Daily WHUFC News - 6th January 2015

Preview - Everton
WHUFC.com
Everything you need to know about Tuesday's FA Cup Third Round tie away at
Everton
05.01.2015

EVERTON v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
GOODISON PARK
TUESDAY 5 JANUARY 2015
KICK-OFF: 7.45PM
REFEREE: ANTHONY TAYLOR

In brief
West Ham United travel to Goodison Park for the second time this season as
they kick off their FA Cup campaign on Tuesday evening.
The Hammers lost narrowly to Roberto Martinez's men 2-1 in November when
goals from Romelu Lukaku and Leon Osman were enough to clinch the three
points despite a Mauro Zarate goal.

Everton have been hampered by injuries to key players as well as congested
fixture list which has contributed to their poor league form. The Toffees
currently sit in 13th position in the Premier League with 21 points from 20
games. In contrast, the Hammers are lying in seventh place having taken 32
points.

Fourth Round draw
The winners of this tie will travel to Doncaster Rovers or Bristol City in
the fourth round.

Who are they?
Formed from St Domingo's FC, they played their first game on 1 January 1878
in Stanley Park. They changed their name to Everton Football Club in 1879,
winning their first game under the new name 6-0 against St Peter's. Five
years later, Everton won the Liverpool Cup, their first ever cup with a 1-0
win over Earlestown.

Everton were one of the 12 founder members of the Football League in 1888,
winning their first league title at the third attempt. The Toffees moved to
Goodison Park in 1892, winning their first game 4-2 over Bolton Wanderers.

Since then, Everton have established themselves as one of the more
successful teams in Britain, winning the first division nine times as well
as an impressive five FA Cups.

More recently, trophies have been harder to come by - their last success
came in the FA Cup in the 1994/95 season. However ex-manager David Moyes
established them as one of the best teams in the Premier League, regularly
finishing in the top half and challenging for a European spot.

Team news
West Ham United
Diafra Sakho is unavailable due to a back injury sustained against West
Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day, he is currently being assessed by a
specialist to determine the extent of the injury. Fellow Senegalese
International Cheikhou Kouyate has joined up with the national team as they
prepare for their African Cup of Nations campaign. James Tomkins twisted his
ankle in training and is unlikely to be fit in time, James Collins is set to
continue alongside Winston Reid in defence.

Everton
The Toffees' injury problems have continued into the New Year with Tim
Howard (calf), Tony Hibbert (muscular injury) and Leon Osman (tendon) all
out injured. Further, Antolin Alcaraz is suspended after being sent off
against Hull City in their New Year's Day defeat while Christian Atsu is
also on international duty. Steven Pienaar (knee), Darron Gibson (knee) and
James McCarthy (hamstring) are all unfit. John Stones and Kevin Mirallas
(both ankle) are in contention to play but may not be risked.
Referee

Tuesday's referee is Anthony Taylor who has taken charge of 16 Premier
League games so far this season including the Hammers' 2-0 win over Queens
Park Rangers on Sunday 5 October 2014. Of those 16 games, the homes side has
won five times, with the away side winning seven and there have been four
draws. The assistant referees are Darren England and Michael McDonough,
Michael Jones is the Fourth Official.

Statistics
(2014/15 season - Barclays Premier League only)
Matches refereed: 16
Yellow cards shown: 67
Red cards shown: 3
Penalties awarded: 2

One to watch
West Ham United
With Cheikhou Kouyate on international duty, Mark Noble is likely to start
in the heart of midfield. The tenacious midfielder has not featured as
regularly as some may have expected as a problem with his Achilles tendon
has limited his game time.
However, now he has overcome the injury he will be raring to get back among
the thick of it.

Everton

The highly rated Ross Barkley has caught the attention of many football fans
and pundits alike with his impressive attacking ability and creative spark.
The England international has scored eight goals in 46 starts for his
boyhood club and Martinez may have a tough job keeping him on Merseyside
should his performances continue to impress.
Tickets
Tickets are still available for Tuesday's match, to purchase tickets please
click here.
Travel
For directions to Goodison Park please click here.
Weather

The temperature at kick off is forecast to be a chilly but dry 6C (42.8F).
During the day, Tuesday should be a sunny day.
Last meeting
Everton 2-1 West Ham United
Barclays Premier League
Saturday 22 November 2014
Close, but no cigar for the Hammers, who gave a really spirited performance
at Goodison Park but were ultimately punished for being caught on the break
in the second half.
Following Mauro Zarate's equaliser, it looked as though the Hammers were
beginning to gain the upper hand as the closing stages approached, but it
was not to be with goals from Romelu Lukaku and Leon Osman giving the
visitors their first defeat since late September.
Everton: Howard, Coleman, Jagielka, Distin, Hibbert, Osman, Mirallas (Eto'o
66), Naismith (Atsu 89), Barkley (Besic 80), Lukaku
Subs not used: Robles, Browning, Garbutt, Ledson
West Ham United: Adrian, Jenkinson, Tomkins, Reid, Collins, Cresswell,
Amalfitano (Vaz Te 82), Nolan, Noble (Jarvis 52), Carroll, Cole (Zarate 51)
Subs not used: Demel, Lletget, O'Brien, Jaaskelainen

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AC targets birthday victory
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll is hoping to celebrate his 26th birthday with an FA Cup win at
Everton
05.01.2015

Birthday boy Andy Carroll knows a thing or two about the FA Cup. The centre
forward scored in the third round, fifth round, semi-final and final as
Liverpool finished as runners-up to Chelsea in 2012. On Tuesday, the No9
returns to the city he called home between January 2011 and June 2013, as
West Ham United travel to Everton in the third round of the world's
most-famous knockout competition. As someone who knows first-hand how
passionate the people of Merseyside are for both football and the FA Cup,
Carroll is relishing a tie that will be played on his 26th birthday. "I've
played against Everton a few times when I was at Liverpool," he recalled.
"It's my birthday as well that day so hopefully I'll give myself a nice goal
on my birthday if I get a game! "I think it's a great competition. It gives
you a great chance of winning something. I think us as a club that's
growing, it's something we need to have in our sights. The way we're playing
at the minute I don't see why we couldn't get to the final and maybe even
win it."

Carroll came so close to doing just that three seasons ago, when he scored a
dramatic late winner in Liverpool's semi-final victory over their Merseyside
neighbours at Wembley. Unsurprisingly, he has fond memories of that day. "It
was a great feeling," he smiled. "As a derby it was massive for the fans.
The cross came in and I got my head on it. After the game it was a dream, a
lot of emotions."

The final saw Liverpool take on Chelsea. Again, Carroll found the target,
but it was not enough to deny the Blues a 2-1 success and FA Cup glory. The
striker's frustration was compounded when his 81st minute header was pushed
onto the underside of the crossbar by Petr Cech. Carroll claimed a goal, but
match officials decided it had not crossed the line. "We were getting beat
2-0 and I came on and scored," he recalled. "We got back into it and had
several chances. One chance went over the line but it wasn't given. I think
if we had goal line technology like we do now I think it would have been
given. It was a good game that we should've got something out of."

Fast forward to Tuesday evening, and Carroll believes West Ham can take
confidence from their own position in the Barclays Premier League table, as
well as their performance in a 2-1 defeat at Goodison Park back in November.
"It was a tough game and they're a great team. They've just been beaten by
Newcastle so we know they are vulnerable. The manager will show us how we
can break them down. We know how to break teams down so hopefully we can go
there and get the win. "I feel with the confidence the lads have got at the
moment and the way we're playing well, we can go through. I think it gives
the lads a big boost to know we're pretty much safe in the league and we can
give the cup a good go."

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Big Sam on: Everton
WHUFC.com
The manager held his pre-Everton press conference on Monday morning
05.01.2015

Sam Allardyce has been grateful for the five-day gap between games ahead of
Tuesday's FA Cup third round tie against Everton. The Hammers had a blank
weekend, while many of their Premier League rivals were back in action just
days after their New Year's Day fixtures. That has allowed West Ham's
players to recover ahead of their Cup showdown, in which Big Sam wants to
see a return to winning ways.

Sam, considering how well you are doing in the league at the moment, would
it be right to assume you'll be really going for the FA Cup this season?

SA: "I think that wouldn't be the case if we were playing on Saturday,
having played on Thursday. That would have been nearly impossible with the
fatigue level and I think you could see that in the QPR players. Harry tried
to play his best side for four games in a row and it didn't work and they
ended up losing 3-0 to Sheffield United. "It's not possible to play the best
team each game because of the fatigue levels. But we've had four or five
days rest which has helped so we can play a strong team. It's quite strange
playing on Tuesday night but it has given us a little bit of breathing
space. "We won't have a few players available due to the African Cup of
Nations starting soon and Diafra Sakho has got a back injury which we are
assessing."

How serious is the injury and is Sakho likely to miss the African Cup of
Nations?

SA: "We're still assessing the situation, he's seeing a specialist in London
at the moment. He's all the appropriate scans but we need to see the extent
of it. Obviously the back is a sensitive area which can take some time to
mend depending on the scenario. Until we get the full diagnosis we won't
know the right way forward."

A word on Mauro Zarate, there was talk of Crystal Palace being interested,
among other clubs, do you have any updates on the situation?

SA: "I don't to be honest. I thought it was all done and dusted with QPR but
that doesn't seem to be the case for whatever reason. When the situation has
been decided we'll deal with it from there.

If he does leave, does that create a space for you to bring someone else in?

SA: "I don't think so. What Mauro's problem is, is that he feels he hasn't
played enough here at West Ham. He feels he needs to go play somewhere else,
and if he goes elsewhere he'll have a better chance of playing. I think his
problem is that if he'd played better here, he would have played more often.
But I haven't heard of any other club that is interested in him apart from
QPR."

You've signed Doneil Henry, what can you tell us about him?

SA: "He's a player for the near future we hope. He was recommended by Ryan
Nelsen from his time at Toronto FC, who was my captain at Blackburn Rovers.
Ryan himself was a fantastic central defender. Doneil came here on a trial
and impressed us. He's only 21 so he has a lot of potential and hopefully
he'll be challenging for a place soon."

Is he a player who could replace Winston Reid?

SA: "His contract is out at the end of the year. His future is that his
contract ends on 30 June, he hasn't said that he is or isn't going to sign
at the moment. By the feel of it you'd err on the side that he won't so I
think it's unlikely. We haven't had any approaches for him in January."

How is the rest of the squad fitness wise?

SA: "James Tomkins twisted his ankle yesterday so we'll assess that one. The
three Africa Cup of Nations players won't feature so we've got a bit of a
thin squad."

Does tomorrow's game give some of the players who haven't played as much as
they might have liked to show what they can do?

SA: "Looking at the team there won't be too many changes. Mark Noble and
Kevin Nolan will play a big part. Ricardo Vaz Te might get an opportunity
and Matt Jarvis hasn't played as much as he wants to so he'll get a few more
games soon. We haven't had the results we wanted recently but I think the
performances have still been very good. We'll play the strongest team
available against Everton."

Are you surprised at how Everton have struggled this season?

SA: "No not really, considering the injuries and the amount of fixtures
they've had. They've had injuries to key players in important positions so
that always has a huge effect. Stones, Distin and Jagielka have all been out
so that really disrupts the solidarity at the back which is why they have
conceded so many goals. If there's a lack of confidence hopefully we can
exploit that."

Do you feel you can prioritise the Cup more this year than any others?

SA: "Yes because of our league position. Last year it was the bottom of our
priorities because we were concentrating on getting out of trouble while
also being in the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup."

Has the glamour of the FA Cup gone a bit?

SA: "It's hard to say, it certainly has in terms of its attendances, I think
across the board they've gone down. But overall I don't think it has. It's a
great tournament with the opportunity of playing at Wembley at the end. I
remember watching it from the age of about eight or nine and the chances of
an underdog beating a big boy hasn't lost its glamour. There hasn't been so
many shocks in this round but the glamour is still there."

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Dev Squad 1-0 Leicester
WHUFC.com
Minute-by-minute updates as the Dev Squad beat Leicester City 1-0 at Rush
Green
05.01.2015

DEVELOPMENT SQUAD v LEICESTER CITY U21
BARCLAYS U21 PREMIER LEAGUE
RUSH GREEN STADIUM
MONDAY 05 JANUARY 2015
KICK-OFF: 7 PM
REFEREE: NEIL HAIR

FT: Dev Squad 1-0 Leciester City

FT: The Dev Squad have done it! Parfitt-Williams with a crucial goal seals a
win just when a draw looked like the most likely outcome. The Dev Squad are
in action again this Friday against London rivals Tottenham Hostpur, kick
off 7pm from Rush Green.

92: A lot of tired legs out their now, but can they hold out?

90: Good hold up play by Turgott wastes a few seconds before Lletget buys a
free-kick off Leicester. Not long left to go.

88: The Hammers have got the ball exactly where they want it, right in the
far corner. They work it to Lletget who tries to curl it to the far post.

87: The Foxes have had the wind knocked out of their sails with that goal,
the Hammers have certainly been given a lift. Just a few minutes to hold out
for a vital win.

84: GOAL! 1-0 to the Hammers. Djair Parfitt-Williams gets his head to
another cross from Bywater and it flies into the far corner. A fine goal for
the youngster!

83: Turgott breaks again but his pass is tired and it is easily cut out.
Leicester break with a four on three in their favour, Oxford cuts it out
well.

81: Lewis Page is nailed by Jak McCourt who quite rightly goes into the book
for that challenge.

80: Another great delivery from Bywater, straight into the six-yard box
which goes agonizingly close to Parfitt-Williams. Any connection and it
would have gone in.

78: Bywater floats a terrific ball into the box which Brown attacks. It
falls just wide of the post via a deflection. Corner.

77: Into under the last 15 minutes here. Leicester have looked more
threatening in this second period yet the Hammers know they still in with a
chance.

75: Reece Burke does superbly to bring the ball from the half way line right
to Leicester's box, he tries to play in Brown but the linesman flags him for
offside, another tight call.

73: Djair Parfitt-Williams is coming on for Matty Fanimo who looked like he
had picked up a knock. The two U18s leading goal scorers are on for the
Hammers now, can they find their prolific form tonight?

71: Lletget volleys a dropping clearance which is blocked for a corner.
Jordan Brown almost gets to it at the back post.

70: Lewis Page is on in place of Dan Potts.

68: Dodoo tries his luck from distance, Howes sees it early and allows it go
wide of his post. Leicester have been on top for the majority of this second
half.
65: Hopper almosts scores as his neat flick falls dangerously close to the
near post, good invention from th Foxes' striker.

64: Potts throws himself in front of a shot from Barrington, excellent
defending from the left-back, good to see him back out on the pitch after a
lengthy injury.

62: Fanimo bursts to the by-line but his clipped cross narrowly evades
everyone and is headed out and away.

60: Panayiotou's snap shot goes just wide of Howes' post, the goalkeeper
looked to have it covered anyway.

58: Jordan Brown is on in place Paul McCallum.

56: Dan Potts is caught in posession resulting in Barrington running down on
the Hammers' area. Bywater trips the striker and goes into the book. Taking
one for the team.

53: Marcel Barrington is on in place of Louis Rowley.

51: The Hammers break down the right wing with Turgott who slides a good
ball in to McCallum. Elliot Moore slides in to clear the danger.

48: Lletget is flagged for offside despite looking well on. He and his
teammates look disgusted at the decision as he was clean through.
46: Both teams are back out on the pitch and we're about to resume play. A
big 45 minutes ahead for both sides, the Hammers really needs to find a way
through. Ben Chilwell has replaced Joe Davis in a like-for-like swap at
left-back.

HT: Half way here at Rush Green, both chances have had two good chances to
break the deadlock yet both goalkeepers have defended their clean sheets
admirably. A long way to go still.

41: Free kick for the Hammers in a dangerous position after Lletget was
fouled. The referee adjudges that Leicester's goalkeeper was fouled and they
clear it upfield.

39: Just a moment later and Leicester should really take the lead.
Panayiotou is through but he pokes it wide. Al real let off for the Hammers
there.

38: Jack McCourt stings the palms of Howes with a rasping shot from the edge
of the box. Bit of pressure from the visitors here.

34: Jack Barmby is away down the left flank. Trouble for the Hammers but
Howes dives forward to collect the cross, good goalkeeping from the young
shot-stopper.

31: Good sliding tackle by Reece Burke is stop Hopper making any progress
into the box.

28: Turgott's pace is causing the Foxes real problems. Again Lletget looks
to play Turgott in behind the defence, he sprints to keep up but Smith is
quick off his line to collect the ball. Half-hearted appeals for a penalty
which the referee waves away.

24: McCallum is adjudged to have fouled Elder. The resulting free-kick
causes a few more defensive problems until Burke brings the ball out
expertly, he tries to set Fanimo free but the ball is just over hit.

22: Free-kick to West Ham in a dangerous position, Fanimo to swing it
in...however he over hits it and the goalkeeper collects without any bother.


19: Chance for the visitors as a long throw bu Joe Davis causes the defence
all kinds of problems. Harry Panayiotou heads goalwards and Sam Howes has to
spring into action to save his team.

17: Turgott tries his luck from the edge of the box and he connects well.
The ball swings a bit in the air before Smith clutches it.

15: Smart work from Blair Turgott in a tight space wins his side a corner,
Leicester have got everyone back to defend this.

13: A frantic start here at Rush Green with both teams chasing a win that
they both need. The Hammers have shaded it so far but the Foxes look
dangerous on the break.

10: Great chance for the Hammers to take the lead as Matthias Fanimo is sent
through on goal by a glorious pass. He beats his man for pace but the
goalkeeper Adam Smith stays big and and saves well.

9: Lletget sets Turgott free down the right wing, his drilled cross is cut
out by the first man.

7: Dan Potts choses safety first as he clears it out for a throw in. He wins
the resulting header and clears up field.

5: Another chance for the Hammers as again they break through Lletget, his
cross is cut out for a corner. From the resulting corner, Leicester
eventually scramble it away after Reece Oxford's header was goal bound.

2: Bright start for the Hammers. McCallum knocks on to Lletget who plays the
No9 back in. Unfortunately the linesman has his flag raised and Leicester
get posession.

0: We're off! West Ham United get us under way with Paul McCallum from the
kick off.

It's a surprisingly mild night here at Rush Green, the floodlights are on
and the fans are beginning to

Both teams are out on the pitch warming up, we've got just over half an hour
until kick off.

Leicester City go into this game on the back of a good run having won four
of their last six games, including a 6-2 win over Manchester City and a 3-2
away win over Manchester United.

Academy Director Terry Westley makes four changes to the starting XI that
lost 4-1 away to Newcastle United. Amos Nasha, Reece Oxford, Blair Turgott
and Matthias Fanimo come in for Diego Poyet, Kieran Sadlier, Danny Whitehead
and Lewis Page.

West Ham United: Howes (GK), Westley, Potts © (Page 70), Nasha, Burke,
Oxford, Turgott, Bywater, McCallum (J. Brown 58), Lletget, Fanimo
(Parfitt-Williams 73)
Subs: Whitehead, Boness
Leicester City: Smith, Davis, Elder, McCourt, Sesay, Moore, Barmby, Rowley,
Hopper (c), Panayiotou, Dodoo
Subs: Chilwell, Maddison, Scott, Ndukwu, Barrington

In effect, this is a must win game for both as we reach towards half way
mark of the season.

Tonight's game is huge for both teams as they currently sit at the wrong end
of the table. The Hammers are currently bottom of the Barclays U21 Premier
League with five points from their opening games, meanwhile tonight's
visitors, the Foxes, are only three points better off in eleventh place with
eight points.

Hello and welcome to tonight's live coverage from Rush Green as West Ham
United's Development Squad take on Leicester City U21 in their first game of
2015.

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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce predicts Winston Reid exit
BBC.co.uk

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce says he expects Winston Reid to leave the
club when the central defender's contract expires at the end of June. Reid
has been in negotiations over a new deal with the Hammers but Allardyce does
not think the 26-year-old will extend his stay. "It's highly unlikely
Winston is going to sign for us based on what people have said to me," said
Allardyce. Reid has been linked with moves to Arsenal and Liverpool. The New
Zealand international joined West Ham from Danish side FC Midtjylland in
August 2010 and has developed into one of the club's key players. Allardyce
said no approaches had been made for Reid so far in the January transfer
window.
He added: "There is no future for Winston Reid at West Ham at the moment as
his contract finishes on 30 June. He hasn't said he is or isn't going to
sign. "You would err on the back that he isn't, by the feel and look of it,
at this moment in time."

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Doncaster or Bristol City await in the FA Cup fourth round
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer

West Ham will face either Doncaster or Bristol City in the next round of the
FA Cup, should they overcome Everton at Goodison Park tomorrow night.

The draw, made this evening at Wimbledon FC pitched Everton or the Hammers
away to either League One Doncaster or Championship Bristol City, who drew
1-1 at the Keepmoat Stadium on Saturday.

All ties will be played between 24-27 January. The full fourth round draw
was as follows:

Southampton or Ipswich Town v Crystal Palace
Cambridge United v Manchester United
Blackburn Rovers v Swansea City
Chelsea v Millwall or Bradford City
Derby County v Scunthorpe or Chesterfield
Preston North End v Sheffield United
Birmingham City v West Bromwich Albion
Aston Villa v AFC Bournemouth
Cardiff City v Reading
AFC Wimbledon or Liverpool v Bolton Wanderers
Burnley or Tottenham v Leicester City
Brighton & Hove Albion v Arsenal
Rochdale v Stoke City
Sunderland v Fulham or Wolves
Doncster or Bristol City v West Ham United
Manchester City v Middlesbrough

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Diafra Sakho to miss AFCON through injury?
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer

Hammers striker Diafra Sakho could miss the entire African Cup of Nations
tournament as a result of the injury he sustained against West Brom on New
Year's Day. As revealed here on KUMB last week, Sakho was sent for a scan on
his back following West Ham's 1-1 draw with West Brom at the Boleyn on the
opening day of 2015. And whilst those procedures have already taken place,
Sam Allardyce confirmed this morning that the extent of the damage remains
unknown presently. "We're still assessing the situation, he's seeing a
specialist in London at the moment," he said. "He's all the appropriate
scans but we need to see the extent of it. "Obviously the back is a
sensitive area which can take some time to mend depending on the scenario.
Until we get the full diagnosis we won't know the right way forward."

Sakho has been in sparkling form since moving to England last August,
scoring nine times in his first 15 appearances for West Ham United. He first
suffered a back problem when on international duty back in November and
missed three games as a result. Allardyce was particularly annoyed with the
way Sakho's injury was handled and labelled the way it was handled by
Senegal's medical team as "outrageous", adding that the injury had been
"mistreated so badly".

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Zarate out in the cold as Redknapp cools interest
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer

Harry Redknapp has once again dismissed reports that Mauro Zarate is on his
way to Queens Park Rangers. On New Year's Day it was revealed that the
Argentine's planned move to Loftus Road could be off, with rumours of a
failed medical arising from the KUMB Forum. Redknapp, when questioned,
replied that he was "not sure" or the current situation. Little appears to
have changed in west London over the course of the proceeding four days as
when asked about Zarate again this morning, Redknapp reiterated that the
striker was no closer to a move to Rangers. "We're not close to doing any
deals at all. Not a thing," he told the media. "We're looking for loans and
I really haven't got a clue as to where we're going to find any at the
moment. "I don't know where you find anybody on loan at this time of year.
Who are you going to find on loan who is going to come and make a big
difference to your team? "It's very difficult."

Ironically perhaps Zarate would have almost certainly started for West Ham
at Everton tomorrow night had he not spoken out against manager Sam
Allardyce, who he claimed was failing to utilise him correctly. Diafra Sakho
is definitely out with a back injury whilst Andy Carroll is a doubt having
complained of tightness in an ankle, following three successive starts over
the Christmas period. That leaves Allardyce with only Enner Valencia,
Carlton Cole and Ricardo Vaz Te - who last played for the first team in the
2-1 Premier League defeat at Goodison Park on 22 November - as fit strikers.


Allardyce himself was nonplussed when asked about the ongoing Zarate
situation during his press conference this morning. "I thought it was all
done and dusted with QPR but that doesn't seem to be the case for whatever
reason," he replied. "His problem is that if he'd played better here, he
would have played more often. But I haven't heard of any other club that is
interested in him apart from QPR."

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Allardyce to field "strong" team for Everton trip
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce has revealed that he will be putting out a strong a side as
possible when the Hammers travel to Merseyside tomorrow to face struggling
Everton in the third round of the FA Cup. The hosts, unusually camped in the
lower half of the Premier League took just one point from their three
Christmas games - although of course West Ham fared little better, taking
just the one (WBA at home). However any concerns that Allardyce will rest
key players in order to boost his chances of winning United's next Premier
League clash at Swansea this weekend have been dispelled by the manager. As
revealed here on KUMB last week, Allardyce will be without Cheik Kouyate,
Diafra Sakho and Alex Song. However he still intends to field the best team
he possibly can. "It's not possible to play the best team each game because
of the fatigue levels," he told the media at this morning's pre-match press
conference. "But we've had four or five days rest which has helped, so we
can play a strong team. "It's quite strange playing on Tuesday night but it
has given us a little bit of breathing space. That wouldn't be the case if
we were playing on Saturday, having played on Thursday. That would have been
nearly impossible with fatigue.
"Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan will play a big part. Ricardo Vaz Te might get
an opportunity and Matt Jarvis hasn't played as much as he wants to so he'll
get a few more games soon. We'll play the strongest team available."

One player who definitely won't be available is Mauro Zarate, who is
currently in limbo having signalled his intentions to leave the Boleyn
Ground. Despite having been set to sign for QPR last week, he remains a West
Ham player. None the wiser apparently, is his manager. " I thought it was
all done and dusted with QPR but that doesn't seem to be the case for
whatever reason," said Allardyce. "When the situation has been decided we'll
deal with it from there."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Pardew looks to hijack Zarate QPR move
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer

Former Hammers boss Alan Pardew's is set to hijack (former Hammers boss)
Harry Redknapp's bid to sign Mauro Zarate on loan from West Ham, according
to reports. The unhappy forward appeared set to complete a loan move to the
west London club last week. However last weekend a member of KUMB's Forum
claimed that there had been a problem with Zarate's medical. Subsequently,
Harry Redknapp refused to confirm that the signing would proceed whilst no
official word has been given over the hold up, lending weight to the
aforementioned speculation.
And now the Mirror claim that Pardew, who officially returned to Selhurst
Park last weekend is keen to snatch Zarate from Redknapp's grasp. Pardew,
whose Palace side are desperately short of firepower would be able to offer
Zarate first team football, which he claims is his primary reason for
wanting to leave the Boleyn Ground.

* Rumours that West Ham may be interested in signing Swansea's combative
midfielder Jonjo Shelvey were dismissed earlier today by the son of co-owner
David Sullivan on Twitter. Speculation that the Romford-born player was on
the verge of signing for the Hammers spread this afternoon via social media,
after someone posted a photograph of a vehicle in the Boleyn Ground car park
said to belong to Shelvey.
However a later message posted via the Twitter account belonging to Jack
Sullivan dismissed the rumours - without refuting suggestions that the car
was in fact Shelvey's.

Jack Sullivan @jsullivanwhu
Jonjo Shelveys is not signing for west ham, despite photos of his car being
outside Upton park

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MORE FROM THE SUPPORTERS ADVISORY BOARD
By Iain Dale 5 Jan 2015 at 22:09
West Ham Till I Die

Guest Post by Safe Hands

There were a few other snippets that I wanted to tell you from the meeting
on 9 December, and even though most of them have surfaced in other
discussions, I thought I'd list them out as Iain's asked for articles.
(There's nothing like setting up a high level of expection for a read is
there?)

• The club want to engage with the fanbase more and give supporters
the opportunity to participate/feedback via Facebook, Twitter, email shots,
and the SAB. Looking at that list, I'd say the more static and less speedy
of these is the SAB (be nice people!).
• The club have adjusted the remit of the SAB as most of the high
activity of going to the OS has now taken place although there is still more
to be done. They have said they will be much more transparent and that when
they tell us something, it will also be published on the website. They have
also halved the number of SAB members and it now stands at 66 – the full
list is HERE
• The club have now employed a Supporter Liaison Officer, James
Rutherford, who will act as the fulcrum for fans' responses and the club's
'go-to' person to garner supporter opinion. FYI He is an ex-SAB member.
• The official website's going to be a changed early in the new year.
• There's going to be another Fan Forum in February – details will be
on the main site idc.
• Moving to the OS – information will be released in January as to how
the seat transition is going to be handled as well as how people can arrange
to sit together. The first appointments to meet with fans to discuss their
new seats will be in April. Despite being questioned, they wouldn't give us
any more information than that.

FYI Many thanks for all your responses to my post about the shirts for our
last season at The Boleyn. I've put them together and sent them to the club.

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West Ham set for Alex Song blow with star midfielder set to join Cameroon
for Africa Cup of Nations
Jan 05, 2015 17:00 By Darren Lewis
Song has not yet confirmed that he is set to leave for the tournament but he
is understood currently to be in Cameroon holding talks with key figures in
the national set up
The Mirror

West Ham are steeling themselves for confirmation that Alex Song IS set to
jet off to the Africa Cup of Nations after all. The u-turn is set to come as
a massive blow to the east Londoners' outside hopes of challenging for
Europe. They currently sit seventh in the Premier League, four points off
Southampton in fourth. Song has not yet confirmed that he is set to leave
for the tournament but he is understood currently to be in Cameroon holding
talks with key figures within the country's football federation, who do want
him back. MirrorFootball exclusively revealed last week that the nation was
poised to stage a change of heart over the Hammers' star midfielder, on loan
from Barcelona. Lions' Head Coach Volker Finke left the Irons delighted
before Christmas when he left the 27-year-old out of his squad for the
competition which begins on January 17.

Song has been out of Finke's plans since being sent off at the World Cup
against Croatia last summer. He has impressed hugely since his summer move
to West Ham, however, and Finke is understood to have been pressured by his
country's top brass into changing his mind.
Feelers were put out to Song two weeks ago and the player has responded
favourably to his country reaching out. It means, however, that he is set to
miss West Ham's upcoming Premier League games at Swansea and at home to
Hull, along with their FA Cup Fourth Round tie should they make it past
Everton tomorrow night. Should Cameroon make it to the AFCON quarter-finals
or beyond, Song will also be out of the massive League games against
Liverpool and Manchester United. West Ham are already set to lose Cheikhou
Kouyate to Senegal while that country's top-scorer Diafra Sakho is suffering
from a back problem which means he will unavailable to the club even if he
doesn't join up with his national side.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Arsenal transfer target Winston Reid has ''no future'' at West Ham, admits
Sam Allardyce
Jan 05, 2015 11:35 By Neil McLeman
It is "highly unlikely" that Reid - who has also been linked with Manchester
United - will stay beyond the summer, insists the Hammers boss
The Mirror

Sam Allardyce has admitted it is "highly unlikely" that Winston Reid will
sign a new contract at West Ham. The New Zealand defender is out of contract
at the end of the season and is refusing to sign a new deal. Arsenal and
Manchester United have been linked with signing the centre-back in the
summer. And before tomorrow's FA Cup tie at Everton, the Irons boss said:
"There is no future for Winston Reid at West Ham United at the moment
because his contract finishes. "The only thing is that his contract finishes
June 30. He hasn't said he is going to sign and he hasn't said he is isn't.
"But you would you err on the side that he isn't by the feel and the look of
it at this moment in time, by the know-how in the football world I have been
talking to - other managers and so forth about the situation so I would say
it is highly unlikely that Winston is going to sign for us based on what
people are saying to me." Allardyce has previously stated he would not sell
Reid in this transfer window for less than £20m. "We have had no
approaches," he said.

Diafra Sakho could be forced out of the African Nations Cup with the back
injury he suffered on international duty in November. The Senegal striker
had been due to join up with his country for the tournament in Equitorial
Guinea but Allardyce said: "He is being assessed at this moment by the
specialist in London. "He has had all the appropriate scans. We need to sit
down and assess the extent of the injury - has it got any worse since the
last time? Is it the same? With a back, it is a delicate scenario. "Until we
get the full diagnosis from the specialist today, we won't know which will
be the way forward."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Crystal Palace plot transfer hijack of Mauro Zarate's move to QPR from West
Ham
Jan 04, 2015 22:30 By Darren Lewis
Striker has had a medical and agreed terms with the Rs but HASN'T signed on
loan and now their relegation-fight rivals from across London hope to swoop
in
The Mirror

Crystal Palace are ready to hijack QPR's bid to sign Mauro Zarate on loan
following the appointment of Alan Pardew. The 27-year-old West Ham striker
has had a medical at Loftus Road and has already agreed personal term with
the west Londoners. However, the deal has been delayed as the Hoops are now
looking to lower the terms of the loan. And Palace have since expressed a
late interest. Despite their 4-0 FA Cup third round win at non-League Dover
on Sunday, the Eagles want more firepower up front as they prepare for a
run-in relegation battle under new boss Pardew. We revealed last week that
Zarate wants first-team action after accusing the Hammers' manager Sam
Allardyce of refusing to play him. Southampton, Sunderland, Aston Villa and
Newcastle are all also keen, but Argentine Zarate is settled in London and
would prefer to join another capital club. The forward has made only eight
appearances under Allardyce, scoring twice - with one of them coming AGAINST
Palace at Selhurst Park back in August.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gold: "FA Cup is high priority"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

David Gold has made it clear that the FA Cup remains a "big priority" for
the Irons this season and wants to see the strongest possible team take the
field at Everton tomorrow evening. The co chairman confirmed that despite
injuries and Cheik Kouyate's absence at the African Nations Cup,the board
have focused on this competition since early season. Talking exclusively to
ClaretandHugh he said: "It's always been high on our priority list and I see
no reason why we can't go up there and win. "Mark Noble will be in the side
and Enner Valencia comes in – remember he was the number one striker option
until Diafra Sakho started his heroics. "I know our record at Goodison is
bad but at some stage it has to change so why not tomorrow as Everton aren't
in the best shape."

With either Doncaster Rovers or Bristol City waiting in the fourth round,
there's plenty of incentive for the Irons. Gold said: "I'm very hopeful.
This gives players who haven't had much chance recently to make an
impression. "Unlike last year we can give it a real go with the number of
points we have gathered. I believe Sam Allardyce will put out his strongest
team possible and we are looking for a win."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
For Reid READ Upson
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

It's turning into the longest farewell in West Ham history and today Sam
Allardyce appeared to raise his own hand in farewell. We can of course only
be talking about Winston Reid who now looks totally certain to be on his way
and if I'm wrong, part of me will be sorry because I'm certainly not
convinced he is the player he believes himself to be. I was totally stunned
when I realised he'd collected eight yellow cards in 19 games recently which
at any level is simply not good enough. And I fear that he may be heading in
the same direction as a couple of former irons who fancied themselves a bit,
leaving the Boleyn in haste to regret it at their leisure. Both Mohamed
Diame and Matthew Upson are prominent examples of how it can all go terribly
wrong when players or their agents over-rate themselves or their 'product.'

Upson was looking for the ultimate move after becoming captain and an
England international but instead found himself with only Stoke City ready
to employ him from where he has gone onto the dizzy pinnacles of Brighton
and Leicester City. Given his form this season Winston Reid may be the
luckiest man in the world to receive an offer of around £60k a week from the
Irons. Should he leave for the top four club he's hoping will come in but
with no evidence beyond regular press reports to support it, I can only
forsee only a slow descent. Every one of the clubs he appears to crave would
have been in a long time ago had they really believed he was worth a few
quid.

Instead any move will be made when he becomes a freebie and clubs see him as
a useful squad addition – and therein lies the rub. For despite his average
form he can be assured of regular first team football at West Ham on a more
than decent wage. Personally I believe his and his advisers' behaviour has
not been the best over recent months when it would be just as easy to say:
"We're off" but when did football and straight dealing have much to do with
each other. I won't be unhappy if he leaves as I do believe there are more
reliable central defenders out there well worth the money being offered to
him and who won't be picking up yellows virtually every other game.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Irons in dark on Song call up
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham were this afternoon insisting the club has no word from Cameroon
whether Alex Song has been called into their squad for the African Nations
Cup tournament. The Mail is currently running a story claiming that he has
now been included in the squad after being left out by boss Volker Finke
initially last month. He had fallen out of favour with their national team
following his sending off in the World Cup against Croatia and has not
played since. However, his form for the Hammers has not gone unnoticed it
seems and according to the Mail that has led Finke to perform a U turn and
call the player into the squad. The Hammers however are claiming to still be
in the dark with a source making it clear they had not been contacted by any
Cameroon officials. A source at the club explained: "We've seen the report
but we have heard absolutely nothjing from Cameroon. They have right up to
the 17th to call him up if they choose. We continue to keep everything
crossed."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Leroy: "I cant see Irons failing at Everton"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Everton have a lot more problems than us and I am fully expecting the team
to beat them in tomorrow evening's Third Round clash at Goodison Park.
Wherever I look in the Toffees team they have issues – this is a team that
looks past it's best with the likes of Gareth Barry and Silvin Distin in
particular not the players they were. Tim Howard, Gareth Baines and Ross
Barkley don't look the part these days and Phil Jagielka doesn't look as
secure as he has been. Also I can't think of another club in the country
that would have given Samuel Eto'o a contract at this stage of his career.
All of this puts Roberto Martinez under a huge amount of pressure and I
believe the Hammers will ;pile a lot more on him by the end of the night.
I'm not at all sure Martinez even knows what his best team is. This is a
game the lads should win – given all of the above I don't believe there is a
better time to be playing Everton. Despite the absences of such as Diafra
Sakho, Cheik Kouyate and possibly Alex Song, I believe we have enough and a
way of playing that can unsettle them. The Hammers, like every other club,
has had a little dip in form and I see this as a perfect opportunity to get
back on track.

I don't see them failing.

COYI

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com



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