Daily WHUFC News - 26th March 2013

'It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity'
WHUFC.com
Joint-Chairman David Gold has told West Ham TV of his excitement about the
club's move to the Olympic Stadium
25.03.2013

Joint-Chairman David Gold believes West Ham United's move to the Olympic
Stadium will provide a huge boost to both the club and the area where he
grew up. Mr Gold was born in Stepney and raised in east London, spending
time living in Green Street just a stone's throw from the Boleyn Ground and
playing football for West Ham Boys as a child. From there, he showed great
ambition to become a hugely successful businessman, enabling him - alongside
David Sullivan - to take charge of the club he loves in January 2010. The
Joint-Chairman says West Ham should grasp the 'fantastic opportunity'
afforded to the club by moving to Stratford. "I am delighted because I think
this announcement is a momentous one for the club," he told West Ham TV. "I
think it is a fantastic opportunity and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and
I'm excited about the outcome. I think it is a good deal for West Ham
United."

Mr Gold said the Board now looked forward to sharing the detailed plans for
the Olympic Stadium with Hammers supporters. "This is an important
announcement for the fans and I apologise to them because we have been
restricted in what we have said by confidentiality agreements. We've not
been able to share with you the upsides of this deal and been able to say
we're going to have retractable seating, a new roof and that coming to this
stadium will be like coming home. "It's not only an iconic stadium in
England, but it is iconic across the world. This will be fifth-largest
football stadium in Great Britain which will give us the opportunuity to
build for the future. It will have affordable pricing and give us the
opportunities to compete with the very best."

As a lifelong West Ham fan himself, Mr Gold is already excited about the
prospect of seeing more world-class players pulling on the famous claret and
blue shirt following the club's move to Stratford in 2016. "There is
absolutely no question that the increased revenues from many sources that
this will generate will help us to reduce the debt that burdens our football
club. We are not as competitive as we should be because of the debt burden
we inherited, so if we remove the debt and increase our incomes [it can only
benefit us]. "It's not just that, but players want to come to play at a
special place. I've experienced that, with players wanting to play in
London. If you add that draw by offering a world-class stadium, then of
course you will win some of the battles where a player is considering going
to other clubs. We now have a better opportunity to secure those top-class
players."

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Hill happy with Stratford switch
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Supporters' Club Chairman Ken Hill is 100 per cent behind
the club's move to the Olympic Stadium
25.03.2013

Ken Hill has been watching West Ham United at the Boleyn Ground for more
than 60 years, but he is 100 per cent behind the club's move to the Olympic
Stadium. Now 63, lifelong fan Hill is the Chairman of the West Ham United
Supporters' Club and a Season Ticket Holder. The former soldier and amateur
goalkeeper, who names fellow stoppers Jim Standen and Lawrie Leslie among
his favourite all-time West Ham players, attended his first home match at
the age of six months in 1951. While he has great affection and many fond
memories of watching his heroes at the Boleyn Ground, Hill is adamant that
becoming anchor tenant of the iconic Stratford venue is the right decision
for everyone associated with the club. "Personally, I am delighted," said
Hill. "I think the club has needed this for quite some time and the plans
are absolutely fantastic. "My first thought when I saw the plans was 'When
can I get my Season Ticket?'. Secondly, I thought it was really well
laid-out and it needs to be embraced and everyone can see the pitch quite
comfortably. "Without a doubt, I think this is a move that the club needs to
make. We need to move to a new stadium to compete with the big clubs and
hopefully, before I kick the bucket, I can see my team playing in Europe."

As Chairman of the Supporters' Club, just a short pass away from the Boleyn
Ground in Castle Street, Hill meets and greets fans from all over the world
at every home fixture. He believes moving to the Olympic Stadium will
attract thousand upon thousand more supporters to cheer the Hammers on.
Having been among the 40,000-odd Hammers who attended the npower
Championship Play-Off final at Wembley last year, Hill is also confident
that the club will have no problem filling their new home. "I do feel that
the bigger the stadium, obviously the more people we will be able to get in
there. Also, we'll be able to get more revenue coming in which hopefully
will be put into the team. "I started coming over to the Boleyn Ground in
the late 1950s and I can remember the Chicken Run being a shed, basically,
and being built up from there. It's obviously got bigger and bigger but we
have to move now to get even bigger still. "Without a doubt, we can fill the
Olympic Stadium. I was impressed by Wembley in May and the Olympic Stadium
is going to be very similar. I'm impressed with Stratford as well. "We have
got very vocal support and, once the team start playing well, the fans will
be down there straight away singing 'Bubbles' and all their other songs and
everyone will join in. "The reason it is called Stratford International is
because everybody will be coming to Stratford."

The artist's impressions of the renovated Olympic Stadium reveal that West
Ham will truly make the iconic venue the Hammers' new home, with the Club
Store, Ticket Office and administrative offices all being based in
Stratford. "If we could take what we've got here at the Boleyn Ground - the
memorabilia and other bits and pieces - then I think it would set it off. If
we can make it as much of a home as we have at Upton Park, we'll be halfway
there. We'd like to get our Supporters' Club over to the Olympic Stadium but
that is for negotiation at a later date."

Hill closed by issuing the following personal message to any of his fellow
supporters who may still be sceptical about the move, pointing to the
success enjoyed by Barclays Premier League champions Manchester City since
their move to Eastlands as an example of what could happen to West Ham in
the future.
"As in any walk of life, people are scared of change. I would say 'Go into
it with an open mind' and don't close your mind to it before you know what
is going on. If you like it, get over there are soon as you can and, if you
don't, you're basically not a West Ham supporter. "I am sure there were some
sceptical people when Manchester City moved, but you support the team and
you will have your memories of Upton Park that you'll never forget, anyway.
They'll always be with you and bring a lump to your throat, but you've got
to move with the times."

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Oh I do like to be beside the seaside
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 25th March 2013
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce's former number two Phil Brown has been named as the new
manager of Southend United. Brown, who had been out of work since being
fired by Preston North End in December 2011 replaces the outgoing Paul
Sturrock, who was fired last week despite leading the Shrimpers to the
Johnson's Paint Trophy Final at Wembley next month. As a result of the close
personal relationship between Brown and Allardyce - who worked together at
Blackpool and then Bolton for six years - it is likely that a number of West
Ham's youngsters may now be heading to Roots Hall in order to gain valuable
league experience. In the past 12 months the likes of Robert Hall, Blair
Turgott and Danny Potts have all spent time out on loan in Leagues 1 and 2,
where Southend - who are still an outside bet for promotion from the fourth
tier - currently play. The last young Hammer to spend time on loan at Roots
Hall was Junior Stanislas. Now at Burnley, the former Academy product played
nine for the Shrimpers during the 2008/09 season.

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Bony discussions under way
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 25th March 2013
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United are locked in talks with Ivorian international striker
Ivorian Wilfried Bony. The highly-rated 24-year-old currently plays for
Dutch club Vitesse, for whom he has scored an incredible 26 goals in just 24
appearances this season. And despite being courted by a string of top clubs
across Europe - including fellow English teams such as Fulham and Chelsea -
West Ham are poised to land the 6' hitman, who is contracted to Arnhem until
2015. Bony's agent is understood to have flown into London last night and
was due to meet representatives of the club today. Despite having just over
a year left on his current contract, the Ivorian is valued at around
£14million by his current club. Bony - who trialled for Liverpool in 2007
but failed to land a contract at Anfield - started his career in the Ivory
Coast with Premier Division club Issia Wazi. In 2007, he spent a season on
loan with Sparta Prague before making that deal permanent the following
summer. During his three seasons in Prague, in which he was part of the
squad which won both the Gambrinus Liga and the Czech Republic Football
Supercup, Bony avergaed a goal every three games - and it was that keen eye
for goal which prompted Vitesse to pay £4million to take his to the
Netherlands. His first season - the 2011/12 campaign - ended with his as
Vitesse's top scorer with 12 goals (despite having only signed in January,
midway through the campaign). He is the Eredivisie's leading goalscorer
this season, with his tally of 26 goals - six more than his closest
competitor, Heerenveen's Alfred Finnbogason (who currently has 20).

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Talking points
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 25th March 2013
By: James Guill

With some of the squad's recent performances, including the loss to Aston
Villa on February 10th, some fans are concerned whether West Ham will be
able to stave off relegation at the end of the season.

It seems a foregone conclusion at this point that Reading and Queens Park
Rangers will be two of the three teams relegated as both have just 23 points
so far. Wigan are currently sitting in 18th spot with 27 points with Aston
Villa just three points above.

At present, West Ham are just six point above Wigan with nine games
remaining. Barring Wigan playing out of their minds for the remainder of the
season, I estimate that West Ham need about 10 points to stay up. We are
going to look at the remaining schedule to see where we might get those
points...

West Brom: March 30th

West Brom have been struggling since the first weekend of the year and went
winless in the Premier League until February 11th. Having won just three out
of their last 10 in the league (including a draw against Stoke City most
recently), this could be a great spot to pick up a win. The Hammers drew at
the Hawthorns in December and with distractions surrounding some of West
Brom's squad, West Ham should pull this one off.

Liverpool: April 7th

Liverpool exhibited some weakness on March 16th after losing to Southampton
and it has been confirmed that Joe Allen is out for the season. However,
looking at other recent performances from the club, we are led to believe
that the Southampton loss was a one-off as opposed to a long term problem
for the club. Sadly, I see this game ending in defeat.

Southampton: April 13th

Southampton are one of those clubs that most look at as an easy win, but
have just enough talent to pull off an upset if your squad is not playing
competent football. Liverpool and Manchester City have both recently found
this out the hard way. The Saints are one of the teams between West Ham and
Wigan and are just four points ahead to stay up. If the Hammers play
competent football, this should be an easy win; we won 4-1 back in September
and should do so again.

Manchester United: April 17th

If there is one game where West Ham could pull off a surprise victory or
even a draw, this would be the one. While it is true that Man U have the
title all but won, they have had trouble against the Hammers in all three
games this season and managed to score just four goals. The Red Devils
continued a trend of major gaming companies backing Premier League football
clubs and recently landed bwin.com as a sponsor - and their new sponsor is
expecting the club to perform. I'm not saying this will be a win, but a draw
is not beyond the realms of possibility. However if Man U play to form, this
will be a defeat so we will count it as such in our final stats for this
analysis.

Wigan Athletic: April 20th

Wigan's form this year could be best described as sporadic. Impressive
performances against Everton and Reading are easily outweighed by thrashings
taken at the hands of Chelsea, Liverpool, and others. Only Aston Villa,
Reading, and Queens Park Rangers have a worse goal difference and are, not
surprisingly, the other three teams battling against relegation. Unless the
Hammers have a nightmare against Wigan, this should go down as a win for the
squad.

Manchester City: April 27th

The defending champs have struggled of late. They have lost to Everton,
barely defeated Aston Villa, lost to Southampton, and drew with lowly QPR.
The Hammer drew against Manchester City earlier this year, and there is
nothing in their recent performances to indicate that the result will be any
different this time around. An off-day by Man City could result in a
surprise defeat, but I'm going to call this one a draw right now.

Newcastle United: May 4th

Newcastle are level with the Hammers presently on 33 points. Both squad have
had up-and-down seasons, winning or drawing games they should have lost and
losing matches that should have easily yielded three points. Unless the
squad happens to pull off an upset victory against City and come in playing
inspired football, I think we'll be looking at a draw here.

Everton: May 12th

Everton have had a fantastic season and are challenging for a top four spot.
They are currently just two points behind fifth-placed Arsenal. The Blues
have shown they have the ability to have an off game - such as their loss to
Wigan - but they also have the ability to cross swords with the best as
exhibited in their early season defeat of Manchester United and their recent
defeat of Manchester City. We won't sugar-coat this one; this will be a
defeat.

Reading: May 19th

Reading have only won five games in the Premier League this season - and one
of those wins was against the Hammers. Reading's last win was in early
February against Sunderland and the club aren't exactly playing inspired
football right now (and have also recently parted company with Brian
McDermott). Expect West Ham to avenge this loss with a 2-0 victory on the
final day of the season.

If my projections hold accurate, West Ham will pick up 14 points during the
remainder of the season and stay up comfortably on 47 points. Considering
that we probably only need a couple of wins having accrued 33 already, this
does give us a bit of room for manouvre should a game or two not go as
expected.

Essentially, I expect West Ham to be in the Premier League next year and
hopefully Sam Allardyce will make a few moves during the summer - or even
earlier if the weekend's Wilfried Bony stories are to be believed - to allow
the team to compete for a top ten spot next season.

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Transfer news: Vitesse Arnhem striker Wilfried Bony quiet on West Ham link
By Giscard Gourizro. Last Updated: March 25, 2013 12:27pm
SSN

Wilfried Bony has refused to confirm if he is set to seal a move to England,
with West Ham United strongly linked. Vitesse Arnhem striker Bony is
currently on international duty with Ivory Coast and scored in Saturday's
World Cup qualifying win over Gambia. Reports in Holland and England claim
West Ham were close to agreeing a £12million club record deal for Bony. The
player himself has never hidden his desire to move to England, but he admits
but he did not want to comment on West Ham's reported bid. "I am an
ambitious player, I am enjoying my football in the Netherlands but I expect
to move to a bigger league if I am doing well, I can't change that," he told
Sky Sports. "I love the Premier League and want to play here if there is an
opportunity. "But now I am happy we won a game for Ivory Coast after missing
an opportunity in South Africa to win the Nations Cup."

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Big Sam's Hammers' D-Day
By ANDREW DILLON
Last Updated: 26th March 2013
The Sun

SAM ALLARDYCE has been warned not to price himself out of a new deal at West
Ham. Big Sam's £2.25million-a-year contract expires in June and an extension
depends on the 58-year-old boss keeping Hammers up. Joint-chairman David
Sullivan said: "Once the end of the season comes we will sit down with Sam.
"If he wants to stay and is reasonable with his demands, then he will stay.
We hope to then work out a deal."

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Come and get me! West Ham target Wilfried Bony expresses wish to play in the
Prem
The Mirror
25 Mar 2013 17:16
Dean Mouhtaropoulos

West Ham target Wilfried Bony has declared his love for the English Premier
League and revealed that he is expecting to move this summer. The Ivory
Coast and Vitesse Arnhem hotshot is valued at some £14million by his club,
but told Voetbal International sees that as no barrier to a sale. "I love
the Premier League and I would like to play if the opportunity is there. I
am an ambitious player. "I enjoy playing football in the Netherlands, but I
expect a transfer to a bigger league with how I am doing. I can't change
that." Bony, 24, has scored 26 goals for Vitesse this season – making him
top scorer in the Eredivisie – and is expected to be named Player of the
Year in the Dutch leagues. Since his £4m capture from Sparta Prague, the
forward's brute strength and explosive pace have brought him to the
attention of many scouts, including those of Liverpool, Fulham and Chelsea -
who have players already on loan in Arnhem. It is West Ham who are thought
to have stolen a march on their Premier League rivals though, and they will
be delighted with the Ivorians latest declarations after he failed to
engineer a move in January (though not through a lack of trying).

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Hammered down: West Ham warn Sam Allardyce to be "reasonable" in pay talks
The Mirror
25 Mar 2013 22:30

David Sullivan has warned Sam Allardyce not to price himself out of a new
contract at West Ham. The Irons' co-owner will sit down and negotiate a new
deal with his manager at the end of the season. The former Bolton and
Newcastle boss, who agreed a two-year contract in June 2011, received a big
bonus to get West Ham back into the Premier League. The Irons are putting
£15million into converting the Olympic Stadium for football, and Sullivan
said: "At the end of the season, we will sit down with Sam. "If he wants to
stay and is reasonable with his demands, he will stay." West Ham are in 14th
place in the Premier League on 33 points - six points clear of the drop zone
- with nine games remaining.

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