Daily WHUFC News - 3rd March 2014

Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
The manager has plans in place to ensure West Ham United come out fighting
fit in two weeks' time
02.03.2014

Sam Allardyce will be a frustrated spectator on Saturday as his West Ham
United side have a rare game-free weekend. Following last Saturday's 1-0
loss at Everton, the Hammers would have been preparing for a good
opportunity to get back to winning ways by hosting Hull City, but due to the
Tigers' progress in the FA Cup, the game has had to be rescheduled for
Wednesday 26 March. The West Ham United manager is planning to make the most
of the extended preparation period for the next outing - a trip to Stoke
City on Saturday 15 March - by nursing yet more injured players back to full
fitness. "We'd have liked to have another game, which would have been our
chance to overcome the Everton defeat and get another victory," he said. "We
have to be patient. Everybody's going to get fitter and they'll be able to
get ready and excited for the away game at Stoke City. "The players are all
very disappointed that we have lost our undefeated run but Everton are a
good side and we just got slaughtered when we played there last season and
were fortunate to come away with a 2-0 defeat.
"On Saturday we were very close to getting a point and the only
disappointment was our final third play wasn't good enough to cause Everton
the problems that we should have done."

Although clearly happy with his squad's physical condition, Big Sam will not
allow his players to take their foot off the pedal and has plans to organise
a behind-closed-doors practice game to provide some much needed game time
for those that have not been starting in the first team in recent weeks. The
likes of Andy Carroll, Winston Reid, Ricardo Vaz Te, Antonio Nocerino, Joe
Cole and Jack Collison could all feature as the manager seeks to ramp up the
competition for places in his squad. "The lads will have a few days off with
their families as they can't get any fitter than they are at the minute.
They are in a good frame of mind at the moment. We're disappointed now but
we've got to get over that and make sure that we've got the confidence and
the energy and the belief to play the next game when it comes around. "Andy
Carroll has been constant in training terms but it's match fitness that we
need to help him with. If anybody needed a game next week it would be Andy
but we've got to wait a couple of weeks before we can get him fit again. We
may fit in a behind-closed-doors game for him and some of the other squad
players that might not have been playing so much recently."

Big Sam concluded his Monday briefing by reiterating his belief that Carroll
has all the credentials to force his way into England's final squad for this
summer's FIFA World Cup in Brazil. West Ham's record signing returned from a
three-match suspension at Goodison Park on Saturday and his manager insists
the No9 just needs to focus on staying fully fit to guarantee his place in
England manager Roy Hodgson's squad. "I think Andy is a fantastic
alternative in so much as you can change from the plan that you've got,
whether you start with him or bring him off the bench. I'm not talking about
pumping the ball up to his head. I don't put him on to just win headers but
to control the ball with his chest and feet and bring other people into
play. "You saw on Saturday what he can do inside and outside the box. If he
stays fit, he's got it in his own hands and if he does as well as he did
last season, Roy can't ignore him."

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A painful return for AC
WHUFC.com
A dislocated finger and defeat at Goodison Park made for a painful day for
the returning Andy Carroll
02.03.2014

A dislocated finger and defeat by Everton at Goodison Park made for a
painful Saturday for the returning Andy Carroll. The centre forward returned
to West Ham United action as a first-half substitute after a three-match
suspension, but could not prevent the Hammers from falling to a 1-0 defeat
on Merseyside.To add injury to insult, Carroll suffered a horrific-looking
dislocated finger twice during his hour on the pitch. "It was a tough game,"
said the No9. "We obviously had a slow start and it was disappointing to
concede at the end, but that's how football goes. "We're obviously
disappointed now so it's a little bit upsetting.
"As for my finger. I stubbed it and it just popped out. It's a little bit
painful but it'll be all right and it won't slow me down."

Manager Sam Allardyce assessed that West Ham did not use the ball well
enough in the final-third - an opinion agreed with by Carroll, who fired two
long-range efforts narrowly off-target from the visitors' two best chances.
After a month out of Barclays Premier League action following his red card
against Swansea City on 1 February, the 25-year-old admitted to being a bit
rusty in front of goal. Andy Carroll has his finger re-set by physio
Dominic Rogan
"Of course, yes, we didn't pass it as well as we can or as well as we've
showed in the last few games. We just need to go back now and concentrate on
the next game. "I felt all right, but obviously I haven't played for a while
so I was a little bit rusty. We're just all disappointed at the minute. "The
two chances both landed good for me to hit, but I just caught them a little
bit high. It was disappointing but that's how it is."

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Hammers backing Kick It Out
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are pleased to confirm their involvement in Kick It Out's
season of action
02.03.2014

West Ham United are pleased to confirm that the Club will be backing Kick It
Out's season of action at the Boleyn Ground for the Barclays Premier League
visit of Liverpool on Sunday 6 April. The Hammers will continue their
commitment to promote tolerance and inclusion in 2014 with this landmark
campaign, one that celebrates Kick It Out's 20th anniversary. For 20 years,
Kick It Out has contributed to making football a safer, more enjoyable and
less intimidating place for those from under-represented communities wishing
to participate in the game. In addition to campaign activity in the build-up
to the fixture, the Hammers will once more warm up in campaign T-shirts to
raise awareness of the vital equality and inclusion work that continues
unabated. The Club is intent on tackling discrimination in whatever form it
takes, promoting events and campaigns throughout the season that highlight
and combat prejudice towards disability, race, sex, sexual orientation and
religion throughout the year. Fittingly, Hammers No20 and Kick It Out
ambassador Guy Demel is wholeheartedly championing the cause, insistent that
education is the pathway to ridding the sport of prejudice. "I believe the
only way to kick out the problem is to target educating youths," Demel
explained. "It's important for everybody to be happy in sport - and I think
it all starts with educating the kids. "It's important to have an
organisation like Kick It Out because it's never nice to be abused. Racism
isn't just against black people - it can be white people too. It's not
always about a specific colour or nation. "Any form is not good in society
so it's important to send out a positive message. Having lots of meetings
and discussions about this can educate people that football is no different
to anywhere else in the world. "We as a club here at West Ham United will
once again be supporting the Kick It Out campaign. In the 20 years it has
been running there has been a lot achieved, but there is more work still to
be done."

Kick It Out's Professional Game Manager, Keeley Baptista, has praised West
Ham's continued support for the organisation's campaigns. She said: "Kick It
Out has a long-standing relationship with West Ham United and is aware of
all of the work undertaken by the Club to promote anti-discrimination
initiatives throughout the year. "The campaign has developed strong links
with the West Ham United Community Sports Trust and sees how the Club
engages so positively with their supporters and the local community.
"Leadership on issues of equality, diversity and inclusion comes from the
very top of the club with joint-chairman David Gold a firm supporter of Kick
It Out and its key initiatives."

The Hammers also commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) earlier this
year, a poignant reminder of the tragedies of the past and a platform to
highlight the discrimination that is still prevalent in conflict today. HMD
demonstrates how lessons of the past can inform lives today to create a
safer future, while presenting a chance to cement a collective commitment to
social inclusion. Elsewhere, West Ham remain at the forefront where Football
v Homophobia is concerned. The Hammers lent their backing for a third
successive season, kick-starting February's international show of support.
As one of the very first professional clubs to do so in 2012, Club captain
Kevin Nolan reiterated: "We're passionate about supporting this and we hope
that it sends out a message that there is no place for discrimination in
football, nor in any sport."

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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce admits that he feared the sack
Last Updated: 02/03/14 2:03pm
SSN

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce admits that he did he fear being given the sack
after his side's miserable run of form throughout December and January. The
Hammers went seven Premier League games without a win as they slipped into
the bottom three, casting doubts over Allardyce's future at the club as they
also crashed out of the FA Cup and Capital One Cup. However, prior to the
late defeat at Everton, West Ham had won five and drawn one of their
previous seven outings, a run of form which has seen them climb to 10th in
the table and distance themselves seven points ahead of the bottom three.
Allardyce's perfect record throughout February has helped ease any
relegation fears and he says he is grateful for being allowed the time to
turn things around. "Thankfully the owners stuck by me, but I'd be lying if
I said I didn't wonder how much longer they could withstand the pressure,"
he told the Sunday People.
"I wouldn't have been surprised if they'd sacked me but it would have been
unlike them. "And I don't think I would have deserved it given my experience
in these situations and the problems we were having. "When they were at
Birmingham they were not owners who would quickly sack managers. But with
the move to the Olympic Stadium in the background, it means the stakes are
high. "Thankfully the owners stuck by me, but I'd be lying if I said I
didn't wonder how much longer they could withstand the pressure." "The
Premier League is worth about £70million a season. When you go down to the
Championship it's about £10million plus parachute money so the gulf between
the divisions is like the Grand Canyon. "The devastation caused by
relegation is huge and affects a club for years, so I don't mind admitting
January was probably the most difficult time in my Premier League
management. "It was the toughest I've ever known. We had poor results,
defensive problems, Andy Carroll injured and then Kevin Nolan getting sent
off on New Year's Day for the second time in a month. "We weren't far from
getting the results but the turning point was going to Cardiff." Allardyce
also admitted that he could feel the pressure mounting as results worsened,
but says he was relieved to have been backed in the January transfer window.
"David Gold replies to almost every message he gets on Twitter and I'm
certain there were a lot calling for me to be sacked," he said. "Then the
media are on the case and suddenly TV cameras start appearing at your
training ground trying to get footage of an adverse reaction or a fight bet
ween the players. "All that puts pressure on the owners as well as me and we
all know that many owners have succumbed to that and pressed the panic
button. "But in the January window they backed me by getting four players in
- Marco Boriello from Roma, Antonio Nocerino from AC Milan, Pablo Armero
from Napoli and Roger Johnson from Wolves. The irony of that is now those
players can't get a game."

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Returning West Ham striker Andy Carroll dislocates finger in defeat at
Everton
Mar 02, 2014 11:08 By Ben Burrows
The Mirror

Crocked front man Andy Carroll has injured himself - again. But never fear
Hammers fans, it's only a dislocated finger. Tell that to Carroll though who
was clearly in a lot of pain after suffering the injury in the clash with
Everton on Saturday. Despite having to have the wayward digit relocated by
the side of the pitch - much to boss Sam Allardyce's anguish - the
25-year-old can see the funny side. Posting a image on his Instagram account
the England man said: "Where's he pointing!!!" Before the posting the after
pic: "And boom back in place!!"
Record-signing Carroll has endured a nightmare campaign for the Hammers.
Sidelined with a foot injury for much of the season, the lanky striker then
saw red for an elbow on Swansea's Chico Flores ruling him out for three more
matches. Carroll has been a busy boy on Instagram this weekend. Only
yesterday he shared a picture of his girlfriend Billi Mucklow with
suspiciosly hairy armpits.

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