Daily WHUFC News - 10th March 2015

Cresswell eyes strong finish
WHUFC.com

Aaron Cresswell says the Hammers still have plenty to play for over the
final ten games of the campaign, despite slipping to tenth place in the
Barclays Premier League table following back-to-back defeats. A
disappointing showing against Crystal Palace was followed by a fine
performance against Chelsea, which did not get the reward it deserved, and
Cresswell says that response against the league leaders shows his team can
rise up inside the top ten again. With only Arsenal and Manchester City of
the division's top eight left to play this term, the No3 believes the
Hammers have a great chance of ending the campaign strongly. He said: "We
don't want the season to fizzle out. We want to get as high as we can. At
the start of the campaign if someone had said you are going to finish top
nine or top 10, we would have most probably taken it. "We are in a great
position now so why can't we have a nice push for the last 10 games of the
season?"
On a personal level, Cresswell has shone in his first season at the top
level. Many pundits are speculating that he could be in line for a first
England call or Hammer of the Year honours, but the left back is determined
to just get on with his game. He added: "There are 10 games to go, so I am
just going to keep my head down and keep working hard. "I started in the
lower leagues and haven't changed my game since. I just keep progressing and
coming up against two of the best players in the world for Chelsea –
especially Hazard – helps me learn. "Everyone wants to play for their
country and it would be a major honour for me and my family. I'm
concentrating on playing for West Ham and though last Saturday was not my
best of games I am sure the coach looks at games throughout the season."

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Backroom Blog - Ian Hendon
WHUFC.com
The Spanish Soccer School welcomed us to Dubai Sports City

Hello everyone,

As he has done throughout his managerial career, the Gaffer has brought the
squad away for a short warm-weather training camp. This is something the
manager has done since I played under him at Notts County back in the 1990s.
He took us away from the training ground for a few days and, as much as
anything, the change of environment gave us a boost. Nowadays, we are
fortunate enough to have the resources here at West Ham United to take the
squad away to Dubai, where they not only benefit from the change in
surroundings, but also from having a bit of sun on their backs.

We have done this in each of the previous three seasons and the statistics
collated by our analysis staff have shown that these trips give the players
a welcome boost. As the manager has explained, there are well-documented
physical and psychological benefits to giving the players a break from the
training ground and everything that goes along with being Barclays Premier
League footballers. Therefore, it has been good for the lads to get away
after such a hectic period over the last few months.

We all know that our recent results have not been what he had hoped for and
expected, but our performances have generally been very good during a
challenging set of fixtures, so it was important for us to take stock,
refocus and recharge bodies and minds for our final ten important league
matches. We are confident this break will give the players a chance to
recharge their batteries and push back up the table in the remaining
fixtures

The facilities at the Dubai Sports City are some of the best you will find
anywhere in the world, too, meaning the players and staff could work
efficiently and effectively. We have also enjoyed visits from two familiar
faces – former West Ham striker Frederic Kanoute and the ex-Spain full-back
Michel Salgado, who each run soccer schools for young players in Dubai. The
main purpose of the first few days out here was for them to rest and recover
from the match against Chelsea. They have been doing work on the beach, in
the gym and in the pool.

On Sunday we were back on the training pitch, getting a feel of the ball
again with a bit of passing and head tennis. The Monday morning session was
a fairly normal start to the week, similar to what we would do back home.
This was a harder session that included more ball work, as well as 8v8
matches and strength work to finish off. We are confident this break will
give the players a chance to recharge their batteries and push back up the
table in the remaining fixtures. You can be rest assured that the lads will
be firing on all cylinders when we travel to Arsenal on Saturday.

Come on you Irons!

Ian Hendon
First-team coach

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Downing - 'It will help us to end strongly'
WHUFC.com

Stewart Downing says West Ham United will return to action rested and
recharged following their warm-weather training trip to Dubai.
The Hammers spent a long weekend in the United Arab Emirates, recovering
from a packed fixture list that saw them play 15 matches since Boxing Day.
With ten Barclays Premier League games remaining, starting with a trip to
Arsenal on Saturday afternoon, the England midfielder says a change in
environment, temperature and surroundings was just what the squad needed. "I
think it's good for us to get away at this time of year," said the No11, who
has scored eight goals and registered eight assists this term. "A lot of
countries do have a winter break, so a couple of days rest means we can
rest, recover and get ready for the next game. "I think we needed a break.
We had a lot of games with the FA Cup games and obviously the Barclays
Premier League, so it's nice to get a couple of days rest and recover for
the next one.

After recovering from Wednesday's hard-fought 1-0 home defeat by Chelsea,
the Hammers returned to the training pitch at Dubai Sports City (DSC), where
the coaching staff led a series of ball-based drills. The modern facilities
attract leading clubs from all over the world, and also serve as a base for
the Spanish Soccer Schools run by former Real Madrid and Spain full-back
Michel Salgado – who played under Sam Allardyce and assistant Neil McDonald
at Blackburn Rovers. There, they also received a visit from former West Ham
striker Frederic Kanoute, who now lives and runs his own Kafo Academy for
young footballers in Dubai. I hope it will help us to end strongly and do
better than we did last year and finish in the top ten if we can

Downing said the players enjoyed the use of the grass and artificial pitches
at DSC, adding that he hopes the trip will serve as a catalyst for the
Hammers to finish the season strongly after a challenging start to 2015. "We
did a bit of head tennis and a bit of passing – it was a light training
session so it was decent," he confirmed. "I hope it will help us to end
strongly and do better than we did last year and finish in the top ten if we
can. "The team bonding part of it is good for the lads and it's nice for the
new boys to get involved with the lads too."

Looking ahead to Saturday's trip to north London, Downing says West Ham are
determined to get one over the Gunners after being edged out 2-1 at the
Boleyn Ground on 28 December. That game saw Arsenal go two goals up before
the Hammers launched a furious second-half comeback, but could not add to
Cheikhou Kouyate's 54th-minute header. Arsene Wenger's team are in good
domestic form, having won their last four league matches, but may have one
eye on next Tuesday's UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg tie in
Monaco, where they have to overcome a 3-1 deficit. "We owe them one, as I
think we should have beaten them at home," Downing confirmed. "It'll be a
tough game, but we can go there with confidence because on our day we're a
decent team."

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Loan round up
WHUFC.com

Modibo Maiga played the full 90 minutes in FC Metz' 1-0 defeat away to
Rennes. The loss sees FC Metz stay at the foot of Ligue Un.

Elliot Lee came on the 68th minute for Luton Town as they slipped to a 3-2
home defeat to Morecombe. The visitors took an early lead when Jack Redshaw
broke the deadlock before Laurence Wilson doubled their lead.

Luton rallied when Cameron McGeehan pulled a goal back before Alex Lawless
equalised in the 76th minute. The Shrimps took all three points when Luke
Wilkinson scored an own goal.

Tim Brown played the full game as Canvey Island slipped to a 1-0 away defeat
to Leatherhead, substitute Carl Rook's second half goal was enough to seal
the victory.

Nathan Mavila played the full game for Wealdstone as they lost 4-1 to
Bishops Stortford.

Doneil Henry was an unused substitute in Blackburn's 0-0 draw away at
Liverpool in the quarter-final of the FA Cup.

Raphael Spiegel was an unused substitute in Carlisle United's 3-1 defeat to
Exeter City.

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Controversial end to Ladies' clash
WHUFC.com

West Ham Ladies marked International Ladies Day with a 0-0 draw away to
Plymouth Argyle on Sunday afternoon. During the opening half, the Hammers
caused Plymouth plenty of problems with the attacking threat of Vicky
Kinsman, Emma Sherwood and Kelley Blanchflower, however it was midfielder
Adele Sale who had one of the best chances for West Ham after drawing a
strong save out of the home goalkeeper.

After the half time break, the Hammers continued to pressure their Devon
hosts as they looked for the opening goal of the game, where the Hammers saw
two shots cleared off the line and substitute Gemma Abela was also denied by
an acrobatic save.

However, after dominating throughout the match and having the better chances
in front of goal, the Hammers were denied all three points when Danica
Revell's headed goal was disallowed in injury time after the full time
whistle was blown as the ball headed towards goal.

Hammers boss Julian Dicks made three changes to the side that suffered semi
final heartbreak away to Preston a week earlier. Goalkeeper Nikki Duncan
returned to the starting line up in place of Nikita Runnacles, whilst
Blanchflower also made a comeback to the Hammers' starting XI to replace
Jade Smith and Katie Bottom was the preferred choice at full back instead of
Vicki King.

With the FA Women's Premier League Plate defeat still fresh in the players
memory, the visitors were hoping to return to winning ways against a side
they defeated 5-2 at home back in late September. The opening stages didn't
indicate that a similar result was on the cards, as both teams were
struggling to keep the ball on the surface and play on a rough pitch. West
Ham did have the better of the chances during the first period though, with
Sale's low shot that was saved by Plymouth keeper Michaela Phillips being
the most noticeable chance for either side.

In the early stages of the second half, Dicks made his only change of the
game as he introduced Development Squad midfielder Abela to the game, who
instantly made an impact when the ball fell to her feet from a corner, but
Phillips was again on form to deny the visitors.
Still the Hammers pushed and they went close on two more occasions, but
Plymouth stood strong and managed to clear both efforts off the line.

In the final seconds of the game, the Hammers thought they had scored the
winning goal of the game. As a corner was taken, centre back Revell rose
well to head home, only to realise that the referee had already blown the
full time whistle as the ball entered the Plymouth penalty area.

The Hammers will look to pick up their first FA Women's Premier League South
victory since early January when they host Queens Park Rangers on Sunday 15
March. The match has been moved to AFC Hornchurch's stadium on Bridge
Avenue, with kick off scheduled for 2pm.

West Ham United Ladies: Duncan, Bottom, Baxter, Revell, Stimson, Bowers,
Little (c), Sale (Abela), Blanchflower, Kinsman, Sherwood.
Subs not used: Mellors, Runnacles, King.

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Dubai done, next stop the Emirates
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 9th March 2015
By: Staff Writer

West Ham's first team squad are coming to the end of their short warm
weather training break in Dubai.

The Hammers flew out to the United Arab Emirates last Thursday - a journey
of some 3,400 miles - and are expected back in the UK within the next 48
hours, ahead of this weekend's rather shorter trip to Arsenal.

Spirits in the camp appear to be high, with the players looking happy and
relaxed as they are put through their paces by Sam Allarydce's back room
staff.

And whilst the players have been working hard on the training ground, one or
two have also taken advantage of the opportunity to do a little sightseeing,
as you can see from the pictures below.

Meanwhile manager Allardyce was seen sporting a fetching yellow and green
outfit this morning as he greeted former Real Madrid star Míchel Salgado.
The 39-year-old previously worked alongside Big Sam at Blackburn and popped
along to see how his former boss was getting on.

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Gianfranco Zola sacked - again
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 9th March 2015
By: Staff Writer

Former Hammers boss Franco Zola has been dismissed as head coach of Italian
club Cagliari. The 48-year-old, who was manager of West Ham between 2008 and
2010 had been in charge of Gli Isolani for just three months when he was
fired having failed to turn around the club's ailing fortunes. Cagliari
opted to pull the trigger this weekend after Zola's side has managed to take
just one point from their last six games - a sequence that left the
Sardinians firmly rooted in the bottom three with just 20 points from their
opening 26 games.

Zola's final game in charge came at the weekend when Cagliari were beaten
2-0 at high-flying Sampdoria, courtesy of strikes from Lorenzo De Silvestri
and former Chelsea striker Samuel Eto'o.

A club statement confirmed Zola's departure this morning. "Cagliari Calcio
announces that it has dismissed Gianfranco Zola and his staff from the
technical guidance of the first team," it read.

"This decision was made reluctantly, in respect of a great man who wrote
unforgettable pages in the history of Cagliari, bringing lustre and prestige
to Sardinia.

"He and his staff depart with thanks for the work done in recent months,
carried out with dedication, professionalism and passion. We wish him
heartfelt good luck for the rest of his career."

Zola became West Ham United's 12th full-time manager and the club's first
foreign appointment when he replaced the outgoing Alan Curbishley in
September 2008.

His first season at the Boleyn proved to be a huge success, with the Hammers
finishing ninth in the Premier League despite having lost key personnel such
as Matthew Etherington (sold to Stoke for £3m), Hayden Mullins (Portsmouth,
£1m) and Craig Bellamy (to Man City for approximately £9.5m) during the
season.

And although necessary at the time, that string of departures was to cost
the club dear. The following season, Zola's second, West Ham ended the
campaign with just 35 points - but still managed to finish five points clear
of relegation.

However that finish wasn't good enough for the club's new incoming owners
who replaced Zola with Avram Grant - the reward for which was relegation to
the Championship the following year.

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No-one likes us, says new poll
KUMb,com
Filed: Monday, 9th March 2015
By: Staff Writer

Recent images of a small group of West Ham fans confronting co-chairman
David Sullivan in a car park at West Brom may have negatively impacted upon
the general perception of the club's fan base.

A new YouGov poll reveals than one in four encounters with West Ham
supporters have left a negative impression upon Londoners, more than 1,000
of whom were polled for the survey.

That's a figure which is only marginally better than that of Millwall and
Chelsea, whose supporters have the worst public perception amongst people
living in the capital.

When asked whether they had a generally positive or negative impression of
West Ham United supporters, 25 of those polled said the latter applied
whilst just one in five, or 20 per cent admitted their experience/s of Irons
fans had been largely positive.

Topping the poll for positive impressions with 33 per cent were Arsenal,
followed by Fulham (28 per cent). Only Chelsea (13 per cent) and Millwall
(seven per cent) recorded a lower score than West Ham.

Unsurprisingly given the above, Milwall (45 per cent) and Chelsea (43 per
cent) topped the poll for negative impressions, with West Ham narrowly
beating Tottenham to third place (25 per cent to Spurs' 21).

The poll comes in stark contrast to a survey conducted in October 2013, when
West Ham supporters were voted the most well-behaved in the Premier League.


YouGov Survery on London Football Fans

Leaving a Positive Impression

1. Arsenal 33%
2. Fulham 28%
3. Tottenham 24%
4. Crystal Palace 23%
5. Brentford; QPR 22%
7. Charlton 21%
8. West Ham Utd; Orient 20%
10. Chelsea 13%
11. Millwall 7%

Leaving a Negative Impression

1. Millwall 45%
2. Chelsea 43%
3. West Ham Utd 25%
4. Tottenham 21%
5. Arsenal 18%
6. Crystal Palace 15%
7. Charlton; QPR 11%
9. Fulham, Orient 10%
11. Brentford 8%

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Stewart Downing says Dubai trip can help West Ham in Premier League
Last Updated: 09/03/15 11:49am
SSN

Stewart Downing expects a warm-weather training trip to Dubai to pay off for
West Ham in the closing stages of the Premier League season.
Sam Allardyce and his West Ham squad have spent a long weekend in the United
Arab Emirates, recovering from 15 matches in all competitions since the
league defeat at Chelsea on Boxing Day. West Ham face the first of their
remaining 10 league games at Arsenal on Saturday, and England winger Downing
says the Dubai experience was a much-needed addition to their schedule. "I
think it's good for us to get away at this time of year," said Downing. "A
lot of countries do have a winter break, so a couple of days' rest means we
can recover and get ready for the next game. "I think we needed a break. We
had a lot of games with the FA Cup and obviously the Premier League. I hope
it will help us to end strongly and do better than we did last year and
finish in the top 10 if we can. "The team bonding part of it is good for the
lads and it's nice for the new boys to get involved with the lads too."
Downing says that West Ham are determined to achieve a positive result
against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium after a 2-1 defeat to Arsene
Wenger's team at Upton Park on December 28. "We owe them one, as I think we
should have beaten them at home," he said. "It'll be a tough game, but we
can go there with confidence because on our day we're a decent team."

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IS CHICHARITO THE ANSWER?
By Iain Dale 9 Mar 2015 at 08:55
West Ham Till I Die

Rumours abound on various sites this morning that Javier Hernandez,
Chicharito, will be a West Ham target in the summer. He's currently on loan
at Real Madrid and has no long term future at Old Trafford and according to
speculation would cost around £8 million.

I have always liked watching him play and he certainly knows where the goal
is, scoring 37 times in 102 appearances at Old Trafford. He's also bagged 38
goals in 70 appearances for Mexico, although he's only appeared 12 times at
the Bernabeu, scoring three times. At 26 he's coming into his prime, or at
least ought to be.

I said over the weekend I thought we needed to buy a Defoe like striker who
could play alongside Carroll or Sakho. Is Chicharito the answer?

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West Ham want Man City transfer target Aaron Cresswell to sign a new
contract already
22:30, 9 March 2015 By Adrian Kajumba
Left-back bought from Ipswich last summer still has 4 years to run on his
current deal but Hammers plan to reward him for an impressive debut campaign
The Mirror

West Ham want to hand Aaron Cresswell a new contract to keep him out of the
clutches of Manchester City. Left-back Cresswell is the next star in line
for a new deal as the Hammers continue their attempts to secure the
long-term futures of their main men. Champions City are hoping to ship out
Gael Clichy and eyeing Cresswell as his replacement, but West Ham are
desperate to hold on to the 25 year-old. At the end of the season, Cresswell
will still have four years left on the contract he signed when joining the
Londoners from Ipswich for around £4m last July. However, the Hammers want
to reward him for an impressive first season with an improved five-year deal
that will run until 2020. Cresswell has started 32 of West Ham's 33 games
this season, and been an ever-present in the league. Though manager Sam
Allardyce's own future won't be resolved until the summer, the club's
planning for next season and beyond is well underway. Centre-backs James
Tomkins and Winston Reid and midfielder Mark Noble have all signed long-term
deals recently. And the East Londoners are hoping to bring in a new
right-back, another centre-back, a central midfielder and a striker in the
summer. Co-owner David Gold has hinted that Carl Jenkinson's loan from
Arsenal will be made permanent, solving their search for a right-back.

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Leroy: My Hammer of the Year
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 9, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

I have no doubt in my mind at all who should be voted Hammer of the Year –
AARON CRESSWELL! He's been an ever-present in the team since the first game
of the season and has performed brilliantly in the main ever since. He's had
a couple of iffy performances in recent weeks but in a first season out of
the Championship he has performed incredibly well and I have total
admiration for the way he's handled things.

To arrive from Ipswich for £3.5 million and take to the Premier League like
a duck to water is a fantastic achievement. He has been consistently good
going forward and has no doubt benefited from being given such an extended
run. Whilst most of the other teams towards the top have been switching
their back four players, Aaron has matured to the point where he is already
being discussed as England material. There have been other great performers
this season notably Diafra Sakho and it's a tough choice but when asked,
Aaron's name was the first to pop into my head. He's going to the top and
his switch to Upton Park was a tremendous piece of business!

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Sunderland still tracking Allardyce
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 9, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Karren Brady's revelation that her bookmaker friends have Sam Allardyce's
card marked for Sunderland are confirmation of a ClaretandHugh story as far
back as February 19. We revealed that he was "among the runners" to take
over at the Stadium of Light next season and that a former player would be
well received by the fans. The Hammers boss is still the favourite to be the
next Premier league managerial departure at around 11/4 and our Mackem
sources continue to insist he is the man 'most wanted' at the club. There
has been some talk that Gus Poyet could be 'next in' at West Ham but he
remains behind the likes of Slaven Bilic and Marcelo Bielsa. The Hammers
are reported to be "aggressively" addressing the issue of finding a suitable
replacement over the next few weeks. Slaven Bilic's odds have been cut quite
dramartically from 14/1 four weeks ago to 8/1 today in many places

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Hammers on Hernandez case
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 9, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Javier Hernandez remains on West Ham's target as a possible transfer target.
Reports have bee circulating for some weeks that the on loan Manchester
United star is fancied by the club. Currently on an unhappy loan spell to
Real Madrid, the Hammers have him as one of several options for a summer
swoop. Tottenham are also watching the 26 year old along with Everton and
the Hammers are refusing to rule out their own interest. ClaretandHugh was
told: "We're aware of his availability and no final decisions have been made
on any targets. We have been busy tying down players to longer deals.
Anything else on the transfer front is possible in the summer." The often
reliable @ExWHUemployee has also mentioned there is substance to the story
in his www.ironviews.com column.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com



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