Daily WHUFC News - III 22nd June 2011

Sam sets out promotion plan
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce has held a positive first press conference as West Ham
United's new manager
22.06.2011

Sam Allardyce has set out his plan to lead West Ham United back to the
Premier League. The 56-year-old held his first media conference in a packed
Press Room at the Boleyn Ground and immediately stated his aim to lead the
Hammers to the top-flight at the first attempt. Smiling broadly, the man
known throughout the game as 'Big Sam' explained how he plans to turn the
club's fortunes around, with whufc.com there to record every word.

Sam, to start, how do you plan to achieve promotion this season?

"Without sounding too arrogant, I think that my experience and my expertise
as a manager that I've gained, particularly in the Premier League over the
last ten years, will help me to bring the club together, to get a team
spirit and a togetherness that is going to achieve the ultimate - to get
promotion back into the Premier League at the first time of asking. "As
difficult a task as that is going to be, I think it can be achieved. At a
club the size of West Ham, it needs to be done as quickly as possible
because the long-term goal is the Olympic Stadium and the team must be back
in the Premier League when it is going to move into that great venue. "So,
I've got to instil a bit of discipline, a little bit of magic and creativity
and certainly a bond between the players and the staff to drive ourselves on
through what is a very difficult season trying to get into the Premier
League. Lots of big teams are spending lots of money aside from ourselves to
try to achieve that goal. "It won't be an easy task. There are 46 very
difficult games, but last year we saw QPR and Norwich achieve it and we're
hoping to do the same. "I've got to try to really get rid of the hangover
that relegation brings to a football club and transform that as quickly as I
possibly can into a positive mental attitude."

Have you spoken to the players about their futures?

"Not just yet. They are all on holiday and will come back next week. "I've
talked to some of the younger players - Jack Collison and James Tomkins -
this morning and it was great to see them in and around the training ground
at this stage of the season. They could still be on holiday, as most are. "I
think when we all get together, I've got an awful lot to sort out in terms
of pre-season training, staffing and relocating myself. I'm going to try to
do that before the players get back and speak to them on an individual and a
group basis and set out some goals, really, and what we need to achieve. "I
think we'll look at moving some players on because their desire is to want
to play in the Premier League. From a financial point of view, it suits us
as well to lose that financial commitment because the drastic loss in
revenue is what we all have to face at West Ham, first and foremost.
"Certainly the owners have got to really back-up with their own money to try
to get us back into the Premier League. Some of the cuts we have to make
will have to come and some have already been made, of course, because some
of the players have already left.
"We will try to get as best a squad as we possibly can. "On a positive note,
we've signed on Abdoulaye Faye and Kevin Nolan already, which are good
positive moves and, like I said, I think there are still some very good
young and experienced players at the football club. "If we all want to work
together and go in the right direction, we can give it our best shot and
hopefully that will be good enough next season."

How many players will have to leave?

"The speculation is probably around Carlton Cole, Robert Green and Scott
Parker. At the moment, we haven't had any concrete bids for any of those
players. "Other than them, there is no rush to sell anybody else. "Thomas
Hitzlsperger has already left, as far as I'm concerned. He had his contract
terminated and that position has moved on."

There have been comments about the possible style of play you will employ
and whether it will fit in with the 'West Ham way'. What do you have to say
about those comments?

"I thought that question would have come first! We will be OK. When did West
Ham last play the 'West Ham way?'. It can't be the 'West Ham way' if we got
relegated.
"The club has been up and down like a yo-yo so I don't see the fans as
thinking of that as playing the 'West Ham way'. "The 'West Ham way' is about
winning football matches and the enjoyment of winning. The fans are in the
game to watch winning football and I'm in the game to play winning football
and to entertain the public, and that's what I do. "Everywhere I've been,
I've entertained the public, regardless of the perception. The perception
from the media is that 'Sam Allardyce plays long ball' but that's only a
perception. Football is run on perception today."

Why have you decided to drop down a division at this stage of your
managerial career?

"Because it's West Ham, that's why. I think that as a football club, it's
such a big club and has great tradition and a great fan base, really.
"Weighing up all the odds, I thought 'Let's go and try and be successful at
a football that's not been as successful as it should have been over the
last four or five years'. "I think the excitement of rebuilding the football
club was a big pitch to me - the idea that I could go and reinvent West Ham
as a club with sustainable success. "Too often this club has had fleeting
moments of grandeur mixed with too much depression in terms of the times
it's been relegated. "I do think it's a football club where something
sustainable can be built if we all pull in the right direction."

Will it be harder to emulate the success you achieved at newly-promoted
Bolton Wanderers in the modern-day game?

"I provided the benchmark for success - survival was only two years of my
seven and the last four were eighth, sixth, eighth and seventh, so I
shouldn't really be tagged as a 'survival' manager. I am a productive
manager who breeds success wherever I go. "Yes, I had to survive in the
early stages at Bolton. Yes, I had to make Blackburn survive when I went
there, but my ultimate goal is to be in the top half of the Premier League
table searching for European places and cup finals, as I did at the end at
Bolton. "That is a long way off at the moment at West Ham - the only focus
is to get promoted and get out of this division as quick as I possibly can.
If I don't do that, I don't expect to be here, to be quite honest."

How confident are you that you can get West Ham United promoted?

"It's early days yet, so I'll know more once we've started training and got
through the first two or three weeks and I've ironed out any particular
problems that need urgent attention, whether they be contractual or family
issues or whatever it might be. "Those things will have to be dealt with
first and then we can get down to setting some goals on how we will get out
of this division. "The players will tell me whether they are good enough to
get out of this league by their attitude, by how well they train and how
well they perform in pre-season. "I'll speak to the owners if and when need
be in terms of modifying that squad or getting somebody new in.
"I just hope it's minimal now and there's not too much to be done because
it's a very difficult job to change around a team that's been relegated, but
it's even more difficult when you lose more than 50 per cent of your players
and then have to bring ten or 12 in to actually get a team together to play
as a team. "You're basically putting a bunch of strangers together virtually
that you've got to try to mould into unit and a system that brings the best
type of football to the fans of West Ham, to entertain them so they can go
home happy when they've won."

How big a challenge is this for you in your career?

"Personally I have taken a risk by losing my Premier League status which has
been built over the last ten years or so and come down into the Championship
to try to bring success to West Ham. "Hopefully I've made the right
decision. I'm going to do my very, very best to get them back where we all
want to be. There is nobody at this club who wants to be in the Premier
League more than me now, believe you me. "I don't want to spend too long in
the Championship if I can help it. It's a great, very competitive league and
there are lots and lots of teams looking for the gold at the end of the
rainbow. "At the end of the day, only three teams can go up a year and we've
got to be one of those, certainly in the next two years."

Will the planned move to the Olympic Stadium in 2014 serve as a distraction?

"No, I don't think the players will worry about it. "I think Upton Park is
one of the reasons I am here, anyway. Even though it is one of the oldest
stadia in and around the country now, because the fanbase is so big and
vocal, it has a great atmosphere. "As players, managers and coaches, you
like to feel that atmosphere. That's why you do the job on a Saturday. I
think the atmosphere they give the players and everybody around Upton Park
is fine by me. "The players won't be worried about the Olympic Stadium
because it's quite a way off. "We've got to create a very good atmosphere at
West Ham and the only way I can create that is by creating winning football
on a regular basis. If the fans get behind the team, then the team will
deliver to the fans and that is what has happened wherever I've been -
particularly at Bolton and even down as far as Notts County and Blackpool,
where I managed before. "So, we can create a fortress here at Upton Park,
hopefully, and people will not look forward to coming here. "The big
transition is also improving the away form because I've done my research and
over the last couple of seasons we could be great here and win, but when we
go away we seem to be a soft touch in terms of results. That has to change
if we want to get promoted."

Finally, how are you settling in on a personal level?

"I haven't settled anywhere yet because I've hardly had any sleep. The phone
hasn't stopped ringing and nor have the emails, so I'm haring around at the
moment, trying to get a plan together in my head to focus on what is most
important first and trying to move through that on a daily basis. "I seem to
be waking at four or five in the morning and writing these notes down, but
when I get up in the morning they don't make too much sense. "Like I said,
there is a lot to go through but I've done it before so I know what to
expect. It's not easy for me or the club at the moment, but we've got to get
through it as quick as we can. "We've got between now and 7 August when the
season starts for me to get everybody settled in their own department -
players and staff - and hopefully we'll have a united staff and a happy and
very contented environment."

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Taylor in talks
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 22nd June 2011
By: Staff Writer

Bolton midfielder Matt Taylor could be on his way to West Ham, according to
reports. The 29-year-old, who can also play at left back is said to be 'in
talks' with the Hammers over a permanent switch, according to Setanta this
afternoon. Taylor started his career at Luton back in 1999 and moved to
Portsmouth three years later in a £750,000 switch. After 178 appearances in
six years at Fratton Park he joined Bolton, having lost his place at
Portsmouth to Niko Kranjcar. Gary Megson paid around £4million to take
Taylor to the Reebok Stadium during the 2008 winter transfer window. During
his first full season Taylor scored ten goals from 34 league games, then
eight from 37 the following season. Last season he appeared in 36 of
Bolton's 38 league fixtures. Should he sign for West Ham, Taylor would be
the third former Bolton player to arrive at the club since Sam Allardyce was
unveiled as the new maanger.

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Hitzlsperger gone
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 22nd June 2011
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce has confirmed that Thomas Hitzlsperger has left the club.
29-year-old Hitzlsperger - who arrived at the club last summer but failed to
make his debut until January due to a lengthy injury - had been offered
improved terms to remain at West Ham. However Allardyce confirmed today that
the German international was not being considered in his future plans.
"Thomas has already left as far as I'm concerned," he said. "He's gone and
has moved on." Allardyce also revealed that he expects Scott Parker, Carlton
Cole and Robert Green to move on before the beginning of next season.

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Allardyce: Premier League or bust
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 22nd June 2011
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce says that his number one target this season is promotion - but
that he hopes to achieve it with a little style. Allardyce, speaking at his
first press conference as manager this afternoon spoke at length about a
number of issues. However his core message was that promotion is an absolute
necessity - and that he feels it is a target that can be achieved.

"Without sounding too arrogant I think that the experience and expertise
I've gained as a manager - particularly in the Premier League over the last
ten years - is trying to bring the club together to get as team spirit and a
togetherness that's going to achive the ultimate, which is to get promotion
back into the Premier League at the first time of asking," he said.

"As difficult a task as that's going to be, it can be achieved I think. With
a club the size of West Ham it needs to be done as quickly as possible,
because obviously the long-term goal is the Olympic Stadium and the team
must be back in the Premier League when it moves into that great venue.

"It won't be an easy task, there's 46 very difficult games," he continued.
"I've got to try and get rid of the hangover that relegation brings. I've
got to transform that as quickly as I possibly can into a positive, mental
attutude really."

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Immediate promotion 'can be achieved' insists new Hammers boss Allardyce
Published 15:06 22/06/11 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror

New West Ham manager Sam Allardyce insists he can "achieve the ultimate" by
guiding the club back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Allardyce was today unveiled as the Hammers' new manager after succeeding
Avram Grant following their relegation to the npower Championship. And the
former Bolton and Blackburn boss acknowledged promotion is all the more
crucial with the club eventually set to move into the Olympic Stadium after
next year's Games. "I want to achieve the ultimate, which is to get
promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking," Allardyce
said. "As difficult as that is going to be, it can be achieved, I think.
"And with a club the size of West Ham that needs to be done as soon as
possible. The long-term goal is the Olympic Stadium and the team must be
back in the Premier League when it is going to move into that great venue."

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - II 22nd June 2011

Fry confirms Hammers interest
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 22nd June 2011
By: Staff Writer

Barry Fry has confirmed that West Ham have made an enquiry regarding striker
Craig Mackail-Smith. The 27-year-old has been linked with a number of clubs
since the end of last season and today Fry - a good friend of David Sullivan
- admitted that West Ham, who had also been linked with a move for 'keeper
Joe Lewis, had made enquiries with regards to Mackail-Smith's availability.
"West Ham have not spoken to me about Joe Lewis but they did ask me what we
wanted for Craig," Fry told the Evening Telegraph. "They have not made a bid
as yet, but they are having a serious go at getting back into the Premier
League straight away. "One Premier League club who have spoken to Craig set
him a deadline of today to make his mind up, but he will not be going there.
It's not a question of money, it's a couple of other things that he's not
happy about. "Craig is right not to rush into anything because there is
still plenty of interest in him."

Mackail-Smith has been linked with a string of clubs in the past fortnight
including Premier League outfits Everton and Norwich - the latter believing
that they had landed the player at the beginning of this month. Having begun
his career with non-league St Albans City and Arlesey Town, the Watford-born
goalscorer joined Dagenham & Redbridge in 2004 and scored 38 goals for the
club during the next three seasons. In 2007, Peterborough United snapped
Mackail-Smith up since when he has scored 80 goals in 183 starts for the
club.

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Taylor tipped with Big Sam link up
by Setanta Staff , 22 June 2011 comment
Setanta

Matt Taylor is believed to be in talks with West Ham over a potential summer
move to Upton Park. The former Portsmouth man had looked set to slip down
the pecking order at the Reebok, following the capture of Martin Petrov this
summer, but Taylor still made 42 appearances last term. But the Oxford-born
midfielder, signed by Gary Megson, is likely to be keen on a return to the
south and West Ham are understood to be closing in on a deal for the
29-year-old. Sam Allardyce has already brought in former Bolton stars Kevin
Nolan and Abdoulaye Faye, since being appointed by the Hammers and Taylor
could become his third capture.

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Fresh deal for Collison
Hammers eager to extend Welsh schemer's stay at Upton Park
Last Updated: June 22, 2011 9:29am
SSN

Jack Collison's representatives have entered discussions with West Ham over
a new deal for their client. The talented midfielder is a player the club
are eager to keep at Upton Park as they look to win an immediate return to
the top flight. With Scott Parker seemingly to depart over the summer as
Tottenham continue to be strongly linked, it will be left to the likes of
Collison to help lead a promotion push. The Wales international is still
under contract at West Ham but the club's management are looking to tie him
to a long-term deal. Talks are set to continue over the summer as both
parties look to thrash out fresh terms for a player highly-rated in the East
End.

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West Ham make approach for Peterborough ace Mackail-Smith
By talkSPORT
Wednesday, June 22

West Ham are ready to make a move for Peterborough striker Craig
Mackail-Smith. Mackail-Smith, 27, has been linked with a number of Premier
League clubs, but has failed to reach an agreement over a lucrative move
into the top flight. West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has already seen Demba Ba
leave the club and is looking for a quality striker to spearhead their
attack as they look to bounce straight back into the Premier League.
Mackail-Smith scored 35 goals to help Peterborough gain promotion last
season, but is keen to showcase his talents at a higher level and could be
tempted by a move to Upton Park. West Ham have already shown they mean
business by signing Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan and Stoke defender
Abdoulaye Faye and now hope Mackail-Smith will become their third major
signing of the summer. Peterborough's director of football Barry Fry admits
West Ham have enquired about his availability but have yet to make a firm
offer. Fry said: "West Ham did ask me what we wanted for Craig. They have
not made a bid as yet, but they are having a serious go at getting back into
the Premier League straight away."

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West Ham ask after Posh ace Craig Mackail-Smith
West Ham have made an enquiry about Craig Mackail-Smith.
By Alan Swann
Published on Wednesday 22 June 2011 10:13
PeterboroughToday.co.uk

CHAMPIONSHIP title favourites West Ham United are not interested in signing
Posh goalkeeper Joe Lewis, but they have made an enquiry about star striker
Craig Mackail-Smith. Lewis was linked with a move to Upton Park in several
national newspapers yesterday as a replacement for England keeper Robert
Green. But Posh director of football Barry Fry insists the only contact he's
had from West Ham involved a conversation about Mackail-Smith. Mackail-Smith
is today expected to reject a transfer to a Premier League club. West Ham
have yet to make a formal bid for the 27 year-old. Fry said: "One Premier
League club who have spoken to Craig set him a deadline of today to make his
mind up, but he will not be going there. "It's not a question of money, it's
a couple of other things that he's not happy about. "Craig is right not to
rush into anything because there is still plenty of interest in him. "West
Ham have not spoken to me about Joe Lewis, but they did ask me what we
wanted for Craig. "They have not made a bid as yet, but they are having a
serious go at getting back into the Premier League straight away."
Mackail-Smith has also been linked with Everton, QPR, Norwich and Swansea as
well as a host of Championship clubs. Posh are understood to want in the
region of £3 million for him.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 22nd June 2011

Blair having a ball
WHUFC.com
Blair Turgott is loving life after England made a winning start at the FIFA U17 World Cup in Mexico
21.06.2011

Blair Turgott is loving life at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Mexico - on and off the pitch. The West Ham United youngster completed the full 90 minutes as England kicked-off their challenge with a 2-0 Group C victory over Rwanda in Pachuca on Sunday. With Canada next up at the same venue, the Young Lions took a break from training to visit the world-famous Teotihuacan ruins. The 17-year-old spoke to whufc.com direct from England's training base ahead of Wednesday's second group-stage fixture. Concentrating first on the victory over Rwanda, Turgott explained how he and his team-mates had left nothing to chance in the build-up to their clash with the African side. "We were pleased with the victory and to be fair we put in a good performance and I thought we controlled the game," he said. "In a tournament like this, getting off to a good start is everything as we now have something that we can build on going forward. "Before the game we watched a lot of clips of the opposition and that was good because we got an insight in to them. The coaches kept banging the message into us not to take them lightly and that if we kept playing our football and being patient we would get our rewards and I think that's what definitely happened - we wore them down. "I was happy to get the full 90 under my belt and thought I put in a good performance. It was a great team performance from the lads, especially as we were playing in front of a big crowd. "We are just looking forward to the next game now against Canada on Wednesday, where hopefully the lads can put in another solid performance."

It has not been all hard work for England's youngsters, though. John Peacock's squad and coaching staff - including the FA's Head of National Teams and former England goalkeeper Ray Clemence - travelled into the Basin of Mexico to visit the historic Teotihuacan ruins and pyramids - an Aztec settlement dating from 100 BC.
"There has been a good vibe around the camp, to be fair, leading up to the game," Turgott confirmed. "Ray Clemence has been here with his experience and that is definitely a good factor because you can talk to him at any time. "We did go to the pyramids which was nice. They were in nice surroundings and I got some nice photos. Everywhere we went on the site, people were trying to sell us things, but it was definitely good for us to have that bit of sightseeing to help us to relax."

Live action and highlights from the FIFA Under-17 World Cup are being screened on British Eurosport.

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Da Costa departs
WHUFC.com
Manuel da Costa has joined Russian Premier League side FC Lokomotiv Moscow
21.06.2011

West Ham United can confirm that Manuel da Costa has joined Russian Premier League club FC Lokomotiv Moscow. Da Costa, who had only one year left on his Hammers contract and had expressed a desire to leave, has linked up with Lokomotiv for an undisclosed fee. He spent two years in east London, making just 35 appearances and scoring four goals. The 25-year-old joined the Hammers from Italian club ACF Fiorentina in September 2009, having previously featured for French side AS Nancy and Dutch outfit PSV Eindhoven. The Portugal B international becomes the second Hammer to join Lokomotiv this week, following Internazionale loanee Victor Obinna to the Russian capital. The club, who have already signed Abdoulaye Faye and Kevin Nolan as part of a busy summer of transfer activity, would like to thank Manuel for his efforts and wish him all the best in the future.

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Da Costa departs
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 21st June 2011
By: Staff Writer

Portuguese centre half Manuel Da Costa is joining Russian club Locomotiv Moscow on a permanent contract. The 25-year-old is set to put pen to paper on a four-year deal with the Russian Premier League outfit after just two years in east London. He will play at the Lokomotiv Stadium alongside another former Hammer, Victor Obinna, who signed a permaent deal with Loko just last week. The deal that takes Da Costa to Russia is reported to be worth just €1.5million - around half the valule placed on Da Costa when he came to the Boleyn Ground in exchange for Savio Nsereko in 2009.

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Da Costa departs Hammers
Portuguese defender heads to Lokomotiv Moscow
Last Updated: June 21, 2011 8:27pm
SSN

Defender Manuel da Costa has left West Ham and joined Lokomotiv Moscow for an undisclosed fee. The 25-year-old, who had one year to run on his Upton Park contract, spent two seasons in East London, scoring four times in 35 appearances. Among his team-mates in Moscow will be Victor Obinna, who spent last term on loan at West Ham from Inter Milan. The Hammers, who suffered relegation from the Premier League last season, claimed that the former Fiorentina, Nancy and PSV man was keen to move on. A statement on the club's official website read: "West Ham United can confirm that Manuel da Costahas joined Russian Premier League club FC Lokomotiv Moscow. "The club would like to than Manuel for his efforts and wish him all the best in the future."

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Transfer Market Fetishists
Alex V - Tue Jun 21 2011
West Ham Online

Some will disagree, but I think our haul of transfer signings over the last season was probably one of the most impressive in our history. Hitzlsperger, Piquionne, Reid, Jacobsen, Obinna, Barrera, Ba, Bridge, Keane and O'Neill. The end result - a humiliating relegation. It should leave more than just Avram Grant and David Sullivan scratching their heads.

The comfort blanket we seem to continually cling to is this pervading belief that whatever our problems are on the pitch, they can be solved in the transfer market. Any poor performance is greeted by ideas of who we could bring in to solve the problem. I do it, we all do it. The media feeds this concept, especially during the Summer 'silly season' – who could be coming in and who could be leaving. The media loves it as it fills their and websites, the clubs love it because it sells season tickets, the agents love it because it bumps up their players' prices, and the fans love it because it gives them hope and excitement for the season to come.

I'm pretty sure that David Sullivan loves it. This is a man who has very publicly voiced his frustration at player performances, and this is the man who shapes our transfer activity. It's his only chance to solve the problems that he seems so clearly to see on the pitch. And it seems that he does it 24/7 – I would guess not a day goes by when he isn't ringing up agents scheming and planning our next moves in the transfer market.

I don't think 'playing the transfer market' offers a viable long-term route to success. I think it's a myth perpetuated daily by the media, the fans and the clubs themselves. I think we all need a good slap.

I think it basically compares to roulette. Each Summer you pick your players, spin the wheel and see what happens. We might hedge our bets a little, a long-shot like Barrera mixed with a more solid percentage roll on a German International like Hitzlsperger. But whatever we do we end up spinning the wheel. And if we win the only benefit is that we get to spin the wheel again next time with more chips to bet.

And just like spinning the roulette wheel things tend to only go right until they go wrong. Last season we span the wheel and it landed on zero. Back to the fruit machines.

The transfer market is a system of total compromise. You don't buy the player you want, you buy the compromise that you can afford. You don't pay for the worth of the player, but for the price determined by the demand for their services. Players don't go to the clubs best suited to their abilities, but to the best career opportunities. And of course the agents interests begins and ends with money – their only benefit from improving a club is the promise of future business. It's a really poor system for getting good players into your club.

And it's an even poorer system for providing long-term development and improvement. Players coming and going year on year, managers the same way. Many football clubs these days seem like the equivalents of battered celebrities on their fifteenth marriage, still claiming that this time they've found 'the one'. And if this season's bunch of players fail to deliver that short-term boost, then they're shipped out and the next bunch come in.

What has a decade or so of 'market trading' done for West Ham? Well it's nearly bankrupted the club twice. It's brought in a succession of higher-profile higher-paid players who have come and gone. The net result – zero. But what has it done for any club? Was Manchester United's dominance built on a mastery of the transfer market? Was Arsenal's development under Wenger? Was Barcelona's? The only thing the transfer market has created of 'worth' are the vapid under-achieving squads at Chelsea and Man City that should by rights dominate Europe but end up a collection of the World's best players in search of a beating heart.

And that is what we still aspire to? No thanks.

And worse, the transfer market has turned players into commodities, and fans into armchair traders. A player is judged against what the papers told us they were worth, rather than their actual value on the pitch as... you know... human beings. No wonder many fans are jaded cynics who think the players are unscrupulous overpaid mercenaries – that is the image sold every day in every paper you will read. It's the image the whole system depends upon, where one player is only 'worth' what they would cost to replace. I think there are better ways to apply the notion of 'value' to a player and to watching them as a supporter. It's as if we are slowly training ourselves to ignore the human feelings like respect, fear, pity, hope and exhilaration, and replace them with straight cash appraisals.

The next time a player puts in a shoddy performance, try this.

Hold back that 'natural' impulse to consider what a waste of money they might have been, or how much of their wages you might want to dock. Hold back the 'natural' impulse to consider who might replace them in the next transfer window, or how willing you might be to drive them to their next club. Hold back that 'natural' impulse to feel like a short-changed customer. In short, stop thinking about the money.

Instead think how they might improve. How they could work on their weaker foot. Or learn to keep their head up in possession. How to play the simpler percentage ball more often. How they could be fed the ball more effectively. How they could form a partnership with another player. How they could stay on their feet more and dive in less. How the club could get the best out of them.

I worry that too few people at West Ham are thinking about how to improve the players we have. I worry that those in charge of the club rely almost exclusively on trading in the transfer market to supply 'success'. I think it's desperately counter-productive, completely short-termist and will get us nowhere other than further into debt.

And the worst feeling is the idea that we might invest heavily, get promoted this season on our first attempt, and slip straight back into that mode of investing in the Summer, rolling the dice and betting the farm again in the lower reaches of the Premiership. It might improve the club as a short-term saleable asset, but I think as a football club it will lead us precisely nowhere.

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Da Costa Exits, as the Question is Posed: Should We Target Shane Long?
June 22nd, 2011 - 6:51 am by S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die

It has been confirmed that Portuguese centre half, Manuel Da Costa has left the club. Da Costa has signed for Russian side, Moscow Lokomotiv, for a non-disclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £1.3m. He now joins another ex-Hammer, Victor Obinna, next season at the Russian club.

Many will be surprised that Da Costa has been allowed to leave. There was a general feeling amongst supporters that Da Costa provided a physical strength and dominance in the air that would have been a real asset in the coming Championship campaign. No doubt there are a few conspiracy theories being hatched, as this is the latest of, former Director of Football, Nani's signings to have exited the club for nominal fees. However, the actual reason for the move may just be as mundane as (1) Sam Allardyce deems him surplus to requirements or (2) Da Costa is entering the final year of his current contract and he has indicated that he does not intend to sign another with the club. Hence, the move to obtain a fee for the player, rather than run down his contract and let him go on a Bosman.

Of those two possible explanations, current evidence points to the latter being most probable. After all, Da Costa has been quoted as stating that to remain at West Ham would have been a backward move, in a team where he did not always play. And that he wants to be part of a good team were he plays regularly! That's a bit rich considering that he was injured for a large part of last season. We can only guess at Allardyce's assessment of the player? But he must have agreed to the move going ahead. Personally, I thought Da Costa was a useful player, but not outstanding nor irreplacable. And at the end of the day we are going to need players next season that are 100% committeed to the cause, it does not appear, from his statements, that Da Costa was of that inclination! So, best to sell and take a fee.

Oh well, that's another centre back added to the list of transfer targets. Perhaps the club have also agreed to the move safe in the knowledge that youngsters Jordan Spence and Matt Fry will come in to the first team reckoning next season? Or maybe a deal for another centre back is pending? Whatever, expect the transfer revolving door to accelerate as we move into July and pre-season training. This is certainly going to be a very busy summer in the transfer market, as Allardyce assesses the current squad and oversees a radical restructure.

Speaking of which, also expect moves for a keeper and striker to complete the reconstruction of the spine of the team. The name in the frame for the goal keeping position is Peterborough's promising custodian, Joe Lewis. While we have been linked with a number of strikers, including Yakubu, Maynard and Boothroyd. However,one player that we should arguably be targeting is Reading's Shane Long. There are rumours that a number of PL clubs are considering a move for the Republic of Ireland international. But much of that could just be speculation. Long scored 20 plus goals last season in the Championship, is a mobile and skillful striker and would fit in well at the club. It is also a potential signing that would send out the clear message that the club are not going to just lump it up field for two 6ft plus target men all season. In addition, Shane Long falls in to that category of player who is young and has the potential to make a successful transition to PL football.

Will it happen? Probably not, but we live in hope!

SJ. Chandos.

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Allardyce's first West Ham press conference to take place tomorrow afternoon ( That's now this afternoon - PeterR )
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
2:15 PM
East London Advertiser

Sam Allardyce will hold his first press conference as a West Ham manager tomorrow at 2pm from Upton Park. Allardyce had his first day of work on Monday after returning from a family holiday and will be unveiled to the media in the media room. The former Blackburn boss was brought in by co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan following the sacking of Avram Grant at the end of the season, after the club were relegated to the Championship.

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West Ham hopeful Hines will sign new long-term contract
TalkSport
By Marc Isaacs
Tuesday, June 21

West Ham are hopeful that talented young forward Zavon Hines will sign a new deal with the club. Hines, 22, is currently a free agent after rejecting the first offer of a new contract at the end of the season. West Ham's new boss Sam Allardyce is keen to keep the England Under-21 striker at Upton Park and hopes he can persuade him to change his mind. After bringing in Abdoulaye Faye and Kevin Nolan, Allardyce wants Hines to see how the club is heading in the right direction following their relegation into the Championship. The club remain hopeful that Hines will pledge his long-term future to the club before the start of the season.

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Tottenham Hotspur and Leyton Orient face crucial week in oppostion to West Ham's Olympic Stadium move
By Paul Kelso11:58PM BST 21 Jun 20111

Tottenham and Leyton Orient will discover within days whether their challenge to West Ham's tenancy of the Olympic Stadium has been successful after a High Court judge spent the early part of this week considering their case. Mr Justice Davis will rule on whether to grant permission for a judicial review of the decision to declare West Ham the preferred bidder after considering four separate applications from Tottenham and Orient. The clubs are challenging the decision of the Olympic Park Legacy Company to select West Ham, the Government and London mayor Boris Johnson for endorsing that decision, and Newham Council's decision to agree to lend £40 million to a joint venture with West Ham that will convert and run the stadium. If successful, Tottenham and Orient will be granted a full trial at which their challenge will be heard, which is likely to be no earlier than October. The clubs have already won the first round of their challenge after the judged rejected an attempt by the Government and the mayor to skip the first phase of the judicial review and proceed straight to a substantive hearing in the autumn.

Tottenham and Orient objected, arguing that the judge should decide whether to grant permission for the challenge before hearing the substance of the case. That process began on Monday when Mr Justice Davis began studying several hundred pages of documents submitted by the various parties. The legal challenges follow the acrimonious bidding war between Tottenham and West Ham that culminated in February with the Hammers being selected as preferred bidder. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, desperate to develop a new stadium to keep pace with their Premier League rivals, believes he was encouraged to enter the Stratford bid, only to be used to drive a better deal out of West Ham.

Orient, meanwhile, believe that West Ham's move to within a mile of Brisbane Road will have a huge impact on attendances and the club's commercial prospects.
Orient are also challenging the Premier League's decision to approve West Ham's potential move to Stratford. An arbitration hearing will be held in the autumn. The clubs' submissions, copies of which have been seen by Telegraph Sport, reveal that Tottenham and Orient are challenging both the process and the substance of the OPLC's decision, and Newham's financial support for West Ham which they say breaches European laws on state aid. The submissions also reveal that one of the OPLC's grounds for rejecting Tottenham's bid was that their plans to renovate Crystal Palace as an alternative to retaining the athletics track was "inadequate and under-funded" and "does not provide a long-term sustainable athletics legacy".

Spurs reject this argument, insisting that they provided a £500 million guarantee to underwrite their bid and the Crystal Palace scheme. The role of Newham in providing a £40 million loan to West Ham is at the heart of the challenge from Tottenham and Orient, while the legal process is understood to have exposed tensions between the OPLC and the council over the key issue.

Without the Newham loan, West Ham cannot afford to take on the stadium, but Tottenham and Orient argue that it is an inappropriate use of public money and was made unlawfully. Given this, they argue that West Ham's bid, which relies on council funding, is not financially secure and should not have been approved.
Tottenham argue that the Newham loan breaches EC laws banning state aid for private companies; that the council acted beyond its powers by entering into the deal with West Ham; and finally that Newham should have considered offering similar terms to them as they would then potentially have benefited from having two Premier League clubs in the borough.

Newham's defence is technical but crucial. The council argues that in fact it has not agreed to make the loan, but simply agreed that its chief executive could make the loan in future, if a suitable deal can be agreed with West Ham over terms and conditions. Tottenham argue that this admission proves that the OPLC should not have approved West Ham, as without the Newham money the bid cannot satisfy the key criteria that any tenant has "committed, secure and agreed" funding. Newham's claim that the loan has not been agreed is understood to have greatly concerned the OPLC, which based its decision to award West Ham the stadium on the fact that the funding was in place. The council and West Ham are understood to have signed numerous documents to that effect.

The Daily Telegraph understands that the OPLC was so concerned that it has written to Newham demanding clarification of the status of the loan. The council is thought to have responded that the loan will be available to West Ham, but Tottenham and Orient will claim that that admission negates the council's defence on other points. Describing the OPLC decision as "irrational, discriminatory and unfair", Tottenham accuse them of displaying bias towards West Ham in the bidding process and of secretly changing the rules by which the preferred bidder would be chosen. Tottenham argue that in key areas they were not given vital information about how the decision-making process would be made, particularly in relation to the five criteria on which the final call was based. The OPLC set out the criteria at the start of the process, stating that they were listed in order of importance, with the financial certainty of bidders rated the most important. Spurs say that "without warning" the OPLC changed the rules during the final bidding, judging the criteria with equal weight. This, they say, worked against them as West Ham should have failed the financial test, and the areas they were "perceived as failing" – reopening the stadium rapidly and flexible usage – were third and fifth on the list. They cite a letter from Johnson as evidence of the confusion, even among OPLC stakeholders. Explaining his decision to back West Ham, Johnson initially said the objectives "were listed in order of importance". In a subsequent letter however he has admitted that this was "a mistake and obviously so".

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 21st June 2011

Cardiff date moved
WHUFC.com
Fans should take note of a new date for the start of the 2011/12 season for
West Ham United
20.06.2011

West Ham United's opening fixture of the 2011/12 npower Championship season
against Cardiff City has been moved back to Sunday 7 August. The Boleyn
Ground fixture will now kick off at 1pm. It will be the Hammers' first
meeting with the Welsh side since a 1-0 home win at Upton Park in a league
fixture on 6 February 2005.
For a full list of the club's fixtures, click here, although supporters
should note that all are subject to change. The Hammers will warm up for the
visit of Cardiff, which will be screened live on BBC, with a Saturday 30
July fixture against Spanish side Real Zaragoza - the club they beat in the
1964/65 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup semi-finals en route to lifting the trophy. It
will be the first chance for fans to get a glimpse of the new faces in the
Hammers squad including Kevin Nolan.

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Hammers head to Denmark
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will travel to take on the Danish Superliga champions on
Wednesday 20 July
21.06.2011

West Ham United will travel to Denmark to face FC Copenhagen in a pre-season
friendly on Wednesday 20 July. The Hammers will take on the defending
Superliga champions and UEFA Champions League last-16 participants at the
Parken Stadium, with kick-off at 8pm. Sam Allardyce's squad will have to be
at their very best to defeat a Copenhagen squad that has won the Superliga
in each of the last three seasons and successfully negotiated a Champions
League group including FC Barcelona, Panathinaikos and Rubin Kazan before
being beaten 2-0 on aggregate by Chelsea. Founded in 1992 following the
merger of two clubs, Copenhagen have already secured nine Superliga titles,
four Danish Cups, three Danish Super Cups and one Danish League Cup. At
continental level, the Lions have also roared regularly, featuring in the
Champions League group stages on two occasions and reaching the last-32 of
the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League in both 2008/09 and 2009/10.

Last season, aside from their European achievements, Copenhagen lost just
two of their 33 Superliga fixtures, with Senegal striker Dame N'Doye netting
28 goals in all competitions. Copenhagen possess an experienced and able
squad managed by former Sheffield Wednesday, Coventry City and Sweden
full-back Roland Nilsson.
Aside from N'Doye, Nilsson's squad also includes Sweden left-back Pierre
Bengtsson, Iceland defender Solvi Ottesen and Norway midfielder Christian
Grindheim.
West Ham have faced Copenhagen's predecessors - 15-time league champions
Kjobenhavns Boldklub - four times previously. In 1927, the Hammers took on
their hosts three times during a tour of the Scandinavian country, running
out 5-1, 3-1 and 2-0 victors. Three years later, West Ham returned to the
Danish capital, only to be held to a 3-3 draw. West Ham's most-recent visit
to Denmark came in 1948, when Charlie Paynter's squad played five matches,
but did not face Copenhagen.

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Tombides on target
WHUFC.com
Dylan Tombides fired Australia to victory over Ivory Coast at the FIFA U17
World Cup in Mexico
21.06.2011

Dylan Tombides netted the winning goal as Australia kicked-off their FIFA
Under-17 World Cup challenge with a 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast. The Joeys
looked to be in trouble when Souleymane Coulibaly put the African nation
ahead after just 18 minutes of their Group F clash in the Mexican city of
Guadalajara. However, led by the West Ham United striker, the Australians
roared back after half-time, levelling matters through Jesse Makarounas six
minutes after the break. Tombides then took centre-stage, latching on to the
loose ball before beating one defender and slamming it low into the net past
goalkeeper Yored Konate.

Australia had surrendered more possession and territory to their opponents
and were out-shot 21 to 12, but thanks to the 17-year-old forward, they were
able to celebrate a success in their 40th U17 World Cup finals match. Joesy
coach Jan Versleijen admitted the Ivory Coast had been superior in many
departments, but was quick to praise the spirit shown by his players in
turning the match around - and Tombides in particular. "If you look at the
game, Ivory Coast were absolutely the better team. What I can say is that my
teams worked very hard and played as a unit. The few chances that we got, we
took full advantage of them. "Normally, if you play a game like we played
against a team like the Ivorians, you would lose. "You can see Dylan has
great skills, he is strong on the ball. He is technically good with his left
and right foot. He is a key promising player. "At half-time we spoke about
trying to use Dylan more, supply him a bit more and give him decent balls to
make the change."

The Joeys will need to up their game when they face Brazil in their second
group-stage fixture in Guadalajara on Thursday. The South Americans looked
in impressive form as they opened their tournament with a 3-0 victory over
Denmark. However, with a victory and three points of their own under their
belts, Tombides and his team-mates will go into the biggest match of their
lives full of confidence.

*Blair Turgott's England began their own FIFA U17 World Cup campaign with a
2-0 win over Rwanda on Sunday. The Young Lions return to Group C action on
Wednesday, when they face Canada in Pachuca. An exclusive interview with
Turgott will appear on whufc.com in the build-up to the game.

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Carr making pre-season plans
WHUFC.com
Academy Director Tony Carr is preparing for the 2011/12 FA Premier Academy
League campaign
21.06.2011

It may be the close-season, but Academy Director Tony Carr is already busy
making plans for the 2011/12 campaign. Carr, who is about to begin his 39th
season of coaching within the Academy of Football, will begin pre-season
training with fitness tests in a little more than two weeks' time. The
Under-18s will also contest a number of friendly matches before heading to
Estonia for a four-team tournament before the FA Premier Academy League
season commences in late August. For Carr, that has meant a summer full of
phone calls, emails and meetings - as well as a welcome week in the sun.
"Even when you're on holiday your phone is always receiving emails and texts
and you're never far away from thoughts about how pre-season is going to
go," he told West Ham TV. "You hope everyone is fit and well and players
will progress and you think about what we're going to do, where we're going
to go and who we're going to play. "It is what it is - an all-consuming job
- and even when you're away you can never relax 100 per cent."

Carr may have been conducting pre-season training every year for nearly four
decades, but he still has the appetite for the job as if he had arrived at
the club just this summer. Central to this year's schedule is a trip to
Estonia, where the Hammers will take on the likes of Dutch giants AFC Ajax
and an Estonian national junior side.
"We start training in the first week of July and we'll start with fitness
testing and seeing what levels the boys are at in terms of their fitness and
then we're going to Estonia for six days for a four-team tournament, which
is somewhere we've never been before. "It's an all-expenses-paid trip and
we're very much looking forward to it and it's a change of environment. You
have your six or seven weeks of pre-season training at Little Heath and this
will be a welcome distraction and will break up the pre-season with some
foreign opposition. "Estonia will host the UEFA European Under-19
Championship in 2012, so this tournament will help them to prepare for that
competition."

Two players who may be allowed to join pre-season training slightly later
than their colleagues are Blair Turgott and Dylan Tombides. The duo are
currently on duty at the FIFA U17 World Cup in Mexico, where they are
representing England and Australia respectively. "The World Cup is going on
over in Mexico, so it's going to be a bit difficult for us to see the games,
but I understand some are going to be televised. "I think they are both
doing quite well. They are in the preliminary stages of the tournament at
the moment and I know Dylan has been doing quite well, scoring goals, and
Blair has been playing quite well in England's matches. "Hopefully they
might even meet in the final, which would be great. Certainly it's a great
experience for them and we'll have to bear in mind that they've been working
all through the summer when they do come back."

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Spence to sign new deal
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 20th June 2011
By: Staff Writer

Ex-Academy defender Jordan Spence is set to sign a new contract with West
Ham. The 21-year right back, who can also operate at centre-half appeared to
be on his way out of the club having failed to agree terms on a new deal.
However unlike many of today's footballers, Spence's main sticking point was
a lack of first team action rather than a lack of cash. But having spoken
with new manager Sam Allardyce, Spence - having received certain assurances
- has agreed to put pen-to-paper on a new two-year deal. Announcing the news
on his Twitter feed today, the Woodford-born youngster said: "Delighted that
pretty much everything has been agreed, and look forward to next season."

Spence has been at West Ham since 2004 when he first signed for the club as
a 14-year-old. Two years later he was offered an Academy contract since when
he has represented England at every level from Under 16 to Under 21, making
his first team debut as a late substitute on the final day of the 2009/10
season. In other news, Zavon Hines is still hoping to reach an agreement
that would extend his stay at the club. Like fellow Academy product Spence,
the 22-year-old's existing contract expires this summer but contrary to
rumours from elsewhere, he remains hopeful of agreeing a new deal.

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Hammers set to go for Joe
Published: Today
The Sun

WEST HAM are poised to move for Joe Lewis, the Peterborough keeper.
Relegated Hammers are likely to lose No 1 Robert Green to a Premier League
club this summer. But Lewis, 23, is rated one of the best keepers outside
the top flight.

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West Ham line up bid for Peterborough keeper Lewis
By talkSPORT
Monday, June 20

West Ham are poised to make a move for Peterborough keeper Joe Lewis. Lewis,
23, is regarded as one of the best keepers outside the top-flight and played
a major role in helping his side gain promotion to the Championship last
season. The east London club are expected to lose first-choice keeper Robert
Green this summer with a number of Premier League clubs chasing his
signature. West Ham's new boss Sam Allardyce is keen to find a top quality
keeper and knows that Lewis would be an ideal replacement. Lewis made a
breakthrough into the England senior squad on the eve of the World Cup last
summer and would love the chance to showcase his talent at a big club. West
Ham are hoping a deal can be finalised in the near future and that Lewis can
join up with the squad when they return for the start of pre-season training
at the start of July. Allardyce has wasted no time stamping his authority on
the club, bringing in both Abdoulaye Faye and Kevin Nolan, and hopes Lewis
will become his third major signing.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 20th June 2011

Barrera brilliance inspires Mexico
WHUFC.com
Hammers winger Pablo Barrera underlined his potential again as Mexico
reached the Gold Cup semi-finals
19.06.2011

Pablo Barrera earned rave reviews again as he made both goals as Mexico won
through to the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Mexico winger has
been in fine form at the continental championship and set up decisive
strikes for Aldo De Negris and Javier Hernandez to help El Tri come back
from a goal down for a 2-1 victory. Barrera, who turns 24 on Monday, was
winning his 36th cap in front of 80,000 fans at New Jersey's Meadowlands
Stadium. The West Ham man has appeared in all of his country's matches at
the tournament and should line up again in Wednesday's semi-final against
Honduras in Houston.

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Winning start for Blair
WHUFC.com
There was strong Hammers representation with England at the FIFA U17 World
Cup on Sunday
19.06.2011

Blair Turgott played his part as England made a winning start to the FIFA
U17 World Cup final campaign with a 2-0 victory against Rwanda. The Young
Lions' opening Group C game at the major finals in Mexico was harder than
perhaps had been anticipated, although they eventually broke down their
African opponents. Hallam Hope scored a breakaway opener in Pachuca on 68
minutes - just after the Rwandans had hit the crossbar - before Raheem
Sterling curled in a superb second four minutes from time. Turgott was a
lively presence on the right-hand side of England's three-man attack, in
support of Sterling and Hope. For more on his World Cup thoughts, click
here. He will hope to get another 90 minutes when England take on Canada on
Wednesday before rounding out their group campaign against Uruguay on
Saturday. England qualified for the World Cup courtesy of reaching the
semi-finals of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship finals, which were
held in Serbia in May.

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Kevin Nolan furious that Alan Pardew did not try harder to keep him at
Newcastle United - report
By Chris Teale
19 Jun 2011 09:58:00
Goal.com

Ex-Bolton midfielder initially did not want to drop down into the
Championship, but felt he had no option after the Magpies declined to offer
him a long-term contract extension. Former Newcastle United midfielder Kevin
Nolan has apparently spoken of his fury at Magpies manager Alan Pardew for
not trying harder to prevent him leaving St James' Park. Nolan, who has
joined newly-relegated West Ham United for £4 million, was not offered the
long-term contract extension he wanted, and felt he had no choice but to
drop into the Championship. A source close to Nolan told The News of the
World: "Kevin is disappointed with Alan Pardew. "Kevin is especially
disappointed because he made a point of supporting the manager when he first
arrived at Newcastle. He thinks Pardew paid lip-service to keeping him at
Newcastle.
"He feels let down and he's furious with his former manager. Kev expected
him to try harder to keep him at the club during contract talks. "The
incentives they wanted put in Kev's contract were all about how high up the
league table Newcastle finished. "They are managers' clauses, not players'.
If they'd wanted him to be manager, they should have given him the job."

Contract talks broke down, and Nolan is understood to have felt let down by
Pardew's perceived lack of support for a player who contributed twelve goals
from midfield and was club captain. Stressing Nolan's backing for Pardew
when he was appointed as Toon manager following the controversial sacking of
Chris Hughton, the source added: "It was a very difficult time for Alan
Pardew to take over and the support of the club captain was crucial. "He
needed Kevin Nolan on board and Kevin made sure the dressing room moved
forward with the new manager. "When the crunch came, the manager did not
reciprocate the support and that was very disappointing. "Kevin was a big
character who helped him settle in and that was forgotten."

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Tottenham set to end their chase to land West Ham United midfielder Scott
Parker - report
19 Jun 2011 11:20:00
Goal.com

Spurs are reportedly set to end their interest in acquiring the services of
the Hammers' midfielder, unless the east London club reduce their £10
million asking price
The 30-year-old midfielder had been linked with a move to Spurs for several
months, and the Hammers' relegation at the end of last season only proved to
significantly increase his chances of leaving the east London club. However,
the News of the World claims that a £10 million price tag coupled with the
player's age will see Spurs shy away from making a move to land the player.
It is believed that even the potential sale of Luka Modric - who has
declared that he would like to leave White Hart Lane - may not be enough for
manager Harry Redknapp to move for Parker, unless West Ham reduce their
asking price on their asset. Turkish side Fenerbahce have been reported to
be interested in acquiring the services of the former Newcastle United man,
but it is thought that the player himself wants to continue plying his trade
in England. West Ham co-owner David Gold has also expressed hope that West
Ham may be able to hold on to Parker, despite having signed Kevin Nolan from
Newcastle United.

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Exclusive – Parlour: Arsenal should sign Parker not Barton
TalkSport
By Michael Wade
Sunday, June 19

Ray Parlour has claimed that Scott Parker is the answer to Arsenal's
midfield problems, not Joey Barton. Speculation has suggested that Gunners
boss Arsene Wenger is ready to swoop for Newcastle midfielder Barton in an
attempt to give his side the bite they lacked in midfield. But Parlour, who
played in three Premier League winning sides for Wenger, has told talkSPORT
that they should turn their attention to West Ham's combative captain
Parker. Speaking to the Weekend Sports Breakfast: "They do need strength in
the midfield but I'd go for Scotty Parker. "Scotty has proved that he can do
it internationally and I think he'd fit in very easily and it would be a
great move as well. "He's got all you need from a midfield player. He breaks
things up, he's a good tackler, he drives things on as he has done for West
Ham. He's been a one-man-team for West Ham this season so I would pick him.
"Joey Barton has knuckled down a bit better but he's been playing on the
right-hand side for Newcastle but for me the way Arsenal play I think Parker
would fit in perfectly in that holding role in front of the back four. "He's
not going to get up and down like he used to but he's got the experience now
and he's been at some big clubs."
Parlour also highlighted out-of-favour Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe as
another player who could strengthen the side. "I know they are linked with
Jermain Defoe and he would be a good signing for Arsenal," he added. "They
create so many chances that if you get a fox-in-the-box then I'm sure he'd
bang in a load of goals for Arsenal. "I don't think the Tottenham fans will
like it but that's football these days."

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Bothroyd still to decide future
Several clubs keen to land England international
Last Updated: June 19, 2011 4:20pm
SSN

England striker Jay Bothroyd's future has yet to be decided, according to
his agent. The 28-year-old is due to leave Cardiff when his contract expires
later this month.
With QPR, Everton, Newcastle, Sunderland and West Ham all battling to sign
the forward, representative Sky Andrew insists a deal has yet to be done.
"Jay has just come back from holiday," Andrew said. "It's an exciting time
for him because he has spent three years turning his life around. "He's in a
good position, he's a Bosman (transfer). "There's been quite a lot of
interest and now he is back I'm actually just going to sit down with him and
try and decide what is the best route to go down."

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West Ham United: How much is Scott Parker worth?
Posted by Colin Illingworth at 07:00 AM in Championship, Colin Illingworth,
West Ham United | Permalink
SquareFootball.com

Despite being relegated from the Premier League last season with the
Hammers, Scott Parker was the only shining light from the tunnel of doom at
Upton Park. The former Charlton and Chelsea midfielder was an absolute
colossus on the pitch and his action-packed displays led to him being
crowned the Football Writers' Player of the Year and sealed a return to the
England fold, a place which he finally looks to have cemented.
Unfortunately, the chances of Fabio Capello picking Parker to represent his
country while playing in the second tier of English football look remote.

West Ham fans have resigned themselves to losing their captain this summer,
but David Gold and David Sullivan won't be giving Parker away on the cheap.
Despite turning 31 in October, the owners believe Parker is valued at about
£10 million. Some clubs, notably Tottenham Hotspur who have persuaded Parker
for the best part of a year, believe that is far too steep for a player with
little sell-on value. So the question is; how much is Scott Parker worth?

Well, Parker is an England international and is arguably the best holding
midfielder in the country. Nobody in his position can match his work rate,
his tackling or desire to win the ball and drive his teammates on. Why
Parker wasn't included in the England World Cup squad in 2010 remains one of
the biggest mysteries in the game.

Parker conducts himself impeccably on and off the pitch, a trait which puts
most England internationals to shame. He's fully committed, focused,
determined and even chips in with a few goals to boot. To put it simply,
Parker is one hell of a player.

Tottenham have been linked with Parker constantly over the past year but it
looks as though they are ready to pull out of the running for his signature
because of the £10 million asking price. It's been rumoured that Redknapp
has made an enquiry of about £4 million for Parker. That's the same as what
West Ham have just paid Newcastle for Kevin Nolan and Parker is head and
shoulders above Nolan. No wonder the Hammers feel insulted by Tottenham's
offer. After all, Spurs have a cheek ridiculing Chelsea's offer of £25
million for their star man Luka Modric. The word hypocrisy comes to mind.

Arsenal are also linked with the England international, but despite every
scout at the Emirates telling Arsene Wenger that Parker is what they need,
the Frenchman has yet to make an offer for the 30-year-old. It's not
Wenger's style to sign players in their 30s, but, after another year of
disappointment and Parker's flourishing international understanding with
Jack Wilshere, he could do a lot worse than sign Parker.

New West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce wants to talk to Parker before any
transfer is agreed, in the hope that he may be able to persuade him to stay.
While every Hammer would love to keep Parker at the Boleyn for the rest of
his career, they are honest enough to know that Parker deserves to be
playing at the highest level. He wants to play for his country in Euro 2012
and needs to be playing against the best in the world in order to fulfil
that dream. West Ham fans will not begrudge him that at all given everything
that he has done for the club. However, they want a decent price for him.
But the question remains; how much is Scott Parker worth?

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 19th June 2011

'West Ham will go straight back up'
WHUFC.com
Wales legend Neville Southall believes the Hammers are the favourites to win
the Championship title
18.06.2011

Neville Southall believes West Ham United have the perfect management team
to lead the club to promotion next season. The former Wales goalkeeper is a
big fan of manager Sam Allardyce, while he played alongside new assistant
manager Neil McDonald during a hugely-successful playing career at Everton.
Southall believes the bookmakers have rightly installed the Hammers as
favourites to secure a return to the Premier League at the first time of
asking. "Neil is a very serious fellow," the 52-year-old told West Ham TV.
"He's got a deep football knowledge and was a really, really good player in
several positions and I think working with a larger-than-life character like
Sam Allardyce, he is a good foil for him. "Sam is a good motivator and is
really clever behind the scenes. He's well into sports psychology and will
bring in all the technology. I think he'll bring something different and
what West Ham have lacked for years, which is steel, with somebody in the
middle of midfield who can dig a bit - and that's something they'll need
next year. "It's not going to be easy - it's going to be a cup final every
week. It's going to be hard work for them, but I think if Sam can bring in a
bit of steel and protection, then I think they'll keep more clean sheets and
win more games. "I think West Ham will go straight back up. I think they've
brought in a terrific manager, a really good coach in Neil and I think
they've got some tremendous players as well."

Among those players are two of Southall's compatriots - Danny Gabbidon and
Jack Collison - both of whom the Llandudno-born stopper believes have an
important role to play for club and country in the future. "Danny and Jack
are really good players and you need to keep hold of your best players, if
you can. With the crowd and the facilities you've got here, I think you'll
go straight back up."

"Danny is a good player and if he can have an injury-free season, that'll be
really good for him. He has missed a run of games for a long time. If he can
play ten or 15 games on the bounce, then that'll be good for him. "Jack is a
really good player and is still relatively young and will fit into Gary
Speed's team very well. I think he'll be successful with Wales as Wales have
got a very good young squad at the moment."

Southall believes that West Ham's riches are not just limited to the two
Welshmen, however. With a good blend of experience and youth available to
Allardyce, he believes the Hammers are in the box seat when it comes to
securing the Championship title come May 2012. "I think West Ham have got a
very good young squad at the moment and I think more of the youngsters will
get a chance next season. That'll be a boost for the Academy lads, because
they'll be looking at the first team and thinking 'I can get in there'. "All
in all, for me you've got one of the best managers in football, a really
good coach, some of the best supporters in the land and a great ground, so
there's no reason why you shouldn't have success."

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Barrera ready for Guatemala
WHUFC.com
Pablo Barrera's Mexico face Guatemala in the CONCACAF Gold Cup
quarter-finals on Saturday
18.06.2011

Pablo Barrera and his Mexico team-mates continue their quest for CONCACAF
Gold Cup glory when they take on Guatemala on Saturday. The West Ham United
winger and his compatriots have been in outstanding form, scoring 14 goals
on their way to winning all three of their group-stage fixtures with ease.
El Salvador and Cuba were both defeated 5-0 before the Hammers star hit the
target himself in a 4-1 victory over Costa Rica. Next up for El Tri is a
quarter-final clash with Guatemala, who finished third in their group behind
Jamaica and Honduras. The last-eight clash will take place at the
82,500-capacity New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey - the
home of the NFL's New York Giants and New York Jets American football teams.
While the match is likely to be less physical than those contested by the
Giants and Jets, Barrera expects the Guatemalans to provide a stern test for
the defending champions - particularly as Mexico have lost five players
after traces of the banned substance clenbuterol were found in their urine.
Second tests on the same players have since come back negative, but the
favourites find themselves with just 17 players to choose from for the
remainder of the tournament. "All opponents are tough, but we are working
very well and with much encouragement. We continue with the same goal of
becoming champions." Coverage of Mexico's quarter-final meeting with
Guatemala will be screened by British Eurosport 2. The three other
last-eight ties pit Jonathan Spector's United States against Jamaica, Costa
Rica against Honduras and Panama against El Salvador. The final will take
place at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Saturday 25 June.

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West Ham owners hand club loan life line
Published 23:00 18/06/11 By Paul Smith
The Mirror

David Sullivan and David Gold have given the club an ­interest free £30m
loan to keep West Ham afloat. And ­co-owner Sullivan doesn't hold out much
hope of seeing the money again He said: "I'm not sure people understand the
debt at West Ham. "I would like to see a club in a worse ­financial
position. The debts exceed the value of the club and criticism following
relegation hurt us. "We have now put in £30m to keep the club afloat and
fund transfers. We expect that figure to rise."

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 18th June 2011

Whirlwind week at West Ham
WHUFC.com
Joint-Chairman David Sullivan has updated on the efforts being made ahead of
the promotion push
17.06.2011

It may be the close-season but things at West Ham United continue to move
forward at a positive pace. The eye-catching double arrival this week of
Kevin Nolan and Abdoulaye Faye underlined the club's commitment to a
successful Championship challenge. Heading into another weekend which will
be dominated by transfer discussions, Joint-Chairman David Sullivan said:
"We are very pleased with the business we have done so far since Sam
Allardyce's arrival. "I can assure supporters we are determined to make the
strongest possible push for promotion next season. We are working around the
clock to bring in the players Sam wants in time for the big kick-off against
Cardiff City on the opening weekend. "What is certain is that we only want
players prepared to give everything for the club and its fantastic fans."

Friday's publication of the new fixtures, including that opener against
Malky Mackay's Cardiff, has also whetted the appetite for an exciting
2011/12 campaign ahead. The club will prepare with an intriguing 30 July
home fixture against Spanish side Real Zaragoza and will finalise its
pre-season programme next week. West Ham United have also confirmed Demba Ba
has left to join Newcastle United, despite the club's best efforts to keep
him in east London. Ba rejected improved new contract terms - including a
lucrative £500,000 loyalty fee and significantly increased £50,000-per week
wages - to invoke a relegation exit clause and walk away less than five
months into his long-term contract. The striker scored seven goals in 12
league games after being given his Premier League chance at West Ham in
January, when other clubs were reluctant to take to take a risk on signing
him over his knee problems.

Moving on, West Ham United will continue to update fans via whufc.com and
twitter on the club's transfer targets with more new faces due in east
London to add to the proven Premier League quality offered by Nolan and
Faye. The best Academy talent will also remain and get every chance to
succeed.

Next week also sees the much-anticipated reveal of the club's new 2011/12
Macron home and away kits on Wednesday 22 June, while Allardyce has been
boosted by the official confirmation on Friday of his highly-rated No2 Neil
McDonald.

Both men have been in constant contact with the backroom and medical staff
ahead of pre-season getting under way in July.

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Newcastle make striker Demba Ba capture from West Ham
Page last updated at 16:00 GMT, Friday, 17 June 2011 17:00 UK
BBC.co.uk

Newcastle United have completed the signing of Senegal striker Demba Ba from
West Ham. The 26-year-old, who scored seven goals in 13 outings for the
Hammers in the second half of the 2010-11 campaign, has joined on a
three-year deal. Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said: "Demba made a great
impression at West Ham last season and is a great signing for the club. "He
has pace, excellent technical ability, is good in the air."

Pardew had made his intention to sign a striker clear this summer in his bid
to fill the void left following Andy Carroll's £35m move to Liverpool in
January. The Magpies boss added: "And, it goes without saying, [Demba] has
the ability to consistently find the back of the net. "Moreover he has a
great passion to play for Newcastle United." Ba's move to Tyneside has taken
place despite concerns over a knee injury that resulted in Stoke pulling out
of a deal to sign him before West Ham drafted him in. The former Hoffenheim
forward's goals could not save the Hammers from relegation from the Premier
League last season and he is understood to have moved on because of a
release clause in the three-year contract he signed with the Upton Park
outfit in January. Ba's transfer to St James's Park comes a day after
midfielder Kevin Nolan made the move in the opposite direction, from the
Magpies to Upton Park. The Senegal striker's arrival also provides Pardew
with his second signing of the summer following the capture of France
international midfielder Yohan Cabaye earlier this month. "Everything has
been sorted out and now I'm happy because I can start to focus on playing
and scoring goals for Newcastle," Ba stated. "This is a great club and a
very good team so to sign here was an easy choice to make. "I have spoken to
[winger] Hatem [Ben Arfa] about the club and he told me how happy he is here
and how big Newcastle are so I'm really happy and I can't wait to start
playing. "I know a lot of famous strikers have played here before and I will
do my best to win games for the club."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
McDonald signs on
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 17th June 2011
By: Staff Writer

Neil McDonald has been officially unveiled as Sam Allardyce's assistant
manager. The 45-year-old, who worked alongside Allardyce at Bolton and
Blackburn has, as expected, teamed up with big Sam once again. Speaking to
whufc.com tonight, McDonald revealed that plans for the new season were
already well under way. "I've had a look at the ground and the training
ground to see what's there and make preparations for pre-season," he said.
"I've been on the phone to the majority of the staff to see where they are
at and who they are and to introduce myself, so it's been all go. That's
just the start before coming down on 1 July; it'll be all systems go from
there."

McDonald enjoyed a playing career that spanned 15 years, making his name at
Newcastle and Everton before ending his career in the lower leagues. His
first coaching post - a dual role whilst still a player - came at Preston in
1997, from where he teamed up with Allardyce at the Reebok Stadium for the
first time in 2000. In 2005, McDonald became assistant to Iain Dowie at
Crystal Palace before taking his sole full-time managerial role to date at
Carlisle United a year later. However that was to end disappointingly, with
McDonald fired just a year into his job; the board citing 'no confidence'.
After leaving Carlisle, he spent a short time in Sweden as temporary manager
of Ostersunds FK before returning to England in November 2007 as assistant
to new Lincoln manager Peter Jackson.

McDonald was on the move again just three months later when he was appointed
second in command to Gary McAllister at Leeds United in February 2008. Three
years after leaving Bolton, he was reunited with Sam Allardyce at Blackburn
in December of the same year. Only last month, McDonald was set to become
the new manager of Bury - a job that eventually went to Richie Barker -
before being offered the chance to follow Allardyce to the Boleyn Ground.
Having grabbed the opportunity, it is a role that he already appears to be
relishing. "We've got to set targets as high as we possibly can and reach
them as soon as we possibly can, so everything will be well organised and up
and running by 1 July when all the players are back," he enthused. "It'll be
good to get to know all the players. To find the dynamics of the team over
the six weeks before the start of the season will be very interesting. We've
got lots to look forward to - and lots to get stuck into."

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Magpies wrap up Ba swoop
Striker seals switch to Tyneside
Last Updated: June 17, 2011 10:31pm
SSN

Newcastle have completed the signing of former West Ham frontman Demba Ba on
a three-year deal. The 26-year-old's move to St James' Park on a free
transfer was rubber-stamped this afternoon, the Premier League club have
confirmed. The arrival of Ba, who scored seven times in 13 appearances for
the Hammers during the second half of last season, comes 24 hours after
Magpies skipper Kevin Nolan headed for Upton Park in a deal believed to be
worth in the region of £4million. Manager Alan Pardew told Newcastle's
official website: "Demba made a great impression with West Ham last season
and is a great signing for this club. "He has pace, excellent technical
ability, is good in the air and, it goes without saying, has the ability to
consistently find the back of the net. "Moreover, he has a great passion to
play for Newcastle United."

Ba becomes Pardew's second signing of the summer following the capture of
French midfielder Yohan Cabaye. Newcastle beat off competition from a series
off other suitors to land the former Hoffenheim player as Pardew looks to
increase his options in attack. The player seemed to be heading for Stoke in
January until he failed a medical on a knee problem and was snapped up by
the Hammers. Despite his best efforts to keep the Londoners in the Premier
League, they were relegated at the end of last season, but not before he had
proved both his fitness and his prowess in front of goal.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Are West Ham to Sign Gradel and Cork?
June 18th, 2011 - 3:44 am by S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die

Sam Allardyce rightly went for experience in making his first two signings,
Faye and Nolan. However, if the reports presently circulating are to be
believed, his next signings could see him target two younger prospects.

It was reported yesterday that West Ham are to bid for Leeds Utd winger Max
Gradel. Gradel scored 19 Championship goals last season from the flanks and
is entering the final year of his current contract. At 23 years of age, the
Ivory Coast International is a good prospect and has been interesting
Hamburg and PSG, amongst others. Gradel is equally comfortable on either
flank and can also play effectively as a second striker.

Additionally, there was also a report this morning that West Ham are to
gazump Burnley in the signing of Chelski utility player, Jack Cork. Cork is
another decent prospect who, like so many prior Chelski Academy players,
has found it very tough to break through at Stamford Bridge. Cork is the
son of former Wimbledon player Alan Cork. He can play across the back line,
as well as a defensive midfield anchor. Last season, he enjoyed a
successful loan at Burnley, where he put in a number of assured
performances. Consequently, the 21 year old has amassed solid experience of
the Championship and would provide valuable cover in a number of positions.

Both players look like good signings, with the potential to possibly make
the transition to PL football. Max Gradel, as a goal scoring winger, could
be a particularly valuable acquisition. Especially as he can play on the
left flank, an area of the squad that needs to be addressed. In the case of
Jack Cork, I do wonder if he is better than the young defenders that we
already have, in Spence, Tomkins, Da Costa and Fry? However, he could have
a future as a holding midfielder, a position where we probably need to
secure cover, with the likely departure of Kovac and Spector this summer.

Finally, there was also an isolated report that Norwich City could be
interested in signing West Ham's veteran left sided player, Luis Boa Morte.
The report maintains that Boa Morte signed a new two year deal with the
Hammers last summer and is still under contract. As such, West Ham could
reasonably expect a fee for Boa Morte's move to Carrow Road. Personally, I
am not too confident about the reliability of this particular rumour, but I
thought it interesting and worthy of sharing, if only for its curiosity
value!

I sincerely hope that our restructured squad enables us to storm out of the
Championship next season. Those of us old enough to remember it, will know
just how enjoyable and exhilarating a run-away promotion campaign, like
1980-81, really was. Winning virtually every week and gaining promotion in
early April, if only! Although I do agree with those that argue that we
should not presume automatic promotion is assured next season. No, nothing
can be taken for granted on that score. Promotion must be earned by proving
our worthiness, beyond any doubt, over 46 very competitive matches.

Indeed, we have a pretty challenging start, with us facing Cardiff City,
Leeds Utd and Nottingham Forest in the first few games. But challenges, by
their very nature, are made to be met and overcome!

SJ. Chandos.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Geoff Hurst: Allardyce must be given time
Published 23:00 17/06/11 By Mike Walters
The Mirror

West Ham legend Sir Geoff Hurst has begged East Enders to give new Hammers
manager Sam Allardyce a chance after the Hammers were handed a tough start.
Life in the Championship for the Hammers opens with a tricky home date
against Cardiff, who were beaten play-off finalists at Wembley in 2010 and
semi-finalists again last month. Then, Big Sam faces away-days at Doncaster
and Watford - both winnable on paper, but likely to provide the former
Bolton, Newcastle and Blackburn manager with an insight into the competitive
nature of football on branch lines off the main route of the Premier League
gravy train. And Hurst, who sensed a season of toil under Avram Grant at
Upton Park last term when a section of fans turned on the Israeli barely a
month into the campaign, admitted West Ham may have to forsake their purist
'Academy of Football' principles under Allardyce to bounce back at the first
attempt.

England's 1966 World Cup final hat-trick hero said: "It's a strange feeling
- normally you get excited about the fixtures coming out when you have just
gone up a division, not when you have just been relegated. "I just hope the
fans give Sam a chance. He may not be everybody's cup of tea, but he has
good experience and a good track record. "Maybe the overall concern with Sam
is how he achieved success with various teams. "He is perceived to use a
longer ball than the traditional way this club has played since Ron
Greenwood's day. "But we have got to give him a chance and remember the
objective is to get back in the Premier League. If that means a different
style of play which reflects the players at your disposal, so be it. "It is
a tough ask, but Sam understands players and he is very keen on the medical
side of the game - the science of keeping players fit and extracting maximum
performance from them. "He is terrific on that side of the game, and I wish
him good luck. I have met him a couple of times, he is a nice man and I hope
the supporters get behind him."

Grant was doomed from the moment it took West Ham five games to get off the
mark last season, and Hurst is anxious that bubble-blowers do not rush to
judge Allardyce, too. "Last year, some fans were turning against the manager
after just four games - that is just foolish," he said. "No West Ham fan
should be doing that, the club needs to be supported. "The huge mistake was
trying to recruit Martin O'Neill [to replace Grant] in mid-season and not
sealing the deal. From that moment, the players knew the club had no
confidence in the manager. "It was probably the right thing to do, but the
minute it becomes public and you don't land your target, it is the worst
thing you can do to a manager who is struggling. They were stuck with Grant
for another six months - it was a really poor decision. "West Ham did not go
down because they did not have the money for new players. We spent it on the
wrong players, and I am a bit disappointed about that."

For the first time, the npower Championship will kick off with two former
England managers among the contenders. Steve McClaren's first game in charge
of Nottingham Forest is a potential banana-skin at home to Barnsley, while
Leicester's Sven Goran Eriksson has been handed an M69 derby at Coventry for
starters.

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Nolan will lead us back to the Prem, says Gold
Published 16:07 17/06/11 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror

West Ham co-owner David Gold believes Kevin Nolan can help the Hammers back
into the top flight, starting with the season-opener against Cardiff. The
npower Championship fixtures for the 2011-12 season were announced this
morning, and new United boss Sam Allardyce has a tough-looking first game
against the play-off hardened Bluebirds on August 6. Spirits are currently
high at Upton Park, though, following the surprise signing of Newcastle
captain Nolan yesterday, and Gold feels he could be the catalyst behind an
instant Premier League return. "I think he is quality," he told Sky Sports
News. "The relationship he has with Sam from their time at Bolton is
important and I think he is captain material. "He has that determination,
that will and desire, which Sam has and the owners have. "I know the fans
are delighted with this signing, it's a coup of West Ham. "If we were in the
Premier League you'd expect us to be pursuing a player of this quality.
"This is the player we can build the squad around, this iconic player."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gold banks on Allardyce pulling power
Phil McNulty | 15:38 UK time, Friday, 17 June 2011
BBC.co.uk

West Ham United co-owner David Gold likened the mood around Upton Park after
relegation to "a death in the family" - now the grieving is over and the
rebirth is ready to begin under Sam Allardyce. Allardyce returns from
holiday to get behind his desk at West Ham's Chadwell Heath training
headquarters on Monday but Gold is convinced the road to recovery from the
drop into the Championship has already begun. The Hammers' hierarchy reacted
to relegation after defeat at Wigan Athletic by sacking manager Avram Grant
within minutes of the final whistle and Gold revealed the hard work started
after a short period of reflection.

Now he believes West Ham have put "a stake in the sand" by appointing
Allardyce and following up the manager's arrival by persuading Newcastle
United captain Kevin Nolan to sacrifice life in the Premier League for a
journey back to the top tier starting in Green Street. Gold, his co-owner
David Sullivan and chief executive Karren Brady received heavy criticism as
West Ham dropped out of the top flight - especially after a turbulent
January when Grant looked out of a job only to survive with dire
consequences. But there is no disguising the passion in Gold's voice and the
desire to make West Ham's stay in the Championship a brief one as he
enthuses about the two high-profile newcomers.

He told BBC Sport: "In football terms we were grieving after relegation and
that's allowed. Then it was important to get over that as quickly as
possible. We had the priority to bring in a new manager as quickly as
possible and we are thrilled that we have Sam Allardyce. "You are always
nervous until it is signed and sealed but now it is like a marriage. We are
committed to each other and committed to getting West Ham back in the
Premier League. "Sam is a Premier League manager. We have appointed him and
we have signed a top-class proven Premier League player in Kevin Nolan. This
is the impact Sam can have. Kevin Nolan knows him and his quality and was
happy to come and play for him again. "He is a manager who can attract
players. He has proved it before and he has done it again here. He played a
massive part in getting Kevin to Upton Park. Even if he doesn't bring in any
other players of that quality he has still achieved what I regard as the
coup of the transfer window with that deal. "For a number of reasons we had
to put a stake in the sand and show our commitment to the fans. We have done
it and it is important that our negotiations continue to keep our young
players, senior pros and also ensure we continue to work with our academy,
which is one of the best in the business. "It is important the fans get
behind us and Sam's appointment and Kevin's signing is a statement of our
intent. And Kevin has shown a statement of faith in signing for us. It shows
we mean business at West Ham United. "Many clubs haven't done any business
yet - and I'm confident we will pull off one or two more surprises before
the window closes. We are working our socks off."

Allardyce's appointment, while welcomed, was regarded in many areas as
coming five months too late. If he had arrived in January, when Grant was
starting to look like a lame duck, then West Ham's renewal might have been
able to start in the Premier League. Gold told me: "When you look back it
is, of course, with hindsight. When we were bottom of the table on that last
Sunday you ask could you have done more and the answer is obviously 'yes'.
"By the same token we still brought in extra players when this decision
could have been made. We felt we brought in three top class players in Wayne
Bridge, an England left-back, one of the most exciting young strikers around
in Demba Ba and a record goalscorer for the Republic of Ireland in Robbie
Keane. "We also had an England goalkeeper in Robert Green, an England
centre-back in Matthew Upson, an England midfield man in Scott Parker and an
England striker in Carlton Cole. That wasn't a bad side and we added three
quality players to it."

Now Gold is getting to grips with the reality of getting West Ham back into
the Premier League - and says spirits have soared in recent weeks and the
club is up for the fight. "When we went down the whole football club was
despondent," he said. "It was like a death in the family. It was painful,
painful and we couldn't see it coming. We believed we had done enough. You
lose staff and it is a very sad time. Let me promise you it is an horrendous
experience for a football club. "Now we don't say we are relegated we say we
are in the Championship. We've been relegated three times before at
Birmingham so we know what to do to get out of it. We ask ourselves: 'What
are we going to do about it?' And we now have a new manager in Sam and a
player of Kevin's calibre who can be our talisman. "One of the few redeeming
features of getting old is that you have been around the block and you have
experience that you can bring to bear on this situation. And we have
experience of what it takes to win promotion to the Premier League. "We are
in the Championship and with all due respect it is better than being in the
Conference. I believe we are going to be big players and big challengers in
the Championship. It is going to be so exciting and David Sullivan and
myself will do everything in our power to ensure we have put everything
possible in place so we keep our record of going straight back up after
relegation."

There is little doubt fences needed to be mended with disaffected, but still
fiercely loyal, West Ham fans and this is a process Gold also believes is
under way.

He said: "I went on to Twitter - whether that was a good idea or not I'm not
sure - but it is a good barometer of how the fans are feeling and you should
never underestimate them. Of course you get some who are not very
complimentary but there are thousands who are so knowledgeable and I get the
sense that they are fantastically supportive of what we have done in
bringing in Sam and then making a signing like Kevin Nolan. "You are allowed
the period of grief and cursing your luck as far as football is concerned
after what happened to us, but we have already started the hard work to get
West Ham back up to the Premier League. "Someone like Kevin Nolan hasn't
come to Upton Park to play in the Championship, he has come to help take
West Ham back up into the Premier League. That is what we all want here and
we will do our utmost to make it happen."

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West Ham swoop for Chelsea's England U21 international Cork
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 10:42 PM on 17th June 2011
Daily Mail

West Ham are looking to pip Southampton, Burnley and Blackpool to Chelsea's
Jack Cork. The 21-year-old spent last season on loan at Turf Moor and was
expected to return their permanently in a £750,000 move. Ambitious
Championship rivals Southampton then showed their interest and looked to be
in the driving seat but now West Ham have stepped in and Cork is keen to
move across London and join Sam Allardyce's new-look squad. Allardyce was
disappointed to miss out on former Bolton defender Ricardo Gardner but
England U21 international Cork who can play in midfield or defence is a
positive acquisition.

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