Daily WHUFC News - 30th October 2014

The Big Interview - Andy Carroll
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll cannot wait to return to action as quickly as possible
28.10.2014

Andy Carroll is excited by the prospect of returning to a winning West Ham
United side in the near future. The former Liverpool striker has missed the
whole of the season to date after suffering an ankle injury in the summer,
but is now back in training and itching to be involved in Barclays Premier
League action again. whufc.com caught up with the No9 for this week's Big
Interview.

Andy, you're back in training now. How good does that feel?

AC: "It's unbelievable. I've been out for so long that to be back training
with the lads again is a fantastic feeling. It has been a difficult few
months, being in a dark gym by myself training every day. Seeing the lads go
out and having the banter and not being as much a part of it that you want
to be [is hard], but it's getting closer now and it feels a lot better.
"Just putting the boots on again for the first time is a real lift. That's
what you're a footballer for, to go out on the grass and play football.
That's where I am now and hopefully I'll be back in the squad soon."

Looking at the way the team's played, you must be itching to get out there
and amongst it?

AC: "We're playing fantastically. The gaffer has signed some great players
and we're showing the quality we've got with the goals we're scoring. That's
why we are where we are in the league, so for me to be a part of that - I
cannot wait."

Does it feel like the team has evolved over the time you've been at the
Club, with the players who joined with you having been added to over the
summer?

AC: "Since West Ham were promoted, it's only gone up really, and it's going
to continue to go up too with the New Stadium and where we are in the
league. With the players we've signed, we've turned it around completely."

We're scoring goals and creating chances - how much do you want to be a part
of that?

AC: "We scored three headers at Burnley, and another on Saturday with
Cresswell crossing the ball in. He whips them in and puts them on a plate,
so I can't wait to be involved with that."

That kind of delivery is just what you want, isn't it?

AC: Yes, the service that everyone is putting in the box to create chances
has been great. That's what I thrive on."

How far do you think this team can go this season?

AC: "I think we can push right on for Europe. I don't see why not - I think
all the lads are positive about that and I know the gaffer is too."

I know you were there on Saturday, and you experienced the atmosphere
against Manchester City. That was special, wasn't it?

AC: "It's great, I'm sitting there with my friends and family watching and
everyone's talking about how great the fans are. It shows when the fans get
behind you how well you can play. That's exactly what they're doing and it
feels like we've got 12 men on the pitch."

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Hammers sign up ICU Label
WHUFC.com
ICU Label are to become West Ham United's official Club record label
29.10.2014

West Ham United are delighted to announce a new partnership with ICU Label,
the Club's very own official record label. Founded by 25-year-old Elliott
Govinden, ICU seek potential in aspiring artists and work with them to
develop their talent. To further enhance the West Ham matchday experience,
ICU artist Harper will be performing live throughout the season at the
Boleyn Ground and both her and the label plan to engage with the Hammers
fanbase across the Club's many digital platforms. Having established a
network that stretches from London to New York and beyond, ICU have an
enjoyed an exceptional first year and expect their star to continue in rise,
now that they have joined forces with the Hammers. "We're thrilled to be
working with West Ham United and hope that this will raise our growing
profile yet further," Elliott confirmed. "We've got some great talent on our
books and I'm sure the fans will enjoy listening to them at the Boleyn
Ground."
West Ham United Commercial Director Felicity Croft added: "Music is a huge
part of the West Ham matchday and this collaboration will add to the
atmosphere at the Boleyn Ground. ICU Label are an ambitious outfit and we
look forward to working with them."

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Andy Carroll says club can 'push for Europe'
BBC.co.uk

West Ham striker Andy Carroll believes the east London club can qualify for
European competition this season. The Hammers have won their past three
games and are fourth in the Premier League after Saturday's 2-1 win over
Manchester City. Carroll has been out all season with an ankle injury but is
back in training. "I think we can push for Europe. We're playing
fantastically and I cannot wait to be a part of that," the 25-year-old told
the club website. "I think all the lads are positive about that and I know
the gaffer is too. "The gaffer has signed some great players and we're
showing the quality we've got with the goals we're scoring - that's why we
are where we are in the league." Meanwhile, West Ham's top scorer Diafra
Sakho, who has scored seven goals in seven games, could face up to four
weeks out after sustaining a shoulder injury in the Upton Park side's
triumph over the Premier League champions at the weekend. West Ham travel to
Stoke in their next Premier League game on Saturday.

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Morgan Amalfitano eager to stay on at West Ham
Last Updated: 29/10/14 3:19pm
SSN

Morgan Amalfitano is hoping to earn an extended stay at West Ham United past
the end of his initial one-year contract. The French midfielder returned to
England over the summer having spent the 2013/14 campaign on loan at West
Bromwich Albion. It was during his time at The Hawthorns that he came to the
attention of other Premier League bosses, with the 29-year-old settling
quickly in new surroundings.
West Ham were, however, only prepared to offer a 12-month deal upon signing
Amalfitano from Marseille. There was always the opportunity for the one-cap
France international to prove that he was deserving of a prolonged stay and,
after netting his second West Ham goal in Saturday's impressive 2-1 victory
over Manchester City, he hopes terms will be tabled at some stage.
Amalfitano told RMC: "I hope to contribute and to stay here. I never had any
doubts about making this choice. "I just had to prepare myself physically in
line with what I did with Marseille. Then I could get back to my best. "I'm
adapting well and I hope it carries on this way in the future. But we can't
rest because there is still a long road ahead."

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Andy Carroll praises performances of West Ham colleague Aaron Cresswell
Last Updated: 29/10/14 3:01pm
SSN

Andy Carroll says he cannot wait to get back into the first team at West Ham
and believes he could thrive on the service provided by full-back Aaron
Cresswell. Carroll has not played for the Hammers this season because of an
ankle injury but his manager Sam Allardyce said recently that the
25-year-old striker could be back in action during the next few weeks. The
east London club are currently fourth in the table and last Saturday beat
reigning Premier League champions Manchester City 2-1 at Upton Park. They
have also beaten last year's runners-up Liverpool and Carroll has praised
the recent performances of Cresswell. He told the West Ham website: "We
scored three headers at Burnley, and another on Saturday against City with
Cresswell crossing the ball in. He whips them in and puts them on a plate.
"The service that everyone is putting in the box to create chances has been
great. That's what I thrive on. I can't wait to be involved with that."

As for their great start to the campaign, Carroll added: "I think we can
push right on for Europe. We're playing fantastically. "The gaffer has
signed some great players and we're showing the quality we've got with the
goals we're scoring. That's why we are where we are in the league."
Regarding the return of Carroll, Allardyce said recently: "We'll try to get
him through three or four behind-closed-doors games and if that goes all
right then we would hope to have him back. "It's been a long, hard road
again for Andy and one he's been too familiar with recently, sadly.
Hopefully he'll have a major impact when he comes back again."

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Alex Song hopes to remain in Premier League after loan spell at West Ham
Last Updated: 29/10/14 12:46pm
SSN

On-loan midfielder Alex Song hopes to stay in England after making an
impressive start to his spell at West Ham. Manager Sam Allardyce pulled off
one of the transfer coups of the summer when he persuaded the Cameroon
international to join the Hammers from Barcelona on a season-long spell.
Song has lived up to his billing, producing some assured displays in the
heart of the midfield and was a stand-out performer in Saturday's 2-1
Premier League win over Manchester City. The 27-year-old is likely to have
plenty of options at the end of the campaign if he maintains his form, but
would rather stay in this country than return to Barcelona. "I've always
said if I move from Barcelona, I'll come to England and my future is here
anyway."
Song, who spent seven years at Arsenal before heading to Spain, told Sky
Sports News HQ: "No, I think my future will be here. "My family, everyone is
happy here. I'm very happy to come back to England. "I've always said if I
move from Barcelona, I'll come to England and my future is here anyway. I
just want to enjoy playing at the moment and we'll see what is happening at
the end of the season." The Hammers have moved up to fourth in the Premier
League after last weekend's surprise victory over the reigning champions.
Defender James Collins hopes the side can extend their winning run to four
games when they travel to Stoke. "The confidence was obviously high
beforehand, but obviously beating the champions at home - in front of our
home fans - it breeds confidence throughout the whole club," said Collins.
Not just with us, all the fans as well. "Long may it continue and we look
forward to Stoke on Saturday."

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HAMMERS TO REPLACE ADIDAS WITH UMBRO
By Sean Whetstone 29 Oct 2014 at 13:00
West Ham Till I Die

A post in a KUMB.com forum on Monday suggests Umbro will take over as West
Ham's Official technical supplier when the Adidas contract finishes at the
end of the current season. The forum post reports that Umbro outbid Adidas,
Nike and Puma to land a lucrative five year commercial partnership with West
Ham United.

Umbro was sold by Nike in 2012 to the Iconix Brand Group for £140m and in
February this year Umbro announced Everton as their first new Premier League
club to start from the beginning of the 2014/15 football season. This was
followed by the announcement of similar deals with French clubs Lens and FC
Nantes and Derby County.

Andy Carroll is also on the books of Umbro, he signed a deal back in 2011
while still playing for Newcastle.

And it hasn't taken long for one enterprising KUMB forum user to mock up
what the shirts might look like with the Umbro logo and new club crest. The
designs are based on a Everton template. Many fans will be sorry to see
Adidas finish their partnership with us but it is has been speculated Umbro
may be a better fit for our club.

The club has refused to comment on the existence of a commercial agreement
with the Hammers and Umbro but a source close to the club claims the deal
was concluded last summer.

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ADRIAN'S WALL - WILL IT STAND OR FALL ?
By HamburgHammer 29 Oct 2014 at 08:00
West Ham till I Die

Goalkeepers are a funny bunch. It's not necessary for a goalkeeper to be a
lunatic, a nutter, a headjob, but several examples of great goalkeepers seem
to suggest that it helps. Schmeichel, Higuain, Chilavert, Lehmann, Kahn to
name but a few were certainly characters to put it mildly. We've seen
goalkeepers trying to bite opponents in the neck, saving shots by doing a
scorpion kick on the goalline, spitting at opponents, being prone to sudden
bursts of outrage or hair-raising blackouts resulting in embarrassing goals
from throw ins, back passes or harmless shots slowly rolling through arms
and legs turning a routine save into a scene repeated over and over again in
football shows presenting football bloopers. It's not easy being a
goalkeeper.


With Adrian San Miguel del Castillo, or short Adrian for his friends, family
and fans, we have a curious case, a late starter at his only club played at
before West Ham, Betis Seville. He only made his first team debut two years
ago at the ripe old age of 25 years. He had to come on because the starting
goalie got himself sent off early on, the end result was a 0:4 loss. Two
months later though came his Man of the Match performance against Real
Madrid in a 1:0 win at which stage he had established himself as Betis
Seville's new number one. He kept eleven clean sheets to help his team
qualify for the Europa League by finishing in seventh place, not a bad feat
for a late bloomer. West Ham then managed to sign him up without having to
pay a transfer fee to Betis. Adrian was merely supposed to be the understudy
to Jaaskelainen, but again managed to make the number one, or rather number
13, shirt his own, wrestling the starting job away from the Finnish
shotstopper.

With our team playing so well I've still read and heard in recent weeks and
days even that Adrian was our weakest link, the one player potentially
holding us back from challenging near the top of the league and maintaining
that challenge for years to come. I have to disagree. Some were for instance
unhappy with his performance against Liverpool where hot headed Adrian
nearly managed to get himself sent off twice, first getting into a scrap
with Balotelli and in the second half making a save by sliding with studs
showing into Borini, catching the player in the stomach.
People also obviously were unhappy with Adrian flapping about with a Burnley
corner, allowing them to score at a vital time in the match to keep things
interesting.

Let me spell it out at this point: Adrian is not perfect in his performances
at this stage, very few goalkeepers in the world are and if he was he
wouldn't be playing at West Ham at this stage of his career. But surely he
has also shown us enough fantastic saves and blocks already, only as
recently as the famous home win against Man City, to merit a lot of credit
and praise. Add to that the fact how Adrian made all the right noises when
he arrived, mentioning the tradition and history of our club, immediately
striking up a relationship with the fans, praising them via his social media
account time and time again, bringing over his dad and granddad for a game
recently and you can see the man fitting right in at our cosy little family
club.


I have to say that Adrian and his goalkeeping fill me with a lot of
confidence in most situations on the pitch, including crosses, freekicks or
cornerkicks. He fills me with more confidence actually than any other
goalkeeper I've seen at West Ham so far, including players like Miklosko,
Hislop, Walker, Green or Jaaskelainen.
I love his interaction with fans and obvious passion for the club and the
game even if that may result in the odd sending off for him. The man cares.
And the player Adrian will still only get better with more experience, he's
only 27 which is still infancy status for a goalkeeper, his peak should
happen a few years from now, hopefully still at West Ham.
As I said he's been at Betis before, now West Ham – and he strikes me as the
loyal type so Adrian could end up being a two-club man if things keep going
well.

Of course we need to replace Jussi and bring in a goalkeeper that will
really challenge Adrian in training, day in day out. May I kindly point our
club scouts towards Germany which has a history of producing great
custodians between the sticks on a regular basis, up and down the country,
even in Bundesliga 2. Competition for places is needed at every position at
West Ham. What I don't want to see happen is us bringing in an aging,
already established goalkeeper to challenge Adrian.
West Ham simply don't buy star players, we try to make them, develop them
and I hope that's exactly what we will do with a second goalkeeper.

As for Adrian I hope he is here for years to come, a West Ham legend in the
making. For those who are still being critical towards Adrian's overall
quality let me finish with telling you about Walter Junghans, a name
certainly unknown to most of you. He developed into a bit of a cult hero,
hailing from Hamburg, later playing for Bayern Munich, Schalke and Hertha
Berlin. This guy was Jekyll and Hyde with gloves. On any given day he would
tip certain goals over the crossbar with his fingertips, making saves worthy
of a World Cup Man of the Match award. The next week he would try to clear a
back pass only to hit grass and air and concede a goal that would make a
slighty overweight Sunday League goalie shudder with horror and
embarrassment.
Yet said Walter Junghans had a 20 year long career, winning the European
Championship in 1980 plus two Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich in 1980
and 1981 plus a German Cup in 1982. You don't need a perfect goalkeeper to
be successful, but one that fits into your team, gets on well with his
teammates and is respected in the dressing room and in the stands at the
same time.

As far as I can see Adrian ticks all those boxes. Adrian's Wall should be a
feature for the Hammers for the foreseeable future.

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Female football star found dead after row with girlfriend over telling her
family about them
Oct 29, 2014 19:48 By Nina Massey
Katie Sheppard, 20, who played for West Ham Ladies, had sent angry texts to
her partner in the days before her death
The Mirror

A rising star of women's football was found hanging days after a row over
her girlfriend's refusal to tell her parents about their relationship, an
inquest heard. Katie Sheppard, 20, who played for West Ham Ladies, sent
angry text messages 'shouting' at her partner Nancy Richardson. The
promising midfielder was discovered dead on July 2nd this year just hours
before she was due to begin pre-season training at the club. Her body was
found by Nathaniel Hall, her mother's partner, at her home in Sidcup, Kent.
Yesterday an inquest at Croydon Coroner's Court heard how officers were
concerned the couple may have planned a suicide pact. PC Alex Giacomazzi
said he rushed to Nancy's home after speaking to Ms Sheppard's brother,
Christopher, soon after her body was discovered. He told the inquest: "I
learned that Katie was openly homosexual and her family and friends had
accepted that. "I found out she had a girlfriend called Nancy Richardson, I
was worried that there may have been some sort of pact and they did it
together."

But when he turned up at Ms Richardson's home he had to break the news to
her in front of her parents. Ms Richardson revealed communication between
the two had been difficult in the days before, the court heard. PC
Giacomazzi told coroner Dr Adela Williams he had gone through Nancy's phone
and the tone of the messages from Katie had changed in the days leading up
to her death. He said: "It had suddenly changed very dramatically and Katie
started 'shouting' over text message, using capitals, because Nancy wasn't
telling her parents about the relationship." At 10.29am on the day of her
death Katie sent a chilling message to Nancy saying: "Don't look at your
phone or you might turn up here and I can't physically answer." A diary
found in her bedroom contained a hand written suicide note with the message:
"God forgive me, I sacrifice myself to you and to your kingdom." Beside the
message was a picture of a coffin with the letter 'K' on it, the inquest
heard. Doctors records showed Ms Sheppard had been prescribed
antidepressants the year before her death, although none were found at her
home. A police investigation and postmortem ruled out foul play and gave the
cause of death as asphyxia by hanging.
Recording an open verdict coroner Dr Williams said: "We are left with a
situation where there's really no explanation for why Katie died.
"We are left with a young girl who had a really major shift in her life,
going to university is a major event in a young girl's life.
"I don't think we know if she intended to do it as a call for help. "I don't
find the note itself as evidence that she intended to do it, although I
appreciate that's not satisfactory for the family to hear She added: "I'm
desperately sorry and I would like to give my sincerest condolences to
Katie's family."

The former Charlton Athletic junior player had recently returned home for
the summer from Kent University. The sports therapy student had played for
West Ham ladies for two years, making four first team appearances in
2012/13. She hoped to go on to play for a US team. She said she aspired to
be like hero football Scott Parker, but said her dad was her biggest
inspiration. In a questionnaire published on the Charlton Athletic website
she said:"He is the one who takes me to and from games and will always be
honest in telling me about how I played and how to progress." Miss
Sheppard's family declined to comment as they left the inquest.

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West Ham win over Man City earns boss Allardyce a 'Thank you' text from
Chelsea's Mourinho
Oct 25, 2014 23:00 By Tom Hopkinson
The Special One's league leaders can now go EIGHT points clear of the
champions by capitalising on their Upton Park defeat on Sunday trip to Man
United
The Mirror

Sam Allardyce received a 'thank you' text for beating Manchester City from
Jose Mourinho – the man who last season accused the West Ham boss of
playing "19th century football" writes Tom Hopkinson in the Sunday People.
Chelsea could only fire blanks when Allardyce's Hammers earned a point at
Stanford Bridge in January – prompting Mourinho's jibe and Big Sam's
response that he "out-tacticed" the Special One. But the Blues boss was far
more complimentary this time after the Hammers did him a massive favour in
the race for the title by beating City 2-1. Morgan Amalfitano put West Ham
ahead with a simple finish at the end of a lovely move and Diafra Sakho
headed home his sixth goal in as many games from Aaron Cresswell's cross.
David Silva pulled one back for City, who also hit the woodwork through
Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure, but West Ham held on to put the cat among the
pigeons in the title race even at this stage. Chelsea will move eight points
ahead of City if they beat Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

And speaking to broadcasters beIN Sport, Allardyce said: "Jose has just
texted me to say 'Well done big man'. This shows how important it was for
him, never mind for us. "He goes to Manchester United knowing his team will
go and perform at their best and if they win it makes the gap even bigger.
The result wasn't for him. It was for us and everyone at West Ham. It will
benefit him if they go and get a result at Manchester United."

West Ham are flying in fourth place, and their manager claimed this win was
even better than the 3-1 victory over Liverpool last month.
Allardyce – who was stunned afterwards when celebrity Hammers fan Russell
Brand burst in on a BBC Match of the Day interview and gave him a kiss –
said: "Perhaps this victory is better because they've got two of the most
dangerous goalscorers in Europe with Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero. "We had a
terrific performance, that's the big thing for me. It wasn't a lucky
victory. We made some outstanding chances. We took City's back four to task
and in my opinion they didn't hold up. "I think they didn't hold up because
of the quality of our play. That's why we won the game. The performance had
everything – grit, determination, quality, desire."

While Amalfitano and Sakho scored the goals, Alex Song was the best player
on the pitch and Allardyce reckons he is among his finest signings. He said:
"Songy has been in the shadow a little bit because of Enner Valencia and
Sakho but this lad has outstanding quality. He goes along the style of
Fernando Hierro and Jay-Jay Okocha who I had in my teams. "His promoting and
passing and also his protection of the back players is excellent. He led us
as a team and the rest of the lads have responded. And I don't think
Valencia and Sakho really know what they have done yet. "They've just come
here, they want to play football and I don't think they realise what a big
impact they have made." The only downside was a shoulder injury to Sakho.
Meanwhile, City boss Manuel Pellegrini refused to be too downbeat by the
result. He said: "I don't think this game was affected by our Champions
League game in Russia last Tuesday. I don't think we deserved to lose. We
had a lot of chances to draw or win this game. "I am only concerned about my
team. We will see what Chelsea can do."

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After years of functional fare, West Ham are finally getting results with
daring, attacking football
Oct 29, 2014 10:37
OPINION BY STEVESTAMMERS
Steve Stammers reflects on the Hammers' latest victory – over champions Man
City – which kept up a superb start to the season
The Mirror

On November 3, 2012 the West Ham team left the field at Upton Park to
rapturous applause from an appreciative audience. Manchester City - the
all-star Manchester City who were defending Premier League champions - were
held to a goal-less draw. It was a result achieved with sweat and endeavour.
Heroic defending and immense application. It was worth a win given the
financial gulf between the clubs and the West Ham fans did not disguise
their satisfaction.

Almost two years to the day, and rather than applause, there was a roar at
Upton Park when referee Martin Atkinson blew his whistle for the final time
in what had been an enthralling match. West Ham had won 2-1 - and deservedly
so. True, they were hanging on for the last 15 minutes but given the talent
available to Manuel Pellegrini, City should pose a massive threat to anyone
they play. Sergio Aguero is world class and David Silva is not far behind.

But the Hammers beat them. And it is evidence of the evolution of the team
under Sam Allardyce.

Last season was a strange one. Jeers after a win against Hull was the low
point. Allardyce stood firm. He insisted that, given the tools, he would
give the dubious section of fans the kind of football they wanted. This
season, he has been proved right.

Re-inforcements have come in - Cheikhou Kouyate, Alex Song, Diafra Sakho,
Enner Valencia among them. And the experience and guile of Teddy Sheringham
- who might just know a thing or two about scoring goals - has been an
invaluable addition to the back-room staff.

Action ImagesDiafra SakhoHuge impact: Diafra Sakho has scored in every game
The result - West Ham look the part. They may be separated from Manchester
City by 230 miles and several million pounds but West Ham managed to bridge
that gap.

And it was not smash and grab. Allardyce may have a fixation with statistics
but the one stat that concerns the fans is the scoreline. And it makes
pretty good reading at the moment. There was a predictability about West
Ham's play - two wingers crossing for a striker to contest possession
against the opposing centre-backs. Not really a Plan B with that tactic and
the available personnel at the club.

Now it has changed. Now it has evolved. It was a master-stroke to give
Stewart Downing a free role and move him from his wide berth. On the wing,
Downing was totally reliant on service. Now he can use his touch and control
to more consistent use.

It is paying off. If there is one statistic that never lies it is the league
table. At the moment, it is looking good.

Of course City will finish above West Ham. Sheer financial muscle dictates
that. But it may just be the season that West Ham belie their anthem - maybe
the dreams won't just fade and die this time around.

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France and Senegal in race to secure services of West Ham striker Diafra
Sakho
Diafra Sakho has seven goals in seven starts for West Ham this season
The striker could play for either France or Senegal
His recent performances have caught the attention of Didier Deschamps
Sakho has played twice for Senegal but only in friendly matches
Senegal may call up Sakho for their upcoming match against Egypt
By SAMI MOKBEL FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 14:15, 29 October 2014 | UPDATED: 15:19, 29 October 2014

DailY Mail

Senegal are determined to keep hold of West Ham striker Diafra Sakho in the
face of competition from France. Sakho has enjoyed a sensational start to
his career in England, scoring seven goals in as many starts since arriving
from Metz. The 24-year-old has played twice for Senegal but is yet to
feature in a competitive fixture for the African nation meaning he is still
eligible to switch Sakho qualifies for Les Bleus as he was a French resident
from 2007 following his move to Metz ahead of joining the Hammers. His
performances for West Ham have alerted France manager Didier Deschamps. But
Senegal manager Alain Giresse, having handed the forward his international
debut in a friendly against Burkina Faso in May, wants to keep Sakho from
France's clutches. And Giresse is considering handing Sakho, provided he
overcomes a shoulder injury in time, his first ever competitive appearance
in the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Egypt and
Botswana in an attempt to secure his long-term international future.

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Gold: "All Sakho wants to do is play!"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 29, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Diafra Sakho was in training today and once again winning everybody's heart
with an amazing work ethic. Everybody in the club has been inspired by the
striker who almost failed to make it into the club until David Sullivan
stepped in and rescued a deal that looked lost.
Now Sakho has become not only the man of the moment but almost a symbol of a
Hammers season which just gets better and better thanks to his goals. And in
a glowing tribute to the front man David Gold – speaking exclusively to
ClaretandHugh – said: "This kid is an absolute breath of fresh air – all he
wants to do is play. "He doesn't appear to have given his injury a second
thought. He just wants to be out there playing – it's brilliant and
inspiring ." Gold added that over 20 years in the game he had seen those
players who make "rather a lot of their injuries" but likened Sakho to
youngsters in the park who play for the joy of it. He said: "It really is so
refreshing to find a player like this. He has settled brilliantly and
everybody is affected by his great attitude. He is a joy to be around. "And
to score in seven consecutive games is a near unheard of achievement. To
manage that whilst still settling into a new country and culture is
extraordinary. How much better can he get – we've struck gold."

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Olympic Stadium on fire!
Posted by Sean Whetstone on October 29, 2014 in Whispers
Clart & Hugh

OSA fire at the Olympic stadium sent smoke over the Queen Elizabeth park
early on Wednesday morning. London Fire crews were called after a van inside
the stadium caught alight "We were called at 7.03am to reports of a van on
fire in the stadium. Security called us and there were no injuries.There was
a fire in a van" a Fire Brigade spokeswoman confirmed. One London Fire
Engine was dispatched and able to tackle the blaze without further
assistance. Although the Stadium was fully evacuated the fire is not thought
to have caused any damage or further delays to the rebuild project which has
been dogged in recent months with problems with steel strengthening and
increased costs over complications with the roof. Pictures of smoke from the
stadium were also quick to circulate on social media this morning prompting
fears of a more serious blaze inside the stadium.

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Irons cool on Townsend link
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 29, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham today were cool on reports linking the club with a move for
Tottenham Hotspur's out of favour winger Andros Townsend. He has played only
90 Premier League minutes this season, stretched out over three appearances
and there is now increasing speculation he could be sold in January. The
Telegraph report West Ham are interested, and could buy him to replace Matt
Jarvis. However, Spurs are always a notoriously difficult club with which to
do business and a source told ClaretandHugh: "It sounds very much as though
we have an agent trying to talk up a deal. "As things stand we are not
planning a lot of activity in January and Matt remains very much a part of
the first team plans."

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