Daily WHUFC News - 18th January 2013

Lee celebrates first-team debut
WHUFC.com
Elliot Lee enjoyed a memorable night in the FA Cup at Manchester United
17.01.2013

West Ham United's slender 1-0 FA Cup with Budweiser third-round replay
defeat at Manchester United failed to dampen Elliot Lee's spirits, as the
teenage striker celebrated his senior debut. Lee, who is enjoying a swift
ascent to prominence through the youth ranks, replaced Ricardo Vaz Te with
78 minutes on the clock at Old Trafford. And though he was ultimately unable
to inspire a late comeback, the 18-year-old was understandably thrilled to
have made his first-team bow in such illustrious surroundings. "I'm over the
moon and had a brilliant night. It would have been great at Upton Park but
the next best thing is the Theatre of Dreams at Old Trafford, so I'm
delighted the gaffer decided to chuck me on," Lee confirmed. "It's
unfortunate about the result but I'm still happy from a personal point of
view. "Obviously it would have been great if one chance had dropped to me
but I was just happy to be out there playing alongside the likes of Wayne
Rooney, so I thought it was brilliant. "It has been going really well. I was
top scorer for the youth team last season and I've pushed on to the
Development Squad this year, so hopefully I can keep pushing on and push for
a place on the bench for the first team."

Lee's father, Rob, donned the claret and blue 16 times in 2003/04, and his
18-year-old son is already setting his sights on a run out in the Barclays
Premier League, in the hope he might offer manager Sam Allardyce something a
little different. "I'm not the 6"5 striker that's going to flick things on,
but I'll do my best to hold it up. I'll run in behind and hopefully get you
goals," he added. "Obviously a Premier League debut is my next hope. I've
been on the bench once, a few weeks ago, and that was really good. But we've
bought in a few more strikers now, so I'll have to compete with them and see
if I can get my chance. "I think it was great that the manager decided to go
with two up front [at Old Trafford], which gives me more of a chance, and
hopefully he might do again in the future."

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Development Squad match postponed
WHUFC.com
Friday's Barclays U21 Premier League home match against Liverpool has been
called-off
17.01.2013

West Ham United's Development Squad will have to wait a little longer to
start their Barclays U21 Premier League Elite Group Stage campaign after
Friday's home fixture with Liverpool was postponed. A pitch inspection at
Rush Green at 12.30pm on Thursday found the playing surface frozen and, with
the Reds set to travel down on Thursday afternoon and heavy snow forecast
for the east of England on Friday, the decision was taken to call the game
off. A new date for the Liverpool fixture will be confirmed soon. Nick
Haycock's side also saw their scheduled opening match of the season at
Manchester United postponed hours ahead of kick-off on Monday. That fixture
will now be played on Wednesday 6 March, with kick-off at Altrincham FC at
7pm. The Development Squad are now set to start the Elite Group Stage with
an away game at Arsenal on the afternoon on Monday 28 January, when kick-off
at London Colney will be at 1pm.

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The Julian Dicks column: 16th January
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 16th January 2013
By: Julian Dicks

West Ham United FC legend Julian Dicks is a columnist here on KUMB.com.
Julian shares his thoughts with the readers of Knees up Mother Brown on a
regular basis via his weekly column, the latest of which begins with his
thoughts on 2013, the transfer window - and the mooted sale of James
Tomkins...

2013 so far

I was at the Norwich game and West Ham deserved their win, even though it
was a lot closer than it should have been. I also watched the Man Utd game
and, for me, it was a fair result over the 90 minutes.

But you're always going to lose some games; you can't go on winning or
drawing. It's how you react to the next game that counts - and there's no
bigger game than Man United in the FA Cup at Old Trafford - and I think it's
one we can win.

No-one gave us a chance when Paolo [Di Canio] scored the only goal of the
game in 2001. At the end of the day you have to go there and set your stall
out. If Sam Allardyce goes up there and plays one up front, I think we'll
get battered. I think you have to go up there and attack - not be gung ho
and play three up front, but put them under pressure.

In the first match, West Ham barely touched the ball in the first 20
minutes, they were giving them too much respect. You have to get amongt
them, kick a few and put yourself about. Hopefully they'll go up there and
do that.

As for Sunderland and Danny Potts' error that led to their second goal, he's
a young lad and he's going to make mistakes - just look at James Collins.
He's an experienced centre half and makes mistakes; we all make mistakes, we
all get caught out of position.

At the end of the day he's come in and done exceptionally well, especially
against Man United. He'll make mistakes for the rest of his life as we all
do, we're only human. The thing is, it's a team game and for me they just
had an off day - that's the way it goes.


The case for the defence

Man United's last minute equaliser in the FA Cup third round tie came via a
fantastic ball from Ryan Giggs. It wasn't the case that he got the ball
down, looked up and picked out the player, he did it first time - and to Van
Persie, probably the best striker in the Premier League. His first touch was
fantastic, the second touch was fantastic and the third touch a goal.

Now if I had been defending in that position I would have pulled him down -
I'd have taken a red card for that. Perhaps it's not very professional to
say that, but I would have taken one for the team.

Sometimes I think West Ham struggle defensively. When the opposition have
corners, for instance, when the ball is cleared an opposing player always
picks the ball up. You should always have one in front of their player in
midfield and one behind. But they don't do that, and in 90 per cent of cases
the opponent picks the ball up and you're under pressure again. That's just
basic defending.


Love me two times

I think it was a great move to bring Joe Cole back to West Ham. Joe's been a
fantastic player even though I don't think he's really fulfilled his
potential because he was an exceptional player when he was a young kid. But
I think he's a great signing for West Ham and I think he'll get better with
every game as he has to get match fit again.

Coming back to West Ham for a second time was the best decision I ever made,
I think. When I was nearing the end of my time at Liverpool, Birmingham
wanted me but I didn't want to go back there. Tottenham also came in for me
but obviously that was a no-no for me! Then I found out that West Ham wanted
me back, which was the best thing for me.

If I hadn't had a good first spell at West Ham then it might not have been,
but the first spell was good and I had a bond with the supporters. Like Joe,
you still have to come in and earn their respect again, of course you do.
They'll give you a little bit of time but if you don't start performing
they're going to say. "hang on a minute - we like Joe but..." So he does
have to perform and he does have to deliver the goods as well.


Can you feel the (strike) force?

It's been a busy transfer window already for West Ham with two strikers also
coming in alongside Joe. Wellington I don't know anything about and I'll
reserve judgement on Chamakh; I've watched him play for Arsenal and
sometimes he's got a bit of brilliance about him, but a lot of the time he's
bone idle. Only time will tell and they're only on loan, so at the end of
the day we can always send them back.

You want a striker who's going to come in and score you lots of goals,
someone to give the players and fans a lift - and they're going to need a
lift after the Sunderland game. They got absolutely trounced and Sam came
out and said they'd defended woefully and everything else. Hopefully they
can all come in and do a job for us.


Take the money

If the right offer came in for James Tomkins, who's been linked with
Newcastle, I'd let him go. Technically he's not going to get any better,
he's not going to able to pass the ball 30 or 40 yards all of a sudden. But
it depends what you want from your players. If you want your players to go
in there, win it and give the ball to somebody else he's ideal for that
which suits Sam Allardyce.

For me as a manager, I like to play football, I like my back four to be
comfortable on the ball and play out from the back - and I don't think James
Tomkins can do that. I've noticed West Ham don't do that in games. I very
rarely see Jaaskelainen get the ball out to the full backs or even the
centre backs, it's normally a long boot upfield and that's it.

I played with a few outstanding ball-playing defenders during my career.
Alvin Martin was quality; he wasn't the quickest by any stretch of the
imagination but he was so calm and collected when he had the ball, he never
rushed. But I was lucky at West Ham. Ray Stewart could play football; Alvin
could play football, Galey, Rio and Slav could all play football. We were
blessed with players who could play, but they wanted the ball.

I go and watch West Ham now and watch the players from a defensive point of
view; there's none of them who want the ball. Even against Manchester United
none of the full backs pulled out wide and wanted the ball - they just run
upfield because they know Jaaskelainen gets the ball, bangs through it and
they feed off scraps.

At the end of the day, if you get the ball and play your way out you've got
more chance of keeping that ball. But when you keep booting it upfield, if
you've got people up front who are not winning you headers the ball comes
straight back. If that's the way they want to play then that's it - they've
obviously been told that.


If you're good enough...

I joined West Ham when I was 19 like Danny Potts is now, but I had been
playing first team football since I was 17. Even though a couple of years
isn't a long time, it is when you've been playing football - especially
against players who were quite aggressive.

When I was 17 I was an apprentice. Thes days young players don't have to
clean player's boots like I did at Birmingham for Jim Blythe, the
goalkeeper, Wayne Clark and Alan Curbishley amongst others. We had to do
everything and if my players' boots had a speck of dirt on them I'd get a
smack. And when I say smack I mean a proper smack; it wasn't a clout round
the head, it was a proper punch!

But it was an upbringing. In training you would play with the first team and
they would kick shit out of you. For me it was a different upbringing and I
learnt how to look after myself from an early age. I left home at 14 and
went to live in digs so it was a little bit different, but you have to
learn.

When I was 16, 17, making my debut and playing in games I was told not to
show respect for anybody else. If they're there, it doesn't matter who they
are, go right through them - and that's how I gained my respect at the time.
I was an aggressive guy, I didn't take any prisoners. It could have been
Mick Harford or Noel Blake in training or anyone, I'd go through them. I
might get a smack after but I'd still go through them! It was a case of
learning to look after yourself very quickly.

The difference these days is that a lot of the kids, like Danny at
Colchester recently, go out on loan. I think it's a good system but if the
player's good enough, he's good enough. It was a bit different when I was
playing as I debuted at 17 when I came on against Chelsea and Villa, but I
think now the players are mollycoddled. They have everything done for them,
regardless of the money, they don't have to do anything.

For me, that's not an upbringing in football.

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West Ham must up Martin Olsson bid - Blackburn boss Michael Appleton
Last Updated: January 17, 2013 4:40pm
SSN

New Blackburn manager Michael Appleton has warned West Ham they will have to
match Rovers' valuation of Martin Olsson if they are to prise the defender
away from Ewood Park. The Hammers are believed to have increased their
initial £2m bid for the Swede but Appleton, who was appointed at Ewood Park
on 11 January, is adamant the player will not be allowed to leave on the
cheap. "Nothing is happening at the minute," said Appleton. "I was made
aware of a bid that was put in before I took the reins but it is way below
the value we see him at. Until a bid reaches the valuation we think it
should be, there is not a conversation. Martin continues to be a Blackburn
player. "He is a fantastic player, an international with bags of talent, and
I am looking forward to working with him."

However, Appleton does believe refreshing his current squad would benefit a
club that have struggled this season and currently lie 13th in the
Championship and seven points off the play-offs. "We have a couple of weeks
left," he added. "As with any football club, some players will leave, others
will come in. But a few new faces will do the club a world of good. "It will
bring fresh competition, but it has to be players who will affect the
starting XI, not the 18."

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Hammered? Sam Allardyce facing FA fine and touchline ban over referee rant
The Mirror
17 Jan 2013 22:30
Matthew Peters

Sam Allardyce faces a misconduct charge for alleging that referee Phil Dowd
was biased against his West Ham side as they went out of the FA Cup at
Manchester United. Angry Allardyce accused Dowd of missing what he termed a
"simple" handball by the home side's Rafael Da Silva and then awarding a
more contentious spot-kick against his player, Jordan Spence. Allardyce
blasted: "There was no doubt whatsoever about the difference between
Rafael's handball and Jordan Spence's - Jordan Spence plays for West Ham
away against Manchester United and Rafael plays at home at Old ­Trafford.
"If you give one you have to give them both. Simple as that." FA
disciplinary beaks are set to charge Allardyce on Friday, and the West Ham
boss could face a touchline ban if the case is proved - although a hefty
fine is more likely.

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