Adrian earns Mimms praise
WHUFC.com
Bobby Mimms believes Adrian is performing as well as any goalkeeper in the
Barclays Premier League
08.01.2015
Adrian is performing as well as any goalkeeper in the Barclays Premier
League at present, according to West Ham United coach Bobby Mimms.
Mimms has worked closely with the Spaniard since his arrival at the Hammers
in October, and has been hugely impressed by Adrian's attitude, ability
and all-round approach to his craft. The 28-year-old has responded by
producing a string of eye-catching performances. Going into Saturday's trip
to Swansea City, Adrian has made 65 saves in the Barclays Premier League
goalkeeper this season, level with the Swans' own Lukasz Fabianski and
second only to Queens Park Rangers' former West Ham stopper Robert Green
(73). While he has been kept busy, Mimms says the former Real Betis man has
been up to the task repeatedly when called upon. "Adrian is doing really
well," the goalkeeper coach confirmed. "Since I came to the Club, he has
performed pretty consistently and over the Christmas period some of his
performances were top-class. "I don't think there is anybody performing in
the Premier League as well and as consistently as Adrian at the moment, so
long may that continue. "We will keep working out there on the training
pitch and hopefully he can carry that into the games."
Of his 65 saves, Adrian has made three from shots unleashed inside his
six-yard box and 31 apiece from inside and outside his penalty area. When
you factor in his accurate distribution over short and long distances, it is
easy to see why Mimms is among a growing number of people who rate the
Seville-born goalkeeper as one of the best in English football at present.
He will get another chance to prove his credentials when West Ham travel to
Wales to face Swansea on Saturday, with kick-off at the Liberty Stadium at
3pm. You can catch live coverage of the match on whufc.com and across our
social media channels.
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Howes ready for Spurs
WHUFC.com
Academy goalkeeper Sam Howes is confident the Dev Squad can build on
Leicester win
08.01.2015
West Ham United Academy goalkeeper Sam Howes was delighted to secure his
first clean sheet of the season in the Development Squad's 1-0 win over
Leicester City on Monday at Rush Green. In a tight affair, the Hammers came
out on top when substitute Djair Parfitt-Williams headed home Lewis Page's
corner in the 84th minute, and now the goalkeeper is looking for more
success when the U21s take on Tottenham Hotspur at Rush Green on Friday
night (7pm kick-off). Speaking after the game, the 18-year-old shot-stopper
said: "It was great to get my first clean sheet of the season for the U21s
on Monday. I thought we were excellent on the night. Leicester are a strong
team but we worked hard to get the result in the end. "To score in the 85th
minute was absolutely crucial. Our recent streak hasn't been going too well
for us but it was good to get the win and all the lads were buzzing."
Howes has had a notable season for the Hammers, making a substitute
appearance on the first team's pre-season tour of New Zealand, before
signing a professional contract. So far this season Howes has made five U21
appearances as well as 10 starts for the U18s. Assessing his own
performance, he continued: "I didn't have too much to do in the first half,
it was mainly distribution work. "In the second half the game opened up a
bit, and we got a bit more stretched. So I had one or two saves to make but
all the lads played their part and everyone is delighted get the three
points and a clean sheet."
The Dev Squad face a busy January with Friday night's game against rivals
Tottenham Hotspur their second of the week, out of five in total. After the
Spurs game, the Hammers will play away at Everton and Southampton while
hosting Chelsea on Friday 23 January.. However, Howes insists that everybody
is taking each game one at a time and they prepare for the Tottenham game.
"Leicester were very organised, they came with a plan to win. They're second
from bottom so they also needed the win. This win could change the course of
our season.
"Tottenham will be an even tougher game, they're doing well in the league.
It's a London derby and we're at home, this win over Leicester will give us
confidence so we have a chance. We had have a day off on Tuesday to recover
and then refocus for Tottenham."
Kick off at Rush Green is 7pm on Friday. Admission is FREE for Season Ticket
Holders, just £3 for adults and £1 for U16s.
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Senegal angry at Sakho withdrawal
BBC.co.uk
Senegal officials hope to prevent injured Diafra Sakho playing for West Ham
during the three-week-long Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
Forward Sakho, 25, is out with a back injury, with a senior Senegal official
accusing the Premier League side of a "lack of respect" over his
withdrawal. The 2002 runners-up wanted to assess the player's injury
themselves. "We're going to Fifa and the English FA," Senegal Football
Federation president Augustin Senghor.
Speaking to the Senegal Press Agency, Senghor added: "Obviously, West Ham
have shown a lack of respect in waiting until the last minute before
alerting us to Sakho's unavailability for six weeks and even his inability
to travel by plane to come and join the squad."
Sakho had been due to arrive in Dakar on Tuesday for Senegal medics to
assess his recurring back problem. But the player's agent said he had been
advised against travelling. Sakho missed three Premier League games after
suffering a back injury just before Senegal's final Africa Cup of Nations
qualifier against Botswana, which forced him to pull out of that match.
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce was critical of Senegal's handling of the player
at the time, describing it as "outrageous".
Sakho will be replaced by Pape Moussa Konate, 21, who plays for Sion in
Switzerland, at the tournament in Equatorial Guinea.
It starts on 17 January and runs until 8 February. West Ham, seventh in the
table, have four Premier League games and at least one FA Cup replay during
the course of the Africa Cup of Nations. The Hammers said Allardyce is
expected to address the issue in his scheduled news conference on Friday.
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OXFORD READY TO COMMIT HIS FUTURE
By Sean Whetstone 8 Jan 2015 at 22:06
West Ham Till I DIe
Reece Oxford is poised to commit his long term future to the club according
to the Daily Mail. Oxford, who turned 16 last month, is viewed as one of
best Hammers Academy talents in many years with many of the Premier League's
top clubs looking to poach him from us over the last year.
Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal have all shown interest in the
teenager in the past, leading to fears from within West Ham that we could
lose Oxford as new contract talks with him stalled last year.
As a 15 year old, Oxford was an unused substitute in the Capital One Cup
defeat against Sheffield United in September The central defender has been
likened to former Hammers academy graduate Rio Ferdinand, could have left
for a nominal fee in the summer when his contract was due to expire. He also
captained England's U-17s in the summer
Chairman David Sullivan previously said last year when Oxford was 15 "It's a
joke that they can just come in and nick your best players for just
£250,000. Our academy costs just under £4 million a year to run. Up until
this season you could nick a 15-year-old for about £50,000. I think they are
going to change it now and there is going to be some retrospective
compensation. So you'll probably get £250,000."If you lose someone for a few
hundred thousand quid its nothing when the academy costs £4 million to run."
Official confirmation that he has put pen to paper is expected in January.
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SENEGAL: WEST HAM TREATED US WITH DISRESPECT
By Iain Dale 8 Jan 2015 at 12:37
West Ham Till I Die
According to "talkSport" Senegal are accusing West Ham of showing no respect
to them and have reported West Ham to the FA and FIFA over Diafra Sakho's
injury. It has prevented him from playing in the African Nations Cup. Sam
wouldn't let Sakho get on a plane – not surprising considering Sakho has a
back injury, which, let's remember was caused by the Senegalese medical
team. They are saying he can't play for West Ham while the ACN is underway,
even if he recovers.
Perhaps they should be reminded just who pays his wages.
Idiots.
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West Ham youngster Reece Oxford set to pen new long-term deal at Upton Park
Jan 08, 2015 22:30 By John Cross, James Nursey
Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal have all reportedly been eyeing the
16-year-old, but the Hammers look set to hold on to him
The Mirror
West Ham teenager Reece Oxford is set to give the club a major boost by
committing his long term future to Upton Park. Liverpool, Manchester United
and Arsenal have all been tracking the 16-year-old defender who is viewed as
one of the country's brightest prospects.
Oxford, who has captained England's under-17s, has already made the bench
for the first team and is now set to sign a deal after positive
negotiations. The Hammers are trying to snap up PSG starlet Jean-Kevin
Augustin on the cheap. The exciting France U18 international striker is out
of contract this summer. He has a clutch of top European clubs chasing him
including Juventus, Roma, Benfica and Porto. The youngster, who turns 18 in
June, is now able to speak to foreign clubs. And the high-flying Hammers are
trying to broker a cut-price deal to bring him this month or agree terms for
the summer.
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Carroll OK for Swans clash despite new injury!
Posted by Sean Whetstone on January 8, 2015 in Whispers
Claret * Hugh
Andy Carroll posted photographic evidence of a new injury to his thousands
of followers on Instagram today. Despite having state of art medical
facilities and staff at West Ham it was left to the future Mrs Carroll to
make a home made plaster for the £16m striker. Neither his little finger or
the ankle problem which saw him miss the Third Round FA Cup Tie at Everton
will keep him out of the game at Swansea this weekend! ClaretandHugh was
told: "He'll be fine – the knock he took in training which kept him out of
the Everton game was very minor."
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Irons on Jarvis-Ipswich loan link
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 8, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Matt Jarvis will not be allowed out on loan this month despite rumours of
interest from promotion-seeking Championship club Ipswich.
With the Hammers short on numbers, Jarvis is seen as a key member of the
squad and a source said there was no chance of the winger being let out on
loan. Rumours had been circulating in Ipswich that his former Wolves boss
Mick McCarthy was keen but a Hammers source told ClaretandHugh: "There's
been no contact and it's difficult to see how they could afford him." With
the Tractor Boys in second place in the Championship, Jarvis would make an
ideal signing but the Irons are adamant it won't happen. A source told
ClaretandHugh: "We couldn't allow it even if Ipswich could afford to do a
deal. We need Matt – he's very much part of things at the moment."
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Senegal step up Sakho hot air war
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 8, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Senegal – it seems is still on the warpath making all sorts of threatening
noises about Diafra Sakho being unavailable for the African Nations Cup.
Rarely has so much noise been heard as toys come flying out of a pram with
Senegal Football Federation president Augustin Senghor saying the Irons
waited until "the last minute" before letting him know about the situation.
That of course is very much open to question as the player was injured on
New Year's Day and the scans and specialists' report was in their hands
within three or four days. It's still only a week later and every nation has
until the 17th of the month to finalise its squad anyway- so much for last
minute. Much hot air it seems is rising over Africa. As ClaretandHugh
reported earlier, Senegal were told to send their own doctor to check him
out, which hasn't happened. Now whose fault could that be? Senghor however,
ranted to the Senegal Press Agency: "Obviously, West Ham have shown a lack
of respect in waiting until the last minute before alerting us to Sakho's
unavailability for six weeks and even his inability to travel by plane to
come and join the squad."
That demonstrates how little these guys appear to know about back injuries
which let's remember was inflicted on the player during his last excursion
with the national squad – so perhaps we are expecting a little too much from
Mr Senghor The like his manager Alain Giresse he threatens that the SFAS
will go to Fifa and the English FA to make sure our rights and the
regulations are applied pompous; declaring: "And as such Diafra will not
play for the specified for his unavailability." Perhaps if the player hadn't
been injured whilst in their care we may have a little more sympathy towards
them – err actually No!
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Senegal boss rage despite Irons "check Sakho" call
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 8, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Senegal boss Alain Giresse is trying to get heavy-handed with the Irons over
Diafra Sakho's injury and absence from the African Nations Cup. The Senegal
head coach has gone public with inflammatory remarks threatening the Hammers
not to play Diafra Sakho should he recover before his country exit the
competition. However, ClaretandHugh finds the remarks surprising to put it
mildly as we understand the club has offered every opportunity for a Senegal
medical team to check him out. As yet no doctor has emerged from the Senegal
camp despite an invitation to do so which make Giresse's remarks all the
more surprising. We understand too that scans and reports from leading back
specialists in London have been sent to them but West Ham have received
absolutely no response. Sam Allardyce says the striker is set to miss
another two to five weeks with a recurrence of his back injury as was
reported on this site last week. But none of that has stopped Giresse
saying: "If they don't want Sakho to come so they can play him they are
wrong. He doesn't have the right."
There's also the implication that Senegal will use Fifa rules in a bid ro
reinforce Giresse's public position.
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Reece Oxford commits future to West Ham amid interest in 16-year-old
wonderkid from Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal
Reece Oxford is to sign a long-term contract with West Ham
16-year-old defender is wanted by Man United, Liverpool and Arsenal
Oxford is viewed as one of English football's outstanding young talents
He made the West Ham squad for Capital One Cup tie with Sheffield United
Oxford has captained the England Under 17 side
By SAMI MOKBEL FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 15:05, 8 January 2015 | UPDATED: 15:24, 8 January 2015
West Ham are set for a major boost with the news that wonderkid Reece Oxford
is poised to commit his long term future to the club.
Oxford, who turned 16 last month, is viewed as one of England's talents with
all of the Premier League's elite looking to poach him from Upton Park.
Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal have all shown a major interest in
the teenager in recent months, leading to genuine fears from within West Ham
that they could lose Oxford. But the young defender is close to agreeing a
new contract with the Hammers that will - for the time being - end any
uncertainty over his future. Talks over fresh terms have been ongoing for
several weeks. Discussions had originally stalled, but it is understood a
breakthrough has now been made that will see Oxford, who has captained
England Under-17s, put pen to paper. Oxford - who was 15 at the time - was
an unused substitute in the Capital One Cup defeat against Sheffield United
in September - a clear indication of how highly regarded he is by West Ham
staff. The central defender, who has been likened to former Hammers academy
graduate Rio Ferdinand, could have left for a nominal fee in the summer when
his contract was due to expire. But the Hammers are now confident that
scenario has been avoided after positive talks.
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West Ham must make this change if they want to push on
By Matt Bourne - Jan 8, 2015
SHARE Facebook Twitter
West Ham were unlucky not to see out the FA Cup clash against Everton at
Goodison Park, with the hosts eventually grabbing a late equaliser through
Romelu Lukaku.
Although it wasn't the best performance West Ham have produced this season,
there were a number of impressive individual displays both in defence and
midfield. Apart from the goal, West Ham looked very strong defensively.
Ironically, Winston Reid had one of his best games this season and James
Collins made a number of good blocks as well as taking his goal very well.
The only concern from a West Ham point of view will be Kevin Nolan's
disappointing performance. There were times when Nolan gave the ball away
under very little pressure and his touch looked tiresome. For some reason,
it looks as if Nolan is not even close to the fitness levels of his fellow
teammates around him.
In a way, it actually makes Mark Noble's job in midfield a lot more
difficult, as Nolan does not have the pace to recover if he does make a
mistake, leaving Noble with more responsibility in midfield. The presence of
Cheikou Kouyate and Alex Song alongside Kevin Nolan in recent games has
steered the attention away from the English midfielder but he looked
completely out of sorts against Everton.
Although Nolan has been an excellent servant for West Ham over the years, he
looks as if his best days are behind him. When Allardyce starts him in
central midfield, it just doesn't work. Using Nolan as an attacking
substitute in the final 10 minutes of games is probably the best way to
handle his future.
Fans may be calling for another central midfielder to be bought in January.
However, the young Diego Poyet has not been given that much of an
opportunity in terms of getting a run in the side and playing him alongside
Noble in the centre of midfield could be a better option for Allardyce. His
playing style is also quite similar to Noble's as well, he has a tendency to
keep things very simple and can pick out a pass. In central midfield,
keeping the ball well and using it wisely will give you the upper hand in
games. If Poyet gets a run in the side, he could prove to be the ideal
replacement for some noticeable absentees in the middle of the park.
The other cause for concern at West Ham at the moment is the current
situation up front. With Sakho not featuring for a while, Allardyce is left
with Carlton Cole, Andy Carroll and Enner Valencia as his three striking
options. Although Valencia performed well against Everton, he looked
incredibly isolated at times and it looks as if he needs a strike partner
like Sakho in order to really thrive up front. The probable strike force
Allardyce will opt for is Valencia and Carroll, something that hasn't worked
as of yet. However, due to the departure of Mauro Zarate (better not open
that can of worms), Allardyce has very little choice in who he can play up
front. A new striker in January to replace Zarate would make sense, as West
Ham now look a little bare in numbers up front.
Another potential problem for Allardyce in January could be the departure of
Winston Reid from West Ham. If he continues to play like he did against
Everton for the remainder of the season, there is no doubt that Big Sam will
want to keep him. However, he has not looked as assured as he usually does
at the back this campaign and this is probably due to the rumours linking
him with a move away from Upton Park. If the club receives a bid of around
£7million for a player whose contract is up very soon, it may be wise to
cash in on him rather than lose him for nothing in the summer.
That amount of money would free up wages, giving the manager the budget to
explore the market and bring in a quality replacement. Although it would be
sad to see Winston go, Allardyce needs to be thinking about potential
replacements for Reid and allowing him to leave this window could suit both
parties.
Overall, January is a very important time for West Ham as they need to
bounce back from a slightly disappointing Christmas. The next few fixtures
will reveal a lot about the character of this squad due to the absence of
some key players, but the returning Alex Song will add a much needed boost
to the side before the trip to the Liberty Stadium this weekend.
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