Daily WHUFC News - 12th January 2014

10-man Hammers win at Cardiff
WHUFC.com
Carlton Cole and Mark Noble were on target as West Ham United triumphed 2-0 at Cardiff City
11.01.2014

Cardiff City 0-2 West Ham United
Barclays Premier League

West Ham United ended a run of seven Barclays Premier League games without a win by defeating Cardiff City 2-0 on Saturday. The Hammers had to fight through the final 18 minutes with ten men after James Tomkins was red carded, but they added to the lead given to them by Carlton Cole through Mark Noble at the death. It was reward for a battling Hammers performance, as they put a nightmare week behind them in style to move out of the bottom three. West Ham were within a whisker of taking a fourth minute lead when Stewart Downing's inswinging cross travelled all the way through the area and struck the far post with goalkeeper David Marshall helpless. James Tomkins got the ball under control on the rebound, but Marshall recovered to block from the Hammers man. It was the visitors who were making the early running, but their momentum was checked by a nasty-looking injury to Guy Demel. The full back was accidently caught by an elbow from teammate Roger Johnson and had to depart the field on a stretcher after a lengthy spell of treatment.

On the game's resumption, Cardiff could not have gone any closer to opening the scoring than they did on 32 minutes when Kim Bo-Kyung made his way forward from midfield and unleashed a shot which deflected off Roger Johnson and flew up onto the crossbar. The ball bounced down on the line and Fraizer Campbell bundled Adrian over, but referee Lee Mason blew for a foul. The hosts were beginning to look more threatening and Adrian did well to turn Craig Noone's low effort away on 40 minutes, before the Hammers broke and took the lead. Carlton Cole was the man who fired into the net, getting in front of his man to reach Matt Jarvis' low cross and give Marshall no chance. Matt Taylor shot inches wide almost immediately afterwards as West Ham looked to press home their advantage, and they saw out the ten minutes of stoppage time to reach the break ahead. Cardiff brought former Hammer Craig Bellamy on from the bench at half time and he almost had an instant impact, delivering a free-kick for Mark Hudson to nod over. Hudson was involved at the other end on 49 minutes, nicking Matt Taylor's cross away from Cole as the striker waited to pounce, but Cardiff's threat was growing as the half wore on. On the hour Adrian had to show great reflexes to touch Campbell's goalbound effort over the top after Bellamy got in down the right to cross. Peter Whittingham then had a shot which deflected into the Spanish stopper's hands before Bellamy curled a free-kick just wide. With 72 minutes played Andy Carroll came off the bench to make his long-awaited first appearance of the season, but that boost quickly subsided as Tomkins was dismissed for a second booking in the very same minute.

That left the Hammers a man light as they sought to protect their lead and Cardiff predictably upped the pressure in the closing stages. Debutant Magnus Eikrem shot straight down Adrian's throat, while Mark Noble charged down a dangerous Bellamy effort, but it was the Hammers who sealed it in stoppage time. Carroll did superbly to hold the ball up by the right touchline and feed inside to Noble, who took a touch, steadied himself and drilled under Marshall's dive.

Cardiff City: Marshall; Theophile-Catherine, Caulker, Hudson (Cornelius 78), John; Medel (Eikrem 68), Whittingham; Noone, Kim, Odemwingie (Bellamy 46); Campbell
Subs: Lewis, Turner, McNaughton, Gunnarsson
Booked: Medel

West Ham United: Adrian; Demel (McCartney 17), Johnson, Tomkins, Rat; Collison (Diarra 75), Noble, Taylor; Downing, C.Cole (Carroll 72), Jarvis
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Maiga, Diame, J.Cole
Goals: C.Cole 42, Noble 90
Booked: McCartney, Tomkins, Johnson, Diarra
Sent off: Tomkins

Referee: Lee Mason
Attendance: 27,750

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'It's great to be back'
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll was delighted to make his comeback in Saturday's 2-0 win at Cardiff City
11.01.2014

Andy Carroll returned to the Hammers team with a bang on Saturday, laying on Mark Noble's game-clinching second goal at Cardiff City after coming off the bench with 18 minutes to play. The big Geordie missed the entire first half of the season with a foot injury but is feeling strong again and is looking forward to playing his part in 2014. Carroll's run-out was just the boost both he and the Hammers needed and his delight was plain to see when he spoke to guest West Ham TV interviewer Kevin Nolan after the game. "It felt very good to be back on the pitch," he beamed. "I'm buzzing to be back, it's a great feeling to be back after being out for so long. "It was disappointing to go down to ten men. Tonks made a decision to clear the ball and caught him [Fraizer Campbell], but the lads held on well and it was great to get another goal as well to make it 2-0. "After a long time out, this was my first game back so obviously I was a bit rusty, but I was happy to set up the goal at the end and I'll try to forget about the rusty bits!"

The Hammers take on Newcastle United at the Boleyn Ground next week and the No9 cannot wait to take on his hometown club. He added: "It's going to be great to play Newcastle next week. I'll have a lot of family coming down and I can't wait to get back on the pitch after having 20 minutes today."

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Macca dedicates win to supporters
WHUFC.com
Assistant manager Neil McDonald said West Ham United fans deserved Saturday's 2-0 win at Cardiff City
11.01.2014

Neil McDonald dedicated West Ham United's 2-0 Barclays Premier League victory at Cardiff City to the Club's loyal travelling supporters. After two difficult away days at Nottingham Forest and Manchester City, the Claret and Blue Army were rewarded with a deserved and morale-boosting win in South Wales.
West Ham recovered from the early loss of Guy Demel to a head injury - the right-back will be kept in overnight at a Cardiff hospital for observation after being caught on the head by Roger Johnson's elbow - and the second half sending-off of James Tomkins to win through a goal in either half from Carlton Cole and Mark Noble.

With Andy Carroll also making a welcome first appearance of the season as a second-half substitute and creating Noble's added-time clincher, there were plenty of reasons to be positive for the assistant manager, players, manager Sam Allardyce, staff and supporters. "The players got what they deserved and they showed that they are working very hard to put things right. We had a tough time last week, conceding a lot of goals, but everybody has stayed strong and stuck together. We had a couple of injured players back and we put in a fine, battling performance, and scored two brilliant goals. "It was just reward for the fans who have supported in the three games in a week. They have turned out in their numbers again and we have sent them home happy and we need to do that more often. "We needed a little bit of luck. We've been working very hard but we haven't always had the rub of the green. We got a little bit of luck and we've shown we're not going to sit down and get beat again. We played some really good football until Guy Demel got injured, scored a fantastic goal and showed real resilience after we went down to ten men in the second half. "We battled away but they didn't really cause us problems. The put pressure on us from free-kicks and corners, but in open play we restricted them to shots from long distance. We were quite happy with that. "Our shape was good and they found it very difficult to break us down. Then, at the end, to go and score the second goal was the icing on the cake."

McDonald said Saturday's win showed the great spirit among the players and staff - and supporters - following a difficult week and will give everyone connected with the Club a boost ahead of next weekend's visit of Newcastle United to the Boleyn Ground. One player who showed superb character was goalkeeper Adrian, who produced another outstanding display to keep his first clean sheet and enjoy his first league win in English football. "Adrian's handling was fantastic and he's made another couple of good saves, which is what he's paid to do. He came off with a huge smile on his face because he's kept his first clean sheet in English football, which is great. "I think the whole squad has galvanised together, probably due to the criticism we've received because we haven't been getting results. We had to stand up and be counted and the team certainly showed they were willing to put their bodies on the line with the way they defended. "We also showed the quality that we've shown throughout the season, but we were that little bit more clinical this time. We need to do that more often."

McDonald was also naturally delighted to see Carroll back on the pitch after eight months out with a foot injury. The centre forward saw his team reduced to ten men just 60 seconds after coming on as Tomkins was sent-off for two bookable offences, but his strength, movement and quality contributed to a deserved success. "It's great. We had Andy and Tonks back so the squad is improving and it makes competition for places stronger. "Andy is a big player for us, as is Tonks, and it's great to have them back. It's great to have Andy back helping the team out, holding the ball up and flicking the ball on, and obviously he has got down the line and made a telling pass for Mark Noble to score the second goal. "The celebrations are well-deserved because we've had a tough week, but we've come back strong and we've all stuck together. Hopefully the supporters who are travelling back to London will do so happy."

Finally, as Big Sam's No2, McDonald said the victory would also boost his boss. "It's great for Sam because he's had some stick from all quarters, but in our inner circle we have stayed strong and believed in what we're doing and that's what we'll continue to do."

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West Ham were galvanised, says assistant manager Neil McDonald
BBC.co.uk

West Ham were spurred on to a 2-0 win at Cardiff on Saturday by criticism of their run of poor results, according to assistant Neil McDonald. Victory was the Hammers' first in the league since 30 November, while they came into the game having conceded 11 goals in two cup matches last week. "I think the whole squad has galvanised together, probably because of the criticism we've received," he said. "They showed they were willing to put their bodies on the line."

The win lifted manager Sam Allardyce's side out of the relegation zone and moved them to 18 points, above 18th-placed Cardiff on goal difference. What made the victory more impressive was that it followed a 5-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup and a 6-0 loss to Manchester City in the League Cup. They also played the final 20 minutes in Cardiff with 10 men after centre-back James Tomkins was shown a second yellow, while fellow defender Guy Demel was carried off on a stretcher off in the first half with a head injury.

McDonald added: "The players got what they deserved and they showed that they are working very hard to put things right. "We had a tough time last week, conceding a lot of goals, but everybody has stayed strong and stuck together. "We had a couple of injured players back and we put in a fine, battling performance, and scored two brilliant goals."

They were scored by striker Carlton Cole, just before half-time, and captain Mark Noble late in the match, with his assist coming from Andy Carroll. The former Liverpool striker, who was signed on a permanent deal for a club record fee of £15m in the summer, had not played since his loan spell last season.
"It's great to have Andy back helping the team out, holding the ball up and flicking the ball on, and obviously he has got down the line and made a telling pass for Mark Noble to score the second goal," said McDonald. Meanwhile, the West Ham assistant manager came out in support of Allardyce, whose position at Upton Park has been under scrutiny. "It's great for Sam because he's had some stick from all quarters, but in our inner circle we have stayed strong and believed in what we're doing and that's what we'll continue to do. "Sam has never quit anything he has done and why should he? He knows what he is doing. It showed today that the players are firing on all cylinders for him and have come out of the bottom three with a clean sheet and two goals."

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West Ham defender Guy Demel in hospital with head injury
BBC.co.uk

West Ham defender Guy Demel has been taken to hospital with a head injury he suffered in Saturday's game at Cardiff. Demel, 32, required oxygen as he left on a stretcher after falling awkwardly following what seemed like an innocuous collision with City's Fraizer Campbell. "Demel suffered concussion and was unconscious for several minutes. He will remain in overnight in hospital," tweeted West Ham co-owner David Gold. He joins fellow defenders Winston Reid and James Collins on the sidelines. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce was also dealt another defensive blow when centre-back James Tomkins, who had been reintroduced into the starting 11 having been missing for three games, was sent off. Tomkins received two yellow cards and will be suspended for one match.
Prior to Saturday's 1-0 league win, West Ham had conceded 11 goals in the previous two matches.

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Cardiff 0 West Ham 2
11 January 2014
Last updated at 18:14
By Bruce Pope
BBC Sport Wales

Struggling West Ham lifted the pressure on manager Sam Allardyce with a battling win at Cardiff City. The visitors had to survive a serious injury to Guy Demel and the sending-off of James Tomkins to claim their first Premier League win in seven attempts. West Ham led when Carlton Cole was picked out by Matt Jarvis, before Mark Noble's late breakaway settled things. It ruined Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's league debut as Cardiff boss as his side replaced West Ham in the bottom three. Despite public support from West Ham co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan, Allardyce brought his team to the Welsh capital second-bottom and three points behind their hosts. On top of that were humbling defeats in their previous two matches, with a 5-0 loss to Championship side Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup followed by a 6-0 defeat by Manchester City in the Capital One Cup semi-final first leg.

West Ham have now won their past five league encounters against Cardiff without conceding a goal - including the 2011-12 Championship play-off semi-finals
But, despite the return of £15m striker Andy Carroll to the West Ham bench after an eight-month absence, it was far from the perfect afternoon for Allardyce's side. The game was stopped for 10 minutes when Ivory Coast defender Demel suffered a serious head injury, falling awkwardly as he challenged Fraizer Campbell. After the application of a neck brace and oxygen, he was taken off on a stretcher and replaced by George McCartney. The sending-off of Tomkins, shown his second yellow card for catching Campbell in the face, will further compound Allardyce's defensive worries with James Collins and Winston Reid still out through injury. But after all the pre-match attention on Carroll it was Cole, signed only on a short-term deal, who gave the Hammers a much-needed lift.
When Matt Taylor picked out Jarvis on the right, his low cross allowed Cole to muscle his way in front of Kevin Theophile-Catherine to smash the ball past Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall. Cole nearly added a second after half-time, but Bluebirds captain Mark Hudson - making his first Premier League appearance of the season - stretched to nip the ball off the striker's toe. The 30-year-old was replaced for the final 18 minutes by Carroll and departed to a standing ovation from the travelling fans. Solskjaer began his Cardiff reign last week with an FA Cup win at Newcastle, and the Norwegian saw his side nearly come from behind again. Firstly, Kim Bo-Kyung's deflected shot came off the underside of the bar, before Craig Noone drew a full-length save out of goalkeeper Adrian. After all that Cardiff pressure, Cole's goal came as something of a sucker-punch and Solskjaer responded at half-time by replacing striker Peter Odemwingie with Craig Bellamy, making his return after two months out. The former Wales captain nearly created an equaliser, racing free on the right to pick out Campbell, whose fierce shot drew a brilliant reaction save out of Adrian. Solskjaer sent on new signing Magnus Wolff Eikrem in place of Gary Medel in midfield, then replaced Hudson with striker Andreas Cornelius in the hunt for an equaliser. West Ham nerves jangled when Eikrem unleashed a pile-driver, only to hit it straight at Adrian, but in injury time, a swift counter caught Cardiff over-committed and Noble's cool finish sealed a crucial result.

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Davies on West Ham link
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 11th January 2014
By: Staff Writer

Nottingham Forest manager Billy Davies believes reports linking him with Sam Allardyce's job are the result of unnamed parties "mischief making". The 49-year-old Scotsman was one of several names mentioned as a potential replacement for Allardyce, on whom the pressure was eased somewhat following an encouraging 2-0 win at Cardiff that lifted West Ham out of the relegation zone. But speaking to the press following Forest's 1-1 draw at Bolton, a result that keeps the former European Champions in fifth spot in the Championship, Davies refused to comment on the rumours - whilst having plenty to say on those responsible for them. "I've got my own situation to take care of here, which is to take this football club moving forward," he said. "Apart from that nothing else matters to me. The one thing I will not do is show disrespect to the manager who currently sits in that position. "Do I view it as a compliment? I've been linked with jobs in the past, they're always lies and it is just mischief making."

One Forest fan who would be delighted to see the back of Davies is KUMB member Woans Left Peg. "He has systematically replaced every senior member of staff at the club with family members and friends," he posted on the KUMB Forum. "He has gone to war with the press, refusing to allow any access to the club to any member of the press outside of the mandated bare minimum and is so paranoid when it comes to the media that he now has a member of club staff filming the journalists at the post match press conferences. The sooner he leaves my club the better."

* Sam Allardyce failed to appear for to the press following this afternoon's vital win in Wales, sending assistant manager Neil McDonald to cover his duties instead.

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Another (striker) deal in the pipeline?
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 11th January 2014
By: Staff Writer

West Ham are reported to have agreed a deal to sign Roma's Marco Borriello on loan for the remainder of the season. The seven-times-capped Italian international is currently out of the first team frame at Roma and looking to secure a tenth-career loan having enjoyed spells at Triestina, Treviso (x2), Empoli, Reggina, Sampdoria, Genoa (x2) and Juventus previously. This evening reports emanating from Italy suggest that the two clubs have tied up a deal for the 31-year-old, 6'1" striker. However with West Ham having already agreed terms with Lacina Troare (Monaco) and Ishak Belfodil (Milan), it remains to be seen which two forwards - should Allardyce sign more than one, as has been suggested - eventually land in east London.

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Cardiff City 0-2 West Ham Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 11th January 2014
By: Staff Writer

When Sunderland's Adam Johnson put Sunderland ahead at Fulham midway through the first half, West Ham were condemned to the bottom of the real-time Premier League. However by 5pm tonight the Hammers were out of the relegation zone entirely after grinding out a hugely-encouraging 2-0 win away to fellow strugglers Cardiff City. Dismissing any notions that Sam Allardyce had lost the support of the dressing room, West Ham were a determined, hard-working unit today and although they faced one or two major scares, goals from Carlton Cole - his third in six games - and Mark Noble were enough to secure a huge win. Defeat today could have been catastrophic for the Hammers lost, who would have been left four points adrift of safety tonight after Sunderland eventually thrashed Fulham 4-1. Yet despite the two-goal winning margin Hammers fans were made to wait until the third minute of injury time before victory was finally secured thanks to stand-in captain Noble.

The good news for Sam Allardyce going into the game was the return of James Tomkins, meaning the manager could field two central defenders for the first time this year. However his game plan was blown apart in the opening minutes when Guy Demel suffered what appeared to be a facial injury that required treatment for TEN minutes before he was finally stretchered off the pitch. George McCartney, who replaced Tomkins was to be magnificent, a constant thorn in red sides - as were the rest of his team mates, who soaked up considerable pressure from Cardiff before securing all three points with two well-taken goals.

The first arrived in the 42nd minute of 55 played in the first half by referee Lee Mason as a result of the injury to the unfortunate Demel. Matt Taylor's lofted pass found Matt Jarvis, who centred the ball for Carlton Cole who stole in front of his marker and smashed the ball into the corner of (the in-form) David Marshall's net.

Despite being under the cosh for much of the second period - and even more so after a second yellow card for James Tomkins resulted in West Ham being reduced to ten men for the final 18 minutes of normal time - Allardyce's charges continued to throw their bodies in front of shots and crosses time after time as the West Ham defence bowed, but refused to buckle.

And with three of the four added-on minutes already played, a rare excursion into Cardiff territory resulted in the killer second. Andy Carroll, whose first touch after replacing Cole was greeted by the sort of applause usually reserved for a 90th-minute winning goal received a long throw down the flank that he moved inside for an advancing Noble, who fired expertly into the far corner.

The home side, who take West Ham's place in the relegation zone as a result of today's reversal - their sixth consecutive defeat against the Hammers - will be bemoaning a string of missed opportunities, as Lady Luck came out on United's side for a change.

Shortly before West Ham took the lead an accidental deflection off referee Mason gave the Hammers the initiative. And later in the first half, Bo-Kyung Kim's shot took a deflection off Roger Johnson which beat a wrong-footed Adrian but not his crossbar. Goal-line technology, possibly used in a West Ham fixture for the first time ever, proved the South Korean's shot had not crossed the line.

The second half saw a string of penalty appeals from an increasingly-desperate Cardiff, one of which at least appeared to have some merit. However the Hammers held on for a rare away win, hopefully taking with it the first step to rescuing what still threatens to be a disastrous season.

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Sam Allardyce backed by West Ham owners David Gold and David Sullivan
Last Updated: 12/01/14 6:39am
SSN

West Ham co-chairman David Gold has once again reiterated his support for manager Sam Allardyce following the club's much-needed victory against Cardiff City on Saturday. Allardyce has been heavily scrutinised recently after a run of results which had seen West Ham win just once in their last seven Premier League matches before the victory at the Cardiff City Stadium. But Gold said the 59-year-old's position had never been under threat as far as the board were concerned, insisting Allardyce should not be blamed for factors beyond his control such as the injuries to a number of key players. "People talk about the dreaded vote of confidence but what we say is what we mean," Gold told Sky Sports News. "Sam has done everything we've asked of him. "Our view is that Sam was doing nothing wrong other than that he had an injury list which was pretty devastating but you can't blame him for that."

David Gold and David Sullivan gave their backing to manager Sam Allardyce after West Ham's win over Cardiff. Asked if he and co-chairman David Sullivan would back Allardyce till the end of the season come what may, Gold said: "Well you know that. We've gone public - Sam Allardyce is our manager." Sullivan added: "If you were looking for a manager to keep you up you'd be looking to appoint Sam. "But we've got a long way to go. He knows it, we know it and the players know it. "We've given away too many points and made too many mistakes but we've put ourselves back in with a fighting chance (of avoiding relegation)."

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Big Sam is back
Sam Allardyce has been a miserable so-and-so of late, but his rallying cry in midweek saw West Ham achieve a rousing response at Cardiff. Is the old Big Sam back?
By Matt Stanger. Last Updated: 11/01/14 7:10pm
SSN

As West Ham fans boarded the away coaches for the long journey to Cardiff in the early hours of Saturday morning, they could have been forgiven for fearing the worst. Two heavy cup defeats in the space of a week had compounded the bleak mood around the club with the team floundering in 19th in the league and Sam Allardyce's future hanging in the balance. A third loss on the spin would surely have sealed the manager's fate.

Cole on target

But there is a reason Allardyce has been spared the sack despite the rest of the bottom five all removing their managers in the first half of the season. Were he available when West Ham's four rivals opted for change, he would surely have led the list of potential replacements given his renowned ability to win a relegation battle. Allardyce may have got West Ham into this mess, but he is also the best man to get them out of it.

That was evident in the 2-0 win on Saturday as Cardiff's hopes for an immediate recovery under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were quickly extinguished. There was none of the 'Allardici' nonsense about the Hammers' starting line-up on this occasion as a four-man defence was protected by a five-man midfield, with Carlton Cole selected as a lone target-man in attack. It was back to basics, backs to the wall and back to the sort of performance required to avoid the drop.

Cardiff had seven shots on target against West Ham but rarely tested Adrian

Never a man who is easy to love, Big Sam's biggest problem this season has been an emotional detachment from his role. Following Andre Villas-Boas' sacking at Spurs, Allardyce spoke of his reluctance to form a bond with the Hammers after his treatment by Newcastle and Blackburn, but the troubles of the past seven days have rekindled the fire in his belly. "You either come out fighting or you sink and die," he said after the defeat to Manchester City. "I come out fighting as a manager and my staff and players are the same."

McDonald backs Hammers

The rallying cry certainly worked as the Hammers exhibited a battling spirit that has been missing in recent weeks and showed heartening resolve to resist Cardiff pressure in the second half. After a statuesque Allardyce barely blinked when Cole put the Hammers ahead before the break, co-commentator Trevor Francis said: "I think there would have been greater emotion if that goal had been scored in the 91st minute." It was a prophetic statement, as Mark Noble's injury-time strike left Allardyce jumping for joy on the touchline.

Andy Carroll's role in Mark Noble's late goal showed what an attacking outlet he can be for West Ham

There was much for the manager to celebrate, not least Andy Carroll's return from injury to make his first appearance of the season as a second-half substitute. In truth, it was a difficult cameo for the striker, but his involvement in Noble's goal underlined what the Hammers have been missing. Suddenly Matt Jarvis and Stewart Downing have a better option to aim at from the flanks, while Kevin Nolan, if he can be trusted to keep his cool, can return to sniffing out the knock-downs that enabled him to reach double figures in top-flight goals last season.

Noble hails huge win

Allardyce will also have been encouraged to see his team return to the top of the Premier League clean sheets table with their ninth of the season and first in eight matches, but his defensive concerns were equally exacerbated by an injury to Guy Demel and James Tomkins' red card. With Winston Reid still on the sidelines with an ankle injury, the manager could be forced to dip into the transfer market again, this time hoping to capture more quality than the limited Roger Johnson.

If reports are to be believed, David Gold and David Sullivan will back Allardyce with funds in January to plug the gaps in his fragile squad, but the manager needed a performance to prove he is worthy of their faith. Not only was that achieved on the pitch at Cardiff, but Allardyce's renewed ebullience is certain to help him curry favour. This was the Big Sam of old, and it was exactly what the Hammers needed to ease their fears after a nightmare week.

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Nottingham Forest boss Billy Davies plays down link to West Ham
Last Updated: 11/01/14 7:05pm
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Nottingham Forest manager Billy Davies played down reports of a move to West Ham after the 1-1 draw at Bolton. Reports suggested that Davies had been considered to take the reins at Upton Park after his side humiliated Sam Allardyce's side 5-0 in the FA Cup third round. However, Davies was quick to refute any claim he was in contact about the post. Davies said: "I've got a job to do at this football club and the one thing I will not do is show disrespect to the manager who currently sits in that position. "I've got my own situation to take care of here, which is to take this football club moving forward and apart from that nothing else matters to me. "Do I view it as a compliment? I've been linked with jobs in the past and they're always lies and it is just mischief making."

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West Ham assistant boss Neil McDonald hails 2-0 win at Cardiff
Last Updated: 11/01/14 6:14pm
SSN

West Ham assistant manager Neil McDonald hailed his side's character as they returned to form with a 2-0 victory at Cardiff City. The Hammers eased the pressure on Sam Allardyce after two heavy defeats by Nottingham Forest and Manchester City in the FA Cup and Capital One Cup respectively with a priceless win at the Cardiff City Stadium. Goals from Carlton Cole and Mark Noble proved to be enough to give West Ham their first win in eight games and help lift them out of the bottom three at the expense of Cardiff. "It is huge of course because we haven't won for a while and to come away from home and win 2-0 and keep a clean sheet, especially after the last two games when we conceded quite a few the confidence was low," McDonald told Sky Sports regarding the importance of the result. "But we've picked them up after the Manchester City game, we've worked very, very hard on the training field, even though it has been a limited time, and we've had a few players back and I think it shows when the big players come back it gives us a chance to compete."

McDonald admitted the result was the perfect response to the critics who have been calling for the head of Allardyce after the heavy losses to Forest and Manchester City and praised the club's fans for sticking by the side. "I think it is [the perfect response]. When you are not getting results obviously you come under pressure and people are asking questions why, but there is a huge boost today with winning 2-0, a huge boost with a couple coming back from injury and hopefully we will have another couple in the next couple of weeks. "The support we've had over the last week, even though they haven't seen their team win today, I thought the crowd was absolutely fantastic, they stuck by their team and got behind their team, and hopefully they have gone home very happy after seeing a much-improved performance."

McDonald also revealed they were waiting to find out the extent of Guy Demel's injury after he was stretchered off following a clash with his own team-mate Roger Johnson. Demel is thought to have suffered a suspected dislocated elbow as well as facial injuries to add to West Ham's lengthy injury list. "He has taken a bad knock on his head and he has gone to hospital so we are just waiting on the doctor to come back to give us an idea on how he is, but I am sure he is in good hands," continued McDonald. "I think it showed we have got players who put their body on the line which is great and we need to do that more often. "And if we get a couple of injuries then it gives somebody else the chance to come in and, as long as we stick together and work hard for each other, then we will get our just rewards, just like we did today."

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West Ham eased the pressure on Sam Allardyce with 2-0 win at Cardiff
Last Updated: 11/01/14 6:41pm
SSN

West Ham eased the pressure on Sam Allardyce and climbed out of the bottom three of the Premier League with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Cardiff City in south Wales. Carlton Cole gave West Ham the lead in the first half before James Tomkins was sent off 18 minutes from time for a second bookable offence.
Cardiff piled the pressure on West Ham in the closing stages, but the visitors stood firm and made the game safe when Mark Noble scored a second goal deep into injury-time.

Best of the game

Man of the match: Mark Noble produced an inspirational performance as captain and was rewarded with goal

Goal of the match: Carlton Cole's effort was a well-worked effort after some good approach play from Taylor and Jarvis

Save of the match: Adrian produced a brilliant save to keep out Campbell's effort from close-range in the second half

Controversy of the match: Tomkins was sent off for a second bookable offence when it appeared he accidentally caught Campbell with a high boot

Moment of the match: Kim Bo-Kyung saw his deflected shot come back off the underside of the crossbar and bounce on the line with the game scoreless

Talking point: How big a boost will the returning Andy Carroll be for West Ham? Do Cardiff need to bring in new players to get out of trouble?

The win was the perfect response from West Ham after a difficult week as they spoiled Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first home game in charge of Cardiff. West Ham made the brighter start of the two teams and almost hit the front after just four minutes when Stewart Downing's cross from the left evaded everyone and bounced off the post. From the rebound the ball fell to Tomkins, but David Marshall was quickly off his line to block his effort The visitors suffered a blow on ten minutes when Guy Demel appeared to be caught in the head by his own team-mate Roger Johnson with the full-back being forced off on a stretcher following ten minutes of treatment from the medical staff.

Demel was taken straight to hospital with a suspected broken elbow and facial injuries to add to Sam Allardyce's injury woes. Cardiff created their first opening of the game just past the half-hour mark when Craig Noone beat Demel's replacement George McCartney down the left and he clipped over a cross which Fraizer Campbell headed over the top. Carlton Cole scored as West Ham ended their poor run of form with victory over Cardiff. The home side thought they had taken the lead on 32 minutes when Kim Bo-kyung ran unchallenged to the edge of the box and saw his shot take a deflection off Johnson and loop over West Ham keeper Adrian and down off the underside of the crossbar onto the line. Campbell was then adjudged to have fouled Adrian as he bundled the keeper and the ball into the back of the net.

West Ham broke the deadlock on 42 minutes when Matt Taylor picked out Matt Jarvis inside the box and he crossed for Cole to slot home past Marshall from close range. The visitors almost grabbed a second goal a minute later when the ball dropped to Taylor inside the box and he fizzed his right-footed shot just wide of the target with Marshall rooted to the spot. Cardiff wasted a great chance to draw level early in the second half when Mark Hudson beat the West Ham offside trap to get on the end of substitute Craig Bellamy's free-kick, but with his back to goal he could only head his effort over the top

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says his side should've defended better but was encouraged by their second half display. The home side had strong claims for a penalty waved away on 59 minutes when McCartney appeared to haul down Campbell inside the box, but referee Lee Mason waved their appeals. Adrian denied Cardiff the equaliser a minute later when he produced a superb reflex save to keep out Campbell's powerful shot from ten yards out after Bellamy had picked out the striker inside the box. West Ham introduced Andy Carroll for his first appearance of the season after a foot problem on 70 minutes, but two minutes later found themselves down to ten men when Tomkins was sent off for a second bookable offence after catching Campbell in the face with a high foot.

Cardiff threw everything at West Ham in the final 18 minutes, but could not find a way past Adrian or the visitors' defence as they stood strong to repel their efforts. West Ham made the game safe in the closing seconds when Carroll found Noble inside the box and the midfielder drilled his shot under Marshall to grab a goal his performance deserved to send the away fans into raptures.

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IS JOLEON LESCOTT ABOUT TO BECOME A HAMMER?
By Iain Dale 11 Jan 2014 at 23:45
West Ham Till I Die

According to the Sunday Telegraph West Ham are due to complete the signing of Manchester City and England defender Joleon Lescott on a permanent transfer. He is thought to be signing a three and a half year deal on an initial salary of £90,000 a week, dropping to £70k a week from the beginning of next season. The fee is thought to be around £5 million, which for Manchester City is something of a coup, seeing as he'd be available on a free at the end of the season.

However, City apparently won't release him until after next Saturday's game, which may scupper the whole deal, bearing in mind our need to bring in another central defender pretty quickly following James Tomkins' sending off today.

Yes, Lescott may be 31, but he is on the edge of a World Cup place and will be very keen to cement it. He cost Man City £24 million when they signed him from Everton. If we can get him, I think it would be a bit of a coup. Mind you, given a choice I'd prefer Micah Richards, who is an immense player who will never fill his potential at Manchester City.

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CARDIFF 0 WEST HAM 2 - THINGS FINALLY COME GOOD
By Iain Dale 11 Jan 2014 at 17:04
West Ham Till I Die

What a fantastic result that was, and by all accounts a great performance too. And wasn't that a marvellous ball from Andy Carroll to Mark Noble to lay on the second goal?

Like many of you, I listened to the match on the radio, although I did see the goals on a rather jittery internet stream. The commentators seemed hugely impressed by the performance and commitment. And the great thing was that the injury to Demel and Tomkins' sending off didn't appear to unduly unsettle the side. Of course it is very worrying that we now have two more defenders unavailable for the match next Saturday, giving the manager yet another set of selection headaches. Maybe James Collins will be fit to return.

Will this be the match that kickstarts us on to better things? Time will tell, but at least we are out of the bottom three.

PS If we beat Newcastle, as the table stands now, we could go as high as thirteenth. Isn't it wonderful how three points make us feel so inexplicably optimistic?

UPDATE: Alan Hansen just described Mark Noble as giving "one of the performances of the season". Wonder if Roy Hodgson might finally take note.

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West Ham assistant boss Neil McDonald praises team's 'togetherness' after crucial win at Cardiff
Jan 11, 2014 18:10 By Danny McCann 0 Comments
The Mirror

West Ham United assistant Neil McDonald was delighted to take all three points in their 2-0 win at fellow strugglers Cardiff. They welcomed back Andy Carroll back after an eight month lay-off but it was the team's 'togetherness' and fans' support that gave the team victory. "The team showed togetherness today and the supporters stuck by us and have travelled a long way this week. Talking about boss Sam Allardyce he said: "He has come under pressure but he's experienced to take that. He took the plaudits when we finished 10th last year. People will be coming back from injury soon to give the squad a boost." The Hammers moved above Cardiff to get out of bottom three to alleviate some pressure on Allardyce after two embarrassing cup drubbings to Manchester City and Nottingham Forest. Goals came from Carlton Cole and a late goal from captain Mark Noble who knew how big this win was for the struggling Hammers.
"That was massive," Noble said. "We have been poor lately, we have been embarrassed in the two Cup games recently and this is a tough place to come, but we have lost a man and still managed to win." Allardyce's men face Newcastle United at Upton Park next Saturday.

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Fulham want West Ham stars Ravel Morrison and Mo Diame but must decide which one to focus on
Jan 12, 2014 05:56 By Dean Jones 0 Comments
SSN

Fulham face a dilemma over their pursuit of two West Ham stars, writes Dean Jones in the Sunday People. Head coach Rene Meulensteen wants to push ahead with a £5million bid for Ravel Morrison – but technical director Alan Curbishley believes they should try to land Mo Diame for a similar figure instead. They realise it is extremely unlikely the Hammers will part with both players so must decide which of the two to focus on. It is the first test of Fulham's unusual management set-up. Meulensteen was promoted to team boss when Martin Jol was sacked, while Alan Curbishley was then brought in at the end of December in a senior role.

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West Ham plot Wayne Hennessey transfer after Wales keeper refuses to play for Wolves
Jan 11, 2014 22:30 By Alan Nixon 1 Comments
The Mirror
Michael Steele

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce wants to sign keeper Wayne Hennessey on loan for the rest of the season, writes Alan Nixon in the Sunday People. The unsettled shot-stopper refused to play for Wolves against Gillingham recently while he was involved in transfer talks with Crystal Palace, and has fallen out with Molineux boss Kenny Jackett. Allardyce has emplyed both veteran Jussi Jaaskelainen and Spaniard Adrian in the Hammers' goal recently, but they have been helpless to stop the recent heavy defeats.

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West Ham United And Werder Bremen Want Juventus Defender
Forzaitalianfootball.com

Juventus defender Marco Motta is attracting interest from Werder Bremen and West Ham amidst reports he is set to leave the Bianconeri before the end of the transfer window. The 27-year-old fullback has been deemed a surplus for a long time in Turin, and could be set for another loan spell away from the club as interest from abroad heightens in the one-time Italian international. As reported by Tuttosport, German club Werder Bremen would like to offer a loan move until the end of the season, with an option to buy if the loan proves successful. West Ham may look to hijack the move though as Hammers boss Sam Allardyce is looking to strengthen his defence and has pinpointed Motta as one of his primary targets. Motta has been on the fringes of the Juventus team ever since joining in 2010, and this season is no different as he has only made two substitute appearances so far.

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West Ham Close To Signing Roma Striker
Forzaitalianfootball.com

The Hammers are on the lookout for a new striker in the transfer window, and were close to signing Inter's Ishak Belfodil before the move collapsed a few days ago. West Ham have continued their search in Italy, and Sky Italia report there is an agreement between West Ham and Roma for the transfer of the Italian international. On Monday, the player will meet with the club officials to try and understand the intentions of coach Rudi Garcia. If Roma deem him a surplus to requirements, the attacker may accept the offer from England. Borriello has been on the periphery of the Roma squad so far this season, netting one goal in 11 appearances.

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West Ham agree deal with Manchester City to take Joleon Lescott for £90,000 a week
West Ham United have agreed a 3½-year deal with Manchester City to sign Joleon Lescott as they battle against relegation.
The Telegraph
Jason Burt By Jason Burt, Football Correspondent11:19PM GMT 11 Jan 2014

However the move may collapse because Manchester City are adamant they will not release the England international until after Jan 20 and West Ham are unsure they can wait another week, despite a 2-0 victory at relegation rivals Cardiff City on Saturday. It is also unclear whether Lescott wants to move to West Ham and face a survival fight or wait to see if offers come in from other clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United. The 31-year-old has six months left on his contract at the Etihad and wants to secure regular first-team football as he battles for a place in England's squad for the World Cup in Brazil.
West Ham are believed to have agreed a deal with City a week ago matching Lescott's wages of £90,000 a week for the rest of this campaign and then agreeing to pay the central defender £70,000 a week for another three years even if they are relegated. West Ham's commitment of more than £12 million in wages for Lescott is brave given the very real prospect the club could go down, but he is regarded as someone who could save them from the drop and provide leadership. West Ham are desperately short of central defenders with Winston Reid, James Tomkins and James Collins all having suffered from injuries, while right-back Guy Demel sustained a suspected broken elbow and concussion yesterday. Co-owner David Gold tweeted last night to say the player was staying in hospital in Cardiff overnight after losing consciousness "for several minutes".

City have indicated that Lescott will be allowed to go once all their central defenders are fit. Martin Demichelis, Vincent Kompany and Matija Nastasic are all now available, while Micah Richards is also fit. Lescott, who joined City from Everton for £24 million, formed a formidable partnership with Kompany in the club's title-winning season two years ago. But he has fallen out of favour since then under Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini. West Ham are pushing ahead with plans to further bolster their squad, although they were dealt a blow on Friday when Inter Milan demanded a fee of £7  million for Algerian striker Ishak Belfodil rather than allowing the 21-year-old to go on loan. The club are now looking at other options but can go about their transfer business with renewed confidence after Carlton Cole and Mark Noble secured victory for them on Saturday. "I think we've shown that sticking together and keeping to the game plan gives us a good result," assistant manager Neil McDonald said after the game. "It keeps us out of the bottom three, which is great."

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West Ham are set to fire Sam Allardyce this week, will appoint Malky Mackay [Sunday Star]
Saturday, January 11th, 2014
101greatgoals.com

The Sunday Star, a wholly unreliable newspaper, have splashed the bottom of the backpage of their Sunday tabloid with the revelation of a manager change at West Ham. Despite the fact that the Hammers picked up a huge 2-0 win at Cardiff on Saturday to inject new life into their survival battle, the Star reckon Big Sam is getting the axe this week.

The Star claim: Crisis-torn West Ham are ready to send a SOS message to Malky Mackay this week. Hammers joint-owners David Gold and David Sullivan have so far refused to cave in to the fans' demands by sacking unpopular Sam Allardyce. But, despite the Londoners' 2-0 win at fellow-strugglers Cardiff yesterday, it would appear only a matter of time before Big Sam gets the bullet. The story in the Star runs contrary to the video message put out by West Ham joint-owner David Gold on Christmas, when the owner talked about club unity, sticking together, and getting through bad times as a family.

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West Ham's Demel to be fit for Newcastle clash
Goal.com
11 Jan 2014 19:45:00
EXCLUSIVE
By Harry Sherlock

West Ham are confident Guy Demel will be fit to face Newcastle next weekend, despite the defender being stretchered off in the club's 2-0 win over Cardiff City on Saturday. The 32-year-old fell heavily after contesting a defensive header with Fraizer Campbell and was afforded lengthy treatment by the Hammers' medical staff before he was rushed to hospital. Boss Sam Allardyce initially feared the star had broken his elbow and suffered a badly bruised face, but Goal can reveal that subsequent tests have shown that he has only suffered concussion. Nevertheless, he will be kept in hospital overnight and will be released on Sunday morning - meaning he is likely to be able to take to the field against Alan Pardew's Magpies next weekend. The news will come as a massive relief to Allardyce, as Demel's fellow defender James Tomkins was sent off after receiving two yellow cards in the win in Wales and is now set to serve a suspension.
If no appeal is lodged, the 24-year-old will miss the Newcastle fixture - adding further importance to the news of Demel's positive diagnosis.

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