Daily WHUFC News - 25th March 2015

Lee pays Tombides tribute
WHUFC.com

Elliot Lee paid a moving personal tribute to late friend and West Ham United
team-mate Dylan Tombides after scoring for loan club Luton Town on Tuesday.
The striker lifted his shirt to show a photo of the striker and the message
'FOR YOU DYL. GONE BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN' after scoring the Hatters' first
equaliser in their 3-2 League Two defeat by Wycombe Wanderers. Lee later
scored a second equaliser at Kenilworth Road, after which he kissed a tattoo
he had inked in memory of his pal, who passed away in April 2014 after a
three-year battle with cancer. The on-loan West Ham player's performance
itself was one Tombides would no doubt have been proud of, as Lee scored
with an opportunist strike before doubling his tally by starting a move that
he finished with a clinical volley. Unfortunately, Lee's goals were not
enough to avert a fifth straight league defeat for John Still's side, who
sit sixth in the League Two table.

In February, West Ham proudly played their part in the launch of the DT38
Foundation in memory of the Academy starlet. Dylan, whose prodigious talents
saw him sign for West Ham in 2008, lost his brave three-year battle with
testicular cancer in April 2014, at the age of just 20. A hugely popular
figure among his team-mates, coaches, backroom staff, supporters and
opponents alike, the Australia U22 international was loved and respected
throughout the football community for his talent, his smile and his spirit.
Dylan's considerable legacy is now to be channelled through DT38, a new
Foundation which is setting out to provide testicular cancer support and
awareness through education and opportunity. DT38 becomes the Club's second
official charity for the 2014/15 campaign, alongside the West Ham United
Moore Family Foundation.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Former Player Blog - Ray Stewart
WHUFC.com

Ray Stewart made 432 appearances for the Hammers between 1979 and 1991,
scoring an impressive 84 goals, the majority of which came from the penalty
spot. In our weekly column with a former West Ham player, Ray Stewart talks
about the good job Sam Allardyce is doing, how to take a penalty and the
positive direction the club is going in…

Although I haven't been able to see every game, from what I have seen, West
Ham have played very well this year. Apart from one or two bad results
they've played very well and lot of a credit rests with Sam Allardyce. It
isn't easy to change the mentality or formation of the team but that's what
he's done, in my opinion pretty quickly. The good work started with the
summer signings made over last summer, I think they've strengthened the
squad massively. Their impact has set the tone for the rest of the players
and hopefully this summer will see similarly successful transfers. With
eight league games to go, it's nice to see West Ham in a healthy position in
the league. It's nice not to be involved in a relegation scrap – that might
sound negative but you can never take Premier League safety for granted,
especially with how competitive it is. Again, Sam deserves a lot of credit,
since getting promoted, they've looked more and competitive each season and
hopefully that continues.
I think a top ten finish is definitely a realistic target. Hopefully they
can finish eighth, top of this mini group we're in with Swansea and Stoke
City. I think that would be a fantastic achievement and a good building
block for the final season at the Boleyn Ground. I've seen a few people
complain that there are no West Ham players involved in the England squad.
But I have to say, I'm not too surprised, Roy Hodgson is free to pick who he
thinks is best. To be a West Ham player, you need to give your best for the
club and for the shirt and in that respect playing for West Ham is almost
more important than playing for England. Maybe that's easy to say as a Scot!
Obviously, for the players it would no doubt be a great honour and a good
experience and a new level of football. Unfortunately for them, England are
pretty strong in the areas that West Ham have English players so it's very
difficult. I'm sure Sam will secretly be delighted because it gives them a
bit of a rest and they won't come back injured.

One of those who has been talked about for England is Mark Noble, a player I
admire a lot. I've heard he doesn't practise taking penalties in training
but each player is different, he's obviously more comfortable doing it that
way. It seems to work for him, that's all that matters at the end of the
day. I practised penalties every day after training. I was always confident
in my ability but the more you practise, the better you're going to get at
anything. I would place cones in a certain area that I wanted to hit. I
didn't have a specific method or routine. I remember I particularly wanted
to score against Gary Bailey at Manchester United because he was one of the
best around at the time but also he studied penalty takers the most. That
wasn't very common at the time, it's much more common these days for players
to analyse the opposition, so it may help Mark acting on instinct as that's
harder to predict.
.
A further positive for the club is Winston Reid and James Tomkins both
signing new contracts, it shows the clubs ambition as well as the players'
commitment. To be successful you need everyone, from the Board down, pulling
in one direction, keeping hold of your best players is certainly one way of
doing that. I also like Aaron Cresswell a lot. He looks very comfortable on
the ball and he loves getting forward which everyone likes to see.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Oxford scores for England in 3-1 win
WHUFC.com

West Ham United's Reece Oxford scored the opening goal in England U17's 3-1
win over Slovenia on Monday 23 March. The talented centre-back, who also
captained the Three Lions, headed Nathan Holland's corner powerfully past
Slovenian goalkeeper Rok Vodisek in the 20th minute. In an entertaining
encounter, both sides had opportunities to score and it was Everton's
Holland who turned from provider to scorer as he drilled a shot past Vodisek
after a neat one-two with Chris Willock. England wrapped up the victory
before the half-time whistle as Slovenian defender Matija Rom inadvertently
sliced Holland's cut-back into his own goal. With England in control, the
visitors continued to plug away and their efforts were rewarded when captain
Jan Mlakar's looping header beat Paul Woolston with 15 minutes remaining.
The win is the U17s fifth in as many games and with qualification for the
European Championships held in Bulgaria assured, their final game is against
Romania on Thursday 26 March.

England U17: Paul Woolston; James Yates, Reece Oxford (C), Easah Suliman,
Jay DaSilva: Tom Davies, Daniel Wright; Nathan Holland (Lukas Nmecha 64),
Chris Willock (Will Patching 48), Layton Ndukwu (Marcus Edwards 54); Kazaiah
Sterling

Scorers: Oxford 20, Holland 36, Rom (O.G) 38

Slovenia U17: Rok Vodisek; Matija Rom (Rok Buzinel 40), Luka Gucek, Oscar
Cvjeticanin, Sven Karic Sostaric; Vitja Malencic, Sandi Ogrinec (Dejan
Petrovic 40), Kristjan Sredojevic (Gaber Petric 67); Jacob Novak, Timi Max
Elsnik; Jan Mlakar (C)

Scorer: Mlakar 65

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Nolan pleased with team graft
WHUFC.com

Kevin Nolan says three points was the reward for hard West Ham United graft
on Saturday. The Hammers ended an eight-game wait for victory by striking
late against struggling Sunderland to seal victory with Diafra Sakho's tenth
Barclays Premier League goal of the season. It may not have been the most
flowing performance of the season, but Nolan was not bothered about that
with the result the critical matter for the West Ham skipper. He said: "It
wasn't the prettiest game in the world but that doesn't matter when you get
a win. That's the most important thing when you've gone on a run of twelve
games with only one victory. "We've been playing well at home and probably
deserved a lot more points than we picked up. This game is very harsh and
we've come away with a few dodgy results over the last couple of weeks, but
on Saturday, hard work got us a deserved victory."

Victory might have been more comfortable had the Hammers been awarded a
second half penalty when Santiago Vergini tugged Nolan back inside the box.
However, a controversial offside decision prevented referee Lee Mason from
having to make the big call. Nolan continued: "I'm an emotional guy and I
was trying to tell Lee that the ball had come off their player, and I knew
that I had a defender behind me when Ginge played the ball into the box. "So
that was disappointing as I'm still searching for that 100th league goal and
I wanted to finish that. To be ruled offside and not get the penalty was
more frustrating. "In the end there'll be a lot of debate over whether Nene
fouled Seb Larsson in the build up to our goal, and they say it evens out so
maybe that's what happened."

With the season now approaching the finishing straight, Nolan is convinced
the Hammers can find form again and climb back up the table.
He added: "We've got eight games left which we think we can pick up a lot
more points from. Hopefully it's going to be a good run in for us. "Let's
not forget we played all the top teams in the Premier League in that
twelve-game run, so it's been difficult. We've got teams in and around us so
it's a time where we're looking to gain points."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
So Schar, so good
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 24th March 2015
By: Staff Writer

West Ham's search for a fourth central defender has thrown up the name of FC
Basel's highly-rated Fabian Schar.

A tabloid report this morning is linking the Hammers with a £5million move
for the 6ft 1in Swiss international, who is said to have been interesting
the likes of Arsenal and Spurs recently.

The story, published in today's Sun claims that a fee between the two
parties has already been agreed with view to a move taking place at the end
of the season. Schar has just over a year left on his current contract with
the current Swiss Super League leaders.

The 23-year-old has been a mainstay in the Basel side since becoming a first
team regular during the 2012/13 season, when he made 34 appearances in the
Swiss League and Europa League.

Last season he made a further 25 appearances - including his debut for
Switzerland, in a memorable 4-4 World Cup qualifier with Iceland. Four days
later he marked his second international cap with both goals in a 2-0 win in
Norway, going on to score seven times by the end of the campaign.

Having already caught the eye of a number of top European clubs, Schar has
been a regular again in 2014/15 for both Basel and Switzerland, for whom he
scored his most recent goal against Lithuania in a 4-0 European Championship
qualifier back in November.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham eye Eddie Howe as manager with Sam Allardyce contract saga dragging
on
22:30, 20 March 2015 By Darren Lewis
Hammers have been considering Real Sociedad's David Moyes but now
37-year-old in charge of Championship high flyers Bournemouth is on the
radar too
The Mirror

Eddie Howe has emerged as a serious contender for the West Ham job.
Bournemouth boss Howe, currently challenging for automatic promotion to the
Premier League, is highly regarded at Upton Park, where the Irons are
considering their options. Current West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is out of
contract at the end of the season and has yet to even open talks over a new
deal. Sunderland, however, have him as their no.1 choice to take over in the
summer from interim boss Dick Advocaat, appointed this week following the
sacking of Gus Poyet.
West Ham have been keen on David Moyes for some time, but the former
Manchester United boss - taken on by Real Sociedad last autumn - has
indicated he is ready to stay on at the Spanish side next season if he gets
backing in the transfer market this summer. If that remains the case, the
Hammers could turn to Howe, who has done an outstanding job at Dean Court.
Should he secure promotion from the Championship, the 37-year-old will have
taken Bournemouth from the bottom four of the Football League in 2008 to the
promised land of the Premier League.

Forward-thinking Howe has shown himself able to assert his authority and
impressed his staff and players with his training methods. His contract at
the club runs until the summer of 2018 and Howe has always had the full
backing of owner Maxim Demin. It remains to be seen, however, whether he
would be willing to move on, having steered the club into the money-spinning
riches of the top flight. Allardyce meanwhile has insisted he wants to stay
on at Upton Park. He said: "I understand why the speculation is there. Of
course I do. Everyone knows my contract expires at the end of June and, as
yet, nothing further has been decided. "I would stress that, providing
everyone is happy, I would like to stay at West Ham. "They are a great club,
moving in the right direction and a lot is now in place for sustained
improvement. "I suppose, if a new contract has been signed and sealed, my
name wouldn't have been mentioned in connection with any other club or job.
"While the owners and I have always been comfortable with waiting until the
end of the season, the downside has always been that it fuels speculation -
'Are they going to give him one? Are they going to get rid of him? Does
somebody else want him because he is out of contract so there is no
compensation?' "Finding a new manager revolves around the whole package —
how good is the manager, what are the financial implications and what is the
compensation?"

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce wants West Ham to finish the season strongly and secure 'hero
status'
22:30, 20 March 2015 By Adrian Kajumba
The Hammers have slipped to 10th following a bright start but Big Sam wants
a grandstand finish - starting with the visit of struggling Sunderland
The Mirror

Sam Allardyce believes West Ham's run-in will shape how their season is
remembered – and possibly his future. The Hammers boss says he would be a
hero after a strong finish, but joked the call would be "get rid of him" if
their campaign ends limply. His side have slipped to 10th after winning just
one of their last 12 league games and that dip, following a bright start to
the season, has increased the focus on Big Sam's future with his contract up
this summer. Allardyce admits West Ham's run-in, which begins on Saturday
against Sunderland, is "massive" for him as well as the team. He said: "Win
all nine, I'm doing great. Lose all nine, get rid of him. That's a bit
tongue in cheek by the way, but it's true. "Everybody would go away and say
what a bad season it's been. If we turn it around, what a great season.
"Everybody at the end of the season will remember the last eight or nine
games and that's when you get hero status. "Like Gus Poyet last year at
Sunderland. Alan Curbishley here, when he came here and saved them. It's
hero status."

Allardyce insists there is no need for him to remind West Ham's owners to
judge him over the whole season when they hold crunch talks in summer. He
said: "I don't have to defend myself to the owners. We all know where we
are. I'm disappointed. The players are disappointed. "David Sullivan and
David Gold are very disappointed in the run we have had up to now. But at
the end of the day we're still 10th. We've still got 39 points. "We've still
got nine games to go. Of course we will try our very best to finish in
eighth or better position if we possibly can. "They're playing well, but
we're not clinching victories at the times we are in a position to win a
game. "We've let it slip. We have to try to put that right against
Sunderland."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers "real interest" in Swiss star
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 24, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham are some way off doing a deal for Basel dedender Fabian Schar
despite reports that they have provisionally agreed a fee and talks are
"well down the road". The 23 year old very much fits the Hammers profile as
they search for the best youngsters around and but with both Arsenal and
Tottenham keen we have a battle on our hands for the central defender. A
club insider told ClaretandHugh the club's interest in the Swiss
international is real declaring: "There have been preliminary talks but
there is a way to go. We'll have to wait and see where it goes." Schar is
one of Basel's prized assets, but his contract expires in 2016 and that
means he will be available at a
knockdown fee.. He has nine caps for Switzerland and featured at the World
Cup in Brazil

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Blackburn told "no chance of buying Henry"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 24, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Blackburn Rovers boss Gary Bowyer received a "hands off Doneil Henry"
warning from West Ham today amid speculation the Championship may try to buy
the central defender. Henry was seriously impressive for Rovers over three
games on loan before suffering a hamstring injury and Bowyer has made it
clear he will be keeping in touch with West Ham on the injury. He told the
Lancashire Evening Telegraph: "The most important thing is Doneil has a
successful operation and then continues his rehab. "But we'll certainly stay
in touch with him and then assess things in the summer. The poor lad has got
a bit of work to do before then. "There are plans for him to come up to see
the boys because he made such a great impression during his short spell with
us and he built a real relationship with the players and the staff."
However a top Irons insider made it clear there was next to know chance of
Bowyer clinching a permanent deal for Henry although a loan was a
possibility. He said: "They couldn't afford him anyway. Doneil cost £1.5m
plus a lot more after Premier League starts. He was bought for the future
and has already shown fantastic potential at Ewood Park so where's the
future in selling him. Why would we do that?
It is just possible , if we feel he needs a season or half season in the
Championship as part of his development, that we might loan him to them
again next season. But no decisions will be made until after pre season as
he might be ready for us."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Pressure grows for Oxford call-up
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 24, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Reece Oxford is seen as ready to make a serious first team impact next
season. Many senior figures inside the club want the 16 year old to be given
his chance during what remains of the season but that is very much in the
hands of manager Sam Allardyce. Some sources are telling ClaretandHugh there
is a growing tension between Oxford's supporters who want him fast-tracked
into the first team and the managerial team who are unsure whether he's
ready.

However, senior figures at Chadwell Heath are convinced the youngster – who
was wanted by Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea before
signing a new Hammers deal – are convinced he will become a major part of
the team next season. As news broke this morning that the Hammers were
planning a move for Swiss youngster Fabian Schar ClaretandHugh was told:
"Many of us believe Reece Oxford is ready even though he'll only be 17 next
January. "We are watching with interest to see if he gets a first team
call-up. There are lots of decisions to be made and lots on hold but the
situation surrounding Reece is being watched with particular interest."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Unsung hero enters Hammer of Year race
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 24, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

I have no doubt that Diafra Sakho and Aaron Cresswell will be leading the
race for Hammer of the Year with Chiek Kouyate also in the frame. Sak's
first season has been immense and Cressy has shown extraordinary form since
stepping up from the Championship.

The Senegal midfielder has taken no time to settle at all and has produced
some magical moments – any one of the three would be a worthy winner.

But let me throw another name in there – a bloke who is probably the unsung
hero of unsung heroes who, all season, has poured his heart into things,
often without a regularly consistent partner.

Step up James Collins! Sure there have been moments when he has looked a
little suspect – the same can be said of us all – but in terms of heart and
no nonsense defending when required he has been superb.

There was a moment on Saturday evening against sunderland when – with the
boots flying – he went in to head clear of the flying feet, risking a
crunching boot in the head or even the loss of an eye.

Ok James has his limitations and doesn't bring it out from the back like
some but in terms of heart and defensive solidarity you won't find many more
committed to their club than their Welsh international.

The other contenders have been great but Collins has truly been awesome at
times

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers still on Moyes' trail
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 24, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham are refusing to give up on attracting David Moyes to the club as
Sam Allardyce's successor! The former Everton and Manchester United boss
yesterday revealed that he was very happy in Spain with Real Sociedad and
appeared to rule out a switch back to the Premier League. Asked if he would
be returning he said: 'I think someday I will. 'I've left when I didn't
expect to be leaving but what I've taken on is a great job. I love working
in Spain.' However, Hammers insiders are convinced he is simply saying what
he has to say and can't be expected to reveal any intentions he may have
elsewhere. The Hammers have made the 51 year old Scot their No 1 choice as
he fits the "Premier League experience and English speaking" criteria
perfectly. Irons co chairman David Sullivan is a fierce negotiator when he
sets his mind to an objective and won't be easily dissuaded by a Moyes radio
interview. ClaretandHugh was told: "They wanted him when he became available
from Manchester United and nothing has changed. "They will almost certainly
have had long chats with his s former head scout at Goodison and Hammers
recruitment director to the board Tony Henry about how and what he will
respond to. "And if David Sullivan has the bit between his teeth on this one
he could be a very hard man to resist."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com



---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
http://www.avast.com