Daily WHUFC News - 19th January 2015

Three and easy for the Hammers
WHUFc.com
The Hammers return to winning ways in the Barclays Premier League with a 3-0 victory over Hull City
18.01.2015

Barclays Premier League
West Ham United 3-0 Hull City

West Ham United put struggling Hull City to the sword at the Boleyn Ground on Sunday, as three second-half goals earned the Hammers a first Barclays Premier League victory of the New Year. Sam Allardyce's men awoke from a first-half slumber to open the scoring in the 48th minute, as Andy Carroll poached his fifth of the campaign after Allan McGregor could only parry an Enner Valencia strike. Substitute Morgan Amalfitano then finished with aplomb to double the Hammers' lead on 69, before Stewart Downing raced onto a stunning Alex Song through ball to seal a first league win in five and West Ham's biggest success of the campaign to date. Ironically, for all the jubilation of Tuesday evening, it was Hull City who showed first here and might have hit the front inside six minutes. The industrious Sone Aluko wriggled his way to the by-line and picked out the run of Ahmed Elmohamady, who should have at least hit the target, but screwed an effort past Adrian's right-hand upright.

Mark Noble then played a quick free-kick to Aaron Cresswell, who took a touch before lashing it goalwards, with McGregor at full stretch down to his right to watch it safely wide of the post. By now Carroll and Valencia were beginning to find their feet in the final third. The former picked out his strike-partner on the edge of the box, but his right-footed strike was miscued and wayward. Carroll was at it again down the left moments later and it took a brave Curtis Davies block to snuff out the danger at the expense of a corner. McGregor misjudged Noble's ball in and though James Tomkins comfortably beat him to it, he nodded over the top from point-blank range.

At the other end, Aluko repeatedly threatened. He firstly burst past Tomkins and into the box, but Collins came across to hammer it out before Aluko could get a shot away. He then cut in from the right and sped past Collins, but instead of pulling the trigger, tried to exchange passes with Jake Livermore and the chance went begging.

With a disappointing half drawing to a close, Downing's right-wing cross was met by Collins, whose looping header had McGregor desperately back-pedalling and then came back off the bar. It was only partially cleared and when Downing swung it in for a second time, McGregor had to get down smartly to smother Tomkins' downward header.

West Ham upped the tempo after the break and reward almost came instantly. Downing's cut-back sped all the way through to Nolan on the edge of the box, whose strike sailed agonisingly over the top.

No matter, as the Hammers had the lead seconds later. Valencia dropped his shoulder out on the left and his dipping effort proved too hot for McGregor to handle. He parried it straight back into the six-yard box and Carroll reacted quicker than Davies to steer home.

Buoyed by the opener, West Ham went in search of a killer second. Valencia looked to be in on goal, only to be stopped in his tracks by the linesman's flag. The Ecuadorian had another sight of goal after 67 minutes, as he intercepted Michael Dawson's ill-advised square ball across the 18-yard box. Though Valencia's first touch took him wider than he would have wanted, he promptly shifted it onto his left and belted one high into the side netting.

But Valencia was soon celebrating his second assist of the afternoon, as substitute Amalfitano sealed it for the hosts. The Frenchman raced onto Valencia's slide-rule pass and brilliantly dinked it over the advancing McGregor. Game over, you would think. And if there were any semblance of doubt about that, a West Ham third two minutes later well and truly ended it as a contest.

Tomkins broke up play at the back and then left it to Alex Song to take control. And didn't he just. The Cameroon man bisected the Hull back four with a fabulous through ball, giving Downing all the time in the world to clinically slot home at the near post.

Now in cruise control, the hosts might have made it four late on, but the unlucky Kevin Nolan steered against the crossbar from the acutest of angles. But it was of little consequence as the Hammers now look ahead to a fourth round FA Cup tie at Bristol City with a spring in their step.
West Ham United: Adrian, Jenkinson, Collins (Reid 49), Tomkins (O'Brien 76), Cresswell, Song, Noble (Amalfitano 66), Nolan (c), Downing, Carroll, Valencia
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Poyet, Jarvis, Cole

Goals: Carroll 48, Amalfitano 69, Downing 72

Booked: Noble

Hull City: McGregor, Chester (Figueroa 45), Bruce (Maguire 46), Davies (c), Dawson, Meyler, Huddlestone, Livermore, Elmohamady, Quinn, Aluko
Subs: Harper, McShane, Ramirez, Ince, Sagbo

Booked: Elmohamady, Quinn, Meyler

Referee: Martin Atkinson

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Stewie hails Hammers' goal threat
WHUFc.com
Stewart Downing reckons his side's ability to share the goals around bodes well for the Hammers
18.01.2015

Stewart Downing says West Ham United's habit of sharing the goals around bodes well for the remainder of the campaign, after three different goalscorers put Hull City to the sword in the Barclays Premier League on Sunday. Downing's fifth of the campaign followed a poacher's finish from Andy Carroll and a typically cultured effort from Morgan Amalfitano, as the Hammers made light of a low-key first half at the Boleyn Ground. The 30-year-old's current goal tally is already markedly improved on the two that he managed last term and the Middlesbrough-born midfielder believes West Ham's many goalscorers is a recipe for success. He told West Ham TV: "I always wanted to get more goals. Sunday was about the team winning but if we can chip in with goals all round the team, it's obviously healthier for us and it gets us further up the league.

"I think that's the pleasing thing, we've got goals in and around the team. If it's not Andy, Enner or me, we've got other lads. Diafra [Sakho] was missing on Sunday, so we have to step up. If we all chip in, we finish in a better position. Simple."

Downing had Alex Song to thank for his 72nd minute strike, West Ham's third of the afternoon, as the Barcelona loanee picked the perfect pass to set the No11 on his way. The England international took his time before beating Hull stopper Allan McGregor at his near post to seal the Hammers' biggest league win of the campaign to date. "I was thinking they're playing quite a high line and lot of the defenders were going with Andy. I thought if the ball drops to Alex I'm in. It was a great pass and I think it had to be that quick to get through the back four. It felt like I had an age to finish it but just pleased it went in. I was sniffing for that chance and it was a great pass from Alex."

Downing was every bit as impressed with Amalfitano's clinical finish, though his composure in front of goal comes as little surprise. The in-form midfielder believes the Frenchman will likely think himself unfortunate not to be in the starting XI and says he is another example of the Hammers' strength in depth. "It was a great finish," he added. "When he went through I knew he was going to chip him. I've seen him do it in training and I've seen him do it for West Brom. "He's got quite a cool head and he's probably disappointed that he's not started. He's chipped in with goals and done quite well but that's the strength in depth we have at the minute. Players can come in, do their jobs and get goals, so it was very pleasing all round."

As for West Ham's stark improvement after the interval, Downing felt it was simply a case of better movement and more energy, such that Hull City struggled to live with it. "The first half was really poor," he admitted. "We didn't really get out of the blocks. It was a bit flat, I think you could sense it in the ground and they made it difficult for us. But I think the second half, the manager wanted us to try different things and get in behind them more. I wouldn't say the system changed, it was just more about making better runs and being better with the ball. "We just had more energy, more movement and it's killed them a little bit. Really good goals, three different goalscorers and so everyone's happy."

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Second half show suits Sam
WHUFc.com
Sam Allardyce was delighted with the way his team responded to a half-time switch to defeat Hull City
18.01.2015

Sam Allardyce said the ability of his West Ham United to respond to a half-time tactical switch was vital to the Hammers' 3-0 win over Hull City. West Ham struggled for long periods before the break, when the visitors' 3-5-2 formation stifled the hosts' own 4-3-3 system, but a change to a diamond system at the break turned the match on its head. Andy Carroll tapped in the opener on 49 minutes after Enner Valencia's initial effort was parried, before the Ecuador forward turned provider for substitute Morgan Amalfitano to make it 2-0 on 69. Three minutes later, Alex Song threaded a magnificent through ball for Stewart Downing to steer home the third and West Ham had secured a first Barclays Premier League win in five attempts.

"I had to change the whole system, apart from the back four and the goalie, but I couldn't do it during the game because I thought it would be too much and people wouldn't understand what I was wanting," the manager explained. "I wanted to get through to half-time and make sure we didn't concede a goal and sort it out from there. "In the end, I think that gave us a better opportunity to start attacking Hull better. Our passing was going astray and our choices of passes were wrong before half-time. We were playing backwards and sideways too much instead of playing forwards, so we put the emphasis on playing a diamond and getting Enner Valencia and Stewart Downing closer to Andy Carroll, Kevin Nolan running from deeper positions and Mark Noble and Alex Song playing the full-backs and forwards in better.
"That worked, so it got us a lot better and as soon as we got the first goal it settled us down and we improved from there and continued to become more clinical and more ruthless. Certainly the quality of our second and third goals were what we were looking for over the last few weeks. Had we shown that quality against West Brom and Swansea, we'd have ended up winning those games as well. "We didn't find that level in those games and we've only really played well here for 45 minutes and we've scored three goals. I have to say that the effort and desire and will the lads put in on Tuesday night against Everton played a part in our first-half performance."

While he and his staff prepared meticulously for Hull, Big Sam could also take credit for admitting things were not going to plan in the opening half. "I was chuntering away with the lads on the bench saying 'Do I do it now?' and 'When will I do it?' and it's always a difficult thing to see it not going quite right and deciding if and when to change it. I had to talk to the players about the changes and they knew the substitutes would come on, no matter what. "Ginge felt his back, so Reidy came on, then Mark Noble did 120 minutes on Tuesday and looked tired so Morgan came on, gave us fresh legs, scored a great goal and laid chances on for other people. Mark's tired legs wouldn't have got him into those positions. Then Carlton was going to come on but Tonks felt his hamstring tighten up, so we put Joey on. "It was a great effort from the players and I like the mentality of them at half-time of listening to me and going out and putting into practice what we didn't do well in the first half - pass the ball forward with quality, quicker and with more accuracy, and the front lads creating more movement and opportunities to cause Hull City a lot of problems at the back."

West Ham have now scored in 22 of their 25 matches in all competitions this season, but Big Sam was arguably happier with the fifth clean sheet than he was seeing his side make it 35 goals in 22 league games. "It's what we've been missing over the Christmas period and why we haven't won more matches than we have won. We've won this game and it was a very important win, because it gives us all a big lift ahead of the FA Cup fourth round next week, where we want to go as far as we can. "We've got a full seven days to recover and get ready for Bristol City away and there will be no holding back on that, for me. Then we've got a couple of tough games in the league which are Liverpool away and Manchester United at home, so if we can continue to lift our form as we did in the second half, and raise it even higher, we'll continue in the FA Cup and with more wins in the Premier League. "We've got Andy and Enner forming a good partnership, then we have Diafra Sakho and Coley to challenge them both. Stewart Downing is racking up the goals and Kevin Nolan can score goals, too. Clinical finishing has been missing, as have clean sheets, so my message to the team was 'Get it right in both boxes lads' and that's is what is really going to count. In the end, because we've done it because we got a clean sheet at one end and three goals at the other."

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West Ham 3 Hull 0
18 January 2015
Last updated at 15:52
By Richard Winton
BBC Sport

West Ham keep first clean sheet in nine league games
Allardyce's side record first win in five
Hull have not scored in 10 of last 15 matches
Bruce's side remain in bottom three

West Ham moved back to within four points of the Champions League places after consigning relegation-threatened Hull to a third consecutive defeat. Steve Bruce's injury-ravaged Hull had the better of the first half but were badly exposed after the break. Andy Carroll prodded in after Allan McGregor pushed out Enner Valencia's shot and a cute Morgan Amalfitano dink from Valencia's pass doubled the lead. Stewart Downing then rolled in a third after Alex Song split the Hull defence.

After four games without a win since Christmas, the victory revives Sam Allardyce's hopes of earning the club a first appearance in continental competition since 2006. But for Hull, a sixth defeat in eight games heightens concerns about their top-flight status. Bruce's side, who are in 18th place, are just one point adrift of Sunderland and Burnley but the manner in which they capitulated after a promising first half was alarming. Another worry ahead of their next match - the 31 January visit of Newcastle - is that James Chester and Alex Bruce have joined an already lengthy injury list. A further concern will be the fact Hull have failed to score in six of their last eight games. Ahmed Elmohamady spurned their best chance against West Ham, dragging a shot wide from 12 yards out after being picked out by lone striker Sone Aluko. West Ham were equally impotent before the break. They forced McGregor into action on just one occasion, the Scotland international having to tip a looping Valencia header on to the bar before smothering James Tomkins' header after the ball was not cleared.

But the hosts seized command four minutes after the interval when McGregor could only parry Valencia's fierce drive and Carroll reacted quickest to jab in the loose ball. The concession spooked the visitors and their haphazard defending was exposed by two goals inside three minutes midway though the half. First Hull defender Michael Dawson dropped off Valencia 30 yards out, allowing the Ecuadorian striker to turn and feed Amalfitano, who caressed a finish over McGregor. Then on-loan Barcelona midfielder Song eliminated the Hull midfield and defence with one pass, allowing Downing to canter through and slip past the goalkeeper. The final 18 minutes then became a procession as West Ham secured the win that keeps them in seventh place.

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Sam Allardyce altered 'tippy-tappy' style to beat Hull
BBC.co.uk

Sam Allardyce has decried "tippy-tappy" football after revealing he changed to a more direct approach to help his West Ham side beat Hull City 3-0. The hosts were booed off after an insipid first half at Upton Park. But second-half goals by Andy Carroll, Morgan Amalfitano and Stewart Downing kept the Hammers within four points of the Champions League places. "Getting the ball into the box quickly with quality is definitely sometimes the best way forward," Allardyce said. "That's what we did in the second half and that's why we won the game. "All this tippy-tappy stuff - everybody keeps on going about the right way to play football." Allardyce was retained as manager last summer after acknowledging the West Ham board's demands that the team "provides more entertainment". He also agreed to recruit an attacking coach - a role that was taken up by former England forward Teddy Sheringham. The manager was also set the target of achieving a top-10 Premier League finish.

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West Ham Utd 3-0 Hull City
KUMB,com
Filed: Sunday, 18th January 2015
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United recorded their first win of 2015 inside 90 minutes thanks to a spirited second half performance at the Boleyn this afternoon.

It took the Hammers some considerable time to get going against a resilient (and under-strength) Hull City side and the comprehensive win eventually recorded was more than a little harsh on Steve Bruce's relegation contenders, who were the stronger team in a disappointing opening 45.

However the second half was virtually one-way traffic, with the Hammers going on to achieve a three-goal winning margin for the first time since beating Fulham at the Boleyn by the same score back in November 2013.

After the visitors had enjoyed the better of a frankly dreadful opening half - one which led to muted booing from sections of the home support at half time - the deadlock was finally broken four minutes after the restart, when Andy Carroll was first to react to a 25-yard Enner Valencia shot that had been spilled by goalkeeper Allan McGregor.

The big striker, despite being under intense pressure from former Hammers target Curtis Davies managed to force the loose ball over the line to give Sam Allardyce's team a rather undeserved lead, on balance of play.

Undeserved or not, West Ham were to double their advantage a minute or so after Morgan Amalfitano replaced a tiring Mark Noble on 65 minutes.

Alex Song's quick thinking released Valencia, who found the French substitute with a second slick pass. Amalfitano, clean through on goal simply waited for McGregor to commit himself before lifting the ball over the 'keeper into an empty net to record his third strike of the campaign.

At 2-0 there was little chance of the visitors staging a comeback so when Stewart Downing added a third goal with 72 played, a first league win since the pre-Christmas victory over Leicester was all but confirmed.

Bearing remarkable similarities to Amalfitano's effort moments earlier, sponsors' Man of the Match Song once again began the move with a carefully weighted pass ahead of Downing. The England international, like his French team mate waited for McGregor to move before passing the ball into the right-hand corner of the net.



In the end the win could have been even more comprehensive for West Ham, who hit the woodwork twice through Enner Valencia (a looping, first half header) and Kevin Nolan (shot onto the crossbar), who'll have to wait a little longer for his 100th Premier League goal.

Though that will be of little concern to Nolan, who like the majority of the crowd will be returning home tonight satisfied with a job well done, a win that arrests West Ham's descent and takes them back above Liverpool into seventh spot in the Premier League.

The only sour note on a good day for West Ham was the loss of both central defenders, James Collins and James Tomkins, to slight hamstrings during the second half - leaving Winston Reid as the club's only fully fit centre half ahead of next week's trip to Bristol City.

Adrián San Miguel ✔ @AdriSanMiguel
3 points,3 goals and clean sheet!Excellent result and better performance in the second half to beat Hull City! Great Sunday 💪 #COYI ⚒

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Andy Carroll says West Ham are targeting European football after beating Hull City
Last Updated: 18/01/15 6:24pm
SSN

West Ham striker Andy Carroll says the club are targeting European qualification after securing their biggest win of the season. Three second-half goals saw the Hammers ease to a 3-0 victory at home to Hull on Super Sunday, a result that leaves Sam Allardyce's side within four points of the Champions League places. The victory was West Ham's first Premier League win in a month and Carroll remains confident the Hammers can now keep pressing at the top end of the table. "There's a belief in the dressing room," Carroll said when asked if he thought his side could qualify for Europe. "I don't see why not with the performances we've given week-in, week-out.
"I know we haven't had a win in the last few games, but we've had the performances that can take us up to the top. "The way we've been playing the goals have been there, ready to take, and I think today we deserved it." Carroll opened the scoring early on in the second half as he reacted quickest to Hull keeper Allan McGregor fumbling Enner Valencia's shot to bundle home from close range. Further strikes from Morgan Amalfitano and Stewart Downing completed the scoring, but the Hammers No 9 was keen to praise striking coach Teddy Sheringham for his part in the first goal. "Teddy's a big believer in following in and we've been doing that since he's turned up at the club, so there's one for him," the 26-year-old added. "It's rewarding when you follow them in. A goal's a goal whether it's spectacular or not. "Obviously the first half wasn't a great performance from us, but we came out second half, scored an early goal and created a lot more chances."

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Three second-half goals see West Ham ease to 3-0 win at home to Hull
Last Updated: 18/01/15 8:10pm
SSN

A dominant second-half display saw West Ham ease to a 3-0 win against Hull and secure their first league victory in five matches. After a sluggish first half, the hosts broke the deadlock in the 49th minute when Andy Carroll bundled home from close range after Allan McGregor fumbled Enner Valencia's shot. Morgan Amalfitano dinked home West Ham's second midway through the half, before Stewart Downing completed the scoring in the 71st minute by breaking through the Hull defence and slotting into the far corner. Kevin Nolan almost added a fourth late on when his effort from a tight angle came off the woodwork as the Hammers closed out a win which moved them to within four points of fourth spot. Hull boss Steve Bruce made three changes from the side that lost to West Brom last Saturday as Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone and Sone Aluko came in for Maynor Figueroa, Nikica Jelavic and Abel Hernandez. The visitors started brightly, with Aluko forcing two early corners and Ahmed Elmohamady pulling a shot wide from inside the area when well placed. For the hosts, Aaron Cresswell saw a long-range shot swerve narrowly wide of the post and James Tomkins head over from a corner.

Aluko squandered a great chance for Hull in the 24th minute when he turned Tomkins to break through on goal, but he took too long and allowed Collins to block the finish. Moments later, the Nigerian was in again and fed Jake Livermore in the box, but the midfielder failed to find Elmohamady, who was free outside him. Valencia saw his back-post header loop over McGregor and drop onto the crossbar late on in the half, while Steve Bruce's injury list had another name added to it in first half injury time when James Chester landed awkwardly and needed to be replaced. It was later confirmed that Chester suffered a dislocated shoulder. The hosts began the second half strongly, with Nolan firing a shot just over from the edge of the area after Downing's bursting run and pull-back. Andy Carroll opened the scoring soon after when a McGregor error saw the Hull keeper palm Valencia's low strike back across the six yard box, with the striker reacting quickest ahead of Curtis Davies to fire home. Craig Dawson almost gifted the hosts a second, but after he gave away possession on the edge of the area Valencia drilled into the side netting.

West Ham doubled their lead in the 69th minute when Alex Song and Valencia combined to feed in Amalfitano, who cutely chipped over the on-rushing McGregor from inside the area. Song was involved again for the third goal two minutes later, with his defence-splitting pass finding the bursting run of Downing, who slotted home. Kevin Nolan's hooked cross came back off the bar late on, with defeat putting more pressure on Hull manager Steve Bruce, who has now overseen just two wins in 15 Premier League games.

West Ham: Adrian (6), Jenkinson (7), Collins (7), Tomkins (6), Cresswell (6), Noble (6), Song (7), Downing (8), Nolan (7), Valencia (7), Carroll (7).
Used subs: O'Brien(6), Amalfitano (7), Reid (6)

Hull: McGregor (5), Chester (6), Dawson (6), Davies (6), Bruce (6), Elmohamady (6), Livermore (6), Huddlestone (5), Meyler (5), Quinn (6), Aluko (7).
Used subs: Figueroa (7), Maguire (6), Sagbo (5)

Man of the Match: Stewart Downing

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Sam Allardyce praises West Ham after spirited second half against Hull City at Upton Park
Last Updated: 18/01/15 8:53pm
SSN

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce praised his side's ruthless second-half display against Hull - but admitted he was forced to go direct to a seal a 3-0 win. Hull were the livelier side in the first half at Upton Park on Super Sunday, but the hosts made the breakthrough four minutes after the restart and further goals from Morgan Amalfitano and Stewart Downing sealed an ultimately comfortable victory.
Admitting he had changed his approach, Allardyce said: "I thought we were lucky to go in 0-0 at half-time on the basis of the chances that Hull City made today. But I had to make sure we changed the system at the break so we went back to the diamond shape. And we blocked the midfield up so we could get through it better. "All this tippy-tappy stuff - everybody keeps on going about the right way to play football - well, getting the ball into the opposition box as quickly as you can with quality is definitely sometimes the best way forward. "That's what we did in the second half and that's why we won the game."

West Ham goalscorers Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing were pleased with the win and their goals in their side's 3-0 win over Hull City
The Hammers had not won in four league games but these three points take them back up to seventh place - just outside the European qualification spots. "With Carroll, Downing and Enner Valencia up front we started to break them down and obviously the goal was very important to us," Allardyce added. "The amount of effort these lads put in on Tuesday night [against Everton in the FA Cup) meant we couldn't get close to Hull at the start, but in the second half we took control of the game. "We scored some excellent goals, got the clean sheets I've been looking for a period of time and the substitutes were great when they came on. "Our performance has merited the result in the end. The quality of our finishing today is more than what we're used to. Clean sheets are a fantastic habit of going right to the end of the game. Hopefully we can get into that habit a little bit more."

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WEST HAM 3, HULL CITY 0. REDEMPTION IS INDEED SWEET.
By David Hautzig 18 Jan 2015 at 17:37
West Ham till I Die

Stories of redemption in sport are not rare. While you all may have different examples because of your side of the pond, in most cases redemption comes after a defeat of some kind. For West Ham, and to a greater degree Sam Allardyce, today was a chance to redeem themselves of one of the more infamous and controversial nights Upton Park had ever seen. Would Sam be able to cup his hand over his ear to listen to the jubilant cheers of the West Ham faithful? Would West Ham be able to bottle the tremendous joy from Tuesday night and pour it over a weakened Hull City?

The first few minutes of the game were the polar opposite of what we expected. Despite only having one Premier League goal, Sone Aluko started the game like the most dangerous striker on the pitch. In the opening seconds, he made Tomkins look more like a statue outside of Upton Park than a defender inside it and won two quick corners. Minutes later, he chased down a ball that Tomkins gave up on and sent a cross to an unmarked Elmohamady that should have put Hull in the lead. Fortunately for West Ham he dragged his shot wide. If our back four underestimated Aluko going into the match, the alarm bells were ringing loud and clear.

When Aaron Cresswell took the free kick that hit the post against West Brom, it seemed like the world of West Ham supporters sat up, took notice, and wondered if we had a new free kick specialist in the form of our left back. When he stood over the ball in the seventh minute to take a free kick, he made another case for being in that role. His thirty yard strike rolled inches wide of the post. More of that, please.

With Diafra Sakho out with another back injury, saving him from the hands of the evil, dangerous Physio Devil Of Senegal, we have waited for the partnership of Andy Carroll and Enner Valencia to show what it can do. Before Tuesday's FA Cup win, it hadn't shown much. That night showed glimpses of what they could achieve. That bit of promise continued in the 8th minute. Carroll took a throw, held off Dawson, and teed up Valencia on the edge of the area. His shot, however, was poorly struck and rolled wide. Minutes later Carroll curled a beauty of a cross into the box that Curtis Davies cleared out before Valencia could reach it. Tomkins came close on resulting corner from Noble but his header went over the bar.

The win over Everton on Tuesday will always be remembered for Adrian. He had already achieved cult status at the club, but that night elevated him to Superhero. In the 14th minute, he made the kind of mistake that could have created an alter ego villain when he completely mishit a pass inside his own penalty area that David Meyler latched onto. Jenkinson won't have to buy any rounds for a long time because he tracked back and forced Meyler to run the ball out for a goal kick. Pass the tab over to the Spanish guy over there, sir.

There had been debate on Twitter and on some blogs over the past few weeks about our midfield. Was it good enough to be a solid top eight side? The first twenty minutes today produced a resounding, and upsetting no to that question. Noble was losing possession and making some dangerous challenges. Downing was out wide and thus not as effective as he could be. And Nolan looked off the pace, although some say that is nothing out of the norm. For a moment, I found myself wanting a bit of long ball to bypass that part of the pitch.

James Tomkins poor first half continued in the 24th minute when Aluko once again made him look stationary, darting past him on the edge of the area to collect. Tomkins tried to recover, and on another day his challenge from behind could have caught the eye of the referee. Just as Aluko was about to fire on goal, James Collins flew in and cleared it out for a corner.

West Ham's best chance of an otherwise forgettable first half came in the 39th minute. Noble chased a ball down and looped a cross into the area that Collins got on the end of. His header was going wide, but Alex Bruce and Elmohamady collided trying to clear it out of danger and Bruce went down in a lump. Martin Atkinson allowed play to continue when arguably he shouldn't have. Downing then used the outside of his left foot to send the ball back into the box, which Valencia headed towards goal. A combination of the cross bar and Allan McGregor kept it out, but with Bruce still taking a head butt induced snooze the Hammers kept attacking. Downing sent another cross to the far post that Tomkins headed down and towards goal, but this time McGregor caught it and held on.

Hull finished the first half with three consecutive corners, none of which caused West Ham any real problems. But it was indicative of a first half where the walking wounded of Hull were made to look a much better side than they are.

Halftime. West Ham 0, Hull 0.

Hull made a notable change at halftime, with Harry Maguire coming on for Bruce. You know things are bad, if not downright tragic, when a team has to put a central defender on as a makeshift striker. I wonder if Mladen Petric is looking for work? West Ham, on the other hand, didn't make any substitutions to start the second half. But Downing appeared to be back on top of a diamond, right behind the strikers. There was also a notable change in attitude and energy. Whatever Sam said to them inside at halftime clearly had an effect, because the team came out firing on most, if not all, cylinders.

In the 47th minute Jenkinson sent a great through ball for Downing on the right side of the penalty area. He sent in a cross that took at least one small deflection before finding Kevin Nolan at the top of the 18 yard box. His volley was so close that Jon Champion initially called it a goal, but was inches over the bar and inches away from his 100th goal in the Premier League.

There was a moment in the first half, I don't recall exactly when, that Andy Carroll got his concrete skull on the end of a rather long pass. As he often does, he flicked the ball into an area that he expected someone to run into. Nobody, particularly Valencia, made that run. AC wasn't happy, and he let Enner know. In the 49th minute, Carroll demonstrated that actions speak louder than words. Valencia fired a shot from the edge of the area that McGregor stopped, but couldn't hang onto the ball. Carroll did what good strikers do. He didn't give up on the play. He wanted it more. And that's why he was there to tap in the rebound.

West Ham 1, Hull 0.

From that moment on, the game was essentially all West Ham. Carroll appealed for a penalty a few minutes later when his cross hit Dawson's hand, then he found Downing open but his shot was blocked. It should have been 2-0 in the 57th minute when Song sent a terrific ball onto the path of Valencia with nothing but green between him and McGregor, but the flag incorrectly went up.

In the 66th minute West Ham made the substitution that effectively killed off the game when Amalfitano came on for Noble, who quite frankly didn't have a very good day. Amalfitano has many fans among the Twitter faithful, and he immediately showed why those calling for More Morgan have a strong case. Song, after intercepting the ball at midfield, made another fine pass to Valencia off the outside of his right foot. Valencia controlled it with his chest, turned quickly, drew the defenders to him and laid the ball off for Amalfitano. The Frenchman's finish was calm, composed, and clinical. If I may, I'd like to quote an American sportscaster, the late Stuart Scott, who passed away earlier this month. I liked him, and I'll miss watching him.

He's as cool as the other side of the pillow.

West Ham 2, Hull 0.

West Ham have never finished a Premier League season with a positive goal differential, but that may change this year. West Ham made it ten on the plus side in the 72nd minute when Song made another sublime pass, this time to Stuart Downing to send him in alone on goal. Showing his own version of calm, composed control, Downing slid the ball past McGregor and into the back of the net.

West Ham 3, Hull 0.

There could have been more. Nolan came close on an impossible angle, and Amalfitano almost had a second after some lovely football with Valencia. We looked more like the West Ham that graced our presence at the start of the season than we had in a few weeks.

Final Score. West Ham 3, Hull 0.

In hindsight, I think our poor first half display today was a blessing in disguise. If Allardyce does have a bias to certain players and certain tactical setups, he set those aside in the second half and made the changes needed to take control of a game we really needed to win if a top eight finish is our target. Sam, feel free to cup that ear again. Only this time it should be to hear the applause.

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West Ham 3-0 Hull: Hammers stir after sleepy first half to ease past woeful Tigers
Jan 18, 2015 16:00 By Darren Lewis
Second-half strikes from Andy Carroll, Morgan Amalfitano and Stewart Downing secured the points for the home side
The Mirror

At first they looked to be suffering a hangover from their last knees-up. On the fifth anniversary of Davids Gold and Sullivan taking over, however, West Ham eventually got the party started to plunge Hull deeper into danger. At half-time the champagne looked like it might stay on ice. The Hammers were sloppy. They looked to have been dining out too long on their epic FA Cup replay win over Everton on Tuesday. A better side would have battered them. But Hull are not a good side. Ahmed Elmohamady missed a sitter. Sone Aluko was crafty but could not finish. David Meyler could not take advantage when keeper Adrian – hero of the shoot-out against Everton – put a clearance straight at his feet. The Hammers were rightly booed off at half-time and the spectre of that night last March, when an unconvincing win over Hull drew only derision for Sam Allardyce, raised its head again. The second half was very different. Four minutes in, Hull keeper Allan McGregor failed to hold Enner Valencia's shot. Andy Carroll nipped in to turn the ball home.

Even then Hull were done. The Tigers have been toothless, failing to score in 10 of their last 15 matches. Instead, Michael Dawson dropped off Valencia, the Ecuadorian played a pass so superbly weighted that substitute Morgan Amalfitano did not have to break stride.
And with only McGregor to beat, Amalfitano caressed his finish into the net. Three minutes after their second, West Ham hit a third. This time, Alex Song sent Stewart Downing clear. McGregor looked at first as though he would worry the winger out of it. Then the Scot committed himself and Downing found the bottom corner without any fuss. Hull were being torn to pieces. Downing and Amalfitano had shots blocked while Kevin Nolan hit the bar.

By the end, West Ham could be proud of their day's work. Allardyce said: "Our efforts on Tuesday night left us a little bit lethargic.
"We found it difficult to deal with Hull and the shape they were playing and the efforts they were making to close us down. "But we were able to deal with them in the second half. We moved the ball with a bit more accuracy paid off in the end and the quality of our goals." Their attacking capability may not match an Arsenal and defensively they are not as mean as Southampton. But the fact West Ham are still in the top-four hunt is a measure of their progress under Allardyce, Gold and Sullivan. Big Sam has got them up and kept them there. Sullivan and Gold have purged the club of underachievers and replaced them with quality. As Allardyce said afterwards, the recruitment has been outstanding.

While other clubs chase the same targets, West Ham thought outside the box to bring in Valencia, Song, Aaron Cresswell, Cheikhou Kouyate and Diafra Sakho. Now Hull are in the kind of trouble West Ham were last year. But the Tigers do not have the players to escape. Abel Hernandez, Mohamed Diame, Gaston Ramirez, Hatem Ben Arfa, Robert Snodgrass and Thomas Ince were supposed to add creativity. Ben Arfa has jumped ship. Hernandez is struggling after a decent start, Ramirez has played just once. Diame and Snodgrass are injured and Ince is on loan. Bruce blasted Hull's lack of killer instinct afterwards. He may be even less cheerful soon. Their next games are Newcastle and Manchester City. Big Sam's men doubled their advantage on 69 minutes when Valencia picked up a pass from Alex Song and timed his ball into substitute Morgan Amalfitano to perfection. The Frenchman, who had been on for just four minutes, then performed a delightful dink over McGregor, as Hull looked their for the taking. It was 3-0 minutes later, when Song threaded a superb ball through the Tigers midfield and into the path of Downing, who galloped through the Hull half and rolls the ball into the near post to seal the deal for the Hammers.

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West Ham open letter: Co-Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold reflect on five years with the Hammers
Jan 18, 2015 22:30 By Darren Lewis, David Gold, David Sullivan
The Hammers chiefs have reflected on their three years at the helm at Upton Park, and outlined their ambitions for the next five seasons
The Mirror

West Ham joint-Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold have reflected on their first five years at the by releasing an open letter, where they give their thoughts on the management of the club, player recruitment, the Academy and club debt.

Here is Sullivan and Gold's letter in full:

Monday 19 January marks five years to the day since the moment that we, as two proud Eastenders, took to the helm of the Club we have loved and supported all our lives.

So we feel the time is right to take stock of the progress we have made and look forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead.

It is an especially exciting time to be the Joint-Chairmen of this Club.

After our stunning start to the season, with performances that have had the whole country talking, we sit comfortably in the top half of the table and have a fourth round tie in the FA Cup to look forward to after last week's thrilling win against Everton.

It is all a far cry from the situation West Ham faced back in January 2010, when we first bought a majority share. To put our progress in perspective, we have already won more games in this campaign than we did in the whole of that 2009/10 season.

We inherited a club that was riddled with debt, had little or no expectation from the management team, lacked strategy on and off the pitch and had no idea what the future held for it.

Avoiding relegation seemed to be the limit of the Club's ambitions and with no plan to expand the Boleyn Ground, there was little prospect of improvement.

As some supporters may recall, in the summer of 2010, we set out a ten-point pledge to highlight the areas we wanted to address to start turning that situation around and to give West Ham's loyal supporters reasons to look forward to the future with confidence. They were:

Management: We pledged to recruit a high-calibre manager with the experience to deliver good football and results.

After the disappointment of relegation in 2011, we put our faith in Sam Allardyce to win promotion and secure our status in the Barclays Premier League.

He repaid that faith by picking up the pieces of a relegated squad, rebuilding its morale and then securing promotion to the Premier League via a memorable Play-Off Final win at Wembley.

Two consecutive mid-table finishes followed and this year he has led us to our best-ever start to a Premier League season.

Big Sam is now the second longest-serving manager in the Premier League and we hope his experience can now lead us to what would be a creditable top-six finish this season.

New players: We said we wanted an exciting and balanced squad, with new signings that shared our ambitions and could play in the 'West Ham Way'.

Our transfer business last summer typifies that approach: nine players brought in with an average age of 24.

Our recruitment was as varied as it was successful, one of the brightest young talents in the Championship, a World Cup star and a loan signing from Barcelona, and their impact on changing the Club's fortunes is evident for all to see.

In our opinion we now have one of the best West Ham squads in recent memory.

The Academy: We always want to see Academy talent given a chance. James Tomkins was the last player to break into the first team on a consistent basis and we are desperate to see more make the grade.

With Tony Carr moving to an ambassadorial role, we restructured the Academy, appointing Terry Westley as its new head.

Just last week, we made a big statement for the future by seeing off competition from several of the country's biggest clubs to seal long-term deals for two of our most exciting prospects in Reece Oxford and Joe Powell.

Clearing the debt: We pledged that West Ham would never again be placed in peril and that we would get the Club back on a sound financial footing.

We have kept that pledge and last year's highest-ever turnover of £114.8 million has not only allowed us to invest in the playing squad, but also continue to clear the Club's debts.

We made a record £10.3m profit last season and remain on track to have cleared all external debt by the time we move to our new Stadium.

Season Ticket prices: We said we would reward fans who make the long-term commitment of buying a Season Ticket and do more for the younger supporters who are the lifeblood of the Club.

We kept Season Ticket prices at our previous Premier League level on our return to the top flight and then froze them again two years later.

Indeed, while still tackling the debt, over the past five years, the price of a renewed Season Ticket has been at around 40 per cent below the rate of inflation.

We also continued with our campaign to make football more affordable by freezing Season Ticket prices for younger fans this season and next, committing to six Kids for a Quid games and introducing a new category 'C' ticket, which starts at just £20 for adults.

These incentives, combined with the impressive performances of the team, have seen us grow our support among Under-18s by 23 per cent in the last two years.

Status and image: We said we wanted to build on our proud history and values to promote the Club's status and image as far and wide as possible.

Now with star signings from across the globe, official supporters' clubs from Canada to Kazakhstan, and the move to a world-famous venue just 20 months away, West Ham's international profile has never been higher.

A total of 14 of our matches were televised last season and we were officially recognised as one of the world's leading football brands by Brandfinance, placing us again in the top nine of Premier League clubs in the world's 50 most valuable football brands.

Enjoyment: We said we wanted to bring the fun and enjoyment back to a matchday out at West Ham.

That has meant restoring attacking, entertaining and successful football on the pitch but also increased activity for fans before the match and at half time, with better videos, improved music, interviews with former players and celebrities and interactive activities for young Hammers in and around the Stadium.

Community: We said we wanted to do even more for local schools and businesses and extend our commitment to multi-sports, education and healthy living.

Thanks to the inspirational drive of Vice-Chairman Karren Brady and new head of our West Ham United Foundation, Joseph Lyons, we have seen a dramatic improvement.

More than 15,000 youngsters have so far engaged with the Foundation's employability, training and mentoring schemes, 6,000 underachieving children in Newham have received out-of-school study support at the Club's Inspire Learning Centre and more than 20,000 deprived youngsters in the Olympic Boroughs have also engaged with West Ham's Kicks Project, which has seen a tangible reduction in anti-social behaviour in the areas covered.

The Olympic Stadium: We said moving to the Olympic Stadium would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we pledged to do our best to make it happen.

Our perseverance through three long and testing bidding processes was eventually rewarded when we were named anchor concessionaires in March 2013. Our success in that bid is one of the great achievements of the past five years.

It gives us the chance to take West Ham to a new level by generating more revenues to invest in the playing squad, attracting the best players to sign for us and then hopefully competing with the top teams in Europe.

It will also give the greatest fans in the world one of the greatest stadiums in all of football.

The supporters: We said our most important commitment was listening to what you have to say and being open, transparent and available.

Whether talking to you on social media, or face to face at fans' forums, we hope we have personally delivered on that commitment.

And by establishing the Supporter Advisory Board, appointing a dedicated Supporter Liaison Officer, conducting polls and consultations on the new Stadium, the final season plans and the new crest, we hope you have seen us not just listening to – but acting on – your views.

In all these ten areas, significant progress has been made, but we recognise there is still much more to do and that fresh challenges and new goals will always lie ahead as we continue to shape the future of the Club.

Therefore, today we are issuing another ten-point pledge to help shape our vision for the next five years.

Our passion, commitment and desire to drive West Ham further forward is as much alive today as it was the day we walked through the gates.

Continue to invest in the playing squad. Our aim is to bring in more world-class players that can play in the 'West Ham Way'.

We have broken the Club's transfer record twice in the last three years and we will continue to make significant funds available to strengthen the playing squad this summer as we build a team that will befit our new home.

We will also endeavour to hang onto our best players as, too often in the past, previous Boards have sold our most promising players.

Give the Boleyn Ground the fitting farewell it deserves. With your support we must ensure that we pay a fitting farewell to our home of more than a century.

We plan to use the opportunity, when people around the world will be watching, to celebrate everything that is great about this Club, its history, its fans and its future.

Clear the debt. Our latest set of accounts clearly shows the progress made in this area, but we have pledged to be free of external debt by the time we leave the Boleyn Ground and that must remain our focus for the next 18 months.

Deliver a new Stadium that exceeds fans' expectations. Having secured a 99-year lease to become anchor concessionaire, we must now make sure we deliver a stunning new Stadium that Hammers fans are proud to call home.

We have secured a UEFA Category 4 Stadium, which is the highest category in the world, and with the new roof, retractable seating, supporters facilities and the new hospitality areas, your new Stadium will become the benchmark of best stadia in the world.

Continue to serve our community. Having provided more than 1.5 million opportunities for local people, the re-launched West Ham United Foundation is now in a position to significantly expand its work over a wider area of East London, Essex and beyond.

Employ the best staff to take the Club forward. While we are proud of the Club's achievements, we should be clear it is not just down to the Board.

We have ensured we have the very best people in the right jobs, from football staff and sports science to the new Stadium project team and supporter services.

We can all see the difference these people are making to West Ham United and our progress on and off the pitch.

West Ham is proud to be an equal opportunities employer who has the best interests of its staff and its customers at the heart of every decision the Board makes.

Communicate clearly and transparently with supporters. Whether it be through our new soon-to-be-launched digital platform, social media, newsletters, fans' forums or the SAB, we will continue to communicate the Club's important messages to supporters.

We pride ourselves on being accessible Chairmen and will always listen to supporters' feedback on the issues that matter to them.

Continue our affordable football campaign. A Season Ticket will always offer the best value to anyone wanting to watch every West Ham game.

We also want to make sure that everyone has the chance to watch top-flight football so will be building on our current promotions, such as the award-winning schemes like Kids for a Quid, when we move to the new Stadium.

Make sure watching West Ham is enjoyable. We were clear last summer that we share the West Ham fans' desire for entertaining football and are delighted to see that return in abundance this season.

The new Stadium will offer unrivalled opportunities to improve the matchday experience away from the pitch and we will be reaching out to supporters over the coming months to make sure our new facilities offer one of the very best days out in the Premier League.

Continue to increase the profile of our Club. The new Stadium will automatically put West Ham on a pedestal around the world and it is our job to ensure we maximise on that opportunity.

We are already receiving approaches from big brands that are desperate to be part of our exciting journey and as our profile increases we will, in turn, be able to attract better players from across the globe.

Like you, there are no limits to our ambitions for West Ham and there is no end to our enthusiasm to achieve them.

But more importantly, over the coming years, we will, for the first time in the modern era, have the Stadium, the playing squad and the global reach that will give us the chance to turn our collective dreams into reality.

Thank you for your continued support.

David Sullivan and David Gold

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West Ham's Sam Allardyce defends his tactics and claims "this tippy-tappy stuff is a load of b******s"
Jan 18, 2015 22:30 By Darren Lewis
Manager who was jeered by the Upton Park crowd after a home win over Hull in March sounds off after victory in this season's version of the same fixture
The Mirror

Sam Allardyce was the toast of Upton Park - a year after being booed off by his own fans after beating Hull. The West Ham boss also backed his tactics, which put the club back on course for the top four with last season's relegation scrap a distant memory. Allardyce, who dropped contract-rebel defender Winston Reid, said: "All this tippy-tappy stuff is all a load of b******s. "Getting the ball into the opposition's box as quickly as you can with quality and getting it forward and in behind the opposition is definitely the best way forward. "That's what we did in the second half and why we won the game." Second half goals from Andy Carroll, sub Morgan Amalfitano and Stewart Downing earned the Hammers their first League win since December 20. But Big Sam's men were booed off at the break after a poor first-half display. Last March, Allardyce defiantly cupped his ear at fans at fans who booed at the end of their 2-1 win over the ten-man Tigers.

On this occasion, however, Allardyce admitted they were RIGHT to grumble - and blamed his side's FA Cup thrilling third-round replay win over Everton in midweek. He said: "When you've had an expectation of what an exciting game it was on Tuesday night then look at how poorly we played in the first half, it caught them cold. I haven't seen us play as poorly as we played in the first half all season."
Allardyce also revealed he intends to play another strong side in the FA Cup fourth round at Bristol City next weekend. We revealed last week that the club want sustained run in the competition and Allardyce said: "Our position in the League is very secure. "We don't have to consider resting players for Premier League results. We have come through the hardest period of all which is Christmas playing every three or four days. "We are now looking forward to the game against Bristol City."

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Irons on Samba link
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 18, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Winston Reid's continuing refusal to make a decision on his West Ham future is causing headaches over a possible replacement with Chris Samba the latest name in the frame. The 30 year old 6ft 4in Dynamo Moscow star played under Sam Allardyce at Blackburn and was reported earlier in the day as a target. But tonight a source at Upton Park claimed the player was an "unlikely" option despite his family still being based in the UK. Samba joined QPR in the January 2013 transfer window for a reported £12.5 million, but he returned to former club on the Hoops relegation in June of the same year on a reported £100,000k a week before completing his third move of that year when joining Dynamo in the August! Our source said: "There's little to say until we know where we are with Winston. We are looking at various central defenders in the eventuality of a worse case scenario but this seems unlikely ."

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Board need to learn from sponsorship errors
Posted by Sean Whetstone on January 18, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

The collapse of West Ham sponsor Alpari FX Trading this week has not come as surprise to some in financial circles. Currency speculation is an extremely risky business and can be compared to gambling. It is reminiscent to the boom and bust culture we saw in 2008 which created the global banking crisis which saw our once Icelandic owners go broke overnight. Maybe West Ham should of learned their lesson from 2008 when package firm XL Holidays went bust leaving 87,000 British tourists are trapped abroad. At the time XL leisure group blamed rising fuel costs and the credit crunch but it was a disaster waiting to happen.

Hopefully the West Ham board will learn this time around by taking their time in choosing a new sponsor which has a sustainable business model rather than just sell to the highest bidder. We need a sponsor that West Ham and their fans can be proud to partner, one who doesn't damage West Ham brand or reputation in the future or make us a laughing stock once more.

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Amalfitano shows why he must start
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 18, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Match verdict

It would be too easy to milk the moans and start an anti-Allardyce tirade based on a first half which was probably as bad as the 90 minutes we were forced to suffer in the same fixture last year. Actually, the word 'bad' doesn't even get close as the team failed to achieve any rhythm whatsoever and were made to look less than average by a team who in the end were exposed as nothing better than workmanlike themselves. The manager himself admitted it was to do with the system and that when they went back to the diamond everything started happening again. One question: "When haven't they?" He commented: "I had to change the whole system, apart from the back four and the goalie, but I couldn't do it during the game. I wanted to get through to half-time and make sure we didn't concede a goal and sort it out from there. In the end, I think that gave us a better opportunity to start attacking Hull."

Frankly most would surely believe word "diamond" should be written in tablets of West Ham stone and it's very hard indeed to work out why we desert a the system that works so well for us. As the old cliche goes: "If it ain't broke why fix it." However, enough of that and on to the positives and for me, at the top of them, was Morgan Amalfitano showing he surely has to be given a starting berth. With no Cheik Kouyate unavailable, and although he's a different type of player, his energy, skill and invention makes him an obvious starter.

One or other of Noble or Nolan (my preference) will have to make way surely because the Frenchman showed everything we need to provide the team with the attacking and fast moving impetus out of midfield. Indeed, he may even challenge Kouyate for a start when the Senegalese international returns. Blogger Rich Sprent wrote last week: With both of them (Noble and Nolan) together it promotes deeper defending to compensate for their lack of pace and movement. It also promotes longer passing from the defence to relieve the pressure.
It's hard to disagree with that diagnosis on what we saw in the first 45 minutes. Amalfitano, however, with three goals this season basically coming on as a sub and showing glimpses of the sort of skill we are crying out for, convinces me that the time has come to be bold. Up front we are well sorted and thankfully the Carroll/Valencia partnership looked better again today although at the back James Tomkins had a nightmare in the first hand confronted by the skill of Ulako.

At the end of it all 3-0 is a decent victory given we had gone five without one and the second half was a pleasure to watch – the first time I've been able to say that in several games. We move on in good pretty good shape for the FA Cup clash against Bristol City next Sunday followed by a tricky series of games against Liverpool, Manchester United, Southampton, Spurs and Palace. So Sam, the word you will be hunting for is "diamond."

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Allardyce: "Let's do a Southampton"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 18, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Sam Allardyce's first reaction after today's victory over Hull was to tell the team 'to do a Southampton!' He said: "There were two things in the first half: there was fatigue from Tuesday night and we weren't functioning well in that system. So we went back to a diamond and we started to expose Hull City's defence. "The first goal going in quickly after half-time really settled us. The quality of the next two finishes is what we've been looking for. "We've only lost two games over the Christmas period – one was Arsenal and the other one was Chelsea. "I'm hoping we can kick on like Southampton have done because they've put themselves back up there with an outstanding run of wins."

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QPR place Mauro Zarate on strict fitness regime after arriving from West Ham out of shape
Jan 18, 2015 22:30 By John Cross
The Argentine attacker has started just once since October and Hoops are hoping he'll be up to speed for their next game against Stoke on January 31
The Mirror

Harry Redknapp has put Mauro Zarate onto a strict fitness regime after QPR's big January signing backfired. On-loan West Ham striker Zarate was left on the bench against Manchester United because he has not been deemed fit enough to start. That has put more pressure on QPR boss Redknapp who has spent £60,000-a-week of his limited January budget on a player who has played just once since October. Redknapp now faces a race against time to get the 27 year old fit for the Hoops' next match against Stoke on January 31. Zarate, 27, has barely played this season - he started just one game since October for West Ham - and has turned up at QPR short of match fitness which has raised questions as to why they did the deal. QPR owner Tony Fernandes has given Redknapp a budget of £90,000-a-week to spend on loans and said there is NO cash available to do a permanent deal. Redknapp is still looking for one more signing but has blown most of his budget on Zarate and now faces a race to get him fit for their next match against Stoke on January 31.

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