Daily WHUFC News - 25th July 2014

Big Sam ready to shuffle the pack
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce will make changes to his West Ham United side when they fact
Sydney FC on Saturday
24.07.2014

Sam Allardyce will make changes to his West Ham United side when they fact
Sydney FC in Wellington, New Zealand, on Saturday. The likes of Mauro Zarate
and Stewart Downing, whose introduction so nearly salvaged a draw from
Wednesday's 2-1 defeat by Wellington Phoenix in Auckland, goalkeeper Adrian,
Joey O'Brien and youngsters Diego Poyet, Dan Potts, Danny Whitehead and
Matthias Fanimo could all be handed starts at the Westpac Stadium. The
manager will not have the services of Andy Carroll, who is being rested due
to an ankle injury, and both Cheikhou Kouyate and James Tomkins, who
suffered ankle and groin problems in the midweek defeat. With those three
players absent and others completing an hour or more against the Phoenix,
Big Sam confirmed he will shuffle his pack for the second and final game of
the Football United Tour. "Cheikh and James have stayed behind in Auckland
because they've got injuries that mean we've left a physio with them," said
the boss. "Cheikh has gone for a scan to make sure there is no more damage
than we've initially assessed medically, while James has got a groin strain
towards the end of the game. "There was little point us flying them all the
way here, so we have given them the full attention of one of our physios
back in Auckland. Cheikh was caught just above the ankle when the boy
tackled him and he was rather fortunate he didn't break his leg, so we're
pleased about that. "I'm not expecting the news to be too bad because he
wasn't limping as badly in the morning as he was after the game, which is
usually a good sign. The scan is a precautionary measure just to make sure
there is not more damage than we actually think. "Our preparation for Sydney
is to assess the time on the pitch spent by the players who we've got with
us. We'll give some players more time than others and we've got to give
players who have come all this way and who haven't had much time on the
field as yet. We'll pick a team on Friday that serves both purposes - to get
the players out there and get everyone as much match-practice as we can.
"I'll sit down with the medical team and assess the knocks and bruises
suffered in the match on Wednesday and we'll prepare for training on Friday
from there."

Looking back on Wednesday's defeat by Wellington Phoenix, Big Sam said his
players had benefitted greatly from the competitive nature of the game,
despite the result. "I thought the Phoenix were very good, as is always the
case when we come and play a team which is not in the Premier League - they
play their best," said Big Sam. "They tried extremely hard and, if you speak
to their manager, I'm sure he would say that was one of the best
performances they have put in recently. "We're 20 days into the new season
and the lads didn't find their feet quickly enough and, by the time they
did, they were 2-0 down and couldn't find their way back into the game. In
terms of a physical contest, it certainly was that and there were one or two
naughty challenges, but in terms of the tempo of the game, I thought the
lads got a really good workout. "It really did lift their match-fitness
levels to another level in pre-season that we haven't had up to now. "We
travelled down to Wellington on Thursday and we'll do a little bit of
training on Friday and then we're into another highly-competitive game on
Saturday which concludes our very nice, well-accommodated trip to New
Zealand."

The game also gave thousands of West Ham supporters from across the region
and beyond the opportunity to cheer their heroes on - many for the first
time in their lives. "For me, I didn't think there would be many West Ham
fans get this far, but they're everywhere again! They were in and around the
bars, the hotel, the airport and flying with us and they've been everywhere.
"Lots and lots have flown from Australia to watch us and that just shows the
support West Ham have across the world."

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Fans out in force in NZ
WHUFc.com
Thousands of West Ham United supporters turned out to watch their side in
action on Wednesday
24.07.2014

Wherever West Ham United have been in New Zealand over the past week,
members of the Claret and Blue Army have been out in force. The squad has
met up with Hammers fans at the airport, the team hotel, at Open Training
sessions, at Wednesday's meeting with Wellington Phoenix or simply in the
street. On Wednesday afternoon, more than 500 supporters of all ages
gathered at a central Auckland pub to prepare for the evening fixture at
Eden Park, where they sang 'Bubbles' and 'Come on you Irons!' repeatedly
before welcoming a special guest in Joint-Chairman David Gold. The meet was
organised by the Kiwi Hammers Supporters' Club, whose co-founders Nick Daly
and Joe Foale were among the throng of fans to welcome Mr Gold to New
Zealand. "It's just brilliant to get everyone from New Zealand together,"
said Daly, 21. "We talk on Facebook all the time but to see everyone here in
the same place, it's just brilliant to catch up with everyone. "To put faces
to names is just fantastic."

Foale, who emigrated to Wellington from Dagenham as a child, and Kiwi
Hammers member Andrew Quinn said supporting West Ham is as important to New
Zealanders as it is to fans anywhere else in the world. "My Dad worked at
the Ford factory for the last 30 years, so I grew up in Dagenham and it's
just part of the culture when you grow up in east London," he explained.
"Everyone in my school was a West Ham fan and went to West Ham games." "For
me, it started back in 1979/80 when I went to my first game in London and it
was at West Ham, so I've supported them ever since." added Quinn ,53. "I
think we're all genuine fans. We like the game and the game played well.
We've also got a working-class mentality, so we do the right thing every
time we turn up. "We appreciate good football and good support and that's
what West Ham is all about."

Daly, who joined thousands of his fellow countrymen and women at Eden Park
on Wednesday, believes West Ham supporters are among the most loyal and
committed in the world. "I think the West Ham fans are absolutely fantastic
and our passion for the club is fantastic," he said. "You'd struggle to find
a passion like you find at West Ham. "Going to the Boleyn Ground is just an
incredible experience and seeing that many fans in the same place at the
same time is awesome. It's just a great club - what more can you say?" For
the trio, the sight of West Ham actually playing two matches in New Zealand
was one they never believed they would see. "It's absolutely amazing!"
exclaimed Foale, who attended the game with his girlfriend Kelsi. "Who would
have thought that seven years ago when I emigrated to New Zealand that West
Ham would be here!" "I remember saying a few years ago when David Beckham
came here, 'imagine if West Ham ever came over!', so it's incredible to see
them over here and Winston Reid coming home," said Daly. "He's a huge
influence on New Zealand football and I've heard many fans say they wish he
was English!" "It's eleven years since I left the UK and tried coming out
here," Quinn revealed. "We got an idea in around January or February that
the Hammers might come out and now they're here and it's just like being at
home!" All three, plus hundreds of fellow Kiwi Hammers members, will be at
Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Saturday afternoon, where they will cheer
West Ham on against A-League side Sydney FC.

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oungsters head to Ruhr Cup
WHUFc.com
West Ham United have headed to Germany for the U19 Ruhr-International Cup
24.07.2014

West Ham United's youngsters head to Germany on Thursday to take part in the
Evonik Ruhr-International Cup. The Dortmund-based tournament has drawn teams
from all over Europe, as the Hammers continue to build for the season ahead
with a varied pre-season schedule. West Ham have taken a young squad for the
tournament, which is for Under-19 teams, with age groups from U16s upwards
represented in the Londoners' line-up. The group stages take place across
Thursday and Friday, with the weekend reserved for the knockout rounds.
First up on Thursday are two 40 minute matches, with Schalke 04 and Borussia
Monchengladback West Ham's first day opponents. Matches against Galatasaray
and Israeli outfit Maccabi Netanya await on Friday, while the likes of hosts
Borussia Dortmund and Benfica will battle it out in the other group.
Development Squad coach Nick Haycock believes the tournament will give the
Hammers' young players an invaluable experience. He said: "There's a good
mix of Under-16s, 17s, 18s, 19s. The expectation is to try and be
comeptitive in every game, and there's four or five U19 players - Kieran
Bywater, Amos Nasha, Moses Maskasi, Jaanai Gordon and Nathan Mavila - and
we've put the mantle on them to go and be the best player in the tournament.
"We want the reports coming back over the next three days that they've been
the best player, and for the youngsters it's a great experience of playing
against older opposition and continental styles. "They'll get another
experience which becomes part of their make-up."

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Andy Carroll: West Ham striker faces long lay-off with ankle injury
BBC.co.uk

West Ham's Andy Carroll has torn ligaments in his ankle and could be out of
action for four months. The former Liverpool player, 25, is set to have an
operation on Friday in the United States. Carroll picked up the problem on
the Hammers' tour of New Zealand, reporting a sore left ankle in training.
Jack Sullivan, son of co-owner David, tweeted details of the extent of the
injury on Thursday following a question and answer session with his father.
He wrote: "Very bad news regarding AC. Torn ligaments in ankle. Operation
tomorrow with top surgeon in USA. Will be playing in four months."
The club only discovered the full extent of the injury on Thursday evening.
Carroll missed West Ham's 2-1 defeat at the hands of Wellington Phoenix and
the club announced he would miss the rest of the tour. He has been plagued
by injury since moving to Upton Park for a club record £15m from Liverpool
after impressing during a loan spell. He missed the majority of 2013-14 with
a heel problem - managing just 15 league appearances - and also failed to
force his way into England's World Cup squad.

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Carroll out for four months: confirmed
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 24th July 2014
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United's co-owner David Sullivan has revealed that Andy Carroll is
likely to be out of action for four months with torn ligaments. As
exclusively revealed here on KUMB.com yesterday, Carroll is facing a lengthy
lay-off once again after sustaining the injury during training in New
Zealand. The news was confirmed this afternoon by Sullivan via his youngest
son Jack's Twitter feed, following the second annual #askDS session in which
supporters were invited to send their questions to the Chairman.

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Kouyate injury not serious
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 24th July 2014
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce has revealed the injury to Cheikhou Kouyate is not as bad as
first feared. Central midfielder Kouyate was scythed down by a dreadful
tackle from Wellington Phoenix's Louis Fenton in the opening minutes of
yesterday's 2-1 pre-season friendly defeat. However Big Sam revealed at a
press conference that the 24-year-old Senegal international has shown signs
of improvement having limped off the field following the shin-high, studs-up
challenge. "Cheik's gone for a scan just to make sure there's no more damage
above the ankle where the boy tackled him," said the West Ham boss. "He was
rather fortunate that he didn't break his leg, so we're pleased about that.
There were one or two naughty challenges but I thought the lads got a really
good workout. "He [Kouyate] was limping this morning but he's not as bad as
he was last night."

Allardyce also revealed that James Tomkins had taken a knock during the game
and like Kouyate, has remained in Auckland for the time being to receive
treatment. "James Tomkins has got a groin strain," confirmed Allardyce.
"There was little point in them flying here [to Wellington] today."

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Sullivan and Big Sam set for Ravel showdown
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 25th July 2014
By: Staff Writer

David Sullivan has revealed that Ravel Morrison remains part of the club's
long term vision - even if manager Sam Allardyce may not necessarily agree.
Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror claimed earlier this week that Allardyce
did not see a future at the club for the attacking midfielder, who spent the
latter half of last season on loan at Queens Park Rangers. However Sullivan,
speaking on Talksport last night insisted that Morrison was very much in his
plans - as is central defender Winston Reid, who recently turned down a new
contract offer. "I think Sam said in a press conference that Ravel's not
part of his plans - but we as a board do see him as part of our plans," he
said. "We don't agree with that, we would like to sit down and give him a
longer contract. "We like him and see him as part of the long-term future of
the club but we have to agree it with the manager, because there's no point
signing a player who's not going to play. "I think we will get to a deal
with Winston and we're working on it now. We're also trying to negotiate
with Ravel," he added. "So it's up in the air with regards to Winston and
Ravel but both are players we like very, very much."

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More pre-season friendlies live on TV
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 24th July 2014
By: Staff Writer

West Ham's two Schalke Cup fixtures in early August will be broadcast live
on TV. Quest TV, an offshoot of the Discovery Channel have confirmed they
will be showing both of West Ham's matches against the hosts and La Liga
outfit Malaga, which take place on the weekend of 2nd/3rd August. Malaga and
Newcastle United - who are currently on tour with West Ham in New Zealand -
start the tournament at 3.30pm. West Ham's first game is against Schalke and
takes place on Saturday, 2nd August with a 5.30pm kick off (local time). The
following day West Ham face Malaga at 3.30pm, whilst Schalke and Newcastle
wrap up the mini-tournament at 5.30pm on the same day. All matches are to be
played at the 62,000-capacity Veltins Arena.

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INJURY UPDATE - CARROLL FACES FOUR MONTH LAYOFF
By Sean Whetstone 24 Jul 2014 at 18:54
West Ham Till I Die

West Ham travelled to Wellington for their final New Zealand tour match
without midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate and defender James Tomkins who both
picked up knocks in the Wellington Phoenix match.

Sam Allardyce revealed: "Cheik's gone for a scan just to make sure there's
no more damage above the ankle where the boy tackled him, He was rather
fortunate that he didn't break his leg, so we're pleased about that. There
were one or two naughty challenges but I thought the lads got a really good
workout.He was limping this morning but he's not as bad as he was last
night. James Tomkins has got a groin strain, there was little point in them
flying here today."

Andy Carroll has flown back to the UK from New Zealand for more treatment
but some sources claim he is due to fly to America to see a specialist. Wide
speculation on the internet has all kind of rumours and conspiracy theories
on what is really going on. One story yesterday suggested he could be out
for 2 to 4 months while Darren Lewis from the Daily Mirror suggested today
it would be more like 2-4 weeks. Meanwhile 13 year West Ham Jack Sullivan
looked to set the record straight by saying "CARROLL has a twisted ankle and
has gone back to England from treatment. We will know more in a few days but
hope he will be back 4 spurs" Seems a lot of fuss about a twisted ankle. I
guess the hysteria needs to die down and we need to wait to see what the so
called experts say.

Another rumour which broke yesterday was that new signing Enner Valencia was
also injured with an ankle problem and that he failed the West Ham medical.
A source close to the club said they knew nothing about any injury effecting
Valencia and West Ham's substitute PR man Jack Sullivan also looked to clam
fears by saying "Enner Valencia has passed his medical will flying colours
but has a work permit hearing on the 29th and will join the team when there
back"

Ravel Morrison is recovering from his groin operation but I am told he will
not be travelling to Germany for the Schalke 04 Cup at the beginning of
August.

UPDATE: Carroll is having an operation in the US tomorrow and will be out
for FOUR months according to Jack Sullivan.

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RAVEL OFF TO MOSCOW?
By Sean Whetstone 24 Jul 2014 at 08:33
West Ham Till I Die

Ravel Morrison caused bemusement after tweeting the words 'CSKA Moscow'
being deleting the tweet a minute later and replacing it with the words
'decisions, decisions. decisions' Morrison is recovering from a groin
operation which he put off from last season and its claimed he has not been
offered a new contract to date despite only a year left on his existing
£15,000 per week contract. Whether CSKA Moscow means he has been offered a
loan deal, a permanent bid has come or it was the opposition he was playing
on FIFA 14 at midnight last night is unknown but it adds more speculation.

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Andy Carroll injured AGAIN and out for four months after torn ankle
ligaments confirmed
Jul 24, 2014 19:24 By Ben Burrows
The 25-year-old has been plagued by injuries since joining the Hammers and
is set for another spell on the sidelines to start the coming season
The Mirror

Andy Carroll is injured AGAIN with torn ankle ligaments confirmed. The
25-year-old striker is set for surgery in the US on Friday and will be
sidelined for at least four months - ending hopes of a return to Newcastle.
The news was revealed by Jack Sullivan – owner David's son – on Twitter on
Thursday afternoon. He confirmed that the striker, who was sent home from
New Zealand, would be heading to the US for an operation and would be out
for four months. On Tuesday the club confirmed he had been withdrawn from
the squad to face Wellington on Wednesday as "a precautionary measure".
"Andy Carroll will miss both games on the Football United tour of New
Zealand as a precautionary measure after developing a sore left ankle during
training," read a statement on the club's official website. "After
assessment by the club's medical experts, it was decided to let the England
international rest for both remaining games and receive intensive treatment
to ensure he is fit for the start of the season. "It should be clear that
the affected area is not in any way associated with the previous injury he
successfully overcame towards the end of last season."

But now their worst fears have been confirmed with torn ligaments diagnosed
in his left ankle. It is yet another blow for the England man who has seen
his time at Upton Park blighted. Carroll missed the first half of last term
with a heel problem, and made only 15 league appearances in his first
permanent season with the Hammers. And now it looks as if he won't be back
in action until November at the earliest this time around.

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Adrian scores for the Hammers
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 24, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham's Development Squad made it two wins on the trot in their
pre-season friendlies after seeing off Sutton United at Gander Green Lane on
Wednesday night to show the senior squad just how it's done! West Ham won
the game 1-0 with a 50th minute goal by West Ham trialist Adrian Wojcik
Kosela Both teams were careful not to name the trialist referring to him
only as the 'unnamed trialist' but Adrian gave the game away by bragging
about his goal on twitter this morning.

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Newcastle and West Ham target Carl Jenkinson set for Arsenal stay as PSG
sign Serge Aurier
NEWCASTLE and West Ham are set to miss out on signing Arsenal defender Carl
Jenkinson after Paris Saint-Germain beat the Gunners to Serge Aurier.
By: David WrightPublished: Thu, July 24, 2014
Daily Mail

Jenkinson is expected to find his first-team opportunities limited this
season after the arrival of Mathieu Debuchy, leading to speculation that he
could leave the Emirates this summer. Newcastle and West Ham are reportedly
lining up moves for his services, but are likely to have any approach
rebuffed after the Gunners missed out on signing his replacement Aurier. The
Toulouse right-back has instead opted for a season-long loan at PSG - who
have an option to buy - despite the 21-year-old Ivorian previously favouring
a move to the Emirates. "Serge Aurier, one of the most promising young
players in world football, courted by the biggest clubs, has chosen Paris
Saint-Germain to continue to shine on the European stage," PSG president
Nasser Al-Khelaifi said. "We are delighted to welcome this young player into
our team." Aurier came through the youth system at Lens and spent three
seasons in the north before moving to Toulouse in 2012.

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Valencia's medical update
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 24, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Jack Sullivan has revealed that Enner Valencia passed his West Ham medical
with "flying colours." Rumours emerged on the internet yesterday that the
player was struggling with an ankle injury. However, co owner David
Sullivan's son appears to have put the record straight on Twitter. He
declared: "Enner Valencia has passed his medical with flying colours and has
a work permit hearing on the 29th and will join the team when they are back"
(from New Zealand). Sam Allardyce will plead Valencia's case at the hearing
next Tuesday with the club entirely confident of the outcome.

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Sam depressing analysis gives cause for worry
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 24, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

If a double injury blow and Sam Allardyce's comments on them hadn't
depressed us enough his view of the match against Wellington Phoenix was
pretty horrendous …to put it mildly! And before we consider his comments
let's remember that Newcastle United are at exactly the same stage of their
preparations as us yet brushed Sydney FC aside 4-0. Sam, however, rolled
out a litany of explanations on the Irons performance against Wellington
Phoenix which were disturbing in the extreme. Here's the nub of what he
said:

O We got caught cold by the fact that Phoenix showed a great attitude and
played at a tempo which the Irons failed to recognise and counter.

O We are " finding our feet" and Phoenix gave a great standard as he
expected

O They fought and shut us down over all over the pitch, did exceptionally
well and knocked us out of our stride."

O The team was changed in the second half because of fatigue as "we are
working the players extremely hard. We have been training every day, morning
and afternoon, because we have to get our fitness levels up."

O The important things are levels of fitness and technique and what was
worrying was that the technique level was "way down."

Not many positives there then. The players have returned from a summer break
and are now fatigued and lacking technique. The 'mighty Kiwi world beaters '
were more up for the game than us and caught a Premier League cold, took
their chances and were clearly the better team. Meanwhile our guys are being
trained morning and afternoon and we wonder whether that may actually
contribute to their levels of fatigue. It would be interesting to hear from
Sam not thay they ARE fatigues but WHY Looking at his appraisal of things –
and given two massive injuries – there's little room left for hope it
seems. There wasn't a word either about how the "lack of technique" would be
addressed. Instead we had: "What matter is what happens on the opening day
of the season."

Well on the strength of what we have seen so far at Stevenage, Ipswich and
now in New Zealand we might have reason to worry big time about the first
day of the season. I'm not going to judge anybody on three pre- season
friendlies but I seriously hope the manager knows how he is going to improve
performance levels as well as fitness and technique levels by around 150
per cent minimum come opening day. Yesterday the post match explanations
simply weren't up to much and did I mention Newcastle United are at exactly
the same point in their build-up as us?

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Good news on Kouyate
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 24, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Hopes are rising inside the Hammers camp that the injury to Cheikhou Kouyate
is not as bad as first feared. The £7 million midfielder was at the
receiving end of a bad tackle in the clash against Wellington Phoenix at
Eden Park yesterday and left the ground on crutches. Sam Allardyce indicated
immediately afterwards the player could be out for a long time. But this
morning ClaretandHugh has learned that the player is now moving around very
well after a scan and that hopefully therefore, things may not be as bad as
at first feared.

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Ravel in Russian mystery
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 24, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Ravel Morrison is at the centre of a Russian transfer mystery this morning!
And it is the midfielder himself who has created the situation with a
quickly deleted tweet. An eagle-eyed reporter on ClaretandHugh saw him tweet
the words 'CSKA Moscow' before promptly deleting it. It was then replaced
with the words: 'Decisions, decisions, decisions' which may or may not
include the possibilities of a loan or permanent move to Moscow. However,
given his dislike of flying and those close to him claiming he's sometimes
not too keen on foreign living, that would be a surprise! Morrison is
currently recovering from a groin operation which prevented him from
traveling to New Zealand with the squad for their pre season tour.

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David Sullivan admits West Ham put 'all their eggs in one basket' with
injury-plagued Andy Carroll as co-owner reveals Hammers will search for a
new striker
David Sullivan admits club 'probably made a mistake' by relying on injury-
prone Andy Carroll
Carroll will be out for four months with an ankle injury
West Ham co-owner says club shouldn't have put 'all our eggs in one basket'
Hammers will bring in another striker, according to Sullivan
By DAVID KENT
PUBLISHED: 00:42, 25 July 2014 | UPDATED: 01:48, 25 July 2014
Daily Mail

West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has admitted the east London club shouldn't
have put 'all their eggs in one basket' by signing injury-plagued Andy
Carroll in 2012. The Hammers forward is out for four months with ankle
ligaments damage, leaving West Ham short of strikers ahead of the new
Premier League season. Sullivan told talkSPORT: 'It was desperate last
year... We probably made a mistake by putting all our eggs in one basket.
'Had we known what we know now we wouldn't have signed the player. But it's
easy to be wise after the event. We were assured by our physio - who has
since left the club - that the player would be available for the start of
the season. 'He wasn't available until January or February. A mistake was
made and we were given the wrong information. We based our decision and our
purchase of the player on what the medical department told us. Sullivan also
revealed that West Ham will now delve back into the transfer market for
another frontman despite already signing Mauro Zarate and Enner Valencia. He
added: 'We have to bring in another striker and we're working on it now to
buy one, or loan one, or both. 'You can never have enough strikers and
really with Andy gone we haven't got enough.'

Since moving on loan to West Ham in 2012, and signing permanently in 2013,
Carroll has had his share of injuries...
SEPTEMBER 2012
Misses a month after straining a hamstring against Fulham
DECEMBER 2012
Twists his knee against Man Utd and is out for two months
MAY 2013
Falls awkwardly and damages his heel against Reading and is out for seven
months

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Exclusive - Sullivan: West Ham will replace injured Carroll with new striker
By Dom Bryant (@dom_bryant) | Thursday, July 24, 2014

West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has told talkSPORT they will look to bring
in another striker after club-record signing Andy Carroll was ruled out for
four months. The Hammers' star striker tore the ligaments in his ankle
during training on a pre-season tour of New Zealand and is now unlikely to
return until November. Carroll, 25, has suffered a nightmare spell at Upton
Park since joining permanently in a £15million deal from Liverpool last
summer - he has only made 16 appearances for the east London club. West Ham
have already signed Mauro Zarate and Enner Valencia this summer but Sullivan
admitted they will now be forced to bring in another striker. "We have to
bring in another striker and we're working on it now to buy one, or loan
one, or both," the Hammers chief told the Sports Bar. "You can never have
enough strikers and really with Andy gone we haven't got enough."

Last season Carroll did not make his first appearance for Hammers until
January and Sullivan confessed the club had erred in investing everything in
the striker. "It was desperate last year... We probably made a mistake by
putting all our eggs in one basket," the co-owner added. "Had we known what
we know now we wouldn't have signed the player. But it's easy to be wise
after the event. We were assured by our physio - who has since left the club
- that the player would be available for the start of the season. "He wasn't
available until January or February. A mistake was made and we were given
the wrong information. We based our decision and our purchase of the player
on what the medical department told us. "We've changed everything in that
department as a result of that. At the same time on his day he is a
devastating and fantastic player, we've just got to get him back to his
best. "But at the same time we can't start the season with the strikeforce
we've got. I don't think it's good enough, there's not enough height in it
and if we get another injury, in terms of quantity, it's insufficient, so we
have to sign at least one more player."

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Sullivan talks Ravel
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 24, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Hammers supremo David Sullivan has admitted that talks are going on with
Ravel Morrison's agents. But he stopped short of saying that a new contract
was under discussion as the club continues to play its cards close to its
chest. ClaretandHugh has learned that the midfielder has dedicated himself
to making an impact at Upton Park this season. The player and his advisers
believe any bad blood which existed has been put aside by both sides. They
were encouraged that Sam Allardyce picked him for a pre-season friendly
before allowing him to miss the New Zealand tour in favour of undergoing
surgery on his groin problem. We have learned that although there is no
current interest, the player has been subject to inquiries from AC Milan,
Sporting Lisbon. Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester City last year.
However, the Irons want to see that his attitude and application are
absolutely correct before committing to a big deal.
Sullivan said: "Discussions are on going with Ravel and his agents."

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