Daily WHUFC News - 23rd December 2013

Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce is demanding consistency ahead of
Arsenal's visit
22.12.2013

Sam Allardyce is not planning to dwell on Saturday's Barclays Premier League
defeat at Manchester United, instead calling on his West Ham United players
to forget about the weekend's disappointment ahead of a flurry of festive
fixtures. The Hammers host Arsenal and West Bromwich Albion in the space of
just three days this week and Big Sam expects a more consistent showing than
the one he witnessed at Old Trafford. While the weekend's trip to the
champions was always likely to prove challenging, Big Sam was nevertheless
aggrieved to see his men give the hosts a helping hand. Conceding twice
prior to the interval put the visitors firmly on the back foot and the
Hammers boss admits that a slow start made life all but impossible
thereafter. A modest tally of 14 points from 17 games is certainly not what
Big Sam had envisaged at this stage, but he knows perfectly well what is
required to remedy the situation. "It's a difficult test for us now and it's
going to be a long haul in terms of digging ourselves out of this position,"
he explained. "We just have to make sure that we don't make the types of
error that we made in the first half on Saturday. "We have to be more
consistent in our performances and certainly we've got to find more goals.
"I can't complain about Saturday's result and I can't complain about the
fact that we were 2-0 down at half-time because of our own deficiencies in
our performance. "Manchester United's players will take full advantage of
basic mistakes in your own half, which they did on the two goals. "You
always have to weather the storm when you start at Old Trafford, not giving
too much encouragement. I think unfortunately for us we weren't able to do
that and ended up fighting a losing battle in the second half. "It's always
a tough task from there on and my disappointment was that our first half was
not good enough. It's about forgetting Saturday and moving on to Arsenal as
we quickly as we can."

Skipper Kevin Nolan will be back in contention for the Gunners' Boxing Day
visit, having served his three-match ban, and Big Sam is understandably keen
to see the return of other influential absentees. He explained: "We've got
to go all out to get some of the players who are injured back in the team,
because they will make a difference to us. "There are too few players who
are fit at the moment for me. My position is always this. When Stewart
Downing, Winston Reid, Ricardo Vaz Te and Andy Carroll are playing back in
the team, it will make the team bigger, stronger and bring more quality.
"That's no disrespect to what the players are doing at the moment, but
everyone wants their best players fit. We're missing them and we need to try
to get them back as soon as we possibly can."

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'We thought we could cause an upset'
WHUFC.com
Carlton Cole was disappointed at Saturday's loss at Manchester United
despite getting on the scoresheet
22.12.2013

Carlton Cole showed that practice proves perfect with his consolation goal
at Manchester United on Saturday. The Hammers striker has put in extra work
on the Chadwell Heath training pitches to hone his ability when one-on-one
with the goalkeeper, and he was given the perfect opportunity to benefit
when Modibo Maiga played him through with nine minutes left to play. The
No24 made no mistake to push the ball through David de Gea's legs, but he
admitted the goal would have meant a whole lot more had his team not been
3-0 down at the time. Second half sub Ashley Young added to earlier goals
from Danny Welbeck and Adnan Januzaj to leave the Hammers frustrated in
their quest to inflict a third straight home league defeat on the Red
Devils. Cole explained: "We wanted to at least get a result from the game,
so the gloss is taken off scoring at Old Trafford. "For the goal Van [Maiga]
picked up the ball in midfield, they got turned and when you're playing with
two strikers one goes to the ball and one pulls away. "He saw my run, I was
kept onside by their left-back [Alexander Buttner], so I ran along his line
and behind the centre-back and right-back. It was a lovely timed ball and I
was in. "I saw the goalkeeper coming up towards me with his legs wide open,
so I made up my mind to go through his legs. "He put his knees down to try
and close the gap, and it just went through that, so I hit it in a good
place and I'm happy with that goal because I've been practicing one-on-ones.
I did about 10 or 20 in a row, just before the Tottenham game so I'm happy
that came off. "I just wish it was a bit earlier so we could have done
something with it."

The game had already slipped the Hammers by when Cole entered the fray at
3-0 down, but he felt that even before his goal the Hammers were making a
better first of the match after the break. He continued: "I thought we
didn't have a great first half, but we imposed ourselves a little bit better
in the second half. We changed formation and gave them a few more things to
think about. "Going 2-0 down at Old Trafford before half time makes things
difficult as it would need heroics to get back in the game. "At the end of
the day, we were away at Old Trafford, but we did really think that we could
come here and upset things. We didn't, that's football and hopefully we can
go on to our next game now and get the result we need."

The Hammers entertain Arsenal next up, with the Gunners coming across London
to contest a Boxing Day derby. Arsene Wenger's men may be riding high in the
Barclays Premier League table, but Cole still believes his team can achieve
a positive result. He added: "We need any sort of result we can get against
Arsenal. We need to get our home form much better than it is but we can feel
we can produce another upset in the away games we have, like we did at
Tottenham. "It didn't happen on Saturday, but I do feel that we have a
chance in every game we play, it's just about capitalising on our chances."

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Winston Reid targets January return
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 22nd December 2013
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United's Winston Reid says he is looking forward to playing
football once again - which he hopes to be sometime in January.

West Ham's key Kiwi has been out of action since sustaining the injury
during a routine training exercise at the beginning of November, having
twisted an ankle after getting his foot trapped between an opponent's legs.

And whilst the Hammers have desperately missed Reid's calming influence
since - in the first four games without the 25-year-old at the heart of what
had previously been a rock-solid defence, the Hammers conceded 14 goals - he
too is desperate to get back playing again as soon as possible.

"I recently had surgery for my injury and it'll be several weeks until I'm
ready to play for West Ham again," he said in a blog for Wunderelf. "Now
comes the monotonous program of physical therapy and rehabilitation.

"Unfortunately with my injury I can't play again this year, but the
rehabilitation is going really well and I'm now without pain. My goal is to
be fit again sometime in January, but when exactly I dare not predict."

Reid, who was an Avram Grant acquisition in 2010 is now one of the Club's
most important assets and a player whose presence many supporters view as
vital in the fight to avoid relegation.

West Ham too value his importance - hence why he has been given extra leave
in order to aid his recovery. "The club has given me permission to go home
to Sonderborg for a few days at Christmas," revealed Reid.

"It's super that they understand it's probably not very encouraging,
mentally speaking, if you have to sit alone in your apartment without family
who are far away in a different country when you are already unable to play.

"It's not the most fun for a football player, but the Club have a really
good understanding of the situation. They know that a player's morale can
rapidly deteriorate with such a rehabilitation program so they give you some
liberties you would not otherwise have.

"I was also sent to Dubai for seven days to enable me to exercise in nice
weather and beautiful surroundings. It gives you a nice boost ahead of the
everyday life of rehabilitation. When I'm back in London I start at 8am and
work with different exercises and treatments until four in the afternoon."

Whilst he can't be part of West Ham's hectic Christmas programme - which
includes three Premier League matches against Arsenal, West Brom and Fulham
within a week - Reid says he'll be there in spirit, at least - and willing
his team mates on to get more vital BPL points on the board.

"Right now we face the Premier League's legendary Christmas program. It's a
lot of games in a very short period and with a very special Christmas
atmosphere in the stadium," he said. "We can't afford a poor run of results
as we need points on the table.

"Arsenal [on Boxing Day] is obviously a difficult game - that goes without
saying - but it's a big London derby, a big game for the Club and the fans
and winnable - especially as it's also a Christmas game. But we must taste
victory at Upton Park against West Bromwich Albion."

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Hammers bag young striker
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 22nd December 2013
By: Staff Writer

West Ham are poised to complete the signing of Peterborough United's teenage
striker Jaanai Gordon-Hutton. Following weeks of speculation the deal is now
set to be confirmed after the two clubs reached agreement over a transfer
fee for the promising 18-year-old. The youngster spent a brief period on
trial at Chadwell Heath last month during which he impressed sufficiently to
draw a firm bid from the Hammers. That initial offer was rejected by Posh,
who it has been suggested were looking for up to £5million for the player.

However a deal was finally struck when West Ham submitted an improved bid.
Jack Sullivan, the son of co-Chairman David Sullivan confirmed the deal had
been done on his Twitter timeline, stating: "We have signed Jaanai
Gordon-Hutton! Four-year deal will start in January. He's one for the
future."

Born in Northampton in 1995, Gordon-Hutton signed his first contract with
Peterborough in 2009 at the age of just 14, before turning pro in 2012. He
made his first team debut for the Posh in September 2012 as a second half
substitute in their 2-0 home defeat against Wolves. Gordon-Hutton went on to
make three more appearances for Peterborough in 2012/13 including his first
start against Hull in January 2013 - a 1-1 draw in which he played for 82
minutes. This season he made three brief first team substitute appearances
before joining West Ham on trial in November.

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HOW DO WE TURN THIS AROUND?
By Tony Hanna 22 Dec 2013 at 12:28
West Ham Till I Die

The beginning of this season had a sense of anticipation about it. Last
season had seen a relatively comfortable 10th place finish, and whilst we
were never completely clear of the relegation zone our home form was good
enough to allay any fears of an immediate return to the Championship. This
season our preseason form was excellent with Jarvis, J Cole and Ravel
looking really sharp. Andy Carroll was still injured but was due back any
time soon and any doubts of anything but a comfortable season were wiped
away with a 2-0 win against Cardiff in our first game of the season.

Four months later and we have won only two more Premier League games – that
is three wins in 17 matches and that form is confirmed on the league table
as we sit just one point above the bottom three and five points adrift of
14th place. This is the form of a relegation candidate and the way the teams
performances have dipped alarmingly in recent times, it is a high
probability. The preseason was hugely deceptive. Jarvis and Cole have only
showed glimpses of form and Ravel, whilst shining in the match highlights,
has not stamped himself as a midfield force. Perhaps we expect too much of
him? Perhaps it is the support of the players around him? And then we have
Andy Carroll. The player the manager has built his team around has not
kicked a ball yet this season. Then to throw salt into the wounds we have
our best player, Winston Reid injured for months, and Downing who had been
the best performer in recent games, injured for a couple of months as well.

So the hounds have been let loose and the blood letting is rampant for Sam
to be axed. As the season wore on and defeats became the norm, the negative
football and lack of ambition from the players has become dire. The only
real highlights for us 'Ammers have been the twin victories in League and
Cup at Spurs. They certainly will provide great memories for us but to be
realistic, we were awful in both games for the majority of play. In both
games Spurs should have been out of sight before a twenty minute spell in
the League game, and a ten minute spell in the Cup game, brought us dramatic
victories in both.

I have long been in Sam's corner but even now I am doubting myself. The
problem with sacking Sam is what manager is going to get any better results
out of the current squad? In his time at Upton Park he has surrounded
himself with ex Bolton players, players with the same agent as himself, and
other players suited to one style – HIS style. My real concern is if another
manager did come in, would he get the full support of these Sam clones? I
have my doubts. Our current squad of players has serious limitations – but
one thing is for certain, at full strength and playing a physical game we
are a match for many. Two wingers and Andy in the middle, or set pieces with
Andy, Collins or Tomkins and Reid in the box and we will create havoc. With
the current players we have at the moment this is our strength. However, at
present we don't have Andy and now we don't have Reid or Downing and what
are we doing? We are playing the only way we know but without our most
powerful players and it looks, and is, dire!

If we did bring in a new man how much would change? We do not have any
midfield players who can hold the ball. Noble is all heart and grunt, but
can't put his foot on the ball and dictate. Nolan is just the grunt and is
too old and slow. Diame is a fantastic dynamic player with his drives
forward, but again has no composure or patience. For me, it has all come a
bit too quickly for Ravel. He has sublime talent but again his burden of
Noble sitting too deep and Diame exhausted after his forward thrusts, he
just seems to be a bit overwhelmed, especially in a side that is obviously
lacking confidence. I am sure Ravel would excel in a good side playing with
confidence. When Joe Cole plays, he too, is devoid of his old guile and is
often caught out and way out of position. The whole midfield just lacks
cohesion and is crying out for a revamp if we want to change our "Sam Style"

Unfortunately, the job is too big for a new man to fix this season IMO. It
would be unfair and unrealistic for a new manager with new ideas to inherit
such a one dimensional squad of players and expect the results to change.
Our best bet is to let Sam and Andy try to get us out of this fix and either
way Au Revoir to both before next season when we will need to rebuild a new
squad – whatever division we are playing in.

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Sam Allardyce says West Ham need to pick up their points-to-games ratio
Dec 22, 2013 22:30 By David McDonnell 0 Comments
The Mirror
"It's 14 points from 17 games and that's fewer points than games played.
That's got to be caught up as soon as possible

Sam Allardyce admitted West Ham must improve their points-to-games ratio to
haul themselves out of trouble. The Hammers are just one place above the
drop zone and without a win in the Premier League since November 30. Next up
for Allardyce's side is a home encounter against Arsenal on Boxing Day, with
Big Sam conceding they need to put points on the board. "It doesn't matter
if we're in the bottom three or not," said Allardyce. "It's 14 points from
17 games and that's fewer points than games played. That's got to be caught
up as soon as possible and that's a massive task that will take six, seven
or eight games.
"Everyone talks about winning one game after the other and us being all
right but it hasn't happened since we got back into the Premier League.
"It's got to happen now. It's a long haul through Christmas and January now
for us to get ourselves away from the relegation zone. "Manchester United
were always going to come out fighting as they'd lost two home games in a
row, but we didn't make life difficult for them. "I looked at the stats and
they're not very good in the second-half if they're drawing at half-time.
But we gave them two goals early on with some poor play and made it easy for
them."

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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce unhappy with side's lack of determination in
Manchester United defeat
Dec 21, 2013 18:57 By Alex Richards 1 Comments
The Mirror

West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce was left disappointed with his side's
lack of desire and resilience during their 3-1 defeat by Manchester United.
The Hammers arrived at Old Trafford on the back of a 2-1 win against
Tottenham in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday evening, but a similar result
never looked likely. Danny Welbeck and Adnan Januzaj eased United into a 2-0
half-time lead and Ashley Young added a third after the break. Carlton Cole
came off the bench to score the away side a late consolation - only the 14th
goal of their Premier League season. But Allardyce, having rotated his squad
to ensure fresh legs, felt his side made life too easy for David Moyes' men.
"My disappointment was we played so well at Tottenham away a short time
ago," said the ex-Blackburn boss. "We changed the team around to play some
fresh legs but you didn't see the resilience and determination today. United
were always going to come out fighting as they had lost two home games in a
row but we didn't make life difficult for them. "I looked at the stats and
Manchester United are not very good in the second half if they are drawing
at half-time. "But we gave them two goals early on with some poor play and
made it easy for them."

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