Daily WHUFC News - 14th December 2013

Alpari FX kick-off 12 Days of Christmas
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Principal Partners are giving away four tickets for the
Boxing Day visit of Arsenal
13.12.2013

West Ham United and Alpari FX have joined forces to kick-off the '12 Days of
Christmas' promotions today! The Hammers and their Official Partners and
Sponsors will give supporters the opportunity to celebrate Christmas in
style with 12 amazing competitions between Friday 13 December and Christmas
Eve.
Today, to start the '12 Days of Christmas' in style, Alpari FX - the leading
global forex brokers - are giving away four Standard Tickets for the
mouth-watering Barclays Premier League visit of Arsenal to the Boleyn Ground
on Boxing Day. Alpari FX, a leading global FX broker, have joined forces
with the Hammers for a number of exciting events, including a game-changing
sports challenge with the Team Alpari FX professional sailing team and a
currency trading contest involving manager Sam Allardyce and first-team
players Kevin Nolan, Matt Jarvis and Joe Cole. Every day in the lead-up to
Christmas Day, supporters can enter the daily '12 Days of Christmas'
competition by answering the question posed on the Official Website. Each of
the 12 questions will relate to a month of the current year in West Ham
history, starting with today's question relating to January 2013. To be in
with a chance of winning this fantastic prize, simply email your answer to
the following question:

*Who scored West Ham United's opening goal of 2013 just three minutes into
their 2-1 Barclays Premier League victory over Norwich City at the Boleyn
Ground?

To enter, simply email your answer, plus your name, date of birth, daytime
telephone number and postal address, to
mediacompetitions@westhamunited.co.uk with 'Friday 13 December' in the
subject line.

The Club would like to thank Principal Partner Alpari FX, Technical Partner
adidas, Club Partners Carlsberg, Lycamobile, SBOBET, Sportingbet and
Programme Master Ltd, and 59 New Street for their generous contributions.
The full list of prizes up for grabs is as follows:
• Friday 13 December - Four Standard Tickets to West Ham United v Arsenal,
26 December 2013 (provided by Alpari FX)
• Saturday 14 December - Four Standard Tickets to West Ham United v Arsenal,
26 December 2013 (Alpari FX)
• Sunday 15 December - A half-season subscription to the West Ham United
Official Programme for the second half of the 2013/14 season (Programme
Master Ltd)
• Monday 16 December - A £50 voucher for 59 New Street Wine Bar and
Restaurant, Chelmsford, Essex (59 New Street)
• Tuesday 17 December - A £50 voucher for 59 New Street Wine Bar and
Restaurant, Chelmsford, Essex (59 New Street)
• Wednesday 18 December - A £100 online betting voucher (SBOBET)*
• Thursday 19 December - A signed, framed 2013/14 West Ham United home shirt
(Carlsberg)*
• Friday 20 December - A £100 online betting voucher (Sportingbet)*
• Saturday 21 December - Three pairs of Tickets to the Ice Rink at Canary
Wharf (Lycamobile)
• Sunday 22 December - An adidas 2013/14 West Ham United third shirt**
• Monday 23 December - An adidas 2013/14 West Ham United away shirt**

*This competition is only open to entrants aged 18 and over.
**Subject to size availability.

Full terms and conditions are available upon request.

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Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
Matt Taylor blogs for whufc.com as the Hammers build towards Saturday's game
against Sunderland
13.12.2013

Hello everybody.

We have a massive match against Sunderland on Saturday at the Boleyn Ground
and we all want to put right the last couple of results. It's a huge game
for us - one that we need to take three points from. There's no point in
beating around the bush, we need three points at home, Sunderland need three
points as well so I'm sure it will be a good game. Hopefully the fans will
get behind us in their numbers, as they have done all season, and cheer us
on to a home win. The manager has been very vocal with us in that we need to
get back to getting the basics right and earning the right to play. There
are no easy games in the Premier League and Saturday will be another
difficult one. We need to concentrate on what we're doing in house first,
and if we can get that correct, it will go a long way to securing a positive
result for us. Experience counts for a lot in these situations, but you
can't get caught up in the media frenzy that surrounds the game. We need to
concentrate on ourselves and a lot of it boils down to can anybody who is
playing, play better than their opposite number. If you can do so and make
less mistakes than they do, you have a great chance of winning the game.

Personally, I want to play football and I hope to be involved on Saturday,
I'm not doing that at the moment and the first and foremost thing in my mind
is to be involved in the team. If I get the opportunity in the next few
games then I'll look to do as well as I can and try to cement a place in the
team. Something else I've been doing recently is coaching the Luton Town
Under-15s and I'm enjoying the experience. We didn't play too well in the
games I've been on the touchline for, but the good thing is that it has
allowed them to see football in a slightly different light. We've worked on
it in training to put that right- it's giving me a different insight into
football and even though I haven't been playing a lot lately, it's making me
a better player because you look at the sessions and the coaching
differently, and I'm holding on to information more now than I did when I
was younger. It's great to be involved there - they've been fantastic
allowing me to go and coach the boys there. I'm really enjoying it.

Pelly Ruddock is on loan there with the first team at the moment too and
doing well. They are a proper club and I'm sure with a bit of luck they'll
get back in the Football League. Also this week we had a photoshoot on
Thursday with the Club's Official Tailor Apsley. We get a suit from them
every year and it's lovely to get them - the boys will be looking dapper!
We'll look even more dapper with three points on Saturday so we hope we can
put a smile on everyone's face come 5pm on Saturday.

Come on you Irons!
Matt

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West Ham v Sunderland
BBC.co.uk
By Simon Brotherton
Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday, 14 December

TEAM NEWS

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is hopeful defenders Guy Demel and James Collins
will be fit to play despite illness. Kevin Nolan begins a three-game ban,
Ravel Morrison and James Tomkins are injury doubts and Stewart Downing is
ruled out with a gashed calf.

Sunderland pair Keiren Westwood and Carlos Cuellar remain sidelined by
injury. Lee Cattermole, Emanuele Giaccherini and Fabio Borini will hope for
recalls to the starting line-up.

MATCH PREVIEW

West Ham's dismal form means this match is a big one for them as well as for
bottom-of-the-table Sunderland. Hammers manager Sam Allardyce describes it
as a "critical" game that both sides need to win, and you can see why. Four
defeats in the last five in the league, culminating in last week's 4-1
thrashing at Liverpool, leaves West Ham above the relegation zone only on
goal difference. "I think West Ham will be into them and harry them from the
start because their manager Sam Allardyce knows the importance of three
points from this fixture. "He definitely needs them, because the Hammers
play Manchester United away and Arsenal at home either side of Christmas."

They're in trouble and they know it, with co-chairman David Gold publicly
backing Allardyce this week while acknowledging last summer's transfer
policy of putting all their eggs in the Andy Carroll basket may not have
been the wisest move. The lack of striking alternatives has been a major
problem and they've failed to find the net in just over half of the league
games they've played. Carroll is just one of half a dozen players injured at
the moment, while the absence of Kevin Nolan in midfield for three games
through suspension will hardly help at this busy time.

West Ham can ill afford to pick up any more injuries or suspensions with a
trip to Tottenham in the League Cup quarter-finals next Wednesday followed
by league games away at Manchester United and at home to Arsenal. Gus
Poyet's Sunderland go into the weekend five points adrift of Fulham, Crystal
Palace and West Ham at the foot of the table after claiming just a single
point from the last five games. They're the only team in the Premier League
without an away win, collecting a couple of points from draws at Southampton
and Aston Villa. Goals could be at a real premium in this fixture because
they too have had problems finding the net, scoring only two away goals all
season. Steven Fletcher gave them the lead in this game last season, only
for West Ham to equalise in injury time through Kevin Nolan. Poyet will be
hoping Fletcher gets better service this weekend than of late as Sunderland
look for their first away goal since August.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head
Sunderland are unbeaten in their last four matches against West Ham (W3,
D1).
However, the Black Cats have won only one of their last eight top-flight
games at Upton Park (W1, D1, L6).
The 31 previous top-flight games between the sides at Upton Park have not
produced a single goalless draw.
West Ham United
West Ham have kept seven Premier League clean sheets this season - a tally
bettered only by Everton (eight).
However, the Hammers have only managed one shut-out in their last five
league matches, conceding a total of 11 goals.
The Hammers have won one of their last eight league games (W1, D2, L5).
They are chasing back-to-back home league wins - something they last
achieved on the opening day of the season (having ended the previous
campaign with a home win).
The last time they recorded consecutive home league wins during the same
season was at the start of the 2012-13 campaign, which began with victories
against Aston Villa and Fulham.
Sunderland
Sunderland have scored five own goals this season - three more than any
other Premier League side. Those five own goals have all come in the last
eight league matches.
The record number of own goals by a Premier League side is eight - set by
Leicester in 2003-04.
The Black Cats have lost more points from winning positions (11) than any
other side.
They have failed to win their last nine away league matches (D2, L7). Their
most recent away victory was the 3-0 win at Newcastle on 14 April.

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Sam Allardyce's injury update on West Ham duo Stewart Downing and Andy
Carroll
Last Updated: 13/12/13 3:00pm
SSN

Sam Allardyce does not expect West Ham United winger Stewart Downing to be
out for ten weeks and insists it will be another fortnight before Andy
Carroll makes his comeback. Downing suffered a deep gash across his calf and
Achilles during last week's 4-1 defeat at his former club Liverpool which
required 12 stitches. Reports have suggested that Downing could be out until
March, but Allardyce is optimistic that he will be back before that date. "I
don't think it will be that long," said Allardyce at his press conference
ahead of Saturday's game at home to Sunderland. "We always try not to be too
specific about the date of any particular injury. First and foremost it's
about how quickly does the scar heal, does Stewart recover from that and
then when he starts training again how does he feel on a day-to-day basis?
"At this moment in time it's very difficult to say based on the healing
process as we don't know how long that will be. "We've done all aspects
possible to make sure that the one big thing that is stopped with this is
infection. The size and depth of the wound means that the last thing we want
after the surgeon stitching him back together is an infection. That would
put him back a period of time. "Hopefully there'll be no infection in there
and I think his recovery will be much quicker than ten weeks."

Meanwhile, Allardyce is adamant Carroll will not face fellow strugglers
Sunderland as the striker continues to build up his fitness following a heel
injury. The West Ham boss added: "There's no chance that Andy Carroll will
play any part because he's only been training on his own at the moment.
"It's like learning how to walk again. He is weeks and weeks and weeks and
weeks and weeks behind where we thought he would be. "Going through gentle
processes of rebuilding his confidence in the injury not reoccurring and
that's the big thing. Once you've recovered from one injury there's always a
confidence factor when you come back into training over whether it's okay.
"When you come back to training and it goes again then there's a greater
fear the second time you come back. I think that from Andy's point of view
we take things on Andy's say so as well as the specialists. "He's got no
chance of playing in the next two weeks."

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Two men arrested over anti-Semitic tweets
Last Updated: 13/12/13 11:26am
SSN

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred following
comments made on Twitter after the Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham match on 6
October. Haringey CID launched an investigation after they were made aware
of the tweets, which were of an anti-Semitic nature and made reference to
Hitler and the gas chambers. A 24-year-old man was arrested at his home
address in Croydon on Thursday, 12 December on suspicion of inciting racial
hatred and was taken into custody at a south London police station A
22-year-old man was arrested on the same day at his home address in
Wiltshire on suspicion of inciting racial hatred and was taken into custody
at a local police station. Previously, as part of the same investigation, on
5 December a 48-year-old man was arrested at his home address in Canning
Town by Haringey officers on suspicion of inciting racial hatred, and was
taken into custody at a north London police station. All three men have now
been bailed to a date in late January pending further enquiries. In a
separate investigation that also dealt with anti-Semitic tweets relating to
the same match, a 55-year-old man from Hemel Hempstead was arrested and
cautioned on 28 November for malicious communications.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham play host to Sunderland at Upton Park
Last Updated: 13/12/13 11:57am
SSN

West Ham welcome fellow strugglers Sunderland to Upton Park in a real
relegation six-pointer for both sides. West Ham find themselves nervously
looking over their shoulders, sitting just above the drop zone on goal
difference. Sam Allardyce goes into the game with his position under
scrutiny after seeing his side drop down the table following four defeats in
their last five Premier League games. West Ham will be hoping to ease the
pressure on Allardyce and put further daylight between themselves and
basement boys Sunderland with all three points at Upton Park. However,
Sunderland are unbeaten in their last four matches with the Hammers and a
win over West Ham would close the gap between the two sides to just two
points. Sunderland remain rooted to the bottom of the table and five points
adrift of safety after only picking up eight points from their first 15
games. The Black Cats have a miserable away record having only collected two
points on their travels so far this season. After securing impressive wins
against Newcastle and Manchester City, Sunderland have lost three of their
last four games to leave them in danger of being cast adrift at the bottom.

Paul Merson's prediction

West Ham are struggling. They've got no Andy Carroll or Kevin Nolan and if
you take away the Fulham result they haven't really looked like winning any
games. Sunderland need to get winning quickly, losing their last two games -
I know it was against Chelsea and Tottenham - but I still think losing both
at home makes this another must win game. I think if they lose they're not
far from being relegated. I'm not being horrible but Sunderland need to keep
West Ham down there in that scrap.

PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1

West Ham Badge West Ham
Last 6
Liverpool (a)4-1
C Palace (a)1-0
Fulham (h)3-0
Chelsea (h)0-3
Norwich (a)3-1
A Villa (h)0-0

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce will be without suspended captain Kevin Nolan
for the visit of Sunderland, with the Hammers also missing several
first-team players through injury. Nolan is banned after picking up a red
card in the 4-1 defeat at Liverpool while Winston Reid (ankle), Stewart
Downing (calf), Andy Carroll (heel), Ricardo Vaz Te (shoulder), Mladen
Petric (thigh) and Alou Diarra (knee) are all sidelined. James Collins and
Guy Demel are also struggling due to illness but Allardyce is hoping to have
both available alongside James Tomkins and Ravel Morrison, who both return
to the squad.

Sunderland Badge Sunderland
Last 6
1-2
Chelsea (h)3-4
A Villa (a)0-0
Stoke City (a)2-0
Man City (h)1-0
Southampton (h)2-1

Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has no fresh selection problems ahead of the trip
to Upton Park. Only keeper Keiren Westwood (shoulder) and defender Carlos
Cuellar (hip) remain on the casualty list and, with Vito Mannone the man in
possession in goal, and John O'Shea and Wes Brown having secured the central
defensive berths in recent weeks, their respective absences have not proved
too problematic The Black Cats head for Upton Park sitting at the foot of
the table and five points adrift of Crystal Palace, Fulham and the Hammers,
and in desperate need of a first win in five attempts in the league.

Opta Stats

Sunderland have now scored five own goals this season; at least three more
than any other Premier League side.
Only Everton (8) have kept more clean sheets in the Premier League than West
Ham (7) this season.
Sunderland have dropped the most points from winning positions in the
Premier League this season (11).

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
SHOULD WE GAMBLE ON JORDAN RHODES?
By S J Chandos 13 Dec 2013 at 20:00
West Ham Till I Die

One can only imagine the miles of copy that has been written recently on
West Ham's goal scoring crisis and the prioritization of a new marksman in
the January transfer window. The latest is Sam Allardyce's column in today's
Evening Standard, where he talks about the transfer window and the need to
sign a quality addition to our strike force. He makes the point that he
could easily sign an average player, but the club face the greater challenge
of signing a quality player that can go straight in to the side and make a
difference. Preferably in the first week of the window! The article is also
interesting for his discussion of the considerable obstacles that have to be
circumvented in making a new signing, not least the machinations of players
agents!

Similarly, the seemingly endless round of speculation has already started,
with Obafemi Martins the latest name linked with us. Of course, a lot of
this stems from agents trying to generate interest and offers for their
clients. It is widely known that West Ham are targeting strikers this
January, so agents will see it as a credible rumour to link their 'want
away' charges with a move to Upton Park. On the transfer front, It is
difficult to pick the 'wheat from the chaff' at the moment. And it will
undoubtedly continue to be the case, with numerous other strikers being
linked with the club.

Amidst the speculation, there is one name that stands out from the reluctant
recruits, journeymen and veterans seeking a last pay day. That name is
Jordan Rhodes. This Scottish international is the right age, has enormous
potential and a formidable goal scoring record. It is an condemnation of the
overseas focus and fear factor in the Premier League that no top level club
has taken a gamble on Rhodes. But is he really that much of a gamble? Not if
you look at the players goal scoring statistics. Bwin Betting football site
have done just that and it makes interesting reading.

In his career to date, Jordan Rhodes scored 82 goals in 143 matches for
Huddersfield and after moving to Blackburn Rovers registered 38 goals in 68
appearances. An impressive 26 goals in his first Championship season
disproved any doubts that he might struggle to make the step up to the 2nd
tier. And he has followed that up in his second season with 11 goals in 19
matches, a better than 1 in 2 goal scoring average. The article also makes
the observation that he has scored 7 goals in 15 matches against teams
currently in the PL. An indicator that Rhodes would make a successful
transition to become a successful PL marksman. This evidence is reinforced
by his success at international level, where Rhodes has scored eight goals
in eight matches for the Scotland U-21s.and 3 goals in 11 senior
appearances.

In an earlier era those goal scoring statistics would have resulted in a
opportunity to play in the PL. Although it could equally be argued that, in
another era, it would not have cost anywhere near the £8-10m price tag
currently attached to him. Crystal Palace have been linked with a move for
Rhodes this January, but Tony Pullis has scotched the rumour with the
comment that Palace could not afford his services. And that remains the
question for PL managers and boards, do you invest that sort of money in
Rhodes' promise or do you look for more proven and, possibly, cheaper
options in the overseas markets. For instance, Alfreð Finnbogason scored 38
goals in 46 appearances for SC Heerenveen, in the Dutch League, last season
and has bagged 4 goals in 19 matches for Iceland. And it is rumoured that
Finnbogason's signature could well be secured for under £4m.

Many clubs will be put off by the cost and degree of gamble attached to
Rhodes. And, indeed, take the overseas route in search for new recruits.
However, one feels that there is something a bit special about Jordan Rhodes
as a goal scorer. He is a natural and the suspicion is that the PL club
brave enough to take the plunge will be richly rewarded both in terms of
goals and, at 23 years of age, the future sell-on value. That club is
unlikely to be Palace, if Pullis sticks by his public statement, but could
it be goal shy West Ham? Unlikely, considering the club focusing on the loan
market and Allardyce's emphasis upon 'the final product,' ready to go
straight in to the first team.

Are the board really likely to commit £8 plus to sign Rhodes this January
considering these factors? Probably not. And it is a shame, because Rhodes
is that rare thing, a prolific goal scorer. He could prove to be our most
exciting signing (Andy Carroll apart) since the January 2006 purchase of a
certain Dean Ashton from Norwich City. I acknowledge the value for money
counter-argument, but I just have this gut feeling it is a signing that
would pay off big style. Could Rhodes come straight in to the first team and
perform straightaway, as is required in our current league situation? That
is the biggest question mark, for me. Would he take time to adjust to the
greater speed and less space in the PL? Possibly, and that is not an
unreasonable expectation for a player making the step up.

I doubt that there will be resources to sign Rhodes in January. And if the
club can identify better, more experienced options then fine. But if they
fail to sign the 'ready made' type of quality striker needed, then the club
should definitely gamble on Rhodes over some journeyman or over the hill
veteran. Even if that means investing £8m plus to get his signature.

SJ. Chandos.

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THE TARGET IS SIX POINTS FROM THE NEXT FOUR MATCHES!
By S J Chandos 13 Dec 2013 at 08:00
West Ham Till I Die

Sam Allardyce has confirmed that the club's target over the next four PL
matches is to take six points from a possible twelve. The obvious source of
the points being the home matches against Sunderland this Saturday and WBA
on 28 December 2013. The team can certainly help themselves if they can take
maximum points in these two matches, as the other two fixtures are at home
against Man Utd and Arsenal. It is going to be tough, especially if we
continue to be so wasteful in front of goal, but the squad need to buckle
down and grind out a couple of vital wins in this key period.

Can we take anything out of the Man Utd and Arsenal matches? Well, we should
not just turn up to make up the numbers. The squad need to be competitive
and put in a couple of good performances, as part of the revival process.
Good performances build confidence and if we can nick a point or three
against a out of sorts Man Utd then so much the better. With Nolan's absence
through suspension it gives us the opportunity to try a different set up,
with either Ravel Morrison or Joe Cole playing in an advanced midfield role.
Also, with Stewart Downing out injured, Matt Jarvis needs to get back to his
best form out wide. Jarvis has the pace and skill to really test the
opposition, but I just wish that he could use his assets to score more
goals. Too often Jarvis breaks through on goal and seems to lack the
confidence to finish. We all know that he can do it, as evidenced by his
time at Wolves. Now he needs to do it in a West Ham shirt.

We shall have to see what the situation is with James Tomkins' injury.
Hopefully he will recover and be able to line up alongside Collins this
Saturday. If not then I guess it is a choice between young Leo Chambers or
either McCartney or Diarra as an auxillary centre back. Since Reid has been
injured the defence has become almost as problematic as the forward line. We
have allowed sloppy defending to creep back in and seem unusually error
ridden just lately. We need to cut that out and try to get back to the solid
defending that we exhibited at the beginning of the season. However, the
sooner Winston Reid returns, the better as far as I am concerned. Will the
club also sign another central defender in the January window? I would not
be surprised and I am sure that a loan deal for Christopher Samba is
probably on Allardyce's wish list.

If we achieve that six point target then it will give us 19 points ongoing
in to the New Year's Day. In fact it could provide a launch pad for an
upturn in results, with winnable early New Year fixtures against Fulham
away, Cardiff City away and Newcastle Utd at home. Hopefully, with the
assistance of Andy Carroll's much anticipated return, the equally important
return to fitmess of Winston Reid and at least one new striker added to the
squad. Ideally, good business needs to be transacted early in the window so
that any new acquisition(s) can have maximum positive impact, as quickly as
possible, in the New Year. Although from David Gold's recent comments, it
looks like that business is going to be via loan deals, with a view to
possible permanent moves in the summer. The club must get this right, lets
have no honest but underwhelming journeymen strikers or veteran marksmen
long past their best. We need an injection of genuine class up front to give
us that missing cutting edge. It remains to be seen whether they can pull
that off in the loan market and in the difficult January window. All will be
revealed soon enough!

The latest name in the speculative frame is former Newcastle Utd striker
Obafemi Martins. The 29 year old Nigerian international is currently plying
his trade in the lucrative north American league and a loan could be
possible during their close season. Many of us remember Martins as a pacy,
powerful striker, with a good PL strike rate. He is still only 29, but has
not been playing in the strongest of leagues. Also, there is the
complicating factor that any loan will end in March 2014 to facilitate the
north american pre-season. That is far from ideal and will probably mean
that a second striker will need to be signed to cover his premature
departure at a potentially key stage of the season.

So, on to this Saturday's match vs Sunderland. We need another high tempo
and attacking performance like the Fulham match. This is a match where the
skills and technique of Morrison and Joe Cole should shine through. It is
likely that Allardyce will start with Maiga up front again, with Carlton
Cole figuring from the bench. In terms of the opposition, I would opine that
the key danger men are Adam Johnson and Stephen Fletcher. Johnson is a
technically gifted wide man, with the ability to hurt us. Up front, they
have a very dangerous striker in Stephen Fletcher. Fletcher is having a bit
of a fallow period in front of goal at the moment. And that could spell
danger, because it seems that every misfiring striker manages to rediscovers
his goal scoring touch against us. But seriously, we need to keep those two
quiet, if we are going to take all three points. Sticking my neck out
slightly, I feel that we can grab an invaluable, and much needed, 2-1 win
over Sunderland.

Elsewhere, there have been a couple of media stories about possible January
exits from West Ham. The first of these is a potential Liverpool bid for Mo
Diame. The other is alleged interest from Newcastle Utd and Everton in Mark
Noble. Of the two, the Liverpool move for Diame probably has slightly more
substance. While I doubt very much that Mark Noble will be leaving the club
anytime soon. Especially as he has just signed a new contract. Hopefully,
West Ham will also soon sign Diame on an improved contract (minus that £3.5m
release clause) and stop this recurring speculation during each window. We
cannot afford to lose our best players, and aside from one or two fringe
members of the squad, I doubt there will be many notable exits in January.

Finally, well done to Kevin Nolan and the rest of the squad for cancelling
the Christmas jamboree to Dublin. The last thing the fans need to see is
pictures in the Daily Mail, of boozy sessions in Dublin hot spots, at a time
when only goal difference keeps out of the bottom three. All minds need to
be concentrated 100% on winning football matches. That is their bread and
butter, with an extremely large dollop of jam on it, and boozy sessions are
an unwelcome distraction. Its about being professional and the players have
made the right decision without a shadow of doubt.

SJ. Chandos.

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Sport Football News West Ham United FC
By Alan Wilson
The Mirror
Ravel Morrison back for West Ham but Kevin Nolan banned for Sunderland game
13 Dec 2013 11:56

The West Ham boss will have to ring the changes for the visit of the Black
Cats as injuries and suspensions take hold West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is
set to shuffle his pack ahead of the visit of Sunderland on Saturday
afternoon. Skipper Kevin Nolan is the latest player to be ruled out as he is
suspended after seeing red in the 4-1 defeat at Liverpool. Also out are
Winston Reid (ankle), Stewart Downing (calf), Andy Carroll (heel), Ricardo
Vaz Te (shoulder), Mladen Petric (thigh) and Alou Diarra (knee). There was
some good news for the former Bolton boss as he is able to welcome back
James Tomkins and England Under-21 sensation Ravel Morrison to the squad.
James Collins and Guy Demel could miss out through as the pair have picked
up illnesses and will be given late fitness tests before the game.

Provisional squad: Jaaskelainen, Adrian, Demel, Collins, Tomkins, O'Brien,
Rat, Chambers, Collison, Noble, J Cole, Morrison, Jarvis, Taylor, Diame, C
Cole, Maiga

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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce tells players to keep their nerve ahead of
relegation six-pointer with Sunderland
13 Dec 2013 22:30
The Mirror
The Hammers boss wants his charges to "continue to try to do the right
things" as they battle for survival

Sam Allardyce will go into Saturday's relegation six-pointer against
Sunderland telling his men , 'Keep calm and carry on'. Big Sam's West Ham
side have lost four of their last five matches but have kept seven Premier
League clean sheets this season – a tally second only to Everton's eight.
And the Hammers chief says that defensive record could provide the
springboard for a much-needed win. He said: "We're in a particularly
difficult period where nothing seems to be going for us. The only way it
will start going for us is if we keep our nerve and co ntinue to try to do
the right things that we know work for us."We're so close because we've had
seven clean sheets already in the first 15 games. "That will help us to get
over this because sooner or later when we get that clean sheet, we'll score
one goal and win a game."

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West Ham don't regret Andy Carroll swoop even though he hasn't played once
since £17.5m move
12 Dec 2013 22:30
The Mirror
Allardyce will stick by injury-hit striker like Man United and Arsenal did
with Giggs and Van Persie when they struggled to stay fit

Sam Allardyce has insisted he has NO regrets about buying Andy Carroll. West
Ham striker Carroll has yet to play for the club since making his
season-long loan move from Liverpool permanent in a £17.5million summer
deal, because of injury. Mirror Sport understands that although the
24-year-old is back in training, he is still weeks away from fitness -
having not had a pre-season - and is highly unlikely to play before the end
of the year. Carroll aggravated an acute ankle problem in September, his
fourth major injury in the last two years. Before that, heel damage suffered
in May put him out for four months.
Other setbacks have interrupted the big Geordie's time at both Upton Park
and with Liverpool. Allardyce, however, maintains he would not done things
differently if he'd known all this would occur, despite the fact his team
are fighting to stay out of the Premier League relegation zone.

The Hammers' boss also believes Manchester United stars Ryan Giggs and Robin
van Persie are examples of the benefits to be derived from staying loyal to
good players during injury setbacks. Allardyce, who side host Sunderland on
Saturday in a massive relegation six-pointer, said: "Based on what we were
told, Andy would have been fit and ready to go at the back end of August.
"On that basis, at 24 years old, we thought that he was going to be okay.
There are always players that at some stage can have spate of injuries and
overcome them. "So if I refer to Ryan Giggs, for example. Everybody thought
that he would never get past 30 with the considerable amount of injuries
that he had. They were constant - week after week. But he's still playing at
40. "There was Robin van Persie at Arsenal, who was never finishing a
season. He was always getting injured, but recently he has been completing
season after season. "So my opinion is that when Andy reaches full
maturity, in terms of his body's full development, I hope that those
injuries will become less and less frequent. "You also have to say that the
commitment of players like him always puts them a little bit more risk of
injury because he does go where angels fear to tread. "That's why he's such
a good player in my view - unique, sadly, in this country today. We should
have more Andy Carrolls in and around the Premier League because, in full
flow, we all know how exciting they can be."

Asked whether Carroll was simply cursed with bad luck, Allardyce added: "All
the specialists and all the consultants, at the stage he was at, said he
could start training with the lads again. "It was the first international
break we had at the end of August so all in all we were planning that Andy
would be okay over the following couple of weeks to at least put him on the
bench for ten or 15 minutes, even though he wouldn't be match fit. "As long
as he was clear and free from the injury then putting him on the bench and
bringing him on for ten or 15 minutes to reintroduce him would have been a
massive boost for us all at West Ham. "But then he went down in training and
that injury was diagnosed as not in the same place, but in a different
place. It's an unusual injury for a footballer. People I've spoken to who've
had it says it takes a considerable time not just to heal – it heals okay –
but then sometimes there's a considerable amount of discomfort that you go
through. "If that starts to diminish, day by day, then you can step up the
training process, and if one day he says he's pain-free then the process
goes even quicker still. "We hope to see him on the bench as quickly as we
can."

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David Sullivan admits regrets over Andy Carroll
By Ben Smith
BBC Sport

West Ham co-owner David Sullivan would not have spent a club-record £15m on
Andy Carroll had he known the striker would be out so long through injury.
Carroll, 24, has not played for the Hammers since his move from Liverpool
was made permanent in the summer. He remains at least three weeks away from
fitness as he recovers from a double fracture in his right foot. "Had we
known he would be out for this long, we would not have signed him," Sullivan
told the BBC's Football Focus. "We are not a rich enough club to deal with
that. You know any player can get injured, but we can't buy a player knowing
he is going to be out for half the season. "When we signed him we were
assured by the medical staff that the very, very latest he would be back was
1 September. That would have meant he would only miss two league games."

Carroll has returned to training at the club's Chadwell Heath training
ground in the past week, and Sullivan remains hopeful that the England
international will come good. "If you ask me the same question at the end of
the season, I hope I will be able give you a different answer and say 'Yes,
it was the right decision to sign Andy Carroll'. "He is a fantastic player
and on his day he is unplayable. We love him and that is why we signed him.
He is desperate to come back; he is sweating blood in training."

The forward has spent the majority of his rehabilitation receiving
specialist treatment in Belgium and the Netherlands. Carroll has used a
variety of techniques that ballet dancers exploit to build up the strength
in his foot, but Sullivan told BBC Sport that he still remains unsure when
the striker will return to the side.

Andy Carroll career stats
Newcastle (2006-11): 91 games, 33 goals
Preston (loan Aug 2007-08): 12 games, 1 goal
Liverpool (2011-present): 57 games, 11 goals
West Ham (loan 2012-13): 24 games, 7 goals
England (2010-present): 9 games, 2 goals

"He has been all over Europe for treatment and he has begged me to come
home," said Sullivan. "He has rung me up and said 'It is doing my head in
being here, I really want to get back as soon as possible, I really want to
play'. "Even now we haven't got a date that he could be back. He could be
back in three weeks, he could be back in six or eight weeks. I hope he might
make a contribution in the next three or four weeks, that might be 20
minutes as a sub.
"He is not going to be quite the player he was at the end of last season
until he has played some games. "He is a fantastic player, don't get me
wrong, but I only wouldn't have signed him because I can't have that amount
of wages and that amount of transfer fee on a player who isn't going to play
a minimum 20 or 30 games a season, hopefully 38 games a season."

With Carroll sidelined, West Ham have slipped into a relegation battle and
face Sunderland in a crucial match on Saturday. "It has been an extremely
difficult season," said Sullivan. "We are not playing very well, we didn't
anticipate it and it has gone far, far worse than we could possibly have
imagined. "The hope this season was to be mid-table right from the start,
never to be threatened by relegation, to play the strongest possible teams
in the cup matches and to try and get to a cup final - that was our aim.
"Now we have a relegation battle and, although we are still in both the
cups, I don't know if the manager will want to play his strongest teams
because it is vital that we get points." He added: "I am deeply concerned.
Anybody who looks at where we are in the table and is not concerned are
kidding themselves."

Off the back of a run that has seen West Ham win just one of their past
eight league matches, the future of manager Sam Allardyce has been called
into question in recent weeks, but Sullivan says the board have no intention
of sacking him. "I really believe Sam is the man for the job," the Hammers
co-owner said. "If he wasn't our manager he is exactly the type of manager
you would be bringing in to be the manager. Where do you get someone better
than Sam to do the job that is now necessary? "If you asked me what kind of
season Sam has had up to now, I would say disappointing. But let's judge him
at the end of the season. I think the Newcastle manager would have been
sacked by most fans after a month of the season but now he is flavour of the
month."

Watch the interview with David Sullivan on BBC Sport's Football Focus from
12:00 GMT on Saturday, 14 October.

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