Cole wants stadium move to bring glory
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Joe Cole believes the club's plan to move to the Olympic
Stadium will bring it success
26.03.2013
Joe Cole is sure that the Olympic Stadium will provide a fantastic new home
for the Hammers. The West Ham United Academy product, who rejoined the club
from Liverpool in January, was present as the plans for the Olympic
Stadium's conversion were unveiled. And having played in the Champions
League at the best stadiums Europe has to offer, Cole is certain the
Hammers' new ground will provide an equally-inspiring venue. He told West
Ham TV: "It's not just important for the players but for the punters too
[being close to the pitch]. They want to be close to us and that's the
beauty of the Premier League, the fans are right on top of you. "That's
vital and they've got that with this [the plans for the new stadium]. We're
really excited - it's an historic day for the club.
"Coming here as a young lad, the Boleyn Ground didn't even have the Bobby
Moore Stand or the Alpari Stand. Seeing where the club's come from to where
we're moving to is great. "I'm sure the punters will love it when it's all
done. It's going to be unbelievable. "It brings a lot of things not just to
the club but to the East End. Jobs and everything else, it's going to leave
a really good legacy for after the Olympics. "With all the things that
happened there last summer, that's still firmly in people's minds. Now we
want to put on great nights for the fans, European nights - that has to be
the plan. You've got to look high, we want to play the top clubs in Europe,
the Barcelonas, the Milans. "That's the dream for everyone, the owners are
West Ham people. They want it to happen, we want it to happen. The gaffer's
done a great job, he's excited by it, so it's a great time and we want to
bring some big nights there for the punters."
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Moncur delighted with new deal
WHUFC.com
West Ham United youngster George Moncur has put pen-to-paper on a new
contract with the club
26.03.2013
West Ham United youngster George Moncur is looking forward to the prospect
of following in his father's footsteps after putting pen-to-paper on a new
two-year deal, with the option for a third, at the Boleyn Ground. Moncur's
dad John played 205 games in a nine-year spell with the Hammers after making
the move to E13 from Swindon Town. Now 19-year-old George is delighted to be
taking his first steps along the same road by earning the chance to impress
at West Ham. He made his first team debut earlier this season in the
Hammers' victory over Crewe Alexandra in the Capital One Cup, and after
progressing well with the Development Squad this year, has his sights set on
more involvement at that level. "I'm over the moon to have signed my new
contract," he said. "It's great to play at this football club, so to sign
for another two years is really great for me and my development. "Hopefully
it'll continue to go as well as it has done so far. They've put their faith
in me and I want to repay them by producing good performances out on the
pitch. "If I keep on doing what I'm doing then hopefully a first team chance
will come. Obviously my old man played here for quite a while, so it would
be nice to follow in his footsteps and make that progression to the first
team."
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West Ham youngster George Moncur has a signed a two-year deal
Last Updated: March 26, 2013 11:25am
West Ham Till I Die
West Ham youngster George Moncur is looking forward to following in his
father's footsteps after signing a two-year deal, with an option for a
third, with the club. Moncur's dad John played 205 games for West Ham in a
nine-year spell with the Hammers and the 19-year-old is delighted to be
following the same path.
The highly-rated youngster made his first team debut in the Capital One Cup
win over Crewe and has been progressing well with the Development squad this
season. Moncur said: "I am over the moon to have signed my new contract. It
is great to play at this football club, so to sign for another two years is
really great for me and my development. "Hopefully it will continue to go as
well as it has so far. They have put faith in me and I want to repay them by
putting some good performances out on the pitch. "If I keep on doing what I
am doing then hopefully a first team chance will come. Obviously my old man
played here for quite a while, so it would be nice to follow in his
footsteps and make that progression to the first team."
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Carlton Cole: Pampered kids should feel privileged to rub shoulders with the
senior players. They need to get back to cleaning boots and stop taking
things for granted
By LAURIE WHITWELL
PUBLISHED: 00:16, 27 March 2013 | UPDATED: 00:16, 27 March 2013
Daily Mail
Carlton Cole is in a reflective mood. Looking back to his past,
contemplating his present and speculating on a future away from the club he
loves. Whenever the West Ham striker speaks, he does so plainly and
honestly, and despite the delicate nature of his current situation, this
interview is no different. He speaks plainly about his desire for a shot at
regaining a starting berth at Upton Park, his conclusion that life may lie
abroad should a new deal not materialise in the summer and his opinion that
'pampered' youth-team players need to learn respect for their elders. The
last point is one which Cole, in forthright mood, makes effusively. The
former England and Chelsea striker, now 29, believes too many of today's
generation live a gilded existence and lack the work ethic he employed in
his teenage years. He thinks old-school methods must be reintroduced,
starting with cleaning boots.
'I was speaking to my kit man about this,' Cole says. 'When I was young and
first went to a Premier League side I was working hard trying to make it. I
got my first pro contract at 17. I was travelling with the team, going up
north, but still I had to wash Dennis Wise's boots at that age. 'To get to
home matches I used to walk through the crowd of people going to the game
and then I'd be on the bench. This is when I'd already made my debut. After
away games I had to wait for everyone to come off the coach and take the kit
skip out to where it was supposed to be. 'Now these kids don't have to do
that. They think everything comes easy. I did a lot of stuff. I used to play
a Premier League game and get on a bus to go home. These kids are getting
driven home now, you know what I mean?' Cole laughs as he asks that
rhetorical question - default mode for a man with a megawatt smile - but the
undercurrent is serious. In his eyes, the lightening of expectations on
academy players has led to a slip in manners. 'Honestly, I think there's too
much pampering,' he says. 'People might batter me, at the FA or whatever,
but I think they need to go back to the roots. These kids need to know it's
a job. Because they're rubbing shoulders with us they're taking it for
granted. They get showered and leave their kit on the floor. There's a skip
there to put the kit in but they're leaving it on the floor. I'm like,
"What?". They're not respecting. 'We try to talk to them, they don't listen.
It should be a privilege for them to be around us really. We've been there
and done it but they don't understand that. They're thinking, "Ah this is
normal. I'll talk to Carlton any time I want." They go around bragging to
their mates. They've got to be washing players' boots so you've got that
authority over them. 'I would give them some Christmas bonus money, "You've
done well this year, go and spend that, it's on me." I used to be buzzing
for that Christmas bonus. That came in handy! I used to buy my family's
presents. It's all changed now.'
Cole is ruminating in a Romford leisure centre, where he has come to offer
advice to children taking part in the FA Vauxhall Football Mash Up - a
grassroots initiative providing coaching to those who might otherwise be
unable to keep playing. Coaches from the FA and West Ham have run the
session and Cole has fielded questions about making it as a professional. 'I
was working six days a week to try and get to where I got to when I was
young,' he says. 'I sacrificed all my mates. I tell my brother what I went
through. He's 15 and has trials for Sunderland and QPR. Ivan Thompson Cole
is his name. He's going to get there if he tries his hardest and stops
listening to outside influences. A problem he had was thinking that, because
he's got me, he could get into any club. 'These young kids have got to
understand they'll get knockbacks. I got knocked back from Brentford when I
was young. "Sorry mate, we're not giving you a contract." Six months later I
got into Chelsea. I'm like, "What scout have you got there then? He can't
see talent!"'
Fourteen-mile bicycle rides for evening training sessions were made daily,
with paper rounds before school the following morning. 'I was going there on
my own in the dark,' he says. 'My hands would be frosty but I got rewarded
for my hard efforts and ended up playing for England. These kids have got to
understand it's not easy.' Right now it's not easy for Cole. His West Ham
contract runs out in the summer and Andy Carroll is preferred in the sole
striker role. Marouane Chamakh joined on loan in January and there were
reports Cole was told he could leave, sparking links with Reading, Norwich
and even Kasimpasa in Turkey. 'I wasn't ready to leave in January,' says
Cole. 'Other clubs talked to the agents but I didn't listen. I was still
focused on West Ham. 'At the end of the day you've got to make sure you're
in the manager's thoughts. Otherwise you're just wasting your time and the
manager will get rid of you anyway.
'It's all about actions. It's not about speaking, "I'm gonna do this, I'm
gonna do that." If the manager sees I'm trying hard he's got to be fair, but
if the guy's doing it in front of you, you've got to wait your chance. 'Me
and Andy get on like a house on fire. He bounces ideas off me, I bounce
ideas off him. It's only because of the formation that we don't bot play.
'I could partner anyone. Hopefully, if we did change to a 4-4-2, I'd get a
look in.'
Cole was brilliant in the 3-1 win over Chelsea this season, when he scored
and bullied Branislav Ivanovic, but since Carroll's return from injury his
roles have been cameos. 'I've seen a lot of strikers come and go at this
club. I've been here seven years,' Cole adds. 'You've got to understand it's
not a joke. If another striker comes in I'll welcome him with open arms but
I'm always there to push you. Right now I'm not playing but I'm still
pushing Andy to make sure he plays well. 'My contract is up in the summer,
it's the first time I've ever been in this position. It's no slight on my
behalf or the club's behalf why it's like that. Rob Green went to the end of
his contract, got offered another deal but said, "No, I want a different
future". Other players, like Matthew Upson, have gone through the same
thing. 'I know what I want in my life, there's a lot of stuff that can
happen from now until the end of the season but it's still open. Mr Sullivan
and Mr Gold (West Ham's owners) are going to speak about everybody's future
once we know where we are in the league. It's a bit premature at the moment.
'When we know where we are then we can close that deal. If I'm not going to
close that deal at West Ham I might close it somewhere else. I've got to
weigh up my options.' What would Cole, who took a 50 per cent pay cut during
last season's stay in the Championship before scoring in the play-off final
at Wembley, like to happen? 'I love the club with all my heart and I want to
see them do well,' he says. 'If I can be a part of that, I'm a part of that.
'If not, I wish them all the best. Sometimes you have to part ways. It
happens. I could stay in the Premier League, go abroad. I'm open right now.
If I'm not with West Ham, anything's possible.'
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Wednesday, March 27
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