Daily WHUFC News - 21st February 2013

On this day - 20 February
WHUFC.com
Bobby Moore helped the Hammers record a valuable point against Manchester
City on this day in 1971
20.02.2013

On This Day: 20 February
Anniversary
Name: Billy Jennings
Date of birth: 20 February 1952
Clubs: Watford, West Ham United, Leyton Orient, Luton Town
Born in Hackney on 20 February 1952, Billy Jennings (pictured) started out
his professional career at Watford in 1970, scoring more than 30 goals over
the next four years and earning England youth international honours.
In the summer of 1974, speedy striker Jennings would make a £110,000 switch
across London to West Ham United, making a goalscoring debut on 7 September
in a 2-1 home defeat to Sheffield United in Division One. It was the start
of a relatively brief yet successful career with the Hammers.
At the end of the 1974/75 season, Jennings would pick up an FA Cup winners
medal, despite the embarrassment of scoring an own-goal in the semi-final
replay victory over Ipswich Town at Stamford Bridge. The following campaign,
1975/76, he would score twice at the right end as West Ham fought back from
4-0 down at one stage to beat Den Haag on away goals to reach the
semi-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup.
Jennings would go on to make at total of 127 league and cup appearances for
the club, scoring 41 goals. However, a serious achilles tendon injury
suffered in September 1977 put him out of action for a year and, on his
return, he would play just six matches before moving to Leyton Orient. Since
his retirement, Jennings has forged a successful career as a football agent.

Classic Match
West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City
League Division One
20 February 1971
West Ham United welcomed Manchester City to the Boleyn Ground just one place
above the top flight relegation zone in the 1970/71 campaign.
The Hammers never dropped below the line and into the bottom two all season,
but they were hovering dangerously, so the point gained from this 0-0 draw
was most welcome.
30,168 were in attendance in east London to watch a West Ham side including
the likes of Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds and Harry Redknapp bounce back from a
1-0 defeat suffered at Liverpool in their previous game.
Burnley and Blackpool were eventually cut adrift in the drop zone, with the
former finishing seven points behind the Hammers and four above rock-bottom
Blackpool. Manchester City enjoyed slightly more success that term, ending
the campaign safely in mid-table in 11th place.

Complete record - 20 February
2010 West Ham United 3-0 Hull City (Premier League)
1999 Liverpool 2-2 West Ham United (Premier League)
1982 Southampton 2-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1971 West Ham United 0-0 Manchester CIty (Division One)
1965 Sunderland 3-2 West Ham United (Division One)
1960 West Ham United 3-5 Newcastle United (Division One)
1958 Leyton Orient 1-4 West Ham United (Division Two)
1954 West Ham United 1-1 Nottingham Forest (Division Two)
1937 Plymouth Argyle 2-0 West Ham United (Division Two)
1932 West Ham United 1-0 Liverpool (Division One)
1930 Leicester City 1-2 West Ham United (Division One)
Played 11, Won 4, Drawn 3, Lost 4, Scored 19, Conceded 17

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Fulham colleagues remember Moore
WHUFC.com
Former Cottagers teammate Les Strong recalls Bobby's impact in west London
20.02.2013

Twenty years ago this Sunday, West Ham United and England's greatest-ever
defender passed away. Bobby Moore OBE, the first Hammers captain to lift the
FA Cup and the only man to skipper England to FIFA World Cup glory, was just
51 when he lost his battle with bowel cancer in February 1993. In a
week-long tribute to Moore, the official website, West Ham TV and the
Official Programme for the Barclays Premier League visit of Tottenham
Hotspur on Monday 25 February will feature a series of interviews and
features paying homage to West Ham's No6. Les Strong was a defensive
colleague of Bobby's at Fulham and he credits the success he had in west
London to the help he received from Moore. He told West Ham TV: "It was
brilliant when he was here [at Fulham]. A great man, as everyone knows, and
a great player, as everyone knows, but so humble. The mild success that I
had was all down to him really, playing alongside him. "I played in the
whole of the 1974/75 season. We played eleven games to get to Wembley, still
a record and I played in every one of those games apart from the final.
Unfortunately I got injured two weeks before and missed the big day. When it
was confirmed I wouldn't be playing Bobby came up to me and said if he
could change places with me he would. That was a nice little touch. "It was
amazing playing alongside Bobby. As a full-back, technically, you shouldn't
be too far advanced of your centre-half. I would actually stand on the
halfway line and get one ball from him and I was attacking. People used to
think I was a great attacking full-back, but when he left I don't think I
went over the half-way line."

This week, West Ham TV will bring you interviews with those who knew Moore
best, including his daughter Roberta and his former West Ham, Fulham and
England team-mates. A special 100-page commemorative Official Programme is
also being published for the visit of Spurs, complete with exclusive
interviews with West Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer, broadcaster Jonathan
Pearce and many, many more

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Carroll loving Hammers support
WHUFC.com
Supporters' backing has huge impact says West Ham United striker Andy
Carroll
20.02.2013

Andy Carroll has sung the praises of the Hammers fans ahead of Monday
night's mouthwatering London derby with Tottenham Hotspur. West Ham United
take on Andre Villas-Boas' men looking to extend an unbeaten run of four
games at the Boleyn Ground and Carroll is sure the home supporters will have
a part to play. Carroll is grateful for the backing he has received from the
Hammers faithful, especially after spending a period of the season out
injured, and he is keen to repay them over the last 12 games of the Barclays
Premier League campaign. He said: "I love football so I want to play - for
myself, for the manager and for the team. I want to do as well as I can and
play every week, so that's why I need to keep fit. "I was feeling really
good in the Swansea game. I'd been back in training and was raring to go, as
were all the lads. I put myself about and got the winner. "The fans have
been very patient with me. They could have got on my back early doors, with
me being injured, coming back and getting injured again and not scoring the
goals that everyone had hoped I would score.
"To have them singing my name was excellent. I definitely didn't expect to
hear a load of Londoners singing my name when I was growing up in Newcastle!
Everyone has been great with me here."

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West Ham plan tributes to mark Bobby Moore's 20th anniversary
BBC.co.uk

West Ham are planning to mark the 20th anniversary of England World
Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore's death with a series of memorial events.
Moore, who played 544 games for the Hammers, died on 24 February 1993, aged
51, after battling bowel cancer. Former West Ham team-mates will attend the
club's home match against Spurs on Monday to pay tribute to Moore.

Bobby Moore factfile
Born in Barking, Essex, on 12 April 1941
Makes his West Ham debut aged 17
Captains England to World Cup success in 1966
Awarded the OBE in the 1967 New Year Honours list
Wins his 100th England cap in February 1973, before becoming West Ham's
record appearance holder three days later
Plays his 108th, and final, England game in November 1973
Joins Fulham in March 1974 after 544 appearances for West Ham
Retires from professional football in 1978
Announces he is suffering from bowel cancer on 14 February 1993
Dies 10 days later on 24 February

A minute's applause will be held before kick-off and supporters will display
a mosaic depicting his old No.6 shirt. A wreath-laying ceremony will take
place outside West Ham's Upton Park ground at 11:00 GMT on Sunday. Club
officials will pay their respects to Moore, who won 108 caps for England,
and supporters are also invited to attend the memorial. "Bobby is not with
us any more but he left us with lots of memories," said his former England
team-mate Bobby Charlton. "He was a true great, a clever person and an
absolute pleasure to play with."

Fellow World Cup winners Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst, along with another
of Moore's former West Ham team-mates, Sir Trevor Brooking have been invited
to attend Monday's Premier League match. The game is also one of West Ham's
designated Bobby Moore Fund matches. All money raised will go to the charity
which was founded in Moore's name and is devoted to fighting the disease
that took his life. The West Ham squad will warm-up in Bobby Moore Fund
T-shirts before the game to help raise awareness for the charity. The
players will sign their matchday shirts which will then be auctioned to
raise more money for the charity.

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Boris Johnson upbeat over West Ham plans for Olympic Stadium
Last Updated: February 20, 2013 9:24am
SSN

Mayor of London Boris Johnson remains in positive mood following further
talks over the future of the Olympic Stadium. West Ham were given "preferred
bidder" status last December for the Stratford site and the London Legacy
Development Corporation (LLDC) met again on Tuesday to discuss their bid.
Johnson came out of the meeting in high spirits and he confirmed that talks
had been productive. "There has been a lot of progress, I won't hide that,"
he said. "Good conversations have been going on. "Tax payers put a huge
amount of money, £500m, into building an iconic stadium and they put further
money in to doing it up. "We have got to get the best possible terms for the
tax payer."

Organisers of the 2015 Rugby World Cup are hoping to use the Olympic Stadium
during the tournament and Johnson also stated he would be keen for that to
come to fruition. "It would be great to do it," Johnson added when asked
about World Cup matches being staged at the east London venue. "We are
looking at it. I have asked our engineers to see whether we can make it
work, but this particular negotiation isn't relevant to that."

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Montpellier left-back Henri Bedimo unsure on future amid West Ham link
By Giscard Gourizro. Last Updated: February 20, 2013 11:02am
SSN

Montpellier left-back Henri Bedimo has admitted he would like to play in a
different country one day after being linked with West Ham United, and he
will sit down at the end of the season to discuss his future. The Cameroon
international was linked with a move to the Hammers in January but they were
unwilling to meet the demands of Montpellier, according to reports in
Africa. Marseille are also understood to be interested in a move for the
28-year old, who has played in France for his entire career. Bedimo is not
yet sure what the future holds but has expressed a desire to move away at
some point. "I will see at the end of the season, my advisors and myself
will discuss and see what the next step is for my career," he told Sky
Sports. "I definitely want to play abroad one day in my life."

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A Tale of Two Left-Backs, Di Canio's MO and the Class and Dignity of the
Great Bobby Moore!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die

Its a tale of two left-backs. One a transfer target, who has presumably
signed a a pre-contract deal to sign for the Hammers in the summer. The
other a 34 year old veteran, with dodgy knees and probably his best days
behind him! Respectively, short and long term moves designed to address the
problem left-back position in the Hammers squad.

Maynor Figueroa has been reported as a summer signing for the club from
Wigan. Figueroa is out of contract in June and able to move on a Bosman
deal. And the way that it is being reported, it is likely that a
pre-contract deal has been struck with the 29 year old Honduran
internaional. He is a good potential signing, who will hopefuly provide a
permanent solution to our left-back problem. While ex-Bolton left
back/leftwinger Richardo Gardner has had a trial via the Development Squad.
Gardner is a free agent and is presumably being assessed as a potential
'stop gap' option for the remainder of the season. I suppose it does not
hurt to look at the player, but the fact remains that Gardner is a 34 year
old, with a poor injury record. Is he likely to be able to perform well in
the PL at this stage of hs career, with his prior fitness issues?

Elsehere, the decision of Paolo Di Canio to resign from his position as
Swindon Town manager was bound to spark a bout of 'managerial change' fever
amongst Hammers fans! Indeed, stories about Di Canio replacing Sam Allardyce
are everywhere on the internet at the moment. But are the club's board
likely to release Sam Allardyce in the summer and replace him with Hammers
cult hero, Di canio? Martin Samuels obviously thinks not, in his Sports Mail
article yesterday, he suggested that the volatile and emotive nature of Di
Canio renders him a liability as a PL manager and that any top tier club
would be fool hardy to contemplate his appointment. Nevertheless, even
Samuels is forced to admit that Di Canio looks a talented manager, having
done a sterling job in getting Swindon promoted fom League 2, in his first
season, and leaving them at the summit of league 1, in his second.
Admitedly, it is the lower leagues, but there is no denying that Di Canio
shows great promise.

Is he ready to take the reins of a PL club? Possibly, but for the sake of
his own future career, he would arguably be better off, finding a vacancy
with a decent Championship club and testing himself at that level, before
taking on the PL managerial challenge. I truly admired Di Canio as a player,
he is probably the last, indisputedly, world class player to wear the claret
and blue. However, there is an element of truth in aspects of the article by
Martin Samuels and Di Canio must prove that he has the maturity and
stability to match his managerial promise.That means curtailing the
grandiose public statements and gestures and projecting a calmer and more
responsible persona: essentially and crucially, adjusting his mode of
operation (MO). It does not mean that he will not continue to be 'a bit of a
character,' that is basic to his personality, but aspire to be one that
operates within certain defined professional confines. Do that and the
managerial seat that he so covets, at his beloved Hammers, can be his one
day, otherwise he is likely to scare off West Ham's board and maybe those of
the other PL clubs as well.

The squad have had their warm weather training and now we hope to see the
benefits, on the pitch, next Monday evening. Psychologically, it was the
right thing to do and hopefully it has broken the downward spiral of poor
form that has been characteristic of recent matches. On virtually every
occasion, when we have had a poor away result this season, the squad have
bounced straight back with a home victory. That pattern needs to reassert
itself once again. We need a victory against Spurs to get our season back on
line. It will not be easy, Spurs are a very good team and they possess the
pace to severely test us. But they are far from unbeatable, especially if
Andy Carroll can use his assets to exploit their defensive vulnerability.
Common sense says that a draw would be a good result, but I still reckon
that, if we get the lucky breaks, we can sneak a 2-1 victory on the night.

Finally, the club have a programme of events to mark the 20th anniversary of
Bobby Moore's death. The other day I was looking at my copy of the match
programme for the 1993 home match against wolves. And it brought back such
vivid memories. It was the Saturday after his passing and Hurst, Peters and
Greenwood placed a floral tribute on the centre circle in the shape of
Moore's iconic No. 6 West Ham shirt. And I well remember the Wolves fans
laying their own wreath in tribute to the great man. Lets hope that the
Spurs fans have the basic class and decency to make a similar gesture. After
all, Bobby Moore may be the ultimate Hammers hero, but he is also England's
greatest ever defender and World Cup winning captain. In that sense, he is
also a hero for the whole English game.

Regardless, this is first and foremost a tribute by the club, and its fans,
to our favourite son and legendary No. 6 and club captain. We must all
behave with a dignity and class typical of Moore himself. We have done much,
as a club, to eradicate the shame brought upon us by a small irresponsible
minority at the corresponding fixture, at White Hart Lane, last November.
This is a golden opportunity to really show what the vast majority of West
Ham fans are all about. Let us have the collective discipline to ensure that
nothing distracts nor detracts from our tribute and celebration of the life
and achievements of the great Bobby Moore, legendary Captain of West Ham &
England.

SJ. Chandos.

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