Daily WHUFC News - 1st April 2015

Cole urges fans to join Ebola fight
WHUFC.com

Carlton Cole is calling on West Ham United fans to support Football Fighting
Ebola. The Hammers striker co-founded the campaign in late 2014 to raise
funds to battle the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, which has killed
thousands of people across West Africa. Cole, whose parents were both born
in the region, feels a personal duty to fight the disease and has joined
forces with fellow England international Nathaniel Clyne to host a Football
Fighting Ebola fundraising event in central London on Sunday 12 April. The
reception will raise funds for the King's Sierra Leone Partnership, which is
providing volunteer doctors and nurses and medical expertise and supplies
for hospitals in the country's capital, Freetown. While the Ebola outbreak,
which surfaced in Guinea in late 2013, was thought to be on the wane, new
fears of the disease re-appearing and spreading to new parts of Guinea,
Sierra Leone and neighbouring Liberia have been raised in recent weeks.
"Everyone can see what is happening out in West Africa," Cole began. "My Mum
is from Sierra Leone and my Dad is from Nigeria and the region holds a big
place in my heart. "My uncle Duncan is still living out there working and
trying to help with aid in the area, and I'm doing my best by getting
involved in Football Fighting Ebola. "Myself and Nathaniel Clyne are
Ambassadors and we will attending the fundraiser, which will be hosted by my
good friend Godfrey Torto, who co-founded the campaign and who has helped me
with all my other fundraisers in the past. "Hopefully we can raise some
money to help the people out there in West Africa."

Aside from inviting his West Ham teammates to back Football Fighting Ebola
on social media, Cole has also been working alongside actor Idris Elba,
whose own parents are from Sierra Leone and Ghana. As part of the Africa
United campaign, London-based Elba has filmed television commercials
instructing residents of the affected countries to help prevent the spread
of Ebola, which is transmitted through bodily fluids. Meanwhile, Cole and
other footballers have been wearing shirts with the names of healthcare
workers on the backs. "I've done a load of other stuff with Idris Elba as
well to aid the workers out there, because they don't get any recognition
for what they are doing. "We are just trying to help in any way we can to
fight Ebola, because we need to get this crisis over and done with as soon
as possible."

Tickets for the Football Fighting Ebola fundraising reception, which will
take place at Searcy's in Knightsbridge from 6.30pm on Sunday 12 April, are
priced at £100 per person and available here.

Alternatively, you can donate £10 to the King's Sierra Leone Project by
texting 'StopEbola' to 70030.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Former Player Blog - Tony Cottee
WHUFC.com

Tony Cottee scored 146 goals for the Hammers

Hello everyone,

We face one of my old clubs, Leicester City, at the King Power Stadium on
Saturday and it's a massive game for them considering they are bottom of the
table as things stand. Leicester are just not taking their chances and
that's been their problem all season. They had a slow start to the season,
then famously beat Manchester United 5-3 in a fantastic game, but then they
had a dip in form and have been struggling in the bottom three ever since.

Aside from the odd game, Leicester have got a big problem with scoring
goals. They paid a lot of money for Leonardo Ulloa and he started well, but
he has faded off a little bit. They also paid a lot of money for the
Croatian Andrej Kramaric and he got a couple of goals when he first came
into the team but hasn't scored for a while. They've also got David Nugent
and Jamie Vardy as well, so they have got a lot of forward players there but
they have struggled to take their chances and convert draws into wins.

If they had converted some of them, they would be higher up the league. I
always felt it was going to be a difficult season for them, because coming
up from the Championship is always tough. The main aim for a club like
Leicester is to finish 17th or above, even if it comes down to the last kick
of the season, just stay in the Premier League. They have still got a chance
of doing that, but they've got to start taking chances and winning games.

If you look at their squad, you would say it has enough quality in it to
stay in the Premier League, but you've got to get results. Speaking from
experience, even though it is 15 years since I played in the Premier League,
I am sure every single game is a hard slog because it is a physically and
mentally demanding league.

You have to be on your game every week and if you are in a
relegation-threatened team, it happens too often that you are not quite on
your game as an individual or as a team and you go three goals down and you
start playing and can't make up the goals. It's a difficult league and
you've got to be on your game. Yes, there is enough quality in that squad,
but you have got to get the results. There has been some turmoil with Nigel
Pearson and you've got to have stability at a football club to get the best
out of the players. Yes, I believe Leicester can stay up but they are
certainly making hard work of it. Talking of Nigel, I think he has done
well. He took over and got Leicester promoted with a really great season
last year. He has got his own unique way of managing, I think it is fair to
say. I was in his press conferences and it is interesting to listen to him.
You don't always get what you want out of him, but it's always an
interesting interview when you watch him. He likes to manage from the stands
and has been criticised for that, but I don't get it because you get a
better view from the stand. If that's what he wants to do, then as long as
you're in contact with the bench, I don't see it as a problem.

As I say, he has a unique way of managing but he'll ultimately be judged on
results. It's a harsh world out there and everyone wants immediate success
and to stay in the Premier League, but it's immensely difficult for
Leicester to do that. There are a lot of teams scrapping away to try to keep
their heads above water. I hope it doesn't happen, but if Leicester do get
relegated there will be big pressure on Nigel and I think he is big enough
to handle that pressure. When you are relegated, there are no guarantees
that you will come back up. I cover the Championship games week-in, week-out
for Sky and I turn up not knowing who is going to beat who. I covered a game
recently between Fulham and Derby and everyone was expecting Derby to win
four or five-nil, yet Fulham won two-nil. Fulham, Cardiff and Norwich have
all had difficult times this season and once you drop into the Championship
there is no guarantee you will get out of it.

No-one should under-estimate the job Sam did in getting the Club back into
the Premier League after just one season out of it. We did it the best
possible way by winning the Play-Off final at Wembley – a great day my two
sons still talk about now. We did a great job getting back because the
Championship is a really tough league and it's somewhere you don't want to
go back to. We've had a good season and don't need to talk about relegation.
We were safe by Christmas and that's where we want to be as a football club,
looking up above us and seeing if we can compete with the top seven and for
a place in the Europa League. We need to steady the ship and gradually build
for the coming years.

Enjoy the game on Saturday. Come on you Irons!

Tony Cottee

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jenkinson stars in U21 victory
WHUFC.com

Carl Jenkinson gave a Man of the Match performance as England U21 twice came
from behind to defeat old rivals Germany 3-2 in an international friendly at
Middlesbrough on Monday night. Gareth Southgate's team had to show plenty of
spirit after Germany started impressively and Philipp Hofmann gave the
visitors an early lead. England rallied with Jenkinson, who was a used
substitute in Friday's victory in the Czech Republic, laying on the leveller
for Manchester United's Jesse Lingaard. Shortly after the interval England
found themselves behind again with Hofmann once more the man to strike. Just
as before, England responded strongly with two goals inside the final ten
minutes turning the contest around. Nathan Redmond swept in the second
equaliser from twelve yards, then, with seven minutes left to play,
Jenkinson fed Southampton's James Ward-Prowse, who beat Barcelona stopper
Marc-Andre ter Stegen to seal the success. England's attentions now turn to
the summer's U21 European Championships in the Czech Republic, with
Jenkinson hoping to play his part.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Valencia and Nene welcomed in Essex
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 31st March 2015
By: Staff Writer

A large crowd assembled in Basildon's Eastgate Shopping Centre this
afternoon to greet Hammers stars Enner Valencia and recent arrival Nene. The
South American duo generated huge interest in South East Essex when they
made a guest appearance at the club's newest store, which is a 100 yards or
so away from where West Ham's former shop used to be. An orderly queue that
formed outside the store from around 2pm had doubled back on itself by the
time the players arrived an hour later. They remained on site to meet and
greet Hammers fans - both young and old! - for around two hours, before
calling it a day.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham register 12 point improvement on last term
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 31st March 2015
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United have accrued 12 points more this season than from the
corresponding matches in 2013/14.

With just eight games of the current campaign left to play, Sam Allardyce's
Class of 2015 are a dozen points clear of the total achieved last season
from the equivalent opposition.

The Hammers have improved on their corresponding results from 2013/14 on no
less than ten occasions (replacing relegated teams with promoted teams) -
and on only five occasions have they fared worse that last season.

With a further 24 points left to play for, the Hammers are currently just 15
points behind the club's record Premier League total of 57, achieved some 16
years ago during Harry Redknapp's reign.

That was enough to catapult West Ham into European competition in the late
nineties - a feat only likely to be emulated this year via the UEFA Fair
Play table, which West Ham currently lead.


On the Up: Better Than Last Season

1. Crystal Palace (a) 3pts (last season 0pts) +3pts
2. Hull City (a) 1pt (0pts) +1pt
3. Liverpool (h) 3pts 3-1 (0pts) +3pts
4. Burnley (a) 3pts (Fulham, 0pts) +3pts
5. Man City (h) 3pts (0pts) +3pts
6. Stoke City 1pt (0pts) +1pt
7. Newcastle Utd (h) 3pts (0pts) +3pts
8. West Brom (a) 3pts (0pts) +3pts
9. Man Utd (h) 1pt (0pts) +1pt
10. Sunderland (h) 3pts (1pt) +2pts
Total: +23pts


On The Slide: Worse Than Last Season

1. Tottenham (h) 0pts (last season 3pts) -3pts
2. Southampton (h) 0pts (3pts) -3pts
3. Sunderland (a) 1pt (3pts) -2pts
4. Chelsea (a) 0pts (1pt) -1pt
5. Tottenham (a) 1pt (3pts) -2pts
Total: -11pts


The Same As It Ever Was

1. Man Utd (a) 0pts (0pts)
2. QPR (h) 3pts (Cardiff, 3pts)
3. Aston Villa (h) 1pt (1pt)
4. Everton (a) 0pts (0pts)
5. Swansea (h) 3pts (3pts)
6. Leicester (h) 3pts (Norwich, 3pts)
7. Arsenal (h) 0pts (0pts)
8. West Brom (h) 1pt (1pt)
9. Swansea (a) 1pt (1pt)
10. Hull CIty (h) 3pts (3pts)
11. Liverpool (a) 0pts (0pts)
12. Southampton (a) 1pt (1pt)
13. Crystal Palace (h) 0pts (0pts)
14. Arsenal (a) 0pts (0pts)


Still To Play

1. Leicester (a) (Norwich, 0pts)
2. Stoke City (h) (0pts)
3. Man City (a) (0pts)
4. QPR (a) (Cardiff, 3pts)
5. Burnley (h) (Fulham, 3pts)
6. Aston Villa (a) (3pts)
7. Everton (h) (0pts)
8. Newcastle (a) (1pt)
Total last season: 10pts

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Diafra Sakho eager to become West Ham's first goalscorer at the Olympic
Stadium
17:18, 31 March 2015 By Darren Lewis
The Senegal striker, who has had an impressive first season at the club,
also aims to be the last scorer at Upton Park before the Irons move out next
year
The Mirror

Diafra Sakho wants to carve his name into West Ham legend by becoming the
first scorer at the club's new stadium. The Senegal striker, who has had an
impressive first season at the club, also aims to be the last scorer at
Upton Park before the Irons move out next year.
West Ham are gearing up for an emotional final campaign at the Boleyn before
their move to the 54,000-seater Olympic Stadium in the summer of 2016. They
are looking to brink in more firepower this summer with his international
team-mate Moussa Konate among the candidates. But Sakho wants to be the man
who makes history when the club kick off in their new arena. The former Metz
forward, who has scored 12 goals this season, said: "Everyone dreams of
playing there. "I would even like to score the first goal in the new
stadium. That would be amazing. "I hope to score the last goal at Upton Park
as well and then the first one at the Olympic Stadium. You have to be
ambitious.
To go from 35,000 to 54,000 is massive. I think season tickets are going to
go very quickly this year. That's for sure." West Ham's impressive first
half of the season led to growing optimism within the club that they could
launch a shock bid for the Champions League places. They have fallen away
during the second half of the season with their most recent victory, 1-0
over Sunderland , only their second in 12 matches. Sakho, however, maintains
the Hammers will be stronger for the experience next season. He also
insisted the club will be striving to ensure the club are able to conclude
their tenure at Upton Park by taking European football into the Olympic
Stadium.
"It's the club's objective at the moment to play European football at the
new stadium. We as players are here to make that happen. We'll give it our
all in the next year to get there.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Right lads action this time please – not words!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 31, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

I remember laughing out loud when I was told by a Boleyn big hitter a few
weeks ago: "Don't worry about our finishing position – we have an easy run
in and will end up in the top eight!" I guess if we consider games against
relegation threatened teams such as Leicester City, QPR and Aston Villa (
all away) , Manchester City (away) and an end of season game at Newcastle as
easy then all will be well.
Stoke City, Burnley and Everton at home aren't the easiest either with the
Clarets in particular fighting hard in every game to secure their Premier
League future. But there we are, it's all in the eyes of the beholder
although personally I can't see any genuine gimmees on our run-in although
I find it hard to believe that QPR won't be beaten and anything other that a
win on Saturday would be hard to take. Morgan Amalfitano – like most players
before games – says the right things but we know all about words and
actions. He says:"We have a lot of games against the teams below us, but
that's not going to be easy. You have to be focused and we will be against
Leicester." "We've had a week's rest due to the international break and
hopefully we will be able to follow the last game and build on the win we
had against Sunderland at home, because we need that. "Maybe it is not good
to have that break straight away after a win, but we will see. The rest
could do us good." As he says: "We'll see" but after the mid-season slump
the fans deserve a big finish. Let's hope it really is about the action
this time and not all those well rehearsed words.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Valencia "chat" despite watertight contract
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 31, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Enner Valencia has been told he will be going nowhere this summer despite
murmurings that Chelsea retain an interest. Valencia was at the centre of
transfer speculation in January that he could be on his way to Stamford
Bridge but no formal bid was tabled. However, Upton Park sources have again
heard "some agent talk" that the Ecuador striker may be on Jose Mourinho's
summer wanted list. We were told: "The same people who originated the chat
last time – basically agents – are at it again and no doubt it will all
start to fizz up when the window gets underway. "Enner has a watertight
contract with the club – there are no escape clauses involved – and he's
going nowhere. He has had a campaign of adjustment and we expect to see the
finished article next season. "He has been settling into a very different
way of life and that takes time. We are looking forward to seeing him reach
his full potential at West Ham United."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Irons linked to Senegal striker
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 31, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

The Irons are this morning (Tues) reported as being ready to make a summer
move for Senegal striker Moussa Konate. There has been no formal
confirmation but the claim is he is also of interest to Newcastle and Aston
villa after replacing Diafra Sakho at January's Africa Cup of Nations. The
6ft 21 year old came off the bench to score twice in his country's 2-1 win
over Ghana and has scored 11 times in 17 appearances for his club, Swiss
side FC Sion, this season.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers on Senegal striker link
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 31, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham today moved quickly to dispel speculation surrounding their
possible interest in Senegal striker Moussa Konate. The story emerged this
morning, probably as a result of the growing Senegal connection, but top
insiders were quick to knock the rumour down There has been no formal
comment on the story until now but when ClaretandHugh approached it's best
source inside the club we were told: "There's nothing in that whatsoever –
someone has a rich imagination." Newcastle and Aston Villa are reported as
being interested but we are entirely convinced Upton Park is not a
destination for the guy who replaced Diafra Sakho at January's Africa Cup of
Nations.
He came off the bench to score twice in his country's 2-1 win over Ghana and
has scored 11 times in 17 appearances for his club, Swiss side FC Sion, this
season.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Amalfitano: Why I signed
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 31, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Morgan Amalfitano is a very happy Hammer! Having earned himself a new deal
the Frenchman – speaking better English at any time over his time at West
Brom on loan and now a full time Iron – has spoken of his delight at being a
permanent part of Upton Park scene. He told the official site: ""It was good
to sign because I like England and English football, The Premier League is
the best I think and I wanted to stay and try to improve my game again. "I
feel happy here, my family do too and I want to learn better English. London
is a very nice place and in my head it was that reason that I decided to
sign a new deal. "I think the club is right for me and I would like to give
as much as I can back. As long as I do my best that is all I need to do." He
could have ended with a quick chorus of 'Maybe it's because i'm a Londoner'
but not sure the English stretched that far!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sullivan open to Hammers defender Doneil Henry leaving on loan
HITC
John Verrall

West Ham are happy for Doneil Henry to rejoin Blackburn Rovers next season.
West Ham United co-chairman David Sullivan has told the Lancashire Telegraph
that Doneil Henry could be loaned out again next campaign, as he continues
to adapt to English football. Henry has already been on a temporary spell at
Blackburn Rovers this season, but injury cut his time at the Championship
club short. That was a disappointment for all parties, as Henry was
performing well at Blackburn, but Sullivan's words today should boost Gary
Bowyer's side.
Bowyer has made no secret of his desire to re-sign the Canadian defender for
next term, and it seems that West Ham would be open to the move. "If he's
ready for the Premier League then he could get a chance, otherwise it might
be that he goes out on loan again to gain more experience," he said. West
Ham already have a number of defensive options, with the likes of Winston
Reid, James Tomkins and James Collins all ahead of Henry in the pecking
order and therefore the powerful defender's chances of breaking through in
the near future seem slim. It means that the likelihood is that Blackburn
could be in luck if they do continue their pursuit of the 21-year-old. If
Henry does leave on loan again he will be hoping to pick up where he left
off, because his initial impression in English football has been a very
positive one.

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

http://vyperz.blogspot.com



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