Daily WHUFC News - 13th August 2014

Young Hammers receive England call
WHUFC.com
Two Academy prospects have been called into their England age group squads this week
12.08.2014

Academy duo Jahmal Hector-Ingram and Anthony Scully have received call ups to their respective England age group squads. Hector-Ingram, who scored three goals in eight games for England U16 last term, earns an U17 call for the first time as the Young Lions get set for a friendly international tournament to be played in the Midlands at the end of August. England will take on Czech Republic at Kidderminster Harriers' Aggborough Stadium on Wednesday 27 August before heading to Chesterfield to play Portugal two days later. The tournament concludes on Sunday 31 August with a game against Italy at Burton Albion, with John Peacock assessing his options before the UEFA U17 Championship campaign gets underway later in the season. For midfielder Scully, he will have the opportunity to impress England U16 head coach Dan Micciche as he prepares for the Victory Shield. Scully forms part of a 22-man squad to face Belgium at St George's Park on Wednesday 20 August.

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Noble looks forward to derby backing
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble is sure the Hammers fans will be able to play their part against Tottenham on Saturday
12.08.2014

Mark Noble is ready and raring to go for Saturday's Barclays Premier League season opener against Tottenham Hotspur. The Hammer of the Year scored from the spot as West Ham United concluded their pre-season programme at the weekend with a 3-2 victory over Sampdoria. It brought a first summer win over 90 minutes for Sam Allardyce's men and Noble was delighted with the performance. "It was brilliant on Saturday," he beamed. "I thought we played really well and gave the fans a good game to watch. For Reece [Burke] to score the winner was a lovely way to top the day off. "I'm looking forward to Tottenham. I think it'll be a harder game than the one we had here at the end of last season, but the atmosphere is always fantastic for the first game of the season. "With them having a new manager, everyone will want to impress him, so everyone's going to have to play as well as they did last Saturday for us and hopefully get the three points. "We need the crowd behind us and hopefully they will be."

The win over Sampdoria was characterised by strong performances from the Club's Academy players, and Noble had praise for the subbsitutes - both young and experienced. He added: "Pottsy came on and won the penalty. He played really well, then Elliot {Lee} came on and was brilliant for the 20 minutes he was on and Reece popped up with the winner. "The substitutes all came on and made a difference - when Mo's playing like that he's untouchable. "I've always said that the results in pre-season don't matter and it's the performances and getting the lads through it that's the focus. "I went through an unbeaten pre-season with Avram Grant and we all know what happened that year, so the results don't matter, but I thought we played really well against Sampdoria and it was nice to get the win."

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Under-21s set for PSV test
WHUFC.com
Development Squad coach Nick Haycock says his team will benefit from playing European opposition
12.08.2014

Development Squad coach Nick Haycock says his team's meeting with PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday evening will act as another hugely useful stepping stone in their development. The Under-21s head to the Netherlands six days before their opening Barclays U21 Premier League game at Tottenham Hotspur, with Haycock keen to test his side against continental opposition. He said: "It's European competition for us and we're delighted to be in it. "We're delighted that we're in the elite league for the Premier League too, because we're a smaller Academy when compared to the powerhouses in there. "We think we've got some good players who can compete at that level and hopefully we can go and show that on Tuesday. "You're never sure how you're going to look from pre-season until it gets underway because up until now you've played different teams. "You play Conference teams, competing against men, you play Under-23 teams and then we had a 21s team against Aston Villa last Friday. "There'll be different styles of games now than what we've had and we'll adapt to that and try to assert the way we want to play on teams a little more. I think we're capable of that. "I'm happy with where we are and I'm looking forward to the season."

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Fans march on Premier League HQ
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 12th August 2014
By: Staff Writer

Hundreds of fans will march on Premier League and Football League headquarters this Thursday demanding cheaper ticket prices throughout football. The march will be led by the Football Supporters' Federation (FSF) with fans from scores of clubs joining them. Supporters say clubs should use multi-billion pound media deals to lower ticket prices for both home and away fans. The Premier League's current media deal is worth £5.5bn, an increase of £2.1bn on the previous three years, but fans say there is little sign of anything being done to make life easier for match-going supporters. From the increase in Premier League media rights alone all 20 top-flight clubs could have let every fan into every game for free, without being any worse off than they had been the season before. Instead, many clubs chose to increase prices and £50+ tickets are now common in the top-flight. Hull City's Category A tickets jumped from £30 last season to £50 in 2014/15. Kevin Miles, chief executive of the FSF, said: "Nine out of 10 fans think football's simply too expensive. There's always the odd deal that clubs can quote to play it down, but the truth is supporters tell us they think tickets cost too much. It's not just top-flight football either, fans throughout the leagues tell us prices are too high. "Football is swimming in money, with clubs pocketing record amounts from broadcasting deals while squeezing supporters with high prices. Something has to give. "Ultimately we, as football supporters, have to speak up about this. Join the FSF and hundreds of fans on Thursday when we deliver that message to the Premier League and Football League."

Fans will gather at Marble Arch for 1pm and leave for the Premier League and Football League offices at 30 Gloucester Place (W1U 8PL) at 2pm. A delegation of fans will meet with the football authorities, while those on the demonstration head back to The Globe (NW1 5JY).

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Free coaches for Hull trip
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 12th August 2014
By: Staff Writer

Supporters wishing to follow West Ham when they face Hull City at the KC Stadium next month will be able to take advantage of free coach travel. The club have confirmed that all supporters travelling to the game, which takes place on Monday, 15 September will be able to travel free of charge on club coaches, as part of the Premier League's away fan fund scheme. Each top flight club has, for the second successive season, been awarded £200,000 by the league with which to improve their fans' trips to away grounds. And this season West Ham have responded early with the offer, which means fans taking advantage of the offer will pay just £35 - the price of a visitors' match day ticket - to attend the match. The match is also being broadcast on TV by Sky Sports, one of four Premier League fixtures involving West Ham to go live in the first half of the 2014/15 season.

On live

Mon 15 Sept: Hull City v West Ham Utd (8pm, SS)

Sat 20 Sept: West Ham Utd v Liverpool (5:30pm, SS)

Sun 5 Oct: West Ham Utd v QPR (4:15pm, SS)

Sat 25 Oct: West Ham Utd v Man City (12.45pm, BT)

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Everton haven't won a pre-season game, we have
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 12th August 2014
By: Paul Walker

New players, check. Youth being given a chance, check. More attacking approach and new systems, check. Big Sam smiles at us more…well, you can't have everything can you?

Now I know it's easy to be flippant, and clever in hindsight, but please remind me what pre-season friendlies are really for?

You would think that it's Christmas already and we are down at the bottom of the table without a point. Now that would be cause for the wholesale abuse being heaped on everyone at the club from Ms Brady (I'll get to her in a minute) to the gateman.

But all that has happened is that we have not done too well in our pre-season matches, apart for what I am told was an encouraging display in beating Sampdoria on Saturday, and when a few kids and new faces didn't do too badly.

We should not be getting our knickers in a twist about pre-season results, long distance travelling to the far side of the globe and the now expected injury for poor Andy Carroll. (As I have said before, he didn't get injured on purpose, and it's nothing to do with his TOWIE totty.)

At this point I can add that we are not the worst off. Everton have not won a pre-season game yet and I bet there are very few West Ham fans out there who would not like to swap our position with the Merseysiders. And their esteemed manager too, Roberto Martinez.
But I doubt there's anybody up at Goodison Park calling for the manager's head while roundly abusing players and owners at will.

But such is the now entrenched views of a sizeable amount of our fans who despise everything about BFS and the people who employ him, you would have thought there is a crisis of biblical proportions going on.

Now I have had plenty to say about Big Sam and the way we play and the performances of players. Last season was dire, the entertainment value was not there and we were much nearer a genuine relegation scrap than Sam Allardyce has been prepared to admit.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, we pay for our tickets and have a right to be heard. But the season hasn't started yet, no ball has been kicked in anger and many of the things we were all screaming for are being put into place.

We wanted higher quality players. Enner Valencia and Cheickhou Kouyate seem to fit the bill. We wanted the club to look into the lower divisions for bright, likely lads to be brought to the Boleyn. Diego Poyet and Aaron Cresswell are just that.

A bit of flair was asked for. Mauro Zarate step forward. And we should be trying to acquire young talent from bigger clubs. Carl Jenkinson is just that.

Sam was seemingly asked to change the perception of our club, to produce more attacking style and flair and to improve the quality of the staff. He was also told to be nicer to us and make an effort to get along with fans he once called deluded and then was seen to cup his ear and mock the boo-boys after the truly dreadful win over a ten-man Hull last season.

Now to my mind he still has a bit to do on the PR front as far as we are concerned, the odd smile wouldn't go amiss. But within the framework of our budget, things look to be changing. Blimey, we played two different systems on Saturday……3-5-2 and 4-3-3, and the kids were given their head.

So let's just give it a chance, see if things do look better in a few months and see whether we are enjoying it more.

I noticed a piece by Iain Dale on WHTID in which he rounded on the faceless abusers of our players on the internet, where cowards get away with saying stuff they would not dare address to someone's face. Sometimes when you read threads on fans' forums you wonder why people actually come through the turnstiles any more, so much do they hate everything and everyone.

Every time we sign a player, there is always a long list of people who instantly slag them off, probably when it comes to foreign players having not even seen them play…and I don't count a few grainy minutes on YouTube.

I agree that some of the pre-season displays were poor, in New Zealand and Germany, as well as Stevenage! But if you look at those squads, they were full of youngsters being given a chance to impress, seniors coming back from injury and new faces looking to find their feet. Nobody should read too much into any of that.

Good grief, people have been calling for BFS to be sacked for losing pre-season friendlies. I ask you! If we are a basket case come November, say, then I would agree. But not yet, give everyone a break.

And come on, now, we have a new member of the House of Lords at the helm. I wouldn't give you a penny for Ms Brady's political views, but she hasn't done that badly as a woman in the world of business.

I feel that Baroness Brady of Highbury (that, I presume is what she will want to be called when she reaches Westminster) will not be long in her role as our chief executive now she has her eyes on higher office.

And you cannot expect her to want to be called Baroness Brady of Boleyn, young ladies with that name who have aspirations to reach the corridors of power tend to lose their heads.

But she has done what she was asked to do by the Davids. She has the right image to get round the likes of Boris and the PM, and she was the acceptable face of the club in the negotiations for the new stadium move. You cannot see the Tory boys being comfortable negotiating with a couple of ageing porn barons in the wake of the Olympics, so Ms Brady did what she was asked to do.

The same may well, in the end, be said of Big Sam. I know that 'BFS out' brigade will never change their views or have a good word said about him, and I struggle at times with his abrupt, arrogant approach to anyone who is not a professional in the football industry. We know nothing, you see.

But he might, just might, be building a squad that can take us forward, whether he is buying the players or David Sullivan is. I can hear you all laughing out there, sure. But give it a chance for a few weeks, we need to be united when the real action starts. And that means on Saturday against the hated enemy. It's happening again, anybody?

If we don't present an intimidating atmosphere and solid support for the team, then things really will go pear-shaped.

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UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, IS C.£4M SUCH A 'LOUSY' BID FOR CONNOR WICKHAM?
By S J Chandos 12 Aug 2014 at 12:00
West Ham Till I Die

It was widely reported yesterday that West Ham have submitted a bid for young Sunderland centre-forward, Connor Wickham. Reports vary on the alleged size of the bid, in some instances its £5m and in others £4m. Even if we accept the lower of these two figures, then that is surely still a decent bid for a player who is in the final year of his present contract. Yet, one leading Sunderland website dismissed the bid as 'lousy' and suggested that West Ham need to come back with an improved bid! While I can understand Sunderland's angst at only recouping 50% of the original fee paid to Ipswich Town, you have to ask whether they are being realistic? The owning club is never in the 'driving seat' once a player's contract enters its final year. They are faced with the dilemma, so well articulated by Gus Poyet recently, that the player either signs a new contract or they are sold. Of course, that's providing the player does not chose to 'dig in,' see out his contract and leave on a Bosman deal.

In those circumstances, a c.£4m bid is a good offer, which may very well not be on the table for long. Once the season starts, Wickham's valuation will start dropping still further. And now West Ham have set the bar, at c.£4m, it is very unlikely that any other club will come in and beat it. I know its a thoroughly fustrating situation for any club (and remember we face the same situation with Reid and Diame), but if the player will not sign a new contract, then all you can do is cash in. Arguably, Sunderland should take the £4m while its on offer. Its probably only the imperative created by Carroll's injury absence that motivated the bid. West Ham could eventually decide to hold off, agree a pre-contract with Wickham (at the appropriate juncture) and then sign him later on a Bosman deal next summer. With an alternative loan deal for Sakho of Metz in the pipeline, it is a course of action that they could consider pursuing.

Of course, ultimately, it all depends how urgently West Ham feel they need to obtain Wickham's services. Sunderland may, in turn, be gambling that desperation will motivate an improved bid and/or other clubs will come in to spark an auction. However, they could very well be disappointed if they are relying on those factors coming in to play to deliver the full recoupment of the original £8m fee.

SJ. Chandos.

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THAT TUESDAY MORNING FEELING
By Iain Dale 12 Aug 2014 at 08:01
West Ham Till I Die

New regular Tuesday column from The Guardian's Brian Williams

What do you mean, you've never heard of the "Tuesday morning feeling"? It's like the Monday morning feeling, only worse. You know Monday is going to be rubbish, and prepare accordingly. You expect better of Tuesday. But, like a Stewart Downing cross, it always lets you down.

I've never liked Tuesdays. It goes back to when I was a kid. One year at secondary school we had double chemistry and double geography every Tuesday. I'd rather wear a Spurs shirt in public than have to face that again.

There was a time, if West Ham lost at the weekend, there wasn't much point trying to talk to me before Tuesday. Honestly, you'd have done better having a natter with a Trappist monk on Strepsils than attempting to engage me in conversation. I like to think that, as a middle-aged family man, I'm rather more mature than that now. Generally, I can come up with a civil response by Sunday teatime following a Saturday setback. However, I fear that if we have another season like last year's the long, silent sulks of my childhood will return.

I'm no expert, but it's clear that West Ham Till I Die doesn't write itself. I imagine Mr Dale will be far from happy if he regularly finds himself, first thing on a Monday morning, drumming frustrated fingers on his large, executive-grade desk waiting for copy that never turns up as I try to extricate myself from a blackdog depression. That's why I suggested he publishes this column on a Tuesday.

So, now we've got that out of the way, let us examine the big question being asked by all of us with claret and blue in our hearts as we steel ourselves for a new season: can West Ham mend their ways and serve up some proper entertainment rather than the dross that passes for association football in Fat Sam's eyes? It's fair to say, pre-season has been far from encouraging.

True, we beat Sampdoria, and at times there was even the hint of two up front. Naturally, the headline writers summed up Saturday's 3-2 victory as a five-goal thriller. However, I'd like to take issue with them over that. I don't know about you, but I'm never thrilled when anyone scores against West Ham. And when they do it twice, I'm distinctly unthrilled. I prefer the sort of nine-goal thriller we got back in the glory days of '86 when we scored eight of those nine goals.

Okay trivia lovers, every West Ham fan worthy of the name should know that the mighty Alvin Martin scored against three different Newcastle keepers in the pouring rain at the Boleyn Ground. (And I don't want to hear people who complain that "it was before my time" – the first world war was before my time, but I know the result.) You would have to be a serious anorak to be able to name all three of the Geordie keepers that night and quite frankly, we are not looking to encourage people like that on this site. Therefore, I'm going to give you the first two – Martin Thomas and Chris Hedworth – but who was the third?

Yes sir, you in the Avco shirt. Good effort but no, it wasn't Glenn Roeder – although he played his part by scoring an own goal and conceding the penalty that Stretch converted for his hat-trick. The correct answer is Peter Beardsley. Alvin reckons that the little fella tried to put him off by pulling funny faces, but with Beardsley it was hard to tell what counted as a funny face and what was merely his normal boat race.

But I digress. We were discussing West Ham's pre-season. As a generous-hearted individual, I am prepared to forgive them the diabolical results in the antipodean outback – anyone can slip up against the giants of Wellington and Sydney. But the performances in Schalke were woeful. I know this because I watched the games on a TV channel called Quest.

Hands up anyone who had ever heard of Quest before last week. No, me neither. And, to be honest I can't see myself watching it all that often from now on. Its programmes seem to consist mainly of fishing and environmental types with dodgy beards recycling other people's rubbish that they've salvaged from skips. (I'm starting to think Mr Allardyce got his tactical handbook from the same source.)

Of course, you can't read too much into pre-season. One of the best I can ever remember was with Avram Grant at the helm, and we all know how things turned out under his management when the shooting started for real. Ah, where are you now Avram? The old place just isn't the same without your smiling face.

To be perfectly frank, I'm not hopeful about the season ahead. Leopards don't change their spots, and Allardyce isn't going to change the direct formula that has underpinned his entire career. Don't get me wrong – I'd rather beat Spurs playing ugly than lose stringing together a series of meaningless passing moves in front of their massed defence. But never again do I want to see the sort of negativity we got against Hull last season. A goal up, them down to 10 men, and Fat Sam chooses to shut up shop. I'm sorry mate, that's just not acceptable.

It goes without saying I want to hammer Tottenham on Saturday. But if we don't, I will be quietly crossing my fingers that Messrs Gold and Sullivan follow the lead set by Huddersfield, who have given their manager the old tin tack after just one game. Now that would brighten up next Tuesday.

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Should we give him another chance at West Ham?
Westhamworld.co.uk
James Jones
August 12, 2014

Ravel Morrison today revealed that he'll be back in training on Thursday following a groin injury picked up early pre-season. He's also recently revealed that he's been handed the number 14 shirt for the season, which has to be the biggest hint yet that he still has a role to play in the first team. His off-field antics this summer have been nothing short of a disgrace. The whole court case looming over him is something of a minefield, with only speculation surrounding the real truth behind what happened between Ravel, his ex-girlfriend and her Mum. Innocent until proven guilty, and all that. But being pictured in an Arsenal shirt has to be one of the most ridiculous things I've seen a footballer do in a very long time. He knows he's under the spotlight and he knows we're not going to take kindly to him wearing the shirt of one of our London rivals. But he goes ahead with it anyway. Nonetheless, all of the above doesn't yet warrant the decision to give up on him and get rid. Why? Because I'm a firm believer that he will mature and will become one of England and West Ham's best players in the coming seasons. There's no doubting his desire to stay at the club. He tweeted about his love for the club just a few days ago…

Such an admission just wouldn't come from a player either pushing for a move away from the club or knowing the club are trying to get rid of him. It's still a bit of a mystery as to why he behaves the way he does off the field, but his performances on the field should be the main reason the board and Sam Allardyce put together a new deal for him and a new role for him in the first team. Morrison's performances at the beginning of last season were a breath of fresh air amidst the pollution of Allardyce's one-dimensional approach to tactics. He played his own game and came out on top in so many of our performances – his role in our epic 3-0 victory at White Hart Lane last October goes down as one of the best individual performances I've seen in a West Ham shirt from any player in many years. So what's stopping him from replicating such form this season? Nothing. Well, apart from the ongoing dispute about his future between the board and the manager. This cannot be good for him and it cannot be good for us. Period.

However, that fact Morrison has publicly declared his love and thanks to the club, and his excitement at getting back to playing football with West Ham this season, bodes well for both parties. You cannot deny his talent, and we simply cannot dismiss how important he could be for us next season and beyond. This is why he must be given another chance at putting things right. Both on and off the field. Because, if we lose him, we may just live to regret it…

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Time to blood Elliot Lee
August 12, 2014
By Danny Rust – @Danny_Rust10, Shoot's West Ham blogger
Shoot.co.uk

With the new Premier League campaign kicking off this weekend, a number of youngsters at West Ham United will be hoping they have staked a claim for a spot in Sam Allardyce's side this season. One teenager that certainly should be in Big Sam's thoughts is striker Elliot Lee.

Lee, the son of former England international, West Ham and Newcastle United midfielder Rob, has been scoring goals for fun for the Hammers' Development Squad for a number of years now and has enjoyed loan spells in the Football League in recent seasons too.

But Lee has performed well for the Irons in pre-season, with his late cameo appearance against Sampdoria on Saturday being the pick of the bunch. When Lee came on after 76 minutes to replace Carlton Cole, West Ham started to attack quickly and looked more confident on the ball. Lee's intelligent runs created acres of space for his teammates, who were then able to shoot more freely, with the likes of Ricardo Vaz Te going for goal more often in the final ten minutes.

In fact, within a minute of Lee coming off the bench, Mohamed Diame scored the equaliser against the Italian Serie A side. Then with almost the last kick of the game, 17-year-old Reece Burke converted the winner from a fantastic pass from the striker, who waited until the right moment to play the killer pass.

The 19-year-old looks as though he could be a big part of Sam Allardyce's plans this season and he should be based on that performance. The Hammers faithful have been calling for Lee to get a chance for a year now and he has never really been given the opportunity, but now this may finally be his time.

It is unlikely that Lee will start on the opening day of the season against Tottenham Hotspur due to his lack of experience, but he should at the very least be named among the substitutes. If he were to come on and play like he did against Sampdoria, then the Tottenham backline could be in for a shock, and he will certainly create a number of chances for himself and his teammates.

One negative to take from West Ham's final pre-season game was the injury to Aaron Cresswell. The left back, who signed from Ipswich Town this summer, was looking like a good addition in the early stages, with some neat passes down the left hand side and some dangerous crosses being put into the Sampdoria penalty area. But Cresswell was forced off just after the half-hour mark, when a strong challenge from a Sampdoria defender meant he could not continue.

Allardyce will be hoping that the injury is not too serious and the new acquisition will be fit for the opening day of the season.

However, Dan Potts replaced Cresswell and looked comfortable at left back. Potts, who has made a handful of first team appearances over the last three seasons, is likely to go into the season as the club's second choice left back because of the signing of Cresswell, but he looks as though he is a good back-up to have at the Boleyn Ground.

He continued where Cresswell left off, with some good attacking play and he should have scored soon after West Ham equalised for the second time in the match.

All in all, Big Sam will be pleased to have ended a disappointing pre-season – which has seen Andy Carroll pick up another injury and the side suffer numerous defeats – on a high with some good performances from the club's youngsters and a win.

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West Ham set to beat Hull to Amalfitano signing
By talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) | Tuesday, August 12, 2014

West Ham are set to finalise a move to sign former West Brom midfielder Morgan Amalfitano on a three-year contract, according to reports in France. Sam Allardyce is ready to strengthen his midfield as uncertainty continues to surround the future of Mohamed Diame, who has been strongly linked with a move to QPR. Amalfitano, 29, enjoyed a successful loan spell with West Brom and scored a wonder goal against Manchester United last season. But he is now looking for a new challenge in England and despite speculation linking him with a move to Hull, West Ham appear to have won the race to clinch his signature from Marseille. The French midfielder could go straight into the squad for the opening Premier League game against Tottenham on Saturday.

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West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady: Two years to go and we are on track to achieve our Olympic dream
Evening standard
Published: 12 August 2014 Updated: 11:43, 12 August 2014

The Barclays Premier League will return with a bang on Saturday after an amazing summer, culminating in Germany lifting the World Cup to end another incredible season. But while the thoughts of fans are understandably dominated by what might happen on the pitch this weekend, I thought I should also update our supporters and the rest of London on the huge amount of work that has been going on away from the pitch at West Ham United this summer.
I remember when we were awarded the Olympic Stadium in March 2013, I wrote in this very newspaper that the hard work was just about to start and so it has proved. This weekend marks two years until we kick off the first game in our state-of-the-art, 54,000-seat new home in the Olympic Stadium and much of our close-season has been spent putting plans together that will ensure it becomes one of the venues in world football. Just last week we saw our most expensive signing of the summer, Enner Valencia, proudly sport our new home kit in front of the stadium. He spoke of his desire to fire West Ham into the top four of the Premier League and although that might sound unrealistic to some outside of the club, that is the sort of ambition we must have. A move to a stadium as iconic as the one at the heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park should be a gamechanger for a club like ours.

We will be able to attract better players, who will be drawn to playing at an iconic venue the world fell in love with during the summer of 2012. But the stadium will not just be better for our players, though, as our biggest priority is to deliver a stadium that exceeds the expectations of our fans. We have been composing a robust plan to migrate our supporters in the clearest and fairest way possible. We realise an affordable and accessible ticketing strategy to bring football back to working people will also be integral to achieving our goal of kicking off our first game with a full stadium and an electric atmosphere.

It will look and feel like the home of West Ham, the facilities will be world class, the nine direct rail links will make it the best connected in Europe and I know the West Ham fans will bring their passionate support to create an atmosphere to match. Our bigger capacity also means more revenue and bigger budgets, without increasing the burden on the 35,000 who come to watch us every other week at the moment. I am pleased to report the construction schedule is on track and in two months' time the installation of the cutting-edge roof — the largest cantilevered roof in the world — begins. It is a truly world-class solution that covers every seat and we want to ensure that standard is matched with our final designs for the innovative retractable seating.

We have also focused our energies on creating a hospitality proposition that will be the best in the Europe once completed. From the outset, it has been designed to compete, and compare, to leading London restaurants and members' clubs and I am looking forward to revealing more of our exciting plans in the coming months. Then, from early next year, the new floodlight configuration and internal upgrades to the turnstiles, catering and bathroom facilities will take place.

The Rugby World Cup in autumn 2015 will lead to a highly significant break in the construction work and provide an important marker in the project timeline for West Ham United. Once the tournament's Bronze Final is concluded at the venue on Friday October 30, the final series of changes that will transform the Stadium into a UEFA Category 4 Football Stadium and the new home of West Ham United will take place. This period will see upgrades made to the hospitality lounges and the delivery of our new Club Megastore and dedicated Ticket Office, both of which will be open to fans and visitors all year round.

So we know there is a lot to do still but I am delighted with the progress my hard-working team at West Ham has made in conjunction with our partners at the London Legacy Development Corporation. I can assure West Ham fans that, when we kick off our new season in 2016-17, it will be an experience worth waiting for.

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Sakho on back burner as Wickham race hots up
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 12, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham have put talks with Diafra Sakho (right) on the back burner as they push ahead with moves for Connor Wickham The Metz striker is believed to want around £15k a week plus £5k appearance bonuses but the Irons are intensifying their efforts to grab Sunderland's England under 21. Sakho has been in talks with the club for several days but Sam Allardyce would love to grab Wickham – who at 21 – looks a real prospect and helps the Irons preserve their British baseline. An Upton Park source told ClaretandHugh exclusively this morning: "The Sakho negotiations are on hold as it's clear Wickham is now the big target. "If the manager and chairman can get a deal sorted out it will have been an excellent summer and Wickham. However, should that turn out not to be the case, the Sakho remains in play."

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West Ham vs Tottenham will set back fans as much as £77... while Hull City charge £16 for home opener against Stoke as fans prepare to march to Premier League HQ
Non-members adult ticket in Band 1 for game on Saturday will cost £75
A £2 booking fee is also placed on all orders for the Premier League opener
Members prices are £70 for Band 1, with the cheapest member ticket £50
Tottenham is a Category A fixture, with Category B costing around £15 less
West Ham do have a Category C (£20-30), against Leicester City
Hammers also offer 'Kids for a Quid' for six games a season
By GERARD BRAND
PUBLISHED: 10:54, 12 August 2014 | UPDATED: 15:48, 12 August 2014
Daily Mail

West Ham United's first Premier League game of the season against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur could set fans back as much as £77 for an adult ticket, causing uproar among Hammers fans. Saturday's opener at Upton Park, kicking off at 3pm, has been classed as a Category A fixture, with the cheapest ticket for members £50 and non-members £55. In stark contrast, Hull City, who finished just three points below the Hammers in their first season back in the Premier League, are charging a flat price of £16 around the ground for their first home fixture against Bojan Krkic's new club Stoke City on Sunday August 24. Hundreds of fans will march on Premier League and Football League headquarters on Thursday to demand cheaper tickets across the board, with the Football Supporters' Federation (FSF) heading the protests. Supporters believe the increase in the multi-billion pound TV deals, including the Premier League media deal worth £5.5billion, should allow for a decrease in ticket prices. Kevin Miles, chief executive of the FSF, said: 'Nine out of 10 fans think football's simply too expensive.
'There's always the odd deal that clubs can quote to play it down, but the truth is supporters tell us they think tickets cost too much.' Table: Prices for first two weeks of fixtures (red indicates highest and lowest price)

West Ham are charging juniors £41 in Band 1 areas of the ground, while Hull fans under 15 can go for as little as £5 for the Category C fixture. The most expensive ticket for the Tottenham game is £75, with a £2 booking fee for all purchases. Despite the expected difference in Category A and Category C prices, West Ham fans are already disgruntled at having to watch what some of the faithful regard as poor football. West Ham won just seven of their 19 games at home last season in the top flight, scoring 25 goals. But the club do offer incentives for fans throughout the term, particularly for juniors. Six 'Kids for a Quid' fixtures are named in a season, as well as earmarking one game where under 16s can attend for free. However, the prices have caused anger on social media, with football fans wondering how a side that struggled in the Premier League last season can charge supporters so much. Adrian Leahy (@adieleahy), who voiced his concerns to Hammers co-chairman David Gold on Twitter, said: '@davidgold if you really are serious about making football affordable how come you keep raising the prices ? More & more fans priced out !'
Danny Smith (@DannyyySmith) added: 'How can west ham charge £70 to the game against spurs ? Wouldn't mind but we don't even play football! HOOOFBALL!! @davidgold.'
Andrew (@{griffina71) said: 'I took my son to watch Dortmund last year return flight and ticket cost £6 less !!!!'

With it costing £35 to become a member at Upton Park, the ticket prices for non-members could discourage new fans from deciding to attend Hammers games at short notice. Tottenham is a Category A fixture, alongside the visits of Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Eleven other Premier League clubs are listed as Category B fixtures, costing as much as £55 for members and £60 for non-members, while the Leicester City match at Upton Park is graded as Category C, priced £20 to £30. Fans across the Premier League have a right to feel disgruntled about ticket prices for the highest category games. Hull themselves charge adults £50, seniors and young adults £30, and juniors £20 for Category A games at the KC Stadium, while West Ham are not the only club charging a premium, particularly in the capital. At newly-promoted QPR, 'Platinum' seats for their Category A fixtures - against Arsenal, Man City, Man United, Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool and West Ham - will set non-members back £70. Across the capital at Arsenal, the most expensive Category A ticket for non-members is £97, while seeing the big clashes at White Hart Lane will set you back £81, including their home match against West Ham. A ticket see Jose Mourinho's Chelsea at Stamford Bridge against top opposition costs £82. In their penultimate campaign at Upton Park before moving to the Olympic Stadium, West Ham announced in April they would be freezing prices on season tickets for this term. The most expensive adult season ticket is £910 for new applicants, while renewals saved £20. But the cheapest, at £620, is still more expensive than London rivals Chelsea's least expensive option for this season, as well as the cheapest ticket at Manchester United.

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West Ham United Premier League season guide 2014/15
The latest West Ham United news including fixtures, transfers, best starting XI, odds, tickets and predictions ahead of the new Barclays Premier League season
West Ham United Premier League season guide 2014/15
Telegraph.co.uk
By John Percy10:09AM BST 12 Aug 2014

Sam Allardyce may have avoided the sack this summer but is arguably under more pressure than ever at West Ham United. After agreeing to substantially modify the style of football to appease the board and an increasingly disgruntled section of supporters, he cannot afford a bad start to the Premier League campaign if he is to survive the season. The loss of record signing Andy Carroll for possibly four months with an ankle injury has only added to the sense of frustration in the boardroom while the Ravel Morrison dilemma has polarised opinion. The signings this summer appear to suggest a shift in transfer policy, with Enner Valencia and Mauro Zarate, in particular, brought in to excite, while there have been other changes to formation. Whether Allardyce is happy to adapt his tactics to such an extent is uncertain, with the manager already admitting the new approach has left his team open defensively. It seems an uneasy truce between the two parties and the first five games or so will give an accurate barometer of how it will progress. The move into the new stadium next year means that relegation cannot even be contemplated.

Manager Sam Allardyce.
Best starting XI Adrian; Jenkinson, Collins, Reid, Cresswell; Kouyate, Noble, Nolan, Downing; Valencia, Zarate.
Prediction West Ham will survive but whether Allardyce stays beyond next summer – at the latest – is debatable.
Transfers
In Enner Valencia (Pachuca, £12m), Aaron Cresswell (Ipswich Town, £3.75m), Cheikhou Kouyate (Anderlecht, Undisclosed), Mauro Zarate (Velez Sarsfield, Undisclosed), Diego Poyet (Charlton Athletic, Compensation), Carl Jenkinson (Arsenal, Loan).
Out Ben Sheaf (Arsenal, Undisclosed), Joe Cole (Aston Villa), Matt Taylor (Burnley), Stephen Henderson (Charlton Athletic), Robert Girdlestone (Chelmsford City), Raphael Spiegel (Crawley Town, Loan).
Released Jack Collison, Alou Diarra, Callum Driver, George McCartney, Jordan Spence.
Tickets
• Cheapest: £20
• Most expensive: £75
Dependant on Category of the game (A, B, or C). Cheapest category is C. Most fixtures have been set in category B but they could be subject to change. The cheapest ticket in Category B is £38.
Ticket Office Number 0871 529 1966

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Irons look for chance to tempt Wickham
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 12, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham are ready to hand Connor Wickham a big pay increase to join the club. However, they first have to convince Sunderland to sell the player who is out of contract in a year. Despite being unsure whether they can entice the player out of the Stadium of Light, the Hammers are ready to try again. A source told ClaretandHugh exclusively: "Sunderland are adopting a very strong position with the player despite him only having 12 months left on a deal at the end of which he could go for nothing. "However, we are likely to up our bid and hope to be given permission to speak with the player." Currently the England under 21 is on around £23,000 with the Black Cats and the Irons are certainly ready to push that to over £30,000."

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WHERE'S JULIAN DICKS WHEN YOU NEED HIM?
By Iain Dale 12 Aug 2014 at 21:00
West Ham Till I Die

Guest Post From Little Fork

Who can inspire and motivate our team like Dicksy? Do we have someone today who can get the team "up" and battle ready?

On a filthy wet evening at Upton Park on Monday 24th Feb 1997 the Irons met Spurs. With our team having been entrenched in the bottom three with only one win in 14 games , Spurs were odds on favourites to win. 'Arry had made a couple of purchases (£7.3+m was considered a "staggering" amount). Paul Kitson and John Hartson were to make their debuts but the Hammer's skipper, Julian Dicks, with his hair fiercely cropped was the inspiration that night.

Dicksy was everywhere on the pitch that night. He was the best defender, best midfield player and certainly played his part up front as well. He rallied the troops, I wish I'd been there to hear the pre match dressing room rousing speech, as the team came out with what seemed a new found confidence. For me, the packed house and of course the Monday night SKY audience, this was the match of the season. It was end to end, topsy turvey stuff…….in East End parlance "a right ol' ding dong" of a game.

It was our new attacking coach Sherry who scored first for Spurs with a stunning header. But the Hammer's response was forceful to say the least. From a Michael Hughes corner in the 21st minute Dicksy powered in a header to get us back on terms. About 2 minutes later the atmosphere really ignited when Paul Kitson on debut scored with a header from another Hughes corner. Joy was short lived however when Darren "sick note" Anderton lobbed Ludo to get spurs on level terms. Hartson then captured the hearts of the hammers' fans when in the 37th minute he headed us back in front again, this time from a superb cross from Dicksy.

Sheringham, however, wasn't to be upstaged, though, as he cleverly blocked off Dicks to allow Howells to make it 3 each. This was a rather poignant moment for Howells who had just suffered a family bereavement (his Dad) but had decided to play the match. Our bubbles anthem was heard right across London that night I am sure, as the game swung one way and then the other.

Dicksy sensed that a win was possible and pushed his battle weary troops forward for what seemed one last effort. I think the crowd had settled for a point, but not Dicksy.
When Howells was judged to have fouled the irrepressible Hartson in the box, who else would step up to take the penalty? In front of the Bobby Moore stand, I have never seen a penalty struck with such force before. Ray Stewart was the former penalty "king" but Dicksy's penalty blasted into the net with such ferocity and velocity, it felt the whole of the Park would explode!!

What a captain that night, what a performance, and what a result.

West Ham 4 Spurs 3.

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West Ham United over Diafra Sakho transfer
Metz' Senegalese forward Diafra Sakho kicks the ball during the friendly football match Sochaux (FCSM) vs Metz (FCM) on July 25, 2014© Getty Images
By Giuseppe Labellarte, Reporter
Filed: Tuesday, August 12, 2014 at 21:54 UK
Last Updated: Tuesday, August 12, 2014 at 22:10 UK

Metz have pulled out of negotiations over striker Diafra Sakho's transfer to West Ham United, the Ligue 1 club accusing the Hammers of foul play and threatening to take legal action. Both sides are said to have reached an agreement over a fee for the 24-year-old, Metz claiming that the player had successfully completed a medical at Upton Park. But according to a statement released by the French club, Sam Allardyce's side switched from wanting a permanent transfer to a loan deal with the option to buy. The statement read: "The English club unilaterally decided to propose a loan deal with an option to purchase instead of a permanent deal, which does not correspond to FC Metz's expectations and contradicts all the terms that had been agreed last week between the two clubs. "FC Metz regret this clear lack of respect, which is unacceptable, from West Ham towards FC Metz and also the player. "As a result, FC Metz reserve the right to approach the international sport court and assert their rights and defender their interests. FC Metz had released Diafra Sakho from his professional duties during matchday 1 of the Ligue 1 championship by giving him leave to take a medical in England to complete the last stage of the deal."
Senegalese striker Sakho was named best player in the French Ligue 2 last season.

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Hammers weigh up Marseilles midfielder
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 12, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham are still tracking Marseilles midfielder Morgan Amalfitano and may make a definite move over the nest seven days. The 29 year old has been on the Irons radar for some time and at one point stories were circulating that he had actually joined. The inventive midfielder spent last season on loan at West Brom and scored four goals in 30 outings. He scored a brilliant goal against Manchester United and showed fleeting moments of real class but couldn't maintain that on a consistent basis. The Hammers want to pay around £2 million for him and a source told ClaretandHugh: "There's nothing imminent but something may happen over the next week."

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Metz blast West Ham as Sakho transfer falls through
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 13th August 2014
By: Staff Writer

Diafra Sakho's move to West Ham is off after Metz pulled the plug on the deal last last night. The 24-year-old forward looked set to join West Ham after the two clubs agreed a deal last week. A medical was completed but the deal collapsed, say Metz, after West Ham attempted to change the terms of the transfer.
According to a statement published by the French club tonight, West Ham - who had originally agreed to sign Sakho on a permanent basis - requested instead to take the player on a season-long loan with view to a permanent transfer.

Metz refused to play ball and, as a result, the deal is now officially off. "While FC Metz and West Ham agreed a written agreement on the terms of a definitive transfer of the Senegalese striker to the English club, West Ham finally changed its position at the last moment," read the French club's statement. "The English club decided to propose to FC Metz a loan with option to purchase, which absolutely does not correspond to the expectations of FC Metz and contradicts all terms and conditions that had been validated specifically late last week between the two clubs."

Metz, who were set to receive around €4m for Sakho from West Ham also threatened to report the Hammers to football authorities over the collapse of the deal. "FC Metz regret a clear lack of serious and unacceptable disrespect from West Ham against FC Metz but also in respect of the player," they said. "As a result, FC Metz reserves the right to address international sports courts to assert their rights and defend their interests. "FC Metz had released Diafra Sakho from his professional duties during the first day of the Ligue 1 championship, giving him the opportunity to take a medical examination in England in order to validate the last stage of his transfer. "Sakho will return to Metz on Wednesday afternoon.

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COULD THE SAKHO DEAL BE REFERRED TO THE COURT FOR ARBITRATION IN SPORT (CAS)?
By S J Chandos 13 Aug 2014 at 00:30
West Ham Till I Die

Reports yesterday alleged that Metz have halted West Ham's move for Diafra Sakho after claiming that the Premier League club sought to suddenly reconstitute the terms of the proposed transfer. It had appeared that the clubs had quickly agreed a £3.5m fee for the promising 24 year old Senegalese striker and the way lay open for medical clearance and the negotiation of the player's personal terms.

However, Metz have now issued a statement alleging that West Ham have reneged on their agreement by seeking a season long loan deal agreement, with the option to buy next summer, rather than an permanent transfer. Furthermore, the French club have accused West Ham of being 'disrespectful' in their conduct and are currently considering their legal options, as Sakho missed the club's opening Ligue 1 fixture last Saturday (a 0-0 draw with Lille) to complete his medical.

The Metz statement asserts:

'The English club unilaterally decided to propose a loan deal with an option to purchase instead of a permanent deal, which does not correspond to FC Metz's expectations and contradicts all the terms that had been agreed last week between the two clubs. FC Metz regret this clear lack of respect, which is unacceptable, from West Ham towards FC Metz and also the player. As a result, FC Metz reserve the right to approach the international sport court and assert their rights and defend their interests. FC Metz had released Diafra Sakho from his professional duties during matchday 1 of the Ligue 1 championship by giving him leave to take a medical in England to complete the last stage of the deal.'

So, based on the above statement, it would seem that Metz's case is likely to be that they reached a binding (verbal or written) agreement with West Ham for the permanent transfer of the striker. And that Metz sanctioned Sakho to miss their opening fixture of the season (in order to complete his medical) on the basis that it was effectively a done deal. Metz dropped two points, in a 0-0 draw with Lille, and they may well argue that the voluntary absence of last season's top scorer could have been a salient factor in the result. A risk that Metz were presumably prepared to accept on the understanding that they would receive the agreed transfer fee. If this is the thrust of their case, would they be successful at CAS? And, if so, would the CAS ruling be that the transfer should proceed on the original terms or, alternatively, would a compensation package be necessary? There is even a suggestion circulating that Metz might push for a points deduction! One only hopes that Metz are not relegated this season by two points or less or that will raise old spectres of a previous crazy compensation deal for an alleged injury to another football club!

Sakho is well worth a gamble at £3.5m, but it all depends what the club's approach is with respect to the possible signing of Connor Wickham and how the transfer finances stack up? As the situation stood yesterday evening, it is understood that Metz's lawyers have given West Ham until 12 noon today to agree to proceed with the transfer, on the orginal terms. If not, they will consider taking their case to EUFA/CAS.

SJ. Chandos

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