Brown targets victory over Black Cats
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Development Squad striker Jordan Brown is relishing Monday night's crucial match with Sunderland at the Black Cat's Eppleton training ground. The Dev Squad last played over a month ago when they recorded an impressive 2-1 win over London rivals Fulham, with Brown netting the winner with a header at the back post, his first goal for the U21s this season. Speaking ahead of the Hammers crunch game with the Black Cats, the in-form striker Jordan Brown said: "It's been a while since our last U21 game, about a month and I'm really looking forward to getting back playing. "It was very important to win our last game before the break. I think we've got the foundation of the team sorted now, we just need to carry on playing from where we left off." In the reverse fixture at the start of the season, the Dev Squad triumphed 2-0 courtesy of two late goals from Elliot Lee. Now that the Dev Squad top goal scorer on five goals has gone out on loan at Luton Town, Brown knows he has an opportunity to fill Lee's shoes."We beat Sunderland at Upton Park, the good thing in that game was that we kept it tight at the back. Even though we had first team experience, everyone did well and we deserved to win.
"I know Sunderland are a hardworking team, they have several players who likes to get on the ball and Duncan Watmore, a winger who can play upfront who is really quick, he likes to get in behind the defence so we need to wary of that."
Having scored seven goals in 14 games for the U18s this season, Brown boasts an impressive scoring ratio of a goal every other game and the Hammers will need the striker to be at his prolific best come Monday evening. Following the Sunderland game, the Hammers face a difficult run of games as they face Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United in their next three games. "A win is probably a must at this point of the season. If we keep playing well then you never know what might happen. "We just need to focus what's ahead of us and not what's behind us. We just need to concentrate, work hard as a team and get those wins."
Having impressed for the U18s and U21s, Brown has caught the attentions of the first team coaches and he now regularly trains with the senior team. Speaking about his experiences of training alongside fellow striker such as Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia, Brown continued: "It's been good training with the first team, it's not as scary as I thought it would be. They're nice people to work with and obviously it's great to train with Premier League players, it can only help my development. "All of the players have impressed me at different points, as a striker I've come up against James Tomkins quite a few times. "Playing against him, I've realised how clever he is, and how clever you need to be to play in the Premiership. I'll make a run and he'll read it even before the ball has been played. He'll get to it before I've even seen him coming so he's impressed me a lot."
West Ham United Development Squad play Sunderland U21s on Monday 9 March, kick off is 7PM.
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WILL OUR SEASON FADE AND DIE?
By Tony Hanna 8 Mar 2015 at 09:46
West Ham Till I Die
For those of you on blood pressure medication and that have to take your BP readings on a regular basis, this season may have seen some relief for your ailment. Unlike many recent seasons we are not continually looking at the fixture list wondering where the next points are coming from to stave off relegation. Isn't it nice? It is just as well too, as we have not been getting any rub of the green of late. Poor refereeing decisions have cost us many points and the rescinding of red cards and subsequent bans enforced by video evidence is nice to see, but has not really helped us one iota! Our own deficiencies have also seen four points float down the proverbial river against teams we love to beat. Late goals from Spurs and Manchester United were hard to take.
When we hit the dizzy heights of third this season, expectations amongst some fans were of Europe and a top six finish. However, with just one league win this year the Hammers have slumped to tenth and the season now looks as though it may fade away into obscurity. Safe from relegation, albeit not mathematically, and seemingly now adrift from the top echelon, we have little to play for but pride and some extra prize money. So, will the team respond to having the pressure off or will our season just die an early death? Whilst we have ten games left only four of those are at home. We still have to play Arsenal and City away but we also go to QPR and Leicester. All the home games are very winnable with Sunderland, Stoke, Burnley and Everton still to visit Upton Park.
An age old question raises it head again, especially for the games later in the season. Who will come out on top? The team with not much to play for that can play without any pressure on them, or the team that has the pressure on to obtain a certain goal such as a top four position or to stave off relegation. The bookies normally price up the latter much shorter so I am not going to argue their point. The most likely outcome is that we will take the foot off the pedal to some degree. Perhaps that is why we have raised our game for the big matches recently, where there is some sense of greater achievement derived from winning? That is not to say I am suggesting we are not trying against the lesser likes, just that in this league you will normally get beat if you are not 100% on your game.
Off the field and the signing of Winston Reid to a long term contract is great news. Not only have we secured a very decent centre half but it has saved us from having to spend a great deal of money to find a replacement. Those funds can now be used to sign Carl Jenkinson or add strength to other parts of the squad. Unless there is a real change in the form of Alex Song I can not imagine the club will want to go anywhere near the suggested transfer fee or his wage demands? Perhaps we dodged a very expensive bullet there because there would be little left in the transfer pot if we did put all our eggs in the one basket. Now, where have I heard that saying before?
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Jenks price talks on end of season agenda
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on March 8, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham will make their first move for Carl Jenkinson as soon as the season ends. The club have not yet spoken to Arsenal about making the loan deal permanent but ClaretandHugh has learned that it is high on the agenda as one of the first things the club wants done in the summer. A well placed source insisted that no talks had yet been held and that "at this stage" the club was unsure what Arsenal are looking for in terms of a fee. But he added: "We will be talking to them as soon as the season comes to an end and find out whrere we are with things. " The price could be affected by a hip issue which has to be carefully maintained by the club medics but we were told: "The lad has done really well and we will be getting into talks."
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Ex Hamburg midfielder in Hammers Dubai link
Posted by Sean Whetstone on March 8, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Diafra Sakho posted an Instagram photo of himself in Dubai with Carlton Cole, Guy Demel and a mystery bearded man having lunch at the luxury Blue Marlin Ibiza in the United Arab Emirates on Friday. The mystery man appears to be the former Hamburg midfielder Josef Shirdel who is now a free agent and has been training with West Ham since February with some suggesting he has been given a trial by Sam Allardyce. Andy Carroll, Alex Song, Nene and Winston Reid didn't travel with the first team for warm weather training in Dubai Sports City. Winston Reid appears to have been given time off after he posted a photo of himself in Paris yesterday.
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West Ham players train in Dubai ahead of vital matches
HITC
Vincent Ralph
2 hours ago
West Ham United's players have been taking part in training in new surroundings. West Ham United's players have been photographed taking part in their warm weather training in Dubai. The pictures were published by the Hammers' official Twitter account and they showed the likes of Cheikhou Kouyate, Guy Demel, Mark Noble and Matt Jarvis being put through their paces. West Ham have taken the opportunity of a free weekend to travel to Dubai, with the FA Cup quarter-finals allowing a number of clubs to take stock before the business-end of the season. Along with the usual faces, there was also a surprise in the guise of former West Ham striker Freddie Kanoute but it is up to the current crop of Hammers stars to ensure they end the campaign in the best possible vein. Sam Allardyce's side have impressed for much of the season, but a poor run of form has seen them drop to 10th in the Premier League after defeats against Liverpool, Crystal Palace and Chelsea and some disappointing draws. West Ham's next match is away to Arsenal and Allardyce will surely be hoping the change of scene has allowed his side to refocus and get back to winning ways.
West Ham United FC ✔ @whufc_official
PICS: @FredericKanoute was a welcome visitor to the Hammers' warm-weather training camp in Dubai #COYI
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West Ham chief David Gold hints at permanent move for Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson
Evening Standar
Published: 08 March 2015 Updated: 16:47, 08 March 2015
West Ham chief David Gold has seemingly hinted at a permanent move for Arsenal's Carl Jenkinson in the summer. The right-back is spending the season on loan at Upton Park and has made 24 appearances under Sam Allardyce this term. The Hammers are due to play Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Saturday and asked if Jenkinson will be eligible to feature against his parent club, Gold told a fan on social media: "He will not play against Arsenal. This year." "@juliansheasport: Is Carl Jenkinson available to play v Arsenal or does loan forbid it? He will not play against Arsenal. This year. Dg — David Gold (@davidgold) March 7, 2015
Jenkinson arrived at West Ham in the summer after Arsene Wenger signed Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers in the wake of Bacary Sagna's depature to Manchester City last summer. Both additions immediately leapfrogged the former Charlton man in the full-back pecking order at Emirates Stadium and he eventually joined West Ham in July. The 23-year-old right-back has made 57 appearances for the Gunners in three season since arriving from The Valley in 2011.
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Connolly hangs up his boots
Sunday 8th March 2015 9:12
TeamTalk
AFC Wimbledon striker David Connolly has announced his retirement from football with immediate effect. The 37-year-old made over 400 senior club appearances during his career that saw him turn out for Watford, Feyenoord, Wolves, Excelsior, Wimbledon, West Ham, Leicester, Wigan, Sunderland, Southampton, Portsmouth and Oxford. He also appeared 41 times for Republic of Ireland and featured at the 2002 World Cup as a substitute during the second-round defeat to Spain. Connolly joined AFC Wimbledon in January after his contract with Portsmouth was cancelled by mutual consent. It was his second spell with the club, having played for the old Wimbledon between 2001 and 2003, when he scored 42 goals in 68 appearances. He managed just one goal in eight games this time around, but that strike was a stoppage-time winner during a 3-2 victory over Luton. The veteran called it a day following discussions with his manager and former team-mate Neal Ardley.
He told the Dons' official website: "I pulled Neal aside for a heart-to-heart chat and I felt that now was the time to call it a day.
"As time has gone on I felt that starting games was difficult and so too was travelling up and down the country to come off the bench for 10 minutes or so. Neal needed a striker that could play off (Adebayo) Akinfenwa and start games and that wasn't me. "I have always had fond memories of this club and my winning goal against Luton will live long in the memory. It was great to bring that joy to everyone at the club."
Ardley had warm praise for his departing player. He told Dons Player: "David was the best striker I ever played with. I played with some good ones when I was with England Under-21s. "David's movement and understanding of space was first class. He is a good friend of mine and a good friend of the club. I have invited David to come back and do coaching at the club whenever he is ready. "I have total respect for David. He feels that the money we are paying him would be better spent on someone who can start games. He does not feel he is that person.
"That is a rare quality to accept that. I cannot speak highly enough of him. I tried to talk him around, but his mind was made up. "He is a great guy and it would have been sad if he had not had that great moment against Luton. That felt really special and more than us just getting three points."
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