From the Treatment Room
WHUFc.com
Hello everyone,
We will start with the positive news this week.
Alex Song, who is no longer feeling pain and discomfort in his back and was
able to return to the training pitch on Monday. After training on an
individual basis for one day, Alex returned to the group on Tuesday and is
available for selection against Burnley.
James Tomkins, who trained individually on the pitch on Tuesday as he
continues to step up his rehabilitation after surgery on his dislocated
shoulder. All things being well, James will return to initial training with
the Development Squad next week.
Winston Reid is continuing his rehab after pulling his hamstring in training
last week, but unfortunately he will not be fit for selection against
Burnley.
Andy Carroll (knee), Diafra Sakho (thigh), Guy Demel (calf) and Doneil Henry
(hamstring) are all continuing to work on their individual rehabilitation
plans with the Medical and Sports Science staff.
Stijn Vandenbroucke
Head of Medical and Sports Science
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Former Player Blog - Jimmy Walker
WHUFC.com
Former West Ham United goalkeeper Jimmy Walker made 20 appearances in a
claret and blue shirt in two seasons at the Boleyn Ground, collecting an
impressive eight clean sheets in the process. Thosse games included Walker's
famous penalty save from Frank Lampard at Stamford Bridge in the League Cup
fourth round in October 2004. Blogging exclusively for www.whufc.com,
Walker explains the thought process behind saving spot kicks, why Adrian is
one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League and talks about that
famous day at Stamford Bridge…
I've seen quite a bit of West Ham this year and I've been down to the
training ground a couple of times this season. I know Marge Margetson, the
former goalkeeping coach quite well, having been goalkeeper coach at
Peterborough United I was interested to see how the elite train these days.
I trained alongside Adrian and Jussi which was fantastic.
Chadwell has got a little bit busier since I left, and the boot room is
certainly a lot brighter! But there are a lot of the same people there, the
kitman Pete and Shirley and a few others. It was great to go back.
This season, Adrian has been excellent. When he first joined he did well but
the jury was still out. This year he's really proved himself. Jussi is still
a very good goalkeeper so for Adrian to make the number one spot his own is
excellent. For me, he's up there up for Player of the Year.
The other day, I was asked about who the best goalkeeper is in the Premier
League is. I think this crop of goalkeepers is as good I can remember. There
are ten or twelve excellent goalkeepers. Chelsea have got two of the best in
the world. David De Gea has been excellent but for me, Hugo Lloris has been
the best. He's been superb all season and he's made some big saves.
Having said that, Adrian is right up there with De Gea, and Lloris, he's had
several outstanding games. It's a very strong field, good goalkeepers like
Tim Howard and Asmir Begovic don't get enough praise.
Adrian saving his last three penalties is a great stat. Saving penalties is
all about confidence. People think it's easy for the goalie because there's
no pressure or expectation on them but I think it's changed recently. Now,
you are expected to have a decent ratio. The penalty takers are getting
better so a save is even more impressive. To save three on the spin is an
unbelievable record.
Confidence is a massive part of being a goalkeeper so when Adrian faces his
fourth penalty, he'll dive a split second earlier. The next taker will
definitely know that stat and it could get into his head a little bit.
Another change is the amount of technology used has increased massively.
When I was at the club we had one analyst. Now, there's five or six and
every aspect is covered.
You can definitely practise saving penalties. Obviously in training it's not
the same atmosphere as a match but that effects the taker more than the
goalie.
I had a situation at Peterborough when one of our goalkeepers hadn't saved a
penalty for a long while. The last 12 penalties had all gone in or something
like that. Even the chairman had flagged it up. But we worked on it a lot in
training and it did improve slightly. To have a goalkeeper who can save
penalties is a great asset to have.
Personally, I've always enjoyed facing penalties. I've always been confident
and I think that stems from watching other goalkeepers closely who had good
saving ratios. I learnt a lot as a teenager watching Paul Cooper and Steve
Shay at Notts County.
I'm often asked about saving Frank Lampard's penalty. If I'm honest, I don't
really like talking about it!
I'm joking of course. It was one of my first games, away at Chelsea, so it
was a fantastic game to be thrown into. I remember it vividly and it was one
of my stand out moments at West Ham.
I stood in the goal and there were seven or eight thousand fans behind me.
The game was held up for about five minutes. I was getting a bit of abuse so
I was thinking 'I better save this!' During the wait it must have been
playing on Frank's mind as well. I just tried to follow the ball and
thankfully he put it close enough for me to save. It's nice that it's still
remembered because it's a great memory for me.
Jimmy runs his own football coaching school for a range of ages and
abilities. If you're interested visit http://www.jimmywalkergk.co.uk/ to
find out more.
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View on the Visitors - Burnley
Lancashire Telegraph's Burnley reporter Suzanne Geldard gives us the lowdown
on Saturday's visitors Burnley.
What is the mood around Turf Moor at the moment?
"I think it's taken a little bit of a knock after the defeat to Leicester.
As Sean Dyche will tell you it's dented but not broken. They'll keep
fighting until the end so we'll see what happens."
What do you make of Sean Dyche, regardless of where Burnley finish in the
league, do you think he should stay?
"There's no question he should definitely stay and there's no chance of
sacking him. I think he has done an amazing job with very limited resources
to get Burnley up in the first place.
"After the first ten games, to be in a position where they could still
survive is impressive. He generates so much positivity and self-belief among
the staff and among the players."
Which of the players have been in good form recently, who should we look out
for?
"Danny Ings is due a goal, given the talent he's got, his run can't go on
forever. George Boyd has been another player who has been noted for his work
rate, he is certainly capable of making things happen. Kieran Trippier at
right-back likes to get forward and get the ball into the box, he's proved
that he's capable of playing at this level."
At this stage of the season, do Burnley have to go for all three points or
is an away point still a good result?
"They have to go for three points. The games are running out now and they
need to win at least three of their last four games. It'll be a tall order
because they've only won five all season. Everything is stacked against
them, it has been all season and they've pulled off some incredible results
against teams they were never expected to get anything from."
What do you put Burnley's league position down to, referees decisions,
injuries, bad luck?
"It's a bit of everything really. There have been decisions that have gone
against them and they have had some terrible luck with injuries. Dean Marney
has been a big miss, that happened just after the transfer window, so that
couldn't have been worse. There wasn't too much activity in either window
but also the general quality of the Premier League is hard to adapt to for
any team coming up."
What is your prediction for Saturday's score?
"The team has to go for a win and it would be remiss of me not to back them.
I don't think they'll be a vast amount of goals so I'll say 1-0 Burnley."
Where you think Burnley will finish?
"I'll stay positive and say they'll do it. If Leicester can do it, why not?"
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The Big Interview - Kevin Nolan
WHUFC.com
West Ham United skipper Kevin Nolan says his team can build on the clean
sheet they gained at Queens Park Rangers as they tackle the final four games
of the campaign. Nolan is desperate to end the season on a high and says the
Hammers can capitalise on a stronger defensive base by taking their chances
at the other end. He also had praise for Adrian and 18-year-old debutant
Reece Burke after the pair played a starring role at Loftus Road. The
defensive side of our game probably took the plaudits on Saturday, and
Adrian has now saved three penalties on the trot now…
KN: "It's quality from him. He is that type of keeper and he deserves all
the plaudits he's got. Hopefully his head won't get any bigger! He's a great
lad and hopefully he keeps his performances to as high a standard as he's
produced for the last year-and-a-half."
Reece Burke, it was a big test for him on Saturday against Charlie Austin
and Bobby Zamora, but he stood up to it…
KN: "Unbelievable. You couldn't ask for a better debut from him, it was
absolutely fantastic. He's a great lad, a really good kid who wants to work
hard, listen, wants to play football and believes in himself.
"I thought he was fantastic. It's never going to be easy against Bobby Z,
who has tormented a lot of defenders down the years, even this season,
especially away from home. Normally young players get their home debuts
before they are tested away, but he's kept one of the best English strikers
this year [Charlie Austin] quiet.
"I'm very pleased for him, it's a brilliant start and this is the beginning
for him. He's set his standards now and he's got to keep them there for now
until the end of the season, then come back looking to knock Reidy, Ginge
and Tonks out of the way."
Kevin, putting Saturday's game in isolation, QPR are desperate for a win but
we were resolute and could possibly have nicked it…
KN: "Of course. It's getting down to the crunch end of the season and
they're battling for every point, every little bit they can get. We knew it
was going to be tough, just as it was for teams playing us when we were in
that situation last year.
"I think it was a well-earned point but we were very disappointed that we
didn't go away with the three points with the chances we had. A few things
didn't fall for us, especially when Adri has saved another penalty – it's a
fantastic save – that we then couldn't go onto win.
"But we have to respect it [the point], it's a clean sheet which is nice,
and we've got our target of 50 points which we're not far off now. Reaching
that would not be a perfect season, because it could have been much better,
but we have to respect the fact that a lot of injuries have happened and
we've got a small squad that has been able to deal with it."
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West Ham's wage bill in the comfort zone
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 29th April 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United recorded the fifth-lowest wages-to-turnover ratio in the
Premier League last season.
An analysis of Premier League club finances by David Conn for the Guardian
revealed that West Ham and Liverpool both reported a figure of 55 per cent -
the proportion of club income spent on wages - in their 2013/14 annual
accounts.
That represents good news for the long-term future of the Hammers, who only
four years ago spent a dangerously-high 70 per cent of club income on wages
- a figure considered at the time to be the uppermost safety limit.
However the news was not quite so good with regards to Premier League club's
annual turnover, where West Ham slipped from 8th highest in 2012/13 to 10th
in the most-recently published accounts. United's £115m income for 2013/14
was narrowly topped by Aston Villa (£117m) and Everton (£121m), who rose
above the Hammers in the table.
Meanwhile Southampton increased their income by a third in their second
season in the Premier League, rising above Sunderland in the table and
closing the gap on West Ham considerably.
Largely responsible for the improvement in the financial state of Premier
League clubs - and the subsequent reduction in the ratio of income spent on
wages - are UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules, which have imposed spending
limits on all member clubs.
You may read more about how FFP works here.
Proportion of Income Spent on Wages
1. Manchester Utd (50%)
2. Hull City; Crystal Palace (51%)
4. Tottenham; Arsenal (55%)
6. West Ham Utd; Liverpool (56%)
8. Norwich City; Everton (57%)
10. Manchester City; Southampton; Aston Villa; Chelsea (59%)
14. Newcastle Utd (60%)
15. Stoke City (62%)
16. Swansea City; Cardiff City (64%)
18. Sunderland (67%)
19. West Brom (75%)
20. Fulham (76%)
Turnover
Last season's position in brackets.
1. (1) Manchester Utd (£433m)
2. (3) Manchester City (£347m)
3. (4) Chelsea (£324m)
4. (2) Arsenal (£304m)
5. (5) Liverpool (£256m)
6. (6) Tottenham (£181m)
7. (7) Newcastle Utd (£130m)
8. (9) Everton (£121m)
9. (10) Aston Villa (£117m)
10. (8) West Ham Utd (£115m)
11. (14) Southampton (£106m)
12. (11) Sunderland (£104m)
13. (16) Stoke City; Swansea City (£98m)
15. (12) Norwich City (£94m)
16. (13) Fulham (£91m)
17. (-) Crystal Palace (£90m)
18. (15)West Brom (£87m)
19. (-) Hull City (£84m)
20. (-) Cardiff City (£83m)
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Gold "injuries" Twitter row rumbles on
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 29, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
David Gold is continuing to insist that injury problems were the reason for
a lack-lustre performance against Queens Park Rangers. DG had played the
'injury card' on Twitter following the dismal weekend shwoing at Loftus Road
and immediately ran into a storm of abuse from followers. And four days on
the row continued today to rule with a follower tweeting: Who agrees that
bfs still will not play either nene or amalfitano on saturday? Then
@davidgold will insult us again with his injury excuses
The co chairman responded: "Steve it wasn't an excuse it was a fact. Five of
our best players were out injured for the QPR game. dg
Missing from the game were Winston Reid, Diafra Sakho, Andy Carroll, James
Tomkins and Alex Song. However, in a separate tween Gold confirmed that
Carroll would be avaialable from Day One next season declaring: "I am
hopeful that Andy Carroll will make a meaningful contribution to next
seasons campaign. He is working hard. He will be available for the first
game of the season."
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Fit again Zarate finds net for QPR
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 29, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Hammers loanee Mauro Zarate has returned to QPR from the West Ham treatment
table and opened the scoring in a 8-0 QPR reserves game in which he played
the full 90 minutes against Barnet on Tuesday afternoon.
Zarate has managed just 71 minutes in a QPR first team shirt since his
early January arrival on loan. He has only managed just four second half
substitutions for the Hoops against Burnley, Southampton, Sunderland and
Hull, three of which resulted in losses.
QPR are thought to be picking up his full £40,000 per wages plus a loan fee
meaning his fifteen week stint so far has cost the club around £750,000
which is just over £10,500 for every minute he has spent on the pitch.
The Loftus Road outfit considered sending Zarate back after discovering his
shocking lack of fitness but he was placed on an intensive fitness regime
before suffering a knee injury in March.
He is expected to return to West Ham in the summer and take part in pre
season training with the Hammers. Zarate signed a three year contract with
West Ham in May 2014.
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Speedy Gonzales Jenkinson
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 29, 2015 in Whispers
Claret 7 Hugh
Hammers right back Carl Jenkinson clocked up a top speed of 35.3 kilometres
per hour (21.93 mph) against QPR last Saturday to match the season's best
speed from Newcastle United's Moussa Sissoko.
Top speeds
Season
Match Week 34
Moussa Sissoko 35.3 Carl Jenkinson 35.3
Carl Jenkinson 35.3 Michael Duff 34.6
Moussa Sissoko 35.2 Jamie Vardy 34.3
Leandro Bacuna 35.2 Enner Valencia 34.1
Wilfried Zaha 35.2 Wilfried Zaha 34.0
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DG kills off Sam contract talks tweet
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 29, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
David Gold has killed off "speculation and rumour-mongering" that Sam
Allardyce and the board are in negotiations over a new contract for the
manager. Twitter had been alive this morning as a tweet emerged from a well
known Irons figure claiming: "The managerial situation at West Ham may have
taken another twist. I'm hearing rumours Big Sam has opened negotiations
over a new deal." For a while our offices were inundated with requests for
more information and it has only been in the last few minutes we have caught
up with DG.
The co chairman categorically denied the story making it clear for "for
theumpteenth time" nothing will happen until the end of the season. He told
ClaretandHugh exclusively: "Can you put the record straight please. That is
simply not true.We have made it clear over and over again what we are doing
and the situation remains precisely the same. "Anything else is just
speculation and rumour-mongering. The decisions that need making will be
made at the end of the season. "I seem to be saying this for the umpteenth
time. I would ask all fans to wait until the end of the season. After all,
there's not long to go."
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DG unapologetic over Twitter injuries claim
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 29, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
David Gold remains firm in his view that the presence of three or four first
team regular would have helped the team's cause at the weekend. The co
chairman ran into a storm of protest on Twitter when claiming injuries were
responsible for the level of performance and he indicated to ClaretandHugh
that some were reading far too much into his words. He's aware that some
fans will have taken his words as backing for the manager as he battles
through a period which has led to much speculation over his job. But
speaking exclusively to ClaretandHugh he said: "There was absolutely nothing
other in my mind than what I tweeted. "If a team like ours is missing five
top players – Sakho, Carroll, Tomkins, Reid and Song it would be surprising
if it weren't to have an effect. "Obviously I would assume that some have
taken that as me trying to say more than than I did. And they are wrong to
do so and they are making false assumptions. "My only intention to say was
what I said …that five injured players out are likely to affect the level of
performance – nothing else."
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Former West Ham midfielder 'thanks god' he turned down Millwall
HITC
Damien Lucas
Former West Ham United midfielder Matthew Etherington has revealed he said
'thanks but no thanks' to his old club's bitter rivals Millwall before
retiring. Ex Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Matty Etherington
was forced to retire from football before Christmas due to ongoing injury
problems. But not before telling the Hammers' hated rivals he had no
interest in joining them because 'it just felt wrong'. Etherington, who had
a number of good seasons at West Ham under Alan Pardew, was looking for a
club after being released by Stoke City last summer. Millwall were not put
off by the 33-year-old's Upton Park connections and then manager Ian
Holloway asked him to come and train with the struggling side.
Etherington, now a football pundit, admitted he went into training but soon
realised things did not feel right. Speaking to West Ham Fan TV, the former
Peterborough United youngster rubbed salt in Millwall's fresh relegation
wounds after their demotion to League One was confirmed on Tuesday night. He
said: "Ian Holloway text me and said 'Do you want to go down to Millwall?'.
"I've got a lot of West Ham friends and when they heard I was going down
there I can't tell you the amount of stick I was getting. "It just felt
wrong going in there, even going to the training ground. It was the weirdest
feeling. I went training, my back had gone and I thought 'I ain't coming
back here'."I called Holloway and said 'thanks but no thanks' and I retired
a few weeks later. It didn't feel right and it didn't happen thank god." The
Truro-born winger scored 16 goals in 165 games - including an FA Cup final -
for the Hammers. But had he joined Millwall it could have tarnished his
reputation among fans who still hold him in high regard.
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Mark Noble could be the perfect number 10 for West Ham, with Downing and
Nolan continuing to struggle
HITC
Billy Hawkins
Mark Noble has proven enough to suggest that he could be a perfect number 10
for the Hammers. Earlier this season, things were going rather well for
West Ham, with Noble playing in a diamond midfield alongside Alex Song,
Cheikhou Kouyate and Stewart Downing. Noble was the willing runner in that
system, harrying opponents on the ball, and creating the off chance.
However, main playmaking duties were left to Song - in the deep-lying
midfield role - and Downing, who was the number 10. This led the East London
club up the Premier League table, and won head coach Sam Allardyce some
deserved plaudits. However, injuries and a loss in form to Downing and Song
have resulted in just two victories for the Hammers in 2015, and a top 10
placing looks out of the question. Obviously these issues are not down to
any specific person, although the continual inclusion of Kevin Nolan raises
a few eyebrows.
Playing as the number 10 following Downing's loss in form, Nolan looks off
the pace when asked to perform weekly in the top flight. A great servant of
the club, his time is surely up, and it begs the question of who can take
his place as the teams main playmaker. Nolan is past his best, Downing
himself is ageing, and it creates a huge tactical issue for Allardyce.
However, Noble has all the abilities to play in that advanced role, and it
arguably suits him, and the team, better than his current position.
Noble plays the second most key passes in the entire Hammers squad - 1.4 per
game to Downing's 2.4 - whilst possessing a higher pass accuracy than the
former Liverpool man. He also, surprisingly, completes more dribbles than
Downing and draws more fouls than the winger.
His attacking play is impressive, especially considering his usual
deep-lying role restricts his effect in the final third, and just imagine
how effective he would be if let loose from his defensive responsibilities.
Speaking of these responsibilities, Noble is also a far better option in the
number 10 role than Downing when it comes to pressing from the front and the
need to win the ball back early.
The 27-year-old completes 2.5 tackles per game and two interceptions per
game, far better than Downing, and even toning these down to increase his
attacking efficiency would make him a far better all-round number 10 than
Downing. Downing and Nolan have enjoyed successful careers as playmakers,
but it looks as if their time at the top of their game is coming to an end.
Rather than persevering with the ageing duo, Allardyce should look towards
Noble as his main creative outlet, with the tireless midfielder potentially
a fix for a key tactical issue in the Hammers current set-up.
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Everton line up £5m summer bid for West Ham target Kara Mbodj
HITC
Mathew Nash
The Senegalese defender currently plays in Belgium for Genk. At the start of
February West Ham United were linked with the signature of Serigne Kara
Mbodj from Belgian club Genk. It was as the transfer deadline loomed, the
Daily Star reporting that Mbodj would cost The Hammers a fee in the region
of £4.5 million. Of course no deal ever came off. Since then West Ham have
finally agreed a contract extension with Winston Reid for him to remain at
the club, which may see their transfer priorities reevaluated. That leaves
Mbodj a potential target for other Premier League suitors. It is now being
claimed that Everton are stepping up their interest in the player. It has
been reported by The Sun this week, as reported by the official Everton
website. They claim he is valued at around £5 million and there is no doubt
that Everton could do with bringing in a new central defender this summer.
John Stones and Phil Jagielka look like a partnership that could certainly
thrive, but they have little in the way of support. Antolin Alcaraz is
simply not good enough and Sylvain Disin's legs have finally given up on him
at the ripe age of 37-years-old. Both players are out of contract in the
summer, so Kara Mbodj might just be a great addition to Everton's problem
area.
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Thursday, April 30
Wednesday, April 29
Daily WHUFC News - 29th April 2015
From the Newsroom - David Croft
WHUFC.com
Sky Sports F1 commentator and Hammers fan David Croft pens his latest blog for the Official Site...
I'd like to declare that the General Election, for me at least, is now over ladies and gentlemen. Any would be MPs reading this column please take note that my vote is now cast and anything you say to try and entice my vote will make absolutely no difference whatsoever. With the Spanish Grand Prix taking place in the second week of May, I've been forced once again to apply for a postal vote and that vote was cast last week with my son Daniel acting as witness.
Daniel's nearly eight years old and I'm trying to get him a little bit interested in what the election is all about. Not the easiest of tasks of course until David Cameron let it slip that he was a West Ham fan.
"What? The Prime Minister supports West Ham?" he asked with more than a hint of surprise in his voice.
"Seems so", I replied "Apparently he was a Villa fan but he hasn't watched them in years and he's getting a bit confused, what with all the pressure of running the country and all that".
"Maybe Barack Obama told him to support West Ham?"
"Sorry?"
"Well they're mates, so maybe Barack Obama thought he should support a decent team, not Villa, and that's why he's now one of us?"
Which is a brilliant theory and the fact is that my boy, amidst a fair amount of pressure from his Chelsea and Arsenal supporting friends at school, can now claim that for all their Eden Hazards and Aaron Ramseys, West Ham have got the two most powerful men in the free world on their side. I have to admit, that does put a smile on my face.
So as a reward for his political patience and putting up with my attempts to get him to take an interest in the election - we even watched a repeat of the leaders debate, before I lost interest and switched back to SpongeBob Square Pants - I booked a couple of tickets for the Burnley game, which sadly will be my last live match of the season.
By the way, and a complete aside this, have you watched the latest SpongeBob movie? Loved it, always love SpongeBob. But if you have of course, you'll know that at one stage in the film the absorbent, yellow and porous superhero if seen flying through the air catching cannonballs and as he does so 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' is playing in the background.
Which other club can claim to have had their song in a Hollywood movie? Even cooler than having the President of the United States as a celebrity fan, we're in a SpongeBob film now and what made it even better is that Daniel and I watched the film en route to the Sunderland match, so we were wearing our West Ham shirts at the time. And as you'd expect, we were both singing along. Two West Ham fans at the back of the cinema, belting out 'Bubbles', much to the bemusement of those unfortunate kids whose parents haven't introduced them to The Hammers just yet.
But I digress, back to the tickets for the Burnley game. Kids For A Quid once more, a brilliant initiative from the club for those who want to bring their family to Upton Park and the reason I brought Daniel and his younger brother James to a match at the tender age of just three years old. What have you got to lose? They might not appreciate the significance of their first match at such a young age, but you've only spent a quid on the ticket so all is not lost.
All of us football supporting parents want to bring our kids as much as possible I'm sure, which is why 'Kids For A Quid' is a real help. But of course it's expensive to go week in week out, especially as a family, which is why I've now put my name down on the season ticket waiting list for the season after next.
The club announced, to a decent fanfare and well deserved approval, last week, that season tickets for the new stadium for Under 16s would be capped at £99. Brilliant news, just £99 to bring along the fans of the future. Meanwhile, the Mums and Dads bringing them along, can take advantage of reduced season ticket prices too. £289 for the cheapest Adult season ticket, £776 for a family of four to come along for the whole season. For me personally, it means that even if I can only make it to say ten games a year because of my work commitments it still makes total sense to buy a season ticket, and I'm sure that I can persuade Daniel's Grandads to take him if I can't.
If I'm being honest, there's a massive part of me that hates the fact that we're moving away from Upton Park. So many memories from the first time I handed over my £5 to stand on the North Bank. But the move to the new Stadium has so many benefits for all West Ham fans, and for the families, well this week, the club have given maximum encouragement, to bring along the fans of the future, week in, week out.
That gets my vote, without a doubt. Maybe the Obamas and the Camerons have put their names on the waiting list too. In this age of austerity, it's one luxury they can still afford.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of West Ham United FC.
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Brown signs new contract
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are delighted to announce that 18-year-old striker Jordan Brown has signed a new contract with the Club. The powerful forward, who has scored three goals in seven starts for the Development Squad this season has put pen paper on a new deal, keeping him at the Club until June 2016. Speaking to www.whufc.com after signing his contract, the England U16 international who arrived from Arsenal in 2013 said: "I'm delighted to have signed a new contract. I'm happy the club has faith in me to give me another year to push on and try and prove myself. "I heard I was going to get a new contract in about January or February and I was very happy. I've known about it for a while but it's good to actually sign it."
This season, Brown has been in impressive goal scoring form, first for the U18s netting seven goals in 15 appearances before forging his way into the Development Squad. The highly rated striker has been in a rich vein of form recently, netting in two of his last three games, including a 25-yard effort against Norwich City. My last goal against Norwich City is definitely my best this season, I picked it up from outside the area and caught it nicely. Hopefully I'll add a few more goals to my tally before the end of the season. "The contract is another opportunity to prove myself. I got a look in for the U21s last season with five games in total. Then I started this season in the U18s. Since the turn of the year I've pushed up more regularly for the U21s and I'm just happy to be starting. "For those fans that haven't seen me play, I would describe myself as a strong, powerful striker. I like to run in behind strikers and finish the chances I get."
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Hartson's Blowing Bubbles
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 28th April 2015
By: Staff Writer
John Hartson believes he played the best football of his career at West Ham but still feels guilty about his training ground spat with Eyal Berkovic that led to his departure from the Hammers.
In an honest interview with West Ham magazine Blowing Bubbles Monthly, the striker said he was "absolutely unplayable" in the 1997-98 season, in which he scored 24 goals.
"I've got friends from back home who've been at every single match of my career, from my debut for Luton to playing for Celtic at Barcelona – these guys have known me since I was a kid, so I can trust them more than anyone else, and they say that without a doubt, the 1997-98 season at West Ham was the best football I've ever played," said Hartson.
But it was the following season that saw Hartson's footwork gain international attention after he kicked his Israeli teammate and the Welsh strikers' descent from such giddy heights to rock bottom and the exit door was as shocking as it was unpredictable.
"What I did [to Berkovic] was terrible – it's undoubtedly the biggest regret of my career, and it soured everything that I'd been building up at West Ham. Why I reacted as I did, I really don't know – it wasn't anything personal, we got on perfectly well, he set up loads of my goals and he certainly didn't deserve anything like that."
Elsewhere in the April issue of the magazine, Julian Dicks hits out at the West Ham players who, he believes, are playing as if they are already on the beach enjoying their summer holidays but urges fans to remember that overall the season has been a success.
Sky Sports' Bianca Westwood writes in her column that the intense speculation surrounding Sam Allardyce's future is not helping the club at the moment and has urged the owners to either back or sack Sam now so the players and fans know what the future holds.
There is also an update on the magazine's Blowing Bubbles for Bobby campaign, which has attracted the support of internationally acclaimed writer Irvine Welsh, new Hollyoaks actress Danniella Westbrook and TV presenter Matthew Wright.
Meanwhile Blowing Bubbles also asks whether time has run out of Jarvis' West Ham career and whether Song is worth £15m. Other features include one on Robert Green ahead of QPR's game against West Ham and another on how West Ham can have a big say in who stays in the Premier League this season.
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Howe an Irons target …..BUT!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Eddie Howe's brilliant Bournemouth are on the edge of the Premier League after thrilling their own fans and the neutrals with a scintillating display of football against Bolton. The televised match showed just why the Hammers board have installed the 37 year old among their targets when they change the manager in the summer. The thirty-seven year old is now the hottest managerial prospect around and a Hammers top source has made it clear to ClaretandHugh that he is very much in their minds. He said: "We have two lists of candidates – and he is top of List Two. It may just be too early but he is among the runners for certain." When we asked whether there was the remotest chance of the guy leaving Bournemouth at this magical moment in their history we were met with silence other than a tentative: "Wait and see!"
But that his team beat Bolton with an on-the-floor brand of football we are screaming out for escaped nobody and our forums were inundated with congratulations whilst pointing that out very loudly. What was equally impressive was that – unlike ourselves on important occasions this season – the team, under Howe's guidance, rose to their biggest moment in superb fashion with a thumping 3-0 win. For the Hammers purists who would love to see Howe installed NOW, the big worry is that neither he or will be ready to move this summer. And should he be in say a year's time, the big boys may well be circling!
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Adrian voted best keeper in Europe
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Adrian has been named in the European team of the Year after a great performance against Queens Park Rangers at the weekend. The Spanish tabloid, Sport, names a team every week which excludes all La Liga players and with that exception, our top stopper has become the best in Europe. Adrian was joined by fellow Premier League stars Hector Bellerin of Arsenal and Chelsea's John Terry in the selected eleven. Both defenders had stand-out performances during the draw between Arsenal and Chelsea on Sunday. And it won't go unnoticed that Bellerin's form is such that Arsene Wenger will be certain to want to allow Carl Jenkinson the opportunity of moving on with the Irons favourites for his signature.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Valencia locked down!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham are not considering making an immediate new contract offer to Enner Valencia despite increasing speculation over his future.
The player is locked into his deal with no escape clauses anyway and despite alleged interest from Chelsea. Website Here Is the City claims it has learned from club sources that a new deal is in the pipeline although ClaretandHugh was told there has been no inquiry or offer. We were told: "Enner is locked down and there are no escape clauses so this isn't a major worry. We will be sorting out a new deal for Diafra Sakho as a reward for excellence and also Aaron Cresswell. "Enner is on a very good deal and we'll assess things as they may or may not develop. Anything is possible in the summer."
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Allardyce may be getting contract "message"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
There's some interesting observations from West Ham correspondent and Sam Allardyce watcher, Dave Evans in today's London24.com.
He has devoted his piece to the manager's possible change of mood as a new contract persistently fails to materialise. He claims that after the goalless draw at Queens Park Rangers, which saw the team fall out of the top 10, the guy appeared more animated than usual.
And when asked what he needed in the summer, Allardyce laughed: "A contract!." The manager added: "There's only one thing that needs to be sorted out and that's me to sit down with the owners when they're ready and talk about me being at West Ham and nowhere else. "Until that is resolved we won't know which way we're both going forward."
As Evans points out that's a "leap" from the usual "wait until the end of the season" routine and as a result he believes the boss "is getting nervous about his own future."
Evans declares: "Before, Allardyce seemed laid back and even amused by the constant questioning, but the never-ending links in the media to other managers and words from the chairmen as well as vice-chair Karren Brady about bad displays may have got him thinking that a new deal is not as assured as he once thought."
The 60-year-old was also asked about his health, especially following angry tirades against officials that he has exhibited over the last few weeks. Allardyce insists that he is well aware of the situation, adding: "The first thing I said to the specialist after I had a stent put in was 'Is it time to pack this job in?' "He said 'no, but make sure you don't stress yourself out as much as you do. I see you on the touchline jumping up and down like a lunatic. Stop that, control yourself more and you won't have a problem'. "You can't always do that, but I try and do it as much as I possibly can."
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Dicks' Ladies in Cup Final
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Julian Dicks' Ladies have reached the Final of the London FA Capital Women's Cup, where they will face FA Women's Premier League South rivals Charlton Athletic in a tough game at Harrow Borough.
The two sides have met three times already this season with both league fixtures ending in a draw and the Ryman Women's Cup early stages saw the Addicks knock West Ham out 3-1.
In the run up to the finals, West Ham Ladies beat Spurs Ladies away in the first round by winning on penalties after the scoreline being 4-4 after extra time, before the Hammers went away to Haringey and won 7-0 in the quarter final and beat Queens Park Rangers 2-0 away in the semi finals.
Kick-off at Harrow Borough FC is Wednesday 6th May at 7:30pm with admission priced at £6 for adults or £3 for children. Alternatively, West Ham Ladies official twitter channel @westhamladies will have live content and coverage throughout the day, including interviews with Julian Dicks and some of the players LIVE on Periscope. Address of stadium:
Earlsmead Stadium,Earlsmead, Harrow, Middlesex, HA2 8SS
katie2Prior to kick-off, both clubs have agreed to remember former player Katie Sheppard once again with a minute's silence, with both captains laying down a shirt with Katie's name on it in the middle so she can still be a part of this big night.
The Hammers currently sit in sixth place in the FA Women's Premier League South with just one more league fixture left to play. After picking up two wins (Cardiff) and a draw (Brighton) against title-chasing Cardiff and Brighton, the Hammers could have another say in the title race when they travel to new league favourites Portsmouth on the final day of the season (10th May).
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Hammers talk on Gignac
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Claims that West Ham are close to signing Marseilles striker Andre-Pierre Gignac are wide of the mark although the club admit "he's a nice player." It's no coincidence that at a time when Marcelo Bielsa is one of those that are on the managerial wanted list that the 29 year old should be linked with the club. He is a regular on the rumour grapevine but this morning although this morning a source opened up to some extent on the player. He has hit 20 goals in 35 appearances in all competitions this term and has also attracted the attention of some of Europe's top clubs. Our source told us: "We've had no contact with him, but hes a nice player. As we understand it there is a big chance he will stay there. We understand too that West Bromwich Albion are keen on him."
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Adrian's Burke hopes
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Adrian has revealed how impressed he is with the irons' newest first team recruit – teneager Reece Burke. And the Spanish stopper explained how he encouraged his throughout the game against Queens Park Rangers. He said: "I kept on telling him he needed to concentrate for 90 minutes and also have confidence in himself. "He is a very quiet lad, but that is normal when you are young and go into the first team. He needs to keep going and fighting to stay in the team." Burke insists that the youngsters at the club are made to feel a part of things at first team level. He said: "It is not just the likes of me or Josh Cullen and Reece Oxford. There are a number of under-18s who train with the first team too. "We are altogether so I don't think they look at is in a different way at all." He admits wanting the youngster to get another chance but quickly added: "It would be nice, but that is not down to me."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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WHUFC.com
Sky Sports F1 commentator and Hammers fan David Croft pens his latest blog for the Official Site...
I'd like to declare that the General Election, for me at least, is now over ladies and gentlemen. Any would be MPs reading this column please take note that my vote is now cast and anything you say to try and entice my vote will make absolutely no difference whatsoever. With the Spanish Grand Prix taking place in the second week of May, I've been forced once again to apply for a postal vote and that vote was cast last week with my son Daniel acting as witness.
Daniel's nearly eight years old and I'm trying to get him a little bit interested in what the election is all about. Not the easiest of tasks of course until David Cameron let it slip that he was a West Ham fan.
"What? The Prime Minister supports West Ham?" he asked with more than a hint of surprise in his voice.
"Seems so", I replied "Apparently he was a Villa fan but he hasn't watched them in years and he's getting a bit confused, what with all the pressure of running the country and all that".
"Maybe Barack Obama told him to support West Ham?"
"Sorry?"
"Well they're mates, so maybe Barack Obama thought he should support a decent team, not Villa, and that's why he's now one of us?"
Which is a brilliant theory and the fact is that my boy, amidst a fair amount of pressure from his Chelsea and Arsenal supporting friends at school, can now claim that for all their Eden Hazards and Aaron Ramseys, West Ham have got the two most powerful men in the free world on their side. I have to admit, that does put a smile on my face.
So as a reward for his political patience and putting up with my attempts to get him to take an interest in the election - we even watched a repeat of the leaders debate, before I lost interest and switched back to SpongeBob Square Pants - I booked a couple of tickets for the Burnley game, which sadly will be my last live match of the season.
By the way, and a complete aside this, have you watched the latest SpongeBob movie? Loved it, always love SpongeBob. But if you have of course, you'll know that at one stage in the film the absorbent, yellow and porous superhero if seen flying through the air catching cannonballs and as he does so 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' is playing in the background.
Which other club can claim to have had their song in a Hollywood movie? Even cooler than having the President of the United States as a celebrity fan, we're in a SpongeBob film now and what made it even better is that Daniel and I watched the film en route to the Sunderland match, so we were wearing our West Ham shirts at the time. And as you'd expect, we were both singing along. Two West Ham fans at the back of the cinema, belting out 'Bubbles', much to the bemusement of those unfortunate kids whose parents haven't introduced them to The Hammers just yet.
But I digress, back to the tickets for the Burnley game. Kids For A Quid once more, a brilliant initiative from the club for those who want to bring their family to Upton Park and the reason I brought Daniel and his younger brother James to a match at the tender age of just three years old. What have you got to lose? They might not appreciate the significance of their first match at such a young age, but you've only spent a quid on the ticket so all is not lost.
All of us football supporting parents want to bring our kids as much as possible I'm sure, which is why 'Kids For A Quid' is a real help. But of course it's expensive to go week in week out, especially as a family, which is why I've now put my name down on the season ticket waiting list for the season after next.
The club announced, to a decent fanfare and well deserved approval, last week, that season tickets for the new stadium for Under 16s would be capped at £99. Brilliant news, just £99 to bring along the fans of the future. Meanwhile, the Mums and Dads bringing them along, can take advantage of reduced season ticket prices too. £289 for the cheapest Adult season ticket, £776 for a family of four to come along for the whole season. For me personally, it means that even if I can only make it to say ten games a year because of my work commitments it still makes total sense to buy a season ticket, and I'm sure that I can persuade Daniel's Grandads to take him if I can't.
If I'm being honest, there's a massive part of me that hates the fact that we're moving away from Upton Park. So many memories from the first time I handed over my £5 to stand on the North Bank. But the move to the new Stadium has so many benefits for all West Ham fans, and for the families, well this week, the club have given maximum encouragement, to bring along the fans of the future, week in, week out.
That gets my vote, without a doubt. Maybe the Obamas and the Camerons have put their names on the waiting list too. In this age of austerity, it's one luxury they can still afford.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of West Ham United FC.
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Brown signs new contract
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are delighted to announce that 18-year-old striker Jordan Brown has signed a new contract with the Club. The powerful forward, who has scored three goals in seven starts for the Development Squad this season has put pen paper on a new deal, keeping him at the Club until June 2016. Speaking to www.whufc.com after signing his contract, the England U16 international who arrived from Arsenal in 2013 said: "I'm delighted to have signed a new contract. I'm happy the club has faith in me to give me another year to push on and try and prove myself. "I heard I was going to get a new contract in about January or February and I was very happy. I've known about it for a while but it's good to actually sign it."
This season, Brown has been in impressive goal scoring form, first for the U18s netting seven goals in 15 appearances before forging his way into the Development Squad. The highly rated striker has been in a rich vein of form recently, netting in two of his last three games, including a 25-yard effort against Norwich City. My last goal against Norwich City is definitely my best this season, I picked it up from outside the area and caught it nicely. Hopefully I'll add a few more goals to my tally before the end of the season. "The contract is another opportunity to prove myself. I got a look in for the U21s last season with five games in total. Then I started this season in the U18s. Since the turn of the year I've pushed up more regularly for the U21s and I'm just happy to be starting. "For those fans that haven't seen me play, I would describe myself as a strong, powerful striker. I like to run in behind strikers and finish the chances I get."
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Hartson's Blowing Bubbles
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 28th April 2015
By: Staff Writer
John Hartson believes he played the best football of his career at West Ham but still feels guilty about his training ground spat with Eyal Berkovic that led to his departure from the Hammers.
In an honest interview with West Ham magazine Blowing Bubbles Monthly, the striker said he was "absolutely unplayable" in the 1997-98 season, in which he scored 24 goals.
"I've got friends from back home who've been at every single match of my career, from my debut for Luton to playing for Celtic at Barcelona – these guys have known me since I was a kid, so I can trust them more than anyone else, and they say that without a doubt, the 1997-98 season at West Ham was the best football I've ever played," said Hartson.
But it was the following season that saw Hartson's footwork gain international attention after he kicked his Israeli teammate and the Welsh strikers' descent from such giddy heights to rock bottom and the exit door was as shocking as it was unpredictable.
"What I did [to Berkovic] was terrible – it's undoubtedly the biggest regret of my career, and it soured everything that I'd been building up at West Ham. Why I reacted as I did, I really don't know – it wasn't anything personal, we got on perfectly well, he set up loads of my goals and he certainly didn't deserve anything like that."
Elsewhere in the April issue of the magazine, Julian Dicks hits out at the West Ham players who, he believes, are playing as if they are already on the beach enjoying their summer holidays but urges fans to remember that overall the season has been a success.
Sky Sports' Bianca Westwood writes in her column that the intense speculation surrounding Sam Allardyce's future is not helping the club at the moment and has urged the owners to either back or sack Sam now so the players and fans know what the future holds.
There is also an update on the magazine's Blowing Bubbles for Bobby campaign, which has attracted the support of internationally acclaimed writer Irvine Welsh, new Hollyoaks actress Danniella Westbrook and TV presenter Matthew Wright.
Meanwhile Blowing Bubbles also asks whether time has run out of Jarvis' West Ham career and whether Song is worth £15m. Other features include one on Robert Green ahead of QPR's game against West Ham and another on how West Ham can have a big say in who stays in the Premier League this season.
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Howe an Irons target …..BUT!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Eddie Howe's brilliant Bournemouth are on the edge of the Premier League after thrilling their own fans and the neutrals with a scintillating display of football against Bolton. The televised match showed just why the Hammers board have installed the 37 year old among their targets when they change the manager in the summer. The thirty-seven year old is now the hottest managerial prospect around and a Hammers top source has made it clear to ClaretandHugh that he is very much in their minds. He said: "We have two lists of candidates – and he is top of List Two. It may just be too early but he is among the runners for certain." When we asked whether there was the remotest chance of the guy leaving Bournemouth at this magical moment in their history we were met with silence other than a tentative: "Wait and see!"
But that his team beat Bolton with an on-the-floor brand of football we are screaming out for escaped nobody and our forums were inundated with congratulations whilst pointing that out very loudly. What was equally impressive was that – unlike ourselves on important occasions this season – the team, under Howe's guidance, rose to their biggest moment in superb fashion with a thumping 3-0 win. For the Hammers purists who would love to see Howe installed NOW, the big worry is that neither he or will be ready to move this summer. And should he be in say a year's time, the big boys may well be circling!
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Adrian voted best keeper in Europe
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Adrian has been named in the European team of the Year after a great performance against Queens Park Rangers at the weekend. The Spanish tabloid, Sport, names a team every week which excludes all La Liga players and with that exception, our top stopper has become the best in Europe. Adrian was joined by fellow Premier League stars Hector Bellerin of Arsenal and Chelsea's John Terry in the selected eleven. Both defenders had stand-out performances during the draw between Arsenal and Chelsea on Sunday. And it won't go unnoticed that Bellerin's form is such that Arsene Wenger will be certain to want to allow Carl Jenkinson the opportunity of moving on with the Irons favourites for his signature.
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Valencia locked down!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham are not considering making an immediate new contract offer to Enner Valencia despite increasing speculation over his future.
The player is locked into his deal with no escape clauses anyway and despite alleged interest from Chelsea. Website Here Is the City claims it has learned from club sources that a new deal is in the pipeline although ClaretandHugh was told there has been no inquiry or offer. We were told: "Enner is locked down and there are no escape clauses so this isn't a major worry. We will be sorting out a new deal for Diafra Sakho as a reward for excellence and also Aaron Cresswell. "Enner is on a very good deal and we'll assess things as they may or may not develop. Anything is possible in the summer."
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Allardyce may be getting contract "message"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
There's some interesting observations from West Ham correspondent and Sam Allardyce watcher, Dave Evans in today's London24.com.
He has devoted his piece to the manager's possible change of mood as a new contract persistently fails to materialise. He claims that after the goalless draw at Queens Park Rangers, which saw the team fall out of the top 10, the guy appeared more animated than usual.
And when asked what he needed in the summer, Allardyce laughed: "A contract!." The manager added: "There's only one thing that needs to be sorted out and that's me to sit down with the owners when they're ready and talk about me being at West Ham and nowhere else. "Until that is resolved we won't know which way we're both going forward."
As Evans points out that's a "leap" from the usual "wait until the end of the season" routine and as a result he believes the boss "is getting nervous about his own future."
Evans declares: "Before, Allardyce seemed laid back and even amused by the constant questioning, but the never-ending links in the media to other managers and words from the chairmen as well as vice-chair Karren Brady about bad displays may have got him thinking that a new deal is not as assured as he once thought."
The 60-year-old was also asked about his health, especially following angry tirades against officials that he has exhibited over the last few weeks. Allardyce insists that he is well aware of the situation, adding: "The first thing I said to the specialist after I had a stent put in was 'Is it time to pack this job in?' "He said 'no, but make sure you don't stress yourself out as much as you do. I see you on the touchline jumping up and down like a lunatic. Stop that, control yourself more and you won't have a problem'. "You can't always do that, but I try and do it as much as I possibly can."
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Dicks' Ladies in Cup Final
Posted by Sean Whetstone on April 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Julian Dicks' Ladies have reached the Final of the London FA Capital Women's Cup, where they will face FA Women's Premier League South rivals Charlton Athletic in a tough game at Harrow Borough.
The two sides have met three times already this season with both league fixtures ending in a draw and the Ryman Women's Cup early stages saw the Addicks knock West Ham out 3-1.
In the run up to the finals, West Ham Ladies beat Spurs Ladies away in the first round by winning on penalties after the scoreline being 4-4 after extra time, before the Hammers went away to Haringey and won 7-0 in the quarter final and beat Queens Park Rangers 2-0 away in the semi finals.
Kick-off at Harrow Borough FC is Wednesday 6th May at 7:30pm with admission priced at £6 for adults or £3 for children. Alternatively, West Ham Ladies official twitter channel @westhamladies will have live content and coverage throughout the day, including interviews with Julian Dicks and some of the players LIVE on Periscope. Address of stadium:
Earlsmead Stadium,Earlsmead, Harrow, Middlesex, HA2 8SS
katie2Prior to kick-off, both clubs have agreed to remember former player Katie Sheppard once again with a minute's silence, with both captains laying down a shirt with Katie's name on it in the middle so she can still be a part of this big night.
The Hammers currently sit in sixth place in the FA Women's Premier League South with just one more league fixture left to play. After picking up two wins (Cardiff) and a draw (Brighton) against title-chasing Cardiff and Brighton, the Hammers could have another say in the title race when they travel to new league favourites Portsmouth on the final day of the season (10th May).
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Hammers talk on Gignac
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Claims that West Ham are close to signing Marseilles striker Andre-Pierre Gignac are wide of the mark although the club admit "he's a nice player." It's no coincidence that at a time when Marcelo Bielsa is one of those that are on the managerial wanted list that the 29 year old should be linked with the club. He is a regular on the rumour grapevine but this morning although this morning a source opened up to some extent on the player. He has hit 20 goals in 35 appearances in all competitions this term and has also attracted the attention of some of Europe's top clubs. Our source told us: "We've had no contact with him, but hes a nice player. As we understand it there is a big chance he will stay there. We understand too that West Bromwich Albion are keen on him."
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Adrian's Burke hopes
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 28, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Adrian has revealed how impressed he is with the irons' newest first team recruit – teneager Reece Burke. And the Spanish stopper explained how he encouraged his throughout the game against Queens Park Rangers. He said: "I kept on telling him he needed to concentrate for 90 minutes and also have confidence in himself. "He is a very quiet lad, but that is normal when you are young and go into the first team. He needs to keep going and fighting to stay in the team." Burke insists that the youngsters at the club are made to feel a part of things at first team level. He said: "It is not just the likes of me or Josh Cullen and Reece Oxford. There are a number of under-18s who train with the first team too. "We are altogether so I don't think they look at is in a different way at all." He admits wanting the youngster to get another chance but quickly added: "It would be nice, but that is not down to me."
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Tuesday, April 28
Daily WHUFC News - 28th April 2015
Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce believes a bright future awaits West Ham United as the latest
crop of Academy graduates edge their way closer to the first team.
18-year-old Reece Burke looked assured on his first Premier League start as
he helped the Hammers to a clean sheet in Saturday's 0-0 draw at Queens Park
Rangers. Josh Cullen and Reece Oxford were also with the travelling party in
West London, with the latter joining 20-year-old Diego Poyet on the bench
for the game.
"It is really encouraging to see young players coming through," Big Sam
said. "When everyone says no one plays a young player any more the bottom
line is if you are safe and you say 'We are going to play a lot of the young
players now and we are going to play a lot of players who are on the fringe
and whose contracts are up'. "We want to put them into games at this level
and see if they can stand up and get experience. "Burke has come through
because of injuries to Winston Reid and James Tomkins and to be fair he
would have been more involved if he had not been injured earlier in the
season. "We also had Doneil Henry, who you would have seen before now. He
did a fantastic job on loan at Blackburn and showed he has the capabilities
before he ripped his hamstring. "Burke has a great opportunity but I'm sure
on Sunday he wouldn't have been able to walk because he would have been that
tired. But he will know the level of performances that he will need from
this great experience. Can they cope with the pressure? Against QPR he did
that."
With talented youngsters coming through to supplement the already
established internationals, Big Sam believes West Ham just need to add more
squad depth during the summer transfer period. Joint Chairmen David Sullivan
and David Gold have indicated further funds will be available for at least
four new faces, as the Hammers target at least another top-half finish in
their final campaign at the Boleyn Ground. "I think there is a certain push
forward in younger players and I think probably if I look back, as well as
injuries, perhaps a little bit of inexperience across this time has shown
why we have been in so many positions to win a game and ended up drawing it
or losing from a draw. "There are young lads with lots of energy and also
quality players with experience. Matching the two up and having a bit more
strength and depth in that area where bigger challenges are made on a daily
basis to play in the team."
The draw was the Hammers' first point on the road since the 2-2 draw at
Tottenham Hotspur on 22 February as the team heeded their manager's desire
to stop giving soft goals away. A home game with Burnley on Saturday is up
next and Big Sam will be expecting the same kind of resilience against
another team that will be fighting for their lives. "I was happy that they
did the first thing they needed to do – stop giving stupid goals away," Big
Sam said of his team. "I looked at the two stupid goals we gave away at
Manchester City last weekend. Man City hit the target three times only. "You
look at the performance – we got criticised for the performance. But we had
more possession at Man City than we had we had when we beat then at West Ham
and yet we were 'brilliant' because we won. It is all about winning but
really it is about how you do."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Controversial equaliser denies Hammers
WHUFC.com
A controversial equaliser from Brighton's Amy Taylor denied West Ham Ladies
all three points at Rush Green on Sunday 26 April.
The Hammers went ahead in the first half through Vicky Kinsman's audacious
volley from 20 yards, before Kirsty Barton levelled for the Seagulls.
Shortly after the half time break, Brighton gave away possession outside
their box and Emma Sherwood punished them, before Taylor's controversial
goal secured a point for the travelling side.
Ladies boss Julian Dicks was forced into two changes ahead of kick-off as
Ruby Baxter replaced injured full-back Kerry Stimson who is expected to be
out for the rest of the season.
Kat Clifton made the bench, while April Bowers returned from illness to
partner captain Stacey Little in the middle of the pitch.
The Hammers struggled in the early stages to forget their disappointing
defeat to Lewes a week earlier while Brighton started strongly, aiming to
take a step closer to the FA Women's Premier League South title.
After Nikki Duncan had kept the Hammers level with a fantastic save from
Fliss Gibbons, the Hammers almost took the lead when Little rose highest
from a corner to head off the left hand upright.
With 22 minutes on the clock, the hosts shocked their South coast visitors
by taking the lead when Kinsman's volley caught Brighton keeper Faye Baker
off her line and the ball ended up in the back of the net.
Brighton responded well by quickly looking for an equaliser. They got it
when Gibbons' low cross fell perfectly for Barton inside the penalty area
who stroked home past Duncan.
In the second half, the visitors handed the lead back to the Hammers when
Sherwood intercepted a loose pass outside the penalty area and curled an
effort over Baker into the top corner.
The controversial moment came around eight minutes later when Taylor prodded
home from close range after Duncan had been clattered to the floor.
The assistant referee flagged for a foul and told the Hammers' players he
wanted to speak to the referee, however referee Chris Clarke totally ignored
his assistant and awarded the goal.
After that, Brighton desperately looked for that vital winner that they
needed to keep their title dreams alive, but Dicks' side stood strong and
secured themselves a point.
Up next for the Hammers is the London FA Capital Women's Cup Final against
Charlton Athletic at Harrow Borough FC on Wednesday 6 May. Kick-off is at
7:30pm with admission priced at £6 for adults and £3 for children.
West Ham United and Charlton Athletic will both be paying tribute to former
player Katie Sheppard at the final, who passed away at the age of 20 last
summer. Both captains will lay down respective shirts with 'Shepps' on the
back during a minute of silence prior to kick-off.
The Hammers close their season with a trip South to Portsmouth where they
could again make an impact on who wins the title. West Ham travel to Fareham
Town FC on Sunday 10 May, kick off 2pm.
Ladies: Duncan, King, Revell, Baxter, Bottom, Bowers, Little (c),
Blanchflower, Mellors (Smith), Kinsman, Sherwood.
Subs not used: Sale, Clifton, Xidhas.
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Stat's a Fact - Adrian's penalty saves
WHUFC.com
West Ham United goalkeeper Adrian possesses a burgeoning reputation as an
expert penalty saver in the Barclays Premier League – and that was given a
further boost on Saturday when he dived to his right to block Charlie
Austin's effort from twelve yards.
It was the third spot kick the Spaniard had stopped in succession, following
his saves from Harry Kane at Tottenham Hotspur in February and David Nugent
at Leicester City earlier this month.
In doing so, Adrian became just the ninth keeper in Premier League history
to save three penalties in a row – and his stop at Loftus Road capped a fine
performance between the sticks.
Seven saves, two crosses claimed and a punched clearance made the No13
WhoScored.com's statistically-calculated Player of the Week in the top
flight, with a match rating of 9.20.
Four of those saves came in the final 19 minutes at Loftus Road, as the R's
gave everything to secure what would have been a vital three points for his
side, including a wonderfully-athletic effort to deny Matt Phillips as the
clock ticked over 90.
Adrian told the press afterwards that he has a special method when it comes
to facing penalties, with the psychology of the twelve yard duel key in his
mind.
Having studied the penalty taker's preferred side and mannerisms in the
build-up to the fixture, Adrian tells the striker where he believes he is
going to put the penalty in a bid to knock him off his stride.
It appears to have had an impact, with Kane (although he did score the
rebound), Nugent and Austin all failing to find a way to defeat 'the master
of penalty saves' as he was described post match by his manager Sam
Allardyce.
The saves have come to both sides of the goal too, as Adrian flung himself
to his right to stop Kane's effort, before going the other way to get his
hands to Nugent's.
Austin's effort was more central, but Adrian hadn't dived too far over to
his right to not be able to block with his legs.
What is for certain, wherever they shoot in the goal, the next striker to
come head-to-head with Adrian over twelve yards will not be taking the goal
for granted.
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Spiegel delighted with victory over City
WHUFC.com
Development Squad goalkeeper Raphael Spiegel said he was delighted with the
Hammers' deserved 2-1 win over Manchester City at the Boleyn Ground on
Friday 24 April. The Hammers stormed to a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute after
Dan Potts headed home Djair Parfitt-Williams' cross from close range after
superb quick feet from the young striker. The hosts doubled their lead soon
after half time when Adam Drury stabbed Jordan Brown's driven cross into his
own net. Spiegel, the towering Swiss U21 international, made a string of
excellent saves to deny City a late equaliser after Olivier Ntcham's 76th
goal gave the visitors hope. Speaking after the match, a clearly delighted
Spiegel said: "It was a good game and a great victory. We're all very happy
in the dressing room and we thoroughly deserved the win. We worked very hard
for it. "Everyone did their jobs, in every position. I think we could have
scored even more goals at the end."
After Ntcham's powerful strike, his second against the Irons this season,
Patrick Veira's Elite Development Squad piled on the pressure as they sought
to salvage a point. However, the Dev Squad stood resolute and held out for
the three points through a combination of good defending and a number of
excellent saves from the 22-year-old. "The save towards the end was quite
important. He came from the side and hit it well, I had to wait to see what
side he put it and then make the save. It was an important save so I'm happy
with it. "I think the team needed a win, it's going to be a great boost for
the last three games and hopefully we can get some more good results.
"Manchester City are always a good team but to be fair I think we were the
better side, we're all happy with the performance and we deserved to win.
They may have come here thinking it was going to be an easy game, but it
never is. We gave our best and we got the victory. "For me it is always
special to play at Upton Park, I'm sure it is for all our players and I
think it did make a difference. Everyone wants to play in the stadium for
the first team so it's good."
Up next for the young Hammers is a difficult encounter against Everton at
Rush Green, their last home game of the season, on Friday 8 May.
Earlier in the season, the Toffees ran out 2-0 winners on a blustery night
in Southport. Four months on, Spiegel is confident his side can reverse the
defeat if they put in a similar level of performance that overcame
Manchester City. "Everton is going to be a good game, we can take a lot of
confidence from Friday. Of course we want another win and if we play like we
did against Manchester City I'm sure we get something."
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Loan round up
WHUFC.com
Tim Brown played the full game for Canvey Island in their 3-2 win over
Wingate & Finchley. The visitors Wingate took a 2-0 lead however Canvey
recovered with goals from Steven Smith, Jack Simmons and Harrison Chatting
completing the comeback.
Modibo Maiga played 82 minutes of FC Metz' 1-1 draw away at Bordeaux.
Fergani Sassi gave Metz the lead, finishing Florent Malouda's pass however
the hosts equalised a minute after Maiga was taken off. Wahbi Kharzi netting
the goal.
Jaanai Gordon played the full game for already relegated Nuneaton Town as
they lost 5-3 away at Chester. The visitors had been 2-0 up yet four second
half goals for Chester secured the win.
Paul McCallum came on in the 88th minute as Portsmouth beat Mansfield Town
2-1 away. Matt Tubbs' second minute penalty gave the visitors the lead
before Jed Wallace doubled their advantage.
Jack Thomas scored in the 68th minute to half the arrears yet Pompey held
out for the win. McCallum replaced goalscorer Matt Tubbs.
Elliot Lee played 65 minutes in Luton Town's 1-0 defeat away at Southend
United. Michael Timlin's 25-yard strike was fumbled by goalkeeper Elliot
Justham to give the Shrimpers the three points.
Lee was replaced by Luke Guttridge shortly after the hour mark.
Sean Maguire played 84 minutes of Accrington Stanley's 4-0 defeat away at
Dagenham & Redbridge. Matt Partridge opened the scoring before goals from
Jamie Cureton, Frankie Raymond and Jodi Jones completed the rout.
Maguire was replaced by Matt Crooks with six minutes to go.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Adrian - 'I have a positive mentality to save penalties'
WHUFC.com
West Ham United goalkeeper Adrian added to his reputation as the penalty
king on Saturday when he denied Charlie Austin the opportunity to give
Queens Park Rangers all three points from 12 yards. Adrian blocked the R's
striker's effort with his legs in the first half at Loftus Road as he kept a
first clean sheet for a month in helping the Hammers to a point from their
0-0 draw. The Spaniard's penalty stop was his third in succession following
on from saves from Tottenham's Harry Kane and Leicester's David Nugent in
2015 and he says the key to outwitting the striker lies in the preparation.
He said: "I study the penalties, because it is my job. I am a goalkeeper and
I try to save all the shots. The penalty is one shot you can study because
the best striker shoots on his strong side most often. This time Austin shot
to my right side and I saved it. "Every time I have the positive mentality
to save the penalty and this time it's good because I saved it. "I don't
know if I put Austin off by having a word beforehand, but I try to make the
striker nervous because if they are happy and relaxed to score the penalty,
it's easy for them. "In that scenario the goal is big, and I try to say some
words to make them nervous – on this occasion it worked for me."
Adrian played behind 18-year-old debutant Reece Burke, who partnered James
Collins at centre back. The former Real Betis keeper was impressed with the
Academy product's performance and says there is more to come from him. He
added: "Reece was not nervous – he was happy because all his teammates were
congratulating him after the game because he played well against a couple of
good strikers in Zamora and Austin. "I was saying that he needs to
concentrate for the 90 minutes and have confidence in himself. He's a good
central defender and he just needs to concentrate on his position. The more
experienced players tried to keep him calm. "It's a good experience for him
and he'll try to keep going from here."
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A FOREIGNER'S VIEW
By Iain Dale 27 Apr 2015 at 09:52
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by RoHammer
A Foreigner's View…
by RoHammer
I've been considering submitting an article on here for a while now but
somehow the usual "topics of the day" never seemed good enough. The Big Sam
discussion has been done to death, transfer speculation is…well, just that,
speculation… and while I love me a bit of tactical debate, that will always
be difficult to pull off what with all the internet managers around these
days (myself included). We all know we could do a better job than Sam though
am I right?! wink
On a more serious note though, there was a wonderful debate on here in the
last couple of days with some great contribution from our senior members
(who have seen it all). Now, I always enjoy reading Dan's articles with all
the historic info and such partly (but not solely) because I didn't get to
see it myself. Truth be told, most of what I know about WHU I have learned
on here which in itself is a credit to the site and its contributors. But it
all makes me wonder, what do West Ham fans really want going forward? Do we
cling to the trappings of our past which, despite the odd cup win, has been
decidedly mediocre…or do we strive for more? Are we content with being the
perennial "also-rans"?
People go on about how we use to be everyone's "second team" but personally
I struggle to take that as a compliment…more like a veiled insult at times.
I can see how our historic "style" could make us popular but I wonder if the
fact that we were very generous with giving away points wasn't part of it as
well. How important is "style" exactly and does it supersede getting the 3
points? In a hypothetical scenario, would we prefer winning most of our
games with 1-0 or losing them 3-4 (let's take relegation off the table for
this exercise and assume it wouldn't be a danger as we'd still get enough
points to survive)? Is entertainment the be all end all for West Ham fans…
and if so, when do we stop putting our individual desire for entertainment
ahead of what is best for our club? And isn't that rather selfish and short
sighted?
I have noticed people going so far as to say they would accept relegation if
only they would see the team play a certain "west ham way"… but how many
stop to think what that would mean for the club? The fans will be there
whatever division we play in of that I have no doubt…but do we not deserve
our day in the sun? Do we not want our team to be successful and fight it
out with the best (both domestically and in Europe as well)?
Don't get me wrong, I am not advocating "long ball" football here…far from
it in fact. I am advocating successful football whatever that may mean…if
"tiki-taka" works in a given game then great, but if we need to grind out a
result and defend a 1-0 lead then I can accept that too. I am advocating
adaptability and doing what you have to in order to succeed. As a side note,
since it's an ever so popular debate… who will be our next manager will have
a great bearing to where we are headed… with 4 games to go, we will find out
soon enough.
…I'll wrap it up here…this piece has become longer than expected which
shouldn't be a surprise to those who know me on WHTID but still…enough
questions for one day. Who knows, maybe I'll turn this into a series about
the identity of WHU and its fans past and present…im sure many of our older
members will have a lot to contribute. Being relatively new to this esteemed
group and supporting West Ham from abroad, there are certainly many things I
have yet to learn or understand. It might even benefit some of our younger
readers who knows?!
Thanks for reading folks…
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West Ham target Bournemouth hotshot Callum Wilson as new striker tops summer
priority list
15:46, 27 April 2015 By Darren Lewis
The Cherries striker has bagged 23 goals this term to take his side to the
brink of the Premier League but he is on West Ham's radar - along with
Javier Hernandez
The Mirror
West Ham are monitoring Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson. The Cherries
marksman has hit 23 goals to spearhead the south coast club's chase for
promotion to the Premier League. West Ham, meanwhile, have made a new
striker a priority this summer after seeing injuries and their lack of
firepower shatter their bid for European football. The east Londoners
already have Marseille striker Andre-Pierre Gignac - available on a free
this summer - on their shortlist. They are also keen on £7million-rated
Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez , on loan at Real Madrid but keen
to leave in search of regular first-team football.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce rubbishes reports linking him with Sunderland
job
22:30, 26 April 2015 By Darren Lewis
The Hammer is being targeted to take over from Dick Advocaat in the summer
but Allardyce has no plans to leave Upton Park
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce has dismissed suggestions he is welcoming interest from
Sunderland. The West Ham boss is set to be axed at the end of the season
after the east Londoners' slump in form over the second half of the season.
Sunderland, themselves fighting the drop, are targeting Big Sam to succeed
interim boss Dick Advocaat at the end of the season. But Allardyce said:
"There is only one thing that needs to be sorted out here and that is me
sitting down with the owners when they are ready to talk about me being at
West Ham and nowhere else.
"Until that is resolved we won't know which way we are both going forward.
That is the only thing that is to be sorted, to sit down and sort it out."
Allardyce has also insisted he will not stress himself out worrying about
his fate at Upton Park. The Irons board will hold talks with him at the end
of the season but they have also sounded out a number of rival bosses in
case they are unable - or unwilling - to agree a new deal. Allardyce had an
angioplasty, a procedure which involves inserting a stent to widen a
narrowed coronary artery, in 2009. He maintains the heart surgery saved his
life - and put the trivia of football into perspective. He said: "I made the
decision to look after myself in general in 2009 after my stent. "I think
after my stent the first thing I said to the specialist is 'is it time for
me to pack this job in?' he said no, but it is time to make sure you do not
stress yourself out as much as you do. "I see you jumping up and down on the
touchline like a lunatic – stop that. Control yourself and you won't have a
problem."
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Irons chase Cherries ace
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 27, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham are this afternoon be reported as tracking Bournemouth's 22-goal
striker striker Callum Wilson. The Cherries frontman has spearheaded The
Cherries s chase for promotion to the Premier League. David Sullivan
admitted recently the Irons have made a new striker a priority this summer
and the Mirror believe he is ready to raid the south coast club. We are also
claimed to have Marseille striker Andre-Pierre Gignac – available on a free
this summer – on their shortlist along with Jabier Hernandez. The Cherries
can more or less cenent their place in the Premier League tonight with
victory over Bolton in a game which may give Hammers fans the chance of
checking out Wilson.
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Reece lets Sam have his cake and eat it!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 27, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sam Allardyce presumably kept a straight face as he discussed the emergence
of Reece Burke on the official website today. Last week he was telling us
how tough it was for him to play the youngsters but what a difference today
after the 18 year performed so well against Queens Park Rangers. Here's a
reminder of what Allardyce told London 24.com before the game: "If you put a
youngster in and lose, you get criticised, the youngster might get
criticised, so it is difficult. "Or play all your youngsters in the FA Cup
and get slaughtered for it. You say 'we don't give youngsters a chance' but
you give them a chance, lose, and get slaughtered for it. "You can't have
your cake and eat it."
Today, however, that is exactly what he appears to be trying to do as he
declares: "When everyone says no one plays a young player any more the
bottom line is if you are safe and you say 'We are going to play a lot of
the young players now and we are going to play a lot of players who are on
the fringe and whose contracts are up'. "We want to put them into games at
this level and see if they can stand up and get experience. "It is really
encouraging to see young players coming through. We want to put them into
games at this level and see if they can stand up and get experience." "Burke
has come through because of injuries to Winston Reid and James Tomkins and
to be fair he would have been more involved if he had not been injured
earlier in the season." REALLY – that doesn't quite compute Sam!
Back to last week and some more thoughts from the manager as he moaned: "It
is always difficult for me. If we were in a better position with our results
it would have been a good thing to look at the odd player. "But the pressure
with us at the moment to get results means it would be difficult for me to
do." Difficult? Maybe! WRONG? Most definitely! In the meantime giv e me some
more of that cake and let me eat it.
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Sam player support becomes embarrassing!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 27, 2015 in Whispers
Claret 7 Hugh
West Ham players appearing regularly in the media singing the praises of
their manager and "hoping he stays " is predictable and embarrassing" in
equal parts. Stewart Downing is the latest declaring: ""Hopefully he stays.
We want him here. The players love playing for him. He's a really good
manager to play for. "The manager has said it will be sorted at the end of
the season so we have to get on with it and win games. "The only way to put
the uncertainty to bed is to win games because that puts him in a better
position. owningNice words Stewart – shame about the actions! This followed
quotes from Andy Carroll declaring how much the manager was loved by the
squad in which he said: "Everyone loves him, everyone loves the training and
the routine we are in. I am sure all the lads want him to stay next season.
"The manager is strong enough to deal with that (run) and I think so are all
the players. It is just unlucky the way the games have been going."
Downing reckons the team needs to win to help him keep his job…Carroll
appears to believe we are merely unlucky after another four games without a
win. All the proclamations of love and undying loyalty to the manager thus
become almost entirely meaningless as the shocking run of results continues.
Sam no doubt needs someone to love him but the truth is we are showing
relegation form and relegated managers generally get the sack. Just felt a
little reality check was needed!
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Record maker Adrian psyches out Austin
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 27, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Adrian's third successive record setting Premier League penalty save against
Queens Park Rangers was a quite brilliant achievement at Loftus Road and
once the stopper may have psyched out the spot kick taker. The Spaniard –
speaking to the official site – said: "I don't know if I put Austin off by
having a word beforehand, but I try to make the striker nervous."
He of course did exactly the same to David Nugent before stopping his effort
at Leicester City in the defeat suffered at the hands of Leicester City.
Adrian said: "I study the penalties, because it is my job. I am a goalkeeper
and I try to save all the shots. "The penalty is one shot you can study
because the best striker shoots on his strong side most often. This time
Austin shot to my right side and I saved it. "Every time I have the positive
mentality to save the penalty and this time it's good because I saved it. "I
don't know if I put Austin off by having a word beforehand, but I try to
make the striker nervous because if they are happy and relaxed to score the
penalty, it's easy for them. "In that scenario the goal is big, and I try to
say some words to make them nervous – on this occasion it worked for me."
Adrian also commented on the impressive performance by Academy product
18-year-old debutant Reece Burke. He said: "Reece was not nervous – he was
happy because all his teammates were congratulating him after the game
because he played well against a couple of good strikers in Zamora and
Austin. "I was saying that he needs to concentrate for the 90 minutes and
have confidence in himself. He's a good central defender and he just needs
to concentrate on his position. The more experienced players tried to keep
him calm. "It's a good experience for him and he'll try to keep going from
here."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Three players West Ham need to move on in the summer, including Kevin Nolan
HITC
John Verrall
42 minutes ago
We take a look at the players West Ham United should let go this summer.
West Ham United's thoughts appear to have been on next season for some time,
with their current campaign petering out. The Hammers have won just two of
their last 17 Premier League matches, and it means that adding quality to
their squad next season will be key to ensure that they do not run out of
steam again. Expectations at West Ham are increasing and the standard of
players needed to be recruited is rising. It means that the London side
will need to be ruthless in the summer transfer window, and in this piece we
take a look at three players who should be let go as they don't make the
grade anymore.
Carlton Cole
The target-man has been a loyal servant of the club, but it is time for the
Hammers to let Cole leave. The experienced forward's contract is expiring,
and he should not be offered the chance to stay on as he isn't good enough
to play a part any more. West Ham have better options up front than Cole
nowadays, and he needs to be let go if the club are to progress.
Matt Jarvis
The winger has had some chances to impress of late, but he has never really
taken his opportunity and doesn't seem to be up to standard anymore.
Jarvis's West Ham career has never really taken off and the club should look
at moving him on in the summer. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers man may
be a decent outlet, but he doesn't have enough end product to represent a
team who will be chasing a European place.
Kevin Nolan
Nolan's presence in the dressing room is important for West Ham, but his
showings on the pitch have suggested that he lacks the quality to play a
regular role for the side. Nolan doesn't have the technical ability to push
the club on to the next level, and he should be allowed to leave in the
summer. The experienced midfielder is reaching the twilight of his career,
and West Ham need to start thinking about the future without him.
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WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce believes a bright future awaits West Ham United as the latest
crop of Academy graduates edge their way closer to the first team.
18-year-old Reece Burke looked assured on his first Premier League start as
he helped the Hammers to a clean sheet in Saturday's 0-0 draw at Queens Park
Rangers. Josh Cullen and Reece Oxford were also with the travelling party in
West London, with the latter joining 20-year-old Diego Poyet on the bench
for the game.
"It is really encouraging to see young players coming through," Big Sam
said. "When everyone says no one plays a young player any more the bottom
line is if you are safe and you say 'We are going to play a lot of the young
players now and we are going to play a lot of players who are on the fringe
and whose contracts are up'. "We want to put them into games at this level
and see if they can stand up and get experience. "Burke has come through
because of injuries to Winston Reid and James Tomkins and to be fair he
would have been more involved if he had not been injured earlier in the
season. "We also had Doneil Henry, who you would have seen before now. He
did a fantastic job on loan at Blackburn and showed he has the capabilities
before he ripped his hamstring. "Burke has a great opportunity but I'm sure
on Sunday he wouldn't have been able to walk because he would have been that
tired. But he will know the level of performances that he will need from
this great experience. Can they cope with the pressure? Against QPR he did
that."
With talented youngsters coming through to supplement the already
established internationals, Big Sam believes West Ham just need to add more
squad depth during the summer transfer period. Joint Chairmen David Sullivan
and David Gold have indicated further funds will be available for at least
four new faces, as the Hammers target at least another top-half finish in
their final campaign at the Boleyn Ground. "I think there is a certain push
forward in younger players and I think probably if I look back, as well as
injuries, perhaps a little bit of inexperience across this time has shown
why we have been in so many positions to win a game and ended up drawing it
or losing from a draw. "There are young lads with lots of energy and also
quality players with experience. Matching the two up and having a bit more
strength and depth in that area where bigger challenges are made on a daily
basis to play in the team."
The draw was the Hammers' first point on the road since the 2-2 draw at
Tottenham Hotspur on 22 February as the team heeded their manager's desire
to stop giving soft goals away. A home game with Burnley on Saturday is up
next and Big Sam will be expecting the same kind of resilience against
another team that will be fighting for their lives. "I was happy that they
did the first thing they needed to do – stop giving stupid goals away," Big
Sam said of his team. "I looked at the two stupid goals we gave away at
Manchester City last weekend. Man City hit the target three times only. "You
look at the performance – we got criticised for the performance. But we had
more possession at Man City than we had we had when we beat then at West Ham
and yet we were 'brilliant' because we won. It is all about winning but
really it is about how you do."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Controversial equaliser denies Hammers
WHUFC.com
A controversial equaliser from Brighton's Amy Taylor denied West Ham Ladies
all three points at Rush Green on Sunday 26 April.
The Hammers went ahead in the first half through Vicky Kinsman's audacious
volley from 20 yards, before Kirsty Barton levelled for the Seagulls.
Shortly after the half time break, Brighton gave away possession outside
their box and Emma Sherwood punished them, before Taylor's controversial
goal secured a point for the travelling side.
Ladies boss Julian Dicks was forced into two changes ahead of kick-off as
Ruby Baxter replaced injured full-back Kerry Stimson who is expected to be
out for the rest of the season.
Kat Clifton made the bench, while April Bowers returned from illness to
partner captain Stacey Little in the middle of the pitch.
The Hammers struggled in the early stages to forget their disappointing
defeat to Lewes a week earlier while Brighton started strongly, aiming to
take a step closer to the FA Women's Premier League South title.
After Nikki Duncan had kept the Hammers level with a fantastic save from
Fliss Gibbons, the Hammers almost took the lead when Little rose highest
from a corner to head off the left hand upright.
With 22 minutes on the clock, the hosts shocked their South coast visitors
by taking the lead when Kinsman's volley caught Brighton keeper Faye Baker
off her line and the ball ended up in the back of the net.
Brighton responded well by quickly looking for an equaliser. They got it
when Gibbons' low cross fell perfectly for Barton inside the penalty area
who stroked home past Duncan.
In the second half, the visitors handed the lead back to the Hammers when
Sherwood intercepted a loose pass outside the penalty area and curled an
effort over Baker into the top corner.
The controversial moment came around eight minutes later when Taylor prodded
home from close range after Duncan had been clattered to the floor.
The assistant referee flagged for a foul and told the Hammers' players he
wanted to speak to the referee, however referee Chris Clarke totally ignored
his assistant and awarded the goal.
After that, Brighton desperately looked for that vital winner that they
needed to keep their title dreams alive, but Dicks' side stood strong and
secured themselves a point.
Up next for the Hammers is the London FA Capital Women's Cup Final against
Charlton Athletic at Harrow Borough FC on Wednesday 6 May. Kick-off is at
7:30pm with admission priced at £6 for adults and £3 for children.
West Ham United and Charlton Athletic will both be paying tribute to former
player Katie Sheppard at the final, who passed away at the age of 20 last
summer. Both captains will lay down respective shirts with 'Shepps' on the
back during a minute of silence prior to kick-off.
The Hammers close their season with a trip South to Portsmouth where they
could again make an impact on who wins the title. West Ham travel to Fareham
Town FC on Sunday 10 May, kick off 2pm.
Ladies: Duncan, King, Revell, Baxter, Bottom, Bowers, Little (c),
Blanchflower, Mellors (Smith), Kinsman, Sherwood.
Subs not used: Sale, Clifton, Xidhas.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Stat's a Fact - Adrian's penalty saves
WHUFC.com
West Ham United goalkeeper Adrian possesses a burgeoning reputation as an
expert penalty saver in the Barclays Premier League – and that was given a
further boost on Saturday when he dived to his right to block Charlie
Austin's effort from twelve yards.
It was the third spot kick the Spaniard had stopped in succession, following
his saves from Harry Kane at Tottenham Hotspur in February and David Nugent
at Leicester City earlier this month.
In doing so, Adrian became just the ninth keeper in Premier League history
to save three penalties in a row – and his stop at Loftus Road capped a fine
performance between the sticks.
Seven saves, two crosses claimed and a punched clearance made the No13
WhoScored.com's statistically-calculated Player of the Week in the top
flight, with a match rating of 9.20.
Four of those saves came in the final 19 minutes at Loftus Road, as the R's
gave everything to secure what would have been a vital three points for his
side, including a wonderfully-athletic effort to deny Matt Phillips as the
clock ticked over 90.
Adrian told the press afterwards that he has a special method when it comes
to facing penalties, with the psychology of the twelve yard duel key in his
mind.
Having studied the penalty taker's preferred side and mannerisms in the
build-up to the fixture, Adrian tells the striker where he believes he is
going to put the penalty in a bid to knock him off his stride.
It appears to have had an impact, with Kane (although he did score the
rebound), Nugent and Austin all failing to find a way to defeat 'the master
of penalty saves' as he was described post match by his manager Sam
Allardyce.
The saves have come to both sides of the goal too, as Adrian flung himself
to his right to stop Kane's effort, before going the other way to get his
hands to Nugent's.
Austin's effort was more central, but Adrian hadn't dived too far over to
his right to not be able to block with his legs.
What is for certain, wherever they shoot in the goal, the next striker to
come head-to-head with Adrian over twelve yards will not be taking the goal
for granted.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Spiegel delighted with victory over City
WHUFC.com
Development Squad goalkeeper Raphael Spiegel said he was delighted with the
Hammers' deserved 2-1 win over Manchester City at the Boleyn Ground on
Friday 24 April. The Hammers stormed to a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute after
Dan Potts headed home Djair Parfitt-Williams' cross from close range after
superb quick feet from the young striker. The hosts doubled their lead soon
after half time when Adam Drury stabbed Jordan Brown's driven cross into his
own net. Spiegel, the towering Swiss U21 international, made a string of
excellent saves to deny City a late equaliser after Olivier Ntcham's 76th
goal gave the visitors hope. Speaking after the match, a clearly delighted
Spiegel said: "It was a good game and a great victory. We're all very happy
in the dressing room and we thoroughly deserved the win. We worked very hard
for it. "Everyone did their jobs, in every position. I think we could have
scored even more goals at the end."
After Ntcham's powerful strike, his second against the Irons this season,
Patrick Veira's Elite Development Squad piled on the pressure as they sought
to salvage a point. However, the Dev Squad stood resolute and held out for
the three points through a combination of good defending and a number of
excellent saves from the 22-year-old. "The save towards the end was quite
important. He came from the side and hit it well, I had to wait to see what
side he put it and then make the save. It was an important save so I'm happy
with it. "I think the team needed a win, it's going to be a great boost for
the last three games and hopefully we can get some more good results.
"Manchester City are always a good team but to be fair I think we were the
better side, we're all happy with the performance and we deserved to win.
They may have come here thinking it was going to be an easy game, but it
never is. We gave our best and we got the victory. "For me it is always
special to play at Upton Park, I'm sure it is for all our players and I
think it did make a difference. Everyone wants to play in the stadium for
the first team so it's good."
Up next for the young Hammers is a difficult encounter against Everton at
Rush Green, their last home game of the season, on Friday 8 May.
Earlier in the season, the Toffees ran out 2-0 winners on a blustery night
in Southport. Four months on, Spiegel is confident his side can reverse the
defeat if they put in a similar level of performance that overcame
Manchester City. "Everton is going to be a good game, we can take a lot of
confidence from Friday. Of course we want another win and if we play like we
did against Manchester City I'm sure we get something."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Loan round up
WHUFC.com
Tim Brown played the full game for Canvey Island in their 3-2 win over
Wingate & Finchley. The visitors Wingate took a 2-0 lead however Canvey
recovered with goals from Steven Smith, Jack Simmons and Harrison Chatting
completing the comeback.
Modibo Maiga played 82 minutes of FC Metz' 1-1 draw away at Bordeaux.
Fergani Sassi gave Metz the lead, finishing Florent Malouda's pass however
the hosts equalised a minute after Maiga was taken off. Wahbi Kharzi netting
the goal.
Jaanai Gordon played the full game for already relegated Nuneaton Town as
they lost 5-3 away at Chester. The visitors had been 2-0 up yet four second
half goals for Chester secured the win.
Paul McCallum came on in the 88th minute as Portsmouth beat Mansfield Town
2-1 away. Matt Tubbs' second minute penalty gave the visitors the lead
before Jed Wallace doubled their advantage.
Jack Thomas scored in the 68th minute to half the arrears yet Pompey held
out for the win. McCallum replaced goalscorer Matt Tubbs.
Elliot Lee played 65 minutes in Luton Town's 1-0 defeat away at Southend
United. Michael Timlin's 25-yard strike was fumbled by goalkeeper Elliot
Justham to give the Shrimpers the three points.
Lee was replaced by Luke Guttridge shortly after the hour mark.
Sean Maguire played 84 minutes of Accrington Stanley's 4-0 defeat away at
Dagenham & Redbridge. Matt Partridge opened the scoring before goals from
Jamie Cureton, Frankie Raymond and Jodi Jones completed the rout.
Maguire was replaced by Matt Crooks with six minutes to go.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Adrian - 'I have a positive mentality to save penalties'
WHUFC.com
West Ham United goalkeeper Adrian added to his reputation as the penalty
king on Saturday when he denied Charlie Austin the opportunity to give
Queens Park Rangers all three points from 12 yards. Adrian blocked the R's
striker's effort with his legs in the first half at Loftus Road as he kept a
first clean sheet for a month in helping the Hammers to a point from their
0-0 draw. The Spaniard's penalty stop was his third in succession following
on from saves from Tottenham's Harry Kane and Leicester's David Nugent in
2015 and he says the key to outwitting the striker lies in the preparation.
He said: "I study the penalties, because it is my job. I am a goalkeeper and
I try to save all the shots. The penalty is one shot you can study because
the best striker shoots on his strong side most often. This time Austin shot
to my right side and I saved it. "Every time I have the positive mentality
to save the penalty and this time it's good because I saved it. "I don't
know if I put Austin off by having a word beforehand, but I try to make the
striker nervous because if they are happy and relaxed to score the penalty,
it's easy for them. "In that scenario the goal is big, and I try to say some
words to make them nervous – on this occasion it worked for me."
Adrian played behind 18-year-old debutant Reece Burke, who partnered James
Collins at centre back. The former Real Betis keeper was impressed with the
Academy product's performance and says there is more to come from him. He
added: "Reece was not nervous – he was happy because all his teammates were
congratulating him after the game because he played well against a couple of
good strikers in Zamora and Austin. "I was saying that he needs to
concentrate for the 90 minutes and have confidence in himself. He's a good
central defender and he just needs to concentrate on his position. The more
experienced players tried to keep him calm. "It's a good experience for him
and he'll try to keep going from here."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
A FOREIGNER'S VIEW
By Iain Dale 27 Apr 2015 at 09:52
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by RoHammer
A Foreigner's View…
by RoHammer
I've been considering submitting an article on here for a while now but
somehow the usual "topics of the day" never seemed good enough. The Big Sam
discussion has been done to death, transfer speculation is…well, just that,
speculation… and while I love me a bit of tactical debate, that will always
be difficult to pull off what with all the internet managers around these
days (myself included). We all know we could do a better job than Sam though
am I right?! wink
On a more serious note though, there was a wonderful debate on here in the
last couple of days with some great contribution from our senior members
(who have seen it all). Now, I always enjoy reading Dan's articles with all
the historic info and such partly (but not solely) because I didn't get to
see it myself. Truth be told, most of what I know about WHU I have learned
on here which in itself is a credit to the site and its contributors. But it
all makes me wonder, what do West Ham fans really want going forward? Do we
cling to the trappings of our past which, despite the odd cup win, has been
decidedly mediocre…or do we strive for more? Are we content with being the
perennial "also-rans"?
People go on about how we use to be everyone's "second team" but personally
I struggle to take that as a compliment…more like a veiled insult at times.
I can see how our historic "style" could make us popular but I wonder if the
fact that we were very generous with giving away points wasn't part of it as
well. How important is "style" exactly and does it supersede getting the 3
points? In a hypothetical scenario, would we prefer winning most of our
games with 1-0 or losing them 3-4 (let's take relegation off the table for
this exercise and assume it wouldn't be a danger as we'd still get enough
points to survive)? Is entertainment the be all end all for West Ham fans…
and if so, when do we stop putting our individual desire for entertainment
ahead of what is best for our club? And isn't that rather selfish and short
sighted?
I have noticed people going so far as to say they would accept relegation if
only they would see the team play a certain "west ham way"… but how many
stop to think what that would mean for the club? The fans will be there
whatever division we play in of that I have no doubt…but do we not deserve
our day in the sun? Do we not want our team to be successful and fight it
out with the best (both domestically and in Europe as well)?
Don't get me wrong, I am not advocating "long ball" football here…far from
it in fact. I am advocating successful football whatever that may mean…if
"tiki-taka" works in a given game then great, but if we need to grind out a
result and defend a 1-0 lead then I can accept that too. I am advocating
adaptability and doing what you have to in order to succeed. As a side note,
since it's an ever so popular debate… who will be our next manager will have
a great bearing to where we are headed… with 4 games to go, we will find out
soon enough.
…I'll wrap it up here…this piece has become longer than expected which
shouldn't be a surprise to those who know me on WHTID but still…enough
questions for one day. Who knows, maybe I'll turn this into a series about
the identity of WHU and its fans past and present…im sure many of our older
members will have a lot to contribute. Being relatively new to this esteemed
group and supporting West Ham from abroad, there are certainly many things I
have yet to learn or understand. It might even benefit some of our younger
readers who knows?!
Thanks for reading folks…
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West Ham target Bournemouth hotshot Callum Wilson as new striker tops summer
priority list
15:46, 27 April 2015 By Darren Lewis
The Cherries striker has bagged 23 goals this term to take his side to the
brink of the Premier League but he is on West Ham's radar - along with
Javier Hernandez
The Mirror
West Ham are monitoring Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson. The Cherries
marksman has hit 23 goals to spearhead the south coast club's chase for
promotion to the Premier League. West Ham, meanwhile, have made a new
striker a priority this summer after seeing injuries and their lack of
firepower shatter their bid for European football. The east Londoners
already have Marseille striker Andre-Pierre Gignac - available on a free
this summer - on their shortlist. They are also keen on £7million-rated
Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez , on loan at Real Madrid but keen
to leave in search of regular first-team football.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce rubbishes reports linking him with Sunderland
job
22:30, 26 April 2015 By Darren Lewis
The Hammer is being targeted to take over from Dick Advocaat in the summer
but Allardyce has no plans to leave Upton Park
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce has dismissed suggestions he is welcoming interest from
Sunderland. The West Ham boss is set to be axed at the end of the season
after the east Londoners' slump in form over the second half of the season.
Sunderland, themselves fighting the drop, are targeting Big Sam to succeed
interim boss Dick Advocaat at the end of the season. But Allardyce said:
"There is only one thing that needs to be sorted out here and that is me
sitting down with the owners when they are ready to talk about me being at
West Ham and nowhere else.
"Until that is resolved we won't know which way we are both going forward.
That is the only thing that is to be sorted, to sit down and sort it out."
Allardyce has also insisted he will not stress himself out worrying about
his fate at Upton Park. The Irons board will hold talks with him at the end
of the season but they have also sounded out a number of rival bosses in
case they are unable - or unwilling - to agree a new deal. Allardyce had an
angioplasty, a procedure which involves inserting a stent to widen a
narrowed coronary artery, in 2009. He maintains the heart surgery saved his
life - and put the trivia of football into perspective. He said: "I made the
decision to look after myself in general in 2009 after my stent. "I think
after my stent the first thing I said to the specialist is 'is it time for
me to pack this job in?' he said no, but it is time to make sure you do not
stress yourself out as much as you do. "I see you jumping up and down on the
touchline like a lunatic – stop that. Control yourself and you won't have a
problem."
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Irons chase Cherries ace
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 27, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham are this afternoon be reported as tracking Bournemouth's 22-goal
striker striker Callum Wilson. The Cherries frontman has spearheaded The
Cherries s chase for promotion to the Premier League. David Sullivan
admitted recently the Irons have made a new striker a priority this summer
and the Mirror believe he is ready to raid the south coast club. We are also
claimed to have Marseille striker Andre-Pierre Gignac – available on a free
this summer – on their shortlist along with Jabier Hernandez. The Cherries
can more or less cenent their place in the Premier League tonight with
victory over Bolton in a game which may give Hammers fans the chance of
checking out Wilson.
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Reece lets Sam have his cake and eat it!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 27, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sam Allardyce presumably kept a straight face as he discussed the emergence
of Reece Burke on the official website today. Last week he was telling us
how tough it was for him to play the youngsters but what a difference today
after the 18 year performed so well against Queens Park Rangers. Here's a
reminder of what Allardyce told London 24.com before the game: "If you put a
youngster in and lose, you get criticised, the youngster might get
criticised, so it is difficult. "Or play all your youngsters in the FA Cup
and get slaughtered for it. You say 'we don't give youngsters a chance' but
you give them a chance, lose, and get slaughtered for it. "You can't have
your cake and eat it."
Today, however, that is exactly what he appears to be trying to do as he
declares: "When everyone says no one plays a young player any more the
bottom line is if you are safe and you say 'We are going to play a lot of
the young players now and we are going to play a lot of players who are on
the fringe and whose contracts are up'. "We want to put them into games at
this level and see if they can stand up and get experience. "It is really
encouraging to see young players coming through. We want to put them into
games at this level and see if they can stand up and get experience." "Burke
has come through because of injuries to Winston Reid and James Tomkins and
to be fair he would have been more involved if he had not been injured
earlier in the season." REALLY – that doesn't quite compute Sam!
Back to last week and some more thoughts from the manager as he moaned: "It
is always difficult for me. If we were in a better position with our results
it would have been a good thing to look at the odd player. "But the pressure
with us at the moment to get results means it would be difficult for me to
do." Difficult? Maybe! WRONG? Most definitely! In the meantime giv e me some
more of that cake and let me eat it.
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Sam player support becomes embarrassing!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 27, 2015 in Whispers
Claret 7 Hugh
West Ham players appearing regularly in the media singing the praises of
their manager and "hoping he stays " is predictable and embarrassing" in
equal parts. Stewart Downing is the latest declaring: ""Hopefully he stays.
We want him here. The players love playing for him. He's a really good
manager to play for. "The manager has said it will be sorted at the end of
the season so we have to get on with it and win games. "The only way to put
the uncertainty to bed is to win games because that puts him in a better
position. owningNice words Stewart – shame about the actions! This followed
quotes from Andy Carroll declaring how much the manager was loved by the
squad in which he said: "Everyone loves him, everyone loves the training and
the routine we are in. I am sure all the lads want him to stay next season.
"The manager is strong enough to deal with that (run) and I think so are all
the players. It is just unlucky the way the games have been going."
Downing reckons the team needs to win to help him keep his job…Carroll
appears to believe we are merely unlucky after another four games without a
win. All the proclamations of love and undying loyalty to the manager thus
become almost entirely meaningless as the shocking run of results continues.
Sam no doubt needs someone to love him but the truth is we are showing
relegation form and relegated managers generally get the sack. Just felt a
little reality check was needed!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Record maker Adrian psyches out Austin
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 27, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Adrian's third successive record setting Premier League penalty save against
Queens Park Rangers was a quite brilliant achievement at Loftus Road and
once the stopper may have psyched out the spot kick taker. The Spaniard –
speaking to the official site – said: "I don't know if I put Austin off by
having a word beforehand, but I try to make the striker nervous."
He of course did exactly the same to David Nugent before stopping his effort
at Leicester City in the defeat suffered at the hands of Leicester City.
Adrian said: "I study the penalties, because it is my job. I am a goalkeeper
and I try to save all the shots. "The penalty is one shot you can study
because the best striker shoots on his strong side most often. This time
Austin shot to my right side and I saved it. "Every time I have the positive
mentality to save the penalty and this time it's good because I saved it. "I
don't know if I put Austin off by having a word beforehand, but I try to
make the striker nervous because if they are happy and relaxed to score the
penalty, it's easy for them. "In that scenario the goal is big, and I try to
say some words to make them nervous – on this occasion it worked for me."
Adrian also commented on the impressive performance by Academy product
18-year-old debutant Reece Burke. He said: "Reece was not nervous – he was
happy because all his teammates were congratulating him after the game
because he played well against a couple of good strikers in Zamora and
Austin. "I was saying that he needs to concentrate for the 90 minutes and
have confidence in himself. He's a good central defender and he just needs
to concentrate on his position. The more experienced players tried to keep
him calm. "It's a good experience for him and he'll try to keep going from
here."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Three players West Ham need to move on in the summer, including Kevin Nolan
HITC
John Verrall
42 minutes ago
We take a look at the players West Ham United should let go this summer.
West Ham United's thoughts appear to have been on next season for some time,
with their current campaign petering out. The Hammers have won just two of
their last 17 Premier League matches, and it means that adding quality to
their squad next season will be key to ensure that they do not run out of
steam again. Expectations at West Ham are increasing and the standard of
players needed to be recruited is rising. It means that the London side
will need to be ruthless in the summer transfer window, and in this piece we
take a look at three players who should be let go as they don't make the
grade anymore.
Carlton Cole
The target-man has been a loyal servant of the club, but it is time for the
Hammers to let Cole leave. The experienced forward's contract is expiring,
and he should not be offered the chance to stay on as he isn't good enough
to play a part any more. West Ham have better options up front than Cole
nowadays, and he needs to be let go if the club are to progress.
Matt Jarvis
The winger has had some chances to impress of late, but he has never really
taken his opportunity and doesn't seem to be up to standard anymore.
Jarvis's West Ham career has never really taken off and the club should look
at moving him on in the summer. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers man may
be a decent outlet, but he doesn't have enough end product to represent a
team who will be chasing a European place.
Kevin Nolan
Nolan's presence in the dressing room is important for West Ham, but his
showings on the pitch have suggested that he lacks the quality to play a
regular role for the side. Nolan doesn't have the technical ability to push
the club on to the next level, and he should be allowed to leave in the
summer. The experienced midfielder is reaching the twilight of his career,
and West Ham need to start thinking about the future without him.
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Monday, April 27
Daily WHUFC News - 27th April 2015
Stewie salutes 'brilliant' Burke
WHUFC.com
Stewart Downing heaped plaudits on young Reece Burke, after the 18-year-old
gave a mature display in his Barclays Premier League debut against Queens
Park Rangers on Saturday. The Newham-born defender was thrown into the mix
following injury to Winston Reid and Downing felt he had seen plenty to
suggest the youngster has a big future in the game. Up against Charlie
Austin and Bobby Zamora, Burke battled gamely alongside fellow centre-half
James Collins and looked right at home at the heart of the Hammers' rear
guard. "He's waited a long time for his chance," Downing explained. He's
done well for the youth team, he's travelled a lot of times and not been
involved.
"But Reidy [Winston Reid] goes down injured late on and he's thrown in,
sometimes that's the best way to be. He has proven himself with his
performance. I thought he was absolutely brilliant against Bobby Zamora,
who's had a really good season, and Charlie Austin's scored nearly every
other game, so I thought he played really, really, well."
That said, Downing reckons he may need to rethink his hairstyle if he wants
to become a seasoned centre-half a la Collins. "He'll have to go skinhead
with Ginge! He's done really well, a young boy up against really experienced
strikers, strong lads as well. I thought he handled them very, very well.
He's probably man of the match for me."
As for the future, West Ham's No11 believes that Burke has shown enough to
earn the confidence of manager Sam Allardyce and so can expect to be in the
reckoning for the coming weeks and beyond. "I'm not sure whether he'll be in
from the start next season, Reidy, Ginge and Tonks [James Tomkins] might
have something to say about that. But he's certainly in that mix, we know we
can depend on him now, the manager can put him in there any time, home or
away and he'll do the job. "That was a big performance from him and he'll be
a big player for the future. You need people like that coming through."
Reflecting on Saturday's goalless draw, Downing said the Hammers were
indebted to 'keeper Adrian for his latest spot-kick heroics. It may be that
the Spaniard's form has gone under the radar somewhat, but the
Middlesbrough-born midfielder said West Ham know exactly how important he
is. He continued: "Adrian certainly gets the credit he deserves from us.
You can see that the fans love him and the lads obviously appreciate him. He
has made some big saves this season. He got my vote for player of the year,
so that shows you. "It was a great save, Charlie Austin's had an
unbelievable season and nine time out of ten he'd bury that penalty. But
Adrian's really good at penalties, it was a good save and it kept us in the
game."
Overall, however, Downing deemed that the point was probably about fair.
Though the 30-year-old had no complaints about the spot-kick, he thought the
Hammers were good value for their clean sheet and was just sorry that the
visitors failed to carve out a late winner. "They've missed a good chance
with the penalty and we had a couple late on, so overall I think it was
probably a fair result. We get a point back on the board, a clean sheet, so
there's a positive there, but we'd like to have won on Saturday. "There
wasn't too much fuss with the referee so I'm guessing it was a penalty. It
was probably a bit unlucky but Adrian's got us out of trouble again with a
great save. "Overall, at the end, if we'd got a goal, it would have been
nice to nick a 1-0 away win, because I thought we defended very well."
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Downing wants under-fire Allardyce to stay at West Ham
Last Updated: 26/04/15 2:46pm
SSN
Stewart Downing says West Ham's players will be fighting for Sam Allardyce's
future in their last four games of the season. Allardyce is widely tipped to
leave the club in the summer as his contract expires at the end of the
season and he is yet to be offered a new deal.
A poor run of form, which has seen the Hammers win only two league games in
2015 and slip out of contention for the European places, has also added to
the uncertainty surrounding Allardyce's future. The Hammers were held to a
goalless draw at QPR on Saturday and sit 10th in the table, but Downing
insisted the players were all behind their manager and love playing under
Allardyce. "Even before I came here, Sam signed a new deal at the end of the
season," Downing said. "The manager has said it will be sorted at the end of
the season so we have to get on with it and win games. "The only way to put
the uncertainty to bed is to win games because that puts him in a better
position. "Hopefully he stays. We want him here. The players love playing
for him. He's a really good manager to play for. "He's been really good to
me, I like him, but I don't make the decisions, it's up to the chairmen and
how they see it going forward."
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QPR 0, WEST HAM 0. SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN WATCHING PAINT DRY.
By David Hautzig 25 Apr 2015 at 17:55
West Ham till I Die
You couldn't have scripted this better if you were able to manipulate the
space-time continuum. As we all know, Sam Allardyce made some pretty odd
comments about using (or not using) youth in the first team. I was pretty
dismayed by those comments, and went so far as to Tweet that it was one of
the most awe inspiringly dumb things I'd ever heard him say. So when the
rumours started creeping in that Reid had picked up a new hamstring injury
in training and Reece Burke might be handed a surprise start in his place, I
took to Twitter to predict Kouyate would start at CB, weakening our
midfield. I was sooooo ready to slam Sam for the decision.
And then he went and did what nobody thought he would do and completely
ruined my rant. Thanks Sam.
The opening minutes of the game were frenetic and exciting for both sides.
In the first minute Noble lost the ball to Matty Phillips near the top of
the QPR penalty area. Phillips played Sandro in on the left side but his low
shot was saved by Adrian. Minutes later it was the Hammers turn to attack
when Valencia did well to win a corner off a long ball that was headed
nowhere. Jarvis sent the corner into the box and onto the head of none other
than Reece Burke, who won the header and came inches from a dream start but
Onuoha cleared the ball off the line.
And just as quickly as the game began, it slowed down. For the next 18
minutes, very little happened. And then something big happened. QPR enjoyed
some possession and worked the ball into Zamora in the box. The former
Hammer hero tried to lob the ball over Collins and Adrian, but Collins
raised his right arm way over his head for a clear hand ball. When Charlie
Austin stepped up to take the penalty, I started to write about being down
1-0. Then I remembered Adrian doesn't give up goals from the spot, and for
the third time in a row our newest cult hero saved a penalty kick.
I am still very much in the pro Enner Valencia camp. I believe he has been
played out of position for much of the season, which has hampered both his
performances and his confidence. But there are times when I say to the TV,
"Enner, what the hell are you thinking"? The 32nd minute was one of those
times, when Valencia beat Hill on the byline and moved in on Rob Green. But
with Jarvis sprinting into the box, and Nolan trailing at the top of the
area, Valencia chose to take a bad shot from an impossible angle.
Minutes later West Ham had another chance….kind of….when Joey Barton gave
the ball away to Nolan at the top of the box. But with plenty of time and
plenty of space he attempted a quick shot that rolled harmlessly into the
waiting hands of Rob Green.
For the majority of the first half, one had to wonder if every player out
there had simply forgotten how to play the game. Passes were way off target,
the ball flew through the air sometimes for what looked liked minutes
without ever touching the ground. One could easily have mistaken it for a
game played in a field by a bunch of amateurs. It was that bad. The second
half was better, but not by much.
In the opening moments of the second forty five minutes, Clint Hill headed
the ball to Bobby Zamora in the West Ham penalty area. Zamora seemed to rush
his shot, likely unaware that he had a second to compose himself. Instead
his quick side footed effort went right into Adrian's arms.
In the 50th minute, West Ham had their best chance of the game to that
point. Nolan got on the end of a long ball from Collins and knocked it down
to Valencia, who was then fouled by Sandro to set up a free kick from a very
dangerous area. Cresswell curled his effort over the wall, and if not for a
superb save from Green he would have repeated his heroics against Stoke. If
I were king of Hammerland, I'd have Cresswell take the vast majority of free
kicks from here on.
QPR then enjoyed a period of possession that put West Ham on the back foot,
with both Sandro and Zamora taking shots that went either wide of high. West
Ham tried to change the tone of the game by removing Jarvis and inserting
Cole. And only because I love Cole for his loyalty and professionalism, I'm
going to credit his entry into the game for West Ham's next half chance.
Let's call it artistic license, shall we?
In the 57th minute, Cole won a header and Nolan got on the end of the
knockdown. Nolan threaded a long pass that both Downing and Green raced
after. In real time, it looked like Green got their first and cleared the
ball from danger. The replay showed that Downing might have gotten their
first and missed his attempt on the ball.
While Austin's missed penalty may still be the number one talking point of a
rather listless match, another one happened in the 72nd minute. After
Jenkinson put the ball out for a corner, Adrian and Caulker both went up for
the ball. They collided, the ball fell to Dunne, and he put it into the West
Ham net. But Mike Jones blew his whistle as Dunne was shooting, calling a
foul on Caulker for his collision with Adrian. If such a play was available
to be reviewed by video, that goal could have been allowed because it looked
like Caulker simply went for the ball and Adrian mishandled it. If I'm
wrong, I have no doubt I will be informed below.
QPR kept up the pressure, with Fer having a good look at goal only to
misfire, and then Dunne winning a header in the box but his attempt went
right to Adrian. Burke then fouled Austin, giving QPR a free kick which came
to Fer but his header went over the bar.
West Ham countered in the 80th minute when Valencia used his pace to beat
Dunne down the right hand side. With both Cole and Kouyate running into the
box, Valencia slid a low cross to the latter. If this can be a game of
inches, Valencia's pass was one of millimeters. The pass was just slightly
behind Kouyate, and his shot sailed high over the bar. Nine times out of
ten, Kouyate handles that and it's a goal. But like so many things in the
second half of the season, this was the tenth out of ten.
The Hammers created one more chance in the 89th when Jenkinson ran the
length of the field at full speed to get on the end of a pass from Downing
down the right. Jenkinson sent a low cross through the goalmouth but neither
Cole nor Valencia could reach it for an easy tap in.
The final chance of the game came in the final minute of the ninety when
Phillips ran onto the ball in the West Ham box and fired a volley that
looked headed for the roof of the net. But Adrian got his fingertips on the
ball and saved the point for West Ham.
Final Score: QPR 0, West Ham 0.
If either team could see this as two points dropped, it's Rangers. From the
missed penalty to the disallowed goal, with other chances mixed in, Chris
Ramsey's side played more like a team going for three points than West Ham.
Valencia had the kind of game that one could look at and say in a different
system, he could be lethal. And despite a few mistakes that made Burke look
like he's 18, the boy had a decent game. So I can hang on to those two
things as small positives. But overall it was yet another performance that
hammers home the point…pun intended…that West Ham need improvement in many
areas. Our midfield was dreadful today. They looked incapable of keeping
possession against a team that often handed them the ball. And with two
substitutions available, for Sam to ignore both Amalfitano and Nene was
absurd. I'm cynical enough wonder about his motives.
On the bright side, at least we didn't give up a late goal again. Thank
heavens for small favors.
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Howe's miracle journey nears climax
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 26, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Eddie Howe rarely gets prolonged mentions when it comes to considering a new
Hammers manager – perhaps he should! For tomorrow night he could all but
complete a miraculous journey in management which only those who have stayed
close to his reign at Bournemouth will be aware. The Cherries meet Bolton in
a match which if won will see them all but promoted but it's the history
which needs to be studied to see the magnitude of such an achievement. Six
years ago this weekend the then 31 year old manager was in charge of a side
which beat Grimsby Town to avoid relegation from the Football League in a
year when they had started with a League Two 17 point deduction! Now he sits
a heartbeat from a place in the Premier League and whilst most Hammers fans
are looking at big time bosses, one highly important Boleyn insider told us:
"This young man could become an absolutely fantastic manager …but can the
club take the chance at this stage?"
Former striker Frank McAvennie has no doubts about it telling ClaretandHugh:
"Everything he does is class and the football his team plays is pure West
Ham. He'd get it down and really play. "To deal with the pressures he has
had along the way, shows me he is a man of character who can deal with the
Premier League – I hope the club goes for him."
Howe heads into the match against Sam Allardyce's former club saying: " I
feel a lot older than 37 in terms on management. The 'Great Escape' aged me
about 10 years." And of the match against Bolton he declared: "Look at the
legacy the players could leave this club. We have never been in the top
division – never been in the Premier League. "They can become famous around
the town of Bournemouth and that should be their motivation."
Bournemouth v Bolton
Sky Sports
Kick Off 7.45 pm
Monday
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Richards deal and the Irons
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 26, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Reports that West Ham will "battle" for the signature of Manchester City
defender Micah Richards this summer are wide of the mark.
Currently on loan at Fiorentina, he is expected to return to England this
summer with allegedly Inter Milan and Fiorentina, ourselves, Southampton,
Stoke City, Everton and Aston Villa all chasing him. West Ham were claimed
to interested in Richards last summer but in the end the club became
disinterested at wages understood to be in the area of £70,000 and City
unwilling to share the burden. And ClaretandHugh was told today: "His injury
record isn't great and the wages are likely to be of an order that would see
us look elsewhere."
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Song on his Irons future
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 26, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
It may have come a little late to make much difference but Alex Song has
finally made his position clear: He wants to stay! In an interview with Sky
Sports he revealed: "Yeah, I definitely want to stay here. I don't know (if
I can sign a permanent deal at West Ham).
"I can't say anything now because I want to focus on the rest of the season
and then we will see." He added: "I think we have to target an eighth-placed
finish this season. The problem with West Ham is that we don't have a very
big squad. I was saying to people it was too early to say that we will
finish fourth or fifth. "I always said if we finish tenth it would be
perfect because we don't have a squad like an Arsenal or Chelsea. When we
have one or two players injured, we don't have a big player to come on."
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So disappointing but let's count the positives
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 26, 2015 in Whispers
BY Nick Hardinge
Claret & Hugh
Our latest blogger is a tender 21 years old – short on Hammers glory but BIG
on love for a club that's "been in his blood since Day One" Here in his
first article how – as just a young man – he's getting used to that feeling
of "fortune always hiding." Nick's views are his own and do not necessarily
reflect those of ClaretandHugh Adrian_3164087bWhen writing a report on our
beloved West Ham's current plight, it's difficult not to go over the same
old ground. How many times have we heard calls for "BFS Out!!"? How many
times have we despaired that the 'West Ham Way' is dying? How many times
have we hoped that our youth would be given greater opportunities? They're
more regular than an Adrian penalty save! I, like many others on here it
seems, cannot wait for this season to be over. It's petering out all too
familiarly. I'm only 21 and already I'm all too well acquainted with the
overwhelming sense of disappointment in a West Ham season. But in the past,
that disappointment was something that made me proud to be a West Ham fan. I
think that part of it defines who we are.
Perhaps surprisingly, I do remember the relegation of 2003. The abysmal 2011
is definitely still very fresh in the mind. However, despite these tragedies
I have always held my head up high as a Hammer, even in the face of taunts
from my glory supporting Man U friends and a fool of a Gooner (who needs
enemies when you have friends like that hey?).
I've always been confident that the good times would shortly be round the
corner. We had fighters in those squads who would give their all for the
shirt (2003: Di Canio, Repka, Sinclair; 2011: Parker, Green, Cole
[disagreement here is welcome, but in their own separate ways they were each
a hero in the claret and blue at some point]). It pains me to say, but today
I do not see those fighters.
There is always Mark Noble, and James Collins always puts everything on the
line for the club, but rarely do these two change a game. As much as I love
the fishing fanatic, Noble rarely makes that incisive pass that splits open
a defence and Collins too often delivers a (sometimes spectacular, i.e. City
away) gaffe which leads to trouble.
For a while, I thought Song, Downing and a few others might earn a heroic
status for us this season. But like Kevin Nolan in every game this season,
their fight has all but disappeared. I think we can hold our hands up and
admit that we were in dreamland in December when we were hoping for Europe.
In true West Ham fashion, the fortune has hidden once again.
Today, the disappointment feels different. I feel no pride in our current
displays. And I firmly believe that the buck stops at the man at the helm.
Players are prima donnas these days and they need inspiring. If Allardyce
can't inspire us (sometimes fickle) fans who pay good money to watch, then
how can he inspire players guaranteed to be earning up to £80,000 a week?
So where does this leave us? Well I'd like to finish on a few high notes. We
have a manager who, as many of us hope and believe, is seemingly on his way
out.
We have a proven PL goal scorer for next season in Sakho. We have a keeper
who is number one in all but his shirt number.
There is a relatively youthful core in the side (Sakho, Valencia, Kouyate,
Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell), plus we have promises of additions from the
owners.
A new stadium is on the horizon, along with cheaper tickets (eventually).
And finally, we are still a Premier League club – for what it's worth (a LOT
of money actually).
Oh, and apparently we have David Cameron's backing. Well that is us damned
then!!
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Burke's Mum and Dad make it "emotional"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 26, 2015 in Whispers
Claret 7 Hugh
Reece Burke was the major talking point before and after yesterday's 0-0
draw at Loftus Road and the lad himself declared: "After Winston Reid picked
up a little injury I thought he might chuck me in and I found out on Friday
I'd be playing, so I had to prepare well." The Newham born 18 year old
reckons he "did alright" and added "Hopefully there's many more games to
come." He told the official site: ""I'm just really happy we kept a clean
sheet. There's always room for improvement and that's for me to go away,
watch the game back and work on what I need to work on. "It was a case of
keeping it simple and not over-complicating things. That's what the lads
were telling me, make sure my first pass and first header were good and go
from there. That's the way it went so I'm pleased.
He continued: "My parents came to watch the game and I saw them at the end,
which was a bit emotional. I'm happy and they're happy as well. Saturday was
a very emotional day for me – I've been at the Club since the age of nine so
playing at QPR is looking back at a long journey. I just want to keep
going." Burke also paid tribute to James Collins, whose experienced head
helped him through his league debut. "Ginge helped me throughout the game,
talking to me and telling me not to get too tight to Bobby Zamora as he's a
strong lad.
"He spoke to me a lot during the game and helped me to do well."
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West Ham Talent Commits To Nigeria Ahead Of England
West Ham's New Kid On The Block Emmanuel Onariase Chooses To Play For
Nigeria
By SL10 - Apr 26, 2015 12:18 PM
West Ham's new kid on the block, Emmanuel Onariase, has elected to play for
Nigeria at senior level though he is eligible to don the jersey of England,
the country of his birth. The Anglo-Nigerian is regarded as one of the
brightest prospects at The Boleyn Ground so much so that manager Sam
Allardyce named the central defender in his 18 - man squad for the Premier
League clash against Arsenal last month.
''I've always wanted to play for my country ever since I was a kid,''
Emmanuel Onariase confided to SL10.ng. ''My future lies with God, he is my
sense of direction, he has plans for me, which ever country I end up playing
for I know it's God that chose it for me! He will give me a sign when the
time comes. ''Of course I would honour a call up from my home country! I
would love to play for my country with a passion!'' The 18 - year - old has
revealed that former Super Eagles skipper Joseph Yobo has always been his
role model, and did not spare praise for the ex Everton and Norwich City
stopper. ''I look up to Joesph Yobo who was a centre back for the Super
Eagles but retired last year. ''Yobo is a solid defender! Being the team
captain, he led the team by example, he also played in the Premier league
for Everton. ''He is composed on the ball and he reads the game well making
vital tackles! What a great player!'' Emmanuel Onariase added. West Ham
believe Onariase will be key for the club in future and they moved quickly
to offer him a professional deal earlier this month.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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WHUFC.com
Stewart Downing heaped plaudits on young Reece Burke, after the 18-year-old
gave a mature display in his Barclays Premier League debut against Queens
Park Rangers on Saturday. The Newham-born defender was thrown into the mix
following injury to Winston Reid and Downing felt he had seen plenty to
suggest the youngster has a big future in the game. Up against Charlie
Austin and Bobby Zamora, Burke battled gamely alongside fellow centre-half
James Collins and looked right at home at the heart of the Hammers' rear
guard. "He's waited a long time for his chance," Downing explained. He's
done well for the youth team, he's travelled a lot of times and not been
involved.
"But Reidy [Winston Reid] goes down injured late on and he's thrown in,
sometimes that's the best way to be. He has proven himself with his
performance. I thought he was absolutely brilliant against Bobby Zamora,
who's had a really good season, and Charlie Austin's scored nearly every
other game, so I thought he played really, really, well."
That said, Downing reckons he may need to rethink his hairstyle if he wants
to become a seasoned centre-half a la Collins. "He'll have to go skinhead
with Ginge! He's done really well, a young boy up against really experienced
strikers, strong lads as well. I thought he handled them very, very well.
He's probably man of the match for me."
As for the future, West Ham's No11 believes that Burke has shown enough to
earn the confidence of manager Sam Allardyce and so can expect to be in the
reckoning for the coming weeks and beyond. "I'm not sure whether he'll be in
from the start next season, Reidy, Ginge and Tonks [James Tomkins] might
have something to say about that. But he's certainly in that mix, we know we
can depend on him now, the manager can put him in there any time, home or
away and he'll do the job. "That was a big performance from him and he'll be
a big player for the future. You need people like that coming through."
Reflecting on Saturday's goalless draw, Downing said the Hammers were
indebted to 'keeper Adrian for his latest spot-kick heroics. It may be that
the Spaniard's form has gone under the radar somewhat, but the
Middlesbrough-born midfielder said West Ham know exactly how important he
is. He continued: "Adrian certainly gets the credit he deserves from us.
You can see that the fans love him and the lads obviously appreciate him. He
has made some big saves this season. He got my vote for player of the year,
so that shows you. "It was a great save, Charlie Austin's had an
unbelievable season and nine time out of ten he'd bury that penalty. But
Adrian's really good at penalties, it was a good save and it kept us in the
game."
Overall, however, Downing deemed that the point was probably about fair.
Though the 30-year-old had no complaints about the spot-kick, he thought the
Hammers were good value for their clean sheet and was just sorry that the
visitors failed to carve out a late winner. "They've missed a good chance
with the penalty and we had a couple late on, so overall I think it was
probably a fair result. We get a point back on the board, a clean sheet, so
there's a positive there, but we'd like to have won on Saturday. "There
wasn't too much fuss with the referee so I'm guessing it was a penalty. It
was probably a bit unlucky but Adrian's got us out of trouble again with a
great save. "Overall, at the end, if we'd got a goal, it would have been
nice to nick a 1-0 away win, because I thought we defended very well."
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Downing wants under-fire Allardyce to stay at West Ham
Last Updated: 26/04/15 2:46pm
SSN
Stewart Downing says West Ham's players will be fighting for Sam Allardyce's
future in their last four games of the season. Allardyce is widely tipped to
leave the club in the summer as his contract expires at the end of the
season and he is yet to be offered a new deal.
A poor run of form, which has seen the Hammers win only two league games in
2015 and slip out of contention for the European places, has also added to
the uncertainty surrounding Allardyce's future. The Hammers were held to a
goalless draw at QPR on Saturday and sit 10th in the table, but Downing
insisted the players were all behind their manager and love playing under
Allardyce. "Even before I came here, Sam signed a new deal at the end of the
season," Downing said. "The manager has said it will be sorted at the end of
the season so we have to get on with it and win games. "The only way to put
the uncertainty to bed is to win games because that puts him in a better
position. "Hopefully he stays. We want him here. The players love playing
for him. He's a really good manager to play for. "He's been really good to
me, I like him, but I don't make the decisions, it's up to the chairmen and
how they see it going forward."
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QPR 0, WEST HAM 0. SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN WATCHING PAINT DRY.
By David Hautzig 25 Apr 2015 at 17:55
West Ham till I Die
You couldn't have scripted this better if you were able to manipulate the
space-time continuum. As we all know, Sam Allardyce made some pretty odd
comments about using (or not using) youth in the first team. I was pretty
dismayed by those comments, and went so far as to Tweet that it was one of
the most awe inspiringly dumb things I'd ever heard him say. So when the
rumours started creeping in that Reid had picked up a new hamstring injury
in training and Reece Burke might be handed a surprise start in his place, I
took to Twitter to predict Kouyate would start at CB, weakening our
midfield. I was sooooo ready to slam Sam for the decision.
And then he went and did what nobody thought he would do and completely
ruined my rant. Thanks Sam.
The opening minutes of the game were frenetic and exciting for both sides.
In the first minute Noble lost the ball to Matty Phillips near the top of
the QPR penalty area. Phillips played Sandro in on the left side but his low
shot was saved by Adrian. Minutes later it was the Hammers turn to attack
when Valencia did well to win a corner off a long ball that was headed
nowhere. Jarvis sent the corner into the box and onto the head of none other
than Reece Burke, who won the header and came inches from a dream start but
Onuoha cleared the ball off the line.
And just as quickly as the game began, it slowed down. For the next 18
minutes, very little happened. And then something big happened. QPR enjoyed
some possession and worked the ball into Zamora in the box. The former
Hammer hero tried to lob the ball over Collins and Adrian, but Collins
raised his right arm way over his head for a clear hand ball. When Charlie
Austin stepped up to take the penalty, I started to write about being down
1-0. Then I remembered Adrian doesn't give up goals from the spot, and for
the third time in a row our newest cult hero saved a penalty kick.
I am still very much in the pro Enner Valencia camp. I believe he has been
played out of position for much of the season, which has hampered both his
performances and his confidence. But there are times when I say to the TV,
"Enner, what the hell are you thinking"? The 32nd minute was one of those
times, when Valencia beat Hill on the byline and moved in on Rob Green. But
with Jarvis sprinting into the box, and Nolan trailing at the top of the
area, Valencia chose to take a bad shot from an impossible angle.
Minutes later West Ham had another chance….kind of….when Joey Barton gave
the ball away to Nolan at the top of the box. But with plenty of time and
plenty of space he attempted a quick shot that rolled harmlessly into the
waiting hands of Rob Green.
For the majority of the first half, one had to wonder if every player out
there had simply forgotten how to play the game. Passes were way off target,
the ball flew through the air sometimes for what looked liked minutes
without ever touching the ground. One could easily have mistaken it for a
game played in a field by a bunch of amateurs. It was that bad. The second
half was better, but not by much.
In the opening moments of the second forty five minutes, Clint Hill headed
the ball to Bobby Zamora in the West Ham penalty area. Zamora seemed to rush
his shot, likely unaware that he had a second to compose himself. Instead
his quick side footed effort went right into Adrian's arms.
In the 50th minute, West Ham had their best chance of the game to that
point. Nolan got on the end of a long ball from Collins and knocked it down
to Valencia, who was then fouled by Sandro to set up a free kick from a very
dangerous area. Cresswell curled his effort over the wall, and if not for a
superb save from Green he would have repeated his heroics against Stoke. If
I were king of Hammerland, I'd have Cresswell take the vast majority of free
kicks from here on.
QPR then enjoyed a period of possession that put West Ham on the back foot,
with both Sandro and Zamora taking shots that went either wide of high. West
Ham tried to change the tone of the game by removing Jarvis and inserting
Cole. And only because I love Cole for his loyalty and professionalism, I'm
going to credit his entry into the game for West Ham's next half chance.
Let's call it artistic license, shall we?
In the 57th minute, Cole won a header and Nolan got on the end of the
knockdown. Nolan threaded a long pass that both Downing and Green raced
after. In real time, it looked like Green got their first and cleared the
ball from danger. The replay showed that Downing might have gotten their
first and missed his attempt on the ball.
While Austin's missed penalty may still be the number one talking point of a
rather listless match, another one happened in the 72nd minute. After
Jenkinson put the ball out for a corner, Adrian and Caulker both went up for
the ball. They collided, the ball fell to Dunne, and he put it into the West
Ham net. But Mike Jones blew his whistle as Dunne was shooting, calling a
foul on Caulker for his collision with Adrian. If such a play was available
to be reviewed by video, that goal could have been allowed because it looked
like Caulker simply went for the ball and Adrian mishandled it. If I'm
wrong, I have no doubt I will be informed below.
QPR kept up the pressure, with Fer having a good look at goal only to
misfire, and then Dunne winning a header in the box but his attempt went
right to Adrian. Burke then fouled Austin, giving QPR a free kick which came
to Fer but his header went over the bar.
West Ham countered in the 80th minute when Valencia used his pace to beat
Dunne down the right hand side. With both Cole and Kouyate running into the
box, Valencia slid a low cross to the latter. If this can be a game of
inches, Valencia's pass was one of millimeters. The pass was just slightly
behind Kouyate, and his shot sailed high over the bar. Nine times out of
ten, Kouyate handles that and it's a goal. But like so many things in the
second half of the season, this was the tenth out of ten.
The Hammers created one more chance in the 89th when Jenkinson ran the
length of the field at full speed to get on the end of a pass from Downing
down the right. Jenkinson sent a low cross through the goalmouth but neither
Cole nor Valencia could reach it for an easy tap in.
The final chance of the game came in the final minute of the ninety when
Phillips ran onto the ball in the West Ham box and fired a volley that
looked headed for the roof of the net. But Adrian got his fingertips on the
ball and saved the point for West Ham.
Final Score: QPR 0, West Ham 0.
If either team could see this as two points dropped, it's Rangers. From the
missed penalty to the disallowed goal, with other chances mixed in, Chris
Ramsey's side played more like a team going for three points than West Ham.
Valencia had the kind of game that one could look at and say in a different
system, he could be lethal. And despite a few mistakes that made Burke look
like he's 18, the boy had a decent game. So I can hang on to those two
things as small positives. But overall it was yet another performance that
hammers home the point…pun intended…that West Ham need improvement in many
areas. Our midfield was dreadful today. They looked incapable of keeping
possession against a team that often handed them the ball. And with two
substitutions available, for Sam to ignore both Amalfitano and Nene was
absurd. I'm cynical enough wonder about his motives.
On the bright side, at least we didn't give up a late goal again. Thank
heavens for small favors.
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Howe's miracle journey nears climax
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 26, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Eddie Howe rarely gets prolonged mentions when it comes to considering a new
Hammers manager – perhaps he should! For tomorrow night he could all but
complete a miraculous journey in management which only those who have stayed
close to his reign at Bournemouth will be aware. The Cherries meet Bolton in
a match which if won will see them all but promoted but it's the history
which needs to be studied to see the magnitude of such an achievement. Six
years ago this weekend the then 31 year old manager was in charge of a side
which beat Grimsby Town to avoid relegation from the Football League in a
year when they had started with a League Two 17 point deduction! Now he sits
a heartbeat from a place in the Premier League and whilst most Hammers fans
are looking at big time bosses, one highly important Boleyn insider told us:
"This young man could become an absolutely fantastic manager …but can the
club take the chance at this stage?"
Former striker Frank McAvennie has no doubts about it telling ClaretandHugh:
"Everything he does is class and the football his team plays is pure West
Ham. He'd get it down and really play. "To deal with the pressures he has
had along the way, shows me he is a man of character who can deal with the
Premier League – I hope the club goes for him."
Howe heads into the match against Sam Allardyce's former club saying: " I
feel a lot older than 37 in terms on management. The 'Great Escape' aged me
about 10 years." And of the match against Bolton he declared: "Look at the
legacy the players could leave this club. We have never been in the top
division – never been in the Premier League. "They can become famous around
the town of Bournemouth and that should be their motivation."
Bournemouth v Bolton
Sky Sports
Kick Off 7.45 pm
Monday
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Richards deal and the Irons
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 26, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Reports that West Ham will "battle" for the signature of Manchester City
defender Micah Richards this summer are wide of the mark.
Currently on loan at Fiorentina, he is expected to return to England this
summer with allegedly Inter Milan and Fiorentina, ourselves, Southampton,
Stoke City, Everton and Aston Villa all chasing him. West Ham were claimed
to interested in Richards last summer but in the end the club became
disinterested at wages understood to be in the area of £70,000 and City
unwilling to share the burden. And ClaretandHugh was told today: "His injury
record isn't great and the wages are likely to be of an order that would see
us look elsewhere."
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Song on his Irons future
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 26, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
It may have come a little late to make much difference but Alex Song has
finally made his position clear: He wants to stay! In an interview with Sky
Sports he revealed: "Yeah, I definitely want to stay here. I don't know (if
I can sign a permanent deal at West Ham).
"I can't say anything now because I want to focus on the rest of the season
and then we will see." He added: "I think we have to target an eighth-placed
finish this season. The problem with West Ham is that we don't have a very
big squad. I was saying to people it was too early to say that we will
finish fourth or fifth. "I always said if we finish tenth it would be
perfect because we don't have a squad like an Arsenal or Chelsea. When we
have one or two players injured, we don't have a big player to come on."
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So disappointing but let's count the positives
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 26, 2015 in Whispers
BY Nick Hardinge
Claret & Hugh
Our latest blogger is a tender 21 years old – short on Hammers glory but BIG
on love for a club that's "been in his blood since Day One" Here in his
first article how – as just a young man – he's getting used to that feeling
of "fortune always hiding." Nick's views are his own and do not necessarily
reflect those of ClaretandHugh Adrian_3164087bWhen writing a report on our
beloved West Ham's current plight, it's difficult not to go over the same
old ground. How many times have we heard calls for "BFS Out!!"? How many
times have we despaired that the 'West Ham Way' is dying? How many times
have we hoped that our youth would be given greater opportunities? They're
more regular than an Adrian penalty save! I, like many others on here it
seems, cannot wait for this season to be over. It's petering out all too
familiarly. I'm only 21 and already I'm all too well acquainted with the
overwhelming sense of disappointment in a West Ham season. But in the past,
that disappointment was something that made me proud to be a West Ham fan. I
think that part of it defines who we are.
Perhaps surprisingly, I do remember the relegation of 2003. The abysmal 2011
is definitely still very fresh in the mind. However, despite these tragedies
I have always held my head up high as a Hammer, even in the face of taunts
from my glory supporting Man U friends and a fool of a Gooner (who needs
enemies when you have friends like that hey?).
I've always been confident that the good times would shortly be round the
corner. We had fighters in those squads who would give their all for the
shirt (2003: Di Canio, Repka, Sinclair; 2011: Parker, Green, Cole
[disagreement here is welcome, but in their own separate ways they were each
a hero in the claret and blue at some point]). It pains me to say, but today
I do not see those fighters.
There is always Mark Noble, and James Collins always puts everything on the
line for the club, but rarely do these two change a game. As much as I love
the fishing fanatic, Noble rarely makes that incisive pass that splits open
a defence and Collins too often delivers a (sometimes spectacular, i.e. City
away) gaffe which leads to trouble.
For a while, I thought Song, Downing and a few others might earn a heroic
status for us this season. But like Kevin Nolan in every game this season,
their fight has all but disappeared. I think we can hold our hands up and
admit that we were in dreamland in December when we were hoping for Europe.
In true West Ham fashion, the fortune has hidden once again.
Today, the disappointment feels different. I feel no pride in our current
displays. And I firmly believe that the buck stops at the man at the helm.
Players are prima donnas these days and they need inspiring. If Allardyce
can't inspire us (sometimes fickle) fans who pay good money to watch, then
how can he inspire players guaranteed to be earning up to £80,000 a week?
So where does this leave us? Well I'd like to finish on a few high notes. We
have a manager who, as many of us hope and believe, is seemingly on his way
out.
We have a proven PL goal scorer for next season in Sakho. We have a keeper
who is number one in all but his shirt number.
There is a relatively youthful core in the side (Sakho, Valencia, Kouyate,
Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell), plus we have promises of additions from the
owners.
A new stadium is on the horizon, along with cheaper tickets (eventually).
And finally, we are still a Premier League club – for what it's worth (a LOT
of money actually).
Oh, and apparently we have David Cameron's backing. Well that is us damned
then!!
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Burke's Mum and Dad make it "emotional"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 26, 2015 in Whispers
Claret 7 Hugh
Reece Burke was the major talking point before and after yesterday's 0-0
draw at Loftus Road and the lad himself declared: "After Winston Reid picked
up a little injury I thought he might chuck me in and I found out on Friday
I'd be playing, so I had to prepare well." The Newham born 18 year old
reckons he "did alright" and added "Hopefully there's many more games to
come." He told the official site: ""I'm just really happy we kept a clean
sheet. There's always room for improvement and that's for me to go away,
watch the game back and work on what I need to work on. "It was a case of
keeping it simple and not over-complicating things. That's what the lads
were telling me, make sure my first pass and first header were good and go
from there. That's the way it went so I'm pleased.
He continued: "My parents came to watch the game and I saw them at the end,
which was a bit emotional. I'm happy and they're happy as well. Saturday was
a very emotional day for me – I've been at the Club since the age of nine so
playing at QPR is looking back at a long journey. I just want to keep
going." Burke also paid tribute to James Collins, whose experienced head
helped him through his league debut. "Ginge helped me throughout the game,
talking to me and telling me not to get too tight to Bobby Zamora as he's a
strong lad.
"He spoke to me a lot during the game and helped me to do well."
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West Ham Talent Commits To Nigeria Ahead Of England
West Ham's New Kid On The Block Emmanuel Onariase Chooses To Play For
Nigeria
By SL10 - Apr 26, 2015 12:18 PM
West Ham's new kid on the block, Emmanuel Onariase, has elected to play for
Nigeria at senior level though he is eligible to don the jersey of England,
the country of his birth. The Anglo-Nigerian is regarded as one of the
brightest prospects at The Boleyn Ground so much so that manager Sam
Allardyce named the central defender in his 18 - man squad for the Premier
League clash against Arsenal last month.
''I've always wanted to play for my country ever since I was a kid,''
Emmanuel Onariase confided to SL10.ng. ''My future lies with God, he is my
sense of direction, he has plans for me, which ever country I end up playing
for I know it's God that chose it for me! He will give me a sign when the
time comes. ''Of course I would honour a call up from my home country! I
would love to play for my country with a passion!'' The 18 - year - old has
revealed that former Super Eagles skipper Joseph Yobo has always been his
role model, and did not spare praise for the ex Everton and Norwich City
stopper. ''I look up to Joesph Yobo who was a centre back for the Super
Eagles but retired last year. ''Yobo is a solid defender! Being the team
captain, he led the team by example, he also played in the Premier league
for Everton. ''He is composed on the ball and he reads the game well making
vital tackles! What a great player!'' Emmanuel Onariase added. West Ham
believe Onariase will be key for the club in future and they moved quickly
to offer him a professional deal earlier this month.
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