Daily WHUFC News - 22nd March 2013

Jack, Josh and David's School Report
WHUFC.com
Jack and David Sullivan and friend Josh Klein tackled West Ham United on the
topic of racism in football
21.03.2013

Jack and David Sullivan Jnr and school friend Josh Klein tackled the issue
of racism in football during a recent visit to West Ham United's training
ground.
The Joint-Chairman's sons and Josh - joined by project co-ordinator Paulette
Pewsey - were welcomed to Chadwell Heath by manager Sam Allardyce and his
players for a special BBC School Report. Jack and Josh, both 13, asked the
questions to Big Sam, captain Kevin Nolan and his team-mates, while David,
15, filmed the visit from behind the camera. To close the report,
Joint-Chairman David Sullivan himself also discussed his views on the
subject.

Jack and Josh asked the manager, captain, Jordan Spence, Carlton Cole, Mark
Noble and Mohamed Diame for their views on racism in football, whether it is
on the increase or decline, how they would handle being or hearing a
team-mate being abused and what the club does to combat prejudice. The boys
explained that they had been inspired to investigate the issue by the story
of Arthur Wharton - the first black professional footballer in the world,
who represented Darlington, Preston North End, Rotherham United and
Sheffield United during the 1880s and 1890s. "We felt it was important to
come down and speak to the manager and players because this is a big topic
at the moment - not just in football, but in sport and in the world in
general," said Jack.

The boys said that they had been pleasantly surprised to learn that the
manager and players seldom came across racism during their careers. "I
didn't realise that they didn't witness racism as much as I thought they
would," said Josh. "Jack and I were inspired by Arthur Wharton, who came
over from Ghana and was the first black player in the English league, so we
thought he would be a good base of our story and we went from there."

"I was pleased to hear that because I thought it was a bigger issue," added
Jack. "The players said they had never really witnessed racism, so you do
have to wonder if the press and people like that blow it out of proportion."
Thankfully, the two boys found their experience while playing sport at
school to be similarly racism-free. "At school, I have not witnessed
racism," said Josh. "Jack and I thought it was important to do this School
Report because we are both big football fans and we thought people would
like to know what is happening by getting the players' and the manager's
views." "I think there will always be a small minority who make prejudicial
chants, but I am sure we can get rid of them in the future," added Jack,
confidently.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Harney helps Northern Ireland to draw
WHUFC.com
West Ham United youngster Jamie Harney plays his part as Northern Ireland
U17s claim memorable draw
21.03.2013

West Ham United's Jamie Harney helped Northern Ireland Under-17s get their
UEFA U17 Championship Qualifying Elite Round campaign off to a good start by
claiming a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands on Thursday evening. Northern
Ireland looked down and out with 43 minutes gone as the Netherlands, playing
on home turf in the town of Uden, moved into a two-goal lead thanks to
Dabney Souza and Stef Gronsveld. But the visitors roared back to claim a
share of the spoils, with first sub Mikhail Kennedy pulling a goal back on
62 minutes, before Joshua Tracey made it 2-2 with just four minutes left to
play. Defender Harney, a first year scholar with the Hammers, played the 90
minutes as his country kept themselves in the hunt for qualification for
this summer's finals in Slovakia.
Northern Ireland now face games with Norway on Saturday and Italy on
Tuesday, with the group winners making progress. Fellow defender Dan Potts
was also in action on Thursday, starting as England Under-19s continued
their preparations for the Elite Round of the UEFA U19 Championship with a
1-0 victory over Turkey at AFC Telford United. Potts earned his second cap
for the Young Lions at this age group, playing his part at Noel Blake's men
kept a clean sheet.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Reid to captain New Zealand
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid has been named New Zealand captain for the first time for two
vital FIFA World Cup qualifiers
21.03.2013

Winston Reid will captain New Zealand for the first time in their crucial
FIFA World Cup qualifier against New Caledonia in Dunedin on Friday. The
West Ham United centre-back has captained the Hammers in each of their
previous two Barclays Premier League fixtures in the absence of injured
regular skipper Kevin Nolan. Now, Reid has been handed the armband by All
Whites manager Ricki Herbert ahead of Friday's fixture and next Tuesday's
trip to Honiara to tackle the Solomon Islands. "It's a tremendous honour and
privilege to captain your country and I'm humbled by the opportunity," said
Reid, who has started all 29 Barclays Premier League fixtures for the club
this season. "As a captain, I just try to give 100 per cent and try to help
out my team-mates. I try to be a good role model and try to do my best and
encourage everyone to try their hardest and be a winner."

Reid was first handed the West Ham captaincy by manager Sam Allardyce for
the FA Cup with Budweiser third-round replay at Manchester United in
January.
Capped 14 times by his country and a veteran of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
finals, the 24-year-old will lead out his country for the first time at the
Forsyth Barr Stadium, where kick-off will be at 6.35am UK time on Friday.
"We've thought long and hard about this decision," said All Whites coach
Herbert, "Winston plays and at a high level week in and week out and has
captained his side in that environment, just as Ryan Nelsen did previously.
"For a young man to have that level of responsibility speaks volumes of his
character, especially when you look at his peers in similar roles within the
Premier League."

Reid will be one of nine West Ham players in action for their respective
countries over the weekend.
• Jack Collison and James Collins are in the Wales squad for 2014 FIFA World
Cup European Group A qualifiers with Scotland in Glasgow on Friday 22 March
and Croatia in Swansea on Tuesday 26 March.
• Emanuel Pogatetz is in the Austria squad for 2014 FIFA World Cup European
Group C qualifiers with Faroe Islands in Vienna on Friday 22 March and
Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Tuesday 26 March.
• Mohamed Diame's Senegal host Angola in a 2014 FIFA World Cup African Group
J qualifier in Guinee Conakry on Saturday 23 March.
• Raphael Spiegel is in the Switzerland U21 squad for international friendly
matches with Germany in Cologne on Friday 22 March and Baden on Tuesday 26
March.
• Kieran Sadlier and Sean Maguire are in the Republic of Ireland U19 squad
for an international friendly with a Gibraltar Select XI in Malaga on Friday
22 March.
• Marcio Martins is in the Portugal U17 squad for UEFA European U17
Championship Elite Round Group 6 qualifiers with England, Slovenia and
Russia in Walsall and Loughborough between 23-28 March.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
George gearing up for Baggies test
WHUFC.com
George McCartney is setting his sights on the visit of West Brom, as he
edges closer to full fitness
21.03.2013

George McCartney is gearing up for a return to first-team action, as the
fit-again full back sets his sights on the Barclays Premier League visit of
West Bromwich Albion. The Northern Ireland international played 45 minutes
for the Development Squad on Friday, before completing the full 90 minutes
in Tuesday's 3-1 friendly win over a Queens Park Rangers XI. McCartney, who
suffered knee ligament damage in training, has not featured for Sam
Allardyce's men since December 9 but made a welcome return to the matchday
squad for Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge. Though the 31-year-old was
not to join the fray, McCartney was nevertheless thrilled to be back in the
mix and with minutes under his belt, is confident of being involved come the
clash with the Baggies. "It has been a long time out and the last time I
played 90 minutes was December," he told West Ham TV. "I had a run out on
Friday night for the Development Squad and it was good to play the full game
on Tuesday and get a positive result. "The knee's feeling good, I think I
probably need a bit more fitness and a bit more sharpness but that will come
with the next few days' training and hopefully some more game time. "I've
only been back training for about ten days to two weeks. The next game's not
until the end of March so that gives me a bit of time to do some more
training, more fitness work and I'll be raring to go come the West Brom
game. "To be honest I was bit surprised to be on the bench against Chelsea
on Sunday, it was nice to get away with the squad again and hopefully come
the West Brom game I can maybe be pushing to get back in the team, if not
try to play some minutes as a substitute. But it's nice to be part of the
team again and over the injury that I had."

As for Tuesday's outing at the Boleyn Ground, McCartney lauded the impact of
Blair Turgott, whose hat-trick paved the way for a morale-boosting 3-1
success over an experienced QPR side. Meanwhile, in assessment of his own
contribution, the full-back was content with a job well done, despite
latterly feeling the effects of a three-month hiatus. "QPR had quite a
strong team out, so it was always going to be a tough game," he added. "But
Blair came up with a very good hat-trick and I think you'd be hard pushed to
find three better goals. "I was feeling quite fit in the first half and the
start of the second half, as the game went on I fatigued a bit, but it was
nice to be back out there and getting some game time. "It was a good day,
considering how strong QPR's team was. I know we had three or four
first-teamers out there as well, but there were a few young lads who did
themselves justice and overall it was a good team performance."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Potts proud of England call
WHUFC.com
Hammers defender Dan Potts is looking forward to a return to the
international scene
21.03.2013

Dan Potts is relishing his return to the international stage as England
Under-19s prepare to take on Turkey at AFC Telford United on Thursday night.
The 18-year-old defender wil be hoping to earn a second cap at U19 level
after recently recovering from a head injury to make a successful return to
the Hammers' Development Squad. His last involvement with England came in
November as the Young Lions defeated Finland and now he wants a similar
result as Noel Blake's side warm up for the UEFA U19 Championship Elite
Qualifying Round in May. He said: "We came away with the win that night
[against Finland] and those are the sort of games that we might come up
against in these Euro Championships and, at the end of the day, it's a win.
"We dominated the chances and possession, even though they had good spells
in the game before we scored the late penalty through [Everton midfielder]
John Lundstram. In a qualifier or tournament, that's the most important
thing so it was pleasing to get a victory. "I've found international
football a little bit different to what we're used to with our clubs - you
get times when you play against countries who are happy to dig in and put in
terrific work-rate off the ball and try to play on the counter attack.
"But we've got a good squad and there's a lot of talent in there so it's up
to us to break that down."

For fans living in the Telford area, tickets are still available by calling
01952 640 064, priced £3 Adults and £1 Concessions.
Also hoping for international action on Thursday is Northern Ireland's Jamie
Harney, whose UEFA U17 Championship Elite Round qualifying campaign begins
with a meeting with mini-group hosts the Netherlands in Uden this evening.
Kick-off is at 6pm UK time.
Northern Ireland will follow that with fixtures against Italy and Norway,
with all four nations battling for a place at this summer's finals in
Slovakia.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's George McCartney closing in on return from knee injury
Last Updated: March 21, 2013 2:11pm
SSN

West Ham full-back George McCartney is hoping to return to the first team
when West Brom visit Upton Park on 30 March. The Northern Ireland
international has been absent since 9 December, having picked up a knee
ligament injury in training. However, he played a half for the development
squad last week, was an unused substitute for Sunday's 2-0 Premier League
loss at Chelsea, and then played the whole match on Tuesday as a West Ham XI
beat a QPR XI 3-1 in a friendly. The 31-year-old told the West Ham website:
"It has been a long time out and the last time I played 90 minutes was
December. "I had a run-out on Friday night and it was good to play the whole
game on Tuesday and get a positive result. "The knee's feeling good. I think
I probably need a bit more fitness and a bit more sharpness but that will
come with the next few days' training and, hopefully, some more game time.

Raring to go

"I've only been back training for about 10 days to two weeks. The next
game's not until the end of March, so that gives me a bit of time to do some
more training and fitness work, and I'll be raring to go come the West Brom
game. "To be honest, I was a bit surprised to be on the bench against
Chelsea on Sunday. It was nice to get away with the squad again and,
hopefully, come the West Brom game, I can be pushing to get back in the team
or, if not, try to play some minutes as a substitute. "But it's nice to be
part of the team again and over the injury I had."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham have recalled goalkeeper Stephen Henderson from his loan spell at
Ipswich
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo. Last Updated: March
21, 2013 2:00pm
SSN

Ipswich have suffered a blow with the news on-loan goalkeeper Stephen
Henderson has been recalled by West Ham. Henderson was due to remain at
Portman Road until the end of the season, but West Ham have activated a
24-hour release clause to bring the highly-rated keeper back to Upton Park.
The 24-year-old has impressed during his time at Portman Road and has kept
six clean sheets in his last nine matches to help Ipswich climb clear of
trouble at the wrong end of the Championship table. West Ham boss Sam
Allardyce has been keeping tabs on Henderson's progress at Ipswich and has
decided to bring him back to the club for their Premier League run-in. The
news is a blow for Ipswich chief Mick McCarthy as he looks to secure their
Championship survival. Henderson enjoyed two loan spells at Ipswich this
season, making 16 appearances between October and January before returning
on loan for a second stint on transfer deadline day in the winter transfer
window.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Olympic Stadium Bid Is Won... At Last!
By Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die

Various news outlets are reporting that the a deal between West Ham and the
LDDC is done and that there will be a press conference at 1030am this
morning, at which it will all be announced by London Mayor Boris Johnson.
West Ham will not own the stadium but have a 99 year lease. There will be
retractable seating over the athletics track which can be removed within 8
days and the stadium will be used as a concert venue as well as for
athletics in the summer. West Ham will remain at Upton Park for another
three seasons after this and move in in 2016-17. Quite why it takes that
long to convert the stadium remains somewhat of a mystery. We should now be
able to see some pictures of what is envisaged for the 60,000 seater
stadium. More later.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
A Pat on the Back and an Eye to the Future!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die

West Ham have recently done excellent work in striving to tackle
discrimination and promote equality.They took a very firm line in
identifying and banning the perpetrators of the anti-semitism at Spurs;
issued strong statements confirming the club's commitment to
anti-discrimination, inclusion and community cohesion; led the way in
holding a holocaust memorial day commemoration at the QPR home match on 19
January 2013; strongly supported Newham Council's holocaust memorial event
on 27 January 2013; supported the Football vs Homophobia campaign in
February 2013; marked International Women's Day on 8 March 2013; and agreed
a wider programme of annual equalities events over the remainder of this
calendar year. In addition, it is noticable on the official website that the
club are undertaking some quality work in the local community, running
school/holiday coaching programmes, promoting inclusion & cohesion via Kickz
initiatives, employability & health promotion programmes; as well as
supporting a range of different community based causes and initiatives.

The club is speaking out and giving strong leadership and I can say, without
reservation, that I have never been prouder of the club's policy and
practice in supporting initiatives and disseminating positive messages to
the fan base/local community. To me a football club is a very powerful
thing, an institution grounded in and representing local communities, with
affilitations/strong ties built up over generations. The club is in a very
unique position to influence hundreds of thousands of people in communities
right across east London and Essex and even further afield. When the club
speaks, and takes socially progressive positions, then it has a positive
social impact, of a type that public authorities cannot hope to emulate. As
such, I believe that it has a duty to use that power/influence to give
leadership and tackle these issues on an ongoing basis.

The club has obviously recognised this and are rapidly becoming seen as a
leader/exemplar of good practice in the English game. This is to its very
great credit. The fan base and wider communities are now aware of the club's
position and the ongoing dissemination of a strong, progressive message is
increasingly reinforcing it. The racist and discriminatory minority are
being marginalised and shown to be unrepresentative of the Hammers wider fan
base. Yet, that reactionary element is undoubtedly still present. And while
we can rightly celebrate recent progress, we must also maintain and then
increase the momentum going forward.

So, what can be done to continue and accelerate the fight against
discrimination and exclusion? The club has done everything absolutely right
in giving a high profile lead, establishing its position and setting
standards of acceptable behaviour for supporters. However, I would now argue
that it is time to move to the next stage, which is to launch a campaign
that proactively involves and enlists the clubs supporters themselves in
tackling these issues. The club could establish it via the existing
supporter consultative forum and actively secure the participation of fans
in a campaign or steering group. There could even be a Junior Hammer strand
to the campaign, with targeted work with children and young people. There
could be targeted adverts, co-ordinated debate via fanzines and fans
websites and events/co-ordinated action via fans events, club sponsored
activities and the various projects/services delivered by the West Ham
Community Trust. The proposed 'U-N-I-T-E-D : West Ham for All' campaign
could take the issues in to the body of fans itself and enlist their
energies and convictions to effect a lasting change in attitudes and
perceptions. In doing so it would seek to 'win hearts and minds' by
reinforcing the views of the decent majority. Thus rendering any lingering
reactionary elements permanently powerless and marginalized. 'The campaign
could also provide a strategic umbrella, under which the club's
activities/events, statements of commitment by the players/management and
the activism of fans could combine to create a sharper focus going forward.

'West Ham for All!' No doubt some will say that it already is, all you have
to do is go to matches and support the team! Unfortunately, that ignores the
fact that some people of diverse backgrounds may not feel able to do that at
present. There may be barriers that stop them attending, such as being
visibly different to the vast majority of the crowd, feeling intimidated and
fearing potential abuse or even violence. There may be other subtle cultural
barriers, some communities may not have a natural connection with football,
they may have a preference for other sports/activities and, subsequently,
not be naturally pre-disposed to participate in or watch the game. In
contrast, in some other local communities, the game is popular, but there is
a ethnic/cultural schism with the mainstream, in which players and managers
set up their own separate teams and leagues (i.e. Asian football) or have
pre-dominant supporter affiliations to overseas clubs and leagues (i.e. the
Turkish/Kurdish communities). A 'U-N-I-T-E-D: West Ham for All' campaign
could reach out to those detached communities and build long-term bridges
and affiliations with the club. It could introduce a new pool of youngsters
to participate in/watch the game and, even, open up an untapped source of
talent for the Academy.

Obviously, a club must strive to retain its existing fan base, but should
also seek to establish a following amongst more, newly arrived communities.
It is important in general, but doubly so when a club is based in
communities where there has been wholesale demographic change over recent
decades. its importance is for socially progressive reasons and also for
equally strong business imperatives. A club must tap in to all sources of
potential support and ensure that it harnesses the eonomic purchasing power
of all available communities, in terms of ticket sales, club shop sales and
hospitality/commercial income generation. As well as diversifying the fan
base, there is also a need to connect with the emerging black and minority
ethnic (BME) business sector in east London and Essex. Otherwise, it is
missing a trick to help sustain its future, long-term financial success both
on and off the pitch. And of course, there is the vital, extra dimension
provided by the move to the Olympic Stadium, the new 60,000 seat capacity
and the need to be genuinely inclusive of all communities and diverse groups
in delivering the London 2012 community and sporting legacy.

Arguably, a 'U-N-I-T-E-D: West Ham fo All' campaign vehicle could be an
important in tackling these issues and gaining socio-economic advantage for
the future development of the club. In my opinion, West Ham have never been
so socially aware and progressive at any time in its history, as at present.
It has done very well recently and it can continue to build upon its
achievements in future. But for me, the fans need to be more actively
involved, as we seek to win 'hearts and minds, gain new supporters and forge
partnerships and affiliations in hitherto largely untapped communities. In
doing so, we can reconcile our past and future and create a even more
representative family/community focused club, well positioned to deliver the
2012 legacy to all diverse communities resident in east London and Essex.

SJ. Chandos.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Golden handshake: West Ham agree 99-year lease to move into the Olympic
Stadium
21 Mar 2013 22:30
The Mirror

West Ham have agreed a 99-year lease to move into the Olympic Stadium from
2016. Hammers were named as preferred bidders for the venue in Stratford,
east London, in December. Now, after months of negotiations, a deal has been
struck to see the club finally move from their famous Upton Park home.
The London Legacy Development Corporation have insisted on getting a share
of the profit if the Irons' owners sell up in the future. The Olympic
Stadium cost £429million to construct and it could take up to another £200m
to convert it into a 60,000-seater football stadium with retractable seats
over the athletic track.
The agreement, to be announced at a Friday news conference, will also allow
the venue to stage matches when England hosts the Rugby World Cup in 2015.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Lamb's minted: Southampton hand Rickie Lambert a new contract to fend off
West Ham
The Mirror
21 Mar 2013 22:30

Rickie Lambert has snubbed interest from West Ham to sign a new two-year
contract extension at Southampton. The deal ties Lambert, the leading
English scorer in this season's Premier League, to the south-coast club
until 2016. Saints have moved quickly to snap up their prized asset, whose
old deal was due to expire in the summer of 2014. Lambert, 31, netted his
13th goal of the campaign in the win over Liverpool last weekend and has
scored 101 goals for the club since a £1million move from Bristol Rovers in
August 2009. The Liverpool-born forward joins the likes of Morgan
Schneiderlin, Jason Puncheon, Luke Shaw and Kelvin Davis in penning new
deals at St Mary's Stadium this season. Lambert said: "To be spending the
next three years at Southampton is something I am absolutely delighted
about. "There is a lot of ambition at this club and that was one of the main
reasons why I have signed a new contract - I want to finish my career here.
"It has been a great week for me starting with a goal and win against
Liverpool, and now finishing with a new contract. "I am already enjoying
myself massively and my aim is to be here for the next three years. I want
to push the team on to achieve more than we have already."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com