Daily WHUFC News - 31st August 2014

West Ham sunk at home by Saints
WHUFc.com
Southampton fight back from a goal down to triumph 3-1 at the Boleyn Ground
on Saturday afternoon
30.08.2014

Barclays Premier League
West Ham United 1-3 Southampton

Southampton came from behind at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday to consign
West Ham United to a second home Barclays Premier League defeat in as many
outings. It had all started so well for Sam Allardyce's men, with Mark
Noble finding the bottom corner from distance after 27 minutes. But Morgan
Schneiderlin curled home on the stroke of half-time and then converted a
well-worked short corner to complete the turnaround midway through the
second period. Ronald Koeman's side were rewarded for a fluent second-half
display with a late third courtesy of Graziano Pelle, a goal that leaves the
Hammers still searching for a first home point of the new campaign. The
afternoon had earlier begun with the unveiling of former Arsenal midfielder
Alex Song, who has signed on a season-long loan from FC Barcelona. As for
more matters on the pitch, Allardyce reverted to the XI that did the
business with such style at Crystal Palace last weekend. The Hammers then
had an early sniff of goal, as Carlton Cole's header dropped towards Ricardo
Vaz Te, but skipped off the turf and through to Fraser Forster. A succession
of Saints corners followed, with the second resulting in a Hammers
breakaway. Cheikhou Kouyate released Stewart Downing down the right, whose
cross-field ball was aimed at Mauro Zarate, but cut out en route.

Following a sedate opening, West Ham were within inches of opening the
scoring midway through the half. Downing's free-kick ricocheted off several
a leg and fell invitingly to Vaz Te, whose side-footer hit the inside of
Forster's left leg and somehow squeezed past his right-hand upright. But Big
Sam's men would not have to wait much longer for the opener, as Noble made
amends for his penalty mishap against Tottenham Hotspur with a 27th-minute
strike here. Zarate stole possession in the Saints' half, fed Noble and his
25-yard strike flicked off Maya Yoshida and past the left hand of Forster.
In response, Aaron Cresswell was perfectly placed to block Pelle's header on
the line, before Dusan Tadic's centre fell to Steven Davis on the edge of
the box, but he blasted way over the top. The Saints, however, drew level on
the stroke of half-time, as a left-wing free-kick came all the way through
to France midfielder Schneiderlin at the far post. Though Joey O'Brien did
superbly well to block the midfielder's first effort, Schneiderlin steadied
himself and bent the rebound left-footed into the far corner.

Buoyed by their leveller, the Saints raced out of the traps after the
interval and Adrian had to fling himself to his left to divert Shane Long's
low drive around the post. At the other end, a typically energetic Kouyate
went haring down the right and his low ball across the face of goal fizzed
just beyond Cole. But back came the visitors, with Adrian unable to hold
Tadic's left-foot volley from the left-edge of the box. The resulting corner
flicked off the head of Noble and through to Schneiderlin who, from no more
than eight yards, side-footed over the bar. Moments later and Koeman's men
did indeed have the ball in the back of the net, but the linesman came to
the Hammers' rescue, chalking off Pelle's close-range effort from a James
Ward-Prowse dead ball. A second scare in a matter of minutes prompted Big
Sam to shuffle his pack, with Mohamed Diame and Ravel Morrison introduced
for Vaz Te and Zarate. But the double switch would not stem the tide, as
Southampton completed the turnaround on 68 minutes. A short corner caught
the Hammers unaware and Ward-Prowse's near-post delivery enabled
Schneiderlin to tuck home.

West Ham were soon undone by another smart set-piece, when Pelle was set
free on the right edge of the box, only for Adrian to deny the No19 on this
occasion. But the Hammers' reprieve was short-lived. Nathaniel Clyne burst
beyond Diame on the right and once Adrian had merely parried his centre,
Pelle was on hand to fire high into an ungaurded net and settle the contest.


West Ham United: Adrian, O'Brien, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell, Noble, Kouyate,
Downing, Zarate (Morrison 57), Vaz Te (Diame 58), Cole (Valencia 79)
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Sakho, Demel, Poyet

Goal: Noble 27

Booked: Cresswell, O'Brien

Southampton: Forster, Clyne, Yoshida, Schneiderlin, Fonte, Long (Ramirez
66), Davis, Tadic, Ward-Prowse (Cork 71), Pelle, Bertrand
Subs: Davis, Gardos, Wanyama, Cork, Mayuka, Hooiveld

Goals: Schneiderlin 45, 68, Pelle 83

Booked: Pelle

Referee: Mike Dean

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Sam slams set play setbacks
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce said West Ham United had gifted Southampton a 3-1 Barclays
Premier League victory
30.08.2014

Sam Allardyce said West Ham United only had themselves to blame for their
3-1 Barclays Premier League defeat by Southampton. The Hammers took a
first-half lead through Mark Noble's deflected effort before two set play
goals from Morgan Schneiderlin allowed the Saints to turn the game on its
head either side of half-time. Southampton frontman Graziano Pelle
emphatically netted a third seven minutes from full-time to complete a
deserved away win and an afternoon to forget for the home side. Speaking to
West Ham TV, Big Sam could not hide his disappointment and frustration at a
performance that nobody of a Claret and Blue persuasion could have
predicted. "I think we were in a pretty confident [going into the game] and
if that spilled into some over-confidence, I don't know," he began. "Tthe
bottom line was under-performance from the team and if you don't perform to
your best in the Barclays Premier League, you get punished.
"That was the big problem - lack of movement, lack of ball retention, simple
passes going astray, the team not being patient and waiting to get into the
opposition half and continually giving the ball back to them, so they could
break and create more and more attacks against us. "Our normal resilience in
defensive areas from open play meant they initially didn't have any shots on
target on our goal, but then we went on to concede from a set play. People
could say we were unlucky because there was a great block in there, but our
starting positions were all wrong and we only ran through them on the field
on Friday at Upton Park. People weren't taking responsibility for taking the
right starting position and it ultimately accumulated into them scoring just
before half-time.
"While we weren't playing well, we could have come in at 1-0 and even at 1-1
I said to the lads 'If you don't start doing this then you will not get
anything from this game'. I made a couple of substitutions to try to rectify
at least getting possession of the ball and keeping it, but we didn't get
too much better. "We then conceded the second goal off a corner, which was
just suicidal from our point of view. We haven't played well, but we could
have battled and got a well-earned point when we hadn't deserved it because
Southampton were better than us. To give it to Southampton off two set plays
was massively disappointing, even though the second goal shouldn't have been
a corner. I am 100 per cent certain it should have been a goal kick. "Our
switch-off time after the corner was awarded was really poor for their short
corner. Players forgot they had to get out there and we paid a heavy price
for that."

When asked if he could put his finger on why West Ham under-performed so
markedly, the manager admitted there was more than one aspect of their
display that left him perplexed. "None of the players performed to their
best, excepted Cheikh Kouyate who went about his job pretty well, but he had
no help from the rest of his mates," he continued. "There wasn't enough
energy, team commitment when the opposition had it or quality and movement
when we had the ball.
"We needed to show some resilience, grit and determination to make sure
Southampton didn't score, but we've gifted them two set play goals. If, with
their good passing and movement, they had rapped one in the top corner like
the third goal, then you can say they've played really well there. But when
you don't do your job right from set pieces, you ulitimately pay a heavy
price at this level. "It's a real blow and hopefully a real wake-up call for
the players for the fact that they cannot do anything but hit 100 per cent
of their game every time they turn out in the Barclays Premier League,
because that's what's needed from this squad to get a result."

One positive on an otherwise miserable afternoon was the unveiling of new
signing Alex Song moments before kick-off. The Cameroon international has
joined on a season-long loan from Barcelona and Big Sam expects the African
to bring both quality and leadership to the Hammers ranks. "I hope he adds
some leadership, because he is a very experienced man who has played for
Arsenal and Barcelona in the Champions League," said the manager. "We are so
pleased that the the Co-Chairmen have worked so hard to get him into the
squad. "It should make us better so I hope he can get straight in there and
inspire us to play more like we did against Crystal Palace and Tottenham and
less like we did against Southampton. "He is a massively talented player,
but the others have to play their best to play with him and he will
definitely add something to us. "The big responsibility for us is that we
need to support the players who have come to us from abroad and have fitted
in quite well. We needed Carl Jenkinson, James Collins, Andy Carroll and
Matt Jarvis back in the squad and, if all four were fit, probably all four
would have played. Maybe that stood out, that we've been caught a little
short of numbers at the moment."

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Tonks disappointed with Saints display
WHUFc.com
James Tomkins was frustrated with West Ham United's 3-1 defeat to
Southampton
30.08.2014

James Tomkins admitted Saturday's performance against Southampton was one to
forget after West Ham United failed to build on last weekend's win over
Crystal Palace. Mark Noble fired the Hammers into a first half lead on their
return to the Boleyn Ground, but a Morgan Schneiderlin double and Graziano
Pelle's late goal consigned them to defeat. Tomkins was especially annoyed
to concede two goals from set pieces and he says the Londoners will have to
work hard on the training pitch to ensure it does not happen again. "The
only positive from the game is Nobes' goal," he admitted. "We never really
got going and didn't deserve to win on Saturday. "We should have gone on
from our goal. They had a lot of possession, but I didn't think they were
going to score, but then they've got one from a set play which was
frustrating from our point of view. "We work hard on them, so to let in
another one in the second half is very disappointing. We're going to have
pick ourselves up, because we've got two weeks to get it right for the next
game. "To go from such a high last Saturday and go into today's game with
such confidence, we felt we could win the game, but maybe we thought it
would be easier than it was and they played really well. "We wanted to go
into the international break with a positive and it hasn't worked out that
way. We'll be disappointed for the next couple of days, but we can't lie on
that and we'll have the chance to work on what we did wrong on Saturday."

The Hammers completed their eighth summer signing on the day of the game,
loaning Alex Song from Barcelona for the season, and Tomkins is looking
forward to working with the midfielder. "Alex comes with a great record,
playing for Arsenal and Barcelona," he added. "It's a good signing and it
shows what the club's trying to do here. "Hopefully he can settle in
quickly."

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Hammers go for a Song
WHUFc.com
West Ham United have snapped up Cameroon midfielder Alex Song on a
season-long loan deal
30.08.2014

West Ham United are delighted to confirm they have beaten off interest from
some of Europe's biggest clubs to complete the signing of Barcelona
midfielder Alex Song on a season-long loan deal. Song, 26, has spent the
last two seasons at the Nou Camp following his £15million move from Arsenal
in the summer of 2012, playing 39 La Liga matches and winning the title in
2012/13. The Cameroon international, who can also play at centre-back, is
delighted to be returning to London with the Hammers and cannot wait to face
the challenge of Barclays Premier League football again. Song said: "I'm
very happy to be here and very happy to see the guys and the fans today and
to start to do my job for West Ham United. I think this is very important
for me to be coming back to London to West Ham United, which is a club with
ambition to build a new stadium and become a big club. I am very excited to
be part of this project. "For me, when I was in Spain, I always said that if
I was to leave one day I would return to the Premier League. It was a very
hard decision, because when you have options of a lot of clubs who are
playing in the Champions League, but at the end of the day I chose West Ham
because I wanted to come to the Premier League. This is a league which has
given me a lot and I didn't finish what I wanted to achieve here. "For my
family too, it was very important, because my children and my wife wanted to
come back to England. This is an opportunity to do that with West Ham and I
just took it. I am very happy to be here and very proud to be part of the
project at this club."

Song revealed that a long discussion with manager Sam Allardyce about the
Hammers' ambition to rise to the next level convinced him that this is the
right club for him. "When I spoke to the manager, he gave me very good
advice," he continued. "I had a very good chat with him and that's why I am
coming here. We have to do better than last season. I think the club has
very good ambition and I hope we can maybe catch the European positions,
because that would be very good for the club. "I want to be part of that and
that's why I came here. The manager knows what he wants and I know what he
wants and that's why I want to help the team. I want to be part of what the
club wants to achieve this year. "I need some games to be ready and get my
fitness back. When I am 100 per cent, I will bring the experience and I will
make the fans happy, I am sure. I am lucky to be back in London, back in
England and with West Ham. I am looking forward to showing everyone what I
can do. "West Ham is looking to be a very, very big Club in the future. The
Club has a great project and it is a very big project with very big
ambition. I think it's great for the fans that the Club wants to be one of
the biggest in England. That's why I chose to come here."

Born in Douala, Cameroon, Song started his professional career in France
with Bastia on the island of Corsica, where he quickly progressed to the
first team, making his debut as a 16-year-old in the 2003/04 campaign. After
32 Ligue 1 appearances by the age of 17, he earned a move to Arsenal,
initially on loan, before signing a permanent contract with the Gunners in
summer 2006. Despite still being a teenager, Song appeared in the Barclays
Premier League and UEFA Champions League during his debut Arsenal season
and, after returning from a loan spell at Charlton Athletic in 2007,
established himself in Arsene Wenger's side. In October 2010, he scored a
late Barclays Premier League winner against the Hammers at the Emirates -
one of ten goals he netted for the Gunners. By the time he moved on to
Barcelona in 2012, Song had made 138 Premier League appearances for the
Gunners - 206 in all competitions - and was a League Cup runner-up in 2011.
With Barcelona, in addition to his La Liga winners' medal, Song also won the
Supercopa Espana in 2013 and was part of the Barca squad which lost to Real
Madrid in the Copa del Rey final last term.

Internationally, Song has been capped 47 times by Cameroon, finishing second
in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations and featuring in the last two FIFA World
Cup finals. The midfielder becomes the third Cameroonian to play for the
Hammers, following cousin and namesake Rigobert and the late Marc-Vivien
Foe.
He is West Ham's eighth summer capture, following the arrivals of Mauro
Zarate, Cheikhou Kouyate, Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho, Carl Jenkinson,
Aaron Cresswell and Diego Poyet.

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Alex Song joins West Ham United on loan from Barcelona
BBC.co.uk

West Ham have signed former Arsenal midfielder Alex Song on a season-long
loan deal from Barcelona. The 26-year-old Cameroon international, wearing a
Hammers shirt, was introduced to home fans before Saturday's Premier League
game against Southampton. "I think the club has very good ambition and I
hope we can maybe catch the European positions," he said. Song joined
Barcelona in 2012 from Arsenal for about £15m with an 80m euros (£63m)
release clause. He played 206 times for the Gunners between 2005 and 2012
and has made 39 appearances since moving to the Nou Camp. The Hammers
indicated they fought off interest from "some of Europe's biggest clubs" to
seal the deal. And Song said he was impressed by the ambitions of the London
club, which will move from the Boleyn Ground to the Olympic Stadium in time
for the 2016-17 season. "I need some games to be ready and get my fitness
back," he said.
"When I am 100%, I will bring the experience and I will make the fans happy,
I am sure. I am lucky to be back in London, back in England and with West
Ham. I am looking forward to showing everyone what I can do. "West Ham is
looking to be a very, very big club in the future. The club has a great
project and it is a very big project with very big ambition."

Song is West Ham's eighth summer signing, following the arrivals of Mauro
Zarate, Cheikhou Kouyate, Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho, Carl Jenkinson,
Aaron Cresswell and Diego Poyet.

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Allardyce on......Southampton
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 30th August 2014
By: Staff Writer No.2

A disappointed Sam Allardyce gives his thoughts on today's poor performance
against Southampton...

Sam the players seemed to lose their way in the second half – too many
players not on song?

Yeah – you're spot on there. I don't think we were that good in the first
half, to be honest with you. Compared to what we expected and what we were
like in the last two games here against Tottenham and last week against
Crystal Palace, we had a massive under-performance across the board today,
which was a massive blow to us. A massive disappointment to everybody,
particularly at home again.

Two home games. Two defeats. This can't happen it can't carry on. Yes,
against Tottenham a good performance but we still got beat when we should
have won. We didn't even get a point. Today we could have scraped a point.
As good as Southampton were – and we must give them credit – up to the
second goal there were no shots or openings created in open play.

We practice set plays on a regular basis and set them out on the analysis
board. Our defending of set plays was a massive massive disappointment.
Letting them score from two was unacceptable – even though we know the
second goal was a goal kick and not a corner. You can't allow it to punish
you like we allowed it to punish us. We started to get a bit desperate then
and you don't get anything when you're desperate.

Sam do the players play with a bit of pressure here that they don't get
anywhere else?

Well we didn't against Tottenham. I think everyone was looking forward to a
continuation of the good performances. After the result at Palace there's
nothing in the performance today that I can be pleased about. For a long
time our resilience in open play was pretty good. But why do all that hard
work only to give it away on two set pieces? Massively disappointing.

Perhaps it's a reality check here. The new players have seen the ups and
downs and what the Premier League can do to you if you're not 100% and
you're not on top of your game. Certainly a lot of our players were not on
top of their game.

You were screaming at the players before their first goal?

Yes – to get across at the back they had 3 v 1. The players didn't look over
their shoulders to shuffle over. We nearly got away from it with a massive
block from Joey O'Brien but it fell to the spare man again who put it away.
We were 1-0 up but I can't argue that Southampton weren't the better team
today

What do you think Alex Song can bring?

I'm hoping he can bring a bit of leadership. Out on the pitch the lads are
not opening their mouths enough. They all talk about what they should do
before the game and in training. They all talk in the dressing room but when
they get out on the pitch they stop talking to each other. The communication
is zero.

Somebody's got to get a grip and say "it's a short corner – there are two
out there". Somebody needs to say "there's three against one at the back
here." It doesn't appear to me that anyone is taking the responsibility.
Having spoken to [Song] he looks like a bit of a leader to me. He'll go out
there and kick a few backsides on the pitch. That's what we need. Somebody
needs to kick a few backsides on the field and get them motivated.

Will you be bringing any more in before the deadline?

I don't know. We had a massive boost, a massive uplift when I met Alex after
all the hard work put in by David Sullivan, recruitment and everyone to
bring this fantastic player to the club. The big let down is that he arrives
on the pitch and it should have lifted everybody, especially the players
that played today and the players haven't performed. I didn't expect a
performance like this especially after the two we've just given.

He will make us better. Hopefully with the return of Carl Jenkinson, James
Collins, Matt Jarvis and eventually Kevin Nolan and Andy Carroll we'll be
more of a force to be reckoned with.

Mark Noble is looking at playing for Ireland now. What would you advise him
to do?

Play. Go play international football. He's clearly not going to get an
opportunity here so if he gets the opportunity through parentage to play for
Ireland he should go – international football is fantastic.

Have you spoken to him about it?

No – I didn't realise he had an Irish parent – not with that cockney accent!

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West Ham sign Barcelona midfielder Alex Song on season-long loan
Last Updated: 30/08/14 3:50pm
SSN

West Ham have completed the signing of Barcelona midfielder Alex Song on a
season-long loan deal. The 26-year-old Cameroon international struggled to
hold down a regular place at the Nou Camp following a move from Arsenal in
2012 and returns to the Premier League with the Hammers. He was paraded at
Upton Park ahead of the clash with Southampton on Saturday afternoon. Clubs
throughout Europe were put on alert when it emerged Song would be allowed to
leave Barcelona - with West Ham having won the race to sign him on a
temporary basis despite reported interest from the likes of Napoli and
Galatasaray. Song revealed it was a conversation with Hammers boss Sam
Allardyce that led to his decision to move to east London and he is
targeting European qualification.
"When I spoke to the manager, he gave me very good advice," he told
whufc.com. "I had a very good chat with him and that's why I am coming here.
We have to do better than last season. I think the club has very good
ambition and I hope we can maybe catch the European positions, because that
would be very good for the club. "West Ham is looking to be a very, very big
club in the future. The club has a great project and it is a very big
project with very big ambition.
"I think it's great for the fans that the club wants to be one of the
biggest in England. That's why I chose to come here. I always said that if I
was to leave (Barcelona) one day I would return to the Premier League. "It
was a very hard decision when you have options of a lot of clubs who are
playing in the Champions League, but at the end of the day I chose West Ham
because I wanted to come to the Premier League."

Song, who won one La Liga title during his spell in Spain, is likely to be
West Ham's final summer signing - taking the total of new recruits to eight.

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West Ham 1-3 Southampton: Morgan Schneiderlin double sees Saints take the
points
By Chris Harvey. Last Updated: 30/08/14 7:00pm
SSN

Two goals from Morgan Schneiderlin and a late Graziano Pelle strike saw
Southampton come from behind to beat West Ham 3-1 at Upton Park. Frenchman
Schneiderlin, who handed in a transfer request earlier in the summer, twice
profited from some sloppy Hammers defending to put the visitors on their way
to three points they thoroughly deserved.

MATCH FACTS

Man of the match - Dusan Tadic. There were a few in Saints colours who could
lay a claim for man of the match but Serb Tadic showed great quality and
tormented the Hammers defence throughout.
Save of the match: Fraser Forster was a virtual spectator in the second half
but in the first he made a wonderful block with his boot to deflect Ricardo
Vaz Te's close-range effort behind
Goal of the match: Saints were inventive throughout but their short corner
routine which allowed Schneiderlin to score his second was a gem
Talking point: Just what did Ronald Koeman say to his side at half-time to
trigger the transformation as Saints swept the home team aside?

The midfielder curled in a sweet left-footer on the stroke of half-time to
cancel out Mark Noble's deflected effort then put the visitors ahead on 69
minutes when the Hammers fell asleep at a corner, allowing him to turn in
James Ward-Prowse's cross at the near post. The points were made safe seven
minutes from time when Pelle got his reward for a fine centre-forward
display, smashing in from close range after Adrian could only parry
Nathaniel Clyne's cross into his path. The third goal sparked a rush to the
exits for the home fans, following a second home defeat in the space of a
week for manager Sam Allardyce whose team were knocked out of the Capital
One Cup on penalties by Sheffield United. Southampton, who won at Millwall
in the cup, started brightly as Pelle and Shane Long, a £12million signing
from Hull, stretched the Hammers' defence.

West Ham paraded new loan signing Alex Song, the former Arsenal man joining
from Barcelona, before kick-off, but took time to get into any sort of
passing rhythm against the well-organised Saints. It was 20 minutes before
the home side were able to create an opening. Southampton boss Ronald Koeman
says his side's late 1st half equaliser against West Ham gave his side the
believe to go on and win the game 3-1. A free-kick from Stewart Downing was
only half cleared, with the ball dropping back to the far post through a
crowded six-yard box where Ricardo Vaz Te turned it goalwards. However,
Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster somehow made a reaction save with his leg
at point-blank range to push the ball wide across the face of goal. There
was, though, little the former Celtic number one could do a few moments
later to prevent West Ham taking the lead in the 27th minute. Noble robbed
Schneiderlin and drove towards the edge of the Saints penalty area. He let
fly from 25 yards, with the ball deflecting off the boot of Maya Yoshida and
into the far corner, just out of Forster's reach.

Southampton looked to make a quick response, with a deep cross from the left
glanced down by Pelle, which Aaron Cresswell guided off the line. To their
credit, the visitors continued to stay composed despite now having to chase
the match, with West Ham dropping an extra man into a packed midfield to
compensate. Pelle missed his kick when Serbian midfielder Dusan Tadic found
space on the left for another dangerous cross into the West Ham penalty
area, which Winston Reid gratefully cleared. West Ham boss Sam Allardyce
said his side were second best in their 3-1 defeat against Southampton.
Schneiderlin showed the Italian how it should be done when he equalised on
the stroke of half-time. A free-kick on the left touchline was floated in by
Tadic and flicked on to the far post, where Schneiderlin drilled it back
goalwards. Although Joey O'Brien made a brave block, Schneiderlin latched
onto the rebound and curled it inside the far post.

Saints went close to taking the lead at the start of the second half when a
shot by Long at the edge of the penalty area was turned behind by Adrian.
Tadic then had the West Ham goalkeeper scrambling down to his right with a
low shot from 18 yards, and Schneiderlin crashed the ball over from 10 yards
following the corner. Saints had the ball in the net again when Pelle
converted a free-kick from Ward-Prowse at the far post, but was one of three
players ruled offside - although the decision was a tight one. Allardyce had
seen enough, and made a double change on the hour, as Ravel Morrison and
Mohamed Diame replaced Mauro Zarate and Vaz Te. It was no surprise when
Schneiderlin put the Saints ahead midway through the second half. A short
corner caught West Ham asleep, with a cross from Ward-Prowse flicked home at
the near post by the French midfielder, who wheeled away to celebrate in
front of the away fans behind the goal.

West Ham needed inspiration from somewhere, and £12million Ecuador forward
Enner Valencia was sent on with 11 minutes left, replacing the ineffective
Carlton Cole. However, Southampton made sure of the victory in the 83rd
minute when Pelle smashed home after Adrian had palmed out a cross from
Clyne. The boos rang out around the Boleyn Ground at full-time from those
disgruntled fans who had stayed on.

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West Ham 'not good enough' in 3-1 defeat to Southampton
Last Updated: 30/08/14 7:16pm
SSN

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce said his side were second best in their 3-1
defeat against Southampton. West Ham boss Sam Allardyce said his team were
"not good enough" in their 3-1 home defeat to Southampton. The Hammers had
led at Upton Park through Mark Noble's deflected effort, but France
midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin scored twice before Graziano Pelle's maiden
Premier League goal rounded off a fine away day for Saints. A penalty
shoot-out defeat to Sheffield United in midweek saw the Hammers knocked out
of the Capital One Cup at their first hurdle and Allardyce's side were not
at the races once again.
"We weren't good enough," Allardyce said. "Southampton taught us a lesson,
we weren't sharp enough and didn't retain the ball as well as they did,
close down as well as they did and gifted them two goals. "As much as they
were in control and on top of the game, we've lost two very stupid goals
from set-pieces."
One bright point for West Ham was the pre-match announcement that they have
signed Barcelona midfielder Alex Song on loan. The former Arsenal man will
spend the remainder of the campaign at Upton Park and Allardyce wants to see
the Cameroon international "kick a few backside s". "I hope he can bring a
bit of leadership as well as his quality play," Allardyce said. "The lads
are not opening their mouth enough. They all talk about what they should do
before the game in the dressing room and in training, but when they go out
on the pitch they don't talk to each other. It is clear that their
communication is zero. "Somebody has got to get a grip and open their mouth.
If it is a short corner get someone out there. It is not difficult for
someone to look around and organise the team. It doesn't appear that anyone
is analysing what the situation is and not have the desperate defending that
we had. "Having spoken to him he looks a leader to me and will kick a few
backsides on the field. If they are not playing as well as they should do he
will get them motivated."

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Season ticket anyone? Good try but no cigar
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 30, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

The West Ham media department must have believed it was a great day to
produce a sales pitch for 2015-16 season tickets. A nice little win at
Palace had kept the feelgood factor going all week with the Capital One Cup
match result almost being overlooked as we headed for today's game. There
was all the Alex Song hype going on and a planned introduction to the fans
for about 2.50. So at 2.35 this little offering appeared in our e-mail
in-trays: 'Get on the 2015-16 season ticket waiting list!' 'Perfect timing'
were presumably the buzzwords.

Unfortunately, however, Mr Allardyce's latest attempt to win a match at the
ground was in ruins a couple of hours later along, probably, with the latest
marketing push. One or two people working in the media department should
surely remember the oldest cliche in football: "It's a results game." Good
try but no cigar!

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Sullivan stages a Song loan fee only 'steal'
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 30, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

ClaretandHugh has been told tonight that Alex Song will join West Ham under
a deal which sees Barcelona pay his wages in full whilst getting a £3
million loan fee from us for the season. Song was introduced to the West Ham
faithful this afternoon in the one bright spot of our day before we watched
the team crash to a 3-1 defeat by Southampton. The arrival of Song will
tighten things up considerably and give us a hard-to-beat look although
questions are already being raised as to who will make way for the former
Arsenal player in our midfield. Barca have been keen to move Song on for
some months as he doesn't fit their style and both us and Spurs were
interested. But we have been told that when it became clear that the Spanish
giants made it clear they would pay his wages in full the player opted for
the Hammers rather than his old north London rivals. Manager Sam Allardyce
is a big fan of the player's fearsome midfield qualities and led the race to
get him although co-chairman David Sullivan takes the plaudits for arranging
the financials. A source told us exclusively: "There's a few transfer dramas
at Barcelona with an embargo on the horizon. Song was definitely one of
those whom they wanted to allow out given they have the likes of Neymar in
there. "But my understanding is that we got him for just the £3 million loan
fee with Barca paying his wages."

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