Daily WHUFC News - 6th April 2013

Liverpool match preview
WHUFC.com
All the background information and team news ahead of Sunday's Barclays
Premier League fixture
05.04.2013

LIVERPOOL v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
SUNDAY 7 APRIL 2013
KICK-OFF: 1.30PM
REFEREE: ANTHONY TAYLOR
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV

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Introduction
• West Ham United travel to Liverpool on Sunday for their 16th Barclays
Premier League away fixture of the season.
• A minute's silence will be held before kick-off in memory of the 96
Liverpool fans who lost their lives at the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough
on 15 April 1989. Both teams will wear black armbands and West Ham officials
will also lay a wreath at the Hillsborough memorial outside Anfield ahead of
the game.
• The Hammers will need to end an unenviable run if they are to win at
Anfield, having not won there in 41 meetings in all competitions dating back
to 14 September 1963! That day, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters scored in a
2-1 Division One victory, with Ian St John replying for Liverpool and Jim
Standen saving Ronnie Moran's second-half penalty.
• West Ham start the weekend eleventh in the Barclays Premier League table,
having collected 36 points from 30 matches. However, the Hammers have
collected just eleven of those points on their travels, winning three and
drawing two of their previous 15 away matches.
• Sam Allardyce's side have won at Queens Park Rangers (2-1), Newcastle
United (1-0) and Stoke City (1-0) and drawn at Norwich City (0-0) and West
Bromwich Albion (0-0), but have lost their other ten away fixtures.
• Liverpool start the weekend seventh in the standings, having collected 48
points from 31 matches played. The Reds have collected 27 of those points at
Anfield, winning eight and drawing three of their 15 previous home games.
However, Brendan Rodgers' team have been beaten on home turf by Arsenal
(0-2), Manchester United (1-2), Aston Villa (1-3) and West Bromwich Albion
(0-2).
• Both clubs will go into the game on the back of important victories. West
Ham beat West Bromwich Albion 3-1 at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday, with
Reds loanee Andy Carroll scoring twice, while Liverpool recovered from a
goal down to win 2-1 at Aston Villa the following day.

Team news

West Ham United
• England striker Andy Carroll is unavailable due to the terms of his
season-long loan from Liverpool.
• Left-back George McCartney is out with a recurrence of the medial knee
ligament injury that previously ruled him out for three months. The Northern
Irishman was hurt in the victory over West Brom last weekend.
• Midfielder Mark Noble is unavailable after undergoing surgery to release a
trapped nerve in his arm.
• Former Liverpool attacking midfielder Joe Cole will be hoping to feature
against his old club after missing the previous two matches with a hamstring
injury suffered at Stoke City on 2 March.
• Ravel Morrison (Birmingham City), Rob Hall (Bolton Wanderers), Paul
McCallum (Aldershot Town) and Alou Diarra (Stade Rennais) are all out on
loan.

Liverpool
• Liverpool will definitely be without Wales midfielder Joe Allen
(shoulder), Italian striker Fabio Borini (shoulder) and full-back Martin
Kelly (knee).
• Danny Wilson (Heart of Midlothian), Jack Robinson (Wolverhampton
Wanderers), Jay Spearing (Bolton Wanderers), Adam Morgan (Rotherham United),
Michael Ngoo (Heart of Midlothian), Dani Pacheco (Huesca) and Henoc Mukendi
(Northampton Town) are all out loan.

Background

• West Ham United and Liverpool have met 124 times previously, with the Reds
enjoying 66 victories. The Hammers have tasted success on just 24 occasions
and there have been 34 draws. In the Premier League, Liverpool have won 20
of the 33 meetings, with West Ham winning six and there being seven draws.
• The first-ever meeting between the two clubs was an FA Cup intermediate
round tie played at the Memorial Grounds on 5 January 1901. Division One
Liverpool edged out Southern League West Ham United 1-0 in front of a crowd
of 6,000, with Sam Raybould scoring the winner.
• Vic Watson scored four times, Stan Earle twice and Wilf James once as West
Ham United went top of the Division One table after beating Liverpool 7-0
here on 1 September 1930 - the Hammers' biggest-ever home win over the Reds.
• A three-minute hat-trick scored by Roger Hunt either side of half-time
inspired Liverpool to a 5-1 Division One victory at the Boleyn Ground on 6
September 1965 - the Reds' biggest win at the home of the Hammers. Martin
Peters scored West Ham United's consolation goal.
• The largest crowd to attend a Liverpool versus West Ham United fixture at
Anfield was the 55,675 who attended a goalless Division One draw on 14 May
1977. Liverpool would go on to defeat Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-1 in the
European Cup final in Rome eleven days later.
• The Hammers and the Reds met in the 1981 League Cup final at Wembley. The
match ended in a 1-1 draw after extra-time, with Ray Stewart's last-gasp
penalty wiping out Alan Kennedy's 118th-minute strike. The replay, held at
Villa Park, saw Paul Goddard put John Lyall's side in front, only for goals
from Kenny Dalglish and Alan Hansen to see the trophy head to Merseyside.
• West Ham United and Liverpool famously met in the 2006 FA Cup final at the
Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Jamie Carragher's own-goal and a Dean Ashton
strike put the Hammers 2-0 up before Djibril Cisse and Steven Gerrard
brought the Reds level. Paul Konchesky put West Ham back in front before
Gerrard's late 25-yarder forced extra-time. After a goalless 30 minutes,
Liverpool prevailed 3-1 on penalties.
• Billy Bonds has made more appearances against Liverpool, 33, than any
other West Ham United player. The Reds' Ian Callaghan made a record 33
appearances against the Hammers, scoring twice.
• Vic Watson scored a record nine goals in 14 appearances against Liverpool.
John Toshack has scored more goals for the Reds against the Hammers than
anyone else with ten.
• Kevin Nolan, Andy Carroll and Liverpool full-back Jose Enrique were all
part of the Newcastle United squad which won the Championship title in 2010.
• A number of other West Ham United and Liverpool players have lined-up
alongside one another at their former clubs and at international level -
Andy Carroll, Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson, Jordan Henderson, Stewart
Downing and Martin Kelly (England), Jack Collison, James Collins and Joe
Allen (Wales), James Tomkins and Allen (Team GB), Collins and Stewart
Downing (Aston Villa), George McCartney and Jordan Henderson (Sunderland),
Raheem Sterling, Matthias Fanimo and Blair Turgott (England age-group
sides).
• No fewer than 19 players have made their West Ham United debuts against
Liverpool - Alex Kane (January 1926), Walter Pollard (September 1929), Reg
Wade (January 1930), Bill Nelson (September 1954), Dave Bickles (September
1963), Eddie Presland (February 1965), Mick McGiven (December 1973), John
Radford (December 1976), George Parris and Keith McPherson (May 1985), Kevin
Keen (September 1986), Hugo Porfirio (September 1996), Andy Impey (September
1997), Marc Keller (September 1998), Gavin Holligan (February 1999),
Svetoslav Todorov (February 2001), Laurent Courtois (August 2001), Rufus
Brevett (February 2003) and Kepa Blanco (January 2007).
• Centre-back Dave Bickles made his debut in West Ham United's 2-1 Division
One victory at Anfield on 14 September 1963 - the last time the Hammers won
at Anfield!
• Eddie Presland scored on his debut in a 2-1 Division One victory over
Liverpool at the Boleyn Ground on 27 February 1965. The left-back would make
just six first-team appearances for the Hammers before joining Crystal
Palace in 1967.
• Tony Cottee was sent-off on his second 'debut' for West Ham United in a
goalless Premier League draw at Liverpool on 10 September 1994.
• Kepa Blanco netted just minutes after coming on as a substitute for his
West Ham United debut in a 2-1 home Premier League defeat by Liverpool on 30
January 2007


Last time out

West Ham United
Saturday 30 March 2013
Barclays Premier League
West Ham United 3-1 West Bromwich Albion
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Reid, O'Brien, Collins, Demel (McCartney 78),
Nolan (Taylor 69), Jarvis, Diame (Collison 82), O'Neil, Carroll, Vaz Te
Subs not used: Henderson, Tomkins, C.Cole, Chamakh
Goals: Carroll 16, 80,O'Neil 28

Sunday 1 April 2013
Barclays Premier League
Aston Villa 1-2 Liverpool
Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Jose Enrique, Agger, Carragher, Gerrard, Coutinho
(Sterling 77), Henderson, Downing, Lucas, Suarez
Subs not used: Jones, Coates, Skrtel, Shelvey, Sturridge, Suso
Goal: Henderson 47, Gerrard 60 (pen)

Previous meeting
Liverpool took the lead, lost it and then came from behind to win 3-2 at the
Boleyn Ground in the reverse Barclays Premier League fixture on 9 December
2012. Former Hammer Glen Johnson put the Reds in front on eleven minutes,
only for Mark Noble's penalty and a Steven Gerrard own-goal to give West Ham
United the advantage at half-time. Unfortunately, Sam Allardyce's side could
not hold on as former West Ham players Joe Cole and Jonjo Shelvey scored
within four second-half minutes late on to secure three points for Brendan
Rodgers' team.

West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Reid, O'Brien, Collins, Demel (McCartney 46),
Nolan, Jarvis, Taylor (Maiga 86), Noble, Diame (Tomkins 73), C.Cole
Subs not used: Spiegel, Spence, O'Neil, Moncur

Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Jose Enrique (J.Cole 27), Agger, Skrtel, Gerrard,
Downing, Lucas (Henderson 71), Allen (Coates 86), Sterling, Shelvey
Subs not used: Jones, Carragher, Suso, Morgan

Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)

9 December 2012 - West Ham United 2-3 Liverpool
27 February 2011 - West Ham United 3-1 Liverpool
20 November 2010 - Liverpool 3-0 West Ham United
19 April 2010 - Liverpool 3-0 West Ham United
19 September 2009 West Ham United 2-3 Liverpool
9 May 2009 West Ham United 0-3 Liverpool

Overall record v Liverpool (all competitions) W 24 D 65 L 35

Ten-year records

West Ham United

2011/12 Championship 3rd (86 points - promoted via Play-Offs)
2010/11 Premier League 20th (33 points - relegated to Championship)
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted via play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
2002/03 Premier League 18th (42 points - relegated to Championship)

Liverpool
2011/12 Premier League 8th (52 points)
2010/11 Premier League 6th (58 points)
2009/10 Premier League 7th (63 points)
2008/09 Premier League 2nd (86 points)
2007/08 Premier League 4th (76 points)
2006/07 Premier League 3rd (68 points)
2005/06 Premier League 3rd (82 points)
2004/05 Premier League 5th (58 points)
2003/04 Premier League 4th (60 points)
2002/03 Premier League 5th (64 points)

Referee

• Sunday's referee will be Anthony Taylor.
• Taylor is in his third season on the Select Group of referees appointed to
control Barclays Premier League fixtures.
• The Greater Manchester-born official started refereeing in the Northern
Premier League in 2002 before being appointed to the Football League list at
the start of the 2006/07 season, refereeing his match between Wrexham and
Peterborough United in League Two on 12 August 2006.
• Taylor's first Premier League appointment was the 3 February 2010
encounter between today's visitors Fulham and former West Ham United manager
Avram Grant's Portsmouth, with the Cottagers winning 1-0.
• Taylor has taken charge of two West Ham United games this season, the
first being the 3-0 home win over Fulham in September. He then sent-off
Carlton Cole and Darron Gibson in Everton's 2-1 victory at the Boleyn Ground
in December, but both red cards were later rescinded by an FA Regulatory
Panel.
• The 34-year-old took charge of the Hammers' final Barclays Premier League
fixture before they were relegated to the npower Championship in May 2011
when Sunderland secured a 3-0 win at the Boleyn Ground.
• When asked in an interview what his favourite match that he has refereed
was, he named British Gas Business Southern League Midland Division side
Chasetown's victory over Port Vale in the FA Cup second round in December
2007.
• Taylor will be assisted by Gary Beswick and Mike Mullarkey, while Mark
Clattenburg will be the fourth official.

Old boys

• On-loan West Ham United midfielder Alou Diarra spent three seasons with
Liverpool between 2002 and 2005 after joining the club from Bayern Munich.
However, the 31-year-old failed to make a first-team appearance for the
Reds, instead being loaned to Le Havre, Bastia and Lens before joining the
latter on a permanent basis.
• Andy Carroll, who is ineligible for Saturday's game under the terms of his
loan agreement from Liverpool, joined the Reds from Newcastle United for
£35million in January 2011. Carroll has played 58 times for Liverpool,
scoring eleven goals, including one in last season's FA Cup final defeat by
Chelsea.
• Glen Johnson came through the ranks at West Ham United, making 15 league
appearances in the 2002/03 season. He was transferred to Chelsea for
£6million in summer 2003 and subsequently moved on to Portsmouth before
Liverpool snapped him up in June 2009.
• Joe Cole played 149 games in all competitions for the Hammers, scoring 13
goals, before his switch to Chelsea in August 2003. Cole also won the FA
Youth Cup with West Ham United in 1999. Cole joined Liverpool in summer
2010, scoring five goals in 42 appearances - including one at the Boleyn
Ground in the reverse fixture this season in December - before moving back
to east London in January 2013.
• Liverpool midfielder Jonjo Shelvey spent a period of time as a schoolboy
within the West Ham United Academy before joining Charlton Athletic.
• Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Craig Bellamy,
Yossi Benayoun, Tom Bradshaw, David Burrows, Titi Camara, Charles Cotton,
Julian Dicks, Ray Houghton, Don Hutchison, Paul Ince, David James, Rob
Jones, George Kay, Robbie Keane, Paul Konchesky, Mike Marsh, Javier
Mascherano, Neil Mellor, Neil Ruddock, Danny Shone, Rigobert Song and Thomas
Stanley.

General information

• All standard match tickets for this fixture have SOLD OUT. Three pairs of
Wheelchair/Carer tickets are still available for this fixture, for more
information click here.

• Sunday's forecast in Liverpool is for a cloudy afternoon with maximum
temperatures of 8C (47F).

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Diame driven by Liverpool defeat
WHUFC.com
Mohamed Diame is keen to make up for a 3-2 reverse against Liverpool in
December
06.04.2013

Mohamed Diame has a score to settle come Sunday's Barclays Premier League
fixture at Liverpool. When the sides met at the Boleyn Ground in December,
the 25-year-old departed the scene in the 76th minute owing to a torn
hamstring, with the Hammers 2-1 up at the time. In his absence, Liverpool
struck twice in the following four minutes to leave West Ham empty-handed
and Diame is keen on vanquishing those memories this weekend. "The home
game against Liverpool holds bad memories for me, because it's when I got an
injury," he told West Ham TV. "But now I'm back and I hope I'm going to do
well on Sunday. It's not a case of revenge, but we always go on the pitch
trying to win and we're going to give it our best and see what happens."

Meanwhile, the all-action midfielder believes Anfield is the perfect setting
for West Ham to pull off an historic win. "Anfield's a great stadium, and a
nice place to play well and show the fans we can win this game against
Liverpool. We just have to take the three points, it's important for us, and
make sure we stay in the Premier League."

Diame expects the Hammers to continue where they left off against West
Bromwich Albion, buoyed by three important points in their quest for a
top-half finish. The Senegal international received a huge ovation as he was
substituted late on, support that never goes unnoticed. "The support is
important, the fans are always behind the team and we feel this support ,"
he added. "I think we did well on Saturday. It was important for us to win
the game, get the three points and now it's good for our confidence for the
next games. "We know that at home we always have opportunities to score
goals and on Saturday the forwards did their jobs and Carroll scored his two
goals. His second one was very good quality, it was the goal of a top player
and it's very good for us. "The top ten is still our target, we're on the
way to doing that and we're going to keep working for that and make sure
that at the end of the season we'll be there."

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YouGov reveal details of fan survey
WHUFC.com
Further details announced for West Ham United supporter consultation on the
move to the Olympic Stadium
05.04.2013

Following last week's appointment of independent research organisation
YouGov, their sports division have now exclusively revealed details of West
Ham United's supporter survey that will offer fans the opportunity to have
their say on the move to the world-class Olympic Stadium in Stratford.
SMG-YouGov Managing Director Frank Saez said: "We relish the opportunity to
be involved in this exciting and ground breaking research and consultation
project. As experts in this field we will conduct an independent
consultation on behalf of West Ham United Football Club that will offer
supporters the chance to share their attitudes towards the move to the
iconic Olympic Stadium."

Cited as the most consistently accurate pollster, YouGov is an independent
full service market research company with global reach which delivers
support and services to sports governing bodies, sponsors and sports
investors and has conducted more than 25 major sports venue projects in 15
countries across six continents, covering national stadia, UEFA Champions
League clubs and Premier League teams, including Wembley, the Maracana,
Galatasaray, Inter Milan, and QPR.

YouGov's research programme will provide a comprehensive assessment of the
spectrum of opinion related to the stadium relocation across the West Ham
United fan base, covering the core groups that will drive the club's future
attendances at the 2012 Olympic Stadium. YouGov are currently in the process
of gathering the required data and developing a comprehensive electronic
survey. Due to the vast numbers of supporters who qualify to take part, the
survey will be distributed via email later this month. If you are a
supporter who is registered on the club's database but has not provided the
club with an email address, you will be given the opportunity to update your
details ahead of the survey's release to ensure you can offer your feedback
on the move to the Olympic Stadium.

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On this day - 6 April
WHUFC.com
Sir Trevor Brooking scores his one and only hat-trick in a 5-0 win over
Newcastle on this day
06.04.2013

Classic match
West Ham United 5-0 Newcastle United
6 April 1968
Division One
Sir Trevor Brooking bagged the match ball for the first and only time in his
illustrious career as Newcastle United were put to the sword at the Boleyn
Ground on this day in 1968. A then 19-year-old Brooking, in his first senior
campaign, netted for a second successive Division One outing, after scoring
in a 1-1 home draw with Arsenal a week earlier. The Barking-born Hammer's
triple was added to by forward John Sissons, who completed the 5-0 rout with
two goals of his own. It was the beginning of a woeful end to the season for
the Magpies, as they proceeded to lose five of their final seven outings,
including a 6-0 reverse at Old Trafford. That said, they would still finish
three points and two places above the Hammers, as the clubs stood tenth and
12th in the top tier respectively.

Complete record - 6 April

2012 Barnsley 0-4 West Ham United (Championship)
2002 West Ham United 2-0 Charlton Athletic (Premier League)
1996 West Ham United 1-1 Wimbledon (Premier League)
1991 Port Vale 0-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1985 West Ham United 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Division One)
1982 West Ham United 3-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers (Division One)
1974 Arsenal 0-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1968 West Ham United 5-0 Newcastle United (Division One)
1963 Fulham 2-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1962 West Ham United 2-2 Birmingham City (Division One)
1957 Leicester City 5-3 West Ham United (Division Two)
1953 Fulham 2-3 West Ham United (Division Two)
1935 West Ham United 1-0 Bradford City (Division Two)
1931 Bolton Wanderers 4-2 West Ham United (Division One)
1929 West Ham United 3-0 Bolton Wanderers (Division One)
1928 West Ham United 0-0 Aston Villa (Division One)

Played 16, Won 8, Drawn 5, Lost 3, Scored 31, Conceded 18

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Open Training Day time changed
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Open Training Day will now take place at 2pm on Tuesday 9
April
20.03.2013

Young Hammers fans will have the chance to get up close to their heroes when
West Ham United hold a special Open Training Day for Academy members, Season
Ticket holders and corporate members at the Boleyn Ground on Tuesday 9
April. Supporters should note that the Open Training Day will now commence
at 2pm - later than the previously scheduled start time of 10.30am. The
event, which is free to all the above members, will see the first-team squad
get put through their paces on the Boleyn Ground pitch by manager Sam
Allardyce and his coaching staff. The session will come as the players begin
to prepare for the trip to Southampton in the Barclays Premier League four
days later. There will be full coverage on the giant screens with regular
stadium PA Jeremy Nicholas giving some running commentary and the
ever-popular Hammerhead and Bubbles mascots will be on hand to greet young
supporters enjoying the Easter School holidays.

The stadium superstore will also be open from 9am to 5pm for fans to grab
Hammers goodies and take advantage of the in-store sale on the remaining
2012/2013 Macron replica kits - with away kit now at a 70 per cent discount
- and the fantastic savings on trainingwear. Supporters will be seated in
the Alpari West Stand Lower to watch all the action on the pitch with access
via Gate 3 from 1.30pm. Parking will be on a strictly first-come-first
served basis. Stay in touch with whufc.com for any further details on the
open day as they are available. Timings are subject to change.

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Big Sam on: Liverpool
WHUFC.com
Big Sam spoke to the press ahead of West Ham's Barclays Premier League clash
with Liverpool
05.04.2013

Sam Allardyce urged his players to take their chances against Liverpool on
Sunday, as West Ham United bid for a first win at Anfield in almost 50
years.
The Hammers were at their ruthless best in Saturday's 3-1 win over West
Bromwich Albion, and though Andy Carroll is ineligible to face his parent
club, Big Sam is confident West Ham still have plenty of firepower to call
upon. Carlton Cole and Marouane Chamakh are the men vying for a recall, with
West Ham gunning for their first back-to-back Barclays Premier League wins
of the campaign. Sam, 36 points, eight game to go, you've looked comfortable
all year.

Do you continue to look up rather than behind you at this stage of the
season?

SA: "Well recently we have had a couple of concerning moments, where we've
been looking down. I think we can reflect that all season our performances,
certainly at home, have been very, very good. "We need to just focus on
securing on as many points as we can between now and the end of the season.
I think that certainly with the points total we've got, we know we're not
too far away now. That should give us confidence, relax us that little bit
more and ensure we're not too tense, too uptight and hopefully we deliver
the sort of performances to finish the season off that have served us so
well. We shouldn't be too concerned and yet we've got that little way to
go."

You're on a run of win one, lose one and if that continues you'll end the
season with 48 points...

SA: "Yes, we are a win-lose team. We can't seem to draw in between that. At
the end of the day, lots of people talk about the fact you can go on an
undefeated run and a lot of it is about too many draws perhaps, rather than
the wins. I always think an undefeated run is a better way of securing more
wins rather than win, lose, win, lose but our real problem has been goals
away from home. "I think Sunday's going to be a big test for us because we
go away, we create chances and yet we don't score. And when we don't score,
instead of getting those draws we might have got, we've ended up losing most
of the games we've played away from home. So we've got to show the finishing
quality that we did last Saturday against West Brom."

Forty is often talked about as the safety margin that you need, what do you
think it will take this year?

SA: "I think it will be a bit less, but we always have the magic 40.
Historically, the last team to go down with 40 was a long, long time ago -
that might have been West Ham with 42, which was a first, ever. But I do
think 40 will definitely be enough this season. For us it's about getting 40
and more if we possibly can."

By the terms of the loan agreement, you knew you'd be without Andy Carroll
for this weekend, is it frustrating given how well he played last Saturday?

SA: "It is and it's frustrating for him as well but that's the way the
fixtures have fallen and we've got Carlton Cole and Marouane Chamakh who can
step in to the team and hopefully they can deliver the sort of performance
Andy can deliver. That's what we'll need at Anfield on Sunday. "Andy looks
to be in full flow at the moment and in good goalscoring form, which is what
we've been waiting for, for a long time. Our position in the league is
strong again, so we want to continue that. Like I say our weakness has been
scoring goals, so we have to get the chances first and we have to show the
sort of quality we showed against West Brom to try and get anything against
Liverpool."

Historically Anfield hasn't been a particularly happy hunting ground for the
club. Why do you think that is?

SA: "I think it's always a difficult place for anyone to go and play, but if
on any given day you hit your best form, then anybody can win any football
match that is in front of them. It happens less often at certain places like
Anfield than it does at others. I think you're talking about 50 years and
for most of that time Liverpool were so much better than anyone else that
you wouldn't have expected it. Other teams have won there, recently West
Brom, so they have slipped up now and again. "You just hope that when you
go, it's your turn to catch a big boy who slips on the day. If we're able to
capitalise on a downside to their performance, we're capable of doing that,
but we need to be on top form and need to take our chances when they arrive.
If we don't, life will be really difficult.
"It's nice to see one stat coming out of our attacking play, that Matt
Jarvis is the best and most successful crosser in the Barclays Premier
League. It shows that the service is there, as I've been saying all season.
What we haven't done is capitalise on that service, particularly from Matt,
and we should have scored more goals."

What's the team news ahead of Sunday?

SA: "The bad news is obviously George McCartney coming off last weekend,
which is something we were really sick about. The good news is that while
the injury is quite serious, it doesn't need an operation, which we're glad
to hear. The specialist thinks that when we rehab him this time he'll be ok,
so there's an outside chance that he gets fit for a couple of games at the
back end of this season. "Mark Noble is still recovering from his trapped
nerve problem in his shoulder. So he won't be quite ready and Joe Cole's
still got his hamstring injury."

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Demel pumped for Anfield clash
WHUFC.com
Guy Demel has high hopes for Sunday's Barclays Premier League clash with
Liverpool
05.04.2013

Guy Demel is relishing the prospect of pitting himself against Liverpool's
talented personnel, as West Ham United get set for Sunday's Barclays Premier
League trip to Anfield. The Hammers full-back is not planning to
underestimate the threat posed by the much-vaunted Luis Suarez, Philippe
Coutinho and co, but is every bit up for the challenge. Indeed, the 3-2
defeat in December's reverse fixture still rankles with the Ivorian and he
has every intention of making amends come the weekend. "I came to the
Premier League to face big players, to play the best players in the world,
because it's the best league in the world," Demel told West Ham TV. "To play
against Suarez or Coutinho is a challenge, but you want to compete against
the best to see how good you are. "At home, I think we were much better than
them, yet they went back with the three points. So we have to keep that in
the back of our minds and try to punish them. "It's going to be a different
game. We're playing away, we all know that we've had problems away from home
and going to Anfield is never easy, especially right now. I think they are
playing good football and getting results. "If we could win there it would
be really nice because I'd be writing history for West Ham. To be fair a
draw would be fantastic, but it's not impossible to beat Liverpool.
Reflecting on Saturday's convincing 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion, Demel
was impressed with West Ham's showing in both penalty areas. Though he
expects a somewhat sterner test on Sunday, the 31-year-old reckons
confidence is king when it comes to fixtures of this import. "It was really
nice to see Andy score twice and it was really important to score three
goals because it gives us confidence up front, which will help us for the
next couple of games," he added. "We may not have as many chances at
Liverpool as we did against West Brom, but if you've got the confidence and
the killer mentality to put the ball in the back of the net, then it will be
really helpful. "It's always pleasing to be good and solid defensively, but
we've proved throughout the season that we can be good as a team
defensively. Because it's always as a team, we defend as a team and we
attack as a team."

Meanwhile, Demel has high hopes for the remainder of the campaign,
maintaining that he and his teammates are worthy of a top-half Premier
League finish.
"I think our season could have been even better if we had a bit of luck, but
we still have eight games to go. I think at the end of the season we can be
proud and finish the season in the top ten, because I think that's where we
belong."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Essex want Twenty20 cricket at Olympic Stadium
BBC.co.uk

Essex chief executive Derek Bowden has said the club are keen to play
Twenty20 fixtures at the Olympic Stadium. West Ham will be the main tenants
of the venue from 2016. But the Chelmsford-based club are eager to discuss
the possibility of hosting T20 games at the Stratford arena. "We regularly
sell out at Chelmsford. We'll sell 7,000 for a Twenty20 game on a Friday
night. There's an opportunity to take cricket down to East London," Bowden
told BBC Look East.

Multi-purpose cricket stadiums

Melbourne Cricket Ground: The Australian 100,000-capacity venue has hosted
football as well as cricket
Moses Mabhida Stadium: Located in Durban, South Africa, the 54,00-seater
stadium was a World Cup venue that also hosts cricket
Eden Park: Auckland's 50,000-capacity stadium hosts rugby union and rugby
league and has a removable cricket pitch
Westpac Stadium: Capable of holding 36,000, the Wellington venue hosts
football, rugby union, rugby league and cricket
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium: Football and cricket are played at the
70,000-capacity stadium in Kochi, India

"East London is actually part of the region Essex County Cricket Board is
responsible for in terms of grassroots cricket. "We'll hopefully speak to
West Ham, in the next few weeks. I would think towards the end of April,
early May we could meet with the West Ham management to see if there is any
viability." Bowden's predecessor David East suggested in 2010 that the
Olympic Stadium could become a Twenty20 venue for the county. While the
Hammers have been named as the anchor tenant for the Olympic Stadium, the
decision over whether to allow cricket to be played at the venue is likely
to lie with the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), the
organisation overseeing the transformation of the arena. There are also
plans to host rugby matches at the London 2012 site, with the Rugby World
Cup in 2015 an aim. A spokesperson for the London Legacy Development
Corporation said: "The Stadium will become a multi-use venue so we are open
to additional uses including cricket provided they can fit alongside other
concessionaires such as West Ham United and UK Athletics. "We will be
creating a process for interested parties to submit proposals for one-off
events such as Twenty20 cricket matches."

Mayor of London Boris Johnson, the chairman of the LLDC, is keen to
encourage a diversity of sports at the Olympic Stadium and has welcomed
Essex's interest. "I've said repeatedly that the stadium is something for
everybody in London and everybody in the country," he told BBC London 94.9.
"It is a national asset. We are going to make sure it doesn't just have
association football, although that is going to be a glorious part of it
with West Ham. "We are going to have other events as well. We are still
trying to make it fit for the rugby, but we can't be confident that will
work for 2015. If we can get some cricket in that would be fantastic as
well."

England captain and Essex batsman Alastair Cook has also backed the
proposal. "It would be fantastic for Essex to be able to play at the Olympic
Stadium," Cook said. "East London has a huge amount of participation in
cricket and taking the game there would benefit Essex as well. "As a player,
it would be fantastic. It would have to be a Twenty20 game. County
Championship matches should be played at Chelmsford or at the festival at
Colchester. "You want to play in front of good crowds befitting of the
stadium. With Twenty20 you have got a chance of getting 10,000 or 15,000
there which would make it a good atmosphere."

West Ham intend to reduce the stadium's capacity from 80,000 to 60,000, but
Bowden believes crowds of at least 20,000 could be accommodated for cricket.
"We would need to look at the financials as well as the logistics, but
20,000 people watching Twenty20 cricket on a Friday night would make for
fantastic entertainment," he said. "It can work for cricket. There is
obviously a cost attached and that is something we would need to look into
very clearly. "Technologically it can be done."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Liverpool v West Ham
KO 13:30
5 April 2013
By Ian Dennis
BBC Match of the Day commentator

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Anfield Date: Sunday, 7 April
Continue reading the main story

Liverpool have no fresh injuries so Brendan Rodgers may stick with the side
that beat Aston Villa last weekend. Joe Allen and Fabio Borini (both
shoulder) and Martin Kelly (knee) are all out for the rest of the season.

West Ham striker Andy Carroll is ineligible to face his parent club under
the terms of his loan, so Carlton Cole or Marouane Chamakh will deputise.
Joe Cole (hamstring) also misses out on an Anfield return, with Mark Noble
(shoulder) another absentee.

MATCH PREVIEW
There are no such things as a certainty on Grand National weekend in
Liverpool but the visit of West Ham United to Anfield must be the closest
you will get to one. If you look at the form then The Hammers will be
classed as outsiders on a ground where they have found the going
particularly tough. The last time West Ham won at Anfield was in 1963; a
year better remembered as when Liverpool's "Fab Four" caused hysteria as
Beatlemania hit the UK. Since then, West Ham have made 39 league visits to
Anfield and failed to score in 28 of them. Their anaemic away goal tally of
nine from 15 matches this season suggests they might not be about to improve
that statistic. "West Ham were very impressive against West Brom last week
and they are going to stay up, no problem.
After their defeat at Southampton last month, Liverpool are now playing for
fifth or sixth place, because any higher looks impossible."

What won't help their cause is the absence of Andy Carroll, who is unable to
play against his parent club. Carroll will be sorely missed after scoring
five goals in his last nine league outings. His future remains uncertain and
even though he's not playing there has been no shortage of speculation about
him this week. West Ham are reportedly keen to take him on a permanent basis
but are also said to be looking at strikers all across Europe for next
season, while Brendan Rodgers says there is nothing to discuss now,
preferring to wait until the end of the campaign. The Liverpool boss must be
very content with how things are progressing, especially with the way his
side bounced back against Aston Villa after the slip up at Southampton. It's
unlikely Liverpool will finish in the top four but after four league wins
from their last five they are mounting a challenge for fifth spot, which
would secure Europa League qualification. I was at Anfield when Philippe
Coutinho made his debut in the last 12 minutes against West Brom in February
and I'm looking forward to witness in person the partnership he has built
with Luis Suarez. The Brazilian provides another dimension to Liverpool's
creativity and, along with a resurgent Stewart Downing, the home side will
not lack confidence going forward - which doesn't augur well for West Ham.

MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
West Ham have never beaten Liverpool at Anfield in 16 previous Premier
League attempts.
Liverpool are looking to complete a sixth Premier League double over The
Hammers.
West Ham's only post-war top-flight win at Liverpool was a 2-1 victory in
September 1963.
The Hammers have failed to score in their last four league visits to
Anfield.

Liverpool
Liverpool have scored 15 goals in their last five Premier League matches,
winning four of those matches.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, on 98 Premier League goals for the club,
has scored four Premier League penalties this season - level with Mikel
Arteta, Chelsea's Frank Lampard and Sunderland's Craig Gardner.
Philippe Coutinho has been involved in a Premier League goal every 74
minutes on average since he joined the club, scoring two and assisting three
in 369
minutes.
Liverpool have had 242 shots off target in the league this season; 35 more
than any other side.

West Ham
The Hammers have won just one of their last 10 away games in the Premier
League (W1, D1, L8).
Sides managed by Sam Allardyce have lost on each of their last eight Premier
League visits to Liverpool since his Bolton side drew on his first trip to
Anfield in January 2002.
Jussi Jaaskelainen has made 127 saves in the Premier League this season,
nine more than any other goalkeeper (Sunderland's Simon Mignolet).

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
50 years of hurt
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 5th April 2013
By: Staff Writer

This year marks an incredible 50 years since West Ham last beat Liverpool at
Anfield. This weekend, Sam Allardyce becomes the tenth West Ham manager to
take a United team to Merseyside looking to end the club's longest-running
hoodoo against an established Premier League club. You have to go back to
September 1963 to find West Ham's last win at the home of the former
European champions; that being a 2-1 victory courtesy of goals from
youngsters Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst (fellow England international Roger
Hunt grabbed a second half consolation for the Reds).

Since then, the very best subsequent Hammers sides have managed is a draw -
and even that has only happened on 10 occasions during the 39 visits to
Anfield since 1963. Statistically speaking, Harry Redknapp holds the best
managerial record on Merseyside since that day 50 years ago; his seven
visits there between 1994 and 2001 yielded three draws and four defeats -
even though his team failed to score in six of the seven games!

And with only TEN West Ham players having scored at Anfield in that period,
'Pop' Robson and Geoff Hurst - with three goals apiece - remain United's
most prolific goalscorers of the period. The last West Ham player to score
an Anfield was Bobby Zamora in a 2-1 reversal back in August 2006. The
current QPR-striker's 12th minute goal gave Alan Pardew's team an early lead
before strikes from Daniel Agger and Peter Crouch won the home side their
customary three points.

John Moncur and Paolo Di Canio remonstrate with referee Jeff Winter during a
2-1 defeat at Anfield in August 2001

50 Years of Hurt: West Ham at Anfield since 1963

Ron Greenwood: Pld10 W0 D2 L8 F6 A18 GD-12

1964/65: Liverpool 2-2 West Ham Utd (Hurst 2)
1965/66: Liverpool 1-1 West Ham Utd (Hurst)
1966/67: Liverpool 2-0 West Ham Utd
1967/68: Liverpool 3-1 West Ham Utd (Peters)
1968/69: Liverpool 2-0 West Ham Utd
1969/70: Liverpool 2-0 West Ham Utd
1970/71: Liverpool 1-0 West Ham Utd
1971/72: Liverpool 1-0 West Ham Utd
1972/73: Liverpool 3-2 West Ham Utd (Robson 2)
1973/74: Liverpool 1-0 West Ham Utd

John Lyall: Pld12 W0 D4 L8 F5 A27 GD-22

1974/75: Liverpool 1-1 West Ham Utd (Robson)
1975/76: Liverpool 2-2 West Ham Utd (A.Taylor 2)
1976/77: Liverpool 0-0 West Ham Utd
1977/78: Liverpool 2-0 West Ham Utd
1981/82: Liverpool 3-0 West Ham Utd
1982/83: Liverpool 3-0 West Ham Utd
1983/84: Liverpool 6-0 West Ham Utd
1984/85: Liverpool 1-0 West Ham Utd
1985/86: Liverpool 3-1 West Ham Utd (Dickens)
1986/87: Liverpool 1-0 West Ham Utd
1987/88: Liverpool 0-0 West Ham Utd
1988/89: Liverpool 5-1 West Ham Utd (Rosenior)

Billy Bonds: Pld2 W0 D0 L2 F0 A3 GD-3

1991/92: Liverpool 1-0 West Ham Utd
1993/94: Liverpool 2-0 West Ham Utd

Harry Redknapp: Pld7 W0 D3 L4 F2 A13 GD-11

1994/95: Liverpool 0-0 West Ham Utd
1995/96: Liverpool 2-0 West Ham Utd
1996/97: Liverpool 0-0 West Ham Utd
1997/98: Liverpool 5-0 West Ham Utd
1998/99: Liverpool 2-2 West Ham Utd (Lampard, Keller)
1999/00: Liverpool 1-0 West Ham Utd
2000/01: Liverpool 3-0 West Ham Utd

Glenn Roeder: Pld2 W0 D0 L2 F1 A4 GD-3

2001/02: Liverpool 2-1 West Ham Utd (pen, Di Canio)
2002/03: Liverpool 2-0 West Ham Utd

Alan Pardew: Pld2 W0 D0 L2 F1 A4 GD-3

2005/06: Liverpool 2-0 West Ham Utd
2006/07: Liverpool 2-1 West Ham Utd (Zamora)

Alan Curbishley: Pld1 W0 D0 L1 F0 A4 GD-4

2007/08: Liverpool 4-0 West Ham Utd

Gianfranco Zola: Pld2 W0 D1 L1 F0 A3 GD-3

2008/09: Liverpool 0-0 West Ham Utd
2009/10: Liverpool 3-0 West Ham Utd

Avram Grant: Pld1 W0 D0 L1 F0 A3 GD-3

2010/11: Liverpool 3-0 West Ham Utd

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Liverpool v West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 5th April 2013
By: Preview Percy

Next up we pay a visit to Anfield where Liverpool will be our hosts.
Kick-off is 1.30pm on Sunday which means we'll be playing our second match
in little over a week. Blimey. What will they think of next?

There's engineering works on the line between Liverpool Street & Shenfield
first thing on Sunday so if you're trying to get to Euston for an early
train you may need to take that into account.

The home side sit in 7th place with 48 points from their 31 matches played
so far. They've won four and lost two of their last six in the league. The
wins came at Villa last weekend (2-1), at home to Bale (3-2), away at Wigan
(4-0) and at home to a Wembley-preoccupied Swansea (5-0).

They won't be qualifying for the so-called Champions League this season,
and, with even the Happy Shopper version in the shape of the Europa League
looking a long shot, the recent news about the club has been all about
top-scorer Luis Suarez who has expressed an interest in moving on to someone
who can promise European football. The quote ran something along the lines
of: "if another team comes around with more prospects of competing in
international club competition games, which is willing to have [me], they
are welcome. We would talk to the club, and we would see if I want to go
[or] if I don't want to go." Rather predictably the club were keen to play
the "probably misquoted in translation" card they like to use so much. The
official statement said that they were "100% certain" that he would stay.
It's not something I'd be too keen on testing out at the bookies myself.

The problem with Suarez, and make no mistake he is undoubtedly one of the
most gifted players you are likely to see, is that far too many on
Merseyside are happy to defend the indefensible as far as he is concerned –
something that reached its nadir with the t-shirts worn by players after the
Evra affair. Since then boss Brendan Rodgers was eager to broadcast how
unfair the press treatment Suarez was getting over his diving was. Rodgers
may have had a point with his comments that British players get an easier
ride over the diving thing – Gerrard has won countless free-kicks over the
years with that clever trick of tripping himself up after all. Admirable
though it was to see Suarez disciplined by the club over his antics, I might
have been more impressed had Rodgers read the riot act on any of the dozens
of times Suarez had dived before actually admitting to it in the press. The
message was clear – "don't admit anything and don't get caught".

Their captain is, of course, the inexplicably fireproof Steven Gerrard. One
could be forgiven for the misapprehension that the player is the greatest
player the world has seen if one based one's opinions on match commentaries.
For example, watching England in midweek the ITV gentlemen marvelled over
the three occasions he got a three foot pass right, strangely choosing to
talk about the weather on the multiple – and boy were they multiple -
occasions he gave the ball away. Like Suarez he knows when and how to fall
over, though, as mentioned earlier, he benefits from the dispensation given
to English players whenever the subject is raised. He'll score against us of
course – he usually does – but I'd still like to know what secrets he holds
over those responsible for providing tv commentary on matches to have them
fawn over him so much.

The earlier part of their season was notable for a lack of resources up
front. Having sent Andy Carroll on to better things they had hoped to bring
in Clint Dempsey from Fulham. The Cottagers took exception to Liverpool's
illegal efforts to sign the player and flogged the Septic to Spurs. This
left them relying on Suarez and the youngster Raheem Sterling. At that time
Sterling was also the subject of a rather unseemly struggle between the club
and his "advisors". As he was about to turn 18 Liverpool needed to secure
him on a new deal or face seeing him depart on the cheap at the end of term.
Meanwhile the player's advisors were keen to see the player on top wages, in
reflection, I am sure, of his then first XI regular status rather than from
any desire to increase the value of their 10%. The contract got sorted in
the end but one was left with the distinct feeling that nobody really gave a
monkeys' about the kid's welfare as long as they didn't lose out
financially.

The striker situation was sorted out during the January window with the
arrival of Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea for a rumoured £12m. I guess being
behind Torres in the pecking order would make anyone seek a move. It was
also rumoured that he had an aversion to being stuck out on the wing all the
time rather than in his preferred central role.

The other arrival in the window was Brazilian Phillipe Coutinho who came in
from Internazionale. Although technically an Inter player since 2008,
Coutinho spent the first two years of his Italian career with his original
Brazilian club Vasco Da Gama as a result of the Italian rule prohibiting the
playing of foreigners under the age of 18. When he finally got to the San
Siro there were noises from the then head coach Rafael Benitez along the
lines of "this player is our future". Those words proved to be about as
sensible as any of the rubbish Benitez has ever spoken and, failing to
impress in Italy, he was eventually shipped off to Espanyol on loan. His
form improved to the extent that he started appearing on people's radar and
Inter will have made a tidy profit with the £6.5-£8.5m (amount depending on
from which paper you source your transfer fee info) received from Liverpool.

The main absentee for the home side for this one will be midfielder Joe
Allen. Allen followed Rodgers from Swansea in the summer. However, his form
over the season hasn't over-impressed with things not being helped by
problems with his shoulder. Strangely for Liverpool, this wasn't caused by
an over-abundance of chips balanced thereon. Whatever the issue the player
went under the knife and will now miss the remainder of the season.

And what of us? Good win that one last weekend. We rode our luck a bit early
on with the save from Jaaskalainen that came back nicely off the post but
once we'd gone ahead there was no looking back. Apart from his goals – and
the second was a bit special wasn't it? - Carroll had a superb match and
West Brom found him unplayable. Shame then that the rules relating to his
loan spell will prevent him from appearing in this one. Carlton Cole this is
your moment to shine.

One has got to feel a little bit for George McCartney. Having done his
ligaments in it was rotten luck to get the same injury again only minutes
into his return. That looks to be his season done then. Mark Noble is also
likely to miss out with some reports suggesting we won't see him again this
season. Although Joe Cole was said to be close to a return last weekend in
the end his hamstring hadn't recovered enough to see him make the squad and
he's unlikely to be ready for this week either, which is a bit of a shame
given that he a) owes us having scored against us in the reverse fixture;
and b) owes them for stagnating his career. Noble's absence will mean
another start for Gary O'Neil who had a fine game last weekend – even
without the goal which was a deceptively fine finish.

History dictates that this will be a toughy. The last time we won here was
so long ago they were still doing legal transfer deals in that part of the
world. Even when we do play well at this venue the refereeing from officials
who have contributed to their trophy count so much over the years usually
kicks in to get them off the hook. Dives, dubious offsides, ignored fouls,
I've seen us stitched up by them all over the years. The choice of official
for this one (see below) doesn't inspire too much in the way of confidence
either, especially with Gerrard and Suarez ever ready to collapse at the
merest glance in the wrong direction.

Prediction? Well I'm loath to actually go to the bookies and actually bet
against us on the grounds of superstition. However, if I were to raid the
Avram Grant Rest Home For The Bewildered's Unseasonably Cold Weather Fuel
Contingency Fund (£2.50) and place it on a result I'm afraid I'd have to be
putting it on a 3-1 defeat this time, thus ensuring that new contract for
the manager is put on hold for another week or two.

Enjoy the game!

When Last We Met At Anfield: Lost 0-3 November 2010. A totally spineless
performance from us saw Johnson, Kuyt (statutory dubious pen) and Rodriguez
put the home side into a 3-0 lead at half time. That was about it.

Referee: Anthony Taylor. We last saw this clown in our home match against
Everton when he had an unbelievably poor game. The baffling sendings-off of
Carlton Cole and Darron Gibson ruined the match. Thankfully the decisions
were reversed on the grounds that no sane person would have made them in the
first place. Taylor received no punishment of course.

Danger Man:Luis Suarez. They can moan all they like about how referees
"misunderstand" him but, like Bale at Spurs, his undoubted talent is spoilt
by his blatant cheating. He and Gerrard must be licking their lips at the
prospect of having as dumb a ref as Taylor in charge for this one.

Daft Fact Of The Week: A few years ago when The Beatles finally settled
their long-running dispute with Apple over the use of Beatles songs on
iTunes, the good people at Fox News referred to the group as "Manchester's
favourite mopheads". This, of course was factually incorrect. As everyone
knows it was to London that the "Fab Four" escaped as soon as they had more
than tuppence to rub together.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Premier League: Liverpool welcome West Ham to Anfield on Sunday
Last Updated: April 5, 2013 11:13am
SSN

Liverpool will be looking to remain in the hunt for Europe when they welcome
West Ham United to Anfield on Sunday. The Reds sit seventh heading into the
latest round of fixtures, three points adrift of arch-rivals Everton and
five short of fifth-placed Arsenal. Overhauling the Toffees will be a top
priority for Brendan Rodgers and his players, with it important for them to
end the campaign as the top team on Merseyside. Should they succeed in that
quest, they may find themselves back in the Europa League for 2013/14. Four
wins in their last five have helped to keep Liverpool in contention and they
will be determined to end a campaign which started slowly with a flourish.
West Ham are, however, looking to end any lingering doubts regarding their
top-flight status. Two victories in their last three Premier League outings
have helped to lift them six points clear of the drop zone and one more win
should be enough to see them safe. Sam Allardyce will, however, be setting
his sights higher than that, with a top-half finish still very much on the
cards at Upton Park. They may find the going tough this weekend, though,
with the Hammers yet to secure a Premier League victory at Anfield - taking
just four points from 16 previous visits.

Liverpool
Last 6
1-2
3-1
3-2
0-4
3-1
5-0
Liverpool have no fresh injury or suspension concerns to contend with
heading into the weekend. Long-term absentees Martin Kelly (knee), Joe Allen
and Fabio Borini (both shoulder) remain the only men on the sidelines. It is
possible that Rodgers will keep faith with the starting XI that came from
behind to beat Aston Villa 2-1 last time out, meaning Daniel Sturridge and
Martin Skrtel will once again have to make do places on the bench.

West Ham
Last 6
3-1
2-0
0-1
2-3
2-1
1-0
West Ham will be unable to call upon the services of in-form Andy Carroll,
as the terms of his loan agreement prevent him from playing against his
parent club.
Joe Cole may, however, line up against former employers, with the midfielder
expected to shake off a hamstring complaint in time to put himself in
contention.
Mark Noble (shoulder) and George McCartney (knee) are unlikely to figure for
the Hammers again this season.

Opta stats

Liverpool have fired 242 shots off target in the league this season; 35 more
than any other side (Man City).
After masterminding a draw on his first Premier League trip to Anfield (Jan
2002), Sam Allardyce has seen his teams lose on each of his last eight trips
there.
Luis Suarez has created 77 chances from open play this season; more than any
other player in Europe's top five leagues.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce says West Ham will miss Andy Carroll against Liverpool
Last Updated: April 5, 2013 3:52pm
SSN

Sam Allardyce says Andy Carroll's enforced absence this weekend has come at
a frustrating time for the striker and West Ham. Injuries have meant a
stop-start season on loan in east London for Carroll, who is ineligible for
Sunday's trip to Liverpool under the terms of his deal. That means another
90 minutes on the sidelines a week after the 24-year-old - a summer transfer
target for the Hammers - showed a glimpse of his best form with two goals
against West Brom.
Allardyce said: "Andy looks to be in full flow and good goalscoring touch,
which is what we've been waiting for a long time. "It's frustrating to be
without Andy for Sunday and it is for him as well but that's the way the
fixtures have fallen."

Allardyce has never made a secret of his wish to make Carroll's loan
permanent - as long as the terms suit West Ham. He said "I think there'd be
a lot to be discussed between ourselves, Liverpool and Andy before that
could be the case, but once we're secure then we'll move on with that
business as quick as we possibly can. "I wouldn't have spent as much time as
I did trying to get him here if I didn't want him here on a permanent basis.
"We would have hoped he'd score a few more goals, but the circumstances
around why he hasn't are ones we can put right. In other words, keeping him
match-fit would mean more goals."

West Ham have not won at Liverpool for almost 50 years, but Allardyce said:
"On any given day on your best form you can win anywhere. "For most of those
50 years Liverpool have been so much better than everyone else that you
wouldn't expect to win there, but we're capable of winning there and if
we're on top form and take our chances we can."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam: We can't splash the cash
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: 8 hrs ago
The Sun

SAM ALLARDYCE has warned West Ham fans there will be no bank-busting
spending spree to go with their Olympic Stadium move. The Hammers boss
admits he must start constructing a team fit to grace the grand opening of
their new 54,000-capacity home in 2016. But West Ham are still £60million in
debt and incoming FIFA rules on balancing the books mean teams can no longer
live in permanent overdraft. Allardyce said: "There is a big motivation for
everybody to try and get West Ham to become the biggest club it's ever been.
"But the days of huge money being thrown at transfers look like they might
be restricted, so the growth of West Ham might not be as quick as we would
all like. "We are telling the fans now that it might be a problem and we
can't spend it because we are not allowed to. The fans will probably take a
while to understand that and I know the players and agents will. "So when we
turn round to an agent and say, 'We would like to pay you that but under the
new regime we can't', we'll go off somewhere else and hopefully find
everybody will say the same and it will bring a bit more financial stability
to the game. "But from my point of view it doesn't help that I want to build
a team as quick as I can and promote an exceptionally good Premier League
side in that stadium."

Putting a squad together to lift West Ham out of mid-table and to a place
reflecting the status of its proposed new home requires an investment
upwards of £300m. Winger Matt Jarvis is the club's current record signing at
just £10.75m. Allardyce revealed that work has already started on
recruitment for next season. But with Premier League safety still not
mathematically guaranteed, there remains an uncertainty about the financial
future. Co-chairman David Sullivan insists debt is being reduced and this
summer the Hammers will hand over the last instalment of an £18m payout to
Sheffield United over the Carlos Tevez affair. Big Sam added: "We are
gathering information on players' availability. There will be hundreds of
thousands of conversations and emails and, as everybody knows, David
Sullivan is highly active in that area. "He loves a conversation on what
players might become available, wherever they might be from."

On-loan Liverpool striker Andy Carroll is ineligible to play at Anfield
tomorrow under the terms of the deal. Former Reds midfielder Joe Cole is
also out with a hamstring injury. Allardyce said: "Our real problem has been
scoring goals away from home. "We've got to use the sort of finishing
qualities we did last Saturday against West Brom."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Karren Brady's football diary
The Sun
By KARREN BRADY
SunSport columnist
Published: 7 hrs ago

SATURDAY, MARCH 30

TWO goals from Andy Carroll and three points closer to the shoreline. By any
reckoning, our man Sam was right to insist that we bought winger Matt Jarvis
from Wolves last summer. Stats shown to me today reveal Jarvis as the
Premier League's leading open-play crosser of the ball with easily the most
successful attempts at 42 from 171. Analysts suggest this is because Sam
Allardyce prefers traditional wingers aiming the ball for big strikers.
Perhaps, but that's a gross under-estimation of Jarvis, who can be quietly
devastating. It worked today as Andy scored twice but we have to be without
our loan player at Liverpool this Sunday and someone else will have the
pleasure of meeting Jarvis' crosses.

SUNDAY, MARCH 31
WHEN David Miliband decided to ditch the Houses of Parliament for Manhattan,
I did wonder how he expected to earn £125,000 as vice-chairman of
Sunderland. We do not have to worry about that now as the one-time favourite
to lead the Labour party has resigned from the board because Paolo Di Canio
has been appointed Sunderland manager. Many times since we took over the
club Paolo has approached owners David Sullivan and David Gold about being
the manager of West Ham. I think they considered him briefly — something I
never did — but dismissed him on the basis that football and fascism do not
mix.

MONDAY, APRIL 1
WHEN a football was thrown to Barack Obama at a ceremony in Hawaii, the US
President set about juggling it on his head. Admittedly, balancing the
Middle East isn't quite so easy but it's still some feat for a guy who was
force-fed American football and basketball. The real news though is that the
President of the United States of America has joined our Family. Yes he's
declared himself a Hammer and a very proud one at that. And he's coming to a
game the next time he's here! Another man of taste and power who joins our
growing number of A-list celebrity supporters.

TUESDAY, APRIL 2
I'M finding it really hard to believe that Neil Warnock will no longer be
snarling on the touchlines of Football League grounds up and down the
country. Once managers move deeper into their sixties most of them either
lose their drive or lose touch with their players. But I know there is a
serious exception to this — and I do seriously believe that Neil will be
back before very long. I already know of one Championship club in London
whose chairman is considering having Warnock as his director of football.
He's seen it all and rescued so many teams, maybe we should call him the
Fireman. And I also know he does possess a good eye for a decent player —
because he once signed my husband!

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3
SCORES of coaches laden with United fans from all over the country roll into
the Old Trafford car parks on match days. But in their home-town clubs,
people who choose to back United or another big name are about as popular as
ants in your underpants. It's a free country but being true to your roots
says something about loyalty. So let's hear it for Stuart Astill, a Forest
supporter who had been home and away for 1,786 matches until he injured his
foot last weekend. This is great and I'd love to hear from any Hammers
follower who can match that record.

THURSDAY, APRIL 4
WHAT is it about Manchester City players? Carlos Tevez has been given 250
hours of community service for driving without insurance and Sami Nasri a
six-month driving ban. Nasri, likely to be earning about £100,000 a week,
won an appeal against a £1,900 fine but had no answer when the police came
back with a different charge for his speeding offences. It appears he didn't
know he was driving at the time. Roberto Mancini recently confirmed he's
been missing on the field, too. If I was City, I'd make my next signing a
chauffeur.

FRIDAY, APRIL 5
MYSELF and a host of friends from inside and outside football watch my
appearance on Piers Morgan's Life Stories from behind the sofa. Piers, a
massive Arsenal fan, spent most of the night talking to one of my guests who
attended the filming, David Dein. It's clear he'd love to be back in
football and I couldn't think of a better ambassador than David. I think the
funniest moment was when Piers asked me if I think I am sexy. Not as sexy as
you think you are I replied. And trust me, that's true!

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Andy won't leave on the cheap
The Sun
By PHIL THOMAS
Published: 8 hrs ago

BRENDAN RODGERS has told Andy Carroll's would-be suitors: You can forget
about getting him on the cheap. Geordie striker Carroll, who will watch from
the stands as West Ham play at Liverpool tomorrow, has spent the season on
loan at the Hammers. But Kop boss Rodgers has refused to slam the door on an
Anfield return — even though Carroll would be even further down the pecking
order now following the arrivals of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho.
The likeliest option still remains a permanent departure, with a return to
Newcastle in part-exchange for Hatem Ben Arfa a strong possibility. Yet that
does not mean the Reds will let the striker go for peanuts, even though Kop
top brass know they will take a hit on the £35million he cost from the Toon
in 2011. Rodgers warned: "It's absolutely the case that IF the player does
leave then it won't be for nothing. "It is no fault of his own but he came
here for an astronomical fee.
"There is no doubt Andy has real qualities — some of his goals from set-
plays with West Ham have proven that. And the financial aspect to it means
he won't be leaving on the cheap if he does."

The best Carroll could hope for back at Anfield is being used as an impact
player. But wages of around £90,000 a week on top of that huge price tag
mean it is unlikely the Reds would want him kicking his heels. Rodgers
added: "With every player it is about the style and how they fit into that.
If you look at Luis Suarez we are a team that is set up to exploit his
qualities. "It's not that Andy hasn't got qualities because, if we set up in
a different way, we'd get the best out of him. But we are happy with playing
around Luis."

When Rodgers missed out on landing Clint Dempsey from Fulham on last
summer's deadline day, it left Suarez as the only senior striker on the
books. Yet the Northern Irish manager still cannot understand those who
slammed his decision to let Carroll go on loan. He added: "I find it funny
when I hear people saying we shouldn't have let Andy go out. It was the
right thing because it is not just about the football, there is a financial
implication here too. "At this moment the club isn't one which can have that
money sitting on the bench, in terms of what he cost and his wages."

The Hammers come to Anfield for a game Liverpool MUST win if they want any
chance of European football next season. Yet Carroll — as was so often the
norm before he went on loan — will be no more than an onlooker, as the terms
of his Upton Park loan mean he cannot play.

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Claret 'n bruised
By ANDREW DILLON
Published: 8 hrs ago

WEST HAM boss Sam Allardyce is claret, black and blue through and through.
Big Sam, 58, is nursing four stitches in his nut and will be sporting a
black eye when he leads out the Hammers at Liverpool tomorrow. He arrived
for a Press conference yesterday with a plaster over his right eye after
slipping over in a 'kitchen accident'. The former Bolton defender hopes the
bruises will help put the frighteners on Liverpool. But he admitted: "I
recommend not having a marble worktop. I'd say it won hands down."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carroll stinger: Liverpool's Rodgers drops huge hint that £35m Andy has no
future at Anfield
5 Apr 2013 22:31
The Mirror
Steve Bardens

Brendan Rodgers will refuse to let Andy Carroll leave Liverpool on the
cheap, but admits his Anfield blueprint is designed around Luis Suarez.
On-loan Carroll can't play for West Ham against his parent club on Sunday,
but the £35million man is still the centre of attention going into the
match. Reds manager Rodgers said: "It's absolutely the case that, just the
same as last season, if the player does leave, then it won't be for nothing.
"It's no fault of his own, but he came here for an astronomical fee. "There
is no doubt Andy has real qualities – some of his goals from set plays with
West Ham have proven that. There is the financial aspect to it. He won't be
leaving on the cheap."

Some-time England centre-forward Carroll is the Merseysiders' all-time
record signing and is on £80,000 a week but doesn't seem to fit into a
game-plan that focuses on Suarez's talents. "With every player it is about
the style, and how they fit into that," added Rodgers. "We are a team that
is set up to exploit Suarez's qualities, and he has flourished in the
roaming role we have given him "We are the second-highest goal-scorers in
the league, so we have been able to score goals all season – and we are
happy with playing around a talent like Luis. "The club can't have that
money sat on the bench, in terms of what Andy cost and his wages. "The big
boy's gone out and he's scored five goals, probably not played as often as
he and West Ham would have liked, but there was a massive price tag on him
and we have to consider that."

Hammers manager Sam Allardyce has an agreement to pay £17m for Carroll if he
chooses to make the move permanent. Allardyce said: "There'd be a lot to be
discussed between ourselves, Liverpool and Andy before that could be the
case. But at the end of the season, we'll move on with that business as
quickly as we possibly can. "I wouldn't have spent as much time as I did
trying to get him here last year if I wouldn't have wanted him on a
permanent basis. "We'd hoped that he would've scored a few more goals, but I
think the circumstances are ones we could put right – keeping him match fit
and clear of injuries."

Carroll, 24, has been hampered by injury this season and a return to
Newcastle in an exchange deal for the Geordies' Hatem Ben Arfa is believed
to appeal to the player. Allardyce added: "He has got to go and play in
someone's first team and score goals and continue his development at his
age. "The number of goal-scoring players in the England squad is very
limited. I would be surprised if Andy doesn't get back in there. "But he
needs to be playing in someone's first team on a regular basis."

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 5th April 2013

Trio enhance post-match recovery
WHUFC.com
West Ham United sports scientists worked with their old university to boost
players' post-match recovery
04.04.2013

Three West Ham United sports scientists have teamed up with their old
university on a ground-breaking project to enhance footballers' post-match
recovery.
Fitness coach Eamon Swift and assistant sports scientist Matt Evans both
graduated from Swansea University's Research Centre in Applied Sports,
Technology, Exercise and Medicine (A-STEM), while sports science intern Tom
Taylor is working with the club as part of this Master of Science
qualification. The trio collaborated with A-STEM's Dr Liam Kilduff and a
number of other academics and postgraduate students on the project, which
integrates a new recovery method into players' post-game management
practices. Previous research has shown that players can take up to four days
to fully recover following a competitive game - something that can become an
issue during an often packed fixture list. Swift said the opportunity to
work on a project with his former university had been a beneficial and
enjoyable experience, with the recovery management practices now being put
into practical use by the players at Chadwell Heath.

"Player recovery is a key area in professional football and one that we have
been looking at for a number of years," said Swift. "When Tom joined us as
an intern and the opportunity arose to work with Dr Kilduff on a project of
this nature, we were obviously very keen to be involved. "Swansea
University's reputation in elite sport research is second to none - the
research Dr Kilduff and his colleagues at A-STEM conduct has real impact in
our environment.
"We feel this recovery strategy has great potential in our environment, in
particular around periods of intense scheduling and travel demands. A number
of our senior players have reported back to me that they feel the recovery
method has aided in their post-game recovery."

Dr Kilduff explained that the practises focused on helping tired muscles to
recover by increasing blood flow. Studies have highlighted that
high-intensity running, sprinting, and change of direction are the main
components of the game that impact on the physiological recovery of
players," he said. The study we have just completed with West Ham use well
established markers of recovery to examine how a new recovery strategy -
based on increased muscle blood flow - may aid players' recovery.
"Preliminary findings in rugby players have shown this technique to have a
potential role in the recovery process, especially when coupled with the
travel demands placed on professional athletes in the modern game. "We
already have a strong relationship with West Ham, with three of our Sports
Science graduates now working at the club. Hopefully this relationship -
built on collaboration and knowledge exchange - will continue to develop in
the future to benefit the players, the club, and Swansea University's sports
science research."

MSc student Taylor, who is spending the 2012/13 season with the Hammers,
said he was delighted that the project had been of real benefit to the
players he works with on a daily basis. "After completing my undergraduate
Sports Science degree at Swansea," he said. "I decided to apply to study for
an MSc degree and Dr Kilduff assisted me with securing an internship at West
Ham United alongside my studies. "I chose to focus on recovery in
professional football players because, after discussions with Eamon, it was
clear this was an area we felt we could make a real difference to the
players' preparation. "The internship and the opportunity to work on this
collaborative research project have allowed me to work with two world-class
sports science teams. It has been an excellent experience and it has most
definitely enhanced my skills and employability prospects for the future."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jack recalls Liverpool victory
WHUFC.com
Jack Burkett was in the last West Ham United side to win at Anfield - nearly
50 years ago!
04.04.2013

When it comes to collector's items, West Ham United wins at Liverpool are
among the rarest of commodities. As every Hammers fan will no doubt be
aware, West Ham have not won at Anfield on any of their previous 41 visits
dating back nearly 50 years to a 2-1 victory on 14 September 1963. The
1963/64 season ended with the Reds being crowned Division One champions and
West Ham winning the FA Cup for the first time. Amazingly, Ron Greenwood's
side did the 'double' over Bill Shankly's team, scoring a 1-0 success at the
Boleyn Ground on 18 January 1964. One man who played in both victories was
full-back Jack Burkett, who recalls West Ham's most-recent yet long-ago win
at Anfield clearly. "I cannot believe I was in the side last time we won
there!" half-joked Burkett, who is now 70 and lives in Leigh-on-Sea. "I can
certainly remember the game. It was a hard one for us and to win up there
against a strong Liverpool team was certainly a feat. "We had lost twice to
late goals at Anfield the previous season, 1-0 in the FA Cup sixth round and
1-0 in the league, which were obviously disappointing results, so to beat
them was fantastic. "Liverpool had some good players back then - players
like Roger Hunt, Ian Callaghan and Ian St John - so when you look back, it
wasn't a bad result! Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst scored our goals, so we
also had some big players on the pitch."

While Liverpool were building towards their sixth league title and first
since 1947, West Ham were entering a golden period in the club's history.
Greenwood's side would add to the FA Cup they lifted in 1964 by winning the
European Cup Winners' Cup the following year, while Peters, Hurst and Bobby
Moore won the FIFA World Cup alongside Hunt and Callaghan in 1966. "I think
it was a time when we were looking to build a good side," recalls Burkett.
"When you look back, games like that were just normal for us, because we won
a lot of away games that we weren't expected to win. "When you win games
when people don't give you a chance, like we did at Anfield, it feels even
better than when you win a game you're expected to win."

Another man who was part of the West Ham side that day and in their two
subsequent cup final successes was goalkeeper Jim Standen, who helped the
Hammers to victory by saving Ronnie Moran's second-half penalty. "Ronnie
didn't miss too many penalties but Jim saved his shot that day," said
Burkett. "When Jim was on form, he was one of the hardest goalkeepers in the
country to beat. He was a real character and very under-rated. "Ron only
paid £6,000 to sign him from Luton Town in 1962 and he turned out to be a
real bargain because he was a very good goalkeeper. He was also a very good
cricketer, winning a County Championship medal with Worcestershire, and that
meant he was very agile."

Fast forward nearly half-a-century and Burkett is looking forward to
Sunday's Barclays Premier League fixture at Anfield - although he is unsure
whether the present-day Hammers can emulate the feat achieved by Greenwood's
side. "Liverpool are going through a spell of revamping their squad, as they
have been for the last few years, but they have been playing well recently.
That said, West Ham won last Saturday and that victory should keep them in
the Premier League. "It will be a hard game on Sunday because Liverpool won
away at Aston Villa last weekend and Luis Suarez is a striker who is very
difficult to keep quiet. If we can do that, I think we can get a draw, which
would be as good as a win in my book."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sullivan panned for Di Canio outburst
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 4th April 2013
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United co-owner David Sullivan has been accused of hypocrisy after
he condemned Paolo Di Canio for his fascist leanings. West Ham United's
co-owner, speaking in an article for the Independent entitled 'Fascists Have
No Place In Our Game' insisted that Di Canio should have renounced his
beliefs before taking the high-profile job. "Until he provides a clear
refutation of his previous position, we'll have to assume he thinks fascism
and football can get along," said Sullivan. "Well, not in my book, they
can't, and Sunderland should not have appointed him manager."

Yet in an earlier interview which appeared the Telegraph in February 2012,
there were no such concerns from Sullivan who insisted that Di Canio has
been considered for the then-vacant West Ham position. "He loves West Ham
and West Ham loves him," said Sullivan. "He's on a par with Tevez with the
supporters but last summer we had to go for safety. We went for Sam
[Allardyce] because we wanted experience. "With Paolo, if we'd brought him
in then, had he done badly we'd have looked so stupid. You really want to
see someone earn their apprenticeship as a manager."

Despite Sullivan's current concerns, the club continue to host supporters in
the Paolo Di Canio lounge on match days - whilst a string of items featuring
the former West Ham striker can still be found in the club shop. And it is
that apparent inconsistency which has led to a number of fans criticising
Sullivan's comments in the last 24 hours. "I see no reason why Mr Sullivan
had to make any statement regarding the situation," said KUMB member Sweeney
Bod.
"Will Mr.Sullivan now rename the suite named in honour of our erstwhile
legend? I would think that retaining the name would be hypocritical in light
of this statement. "And if I was Sunderland's chairman, I would be making a
complaint to the FA over an opposition chairman talking about the potential
recruitment, or non-recruitment, of their recent appointed manager. Yup, you
could not make it up."

Another supporter, referrring to the industry in which Sullivan made his
fortune added: "The king of the dildos waxing lyrical about morality? This
is a circus, beam me up!"

Whilst FrostyLemon said: "How can Sullivan be so idiotic? He's really sunk
to a low on this one, talk about double standards. How can you slate a guy
in the paper when you're selling merchandise with his name on it?"

* Fans hit out - read the original forum thread in which Sullivan was panned
by the fans.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Matt Jarvis hoping West Ham can bridge a gap of almost 50 years by winning
at Anfield
Last Updated: April 4, 2013 5:35pm
SSN

Winger Matt Jarvis is hoping West Ham can bridge a gap of almost 50 years by
winning in Liverpool on Sunday. The Hammers last won at Anfield in September
1963 and Jarvis admitted it would be a remarkable feat to beat the Europa
League hopefuls in their own backyard. Jarvis was instrumental in helping
the home side to a 3-1 home victory over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
"You don't get any easy games and away to Liverpool will be extremely hard
but we're full of confidence after Saturday." the 26-year-old told West Ham
TV. "Let's not talk about (the club's Anfield record), but if we can go
there and get a result, it would be a fantastic achievement."

Jarvis reserved special praise for midfielder Gary O'Neil, who has come into
the first-team line-up after an injury to Mark Noble, and England forward
Andy Carroll after his two goals against the Baggies. "Gary O'Neil has been
fantastic the last few weeks," he added. "He puts in such a shift and
doesn't get the praise he deserves. "The first goal's typical Andy, that's
him, getting in the box, getting his head on it. The second one was a great
strike. Technically, it's probably up there with the hardest things in
football and he nailed it."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers yet to make a decision on Andy Carroll's
future
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo. Last Updated: April
4, 2013 6:15pm
SSN

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers admits he will wait until the end of the
season to discuss Andy Carroll's long-term future at Anfield. Carroll is
currently on a season-long loan at West Ham after finding himself surplus to
requirements under Rodgers. Reports have suggested Rodgers was considering
offering Carroll a lifeline at Liverpool next season if he accepted that he
would not a be a regular starter at Anfield. Rodgers admits Liverpool have
been keeping tabs on Carroll's progress at Upton Park, but was remaining coy
on whether or not the striker would be handed a second chance at Anfield
next season. "We've monitored it very closely," Rodgers told Fox. "We've had
representatives from Liverpool at most of the games. "It's obviously been a
difficult season for Andy because his initial idea was he wanted to go out
and play every week, but unfortunately for him he's picked up some injuries
since he's been away. "But he scored two very good goals at the weekend and
he'll be looking to finish the season on a high and achieve the objectives
he wanted to before he went out."

On Carroll's future beyond the end of the current campaign, Rodgers added:
"It's nothing to discuss now. It's something we'll speak about at the end of
the season."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sullivan: Di Canio Will Never Manage West Ham Until He Renounces Fascism
Properly
By Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die

David Sullivan has put to paper in The Independent today on the Paolo Di
Canio situation, and very interesting reading it makes too. You can read the
full article HERE, but here are some choice extracts. Pay particular
attention to the conclusion.

Paolo Di Canio is in the top rank of West Ham legends, up there with such
luminaries as Sir Trevor Brooking, Martin Peters, Sir Geoff Hurst, and
Carlos Tevez, and just below the peerless Sir Bobby Moore. He has been a
tremendous supporter of the club for years and, whenever I've met him,
struck me as charming, intelligent and what you might call Italian in the
extreme.

For all these reasons, I find it very hard to criticise him – but harder
still to swallow the events of this week. Put simply, Paolo should not be
managing a football club until he has convincingly renounced fascism. The
statement he issued yesterday was, if not too late, certainly too broad.
Until he provides a clear refutation of his previous position, we'll have to
assume he thinks fascism and football can get along. Well, not in my book,
they can't, and Sunderland should not have appointed him manager.


When, years ago, he lifted his arm in a Nazi salute, I took it to be a daft
gesture by a player ingratiating himself with lunatic fans. This week, he's
totally failed to account for such behaviour, or say that he's changed his
mind after all. Can we really tolerate a champion of such ideology occupying
a very senior position in our national game?

Two other questions about this saga fascinate me. First, why is it suddenly
an issue now, when he was for some time a manager at Swindon? Partly because
David Miliband resigned in protest – clever politics – and partly because it
happened over Easter, when there wasn't much other news around. But the idea
that it only matters if he's a fascist now that he's at Sunderland is an
insult to the people of Swindon.

Second, should different standards apply for managers as compared with
players? My answer is: no, but they inevitably do. Fascism is always
intolerable, but managers, like owners, have an additional duty to the wider
community. That is why, despite having once considered him a future manager
of West Ham, my partner David Gold and I wouldn't do so now – unless he
renounced his extreme views. The point is not that football and fascism do
not mix (Paolo shows they often can); the point is, they ought not to – as
Sunderland should know.

So, what do we make of that?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
I couldn't employ Paolo Di Canio, says West Ham's David Sullivan
04 April 2013
The Evening Standard

West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan today insisted he would not consider
former player Paolo di Canio as a future manager of the club because of his
fascist views.

Di Canio, who was appointed as the new Sunderland manager this week, was
linked with a return to West Ham earlier this season but, writing in today's
Independent, Sullivan said the 44-year-old should not manage in England
until he has renounced his political beliefs. "Fascism is always intolerable
but managers, like owners, have an additional duty to the wider community,"
said Sullivan. "That is why, despite having once considered him a future
manager of West Ham, my partner David Gold and I wouldn't do so now — unless
he renounced his extreme views.

"Paolo di Canio is in the top rank of West Ham legends. He has been a
tremendous supporter of the club for years and, whenever I've met him,
struck me as charming, intelligent and what you might call Italian in the
extreme. For all these reasons, I find it very hard to criticise him — but
harder still to swallow the events of this week. Put simply, Paolo should
not be managing a club until he has convincingly renounced fascism."

Di Canio yesterday issued a statement claiming he does not support ideology
of fascism but Sullivan said: "The statement he issued was, if not too late,
certainly too broad. Until he provides a clear refutation of his previous
position, we'll have to assume he thinks fascism and football can get along.
Sunderland should not have appointed him manager."

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 4th April 2013

Academy stars target Olympic dream
WHUFC.com
West Ham United youngsters Elliot Lee and Blair Turgott would love to step
out at the Olympic Stadium
03.04.2013

West Ham United youngsters Blair Turgott and Elliot Lee were given a glimpse
of the future when they were present for the announcement that the club had
been given the right to make the Olympic Stadium their home. The pair, who
are regulars for the Development Squad, aim to continue in the fine
tradition of young footballers coming through the ranks for the Hammers.
Turgott recently signed a new two-year deal with the club, while Lee has
notched eleven goals for the Under-18 and Under-21 sides this season, and
they would both love to be involved when the Hammers make the move in three
years time. With Lee having debuted for the first team at Old Trafford, and
Turgott experiencing Wembley during his loan spell at Bradford City for the
Capital One Cup final, they have already tasted the big stage. 18-year-old
striker Lee said: "For me and Blair being young players coming through,
hopefully one day we can look forward to playing there. It can only benefit
the club and everyone involved with it. "I was honoured to make my debut at
Old Trafford and to play somewhere like this in 2016 would be brilliant as
well."

Turgott added: "It was nice to see the press conference and hear the
announcement that we're going to get the Olympic Stadium. It's obviously
great for the club and great for its future. "It's going to be in the top
five biggest football stadiums in the UK, the stature of the club fits it.
Playing there week in, week out, being the home team, would give you a lift.
"It was rocking during the Olympics and it'll be rocking when we go there."

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Vice-Chairman on Life Stories
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Vice-Chairman Karren Brady will be appearing on Piers Morgan
Life Stories on Friday evening
03.04.2013

West Ham United Vice-Chairman Karren Brady will be making a special
appearance on hit TV show Piers Morgan Life Stories this Friday evening. Ms
Brady takes to the hot seat as she talks openly to Mr Morgan about the
experiences that have helped shape her life and career so far and how she
became Vice-Chairman of east London's most famous club back in 2010. She
goes on to speak about some of the toughest battles she has faced, both in
the Boardroom and at home trying to juggle motherhood and a highly
successful career. The Vice-Chairman also discusses how she is leading the
campaign to tackle sexism in the workplace and how pure grit and
determination helped guide her during the tough negotiations for the Olympic
Stadium, win CEO of the Year in 2012 and become the youngest Managing
Director in the Football League aged just 23. Piers Morgan Life Stories:
Karren Brady is on ITV1 at 9pm on Friday night or on the ITV Player after
the show here
https://www.itv.com/itvplayer/piers-morgan-s-life-stories/series-5/episode-1
2-karren-brady

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Jarvis glad to be winging it
WHUFC.com
Matt Jarvis revels in his role as he reflects on three more well-earned
points at the Boleyn Ground
03.04.2013

West Ham United wideman Matt Jarvis insists life on the wing is a joy with
the likes of Andy Carroll busting a gut to get on the end of his crosses.
The 26-year-old winger was at his menacing best for much of Saturday
afternoon, as the Hammers strode to a seventh league win at the Boleyn
Ground. While Carroll and co are no doubt grateful of the service, a
typically modest Jarvis is just glad to see his unstinting work go to good
use. "You know you can always put a ball in, just stand it up, or whip it
across and there's always going to be someone there that's dying to get on
the end of it," he told West Ham TV. "That's what I enjoy doing. Getting the
ball, running at players, putting in crosses and hopefully getting a few
shots in myself. I got a lot of the ball in the first half and maybe didn't
get quite enough of it in the second, but overall I'm pleased with my
performance."

Though Carroll stole the show with his memorable double, Jarvis was quick to
pay tribute to fellow midfielder Gary O'Neil, whose eye-catching goal capped
another classy display in the heart of midfield. That said, Jarvis was as
impressed as anyone with Carroll's twin strike. "Gary O'Neil has been
fantastic the last few weeks," he added. "He puts in such a shift and
doesn't get the praise he deserves. "The first goal's typical Andy, that's
him, getting in the box, getting his head on it. The second one was a great
strike. Technically, it's probably up there with the hardest things in
football and he nailed it."

Jarvis was in no doubt of the significance of Saturday's convincing win, one
that he expects to give everyone a huge lift. Though Sunday's trip to
Liverpool is, of course, a difficult one, for Jarvis, the squad's renewed
confidence could prove all important. "We've always played well at home this
season. We came flying out of the blocks, got our lead and managed to hold
onto it. It's a massive boost to get a win, especially in front of the crowd
and hopefully that can move us on. "You don't get any easy games and away to
Liverpool will be extremely hard but we're full of confidence after
Saturday. Let's not talk about [the club's record at Anfield], but if we can
go there and get a result, it would be a fantastic achievement."

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Hammers honoured at Kickz Awards
WHUFC.com
West Ham United scoop two prizes for community work with the Kickz project
03.04.2013

The West Ham United Kickz project scooped two prizes at the prestigious 2013
Kickz Awards ceremony at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge home on Tuesday.
The glittering event celebrates the work of the Premier League's flagship
community project over the last 12 months and honours all of the
participants, staff and volunteers who are helping to turn people's lives
around in some of the most disadvantaged parts of the community. The club's
Kickz co-ordinator George Chukwuma was delighted to see two youngsters from
his project rewarded for their input and progress in the scheme. "I'm really
proud to see our two participants receive awards today. They've both worked
hard over the last year and I hope they continue to make progress with us in
the future," said George.
"I joined West Ham United as a youngster and moved up the ladder from a
volunteer to a full time member of the team and I hope they are inspired by
my journey too."

Volunteer Award

This award is to recognise one volunteer (aged 16-25) from each community
scheme, highlighting their contribution and commitment. Philip Brown, 17,
has developed both his football ability and commitment considerably since
his involvement in the programme and he undertakes tasks to assist coaches
or lend a hand at events. The teenager first began attending West Ham's
Kickz programme at the age of 12 and has since represented the Kickz
football team at various tournaments. Philip, who also completed a work
experience placement within the club's community department during last
year's Easter break, has earned several qualifications through the Kickz
scheme including an FA Level 1 coaching badge and Community Leaders Awards.

Inspiring Young Person Award

This award allowed each club's community scheme to give recognition to a
nominated young person (aged 12-18) from their Kickz project based on
achievement, attitude, commitment and actions to help make the project a
success. West Ham's winner Jeremiah Kamanzi is a shining example of how the
Kickz project can be a positive influence in the life of a young person.
Having attended the project since the age of 13, the keen footballer has
progressed to a young volunteer role, helping coaches with the planning of
sessions and also taking warm-ups and cool downs after training. Although
young Jeremiah was unable to attend the event, the award was collected by
Kai Parkinson on his behalf.

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Crofty revved up for Olympic Stadium
WHUFC.com
Sky Sports Formula 1 commentator David Croft believes a move to Stratford
will boost West Ham United
03.04.2013

David Croft has watched West Ham United in action all over the world - now
he cannot wait to cheer on his Hammers at the Olympic Stadium. The Sky
Sports F1 HD commentator and lifelong West Ham supporter took advantage of a
break in the Grand Prix calendar to attend Saturday's 3-1 Barclays Premier
League victory over West Bromwich Albion with his five-year-old son Daniel.
Croft, who travels the world in between trips to the Boleyn Ground, says he
and Daniel cannot wait for West Ham to move to Straford, especially if it
means their beloved club will have a greater chance of challenging for
honours. "I'm quite excited about the move," said Croft, who reported at the
2004 Athens Olympic Games for BBC Radio 5 Live. "'Retractable seats' are the
best two words I have heard about the bid other than the three words 'West
Ham win'. "I don't want to go anywhere and sit miles from the pitch, so if
we have retractable seats the sight-lines will be fantastic. I've been to
the Olympic Stadium before and during the Olympics and I don't think it will
be a problem. "My five-year-old son is hugely excited about it. That's the
future of the club. I've been coming to Upton Park since I was 15 or 16 and
I love the place and have so many happy memories, but I want my team to be a
force to be reckoned with. I'm a father now and I want this club to mean as
much to my son as it does to me, and some silverware has got to come with
that. "I started supporting West Ham just before we won the FA Cup in 1980
and sadly thought more might come along on a regular basis, but it hasn't!
Once you pick your team, you never lose them. "To compete with the top
clubs, we needed to find a bigger stadium and the best thing for us to do is
to move into the Olympic Stadium for the club and for the area. West Ham
will continue to grow and grow and everyone who wants to see our matches
will be able to do so and afford to do so, especially with 100,000 tickets
being given away to those who really can't afford it. "I love this club and
I want it to grow and to start winning things. I want a bit of success and
to take my son to a cup final or a European match or even a Champions League
match - who knows? I just want a bit of glory and we need the big stadium to
achieve it."

Croft said he and Daniel had a great time watching Andy Carroll and company
firing West Ham to a vital victory over West Brom in person - a far cry from
the broadcaster's often tireless attempts to watch the Hammers in action
while working overseas. "We loved our day out. I always bring my son so he's
been coming since he was three. I thought it was a cracking performance and
the best I've seen Andy Carroll play for West Ham, winning everything in the
air, showing great control and scoring a fantastic volley to win us the
match. I thought we were absolutely superb from start to finish."

"I get more opportunities to watch West Ham play on the other side of the
world than I would by being in the UK and I will go to the nth degree to
make sure I don't miss a match! "At our first Grand Prix of the season in
Australia, I was wondering how on Earth I was going to find a bar to watch
the game in at three o'clock in the morning in Melbourne. Luckily, I didn't
need to as I had it on Fox Sports in my hotel bedroom, so I sat and watched
us play Chelsea until about a quarter to five in the morning - you have to
be there in spirit! "If I can get to see a West Ham game on TV while I'm
away, I'll do anything I can to do so. At the United States Grand Prix in
November, I was in Austin and we were the Monday night game against Stoke
City. "Someone told us to go to a bar called Bikinis because they have the
game on. It didn't come on, so they told us to try the Irish bar down the
road. We pegged it down there and just about got there in time for kick-off,
but they had a staff training day on and were closed! "We were just about to
give up when they told us to go to The Jackalope, which calls itself the
'Greatest bar in Austin', because the owner is West Ham fan! We got there
ten minutes in and were already a goal down so it wasn't a very happy sight.
We sat and watched it over the internet and it was worth it because we got a
point in the end!"

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Are We At Last Starting to See the Real Andy Carroll?
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die

Just when many Hammers fans were writing off Andy Carroll, as a possible
summer signing, he goes and puts in the type of centre forward performance
that was originally expected of him. Yes, Carroll was physically a right
handful, for our opponents, in a number of games this season. But last
Saturday there was something extra in his display. As Alan Shearer stated on
MoTD, this was the type of 'nasty' centre forward display that Carroll put
in so often, while at Newcastle Utd, and prompted Liverpool to pay a club
record £35m fee. Indeed, Carroll appeared more mobile, far fitter and hungry
for the ball and to score goals. That was the big difference.

Carroll's game suffered at Liverpool, where he never seemed to realise his
potential. Whether that was because he was in awe of being at a bigger club,
suffered from the expectations that go with a £35m transfer fee or the
Liverpool playing style did not suit him. Whatever, a lot of commentators
predicted that Sam Allardyce's tactics would suit him better. And that
looked to be the case, as he put in a towering physical display, on his
debut, against Fulham. Then disaster struck in the form of injury, which
resulted in the disruption of a long lay off. He then returned and was
getting back fitness and form when an untimely injury struck yet again.
Obviously, having his season on loan at West Ham interrupted by long period
in the treatment room was far from ideal. But now he has regained full
fitness, his form has returned and that hunger to score, hitherto seemingly
absent, now seems to have also resurfaced after a long absence.

Did we finally see the real Andy Carroll last Saturday? It certainly appears
that way, although his critics will no doubt want to see a few more displays
of that calibre before conceding the issue. Its just a pity that Carroll is
to be forced to sit out this Sunday's fixture at Anfield. But at least he
will be fresh, and ready to go, for the following game against the Saints
and there will the added challenge of an head-to-head with Ricky Lambert.
Just recently many sources have been suggesting that West Ham may seek to
bring in Lambert as a replacement for Carroll this summer. So, Carroll might
feel that there is a point to be made in that particular match. And that's
hope that he builds upon the WBA performance and makes his point very
forcefully!

The press seem split over Carroll's destination in the summer, with The
Telegraph maintaining he has no future at Anfield, while the Daily Mirror
and Daily Mail go with the alternative line that Brendan Rogers will offer
him a Liverpool lifeline, as a 'impact substitute,' if West Ham do not take
up the £17m option to buy him this summer. The other story circulating is
that Rogers may attempt a swap deal with Newcastle Utd (if they avoid
relegation) with Carroll and Ben Arfa swopping clubs. This is a divergence
of opinion probably reflects the fact that no one actually knows what will
transpire this summer, so speculation replaces fact, until being proved or
disproved with the fullness of time. What we do know is that Sam Allardyce
has stated publicly that he wants conclude a permanent deal for Carroll. We
also know that Carroll appears happy at the club and that the owners have
committed to improving the squad in the run up to the 2016 move to the
Olympic Stadium. And a deal for Carroll could form a part of that revised
transfer policy this summer.

Another player recently talked of as a high profile signing in the summer is
Wilfred Bony. This story has had more ups and downs than West Ham's results
this season, with some sections of the press trumpeting Bony's capture,
ahead of the summer, and others pouring very cold water on his prospects of
joining us. Again, who knows the truth, but the probability is that, if
tempted to join West Ham, he is likely to see us as a 'stepping stone' in
his career path to the clubs competing in the Champions League. Even if this
is true, then surely few fans would complain if he scored 20-25 goals a
season for us, over a couple of campaigns, and helped us challenge for
honours and move forward as a club. Especially, if he attracted a large fee
and the means by which to capture a quality replacement. Perhaps that is how
we supporters should view the majority of modern players, ditch the
unrealistic expectation that they will show the club long-term loyalty and
rather view it as a case of us getting the very best out of them, before we
cash-in and buy a replacement who goes on to do a similar, if not better
job.

The likes of Wigan have been doing this for ages, identifying good quality
over-seas talent, harnessing their abilities to facilitate survival in the
PL and then replacing them, with players of similar quality, when they
inevitably move on to bigger clubs. Its just a matter of degree, really, as
currently middle ranking clubs, such as West Ham, raid the Wigans for their
best players and we are, in turn, vulnerable to the transfer approaches of
the PL top six sides. That is our current situation and it is likely to
continue to be so until secure the increased venues from the OS and look to
gate crash the top six regularly. Then we will have far better prospects of
signing and retaining the best talent on a longer term basis. Surely this
more pragmatic view of players is better than the inevitable outraged and
hurt reaction of fans when a player, like Ba or Diame, is successful at the
club and is then linked with the top PL clubs. After all, this club is
bigger than any one player and the bottom line for us must be that the
player has contributed to our success, while with us, and we have a quality
replacement ready to come in and continue the overall advancement of the
clubs cause. The major exception to that general approach being that we must
hold on to and develop our quality home grown youngsters at all costs.

Anyway, its a moot point. Another frequently mooted point, just recently,
has been about Paolo Di Canio and his alleged political sympathies.
Personally, I doubt very much that Paolo is an ideological Fascist. Any
association is likely to be more indirect and emotional, based upon Lazio's
historical reputation as Mussolini's favourite club and his youthful
affiliation to the club's extremist faction of supporters. Within the
context of Rome's fierce footballing rivalry, this will probably have been
reinforced by Roma's perception as the City's 'leftist' club (hence that
infamous 'salute' in front of the Roma fans). Yes, Paolo's statements about
Mussolini have been quoted selectively and designed to put him in the worst
possible light, but the fact is that he has been equivocal in the past in
his references to Italian Fascism! And Fascism is one of those things that
requires an unequivocal and consistent response. It must be rejected and
fought wherever it appears, until it is completely eliminated. There can be
no compromises with it on any level.

There is no reason to believe that Paolo di Canio is an actual Fascist,
especially considering that he has shown no interest in supporting the
current far-right parties in his native Italy. I also believe him when he
says he is not a racist, because the fact is there is no evidence to the
contrary. But I think that David Sullivan is correct in his article, in
today's edition of The Independent, when he wrote that West Ham could not
consider appointing a manager where there was any question about that person
sympathizing with Fascism. That would damage the club's reputation in the
community; undermining recent progress in promoting equality and
non-discrimination and marginalising any tiny pro-Nazi/anti-Semitic element
in our support. As Sullivan argues, for Di Canio to be considered as a
future West Ham Manager, he must first clearly and unequivocally reject
Fascism once and for all. That is sound advice!

I sincerely hope that he heeds David Sullivan's advice, because I think that
Paolo has the potential to be a top manager. So, if he does aspire to manage
the club, in the future, he should make a clear statement and take the issue
out of the equation once and for all.

S J Chandos.

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Carlton banks less cash
Exclusive
By CARL LONG
Published: 03rd April 2013
The Sun

CARLTON COLE'S West Ham future is 50-50 as the striker heads into new
contract talks. The Hammers are ready to discuss terms but the former
England player — who is a free agent this summer — will need to lower his
demands. Cole, 29, is thought to want £40,000 a week but the club's board
are more likely to offer half that. Crystal Palace boss Ian Holloway is a
big admirer of the striker and could be tempted to sign him on a free
transfer if the Championship club clinch promotion.

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Carroll's Kop hope
The Sun
By PHIL THOMAS
Published: 03rd April 2013

ANDY CARROLL will get a second chance at Liverpool — if he accepts he will
not be a regular starter. The £35million striker was not part of boss
Brendan Rodgers' plans this term and joined West Ham on a season-long loan.
Carroll cannot play at Anfield on Sunday under the terms of his deal. But
the Reds are willing to let him battle for a place next season — albeit
starting behind Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge in the pecking order. The
move gives the 24-year-old England striker hope he can still be a hit on
Merseyside. And it is also a statement from Liverpool to any potential
buyers that they are not about to sell the Geordie star on the cheap. But
the likeliest outcome is a return to Newcastle in a part-exchange for
midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa

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Going for a song: Why West Ham should make signing Andy Carroll their
priority this summer
The Mirror
3 Apr 2013 11:11
Steve Bardens

Two major decisions from the West Ham hierarchy last week. For better or
worse, the move to the Olympic Stadium has been sealed. Just a few more dots
and crosses and manager Sam Allardyce will commit his future to the club on
a long-term basis. But there is another issue to be resolved and it concerns
Andy Carroll. Against West Bromwich Albion last Saturday, the 24-year-old
striker was immense. Jonas Olsson and Gareth McAuley were left reeling by
his proven aerial power and a surprisingly decent touch on the deck. He has
shown what he can do when he is fit - and what an asset he would be to West
Ham if he was at the club on a permanently. Currently, he is loan from
Liverpool. But it is apparent that his future is away from Anfield. He cost
£35million when signed from Newcastle but he was not brought in by the
present manager Brendan Rodgers who has made it clear Carroll is not in his
plans. An open invitation if ever there was one and it should be accepted by
West Ham. Carroll won't be cheap but it is evident that Liverpool are
willing to cut their losses and accept an offer just north of £15m. That
would make him a huge investment in West Ham terms but hardly a gamble.
Allardyce is a fitness fanatic. If ever a player questions the manager's
opinion that his work rate has dropped, Sam will have the statistics ready
to back up his assertion. He has worked hard to get Carroll match-fit and
the rewards were evident against Albion. To keep him at Upton Park is a must
- a close-season priority for Allardyce. Naturally, there will be financial
hurdles to be overcome. His fee may be small change to the likes of Chelsea
and the two Manchester clubs but it represents a significant outlay by West
Ham. His wages would also test the budget. But a fit and sharp Andy Carroll
is worth every penny. He wins the vast majority of aerial challenge and his
superb volley last Saturday for his second goal is proof that he is no
one-trick pony. Definite food for thought for Messrs Gold and Sullivan and
Ms Brady once Premier League security is assured and that is not too far way
now.

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Inter Beat West Ham To Romanian Starlet
http://forzaitalianfootball.com/

Premier League side West Ham look set to lose out to Inter in the bid to
secure one of Romanian football's brightest prospects, Razvan Popa. Popa
currently plies his trade in the second tier of Romanian football for
Sportul Studentesc, thrusting himself into the limelight last year when he
made his top flight debut at the age of 15. Romanian paper Porsport, Inter
have beaten them to the punch, paying £250,000 for Popa, who will join the
Nerazzurri on a five-year contract.
West Ham were monitoring the 16-year-old midfielder and were intent on
signing him in for next season but look to have been trumped in their bid to
sign the Râmnicu Vâlcea native.

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 3rd April 2013

U18s return to winning ways
WHUFC.com
Kieran Sadlier scored twice as Steve Potts' U18s ended a six-match winless
run by beating Wolverhampton Wanderers
02.04.2013

Kieran Sadlier was the hero as West Ham United ended a six-match Barclays
U18 Premier League winless run with a 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Hammers had not tasted victory since overcoming Tottenham Hotspur in
their opening Tier One stage fixture after Christmas on 12 January. However,
leading scorer Sadlier (pictured) ensured Steve Potts' team would have a
welcome win to celebrate by scoring twice to take his tally to ten in 18
league matches played this season. After a goalless first half at Little
Heath, Republic of Ireland U19 international Sadlier put the Hammers in
front on the hour-mark before doubling the hosts' advantage with 20 minutes
remaining. Then, with 13 minutes to go, first-year scholar and Northern
Ireland U17 centre-back Jamie Harney completed the scoring. The U18s remain
bottom of the Tier One table, but can climb above West Bromwich Albion when
they travel to the Midlands to face the Baggies. The two sides drew 1-1 in
the reverse fixture at Little Heath on 2 February.

U18s: Baxter, Lyons-Foster (Trialist), Harney, Onariase, Knoyle, Page,
Marlow, Miles (Girdlestone 84), Makasi, Sadlier, Martins (Boakye-Yiadom 48)
Subs not used: Brown, Mavila, Homans, Gogo

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Ginge targets back-to-back wins
WHUFC.com
James Collins has his sights set on two wins in two when West Ham United
take on Liverpool
02.04.2013

James Collins is eyeing back-to-back Barclays Premier League victories for
the first time this term, with Sunday's trip to Liverpool already looming
large.
West Ham United turned on the style in an excellent 3-1 win over West
Bromwich Albion, a performance that Collins expects to inspire similarly
impressive feats on the road. For the Welsh centre-half, the nature of
Saturday's victory was a powerful reminder of the Hammers' supremacy at the
Boleyn Ground, success that he puts down, in part, to another quick start.
Collins told West Ham TV: We've been great at home all season. The fans have
been right behind us every game and we've come out of the blocks and always
performed well in the first half. "No matter who comes here, we know we're
going to give them a game. Obviously we beat Chelsea here last year and
though West Brom have had a great season, we've turned them over as well.
"It's a massive win. We knew beforehand it was a big game for us and luckily
we've performed and got the three points."

Though Collins tends to be more concerned with the happenings in his own
penalty area, he was still mightily impressed with the quality of the
Hammers' three goals. The 29-year-old even had the rare luxury of bagging an
assist, after watching Andy Carroll convert his delicately flighted
free-kick. "Two of the goals have come from set plays that we've worked on,
which is obviously quite a big part of our game," he added. "The third one
was a great finish and Gary O'Neil's was special was as well. It was great
to get the three points. To perform well and score three is always nice.
"With Andy being so good in the air, if you put it in and around him, we'll
get chances or he'll score and fortunately on Saturday we got one off him.
Andy's volley was a great goal. To hit it the way he did, on his wrong foot
as well. He's left footed predominantly. I think the way he played, anything
he was going to hit was going to go in. I thought he was superb."

Ever the perfectionist, Collins was inevitably frustrated with the Baggies'
late penalty award, one that denied the Hammers another prized clean sheet.
In truth, that the Hammers' goal had survived intact until the dying minutes
owed much to one brilliant stop from Jussi Jaaskelainen. "It was a
match-changing save. He was going one way, it's got the deflection and
Jussi's managed to get to it. I think we scored just after that which was
big. So he's top goalkeeper and it was a top save. "I was disappointed to
concede, as a defender I'd have liked the clean sheet. I don't think it was
a penalty. It was touch and go. But overall they didn't have too many clear
cut chances so we're happy with it."

Victory lifts the Hammers back to 11th in the Barclays Premier League and
with the top ten in sight, Collins is hopeful of a confident West Ham
showing at Anfield come the weekend. "We're looking at that [40-point mark].
We should have been there already to be honest. I wouldn't say results have
gone against us but we should have done better in certain games and been
there already. "We're full of confidence again. Obviously we weren't too
happy with the result at Chelsea, but we've put things right and got the win
against West Brom. We'll have a good week's training and head to Anfield
looking to get our first back-to-back wins of the season."

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McCallum scores in Aldershot win
WHUFC.com
West Ham United loan player has big impact at Aldershot Town
02.04.2013

West Ham United's loan players were involved in a busy programme over the
Easter weekend, with Paul McCallum playing a vital role in Aldershot Town's
3-2 win over Oxford United on Easter Monday. The Shots are facing a battle
to keep hold of their Football League status as they currently prop up the
npower League 2 table, but they gave their survival hopes a boost with this
dramatic win over the U's. Hammers striker McCallum netted the opening goal
on 13 minutes and Craig Reid's penalty just after half time put them in
total control. But a quick double strike from Oxford drew them level, only
for Aldershot's Jeff Goulding to notch a late winner. McCallum was also
involved in Aldershot's 1-1 draw with Rochdale on Good Friday and has now
scored two goals in five games for his loan club.

In the Championship, Ravel Morrison caught the eye for Birmingham City in
their 4-0 win at Crystal Palace on Good Friday.. The 20-year-old midfielder
scored the Blues' third goal in the game, a result that took Lee Clark's men
into the top ten of the table. Morrison has now scored two goals in 20
league games during his loan at the St Andrews club. In the same division,
Rob Hall linked up with Bolton Wanderers last week and will be hoping to
make his debut when they take on Huddersfield Town at the Reebok Stadium on
Tuesday night.

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Not guilty, plead spy trio
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 3rd April 2013
By: Staff Writer

Three men accused of fraud by false representation in the Olympic Stadium
spy case have pleaded not guilty. Richard Forrest, Lee Stewart and Howard
Hill denied all charges relating to an investigation concerning the unlawful
procurement of personal information, offences which are said to have taken
place in the summer of 2011 shortly after West Ham's original award of
'preferred bidder status' for the Olympic Stadium. In August of that year,
West Ham United called in police to investigate how sensitive data belonging
to employees of the club and the now-defunct Olympic Park Legacy Company -
data that included personal financial records - had been obtained by outside
parties. It was later claimed that agents working on behalf of Tottenham
Hotspur, who were at the time West Ham's rivals for tenancy of the Olympic
Stadium, had hired the accused in order to gain information that could
potentially undermine United's bid. The Sunday Times reported in July 2011
how one of the targets of the private investigators, a Ms Dionne Knight, had
been spied on at her home which she shared with her teenage daughter. Ms
Knight, who was employed by the OPLC in 2011 was targeted due to her
involvement in a personal relationship with Ian Tompkins, West Ham's
then-Olympic Director. The court heard how Hill, who was employed at the
time by accountants PFK as an investigator is said to have hired Forrest and
Stewart to obtain confidential information belonging to parties involved
with West Ham's Olympic bid. Forrest, Stewart and Hill will appear for trial
at Southwark Crown Court on 14th January 2014.

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Vitesse Arnhem striker Wilfried Bony reiterates desire to play in England
By Gerrit van Leeuwen. Last Updated: April 2, 2013 2:25pm
SSN

Vitesse Arnhem striker Wilfried Bony remains open to the prospect of
completing a move to England over the summer. With speculation having linked
the Ivorian forward with a Premier League switch for some time, he has
admitted in the past to being open to offers. That remains the case, with
the 24-year-old eager to test himself at the highest possible level after
proving he can be a regular source of goals in Holland. Bony told Voetbal
International: "If I go to England that would be perfect because of the
league, the atmosphere - basically everything. "However, the leagues in
Germany and France are also interesting destinations."

West Ham United are said to be leading the chase for Bony's signature, but
he claims no formal approach has been made. He added: "I know about this
link about from hearing about it. There is nothing serious at the moment,
but it could be an option." For now, Bony is focused on Vitesse's efforts to
land the Eredivisie crown, with only three points separating them from
table-topping Ajax. He said: "The title? I don't know, but I know we can
beat the three other top teams."

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James lands job in Iceland
The Sun
Published: 02nd April 2013

DAVID JAMES has signed for Icelandic club IBV as a player-coach.
Ex-Portsmouth team-mate Hermann Hreidarsson moved for the 42-year-old after
he left Bournemouth by mutual consent last month. James, capped 53 times by
England, had a trial earlier at the Scandinavian club earlier in the season
and announced on Twitter he has agreed a deal. He wrote: "I am going to sign
for #ibv in Iceland today. "My role is as player/coach, alongside Hermann.
We are both very excited about the journey ahead."

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Sam worth wait in Gold
Exclusive
By CARL LONG
Published: 02nd April 2013
The Sun

WEST HAM co-chairman David Gold has revealed that he and David Sullivan are
close to agreeing a new deal with boss Sam Allardyce. Gold had said talks
would be held in the summer once West Ham knew what division they would be
in next season. But he is now claiming an announcement on a contract could
be made before the end of the current campaign. He said: "We like Sam and
Sam likes us and in those circumstances a deal will be done. "There are
still i's to dot and t's to cross but there's a willingness on both sides to
make it happen. "Details of the contract will remain private but once we are
assured of Premier League safety we would hope to be making an
announcement."

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 2nd April 2013

'It was nice to see one go in'
WHUFC.com
Gary O'Neil scored his first goal in a year to inspire West Ham United to a
valuable victory over West Brom
01.04.2013

Footage of West Ham United leaving the pitch after Saturday's 3-1 Barclays
Premier League win over West Bromwich Albion showed Gary O'Neil with a wide
grin on his face. O'Neil had good reason to be cheerful. The No32 scored his
maiden Boleyn Ground goal for the Hammers as Sam Allardyce's side took
another step towards safety. The midfielder's goal was also his first since
netting in the Championship victory at Peterborough United a year ago and
came two years after he suffered a career-threatening injury in a home
defeat by Aston Villa. O'Neil's 28th-minute strike put West Ham 2-0 up
against the Baggies and came courtesy of a technically superb first-time
right-foot curler into Ben Foster's top left-hand corner. "It was similar to
one I had up at their place this year that just missed the far post," the
29-year-old recalled to West Ham TV. "I can't kick it as hard as some of the
younger lads so I have to go for placement!
"It was nice to see one go in. It's about two years to the week since I got
my injury in the game against Aston Villa here, so it's nice to get a
Premier League goal. Obviously I got a couple in the Championship last year,
but it's nice to get back on the scoresheet in the Premier League."

Prior to his goal, O'Neil had also played a part in the Hammers' opener on
16 minutes, providing the inch-perfect corner for Andy Carroll to power into
the net with a trademark header. "Corners are something we work on because
we've obviously got a big side. If you get the delivery right, as I managed
to on the first one, Andy is going to be favourite. He was also unlucky with
the one in the second half that he got on the end of as well. "It's all
about the delivery because, if you can get it right, they are difficult to
defend."

O'Neil's fine defensive display helped West Ham to achieve an important
victory - one he hopes will propel the Hammers to a top-ten Barclays Premier
League finish. The No32 also revealed that the hosts' gameplan had worked
almost perfectly during a dominant performance. "We said before the game
that it was a big game for us - not for safety reasons but for the targets
we have set ourselves. We want be looking upwards and pushing into the top
half if we can. "It was a big game because West Brom have achieved that this
year. They have had a fantastic season and are on 44 points - a fantastic
tally - so to beat them so convincingly apart from the last 15 minutes when
it got a bit chaotic with injuries [to George McCartney] and the sending-off
[of Youssouf Mulumbu] and stuff, it was fairly comfortable. "It was a good
performance, especially the first half. We took our chances well and did
everything we had worked on. We knew they were going to sit off a bit so we
tried to drop balls into Andy and get balls wide to Jarvo and I thought it
worked quite well. "I've enjoyed it since I've been in there in that
slightly deeper role. I used to play there in the youth team so I knew I
could play in there. "It was probably a bit easier in the first half because
they only had two in the middle of the park, so we had the extra man which
gave me a little bit of space. The second half was a bit tougher and we were
defending a little bit more, but I've enjoyed my little role there so far."

After a difficult opening half to the season in terms of playing time,
O'Neil has taken advantage of an injury to the unfortunate Mark Noble to
impress in a defensive midfield role. "I just have to be slightly more aware
of the defensive side of things. Whereas when you are playing in one of the
two more advanced positions like Nobby [Kevin Nolan] and Mo [Diame], you can
get a bit carried away and make forward runs and follow the ball, which is
my tendency sometimes, I have to make myself aware of my new
responsibilities. "The lads behind me have been great. Winston [Reid] and
Ginge [James Collins] have been shouting at me non-stop 'left shoulder' or
'right shoulder' - there's always someone on one of my shoulders! "It's been
good and we've had some decent performances, barring Chelsea when I didn't
think we were too good. The other three games I have played in I have really
enjoyed."

Finally, one moment in Saturday's success that O'Neil did not enjoy quite so
much was the ball being booted into his backside by Baggies midfielder
Mulumbu. The incident saw the Congolese player dismissed by referee Andre
Marriner. "I caught his boot when I was chasing him. It was nothing
intentional, just one of those things, and he had probably trodden over me
all afternoon as well. "It was just one of those things that happens in
midfield and he just decided that he had had enough so he picked the ball up
and booted it at me. It was a strange little episode but at least we got the
three points."

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Ok, ok
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 1st April 2013
By: Staff Writer No.3

Barry Hearn may or may not have had another U-turn on the subject of the
Olympic Stadium. The day is young after all. However, we are pretty sure
that he hasn't arranged for the re-release of Snooker Loopy. We would
therefore unreservedly like to apologise for any distress and worry that the
prospect of being force fed a video of Sean Bean, Piers Morgan and the cast
of The Only Way Is Essex clutching headphones and singing along to a Chas &
Dave backing track might have caused anyone this April 1st. However, if it
turns up on the jukebox of the Boleyn Tavern which is being moved brick by
brick to the Olympic Park, we accept no responsibility at all. Ok?

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Paolo Di Canio - If He's Good Enough for Swindon...
By Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die

I make a point of trying not to bring my politics onto this blog. It's meant
to be about football, not politics.But there are some rare times when
football and politics cross over. The appointment of Paolo Di Canio at
Sunderland seems to be one of those times. So today I wrote a blogpost on it
for my political blog at www.iaindale.com. Anyway, since it also concerns
West Ham, and the possibility of him becoming our manager, I have reposted
it, in its entirety, here.

Oh the hypocrisy of the Left. It was OK for Paolo Di Canio to play for
Sheffield Wednesday, Celtic, West Ham and Charlton. It was OK for him to
manage little old Swindon Town in League One, but oh no, the thought of him
managing Premier League Sunderland is repellent. No, I'll tell you what is
repellent – it's the so-called 'liberal left' deciding who should do what
based on whether someone conforms to their own idea of normality or
political acceptability. And then, only deciding to enforce their own
illiberal ideas when it suits them. Where were the howls of indignation when
Di Canio took over at Swindon Town? No one cared, because, well, it was only
little old Swindon, wasn't it?

Only it's not anymore. Its Sunderland. Big old Premier League Sunderland.
And poor 'ickle' David Miliband has spat out his dummy and resigned as Board
adviser. I'm not surprised. He was paid £75k a year for offering advice, and
if the Board asked him for his advice on their new manager, they clearly
ignored it. His friends are pointing out that Miliband resigned because his
parents were Jews who fled the Nazis. He issued a statement which said…

"In the light of the new manager's past political statements, I think it
right to step down."

I wonder how much time David Miliband invested in actually researching what
Paolo Di Canio believes. Did he actually look beyond the headlines, or did
he just write it in blind acceptance that Di Canio believes what he thinks
he does? I don't know if Paolo Di Canio is a Fascist or not, but surely
David Miliband understands there are some very marked differences between
Fascism and National Socialism. That does not mean that I have any sympathy
with anyone who has Fascist leanings, I do not. I regard the ideology as
politically repugnant and morally abhorrent. I wouldn't vote for a political
candidate with Fascist leanings, but we're not talking about an election
here, we're talking about football.

I'd like to think David Miliband might have taken some notice of people who
know Di Canio, people who count him as friends. Like Trevor Sinclair and
Chris Powell. Like the respected football writer Gabriele Marcotti. He told
5 Live: "I've known him very well for the last 15 years. There's no question
that he's not a racist. His record, his friendships, his relationships
pretty much speak for themselves. Marcotti is not some cheap tabloid
journalist looking for a headline. He is a serious writer.

Di Canio's former chairman at Swindon commented today…

"It is a sad knee-jerk response. I doubt David Miliband has ever met Paolo
Di Canio. I've known him for two years. I don't think politics was ever
discussed once. Paolo will have many strong views. He probably has a strong
view on whether Italy should be in the Euro, gay marriage or the endangered
Siberian tiger, but I doubt if it's really relevant to keeping Sunderland in
the Premiership. I think anybody's political views and their private views –
as long they're private and how they conduct themselves away from their job
– are pretty irrelevant. Nothing of that was ever discussed during his time
at Swindon. He was focused on success for us and that's what he'll do for
Sunderland."

Di Canio himself has released a statement, defending himself against
accusations of political extremism. Here's an extract…

"I don't have a problem with anyone. I haven't had a problem in the past and
I don't know why I have to keep repeating my story, to be defending myself
on something that doesn't belong to me every time I change clubs. "Talk
about racism? That is absolutely stupid, stupid and ridiculous. The people
who know me can change that idea quickly. When I was in England my best
friends were Trevor Sinclair and Chris Powell, the Charlton manager – they
can tell you everything about my character. "I don't want to talk about
politics because it's not my area. We are not in the Houses of Parliament,
we are in a football club. I want to talk about sport. I want to talk about
football, my players, the Board and the fans. My first priority is my family
and my daughters, that's obvious, and secondly to have the responsibility
for thousands of people. This is my priority and I want to be focused on
this aspect. I don't want to talk any more about politics – I am not a
politics person."

Let's cut out the moralistic crap we've heard today from the Telegraph's Dan
Hodges and others. It's the politics of the student union to talk about
'boycotting' Sunderland. Especially if you're not a Sunderland supporter. If
I were a Man U supporter, would I boycott them because their manager is a
devout left wing Socialist? Of course not. Would I boycott West Ham if they
appointed a Chinese Communist as manager? No. Because the club is always
bigger than any manager or player.

Paolo Di Canio is the greatest player I have ever seen in a West Ham shirt.
Some of his goals for the Hammers were truly breathtaking. He was an
inspiration. When he comes back to Upton Park nowadays and is spotted in a
corporate box, the crowd chant his name to the tune of Rigoletto. He will
always be a bit of a hero to us at West Ham. Many would happily have him
back as manager if Sam Allardyce comes to grief.

Sunderland fans have every right to question Di Canio's qualifications to
manage their club. He did very well at Swindon but his methods were, shall
we say, unconventional. They were methods which may have been acceptable in
a League One club, but time will tell how they translate to the Premier
League. If West Ham had been in Sunderland's position – and they very nearly
appointed Martin O'Neill two years ago – would I have wanted West Ham to
appoint di Canio? The truth is, no I wouldn't. He would be too much of a
risk. But it would have nothing to do with his political views (even if we
were certain as to what they were), it would be because of his managerial
unpredictability.

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Tony Cottee Interview Part 3: 'I Had No Doubts About Returning to West Ham'
By Iain Dale About 14 hours ago 6 comments
West Ham Till I Die

Let's talk about Everton. How different was it. When you arrived on the
first day was there part of you thinking, 'what the hell have I done?'
It was a culture shock. Listen, I'm a London boy, a cockney boy, a West Ham
boy. I had only ever known West ham. At the time it was a record transfer
fee. I had the option of Arsenal or Everton. To be really, really honest, if
you want me to be honest I will be, if Arsenal had come in and offered the
correct amount of money, then I would have probably signed for Arsenal
because I was a London boy. I knew that Everton were a great club, they were
flying high, they had won the League in 87. They had some fantastic players,
Sharpie, Reidy, Kevin Sheedy, Kevin Ratcliffe, Neville Southall, wonderful
players. I knew what there was up at Everton but I was a little bit
concerned because it was 200 odd miles away. If I was going to go to play
for Everton I couldn't commute backwards and forwards, I'd have to go and
live there. I'd be away from my Mum and Dad and the rest of the family…

Invest in some hubcap protectors…
Your words, not mine, Iain! There were a lot of things for me to be
concerned about. So the Arsenal move would have made sense. George Graham
was the manager, Arsenal didn't pay the big money and from a financial point
of view, I had to sign for Everton. That was the right move for me.

Also you weren't really a George Graham type of player, were you?
I don't know. Eventually he went out and bought Ian Wright. Arsenal fans
sometimes say to me, 'oh you should have signed for Arsenal' and I always
say 'well if had signed for Arsenal, you would never have got Ian Wright'.
It normally shuts them up because Ian Wright was a real hero for them. I
spoke to George, there were obviously problems with the manager. He tried to
sell the club to me, saying 'you'd be proud to play or Arsenal, wouldn't you
be proud to wear a blazer with the Arsenal Football Club badge on it?' I
looked at him and thought 'why? I'm a West Ham fan, why would I want to wear
an Arsenal blazer?' That was what I actually thought when he said it to me.
He didn't quite win me over. With Everton, Colin Harvey was the manager and
I looked at him and said 'Colin, why do you want to sign me?' He said 'I
want you to score 25 goals a season for me. I think we've got the players
who will give you the service, that's why I'm buying you.' It was music to
my ears. I wanted to go somewhere and be looked after and well thought of,
and being bought for the right reasons. I didn't want to chase full backs
around and be made to do what I wasn't good at. I wanted to do what I was
good at, which was to score goals. Ultimately, I think there was a clash
between what I had been used to at West Ham and the way Everton played their
football, but I still managed to score the goals for the club. I guess the
worst thing I ever did was to score a hat-trick on my debut. Where do you go
from there? The only possible way you can go is down.

Who was your best strike partner at Everton?
I had a great understanding with Graeme Sharp. He was a fantastic player to
play alongside. I loved playing with Peter Beardsley. I only had one season
with him but he was a dream to play alongside. He wasn't dissimilar to
McAvennie. Frank was very unselfish. He would work for the team. Frank
didn't mind passing to me and I'd have a tap in, whereas the other way
round, I'd run through and shoot, I wouldn't pass to Frank because I was a
selfish goalscorer. It was the same with Peter Beardsley. He would beat
three players, come up to the goalkeeper, square it to me and I'd tap it in.
Everyone would be cheering me and going mad, and yet I hadn't done anything.

But that has to be part of the striker's success – to be in the right place
at the right time. That's why you scored goals and someone like Iain Dowie
didn't.
Yes, it's about anticipation, a sixth sense, but you also have to keep
trying. When midfielder shoots at goal and the goalkeeper spills it and the
forward taps it in, it isn't about luck. You've got to be where the ball is
going to come out to. Whenever anyone had a shot at goal, my instinct was
always to follow up on the goalkeeper because he might spill it. Nowadays
you should do it even more because the ball is moving everywhere. Sometimes
you'd have to make a run eight or nine times and then all of a sudden the
goalkeeper would spill one, you'd tap it in and they'd say 'it's easy for
that Tony Cottee, isn't it?' but they never see what you do beforehand. All
the top strikers will do that. When the ball is bobbling around in the box
and everyone gets attracted to the ball, as a forward you think 'I might
just pull out here because the ball might come to me', and then the ball
comes and you tap it in. It's like Frank's goal against Chelsea. Everyone
goes to the ball and all of a sudden Frank is in acres of space and he heads
it in. It's anticipation, a sixth sense.

That's why Kevin Nolan scores so many goals isn't it?
Yes, he' got a knack of being in the right place at the right time.

How did the move back to West Ham come about?
I'd done enough at Everton. I'd been there six years. It was hard for me at
times, living up on Merseyside away from my family. I did miss the London
way of life. I lived in Southport for six years. My daughter was born there
- a really happy, fantastic time, living in a lovely house. There was a lot
going on that I knew would be difficult to get back in London. But when
you're a London boy and having been brought up in Essex, I really wanted to
come back home. I got a bit fed up when Mike Walker joined the club. He was
a poor manager. He didn't fancy me for whatever reason. There was a clash in
terms of what he wanted me to do, and what I wanted to do. At the start of
what was my 7th season at Everton we fell out. He put me in the reserves an
didn't want to play me. My agent said he would speak to a few London clubs
but I didn't in my wildest dreams ever think I would get the chance to go
back to West Ham. Then the agent came back and said Harry's looking for a
striker. It was all about timing and I went back in September 1994. When I
first left the club the fans were a bit 50-50 with me. Half of them
respected what I had done as a player and appreciated me as a goalscorer and
the other half – even though they felt that – thought they would give me
stick because I played for Everton and abandoned West Ham. The half that
were sceptical about me ever coming back to the club had to be won over. The
year before I came back, and dear old Bobby died they announced there would
be a charity game – West Ham v a Premier League Eleven. There was to be a
player from each Premier League club and I was determined I would be the one
from Everton. I was praying they would let me. Bobby Moore meant the world
to me anyway. I got chosen for the squad and thought 'Thank Christ for
that'. I'd probably been back and played at Upton Park three times by then
and had had a very mixed reaction. This time I thought I would find out what
the fans really thought of me. At the start of the game they read out all
the players and their clubs. When it got to Tony Cottee, Everton, I thought,
here we go. You had to stand forward and do a wave. The whole ground stood
and clapped, and it was like a welcome home thing for me. It was very
emotional. I played the game, scored the goal, we lost 2-1 and I knew after
that game that if ever the opportunity came to go back, I knew I would take
it.

Did you have any doubts about coming back? It doesn't always work does it?
No, there were no doubts. I spoke to Harry and when I met him it was fine.
When I went back not a lot had changed. Mind you, at the training ground not
a lot has changed now, has it?! Same old faces, same old training ground. I
knew what I was getting. It wasn't a journey into the unknown, it was a
journey back to what I knew. I knew that I would be fine. The only question
was whether I could recapture the form I showed in my first spell. I think I
was never going to be as prolific I was younger, fitter and faster then. I
came back from Everton a slightly different player – more of an all-round
player than the individual goalscorer that left West Ham. In some respects I
was a better player but I was never going to end up getting the 25 goals a
season that I got first time round.

You were there at the start of Harry's foreign invasion. What was that like?

It was different and a bit frustrating at times. Slaven Bilic and Marc
Rieper were great lads. Paulo Futre was a fantastic player, but he obviously
had injury problems when he came here, but what a talent. I just treated
them as an English or British player and tried to get them involved in the
banter. You can't have foreign players coming into a club talking in their
own languages and not being a part of what was going on. We were lucky at
the time. As well as the foreign players arriving we had the likes of
Dicksy, Don Hutch, Martin Allen, Ian Bishop. There were some real characters
in that dressing room so there was a really good team spirit. The foreign
players had to muck in. Slaven would sit in the back of the bus having a
beer and a smoke, as you could in those days.

Iain Dowie was there then. Why do fans forgive Andy Carroll for not scoring
goals, yet they wouldn't with Dowie. Because in some ways they are similar
players – prolific in the air, good at holding the ball up.
I think the players appreciated what Iain did. Emile Heskey is another good
example. I played with him at Leicester for three years and although the
Leicester fans appreciated him, I don't think England fans did, but you talk
to Michael Owen about him. He raves about him. He would say he was his best
ever strike partner, and he was one of my top three too. He would be right
up there. He used to work for the team. The fans don't appreciate players
like that because ultimately, if you're a forward you've got to score goals.
That's what you are on the pitch for. This applies to Andy now. The goal
return isn't there yet but he's doing other thing for the team, bringing
other people into play. West Ham fans really want him to get the goals
because then you've got the complete package, a real handful. Iain Dowie was
respected in a way. People respected his 100% attitude. It's a myth that
West Ham fans want 'total football' as their first criteria. I don't think
that's true. The first thing they want is someone to give 100% effort. If a
player doesn't try they will get on his back. You could never criticise Iain
Dowie for not giving 100%. OK, there were times when he didn't have good
games. He went a long, long time without scoring a goal, but you could never
fault his effort. That's what they see with Andy Carroll. They see the
effort, but not the end product.

What was Harry Redknapp like to play for? What were the good sides and bad
sides of Harry Redknapp?
I really enjoyed working under Harry. But by the time I left, I got the
impression you had a two year lifespan with Harry. My first season I was
God's gift to football, everything I did, he said 'fantastic Tone, best
finisher I've ever worked with' – he'd give me all that sort of stuff. But
in the second season he seemed to have some doubts about me and my ability
as a forward to score goals. I'd only just turned 30 and in today's terms
that's still a youngster. I think Harry had a doubt that I was the right man
to lead the line and get the goals. That season I was playing with Iain
Dowie and Iain wasn't getting the goals either. I got injured at the start
of my third season, a lot of foreign players had come in – Porfirio,
Radicoiou, Dumitrescu – and although none of them were scoring as many goals
as I was Harry discarded me a little bit too quickly. That applied to a lot
of other players too and that probably still applies to his management
style. You get two years to impress and after that he spins the wheel again
and gets someone else in. He very rarely keeps players for 4, 5 or 6 years,
not that he stays at a club for that length of time! Harry's style is to
spin as many players round as possible. Obviously that didn't suit me. I
think he made a mistake by selling me to Malaysia. As soon as I left West
Ham were in massive trouble and they needed a goalscorer, and he'd just sold
his goalscorer. He said at one point he did try to re-sign me from Malaysia
but whether he did or not I really don't know. But then he signed Hartson
and Kitson and got out of trouble. It was a bit of an odd thing to do to
sell me. I had been top goalscorer for the two seasons I was there. I was
fit. My sole objective at the start of every season was to be the top
goalscorer and I did it those two seasons.

You mentioned Hugo Porfirio there. I thought he could have been a world
class player, but he seemed to get ideas above his station and in the end he
disappeared into oblivion.
He was a good player but I wouldn't say he was anything exceptional. Dani
was another one. A pretty boy who arrived, played nine games and then
disappeared. It felt like it was a revolving door. Harry kept doing his
wheeling and dealing and when he left the club in 2001 it was undeniably in
a stronger position than when he took over from Bill in 1994. You've got to
say he was a success from that point of view.

Tony Cottee's new book WEST HAM: THE INSIDE STORY is available now in
paperback at £14.99.

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Red faced: Youssouf Mulumbu apologises for silly sending off in defeat at
West Ham
The Mirror
1 Apr 2013 22:30
Steve Bardens

Youssouf Mulumbu has apologised for his red-mist at West Ham after picking
the ball up and kicking it at Gary O'Neil. West Brom midfielder Mulumbu was
ordered off by referee Andre Marriner for his astonishing petulant act.
Congo international Mulumbu lost his rag with Albion trailing 3-1 in the
90th minute.
He now faces a three-match ban and fine for picking the ball up and lashing
it at midfield rival O'Neil. Mulumbu Tweeted: "I'm really sorry about what I
happen it doesn't look like me. Not a good example for the kids and all WBA
supporters." The midfielder however appears to have the backing of
team-mates. Albion keeper Ben Foster Tweeted him: "don't you worry about it
mate, you're Mr Professional, everyone slips up some times."

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com