Daily WHUFC News - 28th March 2015

On this day - 28 March
WHUFC.com

Classic match

West Ham United 1-0 Liverpool
Division One
28 March 1970

When Liverpool journeyed to the Boleyn Ground in March 1970 there were just
four games left of the Division One season. The previous year's runners-up
were again in the hunt for a strong finish in the table, but they were
stopped in their tracks by a resolute West Ham perfromance. Pat Holland was
the man to dent the Anfield club's hopes of a top-three finish as he notched
the only goal of the game. A 3-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers
followed in the next match, before a draw against Leeds United and defeat by
Arsenal placed the Hammers in 16th by seasons end.

Complete record - 28 March

1921 Notts County 1-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1925 Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1931 West Ham United 0-1 Derby County (Division One)
1932 Sheffield Wednesday 6-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1936 Hull City 2-3 West Ham United (Division Two)
1953 West Ham United 1-3 Doncaster Rovers (Division Two)
1959 Arsenal 1-2 West Ham United (Division One)
1962 Blackburn Rovers 1-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1964 West Bromwich Albion 0-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1967 Aston Villa 2-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1970 West Ham United 1-0 Liverpool (Division One)
1975 West Ham United 2-2 Stoke City (Division One)
1978 Birmingham City 3-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1981 Bolton Wanderers 1-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1987 West Ham United 1-0 Watford (Division One)
1992 Leeds United 0-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1993 West Ham United 2-2 Millwall (Division One)
1994 Sheffield United 3-2 West Ham United (Premier League)

Played 18, Won 6, Drawn 6, Lost 6, Scored 21, Conceded 27

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Sakho dreaming of Stadium goals
WHUFC.com

Diafra Sakho took one look at West Ham United's new home this week and, true
to form, set his sights on scoring the first goal there.
The Hammers' leading marksman was joined by Joint-Chairman David Gold, Mark
Noble and Winston Reid, to mark the new deal with Lycamobile on Tuesday.
Sakho, who was visiting the former Olympic Stadium for the very first time,
says the mind boggles at the prospect of playing there, even if it is now
little more than just a season away. "It's beautiful, I'd even say
magnificent," he told West Ham TV. "I'm eager to play there and pleased with
everything that I've seen. Everyone dreams of playing there. I would even
like to score the first goal in the new Stadium. That would be amazing. "I
hope to score the last goal at Upton Park as well and then the first one
here! You have to be ambitious. We play for West Ham, if we're not
ambitious, we won't be playing at the new Stadium."

With 12 goals in all competitions to date, it has hardly taken Sakho long to
endear himself to the West Ham faithful and the prospect of an even bigger,
better atmosphere is music to his ears. "I can't even imagine it. It's going
to be something unforgettable. The first day that we step out there, we're
going to feel that we've really gone to a new level. "To go from 35,000 to
54,000 is massive. I think Season Tickets are going to go very quickly this
year, that's for sure."

Sakho wants to repay those supporters' faith with European football and
expects the Hammers to be hitting the continent in the not too distant
future. "It's the Club's objective at the moment to play European football
at the new Stadium. We as players are here to make that happen. We'll give
it our all in the next year to get there."

Sakho and co, meanwhile, played host to Lycamobile global MVNOs Chairman
Subaskaran Allirajah on a tour of the Club's new Stadium at Queen Elizabeth
Olympic Park, to mark the launch of the new partnership. Lycamobile has been
an official partner of the Club since the 2012/13 campaign and the renewal
sees the deal extend to include the first two seasons in the new Stadium.
Subaskaran Allirajah, Chairman of Lycamobile, said: "We are so incredibly
proud to be part of the West Ham success story, to extend our partnership
for a further three seasons, and see this great Club take its well-deserved
place in this iconic ground, home of the 2012 Olympic Games."

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Hammers triumph in Premier League Enterprise play-off
WHUFC.com

West Ham United Foundation has once again reached the Premier League
Enterprise Challenge Final.

Having qualified for this year's play-offs, students from Chobham Academy
had the opportunity to represent the Foundation at the Emirates Stadium in
the hope of reaching the final in London.

The business and education based challenge is run by the Premier League and
the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) which this year
tasked pupils with working on a strategy to help increase the number of
families attending match days.

Twenty-six schools and community groups representing Premier League and
Football League Clubs, made it through to this year's play-offs which have
been hosted by Stoke City, Manchester United and now Arsenal.

Seven of these groups, including the Foundation, have now progressed to the
final, where they will go head-to-head to pitch their ideas to personnel
from the world of sport and business at the prestigious BIS Conference
Centre in Westminster on Monday 27 April.

The Foundation representatives saw off stiff competition from Chelsea,
Norwich, Queens Park Rangers, Southampton and Tottenham, to be crowned
joint-winners along with Fulham, while Crystal Palace secured the wildcard
position.

Kevin Plumb, Head of Legal - Corporate and Commercial Affairs at the Premier
League was one of four judges to put the Hammers through, citing their
delivery and innovative ideas as their standout traits.

"They showed a great level of passion and the girls woke everyone in the
room up with their presentation," he explanied. "Excellent, sophisticated
membership model, which looks to try and get every tier of family into the
stadium."

The young Foundation team, comprised of Frankie Walker, Christine Babalola
and Konnie Toyin presented a range of initiatives to grow and sustain family
attendance levels including how and to whom they will be marketed.

Toyin spoke of the lessons she had learnt during the qualifying process.

"Just to be confident and believe in yourself," she added. "There were a lot
of really great ideas and we believed ours were strong and that if we let
our personalities shine through our presentation, we'd have a good chance of
getting to the final."

It marks another success for the Foundation, having won the Premier League
Enterprise Challenge last year with a team from one of its Premier League
Kicks projects.

As part of their prize, the previous winners were invited to a reception at
Number 10 Downing Street to meet Lord Young, an advisor to the Prime
Minister on small business and enterprise, while they also presented their
ideas to West Ham Joint-Chairman David Gold at the House of Commons.

Foundation Senior Community Sports Development Officer, Shamajul Motin was
delighted with the manner in which his team conducted themselves throughout.

"We were worried because it is so difficult to live up to the dream of
winning it again. The target was to at least qualify, which thankfully we
did. The groups were so strong that to progress from the play-off is
amazing. Afterwards, they were gobsmacked.

"We chose this team because they have a wow factor. The girls are forming a
bond and they all have a lead in their own right. One of the girls has been
unwell and so the Friday before the play-off was their only chance to go
through their lines together. To present that well was amazing, a great
achievement."

Since its introduction in 2009, over 8,000 young people aged between 13 and
17 have taken part in the programme, using business models of professional
football clubs to deliver enterprise education.

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Nolan excited by All-Star appearance
WHUFC.com

Kevin Nolan is looking forward to returning home to play in the Liverpool FC
Foundation All-Star charity match. The West Ham United captain was born and
brought up in the inner city area of Toxteth, where he honed the skills that
would turn him into the Premier League star. After starring for the City of
Liverpool schoolboys team, Nolan joined Bolton Wanderers and has gone on to
score more than 100 career goals for Bolton, Newcastle United and West Ham.
On Sunday, the midfielder will join fellow Scousers and All-Star team
captains Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher at Anfield for a match to raise
funds for a variety of local charities and causes supported by the Liverpool
FC Foundation. Nolan is part of a formidable Gerrard All-Star squad that
also includes one-time Academy of Football schoolboy John Terry, Bayern
Munich star Xabi Alonso, former Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and ex-Reds
forwards Luis Suarez, Ryan Babel and Fernando Torres.

Carragher, meanwhile, has called upon the assistance of Nolan's West Ham
teammate Stewart Downing, former Hammers Jonjo Shelvey and Craig Bellamy
Chelsea forward Didier Drogba and former Reds Alvaro Arbeloa, Pepe Reina,
Luis Garcia, Dirk Kuyt and Harry Kewell. For the West Ham No4, the
opportunity to take part in such an event is one he is hugely excited about.
"I'm going to go back home to see the family and play in the All-Star Game
on Sunday, which Steven and Jamie have organised," confirmed the boyhood
Liverpool fan. "I'm really looking forward to that and catching up with some
family and friends. "Thank goodness I am on Steven's side for once! I am
really looking forward to playing with some great players who have graced
the Premier League and who have played in that Liverpool shirt.
"It's a very special moment for me to be asked and I am really excited about
it."

Sunday's 3pm kick-off will be available to view live on LFCTV in the UK and
Ireland, with pre-match coverage starting at 2pm. To watch Nolan and Downing
in action, visit Sky channel 429 or Virgin Media channel 544 (UK only) and
subscribe for £7.

Alternatively, a 24-hour LFCTV GO pass will be available for just £1,
enabling fans worldwide to watch the game on PC, laptop, tablet or mobile.

Liverpool will donate £3 from each subscription and the full £1 from LFCTV
GO to the Liverpool FC Foundation. For more information, click here.

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Hammers duo taste international success
WHUFC.com

West Ham United Academy duo Sean Maguire and Reece Oxford were both involved
in wins on the international stage on Thursday night.
Maguire came off the bench in the Republic of Ireland U21s' 1-0 victory over
Andorra, while Oxford was also a used substiture as England U17s rounded off
their UEFA U17 Championship qualifying campaign with a 2-1 win against
Romania. For Maguire, 20, his late run-out represented a first cap at
Under-21 level as the young Irish got their qualification matches for the
2017 UEFA U21 Championship off to the best possible start. The former
Waterford United player, back on home turf, had an injury time effort saved
by Andorra keeper Victor Silverio, while the winning goal came on 31 minutes
through Ipswich Town's Dylan Connolly.

Oxford moved down to the bench after two wins from two had already sealed
England U17's place in this summer's finals tournament.
After scoring in Monday's 3-1 win against Slovenia, the centre back came on
for the final 12 minutes against Romania to help see out a 2-1 success
gained thanks to Chelsea forward Ike Ugbo's double.

On Friday, Carl Jenkinson could be involved as England U21 take on Czech
Republic in a friendly in Prague, The attention turns to the seniors on
Saturday, with James Collins' Wales taking on Israel in a Euro 2016
qualifier, and Cheikhou Kouyate's Senegal facing Ghana in a friendly.

Josh Cullen will also be hoping to help the Republic of Ireland U19s bounce
back from defeat to Czech Republic when they face Germany on the same day.

Jenkinson could also face Germany on Monday, as England U21s play another of
their co-finalists for the summer's UEFA U21 Championship, in a friendly at
Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium.

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Reunited: Hartson and Eyal meet in Israel
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 27th March 2015
By: Staff Writer

John Hartson and Eyal Berkovic may have been responsible for one of West
Ham's ugliest bust-ups in recent years - but the pair were happy to shake
hands when meeting in Israel earlier. Hartson, who is undertaking media work
in the country during the current international break was giving an
interview at a cafe when he was approached by former Hammer Berkovic - who
is reported to have asked Hartson "do you remember me!?" And Hartson later
posted a picture of the once-deadly duo on Twitter, as you may see below.

Back in September 1998, during Harry Redknapp's reign as manager, TV cameras
were on hand to record the moment that Hartson lost his temper with the
Israeli playmaker during a Chadwell Heath training session. Following a
late challenge by Hartson during a training match, the diminutive midfielder
lashed out at the Welsh striker - who responded instinctively by kicking the
floored Berkovic in the head.

Due to the presence of TV cameras, the incident went on to be replayed
around the globe - and the incident proved to be the catalyst for Hartson's
sale just four months later. Speaking exclusively to the KUMB Podcast last
year, Hartson admitted that the incident provided one of the biggest regrets
of his career. I should never have done it but I'm holding my hands up, I'm
not trying to make excuses for what happened," he told the Podcast's Chris
Scull and James Longman. "I took the ban, I took the punishment, I took all
the media criticism and admitted I was wrong. I should never had reacted the
way that I did. "There was no particular reason for doing it; it was
nothing to do with Eyal Berkovic - it could have been John Moncur, Rio
Ferdinand, Joe Cole or anyone. It was nothing to do with the player, it just
happened at that particular moment, it was caught on camera and the whole
world got to see it. "It's something that I've had to carry around with me
for the last 16 years - nobody wants to talk about the 33 goals in 71 games
or how I kept West Ham up almost single-handedly. But I'm fine about it. It
was a regrettable incident, but it does happen. "I spent 20 months at West
Ham and 18 months were very good," he continued. "I scored goals, I got on
great with the lads and we had a good spirit. It just goes to show how your
life can change in the blink of an eye as within two months we'd gone out of
both Cups, I was under-performing and I'd had the embarrassment of the
training ground incident repeated all over the world. "I'd been totally
wrecked in the newspapers - it was front page stuff, not back page - and it
was on News at Ten, everywhere. So within that two month period I'd gone
from hero to zero. But 95 per cent of my memories at West Ham are fantastic.
It's a great club and I always get a great reception when I go back there."

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New Zealand coach confirms West Ham defender Winston Reid injured
Last Updated: 27/03/15 2:43pm
SSN

New Zealand coach Anthony Hudson has confirmed West Ham defender Winston
Reid is not fit to make the trip to face South Africa in Seoul.
The 26-year-old has been struggling with a hamstring injury and will play no
part when the All Whites face Uli Stielike's side on Tuesday.
Hudson said: "We gave Winston until the very last moment to see if he would
be able to be part of the camp here in Seoul," Hudson said.
"It's a shame his injury hasn't fully healed and he won't be part of this
trip. West Ham have been very co-operative and we had the chance to bring
Winston out here to be part of the camp off the field, which we decided
against. "We will now move forward in our planning and it opens up an
opportunity for another member of the squad to stake their claim." Reid was
forced off after just eight minutes of West Ham's 1-0 defeat to Chelsea on
March 4 and missed the subsequent clashes with Arsenal and Sunderland.

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West Ham monitoring Mainz midfielder Julian Baumgartlinger as potential Alex
Song replacement
22:30, 27 March 2015 By Darren Lewis
The Austria international's contract expires at the end of the season and
the Hammers are among a number of clubs ready to swoop
The Mirror

West Ham are tracking Mainz midfielder Julian Baumgartlinger as a potential
replacement for Alex Song. Baumgartlinger, 27, is an Austria international
whose contract expires at the end of the season. He has so far insisted he
wants to remain in the German Bundesliga but the Hammers are among a number
of clubs ready to test his resolve. West Ham are already set to decide
against taking up an option to bid for Song following a dip in form from the
£80,000-a-week former Arsenal star. The potential u-turn signals a reversal
of fortune for the 27-year-old as West Ham were desperate for him to commit
his future to them back in January after an impressive first half of the
season.
At the time Song hedged his bets, insisting he wanted to wait and see
whether the club qualified for the Champions League. Since then, however,
the player's form has deteriorated sharply highlighted by the penalty
conceded by Song which cost the Hammers all three points at Tottenham in
February. It is also understood Song has been restricted to just a few days'
training a week because of problems with his fitness, increasing doubts over
a longer-term deal. West Ham are set to assess his displays over the last
eight games of the season but are currently minded to send him back to the
Nou Camp and are looking at other options.

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West Ham, West Brom and Everton set for summer scrap over £5million Lewis
Dunk
15:32, 27 March 2015 By Adrian Kajumba
The Brighton centre-back has impressed for the Seagulls this term and could
be set for a summer move to the Premier League
The Mirror

West Ham, Everton and West Brom are heading for a three-way scrap for
Brighton centre-back Lewis Dunk. The Premier League trio are all keen on the
Brighton centre-back and weighing up summer moves for the 23 year-old. Dunk
has impressed at both ends of the pitch for the Seagulls this season. As
well as producing a string of eye-catching defensive displays Dunk has also
scored seven goals, making him Brighton's top scorer. Dunk's current deal
runs until 2018 and Brighton value him at around £5million.

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Hammers linked to Austrian
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham are this morning being reported as chasing Julian Baumgartlinger as
an alternative for Alex Song if talks to sign the Barcelona loanee fail.
Much has been written about the former Arsenal midfielder's West Ham future
and ClaretandHugh understands Ihe irons remain keen to sign him. However,
the 27 year old Austrian international is being watched regularly and would
become a target if talks with song fall through. Suggestions that the
Hammers are ready to turn their backs on Song are off the mark and if wage
demands and transfer fee are within sensible limits the Hammers will work to
make it happen. Baumgarlinger has made 67 appearances for his club 1.FSV
Mainz 05

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DG harassed on Twitter over OS issue
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 27, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

David Gold's Twitter account has become less active this month – and it's
perhaps easy to see why as the demands for information – sometimes
accompanied by some ripe language – becomes more intense. The co-chairman –
with 111k followers on the social networking system – has originated just
six posts this month, a big reduction on the numbers previously.

DG has always made himself available to answer most questions but gets
plenty of baiting and the latest thread on the colour of seats at the
Olympic Stadium seems misplaced and largely answered by the picture shown
above and taken from www.whufc.com.

Having made it clear that "you will be pleased with the colour of the seats"
to @mywhufc the demands came pouring in for him to be more specific.

Among them were such as:

Politicians answer I'll try again What colour seats did you see DG

David, have you been watching the #BattleForNumber10? Starting to sound like
Cameron. Answer the question!

has said many things I asked what colour were the seats He didn't answer

he said you'll be pleased, alluding to fact they'll be mainly claret and
blue

you were asked what colour were the seats ? Why won't you answer such a
simple question ?

I've seen the seats that are being installed, they are claret, blue and
white, he isn't lying, stop being so distrusting

DG the master of dodging question… He should be a politician

That's twitter. Everybody has the right to ask questions but the aggression
hat often goes with it is entirely counter-productive and may be slowly
driving the co-chairman away.

The answer is clear anyway – it's really more a case of using our eyes!

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Irons set for talks on two key players
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 27, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham will start talks aimed at securing Carl Jenkinson and Alex Song as
permanent signings within a couple of weeks of the end of season. The
Hammers remain keen to sign both but the pair could cost a collective £15
million in transfer fees alone so some very hard bargaining is on the cards.
Jenkinson is valued at around £8 million by Arsenal and the Irons will want
to pay half of that whilst given Song's likely £70k minimum wage demands the
club won't want the transfer fee to rise much over £7 million. ClaretandHugh
was told this morning: "Jenkinson has done really well and we will be
talking to Arsenal – the same is true of Alex despite his recent drop in
form.
"We are expecting some departures which will ease the wages situation but
negotiations on transfer fees are key and can be managed as we showed last
summer. "There is other money to be spent such as another tranche to
Liverpool on the Andy Carroll transfer."

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