Tomkins glad to end two-year wait
WHUFC.com
James Tomkins ended a goal drought when he scored the winner at West Brom
04.12.2014
James Tomkins ended a two-year wait for a goal when he popped up with the
winner at West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday night. Having last scored in a 2-1
defeat at Wigan Athletic in the 2012/13 season, the No5 was delighted to
help his team maintain their fine form with victory at the Hawthorns. He
said: "I hadn't scored for two years, so I don't think the fans were
expecting me to score. I think they thought it was AC! "It was nice to score
- a winner as well - and the three points is always the most important
thing. "Getting on the scoresheet is a bonus. It was a hard-fought game, we
started sloppily but did well towards the end of the first half to go in 2-1
up.
"We kept it tight at the back and held out."
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Matthew Etherington: Winger retires with back injury
BBC.co.uk
Former Stoke and West Ham winger Matthew Etherington has retired from
football after failing to overcome a back injury. The 33-year-old left Stoke
in the summer, although he was recently training with Millwall. He started
his career with Peterborough and also played for Tottenham, Bradford on loan
and West Ham before moving to the Potters in 2009. In total, Etherington
made 493 club appearances, scoring 43 goals. He tweeted: "Due to an
ongoing back problem, the day has come for me to retire from professional
football. I have some amazing memories since the day I made my debut at just
15 years old. "Thank you to all the great clubs I have played for and to the
supporters. I have made some mistakes along the way but it has made me who I
am today. I look at the past with pride and to the future with optimism.
"Thanks to everyone for the kind messages. Really overwhelming reading them
all. Nice to know I left a few good memories during my career."
A few of his former team-mates tweeted that Etherington would be missed.
Potters keeper Asmir Begovic said: "Big congrats to @mattyethers on his
fantastic career! One of the best wingers I have played with so far.
#topman" Stoke striker Peter Crouch said: "@mattyethers is retiring! Great
player, great career and best of all a great lad! Can see that golf handicap
coming right down now." Middlesbrough midfielder Dean Whitehead, another
former Stoke team-mate said: "@mattyethers, what a player you've been lad,
pleasure to have played with you!! proper winger. #class act."
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Zarate decision angers team mates
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 4th December 2014
By: Staff Writer
The decision to allow West Ham United's Mauro Zarate to represent Chile has
angered some of the country's established stars. Queens Park Rangers forward
Eduardo Vargas claims he spoke for many of his international team mates when
he argued that Zarate, who has previously appeared for Argentina in youth
competitions shouldn't be allowed to change allegiance. That he is being
given the opportunity to do so is as the result of having a father born in
Chile. However Vargas still maintains that Zarate will not be generally
welcomed if selected to represent La Roja. "The truth is that it is
something that does not seem right," he argued. "The squad has very good
Chilean players and we don't need to nationalise others to come and perform
in our place. It is up to the coach, but the players are not happy with it.
"It's not a decision very well received by the dressing room but if the
coach [Jorge Sampaoli] decides he is important and brings him to the team,
welcome."
Zarate has never represented Argentina at full international level but made
five appearances in a sky blue and white shirt in the Under 20 championships
back in 2007. He spent the first 20 years of his life in Argentina before
securing a move to Qutari side Al-Sadd in 2007, since when he has largely
lived in Europe.
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Cole joins fight against Ebola
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 4th December 2014
By: Staff Writer
Carlton Cole is one of the stars of a new campaign helping to fight the
spread of the deadly Ebola disease. West Ham United's number 24 is one of
six footballers to feature in a video (see below) commissioned by UNICEF
that aims to provide information and support - both financial and otherwise
- to the people of West Africa who are fighting Ebola on a daily basis.
Entitled 'Africa United We've Got Your Back', the video highlights the
workers involved at 'ground zero' - the doctors, nurses and other aid
workers who provide support on the ground to those afflicted with the virus.
The other five players to feature alongside Cole in the short film are Yaya
Touré, Andros Townsend, Patrick Vieira, Kei Kamara and Fabrice Muamba. For
further information, visit the campaign website at
www.weareafricaunited.org.
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AND NOW THEY'RE GONNA BELIEVE US!!!
By Bianca Westwood 4 Dec 2014 at 08:23
West Ham till I Die
I know I've said this before but this time I mean it. Today's column is
going to be short and sweet. And a teeny bit rushed. Needs must at the
moment with the busy football schedule and to be totally honest I'm running
out of ways of praising our team!
Another 6 points in the bag. First a really important win against one of the
in-form teams in the Premier League followed by an away day at the
Hawthorns, coming back from a goal down to seal a valuable victory. Mustn't
grumble hey? Although unbelievably people are!! That good old fashion West
Ham fan mentality is creeping in. Inch by inch.
It was vital to bounce back after the disappointment at Goodison and try to
regain some momentum. After all, our performance had been worthy of a point
but I was concerned that after a 3 game winless run we might have lost some
of that verve and confidence we had been showing over the past few months.
We could have easily slipped up at home against a Newcastle team that had
been beating all-comers of late. We didn't.
No it wasn't always pretty. The goal was scruffy. It was spawny to say the
least but I'm not complaining. It's about time we started getting that
oh-so-precious rub of the green and when Kouyate fluffed his lines only for
it to it fall very nicely indeed for young Cresswell you kind of knew it
would be our day. It was a super cool finish too.
I was buoyed by how hard the team worked. They really grafted for each other
and remained resolute until the final whistle. Job done.
There was no letting up at the Hawthorns. Despite going behind early, the
determination and effort did not falter. It was a really gritty team
performance. We fought hard and won. And that was without Sakho, Song and
Noble.
Say what you like about Nolan but he does seem to pop up at the right time.
He may not be the player he was but he put a decent shift in and can still
play a key role in the team when needed. As for Tomkins, he powered his
header home in such a way you knew he was hoping we would forget his amateur
dramatics of the previous week. Dive? What dive?
It was a spirited performance that the 3000 travelling Hammers could be
proud of. Yet today I was incredulous to see some fans still spouting
negativity and nonsense on Facebook etc about Sam's tactics and the teams's
approach. Yes we 'defended the lead' (isn't that what you're supposed to
do?) and I read lots of complaints about shutting up shop on 65 minutes.
Listen I'd rather have the two wins in the bag thanks. Some fans seem to
think Sam is hellbent on playing mind-numbing hoofball but that is seriously
not the case. Ok, when Andy Carroll is in the team the tendency is to play
more direct. The big man is never going to run at defenders and dribble past
opponents into the box. We're not always going to be able to play pretty
football. You can't always press high and sometimes you have to defend
deeper. Sometimes you have to grind out results (especially when missing our
marquee players). Those moaning fans need to deal with it.
What impresses me now is we can do both. We're the fourth highest scorers in
the league but when we're not bang on our game we can still win without
playing well. It's what all good teams do. Did I really just say that?
So we head into the festive period comfortably placed in fifth position,
brimming with belief and rubbing our hands together at the prospect of
Swansea, Sunderland and Leicester to come.
You don't have to pinch yourselves. It's real. It's happening. So for all
you Grinches out there…brace yourselves for a very merry Christmas!!!
Come on you Irons!
B x
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James Tomkins: West Ham players staying grounded despite supporters'
European hopes
Dec 03, 2014 22:30 By David Anderson
Hammers fans have been chanting about potential meetings with Barcelona, but
Tomkins says the team are focused on their next game
The Mirror
James Tomkins claims West Ham's players will leave the Barcelona songs to
the fans. Jubilant Hammers supporters are dreaming of the Champions League,
chanting "Barcelona, we're coming for you" after beating West Brom to stay
fifth. Tomkins says the players know it was tongue in cheek and they are
looking no further than Swansea on Sunday. "That shows their sense of
humour," said the defender, who scored the winner against the Baggies. "I
don't think they will get carried away and I know the players are certainly
not singing it!
"It's just a bit of banter and we won't be getting carried away. We're in a
good position, but we'll be trying to get more points on the board. "The
fans are saying we're going to be top of the league, but we're just enjoying
how we're playing and we're getting a few players back, which makes the team
even stronger."
Tomkins insists the players are ambitious to finish high up the table and
said: "Who knows what we can achieve? Watch this space because we're on a
good run. "Look at our position last season and it wasn't as pretty as this.
It just shows after a bit of team spirit, good organisation and good players
we are getting the benefits. "The lads are excited about what we're doing
and it's all about keeping the run going."
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Time for us fans to think much BIGGER
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on December 4, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
It maybe time for us fans to start adjusting our thinking to things West Ham
in as radical manner as the team has adjusted it's tactics and style. Truth
is, this new West Ham is taking a lot of getting used to and the ancient
debates on Twitter and the Claretandhugh Facebook page/web site are often
as irrelevant as last season's league position. Thankfully – although it
surfaces now and again – the pro/anti Sam Allardyce debate is all but dead
in the water until the next couple of bad results no doubt. Sure there's the
odd voice raised but it's not a serious issue right now. However, the Andy
Carroll thing is still running at full force and we too have asked the
question as to how he may respond if not a regular first team choice. Mauro
Zarate is another player seemingly with the same problem and the Winston
Reid "will he won't he stay" saga is still flickering in the background. But
very often all of us show the mentality which is seemingly attached to a
middle range club – we over analyse, over worry and then OVER REACT. Take
the Carroll issue…it's not a case of what West Ham will do but how Andy will
feel six or seven games down the line should he not be automatic first
choice. Personally if we are hanging around the top six I'd bet decent money
he will stay as we grow into a bigger club and rotate like the other big
boys. Zarate? Who knows but there's a lot of thought going into squad
building so I for one am not unduly concerned. Winston Reid? No point in
worrying about it is there? He will do what he has to do and like all other
big clubs we will hopefully get a better replacement – should he leave – as
we head towards Europe and the Olympic Stadium. We need to free ourselves of
this thinking too that the minute a player is in or out of form he is either
a regular or a discard. We've said many times this is a squad game and
different games need different approaches. Sam Allardyce and the Davids have
built a squad which is better than anyone could have expected. We are
adequately covered everywhere and we can all look forward with great
confidence. Let's look forward with a broader viewer view of how big we are
s gonna be – not how average it's been for too long. I believe the vast
majority of us are still having great trouble processing what's been going
on at our club but it's actually simple. We are bigger, better and going
places and can't quite get our heads around it. Let's all start trying a bit
harder…stop the feuding that too easily rises up and go forward united as
this club reaches for the stars.
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Carroll v Bony judgement day
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on December 4, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sunday afternoon against Swansea presents a fascinating sub plot within the
main event – Andy Carroll v Wilfried Bony! We don't need to have the longest
memories to recall that Bony was of course very much on his way to Upton
Park ahead of Carroll until Sam Allardyce decided that the Geordie was the
striker he wanted. It's now almost pat of West Ham folklore that Bony was
available at to us at around £8 million and eventually cost Swansea £13
million whilst Carroll finally got the nod for closer to £18 million. Andy
spiced up the clash and comparison himself when telling the official site
this week: ""I think he's a great player and has been fantastic for them.
bony-429217"He's big, strong and keeps the ball well and he can score goals
on the floor and in the air. He is going to be one to watch and keep a hold
of." Carroll – now into his third game proper – after a cameo appearance in
his first against Villa – is still awaiting his first goal of the season
after managing two in 16 starts last season. Bony, meanwhile, has managed
six from 16 this season and finished last term with 25 from 48n outings –
several in the Europa League.
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Irons ready to stuff Turks for Song
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on December 4, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham remain confident they can clinch the permanent signature of Alex
Song despite likely competition from Galatasaray and others at the end of
the season. The Turkish outfit have long fancied the Hammers "enforcer" but
will be unable to snatch him away in January after it was confirmed by co
chairman David Gold on Twitter Song's spell at Upton Park was an 'until end
of season ' deal. That, however, will not stop the Turks making a bid in the
summer when the player has made it clear he will make up his mind on "what
next?"
But the Hammers – with the rest of the squad nicely settled – will have
money to outbid the Turkish outfit given they need the £15 million rated
Song and possibly another central defender should Winston Reid move on. A
source told ClaretandHugh: "The whole key to the summer market for us is
that we have such a decent strike force and these are the boys who always
cost the big money. "It means for the first time in a long time that we will
have a majority of cash to spend elsewhere and obviously the Song signing
will become a priority.
"We can throw some money at that knowing too that Alex and his wife in
particular love life in London – it's a deal we want to do."
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Gold looks for winning return after illness
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on December 4, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
David Gold is hoping the Irons welcome him back to the director's box with a
Sunday afternoon victory. The joint chairman has been laid up with a mid
winter bug and has missed the Everton, Newcastle and West Brom games on
doctor's orders. But all being well the boss will be back in his position
for the clash with the Welsh outfit and a victory would be a very welcome
tonic. He told ClaretandHugh "We have players on the way back and the
victory at West Brom showed the sort of stuff this team is made of. It's
also brilliant to hear the fans discussing the different options we may have
available. "It's a long long time since the club has been in this position
and with players on the way back we can look forward to this game and keep
things going. "It's the oldest cliche in the game that if you can win when
not playing at anywhere near your best things look good. That was us on
Tuesday night. "Hopefully we'll have our players back and the manager will
have plenty of options and that makes me hopeful I'll be making a return
to"duty" with a victory. "Garry Monk has done a fine job at Swansea and they
will come with confidence on the back of a decent run but we are a very good
team this season aren't we?"
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Carroll out to bury Flores memories
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on December 4, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Andy Carroll – in wanting to bury memories of last season's clash with
Swansea – has a far better than even money chance of doing so …given Chico
Flores is now thousands of miles away in some Qatar footballing outpost. The
big centre forward referred to the matter briefly when declaring that last
season's clash "wasn't a very good ending" for him. You can say that again!
The sight of Flores crashing to the ground and writhing in agony as a
trailing Carroll arm brushed his hair was one of the worst sights many of us
have ever witnessed in the game. Flores is now out of sight having teamed up
with his former boss Michael Laudrup at Lekwhiya and Carroll said that
hopefully he will get a couple of goals this time around and no red card –
which would "be even better." Hopefully too, there will be no repeats of the
official dramas that followed as the Hammers management and board considered
their plans to fight the issues involved before eventually having to accept
the outcome.
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Valencia/Carroll in line for Swansea
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on December 4, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Enner Valencia and Andy Carroll are set to line up alongside each other for
the clash with Swansea on Sunday. And although there remains a slight doubt
it looks likely that Diafra Sakho will be on the bench for the match against
the seventh placed outfit. Swansea disposed of Queens Park Rangers on
Tuesday evening and who have been beaten once in the last five games. And
ClaretandHugh has learned that both Mark Noble and Alex Song are set to play
a part in what looks a very tasty match-up between two highly in-form sides.
We were told: "Swansea are a dangerous team and we are very hopeful that the
three injured players from Tuesday night will be in the squad. "We are
encouraged by Diafra's progress and he could be back whilst Enner got useful
minutes under his belt against West Brom. At this stage it would seem that
he and Andy are the likely front line."
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