Daily WHUFC News - 23rd November 2013

Chelsea match preview
WHUFC.com
All the essential pre-match information ahead of Saturday's London derby
with Chelsea
21.11.2013

WEST HAM UNITED v CHELSEA
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
SATURDAY 23 NOVEMBER 2013
KICK-OFF: 5.30PM
REFEREE: CHRIS FOY
FULL AUDIO COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV

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West Ham United v Chelsea

Saturday's Matchball Sponsor is NC Range Site, who have been formed after a
very successful partnership with Range Site Ltd & NC Construction Services
Ltd in the social housing sector. Their aim is to grow NC Range Site Ltd to
be a leading provider in the social housing sector. We hope they enjoy their
day at the Boleyn Ground

Introduction
• West Ham United return to action following the international break on
Saturday when they welcome Chelsea to the Boleyn Ground for a London derby
duel.
• The Hammers are looking for a first Barclays Premier League win in five
attempts after defeat to Norwich City last time out left them 16th in the
table with ten points from their eleven games..
• Chelsea are winless in two themselves, having been defeated by Newcastle
United and only drawing 2-2 with West Bromwich Albion in their last two
fixtures. That draw with the Baggies last time out came courtesy of a late,
controversial penalty from Eden Hazard after goals from Shane Long and
Stephane Sessegnon threatened to give Steve Clarke's men all three points.
• The Blues are fourth in the Barclays Premier League table, with 21 points
garnered from their eleven starts.
• Before their recent stumble, Chelsea won three league matches in
succession, which included the scalp of Manchester City.
• West Ham have not tasted victory in the league at home since the opening
day defeat of Cardiff City. The four games since have yielded one draw and
three defeats.

Team news
West Ham United
• Razvan Rat is missing with a hamstring injury picked up while on
international duty with Romania in their midweek FIFA World Cup Play-Off
with Greece.
• James Collins and Joey O'Brien both missed their international games after
pulling out through injury, but should be fit enough to turn out on
Saturday.
• Matt Taylor has returned to training following his recent calf injury,
while Alou Diarra and George McCartney have been building up their match
fitness in behind closed doors friendly matches.
• Winston Reid (ankle), Andy Carroll (foot) and Ricardo Vaz Te (shoulder)
join left-back Rat on the sidelines.

Chelsea
• Ashley Cole has recovered from a rib injury and is likely to start at
left-back ahead of Cesar Azpilicueta.
• Fernando Torres will miss the game with a groin injury.

Background
• Saturday's fixture marks the 89th league meeting between the two clubs.
West Ham have 35 wins to their opponents' 36, while there have been just 17
draws. In 31 Premier League meetings, Chelsea have chalked up 16 victories,
West Ham have won ten times and there have been just five draws.
• The first-ever meeting between the two clubs in any competition came on 11
September 1915 in the war-time London Combination principal tournament. West
Ham United were at home and the game ended goalless.
• The first-ever league meeting between the two clubs took place on 20
October 1923 and also ended goalless. That match was played in Division One
at
Stamford Bridge.
• West Ham's biggest league victory over Chelsea came in Division Two on
Valentine's Day 1981. The Hammers romped to a 4-0 success on their way to
winning the title and promotion to the top-flight.
• Chelsea's biggest win over West Ham came on 9 April 1966 at Stamford
Bridge, when the Blues thumped the Hammers 6-2. At the Boleyn Ground,
Chelsea won 4-0 on 1 March 2008, a result that also marks the Blues' biggest
Premier League win over the Hammers.
• The biggest crowd to witness a Chelsea versus West Ham fixture at Stamford
Bridge was the estimated 65,000 who witnessed the Blues' 2-0 FA Cup
fourth-round win on 26 January 1946.
• Tony Cottee has scored more goals against Chelsea than any other West Ham
United player, scoring eight times. Geoff Hurst and John Dick managed six
each, while the Hammers' all-time leading scorer Vic Watson scored three in
five appearances against the Blues.
• John Bond scored the first league hat-trick by a West Ham United player
against Chelsea when he was pressed into an emergency centre-forward role on
6 February 1960. Right-back Bond netted three times, including one penalty,
in a 4-2 Division One success at the Boleyn Ground. Billy Bonds also netted
an unlikely hat-trick against Chelsea in a 3-0 Division One home win on 2
March 1974.

Last time out

Saturday 9 November 2013
Barclays Premier League
Norwich City 3-1 West Ham United
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins, Tomkins, Rat, Morrison, Noble
(Jarvis 87), Collison (C.Cole 74), Downing, Nolan, J.Cole (Diame 72)
Subs not used: Adrian, McCartney, Maiga, O'Brien
Goal: Morrison 32

Saturday 9 November 2013
Barclays Premier League
Chelsea 2-2 West Bromwich Albion
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Azpilicueta (Mikel 73), Lampard (Ba 64), Cahill,
Terry, Willian, Ramires, Eto'o, Oscar (Mata 73), Hazard
Subs not used: Schwarzer, Cole, Luiz, De Bruyne
Goals: Eto'o 45, Hazard pen 90


Previous meeting

The Hammers were beaten by a goal in each half as Eden Hazard produced a
performance of real quality at Stamford Bridge on 17 March of this year.
Frank Lampard's 19th-minute header gave the Blues the advantage, before
Hazard's solo effort gave the home side an insurmountable lead five minutes
after the interval.
Chelsea: Cech, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Luiz (Terry 78), Cole, Ramires, Lampard,
Hazard, Mata (Mikel 85), Moses (Oscar 70), Ba
Subs: Turnbull, Ivanovic, Torres, Bertrand
Goals: Lampard 19, Hazard 50
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins (Tomkins 61), Reid, O'Brien,
Vaz Te (C.Cole 80), Collison, O'Neil, Diame (Taylor 46), Jarvis, Carroll
Subs not used: Spiegel, McCartney, Pogatetz, Chamakh

Last six meetings
(Premier League unless stated)

17 March 2013 - Chelsea 2-0 West Ham United
1 December 2012 - West Ham United 3-1 Chelsea
23 April 2011 - Chelsea 3-0 West Ham United
11 September 2010 - West Ham United 1-3 Chelsea
13 March 2010 - Chelsea 4-1 West Ham United
20 December 2009 - West Ham United 1-1 Chelsea
v Chelsea (all competitions) W 37 D 18 L 42

Ten-year records

West Ham United

2012/13 Premier League 10th (46 points)
2011/12 Championship 3rd (86 points - promoted via Play-Offs)
2010/11 Premier League 20th (33 points - relegated to Championship)
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted via play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)

Chelsea
2012/13 Premier League 3rd (75 points)
2011/12 Premier League 6th (64 points)
2010/11 Premier League 2nd (71 points)
2009/10 Premier League 1st (86 points - champions)
2008/09 Premier League 3rd (83 points)
2007/08 Premier League 2nd (85 points)
2006/07 Premier League 2nd (83 points)
2005/06 Premier League 1st (91 points - champions)
2004/05 Premier League 1st (95 points - champions)
2003/04 Premier League 2nd (79 points)


Referee

• Saturday's match referee will be Chris Foy.
• Foy will referee West Ham United and Chelsea for the first time this
Barclays Premier League season.
• Foy, who celebrated his 51st birthday on Wednesday, has been a Barclays
Premier League referee since 2001, having originally made the Select Group
list of assistant referees in 1995.
• In 2007, Foy took charge of the FA Trophy final at Wembley, before
returning to the Home of Football a year later to act as fourth official for
Portsmouth's FA Cup final victory over Cardiff.
• In 2009, he was back at Wembley to take charge of the League Cup final and
Community Shield, while Portsmouth were in action again as Foy refereed the
2010 FA Cup final, which Pompey lost to today's visitors Chelsea.
• In all, Foy has taken charge of 28 West Ham fixtures - the first coming as
long ago as 23 February 2002, when Frederic Kanoute scored the only goal in
1-0 home Premier League win over Middlesbrough.
• Twice before, he has refereed West Ham versus Chelsea matches at the
Boleyn Ground, with the Blues' visits on 2 January 2006 and 11 September
2010 both ending in 3-1 away wins.
• Foy will be assisted by Gary Beswick and Mick McDonough, while the fourth
official will be Lee Mason.

General information
• A limited amount of tickets are still on sale for Saturday's match. For
full details, click here.
• The weather forecast for Saturday is for light cloud at kick-off time,
with temperatures of 5C (41F).
• The London Underground District line will be closed between Whitechapel
and West Ham. Replacement buses operate. This is while track replacement
work is carried out in the Mile End area..
• The Hammersmith and City line will be closed between Moorgate and Barking,
also due to the track replacement work at Mile End.
• On the Central line, Mile End station is closed due to the aforementioned
track replacement work.
• The London Overground is closed between Highbury & Islington and New
Cross/New Cross Gate. Replacement buses operate
• c2c rail services are running on a revised timetable between Barking and
Upminster. Click here for full details.

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Diame inspired by Chelsea memories
WHUFC.com
Mo Diame wants a repeat of last season's defeat of Chelsea at the Boleyn
Ground
23.11.2013

West Ham United's players do not have to look too far for inspiration as
they contemplate the challenge of facing Chelsea on Saturday. Almost a year
to the day ago they defeated the Blues 3-1 at the Boleyn Ground, having
trailed at the break to a Juan Mata goal. One of the goalscorers that
afternoon was Mo Diame, and with his strike - which gave the Hammers the
lead with just four minutes to go - ranking as a career highlight for the
26-year-old, he would love to sample more of the same this time around. "I
will remember that goal all my life," he beamed. "Last year's game against
them is a good memory for me but this is a different match now and we need
to be prepared to win this game. "We're playing at home and we need to get
three points, we are in a bad situation at the moment and hopefully we can
do the job on Saturday to go back towards the top half of the table. "Of
course when you play the top four you have a lot of motivation to show the
people how you can play football. "The supporters are always behind the
team, we just need to take our chances and work hard because it is going to
be a difficult game."

Diame was afforded a look around the Olympic Stadium this week, along with
teammates Kevin Nolan, Mark Noble and Joe Cole, and Vice-Chairman Karren
Brady, as work to transform the venue to a football stadium continues apace.
He is looking ahead to a bright future with the Hammers as they build
towards the move. "It will be very, very exciting to start to play there,"
he added. "You can see it's a very big Stadium and it's going to be a very
big step for West Ham United. "I'm still young. At the moment I have one
year more but I hope to have more with West Ham. I hope to be here when West
Ham play there and in front of the West Ham fans as well."

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Six of the best - Chelsea
WHUFC.com
We recall six memorable Boleyn Ground victories over Saturday's opponents
Chelsea
22.11.2013

Jose Mourinho's Chelsea are the visitors to the Boleyn Ground this weekend
as West Ham United look to get back to winning ways on home turf.
Here whufc.com takes a look at six memorable home wins for the Hammers over
the Blues.

West Ham United 3-1 Chelsea
Premier League
1 December 2012
Still fresh in the minds of Hammers players and supporters is last season's
3-1 victory over the then-European Champions. West Ham found themselves 1-0
down at the break to Juan Mata's goal, but came roaring back in the second
period to silence the west Londoners. Carlton Cole got the comeback started
with a 63rd minute equaliser before late finishes from Mohamed Diame and
Modibo Maiga set the seal on a triumphant Boleyn Ground afternoon.

West Ham United 1-0 Chelsea
Premier League
3 May 2003
Prior to last season's victory, West Ham's last home win over Chelsea came
back on the final day of the 2002/03 season. The Hammers, under the
temporary charge of Trevor Brooking, were deep in relegation danger but in
the midst of a great run of form which gave them a chance of escaping. Paolo
Di Canio's 71st minute goal gave them the points and took the fight to the
final day, but a 2-2 draw at Birmingham was not enough to save them, despite
amassing 42 points.


West Ham United 2-1 Chelsea
Premier League
24 October 2001
All the goals came early on in this midweek meeting between the clubs, as
West Ham emerged triumphant by the odd goal in three. Just five minutes were
on the clock when Michael Carrick gave the Hammers the lead, then Frederic
Kanoute doubled the advantage eight minutes later. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
got Chelsea back in it midway through the first half, but surprisingly that
was where the scoring ended as the Hammers moved up to 14th in the table.
West Ham would eventually end the campaign in seventh, just one place behind
their visitors.

West Ham United 3-2 Chelsea
Premier League
13 March 1997
This was a real see-saw battle, which both sides harboured ambitions of
winning, until Paul Kitson struck late on to settle the matter. Chelsea were
first to edge in front through Gianluca Vialli in the 26th minute, but a
Julian Dicks penalty ten minutes after half-time levelled things up. Then it
was West Ham's turn to lead as Kitson scored his first of the game, but
Chelsea looked to have rescued a point when Mark Hughes notched three
minutes from the end. The Hammers were unbowed though and Kitson scored
again to keep all three points in east London.

West Ham United 4-0 Chelsea
Division Two
14 February 1981
The Hammers were en route to promotion from Division Two when Chelsea came
calling in February 1981. The Blues had no answer to their hosts as the
championship charge was comfortably maintained. Trevor Brooking scored
twice, while Alan Devonshire and David Cross were also on target as the west
Londoners were overwhelmed. West Ham topped the table from November onwards
that season and ended up winning the title by a huge 13-point margin.

West Ham United 3-2 Chelsea
Division One
12 April 1965
Fresh from victory at Real Zaragoza in the first leg of their European Cup
Winners' Cup semi-final, West Ham welcomed Chelsea to the Boleyn Ground and
registered another win. Geoff Hurst notched two of his 20 goals from that
season, while John Sissons scored the other as the Hammers kept a grip on a
top-ten position. Ron Greenwood's men would go on to lift the Cup Winners'
Cup, while also sealing a ninth-place league finish.

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On this day - 23 November
WHUFC.com
Valon Behrami scored the only goal of the game as West Ham defeated
Sunderland on this day in 2008
23.11.2013

Classic match
Sunderland 0-1 West Ham United
Premier League
23 November 2008
This date in the calendar has only yielded three league wins for West Ham
United, but they were triumphant on their last outing five years ago.
Sunderland were their victims on a Sunday in the north-east as the Hammers
ended a seven-game wait for victory. Valon Behrami scored the only goal of
the game, striking a deflected shot beyond home keeper Marton Fulop to
settle matters with only 20 minutes played. This victory came during a
mid-season slump in which only one win in twelve games was recorded, but the
east Londoners recovered post-Christmas to end the campaign in ninth.

Complete record - 23 November

2008 Sunderland 0-1 West Ham United (Premier League)
2002 Aston Villa 4-1 West Ham United (Premier League)
1997 Leeds United 3-1 West Ham United (Premier League)
1996 West Ham United 1-1 Derby County (Premier League)
1991 Manchester United 2-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1985 Coventry City 0-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1974 Liverpool 1-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1968 Ipswich Town 2-2 West Ham United (Division One)
1963 Bolton Wanderers 1-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1957 Bristol City 1-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1946 Coventry City 2-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1935 West Ham United 4-1 Hull City (Division Two)
1929 West Ham United 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday (Division One)

Played 13, Won 3, Drawn 6, Lost 4, Scored 17, Conceded 19

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Winston Reid update
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid has undergone successful surgery on his injured ankle at a
central London hospital
22.11.2013

West Ham United can confirm that Winston Reid has undergone successful ankle
surgery at a central London hospital. The centre-back suffered a high ankle
sprain in training on Tuesday 5 November and, following diagnosis by the
Club's medical staff and a scan, underwent a procedure to repair the
syndesmotic ligaments that connect the tibia and fibula in his lower right
leg. He will soon begin intensive rehabilitation, but no timescale has yet
been set for a return to first-team action. Head of sports science and
sports medicine Andy Rolls explained: "Winston had an operation on his ankle
injury to stabilise the joint. This procedure went well. "He will now
convalesce for a few days before starting his rehabilitation."

Reid has made 92 appearances for West Ham since joining from Danish side FC
Midtjylland in summer 2010, scoring five goals. The defender was voted
Hammer of the Year last season before making a strong start to the current
campaign, highlighted by him scoring the opening goal in the 3-0 Barclays
Premier League victory at Tottenham Hotspur in October.

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Tomkins eyes Chelsea 'boost'
WHUFC.com
Hammers defender James Tomkins says a positive result against Chelsea would
work wonders
22.11.2013

West Ham United defender James Tomkins is convinced the Boleyn Ground crowd
can play a part in helping the team emerge from their recent winless run.
The Hammers welcome Chelsea to E13 on Saturday looking to record just a
third league win of the season and Tomkins is expecting a typical derby day
atmosphere under the lights. Last year's 3-1 triumph over the Blues is still
fresh in Tomkins' mind and he would love nothing more than to gain a repeat
result.
Watch Big Sam's pre-match press conference on West Ham TV here The
24-year-old Academy graduate said: "The fans will get right behind us on
Saturday and hopefully we can match that with a good performance and three
points, which is needed at this stage of the season. "Anyone can beat anyone
on their day. Already this season there have been a lot of surprises and
Chelsea have been beaten [at Newcastle United in their last away game] and
there's no reason that on our day we can't win too. "We beat them last year
at our place, so hopefully we can have more of the same. We know ourselves
that we need the points."

Tomkins is not concerned by results not going for the Hammers at this stage,
because he believes the performance level has deserved more. "There's no
reason to panic, we just take it game-by-game," he stated. "We beat Spurs at
their place and if we beat Chelsea it would give us a big boost. "We're all
confident going into the game, there's still a good atmosphere around the
place and we're looking forward to it. "They're conceding goals and when we
counter attacked against Tottenham it worked for us. That seems to suit our
play with our system at the moment and if we can frustrate them and keep it
goalless at half time, we feel that we're likely to get a goal. "The fans
are going to be vital to us, getting behind us. We've got some winnable
games coming up and we
need to start this period with a good win on Saturday."

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Carr enjoying U18s success
WHUFC.com
Academy Director Tony Carr MBE on the U18s' current eight-match unbeaten run
22.11.2013

Academy Director Tony Carr MBE has praised his staff and players for West
Ham United's outstanding Barclays U18 Premier League form. The Hammers'
youngsters are on an eight-match unbeaten run ahead of Saturday's visit of
Fulham to Little Heath. Kick-off will be at 11am, with free admission and
parking.
With that fixture, as well as an FA Youth Cup third-round trip to Accrington
Stanley, to look forward to, Carr was in a positive mood when he sat down to
talk to West Ham TV.

Tony, the U18s have been on a really superb run of form and go into the
weekend visit of Fulham eight games unbeaten?

TC: "Yes, certainly. Steve Potts, in his first full season in charge of the
U18s assisted by myself and Mark Phillips, is doing a very good job. The
team are in very good form at the moment, unbeaten in eight and coming off a
very good 3-1 win at Reading last Saturday.
"We've got a really tough game coming up against top-of-the-table Fulham
this weekend. They are a very strong and powerful side who have only lost
one game all season, so it's a massive test for us and we'll find out a lot
about the boys. We're looking forward to it and, win or lose, it'll be a
very good game."

A lot has been said about the state of youth development in English
football, but the results we have achieved this year prove there is talent
at the Club?

TC: "At the end of the day, the philosophy at this Club has always been to
find, nurture and produce home-grown talent. I've said many times before
that we're not going to bury our heads in the sand and get every boy from
Essex or within an hour's drive. We have to look further afield.
"Djair Parfitt-Williams scored a hat-trick last Saturday against Reading and
he's a good example [of us scouting players from afar]. He came through the
International Academy. Djair came up on the radar from Bermuda through Clyde
Best, who we still keep in contact with.
"We put him on a course with the International Academy and then picked him
up and he is now a registered player with West Ham and he's got a chance.
You can never say a player is going to make it, but he's got a chance and we
hope he is one for the future."

Talking of the future, we will face Accrington Stanley in the FA Youth Cup
third round in December. It is the competition the boys all look forward to,
isn't it?

TC: "We go into every season hoping to have a good run in the FA Youth Cup
and it creates great interest from the fans. The players like it because
they get to play in stadia under the floodlights and it's a knockout
competition and always something the players look forward to.
"We've got Accrington away which is going to be tough and we have got to
give them the utmost respect. They beat Ilkeston in the second round and
Steve Potts and our recruitment officer Dave Hunt went to that game on
Tuesday night. "Ilkeston gave a good account of themselves and were unlucky
not to score, but Accrington came out on top on the night, so obviously
we've got to go there and hopefully we can come out winners."

Finally, we welcome one of West Ham's most-famous Academy graduates back to
the Boleyn Ground this Saturday in Frank Lampard. Now 35, Frank has recently
passed 100 caps for England, which is some achievement. How do you sum up
his fantastic career?

TC: "It is a fantastic achievement to reach 100 caps and I've sent Frank a
message of congratulation on reaching that landmark. He now has 103 and I'm
sure he'll now want to emulate Bobby Moore by getting to 108 caps. "You
don't get that amount of caps and play and score as regularly as he has
without being a top, top player and Frank is a top, top player, full-stop."

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Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
Joe Cole blogs for whufc.com on Chelsea, the Olympic Stadium and the
Messi/Ronaldo debate
22.11.2013

Hello everybody,

We're playing my old team Chelsea at the Boleyn Ground this Saturday and I
can't wait for the challenge. We're feeling good for the game - we've had
two weeks to prepare and we've got a couple of boys back from international
duty so we're ready for the game. Chelsea are a world-class team and we know
we're going to have to be at our very best throughout if we are to get back
on track at home with the result we need. I've done the main Official
Programme interview this week and in it I have spoken about my seven years
at Stamford Bridge, working under Jose Mourinho and playing alongside Frank
Lampard. They were good times and I am looking forward to more good times to
come with West Ham United. Myself, Kevin Nolan, Mark Noble and Mo Diame had
the chance this week to join the Vice-Chairman Karren Brady for a look at
how the transformation work at the Olympic Stadium is going. The
construction team there have started to take down the floodlighting towers
which were used during the Olympics as the first stage of building a new
roof and turning it into a stunning football stadium for us. It's going to
be a lovely stadium when theworks are finished. Being an Olympic Stadium is
special - you know about all the things that went on here in the summer of
last year, and now we're going to be able to make our own history there. I
think there will be a great atmosphere, and it's not just the Stadium itself
but the area around in terms of transport links and facilities, it's going
to be great for the supporters. It's a really exciting prospect for the Club
- the start of a new era.

We've had two weeks since this disappointment of defeat at Norwich due to
the latest international break and I was keeping my eye on the England
games, as well as the final World Cup Qualifying Play-Offs. I thought
England played reasonably well against Germany, it was experimental and the
game served the job for what they wanted. In the recent Qualifiers they were
great against Poland and Montenegro, the boys did great to go through
Qualifying undefeated and finish top of the group. With the young lads in
the squad it's exciting times, and I think they'll have a good chance going
to the World Cup. On the subject of World Cup Qualifying, Cristiano Ronaldo
probably showed he's the best player in the World at the moment as he helped
Portugal get through against Sweden.
Lionel Messi would have something to say about that statement, but Ronaldo
is a phenonemal talent and physically just the perfect specimen. He's always
there when the team needs him as well. Back to West Ham and the boys are
focused on making sure we turn the Boleyn Ground into a fortress again. We
got a great result against Chelsea last season here and we'd love a repeat.

Come on you Irons!
Joe

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West Ham v Chelsea
KO 17:30
22 November 2013
By Jonathan Pearce
BBC Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday, 23 November

West Ham defender Winston Reid has undergone ankle surgery and is expected
to be a long-term absentee. Razvan Rat is a doubt with a hamstring injury he
sustained on international duty with Romania, but Joey O'Brien and James
Collins should be fit. Chelsea forward Fernando Torres is not quite ready to
return from an adductor muscle injury. Ashley Cole will play despite sitting
out England's matches with the recurrence of a rib injury. England need more
skill, pace and match-winning trickery in midfield. That much is clear from
the back-to-back Wembley defeats. West Ham's Ravel Morrison should use
spotlight matches like this to stake his claim for a place on the plane to
Rio. Now that he's shrugging off the tag of trouble-maker under the watchful
eye of Sam Allardyce and a new mentor in Kevin Nolan, the 20-year-old is
showing the sort of creativity that once had Sir Alex Ferguson drooling. I
think there's still one midfield spot in Roy Hodgson's squad yet accounted
for. Morrison has a lot to do, but his five goals this season have a stamp
of class. If he can get his head right, he could be a terrific player.

"Hammers boss Sam Allardyce will have had the flip-chart out again this week
to put together a game-plan to get one over the Blues. "I think that will
mainly come down to them trying to deny Chelsea any space and they will be
defending deep and looking to hit the Blues on the break." Chelsea's Frank
Lampard might be looking over his shoulder at the rise of Morrison. He
struggled against Chile. Critics will say the years are catching up with him
fast, especially as he's suffering his worst Premier League scoring drought
in a decade. This is the start of a run of five winnable games for Chelsea
against modest opposition prior to visiting Arsenal on 23 December. So far
they've picked up the same number of points under Jose Mourinho as they did
in Rafa Benitez's first 11 games in charge. Imagine the boos he would have
had! But, for the moment, Jose can still do no wrong. West Ham also need to
hit immediate targets - six points at least from the next three home games.
They have the worst current home form in the division. They've struggled to
score. The win at Spurs and the Capital One Cup run have camouflaged a
disturbing slump. Six points from nine games is relegation form. This week
they unveiled computer images of what football will look like in the Olympic
Stadium when they move. They can't afford to go there in the Championship.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head
This is the 100th meeting of the clubs in all competitions. Chelsea have won
44 times, West Ham 37 and there have been 18 draws.
West Ham beat Chelsea for the first time in 13 league matches in the
corresponding fixture last season. However, Chelsea were then 2-0 winners at
Stamford Bridge.
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has picked up just two points in his previous
six top-flight meetings with Jose Mourinho, losing all three home games.
West Ham
West Ham are without a win in their last four home games in the league (D1,
L3 D1), their worst run under Sam Allardyce.
They have failed to score in six of their 11 league matches this season.
Their only league victory since the opening day of the season was by 3-0 at
Tottenham.
This is the start of three successive London derbies for the Hammers, with
Fulham at home and Palace away to come.
Chelsea
They have just six points from six games against teams in the top half of
the table going into the start of the weekend's matches.
Frank Lampard has scored in three of his last four Premier League
appearances against his former club West Ham, but the England midfielder has
failed to score in 10 successive league games - his longest run without a
goal in the Premier League since April-August 2003.
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last six London derbies in the league (W4,
D2).

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Reid goes under the knife
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 22nd November 2013
By: Staff Writer

Winston Reid has undergone surgery to repair the troubled ankle that
threatens to keep him our of action until the New Year. The 25-year-old Kiwi
sustained the injury during a routine training session at Chadwell Heath at
the beginning of the month. According to whufc.com, Reid "underwent a
procedure to repair the syndesmotic ligaments that connect the tibia and
fibula in his lower right leg" earlier today, with the patient said to be
doing well. The reigning KUMB.com Player of the Year, Reid had been an
ever-present in Sam Allardyce's first team this season. However he now faces
up to six weeks' rehabilitation in order to regain full fitness. Speaking
about the injury recently, Reid said: "It was a freak accident, slipping and
getting my leg caught under another player - but these things happen. For me
personally it's one of the worst things that can happen. It couldn't have
happened at a worse time, but life goes on."

Reid 'em and weep - the games that Winston may miss
All matches Premier League fixtures unless otherwise stated

November
Sat, 23 Nov: West Ham Utd v Chelsea
Sat, 30 Nov: West Ham Utd v Fulham

December
Tue, 3 Dec: Crystal Palace v West Ham
Sat, 7 Dec: Liverpool v West Ham Utd
Sat, 14 Dec: West Ham Utd v Sunderland
Wed, 18 Dec: Tottenham v West Ham Utd (C1C)
Sat, 21 Dec: Man Utd v West Ham Utd
Thu, 26 Dec: West Ham Utd v Arsenal
Sat, 28 Dec: West Ham Utd v West Brom

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce hopes win over Chelsea can spark West Ham resurgence
Last Updated: November 22, 2013 9:23pm
SSN

Sam Allardyce hopes West Ham will end a poor run of form against Chelsea in
Saturday's Premier League clash. Allardyce admits the 2013-14 Premier League
season has been a frustrating one so far, with a lack of goals the Hammers'
main problem, and he hopes some of their positive performances will start to
earn the points they deserve. They have only won one top division game since
the end of September, albeit a memorable one when they finally broke their
shackles and crushed Tottenham 3-0 at White Hart Lane. "We can't keep saying
good performances will eventually turn into results when they haven't when
you're 11 games in," Allardyce said in an interview with Sky Sports' Geoff
Shreeves. "I think those good performances should have had a lot more wins
behind them, on the way we played, the chances we created, the amount of
clean sheets we've achieved this year already. "I think we achieved 11 clean
sheets in the entire season last year and we've got six already. That should
have brought us four or five wins. "We've had some great performances which
have ended up in a draw. We had a terrific performance at Hull, we couldn't
score then ended up losing 1-0. "We obviously had a great performance and
the result of the season at Tottenham, so it shows on our day we can beat
the best. "We haven't been on our day in front of goal enough, having played
11 games and under 10 points that isn't good. That's not what should be
happening to us based on the level of our performances we've given this
season.
"We won results at this stage last year that we didn't deserve and this year
we're not getting the wins we do deserve. That's the difference between
where we are now and where we were last year."

Allardyce, who took charge of West Ham in June 2011, added: "It's gone
quickly Geoff. It's been a very quick two-and-a-half years up to now, I've
had a great time. "I've enjoyed the lifestyle here in London and more
importantly the small success at West Ham, obviously getting them promoted
in the first year and finishing tenth last year. "Chelsea have faltered in
the last couple of games, Newcastle away and they got a bit of luck with the
penalty they got to draw against West Brom at home. "They've shown a couple
of frailties we've got to try and exploit. We saw how Newcastle did it, and
West Brom did it, and we've got to try and do the same. "But we can only do
that by being tactically aware and having every player on top of his game on
Saturday."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Taxpayers to pay bulk of £200m Olympic Stadium conversion costs
Last Updated: November 22, 2013 5:37pm
SSN

Taxpayers will contribute up to £185m towards the cost of converting the
Olympic Stadium, Sky Sports News has learned. Sources say redevelopment work
costing as much as £200m is needed before West Ham move into the Newham
venue on a 99-year lease in 2016. And the Premier League club must hand over
just £15m of that figure, with the remainder of the cost borne by the London
Legacy Development Corporation (£120m), Newham Council (£40m) and the
Government (£25m). Contacted for a response by Sky Sports News the LLDC -
the body responsible for overseeing the transformation work - said: "The
stadium transformation has been delivered through public competitive
processes to ensure best value for taxpayers". And a spokesman for West Ham
pointed out taxpayers will recoup money for the duration of the 99-year
lease in rent, catering receipts and naming rights. The venue will also host
events unrelated to West Ham, including 2015 Rugby World Cup games, rock
concerts and the 2017 World Athletics Championships. And a statement from
the club read: "This total package will be worth hundreds of millions of
pounds to the taxpayer over the course of the agreement. We offered the only
viable solution to the long-term financial success of the stadium."
But Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn, who has fought a long battle for the
right to share the ground, has called West Ham's move "the deal of the
century".
And Robert Oxley, campaign director for the Taxpayers' Alliance, told Sky
Sports News: "It's incredibly worrying. "We've already spent £0.5bn in
taxpayers' money building the stadium. The idea that we've got to pay nearly
another £200m readying the stadium is a terrible deal for taxpayers."
Earlier this year Sky Sports News discovered under the Freedom of
Information Act that taxpayers are paying £1m a year to maintain the stadium
while it is unused. The fate of the arena has proved a long running headache
for the Government and London Mayor Boris Johnson, but both maintain the
right outcome has been reached. The venue will eventually become a
55,000-capacity multi-use stadium hosting football in the winter and
athletics in the summer. A full roof is to be fitted along with retractable
seats that move over the athletics track.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Exclusive: Six years on, London's Olympic stadium shambles over Premiership
football bites deep into UK taxpayers
Insideworldfootball.com
Published on Friday, 15 November 2013 14:49
Olympic stadium
By Mihir Bose

November 15 - The decision to lease the Olympic stadium to West Ham still
generates huge controversy with Barry Hearn owner of Leyton Orient vowing to
fight it all the way to Europe. Hearn is awaiting a report on Olympic Legacy
by a select committee of the House of Lord's due on Monday.

However confidential minutes of the Olympic Board, which brought together
all the stake holders responsible for London 2012, which have come into my
possession show how six years ago the Board rejected Premiership football as
the post-Olympic use of the stadium.

Yet in 2013 West Ham appear to have secured the stadium on much the same
terms but with the tax payer having to foot a bill 100 percent higher (at
£200 million) than what it would have cost had use of Premiership football
been incorporated in the original design.

The minutes relate to the 15th Olympic Board Meeting which started at 1-30
pm on 7 February 2007 at the offices of the Department of Culture, Media and
Sport in London's Cockspur Street

The Board had before it what was called "Olympic Stadium Update Report
Report Number OB(15)03".

This had been prepared by the Olympic Delivery Authority and its first
recommendations was: "To CONFIRM the Board's previous decisions not to
proceed with a Premiership Football option."

The executive summary of the report dealt with what the consultants PMP,
being used by the Sir Robert McAlpine team, had advised on the stadium and
its legacy use.

There had been previous discussions with Premiership clubs including West
Ham which had come to nothing. But at the end of 2006 after the Icelandic
takeover the club renewed interest in playing at the stadium. This led to
discussions and says the report:

"In summary, WHU's position is as follows.

"• Retrofitting the stadium after the Games is not a cost effective option.
The design brief needs to be amended to suit premiership football and core
facilities/"enhanced scope" required to accommodate premiership football
(e.g. under pitch heating, retractable seating, hospitality areas,
redesigned roof etc) would have to form part of the base brief.

"• WHU will not occupy the stadium if a running track is a permanent
fixture. Stand seating must cover the athletic track for a majority of the
year (about 20k-25k seats) and the roof must be redesigned to the scope of
this extended seating i.e. a much more extensive legacy roof structure. The
stand capacity is to be 60,000 seats, which includes the seating covering
the running tracks. NOTE: This means that the remaining seating left over
from the 80,000 Olympic requirement would be somewhere around 40-45,000.

"• The transaction would have to be based on a freehold or very long term
lease (in excess of 99 years) sale, with WHU as the sole operator of the
stadium. The indicative price for this interest is £100m. NOTE: it is
unclear as to when this would be paid and the extent to which this would
cover the costs of WHU's "enhanced" scope.

"• The retractable seating would cover the athletic tracks for the entirety
of the football season leaving approx 3-4 months when, subject to not
clashing with WHU fixtures, it would be available for athletics for up to 18
events. These events would be subject to WHU's approval. Other events may be
accommodated but these would be at WHU's discretion and potentially
chargeable.

"• A minimum of 500 and a preference for 1,000 car parking spaces, plus
coach and broadcast areas."

The result of all this would mean that "with regular access to the track for
athletics training impractical, WHU suggest an alternative solution in their
letter which would be to convert the stadium post Games for a football only
use, with a separate athletics facility built around the warm up track (in
effect Option 2 already considered and rejected by the Olympic Board)."

The executive summary concluded, "In summary, the WHU letter proposes a
purchase of the Olympic Stadium by a private company who would then take
responsibility for future operating and maintenance costs. WHU would control
access to the stadium and would provide very limited access for a few elite
athletics events. It rules out the daily use of the stadium for schools,
community groups and athletics training. It is currently unclear the extent
to which the £100m commercial offer would cover the "enhanced" scope and
enhanced risk to the construction programme as they propose this would be
delivered as part of the main build programme rather than being retrofitted
post Games."

The executive summary went on to warn that the West Ham proposal raised a
number of difficult issues. "WHU's proposal is an indicative offer. It would
take 6-8 weeks to reach detailed Heads of Terms and say another six months
to reach a binding legal/commercial position. There are however a number of
significant risks to achieving a secure position with WHU and it is unlikely
that this position could be reached before contracts have to be let and a
start made on site.

"The most significant risks to a clean deal and timescale are:

"IOC – approval to change in Host City Contract.

"State aid and procurement issues – the sale of a public asset to a private
company and well below cost price.

"Lottery – approval would be required to sell and asset funded by the
lottery to a private company.

"Planning – any deal would have to be subject to planning. The proposals are
not in line with the current application and would raise very substantive
issues such as traffic and environmental impact. A very careful approach
would be required to any new stadium proposal to avoid upsetting the current
application which is absolutely on the critical path for delivering the
Olympic Park. NOTE: Stratford City have always objected to a premiership
football club use and Westfield have formally advised the ODA of their
objection to premiership football.

"Scope – agreeing what is base scope Vs "enhanced" scope and who pays for
what."The executive summary said, "The report from consultants PMP shows
that elite athletics only usage will require long term subsidy and there is
a need to have a mixture of usage for other sports and commercial uses to
underpin financial sustainability. There is an urgent need for more work on
complementary uses such as education, sporting demands and commercial uses
in non-sporting zones B and C."

There could be no conceivable doubt as to what the Board was told about the
discussions with West Ham. "WHU has indicated that will accept a track and
field legacy but would not be prepared to occupy the Stadium if the running
track is permanent during the football season. This would impact on the size
of the roof. It would also effectively rule out daily use of the Stadium for
schools and community groups. UK Athletics has stated that the Premiership
requirements conflict with its needs and if a 60,000 stadium with a covered
track is the preferred option then it would want to re-evaluate Crystal
Palace.

"WHU's commercial offer is an indicative £100m in return for a very long
lease or freehold and sole operating rights. It is not clear the extent to
which this would cover the cost of West Ham's enhanced scope – retractable
seating over the track, extended roof over the retractable seats, corporate
hospitality, under pitch heating etc."

The result of this was talks with West Ham had come to an end as the club, "
have made clear that they do not think that their requirements can be met by
retrofitting and would only be interested in doing a deal if the pre-Games
base build changed. This would mean a fundamental change to the design
brief. The Stadium is currently on the critical path. The current programme
is already accelerated and there is no time to increase the scope to
accommodate a Premiership option if the Stadium is to have any chance of
being delivered on schedule or on budget. Continued uncertainty over the
base brief for the Stadium is becoming the most significant risk on the
project register. If this continues it could undermine the successful
delivery of the whole project in time for the Games."

The Board was told: "A clear decision is now required from the Board as to
how it wishes to proceed and its commitment to an athletics legacy – as per
the Host City Contract."

At its previous meetings the Board had considered four legacy options:

20,000 – 25,000 seat athletics facility

60,000 seat football, separate 20,000 seat athletics on the Olympic Park

60,000 seat football stadium, 20,000 seat athletics stadium at Crystal
Palace

60,000 football and athletics (combined)

However as the report pointed out: "Option 2 was eliminated on financial/VFM
grounds and on risk - complex solution technically to deliver, complexities
over specification for football club 'client', time required to get
commercial agreement with football club, state aid issues, town planning
issues, would require additional land take in Olympic Park etc - all of
which could jeopardise successful delivery of the project to time and cost.
Option 3 was eliminated as it did not meet the aspirations outlined in
London's Candidate File for an athletics legacy and would also attract
similar potential difficulties as outlined for Option 2 above. Option 4 was
eliminated on financial/VFM grounds and on risk grounds (state aid issues,
complexities over specification for football club 'client', compromise
solution for football, time required to get commercial agreement with
football club, does not accord with new masterplan).

A table attached to the report showed that athletics only use would mean a
loss of £5.67 million by 2018 and involve huge subsidy from the tax payers.

The Board was also told that Derek Mapp (then Chairman of Sport England)
"has raised concerns about the long term sustainability of a 25,000 seat
athletics stadium legacy. The ODA also understands that John Scott from UK
Sport has expressed strong reservations about the elite events strategy."

Minutes of the Board meeting state that "The Chair asked that the Board
endorse the decision that there be no further contact or negotiations with
West Ham Football Club in relation to the Olympic Stadium and this was
agreed. The Board also endorsed the concept of the Living Stadium. The Mayor
reported that he was due to make an announcement shortly regarding an
agreement with WFC and the development of another site adjacent to the Park.
"

The only one to voice objections was the then sports minister, Richard
Caborn, and the minutes state:

"Richard Caborn reminded the Board that the decision to support athletics in
legacy and reject Premiership football at the Stadium meant the loss of a
valuable revenue stream. He was concerned that the Mayor agreeing to a
further stadium being built by WHC so close to the Olympic Park would create
additonal problems in terms of attracting revenue and over capacity. Richard
Caborn had previously expressed his concerns regarding the PMP report to the
ODA. He was concerned that the legacy costs of maintaining the building
would divert resources away from grass roots sports and that these concerns
were echoed by UK Sport and Sport England. A number of other athletic
sporting venues were cited by Richard Caborn as currently running at a loss,
and heavily subsidised by public funds, despite offering world class
facilities."

However, "The Mayor[Ken Livingstone] re-iterated his commitment to the IOC
to provide £10m to support the Park in legacy mode, and this commitment was
binding on any future Mayor. He was surprised at the cost estimates in the
report as being less than he had anticipated. Lord Coe also informed the
meeting that £200K would be available from the Marathon Trust. Richard
Caborn was assured that there would be no direct cost to Sport England in
financially supporting the Stadium in legacy, unless by choice."

After these discussions it was resolved that: "(i) the Olympic Board
unanimously supports the ODA's brief of an Olympic Stadium of 80,000 seats
and 25,000 seats in legacy mode, based on a core athletics use; Olympic
Programme Support Unit Confidential - Policy (ii) the Olympic Board rejects
any further discussions with any Premiership football club on use of the
Stadium in legacy mode, and that Sir Roy McNulty formally advise West Ham
Football Club of the Board's decision; (iii) the ODA develop its legacy work
on the use of the Stadium as a matter of urgency, including drawing together
all the know funding and income streams."

But lack of funding streams has meant turning to Premiership football.
However the disclosure of these confidential minutes is bound to stir the
pot further. It now remains to see what the House of Lord's report says
about all this.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's Mo Diame ready to pledge his long term future to the east London
club
22 Nov 2013 16:40
The Mirror

Mo Diame is ready to turn his back on any Arsenal interest and pledge his
long term future to West Ham. The 26-year-old was linked with the Premier
League leaders during the summer after an excellent season at Upton Park
last time around including a goal in their memorable 3-1 victory over
Chelsea. And while he has not shone quite as brightly this season the star
has been granted contract talks with the owners. The Hammers chiefs are keen
to remove a £3.5m release clause in his current deal that has two years left
to run and see him play in the Olympic Stadium when they move there in three
years. 'I imagine myself at the Olympic Stadium but it's 2016 and I hope to
sort my contract as soon as possible to make sure I play there,' Diame told
the Mail. 'With the transfer window we will start to talk, at the moment we
are not talking. I hope it as soon as possible. 'Of course I will always
have good memories from the game against Chelsea last season. I'm looking
forward to do the same but it will be a different game. 'With the Olympic
Stadium you have to build a strong team to be at least in the top five or
something like this. You can't be in that stadium and play at the bottom of
the league. 'We didn't start very well this season but I hope that will
change on Saturday. I didn't start well myself so I'm working hard to
improve. "With the Christmas period coming up we can change our position in
the table quickly. We have to be ready.'

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com



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