Daily WHUFC News - 30th December 2014

Hammers report strong results
WHUFC.com
West Ham United have published their accounts for year ending 31 May 2014
29.12.2014

West Ham United are pleased to announce a record group profit before tax of
£10.3m following a successful 2013/14 for the Club both on and off the
pitch. This is a significant improvement on last year's loss before tax of
£3.5m. As the team overcame a difficult start to the season to finish 13th
in the Barclays Premier League, the Club increased revenues to an all-time
high. Turnover was up to £114.8m compared to £89.8m the previous year,
helped by the new Broadcast deal and an increase in most other income
sources. The wage/turnover ratio also decreased to 55.6% against 62.6% last
year, the lowest ratio since this was first calculated 15 years ago. It all
added up to a fine year for the Club, who finish 2014 in sixth position
following their best-ever Premier League start. August 2015 will bring the
beginning of the Club's final season at the Boleyn Ground ahead of the move
to a stunning new home in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in 2016 and the
commercial opportunities that will create.

Joint-Chairman David Sullivan said: "My Board and I are satisfied with the
achievements we have made in the 2013/14 season, the highlights for us being
retaining our Premier League status and reaching the semi-final of the
Capital One Cup, signing an agreement to sell the Boleyn Ground in
preparation for our move to the Olympic Stadium for the 2016/17 season, and
our fantastic support despite our many injuries and therefore subsequent
challenging performances on the pitch. "We continue to believe we will
deliver both on and off the pitch by investing in the team, the brand and
managing the business well."

Vice-Chairman Karren Brady added: "Through the hard work of a fantastic,
dedicated, loyal and determined team both on and off the pitch the club has
grown in size, revenue and in stature this season. The management team off
the pitch were able to capitalise and maximise on all the opportunities the
manager and the team delivered on the pitch."

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O'Brien - 'West Brom is massive'
WHUFC.com
Joey O'Brien has labelled the visit of West Brom as the biggest game of the
season so far
29.12.2014

Joey O'Brien believes West Ham United's New Year's Day showdown with West
Bromwich Albion is the Hammers' biggest game of the Barclays Premier League
campaign to date. Following Christmas defeats by Chelsea and then Arsenal,
Sam Allardyce's side will bid to get back on track against the struggling
Baggies on Thursday, a game which O'Brien believes will really test the
Club's top-six credentials. The Republic of Ireland full-back started his
first game on Sunday since August and despite the 2-1 reverse was
understandably thrilled to be back in the thick of things, particularly
against the Gunners. "It was great to get back out and play," he told West
Ham TV. "I probably haven't started in about four months and it's great to
play. "Throughout my career I've had some of my finer moments playing
against the Arsenal. When I first broke into the team at Bolton, it was
against Arsenal at Highbury. "It's been frustrating for me personally but
the lads have been great and obviously we've been sitting fourth and fifth
in the league, it's hard to get a game when the lads are winning all the
time."

With so little football in recent weeks to call upon, Sunday's encounter was
something of a baptism of fire. But far from being fearful of the challenge
presented by Arsenal's rapid and technically gifted front three, O'Brien
positively relished it. He continued: "That's what you want, that's one of
the reasons why it's nice to play against them. Their front line is real,
real quality, Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. I
thought we coped with it really well, up until the last part of the game,
when we were pushing for the equaliser. "Then obviously the game's getting
stretched, we're going for the equaliser and they're obviously going to be
able to hit you on the break with the pace and the quality they've got. We
could've nicked something at the end I suppose."

O'Brien felt the penalty award against Winston Reid was a real body blow,
what with the decisive second following in such quick succession. But for
that momentary loss of focus, the full-back reckons it would have been a
completely different affair. He explained: "We started off really well in
the game and we were the better team up until the penalty. I think the
penalty was a penalty, but maybe throughout the whole team it affected us.
"We probably just lost concentration for that last five minutes and had we
got in at 1-0 and settled back down the way we were doing, it could have
been a different game. But with them 2-0 up, it was just that little bit too
big a lead to get back. "But we came out and had a right good go here. I
think the fans appreciated that, you could hear that at the end of the
game."

With precious little time to lick wounds, O'Brien says it is all systems go
again for the visit of West Brom on Thursday. If West Ham are to harbour
European ambitions, then this, insists the 28-year-old, is the sort of game
that they absolutely have to win at home. "The next game against West Brom
is a massive game in my eyes, probably the biggest game of the season so far
us. If we have aspirations of being in the top, top part of the league,
these are the games you need to bounce back on to get us back to winning
ways. "Looking at where we are in the league, we've had a couple of defeats,
but we're still up and around there. With a couple of the lads going to the
Africa Cup of Nations, it's their last game, so they'll want to put in a big
performance before they go. Hopefully we can get the win."

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Tomkins backs Hammers to recover
WHUFC.com
James Tomkins says West Ham United will emerge from the festive period
stronger despite two defeats
28.12.2014

James Tomkins was mystified as to how West Ham United's seven-game unbeaten
home run came to an end against Arsenal on Sunday. The Hammers were giving
just as good as they got in the first half until two goals in three minutes
gave Arsenal a position of strength just before the interval. West Ham
rallied and Tomkins set up a goal for Cheikhou Kouyate on 54 minutes, and
although they ended the game strongly, winning a number of dangerous set
pieces around the box they could not quite take advantage. It meant Arsenal
leapfrogged the Hammers into the top five of the table, but Tomkins will not
get too downhearted ahead of the second half of the campaign. The No5
explained: "I couldn't believe we couldn't get that final goal to get a draw
out of this game. We battered them in the first half, but then they got two
goals against the run of play. "Once you concede one, to concede two against
a team like Arsenal is always going to give you a mountain to climb. It
wasn't quite to be. "I'm not sure I've been involved in a game as end-to-end
as that and it must have been entertaining for the neutral. "We threw
everything at them and sometimes you need a bit of luck and we didn't get it
today where in other games we may have. "We're bitterly disappointed today
but we'll be back stronger knowing we can play like that against a team like
Arsenal. "We played really well and I don't think we should feel too down.
The kitchen sink got thrown at them."

West Ham started the game at pace and thought they had taken the lead when
Alex Song lashed home a volley from 25 yards only for an offside flag
against Cheikhou Kouyate in Wojciech Szczesny's eyeline. Tomkins felt if
that had been allowed to stand the end result could have been very
different. He added: "If we had scored the first goal maybe the outcome
would have been different. I had a chance, and I think Stewie had one too,
and sometimes you need that bit of good fortune."

Tomkins' appearance was his 200th in a claret and blue shirt and he has his
eyes on many more milestones with the Hammers. He said: "I'm very proud to
reach the landmark of 200 games for West Ham. I can look back at it and be
proud, but hopefully there's many ore to come.
"It would have been nice to reach 200 with a win - that would have made it
better, but it's a proud moment."

Thursday sees West Ham return to action with the visit of West Bromwich
Albion and although Tomkins is banned after collecting his fifth yellow card
of the season, he believes the team can bounce back. "The lads have put a
big shift in these last few days, with two games against great opposition,"
he concluded. "I'm suspended for Thursday now, but the lads will be firing
and ready to go and as a team we need to beat West Brom. "We've done it once
already this season and let's see if we can do it again."

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2013/14 Accounts: TV deal leads to record turnover
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 29th December 2014
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United FC's revenue rose by some £25million in 2013/14 - thanks
largely to the extra income generated by the new TV sponsorship deal.

The Club generated a record £114.9million turnover last season, with the
bulk of the extra income as a result of the new TV deal which generated
£75.4million in 2013/14 - up from £51.8million the previous year.

That resulted in the Club reporting a profit of £10.3million - a rise of
just under £7million on 2012/13.

Also up were match day ticket sales, which rose from £18million to
£19.5million - whilst the wages to turnover ratio dropped from 62.6 per cent
to 55.6 per cent (a figure lower than 70 per cent is generally considered
healthy).

On the negative side, West Ham United's overall level of debt remains above
the £100m mark, with more than half of that figure owed to co-Chairmen David
Gold and David Sullivan who have taken responsibility for much of the
external debt.

A further injection of £3.5million was required by he owners - who now own
86.2 per cent of the club between them - during the 2013/14 season, whilst
the average gate at the Boleyn Ground in 2013/14 was down fractionally from
34,720 to 34,007.

David Sullivan, speaking in his statement said that he was "satisfied with
the achievements we have made this season", but added that the current
campaign was proving to be even better.

"A lot has been made about 'the West Ham way' and exactly what it is," he
said. "Personally I think what we are witnessing right now at the club is
exactly how I would sum it up.

"We are playing attacking football with everybody giving 100 per cent, and
we are getting results at the same time."

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Wenger on... West Ham Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 29th December 2014
By: Staff Writer

Arsene Wenger did see the penalty and he felt it was the right decision.
More from the Arsenal manger in his post-match press conference...

Arsene: A tough game, you must be pleased with the win?

Yes; it was a solid, combative and united performance from the first to the
last minute. Looking at the goal chances,we deserved to win the game. It was
a typically direct game where we needed to be solid in the air, take our
chances on the breaks. When it cam back to 2-1 we had five or six chances on
counter-attacks that we couldn't take but overall everybody did their job
very well, from the 'keeper to up front.

Koscielny made a big difference today?

Look, we know that. We need to be stable defensively and when you miss
importnt players at the back it's always difficult to be stable.

What does that do for the belief that you can finish in the top four, when
you come to places like this and win?

I always have belief but it's far from done. We just want to win the next
game and be consistent in our performances. Today we've wn away from hom, if
you look at our recent results we look to be more stable.

We have a big game in front of us now at Southampton and nobody else coming
back, so the players who were out there today have given a lot but they have
to recover and prepare well for the Southampton game.

Was there any doubt about the penalty for you?

Look, everybody who has played football has missed a penalty. Anybody can
miss.

I was talking about the award - was there any doubt about it being a
penalty?

There's always a doubt.

But you thought it was a foul?

I thought it was a penalty, yes.

How about Coquelain today?

I felt he played very well, especially in the first half he was very
influential. In the second half he fatigued a bit in the last 20 minutes but
he had a very good performance - not only defensively but also with the
ball. His passing was quick, sharp, through the lines and overall it was a
convincing performance.

You could say it was a bit of a gamble, but you didn't have any second
thoughts about playing him?

It was a gamble, yes, but I felt that we needed to protect [the area] in
front of the defence with two players, with Carroll on the long ball which
needed protection. But, he was the right choice.

In terms of creativity, do you see any progress in your team in the last
three or four months?

With the ball I think we had a very difficult game today but always looked
dangerous. We couldn't the game off which was down to the quality of their
goalkeeper. Sometimes, we missed our chances and sometimes maybe there was a
player in a better position but overall we created chances. Look at the
other results today, there's not too many goals. 48 hours everybody played
and that of course has an impact.

Was there a lack of finesse in the final third?

It was more of a fight than a creative game today but you need to have that
in England as well, especially when you have played two days before with ten
men for 40 minutes. When I looked at how much we gave physically I was
worriesd for today. We knew before the game that we had to dig deep to win
the game, but we did that.

How important is it for you now to re-establish yourselves in the top four
now?

It is vital for us.

Do you feel you're able to do that now?

We have done it for 17 years now, so at least we're entitled to believe we
can do it! It's all to do, when you look at the league everybody fights very
hard for it. You have Southampton, Tottenham, Man United - so many teams who
can fight for these positions.

Was Rosicky injured or was two days in three games just beyond him?

I just gave him a complete recovery today. When I took him off with ten
minutes to go against QPR he had cramp in the calf and hamstring so I didn't
want to take a gamble.

Is there anything to report on Podolski?

Podolski?

Italian papers are reporting that Inter Milan are interested?

No, there's nothing concrete there.

Are you adamant that he won't go in January?

At the moment, nobody goes out. He's coming back soon and there's a lot of
competition up front.

Thank you.

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Zarate and Reid on the move?
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 29th December 2014
By: Staff Writer

According to this morning's Mail, Arsenal are poised to launch a £4million
bid for West Ham's Winston Reid. The 26-year-old Kiwi is out of contract at
West Ham this summer and although chairman David Sullivan stated last week
that no first team players would be sold in January, a deal involving on
loan right-back Carl Jenkinson could persuade him otherwise. Meanwhile Mauro
Zarate continues to be linked with moves both domestically and in Europe.
Last week the Argentine striker, who has barely featured for West Ham since
moving to east London in the summer was linked with a return to Italy on
loan (Torino). Rather closer to home, Newcastle, Queens Park Rangers,
Sunderland AND Southampton are reported by various sources to be keen on the
former Velez goalscorer. In other transfer news, Vedran Corluka - formerly
of Tottenham - is one of several defenders tipped to replace Winston Reid.
Currently playing for Lokomotiv Moscow, the 28-year-old is rated around the
£5million mark and is said to have been monitored by both West Ham and
Everton (Mirror).

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West Ham announce record profit
Last Updated: 29/12/14 4:03pm
SSN

West Ham United have announced a record group profit before tax of £10.3m -
a marked improvement on last year's loss before tax of £3.5m.
Turnover was up to £114.8m compared to £89.8m the previous year, while the
wage/turnover ratio also decreased to 55.6% from 62.6% last year, the lowest
ratio since this was first calculated 15 years ago. The club finished last
season in 13th place in the Premier League while they will end 2014 in sixth
position following their best-ever Premier League start. The 2015-16 season
will be their final season at the Boleyn Ground ahead of a move to the
Olympic Stadium in 2016. Joint-chairman David Sullivan said: "My board and
I are satisfied with the achievements we have made in the 2013/14 season.
"The highlights for us were retaining our Premier League status and reaching
the semi-final of the Capital One Cup, signing an agreement to sell the
Boleyn Ground in preparation for our move to the Olympic Stadium for the
2016/17 season, and our fantastic support despite our many injuries and
therefore subsequent challenging performances on the pitch. "We continue to
believe we will deliver both on and off the pitch by investing in the team,
the brand and managing the business well."

Vice-chairman Karren Brady added: "Through the hard work of a fantastic,
dedicated, loyal and determined team both on and off the pitch the club has
grown in size, revenue and in stature this season. "The management team off
the pitch were able to capitalise and maximise on all the opportunities the
manager and the team delivered on the pitch." At the weekend, Sullivan
revealed he and his co-owner David Gold had put a 20 per cent stake in the
club up for sale. He said they are looking to raise £80m to help reduce
debts which currently stand at £110m, of which £55m is owed to Gold and
Sullivan.

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THE WINSTON REID SAGA CONTINUES
By Iain Dale 29 Dec 2014 at 10:33
West Ham till I Die

There's more speculation about Winston Reid's future this morning in the
Daily Mail. They suggest that Arsenal will be making a £4 million bid after
watching him in every game since November.

Claret & Hugh have an anonymous quote from a club spokeman pouring cold
water on the story…

"The story isn't true . We have had no contact whatsoever from Arsenal.
Nothing can be ruled out but there has never been any contact and we would
have expected it by now. He collected his eighth yellow card of the season
yesterday and had a very poor game which obviously wouldn't have helped his
chances of a move if Arsenal are remotely interested!"
Ouch.

I can't say I thought Reid performed poorly yesterday. It was Tomkins who
was at fault for Arsenal's second goal, not Reid. But as I said a week ago,
this saga will soon become very debstabilising for the whole team if it
continues much longer. I hope Sam has already identified a replacement. We
don't need to spend money in other areas of the team but we do need an extra
central defender anyway, even if Reid doesn't go.

Who would be on your shortlist?

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CandH Exclusive: Redknapp – "I want Zarate"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on December 29, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Queens Park Rangers boss Harry Redknapp has tonight confirmed he is keen to
take Mauro Zarate to Loftus Road on loan next month. 'Arry spoke exclusively
to ClaretandHugh after we had broken the story earlier today making it clear
his interest was "real." The former Hammers boss is developing a track
record for taking Irons players to south west London having given Modibo
Maiga, Ravel Morrison and Gary O'Neill a temporary home at Loftus Road since
he took over as manager. And tonight when we caught up with him he said:
"Yes, it's true I am interested in Mauro. We are talking about the
possibility of doing a loan deal. "He's a player I like and if West Ham want
to do business then hopefully we can thrash something out over the next few
days." He added: "The interest is real but it's in West Ham's court. We
would be ready to get something sorted out." However, he made it clear he
was not interested in Ravel Morrison returning to Loftus Road saying: "No
that one is not likely to happen."

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Zarate QPR move may cause Sam a big problem
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on December 29, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Harry Redknapp's interest in Mauro Zarate is now an open secret – a
development which has the potential to prove Sam Allardyc e's judgement of
the player correct or leave him with a red face. ClaretandHugh broke the
story exclusively earlier today and The Telegraph has now followed up
declaring: "Queens Park Rangers are ready to end striker Mauro Zarate's West
Ham United's misery by taking him on loan for the rest of the season.
"Newcastle United have also expressed an interested in Zarate, but it is
thought the 27-year-old believes he has a better chance of playing regular
first-team football at Loftus Road."

The "Zarate problem" has been exercising the minds of club insiders and fans
alike over the last few months with the general view being that Sam has
some problem with the player – as yet unexplained. ClaretandHugh has known
for several weeks that much interest has been expressed in the striker from
Italy, Spain and even Mexico. However, it's Mr Redknapp's interest which
will possibly prove a very awkward development for Sam who really wouldn't
want the lad clearing off to Loftus Road and becoming a massive hit. His
judgement of course could be proved correct although based on what we've
seen so far that seems unlikely. Sam might find it preferable to send the
Argentinian off to Serie A, La Liga or the Mexican League working perhaps on
the "out of sight out of mind " basis. I could see how that might make
sense. However, the big problem is that Zarate wants to show that he is
indeed a Premier League player and thus we have an intriguing political
drama on our hands. It really will fascinating to see where the boy finishes
up and what happens over the rest of the season when he gets there! Let's
hope we fans find out whether he is a Premier League player or not. My view?
Most definitely a YES to that.

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Irons battle Senegal FA over Sakho and Kouyate
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on December 29, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham are in a battle with the Senegal Football Association over sending
club medics to look after Diafra Sakho and Cheik Kouyate at the African
Nation Cup Finals. ClaretandHugh has learned that despite the Irons being
ready to foot the bill for a medical team to attend the event, the national
association may insist that the letter of their rule book is followed. And
that will mean the duo will be in the care of the physios and doctors
appointed by the national team. Sakho was in their hands when suffering a
mild back problem which was worsened under treatment and led the club to
make a decision to send their own people with the two players after he
missed games on his return. We were told by a well placed source: "The plan
all along since the Sakho incident has been to send our own people with the
players. "However, it appears that's not straightforward and we are being
forced to argue it out with their football association."

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DG sees Hammers Gold…en era
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on December 29, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

David Gold insists there will be no slowdown in team investment next summer.
The co chairman could not be more delighted with the team's progress but he
wants this to be the start of a new Hammers 'golden era.' He told
ClaretandHugh: "Our aim is to get stronger and stronger with every
successive year. We have had am amazing year – every single signing has paid
off. it's been brilliant but see it as a starting point."

Gold is a massive admirer of Alex Song and made it clear the club had made
him a major target saying: We will do everything possible to bring him here.
"We cannot stand still. We have arrived at a level and we have to move on as
we look towards entering our new home at the Olympic Stadium. "We are
committed to building a great team for a great stadium. We've had a taste of
life at the top this season and we like it so we will be strengthening
again."

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