Daily WHUFC News - 19th August 2013

Bonds honoured at the Boleyn
WHUFC.com
Hammers legend Billy Bonds MBE received his Lifetime Achievement Award ahead
of the win over Cardiff City
18.08.2013

West Ham United legend Billy Bonds MBE was honoured ahead of Saturday's 2-0
Barclays Premier League victory over Cardiff City. The Hammers' all-time
record appearance maker was presented with the Club's inaugural Lifetime
Achievement Award by Joint-Chairman David Gold and manager Sam Allardyce.
The Boleyn Ground faithful marked the occasion with a deafening wall of
noise for the man who lifted the FA Cup twice for West Ham in 1975 and 1980,
was voted Hammer of the Year four times and made an amazing 793 appearances
between 1967 and 1988. Prior to the great man's arrival, a video featuring
highlights of Bonds' unique career in claret and blue was met with applause
and cheers usually associated with a last-minute winner being scored! Now
66, Bonds was visibly moved by the reception he received from the supporters
who idolised him during his playing career and later as youth coach and
manager between 1990 and 1994. The former defender and midfielder was joined
in E13 by members of his family, who enjoyed watching him being given an
amazing reception, while also taking the opportunity to have their
photographs taken pitchside and in Big Sam's dugout seat. The manager, who
came up against Bonds himself during his playing days, said Bonds' presence
had given the whole stadium a lift and inspired West Ham to victory over
Cardiff. "For me, seeing Billy Bonds here was a bit special," said Big Sam.
"The reception that he got for the loyalty he showed to the Club and the
fans' appreciation for that was magnificent. "Of course the reception the
lads got when they went out on the field lifted the players. We hadn't heard
that noise since we beat Reading on the final day of last season and that
got the players' hairs on the back of their necks standing on end and the
best out of them, particularly in the first half. It was a great victory for
us."

Bonds initially received his Lifetime Achievement Award at the Player Awards
in May.

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Hammers get off to winning start
WHUFC.com
Goals from Joe Cole and Kevin Nolan fired West Ham United to victory over
Cardiff City on Saturday
17.08.2013

West Ham United 2-0 Cardiff City
Barclays Premier League

West Ham United got the 2013/14 Barclays Premier League campaign off to a
winning start as goals in each half from Joe Cole and Kevin Nolan saw off
the challenge of newly-promoted Cardiff City at the Boleyn Ground. Any
momentum the Championship winners may have carried into the opening game of
the new season was quashed by Cole's 13th minute opener, as he produced an
accurate finish following a Matt Jarvis burst down the left. Nolan's strike
14 minutes from the end confirmed victory, as he matched his first day goal
from last year with a right-footed shot from 15 yards. Cardiff were rarely
able to build a head of steam to seriously threaten their hosts and the
sell-out 34,977 crowd were able to celebrate the perfect beginning to the
new season. The anticipation inside the Boleyn Ground was palpable as
Bubbles rung round the stadium for the first time since May, although it was
Cardiff who had the first real opportunity of the afternoon when they broke
quickly on the Hammers defence with ten minutes on the clock.

Kim Bo-Kyung had acres of space to advance into, and with James Collins and
Winston Reid backing off, forced in part by Fraizer Campbell's menacing run,
the Korean was able to take the shot on from outside the box. He could not
hit the target, however, and West Ham breathed a sigh of relief. That sigh
turned to cheers three minutes later as the home side swept into the lead.
Matt Jarvis was the goal's architect, getting the better of Matt Connolly
down the left before cutting a low cross back for Cole to stop dead with his
first touch, swivel and knock into the bottom right hand corner with his
second. It was the perfect start to the game for the Hammers and it could
have got better on 20 minutes when Cole found himself in the clear on the
edge of the box. With goalkeeper David Marshall off his line, a chipped
effort appeared on, but the West Ham man could only guide the ball into the
stopper's hands.

Eight minutes before the interval it was West Ham's turn to threaten again
as Mohamed Diame cut in from the left and unleashed a right-footed shot
which flew off Connolly's chest and looked destined to beat a helpless
Marshall inside his left hand post, but just deviated in its flight to pass
wide. Cardiff had barely managed to breach the Hammers backline to enter the
danger area, although Nolan did show good awareness to charge out from the
edge of the box and block a Fraizer Campbell effort.

As the second half started West Ham would have believed a cushion of a
second would prove sufficient to go on to claim the points. Jarvis looked to
provide it when Mark Noble's fine diagonal ball picked out Jarvis. He looked
to run at his man and enter the box, and with no support forthcoming, went
for the shot himself, which flew wide.

Cardiff were beginning to enjoy a little more territory but they could not
make anything of it, and manager Malky Mackay summed up their frustrations
with his reaction to Peter Whittingham's wasteful 25-yard shot, which was
dragged well wide of the mark. Just after the hour, they were reliant on a
fine save from Marshall for keeping them in it, as he got down brilliantly
to his left to tip Modibo Maiga's angled drive around the post. Fourteen
minutes from the end, however, he was powerless to prevent Nolan from
sealing victory, as last year's top goalscorer opened his account for
2013/14 with a swept finish into the top left hand corner after Noble used
Maiga's decoy run to cleverly advance into the box and lay off to the
skipper. Nicky Maynard fired over from close range as Cardiff looked to set
up a grandstand finish, but West Ham had done more than enough to ensure a
fruitful start to the campaign,

West Ham United: Jaaskelainen; Demel, Collins, Reid, O'Brien; Diame (Diarra
82), Noble, Nolan; Cole (Vaz Te 90), Maiga, Jarvis (Downing 71)
Subs: Adrian (GK), Tomkins, Rat, Morrison
Goals: Cole 13, Nolan 76

Cardiff City: Marshall; Connolly, Caulker, Turner, John; Gunnarsson, Medel;
Bellamy (Gestede 74), Bo-Kyung (Maynard 74), Whittingham; Campbell (Mutch
90)
Subs: Lewis (GK), Hudson, Smith, Cowie
Booked: Connolly

Attendance: 34,977
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Big Sam delighted with Cardiff victory
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce lauded West Ham United's 2-0 opening day Barclays Premier
League win over Cardiff City
17.08.2013

Sam Allardyce was brimming with pride after West Ham United started the
2013/14 Barclays Premier League campaign with a 2-0 home win over Cardiff
City.
The Hammers defeated the Championship title winners for the fourth match in
succession thanks to a goal in either half from Joe Cole and Kevin Nolan.
After bossing a first half highlighted by Cole's smartly taken turn and
finish on 13 minutes, Big Sam's side weathered a spell of Cardiff pressure
before making the game safe through Nolan's first-time shot 14 minutes from
full-time. Speaking to West Ham TV, the manager was rightly happy with his
team's strong start to the new campaign. "It is a fantastic start, was great
entertainment from the fans and a really positive display by ourselves,"
said Big Sam. "In a game of football over 90 minutes we do many things but
the one thing we did do was dominate the game, dominate possession and
create chances. "I was delighted with Joe's goal but then Joe told me at the
end of the game that he should have had a hat-trick before half-time! I
wasn't really going to bring that up because we had done enough and we won
the game. We may talk about it later in the week, but it shows you his
disappointment. He said two of his easier chances were a header on the far
post from a cross from Jarvis and when he went one-on-one with the 'keeper
and he made the wrong decision by trying to chip him.
"We were probably a little disappointed it was only 1-0 at half-time, then
we had to work it out because Cardiff changed the way they played. Then we
lost a little bit of control in the second half, but defended the way we
know we can without the opposition creating any chances in that spell.
"Then, of course, we started playing out on the break a bit more and we came
up with a quality second goal. The ball into Maiga from Mark Noble and he
controls it, back into Stewart Downing, to Noble to Nolan and he puts it
into the back of the net as we all know he can do. That's him one in one
again and he got five in ten at the start of last season. "It was excellent
and just what we were looking for and at the defensive end we were so good,
Cardiff only had one shot on goal in the entire 90 minutes."

The manager said Saturday's display was the result of a pre-season that saw
his side not only play some great football, but also escape without
suffering any major injuries whatsoever. "I'm often pessimistic that a
decent pre-season can have an adverse effect on you, because that's what you
do as a manager, worry about everything," he explained, with half a smile on
his face. "Last season was horrendous. We got turned over in Germany and at
Ipswich and looked a million miles away from the Premier League. The lads
were scared that they were going to start the season and not be able to
cope, but we started with 14 points from the first eight games. "This
pre-season has been excellent. We have had no injuries and the players are
100 per cent fit physically and mentally, which meant that with the
abilities they have got, the capability to beat Cardiff. "If our fitness had
been worse than Cardiff's, it would have been a struggle because we'd have
faded away and they might have got back in the game, but that didn't happen
and our technical ability was far better than theirs', and hence we won the
game 2-0 comfortably."

Big Sam ended by praising the contribution of Modibo Maiga, who made his
first Barclays Premier League start since Tottenham Hotspur away on 25
November 2012. Maiga worked hard, led the line well, held the ball up and
put the Cardiff back four under pressure in the absence of the injured Andy
Carroll. "I've got to give a special mention to Modibo because I don't want
the West Ham fans going away thinking he hasn't made a massive contribution.
"While it wasn't flair in the same way Jarvis, Cole and Downing produced, he
held the ball up, led the line and put the centre-backs under pressure and
played a part in the second goal. "He's shown a bit of what he can do and
why we bought him from Sochaux last year. It was a very difficult season for
him last year and a difficult transition but he's had a full pre-season with
us and has started every game up front and that fitness level he has got to
has started to show us the ability he has got."

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U18s down Manchester United
WHUFC.com
Goals from Lewis Page and Jerry Amoo secured an opening day Barclays U18
Premier League success
18.08.2013

West Ham United started the Barclays U18 Premier League in outstanding
fashion with a 2-1 victory over Manchester United at Little Heath. Goals in
either half from Lewis Page and Jerry Amoo saw the Hammers clinch a superb
success on Saturday, with the Red Devils only finding the net through a
James Wilson penalty late on. Academy Director Tony Carr MBE, starting his
40th year of working with the Club's youngsters, spoke glowingly of the
player's' efforts. "I think Manchester United is a mouth-watering fixture
for every player and as a season opener we didn't need to motivate them in
any way, shape or form," he confirmed. "In the first half, we dominated the
game and pressed really hard and took control of the midfield. "We missed
two or three good chances but then, three minutes before half-time, Lewis
Page broke forward from the back, played a neat wall pass with Kieran
Bywater on the edge of the box and slotted the ball past the goalkeeper with
his right foot. "Our opening goal was a fitting reward and it was deserved
that we went in 1-0 up at half-time."

Carr and U18s manager Steve Potts warned their charges that Manchester
United would not lie down and to expect a sterner test after half-time. That
is exactly what transpired. "We told the boys to keep doing what they were
doing but to be aware that Manchester United might change their system and
come out all guns blazing," Carr continued. "For 20 minutes, they dominated
the game after the break, and it was like a keep-ball session at times, but
we didn't let them get in behind us or create any goalscoring opportunities.
"We worked our way back into the game and from one of several
counter-attacks we doubled our lead with about ten minutes to go. Our
right-back Kyle Knoyle put over a great cross and Jerry Amoo converted with
a fine volley."

Just when West Ham thought they had the game won, however, the visitors
struck from the spot to set up a nervous final few minutes. "We all thought
that was it after Jerry's goal, but they got a penalty when a shot hit Amos
Nasha on the arm as he turned and tried to block it. The penalty was
converted, which set up a nervy finish, but we held out for a well-deserved
win."

The U18s play their second Barclays U18 Premier League fixture of the season
on Saturday 24 August, when they head to Chelsea for an 11am kick-off at
Cobham.

West Ham United U18s: Nemrava, Knoyle, Page, Nasha, Burke, Onariase, Amoo,
Cullen (Makasi 72), Brown (Martins 90), Bywater, Mavila
Subs not used: Baxter, Harney, Parfitt-Williams

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Cole: 'It's a fantastic start'
WHUFC.com
Goalscorer and man of the match Joe Cole was thrilled with a perfect start
to the new season
18.08.2013

Joe Cole expects the Boleyn Ground to remain a fortress for West Ham United
this term, after the Hammers No26 helped the hosts to a comfortable 2-0
opening day Barclays Premier League success against Cardiff City. The
Academy graduate took just 13 minutes to open his account for the campaign,
collecting Matt Jarvis' cut-back, before firing home on the turn to give Sam
Allardyce's men the perfect start. The ever-reliable Kevin Nolan wrapped up
the points with quarter-of-an-hour to play, enough to convince the
31-year-old that Premier League sides are not likely to relish the prospect
of a trip to east London in the coming months. "Cardiff were going to be on
it, it's the biggest game of their lives, the club's first time in the top
flight for 50 years," he told West Ham TV. "So it was a fantastic
performance. I don't think anyone's going to enjoy coming here this year.
"It's perfect, the main thing is we got the three points. Stewart [Downing]
came on and looked great, I thought Modibo was excellent up front. It's a
fantastic start."

Speaking of his first-half strike, a first for the Club since February, Cole
is thrilled to be up and running in the goals department, while owing much
to the industry of fellow wideman Jarvis. He continued: "It was a good
finish. Jarvo has done fantastic for me. He gets his crosses in, he picked
me out, a little bit of movement and it was a good goal. And it's always
nice to get the first goal out of the way. "Jarvo's so sharp, strong, quick
and direct. We've got Stewart as well and I obviously give the lads a little
bit of something different. We've got a lot of options now for the manager.
Cole expects that strength in depth to serve the Hammers well this season,
with one eye already on the prospect of a cup run. "It's a long season. With
the squad we've got we can have a real go in the cups as well, which is
going to be important, because these fans deserve a good run in the cup and
maybe a trip to Wembley. I think we've got a strong squad now."

As for his own form, the skilful midfielder says there is still plenty more
to come, as he looks to get yet more minutes under his belt. "I was a bit
tired after 60 or 70 minutes, but that's understandable with all the nerves
going into the game. I'm looking now to get another game on Saturday, and
then Tuesday. The games are coming thick and fast and I'm looking forward to
it."

Next up for Cole and his colleagues is a trip to Newcastle United next
weekend, with the Hammers bidding to replicate last season's outstanding 1-0
success at St James' Park. "We want to improve on our away form and we need
to go to Newcastle and get something, that's for sure. We're going to work
on [our away form] this week. We need to do many of the same things, but
take our chances away from home, which is key. "

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West Ham 2 Cardiff 0
17 August 2013
Last updated at 19:01

Joe Cole and Kevin Nolan scored in each half as West Ham United enjoyed a
comfortable win over Premier League new boys Cardiff City at Upton Park.
The Bluebirds did not manage a shot on target in their first appearance in
the top flight since 1962. Cole and Nolan showed the Welsh side what
finishing is all about at this level with two masterful strikes. Nicky
Maynard missed Cardiff's best chance late on, when he skewed his shot over
from six yards out. The absence of new £7.5m Danish striker Andreas
Cornelius through injury might explain Cardiff's lack of cutting edge but,
despite a summer of heavy investment - £9.5m Chile midfielder Gary Medel and
£8m England defender Steven Caulker both made their debuts - they still
found the step up from the Championship a tough one. The Hammers were
without their own star striker Andy Carroll, who was missing with a heel
problem, but it was another Liverpool old boy, Cole, who stole the limelight
with his superb early strike.

Matt Jarvis sent over a low cross from the left and Cole took a touch before
swivelling to expertly fire the ball past Cardiff keeper Andy Marshall and
into the opposite corner of the net. Cole had a chance to get his second
moments later when he left the visitors defence flat-footed but he wasted
the opportunity and tamely chipped his shot straight into the arms of
Marshall. Mohamed Diame saw his shot deflected inches wide as West Ham went
looking for more goals before the break, with Cardiff only managing two
long-distance efforts from Craig Bellamy and Kim Bo-Kyung in response. Both
were well off target. The pattern continued after the break. The Bluebirds
were competing well in midfield but, with Fraizer Campbell isolated up
front, they rarely looked capable of breaking down the Hammers defence. It
took until the 55th minute for Hammers keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen to be
called into meaningful action, when he tipped away a corner, and his only
save of note came from a Matthew Connolly header that was already looping
over when he helped it to safety.

West Ham's own threat had become more sporadic after the break but they
continued to create chances, with Diame and Jarvis both firing over before
Modibo Maiga forced Marshall into a fingertip save. While the score remained
at 1-0, the Bluebirds still had hope but that was ended 14 minutes from time
by West Ham captain Nolan. He emulated Cole with an equally astute finish,
sweeping home a first-time shot from 20 yards after good work from Mark
Noble. Only then did Cardiff begin to seriously threaten but, even then,
their efforts went astray. Former Hammers striker Maynard should have done
better from close range after coming off the bench, and Peter Whittingham,
whose set-pieces had been disappointing for most of the game, curled a
25-yard free-kick just wide in injury time.

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "We've done a great job today. Our time
spent in pre-season has stood us in good stead. We showed today that
physically and mentally we were 100 per cent ready for the Premier League.
"We won the came comfortably, perhaps not taking as many chances as we'd
have liked, but that doesn't matter now because it's a 2-0 victory and a
clean sheet. "They were two very good goals from Joe Cole and Kevin Nolan
and the team performed very, very well."

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Allardyce on... Cardiff City
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 18th August 2013
By: staff writer

A happy Sam Allardyce reflects on the opening day win against Cardiff City
in his post-match press conference...

Sam: A nice comfortable win on the opening day of the season?

Yes, I think that we've done a great job today. Out time spent in pre-season
stood us in good stead. I asked players to return and start pre-season
[early so] by the time we got to August 17th they would be 100 per cent
physically and mentally ready for the start of the Premier League. We
certainly showed that today.

We won the game comfortably, we've perhaps not taken as many chances as we'd
liked to but that doesn't matter now. It's a 2-0 victory and a clean sheet.
They were two very good goals and the team performed very well - and when we
didn't have the edge over the opposition, we defended superbly well.

Looking at our board when we came off, Cardiff only had one shot on target
in the entire game, so we've done the job in and out of possession very well
today and scored two very good goals.

You must have been pleased with the cameo by new signing Stewart Downing
when he came on today? He made an immediate impact.

Well yes, for Stewart. There's no need to ask, "will he fit in or will he
prove himself?" - he doesn't have to do that, he's already proven. He's a
top quality Premier League player and has been for a number of years.

We didn't start him today because he is short of match time. Most of our
players had got 600 minutes on the pitch before we started; Stew is about
250, 260 - that's all. So we brought him on when Cardiff were tiring and the
spaces were getting a bit wider. Get him the ball and off he goes. It was
pretty exciting what he contributed. It's nice to see and he's glad to be
here; that's the most important thing.

His confidence must have gone through the roof - being wanted, being here
and being brought on like that?

Well he showed the crowd a little bit of what we hope we'll see throughout
the season, that's always going to excite everybody. But there's big
competition in those areas with Joe [Cole], Matt Jarvis and [Ricardo] Vaz
Te. There was competition all over the pitch today and there's some very
disappointed players on the bench.

There are two players who are even more disappointed. If those on the bench
are disappointed they should think of Matt Taylor and Jack Collison. The
contribution they've made over the last two years has been enormous but they
couldn't get a place on the bench today.

That gives me a very good squad, I think and a very healthy squad. That's
without George McCartney and Andy Carroll, so I think we've got a really
good squad. I'll have to manage the squad the best way I can, but
everybody's got to fight for their place now.

A diamond of a move from Joe Cole. They were defending very deep, But that's
what you get with Joe isn't it, that ability?

Absolutely, but he's been an England player, hasn't he. Timing his runs is
what Joe's all about. To have the opportunity to get a hat-trick in the
first 45 minutes... His hardest chance was the one he scored from, there's
no doubt about that. If he continues playing that way...

It's all that old adage about us playing one up front, which is a load of
old bull. Sometimes we play one up front when we're playing at Man United -
I must admit! [laughs] But most teams do, you know what I mean? But when
we're playing here we play with a front three and I think that was
abundantly clear today. Let's hope we continue at Newcastle next week and
pick more points up.

Is Andy Carroll likely to be fit for that one?

Nope. No he's not going to be fit for that.

Are you still expecting him to be out for a while?

Well he hasn't started training with us yet which is a major concern , but
we must praise Modibo Maiga for his contribution today leading the line and
we hope he continues to grow in that position for us - especially whilst
Andy is not with us because he's proven that, unlike last year where he
found it a bit of a struggle as he's had the whole of pre-season with us
he's made a big contribution today.

You'll be relying more on people like Joe and Kevin [Nolan] to score goals?

Yeah, we will - but I think the lad's got some goals in him and the more he
plays, the more opportunities he'll get and the more he'll score. Sharing it
about is what it's all about with us. We shared the goals out superbly last
year; Kevin got ten and I think Andy got eight and the rest of the lads got
ones and twos, which was a great help in getting us to tenth.

Is Kevin Nolan the best player you've ever signed?

I wouldn't say that with the world-classers I've had in my time. We've had
Jay Jay Okocha, Youri Djourkaeff, Fernando Hierro, Ivan Campo... They're a
little bit better than Kevin because they've won World Cups and European
Championships. But, Kevin is a Premier League goalscorer.

From 2001/02 he has been an outstanding, goalscoring midfield player - if
used in the right way. There was a spell or two where he wasn't, but
certainly with Bolton, Newcastle and with us he's always used the right way
and has always scored a huge amount of goals which is very difficult today
now some of the midfield goalscorers have passed by and there's probably
only Frank Lampard who scores more than him.

Just how tough is it for sides like Cardiff, looking to the rest of the
season?

You would want your first game in the Premier League at home, not away. When
we came up from the Championship we won more games away from home than at
home but last year in the Premier League it was a huge task for us to pick
up points. In the end I think we only won three games the entire season away
from home and only drew two or three as well. So it's a big task picking up
points away from home.

Your home form is what you need to get right if you want to stay in the
Premier League and I think that the Cardiff fans - with what he's bought and
the squad he's got will hopefully get the results they're looking for, but
certainly the test for them will be to not get too worried if they don't
start well. An example of that is Southampton last year. Nigel [Adkins]
eventually brought them through and pulled them out of the bottom three just
after Christmas - and his reward for that was the sack...

Do you still hope to bring in a striker?

No, I've no budget left. I've no money left.

What if you get a couple of players out?

I can't see that happening but we've no budget at the moment. Thank you.

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Watching Ravel come of age
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 17th August 2013
By: David Hautzig

I think it was the reactions on the various Manchester United fan sites that
got my attention.

I had never heard of Ravel Morrison, so from my perspective way the hell
over here it was a nothing story in January during a relegated season. About
as noteworthy as a 1-0 win at Doncaster. But as I perused the various levels
of fury directed at Man U for selling us this kid, I started to realise this
was not a simple transfer.

We all know about his many transgressions. For all of his talent, I wasn't
at all surprised that Man U and Fergie threw up their hands and said "Done".
When you are as rich and powerful as Manchester United you do not need to
wait for any player to overcome the kind of personal problems Ravel Morrison
had.

Why should they? They have bushels of young talent that have not terrorised
a witness in a criminal proceeding. Do multi-millionaires fix their broken
high definition plasma televisions? Hell no. They send one of their minions
to the store to buy a new one. And if you listened to Sir Alex and others at
the club you would have thought they were parents that had gone through a
lot of grief raising a bad kid and decided they had enough.

Yet in an article written by Daniel Taylor for The Guardian in January, 2012
about his court appearance, the club was not painted in a very flattering
light. "What Man United would rather not come out is that, in court, the
district judge questioned whether the club were giving him the right care.
Her view was that they may not be".

He went on, pointing out that nobody from the club accompanied him to court
that day. "Nobody from Manchester United was with him and it struck me as
strange given the way the club usually operate. Sir Alex Ferguson might
ordinarily have been expected to make an appearance, or at least send in a
character reference. But Morrison was alone, bar his solicitor".

I'm a white guy, born and raised in a pretty good Manhattan neighborhood. I
will never pretend to know what it's like to be black. I've heard stories
from black friends, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out it isn't that
easy at times. This anecdote comes to mind.

A friend of mine was shopping at a swanky department store at a shopping
mall in New Jersey. He made crazy money then, so buying a sweater for $750
was like me buying one for $50. Apparently the saleswoman at the store
didn't think so, and as soon as my friend left the store she called the bank
that issued his credit card and reported it as stolen.

He found out the next night while trying to pay for dinner with an important
client that his card had been cancelled. He rightfully went ballistic when
he found out what happened. No, he didn't threaten anyone or grab the
saleswoman's cell phone and throw it out a window. He had the self control
to handle it in a civilised manner. He got a pretty sizable gift certificate
and an apology. He used to certificate, and never shopped there again.

As I've followed pre-season, I'm sure I'm like many of you in that the
newfound maturity of Ravel Morrison is THE story. And here is where I was
hoping to be able to pretend to be a journalist for a few seconds. I sent an
email to Andy Walker of Birmingham City Football Club, who handles their
media relations. I told him who I was, and said if Ravel does make it the
credit will need to go to Lee Clark and the rest of the crew at BCFC.

I have two kids, and every now and then I see something from them in every
day life that opens my eyes. Like they suddenly took a step forward. I
wondered if the manager, or even one of the backroom staff, could recall
such a moment with Ravel? Where they saw the angry kid change into what he
seems to be heading towards.

Andy was kind enough to reply, saying he would ask and hope for something to
send back. I guess trying to gain promotion to the richest league in the
world is more important to them than helping me with this article. I got
nothing.

One guy that does have experience helping talented but troubled young
footballers is Kevin Nolan. I had a gut feeling that Sam would have a chat
with Nolan, and he in turn would work with Morrison both on and off the
pitch. "He has grown up and I think he has come back with a renewed
approach. I am going to help him as much as I can by talking to him on and
off the pitch. Last year it was all the off-field stuff and his mental
attitude to the game. He let himself down with not turning up and things
like that," Nolan told The Daily Star.

None of us have a crystal ball. But I have a hunch that we have a gem on our
hands. I am more excited about watching this kid play and blossom than
anything else this year.

Ravel, I'm really pleased for you. Good luck.

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Sam Allardyce delighted with West Ham's victory over Cardiff on opening day
Last Updated: August 17, 2013 6:53pm
SSN

Sam Allardyce admits he could not have asked for anything more from his West
Ham United side as they opened the 2013/14 season with victory over Cardiff
City. The Hammers dominated proceedings from the off against newly-promoted
opposition and were full value for a 2-0 success. Joe Cole and Kevin Nolan
did the damage in the final third, while a resolute back line was rarely
troubled by the toothless Bluebirds. Allardyce is delighted to be up and
running in such comfortable fashion, but admits he is unlikely to be able to
build on a bright start by dipping back into the transfer market before the
summer window closes.

He told Sky Sports: "From our point of view, we started the game very well
indeed and the one thing we were looking for was: are we going to score, are
we going to take advantage of this very good start? The quality and ability
of first Matt Jarvis' cross and then the ability of Joe Cole in the box -
not an easy chance to take the ball behind him, touch, swivel and put it in
the bottom corner.

"In fact, Joe is disappointed he didn't get a hat-trick today because he got
a fantastic free header at the far post off another Jarvis cross and then he
got the one-on-one, where instead of slotting it into the back of the net he
tried to chip the goalkeeper. "All of those chances came in the first half,
so 1-0 was fine but really it should have been more than that. "Cardiff had
a bit of a spell just after half-time, we sat in and defended very well
because for the entire game they have only had one shot on target. Breaking
out from there, Kevin Nolan pops up to ease all of the nerves for us. "It
was a good day, a really good day, and everybody has come off feeling great.
I don't think there are any injuries either, which is a big part for us and
very important for us. We can look forward to Newcastle away next week with
confidence now."

Pressed on whether the performance against Cardiff suggests West Ham should
be confident of building on last season's 10th place finish in the Premier
League, Allardyce added: "Not at the moment because we have to calculate how
everybody else is going to spend between now and the end of the window.
"You look at Cardiff, they have spent something like £26-28m, is that going
to continue before the window shuts? Who else is going to go out and buy
more players? "We certainly aren't in a position at the moment, we've spent
our budget, so we are where we are and we are the squad we are at the
moment. That was more than good enough today."

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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce insists Cardiff must not panic
Last Updated: August 18, 2013 3:21pm
SSN

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce believes Cardiff must stay calm if they endure a
troubled start to their Premier League campaign. Cardiff have spent almost
£30m in the transfer market this summer but failed to trouble goalkeeper
Jussi Jaaskelainen at any point as West Ham coasted to a 2-0 victory at
Upton Park on Saturday. Allardyce reckons Southampton have set the benchmark
with their recovery last season, and that Cardiff boss Malky Mackay should
take heart from that. "With the squad Cardiff have they'll hopefully get the
results they're looking for. The challenge for them will be not getting too
worried if they don't start well," said Allardyce. "The example of that is
Southampton last season. Nigel Adkins eventually pulled them out of the
bottom three superbly well. And his reward for that was the sack. "If it's
to be your first game in the Premier League, you'd want it at home, not
away. "When we came up from the Championship we'd won more games away from
home, but last season in the Premier League it was a huge task to pick up
points away. "Your home form is what you need to get right to stay in the
Premier League."

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Premier League: Cardiff fluff their lines in 2-0 defeat to West Ham
Last Updated: August 17, 2013 7:52pm
SSN

Cardiff City's first top-flight outing in 51 years ended in defeat, with
West Ham United collecting a comfortable 2-0 victory at Upton Park. The
Bluebirds rather fluffed their lines on their Premier League bow, with Jole
Cole and Kevin Nolan offering an opening day reminder to former Hammer Malky
Mackay of how difficult life among the elite can be.

Best of the match

Man of the match: Mohamed Diame. A typically all action display from the
West Ham midfielder who was at the centre of just about everything.
Goal of the match: Joe Cole's opener saw him show a neat first touch and
killer instincts as he twisted inside the box to drill home a low finish.
Moment of the match: Stewart Downing looked lively following his
introduction off the bench and could be some signing for West Ham.
Talking point: Can West Ham better their 10th place finish from last season
in 2013/14? What does the future hold for Cardiff?

It took just 13 minutes for Cardiff's backline to be breached, as they
struggled to get out of the blocks and offered little in terms of attacking
threat. Matt Jarvis fired over a low cross from the left which Cole was able
to gather 12 yards from goal, spin and arrow a drive into the bottom corner.
The Hammers barely got out of first gear during the second half, but doubled
their lead on 76 minutes when Mark Noble teed up Nolan to whip a first-time
effort past David Marshall.

Coasting

West Ham were coasting until the interval after creating several good
chances that were wasted by Cole, Jarvis and Mohamed Diame. Two of them were
heavily involved early on, Jarvis floating a clever cross to the far post
only for Cole to produce a poor header as the hosts failed to make the most
of a promising start that saw the trickery of Modibo Maiga cause problems.
Maiga helped set up a chance for Jarvis that was spoilt by the winger's poor
first touch and Cardiff staged a counter attack that ended with Kim Bo-kyung
driving high and wide over the crossbar. West Ham v Cardiff - AllardyceSam
Allardyce shares his thoughts on West Ham's game against Cardiff. Kim had
Craig Bellamy in support and the South Korean was scalded by his captain for
declining to pass. Play quickly swept to the other end as West Ham plundered
their first goal by capitalising on some indecisive defending. Jarvis, who
was proving a handful down the left, sent a pass across the face of goal to
Cole who controlled the ball, turned and stabbed it into the bottom-right
corner. With just goalkeeper Marshall to beat, Cole would have had a second
after being played in by a beautiful pass but his control deserted him.
Diame was becoming increasingly influential and Cardiff were relieved when
his shot, which deflected off struggling full-back Matt Connolly, crept
around the right post.

Frantic

Cardiff made a bright start to the second half, with Fraizer Campbell
prominent and a frantic goalmouth scramble ensued with West Ham prevailing
through sheer weight of numbers. Mackay - we weren't clinicalSpeaking after
Cardiff's 2-0 loss to West Ham, Malky Mackay says that his Cardiff side were
not clinical enough in front of goal. The match was evenly balanced now as
it swept from end to end, Cole again undermined by his control as he took
sight of goal.

Once more Cardiff were skating on thin ice as Marshall almost pushed a pass
to Maiga into the path of Nolan. Stewart Downing arrived for his West Ham
debut with 20 minutes left and he soon injected life into an increasingly
lethargic home side by dashing forward with the ball. He then teed up Nolan
at the far post only for Ben Turner to intervene at the critical moment. The
Hammers finally produced their second with 15 minutes remaining when Noble
launched a crafty run along the edge of the area before finding Nolan who
expertly swept the ball into the net. Cardiff substitute Nicky Maynard
almost pulled a late goal back for the visitors, but he scooped his shot
over the bar from close range after coming under pressure from James
Collins.

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West Ham's Downing "absolute bargain" beams James Collins after £6m winger's
debut
18 Aug 2013 22:30
The Mirror

James Collins reckons West Ham have got "an absolute bargain" in Stewart
Downing – and the new competition in their squad will drive them up the
table.
Sam Allardyce saw his Hammers coast to a 2-0 victory over stage-struck
Cardiff without starting any of his five summer signings. Andy Carroll will
return in a fortnight, while England winger Downing gave a sprightly cameo
performance from the bench four days after joining from Liverpool. And
Collins believed his former Villa team-mate is seriously under-priced at
only £6million. "He looked very sharp," said the Hammers' Wales defender.
"He's got loads of England caps so we've got a great signing there. I think
we have got an absolute bargain. A couple of years ago at Villa he was
tearing defences to pieces. "Obviously it didn't go well at Liverpool but
hopefully we can get him firing. "He and Andy Carroll played together at
Liverpool and they get on well off the pitch. I think they are both from the
North East so they have that certain understanding."

This strength and depth means goal-scorer Joe Cole and the outstanding Matt
Jarvis are now no longer certain of their places. Modibo Maiga worked
tirelessly up front, while Romanian Razvan Rat is ready to come into the
defence. "The competition is a good thing – that is where we have moved on
from last year," Collins insisted. "You have always got someone right up
behind you wanting to take your place. If you don't play well, you are going
to be out of the team. It keeps you on the ball knowing there is competition
behind you."

West Ham finished 10th on 46 points on their Premier League return last
season – and Allardyce has set a target of "about 50 points" this time.
"That would be brilliant for us," he said. "We're improving the side by
spending money so, for the second year in, it's as good a side as I've had."
Cardiff will need to defend better to emulate West Ham's achievement of
staying up as a newly-promoted side last season. Joe Cole was given room in
the box to turn and shoot for the 13th-minute opener while the Hammers
retained the ball too easily before unmarked Kevin Nolan swept home after 76
minutes. Collins, who played in the Third Division during his seven years at
Cardiff, reckoned his former club were overawed by the atmosphere at Upton
Park. "I haven't heard our fans like that before a game for years and I am
sure they put the frighteners up a few of them," he added.

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