Daily WHUFC News - 3rd September 2014

Sam gives summer deals the thumbs up
WHUFC.com
Manager Sam Allardyce has hailed West Ham United's summer transfer dealings
02.09.2014

Sam Allardyce has hailed West Ham United's summer transfer dealings after
completing his ninth and final signing on deadline day. France international
Morgan Amalfitano arrived from Olympique de Marseille on Monday, joining
Alex Song, Mauro Zarate, Cheikhou Kouyate, Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho,
Carl Jenkinson, Aaron Cresswell and Diego Poyet. With more goals and
entertainment on the agenda, Big Sam believes the Hammers have added plenty
of attacking threat to their squad, with the added bonus of the nine
arrivals having an average age of just 24 and a half. Speaking to West Ham
TV, the manager spoke enthusiastically about the Club's recent arrivals. At
the same time, Mohamed Diame was the only senior first-team squad member to
leave after Hull City made a bid acceptable for a player in the final year
of his contract.

"It has been a good window for us," Big Sam confirmed. "There are some
players of development among our signings in young Sakho and Diego Poyet,
particularly those two. There, we are hoping to develop them this season,
but it may not be this season. "All the others, we're hoping will adapt to
be very successful, particularly Enner Valencia. However, he is the most
difficult one coming from South America and from a club in Mexico, so we may
need to be a little more patient with him. "Of course, our injury list has
been a little too long, but hopefully we will improve that by the time the
window has shut."

The final piece of the transfer window jigsaw fell into place just minutes
before the deadline on Monday evening, when Amalfitano put pen to paper on
an initial one-year contract, which could extend to up to three seasons
should the player achieve certain criteria. The manager certainly expects
the new No21 to be a hit in a Claret and Blue shirt following successful
spells with Sedan, Lorient, Marseille, where he earned a reputation for his
creativity and accurate delivery from both open play and set pieces. "We
finally sorted it out and to be fair to Morgan, he flew over first thing
Monday morning as soon as we knew that there was a deal to be done.
Obviously, that was on the back of Mo leaving and the fact that the cause in
his contract was triggered on the money side. We wish Mo all the best.
"Morgan has come in and improved the squad. If you look at his record of
French international football, Champions League football with Marseille and
what he has done over there and of course a good season at West Brom under
Steve Clarke. "I spoke to Steve a few days ago and he told me nothing but
good things about Morgan, so he fits the bill and he adds more creativity to
the team. As everybody knows, we're trying to play a more expansive game,
but that is all down to the quality that we hope we have in the squad, even
after the disappointment of our performance against Southampton. "We have
signed a lot of players and we hope they bed in now. Hopefully they will get
better and better as quickly as possible. With Morgan, he certainly has the
experience and quality and his technical and physical stats stand up very,
very well in the Premier League, based on what he achieved at West Bromwich
Albion. "Morgan fits the bill as he plays in three positions - down the
right, down the left or in the hole - and his goal at Old Trafford last year
sprang to mind when the deal came about. If anybody hasn't done it, they
should get on YouTube and sees what he did there last year. If he can
reproduce that on a regular basis and score and provide goals, then we have
a very good player on our hands."

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'We're only three games in'
WHUFC.com
Despite Saturday's defeat, Joey O'Brien is confident the Hammers can get
their season back on track
02.09.2014

Despite a disappointing 3-1 home defeat by Southampton, Joey O'Brien remains
confident that West Ham United can achieve a top-ten Barclays Premier League
finish this season. The Hammers took the lead on Saturday through a
deflected Mark Noble shot before Morgan Schneiderlin equalised just before
half-time. Southampton were the better team in the second half and were
rewarded when Schneiderlin scored from a quickly-taken corner before
Graziano Pelle secured the three points with a powerful finish. Speaking
after the game, O'Brien admitted: "We were off on all aspects of the pitch.
We weren't at our full complement on Saturday, we were awful. But no
excuses, we got what we deserved."

While defeat may have been deserved, the No17 remained upbeat on the
Hammers' prospects for the season as a whole: "It's only early into the
season. It's important we don't lose enthusiasm or lose focus. The end game
is to finish in the top ten. We're only three games into a 38 game season."

O'Brien is anticipating the Hammers' next league game, away to Hull City on
the 15 September, perhaps more than most, as he wants to erase the memory of
the same fixture last season. Then, he gave away a hotly-disputed penalty
for a foul on compatriot Robbie Brady, who got up to convert the spot-kick
as Hull won 1-0. "Our next game is against Hull and we're looking forward to
performing against them. It's going to be a big game."

Hammers fans have further reason to be positive as Matt Jarvis, James
Collins and Carl Jenkinson should all be back available for selection
following injury issues. When asked about the tough competition for places,
O'Brien responded: "If you perform you get a chance. The manager picks the
best players that he thinks deserve to play. If you train well, perform
well, that's all you can do really."

Another player who will be ready for selection is loan signing Alex Song.
The Cameroon midfielder is a player who the full-back believes will make a
huge impact in a Claret and Blue shirt. "It's a massive signing," O'Brien
enthused. "It's a big positive, bringing in a player of his quality. It's a
powerful sign to bring in someone from Barcelona, he's going to add serious
quality to the squad. Prior to the trip to the KC Stadium, the 27-year-old
will hope to earn his sixth and seventh senior international caps for the
Republic of Ireland. The Irish face a friendly meeting with Oman at the
Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Wednesday 3 September before contesting their
opening UEFA Euro 2016 Group D qualifier with Georgia at the Dinamo Arena in
Tbilisi on Sunday 7 September.

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McCartney's magical mystery tour
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 2nd September 2014
By: Staff Writer

'Gorgeous' George McCartney could be set for an Antipodean adventure, after
it was revealed he is in talks with Sydney FC over a permanent move. The
popular full back enjoyed two spells at West Ham, the latter ending in June
of this year after his two-year contract, signed in 2012, expired. Since
then the 33-year-old left back, who West Ham sold for £8million in 2009
before landing him again on a nominal fee three years later, has been
without a club. However that could be set to change following the A-League
side's decision to approach the former Northern Ireland international with
view to going down under.

According to the Sydney Herald, McCartney is one of several options
available to the Sky Blues who embarrassed West Ham when they beat Sam
Allardyce's side 3-1 during the summer's Football United tour. The club have
already filled three of their four available slots for foreign players, but
believe that McCartney would be the perfect fit for the final space.
McCartney is expected to confirm his decision by the weekend. Sydney FC open
their 2014/15 A-League campaign at home to the freshly-rebranded Melbourne
City on 11 October.

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Joey adds to injury woes
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 2nd September 2014
By: Staff Writer

Joey O'Brien has been sent home from international duty after picking up a
knock during training. The 28-year-old full back, who has started all three
of West Ham's Premier League games so far this season has sustained a knee
injury and has been sent back to West Ham for further assessment. An FAI
spokesman told the Irish Times: "The Football Association of Ireland today
confirmed that Joey O'Brien has withdrawn from the Irish squad, and will
return to his club for treatment on an ongoing knee problem."

O'Brien becomes the latest addition to a lengthening injury list that
already includes the likes of Andy Carroll, Kevin Nolan, Carl Jenkinson and
Matt Jarvis.
However all bar Carroll and Nolan - and possibly O'Brien, depending on the
diagnosis - are expected to return for West Ham's next Premier League outing
at Hull in a fortnight's time. Ireland - currently managed by former Hammers
target Martin O'Neill - face Oman in a friendly tomorrow night (Wednesday)
and Georgia in a European Championship qualifier this weekend (Sunday).
O'Brien, whose career has been interrupted by a constant stream of injuries
has made just 157 starts for Bolton, Sheffield Wednesday and West Ham since
making his professional debut for the Trotters against Yeovil in September
2004.

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Fans give thumbs-up to transfer window
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 2nd September 2014
By: Staff Writer

Four out of five Hammers fans voting in a new KUMB.com Poll have backed the
club's summer transfer business.

An overwhelming 83 per cent of supporters voting in our poll so far today
believe the club can be pleased with their summer overhaul, having
introduced nine new faces to the first team squad.

KUMB member HongKongHammer was one of the majority in favour. "A very good
window and a nice mixture of purchases for the future, a bit of experience
and the wild card punt," he said. "No doubt we are a much stronger squad
than this time last year."

It was a view shared by fellow member Simon Hammer, who added: "Our best
transfer window ever. Every player we have got in represents an upgrade on
the ones that have gone out. Cresswell is better than McCartney, Song is
better than Diame etc. I'm massively pleased with the signings, let's see if
Sam can get them playing as a team now."

Mauro Zarate, Cheikhou Kouyate, Enner Valencia, Diego Poyet, Aaron
Cresswell, Alex Song, Diafra Sakho, Carl Jenkinson and Morgan Amalfitano
have all joined West Ham this summer, giving Sam Allardyce's squad a
considerable boost for the remainder of the campaign.

However some fans have expressed concern about the failure to adequately
address the lack of cover in central defence - an issue that seriously
disrupted last season's campaign when Allardyce was forced to bring in Roger
Johnson from League One Wolves as emergency cover.

For now, Winston Reid, James Tomkins and James Collins remain Allardyce's
only three dedicated central defenders. Whilst the likes of Alex Song and
Cheikhou Kouyate can also 'do a job' there - and 17-year-old Reece Burke has
appeared against Sampdoria and Sheffield United without any evidence of
being overawed by the occasion - it remains an area of concern.

"Priority for me was a first choice centre back, not a fourth choice as that
should be [James] Collins," wrote another KUMB member, Doctor Mopp. "If Reid
gets an injury like last year we will struggle in the same way again."

That view was seconded by The Celestial Insect, who added: "As yet, the Reid
situation hasn't been resolved, and looks to be unsettling. We're only a
couple of injuries away from a very serious problem in defence."

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BRINGING THE BALL OUT FROM THE BACK (AKA "THE WEST HAM WAY")
By Iain Dale 2 Sep 2014 at 21:00
West Ham Till I Die

Guest Post by Neil Clack

For me, a fundamental part of the hallowed 'West Ham Way' is central
defenders bringing the ball out from the back.

That started with Bobby Moore, and continued through Tommy Taylor, Alvin
Martin, Tony Gale, Bilic and Rieper, Rio Ferdinand… even Steve Potts used to
play the ball out.

We also had attacking full backs who would over-lap and get forward, best
exemplified by John Bond, Noel Cantwell, Billy Bonds, Lampard Snr, McDowell,
Dicks, Stewart, Breaker…

Billy Bonds has a repuation as a hard tackler, but when he played at centre
back, he too used to bring the ball out with no little skill, sometimes
going on swashbucking runs, well into the opponents half.

Of course, that cavalier style of play made us vulnerable and is one of the
reasons we used to concede so many goals – even with Moore at the back!

But that style of play was part of our identity, and very few English teams
played that way (especially in the 1980s). Ultimately, we were playing in a
more European/South American style, and were good for English football, in
general, in my opinion.

Every now and again, when the stars line up in the right order, it all comes
together, and we have a good team, both attacking and defensively, eg. 1986,
the early Greenwood years, and the golden 1980-84 period when we finished
9th, 8th, 9th, with Brooking, Devonshire and Alvin Martin at their peak –
that team was a real joy to watch… but most of the time, the West Ham Way
will always be incomplete because we've never had enough money to have top
players in every position, which that intricate style of playing requires.

But, for me, striving to play that way is funadamental to the clubs
identity, and why I'm proud to be a West Ham supporter, even though it means
we'll lose a lot of matches, and sometimes be on the receiving ends of some
right hammerings due to the openness of the style.

It may not have come off all the time, but until the last decade West Ham
sides did always try and play that way.

I remember once a teenage Rio Ferdinand gave the ball away which led to some
groans from the crowd, but manager Redknapp was quick to defend him
afterwards,"He's still learning the game, and we've told him to play like
that", he said,"I'd rather he makes a ricket than just kick it into the
stands". There was a clear philosophy, handed down by Ron Greenwood; it
sometimes cost us points, but was one of the reasons why, on a good day,
West Ham were great to watch.

It's not so much the fact that we don't play that way anymore that hurts,
but the fact that there's no attempt to. We're just another club in terms of
style of play. No, it's worse than that because other teams, not just the
bigger clubs like Arsenal, but clubs smaller than us, like Southampton and
Swansea, play more like West Ham used to play than West Ham.

Southampton decided a couple of years back to implement a clear style of
play that goes right the way through from the youth to the first team, so
when they inevitably have to sell players or have a change of manager/coach,
it can all be done smoothly without much disruption to the way they play.

Swansea decided a decade ago, when their Supporters Trust tookover the club,
to have a very clear footballing ethos – a modern passing game that they'll
stick to come what way.

The complete opposite to West Ham.

We've jumped from Zola/Clarke to Allardyce via Grant, in a manner
reminiscent of the schizophrenic behaviour of Alan Sugar, a man who clearly
had no idea how he wanted his Tottenham team to play as he went from the
polar opposites of Ossie Ardiles to George Graham in just a couple of years.

I hope I'm wrong, but demanding the most 'direct' manager of the last 15
years to suddenly change his whole footballing outlook, and then trying to
graft South American ball-players onto his tactics is asking for a mess, in
my opinion.

I worried when I saw David Gold quoted on ESPN.

When we suggested we were looking for more attacking style this season, it
essentially meant we want to see more goals from the team. We scored 40
goals in 38 games last season and it is not too much to ask for an
improvement on those figures."Let me tell you categorically that Sam wants
us to score more goals, just as much as I do, and all the club's fans and
the players. Those players we have looked to bring to the club this summer
will hopefully allow us to offer more of an attacking threat in the weeks
and months ahead.
(Full quotes here)

That sounds naive to me? That you just buy some attacking players, and there
you go… But what do I know? Maybe he's right? Maybe it's as simple as that?

To be honest, I've never quite understood what's been going on at West Ham
over the last few years. The owners issued a statement at the end of last
season, saying that some people (meaning Allardyce, I guess?) may question
what the West Ham Way is, but "we understand what it means". If that's true,
why did they appoint Allardyce in the first place? That's a contradiction,
surely?

And the irony is that when the owners tookover we had a management team who
had a very clear attacking and passing philosophy, who believed in coaching,
who believed in playing the yougsters, and who were happy not to be involved
in transfers, but they sacked them! Personally, I always felt Zola/Clarke
were never given enough credit for keeping the club in the Prem despite
having thier best players (Bellamy, Etherington) sold from above them,
replaced by cheap inferior loans and has-beens. They even lost influential
captain Lucas Neill on the eve of the new season, who simply wasn't replaced
either as a leader or as a right back, and yet they kept us up.

Although I despaired when Allardyce was appointed, because I thought –
perhaps wrongly? -that he represented everything that West Ham was not, I am
not one who boos or demands he gets sacked now. He's here now, and I believe
we should back him – after all, wasn't loyalty and not sacking managers
another long lost tradition of the West Ham Way?

No, I'm not angry with West Ham, as so many of my fellow fans seem to be
these days, just a bit baffled by it all, to be honest?

And without wishing to stick the boot into Sam anymore, I think it should be
pointed out that he was a bit economical with the truth in that infamous
first conference when he mocked the West Ham Way – or, to give him the
benefit of the doubt, maybe his memory failed him a bit? – because when he
said he used to enjoy coming to Upton Park as a player as West Ham were
known as a soft touch and it invariably meant leaving with 3 points, a quick
bit of research reveals that, for nearly all his playing career, Allardyce
was in a different Division to West Ham (Bolton came up in 78, the year we
went down), and neither did his teams (Bolton, Sunderland, Coventry,
Millwall) meet us in any of the Cups. He actually played at Upton Park only
once, for Coventry in 1983, and the score that day was 5-2 to the Hammers! I
remember that game well; I was watching from the North Bank, one of my
favourite ever matches, as Brooking, Devonshire, and Dave Swindlehurst tore
the big moustachioed Coventry cent re-half apart with beautiful passing
moves, wave upon wave of attacks, many initaited by Alvin Martin and Billy
Bonds bringing the ball out from the back.

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WINLESS WEEKEND FOR WEST HAM
By Tommy Wathen 2 Sep 2014 at 17:00
West Ham Till I Die

As a West Ham fan, I sometimes like to think that if we were winning all the
time, it would get boring. Luckily for me, none of the major branches of the
club secured a victory this weekend. On Saturday morning, I was at Little
Heath reporting on the Academy as West Ham U18 wasted a 2-0 lead at home to
Spurs U18 to take a 3-3 draw, before I headed to Upton Park to watch the
first team get picked apart by Southampton. Then on Sunday, I went for a
long trip to Bristol as Keynsham Ladies came from behind to beat West Ham
Ladies, while up at Manchester City, the Development Squad played out a 1-1
draw.

West Ham United U18 3-3 Tottenham Hotspurs U18
West Ham Goals: Jordan Brown (2), Manny Onariase.

Steve Potts' Academy side however do remain unbeaten after three league
games this season, with the Spurs game following an opening day victory at
West Brom and a home draw with Leicester City. West Ham named a youthful U18
side that contained first year scholars and schoolboys, with England U18
left back Kyle Knoyle stepping in once again to captain the side after
former captain Kieran Bywater stepped up to the Development Squad over the
summer. The Hammers got off to the perfect start when striker Jordan Brown
and defender Manny Onariase smashed the home side into an early two goal
lead, although Joe Pritchard and Luke Amos levelled the scores by half time.
After the break, Spurs midfielder Josh Onomah fired Spurs into the lead from
the edge of the box, before Brown grabbed his second goal of the game
immediately after to steal a point for the Hammers.

Keynsham Town Ladies 3-1 West Ham United Ladies
West Ham Goal: Emma Sherwood.

The West Ham Ladies left Upton Park and headed west at 9am on Sunday morning
with the hopes of progressing to the next round of the FA Women's Premier
League Cup. In the opening ten minutes, West Ham were dominant and exposed
Keynsham's high defensive line several times, but the finish eluded the
team.
The Hammers were rewarded for their first half pressure when Emma Sherwood
was in the right place to head Sarah McCrea's corner into the back of the
net.
After the break, Keynsham came back into the game through Pilar Garcia's
well taken goal, before Arianna Somaschini and Justine Lorton-Radburn ended
the contest. West Ham return to league action with a home fixture against
Tottenham Ladies at Aveley FC on Thursday evening, before a trip down to
Lewes on Sunday.

Manchester City U21 1-1 West Ham United Development Squad
West Ham Goals: Kieran Sadlier.

Both West Ham and Man City went into this game without a victory in their
opening two league games this season, although the hosts had already gained
a point unlike Nick Haycock's side. The Hammers Development Squad featured
Reece Burke, who played a full 120 minutes for the first team against
Sheffield United last week, alongside 15 year old Reece Oxford who was a
substitute in that match too. The visitors, like the other three Hammers
teams this weekend, went ahead when Kieran Sadlier was well positioned to
score after the City defence only half cleared Danny Potts' cross. Being the
final West Ham game of the weekend, the win was minutes away from being
secured when Man City's Oliver Ntcham cut in from the wing to bury his shot
low into the corner of the net.

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THE ROAD TO ATTRACTIVE FOOTBALL
By Iain Dale 2 Sep 2014 at 13:00
West Ham Till I Die

Guest Post by West Ham Way

As I'm sure most here will agree, the board's, and in particular David
Sullivan's, effort to regain control in the transfer market have resulted in
some interesting recent additions to the squad. These efforts are now taking
the club in a much more positive direction, which is obviously a hugely
welcome change from the divisive negativity the club has seen over the last
twelve months or so.

Whilst much of the focus of that negativity has been on Allardyce's
shortcomings and failures, the board have largely escaped such criticism. In
my opinion, there should be much more scrutiny of their role in the adoption
of a playing style acceptable to the club's long-suffering fans. What we
should be demanding, however, is not that we play decent, attractive,
entertaining football right now, but that the board has an effective
strategy to ensure a smooth transition to this style in the near future.

Whilst the board has, so far, come into only a limited amount of criticism
for failing to implement a style of football at West Ham that reflects the
club's proud traditions, we do need to recognise the fact that changes in
this regard cannot and do not happen overnight. Based on the changes that
have been made at the club in recent months, however, I believe that they
have may well have heard the message that has been so vociferously
transmitted by the club's supporters, and are intent on doing what they can
to make a smooth transition to the style of football that many supporters
would like to see.

Obviously, there are huge doubts about Allardyce's ability to adapt his
managerial style to the possession-oriented, creative, attacking football
that would be welcomed by many a West Ham fan. I for one freely admit to
having called for his replacement on several occasions. However, in the
context of a safe transition by the club to a much more progressive style,
and the huge costs of compensating Allardyce and his backroom staff when
there's only another nine months on his contract, I can now see the logic in
continuing with his services until the end of the season. He remains a
relatively safe pair of hands and, despite his frustrating tactical
inflexibility, he should at least be able to keep away significant
grumblings of discontent with the quality of the players that have been
added to the squad in the last transfer window.

Whatever happens this season, I would imagine the season's end will likely
also represent the end of Allardyce's reign at the club, and would hope and
expect that the club will then seek to employ a progressive manager with
much more expansive style of play. If premiership status is secured at a
reasonably early stage, and the chairmen go on to appoint a new manager in
the creative mould, such a strategy of transition should be recognised as
extremely good governance by the board. If not, then they are the ones that
should be held accountable for the failure to find such a strategy.
Sullivan's desire to take more control of the club's transfer dealings mean
he has also assumed responsibility for the club's future direction, succeed
or fail, and the supporters should recognise this accordingly.

The quality of the players now at the club should be enough to convince a
progressive manager of the necessary quality that he would have enough
talent at his disposal to succeed with the development and implementation of
the required style of football here. Another transfer window of added
defensive reinforcements should then ensure that the club is well placed to
establish itself in the top half of the table, whilst adapting to a playing
style that would see some much-needed excitement return to the club.

If this is the case, the board should rightly be applauded for their
transitional strategy, and, if a truly inspirational manager can be found to
unite the club around a style of play, we can all look forward to a bright
future of creative football to take us into the Olympic Stadium.

It remains to be seen whether the signs of such a strategy are truth or
illusion, but I fully hope and expect that some truly exciting times will
return to the club once again, hopefully in the not-too-distant future.

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West Ham's transfer window: Some promising signings, but plenty of question
marks remain
Sep 02, 2014 15:40
OPINION BY STEVESTAMMERS
Steve Stammers thinks the Hammers' season may rest on whether acquisitions
like Enner Valencia can find their feet
The Mirror

Sam Allardyce has enjoyed mixed fortunes in the summer transfer window.
Successes? Aaron Cresswell without a doubt. Mauro Zarate, certainly. And
Cheikou Kouyate will be a formidable asset to West Ham, no question. But the
jury is still out on Enner Valencia, a £12million signing who has yet to
justify the outlay. The Ecuador international has looked less than
impressive to date and he needs to come good - and soon. He has yet to
justify the outlay in his two outings to date against Sheffield United in
the Capital One Cup (lost on penalties and it was his spot kick that was
saved in the shoot-out) and against Southampton in the 3-1 Premier League
defeat when he made little or no impact in the ten minutes he was on as
substitute. Allardyce believes Valencia will come good when he has match
sharpness. For his sake that needs to be sooner rather than later. Diafra
Sakho looked the part when he came on against Crystal Palace in the 3-1 win
at Selhurst Park and he scored an excellent goal against Sheffield United. A
slight injury restricted him to bench duty against Southampton. He should be
fit for the resumption of the Premier League programme.

And the man yet to kick a ball for West Ham is Alex Song - on loan for the
season from Barcelona. The Cameroon international has rarely shirked a
tackle in his time with Arsenal and at the Camp Nou. Now Allardyce is
hoping, in the his words, that Song "will kick a few backsides " - of his
own team-mates, rather than the opposition. Alex Song of West Ham United
acknowledges the fans as he joins the club on loan prior to the Barclays
Premier League match between West Ham United and SouthamptonSong and dance:
Can this man improve the West Ham midfield? And that came after the defeat
to Southampton when West Ham were, in all honesty, woeful. It was the same
eleven that saw off Palace in such emphatic fashion but they performed like
they were strangers.

There was no cohesion, no tempo and no fire. Allardyce, in so many words,
accused his players of talking a good game but then failing to produce where
it mattered. Enter Song to bring a solidity in front of the back four.
Allardyce was a convenient target for disaffected West Ham fans on Saturday.
A section of support has never been convinced by the appointment of
Allardyce and the result against Southampton gave them more fodder. The
truth is that to blame Allardyce is too easy. He can never be accused of the
under-preparation of a team under his command. Quite simply, they did not
show up on Saturday and any offerings like that at Upton Park four days ago
and the speculation about his position will start again.

The board of Davids Gold and Sullivan and Karren Brady do not, historically,
sack their managers. They stick by them which is to their credit. But
Allardyce needs results and the next three matches will be crucial. And they
do not make comfortable reading - Hull away, Liverpool at home and
Manchester United away. Time for Valencia to turn up. Time for Sakho to get
fit. Time for Song to bring some steel to midfield. Come the end of the
month, West Ham and Allardyce will know the direction of their season.

And many more performances like last Saturday and the Premier League table
will not make comfortable reading. Allardyce will get the blame. He has been
long enough in the game to know that is the way of the football world.

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Attack…attack… policy expected at Hull
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 2, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Sam Allardyce will be expected to show the team's "new attacking style" when
the team arrive at Hull for their next game. ennerThere's a hugely buoyant
mood around the club with nine new signings through the door and nobody is
ready to accept a defensively based away formation aimed at "respecting the
point." We were told today by one senior source today: "We have a squad for
all occasions now and we expect to go away and show attacking enterprise
starting at Hull. "We expect to have Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho
available so we should be at somewhere close to full strength. "And with
Alex Song coming in we expect the team to be hard to be beat and to drive
forward home and away. "We also expect to have James Collins back for the
Hull match and there is a chance that Matt Jarvis will be available so we
have plenty of attacking options. "Last season we were something of a one
trick pony but the manager has been working on a new way forward and we are
expecting to see an attacking game at Hull. Things have changed –
expectations are different."

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Olympic Stadium Conversion Costs May Soar
Posted by Sean Whetstone on September 2, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

According to Paul Kelso from Sky News, The final cost of converting the
Olympic Stadium into West Ham's new home could rise by more than £15m
because of complications in work to install a new roof. Work is under way to
build a new roof but contractors Balfour Beatty believe costs may have to
rise to complete the project. The original stadium cost £429m to build, with
the conversion to make it suitable for football budgeted at a further £154m.
It is claimed additional costs arising from the latest complications with
the roof could take the total cost of the stadium above £600m with the tax
payer picking up the majority of the over spend. The LLDC has a fixed-price
contract with contractors Balfour Beatty to deliver the roof and main
contract for the stadium, and say they will hold the contractor to its deal.
In a statement the LLDC said: "The Legacy Corporation and its contractors
are working closely together to convert the Stadium from its Games-time mode
into a multi-use, year round venue." However, we understand West Ham's
contribution of £25m towards the stadium conversion is unlikely to be
affected by the latest developments.

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DG questions judge's wisdom on pitch invader
Posted by Sean Whetstone on September 2, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham co chairman David Gold has questioned the wisdom of District Judge
Gareth Branston. The judge made a joke of the antics of Hammers fan Jordan
Dunn who invaded the pitch to take a free kick against Spurs on opening day.
He commented that the fan had bent it like Beckham.Regrettably it was about
30mph slower than David Beckham and the West Ham goalkeeper did his job by
easily saving it.The professional footballer who followed you did not do any
better." The judge decided not to impose a football banning order on Jordan
Dunn called for by the prosecution, saying he was taking into account Dunn's
previous good character and he was instead fined £305. Gold took to twitter
to say: 'You bent it like Beckham': Judge PRAISES drunk pitch invader who
took free kick. What kind of message does this send out?? dg'

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