to penalties
from Matt Taylor and Jack Collison, while Tottenham were spot on themselves
in defeating Hull City 8-7 on penalties after a 2-2 draw. West Ham travelled
to White Hart Lane for a league fixture earlier this month and recorded an
unforgettable 3-0 victory with goals from Winston Reid, Ricardo Vaz Te and
Ravel Morrison. Full fixture and ticketing details will be arranged in due
course and announced on whufc.com
Capital One Cup quarter-final draw
Leicester City v Manchester City
Stoke City v Manchester United
Sunderland or Southampton v Chelsea
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United
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Jack's feeling good
WHUFC.com
Jack Collison's penalty in the 2-0 win at Burnley capped a fine month for
the Wales international
30.10.2013
Jack Collison feels he has been given a new lease of life after his
successful loan spell at Bournemouth led into a goalscoring return for West
Ham United in Tuesday night's 2-0 Capital One Cup win at Burnley The Wales
international scored a crucial late penalty to seal the Hammers' place in
the quarter-finals of the competition and finally see off a determined
Burnley side, who had already gone behind to a Matt Tayor spot kick. The
visitors had not been at their best in the first half, but Collison's
introduction as a half-time substitute for Mo Diame helped change the course
of the game in Big Sam's side's favour. "It was nice to get a bit of game
time and to be in the hat for the next round." Collison said. "If you've
been through what I've been through injury-wise then you appreciate any time
on the pitch. It's a bonus to get the result and a bonus to pop up with a
goal. "I enjoy trying to get on the ball, drive us forward and to try and
make things happen. Thankfully I managed to do that on Tuesday. I won the
penalty and probably should have done better with a couple of other chances.
"The loan move was a great experience and it was invaluable getting game
time. I played four 90 minutes back-to-back in a month, which I haven't done
in a long time. I'm back now and I feel fitter and sharper. "You could say
I've got a new lease of life and I feel ready to go again and to fight for
my place. Nights like Tuesday will obviously go in my favour and hopefully
I've given the gaffer a few headaches and see where we are in a few weeks."
With usual penalty taker Mark Noble rested for the game, spot-kick duties
were first passed to Taylor following a foul on Kevin Nolan and then
Collison after he was fouled by Keith Tracey in added time. Both spot kicks
were expertly converted, with Tracey sent off for bringing Collison down as
the the last man, and the West Ham No10 admitted he felt a few nerves before
taking his kick. "I nearly made a hash of my chance and I can imagine what
the gaffer was saying on the bench," Collison joked. "I was confident I was
going to stick it away and Tracey caught me. If he hadn't caught me I think
I was going to roll it in. Obviously I was a bit nervous but it was great to
stick in the back of the net. "Nobes is a fantastic penalty taker and he
must have scored nearly 20 penalties in big games but when he's not playing
I'm going to try to get on them. It was great to be out there in a West Ham
shirt again."
As has happened in every Capital One Cup game this season, James Tomkins
captained the side and he and Collison assumed the rare mantle of being
experienced heads among a team boasting several promising Acadmeny
graduates. Pelly Ruddock, Leo Chambers and Dan Potts all stood out as part
of a resolute defence and Collison confessed it was pleasing to see the next
wave of talented youngsters show how quickly they are progressing. "Me and
Tonks were having a bit of a laugh and joke on the way down saying we're
like veterans now getting the young boys to make tea for us at the back of
the bus! But seriously, it gives you an extra buzz looking round the pitch
seeing all the youngsters that have come through the Academy on the pitch.
"It's great experience for them to come to a place like Burnley. It's a
tough place, Ings and Vokes are on fire in the Championship and the boys at
the back were magnificent. Fair play to them and the gaffer said that he
might well stick to the team in the next round so it's a great opportunity."
Collison will be hoping he has done enough to retain his starting place for
Saturday's Barclays Premier League meeting with Aston Villa at the Boleyn
Ground. The Hammers have registered some impressive away results thus far,
conceding just one goal in five away games, but have found the going tougher
at home with three defeats in a row. "The boys have been magnificent away.
It was a fantastic result at Swansea at the weekend [a 0-0 draw] and a great
result at Spurs [a 3-0 win] so it's down to us to return to the home form of
last season as that's what got us in the top half. "It's a great opportunity
against Aston Villa in front of our own fans. The boys are going to get a
massive boost from Tuesday and the gaffer is going to get us ready and the
crowd are going to be fantastic so it's going to be a great game on
Saturday."
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Hammers stars meet fans
WHUFC.com
Joey O'Brien and Mo Diame met Hammers supporters at a special event at the
Romford store on Wednesday
30.10.2013
After arriving back in the early hours following the Capital One Cup victory
at Burnley, West Ham United players Joey O'Brien and Mohamed Diame were
straight out after a warm-down to meet jubilant supporters at a special
half-term event. The Hammers pair were at the club's Liberty Romford store
on Wednesday afternoon to meet and chat with fans, sign autographs and pose
for photographs as youngsters across Essex enjoy their week off from school.
Both O'Brien and Diame played in Tuesday's 2-0 win over Sky Bet Championship
leaders Burnley - which saw two spot-kicks from Matt Taylor and Jack
Collison win the tie for the Hammers - and were greeted with lots of praise
following the cup win. Fans young and old queued patiently to see the
players, clutching shirts, footballs, calendars, autograph books and many
other items bought in the shop.
Meeting the fans is certainly a pleasure for O'Brien, who said it was an
enjoyable event. "It was great. Everyone was talking about the cup win the
night before and just wishing us luck again for the weekend match against
Aston Villa. "It is a chance for us to meet fans personally like this and
all the lads are very appreciative of their support, they were there again
for us in high numbers on Tuesday night at Burnley. So for us to come along
to chat with them and sign for them, spend that bit of time, it's great."
Both players were in good spirits themselves and were more than amused at
the amount of West Ham 2014 calendars they had to sign - both are featured
in it for next year, O'Brien for the month of October and Diame for January.
O'Brien said: "I am not sure if it will be sold out because Mo and I are in
it! But it certainly seemed a popular thing for the fans to purchase!" Diame
also praised the supporters and said that their backing would be key in
trying to get three points this Saturday against Villa at the Boleyn Ground.
"I know how much our fans get behind us and we are very grateful for that
support always. I come out after games and even if it is late, fans are
still there waiting to just say hello. So it was good to meet the supporters
here and I am sure they will be cheering us on again this weekend, hopefully
we can match that with a good result."
Following O'Brien and Diame at the Liberty Romford store, team-mates Winston
Reid and Guy Demel will visited the Lakeside Thurrock on Thursday to meet
with fans as they look to start their Christmas shopping for the upcoming
festive season.
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Taylor glad to book quarter-final spot
WHUFC.com
Matt Taylor's penalty helped West Ham United see off Burnley in the Capital
One Cup on Tuesday
30.10.2013
Matt Taylor's emphatic 76th minute penalty sent West Ham on their way to a
2-0 victory over Burnley in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup on
Tuesday night. The Hammers were made to work hard for their victory by the
top-of-the-table Championship side but eventually made their class tell in
the second period. Jack Collison made the game safe with a second penalty at
the death and Taylor, an ever present in the Hammers' cup run, was delighted
to book a quarter-final slot. He told whufc.com: "We didn't have a
particularly great first half, but the manager came in and changed the
formation and personnel at half time, and we went out in the second half and
put them on the back foot. "I know we've won it with two penalties but I
still thought that we were the better team and that it was a fully deserved
win. "It was a very difficult game tonight, they're doing exceptionally well
in the league and it was one in which we had to grind it out and work hard.
They're a good team and judging by what we've seen tonight they have a good
chance of getting promoted to the Premier League."
Burnley started strongly as the Hammers took their time adapting to a
new-look 3-5-2 system, but Sam Allardyce's side, which included a number of
homegrown youngsters, improved after the break to see off the hosts. Taylor
added: "We did our homework and had a lot of information about Burnley and
we knew they would pressure us high up the pitch. Their gameplan worked in
the first half and ours did in the second half. It was really pleasing to
get the result and get in the hat for the next round. "Jack [Collison] came
on and did exceptionally well in the second half. It was nice for the lads
who haven't played a lot of football, especially the young boys, to
experience a good, competitive game in a good, competitive arena. "They
realise that if they want to make a career in the game, then these are the
nights they need to learn from. I think they did do that, the young lads
played exceptionally well and they'll grow in stature and hopefully get more
chances in the future."
Taylor's penalty conversion was his first goal since September last year, so
he was delighted to play his part - although disappointed that he had to sit
out the final few minutes after picking up a knock to his calf. He added:
"It's been a while since I've taken a penalty, but I'm confident in my own
ability that I can put it in a decent area. The goalkeeper went the right
way, but it had enough power on it to go in. "It was a very good penalty
from Jack too and I'm really happy for him. Had I been on the pitch I might
have tried to take it off him, but I wasn't and I'm really happy for him.
"It's nice to score and hopefully look towards a positive rest of the
season."
The Hammers were backed by a 2,000-strong travelling army and the
31-year-old finished with special praise for them. He said: "It's a great
reault for the Club and we have to thank the 2,000 fans who have made the
long journey up on a Tuesday night for making that journey. It was very good
to see them here and nice to send them home happy."
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Making the big decisions
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 30th October 2013
By: Tim Keen
West Ham United are through to the quarter finals of the Capital One Cup. We
qualified with the help of three Academy graduates in the infancy of their
careers all playing in defence.
The remainder of the starting eleven was a blend of fringe players and two
first team starters.
When the side was announced pre kick-off, I along with many others was
sceptical. This is a big game for the club, a chance to get one step closer
to Wembley, a quarter final awaits, thousands have travelled to Burnley on a
Tuesday night and Allardyce decides to play a severely weakened team against
a form side from the Championship.
How are these kids going to cope? This is not the time to blood the
youngsters, another chance at winning a Cup has been lost, the manager has
got this wrong. These are all thoughts that flashed through my head. I
wondered what Sam Allardyce was thinking both in the immediate sense about
the tie and his all-round approach to management.
However, 90 minutes later, we were through. A decidedly dodgy first half
survived and then the introduction of several first team players and we made
it in to the hat for the next round. We can now celebrate victory and be
proud of the achievement.
We have won a tough away tie, we're in the quarter finals, just two rounds
from Wembley, the thousands that travelled have been rewarded with victory.
Allardyce's bold selections have paid off. The young players have handled
the situation well and are now that much more ready for further first-team
games. We are going to win the Cup, Allardyce has got it right!
In 90 minutes everything can change, opinions can switch from one end of the
scale to the other. As supporters we have that luxury, we can bemoan the
selections pre-game and then laugh it off afterwards if we are proved wrong.
Allardyce went for youth and squad rotation, some agreed - some disagreed.
Many wanted experience and a full first team.
These are the quandaries faced by a manager. How did he balance his
selection against Burnley (off the back of a tough away game on Sunday)
whilst also considering the crucial game against Aston Villa on Saturday?
Defeat against Burnley would have led to severe criticism, even in victory
he may face some harsh words. Defeat against Villa off the back of a loss v
Burnley would have seen pressure on his employment. Even defeat after the
win will increase the nerves around Upton Park.
Just a few weeks ago West Ham beat Tottenham 3-0 at White Hart Lane playing
a 4-6-0 formation. Allardyce is a tactical genius, he out-thought AVB and
master-minded victory. In truth it was part tactical innovation, part forced
due to a lack of striking options. Allardyce made the call to play without a
striker and it worked.
The manager made the big decision and reaped the rewards. But had Jermain
Defoe tucked away one of several chances created and the Hammers lost 1-0,
then Allardyce is a cretin, an imbecile. How can you expect to get results
in football playing without a striker? The manager is clueless.
On such decisions are manager's jobs held or lost.
The remit of managers, including Sam Allardyce, is to make decisions, the
crucial decisions. They are faced with difficult, almost impossible choices,
but they are paid handsomely to make those calls. We as fans make the
decisions hypothetically, we have the get out clause of not actually being
responsible.
We can discount our wrong decisions, underplay them. Sam Allardyce is not
afforded such forgiveness from the fans or the board. If he gets it wrong,
then it hurts the team and it hurts the fans and he gets the sack. Allardyce
is rewarded if he consistently gets it right.
David Sullivan and David Gold have similar responsibilities, they have
similar decisions to make on the future and the smooth running of the
football club. The significant difference being they do not have anyone
judging them that have the power to remove them from their positions.
Debate continues to rage between fans about the stadium move to Stratford.
Is it good for the club? Some say we must leave to improve our future
chances, that we will be able to compete at the big table if we take this
opportunity and get it right. Others say it will rip the soul out of the
club and success can be achieved in other ways. It does not have to come
from moving grounds, trying to compete with the big boys is not what
supporting West Ham is about.
Arguments are polarised and Sullivan and Gold have to find the balance, or
make the call on what they think is best for the club. Not all fans'
opinions can be accommodated (though it would help to be consulted more).
However, the difficulties arise in that if no consensus can be found amongst
the supporters, then what is the option for Gold and Sullivan? No action?
They paid the big money, they have the responsibility and the final say.
When the club made the questionable decision to sell highly discounted
tickets to various community groups for the game vs Manchester City, they
enraged a number of supporters. Why should anyone get a cheap ticket to a
game that has been increased in price to the top category and as a result
seen hundreds, more likely thousands unable to afford to go to the match?
They almost certainly shouldn't have offered the discounted tickets, but
there is still a flip-side to the debate. As a club, we are trying to
expand, engage with local community groups and charities around London. We
are trying to increase the fan-base and improve the atmosphere and the
diversity within the ground. That should be applauded and seen as a sign of
progress, but there is little doubt that the board chose the wrong way and
the wrong time to do this against Manchester City.
The board are faced with the quandary of trying to build a new fan base
whilst also maintaining the old one. Prices are rising despite the huge
influx of TV money this season. Ticket rises are justified by the argument
that we are in debt and need to keep money coming in whilst also trying to
compete in the Premier League. The board, like the manager, are expected to
make decisions, big choices, and are judged by how many of those they get
right on a consistent basis.
Sam Allardyce has been given several major tasks in his time as manager at
West Ham. Get the club in the Premier League, keep the club in the Premier
League and do both whilst also completely overhauling the squad and
eradicating the negativity that surrounded the club.
He has achieved all that and has had some mini-victories in his second
season in the Premier League, including the blooding of youngsters in a
winning League cup tie at Burnley. Success at Turf Moor, with a team of
youngsters was the reward for our manager getting a big decision right, just
as it was when we celebrated the success against Tottenham.
Signing Andy Carroll and getting the Olympic Stadium were seen as
achievements by the board by many, but they got it wrong against Manchester
City and have hurt a core of supporters with the continued increases in
ticket prices.
As a supporter you can look at the tough decisions made by both the board
and the manager, you can judge those decisions in the heat of the moment and
then in a more sober light. Forums are a place to vent those feelings and
see the debate played out.
Whether they are getting it right or wrong, or somewhere in the middle, it
is key for us as fans to understand that the choices being made are tough
ones and that the self-righteous judgement from us as supporters -
particularly the fickle ones who don't admit when they call it wrong - does
not always make it easier.
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A Noble statement
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 30th October 2013
By: Jason Eves
With Ravel Morrison's performances earning rave reviews from footballing
alumni across the UK, people have been tipping him to make the jump from
Under 21s to the full England fold even though he only made his Under 21s
debut a few weeks ago.
But, another West Ham player who believes he is ready for the international
stage is Mark Noble. When speaking to the Evening Standard recently, he
declared he is good enough to make the England squad. I know neutral (and
even rival) fans seeing this interview on Sky would be scoffed at it, but I
believe Mark has a point.
I'll be the first to say Ravel has been brilliant since coming back from the
loan at Birmingham, but I want to allow his talent to blossom and for us not
to heap too much pressure on him. But to avoid what Liverpool had with
Raheem Sterling we need to rest and rotate him every now and again; his
performances could suffer from the backlog of Premier League and Cup
fixtures if we aren't too careful.
While Ravel may have the nation's curiosity, Mark wants Hodgson's attention
and has happily gone about his work, with his all-round play and gutsy
performances reminiscent of former West Ham hero Scott Parker. (Good luck
with the Fulham move by the way… I think you'll need it.)
It's easy to forget that Mark has international experience at youth level,
having captained the England Under 18s and Under 21s side respectively at
various European championships. Whether he can make the transition to the
full squad begs the question, but Roy has so far been reluctant to welcome
him into the fold.
When you look at the England squad in its present state, especially in the
midfield department - we're looking at a veteran centre of Gerrard and
Lampard. Lest we forget even Michael Carrick is on the wrong side of thirty!
Coupling that with the inexperienced Ross Barkley, the electric Andros
Townsend, the struggling Jack Wilshere and Manchester City forgotten man
James Milner. You can't help but feel Noble has a good point.
Noble is approaching his prime now he is hitting his mid-twenties. He is
playing every week in the Premier League, which is the perfect platform to
hone your talent and also to gain national attention.
On paper, the England line-up features just six out of 23 players who
feature for non-Champions League teams. But these players are mainly squad
players for these teams, or have just been a part of the England set-up for
so long they have become part of the furniture.
Jermain Defoe does not feature for Tottenham on a regular basis after they
splurged 26 million on top-scorer Roberto Soldado. Chris Smalling is not
considered a Man Utd regular with Rio Ferdinand and company in the way.
I think Noble's best shot at dislodging someone in the England fold is James
Milner, who I regard more as an England player than a Manchester City
player. He's been phased out of the first team by the abundance of quality
in the midfield department that Manuel Pellegrini and his predecessors have
brought to Manchester in recent times.
Not to mention that his form for England has been poor. I don't think I've
seen him have a good game in an England shirt, with his lack of appearances
surely having an effect on him.
In City's opening ten games, Milner has only started three - whereas Noble
has been ever present, missing all but two games this season, one through
suspension and the other in the Carling Cup (for which he was rested).
West Ham's English core have all impressed this season. James Tomkins forced
his way back into the first team after losing his place to James Collins
last season. He has taken the bull by the horns and put in some assured
performances that might make him an outside shot.
Sadly defence may be England's strongest department, with Roy using the
familiar faces of Ashley Cole, Phil Jagielka, Gary Cahill and the
underwhelming Kyle Walker along the back four. All Tomkins can really do is
keep his head down and keep up the good work, and with a bit of luck and
avoiding injury he might be clutching a ticket to Rio.
Stewart Downing also has every chance of making the England line-up. Getting
away from the pressure-cooker environment of Anfield and a hefty price tag
hanging above his head, he has grown in confidence and looks a bargain at
£6million. With a lack of left-sided wingers in England, Downing may be in
with a shout too… Unlikely but you never know!
Oh and don't forget to mention Andy Carroll, who I wish makes a speedy
recovery from his plantar fascia injury. If he can make his comeback before
the turn of the year, he will have plenty enough time to find match fitness
to force his way back into the England fold (hopefully reinvigorating our
ailing front line in the process).
Although a part of me always worries whenever a West Ham striker gets called
up to the international fold, it might just be me being superstitious and
sore over what happened to Dean Ashton...
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WEST HAM OLYMPIC STADIUM PRICING MODELS
By Sean Whetstone 30 Oct 2013 at 10:35
West Ham Till I Die
In this new series of financial related articles I will cover aspects of our
planned move to the Olympic Stadium.
Today's article is about the future West ham Olympic Stadium ticketing
revenue and what it could mean for us.
One of the primary goals of us moving to Olympic Stadium was to increase our
capacity from 35,000 to 54,000 and ultimately using that extra ticket
revenue to complete with the top six clubs.
Although West Ham have not formally published their ticketing strategy for
the Olympic Stadium yet they have made various statements on the Olympic
Stadium micro site
They say "As a Board we have always been committed to offering affordable
family football and the increased capacity opens up many new opportunities
to support this initiative. There will be more affordable seats and more
entry-level pricing but we will also be able to offer the more premium
products that our current stadium cannot offer at present.The move will
ensure the Club is more accessible to our existing supporters, plus it will
be more attractive to key groups – families and female supporters in
particular – to name a few. We are offering up to 100,000 free tickets per
season that will ensure some of the most deprived children in the country
will gain access to elite sport and drive an increase in sports
participation"
In the past two financial years 2010/2011 & 2011/2012 West Ham have revealed
that match day ticket income has totaled £18,808,000 in 2010/2011 (Premier
League) and £13,596,000 in 2011/2012 (Championship). Figures for 2012/2013
have yet to be published in February next year.
As a crude calculation if you divide the £18.8m of tickets we sold in the
2010/2011 season by the 35,016 seats at the Boleyn ground you get average
revenue of £537.12 per seat. If you then multiple this by the 54,000 seats
at the Olympic Stadium you get just an estimated £29m per season in ticket
sales.
Although I am sure the extra £10m would be welcome I struggle to see how it
will help us compete with the top six clubs on its own.
As a comparison:
Arsenal earns £95m per season from match day receipts valuing each one of
their 60,362 seats at the Emirates at £1,573. If we could achieve the same
pricing model as Arsenal we would bring in nearly £85m in ticket sales.
Spurs got £43.3m last season in match day tickets valuing their 36,240 seats
at White Hart Lane at just under £1195 per seat on average. They plan to
move in to their 56,000 seat new Stadium around the same time as our move so
could earn around £67m at that valuation per seat.
Both of these clubs earn ticketing revenue from home European games
Looking at the other end both Newcastle and Sunderland have big Stadia. St
James Park with it's 52,405 seats brings in Newcastle £24m per season while
the Stadium of Light with 48,707 seats brings in just £14m for Sunderland.
This means the average value per seat for Newcastle is £458 and Sunderland
is just £287 per seat. With the Sunderland pricing model we would earn less
then we earn already at the Boleyn Ground bringing in £15.5m compared to
£19m in 2011.
When it is finally published the West Ham ticketing strategy for the Olympic
Stadium will be a fine balancing act between affordable family football, our
commitment to the local community and big ambition for European football
even Champions league one day.
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West Ham starlets Danny Potts, Pelly Ruddock and Leo Chambers have boss Sam
Allardyce purring
30 Oct 2013 22:30
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce claims West Ham's fabled Academy of Football has produced
three more gems. Allardyce was delighted by the displays of rookie defenders
Danny Potts, Pelly Ruddock and Leo Chambers in the Capital One Cup win over
Burnley. Ruddock, 20, made his debut for the Hammers' first-team, while it
was only 18-year-old Chambers' third appearance and 19-year-old Potts' first
of the season. Now, Allardyce intends to keep faith with them for the
quarter-finals: "The Capital One Cup is a good competition for us [in terms
of] playing players who are desperate to get in the first team. "They are
top of the Under-21 league, winning every week, so I have to do something
about it. "I have to give them a chance and this was their big chance. Three
players, all defenders - Pelly Ruddock, Leo Chambers and Danny Potts - can
feel very proud of what they have done. "They were three of our back four in
the last 20 minutes or so, when we had to take James Tomkins off with a
slight hamstring - so all credit to them."
Matt Taylor, who scored West Ham's first goal to put them on their way to
victory, was also impressed. "They realise that if they want to make a
career in the game, then these are the nights they need to learn from," he
said. "I think they did that. "The young lads played exceptionally well and
they'll grow in stature and hopefully get more chances in the future."
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Thursday, October 31
Wednesday, October 30
Daily WHUFC News - 30th October 2013
Two penalties see West Ham through
WHUFC.com
Matt Taylor and Jack Collison both scored spot kicks to defeat Burnley 2-0
on Tuesday
29.10.2013
Burnley 0-2 West Ham United
Capital One Cup fourth round
West Ham United notched a brace of penalties to move into the Capital One
Cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 win at Burnley on Tuesday night. Coming just
52 hours after Sunday's draw at Swansea, the Hammers made nine changes to
their starting line-up for the Turf Moor tie and had to withstand a strong
first half from the hosts. The Hammers improved after the break and
eventually saw off the Championship leaders with two spot kicks in the final
14 minutes. Matt Taylor scored the first before Jack Collison, just back
from his loan at AFC Bournemouth, made the game safe in stoppage time. It
was the hosts who were first out of the traps, and former Hammer Junior
Stanislas tested Adrian in the visitors' goal, with a low drive which was
headed for the Spaniard's bottom left-hand corner until his intervention.
The hosts went close in the aftermath of the resulting corner too, as Danny
Ings swivelled and fired in a rising shot which Adrian got fingertips to on
its way over.
West Ham were operating in an new-look 3-5-2 formation and it took them a
while to find their feet. In the meantime, Ings flicked a header wide of the
mark after Kieran Trippier slung in a cross from deep on the right hand
side. Burnley were the more lively side in the first half, although they
were restricted in their goalscoring opportunities. There was a scare for
the Hammers five minutes before the break when Sam Vokes crashed a header
against the post, although the fright was shortlived as a flag raised for
offside would have ruled the Welshman's header out in any case.
Sam Allardyce made a change at the interval, introducing Collison for
Mohamed Diame, and the Hammers began the second period is much brighter
fashion.
Carlton Cole's deflected shot in the 51st minute led to a run of three
consecutive corners, all of which had Burnley under pressure, before Taylor
fizzed in a low cross from the left with 55 minutes played that only just
evaded Carlton Cole and Modibo Maiga in the centre. Carlton Cole was making
his first start since rejoining the Club earlier this month and he was
withdrawn on the hour for Stewart Downing, but it was Burnley who threatened
next as Trippier's 67th minute free kick wobbled as it moved through the
area and smashed against the top of the bar. Nine minutes later the Hammers
were given the opportunity to edge in front when Maiga flicked Dan Potts'
long free kick on and Kevin Nolan was bundled over by Jason Shackell. Taylor
took responsibility from the spot and the result was never in doubt as he
smashed high into the top right corner, giving Heaton no chance.
Adrian stopped a Vokes header following a Kightly corner five minutes from
the end, but the Hammers won a second penalty in stoppage time to seal their
place in the last eight. Keith Treacy was the guilty party this time,
bringing down Collison as he bore down on an open goal after collecting
Heaton's poor kick.
Treacy was given his marching orders and Collison dispatched the penalty
into the same top corner as Taylor.
Burnley: Heaton; Trippier, Long, Shackell, Mee; Treacy, Stock, Edgar (Noble
90), Stanislas (Kightly 83); Vokes, Ings
Subs: Liversedge, Lafferty, Duff, Howieson, Hewitt
Booked: Shackell
Sent off: Treacy
West Ham United: Adrian; Ruddock, Tomkins (Nolan 71), O'Brien; Chambers,
J.Cole, Taylor, Diame (Collison 46), Potts; C.Cole (Downing 59), Maiga
Subs: Spiegel, Morrison, Tombides, Fanimo
Goals: Taylor pen 76, Collison pen 90+3
Referee: Robert Madley
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam happy with Burnley victory
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was pleased with the Hammers' 2-0 Capital One Cup fourth-round
victory at Burnley
29.10.2013
Sam Allardyce was pleased to see his West Ham United side recover from a
slow start to speed past Burnley into the Capital One Cup quarter-finals.
The Hammers took to the Turf Moor pitch just 52 hours after gaining a
goalless Barclays Premier League draw at Swansea City, with Big Sam making
nine changes to the team that started at the Liberty Stadium. Just captain
James Tomkins and Mohamed Diame kept their places in a 3-5-2 formation that
also included Development Squad regulars Leo Chambers, Pelly Ruddock and Dan
Potts. After an indifferent first-half display, Big Sam changed his system
and brought on Jack Collison, Stewart Downing and Kevin Nolan. The
alterations paid-off as Nolan won a penalty converted by Matt Taylor before
Collison was fouled and scored himself from the spot in added time to secure
a 2-0 win. "I told everybody after the Swansea match that we would change
the team in terms of the players we would need to use to make sure we had
enough fresh legs to cope with a very difficult game," said Big Sam.
"Burnley are top of the Championship and they beat QPR comfortably 2-0 on
Saturday. We played on Sunday afternoon at four o'clock and got back late on
Sunday night, so it would have been ridiculous of me not to use the players
who were fit, eager and raring to go and remiss of me not to play some of
the Under-21s who are top of their league and test them at this level.
"Getting the result means I've done my job the right way and that's what I'm
paid to do and have to do, irrespective of what everybody from outside West
Ham says in terms of what needs to be done. "The players have paid me back
in terms of what needs to be done because the first half wasn't very clever.
We had to reshuffle and the defence was there again. We've now played six
games away from home and conceded just one goal, and even that was from a
penalty that wasn't a penalty. "We had a back four for the last 20 minutes
that included Leo Chambers, Pelly Ruddock and Dan Potts and had Joey
O'Brien, a full-back, at centre-half. They defended against Sam Vokes and
Danny Ings, who have scored nearly 20 Championship goals between them. "Jack
Collison, Stewart Downing and Kevin Nolan all lifted the team in terms of
possession when they came on and we started passing the ball properly in the
right areas, getting in and around Burnley and showing their defensive
weaknesses. "Eventually, we got two penalties and they clinched it. It was a
well-deserved victory in the end and a really good performance that has got
us into the quarter-finals."
While Big Sam did lament the loss of Taylor to a calf injury that will keep
him out for a 'few weeks' and a slight hamstring twinge suffered by Tomkins,
the manager was happy with the performance of his younger players at Turf
Moor. "After the Aldershot game two years ago, I showed that if they weren't
good enough that they wouldn't be here for much longer. "Now we have a group
of youngsters who are top of the U21 Premier League, so they deserved a
chance on the basis that they have been winning every week and we needed to
test them at this level. "I need to rotate my squad because I can't keep
playing the same eleven all the time, because they will get injured. "With
such a young team out there against a team that is top of the Championship,
it was a massive bonus for me to see us win and keep a clean sheet."
In closing, Big Sam said the 2,000-plus fans who had made the long journey
to Lancashire had been rewarded for their outstanding loyalty and passionate
support. "I didn't really tell the players to go out and play they way they
played in the first half, but the fans gave me a bit of stick walking off
and rightly so because they hadn't seen their players play the way they
can," said the manager. "I told them at half-time that our 2,000 fans had
paid 80 or 90 quid to get to the game and they were giving them stick so
'What are you doing? You've got a West Ham shirt on and I don't care old or
young you are, go out there and give them some entertainment and value for
money'. "I told them 'I'm going to change the system to help you because the
current one isn't working, then you go out and play like you can'. "Systems
only work when the individuals play to their best and our individuals did a
magnificent job in the second half and gave the fans a lot of entertaining,
attacking play at their end. They wanted to see us win and we did."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
U21s made to wait for cup opposition
WHUFC.com
The Development Squad will have to wait to discover their U21 Premier League
Cup opponents
29.10.2013
Nick Haycock's Development Squad will have to wait a little longer to
discover who they will face in the U21 Premier League Cup Round of 32. The
Hammers have been drawn against the winners of the Bristol City-Peterborough
United Second Qualifiying Round tie, which was due to be played on Monday.
But heavy rain in Bristol led to the match being postponed with a
waterlogged pitch and a new date will have to be found for the meeting
between the Robins and the Posh.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Burnley 0-2 West Ham Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 29th October 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are through to the next round of the Capital One Cup - but were
made to work for the win by a hard-working Burnley side. Two second half
penalties were enough to see the Hammers through to the next stage of the
competition, as Sam Allardyce's side weathered a Burnley storm before seeing
off the Championship leaders. The home side, unbeaten at home in their
previous 13 outings controlled the first half but were ultimately made to
pay for failing to make the most of their dominance against a West Ham team
featuring nine changes from that which drew at Swansea just 48 hours
earlier. Having survived a scare in the 67th minute when Kieran Trippier's
20-yard free kick crashed off the crossbar, the Hammers finally broke the
deadlock with just 14 minutes of normal time remaining. Kevin Nolan, one of
three first team players introduced in the second period was awarded a spot
kick after he was felled by Claret's defender Jason Shackell. The defender's
furious protests were rewarded with a yellow card before Matt Taylor smashed
the ball into the left-hand corner of Tom Heaton's net.
Passage into the quarter finals of the competition was finally assured when
the Hammers were awarded another penalty in the second minute of added-on
time. A United counter attack drew a mistake from 'keeper Heaton which left
Hammers sub Jack Collison with a clear run on goal. As the Welsh
international prepared to pull the trigger he was taken down by a rash
challenge from Keith Treacy, who was subsequently issued with a red card.
Collison - making his first appearance for West Ham since returning from a
month-long loan spell at Bournemouth - dusted himself off before putting his
spot kick into the same area as team mate Taylor had before him to secure a
2-0 win; a comfortable win on the face of it, but one for which United had
to work hard to secure. * The draw for the quarter finals of the Capital One
Cup will be made live on Sky Sports tomorrow [Wednesday] night, following
the fourth round tie between Newcastle and Man City.
West Ham's opponents will be one of the following:
Chelsea; Stoke City; Leicester City; Manchester Utd; Newcastle Utd or
Manchester City; Tottenham or Hull City; Sunderland or Southampton.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Late penalties gift West Ham 2-0 victory over Burnley at Turf Moor
Last Updated: October 29, 2013 9:59pm
SSN
A pair of second-half penalties from Matt Taylor and Jack Collison sent West
Ham into the Capital One Cup's quarter-finals as they ended 10-man Burnley's
run of eight successive victories. This was always likely to be a tricky tie
for the Hammers with their opponents, leading the Sky Bet Championship, in
such buoyant mood after recent results and bidding to win an 11th straight
League Cup tie at Turf Moor. Yet, in a much-improved second-half showing,
Sam Allardyce's substitutions helped turn the tide in the visitors' favour
with Kevin Nolan, one of those replacements, winning the all-important first
spot-kick and Collison earning and converting the second. The hosts had
shaded the first half but found stubborn resistance in the form of Hammers
goalkeeper Adrian, who twice repelled efforts from Junior Stanislas, while a
stop from Danny Ings sandwiched in-between was the pick of the bunch.
Allardyce's men were struggling to ask questions at the other end despite
fans' favourite Carlton Cole and Modibo Maiga both deployed as strikers. In
the second half the contest began to open up but it was still the Clarets
who looked more threatening, full-back Kieran Trippier hitting the crossbar
with a wicked free-kick after the hour mark. Nolan was brought down by Jason
Shackell in the area and, although the centre-back looked to have won the
ball, referee Robert Madley pointed to the spot with Taylor making no
mistake. As the visitors tried to force extra-time, Collison sprung on the
break and was hauled down by Keith Treacy, with the winger being sent off,
before the Welsh midfielder himself stroked home the penalty to hand Sean
Dyche's men their first defeat since August.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Burnley's Danny Ings praises West Ham's Ravel Morrison ahead of Capital One
Cup clash
Last Updated: October 29, 2013 8:47am
SSN
Burnley striker Danny Ings knows all about the mercurial talents of England
Under-21 team-mate Ravel Morrison, but he will hope to get the better of the
West Ham forward when their respective clubs meet in the Capital One Cup.
Morrison and the free-scoring Ings will be reunited at Turf Moor on the
domestic scene after becoming acquainted as a part of Gareth Southgate's
set-up earlier this month. The enigmatic Morrison, touted as a future star
during his time with Manchester United, has earned wide-spread praise of
late after showing considerable signs of maturation at Upton Park. Ings was
certainly impressed with what he saw during training at St George's Park and
is fully aware of the threat he is likely to pose his Clarets team-mates.
"He's got all the ability in the world; he's a great player," said the
21-year-old. "On the ball he's incredible. He was really good in training,
he scored some ridiculous goals as well, he's a good player."
The admiration clearly extends both ways, with Morrison praising Ings after
his two goals saw Burnley past QPR as they extended their advantage at the
top of the Sky Bet Championship table on Saturday. "Danny ings is a very
very good player," Morrison said on Twitter at the weekend. The
ex-Bournemouth man's brace against Rangers took his tally for the season to
13 goals in just 16 games and he continues to reap rewards in tandem with
Wales international Sam Vokes. Certainly Hammers boss Sam Allardyce, shorn
of attacking options himself since Andy Carroll's injury earlier in the
year, could look at Burnley's duo with envy as he presides over whether to
persist with his much-debated 4-6-0 formation. The form of the Clarets'
front two has inspired them to eight straight wins in all competitions and
Sean Dyche's men have extra reason to feel buoyant about booking a
quarter-final spot on home soil. Burnley have progressed in each of the
previous 10 League Cup ties at Turf Moor and Ings expects the Hammers to be
the 11th straight visitor to exit in East Lancashire. "I'm sure we're going
to beat them," he said. "I'm really confident about that game. I'm sure with
the confidence we've got at the moment we can turn anyone over. The crowd
have been great getting behind us and it seems to be getting louder and
louder."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Burnley 0-2 West Ham: Taylor and Collison penalties seal Capital One Cup
progress
29 Oct 2013 22:10
The Mirror
Sean Dyche felt Burnley were victims of a refereeing injustice after seeing
their eight-game winning streak ended. Referee Robert Madley gave West Ham a
controversial penalty for Jason Shackell's challenge on Kevin Nolan and
Dyche claimed the official did not have a proper view of the incident. Matt
Taylor dispatched the 76th-minute penalty before Keith Treacy was red carded
for a professional foul on Jack Collison, who converted the Hammers' second
spot-kick in the fourth minute of stoppage time. "It was a big decision
which changed it," said the Burnley manager. "I have asked the referee about
it and he said he was happy with his view but I wasn't happy with his view.
"It is a very difficult place to see a penalty from, behind the play,
through three or four players.
"Whether or not it was a penalty is debatable and Shacks got a tiny touch on
it. "I'm more interested in his viewpoint. And it's very difficult from
behind the play, wrong side of the incident, with two or three players in
front of him. It's very difficult for a referee to be 100 per cent sure.
"But I always respect the referee's decision and that's the way it is."
Sam Allardyce admitted West Ham might have been fortunate, but insisted they
deserved to win. "I had too many bodies in front of me and I haven't had a
look at it on my laptop yet," said the Hammers boss. "But the second one was
absolutely stonewall. It was in front of me and I could see it. It was
cynical. But, if we have had a bit of luck, we have had a bit of luck.
Pictures from Burnley vs West Ham and more of the night's ties: "Really,
there was no doubt that when we started to play in the second half, which we
didn't in the first half, we got through the Burnley defence and got the
victory we deserved."
Defeat was hard on Dyche's men and they played well, hitting the bar through
Kieran Trippier. Even Allardyce admitted they were the better side in the
first half and former Hammers midfielder Junior Stanislas unleashed a low
drive, which Adrian touched around his right-hand post. They maintained the
pressure and 13-goal top scorer Danny Ings hit a fierce shot, which the
Hammers' Spanish goalkeeper pushed over. West Ham, who ditched their 4-6-0
formation to play with two strikers, improved in the second half and skipper
James Tomkins had a header hoofed clear before Joe Cole put the ball in the
net, only for it to be disallowed for offside. Trippier then hit a 25-yard
free-kick against the bar before Madley's contentious call when Shackell
tackled Nolan decided the tie.
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WHUFC.com
Matt Taylor and Jack Collison both scored spot kicks to defeat Burnley 2-0
on Tuesday
29.10.2013
Burnley 0-2 West Ham United
Capital One Cup fourth round
West Ham United notched a brace of penalties to move into the Capital One
Cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 win at Burnley on Tuesday night. Coming just
52 hours after Sunday's draw at Swansea, the Hammers made nine changes to
their starting line-up for the Turf Moor tie and had to withstand a strong
first half from the hosts. The Hammers improved after the break and
eventually saw off the Championship leaders with two spot kicks in the final
14 minutes. Matt Taylor scored the first before Jack Collison, just back
from his loan at AFC Bournemouth, made the game safe in stoppage time. It
was the hosts who were first out of the traps, and former Hammer Junior
Stanislas tested Adrian in the visitors' goal, with a low drive which was
headed for the Spaniard's bottom left-hand corner until his intervention.
The hosts went close in the aftermath of the resulting corner too, as Danny
Ings swivelled and fired in a rising shot which Adrian got fingertips to on
its way over.
West Ham were operating in an new-look 3-5-2 formation and it took them a
while to find their feet. In the meantime, Ings flicked a header wide of the
mark after Kieran Trippier slung in a cross from deep on the right hand
side. Burnley were the more lively side in the first half, although they
were restricted in their goalscoring opportunities. There was a scare for
the Hammers five minutes before the break when Sam Vokes crashed a header
against the post, although the fright was shortlived as a flag raised for
offside would have ruled the Welshman's header out in any case.
Sam Allardyce made a change at the interval, introducing Collison for
Mohamed Diame, and the Hammers began the second period is much brighter
fashion.
Carlton Cole's deflected shot in the 51st minute led to a run of three
consecutive corners, all of which had Burnley under pressure, before Taylor
fizzed in a low cross from the left with 55 minutes played that only just
evaded Carlton Cole and Modibo Maiga in the centre. Carlton Cole was making
his first start since rejoining the Club earlier this month and he was
withdrawn on the hour for Stewart Downing, but it was Burnley who threatened
next as Trippier's 67th minute free kick wobbled as it moved through the
area and smashed against the top of the bar. Nine minutes later the Hammers
were given the opportunity to edge in front when Maiga flicked Dan Potts'
long free kick on and Kevin Nolan was bundled over by Jason Shackell. Taylor
took responsibility from the spot and the result was never in doubt as he
smashed high into the top right corner, giving Heaton no chance.
Adrian stopped a Vokes header following a Kightly corner five minutes from
the end, but the Hammers won a second penalty in stoppage time to seal their
place in the last eight. Keith Treacy was the guilty party this time,
bringing down Collison as he bore down on an open goal after collecting
Heaton's poor kick.
Treacy was given his marching orders and Collison dispatched the penalty
into the same top corner as Taylor.
Burnley: Heaton; Trippier, Long, Shackell, Mee; Treacy, Stock, Edgar (Noble
90), Stanislas (Kightly 83); Vokes, Ings
Subs: Liversedge, Lafferty, Duff, Howieson, Hewitt
Booked: Shackell
Sent off: Treacy
West Ham United: Adrian; Ruddock, Tomkins (Nolan 71), O'Brien; Chambers,
J.Cole, Taylor, Diame (Collison 46), Potts; C.Cole (Downing 59), Maiga
Subs: Spiegel, Morrison, Tombides, Fanimo
Goals: Taylor pen 76, Collison pen 90+3
Referee: Robert Madley
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam happy with Burnley victory
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was pleased with the Hammers' 2-0 Capital One Cup fourth-round
victory at Burnley
29.10.2013
Sam Allardyce was pleased to see his West Ham United side recover from a
slow start to speed past Burnley into the Capital One Cup quarter-finals.
The Hammers took to the Turf Moor pitch just 52 hours after gaining a
goalless Barclays Premier League draw at Swansea City, with Big Sam making
nine changes to the team that started at the Liberty Stadium. Just captain
James Tomkins and Mohamed Diame kept their places in a 3-5-2 formation that
also included Development Squad regulars Leo Chambers, Pelly Ruddock and Dan
Potts. After an indifferent first-half display, Big Sam changed his system
and brought on Jack Collison, Stewart Downing and Kevin Nolan. The
alterations paid-off as Nolan won a penalty converted by Matt Taylor before
Collison was fouled and scored himself from the spot in added time to secure
a 2-0 win. "I told everybody after the Swansea match that we would change
the team in terms of the players we would need to use to make sure we had
enough fresh legs to cope with a very difficult game," said Big Sam.
"Burnley are top of the Championship and they beat QPR comfortably 2-0 on
Saturday. We played on Sunday afternoon at four o'clock and got back late on
Sunday night, so it would have been ridiculous of me not to use the players
who were fit, eager and raring to go and remiss of me not to play some of
the Under-21s who are top of their league and test them at this level.
"Getting the result means I've done my job the right way and that's what I'm
paid to do and have to do, irrespective of what everybody from outside West
Ham says in terms of what needs to be done. "The players have paid me back
in terms of what needs to be done because the first half wasn't very clever.
We had to reshuffle and the defence was there again. We've now played six
games away from home and conceded just one goal, and even that was from a
penalty that wasn't a penalty. "We had a back four for the last 20 minutes
that included Leo Chambers, Pelly Ruddock and Dan Potts and had Joey
O'Brien, a full-back, at centre-half. They defended against Sam Vokes and
Danny Ings, who have scored nearly 20 Championship goals between them. "Jack
Collison, Stewart Downing and Kevin Nolan all lifted the team in terms of
possession when they came on and we started passing the ball properly in the
right areas, getting in and around Burnley and showing their defensive
weaknesses. "Eventually, we got two penalties and they clinched it. It was a
well-deserved victory in the end and a really good performance that has got
us into the quarter-finals."
While Big Sam did lament the loss of Taylor to a calf injury that will keep
him out for a 'few weeks' and a slight hamstring twinge suffered by Tomkins,
the manager was happy with the performance of his younger players at Turf
Moor. "After the Aldershot game two years ago, I showed that if they weren't
good enough that they wouldn't be here for much longer. "Now we have a group
of youngsters who are top of the U21 Premier League, so they deserved a
chance on the basis that they have been winning every week and we needed to
test them at this level. "I need to rotate my squad because I can't keep
playing the same eleven all the time, because they will get injured. "With
such a young team out there against a team that is top of the Championship,
it was a massive bonus for me to see us win and keep a clean sheet."
In closing, Big Sam said the 2,000-plus fans who had made the long journey
to Lancashire had been rewarded for their outstanding loyalty and passionate
support. "I didn't really tell the players to go out and play they way they
played in the first half, but the fans gave me a bit of stick walking off
and rightly so because they hadn't seen their players play the way they
can," said the manager. "I told them at half-time that our 2,000 fans had
paid 80 or 90 quid to get to the game and they were giving them stick so
'What are you doing? You've got a West Ham shirt on and I don't care old or
young you are, go out there and give them some entertainment and value for
money'. "I told them 'I'm going to change the system to help you because the
current one isn't working, then you go out and play like you can'. "Systems
only work when the individuals play to their best and our individuals did a
magnificent job in the second half and gave the fans a lot of entertaining,
attacking play at their end. They wanted to see us win and we did."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
U21s made to wait for cup opposition
WHUFC.com
The Development Squad will have to wait to discover their U21 Premier League
Cup opponents
29.10.2013
Nick Haycock's Development Squad will have to wait a little longer to
discover who they will face in the U21 Premier League Cup Round of 32. The
Hammers have been drawn against the winners of the Bristol City-Peterborough
United Second Qualifiying Round tie, which was due to be played on Monday.
But heavy rain in Bristol led to the match being postponed with a
waterlogged pitch and a new date will have to be found for the meeting
between the Robins and the Posh.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Burnley 0-2 West Ham Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 29th October 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are through to the next round of the Capital One Cup - but were
made to work for the win by a hard-working Burnley side. Two second half
penalties were enough to see the Hammers through to the next stage of the
competition, as Sam Allardyce's side weathered a Burnley storm before seeing
off the Championship leaders. The home side, unbeaten at home in their
previous 13 outings controlled the first half but were ultimately made to
pay for failing to make the most of their dominance against a West Ham team
featuring nine changes from that which drew at Swansea just 48 hours
earlier. Having survived a scare in the 67th minute when Kieran Trippier's
20-yard free kick crashed off the crossbar, the Hammers finally broke the
deadlock with just 14 minutes of normal time remaining. Kevin Nolan, one of
three first team players introduced in the second period was awarded a spot
kick after he was felled by Claret's defender Jason Shackell. The defender's
furious protests were rewarded with a yellow card before Matt Taylor smashed
the ball into the left-hand corner of Tom Heaton's net.
Passage into the quarter finals of the competition was finally assured when
the Hammers were awarded another penalty in the second minute of added-on
time. A United counter attack drew a mistake from 'keeper Heaton which left
Hammers sub Jack Collison with a clear run on goal. As the Welsh
international prepared to pull the trigger he was taken down by a rash
challenge from Keith Treacy, who was subsequently issued with a red card.
Collison - making his first appearance for West Ham since returning from a
month-long loan spell at Bournemouth - dusted himself off before putting his
spot kick into the same area as team mate Taylor had before him to secure a
2-0 win; a comfortable win on the face of it, but one for which United had
to work hard to secure. * The draw for the quarter finals of the Capital One
Cup will be made live on Sky Sports tomorrow [Wednesday] night, following
the fourth round tie between Newcastle and Man City.
West Ham's opponents will be one of the following:
Chelsea; Stoke City; Leicester City; Manchester Utd; Newcastle Utd or
Manchester City; Tottenham or Hull City; Sunderland or Southampton.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Late penalties gift West Ham 2-0 victory over Burnley at Turf Moor
Last Updated: October 29, 2013 9:59pm
SSN
A pair of second-half penalties from Matt Taylor and Jack Collison sent West
Ham into the Capital One Cup's quarter-finals as they ended 10-man Burnley's
run of eight successive victories. This was always likely to be a tricky tie
for the Hammers with their opponents, leading the Sky Bet Championship, in
such buoyant mood after recent results and bidding to win an 11th straight
League Cup tie at Turf Moor. Yet, in a much-improved second-half showing,
Sam Allardyce's substitutions helped turn the tide in the visitors' favour
with Kevin Nolan, one of those replacements, winning the all-important first
spot-kick and Collison earning and converting the second. The hosts had
shaded the first half but found stubborn resistance in the form of Hammers
goalkeeper Adrian, who twice repelled efforts from Junior Stanislas, while a
stop from Danny Ings sandwiched in-between was the pick of the bunch.
Allardyce's men were struggling to ask questions at the other end despite
fans' favourite Carlton Cole and Modibo Maiga both deployed as strikers. In
the second half the contest began to open up but it was still the Clarets
who looked more threatening, full-back Kieran Trippier hitting the crossbar
with a wicked free-kick after the hour mark. Nolan was brought down by Jason
Shackell in the area and, although the centre-back looked to have won the
ball, referee Robert Madley pointed to the spot with Taylor making no
mistake. As the visitors tried to force extra-time, Collison sprung on the
break and was hauled down by Keith Treacy, with the winger being sent off,
before the Welsh midfielder himself stroked home the penalty to hand Sean
Dyche's men their first defeat since August.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Burnley's Danny Ings praises West Ham's Ravel Morrison ahead of Capital One
Cup clash
Last Updated: October 29, 2013 8:47am
SSN
Burnley striker Danny Ings knows all about the mercurial talents of England
Under-21 team-mate Ravel Morrison, but he will hope to get the better of the
West Ham forward when their respective clubs meet in the Capital One Cup.
Morrison and the free-scoring Ings will be reunited at Turf Moor on the
domestic scene after becoming acquainted as a part of Gareth Southgate's
set-up earlier this month. The enigmatic Morrison, touted as a future star
during his time with Manchester United, has earned wide-spread praise of
late after showing considerable signs of maturation at Upton Park. Ings was
certainly impressed with what he saw during training at St George's Park and
is fully aware of the threat he is likely to pose his Clarets team-mates.
"He's got all the ability in the world; he's a great player," said the
21-year-old. "On the ball he's incredible. He was really good in training,
he scored some ridiculous goals as well, he's a good player."
The admiration clearly extends both ways, with Morrison praising Ings after
his two goals saw Burnley past QPR as they extended their advantage at the
top of the Sky Bet Championship table on Saturday. "Danny ings is a very
very good player," Morrison said on Twitter at the weekend. The
ex-Bournemouth man's brace against Rangers took his tally for the season to
13 goals in just 16 games and he continues to reap rewards in tandem with
Wales international Sam Vokes. Certainly Hammers boss Sam Allardyce, shorn
of attacking options himself since Andy Carroll's injury earlier in the
year, could look at Burnley's duo with envy as he presides over whether to
persist with his much-debated 4-6-0 formation. The form of the Clarets'
front two has inspired them to eight straight wins in all competitions and
Sean Dyche's men have extra reason to feel buoyant about booking a
quarter-final spot on home soil. Burnley have progressed in each of the
previous 10 League Cup ties at Turf Moor and Ings expects the Hammers to be
the 11th straight visitor to exit in East Lancashire. "I'm sure we're going
to beat them," he said. "I'm really confident about that game. I'm sure with
the confidence we've got at the moment we can turn anyone over. The crowd
have been great getting behind us and it seems to be getting louder and
louder."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Burnley 0-2 West Ham: Taylor and Collison penalties seal Capital One Cup
progress
29 Oct 2013 22:10
The Mirror
Sean Dyche felt Burnley were victims of a refereeing injustice after seeing
their eight-game winning streak ended. Referee Robert Madley gave West Ham a
controversial penalty for Jason Shackell's challenge on Kevin Nolan and
Dyche claimed the official did not have a proper view of the incident. Matt
Taylor dispatched the 76th-minute penalty before Keith Treacy was red carded
for a professional foul on Jack Collison, who converted the Hammers' second
spot-kick in the fourth minute of stoppage time. "It was a big decision
which changed it," said the Burnley manager. "I have asked the referee about
it and he said he was happy with his view but I wasn't happy with his view.
"It is a very difficult place to see a penalty from, behind the play,
through three or four players.
"Whether or not it was a penalty is debatable and Shacks got a tiny touch on
it. "I'm more interested in his viewpoint. And it's very difficult from
behind the play, wrong side of the incident, with two or three players in
front of him. It's very difficult for a referee to be 100 per cent sure.
"But I always respect the referee's decision and that's the way it is."
Sam Allardyce admitted West Ham might have been fortunate, but insisted they
deserved to win. "I had too many bodies in front of me and I haven't had a
look at it on my laptop yet," said the Hammers boss. "But the second one was
absolutely stonewall. It was in front of me and I could see it. It was
cynical. But, if we have had a bit of luck, we have had a bit of luck.
Pictures from Burnley vs West Ham and more of the night's ties: "Really,
there was no doubt that when we started to play in the second half, which we
didn't in the first half, we got through the Burnley defence and got the
victory we deserved."
Defeat was hard on Dyche's men and they played well, hitting the bar through
Kieran Trippier. Even Allardyce admitted they were the better side in the
first half and former Hammers midfielder Junior Stanislas unleashed a low
drive, which Adrian touched around his right-hand post. They maintained the
pressure and 13-goal top scorer Danny Ings hit a fierce shot, which the
Hammers' Spanish goalkeeper pushed over. West Ham, who ditched their 4-6-0
formation to play with two strikers, improved in the second half and skipper
James Tomkins had a header hoofed clear before Joe Cole put the ball in the
net, only for it to be disallowed for offside. Trippier then hit a 25-yard
free-kick against the bar before Madley's contentious call when Shackell
tackled Nolan decided the tie.
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Tuesday, October 29
Daily WHUFC News - 29th October 2013
Jussi not surprised by solid defence
WHUFC.com
Hammers goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen kept his fourth away clean sheet of
the season on Sunday
28.10.2013
West Ham United's defensive solidity on the road continued at Swansea City
on Sunday - and goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen was not surprised by another
shut out. The Hammers have now kept clean sheets in four of their five
Barclays Premier League games on the road, with Robbie Brady's dubious
penalty at Hull City the only time Jaaskelainen's goal has been breached
away from home. The Finn made saves from Chico Flores and Wilfried Bony
following set plays on Sunday, but was well protected by his backline as the
Hammers made their point. "It was a little disappointing that we couldn't
nick a goal in the first half because we created a couple of good chances,"
Jaaskelainen said. "That wasn't to be, but we defended well as a team and
kept another clean sheet, which gives you a good base to try and build
winning performances. "Clean sheets are what we build from. It's not just me
and the back four, it's the whole team, it's great for everybody in the
squad because the first aim we have is to keep a clean sheet. "I've not had
a run like this [away from home] in my career, but it just tells you how
well we work as a defensive unit. Maybe we just need to focus a little on
our final ball and final finish and we'll be alright."
Jaaskelainen is convinced the cutting edge will soon return if West Ham
continue to perform as they did at the Liberty Stadium. He added: "We passed
the ball pretty well and created some chances. We thought Swansea might get
a little tired towards the end after playing on Thursday night, but to be
fair they put us under a bit of pressure in the last 15 minutes. "They
didn't create many chances though - there were only a couple from corners -
so it was a decent point.
"If you look at it overall, we created some good chances as well and we just
need to be more ruthless and hopefully start scoring."
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Burnley match preview
WHUFC.com
All the information you need ahead of the Hammers' trip to Turf Moor
28.10.2013
BURNLEY v WEST HAM UNITED
CAPITAL ONE CUP FOURTH ROUND
TUESDAY 29 OCTOBER 2013
KICK-OFF: 7.45PM
REFEREE: ROBERT MADLEY
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
Introduction
• West Ham United face Championship leaders Burnley in the Capital One Cup
as they look to secure progress to the quarter-finals.
• The Hammers have beaten Cheltenham Town (2-1) and Cardiff City (3-2), both
at the Boleyn Ground, to get to this stage.
• Sam Allardyce's team have been tough to beat away from home so far this
season, losing only once - a 1-0 defeat to Hull City back on 28 September.
• That goal at the KC Stadium remains the only one conceded in five away
Barclays Premier League matches.
• Ravel Morrison has scored in both rounds of the competition so far and
will be hoping to keep that run going against the promotion hopefuls.
• Sean Dyche's team sit proudly top of English football's second tier having
won ten of 13 matches and losing only one.
• Saturday's win over QPR was the Burnley's seventh straight league victory.
• The Clarets have beaten York City, Preston North End and Nottingham Forest
to reach this stage.
• In those three cup ties they have conceded just once whilst finding the
net eight times.
• Danny Ings has been in fine form for Burnley so far this season and has
already accumulated 13 goals, four of which have come in the Capital One
Cup.
Team news
Burnley
• Ex-Hammer Junior Stanislas who, despite not featuring regularly in the
league, is in line to start against his old club having been a strong
performer in their cup run.
West Ham United
• Ricardo Vaz Te will miss the game after dislocating his shoulder against
Swansea City.
• Andy Carroll is still a long-term injury victim while fellow striker
Carlton Cole will hope to feature after coming on as a substitute on Sunday.
• Matt Taylor, Leo Chambers and Adrian will all hope to start after playing
in the previous two rounds.
• Jack Collison could also feature after his loan spell with Bournemouth
came to an end at the weekend.
Background
• West Ham United and Burnley have played each other 79 times with both
sides winning 31 and 17 ending as draws.
• The teams first met on 17 November 1923 with Burnley running out 5-1
winners.
• The Hammers biggest win at Turf Moor came on 28 September 1974 with a 5-3
success in Division One.
Last time out
Burnley 2-0 QPR
Sky Bet Championship
26 October 2013
Burnley: Heaton, Trippier, Mee, Jones, Duff, Shackell, Treacy (Stock 90),
Marney (Edgar 83), Vokes, Ings, Kightly
Subs not used: Lafferty, Stanislas, Cisak, Long, Noble
Goals: Ings 65, pen 88
Swansea City 0-0 West Ham United
Barclays Premier League
27 October 2013
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Reid, Tomkins, Rat, Diame (C.Cole 64),
Nolan, Noble, Morrison (J.Cole 78), Vaz Te (Jarvis 34), Downing
Subs not used: Adrian, Maiga, Taylor, O'Brien
Previous meeting
Burnley 2-2 West Ham United
Championship
24 March 2012
Burnley: Grant, Trippier, Duff, Edgar, Mee, Marney, McCann, Bartley
(Austin), Wallace, Paterson (Stanislas), Ings (McQuoid)
Subs not used: Jensen, Hewitt
Goals: Bartley 25, Paterson 36
West Ham United: Green, McCartney, Collins, O'Brien, Tomkins, O'Neil, Taylor
(Maynard), Nolan, Noble, Collison (Carew), Cole (Baldock)
Subs not used: Lansbury, Potts
Goals: Nolan 68, Tomkins 70
Head-to-head
Last six meetings (Championship unless stated)
24 March 2012 - Burnley 2-2 West Ham United
3 December 2011 - West Ham United 1-2 Burnley
21 February 2011 - West Ham United 5-1 Burnley (FA Cup fifth round)
6 February 2010 - Burnley 2-1 West Ham United (Premier League)
28 November 2009 - West Ham United 5-3 Burnley (Premier League)
5 April 2005 - Burnley 0-1 West Ham United
Overall record v Burnley (all competitions) W 31 D 17 L 31
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2012/13 Premier League 10th (46 points)
2011/12 Championship 3rd (86 points - promoted via Play-Offs)
2010/11 Premier League 20th (33 points)
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 via Play-Offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
2002/03 Premier League 18th (42 points - relegated to Championship)
Burnley
2012/13 Championship 11th (61 points)
2011/12 Championship 13th (62 points)
2010/11 Championship 8th (68 points)
2009/10 Premier League 18th (30 points - relegated to Championship)
2008/09 Championship 5th (76 points - promoted to Premier League via
Play-Offs)
2007/08 Championship 13th (62 points)
2006/07 Championship 15th (57 points)
2005/06 Championship 17th (54 points)
2004/05 Championship 13th (60 points)
2003/04 Division One 19th (53 points)
2002/03 Division One 16th (55 points)
Old Boys
• The following players have worn the colours of both West Ham United and
Burnley during their careers: Reg Attwell, Frank Birchenough, Alan Brown,
Herman Conway, Joe Gallagher, Zavon Hines, William Jenkinson, F.Kippax,
Tyrone Mears, Walter Pollard, Junior Stanislas and Jack Tresadern.
Referee
• Tuesday night's referee is Robert Madley.
• Madley will be assisted by Gary Beswick and Ian Hussin, his fourth
official is David Coote.
• In eight matches so far this season Madley has already dished out 36
cards, three of which have been red.
• In his early career, Madley refereed in the Wakefield and District League
and then the West Yorkshire Association Football League. In 2010 he joined
the National List of referees.
• In 2012 Madley was added to the FIFA fifth officials' list.
• In June 2013 Madley was promoted to the panel of Select Group of Referees
who officiate all fixtures in the Premier League.
General information
• Tickets are still available for this fixture but any purchased on the day
of the game will need to be made at Turf Moor. Click here for full details.
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Carlton 'chuffed' to be back
WHUFC.com
Carlton Cole was delighted with his second debut for West Ham United
28.10.2013
Carlton Cole was all smiles after making his second West Ham United debut in
Sunday's 0-0 draw at Swansea City. The England international got his first
taste of competitive action since re-signing for the Hammers two weeks ago
when he entered the fray as a 63rd-minute sub for Mo Diame. Cole admitted he
was delighted to pull on the claret and blue shirt again after a month of
hard work in the Chadwell Heath gym. "It was really good to be out there
again," Cole told West Ham TV. "I was disappointed we didn't win but we were
away from home so you can't ask for much more than getting a clean sheet.
"The boys have been doing well and we've got to give credit to them for only
conceding one goal away from home so far this season. It's a huge credit to
all the playing staff and the management as well. "I'm chuffed to get back
and to be involved in it again. Any footballer will tell you that have to
work hard and the manager has noticed that I was working hard and has given
me a new deal. Hopefully I can push on from here and add to the team and
play a significant role."
Cole marked his first debut for West Ham with a goal against Charlton
Athletic back in 2006 and came close to repeating that feat in the dying
minutes of his second debut on Sunday. James Tomkins' deep free-kick was
expertly flicked on by the new Hammers No24, but Swansea goalkeeper Michel
Vorm was on hand to collect the ball on the line. "I had a couple of
chances. One I put on the far stick for Jarvo [Matt Jarvis] but on another
day I might have waited and volleyed it myself. The second one was a long
ball and I was hoping it would come off my bonce and fly into the top
corner. I had already pictured it going in and was getting ready to go off
and celebrate but it wasn't to be. "We just couldn't get the goal in the
first half. Then we pushed on in the second half with the changes we made.
Me and the other boys that came on pushed as much as we could to get the
goal but we were just unlucky."
The striker will have little time to reflect on what might have been, as
there will be just one day of training on Monday before a Capital One Cup
tie at Burnley on Tuesday evening. With just 48 hours between the two games,
Big Sam is likely to make changes to his starting XI and Cole is hoping to
be one of those brought into the side. "The next game we've got is Burnley
and hopefully we can get goals there. Everyone knows I need minutes for
match fitness. Sunday was a good start on my way to recovery. I'm now hoping
to get the minutes and the goals to get us through to the next round if I
can."
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West Ham United striker Ricardo Vaz Te dislocates shoulder
BBC.co.uk
West Ham forward Ricardo Vaz Te dislocated his shoulder in Sunday's 0-0 draw
with Swansea. The club have not put a timescale on his recovery but the
27-year-old suffered a similar injury last season and was out for almost
three months. The Hammers already have fellow striker Andy Carroll out with
a foot injury. Carlton Cole replaced Vaz Te at Swansea and, after re-signing
for the club earlier this month, he could start at Burnley in the League Cup
on Tuesday.
"I'm chuffed to get back and to be involved in it again," Cole told the West
Ham website. "Any footballer will tell you that have to work hard and the
manager has noticed that I was working hard and has given me a new deal.
"Hopefully, I can push on from here and add to the team and play a
significant role."
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Burnley v West Ham
KO 19:45
28 October 2013
Last updated at 12:46
CAPITAL ONE CUP FOURTH ROUND
Venue: Turf Moor Date: Tuesday, 29 October
Coverage: Watch highlights on The League Cup Show on Wednesday at 2305 GMT,
BBC One.
David Jones serves a one-match ban for Burnley after picking up five
bookings. Scott Arfield, who missed their win over QPR, and Dean Marney,
substituted late on, are rated 50-50 for the Clarets.
Ricardo Vaz Te dislocated his shoulder against Swansea, meaning Carlton Cole
could make his first start since rejoining West Ham. Matt Taylor, George
McCartney and Leo Chambers are also in contention.
MATCH PREVIEW
Burnley take on West Ham with Sean Dyche's praise ringing in their ears -
West Ham meanwhile have had an angry Sam Allardyce to contend with.
Dyche labelled free-scoring Burnley's 2-0 win over QPR as the best he's seen
in his year in charge of the Clarets. In contrast, Allardyce bemoaned his
goal-shy side's wastefulness after a 0-0 draw at Swansea, which means they
have managed just eight Premier League goals in nine matches this season.
Championship leaders Burnley have won their last four League Cup home
matches against Premier League opposition - beating Fulham, Arsenal and
Tottenham at Turf Moor in 2008-09, and Bolton in 2010-11 - and if they
continue that run, Allardyce will have more to moan about on Tuesday night.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Burnley have never beaten West Ham in a cup competition (P5, L5), however
they have only lost four of their 37 league meetings on home soil with the
Hammers (W23, D10, L4).
Their only previous League Cup meeting came in a two-legged second-round
clash in 1980 which West Ham won 6-0 on aggregate.
The two sides are neck-and-neck with 31 wins each in all competitions (17
draws).
Burnley
Burnley are unbeaten on home soil this season (W7, D2), and have won their
last four League Cup home games against teams from a higher division.
The Clarets average exactly two goals a game from their 16 matches this
season.
The Championship pacesetters have kept nine clean sheets in all
competitions.
Burnley have won their last eight games on the bounce in all competitions.
Four of leading scorer Danny Ings' 13 goals this season have come in the
League Cup.
West Ham
The Hammers have not kept a clean sheet on their League Cup travels in 13
games, and have lost three of their last four away matches in the
competition.
There have been just four goals scored in total in West Ham's last five away
games.
In contrast to their Premier League form, the Hammers have been relatively
free-scoring in the League Cup with five goals in two games.
Ravel Morrison and the absent Ricardo Vaz Te have scored two each in this
season's League Cup.
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Burnley v West Ham United
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 28th October 2013
By: Preview Percy
Hide the Sanatogen, it's Preview Percy. Again. Sorry....
Barely has the final whistle blown on one match then another starts as we
traipse up to Turf Moor for a 4th Round League Cup tie with Burnley.
Kick-off is 7.45pm and extra time and penalties will be available if
required to separate the sides should there be a deadlock after 90 or 120
minutes.
They're having a decent season so far. They're top of Division 2 (as we
traditionalists call it) having won all but three of their 13 games – and
they drew two of those three a well. Most recently they beat title rivals
QPR – though by the time Henry Redknapp gets to updating his book you'll
probably find it has turned into a 5-0 win to the visitors. This has left
them on 32 points, thee points clear of Leicester City who leap frogged QPR
into the auto promotion slot. It's been a fairly comfortable ride through
the rounds in this competition as well; a 4-0 win at York was followed by a
2-0 home win over Preston and a 2-1 defeat of Forest in the third round.
The manager is the distinctively-voiced Sean Dyche. Dyche was managing
Watford when a change of ownership led to the installing of Gianfranco Zola.
He pitched up in Burnley in October 2012 when Eddie Howe legged it back to
Bournemouth. Dyche led them to 11th place last term, their 61 points falling
short of the 68 points that were good enough to give Leicester the last
playoff spot.
In terms of sheer numbers they've not got the biggest of squads, which means
that we're unlikely to see much in the way of the League Cup squad rotation
that is de riguer these days. This means that first choice 'keeper Tom
Heaton. Heaton arrived from basket case club Bristol City in the summer, his
contract having expired. He's had a suspension already this season, picking
up two yellows in their only defeat at Brighton. The first yellow was pretty
standard stuff, a foul outside the box. The second was a bit odd though.
Bouncing the ball he went to roll the ball out but changed his mind after a
challenge from an opponent and he picked the ball up again, earning him his
second caution. I wonder how many cautions have ever been given out for that
particular offence.
In midfield they have Basildon-born Michael Kightley. Kightley is currently
on loan from Stoke. Kightley had a bit of a falling out with Tony Pulis last
term, presumably having asked when the training sessions were going to
introduce a football. With Pulis shown the door and Hughes arriving,
Kightley gave the traditional "I want to fight for my place" speech to the
papers. Hughes was so impressed (not) that Kightley ended up on a season's
loan at Turf Moor.
The ex-Hammer in the squad is Junior Stanislas. Stanislas joined the Clarets
in 2011 for an undisclosed fee having failed to impress Sam Allardyce
sufficiently to earn a place in his plans for what turned out to be the
promotion season. He'll be remembered for his role in the infamous 3-1
defeat of Millwall in the League Cup, the nature of his celebrations in
scoring a brace (including a spot kick) drawing criticism from some
quarters. He could also have been the only player with the first name Felix
to have played for us but I'll be damned if I'm going to waste vauable
drining time looking it up.
Up front the current hot shot is Danny Ings, player whose surname sounds
like it's missing a syllable or two. He's got 13 goals this season of which
9 have come in the league. He picked up a pair in Saturday's defeat of
twitchy's lot and is in such form that his manager has been touting him
somewhat optimistically for England status. Ings started off his career at
Southampton before moving along the south coast to Bournemouth. He moved to
Burnley in 2011 following in the footsteps of then manager Eddie Howe.
However it's only this season that he's been able to show any sort of for,
his career at Turf Moor being hampered by a succession of serious knee
injuries. His recovery coupled with the departure of the similarly
talismanic Charlie Austin has meant that he has come into his own this term.
0
Ings's strike partner is Sam Vokes. Quite apart from his contribution on the
goal front (8 - all in the league) it would appear that there is a decent
rapport developing with Ings from which both are benefiting.Vokes signed
from Wolves in 2012 though his Molineux career wasn't exactlly the most
productive. In the four years he was nominally on their books he spent loan
time at no fewer than 6 different clubs, namely Leeds, Bristol City,
Sheffield Hypocrisy, Norwich, Burnley and Brighton. On signing for Burnley
he found his chances limited by the form of the aforementioned Austin and
again his departure for QPR has freed up a space for someone taking full
advantage.
Midfielder David Jones (real surname Bowie probably) who spent a large
portion of last season on loan at Blackburn from Wigan will be missing
having picked up his 5th yellow of the season against QPR. His decision to
Join Burnley in the summer rather than make his loan at Ewood Park permanent
went down really well in Blackburn, I expect.
Fellow midfielder Dean Marney is a doubt having been subbed with a knock on
Saturday, However, despite being sent off in the same game for suggesting
that the lino's eyesight was not all it should be, mascot Bertie Bee will be
available to irritate everyone on the touchline.
And so to us. Another hard-earned point on the road – notwithstanding
Laudrup's mad ramblings about penalties. On another matter how funny was it
to see the obnoxious Steve Bruce complaining about bad refereeing against
Spurs. Strangely he seems to have forgotten how his player dived to win a
penalty against us, something we are happy to remind the hypocritical thick
sorry excuse of a manager of.
I'm sorry, I digress. Back to us and the one bad bit of news was the injury
to Ricardo Vaz Te – it looked like a dislocated shoulder to me which will
mean a lengthy absence for him – which is a shame as he was just beginning
to get into some decent form.
Much will depend on the side Mr Allardyce puts out for this one. In the 2nd
round it was a much changed XI that took on Cheltenham. Against Cardiff it
was a slightly stronger XI that took the field. On that basis we might
expect more of a first XI to be selected, perhaps with Carlton Cole starting
a game for the first time of his second spell, after his sub appearance in
Wales.
I'm going to base my prediction on the idea that we'll be putting out a
strong side. Most observers are predicting a home win for this one – based
on their league form and the fact that we're not in the top half of the
league. Being an awkward so and so I have a feeling that the difference
between the Premier League and Championship is slightly greater than they
might be ready for. So I'm going to place the Avram Grant Olymic Rest Home's
cash prize for anyone who can find a proper fact in Harry Redknapp's book
(£2.50) on a 2-1 win for us, though it may go to extra time.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met At Turf Moor – Drew 2-2. (Championship, March 2012) Despite
dominating the match we somehow found ourselves 2-0 down before Nolan and
Tomkins gave us our 5th successive draw. Sam Baldock missed a sitter that
would have given us the extra two points.
Referee: Robert Madely – It's a feature of the League Cup that we get
referees we wouldn't normally encounter during the league season. This will
be this ref's first time in charge of one of our games, though we'll
probably be seeing a bit more of him as he was promoted to the select group
during the summer.
Danger Man: Danny Ings – 13 goals this season is a bit of a giveaway.
Daft Fact Of The Week: Punk-popsters Chumbawumba came out of Burnley. They
were noted for their political ideologies. We can, therefore, only presume
that they were out when call was made asking for permission to use their
single "Tubthumping" in adverts for an ambulance chasing legal outfit. You
know the sort – one of those that ringing me up to ask me if I'd had an
accident that wasn't my fault. (Stock answer: "no – but you will if you
don't stop ringing me"). I bet they are in though when the letters bearing
the royalty cheques arrive.
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RVT facing lengthy lay off
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 28th October 2013
By: Staff Writer
Ricardo Vaz Te is set for another spell on the sidelines after it was
confirmed that he dislocated his shoulder during yesterday's goalless draw
at Swansea.
The Portuguese forward was enjoying something of a renaissance having won
his place in the first team back, despite recently stating his intentions to
leave the Club due to limited opportunities. However he now faces another
extensive spell on the sidelines after sustaining this latest injury during
yesterday's 0-0 draw at the Liberty Stadium. Vaz Te was replaced on the half
hour mark during yesterday's game after falling awkwardly whilst defending a
corner. Following some brief treatment on the sidelines, he was led away
before receiving the diagnosis. Although the extent of the damage is yet to
be confirmed, it is likely that Vaz Te will face several weeks on the
sidelines. The forward has scored four goals in his nine appearances for
West Ham so far this season.
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Big Sam's a laugh a minute
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 28th October 2013
By: Staff Writer
A video clip of Hammers boss Sam Allardyce has gone viral this morning...
Allardyce was captured by TV cameras laughing in the face of Swansea's Chico
Flores, after the Spanish defender was guilty of play-acting in order to win
a free kick during yesterday's goalless raw at the Liberty Stadium. Having
embarrassed himself by falling to the floor clutching his face, following an
innocuous challenge by Carlton Cole, Flores' reaction was to go toe to toe
with 6'3" Allardyce before being (sensibly) pulled away by team mate and
fellow Spaniard Angel Rangel.
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Ricardo Vaz Te dislocated his shoulder in 0-0 draw at Swansea
Last Updated: October 28, 2013 3:39pm
SSN
West Ham forward Ricardo Vaz Te faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after
dislocating his shoulder against Swansea. The Portuguese player was taken
off during the first half of the Liberty Stadium clash and his absence means
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce's options in attack are stretched even further.
The club has not put a timescale on his recovery but the 27-year-old
suffered a similar injury last season that kept him out for three months.
Allardyce is already without big-money signing Andy Carroll, who has not
played this season because of a foot injury. But there was a boost for the
Hammers boss in Sunday's 0-0 draw when Carlton Cole came off the bench for
his first appearance since returning to the club, and the former England
striker is happy to be back. "It was really good to be out there again,"
Cole told West Ham TV. "I was disappointed we didn't win but we were away
from home so you can't ask for much more than getting a clean sheet. "The
boys have been doing well and we've got to give credit to them for only
conceding one goal away from home so far this season.
"It's a huge credit to all the playing staff and the management as well.
"I'm chuffed to get back and to be involved in it again. Any footballer will
tell you that you have to work hard and the manager has noticed that I was
working hard and has given me a new deal. "Hopefully I can push on from here
and add to the team and play a significant role."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carlton Cole poised to start for West Ham United at Burnley
Last Updated: October 28, 2013 4:01pm
SSN
Carlton Cole is hoping to make his second full 'debut' for West Ham when
they travel to Burnley in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday. The former England
striker rejoined the Hammers earlier this month on a short-term deal, having
been released during the summer after seven years with the club. Cole came
on as a substitute in Sunday's goalless draw at Swansea and with Ricardo Vaz
Te joining Andy Carroll on the treatment table, the 29-year-old looks set to
lead West Ham's attack at Turf Moor. "The next game we've got is Burnley and
hopefully we can get goals there," said Cole. "Everyone knows I need minutes
for match fitness. Sunday was a good start on my way to recovery. I'm now
hoping to get the minutes and the goals to get us through to the next round
if I can. "It was really good to be out there again. I was disappointed we
didn't win but we were away from home so you can't ask for much more than
getting a clean sheet.
"The boys have been doing well and we've got to give credit to them for only
conceding one goal away from home so far this season. It's a huge credit to
all the playing staff and the management as well. "I'm chuffed to get back
and to be involved in it again. Any footballer will tell you that have to
work hard and the manager has noticed that I was working hard and has given
me a new deal. "Hopefully I can push on from here and add to the team and
play a significant role."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jack Collison will return to West Ham United
Last Updated: October 28, 2013 6:04pm
SSN
Jack Collison is heading back to West Ham after his one-month loan stay with
Bournemouth came to an end. The Wales midfielder is open to a south-coast
return but will hope to feature for the Hammers in their Capital One Cup
clash with Burnley on Tuesday. He told the Daily Echo: "I will be looking to
play in the League Cup tie and then see where I am after that. I would like
to force my way into the West Ham team but if it's not to be, it's not to
be. "I have had a fantastic time here and would definitely be open to coming
back and trying to improve on what I did. The philosophy of the management
team and the way the team plays suits me. "The training has been magnificent
and you can see from the effort and enthusiasm they put that this club is
only going one way."
The 25-year-old made four appearances during his time with Eddie Howe's men
having played just once for the Hammers in the top flight before heading out
on loan.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carlton Cole set for second West Ham full debut against high-flyers Burnley
28 Oct 2013 17:13
TheMirror
West Ham United striker Carlton Cole is in line to make his second full
debut for the Upton Park club against Burnley tomorrow night. The
30-year-old re-joined the club on a short-term deal recently, after being
released earlier in the summer. And with Ricardo Vaz Te out for the
foreseeable future with a shoulder problem, Sam Allardyce is desperately
short of options in attack. Cole, who made a brief cameo appearance against
Swansea on Sunday, has expressed his determination to boost his fitness
against the Championship leaders and with that, get on the scoresheet.
Speaking to West Ham TV, he said: "Everyone knows I need minutes for match
fitness but it was really good to be out there again. "I'm now hoping to get
the minutes and the goals to get us through to the next round."
Elsewhere, midfielder Jack Collison has returned from a loan spell at
Bournemouth and could come into the side, along with Matt Taylor and George
McCartney.
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West Ham's clash against Burnley will be like 'friends reunited' for Matt
Jarvis
28 Oct 2013 22:30
The Mirror
Matt Jarvis is happy to babysit West Ham's kids tonight at Burnley if it
means getting a chance to impress Hammers boss Sam Allardyce. Jarvis is
desperate to play at Turf Moor, despite coming off the bench in Sunday's
goalless draw with Swansea just 50 hours earlier. The £7.5million winger
insists he is not tired and just wants Big Sam, who will play his
youngsters, to give him an opportunity against the Championship leaders. "I
want to play in every game so I'm hopeful of playing on Tuesday night," said
Jarvis. "It's a chance to try and impress the manager and show him that you
should be playing every week. "When you get a chance, you really need to
show what you can do and hopefully get yourself in the team." Jarvis, whose
only goal this season came in the Hammers' win over Cardiff in the previous
round, says he is wary of the threat posed by Burnley. "Burnley have done
extremely well this season," he said. "I know quite a few of their players
so I know what they are all about. "I know Sam Vokes, Michael Kightly, David
Jones and Jason Shackell, so it will be like friends reunited. It will be a
very tough game. "A cup tie is always a great game to play in. We're away so
hopefully we will have a good turn out by the fans and give them something
to shout about by getting through."
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WHUFC.com
Hammers goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen kept his fourth away clean sheet of
the season on Sunday
28.10.2013
West Ham United's defensive solidity on the road continued at Swansea City
on Sunday - and goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen was not surprised by another
shut out. The Hammers have now kept clean sheets in four of their five
Barclays Premier League games on the road, with Robbie Brady's dubious
penalty at Hull City the only time Jaaskelainen's goal has been breached
away from home. The Finn made saves from Chico Flores and Wilfried Bony
following set plays on Sunday, but was well protected by his backline as the
Hammers made their point. "It was a little disappointing that we couldn't
nick a goal in the first half because we created a couple of good chances,"
Jaaskelainen said. "That wasn't to be, but we defended well as a team and
kept another clean sheet, which gives you a good base to try and build
winning performances. "Clean sheets are what we build from. It's not just me
and the back four, it's the whole team, it's great for everybody in the
squad because the first aim we have is to keep a clean sheet. "I've not had
a run like this [away from home] in my career, but it just tells you how
well we work as a defensive unit. Maybe we just need to focus a little on
our final ball and final finish and we'll be alright."
Jaaskelainen is convinced the cutting edge will soon return if West Ham
continue to perform as they did at the Liberty Stadium. He added: "We passed
the ball pretty well and created some chances. We thought Swansea might get
a little tired towards the end after playing on Thursday night, but to be
fair they put us under a bit of pressure in the last 15 minutes. "They
didn't create many chances though - there were only a couple from corners -
so it was a decent point.
"If you look at it overall, we created some good chances as well and we just
need to be more ruthless and hopefully start scoring."
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Burnley match preview
WHUFC.com
All the information you need ahead of the Hammers' trip to Turf Moor
28.10.2013
BURNLEY v WEST HAM UNITED
CAPITAL ONE CUP FOURTH ROUND
TUESDAY 29 OCTOBER 2013
KICK-OFF: 7.45PM
REFEREE: ROBERT MADLEY
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
Introduction
• West Ham United face Championship leaders Burnley in the Capital One Cup
as they look to secure progress to the quarter-finals.
• The Hammers have beaten Cheltenham Town (2-1) and Cardiff City (3-2), both
at the Boleyn Ground, to get to this stage.
• Sam Allardyce's team have been tough to beat away from home so far this
season, losing only once - a 1-0 defeat to Hull City back on 28 September.
• That goal at the KC Stadium remains the only one conceded in five away
Barclays Premier League matches.
• Ravel Morrison has scored in both rounds of the competition so far and
will be hoping to keep that run going against the promotion hopefuls.
• Sean Dyche's team sit proudly top of English football's second tier having
won ten of 13 matches and losing only one.
• Saturday's win over QPR was the Burnley's seventh straight league victory.
• The Clarets have beaten York City, Preston North End and Nottingham Forest
to reach this stage.
• In those three cup ties they have conceded just once whilst finding the
net eight times.
• Danny Ings has been in fine form for Burnley so far this season and has
already accumulated 13 goals, four of which have come in the Capital One
Cup.
Team news
Burnley
• Ex-Hammer Junior Stanislas who, despite not featuring regularly in the
league, is in line to start against his old club having been a strong
performer in their cup run.
West Ham United
• Ricardo Vaz Te will miss the game after dislocating his shoulder against
Swansea City.
• Andy Carroll is still a long-term injury victim while fellow striker
Carlton Cole will hope to feature after coming on as a substitute on Sunday.
• Matt Taylor, Leo Chambers and Adrian will all hope to start after playing
in the previous two rounds.
• Jack Collison could also feature after his loan spell with Bournemouth
came to an end at the weekend.
Background
• West Ham United and Burnley have played each other 79 times with both
sides winning 31 and 17 ending as draws.
• The teams first met on 17 November 1923 with Burnley running out 5-1
winners.
• The Hammers biggest win at Turf Moor came on 28 September 1974 with a 5-3
success in Division One.
Last time out
Burnley 2-0 QPR
Sky Bet Championship
26 October 2013
Burnley: Heaton, Trippier, Mee, Jones, Duff, Shackell, Treacy (Stock 90),
Marney (Edgar 83), Vokes, Ings, Kightly
Subs not used: Lafferty, Stanislas, Cisak, Long, Noble
Goals: Ings 65, pen 88
Swansea City 0-0 West Ham United
Barclays Premier League
27 October 2013
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Reid, Tomkins, Rat, Diame (C.Cole 64),
Nolan, Noble, Morrison (J.Cole 78), Vaz Te (Jarvis 34), Downing
Subs not used: Adrian, Maiga, Taylor, O'Brien
Previous meeting
Burnley 2-2 West Ham United
Championship
24 March 2012
Burnley: Grant, Trippier, Duff, Edgar, Mee, Marney, McCann, Bartley
(Austin), Wallace, Paterson (Stanislas), Ings (McQuoid)
Subs not used: Jensen, Hewitt
Goals: Bartley 25, Paterson 36
West Ham United: Green, McCartney, Collins, O'Brien, Tomkins, O'Neil, Taylor
(Maynard), Nolan, Noble, Collison (Carew), Cole (Baldock)
Subs not used: Lansbury, Potts
Goals: Nolan 68, Tomkins 70
Head-to-head
Last six meetings (Championship unless stated)
24 March 2012 - Burnley 2-2 West Ham United
3 December 2011 - West Ham United 1-2 Burnley
21 February 2011 - West Ham United 5-1 Burnley (FA Cup fifth round)
6 February 2010 - Burnley 2-1 West Ham United (Premier League)
28 November 2009 - West Ham United 5-3 Burnley (Premier League)
5 April 2005 - Burnley 0-1 West Ham United
Overall record v Burnley (all competitions) W 31 D 17 L 31
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2012/13 Premier League 10th (46 points)
2011/12 Championship 3rd (86 points - promoted via Play-Offs)
2010/11 Premier League 20th (33 points)
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 via Play-Offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
2002/03 Premier League 18th (42 points - relegated to Championship)
Burnley
2012/13 Championship 11th (61 points)
2011/12 Championship 13th (62 points)
2010/11 Championship 8th (68 points)
2009/10 Premier League 18th (30 points - relegated to Championship)
2008/09 Championship 5th (76 points - promoted to Premier League via
Play-Offs)
2007/08 Championship 13th (62 points)
2006/07 Championship 15th (57 points)
2005/06 Championship 17th (54 points)
2004/05 Championship 13th (60 points)
2003/04 Division One 19th (53 points)
2002/03 Division One 16th (55 points)
Old Boys
• The following players have worn the colours of both West Ham United and
Burnley during their careers: Reg Attwell, Frank Birchenough, Alan Brown,
Herman Conway, Joe Gallagher, Zavon Hines, William Jenkinson, F.Kippax,
Tyrone Mears, Walter Pollard, Junior Stanislas and Jack Tresadern.
Referee
• Tuesday night's referee is Robert Madley.
• Madley will be assisted by Gary Beswick and Ian Hussin, his fourth
official is David Coote.
• In eight matches so far this season Madley has already dished out 36
cards, three of which have been red.
• In his early career, Madley refereed in the Wakefield and District League
and then the West Yorkshire Association Football League. In 2010 he joined
the National List of referees.
• In 2012 Madley was added to the FIFA fifth officials' list.
• In June 2013 Madley was promoted to the panel of Select Group of Referees
who officiate all fixtures in the Premier League.
General information
• Tickets are still available for this fixture but any purchased on the day
of the game will need to be made at Turf Moor. Click here for full details.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carlton 'chuffed' to be back
WHUFC.com
Carlton Cole was delighted with his second debut for West Ham United
28.10.2013
Carlton Cole was all smiles after making his second West Ham United debut in
Sunday's 0-0 draw at Swansea City. The England international got his first
taste of competitive action since re-signing for the Hammers two weeks ago
when he entered the fray as a 63rd-minute sub for Mo Diame. Cole admitted he
was delighted to pull on the claret and blue shirt again after a month of
hard work in the Chadwell Heath gym. "It was really good to be out there
again," Cole told West Ham TV. "I was disappointed we didn't win but we were
away from home so you can't ask for much more than getting a clean sheet.
"The boys have been doing well and we've got to give credit to them for only
conceding one goal away from home so far this season. It's a huge credit to
all the playing staff and the management as well. "I'm chuffed to get back
and to be involved in it again. Any footballer will tell you that have to
work hard and the manager has noticed that I was working hard and has given
me a new deal. Hopefully I can push on from here and add to the team and
play a significant role."
Cole marked his first debut for West Ham with a goal against Charlton
Athletic back in 2006 and came close to repeating that feat in the dying
minutes of his second debut on Sunday. James Tomkins' deep free-kick was
expertly flicked on by the new Hammers No24, but Swansea goalkeeper Michel
Vorm was on hand to collect the ball on the line. "I had a couple of
chances. One I put on the far stick for Jarvo [Matt Jarvis] but on another
day I might have waited and volleyed it myself. The second one was a long
ball and I was hoping it would come off my bonce and fly into the top
corner. I had already pictured it going in and was getting ready to go off
and celebrate but it wasn't to be. "We just couldn't get the goal in the
first half. Then we pushed on in the second half with the changes we made.
Me and the other boys that came on pushed as much as we could to get the
goal but we were just unlucky."
The striker will have little time to reflect on what might have been, as
there will be just one day of training on Monday before a Capital One Cup
tie at Burnley on Tuesday evening. With just 48 hours between the two games,
Big Sam is likely to make changes to his starting XI and Cole is hoping to
be one of those brought into the side. "The next game we've got is Burnley
and hopefully we can get goals there. Everyone knows I need minutes for
match fitness. Sunday was a good start on my way to recovery. I'm now hoping
to get the minutes and the goals to get us through to the next round if I
can."
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West Ham United striker Ricardo Vaz Te dislocates shoulder
BBC.co.uk
West Ham forward Ricardo Vaz Te dislocated his shoulder in Sunday's 0-0 draw
with Swansea. The club have not put a timescale on his recovery but the
27-year-old suffered a similar injury last season and was out for almost
three months. The Hammers already have fellow striker Andy Carroll out with
a foot injury. Carlton Cole replaced Vaz Te at Swansea and, after re-signing
for the club earlier this month, he could start at Burnley in the League Cup
on Tuesday.
"I'm chuffed to get back and to be involved in it again," Cole told the West
Ham website. "Any footballer will tell you that have to work hard and the
manager has noticed that I was working hard and has given me a new deal.
"Hopefully, I can push on from here and add to the team and play a
significant role."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Burnley v West Ham
KO 19:45
28 October 2013
Last updated at 12:46
CAPITAL ONE CUP FOURTH ROUND
Venue: Turf Moor Date: Tuesday, 29 October
Coverage: Watch highlights on The League Cup Show on Wednesday at 2305 GMT,
BBC One.
David Jones serves a one-match ban for Burnley after picking up five
bookings. Scott Arfield, who missed their win over QPR, and Dean Marney,
substituted late on, are rated 50-50 for the Clarets.
Ricardo Vaz Te dislocated his shoulder against Swansea, meaning Carlton Cole
could make his first start since rejoining West Ham. Matt Taylor, George
McCartney and Leo Chambers are also in contention.
MATCH PREVIEW
Burnley take on West Ham with Sean Dyche's praise ringing in their ears -
West Ham meanwhile have had an angry Sam Allardyce to contend with.
Dyche labelled free-scoring Burnley's 2-0 win over QPR as the best he's seen
in his year in charge of the Clarets. In contrast, Allardyce bemoaned his
goal-shy side's wastefulness after a 0-0 draw at Swansea, which means they
have managed just eight Premier League goals in nine matches this season.
Championship leaders Burnley have won their last four League Cup home
matches against Premier League opposition - beating Fulham, Arsenal and
Tottenham at Turf Moor in 2008-09, and Bolton in 2010-11 - and if they
continue that run, Allardyce will have more to moan about on Tuesday night.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Burnley have never beaten West Ham in a cup competition (P5, L5), however
they have only lost four of their 37 league meetings on home soil with the
Hammers (W23, D10, L4).
Their only previous League Cup meeting came in a two-legged second-round
clash in 1980 which West Ham won 6-0 on aggregate.
The two sides are neck-and-neck with 31 wins each in all competitions (17
draws).
Burnley
Burnley are unbeaten on home soil this season (W7, D2), and have won their
last four League Cup home games against teams from a higher division.
The Clarets average exactly two goals a game from their 16 matches this
season.
The Championship pacesetters have kept nine clean sheets in all
competitions.
Burnley have won their last eight games on the bounce in all competitions.
Four of leading scorer Danny Ings' 13 goals this season have come in the
League Cup.
West Ham
The Hammers have not kept a clean sheet on their League Cup travels in 13
games, and have lost three of their last four away matches in the
competition.
There have been just four goals scored in total in West Ham's last five away
games.
In contrast to their Premier League form, the Hammers have been relatively
free-scoring in the League Cup with five goals in two games.
Ravel Morrison and the absent Ricardo Vaz Te have scored two each in this
season's League Cup.
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Burnley v West Ham United
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 28th October 2013
By: Preview Percy
Hide the Sanatogen, it's Preview Percy. Again. Sorry....
Barely has the final whistle blown on one match then another starts as we
traipse up to Turf Moor for a 4th Round League Cup tie with Burnley.
Kick-off is 7.45pm and extra time and penalties will be available if
required to separate the sides should there be a deadlock after 90 or 120
minutes.
They're having a decent season so far. They're top of Division 2 (as we
traditionalists call it) having won all but three of their 13 games – and
they drew two of those three a well. Most recently they beat title rivals
QPR – though by the time Henry Redknapp gets to updating his book you'll
probably find it has turned into a 5-0 win to the visitors. This has left
them on 32 points, thee points clear of Leicester City who leap frogged QPR
into the auto promotion slot. It's been a fairly comfortable ride through
the rounds in this competition as well; a 4-0 win at York was followed by a
2-0 home win over Preston and a 2-1 defeat of Forest in the third round.
The manager is the distinctively-voiced Sean Dyche. Dyche was managing
Watford when a change of ownership led to the installing of Gianfranco Zola.
He pitched up in Burnley in October 2012 when Eddie Howe legged it back to
Bournemouth. Dyche led them to 11th place last term, their 61 points falling
short of the 68 points that were good enough to give Leicester the last
playoff spot.
In terms of sheer numbers they've not got the biggest of squads, which means
that we're unlikely to see much in the way of the League Cup squad rotation
that is de riguer these days. This means that first choice 'keeper Tom
Heaton. Heaton arrived from basket case club Bristol City in the summer, his
contract having expired. He's had a suspension already this season, picking
up two yellows in their only defeat at Brighton. The first yellow was pretty
standard stuff, a foul outside the box. The second was a bit odd though.
Bouncing the ball he went to roll the ball out but changed his mind after a
challenge from an opponent and he picked the ball up again, earning him his
second caution. I wonder how many cautions have ever been given out for that
particular offence.
In midfield they have Basildon-born Michael Kightley. Kightley is currently
on loan from Stoke. Kightley had a bit of a falling out with Tony Pulis last
term, presumably having asked when the training sessions were going to
introduce a football. With Pulis shown the door and Hughes arriving,
Kightley gave the traditional "I want to fight for my place" speech to the
papers. Hughes was so impressed (not) that Kightley ended up on a season's
loan at Turf Moor.
The ex-Hammer in the squad is Junior Stanislas. Stanislas joined the Clarets
in 2011 for an undisclosed fee having failed to impress Sam Allardyce
sufficiently to earn a place in his plans for what turned out to be the
promotion season. He'll be remembered for his role in the infamous 3-1
defeat of Millwall in the League Cup, the nature of his celebrations in
scoring a brace (including a spot kick) drawing criticism from some
quarters. He could also have been the only player with the first name Felix
to have played for us but I'll be damned if I'm going to waste vauable
drining time looking it up.
Up front the current hot shot is Danny Ings, player whose surname sounds
like it's missing a syllable or two. He's got 13 goals this season of which
9 have come in the league. He picked up a pair in Saturday's defeat of
twitchy's lot and is in such form that his manager has been touting him
somewhat optimistically for England status. Ings started off his career at
Southampton before moving along the south coast to Bournemouth. He moved to
Burnley in 2011 following in the footsteps of then manager Eddie Howe.
However it's only this season that he's been able to show any sort of for,
his career at Turf Moor being hampered by a succession of serious knee
injuries. His recovery coupled with the departure of the similarly
talismanic Charlie Austin has meant that he has come into his own this term.
0
Ings's strike partner is Sam Vokes. Quite apart from his contribution on the
goal front (8 - all in the league) it would appear that there is a decent
rapport developing with Ings from which both are benefiting.Vokes signed
from Wolves in 2012 though his Molineux career wasn't exactlly the most
productive. In the four years he was nominally on their books he spent loan
time at no fewer than 6 different clubs, namely Leeds, Bristol City,
Sheffield Hypocrisy, Norwich, Burnley and Brighton. On signing for Burnley
he found his chances limited by the form of the aforementioned Austin and
again his departure for QPR has freed up a space for someone taking full
advantage.
Midfielder David Jones (real surname Bowie probably) who spent a large
portion of last season on loan at Blackburn from Wigan will be missing
having picked up his 5th yellow of the season against QPR. His decision to
Join Burnley in the summer rather than make his loan at Ewood Park permanent
went down really well in Blackburn, I expect.
Fellow midfielder Dean Marney is a doubt having been subbed with a knock on
Saturday, However, despite being sent off in the same game for suggesting
that the lino's eyesight was not all it should be, mascot Bertie Bee will be
available to irritate everyone on the touchline.
And so to us. Another hard-earned point on the road – notwithstanding
Laudrup's mad ramblings about penalties. On another matter how funny was it
to see the obnoxious Steve Bruce complaining about bad refereeing against
Spurs. Strangely he seems to have forgotten how his player dived to win a
penalty against us, something we are happy to remind the hypocritical thick
sorry excuse of a manager of.
I'm sorry, I digress. Back to us and the one bad bit of news was the injury
to Ricardo Vaz Te – it looked like a dislocated shoulder to me which will
mean a lengthy absence for him – which is a shame as he was just beginning
to get into some decent form.
Much will depend on the side Mr Allardyce puts out for this one. In the 2nd
round it was a much changed XI that took on Cheltenham. Against Cardiff it
was a slightly stronger XI that took the field. On that basis we might
expect more of a first XI to be selected, perhaps with Carlton Cole starting
a game for the first time of his second spell, after his sub appearance in
Wales.
I'm going to base my prediction on the idea that we'll be putting out a
strong side. Most observers are predicting a home win for this one – based
on their league form and the fact that we're not in the top half of the
league. Being an awkward so and so I have a feeling that the difference
between the Premier League and Championship is slightly greater than they
might be ready for. So I'm going to place the Avram Grant Olymic Rest Home's
cash prize for anyone who can find a proper fact in Harry Redknapp's book
(£2.50) on a 2-1 win for us, though it may go to extra time.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met At Turf Moor – Drew 2-2. (Championship, March 2012) Despite
dominating the match we somehow found ourselves 2-0 down before Nolan and
Tomkins gave us our 5th successive draw. Sam Baldock missed a sitter that
would have given us the extra two points.
Referee: Robert Madely – It's a feature of the League Cup that we get
referees we wouldn't normally encounter during the league season. This will
be this ref's first time in charge of one of our games, though we'll
probably be seeing a bit more of him as he was promoted to the select group
during the summer.
Danger Man: Danny Ings – 13 goals this season is a bit of a giveaway.
Daft Fact Of The Week: Punk-popsters Chumbawumba came out of Burnley. They
were noted for their political ideologies. We can, therefore, only presume
that they were out when call was made asking for permission to use their
single "Tubthumping" in adverts for an ambulance chasing legal outfit. You
know the sort – one of those that ringing me up to ask me if I'd had an
accident that wasn't my fault. (Stock answer: "no – but you will if you
don't stop ringing me"). I bet they are in though when the letters bearing
the royalty cheques arrive.
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RVT facing lengthy lay off
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 28th October 2013
By: Staff Writer
Ricardo Vaz Te is set for another spell on the sidelines after it was
confirmed that he dislocated his shoulder during yesterday's goalless draw
at Swansea.
The Portuguese forward was enjoying something of a renaissance having won
his place in the first team back, despite recently stating his intentions to
leave the Club due to limited opportunities. However he now faces another
extensive spell on the sidelines after sustaining this latest injury during
yesterday's 0-0 draw at the Liberty Stadium. Vaz Te was replaced on the half
hour mark during yesterday's game after falling awkwardly whilst defending a
corner. Following some brief treatment on the sidelines, he was led away
before receiving the diagnosis. Although the extent of the damage is yet to
be confirmed, it is likely that Vaz Te will face several weeks on the
sidelines. The forward has scored four goals in his nine appearances for
West Ham so far this season.
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Big Sam's a laugh a minute
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 28th October 2013
By: Staff Writer
A video clip of Hammers boss Sam Allardyce has gone viral this morning...
Allardyce was captured by TV cameras laughing in the face of Swansea's Chico
Flores, after the Spanish defender was guilty of play-acting in order to win
a free kick during yesterday's goalless raw at the Liberty Stadium. Having
embarrassed himself by falling to the floor clutching his face, following an
innocuous challenge by Carlton Cole, Flores' reaction was to go toe to toe
with 6'3" Allardyce before being (sensibly) pulled away by team mate and
fellow Spaniard Angel Rangel.
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Ricardo Vaz Te dislocated his shoulder in 0-0 draw at Swansea
Last Updated: October 28, 2013 3:39pm
SSN
West Ham forward Ricardo Vaz Te faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after
dislocating his shoulder against Swansea. The Portuguese player was taken
off during the first half of the Liberty Stadium clash and his absence means
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce's options in attack are stretched even further.
The club has not put a timescale on his recovery but the 27-year-old
suffered a similar injury last season that kept him out for three months.
Allardyce is already without big-money signing Andy Carroll, who has not
played this season because of a foot injury. But there was a boost for the
Hammers boss in Sunday's 0-0 draw when Carlton Cole came off the bench for
his first appearance since returning to the club, and the former England
striker is happy to be back. "It was really good to be out there again,"
Cole told West Ham TV. "I was disappointed we didn't win but we were away
from home so you can't ask for much more than getting a clean sheet. "The
boys have been doing well and we've got to give credit to them for only
conceding one goal away from home so far this season.
"It's a huge credit to all the playing staff and the management as well.
"I'm chuffed to get back and to be involved in it again. Any footballer will
tell you that you have to work hard and the manager has noticed that I was
working hard and has given me a new deal. "Hopefully I can push on from here
and add to the team and play a significant role."
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Carlton Cole poised to start for West Ham United at Burnley
Last Updated: October 28, 2013 4:01pm
SSN
Carlton Cole is hoping to make his second full 'debut' for West Ham when
they travel to Burnley in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday. The former England
striker rejoined the Hammers earlier this month on a short-term deal, having
been released during the summer after seven years with the club. Cole came
on as a substitute in Sunday's goalless draw at Swansea and with Ricardo Vaz
Te joining Andy Carroll on the treatment table, the 29-year-old looks set to
lead West Ham's attack at Turf Moor. "The next game we've got is Burnley and
hopefully we can get goals there," said Cole. "Everyone knows I need minutes
for match fitness. Sunday was a good start on my way to recovery. I'm now
hoping to get the minutes and the goals to get us through to the next round
if I can. "It was really good to be out there again. I was disappointed we
didn't win but we were away from home so you can't ask for much more than
getting a clean sheet.
"The boys have been doing well and we've got to give credit to them for only
conceding one goal away from home so far this season. It's a huge credit to
all the playing staff and the management as well. "I'm chuffed to get back
and to be involved in it again. Any footballer will tell you that have to
work hard and the manager has noticed that I was working hard and has given
me a new deal. "Hopefully I can push on from here and add to the team and
play a significant role."
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Jack Collison will return to West Ham United
Last Updated: October 28, 2013 6:04pm
SSN
Jack Collison is heading back to West Ham after his one-month loan stay with
Bournemouth came to an end. The Wales midfielder is open to a south-coast
return but will hope to feature for the Hammers in their Capital One Cup
clash with Burnley on Tuesday. He told the Daily Echo: "I will be looking to
play in the League Cup tie and then see where I am after that. I would like
to force my way into the West Ham team but if it's not to be, it's not to
be. "I have had a fantastic time here and would definitely be open to coming
back and trying to improve on what I did. The philosophy of the management
team and the way the team plays suits me. "The training has been magnificent
and you can see from the effort and enthusiasm they put that this club is
only going one way."
The 25-year-old made four appearances during his time with Eddie Howe's men
having played just once for the Hammers in the top flight before heading out
on loan.
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Carlton Cole set for second West Ham full debut against high-flyers Burnley
28 Oct 2013 17:13
TheMirror
West Ham United striker Carlton Cole is in line to make his second full
debut for the Upton Park club against Burnley tomorrow night. The
30-year-old re-joined the club on a short-term deal recently, after being
released earlier in the summer. And with Ricardo Vaz Te out for the
foreseeable future with a shoulder problem, Sam Allardyce is desperately
short of options in attack. Cole, who made a brief cameo appearance against
Swansea on Sunday, has expressed his determination to boost his fitness
against the Championship leaders and with that, get on the scoresheet.
Speaking to West Ham TV, he said: "Everyone knows I need minutes for match
fitness but it was really good to be out there again. "I'm now hoping to get
the minutes and the goals to get us through to the next round."
Elsewhere, midfielder Jack Collison has returned from a loan spell at
Bournemouth and could come into the side, along with Matt Taylor and George
McCartney.
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West Ham's clash against Burnley will be like 'friends reunited' for Matt
Jarvis
28 Oct 2013 22:30
The Mirror
Matt Jarvis is happy to babysit West Ham's kids tonight at Burnley if it
means getting a chance to impress Hammers boss Sam Allardyce. Jarvis is
desperate to play at Turf Moor, despite coming off the bench in Sunday's
goalless draw with Swansea just 50 hours earlier. The £7.5million winger
insists he is not tired and just wants Big Sam, who will play his
youngsters, to give him an opportunity against the Championship leaders. "I
want to play in every game so I'm hopeful of playing on Tuesday night," said
Jarvis. "It's a chance to try and impress the manager and show him that you
should be playing every week. "When you get a chance, you really need to
show what you can do and hopefully get yourself in the team." Jarvis, whose
only goal this season came in the Hammers' win over Cardiff in the previous
round, says he is wary of the threat posed by Burnley. "Burnley have done
extremely well this season," he said. "I know quite a few of their players
so I know what they are all about. "I know Sam Vokes, Michael Kightly, David
Jones and Jason Shackell, so it will be like friends reunited. It will be a
very tough game. "A cup tie is always a great game to play in. We're away so
hopefully we will have a good turn out by the fans and give them something
to shout about by getting through."
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Monday, October 28
Daily WHUFC News - 28th October 2013
Hammers held at Swansea
WHUFC.com
West Ham United earned a creditable point in an entertaining goalless draw
at Swansea City
27.10.2013
West Ham United were held to a goalless draw against Swansea City on Sunday
afternoon, as the Hammers spurned a series of chances to leave the Liberty
Stadium with all three Barclays Premier League points. Ravel Morrison, Guy
Demel, Mo Diame and Kevin Nolan were all guilty of missing the target in the
first half alone, as Sam Allardyce's men dominated vast swathes of this one.
But for their profligacy in front of goal, West Ham would no doubt have
secured a second successive victory on their travels, though a fifth clean
sheet of the campaign was an excellent second best. It was the visitors who
showed first, in the shape of winger Stewart Downing, whose low left-footed
drive forced Michel Vorm into a smart near-post stop after eight minutes.
The resulting corner, meanwhile, fell at the feet of full-back Demel, but on
the stretch, he could only toe over the bar. At the other end, Wayne
Routledge floated in an inviting centre, but a stooping Alvaro Vazquez could
only head into the grateful arms of Jussi Jaaskelainen. But the Hammers
stopper was soon called into more serious action as he somehow kept out
Chico Flores' bullet header from little more than six yards. Ironically, it
prompted a West Ham breakaway, one that saw Morrison with a sight of goal,
though he dragged his shot across the face of goal. Thereafter, the Hammers
went close on a number of occasions, without succeeding in breaking the
deadlock. Firstly, Razvan Rat's long free-kick saw Kevin Nolan beat Vorm to
it, only for his glancing header to be cleared off the line.
Sam Allardyce's men then won three corners in quick succession with 25
minutes gone, the first of which came after Downing's goal-bound effort had
been deflected behind. The second fell kindly to Morrison from 18 yards,
but his strike, smashed into the ground, couldn't find its way through a
crowded penalty area. But still the Hammers came, with arguably the best
chance falling to Demel, who nodded over the bar from close range. As the
visitors drew breath, Swansea gained a foothold in proceedings, but it was
West Ham who continued to threaten the hosts' goal. In the 44th minute,
Downing's in-swinging free-kick picked out Diame at the far stick, but like
Demel before him, he was unable to direct his header on target. And in
first-half stoppage time yet another presentable opportunity came and went.
Jarvis, a first-half replacement for the injured Ricardo Vaz Te, raced to
the by-line and though his cut-back was an excellent one, Nolan spooned his
effort over the bar, with Morrison perhaps better placed to swipe at goal.
The Hammers, by comparison, were slightly more subdued after the break and
it was the Swans who had the first chance of note, as Vazquez, on the
stretch, was inches from connecting with Nathan Dyer's right-wing centre.
West Ham, however, continued to cause havoc in the opposition box and
Winston Reid, this time, had Vorm in all sorts of trouble, but could only
hook over from under the crossbar. Both sides, meanwhile, shuffled their
packs, with Pablo Hernandez and Wilfried Bony joining the fray for the
Swans, and Carlton Cole coming on in place of Diame. But it was Bony who
nearly made an instant impact. The Hammers struggled to clear a left-wing
corner and when the Ivorian let fly from six yards, Jaaskelainen was equal
to it, diving to his left to palm the ball to safety. While the tempo
hardly slowed, chances were at a premium in the final quarter. Jaaskelainen
dove expertly at the feet of Michu, but the latter was flagged offside in
any case. There would be one final chance for the visitors, but Carlton
Cole's well-timed leap produced a comfortable stop from Vorm, as it ended
honours even in Wales.
Swansea City: Vorm, Rangel, Chico, Williams, Taylor, Britton, de Guzman,
Michu, Dyer, Routledge (Hernandez 60), Vazquez (Bony 67)
Subs: Tremmel, Tiendalli, Amat, Canas, Pozuelo
Booked: Rangel
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen; Demel, Tomkins, Reid, Rat; Nolan, Noble,
Diame (C Cole 64); Downing, Morrison (J Cole 78), Vaz Te (Jarvis 34)
Subs not used: Adrian, Maiga, Taylor, O'Brien
Booked: Demel, Morrison, Cole
Referee: Phil Dowd
Attendance: 20,455
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'Another magnificent clean sheet'
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce hailed a supreme defensive display after the Hammers drew 0-0
at Swansea City
27.10.2013
Sam Allardyce admitted it was a case of mixed emotions after watching his
West Ham United side held to a goalless Barclays Premier League draw at
Swansea City on Sunday. The Hammers flew out of the traps and created
several fine chances prior to the interval, with youngster Ravel Morrison
arguably spurning the best of them. Though the Swans were resurgent after
the break, Jussi Jaaskelainen was rarely called upon and Carlton Cole might
have won it with a glancing header at the death. While the winner was to
prove elusive, a fifth clean sheet of the campaign was just reward for
another outstanding display away from home. And Big Sam was rightly elated
with his side's defensive prowess, even if goals are proving hard to come by
just now. "We're disappointed in the dressing room and the lads know that we
should be celebrating a little more than we are," he told West Ham TV. "It's
another magnificent clean sheet, another snuffing out of the opposition and
classic counter-attacking football in the first half. Our movement of the
ball, passing and movement of the players was brilliant, we cut Swansea open
time after time. "But in the end we failed to put the ball in the back of
the net, sadly. It got more difficult in the second half because we didn't
pass it as well as we did in the first, but yet again that superb defensive
quality we've got held out for a point."
Five clean sheets are clearly of huge satisfaction to the Hammers boss, but
Big Sam acknowledged that their points tally to date is disappointing under
the circumstances. He continued: "Five clean sheets out of nine matches and
only nine points is a massive disappointment, on the basis of how we've
played and what we've done up to now in terms of creating chances and not
converting them. "So we've ended up with draws instead of wins and that for
us is a problem at the minute that we've got to continue to try and work on
to improve. Hopefully the lads keep up this magnificent defensive record but
start scoring the odd goal here and there to start getting three points on
the board instead of one."
While the visitors had several clear sights of goal, Big Sam pointed to
Morrison's first-half chance as the one that really got away. The
culmination of an incisive counter-attack, the former Manchester United
youngster opted to go for goal, rather than squaring to Mo Diame, a decision
that both he and his colleagues were left to rue. "All Rav had to do was
roll the ball across for Mo Diame to tap it in and he got a bit greedy and
wanted to score himself," Big Sam confirmed. "You've got to play the best
man in if it's a goalscoring chance and if he's not there, then yes, take
the shot at goal, see if you can score. "After that, Guy Demel and Mo Diame
had chances and chances, balls were dropping down in their box. Even the
goalie tried to punch one in his own net for us!"
"Right at the end there Carlton Cole came on and gave us a bit more of an
attacking thrust. He's had a good header near the end that the goalkeeper's
made a good save from. We're reasonably satisfied with the point, we respect
the point but disappointed we haven't got three." With another hard-earned
away point safely in the bag, the challenge now remains to do likewise at
the Boleyn Ground. Unlike last season, where the Hammers were imperious at
home, they have already suffered three successive home league defeats. Big
Sam, however, is intent on putting that right, starting with Saturday's
visit of Aston Villa. "Five games and one goal conceded off a very dubious
penalty at Hull City is a magnificent record to build on and our main
concern now is to make sure when we play at home that we don't lose any more
matches. "We're going to try and win against Aston Villa and settle that
score at the minute, because three defeats at home on the trot is just not
acceptable for us. In the form that we showed playing in all of those three
games, to have got nothing out of it, we must turn that around on Saturday.
"If we're going to have a good away record this year, we can't start
faltering at home, we've got to be as good as we were last and we haven't
been at the moment in terms of results. Not so much, performances but
certainly in terms of results."
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Swansea 0 West Ham 0
27 October 2013
Last updated at 18:34
By Saj Chowdhury
BBC Sport
Swansea and West Ham settled for a point in a match that contained few
clear-cut opportunities at a rain-drenched Liberty Stadium. West Ham created
more chances than the home side with Stewart Downing forcing saves from
Michel Vorm who then almost punched the ball into his own net. Midfielder
Ravel Morrison also went close when he fired wide from 10 yards. Home keeper
Jussi Jaaskelainen produced two great blocks to deny Swansea's Chico Flores
and Wilfried Bony. The Bony chance was the only effort of note in a second
half that failed to match a relatively entertaining first 45 minutes. Swans
manager Michael Laudrup may be left perplexed at his side's lack of
attacking endeavour in their first goalless draw of the season, while
counterpart Sam Allardyce will have been disappointed by the Hammers'
wastefulness in front of goal. The point lifts West Ham up to 15th, while
the Swans, who made seven changes from the side that started against Kuban
Krasnodar in the Europa League on Thursday, go ninth. Flores drew a
point-blank save from Jaaskelainen but that was the only effort of note from
Laudrup's side during a first 45 minutes which the Hammers controlled. The
visitors had only scored in one of their past five away league games but
winger Downing did his best to remedy that, twice forcing good saves from
Vorm in the first half. There followed a howler by the Dutch keeper when he
fisted a clearance towards his own net and was only spared embarrassment by
the athleticism of defender Angel Rangel, who cleared.
England Under-21 international Morrison, an outside bet for a place in the
senior squad for Brazil, also tested the Swansea goal with a low angled
strike that just drifted past the left-hand upright, while Guy Demel scooped
over from six yards. Both managers made tactical changes in attack midway
through the second half after an uninspiring spell following the restart.
Allardyce brought on striker Carlton Cole for his first appearance of his
second spell with the club, while Laudrup sent on Ivorian Bony. And it was
last season's Dutch league top scorer Bony who had the best and only
opportunity of the half when his fierce strike from eight yards was tipped
over by the ever-alert Jaaskelainen. Swansea now travel to Cardiff for the
first all-Welsh Premier League encounter, while West Ham host Aston Villa.
Swansea manager Michael Laudrup: "I knew it would be very difficult as they
enjoyed huge success playing like this against Tottenham, when they won 3-0
[previous away fixture]. "We knew they would play without a striker and with
six in midfield and it is difficult. "You also know they are so good at
set-pieces and we had some problems when they had four or five in succession
in the first half. "We don't have the tallest guys but in the second half,
despite not being at our best, we controlled it."
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce: "We should have had it over and done with by
half-time. "We showed our classic counter-attacking football, but
unfortunately our finishing qualities let us down. "We limited Swansea to
one header from a set-piece. In the second half we didn't pass it as well as
in the first. It's disappointing. "It's our fifth clean sheet in nine
matches but we have only nine points in total and that's not good enough."
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Swansea and West Ham draw 0-0 at the Liberty Stadium
Last Updated: October 27, 2013 6:32pm
SSN
Swansea City and West Ham United drew 0-0 at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday
in the Premier League. The Hammers' dead-ball threat troubled their hosts
all afternoon, with Angel Rangel hooking a long Razvan Rat free-kick off the
line while Guy Demel and Kevin Nolan also spurned good chances. Jussi
Jaaskelainen made two point-blank stops to deny Chico Flores and Wilfried
Bony at the other end, and the hosts also had a late penalty appeal for
handball against Joe Cole turned down as Swansea were left frustrated as the
game finished 0-0.
Best of the match:
Save of the match: Jaaskelainen made an excellent save form point blank
range to deny Chico in the first half.
Moment of the match: Dyer thought he might have won a penalty late in the
game for a handball against Joe Cole. The referee didn't agree.
Man of the match: Chico. Outstanding at the back for Swansea and threatened
the West Ham goal at set pieces.
While neither side picked up the three points, Sam Allardyce will be the
happier of the two managers as his decision to again play without a
recognised striker
for much of the game paid dividends as they restricted Swansea's space in
the middle of the park. They also highlighted Swansea's discomfort defending
set-pieces, which has been no secret given their relative lack of height,
and it proved a recurring theme throughout the contest and will almost
certainly have been noted by Cardiff ahead of next weekend's south Wales
derby. During the early going, West Ham were happy to sit deep and soak up
pressure and hope to capitalise on counter-attack or set-piece
opportunities. On several occasions they also attempted to get Stewart
Downing one-on-one with Neil Taylor, and one such instance saw the England
winger cut in and force a sharp save from Michel Vorm, with Demel prodding
over from the resulting corner. Swansea's first chance fell to Alvaro
Vazquez, who had a poor afternoon, as his low header was held by
Jaaskelainen after a lovely outside-of-the-foot cross from Wayne Routledge.
Both sides then contrived to pass up excellent opportunities in the 20th
minute.
Flores headed straight at Jaaskelainen from point-blank range and West Ham
collected the loose ball and broke through Ricardo Vaz Te, who was later
forced off through injury. He found Ravel Morrison but the Hammers youngster
dragged wide of the far post. Vorm enjoyed a lucky escape as West Ham's
aerial bombardment continued in earnest, the Dutchman came for Rat's long
free-kick and missed it under pressure from Nolan, with Rangel hooking the
ball clear as it headed for the back of the net. Vorm then punched a corner
straight to Morrison, with several Swansea bodies rushing out to block the
shot. Substitute Matt Jarvis, on for Vaz Te, soon beat Rangel and picked out
Nolan, with the West Ham captain spooning over with Morrison better-placed
behind him. Swansea raised the tempo afer the break and Nathan Dyer crafted
an opening for Vazquez by spinning away from Winston Reid and Nolan, but the
striker could not get a touch on the winger's inviting ball. But the hosts'
set-piece demons would not go away, with Vorm unconvincingly punching a
sliced Michu clearance and Jarvis hoist when under pressure, with Nolan
flicking over the bar from the latter. Allardyce threw on Carlton Cole for
his second West Ham debut, while Michael Laudrup introduced Bony for the
ineffectual Vazquez. The Ivorian thought he had given Swansea the lead with
19 minutes to play from, of all things, a set-piece. De Guzman's corner fell
to the striker but Jaaskelainen pushed out his shot from the edge of the
six-yard box, with Mark Noble clearing Flores' follow-up header off the
line. Jarvis then headed over under pressure from Rangel at the other end
after Mohamed Diame had escaped the home defence.
Swansea thought a penalty should have gone their way in stoppage time, but
Phil Dowd waved away appeals that Joe Cole had handled a Dyer cross.
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Sam Allardyce felt West Ham did enough to secure all three points
Last Updated: October 27, 2013 9:31pm
SSN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce felt his team had done enough to secure all
three points at Swansea and believes the lack of a clinical edge in front of
goal has hindered them so far this season. In a turgid game of few clear
chances the Hammers' dead-ball threat troubled their hosts all afternoon,
with Angel Rangel hooking a long Razvan Rat free-kick off the line, while
Guy Demel and Kevin Nolan also spurned sights of goal. Jussi Jaaskelainen
made two point-blank stops to deny Chico Flores and Wilfried Bony at the
other end, but the hosts were most aggrieved by referee Phil Dowd's decision
to turn down a stoppage-time appeal for handball against Joe Cole. The West
Ham substitute had his arm raised as he leapt to block a Nathan Dyer cross
but the game ended goalless. Allardyce again opted to start with a side
containing no recognised striker, and their 4-6-0 formation stymied
Swansea's passing game, while they carried a potent threat from set-pieces
at the other end. Afterwards, Allardyce said: "That's five clean sheets
we've got now. Away from home we've only conceded one goal, from a very
dubious penalty, and that is going to bring us a lot of points because
eventually we will score. "We obviously want to score more if we can but it
looks as though we have to create six or seven chances for ourselves. "That
has got to get better."
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SCOUTS' DISHONOUR OVER COLE EMBARRASSMENT
By Tony McDonald 27 Oct 2013 at 20:29
West Ham Till I Die
SO the Carlton Cole farce finally became reality today, when the player
discarded by manager Sam Allardyce at the end of last season made his
long-awaited reappearance in West Ham's first team as a second half
substitute at Swansea.
It beggars belief that a Premier League club should need to stoop so low as
to have to go cap in hand to a striker who was deemed not good enough just a
few months earlier and put out to pasture.
Naturally, he didn't score in the 25 minutes or so he spent on the field at
the Liberty Stadium but then none of us who have followed his career are
expecting much from a striker whose games-to-goals ratio is right up there
with John Radford's in Hammers folklore. In 287 senior games spanning five
clubs, Cole has mustered just 59 goals - a meagre return by any forward's
standards.
Which makes the decision to re-sign the 30-year-old as cover for the injured
Andy Carroll all the more bewildering and, certainly, it's a damning
indictment of the club's scouting system.
To compound West Ham's self-inflicted embarrassment, we even had to wait for
Cole to get himself reasonably fit again before he could even be considered
for a game. That doesn't say much for his attitude and professionalism
either. He (and his agent) must have been confident that clubs would be
falling at his feet to sign him up after West Ham showed him the door, but
that didn't happen, so he let himself go fitness-wise.
You cannot tell me that there really are no better options than Cole to be
found in Spain's La Liga, Italy's Serie A or Germany's Bundesliga? Are there
no younger options with potential who would be worth a crack? There must be
countless strikers as good (or as bad) as Carlton Cole who would give their
right arm to be given a chance to shine in the English Premier League. And
surely if they are not playing regular first team football in their own
country, their clubs could quite possibly be persuaded to release them on
loan, with a possible view for a longer-term transfer deal. The experience
of playing in the EPL would do them no harm - a win-win situation all round,
you'd think.
Apparently not.
Instead, we find ourselves in the humiliating, embarrassing situation many
Sunday morning football managers face most weeks of the season. You know how
it works . . . you drop a lumbering striker because you have 13 or 14 other
players better than him, but then your centre-forward injures himself
tripping over his daughter's dolls house at home, another player has to go
Christmas shopping with his missus, and a third has been out on a Saturday
night bender and is feeling too ill to even get out of bed the next morning.
So you have no other choice. You pick up the phone an hour before kick-off
and desperately plead with your only last resort to help you out of a fix.
You justify it in your own mind as being marginally better than playing with
10. I guess that's how Allardyce must have been thinking when he saw how
Cole had ballooned in weight and here he was offering him an olive branch.
The difference is, West Ham United is not meant to be run like a Sunday
morning pub team. We should be employing a chief scout who knows the game
inside out and surround him with a network of scouts in all the key areas of
Europe, South America, Africa, Asia, etc . These people should have lots of
promising players on their radar as short-term, middle term and long-term
targets but I have grave doubts that they know what they are doing or what
they are supposed to be looking for. Some days I seriously wonder whether we
have any scouts at all.
OK, so I know the days of Wally St Pier sitting down for a nice cup of rosy
with the parents of a budding schoolboy prodigy in Forest Gate or Barking
are a dim and distant memory. But really, what do our scouts actually do
these days?
You look at our most recent signings -Carroll, Downing, Joe Cole and Jarvis
- and you have to ask if any of our scouts even possess a passport that can
take them beyond the UK, or even outside Liverpool. The exception to this
rule might be the Romanian left-back Rat, although it's probably too early
to judge him. Some of our other signings from overseas in recent times have
been very dubious at best and should be subject of a steward's inquiry.
How come other clubs don't seem to have any problem unearthing new gems
before polishing off their rough edges?
At West Ham we're replacing one injury-prone striker bought at a
ridiculously over-inflated cost, with one who no-one else wants and who has
a poor goal scoring pedigree.
Ah, but Cole's only back here as cover, they'll say. He's just short-term
and won't get a sniff of a chance once Carroll eventually comes back into
the side.
Exactly.
So why even waste a place on the bench on someone we've already decided
isn't up to it? Why not take a punt on a young hopeful, a foreign loanee,
who might turn out to be the next best thing? Their wages wouldn't cost us
any more than Carlton Cole's. It would at least be nice to give chance a
chance.
Not only is Cole not the answer to what the club hopes will be only a
short-term problem, but the bigger picture is also one of major concern.
Carroll is damaged goods, we will never recoup anything like what we paid
for him and he is costing us a fortune in wages. It's all very well saying
he'll be back soon, but for long will he continue to play before suffering
his next injury set-back?
The plan to replace him with a permanent striker who can hack it in the
Premier League should already be well underway.
Anyone know a good scout?
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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WHUFC.com
West Ham United earned a creditable point in an entertaining goalless draw
at Swansea City
27.10.2013
West Ham United were held to a goalless draw against Swansea City on Sunday
afternoon, as the Hammers spurned a series of chances to leave the Liberty
Stadium with all three Barclays Premier League points. Ravel Morrison, Guy
Demel, Mo Diame and Kevin Nolan were all guilty of missing the target in the
first half alone, as Sam Allardyce's men dominated vast swathes of this one.
But for their profligacy in front of goal, West Ham would no doubt have
secured a second successive victory on their travels, though a fifth clean
sheet of the campaign was an excellent second best. It was the visitors who
showed first, in the shape of winger Stewart Downing, whose low left-footed
drive forced Michel Vorm into a smart near-post stop after eight minutes.
The resulting corner, meanwhile, fell at the feet of full-back Demel, but on
the stretch, he could only toe over the bar. At the other end, Wayne
Routledge floated in an inviting centre, but a stooping Alvaro Vazquez could
only head into the grateful arms of Jussi Jaaskelainen. But the Hammers
stopper was soon called into more serious action as he somehow kept out
Chico Flores' bullet header from little more than six yards. Ironically, it
prompted a West Ham breakaway, one that saw Morrison with a sight of goal,
though he dragged his shot across the face of goal. Thereafter, the Hammers
went close on a number of occasions, without succeeding in breaking the
deadlock. Firstly, Razvan Rat's long free-kick saw Kevin Nolan beat Vorm to
it, only for his glancing header to be cleared off the line.
Sam Allardyce's men then won three corners in quick succession with 25
minutes gone, the first of which came after Downing's goal-bound effort had
been deflected behind. The second fell kindly to Morrison from 18 yards,
but his strike, smashed into the ground, couldn't find its way through a
crowded penalty area. But still the Hammers came, with arguably the best
chance falling to Demel, who nodded over the bar from close range. As the
visitors drew breath, Swansea gained a foothold in proceedings, but it was
West Ham who continued to threaten the hosts' goal. In the 44th minute,
Downing's in-swinging free-kick picked out Diame at the far stick, but like
Demel before him, he was unable to direct his header on target. And in
first-half stoppage time yet another presentable opportunity came and went.
Jarvis, a first-half replacement for the injured Ricardo Vaz Te, raced to
the by-line and though his cut-back was an excellent one, Nolan spooned his
effort over the bar, with Morrison perhaps better placed to swipe at goal.
The Hammers, by comparison, were slightly more subdued after the break and
it was the Swans who had the first chance of note, as Vazquez, on the
stretch, was inches from connecting with Nathan Dyer's right-wing centre.
West Ham, however, continued to cause havoc in the opposition box and
Winston Reid, this time, had Vorm in all sorts of trouble, but could only
hook over from under the crossbar. Both sides, meanwhile, shuffled their
packs, with Pablo Hernandez and Wilfried Bony joining the fray for the
Swans, and Carlton Cole coming on in place of Diame. But it was Bony who
nearly made an instant impact. The Hammers struggled to clear a left-wing
corner and when the Ivorian let fly from six yards, Jaaskelainen was equal
to it, diving to his left to palm the ball to safety. While the tempo
hardly slowed, chances were at a premium in the final quarter. Jaaskelainen
dove expertly at the feet of Michu, but the latter was flagged offside in
any case. There would be one final chance for the visitors, but Carlton
Cole's well-timed leap produced a comfortable stop from Vorm, as it ended
honours even in Wales.
Swansea City: Vorm, Rangel, Chico, Williams, Taylor, Britton, de Guzman,
Michu, Dyer, Routledge (Hernandez 60), Vazquez (Bony 67)
Subs: Tremmel, Tiendalli, Amat, Canas, Pozuelo
Booked: Rangel
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen; Demel, Tomkins, Reid, Rat; Nolan, Noble,
Diame (C Cole 64); Downing, Morrison (J Cole 78), Vaz Te (Jarvis 34)
Subs not used: Adrian, Maiga, Taylor, O'Brien
Booked: Demel, Morrison, Cole
Referee: Phil Dowd
Attendance: 20,455
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'Another magnificent clean sheet'
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce hailed a supreme defensive display after the Hammers drew 0-0
at Swansea City
27.10.2013
Sam Allardyce admitted it was a case of mixed emotions after watching his
West Ham United side held to a goalless Barclays Premier League draw at
Swansea City on Sunday. The Hammers flew out of the traps and created
several fine chances prior to the interval, with youngster Ravel Morrison
arguably spurning the best of them. Though the Swans were resurgent after
the break, Jussi Jaaskelainen was rarely called upon and Carlton Cole might
have won it with a glancing header at the death. While the winner was to
prove elusive, a fifth clean sheet of the campaign was just reward for
another outstanding display away from home. And Big Sam was rightly elated
with his side's defensive prowess, even if goals are proving hard to come by
just now. "We're disappointed in the dressing room and the lads know that we
should be celebrating a little more than we are," he told West Ham TV. "It's
another magnificent clean sheet, another snuffing out of the opposition and
classic counter-attacking football in the first half. Our movement of the
ball, passing and movement of the players was brilliant, we cut Swansea open
time after time. "But in the end we failed to put the ball in the back of
the net, sadly. It got more difficult in the second half because we didn't
pass it as well as we did in the first, but yet again that superb defensive
quality we've got held out for a point."
Five clean sheets are clearly of huge satisfaction to the Hammers boss, but
Big Sam acknowledged that their points tally to date is disappointing under
the circumstances. He continued: "Five clean sheets out of nine matches and
only nine points is a massive disappointment, on the basis of how we've
played and what we've done up to now in terms of creating chances and not
converting them. "So we've ended up with draws instead of wins and that for
us is a problem at the minute that we've got to continue to try and work on
to improve. Hopefully the lads keep up this magnificent defensive record but
start scoring the odd goal here and there to start getting three points on
the board instead of one."
While the visitors had several clear sights of goal, Big Sam pointed to
Morrison's first-half chance as the one that really got away. The
culmination of an incisive counter-attack, the former Manchester United
youngster opted to go for goal, rather than squaring to Mo Diame, a decision
that both he and his colleagues were left to rue. "All Rav had to do was
roll the ball across for Mo Diame to tap it in and he got a bit greedy and
wanted to score himself," Big Sam confirmed. "You've got to play the best
man in if it's a goalscoring chance and if he's not there, then yes, take
the shot at goal, see if you can score. "After that, Guy Demel and Mo Diame
had chances and chances, balls were dropping down in their box. Even the
goalie tried to punch one in his own net for us!"
"Right at the end there Carlton Cole came on and gave us a bit more of an
attacking thrust. He's had a good header near the end that the goalkeeper's
made a good save from. We're reasonably satisfied with the point, we respect
the point but disappointed we haven't got three." With another hard-earned
away point safely in the bag, the challenge now remains to do likewise at
the Boleyn Ground. Unlike last season, where the Hammers were imperious at
home, they have already suffered three successive home league defeats. Big
Sam, however, is intent on putting that right, starting with Saturday's
visit of Aston Villa. "Five games and one goal conceded off a very dubious
penalty at Hull City is a magnificent record to build on and our main
concern now is to make sure when we play at home that we don't lose any more
matches. "We're going to try and win against Aston Villa and settle that
score at the minute, because three defeats at home on the trot is just not
acceptable for us. In the form that we showed playing in all of those three
games, to have got nothing out of it, we must turn that around on Saturday.
"If we're going to have a good away record this year, we can't start
faltering at home, we've got to be as good as we were last and we haven't
been at the moment in terms of results. Not so much, performances but
certainly in terms of results."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Swansea 0 West Ham 0
27 October 2013
Last updated at 18:34
By Saj Chowdhury
BBC Sport
Swansea and West Ham settled for a point in a match that contained few
clear-cut opportunities at a rain-drenched Liberty Stadium. West Ham created
more chances than the home side with Stewart Downing forcing saves from
Michel Vorm who then almost punched the ball into his own net. Midfielder
Ravel Morrison also went close when he fired wide from 10 yards. Home keeper
Jussi Jaaskelainen produced two great blocks to deny Swansea's Chico Flores
and Wilfried Bony. The Bony chance was the only effort of note in a second
half that failed to match a relatively entertaining first 45 minutes. Swans
manager Michael Laudrup may be left perplexed at his side's lack of
attacking endeavour in their first goalless draw of the season, while
counterpart Sam Allardyce will have been disappointed by the Hammers'
wastefulness in front of goal. The point lifts West Ham up to 15th, while
the Swans, who made seven changes from the side that started against Kuban
Krasnodar in the Europa League on Thursday, go ninth. Flores drew a
point-blank save from Jaaskelainen but that was the only effort of note from
Laudrup's side during a first 45 minutes which the Hammers controlled. The
visitors had only scored in one of their past five away league games but
winger Downing did his best to remedy that, twice forcing good saves from
Vorm in the first half. There followed a howler by the Dutch keeper when he
fisted a clearance towards his own net and was only spared embarrassment by
the athleticism of defender Angel Rangel, who cleared.
England Under-21 international Morrison, an outside bet for a place in the
senior squad for Brazil, also tested the Swansea goal with a low angled
strike that just drifted past the left-hand upright, while Guy Demel scooped
over from six yards. Both managers made tactical changes in attack midway
through the second half after an uninspiring spell following the restart.
Allardyce brought on striker Carlton Cole for his first appearance of his
second spell with the club, while Laudrup sent on Ivorian Bony. And it was
last season's Dutch league top scorer Bony who had the best and only
opportunity of the half when his fierce strike from eight yards was tipped
over by the ever-alert Jaaskelainen. Swansea now travel to Cardiff for the
first all-Welsh Premier League encounter, while West Ham host Aston Villa.
Swansea manager Michael Laudrup: "I knew it would be very difficult as they
enjoyed huge success playing like this against Tottenham, when they won 3-0
[previous away fixture]. "We knew they would play without a striker and with
six in midfield and it is difficult. "You also know they are so good at
set-pieces and we had some problems when they had four or five in succession
in the first half. "We don't have the tallest guys but in the second half,
despite not being at our best, we controlled it."
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce: "We should have had it over and done with by
half-time. "We showed our classic counter-attacking football, but
unfortunately our finishing qualities let us down. "We limited Swansea to
one header from a set-piece. In the second half we didn't pass it as well as
in the first. It's disappointing. "It's our fifth clean sheet in nine
matches but we have only nine points in total and that's not good enough."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Swansea and West Ham draw 0-0 at the Liberty Stadium
Last Updated: October 27, 2013 6:32pm
SSN
Swansea City and West Ham United drew 0-0 at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday
in the Premier League. The Hammers' dead-ball threat troubled their hosts
all afternoon, with Angel Rangel hooking a long Razvan Rat free-kick off the
line while Guy Demel and Kevin Nolan also spurned good chances. Jussi
Jaaskelainen made two point-blank stops to deny Chico Flores and Wilfried
Bony at the other end, and the hosts also had a late penalty appeal for
handball against Joe Cole turned down as Swansea were left frustrated as the
game finished 0-0.
Best of the match:
Save of the match: Jaaskelainen made an excellent save form point blank
range to deny Chico in the first half.
Moment of the match: Dyer thought he might have won a penalty late in the
game for a handball against Joe Cole. The referee didn't agree.
Man of the match: Chico. Outstanding at the back for Swansea and threatened
the West Ham goal at set pieces.
While neither side picked up the three points, Sam Allardyce will be the
happier of the two managers as his decision to again play without a
recognised striker
for much of the game paid dividends as they restricted Swansea's space in
the middle of the park. They also highlighted Swansea's discomfort defending
set-pieces, which has been no secret given their relative lack of height,
and it proved a recurring theme throughout the contest and will almost
certainly have been noted by Cardiff ahead of next weekend's south Wales
derby. During the early going, West Ham were happy to sit deep and soak up
pressure and hope to capitalise on counter-attack or set-piece
opportunities. On several occasions they also attempted to get Stewart
Downing one-on-one with Neil Taylor, and one such instance saw the England
winger cut in and force a sharp save from Michel Vorm, with Demel prodding
over from the resulting corner. Swansea's first chance fell to Alvaro
Vazquez, who had a poor afternoon, as his low header was held by
Jaaskelainen after a lovely outside-of-the-foot cross from Wayne Routledge.
Both sides then contrived to pass up excellent opportunities in the 20th
minute.
Flores headed straight at Jaaskelainen from point-blank range and West Ham
collected the loose ball and broke through Ricardo Vaz Te, who was later
forced off through injury. He found Ravel Morrison but the Hammers youngster
dragged wide of the far post. Vorm enjoyed a lucky escape as West Ham's
aerial bombardment continued in earnest, the Dutchman came for Rat's long
free-kick and missed it under pressure from Nolan, with Rangel hooking the
ball clear as it headed for the back of the net. Vorm then punched a corner
straight to Morrison, with several Swansea bodies rushing out to block the
shot. Substitute Matt Jarvis, on for Vaz Te, soon beat Rangel and picked out
Nolan, with the West Ham captain spooning over with Morrison better-placed
behind him. Swansea raised the tempo afer the break and Nathan Dyer crafted
an opening for Vazquez by spinning away from Winston Reid and Nolan, but the
striker could not get a touch on the winger's inviting ball. But the hosts'
set-piece demons would not go away, with Vorm unconvincingly punching a
sliced Michu clearance and Jarvis hoist when under pressure, with Nolan
flicking over the bar from the latter. Allardyce threw on Carlton Cole for
his second West Ham debut, while Michael Laudrup introduced Bony for the
ineffectual Vazquez. The Ivorian thought he had given Swansea the lead with
19 minutes to play from, of all things, a set-piece. De Guzman's corner fell
to the striker but Jaaskelainen pushed out his shot from the edge of the
six-yard box, with Mark Noble clearing Flores' follow-up header off the
line. Jarvis then headed over under pressure from Rangel at the other end
after Mohamed Diame had escaped the home defence.
Swansea thought a penalty should have gone their way in stoppage time, but
Phil Dowd waved away appeals that Joe Cole had handled a Dyer cross.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce felt West Ham did enough to secure all three points
Last Updated: October 27, 2013 9:31pm
SSN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce felt his team had done enough to secure all
three points at Swansea and believes the lack of a clinical edge in front of
goal has hindered them so far this season. In a turgid game of few clear
chances the Hammers' dead-ball threat troubled their hosts all afternoon,
with Angel Rangel hooking a long Razvan Rat free-kick off the line, while
Guy Demel and Kevin Nolan also spurned sights of goal. Jussi Jaaskelainen
made two point-blank stops to deny Chico Flores and Wilfried Bony at the
other end, but the hosts were most aggrieved by referee Phil Dowd's decision
to turn down a stoppage-time appeal for handball against Joe Cole. The West
Ham substitute had his arm raised as he leapt to block a Nathan Dyer cross
but the game ended goalless. Allardyce again opted to start with a side
containing no recognised striker, and their 4-6-0 formation stymied
Swansea's passing game, while they carried a potent threat from set-pieces
at the other end. Afterwards, Allardyce said: "That's five clean sheets
we've got now. Away from home we've only conceded one goal, from a very
dubious penalty, and that is going to bring us a lot of points because
eventually we will score. "We obviously want to score more if we can but it
looks as though we have to create six or seven chances for ourselves. "That
has got to get better."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
SCOUTS' DISHONOUR OVER COLE EMBARRASSMENT
By Tony McDonald 27 Oct 2013 at 20:29
West Ham Till I Die
SO the Carlton Cole farce finally became reality today, when the player
discarded by manager Sam Allardyce at the end of last season made his
long-awaited reappearance in West Ham's first team as a second half
substitute at Swansea.
It beggars belief that a Premier League club should need to stoop so low as
to have to go cap in hand to a striker who was deemed not good enough just a
few months earlier and put out to pasture.
Naturally, he didn't score in the 25 minutes or so he spent on the field at
the Liberty Stadium but then none of us who have followed his career are
expecting much from a striker whose games-to-goals ratio is right up there
with John Radford's in Hammers folklore. In 287 senior games spanning five
clubs, Cole has mustered just 59 goals - a meagre return by any forward's
standards.
Which makes the decision to re-sign the 30-year-old as cover for the injured
Andy Carroll all the more bewildering and, certainly, it's a damning
indictment of the club's scouting system.
To compound West Ham's self-inflicted embarrassment, we even had to wait for
Cole to get himself reasonably fit again before he could even be considered
for a game. That doesn't say much for his attitude and professionalism
either. He (and his agent) must have been confident that clubs would be
falling at his feet to sign him up after West Ham showed him the door, but
that didn't happen, so he let himself go fitness-wise.
You cannot tell me that there really are no better options than Cole to be
found in Spain's La Liga, Italy's Serie A or Germany's Bundesliga? Are there
no younger options with potential who would be worth a crack? There must be
countless strikers as good (or as bad) as Carlton Cole who would give their
right arm to be given a chance to shine in the English Premier League. And
surely if they are not playing regular first team football in their own
country, their clubs could quite possibly be persuaded to release them on
loan, with a possible view for a longer-term transfer deal. The experience
of playing in the EPL would do them no harm - a win-win situation all round,
you'd think.
Apparently not.
Instead, we find ourselves in the humiliating, embarrassing situation many
Sunday morning football managers face most weeks of the season. You know how
it works . . . you drop a lumbering striker because you have 13 or 14 other
players better than him, but then your centre-forward injures himself
tripping over his daughter's dolls house at home, another player has to go
Christmas shopping with his missus, and a third has been out on a Saturday
night bender and is feeling too ill to even get out of bed the next morning.
So you have no other choice. You pick up the phone an hour before kick-off
and desperately plead with your only last resort to help you out of a fix.
You justify it in your own mind as being marginally better than playing with
10. I guess that's how Allardyce must have been thinking when he saw how
Cole had ballooned in weight and here he was offering him an olive branch.
The difference is, West Ham United is not meant to be run like a Sunday
morning pub team. We should be employing a chief scout who knows the game
inside out and surround him with a network of scouts in all the key areas of
Europe, South America, Africa, Asia, etc . These people should have lots of
promising players on their radar as short-term, middle term and long-term
targets but I have grave doubts that they know what they are doing or what
they are supposed to be looking for. Some days I seriously wonder whether we
have any scouts at all.
OK, so I know the days of Wally St Pier sitting down for a nice cup of rosy
with the parents of a budding schoolboy prodigy in Forest Gate or Barking
are a dim and distant memory. But really, what do our scouts actually do
these days?
You look at our most recent signings -Carroll, Downing, Joe Cole and Jarvis
- and you have to ask if any of our scouts even possess a passport that can
take them beyond the UK, or even outside Liverpool. The exception to this
rule might be the Romanian left-back Rat, although it's probably too early
to judge him. Some of our other signings from overseas in recent times have
been very dubious at best and should be subject of a steward's inquiry.
How come other clubs don't seem to have any problem unearthing new gems
before polishing off their rough edges?
At West Ham we're replacing one injury-prone striker bought at a
ridiculously over-inflated cost, with one who no-one else wants and who has
a poor goal scoring pedigree.
Ah, but Cole's only back here as cover, they'll say. He's just short-term
and won't get a sniff of a chance once Carroll eventually comes back into
the side.
Exactly.
So why even waste a place on the bench on someone we've already decided
isn't up to it? Why not take a punt on a young hopeful, a foreign loanee,
who might turn out to be the next best thing? Their wages wouldn't cost us
any more than Carlton Cole's. It would at least be nice to give chance a
chance.
Not only is Cole not the answer to what the club hopes will be only a
short-term problem, but the bigger picture is also one of major concern.
Carroll is damaged goods, we will never recoup anything like what we paid
for him and he is costing us a fortune in wages. It's all very well saying
he'll be back soon, but for long will he continue to play before suffering
his next injury set-back?
The plan to replace him with a permanent striker who can hack it in the
Premier League should already be well underway.
Anyone know a good scout?
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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