Daily WHUFC News - 11th July 2013

Nolan enjoying pre-season tests
WHUFC.com
Captain Kevin Nolan is looking forward to another pre-season workout at
Boreham Wood on Wednesday
10.07.2013

West Ham United's pre-season schedule continues with a trip to Conference
South side Boreham Wood on Wednesday evening. The Hammers make the short
journey to Hertfordshire to take on the Wood for the second summer in
succession, with kick-off scheduled for 7.30pm. Tickets for the match will
be available to purchase at Meadow Park on the day. Kevin Nolan and his
team-mates enjoyed a superb opening week of training in the Republic of
Ireland that culminated with a resounding 6-2 victory at Cork City on Sunday
evening. Nolan was part of the side held 1-1 at Boreham Wood a year ago and
the captain will be part of the squad again this time around.

"We came back earlier than most Premier League teams, which is something I'm
used to, having worked with Sam Allardyce for so many years," confirmed the
skipper. "I have to say Cork was one of the nicest set ups I've been to. The
pitches were fantastic, the weather wasn't too hot and the facilities on
site were fantastic. They couldn't do enough for us. All in all it was a
great first week. It was very tiring, with 7am starts every day and three
training sessions a day. "The main thing that has changed is that you come
back to balls now. You never used to see a football for a week and you used
to run until you were sick! That was the old-school mentality but it has all
moved on from that. I knew that when I signed for Sam he'd give me the best
opportunity to prolong my career for as long as I possibly can and he's done
that. Being back with him has made me hungrier to make sure I can succeed at
such a fantastic Club.
"For Sam to move to this club, get us back in the Premier League and then
what we achieved last season was fantastic. You can see from the owners and
what the gaffer wants, and with the signing of the big man Andy Carroll,
there's only one way that we're going in the league and I want to be a major
part of that. I want to get this Club back in the higher ranks of the
Premier League, which is where I truly and firmly believe it belongs."

Wednesday's fixture will be the second of eight pre-season matches held in
preparation for the big Barclays Premier League kick-off at home to Cardiff
City on Saturday 17 August. Last year, West Ham were the newly-promoted side
when they hosted Aston Villa on the opening day, but this time around the
boot is on the other foot.

"Obviously last year we were the new boys and this year it's going to be a
tough one with Cardiff coming up to the Premier League, because they will
all be really up for it. It's at Upton Park so we expect a win. We had a
fantastic home record last year when we only lost on four occasions to
top-six sides, so we'll be expecting to get the season up and running. "It's
going to be tough because Cardiff will come with a gameplan, but we're just
hoping we can start as we did last season with a win. I'm looking forward to
it and I'm sure it's going to be a tasty and feisty game."

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Hammers impress Irish hosts
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will be welcomed back to Cork after a fantastic week in
south west Ireland
10.07.2013

West Ham United will be welcomed back to Cork after a fantastic week in
south west Ireland. The Hammers enjoyed a productive pre-season training
camp in County Cork, impressing their hosts at the Fota Island Resort,
University College Cork and Cork City FC. The facilities, weather, food and
hospitality all exceeded the expectations of Sam Allardyce and his squad and
the manager has already expressed a wish to return to the region in the
future. Likewise, Fota Island Resort general manager John O'Flynn and Cork
City FC chief executive Timmy Murphy praised West Ham for the way the Club
approached their visit to Ireland. "Fota Island is just a small bit outside
Cork city centre and is a beautiful resort," O'Flynn explained. "We have
golf courses here and the wildlife park next door, but we are also proud of
our training facilities and were delighted to have West Ham over here. It's
a great buzz for the resort and a great buzz for the city and, thanks be to
God, we got the weather to add to it as well. "At the hotel we have a
hydrotherapy facility with pools and a bath to aid the whole player recovery
process, while we also have a walking river which helps with rehabilitation
of leg injuries and the like. We also have the swimming pools for bits and
pieces. We also have two training pitches and a fully-equipped gym. "The
fact we have these facilities on site means the players can rest much more
easily during their down-time. We also have the golf courses, driving range
and cycling and walking tracks which they can use there as well."

Fota Island has played host to a number of high-profile sports clubs
previously, including Manchester United, Watford, the Munster Rugby squad
and a variety of Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) football and hurling
teams. "All the teams who come to us are well looked after. The groundstaff
here make sure we always have immaculate pitches and we have a lot of GAA
teams come to use them - nearly every county has been here at some stage.
The first team to use it was Tipperary and they went on to win the
All-Ireland title that year, so it's a lucky pitch, that's for sure!"

O'Flynn said that, while Fota Island is a five-star resort, the venue has
accommodation to suit families and he has encouraged West Ham fans to come
and visit. "We have the full menu of facilities here, from the family lodges
to the top-end corporate. Everybody is welcome at Fota Island, where we have
the lodges and wildlife park for families and the pitches for Premier League
football teams. We look forward to welcoming West Ham supporters, so bring
them on!"

Murphy, meanwhile, was delighted to welcome a Barclays Premier League club
to play at the Rebel Army's Turner's Cross stadium. The match, of course,
ended in a 6-2 victory for the Hammers, but the Cork City FC chief executive
said the whole event had been a rousing success. "Without a doubt, West Ham
is one of the biggest teams we've had come to Cork in quite a number of
years," Murphy confirmed. "West Ham has huge connections with the city of
Cork. A lot of the older generation of Corkonians would have spent time in
London working in Dagenham for the Ford Motor Company, so there would have
been huge connectivity with West Ham. The younger generation are now getting
the feel of that. "The whole week has been brilliant, with huge interaction
between the players and local Cork people, which we're grateful for. There
is huge goodwill on both sides, so it's been fantastic."

While West Ham's week-long stay in Cork may now be over, Murphy has
encouraged West Ham fans to pay the club a visit if they are ever in south
west Ireland. Likewise, the chief executive would love to see the two clubs
forge a more formal connection in the future. "Looking around Cork city on
Sunday, there were lots of West Ham people in the city centre showing their
colours. I was out in Turner's Cross and one of the houses by the away end
had West Ham colours up! We'll forgive him on this occasion! "We would love
to see an association with West Ham United. Quite a lot of Cork people go to
England to watch games so hopefully the trip will boost West Ham as well.
When West Ham move to the Olympic Stadium and need a few more fans to fill
it, some Cork people will come across! "Any time West Ham go abroad, we'd
love to see them here and we'd welcome them with open arms."

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Boreham Wood 0-3 West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 10th July 2013
By: Staff Writer

West Ham secured a second successive pre-season friendly win after coasting
to victory against non-league Boreham Wood tonight. Having started
pre-season in fine fashion with a 6-2 win in Cork last weekend, Sam
Allardyce's team continued in a similar vein at Meadow Park tonight. And it
was two first half goals within the space of a minute that did for the home
side, who are celebrating their 65th anniversary this year. New signing
Razvan Rat, making his second appearance in claret and blue played a major
part in West Ham's opener. It was his cross that was almost turned into his
own net by Ben Nunn before Ravel Morrison applied the finishing touch. With
the home side still reeling from going a goal behind, United doubled their
lead when Ricardo Vaz Te climbed highest to meet a Mark Noble cross, which
he diverted expertly into the back of the net.

Despite dominating the game throughout, West Ham were forced to wait until
seven minutes from time before adding a third and final goal. This time it
was captain Kevin Nolan who volleyed home from inside the box to complete a
comfortable victory.

West Ham Utd: Adrian (Jussi Jaaskelainen 46), Guy Demel (Jordan Spence 46),
Pelly Ruddock (James Tomkins 46), Winston Reid (James Collins 46), Razvan
Rat (Dan Potts 46), Mark Noble (Alou Diarra 46), Jack Collison (Kevin Nolan
46), Matt Taylor (Matt Jarvis 46), Ricardo Vaz Te (Joe Cole 46), Paul
McCallum (Modibo Maiga 46), Ravel Morrison (Danny Whitehead 46).

Subs Not Used: Elliot Lee, George Moncur, Sam Baxter.

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West Ham miss out on Deulofeu
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 10th July 2013
By: Staff Writer

An audacious bid by West Ham to sign Barcelona starlet Gerard Deulofeu has
failed, after the youngster decided to join Premier League rivals Everton
instead.
Described elsewhere as "one of Spain's most exciting young talents",
Deulofeu's season-long loan move to Goodison Park was confirmed earlier
today. However in the last few minutes, the Twitter account attributed to
Jack Sullivan - the 13-year-old son of co-owner David - has revealed that
West Ham had hoped to sign the 19-year-old ahead of the Toffees. Following
an earlier Tweet (on 25th June) in which it was announced that United were
hoping to "sign one of the most exciting youngsters in Europe", Sullivan
revealed on Wednesday afternoon that the player in question was the Spanish
forward. "I am sorry to announce the 'young player' we were trying to sign
was Gerard Deulofeu who has decided to go to Everton over us," read the
message. Sullivan's Twitter account also revealed earlier in the day that no
new signings were imminent, despite the club being linked with a string of
players in recent days. Everton boss Roberto Martínez, who confirmed the
capture of Deulofeu earlier in the day said: "Gerard is a real diamond of
Spanish football and a boy with incredible footballing talent. I am
delighted that he has chosen to take the next step of his career with
Everton."

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Tactically Speaking
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 10th July 2013
By: David Hautzig

I grew up watching football with my dad.

It started with shows available here in the United States like Soccer Made
In Germany, which were condensed versions of Bundesliga games. Then the NASL
really took hold when Pele joined The New York Cosmos and a friend from
school and I got season tickets. But it wasn't until the 1994 World Cup that
I even noticed the tactical side of the game.

June 18th, 1994. Italy against The Republic of Ireland. I'm there with my
friend Derek, his brother Roy, and my dad. Derek is solely responsible for
dragging me into this West Ham supporting life of torment and pain, and
along with Roy and their father John were season ticket holders at Upton
Park.

Twelve minutes in, Italian defender Franco Baresi tries to clear the ball
out of danger while being pressured by Ireland's lone striker Tommy Coyne.
Ray Houghton intercepts, does a quick turn to his left and loops it into the
net. Bedlam. Pure, uninterrupted bedlam for the next 78 plus minutes. And
that's how it ended.

In the car ride back into Manhattan, which took well over two hours to cover
the roughly 15 miles from Giants Stadium to my apartment, Derek and Roy were
in the back seat dissecting the game. "That was clever of ol' Jack to place
five across the middle. Really gave the Italians trouble," Derek commented.

I asked him what he meant, because at that time I truly had no idea about
4-4-2, or 4-5-1, or any of that. They might as well have been map
coordinates. He started to give me a lesson on the basic set-ups on the
pitch. What they were intended to do, what kind of issues they can create
for the opposition, and why some teams play one way while others don't.
Somewhere inside The Lincoln Tunnel I had my very first "ah-hah" moment as a
football fan.

"Italy play a style that uses quick passes and a lot of movement off the
ball, so by having only one striker and an extra midfielder it's simply more
crowded in the middle and harder for Italy to do their thing. Right?" I
asked.

"Exactly", Derek replied. All of a sudden the game I had just finished
watching made more sense to me. I understood a few of the strategic elements
well after the fact, and I couldn't wait to watch the next game on
television to see if I could retain my new found knowledge.

Which brings me to Sam. Whether you agree with him and think he plays a
4-3-3, or you think you see through him as a peddler of 4-5-1, one theme
that is constantly brought up among supporters is a desire to see him try a
traditional 4-4-2. Last season when goals were hard to come by, you could
almost see the hair being pulled by some of us fly out from our computer or
tablet screens.

Yet in the past decade or so, that very same 4-4-2 has been labeled as
ancient and outdated by many a football commentator. Some have even blamed
its continued existence and some English managers fixation on it as the
reason for England's "failures" at The World Cup and Euros. Even within
Premier League clubs there is almost a resignation that in order for a team
to win in Europe they MUST learn to play one striker and protect the centre
of the pitch.

Are supporters wrong to call for Sam to play two up top? Or worse,
hypocritical? Johan Aarnio is a retired coach that lives near me. He worked
with a number of professional teams in North America during his career,
including the Montreal Impact. He was also the head coach at The University
Of Albany for 11 years before he packed up his bibs and cones. I threw the
question his way.

"There is never more arguing among football fans then there is about
tactics. As far as I'm concerned, Allardyce has always set up his teams in a
way that plays to their strengths and mitigates their weakness. It's all
about the players, and formations and tactics are nothing more than starting
points. You need movement on the pitch. So a 4-5-1 can quickly become a
4-3-3 if there is an opportunity to penetrate on the attack. And it can go
the other way when you need to cover on defence."

I could see by the look in his eye that just talking about it for a few
minutes got him all charged up. You can take the man away from the game...

Johan only pays attention to West Ham because every time I see him I cackle
on and on about us. I wanted to converse with someone from within The Tribe.
And lucky for me I have just the person. When Bob Woodward was uncovering
Tricky Dick Nixon and Watergate in the 1970's, he had his mysterious
informer that went by the name Deep Throat.

I have @ExWHUemployee.

The Twitter legend himself has made himself available to me while remaining
nameless. I know from "chatting" with him that he is a Sam supporter and was
enthusiastic about signing Andy Carroll from day one. So was I, which made
us kindred spirits of sorts. So I asked him for his take on it.

"I personally believe that fans will always favour a system with two up
front rather than one. Quite simply because the fans want to see their team
score more goals and believe that having double the forwards is the answer.
Whilst there is an obvious clear logic in that, the logic only works if both
forwards are of a good quality and that the midfielders behind them are
providing them with enough service to create the chances.

"The effectiveness of that also depends on how the opposition have set up.
As you say the current trend is to not play 4-4-2 and to favour a formation
where there are usually five midfielders. Unless those midfielders are of a
significantly better quality than the opposition they will always be
outnumbered and therefore make them self more vulnerable to conceding and
less likely to break through to create chances."

I think the majority of fans now accept Sam's starting formation and I
believe Andy Carroll is the perfect forward to fit into that system. What I
think annoys people is that when we are chasing a lead he doesn't change it
and become more attacking. I can see this argument but I do think you have
to have the players to do it.

It is also very hard for clubs to have at least two quality forwards because
a forward's value is always that much higher than other positions. Generally
modern day forwards wish to be the ones that score the goals and grab the
headlines so often it is hard to find a partnership where both are equally
contributing or creating for each other.

I take Newcastle when they had Demba Ba and then signed Cisse. It was no
surprise that at the start of the 2011/12 season Ba was scoring regularly.
When Cisse joined and they originally played together, with Ba either up
front or pushed out to the wing, he stopped scoring and Cisse took over. I
am a fan of Sam and believe that he plays to the strengths of the players
that he has available to him and currently 4-5-1 or 4-3-2-1 as I like to
call it is that system."

So what happens if some of the rumors flying around daily come true? Getting
a Demba Ba to play with Andy Carroll does not seem like a Sam style of play.
The man never pays two up front, right? What would he do if he actually
signed more hotshots?

"I think Sam will play the system that is right for the players. When Bolton
were first around in the Premiership under Sam they were known to be a rough
side with a route one playing style. As they became more established he
started to bring in the likes of Djorkaeff and Okocha.

"These players were far more known for their flair and skills then their
physical attributes and ability to kick it up to a big man. Sam was also
very close to landing Samuel Eto'o at one point and of course these players
would not have fitted into a system that didn't allow creativity and
something different to what Sam had tried before.

"Sam has a reputation amongst some fans as playing boring, long ball and
physical tactics at West Ham. The fact that both Yossi Benayoun and Joe Cole
were signed back, both of which I would describe as not physical but
creative show that depending on the players that Sam has available he would
change systems.

"I like to describe the system and the style that we play as "situational
football". There are times when we play long ball tactics depending on the
opposition, players available and score. There are other times when we do
play some lovely passes and quick interchanges, which I often feel is
overlooked."

At the end of the day, it's probably safe to say that Sam Allardyce knows
more about managing a football club than we do. And instead of fixating on a
particular tactic and how some numbers represent it, we should look at the
overall. And that says we are in a far better place than we have been in a
very long time.

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McDonald dismisses Downing rumours
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 10th July 2013
By: Staff Writer

West Ham's assistant manager Neil McDonald has dismissed reports of interest
in Liverpool winger Stuart Downing as "paper talk". Speaking on Talksport
last night, Sam Allardyce's right hand man admitted that Downing was highly
thought of at West Ham - but not a player the club were intending to make an
approach for anytime soon. "He's a very good player and I think West Ham
being involved with a player of that calibre would be great - but it's all
paper talk at the moment, " McDonald told host Andy Goldstein. "I'm not 100
per cent sure where it's come from, to tell you the truth. "We've been back
[from our summer break] for over a week now and the manager and the Chairman
are obviously working hard behind the scenes trying to strengthen the team
so we can improve on what we did last season. There will be lots of names
mentioned, few of which will be true but hopefully a few that will [be].
We're always looking to strengthen if we can."

The 47-year-old, who has been at West Ham for two years since (re-)joining
Sam Allardyce in east London also revealed that the squad's minimum target
next season was 46 points - the same number of points the (newly-promoted)
team secured in the 2012/13 Premier League campaign. "I think you've always
got to set the target of how you did last year. We were under the radar for
most of the season really and finished well," he mused. "To finish tenth
after getting promoted through the play-offs was a tremedous effort by
everybody. "So the standard is to get 46 points or more and to try and
improve on last season - which I'm sure we can with the recruits we've had
so far and hopefull to arrive in the future. But privately we'll set a
higher target than we do publicly and if we fall somewhere between the two,
then we'll have had a great season."

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West Ham play down interest in Liverpool's Stewart Downing
Last Updated: July 10, 2013 2:04pm
SSN

West Ham assistant boss Neil McDonald says he rates Stewart Downing highly,
but has played down talk of a transfer bid. Reports earlier this week
suggested that the Hammers were preparing an offer to Liverpool for their
England winger. Since moving to Anfield from Aston Villa for a fee in the
region of £20million two summers ago, Downing has struggled to hold down a
place in the Reds side. The 28-year-old made 25 starts and four substitute
appearances for the Merseysiders in the Premier League in 2012/13, scoring
three goals and claiming five assists. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce is in the
market for wide players as he seeks to improve the service to record signing
Andy Carroll, now recruited on a permanent basis from Liverpool. But
although Allardyce's right-hand man McDonald is a fan of Downing and would
like to see him at Upton Park, he insists the claims about an impending bid
are premature. "He's a very good player," the Hammers coach told talkSPORT.
"A player of that calibre and West Ham being involved would be great, but
it's all paper talk at the moment."

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Striker off to Russia with love after 'rejecting West Ham, Newcastle and
West Brom'
Bwbetting.com

Chelsea forward Demba Ba looks set to leave Stamford Bridge and Russian
champions Anzhi are ready to take the Senegal international. Demba Ba looks
set to become the latest member of Jose Mourinho's clear out but it appears
that the Chelsea forward is about to disappoint West Ham United, Newcastle
and West Brom by heading to Russia to sign for Anzhi Makhachkala. Ba only
joined Chelsea in January, but he struggled to make much of an impact under
interim boss Rafael Benitez and scored just two Premier League goals
following a £7 million move from Newcastle. And with winger Mario Marin
already farmed out on loan to Sevilla and Jon Obi Mikel set for a move to
Turkish champions Galatasaray as Mourinho reshapes the Blues' squad, it
appears that Ba will be next out of the door. Mourinho has been searching
for another top-class forward to complement the signing of Andre Schurrle,
an £18 million capture from Bayer Leverkusen.

And although Chelsea have seemingly missed out on Napoli's Edinson Cavani,
who is set for Paris Saint-Germain, and Borussia Dortmund contract rebel
Robert Lewandowski, it woudl appear that Ba is still surplus to
requirements. But unfortunately for Ba's potential suitors, who include his
old clubs West Ham and Newcastle as well as West Brom, it appears that Anzhi
are in pole position to sign the Senegal international. After reports today
suggested that Guus Hiddink's side are ready to move in with a lucrative
contract offer to convince Ba to join Samuel Eto'o and company, bwin go 7/4
that the forward signs for the Russian champions. Ba has reportedly already
told the Premier League clubs he has no intention of signing for them and
bwin now go 3/1 (West Ham) and 12/1 (Newcastle) that he remains in England.
Despite the reports, it is still 3/5 that the 28-year-old stays at Chelsea
until January at the earliest and 14/1 and bigger he signs for another club.


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Macca hails Boreham Wood workout
WHUFC.com
Assistant manager Neil McDonald believes hitting the ground running with
early games is beneficial
11.07.2013

It was another case of a job well done for West Ham United after their 3-0
win at Boreham Wood in their latest pre-season match, according to assistant
manager Neil McDonald. The Hammers began to ease away from their Conference
South hosts with two goals in 60 seconds around the 20 minute mark - the
first coming from Ravel Morrison, with that strike quickly followed by a
Ricardo Vaz Te header. Kevin Nolan's shot on the turn then made it 3-0 late
on and McDonald was delighted to continue a positive start to pre-season.
Wednesday's victory came on the back of a 6-2 win at Cork City on Sunday and
McDonald believes having matches so soon after the start of pre-season
training helps to focus the players' minds. "It was a good workout," he
explained. "Two sets of 45 minutes for the players, which was great and no
injuries, which is even better. "We scored some good goals as well, so we're
on track to where we want to be. We've just come back from Cork, we had a
good week there, the boys have been getting their fitness up and that
certainly showed on Wednesday. "I thought we were dominant, we passed the
ball really well and moved it on with a bit of tempo, more so than we did on
Sunday, so that's encouraging. We were nice and tight too, so all in all
it's a good start to pre-season and it gives everybody lots of confidence to
try and push on. "Games always focus the mind a little more because there's
a little bit on it, "With all due respect to them, we're playing teams who
maybe don't move the ball on or have better touches than us, but we've got
to make sure we get our touch right, we move it on and don't get ourselves
in trouble."

New arrivals Adrian, Razvan Rat and Danny Whitehead all played 45 minutes at
Meadow Park and McDonald is pleased with how the trio are integrating into
the squad. "They've all settled in really well," he added. "Last week in
Cork and now this week back here. "We switched the teams around again from
Cork to try and get a different balance and dynamic between everybody else
and everyone's settled in really, really well."

Hammers youngster Pelly Ruddock, who joined the Club last year from Boreham
Wood, captained the team in the opening period and McDonald has been
impressed with his progress. He said: "Pelly Ruddock led the team out and
that was nice for him. He's developed into a decent player since he came
from Boreham Wood last year. "Everyone can see a difference, he's much
stronger, much more comfortable on the ball and he seems to be enjoying the
position we're playing him in. "So let's see how he progresses and hopefully
he can put pressure on some of the first team players."

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West Ham confident Andy Carroll will be fit for start of season
Last Updated: July 10, 2013 10:53pm
SSN

West Ham remain confident that record signing Andy Carroll will be fit for
the start of the new Premier League season. Carroll joined the Hammers on a
permanent deal from Liverpool last month for an undisclosed fee, coming
through a medical despite being hampered by a heel injury after his
season-long loan. The England international is yet to feature for Sam
Allardyce's men in their pre-season campaign, which continued with a 3-0
victory over Boreham Wood at Meadow Park on Wednesday evening. "The injury
that he has is quite extensive and it takes time for the body to heal
itself. He is doing everything he can to push on."

Neil McDonald
And assistant manager Neil McDonald admitted after the friendly, in which
Ravel Morrison, Ricardo Vaz Te and Kevin Nolan found the net, that it may be
some time before Hammers fans see the powerful forward in action. McDonald
told Sky Sports News: "He is well under way in his rehab, he is working hard
on the training ground and we just have to be a little bit patient. "The
injury that he has is quite extensive and it takes time for the body to heal
itself. He is doing everything he can to push on. "He has been working
really hard and there is still plenty of time for him to get himself fit for
the start of the season."

McDonald also admitted that the Upton Park outfit were looking to make
further additions to their squad ahead of the new campaign, which kicks off
next month with a home date against Cardiff. He added: "The manager and the
hierarchy are working very hard behind the scenes to strengthen the team
even more. "If we can bring one or two others in to give competition for
places we will be in a really good place come the 17th of August."

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West Ham want Scott Parker back from Tottenham but QPR are determined to win
the race
10 Jul 2013 22:30
The Mirror

Tony Fernandes is leading Queens Park Rangers into the battle for Scott
Parker's signature - but faces opposition from West Ham. QPR supremo
Fernandes is personally involved in trying to back manager Harry Redknapp's
move for Tottenham and England midfielder Parker. West Ham are among the
other clubs interested and Parker, still highly regarded at 32, is keen to
stay in London. However, while the Hammers can only stretch to taking him on
loan, relegated Rangers are prepared to pay a fee to Spurs for Parker's
services. And Loftus Road chief Fernandes is trying hard to see off the
competition ahead of next month's Championship kick-off. Parker is
considering his options, following last week's £17million arrival of
Brazilian Confederations Cup hero Paulinho.
The signing of the 24-year-old midfielder from Corinthians has pushed Parker
down to fourth choice at White Hart Lane. Redknapp, who signed him from West
Ham two years ago, remains a fan of Parker's leadership qualities and see
him as the player to spearhead the club's efforts for a quick return to the
Premier League.

The move for Parker has only come about after concerns expressed behind the
scenes at Loftus Road over Tottenham's possible demand for a transfer fee
combined with Parker's £70,000-a-week wages. QPR chief executive Phil Beard
vetoed a move for another 32-year-old England international, left-back Wayne
Bridge, on the basis that the package to sign him was too expensive. But
Parker is seen as a player still very much capable of competing at the top
level, and Redknapp has convinced Fernandes that the former Charlton man can
lead the club back into the big time. Once QPR managed to sell defender
Christopher Samba back to Anzhi Makhachkala, the Russian club they bought
him from in January, they began to seriously explore signing Parker with
Fernandes taking the lead.

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Cole targets West Ham silverware after seeing new signings in action in 3-0
win over Boreham Wood
By MARK BRYANS
PUBLISHED: 00:36, 11 July 2013 | UPDATED: 00:41, 11 July 2013
Daily Mail

After playing in West Ham's 3-0 win over Boreham Wood on Wednesday, Joe Cole
has targeted taking West Ham to Wembley and challenging for silverware.
The Hammers, featuring new signings Adrian, Ravzan Rat and Danny Whitehead,
comfortably won at Meadow Park thanks to goals from Ravel Morrison, Ricardo
Vaz Te and Kevin Nolan. And now Cole, 31, who returned to his boyhood club
in January after he failed to nail down a place at Liverpool, wants to see
the club improve on last season's top-10 finish and collect a winners' medal
along the way. 'I think the ambition of the club at the moment is
improvement,' he said. 'But for me personally, I would love to finish better
than 10th but I would love to take this club to Wembley because at the end
of the day they are the days you remember in your career - it would be a
massive achievement. 'You look at Swansea and Wigan last year and that is
their day, we would like a bit of that because it has been such a long time
since West Ham have been there, so that would be nice.' Sam Allardyce led
the Hammers to 10th on their return to the Barclays Premier League and has
already added to his squad ahead of the new campaign. The stand-out signings
are those of Andy Carroll, who spent last season on loan at West Ham from
Liverpool, and Romania captain Rat - brought in on a free transfer from
Shakhtar Donetsk. Cole believes the calibre of such players proves that West
Ham are able to attract big names. 'It is a boost for the club and shows
where we are going,' he added. 'Andy Carroll is a young, England
centre-forward and clubs do not usually sell them and he is a big talent. He
did a good job and we just want him to get fit and come back because he is a
big part of our team.

'West Ham is a big club but it has been starved of success. You look at
where we are in London and people want to come here and play in London and
play for West Ham. 'It is great that players like Razvan and Andy are coming
in and hopefully there will be a few more as well.' The former Chelsea ace
has had his fair share of injury problems in recent years and admits his
first aim for the forthcoming season is to play as often as possible and
even maybe attract the attention of England manager Roy Hodgson. 'I always
keep my goals to myself and take it day-by-day but I just want to keep fit
first and foremost,' said Cole.
'When I was fit last season my performances were good so the key for me is
just staying fit and if I do that, the football for me has never been a
problem.
'The ambition will always burn every time you go out on the football pitch
and you want to do well, if you're an Englishman and you're playing well you
are inevitably going to be talked about. 'I have played over 50 times for my
country so if I can get playing you never know but at the moment I'm just
concentrating on West Ham.'

Morrison tapped home on 20 minutes after Boreham Wood goalkeeper James
Russell had made a sprawling save to prevent Rat's deflected cross creeping
in.
The second came just moments later as Vaz Te headed home after a
short-corner routine but, despite the visitors dominating for large periods,
they did not add to their lead until skipper Nolan volleyed home with just
under 10 minutes remaining.

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'Plenty of time' for Carroll to be fit
July 11, 2013
By ESPN staff

West Ham officials are confident that England international Andy Carroll
will be fighting fit for the start of the Premier League season. West Ham
are confident Andy Carroll will be fit for the start of the season. The
24-year-old completed a permanent move to Upton Park from Liverpool last
month after leading the line for the Hammers last season while on loan from
the Anfield club. However, a heel injury has so far kept the club's record
signing out of manager Sam Allardyce's pre-season squads, restricted to the
training paddock as he continues his recovery. But despite fears Carroll's
injury may interrupt his preparations for the new season, assistant manager
Neil McDonald was confident there was enough time to return the striker to
the head of the attack. "He is well under way in his rehab, he is working
hard on the training ground and we just have to be a little bit patient,"
McDonald told Sky Sports. "The injury that he has is quite extensive and it
takes time for the body to heal itself. He is doing everything he can to
push on. "He has been working really hard and there is still plenty of time
for him to get himself fit for the start of the season."

However, West Ham may not need to rely solely on Carroll's goals to shoot
the club up the ladder, with McDonald confirming the club are still in the
market to strengthen the squad. "The manager and the hierarchy are working
very hard behind the scenes to strengthen the team even more," he said. "If
we can bring one or two others in to give competition for places we will be
in a really good place come the 17th of August."

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