Daily WHUFC News - 25th December 2013

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!

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Big Sam on: Arsenal
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce speaks to the gathered media ahead of Boxing Day's match
against Arsenal
24.12.2013

Sam Allardyce has conducted his pre-match press conference ahead of Boxing
Day's Barclays Premier League match against Arsenal. Big Sam spoke to the
assembled media about the form of their north London opponents, the return
of Kevin Nolan and his side's latest injury news.

Morning Sam, what's the situation surrounding James Tomkins?

SA: "From a legal point of view it's difficult for me to comment. The only
thing I can say is that I don't think James should have been there
irrespective of whether he got into trouble or not. It's probably the
highest profile public house in this country and I think it would have been
better if he'd have stayed away. From a Club point of view there's nothing
broken in terms of rules because it was five or six days ahead of the next
game. I can't comment any further than that."

Onto the football now and it's Arsenal up next for you, who obviously played
last night?

SA: "I have to put a lot down to the conditions that we didn't see a lot of
action in both boxes last night and when Arsenal sneaked one shot on target
in the whole 90 minutes it shows you how well Chelsea defended. It's
something that we could do with doing against them on Boxing Day, locking
them out like Chelsea did and see what we can get from there."

You've had a couple more days rest than Arsenal, will that be significant?

SA: "It may well be but I think that I could have said that against
Manchester United. In the end it's about your own mentality and your own
desire at this stage of the season to drive yourself through when you get
that little bit more fatigued, because there's so many games coming along in
such a quick period. It's about waking up in the morning and thinking
positively, it's about waking up and saying I'm not tired, it's about going
in and driving yourself on to get results. It lies more in the mental side,
these lads can't be any physically fitter so mentally they've got to drive
themselves on."

Two great clubs in a great Boxing Day fixture, games don't come much better
than this do they?

SA: "We got tumbled over twice last year, not so much at home because it
only happened in the second half when they hit us on the break twice. They
gave us a second half hiding at the Emirates. We'll give it our best shot
and make sure we protect ourselves against Arsenal's abilities like we saw
Chelsea do the other night and then try and exploit some of the weaknesses
that aren't as apparent as they used to be. There's a lot of work now which
has gone on quietly about how well they defend and that's why they're near
the top of the league."

You have Kevin Nolan returning from suspension, how much have you missed
him?

SA: "I think we have. The most important thing we've missed with Kevin is
his goals this year, only scoring one. Because we haven't produced the
results he, like the all the other lads, has received a bit of criticism
here and there. We have to accept it, take it on the chin and just focus on
the fact that we know how well we can play and try to continue to get back
to that level of performance but more importantly when you're in command of
a game try and put a goal in the net to win it. Otherwise you end up where
we are, we haven't scored enough goals this season."

What's the injury situation at present?

SA: "They're all progressing very well. Andy's training on a day-to-day
basis with the rehab boys and improving all the time. He's kicking, turning,
twisting, I watched him train yesterday for an hour or so, he's improving
all the time and I expect him to be back with us shortly. I'm not going to
put days or weeks on it because I don't want to but it won't be too long.
Vaz Te's nearly ready to come back into training. Stewart Downing saw the
specialist and has got a little more healing on the scar and then he can
start training again. Winston Reid's still another few weeks unfortunately
but Kevin's back and the rest of the players have a responsibility to get
through this period with as many points as they can. We've left ourselves
with a massive programme and we're going to use the squad to its full
extent."

Arsenal haven't had a great December, have they gone off the boil?

SA: "I hope so. When you play the top boys you have to play to your very
best on the day and hope that you take advantage of the opportunities you
get or you get a bit of luck. If that goes your way then you can beat
anybody in this league on the day but you need certain factors to be in your
favour. I have to control the factors I can control and make sure the
players play to their best."

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Noble's Christmas message
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble wants West Ham United to enjoy a fruitful festive season
24.12.2013

Mark Noble has urged West Ham United supporters to try to forget about the
Club's current form and enjoy Christmas. The popular midfielder, who has
captained the side twice during Kevin Nolan's recent suspension, spoke to
West Ham TV following Saturday's 3-1 Barclays Premier League defeat at
Manchester United. While he did not shy away from the fact that the Hammers
sit 17th in the table going into the festive season, the No16's message was
one of optimism rather than concern. The No16 says the squad are targeting a
minimum of six points from their three holiday fixtures at home to Arsenal
and West Bromwich Albion and away at Fulham. "My message to the fans would
be to stick with us," he said. "Obviously we had a great first half to the
year finishing tenth and I'm pretty sure that when we get some key players
back like Winston Reid, Stewie Downing and big AC (Andy Carroll) in the New
Year, we'll be fine.
"We just need to keep working hard, not let defeats demoralise us, and look
forward to the next game. "Six points out of nine over Christmas would be
fantastic and that is our aim. Anything less than that would be undercutting
ourselves massively because we need to beat West Brom and we need to beat
Fulham. "We've got a home game against Arsenal and, if we prepare for the
game in the right way, there is every chance we can get something there too
with the crowd behind us at Upton Park. "We just need to look after
ourselves over Christmas and enjoy it by winning games."

Reflecting on Saturday's defeat at Manchester United, Noble felt the Hammers
had an opportunity to gain a positive result at Old Trafford after starting
the game well. However, two first-half goals from Danny Welbeck and Adnan
Januzaj and a second-half strike from Ashley Young meant Carlton Cole's
consolation came too late to affect the final outcome. "Adrian made a great
save early doors and we kept it tight up until their first goal, then they
got a second one and it was tough to come back," said the No16. "I thought
the lads dug in well in the second half and didn't let themselves down. "Old
Trafford is a tough place to go. I know they lost their last two games
there, but they were going to win at some point. It just always seems to be
against us! We are looking forward to the Boxing Day game against Arsenal
now. "Obviously at Spurs they had a few good chances early on but we got the
little bit of luck that we needed. They didn't score in the first half and
we made them pay for that, but going to Old Trafford was a different kettle
of fish. "When Adrian made the save I thought it was going to be our night,
but it wasn't. Anything you get at places like Old Trafford is a bonus, so
we just need to rub our faces and get ready for the next game."

While he was naturally disappointed to lose out at Old Trafford, Noble was
pleased to see Cole grab his second goal since returning to the Club in
October.
"Coley took his goal well one-on-one. He told me he meant to stick it
through the keeper's legs and of course I believe him! It was nice to get a
goal, but the result wasn't so good. We thought we could get something but
it wasn't to be. "We kept on going and had some chances and had one cleared
off the line, then obviously Coley scored. If we had got a goal while it was
only 2-0 then we might have got back in it, but at 3-0 down we still had a
long way to go when we got our goal. "The lads gave their all and also gave
a lot in the week against Spurs, so we'll re-group and make sure we're ready
for the next one."

Moments after Cole had made it 3-1, West Ham made loud appeals for a penalty
when Ravel Morrison's shot hit Tom Cleverley on the hand, only for the
claims to be waved away by referee Mike Jones. Had the spot-kick been
awarded and converted by Noble, the stage would have been set for a
grandstand finish. "It definitely hit him on the arm, but I don't know if he
was inside the box or out. To get those decisions at Old Trafford is a big
ask and we never got it."

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West Ham v Arsenal
KO 15:00
24 December 2013
Last updated at 12:29
By Steve Wilson
BBC Match of the Day commentator

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Thursday, 26 December

TEAM NEWS

West Ham midfielder Kevin Nolan returns for the Boxing Day visit of Arsenal
after completing a three-match ban. Manager Sam Allardyce will continue to
select James Tomkins despite the defender being charged with assaulting a
police officer.

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere will miss the game as he completes a
two-match suspension. Laurent Koscielny could return, having missed the draw
against Chelsea with a cut to his knee.

MATCH PREVIEW

Arsenal were frustrated by Chelsea on Monday night, with Arsene Wenger
feeling that only one side wanted a football match to break out whilst the
other was happy with a stalemate. That may be true, but it says something
about Arsenal's lack of invention that they could still only muster one shot
on target in the entire 90 minutes. A draw with Chelsea is not a bad result,
but anything other than a win at West Ham would be seen as proof positive
that the Gunners are not yet ready to stay the course in a title race. "If
the Hammers are off their game again like they were at Old Trafford on
Saturday then Arsenal will take them apart but, even if Sam Allardyce gets a
reaction from his West Ham team after that defeat, I still think the Gunners
will find a way through." It would be a fifth consecutive game without a
victory and their autumnal momentum would well and truly have been lost.
West Ham are a bit of a puzzle to me. Every time I look at the league table
they're down at the wrong end of it. But every time I see them play in the
flesh, they win; two victories at White Hart Lane and a thumping of Fulham
at Upton Park. I quite like their midfield, and Ravel Morrison will be a
real star when the consistency that comes with experience begins to kick in.
Their need for a striker is blindingly obvious; Modibo Maiga has shown some
recent improvement and Carlton Cole always puts in a shift, but neither is
likely to get anywhere near double figures over a season. A fit, in-form
Andy Carroll is what they need, but who can say when, and if, that might
happen.
West Ham's record against Arsenal is pretty dismal, six consecutive defeats,
and their next two games against West Brom and Fulham offer far more juicy
prospects of some much-needed points.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head
Arsenal have won their last six games against West Ham in league and cup,
and are unbeaten in the last 11 meetings (W9, D2). That unbeaten run
stretches back to the 2006-07 season, when the Hammers won both Premier
League encounters 1-0 (at Upton Park in November 2006 and at the Emirates in
April 2007).

West Ham United
The Hammers have won one of their last 10 league games (W1, D3, L6). They
have failed to score in nine of their 17 league games - the joint worst
record in the top flight. West Ham have won their last three Premier League
games played on 26 December, scoring nine goals in the process. They are
unbeaten in their last two league games at Upton Park, keeping clean sheets
in both matches.

Arsenal
The Gunners have claimed 16 points from their eight away league games, the
joint-best record in the top flight.
Arsene Wenger's only defeat in a Premier League game on 26 December came in
1999 (a 3-2 loss away to Coventry).
This is Arsenal's 100th London derby away from home in the Premier League.
The Gunners have won 44 out of the previous 99 games.
Theo Walcott has scored in his last three league appearances against West
Ham. Olivier Giroud has three goals in two games against the Hammers, while
Santi Cazorla has two in two.

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The (ex) Rev's Christmas message
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 24th December 2013
By: Elwin Cockett

Elwin Cockett is the former Chaplain to West Ham United FC and the current
Archdeacon of West Ham. Every year Elwin pens a Christmas message for the
readers of KUMB, which this year begins with a look back at recent
successes...

Happy Christmas!

We're a funny lot, us West Ham fans. Our team is struggling in the league,
to say the least, and we all know the old adage about coming down with the
decorations after Christmas, every Christmas. And yet we're still basking in
having won away at Spurs again, and we're all relishing the prospect of a
Capital One Cup semi-final. No-one could say that life as a Happy Hammer is
boring.

Maybe that's because we've learned to enjoy the good times – to savour them,
even – because we don't take them for granted. Quite frankly, we know what
it is to suffer disappointment, and so when there's reason to celebrate we
know how to do that as well.

There has been plenty to celebrate over the years, of course. On hearing the
news a few days ago of David Coleman's death my mind went back to Mexico
1970, England playing Brazil, and his words as West Ham's captain performed
what became one of the most famous tackles in history: "Jairzinho going all
the way to goal – and Moore stops him. What a player this fellow is!"

And whenever two or three Irons supporters are gathered together, a familiar
list of names and dates can be recited. "'64, it starts, 'Sissons, Hurst and
Peters; '65 Sealey's double; '66 Moore, Hurst and Peters (of course)" – and,
depending on their age, it might go on to include later cup victories,
moments like Frank Lampard Senior dancing round the corner flag; the pain of
2006 at Cardiff; play-off nights at the Boleyn Ground; famous victories
against Spurs, Man Utd and the like and great names like Cottee, Devonshire
and Di Canio.

So we members of the West Ham family have much to celebrate, even when times
seem hard – which they're not, really. Not when we compare our lot with that
of the children of Syria, or of the thousands still homeless in the wake of
the typhoon in the Philippines, or of people we all know who are fighting
cancer, or going through bereavement, or worrying about where their family's
next meal is coming from.

The old quote about football being more important than life and death is
rubbish, isn't it. Because we know, as fans, that even if the worst happens
and our team gets relegated, or loses to our nearest rivals, or gets knocked
out of the cup, it really isn't the end of the world, however bad it feels
at the time.

Christmas reminds us that some things – quite a lot of things, actually -
are more important that football. It reminds us that people matter more than
possessions, and that looking out for the next guy matters more than
grabbing everything we can for ourselves. It reminds us that generosity
benefits the giver as well as the recipient, and that selfishness cuts off
its nose to spite its face.

I've been privileged to see some great things this year; people on an
internet forum supporting a fan whose baby grandson had died; the generosity
of a 'Northern Hammer' who has donated over £2000 to a charity helping
children in Ghana to learn to read; and more than a few quiet 'acts of
random kindness' that not many except God and the people involved will ever
know about.

It's those moments that make me proud to be a member of the West Ham family.

So, folks, if you've read this far, let me congratulate you for being part
of that family. Treasure the people in your life, because you never know
what's round the corner for them and for you. Try a few 'acts of random
kindness' for fun, if nothing else. And, in the joy and magic of the
celebrations, I pray that you will encounter something very special and
different this Christmas.

God bless you.

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Adidas - or Pony?
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 24th December 2013
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United's young supporters were left disappointed after the Club's
stock of junior home replica shorts sold out by the end of November.

As reported here on KUMB yesterday, parents trying to buy replica home
shorts this Christmas have been left disappointed after the Club admitted
they had ran out of certain sizes by the end of November, with no plans to
re-stock this season.

However KUMB has discovered that this is not an issue exclusive to West Ham.
Fellow Premier League Club Stoke City - whose kit and merchandise is also
supplied by the German manufacturer - have run into similar problems since
moving to Adidas.

The kit supplier was forced to issue an apology to Stoke fans at the
beginning of this season after fans were unable to purchase replica home
shirts.

"Adidas is immensely proud of our partnership with Stoke City and we are
working extremely hard to ensure this situation is resolved quickly and
efficiently," read a statement issued on August 26th. "We would like to put
on record how sorry we are for any inconvenience caused to the fans and the
club by the delay in Adidas delivering these items."

However Stoke's problems with Adidas didn't end there. Like West Ham fans,
supporters of the Potters have been unable to purchase the Club's change
socks in adult men's sizes meaning they too are unable to fulfil Christmas
wishes.

"It must be Adidas at fault," wrote one Stoke fan. "The shop should easily
be able to re-stock its socks if they were available from the suppliers and
I can't believe that a commercial enterprise popular for xmas pressies would
make that kind of gaff. Yet another reason to ditch Adidas."

Whilst another angry Potter added: Our connection with Adidas has been
pretty awful. Basic generic Adidas catalogue strips, basic generic training
wear and merchandise along with abysmally low availability of stock and
terrible punctuality by this mammoth company. All this at a higher cost than
ever for the fans."

Yet the story doesn't end there. Bristol City, whose kit is also provided by
Adidas also received an apology from the manufacturer in July for the delay
in making replica kit available.

In a statement (which is becoming familiar by now), they said: "Adidas is
immensely proud of its partnership with Bristol City Football Club and we
would like to put on record how sorry we are for any inconvenience caused to
the fans and the club by the delay in Adidas delivering these items."

Unbelievably Swansea City - another in the Adidas stable - also received an
apology this summer after their replica kit launch was delayed.

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West Ham entertain Arsenal at Upton Park
Last Updated: 24/12/13 1:51pm
SSN

Arsenal could reclaim top spot in the Premier League when they travel across
London on Boxing Day to face West Ham. The Gunners' failure to beat Chelsea
at the Emirates Stadium meant they were unable to unseat Liverpool from the
summit going into Christmas. However, the Reds will not be in action until
later on Thursday when they attempt to storm Manchester City's fortress
Etihad, so the opportunity is there for Arsenal to take the perch back.
Arsene Wenger's side are now without a win in their last three league
outings but only their north London rivals Tottenham have picked up more
points on the road so far this season. West Ham, meanwhile, hover just a
point outside the relegation zone after going down 3-1 at Manchester United
on Saturday. Sam Allardyce's side have managed to keep clean sheets in three
of their last four home games, though, and will need to rediscover that
resilience in order to upset Arsenal. Wenger's men won 3-1 in last season's
equivalent fixture in October - Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott and Santi
Cazorla all netting after Mohamed Diame's opener - and they beat the Hammers
5-1 when they met again three months later.

In total, Arsenal have come out on top in the last six meetings between the
sides. Both clubs boast enviable Boxing Day records in recent seasons. West
Ham have won all of their last three fixtures played on the day after
Christmas, while Wenger has only been beaten once on December 26 - a 3-2
reverse at Coventry in 1999.

This should be an away win, but Arsenal have got to get out of this little
run they're in - they've gone three league games without a win, plus that
defeat to Napoli in Europe. West Ham will sit back and try to get a 0-0 but
Arsenal should have too much for them.

PAUL PREDICTS: 0-3

West Ham
Last 6
Man Utd (a)3-1
Tottenham (a)1-2
Sunderland (h)0-0
Liverpool (a)4-1
C Palace (a)1-0
Fulham (h)3-0

Kevin Nolan returns from suspension, while manager Sam Allardyce will
continue to select defender James Tomkins despite his arrest on Sunday.
There is still no timescale on Andy Carroll's return from long-term foot
trouble. Ricardo Vaz Te and Winston Reid are still several weeks from
fitness, so are not in contention for the Barclays Premier League fixture.
Spanish goalkeeper Adrian could keep Jussi Jaaskelainen on the bench once
again after starting last weekend's 3-1 defeat at Manchester United.

Arsenal
Last 6
Chelsea (h)0-0
6-3
2-0
Everton (h)1-1
Hull City (h)2-0
Cardiff (a)0-3

Arsenal will be without midfielder Jack Wilshere as he completes a two-match
suspension. Centre-half Laurent Koscielny could return after sitting out the
game against Chelsea with a cut on his knee. Forward Yaya Sanogo (back),
midfielders Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Abou Diaby (both knee) remain
sidelined.

Opta Facts

West Ham have lost eight and won none of their last 10 Premier League games
against Arsenal.
Theo Walcott has scored in his last three Barclays Premier League
appearances against West Ham.
This is Arsenal's 100th London derby away from home in the Premier League
and the Gunners have won 44 out of 99; more victories on the road than any
other team in capital clashes.

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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce aiming to follow Chelsea's lead and stymie
Arsenal
Last Updated: 24/12/13 1:18pm
SSN

Arsenal have been told to expect another frustrating game when they go to
West Ham for the Boxing Day derby. Home supporters taunted Jose Mourinho
with chants of 'boring, boring Chelsea' as Arsenal struggled to create
chances against their organised opponents at the Emirates on Monday. And
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce, whose side shipped eight goals to Arsenal over
two games last season, plans to follow the Mourinho blueprint on Thursday.
He said: "Arsenal had a very tactical game (against Chelsea). We could do
with locking them out like Chelsea did. "We got tumbled over twice by them
last year, particularly at the Emirates, so we'll protect ourselves on
Arsenal's abilities and then try to exploit their weaknesses." Kevin Nolan
will be back to captain West Ham after serving a ban, but Winston Reid
(ankle) and Andy Carroll (foot) are still out. Allardyce said: "All the
injuries are progressing very well. Andy is improving all the time and we
expect him to be back among the lads very shortly." In the meantime
Allardyce has been linked with a move for former Sunderland striker Asamoah
Gyan, who is currently playing in the United Arab Emirates. He said: "We'll
be linked with anyone who's a centre-forward who might be coming back into
this country. "If there's a player of any sort of quality we try and find
out what the situation might be, but it's nothing more than that."

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BAD BUYS
By ExWHUemployee 24 Dec 2013 at 14:00
West Ham Till I Die

It is that time of year where we will all receive presents that perhaps were
not what we wanted and are a bit of a let-down. The same can be said about
new signings for a club and I thought just before Christmas I would reflect
upon five of Sam's worst signings. I do intend to write more frequently
again for the site, now that work has eased off a bit and I hope future
articles will be of a more positive nature.


Last month I wrote about Big Sam's best signings and promised to follow on
this month with the deals that haven't gone as well. Unfortunately recent
results have meant that doubts have been raised about whether Sam is the
right man for the job. I have always backed him but I think it is fair to
say that this season has been a disappointment so far (the league cup
excluded). I tweeted quite a few bits of information on my twitter account
this week regarding injuries and new potential signings of which one was
meant to be Adebayor. The deal was looking very likely until AVB was sacked
and he is now back in favour. I personally think this would have been a good
signing and now Sam has turned his attention to other forwards for a loan
deal, with Jelavic of Everton being a strong possibility. It is fair to say
that Sam's transfer record has been very varied. When writing this article I
found it quite hard to think who the top five (or should I say bottom
five?!) would be. So I decided that some of the key factors in making my
decision would be the obvious impact on the pitch and the cost to the club.

Modibo Maiga

The Mali international signed for an undisclosed amount reported to be close
to 5 million and is currently on £38,000 a week. He has delivered 2 goals
league goals in his time at the club (although scored a crucial and very
satisfying winner in the Capital one cup v Spurs) and has failed to fill the
void left by Andy Carroll this season. I do feel a bit sorry for him as
clearly he would play better off a target man in a 4-4-2 but he hasn't been
given those opportunities. He showed glimpses of his talent when coming on
as a sub v Spurs but unfortunately this has been very few and far between.
He started his time here with a bit of promise and scored a good goal
against Southampton and got the crucial 3rd against Chelsea but other than a
couple of goals in the capital one cup there hasn't been much else to talk
about. I think it is fair to say that if the club could recruit even half of
what we paid for him in the January window we would take that offer.

Alou Diarra

A former French international midfield captain who had represented his
country, in the summer that he was signed, at Euro 2012. He was also signed
for an undisclosed transfer fee reported to be 2.5m and with wages close to
£40,000 a week. Injuries have majorly disrupted his time here as well as a
reported falling out with Big Sam and his agents over reported lies in his
contract discussions. Things were going so wrong for him at our beloved club
that we sent him out on loan to Rennes. Whether he will play an important
role this season is yet to be seen but I suspect highly unlikely. With the
current defensive "issues" there is talk that he and George McCartney will
get more game time but we shall see.

Matt Jarvis

I was torn about including Matt and really wish I didn't have to but
unfortunately I do not think he has justified the, at the time, club record
transfer fee that we had paid for him which was reported to be around 11m.
Matt clearly has talent and put in 42 successful crosses last season which
was the highest total in the premiership. Although the return of two goals
was disappointing especially when you consider one was an attempted pass. I
think he still has a lot to offer the club and when Andy Carroll gets fit he
should be more productive. I do also wish he would be given a chance on the
right flank where he wouldn't have to cut back to get his cross in! The fact
that he was, until all the injuries, on the sub's bench shows that he hasn't
reached his potential yet.

Emanuel Pogatetz

The player arrived with quite a good CV and a number of years of premiership
experience. He was brought in to cover centre back and left back.
Unfortunately "Mad Dog's" appearances could not have been any worse. In one
of the worst performances I have seen at West Ham in recent years, he came
on at 72 minutes with West Ham 2-1 up against Spurs, we then ended up losing
the game 3-2 and he looked totally out of his depth. Things didn't really
improve much from the Spurs game and needless to say he wasn't signed.

Marouane Chamakh

He was brought in to provide Andy Carroll with competition for a starting
place. Another player who had quite a decent CV and actually held Champions
League scoring records in his time. He arrived with quite high wages and
unfortunately never justified them. To be fair to Marouane he didn't really
get much game time and any chance to prove himself. You knew this transfer
was destined to fail when Jack Sullivan tweeted an apology to the fans for
the purchase. The player unfortunately has come back to haunt us when he
scored the winner in the league encounter.

There are of course a number of players who were "lucky" to miss out on this
top five. Due to the significant impact that it has had on our season Andy
Carroll could be considered. If he was fit I would say he would be in our
top five signings but the gamble to put "all of our eggs into one basket"
has really back fired. I have been told he is targeting a mid-January return
but I won't be counting my chickens (I couldn't resist!) until I see him on
the pitch. I wanted him to stay but I still don't understand how he "passed"
the medical when he was injured at the time.

John Carew is another who commanded quite high wages and delivered very
little impact. It is not often that you have three forwards who are signed
in one season and then sold/released at the end of that season but we said
goodbye to Carew, Baldock and Maynard all of which were not considered good
enough for the premier league. Of course there have been others who could
have been in the top five and I am sure others reading this article will
disagree with my choices. One thing is for certain we really cannot afford
to pick up any more bad buys in the January window!

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Sam Allardyce slams James Tomkins for being at TOWIE nightspot Sugar Hut
after assault charge
Dec 24, 2013 12:53 By Neil McLeman
The Mirror

"I don't think James should have been there, irrespective of whether he got
into trouble or not," says Hammers boss

Sam Allardyce has said James Tomkins should not have been at an infamous
TOWIE nightspot in the early hours of Sunday morning. The West Ham defender
was arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer after an incident
at the Sugar Hut Village in Brentwood. Allardyce said Tomkins would continue
to be picked for West Ham , starting with the Boxing Day visit of Arsenal.
But although the defender had broken no disciplinary code, the Irons boss
was not clearly unimpressed with the 24-year-old being out after midnight.
"Because of the legal side of it, it is difficult for me to comment,"
Allardyce said. "The only thing I can say is that I don't think James should
have been there, irrespective of whether he got into trouble or not. "It is
the biggest profile public house in this country probably and he would have
been better if he had stayed away. "From a club's point of view, there is
nothing he has broken in terms of rules. It is five or six days till the
next game so what will happen from a legal point of view, we will have to
wait and see."

Allardyce said there was no Christmas curfew for players but added: "I
expect them to be professional enough without me telling them what they
should or shouldn't be doing. "Within the confines of what we can do and
what we can restrict them to, based on the fact that we can't ban anyone 100
per cent from doing anything because the PFA wouldn't allow us to do that so
we have certain restrictions about being on licensed premises at a certain
time in the week before the next game comes along and that was well outside
of that."

Tomkins will appear at Basildon Magistrates' Court on January 9. Allardyce
added: "I can't give out any punishment out yet because he has pleaded not
guilty and I think when we come to a conclusion in the case, we can see what
the situation is. "From a football point of view, he is a footballer we
need. He is obviously a big player for West Ham and he is West Ham born and
bred. "It is an incident which we wish had never had happened and we won't
really know the outcome until or if it goes to court. Until then it is: 'Get
on with the job, get on performing well for West Ham if and when he is
selected'."

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