Hammers snap up Razak
WHUFC.com
West Ham United have signed Ivory Coast international Abdul Razak on a
short-term contract
30.01.2014
West Ham United are pleased to announce the signing of Ivory Coast
international Abdul Razak on a short-term contract. The 21-year-old is a
highly-rated midfielder who began his career with Manchester City and most
recently played for Russian Premier League side Anzhi Makhachkala. Razak,
who made his Premier League debut at 18, will add athleticism and ability to
Sam Allardyce's squad. The midfielder was born in the city of Bouaké, which
is also called home by his former Manchester City team-mates Yaya and Kolo
Toure, before moving to England as a boy. He quickly established himself in
City's Development Squad before forcing himself into Roberto Mancini's
plans, making a first-team debut at 18 in a Premier League fixture with West
Bromwich Albion on 5 February 2011. A maiden start arrived in September of
the same year, when Razak helped City to a 2-0 League Cup third-round win
over Birmingham City. He also featured in subsequent victories over
Wolverhampton Wanderers and Arsenal in the same competition. The youngster
joined Anzhi, initially on loan, in September 2013, and made eleven
appearances for the Russian side in all competitions, including two starts
against Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Europa League. At international level,
Razak has been capped five times by Ivory Coast since making his senior
debut in a 3-0 friendly win in Austria in November 2012. He also started the
Elephants' 2-2 group-stage draw with Algeria at the 2013 CAF Africa Cup of
Nations in South Africa.
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Hammers pair head out on loan
WHUFC.com
Jordan Spence and Paul McCallum have joined MK Dons and Hearts on loan
respectively
30.01.2014
Jordan Spence has re-joined Sky Bet League One side Milton Keynes Dons on
loan until the end of the season.. The West Ham United defender played 12
games for Karl Robinson's side in his first spell at stadiummk earlier this
season, and will now look to help the Dons push up from tenth in the table..
The versatile right-back or centre-back could feature for his loan club on
Saturday, when MK Dons host Tranmere Rovers. The defender will link up with
former Hammers winger Luke Chadwick in the squad at MK Dons, where the
first-choice goalkeeper is David Martin, son of West Ham great Alvin Martin.
The one-time Chigwell School pupil has totalled 80 first-team appearances
for West Ham, Leyton Orient, Scunthorpe United, Bristol City, Sheffield
Wednesday and MK Dons, including ten for the Hammers. - Meanwhile, striker
Paul McCallum has joined Scottish Premiership side Heart of Midlothian on
loan until the end of the 2013/14 season, subject to international
clearance. The 20-year-old will hope to score the goals to help Hearts pull
off a miraculous escape from relegation - the Edinburgh side currently sit
bottom of the table, 19 points adrift of safety, after being deducted 15
points in the summer. He could also help Hearts to reach the Scottish League
Cup final, with the Jam Tarts facing Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the
semi-finals in February. A strong, hard-working striker, McCallum enjoyed a
fine pre-season that saw him score in the first-team's 6-2 victory at Cork
City and make further appearances against Boreham Wood and AFC Bournemouth.
The former Dulwich Hamlet youngster also scored four times in five
pre-season matches for the Development Squad and has featured seven times
for the Barclays U21 Premier League title-chasers. The forward joined League
Two side Torquay United on loan in October 2013, scoring three goals in six
appearances in all competitions. McCallum also enjoyed two productive loan
spells with League Two clubs last season, scoring seven goals in 18 matches
combined for AFC Wimbledon and Aldershot Town.
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Tonks hails defensive effort
WHUFC.com
James Tomkins was proud of West Ham United's rearguard action at Chelsea
30.01.2014
James Tomkins says West Ham United can take a lot of pride from Wednesday's
goalless Barclays Premier League draw at Chelsea. The centre-back returned
to the starting XI after missing the home defeat by Newcastle United through
suspension, helping the Hammers to achieve a superb clean sheet and collect
a vital point. Talking to West Ham TV, Tomkins said he and his team-mates
would take confidence from their performance and the result they achieved.
"I think we can definitely take a lot of pride from our performance," said
the No5. "I thought we defended really well on the day. Chelsea are on form
at the minute, as well, and the Bridge is always a hard place to come and
get a result, let alone a clean sheet, so it was nice. "Hopefully we can
take this performance forward, which is the main thing, because we now have
confidence going into the next game. "All of the team were rocks - Matty
Taylor and all the back four were getting blocks in everywhere and that's
what it takes when you go there. Sometimes you need the rub of the green to
stop the net from bulging, but it was our day and we all deserved it because
it was a good performance. "I am proud of how I played, because I've had a
couple of niggles in my groins and that's behind me now and hopefully I can
put in performances like that - as I feel like I have most of the season. "I
thought we looked really good defensively and solid, while up front the Big
Man is back and that gives us a lot of belief as well. It's nice to see him
able to play 60 minutes. "Obviously the Italian lads have bulked the squad
up a bit, which is good, so we're looking up now."
With Winston Reid's return to the squad imminent and Roger Johnson having
joined the Club on loan, competition for places at centre-back is now
fierce. With James Collins also fit and performing well, Tomkins knows he
will need to continue to produce the goods if he is to retain his spot in
the starting XI. "I think that's always been the case when all three of us
have been fit, and now we have Roger here as well. It's important that we
keep putting performances in, because I think all four of us are capable of
playing. "Competition for places is always good because you have to prove
yourself every time you play."
Tomkins will now hope to keep his place for Saturday's visit of Swansea City
to the Boleyn Ground. West Ham have kept clean sheets in their previous two
clashes with the Swans, including a goalless draw at the Liberty Stadium in
October, but the defender knows the Hammers will need to be on their game if
they are to record their first home win since 30 November. "We didn't have
many chances on Wednesday - just a couple of efforts - but hopefully we'll
create them a bit more often at home against a team we're looking to beat.
"A lot of people wrote us off before Wednesday's game but we put in a good
performance and hopefully we can put in another one on Saturday and the
crowd will get behind us."
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Howes starts in England loss
WHUFC.com
West Ham United keeper Sam Howes played the 90 minutes as England U17 lost
to Belgium
30.01.2014
Hammers Academy goalkeeper Sam Howes was involved as England U17s were
defeated 2-1 by Belgium on Thursday. The 16-year-old stopper played the 90
minutes as Belgium gained revenge for their defeat by the same scoreline
earlier in the week. In drizzle at St George's Park, England started slowly
and fell behind on 19 minutes when Belgium's Dylan Damraoui lashed in a shot
from 20 yards which left Howes with no chance. The Young Lions hit back at
the start of the second period, Manchester United's Demetri Mitchell
knocking over stranded goalkeeper Quintijn Steelant with 48 minutes played.
England pressed for a winner, but it was Belgium who took the honours when
Matthias Verreth knocked home after the home defence struggled to clear
eight minutes from the end.
Despite still being a schoolboy, Howes has been a regular between the posts
for the Hammers' Under-18s this term, playing 14 games for Steve Potts'
side.
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Jose Mourinho: Chelsea boss wrong on 19th-Century football
By Professor Matt Taylor
BBC.co.uk
Football historian Jose Mourinho is an intelligent and articulate man and a
talented manager, but he is not a historian. He said West Ham played
"football from the 19th Century" after the Hammers' defensive approach
secured a 0-0 draw on Wednesday. Mourinho's remarks were clearly meant more
as a general slur alluding to the dark, unenlightened pre-Premier League
days of English football than an accurate comparison to the game's Victorian
past. But he might be interested to know that 19th-Century football was
actually characterised as much by attacking and sportsmanship as by dour,
defensive play. How did a 19th-Century football team play? Well, it varied.
It depended on what sort of team it was and at what point in the 19th
century. From the foundation of the Football Association in 1863 to the
early 1880s, British football at the highest level was dominated by teams of
gentleman amateurs, many of whom had learnt the game at public school and
university. Football in this period was a game to be played rather than
watched. Players dribbled up the field until they lost the ball. Team-mates
would back the dribbler up and then continue to try to move the ball to the
opponents' goal. But they were not there to be passed to. When an England
colleague in the 1877 match against Scotland complained to the Hon Alfred
Lyttleton that his dribbling was excessive, and that he was not passing to
team-mates in space, Lyttleton is said to have replied: "I am playing purely
for my own pleasure, Sir!"
As football became more popular, and spread to the working classes, the
passing game gradually replaced the dribbling game. Teams from Scotland and
the north of England were influential in developing a new style of play
based on passing combinations. In the 1883 FA Cup final, Blackburn Olympic
perplexed the Old Etonians by hitting long cross-field passes from wing to
wing. They had also caused a stir by preparing for the match at a training
camp in Blackpool, something that shocked the Etonians and their supporters.
Olympic won 1-0, took the cup north for the first time and changed the game
forever. Professionalism was legalised in England in 1885. The best clubs
became businesses and from 1888 began to compete in the Football League.
Spectators and the press wanted to see good play but increasingly they also
demanded a winning team.
A match from 1885 A picture from 1885, the year the Football Association
formally legalised professional football. Three years later a league was
formed.
How defensive were these teams? During the 1870s, it was not unusual for
teams to line up with six or seven forwards. Their main priority was to
attack, with defending left predominantly to two backs. Over time, many
teams chose to move one of their centre-forwards into a deeper position.
This became the centre-half, who was to be the pivotal figure in a 2-3-5
formation - the so-called 'pyramid' system - that became standard from the
late 1880s.
West Ham line-up - 19th-Century style?
In the 2-3-5 formation favoured in Victorian times:
Adrian
Collins, Tomkins.
Diame, Nolan, Noble.
Downing, C Cole, Carroll, J Cole, Jarvis.
Some traditionalists bemoaned the move away from all-out attack. One
Scottish writer condemned those clubs who kept two defenders close to their
own goal merely, he suggested acerbically, "to keep the goalkeeper in chat".
Another team from Ayrshire was reproached for only attacking with nine men.
Defensive tactics such as the 'one-back game', in which a full-back would
drop into a deep defensive position to limit long forward passing, were
considered unattractive and even unsportsmanlike. But they were defended by
club directors and officials, such as Blackburn's John Lewis, who reminded
critics that the main objective of league clubs was to win rather than
please the spectator. And even the so-called 'defensive' teams, we should
remember, were generally playing with five forwards.
Football in the 19th century was also characterised by a moral code - often
associated with amateurism - that decried cheating or even play that was
contrary to the spirit of the game. The famous Corinthian club, for
instance, opposed the penalty kick when it was introduced in 1891, and are
said to have actively resisted the new law by deliberately shooting wide
when they were given a penalty and withdrawing their goalkeeper if one was
conceded.
That is not to say gamesmanship and time-wasting did not take place, of
course. It almost certainly did. But football in the 19th Century was varied
and complex and changed over time. The best teams were described as
"scientific". Being scientific was not only about being skilled and
technically proficient but also about employing successful strategies and
tactics.
The first great football tactician was William Suddell, manager of the
Preston 'Invincibles' who won the first league and cup double in 1889. He
used a blackboard, and sometimes chess pieces on a billiard table, to devise
tactics and communicate them to his players. The Preston team were known for
their systematic style of play - not particularly fast but methodical and
consistent. They were described as "machine like… in working the ball along
the ground" during a match in 1885.
In the 1889 FA Cup final, the Wolves forwards were characterised by their
"very hard and determined play", whereas the Preston team "plodded away with
a distinct system", and ended up winning 3-0. As a manager synonymous with
pragmatism in the way he strives for success on the field, Mourinho would
surely have approved of that.
Professor Taylor is a historian at De Montfort University's International
Centre for Sports History and Culture and also an author of sports history
books.
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West Ham v Swansea
KO 12:45
30 January 2014
Last updated at 16:43
By Steve Wilson
BBC Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday, 1 February
TEAM NEWS
West Ham will be without Joey O'Brien for several months after he dislocated
his shoulder at Chelsea. New signings Abdul Razak and Marco Borriello may
make their Hammers debut, while Antonio Nocerino is vying for his first
start.
Swansea remain without injured striker Michu, who could return for next
week's derby with Cardiff. Jonjo Shelvey, Nathan Dyer and Jonathan de Guzman
all returned after injury in midweek and came through unscathed.
MATCH PREVIEW
Once West Ham's players have tied up their steeds, disembarked their Hackney
carriages, doffed their top hats and waxed their moustaches they'll hope to
display a different side to their game from the one which left that 21st
century boy Jose Mourinho glowering in frustration on Wednesday night . At
home, they will need to be more expansive and, with their treatment room as
quiet as it's been all season, should have the confidence to be so. After
all, West Ham's solitary defeat to Swansea on home soil came back in 1956,
which is not quite 19th century but certainly from another era. Now they
need to attack and provide some excitement for their fans and some
ammunition for Andy Carroll to feed off. As someone said only recently: "I
think boring is a team who plays at home and cannot score a goal. That's
boring, because you go to your stadium and fill your stadium to see
victories." That someone was Mourinho, by the way. The same Mourinho whose
team couldn't score at home on Wednesday…
A point at Stamford Bridge might be fantastic result, but it's still only a
point and West Ham need wins to haul themselves out of the bottom three,
especially as both Crystal Palace and Sunderland are showing that reports of
their deaths have been greatly exaggerated. Sam Allardyce's move to add the
nous of seasoned Italian internationals Nocerino and Borriello looks
sensible, and may even prove to be a masterstroke similar to the
Hartson/Kitson signings which West Ham fans will recall saved their bacon in
1997. Swansea are supposed to be struggling to replicate their stellar
campaign of last season, yet are 11th in the table and still in the Europa
League and FA Cup, where Napoli and Everton respectively stand in their way.
You'd hardly describe that as a calamity.
I'm certain that they have no need to worry about relegation and if, and I
regretfully expect when, Michael Laudrup moves on in the summer, I'm
confident that the Dane will be another Swans manager leaving with his head
held high and as a hard act to follow.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Swansea's only win in 22 previous league trips to Upton Park (D5, L16) was a
2-1 triumph in the old Second Division in August 1956.
Half of the 46 league games involving these sides this season have been
level at half-time, including 19 that have been goalless at the break (41%).
The two clubs drew 0-0 at the Liberty Stadium at the end of October.
West Ham
West Ham have picked up nine points from a possible 33 at Upton Park this
season, the lowest home tally in this season's Premier League.
The Hammers are without a home win in four games (D2, L2) since a 3-0
victory over Fulham at the end of November.
Sam Allardyce's men have conceded three goals in each of their last three
games at Upton Park, and in six of their last nine at home. They kept clean
sheets in the other three matches.
Adrian has been called upon to make six saves per game in the Premier League
on average this season, more than any other goalkeeper.
Andy Carroll is yet to record a shot on target in three league appearances
since he returned from injury.
Swansea
Swansea's midweek win over Fulham ended their longest ever Premier League
run without a victory (eight matches).
They have only only earned two points from five away matches since beating
Fulham 2-1 in November. Michael Laudrup's side have scored just twice during
this run.
Five of Swansea's six league wins this season have come when they have kept
a clean sheet.
Wilfried Bony has scored six goals in his last six competitive appearances
for Swansea.
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Transfer window: MK Dons re-sign West Ham's Jordan Spence
BBC.co.uk
MK Dons have re-signed West Ham defender Jordan Spence on loan until the end
of the season. The 23-year-old returned to Upton Park earlier this month
after a 12-game spell with the Dons, helping them keep six clean sheets. He
will add central defensive options for boss Karl Robinson, who saw Shaun
Williams join Millwall this week. Robinson has been told he can use the
funds from the Williams sale to strengthen his League One side.
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Transfer window: Abdul Razak joins West Ham
BBC.co.uk
West Ham have signed former Manchester City midfielder Abdul Razak on a
short-term contract from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala. Razak, 21, who has
won five caps for Ivory Coast, began his career at Crystal Palace before
joining City. But he did not start a Premier League game and had loan spells
at Portsmouth, Brighton, Charlton and Anzhi, joining them on a full-time
deal in October. The signing is Sam Allardyce's fourth of the January
transfer window.
West Ham, who are 18th in the Premier League, have also signed three players
on loan this month - Wolves defender Roger Johnson, Roma striker Marco
Borriello and AC Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino.
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Transfer window latest
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 30th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
With little more than 24 hours to go before the January transfer window
closes, West Ham are continuing to monitor the situation of several players.
Although he's already brought in six new faces since the beginning of the
month - including Abdul Razak earlier today - Sam Allardyce is eyeing at
least one or two more potential deals as the deadline rapidly approaches.
One player currently in Big Sam's thoughts is Napoli wing back Pablo Armero.
The 27-year-old Columbian has been strongly linked with a £15million move to
Milan, but West Ham are understood to have expressed an interest since
losing Joey O'Brien for the rest of the season in last night's goalless draw
at Chelsea.
Armero, who can also operate at full back moved to Italy via Brazil in 2010
when he joined Udinese from Brazilian Serie A side Palmeiras. He marked his
first full season in Europe by being selected in the Serie A Team of the
Year for the 2010/11 season. West Ham are interested in taking the player on
loan until the summer.
* Young striker Paul McCallum is set to join Scottish Premier League club
Hearts on loan for the remainder of the 2013/14 campaign. The 20-year-old
forward is yet to make his first team debut for West Ham and has previously
enjoyed spells on loan at Rochdale, Wimbledon, Aldershot and Torquay.
* West Ham are once again being linked with a move for former Leeds United
star Max Gradel. The 26-year-old wide man was the subject of serious
interest from West Ham three years ago but opted to move to St Etienne
instead. Gradel has made nine appearances for the French club this season.
* Another player linked with a pre-deadline move to east London is Sporting
Lisbon's Islam Slimani. The 25-year-old Algerian striker, who has made 12
appearances and scored three goals for the Portuguese club so far this
season is not a first team choice at the Estádio José Alvalade and could be
available for a loan move.
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Hammers land sixth signing
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 30th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham have announced the signing of former Manchester City youngster
Abdul Razak on a free transfer. The 21-year-old midfielder becomes West
Ham's sixth signing of the January transfer window and could go straight
into the squad to face Swansea at the Boleyn this Saturday. Razak, who was
born in Abidjan first came to England to join Crystal Palace's youth Academy
before becoming part of Manchester City's Development squad in 2010. He made
his first team debut for the Citizens as a 62nd minute substitute in a 3-0
win over West Brom in Februry 2011. After a couple more appearances for
City's first team Razak spent the remainder of the 2011/12 campaign on loan
at Portsmouth and Brighton, both of whom were in the Championship at the
time. Five more appearances followed in 2012/13 - as did a month-long loan
spell at Brighton in the Championship. In September 2013 Razak joined
Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala on a season-long loan with view to a
permanent deal - a clause that was activated following his first appearance
for the Eagles in a goalless draw with CSKA Moscow. However just four
months later he has returned to England to become part of Sam Allardyce's
squad at West Ham.
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Up yours Jose, says Big Sam
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 30th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce has laughed off criticism from Chelsea Joe Mourinho regarding
West Ham's perceived negative style , telling reporters "I don't give a
sh*t"!
Allardyce, speaking after the 0-0 draw at Chelsea last night was responding
to earlier comments from the Portuguese manager who described West Ham's
style as "football from the 19th century". When told of Mourinho's comments
regarding West Ham's style of play, Allardyce retorted: "I knew he would! He
can't take it,can he? He can't take it because we've tactically outwitted
him! He can't cope can he, so there you go. "He can tell me all he wants, I
don't give a shit to be honest with you. I love to see Chelsea players
moaning at the referee, trying to intimidate him, Jose jumping up and down
saying we play crap football. It's brilliant when you get a result against
him. "Tactically we got it right, in two areas particularly," continued
Allardyce. "Stopping Hazard, Oscar, William and Eto'o scoring goals and
stopping them scoring from set plays which they're very, very good at.
"They deliver really good balls in there with the big players they've got.
On those two counts we nullifed them and limited them to a few chances. We
did a fantastic job."
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West Ham hopeful of signing Max Gradel from St Etienne
Last Updated: 30/01/14 4:19pm
SSN
Sky sources understand that West Ham are "hopeful" of signing of Ivory Coast
international Max Gradel. The St Etienne winger has reportedly rejected
offers from former club Leeds United and Hull City in favour of a move to
Upton Park. Gradel moved to St Etienne from Leeds in 2011 after refusing to
sign a new contract but he has struggled to cement a first-team place,
making just nine league appearances in each of the last two campaigns. The
26-year-old impressed during his time at Elland Road. Having initially
joined on loan from Leicester City in 2009, he helped the club to promotion
from League One and scored 18 goals in the Championship the following
season. St Etienne manager Christophe Galtier confirmed earlier this month
that Gradel would be allowed to leave the club. 'We have several positions
where we have double players in, sometimes even more than that," said
Galtier. "Max-Alain Gradel also needs to play for the upcoming World Cup, so
we will not oppose any departure of his." Having already secured the
services of Italian duo Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino, West Ham boss
Sam Allardyce had previously indicated that he will not be making any more
signings during the January transfer window. However, with the club in the
bottom three after winning just one of their last 10 Premier League games,
Allardyce may seek to further strengthen his squad.
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West Ham weighing up Sporting Lisbon's Islam Slimani move ahead of deadline
day
Jan 30, 2014 14:39 By Darren Lewis
The Mirror
West Ham are keen to sign Sporting Lisbon striker Islam Slimani ahead of
Friday's transfer deadline. The 25-year-old Algerian international has 17
caps for his country and has scored nine goals for the African nation.
Slimani has been on the periphery this season for his club side, scoring
three goals in 12 League appearances from the bench. His latest strike came
in an away win at Arouca on January 18. West Ham are ready to listen to
offers for a number of players as they bid to clear the decks and free up
space in their 25-man Premier League squad for Slimani. Despite claims from
boss Sam Allardyce that the club have completed their business, Mirror Sport
understands the Irons will accepts bids for midfielder Mo Diame. Fulham boss
Rene Meulensteen expressed an interest in the 26-year-old earlier this month
and could yet return ahead of the window closing. But any move may have to
wait after the 26-year-old fell over advertising hoardings during Wednesday
night's draw against Chelsea. West Ham are also open to offers for misfiring
strikers Modibo Maiga and Ricardo Vaz Te.
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Jose Mourinho's criticism of West Ham's defensive tactics bring three words
to mind: pot, kettle and black
Chelsea's manager accused Sam Allardyce of playing "football from the 19th
century" in their 0-0 draw, yet Mourinho is all too familiar with employing
such tactics
Ben Bloom By Ben Bloom1:27PM GMT 30 Jan 2014
Telegraph.co.uk
"West Ham need points, to come here and not play and do it the way they did,
is it acceptable? Maybe yes. I cannot be too critical because if I was in
this position, I don't know if I would do the same. This is football from
the 19th century. This is not the Premier League. This is not the best
league in the world."
So said Jose Mourinho after Chelsea had no fewer than 39 attempts on goal
during his side's 0-0 draw against West Ham United on Wednesday night.
Sam Allardyce, whose side countered with just one shot of their own, went
home from Stamford Bridge with a crucial point in his side's relegation
battle and Mourinho's words ringing in his ears that: "The only thing I
could use was a Black and Decker to destroy the wall" erected by West Ham.
Hold on, is this the Mourinho whose Chelsea team during his first spell at
the club prided themselves on 1-0 victories to the extent that they managed
11 of them as they lifted the Premier League trophy in 2004-05? The Mourinho
who nullified the attacking flair of Barcelona with all-out-defence tactics
on his way to winning the Champions League with Inter Milan in 2010? The
Mourinho who set his Chelsea side up for nothing more than a point at Old
Trafford and The Emirates earlier this season?
Mourinho's first Chelsea side was one that lacked a true playmaker, with the
result that the team often targetted three points at any costs and at the
expense of aesthetics. It is difficult to criticise a side that won 95
points on the way to winning the league at a canter, but, for such
dominance, Chelsea did not set the world alight with their exciting brand of
football. Their defensive prowess was almost unrivalled in recent times (and
is something to be applauded), setting a Premier League record for the most
clean sheets in a season and the fewest goals conceded. Yet only one Premier
League-winning side since the turn of the century have scored fewer goals
than the Chelsea of 2004-05. This is not a criticism of Mourinho and his
side. Merely an observation that tactics must be catered to the situation -
something that the manager did expertly 10 years ago.
Inter Milan v Barcelona, 2010
What do you do when playing against a team that is better than your own
(part one)?
Protecting a 3-1 lead in the Champions League semi-final at the Nou Camp,
Mourinho's Inter Milan side produced a defensive masterclass. Playing more
than an hour with 10 men, Inter held their Spanish opponents to a 1-0
victory in what Mourinho described as "the most beautiful defeat of my
life".
The Portuguese manager's tactics were an utter success, halting the
attacking threat of the likes of Xavi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lionel Messi
to book a place in the Champions League final. Reacting to criticism
(similar to his own of Allardyce on Wednesday night) of such a defensive
approach, Mourinho replied: "It is a style of blood not skill. When the
moment of leaving everything on the pitch arrives, you don't leave the
skill, you leave the blood.
"We were a team of heroes. We sweated blood. It's a pity I could not play
because I have got the same blood."
Which makes little sense to the outside world, but shows Mourinho is not
afraid to resort to whatever tactics are necessary to win.
Real Madrid v Barcelona, 2011
What do you do when playing against a team that is better than your own
(part two)?
Taking on arch-rivals Barcelona for the fourth time that season, Mourinho
had a Champions League semi-final first leg at the Bernabeu to contend with.
In a bad-tempered game that saw Pepe sent off and Mourinho banished to the
stands, the Portuguese manager even managed to upset his own players with
his defensive tactics as Real slumped to a 0-2 home defeat. Having been
asked to operate as a lone striker with little support from team-mates,
Cristiano Ronaldo then switched to the right to take on an out-of-position
Carles Puyol yet continued to be starved of the ball.
When asked if he liked Madrid's style of football in the defeat, an unhappy
Ronaldo said: "No, I don't like it but I have to adapt to what is asked of
me. This is the way it is. We have a strategy."
Barcelona held Madrid to a 1-1 draw in the second leg and went on to lift
the Champions League trophy.
Chelsea v Arsenal and Manchester United, 2013
What makes Mourinho's comments about Allardyce so hypocritical is the way he
set his side up at against top-four rivals Arsenal and Manchester United
earlier this season. Chelsea's third Premier League match saw Mourinho's
side travel to face the reigning champions at Old Trafford. The Portuguese
manager, starting his second spell in charge of the club, decided to leave
Fernando Torres and Romelu Lukaku on the bench, keep Demba Ba out of the
squad altogether, and start without a recognised striker. Result = 0-0.
A couple of months later Chelsea took on Arsenal at the Emirates in a 0-0
bore draw that left Telegraph Sport's Henry Winter with this as his opening
paragraph to his match report: "This was mission accomplished by Chelsea,
and a not particularly pretty mission. Judging by their players'
celebrations at the final whistle, Chelsea departed with what they came for,
a point, from a Premier League match that was a five-star advertisement for
late-night, last-minute Christmas shopping."
When asked about his side's defensive tactics, Mourinho said: "We came to
win, but it was very important not to lose... we are not unhappy with the
point."
You see Jose, even Special Ones have to resort to "19th century football"
sometimes.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Armero in West Ham talks
By Football Italia staff
Napoli left-back Pablo Armero is reportedly in negotiations with West Ham
after missing out on Milan. The Colombian had been on the verge of joining
the Rossoneri in an exchange of six-month loans with Kevin Constant, but the
move collapsed when the Milan man rejected the transfer. According to Sky
Sport Italia, Armero is now a prime target for West Ham United. The
27-year-old's agent is flying in for a summit with the Partenopei. He only
joined Napoli from Udinese in July and played 18 games in all competition
for them this season.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
St Etienne winger Max Gradel's move to West Ham in doubt
Last Updated: 30/01/14 11:09pm
SSN
Sky sources understand that talks between West Ham and Ivory Coast
international Max Gradel have broken down. The St Etienne winger travelled
to London for further discussions with the Hammers, but they had failed to
reach an agreement by Thursday night. Gradel moved to St Etienne from Leeds
in 2011 after refusing to sign a new contract but he has struggled to cement
a first-team place, making just nine league appearances in each of the last
two campaigns.
The 26-year-old impressed during his time at Elland Road. Having initially
joined on loan from Leicester City in 2009, he helped the club to promotion
from League One and scored 18 goals in the Championship the following
season. St Etienne manager Christophe Galtier confirmed earlier this month
that Gradel would be allowed to leave the club. "We have several positions
where we have double players in, sometimes even more than that," said
Galtier. "Max-Alain Gradel also needs to play for the upcoming World Cup, so
we will not oppose any departure of his."
Having already secured the services of Italian duo Marco Borriello and
Antonio Nocerino, West Ham boss Sam Allardyce had previously indicated that
he will not be making any more signings during the January transfer window.
However, with the club in the bottom three after winning just one of their
last 10 Premier League games, Allardyce may seek to further strengthen his
squad.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham make late bid to sign Greece international Kostas Mitroglou
Last Updated: 30/01/14 11:28pm
SSN
Sky sources understand that West Ham have made a last-gasp bid to sign
Fulham target Kostas Mitroglou. Fulham reportedly agreed a fee with
Olympiakos for the 25-year-old, but their London rivals are attempting to
hijack the move. The Hammers have been the busiest side in the January
transfer window, bringing in six players, and the signing of Mitroglou would
be a major boost to their Premier League survival hopes. The Greece
international has been in scintillating form for Olympiakos this season,
scoring 17 goals in 19 games. Fulham have been holding talks with Olympiakos
throughout the week and edged closer to a deal on Wednesday after settling
on a fee, believed to be in the region of £12.5m. However, they now appear
to be locked in a tense Deadline Day battle with West Ham for Mitroglou's
signature.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham plot Kostas Mitroglou transfer gazumping on deadline day AFTER
Fulham agree £12.4m fee for him
Jan 30, 2014 22:31 By Darren Lewis
The Mirror
West Ham are set to hijack Fulham's £12.4million swoop for Olympiacos goal
machine Kostas Mitroglou. And the Hammers' dramatic move could wreck
Tottenham's deadline-day bid to re-sign Dimitar Berbatov from the Craven
Cottage club. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is set to finally make a move for
the Bulgarian on Friday, but the Cottagers' manager Rene Meulensteen wants a
replacement before allowing Berbatov to go. Sam Allardyce's daring act of
piracy emerges with Fulham ready to offer 25-year-old Mitroglou a four-year
deal after intense negotiations with his Greek club. Big Sam has been
gazumped himself this window, losing Monaco striker Lacina Traore to Everton
at the last minute. The Hammers boss has also suffered frustration after
Everton defender John Heitinga decided not to move to Upton Park at the 11th
hour - having already agreed terms. Now Allardyce, who earlier this week
described this transfer window as the most ruthless he has known, is ready
to commandeer a rival's transfer target himself. West Ham are set to fund
their bid for Mitroglou by selling midfielder Mo Diame to Queens Rark
Rangers, with the Hoops' ex-Hammers boss Harry Redknapp making his move on
Thursday night, and striker Modibo Maiga to French side St Etienne.
Before Thursday's developments, Greece international Mitroglou was set to
replace Berbatov as Fulham's star striker as the west Londoners had agreed a
£12.4million fee for him. Action ImagesFulham v Aston Villa - Barclays
Premier LeagueStroll on: Tottenham won't get Berbatov if Fulham don't sign a
replacement We revealed earlier this week that Meulensteen was keen on the
25-year-old, who hit 20 goals in all competitions last season. This time
around, he has already struck 17 times to help his club to the top of the
Greek Super League and into the knockout stages of the Champions League -
where they face Manchester United next month. West Ham have also launched an
ambitious bid to take Napoli left-back Pablo Armero, 27, on loan for the
remainder of the season. Meulensteen has cancelled his Friday press
conference ahead of Fulham's weekend Premier League home game against
Southampton in order to complete his transfer business. He is in advanced
talks to sign another Spurs player, midfielder Lewis Holtby, after QPR
loanee Adel Taarabt left the Cottage to join AC Milan. Meulensteen is
determined to keep Mitroglou from the clutches of West Ham - who are among
Fulham's rivals in the battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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Friday, January 31
Thursday, January 30
Daily WHUFC News - 30th January 2014
Adrian delighted with clean sheet
WHUFC.com
West Ham United goalkeeper Adrian was in unbeatable form at Chelsea on
Wednesday
30.01.2014
West Ham United goalkeeper Adrian provided a solid last line of defence for
Sam Allardyce's men at Chelsea on Wednesday night. The Hammers stood firm in
the face of plenty of Chelsea pressure to frustrate the home side, who would
have gone second in the Barclays Premier League with a victory. The majority
of their shots on the Hammers goal came from range, but when they did break
through Adrian was in the way and the Spaniard was thrilled to play his part
in a morale-boosting performance. "It was really pleasing to keep the clean
sheet and gain an important point at Chelsea," he beamed. "All match we
defended well and restricted their chances to shots from outside the box.
"We were strong in making blocks and cutting out the space and that was a
big part of the clean sheet."
Samuel Eto'o had the ball in the net for Chelsea in stoppage time when, not
realising that referee Neil Swarbrick had awarded the Hammers a free-kick
for a foul on Adrian, he pounced on a loose ball to knock home. Adrian said
there was no doubt the official had given the foul and that Eto'o's strike
was correctly ruled out. He continued: "The referee blew the whistle for a
free-kick, so I don't know what happened [with Eto'o]. "There was a bit of
confusion, but the most important thing is that it wasn't a goal and we've
got another point."
Even later than that, Adrian had to save from Frank Lampard, as the former
Hammer looked to win it with the last action of the game, and the No13 wants
to build on this positive result against Swansea City on Saturday now. He
added: "The save at the end was just me doing my job. "I've worked hard with
Marge [Martyn Margetson, goalkeeping coach] and Jussi on the training ground
for moments like that. "So we've gone through the game without conceding a
goal, which is great, and we'll look to build on that against Swansea now.
"It is an important game, because we are playing at home and we need three
points more to get us away from the bottom of the table."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam lauds defensive 'brilliance'
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was proud of West Ham United's resilient performance in
drawing 0-0 at Chelsea
29.01.2014
Sam Allardyce took great pride and pleasure from West Ham United's
hard-fought goalless Barclays Premier League draw at Chelsea. The Hammers
boss told West Ham TV that his players deserved a clean sheet and a vital
point from their resilient performance at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea unleashed
38 shots, nine of which were on target, only for West Ham's players to throw
themselves in the way of everything. When the ball did sneak past the
outfield players, goalkeeper Adrian was there to make a number of important
saves. At the other end, while West Ham mustered just one effort on target,
James Tomkins forced a flying save from Petr Cech in the first half, while
Andy Carroll mis-kicked when well-placed after the interval. All in all,
though, the manager was more than content with a point that clearly
frustrated Jose Mourinho and his players. "I think that our solidarity and
our defensive resilience meant that it wasn't luck, it was sheer brilliance
why we got a point," said the manager. "Our last-ditch defending was
brilliant and you can't tell me Adrian has had to make too many saves apart
from that one he made at the end from Frank Lampard. "Thank goodness Frank
didn't score against us again, and it was a brilliant performance overall
when you consider we had to play the last ten minutes with ten men after
losing Joey O'Brien to a dislocated shoulder. "That's three dislocated
shoulders we've had this season and is an illustration of how injury-prone
we've become as a squad this year and it's cost us. We'd only just got Joey
back and he's injured again, while Mo Diame got injured falling over the
advertising board. "It never rains but it pours from that point of view and,
just as I am getting everybody back and fit and am leaving players out of
the squad and off the bench - which is a nice thing to be able to do - two
players are injured again. "But, that said, what a great performance,
defensively and tactically, but the players in nullifying the world-class
players that Chelsea have. They made sure Chelsea resorted to moaning and
groaning and waving their arms about, trying to intimidate the referee to
get something out of the game that they couldn't get in general play."
Despite ceding possession and territory to their hosts for long periods, the
Hammers retained a defensive shape until the very last of the 97 minutes
played.
A match played in steady rain on a sodden pitch would have seen lesser teams
wilt, but West Ham remained organised to a man for the entirety of a
physically and mentally draining match. "When they threw Demba Ba on, we
went five at the back and made sure we stayed resilient with the four
midfielders in front of them. "After Joey went off, we had three in front of
them and Carlton Cole up front trying to hold the ball up when he could for
us. It ended up with about seven or eight minutes injury time after the
delays! "From our point of view, it was a great performance. From the
referee's point of view, standing up to the intimidation he received and
being strong and not wilting under the pressure he was put under [was also
great]."
When West Ham's massed ranks were breached on a few occasions, Chelsea found
Adrian in unbeatable form. The Spaniard made saves in either half, denying
Oscar, John Terry and Samuel Eto'o before the break and Frank Lampard with a
dramatic last-gasp stop. Big Sam was also pleased to introduce Italy
international midfielder Antonio Nocerino as a late substitute, giving him a
first taste of English football. "He has grown as a goalkeeper as he has
felt his way into the team, has Adrian. "We got Antonio on for a little bit,
just to show him what it's like. He came on at the end, so he can imagine
what it's like at the beginning now! "The only disappointment for me was the
two injuries and the fact Andy Carroll didn't score when he had the chance."
Now, Big Sam wants to see his team build on their hard-earned point when
they host Swansea City at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday lunchtime. "We've
already got a better away record this year than last, so it's at home where
we've let ourselves down. I think we've got to improve the home results,
starting with Swansea on Saturday. "We wasted the chance at home to build on
our win at Cardiff against Newcastle, due in part due to the injury
circumstances that we had. Hopefully, those injuries won't affect the back
four going out there on Saturday. "Winston Reid is nearly back now and we
won't slip up like we did against Newcastle. After a hard-earned point at
Chelsea, it's got to be followed up with a result against Swansea."
Finally, the manager revealed that West Ham will have to sell before they
can add to the squad in the final days of the transfer window. The Hammers
are currently at capacity in their 25-man senior squad and will have to make
space if the manager and Board want to bring in new faces. "We can only name
25, so we're already looking at the fact that we might have to leave one or
two of those out [of the matchday squad] with the players we have available
at the moment. "We'll have to look at it in the case of a top player
becoming available who the Chairmen and myself want to go for. At the
moment, it's about getting the players in this frame of mind for the rest of
the season and keeping them fit."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers keep it tight at Chelsea
WHUFC.com
West Ham United defended resolutely to pick up a point at Chelsea on
Wednesday
29.01.2014
Chelsea 0-0 West Ham United
Barclays Premier League
West Ham United stood firm to gain a valuable point at Chelsea on Wednesday
night. Title-chasing Chelsea had a near-monopoly on possession but could not
force a way through as the Hammers defended for their lives. Other than a
James Tomkins header which Petr Cech saved, Chelsea had all the
opportunities, but most of them came from range as they found it difficult
to break West Ham down. Despite their pressure, Chelsea could not manage a
breakthrough as the Hammers rediscovered a solidity at the back in timely
fashion. There were places on the bench for West Ham's new arrivals Antonio
Nocerino and Marco Borriello, while Joey O'Brien and Guy Demel returned from
injury to fill the full-back positions. Andy Carroll was also handed his
first Barclays Premier League start of the season, and he had an early shout
for a penalty when he went down under Cesar Azpilicueta's challenge after he
controlled Stewart Downing's cross at the far post. At the other end,
Chelsea were inches away from taking a ninth minute lead when Oscar arced a
shot towards goal, but Adrian got fingertips to the ball to touch it on to
the crossbar. West Ham responded with a chance of their own three minutes
later when they won a free-kick down the left and Taylor delivered for
Tomkins, who headed back across goal and forced a parry from Petr Cech. The
ball ricocheted off Kevin Nolan, who was in close attendance, but slid wide
of the post. That turned out to be the Hammers' only chance of the opening
period as Chelsea established a stranglehold on possession.
Sam Allardyce's men remained sturdy in defence, though, and restricted their
hosts to shots from range before the half-time whistle. Willian fired over
after working space 25 yards out on 15 minutes, while Samuel Eto'o shot too
high under pressure from James Tomkins. Ramires drilled just over the angle
of post and crossbar and Chelsea's best first half opening fell to John
Terry moments before the break, but Adrian saved with his feet after the
Blues captain got up to meet a Willian corner. The second half started in
much the same vein with Gary Cahill heading too high from another Willian
dead ball delivery. Eden Hazard shot wide from a tight angle after a good
spell of Chelsea ball retention ended with Willian threading a ball through
to the Belgian. The Hammers continued to throw their bodies in the way of
everything, with James Collins in particular making a number of important
blocks. Adrian gathered another Oscar shot from outside the box as the home
side's desperation for a goal grew. But, thanks in large part to an heroic
defensive display, and a last gasp Adrian save from Adrian, it would not
arrive as the Hammers held out to make their point.
Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta (Matic 63); Ramires,
Mikel (Lampard 63); Willian, Oscar (Ba 79), Hazard; Eto'o
Subs: Schwarzer, A.Cole, Luiz, Schurrle#
Booked: Ramires
West Ham United: Adrian; Demel, Collins, Tomkins, O'Brien; Nolan (Nocerino
80), Noble, Taylor' Diame (Jarvis 30), Carroll (C.Cole 64), Downing
Subs: Jaaskelainen, McCartney, Morrison, Borriello
Booked: O'Brien, Taylor, Nolan
Referee: Neil Sawrbrick
Attendance: 41,376
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Revitalised Reid back in full training
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid is happy to be edging closer to a return to first-team action
following injury
29.01.2014
Winston Reid is looking forward to putting a three-month injury lay-off
behind him as he closes in on a first-team return. The No2 returned to full
training this week for the first time since undergoing surgery on a damaged
ankle, giving manager Sam Allardyce a timely boost. Although Wednesday
night's trip to Chelsea looks set to come around too soon for the New
Zealander, he is sure of being back on the pitch before long. He said: "It
is a big relief to be back after three months out. I was a bit rusty as I
have been out for a fair bit, but I will try to work hard and get back in
the team as soon as possible. "It is certainly the injury that has taken the
longest in my career, so I guess it was the worst, but it was pretty basic
really. For instance, when I had the operation it only took ten or 15
minutes. It was just in and out, put a tightrope in there and I was ready to
go. "Luckily enough it wasn't more serious than that, but it just takes time
to heal unfortunately. "If I could, I would want to go out there and play on
Wednesday, but that is probably not realistic. We will just have to marry
what the physios say with what the manager says and see how my ankle feels
day by day."
Reid is one of several injured players edging ever closer to a comeback and
he wants to play as full a part as possible in the Hammers' survival bid.
He added: "I think we have got all our players back, as well as two new boys
in, so I don't think we have got any excuses anymore, it is down to the
players to deliver the goods. "The staff around us can only do so much, but
at the end of the day it is the eleven that go out on the pitch that have to
do the job.
"It is going to be a big 16 games and it is certainly not like it was last
season. At this stage we were pretty much safe, but it is not going to be
like that now.
"We have put ourselves in this situation and we have to get ourselves out of
it, but if we all do our jobs correctly and give it 100 percent then I think
we will be OK."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chelsea 0 West Ham 0
29 January 2014
Last updated at 22:44
By Saj Chowdhury
BBC Sport
Chelsea slipped up in the race for the title as they were held by a dogged
West Ham at Stamford Bridge. The Blues controlled the match but were
frustrated by Sam Allardyce's lowly Hammers, who defended stoutly. Oscar had
a shot touched onto the bar by Adrian, who also kept out efforts from John
Terry and Samuel Eto'o. Eto'o thought he had scored late on after assuming
the West Ham keeper had wrongly placed the ball for a free-kick, but his
effort was disallowed. That was one of several frantic moments in the last
10 minutes for the visitors, with Frank Lampard forcing Adrian to make a
superb save with his feet and another Blues substitute, Demba Ba, hitting
the post with a flicked effort. The result meant the Hammers avoided their
14th defeat in 17 meetings against Chelsea, but they remain in the bottom
three. The hosts, meanwhile, stay two points adrift of Arsenal, who drew
with Southampton on Tuesday, but are three behind Manchester City, who went
top with a 5-1 win at Tottenham.
Blues feel the blues
Chelsea face City at Etihad Stadium on Monday. If they are to have any hope
of winning that game, Jose Mourinho's attackers must rediscover the killer
instinct they were lacking against West Ham, who had conceded 17 goals in
their previous five matches. The visitors showed greater resolve in west
London, although it was striker Andy Carroll who was their best defender.
The 25-year-old, making his first league start of the season, was regularly
well positioned when Chelsea threatened with set-pieces, but spent more time
in his own box than the opposition's. The hosts dominated possession
throughout, but only hit something near top gear towards the end of the
first half, when Adrian made excellent saves to keep out Terry's header and
Eto'o's fierce drive. Prior to that, the Spaniard had tipped Oscar's curling
effort onto the bar. Despite their dominance, Chelsea lacked a striker
hovering around the six-yard area, with Eto'o often dropping deeper in order
to get involved in the build-up. That pattern continued until the final five
minutes, when Ba's close-range flick struck the woodwork. Lampard also went
close to a winner in stoppage time, but his side-footed effort from 10 yards
was blocked by the alert Adrian, soon after the goalkeeper had escaped a
potentially embarrassing incident. Eto'o thought he had made a misjudgement
when placing the ball for a free-kick and tapped into the net, but referee
Neil Swarbrick disallowed the Cameroon striker's effort.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham hit by Joey O'Brien shoulder injury
BBC.co.uk
West Ham defender Joey O'Brien could be out for almost three months after
dislocating his shoulder against Chelsea. The 27-year-old Republic of
Ireland international suffered the injury late in the game after landing
awkwardly following a challenge with Gary Cahill. The Hammers have had
defensive injuries all season, although most of their sidelined players have
now returned. Sam Allardyce's side remain in the relegation zone. "The only
disappointment for us today was the two injuries," said Allardyce. "Joey,
unfortunately, has dislocated a shoulder, which is bad news for us. "That's
our third dislocated shoulder this season. I don't think I've had three
dislocated shoulders in my entire career, let alone three in one season.
"[He is likely to be out for] 10 to 12 weeks."
The former Bolton player, whose career has been hindered by knee injuries,
has made 19 appearances for the Hammers this season.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
As one door closes...
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 29th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Joleon Lescott's proposed transfer window move to West Ham could be back on
again. Lescott's current club, Manchester City, are thought to be prepared
to allow the 31-year-old central defender to leave the Etihad Stadium on the
proviso that they are able to acquire one of their winter transfer window
targets prior to the end of the month. And news today suggests that the
Citizens are about to do exactly that, with Porto's French defender Eliaquim
Mangala said to be on the verge of a £38million move to City. 6'2" Lescott,
who was first linked with a move to West Ham more than a decade ago whilst
still with Wolves, is said to earn circa £90,000 per-week at Man City who
are willing to subsidise those wages, in part. In other transfer news,
Modibo Maiga's immediate future remain shrouded in mystery just 48 hours
ahead of Friday's deadline. United have been trying to offload the striker
all month without success, but Italian clubs Chievo and Livorno are now
rumoured to be mulling over a move for the misfiring Malian. Elsewhere
(genuine) transfer news remains thin on the ground, with Sam Allardyce's
concerns having eased somewhat having managed to secure both Antonio
Nocerino and Marco Borriello from Serie A last weekend. However one name
that continues to crop up is that of Stuttgart's 28-year-old midfielder
William Kvist, who is looking to leave the Bundesliga club having been
dropped from the team in recent weeks. The Danish international has been
linked with a move to east London all month and is exactly the sort of
last-minute signing that could materialise on deadline day.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Injury sidelines West Ham's Joey O'Brien for up to 12 weeks
Last Updated: 29/01/14 11:00pm
SSN
West Ham are likely to be without Joey O'Brien for up to 12 weeks after the
defender picked up a shoulder injury during the 0-0 draw at Chelsea. The
27-year-old suffered his injury late in the game at Stamford Bridge as a
result of a clash with Blues defender Gary Cahill. He was forced to leave
the pitch supporting his arm in a makeshift sling. Hammers boss Sam
Allardyce confirmed after the game that O'Brien had suffered a dislocation
and is likely to miss between 10 and 12 weeks. "Joey, unfortunately, has
dislocated a shoulder, which is bad news for us," said Allardyce. "That's
our third dislocated shoulder this season. I don't think I've had three
dislocated shoulders in my entire career, let alone three in one season."
This could see him miss 10 matches as West Ham continue their struggle
against relegation from the Premier League. West Ham's point at Stamford
Bridge will help this cause although it did not prevent them dropping into
the relegation zone as a result of Sunderland's 1-0 win over Stoke. O'Brien,
who has made 19 appearances for West Ham this season, was not the only
injury victim on Tuesday night. Mohamed Diame will be assessed ahead of
Saturday's home match with Newcastle after suffering a bang on the knee when
he fell over the advertising hoardings and had to be replaced in the first
half.
Despite the injuries, Allardyce was in jovial mood afterwards as he hit back
at complaints from opposite number Jose Mourinho about the visitors'
tactics.
Allardyce said: "He can't take it, can he? He can't take it because we've
out witted him. He just can't cope. "I love to see Chelsea players moaning
at the referee, trying to intimidate him, Jose jumping up and down saying we
play crap football. "It's brilliant when you get a result against him. Hard
luck, Jose."
Allardyce lauded his players for implementing his tactics in a result he
believes was on a par with the 3-0 win at Tottenham earlier in the season.
The Hammers boss added: "This one probably equals (Tottenham) because of the
position we're in and the problems we've had recently. "It was all about
frustrating a team that's got world-class players and not to come here and
lie down. "Tactically we got it right in two areas particularly: one was in
stopping (Eden) Hazard, Oscar and Willian and (Samuel) Eto'o scoring goals;
and the other one was stopping them scoring from set plays. We did a
fantastic job."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Adrian the hero as West Ham hold on to dent Chelsea Premier League title
charge
Last Updated: 29/01/14 10:50pm
SSN
A battling defensive display by West Ham earned a crucial 0-0 draw as
Chelsea's title challenge stalled in a Stamford Bridge stalemate. Sam
Allardyce's side put their bodies on the line throughout the 90 minutes to
deny the Blues a much-needed three points.
MATCH FACTS
Man of the match - Adrian. There were a number of defensive heroes for the
Hammers but the Spanish keeper produced vital saves at the beginning and end
of the contest to deny Chelsea.
Effort of the match. Oscar produced a stunning curling strike after just
nine minutes only to be denied by Adrian's outstretched right hand.
Save of the match. Adrian's hard work could all have been for nothing but he
was alert right at the end to deny substitute Frank Lampard with a wonderful
reflex save.
Talking point. Samuel Eto'o had the ball in the net moments from the end
after Adrian put the ball down to take what he thought was a free-kick.
Eto'o celebrated but referee Neil Swarbrick ruled it out claiming he had
blown for a foul.
Spanish keeper Adrian was unbeatable as he produced a series of fine saves -
while in front of him James Collins, Matt Taylor and James Tomkins produced
some heroic blocks to keep the blue shirts at bay. The Hammers could even
have pinched all three points but the returning Andy Carroll - who had a
good first-half shout for a penalty turned down - squandered a great opening
when he swung and missed Stewart Downing's centre. Jose Mourinho sent on
Frank Lampard, Nemanja Matic and Demba Ba in an attempt to find the crucial
breakthrough but the Hammers stood firm to see Chelsea - who had 39 shots
during the contest - drop behind table-topping Manchester City, who they
face on Monday Night Football. Lampard thought he'd earned the win with the
last kick off the match only for Adrian to deny him with an amazing
goal-line stop just moments after Samuel Eto'o had the ball in the net, with
referee Neil Swarbrick ruling he had blown for an earlier foul on the
keeper. Mourinho on Tuesday played down his side's title chances this term
and the Blues saw a seven-game winning run ended.
City scored nine in the two-legged Capital One Cup semi-final with the
Hammers, but the Blues faced a defensive wall they could not breach while
the visitors also posed an early threat. Carroll slipped at the far post
with Cesar Azpilicueta in close attendance after seven minutes and referee
Swarbrick was unmoved at the Hammers' penalty appeals, much to Allardyce's
frustration. Oscar's curled effort was helped on to the bar by Adrian and
Petr Cech scrambled clear a Tomkins header before the West Ham goalkeeper
saved from John Terry and Eto'o late in the first half. Willian, Eto'o and
Ramires blazed over as Chelsea were limited to shots from range.
Mohamed Diame's fall over the advertising hoardings resulted in a change,
with Matt Jarvis replacing the Senegal midfielder, who limped off pointing
at his right knee. Sam Allardyce praises his West Ham side after they left
Stamford Bridge with a point after drawing 0-0. Adrian twice had to be
alert, saving a Terry header with his feet before turning an Eto'o shot
around the post. West Ham's threat was limited to long balls directed to
Carroll, which Cahill and Terry, who caught the Hammers striker with an
accidental flailing arm on one occasion, dealt with. Chelsea showed more
urgency after the break. Oscar shot straight at Adrian, there was no-one in
the six-yard box to meet a Willian cross and Ramires fired wide from an
Azpilicueta cross. Joey O'Brien's challenge on Willian was an outlet for
Mourinho's frustrations before Chelsea earned a reprieve when Carroll swung
at thin air when Downing crossed towards him. Substitute Lampard had scored
three times in his previous two contests with his former club and had
half-chances to add to the tally. Little was coming off for Chelsea and, in
another attacking substitution, Mourinho threw on another ex-Hammer in Ba
for Oscar, while Antonio Nocerino came on for his West Ham debut. O'Brien
went off as the Hammers faced four minutes of stoppage time a man short and
Adrian saved from Ba before Eden Hazard shot wide and had an effort saved.
Adrian placed the ball on his six-yard box after being awarded a free-kick
in the follow-up to Hazard's shot, but Eto'o put the ball in having not
heard the whistle. Lampard was denied in the 97th minute by a fine Adrian
save as the Hammers earned a valuable point and denied Chelsea an eighth
successive win in all competitions.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jose Mourinho: West Ham play football from 19th century
Last Updated: 29/01/14 11:13pm
SSN
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho accused West Ham of playing "football from the
19th century" after being left frustrated by a goalless draw at Stamford
Bridge. The Blues fell three points behind new Barclays Premier League
leaders Manchester City, who beat West Ham 9-0 in the two-legged Capital One
Cup semi-final, after a resolute display from Sam Allardyce's men. Mourinho
outlined his unhappiness with the Hammers' tactics afterwards. The
self-proclaimed 'Special One' said: "It's very difficult to play a football
match where only one team wants to play. It's very difficult. "A football
match is about two teams playing and this match was only one team playing
and another team not playing. "I told Big Sam and I repeat my words: they
need points and, because they need points, to come here and play the way
they did, is it acceptable? Maybe, yes. "I cannot be too critical, because
if I was in his position I don't know if I would do the same. Maybe. "At the
same time I told him also this is not Premier League, this is not the best
league in the world, this is football from the 19th century."
Chelsea tried everything to unlock the Hammers' defence and when they did
they found goalkeeper Adrian in supreme form. Mourinho added: "The only
(other) thing I could bring was a Black and Decker (tool) to destroy the
wall."
The Blues had 39 shots but could still not find a way past a heroic West Ham
who finished the game with 10 men following a shoulder injury to Joey
O'Brien which could see him out of action for up to three months. Mourinho
was also left frustrated by what he viewed as the Hammers' time wasting
tactics and could not understand why only four extra minutes were added on.
"They wasted two minutes every time they kicked off and the referee gives
the wrong message when he gives just four minutes but it is what it is."
Mourinho pointed to aimless long balls to illustrate his point, which he had
made to Hammers boss Allardyce after the game. "He was laughing," Mourinho
added. "His objective was won: come here and take a point. It was not to
come here and play good football or to try to win or to feel part of the
quality of the Premier League. "He takes the point. After that he's a happy
man and I'm a sad guy."
Mourinho refused to criticise his players, who could have done with someone
of the guile of Juan Mata, now at Manchester United. "With my players, I'm
happy," Mourinho said. "My team tried everything. Their goalkeeper saved a
lot, but they also had other players without gloves who saved a lot. "They
played with five defenders; they looked more goalkeepers than defenders."
Mourinho resisted the urge to criticise the officials, who ruled out a
stoppage-time Samuel Eto'o strike, having already blown for a foul amid a
confusing conclusion which also saw Adrian save from Frank Lampard. Chelsea
next play a City side who beat Tottenham to go top of the Premier League.
"For me it's not a surprise," Mourinho added. "We go there next Monday and
the result at this moment is 0-0. Are they favourites? Yes. Are they even
favourites to score again four, five, six goals? Yes. "But the result is 0-0
and we go there to compete and to play."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce: I don't give a s***e about Mourinho, we 'out-tacticed'
Chelsea
Jan 29, 2014 22:48 By John Cross 4 Comments
The Mirror
Jose Mourinho launched a savage attack on West Ham after accusing them of
cheating by playing football from the dark ages. Furious Mourinho blew his
top after accusing West Ham of time wasting, fouls, feigning injuries and
showing no intention to try and win. Mourinho was also furious at referee
Neil Swarbrick and his officials after watching Chelsea lose two points in
the title race because of West Ham's heroic defensive performance. Chelsea
boss Mourinho said: "This is not the best league in the world. This is
football from the nineteenth century. Too bad. With my players, I'm happy.
The second half was phenomenal.
"Their goalkeeper saved a lot, but they had other players without gloves who
saved a lot. They played with five defenders: they had more goalkeepers than
defenders. They gave everything. "So my respect to their spirit and to their
effort, but my team tried everything. We tried, we created, we missed goals,
the goalkeeper saved, the defenders saved two... I cannot complain with my
people, and I am nobody to criticise what they did. "(They were) pretending
injuries. Cheating... I don't know if that's the right word. The goalkeeper
taking time not after minute 70, but in the first minute. "Ten defenders in
the box, defenders not putting a foot outside the box. Very basic. But I'm
nobody to criticise. They are happy. "It's very difficult to play a football
match where only one team wants to play. Very difficult. A match is about
two teams playing. This match was only one team playing, and another team
not. "I told Big Sam, and I repeat my words, that they need points. I cannot
be too critical because if I was in this position, I don't know if I would
do the same. Maybe (I would). So I don't want to criticise that. But at the
same time, this is not Premier League."
But West Ham boss Sam Allardyce laughed off Mourinho's attack and said: "I
don't give a s***e, to be honest. I love to see Chelsea players moaning at
the referee, trying to intimidate him, Jose jumping up and down in his
technical area. It's great to see. "He can't take it can he. He can't take
it because we've out-tacticed him, out-witted him. He just can't cope. He
can tell me all he wants."
Chelsea had an incredible 39 shots with eight on target but could not find a
way past West Ham keeper Adrian and their heroic back four as Allardyce's
men put their bodies on the line to stop the onslaught. It was one-sided and
frustrating but Joey O'Brien's savage tackle from behind on Willian also
enraged Mourinho as he even stormed onto the pitch to remonstrate with
Swarbrick. Chelsea's best efforts came in the dying minutes when West Ham
keeper Adrian defied substitute Frank Lampard, Demba Ba hit the post and
Oscar hit the bar in the first half. West Ham's heroics were made all the
better by the fact that they finished the game with ten men as O'Brien was
taken off with dislocated shoulder after Allardyce had used all three
substitutes.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham plot Fernando Alexandre transfer from Portuguese side Academica
Coimbra
Jan 29, 2014 22:29 By John Cross 0 Comments
SSN
West Ham are trying to do a cut-price £500,000 deal for Academica Coimbra
midfielder Fernando Alexandre. However, former Benfica midfielder Alexandre,
28, is valued at twice that figure by his Portuguese club. The Hammers have
already signed AC Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino and Roma striker Marco
Borriello on loan this month as they fight to avoid relegation from the
Premier League.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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WHUFC.com
West Ham United goalkeeper Adrian was in unbeatable form at Chelsea on
Wednesday
30.01.2014
West Ham United goalkeeper Adrian provided a solid last line of defence for
Sam Allardyce's men at Chelsea on Wednesday night. The Hammers stood firm in
the face of plenty of Chelsea pressure to frustrate the home side, who would
have gone second in the Barclays Premier League with a victory. The majority
of their shots on the Hammers goal came from range, but when they did break
through Adrian was in the way and the Spaniard was thrilled to play his part
in a morale-boosting performance. "It was really pleasing to keep the clean
sheet and gain an important point at Chelsea," he beamed. "All match we
defended well and restricted their chances to shots from outside the box.
"We were strong in making blocks and cutting out the space and that was a
big part of the clean sheet."
Samuel Eto'o had the ball in the net for Chelsea in stoppage time when, not
realising that referee Neil Swarbrick had awarded the Hammers a free-kick
for a foul on Adrian, he pounced on a loose ball to knock home. Adrian said
there was no doubt the official had given the foul and that Eto'o's strike
was correctly ruled out. He continued: "The referee blew the whistle for a
free-kick, so I don't know what happened [with Eto'o]. "There was a bit of
confusion, but the most important thing is that it wasn't a goal and we've
got another point."
Even later than that, Adrian had to save from Frank Lampard, as the former
Hammer looked to win it with the last action of the game, and the No13 wants
to build on this positive result against Swansea City on Saturday now. He
added: "The save at the end was just me doing my job. "I've worked hard with
Marge [Martyn Margetson, goalkeeping coach] and Jussi on the training ground
for moments like that. "So we've gone through the game without conceding a
goal, which is great, and we'll look to build on that against Swansea now.
"It is an important game, because we are playing at home and we need three
points more to get us away from the bottom of the table."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam lauds defensive 'brilliance'
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was proud of West Ham United's resilient performance in
drawing 0-0 at Chelsea
29.01.2014
Sam Allardyce took great pride and pleasure from West Ham United's
hard-fought goalless Barclays Premier League draw at Chelsea. The Hammers
boss told West Ham TV that his players deserved a clean sheet and a vital
point from their resilient performance at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea unleashed
38 shots, nine of which were on target, only for West Ham's players to throw
themselves in the way of everything. When the ball did sneak past the
outfield players, goalkeeper Adrian was there to make a number of important
saves. At the other end, while West Ham mustered just one effort on target,
James Tomkins forced a flying save from Petr Cech in the first half, while
Andy Carroll mis-kicked when well-placed after the interval. All in all,
though, the manager was more than content with a point that clearly
frustrated Jose Mourinho and his players. "I think that our solidarity and
our defensive resilience meant that it wasn't luck, it was sheer brilliance
why we got a point," said the manager. "Our last-ditch defending was
brilliant and you can't tell me Adrian has had to make too many saves apart
from that one he made at the end from Frank Lampard. "Thank goodness Frank
didn't score against us again, and it was a brilliant performance overall
when you consider we had to play the last ten minutes with ten men after
losing Joey O'Brien to a dislocated shoulder. "That's three dislocated
shoulders we've had this season and is an illustration of how injury-prone
we've become as a squad this year and it's cost us. We'd only just got Joey
back and he's injured again, while Mo Diame got injured falling over the
advertising board. "It never rains but it pours from that point of view and,
just as I am getting everybody back and fit and am leaving players out of
the squad and off the bench - which is a nice thing to be able to do - two
players are injured again. "But, that said, what a great performance,
defensively and tactically, but the players in nullifying the world-class
players that Chelsea have. They made sure Chelsea resorted to moaning and
groaning and waving their arms about, trying to intimidate the referee to
get something out of the game that they couldn't get in general play."
Despite ceding possession and territory to their hosts for long periods, the
Hammers retained a defensive shape until the very last of the 97 minutes
played.
A match played in steady rain on a sodden pitch would have seen lesser teams
wilt, but West Ham remained organised to a man for the entirety of a
physically and mentally draining match. "When they threw Demba Ba on, we
went five at the back and made sure we stayed resilient with the four
midfielders in front of them. "After Joey went off, we had three in front of
them and Carlton Cole up front trying to hold the ball up when he could for
us. It ended up with about seven or eight minutes injury time after the
delays! "From our point of view, it was a great performance. From the
referee's point of view, standing up to the intimidation he received and
being strong and not wilting under the pressure he was put under [was also
great]."
When West Ham's massed ranks were breached on a few occasions, Chelsea found
Adrian in unbeatable form. The Spaniard made saves in either half, denying
Oscar, John Terry and Samuel Eto'o before the break and Frank Lampard with a
dramatic last-gasp stop. Big Sam was also pleased to introduce Italy
international midfielder Antonio Nocerino as a late substitute, giving him a
first taste of English football. "He has grown as a goalkeeper as he has
felt his way into the team, has Adrian. "We got Antonio on for a little bit,
just to show him what it's like. He came on at the end, so he can imagine
what it's like at the beginning now! "The only disappointment for me was the
two injuries and the fact Andy Carroll didn't score when he had the chance."
Now, Big Sam wants to see his team build on their hard-earned point when
they host Swansea City at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday lunchtime. "We've
already got a better away record this year than last, so it's at home where
we've let ourselves down. I think we've got to improve the home results,
starting with Swansea on Saturday. "We wasted the chance at home to build on
our win at Cardiff against Newcastle, due in part due to the injury
circumstances that we had. Hopefully, those injuries won't affect the back
four going out there on Saturday. "Winston Reid is nearly back now and we
won't slip up like we did against Newcastle. After a hard-earned point at
Chelsea, it's got to be followed up with a result against Swansea."
Finally, the manager revealed that West Ham will have to sell before they
can add to the squad in the final days of the transfer window. The Hammers
are currently at capacity in their 25-man senior squad and will have to make
space if the manager and Board want to bring in new faces. "We can only name
25, so we're already looking at the fact that we might have to leave one or
two of those out [of the matchday squad] with the players we have available
at the moment. "We'll have to look at it in the case of a top player
becoming available who the Chairmen and myself want to go for. At the
moment, it's about getting the players in this frame of mind for the rest of
the season and keeping them fit."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers keep it tight at Chelsea
WHUFC.com
West Ham United defended resolutely to pick up a point at Chelsea on
Wednesday
29.01.2014
Chelsea 0-0 West Ham United
Barclays Premier League
West Ham United stood firm to gain a valuable point at Chelsea on Wednesday
night. Title-chasing Chelsea had a near-monopoly on possession but could not
force a way through as the Hammers defended for their lives. Other than a
James Tomkins header which Petr Cech saved, Chelsea had all the
opportunities, but most of them came from range as they found it difficult
to break West Ham down. Despite their pressure, Chelsea could not manage a
breakthrough as the Hammers rediscovered a solidity at the back in timely
fashion. There were places on the bench for West Ham's new arrivals Antonio
Nocerino and Marco Borriello, while Joey O'Brien and Guy Demel returned from
injury to fill the full-back positions. Andy Carroll was also handed his
first Barclays Premier League start of the season, and he had an early shout
for a penalty when he went down under Cesar Azpilicueta's challenge after he
controlled Stewart Downing's cross at the far post. At the other end,
Chelsea were inches away from taking a ninth minute lead when Oscar arced a
shot towards goal, but Adrian got fingertips to the ball to touch it on to
the crossbar. West Ham responded with a chance of their own three minutes
later when they won a free-kick down the left and Taylor delivered for
Tomkins, who headed back across goal and forced a parry from Petr Cech. The
ball ricocheted off Kevin Nolan, who was in close attendance, but slid wide
of the post. That turned out to be the Hammers' only chance of the opening
period as Chelsea established a stranglehold on possession.
Sam Allardyce's men remained sturdy in defence, though, and restricted their
hosts to shots from range before the half-time whistle. Willian fired over
after working space 25 yards out on 15 minutes, while Samuel Eto'o shot too
high under pressure from James Tomkins. Ramires drilled just over the angle
of post and crossbar and Chelsea's best first half opening fell to John
Terry moments before the break, but Adrian saved with his feet after the
Blues captain got up to meet a Willian corner. The second half started in
much the same vein with Gary Cahill heading too high from another Willian
dead ball delivery. Eden Hazard shot wide from a tight angle after a good
spell of Chelsea ball retention ended with Willian threading a ball through
to the Belgian. The Hammers continued to throw their bodies in the way of
everything, with James Collins in particular making a number of important
blocks. Adrian gathered another Oscar shot from outside the box as the home
side's desperation for a goal grew. But, thanks in large part to an heroic
defensive display, and a last gasp Adrian save from Adrian, it would not
arrive as the Hammers held out to make their point.
Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta (Matic 63); Ramires,
Mikel (Lampard 63); Willian, Oscar (Ba 79), Hazard; Eto'o
Subs: Schwarzer, A.Cole, Luiz, Schurrle#
Booked: Ramires
West Ham United: Adrian; Demel, Collins, Tomkins, O'Brien; Nolan (Nocerino
80), Noble, Taylor' Diame (Jarvis 30), Carroll (C.Cole 64), Downing
Subs: Jaaskelainen, McCartney, Morrison, Borriello
Booked: O'Brien, Taylor, Nolan
Referee: Neil Sawrbrick
Attendance: 41,376
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Revitalised Reid back in full training
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid is happy to be edging closer to a return to first-team action
following injury
29.01.2014
Winston Reid is looking forward to putting a three-month injury lay-off
behind him as he closes in on a first-team return. The No2 returned to full
training this week for the first time since undergoing surgery on a damaged
ankle, giving manager Sam Allardyce a timely boost. Although Wednesday
night's trip to Chelsea looks set to come around too soon for the New
Zealander, he is sure of being back on the pitch before long. He said: "It
is a big relief to be back after three months out. I was a bit rusty as I
have been out for a fair bit, but I will try to work hard and get back in
the team as soon as possible. "It is certainly the injury that has taken the
longest in my career, so I guess it was the worst, but it was pretty basic
really. For instance, when I had the operation it only took ten or 15
minutes. It was just in and out, put a tightrope in there and I was ready to
go. "Luckily enough it wasn't more serious than that, but it just takes time
to heal unfortunately. "If I could, I would want to go out there and play on
Wednesday, but that is probably not realistic. We will just have to marry
what the physios say with what the manager says and see how my ankle feels
day by day."
Reid is one of several injured players edging ever closer to a comeback and
he wants to play as full a part as possible in the Hammers' survival bid.
He added: "I think we have got all our players back, as well as two new boys
in, so I don't think we have got any excuses anymore, it is down to the
players to deliver the goods. "The staff around us can only do so much, but
at the end of the day it is the eleven that go out on the pitch that have to
do the job.
"It is going to be a big 16 games and it is certainly not like it was last
season. At this stage we were pretty much safe, but it is not going to be
like that now.
"We have put ourselves in this situation and we have to get ourselves out of
it, but if we all do our jobs correctly and give it 100 percent then I think
we will be OK."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chelsea 0 West Ham 0
29 January 2014
Last updated at 22:44
By Saj Chowdhury
BBC Sport
Chelsea slipped up in the race for the title as they were held by a dogged
West Ham at Stamford Bridge. The Blues controlled the match but were
frustrated by Sam Allardyce's lowly Hammers, who defended stoutly. Oscar had
a shot touched onto the bar by Adrian, who also kept out efforts from John
Terry and Samuel Eto'o. Eto'o thought he had scored late on after assuming
the West Ham keeper had wrongly placed the ball for a free-kick, but his
effort was disallowed. That was one of several frantic moments in the last
10 minutes for the visitors, with Frank Lampard forcing Adrian to make a
superb save with his feet and another Blues substitute, Demba Ba, hitting
the post with a flicked effort. The result meant the Hammers avoided their
14th defeat in 17 meetings against Chelsea, but they remain in the bottom
three. The hosts, meanwhile, stay two points adrift of Arsenal, who drew
with Southampton on Tuesday, but are three behind Manchester City, who went
top with a 5-1 win at Tottenham.
Blues feel the blues
Chelsea face City at Etihad Stadium on Monday. If they are to have any hope
of winning that game, Jose Mourinho's attackers must rediscover the killer
instinct they were lacking against West Ham, who had conceded 17 goals in
their previous five matches. The visitors showed greater resolve in west
London, although it was striker Andy Carroll who was their best defender.
The 25-year-old, making his first league start of the season, was regularly
well positioned when Chelsea threatened with set-pieces, but spent more time
in his own box than the opposition's. The hosts dominated possession
throughout, but only hit something near top gear towards the end of the
first half, when Adrian made excellent saves to keep out Terry's header and
Eto'o's fierce drive. Prior to that, the Spaniard had tipped Oscar's curling
effort onto the bar. Despite their dominance, Chelsea lacked a striker
hovering around the six-yard area, with Eto'o often dropping deeper in order
to get involved in the build-up. That pattern continued until the final five
minutes, when Ba's close-range flick struck the woodwork. Lampard also went
close to a winner in stoppage time, but his side-footed effort from 10 yards
was blocked by the alert Adrian, soon after the goalkeeper had escaped a
potentially embarrassing incident. Eto'o thought he had made a misjudgement
when placing the ball for a free-kick and tapped into the net, but referee
Neil Swarbrick disallowed the Cameroon striker's effort.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham hit by Joey O'Brien shoulder injury
BBC.co.uk
West Ham defender Joey O'Brien could be out for almost three months after
dislocating his shoulder against Chelsea. The 27-year-old Republic of
Ireland international suffered the injury late in the game after landing
awkwardly following a challenge with Gary Cahill. The Hammers have had
defensive injuries all season, although most of their sidelined players have
now returned. Sam Allardyce's side remain in the relegation zone. "The only
disappointment for us today was the two injuries," said Allardyce. "Joey,
unfortunately, has dislocated a shoulder, which is bad news for us. "That's
our third dislocated shoulder this season. I don't think I've had three
dislocated shoulders in my entire career, let alone three in one season.
"[He is likely to be out for] 10 to 12 weeks."
The former Bolton player, whose career has been hindered by knee injuries,
has made 19 appearances for the Hammers this season.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
As one door closes...
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 29th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Joleon Lescott's proposed transfer window move to West Ham could be back on
again. Lescott's current club, Manchester City, are thought to be prepared
to allow the 31-year-old central defender to leave the Etihad Stadium on the
proviso that they are able to acquire one of their winter transfer window
targets prior to the end of the month. And news today suggests that the
Citizens are about to do exactly that, with Porto's French defender Eliaquim
Mangala said to be on the verge of a £38million move to City. 6'2" Lescott,
who was first linked with a move to West Ham more than a decade ago whilst
still with Wolves, is said to earn circa £90,000 per-week at Man City who
are willing to subsidise those wages, in part. In other transfer news,
Modibo Maiga's immediate future remain shrouded in mystery just 48 hours
ahead of Friday's deadline. United have been trying to offload the striker
all month without success, but Italian clubs Chievo and Livorno are now
rumoured to be mulling over a move for the misfiring Malian. Elsewhere
(genuine) transfer news remains thin on the ground, with Sam Allardyce's
concerns having eased somewhat having managed to secure both Antonio
Nocerino and Marco Borriello from Serie A last weekend. However one name
that continues to crop up is that of Stuttgart's 28-year-old midfielder
William Kvist, who is looking to leave the Bundesliga club having been
dropped from the team in recent weeks. The Danish international has been
linked with a move to east London all month and is exactly the sort of
last-minute signing that could materialise on deadline day.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Injury sidelines West Ham's Joey O'Brien for up to 12 weeks
Last Updated: 29/01/14 11:00pm
SSN
West Ham are likely to be without Joey O'Brien for up to 12 weeks after the
defender picked up a shoulder injury during the 0-0 draw at Chelsea. The
27-year-old suffered his injury late in the game at Stamford Bridge as a
result of a clash with Blues defender Gary Cahill. He was forced to leave
the pitch supporting his arm in a makeshift sling. Hammers boss Sam
Allardyce confirmed after the game that O'Brien had suffered a dislocation
and is likely to miss between 10 and 12 weeks. "Joey, unfortunately, has
dislocated a shoulder, which is bad news for us," said Allardyce. "That's
our third dislocated shoulder this season. I don't think I've had three
dislocated shoulders in my entire career, let alone three in one season."
This could see him miss 10 matches as West Ham continue their struggle
against relegation from the Premier League. West Ham's point at Stamford
Bridge will help this cause although it did not prevent them dropping into
the relegation zone as a result of Sunderland's 1-0 win over Stoke. O'Brien,
who has made 19 appearances for West Ham this season, was not the only
injury victim on Tuesday night. Mohamed Diame will be assessed ahead of
Saturday's home match with Newcastle after suffering a bang on the knee when
he fell over the advertising hoardings and had to be replaced in the first
half.
Despite the injuries, Allardyce was in jovial mood afterwards as he hit back
at complaints from opposite number Jose Mourinho about the visitors'
tactics.
Allardyce said: "He can't take it, can he? He can't take it because we've
out witted him. He just can't cope. "I love to see Chelsea players moaning
at the referee, trying to intimidate him, Jose jumping up and down saying we
play crap football. "It's brilliant when you get a result against him. Hard
luck, Jose."
Allardyce lauded his players for implementing his tactics in a result he
believes was on a par with the 3-0 win at Tottenham earlier in the season.
The Hammers boss added: "This one probably equals (Tottenham) because of the
position we're in and the problems we've had recently. "It was all about
frustrating a team that's got world-class players and not to come here and
lie down. "Tactically we got it right in two areas particularly: one was in
stopping (Eden) Hazard, Oscar and Willian and (Samuel) Eto'o scoring goals;
and the other one was stopping them scoring from set plays. We did a
fantastic job."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Adrian the hero as West Ham hold on to dent Chelsea Premier League title
charge
Last Updated: 29/01/14 10:50pm
SSN
A battling defensive display by West Ham earned a crucial 0-0 draw as
Chelsea's title challenge stalled in a Stamford Bridge stalemate. Sam
Allardyce's side put their bodies on the line throughout the 90 minutes to
deny the Blues a much-needed three points.
MATCH FACTS
Man of the match - Adrian. There were a number of defensive heroes for the
Hammers but the Spanish keeper produced vital saves at the beginning and end
of the contest to deny Chelsea.
Effort of the match. Oscar produced a stunning curling strike after just
nine minutes only to be denied by Adrian's outstretched right hand.
Save of the match. Adrian's hard work could all have been for nothing but he
was alert right at the end to deny substitute Frank Lampard with a wonderful
reflex save.
Talking point. Samuel Eto'o had the ball in the net moments from the end
after Adrian put the ball down to take what he thought was a free-kick.
Eto'o celebrated but referee Neil Swarbrick ruled it out claiming he had
blown for a foul.
Spanish keeper Adrian was unbeatable as he produced a series of fine saves -
while in front of him James Collins, Matt Taylor and James Tomkins produced
some heroic blocks to keep the blue shirts at bay. The Hammers could even
have pinched all three points but the returning Andy Carroll - who had a
good first-half shout for a penalty turned down - squandered a great opening
when he swung and missed Stewart Downing's centre. Jose Mourinho sent on
Frank Lampard, Nemanja Matic and Demba Ba in an attempt to find the crucial
breakthrough but the Hammers stood firm to see Chelsea - who had 39 shots
during the contest - drop behind table-topping Manchester City, who they
face on Monday Night Football. Lampard thought he'd earned the win with the
last kick off the match only for Adrian to deny him with an amazing
goal-line stop just moments after Samuel Eto'o had the ball in the net, with
referee Neil Swarbrick ruling he had blown for an earlier foul on the
keeper. Mourinho on Tuesday played down his side's title chances this term
and the Blues saw a seven-game winning run ended.
City scored nine in the two-legged Capital One Cup semi-final with the
Hammers, but the Blues faced a defensive wall they could not breach while
the visitors also posed an early threat. Carroll slipped at the far post
with Cesar Azpilicueta in close attendance after seven minutes and referee
Swarbrick was unmoved at the Hammers' penalty appeals, much to Allardyce's
frustration. Oscar's curled effort was helped on to the bar by Adrian and
Petr Cech scrambled clear a Tomkins header before the West Ham goalkeeper
saved from John Terry and Eto'o late in the first half. Willian, Eto'o and
Ramires blazed over as Chelsea were limited to shots from range.
Mohamed Diame's fall over the advertising hoardings resulted in a change,
with Matt Jarvis replacing the Senegal midfielder, who limped off pointing
at his right knee. Sam Allardyce praises his West Ham side after they left
Stamford Bridge with a point after drawing 0-0. Adrian twice had to be
alert, saving a Terry header with his feet before turning an Eto'o shot
around the post. West Ham's threat was limited to long balls directed to
Carroll, which Cahill and Terry, who caught the Hammers striker with an
accidental flailing arm on one occasion, dealt with. Chelsea showed more
urgency after the break. Oscar shot straight at Adrian, there was no-one in
the six-yard box to meet a Willian cross and Ramires fired wide from an
Azpilicueta cross. Joey O'Brien's challenge on Willian was an outlet for
Mourinho's frustrations before Chelsea earned a reprieve when Carroll swung
at thin air when Downing crossed towards him. Substitute Lampard had scored
three times in his previous two contests with his former club and had
half-chances to add to the tally. Little was coming off for Chelsea and, in
another attacking substitution, Mourinho threw on another ex-Hammer in Ba
for Oscar, while Antonio Nocerino came on for his West Ham debut. O'Brien
went off as the Hammers faced four minutes of stoppage time a man short and
Adrian saved from Ba before Eden Hazard shot wide and had an effort saved.
Adrian placed the ball on his six-yard box after being awarded a free-kick
in the follow-up to Hazard's shot, but Eto'o put the ball in having not
heard the whistle. Lampard was denied in the 97th minute by a fine Adrian
save as the Hammers earned a valuable point and denied Chelsea an eighth
successive win in all competitions.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jose Mourinho: West Ham play football from 19th century
Last Updated: 29/01/14 11:13pm
SSN
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho accused West Ham of playing "football from the
19th century" after being left frustrated by a goalless draw at Stamford
Bridge. The Blues fell three points behind new Barclays Premier League
leaders Manchester City, who beat West Ham 9-0 in the two-legged Capital One
Cup semi-final, after a resolute display from Sam Allardyce's men. Mourinho
outlined his unhappiness with the Hammers' tactics afterwards. The
self-proclaimed 'Special One' said: "It's very difficult to play a football
match where only one team wants to play. It's very difficult. "A football
match is about two teams playing and this match was only one team playing
and another team not playing. "I told Big Sam and I repeat my words: they
need points and, because they need points, to come here and play the way
they did, is it acceptable? Maybe, yes. "I cannot be too critical, because
if I was in his position I don't know if I would do the same. Maybe. "At the
same time I told him also this is not Premier League, this is not the best
league in the world, this is football from the 19th century."
Chelsea tried everything to unlock the Hammers' defence and when they did
they found goalkeeper Adrian in supreme form. Mourinho added: "The only
(other) thing I could bring was a Black and Decker (tool) to destroy the
wall."
The Blues had 39 shots but could still not find a way past a heroic West Ham
who finished the game with 10 men following a shoulder injury to Joey
O'Brien which could see him out of action for up to three months. Mourinho
was also left frustrated by what he viewed as the Hammers' time wasting
tactics and could not understand why only four extra minutes were added on.
"They wasted two minutes every time they kicked off and the referee gives
the wrong message when he gives just four minutes but it is what it is."
Mourinho pointed to aimless long balls to illustrate his point, which he had
made to Hammers boss Allardyce after the game. "He was laughing," Mourinho
added. "His objective was won: come here and take a point. It was not to
come here and play good football or to try to win or to feel part of the
quality of the Premier League. "He takes the point. After that he's a happy
man and I'm a sad guy."
Mourinho refused to criticise his players, who could have done with someone
of the guile of Juan Mata, now at Manchester United. "With my players, I'm
happy," Mourinho said. "My team tried everything. Their goalkeeper saved a
lot, but they also had other players without gloves who saved a lot. "They
played with five defenders; they looked more goalkeepers than defenders."
Mourinho resisted the urge to criticise the officials, who ruled out a
stoppage-time Samuel Eto'o strike, having already blown for a foul amid a
confusing conclusion which also saw Adrian save from Frank Lampard. Chelsea
next play a City side who beat Tottenham to go top of the Premier League.
"For me it's not a surprise," Mourinho added. "We go there next Monday and
the result at this moment is 0-0. Are they favourites? Yes. Are they even
favourites to score again four, five, six goals? Yes. "But the result is 0-0
and we go there to compete and to play."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce: I don't give a s***e about Mourinho, we 'out-tacticed'
Chelsea
Jan 29, 2014 22:48 By John Cross 4 Comments
The Mirror
Jose Mourinho launched a savage attack on West Ham after accusing them of
cheating by playing football from the dark ages. Furious Mourinho blew his
top after accusing West Ham of time wasting, fouls, feigning injuries and
showing no intention to try and win. Mourinho was also furious at referee
Neil Swarbrick and his officials after watching Chelsea lose two points in
the title race because of West Ham's heroic defensive performance. Chelsea
boss Mourinho said: "This is not the best league in the world. This is
football from the nineteenth century. Too bad. With my players, I'm happy.
The second half was phenomenal.
"Their goalkeeper saved a lot, but they had other players without gloves who
saved a lot. They played with five defenders: they had more goalkeepers than
defenders. They gave everything. "So my respect to their spirit and to their
effort, but my team tried everything. We tried, we created, we missed goals,
the goalkeeper saved, the defenders saved two... I cannot complain with my
people, and I am nobody to criticise what they did. "(They were) pretending
injuries. Cheating... I don't know if that's the right word. The goalkeeper
taking time not after minute 70, but in the first minute. "Ten defenders in
the box, defenders not putting a foot outside the box. Very basic. But I'm
nobody to criticise. They are happy. "It's very difficult to play a football
match where only one team wants to play. Very difficult. A match is about
two teams playing. This match was only one team playing, and another team
not. "I told Big Sam, and I repeat my words, that they need points. I cannot
be too critical because if I was in this position, I don't know if I would
do the same. Maybe (I would). So I don't want to criticise that. But at the
same time, this is not Premier League."
But West Ham boss Sam Allardyce laughed off Mourinho's attack and said: "I
don't give a s***e, to be honest. I love to see Chelsea players moaning at
the referee, trying to intimidate him, Jose jumping up and down in his
technical area. It's great to see. "He can't take it can he. He can't take
it because we've out-tacticed him, out-witted him. He just can't cope. He
can tell me all he wants."
Chelsea had an incredible 39 shots with eight on target but could not find a
way past West Ham keeper Adrian and their heroic back four as Allardyce's
men put their bodies on the line to stop the onslaught. It was one-sided and
frustrating but Joey O'Brien's savage tackle from behind on Willian also
enraged Mourinho as he even stormed onto the pitch to remonstrate with
Swarbrick. Chelsea's best efforts came in the dying minutes when West Ham
keeper Adrian defied substitute Frank Lampard, Demba Ba hit the post and
Oscar hit the bar in the first half. West Ham's heroics were made all the
better by the fact that they finished the game with ten men as O'Brien was
taken off with dislocated shoulder after Allardyce had used all three
substitutes.
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West Ham plot Fernando Alexandre transfer from Portuguese side Academica
Coimbra
Jan 29, 2014 22:29 By John Cross 0 Comments
SSN
West Ham are trying to do a cut-price £500,000 deal for Academica Coimbra
midfielder Fernando Alexandre. However, former Benfica midfielder Alexandre,
28, is valued at twice that figure by his Portuguese club. The Hammers have
already signed AC Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino and Roma striker Marco
Borriello on loan this month as they fight to avoid relegation from the
Premier League.
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Wednesday, January 29
Daily WHUFC News - 29th January 2014
Chelsea match preview
WHUFC.com
All the need-to-know information ahead of West Ham United's game against
Chelsea on Wednesday night
28.01.2014
CHELSEA v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
STAMFORD BRIDGE
WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY 2014
KICK-OFF: 7:45PM
REFEREE: NEIL SWARBRICK
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
iPHONE APP I TWITTER I FACEBOOK I PODCAST I INSTAGRAM I YOUTUBE
Introduction
• Stamford Bridge is the destination for West Ham United on Wednesday night
as they return to Barclays Premier League action against Chelsea.
• The Hammers' last league encounter ended in a 3-1 defeat to Newcastle
United at the Boleyn Ground back on 18 January.
• Sam Allardyce's side did however enjoy better fortunes on their last away
league outing, beating Cardiff City 2-0 in the Welsh capital.
• By the time West Ham take to the field in west London it will be just over
a week since the Hammers exited the Capital One Cup following a 9-0
aggregate loss to Manchester City.
• Chelsea will play their second home game in four days on Wednesday night
following a 1-0 FA Cup with Budweiser fourth round win over Stoke City on
Sunday afternoon.
• The Blues' last Premier League match was also in front of their own fans,
a 3-1 success against Manchester United on 19 January.
• In all, Jose Mourinho's team are on a good run and have gone seven league
matches without defeat, since a 3-2 defeat against Stoke City on 7 December.
Team news
West Ham United
• New signing Antonio Nocerino could go straight into the squad for
Wednesday night, although Sam Allardyce admitted that fellow new boy Marco
Borriello may not be fit enough to feature.
• Winston Reid is back in first team training after recovering from an ankle
injury which has side-lined him for the best part of three months, but will
not feature against the Blues.
Chelsea
• Chelsea may hand a debut to new signing Mohamed Salah, who joined the west
London club from Basle on Sunday.
Last time out
West Ham United 0-3 Manchester City
Capital One Cup semi-final second leg
21 January 2014
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Taylor, Johnson, Tomkins, Rat, Morrison,
Diame (Collison 89), Nolan, Diarra, J Cole (Downing 47), Carroll (C Cole 45)
Subs not used: Adrian, Jarvis, Noble, Chambers
Chelsea 1-0 Stoke City
FA Cup with Budweiser fourth round
26 January 2014
Chelsea: Schwarzer, Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Cole, Matic, Lampard, Schurrle
(Ramires 70), Oscar (Willian 81), Hazard, Eto'o (Ba 85)
Subs not used: Cech, Mikel, Terry, Azpilicueta
Goal: Oscar 27
Previous meeting
Frank Lampard returned to haunt the Hammers once again as he netted two of
three Chelsea goals as they eased to victory in east London. The Academy
graduate opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 21 minutes and
finished the scoring off with eight minutes remaining after Oscar had
doubled the visitors' advantage.
West Ham United 0-3 Chelsea
Barclays Premier League
23 November 2013
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins, Tomkins, O'Brien, Collison
(Maiga 40), Noble, J Cole (Diame 40), Morrison, Downing, Nolan (Jarvis 76)
Subs not used: Adrian, McCartney, Taylor, C Cole
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Ramires, Mikel,
Lampard, Oscar (Schurrle 83), Eto'o (Ba 79), Hazard (Essien 84)
Subs not used: Schwarzer, Cole, Willian, Mata
Goals: Lampard 21, 82, Oscar 34
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
23 November 2013 - West Ham United 0-3 Chelsea
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
v Chelsea (all competitions) W 53 D 28 L 53
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)
Background
• Wednesday's fixture marks the 90th league meeting between the two clubs.
West Ham have 35 wins to their opponents' 37, while there have been just 17
draws. In 32 Premier League meetings, Chelsea have chalked up 17 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.
• Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard started his career at West Ham, working
his way up through the ranks before making 187 appearances and scoring 38
goals for the Club between 1995 and 2001. The England international left
east London for Stamford Bridge and has gone on to make 634 appearances for
the Blues, scoring 209 goals.
• West Ham midfielder Joe Cole, also came through the famous Academy before
leaving to join Chelsea in 2003. He spent seven years in west London, making
over 180 league appearances and collecting no fewer than ten winners' medals
during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Referee
• Wednesday night's man in the middle is 48-year-old Neil Swarbrick.
• Swarbrick began refereeing at the age of 29 and within six years he had
been promoted to the National List of assistant referees in 2005.
• Now 42, Swarbrick made his way up the leagues via the Football Conference
and the npower Football League before receiving his first Barclays Premier
League appointment on 11 December 2010. He was officially promoted to the
Select Group of top-flight referees in June 2011.
• The official last took charge of the Hammers when they recorded an
excellent 2-1 Capital One Cup quarter-final win against Tottenham Hotspur.
General information
• All standard tickets for this fixture have sold out. There are however
still a number of disabled tickets remaining priced at Adults £42 and £13.50
Over-65s and Under-18s.
• There are no planned closures on the c2c mainline train service scheduled
for Wednesday. For full travel information and updates on the c2c network
click here.
• There are also no planned engineering works across the London Underground
scheduled for Wednesday. For live travel information click here.
• The weather forecast for Wednesday night is cloudy with temperatures
around 5C (41F).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'We will wear the shirt with pride'
WHUFC.com
New loan arrival Marco Borriello cannot wait to make his West Ham United
debut
28.01.2014
Marco Borriello is relishing the prospect of testing himself in the Barclays
Premier League. The Italy international, who has seven caps to his name, has
spent his entire career to date in his homeland, notching 71 Serie A goals
in 253 appearances. Having turned out for the likes of AC Milan, Juventus
and AS Roma, from whom he joined the Hammers on loan, he is now looking
forward to showcasing his talents on a different stage. In an exclusive West
Ham TV interview, he said: "I was given the opportunity to move in the
summer and I was looking to come over to England and the Premier League, but
I decided to stay at Roma at that time. "However, when the opportunity arose
to join West Ham in this transfer window, I was very happy to make the move.
"I can't wait to start playing in the Premier League - I know the fans are
very passionate and I'm very excited by the challenge. "I know it is a very
tough league, but I am very much looking forward to testing myself here.
"Serie A and the Premier League are two different leagues. The Italian
league is a bit more tactical, whereas the English league is maybe more
physical. "However, the ball is round in both countries, so if you are good
player you can play in any league in the world."
Marco Borriello
The new No46 was born in Naples - the same city from which fellow Italian
and new arrival Antonio Nocerino hails. Borriello is looking forward to
linking up with his countryman and he says the pair are well-versed on what
to expect in east London. Watch fellow Italian Antonio Nocerino's first West
Ham TV interview here! He continued: "I have joked with Antonio - we have
two Italians, Neapolitans even, who have now met and are playing for a club
in London.
"We both have loads of enthusiasm and are excited to start playing and
hopefully bring West Ham up the table. "Being Italian and following the
English league, I know a lot about West Ham in terms of Gianfranco Zola
having managed here and Paolo Di Canio being a great idol at the Club. "I've
read a lot about the history of the Club and know they have the nickname of
the Irons. Both myself and Antonio are players who will wear the shirt with
honour, with pride and with heart - we will give 100 percent whenever we
play for the Club."
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Ruddock departs
WHUFC.com
Pelly Ruddock has joined Skrill Premier club Luton Town on a permanent basis
28.01.2014
West Ham United can confirm that Pelly Ruddock has joined Skrill Premier
club Luton Town on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee. The 20-year-old
Ruddock enjoyed a successful loan spell with the Hatters between November
2013 and January 2014. During his time at Kenilworth Road, Ruddock helped
John Still's men to win all four league matches in which he featured and
progress to the FA Trophy third round. The youngster now returns to
Bedfordshire with Luton top of the table and on course to return to the
Football League after a five-year absence. Ruddock began his career with
Boreham Wood before joining West Ham at the age of 18 in December 2011. He
made his one and only first-team appearance for the Club in a 2-0 Capital
One Cup fourth round win at Burnley on 29 October 2013. West Ham United
would like to thank Pelly for his efforts and wish him every success in his
future career.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Academy striker making progress
WHUFC.com
Jordan Brown was delighted to net in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Chelsea in
the Barclays U18 Premier League
28.01.2014
West Ham United's Under-18s continued their fine form this season at the
weekend with an impressive 2-0 victory over Chelsea at Little Heath. Captain
Kieran Bywater put the Hammers ahead after five minutes with a well-taken
effort following good work from striker Jordan Brown, before the 17-year-old
forward added to his own tally for the season after 24 minutes. Speaking
after the match, former Arsenal striker Brown spoke of his delight with the
result, believing that performances like Saturday's from the Hammers could
keep them within touching distance of the Barclays Under-18 Premier League
South title. "I'm really happy with the result," said Brown. "Before the
game, I think Chelsea were third with a few games in hand, but that result
has given us a boost to stay near the top of the league. "The title is
definitely in reach for us. At the start of the season, we let a few games
slip, but the recent ten-game unbeaten run has really helped us and although
we ended that the other week at Southampton, we are still on course this
season for a good finish."
After netting the Hammers' second goal in the first half against Chelsea,
Brown spurned an excellent chance to put the home side further ahead, which
has added to the former England U16 striker's desire to improve his goal
ratio this season. "I didn't really expect it to come to me if I'm being
honest," he explained. "It came off a few knees and legs and then just fell
in front of me, so I was quite blessed that I was given the chance to score.
I thought it was quite an easy opportunity to take. "I really thought that I
was going to score the one in the second half, but as I went to shoot, I
caught more of the grass than the ball and it just trickled along, hit the
outside of the post and went wide. "When I get the opportunities in front of
goal, I really want to improve my ratio and start finishing off more than I
do at the moment."
Brown signed for West Ham United on a scholarship from July 2013, before
putting pen to paper on his first professional deal in November 2013, which
was a dream come true for him, although he admits that he still hasn't made
it as a professional. "It's a boy's dream to sign a professional contract
with a football club so I was over the moon when signing the contract. I
don't really see it as a proper professional contract because I know that
I'm not at that stage yet. I want to work hard to become a professional
footballer in the first team, not the Under-18s."
Personal development is high on this young Academy prospect's mind and since
signing for the Hammers, Brown has seen his confidence on the pitch improve
the most. "It's been quite a weird season to be honest because at the start,
I was scoring the goals but I didn't feel like my performances were that
good, whereas now, I feel like I've been playing much better but without the
goals. "Going into the final third of the season, hopefully I can match the
two and play regularly like how I did against Chelsea. "At the start of the
season when I moved to a new club, when I was shooting and struggling to
hold the ball up, my head was bound to drop. As I got more comfortable and
started playing better, it gives you that extra confidence that you need as
a striker to continue working hard and scoring goals. "The coaching staff
just kept helping me in training by telling me what I needed to change and
make sure I had it in my head what I needed to focus on."
It is in key areas like ball retention that Brown also feels like he has
improved, hoping that being stronger on the ball will eventually get him
closer to featuring in Nick Haycock's Development Squad. "When I first
joined the club, I knew that I wasn't ready to begin looking up at the
Development Squad, but now I am hoping to maybe feature once or twice
whenever I'm wanted. "I've improved my game a lot recently as I didn't
really know when I joined how to use my body to hold the ball up properly,
but I've learnt what to do now. "In the Development Squad games, if you lose
possession of the ball, the opposition can go down the other end and punish
you for it, so it was vital that I improved my ball retention."
Moving clubs can be a stressful time for any new player, but Brown settled
in quickly and is now a firm part of the West Ham family, which he feels
will help the club's bid for the title this season. "Football's not an
individual game so you need to have a strong bond with your team mates.
"I've noticed that at West Ham, it's like glue because everyone sticks
together and moves together as a team. For example, if someone goes for the
ball, someone is automatically covering him. "Obviously there are smaller
groups of friends within the team, but no one argues with each other and
everyone is friends. "That all helps when we go out on the pitch because we
are out there playing for each other and ourselves. I think that has helped
us earn the results that we have deserved this season."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chelsea v West Ham
KO 19:45
28 January 2014
Last updated at 14:08
By Jonathan Pearce
BBC Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Stamford Bridge Date: Wednesday, 29 January
TEAM NEWS
Chelsea's new signing Mohamed Salah will not feature as he is yet to arrive
in the country. Fernando Torres (knee) and midfielder Marco van Ginkel
(knee) are the Blues' only absentees, while Demba Ba is vying for a start
against his former club.
West Ham could give debuts to new Italian loanees Antonio Nocerino and Marco
Borriello. Kevin Nolan is back following a four-match ban, but Joe Cole
(groin) misses out on a return to Stamford Bridge.
MATCH PREVIEW
Chelsea are on the march and even West Ham die-hards must fear the worst
going to Stamford Bridge, where they haven't won since September 2002.
"Chelsea, who are at home and look capable of getting a positive result
against anybody, are up against a West Ham side that have been struggling up
front and at the back. "Let's forget about the Hammers' lack of goals for
now because they were never going to get many chances at Stamford Bridge
anyhow. It is at the back where West Ham boss Sam Allardyce will be most
concerned." The Blues have won their last seven matches in all competitions,
keeping five clean sheets in that run. The Hammers have lost five of their
last six, conceding 19 and scoring just four. Jose Mourinho was really
positive speaking at last week's Football Writers' Association tribute night
in his honour and has been eminently sensible in his explanation for selling
Juan Mata to Manchester United. To me, it's good business for all concerned.
The little Spaniard wasn't getting enough football under Mourinho and gets a
dream move to another giant. He can't stop Chelsea winning the title this
season but he can impair the chances of their rivals. Though brilliant for
the club in his first two seasons. Mourinho wants defensive work out of his
midfield creators. Oscar and Hazard will track back. Schurrle, Willian and
now Salah too all have a more devastating turn of foot than Mata. Critics
say Mata will come back and haunt Chelsea next season. That might be so. But
it'll take more than his arrival to turn Manchester United into a team that
can topple Chelsea over 40 weeks.
Mourinho's side certainly should have enough to beat West Ham, as they have
done in 13 of the last 16 meetings. They're not conceding, largely down to
John Terry's form. He's having his longest injury-free run in the league
side since 2011. The return of West Ham's key defender Winston Reid from
injury can't come soon enough for Sam Allardyce. He told me he's never had a
squad so decimated by injuries. Andy Carroll is nearing full fitness, while
the loaning of Italians Boriello and Nocerino may help. Their survival won't
depend on this game. They must beat Swansea, Villa and Norwich in the next
three. Nocerino was in Italy's Euro 2012 squad, scoring against England in
the penalty shoot out, but he and striker Boriello have had injuries this
season. It's a big ask to expect miracles from them. I expect West Ham to
stay up but it'll be desperately close - unlike this game at the Bridge.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Chelsea have won 12 and lost just one of their last 15 Premier League
matches against West Ham.
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League home games against
West Ham, with the Hammers' last victory at Stamford Bridge coming in 2002
thanks to a Paolo Di Canio brace (3-2).
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has picked up just two points in his previous
seven top-flight meetings with Jose Mourinho.
Chelsea
Chelsea have won five Premier League games in a row and seven in all
competitions.
The Blues have dropped only two points at home this season - in a 2-2 draw
with West Brom.
They have allowed just 68 shots on target against them this season, fewer
than any other team in the Premier League.
Jose Mourinho's side have recovered more points from losing positions than
any other side in the top flight this season (14).
Oscar has been involved in five goals in his last six appearances for
Chelsea (three goals, two assists).
Frank Lampard has scored five goals in his last five league games against
West Ham and Fernando Torres six in his last seven.
West Ham United
West Ham have won just four of their 22 Premier League matches this season
(18%).
They have kept nine league clean sheets this season but have conceded 23
games in their last eight matches in all competitions.
The Hammers are the only team in the Premier League who have not scored a
headed goal this season.
They have hit the target with just 35% of their shots this season, the
lowest accuracy of any team in the top flight.
West Ham have dropped more points from winning positions than any other side
in the Premier League this season (14).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Youngster departs
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 28th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Skrill Premier side Luton Town have signed West Ham United youngster Pelly
Ruddock on a permanent basis. The surprise departure comes just four weeks
after the Hammers recalled Ruddock from a short-term loan spell at the
Bedfordshire club in order to cover for a first team defensive crisis. The
news was confirmed by the fifth tier club earlier this afternoon. "Luton
Town Football Club are delighted to announce the permanent signing of Pelly
Ruddock Mpanzu from West Ham United for an undisclosed fee," it read. "The
20-year-old has penned a two-and-a-half year deal at Kenilworth Road and
returns to the club following a hugely successful loan spell with the
Hatters this season."
Ruddock joined West Ham from Boreham Wood in December 2011. He made his sole
first team appearance for the club against Burnley in the 2-0 Carling Cup
win last October. Whilst on loan at Kenilworth Road last year he made four
appearances in midfield for the current Conference Premier leaders.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce optimistic ahead of Chelsea trip
Last Updated: 28/01/14 5:04pm
SSN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes his struggling side can get a result
against Chelsea on Wednesday despite Jose Mourinho's superb home record as
Blues boss. The Portuguese, in his second spell at Stamford Bridge, is
unbeaten in all 71 Premier League home games in charge and will welcome
18th-placed West Ham looking to keep pace with Arsenal and Manchester City
at the top of the table. But Allardyce is not prepared to write off his
side's chances against their London rivals as the Hammers battle against the
drop. "We can't go to Chelsea and lie down," he said. "We can't go to
Chelsea and think that we're not going to get a result. When all said and
done, West Bromwich Albion should have beaten Chelsea this season. "In a
one-off game, if you play to your best and Chelsea aren't functioning at
their best, then you can get to the end result like West Brom did. It can be
achieved at any one time in any one game and we've got to believe that it
can be achieved."
West Ham have not played since their Capital One Cup defeat at home to
Manchester City a week ago whereas Chelsea were beating Stoke 1-0 in the FA
Cup fourth round on Sunday. However Allardyce believes the number of options
available to Mourinho means there is no benefit to the prolonged rest for
his players. "He [Mourinho] changes his squad and he's got 25 international
players to choose from so that's never been a particular problem for a club
like Chelsea," Allardyce added. "Keeping that amount of players and rotating
them keeps them relatively happy. Their massive programme throughout the
season means that players that don't play so much, generally play 20-plus
games. "We're happy in our squad if players are getting to the 25-game mark
because we will only play 40-plus games whereas they will play 60-plus."
Andy Carroll has a chance of starting his first Premier League game for West
Ham since May after the forward finally returned to the first-team fold
following two troublesome foot injuries. The 25-year-old will be hoping to
offer more of a goal threat to the Hammers but Allardyce conceded that
breaching the Chelsea backline in not an easy task. "The defensive unit has
become so difficult to breakdown again which shows that Jose has been
concentrating on that," he added. "It was apparent when I was watching them
against Stoke City. "Stoke found it very, very difficult to create any
opportunities against Chelsea and it frees up their quality players.
"Stopping Oscar, [Eden] Hazard, [Samuel] Eto'o is one of the elements for us
which we have to be very careful of. When those players get the ball we have
to make sure we're very sharp and that we close them down, otherwise their
skills and abilities will make life difficult for us."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Osasuna criticise West Ham for pulling out of a deal for Raoul Loe
By Lucas Brown | Last Updated: 28/01/14 2:21pm
SSN
Osasuna have accused West Ham United of being two-faced for pulling out of a
deal for Raoul Loe after the Spanish league side thought everything had been
agreed. The Cameroon international midfielder flew to London at the weekend
only for the Hammers to cancel the agreement via e-mail on the morning of
the medical, explaining they had agreed to loan Antonio Nocerin from AC
Milan. "Everything that has happened has surprised me. It was all done and
we left it with them. I cannot understand how a club at that level can
negotiate and work in a two-faced way like that," Osasuna's sporting
director Petar Vasiljevic stated.
"It was a real shock how a club at this level was doing this. But every club
know how things go and it was the same with this. We thought the subject was
concluded and felt the talks had been completed. "I want to explain what
happened with Raoul Loe and how strange things became throughout the
negotiations. "The club received a firm offer from West Ham and we reached
an agreement. "It was then left in the player's hands to go ahead and pass
the medical. He travelled to London with his agent where they waited and
went to a hotel. Up until then everything went well. "The following day when
they had to undergo the tests they pulled out of the deal, blaming it on the
fact that they signed someone else. "I was then sent an e-mail confirming
that West Ham had chosen to go with another player with different conditions
and was a deal they had been working on for several weeks. "It was a loan
deal that they said was completed and gave their apologies."
Osasuna did not want to lose Loe but accepted West Ham United's offer for
financial reasons, but Vasiljevic is pleased that the player is now set to
stay.
"Raoul is a strong boy and knows that he had a chance to take a step forward
in his career. But that was not possible and he had a bad Saturday night.
Now he is back with the squad and it is all forgotten," he added.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WEST HAM DEBT IS INCREASING AGAIN
By Sean Whetstone 28 Jan 2014 at 12:15
West Ham Till I Die
After four years in charge West Ham United debt appears to be rising again
after previous claims it was under control and was steadily reducing. In
2010 David Sullivan famously revealed in a press conference that West Ham
were over £100 million in debt. Sullivan explained at the time…
We've paid down some of the debt and injected some working capital but
there's still more than £100 million of debt. In that there's £50 million
owed to banks, there's £40 million owed to other clubs. There's not a penny
to come in, they (the previous owners) have borrowed against the next two
years of season-ticket money. The sponsors have paid 70% of their
three-years up front. In addition there's the club's settlement to (former
manager) Alan Curbishley, so the real debt is about £110 million."
Four years on Net debt has increased by nearly seven million pounds last
season from £70.7m in 2012 to £77.4m in 2013 in accounts published last
week. In previous years net debt was published as £55.4m in 2009 before
dropping after their take over to £33.5m in 2010 before rising again to
£41.6m in 2011.
Net debt is just a metric that shows a company's overall debt situation by
netting the value of a company's liabilities and debts such as bank loans
with its cash held in the bank.
Bank debt also increased by over fourteen million pounds from £30.5m in 2012
to £44.6m in 2013. In 2009 prior to their take over Bank debt was almost
identical at £44.9m, In 2010 post take over it dropped to £31.1m and in 2011
it dropped further to £28.9m.
Refinancing of the bank debt happened in July last year which saw a new
facility worth £26.7m which is repayable by 31st December 2016 and is
secured against Upton Park as a mortgage The new £44.6m figure is a point
time figure on 31st May 2013 so may have changed since the refinancing deal
in July.
Debt from loans from shareholders increased from £35.2m in 2012 to £45.7m in
2013 as David Sullivan and David Gold injected a further £10.5m of cash last
season. In their first year in 2010 share holder loans were just £3m.
Total borrowings including share holder loans have increased from £72.5m in
2012 to £90.9m in 2013. Although these loans attract interest, the total
£3.4m of interest is rolled up on the balance sheet and added to the debt
rather than paid out to the owners.
West Ham took out two short term loans from Vibrac Corporation to aid their
cash flow secured against future TV income from the Premier League. These
were a £12.8m loan in 2012 and a £15m loan. These are thought to attract an
interest rate of 10% and replaced a previous £12m overdraft facility
provided by 4 banks which expired on 31st December 2013.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WHY FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY IS NO LONGER A PROBLEM
By Sean Whetstone 28 Jan 2014 at 08:27
West Ham Till I Die
With the recent publication of West Ham's financial accounts last week came
along some important information with regards to our wage bill restrictions
this season. The accounts told us the total wage bill for West Ham was
£49.2m for last season (£56.2m if you include National Insurance, Pension
and compensation costs for loss of office). Considering those figures
included Manager Sam Allardyce and Vice Chairman Karren Brady's
multi-million pound salaries of around £4.6m between them plus over 750
other ordinary West Ham employees I think we can safety assume the actual
players wage bill including National Insurance, bonuses, image rights and
pension contributions was around or just under £48m as claimed on WHUFC.com
earlier this year.
This means our official FFP wage cap is £52m for this season as has been
claimed all along.
However the West Ham accounts also reveal a twist that we achieved improved
sales in both Commercial and Retail sales. The Premier League FFP rules say
the difference in this extra income can also be used as wages for this
season only.
Commercial revenue grew From £7.9m to £13.9m and Retail sales from £4.8m to
£6m giving us another £7.2m to spend this year so that pushes our maximum
wage cap up to £61.2m!
Not to play down the efforts of the West Ham United sales teams but the
majority of this increase in sales is down our promotion back to the Premier
League.
Maybe not the message our board want the fans to hear right now as it will
put more pressure on them to spend, spend, spend but still a relief we will
not face a points deduction or other sanctions if we go over the £52m wage
bill which is what the board claimed we were perilously close to at the
summer transfer window.
The recent reported loss of £3.5m for last season is also is well within the
permitted £105m losses over 3 years as long as the owners continue to inject
equity as they have done again last season to the tune of £10.5m.
So maybe the Chairman did over play the FFP card too much to the media last
summer. The financial accounts just released relate to the financial year
end 31st May 2013 so they should of known about the improved commercial and
retail sales at the time of the claims.
A good explanation about Premier League and Championship Cost Control and
Sustainability Provisions can be found from Daniel Geey at his website
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's new Italian duo Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino could
feature against Chelsea
Jan 28, 2014 16:09 By Alex Richards 2 Comments
The Mirror
West Ham could hand debuts to new signings as Antonio Nocerino and Marco
Borriello as both are in contention to feature at Chelsea on Wednesday
night.
The two Italy internationals have signed on loan until the end of the season
to bolster the Hammers' squad, which is starting to recover from injury
setbacks over the Christmas period. Borriello will compete with Andy Carroll
and Carlton Cole for a starting place up front. Antonio Nocerino could come
into the midfield after his arrival from AC Milan, while captain Kevin Nolan
returns from a four-match ban. However, Joe Cole (groin) a definite absentee
against one of his former clubs.
Provisional squad: Jaaskelainen, Adrian, O'Brien, Johnson, Tomkins, Collins,
Rat, Demel, McCartney, Diarra, Noble, Nocerino, Collison, Jarvis, Taylor,
Diame, Nolan, Morrison, Vaz Te, Maiga, C Cole, Carroll, Borriello.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chelsea v West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 28th January 2014
By: Preview Percy
In honour of our new signings Preview Percy has gone all Italian. To be
honest it's not a pretty sight.....
Next up we hop onto the District Line to the Stamford Bridge Laundromat for
a Wednesday night trip to Chelsea. Kick-off is at 7:45pm and, this being
midweek, only the rush-hour fun that is the tube will delay your journey.
We are forever told that the league is a "marathon not a sprint" in which
case we currently have a group of three just beginning to (to paraphrase the
late Ron Pickering) open their legs to show their class. Arsenal are top of
course, looking nervously over their shoulders at the rather good Manchester
City who (at the time of writing with Arsenal being 1-0 down at Southampton)
are tucked in nicely one point behind them on 50 points.
Then, in the manner of a runner who wants the two guys in front of him to at
least consider the possibility that he might have something of a sprint
finish left in the locker, come Chelsea with 49 points from their 22 matches
played so far.
Current form looks good – they've won five and drawn one of their last six
in the league. The wins came at home to Swansea (1-0), at home to Liverpool
(2-1), away at Southampton and Hull (3-0 and 2-0 respectively) and a 3-1
home stroll against Man Utd. The one draw came away at the library on a
filthy Monday night just before Christmas that you wouldn't have sent the
spotty work experience kid out on.
Of course their unlimited source of funds (to them "Financial Fair Play"
simply means pulling up the drawbridge behind them) means that that transfer
windows are just a bit of a laugh. The best thing about the current one has
been their fans making themselves look a bit daft at the hands of some Man
Utd supporters armed with a video camera and a microphone. "Yeah – great
passer of the ball from what I've seen on YouTube" was the general reaction
as a couple of eejits with Cork accents dangled a few unsubtly made-up names
in front of the sort of people who all went "who?" when Bobby Tambling was
paraded in front of them at half-time in a match against us a few years ago.
To be fair the eejits did eventually encounter a group of blokes who were
prepared to admit that they had never heard of the putative "targets". There
again they seemed so "refreshed" that you could probably have mentioned
Lionel Messi to them without getting a reaction.
One real player they did bring in was Nemanja "Professor Matt" Matic who
really old readers of similar vintage to myself might remember used to be
the engineer on Fireball XL5 (back when kids' tv was slightly better than
the extended advert for tat that it is today). Matic is now in his second
spell at the club and has been rehired to fill a perceived need in the
defensive midfield department. Received wisdom has it that this area hasn't
been the same since Makalele left, what with Essien's knee having been a bit
on the fragile side in recent years. Talking of Essien's knee, it has now
departed, loosely connected to the rest of him, in the general direction of
Milan. That would have been an interesting medical.
Also gone is Juan "Whassa" Mata who has gone to Old Trafford to help with
their relegation battle. Given the Salford mob's current plight one could
argue that the dropping of such a player like crumbs from the Chelsea table
will act as a psychological downer for Moyes lot. Certainly if Chelsea
wanted to send a message along the lines of "we consider you to be that
small a threat that we'll sell you a half decent player" it was a pretty
unsubtle way of doing so.
There's little to like about the Russian's plaything. There's the lionising
of a racist thug and the love-in for an obnoxious little git who actually
did sell his kids' grandma down the river. Then there's all the diving.
When the paper boy brought round my copy of the Standard the other night I
was somewhat bemused to discover an article from Patrick Barclay extolling
the virtues of goals from free-kicks. The argument went that, since
free-kicks are awarded as punishment for foul play, the true football
supporter should rejoice when a goal is scored from one. Which is all well
and good until you start praising the likes of Oscar, whose effort against
Stoke at the weekend was the difference between the two teams in the Cup. Mr
Barclay's rather naive argument sort of ignores one vital thing, that being
the simple fact that Oscar is a cheat who often dives to win those
free-kicks in the first place.
Take the reverse fixture earlier this season. Latching on to an admittedly
rotten back pass Oscar's dive was so far in advance of any contact from
Jaaskalainen he still had his street clothes on. The only thing more
embarrassing than Oscar's dive was the failure of the referee to spot what
was one of the worst dives ever seen outside Anfield. I'll start applauding
free-kick goals Mr Barclay when the likes of Chelsea stop diving to get them
– though I suspect we'll all be getting about on jet packs by then.
It might help if there was a bit of honesty in the media about it. Niall
Quinn commented to the effect that Oscar "saw Jaaskalainen coming" – so
here's a novel idea for commentators and journalists: stop mincing your
words. If you see Oscar throw himself to the floor in an obvious dive don't
say "he made the most of what contact there was". Tell it like it is and say
that he cheated. Maybe then referees might just stop using the get out of
jail free card given to them by the media and actually start doing their
jobs.
According to their manager, Chelsea "have no divers", a "fact" that will
come as news to West Brom who came within a gnat's of winning until a last
minute spot of "simulation" gave Chelsea a point-saving spot kick.
Rant over and so to us. There are some new faces about the place what with
this being the window and all. So it's a warm welcome from La Casa Riposo
Olimpico Del Avram Grant per lo Sconcertato (blame the spotty work
experience kid and something called "Google Translate" for that one) to
midfielder Antonio Nocerino and striker Marco Borriello.
Nocerino has, over his career, apparently played both as a defensive
midfielder and in more of an attacking role – he has a Serie A hat-trick to
his name for Milan. Nocerino's surname apparently translates as "little
walnut" which, by strange coincidence, is an affliction quite common amongst
the more elderly of us here at the Rest Home.
Borriello's name doesn't translate into anything much in English. He
survived a childhood in Naples that included his father being killed by the
Camorra when he was only 10. He seems an "interesting" character – in
2006-07 he seems to have served a ban for doping having tested positive for
a number of steroid-type compounds, something his then girlfriend attributed
to creams she was using to counter an infection in an "intimate" area. I
would ask Matron for clarification but I've just had my tea.
Injury news continues to improve, though this match would appear to be a few
days too soon for Winston Reid. Tomkins will be available for selection
after his suspension and will probably partner James Collins in the middle.
Diame's knee is an odd one. It looked like one of those "painful for a bit
but not serious" knocks at first so it was some surprise to see the player
stretchered off. The initial comments from the manager suggested that the
knock was "quite serious" though later reports suggested that this was not
the case.
So a prediction then. We'll lose of course – as we've seen time and time
again referees are far too scared of Abrahamovic to give visiting teams a
fair crack of the whip. However, this will be more about the performance and
getting something to carry over into future matches. We're vulnerable at
free-kicks and our opponents are past masters at conning them out of the
officials. I'll be putting the Avram Grant Olympic Rest Home For The
Bewildered's Pickled Walnut Budget (£2.50) on a 3-1 home win as we look to
bed in the new faces.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met At Stamford Bridge – Lost 0-2 (March 2013) Andy Carroll had
a perfectly good goal disallowed as a fat obnoxious pensioner-hating
midfielder and Hazard were on the scoresheet for the home side.
Referee: Neil Swarbrick Last seen trying to liven up our otherwise dull 2-0
home win over Wigan last season by dishing out yellow cards on a whim.
Danger Man:Dember Ba – him and the fat gerontophobe will be looking to prove
that the "law of the ex" actually exisits.
Daft fact of the week: If "by a man's friends shall ye know him", it's worth
pointing out that Roman Abrahamovic is said to be close mates with oafish
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Putin's bid to make the forthcoming
Winter Olympics a paradise for homophobes hasn't quite got as far as
renaming the skiing plus shooting event as "The Athlon" but it's probably
only a matter of time.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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WHUFC.com
All the need-to-know information ahead of West Ham United's game against
Chelsea on Wednesday night
28.01.2014
CHELSEA v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
STAMFORD BRIDGE
WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY 2014
KICK-OFF: 7:45PM
REFEREE: NEIL SWARBRICK
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
iPHONE APP I TWITTER I FACEBOOK I PODCAST I INSTAGRAM I YOUTUBE
Introduction
• Stamford Bridge is the destination for West Ham United on Wednesday night
as they return to Barclays Premier League action against Chelsea.
• The Hammers' last league encounter ended in a 3-1 defeat to Newcastle
United at the Boleyn Ground back on 18 January.
• Sam Allardyce's side did however enjoy better fortunes on their last away
league outing, beating Cardiff City 2-0 in the Welsh capital.
• By the time West Ham take to the field in west London it will be just over
a week since the Hammers exited the Capital One Cup following a 9-0
aggregate loss to Manchester City.
• Chelsea will play their second home game in four days on Wednesday night
following a 1-0 FA Cup with Budweiser fourth round win over Stoke City on
Sunday afternoon.
• The Blues' last Premier League match was also in front of their own fans,
a 3-1 success against Manchester United on 19 January.
• In all, Jose Mourinho's team are on a good run and have gone seven league
matches without defeat, since a 3-2 defeat against Stoke City on 7 December.
Team news
West Ham United
• New signing Antonio Nocerino could go straight into the squad for
Wednesday night, although Sam Allardyce admitted that fellow new boy Marco
Borriello may not be fit enough to feature.
• Winston Reid is back in first team training after recovering from an ankle
injury which has side-lined him for the best part of three months, but will
not feature against the Blues.
Chelsea
• Chelsea may hand a debut to new signing Mohamed Salah, who joined the west
London club from Basle on Sunday.
Last time out
West Ham United 0-3 Manchester City
Capital One Cup semi-final second leg
21 January 2014
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Taylor, Johnson, Tomkins, Rat, Morrison,
Diame (Collison 89), Nolan, Diarra, J Cole (Downing 47), Carroll (C Cole 45)
Subs not used: Adrian, Jarvis, Noble, Chambers
Chelsea 1-0 Stoke City
FA Cup with Budweiser fourth round
26 January 2014
Chelsea: Schwarzer, Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Cole, Matic, Lampard, Schurrle
(Ramires 70), Oscar (Willian 81), Hazard, Eto'o (Ba 85)
Subs not used: Cech, Mikel, Terry, Azpilicueta
Goal: Oscar 27
Previous meeting
Frank Lampard returned to haunt the Hammers once again as he netted two of
three Chelsea goals as they eased to victory in east London. The Academy
graduate opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 21 minutes and
finished the scoring off with eight minutes remaining after Oscar had
doubled the visitors' advantage.
West Ham United 0-3 Chelsea
Barclays Premier League
23 November 2013
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins, Tomkins, O'Brien, Collison
(Maiga 40), Noble, J Cole (Diame 40), Morrison, Downing, Nolan (Jarvis 76)
Subs not used: Adrian, McCartney, Taylor, C Cole
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Ramires, Mikel,
Lampard, Oscar (Schurrle 83), Eto'o (Ba 79), Hazard (Essien 84)
Subs not used: Schwarzer, Cole, Willian, Mata
Goals: Lampard 21, 82, Oscar 34
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
23 November 2013 - West Ham United 0-3 Chelsea
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
v Chelsea (all competitions) W 53 D 28 L 53
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)
Background
• Wednesday's fixture marks the 90th league meeting between the two clubs.
West Ham have 35 wins to their opponents' 37, while there have been just 17
draws. In 32 Premier League meetings, Chelsea have chalked up 17 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.
• Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard started his career at West Ham, working
his way up through the ranks before making 187 appearances and scoring 38
goals for the Club between 1995 and 2001. The England international left
east London for Stamford Bridge and has gone on to make 634 appearances for
the Blues, scoring 209 goals.
• West Ham midfielder Joe Cole, also came through the famous Academy before
leaving to join Chelsea in 2003. He spent seven years in west London, making
over 180 league appearances and collecting no fewer than ten winners' medals
during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Referee
• Wednesday night's man in the middle is 48-year-old Neil Swarbrick.
• Swarbrick began refereeing at the age of 29 and within six years he had
been promoted to the National List of assistant referees in 2005.
• Now 42, Swarbrick made his way up the leagues via the Football Conference
and the npower Football League before receiving his first Barclays Premier
League appointment on 11 December 2010. He was officially promoted to the
Select Group of top-flight referees in June 2011.
• The official last took charge of the Hammers when they recorded an
excellent 2-1 Capital One Cup quarter-final win against Tottenham Hotspur.
General information
• All standard tickets for this fixture have sold out. There are however
still a number of disabled tickets remaining priced at Adults £42 and £13.50
Over-65s and Under-18s.
• There are no planned closures on the c2c mainline train service scheduled
for Wednesday. For full travel information and updates on the c2c network
click here.
• There are also no planned engineering works across the London Underground
scheduled for Wednesday. For live travel information click here.
• The weather forecast for Wednesday night is cloudy with temperatures
around 5C (41F).
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'We will wear the shirt with pride'
WHUFC.com
New loan arrival Marco Borriello cannot wait to make his West Ham United
debut
28.01.2014
Marco Borriello is relishing the prospect of testing himself in the Barclays
Premier League. The Italy international, who has seven caps to his name, has
spent his entire career to date in his homeland, notching 71 Serie A goals
in 253 appearances. Having turned out for the likes of AC Milan, Juventus
and AS Roma, from whom he joined the Hammers on loan, he is now looking
forward to showcasing his talents on a different stage. In an exclusive West
Ham TV interview, he said: "I was given the opportunity to move in the
summer and I was looking to come over to England and the Premier League, but
I decided to stay at Roma at that time. "However, when the opportunity arose
to join West Ham in this transfer window, I was very happy to make the move.
"I can't wait to start playing in the Premier League - I know the fans are
very passionate and I'm very excited by the challenge. "I know it is a very
tough league, but I am very much looking forward to testing myself here.
"Serie A and the Premier League are two different leagues. The Italian
league is a bit more tactical, whereas the English league is maybe more
physical. "However, the ball is round in both countries, so if you are good
player you can play in any league in the world."
Marco Borriello
The new No46 was born in Naples - the same city from which fellow Italian
and new arrival Antonio Nocerino hails. Borriello is looking forward to
linking up with his countryman and he says the pair are well-versed on what
to expect in east London. Watch fellow Italian Antonio Nocerino's first West
Ham TV interview here! He continued: "I have joked with Antonio - we have
two Italians, Neapolitans even, who have now met and are playing for a club
in London.
"We both have loads of enthusiasm and are excited to start playing and
hopefully bring West Ham up the table. "Being Italian and following the
English league, I know a lot about West Ham in terms of Gianfranco Zola
having managed here and Paolo Di Canio being a great idol at the Club. "I've
read a lot about the history of the Club and know they have the nickname of
the Irons. Both myself and Antonio are players who will wear the shirt with
honour, with pride and with heart - we will give 100 percent whenever we
play for the Club."
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Ruddock departs
WHUFC.com
Pelly Ruddock has joined Skrill Premier club Luton Town on a permanent basis
28.01.2014
West Ham United can confirm that Pelly Ruddock has joined Skrill Premier
club Luton Town on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee. The 20-year-old
Ruddock enjoyed a successful loan spell with the Hatters between November
2013 and January 2014. During his time at Kenilworth Road, Ruddock helped
John Still's men to win all four league matches in which he featured and
progress to the FA Trophy third round. The youngster now returns to
Bedfordshire with Luton top of the table and on course to return to the
Football League after a five-year absence. Ruddock began his career with
Boreham Wood before joining West Ham at the age of 18 in December 2011. He
made his one and only first-team appearance for the Club in a 2-0 Capital
One Cup fourth round win at Burnley on 29 October 2013. West Ham United
would like to thank Pelly for his efforts and wish him every success in his
future career.
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Academy striker making progress
WHUFC.com
Jordan Brown was delighted to net in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Chelsea in
the Barclays U18 Premier League
28.01.2014
West Ham United's Under-18s continued their fine form this season at the
weekend with an impressive 2-0 victory over Chelsea at Little Heath. Captain
Kieran Bywater put the Hammers ahead after five minutes with a well-taken
effort following good work from striker Jordan Brown, before the 17-year-old
forward added to his own tally for the season after 24 minutes. Speaking
after the match, former Arsenal striker Brown spoke of his delight with the
result, believing that performances like Saturday's from the Hammers could
keep them within touching distance of the Barclays Under-18 Premier League
South title. "I'm really happy with the result," said Brown. "Before the
game, I think Chelsea were third with a few games in hand, but that result
has given us a boost to stay near the top of the league. "The title is
definitely in reach for us. At the start of the season, we let a few games
slip, but the recent ten-game unbeaten run has really helped us and although
we ended that the other week at Southampton, we are still on course this
season for a good finish."
After netting the Hammers' second goal in the first half against Chelsea,
Brown spurned an excellent chance to put the home side further ahead, which
has added to the former England U16 striker's desire to improve his goal
ratio this season. "I didn't really expect it to come to me if I'm being
honest," he explained. "It came off a few knees and legs and then just fell
in front of me, so I was quite blessed that I was given the chance to score.
I thought it was quite an easy opportunity to take. "I really thought that I
was going to score the one in the second half, but as I went to shoot, I
caught more of the grass than the ball and it just trickled along, hit the
outside of the post and went wide. "When I get the opportunities in front of
goal, I really want to improve my ratio and start finishing off more than I
do at the moment."
Brown signed for West Ham United on a scholarship from July 2013, before
putting pen to paper on his first professional deal in November 2013, which
was a dream come true for him, although he admits that he still hasn't made
it as a professional. "It's a boy's dream to sign a professional contract
with a football club so I was over the moon when signing the contract. I
don't really see it as a proper professional contract because I know that
I'm not at that stage yet. I want to work hard to become a professional
footballer in the first team, not the Under-18s."
Personal development is high on this young Academy prospect's mind and since
signing for the Hammers, Brown has seen his confidence on the pitch improve
the most. "It's been quite a weird season to be honest because at the start,
I was scoring the goals but I didn't feel like my performances were that
good, whereas now, I feel like I've been playing much better but without the
goals. "Going into the final third of the season, hopefully I can match the
two and play regularly like how I did against Chelsea. "At the start of the
season when I moved to a new club, when I was shooting and struggling to
hold the ball up, my head was bound to drop. As I got more comfortable and
started playing better, it gives you that extra confidence that you need as
a striker to continue working hard and scoring goals. "The coaching staff
just kept helping me in training by telling me what I needed to change and
make sure I had it in my head what I needed to focus on."
It is in key areas like ball retention that Brown also feels like he has
improved, hoping that being stronger on the ball will eventually get him
closer to featuring in Nick Haycock's Development Squad. "When I first
joined the club, I knew that I wasn't ready to begin looking up at the
Development Squad, but now I am hoping to maybe feature once or twice
whenever I'm wanted. "I've improved my game a lot recently as I didn't
really know when I joined how to use my body to hold the ball up properly,
but I've learnt what to do now. "In the Development Squad games, if you lose
possession of the ball, the opposition can go down the other end and punish
you for it, so it was vital that I improved my ball retention."
Moving clubs can be a stressful time for any new player, but Brown settled
in quickly and is now a firm part of the West Ham family, which he feels
will help the club's bid for the title this season. "Football's not an
individual game so you need to have a strong bond with your team mates.
"I've noticed that at West Ham, it's like glue because everyone sticks
together and moves together as a team. For example, if someone goes for the
ball, someone is automatically covering him. "Obviously there are smaller
groups of friends within the team, but no one argues with each other and
everyone is friends. "That all helps when we go out on the pitch because we
are out there playing for each other and ourselves. I think that has helped
us earn the results that we have deserved this season."
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Chelsea v West Ham
KO 19:45
28 January 2014
Last updated at 14:08
By Jonathan Pearce
BBC Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Stamford Bridge Date: Wednesday, 29 January
TEAM NEWS
Chelsea's new signing Mohamed Salah will not feature as he is yet to arrive
in the country. Fernando Torres (knee) and midfielder Marco van Ginkel
(knee) are the Blues' only absentees, while Demba Ba is vying for a start
against his former club.
West Ham could give debuts to new Italian loanees Antonio Nocerino and Marco
Borriello. Kevin Nolan is back following a four-match ban, but Joe Cole
(groin) misses out on a return to Stamford Bridge.
MATCH PREVIEW
Chelsea are on the march and even West Ham die-hards must fear the worst
going to Stamford Bridge, where they haven't won since September 2002.
"Chelsea, who are at home and look capable of getting a positive result
against anybody, are up against a West Ham side that have been struggling up
front and at the back. "Let's forget about the Hammers' lack of goals for
now because they were never going to get many chances at Stamford Bridge
anyhow. It is at the back where West Ham boss Sam Allardyce will be most
concerned." The Blues have won their last seven matches in all competitions,
keeping five clean sheets in that run. The Hammers have lost five of their
last six, conceding 19 and scoring just four. Jose Mourinho was really
positive speaking at last week's Football Writers' Association tribute night
in his honour and has been eminently sensible in his explanation for selling
Juan Mata to Manchester United. To me, it's good business for all concerned.
The little Spaniard wasn't getting enough football under Mourinho and gets a
dream move to another giant. He can't stop Chelsea winning the title this
season but he can impair the chances of their rivals. Though brilliant for
the club in his first two seasons. Mourinho wants defensive work out of his
midfield creators. Oscar and Hazard will track back. Schurrle, Willian and
now Salah too all have a more devastating turn of foot than Mata. Critics
say Mata will come back and haunt Chelsea next season. That might be so. But
it'll take more than his arrival to turn Manchester United into a team that
can topple Chelsea over 40 weeks.
Mourinho's side certainly should have enough to beat West Ham, as they have
done in 13 of the last 16 meetings. They're not conceding, largely down to
John Terry's form. He's having his longest injury-free run in the league
side since 2011. The return of West Ham's key defender Winston Reid from
injury can't come soon enough for Sam Allardyce. He told me he's never had a
squad so decimated by injuries. Andy Carroll is nearing full fitness, while
the loaning of Italians Boriello and Nocerino may help. Their survival won't
depend on this game. They must beat Swansea, Villa and Norwich in the next
three. Nocerino was in Italy's Euro 2012 squad, scoring against England in
the penalty shoot out, but he and striker Boriello have had injuries this
season. It's a big ask to expect miracles from them. I expect West Ham to
stay up but it'll be desperately close - unlike this game at the Bridge.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Chelsea have won 12 and lost just one of their last 15 Premier League
matches against West Ham.
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League home games against
West Ham, with the Hammers' last victory at Stamford Bridge coming in 2002
thanks to a Paolo Di Canio brace (3-2).
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has picked up just two points in his previous
seven top-flight meetings with Jose Mourinho.
Chelsea
Chelsea have won five Premier League games in a row and seven in all
competitions.
The Blues have dropped only two points at home this season - in a 2-2 draw
with West Brom.
They have allowed just 68 shots on target against them this season, fewer
than any other team in the Premier League.
Jose Mourinho's side have recovered more points from losing positions than
any other side in the top flight this season (14).
Oscar has been involved in five goals in his last six appearances for
Chelsea (three goals, two assists).
Frank Lampard has scored five goals in his last five league games against
West Ham and Fernando Torres six in his last seven.
West Ham United
West Ham have won just four of their 22 Premier League matches this season
(18%).
They have kept nine league clean sheets this season but have conceded 23
games in their last eight matches in all competitions.
The Hammers are the only team in the Premier League who have not scored a
headed goal this season.
They have hit the target with just 35% of their shots this season, the
lowest accuracy of any team in the top flight.
West Ham have dropped more points from winning positions than any other side
in the Premier League this season (14).
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Youngster departs
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 28th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Skrill Premier side Luton Town have signed West Ham United youngster Pelly
Ruddock on a permanent basis. The surprise departure comes just four weeks
after the Hammers recalled Ruddock from a short-term loan spell at the
Bedfordshire club in order to cover for a first team defensive crisis. The
news was confirmed by the fifth tier club earlier this afternoon. "Luton
Town Football Club are delighted to announce the permanent signing of Pelly
Ruddock Mpanzu from West Ham United for an undisclosed fee," it read. "The
20-year-old has penned a two-and-a-half year deal at Kenilworth Road and
returns to the club following a hugely successful loan spell with the
Hatters this season."
Ruddock joined West Ham from Boreham Wood in December 2011. He made his sole
first team appearance for the club against Burnley in the 2-0 Carling Cup
win last October. Whilst on loan at Kenilworth Road last year he made four
appearances in midfield for the current Conference Premier leaders.
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Sam Allardyce optimistic ahead of Chelsea trip
Last Updated: 28/01/14 5:04pm
SSN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes his struggling side can get a result
against Chelsea on Wednesday despite Jose Mourinho's superb home record as
Blues boss. The Portuguese, in his second spell at Stamford Bridge, is
unbeaten in all 71 Premier League home games in charge and will welcome
18th-placed West Ham looking to keep pace with Arsenal and Manchester City
at the top of the table. But Allardyce is not prepared to write off his
side's chances against their London rivals as the Hammers battle against the
drop. "We can't go to Chelsea and lie down," he said. "We can't go to
Chelsea and think that we're not going to get a result. When all said and
done, West Bromwich Albion should have beaten Chelsea this season. "In a
one-off game, if you play to your best and Chelsea aren't functioning at
their best, then you can get to the end result like West Brom did. It can be
achieved at any one time in any one game and we've got to believe that it
can be achieved."
West Ham have not played since their Capital One Cup defeat at home to
Manchester City a week ago whereas Chelsea were beating Stoke 1-0 in the FA
Cup fourth round on Sunday. However Allardyce believes the number of options
available to Mourinho means there is no benefit to the prolonged rest for
his players. "He [Mourinho] changes his squad and he's got 25 international
players to choose from so that's never been a particular problem for a club
like Chelsea," Allardyce added. "Keeping that amount of players and rotating
them keeps them relatively happy. Their massive programme throughout the
season means that players that don't play so much, generally play 20-plus
games. "We're happy in our squad if players are getting to the 25-game mark
because we will only play 40-plus games whereas they will play 60-plus."
Andy Carroll has a chance of starting his first Premier League game for West
Ham since May after the forward finally returned to the first-team fold
following two troublesome foot injuries. The 25-year-old will be hoping to
offer more of a goal threat to the Hammers but Allardyce conceded that
breaching the Chelsea backline in not an easy task. "The defensive unit has
become so difficult to breakdown again which shows that Jose has been
concentrating on that," he added. "It was apparent when I was watching them
against Stoke City. "Stoke found it very, very difficult to create any
opportunities against Chelsea and it frees up their quality players.
"Stopping Oscar, [Eden] Hazard, [Samuel] Eto'o is one of the elements for us
which we have to be very careful of. When those players get the ball we have
to make sure we're very sharp and that we close them down, otherwise their
skills and abilities will make life difficult for us."
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Osasuna criticise West Ham for pulling out of a deal for Raoul Loe
By Lucas Brown | Last Updated: 28/01/14 2:21pm
SSN
Osasuna have accused West Ham United of being two-faced for pulling out of a
deal for Raoul Loe after the Spanish league side thought everything had been
agreed. The Cameroon international midfielder flew to London at the weekend
only for the Hammers to cancel the agreement via e-mail on the morning of
the medical, explaining they had agreed to loan Antonio Nocerin from AC
Milan. "Everything that has happened has surprised me. It was all done and
we left it with them. I cannot understand how a club at that level can
negotiate and work in a two-faced way like that," Osasuna's sporting
director Petar Vasiljevic stated.
"It was a real shock how a club at this level was doing this. But every club
know how things go and it was the same with this. We thought the subject was
concluded and felt the talks had been completed. "I want to explain what
happened with Raoul Loe and how strange things became throughout the
negotiations. "The club received a firm offer from West Ham and we reached
an agreement. "It was then left in the player's hands to go ahead and pass
the medical. He travelled to London with his agent where they waited and
went to a hotel. Up until then everything went well. "The following day when
they had to undergo the tests they pulled out of the deal, blaming it on the
fact that they signed someone else. "I was then sent an e-mail confirming
that West Ham had chosen to go with another player with different conditions
and was a deal they had been working on for several weeks. "It was a loan
deal that they said was completed and gave their apologies."
Osasuna did not want to lose Loe but accepted West Ham United's offer for
financial reasons, but Vasiljevic is pleased that the player is now set to
stay.
"Raoul is a strong boy and knows that he had a chance to take a step forward
in his career. But that was not possible and he had a bad Saturday night.
Now he is back with the squad and it is all forgotten," he added.
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WEST HAM DEBT IS INCREASING AGAIN
By Sean Whetstone 28 Jan 2014 at 12:15
West Ham Till I Die
After four years in charge West Ham United debt appears to be rising again
after previous claims it was under control and was steadily reducing. In
2010 David Sullivan famously revealed in a press conference that West Ham
were over £100 million in debt. Sullivan explained at the time…
We've paid down some of the debt and injected some working capital but
there's still more than £100 million of debt. In that there's £50 million
owed to banks, there's £40 million owed to other clubs. There's not a penny
to come in, they (the previous owners) have borrowed against the next two
years of season-ticket money. The sponsors have paid 70% of their
three-years up front. In addition there's the club's settlement to (former
manager) Alan Curbishley, so the real debt is about £110 million."
Four years on Net debt has increased by nearly seven million pounds last
season from £70.7m in 2012 to £77.4m in 2013 in accounts published last
week. In previous years net debt was published as £55.4m in 2009 before
dropping after their take over to £33.5m in 2010 before rising again to
£41.6m in 2011.
Net debt is just a metric that shows a company's overall debt situation by
netting the value of a company's liabilities and debts such as bank loans
with its cash held in the bank.
Bank debt also increased by over fourteen million pounds from £30.5m in 2012
to £44.6m in 2013. In 2009 prior to their take over Bank debt was almost
identical at £44.9m, In 2010 post take over it dropped to £31.1m and in 2011
it dropped further to £28.9m.
Refinancing of the bank debt happened in July last year which saw a new
facility worth £26.7m which is repayable by 31st December 2016 and is
secured against Upton Park as a mortgage The new £44.6m figure is a point
time figure on 31st May 2013 so may have changed since the refinancing deal
in July.
Debt from loans from shareholders increased from £35.2m in 2012 to £45.7m in
2013 as David Sullivan and David Gold injected a further £10.5m of cash last
season. In their first year in 2010 share holder loans were just £3m.
Total borrowings including share holder loans have increased from £72.5m in
2012 to £90.9m in 2013. Although these loans attract interest, the total
£3.4m of interest is rolled up on the balance sheet and added to the debt
rather than paid out to the owners.
West Ham took out two short term loans from Vibrac Corporation to aid their
cash flow secured against future TV income from the Premier League. These
were a £12.8m loan in 2012 and a £15m loan. These are thought to attract an
interest rate of 10% and replaced a previous £12m overdraft facility
provided by 4 banks which expired on 31st December 2013.
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WHY FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY IS NO LONGER A PROBLEM
By Sean Whetstone 28 Jan 2014 at 08:27
West Ham Till I Die
With the recent publication of West Ham's financial accounts last week came
along some important information with regards to our wage bill restrictions
this season. The accounts told us the total wage bill for West Ham was
£49.2m for last season (£56.2m if you include National Insurance, Pension
and compensation costs for loss of office). Considering those figures
included Manager Sam Allardyce and Vice Chairman Karren Brady's
multi-million pound salaries of around £4.6m between them plus over 750
other ordinary West Ham employees I think we can safety assume the actual
players wage bill including National Insurance, bonuses, image rights and
pension contributions was around or just under £48m as claimed on WHUFC.com
earlier this year.
This means our official FFP wage cap is £52m for this season as has been
claimed all along.
However the West Ham accounts also reveal a twist that we achieved improved
sales in both Commercial and Retail sales. The Premier League FFP rules say
the difference in this extra income can also be used as wages for this
season only.
Commercial revenue grew From £7.9m to £13.9m and Retail sales from £4.8m to
£6m giving us another £7.2m to spend this year so that pushes our maximum
wage cap up to £61.2m!
Not to play down the efforts of the West Ham United sales teams but the
majority of this increase in sales is down our promotion back to the Premier
League.
Maybe not the message our board want the fans to hear right now as it will
put more pressure on them to spend, spend, spend but still a relief we will
not face a points deduction or other sanctions if we go over the £52m wage
bill which is what the board claimed we were perilously close to at the
summer transfer window.
The recent reported loss of £3.5m for last season is also is well within the
permitted £105m losses over 3 years as long as the owners continue to inject
equity as they have done again last season to the tune of £10.5m.
So maybe the Chairman did over play the FFP card too much to the media last
summer. The financial accounts just released relate to the financial year
end 31st May 2013 so they should of known about the improved commercial and
retail sales at the time of the claims.
A good explanation about Premier League and Championship Cost Control and
Sustainability Provisions can be found from Daniel Geey at his website
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West Ham's new Italian duo Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino could
feature against Chelsea
Jan 28, 2014 16:09 By Alex Richards 2 Comments
The Mirror
West Ham could hand debuts to new signings as Antonio Nocerino and Marco
Borriello as both are in contention to feature at Chelsea on Wednesday
night.
The two Italy internationals have signed on loan until the end of the season
to bolster the Hammers' squad, which is starting to recover from injury
setbacks over the Christmas period. Borriello will compete with Andy Carroll
and Carlton Cole for a starting place up front. Antonio Nocerino could come
into the midfield after his arrival from AC Milan, while captain Kevin Nolan
returns from a four-match ban. However, Joe Cole (groin) a definite absentee
against one of his former clubs.
Provisional squad: Jaaskelainen, Adrian, O'Brien, Johnson, Tomkins, Collins,
Rat, Demel, McCartney, Diarra, Noble, Nocerino, Collison, Jarvis, Taylor,
Diame, Nolan, Morrison, Vaz Te, Maiga, C Cole, Carroll, Borriello.
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Chelsea v West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 28th January 2014
By: Preview Percy
In honour of our new signings Preview Percy has gone all Italian. To be
honest it's not a pretty sight.....
Next up we hop onto the District Line to the Stamford Bridge Laundromat for
a Wednesday night trip to Chelsea. Kick-off is at 7:45pm and, this being
midweek, only the rush-hour fun that is the tube will delay your journey.
We are forever told that the league is a "marathon not a sprint" in which
case we currently have a group of three just beginning to (to paraphrase the
late Ron Pickering) open their legs to show their class. Arsenal are top of
course, looking nervously over their shoulders at the rather good Manchester
City who (at the time of writing with Arsenal being 1-0 down at Southampton)
are tucked in nicely one point behind them on 50 points.
Then, in the manner of a runner who wants the two guys in front of him to at
least consider the possibility that he might have something of a sprint
finish left in the locker, come Chelsea with 49 points from their 22 matches
played so far.
Current form looks good – they've won five and drawn one of their last six
in the league. The wins came at home to Swansea (1-0), at home to Liverpool
(2-1), away at Southampton and Hull (3-0 and 2-0 respectively) and a 3-1
home stroll against Man Utd. The one draw came away at the library on a
filthy Monday night just before Christmas that you wouldn't have sent the
spotty work experience kid out on.
Of course their unlimited source of funds (to them "Financial Fair Play"
simply means pulling up the drawbridge behind them) means that that transfer
windows are just a bit of a laugh. The best thing about the current one has
been their fans making themselves look a bit daft at the hands of some Man
Utd supporters armed with a video camera and a microphone. "Yeah – great
passer of the ball from what I've seen on YouTube" was the general reaction
as a couple of eejits with Cork accents dangled a few unsubtly made-up names
in front of the sort of people who all went "who?" when Bobby Tambling was
paraded in front of them at half-time in a match against us a few years ago.
To be fair the eejits did eventually encounter a group of blokes who were
prepared to admit that they had never heard of the putative "targets". There
again they seemed so "refreshed" that you could probably have mentioned
Lionel Messi to them without getting a reaction.
One real player they did bring in was Nemanja "Professor Matt" Matic who
really old readers of similar vintage to myself might remember used to be
the engineer on Fireball XL5 (back when kids' tv was slightly better than
the extended advert for tat that it is today). Matic is now in his second
spell at the club and has been rehired to fill a perceived need in the
defensive midfield department. Received wisdom has it that this area hasn't
been the same since Makalele left, what with Essien's knee having been a bit
on the fragile side in recent years. Talking of Essien's knee, it has now
departed, loosely connected to the rest of him, in the general direction of
Milan. That would have been an interesting medical.
Also gone is Juan "Whassa" Mata who has gone to Old Trafford to help with
their relegation battle. Given the Salford mob's current plight one could
argue that the dropping of such a player like crumbs from the Chelsea table
will act as a psychological downer for Moyes lot. Certainly if Chelsea
wanted to send a message along the lines of "we consider you to be that
small a threat that we'll sell you a half decent player" it was a pretty
unsubtle way of doing so.
There's little to like about the Russian's plaything. There's the lionising
of a racist thug and the love-in for an obnoxious little git who actually
did sell his kids' grandma down the river. Then there's all the diving.
When the paper boy brought round my copy of the Standard the other night I
was somewhat bemused to discover an article from Patrick Barclay extolling
the virtues of goals from free-kicks. The argument went that, since
free-kicks are awarded as punishment for foul play, the true football
supporter should rejoice when a goal is scored from one. Which is all well
and good until you start praising the likes of Oscar, whose effort against
Stoke at the weekend was the difference between the two teams in the Cup. Mr
Barclay's rather naive argument sort of ignores one vital thing, that being
the simple fact that Oscar is a cheat who often dives to win those
free-kicks in the first place.
Take the reverse fixture earlier this season. Latching on to an admittedly
rotten back pass Oscar's dive was so far in advance of any contact from
Jaaskalainen he still had his street clothes on. The only thing more
embarrassing than Oscar's dive was the failure of the referee to spot what
was one of the worst dives ever seen outside Anfield. I'll start applauding
free-kick goals Mr Barclay when the likes of Chelsea stop diving to get them
– though I suspect we'll all be getting about on jet packs by then.
It might help if there was a bit of honesty in the media about it. Niall
Quinn commented to the effect that Oscar "saw Jaaskalainen coming" – so
here's a novel idea for commentators and journalists: stop mincing your
words. If you see Oscar throw himself to the floor in an obvious dive don't
say "he made the most of what contact there was". Tell it like it is and say
that he cheated. Maybe then referees might just stop using the get out of
jail free card given to them by the media and actually start doing their
jobs.
According to their manager, Chelsea "have no divers", a "fact" that will
come as news to West Brom who came within a gnat's of winning until a last
minute spot of "simulation" gave Chelsea a point-saving spot kick.
Rant over and so to us. There are some new faces about the place what with
this being the window and all. So it's a warm welcome from La Casa Riposo
Olimpico Del Avram Grant per lo Sconcertato (blame the spotty work
experience kid and something called "Google Translate" for that one) to
midfielder Antonio Nocerino and striker Marco Borriello.
Nocerino has, over his career, apparently played both as a defensive
midfielder and in more of an attacking role – he has a Serie A hat-trick to
his name for Milan. Nocerino's surname apparently translates as "little
walnut" which, by strange coincidence, is an affliction quite common amongst
the more elderly of us here at the Rest Home.
Borriello's name doesn't translate into anything much in English. He
survived a childhood in Naples that included his father being killed by the
Camorra when he was only 10. He seems an "interesting" character – in
2006-07 he seems to have served a ban for doping having tested positive for
a number of steroid-type compounds, something his then girlfriend attributed
to creams she was using to counter an infection in an "intimate" area. I
would ask Matron for clarification but I've just had my tea.
Injury news continues to improve, though this match would appear to be a few
days too soon for Winston Reid. Tomkins will be available for selection
after his suspension and will probably partner James Collins in the middle.
Diame's knee is an odd one. It looked like one of those "painful for a bit
but not serious" knocks at first so it was some surprise to see the player
stretchered off. The initial comments from the manager suggested that the
knock was "quite serious" though later reports suggested that this was not
the case.
So a prediction then. We'll lose of course – as we've seen time and time
again referees are far too scared of Abrahamovic to give visiting teams a
fair crack of the whip. However, this will be more about the performance and
getting something to carry over into future matches. We're vulnerable at
free-kicks and our opponents are past masters at conning them out of the
officials. I'll be putting the Avram Grant Olympic Rest Home For The
Bewildered's Pickled Walnut Budget (£2.50) on a 3-1 home win as we look to
bed in the new faces.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met At Stamford Bridge – Lost 0-2 (March 2013) Andy Carroll had
a perfectly good goal disallowed as a fat obnoxious pensioner-hating
midfielder and Hazard were on the scoresheet for the home side.
Referee: Neil Swarbrick Last seen trying to liven up our otherwise dull 2-0
home win over Wigan last season by dishing out yellow cards on a whim.
Danger Man:Dember Ba – him and the fat gerontophobe will be looking to prove
that the "law of the ex" actually exisits.
Daft fact of the week: If "by a man's friends shall ye know him", it's worth
pointing out that Roman Abrahamovic is said to be close mates with oafish
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Putin's bid to make the forthcoming
Winter Olympics a paradise for homophobes hasn't quite got as far as
renaming the skiing plus shooting event as "The Athlon" but it's probably
only a matter of time.
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