Daily WHUFC News - 26th JUly 2013

Haycock reflects on Braintree loss
WHUFC.com
Development Squad coach Nick Haycock reflects on a 3-2 pre-season defeat at
Braintree Town
25.07.2013

Nick Haycock says his West Ham United Development Squad will continue to
learn from their experiences following a 3-2 pre-season defeat at Conference
National club Braintree Town. The Hammers played the better football for
long periods at The Amlin Stadium and led 2-1 just after half-time, only for
naive defending to allow Alan Devonshire's side to snatch the victory. The
U21s have now played three pre-season matches, beating Swansea City 4-0
before being edged out 3-2 by both an experienced Wolverhampton Wanderers
team and now a strong Braintree squad. Paul McCallum and Kieran Sadlier
scored two fine goals for Haycock's youngsters on Wednesday, but the
Development Squad coach admitted his players still have work to do if they
are to earn a first-team opportunity. "It'll always be about performances in
pre-season and you are looking for the work you do on the training field to
transmit to the pitch come matchday," he explained. "As you go through
pre-season you tighten up and fine-tune certain things. "At Braintree, I
don't think we passed the ball as well as we did against Wolves, where we
were excellent at times. We conceded from set plays against Wolves and we
worked on that this week, but sometimes young teams make naive decisions and
there is some sloppiness in there. "We played against a team that finished
ninth in the Conference and play a certain type of football where they are
effective. We knew how they were going to play and so it was about us
dealing with that and then coming back with our game. In fits and spells, we
got our game going, but there were some good things, some sloppy things and
some naive things. "That's what the training field is for and, come Southend
on Monday, we're hoping to put some of that right."

McCallum scored his fourth goal in four pre-season appearances following
fine work from Blair Turgott and George Moncur to level just before
half-time. Sadlier then stole the show with a fantastic individual strike
two minutes after the break, only for Braintree to take advantage of two
slack pieces of defending to snatch the win. "They were fantastic goals and
that's the disappointment because Kieran Sadlier's effort should have been
the winning goal. Because they played 4-4-2, we said to our three
midfielders to be a bit braver and try to get goal-side of their midfield
and dominate them in the middle and release the wide players. "We felt we
had quality in the wide areas to make goalscoring chances with passes in
behind full-backs etcetera. Kieran has that ability and I don't know if we
gave him enough of the ball. "We had a lot of possession, but what they have
to learn is that it's not just about keeping the football. You've got to
work the ball to try to carve open the opposition and we weren't as good as
we were against Swansea and Wolves."

With the first-team squad and staff away in Germany, Haycock said he would
be reporting back to Sam Allardyce, Neil McDonald and Ian Hendon. Likewise,
the Development Squad coach has an interest in how the likes of Sebastian
Lletget, Elliot Lee, Pelly Ruddock, Danny Whitehead and Dan Potts are
faring.
"Neil and Ian particularly ask me for reports on the games and I speak to
them on a daily basis to see how our lads are doing out there. They also
want to know how these boys are doing because, at the end of the day, with
the Financial Fair Play rules, it will always be about trying to promote
from within to strengthen the squad. "Sebby has already done well against
Colchester and hopefully he'll have had a good ten days in Germany. Elliot
is out there, Pelly is out there and Danny has been brought into the Club
and gone with the first team. Dan Potts has been on the fringes of it for
about 18 months. "It's great because they'll get more experience there than
they would with us. Other clubs would put their strongest team out at
Under-21 level but the whole philosophy of West Ham United is to challenge
the player correctly. Some young players need a loan move and some need more
Under-21 football. "If we win a league or cup, that is second to the
objective of challenging the players. That is something fully endorsed by
Sam. I'm looking forward to the challenge. As you can see from the way Sam
runs the Football Club, it's about a team of people. I don't look at it as
me running the Under-21s - we coach players through the phase of between 17
and 21 and it's up to me and Steve to polish them. "Sam has always had a big
backroom team and I can see why because he sets everyone individual
physical, tactical and psychological targets. He has a fantastic team of
people behind him and we're a collective. "As a group, we are looking
forward to the season and pushing the players on to that next level. It's a
fantastic club to work for."

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Diarra vows to fight for the Hammers
WHUFC.com
French midfielder Alou Diarra is keen to prove his worth in a West Ham
United shirt
25.07.2013

Alou Diarra is determined to fight for West Ham United in the new Barclays
Premier League season. The France international wants to make use of a
strong summer by grasping an opportunity to shine following a spell on loan
at Rennes last term. Having returned to the Boleyn Ground for pre-season,
Diarra has expressed his desire to make an impact in a claret and blue
shirt. He believes a full preparatory programme, which was not possible for
him last year, will prove to be a huge help and he cannot wait for the next
friendly against Eintracht Braunschweig. "I want to fight this season with
West Ham," he exclusively told West Ham TV. "I'll give 100 per cent in
training and I'll wait for my chance. "I want to give my best for West Ham
and we'll see. I'm ready to play in the Premier League now. "Pre-season has
gone well. We work hard every day, and we've only lost one game so it has
been a good start for us."

Having joined the Hammers only just before the start of last season, Diarra
did not feel the benefits of pre-season training and he believes that had an
impact on his play. So, having played a full part this term, he is sure he
will return as a stronger player. "It is a very different pre-season for
me," he explained. "It's a big chance for a player to be fit and for me it
is much better being involved from the start this year. I missed it last
season, so it was hard to come back.
"That was difficult, but now I have this chance to start with the squad, so
that is good for me. "I feel good at the moment. I can run, and move, but
it's not 100 per cent yet. There are three weeks left to get ready for the
Premier League and I want to fight this season with West Ham."

Diarra has already scored two summer goals, against Cork City and Hamburger
SV, and he would love to add to that tally in competitive football. He
added: "I've scored two goals in the pre-season, and it has been nice to
attack the ball and score. It's good for me and good for the team, but I'd
prefer to score in the Premier League. "Hamburger is a good team from the
Bundesliga. We did very well in the last game against them, we looked strong
and scored twice from set plays. It was a good game and it showed we can do
well against strong teams. "Last season we came tenth and we think we can do
better. That's the next step and I think we can aim to improve our
position."

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'We are getting there'
WHUFC.com
Hammers defender James Tomkins is feeling the benefits of summer games
against European sides
25.07.2013

West Ham United central defender James Tomkins is relishing the opportunity
of testing himself against top-quality European opposition in pre-season.
The Hammers have already played Bundesliga sides FSV Mainz 05 and Hamburger
SV this week, and have another meeting with a top-flight German outfit in
Eintracht Braunchweig, before UEFA Champions League qualifiers Pacos de
Ferreira visit the Boleyn Ground on Saturday 10 August. Tomkins, who scored
a header from a Matt Jarvis corner in Tuesday's 3-1 win over Hamburg, says
facing teams of that stature will only help sharpen the Hammers ahead of the
big kick-off at home to Cardiff City on Saturday 17 August. He told
whufc.com: "It's been good to test ourselves against quality opposition this
week in Germany. Mainz were obviously a really good team, they were sharp
and you can tell that their league starts a bit earlier than ours. "We're
getting there, though, and getting stronger and stronger with each game. It
was a good victory for us against Hamburg the other day, They are obviously
a good team and we want to continue our good form in pre-season when we play
again on Saturday. "We've only lost one and we always look to improve and
get our fitness up, so Saturday's match against Braunschweig gives us the
chance to do that."

Tomkins was delighted to open his pre-season account with a header that
became something of his trademark during the Hammers' march to promotion in
2011/12. Now, the centre-back wants to find the net on a regular basis again
after a barren 2012/13. "It was nice to score and set plays were one of our
strong points last year. We've continued that at the start of pre-season and
we could maybe have scored a few more from set pieces."

German teams set the standard in the UEFA Champions League last year, with
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund reaching the Wembley final, so Tomkins
has been watching this week's opponents carefully as the Hammers look to
build for the coming season. He added: "Everyone's looking at the German
league at the minute, because they have proven that they are one of the best
right now. That was showen by the Champions League last year. "Bayern Munich
and Dortmund are very good teams and hopefully English football can have a
strong year in the Champions League this season. "As a club, we had a good
year last season and obviously we hope to improve - that's what we want to
do as players. Tenth was good for us having been promoted from the
Championship and hopefully we can build on that this year."

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Alou Diarra is determined to fight for a West Ham spot
Last Updated: July 25, 2013 7:32pm
SSN

Alou Diarra says he is determined to fight for his West Ham United place in
the Premier League season. The France international spent a successful spell
on loan at Ligue 1 club Rennes last term but has returned to the Boleyn
Ground in the best of form ready to make the most of his second opportunity.
He has made just six appearances for the Hammers since arriving in east
London from Marseille for £2million in 2012. "I want to fight this season
with West Ham," he told West Ham TV. "I'll give 100 per cent in training and
I'll wait for my chance. "I want to give my best for West Ham and we'll see.
I'm ready to play in the Premier League now. "Pre-season has gone well. We
work hard every day, and we've only lost one game so it has been a good
start for us." Diarra blamed missing out on a full pre-season for not
playing a full part in last term's impressive 10th placed finish. "It is a
very different pre-season for me," the Frenchman added. "It's a big chance
for a player to be fit and for me it is much better being involved from the
start this year. I missed it last season, so it was hard to come back. "That
was difficult, but now I have this chance to start with the squad, so that
is good for me. "I feel good at the moment. I can run, and move, but it's
not 100 per cent yet. There are three weeks left to get ready for the
Premier League and I want to fight this season with West Ham."

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