Daily WHUFC News - 18th April 2014

Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
James Collins blogs on Saturday's visit of Crystal Palace and the form of
Gareth Bale
18.04.2014

Hello everyone,

I'm glad to say I'm fit and back in training and I hope to be involved on
Saturday, but of course it will be up to the manager to pick the squad he
believes gives us the best chance of winning against Crystal Palace. They
have done great recently and got a massive result up at Everton on
Wednesday, so it's going to be a tough game. Tony Pulis has gone in there
and turned them around. They are very solid, very hard to break down and
they're obviously scoring goals at the minute. I played with two of Palace's
likely starters, Joe Ledley and Cameron Jerome, at Cardiff City earlier in
my career, and of course with Joe for Wales as well. They are both good
players. Joe has gone there and done very well since he arrived in January.
He was up at Celtic for years, where he scored goals and did well and I know
they loved him up there. He's come down and done well for Palace as well.
Cameron is a strong lad who can score a goal, like he did on Wednesday
night, so it's going to be a tough game and if we go into it thinking
anything other than that, then that's when we will be in trouble. Palace
play some good stuff and Stoke did as well under Tony Pulis, believe it or
not. People said they lumped it, but they tried to play first and, if it
didn't work, they'd play the direct ball. I think Palace are doing a similar
thing - they try to knock it into midfield and, if it's not on, they'll go
long. Tony has massively turned them around, as he did at Stoke. They are so
well organised and know what they're doing, where to be positioned in
certain situations and they are hard to break down. All credit to Tony,
because he's done a wonderful job.

Sticking with Welshman, I watched the Copa del Rey final on Wednesday night
and my national team-mate Gareth Bale scored an unbelievable winner for Real
Madrid, running from inside his own half, off the pitch at one stage, and
out-stripping the Barcelona centre-back before finishing. The defender had
two choices - one was to put Gareth in the stand and the other was to get
back as quickly as possible - but neither would have worked. He did the same
thing a few weeks ago when I was playing for Wales against Iceland, but he
didn't run quite as far off the pitch as he did on Wednesday night! He is
just so quick and he's taken it to a new level, so defenders just don't know
how to mark him. You can see the difference in him since he joined Real
Madrid six months ago, so what's to say he won't be even better in another
six months after he has been there longer? It's great to see because he's
such a great lad, down to Earth with a lovely family back in Cardiff. He
works hard and it's obviously paying off on the pitch. He keeps himself in
shape and works tremendously hard, he got the move and he's playing well.

Getting back to ourselves and we'll be doing everything possible to get the
win that will take us to 40 points on Saturday.
Enjoy your long weekend off and a happy Easter!
Ginge

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On this day - 18 April
WHUFC.com
The Hammers recorded a fine won over Orient on this day in 1981
18.04.2014


Classic match
Orient 0-2 West Ham United
Division Two
18 April 1981
The Hammers' march to the Division Two title continued unabated as they
completed a league double over fellow east Londoners Orient on this day 32
years ago. West Ham had topped the table ever since November and this
victory over the O's was the third in a run of five straight wins. Jimmy
Neighbour and Geoff Pike - a league ever-present that season - were the
goalscorers as the visitors notched a 25th maximum-point haul of the
campaign. John Lyall's side would go on to claim the title by a huge
13-point margin in the era of two points for a win, having dropped only 18
points all season.

Complete record - 18 April
2009 Aston Villa 1-1 West Ham United (Premier League)
2007 West Ham United 1-4 Chelsea (Premier League)
1998 West Ham United 2-1 Blackburn Rovers (Premier League)
1992 Manchester City 2-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1987 Leicester City 2-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1981 Orient 0-2 West Ham United (Division Two)
1961 Burnley 2-2 West Ham United (Division One)
1960 Manchester United 5-3 West Ham United (Division One)
1959 West Ham United 1-1 Preston North End (Division One)
1956 Nottingham Forest 0-0 West Ham United (Division Two)
1953 Sheffield United 3-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1949 Leicester City 1-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1938 Plymouth Argyle 2-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1936 West Ham United 1-3 Charlton Athletic (Division Two)
1931 Manchester City 1-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1930 West Ham United 1-0 Sheffield United (Division One)
1927 West Ham United 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur (Division One)
1925 West Ham United 4-1 Everton (Division One)
1923 Notts County 2-0 West Ham United (Division Two)
Played 19, Won 4, Drawn 6, Lost 9, Scored 23, Conceded 33

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Hammers to subsidise Man City tickets
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are offering a 10 pound reduction on away tickets to the
final game of the season
17.04.2014

West Ham United are delighted to announce that the Club will be paying a £10
subsidy on every away ticket for the game at Manchester City to reduce the
cost for away supporters. The Hammers travel to the Etihad Stadium to round
off their Barclays Premier League campaign on Sunday 11 May and the Board
want to thank away supporters for their magnificent backing by paying ten
pounds towards the cost of each away ticket purchased. Throughout this
season, West Ham have provided a host of offers, incentives and actions
exclusively aimed at travelling supporters, including special ticket offers
and subsidies, reduced-price coach travel and enhanced matchday experiences
as part of the Premier League's Away Fans' Fund. A similar price subsidy
was offered for the away fixtures at Chelsea, Stoke City and Sunderland and
now those supporters planning on seeing the final game of the season at
Manchester City can take advantage of a special saving too. The Board,
players and staff are hugely grateful to all those who take the time, effort
and money to follow the Club away from home and will continue to do all that
we can to reward their loyalty wherever possible.

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Sunderland 1-2 Dev Squad FT
WHUFC.com
Live text commentary of the Development Squad's final league fixture of the
year
17.04.2014

SUNDERLAND v DEVELOPMENT SQUAD
BARCLAYS U21 PREMIER LEAGUE
ACADEMY OF LIGHT
THURSDAY 17 APRIL 2014
KICK-OFF: 12PM

iPHONE APP I TWITTER I FACEBOOK I PODCAST I YOUTUBE

Full-time: The second half, match and season are over for the Under-21s as a
last minute own-goal hands them victory against Sunderland. The Hammers
trailed at the break but an improved second half display saw Cullen equalise
before McNamee put through his own net to ensure the visitors head home with
all three points. Get in!

90 GOAL: GOAAAALLLLLLLLL! What an end to the season! Bywater whips a cross
in from the right and there seems to be little West Ham presence, but none
is required as McNamee glances a header past his keeper.
89: The game looks to be heading for a draw. A point suits the Hammers to
secure their top-eleven spot while the Black Cats needed all three.
87: Mavila makes tracks down the left and digs a cross out which floats
towards the back stick. Bywater has to backtrack and is unable to get his
shot on-target as he stretches to reach the ball.
85: Howes does well to gather from a corner as the wind blows the ball
around the penalty area. Safe hands from the young stopper.
83: Cullen does indeed make way as Makasi takes his place.
82: Cullen has worked his socks off and seems to be feeling the effects of
his work. He might be going off, but Ledger is coming off as Robson replaces
him.
80: Fanimo tries his luck again from distance. McNamee tracks him well and
makes a super block.
78: Fanimo is adamant that the referee should have awarded the Hammers a
penalty as his shot appears to strike an arm. Nothing given though as we
head toward the last ten minutes.
76: Bywater wins a free-kick near the right-hand corner flag as Watson
brings him down with a crude slide tackle. Fanimo's delivery is poor and
easily cleared.
74: Cullen is down as Oliver treads on his ankle causing his boot to come
off. The midfielder is far from happy with the referee, as has been the case
for most of the match.
72: The visitors are now in the ascendency as they look to fashion a winner.
It's certainly been a much improved second half performance.
70: Brown is replaced by Bywater as Nick Haycock makes his first change. The
manager tells Fanimo to head up top and Bywater to take his place on the
right.
68: Potts springs forward from defence and makes the keeper work with a well
struck left-foot shot which looked to be creeping inside the post.
66: Mavila is the first Hammer into the book after bringing down Laidler on
the left-hand side. From the set-piece, Cartwright tries his luck with a
first time shot but sends it high and wide of the goal.
65: Sunderland make their first change. Robson jogs on to replace Gorrin.
62: Lletget breaks over the half-way line and feeds Fanimo on the right. The
winger drives at his marker before seeing a deflected shot head straight to
the keeper.
60: Howes makes a great save to deny Mandron a second. Gorrin finds the
striker with a lovely through ball and he takes a touch before firing low at
goal. Howes stands up before saving well with his feet.
58: Sunderland go back on the attack but miss the target as Oliver sends a
header over from a free-kick.
56 GOAL: The Hammers have pulled themselves level! Cullen taps home after a
lovely flowing move which ended with Fanimo providing the perfect cross for
Cullen. Get in!
52: A loose pass by the Mackems goes unpunished as Brown opts to play it
first time to Sadlier but can only knock the ball out of play.
50: Sunderland have settled straight back into their passing rhythm ftom the
first half as they continue to probe for a way through the Hammers
back-line.
48: Mavila has a chance to cross from the left after recieving the ball back
from a throw-in. His cross however leaves a bit to be desired as it flies
over Dixon's goal.
46: The second half has begun with the Hammers trailing by a goal to nil.
The last 45 minutes of their season start now.

Half-time: The referee brings the first half to an end. The man in black is
not the most popular with the Hammers players after awarding a questionable
penalty as Potts appeared to take the ball from Mandron in the box. The ref
saw it differently and the forward picked himself up to send Howes the wrong
way. West Ham made a bright start, working several good openings but their
best chance came a minute before the break when Lletget shot wide.

44: Close! The Hammers click into gear as Lletget fires just wide from
inside the area after being picjed out by Cullen.
42: Lletget sprays a lovely pass wide to Fanimo. The winger cuts inside and
crosses left-footed but there's no Claret and Blue shirt at the back post
and the ball rolls out.
40: The wind causes havoc for Dixon as he rushes out to collect Whitehead's
through ball but mis-judges it and is extremely lucky that the ball falls to
a nearby defender.
38: Cullen looks up, spots Brown and floats a cross toward the striker. The
big man's had little service and it continues as the cross flies over his
head and into the keepers arms.
36: Sadlier looks to run in-behind the Sunderland defence but he goes a
fraction too early and the linesman on the far side raises his flag.
34: After a slow start the home side are now in full control of proceedings.
Exemplified superbly as they play their way out from the back under immense
pressure from the Hammers.
32: The away side are up in arms again as McNamee loses the ball and
crunches Cullen on the half-way line. The yellow card is out again and
rightly so.
30: The Mackems apply some pressure with consecutive corners, but are also
struggling with the wind. After the second one Gorrin sends a cross flying
over the bar.
28: The Hammers are struggling to get anything going just now and the
referee is bearing the brunt of their frustrations.
26: Cullen was hurt by that challenge from Mandron and limps away to the
sideline. He looks like he'll be ok to continue however.
24: The ball breaks loose in midfield and Oliver strikes first time. His
side-foot effort forces Howes to parry the ball wide for a corner. From the
corner, a free-kick is awarded as Mandron commits another foul. He's surely
on a final warning now.
22: The Hammers look to attack down the right with Fanimo attempting to
break into the box. The winger beats two defenders smartly but the third
nicks the ball away and the move breaks down.
20: Howes comes to the rescue to deny Mandron a second goal. The forward
runs unchallenged toward goal and looks to find the bottom corner but Howes
is there to make the save. The striker then picks up a booking for a late
tackle on Driver.
18: Sunderland have grown in confidence since going ahead and are keeping
the ball nicely with Oliver spraying the ball around.
16: It didn't look a penalty to me as Potts appeared to play the ball. The
Hammers will have to use their sense of injustice to inspire a comeback now.
13 Goal: This time Sunderland do have a penalty as Potts appears to clip the
ball before bringing down Mandron. The Hammers are rightly furious as
Mandron picks himself up to send Howes the wrong way.
11: Controversy here as the linesman seems to have flagged for a penalty
before the referee steps in to award a free-kick on the edge of the area
following an alledged hand ball by Mavila.
9: Gus Poyet is in attendance to watch his young charges, fresh from leading
the first team to a 2-2 draw against Manchester City last night.
6: Whitehead is desperately looking for a pass as he travels towards the
penalty are. Nothing opens up for the midfielder and he opts to shoot,
sending a low effort well wide.
4: Cullen dribbles towards the edge of the box before sliding a through ball
for Brown to run onto. The striker takes aim and fires but his shot is
deflected away for a throw-in.
3: The wind is already a factor as the Hammers, who are playing into the
wind, launch several balls forward, all of which come floating back.
1 min: The final U21 game of the season is under-way. Three points to end
the season please!

11:56am: The ref has blown his whistle to call the captains to the centre
circle and we're nearly ready to get under-way here.

11:50am: There's no going back into the changing rooms here. The pitch is a
fair distance from the changing rooms so as soon as the teams are ready to
go
we'll get straight into it here in Sunderland.

11:35am: After much scouting around I've found the Sunderland team for
today's fixture. They line-up as follows:

Sunderland: Dixon, Cartwright, Watson, Gorrin, Beadling, McNamee, Greenwood,
Oliver, Mandron, Laidler, T Robson
Substitutes: E Robson, Talbot, Ledger, Blinco, Sukar

11:30am: Dan Potts leads the Hammers out of their dressing room and off to
make the short walk to the pitch they'll be playing on this afternoon.
Sunderland follow close behind to begin their pre-match routine.

11:15am: The keepers are out and going through their pre-match routines.
West Ham stoppers Sam Howes and Vit Nemrava will be put through their paces
by Lee Harrison.

11am: The Under-21s have been for a look around the fantastic facilities
here at the Academy of Light and having assessed the pitch are back in the
changing rooms ahead of their final league game of the season.

The Development Squad end their Barclays Under-21 Premier League season
against Sunderland this afternoon having journeyed to the Academy of Light.
The Hammers are ninth in the table heading into the season finale against
Sunderland who need a win to keep their hopes of a top-four finish and a
place in the season ending Play-Offs alive. Nick Haycock's side will be
looking to end their year on a high having lost their last two matches to
Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers.

West Ham United: Sam Howes, Callum Driver, Nathan Mavila, Sebastian Lletget,
Dan Potts, Jamie Harney, Matthias Fanimo, Danny Whitehead, Jordan Brown,
Josh Cullen, Kieran Sadlier
Substitutes: Reece Burke, Vit Nemrava, Moses Makasi, Kieran Bywater

Sunderland: Dixon, Cartwright, Watson, Gorrin, Beadling, McNamee, Greenwood,
Oliver, Mandron, Laidler, T Robson
Substitutes: E Robson, Talbot, Ledger, Blinco, Sukar

After playing in those defeats there is no Joe Cole for the away side this
afternoon, meaning Sebastian Lletget will make his return to the starting
XI. Jordan Brown will again lead the line, where he will be ably supported
by Kieran Sadlier and Matthias Fanimo on the wings. Callum Driver makes his
return at right-back with Nathan Mavila starting in the left-back berth.

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Phillips happy with winning return
WHUFC.com
U18s assistant manager Mark Phillips was happy with the performance in
victory over West Brom
17.04.2014

West Ham Under-18s assistant manager Mark Phillips was pleased with the
Hammers' Academy after they returned to winning ways by beating West
Bromwich Albion 2-1 at Little Heath on Wednesday afternoon. The result ended
a run of four defeats for the Hammers as returning midfielder Ben Marlow and
Portuguese striker Marcio Martins both scored second half goals to keep the
race for the Barclays U18 Premier League play-offs alive. With the Hammers
dominating throughout the 90 minutes, Phillips was delighted that the
Hammers had managed to finally combine an impressive performance with the
deserved result that they achieved. "In amongst the four games we lost, I
thought that there were games where we deserved to win, so it's nice to
finally turn that around and get a victory," said Phillips. "I think we
thoroughly deserved it, although there were moments throughout the game
where I thought we wouldn't get there. "I thought that we played very well,
compared to games where we haven't played that well and won. I'm not too
sure whether it was through West Brom failings in a way but I thought we
moved the ball very well and created a lot of opportunities, but
unfortunately we didn't take more of them. Phillips, along with U18 manager
Steve Potts, were again forced into playing a youthful squad at the U18
level, although the assistant manager believes that everyone performed very
well. "I thought that the midfield were brilliant," continued Phillips.
"Even when we lost possession in the middle, everyone worked hard to win in
back quickly. The defence were tight and the attack had so many chances in
the final third, but struggled with the important part of putting the ball
in the back of the net, which we will have to work on. "Last week, we went
to Manchester City and we were predominantly a first year U18 team. We even
had 15-year-olds on the bench like we did against West Brom. We started this
game with three U16s on the pitch, but it can only help them develop as
players because they are learning. Next year when they are first year
scholars, they would have already had a taste of U18 football so they will
know what to expect."

With regular U18 midfielders Moses Makasi and captain Kieran Bywater away in
Sunderland with the Development Squad, it was down to Amos Nasha to wear the
armband, being joined in the midfield by U16 attacking midfielder Grady
Diangana and Marlow, who played his first game back after three months on
the injury list. "I thought Grady [Diangana] had an outstanding game. That
is the role he prefers to play because we have been trying to play him in a
holding role, but we put him as then point of a midfield three and that's
what suits him the best. When he is enjoying his football, you can see the
outcome as he creates a lot of opportunities for us."

"We've missed Ben Marlow this season, but having Amos [Nasha] and Moses
[Makasi] in the middle this season, who are like minded players, have done a
great job to fill in the middle. Ben's been out for a good few months now
but I think he has come back really well and it's a little bonus for him
getting a goal."
With just two league fixtures ahead of the Hammers Academy before the
play-off stage begins, Phillips knows that they can't alter other teams
results, so they will focus on trying to achieve the full six points from
their games. "It's out of our hands now how Fulham get on because I don't
think we will get above Tottenham but we have got Bolton next and then
Arsenal, both games at home, and I think that if we concentrate on winning
both of our games, I think we will make the play-offs."

Speaking to whufc.com after returning from a three month foot injury,
midfielder Marlow also believed that the Hammers got the result that they
deserved.
"It was fantastic," added Marlow. "It feels good to win 2-1 after four
defeats on the bounce. We went to Manchester City and got whacked 3-0
because of our poor performance, but to react like we did is really good.
"The manager said to us that he wanted to see a big reaction from us and I
feel like we did that. We won 2-1, but it was a comfortable win and I think
we deserved more goals. The day was even more special for Marlow as he
capped a full 90 minutes of league action with a rare but important goal.
"It's been frustrating that I've not played for three months so it's nice to
finally be back," he continued. "I had a problem with my metatarsal in my
foot and it's one of those niggling injuries, but I'm back now and looking
forward to hopefully winning the last two games and staying injury free. "I
don't score many goals but at half time, the manager said that he wanted to
see more action in the box so I thought that I've got to get myself in there
more. It was a great cut back by Jerry [Amoo] and I had to make sure I got
it on target and it went in."

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Noble takes Arsenal positives
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble feels the Hammers can take heart from their first half display
against Arsenal on Tuesday
17.04.2014

Mark Noble feels West Ham United can take heart from their first half
performance in the 3-1 defeat against Arsenal at the Emirates on Tuesday
evening.
Things were looking good for the Hammers after Matt Jarvis nodded them in
front in north London with 40 minutes on the clock as the visitors proved to
be tough opposition for their top four chasing opponents. Just four minutes
later however, Lukas Podolski dragged the Gunners back level before Olivier
Giroud and the German international's second goal of the game condemned the
away side to defeat in a disappointing second half. Noble felt the Hammers
gave Arsenal a run for their money on the night, but ultimately came up
short. "To be honest, In spells, I thought we played well on the night," he
explained. "We passed it about well. Whenever you lose it's not enjoyable,
but as much as you can come here and enjoy it I did, but there's still no
points on the board. "We played really well against Liverpool and didn't get
anything and we can't keep playing well against the big teams and not
getting anything."

The major talking point during the match came with the scores level at 0-0,
when Jarvis nicked the ball away from Bacary Sagna in the penalty area and
chose to stay on his feet as the full-back clearly clipped him. The winger
could have easily chosen to go down and play for the penalty, but Noble
feels it's not in Jarvis' nature to be dishonest. "They say about honesty in
the game, but I'm pretty sure that if Jarvo had gone down we would have got
a penalty. Jarvo's probably the most honest man you'll meet in your life."

The Gunners showed little sign of fatigue following their FA Cup with
Budweiser exerts just three days earlier, when they required extra-time and
penalties to beat Wigan Athletic. Noble praised the way Arsene Wenger's side
kept the ball on Tuesday night and didn't feel that Arsenal had suffered
from their semi-final tie. "When you've got the ball you've always got
energy no matter what team you're playing in and it's not about fatigue.
When you keep the ball as well as they do it's enjoyable and you don't get
tired. "They had a lot of the ball, as they did in the semi-final on
Saturday. They probably came out here as fresh as anybody, but I thought in
the first half we looked like the better team and then it obviously got away
from us."

Sam Allardyce's side now switch their focus to Saturday afternoon, when
Crystal Palace visit the Boleyn Ground, and Noble is focused on attaining
nothing less than three points. "We're playing at home against Crystal
Palace and they're a team that we want to get three points off. "Our home
form has been good, obviously we were unfortunate to lose against Liverpool.
We need to rest up, recover and get points against Palace."

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Martin Allen joins KUMB Awards Live!
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 18th April 2014
By: Staff Writer

Knees up Mother Brown are delighted to announce that Martin Allen will be
joining us at this year's KUMB Reader's Awards Live! Allen (aka 'Mad Dog'),
West Ham's midfield enforcer from 1989 to 1995 and the current Head Coach of
Barnet FC completes a star-studded line-up for our inaugural Awards Live!
event, which takes place on Tuesday, 13th May at the East Ham Working Men's
Club (three minutes walk from the Boleyn Ground). Allen joins
previously-announced guests Frank McAvennie and Jeremy Nicholas who will be
accompanied by our hosts for the evening, Chris Scull and James Longman from
the KUMB Podcast. Tickets for the event are priced at just £10 each and are
on sale now - click here to buy yours! The annual KUMB Awards began way back
in the mists of time - well, 1997 - when our readers named John Hartson as
their very first KUMB Player of the Year.

This year there will be 12 categories for you to cast your votes in,
including Goal of the Season, Most Memorable Match, Best Signing, Most
Improved Player and the always popular Hackett of the Year - a category in
which Orient supremo Barry Hearn will be going for a record-breaking third
consecutive win this year! The polls for this year's readers awards open on
KUMB.com in less than a fortnight from now, with all of the winners to be
revealed live at the aforementioned event. Keep an eye out for details of
that and if you can make May 13th, all of us at KUMB would be delighted to
see you!

Last Year's KUMB Awards Winners

KUMB.com PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Winston Reid
YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Danny Potts
GOAL OF THE SEASON: Mo Diame vs Man Utd (h)
MOST MEMORABLE MATCH: West Ham Utd 3-1 Chelsea
BEST SIGNING: Andy Carroll
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: Winston Reid
MOST MISSED: Wally Downes

WORST PLAYER OF THE SEASON: Emanuel Pogatetz
WORST SIGNING OF THE SEASON: Emanuel Pogatetz
GREATEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Our form away from home
HACKETT OF THE YEAR: Barry Hearn

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Moncs: kids were thrown to the lions
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 18th April 2014
By: Staff Writer

Former Hammers midfielder John Moncur has spoken of his disappointed at Sam
Allardyce's decision to throw West Ham's youngsters - including his son
George - in at the deep end en masse back in January. Moncur Jnr was just
one of several development squad players who were brought into the first
team at short notice to answer West Ham's chronic injury situation at the
time - only to end up being thrashed 5-0 by Championship club Nottingham
Forest in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. And Moncur Snr, who spent nine years
at West Ham between 1994 and 2003 admitted that he was annoyed at the way
his son and team mates - youngsters such as Callum Driver, Seb Lletget and
Danny Whitehead - were essentially used as scapegoats. "It's been a terrible
year for him [George] after what happened at Nottingham Forest," Moncur,
speaking on the latest episode of the KUMB Podcast, said. "I think it was
unfair. "I'm not bitter, but what happened there to the kids was ridiculous.
It's not what you do to young boys. If you like a player and have high hopes
for him you blood them into good teams, like all good clubs and managers do.
"Basically, that was just throwing them to the lions. So he's had to put up
with that and all the stick they got."

Moncur, now 47, also hinted that his son - who is currently on loan at
Scottish Premier side Partick Thistle - may have to seek first team football
elsewhere if he is unable to break into Allardyce's first team set up in the
near future. "I said to him that if you're not wanted at West Ham it's sad -
because he's grown up with me being there plus it's his club and he loves it
- but you've just got to be strong, move on and just keep doing your best -
and that's what he's doing," added Moncur. "He's gone on loan to Partick
Thistle in Scotland and he's alright up there. He's still learning and I
think he'll be a good player one day but he just needs to get a chance at
the right place now and show people what he can do. "That may be at West
Ham - and it may not."

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Tomkins trial delayed
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 17th April 2014
By: Staff Writer

James Tomkins was in court earlier today to face charges of assault - only
to be ordered back at a later today after vital evidence went missing. The
Basildon-born defender was back in his home town today for a brief visit to
the Magistrates Court, where he was due to face charges relating to an
incident that occurred outside Brentwood's Sugar Hut nightspot last
December. The 24-year-old central defender was arrested and subsequently
charged with assaulting a police officer following a disturbance at the
nightclub a matter of hours after a West Ham squad including Tomkins had
fallen to a 3-1 at Manchester United.
Upon arriving at Basildon Magistrates Court this morning Tomkins and his
legal team were informed that the case would not proceed as planned as vital
CCTV evidence had been mislaid since being handed over by the nightspot.
Tomkins' representative, Rupert Bowers - who had previously acted on behalf
of fellow footballers Jermain Defoe, Bradley Wright-Phillips and Harry
Redknapp - immediately called for the case to be dismissed, calling the loss
of vital evidence "negligence and incompetence ... at the very top of the
scale".

However the case was adjourned to a later date by chair of the bench Dawn
Roche. "The bench is really not happy with this. We will take appropriate
steps to voice our concerns with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and
police," stated Ms Roche before dismissing the court. Alec Williams, who
leads the prosecution insisted that the missing evidence had been located
before the case was adjourned but accepted that it was too late for the
trial to proceed.
"The Crown should be ready to start a trial today and that means putting us
in a position to have a fair trial," Mr Bowers, of Doughty Street Chambers
told reporters. "It is not too strong to say that we have been somewhat
fobbed off by the CPS."

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West Ham star James Tomkins' assault trial held up after CCTV footage is
lost by police and prosecutors
Apr 17, 2014 18:25 By Laura Wileman
The Mirror

Premier League footballer James Tomkins' assault trial has been delayed –
after police and prosecutors lost vital CCTV footage of the alleged
nightclub incident.
The 25-year-old West Ham defender turned up to court but the case could not
go ahead because of the mix-up, which his counsel Rupert Bowers described as
"negligent and incompetent". Tomkins was accused of assaulting a police
constable, being drunk and disorderly in a public place and obstructing a
constable outside The Only Way is Essex's famous Sugar Hut club. He denies
the charges. The tape was seized from the night spot, but prosecutors were
unable to produce it in court as an evidence log showed it had gone missing
since being handed over for forensic examination. Mr Bowers applied for the
case to be dismissed, saying: "There are scales of negligence and
incompetence and this is at the very top of the scale of negligence and
incompetence."

But it was only adjourned to a later date by chair of the bench Dawn Roche,
who expressed her displeasure at the situation. She said: "The bench is
really not happy with this. We will take appropriate steps to voice our
concerns with the Crown Prosecution Service and police." Prosecutor Alec
Williams said the tape had been found following a search that morning but he
accepted it was too late for the case to go ahead at Basildon magistrates'
court in Essex. He added: "Nobody knows what the CCTV shows. It might show
nothing, it might show a pigeon nesting in front of it." Tomkins, of Hutton
Mount, Essex, was due to argue that he was in fact the victim of an assault
at the club in nearby Brentwood on December 21. Mr Bowers said it would be
unjust for the trial to go ahead as the tape could help support Tomkins'
version of events. He added: "The Crown should be ready to start a trial
today and that means putting us in a position to have a fair trial. "It is
not too strong to say that we have been somewhat fobbed off by the CPS."

Tomkins, a former England Under-21 international who appeared for Team GB at
the Olympics last year, had played for West Ham hours before the alleged
incident in their 3-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

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We're not safe yet! James Tomkins warns Hammers team-mates over complacency
By: Simon YeendPublished: Fri, April 18, 2014
Express.co.uk


JAMES TOMKINS says the West Ham players are still concerned about relegation
and desperate to get one more win to guarantee safety. The Hammers are on 37
points but have lost their last two games and defender Tomkins believes
nothing is certain at this time of the season. Sam Allardyce's side face
Crystal Palace, who leapfrogged them with their victory at Everton on
Wednesday, at home tomorrow and Tomkins said: "We still feel we need a win
to keep away from getting sucked in, so Palace will be a massive game.
"People are saying that we are safe but we are not getting carried away by
that. You never know what is going to happen at the bottom so we can't be
complacent. We have to be prepared for teams getting maximum points. People
are saying that we are safe but we are not getting carried away by that. You
never know what is going to happen at the bottom so we can't be complacent
"That's why we need that win. It has always been said that the 40-point mark
is where we need to be and we need to get there. "It's a collective thing.
The gaffer is on at us to go right the way to the end. We might even have a
say in the title race or the race or maybe even the race for fourth place.
"We've got to play Tottenham and then Manchester City in the last game of
the season, so you never know. But we just want to get maximum points in
every game we play."

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Striker excited by prospect of West Ham return
7:30pm Thursday 17th April 2014 in Sport By Sunni Upal
News Shopper

Marouane Chamakh is looking forward to returning to West Ham when Crystal
Palace visit Upton Park for a London derby this weekend. The Moroccan
striker started in Palace's 3-2 win at Goodison Park on Wednesday, a result
which all but secured Premier League football next season for the Eagles.
Chamakh hailed his team's "perfect" four-game win streak before looking
ahead to West Ham, where he played on loan in 2013. "Four wins, 12 points -
we can't do much better than that," said the Palace striker. "We are so
happy. Everton played very well but we concentrated hard and I think we are
sure to stay up now. "I said before the season I felt we were going to stay
up. "It was a big challenge for us but we did it - It's unbelievable. "We
were at the bottom but I still thought we were going to stay up. "West Ham
will be a good derby. "They had one more day of rest but I think it will be
a good game."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Arsenal & Liverpool striker target scouted by West Ham
Drmic has scored 16 goals for Nurnberg this season. Drmic has scored 16
goals for Nurnberg this season..
by Paul Bailey
GiveMeSport.com

West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has confirmed he scouted Arsenal and
Liverpool target Josip Drmic during Nuremberg's 4-1 defeat against Wolfsburg
last weekend. The Daily Mail reports how the Hammers boss was present at the
Volkswagen Arena to see the Switzerland international in action, but was
left disappointed as the 21-year-old failed to make any impact on the game.
"I was at Nuremburg versus Wolfsburg," Allardyce confirmed. "The sausages
were great! "They got beat quite comfortably so in terms of that player you
wouldn't be able to judge him on that particular game because they got
battered."
Drmic has also attracted admiring glances from Arsene Wenger and Brendan
Rodgers, after an impressive 2013/14 campaign which has seen him net 16
goals for the Bundesliga strugglers. A move to Anfield or the Emirates
Stadium remains a possibility, though, even if West Ham end their interest
in the player after his under-par performance against Wolfsburg on Saturday.
With a reported £5million release-clause written into his current contract,
Liverpool or Arsenal might be willing to take a gamble on the emerging young
talent, as both Premier League clubs look to strengthen their striker
options when the transfer window reopens in the summer.

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