Daily WHUFC News - 11th April 2013

Wellington working hard
WHUFC.com
Wellington Paulista reflects upon an eventful first few months at the Boleyn
Ground
10.04.2013

January recruit Wellington Paulista has vowed to continue putting in the
hard yards for West Ham United's Development Squad, in the hope that a
first-team opportunity will eventually come his way. Since signing on a
six-month loan from Brazilian outfit Cruzeiro, the 28-year-old goalgetter
has netted five times in ten starts for the Hammers' Under-21 side. While
his goals might have caught the eye, Paulista's on-field enthusiasm is
similarly hard to ignore and the already-popular Brazilian is intent on
giving his all between now and the season's end. "I'm taking it day by day,
trying to get better every day and hoping to break into the first team," he
told West Ham TV, with the help of his Spanish-speaking colleague Sebastian
Lletget. "Whether I score or not, I'm confident either way. I'm always
trying to bring other players into the game and trying to be more versatile
in that sense. I'm doing a lot in training, just to get in the manager's eye
and hopefully to get into the team. "I'm very happy [to see the first-team
doing well] but I obviously want to be a part of it. I'll be working hard
right until the end of my six-month deal and I'd like to stay here if I
can."

Though Paulista is yet to make his first-team bow, he has made quite the
impact in the Hammers' second string, not least in front of goal. Welly, as
he is known to his teammates, has chalked up five of West Ham's 12 goals in
the Barclays Under-21 Premier League Elite Group, celebrating each and every
one with considerable gusto. "Ever since I was a kid, it was always just
natural to enjoy scoring, whether it's for the first team or for the
reserves, a goal's a goal and I enjoy it either way," he added. "It's good,
[being with the Development Squad], but obviously playing with younger
players is a different experience to what I'm used to. There's a lot of
talent at this club, but of course they have a lot to learn."

While Wellington will have to wait to run out in front of a packed Boleyn
Ground, he has already seen more than enough to convince him that it is an
experience he would enjoy. The six-foot' striker likened the Hammers
faithful to those of his native Brazil, insisting they are every bit as
fanatical as his adoring South-American public. "It's a bit like Brazil, in
that the fans are so passionate and are crazy about the football club. I
love that it's always full and so noisy and that's the sort of crowd I like
to play in front of."

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The Big Interview - Joey O'Brien
WHUFC.com
Joey O'Brien was proud of West Ham United's defensive effort at Liverpool
last weekend
10.04.2013

Joey O'Brien is looking to build on the solid base created in last weekend's
goalless draw at Liverpool when the Hammers head to Southampton for their
next Barclays Premier League fixture on Saturday. Sam Allardyce's men were
superb at the back to blunt the attacking threat posed by the Reds' Luis
Suarez, Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge, allowing them to take a
point home to east London. O'Brien, who took over the captain's armband when
Kevin Nolan was withdrawn in the second half, believes that bodes well for
the final seven games of the campaign.

First of all Joey, what was your reaction to the performance and result on
Sunday?

JOB: "It was a great performance and a great result. We went there with a
gameplan and it worked really well for us. From a defensive point of view,
the manager said beforehand he wanted the wingers tracking their full backs,
and keep the back four nice and compact.
"It worked a treat really. We went to a hard place and kept a clean sheet -
in the end we could have nicked a goal here and there, we had a few chances
so it was a great performance overall."

Sam said afterwards he thought we had perhaps the best chances - the penalty
appeal turned down, one cleared off the line. Do you think we could have won
it possibly?

JOB: "Of course - as you said we had one cleared off the line, Carlton
[Cole] had a good chance in the first half, which I think caught him by
surprise a little bit getting the ball there. We had as many good chances as
they did, but we would have taken a point before the game so we're
delighted."

Was that our best defensive performance of the season?

JOB: "It's up there. They have some smashing players, but we've gone to a
couple of hard places recently and got a result - Liverpool and Stoke - but
with the players they have it probably is."

Sam was there talking up the importance of the squad and we had a number of
players injured on Sunday, but we didn't miss them. The strength in depth
showed, didn't it?

JOB: "Yes, Tonks [James Tomkins] came back in and was unbelievable. Him and
Ginge [James Collins] at the back, you're not going to see a better
performance than that from anyone in the league. I'm delighted for Tonks
because he hasn't been playing a lot really and to go to Liverpool, which
was a hard game to come in for, and play like that was fantastic."

What about you personally. How you would rate your form at the moment? Fans
certainly seem to be saying how well you're playing and that you're a bit of
an unsung hero in the team.

JOB: "I'm just part of the team. The manager has asked me to do a job there
and I'm delighted to go out there and play. When you go out and get a clean
sheet, it's not just the back four, but Jussi Jaaskelainen's been brilliant
in the last six, seven games. As for the boys up front, Matt Jarvis worked
his socks off, as did Gaz O'Neil and Nobby [Kevin Nolan] in the middle too.
Coley too, has come in having not played much, and put in a great shift for
the team."

You were given the armband today when Kevin Nolan went off. Was that good
recognition of your recent form and your standing in the squad?

JOB: "Nobby gave it to me and I was delighted. It was a nice touch."

Looking ahead to Southampton, it's a game where we'll be looking to carry on
the away form...

JOB: "We're in decent form at the moment, with a win against West Brom and a
draw at Liverpool, so we'll be going there looking for the three points for
sure. The belief's there. If we can go to Liverpool and get a result, we can
go anywhere and get a result."

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Carroll scores awards double
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll has won the club's SBOBET Player of the Month and Goal of the
Month prizes for March
10.04.2013

Hot on the heels of his brace against West Bromwich Albion, Hammers striker
Andy Carroll has this week scooped another double - the club's SBOBET Player
of the Month and Goal of the Month awards. The big Geordie was a runaway
victor in both polls, scooping 42% of the whufc.com vote for the SBOBET
Player of the Month prize, and a whopping 75% on the club's Official
Facebook page vote for Goal of the Month. Carroll saw off competition from
second placed Jussi Jaaskelainen and Winston Reid in third to claim the
honour of top Hammer for March. Aside from his double strike against the
Baggies, over the course of the month Carroll was also involved in the move
for Jack Collison's winning goal at Stoke City, and caused problems for the
Chelsea defence. There could only be one winner for March's Goal of the
Month award - Carroll's stunning volley to give the Hammers a 3-0 lead over
West Brom on 30 March. The Liverpool loanee watched James Collins' clipped
free kick drift over his shoulder before unleashing an unstoppable shot
beyond Ben Foster in the visitors' goal. It was Carroll's second of the
game, in which West Ham triumphed by a 3-1 scoreline, and an overwhelming
75% of the Hammers supporters polled placed it as their number one goal for
the month.

Another strike from the same match, Gary O'Neil's curling effort, took
second with 15%, while Blair Turgott's hat-trick goal in the Boleyn Ground
friendly with a Queens Park Rangers XI took third.

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Jarvo looking forward
WHUFC.com
Winger Matt Jarvis says West Ham United will travel to Southampton on
Saturday in positive mood
10.04.2013

Barclays Premier League crossing king Matt Jarvis wants to play a leading
role as West Ham United seek to secure a top-ten finish. Jarvis has
delivered and completed more crosses from open play than any other
top-flight player this season and the No7 continued his good work in
Sunday's goalless draw at Liverpool. There, the winger came close to
chalking up another assist when both Carlton Cole and Kevin Nolan flashed
headers wide of the target, and Jarvis said he will keep firing the ball
into the penalty area as the 2012/13 season approaches its conclusion. "I
think in the first half at Liverpool it was hard for us to keep the ball and
get up the pitch, but in the second half we worked extremely hard and got in
behind them a few times and created quite a few chances," said Jarvis. "We
had one cleared off the line at the end or it could have been 1-0 to us.
"They are a fantastic passing side so you have to try to stop them doing
that and getting in behind. We did that. Obviously they are going to create
chances and they did that but we did really well to stop them playing and
got our passing going in the second half and created some great chances.
"I'm enjoying it. It's very tough, especially at places like Liverpool,
where you have to track the runners all the time. We managed to get some joy
in the second half and create some opportunities. Liverpool is a very tough
place to go so to get a point was a very good result for us. "I think we
have to take our home form with us and we've been doing that recently. You
have to get the results to go with your performances and hopefully we can
kick on now."

As well as his crossing, Jarvis is also aiming to get his name on the
scoresheet again during the final seven games of the season. The wideman has
netted just once in 28 appearances so far this term - in the 2-1 win at
Queens Park Rangers in September - and is determined to add to his tally. "I
just need a few more goals and a few more assists to go with them! I'm
putting the crosses in and I won't stop doing that so hopefully we can get a
few more goals from them and hopefully I can chip in myself."

Looking forward to Saturday's trip to Southampton, Jarvis believes West Ham
will travel to St Mary's full of confidence after scoring a home victory
over West Bromwich Albion and a goalless draw at Liverpool in their previous
two Barclays Premier League fixtures. "We are definitely looking up now.
It's one of those situations where you take it from game to game and
obviously we got a good result on Sunday and hopefully we can push on next
week."

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West Ham manager Sam Allardyce sets sights on 40 points
Last Updated: April 10, 2013 12:34pm
SSN

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce feels another three points would be enough to
secure his side's Premier League status for another year. Allardyce appears
to have steered the Hammers clear of relegation danger in recent games, with
the club sitting 12th in the table on 37 points after frustrating Liverpool
in a goalless draw at Anfield on Sunday. The manager has previously cited 38
points as the safety barrier but feels it might take 40 to ensure the
Hammers' survival this season, with only six points currently between
themselves and third-bottom Wigan. "I thought probably 38 but if you're
going to be absolutely (sure), we're going to still go to the golden 40
aren't we."

Sam Allardyce
He hopes West Ham can hit that target sooner rather than later as they
prepare to take on Southampton at St Mary's stadium this weekend. He told
Sky Sports: "We may (have to) sneak the points total up maybe one or two
more, but I certainly think 40 now is definitely going to be good enough.
"Wigan have put a run together, Southampton have put a run together, Aston
Villa have done it. "I thought probably 38 but if you're going to be
absolutely (sure), we're going to still go to the golden 40 aren't we."
Allardyce says he is delighted to see West Ham where they are in the table
after securing promotion from the Championship last season. Asked if he
would have taken their current position at the beginning of the season, he
added: "I'd have snatched their hands off. In fact I probably would have
gone further than that, I would have cut their hands off, if that's the
right terminology."

Talks

West Ham are in talks with Allardyce over a new contract, with his current
deal set to expire at the end of the season. The manager and the club's
owners have previously said an extension will only be agreed once Premier
League safety has been secured. West Ham defender James Collins, who
re-joined his old club last summer from Aston Villa, hopes Allardyce will
commit to the Hammers sooner rather than later. The Welshman said: "He's
been great. He's been one of the main reasons I came back, to work with the
gaffer. "Everyone obviously speaks very highly of him and he showed it
again, his tactics at Anfield were spot on and they have been all season. So
fingers crossed that he can get the contract sorted."

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Will Wellington Get his Chance Against Southampton?
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die

Andy Carroll played extremely well against WBA, giving his finest
performance to date in a West Ham shirt. In fact, he looked much more like
the fearsome young striker, who originally made his name at Newcastle Utd.
It was, therefore, unfortunate that he was not able to play against his
parent club, Liverpool, last Sunday. And it is now doubly disappointing that
it appears that Carroll may now also miss the away match at Southampton due
to an untimely virus infection. If so, the question is whether Sam Allardyce
will stick with his usual striker options or opt to bring Wellington
Paulista in to the first team frame?

Commenting on Paulista's first team chances in early February, Allardyce
stated that the loan signing had to go some considerable way to force his
way in to first team contention, but that the key was not only to improve
his fitness, but also score goals. Well, Paulista has done both, he has
improved his match fitness and currently has a 1 in 2 goal-to-match ratio,
having scored 5 goals in 10 Development Squad matches. So, it would seem
that the Brazilian has met the challenge laid down by his manager, will he
now reap the reward, with a place on the bench at Southampton? Personally, I
have championed Paulista's cause right from the time of his loan signing in
January. And I remain convinced that he could still prove to be a surprise
package. He certainly offers something different to our other striking
options. In fact, he could realistically be played either as a second
striker in a 4-4-2 or wide of the main striker in a 4-3-3.

My view is that commitment, hard work and achieving your set objectives
desires reward. Our other strikers are not exactly 'on fire' at the moment,
so why not bring Paulista in to the frame? Not necessarily starting, but
getting a 20-45 minute run out from the bench, if the opportunity presents
itself. Who knows, he might just come up trumps. One things is for sure, if
Paulista gets a chance, he will give it 100% and come on the pitch with the
right attitude and a determination to succeed. This is a player used to
playing at a higher level in Brazil, yet he approaches every single
Development Squad match in exactly the right way, applying himself and
giving his all to the team. Anyone who has seen him play in recent weeks can
testify to that fact. And if there is one thing that West Ham fans value
almost as highly as a gifted, creative player, a la Byrne, Brooking or Di
Canio, it is a warrior who applies himself and gives 100% to the Hammers
cause. I would suggest that Wellington Paulista is definitely in the latter
category, whether he can score goals in the PL we will only discover when
and if he gets a chance. But things look promising on that front as well.
So, go on Sam give him a go, the guy deserves it.

Elsewhere, Sam Allardyce has gone on record as stating that he thinks that
West Ham need three more points to secure their PL status this season. Is he
right? After all Wigan, Aston Villa and Newcastle Utd are all showing signs
of improvement and there are a number of teams in danger of falling in to
that dreaded 18th place. It is fair to say that Reading and QPR are
virtually relegated, its just a matter of who will join them in the
Championship. Personally, I think that the way that the final fixtures fall
means that 40 points will guarantee safety. But we should take no chances,
once we have reached 40 points, we must push on and accrue as many more as
possible. Not necessarily because of a fear of a late drive for points by
the teams between 13-18 position, but because we should look to 'push on' to
grab that coveted top ten finishing position. That really would be 'cherry
on the cake' for our season and provide a good benchmark for further
improvement next season.

The Liverpool draw was well deserved and hard fought. The team put in a good
performance and defended solidly as a unit. So, it was a good overall team
display, but if forced to pick out particular performances, it has to be
Collins and Tomkins in central defence. The pair barely put a foot wrong and
were rightly praised for their pivotal roles in earning a result. If only
that late Jack Collison effort had not been cleared off the line, we would
have celebrated our first win at Anfield since 1963-64 on Sunday evening. No
doubt that terrible record of not winning at Anfield, in 50 years, will end
one day. Perhaps last Sunday's battling draw was a sign post that the next
win away win over Liverpool may not be too far away, if we build upon recent
progress and keep improving.

Finally, I had a rare day off on Tuesday and took a wander down to Upton
Park to observe the open training day. Interestingly, the club had a
community event, after the first team training session, and there was
various multi-sports coaching sessions, with local youngsters involved in
football, athletics, cricket, boxing and handball. I stayed and watched the
community session and it was good to see the club's community coaches
working with local children; as well as first team players and Sam Allardyce
taking the time and effort to engage with the youngsters present. Its a side
of the game, and indeed the club, that deserves far wider recognition. And
it is something that I intend to investigate and share on WHTID.

SJ. Chandos.

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