Daily WHUFC News - 6th August 2014

Book your place at the fans' forum
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will hold a fans' forum for Season Ticket Holders at the Circus Tavern on 12 August
05.08.2014

West Ham United are delighted to announce ticketing details for an exclusive free fans' forum for Season Ticket Holders at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet with Hammers boss Sam Allardyce, Hammer of the Year Mark Noble, winger Stewart Downing and summer signing Aaron Cresswell on Tuesday 12 August at 6.30pm. The quartet will be on hand to talk about all manner of Hammers matters, including the Clubs ambitious plans for the 2014/15 season, how the six new signings are settling in at Chadwell Heath, the work Teddy Sheringham is doing on the training pitch and the hopes and targets for the new season.
This first fans' forum of the season will kick-off a regular series of Q&A events throughout the season, keeping fans abreast of all the goings on at the Boleyn Ground. The Q&A session will kick-off at 7pm prompt, and after there will be an informal opportunity for supporters to meet the manager and players, collect autographs and take photos. Limited parking is available on site and a pay bar will be in operation on the evening. Tickets will be allocated on a strictly first come, first served basis at a rate of one per successful applicant. Please note, Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult Season Ticket Holder.

To secure one of the places available for this exclusive event, please call the Ticket Office on 0871 529 1966 - option 3*. The Club will announce, via whufc.com, as and when all spaces are filled. Supporters who have secured tickets for the event can submit questions for consideration by emailing seasonticketholder@westhamunited.co.uk, clearly stating if it is for Sam Allardyce, Mark Noble, Stewart Downing or Aaron Creswell.

If your question is selected we will then come to you on the night so please ensure you remember what you send in! The deadline for submissions is 5pm on Monday 11 August so please make sure your email reaches us by then.

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Blair's buzzing for new season
WHUFC.com
Blair Turgott is ready for Tuesday night's Development Squad game against Newport County
05.08.2014

Blair Turgott says the Development Squad's varied pre-season will stand them in good stead for the challenges that await in the 2014/15 campaign. Nick Haycock's side have gained strong results, playing a mixture of European sides of a similar age to themselves and senior non-league outfits over the summer.
Their latest test takes them to Vanarama Conference Premier side Woking on Tuesday night, with the Young Hammers looking to bounce back from their first defeat of pre-season, having suffered a 3-0 reverse to League Two outfit Newport County on Saturday. Turgott said: "Of course it was tough against Newport, obviously we had a different set of lads out there and a couple of the young boys got a chance. The result wasn't the best, nor what we were looking for but it's definitely another experience gained and everyone can take something from it and that's what pre-season is all about. "It's a different challenge up against senior players, a bit more physical. Their experience comes into play a lot but it's good to play against men. We'll try to reap the benefits from it and hopefully in the season we can become stronger from it. "This pre-season we've played against all different set of age groups and different types of teams and Saturday was probably our toughest test so far. But something that we can all get the benefits from and make us a stronger team in the long run."

Turgott is hoping to gain more minutes on the pitch at Woking, having shrugged off a back injury. He continued: "It's more about getting minutes but it's also good to win, good to get that winning feeling. There's nothing better than winning, no matter what game you play in. We've lost on Saturday, which wasn't the best result, but we can take a lot of the benefits from it. It's been good, we've got some good results, playing against different countries, different philosophies but it's been good. "I've had a back injury, I didn't train that much throughout the week and then I played against Braintree. I was meant to play 45, but I felt alright so I played 60 and it's good to get more minutes on Saturday and hopefully I can push on towards Tuesday night at Woking. I'm feeling better so hopefully I can really kick on from now. "I'm looking forward to the new season. Of course places are up for grabs and Tuesday is another opportunity for us to go out there and show what we're all about."

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Transfer latest
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 5th August 2014
By: Staff Writer

Stoke manager Mark Hughes has denied reports that he is really to sell Peter Crouch to West Ham United. Amidst ludicrous rumours of a £10million bid for a player worth no more than a fifth of that, Hughes said: "It's just speculation. We're looking to build a strong squad and add to the quality we already have. Peter was very much part of that quality last year and we expect him to stay." The 33-year-old former England international joined Stoke in 2011.

* West Ham are keeping tabs on Cagliari striker Mauricio Pinilla, say TMW. The Chile international is prepared to leave Serie A and is keen on a return to the UK. The former Hearts striker, now 30, has represented his country on 30 occasions and featured on three occasions at this summer's World Cup Finals as a late substitute.

* Atletico Madrid striker Leo Baptistao is another on West Ham's hit list, say reports emanating from Spain. The 21-year-old Brazilian - who also holds an Italian passport and plays in the 'Kevin Nolan' role - made 11 appearances in La Liga last season for the European Champions League finalists before joining Real Betis on loan for the second half of the campaign.

* Sunderland are the latest club to be linked with a move for free agent Samuel Eto'o, who was released on a free by Chelsea at the end of last season. Sam Allardyce hinted at the weekend that Eto'o was a player he is keen on, although that doesn't appear to be a view shared in the boardroom.

* Paraguay international Oscar Cardozo is on the verge of joining Turkish club Trabzonspor. The 31-year-old Benfica forward is said to have rejected the opportunity to move to the Premier League, with both West Ham and new boys Leicester City having previously expressed an interest.

* 29-year-old Jimmy Briand has told Sky Sports that he regrets not having tried his luck in the Premier League. Briand, currently available on a free having been released by Olympique Lyonnais said: "I should have come to England a long time ago as I got the opportunities to go there, but I never went and I regret my decision." West Ham are said to be keeping tabs on the 29-year-old Frenchman's status.

* Further discussions with Portuguese striker Hugo Almeida are reported to have been pencilled in for later this week. Another free agent, the 30-year-old was released by Besiktas at the end of his three-year contract with the Turkish club. Preliminary talks between the player's representatives and West Ham have already taken place, according to the Mail.

* Mischievous rumours suggesting that West Ham United captain Kevin Nolan may be a target for Cardiff City have been dismissed.

* Connor Wickham continues to be linked with a move to West Ham, despite no bid yet having been placed. The Hereford-born Sunderland forward, previously of Ipswich, is entering the final year of his contract at the Stadium of Light and Black Cats manager Gus Poyet has already indicated that he will sell the player should a new deal not be agreed.

* Former Hammer Freddie Piquionne is on the verge of joining Ligue 2 side Creteil. A free agent having been released by Portland Timbers, the French striker will team with again with former Hammer Herita Ilunga, should he complete the move. Piquionne made 62 appearances for West Ham between 2010 and 2013, when he was released.

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Hammers back in Europe
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 5th August 2014
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United's development squad will feature in a brand new Premier League European competition this coming season.

The Hammers are one of eight teams selected from England who will be tackling major European competition in the tournament, which will run in conjunction with the 2014/15 Under 21s Premier League campaign.

The 16 teams will be entered into four groups of four, with the winners and runners-up from each of the groups qualifying for the knock-out phases. Additionally, both Sky and BT have indicated they will feature games live on TV.

Nick Hancock's West Ham Utd will be joined in the competition by fellow English teams Chelsea, Fulham, Leicester City, Manchester City, Manchester Utd, Southampton and Sunderland according to the Mail.

The eight European teams entering the tournament are Celtic (Scotland), Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal (Spain), Benfica and FC Porto (Portugal), Borussia Monchengladbach and Schalke (Germany) plus PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands).

West Ham's Under 21s kick off the Under 21 Premier League campaign with a trip to Tottenham on Monday, 18 August, before hosting Southampton at the Boleyn Ground four days later (Friday 22 August).

Dates, times and fixtures for the new format are yet to be released.


West Ham Utd Under 21s: 2014/15 Premier League Fixtures
All games kick-off at 7pm unless otherwise stated.

Mon 18 Aug: Tottenham Hotspur (a)
Fri 22 Aug: Southampton (h)
Fri 12 Sep: Liverpool (h)
Fri 19 Sep: Fulham (a)
Mon 29 Sep: Sunderland (h)
Fri 17 Oct: Manchester City (a)
Fri 24 Oct: Manchester Utd (h)
Wed 5 Nov: Norwich City (a)
Fri 28 Nov: Chelsea (h)
Mon 15 Dec: Everton (a)

Mon 5 Jan: Leicester City (h)
Fri 9 Jan: Tottenham Hotspur (h)
Mon 26 Jan: Southampton (a) 2.30pm
Fri 6 Feb: Fulham (h)
Mon 23 Feb: Liverpool (a)
Mon 9 Mar: Sunderland (a)
Fri 13 Mar: Manchester City (h)
Tue 7 Apr: Manchester Utd (a)
Fri 17 Apr: Norwich City (h)
Sun 3 May: Chelsea (a) 1pm
Fri 8 May: Everton (h)
Mon 18 May: Leicester City (a)

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Premier League plans under-21 league involving English and European clubs
Last Updated: 05/08/14 12:33pm
SSN

The Premier League has unveiled plans for a new under-21 league involving clubs from England and across Europe. The competition, which does not yet have the blessing of UEFA, would include eight under-21 teams from England and eight from other countries, including Scottish champions Celtic. But the Premier League claims the competition would not be a rival to FA chairman Greg Dyke's ambitions for some form of 'B-league' involving top-flight reserve teams.
In May, Dyke's England Commission proposed a B league to operate below League Two which is aimed at giving young players more match experience - something the new Premier League competition also aims to do. Communications director Dan Johnson said the Premier League's proposal had been under consideration for several years and was completely unrelated to Dyke's scheme. "We do believe it would be good for the development of talented young players but it is not an answer to the B league proposal at all. It is something we have wanted to do for a number of years," Johnson said. "We are keen to work with UEFA on what we think is a good development opportunity and there has been a lot of support from clubs on the continent. "Our view is that an under-21 competition with a significant programme of international fixtures at lower age levels is a good opportunity to expose players to this level of competition. "We now need to work with UEFA for their agreement."

The new competition would see 16 clubs split into four groups of four with the top two in each group going through to the knockout stage. Current plans are for the top eight from the Premier League's under-21 development league to take part, although Liverpool have already decided not to take up the chance, allowing West Ham in. Chelsea, Fulham, Leicester, Manchester City, Manchester United, Southampton, Sunderland and West Ham would compete from that league along with Celtic, Athletic Bilbao, Benfica, Borussia Monchengladbach, Schalke, Porto, PSV Eindhoven and Villarreal.

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AM I ALONE IN NOT BEING CONVINCED BY ADRIAN?
By Iain Dale 5 Aug 2014 at 20:32
West Ham Till I Die

Gues Post by Sam Dickeson

It has been obvious to see over the past couple of weeks that more and more West Ham fans are becoming increasingly concerned with the performances of Adrian. I admit myself having watched all of our pre-season games he has hardly filled me with confidence. He seems incapable of holding on to any shots and seems to palm everything back towards his own penalty spot.

It begs the question..

Do we need a new goalkeeper? Big Sam clearly had enough faith in the Spaniard after signing him last year and giving him enough time to settle in to the squad, before handing him his starting spot. Now with the season looming and Adrian in less than sparkling form should we be assessing the situation and looking to make a purchase? Henderson has recently left for Charlton and Jussi isn't the keeper he once was in 2003.

Such options as Ospina (3mil), Vorm (5mil), Ochoa (free) Pantilimon (free) already taken who would be available and seen as decent competition for Adrian? Many rumour mills have suggested Pepe Reina. I don't see the Spaniard prepared to sit on the bench week in week out at Liverpool but also I don't see him being interested in a move to London. I personally think Jack Butland could be worth looking at, he's young and exciting and would really push Adrian. Could even possibly oust him and take his spot?

It's all food for thought, but really does make you think.. Is Adrian really good enough?

Note from Iain – No, Sam, you are not alone in not being convinced…

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WHY I'M DREADING THE SPURS GAME
By Iain Dale 5 Aug 2014 at 17:30
West Ham Till I Die

Guest Post by IronFish

As the start of a new season draws ever closer, I like most of you, am totally dreading the game at home to Spurs on Saturday 16th August. Let's face it, it has been a terrible pre-season with awful tactics, boring football and even worse luck with injuries. But, it had looked very promising, with our new approach to the transfer window, getting in early bids for Zarate, Kouyate, Cresswell, Poyate, Valencia and then Jenkinson on a loan deal.

Clearly it will take time for new players to fit in with the rest of the squad – will they fit in with Sam's style of play? and does he want them all in the team anyway? These are all the questions that many of us are asking.

The injury to Andy Carroll (yet again) has been terribly unlucky – do we sign a similar style player, in the mould of Crouch or Wickham, or do we go for something different? All will be revealed shortly, I am sure.

But, let me put a slightly different perspective on things…….let me take you all back to the summer of 2010, under the leadership of Avram Grant at that time…………….

16 July: Pablo Barrera signs on a four-year contract, with a one-year option, for a fee of £4 million. He becomes West Ham's second summer signing of 2010.
16 July: Frédéric Piquionne joins West Ham for an undisclosed fee on a three-year contract, becoming West Ham's third summer signing.
28 July: West Ham appoint Željko Petrovi? as assistant manager.8
3 August: Tal Ben Haim joins West Ham on loan from Championship side Portsmouth until January 2011.
5 August: The signing of New Zealand international Winston Reid is completed. Reid signs a three-year contract for £4 million.
24 August: West Ham sell Alessandro Diamanti to Serie A club Brescia for €2.2m.
27 August: Nigerian international Victor Obinna is signed on a season-long loan from Inter.
31 August: Danish international, Lars Jacobsen signs a one-year contract, moving on a free transfer from Blackburn Rovers.
31 August: Belgian goalkeeper Ruud Boffin signs a two-year contract for a nominal fee moving from Dutch side MVV.

We then went on to have a very good pre-season, beating Peterborough 2-1, winning at Monchengladbach and Panathinaikos (2-0 and 1-0 respectively). We beat the mighty MK Dons 2-0, then Ipswich Town 1-0, before drawing at Southend 1-1, with the final pre-season game at Upton Park, drawing 0-0 with Deportivo La Coruna, winning 5-3 on penalties.

Everything in the garden was rosey – new manager, new players and a very good pre-season……..BUT, disaster struck – we only get 4 points from the opening 6 games of the new season, losing to Villa, Bolton, Man Utd and Chelsea, before drawing at Stoke and then beating Spurs 1-0……we then had to wait until the end of November, for our next win, a 3-1 victory against Wigan.

The season was a complete disaster, no leadership, no passion and not many wins under our belts, until we crashed out of the Premiership and were relegated to the Championship…….need I say more, a total disaster.

So, my thoughts fellow Hammers, are that we should wait and see what the new season brings……it's been a summer World Cup and I am guessing not many Premiership teams will be at full strength or at full fitness, so for me I think we have to try and put the poor pre-season behind us. We have many positives, in terms of new players, and I am sure they can find their feet quickly and we can build and develop again to have a fairly successful season.

The spot-light is under Sam more than ever, but I feel we have to give him at least 6 games to show what he can do again. Anything less that 6-8 points in those first half dozen games will probably spell the end of the big man's reign, with Messrs Moyes, Laudrup and Mackay waiting in the wings…….whatever happens, it won't be dull and boring, even if it appears that way on the pitch, it will be West Ham, and I for one am always forever blowing bubbles…….Come on you irons !!

What's your prediction for result and starting line-up for that 1st game of the season?

I'm going for a 1-1 draw and I reckon Sam will opt for the following starting 11:

Adrian…..O'Brien, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell…..Zarate, Kouyate, Noble, Nolan, Downing….C. Cole.

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IS TROY DEENEY WORTH A PUNT?
By S J Chandos 5 Aug 2014 at 13:00
West Ham Till I DIe

The club are currently casting their nets far and wide to secure an additional striker to cover for the injury absence of Andy Carroll. The latest to be linked with us is Connor Wickham of Sunderland, but the media have also recently linked us with a move for Samuel Eto (a free agent), Peter Couch of Stoke City, Gary Hooper of Norwich City and Hugo Almeida (free agent). However, it appears that the alleged excessive personal terms of Eto are ruling him out of the equation; while you have to seriously question whether Hooper is any better than the strikers that we already have in the squad? Almeida might be the best option available to us, but again personal terms could be a major obstacle to closing a deal. Connor Wickham clearly has significant potential and we can probably sign him for the right price (because he is in the final year of his contract), but might we be better advised targeting a more experienced striker? Then there is Peter Crouch who could be an effective short-term option. However, the latest reports suggest that Mark Hughes wishes to retain him at Stoke City. So, unless Hughes changes his position that move also appears a non-starter.

Looking elsewhere, and playing Devil's advocate, what about making a move for Troy Deeney? He has done very well for Watford FC in the Championship, playing in a decidedly average team. In the last two Championship seasons, Deeney has scored a total of 45 goals (25 in 2013-14 and 20 in 2012-13) and has a overall career total of 96 goals in 323 matches. He is 26 years of age, mobile and a decent finisher. At 6 foot tall, he can lead the line, provide a strong physical presence and get on the end of high balls played in to the box. He is also good on the ground, holding up the ball, link-up and bringing others in to play. A number of clubs have been looking at Deeney recently, the latest being QPR and Leicester City. But it appears that they are being put off by the £8m price tag placed on him by Watford FC.

In terms of possible striker reinforcements, I do not think that he would be the first choice of most Hammers fans, but he clearly has ability, is hungary for success and seems to be maturing in to a genuine goal scorer. Even if he pitches in with 10-12 goals in the PL, next season, it would be a useful addition to our underwhelming strike force. If all other striker options lead nowhere, then might Deeney be worth a punt? And that £8m price tag? Go for a part-exchange deal, with Vaz Te moving to Watford FC. After all, they need to replace him and Vaz Te is a proven Championship goal scorer. If you value Vaz Te at £3.5m, that would bring Deeney's fee down to £4.5m, which is a reasonable figure for a Championship striker with the potential to make the step up to PL football.

Is it worth taking a chance on Troy Deeney, as a possible last resort, or should we look elsewhere?

SJ. Chandos.

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LET'S COPY GERMANY AND BRING DOWN THE COST OF SEASONTICKETS AT WEST HAM!
By Iain Dale 5 Aug 2014 at 08:43
West Ham Till I Die

Guest Post from DannyUK.com

There was a recent tweet doing the rounds which detailed why a football club in Germany had such low season ticket prices. The tweet was a quote from Uli Hoeness who is president of Bayern Munich – a German team that can rightfully call itself one of the biggest and best in Europe.

Talking about the low cost of their season ticket prices – in particular for a standing season ticket (which we don't have available in the UK) costing just £104 behind the goal, Hoeness said…

"We could charge more than £104, let's say we charged £300. We would get £2m more in income but what is £2m to us? In a transfer discussion you argue about that sum for five minutes but the difference between £104 and £300 is huge for the fan. We don't think that the fans are like cows who you milk. Football has got to be for everybody and that is the biggest difference between us and England."
The quote has got the UK football community talking, and it made me think how it would affect my own club, West Ham. West Ham are – as they will tell everyone and anyone at any given opportunity – a club in debt. The present owners took over a few years ago and vowed to get £100m worth of debt (well, £100m give or take a few million) down over the next few years. To their credit, they have started doing this successfully, while still breaking the club transfer record more than once. In the 2013 accounts the net debt figure for the end of the year was quoted at £77.4m. I should note that all figures hereon in are taken from the same accounts which can be found online here.

However, let's do some maths here. The lowest price Season Ticket at Upton Park is £640. The highest, £910. Obviously we are only talking about adult ticket prices here.
The ground currently holds 36,000 supporters, and is generally a sell out for the majority of games.

West Ham have mentioned in the past that they have 20,000 season ticket holders However the official 2013 accounts show "season ticket and other receipts in advance" brought in £8.5m, which is the figure I will work on.

This season the lowest price season ticket at Upton Park will cost £640, and the highest £910.

My initial thought was that if the cost of these tickets were halved, it would mean that the season tickets would cost between £320 and £455 each – An absolutely vast saving. Naturally this would result in a loss of revenue for the club of around £4.25m.

The club's response to this would be no doubt to restate how much in debt the club currently are. It's interesting to point out that the shareholders (of whom David Sullivan is the sole majority shareholder, and David Gold holds the second highest amount) currently receive £2.3m per year on interest payable from loans.

Now I'm not denying the good that the two Davids have done for the club. I am firmly in the "they are good for West Ham" camp, which I know is the opposite to many fans. I'd be inclined to suggest that if they are in it for the love of the club though – which is another oft-spoken line – are they not able to provide the loans interest free?

I appreciate that the value of the loans (£45.7m) is huge, and that they would be able to make a profit elsewhere had they invested the money wisely. My issue is that they keep saying they aren't in it for the money. That £2.3m per year – if knocked off the price of season ticket prices – could reduce prices down to £397 for the lowest and £565 for the highest.

Although that's not the half-price that I initially thought about, it still makes the season tickets much more affordable to fans. This in turn grows the fan base and protects the long term future of the club.

If you want to look elsewhere for savings, consider that the directors are receiving almost £2m per year, which isn't part of a total of £49.2m paid out in wages and salary. A further £1.36m went towards Olympic Stadium project costs, which you can argue will either not be ongoing, or will be swallowed up by the increase in revenue of taking over the stadium.

This is without touching on the massive Sky sponsorship that comes in. £51.8m was the figure quoted under "Broadcast and central sponsorship deals" – a figure that is set to rise when the new round of Sky sponsorship begins.

I know that this article may come across as a little bit of board-bashing, but it's really not meant to. As I've already said, Gold and Sullivan took the club on when we were extremely down on our luck, and have done extremely well to keep us alive, much less begin to turn the tide.

I'd love to see them turn around and write off interest on loans, and reinvest that money into reduced season ticket costs. I dare say that they could afford to do that whereas the average fan will struggle to pay out the high costs of the tickets.

However, I would much rather see the money diverted away from players and agents to be put towards ticket prices. This would involve a massive undertaking by all professional clubs and the FA. No one club could choose to restrict the wages they offer without running the risk of losing out on players to a team that hasn't taken up that remit.

Financial Fair Play offers a step in the right direction, though already people are questioning how well that will succeed.

In the meantime I'll use this as an open letter to the board. I apologise if my sums are wrong or my assumptions are incorrect. I'm not an accountant and there will be hundreds if not thousands of people far better qualified to look through the accounts and come up with suggestions.

But even if my calculations are out. Even if they are completely and wildly wide of the mark, the sentiment remains. Bringing down the cost of season tickets is – must be! – somehow viable. Doing so would strengthen relationships between fans and board members, encourage people to come along to the ground more often and build our future by doing so.

Until such time that safe standing becomes a real option in the UK, which should see a natural reduction in ticket prices for those areas, the price of tickets needs to be looked at. Season Tickets seem the ideal place to start.

Visit Danny's site at dannyuk.com

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West Ham's Mark Noble dreading another season as miserable as the last one
Aug 05, 2014 22:30 By Marc Isaacs
Midfielder "probably only enjoyed about two months" of 2013-14 campaign as they fought the drop and fans grumbled with key man Carroll crocked
The Mirror

West Ham midfielder Mark Noble admits last season was one of the worst experiences of his career - but is ready to ease the pressure on under-fire boss Sam Allardyce and restore the party atmosphere at Upton Park. The Hammers were involved a relegation dogfight for the majority of the season, angry fans turned on Allardyce over his tactics, their record signing, England striker Andy Carroll, missed much of the campaign through injury and the club's owners demanded a more entertaining team for 2014-15. Noble says he never wants to go through that ordeal again and believes the club are doing everything they can to bring in attacking players who can change the way West Ham play. "I probably only enjoyed about two months of last season," claimed Noble, as the opening game against London rivals Tottenham on August 16 looms. "We were in the bottom three and then put a few results together and jumped to 10th. But from 10th downwards last year everyone was in a relegation scrap and that's not where we want to be. "We've got two weeks to knuckle down and do what we need to do to become a proper team. Hopefully we can get another couple of signings in and enjoy this season. "I hope we can [produce a more entertaining side], but winning games is entertaining enough. If you don't win games, you get relegated, it's as simple as that."

Noble says he would love to help West Ham get to a cup final next season and give the fans a big day out at Wembley. But with the club facing one of the biggest moves in their history when they relocate from Upton Park to the Olympic Stadium in nearby Stratford 2016, he has also stressed the importance of retaining their top flight status. He added: "A cup run would be a bonus. For the club, with the new stadium coming, the main concentration will be the league. We want to improve on 13th spot."

West Ham have suffered a poor pre-season campaign and failed to score once from open play in the two games against hosts Schalke and Spain's Malaga at a tournament last weekend in Germany. The players were forced to trek to the other side of the world when the club played two friendlies in New Zealand last month, and they suffered more bad news when Carroll was ruled out for four months with ankle ligament damage. But despite the bad run of results, Noble is convinced they will get things right before Tottenham arrive. He said: "New Zealand was a tough trip, (going to) the other side of the world. It was tough for the lads, we were up until all sorts of hours in the morning. "But you've got to do what you've got to do - when you play in the Premier League now, it's worldwide. The likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United are always all over the world and that seems the way forward. "You don't know [how it has affected you]. As long as you get minutes under your belts then hopefully it won't affect us too much. "I've been through pre-seasons where we've battered everyone and then lost the first three. But you need a good start."

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"Invisible" Elliot Lee bags another 3 goals as Development squad edge past Woking
http://www.westhamfan.net/

The invisible man of West Ham's playing staff, young Elliot Lee, scored a hat-trick tonight as the West Ham Development squad edged a competitive affair against Woking at the Kingfield Stadium. This follows a barrage of goals already this pre-season, and the poor lad must be wondering what he has to do to make it into the first team on a regular basis. Perhaps growing another 12 inches might help, eh Sam?

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Late goal sees Hammers edge past Cards
Alan Worth - 5th August 2014
Late goal sees Hammers edge past Cards Woking 2 West Ham United XI 3
Pre-Season Friendly
5th August 2014
wokingfc.co.uk

The Cards completed their pre-season programme this evening, hosting the West Ham Development Squad. In what proved to be a highly entertaining evening and a game that, at times, defied its billing as a "friendly", the Hammers needed to rely on their captain and hat-trick hero Elliot Lee to see them scrape a win in this competitive affair.

Despite dominating possession for long periods the Cards struggled to test the Hammers keeper Howes. However late into the second period, trialist Dean Morgan lit up Kingfield with a brace of goals inside a minute – both beautifully finished and with all the hallmarks of an experiences goal scorer, his performance certainly had the Woking fans taking notice!

Garry Hill again rang the changes for this game and paired Mark Ricketts and Joey Jones at the centre of defence with Adam Newton and John Nutter starting as full backs. The ubiquitous central midfield duo of Josh Payne and Kieran Murtagh with Theo Lewis and John Goddard on the flanks provided a strong midfield with Scott Rendell and trialist Morgan up front.

Morgan, though clearly not yet match fit, was immediately involved flicking a pass on to Rendell who, tripped by the keeper in the box, was judged to be offside. And it was Morgan again working the ball in from the left – an inviting cross but no one able to benefit.

After fourteen minutes West Ham opened the scoring. The impressive Blair Turgott was too quick for Nutter and his dangerous cross flew across the Cards box. The ball was returned and as Aaron Howe failed to gather Lee was on hand to fire into the roof of the net from six yards.

Woking almost equalised immediately. Nutter's cross from the left was flicked on by Rendell in the box, but just beyond Goddard as the ball flew past the far post.

The Hammers had already shown enough to warn Woking that they were a very pacey side and quick on the break. On eighteen minutes a lightening break by Fanimo saw him set up the ever-dangerous Turgott as the Hammers pressed high up the pitch. The winger's cross again found Lee who made no mistake as he scored his and the visitors' second.

Two down already and now it was the turn of the Cards to press as they began to dominate possession. Jones headed over from Goddard's pinpoint free kick and again Jones headed goalwards from a Nutter free kick but it was straight at Howes.

Woking then had the ball in the net after a deft Morgan cross was met by the head of Rendell. His effort was half saved and the Cards striker buried the rebound but only to see the linesman's flag raised for an offside.

It was now all Woking as they pushed forward. Morgan controlled a long kick out from Howe and played in Rendell but his pass to Goddard ended with the ball fired well over the top. Lewis then set up Payne but his effort was well over. Howes was out quickly to deny Rendell who was attempting to reach Ricketts long clearance and there was still time for Goddard to blaze a shot over the bar before the break.

Half-time: Woking 0 West Ham United XI 2

As so often happens with pre-season games, the second period was disrupted by numerous substitutions. Joe McNerney and trialist Troy Hewitt both started the second half in place of Murtagh and Jones.

But it was the Hammers who made the brighter start with the lightening pace of Turgott causing Woking the most difficulty. His two efforts after five minutes of the restart were both close and the second coming after a mesmerising run through the heart of the Woking midfield.

With ten minutes of the second half gone Kingfield had its first glimpse of signing James Clarke who replaced Josh Payne. The central defender immediately made his presence felt; looking calm and solid in defence and spraying a number of excellent, accurate passes from the back.

As the substitutions continued it was Woking who now looked the most likely to score as they again dominated play.

With ten minutes remaining Dean Morgan opened his and the Cards account after good work on the right by Xapi. The ex Wycombe's delicious curling left foot shot, from outside the box, flew past Howes and into the far corner.

And then straight from the kick off Woking regained possession and there was Morgan repeating the trick again from outside the box. This time a cool finish as he slotted the ball past a despairing Howes into the opposite corner.

The game had been turned on its head! McNerney now up front as Woking strained for what would have been a deserved winner in what was now becoming an almost testy affair. But Elliot Lee was to have the last word. His solo effort after the Cards gave away the ball cheaply in midfield saw him round Howe to finish and then lead the Hammers celebrations.

This again proved to be a very useful workout for the Cards. Certainly Morgan's brace will give the management team something to think about and the first sighting of James Clarke looked extremely positive. Who will start next Saturday at Alfreton is not entirely easy to predict. What is certain is that the football from now on becomes really meaningful.

Woking begin their home fixtures in the league against Dartford on Tuesday 12th August. Come down to Kingfield and get behind the team!


Woking: Aaron Howe, Adam Newton (Xapi* 66), John Nutter (Mike Cestor 56), Joey Jones (Joe McNerney 46), Mark Ricketts, Josh Payne (James Clarke 56), Keiran Murtagh (Troy Hewitt* 46), Theo Lewis (Reece Beccles 74), John Goddard (Ebby Nelson-Abby* 66), Scott Rendell (Giuseppe Sole 66), Dean Morgan* (Adam Brice 86)

Unused subs: Jake Cole

*denotes trialist

West Ham United XI: Sam Howes, Sam Westley, Nathan Mavila, Josh Cullan, Manny Onariase (Moses Makasi 71), Jamie Harney, Blair Turgott, Kieran Bywater, Elliot Lee, Matthias Fanimo (Joe Powell 68), Kieran Sadlier (Jaanai Gordon 78)

Unused subs: Modibo Maiga, Tim Brown, Decarrey Sheriff

Attendance: 1072

MOTM: Dean Morgan – two excellent goals and plenty of promise despite lacking match fitness.

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Sam's six crunch games
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 5, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Sam Allardyce will get the first six games of the season to prove he is the man to contiue as West Ham United. ClaretandHugh has learned that the opening games against Spurs, Palace, Southampton, Hull, Liverpool and Manchester United will see Sam on Trial. There's never been any danger of the manager losing his job in pre-season but a weak start to the campaign and the axe will fall. Allardyce knows he is under pressure from above to produce results with style and although pre-season has left many unhappy it's seen as wrong to sack during friendly games. However, with the work that has gone into getting the targets the manager wanted there's an expectancy that the team gets away to a good start. We were told: "I guess the crunch could come as soon as the second or third game if things were to go really wrong but the trial period is likely o be extended until the end of November. "They are a good mix of matches on which to make a judgement."

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