Daily WHUFC News - 22nd January 2015

Watch the roof being raised
WHUFC.com
Time-lapse footage shows the record-breaking roof of the Club's stunning new
Stadium taking shape
21.01.2015

As construction work continues apace at West Ham United's magnificent new
Stadium on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, one of the most striking features
of the transformation is the Stadium's stunning new roof. You can watch for
yourself how the massive roof installation project is progressing in this
new film, which includes footage taken from our special time-lapse cameras
inside and overlooking the Stadium.
.
Work on the roof has been going on for several months, with eight kilometres
of cable netting weighing 930 tonnes lifted and connected, before 112 steel
roof rafters, up to 38 metres in length, were also lifted and secured into
place.

In November, the first of almost 10,000 panels was lifted into place: with
6,300 solid panels in the rear section, and 3,600 transparent polycarbonate
panels at the front. It will take 26 weeks to lift all the panels into
place.
The insulated rear section of the roof is key to its special acoustic
design, ensuring that the atmosphere of the crowd will bounce around the
Stadium and create a cauldron of noise on matchdays. When the roof is
complete, it will enter the record books as the longest cantilevered roof in
the world, measuring 84 metres long at its deepest point.

At 45,000 square metres in size, the roof will be twice as big as the
original used for the 2012 Games, and will cover every seat in the Stadium,
compared to the 40 per cent of spectators in 2012 who sat in the open. And
because it is a cantilevered roof - fixed at only one end - every one of
those seats will enjoy a superb, unobstructed view of the action on the
pitch, with no roof supports in the way.
While the floodlights that sat on top of the old roof have been removed as
part of the transformation work, the 490 lamps they contained will be
installed underneath the new roof, providing tremendous illumination to the
field of play.

Time-lapse cameras were installed back in the summer enabling supporters to
see the Stadium transformation for themselves: two inside the Stadium
itself, and one overlooking the entire site from the top of the
ArcelorMittal Orbit.

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Clamour for Club London grows
WHUFC.com
West Ham United continue to report surging demand for Club London membership
21.01.2015

West Ham United continue to report surging demand for membership of Club
London, the market-leading hospitality lounges, restaurants and bars that
will offer the best matchday experience at the Hammers' magnificent new
Stadium in Stratford.

With facilities on offer that will set a new benchmark for luxury
hospitality in world football and seats with an unrivalled view of the
action, West Ham fans have been signing up for membership at an incredible
rate:

• Memberships for The Royal East lounge have now entirely sold out, less
than four months after going on sale. The Royal East follows the form of The
Forge 1895 lounge, which reached its capacity within weeks of going on sale
in December.
• Just a matter of days after going on sale, more than a quarter of places
have already been snapped up in The Boleyn, the Club's dedicated matchday
bar for Hammers fans.
• Just 50 places remain available in The Arnold Hills lounge, the relaxed
and cultured private dining club named in tribute to the visionary founder
of West Ham.

In addition to The Boleyn bar and the Arnold Hills lounge, limited Club
London spaces are still available in 'The Great Briton', a special bar,
lounge and restaurant area paying tribute to West Ham's major trophy winners
and the British champions of London 2012, with halfway line seats offering
superb views of the action from the West Stand's upper tier.

West Ham United Vice-Chairman Karren Brady said: "We have been delighted by
the enthusiastic response to our Club London offering, and we can promise
all the supporters who have signed up as members that the facilities and
matchday experience will exceed all their expectations. I look forward to
welcoming them all to our first game in 2016."

While remaining space in Club London is now limited, supporters wishing to
apply for membership can do so today by joining the waiting list at
reservations.whufc.com.

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New kick-off time for Sunderland
WHUFC.com
Change of kick-off time for March Boleyn Ground fixture
21.01.2015

West Ham United's home Barclays Premier League clash with Sunderland will
now kick-off at 5.30pm on Saturday 21 March. This is the only one of the
Club's league fixtures in March to change from its originally scheduled date
or time, although the match against Chelsea could move should Jose
Mourinho's men reach the final of the Capital One Cup. West Ham and
Sunderland battled out a 1-1 draw when they met at the Stadium of Light in
December, with Stewart Downing's goal cancelling out a Jordi Gomez penalty.

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'Football is about the unit'
WHUFc.com
Winston Reid says his fine form this season as much to do with his
team-mates as it is his own ability
21.01.2015

Winston Reid says his fine defensive form this season is as much to do with
his team-mates as it is his own ability. The West Ham United centre-back has
been a consistently impressive figure at the heart of the Hammers' back four
this season, whoever he has played alongside. The No2 has started 20 of West
Ham's 22 Barclays Premier League matches, partnering James Tomkins eleven
times, James Collins on seven occasions and lining up in a back-three twice.
Reid has also adapted well to playing alongside two new full-backs in Carl
Jenkinson and Aaron Cresswell and deep-lying midfielder Alex Song, helping
West Ham to go into the closing months of the season with very real hopes of
qualifying for European football. "There isn't really a secret to defending,
as it's all about who you play alongside," wrote Reid in his new weekly
online Fanbookz column. "You have routines at the training ground and you
have to work together to make sure we concede as few as possible. "At the
end of the day it doesn't matter how many balls I've headed, or how many
clearances I've made personally, if the team still concedes six or seven
goals the statistics aren't of use to anyone. "Football is about the unit
rather than the individual. The way we try to work as a defensive line is to
ensure that everyone does his job, which makes it easier for each other. If
you look at players that have come into the side for us this season, they've
easily been able to slot in to the back line whenever a player's been
injured. "It's also great having the defensive cover in front of us, and
someone who has been key to our season is Alex Song. Alex stopped with his
national team [Cameroon] meaning we have him during the African Cup of
Nations, and while no-one knows what's gone on behind the scenes, it's
brilliant to have him at the Club. "Alex is a great guy to have around, he's
a funny character and he brings a lot of quality into the team. When you've
played at clubs like Arsenal and Barcelona, you have to have a bit of
quality to play for those sides."

Reid and his team-mates head to Bristol City for an FA Cup fourth-round tie
on Sunday knowing victory over the League One high-fliers will take them one
step further down the road to Wembley. However, the New Zealand
international goes west with the media speculating on an almost daily basis
over his future plans. For his part, the 26-year-old says he remains 100 per
cent focused on helping West Ham to maintain their strong form. "People
often ask me whether January is a strange month for footballers because of
the transfer window and gossip - to be honest as players we don't really
notice it that much," he explained. "It's not like we look out for news
about players, and it's mainly the media surrounding football as to why
there's always a lot of talk about transfers - but players honestly don't
really take notice of it that much."

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Hamilton Academical wait for Stephen Hendrie bid for West Ham
By Jane Lewis
BBC Scotland

Hamilton full-back Stephen Hendrie has been the subject of an offer in
excess of £2m from West Ham. However, the London club has not been back in
touch to formalise their bid, with the Accies happy to proceed with the sale
of the 20-year-old. Hendrie is out of contract at the end of the season. The
Scotland Under-21 international has made more than 100 appearances for the
Lanarkshire side since making the breakthrough in 2011. Earlier this month,
Hendrie talked to BBC Scotland about a possible move to the English Premier
League, saying: "That's my dream." Meanwhile, Hamilton have received close
to 100 applications for the managerial vacancy at New Douglas Park and hope
to announce a replacement for Alex Neil before the weekend. Martin Canning
stepped into the role of interim player-coach after Neil left to join
Norwich and assistant manager Frank McAvoy will also make the switch to
Carrow Road following Saturday's Premiership game against Inverness CT.

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WHY WE NEED A BIG SCALP OVER THE NEXT TWO MONTHS
By Bobby Shovels 21 Jan 2015 at 11:34
West Ham Till I Die

My earliest memories of supporting West Ham, in the mid-1990s, were of
famous victories or draws against the bigger clubs: the time we stopped Sir
Alex from winning the title in 1995; Di Canio scoring a brace in a 2-1
victory over Arsenal in 1999. That was the West Ham way: perform well for
the big clubs, struggle against the minnows. It was even something Sir Alex
accused us of.


Cometh this season and that mantra still holds true – slightly. Yes, this
season we beat Liverpool and Manchester City at home, both impressively, but
to be a pessimist – as I always am – we played both sides at the right time,
before they both began to turn their seasons around. What seems to be
different about this season is not necessarily results like those, but the
fact that we haven't slipped up against the teams that are struggling. Our
only losses have come against Spurs, Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea,
Southampton and Everton. All are in the top six, bar the Toffees, but they
have always been our bogey team.

As I wrote before, we've got a tough run of games coming up – Liverpool,
Southampton, Spurs, Arsenal away; Manchester United and Chelsea at home.
They will all be difficult, but they will be informative in determining just
how good a side we are. We have shown so far this season that we have what
it takes to grind out wins after playing poorly – take Hull this week, for
example. We have shown how we have what it takes to not be a bottom-ten
side, having not yet lost to any of them. We have shown that we don't have
to worry about relegation.

Yet what else can we show? A few months back we were being compared to
Southampton, and many scoffed at the idea of either one of us being in the
top four come May. That was especially true when the Saints hit a run of
games against the big sides and lost quite a few. Yet where are they now?
They have shown they can test the Premier League elite: 1-1 draw with
Chelsea, 2-0 defeat of Arsenal and that impressive 1-0 away victory against
Manchester United. They have the metal to wallop the minnows (8-0 against
Sunderland) as well as the big boys.

Southampton beat United away for the first time since 1988. How about we
rewrite our own history by beating Liverpool next weekend? We haven't won at
Anfield since 1964. Surely it's time? How about even testing the Saints
themselves? We were roundly beaten by them at home 3-;, how about we show
that we are just as surprise a package this season as they are? We'd all
love to recreate the scenes at the Boleyn when we beat Chelsea 3-1 a few
years back and we'd all revel in another victory at White Hart Lane.

Arsenal showed against Manchester City that even if you are missing key
players, it's crucial to work as a team: making a side greater than the sum
of its individual parts. If this team really is serious about having
transitioned this season, and if the owners are honest when they say they
want us to push for Europe, then these run of results gives the club a
perfect opportunity to prove just that. Chelsea and Manchester United at
home are good chances: neither are playing particularly well away. The four
away games – against Southampton, Spurs, Arsenal and Liverpool – are teams
that are hitting their stride, similar to how we did in October and
November.

Let's hope this February is as good as last year.

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Allardyce hopes to pocket Stephen Hendrie in January raid on Hamilton
Jan 21, 2015 19:21 By Darren Lewis
Discussions are ongoing as the Hammers try to bring in highly-rated young
Scottish defender set to be out of contract in the summer
The Mirror

West Ham have made an approach to Scottish Premiership side Hamilton for
highly-rated left-back Stephen Hendrie. The 20-year-old is out of contract
in the summer but talks are ongoing between the two clubs over a possible
deal. If Hendrie were to run his contract down the Hammers would still be
forced to pay compensation to his club as he is under 23. Hendrie is valued
by his club at around £2million. He has represented Scotland at Under-17,
Under-19 and Under-21 level. Despite his age he has made over 100
appearances for his club and has attracted the admiration of several Premier
League clubs. West Ham's move for Hendrie is in line with the policy they
embarked on last summer of targeting exciting young talent with resale
value. The Irons' current left-back, 25-year-old Aaron Cresswell, has been
hugely impressive since boss Sam Allardyce signed him for £3.75million from
Ipswich last summer.

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James Collins' courage and tenacity has won the West Ham faithful over - and
now he's their 'Ginger Pele'
Jan 21, 2015 13:50
OPINION BY STEVESTAMMERS
The Welshman may not be blessed with the greatest ability but he gives his
all and defends for his life and the Upton Park faithful revere him for just
that
The Mirror

Over the years, heroes at West Ham have come in various guises. The sheer
excellence of Bobby Moore....the midfield guile of Trevor Brooking....the
elusive wing play of John Sissons and Alan Devonshire....the formidable
tackling of Julian Dicks. This season's vintage comes in the no­-nonsense
defending of James Collins who has reached iconic status rather late in his
career. The reason? He gives his all. Whatever the match, whatever the
occasion, whatever the circumstances, the 31­-year­-old Welshman defends for
his life. It is the fans in what used to be the intimidating Chicken Run
tier of Upton Park who traditionally lead the way in these matters and they
have decided to christen Collins "The Ginger Pele".
In conversation, they label him Franz Beckton­bauer but the "One Ginger
Pele" chant rolls more easily off the tongue. Now West Ham regulars will
know there is more than a hint of irony in that. When the football gods
distributed their gifts, Collins was not blessed with the touch of Brooking
or the supreme anticipation of Moore. But what they gave Collins in
abundance was courage and tenacity. They gave him the ingredients to be an
old­-school centre back. Sometimes the man goes past him. Sometimes the ball
goes past him. Rarely do the two go past him together.
Collins will stoop low and risk personal damage to head the ball clear. He
will block for fun. He has never ducked out of a challenge.
Ok, so sometimes he may get a tad carried away and attempt manoeuvres for
which he is not equipped and occasionally that ends not in a good way. But
when he does what he does best, he is like a rock. And the fans love that
commitment. In both penalty areas – to prevent a goal or provide one –
Collins will risk injury for the benefit of West Ham. And that is why the
fans have taken to him. They are not taking the proverbial when they call
him the Ginger Pele. Far from it. They admire him. He will never be the most
accomplished player. But there are few around with his character – and the
fans at Upton Park know it. Link a player with two legends in Pele and
Beckenbauer and you are unlikely to come up with James Collins. But the
Chicken Run have. Now that is irony... and respect. Trust me, it is a tough
audience to win over, that Chicken Run. But James Collins has done it.

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DG thrilled with Irons "bargain buy"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 21, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

David Gold reckons Aaron Cresswell may become the buy of the season and
declares: "There's so much more to come from him!" Cresswell cost the Irons
£3.75 million from Ipswich and inside 22 Premier league games is now freely
discussed as an England probable. In total he has made 24 appearances and is
an ever present in what some originally saw as a season of adjustment. But
no adjustment has been necessary. Cresswell has been outstanding and with
Stewart Downing and Diafra Sakho is among the front runners for Hammer of
the year.
Gold could not be more impressed saying: "Aaron has been fantastic and I
really believe there's a lot more to come. "He got his goal against
Newcastle (seen above) and has gone from strength to strength. The boy has
so much in his game. At the price he is turning into one of the bargain buys
of the season. "It shows that there are players out these playing in the
Championship who can make the step up. It's all about the scouting network
you have in place. Aaron has been brilliant for us and to say we are all
delighted with him really would be something of an under-statement."

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Lazio waiting on Rav…but no loan!
Posted by Sean Whetstone on January 21, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Ravel Morrison has been offered a pre-contract deal by Lazio but is yet to
put pen to paper. It was believed the player was likely to agree the deal
and join the Serie A outfit on loan for the rest of the season but he is not
allowed to under the game's rules. For he has already played for two clubs
this season – West Ham and Cardiff City and is not permitted to play for a
third thius ensuring the move – if it's to happen – will have to wait until
the summer. However, ClaretandHugh learned this evening that there is
interest elsewhere although sources were keeping their cards to their chests
on where from! We were told: "Lazio have made their offer and it's now up to
the player but there is interest beyond that. Will he sign for the Italians?
Very possibly but who knows what's around the corner in this game? Reports
broke in Italy earlier suggesting a deal had been done by the two sides but
our source said: "The offer is there and it's now up to the player." Lazio
are currently sitting fifth in Serie A.

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Kouyate's twitter account hacked
Posted by Sean Whetstone on January 21, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Chek Kouyate was forced to apologise to his 14,000 followers on twitter
after his account was hacked yesterday. The embarrassing incident saw the
Senegal international interrupt his African Nations Cup tournament to say
sorry to his followers. A number of distasteful retweets were made from the
account – one including nudity. Kouyate said: "I'm sorry but my Twitter has
been hacked! I'm sorry if he/she upset anyone"

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Reid/Arsenal link takes Paulista bash!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 21, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Winston Reid's Arsenal prospects look near dead in the water as the Gunners
continue talks aimed at signing Gabriel Paulista. Arsene Wenger hopes of
signing the player hang on the La Liga outfit Villareal accepting £6 million
with add-ons to take the fee potentially to beyond £10m. Villareal want 20
million euros but should the clubs come to an agreement the Gunners need to
clinch a work permit on "exceptional talent" grounds as Paulista has not
yet represented Brazil. However, ClaretandHugh has learned Paulista was at
the emirates today and that the Gunners remain confident gthey can make the
deal happen. The north Londoners are negotiating hard for the player to the
exclusion of Reid who currently looks out in the cold as far as potential
interest is concerned. And even were Wenger to fail in his Paulista swoop it
now seems unlikely that he would come in for Reid – who would become very
much a second or third option.
But with no hint of that happening it appears that Reid's hopes of a move to
one of the "big" clubs is fading by the day

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Irons cool on City defender
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 21, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham are unlikely to make a move for on loan Manchester City defender
Micah Richards at the end of the season. Reports that we retain an interest
in the player – currently on loan at Fiorentia – have started doing the
rounds based on our need for defensive reinforcements. The Serie A team have
first option on the player but – as reported – will have to pay £3.5m to
cover the wages City have paid during the course of this season plus a loan
facilitation fee. That's unlikely as Richards is looking for a return to
the Premier League and will be a free transfer in the summer although
ClaretandHugh understands that he is now off the irons radar. The former
England international has disappointed in Italy making just four Seria A and
five Europa League appearances. A Hammers source told ClaretandHugh: "He's a
£70k a week player minimum, doesn't have the best injury record and has made
less than 20 first team appearances last season and the season before."

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Jenks 'price' confirms chase is on!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 21, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

The very idea that Arsenal believe Carl Jenkinson may be worth £12 million
prompts just one thought in my mind..how much does that make Aaron Cresswell
worth? Newspapers and websites are very quick to put valuations on players
although in reality they usually bear little relationship to reality. So
when I first saw the price quoted on the website of a prominent national
newspaper, the immediate reaction was disbelief and amusement. The one
thing it does confirm is that the chase is on! An agent or interested
Arsenal insider was obviously responsible for disclosing such a price unless
it has come off the top of a journalist's head. Were it to be even remotely
true you wonder why on earth the Gunners allowed such a highly prized asset
to leave the Emirates on loan in the first place and buy Mathieu Debuchy for
£10 million. The Hammers have – as reported here yesterday – a £6 million
fee in mind for Jenkinson – which is £2.25 million more than they paid up
front for Cresswell who is already being put in the England frame. There are
extras in the deal which could give Ipswich £7 million. What nether I or
anybody else will ever believe is that Jenks – for all his virtues – is
worth three times as much. What is clear. however, is that the Hammers are
keen to get a deal done for the right back at the end of the season and that
at some stage his agent Darren Dein – a pal of the Irons board – will get
involved. We have a strong Arsenal connections and our new managing director
Angus Kinnear is the former marketing chief at the Gunners. Will it happen?
Yes I believe it will but at nowhere near £12 million and I think everybody
involves knows that!

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Cameroon centre back linked with Hammers
Posted by Sean Whetstone on January 21, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Nicolas N'Koulou is a rising star in the French Ligue 1 and the established
backbone of the Cameroon team currently in the African Nations Cup. The 24
year old Marseille centre-back has been previously linked with Arsenal but
now there is credible news that he is a Hammers target should Winston Reid
leave the club in this transfer window. Named in the Ligue 1 Team of the
Year in 2012 and 2013, N'Koulou has 51 caps for his country.

The centre-back has been a mainstay for Marseille since moving from Monaco
four years ago, and certainly fits the Allardyce mould. He is big, strong
and a powerful header of the ball, he looks the type of player that would
fit right into the West Ham team. The Cameroonian international is currently
out at the Africa Cup of Nations, the French club might be more susceptible
to a cut price deal as they are suffering a severe financial crisis.

N'Koulou started yesterday in Cameroon's 1-1 draw with Mali where he came up
against Hammer Maiga who came on as a 86 minute substitute. West Ham are
likely to take a keen interest of how he performs in the African Nations
Cup.

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Hammers have £2m bid rejected
Posted by Sean Whetstone on January 21, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Reports suggest West Ham have had a £2million bid rejected for Hamilton
left-back Stephen Hendrie. The Scottish 20-year-old is out of contract in
the summer and is said to be attracting interest from a number of Premier
League clubs including West Ham, Crystal Palace and Swansea. Hendrie has
made more than 100 appearances for the Scottish Premiership club but has
made it clear he is ready to move to a bigger club. He is seen as cover for
Aaron Cresswell. Speaking before his 20th birthday in January Hendrie said:
'I'm 20 next week, I don't think that's too young or too old to move from
Hamilton.I'm a Celtic fan and obviously the Premier League is one of the
best leagues in the world. That's my dream – you want to reach as high a
level as you can and if I can get to the Premier League that would be
brilliant. But the Accies would need to see if it's the right offer. If it
is, they say they'll never stand in anybody's way. They are a great club
like that. If they accepted it, there is not much I could do. It's good
massive clubs are getting mentioned. But I just want to get my head down and
keep doing well.Just now, the Accies are flying and I'm loving every minute
of it. We just want to finish as high as we can."

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