Daily WHUFC News - 14th June 2014

Hammers launch crest consultation
WHUFC.com
The Hammers have launched fan consultation on whether the Club should
consider evolving its crest
14.06.2014

West Ham United are pleased to announce that the start of the detailed
supporter consultation on whether the Club should consider evolving its
crest will start on Saturday. The view that it is worth exploring has been
generally supported so far by the small groups that the Club have consulted
with, including its Supporter Advisory Board. The Club are keen to examine
the available options as the work being undertaken in the lead up to the
move to the Olympic Stadium in 2016 offers an opportunity to get things
right from the very start. To ensure all fans have the opportunity to have
their say, the Club is hosting the first of three in-person consultation
sessions at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday, where fans will be able to
discuss their ideas with staff before providing written feedback. The three
events will be held on Saturday 14 June between 10am and 1pm, Thursday 19
June between 4pm and 7pm and Monday 23 June between 4pm and 7pm. Supporters
should note that, as above, the event originally planned for Tuesday 24 June
has been moved to ensure it does not clash with England's FIFA World Cup
match with Costa Rica. From early next week there will also be an
opportunity for fans to view an online video presentation that provides a
detailed examination of the different elements of the current crest and
summarises the exhaustive research the Club have undertaken thus far.
Supporters will then have the opportunity to offer their feedback via an
online form. The feedback provided by supporters through these channels will
then be analysed by the Club to ascertain whether there is a desire among
the Club's most loyal fans to evolve the crest. If it is found that there
is, then the Club will continue its work by utilising fans' feedback on the
most important elements of the crest to inform the creative direction. This
will allow them to further explore the routes that are most popular among
supporters, with a view to presenting an alternative for consideration by
the fanbase.
In this scenario supporters will still have the final say as they would be
given the opportunity to approve any new iterations or opt to retain the
current crest.
To help further inform supporters, the Club will also respond to any further
questions arising via a Q+A here on whufc.com early next week.
Since the consultation process was announced, the Board have made clear that
this process is categorically not about looking at a name change and no
updates will be made to the crest unless Hammers fans back the move.
Therefore, to ensure transparency and fairness, they have appointed
independent survey company SMG YouGov to run and administer the consultation
and polling.
As previously explained, the Hammers' current offering has not been changed
since 1999 and the Club see the move to its stunning new home as a now or
never opportunity to better reflect and celebrate the things that make West
Ham so special, particularly its rich history.
The Club have already received some valuable feedback from the Supporter
Advisory Board, which has helped shape the content of the presentation.
There were clearly some areas that the SAB members were more widely
supportive of and other areas that they wanted the Club to look at in more
detail. Their feedback so far suggested there was broad support for a more
traditional crest as used during the 50s, with the crossed hammers given
more prominence.
There were also discussions at the SAB meetings about potentially adding a
representation of the Club's new home (the Olympic Stadium) to the crest,
during which the Club explained its preference for no graphical
representation of any Hammers stadium, either past or present, to allow the
strong symbol of the crossed hammers to shine through. That view appears to
have been generally supported by the SAB.
The possibility of further highlighting the Club's standing in London by
reflecting that in some way on the Club's crest was also debated. Some
members fed back that it was an appropriate reflection of the Club's
direction, while others felt that 1895 should be added to better demonstrate
West Ham's standing and history. Others said they favoured a return to a
more traditional, retro crest only.
To enable as wide a section of the fanbase to have their say as possible,
the consultation is open to all supporters with a ticket purchase history.
This includes all existing and former Season Ticket Holders, members, both
domestic and international and previous matchday ticket buyers aged 16 and
over.
A Club Client Reference Number will be required to submit online or
in-person consultation feedback/access the poll. All responses will be
verified upon completion to ensure robustness of the process and to check
for duplications. Any duplicate entrants or invalid client reference numbers
will not be counted. The deadline for submitting feedback will be Friday 27
June at 5pm.
The Club would like to thank all participating fans in advance for sharing
their thoughts on this important topic.

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Joint-Chairman targets key additions
WHUFC.com
Joint-Chairman David Sullivan is sure the Hammers will shortly secure a key
target
13.06.2014

Joint-Chairman David Sullivan is confident that the Hammers' hard work in
the transfer market is about to bear fruit. Having secured their place in
the Barclays Premier League with a strong second half of the 2013/14
campaign, the Joint-Chairman's focus this summer is on building a squad
capable of pushing up the league table and entertaining the Boleyn Ground
crowd on a regular basis. The Hammers have already captured the signature of
striker Mauro Zarate, who top scored in the Argentine Primera Division last
season, and have their eyes on a number of exciting new additions as they
prepare for a third season back in the top flight. Manager Sam Allardyce has
been identifying players all over the world since the close of the campaign
and Mr Sullivan revealed that the Club are close to capturing one of their
prime targets. He said: "We've been working extremely hard to bring in the
players we know we need to improve the squad ever since the end of the
season, and I believe we are very close to putting the finishing touches on
a transfer that will excite us all. "Should we land this player, we would
have had to beat off competition from some of Europe's top sides, and for me
that shows the direction we are taking as a Club right now.
"We all know we need to improve from what we achieved last year, and this
summer's recruitment is going to be key to that. We have already made what I
am sure is going to prove to be an outstanding signing to increase our
firepower up front, and we will make several more across the board as the
summer goes on."

One of the biggest plus points from the 2013/14 campaign was the Hammers'
resilience at the back as they secured 14 clean sheets. However, goals were
in shorter demand than desired at the other end and the Joint-Chairman has
already set about addressing that issue. The Club have secured the services
of Teddy Sheringham as attacking coach as they go about the aim of scoring
more goals this season and Mr Sullivan is clear on the type of player he,
and Allardyce, are targeting. He added: "We want to see players who can play
in any of the three attacking positions and score goals and who have a
proven record of scoring goals. "We want people who take on players and go
past them, people who can shoot from the edge of the penalty box, people
with movement, because there is not enough movement and speed in our team.
"We hope, by bringing in slightly younger players, we will also get a bit
more from the players we've got, because they know their name is not
automatically going to appear on that teamsheet every match - there is going
to be somebody pushing hard for every single place. "We're going to have two
players in every position competing for that place in the team. We do need
players with a proven track record and that's what we'll be trying to do."

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Hammer Taka's Italian job
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Takahiro Yamamoto will be working with England's group
rivals Italy at the 2014 FIFA World Cup
13.06.2014

West Ham United won the FIFA World Cup in 1966, but a Hammers employee will
be doing his own little bit to scupper England's chances at the 2014 finals.
Athletic trainer Takahiro Yamamoto will be travelling to Brazil with the
Italy squad due to his previous working relationship with Gli Azzurri
manager Cesare Prandelli at Serie A clubs Parma and Fiorentina. Yamamoto
worked with the pair in his role as the personal therapist for Japan
superstar Hidetoshi Nakata, who became Asian football's biggest star during
a successful seven-year spell in Italy. He later followed Nakata to Sam
Allardyce's Bolton Wanderers in 2005. The story came full circle when,
having joined West Ham in 2009, Big Sam joined the therapist in east London
two years later! For Yamamoto, the prospect of working at a FIFA World Cup
finals with his old colleague Prandelli and a number of players he treated
during his time in Italy is an exciting one. The Italians, of course, open
their Group D campaign by facing England at the Arena Amazonia in Manaus on
14 June. "The story is that I will be going to the World Cup with Italy,
whose management and coaching staff I know well because when I was in Italy
we were at the same club, Fiorentina," said Yamamoto. "Last December, the
fitness coach called me and said 'After the season, if you are free, come
with us!' and I agreed. "I have had injections for yellow fever and taken
tablets for malaria because the first game against England is in the Amazon
jungle. The doctor said I had to have these. "I am excited because this is
my first World Cup. In 2006, I went to Germany as a supporter to watch, so
this will be the first time working at a World Cup and it will be a great
experience.
"It's very, very interesting because the first game is against England.
Prandelli is very strict and very professional and I like him and his
methods. I also know some of the players - the defender Giorgio Chiellini
and left-back Manuel Pasqual - from Fiorentina. Maybe I know three or four
of them. "I first went to Italy with Nakata, to Roma, then Parma and
Fiorentina, always with him. I then came to Bolton with Sam, which is
interesting, because I always seem to work with the same managers!"

Known as 'The Machine' for his amazing strength and flexibility, Yamamoto is
a popular figure for the rejuvenating treatment he gives to players
suffering from a wide variety of ailments, aches and pains. Whether it be
stretches, exercises or acupuncture, the Japanese therapist works his magic
regularly at Chadwell Heath and will now do likewise with the Italian
national team. "I will be preparing the players for the games and training
then, after the game, I will hold recovrery sessions. Mainly, I will be
doing soft tissue work, as well as some mobilisation and stretching. I will
also do some exercise, which I did a lot before in Italy with the players to
work on their core stability."

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Competition for every place is key - Sullivan
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 13th June 2014
By: Staff Writer

Co-owner David Sullivan insists that there will be competition in all areas
of Sam Allardyce's squad by the end of the summer transfer window. Sullivan,
speaking to fans via whufc.com in the week in which season tickets for the
forthcoming 2014/15 season went on general sale also hinted at an imminent
signing, who he described as a "top player". "We've been working extremely
hard to bring in the players we know we need to improve the squad ever since
the end of the season, and I believe we are very close to putting the
finishing touches on a transfer that will excite us all," he said. "Should
we land this player, we would have had to beat off competition from some of
Europe's top sides, and for me that shows the direction we are taking as a
Club right now. "We're going to have two players in every position competing
for that place in the team. We do need players with a proven track record
and that's what we'll be trying to do." Key to the success of the window
according to Sullivan is the addition of additional firepower in the final
third. "We want to see players who can play in any of the three attacking
positions and score goals and who have a proven record of scoring goals," he
stated. "We want people who take on players and go past them, people who can
shoot from the edge of the penalty box, people with movement - because there
is not enough movement and speed in our team. By bringing in slightly
younger players, we will also get a bit more from the players we've got. "We
all know we need to improve from what we achieved last year, and this
summer's recruitment is going to be key to that."

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£90k-per-game star calls it a day
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 13th June 2014
By: Staff Writer

The player who cost West Ham United £90,000 per game in the Championship has
retired, blaming money for killing the game. David Bentley made just five
appearances for West Ham during the 2011/12 season before injury curtailed
his season-long loan from Tottenham, just two months into his contract.
However due to a clause in his contract which prevented West Ham from
cancelling the loan until January, West Ham were obliged to pay the player's
wages in full until then - a staggering £450,000 in total or £90,000 for
every appearance Bentley made in claret and blue. A tearful Bentley, now
29, told Sky Sports News: "The game's changed a lot. It's different. When I
first started it was enjoyable. Now it's a little bit robotic and the social
media side of things has made it boring. The money that's come into the game
has made it boring and predictable. "My life has gone in a different
direction now and I felt like it was time to call it a day. The love of the
game went a little bit and i didn't want to carry on. Life's full of ifs and
buts, but I'm happy with the way my career went. There were some highs and
some lows." Following his return to parent club Tottenham in January 2012,
Bentley spent three months in Russia on loan with Premier League side FC
Rostov before returning to the UK to join former club Blackburn, also on
loan, in Feburary 2013. However he was to make just seven appearances for
Rovers before returning to Spurs, who released him on a free transfer at the
end of the 2012/13 season - since when he has been without a club.

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CHEIKHOU KOUYATE: A VERY SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL SIGNING!
By S J Chandos 14 Jun 2014 at 08:00
West Ham Till I Die

David Sullivan has been quoted, in a article on the offical West Ham
website, discussing the anticipated signing of a major player, who is
guaranteed to excite the fans! He also confirmed that the hard work put in
to delivering our transfer strategy should see a number of other key
signings over the course of the summer. However, it is the imminent arrival
of this unnamed major signing that has really captured the imagination.
Although Mr Sullivan refused to name the player, it is generally accepted
that the potential new acquisition is Anderlect's Cheikhou Kouyate. It is
known that the Belgian club have accepted West Ham's c.£7m bid for the
player and Kouyate is very keen to play in the English Premier League. That
latter factor has been vital in giving us an advantage over the likes of
Seville and Valencia in the race for his signature. The very latest rumour
is that Kouyate will be arriving in London on Monday to complete a medical
and finalise the move.

I do not feel that David Sullivan's emphasis upon the significance of this
signing is misplaced. There is a lot of interest in the player and it will
be a coup to successfully close the deal. That is undoubtedly true, but for
me, the real significance is the contribution that Kouyate can make to
facilitating a more expansive playing style next season. I see Kouyate
playing regularly in tandem with Mark Noble as a dual defensive anchor, in a
4-2-3-1 formation. That is a winning combination, with Noble's workrate,
vision and distribution being allied to Kouyate's strength, power and
passing ability. The partnership will provide an effective shield for the
defence and allow the full-backs to push forward down the flanks. In
addition, it will give the creative players, ahead of them, an
unpreccedented assurance to push forward, minimising our vulnerability to
swift counter-attacks. As I have said previously, at 6ft 4inches, Kouyate
will be a massive, dominating figure and the type of powerful presence that
we have not seen in midfield at West Ham since the late M.V. Foe.

Of course, if they cannot agree a new contract with Winston Reid, then it
could be that Kouyate will play primarily as a centre-back, alongside James
Tomkins or James Collins. Regardless, he will undoubtedly provide cover at
centre-back, and play a certain number of games there, but I hope that Reid
stays and Kouyate is allowed to form this formidable new partnership with
Noble. I suppose we should not 'count our chickens till they hatch'. There
is always the possibility of a deal being derailed by some last minute hitch
or hijacked by a rival club. So, we cannot be totally confident until the
signing is formally notified on the offical club website. All things being
equal, that should happen on Monday or Tuesday of next week.

So, who else is likely to join the club over the course of the summer? I
guess that the fact that Jussi has signed a new 1 year contract means that
another goal keeper will not now be joining us this summer. Least ways, that
is a reasonable assumption, but we shall see? We definitely need to sign at
least two full-backs. We can probably get by with Demel, O'Brien and
Chambers at right-back. There are some rumours about a bid for Man City's
Micah Richards, although I am not sure how realistic those stories are?
While, as we know, the club are currently tracking up to four new options at
left-back. The most familiar of these is Norwich City's Martin Olsson, a
player that Sam Allardyce had previously attempted to sign from Blackburn
Rovers. We are also going to require major reinforcements in midfield, with
Joe Cole and Jack Collison's release, the apparent failure to agree a new
deal with Matt Taylor and the continuing speculation pertaining to the
futures of Mo Diame and Ravel Morrison. Hopefully, the club will reach
agreement with Morrison and Diame on new contracts and this will reduce the
scale of the midfield augmentation necessary. Even that will still probably
mean adding a couple of midfielders, probably on loan. One deal I would
certainly be in favour of is a season long loan deal for Jack Rodwell from
Man City; and the addition of Seb Larson on a Bosman could also prove to be
a good signing. In terms of other midfielders that we have recently been
linked with, our bid to sign Jack Colbeck, on a Bosman, floundered on an
existing pre-contract agreement that the player had with Newcastle Utd and
the trail seems to have gone distinctly cold in our Bosman pursuit of Gareth
Barry.

Up front, we have Jarvis, Carroll, Cole, Zarate, Lee and Downing. We have
hitherto been linked with M'Baye Niang, Gomis and Mane and it appears that
all three potential deals have stalled for different reasons. The truth is
that we need at least one more major signing up front, probably two to be on
the safe side. In bringing in those signings, we need technique and pace and
the flexibility to play our strikers in different combinations. The signing
of Zarate is a good start, but there is further work to be done in this key
area of the squad. It remains to be seen if there will be any striker exits,
beyond Vaz Te and Maiga? Or if the sale of a major asset, like Jarvis, will
prove necessary to facilitate other deals?

Finally, it is clear, based on David Sullivan's comments, that the club have
finally got the message about the importance of tactical flexibility and
competition for places within the squad. They have always been major
pre-requsites for success in the modern game. Players should never be
guaranteed their starting places, that only breeds complacency and stagnant
levels of performance (as was perhaps amply demonstrated last season?). This
summer should see some major changes at the club, changes that are long over
due and much needed. I know many fans are skeptical, but it is clear that
the board are genuinely trying to improve the situation and build for a
better future. We need to give them the benefit of the doubt until they have
completed the club's transfer business and we are able to take a definitive
view on the strength and quality of the outcomes achieved.

SJ. Chandos.

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