Daily WHUFC News - 20th October 2014

Cole - 'It was a brilliant win'
WHUFC.com
Carlton Cole says the Hammers are loving life at the moment after a second
straight win
19.10.2014

Carlton Cole is developing a handy habit this season of popping up with the
game-clinching goal in away day West Ham United victories.
Having scored the third in August's 3-1 win at Crystal Palace, he repeated
the feat on Saturday at Burnley, nodding home with 70 minutes played to seal
an identical scoreline. It was a vital goal for Sam Allardyce's men, after
George Boyd gave his side hope by making it 2-1 and Cole was delighted to
play his part. "It was a brilliant win away from home and another three
points that we needed," he beamed.
"We knew it wouldn't be easy and we had to set our stall out early and make
sure they didn't score. As the game went on we knew we could break them down
and that's what the boys did, so fair play to all the lads involved."

All three of the strikers involved on the day came up with a goal, as Cole's
header followed headed efforts from Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia. Cole
has been impressed with the pair of summer signings and relishes the
opportunity of playing alongside them. Cole continued: "The boys are playing
brilliantly, Sakho's got another goal and you can't knock the boy at the
moment - he's brilliant! You've got Enner too, who's been travelling for
ages this week with the Ecuador team and he was a little leggy but he came
up with the goods. "I came on and notched my second goal of the season,
which I'm very happy with. I had a couple of chances as soon as I came on
and I just put it down to trying to work hard. The manager said to go on and
make a nuisance of yourself, which I tried to do, and I linked up well with
Diafra.
"Diafra works so hard and it makes a difference when you have players like
that up front with you as it takes a lot of pressure off the other strikers.
That's why he's getting his rewards. "For my goal it was an instinctive
finish. I saw that Diafra was leaning back to try and send the ball back
across, and then there's only one place it's going to go. I went towards the
ball and I wanted to get there before the defender, so I did a flying
header, rolling back the years! "It was a brilliant all round game from
Sakhs and I appreciate playing up front with him at the minute."

Cole had special praise for the near-3,000 travelling contingent, who gave
outstanding backing to their side throughout the 90 minutes.
He added: "The fans are always giving 100 per cent support to us and all we
can do it reward them with goals and wins. "That's what we're doing at the
moment and I know they're loving it."

The No24 might be having to bide his time for a chance from the start, given
Sakho and Valencia's fine form, but he explains the whole squad is thrilled
with how the team is performing right now. He said: "It's a squad game and
even the substitutes, the ones who didn't get on, are buzzing. We've got a
good unit at the moment, everything's flowing in the direction we want it
to. "Everybody that's involved, from the staff to the manager and the fans,
everybody's enjoying it. We're going through a good period."

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Supporter Advisory Board update
WHUFC.com
The Supporter Advisory Board is to be revamped as part of the Club's new
supporter consultation strategy
19.10.2014

The West Ham United Supporter Advisory Board is to undergo an exciting
transformation in the coming weeks, as the Club seeks to revamp its
supporter consultation strategy. With an ever growing need to involve
supporters in the Club's decision making mechanisms, it was felt that the
time was right to take a fresh look at supporter consultation as a whole, of
which the SAB is naturally a pivotal part.
Originally founded in May 2011, the SAB has been instrumental spearheading
all manner of high-profile campaigns, not least the hugely popular
partnership with adidas. Among their many other telling contributions, they
paved the way for the introduction of a new digital platform, the digital
matchday programme and helped to revitalise the Boleyn Ground's matchday
entertainment line-up to the benefit of their fellow supporters.

Most recently and perhaps most significantly the group has played a vital
role in informing new Stadium policy, as well as helping to steer the Club's
commemorative plans for the final Boleyn Ground season. The Club are
determined to build on those strong foundations and are confident that, with
the appointment of a dedicated Supporter Liaison Officer (SLO), a new-look
SAB can have an even more meaningful impact on the most important matters.
Vice-Chairman Karren Brady was a key driver in establishing this fan
initiative three years ago and is rightly proud of its evolution. "We are
enormously grateful to the SAB for all their hard work over the past three
years and I personally want them to know that they have made a considerable
difference to this football club," the Vice-Chairman confirmed. "I am proud
of all that we have achieved together and their input is going to be more
important than ever as we continue the exciting transition to Queen
Elizabeth Olympic Park. It's imperative to us that our supporters are
comfortable with and understand the process, so there will be much to
discuss in the coming weeks and months."

As has always been the case, the SAB will continue to be a key sounding
board on core issues, while also advising on strategy, not least where the
new Stadium is concerned. Additionally, for the first time ever, the SAB and
its members are now to be called upon to represent the Club at major
external meetings, for example at the Premier League and the like. A
modified selection process will see the formation of a slightly smaller
overall group, but one that better represents the diversity of the Club's
fans. Though membership has previously been restricted to Season Ticket
Holders and Members, match attendees are now also welcome to apply. The
Club are actively seeking applications from across the supporter base
demographic, so that all ages, genders and backgrounds have appropriate
representation.
Additionally, the Club is calling upon representatives of all independent
supporter groups from the many key sectors of the wider West Ham family to
add to the offers of official representation from groups such as
Bondholders, Corporate Members, wheelchair and ambulant fans, and other
representative groups that have already approached the Club.

Crucially, in order to ensure that the SAB's reach extends far beyond its
membership, the most pressing topics will be communicated via Club channels,
as and when they are discussed during meetings. While supporters can
certainly still channel their feedback through SAB members, they are also
encouraged to share those comments directly with the Club's newly-recruited
Supporter Liaison Officer, James Rutherford. Himself a former SAB Member,
James is enthused by the Club's fresh approach to supporter consultation and
is looking forward to hearing from fans from far and wide. He explained: "I
know from my own experiences how valuable the Supporter Advisory Board is
and I'm excited about what the future holds. This is a massive opportunity
to develop what has already proven to be a very successful SAB. "I'm here to
listen to the fans and I intend to make that process as simple and effective
as it possibly can be. Fans have an unique insight into this football club
and it's important to us all that your voice is always heard."

A meeting of the existing SAB has been convened for Tuesday 21 October,
during which the aforementioned new proposals will be set out. While it is
only fair that existing SAB Members are the first to learn of the revamped
process, we ask that supporters keep a lookout on Tuesday evening for
extensive details of how to apply to join the 2014/15 SAB.

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Ladies secure spot-kick success
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies defeated Tottenham Hotspur on penalties in the London
Capital Cup first round
19.10.2014

West Ham United Ladies won through to the London Capital Cup second round
with a thrilling penalty shootout victory at Tottenham Hotspur.
The Hammers led on no fewer than four occasions during normal and extra
time, only for their opponents to strike back on each occasion to make the
final score 4-4, forcing the game to a spot-kick showdown. Goalkeeper Nikita
Runnacles (pictured) then took centre-stage at Ware FC, saving Tottenham's
third penalty from Alex Keown and paving the way for Danica Revell to clinch
victory from 12 yards. West Ham took the lead as early as the fourth minute
when April Bowers was on hand to convert from a corner. Spurs levelled for
the first time on 15 minutes through Wendy Martin before Lily Mellors
appeaered to be brought down by former Hammer Toni-Anne Wayne inside the
penalty area, but the appeals were waved away.
Captain Stacey Little saw her effort headed off the line and Vicky Kinsman
hit the crossbar as West Ham were frustrated in the final minutes of the
first half. Ten minutes after the break, that frustration abated as McCrea
latched onto Revell's long free-kick into the Spurs box to put her side in
front for a second time. However, that lead would again be relatively
short-lived as Avilla Bergin equalised for a second time with 20 minutes
remaining. Both sides pressed for a winner in normal time, but could not
find one, despite seven minutes being added on by the referee for a variety
of earlier stoppages. Into extra-time and, moments after Kelley Blanchflower
had curled a free-kick inches wide, McCrea bagged her second goal of the
game with a stupendous 35-yard lobbed volley in the 97th minute. Spurs
equalised for a third time on 109 minutes when Martin netted her second of
the game, scrambling home despite the best efforts of Runnacles and defender
Vicky King. With just two minutes of extra-time remaining, West Ham thought
they had finally seen off their rivals when summer signing Vicky Kinsman
clipped the ball past Wayne to make it 4-3. Amazingly, there was still time
for Tottenham to equalise a fourth time, with Leah Rawle finishing past
Runnacles in the final minute and sending the tie to penalties. McCrea,
Kinsman, Katie Bottom, Mellors and Revell all kept their nerve for West Ham,
while Runnacles guessed right to save Keown's kick and send the Hammers
through to the second round.

Ladies: Runnacles, King, Little (c), Revell, Bottom, McCrea, Lipley-Hinton,
Mellors, Kinsman, Blanchflower, Bowers (Masters 111)
Subs not used: Donohoe, Locke, Humphreys, Baxter

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WEST HAM 3, BURNLEY 1. A WINNING CODE.
By David Hautzig 19 Oct 2014 at 13:59
West Ham till I Die

During World War II, the British mathematician Alan Turing used his rather
elite level of intelligence to help the Allies break the code of the Enigma
machine the Nazi's used to send coded messages. And the rest, as they say,
is history. Yesterday was my turn. Sort of. Because instead of helping break
a code, my best mate Jon and I had to create a code that my wife couldn't
break.

As Iain told you yesterday, I had a family event yesterday that started at
kickoff. It had been planned for months, and family and friends had traveled
far and wide to gather for it. Watching the game live was out of the
question, unless divorce proceedings were something I wanted to "check out".
And since my wife and I were kind of the hosts of this shindig, looking at
my phone during the game was also not in the cards. The same restrictions,
however, did not apply to Jon. So he and I devised a plan. A code. A code of
such simplicity yet genius that I am willing to bet six pence that good ol'
Alan himself would have looked at me and said "Well done, son".

Jon sat directly behind my dad. Thus it was perfectly natural for me to
glance his way every now and then, right? If I caught Jon's eye, he would
scratch his head with his right hand for every goal we had and with his left
hand for Burnley. A slight shake of his head meant no change since the last
scratch report. It worked perfectly. As did many other things yesterday.

Needless to say, this report will read a bit differently than my previous
ones because I am writing it a bit differently. Last night, basking in the
double joy of a very good time with family and friends as well as the
knowledge of three points in the bag, Jon and I opened a bottle of Vineyard
29 Cru Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007 (ridiculously good wine) and watched the
match. In some ways, it's a useful thing to do from time to time. Emotion
plays very little part. You watch in a more analytical way because the
normal West Ham paranoia that takes over at 2-0 up isn't there.

If I didn't know the result, the first ten minutes or so would have scared
me to death. Burnley were all over us. We could have been down 2-0 before I
finished my first glass of vino. George Boyd deserved a goal not only for
his 7th minute strike but for the skill he showed to chest the ball down and
get himself into position to blast it with his left foot. A couple of
minutes later Danny Ings splits us apart and fired. Adrian makes a nice save
and Lukas Jutkiewicz was ruled offside on his shot off the rebound. There
were times last season that I thought Reid and Collins were our best tandem
in central defense. In those first few minutes yesterday, however, they
looked out of synch with each other. "You got that? Wait, I thought you had
him? Where's the ball?" Not that Burnley didn't cause some of those
problems. Jutkiewicz in particular was a handful.

"I didn't realize we were that outplayed early on" Jon said when the
possession stats for the first 15 minutes or so came on. 66 percent for the
home team. In fact, we really didn't look like we had even gotten out of bed
for the first twenty. But then West Ham showed a glimpse of waking up when
Noble sent Valencia on a run that ended in a shot that sailed way over the
bar. In the 27th minute Cresswell made the first of what would be many fine
runs to send in a cross that Sakho almost put away for the opener. I know
Sam said in post match interviews that he told Cresswell and Jenkinson to
attack more in the second half, but Cresswell in particular looked like he
had that in mind all along.

Can I get something out of the way? Hey Sky. Or BT. Or whoever did the game
over there. We got it. David Moyes was at the game. And then he was still at
the game. Oh look, Moyes didn't leave! Isn't that interesting?!?!

No.

"Collins looks really shaky" I said to Jon at the half hour mark. I would
have been very nervous about that had I watched the game live. Even Downing
made a few bad passes, something I don't think I've seen him do this season.
Jutkiewicz and Boyd, Burnley's two best players so far, again almost gave
them the lead before Downing hit the post a minute later.

Halftime took me 30 seconds. I wish DVR's were a bit more accurate when you
fast forward or rewind. You never quite end up where you think you will so
you have to go back and forth a few times. My only quibble of the day.

It isn't often that a player from a lower division comes up to the Premier
League and looks like he's been there for years. If Sakho was a bargain at
3.5 million pounds, then Cresswell is nearly of equal value. Those two
hooked up to put us ahead in the 49th minute. And while Cresswell deserves
the lion share of the credit for his amazing cross, Sakho still had to be
where the ball was going to make it all worthwhile. He was, and West Ham
were in the lead.

When you know a goal is about to be scored and you still yell WHOA! when you
see it happen it has to be a pretty special bit of play. My daughter walked
into the room after Sakho's goal and sat down next to me on the couch.
Jenkinson has a post football career in propulsion and laser guided
technology if his cross to Sakho is any indication. When Valencia snapped
his head back to meet Sakho's header to him, even my little girl knew it was
something special. "That was amazing" she said with real excitement. I leapt
up, careful not to spill my wine, and high fived her. Then she left. She
will stay longer as she gets older. Or not watch at all. We shall see.

Adrian is a good keeper. I like him. I'm glad he's with us and over time I
think he will make far fewer mistakes than he has this season. But he
botched the corner in a way that could rival many How To Screw Up An
Attempted Catch entries in Rob Green's highlight reel. Not to say that
George Boyd didn't deserve a goal from his overall play. He did. And maybe
Ings deserved a goal a minute later when his header came inches away from
leveling things. Not to be.

The introduction of Carlton Cole didn't surprise me, and I doubt it
surprised any of you either considering the options available to replace
Valencia. What did surprise me was how damned effective he was. Seconds
after he came on Cole almost came out of a scramble inside the penalty area
with the ball in prime shooting position, then had a header cleared off the
line. He was everywhere, showing glimpses of the player Zola found napping
inside of him yet had all but vanished of late. Downing's corner was great.
Sakho's header across the goal mouth was also great. But Cole's commitment
to get on the end of that Sakho pass and slam it home with his shiny noggin
was awe inspiring. It was also a reminder that just when you think you have
a guy figured out, you don't. I wonder if a certain scouser in our squad
will be the next "has been" to be reborn.

Downing came close to a fourth, as did Sakho. Burnley might have made the
last five minutes painful to watch….live, that is….had Ashley Barnes shot
from a Kieran Trippier pass not hit the bar. But it did. And we won 3-1.

Maybe because I had a very nice day with my family I was a bit more
emotional than usual. But yesterdays win felt oddly special. We all know
that games like Burnley away are exactly the kind of game we screw up when
we either have a chance to end a bad run or kick on with a good one. The
fact that we did what we should do if we are to push forward as a club gave
me a feeling I don't think I've had.

This thing, building a club worthy of the move into the OS, might actually
work.

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TWO, ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR
By Iain Dale 19 Oct 2014 at 13:00
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Neil Clack

Everybody's talking about
Bagism, Nolanism, Carrollism, same-agentism,
this-ism, that-ism, Ism ism ism

All we are saying is Give Sam A Chance

Hoofism, Ravelism, chewing-gumism, midfield-diamondism, ism, ism..'

All we are saying is GIVE SAM A CHANCE

Anger, disappointment, and resigned shrugs were the emotions that greeted
the news of Sam Allardyce's appointment in the Essex pubs I frequent, back
in the summer of 2011 (though, to be fair, I did spot, amongst all the
angst, a handful of more positive comments on WHTID and other fan forums).

Allardyce's big problem, of course, was that, rightly or wrongly, he has
always been 'perceived' as everything West Ham are not. Apart from being a
scruffy Northerner (ie. North of Watford), the man from Dudley is a disciple
of Charles 'long-ball' Hughes, the 1980s FA technical director whose
teachings clashed with Ron Greenwood's, eventually driving the former West
Ham and England manager away from the game forever, a disillusioned man.

Indeed in John Lyall's last ever interview, shortly before he died, for the
(West Ham) Managers book, it was Allardyce whom he turned on when expressing
his dislike of some aspects of the English game, "Who's on the end of that
earpiece, what can't he see for himself", complained the normally placid
Lyall, who believed managing was all about using your eyes, and giving
players freedom to express themselves, and not some exercise in statistics
and percentages.

Not being the most handsome of men doesn't help Allardyce's cause either at
West Ham, where the all-time heroes, Bonds, Brooking and Moore, have always
been dapper eloquent gentlemen, who, as a matter of principle, would refuse
to whinge in public, or, heaven forbid, swear.

When referee Keith Hackett sent off Tony Gale in the 22nd minute of the 1991
FA Cup semi-final, an outrageous decision, and one of the biggest
injusticies in FA Cup history, manager Billy Bonds, when questioned about it
in the immediate post-match interview, just politefully and respectfully
said, "I don't want to talk about that", before waxing lyrical about how
marvelous West Ham fans are.

Compare that to Sam at Old Trafford a couple of weeks ago, where the whole
world and his wife could see that Nolan was offside, albeit only slightly,
and yet he still goes on TV, representing West Ham United, accusing the
linesman of "dropping a bollock". Charming.

In the same match, whenever the camera zoomed in on Allardcye, he was
chewing gum with his mouth wide open, looking like a slobbering sea-lion,
devouring a piece of fish. He even has the audacity to appear on TV with the
knot of his tie halfway down his shirt, and his top-button undone. Bobby
Moore must be turning in his grave.

"Take that, you big fat moaning Northern walrus", was one of the comments I
distinctly remember reading in the OLAS fanzine when West Ham beat Bolton in
the 2006 FA Cup run.

But, in a way, none of this is Sam Allardcye's fault. For the fact that he
and West Ham are such an ill-fit, the finger should be pointed at the people
who appointed him in the first place. Because Leopards don't change their
spots. Or do they?

Here are some of the biggest complaints I heard from West Ham supporting
friends last season, most of whom are season-ticket holders and some of whom
seem to align the name Allardcye alongside Pol Pot, and Joseph Stalin:
- "it's long ball football" (Ok, so in other words, Allardyce is doing
exactly what it says on the tin, acting totally in character, and being Sam
Allardyce).

- "he buys all his players from the same agent, Mark Curtis, and puts them
on big salaries (In other words, Allardyce is doing exactly what it says on
the tin, acting totally in character, and being Sam Allardyce).

- "he constantly criticises referees and blames everyone but himself" (In
other words, Allardyce is doing exactly what it says on the tin, acting
totally in character, and being Sam Allardyce).

- "he swears too much" (my mum doesn't like that one) – apparently one of
those emails sent round last season contained some expletives?
My point is this – you can't knock a man for being himself. You can't blame
Sam Allardyce for getting appointed West Ham manager, and then rocking up at
Upton Park, and acting like Sam Allardyce!

Poor Sam wasn't helped by events last summer. Clearly his job was on the
line, but it seems a combination of the board not wanting to pay up the
remaining year of his contract, and the lack of available suitable
successors allowed Sam a stay of execution, much to the disappointment of
many – I would say, the majority – of West Ham fans. (Personally, I reckon
the reports that Sullivan wanted to sack Sam, but Gold and Brady persuaded
him against it, aren't too far removed from the truth).

But, anyway, as a result of a those week-long shenanigans back in May, Sam
now finds himself in a bit of a lose-lose situation. If the team does well
this season and plays good football, then it's because the owners, influened
by the fans, forced it upon him, and also, of course, because of the new
signings, who were all signed by the board.

Personally, I think that's very unfair. I can't believe a manager with so
much experience knows only how to play one way? With the team looking so
impressive in recent games, maybe the manager's coaching has also played a
part? Maybe it's time to cut Sam some slack?

One of my favourite moments of the season so far – and there have been many
already, more than last season already – was when Carlton scored at Crystal
Palace and the crowd started chanting his name. Yes, there was a touch of
pathos about it, gallows humour if you like, but it was sung with genuine
love and affection.

Maybe we could turn Sam into a cult figure too. The first club to really
embrace him as a manager. Who knows, he might reciprocate the love?
Unfortunately, 'Sam Allardyce's Claret and Blue Army' doesn't scan, but
(unfortuantely for Sam), 'Big Fat Sam's Claret and Bue Army' fits perfectly,
and if he's got a sense of humour, he'd appreciate it, surely? How about
some chants of 'Sam In, Sam In'? With a 'Fat Sam In' banner to accompany it
if we continue to play as we did against Hull and Liverpool.

But love is a two way thing, and the least Sam could do is try and meet the
fans halfway. He seemed to be on a mission to deliberately rile the fans
when he first tookover, riding rough shod over our history, with disparaging
remarks about the West Ham way etc.

Maybe Allardyce could take a leaf out of Alan Pardew's book, a manager who
became very poular at West Ham, despite, one good season aside, the football
being pretty dire most of the time. Pardew's trick was to constantly praise
the fans, taking time out to read up on the club's history, name-dropping
Bobby Moore, Di Canio and the greats at every opportunity, making it seem
like he felt priveliged to be part of the club. Small things, but they can
go a long way. At the height of his popularity, the club even produced a
Pocket Pardew character for your desktop computer.

A mate told me after the infamous Hull match last season that "there's no
way back for him after that". Not only did he cup his hands at the crowd, he
was still going on about it in his column in the Standard a few days later.
What I never understood is that Allardyce and Nolan, who also had a dig at
the fans that night, had been in the game long enough to know their comments
were headliners' dreams.

He also made the Lampard error in that some of the fans were booing, but by
no means all of them. Hopefully he has learnt from that, but, if he hasn't
that will be his downfall, regardless of what happens on the pitch. Engaging
with the fans is a massive part of the remit of a West Ham manager, and you
need a certain personality to be a West Ham manager. Sadly, from day one,
there was a bristling, uneasy tension between Sam and the fans. Perhaps he
thought he could walk into this job, get results and the fans would all be
bowing down to him, but he underestimated our complex crowd. He has to show
more humility.

So a few tips, Sam:

- Have some respect for the club's history, -Don't whinge about referees and
make excuses all the time.
-Cut out all the mumbo-jumbo about Penalty Box Entries (PBEs) – fans don't
want to hear this, and don't try and tell the fans the team created loads of
chances when they can see with their own eyes they didn't.
- Don't go on TV/Radio shows singing the praises of Charles Hughes,
- And, as my mum always used to tell me when I was about 9 years old, if you
must chew gum all the time, try and keep your mouth shut while you do it.

Simple little things that would really help your relationship with
Essex/East London folk.

If he ever became popular enough, we could have a lot fun with a pocket Fat
Sam. Actually, the last time I visited the Romford store, I laughed out
loud, when I saw those gnome-like figures of David Sullivan and David Gold
on sale. They're so bizarre I've put them on on my xmas list. But how about
one of Sam? With a fat stomach that, whenever you press it, he says, "I love
the West Ham way, I love Bobby Moore, football on the floor, football on the
floor".

So, grow your hair and beards, get those 'Sam In' placards made up. All you
need is Love.

Let me tell you now,

Everybody's talking about John and Sakho,

Karen Brady, David Gold, Enner Valencia,

David Moyes, Kevin Nolan, Mark Noble,

Tommy Cooper, Norman Mailer, Hare Krishna, Hare Hare Krishna

All we are saying is give Sam a chance
All we are saying is give Sam a chance.

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Fragile Burnley exposed by West Ham's prolific goalscorer Diafra Sakho
• Scorer Carlton Cole inspired by competition for places
• Sakho nets sixth goal in six games in Turf Moor win
Burnley 1 West Ham 3
Premier League
Press Association
The Guardian, Sunday 19 October 2014 22.01 BST

Carlton Cole says he has been inspired by West Ham United's summer signings,
even though they are keeping him out of the side. Enner Valencia and Diafra
Sakho have formed an impressive partnership up front for the Hammers and
both scored in this victory. Aaron Cresswell and Carl Jenkinson set up the
opening two goals, and Sakho was involved in the third scored by the
substitute Cole. The 31-year-old, who is into his ninth season with the
club, said: "You always want new players to bed in as soon as possible and
these players have just hit the ground running. You can't ask for any more
and they've really energised the older players as well. Players like myself
who are experienced, you just want to get up to the level they're getting up
to. It reminds you you're not finished yet, you've still got a lot to show
and give."

West Ham managed just 40 goals in 38 games last season but are averaging
nearly two a game so far. Sakho has had a lot to do with that, the former
Metz man scoring his sixth goal in his last six games – five in the Premier
League. "If he keeps on going like that, there's no chance of me getting
in," said Cole. "As long as I can come on and contribute and try to do the
best I can, that's all I can do at the moment. Any chance I get, I try to do
a professional job."

The victory was enough to lift West Ham, at least temporarily, to the dizzy
heights of fourth and give Sam Allardyce the perfect 60th birthday present.
"I was saying to the boys I can't remember being here and at this stage of
the season being in a Champions League spot," said Cole. "We're doing really
well, we're not letting it go to our heads, we're taking each game as it
comes and that's all we need to do really. The players are playing
brilliantly and the manager can't ask much more from us. "It's very
rewarding. I'm just happy to be a part of it and I'll hopefully be a part of
it for as long as I can. I love playing for the club and I've always enjoyed
playing under Sam as well. "Everything's going well and we just need to keep
it going and see how far we can get."

It was an afternoon of mixed feelings for Burnley, who were much the better
side in the first half but came away with nothing as they continue their
search for a first win of the season. They hit the bar twice and saw a goal
correctly disallowed for offside, as well as scoring through one of their
own summer signings, George Boyd. It was the Scottish winger's first for the
club but there was more frustration for the strikers, none of whom have yet
found the net this season. Boyd is confident the team's luck will change but
admitted they need to learn fast after a sloppy start to the second half
cost them dearly. "We dominated for large spells and the gaffer warned us
they would come out and give us a bit of a response, and those two goals at
the start of the second half have killed the game really," Boyd said. "We
came back at 2-1, and even at 3-1, [Ashley] Barnes has hit the crossbar. I
think it's good we showed a bit of character and kept coming back. "There's
loads of positives, we played some fantastic stuff in the first half. It was
just a 10-minute spell we have to learn from. "It's devastating that we've
lost because of the way we played. The amount of chances we created in the
first half, I've no doubt people will score goals and that will be enough to
keep us in the division."

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Gold: "We're classy, tough and streetwise"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 19, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

David Gold believes there's much more to come from the new West Ham and
believes the fans saw them maturing by the minute at Turf Moor.
He wasn't surprised to see Sean Dyche's outfit attack us from the start but
was equally sure the Hammers would see them off in the second period because
we are "classy, tough and streetwise." Speaking exclusively to
ClaretandHugh he explained: "It was no surprise to anybody that they tore
out of the traps and they had us on the back foot for a long time. But we
were so reslient and when the chips were down in the second period, class
told. We have some great players at this club now and both Valencia and
Sakho are very special along with two full backs who had tremendous games.
It was also brilliant to see Carlton score and he had as big a smile on his
face as I can remember seeing for a long time. He was terrific and is loving
what's going on here. A lot may have given up on him but he showed us
there's still a lot in the locker alongside Sakho. We are all trying to stay
cool, calm and collected but my aspirations are rising, these times have
been a long time coming – we all deserve them."

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Sakho's double your money deal just the job
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 19, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Diafra Sakho doubled his wages when signing for West Ham. The scoring
sensation accepted a deal worth £15k a week at Upton Park boosteed by
appearance money. A source told ClaretandHugh exclusively: "After our last
experience with Modibo Maiga there was no way we were prepared to be
offering terms in the area of £40k a week again. "Diafra was always
desperately keen to sign and sometimes you have to take a punt. We learned a
lesson with the last deal and this was a kid who although he was a
goalscorer hadn't proved enough in the French second division. "So a deal of
£15k plus appearance bonuses was good for us and great for him given it
doubled his wage with Metz and we could hardly be more pleased at the way
things are working out!"

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Irons top trio on "no escape clause" contracts
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 19, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

It's more good news on this sunny Sunday. ClaretandHugh can reveal that
Enner Valencia is locked into a Hammers contract without a single escape
clause in place. The brilliant Ecuador international signed a five year deal
with the club and the Irons were insistent on both that contract and those
involving Diafra Sakho and Aaron Cresswell, that such clauses were not an
option. A source told us exclusively: "We have had enough of that. It causes
a lot of problems and puts worries in supporters' minds but there are times
when it has to be done. "If you are a side that may be flirting around the
bottom of the league, then players need those sort of assurances but we were
looking upwards this year and decided to end that sort of thinking. "Enner,
Aaron and Diafra all signed watertight deals which is great news for all the
fans. They will be around for a long time to help take this club to where we
want it to be."

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Silly Sunderland did Irons such a big favour
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 19, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

It might well have been Connor Wickham (right) at £8 million if Sunderland
had had their way. Instead it was a desperate Diafro Sakho at £3,5 million
after some well known hiccups along the way. We won't go into the whys and
wherefores of why that on/off situation situation with Metz developed.
Sufficient to say that at last the Hammers have had a result in the striker
market. So far this season Wickham has managed one league goal in eight
appearaances whilst Sakho – oh go on say it again – has managed six from six
including the League Cup defeat.ig favour My understanding is that Wickham
was very much the first choice of Sam Allardyce and Teddy Sheringham but
Sunderland did us an enormous by over-pricing the player by some distance.

Sometimes you get lucky and the Hammers went back for the Metz player at
£3.5 million – rising after 140 appearances to £7 million. Thank you very
much Metz. It's all very easy in retrospect of course and after the Modibo
Maiga disaster it's easy to see why the club may have wanted to stay British
but I never got the Wickham thing at all. Too many injuries, not enough
goals. We certainly deserved a break on the striker front. In fact no club
deserved one more given the record over recent seasons. So thank you silly
Sunderland for your over-pricing of an average striker, thank you Metz for
kicking up a fuss, thank you Mr Sullivan for going back in for Sakho and
thank you Diafra for the goals.

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Thrill a minute stuff – time to get over ourselves
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on October 19, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Yes it was great…well at the least the second half was after the manager had
got after the players and changed things around. And he was spot-on in his
assessment that the victory against Burnley was based on the right and left
sided defenders, Carl Jenkinson and Aaron Creswell who answered his call to
get into threatening positions and find some real quality crosses. Enner
Valencia then showed he's as great in the air as he is on the ground with a
magnificent top corner header whilst Diafra Sakho scored a beauty.
Naturally, it didn't take the Match of the Day lads long to start asking
where the "Sam Out Brigade" had got to – and that of course was repeated on
Twitter. Let's deal with that once and for all and attempt to take the
discusssion out of the simplistic ' love him or hate him ' arena.

I for one, despite many accusations to the contrary, do not hate Sam
Allardyce. I just hate BAD FOOTBALL and that was what we were watching last
season. This season – after a summer when fans, board, and the manager and
his coaching staff all had their input - we are watching some of the best
football we have seen in many years at the Boleyn. So well done Sam, well
done Macca, well done Teddy, well done the Davids and well done the fans for
insisting that we saw a return to the West Ham Way which quite simply is
this – a passing and creative game with goals at the end of it. Sam
Allardyce and his staff get a ten out out of ten for producing a system that
is thrill-a-minute stuff for most of the time. Sam gets judged at
personality level as well. Some love him – some hate him as a bloke. There's
an arrogance and obstinacy in there and occasionally a tendency to take
credit when things are going well and to criticise players when it goes
wrong. Even that has changed a bit this season and that's to the good. But
whether we warm to him as a bloke is unimportant. only the end product
matters.

West Ham United are emerging as a serious force this year – we are beating
the teams we should beat and raising our game sufficiently to get results or
play with great credit against those. who are supposedly at a higher level.
So can we now just get on with it, free ourselves of the "told you so"
culture and unite behind the manager, staff, board and team. Now I know
that's quite a revolutionary suggestion :-) but it's perhaps worth a try.

COYI!

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