Daily WHUFC News - 28th April 2014

Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce knows West Ham United have an opportunity to put things right
when Tottenham Hotspur visit the Boleyn Ground
27.04.2014

Sam Allardyce is determined to end West Ham United's home campaign on a high
when Tottenham Hotspur travel to east London on Saturday. Big Sam has the
opportunity to complete a rare hat-trick of victories against the Hammers'
neighbours following the two stunning victories at White Hart Lane earlier
in the season. The West Ham United manager is adamant that if a positive
result can be achieved, it would also secure West Ham United's status as a
Barclays Premier League side for the 2014/15 season. "I think we probably
need one more point and we've got to get it next week against Tottenham," he
said. "It's our last home game and we've got to go and finish the season on
a high against a very good team. We've managed to beat Tottenham twice
already this season so we will be doing all we can to make it three wins in
a row."

The Hammers go into the game on the back of a difficult run of four defeats
in a row, which has caused understandable frustration for everyone connected
the Club. The manager has explained that he shares the fans' anxiety and
knows the only way to put things right is to start winning games of
football. "My responsibly is to turn that around, to win football matches
and get the players to win football matches. We're very disappointed and I
understand their frustration as they want to see their team win. They won't
want to see them play well and lose, they want to see them play well and
win. "We've got to get better and be more resilient and at the other end
we've got to start taking our opportunities when they come. "The lads have
got it in their own hands. They know what they need to do but it's my
responsibility to keep them focused. The focus is there but we're missing
the clinical ability to put the ball in the back of the net."

The latest in that quartet of losses was the 1-0 defeat at West Bromwich
Albion on Saturday, a game in which the Hammers once again failed to
capitalise on some promising openings. Big Sam feels it is a habit his side
have to break soon if they are to gain anything from their final two
fixtures at White Hart Lane and then Manchester City a week on Sunday.
"Having controlled the game and crated so many chances to score a goal and
then not do that left me really frustrated. Even though we know we have to
give their goalkeeper Ben Foster a lot of credit for some of the saves he
made, we still shouldn't be stood here having not scored at least one goal,
if not two. "It's been our real Achilles heel in that bad turn of results
we've had. While performances might be seen to be up there and we are
creating chances, we're not winning football matches at the moment and we're
not even drawing them and that's of huge concern for me.
"At the other end, when we used to be so solid defensively we don't seem to
be quite so solid as we were. We haven't had a clean sheet for a long time
and having got 13 clean sheets up until the last six games, just one clean
sheet would give us enough points to start planning for next year."

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Diame determined
WHUFc.com
Momo Diame is focused on helping the Hammers get back to winning ways
against Tottenham Hotspur
26.04.2014

Mohamed Diame has reiterated his desire to help West Ham United end the
season on a high. The skilful midfielder put in a tireless shift at West
Bromwich Albion on Saturday but sadly could not stop West Ham United going
down to a 1-0 defeat. The Senegal international now wants to help the Club
in the huge London derby with Tottenham Hotspur at the Boleyn Ground on
Saturday and has sought to clarify that he is happy to play wherever he is
needed by the manager. Diame said: "Like every other player in the squad, I
want to do all I can to make our results better. I know that both personally
and together we could be playing better and I am happy to take my place in
the team wherever the manager wants me to play. "Although I enjoy being able
to use my skills, I know I have an important job to do for the team and that
is the most important thing to me. I have enjoyed showing the West Ham fans
what I can do and I hope I can create many more happy memories for them. "We
were all frustrated to not get a result at West Brom on Saturday but we have
a perfect chance to put it right against Tottenham on Saturday. We will be
doing all we can to put on a show and win in front of our fans."

Diame and his team-mates were back at Chadwell Heath on Sunday morning,
going through a recovery session following Saturday's game and training
ahead
of next weekend's London derby with Tottenham Hotspur at the Boleyn Ground.

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U18s snatch Bolton draw
WHUFC.com
Jordan Brown scored twice as West Ham United U18s held Bolton Wanderers to a
2-2 draw
27.04.2014

West Ham United came from behind to secure a 2-2 Barclays U18 Premier League
draw with Bolton Wanderers at Little Heath on Saturday. After featuring for
the Development Squad over the past few months, striker Jordan Brown marked
his return to the U18 squad by putting the home side ahead early on.
Bolton captain Carl Kennedy and striker William Abbotts then turned the game
on its head with a goal either side of half-time. West Ham were not going to
be denied a share of the points, however, as Brown popped up within a minute
of Abbotts' 76th-minute strike to snatch a share of the spoils. U18s manager
Steve Potts welcomed back a number of experienced Academy players into his
squad - England U17 international goalkeeper Sam Howes was back between the
sticks, while Northern Ireland U19 centre0back Jamie Harney boosted the home
side's defensive ranks. In attack, Jaanai Gordon returned to the
substitutes' bench after recently recovering from an injury. Prior to
kick-off at Little Heath, there was a minute's silence and a wreath laid on
the centre spot by captain Kieran Bywater to remember West Ham Academy
graduate Dylan Tombides, who lost his three-year battle with cancer last
week. The late striker's family were in attendance during an emotional
ceremony. When the game kicked-off, West Ham started positively by launching
a few attacking moves. On two occasions, Brown's crosses into the penalty
area were defended well by the visiting defence. After just 15 minutes, West
Ham went ahead when Brown was in the right place to slot the ball past Harry
Campbell. The visitors reacted well though and almost grabbed an instant
equaliser when Abbott struck a powerful effort towards the top corner, but
Howes managed to get a strong hand to the ball. Just five minutes later, the
Hammers were appealing for a penalty as Djair Parfitt-Williams was dragged
down in the box while skipping through the defence, although the referee had
no interest in pointing to the spot on that occasion. West Ham's lead did
not last long, however, as Trotters' captain Kennedy fired the visitors
level against the run of play on 23 minutes. In the closing stages of the
first half, West Ham had a handful of opportunities to retake the lead, but
Brown and Jerry Amoo both failed to convert.

After half-time, West Ham continued to pressure and look to get their noses
back in front, but both Bywater and Parfitt-Williams saw their efforts go
inches wide of the goal. Bolton punished the home side's inability to finish
their chances when Saul Hamir won the ball back just inside his own half,
before moving forward and setting up Abbott to put the visitors ahead with
14 minutes remaining. However, within a minute of Abbott's goal, West Ham
were level thanks to Brown's second goal of the game - the ex-Arsenal
forward finishing a good through ball from Parfitt-Williams. Both sides had
chances to win it in the final minutes, but ultimately left Little Heath
with a point each. With Fulham suffering a 4-1 defeat by Manchester United
earlier on Saturday morning, the Hammers stay in second position in Barclays
U18 Premier League South, currently six points and five goals ahead of
Fulham.

West Ham will look to confirm their spot in the Play-Offs when they host
Arsenal in their final league fixture this season on Friday 2 May at 1pm.
U18s: Howes, Pike, Harney, Knoyle, Mavila, Nasha (Onariase), Makasi, Amoo
(Gordon), Parfitt-Williams, J Brown, Bywater
Subs not used: T.Brown, Bailey, Martins

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Allardyce on Euro scouting mission
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 27th April 2014
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce has been spotted in the crowd at this afternoon's
top-of-the-table Jupiler League play-off clash between Anderlecht v Standard
Liege. The Hammers boss, who saw his team fall to a fourth consecutive
Premier League defeat at West Bromwich Albion yesterday is preparing to
spend big this summer once West Ham's Premier League status is secured. And
that has led Big Sam to the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium today for the
meeting between two of Belgium's biggest clubs. One of those potentially on
Allardyce's radar is 20-year-old striker Michy Batshuayi, who has scored 21
goals in 39 appearances for Liege so far this season. The 5'11" home grown
forward, the league's current top goalscorer is in his third full season
with Standard, having made his first team debut in July 2011.

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Sam holds his hands up - but is it too late?
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 27th April 2014
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce's words of contrition may have come too late to reconcile the
deep divide between himself and a growing number of West Ham United
supporters. For perhaps the first time since Allardyce took West Ham back
into the Premier League the under fire coach held his hands up to admit that
the team's current poor run of form - seven defeats in their last nine
matches - was his "responsibility". However his new-found conciliatory tone
almost certainly comes too late to repair the relationship with some fans
who have demanded that the 59-year-old be replaced, with West Ham having
flirted with the relegation zone all season. Supporter unrest manifested
itself in the shape of a 'Fat Sam Out' banner at The Hawthorns yesterday,
courtesy of a couple of disgruntled, middle-aged fans who waited until
Albion were ahead before revealing their succinct message. That those
unfurling the banner soon became embroiled in heated exchanges with other
supporters illustrates that the anti-Allardyce feeling is far from
universal. However it is a cause attracting new converts with every passing
match. When asked about the protests by the BBC, Allardyce said: "It's not
[my job] to get concerned about off-the-field activities. It's for me to
focus on the players, to make them do better than they are doing at the
moment and produce more results. "I can understand the fans' disapproval, we
haven't won for four games. Every fan in the Premier League shows
disappointment towards their manager when it's not going so well - and it's
not going well for us. "I accept the criticism that comes my way because
it's my responsibility to get it right."

Whether or not Allardyce, who joined West Ham in June 2011 has the
opportunity to do that remains to be seen, with various whispers suggesting
that his time at the club may be coming to an end.

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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce upset at fan anger
Last Updated: 27/04/14 3:53pm
SSN

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has expressed his dismay at the rising trend for
supporters to vent their frustrations from the stands. The Hammers suffered
their fourth successive defeat at the weekend, but it has still been a
reasonable season for the east London team who sit relatively comfortably in
14th spot in the Premier League. During Saturday's 1-0 loss at West Brom,
Allardyce was the target of abuse from the away section, with boos and
chants aimed at him and a banner held aloft reading: "Fat Sam out, killing
WHU". On the hostility at The Hawthorns, Allardyce said: "We all get it at
some stage or another, no matter where we are or who we are with. If we are
not winning football matches, we all get criticised. "Fans are showing their
disapproval quicker than at any other time I've known in the last 20 years
or so. So we have to accept that change in the game and try to keep them
happy as best we can - and the best way to do that is to win football
matches. "My responsibility is to build a better team than this one. That is
my responsibility, along with the owners - making sure that everything gets
put into place in the hope that next season we can be better than this
season. "Overall this season we haven't really been as good as we should
have been and we haven't really produced as many results as we should have
done. So getting better and improving that is the highest thing on the
agenda. "I'm well aware of the situation in terms of how we have to finish
the season off - as high as we possibly can, in terms of performances and
results. And also, I know there is a huge amount of work to be done in the
summer - hopefully for me to make the squad better." With West Ham's
top-flight status appearing to be secured - they are five points above the
relegation zone with two more games to play - Allardyce insisted his players
would not be taking their feet off the gas. He added: "There is nothing in
my make-up that says we should therefore take it easy. I've been saying to
the players for the last few weeks that the game is about results, not going
out and playing games of football and losing. "It is about going out and
trying to win. I think the disappointing thing is, whether we are safe or
not, we have lost four games on the trot and we really should not have
allowed ourselves to have done that on the basis that, going into that
period, we had won six out of the last nine."

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West Ham fans' anti-Allardyce chants and banners at West Brom cast doubt on
manager's future
Apr 27, 2014 22:30 By James Nursey
Big Sam is planning for next season with the Hammers almost mathematically
safe from relegation, but his position WILL be reviewed in the summer
The Mirror

West Ham's latest nosedive left Sam Allardyce facing growing unrest from
fans ahead of a crunch meeting with the club's owners. The Hammers' boss had
to endure chants of, "F*** off Sam Allardyce" and, "You don't know what you
are doing" from the travelling fans as they watched their team lose 1-0 at
West Brom on Saturday. They also passed around a banner reading: "FAT SAM
OUT, KILLING WHUFC". The latest supporter unrest combined with a fourth
successive defeat has turned up the heat on Allardyce. Irons co-owner David
Sullivan said as he left the ground: "I'm not saying anything now. We'll
discuss it at the end of the season as we always do." Allardyce, who has
another year on his contract, has had preliminary talks over a summer
budget. But the grumbles over his team's direct style of play could turn
into open revolt if there are further defeats in the last two games, against
Spurs and Manchester City.
Sullivan and co-owner David Gold plan to assess his future in end-of-season
talks. They feel a home win over Spurs on Saturday would appease fans as it
would mean a record third win in a season over their bitter rivals. The
board understand supporters' frustrations and have noted how moans from the
terraces helped push David Moyes towards the Old Trafford exit. But Mirror
Sport understands Sullivan and Gold feel Allardyce has fulfilled the brief
they gave him, which was to take the club up, keep them up last season and
again this. Mathematical safety seems a formality likely to be confirmed
next weekend, and Allardyce is already planning for another season at the
helm. He said: "My job is about working with the players I have, about
working with the owners to build a better football club than they've ever
had before. I don't see any problem in terms of what we've been talking
about but you never know, do you?"
West Ham's limitations were exposed after Albion took the lead in the 11th
minute from Saido Berahino's tap-in. Baggies keeper Ben Foster then made two
crucial saves, including from Andy Carroll. The striker, who missed the
first five months of the season injured, also hit the bar with a second-half
header as he searched in vain for a third goal of the season. But other than
him, the -visitors posed little threat.

Albion were deserved winners thanks to a solid second-half display when
Berahino should have scored more. Allardyce, who wants to be judged when
Carroll is firing, claimed: "I still don't think Andy's on top of his game.
I still think he's a way off it, based on what we saw at the back end of
last season. "So getting this season out the way, particularly for him, is
important so he can get a very good pre-season and then a really good
season, hopefully without any injuries.
Any team that doesn't have their No.1 striker struggles, whether that be up
the top with Manchester United, or in the middle or down near the bottom
where we are. "When goals dry up, results become more difficult to come by,
even though you might be playing well." Allardyce hopes England take Carroll
to Brazil, saying: "He could do a lot of training with them and if he's
getting more games, get that sharpness back."

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