Hammers snap up striker
WHUFC.com
West Ham United have signed Republic of Ireland U19 forward Sean Maguire from Waterford United
03.01.2013
West Ham United are pleased to announce the signing of Republic of Ireland Under-19 international striker Sean Maguire from Waterford United. The forward, who does not turn 19 until May, finished as joint-top scorer in the League of Ireland First Division in 2012, helping Waterford to finish as runners-up. Maguire, who bagged 13 goals in 24 league appearances to help the Blues reach the promotion play-offs, joined the Hammers on a two-and-a-half year contract on New Year's Day - subject to international clearance - after the two clubs agreed a fee in December following a successful trial. The teenager, who is described as a clinical finisher, moved into the Academy House this week and trained with his new team-mates on Thursday admitted he cannot wait to pull on a claret and blue shirt for the first time. "I played with Waterford but I originally come from Kilkenny," he told West Ham TV. "I finished joint-top goalscorer in the Irish First Division and was nominated for Young Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year, so I thought I had a successful season. "In summer 2011, the Waterford manager brought me in for a couple of training sessions and gave me a chance in the first team and I took it. Here I am now at West Ham and it is a dream come true, really. "People tend to say my best trait is my movement so hopefully I can show that here. I haven't been told yet which squad I will be in but I presume I'll be going into the reserves so I'll try to work my way up like I did at Waterford."
Maguire will hope to settle quickly at his new club, helped by the fact he already knows West Ham youngsters and fellow countrymen Eoin Wearen and Kieran Sadlier, as well as Northern Ireland youth international Jamie Harney. "I trained with Kieran when we went to Latvia with Ireland. He's a great player and he plays a similar role to me. I get on well with him and Jamie and Eoin too. They have really helped me settle into the club, as have the other lads like George Moncur."
Maguire, who was born in Luton but grew up in the town of Castlecomer in County Kilkenny, has been a prolific scorer for the Blues since making his first-team debut just two months past his 17th birthday in July 2011. The 5'9 tall frontman played for local club Evergreen and schoolboy soccer for Deen Celtic and Ormonde Villa before coming to prominence when he scored a hat-trick for the Kilkenny & District League in the Youth All-Ireland final against Cork in 2011.
Following that fine performance, he was snapped up by Waterford, initially going into the club's under-19 side. However, manager Paul O'Brien gave Maguire a chance in the first team and he earned an 18-month contract with the club. After scoring once in the 2011 campaign, Maguire came of age last year, netting four times across three successive league games in June. That form saw him earn international honours in the shape of a Republic of Ireland Under-19 debut in a 1-1 friendly draw in Latvia in September - two weeks before he scored his first senior hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Longford Town.
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Marouane Chamakh: West Ham move for Arsenal striker
BBC.co.uk
Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh is in talks with West Ham about joining the club. The Moroccan forward, 28, has struggled to establish himself at the Emirates since moving on a free transfer from Bordeaux in 2010. But West Ham want to give Chamakh a chance to resurrect his career. Sam Allardyce's side are also poised to complete the signing of Joe Cole from Liverpool, another player who has found himself on the first-team fringes. Chamakh was prolific in France, scoring 79 goals in 293 appearances for Bordeaux, but has scored just eight Premier League goals for Arsenal since joining the club - and he has yet to appear in this campaign. Three of his four appearances this season have been in the Capital One Cup, although he did find the net twice when the Gunners won 7-5 at Reading in October.
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West Ham sign Irish striker Sean Maguire from Waterford
By Frank Keogh
BBC Sport
West Ham have signed 18-year-old striker Sean Maguire from Republic of Ireland club Waterford United. Maguire, who was born in Luton but grew up in Kilkenny, has joined on a two-and-a-half year contract. The Republic of Ireland Under-19 international has scored 14 goals in 32 games for Waterford. Waterford chairman John O'Sullivan told BBC Sport: "I'm a great fan of Lionel Messi at Barcelona. When I look at Seanie, he really reminds me of him."
He added: "Seanie has the same kind of balance, burst of speed and he's powerful on the ball. "He has a great shot from any range and he's good in the air. He has everything going for him. He still has to build up a bit of muscle, but there's no doubt West Ham will help him do that.
Sean Maguire factfile
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 9in
First-team debut: For Waterford in July 2011
Republic of Ireland U-19 debut: September 2012
"If Seanie keeps progressing the way he is, it won't be long before he's getting first-team football at West Ham. There is no question whatsoever he will be a star one day for the Republic of Ireland." Maguire was out of contract and the Hammers have agreed a compensation package with the Irish side, who get crowds of about 1,800 for home matches. He has attracted interest from several English clubs after starring for Waterford as they finished second in the Airtricity First Division, the second tier of Irish football, during their season which finished in November. He was one of three nominees for the 2012 Professional Footballers' Association of Ireland Young Player of the Year award, won by midfielder Chris Forrester of St Patrick's Athletic. It is expected Maguire will start in the Hammers development squad, which competes in the Under-21 Premier League. "Here I am now at West Ham and it's a dream come true really," he said. "People tend to say my best trait is my movement so hopefully I can show that here. I haven't been told yet which squad I will be in but I presume I'll be going into the reserves so I'll try to work my way up like I did at Waterford."
West Ham want to sign midfielder Joe Cole from Liverpool and have enquired about Aston Villa left-back Stephen Warnock, 30. Warnock, who has two England caps, is back with Villa after spending three months on loan at Bolton.
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Joe Cole: West Ham to sign forward as Yossi Benayoun leaves
By David Ornstein
BBC Sport
Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole is expected to complete his move to West Ham in time for Saturday's FA Cup tie with Manchester United at Upton Park. The 31-year-old will undergo a medical on Thursday and is set to rejoin his former club on an 18-month contract. Cole, whose move comes after on-loan midfielder Yossi Benayoun returned to Chelsea, must be registered by 12:00 GMT on Friday to face the Red Devils. Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers said: "It will be a terrific move for Joe." Cole has struggled to impress at Anfield following a free transfer move from Chelsea in 2010.
Joe Cole's career
West Ham: 150 appearances, 13 goals (1999-2003)
Chelsea: 282 appearances, 39 goals (2003-2010)
Liverpool: 42 appearances, five goals (2010-2013)
Lille: 38 appearances, four goals (loan, 2011-2012)
England: 56 appearances, 10 goals (2001-2010)
The former England international spent last season on loan at French club Lille. Any move to West Ham would have to be permanent because the London club already have one Liverpool player on loan - striker Andy Carroll - and are prevented from adding a second. Cole, though, would be available on a free transfer as Liverpool are prepared to cancel his contract and negotiate a settlement. Talking on Wednesday, Rodgers added: "I spoke to Joe earlier. He is a really good lad and has been brilliant during my time here."
The player came through the youth ranks at Upton Park before moving to Chelsea for £6.6m in 2003. He won three Premier League titles and two FA Cups in a seven-year stay with the Blues. After failing to agree a new contract he moved to Merseyside but has not been able to enjoy the same impact and has made only six substitute appearances this season. News of Cole's potential move comes after Liverpool signed forward Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea. QPR have also been linked with Cole, but manager Harry Redknapp told BBC Radio 5 live he was resigned to missing out. "I love Joe," he said. "I signed him when he was 11 years old at West Ham and I spoke to him. He was keen to come and he is a great lad. "He would be great around the place - he is a great player - but West Ham came in at the last moment and it was difficult because West Ham is his club and you will always associate Joe with them. "That is where he started out. The fans will love having him back there and I wish him all the best because he is a fantastic boy."
Heading out of West Ham is Benayoun, whose loan deal from Chelsea has been ended by a knee injury after just six appearances. The 32-year-old Israel international is expected to return to fitness in the next two weeks and has attracted interest from Southampton, Fulham and Wigan, but Chelsea are yet to receive any formal offers.
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West Ham move 'a dream come true'
KUMb.com
Filed: Thursday, 3rd January 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham have completed the signing of young Irish forward Sean Maguire. Last month we told you that a deal had been struck between West Ham and Maguire's former club Waterford for the services of the exciting 18-year-old striker. And the youngster, who moved into club digs earlier this week officially completed his move to West Ham earlier today when it was confirmed by the club's website. Speaking to whufc.com, Maguire said: "In summer 2011 the Waterford manager brought me in for a couple of training sessions and gave me a chance in the first team. Here I am now [18 months later] at West Ham and it is a dream come true, really. "People tend to say my best trait is my movement so hopefully I can show that here. I haven't been told yet which squad I will be in but I presume I'll be going into the reserves so I'll try to work my way up like I did at Waterford."
John O'Sullivan, the chiarman of Maguire's former club also wished the youngster well - insisting that the player reminded him of none other than Lionel Messi.
"When I look at Seanie, he really reminds me of him," O'Sullivan told the BBC. "Seanie has the same kind of balance, burst of speed and he's powerful on the ball. "He has a great shot from any range and he's good in the air. He has everything going for him. He still has to build up a bit of muscle, but there's no doubt West Ham will help him do that. "If Seanie keeps progressing the way he is, it won't be long before he's getting first-team football at West Ham. There is no question whatsoever he will be a star one day for the Republic of Ireland."
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Liverpool's Joe Cole training at West Ham
KUMb.com
Filed: Thursday, 3rd January 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham's latest impending signing has been training with his new team mates at Chadwell Heath today. Joe Cole, who is set to complete a return to east London from Liverpool within the next 24 hours has spent the day at West Ham's training complex familiarising himself with Sam Allardyce's squad. And should his transfer be confirmed as expected, the 31-year-old - pictured above - could go straight into the starting XI for the visit of Manchester United in the FA Cup third round tie this weekend. Although full details are yet to be confirmed, it has been suggested that Cole will join West Ham on a free transfer worth around £30,000-per-week. He is also expected to land a bumper bonus from his former club who will have to part-finance the remainder of Cole's contract on Merseyside.
Joe Cole: Career Stats
West Ham Utd (1998-2003): Pld 127 (23), Goals 13
Chelsea: (2003-2010): Pld 189 (93), Goals 40
Liverpool (2010-2013): Pld 23 (19), Goals 5
Lille (2011-2012): Pld 25 (13), Gls 4
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West Ham have signed Waterford United striker Sean Maguire
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo. Last Updated: January 3, 2013 6:30pm
SSN
West Ham have signed Waterford United striker Sean Maguire. Maguire enjoyed a successful trial spell at West Ham at the back end of last season and the Premier League club have decided to bring him to Upton Park on a permanent basis. The 18-year-old has agreed a two-and-a-half year deal at Upton Park with the Hammers having the option of a further year. Maguire had been attracting the interest of a host of clubs after his displays with Waterford United over the past 12 months and he is regarded as one of the best young prospects to emerge from Ireland in recent years. The likes of Blackpool, Brighton, Peterborough and Derby had all shown an interest, but West Ham have won the race for the forward's signature. Maguire, who scored 13 goals in 24 appearances, told West Ham TV: "In summer 2011 the Waterford manager brought me in for a couple of training sessions and gave me a chance in the first team and I took it. Here I am now at West Ham and it's a dream come true really. "People tend to say my best trait is my movement so hopefully I can show that here. I haven't been told yet which squad I will be in but I presume I'll be going into the reserves so I'll try to work my way up like I did at Waterford."
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Yossi Benayoun back at Chelsea after West Ham loan deal comes to an end
Last Updated: January 3, 2013 12:13pm
SSN
Yossi Benayoun has returned to Chelsea after completing his loan period at West Ham. The midfielder has struggled with a knee injury this season that has curtailed his involvement at Upton Park. Benayoun has been receiving treatment at Chelsea's Cobham training ground after appearing six times for the Hammers in the Premier League, the last of which came in their 1-0 win at Newcastle on 11 November. The Israel international has played just 11 times for Chelsea since signing from Liverpool for £5m in July 2010 and spent last season on loan at Arsenal.
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Matt Jarvis: Cover Boy
By Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die
Well this is not what you expect from a footballer. West Ham winger Matt Jarvis is this month's poster boy on the cover of gay magazine 'Attitude'. Matt is not gay himself, but he is very keen to encourage the last taboo in football to be blasted away. He is not the first footballer to appear on Attitude's cover - David Beckham did so in 2002 and Freddie Ljungberg did so in 2006.
In an interview with the magazine, Jarvis said he thought it was time that a gay footballer felt comfortable enough to come out. "It's everyday life. It's not something that's going to be a shock," he said. "I'm sure there are many footballers who are gay, but when they decide to actually come out and say it, it is a different story. It's one that I'm sure they've thought about many times. But it's a hard thing for them to do... There'd be support everywhere within the football community, whether it be players, fans or within the PFA [Professional Footballers' Association]. There would definitely be groups of people who would be supportive and help them through it."
You would hope that would be the case, but if a footballer does decide to take this step, I hope there will be many others that follow his lead, because being the only one would certainly not be a comfortable position to be in.
Homophobia is rife in football, both on the pitch and on the terraces. If Matt Jarvis helps combat that in any way, he should be congratulated.
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Pack Yo bags
Published: 11 hrs ago
The Sun
YOSSI BENAYOUN has been kicked to the kerb by West Ham and sent back to Chelsea. The creative midfielder, 32, was on a season-long loan deal at Upton Park. But with the imminent arrival of Joe Cole, the Hammers have called time on the injury-plagued Israeli's spell in East London. A West Ham statement read: "West Ham United can confirm that the loan of Yossi Benayoun has ended and he has returned to Chelsea. "The club would like to thank Yossi for his efforts during his second spell with the Hammers and wish him the best of luck for his future career." Benayoun made six appearances under boss Sam Allardyce during his second stint with West Ham, having previously been with the club from 2005 to 2007.
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Gunner go? Chamakh in West Ham talks as Arsenal launch winter clear-out
The Mirror
3 Jan 2013 22:30
Arsenal flop Marouane Chamakh has opened talks with West Ham over a loan move to Upton Park. The Morocco striker is one of the highest earners in the Gunners squad, on £80,000 a week, and boss Arsene Wenger is keen to get him off the wage bill. The Emirates club are ready to pay a portion of his salary to force the Hammers move through. West Ham will have the option to make the deal permanent in the summer.
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West Ham hope to draft Joe Cole into side for FA Cup tie with Manchester United
West Ham hope to beat a noon deadline on Friday to ensure Joe Cole is eligible for their FA Cup tie with Manchester United and on Thursday night were talking to Arsenal outcast Marouane Chamakh about a loan deal until the end of the season.
Telegraph.co.uk
By Chris Bascombe10:00PM GMT 03 Jan 2013
The signings would give a timely boost to Sam Allardyce's attacking options, with Andy Carroll's return from injury still some weeks away. Cole passed a medical at Upton Park on Thursday having been granted a free transfer from Liverpool. He was given permission to discuss terms in London earlier this week.
West Ham's interest in Chamakh was revealed by Telegraph Sport on Dec 16. The past 18 months have been miserable for the 28-year-old Moroccan, who has come under increasing criticism from Arsenal fans, although in Oct 2010 he became the first player in Champions League history to score in six consecutive matches. He is likely to be the first of several departures from the Emirates this month. Andrei Arshavin, Johan Djourou and Sebastien Squillaci are also expected to leave.
Only minor details in the arrangements of Cole's £3 million pay off at Anfield delayed confirmation of his return to his boyhood club. An announcement is expected in time to enable the 31 year-old to join Allardyce's squad this weekend. Cole has already been photographed in West Ham training gear and met his new team-mates, the lure of Upton Park ending Queens Park Rangers' hopes of attracting the former Chelsea player to assist in Harry Redknapp's relegation fight. Should his registration be processed in time, it will be an emotional weekend for the former England international, who was never able to settle on Merseyside due to injuries and lack of form. Liverpool agreed to terminate Cole's deal 18 months early, saving themselves a possible £4 million in wages.
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Joe Cole's West Ham homecoming is populist but ignores the reality
The Hammers' favourite son is set to re-sign on Friday but expectations are a whole lot lower this time around
Jacob Steinberg
The Guardian, Thursday 3 January 2013 21.51 GMT
The sustained applause that greeted Joe Cole's introduction as a substitute during Liverpool's victory at West Ham United last month would have told him how highly regarded he still is at Upton Park and perhaps reminded a player who was once English football's great white hope what it is like to be loved after his disastrous spell at Anfield. Cole would score Liverpool's second goal in that match but demonstrated the affection West Ham supporters feel for him is mutual by not celebrating.
Although there was an opportunity for a reunion with his first manager, Harry Redknapp, at Queens Park Rangers, the chance to rejoin his boyhood club seems like the perfect fit. Even if they do say you should never go back. So almost 10 years after leaving for Chelsea for £6m following West Ham's relegation under Glenn Roeder in 2003, the favourite son is returning and it has been a long time coming.
The longing for Cole to return has persisted ever since his departure and, if nothing else, this is a populist signing that West Ham need to get out of their system. And so here he is: older, wiser but not necessarily better, too many injuries preventing him from maintaining the form that made him such a threat for Chelsea.
Cole was part of the Tony Carr production line that included Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick, Glen Johnson and Jermain Defoe, and he was by far the most hyped. For Cole, the limelight was blinding. A year before he had even made his professional debut, Redknapp was writing about him in his programme notes, dismissing reports linking a 16-year-old boy with Manchester United, and on his 17th birthday Cole signed his first professional contract on the pitch at Upton Park before a game against Chelsea. The date was 8 November 1998. "You can tell your grandchildren you were here when Joe Cole signed," said the pitch announcer, Jeremy Nicholas. No pressure, kid.
The other youngsters were all appreciated but none were as adored as much as Cole. He was not Joe Cole, he was Joey Cole. He made his debut in January 1999, coming off the bench in the third round of the FA Cup against Swansea City and a week later he made his first appearance in the league in a 4-1 defeat against United at Old Trafford, where he grabbed the attention with his fearlessness, showing off the flicks and tricks that define him.
By now he was impossible to ignore and in May of that year he helped West Ham win the FA Youth Cup. In a hopeless mismatch Coventry City were beaten 9-0 over two legs in the final, West Ham winning the second leg 6-0 at a packed Upton Park.
Yet as much as he had the crowd on their feet when the ball was at his, there was also a feeling that a lack of football intelligence and tactical discipline meant he did not make the most of his talent at West Ham. Despite Redknapp playing Cole behind two strikers, his end-product often left much to be desired; there were not enough assists and he only scored 13 goals in his five years with the club.
Cole ended up playing some of the best football of his career when Roeder made him West Ham's captain in December 2002 – he was only 21 – and moved him to a deeper midfield role. The player flourished but, despite his manic efforts, West Ham still went down at the end of that season, unable to reel in Sam Allardyce's Bolton Wanderers side.
Ten years later, Allardyce is his manager. With funds freed up by Yossi Benayoun heading back to Chelsea after an unsuccessful loan move, Cole's arrival seems to make perfect sense as Allardyce, who prolonged the careers of Jay-Jay Okocha and Youri Djorkaeff at Bolton, strives to add more class and creativity to his squad. However, while Cole will be given a hero's welcome, there is a sense of foreboding after his miserable spell at Liverpool – which included a year on loan at Lille – who are so desperate to get the 31-year-old off their wage bill that they are willing to write off the rest of his contract. He has looked out of shape and out of puff this season, featuring only 10 times.
There is also uncertainty over where Cole fits in. Before he joined Liverpool on a free transfer from Chelsea in 2010, it is understood he felt a succession of serious knee injuries meant he no longer had the pace to play on the wing, but although Roy Hodgson gave him the central role he wanted, his impact was minimal and supporters quickly turned against him. At West Ham the role behind the striker is Kevin Nolan's and Allardyce's captain is undroppable. Cole might have no choice other than to play wide, where he will face stiff competition for a starting place from Matt Jarvis and Ricardo Vaz Te.
Expectations might be low. Cole is not a teenager any more and, to some observers, he is a busted flush. Time has not been kind to the boy wonder who became yesterday's man, yet while he will never recapture the glory of his youth, it is bound to be an emotional occasion when he steps out on to the Upton Park pitch again. West Ham will hope the romance can trump the reality.
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West Ham star shows he has the right attitude by appearing on gay magazine
Matt Jarvis aims to challenge prejudice and says more homosexual players should 'come out'
KUNAL DUTTA THURSDAY 03 JANUARY 2013
The Independent
The West Ham and England footballer Matt Jarvis has posed for the cover of Britain's best-selling gay magazine in an attempt to crush one of the game's last remaining stigmas.
The married winger is only the third footballer to appear on the cover of Attitude in its 19-year history. David Beckham, who appeared in 2002, and Freddie Ljungberg who followed four years later, led the way.
Jarvis, 26, told Attitude that homosexuality was now "everyday life" and not "something that's going to be a shock". He added: "I'm sure there are many footballers who are gay, but when they decide to actually come out and say it, it is a different story. It's one that I'm sure they've thought about many times. But it's a hard thing for them to do," he said.
That view is vindicated by a recent study by the University of Staffordshire, that suggested the majority of fans would welcome players coming out, with 40 per cent of fans blaming clubs and agents for keeping gay footballers in the closet.
Jarvis said that times have changed and it is more likely that an openly gay footballer would receive the support he needed now. "There'd be support everywhere within the football community, whether it be players, fans or within the PFA [Professional Footballers' Association]. There would definitely be groups of people who would be supportive and help them through it," he said.
Previous case histories tell a different story. In 1990 Justin Fashanu – the first black £1m footballer, who played for Norwich, Nottingham Forest and Hearts – suffered extended abuse after coming out. He killed himself eight years later. The prejudices he faced were cited at the inquest into his death. The most high-profile footballer to come out since then is Anton Hysen a player in the Swedish lower leagues.
In the interview Jarvis agreed that not coming out could hamper performance in a sport that has traditionally considered homosexuality as a forbidden frontier. He said: "You've always got something you're worried about at the back of your mind. If you can let that go and then just concentrate on your one goal, which is whichever sport you're doing to the best of your ability, I think that would help. Definitely."
It is part of a wider attempt to tackle prejudice to homosexuality in football. Last month the Spanish midfielder Suso, who plays for Liverpool, was fined £10,000 for calling his team-mate José Enrique "gay" on Twitter and warned about his future conduct by the Football Association.
Previously, former Sheffield Wednesday captain Darren Purse said he would have to think hard before advising a young player to come out; Bayern Munich's German striker Mario Gomez made headlines when he did the opposite, urging gay players to break this last "taboo".
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Well Done One and All!
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
Well done, Prince-Boatang and his AC Milan team mates for saying enough is enough and staging a walk off in protest at the racist abuse the player was suffering from the stands. Well done, ex-Hammer, Rio Ferdinand for praising the actions of the AC Milan players, on twitter, and asking he pertinent question why offical sanctions are not more forthcoming in challenging discrimination in football. Well done, West Ham Utd FC for responding so decisively in identifying and dealing with the perpetrators of the disgusting anti-semitic and pro-Nazi chants at the Spurs away match. Well done, our own Matt Jarvis for openly challenging homophobia in the gay publication, Attitude.
Football is not only the beautiful game, it must also be the inclusive game. Everyone, of all backgrounds, must be welcome at matches and be free from bigoted and discriminatory abuse. The football authorities, the clubs and the vast majority of decent fans must collectively ensure that this is the case. The FA, and other football authorities, must take a tough line and give strong leadership. Similiarly, all football clubs must also take their responsibilities seriously and lay down a clear line as what standards of behaviour are expected. The perpetrators of discrimination, whether on or off the field must be identified and dealt with appropriately. Similiarly, the vast majority of decent fans must marginalise and dissociate themselves from any small reactionary elements attached to their clubs. Otherwise, everyone inevitably becomes tainted by association.
Hopefully, the 'Times are a Changing' and will usher in a more stingent approach to equalities and inclusion within football. West Ham are my team, I was born a Hammer. I also passionately believe in social justice and inclusion for all. With rapidly increasing demographic diversity in the population of east London and Essex, the need to make a positive contribution to building inclusive and cohesive communities has never been more important. Football clubs are uniquely positioned to assist via their community and sporting programmes, their respect/affiliation within localities and power to influence and form powerful partnerships both within and beyond football. None more so than West Ham.
West Ham are 'Moore than a Football club,' with a history and tradition as a community based, family oriented club. With the prospective move to the Olympic Stadium, this tradition takes on a whole new importance. As the preferred anchor tenant for the OS, West Ham will have a unique responsibility for ensuring that the post-Olympic community and sporting legacy is delivered. A major criteria for success will be that the legacy is inclusive and delivered for the benefit of all sections of the diverse communities in the club's huge geographical catchment area. This means that the club must actively promote inclusion and social justice as a mainstream part of everything that it does. Whatever your race/ethicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, faith/belief or other social circumstances you should be able to identify with the club and feel part of it; breaking down barriers and promoting inclusion to facilitate it. In this way, the UNITED in West Ham United FC will be firmly underlined.
The club clearly recognize this and leadership the role that they must play in delivering it. The post-Spurs match reaction from the club has been most heartening. The response has been decisive and effective in dealing with the initial issues. Moreover, the club have stated that they wish to go beyond this and continue to develop their policy, practice and community leadership. That can only build West Ham's reputation, further, and help create a football club in which we can all take even greater pride.
With regard to other issues, Joe Cole's return should be confirmed on Friday. We have also signed the promising striker, Sean McGuire from Waterford FC and we are being linked with a number of other players. The club have certainly been quick out of the blocks with its transfer dealings and that is to be welcomed. The added bonus is that key players also appear to be returning from injury. In addition, we can all look forward to a glamour, 3rd Round, FA Cup home tie against Man Utd this Saturday. Hopefully the fully deserved victory over Norwich City, on New Year's Day, will be the prelude to a strong performance in the second half of the season. COYI!
SJ. Chandos.
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Cole in a cup rush
By TONY LITTLE
Last Updated: 04th January 2013
The Sun
WEST HAM hope to finalise the transfer of Joe Cole from Liverpool today. Prodigal son Cole is set for an emotional return to Upton Park on a free after completing his medical. He came up through the ranks at the Hammers and could mark his second coming in tomorrow's FA Cup third round clash with Manchester United. That will depend on the paperwork going through in time, with Liverpool having agreed to cancel the player's contract. The Reds are giving Cole, 31, a year's wages to get him off the books at Anfield. West Ham will pick up the remaining 18 months of his £90,000-a-week deal. It will mark the end a nightmare 2½-year spell on Merseyside for the former Chelsea player. Midfielder Cole started just nine Premier League games since he swapped blue for red in July 2010 — and spent last season on loan at French club Lille.
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I'd rather face RVP than a dirty nappy
Exclusive
By ANDREW DILLON
Last Updated: 04th January 2013
The Sun
JACK COLLISON insists fatherhood has prepared him for anything — well, almost. The West Ham star claims the thought of facing Robin van Persie tomorrow is nowhere near as frightening as one of two-month-old daughter Lucia's nappies. Midfielder Collison is smiling again as the Hammers prepare to host Manchester United in the plum tie of the FA Cup third round. He ended seven months of injury hell with 90 minutes against Norwich in midweek to scotch rumours that he will never fully recover from knee injuries which have dogged his career. Collison said: "Mine has been an interesting house over the past few months with me injured and Alex pregnant. "It's easy to get depressed when you're injured but the baby has been a blessing. I'm growing as a person. "In my job it's important to get my kip and stay fresh but I did one night feed when Alex was ill. "I'm getting quite quick at changing nappies, although some have been frightening, especially the first one in the hospital — now that was interesting. "Nothing scares me after that. If it's a choice between changing nappies and playing Van Persie, I'll take Van Persie every time."
Collison's return from a recurrence of an old knee problem has been challenging both mentally and physically. He added: "To help with the rehab I had to do water excercises. "That meant putting on giant flippers and walking lengths of a swimming pool. It's dull and really tough. "But the most depressing aspect was coming into training every day and seeing the lads go out to play football while I was getting my goggles and budgie smuggler speedos ready. "You know you have to do all that grind to get back again. Playing a full match on Tuesday made it all worth it. "My legs were gone after about an hour but it meant so much to be back. I finally felt part of the group again. "You still talk to the lads when you're injured but you can't help but feel a little alone. But I have had a recovery session and am ready for Saturday. Playing United under the Upton Park lights is a great prospect. The atmosphere will be amazing."
Wales international Collison had previously spent a year out with a serious knee problem and admits his battered joint will need to be "managed" for the rest of his career. But he has the intelligence to cope and has been learning Spanish and doing business studies in his time out. He said: "My agents and I sat down and set some life goals. Alex and I have been learning Spanish. We're still quite basic but we're starting up again after having a break with the birth of Lucia.
"I appreciate football is a short career, even though I'm only 24 and hope to play for as long as possible. I've had a look around at business ventures for when I finish and I'm interested in the media. Being out injured meant I could cover a match for Sky Sports and I also like to write blogs. "They can be about anything really — football, life, my mood, anything." And Collison was delighted to see Joe Cole heading back to the Hammers after a 10-year absence. He added: "Joe's a great player and the fans will love having him back. It's a great signing."
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Sam seeks sson shine
Published: 03rd January 2013
The Sun
SAM ALLARDYCE is ready to raid former club Blackburn for Martin Olsson. The West Ham boss wants to bolster his defence and could get the Sweden left-back, 24, for around £3.5million. Right-back Joey O'Brien was a makeshift left-back in the 2-1 win over Norwich. Stoke are also keen on Olsson.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Friday, January 4
Thursday, January 3
Daily WHUFC News - 3rd January 2012
The Big Interview: Mark Noble
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Hammer of the Year impressed as stand-in captain against
Norwich City
02.01.2013
West Ham United's Mark Noble enjoyed another stellar performance against
Norwich City on Tuesday. The midfielder took the captain's armband in the
absence of suspended skipper Kevin Nolan and scored his third penalty of the
2012/13 season as the Hammers ran out 2-1 winners. In this week's Big
Interview, Noble explains how the togetherness of the Hammers squad helped
deliver the hard-fought result and how it will stand them in good stead for
Saturday's big FA Cup tie with Manchester United.
Mark, how would you sum up the performance against Norwich City?
MN: "We were brilliant. We had some big players missing for this game and
the boys who came in did fantasticly. It was Jack's [Collison] first start
in I don't how long and Vaz's [Ricardo Vaz Te] first start in about three
months and they were brilliant. "We had a game two days before [against
Reading] which I don't think we deserved to lose as a mistake cost us. But
we are together as a group and that is all that matters. We got three points
which we fully deserved.
What are your thoughts on the decision that allowed you to open the scoring
from the spot?
MN: "I thought the referee got it right. We were awarded the penalty and
luckily enough I put it away and it did settle us and our fans down nice and
early. We then went on and fully enjoyed our game from then on in.
Talks us through the second goal as you played a key role in setting it up
for Joey O'Brien?
MN: "Joey was playing at left-back in the game and there he was in the
six-yard box, but that showed how much we were all enjoying the game. I
managed to wriggle my way past a few players and cut it back, it fell nicely
to Joey and it was a striker's finish from him and that was the icing on the
cake. "We let a late goal in which we were gutted about as we wanted a clean
sheet, but we are over the moon with the three points."
You had the captain's armband in the absence of Nobby [Kevin Nolan] and you
received the man of the match award afterwards. Is it nice that people
recognise that you played really well?
MN: "We had the likes of Nobby and Ginge [James Collins] missing, two big
players for us. As I said it was credit to the boys who came in, everyone
had to raise their game. I think that showed and is why we got the three
points which we needed after the tough spell we have had."
How important is it to get players like Jack and Vaz back, because the squad
has been quite bare over the Christmas period?
MN: "It is great for us. We also had young Elliot Lee on the bench, which
was great. I was hoping we could go 3-0 up so he could get his debut. But it
wasn't meant to be for him this time, but I am sure he will be playing
sooner rather than later. Then we had our other young boys, George Moncur
and Seb [Lletget], they have all been involved and Jordan [Spence] came on
again. We need to get back to a bigger squad so we have more options from
the bench and more options for the manager to pick for all the games."
We face Manchester United in the FA Cup third round on Saturday. How do you
think it'll go?
MN: "It will be a great atmosphere for the fans and a great cup tie I am
sure as they always are here. When you pluck Manchester United out of the
hat you are over the moon, so whatever team the manager picks, I am sure it
will be a strong one to have a right go at them and we will see what
happens. If we can play anything like we did [against Norwich] and against
United at their place earlier in the season, then we will have a chance."
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Joey's half-century goal
WHUFC.com
Joey O'Brien marked his 50th Hammers appearance with a goal in the New
Year's Day win over Norwich City
02.01.2013
Joey O'Brien ensured West Ham United supporters enjoyed a happy New Year by
scoring the winner in Tuesday's 2-1 Barclays Premier League victory over
Norwich City. The No17 marked his 50th appearance in a Hammers shirt with a
smart low finish, ensuring the vast majority of another sell-out Boleyn
Ground crowd could celebrate the first day of 2013. The Republic of Ireland
man also produced a fine defensive performance to keep Norwich danger-man
Robert Snodgrass at bay "It was a massive win for us," said O'Brien. "It was
a disappointing with how the game went at Reading on Saturday because we did
enough to win that game, so it was good to bounce back and win in front of
our own fans. We played some good stuff, too, so it's always nice to play
some nice football and get three points. "Overall we played really well and
could have been three or four goals up going in at half-time and that would
have made it a lot easier. Two-nil is probably the worst score to have
because they were obviously going to have a bit more possession. "Their
manager had obviously had a go at half-time and they came out and had a bit
more ball. They scored at the end and made it a bit nervous and if they'd
got the equaliser it would have been really hard to take for us."
Before O'Brien struck midway through the first half, Mark Noble settled any
nerves by drilling home from the penalty spot after Winston Reid had been
impeded by Ryan Bennett. "We started off really well, which is what the
manager asked us to do after the disappointment against Reading. We started
off really well and they didn't get a second. We knocked it around really
well and had plenty of chances and it could have been three or four-nil at
half-time.
"To be honest I didn't really see the penalty incident but, if you break
down the times they put the ball into our box and the times we put the ball
into their box, they could have had one given as well. If you're the
defending team, it's hard to take."
There was no dispute over the 26-year-old's second goal of the season.
O'Brien was involved in an incisive move that also included Matt Jarvis,
Matt Taylor, Mark Noble and Carlton Cole before the left-back calmly slotted
the ball between Norwich goalkeeper Mark Bunn and his near post. In his own
post-match interview, manager Sam Allardyce said O'Brien was benefitting
from defenders being drawn to Jarvis, allowing him to make unmarked runs
inside the winger.
"Defenders are afraid of Jarvo. Since he has come in, Matt has been
brilliant and he puts in an awful lot of crosses. On Saturday he must have
put in about 15 or 16 crosses himself and he draws players to him, so it's
nice when you're playing inside him because they might be able to nip balls
into you. I think that might be what happened. "I just tried to pass the
ball into the net and luckily it went in."
O'Brien was replaced with 20 minutes remaining, but the full-back was happy
to report that it was just a precaution as he was feeling tightness in his
hamstring. He is therefore hopeful of facing Manchester United in the FA Cup
with Budweiser third round on Saturday. "It's a great game in the FA Cup.
Hopefully, with it being an early-evening kick-off the atmosphere will be
great and we can do the job. It's a free pass after the league and it's a
great opportunity. "Perhaps the manager will mix it up and give other
players an opportunity and a chance to play against them. They are the sort
of team you want to play well against and if we're able to put them out of
the cup then that would be fantastic."
Looking further forward, with fixtures to follow against Sunderland, Queens
Park Rangers and Fulham before the end of January, O'Brien said the Hammers
would be looking to pick up as many Barclays Premier League points as
possible. "It was a massive let-down last weekend at Reading. We went there
determined to win and we dominated the game and did everything but win. It
was a massive disappointment. "It was important to get the three points
against Norwich and, with those teams coming up, we have the chance to win
games. If we can get the wins and points on the board early then it will
take the pressure off and we can start to relax and go out and enjoy our
football."
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Joe Cole: West Ham set to sign Liverpool midfielder
BBC.co.uk
Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole is set to join former club West Ham United on
a permanent deal. The 31-year-old travelled to London for a medical with Sam
Allardyce's Hammers after Liverpool accepted an offer for the player. Reds
manager Brendan Rodgers said: "He is speaking with West Ham at the moment
and if they can get something organised it will be a terrific move for Joe."
Queens Park Rangers are also interested in signing Cole. Cole has struggled
to impress at Anfield following a free transfer move from Chelsea in 2010,
The former England international spent last season on loan at French club
Lille. Any move to West Ham would have to be made permanent because the
London club already have striker Andy Carroll on loan from Liverpool.
Joe Cole's career
West Ham: 150 appearances, 13 goals
Chelsea: 282 appearances, 39 goals
Lille: 38 appearances, four goals
Liverpool: 42 appearances, five goals
England: 56 appearances, 10 goals
Cole, though, would be available on a free transfer as Liverpool are
prepared to cancel his contract and negotiate a settlement. Rodgers added:
"I spoke to Joe earlier. He is a really good lad and has been brilliant
during my time here." The player came through the youth ranks at Upton Park
before moving to Chelsea for £6.6m in 2003. He won three Premier League
titles and two FA Cups in a seven-year stay with the Blues. After failing to
agree a new contract he moved to Merseyside but he has not been able to
enjoy the same impact and has made just six substitute appearances this
season. News of Cole's potential move comes after Liverpool signed forward
Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea. QPR may still move for Cole if he fails to
agree a deal with West Ham, but manager Harry Redknapp told BBC Radio 5 live
he was resigned to missing out on the player. "I love Joe," he said. "I
signed him when he was 11 years old at West Ham and I spoke to him. He was
keen to come and he is a great lad. "He would be great around the place - he
is a great player - but West Ham came in at the last moment and obviously it
was difficult because West Ham is his club and you will always associate Joe
with them. "That is where he started out. The fans will love having him back
there and I wish him all the best because he is a fantastic boy."
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Liverpool's Rodgers confirms Cole in talks with West Ham
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 2nd January 2013
By: Staff Writer
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that West Ham United are in
talks with Joe Cole. Rodgers, who today signed former Chelsea striker Daniel
Sturridge for £12million has confirmed one of the day's worst-kept sectrets
by admitting that the 31-year-old midfielder is poised to seal a return back
to east London. Cole, who would arrive at the Boleyn Ground on a permanent
basis - and possibly on a free transfer - has has already held discussions
with West Ham ahead of what promises to be, on the whole, a popular move.
Rodgers, who gave Andy Carroll permission to move to West Ham on loan for
the season in the last transfer window now looks set to lose a second
English international to the Irons. Speaking about the Cole move tonight,
he told the BBC: "He is a really good lad and has been brilliant during my
time here in terms of as a human being. "He is obviously speaking with West
Ham at the moment and if they can get something organised it will be a
terrific move for Joe."
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Allardyce on... Norwich City
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 2nd January 2013
By: Staff Writer
A delighted Big Sam reflects on a job well done - even if he felt it should
have been done a little arlier and with a little more comfort. His
post-match press conference, exclusively in full for you here on KUMB...
Sam: A good spot by the referee for the penalty?
Yeah, I've just had a look at it to make sure. He was in such a good
position there was little else he could have done when he sees him pulling
the shirt off Reidy's back. We have seen them not given many times before
but for this one he had a great view of it and I think it was the correct
decision.
From our point of view, to get 1-0 up that quickly was really important. It
gave us the confidence to play as we did today and it was an outstanding
performance. We created some great chances; Mark Noble scored a penalty and
Joey O'Brien scored a great goal for us to get us to 2-0. The disappointing
thing was all the chances the front lads missed today, chances they created
and fluffed.
Jack Collison could have got one, Vaz Te could have got a couple, Coley...
balls flashing across the box that just needed a tap-in. That's a slight
concern, because we lost a goal in the 90th minute that made us very edgy
towards the end when the game should have been out of sight. So we'll still
continue to brush up on our finishing techniques with the lads and hope that
next time round we're a bit more clinical with our finishing.
But a well-deserved victory and a great performance in the circumstances. We
went into the game with a number of players missing and it didn't look today
like we had as many injuries as we have with that performance, I'm glad to
say.
Was that Mark Noble's most impressive game for you?
No, no. He's played as well as that before, to be fair. His work in a
[midfield] three - in terms of his prompting and promoting the creativity of
the side - is very good, and out of possession his work rate to shut the
opposition midfield down and win the ball back off them is outstanding. He
loves having the captain's armband on so Kevin Nolan better watch out! I
think he might even play a little bit better when he's got it on, I don't
know.
Given what you said about strikers is that something you're going to look at
in the transfer window? Bringing in someone to finish those chances?
Well we know Vaz Te can finish, we saw that last year. Can he finish in the
Premier League? We'll wait and see. Matt Jarvis is a provider rather than a
finisher but we'd like to get more goals out of him. Carlton Cole's scored a
couple since he's been back and Andy [Carroll]'s only got one and has to
score more. It's been a bit of a hard feel for Modibo Maiga, the pace of the
game at this level he's really found tough. He's got a one in two
goalscoring record coming from France so we'd have hoped that would have
been a bit better.
If there's anything we can add to that in the window we'll have a try, but
getting them [all] fit and available for selection gives us better options
and more creativity. Jack Collison and Vaz Te's appearance today brought a
more creative element to the team, you could see that by the amount of times
we carved Norwich open and created chances. The only disappointing thing for
us today is that we only scored two instead of scoring a lot more.
But when you see the miss like Vaz Te's at Reading and Carlton's today does
that make you think you need another option striker-wise?
Well they've got to get better at finishing as well, that's one thing that
we've got to try and continue to do. Whether we'll be able to add to that I
don't know but if we strengthen the squad anywhere, it'll be important for
us to do that anyway. That coupled with getting some of these injured
players back.
It's a relief that Kevin [Nolan] and James [Collins] have missed today and
we've won. What a massive bonus that is. As well as missing Andy Carroll, as
well as George McCartney, as well as Mo Diame, as well as Yossi Benayoun
with Kevin and James. The 11 players and the subs who came on today have
given me a magnificent performance and a fantastic result that we were so
desperate for today.
I was wondering whether we were going to hold our confidence and our
performance level at home because it's been really good [up to now]. Even
though we've had back-to-back defeats at home the performances have been
really good. Today they showed me they've got the mentality to cope with
whatever's thrown at them. After a bad run of results we've come back and
played brilliantly today to win.
How far away is Andy Carroll from returning?
I'd hope it'd be two, no more than three weeks with a bit of luck. The
trouble is, being such a big lad he's a little bit more delicate and when
you come back from a knee ligament injury you have to be a little bit more
careful. He's working very well and when he gets back we want him to stay
fit because he's missed a huge chunk of games through injury since he's
joined us. Hopefully that'll be the end of them when he recovers from this
one.
Is he back in training?
Not yet, no.
Do you know when he'll be back?
Not particularly; it depends how his running goes when he starts that, which
I think he's due to start this week.
Is Diame far off from starting training?
He's not training at all yet either. He's having a new course of injections
which is speeding the healing process up, so hopefully that'll do the job
for him and he can be back as soon as possible.
A word on Winston Reid; the crowd have certainly noticed what he's done this
season?
The basis of our successful season up to now has been the defensive part of
our team, really. The solid base that we've worked from means that apart
from Swansea and Tottenham away, nobody's taken us apart because of those
defensive qualities that we've got. Joey O'Brien playing at left back, for
instance - brilliant at the moment.
That's the basis for any team to be successful, having a good defensive unit
that will defend the right way and play the game the right way out of
possession, which everybody seems to ignore these days. They don't seem to
think it's a part of the game that you need to have in your locker, but you
do if you want to be successful. You have to be one of the best defensive
teams in whatever league you're playing.
With George [McCartney] out long term do you think full-back will be one of
the positions you'll look at?
Yes it would be. One of my priorities is left back if there's a possibility
of getting one there.
Is Guy Demel going to the African Cup of Nations?
No, he's retired. Thank you and Happy New Year.
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West Ham closing in on Joe Cole after midfielder rejects QPR
Last Updated: January 2, 2013 11:28pm
SSN
Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole is set to rejoin West Ham United after turning
down QPR. Cole has struggled to make an impact at Anfield since joining on a
free from Chelsea in 2010 and was loaned out to Lille last season. QPR boss
Harry Redknapp, who gave Cole his competitive debut in a West Ham shirt in
1998, confirmed on Wednesday evening that he had tried in vain to lure the
31-year-old to Loftus Road. "I tried to get him to come to QPR but he's
going home to West Ham," Redknapp, speaking after his side's shock win over
Chelsea, said. It emerged earlier on Wednesday that the Hammers had enquired
about Cole's availability and he is thought to have already had a medical.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers later confirmed talks, saying: "I'm not sure
if a deal has been totally agreed. I know there have been talks." Cole left
Upton Park for Chelsea in 2003, before joining Liverpool on a free transfer.
Redknapp added: "I lost Joe who would have been my first signing. He
probably looked here and thought 'Harry I love you but you're not going to
stay up'. "I like Joe and he would have been good for me. He's West Ham and
they love him there. I thought he was coming for sure but West Ham came in."
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Joe Cole Coming Back?
By Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die
Sky Sports are reporting that Joe Cole is tonight having a medical at West
Ham. All I can say is that if this is true, it is one of the most baffling
transfers of modern times. Don't get me wrong, I love Joe Cole. I saw him
make his Upton Park debut, and in many ways I would love to see him pull on
the claret and blue again, but am I alone in wondering just where he would
play? We know that a midfield three of Noble, Diame and Nolan works, so it
surely can't be there. We've paid £10 million for a left winger, so surely
it can't be there. On the right? I don't ever remember Joe Cole playing on
the right. The only sensible place for him to play would be just off the
lead striker, but that's not a position that's available as we play 4-5-1.
Or 4-3-3 if your name is Sam.
Other rumours today involve Newcastle being interested in Maiga and James
Tomkins. And we are supposedly signing a 16 year old Swedish starlet called
Rinor Nushi. We've also signed a young Irish striker called Sean Maguire.
UPDATE 22.35: Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that talks are taking place
between West Ham and Joe Cole, and Harry Redknapp says he has given up the
chase and that Cole is "going home".
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Noble's hod work
By MARK IRWIN
Published: 02nd January 2013
The Sun
MARK NOBLE is ready to become a brickie to stop Robin van Persie. West Ham
midfielder Noble is desperate to beat Manchester United in Saturday's FA Cup
third-round clash at Upton Park. And he knows that stopping 19-goal Van
Persie is crucial. United's £22million Dutchman hit the only goal when West
Ham lost at Old Trafford in November. Noble said: "It's anyone's guess how
you stop Van Persie, we might have to build a brick wall in front of goal.
"It will be a great FA Cup tie and we're looking forward to it."
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Andy Carroll's Hammers goal
Last Updated: 03rd January 2013
The Sun
ANDY CARROLL is set to return to action with West Ham before the end of the
month. And boss Sam Allardyce has told the on-loan England striker that he
must start scoring when he finally recovers from his knee problems. Carroll,
who turns 24 this Sunday, has managed just one goal for the Hammers since
joining on a season's loan from Liverpool in August. He has been out with a
knee injury since November and has missed six games. But he is due to start
running tomorrow and Allardyce has no intention of cancelling Carroll's
loan. He said: "I hope it will be no more than three weeks before Andy is
playing again.
"He's not in full training yet but he's due to start running this week. "The
trouble is that because he's such a big lad he's a bit more delicate when
he's coming back from a knee ligament injury and we want to make sure he is
properly fit and stays that way when he comes back. "He's missed a huge
chunk of games with the two injuries he's had since he joined us. "Andy has
only got one goal for us so far and he has to score more. "All of our
forwards have got to get better at finishing. "The only disappointing thing
about our win against Norwich was the number of chances fluffed."
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Toon's eye on Modibo
Last Updated: 03rd January 2013
The Sun
WEST HAM seem willing to let misfit striker Modibo Maiga quit for Newcastle.
Toon boss Alan Pardew missed out on the Mali international, 25, last year
after the player failed a medical. And Maiga is on Pards' shortlist if his
bid for Marseille's Loic Remy fails. A Hammers source said: "We'll listen to
offers for Modibo."
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Cole Kops £4m to make Hammers return
Exclusive
By ANDREW DILLON
Last Updated: 03rd January 2013
The Sun
JOE COLE will get a £4million pay-off from Liverpool to join West Ham for
nothing. The free transfer to Upton Park ends the midfielder's miserable
spell at Anfield. The Reds are giving Cole, 31, a year's wages to get him
off the books. West Ham will take over the remaining 18 months of his
£90,000-a-week deal.
Last night, Cole was having a medical and could sign in time to play in
Saturday's FA Cup third-round tie at home to Manchester United. The former
England star, who joined Liverpool in 2010, has not started a Premier League
game this season and spent all of the 2011-12 campaign on loan at French
side Lille. Cole was groomed in the youth ranks at Upton Park and played 126
games for them before joining Chelsea for £6.5m in 2003. And Nicolas Anelka
has priced himself out of a move to Upton Park after demanding £100,000 a
week for a six-month stay. Anelka, 33, is sulking at China's Shanghai
Shenhua after a series of bust-ups. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce admitted
after Tuesday's 2-1 win over Norwich he "loved the player". But he added:
"The finances are a problem. We can only do what the owners can afford."
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Lamb raid: Striker-starved West Ham make a move for Southampton's Rickie
Lambert
The Mirror
1 Jan 2013 22:30
Christopher Lee
West Ham have had an approach for Southampton striker Rickie Lambert
dismissed by the south coast club. The Hammers are desperate for
reinforcements up front, with Andy Carroll expected to be out until the end
ofJanuary at the earliest. Even before his injury, £35million England
striker Carroll - on loan from Liverpool - had hit just one goal in 12
matches. West Ham are among the lowest scorers in the Premier League with
just 24 goals so far this season, and are desperate not to be dragged down
into the relegation mix. But Southampton, who are already in drop-zone
danger, are just as determined not to surrender one of the best players to a
Premier League rival. The Saints have made it clear to the Londoners - and
any other top-flight clubs - that they will not entertain offers for Lambert
or highly-rated left-back Luke Shaw, who has been linked with Arsenal. The
south coast club take the view that, despite whatever transfer fees they
would pull in, they would find it particularly difficult in the case of
Lambert to find a replacement up front. Lambert has scored eight goals in 19
appearances this season, including two in his last three and strikes against
both Manchester clubs. Selling their main striker would massively decrease
the club's chances of surviving relegation. West Ham, meanwhile are
continuing their search for strikers with Carlton Cole on just two goals in
17 appearances this season. Summer signing Modibo Maiga has hit four in 17
while Ricardo Vaz Te has scored one goal from ten appearances this season.
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Cockney comeback: West Ham snatch Joe Cole from Redknapp's grasp
The Mirror
2 Jan 2013 22:32
John Powell
Joe Cole is set to return to West Ham, as Sam Allardyce beats QPR boss Harry
Redknapp to the signing of the Liverpool misfit. Hammers boss Allardyce
moved in yesterday with a last ditch offer to re-sign Cole permanently,
ahead of Queens Park Rangers. Key to the whole deal is an amazing £3million
'golden goodbye' from Liverpool, to offset the drop in Cole's salary from
£120,000 to £50,000 a week. Although that £3m represents only six months of
the 18 left on Cole's Anfield contract, the 31-year-old will get the
security of a three-year deal – as well as the chance to resurrect his
career at his boyhood club. Former Chelsea star Cole has struggled at
Anfield and was loaned to Lille last season, but now Allardyce hopes to have
his move tied up in time for him to face Manchester United in the FA Cup
this weekend.
Cole was given his debut at 17 by Redknapp, who was hoping their
relationship would help ease a move to QPR. However, the spectre of
relegation made a deal difficult to do and Cole has never hidden his
affection for West Ham, the club he left for Chelsea in 2003 but has always
remained on good terms with Hammers fans. He even refused to celebrate when
he scored on a rare outing for Liverpool at Upton Park last month.
Meanwhile, QPR may be tempted to offload striker Djibril Cisse after French
club Lille came in for the former Liverpool striker. Cisse, 31, has played a
lot under Redknapp but may move on in January if QPR decide to sell in order
to shake up their squad and bring in a new striker. QPR will also be anxious
to trim their squad and wage bill but Redknapp may want to bring in a new
striker before sanctioning Cisse's exit to Lille.
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Cole to move to West Ham in permanent deal
WEDNESDAY 02 JANUARY 2013
The Independent
Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole is set to join former club West Ham United on
a permanent deal. The 31-year-old is thought to have travelled to London for
a medical after Liverpool agreed a deal. Cole, who moved to Anfield on a
free transfer from Chelsea in the summer of 2010, will be released without a
fee being paid to Liverpool and the club may also pay him a negotiated
settlement in order to get his £100,000-a-week salary off the wage bill.
Premier League rules mean West Ham cannot sign Cole on loan as they already
have Liverpool's Andy Carroll on a temporary deal.
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West Ham set to seal signature of highly-rated Swedish teenager Nushi
By SIMON JONES
PUBLISHED: 23:19, 2 January 2013 | UPDATED: 23:19, 2 January 2013
Daily Mail
West Ham are poised to sign 16-year-old Swedish winger Rinor Nushi from
Swedish side AFC United. Nushi has also attracted interest from Arsenal and
Juventus but West Ham are keen to tie up a deal quickly. 'Rinor is
attracting a lot of interest and it is unlikely that we will be able to keep
him here,' AFC United's sporting director Hamid Kavodvand told Sky Sports.
'At the moment he prefers West Ham after enjoying his time there, but no
deal has been agreed at this stage.'
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Hammer of the Year impressed as stand-in captain against
Norwich City
02.01.2013
West Ham United's Mark Noble enjoyed another stellar performance against
Norwich City on Tuesday. The midfielder took the captain's armband in the
absence of suspended skipper Kevin Nolan and scored his third penalty of the
2012/13 season as the Hammers ran out 2-1 winners. In this week's Big
Interview, Noble explains how the togetherness of the Hammers squad helped
deliver the hard-fought result and how it will stand them in good stead for
Saturday's big FA Cup tie with Manchester United.
Mark, how would you sum up the performance against Norwich City?
MN: "We were brilliant. We had some big players missing for this game and
the boys who came in did fantasticly. It was Jack's [Collison] first start
in I don't how long and Vaz's [Ricardo Vaz Te] first start in about three
months and they were brilliant. "We had a game two days before [against
Reading] which I don't think we deserved to lose as a mistake cost us. But
we are together as a group and that is all that matters. We got three points
which we fully deserved.
What are your thoughts on the decision that allowed you to open the scoring
from the spot?
MN: "I thought the referee got it right. We were awarded the penalty and
luckily enough I put it away and it did settle us and our fans down nice and
early. We then went on and fully enjoyed our game from then on in.
Talks us through the second goal as you played a key role in setting it up
for Joey O'Brien?
MN: "Joey was playing at left-back in the game and there he was in the
six-yard box, but that showed how much we were all enjoying the game. I
managed to wriggle my way past a few players and cut it back, it fell nicely
to Joey and it was a striker's finish from him and that was the icing on the
cake. "We let a late goal in which we were gutted about as we wanted a clean
sheet, but we are over the moon with the three points."
You had the captain's armband in the absence of Nobby [Kevin Nolan] and you
received the man of the match award afterwards. Is it nice that people
recognise that you played really well?
MN: "We had the likes of Nobby and Ginge [James Collins] missing, two big
players for us. As I said it was credit to the boys who came in, everyone
had to raise their game. I think that showed and is why we got the three
points which we needed after the tough spell we have had."
How important is it to get players like Jack and Vaz back, because the squad
has been quite bare over the Christmas period?
MN: "It is great for us. We also had young Elliot Lee on the bench, which
was great. I was hoping we could go 3-0 up so he could get his debut. But it
wasn't meant to be for him this time, but I am sure he will be playing
sooner rather than later. Then we had our other young boys, George Moncur
and Seb [Lletget], they have all been involved and Jordan [Spence] came on
again. We need to get back to a bigger squad so we have more options from
the bench and more options for the manager to pick for all the games."
We face Manchester United in the FA Cup third round on Saturday. How do you
think it'll go?
MN: "It will be a great atmosphere for the fans and a great cup tie I am
sure as they always are here. When you pluck Manchester United out of the
hat you are over the moon, so whatever team the manager picks, I am sure it
will be a strong one to have a right go at them and we will see what
happens. If we can play anything like we did [against Norwich] and against
United at their place earlier in the season, then we will have a chance."
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Joey's half-century goal
WHUFC.com
Joey O'Brien marked his 50th Hammers appearance with a goal in the New
Year's Day win over Norwich City
02.01.2013
Joey O'Brien ensured West Ham United supporters enjoyed a happy New Year by
scoring the winner in Tuesday's 2-1 Barclays Premier League victory over
Norwich City. The No17 marked his 50th appearance in a Hammers shirt with a
smart low finish, ensuring the vast majority of another sell-out Boleyn
Ground crowd could celebrate the first day of 2013. The Republic of Ireland
man also produced a fine defensive performance to keep Norwich danger-man
Robert Snodgrass at bay "It was a massive win for us," said O'Brien. "It was
a disappointing with how the game went at Reading on Saturday because we did
enough to win that game, so it was good to bounce back and win in front of
our own fans. We played some good stuff, too, so it's always nice to play
some nice football and get three points. "Overall we played really well and
could have been three or four goals up going in at half-time and that would
have made it a lot easier. Two-nil is probably the worst score to have
because they were obviously going to have a bit more possession. "Their
manager had obviously had a go at half-time and they came out and had a bit
more ball. They scored at the end and made it a bit nervous and if they'd
got the equaliser it would have been really hard to take for us."
Before O'Brien struck midway through the first half, Mark Noble settled any
nerves by drilling home from the penalty spot after Winston Reid had been
impeded by Ryan Bennett. "We started off really well, which is what the
manager asked us to do after the disappointment against Reading. We started
off really well and they didn't get a second. We knocked it around really
well and had plenty of chances and it could have been three or four-nil at
half-time.
"To be honest I didn't really see the penalty incident but, if you break
down the times they put the ball into our box and the times we put the ball
into their box, they could have had one given as well. If you're the
defending team, it's hard to take."
There was no dispute over the 26-year-old's second goal of the season.
O'Brien was involved in an incisive move that also included Matt Jarvis,
Matt Taylor, Mark Noble and Carlton Cole before the left-back calmly slotted
the ball between Norwich goalkeeper Mark Bunn and his near post. In his own
post-match interview, manager Sam Allardyce said O'Brien was benefitting
from defenders being drawn to Jarvis, allowing him to make unmarked runs
inside the winger.
"Defenders are afraid of Jarvo. Since he has come in, Matt has been
brilliant and he puts in an awful lot of crosses. On Saturday he must have
put in about 15 or 16 crosses himself and he draws players to him, so it's
nice when you're playing inside him because they might be able to nip balls
into you. I think that might be what happened. "I just tried to pass the
ball into the net and luckily it went in."
O'Brien was replaced with 20 minutes remaining, but the full-back was happy
to report that it was just a precaution as he was feeling tightness in his
hamstring. He is therefore hopeful of facing Manchester United in the FA Cup
with Budweiser third round on Saturday. "It's a great game in the FA Cup.
Hopefully, with it being an early-evening kick-off the atmosphere will be
great and we can do the job. It's a free pass after the league and it's a
great opportunity. "Perhaps the manager will mix it up and give other
players an opportunity and a chance to play against them. They are the sort
of team you want to play well against and if we're able to put them out of
the cup then that would be fantastic."
Looking further forward, with fixtures to follow against Sunderland, Queens
Park Rangers and Fulham before the end of January, O'Brien said the Hammers
would be looking to pick up as many Barclays Premier League points as
possible. "It was a massive let-down last weekend at Reading. We went there
determined to win and we dominated the game and did everything but win. It
was a massive disappointment. "It was important to get the three points
against Norwich and, with those teams coming up, we have the chance to win
games. If we can get the wins and points on the board early then it will
take the pressure off and we can start to relax and go out and enjoy our
football."
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Joe Cole: West Ham set to sign Liverpool midfielder
BBC.co.uk
Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole is set to join former club West Ham United on
a permanent deal. The 31-year-old travelled to London for a medical with Sam
Allardyce's Hammers after Liverpool accepted an offer for the player. Reds
manager Brendan Rodgers said: "He is speaking with West Ham at the moment
and if they can get something organised it will be a terrific move for Joe."
Queens Park Rangers are also interested in signing Cole. Cole has struggled
to impress at Anfield following a free transfer move from Chelsea in 2010,
The former England international spent last season on loan at French club
Lille. Any move to West Ham would have to be made permanent because the
London club already have striker Andy Carroll on loan from Liverpool.
Joe Cole's career
West Ham: 150 appearances, 13 goals
Chelsea: 282 appearances, 39 goals
Lille: 38 appearances, four goals
Liverpool: 42 appearances, five goals
England: 56 appearances, 10 goals
Cole, though, would be available on a free transfer as Liverpool are
prepared to cancel his contract and negotiate a settlement. Rodgers added:
"I spoke to Joe earlier. He is a really good lad and has been brilliant
during my time here." The player came through the youth ranks at Upton Park
before moving to Chelsea for £6.6m in 2003. He won three Premier League
titles and two FA Cups in a seven-year stay with the Blues. After failing to
agree a new contract he moved to Merseyside but he has not been able to
enjoy the same impact and has made just six substitute appearances this
season. News of Cole's potential move comes after Liverpool signed forward
Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea. QPR may still move for Cole if he fails to
agree a deal with West Ham, but manager Harry Redknapp told BBC Radio 5 live
he was resigned to missing out on the player. "I love Joe," he said. "I
signed him when he was 11 years old at West Ham and I spoke to him. He was
keen to come and he is a great lad. "He would be great around the place - he
is a great player - but West Ham came in at the last moment and obviously it
was difficult because West Ham is his club and you will always associate Joe
with them. "That is where he started out. The fans will love having him back
there and I wish him all the best because he is a fantastic boy."
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Liverpool's Rodgers confirms Cole in talks with West Ham
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 2nd January 2013
By: Staff Writer
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that West Ham United are in
talks with Joe Cole. Rodgers, who today signed former Chelsea striker Daniel
Sturridge for £12million has confirmed one of the day's worst-kept sectrets
by admitting that the 31-year-old midfielder is poised to seal a return back
to east London. Cole, who would arrive at the Boleyn Ground on a permanent
basis - and possibly on a free transfer - has has already held discussions
with West Ham ahead of what promises to be, on the whole, a popular move.
Rodgers, who gave Andy Carroll permission to move to West Ham on loan for
the season in the last transfer window now looks set to lose a second
English international to the Irons. Speaking about the Cole move tonight,
he told the BBC: "He is a really good lad and has been brilliant during my
time here in terms of as a human being. "He is obviously speaking with West
Ham at the moment and if they can get something organised it will be a
terrific move for Joe."
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Allardyce on... Norwich City
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 2nd January 2013
By: Staff Writer
A delighted Big Sam reflects on a job well done - even if he felt it should
have been done a little arlier and with a little more comfort. His
post-match press conference, exclusively in full for you here on KUMB...
Sam: A good spot by the referee for the penalty?
Yeah, I've just had a look at it to make sure. He was in such a good
position there was little else he could have done when he sees him pulling
the shirt off Reidy's back. We have seen them not given many times before
but for this one he had a great view of it and I think it was the correct
decision.
From our point of view, to get 1-0 up that quickly was really important. It
gave us the confidence to play as we did today and it was an outstanding
performance. We created some great chances; Mark Noble scored a penalty and
Joey O'Brien scored a great goal for us to get us to 2-0. The disappointing
thing was all the chances the front lads missed today, chances they created
and fluffed.
Jack Collison could have got one, Vaz Te could have got a couple, Coley...
balls flashing across the box that just needed a tap-in. That's a slight
concern, because we lost a goal in the 90th minute that made us very edgy
towards the end when the game should have been out of sight. So we'll still
continue to brush up on our finishing techniques with the lads and hope that
next time round we're a bit more clinical with our finishing.
But a well-deserved victory and a great performance in the circumstances. We
went into the game with a number of players missing and it didn't look today
like we had as many injuries as we have with that performance, I'm glad to
say.
Was that Mark Noble's most impressive game for you?
No, no. He's played as well as that before, to be fair. His work in a
[midfield] three - in terms of his prompting and promoting the creativity of
the side - is very good, and out of possession his work rate to shut the
opposition midfield down and win the ball back off them is outstanding. He
loves having the captain's armband on so Kevin Nolan better watch out! I
think he might even play a little bit better when he's got it on, I don't
know.
Given what you said about strikers is that something you're going to look at
in the transfer window? Bringing in someone to finish those chances?
Well we know Vaz Te can finish, we saw that last year. Can he finish in the
Premier League? We'll wait and see. Matt Jarvis is a provider rather than a
finisher but we'd like to get more goals out of him. Carlton Cole's scored a
couple since he's been back and Andy [Carroll]'s only got one and has to
score more. It's been a bit of a hard feel for Modibo Maiga, the pace of the
game at this level he's really found tough. He's got a one in two
goalscoring record coming from France so we'd have hoped that would have
been a bit better.
If there's anything we can add to that in the window we'll have a try, but
getting them [all] fit and available for selection gives us better options
and more creativity. Jack Collison and Vaz Te's appearance today brought a
more creative element to the team, you could see that by the amount of times
we carved Norwich open and created chances. The only disappointing thing for
us today is that we only scored two instead of scoring a lot more.
But when you see the miss like Vaz Te's at Reading and Carlton's today does
that make you think you need another option striker-wise?
Well they've got to get better at finishing as well, that's one thing that
we've got to try and continue to do. Whether we'll be able to add to that I
don't know but if we strengthen the squad anywhere, it'll be important for
us to do that anyway. That coupled with getting some of these injured
players back.
It's a relief that Kevin [Nolan] and James [Collins] have missed today and
we've won. What a massive bonus that is. As well as missing Andy Carroll, as
well as George McCartney, as well as Mo Diame, as well as Yossi Benayoun
with Kevin and James. The 11 players and the subs who came on today have
given me a magnificent performance and a fantastic result that we were so
desperate for today.
I was wondering whether we were going to hold our confidence and our
performance level at home because it's been really good [up to now]. Even
though we've had back-to-back defeats at home the performances have been
really good. Today they showed me they've got the mentality to cope with
whatever's thrown at them. After a bad run of results we've come back and
played brilliantly today to win.
How far away is Andy Carroll from returning?
I'd hope it'd be two, no more than three weeks with a bit of luck. The
trouble is, being such a big lad he's a little bit more delicate and when
you come back from a knee ligament injury you have to be a little bit more
careful. He's working very well and when he gets back we want him to stay
fit because he's missed a huge chunk of games through injury since he's
joined us. Hopefully that'll be the end of them when he recovers from this
one.
Is he back in training?
Not yet, no.
Do you know when he'll be back?
Not particularly; it depends how his running goes when he starts that, which
I think he's due to start this week.
Is Diame far off from starting training?
He's not training at all yet either. He's having a new course of injections
which is speeding the healing process up, so hopefully that'll do the job
for him and he can be back as soon as possible.
A word on Winston Reid; the crowd have certainly noticed what he's done this
season?
The basis of our successful season up to now has been the defensive part of
our team, really. The solid base that we've worked from means that apart
from Swansea and Tottenham away, nobody's taken us apart because of those
defensive qualities that we've got. Joey O'Brien playing at left back, for
instance - brilliant at the moment.
That's the basis for any team to be successful, having a good defensive unit
that will defend the right way and play the game the right way out of
possession, which everybody seems to ignore these days. They don't seem to
think it's a part of the game that you need to have in your locker, but you
do if you want to be successful. You have to be one of the best defensive
teams in whatever league you're playing.
With George [McCartney] out long term do you think full-back will be one of
the positions you'll look at?
Yes it would be. One of my priorities is left back if there's a possibility
of getting one there.
Is Guy Demel going to the African Cup of Nations?
No, he's retired. Thank you and Happy New Year.
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West Ham closing in on Joe Cole after midfielder rejects QPR
Last Updated: January 2, 2013 11:28pm
SSN
Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole is set to rejoin West Ham United after turning
down QPR. Cole has struggled to make an impact at Anfield since joining on a
free from Chelsea in 2010 and was loaned out to Lille last season. QPR boss
Harry Redknapp, who gave Cole his competitive debut in a West Ham shirt in
1998, confirmed on Wednesday evening that he had tried in vain to lure the
31-year-old to Loftus Road. "I tried to get him to come to QPR but he's
going home to West Ham," Redknapp, speaking after his side's shock win over
Chelsea, said. It emerged earlier on Wednesday that the Hammers had enquired
about Cole's availability and he is thought to have already had a medical.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers later confirmed talks, saying: "I'm not sure
if a deal has been totally agreed. I know there have been talks." Cole left
Upton Park for Chelsea in 2003, before joining Liverpool on a free transfer.
Redknapp added: "I lost Joe who would have been my first signing. He
probably looked here and thought 'Harry I love you but you're not going to
stay up'. "I like Joe and he would have been good for me. He's West Ham and
they love him there. I thought he was coming for sure but West Ham came in."
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Joe Cole Coming Back?
By Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die
Sky Sports are reporting that Joe Cole is tonight having a medical at West
Ham. All I can say is that if this is true, it is one of the most baffling
transfers of modern times. Don't get me wrong, I love Joe Cole. I saw him
make his Upton Park debut, and in many ways I would love to see him pull on
the claret and blue again, but am I alone in wondering just where he would
play? We know that a midfield three of Noble, Diame and Nolan works, so it
surely can't be there. We've paid £10 million for a left winger, so surely
it can't be there. On the right? I don't ever remember Joe Cole playing on
the right. The only sensible place for him to play would be just off the
lead striker, but that's not a position that's available as we play 4-5-1.
Or 4-3-3 if your name is Sam.
Other rumours today involve Newcastle being interested in Maiga and James
Tomkins. And we are supposedly signing a 16 year old Swedish starlet called
Rinor Nushi. We've also signed a young Irish striker called Sean Maguire.
UPDATE 22.35: Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that talks are taking place
between West Ham and Joe Cole, and Harry Redknapp says he has given up the
chase and that Cole is "going home".
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Noble's hod work
By MARK IRWIN
Published: 02nd January 2013
The Sun
MARK NOBLE is ready to become a brickie to stop Robin van Persie. West Ham
midfielder Noble is desperate to beat Manchester United in Saturday's FA Cup
third-round clash at Upton Park. And he knows that stopping 19-goal Van
Persie is crucial. United's £22million Dutchman hit the only goal when West
Ham lost at Old Trafford in November. Noble said: "It's anyone's guess how
you stop Van Persie, we might have to build a brick wall in front of goal.
"It will be a great FA Cup tie and we're looking forward to it."
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Andy Carroll's Hammers goal
Last Updated: 03rd January 2013
The Sun
ANDY CARROLL is set to return to action with West Ham before the end of the
month. And boss Sam Allardyce has told the on-loan England striker that he
must start scoring when he finally recovers from his knee problems. Carroll,
who turns 24 this Sunday, has managed just one goal for the Hammers since
joining on a season's loan from Liverpool in August. He has been out with a
knee injury since November and has missed six games. But he is due to start
running tomorrow and Allardyce has no intention of cancelling Carroll's
loan. He said: "I hope it will be no more than three weeks before Andy is
playing again.
"He's not in full training yet but he's due to start running this week. "The
trouble is that because he's such a big lad he's a bit more delicate when
he's coming back from a knee ligament injury and we want to make sure he is
properly fit and stays that way when he comes back. "He's missed a huge
chunk of games with the two injuries he's had since he joined us. "Andy has
only got one goal for us so far and he has to score more. "All of our
forwards have got to get better at finishing. "The only disappointing thing
about our win against Norwich was the number of chances fluffed."
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Toon's eye on Modibo
Last Updated: 03rd January 2013
The Sun
WEST HAM seem willing to let misfit striker Modibo Maiga quit for Newcastle.
Toon boss Alan Pardew missed out on the Mali international, 25, last year
after the player failed a medical. And Maiga is on Pards' shortlist if his
bid for Marseille's Loic Remy fails. A Hammers source said: "We'll listen to
offers for Modibo."
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Cole Kops £4m to make Hammers return
Exclusive
By ANDREW DILLON
Last Updated: 03rd January 2013
The Sun
JOE COLE will get a £4million pay-off from Liverpool to join West Ham for
nothing. The free transfer to Upton Park ends the midfielder's miserable
spell at Anfield. The Reds are giving Cole, 31, a year's wages to get him
off the books. West Ham will take over the remaining 18 months of his
£90,000-a-week deal.
Last night, Cole was having a medical and could sign in time to play in
Saturday's FA Cup third-round tie at home to Manchester United. The former
England star, who joined Liverpool in 2010, has not started a Premier League
game this season and spent all of the 2011-12 campaign on loan at French
side Lille. Cole was groomed in the youth ranks at Upton Park and played 126
games for them before joining Chelsea for £6.5m in 2003. And Nicolas Anelka
has priced himself out of a move to Upton Park after demanding £100,000 a
week for a six-month stay. Anelka, 33, is sulking at China's Shanghai
Shenhua after a series of bust-ups. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce admitted
after Tuesday's 2-1 win over Norwich he "loved the player". But he added:
"The finances are a problem. We can only do what the owners can afford."
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Lamb raid: Striker-starved West Ham make a move for Southampton's Rickie
Lambert
The Mirror
1 Jan 2013 22:30
Christopher Lee
West Ham have had an approach for Southampton striker Rickie Lambert
dismissed by the south coast club. The Hammers are desperate for
reinforcements up front, with Andy Carroll expected to be out until the end
ofJanuary at the earliest. Even before his injury, £35million England
striker Carroll - on loan from Liverpool - had hit just one goal in 12
matches. West Ham are among the lowest scorers in the Premier League with
just 24 goals so far this season, and are desperate not to be dragged down
into the relegation mix. But Southampton, who are already in drop-zone
danger, are just as determined not to surrender one of the best players to a
Premier League rival. The Saints have made it clear to the Londoners - and
any other top-flight clubs - that they will not entertain offers for Lambert
or highly-rated left-back Luke Shaw, who has been linked with Arsenal. The
south coast club take the view that, despite whatever transfer fees they
would pull in, they would find it particularly difficult in the case of
Lambert to find a replacement up front. Lambert has scored eight goals in 19
appearances this season, including two in his last three and strikes against
both Manchester clubs. Selling their main striker would massively decrease
the club's chances of surviving relegation. West Ham, meanwhile are
continuing their search for strikers with Carlton Cole on just two goals in
17 appearances this season. Summer signing Modibo Maiga has hit four in 17
while Ricardo Vaz Te has scored one goal from ten appearances this season.
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Cockney comeback: West Ham snatch Joe Cole from Redknapp's grasp
The Mirror
2 Jan 2013 22:32
John Powell
Joe Cole is set to return to West Ham, as Sam Allardyce beats QPR boss Harry
Redknapp to the signing of the Liverpool misfit. Hammers boss Allardyce
moved in yesterday with a last ditch offer to re-sign Cole permanently,
ahead of Queens Park Rangers. Key to the whole deal is an amazing £3million
'golden goodbye' from Liverpool, to offset the drop in Cole's salary from
£120,000 to £50,000 a week. Although that £3m represents only six months of
the 18 left on Cole's Anfield contract, the 31-year-old will get the
security of a three-year deal – as well as the chance to resurrect his
career at his boyhood club. Former Chelsea star Cole has struggled at
Anfield and was loaned to Lille last season, but now Allardyce hopes to have
his move tied up in time for him to face Manchester United in the FA Cup
this weekend.
Cole was given his debut at 17 by Redknapp, who was hoping their
relationship would help ease a move to QPR. However, the spectre of
relegation made a deal difficult to do and Cole has never hidden his
affection for West Ham, the club he left for Chelsea in 2003 but has always
remained on good terms with Hammers fans. He even refused to celebrate when
he scored on a rare outing for Liverpool at Upton Park last month.
Meanwhile, QPR may be tempted to offload striker Djibril Cisse after French
club Lille came in for the former Liverpool striker. Cisse, 31, has played a
lot under Redknapp but may move on in January if QPR decide to sell in order
to shake up their squad and bring in a new striker. QPR will also be anxious
to trim their squad and wage bill but Redknapp may want to bring in a new
striker before sanctioning Cisse's exit to Lille.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Cole to move to West Ham in permanent deal
WEDNESDAY 02 JANUARY 2013
The Independent
Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole is set to join former club West Ham United on
a permanent deal. The 31-year-old is thought to have travelled to London for
a medical after Liverpool agreed a deal. Cole, who moved to Anfield on a
free transfer from Chelsea in the summer of 2010, will be released without a
fee being paid to Liverpool and the club may also pay him a negotiated
settlement in order to get his £100,000-a-week salary off the wage bill.
Premier League rules mean West Ham cannot sign Cole on loan as they already
have Liverpool's Andy Carroll on a temporary deal.
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West Ham set to seal signature of highly-rated Swedish teenager Nushi
By SIMON JONES
PUBLISHED: 23:19, 2 January 2013 | UPDATED: 23:19, 2 January 2013
Daily Mail
West Ham are poised to sign 16-year-old Swedish winger Rinor Nushi from
Swedish side AFC United. Nushi has also attracted interest from Arsenal and
Juventus but West Ham are keen to tie up a deal quickly. 'Rinor is
attracting a lot of interest and it is unlikely that we will be able to keep
him here,' AFC United's sporting director Hamid Kavodvand told Sky Sports.
'At the moment he prefers West Ham after enjoying his time there, but no
deal has been agreed at this stage.'
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Wednesday, January 2
Daily WHUFC News - 2nd January 2013
Big Sam beams after 'outstanding' win
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was delighted to see West Ham United start the New Year with a
2-1 win against Norwich
01.01.2013
West Ham United got 2013 off to the perfect start with an assured 2-1 win at
home to Norwich City on Tuesday. A Mark Noble penalty opened the scoring on
just three minutes, before Joey O'Brien provided an unlikely source for the
second. After almost constant pressure and numerous chances that were passed
up by the Hammers, Russell Martin ensured it would be a nervous finale by
grabbing one back for the Canaries with a minute to go. Sam Allardyce's side
were good value for their first win in six games, though, after they
dominated possession and created the lion's share of clear-cut chances.
Ricardo Vaz Te struck a post, Carlton Cole fired over from three yards and
only a duo of fine saves from Mark Bunn kept out shots from Jack Collison
and Matt Taylor. "We're probably glad their goal didn't come with a few more
minutes to go," Allardyce explained. "It's a shame the score didn't reflect
the performance. The win was very important but it should have been about
4-1 or 5-1 based on the amount of chances we created and missed. It was an
outstanding performance under the circumstances and an outstanding result.
"It should have been more but we got the three points and that was what we
were looking for. We did it with really good football and some good
finishing and some really good chances created and we've got that vital win.
"We got a little nervous when they popped that one in at the end. At 1-0 or
2-0, we're bound to throw caution to the wind, which we did for the last
five or ten minutes and they got the goal. But it really was a great win for
us."
Noble was offered the platform to score his fourth goal of the season after
Winston Reid appeared to be held in the area by Ryan Bennett. The decision
was hotly contested by the visitors, but Big Sam is confident referee Mark
Clattenburg made the right call. "The referee was in front of me and I could
see Reidy being pulled from the dugout area. You need those decisions to go
for you at the right time and that gets you off to a good start and the
confidence to go and play as well as we did. "With the box crowded,
sometimes that kind of thing can be obscured by the players but the referee
had a clear view of it. Sometimes they let it go and sometimes they give it.
It was the correct decision. After that it was about control and we
controlled the game right from the beginning until the very end."
The result was all the more impressive considering Kevin Nolan and James
Collins were added to the already substantial list of absentees through
suspension. With Gary O'Neil only fit enough for a late cameo from the
bench, Big Sam was forced to call on Collison and Vaz Te from the start as
both made their first starts following long-term injury lay-offs. The
depleted numbers have led Big Sam and the Board to draw up a list of
potential targets for the transfer window, which opened on Tuesday. "We had
Kevin Nolan, James Collins, Andy Carroll, Mo Diame and George McCartney
missing so it was a sensational performance when we're down to the bare
bones squad-wise. "We have been trying very hard over the last few weeks to
line up in the short term rather than the long term. We will wait and see as
January develops whether we get any joy or not but what we can say is that
we've got our feelers out."
West Ham have another big home game on Saturday when Manchester United visit
for a mouthwatering third-round FA Cup tie. Check out West Ham TV for all
the big match build-up.
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West Ham 2 Norwich 1
1 January 2013
Last updated at 17:23
By Owen Phillips
BBC Sport
Mark Noble's controversial early penalty set West Ham on their way to a
comfortable victory which consigned Norwich to a fourth consecutive defeat.
Noble calmly found the corner after three minutes when Ryan Bennett was
deemed to have held down Winston Reid. Norwich almost levelled when a Robert
Snodgrass free-kick hit the post but Joey O'Brien's shot made it 2-0. The
hosts were largely untroubled after the break and secured the win despite
Russell Martin's 90th-minute strike. Defender Martin's third goal in two
games produced a nervy finale, but could not prevent the Hammers
leapfrogging their visitors and moving up to 11th place in the Premier
League table.
West Ham's last league win over Norwich before today was in April 1992 -
although they have since won home and away in FA Cup ties in 2005 and 2006
respectively. The margin of victory - just West Ham's second in nine games -
could have been far greater with Canaries goalkeeper Mark Bunn having to
make several superb saves and the hosts also wasting a couple of glorious
opportunities. But Norwich will point to the harsh second-minute penalty
award as the catalyst for their demise. Three defeats in a row over
Christmas had marred a 10-game unbeaten run for Norwich. And although all
three of those losses were against sides in the top seven - including
Manchester City and Chelsea - the last thing their fragile confidence needed
was to be chasing the game within three minutes. But like the home reverse
against City, that is exactly what happened. Their normally calm manager
Chris Hughton was furious and bemused in equal measure as referee Mark
Clattenburg penalised Bennett for grabbing Reid's shirt as a looping ball
was played into the box. Reid seemed to be impeding Bennett just as as much
but Noble ignored the protests and stayed cool to convert the spot-kick and
put the hosts ahead.
Norwich refused to be rattled, but a side deprived of both injured main
strikers Grant Holt and Steve Morison struggled to create chances. Despite a
willing display from on-loan Tottenham teenager Harry Kane, they lacked
punch and presence up front and West Ham cleverly stifled the main creative
threat from the ever-lively Wes Hoolahan. Snodgrass was desperately unlucky
with a brilliant 20-yard free-kick that hit the post with the score at 1-0,
and they appealed for penalties of their own when the ball hit Reid on the
arm, and then after the break when Kane tumbled in the box under a challenge
from James Tomkins.
But West Ham, with Noble in dominant form and midfield partner Jack Collison
equally impressive on his first start this season, played with a greater
tempo and created the majority of the chances. Bunn pulled off a
breathtaking one-handed reaction stop to keep out Collison's effort just
before the hosts made it 2-0 when O'Brien continued his run into the box to
sidefoot home from 10 yards after great work by Noble. Norwich appealed for
a foul by Carlton Cole on Alex Tettey in the build up but Clattenburg waved
play on, much to Hughton's disgust.
The visitors will feel they have every reason to complain about referee Mark
Clattenburg's decision to award an early penalty but West Ham had the better
chances and could easily have won by more. Norwich managed to hang on for
2-0 at half-time but could not find a way back into the game after the break
and slip to a fourth successive defeat.
Matthew Taylor's fierce 20-yard strike then forced a save from Bunn before
the otherwise impressive Cole produced a terrible miss when he somehow skied
the ball over the bar from three yards after a fabulous move on the right
involving Noble and Guy Demel. West Ham sat deeper after the break and
Norwich saw much more of the ball but were still unable to create much. Kane
appealed hopefully after tumbling when racing through on goal while at the
other end the Hammers almost added a third goal when Ricardo Vaz Te's header
hit the post. But West Ham did not need the security of a third despite
Martin pulling a goal back with just over 30 seconds of normal time
remaining when he did brilliantly to volley into the corner of the net from
substitute Elliott Bennett's right-wing cross.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "I was wondering if we were going to hold
our confidence and performance level at home. It has been really good even
though we have had two back-to-back defeats. They showed they have the
mentality to cope with whatever is thrown at them. "We are glad that their
goal didn't come a bit earlier but it's a shame the score did not reflect
how well we played. We should have scored a few more and and we did it with
really good football. We deserved the win. "Often in a crowded penalty box
it is impossible to give penalties like that, but I could see it from where
I was in the dugout. That early goal gave us the confidence to go on. "The
disappointing thing was the chances the front lads missed, with balls just
flashing across the box needed a tap in. "We lost a goal in the 90th minute
which made us edgy in the end when we should have been out of sight. We will
continue to try to brush up on our finishing techniques with the lads and
hope the next time round we are more clinical with our finishing."
Norwich City boss Chris Hughton: "The key decisions in the game did not go
in our favour, but we did not start well enough. "We accept Ryan Bennett had
hold of the lad's shirt, but I also saw Reid's forearm in Ryan's chest. They
are very close, he is not pulling Reid so he cannot get away, it is
something you see game in and game out right throughout the country. "On
almost every occasion you do not see a penalty, particularly when it is so
early in the game, so I was very surprised when he gave it. "I also don't
accept it was not a foul on Alex Tettey leading up to the second goal and
certainly was a handball in the first half and then the incident on Harry
Kane. We have been on the end of poor decisions. "We showed in the second
half a bit more of what we are about. Nobody has really given us a beating
and they have all been really close games. We have to be at our best to get
results and we have been close in the last four games."
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Hughton on......West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 2nd January 2013
By: Staff Writer No.2
Norwich City manager Chris Hughton shares his views on his side's 2-1 defeat
this afternoon at the Boleyn in this evening's post match press conference.
As ever we bring you the whole thing in full....
Not the best of starts Chris, really..
No. We were certainly on the end of, well you're looking at the key
decisions in the game. The key decisions in the game didn't go in our
favour. But we didn't start well enough. West Ham started better than what
we did. Came out of the traps quicker than what we did. If you're 1-0 down
after the first couple of minutes it certainly gives them a lift.
Second half we showed why we've been doing well of late. We're in every game
but we didn't do ourselves any favours in that first half period.
We saw you chatting to Mark Clattenburg...
That was just about the first decision. When I speak about things not going
in our favour, One the penalty - we accept that Ryan Bennett had hold of the
lad Reid's shirt.I accept that but I also saw Reid's forearm go into Ryan
Bennett's neck or chest. They're very close. He's not pulling Reid so Reid
can't get away. It's something you see game in, game out right throughout
the country. On almost every occasion you don't see a penalty. Particularly
so early in the game. I was surprised when he gave it. Very surprised.
I also don't accept that it wasn't a foul on Alex Tettey in the middle of
the park leading up to the second goal. So frustration at some of the
decisions, the big decisions. There certainly was a handball in the first
half and there certainly was an incident with Harry Kane. I think we've been
at the poor end of the decisions today.
But, as I say, our performance wasn't good enough in the first half today.
Particularly coming here. You know it's going to be tough. Second half we
showed more of what we're about.
Has Mark given you an explanation of why he didn't stop play for the second
goal?
No Mark was very calm and said that he had given the penalty for Ryan
Bennett grabbing hold of the lad Reid's shirt.That's his decision and I
accept that as fact but it's not one where a player's trying to get away
from somebody and you're pulling him back. These players were touching
eachother, they were that close. You look at Reid's movement and action -
he's a strong lad Reid - and you generally don't see penalties given for
that.
Sorry I meant the second goal when he didn't stop play when Tettey had been
fouled...
I must admit I didn't speak to him about that one. It's clear to see> I
could sit here and try to explain it but you've all seen it or will all see
it again and you'll have your opinions on it. I've seen it again and it
looks worse every time I've seen it.
Is it the inconsistency that annoys managers? I mean the penalty. you could
have 20 of those a game...
My frustration is that if a penalty isn't given to us for the handball....
You accept that referees sometimes get it wrong or they don't see it. When
Harry came through and it's deemed that it's not a penalty because he hasn't
had a clear view, that's fine. That's fair enough. The one that really hurts
us is when penalties are given that you feel shouldn't be given. That really
hurts us.
Do you think Chris that, regardless of whether the second one was a foul, do
you think he should have stopped play for treatment?
It's West Ham's perogative to play on. That's the rules of the game. I don't
think he was going to stop it anyway. If you're going to stop play you've
probably got to accept that it's a foul. But it's West Ham's perogative to
play on and that's part and parcel of the game.
You've lost these four games by a single goal. Is that particularly galling
after a ten-match unbeaten run?
I think you can look at that how you want. What it does mean is that
nobody's given us a beating really. In that period of time it means that
they've all been close games. It's a real frustration. We've also got to
accept that we've had two tough away games; at West Brom, who are in real
good form, and coming here today it's never an easy game for anybody - as
Chelsea saw a couple of games ago.
Two home games now against Chelsea and Man City. We have to be at our best
to get results. It's been close in teh last four games. It probably allows
us to look back on the run and to realise what a good run that was to go
unbeaten for that period of time in this division. We're probably benefiting
from that run. What we did do is get good points and we needed tham coming
into this run. For us it's about trying to get back into winning ways.
Do you think you're a better side now Chris, than you were in October?
I'd like to think so. We're in close games now. All four games we've lost,
ok disappointed that we've lost but the margins have been quite close in all
four games. If we'd had that little bit of luck or quality right at the end
we could have got better results. That's the positives. I'd like to think we
are a better side. The results at the end of the season will determine how
good we are.
Chris you said today and also on Saturday that you didn't start as well as
you'd have liked to, Is that still a concern?
Yeah it is. If you're disappointed in aspects of the game then it's always a
concern. But the penalty obviously affects the game. You're given a penalty
against you in the first two minutes of the game it gives them here a great
lift. You can see from the reaction of our players how disappointed they
were that the penalties were given. We've had two decisions. Even if the
penalty stands you're still not going to tell me that the Alex Tettey one
wasn't a foul. Absolutely it was.
Is it a concern? Obviously it is. We'll need to rectify that.
Robert Snodgrass has tweeted that the referee "killed the game" Would you go
as strongly as that?.
At that stage of the game, you know it's going to be a tough game and you
know they've got that direct style. The decision hurts the game there's no
doubt. To be 1-0 down inside of two minutes against a West Ham who've had
some difficult times of late gives them a massive massive boost. We'll make
no excuses for our first half performance but there's no doubt the goal
gives them a massive lift.
Was Garrido injured?
No it was a tactical decision. With Brad Johnson out of the team and either
a Steve Morison or a Grant Holt you've got two of your main headers out of
the side. Knowing how West Ham get the ball forward and how good they are at
set plays we needed to make sure we could match them a little bit.
You switched Ryan Bennett over in the second half..
That was just tactical.
How far away was Holt today Chris?
No we'd made up our mind over the last few days that he wouldn't be playing
today. We'll assess him over the next few days. He won't be available for
the weekend - we wouldn't take that chance anyway. We'll look for the
Newcastle game.
Steve Morison?
We're still assessing that one. He'll probably be a couple of weeks.
Any transfer news - have you been busy on the phone this morning?
Not this morning. I expect I'll be very busy as will all managers. What will
come of that we'll wait and see. We'll just do our work the same way as
everybody else does.
This chap from Holland you were thinking about?...
What chap from Holland? There's a lot of chaps from Holland! (laughter).
Utrecht striker?
Erm not that I know of. No
You've got no Holt and today you've gone with Harry Kane. In that area of
the squad with those injuries yo may have to go into the market?...
It's a big area. If you look at Holt and Morison as our main two strikers
that'd be the same as anywhere. If you look here Andy Carroll is out and if
Carlton Cole was injured that would be their main strikers out. Most clubs
would find that hard. You have to work your way around that. We know we'll
be light there if we have injuries. It'll be up to me to see if I want to
address that.
Can Russell Martin play up front?...
No but at the moment he can score a goal! But no.
Thank you gentlemen.
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West Ham Utd 2-1 Norwich City
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 1st January 2013
By: Staff Writer
First half goals from Mark Noble and Joey O'Brien sealed was a most welcome
- not to mention a fully deserved - three points for West Ham against
Norwich at the Boleyn Ground this afternoon.
Not even a late consolation for the visitors could dampen the positive mood
at the Boleyn Ground today as Big Sam's boys earned their first victory of
2013 - and more importantly, their first win since the 3-1 defeat of Chelsea
here last month.
Today's was a performance in complete contrast to the miserable effort
produced at Reading last weekend, in which West Ham barely threatened their
opponent's goal.
United could have found themselves three or four ahead by the break today,
such was their dominance in an opening 45 minutes that produced a string of
great goalscoring opportunities.
However it was to be goals from Mark Noble and Joey O'Brien that ensured all
three points stayed in east London; a win that takes West Ham back up to
11th in the table and just a little bit further away from the danger zone
that appeared ominously close following that embarrassing reversal at the
Madejski Stadium.
Noble, installed as captain for the day in the wake of Kevin Nolan's
suspension opened the scoring with less than two minutes on the clock from
the penalty spot, after Norwich's Ryan Bennett was penalised by referee Mark
Clattenburg for a clear tug on Winston Reid's shirt inside the area.
Although Norwich argued the toss, TV replays confirmed a clear tug on the
Kiwi's shirt and Clattenburg was absolutely correct - not for the last time
in the match - to point to the spot.
Former Leeds midfielder Robert Snodgrass almost drew the Canaries level on
20 minutes when his free kick - awarded against Jack Collison for hand ball
when the ball was fired at him from no more than a yard away - struck the
bottom of Jussi Jaaskelainen's left-hand post.
And just a minute later Norwich appealed for a penalty of their own when a
looping ball struck a falling Winston Reid on the hand. On this occasion
however play was waved on by Clattenburg, who was perhaps mindful of the
pressure exerted on Reid by Sebastien Bassong - yet once again, absolutely
right to award no spot kick.
The game continued to ebb and flow and Jack Collison, back in the starting
line-up for the first time this season saw his cheeky toe-poke saved on the
line by an alert Mark Bunn between the Norwich sticks. The 'keeper was on
hand again on the half hour mark to tip over Matt Taylor's fierce 20-yard
drive.
But West Ham were finally rewarded for their efforts when Joey O'Brien
completed a lovely move down the left-hand flank that culminated with (the
excellent) Matt Jarvis pulling the ball back from the touchline for the
Irish defender to expertly steer home through a crowd of bodies.
Once again Norwich complained, this time querying why a purported foul by
Carlton Cole as West Ham broke from their own half in the build-up had not
been awarded. Once again, referee Clattenburg was having none of it - and
once again, TV replays suggested he was right.
Nine minutes before the break Carlton Cole had a glorious chance to put West
Ham beyond the visitor's reach. Mark Noble's defence-splitting pass allowed
Guy Demel to provide a low centre that a stretching Cole somehow got
underneath and lifted over the bar from no more than three yards out.
Such was West Ham's dominance in the opening 45 minutes there was still time
for Matt Taylor to attempt to score directly from a corner - the chance
averted by a last ditch block - and for Vaz Te to slice one horribly wide
having been set up by a clever delivery from Matt Jarvis, who ran Norwich
ragged in the first half.
A clearly frustrated Norwich boss Chris Hughton waited patiently in the
tunnel for referee Clattenburg to leave the field at the break before
voicing his concerns. Yet the man in black was clearly not allowing himself
to be influenced, as proved when Harry Kane went tumbling over in the
penalty box just five minutes after the restart.
In Norwich's first meaningful attack of the second period, a hopeful ball
into the box saw Kane attempt to dash across the path of West Ham's James
Tomkins - although in the end the rookie striker simply bounced off the
defender, who simply held his course, before raising a hand in hope of
winning a penalty.
Clattenburg was absolutely right, yet again, to allow the game to continue,
leaving the prone Kane thumping the turf in mock indignation.
Whilst West Ham continued to enjoy the lion's share of possession,
goalscoring opportunities were proving to be few and far between. A half
chance for Mark Noble turned into a corner via a deflection whilst Carlton
Cole was millimetres away from turning a Matt Taylor corner into the net.
But United's best chance of the second half fell to Ricardo Vaz Te who, like
Jack Collison was making his first start since recovering from a lengthy
injury. With 64 minutes on the clock a deep cross by Taylor found the
Portuguese forward at the far post; reaching the ball before his marker, the
play-off final hero nodded the ball back towards the far post where it
clipped the post before bouncing agonisingly wide.
The last 20 minutes was preceded by a flurry of substitutions and the
visitors benefitted the most as the initiative changed in Norwich's favour.
But despite their control of the final stage of the game it took until the
89th minute for the Canaries to conjure a chance of note, which was taken by
Russell Martin from close range.
Having seen out the three minutes of injury time - just - West Ham were
finally able to celebrate the win that lifts them above today's opponents,
whilst Norwich continued their (unwarranted) protestations to Mark
Clattenburg who, it should be said, had got every big call on the day right.
West Ham Utd 2-1 Norwich City: Match Facts
West Ham Utd: Jussi Jaaskelainen, James Tomkins, Winston Reid, Guy Demel,
Joey O'Brien (Gary O'Neil 71), Mark Noble, Ricardo Vaz Te (Modibo Maiga 82),
Matt Taylor, Jack Collison, Matt Jarvis (Jordan Spence 85), Carlton Cole.
Subs not used: Raphael Spiegel, Alou Diarra, Seb Lletget, Elliott Lee.
Booked: None.
Goals: Mark Noble (pen 3), Joey O'Brien (26).
Possession: 57%.
Shots (on/off target): 14 (8/6).
Norwich City: Mark Bunn, Russell Martin, Sebastien Bassong, Michael Turner,
Ryan Bennett, Robert Snodgrass, Jonny Howson (David Fox 83), Alexander
Tettey, Anthony Pilkinton, Wes Hoolahan (Elliott Bennett 70), Harry Kane
(Simeon Jackson 70).
Subs not used: Declan Rudd, Leon Barnett, Marc Tierney, Korey Smith.
Booked: None.
Goals: Russell Martin (90).
Possession: 43%.
Shots (on/off target): 9 (3/6).
Referee: Mark Clattenburg.
Assistants: S Child, D C Richards.
Fourth Official: G Sutton.
Attendance: 35,005.
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2013 - We have a problem
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 1st January 2013
By: Paul Walker
Way back in 1970, the Apollo 13 commander, James Lovell spawned the famous
"Houston, we have a problem" when his spacecraft was hit by an explosion.
Everybody got back to the States OK, but it was touch and go for a while.
It's a quote that springs to mind as West Ham and Sam Allardyce, somewhat
ironically, approach 2013 with more than a few problems. Our survival in the
top flight might also be touch and go unless there is a quick return to
form.
The first problem is amassing the 17 more points that will take us to the
accepted 40 point mark and Premier League survival. Yes I know we have
bitter memories of acquiring 42 in 2003 and still going down, but hopefully
that was a freak!
After Saturday's dismal defeat at Reading, we reached the half way mark of
our season with 23 points. So there's 19 more games to go and 17 points
needed. We are now just six points above third from bottom Southampton, when
I can recall us having more than a ten point gap at one stage this season.
But getting to our 40 point target is not as simple as that, is it? What we
have learned about our squad is that it is not big enough and does not have
the genuine pace, quality and attacking guile to live with the big boys.
Nine points from our last 11 games underlines that.
And we have been beaten by Arsenal, Manchester United, Spurs, Everton and
Liverpool which suggests we are not good enough to take much from the
division's giants.
Wins against Chelsea and Newcastle and a point against champions Manchester
City have been rare beacons of light recently as our season has slowly gone
down hill. It's a harsh statement because we did so well at the start of the
campaign, but our current form is not good enough and if it stays this way,
we will almost certainly go down.
And from our recent run, we have not got what we hoped for against the likes
of Reading, West Brom , Wigan and Stoke.
From now until the last game on May 19 at home to Reading, we have still to
go to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton, and Manchester City, while Spurs
and Manchester United still have to visit the Boleyn. Frankly I would be
surprised if we got much against any of them on current form, so that means
that 17 points we need must be acquired from the 12 other matches. I
sincerely hope I am wrong on that, prophet of doom that I am at times.
And that means big Sam has to win the battle for decent money for the
January transfer window from the Davids. We need a left-back, midfielder and
striker for sure.
He has decided not to extend the loan of injury-prone Yossi Benayoun, who
will return to Chelsea, so he will definitely need to sign an attacking
midfielder to replace him. His large wages have been saved and will be put
to better use.
What is obvious is that we cannot carry high-wage players on loan who do not
make a real contribution. The injured Andy Carroll, obviously, is the
exception, and the fact that Liverpool are about to sign Daniel Sturridge
surely means they will not be recalling Carroll, unless they want to sell
him.
And with him not likely to be fit enough to get through a medical until
February, we have clearly decided to stick with him, That's good because
with the big Geordie having been out since November 28, and Carlton Cole
having played well in his absence, some people are suggesting we can do
without Carroll.
That's nonsense. Don't forget the wonderful impact his signing produced in
the opening months of the season, and the feel-good-factor that swept the
club when he arrived, a genuine England international. Get him fit and
firing and we will stay up, it's as simple as that.
We have also got rid of coach Wally Downes, interestingly I believe he is
handled by the same agent as Benayoun. When Downes arrived during the Avram
Grant reign, I recall one of our owners saying that Barry Silkman had been
involved. Now Silkman was Grant's agent in the UK and had a working
relationship with Pini Zahavi, who also looks after Benayoun.
So two of Zahavi's people have been shown the door, while we will move
heaven and earth to keep Mark Curtis' boy, Carroll…and we all know that
Curtis represents big Sam, Kevin Nolan, Matt Jarvis, Jack Collison and James
Tompkins. Of course I am sure this is all just co-incidence.
We can only hope, also, that Sam's working relationship with Willie McKay
also means that we keep hold of Mo Diame. He has the same sort of buy-out
clause that Demba Ba has, and one which Chelsea are now exploiting.
A lot of people want to do the same with Diame, including Harry Redknapp,
another who knows McKay well.
McKay is Diame's agent - and he does not represent Ba, before you ask. McKay
recently went into print to defend the buy-out clause in contracts, saying
it gives the buying club a better deal on initial wages and only causes
problems for them further down the line. Some players would just not join a
lesser club without such a clause in place.
We have missed Diame badly, picking up one point and one goal since he was
injured. Our owners insist they are working on a new contract as we speak to
ward off other clubs, but you can be sure agents keep such situations
buzzing along in the media until everyone gets a better deal.
David Sullivan was quoted recently, when the partnership between Sam and
Curtis was being scrutinised, that we have paid more cash in agents fees to
McKay than Curtis of late. Ok, well get on with it then, we all want this
concluded quickly and not on the last day of the transfer window!
There is also a growing rumour that Darren Bent is on Sam's list. Whether we
can afford a player who cost almost £20m a year or so ago is open to debate.
And why would Aston Villa let him go on loan to a club who could be
competing against them in a relegation battle?
Bent, though, has the same agent - Stellar group's Jonathan Barnett - as
James Collins, Carlton Cole, Matt Taylor and Gary O'Neil, so we are used to
dealing with him, an agent with a vast list of clients including Gareth
Bale, Ashley Cole and Joe Hart.
We are also being linked by Nicholas Anelka, Karren Brady having admitted
she met him in Dubai recently. Again, that's big, big money on wages.
But the Davids know we must stay in this division at all costs. Their whole
business plan depends on it, so they are going to have to gamble now rather
than risk the prospect of going down. How rich they are and how capable of
raising capital we will soon see. Just don't blow it all now gentlemen.
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Sam Allardyce delighted to end West Ham's winless run with victory over
Norwich
Last Updated: January 1, 2013 6:52pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce was delighted to end a run of four games without a win after
seeing his West Ham United side beat Norwich City 2-1 at Upton Park. Mark
Noble handed them a third-minute lead from the penalty spot and Joey O'Brien
doubled the advantage with an opportunist strike 23 minutes later. Although
Norwich scored a late goal to set up a nervy finish, the hosts were worthy
winners. Allardyce said: "We have experienced the joy of winning again - it
has been a while.
"It has been a torturous few games for me, but we have got what we deserved
today, which is a win. "It's a shame that the score didn't reflect the
performance. The win was very important to us, but it should have been about
4-1 or 5-1 based on the amount of chances created and missed. "Apart from
the goal they scored in the last minute, we have got the vital win were
looking for and we deserved, right from the start to the very end." West Ham
were severely under-strength for the game, with Kevin Nolan, James Collins,
Mohamed Diame and Andy Carroll all missing. But Allardyce felt their
presence was not missed courtesy of the big impression made by his
replacements. He added: "We had a whole host of players missing, but what a
performance when we were down to the bare bones. What a performance from the
players that played today. Fantastic. "It was an outstanding performance
under the circumstances and an outstanding result. We did it with really
good football and some good finishing." Norwich were enraged by Mark
Clattenburg's decision to award a penalty for Ryan Bennett's slight pull on
Winston Reid, but Allardyce felt the referee was correct. "Sometimes the
referees give it and sometimes they don't," he said.
"He was right in front of the referee and the referee has got a very good
view of it. "The referee had a clear view of it. He saw this one and he gave
it, and I thought it was the correct decision."
West Ham now sit 11th in the Premier League, but Allardyce insisted he was
still keen to improve his squad during the January transfer window. "We will
try," he said. "We have been trying very hard over the last few weeks to
line up [some players] in the short term. "We will wait and see as January
develops."
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West Ham 2 Norwich 1: Controversial decisions hand hosts victory
Last Updated: January 1, 2013 6:55pm
SSN
West Ham United ended a run of four Premier League games without a win after
a series of controversial refereeing decisions helped them to a 2-1 victory
over Norwich City at Upton Park. The hosts took the lead through a
third-minute Mark Noble penalty that was awarded by referee Mark Clattenburg
for Ryan Bennett's negligible pull on Winston Reid.
Best of the Match
Man of the Match: On top of his well-taken penalty, Mark Noble controlled
the game in the first half and drove West Ham forward throughout the match.
Goal of the Match: Russell Martin swept home a beautiful right-foot shot to
give Norwich hope late on after fine wing play from Elliott Bennett.
Save of the Match: Mark Bunn made a number of fine stops in the first half
to keep Norwich in touch, not least from Jack Collison's close-range
snap-shot.
Gaffe of the Match: Referee Mark Clattenburg made a number of questionable
decisions, particularly the two that led to West Ham's goals.
Talking Point: Sadly, it's the referee. Having had two poor games back to
back now, questions have to be asked about Clattenburg's suitability for
Premier League duty.
They doubled their lead 23 minutes later through Joey O'Brien's opportunist
close-range strike, despite the fact that Norwich's Alexander Tettey was
grounded in the build-up with a head injury. Russell Martin handed Norwich
last-gasp hope with an injury-time consolation, but they couldn't force an
equaliser and have now lost their last four league games. The result sees
Sam Allardyce's side leapfrog Norwich into 11th place, with Chris Hughton's
out-of-form team now 12th.
The hosts were given a perfect start by Clattenburg, whose decision to
penalise Bennett for tussling with Reid allowed Noble to send Mark Bunn the
wrong way with a well-struck right-foot shot. Although they then took
control of the game, they were lucky to stay ahead when, after a rare foray
forward, Norwich's Robert Snodgrass struck the foot of the post with a
sublime free-kick from 25 yards. The visitors then had another refereeing
decision go against them when a penalty appeal was waved away, despite a
clear handball in the West Ham box from Reid. And they then fell 2-0 behind,
once again in controversial circumstances. With Tettey down on the floor,
Sebastien Bassong failed to fully clear Noble's near-post cross and O'Brien
sidefooted home the rebound. The goal sapped Norwich's confidence and West
Ham took complete control of the game, with only Mark Bunn keeping the score
at 2-0 courtesy of fine saves from Matt Taylor and Jack Collison. However,
the visitors improved markedly after the break and both teams created
numerous half-chances as the tempo increased and the game opened up.
Substitute Elliott Bennett delivered a superb cross for Martin to sweep home
at the near post in injury time, but West Ham held on for a deserved and
much-needed victory.
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Match Report: West Ham 2 Norwich Ciy 1
By Iain Dale About 12 hours ago 91 comments
West Ham Till I Die
Well that was nice, wasn't it? OK, Norwich were possibly the poorest side to
come to Upton Park this season, but even so, it was a comfortable win even
though the final score might suggest otherwise. Norwich upped their game in
the second half, but with both Grant Holt and Steve Morrison missing they
had no real attacking threat. Wes Hoolihan was probably heir brightest
player but he never really got into the West Ham penalty area. But enough
about them, what about us and our rather makeshift team? Playing with three
wingers was, as Sir Humphrey might say, courageous, but it was Matt Taylor
who played inside the winger and really came into his own. I thought this
Taylor's best game for us. He was ruthless in the tackle and put in some
wonderful sliding passes. Another Matt, Matt Jarvis was another player who
came good. In the first half Norwich didn't know how to handle his mazy runs
down the left and it was a surprise that they didn't lead to further goals.
On the right, Vaz Te looked bright in the first half but in the second half,
apart from hitting a post with a looping header, he did nothing. Whether
this was through chronic tiredness after being out for such a long time, or
whether he just didn't care, I really don't know. It is difficult to tell
with him. I'd have hauled him off long before the 80th minute.
I was really worried about our midfield. But my worries were misplaced. Mark
Noble put in yet another Man of the Match performance. His tackling was
outstanding and some of his passing was breathtaking. One pass in particular
which nearly led to a third goal was simply out of the this world. He led by
example. Jack Collison put in a good shift too. For a player who has been
out for eight months, he was very impressive.Unlike Vaz Te, he didn't seem
to tire, and he was very creative too. And as I have said, Matty Taylor
played a very important role too. This was the first match since Diame's
injury where we genuinely looked like we could play without him.
Carlton Cole should have had at least one goal. He contrived to put the ball
over from two yards out at one stage, but that is to carp. His heading and
hold up play were again class personified. He ran Mark Noble very close for
Man of the Match, although there were two other contenders for that accolade
one being the ever reliable Winston Reid and the other being Guy Demel.
Demel was brilliant down the right. He seems to have discovered some real
pace lately, and looked very dangerous whenever he went on the rampage. If
he could build up an understanding with Guy Demel, the two of them might
produce some very dangerous balls into Carlton Cole. On the other side Joey
O'Bren had a great game, combining well again with Matt Jarvis. He took his
goal well and it was a shame to see him go off. If he's out long term it
means we have no recognised left back, although Matt Taylor has played
there, I suppose.
That win puts us up to 11th in the table, just when the slide down looked as
if it might continue. Our next six matches include home games against QPR
and Swansea and away matches at Sunderland, Fulham and Villa. Oh, and
Arsenal too. I think we need to target 10 points from those games.
Jussi - 7
Guy Demel - 8
Joey O'Brien - 7
James Tomkins - 6
Winston Reid - 8
Mark Noble - 8
Jack Collison - 7
Matt Taylor - 7
Matt Jarvis - 7
Ricardo Vaz Te - 5
Carlton Cole - 8
PS - A word about the referee Mark Clattenburg. And that word is
'outstanding'. He got every big call right, and you can't ask for more than
that. We give referees a hard time when they get things wrong, so let's not
be backward in praising a ref who deserves it. Mr Clattenburg did today.
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Angry bird: Clattenburg penalty decision gets Canary Snodgrass all a-Twitter
The Mirror
1 Jan 2013 22:30
Jamie McDonald
By James Masters
Robert Snodgrass took to Twitter to unleash his fury at referee Mark
Clattenburg following Norwich's defeat. Clattenburg was the centre of
attention at Upton Park after awarding the Hammers a penalty for an
innocuous looking shirt pull by Ryan Bennett on Winston Reid inside the
opening two minutes. The decision left City's players and boss Chris Hughton
fuming, while he also failed to award a free-kick following Carlton Cole's
foul on Alexander Tettey in the lead up to West Ham's second goal. And
Snodgrass tweeted: "The referee kills the game #gamesgone. "If that's a pen
you will need to give 100 pens a season, small decisions change games. Win
some you lose some. Great support again." Boss Hughton also hit out at
Clattenburg after his side fell to a fourth consecutive defeat by a single
goal. "You accept sometimes referee's get it wrong or they don't see it,"
said the former Newcastle and Birmingham manager. "But the one that really
hurts is when penalties are given when they shouldn't be. The penalty
obviously affects the game. "You get a penalty against you two minutes into
the game, which gives these fans a great lift here, and you could see by
the reaction of our players at the time how disappointed they were. "Even
if the penalty stands, you're not seriously going to tell me the Alex
Tettey incident wasn't a foul. Absolutely it was. "That's knocked us a
little bit."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was delighted to see West Ham United start the New Year with a
2-1 win against Norwich
01.01.2013
West Ham United got 2013 off to the perfect start with an assured 2-1 win at
home to Norwich City on Tuesday. A Mark Noble penalty opened the scoring on
just three minutes, before Joey O'Brien provided an unlikely source for the
second. After almost constant pressure and numerous chances that were passed
up by the Hammers, Russell Martin ensured it would be a nervous finale by
grabbing one back for the Canaries with a minute to go. Sam Allardyce's side
were good value for their first win in six games, though, after they
dominated possession and created the lion's share of clear-cut chances.
Ricardo Vaz Te struck a post, Carlton Cole fired over from three yards and
only a duo of fine saves from Mark Bunn kept out shots from Jack Collison
and Matt Taylor. "We're probably glad their goal didn't come with a few more
minutes to go," Allardyce explained. "It's a shame the score didn't reflect
the performance. The win was very important but it should have been about
4-1 or 5-1 based on the amount of chances we created and missed. It was an
outstanding performance under the circumstances and an outstanding result.
"It should have been more but we got the three points and that was what we
were looking for. We did it with really good football and some good
finishing and some really good chances created and we've got that vital win.
"We got a little nervous when they popped that one in at the end. At 1-0 or
2-0, we're bound to throw caution to the wind, which we did for the last
five or ten minutes and they got the goal. But it really was a great win for
us."
Noble was offered the platform to score his fourth goal of the season after
Winston Reid appeared to be held in the area by Ryan Bennett. The decision
was hotly contested by the visitors, but Big Sam is confident referee Mark
Clattenburg made the right call. "The referee was in front of me and I could
see Reidy being pulled from the dugout area. You need those decisions to go
for you at the right time and that gets you off to a good start and the
confidence to go and play as well as we did. "With the box crowded,
sometimes that kind of thing can be obscured by the players but the referee
had a clear view of it. Sometimes they let it go and sometimes they give it.
It was the correct decision. After that it was about control and we
controlled the game right from the beginning until the very end."
The result was all the more impressive considering Kevin Nolan and James
Collins were added to the already substantial list of absentees through
suspension. With Gary O'Neil only fit enough for a late cameo from the
bench, Big Sam was forced to call on Collison and Vaz Te from the start as
both made their first starts following long-term injury lay-offs. The
depleted numbers have led Big Sam and the Board to draw up a list of
potential targets for the transfer window, which opened on Tuesday. "We had
Kevin Nolan, James Collins, Andy Carroll, Mo Diame and George McCartney
missing so it was a sensational performance when we're down to the bare
bones squad-wise. "We have been trying very hard over the last few weeks to
line up in the short term rather than the long term. We will wait and see as
January develops whether we get any joy or not but what we can say is that
we've got our feelers out."
West Ham have another big home game on Saturday when Manchester United visit
for a mouthwatering third-round FA Cup tie. Check out West Ham TV for all
the big match build-up.
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West Ham 2 Norwich 1
1 January 2013
Last updated at 17:23
By Owen Phillips
BBC Sport
Mark Noble's controversial early penalty set West Ham on their way to a
comfortable victory which consigned Norwich to a fourth consecutive defeat.
Noble calmly found the corner after three minutes when Ryan Bennett was
deemed to have held down Winston Reid. Norwich almost levelled when a Robert
Snodgrass free-kick hit the post but Joey O'Brien's shot made it 2-0. The
hosts were largely untroubled after the break and secured the win despite
Russell Martin's 90th-minute strike. Defender Martin's third goal in two
games produced a nervy finale, but could not prevent the Hammers
leapfrogging their visitors and moving up to 11th place in the Premier
League table.
West Ham's last league win over Norwich before today was in April 1992 -
although they have since won home and away in FA Cup ties in 2005 and 2006
respectively. The margin of victory - just West Ham's second in nine games -
could have been far greater with Canaries goalkeeper Mark Bunn having to
make several superb saves and the hosts also wasting a couple of glorious
opportunities. But Norwich will point to the harsh second-minute penalty
award as the catalyst for their demise. Three defeats in a row over
Christmas had marred a 10-game unbeaten run for Norwich. And although all
three of those losses were against sides in the top seven - including
Manchester City and Chelsea - the last thing their fragile confidence needed
was to be chasing the game within three minutes. But like the home reverse
against City, that is exactly what happened. Their normally calm manager
Chris Hughton was furious and bemused in equal measure as referee Mark
Clattenburg penalised Bennett for grabbing Reid's shirt as a looping ball
was played into the box. Reid seemed to be impeding Bennett just as as much
but Noble ignored the protests and stayed cool to convert the spot-kick and
put the hosts ahead.
Norwich refused to be rattled, but a side deprived of both injured main
strikers Grant Holt and Steve Morison struggled to create chances. Despite a
willing display from on-loan Tottenham teenager Harry Kane, they lacked
punch and presence up front and West Ham cleverly stifled the main creative
threat from the ever-lively Wes Hoolahan. Snodgrass was desperately unlucky
with a brilliant 20-yard free-kick that hit the post with the score at 1-0,
and they appealed for penalties of their own when the ball hit Reid on the
arm, and then after the break when Kane tumbled in the box under a challenge
from James Tomkins.
But West Ham, with Noble in dominant form and midfield partner Jack Collison
equally impressive on his first start this season, played with a greater
tempo and created the majority of the chances. Bunn pulled off a
breathtaking one-handed reaction stop to keep out Collison's effort just
before the hosts made it 2-0 when O'Brien continued his run into the box to
sidefoot home from 10 yards after great work by Noble. Norwich appealed for
a foul by Carlton Cole on Alex Tettey in the build up but Clattenburg waved
play on, much to Hughton's disgust.
The visitors will feel they have every reason to complain about referee Mark
Clattenburg's decision to award an early penalty but West Ham had the better
chances and could easily have won by more. Norwich managed to hang on for
2-0 at half-time but could not find a way back into the game after the break
and slip to a fourth successive defeat.
Matthew Taylor's fierce 20-yard strike then forced a save from Bunn before
the otherwise impressive Cole produced a terrible miss when he somehow skied
the ball over the bar from three yards after a fabulous move on the right
involving Noble and Guy Demel. West Ham sat deeper after the break and
Norwich saw much more of the ball but were still unable to create much. Kane
appealed hopefully after tumbling when racing through on goal while at the
other end the Hammers almost added a third goal when Ricardo Vaz Te's header
hit the post. But West Ham did not need the security of a third despite
Martin pulling a goal back with just over 30 seconds of normal time
remaining when he did brilliantly to volley into the corner of the net from
substitute Elliott Bennett's right-wing cross.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "I was wondering if we were going to hold
our confidence and performance level at home. It has been really good even
though we have had two back-to-back defeats. They showed they have the
mentality to cope with whatever is thrown at them. "We are glad that their
goal didn't come a bit earlier but it's a shame the score did not reflect
how well we played. We should have scored a few more and and we did it with
really good football. We deserved the win. "Often in a crowded penalty box
it is impossible to give penalties like that, but I could see it from where
I was in the dugout. That early goal gave us the confidence to go on. "The
disappointing thing was the chances the front lads missed, with balls just
flashing across the box needed a tap in. "We lost a goal in the 90th minute
which made us edgy in the end when we should have been out of sight. We will
continue to try to brush up on our finishing techniques with the lads and
hope the next time round we are more clinical with our finishing."
Norwich City boss Chris Hughton: "The key decisions in the game did not go
in our favour, but we did not start well enough. "We accept Ryan Bennett had
hold of the lad's shirt, but I also saw Reid's forearm in Ryan's chest. They
are very close, he is not pulling Reid so he cannot get away, it is
something you see game in and game out right throughout the country. "On
almost every occasion you do not see a penalty, particularly when it is so
early in the game, so I was very surprised when he gave it. "I also don't
accept it was not a foul on Alex Tettey leading up to the second goal and
certainly was a handball in the first half and then the incident on Harry
Kane. We have been on the end of poor decisions. "We showed in the second
half a bit more of what we are about. Nobody has really given us a beating
and they have all been really close games. We have to be at our best to get
results and we have been close in the last four games."
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Hughton on......West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 2nd January 2013
By: Staff Writer No.2
Norwich City manager Chris Hughton shares his views on his side's 2-1 defeat
this afternoon at the Boleyn in this evening's post match press conference.
As ever we bring you the whole thing in full....
Not the best of starts Chris, really..
No. We were certainly on the end of, well you're looking at the key
decisions in the game. The key decisions in the game didn't go in our
favour. But we didn't start well enough. West Ham started better than what
we did. Came out of the traps quicker than what we did. If you're 1-0 down
after the first couple of minutes it certainly gives them a lift.
Second half we showed why we've been doing well of late. We're in every game
but we didn't do ourselves any favours in that first half period.
We saw you chatting to Mark Clattenburg...
That was just about the first decision. When I speak about things not going
in our favour, One the penalty - we accept that Ryan Bennett had hold of the
lad Reid's shirt.I accept that but I also saw Reid's forearm go into Ryan
Bennett's neck or chest. They're very close. He's not pulling Reid so Reid
can't get away. It's something you see game in, game out right throughout
the country. On almost every occasion you don't see a penalty. Particularly
so early in the game. I was surprised when he gave it. Very surprised.
I also don't accept that it wasn't a foul on Alex Tettey in the middle of
the park leading up to the second goal. So frustration at some of the
decisions, the big decisions. There certainly was a handball in the first
half and there certainly was an incident with Harry Kane. I think we've been
at the poor end of the decisions today.
But, as I say, our performance wasn't good enough in the first half today.
Particularly coming here. You know it's going to be tough. Second half we
showed more of what we're about.
Has Mark given you an explanation of why he didn't stop play for the second
goal?
No Mark was very calm and said that he had given the penalty for Ryan
Bennett grabbing hold of the lad Reid's shirt.That's his decision and I
accept that as fact but it's not one where a player's trying to get away
from somebody and you're pulling him back. These players were touching
eachother, they were that close. You look at Reid's movement and action -
he's a strong lad Reid - and you generally don't see penalties given for
that.
Sorry I meant the second goal when he didn't stop play when Tettey had been
fouled...
I must admit I didn't speak to him about that one. It's clear to see> I
could sit here and try to explain it but you've all seen it or will all see
it again and you'll have your opinions on it. I've seen it again and it
looks worse every time I've seen it.
Is it the inconsistency that annoys managers? I mean the penalty. you could
have 20 of those a game...
My frustration is that if a penalty isn't given to us for the handball....
You accept that referees sometimes get it wrong or they don't see it. When
Harry came through and it's deemed that it's not a penalty because he hasn't
had a clear view, that's fine. That's fair enough. The one that really hurts
us is when penalties are given that you feel shouldn't be given. That really
hurts us.
Do you think Chris that, regardless of whether the second one was a foul, do
you think he should have stopped play for treatment?
It's West Ham's perogative to play on. That's the rules of the game. I don't
think he was going to stop it anyway. If you're going to stop play you've
probably got to accept that it's a foul. But it's West Ham's perogative to
play on and that's part and parcel of the game.
You've lost these four games by a single goal. Is that particularly galling
after a ten-match unbeaten run?
I think you can look at that how you want. What it does mean is that
nobody's given us a beating really. In that period of time it means that
they've all been close games. It's a real frustration. We've also got to
accept that we've had two tough away games; at West Brom, who are in real
good form, and coming here today it's never an easy game for anybody - as
Chelsea saw a couple of games ago.
Two home games now against Chelsea and Man City. We have to be at our best
to get results. It's been close in teh last four games. It probably allows
us to look back on the run and to realise what a good run that was to go
unbeaten for that period of time in this division. We're probably benefiting
from that run. What we did do is get good points and we needed tham coming
into this run. For us it's about trying to get back into winning ways.
Do you think you're a better side now Chris, than you were in October?
I'd like to think so. We're in close games now. All four games we've lost,
ok disappointed that we've lost but the margins have been quite close in all
four games. If we'd had that little bit of luck or quality right at the end
we could have got better results. That's the positives. I'd like to think we
are a better side. The results at the end of the season will determine how
good we are.
Chris you said today and also on Saturday that you didn't start as well as
you'd have liked to, Is that still a concern?
Yeah it is. If you're disappointed in aspects of the game then it's always a
concern. But the penalty obviously affects the game. You're given a penalty
against you in the first two minutes of the game it gives them here a great
lift. You can see from the reaction of our players how disappointed they
were that the penalties were given. We've had two decisions. Even if the
penalty stands you're still not going to tell me that the Alex Tettey one
wasn't a foul. Absolutely it was.
Is it a concern? Obviously it is. We'll need to rectify that.
Robert Snodgrass has tweeted that the referee "killed the game" Would you go
as strongly as that?.
At that stage of the game, you know it's going to be a tough game and you
know they've got that direct style. The decision hurts the game there's no
doubt. To be 1-0 down inside of two minutes against a West Ham who've had
some difficult times of late gives them a massive massive boost. We'll make
no excuses for our first half performance but there's no doubt the goal
gives them a massive lift.
Was Garrido injured?
No it was a tactical decision. With Brad Johnson out of the team and either
a Steve Morison or a Grant Holt you've got two of your main headers out of
the side. Knowing how West Ham get the ball forward and how good they are at
set plays we needed to make sure we could match them a little bit.
You switched Ryan Bennett over in the second half..
That was just tactical.
How far away was Holt today Chris?
No we'd made up our mind over the last few days that he wouldn't be playing
today. We'll assess him over the next few days. He won't be available for
the weekend - we wouldn't take that chance anyway. We'll look for the
Newcastle game.
Steve Morison?
We're still assessing that one. He'll probably be a couple of weeks.
Any transfer news - have you been busy on the phone this morning?
Not this morning. I expect I'll be very busy as will all managers. What will
come of that we'll wait and see. We'll just do our work the same way as
everybody else does.
This chap from Holland you were thinking about?...
What chap from Holland? There's a lot of chaps from Holland! (laughter).
Utrecht striker?
Erm not that I know of. No
You've got no Holt and today you've gone with Harry Kane. In that area of
the squad with those injuries yo may have to go into the market?...
It's a big area. If you look at Holt and Morison as our main two strikers
that'd be the same as anywhere. If you look here Andy Carroll is out and if
Carlton Cole was injured that would be their main strikers out. Most clubs
would find that hard. You have to work your way around that. We know we'll
be light there if we have injuries. It'll be up to me to see if I want to
address that.
Can Russell Martin play up front?...
No but at the moment he can score a goal! But no.
Thank you gentlemen.
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West Ham Utd 2-1 Norwich City
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 1st January 2013
By: Staff Writer
First half goals from Mark Noble and Joey O'Brien sealed was a most welcome
- not to mention a fully deserved - three points for West Ham against
Norwich at the Boleyn Ground this afternoon.
Not even a late consolation for the visitors could dampen the positive mood
at the Boleyn Ground today as Big Sam's boys earned their first victory of
2013 - and more importantly, their first win since the 3-1 defeat of Chelsea
here last month.
Today's was a performance in complete contrast to the miserable effort
produced at Reading last weekend, in which West Ham barely threatened their
opponent's goal.
United could have found themselves three or four ahead by the break today,
such was their dominance in an opening 45 minutes that produced a string of
great goalscoring opportunities.
However it was to be goals from Mark Noble and Joey O'Brien that ensured all
three points stayed in east London; a win that takes West Ham back up to
11th in the table and just a little bit further away from the danger zone
that appeared ominously close following that embarrassing reversal at the
Madejski Stadium.
Noble, installed as captain for the day in the wake of Kevin Nolan's
suspension opened the scoring with less than two minutes on the clock from
the penalty spot, after Norwich's Ryan Bennett was penalised by referee Mark
Clattenburg for a clear tug on Winston Reid's shirt inside the area.
Although Norwich argued the toss, TV replays confirmed a clear tug on the
Kiwi's shirt and Clattenburg was absolutely correct - not for the last time
in the match - to point to the spot.
Former Leeds midfielder Robert Snodgrass almost drew the Canaries level on
20 minutes when his free kick - awarded against Jack Collison for hand ball
when the ball was fired at him from no more than a yard away - struck the
bottom of Jussi Jaaskelainen's left-hand post.
And just a minute later Norwich appealed for a penalty of their own when a
looping ball struck a falling Winston Reid on the hand. On this occasion
however play was waved on by Clattenburg, who was perhaps mindful of the
pressure exerted on Reid by Sebastien Bassong - yet once again, absolutely
right to award no spot kick.
The game continued to ebb and flow and Jack Collison, back in the starting
line-up for the first time this season saw his cheeky toe-poke saved on the
line by an alert Mark Bunn between the Norwich sticks. The 'keeper was on
hand again on the half hour mark to tip over Matt Taylor's fierce 20-yard
drive.
But West Ham were finally rewarded for their efforts when Joey O'Brien
completed a lovely move down the left-hand flank that culminated with (the
excellent) Matt Jarvis pulling the ball back from the touchline for the
Irish defender to expertly steer home through a crowd of bodies.
Once again Norwich complained, this time querying why a purported foul by
Carlton Cole as West Ham broke from their own half in the build-up had not
been awarded. Once again, referee Clattenburg was having none of it - and
once again, TV replays suggested he was right.
Nine minutes before the break Carlton Cole had a glorious chance to put West
Ham beyond the visitor's reach. Mark Noble's defence-splitting pass allowed
Guy Demel to provide a low centre that a stretching Cole somehow got
underneath and lifted over the bar from no more than three yards out.
Such was West Ham's dominance in the opening 45 minutes there was still time
for Matt Taylor to attempt to score directly from a corner - the chance
averted by a last ditch block - and for Vaz Te to slice one horribly wide
having been set up by a clever delivery from Matt Jarvis, who ran Norwich
ragged in the first half.
A clearly frustrated Norwich boss Chris Hughton waited patiently in the
tunnel for referee Clattenburg to leave the field at the break before
voicing his concerns. Yet the man in black was clearly not allowing himself
to be influenced, as proved when Harry Kane went tumbling over in the
penalty box just five minutes after the restart.
In Norwich's first meaningful attack of the second period, a hopeful ball
into the box saw Kane attempt to dash across the path of West Ham's James
Tomkins - although in the end the rookie striker simply bounced off the
defender, who simply held his course, before raising a hand in hope of
winning a penalty.
Clattenburg was absolutely right, yet again, to allow the game to continue,
leaving the prone Kane thumping the turf in mock indignation.
Whilst West Ham continued to enjoy the lion's share of possession,
goalscoring opportunities were proving to be few and far between. A half
chance for Mark Noble turned into a corner via a deflection whilst Carlton
Cole was millimetres away from turning a Matt Taylor corner into the net.
But United's best chance of the second half fell to Ricardo Vaz Te who, like
Jack Collison was making his first start since recovering from a lengthy
injury. With 64 minutes on the clock a deep cross by Taylor found the
Portuguese forward at the far post; reaching the ball before his marker, the
play-off final hero nodded the ball back towards the far post where it
clipped the post before bouncing agonisingly wide.
The last 20 minutes was preceded by a flurry of substitutions and the
visitors benefitted the most as the initiative changed in Norwich's favour.
But despite their control of the final stage of the game it took until the
89th minute for the Canaries to conjure a chance of note, which was taken by
Russell Martin from close range.
Having seen out the three minutes of injury time - just - West Ham were
finally able to celebrate the win that lifts them above today's opponents,
whilst Norwich continued their (unwarranted) protestations to Mark
Clattenburg who, it should be said, had got every big call on the day right.
West Ham Utd 2-1 Norwich City: Match Facts
West Ham Utd: Jussi Jaaskelainen, James Tomkins, Winston Reid, Guy Demel,
Joey O'Brien (Gary O'Neil 71), Mark Noble, Ricardo Vaz Te (Modibo Maiga 82),
Matt Taylor, Jack Collison, Matt Jarvis (Jordan Spence 85), Carlton Cole.
Subs not used: Raphael Spiegel, Alou Diarra, Seb Lletget, Elliott Lee.
Booked: None.
Goals: Mark Noble (pen 3), Joey O'Brien (26).
Possession: 57%.
Shots (on/off target): 14 (8/6).
Norwich City: Mark Bunn, Russell Martin, Sebastien Bassong, Michael Turner,
Ryan Bennett, Robert Snodgrass, Jonny Howson (David Fox 83), Alexander
Tettey, Anthony Pilkinton, Wes Hoolahan (Elliott Bennett 70), Harry Kane
(Simeon Jackson 70).
Subs not used: Declan Rudd, Leon Barnett, Marc Tierney, Korey Smith.
Booked: None.
Goals: Russell Martin (90).
Possession: 43%.
Shots (on/off target): 9 (3/6).
Referee: Mark Clattenburg.
Assistants: S Child, D C Richards.
Fourth Official: G Sutton.
Attendance: 35,005.
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2013 - We have a problem
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 1st January 2013
By: Paul Walker
Way back in 1970, the Apollo 13 commander, James Lovell spawned the famous
"Houston, we have a problem" when his spacecraft was hit by an explosion.
Everybody got back to the States OK, but it was touch and go for a while.
It's a quote that springs to mind as West Ham and Sam Allardyce, somewhat
ironically, approach 2013 with more than a few problems. Our survival in the
top flight might also be touch and go unless there is a quick return to
form.
The first problem is amassing the 17 more points that will take us to the
accepted 40 point mark and Premier League survival. Yes I know we have
bitter memories of acquiring 42 in 2003 and still going down, but hopefully
that was a freak!
After Saturday's dismal defeat at Reading, we reached the half way mark of
our season with 23 points. So there's 19 more games to go and 17 points
needed. We are now just six points above third from bottom Southampton, when
I can recall us having more than a ten point gap at one stage this season.
But getting to our 40 point target is not as simple as that, is it? What we
have learned about our squad is that it is not big enough and does not have
the genuine pace, quality and attacking guile to live with the big boys.
Nine points from our last 11 games underlines that.
And we have been beaten by Arsenal, Manchester United, Spurs, Everton and
Liverpool which suggests we are not good enough to take much from the
division's giants.
Wins against Chelsea and Newcastle and a point against champions Manchester
City have been rare beacons of light recently as our season has slowly gone
down hill. It's a harsh statement because we did so well at the start of the
campaign, but our current form is not good enough and if it stays this way,
we will almost certainly go down.
And from our recent run, we have not got what we hoped for against the likes
of Reading, West Brom , Wigan and Stoke.
From now until the last game on May 19 at home to Reading, we have still to
go to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton, and Manchester City, while Spurs
and Manchester United still have to visit the Boleyn. Frankly I would be
surprised if we got much against any of them on current form, so that means
that 17 points we need must be acquired from the 12 other matches. I
sincerely hope I am wrong on that, prophet of doom that I am at times.
And that means big Sam has to win the battle for decent money for the
January transfer window from the Davids. We need a left-back, midfielder and
striker for sure.
He has decided not to extend the loan of injury-prone Yossi Benayoun, who
will return to Chelsea, so he will definitely need to sign an attacking
midfielder to replace him. His large wages have been saved and will be put
to better use.
What is obvious is that we cannot carry high-wage players on loan who do not
make a real contribution. The injured Andy Carroll, obviously, is the
exception, and the fact that Liverpool are about to sign Daniel Sturridge
surely means they will not be recalling Carroll, unless they want to sell
him.
And with him not likely to be fit enough to get through a medical until
February, we have clearly decided to stick with him, That's good because
with the big Geordie having been out since November 28, and Carlton Cole
having played well in his absence, some people are suggesting we can do
without Carroll.
That's nonsense. Don't forget the wonderful impact his signing produced in
the opening months of the season, and the feel-good-factor that swept the
club when he arrived, a genuine England international. Get him fit and
firing and we will stay up, it's as simple as that.
We have also got rid of coach Wally Downes, interestingly I believe he is
handled by the same agent as Benayoun. When Downes arrived during the Avram
Grant reign, I recall one of our owners saying that Barry Silkman had been
involved. Now Silkman was Grant's agent in the UK and had a working
relationship with Pini Zahavi, who also looks after Benayoun.
So two of Zahavi's people have been shown the door, while we will move
heaven and earth to keep Mark Curtis' boy, Carroll…and we all know that
Curtis represents big Sam, Kevin Nolan, Matt Jarvis, Jack Collison and James
Tompkins. Of course I am sure this is all just co-incidence.
We can only hope, also, that Sam's working relationship with Willie McKay
also means that we keep hold of Mo Diame. He has the same sort of buy-out
clause that Demba Ba has, and one which Chelsea are now exploiting.
A lot of people want to do the same with Diame, including Harry Redknapp,
another who knows McKay well.
McKay is Diame's agent - and he does not represent Ba, before you ask. McKay
recently went into print to defend the buy-out clause in contracts, saying
it gives the buying club a better deal on initial wages and only causes
problems for them further down the line. Some players would just not join a
lesser club without such a clause in place.
We have missed Diame badly, picking up one point and one goal since he was
injured. Our owners insist they are working on a new contract as we speak to
ward off other clubs, but you can be sure agents keep such situations
buzzing along in the media until everyone gets a better deal.
David Sullivan was quoted recently, when the partnership between Sam and
Curtis was being scrutinised, that we have paid more cash in agents fees to
McKay than Curtis of late. Ok, well get on with it then, we all want this
concluded quickly and not on the last day of the transfer window!
There is also a growing rumour that Darren Bent is on Sam's list. Whether we
can afford a player who cost almost £20m a year or so ago is open to debate.
And why would Aston Villa let him go on loan to a club who could be
competing against them in a relegation battle?
Bent, though, has the same agent - Stellar group's Jonathan Barnett - as
James Collins, Carlton Cole, Matt Taylor and Gary O'Neil, so we are used to
dealing with him, an agent with a vast list of clients including Gareth
Bale, Ashley Cole and Joe Hart.
We are also being linked by Nicholas Anelka, Karren Brady having admitted
she met him in Dubai recently. Again, that's big, big money on wages.
But the Davids know we must stay in this division at all costs. Their whole
business plan depends on it, so they are going to have to gamble now rather
than risk the prospect of going down. How rich they are and how capable of
raising capital we will soon see. Just don't blow it all now gentlemen.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce delighted to end West Ham's winless run with victory over
Norwich
Last Updated: January 1, 2013 6:52pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce was delighted to end a run of four games without a win after
seeing his West Ham United side beat Norwich City 2-1 at Upton Park. Mark
Noble handed them a third-minute lead from the penalty spot and Joey O'Brien
doubled the advantage with an opportunist strike 23 minutes later. Although
Norwich scored a late goal to set up a nervy finish, the hosts were worthy
winners. Allardyce said: "We have experienced the joy of winning again - it
has been a while.
"It has been a torturous few games for me, but we have got what we deserved
today, which is a win. "It's a shame that the score didn't reflect the
performance. The win was very important to us, but it should have been about
4-1 or 5-1 based on the amount of chances created and missed. "Apart from
the goal they scored in the last minute, we have got the vital win were
looking for and we deserved, right from the start to the very end." West Ham
were severely under-strength for the game, with Kevin Nolan, James Collins,
Mohamed Diame and Andy Carroll all missing. But Allardyce felt their
presence was not missed courtesy of the big impression made by his
replacements. He added: "We had a whole host of players missing, but what a
performance when we were down to the bare bones. What a performance from the
players that played today. Fantastic. "It was an outstanding performance
under the circumstances and an outstanding result. We did it with really
good football and some good finishing." Norwich were enraged by Mark
Clattenburg's decision to award a penalty for Ryan Bennett's slight pull on
Winston Reid, but Allardyce felt the referee was correct. "Sometimes the
referees give it and sometimes they don't," he said.
"He was right in front of the referee and the referee has got a very good
view of it. "The referee had a clear view of it. He saw this one and he gave
it, and I thought it was the correct decision."
West Ham now sit 11th in the Premier League, but Allardyce insisted he was
still keen to improve his squad during the January transfer window. "We will
try," he said. "We have been trying very hard over the last few weeks to
line up [some players] in the short term. "We will wait and see as January
develops."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 2 Norwich 1: Controversial decisions hand hosts victory
Last Updated: January 1, 2013 6:55pm
SSN
West Ham United ended a run of four Premier League games without a win after
a series of controversial refereeing decisions helped them to a 2-1 victory
over Norwich City at Upton Park. The hosts took the lead through a
third-minute Mark Noble penalty that was awarded by referee Mark Clattenburg
for Ryan Bennett's negligible pull on Winston Reid.
Best of the Match
Man of the Match: On top of his well-taken penalty, Mark Noble controlled
the game in the first half and drove West Ham forward throughout the match.
Goal of the Match: Russell Martin swept home a beautiful right-foot shot to
give Norwich hope late on after fine wing play from Elliott Bennett.
Save of the Match: Mark Bunn made a number of fine stops in the first half
to keep Norwich in touch, not least from Jack Collison's close-range
snap-shot.
Gaffe of the Match: Referee Mark Clattenburg made a number of questionable
decisions, particularly the two that led to West Ham's goals.
Talking Point: Sadly, it's the referee. Having had two poor games back to
back now, questions have to be asked about Clattenburg's suitability for
Premier League duty.
They doubled their lead 23 minutes later through Joey O'Brien's opportunist
close-range strike, despite the fact that Norwich's Alexander Tettey was
grounded in the build-up with a head injury. Russell Martin handed Norwich
last-gasp hope with an injury-time consolation, but they couldn't force an
equaliser and have now lost their last four league games. The result sees
Sam Allardyce's side leapfrog Norwich into 11th place, with Chris Hughton's
out-of-form team now 12th.
The hosts were given a perfect start by Clattenburg, whose decision to
penalise Bennett for tussling with Reid allowed Noble to send Mark Bunn the
wrong way with a well-struck right-foot shot. Although they then took
control of the game, they were lucky to stay ahead when, after a rare foray
forward, Norwich's Robert Snodgrass struck the foot of the post with a
sublime free-kick from 25 yards. The visitors then had another refereeing
decision go against them when a penalty appeal was waved away, despite a
clear handball in the West Ham box from Reid. And they then fell 2-0 behind,
once again in controversial circumstances. With Tettey down on the floor,
Sebastien Bassong failed to fully clear Noble's near-post cross and O'Brien
sidefooted home the rebound. The goal sapped Norwich's confidence and West
Ham took complete control of the game, with only Mark Bunn keeping the score
at 2-0 courtesy of fine saves from Matt Taylor and Jack Collison. However,
the visitors improved markedly after the break and both teams created
numerous half-chances as the tempo increased and the game opened up.
Substitute Elliott Bennett delivered a superb cross for Martin to sweep home
at the near post in injury time, but West Ham held on for a deserved and
much-needed victory.
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Match Report: West Ham 2 Norwich Ciy 1
By Iain Dale About 12 hours ago 91 comments
West Ham Till I Die
Well that was nice, wasn't it? OK, Norwich were possibly the poorest side to
come to Upton Park this season, but even so, it was a comfortable win even
though the final score might suggest otherwise. Norwich upped their game in
the second half, but with both Grant Holt and Steve Morrison missing they
had no real attacking threat. Wes Hoolihan was probably heir brightest
player but he never really got into the West Ham penalty area. But enough
about them, what about us and our rather makeshift team? Playing with three
wingers was, as Sir Humphrey might say, courageous, but it was Matt Taylor
who played inside the winger and really came into his own. I thought this
Taylor's best game for us. He was ruthless in the tackle and put in some
wonderful sliding passes. Another Matt, Matt Jarvis was another player who
came good. In the first half Norwich didn't know how to handle his mazy runs
down the left and it was a surprise that they didn't lead to further goals.
On the right, Vaz Te looked bright in the first half but in the second half,
apart from hitting a post with a looping header, he did nothing. Whether
this was through chronic tiredness after being out for such a long time, or
whether he just didn't care, I really don't know. It is difficult to tell
with him. I'd have hauled him off long before the 80th minute.
I was really worried about our midfield. But my worries were misplaced. Mark
Noble put in yet another Man of the Match performance. His tackling was
outstanding and some of his passing was breathtaking. One pass in particular
which nearly led to a third goal was simply out of the this world. He led by
example. Jack Collison put in a good shift too. For a player who has been
out for eight months, he was very impressive.Unlike Vaz Te, he didn't seem
to tire, and he was very creative too. And as I have said, Matty Taylor
played a very important role too. This was the first match since Diame's
injury where we genuinely looked like we could play without him.
Carlton Cole should have had at least one goal. He contrived to put the ball
over from two yards out at one stage, but that is to carp. His heading and
hold up play were again class personified. He ran Mark Noble very close for
Man of the Match, although there were two other contenders for that accolade
one being the ever reliable Winston Reid and the other being Guy Demel.
Demel was brilliant down the right. He seems to have discovered some real
pace lately, and looked very dangerous whenever he went on the rampage. If
he could build up an understanding with Guy Demel, the two of them might
produce some very dangerous balls into Carlton Cole. On the other side Joey
O'Bren had a great game, combining well again with Matt Jarvis. He took his
goal well and it was a shame to see him go off. If he's out long term it
means we have no recognised left back, although Matt Taylor has played
there, I suppose.
That win puts us up to 11th in the table, just when the slide down looked as
if it might continue. Our next six matches include home games against QPR
and Swansea and away matches at Sunderland, Fulham and Villa. Oh, and
Arsenal too. I think we need to target 10 points from those games.
Jussi - 7
Guy Demel - 8
Joey O'Brien - 7
James Tomkins - 6
Winston Reid - 8
Mark Noble - 8
Jack Collison - 7
Matt Taylor - 7
Matt Jarvis - 7
Ricardo Vaz Te - 5
Carlton Cole - 8
PS - A word about the referee Mark Clattenburg. And that word is
'outstanding'. He got every big call right, and you can't ask for more than
that. We give referees a hard time when they get things wrong, so let's not
be backward in praising a ref who deserves it. Mr Clattenburg did today.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Angry bird: Clattenburg penalty decision gets Canary Snodgrass all a-Twitter
The Mirror
1 Jan 2013 22:30
Jamie McDonald
By James Masters
Robert Snodgrass took to Twitter to unleash his fury at referee Mark
Clattenburg following Norwich's defeat. Clattenburg was the centre of
attention at Upton Park after awarding the Hammers a penalty for an
innocuous looking shirt pull by Ryan Bennett on Winston Reid inside the
opening two minutes. The decision left City's players and boss Chris Hughton
fuming, while he also failed to award a free-kick following Carlton Cole's
foul on Alexander Tettey in the lead up to West Ham's second goal. And
Snodgrass tweeted: "The referee kills the game #gamesgone. "If that's a pen
you will need to give 100 pens a season, small decisions change games. Win
some you lose some. Great support again." Boss Hughton also hit out at
Clattenburg after his side fell to a fourth consecutive defeat by a single
goal. "You accept sometimes referee's get it wrong or they don't see it,"
said the former Newcastle and Birmingham manager. "But the one that really
hurts is when penalties are given when they shouldn't be. The penalty
obviously affects the game. "You get a penalty against you two minutes into
the game, which gives these fans a great lift here, and you could see by
the reaction of our players at the time how disappointed they were. "Even
if the penalty stands, you're not seriously going to tell me the Alex
Tettey incident wasn't a foul. Absolutely it was. "That's knocked us a
little bit."
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