Daily WHUFC News - 4th August 2013

Carroll targeting Cardiff return
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll is determined to be fit for West Ham United's opening Barclays
Premier League fixture
03.08.2013

Andy Carroll has set his sights on running out at the Boleyn Ground on the
opening day of the 2013/14 Barclays Premier League season. The West Ham
United and England forward, who made his move from Liverpool permanent this
summer for a club-record fee, has been sidelined since the final day of last
season with a heel injury. However, the new No9 has told West Ham TV that
his rehabilitation has been going well and he is still hopeful of featuring
against Cardiff City on Saturday 17 August. "I've been working hard. I've
been away to Germany with the lads and keeping myself as fit as I can with
the work I can do with my heel still being sore," said Carroll. "It's been
tough but I've been working hard to be back for the beginning of the season.
"I'm doing a lot of cardiovascular work to keep my fitness up without
stressing my heel, which means going on the rowing machine and on the bike
and doing all the things I don't like, really! I've been working hard,
hopefully I'll be back for the start of the season. "I couldn't think of
anything worse than being injured during pre-season. It's painful to watch
everyone else going out and having a laugh and me just doing one-on-one
physio work in the gym. It's a nightmare but I've just got to get myself fit
and ready. I don't like it in the gym, so it makes me push myself that bit
harder. I'm dying to get back and kicking a ball again. I can't wait because
the last time I kicked a ball was in the final game of last season."

While the home pre-season meeting with UEFA Champions League qualifiers
Pacos de Ferreira may come too soon for the Gateshead-born forward, Carroll
has urged his team-mates to set a marker down by getting the better of their
Portuguese visitors - for both themselves and the supporters. "I think the
lads have done great in their pre-season games and obviously they'll want to
do well in the first game back here at the Boleyn Ground. The fans will be
dying to get the season started as well, so it'll be good."

A week later, West Ham tackle newly-promoted Cardiff in east London. Like
the Hammers did a year ago, Carroll believes the Bluebirds will want to make
a strong start to life in the Barclays Premier League. Whether or not the
No9 is available, Sam Allardyce's side will start the game as favourites,
but Carroll says West Ham should take nothing for granted against the
reigning Championship winners. "It's always important to get a win in the
first game of the season. Obviously they have just come up so it'll be
tough. They have just been promoted and will want to show what they are all
about. We need to understand that and get a win under our belts. "I think
everyone is buzzing about and has come back in great form and great spirits.
Everyone is looking forward to the start of the season. They have been
working hard over the summer and cannot wait for the beginning."

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Haycock: There's still work to do
WHUFC.com
Under-21s coach Nick Haycock urged his players to produce even more after
Saturday's win at Hornchurch
03.08.2013

Development Squad boss Nick Haycock strives for the very best and while his
West Ham United side put four past AFC Hornchurch on Saturday, he insists
there remains plenty of room for improvement. Having twice fallen behind at
the Hornchurch Stadium, goals from the returning Dylan Tombides, Blair
Turgott, George Moncur and Paul McCallum eventually saw the Hammers to a
comfortable 4-2 success. Victory, however, was the very least that Haycock
expected, with a greater emphasis on the manner in which his young charges
went about their business. He told West Ham TV: "For the boys, it's almost
a no-win situation because we're expected to win the game, regardless of
what side we put. There were no first-team players obviously, but we put out
a healthy squad.

"We try to get the ball down and play. They've kept the grass long for their
first game of the season and we didn't really play with the tempo that we
did against Southend the other night. I warned the boys before the game. I
explained you've got to make this a game that's played at a tempo, so that
you take your higher fitness and technical levels to a place where you're
producing chance after chance. "I think the disappointment was that the two
goals we conceded were sloppy. All pre-season we've played some good stuff.
You can see the type of football that we try to play and we've created
chances, but equally we've given some sloppy goals away. That's why they're
in the Development Squad, because they're developing players. There are
still some youngsters in there and there were some pleasing performances as
well."

None more so than that of Tombides, who marked his first start in some two
years with an expertly-taken goal. Though the Australian has had to contend
with testicular cancer over the past couple of years, he needed just 12
minutes to get his name on the score-sheet here.

Haycock continued: "It's great to have Dylan back in the fold and I think
he's a talent. A great kid and he's a good addition to the Club never mind
the group."
Tombides' header was the first of the Hammers' four goals on the day, as the
hosts struggled to contain the visitors' attacking flair. Having failed to
find the back of the net at Southend, the goals came as some relief to the
men in claret and blue, though Haycock thought it should have been more
emphatic.

"We could have scored more than four goals, there are no two ways about it.
We can't afford not to convert chances. As you go up the levels you don't
get as many chances and equally, if you make silly mistakes you get
punished. I know it's a cliché in football, but it's the truth. The higher
you go, you play against better quality players and they pounce on your
mistakes. Even at the level here, it happened. It's a case of getting back
on the training field and making sure they try to right the wrongs."

But no matter of the outcome on Saturday, Haycock was rightly thrilled to be
able to bring a West Ham XI to the Ryman Premier side, fully aware of the
value of such an occasion. "We're doing our bit for our local neighbours,
it's a terrific club and it always has been. It's always a pleasure to come
over here and help out a local club. There were a lot of West Ham fans in
the Hornchurch crowd as well!"

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Have We Really Improved? We Need At Least Three More Players, Not One
By Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die

The new signings have certainly come to a shuddering halt. After the initial
burst at the end of the season it does seem very strange that the squad
hasn't been added to or that no one has been sold. Indeed, it is very much
as you were. At the start of every new season you like to think you have a
side which is a distinct improvement on the side which finished the previous
one. Well, can we really say that? Razvan Rat is an accomplished left back
and will bring some stability to that position but the jury is certainly out
on whether Dan Whitehead and Adrian will be able to make a first team
breakthrough. Yes, we have spent £15 million on Andy Carroll, but we had him
before. With the departures of four strikers (Chamakh, Cole, Hall and
Paulista) I can't see how Sam Allardyce can be satisfied with one more
signing. With Gary O'Neil gone we are a midfielder down, although you could
argue we had an embarrassment of riches in that department, but don't we
also need a further central defender? I suppose Diarra, with his new
positive attitude, could be treated as a new signing and could play in
midfield or central defence, but I'd like to think we will make an effort to
persuade Scott Parker to return and be realistic about his wages.

Maiga looks to have decided, like Diarra, that he wants to be positive and
it was good to see him among the goals in Germany. But surely we need to buy
another Andy Carroll type forward and also a smaller, trickier goalscorer
who can play in the centre and on the right. I am none to impressed by the
prospect of the Werder Bremen forward Marco Arnautovic. He has a very
troubled disciplinary record and has scored 14 in 70 games for Bremen. Why
would we want a player with that kind of record? I would be excited by the
prospect of Kalou, or even Remy, but I wonder whether we ought not to be
looking at bringing back another player from ten years ago, Jermain Defoe. I
know, I know, the circumstances of his departure weren't great, but he's a
proven goalscorer. He's only 30 and wouldn't cost the earth. Just a thought.

Just finally, I was sorry to see Kieron Dyer announce his retirement. He has
only played 25 matches in the last six years and has been so unlucky with
his injury record. On his day he was one of the best players in the country,
but sadly we never saw the best of him at Upton Park. Indeed, we hardly saw
him at all.

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U18s through to Eurofoot semi-finals
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are through to the last-four at the pre-season Eurofoot
Tournament in Belgium
03.08.2013

West Ham United have made a superb start at the pre-season Eurofoot
Tournament in Belgium, winning four of their five Group A fixtures to reach
the semi-finals. The Under-18s won their opening three Group A matches
without conceding a single goal, scoring eight goals themselves in the
process. A 2-1 win over KV Oostende meant defeat by the same scoreline by FC
Utrecht could not stop the Hammers finish top of their group. The Hammers
opened the competition in Oostduinkerke on Friday afternoon with a 1-0
victory over Club Brugge, with new signing Jordan Brown scoring the only
goal of the game. Later the same day, Rob Girdlestone, Marcio Martins, and
trialist Carlos Gonzalez-Cabrera were on target in a 3-0 win over a second
Belgian side, AA Gent. Saturday morning saw Steve Potts' youngsters take to
the pitch for a third time, but Belgian giants Anderlecht proved to be no
match for West Ham as Brown, Nathan Mavila and schoolboys Decarrey Sheriff
and Fatia Adebayo on target in a 4-0 success. West Ham completed their slate
of Group A fixtures by beating a fourth Belgian side, KV Oostende, 2-1 with
goals from Jamie Harney and Djair Parfitt-Williams. Sheriff scored in a 2-1
defeat by Dutch side FC Utrecht on Saturday evening, but a haul of 12 points
could not stop the Hammers from winning Group A. Having finished in the top
two, the Hammers will meet local rivals and Group B runners-up Tottenham
Hotspur in the semi-finals at 11am on Sunday local time, with the final to
follow at 4.30pm.

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West Ham Hope to Sign Werder Bremen Forward
by Michael Oliver August 3rd, 2013
CuaghtOffside.com

West Ham are interested in a deal to sign Werder Bremen forward Marko
Arnautovic this summer, according to the Daily Mail. The versatile attacker
has been made available for transfer this summer, as Hammers manager Sam
Allardyce eyes a cut-price deal this window. Without a reliable striking
partner for Andy Carroll at the club, the talented Austrian attacker is seen
as a must-sign target with only a month to go in the transfer window.

The Bundesliga club also reportedly have offers from Spain for the 24-year
old, but Arnautovic is keen on a transfer to the London club to experience
Premier League football. Having failed in bids to sign highly rated
Colombian youngster Duvan Zapata and Lille forward Salomon Kalou, Allardyce
sees Arnautovic as a slightly cheaper attacking option that is more
versatile.

Able to play on either wing, as well as down the middle, Arnautovic would be
an ideal addition to remove the goalscoring burden from Carroll's shoulders.
Along with Modibo Maiga, who has impressed the Hammers coaches this
pre-season, the Irons would have assembled a talented striking group capable
of firing in the goals to keep them up.

Arnautovic will likely operate in a wide-right role, as Andy Carroll will
play down the middle. Allardyce is keen to bring in one more forward this
summer, but has been unlucky in his pursuit of Spartak Moscow striker
Emmanuel Emenike and West Brom forward Peter Odemwingie, but the London club
are yet to reach an agreement with either club for their transfers.

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West Ham chase player who Mourinho said has the attitude ''of a child''
HITC Sport
by Mathew Nash

West Ham United have been linked with a move for plenty of strikers in
recent days - as Sam Allardyce hunts for a perfect partner to play alongside
Andy Carroll. David Sullivan, the clubs co-owner has admitted that the team
will be looking to bring in a striker with pace to play off the front-man -
but it seems the player will also be someone who can play out wide. That can
be safely assumed by the clubs decision not to pursue a deal for Salamon
Kalou - after the former Chelsea player could not be given assurances over
playing down the middle. Therefore the link with Marko Arnautovic makes
sense. A quick forward with the ability to play out wide he is also
available for transfer. Werder Bremen are willing to entertain the idea of
selling the Austrian this summer. Most Bundesliga sides are in a current
position of financial power. However not every team is in such an excellent
financial position. Werder are one such team who need to raise some funds.
Arnautovic is one of the clubs best assets at this current moment in time so
moving him on is a priority. However West Ham appear to have competition on
the horizon. It is reported in Bild that Real Sociedad and Valencia are
ready to make a move for the player this summer. But is he the sort of
player either side should be going for this summer. The former Inter Milan
striker has something of a reputation as a bad boy. Jose Mourinho once
stated that Arnautovic ''is a fantastic person but has the attitude of a
child.'' While at Inter Milan he was best pals with none other than Mario
Balotelli - the two raising hell wherever they went no doubt. But West Ham
should be perfect for him. Sam Allardyce has something of a knack for
getting the best out of, let's say, difficult characters. Nicolas Anelka,
Kevin Nolan, Youri Djorkaeff - there is a trend. If anyone is going to get
the best out of him then Big Sam might just be the man.

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