Daily WHUFC News - 8th October 2014

Manager on Tuesday
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was pleased to reach double figures for points in the seventh
game of the campaign
07.10.2014

West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce praised his team's work rate as they
secured a deserved 2-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers on Sunday. An early
Nedum Onuoha own goal and a fifth goal of the season for striker Diafra
Sakho saw the Hammers claim all three points at the Boleyn Ground. The win
saw the Hammers rise to seventh in the Premier League table, above the likes
of Arsenal and Liverpool. Allardyce was full of praise saying: "Our second
goal came at a big moment for us. Even though we dominated the game, it came
at a time when QPR were coming back into it. "It's that man Sakho again, he
is in the right position. I think it killed their spirit. I'm happy because
it was a well deserved win and another good performance from the team."

New signing Sakho has been in superb form this season, notching his fifth
goal in as many games. The manager continued: "We knew he was a good player,
he scored 20 goals last year but we didn't know how well he would adjust to
the Premier League. "His work rate, desire and his runs are so good. He has
a great knack of being in the right place at the right time."

Alongside Sakho, the manager described how impressed he is with how quickly
his new recruits have gelled together. "If I'm honest they've settled in
quicker than I expected. Kouyate made a fantastic impact before he got
injured, obviously Valencia and Sakho have been brilliant as well. Mauro has
found it a little bit more difficult but overall has done very well. "Aaron
Cresswell looks like he's played in the Premier League all his career. We
all know about Alex Song, he's not even fit yet. When he is, we'll see even
more of him. Our strength in depth was tested today as we had seven players
out injured, but I thought we coped magnificently."

Allardyce believes the secret behind the new signings settling in so well
comes from the hard work of experienced players such as the captain, Kevin
Nolan. "As an experienced manager I know how important it is to help new
players, especially foreign ones, to settle in. We have a very welcoming
dressing room here. Our captain Kevin Nolan builds the bonds with the new
players. "Because of that it helps them to hit the ground running. If I'm
honest they've settled in quicker than I expected, especially as all the
players have done well so far."

While the new players have performed well above expectations, Allardyce is
just as delighted with the efforts of one of his most senior players,
Stewart Downing: "He's been fantastic, for me he was my man of the match.
"The amount of ball we got to him has done fantastic. He's spraying balls
well, opening up defences and scoring goals. With the experience he's got,
it's wonderful to see him show the quality we know he's got."

Another positive for the manager to take into the upcoming international
break was securing the first clean sheet of the season. The manager
continued: "I thought our focus and concentration was very good. We didn't
make the mistakes that we made against Manchester United last week. "We've
conceded too many goals through defensive errors so far. Hopefully we'll
keep [Sunday's performance] up for the rest of the season."

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Sakho celebrates home comforts
WHUFC.com
Diafra Sakho hopes that successive home wins are the start of a formidable
run at the Boleyn Ground
07.10.2014

Diafra Sakho is determined to make the Boleyn Ground a fortress this season,
after playing a significant part in successive home wins over Liverpool and
then Queens Park Rangers. The 24-year-old was lurking with intent when Nedum
Onuoha put through his own net on Sunday and then gleefully headed in James
Tomkins' effort to settle matters against Harry Redknapp's men. But far from
obsessing about his own goalscoring feats, Sakho is every bit the team
player and hopes West Ham United's new-found home form is a sign of things
to come. "Sunday's win was just as important as Liverpool, because we know
that the fans expect that and winning again at home will boost our
confidence. We'll look to continue with this momentum and hope that teams
dread coming here. "The most important thing on Sunday was always to win at
home. Away from home, we'll go with that same aim, namely to take points.
We've got a good group here, everyone's feeling good and that will show
itself on the pitch."

As for his part in Sunday goals, Sakho was pleading ignorance, reluctant to
say whether Onuoha's intervention had cost the Senegal man a goal. "I don't
know, it happened too quickly," he confirmed. "I couldn't see but I watched
the video afterwards to see whether I might have scored or not, but it's the
victory that matters. And West Ham's leading marksman was hardly about to
take the risk of standing and watching Tomkins' strike loop goalward, hoping
that his Hammers colleague won't hold it against him. "I might have nicked
his goal, perhaps, because I didn't know whether I had to leave it or not,
whether it was going in or not, or if there was a defender behind me.
"I just wanted to finish off the move and whether it's me or James who
scores, we'll happily take it. Then again, he's a defender, so he can leave
it to me. No bother. "I didn't want to take the risk of leaving it and I
reckon he'll understand that. He's a defender and if his attacker scores,
he'll be pleased."

Either way, it is all in the name of winning football matches and that
remains Sakho's one and only concern. "I try to score and that's thanks to
my teammates. On Sunday the most important thing wasn't scoring goals but
rather winning the game. I'm trying to help the team as much as I can, at
least so that we can hit our targets this season. "It's too early in the
season to see what will be, but for now we concentrate on winning games and
we'll take stock at the end of the season."

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International Hammers
WHUFC.com
Five West Ham United players have been called up for international duty this
week
07.10.2014

On loan right-back Carl Jenkinson has been called up to the England U21
squad for their two-legged UEFA U21 European Championship play-off with
Croatia. England U21 manager Gareth Southgate has named a strong squad
including established Premier League players such as Luke Shaw and Saido
Berahino. The right-back has made six U21 appearances previously as well as
winning one senior cap. The U21s face their Croatian counterparts on Friday
evening at Wolves' Molineux stadium before playing the return leg in Croatia
on Tuesday 14 October. The winners will progress to the 2015 UEFA European
Under 21 Championship hosted in the Czech Republic.

Elsewhere, Ecuadorian favourite Enner Valencia has been called up for his
country's friendly against the United States in Connecticut this Friday.
They then face El Salvador on 14 October in New Jersey. Valencia has an
impressive international goalscoring record, with seven goals in 13
appearances, including three at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Development Squad winger Kieran Sadlier has been called up to play for the
Republic of Ireland U21 squad as they face Norway in a friendly on 9
October. Sadlier made his U21 international debut earlier this year having
made the step up from the U19s.

Northern Ireland U19 international Jamie Harney has also been called up. The
U19s face a busy week as they host the Czech Republic, Russia and the Faroe
Islands between 9-14 October.

Reece Burke is the fifth Hammer to report for international duty this week.
The second year scholar is part of England's U19 squad for their UEFA U19
Championship qualifying round fixtures against Belarus on Friday 10 October,
Luxembourg on 12 October and Belgium on 15 October. All three games will be
played in Luxembourg, with the top two nations progressing to the Elite
Round next Spring.
Finally, James Collins has pulled out of Wales' squad for their Euro 2016
qualifiers against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Cyprus after suffering a groin
injury.

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Dev Squad triumph in Posh friendly
WHUFC.com
Nick Haycock's Dev Squad beat Peterborough United 4-2 in a friendly on
Tuesday
07.10.2014

Nick Haycock's Development Squad beat Peterborough United 4-2 in a friendly
match at Nene Park Academy on Tuesday afternoon. After a tough start to
their league campaign, the Dev Squad have been in good form recently taking
four points from their last two competitive games.
Haycock fielded a mix of U21 and U18 players, such as Josh Pask, Moses
Makasi and Amos Nasha, on Tuesday. U21 regulars Reece Burke and Kieran
Sadlier have been called up to international duty for the England U19 and
Ireland U21 squads respectively. Ex-Peterborough striker Jaanai Gordon was
in good form as he forced Posh goalkeeper Aidan Grant into a smart early
save. The Hammers continued to press for an opener and their efforts were
rewarded as Sebastian Lletget put the visitors ahead. It wasn't long before
Haycock's men doubled their lead as Gordon's hard work finally paid off as
he tapped in from close range. There was just enough time for West Ham
winger Matthias Fanimo, recently returned from a short loan spell at
Tranmere Rovers, to score a third goal. Fanimo's tap-in put the Hammers into
a commanding 3-0 lead at the break. The hosts rallied after the break as
Harry Anderson had a number of chances that went just over the bar. The
Posh's efforts were justly rewarded as Jack Friend curled a wonderful
left-foot strike into the top corner after a fine pass from Tobi
Adebayo-Rowling set him free. The goal gave the hosts renewed hope as they
looked for a way back into the game. Friend was on hand to score his second
of the game after a defence splitting pass from the highly rated ex-Dulwich
Hamlet midfielder Erhun Oztumer. The home side continued to press for an
equaliser but with time running out Fanimo scored again to wrap up the
victory, with a clinical one-on-one finish. The Dev Squad's next competitive
match is against Manchester United U21s at Rush Green, on Friday 24 October
2014.

West Ham United: Spiegel, Westley, Oxford, Pask, Nasha, Mavila, Makasi,
Marlow, Gordon, Fanimo, Lletget
Subs: Linley, Sheriff, Tombides

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Diafra Sakho delighted to be in England with West Ham
Last Updated: 07/10/14 10:09am
0


Diafra Sakho: Has made an immediate impact at West Ham
Diafra Sakho is determined to prove himself at West Ham United having feared
that a dream move would pass him by.
SSN

The 24-year-old was snapped up by Sam Allardyce over the summer in a
£4.5million switch from French side Metz. He has hit the ground running at
Upton Park, netting five times in his first five starts. Sakho is delighted
to be offering an immediate return on the sizeable investment made in his
talent, with doubts having crept into his head once Premier League
discussions began to stall. He eventually got his wish, as West Ham co-owner
David Sullivan stepped in to push through a deal, and the Senegal
international is confident he can continue justifying that show of faith.
Sakho said: "I have always wanted to play in England and when West Ham came
in for me in the summer, I thought that was it. "But then the deal began to
fall through as I think the coach was having doubts and I was resigned to
returning to France. "Fortunately for me, Mr Sullivan stepped in and said he
would be signing me on a permanent deal. It was the chance I needed."
Sakho's agent, Mark McKay, revealed to Sky Sports on Monday that the in-form
striker had also been recommended to Queens Park Rangers, but they decided
against an approach. That snub made Sakho all the more determined to prove
himself and show that stepping up from the French second tier to the English
top flight was a jump he was capable of making. He added: "I heard QPR
didn't want me so I wanted to prove I could do it. "West Ham gave me the
chance and now the coach, Mr Allardyce, believes in me too. "I'm enjoying it
and scoring goals against Liverpool and Manchester United shows I can play
at this level. I'm just glad Mr Sullivan put his trust in me."

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MOORE FAMILY FOUNDATION AND DYLAN TOMBIDES TRUST LAUNCHED
By Sean Whetstone 7 Oct 2014 at 17:52
West Ham Till I Die

Those of you at the QPR match on Sunday will have seen a video at half time
by Roberta Moore officially launching the West Ham United Moore Family
Foundation


Bobby Moore's daughter, Roberta, approached the Club with the idea of
setting up a community scheme in honour of her father last summer and has
spent the last 12 months working to develop the new project with West Ham
United Community Sports Trust. David Sullivan has kicked off the fundraising
efforts by donating a five figure sum and the Club has pledged to commit
extensive time and resource to ensure the Foundation serves the legacy of
Bobby Moore, the player and the man.

The Moore Trust will provide dedicated community sports coaches to provide
life-changing opportunities for targeted young people and offer a West Ham
match day experience for the 18,000 Year 6 students in Newham, Tower
Hamlets, Barking & Dagenham, Thurrock, Brentwood and Basildon over the next
three years.

The programme will also seek to inspire 3,600 vulnerable young people
through the power of elite sport and there will be football and education
experiences at the new Stadium alongside opportunities to sample the West
Ham way via six roadshows and football festivals.

Roberta Moore said at launch: "My mother, Tina, and her three grandchildren
Freddie, Poppy and Ava, are incredibly excited about the creation of this
project, which we hope will make a real difference to lives of young people
in the area of the country Bobby loved more than any other. He had some key
attributes which we were keen for the programme to incorporate. They are
respect, hard work, determination, self-discipline, kindness and humility.
It's about promoting a way to live your life and to have a better life. I'm
also really pleased that the programme has a strong link to Diabetes UK,
because we're trying to promote healthy lifestyle choices. My brother, Dean,
very sadly suffered of diabetes and it was important for us to do this in
his memory. I know he would have loved to have been involved with this and
he would have been very proud to put his name to it."

The Club will also be supporting a new trust set up in the memory of Academy
striker Dylan Tombides, who passed away in April 2014 following a long
battle with cancer. The Club are working with Dylan's family on the project,
the details of which will be announced at the Crystal Palace fixture in
February 2015.

These two charities will be the two official principle charities for this
season.

David Sullivan and David Gold said: "We are pleased to be able to confirm
the details of our two new charity partnerships. They will both fit
perfectly with the Club's ethos of harnessing the power of sport to better
the lives of deserving people in our local community"We got to know Bobby
when we employed him as Sports Editor at our newspaper, so we know that
there is no better figurehead to offer inspiration to this new foundation.
Like us, he cared passionately about East London and was determined to
create chances for the young people growing up in the area.With our support
behind it, we are confident this project will have a hugely positive impact
on the lives of hundreds of youngsters."

The Club say they will continue to support last season's official principal
charities, the Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK and Richard House
Children's Hospice, who will become second-tier partners. They say both
organisations will continue to benefit from awareness matches and editorial
support from the Club.

Last month the Daily Mail ran a story saying West Ham had snubbed the Bobby
Moore Fund claiming "There's no ongoing financial contribution to the Fund"
as a direct quote from Stephanie Moore in the new Bobby Moore book The Man
in full by Matt Dickinson.

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PERMANENT DEAL FOR ALEX SONG?
By Sean Whetstone 7 Oct 2014 at 13:03
West Ham Till I Die

David Gold has created fresh speculation on a permanent deal for Alex Song
saying "Alex Song is an outstanding player and a great character I would
love to sign him permanently" When one fan tweeted "Please sign Mr Song on a
permanent deal David – love his attitude and respect he's shown our club."
he replied on twitter "Yes I agree"

The Barcelona player is believed to be on a £80,000 per week loan deal until
the end of the season. He signed for Barcelona for £15m in 2012 on a five
year contract.

On joining the club Song said "West Ham, some people were saying that I am
crazy. For me it was a privilege to come here. It was a very big pleasure to
have two or three clubs who are playing in the Champions League wanted me to
sign. For me it was not easy decision but I did it because I want to come
back to England. I wanted to come back to where I started from. I think it
was very important for me to come back here and just try to play because
this league gives me a lot and I just want to give some back."

Song has been rewarded with the captains armband for the last two matches
through the injury absence of Mark Noble and this has raised a few eyebrows
with some fans questioning whether an on loan player should ever skipper the
Hammers.

There have also been questions on whether he gives away the ball too cheaply
with one slip at Old Trafford costing us a goal and another on Sunday which
gave away a needless corner which QPR failed to convert.

Eyebrows were raised again by some on Sunday when he was awarded man of the
West Ham match by the match sponsors when there more worthy candidates in
many other fans eyes.

He certainly brings quality and calmness on the ball under pressure to the
team but the question remains should we offer him a permanent contract at
the end of this season?

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HOW I LEARNED TO LOVE KEVIN NOLAN
By Brian Williams 7 Oct 2014 at 08:00
West Ham Till I DIe

In one of the most poignant endings of any novel ever written, Winston Smith
finally comes to love Big Brother.

No, we are not talking about low-rent reality television here. Big Brother,
as created by George Orwell in his fictional account of 1984, is a
totalitarian dictator who employs some highly dubious methods to get a
little TLC. Now, not for one moment am I suggesting our club captain has
anything in common with a twisted sociopath who is prepared to torture
opponents because he craves affection. But, just as Orwell's hero came to
appreciate Big Brother's finer points, I realise I now love Kevin Nolan.

Admittedly, the unfortunate Winston only changed his opinion after being
locked in Room 101 and eaten alive by rats until the horror of being made to
live out his worst nightmare broke him as a human being. Whereas my feelings
about Nolan changed after he had a perfectly good goal disallowed against
Man City in our first season back in the Prem. (I was reminded of this when,
10 days ago against the red Mancs, he had another goal disallowed because
his eyebrows were offside.)

I didn't take to Nolan when he first arrived from Tyneside. He seemed to go
missing for large periods of the game; when he did tackle back he gave away
too many needless free kicks; and some of his passing was woeful.
Admittedly, he showed a wonderful talent for scoring from the moment he
arrived – but for me he'd devalue the ecstasy that comes with every precious
West Ham goal by doing that bloody stupid chicken celebration.

Then came the game against Citeh. You will probably recall that with barely
four minutes gone we won an innocuous looking free kick just inside the City
half. Mark Noble clipped to the ball towards Nolan, who let it drop over his
shoulder, swiveled, and sent a beautiful volley past Joe Hart's outstretched
left hand. It was the best goal Nolan has scored for West Ham. Only it
didn't count.

A tight call admittedly, but the TV replays clearly showed he was onside
(why doesn't football use video technology at times like these?) Many
players would have gone ballistic at the linesman – sorry, "assistant
referee" – but Our Kev, as I now like to think of him, merely wagged and an
admonishing finger at the hapless official and chased back into midfield to
help out as City looked to counter-attack.

After the game he was outrageously gracious in the post-match interviews
considering we had been denied victory against the defending champions.
Nolan shrugged off the decision as one of those things, and never lost that
winning smile. Okay, technically, that day it was a "drawing" smile because
the game finished 0-0, but you know what I mean.

I'd like to include that grin in my identikit compilation of the ideal West
Ham captain. This is a simple exercise. We are going to take the best
characteristics of various skippers and build them into one superhuman
individual, who then gets the armband in perpetuity.

So, if the cheery look is going to be provided by Kevin Nolan, the hairstyle
has to come from someone who led the side 10 years ago, but is still honored
by the travelling faithful. Christian Dailly, you are the love of my life.
And, while I draw the line at you taking liberties with my missus, I do want
curly hair for my perfect captain.

He's going to need more than a toothpaste smile and an impressive barnet, of
course. There are other vital ingredients that go into this recipe, and
we've had the players who can provide them all. For passion it's Paolo di
Canio; for loyalty it's Steve Potts; and for sheer determination it has to
be Julian Dicks.

My favourite di Canio moment – and there are plenty of contenders for that
distinction – was the time he wrestled Frank Lampard (the junior one) for
the ball when we were awarded a penalty in the great comeback game against
Bradford City in 2000. Moments before he had been pleading with Harry
Redknapp to substitute him; now he wanted to take a crucial pen. Lampard
didn't want to hand over the penalty-taking duties, but PDC wasn't taking no
for an answer. As you no doubt remember, he ripped the ball from young
Frank's hands, put it on the spot, waited for an unseemly melee involving
players from both sides to sort itself out, and then converted the penalty
as if nothing had happened.

Steve Potts was club captain from 1993-96, having made his first team debut
in 1985. Pottsy, twice Hammer of the Year, spent 17 years at Upton Park
making a total of 506 appearances in all competitions. His one and only goal
came against Hull City. I'd like to tell you it was a 30-yard match-winning
screamer that left the keeper grasping thin air as the net bulged behind
him. Sadly, the truth is rather different: yes – the shot was from distance,
but my mum could have saved it. Instead the Hull shot-stopper failed to
fulfil the terms of his job description and let it slip under his body. The
ball trickled into the net and we went on to win 7-1. Even so, Steve "Mr
Reliable" Potts is a true West Ham hero who earned the respect of all who
saw him play.

Respect is certainly one word that springs to mind when you think of Julian
Dicks. Fear is another. When Julian went in for a tackle, even seriously
hard men with Crombies, dodgy jewellery and convictions for grievous bodily
harm would look away. Like Potts, he defended with distinction. But, unlike
Pottsy, he knew where the opponents' goal was as well. Excluding the
tuppenny-ha'penny Anglo Italian Cup and the Full Members Cup, the Terminator
scored 61 times in 315 appearances for West Ham, which came in two slices.
The unlikely filling in this particular sandwich was a spell at Anfield,
where he will always have the distinction of being the last Liverpool player
to score in front of a standing Kop before they installed seating and made
them all sit down. Dicksie is a Mickey Mouser! Yeah, sure. He is, however, a
magnificent tweeter. I can personally testify that if you contact him via
Twitter you are practically guaranteed a re-tweet, and there's every chance
Julian will reply with a direct message if you ask him a question. Top man.

What an honour to be captain of the greatest football club in the world. And
since Robert Stevenson first led out Thames Ironworks in 1895, most have
done the job with distinction. Alvin Martin, Ian Bishop, Steve Lomas, Joe
Cole et al – we salute you.

Nigel Reo-Coker, on the other hand, gets the two-fingered salute. Alan
Pardew's captain never truly won the hearts and minds of the claret and blue
army, but whatever chance he had of being remembered with anything other
than contempt disappeared in Alan Curbishley's first game in charge when he
celebrated the winning goal against Man U by cocking his ear in our
direction as if to say: "So, do you still think I'm a bell-end?" The simple
answer, mate, is yes.

To be honest I don't think Lucas Neill can bring much to this particular
party either, so perhaps we should let him host one of his own. Being
Australian it will probably involve a barbecue … he could light it using the
bundles of £50 notes he took home as part of his £60,000-a-week salary. Yep,
my eyes are watering too – and it's not the smoke from the barbie.

It says much about Matthew Upson that a large percentage of the nation's
sporting press regularly reported that Scott Parker was our club captain. As
journalists, they should have known better. But, in their defence, you can
see why they made that mistake. I'm afraid, Matt, that we don't require any
contributions from you here either. Quite frankly, the only thing I ever
wanted from you was your transfer request.

If we had to choose just one man to have been the greatest captain in West
Ham's history, it comes down to a toss up between Bobby Moore and Billy
Bonds.

There isn't really anything to say about Moore that hasn't been said before,
so I won't try. But nobody can stop me banging on about Bonzo – who is,
quite simply, my favourite Hammer of all time.

Billy Bonds came to West Ham in 1967. He was in the side the first time I
saw the Irons in the flesh that same year – at Stamford Bridge, four weeks
to the day after Tony Blackburn had opened Radio One with Flowers in the
Rain by the Move. When Bonds finally called it a day in 1988 he had made an
incredible 799 senior appearances for the club in all competitions. He was
captain for 10 years. He is the only West Ham skipper to lift the FA Cup
twice. He was Hammer of the Year four times – including his penultimate
season when he had turned 40. He was three months short of his 42nd birthday
when he played his final game at Southampton. It was an amazing career that
the club he served so loyally should have recognised long before they
finally gave him the Lifetime Achievement Award – 25 years after he had
retired as a player. But mere statistics don't even begin to tell the story
of William Arthur Bonds MBE. You kinda had to be there to understand exactly
why Bonzo will always be thought of as Captain Marvel at Upton Park.

Come to think of it, we already have our ideal candidate for the perfect
captain. Passion, enthusiasm, loyalty? Bonds had the lot, plus plenty more
besides. Still, I think we'll keep that Nolan smile – it really suits the
captain's armband at West Ham these days.

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The Apprentice's Karren Brady: women don't need short skirts to succeed
Government adviser says candidate who told team-mates to put on lots of
makeup and lipstick has an 'old-fashioned attitude'
Share 28
John Plunkett
theguardian.com, Tuesday 7 October 2014 14.08 BST

Karren Brady, the government business adviser and sidekick to Alan Sugar on
The Apprentice, has said it is "antiquated" to suggest women need to wear
short skirts and makeup to succeed in business.

The newly-ennobled Brady, who is also vice-chair of West Ham United football
club, spoke out after one of the contestants on the new series of the BBC1
show suggested her team-mates wear "short skirts and loads of makeup" to win
their challenge.

Brady, who used the launch of the 10th series of The Apprentice on Tuesday
to deny suggestions she wanted to be a Tory MP, said: "It's a very
old-fashioned attitude that you have to wear short skirts and a lot of
makeup to get on in life.

"I think most women look at that – I heard a lot of ladies in this room
gasping or laughing – these are antiquated views for a bygone age that
thankfully is no longer around any more."

The comments were made by The Apprentice contestant Sarah Dales, a former PA
and hypnotherapist in the opening episode of the new series which returns to
BBC1 on 14 October.

Dales, who told Sugar she could "sell ice to eskimos", said: "Most people
will buy from females because females are more attractive to look at."

She said her team had to "put on loads of makeup, lipstick and high heels.
We are going to wear short skirts." But her suggestion drew scorn from some
members of her team who were told unless they dressed up they would look
"semi-average".

Brady, who was appointed the government's small business adviser after
expressing an interest into moving into politics last year, said if she had
been following Dales's team: "She wouldn't have lasted very long."

On her own political future, Brady said: "I have said it 500 times I don't
actually have any aspirations to become an MP. I love doing the series, I am
interested in politics, yes I am interested in my country, yes I am the
small business ambassador, it's something I take very seriously. I love
doing the show and I hope to be able to combine all the things I love
doing."

The new series of The Apprentice, which began life on BBC2 in 2005, features
an expanded cast of 20 contestants in its 12-week run, with Sugar able to
fire more than one contestant at the end of each show.

The show will definitely return for one more series at least after the BBC
revealed that next year's programme was already in production with Sugar at
the helm.

Reflecting on the exploits of former contestants such as last year's
runner-up Luisa Zissman, who appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, Sugar said
some people had "demeaned themselves" after appearing on the show.

"There is always a fallout. Whilst the production people do a very good job
in trying to pick candidates who are there for the right reason you always
get a couple who believe it is their Andy Warhol moment, so to speak," said
Sugar, who has denied bullying Apprentice contestants.

"When they get on television it suddenly gets them, they have a withdrawal
symptom, it's like an anti-climax. I remember in the first series some of
the people who wanted to be on television put themselves forward for stupid
gameshows and things like that. They really demeaned themselves just to get
in front of a camera again. It happens."

The new series also features several candidates from abroad, including
Canada and Columbia. Sugar said: "As far as I'm concerned it's an open
process and we go through evaluating thousands of people. The fact that some
of them turned out to be from abroad is not a deliberate move, as it
happened they deserved their position in the contest."

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January Song deal ruled out
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 7, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

David Gold's hopes that Alex Song signs a permanent deal with the Irons
isn't set to happen any time soon! The co chairman tweeted: 'Alex Song is
an outstanding player and a great character I would love to sign him
permanently. Dg' A rumour was spreading through the club last night that a
deal could be sealed in January. ClaretandHuigh was told the Barcelona loan
player could be entering negotiations to make his deal permanent in the next
transfer window. That has turned out not to be true but it was significant
the co-chairman's tweet followed shortly afterwards. However, we were
assured earlier this morning by another senior insider: "That won't happen.
Whether he agrees to a permanent deal will depend on how the team does over
the rest of the season and what offers he receives. "The other issue of
course is how much Barcelona want for him – there is little chance of him
making his mind up until the end of the season.

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Gold: "Kouyate and the rest back for Burnley"
Posted by Sean Whetstone on October 7, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham injury list reached a season high toll of seven on Sunday as James
Collins suffered a groin strain. But David Gold insists all players should
be fit and available with the exception of Andy Carroll by our next game
when we face Burnley away on Saturday 18th October. Kouyate was listed for a
November 8th return date after recovering from a groin injury, Gold's tweet
suggests he has recovered quicker than expected saying I am hoping he will
be available for Burnley when questioned. Long term absentee Joey O'Brien
should also be fit with Gold confirming he should be available for selection
for Burnley. Gold also insists Andy Carroll has every chance of returning
in November with Physio room giving 29th November as a return date which is
the Newcastle at home match. This means we are likely to face December with
a fully fit squad unlike the winter of discontent last season.

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Lyall's former scout: 'Sam's ways are not my ways'
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 7, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Ian Salisbury was a West Ham scout for 20 years. He first went to Upton
Park in our FA Cup winning year of 1964, aged 12 . We played Aston Villa,
and won 3 – 1. From then on he says "I went whenever I could to see this
magic with the inevitable highs and lows."
He says: "I remember the Easter game when Brian Dear (right) scored five
gDearoals against West Bromwich Albion and the 7 – 0 victory against Leeds
United in the Cup. "These were the dream times, but they were built on one
thing – pure football. I used to come home after a game and imagine I was
Geoff Hurst, a great player, and there was the majestic Bobby Moore who
would knock the ball around with such ease and always be in the right place
at the right time."

In this article Ian takes a look at the football he has watched under Sam
Allardyce's management and gives his conclusions on the man and his
football!

By Ian Sailsbury

Am I looking back with rose tinted glasses? I think not! West Ham was built
on the ideology of great football brought about by Ron Greenwood and
latterly John Lyall, the academy was born.

But now those words which grace our ground no longer hold true. What we were
watching did not hold true to our traditions. The debate regarding Sam is
still raging some fans want him gone, but why?

It has been said that he was brought in to get us up and keep us in the
Premier, but in truth we were lucky against Blackpool, they were the better
team on the day.

We had the best squad in the Championship and should have been automatically
promoted, but as we got up everyone seems to have looked past this.

Until recently in the Premiership we had to witness the dull approach to our
play, where one goal up was defended at all cost, where the ball was lumped
forward and if not won or supported quickly comes back to put us under
pressure, and we as fans looked for BFS to change the plan to suit the
opposition.

But no it was the same old thing, week in week out. When we played Arsenal
in the FA Cup Final, John Lyall and Eddie Baily worked together and decided
to play a lone striker, it worked because Arsenal didn't expect it.

WHU have played that way all the time, teams knew what to expect, they
worked in the week before a match as to how they are going to cope with it.

I applaud the decision to play Downing through the middle because he has a
great awareness of play and his passing is spot on.

I think Cresswell is a great acquisition and gets forward well but I am not
happy that BFS has taken so long to play Carl Jenkinson because Guy Demel
is too ponderous on the ball and invariably passes the ball back when he
receives it.

I think we should be dominating the midfield a lot more. Yes it's difficult
with injuries but format on Saturday was down to BFS.In my opinion he should
have started Poyet and if it didn't work then change it.

I am very sorry that Nolan got booed as he came on, but I can understand the
frustration of the fans because they have had to 'put up with him' when his
all round play has been sadly lacking.

I am fearful that BFS, who sees him as his 'on field General' will gradually
reintroduce him. He will stick out 'like a sore thumb', I am not a
sentimentalist, the articles justifying his position because of what he's
done over the years do 'not hold water' with me – sorry.

We have two of the most exciting forwards in the league, but they need 'ball
to feet' not the long ball and chase, these things are foreign to them
because 'they've been brought up the right way'.

I am a football purist and have not enjoyed watching the way WHU have been
playing over the last couple of seasons. This is gradually changing, but
let's get things straight, the players we have signed were not signed by
BFS.

He has been given the task to get them to play in the WHU way – a style
completely foreign to him, which explains his lack of vision with regards to
substitutions.

To be brutally honest the only way we are going to improve sufficiently is
to get a manager who gets his teams to play the right way, hopefully it's
only a question of time.

I like all WHU supporters bleed Claret and Blue, I was a scout for the club
from 1977 until 1997, I travelled all over the country watching players like
Gary McAllister when he played for Leicester. Did we nearly sign him? Yes
we did.

I was the scout that gave the player report for the infamous match when we
lost away to Torquay in the FA Cup. Should we have lost? Definitely no, but
this was just a week after the Lou Macari betting scandal blew up, and I
think it had a large bearing on the team morale.

I went to John Lyall's house the day after he was sacked to offer my
condolences and like the gentleman he was he asked me in for a cup of tea. I
couldn't go in, no, why, because he was a man of great integrity and in
typical fashion was in his garden wearing a gardening hat.

I've heard it said that BFS is a similar character – what a load of rubbish.
He doesn't even come close. John had been schooled by Ron Greenwood, they
were football purists, who saw changes in the game and acted accordingly.

They were not stuck in one ideology which was how they could introduce our
young players. Now they aren't given a chance. What is the point in running
an academy!

Do I want BFS to go, still a resounding yes, in the recent interviews he
seems to suggest 'it's all down to us', but I don't think the supporters are
mugs they know who's really 'pulling the strings'.

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Sullivan 'director of football' in all but name
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 7, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Diafra Sakho's admission that his arrival at Upton Park was down to David
Sullivan has seen the co-chairman dubbed as the real "West Ham director of
football." It was suggested on a podcast last night the co chairman should
take on the role formally but that can't happen because ClaretandHugh has
learned that under the terms of manager Sam Allardyce's contract, the role
can never be filled. Sullivan though is clearly becoming very influential in
the signing of players and worked day and night to bring in Cheikhou
Kouyate, Diego Poyet Sakho and negotiated the deals on all the summer
imports.. It's interesting that the Allardyce contract contains the clause
and it has seen Sullivan take on the job in reality if not in name. After
the issue was mentioned on this week's www.MoorethanJustaPodcast.co.uk
Claretand Hugh learned of the clause. We were told by a highly placed
source: "Yes it's in there but it's clear to most people that David works
that role very effectively. Under the terms of Sam's contract we can't
appoint one as such."

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