Daily WHUFC News - 12th October 2012

Gary feeling good
WHUFC.com
Gary O'Neil is feeling fighting fit and enjoying West Ham United's return to
the Barclays Premier League
11.10.2012

Gary O'Neil believes the combination of a quality squad and some fine form
will see West Ham United through the tough challenges of the next few months
of the Barclays Premier League. Midfielder O'Neil says that while the side
were disappointed to lose against Arsenal last weekend - only their second
home league defeat in 2012 - a foundation is forming that the players and
manager Sam Allardyce want to build on. After the next two tricky-looking
fixtures against Southampton and Wigan Athletic are completed, the Hammers
enter an unenviable run of games that include both Manchester teams,
Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, but O'Neil feels the squad should
hold no fear. "We have made a good start and want to get better as the
season goes on," O'Neil said "We have had good results in first few weeks
and started to build the foundations of what we want to achieve. "In the
last week, we had the great win away at Queens Park Rangers and then against
Arsenal, we came out and made a great start to the game, but ultimately came
away disappointed after losing to what is a very good Arsenal side. But we
have to look to build on what we have done well so far in the next few weeks
again."

While there may be some tough fixtures ahead, O'Neil is confident there is
enough quality and spirit in the squad to ensure West Ham United continue to
head in the right direction. "There is a really good vibe around the place.
The lads have done fantastically so far this season. We have had a decent
start and coming up from the Championship is hard, so getting a good
beginning to the campaign is important. "Yes, we have tough games coming up
but the form we have been in and the squad we have, we are all looking
forward to the challenges ahead and believe we are capable of meeting them."

Spirit is in good supply at the Hammers' Chadwell Heath training ground as
O'Neil and his other team-mates who have not gone away on international duty
this week have been put through their paces with daily double training
sessions. As well as hard work, though, there has been plenty of banter as
the team trained in the autumn sunshine. Those kind of light-hearted
moments were incredibly important for O'Neil on as he recovered from the
serious ankle injury he suffered against Aston Villa back in April 2011.
That injury saw O'Neil miss the rest of the 2010/11 season and much of last
season, but the midfielder battled through and returned four months sooner
than expected to play a key role in the Hammers' successful promotion
campaign. Although the initial prognosis was not good, the former England
Under-21 international stayed positive in his belief that he would play
again. He credits the surgeon who performed his operation and with Hammers'
caring medical and sports science staff for his quick recovery. "I have said
that it was a shock when we all realised how serious and how bad it was. It
was frightening and I took a while to come to terms with it. But I never
accepted that I wouldn't play again and always had in my mind that I would
play again. "I am really lucky. Everyone here - the staff, medical and
sports science staff - have been great and I have managed to get back out
there. The surgeon did a fantastic job and here I am back playing and
enjoying being in this squad. "It was hard being away from the rest of the
team for most of that time. It was all about the long-term goal, though, and
I knew I had to train on my own and work hard. So when I came back four
months early to play against Derby - which was quicker than we expected - it
was all worth it. "But yes it was hard. The lads were doing a fantastic job
trying to get us promoted and one of the
best things about getting back is not just playing but being part of the
team properly again."

During the endless hours and days spent in the Chadwell Heath recovery
rooms, O'Neil says he built up a firm bond with the medical staff at West
Ham.
"Even to this day I spend a lot of time with them still! I think you get
used to it. The ankle will need some managing here and there, but they have
all been fantastic here. "Also, sports science and medicine has moved on so
much I think that if I suffered this injury 20 years ago, I would not have
been able to come back. "The gaffer is big on sports science and the role it
plays in football and it has certainly played its part with me recovering
from this injury."

Such was the injury that O'Neil had to think - albeit temporarily - about
what else he could do should the worst happen. Coaching was the realistic
choice but there were dreams of being a professional golfer, with O'Neil
well-known at West Ham for his skills on the green. "I did look at coaching.
It wouldn't be the same as playing, but I would like to play a part in
helping young footballers come through, so I had to look at my badges and
all of that to be prepared. "If I had a choice? It would be golf - I did try
and qualify for the Open in the summer, but didn't do as well as I would
have liked, but I did it for the experience and enjoyment. But being
realistic, it would be coaching. "Luckily I am still playing and those
thoughts can hopefully wait a while yet. I am enjoying being part of this
team and hope to be playing my part this season as we look to do as well as
we can."

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Wayne eyes promotion push
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies goalkeeper Toni-Anne Wayne believes this season can
be a successful one
11.10.2012

While West Ham United's first team find themselves back in the Barclays
Premier League, the Ladies side have just missed out on promotion from the
FA Women's Premier League Southern Division in the past few years. During
the summer, the squad was strengthened with the addition of 29-year-old
goalkeeper Toni-Anne Wayne, who returned to West Ham United Ladies for the
second spell of her career. "When I left two years ago, I always said that
West Ham will always be in my heart and having the chance to come back, I
couldn't say 'No'" said former England Under-20 international. "Every team I
have been at, I have enjoyed my time for many different reasons. However,
there is something you cannot explain about West Ham, it's like a family."

Wayne has played for a host of top women's football teams throughout her
career, starting with a full scholarship with Arsenal before moves to
Bristol Academy, Charlton Athletic and Gillingham. The current interest and
funding in women's football continues to prevent West Ham's players turning
professional, but Wayne is hoping that situation may change. "I currently
work as a warehouse supervisor six days a week, as well as studying for an
AAT level two certificate in accounting, so fitting everything in is very
time consuming. I had the privilege of training full-time when I was at
Arsenal but feel that I was a little too young to fully appreciate it.
Playing full-time again would be a dream come true."

Since returning to West Ham, Wayne has been full of compliments for the
Hammers coaching staff, believing that the management team of Julia Setford,
Paul Blanchflower and Kate De Costa could make the difference in the search
for promotion. "They are by far the best coaching team from previous
experience. My former team-mate Julia has taken to management like a duck to
water. She is fair and passionate but hard when she needs to be. Kate and
Paul were not there last time I was at West Ham and I feel that they could
be the difference."

Wayne also reserved a special mention for goalkeeping coach Julian Roberts.
"I work mainly with Julian who is a fantastic coach. He tests me every
session, even if I do have to wind him up to make him shoot harder. He
listens to the things that I feel I need to work on and he will always go
the extra mile to help."
The Hammers have started the season brightly, with two wins from their
opening three games giving them a stable base in their hunt for promotion.
"I think a lot of the credit needs to go to our team defensively. We have
had a lot of changes and everyone has adapted well. We have a fairly young
defence so we know that the hard work they are doing in training is paying
off in games and this will increase their confidence".

"There are a few new faces but the core of the team is still the same so I
feel that I have settled in well, they know the way I work as much as I know
them. Over the last few years we have been pipped to the post [for
promotion] so getting as many points on the board as soon as possible
settles the nerves and allows us to play the way we want to."

"I think that the good part about our squad is that we have a mixture of
youth and experienced players, but all the girls have great banter. When we
are struggling we have some great players like Jess Barling, Lindsey Morgan
or Becky Merritt who try and lift the team, but I think that every player in
our squad plays their part in their own little ways."

"Personally, I didn't come back to West Ham to come second or third again, I
want to win the league and go up. I think we have some quality players and
great coaching staff so anything else other than promotion is not an option.
We have always been in and around there at the end of the season, so with
the additions we have made, along with the youth that we have, I think this
could be a very successful season for West Ham Ladies."

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Clark denies Morrison rift
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 11th October 2012
By: Staff Writer

Birmingham manager Lee Clark has rubbished rumours suggesting that he wanted
to send Ravel Morrison back to West Ham. The 19-year-old midfielder is
currently on loan with the Blues for the season having made just one
substitute appearance for West Ham since moving to east London from
Manchester United in January of this year. Earlier in the week, reports
suggesting that Clark wanted rid of the teenager emerged - reports that,
according to both Morrison and the City boss, are wide of the mark. Speaking
to deny that he wanted to out Morrison, Clark told the Birmingham Mail: "I
have had a good chat with Ravel this week and he knows where he wants to be
and he knows how he's got to get there. "We brought him in because he's a
talented young man but there's more than talent that gets you in the team.
Ravel understands that and he's going to be working extremely hard over the
coming weeks to get that sorted."

Morrison - who claimed on Tuesday that he was "having a good time at BCFC" -
has not appeared for Birmingham's first team since the opening day of the
season.

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The Julian Dicks Column: 11th October
KUMb.com
Filed: Thursday, 11th October 2012
By: Julian Dicks

It's with great pleasure that we welcome West Ham United FC legend Julian
Dicks to KUMB.com. Julian shares his thoughts with the readers of Knees up
Mother Brown on a regular basis via his weekly column, the latest of which
begins a review of last weekend's defeat against Arsenal...

Arsenal

We all knew Arsenal was going to be a tough game and that everybody would
have to be at their best to beat them. For 75 minutes West Ham did well and
although the lost in the end, I think 3-1 flattered the Gunners a bit.

West Ham started off well, but over the 90 minutes Arsenal passed them off
the park. They miss Robin Van Persie but they've still got some exceptional
players there. Still, Kevin Nolan had a couple of good chances and you'd
expect him to put those away. You can't really knock him for missing them
because he's the club's top scorer, but it could have been a better result
for West Ham.

You have to put your chances away. You can look back over every single game
and say, "If we'd have put that in we'd have won four or five-nil!" - but
when you're playing teams like Arsenal you have to take your chances,
because you know they're going to score goals and that you're going to be
under pressure for periods of the game.

Although West Ham could perhaps have settled for a point I don't think it
was naive to push on for a winner. They were at home and it's not in the
players' nature to sit back and say "yeah, we'll take a draw here". In the
13 years I played football I never thought like that and I don't think the
majority of footballers think like that.

Regardless of who you're playing you want to go out and get three points -
and I thought West Ham might have gone on and won the game.


Wenger-baiting

The amount of abuse I used to get as a player meant it was water off a
duck's back - and it'll be the same for Arsene Wenger because he's a
seasoned manager. But I always thought if I was getting abuse I must have
been a threat to their team, which meant I was doing something right. It's
not nice, but you know it's going to happen.

At the end of the day, black players used to get racially abused so they're
not going to stop with the likes of Arsene Wenger or Alex Ferguson. It's
part of the game. Yes, it's wrong - but you're never going to stop it.


Six pointers

It's imperative now that West Ham pick up maximum points in their next two
games - and I'd expect them to beat both Southampton and Wigan. The Saints
are going through a rough time and Wigan aren't the best of sides. When you
look at the teams we've got to play after that you wonder where the points
are coming from; it's going to be very tough.

However West Ham have started off well and with that team and Sam as manager
I would imagine they think they can go out and beat most teams. When you
play teams like Man City and Man United of course it's going to be tough.
There are points there they can pick up - but you really want six points
from the Southampton and Wigan games.

Mentally the players shouldn't need geeing up for the tough run of fixtures
that lie ahead because if they can't get motivated for those games, they
shouldn't be playing football. I don't think Sam will have to do that for
any player against any team in the Premier League.

In terms of approaching those games, it's a difficult one. You either sit
back and try and take the pressure - and you know against your Chelseas and
Manchester Citys you're going to be under the cosh for most of the game,
that they're going to get chances and they're going to score - or you can
take the game to them, playing a 4312 or whatever.

However if you sit back you're inviting pressure - just as Sunderland did at
Upton Park a few weeks ago. Unfortunately if you do that against the best
sides, like your Man Citys and Chelseas, it's going to be tough just to sit
back and soak it up.

Step up to the plate

Ravel Morrison is a great talent, according to people like Alex Ferguson.
But whilst you need a bit of arrogance and confidence in football you can't
step over the line - especially with the people who are employing you.

If he keeps doing it, teams and clubs aren't going to continue to take a
chance on him. He's still young and he's got a great future in the game but
if he doesn't sort it out people will say "we're not going to bother" - and
he'll end up not playing football at all. He's 19 now so he's an adult; he's
not a kid any more.

Ravel has got everything going for him, he's paid well and he's a very good
player. Sometimes you have to take a look at yourself and ask, "hang on a
minute, what am I doing?" We all make mistakes in life - I've made plenty! -
but when you get booted out of Man Utd and then West Ham after only a few
months there's obviously something amiss.

I don't believe the money the players earn these days has anything to do
with their behaviour though. Some people gamble and get in trouble that way
but this is about Ravel being disruptive, so money doesn't come into it
unless he thinks he's got enough now and can do what he wants. Still, he'll
have to knuckle down at some point.

The danger is that we'll still be saying this when he's 23 or 24 - by which
time it could be too late. If you're lucky, your career lasts until you're
32, 33 - but then it's over. He has a long life ahead of him, so it's time
to settle down and let his football do the talking.

Patience, Paolo

Paolo Di Canio was an exceptional footballer. Unfortunately I didn't play
much with him but we got on really well - even though we had our spats.

Not so long ago I spent 45 minutes with him in his office before a Swindon
game. I came out knackered; he's so enthusiastic and animated and kicks
every ball! He's a nice bloke to be around because everything is great.
What's he's done at Swindon so far is exceptional and you have to take your
hat off to his Chairman as it's Paolo's first management job and he's gone
in and done absolutely fantastically well.

Being physical with your players though - as Paolo has been - wouldn't work
for me as a manager - and if any manager of mine slapped me round the head
I'd punch them back! There's a way to get through to your players and that's
not it. But they all look up to him at Swindon and rightly so, because he's
an exceptional footballer and he's done a fantastic job as a manager.

He has been linked with the vacancies at Blackburn and Bolton but I think
it's a little bit too early for him. At the end of the day only Paolo will
know if that's the case - and with his ego, they're probably not big enough
clubs for him! But he's done a fantastic job and he deserves everything he
gets; who knows - he could go to either and set the world alight.

Looking back: my toughest opponents

Mick Harford was a really nice bloke - but very tough. I was at Birmingham
with Mick when I was a young player and he could look after himself. I
remember playing against him after he'd moved to Luton and he cracked my eye
socket in four places. I don't think he did it on purpose but I remember
saying, "look at my eye" - and he just said, "Oh, I didn't mean that!"
That's the way he was.

Another who wasn't necessarily tough but exceptionally strong was Mark
Hughes. If you kicked him he wouldn't whinge or moan but get up, get on with
it and give you a whack back during the game sometimes!

For me, the toughest opponents I faced were players who were fast - players
like Franz Carr, Ruel Fox and Tony Daley - just because they were a lot
quicker than me! They always gave me a tough time. I often struggled against
those sorts of players - if they were quicker than you and had half a brain
they'd knock it past you and go.

The way to deal with those players was to put them in the stand within the
first five minutes. If you did, then they wouldn't fancy it for the rest of
the game - but if you went in and you missed them, then you knew you were in
for a tough game!

One player I came across many times was Roy Keane. He could look after
himself but he was a very good player as well - you don't play for or
captain Manchester United for that long if you're not a good player. They
had some fantastic players when we used to play against them - your
Beckhams, Scholes and Cantonas. It was an exceptional side, especially if
you had a midfield player like Roy Keane pulling all the strings.

Don't get me wrong, he put some bad, bad tackles in like the one on Alf-Inge
Haaland. That doesn't make you hard, that's the coward's way. But he was a
good player.

I also played against Dennis Wise and Vinnie Jones many times and we used to
kick sh*t out of each other, but we'd still meet up in the bar after and
have a drink and a chat. Then the next time comes around and in the first
five minutes we'd be off again. But that was it; we weren't enemies, we'd
kick sh*t out of each other on the pitch but after the game we'd have a chat
and a laugh - and that was it.


Julian Dicks was talking to Graeme Howlett.

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West Ham have confirmed they still want to become tenants of the Olympic
Stadium
Last Updated: October 11, 2012 7:13am
SSN

West Ham United have confirmed they are still fully committed to become
tenants of the Olympic Stadium. The applications to take over the Olympic
Stadium restarted last year after legal challenges from both Tottenham and
neighbours Leyton Orient prevented West Ham from buying the stadium in
conjunction with Newham Council in 2011. Nevertheless, despite their failure
to buy the stadium - the Hammers want to become main tenants at the
Stratford site for the start of the 2014-15 season. However, reports claim
the Premier League club are at loggerheads with the London Legacy
Development Corporation (LLDC) over changes to the stadium including
retractable seating which would cost around £160million - but West Ham
remain positive. In a statement, West Ham said: "It is now 20 months since
West Ham United were initially named as the preferred bidder to occupy the
Olympic Stadium post-Games. We are obviously disappointed, that three bids
later, a decision has yet to be reached. "We do however remain fully
committed to becoming the catalyst to galvanise the Olympic Park by bringing
people, jobs and a robust and sustainable commercial offer that guarantees a
return to the taxpayer of the money already invested."

LLDC chief executive Dennis Hone has indicated that should a decision not be
reached by the next board meeting later this month, then the matter could be
pushed back towards the end of the year. "If we can't come to a conclusion,
in the scheme of things if it slips another month or two I would rather get
the right solution. Yes, the stadium is tricky, but it's tricky because we
want to get it right," he said. "I would hate to bung someone in there and
see it fall apart in five years. If it takes a couple of extra months to get
there, then so be it. We have had discussions with all of the bidders. "The
difficulty is that we are balancing the adaptations we have to make to the
stadium against the proposals that have come in and the benefits - financial
and otherwise - that those proposals bring. If it was a knockout [verdict]
it would be an easy decision, but it's not."

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Gary O'Neil confident West Ham can build on positive start to season
Last Updated: October 11, 2012 10:50pm
SSN

West Ham United midfielder Gary O'Neil says there is a 'good vibe' around
the camp following an encouraging start to the Premier League campaign. The
Hammers have collected 11 points from their opening seven fixtures to occupy
a position in the top half of the table, although Sam Allardyce has always
said that he expects the games to become increasingly difficult during a
testing autumn and winter schedule. O'Neil nevertheless believes there is
enough quality in the squad, and a suitably strong spirit, to keep West Ham
on the right track. He told the club's official website: "We have made a
good start and want to get better as the season goes on. We have had good
results in the first few weeks and started to build the foundations of what
we want to achieve. "In the last week, we had the great win away at Queens
Park Rangers and then against Arsenal, we came out and made a great start to
the game, but ultimately came away disappointed after losing to what is a
very good Arsenal side. But we have to look to build on what we have done
well so far in the next few weeks again."

O'Neil added: "There is a really good vibe around the place. The lads have
done fantastically so far this season. We have had a decent start and coming
up from the Championship is hard, so getting a good beginning to the
campaign is important. "Yes, we have tough games coming up but the form we
have been in and the squad we have, we are all looking forward to the
challenges ahead and believe we are capable of meeting them."

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 11th October 2012

Noble feeling good
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble is looking ahead to the coming weeks with optimism after a fine
start to the season
10.10.2012

Mark Noble believes his impressive performances on the pitch are as a result
of him being more settled off it. The reigning Hammer of the Year has
received a host of glowing write-ups for his tireless efforts this season
and was named Man of the Match for West Ham United's recent away win at
Queens Park Rangers. His fine form has coincided with the announcement that
he has signed a new long-term contract with the Hammers, with Noble
believing the benefits are there for all to see. "I think I would put my
form down to hard work and believing in myself," Noble said. "I have also
signed a new contract which has allowed me to get my head down and focus on
playing football."

Despite being touted for a first senior call-up, the former England Uner-21
captain narrowly missed out on selection this time. Therefore, the
international break has given the West Ham No16 an opportunity to put in
some hard yards at Chadwell Heath as preparation begins for the visit of
fellow newly-promoted side Southampton on 20 October. "We are looking for a
win against Southampton in two weeks and there is no reason why we can't get
that because our home form has been very good this season. "If Southampton
come to Upton Park and we play anywhere near the same way we did against
Arsenal then we will be a hard team to beat."

Although Noble's focus is firmly set on what lies ahead, he admits there is
still a slight sense of frustration that West Ham United did not get more
from their weekend fixture with Arsenal. The Hammers took the lead through
Momo Diame, before Arsenal hit back with three goals to hand the Hammers'
only their second home league defeat of 2012. "When it was 1-1, Momo Diame
was on the attack and we were in a really good position but unfortunately
for us they broke quickly and made it 2-1. "Nobby [Kevin Nolan] went close a
few times and with a little more luck he could have had a hat-trick. Andy
[Carroll] also had a good chance from a corner but it just wasn't to be. "At
the end of the day we still played well and we are still on a good run. We
have a good points total for where we are in the season and we are looking
forward to the next game."

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Mark Noble puts good form down to new West Ham deal
Last Updated: October 10, 2012 10:57am
SSN

Mark Noble reckons a settled future is the reason for his recent good form.
The West Ham midfielder recently signed a long-term deal with the club he
joined as a trainee in the summer of 2003. Noble has been ever-present in
this season's Premier League and turned in arguably his best performance at
QPR a week his contract issues were resolved. He told the club website: "I
think I would put my form down to hard work and believing in myself. "I have
also signed a new contract which has allowed me to get my head down and
focus on playing football." Victory at Loftus Road was followed by a home
defeat to Arsenal, but Noble took plenty of encouragement even from that
game. He said: "At the end of the day we still played well and we are still
on a good run. We have 11 points - a good total for where we are in the
season."

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Decision over whether West Ham can move to Olympic Stadium could be put back
Last Updated: October 10, 2012 8:38pm
SSN

A decision over whether West Ham can move into the Olympic Stadium could be
delayed, it has been revealed. The Hammers want to become main tenants at
the Stratford site for the start of the 2014/2015 season. However, the
Premier League club reportedly remain at loggerheads with the London Legacy
Development Corporation (LLDC) over changes which would need to be made to
the stadium such as retractable seating - and crucially who would fund them
at a cost of around £160million. LLDC chief executive Dennis Hone told the
Guardian's website: "If we can't come to a conclusion, in the scheme of
things if it slips another month or two I would rather get the right
solution. "Yes, the stadium is tricky, but it's tricky because we want to
get it right. "I would hate to bung someone in there and see it fall apart
in five years. If it takes a couple of extra months to get there, then so be
it."

Other bids are under consideration, including one from nearby football club
Leyton Orient, a football business college as well as a gro up wanting to
host a Formula One race at the Olympic Park. But West Ham are hopeful a
conclusion to the bidding process can soon be reached. A club statement
read: "It is now 20 months since West Ham United were initially named as the
preferred bidder to occupy the Olympic Stadium post- Games. We are obviously
disappointed, that three bids later, a decision has yet to be reached. "We
do however remain fully committed to becoming the catalyst to galvanise the
Olympic Park by bringing people, jobs and a robust and sustainable
commercial offer that guarantees a return to the taxpayer of the money
already invested."

Discussions

The £486m Olympic Stadium has already been earmarked for 20 athletics
meetings, which include the World Championships in 2017, and will also be
available for community use, with Newham Council contributing some
£40million in a loan towards the redevelopment project. Hone added: "We have
had discussions with all of the bidders. The difficulty is that we are
balancing the adaptations we have to make to the stadium against the
proposals that have come in and the benefits - financial and otherwise -
that those proposals bring. "If it was a knockout [verdict] it would be an
easy decision, but it's not."

The bidding process to take over the Olympic Stadium had to be restarted
last year after legal challenges from both Tottenham and Orient to West
Ham's proposed tenancy.

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Hammers fear D-day delay
The SUn
Published: 10th October 2012

WEST HAM may have to suffer another delay before finding out if they can
move into the Olympic Stadium. The Hammers are keen to become the main
tenants at Stratford in time for the start of the 2014-15 season. But it is
understood a decision could be pushed back to December if no agreement is
reached at next week's London Legacy Development Corporation board meeting.
The process, which had to be restarted after a previous attempt to award a
long-term lease to West Ham collapsed after legal challenges from Tottenham
and Leyton Orient, has already had its deadline extended once. And West Ham
are understood to be concerned about the impact of any further delay amid
fears they would struggle to make the move, which would cost around
£160million, in the next two years. An announcement was due to be made by
the end of this month. But that deadline may now be put back with the club
still embroiled in talks with the LLDC, which is chaired by London Mayor
Boris Johnson.

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Reformed Ravel? Morrison "understands" how he must change says Brum boss
The Mirror
Bad-boy starlet who's been moved on by Man United and loaned out by West Ham
hears some home truths from Lee Clark about his flagging career

Birmingham manager Lee Clark has ordered bad-boy Ravel Morrison to knuckle
down after showdown talks. Morrison, who is on a season-long loan from West
Ham, has failed to appear in Clark's last three match-day squads and has not
started a game for Blues since the first match of the Championship campaign
in August. The midfielder - offloaded to the Hammers by Manchester United in
January after Sir Alex Ferguson ran out of patience - last appeared for
Birmingham as a substitute at Watford on August 25.

Morrison is understood to have frustrated Clark with his attitude and poor
effort levels in training. But, with the Hammers in no rush to take the
19-year-old back before the end of the loan agreement, Blues look set to be
stuck with him until the summer. Clark said: "I have had a good chat with
Ravel this week, and he knows where he wants to be and he knows how he's got
to get there. "We brought him in because he's a talented young man, but
there's more than talent that gets you in the team. "Ravel understands that,
and he's going to be working extremely hard over the coming weeks to get
that sorted."

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League Two Chesterfield snap-up former Portugal star Boa Morte
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
PUBLISHED: 19:36, 10 October 2012 | UPDATED: 19:36, 10 October 2012
Daily Mail

Former Fulham, Arsenal and West Ham winger Luis Boa Morte has signed for
Chesterfield. The 35-year-old, who played 28 times for Portugal, has agreed
to join the Spireites initially until January and, as long as international
clearance is received in time, he may make his debut against Dagenham &
Redbridge at the Proact Stadium this Saturday. Boa Morte opened talks with
Chesterfield following a chance meeting in London with former Fulham
team-mate Mark Crossley, who is assistant to the Derbyshire club's
caretaker-manager Tommy Wright. He said: 'He asked me if I'd fancy coming up
to Chesterfield and it went from there. 'The most important thing for me now
is to play football and get going again. I'll be here until the end of
January but that doesn't mean that I won't stay until the end of the
season.' Wright added: 'To have a player of Luis' quality coming to
Chesterfield is a fantastic coup for us. It's great that a player of his
ability wants to play football. 'The financial aspect of the deal was no
worry - he just wanted to come and play.' Boa Morte has made more than 300
appearances in English football over a 15-year period having arrived at
Arsenal from Sporting Lisbon in June 1997 as one of Arsene Wenger's first
signings.
He won the double with the Gunners in 1998 and after a brief spell with
Southampton moved to Fulham before spending four-and-a-half years at West
Ham before leaving by mutual consent in August 2011. Boa Morte has been
training recently with Fulham following brief spells with South African club
Orlando Pirates and MLS outfit Toronto FC.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 10th October 2012

The Big Interview: Robert Hall
WHUFC.com
18-year-old Robert Hall has spoken to whufc.com about his journey with West
Ham United so far
09.10.2012

The 2012/13 season has already been a memorable one for 18-year-old Robert
Hall. After making his Barclays Premier League debut he has gone on to
impress in the new Under-21 format of the competition. The Aylesbury-born
forward spent the majority of last season on loan but has returned to east
London with a vengeance this campaign, with five goals to his name for Ian
Hendon's young side already this season. Speaking exclusively to whufc.com,
Hall talks about the past, the present and his hopes for a bright future
with West Ham United.

What was it like making your Barclays Premier League debut during the 3-0
win against Fulham?

RH: "It was simply amazing because it is what I have wanted to do my entire
life. The game was already won and we were 3-0 up so I just wanted to get on
and show everybody what I could do. It was an amazing day and a very nice
one for my family and friends, it is pretty indescribable. I only had around
20 minutes on the field but I will take that and hopefully I can keep
getting in the squad, on to the bench and on to the pitch because even if it
is just for a cameo appearance I will love every minute."

You have also played in the Capital One Cup against Crewe Alexandra and
Wigan Athletic. Did you notice an excitement around the Boleyn Ground when
you entered the fray?

RH: "I think so. The crowd always give me a nice cheer when I come on and
they are fantastic at Upton Park and they have been great when I have
travelled away with the first-team. Now I want to keep working hard and
learn from the older members of the squad and get all the advice I can from
them."

You spent much of last season out on loan with Oxford United and MK Dons. Do
you feel you benefitted from those spells playing first-team football every
week?

RH: "Definitely. It not only helps me when I am with the first team but also
when I am playing in the Barclays Under-21 Premier League with the
Development Squad. Our last game against Blackburn Rovers was a very
physical encounter and it reminded me of my time playing in the lower
leagues. We had to grind out the result and couldn't perhaps play in the
free flowing way we would have liked, but we dug deep and got the three
points. A number of the lads have also played in the Football League and
that experience definitely helps."

You seem to mention Oxford United a lot on twitter. Are you a supporter or
is your affiliation with the club simply due to growing up in nearby
Aylesbury?

RH: "I wouldn't say I was a supporter but I grew up in the area and grew up
knowing about the club and watching it from a very young age. It was nice to
go there and have an impact because they showed a lot of faith in me by
selecting me in the starting line-up for my first game. I learnt a lot
during my time there and now I am using that to make myself a better player
for West Ham United."

If you could pick one moment that perfectly encapsulates your time at the
Kassam Stadium what would it be?

RH: "The whole experience I had there was great. Chris Wilder, Mickey Lewis
and Andy Melville all helped me every day and even if we were not training
they would be there if I needed advice. It was nice to be able to repay them
for the confidence they showed in me and for all they taught me but there
was one game that stood out for me and that was the win over Plymouth
Argyle. I scored two goals and the game was played at home at the Kassam so
that was very special because I personally had a very good game but the team
also played really well that day."

You mentioned the coaching staff at Oxford United and all that they have
done for you. From a West Ham United perspective does it help being coached
by people like Sam Allardyce and Ian Hendon, who have been there and done it
as players?

RH: "For sure, the experience we have at West Ham United is unbelievable.
The players and staff at the club have seen it all and as young players we
can only learn from that. It doesn't matter if you are gifted or talented
because attitude and working hard is what will get you to where you want to
be. We need to keep working hard and take in what they are teaching us
because it will only improve upon the skills and attributes we already
have."

You have been playing with Blair Turgott for over a decade; do you feel your
development has been aided by playing with the same team from a very young
age?

RH: "Of course. There are a lot of players within the Development Squad and
the Academy that have been at the club for a long time. Matthias Fanimo,
Danny Potts, Jack Powell and Blair have all come through the ranks with me
and we have played with each other since we were around seven years old. We
are the same as we were then and we will keep learning and progressing as a
team and helping each other to get better. Off the pitch me and Blair are
like brothers so it is nice to play in the same team and be here together
after spending most of last season apart. I think it has showed too because
we have started the season incredibly well, scored a lot of goals and we are
top of the league. Our long-lasting relationships will only bring positives
to our performances."

It is very hard to look too far into the future as an 18-year-old playing in
the Barclays Under-21 Premier League but what are your hopes for the coming
years?

RH: "I don't want to predict too much because I am still very young but my
only dream is the same as it has been since I was even younger and that is
to play regularly for West Ham United. I am keeping my feet on the ground
and hopefully I can take that next step over the next few years. Young
players always talk about cementing their place in the first team but I just
want to be a part of the first team even if it is on the bench. Little
cameos will allow me to learn and even if I do not perform to the best of my
ability it will benefit me and only make me more determined to succeed."

Finally, do you enjoy mixing up your training with the first team and
Development Squad?

RH: "The staff we have got involve everyone, whether it is defenders,
midfielders or attackers, everybody is treated equal and everybody gets a
fair crack at the whip. There is a very positive atmosphere around the club
at the moment and it is helping the younger players because we are getting
the chance on the training pitch to show what we can do."

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Dev Squad march on
WHUFC.com
The Development Squad were winners again as they beat Blackburn Rovers 2-0
on Monday evening
09.10.2012

The Development Squad continued their rich vein of form with a 2-0 win over
Blackburn Rovers at Leigh Sports Village on Monday night. Goals from Paul
McCallum and Matthias Fanimo either side of half time were enough to secure
the points as the Hammers maintained their position at the summit of the
Barclays U21 Premier League Group 1 table with their second straight clean
sheet. The hosts were the first to threaten, as a quick break saw a
dangerous cross well cleared by the energetic George Moncur. Moments later
it was the away side that nearly took the lead as Rob Hall's free-kick
caused bedlam in the Rovers' box. Daniel Potts did well to find McCallum
from Hall's delivery, but his shot was narrowly deflected over. From the
resulting corner, the Hammers took the lead as Hall once again supplied a
perfect delivery and this time McCallum made no mistake, stooping low to
head home. Shortly after, the Hammers felt they should have had a second
when Callum Driver burst down the right and crossed to McCallum, who once
again found the net. The celebrations did not last long though as the
referee's assistant on the far side judged that McCallum was in an offside
position when he scored. That would be the last part the striker would play
after a head injury saw Freddie Piquionne replace him at half time. Rovers
came out fighting in the second half but despite their best efforts they
were unable to cause Ian Hendon's youn gsters any real problems. With 20
minutes remaining the points were sealed as the home side once again failed
to deal with a Hall set-piece, allowing the innovative Fanimo to backheel
the ball into the corner of the net. The Hammers face an extended period
between now and their next fixture, with the international break bringing a
halt to the Barclays Under-21 Premier League. Next up for Hendon's
league-leaders is another trip north to face Bolton Wanderers on 22 October.
The Hammers will be looking to even the score after suffering their only
defeat of the season to the Trotters back in September.

West Ham United: Henderson, Driver, Potts, Moncur (Ruddock 81), Chambers,
Spence, Turgott, Lleget, McCallum (Piquionne 45), Fanimo, Hall (Lee 84)
Subs: Baxter, Hunt.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Morrison denies allegations
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 9th October 2012
By: Staff Writer

On-loan teenager Ravel Morrison has claimed stories insisting Birmingham
City want to send him back to West Ham are untrue. A tabloid newspaper
reported this morning that the Championship club are trying to cancel
Morrison's season-long loan spell after it was claimed that his "attitude in
training and around the club has been unacceptable".

Further, the story suggests that City manager Lee Clark - who has not
included Morrison in a first team squad since the opening day of the season
- has "run out of patience" with Morrison, who moved to West Ham from
Manchester United back in January. However the youngster used his Twitter
account to deny the paper's reports earlier today. "Good morning everyone,
hope you all have a good day today ," he wrote, adding: "Ignore the stuff in
the paper about me, it's NOT one bit true. They must have better stuff to
tell everyone than lie about me all the time."

Just yesterday the midfielder, who made just one substitute appearance for
West Ham before being shipped out to Birmingham on loan asked: "Why do
papers chat so much s**t? "I'm having a good time at BCFC so before anyone
wants to ask me is it's true, no it's NOT."

Morrison joined West Ham in January having been let go by Manchester United
after Red Devils boss Alex Ferguson reportedly lost his patience with the
player, whose short career has thus far been dogged by controversy. Further
rumours suggest that the youngster was told his days at West Ham were
numbered having fallen out with assistant manager Neil McDonald; that
followed earlier reports of a bust-up with club captain Kevin Nolan.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Alou Diarra was frustrated to get injured so early into his West Ham career
By Patrick Haond. Last Updated: October 9, 2012 3:39pm
SSN

West Ham midfielder Alou Diarra has spoken of his frustration at picking up
an injury so soon after his summer move to Upton Park from Marseille. The
France international made just two appearances for his new club in August
before suffering a thigh strain during training last month. Diarra admits
having injury hinder his start to life in East London is annoying but is
focused on regaining fitness. He told France Football: "In my mind I am
fine, but physically I am not so well.
"I picked up a serious right thigh strain about a fortnight ago. The
examinations revealed quite a big hematoma. "The club doctor stated I will
need two months to recover, but I hope it will be a little less. "You just
have to put up with it, get good treatment, and let it heal to avoid
relapse. But after starting for a new club it is quite annoying."

Determined

Diarra spent time on Liverpool's books after joining in 2002 but was sent
out on three loan deals before eventually departing for Lens without
appearing for the Reds. Since then the 31-year-old has been determined to
play Premier League football and says the decision to join the Hammers was a
no-brainer, despite the fact Marseille wanted to keep him. "West Ham is not
a promoted side like any other," said Diarra. "We have achieved a very good
start to Premier League. "It is not by chance if I made the decision to join
West Ham. It is perfect club at which to adapt to England." He added:
"(During my time at Liverpool) I passed like a mirage. I immediately asked
to be loaned to France. I didn't have time to become immersed with the
English culture. "I've wanted to come back to England for a while."
Regarding his departure from Marseille, the midfielder said: "Marseille
didn't kick me out. "I had a talk with new coach Elie Baup. He told me he
wanted to keep me, and rely on my experience. We were both honest and
sincere. "If I wanted I could have stayed at Marseille. I was fine. I still
had two years remaining on my contract."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ravel Returns to West Ham
By Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die

Well, it looks as if young Ravel Morrison is on his way back to Upton Park
after yet another falling out. He made on appearance for Birmingham City,
right at the start of the season, and hasn't appeared since. It was an
impressive debut too, for the ex Manchester United midfielder, so there must
have been some real problems for him to have been ignored since. I was quite
surprised to see West Ham let him go out on loan, but one has to suspect
that it was for similar reasons. You have to hope that at some point he will
realise that he can't continue to blame other people for his own obvious
failings.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 9th October 2012

Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce is looking forward with optimism after running Arsenal close
on Saturday
08.10.2012

Sam Allardyce believes Saturday's match with Arsenal has shown that his
new-look West Ham United side need to hold no fear when mixing it with the
Barclays Premier League big boys. The Hammers matched the Gunners for much
of Saturday's sell-out encounter, but after Mohamed Diame had opened the
scoring in the 21st minute, two fine second-half strikes from the visitors
were decisive as they ran out 3-1 winners. Big Sam's side caused their north
London neighbours a host of problems, however, and had they taken one of the
number of good opportunities that had fallen their way, they could well have
maintained their position above Arsenal in the table. "We tried our best -
that's all we can do," Big Sam said. "We weren't overran. We might have been
a lot worse of in terms of possession - that's obvious - but in terms of
chances created and shots on goal, it was very close indeed.

"Whenever my teams have won against top teams in the past we have always
punished the opposition when we had the opportunity." Diame's first goal in
claret and blue is likely to be among the contenders for Goal of the Season
at the 2013 Player Awards night, while Arsenal's third goal - a long-range
effort from Santi Cazorla - was also worthy of praise, according to
Allardyce. "I'm not sure Cazorla's goal was better than Diame's. It was a
great strike but Momo beat two players and then smashed it in the net. They
were probably as good as each other. "The quality of both goals was
fantastic. It's a pity we couldn't show that quality with our chances in the
second half.

In addition to testing the Arsenal backline, West Ham United once again
defended their goal bravely and selflessly, with Jussi Jaaskelainen rarely
troubled. Big Sam was pleased with what he saw and will be demanding the
same level of performance when Southampton visit the Boleyn Ground on 20
October.
"For all of Arsenal's possession - which was fantastic considering the way
they move the ball around - our defensive unit did a fantastic job and
limited their chances. "In the second half we wanted to do a little bit more
in terms of testing their defenders. We did that but we didn't score and we
paid a heavy price for that as they punished us at the end."

Andy Carroll's return to the starting XI was another positive from the
afternoon and he carried on where he left off on his home debut against
Fulham. After winning countless headers and working hard to not afford the
Arsenal defenders any time on the ball, the West Ham No8 came close with two
headers - one from a corner in the first half and another from a George
McCartney cross in the second. "That's why we've got him - he's an
unbelievable player and he can only get better. For his second chance he
outjumped the goalie. The goalie can use his hands to catch the ball but he
goes and outjumps him. "Anybody that doesn't fear Andy Carroll is foolish.
As long as we can keep giving him the service I think he's going to be a
tremendous asset."

Like a number of other first-team and Development Squad players, Carroll
will be absent from Chadwell Heath this week as he reports for international
duty with England. Despite him lasting a full 90 minutes on Saturday, Big
Sam is hopeful he will return fully fit after the Three Lions' double header
against San Marino and Poland. "I'm not worried Andy could play for England
as he is really lacking in match practise. What I will speak to Roy about is
his fatigue level.
"Andy will be stiffer than everybody else after this because he hasn't
played a full 90 minutes in recent weeks. So he will take a bit more time to
recover.
"But he should be fine for Friday and hopefully he will get a game at some
stage to improve his match fitness."

The international break will give Big Sam a chance to look back over an
impressive start to lfe back in the top tier of English football, but also
an opportunity to look ahead, with a tough run of fixtures on the horizon as
the Hammers head into November. It's been a good start to the season and
it's been exciting. We've gelled a bit quicker than I thought we would.
We've got some real talent in the team with some good experience.
Southampton is our next game and it will be a big test for us. We'll need to
lift ourselves for that to try and get back on the winning trail again."

Allardyce and his West Ham United medical staff are also likely to use the
break to assess the extent of injuries picked up by Ricardo Vaz Te, Guy
Demel and Winston Reid on Saturday. Vaz Te is looking like the most serious,
with a dislocated shoulder set to keep him out for up to 12 weeks. Demel's
thigh injury forced him off in the secon half, while Winston Reid suffered a
back spasm that was still being looked at on Monday morning.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'Moose' remembers John Bond
WHUFC.com
Ian 'Moose' Abrahams talks to Kevin Bond about his late, great father and
West Ham United legend John
08.10.2012

The changing face of football was bought home to me last month with the sad
passing of former West Ham defender John Bond, who I was lucky enough to
meet last season in the Legends Lounge here at Upton Park at the home game
with Bristol City. John joined West Ham in March 1950 from Colchester
Casuals. He'd been spotted playing by West Ham assistant manager Ted Fenton
when he was manager with Colchester United and he convinced Hammers manager
Charlie Paynter to offer Bond a contract and he duly turned professional in
March 1950
John was a popular figure with the Upton Park fans and was nicknamed
'Muffin' because of his ability to kick like a mule. While here, John won
the old Division Two title in 1958, the FA Cup in 1964 and played his part
in the successful run to the European Cup Winners' Cup final at Wembley the
following season.
I am lucky enough to know John's son Kevin - a successful player and coach
just like his Dad - and he has paid a glowing tribute to his father.
"From when I was born we lived in Vaughan Road, which was around 200 yards
from Upton Park, and we stayed there all the time that my father played for
played for West Ham. I was born in 1957 and remember being in such close
proximity to the stadium and of course the 1964 FA Cup final at Wembley.
"That day I remember my sister and my mum sat in stands with me and being so
pleased and delighted with West Ham's win. I was only seven at the time and,
being so young, the day passed me by but it was a fantastic day for all of
us. What I do remember are the celebrations on the open-top bus which went
around east London and how crazy it all was with all the streets lined with
so many supporters.
"Probably my biggest memory with regards to my father's time at West Ham is
that whenever we spoke when we spent time together, he told me how much he
adored the club and how much he adored his time at the club.
"It was different to how it is today and that's not being critical of how
things are today, it's just the nature of how things are. In my father's day
so many of the players knew each other and came from the same culture. These
days many come from different parts of the world, but that's just the way it
is.
"His team-mates were his friends and until the day he died they remained his
friends. He stayed in touch with lots of them I still speak to Peter
Brabrook as he did. He spoke to Kenny Brown and Martin Peters for 50 or 60
years and he knew them all.
"He loved West Ham as a club and he adored Ron Greenwood, who he said taught
him so much about football. He had magnificent times at the club and I don't
believe he would've swapped his time at West Ham for a dozen medals playing
for anyone else. He just loved it at West Ham being around the people I've
mentioned and more, including the likes of Noel Cantwell."
As Kevin alluded to, his father played during a very different era when
players staying ten or 15 years at a single club was not uncommon. John
himself was at Upton Park 16 years.
"I remember him saying once that Ron Greenwood came up to him and said that
QPR wanted to sign him. I don't know if he was having a difficult time at
the club, but QPR wanted him. Anyway my father told Ron he didn't want to
leave, even when Ron told him he may not get a game.
"My father told Ron it was his decision and it's a good thing he did stay
because he went on to win the FA Cup. There was never any question of him
leaving. He was happy there and always happy there. It was only when he
wasn't good enough anymore for West Ham, at the end of his career, that he
had two fantastic years with a few of his old West Ham mates down at
Torquay. But he never had any desire to leave West Ham, he never thought
about leaving West Ham or moving anywhere else, he loved it at West Ham."
John Bond went into management and was successful at many clubs. It was
during this period that he helped Kevin on his way into the game. Kevin
started his career as a trainee at Bournemouth under his father and when
John moved to Norwich he took Kevin with him, handing him his league debut
came at Leicester City in April 1976.
"I had to work hard to earn my place in my Dad's team and to get a living
out of the game. I'd be the first to accept this and many who worked with my
Dad thought I'd struggle to be a footballer. As the manager, though, he had
the opportunity to give me a chance and he did. No-one else thought I'd
become a footballer, but I repaid his faith in me as I became a player in my
own right."
John's management style came as result of his upbringing at the Academy of
Football.
"Having come out of West Ham it was clear to him how he wanted the game to
be played. He knew what he wanted and knew how to get the best out of
people. He was comfortable on the training ground, but said it how it was.
If he upset people, it wasn't in a nasty or aggressive way. It was just that
he said it as saw it or felt it. I don't think you'll see that breed of
manager anymore."
It is clear from speaking to Kevin that John had a very special relationship
with West Ham and the fans and that is why I know there will be a real sense
of loss around Upton Park today.
"He was comfortable at West Ham and with the fans. He didn't necessarily
have any more of a special rapport with the fans than anybody else, but I
think if you speak to any of the players at the time they will say the same
the fans were great and they all seemed to get on amazingly well with
supporters.
"I remember he told me that one day somebody in the Chicken Run had a moan
at him during the game. He walked up to him in the stand and said 'If you
don't like it, why don't you go home?'!
"There was an association between the players and supporters, more than
there is today. It's well-documented the players and fans used to meet in
the cafe's round the corner from the ground.
"My dad lived 200 yards from the ground, he related to the fans and they
related to him. He adored his 16 years at West Ham United."
Follow Ian Abrahams on twitter @BroadcastMoose

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Allardyce on... Arsenal
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 8th October 2012
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce feels - with some justification - that his team were hard done
by against Arsenal in the weekend's big London derby. His full post-match
press conference exclusively in full for you here on KUMB...

Sam: You gave it a good go today and you caused them problems?

Yes. The clinical thing for us was defending properly in the early part of
the game because it was difficult to get the ball off of Arsenal - but our
defending as a team and a unit was excellent which allowed us to frustrate
them. Yes, they had great possession but in terms of chances created, or
shots at goal, they were very few and far between of course.

For Mo [Diame] to get us off to that wonderful start with that brilliant
piece of skill from our first real sustained attack was brilliant. I was
just hoping we'd get in [to half time] at 1-0 - but we didn't. It shows you
that when we didn't have that protection and we made that little mistake how
the much the opposition, when they're as good as they are, can punish you.

Mo looks like he's going to be in good possession on the half-way line. He
pops it off, the Arsenal player picks it up and they've scored within a
whisker. 1-1 wasn't bad at all considering; I wanted to really test
Arsenal's defence and we did that. But because we didn't score when we did
test it they punished us in the end.

Obviously the second goal was a killer because we were in a fantastic
position to create another chance to score at that stage. Because we picked
out the wrong pass all of a sudden the opposition go from one end of the
pitch to the other, we've opened ourselves up to try and get in front and
they've severely punished us yet again.

Between that, Kevin Nolan had a couple of great chances and also Andy
Carroll when he out-jumped the 'keeper. That could have dropped in the back
of the net, but it didn't. Then [Santi] Cazorla scored a wonder-goal and
that was the end of it. We tried our best, it wasn't quite good enough - but
we're pleased with our performance. Just perhaps a little disappointed we
didn't get a draw.

Carroll was a handful but he looked fit. Was he okay?

He's okay, he's fine. We didn't want to play him for 90 minutes because he's
only just come back from that spell out injured and hasn't played that much.


Unfortunately, our injury plight worsened as the game progressed which is a
little worrying because we picked up injuries against QPR and we got three
more today. Winston Reid was struggling badly with sciatica, back spasm -
but we'd used all of our subs; Guy Demel came off with a thigh and [Ricardo]
Vaz Te with a dislocated shoulder. So we're disappointed with the result and
disappointed with those injuries that we've picked up - but I'm not
disappointed with the lads' application and performance.

Will Ricardo be long term or do you think he'll be alright after the
[international] break?

No, he won't be alright; it'll be six to 12 weeks depending on how [bad it
is]. We can't get it back [in place], he's going to have to go to hospital
to have an anaesthetic to slot the shoulder back in the socket. Then the
specialist will determine how long it takes to sort that out.

It's a bit of a shame but we all suffer injuries. We just have to use the
squad that we've got and make sure we don't pick any more injuries up on
international duty. I think if we keep performing like we have, here at West
Ham particularly, we'll give ourselves a great chance of beating Southampton
and get back to winning ways.

[Question from Matt Law of the Sunday Mirror] There was some pretty nasty
abuse for Arsene Wenger; would you rather not hear that from your fans?

From..? I didn't hear it to be honest. I was obviously concentrating on the
game, I'm not sure what the fans were saying. But if they are, it's not
right.

It seemed as if Theo Walcott made the difference coming on there today.
Wenger descirbed his goal as "the killer goal". Is that fair comment?

Yeah. Like I said, if you look back to what we were doing at that time we
were threatening Arsenal and they were on the back foot. Mo Diame flicked a
little ball in behind [Carl] Jenkinson and got in down the left-hand side,
their right. He's free just outside the box and what we wanted him to do was
either the same thing as he did in the first half - have a shot and score -
or smash it across the middle of the defenders and the goalkeeper like they
did for their first goal.

But he scuffed it, it hit an Arsenal player and dropped down. The first pass
goes off and you can see from where I am, we've opened ourselves up so much
because we've loaded the box to try and score. With Theo Walcott's pace,
you're not going to stop him, are you?

It's a good goal from their point of view; they've exploited the space
brilliantly in the space of just a few seconds with their quality and pace.
It's just a great shame that we didn't make more of our opportunity. It was
sort of a double-punishment if you like; we didn't take advantage of our
great opportunity there and they won the ball back and scored at the other
end.

You can see why he [Walcott] wants to be a centre forward so much from that
finish, would you say?

[shrugs shoulders] [laughs] It's not for me to tell Arsene Wenger what to do
or not what to do! It's obviously a problem for Arsene and for Theo to sort
out - not me.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Work in process
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 8th October 2012
By: Paul Walker

So now we know, at last we have an idea of just where we are and what level
of improvement we are making under Sam Allardyce.

Like him or loathe him, and I meet fans of both persuasions, Sam has just
completed 60 games in charge of our club, and lost just 13...three of which
were cup ties, and we all know how disinterested big Sam is when cup
competitions come around. They get in the way of the real job in hand,
firstly promotion back to the top flight at the first attempt and now
staying in the Premier League.

Yes, I know most of that 60 were outside the top flight so the achievement
is relative. So any real early-season assessment has had to wait as far as I
was concerned, until we played a true top of the range club. And until
Arsenal arrived at the Boleyn on Saturday, we did not really know how far we
had progressed under Sam.

And I left the ground on Saturday, gutted we had lost but also relieved we
had been able to hold our own against one of Europe's genuine heavyweights,
and impressed with what I had witnessed.

We didn't just play long ball, we mixed things up and produced a performance
of strength and organisation. Only when we got tired and got caught pushing
forward in the last 13 minutes did Arsenal cut us open to score twice and
achieve a deserved victory, but one that left them aware that the had not
totally outclassed us.

In fact, two mistakes by Momo Diame, after he'd scored a stunning goal, cost
us victory. First he turned in midfield into traffic and had the ball
pinched from him, and that led to Theo Walcott's goal, and then soon after
when he made the wrong choice of pass as he sought to lift the ball into
their box. Again the ball was lost, and in the back of our net within
seconds.

It says something that we can isolate small incidents to pinpoint where we
lost the game. The previous time Arsenal were at our place was January 2011,
we were totally outclassed, embarrassingly humiliated. We lost 3-0 and it
was a stroll for the Gunners.


We have seen lots of statistics these past few days, some which must have
made Sam think Christmas had come early. So I'm going to throw in a few more
for good measure.

Of that team who lost so badly back in January 2011, only five of the 18
Hammers players on show that day, are still with us. Mark Noble, James
Tomkins, Winston Reid, George McCartney and Carlton Cole.

Sam says 40 players have gone from our club since then, and we have a very
different squad now. The likes of Upson, Bridge and Kovac played that day,
do I need to say more. We were on a different planet to our opponents.

We were going down and were just not able to compete. On Saturday we at
least did that, and with a little more luck could have scored a couple more
in the second period.

Sam has changed so much, even the first team selected in his reign - the 1-0
home defeat to Cardiff on the first day of last season - has seen a massive
alteration. Eight of the 16 used that day have since left (or been dumped);
Green, Ilunga, Barrera, Parker, Piquionne, Faye, Boffin and Sears to be
exact.

It has been a major work in progress, and I defy anyone to say that our
current squad is not a world away from the beginning of last term or that
shameful display the last time Arsene Wenger's team played at the Boleyn.

But even that is not enough for some people. I still blink at some of the
stuff on message boards from fans who reckon we should be able to compete
with the likes of Arsenal, and cannot see the stark reality of football
these days.

Arsenal have been in the Champions League for the last 15 seasons. That
means, at a conservative estimate, £20m of Champions League money a season.
So that's around £300m they have had, plus a fine new stadium, that we have
not had access to.

If you add in all the Premier League prize money and the rest of the cash
that floods into the top clubs, you could say Arsenal have had well over
£500m to play with over those 15 seasons while we have been floundering from
one ownership shambles to another.

Now look at us. Why on earth do some fans believe we can compete against
that sort of financial muscle? It's the same for Manchester United, Chelsea,
Liverpool (then maybe, but probably not now) and even Spurs who have been in
Europe consistently for the past few seasons.

So when Sam sends out an organised team who are not over-run and are able to
compete to a decent standard, that's an achievement little over 14 months
since he arrived.

Just look across London to QPR and see a manager in Mark Hughes who has
behaved like a kid in a chocolate factory and used 23 players this season
but has not put together anything like a proper team. And up at Anfield
where Brendan Rodgers is the short-passing flavour of the month but just
cannot win matches.

I'm beginning to wonder if he is some kind of one-trick pony who has ridden
on the back of Roberto Martinez to get a top job. After working under Jose
Mourinho at Chelsea but not pulling up any trees at Watford and Reading
before moving to Swansea, he walked into a club put together by Martinez
that was impressing everyone. It got him a move to Liverpool, after Roberto
had turned the job down, and now he can't win a home match for love nor
money.

Our start to the season has been ok considering the fact that the first few
games were against sides who will be around us in the table this season.
Arsenal were the first of the big boys, and we managed to cope.

Sam must also be smiling that the long-ball tag has been rubbished somewhat.
Unless you are reading the Mail on Sunday, which I will come to later.

Last week a very decent piece of writing from the Mail's Neil Ashton
produced statistics to show that Real Madrid and Barcelona use the long ball
about as much as us. I hear you all laughing, and Sam also would have smiled
knowing you can produce stats to prove anything.

The criteria for what is a long ball was also open to interpretation. In
effect, any pass forward more than 25 yards counted. So balls swept out to
the wings counted, as did Xavi's perfectly weighted passes threaded through
the eye of a needle for Messi to run onto. Not quite the same as balls hung
up for Cole to fight for.

But the Sunday Supplement boys of Sky the previous Sunday morning had
started the ball rolling when they suggested Sam's long-ball tag was a myth.
Neil Ashton was 'chairing' that programme - taking over from the sadly
departed Brian Woolnough - and just carried on the theme in his own paper
later in the week.

The point being made was that Sam does mix-up his tactics, it is not all hit
long and hope for a flick on. But he is the only manager who gets stick for
it.

You just have to look at Everton, under the excellent David Moyes, to know
that long-ball is acceptable. And just watch how Alan Pardew's Newcastle lob
the ball up for Ba and Cisse to relentlessly battle for.

And Martin O'Neill at Leicester (Emile Heskey) and Aston Villa (John Carew)
has never been afraid to hit it long. Now he has Steve Fletcher, and it's
the same tactics.

Which brings me back to the Mail on Sunday where the outstanding veteran
Patrick Collins has clearly got a thing about us. He wrote a snearing,
sarcastic piece recently about Sam's debatable relationship with his agent
pal Mark Curtis, and then was cruelly dismissive of our efforts against
Arsenal. The previous home game against Sunderland, saw another Collins
writing the report for the same paper, Mark Collins. I do hope there's no
nepotism there.

In that report, it looked as if the scribe has written down every anti-Sam
cliché he could muster while he was on the Tube coming to the game, and then
listed them through an annoyingly biased article which implied Sunderland
were unlucky.

We had managed four times as many shots and twice as much possession than
O'Neill's team, but those facts were somewhat lost in a piece that set out
to rubbish Sam from start to finish.

Now he is no angel, yes the ball does go long to Andy Carroll, but that is
not the only way we play. That is my point. But we do not seem to be given
the sort of understanding that Moyes, Pardew and O'Neill seem to get.

One more stat. And that was on Sky, who showed that Sam was in the top six
of 'wins to matches played' in the Premier League. So what do we have?

My view is that we have a strong, professional manager who has knocked our
club into shape, and now we have the character, team spirit, desire and work
rate to hold our own in the top flight.

But it is only so far so good. If we are nine points off the relegation zone
after 20 matches, I will suggest we can stay up.

But now, having done ok against the Gunners, we have Manchester City,
Chelsea, Spurs, Newcastle, Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton before
the new year. That means the matches against Southampton, Wigan, West Brom
and Reading in that spell are ones we must get points from.

Tough, for sure, but at least we know we can compete against the big teams,
and that has been a long time coming for a club like ours.

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Academy round-up - plus Jack Collison interview
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 8th October 2012
By: Willis Jamieson

WHU U18s 0-1 Blackburn Rovers; WHU U16s 3-2 Blackburn Rovers

As a result of his knee injury, Jack Collison has been out of first team
action all season. On Saturday he used his spare time today to go back to
Little Heath, where he made his name at the Academy, to support the youth
teams in action against Blackburn Rovers.

The two Academy teams had mixed success with the under 16s coming back
brilliantly from a goal behind to win 3-2. Sadly, the under 18s went down
1-0 in a close battle against their Northern opponents.

Collison said it was his first time back for a while but was impressed with
the technical ability and skill of the youths and said he would try and get
back again to show his support while he is out injured. He was looking
forward to seeing the "kids coming through".

It was a tough match and the young Hammers were fortunate to go into the
break still level with Blackburn having enjoyed a large amount of
possession.

The home side did have a couple of chances; the best of the first half being
after Josh Cullen won a free kick on the edge of the Blackburn penalty area
and Sadlier saw his effort just tipped over the bar. The defence worked very
hard with Cheye Alexander at right back being the standout player of the
half, tackling strongly and trying to get forward.

The second half was more positive for West Ham and it brought back good
memories for Collison who said he loved his time here from when he joined at
the age of 16. The midfielder spoke about a couple of great goals he scored
on "the pitches where it all began" as a youth and was enjoying watching the
attacking display.

Kieran Sadlier and Nathan Mavila caught Jack's eye a number of times.
Sadlier, with his close control through the middle cut into the box a couple
of times only to see his shots blocked. Mavila caused Blackburn problems on
the wing, with one particular piece of skill where he drew the defender in,
dummied the ball and let it run down the line before getting the cross in,
leading an impressed Collison to joke "I might have tried that on FIFA".

Sadly, despite the improved second half it would be Blackburn who would
snatch the win. Aa low cross was stabbed home at the back post past a
faultless Sam Baxter in the West Ham goal to send the visitors home with
three points.

The under 16s had a better result as they came from behind to win 3-2,
Collison particularly enjoying a (calmly taken) penalty from Lamarr Douglas
after the goalkeeper tried to put him off. Ahmed and Marcio Martins scored
the others.

As Collison left for Upton Park to watch the game against Arsenal he said he
had been "really impressed" with the work of the first team this season and
the way they have "picked up some excellent points" in the games so far.

"My injury has been frustrating," he said, "but I hope to be back sooner
rather than later. If the boys can continue to do well I look forward to
getting back in to a successful team".

Until then, he hopes to use his free Saturdays to see a few more of the
Academy games.

My thanks go to Jack Collison for taking the time to share his thoughts on
the game, the Academy and his progress - and I hope to see him back in the
first team soon.

Willis Jamieson may also be found on Twitter at twitter.com/WillisJamieson.

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I'm having kittens...
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 8th October 2012
By: John Rolls

With the Arsenal game now behind us, we can use it as a benchmark to look at
the team and the squad and draw some conclusions.

It is fair to say that Arsenal were the the first team with real quality we
have faced this season. I think it also fair to say that in a match so
heated with emotion West Ham really needed someone out there with a cool
head to have calmed us down a bit.


I was surprised that Kevin Nolan missed for him what would have been on any
other day certain goals, but we must forgive him as he has been outstanding
for us over the whole of last season. Everyone has an off day and hopefully
this was his.

I am still undecided about Ricardo Vaz Te and Matt Jarvis on a day where the
Arsenal back four were sh*tting themselves trying to deal with Andy Carroll.
What was needed was the two of them running at the full backs and getting
the crosses in as it was evident the Arsenal centre backs couldn't handle
Carroll at all. But all too often Vaz and Jarvis started to run and went the
easy route the square ball inside; I don't know if it's a confidence thing
or instructions.

I am at a loss as to why Sam Allardyce started with George McCartney instead
of Matt Taylor; Taylor is a better crosser of a ball and on a day when we
were going to use Carroll's dominace of the air why did we take one weapon
out of the armoury?

Now I come to the title of this piece. I really am worried about our defence
- and I include Jussi Jaaskelainen in that.

Living as I do in Cardiff, I once saw a young ginger-haired centreback make
his debut and play for Cardiff City. He looked a real hot prospect and with
the right coaching could perhaps progress a bit.

He did have this annoying habit of stopping to pull up his socks every few
minutes, it got to be that me and a few mates would have a bet on how many
times he would do it during a match. However he played well, he fitted in as
a make-piece striker and centre back and alongside Danny Gabbidon formed
quite an effective pairing.

When Gabbidon left for West Ham and Ginge went with him, everyone here in
Cardiff thought he had gone as a make weight. Personally I thought he was
the better part of the deal.

His first spell with the Hammers was good - not outstanding - and he was the
centre back we needed. When he decided that another claret and blue team was
preferable to us, I mentally wished him well, but he came back. There's a
old saying; "never go back". Well, he has - and I'm sorry to say the
concentration level has dropped again.

After the absolute howler against Swansea, I have kittens everytime he makes
a back pass or makes a tackle. I know Swansea was a one-off and he has in
some way atoned for it. But answer me this: against the Arsenal, when
Walcott made the run to score, who was standing in the centre of the defence
clearly playing Walcott onside by a couple of yards with arms aloft calling
for offside?

Yes, it was Ginge. Instead of standing there he should have seen what was
coming and called for the line to push up. Isn't he the leader of the back
four? The one with the experience? I can't see me or my ticker taking a
whole season of this.

The Swansea howler will haunt me every day this season; FFS Ginge, step it
up mate. I want to go back to counting the sock pull-ups safe in the
knowledge that you'll be the rock at the centre of defence we so desperately
need.

I also have heart palpitations whenever the ball is passed back to
Jaaskelainen; it sets my pulse racing . I just have thoughts of him clearing
it short (has has done this a few times) and putting the pressure straight
back on us. Either that or he waits with the ball at his feet until the
opposition come towards him and then clears. Just get the ball forward!

In his time Jaas has been an excellent keeper, a great shot stopper
effective in what he did but never one to really command his box. I get the
same feeling watching him now as I got what watching that other West Ham
goalkeeping legend, Allan McKnight(mare, how many of you remember him?).

I know I shouldn't be this way and that I should have confidence in the man
but I still feel like it's watching a Norman Wisdom film. Something will
come along and cause a comical farce. I haven't seen enough of our reserve
keepers to make a valid judgement on them, but from what I have heard
Stephen Henderson seems the better of the 'keepers.

I know we only want to be assured of Premier League survival, but for the
sake of my nerves I'm only watching when we are in the opponent's half! Can
someone please reassure me that we have a 'keeper who can step in?

So in summary. With Ginge giving me the twitches whenever he has the ball
and Jaas giving me the heebie-jeebies whether he has the ball or not, I need
help, I need comfort - but most of all, I need them to inspire me.

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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce warns England about Andy Carroll's fitness
Last Updated: October 7, 2012 11:02pm
SSN

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce will ask England boss Roy Hodgson to keep a
close eye on Andy Carroll's fitness ahead of next week's World Cup
qualifiers.
Carroll has recently returned after a month lay-off with a hamstring injury,
but he was still called up for Friday's Wembley clash against San Marino and
the following match in Poland on Tuesday week. Alllardyce hopes Carroll will
get the chance to improve his match sharpness, although he thinks that
Hodgson must monitor his workload over the next few days. "Andy is really
lacking in match practice. What I will speak to Roy about is his fatigue
level," Allardyce said. "Andy will be stiffer than everybody else after this
because he hasn't played a full 90 minutes in recent weeks, so he will take
a bit more time to recover. "But he should be fine for Friday and hopefully
he will get a game at some stage to improve his match fitness."

Carroll played the full 90 minutes as the Hammers slipped to a 3-1 defeat to
Arsenal on Saturday and Allardyce thinks his team must continue to play to
his strengths. "Andy can only get better as time goes on," he said. "As long
as we can keep giving him the service, I think he is going to be a
tremendous asset."

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Ravel's unravelling: Birmingham want rid of the former Man United starlet
The Mirror
By Ian Edwards

Ravel Morrison's turbulent career is on the verge of hitting rock bottom
with Lee Clark desperate to boot him out of Birmingham. Blues boss Clark has
run out of patience with the former Manchester United starlet already, less
than three months after signing him on a 12-month loan from West Ham.
Morrison, who was previously booted out of Old Trafford by Sir Alex Ferguson
because of off-the-pitch issues, has not started a game for the Championship
club since the opening day of the season. Even though Birmingham are
struggling just three points above the relegation zone, Clark is refusing to
even include the 19-year-old in his squad.

Sources close to the Midlands club claim Morrison's attitude in training and
around the club has been unacceptable and they want to terminate the loan
agreement immediately. Under the terms of the agreement, however, all three
parties - Birmingham, West Ham and Morrison - have to agree to the
season-long loan agreement being ripped up. It is believed Hammers want
Morrison to remain at St Andrew's until June and are reluctant to terminate
the deal. In August, Clark vowed to help put the troubled midfielder, who
was once rated as the best prospect to emerge from United's academy since
Paul Scholes almost two decades ago, on the right path.

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce felt the move was the perfect opportunity for
Morrison to rebuild his career before returning to the Premier League club.
Morrison joined West Ham for £1.4m in January 2012, after Ferguson ran out
of patience with the talented kid. The United manager decided it was time to
show him the door after Morrison admitted two charges of intimidating a
witness. Earlier this year, Morrison was fined £7,000 by the FA for posting
a homophobic comment on Twitter.

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West Ham delay Reid's departure to NZ
FRED WOODCOCK
Last updated 12:37 09/10/2012
Stuff.co.nz


The All Whites are assembling in Auckland today ahead of their Oceania World
Cup qualifier against Tahiti in Papeete on Saturday (NZT), but Reid won't be
joining them just yet. New Zealand Football chief executive Grant McKavanagh
said the 2010 World Cup star was due to have scans tonight (NZT). He was
hopeful they would reveal nothing untoward and Reid would be on the first
available flight out of Heathrow. ''We're very hopeful of getting him down,
if not directly to Tahiti to play then down for the Christchurch game,''
McKavanagh said today.''Winston wants to be here, he's just got to get
through the scan and make sure there's nothing untoward in it. It's pretty
positive.'' Reid suffered the spasms late in the match but had to play on as
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce had already made his three substitutions.
McKavanagh was confident Reid would be available for both matches against
Tahiti, the return leg being next Tuesday night in Christchurch. Reid had
indicated he wanted to play in both matches and if he couldn't make the
first one but was available for the second, he would still be flown out for
the Christchurch fixture. ''From Rick's (coach Ricki Herbert) point of view,
one of the things we're looking at is continuity with this team, between now
and next November,'' McKavanagh said. ''It's pretty important to get the
unit together playing as regularly as possible.''

The last thing West Ham will want to do is release Reid under any sort of
injury cloud but if the scans reveal nothing of concern, they have no option
as the matches are in a Fifa window and New Zealand have all the rights.
Meanwhile, about 4500 tickets have already been sold for next Tuesday
night's match at AMI Stadium, more than the total pre-sales of about 4000
for the match against the Solomon Islands in Auckland last month. ''The
Christchurch people are certainly getting out and supporting it,'' said
McKavanagh. ''To have that many pre-sales a week out is extremely
encouraging.'' Two wins against Tahiti could secure a berth in the World
Cup intercontinental playoff against the fourth-best team from CONCACAF
(North and Central America, and the Caribbean) next year, depending on the
results of the New Caledonia-Solomons matches on the same days.

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West Ham midfielder Ravel Morrison in more trouble as Lee Clark and
Birmingham look to end loan spell early
Telegraph.co.uk
Ravel Morrison is facing further turbulence in his troubled career after it
emerged that Lee Clark wants to send him back to parent club West Ham.
By John Percy10:00PM BST 08 Oct 20123 Comments

Clark, the Birmingham manager, is already losing patience with the
controversial midfielder and is keen to strike a deal with Sam Allardyce and
cut his loan move short in January. Morrison, 19, joined the Championship
club on loan in August but has frustrated Clark with his general attitude
and alleged lack of commitment in training. The former Manchester United
trainee has not been included in Birmingham's first-team squad for the last
three matches and has made only one start in the league. Clark cannot send
the teenager back to West Ham until the transfer window reopens next year
but will still require Allardyce's permission to terminate the deal. If
Allardyce refuses, Birmingham could have Morrison on their books until June.
Morrison's behaviour is also believed to have infuriated senior members of
Birmingham's squad.

Morrison's problems at St. Andrew's are the latest in a long list of
acrimonious episodes ever since he broke through United's youth academy and
was touted as one of the country's most prodigious young talents. Two days
after winning the 2011 FA Youth Cup with United, Morrison was fined £600 by
a court for throwing his girlfriend's mobile phone out of a window during an
argument. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of witness intimidation last
year and has a police caution for assaulting his mother. His United career
was dogged by off-field disciplinary problems and absences. Rio Ferdinand
once denied on Twitter that Morrison had stolen his watch at the training
ground.

Sir Alex Ferguson had attempted to control him but eventually washed his
hands of him earlier this year, shortly after claiming he had made
"unrealistic" wage demands. United rejected a bid from Newcastle in January
before offloading him to West Ham later that month for an initial £650,000.
Barely weeks after signing he was fined £7,000 by the Football Association
and warned about his conduct after homophobic comments made on Twitter.
Allardyce farmed him out on loan to Birmingham with the intention of him
gaining first-team experience but he has not appeared since August. Clark is
understood to have held a series of meetings with Morrison in a bid to get
the youngster onside but despite Birmingham's run of three defeats in the
last four games has still not called on him.
Now the under-fire Birmingham manager is ready to cut his losses, barely a
month after describing him as a "magician". Now Morrison is facing the grim
prospect of his career going up in a puff of smoke.

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