Daily WHUFC News - 26th November 2014

The Big Interview - James Collins
WHUFc.com
West Ham United defender James Collins reflects on Everton and looks forward
to Newcastle United
25.11.2014

Bouncing back is the key theme of the week for James Collins, after West Ham
United suffered their first defeat in six games at Everton.
The 2-1 Goodison Park reverse ended a run of three wins and two draws, which
lifted the Hammers up into the Barclays Premier League's top four. Now
Newcastle United are due at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday and the No19 is
targeting a swift return to winning ways.

James, looking ahead to the game against Newcastle on Saturday. How are the
squad feeling about it?

JC: "There's still bitter disappointment about Everton. We didn't perform
like we can do - there were a lot of injuries which we shouldn't use as an
excuse but we weren't too happy with the way we performed. "We do think we
could have got something out of the game though. I had a chance at 2-1 which
maybe I should have stuck away but we're still full of confidence. "We've
been playing very well, especially at home, so we're all looking forward to
it."

Were there positives to take, given the number of injuries and the fact we
gave Everton problems?

JC: "Yes, I think so. We had a lot of crosses and on another day we would
have done a bit better in the final third. The second goal we are
disappointed with because we switched off when we were on top in the game."

It has been a positive start, but it is now three games without a win so is
it really important to get back to winning ways against Newcastle?

JC: "Definitely. We had a meeting on Tuesday and the gaffer said the same.
We were lucky to get a point at Stoke after being 2-0 down, then everyone
knows we should have beaten Villa. "Then to lose on Saturday was
disappointing, but the home form has been great. "Hopefully we can get a few
of the lads who were injured back and we can have a real good go at
Newcastle."

Winston Reid will be suspended for that game, so presumably it would be
yourself and James Tomkins at the back. Is it an opportunity for other
players too, coming in in front of you with the injuries we've got?

JC: "That's the beauty of having a big squad. There are some top quality
lads who haven't been playing because the boys have been doing so well. "I
took my chance when I came in and stayed in the team, and that's what the
other boys have got to do. "We've got a great squad full of quality, so we
will be looking for the three points."

What do you make of Newcastle? They struggled at the start but have now won
five in a row.

JC: "They've had some great results in the last few weeks. There was a lot
of talk about their managerial situation, that's how poorly they were doing,
but they've turned it around and they'll be coming to us full of confidence.
"It should be a cracking match."

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Spiegel joins Barnet on loan
WHUFC.com
Young West Ham United goalkeeper Raphael Spiegel has headed to Barnet
25.11.2014

Young West Ham United goalkeeper Raphael Spiegel has joined Vanarama
Conference leaders Barnet on a month-long loan deal. The 21-year-old stopper
will get his first taste of senior football in England during his time with
the Bees, who are currently six points clear at the top of their division.
Spiegel has made eight appearances for the Hammers' U21 side this season and
was briefly on loan with Sky Bet League One side Crawley Town at the start
of the campaign. He arrived at the Boleyn Ground in 2002 from Swiss club
Grasshopper and has represented Switzerland up to U21 level. Spiegel made
his Bees debut in a 2-1 defeat Bristol Rovers on Tuesday evening, with home
matches against Macclesfield Town and Chester, and an away fixture at
Torquay United to follow during his loan spell.

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Westley happy with Millwall win
WHUFc.com
Terry Westley was delighted with the Dev Squad's win over Millwall in the
U21 Premier League Cup.
25.11.2014

West Ham United Academy Director Terry Westley said he was delighted with
the Development Squad's win over rivals Millwall in the Premier League Cup
on Tuesday. The Dev Squad had goalkeeper Sam Howes to thank for the victory
after they won 8-7 on penalties, with Howes putting in a great performance
throughout. The win was the Dev Squad's second consecutive victory having
beaten Jong PSV last week at the Boleyn. Speaking after the game, Westley
said: "Two wins on the spin will really improve the squad's confidence. The
match wasn't great, it wasn't technical but there was a lot of grit,
determination and character. "To play a full 120 minutes and then penalties
is pleasing. We were 1-0 down again, conceded late on, but to get back into
the game and respond almost immediately was very pleasing."

While Westley was happy with the result, he stressed the side's performance
could still be improved: "Our commitment to the task was impressive but we
know we can still improve. "The standard of play against PSV was high, and
we want to do that week in, week out. We need to do that because it'll help
bridge the gap between us and the first team. The first team have a tough
game every week, and our players need to get used to that. You can't afford
to have bad days."

With the match finishing 0-0 after the regulation 90 minutes of play, the
game went to extra time. Millwall looked to have sealed a shock win when
Fred Onyedinma opened the scoring late on. However the Dev Squad responded
almost immediately through Jaanai Gordon who equalised with a powerful
header a minute later. The match finished 1-1 after 120 minutes which meant
the game went to the dreaded penalty shootout. However the Hammers prevailed
as every penalty was scored emphatically while goalkeeper Sam Howes saved
Dylan Casey's sudden death spot kick. "I'd like to say we've practised loads
of penalties but we haven't. We picked the first five and told them to put
your foot through it, then it was very much who wants to go next. The squad
was low on confidence but today will help. "We're through to last 16 of the
cup, we can be proud of that."

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Nolan - 'We'll learn from it'
WHUFc.com
West Ham United skipper Kevin Nolan says West Ham United will heed the
lessons from Saturday's defeat
24.11.2014

Kevin Nolan is backing West Ham United to bounce back from defeat to Everton
when they face his former team Newcastle United on Saturday.
Nolan, who made his first start since the opening day of the season at
Goodison Park, felt West Ham were worthy of a point on Merseyside and will
use that as motivation to record a positive result back in front of their
own fans. Newcastle are in terrific form themselves, having won their last
five Barclays Premier League fixtures, so the No4 is relishing the test.
"Saturday was a very disappointing result, first of all with the first goal
which shouldn't have been," he said. "It was a blatant offside, so we're
disappointed with that.
"Then we're disappointed with the second goal with the way we've given it
away from our corner. It's come out and they've had a great break and great
finish, but it shouldn't have got there. "I thought we dominated the game
throughout. After we went 1-0 down we responded really well, but it wasn't
to be. We've got to learn from that now and learn quickly. "Taking the
positives, I don't think there have been too many teams who have gone to
Everton and got an easy ride. You never do at Everton and I never have as a
professional, but that was probably the most comfortable we've been. "The
fact we've gone away from Everton disappointed that we've not got anything
shows [how far we've come]. We've got a run of games now where we feel we
can pick up points, and with boys coming back it's going to be interesting "

The reverse ended West Ham's five-match unbeaten run but Nolan says the team
can embark on another successful sequence straight away.
He added: "Hopefully we'll start picking up wins again and go on another
little run. "We need to start another unbeaten run. It's two draws and a
loss in the last three games and we got a point at Stoke, should have got
three against Villa, and should have got at least a point at Everton.
"That's three points dropped in the last three weeks, so we're disappointed
but we'll put that behind us."

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'Long-serving' Sam rises to eighth
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 25th November 2014
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce is now the eighth longest serving manager in English football
following the departure of Mark Yates from Cheltenham Town.
Big Sam, who was appointed as West Ham United's 14th full-time manager in
June 2011 rises to eighth in the table after Yates - who was the Football
League's second longest serving manager, having been appointed five years
ago next month - parted company with the Robins earlier today. The
44-year-old had been in charge of the Whaddon Road-based club, currently
18th in League Two, since December 2009. Only Exeter City's Paul Tisdale
(appointed in June 2006) and Arsene Wenger of Arsenal (September 1996) had
been in charge of their respective clubs for longer. The five other managers
currently ahead of Allardyce in the list of longest-serving managers in
England are Karl Robinson (MK Dons), Alan Pardew (Newcastle Utd), Darren
Ferguson (Peterborough Utd), Dean Smith (Walsall) and Jim Bentley
(Morecambe).

Cheltenham have confirmed that Yates' successor will be unveiled tomorrow
(Wednesday).

In for the long haul: England's Longest-Serving Managers

1. Arsene Wenger, Arsenal (September 1996)
2. Paul Tisdale, Exeter City (June 2006)
3. Karl Robinson, MK Dons (May 2010)
4. Alan Pardew, Newcastle Utd (December 2010)
5. Darren Ferguson, Peterborough Utd (January 2011)
6. Dean Smith, Walsall (January 2011)
7. Jim Bentley, Morecambe (May 2011)
8. SAM ALLARDYCE, WEST HAM UTD (Jun 2011)
9. Phil Parkinson, Bradford City (August 2011)
10. Justin Edinburgh, Newport County (November 2011)


The Premier League's Longest-Serving Managers

1. Arsene Wenger, Arsenal (September 1996)
2. Alan Pardew, Newcastle Utd (December 2010)
3. SAM ALLARDYCE, WEST HAM UTD (Jun 2011)
4. Nigel Pearson, Leicester City (Nov 2011)
5. Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool (June 2012)
6. Paul Lambert, Aston Villa (June 2012)
7. Steve Bruce, Hull City (June 2012)
8. Sean Dyche, Burnley (October 20120)
9. Harry Redknapp, Queens Park Rangers (November 2012)
10. Mark Hughes, Stoke City (May 2013)

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Boleyn rated quietest ground - by man armed with a free app
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 25th November 2014
By: Staff Writer

According to scientific research conducted by the Daily Mail, West Ham have
the quietest supporters in the Premier League. The tabloid claims to have
sent reporters armed with an phone app entitled 'Sound Meter' in order to
conduct an exhaustive, thorough "study" of decibel levels at Premier League
grounds throughout the country. However this thorough process only recorded
the first sixty seconds of a top flight match - one home, one away according
to author Alex Sharp - for the purposes of the test, as according to the
paper, this is "when fans are expected to rally their team into action".
Consequently, the man with a mobile has declared the Boleyn Ground as the
league's quietest - whilst Arsenal's home ground, which has been dubbed 'the
Library' since the 1980s, came third in the Mail's rather bizarre list of
'Loudest Grounds'.

Quite which matches were recorded for the purposes of the test remains
unclear but according to the piece, West Ham fans are "evidently hard to
please at sixth in the league". So at least it isn't wholly inaccurate...

The Premier League's Loudest Fans - according to the DM

1. Manchester United (167 decibels)
2. Stoke City (161)
3. Tottenham Hotspur (161)
4. West Bromwich Albion (161)
5. Chelsea (160)
...
19. West Ham United (152)

The Premier League's Loudest Fans - according to the DM

1. Old Trafford (84 decibels)
2. Britannia Stadium (83)
3. Emirates Stadium (83)
4. KC Stadium (83)
5. Stamford Bridge (83)
...
20. The Boleyn Ground (74)

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Millwall downed in penalty extravaganza
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 25th November 2014
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United's development squad are through to the next round of the
Under 21s Cup after beating neighbours Millwall in a thrilling penalty
shootout. With the game having ended 1-1 after extra time it took no less
than SIXTEEN penalties to separate the two sides, with the young Hammers
triumphing 8-7 after England youth international Sam Howes saved Millwall's
eighth spot kick. Millwall thought they'd grabbed the winning goal just
eight minutes from the end of extra time when Fred Onyedinma scored the
first goal of the game after 112 minutes of play. But West Ham hit back
immediately when former Peterborough youngster Jaanai Gordon equalised to
send the game in to a shootout.

The penalties went as follows:

1-0! Kieran Sadlier puts West Ham in front for the first time on the day

1-1 Pavey converts for the visitors

2-1! Seb Lletget sends the 'keeper the wrong way

2-2 Siafa fires down the centre

3-2! Jaanai Gordon, who saved the day in extra time finds the net again

3-3 Onyedinma restores parity

4-3! Mavila puts West Ham back in front with a piledriver

4-4 Jeffrey keeps his composure to leave Sam Howes frustrated again

5-4! Josh Pask keeps his cool and finds the corner

5-5 Howes gets close but Powell's spot kick does just enough to evade him

6-5! Into sudden death and Nasha finds the roof of the net

6-6 Howes beaten again as Millwall refuse to give up

7-6! It's King's turn to come close to making a save but Fanimo's effort
narrowly beats him

7-7 No chance for Howes as Goodman smashes on into the top corner

8-7! Danny Whitehead maintains United's 100 per cent record by sending King
the wrong way

8-7 Game over, as Howes finally gets his hands on a Millwall penalty

The match was played behind closed doors at West Ham's Rush Green training
complex due to security concerns. The Under 21s will discover their last 16
opponents later this week.

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West Ham and Sunderland eye transfer of Aston Villa flop Jean Makoun
Nov 24, 2014 22:30 By Dave Allard, Mel Henderson
Cameroon midfielder who played just 8 games for the Villans in 2 years after
a £6m move in 2011 is back on Prem sides' radar
The Mirror

West Ham and Sunderland are competing to sign experienced Cameroon
international Jean Makoun. The Rennes defensive midfielder, 31, will be
available for just £1million in the January transfer window as his contract
with the French outfit is due to expire next summer. Both the Hammers and
Gus Poyet's Wearsiders have sounded out his representatives and Makoun, who
played in the last two World Cups, is keen to return to England's top-flight
after a move to Aston Villa failed to work out. Villa chief Gerard Houllier
paid £6m to sign Makoun from Lyon in January 2011 but his successor, Alex
McLeish, sent the player on loan to Olympiacos in Greece. Makoun's third
manager at Villa, their current boss Paul Lambert, then offloaded him on
loan to Rennes and he completed a permanent move in July last year.

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West Ham set to SUE the FA after Stewart Downing 'is made to play for
England when injured'
Nov 24, 2014 22:30 By Darren Lewis
Hammers allege midfielder missed their weekend match because of a
painkilling jab to his knee before Three Lions' win in Scotland last week
The Mirror

Furious West Ham are ready to sue the Football Association after Stewart
Downing was allegedly played by England having had a painkilling injection
in his knee. The Upton Park club are understood to be in the "very early
stages" of trying to ascertain the full chain of events. The FA dispute the
timing of the jab and maintain it was NOT given to the winger to get him
through the first half of last Tuesday's game against Scotland. But Mirror
Sport understands there is a very real possibility that the row could end up
in court. A source said: "They have a duty of care towards our player."
England boss Roy Hodgson held talks with Hammers manager Sam Allardyce on
the evening of the Scotland match, while the national team's medical team
has also spoken with their West Ham counterparts. The Irons' hierarchy are
upset because Downing was unable to play for them against Everton on
Saturday. They feel that had he not featured in that game in Glasgow, which
England won 3-1, he would have been able to play in the Premier League at
the weekend and help their bid to extend a five-match unbeaten run.
Without Downing, West Ham were beaten 2-1 at Goodison Park. The 30-year-old
midfielder is understood to have injured the knee in training 48 hours
before England vs Slovenia on Saturday, 15 November. He is believed to have
warmed up for that match at Wembley, but did not play in it. Although
Downing has so far been arguably the most improved player this season, he
was unable to make an impact against Scotland and was substituted at
half-time. An FA spokesman said on Monday night: "Our medical staff always
work professionally and with the highest integrity. Player medical care is
always our top priority".

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Poyet can't ease injury crisis
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on November 25, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham are unable to recall Diego Poyet to Upton Park to easy their injury
problems. The young midfielder has been loaned out to Huddersfield and with
no release clause in place the Hammers will have to rely on the players they
have avaialble. A source told ClaretandHugh: "It would of course have been
an answer but there's no release clause in place so we must just get on with
it."
The 19 year old is due to return to the Hammers on December 6. Club
officials are keeping their injury worries very much to themselves and even
the usually informative www.physioroom.com gives no return dates for Diafra
Sakho, Stewart Downing, Enner Valencia, Chiekhou Kouyate, Alex Song and Mark
Noble. However, as regularly reported here, Kouyate is expected to be
avaialble for the weekend visit of Alan Pardew's in form Newcastle.

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West Ham star Andy Carroll goes against Allardyce's advice by not changing
style
HITC
John Verrall
2 hours ago

West Ham United striker Andy Carroll has risked the wrath of his manager by
making some rather controversial comments. West Ham United's Andy Carroll is
adamant that he will not change his style of play, despite a succession of
injury problems. Carroll is on his way back from an ankle injury, but he
insists that he will continue to put in full-blooded performance on the
pitch. "I think I'll still go in for them all," he told The Chronicle. "I
am going to go for everything. I give it my all every time." The words that
he is unwilling to change his style are likely to frustrate his manager Sam
Allardyce. The Hammers boss had commented that Carroll needed to ensure
that he did not put himself at risk just last month by pulling out of risky
tackles, but it seems that his advice will go unheeded. "I think he is so
brave and fearless that I fear that some of the injuries actually come from
that," Allardyce said previously. "He doesn't fear any situation. But
sometimes he goes into those areas with no fear and it can be a little
dangerous in terms of injuries. "I think that with experience, you just know
what you can win and what you definitely might not be able to win. That
might steer him clear of an injury or two that might occur. I think Andy has
got to manage himself." Carroll has played just 18 times for the club since
singing back in 2013 in what has been a frustrating time for him. Every time
the England international has threatened to get back to fitness he seems to
have been struck by a new problem and he has had to spend a lot of time on
the treatment table, as a result. It appears that he will not be taking a
more cautious style from now on, though, and he will be hoping that his
committed performances impress Allardyce. Carroll has more competition at
the London club than ever before because of the arrivals of Enner Valencia
and Diafra Sakho over the summer. The pair are both injured at the moment,
meaning the 25-year-old played for 90 minutes against Everton at the
weekend. His performance was a decent one, but he will know that he will
have to start hitting the back of the net soon if he is to retain his spot.
West Ham's next game comes against Carroll's former club Newcastle United,
and he will be aiming to show the Magpies exactly what they are missing if
given the chance to start again.

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Galatasaray boss Cesare Prandelli reveals Joel Campbell and Alex Song bids
Express.co.uk
By: Ben Jefferson
Published: Tue, November 25, 2014

Prandelli took over at Galatasaray after leaving his role with the Italian
national team following the World Cup. And while the Istanbul outfit talked
a good game when it came to the transfer market, Prandelli is frustrated
that none of the supposed targets actually arrived.
He said: "When I took over we were in talks with Pato, Ibarbo, Doria,
Balanta, Marcelo, Douglas, Campbell and Song. "We wanted at least two out of
these names. When I took over we were in talks with Pato, Ibarbo, Doria,
Balanta, Marcelo, Douglas, Campbell and Song.
However, two weeks after joining board member Ebru Koksal informed me that
we lacked the financial muscle to pull off these moves.
"And you all know what happened after that. "We accepted the situation, did
not complain, rolled up our sleeves and tried to make the best out of the
situation." Campbell has been left frustrated by his lack of playing time at
the Gunners and has been linked with a move to Everton or Leicester in
January, while Song has impressed at Upton Park and could be in line for a
permanent move when his loan move expires.

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Fulham star Dan Burn plays down speculation of transfer to West Ham
HITC
Olly Dawes

Fulham defender Dan Burn says he isn't interested in leaving for West Ham
United. West Ham United's impressive start to the season means that they
have a chance of getting into Europe for next season, particularly
considering the inconsistent starts made by Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham
this term. Manager Sam Allardyce has earned plenty of plaudits for not only
bringing in a host of exciting signings this summer, but also
revolutionising the way West Ham play by switching to a 4-4-2 diamond
system. That means that West Ham predominantly play a short passing style
with pacey strikers - a huge metamorphosis from the brand of football on
offer at Upton Park last season. Yet despite that, Allardyce has still shown
that he likes to sign the players that he's become synonymous with in recent
years; big, strong and aerially dominant, having signed Cheikhou Kouyate and
Diafra Sakho this summer.

And with concerns over the long-term future of Winston Reid, Allardyce has
already started to identify potential replacements at centre back, according
to reports - and one of them fits Allardyce's bill. Fulham's Dan Burn stands
at 6ft 7in, and is a dominant defender in the air as a result. Having
impressed in West London with the Cottagers, the 22-year-old was linked with
a £4m to Upton Park - but he says he isn't interested in leaving Fulham.
"It's just speculation," said Burn. "The first I heard about it was on
Twitter! I'm pretty relaxed about things. I love playing for Fulham and want
to be here." The giant centre back was signed for just £350,000 from
Darlington, but looks like being sold for well over ten times that amount -
if he does even want to leave any time soon. It leaves Allardyce to look for
other solutions, with Austrian duo Aleksandar Dragovic and Martin
Hinteregger both linked with the club amid fears over Reid's possible
departure in January.

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West Ham's Cottee: It's time to stop all this diving and faking that gives
game a bad name
15:15 25 November 2014
London 24
By Tony Cottee

First of all let us talk about Saturday's game at Everton. It is never easy
to go there and it has been something of a graveyard for the Hammers in
recent years, but although we lost, I have to say that the team put in a
good display and probably deserved a draw. Considering how many players we
had missing on the day, it shows just how much strength in depth we have
now. The last home game against Aston Villa saw Carroll, Nolan, Cole,
Tomkins and O'Brien on the bench and that is as strong as I have ever seen
it. On Saturday those squad players had a chance to show what they could do
and it is gratifying to know that if we suffer more injuries and have the
inevitable suspensions, we have the back-up. There were two big talking
points on Saturday. Firstly, the Everton first goal was clearly offside.
Tempers flare between the two sides after Everton's Kevin Mirallas fouls
West Ham United's Morgan Amalfitano during the Barclays Premier League match
at Goodison Park, Liverpool. In my day, you were either offside or you
weren't, it was as simple as that. Nowadays linesmen have to look at
different phases of play, whether a player is active. The whole thing is
ridiculous. I think if I played today I would just stand in the six-yard box
the whole time – I would get a hatful. It was clear that the ball deflected
off Winston Reid on Saturday and to my mind Lukaku was offside, but it must
be so hard for the linesman to assess it and difficult to put his flag up
when the home team has just hit the net. The other issues were James Tomkins
going down holding his face and Ross Barkley's blatant dive and I would put
both of these into the same category. I can't condone what James did, there
is no place for it in the game and I would hope his team-mates told him so
and that the manager took him into his office on Monday morning and told him
what is expected of him. He is a young lad and he will learn from this and
hopefully won't do it again, but unless there is a real deterrent by way of
a punishment then others are going to try it too. Barkley's dive when Kevin
Nolan was nowhere near him was equally bad and should be punished. I would
like to see a three-man panel sit the day after every game and look at the
incidents that the match assessors have highlighted and then have the power
to dish out retrospective punishments. That is the only way it is going to
be stopped, but the problem is the football bosses are still stuck in the
Middle Ages and will not put that into practice! It is Newcastle this
weekend and I have to say I have been surprised at how well they have been
doing. We will need to have the likes of Sakho and Song back and if we do I
am going for a narrow and hard-fought 2-1 win. COYI

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com



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