Hammers battle past ten-man Toon
WHUFC.com
Aaron Cresswell's first West Ham United goal earns his side all three points
against Newcastle United
29.11.2014
Barclays Premier League
West Ham United 1-0 Newcastle United
West Ham United returned to winning ways in the Barclays Premier League on
Saturday, as Aaron Cresswell's first goal for the Club proved sufficient to
see the Hammers past high-flying Newcastle United at the Boleyn Ground. On
the back of five successive league wins, Alan Pardew's men were always
likely to prove a stern test and so it proved in a competitive if uneventful
opening 45 in east London. But the game turned on a slice of good fortune
and a fabulous finish in the 56th minute, as Cheikhou Kouyate's scuffed
strike fell for Cresswell in the box, whose first-time finish in front of
the Bobby Moore Stand was unerring. Moussa Sissoko lost his head late on to
earn two cautions in a matter of seconds and leave his side a man light, as
Sam Allardyce's men stood strong to secure a first win in four and climb
back up to fifth.
Following their respective injuries on international duty, Stewart Downing
and Cheikhou Kouyate returned to the fold, though Saturday's clash came too
soon for Diafra Sakho, Enner Valencia and Alex Song. With Winston Reid
suspended, Matt Jarvis was handed his first start of the campaign, while
Andy Carroll again led the line for the Hammers. Mark Noble, meanwhile,
shook off the knock that forced him off prematurely at Goodison Park to take
his place in the XI and in doing so surpass Steve Potts' Club record of 204
Premier League appearances.
It was the visitors, however, who were first into their stride and went
close inside three minutes. Ayoze Perez controlled Yoan Gouffran's centre,
but thankfully dragged his effort wide of Adrian's goal. At the other end,
Carroll's flick-on sent Jarvis in the clear and after he had squared to
Downing, Rob Elliot was called into action to gather the England man's low
drive. With quarter-of-an-hour gone, Massadio Haidara's left-wing cross
caused alarm in the Hammers box, but the alert Aaron Cresswell was on hand
to snuff out the danger. Kouyate then led the charge on the break, but
slipped at the vital minute and so sliced his attempted cross into the away
fans stationed in the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand.
Forward the Toon came again, this time through Sissoko. He fed Perez and as
the Spaniard looked to engineer the space for a shot, James Tomkins stuck
out a boot and stopped the No.17 in his tracks. The Spaniard was involved
again soon after, applying a deft touch to Sammy Ameobi's left-wing cross,
only to see his clever effort career into the side netting. With three
first-half minutes still to play, Carroll rifled a shot into Williamson and
though West Ham appeals were vociferous, referee Mike Dean was unmoved. So
goalless at the break in a game that regularly threatened to burst into
life, but never quite did.
Downing was straight back into his running after the interval and having
collected from Kouyate, cut inside onto his weaker right foot and blazed
over the angle from 20 yards. Jack Colback had a go too, but his effort
sailed into the crowd as well. Visiting 'keeper Elliot was soon breathing a
sigh of relief as he came flying off his line to punch a James Collins
free-kick away, missed it altogether and watched it drift wide of the near
post. Their escape was short-lived, however, with Cresswell soon celebrating
his first goal in Claret and Blue. Downing rolled it across the box to
Kouyate, whose scuffed effort fell perfectly into the path of the full-back.
Having continued his run from deep, Cresswell finished with aplomb, steering
past Elliot with the outside of his boot.
In reply, Haidara's long-range effort from a free-kick was wayward, before
Sissoko's minute of madness saw the midfielder depart the scene early. The
No.7 was firstly carded before booting the ball away in disgust and then
seconds later received a second caution for an ill-advised challenge on
Carroll.
With Newcastle now, by necessity, pushing men forward, West Ham had several
an opening to land the killer blow. Downing, for one, broke free down the
left, but his ball across the face was tucked behind before Carroll could
get there at the far post. Zarate tried his luck from the edge of the box
and was denied a second goal in as many weeks by a flying stop from Elliot.
From the resulting corner, Tomkins' header looked to be heading in, only to
cannon in to substitute Kevin Nolan on the line and out of harm's way.
Downing also had a chance late on to settle it, but from an acute angle he
dragged his effort wide as West Ham would have to endure a nervy four
minutes of stoppage time to see out a sixth league win of the campaign.
West Ham United: Adrian, Jenkinson, Cresswell, Tomkins, Collins, Noble (c),
Kouyate (Nolan 85), Downing, Amalfitano, Jarvis (Zarate 70), Carroll
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Demel, O'Brien, Vaz Te, Cole
Goal: Cresswell 56
Booked: Noble, Amalfitano, Zarate
Newcastle United: Elliott, Janmaat (Taylor 74), Haidara, Williamson,
Dummett, Colback, Tiote (c) (Cisse 63), Gouffran (Cabella 63), Sissoko,
Ameobi, Ayoze
Subs: Alnwick, Anita, Riviere, Armstrong
Booked: Williamson, Colback, Sissoko
Sent off: Sissoko
Referee: Mike Dean
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Cresswell - 'It's a dream come true'
WHUFC.com
Aaron Cresswell sealed a dream day on Saturday by scoring the winner against
Newcastle United
29.11.2014
Scoring the winner in a Barclays Premier League game meant Aaron Cresswell
fulfilled a boyhood dream on Saturday. The 24-year-old full back popped up
in the Newcastle United box to convert Cheikhou Kouyate's mis-hit shot,
ending the Magpies' six-game winning streak and sending the Hammers back up
to fifth in the table. The victory was West Ham's first in four games and
Cresswell was delighted to get back to winning ways. He explained: "It's
what I've dreamt of since I was a little boy, scoring a goal in the Premier
League, and thankfully Cheik's shot-cum-pass has fallen to me today and I've
put it in the net. "I just carried my run on, and I think Cheik's gone for
the shot but luckily it fell for me. I tapped it in and I couldn't be any
happier. "We had a look at the Villa game and we deserved to win that one
but couldn't score, then we had a tough one at Everton, where maybe we could
have taken something from it. "So to get back to winning ways on Saturday
was great. We've got another tough game at West Brom on Tuesday and we'll be
looking to bring three points back from there."
As well as his goal, Cresswell also had a clean sheet to celebrate and the
former Ipswich Town man wants more of the same at West Bromwich Albion on
Tuesday. He added: "It was a good day all round. As a defender you can't ask
for much more than a clean sheet. "We got that and if you can get an assist
or goal as well then great. I've scored my first goal in the Premier League
and I'm very proud of that."
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Sam hails 'outstanding' Cresswell
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was delighted to see Aaron Cresswell secure a valuable victory
over Newcastle United
29.11.2014
Sam Allardyce hailed match-winner Aaron Cresswell following West Ham
United's valuable 1-0 Barclays Premier League victory over Newcastle United
on Saturday. The left-back continued his outstanding start to life in a
Hammers shirt by capping a fine individual display with a smartly-taken goal
eleven minutes after half-time. Cresswell, who has not missed a minute of
West Ham's opening 13 league matches since his summer move from Ipswich
Town, ran onto Cheikhou Kouyate's mis-hit shot to slot the ball confidently
beyond goalkeeper Rob Elliot.
"He was outstanding," Big Sam confirmed. "The natural progression on his
career meant it looked like it would always be the case that he would play
in the Premier League. The fact he is an ever-present is always nice and his
record tells us we'll get 40 games out of him every year. "Aaron has shown
our front lads how to score because it was a brilliant finish. He continued
a run when he must have thought he had no hope of getting it, because it was
a mis-hit shot, but he took it brilliantly."
West Ham produced a professional display to end Newcastle's five-match
winning run and extend their own unbeaten run at the Boleyn Ground to five
matches. A fourth home win of the campaign lifted Big Sam's side back into
fifth place ahead of Tuesday's trip to West Bromwich Albion. The manager is
hoping his players can build on Saturday's success as they embark on a busy
December that will see them play no fewer than six league matches. "We got
better as the game went on. You've got to remember that Newcastle were the
in-form team in the Premier League and arrived on the best run of victories
in the division, including Chelsea. "We knew it was going to be a difficult
game. In the first half, you could see Newcastle's confidence and we found
it difficult to get our passing game going and create any of the sort of
chances we expect to at home. "I said to the players that we should work on
the clean sheet scenario and that when a chance came along we would score
it. It came to the unlikeliest person on the field, but the most important
thing was the quality of the finish, when you get these opportunities. "When
they went down to ten men, we should have got to two or three and avoided
the nervousness, but their 'keeper made a couple of saves and we wasted a
couple of chances and we didn't make it easier for ourselves. It's an
outstanding victory for us against Newcastle."
Big Sam welcomed Stewart Downing and Kouyate back from injury, while Mark
Noble shrugged off a knock to his Achilles to make a record-breaking 205th
Premier League appearance for the Club. The boss was delighted to see the
midfielder break Steve Potts' record and paid tribute to the Academy
graduate's consistency and unerring commitment to the Club he has supported
his whole life. "It's rare today - you see it at Man United, Steven Gerrard
at Liverpool and John Terry at Chelsea, but such loyalty is few and far
between, so it's a fantastic achievement for a lad who dreamed of playing
for West Ham when he was at school. "Coming through the ranks, playing for
his local club, being an ever-present and showing such a level of
consistency is fantastic for a lad who is not that old, either. Who knows
where he will end up in his career in terms of how many games he plays for
West Ham."
Looking ahead to Tuesday's trip to The Hawthorns, Big Sam warned his players
that nothing will come easy against West Brom, who will be eager to bounce
back from their 1-0 home defeat by Arsenal on Saturday. "I watched that game
on telly because it was the lunchtime kick-off with great interest and saw
an Arsenal side go there and not look in too much danger, apart from when
West Brom went gung-ho with four players up front and played from back to
front very quickly. "So, containing Saido Berahino has been the main focus
for every team playing against them and I think that'll be our focus on
Tuesday night, because he has scored more goals than everybody else. "If we
get that right and show the defensive solidity we seem to be showing, then
our creative players can take the game to West Brom whenever they get the
opportunity. "West Brom have only won one home game this season, so their
fans are starved of victory at the moment and we have got to pray on what
might be a little lack of confidence. If we can keep the ball and move it
around like we did on Saturday, then we might be able to make the West Brom
fans a little nervous."
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U18s seal dramatic comeback victory
WHUFC.com
Steve Potts' youngsters scored three late goals to secure a 4-2 victory over
West Bromwich Albion
29.11.2014
West Ham United scored three goals in three amazing minutes to overcome West
Bromwich Albion 4-2 in the Barclays U18 Premier League on Saturday. The
Baggies went ahead early on at Little Heath when George Cater punished the
Hammers for not clearing the ball inside their own penalty area, before
Bermudian-born attacker Djair Parfitt-Williams drew the hosts level. As the
Hammers looked to push ahead, Tyler Roberts looked to have stolen the points
for the visitors. However, three goals in as many minutes from Emmanual
Onariase, Kieran Bailey and Decarrey Sheriff secured a dramatic victory for
West Ham. U18s manager Steve Potts made four changes to the starting XI that
lost 4-3 away at Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday. Clarke Bogard was replaced
by Sam Howes in goal, Alex Pike made way for Onariase, while Marcus Browne
and Bailey were dropped to the bench. Josh Pask started in the middle of
midfield alongside Academy regular Noha Sylvestre and Jordan Brown returned
from injury to start up front. After four defeats in their previous five
fixtures ahead of the meeting with the Baggies, Potts' men soon found
themselves behind when Carter took advantage of the home defence failing to
clear their lines by stabbing the ball past Howes. The home side came back
into the game and they began to pressure the visitors. Pask smashed a shot
off the crossbar as the Hammers chased the equalizer before half-time.
After the break, the hosts kept up the pressure and had a handful of chances
on goal, but Oscar Borg, Parfitt-Williams and Jerry Amoo were finding it
impossible to beat Albion goalkeeper Ethan Ross. They did find the
breakthrough, however, and it was Parfitt-Williams who finished into the
corner of the net from 12 yards after receiving the ball inside the penalty
area from Amoo. Within ten minutes of pulling themselves level, however,
West Ham were punished for a defensive mistake. As the ball was crossed into
Roberts in the penalty area, the Hammers allowed the 16-year-old time and
space to turn and bury his shot low into the corner of the net. That goal
set the stage for an amazing climax. West Ham equalised just two minutes
later when Onariase ran unmarked meet Borg's right-wing corner and make it
2-2.
As the visitors investigated where they went wrong in conceding the
equaliser, West Ham took advantage and pushed in front just a minute later.
The ball was worked down the left wing at speed by the Hammers, with a low
cross being met and finished by Bailey at the near post.
If that goal was not enough to shock the Midlands side, West Ham scored a
fourth goal a minute later, when Sheriff finished well from inside the
penalty area. Saturday's result takes the Hammers back into the top four in
the Barclays U18 Premier League Southern Division, with 22 points from 14
games.
Potts' side travel to Southampton U18 in the FA Youth Cup third round on
Tuesday 9 December for their final fixture of 2014. Kick off at St.Mary's is
at 7pm.
U18s: Howes, Akinola, Burke (Sheriff), Onariase, Neufville, Sylvestre, Pask
(M.Browne), Amoo, Borg, J.Brown (Bailey), Parfitt-Williams
Subs not used: Ware, Elsom
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West Ham 1 Newcastle 0
29 November 2014
Last updated at 17:52
By Saj Chowdhury
BBC Sport
Aaron Cresswell scored his first Premier League goal as West Ham moved up to
fifth in the table with victory over 10-man Newcastle.
The former Ipswich defender's 56th-minute strike ended the Magpies' run of
five successive league wins and handed the Hammers their first in four.
Newcastle finished with 10 men when captain Moussa Sissoko was shown two
yellows in the space of 46 seconds. Their best chances fell to Ayoze Perez
whose two efforts went a foot wide. Both those shots were in the first half
which was a drab spectacle. The players were guilty of repeatedly losing
possession and some awful shooting, with the Magpies marginally the more
creative in attack. Spain Under-21 striker Perez looked the most likely to
make a breakthrough in the first period, firing a shot that went a foot wide
and a backheel flick that found the side-netting. As for West Ham, they were
relying on their ex-Newcastle man Andy Carroll to trouble the Newcastle
backline but, bar a hopeful shout for a penalty, when his shot hit the arm
of Mike Williamson, he was well-marshalled. So it came as a surprise in the
56th minute when a defender popped up to open the scoring. Full-back
Cresswell took the chance to break forward and was positioned perfectly when
Cheikhou Kouyate's shot fell into his path. The Liverpool-born full-back
steadied himself and poked in past Rob Elliot.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew brought on Remy Cabella and Papiss Cisse as
they searched for an equaliser, but moments after making the changes his
attacking options were reduced when his skipper lost his cool. Sissoko, who
has been a leader by example for the Magpies this season, was shown his
first yellow when he kicked the ball away and less than a minute later he
was shown a second card for his late challenge on Carroll. Despite going a
man down, Newcastle pushed for an equaliser and even sent keeper Elliot up
for a late corner. They were almost left to rue that decision when
substitute Mauro Zarate broke forward on the counter, but then failed to
find the finish with the keeper only just back in his goal. The miss did not
matter as West Ham held and got back on the winning trail.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "We have to say it was a fantastic finish
from Aaron Cresswell. It was fortuitous he got in that position. He's a
full-back and carried on his run into the box. It was always going to be a
1-0. "We get back on the winning trail going into December. Newcastle are an
in-form side. It's massive win for us."
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew: "I'm disappointed the six-game winning run
has come to an end - at some point it had to. "It was a tight game - they
had a major break on the goal. It probably decided the game. We tried to
push the best we could. "He [Moussa Sissoko] needs to learn - it was a
minute of madness. He's usually such a controlled player. I thought we were
pretty good right up until the goal.
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Allardyce on... Newcastle United
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 29th November 2014
By: Staff Writer
There may not be any champers on the menu at Chateau Allardyce tonight but
Big Sam was nonetheless in high spirits after his team ground out a 1-0 win
over in-form Newcastle. Read his full, post-match press conference
exclusively here on KUMB...
Champagne out tonight, Sam? As opposed to the red wine?
Ha! I think it's a massive victory for us today. The opposition came here
today with the best run of results in the Premier League recently, even
better than Chelsea. That's saying something considering how Chelsea are
going this season, but they're on a fantastic run of victories that has
brought them up [the table] and above us before we started today's game.
Our game plan was obviously to try and win the game but I always thought it
was going to be a tight match - and that ended up being the case. For me, it
was telling the players: "Do not concede the first goal, because the way
Newcastle are playing at this moment in time you will find it hugely
difficult to get back in the game if you do".
Whilst it was a little scrappy in the first half we got better in the second
and I have to give Aaron Cresswell a huge amount of praise for the quality
of his finish. He showed our more attacking and creative players how to put
the ball in the back of the net today which was really pleasing, because
while he was quite lucky to get the chance - from a mis-hit shot - he never
gave up on it and his quality of finishing was fantastic.
I felt we should have gone on and won the game more comfortably when they
went down to ten men, but a couple of good saves and a couple of bad misses
meant we were pretty nervous at the end. To get the victory to go fifth and
up to 21 points is huge for us and a huge push going into a very quick game
at West Brom on Tuesday and then Swansea next week. We've started off with
three points in what could be a massive week for us all, playing three games
in seven or eight days.
How's the injury situation?
Well hopefully no injuries today, which is very important but I don't know
about Valencia, Sakho or Song just yet. Saying that, I hope nobody wakes up
tomorrow morning and finds they've got a problem. We're keeping the squad
together to go off to West Brom now and try to continue this undefeated run
again, so we'll see how we go there.
Certainly Valencia, Sakho and Songy are reasonably close - whether they're
close enough for Tuesday I don't know, but certainly if not Tuesday then I
think most of them will be back for Swansea.
Tomkins had an outstanding game, I thought?
Yes he did. He covered up an awful lot and made some very good
interceptions. He read the game very well today. We have the added bonus
that Winston Reid has now overcome his suspension. Coping with missing
players is hugely difficult against the most in-form team in the Premier
League at the minute; winning shows the strength and depth of our squad and
is paying dividends, up to now.
Andy [Carroll]; no goals, but quite influential?
Yes. He's getting better and better, as is his match fitness the more games
he plays. I'll have to assess him for tomorrow and Monday to know whether
he's got the capability or the energy to play at West Brom. When you're only
two games into your pre-season - which is what Andy is - the last thing I
want to do is risk playing him whilst he's fatigued, not recovered in time
and risking another injury. Even though Andy will disagree! That will be
determined by me and the staff on Monday or Tuesday morning. Let's hope we
can go to West Brom and finish this week undefeated.
Do you worry sometimes about him throwing himself into tackles?
I do, yes. It does concern me that he has no fear. Sometimes having no fear,
or not sensing danger could ultimately end up with him injuring himself
rather than somebody else injuring him. With a little bit more experience
perhaps he'll sense that a little bit more but he does throw himself at
everything, doesn't he!
A quick word on Mark Noble; a record number of Premier League games for West
Ham?
Only 26, isn't he. A marvellous achievement, outstanding credit to Nobes.
It's rare today that a man dedicates himself to one club as he has done.
You've see it with Liverpool and Steven Gerrard, at Man United and John
Terry at Chelsea, but the way players move round and change clubs today make
it a massive bonus for West Ham and a massive achievement for Mark.
I can't remember the last time West Ham had 21 points before Christmas; just
how far do you think this team can go? Is this above expectations?
At the moment we're above expectations but we realised those levels a few
weeks ago here when we beat Liverpool and we beat Man City. My challenge to
the players was to sustain that level [of performance]. It's hard to get
there; it's even harder to stay there. Today's victory gives us an
opportunity, going into December, to see if we can sustain it.
If we can sustain it through December and into January then we can
reschedule where we think we should or might finish if we continue. So we'll
wait until then. Historically, December and January have been difficult
months for us over the last two seasons. We've started a hectic period today
with a victory and three points, so let's hope we achieve a lot more points
than we have done in the last couple of seasons.
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce welcomes hard-fought win over Newcastle
Last Updated: 29/11/14 8:06pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce admitted that West Ham enjoyed a slice of fortune during their
1-0 win over Newcastle at Upton Park. The Hammers moved up to fifth in the
Premier League after Aaron Cresswell's first goal for the club secured the
points against Newcastle, who had Moussa Sissoko sent-off in the
second-half. Cheikhou Kouyate's miskick had fallen perfectly for the
full-back in the build-up, but Allardyce felt his side earned their luck
after a run of three games without a victory. "We have to say it's a
fantastic finish from Aaron Cresswell, but rather fortuitous that he got in
that position," he told Sky Sports. "You wouldn't expect your full-back to
think this maybe comes to me when he's running into the box, so we give him
all the credit for the anticipation that he's shown. But it was a wonderful,
wonderful finish. "I think it was always looking like a one-nil today apart
from when Newcastle went down to 10-men and then we had several chances to
kill the game off and you've always got that little bit of anxiety that any
slip when you are 1-0 up may cost you, even against 10 men. "It was a
fantastic victory for us and I think that in the end the victory was more
important, because we have played much better than that. The 1-0 was well
received by everybody today."
West Ham, without summer recruits Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia, still
managed to succumb an in-form Newcastle side and Allardyce was grateful for
the points ahead of a hectic festive schedule. He said: "Getting back on the
winning trail, if we are at this stage at the season, going into December
and certainly with the injuries that we've got at the moment, you've got to
overcome and overcoming it is by making sure the team that goes out there
gets a result. "When you consider that Newcastle are the in-form team in the
Premier League, six wins on the trot, it's a massive, massive victory for
us."
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Aaron Cresswell seals West Ham win over Newcastle at Upton Park
Last Updated: 29/11/14 7:16pm
SSN
Aaron Cresswell scored a second-half winner as West Ham continued their
unexpected push for a top-four position with a 1-0 home win over Newcastle.
The Hammers full-back scored his first goal for the club, lifting them into
fifth in the Premier League table, and Moussa Sissoko's late dismissal
capped off a frustrating afternoon for Newcastle at Upton Park on Saturday.
Newcastle started with a confident swagger after six straight wins and Ayoze
Perez nearly snatched an opener, spinning and shooting past the far post
after he was teed up by Yoan Gouffran. Andy Carroll, facing his former club,
gave a glimpse of his aerial power with a flick-on and Stewart Downing's low
drive tested Newcastle goalkeeper Rob Elliot.
West Ham were settling well, starting to show the slicker brand of football
which has propelled them up the table. But Cheikhou Kouyate spoiled a
sweeping counter attack with a horribly sliced cross. Starved of possession,
Newcastle were reliant on Perez for much of their attacking threat. The
Spaniard was denied by a timely tackle from James Tomkins, but then fired
into the side netting from a tight angle.
West Ham appealed passionately for a penalty just before the break, with
Carroll convinced that Mike Williamson had blocked the ball with his arm,
but referee Mike Dean was unmoved. Downing sent a rising shot over the bar
during a frantic start to the second period, while Newcastle's Jack Colback
was equally wayward, ballooning the ball into the crowd. But it was the
Hammers who took the lead soon afterwards in scruffy fashion. A mishit shot
from Kouyate bounced perfectly into the path of Cresswell (56), who steered
his shot into the bottom corner.
Newcastle searched for an instant response and Adrian smothered a near post
shot from the lively Perez. But an uphill task for the Magpies was made to
appear even steeper when Sissoko (76) was sent-off. The French midfielder
earned a second yellow with a crunching challenge on Carroll. West Ham
were unable to take advantage in the dying minutes as Downing's low cross
drifted across the box, while substitute Mauro Zarate was crowded out after
bursting clear.
Soccer Saturday reaction - Matt Le Tissier
A draw would have been a fair result. Neither of the sides dominated for
great periods of time. Neither of them created a load of chances. The goal
was a bit of a fluke as well. Kouyate hit a shot so badly it trickled past
the Newcastle defence, it fell into Creswell's path and he finished it well.
It wasn't a game of great quality and it was probably appropriate that a
goal that wasn't of great quality settled it.
Williamson and Dummett played Carroll very well and kept him quiet. Anything
that came into the box, they were very tight on him and didn't allow him any
free headers at goal. They marshalled him pretty well and he was
ineffective. As for Moussa Sissoko's red card, he got two yellows in about
a minute. The first was for kicking the ball away, which was a little silly
and seconds later he appears to scrape his studs down Carroll's shin and
push him in the chest. The ref thought that was worthy of a second yellow
and he was off. I like the look of Perez. His movement is good up front,
he's always showing for the ball, he's always lively and he caused a few
problems for the West Ham defence. He's going to be a very good footballer.
Newcastle didn't look like a team that had won six on the bounce, though.
PLAYER RATINGS
West Ham: Adrian (6), Jenkinson (6), Collins (6), Tomkins (7), Cresswell
(8), Noble (6), Kouyate (6), Amalfitano (6), Downing (7), Jarvis (6),
Carroll (7)
Used subs: Nolan (6), Zarate (6)
Newcastle: Elliot (6), Janmaat (6), Williamson (6), Dummett (5), Haidara
(6), Tiote (6), Colback (6), Gouffran (6), Sissoko (6), Ameobi (5), Perez
(7)
Used subs: Cisse (6), Cabella (5), Taylor (5)
Man of the match: Aaron Cresswell
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WEST HAM 1, NEWCASTLE 0. LUCKIER THAN GOOD?
By David Hautzig 29 Nov 2014 at 19:05
West Ham Till I Die
Writing these reports has taught me a few things not only about my
relationship with our club, but about how many irrational dislikes I have
for other clubs. Today, for example, brought one Alan Pardew back to Upton
Park. Or as a few of my mates call him, That P@#*k Pards. You can probably
guess the middle word if you give yourself a minute or so. It's not a view
shared by many. In fact, I have read many an article hoping for his return
to West Ham. I don't understand why. It's not like his record with us,
Charlton, Southampton and now Newcastle is anything to do somersaults over.
Player and staff unrest, fall outs with chairmen, and the rumours about
his….uhhhh….various relationships.
No thank you.
Having said that, you have to give credit where credit is due. Lazarus would
be proud of Pards resurrection this season. Five straight league wins, with
a draw against Swansea before that, has given Newcastle 16 out of a possible
18 points. When I studied our fixtures leading up to Christmas a few weeks
ago I saw this as a game against a team struggling near the drop zone. Now
it's a game battling for some extra games next season.
As for us, the injury crisis that took us by surprise last week got a little
better. Kouyate, Downing and Noble were all in the starting eleven, but
Valencia, Song and Sakho were still out. Then yesterday we got word that
Sakho was basically mugged by the physio for Senegal and may out for at
least a month. Yet for me the biggest surprise was the player that started
on the bench, Zarate. If there was one lesson learned last week it was that
Zarate should have been the one partnered up front with Carroll. Sam,
however, didn't get the memo and for reasons I could not get my head around
Jarvis got a start instead. Jacob Steinberg tweeted that Downing would be
out wide to play to Carroll's strengths. Enter the wormhole and travel back
in time to lobbing it in to one up front.
Ayoze Perez has been on fire for Newcastle during their terrific run of
form, and in the opening minutes we saw why. First he cut between Tomkins
and Collins after receiving the ball from Gouffran but his shot went wide.
Then Sissoko fed a nice through ball for him, but his foul on Tomkins
stopped play. Minutes later, the Sissoko to Perez party was on again. This
time Kouyate was there to clear. Three chances from the same pair in the
first five minutes did not put me at ease to watch the game.
West Ham looked like they started the game in the eighth minute when Jarvis
chased down a flick on from Carroll. Jarvis passed to an oncoming Downing
whose shot was straight at Rob Elliot. That was the only bright moment of
the first ten minutes, and I use that term lightly. Despite a lineup that
looked like it was set up to play to Carroll's supposed strengths, the big
man looked lonely. The support he needed was not there. In any form. Not in
crosses, not in players there to run on to his flicks.
Meaning, no Zarate.
In the 13th minute, Carroll did have someone run into a space to collect a
ball off of his head. That someone was Downing. But when Downing tried to
return the favor with a cross into the box, nobody was there to cash in. A
few minutes later Kouyate and Amalfitano tried to get in on the sort of
action when the Frenchman laid a good ball for Kouyate to run onto down the
right. His cross was blocked by Gouffran and it eventually ended up as a
goal kick. A minute later Cresswell made a run down the left to get on the
end of a ball from Downing but his cross was blocked by Sissoko. There was a
bit of hope that West Ham would start to assert itself on the game.
Mike Williamson became the first player to go into Mike Dean's little black
book when he caught Jarvis with something that would have looked better on a
dance floor than a football pitch. A sneaky little back heel as Jarvis tried
to go past him. Not the booking we will all look back on, but noteworthy for
how odd it was.
The 24th minute crystallized why we miss our injured strike tandem. Kouyate
won the ball at midfield on pure power and fed Jarvis down the left. That is
when Valencia and Sakho would be darting in and around the box like ants
when you disturb their colony. Try to step on em, and all you get is dust.
But Jarvis had nobody to pick out, nor did anybody try to get onto the end
of his cross. It made the whole thing pointless, other than wasting time if
you are trying to play for a nil-nil draw. In fact, neither team did all
that much with the ball in the first thirty minutes. There were more errant
passes than accurate ones, and I wondered if the first team to simply
control the ball for a minute or so would score first.
One trait that will never go un-noticed or unappreciated by West Ham
supporters is tenacity. If you put in a shift, if you work your socks off,
we will never turn on you. If today was the last game ever for James Tomkins
and Ginge, they would be immortalized. They both made so many world-class
defensive plays that try as I will to include them all I will likely miss
some. The first came in the 33rd minute when Sissoko and Perez combined
again on a dangerous counter attack. Tomkins snuffed out what looked like a
1-0 Newcastle lead in the making with a great block on Perez. A few minutes
later, after Noble fouled Sissoko and gave up a free kick in a dangerous
area, Tomkins got his head on both the ball into the box and Carroll's
outstretched foot. A bit of treatment and he was back to work.
Perez continued his strong performance in the 38th minute when Ameobi fed
the ball to him close to Adrian. If he had a better angle the ball could
have caused problems, but his cheeky shot off the back of his foot went into
the side netting. The next seven minutes plus one minute of added time were
barely noteworthy, and it was nil-nil at halftime.
When I watch games to do these reports, I jot down notes on scrap paper and
then do my best to construct decent sentences out of them afterwards. So
little happened in the first half that I only used two pieces of paper as
opposed to my normal four or five. The unfortunate fact was that with Andy
Carroll playing alone, all we looked like was a slightly better version of
last year's team. To think that this formation can score more than a goal
per game with any regularity is….wait for it…..deluded. Would Sam diagnose
himself the way he tried to diagnose all of us a few years ago and put
Zarate on? I hoped so, with Jarvis coming off despite the fact that he
hadn't played that badly. Maybe even better than Amalfitano in the first
half. But given the choice I'd rather have the Frenchman.
The second half did not start with the substitution most us were hoping for,
but at least it started with West Ham on the attack. Kouyate started a
counter after some nervy moments in our own end and passed to Carroll. AC
finally saw a pass of his end up on a teammate by the name of Stuart Downing
on the left. When Downing put the ball on his right foot to cut inside,
hopes of a shot on target rose. Then they were dashed when his shot went
over the crossbar.
James Tomkins continued his co-Man Of The Match day in the 50th minute when
he used the basic footballing principle of positioning when he forced Perez
to lose the ball over the touchline for a goal kick. Nothing spectacular.
Just excellent. A minute later West Ham were on the break when Collins
cleared another Perez chance to Noble, who found Cresswell streaking down
the left. Maybe it was youthful exuberance, but whatever it was made him
hoof the ball into the crowd instead of finding a teammate in the box. He's
still learning, and a great student overall so all was forgiven.
Rob Elliot hadn't done much wrong as Tim Krul's stand in to this point. In
the 54th minute, however, he showed how a split second of indecision by a
keeper can cause problems. Elliot couldn't handle a long ball into the box,
and the ball was inched away from any West Ham player doing nothing more
than toe poking it in for a 1-0 lead. Two corners followed, both with
Carroll being out jumped, and Newcastle were left unscathed.
There is a cliché in American sport. "I'd rather be lucky than good". It's
been attributed to Vernon Louis "Lefty" Gomez, who played baseball for the
Yankees in the 1930's. When the ball came to Downing on the left, I was
talking to my mate Jon. We both could not understand why Sam was being so
stubborn in not putting Zarate in. "We won't score unless he does" I said.
Just then, Kouyate got the ball from Downing at the edge of the area and
attempted a shot. He missed. But the ball rolled slowly onto the path of an
onrushing Cresswell, who showed the composure of a seasoned striker to put
it behind Elliot.
West Ham 1, Newcastle 0.
It could have been 1-1 two minutes later when Williamson and Perez (yeah,
him again) combined. Perez drove his shot right at Adrian, and with
teammates running around the box he may have been better suited to try and
find one. Thankfully for us, he didn't.
The 63rd minute saw Newcastle make two changes. Tiote made way for Cisse,
and Cabella replaced Gouffran. The TV cameras showed Pards having a word
with Perez, seemingly telling him to play farther back now that Cisse was
on. So it isn't only Sam that tells his most effective and creative player
to move away from the goal. That's kind of comforting.
Still no Zarate, but Amalfitano made a case for himself being the one to
come off if and when a change was made with a bad cross and a giveaway in
Newcastle's area. On the counter, Noble brought down Cabella and gave up a
free kick. Oh god. How many times have we seen a free kick given up by
Noble, even when it isn't his fault, which leads to a goal. Were we going to
see the latest edition of the script we all know? Luckily for West Ham,
Haidara's shot from the free kick went wide.
In the 70th minute, just like last week at Everton, the clubs official
Twitter account announced that Zarate was ready to come on. I got the
feeling that it was more than just information. It was the person in charge
of those Tweets joining in on the call for such a creative force. Within
seconds, Zarate forced a corner when he passed to Jenkinson. The Arsenal
loanee saw his cross blocked out by Ameobi, but the question that I wanted
answered was why it took so long to get Zarate on? A minute later, a ball
into Carroll was headed into space which Zarate was running to. He didn't
get on the end of it, but at least he tried. Please tell me you saw that,
Sam. Twice fooled, shame on you.
The 75th minute saw the most eventful thirty seconds of the match, and one
of the more brainless displays by a professional footballer this season.
First, with Newcastle attacking in numbers, Jenkinson played Sissoko
perfectly to stop his progress. For that effort, he got a push in the back.
And for that, Sissoko saw yellow. Thirty seconds later, a reckless challenge
on Carroll in midfield earned him an upgrade from Yellow to Red. If Sam were
his manager, he'd have been on his way to Siberia by now.
After being butchered last week, Amalfitano might have decided the best form
of self defense is to attack. So he took Haidara down from behind and got
booked. This is where some good ol fashioned West Ham paranoia crept in. Ten
men, huh? Didn't go so well against Spurs. Hull last year was no fun,
either. Is this the crazy reason why we give up the equalizer?
The whole idea behind signing Zarate was to give Carroll a partner up front
who was anything but like for like. We saw glimpses of that in the final ten
minutes. First, Zarate fed a through ball for a running Carroll but it was
just a bit heavy and went out for a goal kick. Then they got in each other's
way when they both went for a ball in midfield, allowing Newcastle to
counter. Nothing happened. Then Zarate led another counter with a pass to
Downing, whose cross was deflected out for a corner by Haidara. It was
inches away from 2-0 a minute later when Jenkinson found Zarate on the left,
who cut to the center and drilled a beautiful shot towards the top corner of
the net. In his finest moment of the day, Elliot made a finger tip save to
rob the Argentine-Chilean.
Nolan came on for Kouyate in the 85th minute in what could only have been
based on Kouyate running out of fuel. Not that Nolan has any fuel to begin
with.
Ameobi broke forward in the 89th minute, and despite being down to ten men
Newcastle looked dangerous on this attack. My heart skipped a beat before
Collins came to the rescue and took the ball away just outside the box.
In the second minute of the four added on, Zarate and Downing came close to
making it 2-0. Zarate fed a rushing Downing on the left. Elliot came out to
meet him, and Downing aimed for the far post. In real time it looked very,
very close. On replay, it only looked kind of close. Still, who started it?
The man named Mauro.
A final corner in the dying seconds of injury time gave the Toon army a
reason to stand, but Collins and Tomkins told them to sit back down because
the game was over.
Final score. West Ham 1, Newcastle 0.
We should all be happy for the three points. Considering our strong start to
the season, two draws and a loss from our last three games felt like a
letdown. Add the injuries and Newcastle's fantastic form coming in, a loss
would not have surprised anybody. So a mini crisis has thankfully been
averted.
Or has it?
I'm not trying to bring us down here, but for the second consecutive game
our most influential player was left on the bench at the start of the game.
Why? When asked, I'm sure Sam will give not only an explanation as to why
but also an explanation as to how he was 100% correct to do it. If he does
do that, he will be alone in that thinking. It took great defending and a
lucky bounce to get us the three points today. On another day, we may not be
so lucky. And we have the players to avoid what we saw for long stretches of
the game. I know it. You know it.
I only hope Sam knows it.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 1-0 Newcastle: Hammers return to winning ways thanks to Aaron
Cresswell strike
The Mirror
Aaron Cresswell's first goal for West Ham ended ten-man Newcastle's winning
streak. The 24-year-old left-back, bought for just £2million in the summer -
pounced 11 minutes after half time to end his club's run of three games
without a win. The effort wrecked Newcastle's bid to equal a seven-match
sequence of victories in all competitions last achieved 19 years ago under
Kevin Keegan. Cresswell pounced as Cheikou Kouyate miscued an attempted
drive from just outside the Magpies' box. The ball trickled beyond the
despairing lunge of midfielder Cheick Tiote and Cresswell swept it home for
his first West Ham goal and the 14th of his career. The effort, and the
three points, were well deserved for West Ham. The overall quality of the
match, however, was poor. Newcastle were toothless and showed little
ambition until they fell behind. A difficult afternoon for Alan Pardew's men
was worsened in the second half by the dismissal of Mo Sissoko for two
yellow cards within 60 seconds. His first, in the 75th minute, was for
dissent. Sissoko angrily kicked the ball away in frustration at a decision
not going his way. His second was for a foul on Andy Carroll under the nose
of referee Mike Dean. West Ham had chances to increase their advantage even
further but substitute Mauro Zarate had a curling effort parried by reserve
Toon keeper Rob Elliot and Stewart Downing fired a diagonal late effort
wide.
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Sunday, November 30
Saturday, November 29
Daily WHUFC News - 29th November 2014
Preview - Newcastle United
WHUFC.com
All you need to know about Saturday's fixture with Newcastle United at the
Boleyn Ground
28.11.2014
WEST HAM UNITED v NEWCASTLE UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
BOLEYN GROUND
SATURDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2014
KICK-OFF: 3PM
REFEREE: MIKE DEAN
Match sponsor
Saturday's match sponsor is Romax Solutions, a fast growing Recruitment &
Operation Solutions consultancy with over 20 years combined experience
specialising in two business divisions- Building & Construction and
Facilities Management.
In brief
West Ham United entertain in form Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon as
the Hammers look to bounce back from a 2-1 defeat by Everton last weekend.
The Magpies are currently fifth in the Premier League table having taken 19
points from their eleven league games. After a slow start to their campaign,
Alan Pardew's team have won their last six games, conceding just one goal in
the process.
Sam Allardyce's men are just one place behind, sitting in sixth position
with 18 points. After a great start to the season, the Hammers are looking
for their first win in four games as their results haven't matched their
performances of late.
Come Saturday, there will be several reunions as Alan Pardew returns to the
Boleyn Ground, where he had an three year spell as boss, while Sam Allardyce
and Kevin Nolan face their former employers. Andy Carroll could return, in
what would be his first home start of the season, to face his former club.
Who are they?
Newcastle United have a reputation as one of the biggest clubs in English
football. Created in 1881 when local sides Stanley and Rosewood merged
together, their first taste of glory came in 1898 when they won promotion to
the First Division.
They have been crowned First Division champions four times, way back in
1904/05, 1906/07, 1908/09 and 1926/27. Further glory has come in the form of
the FA Cup which they have won six times, most recently in 1955.
More recently, the Magpies have come close to ending their barren run,
finishing second in 1996 and 1997 as well as being FA Cup runners up in 1998
and 1999.
Team news
West Ham United
Stewart Downing returned to training this week after picking up a knee
injury while on international duty and is in contention to play. Mark Noble
and Cheikhou Kouyate picked up knocks in the last couple of weeks and are
continuing to be assessed.
Diafra Sakho, Alex Song and Enner Valencia are unlikely to feature while
Winston Reid is unavailable through suspension.
Newcastle
The Magpies' injury crisis appears to be lifting as Fabricio Coloccini,
Steven Taylor, Cheik Tiote and Emmanuel Riviere have all returned to
training.
However, exciting prospect Rolando Aarons is out while Ryan Taylor picked up
an injury against Queens Park Rangers.
Newcastle will also be without Siem De Jong (Thigh), Davide Santon (Knee)
and Gabriel Obertan (Hip)
Referee
Saturday's referee is Wirral based Mike Dean. The 46-year-old is one of the
most experienced referees in the country as he made his Premier League debut
14 seasons ago.
The one West Ham game Dean has officiated this season was the disappointing
3-1 home defeat by Southampton in August.
Ominously, in games Dean has taken charge of this season, the home side has
won just once in nine games.
The Assistant Referees are John Brooks and Stuart Burt, while James Adcock
is the Fourth Official.
Statistics
(2014/15 season - Barclays Premier League only)
Matches refereed: 9
Yellow cards shown: 42
Red cards shown: 2
Penalties awarded: 0
One to watch
West Ham United
After completing his first 90 minutes of the season against Everton last
weekend, Andy Carroll could make his first home start of the season against
his boyhood club.
The England International has regained fitness after undergoing from ankle
surgery ahead of schedule and with injuries to fellow strikers Enner
Valencia and Diafra Sakho his chances of featuring are high.
Newcastle
Spanish striker Ayoze Perez has taken to the Premier League like a duck to
water, scoring three goals in the last four games.
The former Tenerife player had a prolific strike rate in the Segunda
Division netting 17 times in 50 appearances. His exploits were rewarded as
he won Breakthrough Player and Best Attacking Midfielder on the 2013/14
season.
At less than £2 million he looks like an absolute steal for the Magpies as
they fended off interest from giants Real Madrid and Barcelona to capture
his signature.
Tickets
Tickets are now sold out. The last remaining tickets for the Hammers next
home game with Swansea City next Saturday are available here.
Weather
Saturday is set to be a sunny day with temperature at kick off is forecast
to be a mild 12C (54F).
Last meeting
West Ham United 1-3 Newcastle United
Barclays Premier League
18 January 2014
Strikes from Yohan Cabaye and Loic Remy put an impressive Newcastle 2-0 up
on their last visit to east London, but Carlton Cole's goal in first-half
injury time gave the Hammers' hope.
Newcastle added their third four minutes into second half injury time when
Cabaye curled a superb free-kick around the wall, off the left post and into
the net.
West Ham United: Adrian, Taylor, Rat, Johnson, Collins, Downing, Noble,
Jarvis (J Cole 73), Diame (Carroll 62), Collison (Morrison 45), Cole
Subs not used: Jaaskelainen, Chambers, Maiga, Diarra
Newcastle: Krul, Williamson, S Taylor, Yanga-Mbiwa, Santon (Dummett 74),
Cabaye, Tiote, Anita (Ameobi 60), Gouffran, Sissoko, Remy (Ben Arfa 78)
Subs not used: Cisse, Obertan, Haidara, Elliot
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam relishing Magpies test
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce says his team is facing the second biggest test in the
Barclays Premier League on Saturday
29.11.2014
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce believes his side face the second
biggest test of all in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday.
In-form Newcastle United visit the Boleyn Ground having won their last six
games and Big Sam says that makes them more dangerous than anyone else in
the division, except for leaders Chelsea. West Ham are looking for a first
victory in four games following defeat to Everton last time out, with
Allardyce looking to the Magpies' recent run as motivation for his team. He
explained: "Alan Pardew's got six wins on the trot and that's a staggering
amount of victories coming from what looked like a low ebb of confidence
from his players. "It shows how quickly it turns one way or another - you
can never rest at this level of football. It will hurt you if you get
complacent.
"They've done magnificently in terms of results and one of the biggest
things he's put right is something we've got to do better at, keeping clean
sheets."
The boss expects to have two members of his squad back from injury, although
having lost a couple more his options are still stretched.
He continued: "I think we'll have Stewart Downing and Cheik Kouyate back and
the fact they're back is very important to us because we've got a suspension
to Winston Reid and we may not have Mark Noble back. "We still have six or
seven who might be missing, so it's a big test for the squad against the
most in-form team in the Premier League, along with Chelsea. "We have the
second most difficult game to win on Saturday, against Newcastle, and it's a
massive game for us to try and win."
Mauro Zarate impressed from the bench at Everton last week and the manager
has challenged the Argentine to produce that level on a regular basis. He
added: "Mauro came on last week and showed his ability. All he has to do is
that on a consistent basis. "If he does that he plays more regularly. The
rotation of strikers we have at the moment is so good - Cole, Carroll,
Valencia, Sakho - it's a wealth of good players. "When you get the
opportunity like he did against Everton, do it again and make it better when
you get the next opportunity.
"Then you will be starting the game and not coming on as a sub. There's
great, great competition, particularly on the front line."
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Phillips ready for Baggies
WHUFC.com
U18s assistant manager wants his team to bounce back against West Brom on
Saturday
28.11.2014
West Ham United U18s assistant manager Mark Phillips is expecting his team
to bounce back from their 4-3 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur when they host
West Bromwich Albion this Saturday at Little Heath. The goal glut began at
Tottenham as the hosts started the second half quickly and scored through
Joe Pritchard's sharp finish. Despite left-back Oscar Borg scoring two
superb free kicks and Jerry Amoo's headed finish from a corner, Tottenham
proved to be too strong as strikes from Anton Walkes, Ismail Azzaoui and
Anthony Georgio sealed the victory. Speaking ahead of Saturday's game,
Phillips said: "If it's anything like when we played them away, on the first
game of the season, I expect a tough physical encounter. Most of their
players tend to be U18 second year players, so they're big and strong."
The Hammers kicked off their league campaign against Albion with a 3-1 away
win with goals from Djair Parfitt-Williams, Grady Diangana and Manny
Onariase. After losing their last two games narrowly, Phillips is hoping the
team can do the double to keep their title chances alive. "Overall this
season we've done well. We've lost the last two games but they've been very
close games which could have gone either way. Also we've had several players
going into the 21s and even the first team which is what it's all about.
"Sam Howes did well against Millwall, he made some good saves when he was
called upon. Another youngster Josh Pask was one of the best players on the
pitch I thought. Manny did well too. Then you've got Reece Oxford, still
only an U16, and Alex Pike making his U21 debut recently. Everyone who has
gone up an age level has done well which is excellent to see."
The Hammers will be boosted by the news that top goalscorer Jordan Brown
could return to action after several weeks out through injury.
"Jordan Brown is in contention to be back after several weeks out injured.
Brown can probably play a half, it depends how he feels and what the physio
says. He's been back in training recently and been running well which is
obviously a good sign."
West Ham United U18s play West Bromwich Albion this Saturday at Little
Heath. Kick off is at 12pm.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
New Stadium Newsletter - No.5
WHUFC.com
The first roof panel was lifted into place at our new home in Queen
Elizabeth Olympic Park
28.11.2014
Raising the roof at West Ham's new home
Another major milestone has been reached in the transformation of the former
Olympic Stadium into West Ham United's stunning new home, as the first piece
of panelling in the record-breaking roof has been lifted into place. The new
roof will be split into two sections, a solid rear section and a translucent
forward section. When complete, it will be twice the size of the original at
around 45,000 square metres and, at its deepest point of 84 metres, it will
become the longest cantilevered roof in the world. West Ham United
Vice-Chairman Karren Brady welcomed the development, saying: "This marks
another significant milestone on the road to 2016, when the transformation
of this magnificent Stadium will be complete and it will be ready to host
its first West Ham match. The roof is just one of the superb features that
will make our new home one of the greatest stadiums in world football and a
fitting legacy for the venue that did Britain so proud in 2012." Compared to
the 2012 Games, when 40 per cent of spectators were exposed to the elements,
the new roof will cover every seat in the Stadium. This landmark development
comes after months of preparatory work on the roof's support structure by
Balfour Beatty, including the installation of eight kilometres of cable net
weighing 930 tonnes, and steel rafters up to 38 metres in length.
Stuart Fraser, Balfour Beatty project director and lifelong West Ham fan,
explains: "It will be magnificent when it's finished, but it had to be done
properly. Because there's a lot more weight and it's twice as deep, it puts
an enormous load on the old truss, so that had to be strengthened first."
Aside from the roof's sheer size, Stuart is proud of its many cutting-edge
design features, including the preservation of the triangular-style
floodlights that proved so popular during the 2012 Games. "The lighting
towers sitting on the old roof had to come down, but we're reincorporating
the lamps underneath the roof rather than on top. That should provide
tremendous illumination to the field of play."
The roof has also been designed to improve acoustics and the spectator
experience for football matches, just as Populous project architect Mark
Craine confirms. This new roof design will create a much more focused noise
and atmosphere in the seating bowl because it's a solid roof. What it will
do, is it will focus all of the noise between the tier and the roof and
really accentuate the noise, particularly from the upper tier and force it
forward towards the pitch and field of play. "The noise that will be created
should be quite dramatic. We always intended the seating bowl to be a very
intimate seating bowl and it was for the Olympics, even with a fabric roof
on. But now that part of the roof is turning solid the noise will be
accentuated far more than it previously was."
First-team trio Mark Noble, Andy Carroll and Adrian recently visited the new
Stadium site to see the transformation work for themselves, and they were
hugely impressed by what they saw. Noble said: "To see the roof, the size
that it's going to be - I'm told it's going to be the biggest in the world
by square footage - it's quite incredible. It's going to be amazing when
it's done. "I've been here every step of the way and it looks incredible to
see the work that's being done. It's an amazing Stadium and it's only two
years away, so it's something to look forward to. The boys are buzzing about
it."
It will take 26 weeks to install all of the roof panels, and work on the
roof and the brand new floodlights that it will support will be fully
completed by autumn 2015. You can watch the installation of the roof as it
happens on our special time-lapse cameras installed in the Stadium at
http://whufc.london/.
While work continues apace inside the former Olympic Stadium to ready it for
West Ham United's arrival, the area around the ground is also being upgraded
to make sure it looks and feels unmistakably like the home of the Hammers.
As part of the transformation, we now have a fantastic opportunity to offer
fans the chance to add their permanent memories in Queen Elizabeth Olympic
Park, through personalised message stones.
The plan is to create a new landscaped walkway area to the north of the new
Stadium, called 'Champions Place', with sections dedicated to various
legends from West Ham's illustrious history. The larger Legends Stones will
have fan's tributes placed around them so their messages will be
immortalised alongside some of West Ham's greatest players.
Personalised messages can be anything; personal memorable dates, or matches
and highlights from West Ham's history. Whatever the message, each stone
will be a proud part of the new historic landmark for all Hammers fans to
visit once the Stadium re-opens as the Club's new home in August 2016.
As revealed in the last newsletter, proposed plans also include the
relocation of the famous bronze Champions Sculpture of West Ham legends
Bobby Moore, Sir Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters and their England team mate
Ray Wilson celebrating their 1966 World Cup triumph. As well as our 1966
heroes, other legends to be remembered at the site will be Sir Trevor
Brooking, Billy Bonds, Phil Parkes, Ray Stewart, Julian Dicks, Alvin Martin
and Alan Devonshire.
The Champions Place stones are on sale from Wednesday 3 December in three
different sizes and start from £60 each, making them an ideal Christmas gift
for any Hammers fan dear to you, or just a great way to celebrate your own
love for the Club.
Purchase your personalised stone as a Christmas gift anytime and you will
receive an email acknowledgement with a Champions Place certificate that you
can present or email as your gift to the lucky recipient. If you are buying
for someone else and you would like them to choose their own message, gift
vouchers are available to be purchased online. Replica stones are also
available may also be purchased to proudly display at home.
West Ham's move to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity for the Club and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to
become a permanent part of it with a lasting Champions Place Stone.
Champions Place Stones go on sale 3 December at
www.championsplace.whufc.com.
New Stadium Questions
Thanks to the many hundreds of you who have so far responded to our
invitation to send in questions about the new Stadium. Our article in the
last newsletter about plans to relocate the Champions Sculpture had many of
you asking about the future of other elements of the Boleyn Ground
architecture and what would be travelling with us. So here are answers to
some of your most common questions:
Will the commemorative bricks also be coming?
Yes. All of the names and messages on the commemorative bricks currently in
place at the Boleyn Ground will be transferred, and as reported above, there
are also plans to offer the opportunity to buy new personalised message
stones at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
What else will be coming with West Ham to the new Stadium?
The exact details are still under discussion, but key items like
commemorative plaques for Club legends and the West Ham Pals Battalion will
certainly be included. Many other items will be included in a special
auction so that fans can buy them as mementoes. We will be announcing
further details on the auction next year.
What will happen to the Remembrance Garden?
Under the redevelopment plans for the Boleyn Ground the Galliard Group
intend to preserve and protect the Remembrance Garden so relatives and
friends of loved ones can continue to come and pay their respects at the
site. Over the coming months we will be reaching out to those who have a
vested interest in the site to ensure that you have all the information you
need to be able to feed into the Galliard Group's consultation and planning
process.
Please keep your questions coming by email to
newstadium@westhamunited.co.uk. We look forward to answering more of the
most popular ones in the next newsletter.
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Mediawatch - 29 November
WHUFC.com
Our daily look at West Ham United in the news
29.11.2014
The Evening Standard carries an artlcle on Adrian, Andy Carroll and Mark
Noble visiting the Olympic Stadium to witness the first roof panels being
lifted into place.
The Sun's (£) match preview focuses on the head-to-head battle between Sam
Allardyce and Alan Pardew.
Also in the Sun (£), the manager says James Tomkins will learn from his
incident with Everton's Kevin Mirallas last weekend.
Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul could miss out on Saturday's game after
suffering an ankle injury in training, according to the Sun (£).
Alan Pardew says in the Guardian that West Ham made the best signings during
the summer transfer window.
Finally, the Mirror suggest that West Ham and Swansea are interested in
Barcelona starlet Munir El Haddadi.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Agents fees
WHUFC.com
West Ham United have published fees paid to Agents in 2013/14
28.11.2014
Payments to Agents - 2013/14
Total amount paid to agents in the period 1 October 2013 to 30 September
2014: £6,380,339.31. This included three loan signings in January and nine
arrivals during the summer.
Explanatory Note: The amount shown is the aggregate of all payments made to
Agents during the reporting period for agency activity, including payments
made by the Club on behalf of Players. The total amount paid to agents for
2012/13 was £4,169,134.09
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham v Newcastle
KO 15:00
28 November 2014
Last updated at 12:28
By Jonathan Pearce
BBC Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday, 29 November
TEAM NEWS
Stewart Downing and Cheikhou Kouyate are expected to return for West Ham
after missing the defeat by Everton. However, Alex Song, Diafra Sakho, Enner
Valencia and Mark Noble could all miss out because of injury, while Winston
Reid is suspended.
Newcastle captain Fabricio Coloccini could be involved after returning to
training along with Steven Taylor, Emmanuel Riviere and Cheick Tiote.
Rolando Aarons won't return until next week, while Tim Krul is doubtful.
MATCH PREVIEW
There can't be a football fan in the country who doesn't feel sorry for Ryan
Taylor. Another knee injury picked up in his first start since March 2012
could keep him out until the New Year. He's one of nine important players
who have been on the Newcastle treatment table.
With that in mind, Alan Pardew and his team deserve tremendous credit for
the six-match winning run in all competitions that has hauled them from 18th
to the top five. It's their best league run since spring 2012 when they won
six matches on the spin.
Pardew will know exactly what to expect, though, back at the club he took to
within seconds of winning the 2006 FA Cup.
Lawro's prediction
"Five wins in a row have seen Newcastle surge into fifth, one spot above
West Ham, but I see both teams ending up nearer mid-table than where they
are right now."
Predictions: Lawro v Henning Wehn
Liverpool and Manchester City have already been put to the sword at Upton
Park this season and the Hammers are still angry about defeat at Everton
last weekend - their first in six matches - when the first home goal looked
offside.
Andy Carroll got through his initial 90 minutes of the season there. Twice a
scorer for Newcastle against the Irons, he could wreak havoc against his old
club's patched-up defence. He linked well with second-half substitute Mauro
Zarate, who was really busy and fizzy playing behind the front man.
If Downing, Song, Sakho and Valencia are all fit again, West Ham will have
strength, creativity, firepower and options. Newcastle have the in-form
Moussa Sissoko, but on paper their injuries could leave them too
weakened…unless their new-found spirit pulls them through.
In harsh black and white it all looked hopeless for Pardew and Sam Allardyce
a few months ago. I certainly didn't predict a top-six clash here and I
can't predict the outcome either. Anything can happen.
But one thing is for certain. If Mark Noble is fit and picked to create a
new club record of 205 Premier League appearances, he'll give 100 per cent.
He always has. He always will. I'm a big fan. Well done Mark!
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Newcastle are unbeaten in their last three visits to West Ham (W2, D1).
The Hammers have only won one of their previous eight meetings with
Newcastle at Upton Park (D3, L4).
West Ham
West Ham have won three of their previous four league matches at home, while
the other match was a draw.
Their defeat by Everton last weekend was their first in six league games,
although they are without a win in three.
They have only kept two clean sheets this season - both were at Upton Park.
Carlton Cole has scored in three of his last four league matches against
Newcastle.
Newcastle United
Newcastle have won their last six matches in all competitions. Their five
straight victories in the Premier League is the best run by any club this
season.
They have only conceded one goal during that winning run.
The last time they recorded six straight Premier League wins was in April
2012.
Alan Pardew's side are looking for a third straight league victory away from
home - something they last achieved in the Premier League in December 2001,
when they were top of the table.
Eleven of Newcastle's 14 league goals this season have come in the second
half.
The Magpies won four out of four league matches in November last year and
they have won three out of three so far this season.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Olympic Stadium: Work starts on new roof
BBC.co.uk
Work has begun to install a new roof on the Olympic Stadium as part of a
£190m transformation of the east London venue. At twice the size of the
previous roof, it weighs more than 6,000 tonnes and will cover every seat in
the stadium. The roof is designed to improve acoustics and will be ready in
time for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The structure covers 45,000 sq m and is
believed to be the largest cantilevered roof in the world. Stuart Fraser,
stadium transfer project director for construction company Balfour Beatty,
which is installing the roof, said the stadium was "technically
challenging". New floodlights will be installed, along with hospitality
suites, toilets and turnstile areas. Costs have risen by £36m because of the
need to strengthen existing steelwork. Work on the stadium is due to be
completed in spring 2015, and Premier league team West Ham United are set to
move to the arena in 2016.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce says West Ham must be at their best to beat Newcastle
Last Updated: 28/11/14 4:10pm
SSN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce says he thinks Newcastle are the toughest
team to face in the Premier League at the moment other than leaders Chelsea.
Newcastle visit Upton Park on Saturday and are looking for a seventh league
win in a row, having risen to fifth in the table after a shaky start which
had fans calling for the sacking of manager Alan Pardew. "Alan has got
better results than we have had recently and he has turned the corner," said
Allardyce. "Apart from Chelsea, we have the most difficult game to play on
Saturday because it's six wins on a trot they (Newcastle) have gained." "He
has fitted in a lot of new players. They have gelled together and they have
massive confidence back, which is always lacking in a team when they don't
get results. "Apart from Chelsea, we have the most difficult game to play on
Saturday because it's six wins on a trot they have gained.
Problems
"We will have to play like we know we can, like we did (in home wins)
against Manchester City and Liverpool, and hopefully that will be enough to
cause them problems. "Our cutting edge in the last two games has gone
missing and that is one of the reasons we have stopped winning. We have to
find that again."
Sam Allardyce says he can understand why the FA charged West Ham and Everton
over their players not conducting themselves in an orderly fashion West Ham
went through a difficult period last season and Allardyce reflected on the
fact he and Pardew had cause to be grateful for working with patient owners.
"It has been pretty good across the board this season in the Premier
League," said Allardyce. "I don't think any manager has lost their job yet.
"Under the circumstances, we, as managers, all look at November as 'Black
November'. That is normally when it starts. One (sacking) can escalate into
two or three. "If it is your fault, then that is fine. If it is not, then
you have to hope the results turn sooner because you can't last forever
without results." "Particularly myself and Alan have had a little bit of
patience from the owners. They have understood the position. "From my point
of view, I communicate with owners on a regular basis and debate how the
situation is, and ask them to understand what it is.
Patient
"If it is your fault, then that is fine. If it is not, then you have to hope
the results turn sooner because you can't last forever without results, no
matter how patient the owners are." West Ham forward Diafra Sakho is
doubtful because of a back problem, so Andy Carroll could be set to face his
former club. The club record signing has just returned to match fitness
after ankle surgery and Allardyce said: "He is in the process of completing
the pre-season and is evolving his game at the top level, and that will
hopefully allow him the time to catch up on his match fitness. "The longer
he stays fit, the more matches he gets, the sharper he gets. The sharper he
gets, the better player he becomes."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham look to halt Newcastle's winning run at Upton Park
Last Updated: 29/11/14 9:25am
SSN
Sam Allardyce saw his side lose 2-1 at Everton last weekend. Newcastle
United will be aiming to extend their winning streak to six matches when
they travel to West Ham United on Saturday. Alan Pardew's side have
recovered from a poor start to the season in spectacular fashion by reeling
off five Premier League wins in a row. They have kept a clean sheet in all
but one of those victories and are now on the brink of breaking into the top
four.
West Ham are just a point behind Newcastle in the table but have been unable
to win games at the same rate as the Magpies recently. Following their 2-1
defeat at Everton last time out, the Hammers have now gone three league
matches without a win for the first time since April.
They have also only won two of their last 17 Premier League matches against
the Magpies, but manager Sam Allardyce is not worried by their form. "I
think our performances have been good enough," he said. "I think this is the
best form we've been in since I joined the club. Only two performances have
been below what we expect, the Southampton game at home and the Stoke City
away."
Team news
West Ham will be without defender Winston Reid through suspension but
midfielders Stewart Downing and Cheikhou Kouyate (both knee) have both
returned to training. Top scorer Diafra Sakho (back) remains doubtful so
Andy Carroll could face his former club, while Alex Song, Mark Noble and
Enner Valencia are also fitness concerns with minor knocks.
Newcastle defenders Fabricio Coloccini (calf) and Steven Taylor (knee) face
late fitness tests along with Manu Rivere and Cheick Tiote. If Taylor and
Coloccini are ruled out then Paul Dummett and Mike Williamson could be their
replacements in the backline.
Rolando Aarons (hamstring) will not be ready to return from injury and Ryan
Taylor will also miss out after being taken off with a knee injury against
QPR.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has revealed Ryan Taylor's latest injury is
not as bad as first feared. Keeper Tim Krul could be a doubt after picking
up a training ground knock and Mehdi Abeid (toe), Davide Santon (knee), Siem
de Jong and Gabriel Obertan (both thigh) are unavailable.
Provisional squads
West Ham provisional squad: Adrian, Cresswell, Tomkins, Collins, Jenkinson,
Noble, Amalfitano, Nolan, Downing, Valencia, Carroll, Jaaskelainen, Demel,
O'Brien, Song, Sakho, Zarate, Jarvis, Vaz Te.
Newcastle provisional squad: Krul, Elliot, Alnwick, Janmaat, Dummett,
Williamson, Coloccini, S. Taylor, Streete, Haidara, Tiote, Anita, Sissoko,
Colback, Cabella, Gouffran, Ameobi, Riviere, Cisse, Perez, Armstrong,
Ferreyra.
Carlton Cole has scored in three of his last four Premier League matches
against Newcastle.
Merson's prediction
I watched West Ham last week at Everton and I thought they were bang
unlucky. I thought they were decent. They should have at least got a draw
out of the game. They had a lot injuries - Sakho, and Valencia didn't play
and Carroll played up front. Downing was out last week as well and he'll be
back, he's a big player them.
Was it a blessing in disguise they lost? Maybe. If they had won that game
and Carroll and Nolan played well, what happens this week? Do they play
again and then we're back to last season's team? Look what happened last
season when the crowd were on their backs and they didn't win but the team
played well, so do you go and put the big boys back in again? I know they're
on a roll Newcastle, but I can't see anything but a West Ham win this week.
West Ham striker Diafra Sakho looks set to miss the match.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1
Opta stats
Carlton Cole has scored in three of his last four Barclays Premier League
matches against Newcastle United.
Newcastle have won four and lost just one of their last eight Premier League
visits to Upton Park.
West Ham have lost both games that Kevin Nolan has started this season.
Newcastle are the only team not to score a single goal in the opening 30
minutes of a Premier League game this season.
Betting
West Ham are favourites at 11/10 to take the win with Sky Bet with Newcastle
available at 12/5 – the same price as the draw. If you fancy backing Paul
Merson's prediction of 2-1 to the Hammers then that is 15/2. Head to
www.skybet.com for the latest odds.
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est Ham and Swansea keen on January loan for Barcelona starlet Munir El
Haddadi
Nov 28, 2014 22:30 By John Cross
The Spaniard, who made his international debut for Spain earlier this
season, is seen as one of the brightest young stars at the Nou Camp but
could move short-term
The Mirror
Barcelona are fielding calls from the Premier League about taking Munir El
Haddadi on loan in January. The Catalan giants have had enquiries from
Swansea and West Ham as well as Ajax for the talented 19-year-old. The
Spaniard, who made his international debut for Spain earlier this season, is
seen as one of the brightest rising stars at the Nou Camp. But with playing
time limited in the Barca first team he could leave in the winter window.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Not stuck on the Toffees
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 29th November 2014
By: Paul Walker
Whatever happens with the FA and their charge that followed the scenes at
Everton last weekend, you sense that this is going to be something that
rumbles on and on.
Not so much because of the nature of that charge, both clubs are going to be
fined and warned over future conduct, no doubt, but more so the relationship
between West Ham and Everton in the future.
Because there was a lot more going on that day than just a few handbags and
James Tomkins behaving like a daft schoolgirl..what was he thinking?
It has emerged that in the build-up to the incident, West Ham players were
actually asking that seriously pretentious referee Mark Clattenburg for
PROTECTION from Everton tackles. Now this is a man's game and our lot can
look after themselves, but when you have to turn to the referee for help,
there is a much more deep rooted problem.
And that Clattenburg failed so dismally to protect our players from some
seriously dangerous play is a bad taste that is going to hang around for a
long time. You can bet our crowd will not be signing "We want Mark
Clattenburg" much in the future, even if that was a rather ironic call after
some seriously dodgy refereeing last term.
And the situation has not been helped by the media coverage of the game, in
particular that coming from the seriously biased Liverpool media, and
believe me, I know, because I used to work amongst them.
The problem with Liverpool media is that they almost all are local and have
an allegiance to one or other of the Merseyside clubs, much like the Glasgow
media and their seriously warped coverage of Celtic and Rangers affairs.
Like in Glasgow, the reporters can be parochial, defensive and prepared to
attack anyone who has a go at the Scouse nation.
The Mersey boys have let Roberto Martinez and some Everton players have the
opportunity to insist that Ross Barkley is not a diver. Sorry, but isn't
that what he did? He dived, outrageously, and Martinez has tried to claim
that he had been kicked too often and was anticipating another boot. Utter
rubbish.
At least at our end we have collectively condemned Tomkins for his
ridiculous face-clutching antics, nobody has tried to gloss over the
situation. Big Sam has said nothing in trying to support his young defender,
and infact it has emerged that the Basildon lad received a severe dressing
down after the game and was told his actions were not something West Ham
wish to be associated with.
It was frankly, shocking and something I do not expect to see coming from a
West Ham player. But have Everton admonished Barkley, like hell they
haven't, just pathetic words from Martinez.
If the Boleyn crowd considers chanting "Are you Flores in disguise" on
Saturday at the Newcastle game, it will be nothing short of what Tomkins
deserves. It was cheating of the worst level and he was lucky not to get a
red card.
But somehow Everton seem to be trying to exonerate Barkley from blame for
his part in a generally nasty day, by suggesting we were kicking him, and
pleading for forgiveness for their little innocent.
And as for Clattenburg and his officials, there was even one Merseyside
reporter in the Mail who was trying to suggest that Romelu Lukaku was
somehow not offside when he 'scored' in the first-half, something about
second and third phase play.
Nonsense, Clattenburg wasn't to blame, his blind lino was. The Belgian was
so blatantly offside it was beyond argument. Not like the goal Kevin Nolan
had disallowed at Manchester United, when he was inches offside. You have
seen those given to a home side, but rarely an away team.
As for Saturday's terrible decision, it was so far offside even home teams
rarely get those given..unless it's Everton and the bear-pit that is
Goodison Park. One scared lino, it seems.
What must not be forgotten is that our players were reacting two a couple of
very nasty challenges on Morgan Amalfitano and one bad raking on the back of
Mark Noble's calf. All three tackles were late, high, didn't touch the ball
and dangerous. But Clattenburg didn't react, and two possible red cards that
may well have been given elsewhere, were not administered.
James McCarthy and Kevin Mirallas should have been sent off, but was
Clattenburg brave enough to reduce Everton to nine men on their own pitch?
Not a chance.
That was the background to what happened, and the cause of the rumpus that
has seen the FA take some belated action. Maybe they should take a closer
look at the performance of the officials who failed to rule out one of
Everton's goals and allowed two hatchet men to stay on the pitch.
Now sadly, I can seen the antagonism between the players carried over into
their next meeting. Apart from Tomkins' behaviour, we were very much the
wronged party last weekend--even Reid's booking when he was trying to calm
the situation, seemed harsh. But you can bet that Everton and their media
mates will do everything they can to push the blame our way.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham made best signings last summer, says Newcastle's Alan Pardew
• Both managers face their former employers on Saturday
• Newcastle were interested in Enner Valencia, says Pardew
• Pardew: from man on the brink to miracle worker
• Pardew praises Andy Carroll before return to West Ham
Louise Taylor
The Guardian, Friday 28 November 2014 22.30 GMT
Like Alan Pardew at Newcastle United, Sam Allardyce knows all about being
the subject of crowd abuse and has served his time as a favourite for the
sack.
According to popular pre-season predictions neither manager was supposed to
still be in post but instead Allardyce's reinvented West Ham United host
Newcastle with European qualification a realistic mutual aim.
The match will be spiced by assorted sub-plots. While Allardyce once managed
at St James' Park, Pardew led West Ham to the FA Cup final. Then there's the
presence of the Newcastle old boys Andy Carroll – a striker much coveted by
the visiting manager – and Kevin Nolan in the Upton Park ranks.
"It's a special game and should make for a great occasion," says Pardew
whose rejuvenated team hope to record a sixth straight Premier League win
and seventh in all competitions. "I have a lot of love for West Ham and
their fans. They can be quite cutting down there but, generally, they're
brilliant."
There is little affection for Allardyce on Tyneside but Pardew does not
share this negative consensus. "Sam knows what it takes to win in the
Premier League and is adaptable," he says. "I look forward to clashing
swords with him because his teams always test you. He's taken West Ham
forward this year in terms of their style of play. With the options Sam now
has, they're in for a big season."
Whereas Pardew has largely rebuilt Newcastle around a nucleus of academy
graduates and existing players rather than his seven summer signings, the
close season acquisition of several newcomers including Enner Valencia, Carl
Jenkinson, Morgan Amalfitano and Aaron Cresswell has been pivotal to the
upturn in Allardyce's fortunes.
"I think West Ham made, pound for pound, the best signings of any team in
the summer," Pardew says. "Although our new players have made an impact –
particularly Jack Colback, Ayoze Pérez and Daryl Janmaat – our real strength
this season has come from within, from Sammy Ameobi, Rolando Aarons and Paul
Dummett, from guys who have pushed up a little notch."
Newcastle's radical improvement does not prevent him casting an envious eye
at Allardyce's recruits. "We were interested in Valencia, although not to
the point where it got close. But West Ham's market is our market and all of
those players are players we perhaps should have moved on because they've
done very well. That's testament to their scouting team and the manager for
picking them off."
If Newcastle's recent signings policy has left something to be desired, the
team are, as Pardew puts it, "in a very good place". "I had a good run at
Reading but I'm not sure if I've ever done seven straight wins. We're on a
kind of unique run and it's surprised even me. We look strong defensively
[Newcastle have kept four successive clean sheets] and are an almost
constant threat.
"I think the longevity of my contract – [Pardew signed a highly
controversial eight-year deal in September 2012] – helps because these
players know me and I know them. But Paul Dummett's been a big part of the
run; he's come in at left-back, then centre-back and been fantastic."
Whatever Saturday's result at Upton Park, recent events have made a nonsense
of the calls for both his and Allardyce's heads. "The criticism you get as a
Premier League manager is sometimes very harsh, very personal," Pardew says.
"You have to be big enough to handle that. Even though you might not like
it, you have to deal with it."
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WHUFC.com
All you need to know about Saturday's fixture with Newcastle United at the
Boleyn Ground
28.11.2014
WEST HAM UNITED v NEWCASTLE UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
BOLEYN GROUND
SATURDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2014
KICK-OFF: 3PM
REFEREE: MIKE DEAN
Match sponsor
Saturday's match sponsor is Romax Solutions, a fast growing Recruitment &
Operation Solutions consultancy with over 20 years combined experience
specialising in two business divisions- Building & Construction and
Facilities Management.
In brief
West Ham United entertain in form Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon as
the Hammers look to bounce back from a 2-1 defeat by Everton last weekend.
The Magpies are currently fifth in the Premier League table having taken 19
points from their eleven league games. After a slow start to their campaign,
Alan Pardew's team have won their last six games, conceding just one goal in
the process.
Sam Allardyce's men are just one place behind, sitting in sixth position
with 18 points. After a great start to the season, the Hammers are looking
for their first win in four games as their results haven't matched their
performances of late.
Come Saturday, there will be several reunions as Alan Pardew returns to the
Boleyn Ground, where he had an three year spell as boss, while Sam Allardyce
and Kevin Nolan face their former employers. Andy Carroll could return, in
what would be his first home start of the season, to face his former club.
Who are they?
Newcastle United have a reputation as one of the biggest clubs in English
football. Created in 1881 when local sides Stanley and Rosewood merged
together, their first taste of glory came in 1898 when they won promotion to
the First Division.
They have been crowned First Division champions four times, way back in
1904/05, 1906/07, 1908/09 and 1926/27. Further glory has come in the form of
the FA Cup which they have won six times, most recently in 1955.
More recently, the Magpies have come close to ending their barren run,
finishing second in 1996 and 1997 as well as being FA Cup runners up in 1998
and 1999.
Team news
West Ham United
Stewart Downing returned to training this week after picking up a knee
injury while on international duty and is in contention to play. Mark Noble
and Cheikhou Kouyate picked up knocks in the last couple of weeks and are
continuing to be assessed.
Diafra Sakho, Alex Song and Enner Valencia are unlikely to feature while
Winston Reid is unavailable through suspension.
Newcastle
The Magpies' injury crisis appears to be lifting as Fabricio Coloccini,
Steven Taylor, Cheik Tiote and Emmanuel Riviere have all returned to
training.
However, exciting prospect Rolando Aarons is out while Ryan Taylor picked up
an injury against Queens Park Rangers.
Newcastle will also be without Siem De Jong (Thigh), Davide Santon (Knee)
and Gabriel Obertan (Hip)
Referee
Saturday's referee is Wirral based Mike Dean. The 46-year-old is one of the
most experienced referees in the country as he made his Premier League debut
14 seasons ago.
The one West Ham game Dean has officiated this season was the disappointing
3-1 home defeat by Southampton in August.
Ominously, in games Dean has taken charge of this season, the home side has
won just once in nine games.
The Assistant Referees are John Brooks and Stuart Burt, while James Adcock
is the Fourth Official.
Statistics
(2014/15 season - Barclays Premier League only)
Matches refereed: 9
Yellow cards shown: 42
Red cards shown: 2
Penalties awarded: 0
One to watch
West Ham United
After completing his first 90 minutes of the season against Everton last
weekend, Andy Carroll could make his first home start of the season against
his boyhood club.
The England International has regained fitness after undergoing from ankle
surgery ahead of schedule and with injuries to fellow strikers Enner
Valencia and Diafra Sakho his chances of featuring are high.
Newcastle
Spanish striker Ayoze Perez has taken to the Premier League like a duck to
water, scoring three goals in the last four games.
The former Tenerife player had a prolific strike rate in the Segunda
Division netting 17 times in 50 appearances. His exploits were rewarded as
he won Breakthrough Player and Best Attacking Midfielder on the 2013/14
season.
At less than £2 million he looks like an absolute steal for the Magpies as
they fended off interest from giants Real Madrid and Barcelona to capture
his signature.
Tickets
Tickets are now sold out. The last remaining tickets for the Hammers next
home game with Swansea City next Saturday are available here.
Weather
Saturday is set to be a sunny day with temperature at kick off is forecast
to be a mild 12C (54F).
Last meeting
West Ham United 1-3 Newcastle United
Barclays Premier League
18 January 2014
Strikes from Yohan Cabaye and Loic Remy put an impressive Newcastle 2-0 up
on their last visit to east London, but Carlton Cole's goal in first-half
injury time gave the Hammers' hope.
Newcastle added their third four minutes into second half injury time when
Cabaye curled a superb free-kick around the wall, off the left post and into
the net.
West Ham United: Adrian, Taylor, Rat, Johnson, Collins, Downing, Noble,
Jarvis (J Cole 73), Diame (Carroll 62), Collison (Morrison 45), Cole
Subs not used: Jaaskelainen, Chambers, Maiga, Diarra
Newcastle: Krul, Williamson, S Taylor, Yanga-Mbiwa, Santon (Dummett 74),
Cabaye, Tiote, Anita (Ameobi 60), Gouffran, Sissoko, Remy (Ben Arfa 78)
Subs not used: Cisse, Obertan, Haidara, Elliot
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Big Sam relishing Magpies test
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce says his team is facing the second biggest test in the
Barclays Premier League on Saturday
29.11.2014
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce believes his side face the second
biggest test of all in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday.
In-form Newcastle United visit the Boleyn Ground having won their last six
games and Big Sam says that makes them more dangerous than anyone else in
the division, except for leaders Chelsea. West Ham are looking for a first
victory in four games following defeat to Everton last time out, with
Allardyce looking to the Magpies' recent run as motivation for his team. He
explained: "Alan Pardew's got six wins on the trot and that's a staggering
amount of victories coming from what looked like a low ebb of confidence
from his players. "It shows how quickly it turns one way or another - you
can never rest at this level of football. It will hurt you if you get
complacent.
"They've done magnificently in terms of results and one of the biggest
things he's put right is something we've got to do better at, keeping clean
sheets."
The boss expects to have two members of his squad back from injury, although
having lost a couple more his options are still stretched.
He continued: "I think we'll have Stewart Downing and Cheik Kouyate back and
the fact they're back is very important to us because we've got a suspension
to Winston Reid and we may not have Mark Noble back. "We still have six or
seven who might be missing, so it's a big test for the squad against the
most in-form team in the Premier League, along with Chelsea. "We have the
second most difficult game to win on Saturday, against Newcastle, and it's a
massive game for us to try and win."
Mauro Zarate impressed from the bench at Everton last week and the manager
has challenged the Argentine to produce that level on a regular basis. He
added: "Mauro came on last week and showed his ability. All he has to do is
that on a consistent basis. "If he does that he plays more regularly. The
rotation of strikers we have at the moment is so good - Cole, Carroll,
Valencia, Sakho - it's a wealth of good players. "When you get the
opportunity like he did against Everton, do it again and make it better when
you get the next opportunity.
"Then you will be starting the game and not coming on as a sub. There's
great, great competition, particularly on the front line."
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Phillips ready for Baggies
WHUFC.com
U18s assistant manager wants his team to bounce back against West Brom on
Saturday
28.11.2014
West Ham United U18s assistant manager Mark Phillips is expecting his team
to bounce back from their 4-3 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur when they host
West Bromwich Albion this Saturday at Little Heath. The goal glut began at
Tottenham as the hosts started the second half quickly and scored through
Joe Pritchard's sharp finish. Despite left-back Oscar Borg scoring two
superb free kicks and Jerry Amoo's headed finish from a corner, Tottenham
proved to be too strong as strikes from Anton Walkes, Ismail Azzaoui and
Anthony Georgio sealed the victory. Speaking ahead of Saturday's game,
Phillips said: "If it's anything like when we played them away, on the first
game of the season, I expect a tough physical encounter. Most of their
players tend to be U18 second year players, so they're big and strong."
The Hammers kicked off their league campaign against Albion with a 3-1 away
win with goals from Djair Parfitt-Williams, Grady Diangana and Manny
Onariase. After losing their last two games narrowly, Phillips is hoping the
team can do the double to keep their title chances alive. "Overall this
season we've done well. We've lost the last two games but they've been very
close games which could have gone either way. Also we've had several players
going into the 21s and even the first team which is what it's all about.
"Sam Howes did well against Millwall, he made some good saves when he was
called upon. Another youngster Josh Pask was one of the best players on the
pitch I thought. Manny did well too. Then you've got Reece Oxford, still
only an U16, and Alex Pike making his U21 debut recently. Everyone who has
gone up an age level has done well which is excellent to see."
The Hammers will be boosted by the news that top goalscorer Jordan Brown
could return to action after several weeks out through injury.
"Jordan Brown is in contention to be back after several weeks out injured.
Brown can probably play a half, it depends how he feels and what the physio
says. He's been back in training recently and been running well which is
obviously a good sign."
West Ham United U18s play West Bromwich Albion this Saturday at Little
Heath. Kick off is at 12pm.
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New Stadium Newsletter - No.5
WHUFC.com
The first roof panel was lifted into place at our new home in Queen
Elizabeth Olympic Park
28.11.2014
Raising the roof at West Ham's new home
Another major milestone has been reached in the transformation of the former
Olympic Stadium into West Ham United's stunning new home, as the first piece
of panelling in the record-breaking roof has been lifted into place. The new
roof will be split into two sections, a solid rear section and a translucent
forward section. When complete, it will be twice the size of the original at
around 45,000 square metres and, at its deepest point of 84 metres, it will
become the longest cantilevered roof in the world. West Ham United
Vice-Chairman Karren Brady welcomed the development, saying: "This marks
another significant milestone on the road to 2016, when the transformation
of this magnificent Stadium will be complete and it will be ready to host
its first West Ham match. The roof is just one of the superb features that
will make our new home one of the greatest stadiums in world football and a
fitting legacy for the venue that did Britain so proud in 2012." Compared to
the 2012 Games, when 40 per cent of spectators were exposed to the elements,
the new roof will cover every seat in the Stadium. This landmark development
comes after months of preparatory work on the roof's support structure by
Balfour Beatty, including the installation of eight kilometres of cable net
weighing 930 tonnes, and steel rafters up to 38 metres in length.
Stuart Fraser, Balfour Beatty project director and lifelong West Ham fan,
explains: "It will be magnificent when it's finished, but it had to be done
properly. Because there's a lot more weight and it's twice as deep, it puts
an enormous load on the old truss, so that had to be strengthened first."
Aside from the roof's sheer size, Stuart is proud of its many cutting-edge
design features, including the preservation of the triangular-style
floodlights that proved so popular during the 2012 Games. "The lighting
towers sitting on the old roof had to come down, but we're reincorporating
the lamps underneath the roof rather than on top. That should provide
tremendous illumination to the field of play."
The roof has also been designed to improve acoustics and the spectator
experience for football matches, just as Populous project architect Mark
Craine confirms. This new roof design will create a much more focused noise
and atmosphere in the seating bowl because it's a solid roof. What it will
do, is it will focus all of the noise between the tier and the roof and
really accentuate the noise, particularly from the upper tier and force it
forward towards the pitch and field of play. "The noise that will be created
should be quite dramatic. We always intended the seating bowl to be a very
intimate seating bowl and it was for the Olympics, even with a fabric roof
on. But now that part of the roof is turning solid the noise will be
accentuated far more than it previously was."
First-team trio Mark Noble, Andy Carroll and Adrian recently visited the new
Stadium site to see the transformation work for themselves, and they were
hugely impressed by what they saw. Noble said: "To see the roof, the size
that it's going to be - I'm told it's going to be the biggest in the world
by square footage - it's quite incredible. It's going to be amazing when
it's done. "I've been here every step of the way and it looks incredible to
see the work that's being done. It's an amazing Stadium and it's only two
years away, so it's something to look forward to. The boys are buzzing about
it."
It will take 26 weeks to install all of the roof panels, and work on the
roof and the brand new floodlights that it will support will be fully
completed by autumn 2015. You can watch the installation of the roof as it
happens on our special time-lapse cameras installed in the Stadium at
http://whufc.london/.
While work continues apace inside the former Olympic Stadium to ready it for
West Ham United's arrival, the area around the ground is also being upgraded
to make sure it looks and feels unmistakably like the home of the Hammers.
As part of the transformation, we now have a fantastic opportunity to offer
fans the chance to add their permanent memories in Queen Elizabeth Olympic
Park, through personalised message stones.
The plan is to create a new landscaped walkway area to the north of the new
Stadium, called 'Champions Place', with sections dedicated to various
legends from West Ham's illustrious history. The larger Legends Stones will
have fan's tributes placed around them so their messages will be
immortalised alongside some of West Ham's greatest players.
Personalised messages can be anything; personal memorable dates, or matches
and highlights from West Ham's history. Whatever the message, each stone
will be a proud part of the new historic landmark for all Hammers fans to
visit once the Stadium re-opens as the Club's new home in August 2016.
As revealed in the last newsletter, proposed plans also include the
relocation of the famous bronze Champions Sculpture of West Ham legends
Bobby Moore, Sir Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters and their England team mate
Ray Wilson celebrating their 1966 World Cup triumph. As well as our 1966
heroes, other legends to be remembered at the site will be Sir Trevor
Brooking, Billy Bonds, Phil Parkes, Ray Stewart, Julian Dicks, Alvin Martin
and Alan Devonshire.
The Champions Place stones are on sale from Wednesday 3 December in three
different sizes and start from £60 each, making them an ideal Christmas gift
for any Hammers fan dear to you, or just a great way to celebrate your own
love for the Club.
Purchase your personalised stone as a Christmas gift anytime and you will
receive an email acknowledgement with a Champions Place certificate that you
can present or email as your gift to the lucky recipient. If you are buying
for someone else and you would like them to choose their own message, gift
vouchers are available to be purchased online. Replica stones are also
available may also be purchased to proudly display at home.
West Ham's move to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity for the Club and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to
become a permanent part of it with a lasting Champions Place Stone.
Champions Place Stones go on sale 3 December at
www.championsplace.whufc.com.
New Stadium Questions
Thanks to the many hundreds of you who have so far responded to our
invitation to send in questions about the new Stadium. Our article in the
last newsletter about plans to relocate the Champions Sculpture had many of
you asking about the future of other elements of the Boleyn Ground
architecture and what would be travelling with us. So here are answers to
some of your most common questions:
Will the commemorative bricks also be coming?
Yes. All of the names and messages on the commemorative bricks currently in
place at the Boleyn Ground will be transferred, and as reported above, there
are also plans to offer the opportunity to buy new personalised message
stones at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
What else will be coming with West Ham to the new Stadium?
The exact details are still under discussion, but key items like
commemorative plaques for Club legends and the West Ham Pals Battalion will
certainly be included. Many other items will be included in a special
auction so that fans can buy them as mementoes. We will be announcing
further details on the auction next year.
What will happen to the Remembrance Garden?
Under the redevelopment plans for the Boleyn Ground the Galliard Group
intend to preserve and protect the Remembrance Garden so relatives and
friends of loved ones can continue to come and pay their respects at the
site. Over the coming months we will be reaching out to those who have a
vested interest in the site to ensure that you have all the information you
need to be able to feed into the Galliard Group's consultation and planning
process.
Please keep your questions coming by email to
newstadium@westhamunited.co.uk. We look forward to answering more of the
most popular ones in the next newsletter.
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Mediawatch - 29 November
WHUFC.com
Our daily look at West Ham United in the news
29.11.2014
The Evening Standard carries an artlcle on Adrian, Andy Carroll and Mark
Noble visiting the Olympic Stadium to witness the first roof panels being
lifted into place.
The Sun's (£) match preview focuses on the head-to-head battle between Sam
Allardyce and Alan Pardew.
Also in the Sun (£), the manager says James Tomkins will learn from his
incident with Everton's Kevin Mirallas last weekend.
Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul could miss out on Saturday's game after
suffering an ankle injury in training, according to the Sun (£).
Alan Pardew says in the Guardian that West Ham made the best signings during
the summer transfer window.
Finally, the Mirror suggest that West Ham and Swansea are interested in
Barcelona starlet Munir El Haddadi.
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Agents fees
WHUFC.com
West Ham United have published fees paid to Agents in 2013/14
28.11.2014
Payments to Agents - 2013/14
Total amount paid to agents in the period 1 October 2013 to 30 September
2014: £6,380,339.31. This included three loan signings in January and nine
arrivals during the summer.
Explanatory Note: The amount shown is the aggregate of all payments made to
Agents during the reporting period for agency activity, including payments
made by the Club on behalf of Players. The total amount paid to agents for
2012/13 was £4,169,134.09
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West Ham v Newcastle
KO 15:00
28 November 2014
Last updated at 12:28
By Jonathan Pearce
BBC Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday, 29 November
TEAM NEWS
Stewart Downing and Cheikhou Kouyate are expected to return for West Ham
after missing the defeat by Everton. However, Alex Song, Diafra Sakho, Enner
Valencia and Mark Noble could all miss out because of injury, while Winston
Reid is suspended.
Newcastle captain Fabricio Coloccini could be involved after returning to
training along with Steven Taylor, Emmanuel Riviere and Cheick Tiote.
Rolando Aarons won't return until next week, while Tim Krul is doubtful.
MATCH PREVIEW
There can't be a football fan in the country who doesn't feel sorry for Ryan
Taylor. Another knee injury picked up in his first start since March 2012
could keep him out until the New Year. He's one of nine important players
who have been on the Newcastle treatment table.
With that in mind, Alan Pardew and his team deserve tremendous credit for
the six-match winning run in all competitions that has hauled them from 18th
to the top five. It's their best league run since spring 2012 when they won
six matches on the spin.
Pardew will know exactly what to expect, though, back at the club he took to
within seconds of winning the 2006 FA Cup.
Lawro's prediction
"Five wins in a row have seen Newcastle surge into fifth, one spot above
West Ham, but I see both teams ending up nearer mid-table than where they
are right now."
Predictions: Lawro v Henning Wehn
Liverpool and Manchester City have already been put to the sword at Upton
Park this season and the Hammers are still angry about defeat at Everton
last weekend - their first in six matches - when the first home goal looked
offside.
Andy Carroll got through his initial 90 minutes of the season there. Twice a
scorer for Newcastle against the Irons, he could wreak havoc against his old
club's patched-up defence. He linked well with second-half substitute Mauro
Zarate, who was really busy and fizzy playing behind the front man.
If Downing, Song, Sakho and Valencia are all fit again, West Ham will have
strength, creativity, firepower and options. Newcastle have the in-form
Moussa Sissoko, but on paper their injuries could leave them too
weakened…unless their new-found spirit pulls them through.
In harsh black and white it all looked hopeless for Pardew and Sam Allardyce
a few months ago. I certainly didn't predict a top-six clash here and I
can't predict the outcome either. Anything can happen.
But one thing is for certain. If Mark Noble is fit and picked to create a
new club record of 205 Premier League appearances, he'll give 100 per cent.
He always has. He always will. I'm a big fan. Well done Mark!
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Newcastle are unbeaten in their last three visits to West Ham (W2, D1).
The Hammers have only won one of their previous eight meetings with
Newcastle at Upton Park (D3, L4).
West Ham
West Ham have won three of their previous four league matches at home, while
the other match was a draw.
Their defeat by Everton last weekend was their first in six league games,
although they are without a win in three.
They have only kept two clean sheets this season - both were at Upton Park.
Carlton Cole has scored in three of his last four league matches against
Newcastle.
Newcastle United
Newcastle have won their last six matches in all competitions. Their five
straight victories in the Premier League is the best run by any club this
season.
They have only conceded one goal during that winning run.
The last time they recorded six straight Premier League wins was in April
2012.
Alan Pardew's side are looking for a third straight league victory away from
home - something they last achieved in the Premier League in December 2001,
when they were top of the table.
Eleven of Newcastle's 14 league goals this season have come in the second
half.
The Magpies won four out of four league matches in November last year and
they have won three out of three so far this season.
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Olympic Stadium: Work starts on new roof
BBC.co.uk
Work has begun to install a new roof on the Olympic Stadium as part of a
£190m transformation of the east London venue. At twice the size of the
previous roof, it weighs more than 6,000 tonnes and will cover every seat in
the stadium. The roof is designed to improve acoustics and will be ready in
time for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The structure covers 45,000 sq m and is
believed to be the largest cantilevered roof in the world. Stuart Fraser,
stadium transfer project director for construction company Balfour Beatty,
which is installing the roof, said the stadium was "technically
challenging". New floodlights will be installed, along with hospitality
suites, toilets and turnstile areas. Costs have risen by £36m because of the
need to strengthen existing steelwork. Work on the stadium is due to be
completed in spring 2015, and Premier league team West Ham United are set to
move to the arena in 2016.
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Sam Allardyce says West Ham must be at their best to beat Newcastle
Last Updated: 28/11/14 4:10pm
SSN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce says he thinks Newcastle are the toughest
team to face in the Premier League at the moment other than leaders Chelsea.
Newcastle visit Upton Park on Saturday and are looking for a seventh league
win in a row, having risen to fifth in the table after a shaky start which
had fans calling for the sacking of manager Alan Pardew. "Alan has got
better results than we have had recently and he has turned the corner," said
Allardyce. "Apart from Chelsea, we have the most difficult game to play on
Saturday because it's six wins on a trot they (Newcastle) have gained." "He
has fitted in a lot of new players. They have gelled together and they have
massive confidence back, which is always lacking in a team when they don't
get results. "Apart from Chelsea, we have the most difficult game to play on
Saturday because it's six wins on a trot they have gained.
Problems
"We will have to play like we know we can, like we did (in home wins)
against Manchester City and Liverpool, and hopefully that will be enough to
cause them problems. "Our cutting edge in the last two games has gone
missing and that is one of the reasons we have stopped winning. We have to
find that again."
Sam Allardyce says he can understand why the FA charged West Ham and Everton
over their players not conducting themselves in an orderly fashion West Ham
went through a difficult period last season and Allardyce reflected on the
fact he and Pardew had cause to be grateful for working with patient owners.
"It has been pretty good across the board this season in the Premier
League," said Allardyce. "I don't think any manager has lost their job yet.
"Under the circumstances, we, as managers, all look at November as 'Black
November'. That is normally when it starts. One (sacking) can escalate into
two or three. "If it is your fault, then that is fine. If it is not, then
you have to hope the results turn sooner because you can't last forever
without results." "Particularly myself and Alan have had a little bit of
patience from the owners. They have understood the position. "From my point
of view, I communicate with owners on a regular basis and debate how the
situation is, and ask them to understand what it is.
Patient
"If it is your fault, then that is fine. If it is not, then you have to hope
the results turn sooner because you can't last forever without results, no
matter how patient the owners are." West Ham forward Diafra Sakho is
doubtful because of a back problem, so Andy Carroll could be set to face his
former club. The club record signing has just returned to match fitness
after ankle surgery and Allardyce said: "He is in the process of completing
the pre-season and is evolving his game at the top level, and that will
hopefully allow him the time to catch up on his match fitness. "The longer
he stays fit, the more matches he gets, the sharper he gets. The sharper he
gets, the better player he becomes."
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West Ham look to halt Newcastle's winning run at Upton Park
Last Updated: 29/11/14 9:25am
SSN
Sam Allardyce saw his side lose 2-1 at Everton last weekend. Newcastle
United will be aiming to extend their winning streak to six matches when
they travel to West Ham United on Saturday. Alan Pardew's side have
recovered from a poor start to the season in spectacular fashion by reeling
off five Premier League wins in a row. They have kept a clean sheet in all
but one of those victories and are now on the brink of breaking into the top
four.
West Ham are just a point behind Newcastle in the table but have been unable
to win games at the same rate as the Magpies recently. Following their 2-1
defeat at Everton last time out, the Hammers have now gone three league
matches without a win for the first time since April.
They have also only won two of their last 17 Premier League matches against
the Magpies, but manager Sam Allardyce is not worried by their form. "I
think our performances have been good enough," he said. "I think this is the
best form we've been in since I joined the club. Only two performances have
been below what we expect, the Southampton game at home and the Stoke City
away."
Team news
West Ham will be without defender Winston Reid through suspension but
midfielders Stewart Downing and Cheikhou Kouyate (both knee) have both
returned to training. Top scorer Diafra Sakho (back) remains doubtful so
Andy Carroll could face his former club, while Alex Song, Mark Noble and
Enner Valencia are also fitness concerns with minor knocks.
Newcastle defenders Fabricio Coloccini (calf) and Steven Taylor (knee) face
late fitness tests along with Manu Rivere and Cheick Tiote. If Taylor and
Coloccini are ruled out then Paul Dummett and Mike Williamson could be their
replacements in the backline.
Rolando Aarons (hamstring) will not be ready to return from injury and Ryan
Taylor will also miss out after being taken off with a knee injury against
QPR.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has revealed Ryan Taylor's latest injury is
not as bad as first feared. Keeper Tim Krul could be a doubt after picking
up a training ground knock and Mehdi Abeid (toe), Davide Santon (knee), Siem
de Jong and Gabriel Obertan (both thigh) are unavailable.
Provisional squads
West Ham provisional squad: Adrian, Cresswell, Tomkins, Collins, Jenkinson,
Noble, Amalfitano, Nolan, Downing, Valencia, Carroll, Jaaskelainen, Demel,
O'Brien, Song, Sakho, Zarate, Jarvis, Vaz Te.
Newcastle provisional squad: Krul, Elliot, Alnwick, Janmaat, Dummett,
Williamson, Coloccini, S. Taylor, Streete, Haidara, Tiote, Anita, Sissoko,
Colback, Cabella, Gouffran, Ameobi, Riviere, Cisse, Perez, Armstrong,
Ferreyra.
Carlton Cole has scored in three of his last four Premier League matches
against Newcastle.
Merson's prediction
I watched West Ham last week at Everton and I thought they were bang
unlucky. I thought they were decent. They should have at least got a draw
out of the game. They had a lot injuries - Sakho, and Valencia didn't play
and Carroll played up front. Downing was out last week as well and he'll be
back, he's a big player them.
Was it a blessing in disguise they lost? Maybe. If they had won that game
and Carroll and Nolan played well, what happens this week? Do they play
again and then we're back to last season's team? Look what happened last
season when the crowd were on their backs and they didn't win but the team
played well, so do you go and put the big boys back in again? I know they're
on a roll Newcastle, but I can't see anything but a West Ham win this week.
West Ham striker Diafra Sakho looks set to miss the match.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1
Opta stats
Carlton Cole has scored in three of his last four Barclays Premier League
matches against Newcastle United.
Newcastle have won four and lost just one of their last eight Premier League
visits to Upton Park.
West Ham have lost both games that Kevin Nolan has started this season.
Newcastle are the only team not to score a single goal in the opening 30
minutes of a Premier League game this season.
Betting
West Ham are favourites at 11/10 to take the win with Sky Bet with Newcastle
available at 12/5 – the same price as the draw. If you fancy backing Paul
Merson's prediction of 2-1 to the Hammers then that is 15/2. Head to
www.skybet.com for the latest odds.
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est Ham and Swansea keen on January loan for Barcelona starlet Munir El
Haddadi
Nov 28, 2014 22:30 By John Cross
The Spaniard, who made his international debut for Spain earlier this
season, is seen as one of the brightest young stars at the Nou Camp but
could move short-term
The Mirror
Barcelona are fielding calls from the Premier League about taking Munir El
Haddadi on loan in January. The Catalan giants have had enquiries from
Swansea and West Ham as well as Ajax for the talented 19-year-old. The
Spaniard, who made his international debut for Spain earlier this season, is
seen as one of the brightest rising stars at the Nou Camp. But with playing
time limited in the Barca first team he could leave in the winter window.
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Not stuck on the Toffees
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 29th November 2014
By: Paul Walker
Whatever happens with the FA and their charge that followed the scenes at
Everton last weekend, you sense that this is going to be something that
rumbles on and on.
Not so much because of the nature of that charge, both clubs are going to be
fined and warned over future conduct, no doubt, but more so the relationship
between West Ham and Everton in the future.
Because there was a lot more going on that day than just a few handbags and
James Tomkins behaving like a daft schoolgirl..what was he thinking?
It has emerged that in the build-up to the incident, West Ham players were
actually asking that seriously pretentious referee Mark Clattenburg for
PROTECTION from Everton tackles. Now this is a man's game and our lot can
look after themselves, but when you have to turn to the referee for help,
there is a much more deep rooted problem.
And that Clattenburg failed so dismally to protect our players from some
seriously dangerous play is a bad taste that is going to hang around for a
long time. You can bet our crowd will not be signing "We want Mark
Clattenburg" much in the future, even if that was a rather ironic call after
some seriously dodgy refereeing last term.
And the situation has not been helped by the media coverage of the game, in
particular that coming from the seriously biased Liverpool media, and
believe me, I know, because I used to work amongst them.
The problem with Liverpool media is that they almost all are local and have
an allegiance to one or other of the Merseyside clubs, much like the Glasgow
media and their seriously warped coverage of Celtic and Rangers affairs.
Like in Glasgow, the reporters can be parochial, defensive and prepared to
attack anyone who has a go at the Scouse nation.
The Mersey boys have let Roberto Martinez and some Everton players have the
opportunity to insist that Ross Barkley is not a diver. Sorry, but isn't
that what he did? He dived, outrageously, and Martinez has tried to claim
that he had been kicked too often and was anticipating another boot. Utter
rubbish.
At least at our end we have collectively condemned Tomkins for his
ridiculous face-clutching antics, nobody has tried to gloss over the
situation. Big Sam has said nothing in trying to support his young defender,
and infact it has emerged that the Basildon lad received a severe dressing
down after the game and was told his actions were not something West Ham
wish to be associated with.
It was frankly, shocking and something I do not expect to see coming from a
West Ham player. But have Everton admonished Barkley, like hell they
haven't, just pathetic words from Martinez.
If the Boleyn crowd considers chanting "Are you Flores in disguise" on
Saturday at the Newcastle game, it will be nothing short of what Tomkins
deserves. It was cheating of the worst level and he was lucky not to get a
red card.
But somehow Everton seem to be trying to exonerate Barkley from blame for
his part in a generally nasty day, by suggesting we were kicking him, and
pleading for forgiveness for their little innocent.
And as for Clattenburg and his officials, there was even one Merseyside
reporter in the Mail who was trying to suggest that Romelu Lukaku was
somehow not offside when he 'scored' in the first-half, something about
second and third phase play.
Nonsense, Clattenburg wasn't to blame, his blind lino was. The Belgian was
so blatantly offside it was beyond argument. Not like the goal Kevin Nolan
had disallowed at Manchester United, when he was inches offside. You have
seen those given to a home side, but rarely an away team.
As for Saturday's terrible decision, it was so far offside even home teams
rarely get those given..unless it's Everton and the bear-pit that is
Goodison Park. One scared lino, it seems.
What must not be forgotten is that our players were reacting two a couple of
very nasty challenges on Morgan Amalfitano and one bad raking on the back of
Mark Noble's calf. All three tackles were late, high, didn't touch the ball
and dangerous. But Clattenburg didn't react, and two possible red cards that
may well have been given elsewhere, were not administered.
James McCarthy and Kevin Mirallas should have been sent off, but was
Clattenburg brave enough to reduce Everton to nine men on their own pitch?
Not a chance.
That was the background to what happened, and the cause of the rumpus that
has seen the FA take some belated action. Maybe they should take a closer
look at the performance of the officials who failed to rule out one of
Everton's goals and allowed two hatchet men to stay on the pitch.
Now sadly, I can seen the antagonism between the players carried over into
their next meeting. Apart from Tomkins' behaviour, we were very much the
wronged party last weekend--even Reid's booking when he was trying to calm
the situation, seemed harsh. But you can bet that Everton and their media
mates will do everything they can to push the blame our way.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham made best signings last summer, says Newcastle's Alan Pardew
• Both managers face their former employers on Saturday
• Newcastle were interested in Enner Valencia, says Pardew
• Pardew: from man on the brink to miracle worker
• Pardew praises Andy Carroll before return to West Ham
Louise Taylor
The Guardian, Friday 28 November 2014 22.30 GMT
Like Alan Pardew at Newcastle United, Sam Allardyce knows all about being
the subject of crowd abuse and has served his time as a favourite for the
sack.
According to popular pre-season predictions neither manager was supposed to
still be in post but instead Allardyce's reinvented West Ham United host
Newcastle with European qualification a realistic mutual aim.
The match will be spiced by assorted sub-plots. While Allardyce once managed
at St James' Park, Pardew led West Ham to the FA Cup final. Then there's the
presence of the Newcastle old boys Andy Carroll – a striker much coveted by
the visiting manager – and Kevin Nolan in the Upton Park ranks.
"It's a special game and should make for a great occasion," says Pardew
whose rejuvenated team hope to record a sixth straight Premier League win
and seventh in all competitions. "I have a lot of love for West Ham and
their fans. They can be quite cutting down there but, generally, they're
brilliant."
There is little affection for Allardyce on Tyneside but Pardew does not
share this negative consensus. "Sam knows what it takes to win in the
Premier League and is adaptable," he says. "I look forward to clashing
swords with him because his teams always test you. He's taken West Ham
forward this year in terms of their style of play. With the options Sam now
has, they're in for a big season."
Whereas Pardew has largely rebuilt Newcastle around a nucleus of academy
graduates and existing players rather than his seven summer signings, the
close season acquisition of several newcomers including Enner Valencia, Carl
Jenkinson, Morgan Amalfitano and Aaron Cresswell has been pivotal to the
upturn in Allardyce's fortunes.
"I think West Ham made, pound for pound, the best signings of any team in
the summer," Pardew says. "Although our new players have made an impact –
particularly Jack Colback, Ayoze Pérez and Daryl Janmaat – our real strength
this season has come from within, from Sammy Ameobi, Rolando Aarons and Paul
Dummett, from guys who have pushed up a little notch."
Newcastle's radical improvement does not prevent him casting an envious eye
at Allardyce's recruits. "We were interested in Valencia, although not to
the point where it got close. But West Ham's market is our market and all of
those players are players we perhaps should have moved on because they've
done very well. That's testament to their scouting team and the manager for
picking them off."
If Newcastle's recent signings policy has left something to be desired, the
team are, as Pardew puts it, "in a very good place". "I had a good run at
Reading but I'm not sure if I've ever done seven straight wins. We're on a
kind of unique run and it's surprised even me. We look strong defensively
[Newcastle have kept four successive clean sheets] and are an almost
constant threat.
"I think the longevity of my contract – [Pardew signed a highly
controversial eight-year deal in September 2012] – helps because these
players know me and I know them. But Paul Dummett's been a big part of the
run; he's come in at left-back, then centre-back and been fantastic."
Whatever Saturday's result at Upton Park, recent events have made a nonsense
of the calls for both his and Allardyce's heads. "The criticism you get as a
Premier League manager is sometimes very harsh, very personal," Pardew says.
"You have to be big enough to handle that. Even though you might not like
it, you have to deal with it."
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Friday, November 28
Daily WHUFC News - 28th November 2014
Big Sam on: Newcastle United
WHUFC.com
The manager faced the press ahead of Saturday's game against Newcastle
United
27.11.2014
Sam Allardyce is determined to get back on the winning trail when West Ham
United host Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon. The Hammers saw their
five-game unbeaten run come to an end at Everton last weekend and are now
three games without a win - but the manager has his eyes on three points
against his old club.
What is the injury news for the weekend?
SA: "Stewart Downing and Cheik Kouyate are both training today. The rest of
the injured players have got a chance but it's a slimmer chance than we
expected. I think the only other possibility might be Mark Noble who came
off injured against Everton. We've also lost Winston Reid to a suspension.
It's not an ideal scenario but I still think we can get the result that we
should have done last Saturday.
What is your reaction to the FA's charge of not keeping your players in an
orderly fashion?
SA: "I can't argue with it. We got so frustrated by some of the decisions
that we lost control a little bit. I don't condone what we did but I can
understand the players' frustrations. We need control ourselves better
because we could have lost a player to a red card. Both sets of players were
involved. To be fair to my players they very rarely do that. I'll remind
them of their responsibilities but I don't think it's a particular problem
for us."
Are you worried about the dip in results recently?
SA: "Obviously the results haven't quite been what we would have wanted in
the last three game. But I think our performances have been good enough. I
think this is the best form we've been in since I joined the club. Only two
performances have been below what we expect, the Southampton game at home
and the Stoke City away."
Andy Carroll played his first full game of the season last week, you must be
happy to see him back?
SA: "We're happy to see every player who comes back from injury. It's a big
boost to have a player like Andy back after such a long time. It's important
at this time of the season to get players back because if you're out for a
week you could miss three games. Injuries derailed our season last year and
we don't want that to happen again. "We have a very tough game this weekend
against Newcastle. With the form and momentum they have I think they're the
hardest to team to face right now, aside from Chelsea."
It's been a frustrating time for Andy, how do you feel he did?
SA: "He did well considering he wasn't expected to play the 90 minutes. He's
in the process of completing a pre-season before we see the best of him.
It'll take a way until he's back to full fitness and when he is that's when
we'll see the best of him."
Your next fixtures are Newcastle, West Brom, Swansea, Sunderland and
Leicester which are all winnable games. How important is this part of the
season?
SA: "It's a hugely important time for us. Historically we've struggled at
this point. The last international break was in many ways the worst I've
suffered because three players came back injured. Dealing with the amount of
games in such a short period of time is a massive test for us all, it'll
define how our season goes I think. We haven't achieved the results that our
performances have merited which is really disappointing."
How confident are you that the team can maintain this position throughout
the season?
SA: "We have to turn this slight blip around quickly. Winning games gives
you the confidence you need and we haven't had that recently. We know if
we're going to have to convert our performances into wins. The main thing we
need to is to find out clinical finishing again. That was what was so good
in the early part of the season."
Both you and Alan Pardew know how important it is to have patient owners.
How helpful have they been recently?
SA: "Owners have been good in general across the Premier League this season,
no one's been sacked yet which is good to see. Managers refer to November as
Black November when the sackings start and they sometimes trigger each other
off. Both me and Alan are fortunate that the owners have been understanding
that these things take time. I can't speak too much for Alan but I
communicate with the owners on a regular basis and we talk things through
whatever the situation may be. Some things are within your control, some
things aren't.
"Alan brought in a number of players, like we did. He went to New Zealand
and picked up a lot of injuries, just like we did. But he's turned the
corner and now they've won six games in a row."
How do you counter their threat?
SA: "We need to play to our best, just like we did against Manchester City
and Liverpool. We need to rediscover our clinical finishing and then we'll
take it from there."
What lessons have you taken from the Everton game?
SA: "Make sure we're more clinical in front of goal. We also need to be
careful that when we're in the ascendency not to leave the back door open.
It was that lapse of concentration that cost us which led to them scoring
the second goal which they didn't deserve at the time."
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Six of the best - Mark Noble
WHUFC.com
As Mark Noble prepares to beat the Hammers' PL appearance record we look
into the archives
26.11.2014
If Mark Noble is selected in West Ham United's midfield for Saturday's game
against Newcastle United, he will surpass Steve Potts' record of Premier
League appearances for the Club. Having made it to 204 run-outs in last
weekend's defeat at Everton, one more game will give him the record outright
and here we look back at six of the most memorable top flight matches in
claret and blue for the two-time Hammer of the Year.
Game 1 - 13 August 2005, West Ham United 3-1 Blackburn Rovers
Noble's Premier League debut came from the bench in the opening day victory
over Blackburn Rovers in the 2005/06 campaign. Having taken his first steps
with the senior team in the previous campaign's promotion from the
Championship, the then 18-year-old then set about making his mark at the
higher level. Introduced as an 84th minute substitute, Noble helped see out
the game, which West Ham won 3-1 after falling behind early on to Andy
Todd's goal. Teddy Sheringham replied in the first minute of the second
half, before goals from Nigel Reo-Coker and Matt Etheringhton secured
victory.
Game 6 - 4 March 2007, West Ham United 3-4 Tottenham Hotspur
The result might have gone against the Hammers in this game, but the derby
duel with Tottenham in 2006/07 stands out for so many reasons.
Carlos Tevez's first goal for the Club, late drama and in many ways the
catalyst for the great escape, but for Noble, who had gone out on loan to
Hull and Ipswich in the previous year, this game provided his first Premier
League goal. His crisp finish gave West Ham the lead, and although Spurs
came roaring back in the second period, West Ham recovered from the blow to
climb away from the foot of the table with a stunning turnaround in form.
Game 16 - 13 May 2007, Manchester United 0-1 West Ham United
West Ham's Premier League future looked bleak with them languishing at the
foot of the table in the spring, but a run of six victories in eight games
following that Spurs epic meant they went to Old Trafford knowing a win
would be enough to keep them up. No easy task, but Noble's 16th Premier
League appearance for the Hammers would go down in folklore as one fans will
remember forever as the east Londoners secured their place at the top table
in style. Tevez was the man on target, with the only goal of the game
against the champions, giving West Ham the points they needed to secure
safety.
Game 135, 20 October 2012, West Ham United 4-1 Southampton
Noble has only netted two top flight braces for the Hammers - and just one
of them came in a winning cause. That was back in October 2012, as West Ham
continued to start life back in the Premier League in a positive manner,
with this win taking them to sixth in the table.
Noble has established himself as a fine penalty taker at the Boleyn Ground
and one of his two on this afternoon came from the spot, with Kevin Nolan
and Modibo Maiga also on target.
Game 176, 11 January 2014, Cardiff City 0-2 West Ham United
The Hammers looked to be in some trouble at the turn of the year, and heavy
cup defeats to Nottingham Forest and Manchester City did little to lift the
mood. Missing captain Kevin Nolan with suspension, Noble took the armband
for this fixture and led the Hammers to a much needed three points against a
rival at the wrong end of the table. Carlton Cole's first half opener got
West Ham on their way, before Noble sealed victory himself in injury time
with a finish across David Marshall. Improved form for the Hammers in 2014
saw them climb away from danger and this victory would go down as a major
turning point.
Game 201, 25 Ocrober 2014, West Ham United 2-1 Manchester City
West Ham's stunning start to the 2014/15 campaign was capped by an
unforgettable victory over the champions Manchester City. This victory
lifted the Hammers into the top four of the table and was reward for an
attacking performance. Morgan Amalfitano's first half opener was added to by
Diafra Sakho, and although David Silva pulled one back, the Hammers held on.
Noble, alongside Alex Song in midfield, was proving to be an
ever-influential figure for Sam Allardyce's men as they put a
largely-forgettable 2013/14 campaign behind them.
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Mediawatch - 27 November
WHUFC.com
A look at today's coverage of West Ham United in the media
27.11.2014
Today's coverage of West Ham United in the media combines debate over
incidents during last Saturday's fixture at Everton and previews of this
weekend's visit of Newcastle United.
A number of publications and websites make mention of the Club - and the
Toffees - being charged by the Football Association for 'failing to ensure
their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion' during Saturday's
game at Goodison Park.
The Sun says Sam Allardyce is said to have given James Tomkins a 'ticking
off' for his reaction to a clash with Kevin Mirallas at the weekend.
Meanwhile, The Times says Everton manager Roberto Martinez and midfielder
Leon Osman have jumped to the defence of Ross Barkley, after the young
England international was accused of diving in the same match.
As one might expect, the Newcastle Chronicle takes a close look at
Saturday's fixture at the Boleyn Ground. Inside, former Hammers and Magpies
midfielder Nolberto Solano recalls his time playing under Sam Allardyce at
St James' Park.
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Barkley didn't dive, he just lost his balance - Martinez
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 27th November 2014
By: Staff Writer
Everton boss Roberto Martinez had an Iraqi Minister for Information* moment
earlier today when he insisted that midfielder Ross Barkley didn't actually
dive in an attempt to hoodwink referee Mark Clattenburg against West Ham
last Saturday. Despite the evidence of his own eyes, the Spanish manager
suggested - without a hint of irony - that the 20-year-old simply lost his
balance as Kevin Nolan moved to within three feet of the unstable youngster.
Speaking in the Echo about the incident, Martinez said: "I don't think it is
something he does often. The action on Saturday is an incident where he has
got the ball, he's a little bit off balance, he can see a player and he's
trying to get away from it. "His reaction is not to stay on the ground and
hoping the referee will blow the whistle. He got up quickly and it's not
even in the box, he's not trying to get a big decision. "You see him receive
a lot of kicks because he protects the ball so well and is so strong that
sometimes you try to get away from those contacts, but he is not trying to
get a decision from the referee that he could give us a penalty or a real
advantage."
The (Re)Definition of Diving: by Roberto Martinez
"I consider diving is when you've got a real intention to get a decision
from a referee in areas where he could give you a penalty or a clear
situation of getting someone in trouble. That was not the case at all and it
has been blown out of all proportion."
* Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf was Saddam Hussein's propaganda minister during
the 2003 Iraq War and continuously insisted that American troops were on the
verge of surrender - even when US shells could be heard exploding in the
background during live broadcasts.
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Allardyce: no complaint over FA charge
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 27th November 2014
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce says he is unlikely to challenge the FA charge that followed
last weekend's clash with Everton. Winston Reid and Everton's Steven
Naismith were both yellow-carded during the incident in question by
blundering match official Mark Clattenburg - before the two clubs were
charged by the FA for "failing to ensure their players conducted themselves
in an orderly fashion". Speaking to the press this morning, Allardyce
revealed that he was unlikely to contest the charge. "I can't argue with
it," he told reporters. "We got so frustrated by some of the decisions that
we lost control a little bit. "I don't condone what we did but I can
understand the players' frustrations. We need to control ourselves better
because we could have lost a player to a red card. "Both sets of players
were involved. To be fair to my players they very rarely do that. I'll
remind them of their responsibilities, but I don't think it's a particular
problem for us."
Despite accepting that his players could have handled the situation better,
Allardyce did at least admit that Clattenburg wasn't entirely blameless.
"Because he didn't give a free-kick, that spilled over into frustration.
When you see your teammate is, what you feel, unfairly treated, then you
want to stick up for each other. "Obviously, you just don't want it to
extend to levels that we saw last Saturday."
One player who has been 'reminded of his responsibilities' by Allardyce is
James Tomkins, who fell to floor clutching his face after he was shoved in
the chest by Everton's Kevin Mirallas during the game. The centre half, who
embarrassed everyone involved with the club at his attempt to feign injury
is understood to have been warned by Allardyce over his future conduct.
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Downing and Kouyate back in training
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 27th November 2014
By: Staff Writer
Stewart Downing and Cheik Kouyate are both hoping to play against Newcastle
this weekend, according to Sam Allardyce. However the news is slightly less
positive regarding fellow sufferers Alex Song, Enner Valencia, Mark Noble
and Diafra Sakho. Allardyce was without five of his first team last weekend
after all sustained injuries during the international break - and lost Noble
midway through the match. He is also preparing for life without Winston
Reid, after the central defender received his fifth booking of the campaign
at Everton last weekend and earned a one-match ban in the process. But there
was some good news on the injury front this morning, ahead of Saturday's
clash with the in-form Newcastle United. "We've lost Winston Reid to a
suspension and we've got to manage the situation by getting a result against
Newcastle," Allardyce told a pre-match press conference. "But Stewart
Downing is training today and Cheik Kouyate is too.
"The rest of the injured players have got a chance but it's a slimmer chance
than we expected. "I think the only other possibility might be Mark Noble.
It's not an ideal scenario but I still think we can get the result that we
should have done last Saturday."
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Sam Allardyce accepts West Ham FA charge for Everton incident
Last Updated: 27/11/14 9:25pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce accepts the Football Association was correct to charge West
Ham for their player misconduct at Goodison Park last Saturday.
Everton and West Ham were charged by the FA for an incident in the latter
stages of the first half when a James McCarthy tackle on Morgan Amalfitano
provoked an angry reaction from the visiting players and a melee broke out.
McCarthy and Winston Reid were booked by referee Mark Clattenburg and
Allardyce admits his players must maintain a greater level of control. The
clubs have until 6pm next Monday to respond to the charge. Sam Allardyce
says he can understand why the FA charged West Ham and Everton over their
players not conducting themselves in an orderly fashion I think we got so
frustrated by the decision of the referee at the time that we have lost our
control a little bit, so I don't condone what we did but I can understand
why the frustration crept in. "We have got to try and keep control of
ourselves better in these situations because we could have easily lost a
player to a red card. "Both sets of players were involved obviously but we
have to try and keep more control. To be fair to my players it's not very
often they do that, very rarely do they lose control."
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Carl Jenkinson believes West Ham must aim for Europe
Last Updated: 27/11/14 8:12pm
SSN
Carl Jenkinson believes West Ham can challenge for a European place this
season if they can carry on their recent form. The Hammers slipped to sixth
place in the table following last week's 2-1 defeat to Everton but the
former Arsenal full-back has praised his team-mates for the consistency they
have shown in recent weeks. "With the players we have got this season we
want to be aiming for a European spot," he told Sky Sports News HQ. "I think
that's something we can achieve, maybe at the start of the season I didn't
think we would be as high as we are but it's fantastic that we are and we
have surprised ourselves and a lot of people. Sam Allardyce says he can
understand why the FA charged West Ham and Everton over their players not
conducting themselves in an orderly fashion. "We deserved more out of the
game on the weekend, that was frustrating, but the performance levels
haven't really dipped to be honest. As long as we keep the performances high
the results will come." And Jenkinson is looking for his side to get back to
winning ways when the entertain in-form Newcastle at Upton Park on Saturday.
"We're missing a few of our big players, who have played a big part in our
start to the season, that doesn't help," he said. "The players that have
come in have done really well. Zarate springs to mind who came on at the
weekend and
made a difference for us. We want some of our other players back but that's
only natural."
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IFS AND BUTS
By Bianca Westwood 27 Nov 2014 at 09:00
West Ham till I Die
If Nobes had put that penalty away first game of the season. If Nolan's
fringe hadn't been a millimetre offside at Old Trafford. If the linesman had
spotted that 6 ft 3' lump in the blue who was 4 yards ahead of everyone else
at Goodison last Saturday…if all those situations had gone our way imagine
where we might be now! If, if, if!!! Yes I know "if ifs and buts were candy
and nuts we'd all have a Merry Christmas!" but I'm starting to feel a little
festive…despite the Everton defeat.
I think what I'm trying to say here is that, even though we haven't won in
three whole games now (aaaah horror of all horrors the dreaded slippery
slope is upon us!!!) there's no need to revert to typical West Ham fan
mentality. Well I'm not anyway. It's not all about to go horribly wrong.
We're still right on track. But for a few chance events that went against us
this season we could have even been right up Chelsea's….oh you know, that
place where we kindly invite their fans to stick the blue flag.
So doom & gloom-mongers be damned! Some of you are sensing another false
dawn. Keep the faith!
Overall I was happy with our performance at Goodison. As they're our bogey
team I wasn't expecting too much in the first place and a point would have
been an early Christmas pressie. When I saw the state of the injury list I
was even less confident of a result. Yet our 'B' team did ok. Apart from the
first 20 minutes when Everton dominated the possession we were never really
out of the game. In fact the full time stats suggest we were right in it. It
could have gone either way and but for a few ifs, we could have nicked
something.
A few minor gripes…perhaps starting with Zarate would have been preferable.
He certainly made a difference with his energy and enthusiasm running at
defenders and causing problems. Maybe, in hindsight, Carlton Cole wasn't the
man to go with. I'm not having a go at him here by the way, he has been an
important and treasured player for us in the past and indeed this season
he's popped up with a couple of goals. I just think he is too similar to
Carroll in his hold up play and we needed someone up top with AC with a bit
more pace who could feed off those second balls and get in behind. But hey
ho.
As for Tomkins, he's probably got enough stick about his play-acting from
his team mates by now so I'm not going to rattle that cage too much. I can
imagine the dressing room 'bantz' (sorry I hate that word but it's
regrettably appropriate here) was pretty relentless afterwards. They'll have
ripped him a new one…in the nicest possible way of course! In his defence,
as you know he's not usually that type of player, he's an honest guy who
perhaps got carried away in the heat of the moment, was aggravated by a few
decisions that didn't go our way, was probably annoyed with the fact that
Amalfitano was being kicked from pillar to post and, maybe, saw Ross
Barkley's ever-so-graceful swan dive and thought to himself "I'll have a
piece of that action!" No there's no excuse, but after the heat he got from
all media outlets over the weekend I'm sure that won't happen again in a
hurry. On the other hand, I do feel he could have been a bit stronger
against Naysmith and stayed on his feet instead of looking for a foul, which
subsequently allowed Lukaku in the back door to find Eto'o, then Osman for
the winner. But again, minor gripe, it was good play from them and that bit
of quality on the day left us empty-handed at Everton. Again!
Looking forward, I still feel we have lots to be happy about. Speaking to
Carl Jenkinson last week he made the point that the players are buzzing
right now. I know all players bang on about team spirit and togetherness in
interviews but I really feel that at West Ham it's not just a line that's
trotted out for the cameras. Whenever I'm over at Chadwell Heath I sense
that there's an incredibly positive atmosphere around the training ground.
And I've been there when that has definitely not been the case. I've said
before that they genuinely like each other and the manager and that shows on
and off the pitch. It also helps when you've got quality in the squad. New
faces, guys from other countries, different cultures and languages don't
always translate into team unity. But when those players have the talent,
hunger and the drive to succeed and transfer that into success on the pitch,
let's just say it helps in the bonding process.
Jenks is from Buckhurst Hill, has a few mates who are Hammers fans, and he
told me that they are always telling him how different it feels to be a West
Ham supporter this season. It's been a pleasant surprise for us all! We may
have dropped down to the lowly position of 6th in the table but the upcoming
fixtures suggest we might be able to haul ourselves back up to the Champions
League spots. The longer we stay up there the better. Finishing in a Europa
League place is something the players are genuinely targeting. Although
having said that, it can be somewhat of a poisoned chalice as Stoke City and
Swansea found out to their detriment. Both had difficult domestic seasons
because of their European football endeavours but, come on, wouldn't it be
amazing to go into our final season at the Boleyn with the chance of
entertaining some quality European opponents! Looking at the fixture list
you feel that, right up until Boxing Day, we've got every chance of taking
something from each of those games and cementing a top 6 position. You just
hope that the treatment room is a little less busy over the festive period.
And finally, I'm really looking forward to the Hammers hosting (and
hopefully battering) Newcastle. I know they're one of the in-form teams but
they have to lose sometime and if we get a few key players back then why
shouldn't we be the ones to beat them! Earlier this year they had the likes
of Cabaye and Remy to punish us, this time around it won't be so one-sided.
This fixture always calls to mind for me my best ever outing at Upton Park.
Monday 22nd April 1986. The infamous 8-1 game. I still have the newspapers
from the day after. What a game, a total demolition job. Alvin Martin
scoring a hat trick against three different feckless keepers (one being
Peter Beardsley!) Stewart, Orr, an OG from the hapless Roeder, super sub
Paul Goddard coming on to score with his first touch of the game and of
course Frank McAvennie. It was a night I'll never forget.
Now I'm not saying a win this Saturday would be quite as emphatic as that
one (our biggest league victory since the 8-0 pounding of Sunderland in
1968), but our team has definitely been playing with that same spirit and
flair as the boys of 86' so IF they continue like that I'm more than hopeful
of snatching all 3 points. IF, IF, IF…
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Irons will plead guilty to FA charge
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 27, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham will plead guilty to the FA charge over the Battle of Everton and
"move on." The Irons and Everton are likely to be hit with n£20k fines
after what the FA has interpreted as failing to control their players . The
FA's action has been received with resignation inside Upton Park but a well
placed source said: "The the players have to learn that they have to
behave." Any sense of hardship is being kept well hidden by those whom
ClaretandHugh who instead have shown an inevitability over the likely
outcome. Indeed, there's far more concern over the current form slump and
injury crisis than anything the game's ruling body may be preparing to throw
at them
A highly placed source to us: "Let's be honest the reality is that the FA
probably see it \s a cash raising thing so we aren't going to get het up
over the morality. "Our players need to know they must behave. It was
expected. All clubs facing similar charges this season have pleaded guilty
as the fine is £20k, plus all costs. "So it's probable that's the route we
shall go down. To be honest Saturday's match against Newcastle is of far
more importance."
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Sam may have Irons backed into a corner
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 27, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Alastair Duncan is a national sports writer of many years experience having
worked for the Daily Star, The People and the Press Associaton among many
others. Based in the north of England he has been an Iron since his earliest
years watching his first game at the Boleyn in 1958.
Today ClaretandHugh is delighted to welcome him aboard as a regular blogger
and in his first piece, Duncan explains that Sam Allarcyce may have the
club backed into a corner when the time comes to renew his contract at the
end of the season.
All talk of a new West Ham contract for Sam Allardyce has gone a bit quiet
over the past few weeks, it's amazing what two draws and a defeat does to
all the speculation. But the problem of our manager's future does not go
away. And it may seem unpalatable to many Irons fans but there are only two
real questions now, whether we like it or not. Does Sam want to stay, and
can we afford him?
Now the general feeling has been all season, that Sam survived by the skin
of his teeth back in the summer, and should be grateful that he has a job
and dutifully humble and forelock tugging about the situation.
Forget all that. Nothing is further from the truth, certainly when it comes
to the people around him, his agent Mark Curtis and the lawyers who look
after the tough negotiations when big-time managers renegotiate new deals.
And if West Ham stay up this term, and finish in a decent position, both of
which seems likely although not something we should all take as given, then
Sam is in an incredibly strong position, something like Winston Reid's, but
without the really big bucks.
When Sam arrived at the end of the disastrous 2010-11 season of Avram Grant,
the club was in freefall, financially shot and a pending basket case of
Leeds proportions. Since then West Ham have won promotion at the first time
of asking and, if we do stay up this season, will have had three fruitful
seasons re-establishing ourselves in the top flight.
That is more than any of us, probably, would have hoped for, and something
Sam's regime has achieved. Many will say with substance over style, but in a
'results business' like football, none of that has the slightest impact on
contract negotiations.
At conservative estimates, Sam's regime will have overseen something upwards
of £400m flooding into our coffers over four seasons, David Sullivan has
taken on our previous bank debts and our finances will have improved out of
all recognition as we head to the brave new world of a big stadium and the
Olympic Park.
Just look at how much Spurs are squirming and moaning about loss of revenue
as they try to build a bigger stadium. Spurs' income per home match is about
£1m on gates similar to ours in the mid-30,000s, while Arsenal are taking in
£3m a match. That could be us soon, or more relevant, we could be left
struggling like Spurs will be(oh what a shame).And it explains why they are
still so desperate to find a temporary home in London and not Milton Keynes.
So we will have a lot to thank Sam for, and he knows it. He will without
doubt want a healthy wage rise for a start, and his stock will have risen so
much it would be amazing if he left us and didn't find another highly
lucrative job elsewhere. And even England has raised it's head again.
Nobody will care about the style of his regimes, he is the most successful
and experienced current English manager, and the likes of Aston Villa, to
name just one, would jump at the chance to employ him.
So David Sullivan can say what he likes about everything depending on style
of play, final position and whether Sam starts to love our fans or not. It
has nothing to do with any of that.
Sam is on around £3m a year with bonus, and yes, we all know that makes him
one of the highest paid managers in the world. Live with it. Only what he
achieves makes any difference.
There is no chance that he would accept a one year rolling contract on the
same money. He expects to be rewarded handsomely for saving us from the
knackers yard. And Sullivan knows that.
And then there is the little issue of Sam's backroom team and entourage of
sports scientists, fitness staff and the vast array of lap-top geeks that
surround him. Plus Neil McDonald's new deal too, because our number two is
also soon out of contract and turned down Carlisle because of the wages on
offer. He made an educated guess to stick around and see how Sam gets on and
how the rest of the season pans out.
Sam, we all know, makes it pretty hard to get rid of himself. Just ask
Newcastle and Blackburn. He has a habit of surrounding himself with a club
infrastructure that , when you dismantle it, leaves the place stripped of
quality staff that take a long time to replace.
Newcastle moaned that something like 40 or so lap-top heroes had to be paid
off too. A new man comes in and starts building his own team, and that takes
time. Time that can cost you relegation like Bolton and Blackburn, or
financial upheaval, like Newcastle. Sullivan, with the Olympic Stadium just
around the corner, cannot afford anything like that to rock the boat. And
Sam knows that.
Whether, even, that we are able to afford Sam's contract demands remains to
be seen. Our Financial Fair Play budget includes all of Sam's men and the
man himself, and as we are seeing with Reid, there is only so much cash to
go around and there are limits to what we can afford next season. We are
constantly being told that any incoming transfers in January will depend on
departures.
There is no question that Sam, and football in general, will see our
manager's time at the Boleyn as anything other than his greatest achievement
in the game. Bolton took him a very long time, and they are nowhere near as
big a club as us.
He had vast financial help from their Isle of Man based owner, much of which
has now melted away. And he could probably see the writing on the wall
there. Blackburn have never recovered from his departure, so can we afford
to go down that road?
After the season that Sam believes he endured unfairly last time around, his
revenge may well be that us–not him–are backed into a corner now.
ClaretandHugh may not necessarily hold the views expressed in this article
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WHUFC.com
The manager faced the press ahead of Saturday's game against Newcastle
United
27.11.2014
Sam Allardyce is determined to get back on the winning trail when West Ham
United host Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon. The Hammers saw their
five-game unbeaten run come to an end at Everton last weekend and are now
three games without a win - but the manager has his eyes on three points
against his old club.
What is the injury news for the weekend?
SA: "Stewart Downing and Cheik Kouyate are both training today. The rest of
the injured players have got a chance but it's a slimmer chance than we
expected. I think the only other possibility might be Mark Noble who came
off injured against Everton. We've also lost Winston Reid to a suspension.
It's not an ideal scenario but I still think we can get the result that we
should have done last Saturday.
What is your reaction to the FA's charge of not keeping your players in an
orderly fashion?
SA: "I can't argue with it. We got so frustrated by some of the decisions
that we lost control a little bit. I don't condone what we did but I can
understand the players' frustrations. We need control ourselves better
because we could have lost a player to a red card. Both sets of players were
involved. To be fair to my players they very rarely do that. I'll remind
them of their responsibilities but I don't think it's a particular problem
for us."
Are you worried about the dip in results recently?
SA: "Obviously the results haven't quite been what we would have wanted in
the last three game. But I think our performances have been good enough. I
think this is the best form we've been in since I joined the club. Only two
performances have been below what we expect, the Southampton game at home
and the Stoke City away."
Andy Carroll played his first full game of the season last week, you must be
happy to see him back?
SA: "We're happy to see every player who comes back from injury. It's a big
boost to have a player like Andy back after such a long time. It's important
at this time of the season to get players back because if you're out for a
week you could miss three games. Injuries derailed our season last year and
we don't want that to happen again. "We have a very tough game this weekend
against Newcastle. With the form and momentum they have I think they're the
hardest to team to face right now, aside from Chelsea."
It's been a frustrating time for Andy, how do you feel he did?
SA: "He did well considering he wasn't expected to play the 90 minutes. He's
in the process of completing a pre-season before we see the best of him.
It'll take a way until he's back to full fitness and when he is that's when
we'll see the best of him."
Your next fixtures are Newcastle, West Brom, Swansea, Sunderland and
Leicester which are all winnable games. How important is this part of the
season?
SA: "It's a hugely important time for us. Historically we've struggled at
this point. The last international break was in many ways the worst I've
suffered because three players came back injured. Dealing with the amount of
games in such a short period of time is a massive test for us all, it'll
define how our season goes I think. We haven't achieved the results that our
performances have merited which is really disappointing."
How confident are you that the team can maintain this position throughout
the season?
SA: "We have to turn this slight blip around quickly. Winning games gives
you the confidence you need and we haven't had that recently. We know if
we're going to have to convert our performances into wins. The main thing we
need to is to find out clinical finishing again. That was what was so good
in the early part of the season."
Both you and Alan Pardew know how important it is to have patient owners.
How helpful have they been recently?
SA: "Owners have been good in general across the Premier League this season,
no one's been sacked yet which is good to see. Managers refer to November as
Black November when the sackings start and they sometimes trigger each other
off. Both me and Alan are fortunate that the owners have been understanding
that these things take time. I can't speak too much for Alan but I
communicate with the owners on a regular basis and we talk things through
whatever the situation may be. Some things are within your control, some
things aren't.
"Alan brought in a number of players, like we did. He went to New Zealand
and picked up a lot of injuries, just like we did. But he's turned the
corner and now they've won six games in a row."
How do you counter their threat?
SA: "We need to play to our best, just like we did against Manchester City
and Liverpool. We need to rediscover our clinical finishing and then we'll
take it from there."
What lessons have you taken from the Everton game?
SA: "Make sure we're more clinical in front of goal. We also need to be
careful that when we're in the ascendency not to leave the back door open.
It was that lapse of concentration that cost us which led to them scoring
the second goal which they didn't deserve at the time."
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Six of the best - Mark Noble
WHUFC.com
As Mark Noble prepares to beat the Hammers' PL appearance record we look
into the archives
26.11.2014
If Mark Noble is selected in West Ham United's midfield for Saturday's game
against Newcastle United, he will surpass Steve Potts' record of Premier
League appearances for the Club. Having made it to 204 run-outs in last
weekend's defeat at Everton, one more game will give him the record outright
and here we look back at six of the most memorable top flight matches in
claret and blue for the two-time Hammer of the Year.
Game 1 - 13 August 2005, West Ham United 3-1 Blackburn Rovers
Noble's Premier League debut came from the bench in the opening day victory
over Blackburn Rovers in the 2005/06 campaign. Having taken his first steps
with the senior team in the previous campaign's promotion from the
Championship, the then 18-year-old then set about making his mark at the
higher level. Introduced as an 84th minute substitute, Noble helped see out
the game, which West Ham won 3-1 after falling behind early on to Andy
Todd's goal. Teddy Sheringham replied in the first minute of the second
half, before goals from Nigel Reo-Coker and Matt Etheringhton secured
victory.
Game 6 - 4 March 2007, West Ham United 3-4 Tottenham Hotspur
The result might have gone against the Hammers in this game, but the derby
duel with Tottenham in 2006/07 stands out for so many reasons.
Carlos Tevez's first goal for the Club, late drama and in many ways the
catalyst for the great escape, but for Noble, who had gone out on loan to
Hull and Ipswich in the previous year, this game provided his first Premier
League goal. His crisp finish gave West Ham the lead, and although Spurs
came roaring back in the second period, West Ham recovered from the blow to
climb away from the foot of the table with a stunning turnaround in form.
Game 16 - 13 May 2007, Manchester United 0-1 West Ham United
West Ham's Premier League future looked bleak with them languishing at the
foot of the table in the spring, but a run of six victories in eight games
following that Spurs epic meant they went to Old Trafford knowing a win
would be enough to keep them up. No easy task, but Noble's 16th Premier
League appearance for the Hammers would go down in folklore as one fans will
remember forever as the east Londoners secured their place at the top table
in style. Tevez was the man on target, with the only goal of the game
against the champions, giving West Ham the points they needed to secure
safety.
Game 135, 20 October 2012, West Ham United 4-1 Southampton
Noble has only netted two top flight braces for the Hammers - and just one
of them came in a winning cause. That was back in October 2012, as West Ham
continued to start life back in the Premier League in a positive manner,
with this win taking them to sixth in the table.
Noble has established himself as a fine penalty taker at the Boleyn Ground
and one of his two on this afternoon came from the spot, with Kevin Nolan
and Modibo Maiga also on target.
Game 176, 11 January 2014, Cardiff City 0-2 West Ham United
The Hammers looked to be in some trouble at the turn of the year, and heavy
cup defeats to Nottingham Forest and Manchester City did little to lift the
mood. Missing captain Kevin Nolan with suspension, Noble took the armband
for this fixture and led the Hammers to a much needed three points against a
rival at the wrong end of the table. Carlton Cole's first half opener got
West Ham on their way, before Noble sealed victory himself in injury time
with a finish across David Marshall. Improved form for the Hammers in 2014
saw them climb away from danger and this victory would go down as a major
turning point.
Game 201, 25 Ocrober 2014, West Ham United 2-1 Manchester City
West Ham's stunning start to the 2014/15 campaign was capped by an
unforgettable victory over the champions Manchester City. This victory
lifted the Hammers into the top four of the table and was reward for an
attacking performance. Morgan Amalfitano's first half opener was added to by
Diafra Sakho, and although David Silva pulled one back, the Hammers held on.
Noble, alongside Alex Song in midfield, was proving to be an
ever-influential figure for Sam Allardyce's men as they put a
largely-forgettable 2013/14 campaign behind them.
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Mediawatch - 27 November
WHUFC.com
A look at today's coverage of West Ham United in the media
27.11.2014
Today's coverage of West Ham United in the media combines debate over
incidents during last Saturday's fixture at Everton and previews of this
weekend's visit of Newcastle United.
A number of publications and websites make mention of the Club - and the
Toffees - being charged by the Football Association for 'failing to ensure
their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion' during Saturday's
game at Goodison Park.
The Sun says Sam Allardyce is said to have given James Tomkins a 'ticking
off' for his reaction to a clash with Kevin Mirallas at the weekend.
Meanwhile, The Times says Everton manager Roberto Martinez and midfielder
Leon Osman have jumped to the defence of Ross Barkley, after the young
England international was accused of diving in the same match.
As one might expect, the Newcastle Chronicle takes a close look at
Saturday's fixture at the Boleyn Ground. Inside, former Hammers and Magpies
midfielder Nolberto Solano recalls his time playing under Sam Allardyce at
St James' Park.
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Barkley didn't dive, he just lost his balance - Martinez
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 27th November 2014
By: Staff Writer
Everton boss Roberto Martinez had an Iraqi Minister for Information* moment
earlier today when he insisted that midfielder Ross Barkley didn't actually
dive in an attempt to hoodwink referee Mark Clattenburg against West Ham
last Saturday. Despite the evidence of his own eyes, the Spanish manager
suggested - without a hint of irony - that the 20-year-old simply lost his
balance as Kevin Nolan moved to within three feet of the unstable youngster.
Speaking in the Echo about the incident, Martinez said: "I don't think it is
something he does often. The action on Saturday is an incident where he has
got the ball, he's a little bit off balance, he can see a player and he's
trying to get away from it. "His reaction is not to stay on the ground and
hoping the referee will blow the whistle. He got up quickly and it's not
even in the box, he's not trying to get a big decision. "You see him receive
a lot of kicks because he protects the ball so well and is so strong that
sometimes you try to get away from those contacts, but he is not trying to
get a decision from the referee that he could give us a penalty or a real
advantage."
The (Re)Definition of Diving: by Roberto Martinez
"I consider diving is when you've got a real intention to get a decision
from a referee in areas where he could give you a penalty or a clear
situation of getting someone in trouble. That was not the case at all and it
has been blown out of all proportion."
* Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf was Saddam Hussein's propaganda minister during
the 2003 Iraq War and continuously insisted that American troops were on the
verge of surrender - even when US shells could be heard exploding in the
background during live broadcasts.
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Allardyce: no complaint over FA charge
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 27th November 2014
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce says he is unlikely to challenge the FA charge that followed
last weekend's clash with Everton. Winston Reid and Everton's Steven
Naismith were both yellow-carded during the incident in question by
blundering match official Mark Clattenburg - before the two clubs were
charged by the FA for "failing to ensure their players conducted themselves
in an orderly fashion". Speaking to the press this morning, Allardyce
revealed that he was unlikely to contest the charge. "I can't argue with
it," he told reporters. "We got so frustrated by some of the decisions that
we lost control a little bit. "I don't condone what we did but I can
understand the players' frustrations. We need to control ourselves better
because we could have lost a player to a red card. "Both sets of players
were involved. To be fair to my players they very rarely do that. I'll
remind them of their responsibilities, but I don't think it's a particular
problem for us."
Despite accepting that his players could have handled the situation better,
Allardyce did at least admit that Clattenburg wasn't entirely blameless.
"Because he didn't give a free-kick, that spilled over into frustration.
When you see your teammate is, what you feel, unfairly treated, then you
want to stick up for each other. "Obviously, you just don't want it to
extend to levels that we saw last Saturday."
One player who has been 'reminded of his responsibilities' by Allardyce is
James Tomkins, who fell to floor clutching his face after he was shoved in
the chest by Everton's Kevin Mirallas during the game. The centre half, who
embarrassed everyone involved with the club at his attempt to feign injury
is understood to have been warned by Allardyce over his future conduct.
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Downing and Kouyate back in training
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 27th November 2014
By: Staff Writer
Stewart Downing and Cheik Kouyate are both hoping to play against Newcastle
this weekend, according to Sam Allardyce. However the news is slightly less
positive regarding fellow sufferers Alex Song, Enner Valencia, Mark Noble
and Diafra Sakho. Allardyce was without five of his first team last weekend
after all sustained injuries during the international break - and lost Noble
midway through the match. He is also preparing for life without Winston
Reid, after the central defender received his fifth booking of the campaign
at Everton last weekend and earned a one-match ban in the process. But there
was some good news on the injury front this morning, ahead of Saturday's
clash with the in-form Newcastle United. "We've lost Winston Reid to a
suspension and we've got to manage the situation by getting a result against
Newcastle," Allardyce told a pre-match press conference. "But Stewart
Downing is training today and Cheik Kouyate is too.
"The rest of the injured players have got a chance but it's a slimmer chance
than we expected. "I think the only other possibility might be Mark Noble.
It's not an ideal scenario but I still think we can get the result that we
should have done last Saturday."
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Sam Allardyce accepts West Ham FA charge for Everton incident
Last Updated: 27/11/14 9:25pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce accepts the Football Association was correct to charge West
Ham for their player misconduct at Goodison Park last Saturday.
Everton and West Ham were charged by the FA for an incident in the latter
stages of the first half when a James McCarthy tackle on Morgan Amalfitano
provoked an angry reaction from the visiting players and a melee broke out.
McCarthy and Winston Reid were booked by referee Mark Clattenburg and
Allardyce admits his players must maintain a greater level of control. The
clubs have until 6pm next Monday to respond to the charge. Sam Allardyce
says he can understand why the FA charged West Ham and Everton over their
players not conducting themselves in an orderly fashion I think we got so
frustrated by the decision of the referee at the time that we have lost our
control a little bit, so I don't condone what we did but I can understand
why the frustration crept in. "We have got to try and keep control of
ourselves better in these situations because we could have easily lost a
player to a red card. "Both sets of players were involved obviously but we
have to try and keep more control. To be fair to my players it's not very
often they do that, very rarely do they lose control."
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Carl Jenkinson believes West Ham must aim for Europe
Last Updated: 27/11/14 8:12pm
SSN
Carl Jenkinson believes West Ham can challenge for a European place this
season if they can carry on their recent form. The Hammers slipped to sixth
place in the table following last week's 2-1 defeat to Everton but the
former Arsenal full-back has praised his team-mates for the consistency they
have shown in recent weeks. "With the players we have got this season we
want to be aiming for a European spot," he told Sky Sports News HQ. "I think
that's something we can achieve, maybe at the start of the season I didn't
think we would be as high as we are but it's fantastic that we are and we
have surprised ourselves and a lot of people. Sam Allardyce says he can
understand why the FA charged West Ham and Everton over their players not
conducting themselves in an orderly fashion. "We deserved more out of the
game on the weekend, that was frustrating, but the performance levels
haven't really dipped to be honest. As long as we keep the performances high
the results will come." And Jenkinson is looking for his side to get back to
winning ways when the entertain in-form Newcastle at Upton Park on Saturday.
"We're missing a few of our big players, who have played a big part in our
start to the season, that doesn't help," he said. "The players that have
come in have done really well. Zarate springs to mind who came on at the
weekend and
made a difference for us. We want some of our other players back but that's
only natural."
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IFS AND BUTS
By Bianca Westwood 27 Nov 2014 at 09:00
West Ham till I Die
If Nobes had put that penalty away first game of the season. If Nolan's
fringe hadn't been a millimetre offside at Old Trafford. If the linesman had
spotted that 6 ft 3' lump in the blue who was 4 yards ahead of everyone else
at Goodison last Saturday…if all those situations had gone our way imagine
where we might be now! If, if, if!!! Yes I know "if ifs and buts were candy
and nuts we'd all have a Merry Christmas!" but I'm starting to feel a little
festive…despite the Everton defeat.
I think what I'm trying to say here is that, even though we haven't won in
three whole games now (aaaah horror of all horrors the dreaded slippery
slope is upon us!!!) there's no need to revert to typical West Ham fan
mentality. Well I'm not anyway. It's not all about to go horribly wrong.
We're still right on track. But for a few chance events that went against us
this season we could have even been right up Chelsea's….oh you know, that
place where we kindly invite their fans to stick the blue flag.
So doom & gloom-mongers be damned! Some of you are sensing another false
dawn. Keep the faith!
Overall I was happy with our performance at Goodison. As they're our bogey
team I wasn't expecting too much in the first place and a point would have
been an early Christmas pressie. When I saw the state of the injury list I
was even less confident of a result. Yet our 'B' team did ok. Apart from the
first 20 minutes when Everton dominated the possession we were never really
out of the game. In fact the full time stats suggest we were right in it. It
could have gone either way and but for a few ifs, we could have nicked
something.
A few minor gripes…perhaps starting with Zarate would have been preferable.
He certainly made a difference with his energy and enthusiasm running at
defenders and causing problems. Maybe, in hindsight, Carlton Cole wasn't the
man to go with. I'm not having a go at him here by the way, he has been an
important and treasured player for us in the past and indeed this season
he's popped up with a couple of goals. I just think he is too similar to
Carroll in his hold up play and we needed someone up top with AC with a bit
more pace who could feed off those second balls and get in behind. But hey
ho.
As for Tomkins, he's probably got enough stick about his play-acting from
his team mates by now so I'm not going to rattle that cage too much. I can
imagine the dressing room 'bantz' (sorry I hate that word but it's
regrettably appropriate here) was pretty relentless afterwards. They'll have
ripped him a new one…in the nicest possible way of course! In his defence,
as you know he's not usually that type of player, he's an honest guy who
perhaps got carried away in the heat of the moment, was aggravated by a few
decisions that didn't go our way, was probably annoyed with the fact that
Amalfitano was being kicked from pillar to post and, maybe, saw Ross
Barkley's ever-so-graceful swan dive and thought to himself "I'll have a
piece of that action!" No there's no excuse, but after the heat he got from
all media outlets over the weekend I'm sure that won't happen again in a
hurry. On the other hand, I do feel he could have been a bit stronger
against Naysmith and stayed on his feet instead of looking for a foul, which
subsequently allowed Lukaku in the back door to find Eto'o, then Osman for
the winner. But again, minor gripe, it was good play from them and that bit
of quality on the day left us empty-handed at Everton. Again!
Looking forward, I still feel we have lots to be happy about. Speaking to
Carl Jenkinson last week he made the point that the players are buzzing
right now. I know all players bang on about team spirit and togetherness in
interviews but I really feel that at West Ham it's not just a line that's
trotted out for the cameras. Whenever I'm over at Chadwell Heath I sense
that there's an incredibly positive atmosphere around the training ground.
And I've been there when that has definitely not been the case. I've said
before that they genuinely like each other and the manager and that shows on
and off the pitch. It also helps when you've got quality in the squad. New
faces, guys from other countries, different cultures and languages don't
always translate into team unity. But when those players have the talent,
hunger and the drive to succeed and transfer that into success on the pitch,
let's just say it helps in the bonding process.
Jenks is from Buckhurst Hill, has a few mates who are Hammers fans, and he
told me that they are always telling him how different it feels to be a West
Ham supporter this season. It's been a pleasant surprise for us all! We may
have dropped down to the lowly position of 6th in the table but the upcoming
fixtures suggest we might be able to haul ourselves back up to the Champions
League spots. The longer we stay up there the better. Finishing in a Europa
League place is something the players are genuinely targeting. Although
having said that, it can be somewhat of a poisoned chalice as Stoke City and
Swansea found out to their detriment. Both had difficult domestic seasons
because of their European football endeavours but, come on, wouldn't it be
amazing to go into our final season at the Boleyn with the chance of
entertaining some quality European opponents! Looking at the fixture list
you feel that, right up until Boxing Day, we've got every chance of taking
something from each of those games and cementing a top 6 position. You just
hope that the treatment room is a little less busy over the festive period.
And finally, I'm really looking forward to the Hammers hosting (and
hopefully battering) Newcastle. I know they're one of the in-form teams but
they have to lose sometime and if we get a few key players back then why
shouldn't we be the ones to beat them! Earlier this year they had the likes
of Cabaye and Remy to punish us, this time around it won't be so one-sided.
This fixture always calls to mind for me my best ever outing at Upton Park.
Monday 22nd April 1986. The infamous 8-1 game. I still have the newspapers
from the day after. What a game, a total demolition job. Alvin Martin
scoring a hat trick against three different feckless keepers (one being
Peter Beardsley!) Stewart, Orr, an OG from the hapless Roeder, super sub
Paul Goddard coming on to score with his first touch of the game and of
course Frank McAvennie. It was a night I'll never forget.
Now I'm not saying a win this Saturday would be quite as emphatic as that
one (our biggest league victory since the 8-0 pounding of Sunderland in
1968), but our team has definitely been playing with that same spirit and
flair as the boys of 86' so IF they continue like that I'm more than hopeful
of snatching all 3 points. IF, IF, IF…
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Irons will plead guilty to FA charge
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 27, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham will plead guilty to the FA charge over the Battle of Everton and
"move on." The Irons and Everton are likely to be hit with n£20k fines
after what the FA has interpreted as failing to control their players . The
FA's action has been received with resignation inside Upton Park but a well
placed source said: "The the players have to learn that they have to
behave." Any sense of hardship is being kept well hidden by those whom
ClaretandHugh who instead have shown an inevitability over the likely
outcome. Indeed, there's far more concern over the current form slump and
injury crisis than anything the game's ruling body may be preparing to throw
at them
A highly placed source to us: "Let's be honest the reality is that the FA
probably see it \s a cash raising thing so we aren't going to get het up
over the morality. "Our players need to know they must behave. It was
expected. All clubs facing similar charges this season have pleaded guilty
as the fine is £20k, plus all costs. "So it's probable that's the route we
shall go down. To be honest Saturday's match against Newcastle is of far
more importance."
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Sam may have Irons backed into a corner
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 27, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Alastair Duncan is a national sports writer of many years experience having
worked for the Daily Star, The People and the Press Associaton among many
others. Based in the north of England he has been an Iron since his earliest
years watching his first game at the Boleyn in 1958.
Today ClaretandHugh is delighted to welcome him aboard as a regular blogger
and in his first piece, Duncan explains that Sam Allarcyce may have the
club backed into a corner when the time comes to renew his contract at the
end of the season.
All talk of a new West Ham contract for Sam Allardyce has gone a bit quiet
over the past few weeks, it's amazing what two draws and a defeat does to
all the speculation. But the problem of our manager's future does not go
away. And it may seem unpalatable to many Irons fans but there are only two
real questions now, whether we like it or not. Does Sam want to stay, and
can we afford him?
Now the general feeling has been all season, that Sam survived by the skin
of his teeth back in the summer, and should be grateful that he has a job
and dutifully humble and forelock tugging about the situation.
Forget all that. Nothing is further from the truth, certainly when it comes
to the people around him, his agent Mark Curtis and the lawyers who look
after the tough negotiations when big-time managers renegotiate new deals.
And if West Ham stay up this term, and finish in a decent position, both of
which seems likely although not something we should all take as given, then
Sam is in an incredibly strong position, something like Winston Reid's, but
without the really big bucks.
When Sam arrived at the end of the disastrous 2010-11 season of Avram Grant,
the club was in freefall, financially shot and a pending basket case of
Leeds proportions. Since then West Ham have won promotion at the first time
of asking and, if we do stay up this season, will have had three fruitful
seasons re-establishing ourselves in the top flight.
That is more than any of us, probably, would have hoped for, and something
Sam's regime has achieved. Many will say with substance over style, but in a
'results business' like football, none of that has the slightest impact on
contract negotiations.
At conservative estimates, Sam's regime will have overseen something upwards
of £400m flooding into our coffers over four seasons, David Sullivan has
taken on our previous bank debts and our finances will have improved out of
all recognition as we head to the brave new world of a big stadium and the
Olympic Park.
Just look at how much Spurs are squirming and moaning about loss of revenue
as they try to build a bigger stadium. Spurs' income per home match is about
£1m on gates similar to ours in the mid-30,000s, while Arsenal are taking in
£3m a match. That could be us soon, or more relevant, we could be left
struggling like Spurs will be(oh what a shame).And it explains why they are
still so desperate to find a temporary home in London and not Milton Keynes.
So we will have a lot to thank Sam for, and he knows it. He will without
doubt want a healthy wage rise for a start, and his stock will have risen so
much it would be amazing if he left us and didn't find another highly
lucrative job elsewhere. And even England has raised it's head again.
Nobody will care about the style of his regimes, he is the most successful
and experienced current English manager, and the likes of Aston Villa, to
name just one, would jump at the chance to employ him.
So David Sullivan can say what he likes about everything depending on style
of play, final position and whether Sam starts to love our fans or not. It
has nothing to do with any of that.
Sam is on around £3m a year with bonus, and yes, we all know that makes him
one of the highest paid managers in the world. Live with it. Only what he
achieves makes any difference.
There is no chance that he would accept a one year rolling contract on the
same money. He expects to be rewarded handsomely for saving us from the
knackers yard. And Sullivan knows that.
And then there is the little issue of Sam's backroom team and entourage of
sports scientists, fitness staff and the vast array of lap-top geeks that
surround him. Plus Neil McDonald's new deal too, because our number two is
also soon out of contract and turned down Carlisle because of the wages on
offer. He made an educated guess to stick around and see how Sam gets on and
how the rest of the season pans out.
Sam, we all know, makes it pretty hard to get rid of himself. Just ask
Newcastle and Blackburn. He has a habit of surrounding himself with a club
infrastructure that , when you dismantle it, leaves the place stripped of
quality staff that take a long time to replace.
Newcastle moaned that something like 40 or so lap-top heroes had to be paid
off too. A new man comes in and starts building his own team, and that takes
time. Time that can cost you relegation like Bolton and Blackburn, or
financial upheaval, like Newcastle. Sullivan, with the Olympic Stadium just
around the corner, cannot afford anything like that to rock the boat. And
Sam knows that.
Whether, even, that we are able to afford Sam's contract demands remains to
be seen. Our Financial Fair Play budget includes all of Sam's men and the
man himself, and as we are seeing with Reid, there is only so much cash to
go around and there are limits to what we can afford next season. We are
constantly being told that any incoming transfers in January will depend on
departures.
There is no question that Sam, and football in general, will see our
manager's time at the Boleyn as anything other than his greatest achievement
in the game. Bolton took him a very long time, and they are nowhere near as
big a club as us.
He had vast financial help from their Isle of Man based owner, much of which
has now melted away. And he could probably see the writing on the wall
there. Blackburn have never recovered from his departure, so can we afford
to go down that road?
After the season that Sam believes he endured unfairly last time around, his
revenge may well be that us–not him–are backed into a corner now.
ClaretandHugh may not necessarily hold the views expressed in this article
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