Daily WHUFC News - 21st August 2013

On this day - 20 August
WHUFC.com
Frank McAvennie nets twice on his Boleyn Ground debut on this day 28 years
ago
20.08.2013

Classic match

West Ham United 3-1 Queens Park Rangers
Division One
20 August 1985

With just one win in 13 outings on this day in history, 20 August is hardly
the most treasured of dates in the West Ham United archives, but prolific
frontman Frank McAvennie is not likely to forget it. Having enjoyed his
Hammers bow three days earlier in a 1-0 reverse at St Andrews, the
Glaswegian made quite the impression upon his first runout at the Boleyn
Ground. A £340,000 signing from St Mirren, McAvennie struck twice, in
addition to an Alan Dickens goal, as John Lyall's men emerged comfortable
3-1 victors against Queens Park Rangers. It proved to be the first of some
26 league goals for the Scot that season, with the Hammers famously
embarking on their finest ever league campaign, eventually finishing third,
just four points adrift of champions Liverpool.

Complete record - 20 August

2005 Newcastle United 0-0 West Ham United (Premier League)
1994 West Ham United 0-0 Leeds United (Premier League)
1991 Sheffield United 1-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1985 West Ham United 3-1 Queens Park Rangers (Division One)
1979 West Ham United 0-1 Chelsea (Division Two)
1977 West Ham United 1-3 Norwich City (Division One)
1969 Chelsea 0-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1962 West Ham United 1-4 Wolverhampton Wanderers (Division One)
1960 Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-2 West Ham United (Division One)
1956 West Ham United 1-3 Blackburn Rovers (Division Two)
1955 West Ham United 1-1 Rotherham United (Division Two)
1949 Luton Town 2-2 West Ham United (Division Two)

Played 13, Won 1, Drawn 6, Lost 6, Scored 13, Conceded 22

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Joey's joy at winning start
WHUFC.com
Joey O'Brien was happy with a victory and a clean sheet in Saturday's
opening-day win over Cardiff City
20.08.2013

For any defender, a clean sheet and a victory are the twin aims whenever
they step onto the pitch. To that end, Joey O'Brien enjoyed a perfect
afternoon in West Ham United's 2-0 Barclays Premier League opening day win
over Cardiff City at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday. The Republic of Ireland
international was at his solid best against the Bluebirds, nullifying the
threat of the Championship title winners alongside his tried and trusted
colleagues Guy Demel, James Collins and Winston Reid. Speaking to West Ham
TV, O'Brien revealed that the Hammers have been set the target of eclipsing
last season's record of eleven Barclays Premier League clean sheets this
term. "The object of the season is to get more clean sheets than last season
and we started with a clean sheet on Saturday, so we got that and
attacking-wise we created plenty of chances and probably should have won by
a couple more," he said. "Just towards the end the big man [Rudy Gestede]
came on and they chucked it up a bit more. He's a big lad and he's good in
the air so that caused us a few little problems, but that's all it was
really. I don't think Jussi Jaaskelainen really had a save to make. "I was
delighted to get a clean sheet and a good performance to start the season at
home. It was a good day for us."

O'Brien was also pleased to rekindle his productive partnership with winger
Matt Jarvis down the left flank, with the No7 chalking up his first assist
of the season within 13 minutes by setting up Joe Cole's opener. "He is a
smashing player, as I've said before, and full-backs must dread playing
against him just when they see his name on the teamsheet," the No17
confirmed. "With the way he plays, he is so direct and there are probably
not many wingers like Matt in the Premier League. "He's a really, really
good asset for us. Last season, he created a lot of chances and it's good to
see one go into the back off the net from one of his crosses. "I was
delighted because I think he's a smashing player, like I said, so hopefully
his confidence will grow and he can play better and better."
Kevin Nolan added a second goal late on to cement Saturday's victory in a
game that saw manager Sam Allardyce select eleven players who were at the
Club last season. However, with the likes of Stewart Downing, Razvan Rat and
Adrian on the bench and Andy Carroll soon to return from injury, O'Brien
believes West Ham have more strength in depth than they had last term. "It
was like that last year and it's the same again this year," he observed.
"There are a few who have come in, so it's hard [to keep your place], but
once you're out there you want to play well and as a back four you want to
keep clean sheets and do well going forward. "Modibo Maiga played on
Saturday and I was delighted with the way he played. He didn't get much
football last season, so it was great to see him play well and be the main
man out there."

With the summer signing of Romania captain Rat, O'Brien might have been
forgiven for thinking his days as West Ham's left-back were numbered, but he
was selected on Saturday and is determined to keep his place in the starting
XI. "[Saturday's team selection] probably had something to do with how it
went last season and the manager not wanting to change anything on the first
day and seeing how it was," he said. "I was delighted to get the nod.
"Roland is a smashing player and George McCartney is on his way back as
well, so hopefully I can stay there or whoever comes in can play well."

O'Brien will be confident of retaining his place at Newcastle United on
Saturday, when West Ham return to a ground where they chalked up a superb
1-0 victory last season. The 27-year-old played an instrumental role in the
success, setting up the winner for Nolan with a wayward shot that was turned
in by the captain. "It is a very hard place to go, but we'd take what
happened last season and if Kev could score again that would be great," he
enthused. "We're going up there setting off to keep a clean sheet and we'll
see how we go from there. "That will be aim and hopefully we can defend the
way we did against Cardiff and get a result."

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Haycock happy with tenacity
WHUFC.com
Development Squad boss Nick Haycock was thrilled with the performance in
victory at Everton
20.08.2013

The Development Squad may have left it late to defeat Everton and maintain
their 100 per cent start to the season on Monday night, but U21s boss Nick
Haycock felt the final 2-1 scoreline was fully justified. Sebastian
Lletget's well-taken 89th minute strike eventually settled the contest after
Everton threatened to frustrate the visitors through Luke Garbutt's stunning
equaliser. West Ham hit the crossbar three times and failed to take
advantage of a first half penalty, but would not be denied and Haycock had
praise for their tenacity in seeing the job through to the end. The three
point haul was the second from two Barclays U21 Premier League fixtures at
the start of the campaign, ensuring Haycock would travel back to London as a
happy man. "We thoroughly deserved the victory," he told West Ham TV. "I'm
delighted because we've played two fantastic football clubs in Aston Villa
and Everton in the first week of the season [and won both games]. "Credit to
Alan Stubbs' Everton team tonight. They're a young side and they tried to
play the game in the right way. It was a good contest.
"I think that as the game went on we started to assert our authority. I said
to the lads at half time that I felt we could play higher up the pitch and
we did in the second half. Consequently we got on the ball and played the
type of football I know we can. "A mixture of fantastic defending, blocks,
clearances and the woodwork [was denying us] and you just think it might get
away from you. "Elliot Lee hit the bar at 1-0, and if it goes 2-0 you think
it might kill their energy, but then the kid Luke Garbutt scores a fantastic
strike. "Sebby's tucked a great goal away at the end to win it and we showed
great energy levels. He had a good pre-season and got that first team
experience - he's got two goals in two games now and it's pleasing."

Having taken the lead their play merited thanks to Callum Driver's
cross-shot midway through the second period, the young Hammers' heads may
have dropped when Garbutt levelled just six minutes later. That they
remained strong and came again was testament to the togetherness amongst the
Development Squad group, according to Haycock. He explained: "They're a good
group of lads, I keep saying it but the football club's a great place to be
at the moment. There are some fantastic people in there, Sam's driving the
Club towards the Olympic Stadium and you saw the first team performance at
the weekend. "The character in there, the professionalism we're showing on
and off the pitch, that's the staff I've got with me, the group of us that
drive hard every day and hopefully the rewards are that the teamship comes
out on the pitch. I think it did tonight, I was delighted to see every one
of the players celebrate together. I think that shows the camaraderie
there."

The U21s have only conceded one goal in their two games to date - Garbutt's
thunderbolt at Everton - and Haycock wants to see that good defensive work
continue. He added: "I've been pleased with us defensively in the two games
because the precedent the football club sets is to keep clean sheets to give
yourself a chance of winning the game. "We're working hard on the defending,
and Martyn Margetson, the goalkeeping coach with the first team, did a
presentation on the importance of set plays because we conceded one or two
in pre-season, "The block on the free kick was something we've worked on.
we'd seen Everton score a goal against Wolves with it so we were pleased
with that. It's the transition through the Club, all playing the game in the
same manner. That's what's going to help them try and assert their position
within Sam's squad. We're a unit working together."

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Kids for a Quid against Stoke
WHUFC.com
Under-16s tickets for the Stoke City game on 31 August are priced at just £1
20.08.2013

West Ham United will look to continue their winning start to the 2013/14
season at the Boleyn Ground on 31 August when Stoke City are the visitors.
The match is a Kids for a Quid game, as the Club continues to back its
commitment to affordable football for all. Under-16s tickets are priced at
just £1 when purchased with a full paying adult, so bring your child along
to experience the unforgettable atmosphere of Barclays Premier League
football at the Boleyn Ground. Adult tickets start at £37 for Academy
Members or £42 non-members, and are available from our online box office at
www.whufcboxoffice.com, over the telephone on 0871 529 1966 via Option 1*,
or to personal callers to the Alpari Stand Ticket Office. Sam Allardyce's
men got off to the perfect start when defeating Cardiff City 2-0 in their
first game, so make sure you are there when the Hammers look to make it two
home wins from two!

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Mackay on.... West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 20th August 2013
By: Staff Writer No.2

Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay reacts to his side's 2-0 defeat on its
Premier League debut in the post-match press conference…

Malky, it seemed to take you 45 minutes to adjust. You looked far more
dangerous in the second half,…

I thought we started the first 15-20 minutes slowly. After that I thought we
had an awful lot of possession so yes, I agree with the first part of your
statement for the first 15 minutes or so. We knew we were coming to a good
team, with a good atmosphere and a good stadium. We knew we were up against
a decent team and we knew we had to start better than we did. In that first
15 minutes they were obviously clinical with the finish and got the goal.
After that and for the last half an hour of the first half I thought we had
plenty of possession, although we had no penetration. We had a couple of
shots blocked on the edge of the box.

Second half I thought we grew into the game and again had good last parts of
the game. The second goal again was clinical. We had one good chance in the
second half of the game and they did. They scored theirs and we didn't. It's
a matter of learning as far as that's concerned, but I can't be too harsh on
my players. We've come to Upton Park and gave a good account of ourselves.

You used the word "possession" a lot there but you also used the word
"penetration." In the final third there was not much happening – I think the
'keeper only had one save to make and there was that good chance that went
over at the end. Is that an area of concern?

It just needs to be better. We're playing away from home against a good
team. They had three shots on target – and they're the home team. They were
clinical with their two finishes and we weren't. It's something we've got to
work on in the final third but we've come here and we weren't overawed.
.
Would you like to see this as a lesson in what's required in the Premier
League? To be clinical?

No I don't think so. We already knew we had to be clinical. It's about
choices. It's about the final ball or the final pass or whatever it is you
finally decide to do. Rudy [Gestede] had one there late on when he should
have played in Nicky [Maynard]. We had one in the first half when we had
three on two and Kim Bo-Kyung decided to have a shot instead of playing
Bellamy in. Then we had the one we hit over the bar from five yards. So in
terms of actual chances it's all about decision making.

We knew what we were coming into and we new what our game plan should be and
for vast parts of the game we controlled the ball.

Any new signings in the pipeline?

We're certainly trying but so is everyone else in the Premier League. We're
trying to get good players in but sometimes it's not always within your
control. You have to be patient and there's often competition for players as
well. If everything comes together with the clubs agreeing and the player
agreeing then I'll try to act but it's all about getting players in who are
better than what you've got.

How far is Andreas Cornelius away from playing?

He joined in yesterday but really wasn't quite match fit. He took a knock to
his ankle in training two weeks ago and he was nearly ready. For the sale of
another week – if he got another knock on it it could be another four weeks.
Hopefully he'll be back training next week.

Hopefully good to go next week?

Everything being equal he should be involved in the squad if training goes
ok


Were you encouraged by what you saw today? The Premier League is a different
world from the Championship where it's a dogfight every week.

I think it's what we spoke about just then in terms of being clinical with
your finishing. You're punished for small errors in the Premier League. Both
finishes were clinical in our box. In terms of the overall ebb and flow of
the game I thought we were a match for West Ham.

Sam's just made the point that it's not easy to pick up points away from
home in the Premier League…

Sam's certainly one who would know about that. It was always going to be
toughto come here this afternoon. We always knew that – I played here. We've
obviously got to make our stadium a fortress but at the same time you have
to pick up as many points as you can on the road. I thought we did well – we
just have to be slightly better than we were.

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Dubai Hammers
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 19th August 2013
By: Tony Sutton

As the sand slowly runs out of the timer counting down the days to West
Ham's first game of 2013/14 it is not just the East End that is filling with
excitement.
Mark Noble said in an interview recently that everywhere you go in the world
you see a West Ham fan, and Dubai is certainly no different. Despite the
time difference and overwhelming urge to head down to the beach each weekend
there is a small corner of the United Arab Emirates that turns into a claret
and blue mini Boleyn Ground for a couple of hours.

The Dubai Hammers are an official supporters club, with a rapidly increasing
member base and a Facebook page that has attracted over 200 followers in
just one season through word of mouth.

The club was born back in May 2012 after word spread that several different
bars were packed full of Hammers fans to watch the demolition of Cardiff in
the play-off semi-finals. A plan was quickly put into action to bring all
the different groups together under one roof for the final.

Despite a lack of time and backing the results were very impressive and a
bar full of East London expats went berserk just after Carlton Cole nudged
that ball into the path of Ricardo Vaz Te for him to slam into the roof of
the net.

There was an added joy to that day for the fans packed into the bar as it
meant not only a return to the Premier League but also a return to weekly
live coverage of West Ham meaning that they would not have to miss a single
kick of the entire season.

The wheels were in motion and rigorous pre-season regime was in place. There
are a lot of bars and pubs in Dubai and the club organisers wanted to make
sure they picked the right one naturally tried them all out.

It didn't take long for a front runner to emerge. Nelson's is an old
fashioned English style pub with classic wooden décor and a mock log fire
flickering away. It has two giant projector screens as well as a plasma TV
on pretty much area of available wall space.

The bar food menu is made up of dishes such as pie and mash, pork bangers
and roast dinners. There are regular drinks promotions and happy hours, and
to top it all off, the pub is situated within the Media Rotana Hotel. A
hotel group as it turns out which has a regional CEO with a son who are both
West Ham fans.

At last, the club had the backing it needed to really push on.

A deal was made to set aside a separate area at the top end of the pub which
would show every single West Ham game of the 2012/13 season. Timeout City
cards are available to members giving them 20 per cent off all food and
drink, the staff hand out complementary chip butties to all Hammers fans at
half time and there are regular competitions such as guess the time of the
first goal in each half.

The highlight of last season for the Dubai Hammers was without a doubt the
win over Chelsea. The game drew easily the largest crowd of the season to
Nelson's and the reaction to the goals scored by Mo Diame and Modibo Maiga
took everyone by surprise. Security and bar staff stood amazed and
bewildered as they looked on not really knowing what to do.

The Dubai Hammers were lucky enough to have a VIP area set aside for the
open mic night with Sam Allardyce during the warm weather training trip that
that the team took last season. There were also a few nights out in local
clubs that went down well with the playing staff but… What happens in the
desert stays in the desert.

This week Nelson's and Dubai Hammers announced that the partnership is set
to continue for the 2013/14 season so those of you lucky enough to be in the
ground on Saturday can sing "Bubbles" with pride and gusto knowing that as
you look out of the South East corner of the ground, 3396 miles away there
is a small corner of the Boleyn Ground backing you up.

If any Hammers fans are thinking of a trip to the UAE this year be sure to
connect with the Dubai Hammers via their Facebook page and pop along to
Nelson's to help support the club and of course more importantly West Ham
United.

* By way of a footnote, the first game of the season was really well
received. We had over 40 fans in for the game which is very impressive for a
supporters club in the UAE.

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The missing link
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 19th August 2013
By: Gary Portugal

Many of us will tell you that the reason we have not been able to get
another striker is that nobody wants to warm the bench for Andy Carroll.
They 'll say that
this was the case with Bony and Lukaku. And to a certain extent,this is
true. But the real issue is something else. It is the limitations on the way
we play with Kevin Nolan in the side that is the real issue. Yes , Nolan
makes a solid contribution and scores goals , as against Cardiff in the
season opener. But it comes at a price. Because of his lack of pace, we
cannot play 4-4-2 with Nolan in the side. Hence the difficulty in attracting
another striker. With Nolan unable to drop back into a traditional midfield
role ,it really limits the opportunities that any new striker could have at
West Ham. But somehow , before this window shuts, we MUST find another
striker, as any long term injury to Carroll could see us dragged into a
relegation scrap. Yes, Maiga played well against Cardiff, and already looks
much improved over last season. But that was against weak opposition.

How will Maiga fair against sides in the top half of the table? With Carroll
set to miss the first three matches , I would be very surprised if he plays
in even 30 matches this season given his susceptibility to injury. Is there
a solution? There are no easy answers, but we must find a solution in the
next two weeks.
The obvious answer is to sell one or two players in order to free up space
in the wage cap to bring in another striker. But that is easier said than
done. Who could we sell that anyone would really want?

There may be clubs in the Championship or bottom six of the Premier League
who would take an ageing Matt Taylor. But I can't see there being a long
list of suitors. Jack Collison could attract interest, but is questionable
whether he would pass a medical. Not to mention that it would be a shame to
lose a good product of our Academy.

What about Ricardo Vaz Te? I think that we could live without him,
especially now that we have Downing although again, I'm not sure how many
Premier League sides would have an interest in him. Which brings us back to
Maiga himself. Perhaps a promising prospect,if given time. But we are at a
crucial stage of the season. The opening fixtures are winnable, but after
Southampton they become much harder. So we need to pick up points early,
with or without Carroll.
Could Maiga be either loaned out, or sold, perhaps back to France? He may be
the best choice in terms of selling a player to make room under the wage cap
for a better striker. It's a tough call, as he looked very good on the ball
against Cardiff –but will he be able to hold the ball up against tougher
opponents?

Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing are undoubtedly excellent signings. But
we'd better hope that under the new fair play wage rules that we have not
left ourselves dangerously short of cover up front. We had a real problem
with this in 2003 when Freddie Kanoute and Paolo Di Canio were injured for
long periods of time and we had only a young Defoe as a recognized striker.
We cannot afford to leave ourselves exposed like that again,no matter how
good the rest of the squad is.

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Five ways the Hammers can free up cash for a new striker
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 19th August 2013
By: David Meagher

As the transfer window closure looms ever closer the pressure upon West Ham
to find a striking back-up for Andy 'injury-prone' Carroll has intensified
to breaking point.

The Hammers board have emphasised that their failure to identify a suitable
understudy for Wild-horses Carroll is not due to any skin-flint behaviour on
their part, but rather relates to UEFA 'fair' play rules regarding the total
wage bill that is allowed for any single club. As such, unless the Hammers
can reduce the bill (by offloading some high earners) then they simply
cannot offer the colossal salaries that any talented forward in today's game
would undoubtedly expect.

With no clear contenders seeking the services of Ricky VazTe and other
possible exports, The Hammers management have been forced to consider a
range of more extreme measures

Option One: Kill off some first team squad members. Unfortunately, the
current squad lacks an obvious unpopular member. Both Alou Diarra and Ravel
Morrison have previously been in the sin bin but this was for mere 'needs a
bit of a spanking'-type offences, and as such the death penalty would be
perceived as too harsh a punishment for the crimes of sulking or pretending
to be a gangsta etc. The likes of Gary Breen, Julien Faux-Pas and the
legendary Allen McNightmare can count themselves lucky that their tenure at
Fortress Upton Park predated the new regime, as a firing squad would have
been an inevitable (sell out) intervention in all three cases!

Option Two: Offer a pay cut for existing squad members but with payment in
kind. The Hammers close association with high-brow lingerie retailers, Ann
Summers would seem to offer an ideal means of 'rewarding' our lads for their
on-field efforts. In particular, the man-boob support braces and knickerbox
underbody armour range could prove pretty useful for the squad both on and
off the field and thus allow for a massive cut in wages. However, any such
plans have been scuppered by Captain Kevin Nolan who has warned any first
teamers who wear provocative underwear beneath their training and match kit
that they will be forced to room with him on the upcoming away trip to
'crazy and anything goes' toontown. Hmmmm.

Option Three: Encourage high earning players to fake their own deaths. The
Hammers bosses, having trapped themselves in a situation with a lack of
anything approaching adequate striking resources have resorted to leaving
subtle hints to their first team squad that might encourage them to exit the
Hammers payroll. Drawing from the amazing success of Timothy Dexter – the
19th century American entrepreneur who announced that his wife was dead and
that the woman (of similar appeareance) who was occupying his house was
merely her ghost – the Hammers might pretend that Kevin Nolan has passed on
and that the guy who keeps popping up out of nowhere to score for the
Hammers is in fact a poltergeist!

An alternative ruse might be to take a similar option to Ken Kesey, author
of "One flew over the cuckoo's nest" who faked his own death to escape a
marijuana possession rap in the mid-1960s only to return alive and well a
few months later from Mexico where he had been hiding out. A similar 'loan
period' arrangement might apply between the Hammers and their less
sophisticated and quite economically challenged neighbours south of the
Thames at Millwall. However, the ultra-violent Mexican street gang culture
of South London might prove too terrifying for any of the current Hammers
squad.

Option Four: Cook the books. No. Tevezgate sent a warning to all clubs that
all paperwork must be precise and in order. In particular, Sheffield United
fans would resist any moves that might result in their receiving another
massive 20 million cash injection as the last one has almost resulted in
their club getting relegated from the football league as they languish in
the third tier having squandered colossal amounts of Hammers-donated cash on
what has become a veritable donkey sanctuary at Bramall Lane.

Option Five: Try to reason with UEFA! As always with any serious news item,
we like to finish with a light-hearted piece – the cat rescued from a
tree-type of thing – and as such we have included the ridiculous notion of
trying to reason with the geriatric fascists at UEFA. With the amount of
dosh that is sloshing around in soccer these days, it is abundantly clear to
anybody with the slightest grasp of economics that such rules around
expenditure merely serve to divert the money elsewhere e.g. under 21 players
are now massively increased in value which will only serve to populate
soccer with spoilt and overpaid wannabes who haven't yet even kicked a ball
at the highest level (think Chadwell Heath pre-Allardyce!).

Some observers have suggested that if the Hammers invested a bit more in the
youth system (which includes giving developing stars some occasional game
time) this wouldn't be such a problem for the club as we would have the
usual burgeoning flow of young talent. Either way this option is, of course,
laughably naïve as the unreasonable and out of touch UEFA ubërlords would
simply use any such representations to further amuse and titillate
themselves while they feast upon the continued corruption and demise of the
beautiful game.

I guess it's time to summon the firing squad.

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U18 PREMIER LEAGUE FORMAT EXPLAINED
By Tommy Wathen 20 Aug 2013 at 16:26
West Ham Till I Die

This season, West Ham United under 18s will be competing in the Barclays U18
Premier League.

The Barclays U18 Premier League replaced the Premier Academy League at the
start of last season because of the league aiming to enhance youth
development and help transition players between academy and the first team.

Little Heath

Overall, there will be 22 clubs competing in the Barclays U18 Premier League
this season, after all the clubs applied for 'Category One' status in the
Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP). 16 of the clubs competing this season
are from the Barclays Premier League, five from the SkyBet Championship and
one from the SkyBet League One.

The clubs have been split into two 11 team groups based on regional
location; north and south. This is a new format that has been introduced
this season.

Each club will play opposing clubs in their own regional group twice, both
home and away. Also, clubs will face each opposing club in the other
regional group once, either home or away. The season will last for 31 games.

At the end of the season, the top two teams in each regional division will
progress onto the semi finals, with the winner of the north group facing the
runner up in the south group and vice versa.

Every players taking part in league matches must be from within the U18 age
category. Any player over that age category is not permitted to be fielded,
with one exception being the goalkeeper who can be from the U19 age
category.

West Ham United U18 will take part in the south group alongside Arsenal,
Aston Villa, Chelsea, Fulham, Leicester City, Norwich City, Reading,
Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and West Bromwich Albion.

The 11 clubs competing in the north group are Blackburn Rovers, Bolton
Wanderers, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United,
Middlesbrough, Newcastle United, Sunderland, Stoke City and Wolverhampton
Wanderers.

PLEASE NOTE: West Ham U18 home matches will kick-off at 11am at the West Ham
United Academy, Little Heath, Hainault Road, Romford, Essex, RM6 5RX unless
otherwise stated on the official West Ham website.

Keep an eye on my website, Tommy Wathen – Sports Journalist, for latest news
about the West Ham United U18.

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IS QUAGLIARELLA ON HIS WAY TO UPTON PARK?
By Iain Dale 20 Aug 2013 at 09:52
West Ham Till I Die

Various reports, including THIS ONE ( see below ) suggest West Ham have
reached an agreement on personal terms with 30 year old Juventus striker
Fabio Quaglierella. Crucially, though, terms haven't been agreed with
Juventus. I know videos only ever show the best bits, but this video of
Quagliarella's 20 greatest goals certainly gets your mouth watering.

He's certainly much travelled, having played for 8 Italian clubs, but his
goalscoring record at all of them has been very consistent – 1 goal every 3
games. For Juventus he struck 22 goals in 67 appearances. He's also scored 6
in 25 international games for Italy. While I'd prefer Demba Ba, I think
Quagliarella would be a very good second best option.

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West Ham United Reach Agreement With Juventus Striker
Forzaitalianfootball.com

Juventus striker Fabio Quagliarella could be on his way to West Ham United
after reportedly agreeing a deal with the club. The 30-year-old looks set to
be on the fringes of the Bianconeri set up following the arrival of Carlos
Tevez and Fernando Llorente and is thought to have been made available for
transfer.
According to Sky Sport Italia, the Italian has agreed personal terms with
the Premier League side with regards a transfer but an accord between the
two clubs has yet to be found. It is thought West Ham want a loan deal with
option to buy, whereas Juve would prefer an outright sale. Quagliarella made
27 appearances last season in Serie A, scoring nine goals.

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West Ham offered Juventus forward Fabio Quagliarella - but must sell first
20 Aug 2013 12:19
The Mirror

West Ham will have to sell before striking any deal for Italy forward Fabio
Quagliarella. Juventus want to offload the 29-year-old after buying Carlos
Tevez and Fernando Llorente this summer - and have offered him to the
Hammers. Norwich, Sunderland and Qatar side Al-Gharafa have also been
contacted for the £7m-rated international. Sam Allardyce wants another front
man but has spent over £20m on Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing. West Ham
are interested in a loan deal for Quagliarella with an option to buy but the
Italian champions want a cash deal. And co-owner David Gold said: "I think
it's clear that we are still short of a striker. David Sullivan agrees with
that, Sam agrees with that, but until we release those wages by players
leaving, there is little we can do. "We have reached our target laid down by
the new rules in terms of wages. "The only possibility now is if players are
sold. That's up to Sam, that's in his hands. If he releases wages, that will
give us the opportunity to bring in replacements for those players."

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West Ham Prepared to Sell Four In Upton Park Clear-Out
by Aidan McCartney August 20th, 2013
caughtoffside.com

Upton Park side look to free up funds by offloading unneeded squad players.
West Ham United could offload at least four players to free up funds as Sam
Allardyce looks to recruit another new striker before the transfer deadline
passes reports the Evening Standard. Sam Allardyce has reportedly sanctioned
the departures of squad players including midfielder Matt Taylor, French
international Alou Diarra, forward Ricardo Vaz Te and reserve goalkeeper
Stephen Henderson who could now all leave before the end of the month.
Hammers co-owner David Sullivan has confirmed that he will be working
roundthe clock to reduce the club's wage bill as he tries to release extra
money to spend on another centre-forward for Allardyce's side. Club record
signing Andy Carroll will be out of action until mid-September as he
recovers from a heel injury leaving just Modibo Maiga to lead the line in
attack and the Malian international started during Saturday's comfortable
2-0 victory over Cardiff City. Sullivan has now admitted that under the new
financial fair play regulations they must sell before they can buy after
closing in on their strict £52million salary cap. 'In our case, we start
with a £52 million limit,' explained Sullivan in his programme notes for
Saturday's game against the Premier League newcomers. 'If you exceed the
figure you could be hit with a points deduction, so I hope you can see that
players can only be brought in if there is money left in the wage budget. We
are close to that limit now but that is not to say that our dealings in the
transfer market are complete for the summer. 'Players could well leave
before the transfer window closes on 2 September, which would give us the
money to add a couple more to the squad, so we will continue to work hard
over the next couple of weeks'.

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Newcastle new-boy Remy ruled out of West Ham clash
By Mark Bowering
Goal.Com
20 Aug 2013 18:34:00

Loic Remy looks set to miss Newcastle's clash with West Ham on Saturday, but
could make his debut against Fulham next weekend. A calf injury prevented
the on-loan QPR striker from featuring in Monday's 4-0 defeat at Manchester
City, with manager Alan Pardew expecting to be without him when West Ham
head north this weekend. Newcastle looked toothless in attack at the Etihad
Stadium and Pardew endured an evening to forget as defender Steven Taylor
was sent off and Jonas Gutierrez hobbled off with the recurrence of a leg
problem. The availability of Remy, who scored six times in 14 Premier League
appearances for QPR last term, would be a welcome boost for Pardew, but he
will have to wait to see the 26-year-old in competitive action. "We have
Loic Remy coming back and he is two weeks away," said Pardew. "Maybe he
might make the Fulham game. The West Ham game is a bridge too far." The
heavy defeat at City leaves Newcastle propping up the rest of the Premier
League after the opening weekend of the season.

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West Ham United linked with Benfica's Oscar Cardozo and Roma's Marco
Boriello
Guardian Series
4:22pm Tuesday 20th August 2013 in News


West Ham United face a race against time to clear some deadwood before the
end of the transfer window as they eye moves for two of Europe's top
strikers.
Benfica star Oscar Cardozo and Roma frontman Marco Boriello are reportedly
interesting Hammers boss Sam Allardyce as he looks to add weight to his
frontline. Paraguayan Cardozo has also been linked with a move to a number
of European clubs including Spartak Moscow and Fenerbache, while Boriello
ended last season as Genoa's top scorer with 12 goals during his loan from
Juventus and he could be available at a cut price after falling out of
favour in Turin.
Club record signing Andy Carroll is set to be out until mid-September and
with only Modibo Maiga and Ricardo Vaz Te for cover, the Irons are eager to
sign another striker. However, any potential moves are on the premise that
they can offload several unwanted assets before the close of the window on
September 2. Allardyce said over the weekend that he believes West Ham's
current squad is the best he has ever worked with but is still keen to
create funds to keep improving the squad. Vaz Te, Alou Diarra and Matt
Taylor have all been linked to moves away from East London within the next
two weeks.

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West Ham trying to free up space for Cardozo swoop
By talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) | Tuesday, August 20, 2013

West Ham are keen to finalise a move for Benfica forward Oscar Cardozo - but
only if they manage to sell players before the transfer window closes on
September 2. Sam Allardyce wants to bring in another striker as club record
signing Andy Carroll is not expected back in action until mid-September.
Cardozo, 30, has been one of the most prolific forwards in the Portuguese
League over the last few seasons and would relish the chance to showcase his
talents in England. The Paraguay international has a wealth of experience
and Allardyce knows he would add vital competition for both Carroll and
Modibo Maiga. Reports in Portugal suggest a deal could be completed in the
next two weeks, but West Ham have to sell before they can bring anyone else
in as they have reached their salary cap limit. Ricardo Vaz Te, Matt Taylor
and Alou Diarra have all been linked with moves away from Upton Park and
their possible departures would free up funds for the West Ham boss to bring
in his sixth summer signing.

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Jarvis interview
By Adam Bate - Follow @GhostGoal | Last Updated: August 20, 2013 2:38pm
SSN

Adam Bate caught up with West Ham winger Matt Jarvis to discuss his World
Cup ambitions, the signing of Stewart Downing, Sam Allardyce's love of
statistics and how it felt to finally get that first Hammers assist...

Occasionally there are statistics that just resonate. Some are flattering,
such as the one that saw the passing of Swansea midfielder Leon Britton
favourably compared to Barcelona's Xavi. Others are curiosities such as the
fact that it took Gareth Bale until his 25th Premier League game for
Tottenham before he was on the winning side... And that after more than 40
hours of action, Matt Jarvis was still waiting for his first West Ham
assist.

The likeable Hammers winger put in more crosses than any other Premier
League player in 2012/13 and set up his fair share of opportunities. In
fact, the 27-year-old created more than any other player not to have an
assist to his name. But after a season spent plugging away on the left
flank, Jarvis delivered on the opening day of the new season - providing the
cut-back for Joe Cole to slam the ball home for the breakthrough goal
against Cardiff on Saturday.

When the dreaded stat is mentioned his relief is palpable. "Yeah, exactly!
It's was nice to get it," he admits. "Especially after being top of the
chances created without getting one. That wasn't great reading but it's nice
to be up and running this season already."

Benefit

Jarvis didn't have a pre-season with West Ham last year, joining from Wolves
for a then record £10million just before the window shut with the campaign
already underway. This time he appears to be feeling the benefit of a summer
with the squad, having produced a man of the match performance in a win over
Hamburg last month and then impressing against the Bluebirds when the league
season began.

"It's helped that we've had quite a few games as we wanted to get as
match-fit as we possibly could ahead of the new season," he explains. "It's
always nice during pre-season to get a few assists and feel like you're back
in the swing of things. To hit the ground running on Saturday and get an
assist was a nice little confidence-booster.

"I think the start that we had last year was the key. We got 14 points from
our first eight games. It was the massive boost of confidence that we needed
and I think we were around sixth to eighth in the table at that stage and
that really motivates you. That really helped us last season."

Some would suggest Jarvis needed a good start himself. Having dealt with the
pressures that came with his transfer fee last season, the signing of fellow
England international winger Stewart Downing on the eve of the opening game
might well threaten his spot in the team. It was Jarvis who made way for
Downing at the weekend.

He bats away the issue of his place being under threat in predictable
fashion. "It's another fantastic signing and it means competition for
places, which is always healthy in a squad," says Jarvis. "It makes everyone
play a bit better and that always helps the team. Hopefully we can play in
the same team."

There is certainly some reason for optimism in that regard given the fact
that both men can play on either flank. Sam Allardyce may appear a manager
at home with the knockabout banter on the Goals on Sunday sofa but his love
of the science of the sport is also well-documented. So it seems unlikely he
is unaware of the fact that Downing is one of only two men to fire in more
than 200 crosses since the 2010/11 season. Jarvis is that other man, having
achieved the feat in each of the last three campaigns.

As such, it is easy to imagine Allardyce licking his not inconsiderable
chops at the prospect of his wingers loading the box for the hulking figure
of Andy Carroll with the canny Kevin Nolan latching onto the knockdowns. Big
Sam will be seeing that chicken dance in his sleep.

"He's very much into his statistics," notes Jarvis. "We use all the analysts
and all the statistics we have in order to work out how we are going to
approach a game. For me personally, we look at whether I am going to cross
the ball or whether I'm going to run at the defender and things like that.

"With players like Andy and Kev running into the box, if we can get as many
crosses into the box as we can from good areas that are going to unsettle
the defenders then it is always going to create chances."

Jarvis scored seven goals in his last 14 games for Wolves but followed up
with just two in his debut season for the Hammers. That's an area he is keen
to improve in the hope of forcing his way back into the England set-up - an
ambition he is happy to bring up without prompting.

"My hope for the season is to play well and keep creating the chances for
the team," he says. "I want to keep getting the assists and hopefully get a
few goals myself. I'd like to get more than I got last season and maybe get
nearer to the eight that I got in my last year with Wolves.

"If I can add more goals and keep the assists and crosses coming in then
I'll be pleased. And hopefully if I can do that then I can put myself in the
window for the England team." His voice tails off - almost tentative about
the mere suggestion - but when the World Cup is mentioned he is animated
once more.

"That would be nice! It's one of those things that you dream about when
you're little. That is the ultimate aim and goal in your career. It was an
absolute dream come true to get the call-up and to then actually play at
Wembley in front of 85,000 fans was absolutely incredible.

"Just training with all these top-class players and being involved in and
around the qualifiers was a great experience and when you get a taste of it
you just want more. That is what I'll be working hard to do."

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ARE WE IN FOR A TENSE FINALE TO THE TRANSFER WINDOW?
By S J Chandos 21 Aug 2013 at 01:18
West Ham Till I Die

The answer to the question posed is, in all probability, yes, we are! With
the club right up against its proscribed player salary cap, and an
additional player or two still needed, we will have to sell before we can
buy. In that respect, Henderson, McCartney, Taylor and Vaz Te are obvious
candidates for outgoing transfer business. The issue, however, is whether we
can actually sell them and if the accrued savings on their salaries are
sufficient to facilitate us bring in players of the class of Quagliarella or
Ba? If not then we may be forced to sell one or two other members of the
squad. If we find ourselves in that territory, then names such as Diarra and
Maiga could come in to the equation.

Personally, I find it difficult to understand how we have got ourselves in
to this uncomfortable position. I can understand the emphasis being upon
incoming signings, but the club must have known some time ago that we were
approaching the salary cap and could have made plans to move out one or two
fringe players. We know that Sam Allardyce began warning against the
possible adverse impact of the new Fair Play rules, on our transfer
dealings, back in May. We also know that Stephen Henderson was marginal for
virtually the whole all of last season. So, why did we not move to quickly
sell him when the signing of Adrian was confirmed weeks ago? Similarly, it
was a strong proposition that we needed to trade up on players such as
Taylor and Vaz Te as a pre-requisite for progressing as a club this summer.
So, why not seek to sell them earlier in the transfer window? I hope that I
am not being unduly unfair to the club, but surely our current transfer
hiatus is at least partially a result of some poor planning.

Do not get me wrong, I think that we have made some very good acquisitions
this summer. Securing Andy Carroll's services on a permanent deal was a
landmark piece of business; while Razvan Rat, Adrian and Stuart Downing are
all excellent signings that improve the quality of the squad. And all due
credit to the club for transacting that business. However, we knew that
signing a quality, second striker was always the top priority, once Carroll
was on board. Yet, we find ourselves entering the final two weeks of the
window and that key signing has still not been secured. And, to compound the
situation, our room for manoeuvre is severely restricted by this salary cap
obstacle. Arguably, the club should have anticipated this potential problem
arising and taken prompt action to circumvent it. I always strive to be fair
and view an issue from all possible angles, but that is an inescapable
conclusion in my book.

So, time is beginning to run down rapidly and the club have to do some
pretty slick business to achieve their objectives before the deadline at
11pm, on 2 September 2013. As stated, it is a possibility that players like
Diarra and Maiga may have to be sacrificed to facilitate a deal(s) for a
class striker(s). That is a shame because both Diarra and Maiga have shown
quality in pre-season. Diarra is exactly the type of defensive midfield
anchor that we will need in some of the tougher away matches this season. He
is also a very useful as a player to put on to help 'close up shop' and
protect a lead. While I would have liked to have seen Maiga get another
chance to prove himself in the PL. His ability to play both as a central
striker and out wide is also useful to retain in the squad. But if one or
both players need to be sacrificed for the greater good of our season then
so be it.

One proposed move that I am, however, totally opposed to is the sale of
James Tomkins, especially for a fee in the region of £6m! I believe that
with Reid, Collins and Tomkins we have good cover in central defence. Add
the highly promising Leo Chambers in to that mix and the situation looks
even better. But what is the value of weakening our central defence to
strengthen our attack? That is arguably a classic case of 'robbing Peter to
pay Paul.' I also do not rate our chances of signing a centre-back as good
as Tomkins, nor do I believe the rumour that we will sign the likes of
Christopher Samba. As such, if Reid or Collins are injured or suspended we
could find ourselves with defensive problems. I continue to believe in
Tomkins' ability and the likelihood that he and Reid will recommence their
promising defensive partnership sooner rather than later. Lets hope that
David Gold remains consistent in his prior view that Tomkins will not be
sold because he represents the future of the club.

So it is my expectation that we could be in for a nerve racking finale to
the transfer window. However, there is always the hope that this
interpretation is unduly pessimistic and the club manages to complete any
remaining transfer business quickly and well before the window closes. We
are one PL match in to the new season and the really encouraging thing is
that we are solid in defence and scoring goals from midfield. Allied to
that, we now have pace and skill on the flanks. These are all very positive
developments and if we can just secure a greater cutting edge up front, then
the indicative signs are pointing towards another very good PL campaign and
a possible cup run.

SJ. Chandos.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com