Daily WHUFC News - 29th AUgust 2013

Collison earns Wales call
WHUFC.com
Jack Collison is among the Hammers players set for international duty next
week
28.08.2013

Jack Collison has been named in a 23-man squad for Wales' FIFA World Cup
Qualifiers against Macedonia and Serbia in early September. The Hammers
midfielder, who has been capped by his country on 14 occasions, will be
looking to help Wales improve on a qualifying campaign which has seen them
take six points from as many games to date. Chris Coleman's side face
Macedonia first in Skopje on Friday 6 September, before returning to Cardiff
to take on Serbia four days later. Meanwhile, West Ham defender Joey O'Brien
is in a provisional 29-man party for the Republic of Ireland's qualification
fixtures against Sweden and Austria on the same dates.

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Cardiff at home in round three
WHUFC.com
Capital One Cup third round draw details
28.08.2013

West Ham United have been handed a home draw with fellow Barclays Premier
League side Cardiff City in the third round of the Capital One Cup. The
Hammers saw off the challenge of Cheltenham Town on Tuesday night to book
their place in round three, while Cardiff won 2-0 at Accrington Stanley on
Wednesday night. It is a repeat of the opening game of the 2013/14 season,
which saw Joe Cole and Kevin Nolan hit the target to give the Hammers a 2-0
victory over the Bluebirds. West Ham will be looking to better last year's
run to the third round, while Cardiff were runners-up to Liverpool in this
competition two years ago. The tie will be played in the week commencing
September 23 and full fixture and ticketing details will be available soon
on whufc.com

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Hammers set for Spanish test
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will take on Primera Division side RCD Espanyol during the
international break
28.08.2013

West Ham United will take on Spanish Primera Division side RCD Espanyol
during the international break. The Hammers will travel to Barcelona to take
on Los Periquitos at the 40,500-capacity Estadi Cornellà-El Prat on Thursday
5 September, with kick-off at 9pm local time (8pm UK time). West Ham will
take a squad containing first-team players who have not been called-up for
international duty to Spain, with the aim of retaining match fitness and
sharpness ahead of the return of Barclays Premier League football at
Southampton on Sunday 15 September.

Assistant manager Neil McDonald explained the thinking behind the trip. "We
just want to keep the lads ticking over and sometimes a game is very good in
doing that," said McDonald. "The opposition that we're playing have a new
stadium which sounds absolutely fantastic, so I'm sure the boys will have a
really good run out and it's better than a training session."

West Ham supporters can attend the game, with tickets available for Sector
125 on the First Tier in the Away Team Supporters Corner. Tickets will be
available through Espanyol's official website. Managed by former Mexico
international and boss Javier Aguirre, Espanyol finished 13th in the Primera
Division last season and have started 2013/14 in fine form, drawing 2-2 at
Celta Vigo before beating Valencia 3-1 at home on Saturday. The club's
best-known players are Portugal internationals Simao Sabrosa and Pizzi and
Spain forward Sergio Garcia, while France U21 international Thevy Bifouma
and Uruguay forward Christian Stuani have both made goalscoring starts to
the new campaign.

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Morrison's debut delight
WHUFC.com
Ravel Morrison marked his full West Ham United debut with a well-taken goal
in Tuesday's win
28.08.2013

Ravel Morrison was all smiles after marking his full West Ham United debut
with a well-taken goal in Tuesday's Capital One Cup second-round win over
Cheltenham Town. The 20-year-old midfielder capped a Man of the
Match-winning display with the Hammers' winner, twisting and turning before
sending an accurate shot into the bottom corner just 38 seconds into the
second half. Making his first start for the Club, Morrison was at the hub of
everything good about West Ham's display, creating space and chances with
his passing and movement and also winning the free-kick that Ricardo Vaz Te
belted in to open the scoring three minutes before the interval. "In the
first 15 minutes, I thought we came out well but they came out well as well
and we were under a little bit of pressure," said Morrison. "We didn't know
exactly what Cheltenham were going to come with but I thought they played a
good game. "Then, after that, we got our first goal and were very
comfortable. We played very well as a team and defended well and got our
second goal."

That second goal was scored by Morrison himself, who collected a pass from
substitute Stewart Downing before wrong-footing two defenders and sliding an
unstoppable low shot past Robins goalkeeper Scott Brown. "I was going to
shoot with my left foot first but I could see I could get more space, so
then luckily the space opened up for so I thought 'Just bang it!'."

Morrison has had to be patient in waiting for his full debut, having joined
the Hammers in January 2012 and he spent last season on loan at Championship
club Birmingham City. Having returned from St Andrews a more mature and
professional person and footballer, the former Manchester United youngster
netted six goals in ten pre-season games before being sent on for his
Barclays Premier League bow as a substitute in Saturday's goalless draw at
Newcastle United.
The No15 has won praise from his team-mates for his fresh approach and he
has thanked his fellow Hammers for their support over the past few months.
"When I first came back, I felt like I settled in and the players helped me.
They were all looking after me, helping me and pushing me forward and I'm
going to try to carry on what I did in pre-season. "I am really enjoying my
football. Hopefully I can get a Premier League start, but let's wait and
see."

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U18s earn Southampton draw
WHUFC.com
West Ham United came from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Southampton in the
Barclays U18 Premier League
28.08.2013

West Ham United came from behind to earn a 1-1 Barclays U18 Premier League
draw with Southampton at Little Heath on Wednesday afternoon. Saints striker
Marcus Barnes put the visitors ahead against the run of play just after the
half-hour mark, latching onto a long ball forward from defender Tom Leggett
before beating Vit Nemrava in the West Ham goal. U16s manager Mark Phillips
took the U18 team for the first time in the absence of Steve Potts and,
after seeing his side miss a host of presentable chances, he was able to
celebrate an equaliser on 67 minutes. It was then that Kieran Bywater
(pictured) converted a controversial penalty to draw the sides level.
Despite appeals from the visitors against claims, the assistant referee
confirmed that the spot-kick had been given for a handball, rather than a
foul by the centre-back, as was initially suspected by the Saints. It was a
confident finish from the penalty spot from captain Bywater, who scored for
the second consecutive league game, having also netted in the 2-1 defeat at
Chelsea on Saturday.

Academy Director Tony Carr MBE, who assisted Phillips, was impressed with
the team's performance, but believed at West Ham could have been well ahead
by half-time, instead of a goal behind. "I think I was pleased with the
performance in terms of that we dominated the majority of the match and
created the most chances," said Carr. "In all fairness, we could have come
in at half-time 4-0 up. "Southampton got one chance in the first half when
our young centre-back made a mistake and they finished it. One shot on goal
and we found ourselves behind."

Carr also admitted that although he had not seen why West Ham's penalty was
given, but was not complaining about the spot-kick that allowed the hosts a
path back to parity. "I didn't really see what happened," he conceded. "All
I saw was the two players fall over in the box, but the linesman was adamant
that the centre-back handled it. "I think that their defender was trying to
manhandle our player and get in front of him and when your arms are flailing
around in the penalty area, that's where it must have hit his hand. "I'll be
honest by saying that I didn't really see it but that was the linesman's
explanation and we will gratefully take it."

West Ham travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, having collected a
win over Manchester United, defeat by Chelsea and draw with Southampton from
their opening three Barclays U18 Premier League matches. After facing three
of the country's top Academy sides to start 2013/14, the Hammers will be
hopeful of gaining a second victory of the season in the West Midlands.

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

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Tomkins pleased with cup progress
WHUFC.com
Stand-in skipper James Tomkins was happy to lead the Hammers to victory over
Cheltenham
28.08.2013

Skipper for the night James Tomkins was pleased to guide his team through to
the third round of the Capital One Cup with a 2-1 victory over Cheltenham
Town on Tuesday. The League Two visitors provided stubborn opposition for
the Hammers, but superb strikes from Ricardo Vaz Te and Ravel Morrison
proved decisive in West Ham's favour. Tomkins had an excellent view of Vaz
Te's 42nd minute opener - the centre back was also standing over the free
kick - and after watching it fly into the top left hand corner of away
keeper Scott Brown's net, he admitted he was pleased to concede taking
duties to his teammate. He smiled: "I was having a think about taking the
free-kick myself, so it was lucky I left it to Vaz as I don't think I would
have done any better with it! "Rav's goal was a good individual one too, and
it was important for us to get that second goal. "Overall, we're pleased to
get through. It's all about the result and once we got the first goal it
seemed to settle us down. "The second gave us that extra cushion, but it was
important to score before half time because they were putting us under a bit
of pressure - the goalkeeper was kicking it on to our 18-yard box - and that
can cause problems. "To be fair to Cheltenham they did start really well,
but we did look the better team once we got the goal."

The Hammers now await the third round draw as they look to better last
year's run in the competition - which saw them be eliminated at that stage
by Wigan Athletic - and Tomkins, who was making his first start of the
season, believes further progress can only be of benefit to his team. He
continued: "It's nice to have a cup run as well as doing well in the league.
Hopefully we can get another good home draw now and see where it takes us.
"Obviously it's one game at a time and there are a lot of good teams in the
competition. "Personally I felt okay on Tuesday. I played a lot in
pre-season so it was nice to play 90 minutes again, and being captain was
nice as well."

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Rojas deal collapses
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 28th August 2013
By: Staff Writer

West Ham will not be signing Honduran striker Roger Rojas after he failed a
fitness test, according to the Twitter account belonging to Jack Sullivan.
The son of co-owner David Sullivan posted a few minutes ago [Wednesday
lunchtime] to confirm that the 23-year-old striker, who landed in England on
Monday ahead of his proposed move is on his way back home after failing a
fitness test. The news has since been confirmed by a highly-placed Club
source.

Tegucigalpa-born Rojas has spent his entire career with Honduran club
Olimpia, for whom he has made in excess of 100 appearances and scored over
50 goals (including three in his first three matches of this season). He
made his debut for Honduras in 2010 and has since gone on to represent his
country 18 times.

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Eviva España
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 28th August 2013
By: Staff Writer

West Ham are off to mainland Europe for a third time this summer to face La
Liga side Espanyol. United, who have already taken in trips to Germany and
Portugal this summer face the Blanquiblaus on Thusday, 5th September at the
Ground Estadi Cornellà-El Prat (9pm kick off), which is based in Barcelona.
The match is being billed as an opportunity for those players not selected
for international duty to maintain their match fitness, with tickets
available soon only from Espanyol's website (which you may find here).
Assistant manager Neil McDonald told whufc.com: "We just want to keep the
lads ticking over and sometimes a game is very good in doing that. "The
opposition that we're playing have a new stadium which sounds absolutely
fantastic, so I'm sure the boys will have a really good run out and it's
better than a training session."

One player likely to feature is Andy Carroll, who is expected to make his
Premier League return against Southampton ten days later on Saturday, 15th
September when the teams meet at St Mary's.

West Ham Utd: likely squad

Jaaskelainen, Adrian; Spence, Rat, Demel, O'Brien, McCartney, Potts,
Tomkins, Collins; Diame, Nolan, Jarvis, Vaz Te, Taylor, Morrison, Downing,
Cole, Noble; Maiga, Carroll.

On international duty

Winston Reid (New Zealand v Saudi Arabia, OSN Cup); Mo Diame (Senegal v
Uganda, World Cup Qualifier); Jack Collison (Wales v Macedonia/Serbia, World
Cup Qualifiers).

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IS RAVEL THE OLD JOE COLE?
By Tony Hanna 28 Aug 2013 at 11:20
West Ham Till I Die

At the tender age of just 17, West Ham gave the much touted wonder kid Joe
Cole his first team debut in 1999. Touted as the hottest property in English
football it was reported that Manchester United had made a seven figure bid
for him the previous year. The buzz around was that the Hammers had
unearthed a new superstar. The kid had scored seven goals in one match
against Spain in a youth match and the anticipation was growing as Hammers
fans longed to see him play in the first team. Four years later he was
captaining West Ham in a season where the club were relegated despite him
being named "Hammer of the Year". The inevitable happened and Joe was sold.
After a lengthy spell with Chelsea, followed by shorter stints at Liverpool
and Lille, Joe returned to his football home last season, Upton Park. The
return certainly seems to have had a positive effect on the player as he is
visibly sleeker and fitter and playing well. There seems little doubt he is
enjoying the sunset of his career back at West Ham. However, ten goals in 56
appearances for England is probably below what most of us expected of him
back in 1999. Joe could only seem to fit into the Chelsea and England sides
in a wide role where most people seem to think he is less effective? Back
now at West Ham it seems that this is the only likely position he will hold
down as well. Would Joe have been better served in a more central role? What
else could have contributed to Joe not reaching his full potential? A good
career should certainly have been a great one, or so we thought.

In 2002 I had a discussion with the late Eddie Baily, former chief scout at
West Ham. I was drooling over the prospect of the young Joe Cole and I was
surprised that Eddie was adamant that Michael Carrick would become the
better player despite not being as gifted. At the time that seemed absurd.
Even now trying to evaluate who has had the better career would bring
different opinions to the table. However, without going into details, Eddie
explained that Carrick had certain traits that would help him fulfil his
true potential whilst Cole lacked some of the same characteristics and that
would inhibit him from truly fulfilling his. In the end, Eddie was right
(IMO).

So now again in 2013 do we have a new wonder kid in our realms? Sir Alex
Ferguson believed Ravel was the "jewel in the crown" of his latest
generation of starlets, but unloaded the youngster to West Ham as he became
continually frustrated with the lad. Off field problems have been well
documented and Sam sent Ravel off to Birmingham City for a loan spell. It is
believed Kevin Nolan has taken the lad under his wing for some guidance and
help. The question beckons – when Ravel does secure his first team place
will he be used to his full potential, or will he be fitted into the side,
and out of position, as Joe was for much of his career? Will this young
prodigy make the most of his undoubted talent or will it be a case of "if
only"?

Time will tell but one thing is for sure. The anticipation at West Ham is
bubbling again.

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West Ham's Ravel Morrison earns rave reviews from fellow Hammer after Cup
cracker
28 Aug 2013 22:29
The Mirror

Ravel Morrison has returned to West Ham with the same skills but a much
better attitude, according to team-mate James Tomkins. The troubled former
Manchester United trainee was sent out on loan to Birmingham last season
just six months after his £1m move to the Hammers. But the 20-year-old
scored a superb goal on his full debut in the Capital One Cup win over
Cheltenham – and is ready to stake a claim for a regular first-team place.
"He's a great talent, but he's gone away to Birmingham and matured a lot as
a player and a person and we can all see that," said Tomkins. "All the lads
around the dressing room are good to him and he fits in really well. To be
fair, he's done a lot of that himself. "He scored a lot in pre-season and
against Cheltenham. That just proves what a player he can be. "He's tricky
and nutmegs a lot of people. He's nutmegged me about a hundred times, so I'm
getting used to it. "He's only 20, he can only get better really."

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