Daily WHUFC News - 28th December 2014

Preview - Arsenal
WHUFC.com
All the essential information ahead of Sunday's game against Arsenal
27.12.2014

WEST HAM UNITED v ARSENAL
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
BOLEYN GROUND
SUNDAY 28 DECEMBER 2014
KICK-OFF: 3PM
REFEREE: NEIL SWARBRICK

In brief

West Ham United host Arsenal on Sunday with the rare feeling of needing to bounce back from a defeat. Chelsea inflicted just a second loss in 12 outings on Boxing Day, when John Terry and Diego Costa netted to see off the Hammers' challenge and knock them down a place to fifth in the table. Sam Allardyce's men will be looking to keep Arsenal below them in the Barclays Premier League, after the Gunners moved to within a point of their London rivals with a 2-1 win over Queens Park Rangers. The Hammers currently have 31 points from their 18 games and will need to overcome recent history to add to that tally on Sunday, with Arsenal having won all of the last eight meetings between the teams.

Who are they?
Founded as Dial Square in 1886, Arsenal's early days were played out south of the River Thames in Woolwich. They were the first team from the south of England to join the Football League and in 1913 moved across London to Highbury. Their success has been particularly consistent, accumulating the second most points in the history of the English top flight and holding the ongoing record for the longest uninterrupted period in the top division. They have won the league title 13 times, the FA Cup on 11 occasions and two European trophies - the Cup Winners' Cup in 1994 and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1970,

Team news
West Ham United
West Ham were without James Tomkins at Chelsea with a hamstring injury and Big Sam will assess his fitness ahead of Sunday's clash.
Alex Song and Diafra Sakho were used from the bench at Stamford Bridge and could return to the starting line-up against Arsenal, but Carl Jenkinson cannot play as he is on loan from the Gunners.

Arsenal
Olivier Giroud was sent off in Friday's victory over QPR for violent conduct and will serve the first game of his suspension against the Hammers. Meanwhile, Aaron Ramsey (hamstring), Mikel Arteta (calf), Jack Wilshere (foot) and Mesut Ozil (knee) will all miss out with injury.

Referee
Sunday's referee is Neil Swarbrick.
Swarbrick began refereeing at the age of 29 and within six years he had been promoted to the National List of assistant referees.
Now 49, Swarbrick made his way up the leagues via the Football Conference and the npower Football League before receiving his first Barclays Premier League appointment on 11 December 2010. He was officially promoted to the Select Group of top-flight referees in June 2011.
The official last took charge of the Hammers in January, when they held out for a superb 0-0 draw at Chelsea..
This season he has dished out 64 yellow cards and two reds in 15 games.

One to watch
West Ham United
Alex Song returns to take on the team where he made his name, two-and-a-half years after leaving Emirates Stadium for Barcelona.
The central midfielder joined West Ham on loan from the Spanish giants in the summer and immediately set about showing off his talents in the Barclays Premier League again. He has become an integral part of the Hammers team and is sure to be an influential figure on Sunday.

Arsenal
Alexis Sanchez has truly hit the ground running at Arsenal after also making the move to England from Barcelona in the close season.
The Chile forward enjoyed an outstanding World Cup and has carried that form into his first season in English football.
He recovered from missing a penalty to notch Arsenal's opener in the 2-1 win over QPR on Boxing Day and already has ten league goals to his name.

Tickets
All tickets have sold out for this fixture.

Travel
The eastern end of the District and Hammersmith & City lines will be open on Sunday, with trains serving Upton Park.
Please note that London Overground services into Barking from South Tottenham are suspended due to engineering work.
Click here for the latest from Transport for London and here for National Rail.

Weather

A bright start to the day is expected, with cloud arriving later on. Temperature at kick-off is predicted to be 5C (41F).

Last meeting
Arsenal 3-1 West Ham United
Barclays Premier League
15 April 2014
The Hammers last took on Arsenal at Emirates Stadium in April. Matt Jarvis gave the visitors the lead in the first half, but that was as good as it got for Big Sam's men as the Gunners came roaring back.
Lukas Podolski levelled on the stroke of half-time, before Olivier Giroud made it 2-1 ten minutes after the break.
Podolski finished the contest off with his second 12 minutes from the end to boost his team's challenge for fourth spot.
Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Rosicky (Ramsey 72), Arteta, Cazorla (Jenkinson 88), Kallstrom, Podolski, Giroud
Subs: Fabianski, Bellerin, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sanogo, Akpom
West Ham United: Adrian, Reid, Tomkins, Armero, Demel, Jarvis (J.Cole 78), Noble, Diame, Downing (Vaz Te 78), Nocerino, Carroll (C.Cole 84)
Subs: Jaaskelainen, McCartney, Johnson, Taylor

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'Let's go out there and beat Arsenal'
WHUFc.com
Big Sam has backed his Hammers to hit back when they host Arsenal on Sunday
27.12.2014

Sam Allardyce has backed his West Ham United team to bounce back against Arsenal following their Boxing Day defeat at Chelsea. The Hammers lost out 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, but return to the friendlier confines of the Boleyn Ground on Sunday, where they are unbeaten since August. The manager could recall Alex Song and Diafra Sakho to his starting XI after leaving them on the bench at Chelsea, while James Tomkins may return from a hamstring injury and Morgan Amalfitano's impressive showing in west London could see him included.
"Hopefully I'll have a near-full squad at my disposal, as there didn't appear to be any injuries on Boxing Day, but there may be some knocks and bruises or fatigue that we have to assess on Saturday when all the players are in," Big Sam explained. "They will all try to recover as quickly as possible for Sunday's game and we'll try to pick the strongest team possible to start the game, then the subs will play their part as the game goes on, with two games in a short period of time. "I want us to play like we did against Leicester and all the other teams we've faced at home, or more like we played against Manchester City and Liverpool when they came to our place. It is one of the big boys who are visiting us and we should all look forward to the game based on how well we've played at home in the last seven games. "Let's go out there and try and beat an Arsenal and make sure we don't lose two games on the trot, which is something we haven't done this season."

While Song and Sakho could start, one player who will not feature is right-back Carl Jenkinson, who is on loan from the Gunners and therefore ruled out of Sunday's game. Big Sam, though, is not overly concerned and has backed his replacement to slot into the side without any drama. "We've got Joey O'Brien and Guy Demel to choose from in that position, so that's something we'll make sure we do.
"Overall, for me, we look at the contribution everyone made on Boxing Day, their fatigue levels and who is available and we try to pick the best team to go out there and beat Arsenal."

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Collins hails Chelsea strength
WHUFC.com
James Collins tipped Chelsea for the Barclays Premier League title after the Hammers were defeated on Boxing Day
27.12.2014

James Collins believes his West Ham United team were beaten by the performance of champions at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day. Chelsea maintained their three-point gap over Manchester City by seeing off the Hammers by a 2-0 scoreline and Collins was impressed with their play. With no obvious weak link, it was always going to be tough for the Hammers in this London derby and Collins says they will put this loss behind them swiftly. "I'd say we were probably beaten by the champions on Boxing Day," he explained. "It will certainly take a strong team to beat them. "We went there full of confidence, the best we've been playing for a long time and they've beaten us 2-0.
"Credit to them, they are a strong team all over the pitch and with the subs they made they've got strength in depth. "At half time and only 1-0 down, we knew we were in the game, and if we could have got one [even at 2-0] it would have made it tight again. "Unfortunately it never came and they killed it off. It's all about recovery now and looking forward to Arsenal on Sunday."

Collins held his hands up over Chelsea's first goal, which saw John Terry lose the attentions of the No19 to convert from Diego Costa's header. "It was sloppy from me really," he admitted. "I've gone to try and win the first header and having not won it left John to tap it in. "There were probably a few lads there who could have tapped it in so it's sloppy all over really. It's disappointing that my man scored, but they are a strong team."

West Ham have a quick opportunity to put that defeat right when Arsenal visit the Boleyn Ground on Sunday and that is a derby the Welshman is relishing. He added: "We've got to try and put this behind us as quickly as we can and look forward to Arsenal. Our home form is great, the boys are playing well, so it's one to look forward to. "I'm sure we can give anyone a game and everyone's enjoying it at the moment. Let's have a go and see what happens."

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West Ham v Arsenal
KO 15:00
27 December 2014
Last updated at 13:14
By John Motson
BBC Match of the Day commentator

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Sunday, 28 December

TEAM NEWS

West Ham duo Alex Song and Diafra Sakho were rotated out of the starting line-up at Chelsea but are set to return against Arsenal.
James Tomkins is again likely to miss out with a hamstring problem, so James Collins will continue to deputise.

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud begins a three-game ban which could mean Danny Welbeck is restored to a central role. The Gunners will assess centre-back Laurent Koscielny, who is nearing a return from a hamstring problem.

MATCH PREVIEW
Sam Allardyce's team selection against Chelsea has been the focus of some debate, particularly the decision to bench key players Alex Song and Diafra Sakho. Although recent injury problems played a role in those decisions, I can reveal the West Ham manager made the decision to mix and match several weeks ago. "This is another tough game for West Ham on the back of their defeat by Chelsea, although I think Hammers boss Sam Allardyce was quite clever in resting Alex Song and Diafra Sakho until the last half hour at Stamford Bridge."
Predictions: Lawro v Unbroken star Jack O'Connell And on current form you can see why he would target this game, rather the Boxing Day trip to the league leaders, as the more winnable fixture. That said, the Hammers will be keen to avoid losing any momentum over the festive period, where a few poor results can see your league position come down as quickly as the Christmas decorations. Only a superb display from Hammers goalkeeper Adrian kept the score down against Chelsea, but they should be a different proposition on Sunday. Aside from the injured James Tomkins, West Ham should be fairly close to the team which began against Leicester in their last home game. That would mean Andy Carroll starting a second game in three days, but he only played 59 minutes at Stamford Bridge, and will sure ly fancy his chances against an Arsenal rearguard which has creaked at times this season. A bit like Manchester United, Arsenal have barely had their first-choice defence available, and Arsene Wenger will be particularly keen to get fit-again Laurent Koscielny back alongside Per Mertesacker at centre-back. The Gunners have an excellent record against West Ham, winning their last eight in all competitions, but to keep that streak going they may need more heroics from Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean has scored or assisted half of their 32 Premier League goals and has 15 goals in all competitions. Who knows where they would be without him - probably significantly lower than sixth in the table. This should be a cracking London derby played at what is sure to be packed and noisy Upton Park. The teams appear evenly matched and I'm expecting plenty of goals - it's just the kind of match you want to be watching over Christmas.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head
Arsenal have won their last eight league and cup games against West Ham in all competitions.
The Gunners have scored at least three times in each of their last five matches against the Hammers.
West Ham have not beaten Arsenal since winning both meetings 1-0 in the 2006-07 season, triumphing at the Emirates Stadium in April 2007 and at Upton Park in November 2006.

West Ham
The Hammers have won six of their last seven Premier League home games.
They have kept four clean sheets and conceded just three goals in that run.
They are unbeaten at Upton Park since August, when they lost their opening two Premier League home matches.

Arsenal
Arsenal have failed to score in only one of their last 11 away matches in the Premier League - their 2-0 loss to Chelsea on 5 October.
The Gunners have conceded five times in their last two away league games - with all but one of those arriving before half-time.
With 10 goals and six assists, Alexis Sanchez has scored or assisted half of Arsenal's 32 Premier League goals this season.
Ian Wright (14) is the only player to reach 10 Premier League goals in fewer games for Arsenal than Sanchez (17).

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Sakho inclusion leaves Ba fuming
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 27th December 2014
By: Staff Writer

Former Hammer Demba Ba took to Twitter to express his disappointment after he was replaced in Senegal's provisional squad for the African Cup of Nations by West Ham United's Diafra Sakho. Ba - who spent five months at the Boleyn Ground in 2011 before jumping ship once West Ham's relegation was confirmed - was left fuming after being omitted from the squad for the tournament, which begins on 17 January.
Shortly after the squad was announced earlier this afternoon, Ba - who spent time at Newcastle and Chelsea after leaving West Ham before joining current club Besiktas - hit out at head coach Alain Giresse for leaving him out of the travelling party. Sakho is one of two Hammers named in Giresse's provisional party, with Cheik Kouyate also selected. Senegal arrive at their training camp in Dakar on 2 January although both Hammers are hoping to receive special dispensation allowing them to feature in the FA Cup tie at Everton. The other English-based players included in the squad are Mame Birame Diouf (Stoke), Sadio Mane (Southampton) and Papiss Cisse (Newcastle).

Senegal's Provisional AFCON Squad

Goalkeepers: Bouna Coundoul (Ethnikos Achnas FC, Cyprus), Lys Gomis (Trappani, Italy), Pape Demba Camara (Sochaux, France), Ousmane Mane (Diambars)

Defenders: Zargo Toure (Le Havre, France), Lamine Gassama (Lorient, France), Lamine Sane (Bordeaux, France), Kara Mbodj (Genk, Belgium), Pape Ndiaye Souare (Lille, France), Papy Djilobodji (Nantes, France), Boukary Drame (Atalanta, Italy), Ibrahima Mbaye (Inter Milan, Italy), Cheikh Mbengue (Rennes, France)

Midfielders: Cheikhou Kouyate (West Ham, England), Pape Kouli Diop (Levante, Spain), Idrissa Gana Gueye (Lille, France), Stephane Badji (Brann, Norway), Salif Sane (Hanover, Germany), Pape Alioune Ndiaye (Bodo Glimt, Norway), Alfred Ndiaye (Real Betis, Spain).

Forwards: Moussa Konate (SC Sion, Switzerland), Diafra Sakho (West Ham, England), Mame Birame Diouf (Stoke City, England), Sadio Mane (Southampton, England), Moussa Sow (Fenerbahce, Turkey), Papiss Demba Cisse (Newcastle, England), Henri Saivet (Bordeaux, France), Dame Ndoye (Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia).

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Mensis horribilis
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 27th December 2014
By: Staff Writer

Chairman David Sullivan says that the January transfer window cannot pass quickly enough. The club's co-owner, speaking to Jason Burt for The Telegraph confirmed that he had a particular dislike for the season's second and final opportunity to sell and purchase players - whilst admitting that he had come unstuck on many occasions during the winter transfer window. "It is the most horrible, horrible month and the last day is just horrendous," he said. "You have got players in the middle of nowhere and you are being told 'you've got to sign him'! Thank God this time we don't have to sign anyone desperately. "It's very hard to castigate certain players but under Avram we signed a player who was on £90,000-a-week and we paid his full wages and a big fee to an agent. Did that player help us a lot? I don't think so. But you are desperate. "[Three years ago] we signed Robbie Keane on loan. The classic example. Avram said 'get me Robbie Keane and he will keep you up'. Well, we got Robbie and when he was available he was a decent player - but he was injured most of the time."

Surprisingly perhaps, Sullivan also cited a much-maligned loan signing as his best last season. "Roger Johnson ended up costing us about £15,000-a-week and he did a wonderful job," he said. "He started in four games and we won three of those games. We were without a centre-half. Without one of those every club would struggle. "He took a salary drop because he wanted to play in the Premier League. But we won at Cardiff because he was in the team and that was the game that turned our season."

Sullivan also intimated that he would be looking at adding one or two younger faces to the squad - one of whom, Canadian Daniel Henry is expected to join the club imminently. He also reiterated his intention to retain the services of contract rebel Winston Reid. "He might go in the summer," admitted Sullivan, "but I don't think anyone will pay us enough money to sell him in January because we've only got two other centre-halves at the club."

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Former Gunner set for Hammers recall
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 27th December 2014
By: Staff Writer

Guy Demel is set to return to the first team tomorrow - where he will line up against his only other English club. The Ivorian full back is poised to make his first appearance for the Hammers since September should he be selected to replace on-loan Carl Jenkinson, who is unable to play against his parent club. Demel, 33, has made just five appearances for Sam Allardyce's first team so far this season - four in the Premier League and once in the Capital One Cup - but is yet to complete a full 90 minutes. He spent one season at Arsenal back in 2000/01, but failed to make a single first team appearance under Arsene Wenger before being transferred to Borussia Dortmund.

22-year-old Jenkinson, on loan at the Boleyn for the season has been a virtual ever-present since making his West Ham debut against Hull in September but is unavailable on Sunday due to the terms of his loan agreement, which prevent him from playing against the Gunners. Meanwhile Arsenal, who will be seeking to repeat their win at the Boleyn last season will also be far from full strength having lost striker Olivier Giroud, who misses the match as a result of his red card against Queens Park Rangers yesterday. And whilst Laurent Koscielny is close the recovering from a hamstring injury and could therefore feature, Aaron Ramsey (hamstring), Mikel Arteta (calf), Mesut Ozil (knee), Abou Diaby (calf), Jack Wilshere (ankle) and Serge Gnabry (knee) have all been ruled out.

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Digging deep
KUMb.com
Filed: Saturday, 27th December 2014
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United Ladies' junior section will be holding a bucket collection on 1 January at Upton Park. Ahead of the West Brom game on New Years Day, more than 80 volunteers - a mix of players and approcimately 40 parents - will be collecting on behalf of the junior teams.
Dave Maslen, who coordinates the junior teams told KUMB: "We'll be asking supporters to dig deep to help with a small donation to the ladies side. It will make a great difference and help keep the club on a firm financial footing for next season. "The junior and senior section have also been raising money with raffles and match day sponsors, and the club would like to thank all in advance for their support." The club are also actively seeking a new chairman; ideally this would be someone who is a passionate West Ham United supporter with a strong business background and willing become involved on a voluntary basis.

West Ham United Ladies would like to invite all interested parties to contact the club, including their CV with details of any previous experience and their reasons for wanting to take on the role. For further details, please contact club secretary Bill Robinson at bill.robinson@sky.com. The club would like to wish all its supporters a very happy New Year.

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Wenger heaps praise on Song
Last Updated: 27/12/14 9:56pm
SSN

Arsene Wenger has praised Alex Song ahead of Arsenal's clash with West Ham on Sunday. The former Gunners midfielder has impressed in his loan spell at the Hammers, who lie fifth in the table. Wenger helped mould Song after signing him from French outfit Bastia and is not surprised the 27-year-old has gone onto play for Barcelona. He said: "I brought him here at the age of 17 and kept him despite all the opinions against him. "He developed into a very good player, so you don't need to convince me he is a good player. "I think he was a very good player when he was here and he didn't play a lot when he was in Spain - you see players like Santi Cazorla who always looks stronger (when they play regularly)."

Arsenal can leapfrog West Ham with victory and are just two points behind fourth-placed Southampton, but ahead of Tottenham only on goal difference. With so little between the sides around the Champions League places, Wenger wants his players to concentrate on continuing their fine form which has seen them lose just once in their last eight games. I don't give importance to the table at the moment," Wenger added."There are 20 games to go. It is very tight and it is down to consistency now. "We know every game now is down to consistency and reproducing the performances. "We need to prepare quickly, focus quickly and that is an ability we want to show at West Ham."

Defender Laurent Koscielny could be available for the game at Upton Park following a calf injury, while midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain faces a fitness test. With Olivier Giroud suspended for three matches after his red card against Queens Park Rangers, Theo Walcott is expected to return to the attack.

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Arsenal face top-four rivals West Ham at Upton Park
Last Updated: 27/12/14 7:53pm
SSN

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce will be hoping to end a seven game losing streak against Arsenal. West Ham will finish 2014 above Arsenal if they can avoid defeat in Sunday afternoon's London derby at Upton Park. Sam Allardyce's side are currently fifth in the Premier League, one point and one position ahead of their opponents, and will be looking to bounce back from their 2-0 Boxing Day defeat to Chelsea. Arsene Wenger knows three points will take Arsenal above West Ham in the race for a Champions League spot and is looking for a second London derby win in three days after the 2-1 success at home to QPR on Friday evening.

Team news

Alex Song (knee) and Diafra Sakho (back) are expected to return to West Ham's starting line-up. The duo were rotated out of the starting XI for the loss at Chelsea, with Mark Noble and Enner Valencia replacing them. Sam Allardyce says West Ham did not play as well as they can during their 2-0 defeat to Chelsea but will take positives from his side not giving up and cre James Tomkins (hamstring) is likely to miss out again, with James Collins continuing in central defence.

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud begins a three-match suspension after being sent off for head-butting in the 2-1 victory over QPR, but Laurent Koscielny could be back from a hamstring problem.Aaron Ramsey (hamstring), Mikel Arteta (calf), Mesut Ozil (knee), Abou Diaby (calf), Jack Wilshere (ankle) and Serge Gnabry (knee) are sidelined.

Opta facts

West Ham have won none of the last 12 Barclays Premier League games against Arsenal (W0 D2 L10), losing the last seven in a row.
Theo Walcott has scored five goals in his last four Premier League games against the Hammers.
Arsenal Wenger accepted Olivier Giroud's dismissal for violent conduct in their 2-1 win against QPR.
Lukas Podolski has scored four goals in four Premier League games against West Ham.
Arsenal have won away at West Ham more often than any other team in Premier League history (10).
After a run of seven Premier League home games without defeat as a coach against Wenger (W4 D3), Allardyce has lost his last three home games against the Frenchman.

Paul Merson's prediction

"West Ham set up a bit differently at Chelsea and it didn't really come off for them against the league leaders. I expect this to be a different game though and it's a tough one for both sides. It's a hard game for Arsenal, especially without Olivier Giroud. That's another big player out of the team and he would have been vital at set-plays. I was tempted to side with West Ham in this one, but in the end I've edged towards the draw."

PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1

Betting

Arsenal are Sky Bet's 11/10 favourites for this London derby, with West Ham 21/10 for the win and 12/5 to hold Wenger's men to a draw.
Despite their close proximity in the table, the Hammers are considered 18/1 chances for a top-four finish compared to the Gunners' odds of just 2/5.

Alexis Sanchez heads the first goalscorer betting at 5/1 and is 15/2 to be the Premier League's top goalscorer, while Andy Carroll and Sakho are considered the hosts' main threats at 6/1 apiece to net first.

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100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF WEST HAM PALS
By Sean Whetstone 27 Dec 2014 at 20:14
West Ham till I Die

Guest Post by Elliot Taylor, author of 'Up the hammers' about the West Ham Battalion

On December 29th it will be exactly 100 years since the birth of the West Ham Battalion. On a bitterly cold evening, the Mayor of West Ham, Henry Dyer, cleared his throat and read out a letter from the War Office detailing their requirements: just over a thousand local men aged between 19 and 35 who were prepared to enlist in the Army for a minimum of three years "or for the duration of the War".

When the call went out the response was immediate. By January 1915, 300 hundred men had volunteered and by March, the unit was complete. They undertook their training locally, marching along Green Street during the week when riots broke out around Upton Park and east London targeting foreign named businesses in response to the German sinking of the passenger ship Lusitania.

The youngest Private was 15 years old and one of many underage while the oldest Private was 47. Their battle cry was "Up The Hammers!" although some former employees of the Thames Ironworks preferred to shout "Up The Irons!" as they practised bayonet attacks. They got fit playing football in West Ham Park and relaxed with invitations as a whole Battalion to the cinema to see the latest movies. They really were the 'Pride of West Ham'.

They sailed to France together in November 1915 on the Steamship Princess Victoria and from that moment on they were seldom 'out the Line'. They served their whole War alongside The Footballers, a battalion made up of volunteers from the world of professional football. On the Hammers first

Christmas in the trenches they were cheered up when they heard that West Ham Utd had caned Arsenal 8-2 in the Southern Combination League match on Christmas Day here at the Boleyn. Sid Puddefoot scored five and it took nearly a century before Arsenal were beaten by that many goals again.

1916 saw them suffer incredible punishment on The Somme where so many of the original volunteer Officers and Men were killed, often with 'No Known Grave'.

By 1917, they were still in the thick of it and suffered even more losses during a failed attack on the village of Oppy at the end of April, on the very same day that West Ham Utd were crowned Champions of the Southern Combination League. 1917 ended with their epic 'Last Stand' at Moeuvres during the Battle of Cambrai, an event so heroic it made the front pages back home in England.

Finally, in February 1918, like so many Kitchener Battalions they were disbanded during Army reshuffles. The West Ham lads were sent to other units and sadly many of them were killed before the Armistice.

We should always, of course, Remember their sacrifices and since the end of the Great War we have a special day in our calendar set aside for such commemoration.

But today is not, for me, a day of commemoration but rather a day of celebration. A celebration of these brave adventurous local men, West Ham United's first generation of supporters, who willingly gave up all that they held close to defend against German aggression. I think what they did is worthy of more than three cheers!

Note from Sean: Elliot has suggested applause on the 13th minute at the Arsenal home game, in celebration of the formation of the13th Battalion (West Ham Pals) as a fitting reminder of those West Ham fans who signed up so we might enjoy freedom.

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HOW WE CAN PLAY VALENCIA, SAKHO & CARROLL IN THE SAME TEAM
By Iain Dale 27 Dec 2014 at 15:00
West Ham till I Die

Guest Post by Casper Wallensteiner

Stewart Downing is a play-maker. Nobody can argue with that. his skill-set is put to best use when he can create chances, as we have seen at the tip of the diamond.

Over the course of this season I have been confronted with two primary attacking mindsets: the pace of the Sakho-Valencia duo, consisting of a perfect combination of the speed they have been able to get off the mark and making countless runs to create chances off a through-ball , and the power of a lone Carroll, with his strength, aerial threat, and ability to read the game.

How do we accommodate these two styles without making compromises? I have created a formation which I think will work extremely well for us. Behold… The 4-2-1-2-1.

/—————————-Carroll————————-\————————
-————————-/————————————————————————\———————-
-——————Sakho———————————|————————Valencia—————
-—————————————————————-|———————————————————
-———————————————————-Downing———————————————-
-——————————————————-/———————\———————————————
-———————————————Kouyate————Song—————————————
-—————————————————————————————————————————-
Cresswell—————————Tomkins———-Reid———————-Jenkinson
-—————————————————————————————————————————-
-——————————————————Adrian——————————————————-
…………………………………[________________]……………………………..

This position works similar to the 4-4-2 that we have been using to great effect in the past, but has much more of a counter-attacking emphasis. When we win the ball back, it can go straight to CAM Downing, who can feed either LF Sakho or RF Valencia who will use sheer pace to get on the through-ball and beat any slow centre-backs. They can elect to either shoot or square it to a running ST Carroll who will have just caught up, being not as fast as the duo himself.

In this way Carroll can also play as the pure striker he is with an aerial threat, allowing us to capitalise on balls from LB Cresswell and RB Jenkinson off the break (being a narrow formation, Cresswell and Jenkinson are crucial in giving the width to our game). Carroll's job, however, isn't quite that straight forward. While Sakho and Valencia stay up at an opposition corner ready to use their pace to get to a through ball off a counter, Carroll comes back to defend the corner with his dominance in the air. When the counter is on he runs up as the second wave to the attack, giving an option for Sakho or Valencia to divert their run with the ball towards a wider position in the box approaching the corners then square a short air-ball, and by the time the ball reaches the prime heading position, there will come Christmas Carroll from the second wave to head it home. Poetry in motion.

RDM Song isn't just a great play-maker, he is a brilliant ball-winner because of his outstanding work-rate and I believe that he and LDM Kouyate could be a brilliant partnership. The great thing about this formation is that when we have possession in the middle of the park, Downing can drop back and form a triangle with Kouyate and Song, allowing us to use a Barcelona-style passing game in open play. Gradually as we inch our way patiently into the opponent's half WW1-trench-warfare-style – and we have proven that we can play this way with the quality we have in midfield – Song and Kouyate are able to stay back in anticipation of a Chelsea counter-attack, allowing Cresswell and Jenkinson to push up on the wings. Song and Kouyate also, in my opinion, both have not only the pace and ball-winning skills to thwart a counter-attack, but also the passing ability to launch a counter-counter. They are perfect for the role.

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West Ham striker Mauro Zarate available for loan as Hammers look to free up funds for new players
Dec 27, 2014 22:30 By Neil Moxley
The Argentinian forward has struggled to hold on to a first-team place this season, as the Hammers look to make room for new arrivals
The Mirror

West Ham will listen to loan offers for striker Mauro Zarate, reports Neil Moxley in the Sunday People. The Argentinian has been touted around the Premier League with Sunderland and Newcastle alerted to his availability. Zarate, 27, began life at Upton Park with a bang, scoring for the Hammers in their win away at Crystal Palace. But he has since found goals – and a place in the Irons' line-up – hard to come by. Zarate, who can count Lazio and Inter Milan among his former clubs, signed a three-year deal at West Ham in the summer. But the Hammers want to make room in their budget to improve boss Sam Allardyce's squad. And Zarate has been offered on loan in a bid to get his wages covered until the end of the season.

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Former Spurs defender Vedran Corluka eyeing Premier League return with Everton and West Ham interested
Dec 27, 2014 22:30 By Steve Stammers
The Lokomotiv Moscow man wants to return to England and also has Southampton and Hull on his case
The Mirro

Vedran Corluka is on the verge of returning to the Premier League. The former Spurs and Manchester City defender is currently at Lokomotiv Moscow – and the Russian club value him at around £4.8million. He was signed from Tottenham for £5.5m in June 2012 but would now welcome a move back to England – alerting the likes of West Ham, Southampton, Hull and Everton. "Vedran is excited at the possibility of coming back to England," said the Croatian's advisor Chris Nathaniel. West Ham will be monitoring the situation as they wait for a decision from New Zealand defender Winston Reid about his future. Reid will be out of contract next June and is yet to accept a new four­-year deal that is on offer. Hull manager Steve Bruce will also be interested as he attempts to climb away from the relegation zone after an alarming dip in form. And Saints boss Ronald Koeman – with Champions League ambitions like West Ham – is keen to re­inforce his squad.

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Arsene Wenger's business acumen praised by West Ham boss Sam Allardyce
Dec 27, 2014 22:30 By Tom Hopkinson
The West Ham boss has singing the praises of his Gunners counterpart ahead of their clash at Upton Park
The Mirror

Sam Allardyce has hailed Arsene Wenger's incredible ability to mix football management and business acumen to build three different teams at Arsenal. Wenger has an enviable record of leading the Gunners into the Champions League for 17 consecutive seasons. And what has impressed Allardyce the most is that the Frenchman kept that run going while contending with the move from Highbury to the Emirates.
Big Sam, whose side take on Arsenal at home today, is hoping to oversee West Ham's switch from Upton Park to the Olympic Stadium in 2016, but he insists the only parallel between the two situations is the move itself after his owners got their new home on the cheap.
He said: "Arsene has been manager, accountant and financial director, there is no doubt about that. "The man set out a fantastic team before they decided to move and then built a couple of brilliant young teams based on the fact that the same amount of finance didn't appear to be available to him. Now he has almost got the Emirates paid off, hasn't he? "That's his achievement and it is a massive factor considering it was a massive investment for them."The one thing we have to our advantage is that we don't have to pay £450million for our new stadium, which is the best bit of business ever done in football by a set of owners. "So what you have to do is use the money that has been saved on that development in strengthening the team and, when the club gets to the new stadium, be in a position where hopefully it is not concerned with its Premier League status."

While West Ham's start to the season has seen fan opinion turn dramatically in Allardyce's favour, Wenger's popularity at Arsenal has plummeted and there are suggestions that he is surviving on credit. But Allardyce added: "I don't think he lives on that. I think Wenger believes he can win every trophy he plays in. He can win the league with the team he has got." He hopes to put another dent in Arsenal's hopes of doing that by bouncing back from a 2-0 defeat at leaders Chelsea on Boxing Day as the Hammers continue their own pursuit of a top-four finish.

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Arsene Wenger: I always knew Alex Song would be a great player - even when everyone said I was wrong
Dec 27, 2014 17:13 By Paul Gorst
"I brought him here at the age of 17 and kept him despite all the opinions against him," says the Gunners boss
The Mirror

Arsene Wenger has hailed Alex Song ahead of Arsenal's trip to West Ham United on Sunday. Wenger brought the Cameroon star on loan to England when the midfielder was teenager back in 2005 before eventually signing him outright a year later for around £1m. The combative Song left for Barcelona in 2012 but failed to nail down a regular spot in the La Liga side's engine room. West Ham took Song on loan back in the summer, and Wenger has said that he has not been surprised to see his former player thrive with the Hammers. Wenger said: "I brought him here at the age of 17 and kept him despite all the opinions against him. "He developed into a very good player, so you don't need to convince me he is a good player. "I think he was a very good player when he was here and he didn't play a lot when he was in Spain - you see players like Santi Cazorla who always looks stronger [when they play regularly]." A win for Wenger's side would see them leapfrog the high-flying Hammers into fifth, and three points could also be enough to move into the top four depending on Southampton's result at home to leaders Chelsea.However, Wenger is unconcerned with such permutations, and the Frenchman claimed that he is not keeping tabs on the Premier League table just yet. "I don't give importance to the table at the moment," he added. "There are 20 games to go. It is very tight and it is down to consistency now. "We know every game now is down to consistency and reproducing the performances. We need to prepare quickly, focus quickly and that is an ability we want to show at West Ham." "We want to stay in the game, to sleep well and then (go) again. [The Christmas period of games is] very quick and interesting as well."

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Canvey Island complete loan signing of West Ham United starlet Taylor Tombides
by Luke Lambert
BasildonRecorder.co.uk

CANVEY Island have added West Ham United youngster Taylor Tombides to their ranks as they bid to get over their mid-season slump.
The 18-year-old Australian is primarily a midfielder but can also play up front, and he becomes the third young Hammer at the Prospects Stadium, with Tim Brown and Ben Marlow impressing since they joined the club at the start of the season. Tombides is an under-16 Australian international and is a member of West Ham's Development Squad. He is the younger brother of Dylan Tombides, also a West Ham player, but he died earlier this year after he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He is expected to make his bow for the Gulls on New Year's Day against Bury Town. Their island rivals have also been strengthening their squad, with Concord Rangers bringing in attacker Evans Kouassi. 25-year-old Kouassi signed last week having been released by Conference South rivals Chelmsford City. The former Billericay Town striker made his debut in Saturday's 4-1 defeat to Bromley, where he came on as a second-half substitute.

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West Ham owners to sell 20% stake in team, worried about losing Allardyce
Kyle Lynch Dec 27, 2014, 3:10 PM EST
http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/

West Ham United's owners have put a 20% stake of the club up for sale in an effort to raise nearly $125 million to clear debts. David Sullivan and David Gold bought a 50% share of West Ham in January of 2010, with the club already in upwards of $175 million of debt.
Today, Sullivan owns 55% of the club and Gold 30%, and the club is still over $150 million in debt. With the Hammers set to move to the Olympic Stadium in 2016-17, Sullivan said he values the club at around $620 million and is looking to find new investors. Because the club is in so much debt, Sullivan is worried they may not be able to keep Sam Allardyce as manager. I must say if come April we are where we are now (in the Premier League table) which is extremely unlikely but is possible we'd probably sit down a month early and say 'look Sam, do you want to stay or do you want to go?'. Sam may decide he wants to go out a winner. He may decide, after four years, it's a very stressful job, he may decide he wants £10million-a-year which we can't afford."

As West Ham currently sit fifth on the table, it is not too reassuring when the owner is saying it is "extremely unlikely" that they can keep up the pace. When asked if the Hammers could finish in the top-four, Sullivan replied, "I wake up in the middle of the night dreaming of it. But I'm a realist."

If the Hammers could pull off a miraculous second half and qualify for competition in Europe, the club would receive a great boost financially through prize money and other deals. But similar to their owner David Sullivan, I don't see that happening.

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Arsenal's defence is suspect and my West Ham team will exploit it, claims Sam Allardyce
West Ham manager says his side can "get at" Arsene Wenger's ailing back four when sides meet at Upton Park
By Jason Burt, Sunday Telegraph Football Correspondent
11:00PM GMT 27 Dec 2014

Sam Allardyce has pledged that West Ham United will "get at" Arsenal's "suspect" defence when the two sides meet at Upton Park today. The West Ham manager is determined to bounce back from a disappointing performance in losing 2-0 away against Chelsea on Boxing Day.
Despite Arsenal hoping to include Laurent Koscielny, who had a fitness test yesterday after sustaining a hamstring injury, Allardyce said that they can be vulnerable in defence. "You've got to get at them though," he said. "Get at them and play in the right way against Arsenal to make sure you can try and get sometimes at the defence that at times can be suspect. But you've got to be good enough on the ball to get into those areas. If you can do that maybe you can catch them out. "We have to try and bounce back. I am relying on the home form we have shown over the last seven games [six wins and a draw] to be there in abundance on Sunday. We are turning it [Upton Park] into a real fortress again."

Despite Koscielny's hoped-for return Arsenal remain short of defensive strength with manager Arsene Wenger having already admitted he hopes to sign a centre-half once the January transfer window opens. Arsenal are expected to sign Ipswich Town's Tyrone Mings, who is primarily a left-back. Recently Wenger has drafted in the right-back Mathieu Debuchy into the centre of his defence and the French international has suggested he sees his future in that position even though he is just 5ft 10in. "It would be no problem for me to play there again," Debuchy said after the 2-1 Boxing Day victory against Queens Park Rangers which closed the gap to West Ham. With his contract running out at the end of this season, and probably no talks over a new deal before then, Allardyce also brushed aside concerns over his future. "It's not a problem with me, never has been," he said. "If and when the owners decide they are ready for me – it's not about me trying to push them one way or another – it's not about me. They'll do what they want to do, I'll be ready to talk to them and we'll see where we go from there."

Allardyce knows that victory over Arsenal will not only widen that gap between the two sides, with West Ham in fifth, a point ahead of Wenger's team, but fuel the belief that they can qualify for European football. "I just want to stay fourth as long as we can and see where we go from there," Allardyce said. "It looks like we have a few players going to the Africa [Cup of] Nations although it doesn't look like Alex [Song] is going. If we carry on with those players away and when they come back, we have achieved some good results at the end of January we'll re-calculate where we think we might finish."

Allardyce will lose top-scorer Diafra Sakho and midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate to the Africa Cup, to be held in Equatorial Guinea from Jan 17 to Feb  8, although Song has been omitted by Cameroon after a bust‑up during the last World Cup. The midfielder, 27, on loan from Barcelona with West Ham hoping to sign him permanently at the end of the season, will face his former club having been brought to England by Wenger when he was 17. Song started on the bench, playing the final half-hour, after Allardyce decided to use him and Sakho sparingly on Boxing Day. "I expect him to be man of the match," the manager said of the game today. "He's been superb – a lot of composure on the ball, a real talent in possession, it obviously gives us lots of forward options."

Wenger said that he was well aware of the threat posed by Song who he sold in 2012 for £15million. "He didn't play today, he is certainly resting for us," Wenger said after the QPR match. "He's a good player. I brought him here at the age of 17 and kept him despite all the opinions who were against him, and he developed into a very good player. You don't need to convince me that he's a good player. I took him at very young age and gave him a chance." Arsenal will be without Olivier Giroud as the French striker starts a three-match ban having been red-carded for violent conduct against QPR.

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West Ham owner David Sullivan says club can qualify for Champions League
Interview: Sullivan claims top four finish is achievable and reveals relief at not needing to make "desperate" January signings
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan says the club can break into English football's elite top four group
David Sullivan (right), with his West Ham co-owner David Gold and Baroness Brady, the club's vice-chairman Photo: PA
By Jason Burt, Sunday Telegraph Football Correspondent
3:24PM GMT 27 Dec 2014

"If one of us can break it," David Sullivan says, "it would give dreams and hopes to every supporter." The "it" the West Ham United chairman refers to is finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League. The "us" Sullivan mentions is his own club, Swansea City and Southampton, the trio who are fighting the big guns within the Premier League's top eight. "We all said wouldn't it be wonderful – whether it's us or Swansea or Southampton – for a lesser team to get into the top four. It's been the same teams for so long," Sullivan says. "I don't think you can keep Chelsea, Man City and probably Man United out of it this season. It's whether you can beat Arsenal for that fourth spot. And that's a hell of an ask."

West Ham, in fifth, a point behind fourth-placed Southampton, host Arsenal, in sixth, at Upton Park on Sunday having lost to Chelsea on Boxing Day. Finishing ahead of Arsenal is indeed a big ask but Sullivan admits: "I wake up in the middle of the night dreaming of it. But I'm a realist."

And a happy one at that. It is 21 years since Sullivan bought into football, acquiring Birmingham City with the Gold brothers – David, his co-chairman now at West Ham, and Ralph – and this is the best situation he has ever been in. "Yes, forever," Sullivan says. "It's the best team, the best position.

Oh, it's wonderful. For the first year since we have been at West Ham it's not absolutely a crisis situation. When we were in the Championship we were at the top end but there was pressure every game to get automatic promotion and we failed to get it." Since then, he admits, it has been a fretful struggle. A solid first season return to the Premier League, via the play-offs, after suffering relegation the year after buying West Ham in 2010, was followed by a campaign riddled by injury and with the club flirting with relegation and with the, at times, attritional football under manager Sam Allardyce called into question – by the board as well as the supporters. It led to discussions as to whether Allardyce should leave with West Ham eventually issuing an unusual statement confirming he would stay – but demanding "more entertainment". "I think most people agreed with us," Sullivan says of that statement, adding that he feels vindicated. "I do," he says. "We all sat down at the end of last season and we all accepted that things weren't right. We all agreed that we were not scoring enough goals. So therefore we appointed a strikers' coach (Teddy Sheringham) and brought in new strikers and we now have four or five strikers at the club. Last year we had one or two.

"Unfortunately last year we just messed up. We were assured Andy Carroll would be back (from injury) September 1 and he was back February 1 and we put all our eggs in one basket which we should never have done. We bought Stewart Downing when maybe we should have bought another striker but he's come good this year in a big, big way and he's a different player to last year in the position he is now being played in. Last year he was a winger and did ok. This year he is a candidate for player of the season and he makes the team tick, he makes us play football."

West Ham have certainly done that. They brought in nine players last summer – including Alex Song, Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho – and moved on more than a dozen, mainly released for free at the end of their deals. "I worked the hardest I ever worked in my life," Sullivan says. "For every deal you see done there were five not done. We were working on 50 deals. If you could see the fees and details you would know that every deal we did do was a good deal. Every one made sense. It doesn't mean they will all pay off, although most of them already have, but they were worthwhile gambles."

So far not one has looked like a gamble and with the January transfer window opening Sullivan freely admits that has not always been the case for him. "It is usually the desperate who are buying and I've been desperate for many, many years in January," Sullivan says. "I've done a lot of business from Birmingham to West Ham and in the main the signings you make are not good.

"It is the most horrible, horrible month. And the last day, the last day is just horrendous. You have got players in the middle of nowhere and you are being told 'you've got to sign him!' But you can't even do a medical. It's a gamble. And they say 'it's for nothing – it's 40-grand a week and half a million loan fee'. Over six months – plus a couple of hundred thousand for the agent as well – it's £2million! People talk about it like it's nothing. They have lost the plot most of these people and it does your head in really. Thank God this time we don't have to sign anyone desperately."

Financial Fair Play will, Sullivan says, help - not least because clubs cannot be tempted to spend beyond their means. "It is stopping you doing silly things," he explains. "Our wage cap this year is £56million. We can't breach it. Net of national insurance that's £49,122,000. That's what we can spend on wages on all players and it includes agents' fees."

How many January deals has he regretted?
"Most of them," Sullivan says. "It's very hard to castigate certain players but under (previous manager) Avram (Grant) we signed a player who was on £90,000-a-week and we paid his full wages and a big fee to an agent. Did that player help us a lot? I don't think so. But you are desperate. We signed Robbie Keane on loan. The classic example. I said to Avram 'who do you need to score goals?' He said 'get me Robbie Keane and he will keep you up'. Well we got Robbie and he was injured, unfortunately. It was a fortune – a big loan fee, wages, if we stayed up we had to sign him permanently. When he was available he was a decent player. But he was injured most of the time.
"The alternative – Avram's second-choice – was (Daniel) Sturridge who went to Bolton. It was a two-bob loan. No wages. No loan fee. And he got a pile of goals for Bolton. If we had signed the second-choice we'd have got lucky and while there is an element of luck with all signings in January it is even more so. It is the most stressful time and what happens in the last two days – when you have not got any of your first-choice players and you are just desperate.

"We spent £4-5m on loans and wages on players last January in the hope they make a contribution to help keep you up. We were in a real bad way. At one stage in January we were bottom of the table. "The best loan signing we made last season was Roger Johnson. No (loan) money. He took a wage drop to come. "He started in four games and we won three of those games. Without him we were playing George McCartney and Joey O'Brien at centre-half. People said to me 'sack the manager' and I said 'who do you want: Houdini?' We were without a centre-half. Without one of those every club would struggle. I said to Sam 'we have to sign a centre-half, even if the others will be back in a month, we can't wait because we will be relegated in a month unless we do it'. "Roger Johnson ended up costing us about £15,000-a-week and he did a wonderful job. He took a salary drop because he wanted to play in the Premier League. But we won at Cardiff because he was in the team and that was the game that turned our season."

West Ham have come a long way since then. There might be two January signings – "two for the future" – who are loaned back. And no sales. "If there are any bids for our players, I could not conceive of us accepting one in January," Sullivan adds, insisting West Ham will not sell Winston Reid even though the central defender is in the final year of his contract and yet to sign a new deal. "He might go in the summer but I don't think anyone will pay us enough money to sell him in January because we've only got two other centre-halves at the club. If we had five…"

So back to what he wants to achieve. "People said to me at the start of this season 'what's your ambition?' and I said 'it's not to finish 17th, I can tell you'. You can't finish 17th and say West Ham have had a successful year," Sullivan says. "You might say we've not have a disastrous year but our aim has to be Europe. It's not to say we will achieve our aim but it is our aim. If we want to be ambitious then our aim is the Champions League – albeit it looks virtually impossible. That's what I said at the start of the season. But it has to be our aim and it is achievable if everything goes our way. And I've always believed it is."

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