Potts glad for Schalke Cup experience
WHUFC.com
Dan Potts wants to push for more first team opportunities after his Schalke
Cup experience
03.08.2014
Dan Potts is determined to build on the experience of turning out in both
Schalke Cup games this weekend. Potts played the full 90 minutes as West Ham
prevailed 7-6 on penalties against Schalke 04, confidently burying his spot
kick following a 0-0 draw with last season's third placed Bundesliga
finishers. He was then a late substitute as the Hammers were defeated 2-0 by
Malaga on Sunday and having signed a new contract this summer, he wants to
be involved more regularly for the first team with run outs like this
weekend's only whetting his appetite for futher experiences. He explained:
"It was a good workout overall and good on Saturday to keep a clean sheet as
part of the back four. "Personally, I thought the whole team defended well
against Schalke. All the lads put in a great shift and we were happy to win
it on penalties in the end. "I was pleased with my contribution, to keep a
clean sheet as part of a back four is always good. I loved every minute of
it, coming here to play big teams like Schalke and Malaga. These are the
sort of games you want to be involved in and I enjoyed it. "Pre-season is a
good time to show what you're about and put your stamp on it. I'm pleased
that I've been given the opportunities here and last week in New Zealand. "I
just want to push on really, I want to be involved in more games like this."
Potts netted from the spot to keep his side on course for the victory
against Schalke and he revealed that he had no qualms over stepping up to
the plate.
He continued: "You always have a little muck-around after training and you
always grab a ball, have a keeper in goal and take a pen. "You try and
approach it in the same way and luckily on Saturday it came off. I'm
confident in my ability from the spot and I'll happily take penalties if I'm
asked to."
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Schalke 04 Cup: West Ham beaten 2-0 by Malaga
BBc.co.uk
West Ham were beaten 2-0 by Malaga as the Spanish La Liga side won the
Schalke 04 Cup in Gelsenkirchen. Argentinean striker Ezequiel Rescaldani put
Malaga ahead after 22 minutes after the Hammers' new defender Aaron
Cresswell failed to clear. On-loan Liverpool striker Luis Alberto then
doubled Malaga's lead two minutes later with an easy finish past Adrian.
Adrian also saved an Alberto penalty after the Spaniard was fouled by
on-loan Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson. West Ham had few goal-scoring
opportunities in the match, with Matt Jarvis wasting a golden chance when
through on goal on 86 minutes. The Hammers had won their other match in the
tournament by beating hosts Schalke 04 on penalties. Malaga win the cup
after beating Newcastle United 3-1 in their other match while Newcastle
faced Schalke in the final match of the cup later on Sunday.
West Ham United : Adrian, Jenkinson, Reid, Burke, Cresswell, Noble (c),
Whitehead, Diame, Jarvis, Vaz Te, Zarate
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Kouyate, Lletget, Downing, Cullen, Lee, Nasha, Poyet,
Potts, Fanimo
Malaga CF : Kameni, Perez, Angeleri, Rescaldini, Samuel Sanchez, Juanmi (c),
Rosales, Sergio Sanchez, Boka, Alberto, Recio
Subs: Ochoa, Gamez, Weligton, Antunes, Camacho, Santa Cruz, Duda, Darder,
Horta, Castillejo, Juanpi, Cousillas
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Malaga 2-0 West Ham Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 3rd August 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham's final away appearance of pre-season ended disappointingly as Sam
Allardyce's team were well beaten by Spanish side Malaga in Gelsenkirchen.
Having emerged victorious from the clash with hosts Schalke - albeit via a
penalty shootout - in yesterday's opening match of the two-day tournament,
hopes were high for a good performance today against a Malaga side who
opened their Schalke Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over Newcastle United. Yet
despite ultimately going down to two first half goals conceded within three
minutes of each other, West Ham could have lost by a far greater margin such
was Malaga's dominance during the closing stages. And prior to that late,
Spanish onslaught West Ham's goalkeeper - the Spaniard Adrian - had already
saved a penalty, long before being forced to withstand a series of close
range shots as the game began to bear more resemblance to a kick-around in
the park than one featuring two professional outfits. Largely responsible
for that was the sheer number of inexperienced players West Ham were
fielding by the final whistle; Amos Nasha, Danny Potts, Reece Burke, Danny
Whitehead and Josh Cullen formed half of a team that was left chasing
shadows in the closing stages.
Therefore it was something of a minor miracle that Adrian managed to refrain
from conceding further, but a string of saves - combined with some dreadful
finishing by Malaga - ensured the losing margin remained at just two. West
Ham had managed just one shot on target against Schalke 24 hours earlier -
penalties excepted - and today they failed to create any whatsoever. Mauro
Zarate looked competely lost leading the line and received barely any
service, whilst youngster Whitehead - playing behind the Argentinian -
failed to make an impact. Even when Matt Jarvis managed to break through in
the closing stages a heavy touch cost him the chance to shoot. It was that
sort of day for West Ham and one in which further criticism was aimed at
manager Sam Allardyce by his detractors.
The goals that won the game for Malaga came midway through the first half
and within the space of just three minutes. Having ignored earlier warnings,
West Ham allowed Ezequiel Rescaldani to fire into Adrian's bottom right hand
corner with the (makeshift) defence stretched. Still reeling from that
strike, the Hammers fell further behind two minutes later when Luis Alberto
finished a flowing move with a curling effort. When the same player was
felled by new signing Carl Jenkinson in the box two minutes later, West Ham
had their goalkeeper to thank for saving the day - although Alberto's spot
kick was poorly struck.
As if defeat wasn't bad enough in itself, there was further bad news for Sam
Allardyce as debutant Jenkinson was forced off with what appeared to be a
hamstring strain with an hour played. There is no news as yet to confirm the
extent of the injury. Next up for West Ham is the final game of pre-season
at home to Sampdoria next weeked. Can West Ham finally get their first win
(in normal time) of pre-season?
West Ham Utd: Adrian, Jenkinson, Reid, Burke, Cresswell, Noble (c),
Whitehead, Diame, Jarvis, Vaz Te, Zarate.
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Kouyate, Lletget, Downing, Cullen, Lee, Nasha, Poyet,
Potts, Fanimo.
Malaga CF: Kameni, Perez, Angeleri, Rescaldini, Samuel Sanchez, Juanmi (c),
Rosales, Sergio Sanchez, Boka, Alberto, Recio.
Subs: Ochoa, Gamez, Weligton, Antunes, Camcho, Santa Cruz, Duda, Darder,
Horta, Castillejo, Juanpi, Cousillas.
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Malaga beat West Ham 2-0 in the Schalke Cup after Ezequiel Rescaldini and
Luis Alberto goals
Last Updated: 03/08/14 5:28pm
SSN
West Ham United conceded twice midway through the first half to go down 2-0
to Malaga in the Schalke Cup. Sam Allardyce's side had beaten hosts Schalke
on penalties on Saturday following a 0-0 draw, but struggled to contain a
fluid Malaga side. The Spanish club took the lead on 22 minutes when summer
signing Aaron Cresswell failed to clear Arthur Boka's through ball and
Ezequiel Rescaldini finished past Adrian. Just two minutes later, Malaga
increased their lead when Juanmi laid the ball across goal for Luis Alberto,
who is on loan from Liverpool, to score. Alberto should have scored his
second of the game on the half-hour mark when he was fouled in the box by
Carl Jenkinson, but his penalty was saved by Adrian. West Ham struggled to
create any clear-cut chances and Alberto had a second goal ruled out early
in the second half for offside. Adrian then made another smart save from
Rescaldini before former Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz missed a
golden chance to score on 79 minutes after West Ham's keeper had spilled a
shot. West Ham face Sampdoria at home next Saturday in their final friendly
before starting the new Premier League season against Tottenham Hotspur at
Upton Park on August 16.
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Samuel Eto'o move played down by West Ham boss Sam Allardyce
Last Updated: 03/08/14 1:13pm
SSN
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce wants to sign one more striker before
the transfer window closes and is looking for a younger option to Samuel
Eto'o. Allardyce has already added Enner Valencia and Mauro Zarate to his
squad this summer, but has lost Andy Carroll for around four months due to
injury.
He has been linked with moves for Stoke City striker Peter Crouch and former
Barcelona forward Eto'o, who is available on a free transfer after leaving
Chelsea. However, while Allardyce is not ruling out a possible deal for
Eto'o, his priority is to bring a younger striker to Upton Park. "There has
been a lot of talk about Samuel Eto'o," said Allardyce after Saturday's
penalty shoot-out win over Schalke. "From our point of view the chairman was
perhaps looking at a younger player. "Samuel is still available and we have
decided he should be considered at some stage if we're not successful (in
signing a younger player).
"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."
Meanwhile, Allardyce confirmed that recent signing Valencia is unlikely to
be fit for the start of the Premier League season after playing for Ecuador
at the World Cup. He added: "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."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WEST HAM'S SHOCKER OF A PRE-SEASON CONTINUES
By Iain Dale 3 Aug 2014 at 16:22
West Ham Till I Die
Malaga 2 West Ham 0
So we are two weeks away from the season opener against Spurs and still West
Ham haven't chalked up a victory. To be honest we haven't ever looked like
doing so. No passion, no real passing and no attacking guile. In all
honesty, nothing has changed since last season so far as I can see. OK,
maybe it is too early to be so negative, but I am sure I am not alone in
wondering what is in store for us.
The troubling thing about the last twenty four hours is that we were pretty
shocking in defence, biteless in midfield and totally toothless up front. In
this game we didn't have a single shot on target. Zarate got no service
whatsoever. We finished the game with eight kids on the pitch. Why?
In all honesty we were lucky to only lose 2-0 today. It could have been at
least five.
And in true West Ham tradition, one of our new signings picked up an injury.
Carl Jenkinson limped off after 62 minutes and will no doubt be a doubt for
the Spurs game.
Oh, and by the way, where was Demel? Is he injured, or already on his way
back to Hamburg?
Depressed. Very.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
SUNDAY ROUND-UP
By Iain Dale 3 Aug 2014 at 00:03
West Ham Till I Die
The Sunday papers look to be full of the same old shite. The Sunday Mirror
takes the biscuit with this completely fictitious story which reckons David
Moyes is the leading candidate to succeed Sam Allardyce. What a load of old
kack. At the end of last season when it looked like Sam was under the skids
I was told by someone who ought to know that his representatives were
telling West Ham that Moyes would cost £5 million a year. If there had been
any interest (and there hadn't) that certainly put paid to it.
Karren Brady is about to be elevated to the Tory benches in the House of
Lords. I guess congratulations are in order, but how on earth she will find
the time to acively take part in House of Lords business is something only
she can know.
According to the Daily Mail Enner Valencia will not be fit for the start of
the season. Quite how he has become so unfit since the World Cup is anyone's
guess, but it seems typical for our club that we will start the season yet
again without a leading striker.
In the same story Allardyce says that West Ham are looking to buy a younger
striker than Samuel Eto. I think the reason we're not buying Eto is more to
do with his wage demands, which are said to be in excess of £100k a week. He
ought to know that we only pay that to strikers with long term injuries!
Several papers reckon we're about to sign Peter Crouch from Stoke. In his
day, he was a great player, but now? If we sign him I think we can kiss
goodbye to any hope of playing with two up front.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
David Moyes in West Ham frame if Sam Allardyce gets sacked by the Hammers
Aug 02, 2014 22:30 By Steve Stammers
Big Sam have been at loggerheads with the board since last season and the
ex-Manchester United boss would be a frontrunner if they make a change
The Mirror
David Moyes has emerged as a surprise contender to take over at West Ham if
Sam Allardyce is axed. And Big Sam has admitted – while on the pre-season
tour of New Zealand – that adjusting to the all-new official West Ham
philosophy of expansive football is causing problems. There were no goals
to suggest otherwise in Saturday's 0-0 friendly draw at Schalke – until the
Hammers edged the penalty shootout 7-6 thanks to two key saves by Jussi
Jaaskelainen.
The board and Allardyce have been at loggerheads since the end of last
season and the club took the unusual step of insisting that the team would
play a more expansive style. And then came last week's embarrassing spat
over midfielder Ravel Morrison. Allardyce suggested the England Under-21
midfielder would not figure in his plans, while co-owner David Sullivan
said the opposite, and declared he wanted to talk about a new deal for the
player. Within 48 hours West Ham were left reeling by the news that Morrison
has been remanded in custody in Manchester until Thursday, charged with
assault. The Hammers face a tough first six weeks of the new season with
games against Tottenham, Liverpool and Man United. But if they decide on a
change of manager, Scot Moyes sacked by United in April, is a frontrunner.
Allardyce's attacking woes have not been helped by yet another long-term
injury to Andy Carroll. But he will only turn to former Barcelona and
Chelsea star Samuel Eto'o if he is unsuccessful in a striker chase that
includes Stoke's Peter Crouch and free agent Hugo Almeida. Speaking about
the prospect of signing Eto'o, Allardyce said: "The chairman was looking at
a younger player but Samuel is still available and we have decided it should
be considered if we are not successful. "Enner Valencia joined us yesterday
but he needs three weeks work before we consider him for the first team."
After a miserable time in New Zealand, which included defeats by Wellington
Phoenix and Sydney FC, Allardyce was smiling again after the win over
Schalke although his problems were exposed as West Ham struggled in the
final third, while Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Marvin Friedrich struck the
woodwork for Schalke. He said: "Our game was very good in terms of the
physicality and technical ability of Schalke which took us to a level we
haven't reached before in pre-season. But we need to improve our finishing."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carl Jenkinson set to miss start of the new season after hamstring injury in
West Ham defeat
Aug 03, 2014 18:41 By Marc Isaacs
The Mirror
West Ham have suffered another major injury blow after new signing Carl
Jenkinson picked up a hamstring strain and looks set to miss the start of
the new season. Jenkinson was making his first appearance for the club
following his season-long loan move to Upton Park from Arsenal and was
hoping to make a big impact for the east London club. But the 22-year-old
picked up the injury on the hour mark during the 2-0 defeat against Malaga
in the Schalke Cup in Germany on Sunday. The talented full-back had to leave
the pitch immediately and there are fears he could miss the big kick-off
against Tottenham in two-weeks time. The news could not have come at a worse
time for manager Sam Allardyce who is already missing club record signing
Andy Carroll for four months with a serious ankle injury while fellow right
back Guy Demel is also sidelined with a hamstring problem and didn't travel
to Germany. Summer arrival Enner Valencia has only just met up with the club
following his performances for Ecuardor at the World Cup during the summer
and will need at least three weeks before he is considered for first-team
duty. West Ham midfielder Mark Noble says the team are crying out for
Valencia to make his debut and ease the goalscoring problems which are
affecting the club at the moment. Noble said: "Obviously no pressure on him
but we need him at the moment. We need another striker and we are light on
players at the minute. Jenko has gone down with a slight hamstring. "Guy
Demel is not here and big AC (is missing). We just need out squad back
together and raring to go for the start of the season. "I don't even think
(the manager) knows his best eleven at the minute with players getting
injured and players who are not quite fit yet. Hopefully we can get another
couple of signings in who can improve the squad and we can enjoy the
season."
Allardyce faced more unrest from the travelling West Ham supporters
following their failure to hit the target once again and the lack of goals
must be a major concern as they prepare for the start of the new campaign.
Malaga cruised to victory and first half goals from Ezequiel Resccaldani and
Luis Alberto helped them win the Schalke Cup.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Wilfried Zaha a target for West Ham as Sam Allardyce looks to boost
attacking options
Daily Mail
By SIMON JONES
PUBLISHED: 22:21, 3 August 2014 | UPDATED: 22:21, 3 August 2014
West Ham are keen to take Wilfried Zaha if Manchester United agree to let
the 21-year-old leave. Zaha's future at United is in doubt after new
manager Louis van Gaal said he only sees the England international as a
striker in his new 3-5-2 formation. With Robin Van Persie, Wayne Rooney,
Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck already established at Old Trafford, Van
Gaal may allow Zaha to leave. West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is open to either
a loan move or a permanent deal, with much depending on how much United ask
for. West Ham have been linked with Samuel Eto'o but Allardyce is keen to
push for Zaha as he searches for younger strikers to boost his options.
Crystal Palace - who Zaha played for before signing for United for
£15million - are also monitoring the situation. Zaha impressed in United's
pre-season win over Inter Milan but was less effective in the victory over
Real Madrid on Saturday. Zaha fell out of favour last season under David
Moyes and spent the second of the season on loan at Cardiff. Allardyce has
also made enquiries about HNK Rijeka striker Andrej Kramaric, 23, who scored
21 goals in 23 games for the Croatian side last season.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Beer thrown over Big Sam
Posted by Sean Whetstone on August 3, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
The relationship between the Hammers fans and manager Sam Allardyce has
plunged to new depths after he was covered with a pint of beer after he is
alleged to have laughed at fans who called for him to play more attacking
football following the latest pre season defeat this afternoon. According to
an eye witness Willis Jamieson who watched the match which he described as
boring, the incident occurred post match as the manager and players walked
to their waiting coaches. Willis explained Big Sam was walking out alone at
the time when he was covered by the pint of beer kicked from a over head
ledge above with roughly 20 West Ham supporters above him. "He just carried
on walking but it did stop his laughing" said Willis.
It is understood the board told Allardyce he needs to improve his
relationship with the fans this season following a revolt at the end of last
season, this has all the marks of further deterioration. While throwing a
pint of beer is extreme way to make a point the alleged laughing at fans
lobbying Sam to play more attractive football was bound to antagonise them.
One bright spark on social media whipped Big Sam should "Respect the PINT!"
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce: The fans were right all along
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 3, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Are we currently seeing Sam Allardyce's revenge on the board after they
dared to question his methods in the summer…or is he as poor a manager as
many believe? Personally I reckon it's a bit of both! It must be clear now
even to the most pro-Allardyce supporter that the man is not going to change
his ways an inch. And the latest victim of his game-playing is poor Mauro
Zarate who this afternoon was made to look a mug in the match against Malaga
by being played in a role which is simply not his game. For the Argentine to
have been seen to any effect he would have needed players to link with him
but neither of our wingers are assigned to do that. Nor do we have
midfielders cute enough to string through nice balls to feet – thus giving
the player a chance of impressing.
Given that Allardyce knows exactly how the Carlton Cole/Kevin Nolan works –
or more to the point, doesn't work, why wasn't Zarate played in
yesterday's game. He may not have had the ball played to him in a preferred
manner but he would certainly perhaps have had the chance of profiting from
a few Cole knockdowns. Now, however, we shall never know because as sure as
God made little apples Allardyce won't do it in the League campaign.
Sam Allardyce doesn't really approve of skilful players. At heart he's a
stats man who looks at stamina, strength, speed levels and all the rest of
it. It is impossible to quantify skill so those possessing it in spades
don't really get a sniff in Sam's world. That we haven't seen him make the
slightest attempt to adapt to a new attacking style doesn't surprise me one
little bit although like most others I have spent the summer praying I had
it all wrong. There's been no sign of attacking coach Teddy Sheringham and
indeed barely a word from him anywhere since his appointment was made.
There's nothing worse than seeing yourself become the victim of a giant con
but on all available evidence since pre-season started that's what's
happened.
I believe the owners and the fans have all been taking in by Allardyce's
apparent acceptance of the conditions placed upon him. Silly them …silly us!
I don't believe there will be a pre-season sacking although for me, instead
of spending another couple of million on a player that money would be much
better used as Allardyce's pay-off. My view is that if things go as they
appear they might he'll be gone by the end of September. The fans were
right all along – the bloke should have been fired at the end of last
season. On the strength of all we've seen so far we are in a bigger mess now
than we were then.
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Lee on Irons display: "You do have to worry"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 3, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
I was accused yesterday of writing too soon after the West Ham v Schalke
match and that I should think about things a little more before delivering
what the critic described as "knee jerk articles." Well, I took that advice
so after a couple of hours let me give you my thoughts on the latest West
Ham debacle – awful, thoroughly awful. But don't take it from me, hear the
thoughts of an ex manager (which the complainant said he would listen to )
and a former player. It's hard not to agree with every word from them and to
add that the man we should feel most sorry for in the clash against Malaga
is Mauro Zarate. If ever a guy was set up to fail by his manager it was the
Argentinian who was asked to play as the lone striker, a role to which he
is entirely ill-quipped.
TV pundits Steve Clarke and Rob Lee were clearly careful in their public
appraisal of West Ham's performance but nonetheless virtually everything
they had to say was damning! The former West Brom manager is unfailingly
polite and a guy whose press conference track record demonstrates that he
rarely says anything which could be described as controversial. So when he
claims that Malaga could have had five or six – "that it could have been
quite a nasty scoreline" you take him a little more seriously than you
would, if he were let's say Paul Merson. He claimed that Malaga were quite
happy to break their system from a defensive formation when without the
ball, to one that was fluid and interchangeable when going forward. The
point of him saying this couldn't have been lost on the dullest of watchers
– West Ham don't, they are rigid and formulaic in all circumstances.
Lee, meanwhile, explained that even when the Hammers were two behind there
seemed little urgency in trying to get the goals back. He said: "In the
Premier League you have to do that so you do have to worry. "When they go
behind there is just no Plan B. In the Premier League they will have to
chase the game – there just didn't seen any urgency."
I'll leave it there except to say preciely what I said at the end of the
piece it was claimed I wrote when my knees were twitching after the Schalke
game.
Something needs to change and we all know what that something is!
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Clarke: Zarate has little chance in this set-up
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 3, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Former West Brom boss Steve Clarke – appearing as a pundit on the
Irons/Malaga match this afternoon – appeared to nail the team's attacking
problems this afternoon Discussing Mauro Zarate's performance during the
first 45 minutes against Malaga which sees us 2-0 behind, he made it clear
the Argentine had no chance of creating an impressi0n. He said: "The policy
seems to be to have one up and two wingers but they never come inside and
link with him. "Zarate is surrounded by big defenders and for him to make an
impact there have to be players linking with him."
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