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

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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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