Daily WHUFC News - 12th December 2013

Date set for Forest tie
WHUFC.com
The Hammers will travel to Nottingham Forest for their FA Cup third round
tie on Sunday 5 January
11.12.2013

West Ham United's FA Cup with Budweiser third round tie at Nottingham Forest
will be played on Sunday 5 January with a 12pm kick-off. The Hammers will be
travelling to the City Ground for a second FA Cup clash with the Reds in
three years, having defeated the East Midlanders at the Boleyn Ground in the
fourth round in January 2011. Forest are currently flying high in the Sky
Bet Championship, following a good start to the season, and sit in the
Play-Off positions. They are two-time FA Cup winners and last lifted the
trophy in 1959. West Ham have won the FA Cup three times, in 1964, 1975 and
1980.

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The Big Interview - Steve Potts
WHUFC.com
Steve Potts talks about his disappointment at his side's FA Youth Cup exit
after defeat to Accrington
11.12.2013

Steve Potts was left deflated after a goal five minutes before the end of
extra-time sent his West Ham United U18s out of the FA Youth Cup at the
hands of Accrington Stanley. The Hammers had forced the third-round tie into
an extra period when Jamie Harney headed home from a corner in the 92nd
minute to cancel out Nathan Webb's acrobatic 49th-minute effort. Potts' side
dominated the game throughout, especially in extra-time, only for Max
Hazeldine to net a 116th-minute winner for the hosts. The manager says the
players know where they went wrong.

Steve, can you start by giving us your reaction to the defeat?

"Obviously I'm disappointed, very disappointed. I just said to the boys,
overall, we've probably only got ourselves to blame. We didn't really do
enough to go and win the game like we have been doing. In previous games
we've constantly asked questions of their defenders and their goalkeeper and
I just felt that against Accrington we didn't quite do enough of that. We
didn't hurt the opposition enough when we could have done and when you don't
get yourselves in front it becomes difficult for you. "They worked really
hard, they were difficult to break down, they got behind the ball and got
their tackles in. It was like their cup final it was like classic FA Cup
stuff with a lower-league side against a Premier League club. They battled
away and we found it difficult really. It was probably one of the more
difficult games we've had in terms of trying to open up the opposition."

What lessons can your team learn from the defeat?

"It was a big occasion in that it's a cup game, an evening match in a
stadium and I think that the biggest thing is maybe showing that bit of
composure with the ball. We were a little bit rash, I thought. We didn't
play like we can play. I know we can do a lot better than that and we've
seen it for most of the season from the boys, but it just didn't happen for
us. We'll go away, look at it and hopefully the boys can learn from it and
make sure nothing like that happens in the future, that's the main thing for
them to take out of it."

When you equalised did you feel as though you would go on and win it in
extra-time?

"Yeah, I did. We got a late goal and we were starting to threaten towards
the end of the game. We got the goal and then, you think, with 30 minutes to
go the game is going to open up and they're not going to get around the
pitch so well and the game would open up in certain positions. It did, to be
fair, and I thought we were starting to look like the team that were getting
on top but I always thought in the back of my mind that a set-piece could
hurt us and that's how it proved. "It was sloppy, really, our marking on the
corner and their player has had a free header at the back post and no one's
really challenged the person who put the ball in the back of the net. It's
about having bright minds. I know that the boys are tired but that's what
cost us at the end of the day - a set-piece at the end of the game."

The boys kept going right until the end of normal time to get the equaliser
and even when they scored the second goal the team created a couple more
chances. Were you pleased with the way the players fought to the death?

"I can't fault the way the players kept going and going but all round we
didn't play like we can play. I think they gave the effort. You expect that
from the boys and they always give that but just that little bit of quality
was lacking and that's where we came unstuck. We've got to learn to play
against teams that are just going to sit back and give you no gaps to play
in. We've got to move them about and hopefully open the opposition up a bit
better than we did on Tuesday."

How do you pick the team up and bounce back from this?

"It's going to be a hard few days for the boys now, coming in training
they're going to be really flat, I know that. It's happened before, as you
always get the odd upset. This time it's happened to us and we've just got
to move on now. It's not going to stop them being a first-team player. It's
a game in the FA Youth Cup. It'll hurt, it'll hurt us all but they've got to
take it on the chin and hopefully get the positives out of it and push on to
where they want to go."

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SEASON TICKET HOLDERS' FORUM REPORT
By Sean Whetstone 11 Dec 2013 at 08:00
West Ham Till I Die

Tuesday night saw the Season Ticket Holders' forum with a Question and
Answer session with Manager Sam Allardyce & Captain Kevin Nolan for the
first hour and Joint chairman David Gold answering questions for the second
hour.

400 season ticket holders filled the legends lounge at the Boleyn to ask
questions of the West ham trio.

The crowd were quite subdued at first, Kevin Nolan looked nervous and Sam
Allardyce looked like ready for the onslaught from frustrated fans. However,
it was a very civil affair with the crowd very well behaved and respectful
of the speakers. Sam started the evening explaining the current form and his
view of the season so far. He complained about a lack of goals and the
impact of injuries.

I was able to ask the second question to Sam 'What is your realistic league
position target at the end of the season and how many points are you
targeting for the next four games against Sunderland, Manchester United,
Arsenal and West Brom?' I asked. Answering the second question first Sam
said he expected a minimum of 6 points from those four league games. When I
pressed him to answer the first part he explained his realistic target was
still to finish better than last season.

Sam went on to talk about Matt Jarvis dip in form, why he bought Stewart
Downing instead of a striker, signing a striker in January and the current
injury crisis.

Kevin Nolan spoke about the injuries this season. He said team morale is
still high he has no doubt West Ham will stay up this season.
He confessed his own finishing has been poor and apologised for the red card
on Saturday ( The video of his apology can be seen below) He explained the
origins of his chicken dance saying it was how one of his mates used to
dance..

David Gold called our season "disappointing" and said he had expected us to
be mid table by now. He said "We put all our eggs in one basket" with
Carroll and Downing but admits no one expected the injuries. Andy Carroll is
expected back for the New Year. He also said "We must rely on Sam!".

David said our "four best players" are injured calling it "bad luck". He
suggested we will see Ravel Morrison played in Kevin Nolan's role. He
admitted in hindsight that we should not purchased a winger rather than a
striker. When challenged on Financial Fair Play and the January transfer
window, he claimed "budgets change" and explained that half season loans are
cheaper. Gold said Sullivan and himself are doing everything to get a
striker in January and said that work had already begun.

In a funny moment David Gold said selling one of our fringe players would
help with transfer funds in January. "Fringe or French?" Asked a season
ticket holder. "Yeah, French" he said laughing. He then went on to answer a
number of questions about the Olympic Stadium finishing with his views on
Barry Hearn's challenge to share the Olympic Stadium.

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West Ham's Sam Allardyce feels relegation could claim ANY club in the bottom
half of the table
11 Dec 2013 22:30
The Mirror

Hammers in thick of battle that sees only six points separate 10th-placed
Swansea and third-bottom Fulham as festive programme looms

Sam Allardyce believes this season's fight for survival is one of the most
wide open there has ever been. West Ham go into Saturday's massive scrap
against Sunderland desperate for the three points to avoid being dragged
even deeper into the relegation mix. The Hammers have won just one of their
last five matches in the Premier League to leave them just one place above
the bottom three. Mirror Sport understands the club's owners will stick by
Big Sam regardless of the result on Saturday and provide him with more
striking firepower in the January transfer window. But with just six points
separating 10th-placed Swansea and third-bottom Fulham, Irons boss Allardyce
believes nobody in the bottom half is safe. He said: "It is too early to say
it is only six or seven because this time last year Southampton were in the
bottom three - by Christmas time they were out of it because they had put
some results together. "It becomes, normally, around and about the six or
seven after Christmas and going into the New Year. The points that the other
teams have gained tend to define the three levels of the league – the bottom
six or seven, the middle and then the top boys fighting it out."

After Saturday's game, the Hammers face two tough fixtures with a trip to
Manchester United followed by a home match against league leaders Arsenal.
Big Sam's men would be sitting 16th - above West Brom and Cardiff - had they
beaten then-bottom-of-the-table Crystal Palace on December 3. Instead, the
Eagles won, and their resurgence under new manager Tony Pulis has given them
a chance of leapfrogging West Ham. Fulham too have ended their worst-ever
Premier League run of six straight defeats with victory over Aston Villa to
give their new boss Rene Meulensteen a chance to survive at the Irons'
expense.
Allardyce added: "We have put ourselves in that position by the points we
have not gained that we should have done. We will live with the pressure
down there because that is where we are at the moment. We will have to
accept it is our responsibility to try to get out of it. "Certainly it is
our responsibility – together as a squad, the staff and the players combined
– that we are there at the moment. And we all have to work together to get
through it. "Defensive frailties have not been our problem this season
because we have had seven clean sheets. It is our attacking and goal-scoring
frailties that have left us where we are."

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Liverpool set sights on West Ham midfielder
GiveMeSport.com
Paul Bailey Published 27 minutes ago by Paul Bailey

West Ham United midfielder Mohamed Diame has emerged as a surprise January
target for Liverpool, according to the East London and West Essex Guardian.
The Senegal international is reportedly being lined up as a short-term
replacement for crocked captain Steven Gerrard, who was ruled out of action
over the busy Christmas period, with an initial diagnosis sidelining him for
six to eight weeks. Reds boss Brendan Rodgers is keen to bring the
26-year-old to Anfield as he looks to add more steel to his midfield, and
sees Diame as capable of filling the void left by Liverpool's injured
skipper. The Hammers ace is understood to have a £3.5million release clause
written into his current deal at Upton Park, although has hinted he is
willing to sign a new deal with Sam Allardyce's side.
However, Liverpool's alleged interest might prompt Diame to reconsider his
options, particularly given West Ham's current predicament in the lower
reaches of the Premier League table.

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West Ham weigh up move for Obafemi Martins
Soccernews.com

West Ham United are contemplating a loan move for Seattle Sounders forward
Obafemi Martins in the January transfer window. The Hammers, currently in
17th-place in the Premier League table (level on points with second-bottom
Crystal Palace), have scored just 13 goals in 15 league matches this term.
With Andy Carroll out and Carlton Cole and Modibo Maiga not providing any
goal-scoring threat, bringing in Martins seems like a good, albeit
desperate, idea.
Martins, who scored seven goals in 21 La Liga appearances for Levante in
2012/13, bagged eight goals and two assists for Seattle Sounders last
season.

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'The party's over!' West Ham captain Kevin Nolan cancels Christmas party
Express.co.uk

WEST HAM captain Kevin Nolan has cancelled the club's Christmas party, with
the Irons' slump in form seeing Sam Allardyce's team plummet towards Premier
League drop zone. The Hammers' players had been planning a festive trip to
Dublin, but Nolan has stepped in and shelved the idea, as the club look to
turn around their fortunes and pull clear of the bottom of the league.
Speaking to a group of 400 season ticket holders at Upton Park, Nolan
admitted the side had struggled to maintain the form that saw them finish in
the top-half of the Premier League last season. He also revealed his
frustration at his own behaviour after he saw red for a dangerous tackle in
Saturday's 4-1 defeat at Liverpool. Nolan will now serve a three-game ban,
but insists he will not be using the free time to rest. "I'll be working
hard on the training ground," the 31-year-old said. "I'm certainly not
getting away with it. I'll be in on Wednesday while all the other lads are
off. "It was a silly tackle and stupid of me. I'm rarely disappointed in
myself but I am sorry for that. I apologised to all the lads as well.
"Hopefully they can get the right results without me and I can come in and
add some goals and some better performances." Nolan will miss Saturday's
crunch relegation six-pointer with Sunderland at Upton Park, along with the
Capital One Cup quarter-final at Tottenham and the following week's trip to
Manchester United.

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West Ham set to make a move for Obafemi Martins to end their goalscoring
woes
11 Dec 2013 17:45
The Mirror

The Nigerian striker is currently with MLS outfit Seattle Sounders and could
be available on loan during the off-season in America

Former Newcastle United striker Obafemi Martins is being lined up for a loan
switch to West Ham, according to reports. Sam Allardyce is desperate to sign
a striker in January - with the Hammers scoring just five times in eight
matches - and this week, Mirror Sport revealed they could make a shock move
for Diego Milito. And with Andy Carroll still out injured and Modibo Maiga
struggling in front of goal, Allardyce could look to bring in a couple of
new faces. Martins is currently plying his trade with Seattle Sounders and
West Ham may try to sign him on loan during the MLS off-season, according to
the Telegraph. The Nigerian worked with the Hammers' boss during his time at
Newcastle, where he scored 35 times during his spell in the North East. He
later returned to English football with Birmingham City in 2011 - and
although he only played four league games for the Blues - he scored their
famous winner against Arsenal in the League Cup final. Martins will still
harbour hopes of making the Nigeria squad for next summer's World Cup and
may see a loan switch as the ideal opportunity to maintain his fitness. West
Ham have been linked with moves for Demba Ba and Emmanuel Adebayor in the
past, although their hefty wages appear to be a stumbling block. They are
back in action against rock-bottom Sunderland this weekend and their cause
for goals has not been helped by the suspension of captain Kevin Nolan.
However, Allardyce will be demanding a performance from his players and with
speculation mounting over his future, he will see the clash as one he has to
win.

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evin Nolan apologises for being sent off at Liverpool and reveals he has
cancelled West Ham's Christmas party
Wednesday 11 Dec 2013 5:27 pm
Metro.co.uk

West Ham's players have cancelled their Christmas party because their
Premier League performances are nothing to celebrate. The decision was put
forward by captain Kevin Nolan and agreed by his team-mates before
Saturday's 4-1 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield left the Hammers on the
brink of a place in the relegation zone. Reports earlier this week have
suggested manager Sam Allardyce could face the sack if bottom club
Sunderland return to Wearside from Upton Park with all three points this
weekend. Nolan sits out the match, next week's Capital One Cup quarter-final
against neighbours Tottenham at White Hart Lane and the trip to Old Trafford
to face Manchester United next Saturday, as punishment for the straight red
he received for a horror foul on Jordan Henderson in front of the Kop. Nolan
apologised to 400 fans for the dismissal at a forum at Upton Park last night
and said he was ashamed of his actions, according to the Evening Standard.
Flanked by chairman David Gold and by Allardyce, the former Newcastle and
Bolton star also revealed the players' party had been scrapped.

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