Daily WHUFC News - 23rd January 2015

Potts named U21 coach
WHUFC.com
Club legend Steve Potts takes charge of U21s in Academy restructure
22.01.2015

Steve Potts has been named as the Club's new Under-21s coach following
further restructuring to the Academy. Potts will now work with the
Development Squad alongside Head of Coaching Terry Westley, having worked in
the Academy since 2011 and coached the Under-18s for the past two years. The
restructure will see Steve, as with all Academy Coaching Staff, working
across the age groups to ensure all players receive a comprehensive
footballing education that reinforces the Academy's philosophy. The
47-year-old is himself a graduate of the Academy of Football who went on to
make over 500 first team appearances for the Club and win the Hammer of the
Year award in 1993 and 1995. Academy Manager and Head of Coaching & Player
Development Terry Westley is sure Potts' experience will benefit the
Under-21 players. He said: "At Under-21 level we believe you need coaches
rather than managers, so Steve has joined the Under-21s as a coach and will
continue to work across age groups. "We believe he can still work with the
U16s and U18s which will benefit them. His knowledge and experience can
really help them. His work with the Under-21s is also important so there is
a sense of continuity. So that is first in my mind. "Steve is committed to
the club, he's got two boys in the system, Freddie at Under-11 Dan in the
Under-21s. Given the amount of times he played for the club he is a legend.
"He's dedicated and hardworking and a very important member of staff at the
Academy. Hopefully these conditions will help him to flourish. I want to see
our staff work across a number of age ranges."

Potts' long and successful association with the Club began way back in 1983,
coming through the Academy to make his first team debut at the age of just
17 on 1 January 1985. He was an ever-present as Billy Bonds' team won
promotion in the 1992/93 season and then took the captain's armband for
three seasons. An important part of West Ham's first team squad for nearly
two decades, his Premier League appearance record for the Club was only
recently eclipsed by Mark Noble. As a coach he led the Under-18s to the
Barclays U18 Premier League Play-Offs last term and will now look to build
on that success with the Under-21s.

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Long-serving staff celebrated
WHUFC.com
Members of staff who have been at the club for ten years or more were
recognised
22.01.2015

West Ham United celebrated the dedication and loyalty of long-standing
employeers at a special award ceremony hosted by Vice-Chairman Karren Brady
on Tuesday afternoon. With Joint-Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold
marking their fifth anniversary in charge of the Club, the awards were
created to celebrate the achievements of staff who have worked at West Ham
for at least double that amount.
Vice-Chairman Karren Brady said: "As the Joint-Chairmen and myself celebrate
reaching our fifth year at the Club, we were honoured to celebrate the
contribution of our hard-working, loyal and dedicated staff too. "The work
that goes in behind the scenes and off the football pitch often goes
unnoticed on the outside, but without it the Club would not be in the
position it is in, ready to drive forward into an exciting new era at the
new Stadium. "I would like to personally thank all of those that received an
award for their unwavering commitment to this great Club and I look forward
to sharing many more exciting memories with them over the coming years."

Tony Carr MBE is the longest-serving member of staff, having been with the
Hammers for an impressive 41 years, and he said: "It's great that the Board
recognise not just myself, but everyone who has been here for many, many
years. There is something very special about West Ham United and the loyalty
it promotes. It's a great occasion for all the staff to be recognised. "To
be top of the list is fantastic, it's an achievement I am very proud of."

The former West Ham United Academy Director and current Club ambassador, who
was responsible for bringing through some of the Academy's brightest
talents, continued to say: "There's a lot happening with the Club at the
moment. The move to the new stadium is within touching distance really.
Walking out in at that first game is really going to be a fantastic
occasion."

Another long serving member of staff whose commitment was recognised was Kim
Montague, who works in the corporate sales department.
Speaking about her 35 years at West Ham, she said: "I came here for two
weeks, and 35 years later I'm still here! It's very nice to be honoured and
to have your commitment recognised. It's the first time it's happened. 35
years has gone so quickly. "I'm a West Ham fan and I have been since I was
five years old. I was 16 when I first started. The club has certainly
changed a lot since when I first arrived."

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Tomkins ready for Robins test
WHUFC.com
James Tomkins is looking forward to facing Bristol City this Sunday in the
FA Cup
21.01.2015

West Ham United defender James Tomkins is looking ahead to Sunday's FA Cup
fourth round tie with League One high flyers Bristol City.
The Hammers go into the game on the back of a 3-0 win over Hull City as
second half goals from Andy Carroll, Morgan Amalfitano and Stewart Downing
secured their biggest victory of the season so far. In the previous round,
West Ham beat Everton in a thrilling replay which saw the Hammers win 9-8 on
penalties with goalkeeper Adrian slotting home the crucial spot kick.
Speaking about the Everton game, the 25-year-old centre back said: "It was
obviously nice to beat Everton in a very exciting clash. It was nice to come
through that with a win. "The Everton game had a bit of everything really,
it was an exciting match. There was a red card, penalties, it had the lot
and I'm sure for the neutral it was great. Obviously playing in it was a bit
different. When Enner scored I thought we were going to win the game quite
comfortably but it didn't go quite like that."

Despite 38 league positions separating the two sides, Bristol City have been
in excellent form of late, winning six of their last seven matches.
Currently, the Robins are second behind Swindon Town with 54 points from 26
games, and Tomkins is taking nothing for granted.
"Bristol City won't be an easy game, anyone can beat anyone in the FA Cup.
It'll be a hard place to go because they are doing well in the league. "I'm
sure there is a bit more pressure on us as we are the favourites being the
Premier League side. We're expected to win. But Bristol City are a strong
side and we'll treat it like they are a Premier League team. We can't
underestimate them, we've seen it over the years. I remember watching lots
of shocks as a kid, hopefully that won't happen on Sunday."

The last time the two sides met, back in April 2012, the points were shared
as the Hammers drew 1-1 at Ashton Gate, with Tomkins opening the scoring
with a header at the back post. "I think it was in the first 15, 20 minutes
or so. We had a wide free kick, I think it was Nobes who put the ball in
which puts us 1-0 up. We drew that game 1-1 in the end. "Yeah it's a bit
different coming up against a team we haven't played for a while. I think
our experience of playing in the Championship not that long ago will help
us, we know what to expect more or less. Obviously, they are doing very well
in League One. It'll be a physical game and they will try and bully us,
it'll be a hard game for sure."

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Maguire's ready to impress
WHUFC.com
Sean Maguire enjoyed a succesful spell on loan at Accrington Stanley and is
back with the Hammers
22.01.2015

West Ham United midfielder Sean Maguire says he thoroughly enjoyed his time
on loan at Accrington Stanley, having returned to the Hammers after his loan
expired. In total, Maguire made 16 starts for Stanley, scoring four goals in
his four months at the League Two side.
Speaking about his first experience of league football in England, the
20-year-old said: "I enjoyed every minute of it. It was a great experience,
playing in the Football League, coming up against grown men each week. I
think I stood up well to it. "I played 16 games overall. I enjoyed myself as
well. The players, the staff and the fans made me feel at home. The fans
were brilliant with me, so was the gaffer."

Maguire was reunited with manager John Coleman who he had previously worked
with at Sligo Rovers in Ireland. He had a great start to life at Accrington
scoring on his debut against Northampton in a 5-4 epic. "I think my debut
goal was the best of my four goals. I scored to make it 5-2, and it
eventually finished 5-4 so it proved to be the winner. So that one stood out
for me. "It's a big step up from U21s to the Football League to be fair.
It's very competitive as well as playing in front of a crowd. It is more
physical. In U21 you're playing against people your own age, but league
football it is a big mix, I really enjoyed it."

Having returned to West Ham, the Irishman could well be involved in the U21s
match with Chelsea at Rush Green on Friday evening. "I've played against
Chelsea a few times. They are always going to be a tough side to face at any
age group, from the academy to the first team. You know that they are going
to pass the ball well and look to play. It is going to be a tough ask but I
think the boys are well capable of beating them."

Following the Dev Squad's game with the Blues on Friday, they next face
Southampton away on Monday 26 January. "Two games in four days is quite
tough but it's not the first time that's happened and we should be able to
get results from both games."

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West Ham snookered by Hendrie news
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 22nd January 2015
By: Staff Writer

The vice-chairman of Hamilton has cancelled West Ham's move for Stephen
Hedrie after the club apparently failed to turn up for meeting to discuss
the transfer. Ronnie MacDonald hit out at West Ham despite the fee and
personal terms having been agreed. "West Ham had expressed an interest so we
then opened a dialogue with them," he told the Express. "They made an offer
which was acceptable and our representatives met with their representatives
in London. The fee was agreed, Stephen agreed personal terms through his
agent and they were meant to come up to our place on New Year's Day to sign
off the deal and didn't appear. "They then said they would up on the 4th but
didn't appear so I just cancelled the deal. "I'm getting phone calls from
London saying they want to resurrect it but as fas as I'm concerned it's
off. I'm presuming they have seen Stephen playing against Celtic when he did
really well for a kid and changed their mind but I have not changed my mind.
"I always like to deal woth add-ons and with add-ons the fee for Stephen
wuld have been well in excess of £2million. We are sorry for the boy because
he is not getting his big move. "I think West Ham are shambolic and if
that's how they carry on their business that's up to them, They should do
things properly."

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Reid reiterates love for London
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 21st January 2015
By: Staff Writer

Winston Reid has expressed his 'love' for London - just 24 hours after he
dismissed a report linking him with a possible January move to Arsenal. A
story in yesterday's Mirror claimed that Reid had indicated he would join
Arsenal IF a deal could be struck with West Ham ahead of the transfer
deadline. A matter of hours later Reid took to Twitter, to accuse the author
of fabricating the story. Yet later in the day, speaking in his latest
column for Fanbookz, Reid - who has thus far refused to sign a new contract
with West Ham - appeared to hint that he saw his long-term future in the
capital, as revealed here on KUMB at the beginning of January. "I get asked
how I find London, having come from New Zealand and then from Denmark four
years ago," he said. "The answer is that I love it, mainly because you can
do almost anything at any time. "There's loads going on, with concerts,
shopping etc - so there's lots of possibilities. It's one of the most iconic
cities in the world and it's a city that's on the go all the time which is
something that really appeals to me.
"It's a fun city…when you're not sitting in traffic." Yesterday West Ham's
co-owner David Sullivan admitted that his chances of persuading the central
defender to extend his stay in east London were no more than "30 per cent"
-whilst indicating that he would not be averse to striking a deal - albeit
only on hugely favourable terms. "We wouldn't let Winston go unless it is a
silly deal and I don't think anyone would pay the money we want," he said.

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MACDONALD BLASTS WEST HAM
By Sean Whetstone 22 Jan 2015 at 09:36
West Ham Till I Die

Hamliton Vice Chairman Ronnie MacDonald has called West Ham shambolic for
their handling of a £2m plus deal for Stephen Hendrie.

He told the Daily Express : "We had agreed terms with Crystal Palace for
Stephen to go there once the transfer window opened but unfortunately Neil
Warnock lost his job so that fell away.But prior to that West Ham had
expressed an interest so we then opened a dialogue with them, they made an
offer which was acceptable and our representatives met with their
representatives in London. The fee was agreed, Stephen agreed personal terms
through his agent and they were meant to come up to our place on New Year's
Day to sign off the deal and didn't appear. They then said they would up on
the 4th but didn't appear so I just cancelled the deal.I'm getting phone
calls from London saying they want to resurrect it but as fas as I'm
concerned it's off. I'm presuming they have seen Stephen playing against
Celtic when he did really well for a kid and changed their mind but I have
not changed my mind.I always like to deal woth add-ons and with add-ons the
fee for Stephen wuld have been well in excess of £2million. We are sorry for
the boy because he is not getting his big move.I think West Ham are
shambolic and if that's how they carry on their business that's up to them,
They should do things properly."
Media reports yesterday suggested West Ham had a £2million bid rejected for
the Hamilton left-back Stephen Hendrie. The Scottish 20-year-old is out of
contract in the summer and is said to be attracting interest from a number
of Premier League clubs including West Ham, Crystal Palace and Swansea.
Hendrie has made more than 100 appearances for the Scottish Premiership club
but has made it clear he is ready to move to a bigger club.

Speaking before his 20th birthday in January Hendrie said: 'I'm 20 next
week, I don't think that's too young or too old to move from Hamilton.I'm a
Celtic fan and obviously the Premier League is one of the best leagues in
the world. That's my dream – you want to reach as high a level as you can
and if I can get to the Premier League that would be brilliant. But the
Accies would need to see if it's the right offer. If it is, they say they'll
never stand in anybody's way. They are a great club like that. If they
accepted it, there is not much I could do. It's good massive clubs are
getting mentioned. But I just want to get my head down and keep doing
well.Just now, the Accies are flying and I'm loving every minute of it. We
just want to finish as high as we can."

An West Ham insider told ClaretandHugh this morning : "We didn't value the
player at £2m, he's a Bosman in the summer. We only saw him as back- up.
They were too greedy and will now get a token fee in the Summer as its
across border move."

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Irons hit back at Accies "shambolic" claims
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 22, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham have responded strongly to claims that their behaviour in trying to
sign defender Stephen Hendrie was "shambolic." The accusation came from
Hamilton vice-chairman Ronnie MacDonald after he scrapped their £2million
move for the player. According to MacDonald, the Hammers made an
"acceptable" offer for Hendrie after Crystal Palace pulled out of an
agreement to sign the 20-year-old left-back following the sacking of Neil
Warnock. An angry MacDonald has pulled the plug on the deal and hit out
after claiming we failed to show up at meetings to sign off the transfer.
However, a West Ham insider told ClaretandHugh: "We didn't value the player
at £2m, he's a Bosman in the summer." And he denied MacDonald's claim they
are trying to resurrect the deal saying: "We only saw him as back- up. They
were too greedy and will now get a token fee in the Summer as its across
border move.

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Tug of war over Hammer Borg
Posted by Sean Whetstone on January 22, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham teenage Hammers academy youngster Oscar Borg is subject to a
tug-of-war between the England and Turkey national teams. The 17-year-old
was born and grew up in Surrey but the Turkish Football Association are
aware of his eligibility when they discovered his grandmother was born in
Istanbul. Since then representatives from both the English and Turkish FAs
have contacted his parents to declare their interest in him. Hammer Borg
has been dubbed the next Gareth Bale by coaches at Chadwell Heath. Last year
Manchester United's attempt to sign Borg collapsed after West Ham refused to
agree a compensation package with the Red Devils. The then 16 year old had
trials with Manchester United after refusing to sign a new contract with
West Ham to become a full scholar. He has been with the Hammers since 10
years old. Following the collapse of his dream move to Manchester United he
committed his future to West Ham.

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Henry/Glover scenario may be an Irons problem
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 22, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Tension is never far from the surface inside Upton Park – there's invariably
an issue simmering not far below the surface which ensures intrigue and
conspiracy theories. So let's not beat around the bush – how does the
Malcolm Glover/Tony Henry situation work? Glover is Sam Allardyce's long
term chief scout whilst Henry – described by insiders to ClaretandHugh today
as "a major West Ham influence"in the market – is a special adviser to the
board on transfers. Now, being charitable it could be argued the more the
merrier – so long as we are getting the very best players on board at
competitive prices, where's the problem? And if the two men were working
together rather than apart that would be fine but in terms of title and, it
seems activity, that doesn't appear to be the case. One advises the manager
whilst the other has a title which makes it clear he reports directly to the
board and that may, to put it mildly, cause difficulties.

Sam Allardyce doesn't do directors of football. We understand it's written
into his contract and that's presumably because he wants overall control of
football matters. But with a transfer market guru reporting to the board
whilst Sam discusses his favoured targets with Glover at the very least a
two tier structure looks to be in place which in the long term could prove
troublesome, if it hasn't done so already. You have to wonder whether this
can work long term and with reports having circulated already that Henry
isn't allowed on the training pitch that looks unlikely. Is it a recipe for
success or conflict? One thing's for sure – the conspiracy theories won't be
going away anytime soon.

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Hatters hoping to Hammer out Lee deal
Posted by Sean Whetstone on January 22, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Luton Town have been linked with a loan move for West Ham striker Elliott
Lee despite him not playing a game this season. The 20-year-old played four
games on loan for Colchester United last season, scoring once, but hasn't
made an appearance in 2014/15. He signed for League Two Southend United in
October but injured his hamstring just 30 minutes into his first training
session and is still on the recovery trail. Southend continue to monitor
Lee's recovery with Wycombe Wanderers and Burton Albion also reported to be
interested in loaning the promising youngster. Southend Manager Phil Brown,
who worked with West Ham manager Sam Allardyce told the Southend Echo.
"I'm still interested in bringing Elliot Lee back to the football club but I
don't think he's quite ready to play on a regular basis at the moment. I've
spoken to West Ham quite regularly about his progress ever since his loan
spell with us came to end…"I've been interested in bringing Elliot Lee to
the football and that hasn't changed"

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Hammers update Fletcher 'deal'
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 22, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

West Ham are currently negotiating hard to bring Manchester United's Darren
Fletcher to Upton Park on loan. A clause would be included for him to join
permanently in the summer and ClaretandHugh has just been told the chances
of the Scottish international are "at around even money." Speculation the
move was more than 'paper talk came earlier in the week when Fletcher's
agent was spotted at Chadwell Heath but it wasn't until a few minutes ago
that talks were confirmed. West Ham are poised to sign out-of-favour
Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher on loan for the rest of the
season. Valencia and West Brom are also believed to be involved in the chase
but the Hammers current lofty Premier league position has put the club in
pole position. A top Hammers source told us exclsuively : "Talks are
definitely in progress and we are hopeful but at this stage the chances are
at 50/50 – it looks an even money job. " Fletcher is surplus to requirements
at Old Trafford and with a his contract expirng in the summer he is ready to
look strongly at the Hammers option.
The 30-year-old started the first three games under Van Gaal but has since
been relegated to the substitutes' bench. He has overcome serious illness
in recent years, being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis which required
surgery in 2013.

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Report: Egwuekwe flies in for Hammers talks
Posted by Sean Whetstone on January 22, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Nigeria international Azubuike Egwuekwe is reported to have flown to London
for talks with the Irons according to SL10.ng The Warri Wolves skipper had
earlier been linked with a move to Watford in the January transfer window
but it now appears The Hammers may be on his radar. A source close to Warri
Wolves is quoted as telling SL10.ng: "Azubuike Egwuekwe is in London right
now. He is with West Ham.
Hapoel Tel Aviv are also interested in him, and representatives of the club
have been making enquiries.'I am aware they called Ibezito Ogbonna to ask
him about information about Azubuike Egwuekwe." Egwuekwe, 25, is a regular
for Nigeria with 34 caps, and is a centre back, standing at 6ft 5in.
Previous reports suggest West Ham will have to pay £4m to land Egwuekwe
which some way off the reported £500,000 bid West Ham initially submitted.

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Henry's a major Irons transfer influence
Posted by Sean Whetstone on January 22, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Tony Henry has been described as "a major West Ham influence" as a transfer
adviser despite having no visible presence at the club.
The former Chief Scout at Sunderland and Everton is the main adviser to the
board and he is busy this transfer window behind the scenes.
Manager Sam Allardyce continues to employ his own head of recruitment Martin
Glover and it has been claimed in the national press Henry is not welcome at
the training ground. The suggestion has been made that friction may exist
because he and Glover are carrying out similar roles. When asked about
Henry's influence at the club a senior source told Claret and Hugh: "He's
the adviser to the board and has a major influence. We've bid for a number
of players at his suggestion. These are lower division players for the
future. He's also in negotiations with several senior players over possible
signing now."

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Ravel Morrison's West Ham exit is as inevitable as it depressing
Julian Shea for Metro.co.ukThursday 22 Jan 2015 3:03 pm
Metro.co.uk

When he was on loan at Birmingham from West Ham, Blues boss Lee Clark told
midfielder Ravel Morrison he had more talent than any player Clark had seen
since Paul Gascoigne. Morrison had to be told who Gazza was. In the most
depressing way, that resemblance looks like becoming significantly stronger.

The news West Ham are seeking to offload the 21-year-old – with Gascoigne's
old club Lazio touted as his next possible port of call – is as sad as it
was predictable. It is pretty much the same set of circumstances that
surrounded Morrison's Manchester United exit in 2012. Bags full of talent,
but even heavier emotional baggage.

A player of prodigious talent but sadly with more of nose for finding
trouble than finding the net, Morrison was rated one of United's hottest
prospects in years, but when Sir Alex Ferguson – a man more than happy to
stand by and defend hot-heads if they get the job done on the pitch –
decided it was in everyone's best interest if he left Manchester – not the
club, the city – completely, the warning signs were there.

Everyone knew Sam Allardyce was playing with fire, and running a risk of
seriously burnt fingers, when he took a gamble on the youngster in 2012 –
but the saddest aspect of Morrison's likely exit is what a damp squib he
turned out to be, rather than the bright spark hoped for.

After Birmingham, hopes were high that Morrison might make the contribution
his (footballing) reputation promised to West Ham's 2013-14 campaign. Wrong.

Admittedly, his one contribution of note – a brilliant solo effort in the
3-0 win at Tottenham in October 2013 – counted as much as 10 goals against
other opposition in the eyes of some fans, but Morrison's failure to follow
this up saw him farmed out in an odd 'emergency' loan (presumably emergency
in the sense that Harry Redknapp had run out of any other players to sign)
to promotion-chasing QPR.

He helped them reach the play-off final, but was only an unused substitute
for the final, and once back at West Ham was soon loaned again, this time to
Cardiff, with Allardyce warning this was about proving himself as a person,
not a player. When he came back early, it was not so much a case of the
writing being on the wall for Morrison's West Ham career as the headstone
having been engraved.

In an effort to prevent an unwanted gatecrasher spoiling the surprise party
that is this season, West Ham are now looking to let Morrison go, to become
someone else's problem – should anyone be so reckless. Those who remember
the car crash that was Gascoigne's Lazio career will wince at the thought of
Morrison following in his footsteps.

As the Ched Evans case has shown, clubs can be very forgiving if they think
a bad boy will bring something positive to the team. Tragically for
Morrison, bad attitudes seem to be less tolerated than bad behaviour. What a
sad waste.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com



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