Daily WHUFC News - 3rd August 2014

Match Preview - Malaga CF
WHUFC.com
Get prepared for Sunday's Schalke 04 Cup fixture with our in-depth preview of the big game in Germany
02.08.2014

MALAGA CF v WEST HAM UNITED
SCHALKE 04 CUP
VELTINS-ARENA, GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY
SUNDAY 3 AUGUST 2014
KICK-OFF: 3.30PM CEST (2.30PM BST)
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In brief
West Ham United play their penultimate pre-season match on Sunday in the Schalke 04 Cup, a four-team tournament involving the Hammers, German Bundesliga hosts FC Schalke 04, Spanish Primera Division side Malaga and Barclays Premier League rivalsNewcastle United. West Ham will not play the Magpies, but face two continental tests in as many days as they aim for some summer silverware.
Having drawn their opening pre-season matches at Stevenage (2-2) and Ipswich Town (0-0), West Ham suffered two losses during the Football United Tour of New Zealand, as they came up short against Wellington Phoenix (1-2) and Sydney FC (1-3).
So, with another week of training at Chadwell Heath under their belts, the Londoners will be hoping for more productive results in western Germany this weekend.
Malaga will present West Ham with their second and final test at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen. The Anchovies finished eleventh in La Liga last season, having reached the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in 2012/13.
The Schalke Cup will be covered live and exclusively on Quest TV this weekend. Quest is a free to air channel and can be found on: Freeview 37 (+138) Sky 167 (+1 195) and Virgin Media 172 (+1 173).

Who are they?
Malaga CF was formed in 1904 and has played 33 seasons in Spain's top flight.
Arguably the Anchovies' best period has been since the turn of the 21st century, winning the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2002 - the club's first major trophy.
A favourite of the many British expatriates living on the Costa del Sol on Spain's southern coast, Malaga reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League in 2003 and the last-eight of the UEFA Champions League two years ago.
In between, Malaga were relegated to the Segunda Division in 2006, spending two years in the second tier before gaining promotion in 2008.
The last few seasons have been something of a rollercoaster for Malaga, with UEFA Champions League qualification and success followed by financial issues and an exodus of big-name players and manager Manuel Pellegrini to Manchester City leading to a downturn in fortunes last term.
That said, Malaga retain a talented and cosmopolitan squad and the club's fans - Spanish and English - will hope for an upturn in fortunes in 2014/15.

Team news
The Hammers will field most of their squad across the two matches of the Schalke Cup, and new loan arrival Carl Jenkinson could be involved after completing his move from Arsenal on Thursday. However, Andy Carroll is absent after undergoing surgery on an ankle injury.
Cheikh Kouyate took a bang to his leg in a challenge in New Zealand, while James Tomkins (groin), Guy Demel (groin) and Leo Chambers (hamstring) will also hope to be fit to take on Los Boquerones.

One to watch
Malaga CF
Guillermo Ochoa became arguably the world's best-known goalkeeper when his heroics helped Mexico to reach the Round of 16 at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Capped more than 60 times by his country, Ochoa has spent the past three seasons in French football with Corsican side Ajaccio.
Blessed with quick reactions, amazing agility and an outrageous hairstyle, the 29-year-old former America star will hope to make his mark in the Primera Division after completing his move to Malaga on Friday.

West Ham United
With six new players arriving at the Boleyn Ground this summer, the existing squad members have been somewhat overlooked in recent weeks.
However, recent birthday boy Stewart Downing has started the pre-season in superb form and will hope to celebrate turning 30 by producing an outstanding second season in a West Ham shirt.
The England winger scored at Stevenage and came within inches of doing so again against Wellington Phoenix in New Zealand. With pace, two good feet and pedigree at the highest level, the stage is set for Downing to steal the show in 2014/15.

Tickets
Tickets are still available for the Schalke Cup and can be purchased on Sunday at the Veltins-Arena from "cash box WEST" at €32 Adults and €10 Under-12s. These tickets cover both matches played on that day.

Travel
For supporters in possession of a match ticket, these tickets also act as a VRR-Kombiticket ticket.
This entitles supporters to travel, free of charge on the day in question, to and from the Veltins-Arena using the Regional Transport Networks Rhine-Ruhr (VRR) until closing time of the services.
This applies to all of the VRR transport and commuter trains of Deutsche Bahn in 2nd class (but not ICE, IC, EC and IR).
If travelling by car, directions to the Veltins-Arena can be found here.

Weather
The forecast for Sunday in Gelsenkirchen is for a cloudy day and maximum daytime temperatures of 23C (74F). However, the Veltins-Arena has a roof and, if this is closed, the weather and outside temperature will be irrelevant!

Last meeting
West Ham United have never met Malaga CF previously.

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Spot-on Jussi inspires Hammers
WHUFC.com
Jussi Jaaskelainen saved two penalties as West Ham United defeated Schalke 04 in Germany
02.08.2014

Jussi Jaaskelainen was the hero as West Ham United began their Schalke 04 Cup challenge with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over the hosts. The veteran Finnish goalkeeper made two spectacular saves from Felipe Santana and Axel Borgmann to inspire the Hammers to a 7-6 shootout success, after the game had finished goalless at the Veltins-Arena. Jaaskelainen had been called into action before his spot-kick heroics, saving with his body from Eric Choupo-Moting early on and showing his usual reliable handling on a number of other occasions. "The main is that we needed to take our penalties and we did that, which gave me the opportunity to save their kicks," said the stopper, with trademark modesty. "We had eight penalties and we only missed one, while I think you should always save one out of three as a goalkeeper, so it was all right. "I did read what they were going to do a little bit. They were young boys coming up to take them and I was lucky enough to go the right way for both of them."

Jaaskelainen signed a new one-year contract earlier this summer and it is clear that he will compete fiercely with Adrian for a place in Sam Allardyce's starting XI this term. With displays like the one he put in at the Veltins-Arena, the 39-year-old will definitely give Big Sam food for thought when it comes to picking his team to face Tottenham Hotspur on 16 August. "That's the way I always see things in pre-season," he confirmed. "This is my 17th pre-season over here in England and I always think we all start in the same boat and will be trying to impress the manager. "The most important thing is to get yourself fit and be ready for the start of the season. "It's still pre-season and personally it was good for me to get a second 90 minutes under my belt after I played against Wellington Phoenix. "In New Zealand, we did some good work and saw lots of fans over there, but the travelling was a little bit tough so this week it was good to have a full week of training, have a couple of games here and go on from there. "The boys looked much more solid than we did in New Zealand, but when you're playing against teams like Schalke that has to be the case. You have to be more solid at the back. "We created a couple of half-chances, but obviously we want to create a few more chances. At the end of the day, we got the clean sheet and we didn't pick up any more injuries, so that was good."

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The kids are alright for Big Sam
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was pleased with a win and an impressive showing from his West Ham United youngsters
02.08.2014

Sam Allardyce was happy with a good afternoon's work as West Ham United registered their first pre-season victory with a dramatic penalty shoot-out win against Schalke 04 on Saturday afternoon. After the game had failed to deliver a goal over 90 minutes, the shoot-out matched the biblical weather outside by raining goals, with two Jussi Jaaskelainen saves proving decisive as the Hammers ran out 7-6 winners. A maiden pre-season win coupled with five Under-21s gaining valuable first-team experience - Diego Poyet, Elliot Lee and Dan Potts all netted in the shoot-out - saw the West Ham United manager conclude that the game was a perfect preparatory exercise. "The game was very good from our point of view in terms of the physicality and the technical ability of Schalke, which took us to a level we haven't reached before in pre-season," Big Sam said. "We were a bit unfortunate to win it on penalties as the woodwork stopped Schalke scoring a couple of times during the match. "But from our point of view it was a very good exercise, not only from the senior point of view but also as we played five Under-21 players and that experience has been massive for them in terms of the demands of first-team football."

Although Jaaskelainen's matchwinning save sent the near 1500 Hammers fans inside the Veltins Arena into wild celebrations, Big Sam was keen not to put too much emphasis on results at this stage of the season. Instead, he was keen to place the focus on fitness and familiarity, with the Barclays Premier League opener against Tottenham Hotspur now just two weeks away. "I don't really worry about winning games in pre-season," he explained. "It's a means to get the players to match fitness and results are not the important thing. It's about steering clear of injuries and building up that sharpness and the team getting to know each other. "We've obviously got quite a few new players that have arrived and young players that have integrated into this pre-season, which is great for everybody. It is always nice to win a game of football of course!"

Earlier on Saturday afternoon, the manager had exclusively told whufc.com of his desire to sign another striker as what would be his seventh summer signing. After a series of names were thrown at him during the post-match press conference, he was keeping his cards close to his chest, but he did admit the Joint-Chairmen had been working hard back in the UK to secure one of his top targets. "I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Certainly while we've been here the Chairman has made enquiries, whether they can be finalised I won't know until I get back. Everyone is working hard to bring in a new face to give us the opportunity to score the goals with the chances we're creating. "We've got Enner Valencia but obviously we need to do three weeks work with him before we consider him for the first team so we've got other players we hope will be successful on the front line in that time."

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Big Sam targets striker signing
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce wants to sign one more forward as he prepares West Ham United for the Schalke 04 Cup
02.08.2014

Sam Allardyce is targeting one final summer signing as he prepares his West Ham United squad for the Schalke 04 Cup in Germany. The Hammers have already brought in six new faces this summer - full-backs Carl Jenkinson and Aaron Cresswell, midfielders Cheikh Kouyate and Diego Poyet and forwards Enner Valencia and Mauro Zarate - but Big Sam revealed the recruitment is not yet over. With Andy Carroll sidelined for the foreseeable future, a new centre forward is on the agenda. "I think from a defensive point of view, we've finally finished our recruitment for this season," the manager explained. "I think we now have Joey O'Brien and Aaron who can both play at left-back. Joey has filled in at left-back several times and he does just as good a job there as he does at right-back. "That means that Carl can come in and compete with Guy Demel, so we're comfortable in the right-back position now. "Of course we hope our central defensive threesome of Ginge, James Tomkins and Winston Reid stays fit all season, and we've got two good goalkeepers so we're defensively fine.
"Midfield, moving forward we have brought in Cheikh and he'll have to integrate to the Premier League, which is not easy when you first arrive here, so we have to keep an eye on that. "Diego has settled into the first-team squad quite well. I'm not saying he is going to play 20 or 30 games, but hopefully he'll play some part this year in the Premier League. "Then of course Enner has got into the country [England] and has brought his partner with him. That process of giving him a pre-season starts now. "Mauro has fitted in reasonably well, but he's had a little injury and has had slight issues with his match-fitness, but he's here. "We still have one more to go in the recruitment process and I've been speaking to the Joint-Chairmen this week. Hopefully that player will bring something in terms of our capability of scoring more goals - not creating, because we've always been able to create."

West Ham will hope to record their first victory of the pre-season when they take on hosts Schalke 04 at the Veltins-Arena on Saturday. The home side finished third in the Bundesliga last term and have a star-studded squad, and Big Sam is looking forward to seeing how his players fare against their illustrious opponents. The four-team tournament will also see the Hammers tackle Spanish Primera Liga side Malaga CF on Sunday, with Newcastle United being the other team involved in the competition. "Two games in two days means we will field two completely different teams in the hope that the players will complete 90 minutes," the manager revealed. "This will the first time they have done that in pre-season and, with the weather being as hot as it is, that'll be really tough and take them to the edge of their fitness, and that's exactly what we want at this time of year. "We are over the jet lag of New Zealand. There are no excuses there and I don't want to hear any excuses from anybody that it was that trip which caused this. That's all rubbish. "The negativity has left us and it's about being positive and getting the right edge to be ready for 16 August and this is the right tournament to do that."

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Schalke 04 Cup: Newcastle lose to Malaga, West Ham beat hosts
BBC.co.uk

Newcastle United were beaten 3-1 by Malaga in their opening game in the Schalke 04 Cup in Gelsenkirchen. Sergi Darder scored from long range and teenager Samu Castillejo added two more as the Spaniards went 3-0 up before half-time in Germany. Midfielder Gabriel Obertan pulled one back on the hour mark, but Newcastle could not find any further goals. Alan Pardew's side face tournament hosts Schalke, who lost a penalty shootout against West Ham, on Sunday.

Newcastle United: Elliot, Yanga-Mbiwa (Satka 84), Taylor, Coloccini (c) (Williamson 74), Haidara (Dummett 67), Abeid (Vuckic 74), Colback (Anita 67), Sissoko (Obertan 46), Armstrong (Gouffran 46), Cabella (Aarons 46), Perez (Riviere 46).
Malaga: Kameni, Gamez, Wellington, Sanchez (Angeleri 73), Antunes, Darder (Juanami 73), Camacho, Horta (Perez 86), Duda (c) (Sanchez 86), Castillejo (Juanpi 54), Santa Cruz (Alberto 73).
Schalke 0-0 (6-7 penalties) West Ham United

West Ham United goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen saved two penalties as the Hammers secured a 7-6 shootout victory over Schalke at the Veltins Arena.
Sam Allardyce's side held on for a 0-0 draw over 90 minutes of their opening game in the Schalke 04 Cup as the German hosts twice struck the woodwork.
Jaaskelainen, 39, first denied centre-back Felipe Santana and then saved left-back Axel Borgmann's spot-kick to hand his team victory.
The Hammers can secure the pre-season cup with victory against Malaga on Sunday.

West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Tomkins (Reid 46), Collins, Potts, Nolan, Kouyate (Diame 54), Poyet, Fanimo (Lletget 54), Cole, Downing.
Schalke 04: Giefer, Freidrich, Kolasinac (Avdijaj 62), Boateng, Hoger, Choupo-Moting (Aogo 62), Fuchs, Barnetta (Meyer 46), Multhaup, Matip (Santana 46), Neustadter.

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Allardyce confirms Samuel Eto'o interest
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 2nd August 2014
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce tonight admitted that veteran Cameroon international Samuel Eto'o is on the list of potential replacements for the stricken Andy Carroll. The Hammers boss, addressing the media after West Ham's 7-6 penalty shootout win over the hosts in the Schalke Cup earlier today, revealed that despite initial opposition from the board Eto'o was very much in his - and the club's - sights. With the start of the Premier League just two weeks away, West Ham are desperately in need of a goalscorer having lost Carroll until November. And according to Allardyce, the former Barcelona forward may well be the solution.
"Up to now our Chairman was perhaps looking at a younger player," he said. "No disrespect to Samuel, but I think he preferred that we find a younger player to play in the Premier League if we possibly can. "But, Samuel is still available and we have decided that he should be considered at some stage." Allardyce also revealed that enquiries into the availability of Arsenal's Joel Campbell had proved fruitless, and that Enner Valencia is unlikely to be ready in time to start the season-opener against Tottenham.

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Allardyce on... Schalke 04
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 2nd August 2014
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce was a happy man after his side secured a win via the penalty spot. Read his post-match press conference thoughts in full exclusively here on KUMB...

[Allardyce introduced by the Schalke's media officer]

We're delighted we got an invite to the tournament today. We know how great the facilities are and we've been well looked after in Germany particularly over the last few seasons I've been at West Ham.

The game today was very good from our point of view in terms of the physicality and the technical ability we've shown which took us to a level we haven't reached before in our pre-season.

We're a little fortunate perhaps that we won it on penalties as the woodwork stopped Schalke from scoring, but from our point of view it was a very good exercise.

Not only for the senior professionals, but we played five under 21 players at some stage today and that experience has been massive for them as we try to help their development into the first team. It's been a very good evening for us all round.

How relieved are you to get your first victory in pre-season?

Ha! I don't need victories in pre-season to be honest with you. It's a means to an end to get the players match fit and results are not the only important thing, it's also about steering clear of injuries, building up match fitness and the team getting to know each other.

We've got quite a few new players who have arrived and a few young players who have integrated into pre-season, which is of great benefit to everybody. It's always nice to win a game of football; even though it was on penalties, it'll still go down as a win.

We saw you quoted this morning saying you'd like to bring another striker in. Do you hope that'll happen before the start of the season?

Yes, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Certainly whilst I've been here we've made enquiries through the Chairman. Whether those enquiries can be finalised by next week I'm not so sure, [at least] until I get back on Monday.

Everyone's trying extremely hard to secure another front man for us and to give us the opportunity to score the goals with the chances we're creating. We've now got Enner Valencia who joined us yesterday but he'll need to do at least three weeks' work before be considered him for the first team.

Does Samuel Eto'o interest you?

There's been a lot of talk about Samuel Eto'o, of course. From our point of view, up to now our Chairman was perhaps looking at a younger player. No disrespect to Samuel, but I think he preferred that we find a younger player to play in the Premier League if we possibly can. But, Samuel is still available and we have decided that he should be considered at some stage.

Joel Campbell's name has been mentioned, is he interesting you?

We've already got Carl Jenkinson so Joel Campbell wouldn't be allowed on loan - and they Arsenal] won't sell him.

How is Andy Carroll since he had his surgery last week?

He's pretty miserable, he's not very happy with life at the moment because it's a massive blow to him again. We'll just have to pick his spirits up and hopefully when the boot comes off and the specialist gives him the ok to start working again he'll feel a lot happier with himself, but he's certainly very upset and very miserable at this moment in time.

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Schalke 0-0 West Ham Utd (West Ham win 7-6 on pens)
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 2nd August 2014
By: Staff Writer

West Ham held hosts Schalke to a goalless draw at the Veltins-Arena this afternoon before winning a dramatic penalty shootout. A dull and often dreary encounter was briefly lit up by the spot kicks, which Nolan, Neustadt, Collins and Meyer all scored before Ricardo Vaz Te pulled his shot wide of the post. Papadopoulos put Schalke 3-2 up before Elliot Lee made it 3-3. Santana missed the opportunity to give his side the lead again when Jaaskelainen pulled off a good save to his left and Diego Poyet passed his shot in the corner to restore United's advantage. Aogo sent the shootout into sudden death despite West Ham's goalkeeper guessing correctly, then Joey O'Brien and Itter both netted to make it 5-5. Danny Potts scored West Ham's sixth penalty, as did Sobottka for the hosts.

Seb Lletget placed his spot kick well - necessarily, due to Giefer diving the right way - to make it 7-6 and Jaaskelainen made his second save of the afternoon to win the shootout for the Hammers. That brief spell of excitement followed a fairly uneventful match that rarely managed to excite the healthy contingent of travelling Hammers fans nor the Schalke supporters who had trickled into the Veltins-Arena to watch their own team. West Ham failed to mange a single effort on target during the game, although without Mauro Zarate (sub), Enner Valencia (unfit) and Andy Carroll (injured) the Schalke goal was never likely to be under heavy bombardment.

For their part the Germans managed to rattle Jussi Jaaskelainen's woodwork twice; firstly when Choupo-Moting's 23rd minute effort rebounded off the post and then after the break when Friedrich took a swing at a loose ball in the area, only to see his shot crash back off the crossbar. West Ham now face Malaga tomorrow knowing that should they beat the Spanish side, they will bring the Schalke Cup home with them. The other team in the competition, Newcastle United, lost 3-1 to the La Liga club in today's early game.

Schalke 0-0 West Ham Utd

West Ham Utd: Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Tomkins, Collins, Potts, Nolan, Kouyate, Poyet, Fanimo, C.Cole, Downing.

Subs: Reid, Cresswell, Jarvis, Lletget, Zarate, Vaz Te, Adrian, Cullen, Lee, Noble, Jenkinson, Nasha, Diame, Whitehead, Burke.

Schalke 04: Giefer, Freidrich, Kolasinac, Boateng, Hoger, Choupo-Moting, Fuchs, Barnetta, Multhaup, Matip, Neustadter.

Subs: Fahrmann, Santana, Mayer, Papadopoulos, Aogo, Borgmann, Avdijaj, Sobottka, Itter.

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West Ham beat Schalke 7-6 on penalties after 0-0 draw
Last Updated: 02/08/14 8:50pm
SSN

West Ham began their Schalke Cup campaign with a 7-6 penalty shoot-out win over the hosts after a 0-0 draw in normal time at the Veltins Arena. Jussi Jaaskelainen was the match-winner for West Ham, saving penalties from Felipe Santana and Axel Borgmann in the shoot-out after earlier producing a fine stop to deny Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting with his legs early on in normal time. Choupo-Moting also fired against the base of the post in the first half before Marvin Friedrich hit the crossbar in the second period as the Premier League side rode their luck. Carlton Cole had their best chance to win it but instead it was left to Kevin Nolan, James Collins, Elliot Lee, Diego Poyet, Andy O'Brien, Dan Potts and Sebastian Lletget to do the business from 12 yards. The Hammers face Malaga on Sunday, while Schalke take on Newcastle. Summer signings Carl Jenkinson and Aaron Cresswell will play against the Spanish side having been rested for this game, along with Adrian, Winston Reid, Mark Noble and Matt Jarvis.

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Newcastle United and West Ham fans arrested after fighting breaks out in Germany
Aug 02, 2014 14:45 By Kate Proctor
Police say more than 20 people were detained after clashes before the pre-season Schalke Cup
The Mirror

Newcastle United and West Ham fans have been arrested in Germany after violent clashes. Police in Dusseldorf made 21 arrests last night after fighting broke out between fans from both clubs, the Newcastle Chronicle reports. The two teams are in the German city for a pre-season friendly tournament, the Schalke Cup, which is held in Gelsenkirchen - 40 minutes from Dusseldorf. This afternoon the Magpies take on the Spanish La Liga club Malaga while West Ham play Schalke 04. A spokesman for the Polizeipräsidium Düsseldorf - the city's police - said fighting broke out between both sets of fans yesterday afternoon after they had gathered in the 'old town' area. He said: "There were 300 English fans in the city centre. The fans from both clubs met and first of all they had some beers on their own, and when they met the other club there has been some verbal arguments. After that they had a psychical fight. "We put 100 policemen in the city centre so that things would calm down and it calmed down very fast but we made 21 short term arrests."

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Man United's Wilfried Zaha a transfer target for 3 clubs but wants to prove himself at Reds
Aug 02, 2014 13:33 By Ed Malyon
Winger signed by Ferguson and loaned out by Moyes wants to impress Louis van Gaal after hearing it from the horse's mouth the Dutchman likes him
The Mirror

Wilfried Zaha is wanted by three Premier League clubs. The winger has found it difficult to settle since his £15million move to Manchester United from Crystal Palace last year. Zaha, who signed a five-and-a-half year contract at the Old Trafford giants, struggled under former United boss David Moyes and was then loaned out to Cardiff in January. Now, Louis van Gaal is manager of United, but that hasn't stopped Zaha receiving admiring offers. Crystal Palace, QPR and West Ham are all believed to have offered deals with a salary of £30,000 a week. However, Dutch boss Van Gaal is keen on the 21-year-old England winger and told him so on the club's pre-season tour to America - despite the fact that Zaha was the only first-team squad member not to turn up for an 'optional' training day. He was made to do a double warm-down in the searing heat of Denver, Colorado although he did not play a single minute of United's friendly with AS Roma. But Zaha said: "Louis van Gaal has let me know that he believes in me. I can't tell what's going to happen with the club in the future. "But we have a great manager and I'm sure he will change things here."

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The Apprentice star Karren Brady to become Tory peer
The West Ham United vice-chairman will become a member of the House of Lords, having previously turned down running as a Tory MP in 2015
The Telegraph
By Melanie Hall4:41PM BST 02 Aug 2014

The Apprentice star Karren Brady will be made a Tory peer in the latest round of appointments to the House of Lords, it has emerged. David Cameron is to hand a peerage as early as next week to the West Ham United boss and millionaire businesswoman, who last year ruled out becoming an MP or possible successor to Boris Johnson as Mayor of London in what was seen as a blow to the Conservatives. There is also speculation that former Marks & Spencer boss Sir Stuart Rose will receive a peerage in the latest wave of Conservative appointments that could revive controversy about the propriety of handing membership of the House of Lords to prominent party supporters and donors. The appointments of Miss Brady and Sir Stuart would bring two of Britain's most high-profile business people into the upper house, which comes at a time when the main parties are fighting to secure prominent support from business leaders in the run-up to next year's General Election. Both Sir Stuart and Miss Brady have appeared at Conservative annual conferences in recent years, and the West Ham United vice-chairman has also taken on a role as small business adviser to the Government. Miss Brady effectively ruled out a future in elected public life last December when she said: "I'm not going to become an MP and I'm not going to be London Mayor. I have no political ambitions." It had emerged that Miss Brady had declined offers of six safe Conservative seats to fight at the next election in 2015. Sir Stuart, who has taken on a series of roles since leaving M&S, including the chairmanship of online grocer Ocado, has also been advising the Government on NHS reform. There will be around 20 new peers appointed, with the majority selected by Mr Cameron and Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader. New members of the Lords are subjected to a strict vetting process, and the new arrivals will increase membership of the Lords to more than 850.

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Irons win on pens but it's terrible to watch
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 2, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham won 7-6 on pens

It's as awful to watch this year as it was last and of course there was no sign of Teddy Sheringham inside the stadium or of a new attacking policy. Ok we won the penalty shoot-out but that was as good as it got during this 90 minutes plus. On the basis of this performance and those in New Zealand, the idea that West Ham United are to become an attacking free flowing team is just some absurd fantasy. That we went through another 90 minutes without showing any ambition to get forward via anyone other that Stewart Downing – and then not very effectively – says it all. This season is going to be much like the last – a test of resolve on behalf of the supporters loyalty who will rely on their lifelong love of this club rather than anything provided under the management of Sam Allardyce. The bare match facts are that Schalke had the majority of possession, twice hit the woodwork and we played the same old one-up which AGAIN didn't work . Ball playing Mauro Zarate didn't get a sniff as Allardyce picked a team which looked set up to get a draw and had little attacking intent. It was poor, very poor. Something needs to change and I think most of us know what ! And please Allardyce don't mention the words "clean sheet."

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Dicks disappointed at one-up again
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 2, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Match pundits Julian Dicks and Rob Lee were happy to see a solid defensive display from the team but can see few signs of a new attacking policy going forward. Julian said: "It was solid and disciplined and I was happy with that but what disappoints me is that it's one up again. Carlton Cole had to fight for every ball and you do need midfielders to get alongside and go beyond. We had Tony Cottee and he was only 5ft 4in! "You don't need to be a big man to hold tie ball up. TC could do it. I hope Sam Allardyce plays two up in pre-season. That's what these games are for. You have to try it." And Lee said: "Defensively it was good but I can't see any signs of the new attacking policy we have been hearing about."

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