WHUFC.com
Ravel Morrison made his first start in a 2-1 win for the Development Squad
17.02.2012
Ravel Morrison played his first game in claret and blue as he captained the
West Ham United Development Squad to a 2-1 behind-closed-doors friendly win
against Queens Park Rangers. The deadline-day signing formed part of a
strong starting XI for the Hammers that also included Guy Demel, George
John, Gary O'Neil, Frederic Piquionne and Sam Baldock at Chadwell Heath on
Friday. Indeed, it was the experienced front two of Baldock and Piquionne
who combined to give the home side the lead in the sixth minute. Baldock
broke down the left and delivered a pinpoint cross for his strike partner
head home firmly from six yards out. Ian Hendon's side went on to have much
the better of the first half but QPR fought back after the break and
levelled the game with a stunning equaliser just past the hour mark. The
Hammers sealed the win with four minutes to go, however, when a direct
free-kick flew in from the edge of the area. Morrison saw plenty of the ball
in a central midfield role and he twice worked the visiting keeper with
powerful drives from the edge of the area. Playing No7, the
nineteen-year-old showed some neat touches and very nearly added a third
goal at the death with a delicate chip that had to be turned over the bar.
Frank Nouble, playing in a wide midfield role, was also a constant thorn in
the side of the Hoops' defence and came close to scoring on several
occasions, most notably with a deflected effort that looped on to the bar
with eight minutes to go. At the other end, John looked solid throughout and
behind him Marek Stech made three impressive saves, two of which came with a
QPR player through one-on-one. O'Neil partnered Morrison in central midfield
before a planned half-time withdrawal for youngster Pelly Ruddock, while
Demel showed plenty of promise going forward before being withdrawn in the
71st minute for Josh Siafa. Fellow substitute Sebastian Lletget perhaps
should have done better with a header when well placed. The closing stages
of the match also saw youngsters Brian Montenegro and Taylor Miles enter the
fray as the Hammers finished with a youthful side. Hendon would have been
delighted with the effort of his side during the win, with several
first-team players getting valuable match time ahead of Tuesday's npower
Championship trip to Blackpool.
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Ludek liking Hammers progress
WHUFC.com
Goalkeeping great Ludek Miklosko is happy with the way the Hammers are
playing this season
17.02.2012
West Ham United's former No1 Ludek Miklosko was a welcome visitor back to
Chadwell Heath this week and it's clear he is keeping an eye on the clubs
progress.
The former Czech international, who made 365 appearances for the Hammers
during an eight-year playing career, now lives back in his native Czech
Republic working as a sports agent. He still manages to keep track of his
former club's progress though and is pleased with how they are playing.
Miklosko said: "Every week I'm always looking out for their results and I'm
very impressed. I believe we will get promoted back to the Premier League at
the end of the season which is where a great club like West Ham belong."
The fans' favourite and former Hammer of the Year has also managed to attend
a couple of games this season and felt that the players were showing a
new-found desire. His return to the Boleyn Ground gave him a chance to catch
up with some old friends on the coaching team, having been a goalkeeping
coach at the club until 2010. "I made it here for one game early on in the
season and it was great to see the boys playing so well. They look hungry
for promotion and deserve the results they are getting. "I've still got
friends here and they say the mood around the club is great, the training
ground is a very happy place, and everyone is enjoying themselves and
working towards the same goal of promotion."
Miklosko, of course, still keeps a close eye on the progress of the Hammers
goalkeepers, and has been particularly impressed by Robert Green's recent
performances. While the England international has been outstanding in the
first team, the development of Miklosko's fellow countryman Marek Stech on
loan and in training has caught his eye as well. "Marek is fantastic lad,
determined to do well here. He needs to get a few games under his belt, gain
a bit more experience and I'm sure he will do very well. "Rob is playing
very well at the moment, he's always looking to learn and improve himself
and this is what makes him a top goalkeeper."
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Sears joins U's on loan
WHUFC.com
Freddie Sears has joined Colchester United on loan until Sunday 18 March
17.02.2012
Freddie Sears has joined npower League One club Colchester United on loan
until Sunday 18 March. The West Ham United forward has joined up with his
U's team-mates this morning to make the journey to Yeovil Town, where he
could make his debut on Saturday. The Hammers No19 has made 12 first-team
appearances for Sam Allardyce's side this season, including four starts.
However, with the signings of Nicky Maynard, Ricardo Vaz Te and Ravel
Morrison and the good form shown by Julien Faubert and Carlton Cole, his
chances have been limited in recent weeks. The 22-year-old has featured for
Ian Hendon's Development Squad, scoring four goals in nine appearances this
term. Sears could play as many as eight league matches for Colchester, who
sit eleventh in League One, including a home game against Peter Kurucz and
Paul McCallum's Rochdale on 25 February.
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West Ham's Ravel Morrison admits FA Twitter charge
BBC.co.uk
West Ham midfielder Ravel Morrison has admitted a Football Association
charge for comments made on Twitter. The FA said in a statement: "Ravel
Morrison has admitted a charge under FA rule E3 of using abusive and/or
insulting words including a reference to a person's sexual orientation.
"Morrison has requested to have a non-personal hearing." The FA will now
determine the punishment for the offence without the player appearing in
person. After joining West Ham on deadline day, Morrison is still to make
his debut for the Irons.
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Freddie Sears joins Colchester United on loan from West Ham
BBC.co.uk
Colchester United have signed West Ham striker Freddie Sears on a one-month
loan deal. The 22-year-old former England Under-21 international will be
available for Saturday's trip to Yeovil, subject to the completion of
paperwork. He has failed to score in 11 games for the Hammers this season.
"A lot of work went in last night to get him here and he'll meet us at
Brentwood to join us on the coach to Yeovil," said U's boss John Ward.
"Freddie has been at different clubs in the Championship and has also played
in the Premier League and we feel it is a bit of a coup to get him in and
play for us. "I spoke to him last night, and he was very happy to come here.
There was interest from elsewhere, but he has decided to come to us."
Sears broke on to the scene four years ago, scoring a debut winner for West
Ham in a 2-1 Premier League victory over Blackburn Rovers. Since then he has
been restricted to 25 starts and 32 substitute appearances for the Upton
Park club, netting three goals in that time, and has had loan spells at
Crystal Palace, Coventry and Scunthorpe. His last Hammers game was the 1-0
FA Cup loss to Sheffield Wednesday on 8 January.
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Morrison requests hearing
KUMb.com
Filed: Friday, 17th February 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United new boy Ravel Morrison has requested a hearing after he was
charged for making what was deemed to be a homophobic comment via Twitter.
19-year-old Morrison was charged by the FA earlier this week after he
referred to an unnamed follower of his social network account as a 'faggot'
- a comment construed by the FA to be 'a reference to a person's sexual
orientation'. Morrison had been given until 4pm this afternoon to answer the
charge and the FA confirmed this evening that the youngster had admitted the
charge. "West Ham United's Ravel Morrison has admitted a charge under FA
Rule E3 of using abusive and/or insulting words including a reference to a
person's sexual orientation in relation to Twitter comments," said the FA's
statement, which also confirmed that, "Morrison has requested a non-personal
hearing."
Prior to the FA's notice there was some actually some football related news
with regards to the player, who captained a West Ham development team
earlier in the day. Morrison was part of an experienced side - that
included the likes of Sam Baldock, Guy Demel and fellow new signing George
John - that beat Queens Park Rangers in an unannounced friendly at the
club's Chadwell Heath training complex. The Hammers ran out 2-1 winners over
the Premier League side thanks to a goal from Freddie Piquionne and a second
from an unnamed player after Rangers had drawn level at the beginning of the
second period.
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Good luck, Freddie
WHUFC.com
Filed: Friday, 17th February 2012
By: Staff Writer
Freddie Sears has joined Colchester United on a short-term loan spell. The
out-of-favour youngster will stay with the Us until 18th March after
agreeing to move to the Essex club, who are currently 11th in League One.
Colchester boss John Ward, speaking via his club's website said: "We moved
quickly to get Freddie in. A lot of work went in last night to get him here.
"Freddie has been at different clubs in the Championship and has also played
in the Premier League and we feel it is a bit of a coup to get him in and
play for us. "I spoke to him last night, and he was very happy to come
here. There was interest from elsewhere, but he has decided to come to us."
Sears, who burst onto the scene when scoring against Blackburn on his debut
back in March 2008 has made just 11 appearances for the first team at West
Ham this season. Only one of those has come in 2012, that being the FA Cup
defeat at Sheffield Wednesday at the beginning of January. Since scoring on
his first team debut three years ago next month, the 22-year-old striker has
managed to find the net on just two occasions in competitive fixtures. Both
goals coming last season; in the 2-0 Premier League win over Wolves and the
5-1 demolition of Burnley in the FA Cup. The Hornchurch-born youngster was
one of the most highly-rated youngsters to emerge from the club's Youth
Academy in recent seasons, having broken into the first team set-up around
the same time as James Tomkins, Jack Collison and Junior Stanislas.
Prolific at youth team and reserve level, it was hoped that Sears could make
the step-up to first team football - although he has failed to live up to
that early billing at present. Having already spent time on loan previously
with Crystal Palace and Coventry, it is hoped that this latest move can
kick-start his flagging career.
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Questions, questions, questions
KUMb.com
Filed: Friday, 17th February 2012
By: Paul Walker
The more this protracted, tiresome Olympic stadium debate continues, the
more worrying questions it throws up. Now we discover that Steve Vaughan,
the architect initially responsible for the Olympic Park is revealed as the
'anonymous objector' to the EU that brought about the collapse of West Ham's
plans to take over the Stratford stadium after this summer's games.
Mind you, the first question is, who really knew that Vaughan was the man
behind the complaint?
He insists it was not an anonymous complaint. So did the Government know,
did Boris know, did the OPLC know and more to the point, did West Ham or
Newham Council know?
Vaughan maintains that the stadium is not right for football, and was never
designed for such an outcome.
He also maintains that football is the only financially viable professional
sport that can make a success of the stadium in the future. Yes, you have
guessed it….why was the stadium therefore not designed with a football
heritage in mind Mr. Vaughan? You must have had some part of that decision
making. Good grief, sometimes you just couldn't make it up!
Simple, this. The stadium is a circle. Football is played in rectangular
stadiums. As is rugby, and actually athletics. The only sports that seem to
survive in circles is cricket and the various mad forms of Aussie sport.
And although I have been generally browned off with Orient owner Barry
Hearn's involvement in all the legal stuff, he is actually being shown to be
right on this point. The stadium was a cock-up right from the start.
Now Vaughan is suggesting that the warm-up track can be converted for the
athletics legacy, and the stadium should be converted for West Ham and
Orient to share as a football ground without a track.
Much the same as the Manchester City model following the Commonwealth Games.
Manchester Council had City's involvement from the start, before a spade
ever entered the ground because they knew it would be a white elephant
otherwise. It is only the smug athletics world (yes, you, Seb Coe) who
insists that athletics can survive financially in such a giant stadium.
City agreed to give Manchester Council their former home at Maine Road, in
exchange for a long-term lease at Eastlands because the authorities could
never have afforded to maintain the ground otherwise.
So the stadium was built with a submerged lower tier of seating that was dug
out after the Commonwealth Games, with the track being removed, and now City
have a perfect stadium for their future use. They were not given it as a
gift, they actually made the Commonwealth Games possible in Manchester.
And athletics have a smaller, viable converted warm-up track for their use.
It has been asked before, but here goes again. Why on earth was the Olympic
stadium not planned along such lines of co-operation? The warm-up track in
Stratford would be more than adequate for athletics' needs. But then the
Olympic athletics organisers were too pig-headed to admit to such a
position.
Vaughan is now saying that he complained to the EU in October because he
feared that the £40million loan from Newham Council could be considered
illegal state aid. Why did he take so long?
He fears that if West Ham sell off the Boleyn and move to Stratford, any
football club at a later date (Spurs or Orient, we must assume) could
complain to the EU, and if they won their case then West Ham would have to
pay back the loan or even pay for the stadium. That clearly could not afford
and we would have been homeless, because the stadium would have to be handed
back to the authorities.
Vaughan even suggests that West Ham would die. Now the real question. Just
how much of this possibility did West Ham's board know? How long ago was it
suggested to them that they were playing with fire and could in effect, put
our whole existence in danger?
If they didn't know, did the Government or Boris' lot? Or even the OPLC? It
worries me that such a fundamental part of the pre-planning did not throw up
this possible outcome. Vaughan seems to have known, why was it not
considered fully much earlier?
Or was the political authorities, and West Ham, so desperate to get a future
legacy in place before the Games took place, that such little problems were
ignored or swept aside in the head long desire to make the Olympics a
success?.
Yes, the same Olympics that has produced a ticket buying fiasco (now isn't
that a surprise) and a furious attempt to make the rest of the UK believe
these games are for them, all-inclusive.
Now these days I do not live in London, and have not been swept up in
Olympic fever. I do not hear the Olympics being discussed much in my local
pub (Man City and Man United hold sway there, and West Ham when I can get a
word in edgeways).
I don't know anyone who has got tickets or even applied for them. But I hear
plenty of complaints that taxes and lottery money from outside the south is
paying for it all rather than schools and the NHS, and we should be grateful
for a few football matches in Cardiff, Coventry, Manchester, Newcastle and
Glasgow. Plus a fleeting sight of the flame when it goes off around the UK.
Ok, I digress, rant over.
Back to the Olympic stadium future. I sense that too much energy was thrown
at making the whole thing work and for a Government not to be saddled with a
white elephant stadium, than to consider properly West Ham United's future.
Our club. Our heritage.
It looked a good business plan. Our board sold the Boleyn, paid off the
debts and moved to a stadium with the potential of vast wealth from naming
rights. But that is now not the case.
We are told we are still interested in just renting the stadium, but not
having any revenue from naming rights. And with the track staying.
Please remind me: Just why do we want to go there? Heard reckons that even
the seats are not at the right angle, to make watching from the lower tier
very difficult.
Answers please from everyone. The Government, Boris, the OPLC, and of course
our own beloved board and Ms. Brady, who says she has devoted two years of
her life to all this. And this is the mess we are left with!
Incidentally, the best match I have seen this week was on West Ham TV who
showed our outstanding youth team in their very unlucky FA Youth Cup defeat
at Chelsea.
I had not really seen much of the likes of Elliott Lee, Blair Turgott,
Dominic Vose, Leon Chambers or Matthias Fanimo before from my vantage point
in Cheshire. But there are some genuine stars for the future here - and what
a cracking game.
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Gills make swoop for Lee
Last Updated: February 17, 2012 5:21pm
SSN
Gillingham have signed West Ham midfielder Oliver Lee on a youth loan until
March 18. The 20-year-old, son of former England international Rob Lee, has
been on trial at Priestfield for several weeks, scoring in a practice match
against Chelsea's reserves on Tuesday. And Gills manager Andy Hessenthaler
believes the youngster has inherited his father's attacking attributes. "He
gets up and down. I've got to say, he's got good legs getting forward, he
gets goals and he's all-action, a bit like his dad was and if he turns out
anything like his dad then we've got a good player," Hessenthaler told the
club's official website. "He's got a fantastic upbringing at West Ham and I
think he's been told that he's perhaps not going to get a deal there, so it
gives us an opportunity to have a look at him, get him involved with us and
a chance to get in the first team. So we'll see where that takes us."
Lee will go straight into the squad to face Port Vale on Saturday.
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Morrison admits FA charge
Hammers midfielder now waiting to learn his punishment
Last Updated: February 17, 2012 6:17pm
SSN
West Ham midfielder Ravel Morrison has admitted a Football Association
charge of 'using abusive and/or insulting words' after a homophobic remark
on Twitter.
The 19-year-old, who moved to Upton Park from Manchester United at the end
of January, is reported to have made the comment in response to another
Twitter user. The FA wrote to Morrison last week for his observations on the
matter and formally charged him on Wednesday. Today the FA said in a
statement: "West Ham United's Ravel Morrison has admitted a charge under FA
rule E3 of using abusive and/or insulting words including a reference to a
person's sexual orientation in relation to Twitter comments. "Morrison has
requested a non-personal hearing." The FA will now determine the punishment
for the offence without Morrison appearing in person. Morrison was also
involved in various off-field controversies while at Old Trafford where he
was rated as one of the finest prospects to come out of the club in recent
years.
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Coming Soon: In Conversation With David Sullivan
February 17th, 2012 - 6:46 pm by Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die
I've just got back from a two hour interview with West Ham co-chairman David
Sullivan at his home in Epping Forest. We covered a lot of ground and I can
assure you that the interview will be well worth waiting for. It will take
some time to transcribe but I will hopefully get most of it done over the
weekend. Just to give you a taster…
* I got the full story of who we tried to sign in the transfer window and
who we didn't.
* He told me the identity of a top class premier league striker we tried to
get on loan, who wasn't called Tevez.
* David tells me the truth behind the Tevez rumours
* The two biggest mistakes made under his ownership
* How leaks scuppered a management change last January
* His views on Karren Brady's Sun column
* His stance on racism and homophobia and what his reaction would be to a
gay player at West Ham
* His views on Paolo di Canio and whether he could ever be West Ham manager
* Whether West Ham would stay at Upton Park if the Olympic Stadium bid
doesn't succeed
And a lot more besides.
I've interviewed a lot of politicians in my time and I have become very
adept at working out if they are going through the motions and spinning me a
line. At no time in the two hours did I feel David Sullivan was telling me
anything other than the God's honest truth. It was far more a conversation
than a Paxmanesque interview. Only once did we go 'off the record'. So, if
all that hasn't whetted your appetite, I don't know what will.
I will post the interview in six or seven themed chunks as soon as I am
able. Please don't keep asking me when I am going to do so as it will become
very tedious. I will do it as soon as I possibly can, but it won't be until
Sunday or Monday I imagine.
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Morrison gets West Ham career underway
By talkSPORT
Friday, February 17, 2012
Ravel Morrison finally made his debut for West Ham and was made captain as
he played 90 minutes for the development squad in a 2-1 victory over QPR.
Morrison has been forced to wait for his first start for the club following
his move from Manchester United last month. Big things are expected from the
teenage star who failed to agree a new contract with the Premier League
champions and is regarded as the best young talent to have come through the
ranks at Old Trafford since Paul Scholes. Sam Allardyce is still unsure if
Morrison will play a part for the club in the Championship this season as he
waits to assess his physical and mental state after making a big move down
to London. But he was given the chance to impress the West Ham manager when
he was handed the captains armband and produced an impressive display at the
heart of the midfield in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Friday
afternoon.. Morrison was part of a strong West Ham line-up which also
included Guy Demel, Gary O'Neil, Sam Baldock, Frederic Piquionne and fellow
new signing George John.
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Youth Update - George Moncur
Youth Reporter 5:03 Fri Feb 17
West Ham Online
George Moncur son of former midfielder John and brother of under 15 Hammer
Freddie has signed a month long loan deal at MK Dons. Olly Lee has gone to
Gillingham. This Comes on the same day at Freddie Sears joined Colchester
united on loan for the same amount of time. In other news Ravel Morrison
captained the development squad to a 2-1 victory over QPR at Chadwell Heath.
Frank Nouble also played as did 1st year scholar and scorer from Wednesday
nights FA Cup game Taylor Miles. Josh Siafa and Brian Montenegro were other
youngsters that took part in the win.
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