Daily WHUFC News - 10th March 2014

Knoyle bemoans bad luck
WHUFC.com
Full-back Kyle Knoyle felt the Development Squad were unlucky in defeat to
Liverpool on Friday
09.03.2014

Kyle Knoyle felt the Development Squad didn't get the rub of the green in
their 2-0 Barclays Under-21 Premier League defeat to Liverpool on Friday
night.
The young Hammers fell behind on the stroke of half-time to a ricochet off
Jack Dunn which deceived Raphael Spiegel and rolled into the net after the
home side had been firmly in control of proceedings. Dunn scored a second
with 77 minutes on the clock to seal the win for the visitors, but Knoyle
felt the first goal had dented the Hammers' confidence. He told West Ham TV:
"We played very well and the defeat was unlucky because we conceded just
before half-time.
"The manner of the goal as well, it bobbled awkwardly and Rapha couldn't get
to it. I thought we had the majority of the chances and if we had scored
after their first goal, then I think we would have gone onto win it. "The
goal came just before half-time, so our heads went down just a bit but if
we'd have managed to keep it at 0-0 then the game would be open and anything
could happen."

The Hammers more than held their own against a Liverpool side, who arrived
at Rush Green in second place in the table and contained Brazilian
international Lucas Leiva, and France international Mamadou Sakho. Elliot
Lee saw an effort strike the post while he was also denied by the visiting
keeper along with Sebastian Lletget and Josh Cullen in an opening period
which the home side dominated. Right-back Knoyle was disappointed with the
result but felt the experience of playing against two international players
could only benefit him as a footballer. "We were doing well defensively,
everyone was working hard and had we got a goal we would have been set for
the match. "We were unlucky that we conceded the first goal and the manner
of it was disappointing. "It can only be good for me as a first year and
playing against players like this is only going to make me a better player."

Knoyle himself had only returned just in time for the match after playing a
part for the England Under-18s against Croatia at St George's Park. While
the Three Lions lost both matches against their visitors, Knoyle believes
the experience of representing his country can only improve him as a player.
"They had two full internationals out there tonight, in the shape of Lucas
and Sakho and everyone played well. Everyone worked hard for the team and we
showed that we could be just as good as them on the night. "Every time you
go and represent England it's a great experience where you're learning and
picking things up from the game. "It's good for my CV that I've played for
England and the fact that im playing for the Under-21s is only good for me."

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George no stranger to stadium move
WHUFC.com
George McCartney recalled Sunderland's big move on his visit to West Ham
United's future home in Stratford
08.03.2014

If any player knows the benefits of moving to a bigger, state-of-the-art
stadium, it is West Ham United defender George McCartney. McCartney was just
16 when he travelled over from his native Northern Ireland for a trial with
Sunderland in May 1997, during which he attended a farewell match against
Liverpool at the Black Cats' Roker Park stadium. The trial was successful
and the defender signed on as a trainee. Two years later, he turned
professional and moved into his first home - a flat on the estate
constructed on the site vacated by Roker Park. In September 2000, McCartney
made his first-team debut for Sunderland at the Stadium of Light before
going on to captain the Black Cats to promotion to the Premier League five
years later. Now 32, the Northern Irishman says the club's move to their
49,000-seater new home played a big part in the success Sunderland have
enjoyed over the past 15 seasons - eleven of which have been spent in the
Premier League. West Ham are now a little more than two years away from
moving to the Olympic Stadium, with the announcement that the Boleyn Ground
will be re-developed for new homes, retail and leisure facilities for local
people, as well as the development of a central landscaped garden, which
would be named the Bobby Moore Memorial Garden. McCartney believes the
Hammers, like Sunderland, will also benefit from their big move.

"The first-ever time I went across to Sunderland when I was 16, I went to
the last match at Roker Park against Liverpool," said McCartney. "it is hard
to believe that stadium has been transformed from a football stadium into
apartments and that's where my first house was! "I was there for the last
game at Roker Park, then they moved into the new stadium. When you look at
Sunderland now, they have a great stadium, a great training ground and they
have everything in place to be a top club. "From what I remember, Roker Park
didn't hold that many people - not even half as many as the Stadium of Light
does - so to go from having 15 or 20,000 every week to having 45,000 every
week made a big difference, and it can do for West Ham too."

McCartney joined team-mate James Tomkins and apprentices George Skuce and
Mohamed Mohamed from technology specialists Imtech at the Olympic Stadium,
where they helped the two east London-born electricians with their work on
redeveloping West Ham's new home. The visit formed part of National
Apprenticeship Week, which is co-ordinated by the National Apprenticeship
Service and designed to celebrate Apprenticeships and the positive impact
they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy. "It does look a
bit different now," said the No3. "Back in August, there was a bit of grass
on the pitch and the roof structure was still on, but now we've come back
and it actually looks a lot bigger than it did a few months ago. "Now they
have taken the running track out and the roof off, it is a big open space,
but I can see they are in the process of getting everything ready to
transform it into a football stadium. "Nowadays, football clubs need a big
amount of revenue to run at Premier League level in a competitive way.
Obviously Upton Park is a great stadium with a lot of history behind it, but
for West Ham to move to the next level, they need a stadium like this. "I'm
sure, when all the supporters start coming along every weekend and
supporting the team, they'll realise what sort of stadium the Club has got
here and they'll be happy in the long run. "For the Club itself, the money
and interest it will generate and the new players it will attract, West Ham
need this. It's not much to look at now, but in a year or two's time it is
going to be a great stadium to be part of."

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U18s stay in title hunt
WHUFC.com
West Ham United scored a 3-0 Barclays U18 Premier League South victory at
Arsenal to stay second in the table
09.03.2014

West Ham United U18s kept the pressure on at the top of the Barclays U18
Premier League South with a 3-0 demolition of Arsenal on Saturday morning.
Early goals in the opening eight minutes from captain Kieran Bywater and
Jerry Amoo set the Hammers on their way to victory, before Emmanuel
Onariase's (pictured) rare strike near the end settled the tie. West Ham's
win meant they kept pace with leaders Fulham, who scored a 3-0 win at
Chelsea on Friday. The pair both sit on 49 points from 22 matches played.
Both teams have eight games remaining. U18 boss Steve Potts made just two
changes to the side that beat league leaders Fulham away two weeks ago, with
right-back Alex Pike replacing Josh Pask in defence, along with Amoo
stepping in to replace schoolboy Grady Diangana. With the Hammers looking to
take their recent win streak to six games, they got off to the perfect start
at London Colney when Amoo used his speed to get away down the right, before
cutting a ball back to the edge of the box for Bywater to snatch his 17th
league goal of the season. Then, just three minutes later, Amoo turned from
provider to scorer when he charged through two or three opposition defenders
before firing low past Gunners goalkeeper Ryan Huddart. After that, the game
seemed to slow down in terms of attacking opportunities, with both teams
battling in the centre of the pitch to gain control of the game. Just after
the hour-mark, Arsenal had a rare chance on goal when the ball fell kindly
to Kaylen Hinds on the edge of the box, but the youngster rushed his volley.
As Arsenal looked to step up their performance, a mix-up in midfield saw
Amoo given a free run towards goal and, after settling himself, his effort
was palmed clear by the strong hands of Huddart. If Arsenal felt that they
had got away with conceding another goal, the travelling Hammers secured the
three points with a third late in the second half. Bywater's deep cross was
met at the far post by Reece Burke, who expertly brought the ball back
across the face of the goal for Onariase to finish. It almost got even worse
for the Gunners in the closing minutes when West Ham substitute Bailey was
released through the back line by Bywater, but unfortunately he blazed his
shot well wide of the target.

The Hammers' next league fixture is a trip to Leicester City on Saturday 15
March, with an 11.30am kick off.

U18s: Howes, Pike (Pask), Harney, Onariase, Burke, Nasha, Makasi, Amoo,
Brown (Martins), Bywater, Parfitt-Williams (Bailey)
Sub not used: Nemrava

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HOW CAN WE BEST HONOUR THE CLUBS 'GREATS' - PAST AND FUTURE!
By S J Chandos 9 Mar 2014 at 13:00
West Ham Till I Die

Bobby Moore is West Ham's greatest player. He is also England's, and
arguably international football's, finest ever defender and captain. As
such, his place in his club and country's history must always be honoured.
It is only right that his legacy should be central to both the plans for the
development of the Olympic Stadium and redevelopment of a vacated Upton
Park. That all goes without saying, but still, an outstanding issue for me
is how the club can most appropriately remember the other 'greats' that have
made invaluable contributions to our history.

For instance, what about our first ever England international, Danny Shea;
our first striking superstar Syd Puddefoot; or our all time record goal
scorer Vic Watson. Similiarly, one could also point to formidible centre
half, Big Jim Barrett Snr; central defensive pivot and captain, George Kaye;
goal scoring left-winger Jimmy Ruffell; inside-right Stanley Earle; winger,
Stan Foxell; tricky forward Johnny Morton; or the last great amateur player,
V.W.T Gibbins. What about the claims of that 'Prince amongst Inside
Forwards,' Len Goulden, a genuine contender for the title of the club's
greatest ever creative midfielder. Then amongst our past goal keepers, there
are such great shot stoppers as Ted Hufton, Ernie Gregory, Phil Parkes and
Ludo Miklosko. Unquestionably four of the best custodians to appear for any
English club.

Nearer our own time, there is the prolific 1957-58 striking partnership of
Vic Keeble and John Dick; the exciting attacking full-back partnership of
John Bond and Noel Cantwell; the deadly McAvennie-Cottee combination that
nearly fired us to the 1st Division title in 1985-86; the rock solid
defensive midfielder, Andy Malcolm; and, of course, the skillful and deadly
Johnny Byrne. And this leads us to a group of players, who are second only
to Bobby Moore in receiving official recognition from the club for their
achievements. These include, Sir Geoff Hurst; Martin Peters; Sir Trevor
Brooking, Billy Bonds and Paolo Di Canio. While there are others such as
Alan Devonshire, Ronnie Boyce, Alvin martin, Ray Stewart, Tony Gale, Julian
Dicks, Pop Robson, Graham Paddon and David Cross who arguably deserve more
recognition.

Then there is a unique category of player whose contributions to the history
of the club are directly linked to a single famous victory. Amongst these
are included: Alan Taylor's goal scoring a feats in winning the1975 FA Cup;
Alan Sealey's famous double in the 1965 ECWC Final; Sam Small's winning goal
in the 1940 War League Cup Final; and Bobby Zamora and Richardo Vaz Te's,
respective, winning goals in the 2005 and 2012 Championship Play-off Finals.
Similiarly there needs to be recognition of the 'international Hammers.' who
have been capped by their countries whilst with the club; as well as the
great/best Hammers sides. In this latter category are the 1923 and 2006 FA
Cup Finalists; the 1940 League War Cup winners; the 1964, 1975 and 1980 FA
Cup winners; the 1965 ECWC winners and 1976 ECWC Finalists; the 1985-86
title challenging side; the 1966 and 1981 League Cup Finalists; the 1957-58
and 1980-81 2nd Division Championship winners; the the 2005 and 2012
Play-off Championship winners.

There must be further recognition of the greatest Hammers managers,
principally Ron Greenwood and Johnny Lyall, but also the others based on
their achievements. Plus there might also be acknowledgement of influential
figures, such as Arnold Hills, Billy Moore. Wally St pier, Tony Carr, Ernie
Gregory and Eddie Bailey who have made a unique individual contribution to
the club on a number of different levels. What about the famous and original
concept of the 'Academy of Football,' centred around Malcolm Allison and all
those 1950s Hammers players who went on to manage leading clubs and
introduce innovative ideas and tactics?

The above summary of the clubs 'greats' is by definition personal and
subjective. I am sure that every fan will have their own views and will both
agree/disagree with my choices and put forward other excellent names for
inclusion. That is fair enough, because it is the nature of the exercise.
So, what is the best possible way of recognising the contributions of all
our 'greats?' Well, firstly I would like to float the idea that the club
launch a 'Hammers Hall of Fame' and a set up nominating body composed of
supporters, ex-players and other stakeholders, who would be formally charged
with deciding who/what should be inducted. This would be reviewed and names
added annually. The 'Hall of Fame' can cover the above categories and
establish a baseline for the offical recognition of the club greats.There
could also be an online website and travelling exhibition, dedicated to the
Hall of Fame, to help engage with youngsters/supporters and promote the
history of the club in the community.

At the redeveloped Upton Park, each of the residential blocks should be
named after most famous Hammers elected to the Hall of Fame. Also the street
names could commemorate great Hammers cup victories. At the centre of the
re-development should be the proposed Bobby moore statute. But around it
could also be installed stone plaques celebrating the most famous Hammers
sides to play at Upton Park and their achievements, again nominated by the
Hall of Fame.

Finally, the stands of the OS will be presumably named after Hammers greats,
but what about the main approach road leading up to the OS being transformed
in to an 'Avenue of Hammers Legends,' with projected images/display boards
celebrating famous players on one side and achievements/events on the other.
It may be that this Avenue will need to be in a format which can be
disassembled out of season and re-assembled in close season, depending on
the existing agreement with the authorities running the OS and Park. Or,
alternatively, perhaps it can be left in situ permanently? This 'Avenue'
will lead up to a re-situated 'Champions' statute, which would have pride of
place at the main entrance.

Through these mechanisms/proposals the history of the club could be
celebrated in its broadest sense, with some of our greatest names honoured.
Moreover, it could be used to engage and educate youngsters and the
community about their club. To be inducted in to the Hall of Fame would be a
great club honour and ensure that our best players are formally recognized.
Plus, the beauty of a 'Hall of Fame' is that is not closed or exclusively
rooted in the distant past, new heroes, perceived greats and future honours
can be nominated and added. The 'Avenue of legends' would inspire fans
before each match and project the history of the club in a very visible and
positive way.

I know that following the announcement of the sale and redevelopment of
Upton Park, there was to be a call for suggestions about what could be
included at the future site. This goes one step further by extending it to
the OS and under-pinning it all with the defining concept of an Hall of
Fame. It is placed in the public sphere to obtain fellow fans views and
perhaps get it considered by the club. I am sure that the proposals could be
highly effective and adopted with minmium cost to the club. Perhaps they
might even attract commercial sponsorship to fund them?

SJ. Chandos.

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Ravel Morrison insists: I DO know who Gazza is - and I'll try to be as good
as him
Mar 09, 2014 22:00 By James Nursey
The Mirrpr

Ravel Morrison insists he has heard of Paul Gascoigne after all and is
anxious to live up to comparisons with the England legend. Birmingham boss
Lee Clark, who had Morrison on loan at St Andrews last term, played with
Gascoigne at Newcastle. Clark reckons Rangers' on loan West Ham ace is the
nearest thing to Gazza despite claiming Morrison was not familiar with the
England legend. Former Newcastle, Tottenham, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough
and Everton midfielder Gascoigne won 57 England caps before retiring in 2004
and is considered one of England's biggest ever talents. Ex-Manchester
United trainee Morrison also has a huge reputation despite dropping down
into the Championship after recently being farmed out by the Hammers.
Morrison underlined his massive potential with classy strikes in either half
at Birmingham. And asked if he really did not know of Paul Gascoigne, he
explained: "I had, but I didn't know who he was referring to at the time as
in Gazza! "But I've caught on who Paul Gascoigne is yes. He was a special
player, I'll try to be as good as him."

Morrison was tipped to go to the World Cup with England after starting the
season in impressive form with West Ham in the top-flight. But he lost his
place amid an injury and a contract wrangle and was then loaned to relegated
Rangers. Morrison added: "West Ham are doing really well at the moment,
everyone got back fit. I wasn't getting a good chance there. So I came to
QPR hoping to play and the manager's given me a chance." Morrison bagged a
superb free-kick in the 14th minute and a slick second-half finish 17
minutes from time on his third QPR appearance. He looked a class apart
against struggling City and his display is a huge tonic to promotion-chasing
Rangers and under-pressure boss Harry Redknapp after a five-game winless
streak. Defender Nedum Onuoha, 27, said: "Ravel is a boost for us. Other
teams will also look in and see what players we have. "He was very good for
us at Birmingham. He keeps impressing us with his work-rate and his ability
as well. "If he can keep doing that between now and the end of the season we
will be very happy."

Onuoha is now hoping Morrison can provide both the goals and assists to
compensate for top scorer Charlie Austin's absence with injury. He added:
"The loss of Charlie was big. But as a team we need to score more goals as
individuals. "If Ravel can do it then so be it but his main role is a
play-maker and trying to give people opportunities. He is good in training
and hopefully things are looking up now. "We had a dip but we have addressed
the situation and we can kick on between now and the end of the season and
have a chance. "I think you have to be optimistic. We are going into games
trying to win them. "Although things aren't in our hands the least we can do
is apply pressure to those above."

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Harry Redknapp says Sir Alex Ferguson recommended Ravel Morrison
Last Updated: 09/03/14 8:51pm
SSN

QPR manager Harry Redknapp has praised on-loan midfielder Ravel Morrison,
whilst revealing he has been monitoring the former Manchester United man for
nine years. Morrison bagged a brace as QPR beat Birmingham City 2-0 on
Saturday, with Blues boss Lee Clark likening the 21-year-old to Paul
Gascoigne.
Redknapp also lauded the youngster's performance at St Andrews, and says
that former Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson recommended the player when
he was 12 years old. "What a player he is," the QPR manager told Get West
London. "I've followed his career from when he was a 12-year-old and what
Sir Alex told me. For whatever reason he's been let go, but we're glad we've
got him. "He's a real talent and he rode tackles and took his goals well. We
wasted opportunities and they were always in the game - but this is a
massive win for us."

The victory was their first in six games, but the Rs remain eight points
adrift of the automatic play-off spots following Burnley's 2-1 win over
Blackburn on Sunday. However, Redknapp is still hopeful of a return to the
Premier League and was thankful that fellow promotion candidates Derby and
Nottingham Forest fell to defeats on Saturday. He said: "They were big
results and vital games. There are no easy games in this division."

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Harry Redknapp wants Modibo Maiga to show his quality
Last Updated: 09/03/14 10:11pm
SSN

QPR manager Harry Redknapp has demanded more from on-loan striker Modibo
Maiga, who has scored just one goal for the Rs. Maiga joined from West Ham
United on deadline day, along with fellow strikers Kevin Doyle and Will
Keane. Following a disappointing start to his stint at Loftus Road, the
26-year-old has dropped down the pecking order and has played just 65
minutes since his debut goal against Burnley on February 1. With the former
Sochaux man failing to make an impact so far, Redknapp believes Maiga has
not done enough to warrant a place in his starting XI. "He's got make me
want to pick him," the Rs boss told Get West London. "It's true he's from a
Premier League club but so is Will Keane, and Kevin Doyle was there with
Wolves two years ago."

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