Daily WHUFC News - 21st October 2013

Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce is hopeful he will have more attacking options in the coming
weeks
20.10.2013

Sam Allardyce is hopeful his attacking options will be bolstered in the
coming weeks with the return to fitness of Carlton Cole. The striker, who
re-signed with the Club last week, is still some way short of full fitness
but was able to sit on the bench for Saturday's 3-1 defeat at home to
Manchester City. Cole has been training hard in his bid to regain match
fitness and Allardyce revealed the striker will be playing a part for the
Development Squad later today when they travel to AFC Telford's ground to
play Wolverhampton Wanderers. He said: "Carlton's had one game, we started
pre-season training on July 1 and spent seven-and-a-half weeks building up
to Cardiff, Carlton's been training with us for three weeks and played one
game behind closed doors. "In pre-season terms he's still four weeks off but
we have to bring that forward as quickly as we possibly can. He'll be
playing in the Under-21s on Monday to get another game. "He's fit now but
he's not match fit and he'll certainly come into the equation for when we
play Burnley because we play Swansea on Sunday and then Burnley on Tuesday."

Big Sam has employed a 4-6-0 formation to good effect in the last two
matches with his tactics yielding a 3-0 at White Hart Lane before putting
Manchester City under pressure for long periods of Saturday's game. Playing
without a front man has worked well in the past two fixtures but the manager
admits that a change of tactic is needed for the forthcoming matches amidst
praise for his players performance against Manuel Pellegrini's team. "I
don't want to continue playing without a front man," Allardyce said.
"Certainly not in games when it's more important to play with a front man.
"It suited us in the last two games but Man City spent £100 million this
summer, Tottenham spent the same, we spent around £20 million and I've got
five free transfers on the pitch and that's the difference at the end of the
day. "We tried our best, the players tried their best but today their best
wasn't good enough against that team and that quality."

Cole is not the only forward who Big Sam hopes will be available in the near
future with Mladen Petric likely to get an opportunity, while Andy Carroll
is recuperating and getting stronger with every passing week. The summer
signing has been a big miss for the Hammers this season and whilst there has
been no timescale put on his return, Allardyce is confident he will have a
big part to play when he does. "He's still in Belgium and improving week by
week," said the manager. "We hope to speak to the specialist on Monday and
hopefully he'll be able to give us a date of when he'll be back with us.
It's very important that we get him back as quick as we can. "Andy is the
main man we bought in the summer to be our leader on the front line, once he
gets fit and up and running again he will not only score goals but also
create opportunities for lots of other players to score goals."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Pellegrini on...West ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 20th October 2013
By: Staff Writer No. 2

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini shares his thoughts on his side's
first away win of the season...

Manuel, how happy are you at getting your first away win?

Very pleased. The most important thing today was to win the game. We
continued to play in the same was as for other away games. We knew if we
played the same as we did at Villa we would win away. That was the important
thing for me today, To get the win and to play the same way.

How important was it to get that win away today?

Very important! 1 from 9 is not a good average for us. Before we started the
game Chelsea, Arsenal & Everton won their games. We could have lost more
points playing away so three points is vey good important for us.

Aguero's performance was the catalyst for this evening...

Yes he's a top player. He makes an important difference. It was importat for
the team that he didn't play in the second game this week for Aregentina. He
was fresh and that was important.

How did you find it against West Ham's six in the middle this evening...

Well we knew West Ham would try to play in the same way as they did against
Tottenham..They played very well. I told the players to be patient and to
move the ball around until we found the space. We did it very well. West
Ham's goalkeeper was, I think, their best player. He made at least four or
five important saves.

To use that space you need someone like Silva. I thought he was magnificent.
There was nobody near him. He seemed to find that space.

Well he's another top player. He played very well. It is not easy for other
teams to mark Silva. He has the quality to lose that marker. He was another
player that was fresh. That was my first thought about the eleven that
started. To have the maximum amount who were fresh from the international
break.

When west ham got their goal back were you worried at all that nerves might
play a part?

Well of course it's difficult when it's 2-1 and you're playing away. West
Ham had that moment when they had a lot of possession. But when we got the
third goal – all finished.

You've got an important Champions League match coming up on an artificial
pitch. Are you concerned at all bearing in mind what happened in Hong Kong?

We don't know about the condition of the pitch. We hoe that because UEFA are
allowing the game to be played there it is a good pitch. We've just been
thinking about the game we played today. About West Ham. Tomorrow we'll
think about the Champions League.

You changed your whole back four today. Does that show that you won't be
afraid to make changes for the [Champions League] game?

[following a long pause for the interpreter] No today had nothing to do with
the Champions League match. It was as I said Micah Richards was fresh,
Garcia was fresh, Clichy was fresh – he didn't play in the second
international match for France. I'm sorry to repeat myself but that was the
most important reason.
It shows the depth you've got in the squad. That you can leave other players
on the bench.

[Further interpreter pause] Maybe. It's more important that I trust in the
players. At the beginning of the season I spoke with the owners and told
them that we needed a squad with two important players for each position. We
have a lot of matches and we need to have the same quality.

Thank you.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham lining up a bid for prolific Icelandic striker Alfred Finnbogason
20 Oct 2013 22:30
The Mirror

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is ready to shop at Iceland – and bid for
hot-shot striker Alfred Finnbogason. Allardyce sent his chief scout to watch
the prolific marksman notch again for Dutch side Heerenveen against Vitesse
Arnhem on Saturday. Finnbogason has now scored 11 times for his club this
season and has also helped Iceland to the World Cup play-off stage. The
highly-rated forward has been linked with several moves but the Hammers hope
to raise the funds to land him in January. Allardyce has been working
without a top-flight striker all season in the absence of Andy Carroll.
Finnbogason, who grew up in Scotland and has also interested Newcastle, fits
the bill perfectly.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
AFC Bournemouth: Henderson injury could spell premature end to Cherries loan
Daily Echo
6:00am Monday 21st October 2013 in Cherries News Photograph of the Author By
Neil Perrett

LUCKLESS Stephen Henderson looks set for an extended spell on the sidelines
after dislocating his shoulder during Cherries' clash at Nottingham Forest
on Saturday. The goalkeeper, just minutes into his second game of a
three-month loan spell with Cherries, sustained the injury during an
accidental collision with Forest's Simon Cox.

Cox followed in and caught the West Ham man on the left shoulder as the two
players challenged for a loose ball after Henderson had parried a shot from
Djamal Abdoun.

Medical staff from both dugouts immediately rushed to the visibly-distressed
stopper's aid and administered gas and air in an attempt to dull the pain
before he was stretchered off.

Henderson received further pain-killing medication in the treatment room at
the City Ground before he was taken by ambulance to the nearby Queen's
Medical Centre.

The 25-year-old Irishman had his shoulder put back in by doctors after an
X-ray had shown no fracture before Henderson was discharged.


He was then driven by Cherries physio Steve Hard to Cherwell Valley services
where Henderson's wife was waiting to take him back to their home in Essex.
Henderson will be assessed and treated by medical staff at Upton Park and
could be out for up to six months should he require surgery, which looks
increasingly likely.

In the event of Henderson not being fit to feature for Cherries before his
loan expires in January, the Dorset club would ask West Ham to officially
recall him.

Speaking to the Daily Echo last night, Cherries physio Hard said: "When I
ran on to the pitch, I knew straight away it was his shoulder and he was in
agony.

"We have a signal we give to the dugout when we know it is serious and that
means I need back up. Andrew Balderstone, the Nottingham Forest physio, came
on and helped me give him gas and air to get him settled. We couldn't put
him on a stretcher until he had had some pain relief.

"The paramedics supported us and it was a good team effort. Everybody
worked together to help put Stephen at ease. I thought the situation was
dealt with very well and everything ran smoothly, under the circumstances. I
would like to thank everybody who helped."

Asked about the incident during his post-match press conference, Cherries
boss Eddie Howe said: "It was a tough moment for us. If you lose your
goalkeeper early in a game away from home, it can rock you. Thankfully, we
dealt with it okay but our thoughts are with Stephen.

"It is a real shame because he has had to be patient and wait for his chance
to come out and get some football. He did really well for us against
Millwall so it is a big blow for him and us."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com