Daily WHUFC News - 2nd October 2013

Carroll's training diary
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll has blogged for whufc.com on his hard work in Belgium with
expert Lieven Maesschalck
01.10.2013

West Ham United striker Andy Carroll is working hard at his training camp in
Belgium as he continues his recovery from a plantar fasciitis injury. To
keep Hammers fans updated on his progress, the England international has
kept a diary of his gruelling sessions with expert physical therapist Lieven
Maesschalck, who has previously worked with Manchester City captain Vincent
Kompany, tennis player Yanina Wickmayer and cyclist Jelle Vanendert. No date
has been set for the West Ham No9's return, but the medical team are pleased
with his progress thus far. Andy's training diary is carried exclusively
here on whufc.com. Check back tomorrow for exclusive pictures of Andy's
training regime.

Monday 23 September

My first day of working with Lieven Maesschalck from movetocure here in
Antwerp. He is a specialist who has worked with several top-class athletes
in all sports and will be putting me through different sessions over the
next week or so. Today included starting off with a first session of
strength work in the gym - exercises and movement to build up the muscles in
my leg. After this session, I go into the pool and start to do deep water
walking - Lieven is very encouraging and although my body is absolute bits
by the end of it all, it will all be worth it when I'm back on the pitch.

Tuesday 24 September

I wake early and although things are a bit painful, I am told that is to be
expected after my first day of this intense work. It was tough but that is
good and I have been told as the days go on, it will all feel better. I go
into the gym again for the first session, where I will do more strengthening
work on the muscles in my leg that will then work the muscles in my foot and
heel. A quick break and then it is time for my second session of the day,
where I do more walking in water. Lieven says this will be leading to
running movements in the water later in the week. I check in with the lads
back home - it's great to hear we beat Cardiff City in the Capital One Cup
and we are through to the next round. It's a big boost to know we won.

Wednesday 25 September

It's my third day in and everything is getting a good workout since I have
come off my crutches. I do feel it slowly feeling better and so that gives
me a boost as I know today's double sessions will be tough and intense
again. I speak to some of the lads by text, they are all being supportive
and although I can't wait to be back amongst them all at the training
ground, they're still including me in all the banter so no there's no escape
from that! I have another session in the gym - a lot of work at the moment
is repetitive but I am told that is all to do with building strength and the
stronger my leg becomes the better it is for my foot and heel.

Thursday 26 September

An early session begins in the gym and the strengthening work is continuing
and Lieven is pleased with how my muscles are responding to the work we are
doing. He says that while it is intense, it will help to make the muscles
stronger to take on more each day. I have another session in the pool in the
afternoon and more deep water walking, which by tomorrow and the start of
next week will be running movements in the water. I do actually feel it
being stronger but know I have to take it day by day, I am just happy that
it feels better. I will soon be getting a visit from medical staff from West
Ham - physio Jon Urwin will be coming over again next week and the club
doctor is also monitoring how I am doing and will be visiting.

Friday 27 September

Another early start with the strength exercises and movements I am doing,
followed by pool work where I get to step up to deep water running. It is
all done in steady movements but I am really enjoying it. Lieven said I had
a great session so I'm happy with that! He reminds me that there is only one
"tool" that is going to be my biggest help and that is my body and although
my whole body does feel like it has been through a tough week, I know during
these last few days, it is getting and feeling that bit stronger. I am told
I will be given some rest time over the weekend for the muscles and this is
all part of the schedule, to allow my body to recover from the intensity of
the work. I am looking forward to chatting to some of the lads and will be
wishing them all the best for Saturday's game at Hull City.

Monday 30 September

It's a shame we lost up at Hull City on Saturday. I was following the game
and it is frustrating when there is nothing you can do while you are out
injured. I know the lads are all positive and we're a good side so the
results will come. We're creating the chances so we are going the right way.
Back in the gym early doors this morning with Lieven to start my second week
of working those muscles again! Since last Monday, I can definitely feel a
difference so hopefully onwards and upwards today. He's introduced a few
more exercises including lunging while attached to these cords on a pulley
that pulls me back. Then we do some floor exercises, again all based toward
the strengthening of the muscles in my leg, which then in turn make the foot
and heel stronger.

Tuesday 1 October

After the early morning session of strengthening work, I am off to the pool
again now for my second session and I am getting to enjoy this deep water
running!
I just want to say a big thanks to all our fans that are sending me good
luck and supportive messages. It means a lot and I am looking to be back as
soon as I can to do my bit for the team. I'll be keeping in touch with the
lads all this week as I know they're all really looking forward to playing
Spurs on Sunday.

Come on you Irons!
Andy

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Collison loaned to Cherries
WHUFC.com
Jack Collison has joined Championship club AFC Bournemouth on a one-month
emergency loan
01.10.2013

West Ham United can confirm that Jack Collison has joined Championship club
AFC Bournemouth on a one-month emergency loan. The Wales international
midfielder, who could make his Cherries debut in Tuesday's Championship
fixture with Leeds United at Elland Road, will remain at the Goldsands
Stadium until Monday 28 October. The 24-year-old will hope to get some
welcome pitch-time under his belt while with Eddie Howe's side, having made
just one Barclays Premier League substitute appearance so far in 2013/14.
Collison did start both of West Ham United's Capital One Cup victories,
setting up a late winner for Ricardo Vaz Te in the third-round win over
Cardiff City. The No10 has fond recent memories of the Goldsands Stadium,
having scored for the Hammers in a 2-0 pre-season win at Bournemouth in July
this year. Collison becomes the latest West Ham player to make a loan switch
to the south coast club, following the likes of Pat Holland, Rio Ferdinand
and Jermain Defoe. Hammers Academy graduate Elliott Ward, who won promotion
with West Ham in 2005, is a current first-team regular. The Watford-born
player could also feature in home fixtures with Millwall and Leicester City
and an away match at Nottingham Forest.

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Reid sure form will turn
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid is remaining confident that West Ham United's fortunes will
quickly improve
01.10.2013

West Ham United defender Winston Reid is convinced his team has what it
takes to overcome their slow start to the season. The Hammers' 1-0 loss at
Hull City on Saturday means they have picked up only five points from their
first six games, but the New Zealand international believes that better
fortunes are around the corner. Defensively the Londoners were solid again
at the KC Stadium, only conceding to Robbie Brady's contentious 12th minute
penalty, but Reid is well aware that Sam Allardyce's men need to improve in
front of goal. He explained: "We limited their chances on their own ground
on Saturday, there were just a couple of set pieces in the first half
really, then they had a shot on the post in the second half, but that was
pretty much it. "You'd take that away from home, but the problem is that
we're not putting the ball in the back of the net. "The morale in the camp
is fine, we know we've got a job to do and we know we need to improve, not
only the players up front but the players at the back to give them a bit of
service as well. "The main thing is that everyone's trying their hardest.
We're still the same team who got off to a good start last year, we all know
each other and I'm sure things will turn around but they need to turn around
quickly."

Even allowing for the Hammers' poor form in front of goal, Reid believed
that they still created enough chances on Saturday to claim a result from
the game.
He added: "I think we should have got something at Hull, but the ball isn't
rolling our way at the minute. "It's disappointing because things aren't
going so well and we need to turn it around as quickly as possible. "Even in
the first half we had a couple of decent chances, Tonks' header got saved on
the line, and there were a couple of half chances that we should be doing
better with, but at the end of the day we're not scoring enough goals."

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Jack Collison: AFC Bournemouth sign West Ham midfielder
BBC.co.uk

Bournemouth have signed West Ham's Wales international midfielder Jack
Collison on a one-month loan deal. The 24-year-old has made five appearances
for club and country this season and 21 last term after a seven-month
lay-off with a knee injury. He came through West Ham's academy and will help
ease Bournemouth's current injury problems in midfield. Collison was signed
in time for Tuesday's game against Leeds United and could make his debut at
Elland Road.

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Hearn denies 'compo' charge
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 1st October 2013
By: Staff Writer

Leyton Orient empresario Barry Hearn has vowed to keep on fighting the
decision to award use of the Olympic Stadium to West Ham United - whilst
denying that his motivation is greed. The 65-year-old Essex-based
businessman, whose bid to overturn the LLDC's decision ended in failure
after his call for a judicial review was rejected by the High Court last
month admitted that he understood why some viewed financial gain as his
primary incentive. But speaking in an interview with (Tottenham supporter)
Mihir Bose for today's Evening Standard, Hearn rejected such claims,
insisting that his crusade was "a moral issue" instead. "I can understand
the mentality of people who think that. Because my nature is fairly loud and
brash, they think Barry's after some compensation," he said. "Actually,
compensation is a waste of time. If you're going down the slippery slope,
all you're doing is delaying the demise of a League One club. That is
inevitable if a Premier League club move in only 750 yards from their
doorstep. "We understand you've got to have a major team in there. But what
about us? Are we just to be forgotten? "It's not about Jack the Lad, Barry
Hearn, trying to nick a few quid or cause trouble. The biggest issue is the
moral issue. I've been fighting in the courts for three years and it's not
in my nature to fund lawyers' holidays and expense accounts to the tune of
£750,000 just to cause trouble. "What is ludicrous is that people see me as
the sort of operator that's always looking for money. I am not in football
to make money."

Once again, Hearn's claims were dismissed by West Ham who reiterated the
fact that Leyton Orient's Brisbane Road ground was actually one-and-a-half
miles from the Olympic Stadium, not 750 yards as Hearn continues to claim -
and outside the London Borough of Newham, unlike both Upton Park and
Stratford.
And Hearn's apparently altruistic motives are in sharp contrast to comments
he made in 2006, when he told the Daily Telegraph: "I'm going to put enough
in to keep it [LOFC] going and hopefully to have some fun myself. It's quite
selfish. "I'm doing this for Barry Hearn. I'm not doing it for the fans.
The number of chairmen who say 'I'm doing it for the community'? To be
honest that's a load of b*llocks. I'm doing this for me."

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WHAT'S YOUR WEST HAM FAN CRITERIA?
By Hannah McFaull 1 Oct 2013 at 15:41
West Ham Till I Die

I guarantee that the next time you meet someone and find out they are also a
West Ham fan, you will apply some sort of test in your head to work out
whether they are an actual fan and whether or not you should respect their
level of West Ham fandom. I absolutely guarantee. You can't help it. I do it
all the time. Never had a season ticket? Not a true fan. Can't name the 1980
winning cup final side? Not a true fan. Don't have an opinion on Big Sam's
defensive buys in the last window? Not a true fan. Whatever criteria you
use, both you and I need to remember that there are plenty of ways to love
this club of ours. None of them wrong per se.

We've all got a West Ham fan criteria. That set of rules that we use to
decide if someone is one of us. It can be part of a conversation with
someone new, when they mention something only a true member of our club
could know. It can be something visual, seeing a tattoo for example, some
crossed hammers or something considerably less subtle. It can be going to
someone's house for the first time and seeing their framed collection of
ticket stubs from the 70s and 80s. And yes that last one is a true story
that happened to a friend of mine. She ended up marrying him.

Proving you're a real West Ham fan all starts in primary school, or at least
it did for me. Kids proudly displayed their new kits at PE and swapped
stories of weekend trips to Upton Park at playtime. Then it was the sticker
books. You were only really considered to be a true fan if you had all the
West Ham players, the team shot and the shinys. Filling up the rest of the
book was important but you had to get every one of our boys first before you
were allowed to care about the other teams. I definitely have photos from
this time with other little girls in claret and blue so I know I wasn't the
only one joining in.

Ludek's 1996 sticker
As you get older, the boundaries change and people earn their West Ham
stripes in a number of different ways. For some people it was the
statistics, numbers and records. There was a kid in the year below me at
senior school who could just spout it out like some robot Superfan. I think
he spent every Sunday reading the sports sections of every paper and had
some weird photographic memory. His predictions for the weekend were based
on previous performance, probability and percentages. Needless to say he
didn't have a girlfriend until long into university.

There were other mates I had who used to hang around the training ground in
Chadwell Heath with their disposable cameras and autograph books (I wonder
how many kids nowadays have autograph books?!). They used to get the bus up
there and back after their mums had dropped them off at school. Being able
to recount your entire conversation with Stevie Potts was a definite game
changer when it came to respect from your peers.

For other people it was about away games – how many you go to, how far you
have to travel and what shenanigans you get up to on the trips. Even just
going to another London ground for a local derby earned significant brownie
points. I heard stories about hiring limos to go to Cardiff, new trainers
for trips above Watford and being too drunk to get into St. James Park.
Suddenly around the age of 12 and a half, being a West Ham fan takes on a
whole new level of meaning, with more commitment and more energy. You start
believing that you really will follow this team over land and sea and people
who don't fail the test. They just don't make the cut as a true fan.

Russell Brand West Ham Tattoo
I remember reading an article by Russell Brand in the Guardian about being
cornered in the Gents in the Dr Martens stand, and being made to prove his
West Ham credentials by singing a song. "I opted not for the obvious "I'm
Forever Blowing Bubbles" because that wouldn't have been sufficient
testimony to my commitment. I steeled myself, flung my arms skyward and
retreated into the accent of my childhood. Going at least three octaves
lower than my natural speaking voice I bellowed: "We all follow the West Ham
over land and sea …" When I talked about the article with my Dad, there was
a begrudging respect for the ridiculous-haired Dandy. With his choice of
song Brand had shown that he understood the criteria and went up in our
estimation because of it.

Since leaving East London I've met West Ham fans born in Honolulu,
Christchurch, Barcelona and dozens of cities in between, all of whom have
never had the chance to watch a game at Upton Park. I don't think this
affects their status as true fans but it does entirely demolish my criteria.
If being an adult and meeting West Ham fans from all over the world has
taught me anything, it's that it's ok not to have had a Bobby Moore lunchbox
and still be a Hammer. If you don't know all the verse to OLAS however, well
that might be another story…

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Barry Hearn exclusive: Why I believe it's not game over yet for the Olympic
Stadium
Defeated in the High Court, Orient owner is pinning his hopes on House of
Lords paving way for an Olympic groundshare
Evening Standard
MIHIR BOSE
Published: 01 October 2013 Updated: 16:16, 01 October 2013

Barry Hearn smiles when I suggest his fight to get Leyton Orient to share
the Olympic Stadium with West Ham is grandstanding and all that he wants is
compensation.

"I can understand the mentality of people who think that," he says, "because
my nature is fairly loud and brash, they think Barry's after some
compensation. Actually, compensation is a waste of time. If you're going
down the slippery slope, all you're doing is delaying the demise of a League
One club. That is inevitable if a Premier League club move in only 750 yards
from their doorstep. We understand you've got to have a major team in there.
But what about us? Are we just to be forgotten?"

Hearn, 65, takes some getting used to. The driveway of his plush offices in
Essex is packed with expensive cars and he has just flown back from New York
after another high-profile business trip. However, Hearn insists his desire
to share the Olympic Stadium is not about money.

"It's not about Jack the Lad, Barry Hearn, trying to nick a few quid or
cause trouble. The biggest issue is the moral issue. We've been there for
130 years. Don't we deserve to share in the Olympic legacy? Sharing would
mean the stadium getting more usage and the Olympic legacy starting to mean
something. There are some big issues involved: is the taxpayer getting value
for the £600million spent on the stadium? Have taxpayer funds been used to
subsidise a commercial enterprise with an income of more than £100m a year?
It sets a precedent and, possibly, violates European law. I've been fighting
in the courts for three years and it's not in my nature to fund lawyers'
holidays and expense accounts to the tune of £750,000 just to cause
trouble."

Not surprisingly, West Ham disagree with Hearn on many issues. For instance,
they claim the distance from the Olympic Stadium to Orient's ground is
one-and-a-half miles and not 750yards and that the taxpayer is getting
value for money as the Hammers can make the stadium work as a going
concern.

But as the row rages on Hearn is not going to spend any more on lawyers,
for now, despite a week ago the High Court refusing to grant him a judicial
review.

"The way the judge summed up I don't think we've got a chance in hell of
winning an appeal," he says. But what encourages him is what the West Ham
lawyer said in court.

"At last," he says with great satisfaction, "we had a bit of truth. Under
the bidding process for the Olympic Stadium, all parties agreed to the
principle of ground sharing. Our argument is it's never really been
discussed. And, in the High Court, the West Ham lawyer actually admitted
they don't want to share the stadium with anyone because it will affect
their brand value. Clearly they do not want anything that detracts from
their claret and blue seats and the Bobby Moore bar. That one sentence
showed us the real truth behind the negotiations."

And he is convinced that sentence could prove lethal because of what
happened at the House of Lords in July when both he and West Ham's
vice-chairman Karren Brady gave evidence to the select committee inquiry on
Olympic and Paralympic legacy.


"When asked whether she was happy in principle with sharing the Olympic
stadium, Karren Brady replied yes. Given what the West Ham lawyer said, in
my opinion Brady was being economical with the truth.

"The West Ham stadium deal was contrary to the bidding process. It got this
potential white elephant off the government's hands but we were never in
with a shout."

And, adds Hearn, not any old deal but "the deal of the century". With that
he rattles off the figures that seem implanted on his brain. "West Ham are
paying £2m a year rent (another figure disputed by the Hammers) but the
­stadium owners, London Legacy Development Corporation, are paying for all
the security, police, stewarding and ground maintenance. That comes to more
than £2m a year. So effectively they are getting the stadium rent free. West
Ham also get all the normal match-day ­revenue and part of the catering
income, we don't know how much. Yes, they are contributing about £15m from
the sale of Upton Park towards the capital costs but we would all like to
get a £600m asset for £15m."

Hearn is hopeful the Lords report, due next month, will, unlike the High
Court judge, show "common sense" and recommend the issue be re-opened. But,
while he waits, he is using the Freedom of Information Act and the help of
Public Accounts Committee chair Margaret Hodge to get more ammunition. In
particular, he says: "The terms of the vital agreement between the Mayor's
Office and West Ham. This spells out the restrictions on West Ham and they
have never been published. When public money is spent, the public should
know."

Hearn is convinced the small print of the deal conceals a smoking gun: what
happens should West Ham owners, David Gold and David Sullivan, sell the
club?

"This", he says darkly, "is cloak and dagger stuff. All Boris Johnson has
said is a percentage of any profits will be paid to the taxpayer. But
they've never disclosed what percentage. I said to Boris, 'I'll tell you
something, if I am allowed to share and I ever sell Leyton Orient, every
penny of profit will go back to the taxpayer.' Have Gold and Sullivan made
the same commitment?"

"The Olympic Stadium has added £100m to the value of West Ham. It could be a
most attractive purchase for a foreign buyer: a 54,000-seater stadium in an
iconic building on the Olympic Park. The British taxpayer could end up
funding a trophy asset for a Qatari."

And then apologising for getting on his "soap box", he talks with real
anguish of his meeting with Johnson. "It was so stupid when I sat down with
Boris, it was all about money. Boris said, 'Well, you can't pay enough
rent,' and I said, 'Of course we can't, Boris. We get £800,000 of TV income,
West Ham get £70m. You're expecting us to pay the same? We can only pay
£500,000 rent if we're in League One. But, if we're in the Championship,
we'll pay a million, if we're in the Premier League we'll pay £5m. We're not
trying to cheat anybody."

A Leyton Orient supporter since he was 11, Hearn rescued the club from
bankruptcy 19 years ago, paying £2.43. He has never claimed to be a Roman
Abramovich. The club lose a million a year but, says Hearn: "I am not asking
for sympathy. We have made shrewd property deals, my other businesses make a
lot of money. What is ludicrous is that people see me as the sort of
operator that's always looking for money. I am not in football to make
money."

However, even as he says this, Hearn cannot resist a chuckle as he reflects
on how it could all change should Orient and West Ham find themselves in the
same division next season.

While West Ham are only a point and a place above the bottom three, the Os,
with eight wins in nine matches, are riding high.

"The way we're playing we could be in the Championship and West Ham could
get relegated," he says. "Then the whole economics change and there could be
another scenario."

The West Ham United response . . .

- The figures quoted here are entirely inaccurate and in no way reflect the
financial commitment West Ham has made to the Stadium.

- West Ham United will deliver a profit to the taxpayer, Leyton Orient by
their own admission in the above article will not.

- The bidding process obliged all parties to consent to teaming.

- It was not in West Ham United or Leyton Orient's gift to determine which
parties were teamed together, it was the LLDC's.

- Leyton Orient are one-and-a-half miles from the Olympic Stadium not 750
yards.

- West Ham United will move one-and-a-half miles closer but crucially remain
within their Borough, the Olympic Borough of Newham.

- West Ham have committed a substantial amount of capital, largely funded by
the sale of our current asset the Boleyn Ground, to boost investment in the
stadium and help fund the conversion cost. Leyton Orient's commitment in
this regard remains unclear.

- We will bring over 1 million people to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
each year and create in excess of 750 jobs for the local workforce.

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Carroll given all-clear to step up recovery by leading foot specialist as
West Ham striker continues rehabilitation
By NEIL ASHTON
PUBLISHED: 22:00, 1 October 2013 | UPDATED: 22:00, 1 October 2013
Daily Mail

Andy Carroll has been given the all-clear to step up his rehabilitation
programme after a meeting with a leading foot specialist on Tuesday. The
West Ham striker's injury was assessed by Professor van Dijk and he has been
told to step up his recovery work a week after taking off an air boot.
Carroll is finally walking pain free as the West Ham striker continues his
rehabilitation from a complicated heel injury. The Hammers' forward has not
played for Sam Allardyce's side since his £15m move from Liverpool in the
summer after damaging his foot in pre-season. Carroll, 24, has been working
with top Belgian physio Lieven Maesschalck after the plantar fascia – a
tissue connecting the bottom of the foot with his heel – became loose. The
England striker is now working in the therapy pools and going through weight
bearing exercises to strengthen the damaged area. Carroll will be assessed
again by van Dijk in around three weeks' time and West Ham will expect to be
able to put a timeline on his return to action. He has been a huge miss for
West Ham this season after his successful spell on loan at Upton Park from
Liverpool. Carroll was Allardyce's major summer signing after persuading
Hammers co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold to spend £15m to sign him
permanently. But he has struggled with injury since the summer and the
Hammers are using the best medical staff in the world to oversee his
treatment. Although the Hammers are reluctant to put a timing on Carroll's
return, medical staff at the club were optimistic about his progress after
Tuesday's report. The Hammers relied on his partnership with midfielder
Kevin Nolan to stay in the Barclays Premier League last season, but that has
been affected by Carroll' s injury. Allardyce's team travel to White Hart
Lane on Sunday and will hope to improve on their poor start to the season.
The Hammers are fourth from bottom of the table after six games and have
only won once in the Premier League. In the absence of Carroll's influence
they are finding goals hard to come by and have yet to score on their
travels this season.

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