Daily WHUFC News - 15th November 2014

Hammers enjoy Fulham run out
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Matt Jarvis and Joey O'Brien are pushing for places after
facing Fulham
14.11.2014

West Ham United duo Matt Jarvis and Joey O'Brien were two of the starting XI
who faced Fulham in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the Boleyn Ground on
Thursday afternoon. Both players have seen there playing time limited due to
injuries picked up at the start of the season yet are ready again for first
team duties and could face Everton on Saturday 22 November. Speaking after
the game, O'Brien, the 28-year-old Republic of Ireland international, said:
"It was good to get some minutes on the pitch. I haven't played that much
lately, neither had many of the lads out there. Playing a match gives you
something different to normal training."

Looking ahead to the Hammers' next game away at Goodison Park, O'Brien
continued: "It's a hard one, Goodison is always a hard place to go to. But
listen, we're sitting fourth in the league and they'll be saying the same
about us. "The international break is one of those things we just need to
deal with. Being fourth is no fluke as we're eleven games into the season.
We've had a few international breaks already this year and they don't seem
to have affected us, hopefully this one won't either."

England international Matt Jarvis had an excellent game against Fulham,
proving to be too much for the Fulham defence to handle as he set up Ricardo
Vaz Te for the Hammers' opener. "I felt good out there," the No7 said. "It's
nice to get some minutes in and to get an assist was also nice. We know
Everton will be a tough game but the team is doing extremely well so
hopefully we'll continue that run." "It's been a great start to the season.
We'll get a bit of a rest and then hopefully continue our good run of form
against Everton."

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Suker proud of Hammers links
WHUFC.com
Croatia legend Davor Suker was delighted to see his national team grace the
Boleyn Ground
14.11.2014

Croatia legend Davor Suker was back on familiar territory this week as his
national team took on Argentina at the Boleyn Ground. Suker, who is
Croatia's all-time record goalscorer and is now President of the country's
Football Federation, spent a season as a West Ham United player in 2000/01.
Now 46, the former Sevilla and Real Madrid striker saw a young Croatia side
push a star-studded Argentina line-up all the way before losing out 2-1 to
Lionel Messi's second-half penalty. "I remember when I came here and, in my
time, I remember West Ham and the great history of the club," said Suker,
who scored three goals in 13 Hammers appearances during an injury-affected
campaign. "I remember big players and the gaffer, Harry Redknapp, a nice
club, a family club and only bad luck for me in that year. I had a little
bit of a groin injury, when I had never been injured and it was the first
time. "When I saw the stadium and saw a lot of West Ham supporters again, I
am so proud to be one part of the history of West Ham United."

Suker also felt huge pride in seeing his fellow countrymen pull on their
famous red and white checked shirts at the Academy of Football.
With the likes of Luka Modric, Mario Mandzukic and Ivan Rakitic being saved
for a Euro 2016 qualifier in Italy on Sunday, Croatia's young stars took
centre-stage. HNK Rijeka's Anas Sharbini fired the Blazers into an early
lead, while Internazionale's Mateo Kovacic, 20, and 18-year-old Barcelona
playmaker Alen Halilovic gave a glimpse of what promises to be a bright
future. "It's a historic game and of course playing against Argentina and
Messi was a success for us. Maybe the media in Croatia thought we would
concede three, four or five goals but this was not true. "Football is today
for real men and real fighters and I'm so proud of the young players aged 17
to 22-years-old, playing against one of the best national teams in the
world. "We lost the game, but we are so proud."

The trio could all feature in Milan on Sunday, when Croatia will seek to
make it four wins out of four in qualification. Suker's modern-day
compatriots are seeking to emulate the achievements of he and fellow
ex-Hammers Slaven Bilic and Igor Stimac, who reached the Euro 96
quarter-finals and finished third at the 1998 FIFA World Cup - just a few
years after the country had declared independence and reformed its national
team. Perhaps the poster moment of Croatia's emergence was Suker's
marvellous chip over Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel at Hillsborough
during the Euro 96 group stages. "Ah yes, the goal against friend
Schmeichel! Of course it was a nice part of the progress of Croatian history
and this Euro 96 and the World Cup in '98 were historic and have become
legends. "Both 1996 and 1998 were great years in Croatian football."

Suker is hoping Croatia's current side can emulate another one of their
achievements by winning a qualifier in Italy this weekend. Back in November
1994, the striker scored twice as Croatia won 2-1 in Palermo on their way to
qualifying for the 1996 UEFA European Championship finals - their first
major tournament. "I hope we can surprise Italy. Of course Italy are
favourites at home but we might surprise them. We will proud in the stadium
and the San Siro will be full, so I hope we can repeat something. "Maybe one
point is OK, but it would be great to do the same as we did in Palermo in
1994 when we beat Italy 2-1."

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On this day - 15 November
WHUFC.com
The Hammers made it nine unbeaten away from home with a win over Wimbledon
on this day 28 years ago
15.11.2014

Classic match
Wimbledon 0-1 West Ham United
Division One
15 November 1986
An away day win over Wimbledon 28 years ago continued a run of just one
defeat from 13 matches as the Hammers moved up to fifth in Division One.
John Lyall's team had Tony Cottee to thank for extending their unbeaten away
run to nine matches as the striker netted the only goal of the match. The
team's fine away form wouldn't continue however and they would record only
one more away win over the course of the season as they finished in 15th
place.

Complete record - 15 November
1919 West Ham United 1-0 Leicester City (Division Two)
1924 West Bromwich Albion 4-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1930 West Ham United 1-1 Leeds United (Division One)
1947 West Ham United 0-0 Luton Town (Division Two)
1952 West Ham United 3-0 Swansea Town (Division Two)
1958 Everton 2-2 West Ham United (Division One)
1969 Liverpool 2-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1975 Derby County 2-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1980 Luton Town 3-2 West Ham United (Division Two)
1986 Wimbledon 0-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1992 Millwall 2-1 West Ham United (Division One)
2008 West Ham United 0-0 Portsmouth (Premier League)
Played 12, Won 3, Drawn 4, Lost 5, Scored 13, Conceded 16

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Hammers linked with the 'new Marek Hamsik'
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 14th November 2014
By: Staff Writer

West Ham are being linked with a move for Brescia's teenage attacking
midfielder Ismail H'Maidat. The Dutch-born winger, who also holds dual
Moroccan nationality is currently plying his trade in Serie B, the second
flight of Italian football, but in recent months has drawn a series of
potential suitors. One such interested party are West Ham, who reports from
Italy reveal have been keeping tabs on the youngster along with Serie A
giants Inter and AC Milan. H'Maidat joined Brescia during the summer after
being released by Anderlecht, from whom West Ham purchased fellow midfielder
Cheikhou Kouyate in August. He failed to make a single first team
appearance for the Belgian giants but has experienced a dramatic turnaround
in form since moving to Italy. Having been left benched for five of Brescia
opening six games, H'Maidat featured as a second half substitute in the 1-1
draw at home to Varese at the beginning of October since when he has
appeared in every game.

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Downing suffers injury setback during England training
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 14th November 2014
By: Staff Writer

It's not quite on the 'Dean Ashton' scale, but Stewart Downing has picked up
a slight knock ahead of England's European Championship qualifier with
Slovenia. West Ham's 30-year-old midfielder has been impressing during
training all week but is a slight concern for manager Roy Hodgson ahead of
Friday evening's clash after sustaining a minor injury this morning. However
the FA report that the in-form Hammer - whose last cap came in May 2012 - is
expected to recover in time for this weekend's clash. Speaking to the BBC
about his recall this week, Downing said: "At the minute I'm on a bit of a
high, playing well. Obviously Roy's noticed that and I just need to continue
playing consistently well. "I'm playing in a good team, a winning team. So
I'm looking to get out there, perform and just carry my form on. The main
thing is the manager's happy for me to be here and I'm over the moon to
play."

* In other international news, Carl Jenkinson netted for the England Under
21s last night as Gareth Southgate's side beat Portugal 3-1 at Burnley's
Turf Moor ground to extend their sequence of straight wins to 11. West Ham's
on-loan right-back added a second for England shortly before half time after
Danny Ings had given the Three Lions an early lead. Ings added a second in
the second half to restore England's two goal lead after Bernardo Silva has
reduced the deficit shortly before half time.

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Colchester swoop for Harney
Last Updated: 14/11/14 11:14am
SSN

Colchester have signed defender Jamie Harney on loan from Premier League
outfit West Ham. The 18-year-old Northern Ireland Under-21 international has
made the short move until January 12 to boost a rearguard that conceded
three goals in Sunday's 6-3 win over Gosport.
Tony Humes moved for the youngster following Elliott Hewitt's return to
Ipswich.

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HAMMERS SCOUTING MISSION IN VIENNA
By Sean Whetstone 14 Nov 2014 at 17:01
West Ham Till I Die

According to the Daily Mail West Ham are sending scouts to watch Austria vs
Russia on Saturday 15th November to watch Aleksandar Dragovic and Martin
Hinteregger. Sam Allardyce is weighing up defensive replacements with the
future of Winston Reid unresolved. New reports suggest West Ham have set a
January deadline to accept ot reject a new deal worth £60,000 per week.
Aleksandar Dragovic is a 22 year old Austrian defender, he started his
career by playing in the youth teams of Austrian giants Austria Wien In Feb
2011 Dragovi? transferred to FC Basel in the Swiss Super League for whom he
appeared 77 times scoring 4 goals.In July 2013, Dragovic signed a 5 year
contract with the Ukrainian club FC Dynamo Kyiv where he has made 32
appearances. He has earned 28 caps for Austria since his call up in 2009.

Martin Hinteregger is a 22 year old defender who came through the youth
ranks at Red Bull Salzburg beginning his senior career in 2010, he has made
111 appearances for Salzburg scoring 4 goals. Hinteregger made his debut for
the Austria senior team in a 1-0 friendly win over USA on 19th November 2013
and since earned two more caps for Austria.

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AND THE STATUE MOVES TOO?
By S J Chandos 14 Nov 2014 at 08:00
West Ham Till I Die

The Sports Mail have reported this morning that West Ham's Champions
Sculpture could be moved to a new location ahead of the club's 2016-17 move
to the Olympic Stadium. The iconic 16-foot bronze is currently the pride of
the Barking Road, but fans will have their say as to its future. As the move
away from the Boleyn Ground nears, it does seem logical that the artwork may
move to the club's new home in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Hammers fans,
local residents and councillors and planning authorities will discuss its
possible relocation, says the club's official website. Depicting the
celebrations of Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore and Ray Wilson after
England's World Cup victory in 1966, the sculpture was unveiled in 2003. The
statute was a creation of Royal Sculptor Philip Jackson and was jointly
commissioned by Newham Council and West Ham in 2001. Is it fitting that the
statue should move with the club to Stratford or is it more appropriate to
leave it at Upton Park to mark the club's long and historic association with
the site?

SJ. Chandos.

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West Ham 'ready to sell Winston Reid in January' if defender fails to sign
new contract
Nov 14, 2014 10:39 By Liam Prenderville
Both Arsenal and Manchester United have been linked with the New Zealander
recently with West Ham unwilling to lose him on a free at the end of the
season
The Mirror

West Ham have reportedly set a deadline of January for defender Winston Reid
to sign a new deal. The New Zealander will be out of contract at the end of
the season and Hammers chiefs would rather sell him than let him go on a
free. Earlier this month, co-owner David Sullivan revealed the club had made
a huge offer to keep Reid at Upton Park - although a lot would depend on
their finishing position, with the 26-year-old eager to play European
football. Sam Allardyce's men currently sit in fourth after their fine start
but it appears Reid won't be given the chance to make a decision once the
season is over. According to the Times, West Ham will offload the defender
if he doesn't sign a new deal by mid-January with three clubs monitoring his
services. Both Arsenal and Manchester United have been linked in recent
times with both clubs short of options at the back. Gunners' boss Arsene
Wenger is desperate for a centre-half with left-back Nacho Monreal being
forced to play out of position due to an injury to Laurent Koscielny.
Meanwhile, United are still in the hunt having seen their backline ravaged
by injury this term. Reid would appear a much cheaper option to first-choice
Mats Hummels, with Aston Villa's Ron Vlaar also being considered.

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Hammers talk on midfielder link
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 14, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham have rubbished speculation they are close to agreeing a deal for
midfielder Juan Cazares. The 22 year old – who plays for Banfield on loan
from River Plate – was heavily linked with a move to the Boleyn earlier
today – but the speculation was killed off by sources inside the club. Some
reports in the South American press claimed the deal was 75 per cent done
and were the story also found its way onto prominent Argentinian websites
but the suggestion was quickly killed off to ClaretandHugh earlier this
evening. We were told: "We do not need a midfielder at this moment in time
and unless somebody goes we have nothing left in the the wages budget."
Cazares has had a couple of loan spells at Barcelona and is very much an
attacking midfielder who it is claimed is agile with good technique and
speed.

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No 'givens' on new Allardyce deal
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 14, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

David Sullivan and David Gold's practice of leaving manager contract
negotiations until the end of the season could see them involved in
complicated talks should they opt to offer the manager a new deal.
ClaretandHugh has revealed previously that several factors will affect the
decision on whether Sam Allardyce will be invited to stay on as club boss.
These include not only final league position, but the team's performance in
the FA Cup, the continuation of attacking football and fan satisfaction.
However, whilst the board's agenda is well known, there are always two sides
to talks as is being shown in the Winston Reid saga. So this will not be a
case of West Ham's owners making an offer and the manager gleefully
accepting, should that be how it works out.

Sam Allardyce – who employs Mark Curtis as his agent – was the world's 13th
best paid manager when the last survey was done – which points to the tough
negotiating stance his side invariably adopts. Currently he's believed to be
on a contract worth £2.9 million a year including bonuses and should he
fulfill all the criteria clearly being demanded of him, a hefty rise could
be sought. Thus some serious wheeling and dealing is in the pipeline with an
additional issue being the possibility of the board wanting him to accept a
one year rolling contract even if they accept his demands. This is very much
a two way street and with many variables thrown in along the way nobody
should see anything as a 'given.' Indeed David Sullivan – when questioned
directly on the subject by Sky News – declared: "Well, Sam could be manager
of Manchester United couldn't he?" It was presumably said in jest but he was
clearly making what be believes is a point about nothing ever being as
straightforward as it may seem"

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Carroll "facing tough test of temperament"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 14, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Andy Carroll continued his comeback with a goal against Fulham in a practice
match yesterday as club insiders claim he is facing the toughest test of his
temperament yet over the next few weeks. AC grabbed the second Hammers goal
in a 3-3 draw after a barnstorming last five minutes at the weekend but Sam
Allardyce is making it clear he has a way to go and that there's little
chance of the Valencia/Sakho partnership being broken up in the forseeable
future.

And although the club's record signing has bee making it clear he will
thrive on the competition, one highly placed 'face' told ClaretandHugh: "It
will be interesting to see how he responds seven of eight games down the
line. "Mauro Zarate - despite making his "I stay" position at the club
clear – is unhappy that he's not getting games even though he has had minor
knocks. "And it will be no different with Andy. He's been on the sidelines a
long time and is desperate to play but it's not going to happen in the short
term.
"Of course injuries and suspensions can kick in which changes everything
but if everyone stays fit he's going to find it tough getting in and then
life will be very interesting seeing how he responds."

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Gold rejects "bad treatment" of Maiga
Posted by Sean Whetstone on November 14, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham co-chairman David Gold has refuted claims that Modibo Maiga has
been badly treated and insisted the flop striker was given a 'once in a
life time opportunity to play in the Premier League. Speaking on Twitter in
response to a West Ham asking "Why did you treat Maiga so bad?" Gold
replied " He was given £2m a year and a once in a life time opportunity to
play in the PL. dg"

His response confirms that Maiga is currently earning £38,000 per week with
a year left to run on his contract after his season long loan with Metz
finishes. He was signed for £4.7m by Sam Allardyce in the summer of 2012 on
a four year contract. It is claimed he was offered a six figure pay out to
terminate his contract over the summer which he rejected. Maiga scored 24
goals in 52 games for Sochaux after joining from Le Mans in July 2010.

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Irons big three share Nations Cup worries
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 14, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham officials HAVE held talks with the club's three African Nations Cup
contenders who share their fears over the Ebola health fears surrounding
the tournament. And hardly unnaturally Alex Song, Cheikhou Kouyate and
Diafra Sakho have reservations about visiting the continent at the height of
a disease outbreak that has killed thousands. Song has already expressed his
concerns declaring: "If calling it off is the way to stop the spread of the
virus then we have to do it."

ClaretandHugh understands that the same concerns are shared by the other two
Irons and that the club believes the tournament should be postponed until
the summer or abandoned. We were told: "We know the feelings of the players
and share them. It should be postponed to the Summer or abandoned but
financial reasons may dictate it goes ahead. "It seems wrong that the clubs
concerns are not taken into consideration when deciding on the possible
safety of its players. "Can it be right to put players at risk when those
risks can be eliminated a postponement at the very least?"

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Reid looks set to become free agent
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 14, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham appear to be becoming more and more resigned to losing Winston Reid
in the summer. National newspaper stories today claim the player could be
"transfer listed" in January and that's true but the mood inside the club is
that the player will now allow his contract to run down and become a free
agent in the summer. ClaretandHugh was told that whilst the club would do
everything it can to get a fee for the player, the final outcome to the saga
is in Reid's hands. We were told: "Obviously if it becomes apparent that he
isn't going to sign, it would be good to get a fee but if he holds out
there's nothing that can be done. " several rounds of talks with his adviser
but there has been no real feedback. They appear to come, listen and go away
again. "In those circumstances, you tend to start fearing the worst. I
suppose where's there's life there's hope but we the club is having to take
a realistic view of things." The "transfer listing " of a player is an old
term for a situation where c;lubs are alerted to a player's availability.

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Cancel ANC tournament NOW
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 14, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

I don't often get angry …irritable and edgy yes, but anger isn't usually an
issue. However, the organisers of the African Nations Tournament are getting
me there. In fact their behaviour makes me utterly furious. The continent
currently has one of the biggest health catastrophes in modern history on
its hands. Thousands have died! Ebola is rampant yet the organisers of this
event are running around cap in hand asking nations to stage a tournament
that any civilised person knows should have been cancelled weeks ago.

Morocco have pulled out as hosts and now we are witnessing the African
game's ruling body desperately running around trying to get someone anyone
to save their investment. West Ham have spoken to the three players who
could be called up should this thing go ahead (please God no) and
understandably players at Upton Park and elsewhere are reluctant to get
involved. How anybody in the corridors of power of African football can
expect, Songy, Cheik or Diafra – and all those from other clubs – to put
themselves at such high risk, is beyond hideous.

West Ham has no say in this nor – as far as we know have they been asked for
their opinion - despite the fact they are responsible for paying the
players their huge wages. I have little doubt this is all about money and
given we are looking at a major health issue that's downright immoral.

Cancel this tournament NOW

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