Daily WHUFC News - 19th November 2014

Moncur departs
WHUFC.com
Midfielder George Moncur has joined Colchester United on a permanent basis
for an undisclosed fee
18.11.2014

West Ham United can confirm that midfielder George Moncur has joined
Colchester United on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee. The
21-year-old has been with the U's on loan since pre-season, making 21
appearances and scoring three goals in all competitions. Moncur, who joined
the Hammers as a teenager, departs the Boleyn Ground after making two
first-team appearances for the Club. The son of former West Ham favourite
John, Moncur made his debut as a substitute in a League Cup tie against
Crewe Alexandra in August 2012 and his first and only start in an FA Cup
third-round match at Nottingham Forest in January 2014. During his time at
West Ham, he also made more than 50 Development Squad appearances and
enjoyed loan spells with AFC Wimbledon and Scottish side Partick Thistle.

On his departure, Moncur thanked the Hammers for the support the Club gave
him during the early part of his professional career. "There is some sadness
about leaving West Ham because I was there for a good few years and I had
some great times there," he said. "My Dad spent a few years there as well so
I'll miss it but I've got a new challenge in front of me now. I have got to
thank the people at West Ham, especially Nick Haycock and Ian Hendon who
spent a lot of time with me and improved my game. West Ham United would like
to thank George for his hard work and commitment and wish him all the very
best for his future career.

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Support the Dev Squad against PSV
WHUFC.com
West Ham United U21s take on PSV in their second U21 Premier League
International Cup game on Wednesday
18.11.2014

The Development Squad return to U21 Premier League International Cup action
on Wednesday evening when they play host to PSV Eindhoven. Having been
defeated 5-3 by Athletic Club Bilbao in their opening fixture, the Hammers
will be looking to bounce back against PSV. It has been a tough start to the
season for the U21s, who currently sit 12th in the Barclays U21 Premier
League table and have been beaten in their last three outings. However, a
break from league action gives them a chance to shine on the European stage
and you can be there to watch! Kick-off is at 7pm, and admission is free for
Season Ticket Holders. Non-Season Ticket Holders are admitted for £3 adults
and £1 concessions.

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West Ham's George Moncur makes Colchester United switch
BBC.co.uk

Colchester United have signed West Ham midfielder George Moncur for an
undisclosed fee. The U's are allowed to convert the 21-year-old's loan deal
into a permanent move, and he has signed a contract until 2017. The son of
former Hammers midfielder John Moncur, he has featured 20 times for
Colchester this season and was set to be on loan until January. He leaves
Upton Park four years after signing his first professional deal.

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RAVEL IN LAST CHANCE SALOON AGAIN
By Sean Whetstone 18 Nov 2014 at 13:31
West Ham Till I Die

According to the Independent on Sunday, Cardiff City will decide later this
month whether to give Ravel Morrison another chance to fulfil his potential
after a disappointing spell on loan at the Championship club. Manager
Russell Slade has not been impressed with Ravel's attempt to kick-start his
career yet again since his arrival in September.

It is claimed Slade will decide this month whether or not to ask West Ham to
extend the loan spell, but unless he starts to see the sort of form the
Cardiff manager may well let Morrison go.

Slade said: "There's no doubt that Ravel has got bags of ability. He has
been at Manchester United and West Ham under great managers and with quality
players all around him. But it has not quite happened for him. He still has
not fulfilled the potential he has shown and the ability he has got."

A knee injury has not helped Morrison, who produced a 25-minute cameo on his
debut against Sheffield Wednesday in September, but he has started only once
in eight games since and hasn't scored. Morrison's £15,000 per week contract
finishes at the end of the season and currently there appears little
possibility of him being being a new contract by the Hammers. West Ham paid
in the region of £600,000 upfront to Manchester United plus £25,000 per
Premier League appearance until a fee of £1 million was reached. Ravel
Morrison has made 18 appearances for West Ham adding the extra £400,000.

Manchester United, manager Sir Alex Ferguson told West Ham manager, Sam
Allardyce of Morrison, "A brilliant footballer. Brilliant ability. Top class
ability. Needs to get away from Manchester and start a new life"

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THREE LIONS. TWO CROSSED IRONS. ONE WINNER
By Brian Williams 18 Nov 2014 at 08:00
West Ham Till I Die

So, tonight England and Scotland revive their historic rivalry at Celtic
Park. Forgive me while I stifle a jaw-dislocating yawn and check what's on
television this evening (come to think of it, there might still be Columbo
in the planner I haven't watched yet).

There was a time England's results really mattered to me. When Bobby Moore
wiped the mud off his hands on the velvet cloth draped over the edge of the
royal box and prepared to receive the Jules Rimet trophy from the Queen at
Wembley on a glorious July day in 1966 I couldn't have been happier. England
were world champions, and the nation's global triumph had been achieved with
the considerable help of three players from the club side to which I had
given my young heart two years earlier.

Moore, Hurst and Peters – the holy trinity for West Ham supporters of a
certain age (the age that means you should start watching your cholesterol
and hills seem steeper than they once did). Not only had West Ham provided
the captain of a world-conquering team, we had come up with the goal-scorers
too.

I had pictures of all three of them on my bedroom wall. By the time the
World Cup was won I wasn't allowed posters because my Dad didn't like the
way Sellotape stripped off a piece of the wallpaper when you took one down
for whatever reason (such as an elder brother inking in a Hitler moustache
on a favourite player in retaliation for some perceived offence by a totally
innocent party). Instead, I had framed photographs. The ten-by-eight prints
were supplied by Typhoo Tea in return for a set number of packet tops. The
frames – and the glass which prevented any further acts of sibling vandalism
– were provided by my old man, who was a dab hand at that sort of thing.

The pictures, hanging on pukka picture-hooks, were aligned with perfect
precision – my father was the sort of man who insisted on using a spirit
level for jobs like that.

For me, there was a similar and equally pleasing alignment between my club
and my country at that time. With Moore, Hurst and Peters automatic
selections for the national side, supporting England was merely an extension
of following West Ham.

The three of them remained on my wall, seemingly content to be there, for
the following four years. West Ham never quite enjoyed the success they
should have done in that period, but I knew it was only a matter of time
before we won another trophy. Besides, as all three were such an integral
part of Alf Ramsey's plans I happily regarded England as my "other" team.
And a very good team it was, too. They were certainly going to win a major
tournament again soon.

Had I given the matter any thought as I entered my teens, I suppose I would
have told you I expected West Ham's World Cup heroes to remain on their
hooks where my Dad had hung them for years to come. It never occurred to me
that any of them might want to leave Upton Park. And I couldn't have dreamt
that I would one day feel very differently about England.

The first picture to come down was Martin Peters. To be honest, I wasn't all
that upset. In fact, after I'd removed his photo and filled in the holes
left by the hook under the watchful eye of my father – who couldn't
understand how I could make such a mess with a little dab of Polyfilla and a
trowel – I actually wrote a letter to Goal magazine expressing my delight at
the deal which took Peters to Tottenham and brought us Jimmy Greaves in
exchange.

It certainly didn't change the way I felt about England. This was 1970, and
the three lions were preparing to defend the World Cup in Mexico. The fact
that Martin Peters no longer played his club football in claret and blue
mattered not one bit. I was desperate for England to retain the trophy.
Sadly, some dodgy substitutions, coupled with some even more dodgy
goalkeeping by Peter "The Cat" Bonetti, saw England crash out 3-2 to West
Germany in the quarter-final. (There is a piece of my soul that is still
bruised by that Sunday in Leon.)

Two years later, the picture of Geoff Hurst came down. My Dad, having given
up all hope of teaching me how do handyman-type jobs, filled in the holes
himself and finished off the job with a splash of paint that matched the
wallpaper.

Hurst left West Ham to join Stoke in August 1972. Not only would he never
wear the claret and blue again, he'd played his last international as well.
In the April of that year he'd been substituted with 20 minutes to go as
England went down 3-1 at Wembley to the nation he had put to the sword in
the World Cup final. That was his 49th cap for England. There would be no
50th.

That defeat effectively ended England's hopes of being champions of Europe,
but the tournament then had nothing of the prestige it does today and
supporters of the national side shrugged off the disappointment and turned
their attention to qualification for the next World Cup in West Germany.

The good news was that Bobby Moore was still at the helm – both for West Ham
and England. His face, now hanging proudly alone, looked out over my bedroom
with a knowing serenity that assured me all was well.

On Valentine's Day in 1973 he was awarded his 100th cap for England before
the Sassenachs demolished Scotland 5-0 at Hampden Park. There was no telling
how many more caps he would win as England sailed through the qualifying
games and then set about the more serious challenge of negotiating the group
stage of the World Cup finals. Then there would be the knock-out encounters
– quarter-final; semi-final; maybe even the final in Munich itself…

It didn't appear to be a difficult qualifying group. England, Poland and
Wales. Finish top of the pile and book the plane for Germany: what could be
more straightforward? The first feelings of foreboding came in the Polish
city of Katowice. The great Bobby Moore – the rock upon which the England
side was founded – had an absolute shocker, getting caught in possession to
gift the home side their second goal in a 2-0 defeat.

When the Poles came to Wembley in October 1973, England had to win if they
were going to qualify. Those of us who cared about the nation's pryle of
lions were nervous, but far from overawed by the challenge. Then came the
bombshell news: Sir Alf Ramsey had dropped Bobby Moore. And that was the
moment I fell out of love with England.

Of course, I wanted England to beat Poland. The World Cup finals without
England was unthinkable. But what was "England" now? Representing my hopes
were players I regularly abused when they turned up at Upton Park to
represent the likes of Leeds, Liverpool and Spurs. Norman Hunter; Emlyn
Hughes; Martin Chivers – I loathed them when they wore their club colours.
Now I was supposed to cheer them on in a side that – for the first time in
my life as a football supporter – contained no West Ham players. It didn't
feel right at all.

In the event, Moore played one more game for England – his 108th
international appearance – in a friendly against Italy a month after being
left out of the side. Five months later Sir Alf was sacked – and any hope
that the West Ham captain had of re-establishing his place in the national
side went with him. Not that it would have been much consolation to the
great man at the time, but Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore kept his place of
honour on my bedroom wall while the rest of the country turned its back on
him. He didn't come down until he finally said goodbye to West Ham and
retired to Fulham. As I remember, my Dad took the opportunity to completely
redecorate soon after.

Despite the wrench of Bobby Moore's departure, I saw a few internationals in
the wilderness years that followed the Ramsey era. A more depressing
experience is hard to imagine.

Don't ask me to explain precisely why, but I could never feel part of things
at Wembley the way I did at Upton Park. There's something very different
about an England crowd, which I don't really understand and – if I'm going
to be totally honest here – don't like very much. Some countries seem to be
able to take their sporting nationalism and turn it into a party. The
English can't.

There is an unwritten rule that all supporters are supposed to get behind
their national side when they play, and you are made to feel guilty by
so-called patriotic fans if you don't. Yet if the Genie of the Lamp offered
me the alternatives of West Ham winning the League or England lifting the
World Cup it wouldn't take me very long to make my choice. And I'd be
astonished if any serious supporter didn't put their club side's interests
first as well.

I reckon I've done my bit for England. I did my best. It's not my fault that
I can no longer summon up an emotional commitment to the national side. I am
the innocent party in all this. Honestly, like Bobby Moore when he was
presented with the World Cup by the Queen, my hands are clean.

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Why Stewart Downing is BETTER than Cesc Fabregas and Angel Di Maria
Nov 18, 2014 19:16 By Liam Prenderville
The West Ham man has been recalled to the England squad after impressing at
Upton Park - and on this evidence, it is just deserts
The Mirror

Stewart Downing's recall to the England squad has been met with mixed
reviews. At the age of 30, the West Ham man would have been forgiven for
thinking his international days were behind him. After all, he hadn't played
for the Three Lions since Roy Hodgson's first game in charge. But such has
been his form in a free role for the Hammers, he has been drafted back into
the England set-up after out-performing his countrymen. And according to the
stats, Downing has even done better than big-name summer arrivals Angel Di
Maria and Cesc Fabregas.

In terms of chances created across the Premier League this season, only
Southampton's Dusan Tadic has performed better than Downing.
The Serb has set-up his colleagues on 35 occasions with Downing only one
behind on 34. Despite boasting the highest-number of assists, Fabregas is in
third with 32, while Leighton Baines and Di Maria are level on 28. Arsenal's
Alexis Sanchez - who has enjoyed a fine start to life in the Premier League
is way back on 24 chances.
In comparison to his Three Lions counterparts, Downing is clear at the top.
As mentioned, Everton left-back Baines has set-up 28 chances, while Raheem
Sterling is on 26, just ahead of Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard. James
Milner is level with his ex-England skipper while Jordan Henderson us
currently on 19. Interestingly, the likes of Jack Colback, Joey Barton and
Kieran Trippier all lead captain Wayne Rooney.
In terms of assists, Downing comes in second with four for Sam Allardyce's
men. Leighton Baines - who is chasing down Graeme Le Saux's assist record
for a defender - is the only English player ahead of him on six. Three Lions
stars Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson are level on third, with Crystal
Palace's Jason Puncheon.

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Everton could be without FOUR key players against West Ham
14:01 18 November 2014
London 24.com

Everton are sweating on the fitness of four important first team players
ahead of the Premier League visit of West Ham on Saturday.
The Toffees could be without Gareth Barry, James McCarthy, Leighton Baines
and Darron Gibson when the high-flying Hammers travel to Goodison Park.
Barry and McCarthy hurt their hamstrings during Everton's 1-1 draw at
Sunderland, while Baines and Gibson suffered injury scares while on
international duty. Everton boss Roberto Martinez said: "Gareth has got
incredible experience and he knows his body really well. When you have to be
stretchered off in a football game you know it is something seriously wrong.
"Gareth is a player who will be quick in his recovery period because of the
way he looks after himself. We will have to take it day-by-day for
confirmation of how long he will be out but he is recovering very well.
"James was desperate to be involved with his national team but he couldn't
make it. We will try to get him fit for West Ham but it is a bit too early
to tell. He hasn't been able to train with the team and that is a worry on a
Tuesday leading up to a Saturday game. "It's James' second injury of this
nature in the last month and that's a bit of a worry. We need to give him
perfect treatment and make sure he is fully fit. "When you see Leighton
Baines pull out of a training session you know that something is wrong but
at the moment he is responding well to treatment. Again, it is too early to
say how long he is going to be out but we remain very positive. Leighton is
the type of player that heals very quickly from those sort of injuries.
"Darron Gibson played against Scotland and got a bit of soreness in his
knee. He had a year-long lay-off with his ligaments, so we need to be
cautious. But I'm very confident he will be available to train very soon."

Baines' injury is potential the most worrying to Everton, as it means one of
rookie duo Tyias Browning or Luke Garbutt could be brought in for their
first Premier League start against West Ham, who are unbeaten in five.
Everton are also without long-term absentees John Stones, Arouna Kone and
Antolin Alcaraz.

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Reid soap opera: THE TRUTH
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 18, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Winston Reid remains no closer to signing a new Hammers contract despite
constant national newspaper stories over the past few days that the owners
want him to stay ! It seems extraordinary the media continues to pursue a
story via Twitter which clearly stalled weeks ago.
National newspapers are repeating that David Gold wants Reid to stay and
that Arsenal are apparently interested in the defender. David Sullivan has
already made it clear to ClaretandHugh in a question and answer session last
week that the board are talking to Reid's advisers. However, the facts are
these:
O Reid and his agent have attended a series of talks sought by the board bjt
never instigated them;
O they have listened to the various proposals, walked away without seeking
any further talks
O there have been no inquiries from Arsenal or any other club.

Upton Park sources believe the player preparing to let his contract run out
and look at his free agent options in the summer.
And – as they say – STORY ENDS!

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"Spurs can't share OS in season one"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 18, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham will not allow Spurs into the Olympic Stadium during their first
season at the club's new 'home.' Many mixed messages have been delivered on
the situation but within the last few minutes ClaretandHugh has been assured
by a highly placed Hammers source that it won't and can't happen! Spurs
chairman Daniel Levy will meet disgruntled White Hart Lane Supporters Trust
members on Thursday amid reports of growing unrest and protests over the
move to Milton Keynes. And that again raised the issue of our bitter rivals
moving either to the OS or Wembley Stadium during the year in which their
new ground is being built. But we have learned that there is "absolutely no
chance of it happening during our first year in the stadium" where the
Hammers have assurances the OS is entirely for their use. Our source said:
"It won't happen in season one. That a certainty. It might become a
proposition for clubs to share in the future but we'd have to get a huge
amount of money and it would need to be limited to one season .

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"West Ham becoming 'Everton of the south'"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 18, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham hero Tony Cottee reckons the Irons are becoming the "Everton of the
south" and will move on to even higher levels. The striking legend of course
played for both clubs and has always seen them in a very similar light as
"family clubs" born out of, and still based on the local community. And he
admitted: "That was probably the reason I settled so quickly there. It had
the feel of Upton Park but they have always been a step ahead of us having
been established as a top seven or eight club and won more trophies. "But
this season is seeing the Hammers start out on a journey which will take
them to that level and beyond it. I think we can expect to operate at the
same level as Everton. In years to come we can go beyond that.

There are many similarities between the two clubs – who clash at Goodison
Park on Saturday – notably the British ownership by self confessed lifelong
fans. Cottee said: "The two Davids are fans and great businessmen who are
taking West Ham to new levels. They have done an amazing job and Bill
Kenwright is cut from the same cloth. "They men share the same philosophy
for their clubs and would never sell to just anybody – it would have to be
new owners who could take them on and on. These are the most exciting times
I can remember as a Hammer for a very long time and want to believe we are
on our way to becoming one of the nation's biggest clubs!"

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