Daily WHUFC News - 4th March 2014

Lars looking forward to London return
WHUFC.com
Former West Ham United defender Lars Jacobsen will be back in London with
Denmark this week
03.03.2014

Former West Ham United defender Lars Jacobsen will be back in London with
Denmark this week. The right-back, who spent the 2010/11 campaign with the
Hammers, is in his national team's squad for the international friendly
meeting with England at Wembley on Wednesday evening. The FC Copenhagen
defender, who also played under Hammers boss Sam Allardyce at Blackburn
Rovers, is looking forward to returning to the stadium where he featured for
Everton in their 2009 FA Cup final defeat by Chelsea.. "Im very excited to
return to England and especially Wembley," said the 34-year-old, who has
been capped 64 times. "I have played there in the FA Cup final in 2009 with
Everton. It is an amazing venue that will forever be in my memory."

For Jacobsen, returning to London will also bring back less welcome memories
of suffering relegation with West Ham three years ago. The Dane was a
consistent figure that season, but was unable to prevent the Hammers from
finishing bottom of the Premier League table. Despite the disappointment of
relegation, Jacobsen looks back fondly on his time at the Boleyn Ground.
"The relegation was very disappointing for everybody in and around West Ham
but I still remember the time I had West Ham as very positive," he revealed.
"I played regularly and I particularly remember the home win against
Tottenham [in September 2010]. The atmosphere at The Boleyn was very
supporting throughout the season, even though the results were poor. "I
still watch the games in front of the telly and I am very happy that the
club is doing well and is climbing the table. I still have contact with some
of the players and staff."

One player Jacobsen knows well is centre-back Winston Reid, who grew up in
Denmark himself after moving there as a child. Like Jacobsen, Reid joined
West Ham in summer 2010 following his appearance the FIFA World Cup. After a
difficult first season, the New Zealand-born defend er has emerged as one of
the top defenders in the Barclays Premier League. "Winston was a big talent
when I was at the Club," Jacobsen confirmed. "Now he is a vice-captain and
and a fully matured player who is big, strong and powerful. "I think he fits
in perfectly as a top centre-half in the Premier League."

While Reid and West Ham are seeking the points needed to secure their
Barclays Premier League place for next season, Jacobsen and his FC
Copenhagen team-mates have their own ambitions. Captaining a side containing
the likes of former Aston Villa and Sweden defender Olof Mellberg and
ex-Cardiff City and Denmark striker Andreas Cornelius, the veteran full-back
is targeting a fifth Danish Superliga title of his illustrious career. "The
ambition is to win the league," he confirmed. England's friendly meeting
with Denmark will kick-off at 8pm on Wednesday, with the game being screened
live on ITV1.

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Hammers duo feature for England U18s
WHUFC.com
England U18s fell to defeat against Croatia on Monday afternoon
03.03.2014

West Ham United youngsters Kyle Knoyle and Reece Burke started as England
U18s took on Croatia in an international friendly at St George's Park on
Monday.
The Young Lions fell to a 2-1 defeat after holding the lead in the first
half through Cameron Brannagan's strike. England were on top before the
break and were a whisker away from doubling the advantage when Brannagan
curled a shot just past the post. Croatia turned the game on its head in the
second half to claim the spoils thanks to goal from Marko Stolnik and Nikola
Vlasic. England will have the oppotunity to gain swift revenge against the
same opponents, when they host them in a second friendly on Wednesday.

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Statistically speaking
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 3rd March 2014
By: Staff Writer

West Ham's 13 clean sheets this season remains the Premier League's highest,
despite the 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park on Saturday.

The Hammers - for whom defeat last weekend signalled the end of a five-match
unbeaten run that propelled them from the relegation zone to the upper half
of the table - now head Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham by just one game.
Closing in are Manchester City, Norwich, Southampton and Everton, all of
whom have ten clean sheets apiece.

At the other end of the register, West Ham's inability to register at
Goodison Park was the 11th time this season that they have failed to score
in the Premier League. Cardiff City (16), Crystal Palace (13), Hull City,
Aston Villa and Stoke (12) are the only clubs to have been more profligate
in front of goal so far.

In contrast, West Ham have conceded the seventh fewest number of Premier
League goals this season. Chelsea (22), Manchester City, Everton (both 27),
Arsenal (28), Manchester United (31) and Tottenham (33) have shipped fewer
than West Ham's tally of 35, which is currently shared with Hull City,
Liverpool and Southampton.

Now, if 'value for money' was to be determined by the number of goals scored
per match West Ham's paying punters are getting a raw deal in comparison to
the vast majority of their fellow Premier League fans.

This season, games involving the Hammers have averaged just 2.36 goals per
match; only Norwich City (2.29), Hull City (2.32) and Crystal Palace (2.07)
have a lower average.

That figure also differs greatly between home and away games; matches played
at the Boleyn Ground have yielded an average of 2.86 goals per game (the
fifth highest in the league) compared to just 1.86 per match away from home
(the league's lowest).

Finally, with just ten Premier League matches left to play West Ham are the
only team in the league yet to win a game by a single goal this season. Six
of United's eight wins this term have been by two goals - Cardiff (twice),
Swansea, Aston Villa, Norwich and Southampton - and the remaining two
victories by three goals (Fulham, Tottenham).


Clean Sheets: Premier League 2013/14

1. WEST HAM UTD 46.4% (13 from 28 games)
2. Arsenal 42.9% (12/28)
2. Chelsea 42.9% (12/28)
2. Tottenham 42.9% (12/28)
5. Manchester City 38.5% (10/26)
6. Everton 37.0% (10/27)
7. Norwich City 35.7% (10/28)
8. Southampton 35.7% (10/28)

Failure To Score: Premier League 2013/14

1. Cardiff City 57.1% (16 of 28 games)
1. Crystal Palace 48.1% (13/27)
1. Aston Villa 42.9% (12/28)
1. Hull City 42.9% (12/28)
1. Stoke City 42.9% (12/28)
1. Norwich City 39.3% (11/28)
1. WEST HAM UTD 39.3% (11/28)
1. Sunderland 38.5% (10/26)

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Sam Allardyce hoping West Ham use break positively
Last Updated: 03/03/14 12:26pm
SSN

West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce would rather not be enjoying a week off,
but plans to put an enforced break to good use. The Hammers were due to
entertain Hull City at Upton Park in their next Premier League outing, but
the Tigers' involvement in the FA Cup quarter-finals has forced a
rescheduling. West Ham will now be restricted to a spectator role this
weekend as league and cup competition takes centre stage. Allardyce will cut
a frustrated figure as he watches on from afar, but hopes an extended spell
on the training ground will have his side raring to go by the time an
opportunity to get a 1-0 defeat at Everton out of their system comes around.
He said on the club's official website: "We'd have liked to have another
game, which would have been our chance to overcome the Everton defeat and
get another victory. "We have to be patient. Everybody's going to get fitter
and they'll be able to get ready and excited for the away game at Stoke
City. "The players are all very disappointed that we have lost our
undefeated run but Everton are a good side and we just got slaughtered when
we played there last season and were fortunate to come away with a 2-0
defeat. "On Saturday we were very close to getting a point and the only
disappointment was our final third play wasn't good enough to cause Everton
the problems that we should have done."

While happy enough with how his side have been faring of late, Allardyce
will use the coming week to try and increase competition for places within
his squad - with the likes of Andy Carroll, Winston Reid, Joe Cole and Jack
Collison set to be offered a chance to catch the eye. The Hammers boss
added: "The lads will have a few days off with their families as they can't
get any fitter than they are at the minute. They are in a good frame of mind
at the moment. "We're disappointed now but we've got to get over that and
make sure that we've got the confidence and the energy and the belief to
play the next game when it comes around. "Andy Carroll has been constant in
training terms but it's match fitness that we need to help him with. "If
anybody needed a game next week it would be Andy but we've got to wait a
couple of weeks before we can get him fit again. We may fit in a
behind-closed doors game for him and some of the other squad players that
might not have been playing so much recently."

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DAVID GOLD SAYS STANDING AT FOOTBALL IS BOTH UNSAFE AND UNSOCIAL
By Sean Whetstone 3 Mar 2014 at 17:00
West Ham Till I Die

During a recent video interview former hooligan turned author & film maker
Cass Pennant asked the joint Chairman "What is your personal views to the
call for safe standing, fan areas for the supporters for the new stadium"

David Gold replied: "Good Question Cass, I am a great supporter of safe
standing, it is interesting that for many years we have had unsafe standing,
we do have that, I don't think there is a ground in the country that are all
seater stadium that don't have their fans in some area of the ground
standing. Now that standing is both unsafe and unsocial. In other words
unsocial from the point that if you were to bring a child to that match and
that child is suddenly confronted with rows and rows of people in front of
him, then he or she is not going to be able to see the match, So I think it
is time to revisit the issue of standing and of course when all the problems
of the eighties that we had where the taylor report said time to have an all
seater stadium and of course that changed everything and it stopped a lot of
bad behavior and it worked, but I think now it is time to look at safe
standing, I think the technologies have changed and I think we should
experiment, and I think that there is no reason at all in my mind why we
can't adopt some areas of safe standing in the future"

When Karren Brady was asked the question about the possibility of safe
standing at the Olympic Stadium at a Supporters Advisory Board OS meeting I
attended last year she all but dismissed the idea as 'extremely unlikely'.
Considering the Premier League rules & law that would need to change and it
is unlikely that the LLDC would rip up the existing seats in the £200m tax
payer funded refit to put in safe standing seats just to suit their football
tenant. While safe standing may be adopted in the premier league in the
future I personally don't see it at the multi purpose Olympic Stadium any
time soon.

Peter Caton, author of Stand Up Sit Down, West Ham Season Ticket Holder and
fellow member of the SAB, is concerned that problems will arise at the
Olympic Stadium unless there are areas where fans can stand as they are used
to doing at the Boleyn ground. Unmanaged standing blocks the views of those
who want to sit, but some fans have said they won't go to Stratford if they
can't stand. The possibility of unofficial 'singing areas' has been raised
at the SAB, but the club offered little hope. It was not a priority for them
and would be opposed by Newham Council and the SGSA. A disappointing
response when other clubs are backing the safe standing campaign and doing
their best to allow fans the choice to stand.

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Gareth Southgate tells Ravel Morrison to stay focused after being loaned out
by West Ham
Mar 03, 2014 22:51 By James Nursey
The Mirror

Gareth Southgate has urged Ravel Morrison not to become disillusioned after
the West Ham starlet's dramatic fall from grace. Morrison was tipped to go
to the World Cup with England after a stunning solo goal for the Hammers at
Spurs in October. But the 21-year-old lost his place and has since been
loaned to Championship QPR. Morrison is on England Under-21 duty this week
as they host Wales at Derby's Pride Park tomorrow. Boss Southgate said: "I
don't think it is a massive negative to be dropping back down into the
Championship if he is getting regular football. "I think for players of that
age they are going to have that path where there is a high and a dip. "It is
how you respond to all those successes or setbacks that forms you as a
player. This is a little challenge for him but he has the ability to be
successful."

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