Four Hammers games moved
WHUFC.com
Changes have been made to the dates of four fixtures in the opening months
of the season
11.07.2013
Four of West Ham United's 2013/14 Barclays Premier League fixtures have
moved to alternative dates or times. The home Barclays Premier League
fixtures against Manchester City and Chelsea, and the Hammers' away games at
Southampton and Norwich City are the affected games. Sam Allardyce's men
will now travel to Southampton on Sunday 15 September for a 4pm kick-off,
while the trip to Norwich remains on Saturday 9 November but with a 5.30pm
kick-off.
The visit of Manchester City to the Boleyn Ground will also fill the 5.30pm
slot on Saturday 19 October, while Chelsea will now come to E13 on Sunday 24
November for a 1,30pm kick-off.
Tickets for the Hammers' opening two home Barclays Premier League fixtures
against Cardiff City and Stoke City go on sale from Tuesday with full
details available by clicking here You can also secure your seat for the
pre-season match against Portuguese UEFA Champions League qualifiers Pacos
de Ferreira at the Boleyn Ground.
For ticket details for this pre-season match in aid of the Bobby Moore Fund
for Cancer Research UK, click here. Please note that the fixture against
Chelsea is still subject to change in the event that they are competing in
the UEFA Champions League on the following Tuesday. It should also be noted
that the away fixtures against Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City in October
are both subject to change in the event that they shall be competing in the
Group Stages of the UEFA Europa League. The second round of the Capital One
Cup, the stage at which West Ham enter, is scheduled to take place during
the midweek of week commencing Monday 26 August 2013, with the draw likely
to take place following completion on the first Round on 7 August.
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Big six to go on sale!
WHUFC.com
Tickets for West Ham United's most sought-after fixtures will go on sale on
Tuesday 16 July
11.07.2013
West Ham United are pleased to announce that tickets for the most
sought-after fixtures in the 2013/14 season at the Boleyn Ground will go on
sale exclusively to Bond Holders and Academy Members on Tuesday 16 July.
With demand for seats at the home of the Hammers higher than ever, the early
opportunity to purchase tickets will allow supporters - starting with Bond
Holders and Academy Members - more time to guarantee their place for the
most eagerly anticipated matches in the calendar.
Fans who take up the opportunity to purchase their ticket in advance will
also ensure that they get the cheapest possible price - the tickets are
guaranteed to not be sold any cheaper but may be more expensive nearer to
matchday if they are categorised as A+ matches - and get the first pick of
the best available seats to watch all of the pulsating action.
The six category A games - Manchester City (19 October), Chelsea (23
November), Arsenal (Boxing Day), Manchester United (22 March 2014),
Liverpool (5 April 2014) and Tottenham Hotspur (3 May 2014) - will be made
available to Bond Holders and Academy Members during an exclusive eight-week
window from Tuesday 16 July before the tickets go on general sale on Tuesday
3 September.
The Hammers' return to the top-flight last season proved to be hugely
popular with the Claret and Blue Army, as the Club recorded its highest-ever
average home attendance of 34,720, with the last 17 home matches all selling
out.
With Season Ticket sales once again looking strong for the coming season,
that trend shows no sign of abating. The early window to buy tickets will
provide fans with the peace of mind that they have secured their place for
the biggest games at the Boleyn Ground, before the rush begins.
Tickets for the above fixtures start from just £47 for Adults and £24 for
Over-65s, Young Adults for Academy Members. For full pricing details, click
here.
If you would like to become an Academy Member, Adult Membership costs just
£35 and Youth Academy Membership for Under-16s is available for just £25!
Your benefits also include savings on match tickets, discount shopping days
and an exclusive welcome pack with a voucher for £10 off official adidas
products, including kit and trainingwear.
You can join West Ham United today here or by calling 0871 529 1966 (calls
cost 10p plus network extras).
*Please note all fixtures are subject to date and time change. Should a
fixture date or time change, tickets will remain valid for the revised
fixture but no refund will be available.
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£77 to watch West Ham
WHUFC.com
Filed: Thursday, 11th July 2013
By: Staff Writer
Non-season ticket holding West Ham fans could be asked to pay almost £1 per
minute for the best seats in the house at the Boleyn Ground next season.
Earlier today West Ham United released details of the new Category A+ ticket
prices, which are being introduced for matches against the Premier League's
most successful teams. And in order to watch the home matches against those
clubs which may be declared Category A+ - namely the two Manchester teams
and Liverpool plus London clubs Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham - Band 1
tickets for non-member, non-season ticket holders will be a wallet-busting
£77.
Whilst members pay a fiver less (£72) for Cat A+ tickets, the cheapest on
sale (Band 4) are £57 for non-club members and £52 for members. Meanwhile,
Under 16s will be asked to find £43 should they wish to sit in Band 1 seats.
KUMB member 'comebackjoecole' is one of many supporters disappointed by news
of the price hike. "At £77 for adults and £43 for kids that's £163 for me
and my two boys. This is obscene," he said. "I can afford it once or twice a
year but can't justify it. Watching West Ham is becoming more and more
difficult and I have genuine fear my two boys will not grow up with the love
for the club I have."
Oddly perhaps there are no confirmed Category A+ matches as of yet, but West
Ham have indicated that all Category A matches may be upgraded closer to
match day. "The tickets are guaranteed to not be sold any cheaper but may be
more expensive nearer to match day, if they are categorised as A+ matches,"
read an item on whufc.com.
A full list of the new Category A+ match day prices may be seen below.
Non-Members
Adults: Band 1 £77; Band 2 £70; Band 3 £65; Band 4 £57.
Over 65s/Under 16s: Band 1 £43; Band 2 £40; Band 3 £37; Band 4 £34.
Disabled: Adult £44; Over 65s £34; Under 16s £34.
Restricted: Adult £60; Over 65s £35; Under 16s £35.
Members
Adults: Band 1 £72; Band 2 £65; Band 3 £60; Band 4 £52.
Over 65s/Under 16s: Band 1 £38; Band 2 £35; Band 3 £32; Band 4 £29.
Disabled: Adult £39; Over 65s £29; Under 16s £29.
Restricted: Adult £55; Over 65s £30; Under 16s £30.
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TV dates confirmed
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 11th July 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United will appear live on TV four times before Christmas. Sam
Allardyce's side will feature on Sky TV four times between now and the end
of 2013 - but not a single time on BT Sports, who are delivering live
football for the first time in 2013/14. The first fixture amended for TV is
West Ham's trip to Southampton which has been moved back by 24 hours and
will now take place on Sunday, 15th September (4pm kick off). On 19th
October, United's clash at the Boleyn Ground with Manchester City had been
moved from 3pm to 5.30pm to allow for live coverage - as is the case for
West Ham's trip to Norwich on Saturday, 9th November. Finally, Chelsea's
visit to the Boleyn Ground has been moved to Sunday, 24th November (1.30pm
kick off). A comprehensive list of all live matches may be seen below.
Full Live TV Fixture List
August
Saturday 17th: Liverpool v Stoke City (BT, 12.45pm)
Saturday 17th: Swansea City v Manchester United (Sky, 5.30pm)
Sunday 18th: Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur (Sky, 1.30pm)
Sunday 18th: Chelsea v Hull City (Sky, 4pm)
Monday 19th: Manchester City v Newcastle United (Sky, 8pm)
Saturday 24th: Fulham v Arsenal (BT, 12.45pm)
Saturday 24th: Aston Villa v Liverpool (Sky, 5.30pm)
Sunday 25th: Cardiff City v Manchester City (Sky, 4pm)
Monday 26th: Manchester United v Chelsea (Sky, 8pm)
Saturday 31st: Manchester City v Hull City (BT, 12.45pm)
Saturday 31st: Crystal Palace v Sunderland (Sky, 5.30pm)
September
Sunday 1st: Liverpool v Manchester United (Sky, 1.30pm)
Sunday 1st: Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur (Sky, 4pm)
Saturday 14th: Manchester United v Crystal Palace (BT, 12.45pm)
Saturday 14th: Everton v Chelsea (Sky, 5.30pm)
Sunday 15th: Southampton v West Ham United (Sky, 4pm)
Monday 16th: Swansea City v Liverpool (Sky, 8pm)
Saturday 21st: Norwich City v Aston Villa (BT, 12.45pm)
Saturday 21st: Chelsea v Fulham (Sky, 5.30pm)
Sunday 22nd: Arsenal v Stoke City (Sky, 1.30pm)
Sunday 22nd: Manchester City v Manchester United (Sky, 4pm)
Saturday 28th: Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea (BT, 12.45pm)
Saturday 28th: Swansea City v Arsenal (Sky, 5.30pm)
Sunday 29th: Stoke City v Norwich City (Sky, 1.30pm)
Sunday 29th: Sunderland v Liverpool (Sky, 4pm)
Monday 30th: Everton v Newcastle United (Sky, 8pm)
October
Saturday 5th: Manchester City v Everton (BT, 12.45pm)
Saturday 5th: Sunderland v Manchester United (Sky, 5.30pm)
Sunday 6th: Norwich City v Chelsea (Sky, 1.30pm)
Sunday 6th: West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal (Sky, 4pm)
Saturday 19th: Newcastle United v Liverpool (BT, 12.45pm)
Saturday 19th: West Ham United v Manchester City (Sky, 5.30pm)
Sunday 20th: Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur (Sky, 4pm)
Monday 21st: Crystal Palace v Fulham (Sky, 8pm)
Saturday 26th: Crystal Palace v Arsenal (BT, 12.45pm)
Saturday 26th: Southampton v Fulham (Sky, 5.30pm)
Sunday 27th: Chelsea v Manchester City (Sky, 1.30pm)
Sunday 27th: Sunderland v Newcastle United (Sky, 4pm)
November
Saturday 2nd: Newcastle United v Chelsea (BT, 12.45pm)
Saturday 2nd: Arsenal v Liverpool (Sky, 5.30pm)
Sunday 3rd: Everton v Tottenham Hotspur (Sky, 1.30pm)
Sunday 3rd: Cardiff City v Swansea City (Sky, 4pm)
Saturday 9th: Norwich City v West Ham United (Sky, 5.30pm)
Sunday 10th: Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United (Sky, 12pm)
Sunday 10th: Sunderland v Manchester City (Sky, 2.05pm)
Sunday 10th: Manchester United v Arsenal (Sky, 4.10pm)
Saturday 23: Everton v Liverpool (BT, 12.45pm)
Saturday 23: Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur (Sky, 5.30pm)
Sunday 24th: West Ham United v Chelsea (Sky, 1.30pm)
Sunday 24th: Cardiff City v Manchester United (Sky, 4pm)
Monday 25th: West Bromwich Albion v Aston Villa (Sky, 8pm)
Saturday 30th: Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United (BT, 12.45pm)
Saturday 30th: Newcastle United v West Bromwich Albion (Sky, 5.30pm)
December
Sunday 1st: Hull City v Liverpool (Sky, 1.30pm)
Sunday 1st: Chelsea v Southampton (Sky, 4pm)
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West Ham midfielder Joe Cole targets Wembley cup final glory
Last Updated: July 11, 2013 4:17pm
SSN
Joe Cole has admitted he would love West Ham to play in a Wembley cup final,
saying it would rank as one of the best moments of his career. The
much-travelled former England international returned to the east London club
- where he made his name as a teenager - during this year's January transfer
window.
The Hammers went on to finish the season 10th in the Premier League table,
following their promotion from the Championship. And he believes it is about
time that the Upton Park side returned to the national stadium where they
won three FA Cup finals and a European trophy between 1964 and 1980. "I
would love to finish better than 10th - but I would love to take this club
to Wembley."
Joe Cole
The 31-year-old former Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder said: "I think the
ambition of the club at the moment is improvement. "But for me personally, I
would love to finish better than 10th but I would love to take this club to
Wembley. "At the end of the day, they are the days you remember in your
career - it would be a massive achievement. "You look at Swansea and Wigan
last season and that is their day, we would like a bit of that because it
has been such a long time since West Ham have been there, so that would be
nice."
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Is one more signing Enough?
By S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
Sam Allardyce has been reported as stating that the club are looking to sign
a second striker and that will probably conclude the transfer business in
this window. If we take this statement at face value, we must ask whether
that level of transfer business be enough to ensure that we can 'push on'
from last season's 10th place PL finish?
To recap, to date, we have signed Rat (left-back), Adrian (goalkeeper),
Carroll (centre forward) and Whitehead (midfield). In terms of outgoing
moves, Carlton Cole, O'Neill and Hall have exited. In assessing the current
squad, the following are variable factors: the apparent return from loan of
Alou Diarra, the impressive pre-season form of Ravel Morrison and the
readiness of any of the Development Squad youngsters to step up and make a
positive impact. Indeed, could Chambers, Potts, Moncur, Lee, Turgott, or
McCallum make the breakthrough this season and add to the first team mix? In
terms of our goal keeping stable, we are probably provided for by the
triumvirate of Jussi, Adrian and Spiegel. Arguably, we are also well covered
in defence, particularly if Chambers makes the anticipated breakthrough and
Diarra's presence means that we have a competent auxillary centre-back. At
full-back, we certainly have the numbers with JOB, Demel, Spence, Rat,
McCartney and Potts. However, should we seek to improve the quality at
right-back?
In midfield, we can select from: Noble, Diarra, Diame, Joe Cole, Collison,
Nolan, Taylor, Morrison, Moncur and Whitehead. In attack, we currently have:
Jarvis, Carroll, Maiga, Turgott, Carroll, Lee, Vaz Te and McCallum. If we
retain all of our current midfield, and Morrison adds to the creativity,
then we should be strong enough in that department. However, one can
understand Allardyce's emphasis upon adding to our attack. We definitely
need another centre forward to cover and compete with Carroll. But do we
need a mobile and pacy third striker on loan to ensure that we have enough
flexibility and strength in depth? Or should we trust in Maiga, Vaz Te and
Lee stepping up to the plate? Similarly, we only have Jarvis who is a
natural wide player. Yes, Cole, Taylor, Collison, Vaz Te and Maiga can play
there, but would we not benefit from signing another pacy, natural wide
player, like Kalou or Downing?
If money was not an obstacle then we should probably sign a right-back, a
centre forward, a third striker and a wide player to help us push in to the
top eight of the PL. This is not likely to be the case, so we can probably
get away with a centre forward and either a wide player or a third striker.
In the case of a player like Zapata, we would possibly acquire a player that
combine a wide role with proficiency as a central striker, thus effectively'
killing two birds with one stone.' However, in the latter scenerio, the
outcome will very much depend on the variables factors going our way, such
as avoiding major injuries/suspensions and the likes of Morrison, Maiga and
Diarra delivering next season.
One thing is sure and that is that Allardyce appears to have built a very
good collective team spirit. And that can positively assist the squad to
give 100% and over-perform. If we can just add that bit of extra quality in
one or two key positions, then we could potentially do very well next season
and make a serious challenge for European qualification.
SJ. Chandos.
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Hammers do the biz for Kuz
Published: 11th July 2013
The Sun
WEST HAM are poised to make a move for Inter Milan midfielder Zdravko
Kuzmanovic. The Serbian international, 25, does not figure in new coach
Walter Mazzarri's plans. The Hammers have also been lifted by news that
striker Andy Carroll could recover from a heel injury in time for the
Premier League big kick-off on August 17. There were fears that he would be
out until mid-September.
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Chelsea and Hammers Target Wilfried Bony Reveals Offers After Joining
Swansea
By NICK HOWSON: Subscribe to Nick's RSS feed | July 11, 2013 5:01 PM GMT
IB Times
New Swansea City signing Wilfried Bony has revealed he turned down offers
from elsewhere in England before becoming The Swans' record signing, after
being linked with moves to Chelsea and West Ham United. Bony has penned a
four-year deal at the Liberty Stadium, joining the League Cup winners for
£12m to become Michael Laudrup's seventh signing of the summer transfer
window. The 24 year old was linked with moves to both Chelsea and West Ham
throughout the summer transfer window and upon clinching his move to
Swansea, Bony has admitted he received other others from rivals English
clubs. "This move has been talked about for quite some time, so I am
delighted it is all completed,'' Bony said. "Now it is important that I
focus my mind on the challenge ahead because I hope to make the Swansea fans
very happy. "I watched Swansea a lot last season on TV. They have some good
players and I like the way they play. I appreciate the style, which is
similar to the Dutch way, and I think being at Swansea will help me develop
as a player. "I believe it's the right step for me; the perfect move. I had
a lot of offers from all across the world, including England, France,
Ukraine, Russia and the UAE. "But I chose Swansea because it is a good club
with a corresponding style, a great manager and, of course, playing in the
Premier League. I considered everything and Swansea came out on top.''
The ex-Sparta Prague forward scored 31 goals in 30 games last season and
claimed the Dutch Player of the Year award, sparking interest from both
Chelsea and West Ham among others. While Chelsea are seeking an accomplice
to Fernando Torres and Demba Ba, both of whom misfired last season, West Ham
are keen to recruit a second striker in the window despite signing Andy
Carroll from Liverpool. A bid for Sevilla forward Alvaro Negredo has been
rejected by the Spanish club but Hammers co-owner David Gold is adamant the
club must add to their attacking resources after only Kevin Nolan reached
double figures in terms of goals last season.
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West Ham looking to do more business, insists assistant boss
West Ham players celebrate
By talkSPORT | Thursday, July 11, 2013
West Ham assistant boss Neil McDonald remains hopeful that the club will
bring in more new signings before the Premier League season gets underway.
The east London club have already been busy in the transfer market during
the summer securing the permanent signing of Andy Carroll from Liverpool for
£15m. Romania captain Razvan Rat and Spanish goalkeeper Adrian have also
been brought in as Sam Allardyce looks to help his team challenge for
another top-half finish. But with Carlton Cole leaving the club, West Ham
are still short of forwards and they have been strongly linked with moves
for Demba Ba, Romelu Lukaku and Duvan Zapata. McDonald said: "There is a lot
of talk on different people. The manager and the hierarchy in Mr Gold and Mr
Sullivan are looking to strengthen the team even more. "If we can bring one
or two others in to give competition for places we will be in a really good
place for the opening game against Cardiff."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Friday, July 12
Thursday, July 11
Daily WHUFC News - 11th July 2013
Nolan enjoying pre-season tests
WHUFC.com
Captain Kevin Nolan is looking forward to another pre-season workout at
Boreham Wood on Wednesday
10.07.2013
West Ham United's pre-season schedule continues with a trip to Conference
South side Boreham Wood on Wednesday evening. The Hammers make the short
journey to Hertfordshire to take on the Wood for the second summer in
succession, with kick-off scheduled for 7.30pm. Tickets for the match will
be available to purchase at Meadow Park on the day. Kevin Nolan and his
team-mates enjoyed a superb opening week of training in the Republic of
Ireland that culminated with a resounding 6-2 victory at Cork City on Sunday
evening. Nolan was part of the side held 1-1 at Boreham Wood a year ago and
the captain will be part of the squad again this time around.
"We came back earlier than most Premier League teams, which is something I'm
used to, having worked with Sam Allardyce for so many years," confirmed the
skipper. "I have to say Cork was one of the nicest set ups I've been to. The
pitches were fantastic, the weather wasn't too hot and the facilities on
site were fantastic. They couldn't do enough for us. All in all it was a
great first week. It was very tiring, with 7am starts every day and three
training sessions a day. "The main thing that has changed is that you come
back to balls now. You never used to see a football for a week and you used
to run until you were sick! That was the old-school mentality but it has all
moved on from that. I knew that when I signed for Sam he'd give me the best
opportunity to prolong my career for as long as I possibly can and he's done
that. Being back with him has made me hungrier to make sure I can succeed at
such a fantastic Club.
"For Sam to move to this club, get us back in the Premier League and then
what we achieved last season was fantastic. You can see from the owners and
what the gaffer wants, and with the signing of the big man Andy Carroll,
there's only one way that we're going in the league and I want to be a major
part of that. I want to get this Club back in the higher ranks of the
Premier League, which is where I truly and firmly believe it belongs."
Wednesday's fixture will be the second of eight pre-season matches held in
preparation for the big Barclays Premier League kick-off at home to Cardiff
City on Saturday 17 August. Last year, West Ham were the newly-promoted side
when they hosted Aston Villa on the opening day, but this time around the
boot is on the other foot.
"Obviously last year we were the new boys and this year it's going to be a
tough one with Cardiff coming up to the Premier League, because they will
all be really up for it. It's at Upton Park so we expect a win. We had a
fantastic home record last year when we only lost on four occasions to
top-six sides, so we'll be expecting to get the season up and running. "It's
going to be tough because Cardiff will come with a gameplan, but we're just
hoping we can start as we did last season with a win. I'm looking forward to
it and I'm sure it's going to be a tasty and feisty game."
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Hammers impress Irish hosts
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will be welcomed back to Cork after a fantastic week in
south west Ireland
10.07.2013
West Ham United will be welcomed back to Cork after a fantastic week in
south west Ireland. The Hammers enjoyed a productive pre-season training
camp in County Cork, impressing their hosts at the Fota Island Resort,
University College Cork and Cork City FC. The facilities, weather, food and
hospitality all exceeded the expectations of Sam Allardyce and his squad and
the manager has already expressed a wish to return to the region in the
future. Likewise, Fota Island Resort general manager John O'Flynn and Cork
City FC chief executive Timmy Murphy praised West Ham for the way the Club
approached their visit to Ireland. "Fota Island is just a small bit outside
Cork city centre and is a beautiful resort," O'Flynn explained. "We have
golf courses here and the wildlife park next door, but we are also proud of
our training facilities and were delighted to have West Ham over here. It's
a great buzz for the resort and a great buzz for the city and, thanks be to
God, we got the weather to add to it as well. "At the hotel we have a
hydrotherapy facility with pools and a bath to aid the whole player recovery
process, while we also have a walking river which helps with rehabilitation
of leg injuries and the like. We also have the swimming pools for bits and
pieces. We also have two training pitches and a fully-equipped gym. "The
fact we have these facilities on site means the players can rest much more
easily during their down-time. We also have the golf courses, driving range
and cycling and walking tracks which they can use there as well."
Fota Island has played host to a number of high-profile sports clubs
previously, including Manchester United, Watford, the Munster Rugby squad
and a variety of Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) football and hurling
teams. "All the teams who come to us are well looked after. The groundstaff
here make sure we always have immaculate pitches and we have a lot of GAA
teams come to use them - nearly every county has been here at some stage.
The first team to use it was Tipperary and they went on to win the
All-Ireland title that year, so it's a lucky pitch, that's for sure!"
O'Flynn said that, while Fota Island is a five-star resort, the venue has
accommodation to suit families and he has encouraged West Ham fans to come
and visit. "We have the full menu of facilities here, from the family lodges
to the top-end corporate. Everybody is welcome at Fota Island, where we have
the lodges and wildlife park for families and the pitches for Premier League
football teams. We look forward to welcoming West Ham supporters, so bring
them on!"
Murphy, meanwhile, was delighted to welcome a Barclays Premier League club
to play at the Rebel Army's Turner's Cross stadium. The match, of course,
ended in a 6-2 victory for the Hammers, but the Cork City FC chief executive
said the whole event had been a rousing success. "Without a doubt, West Ham
is one of the biggest teams we've had come to Cork in quite a number of
years," Murphy confirmed. "West Ham has huge connections with the city of
Cork. A lot of the older generation of Corkonians would have spent time in
London working in Dagenham for the Ford Motor Company, so there would have
been huge connectivity with West Ham. The younger generation are now getting
the feel of that. "The whole week has been brilliant, with huge interaction
between the players and local Cork people, which we're grateful for. There
is huge goodwill on both sides, so it's been fantastic."
While West Ham's week-long stay in Cork may now be over, Murphy has
encouraged West Ham fans to pay the club a visit if they are ever in south
west Ireland. Likewise, the chief executive would love to see the two clubs
forge a more formal connection in the future. "Looking around Cork city on
Sunday, there were lots of West Ham people in the city centre showing their
colours. I was out in Turner's Cross and one of the houses by the away end
had West Ham colours up! We'll forgive him on this occasion! "We would love
to see an association with West Ham United. Quite a lot of Cork people go to
England to watch games so hopefully the trip will boost West Ham as well.
When West Ham move to the Olympic Stadium and need a few more fans to fill
it, some Cork people will come across! "Any time West Ham go abroad, we'd
love to see them here and we'd welcome them with open arms."
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Boreham Wood 0-3 West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 10th July 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham secured a second successive pre-season friendly win after coasting
to victory against non-league Boreham Wood tonight. Having started
pre-season in fine fashion with a 6-2 win in Cork last weekend, Sam
Allardyce's team continued in a similar vein at Meadow Park tonight. And it
was two first half goals within the space of a minute that did for the home
side, who are celebrating their 65th anniversary this year. New signing
Razvan Rat, making his second appearance in claret and blue played a major
part in West Ham's opener. It was his cross that was almost turned into his
own net by Ben Nunn before Ravel Morrison applied the finishing touch. With
the home side still reeling from going a goal behind, United doubled their
lead when Ricardo Vaz Te climbed highest to meet a Mark Noble cross, which
he diverted expertly into the back of the net.
Despite dominating the game throughout, West Ham were forced to wait until
seven minutes from time before adding a third and final goal. This time it
was captain Kevin Nolan who volleyed home from inside the box to complete a
comfortable victory.
West Ham Utd: Adrian (Jussi Jaaskelainen 46), Guy Demel (Jordan Spence 46),
Pelly Ruddock (James Tomkins 46), Winston Reid (James Collins 46), Razvan
Rat (Dan Potts 46), Mark Noble (Alou Diarra 46), Jack Collison (Kevin Nolan
46), Matt Taylor (Matt Jarvis 46), Ricardo Vaz Te (Joe Cole 46), Paul
McCallum (Modibo Maiga 46), Ravel Morrison (Danny Whitehead 46).
Subs Not Used: Elliot Lee, George Moncur, Sam Baxter.
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West Ham miss out on Deulofeu
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 10th July 2013
By: Staff Writer
An audacious bid by West Ham to sign Barcelona starlet Gerard Deulofeu has
failed, after the youngster decided to join Premier League rivals Everton
instead.
Described elsewhere as "one of Spain's most exciting young talents",
Deulofeu's season-long loan move to Goodison Park was confirmed earlier
today. However in the last few minutes, the Twitter account attributed to
Jack Sullivan - the 13-year-old son of co-owner David - has revealed that
West Ham had hoped to sign the 19-year-old ahead of the Toffees. Following
an earlier Tweet (on 25th June) in which it was announced that United were
hoping to "sign one of the most exciting youngsters in Europe", Sullivan
revealed on Wednesday afternoon that the player in question was the Spanish
forward. "I am sorry to announce the 'young player' we were trying to sign
was Gerard Deulofeu who has decided to go to Everton over us," read the
message. Sullivan's Twitter account also revealed earlier in the day that no
new signings were imminent, despite the club being linked with a string of
players in recent days. Everton boss Roberto Martínez, who confirmed the
capture of Deulofeu earlier in the day said: "Gerard is a real diamond of
Spanish football and a boy with incredible footballing talent. I am
delighted that he has chosen to take the next step of his career with
Everton."
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Tactically Speaking
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 10th July 2013
By: David Hautzig
I grew up watching football with my dad.
It started with shows available here in the United States like Soccer Made
In Germany, which were condensed versions of Bundesliga games. Then the NASL
really took hold when Pele joined The New York Cosmos and a friend from
school and I got season tickets. But it wasn't until the 1994 World Cup that
I even noticed the tactical side of the game.
June 18th, 1994. Italy against The Republic of Ireland. I'm there with my
friend Derek, his brother Roy, and my dad. Derek is solely responsible for
dragging me into this West Ham supporting life of torment and pain, and
along with Roy and their father John were season ticket holders at Upton
Park.
Twelve minutes in, Italian defender Franco Baresi tries to clear the ball
out of danger while being pressured by Ireland's lone striker Tommy Coyne.
Ray Houghton intercepts, does a quick turn to his left and loops it into the
net. Bedlam. Pure, uninterrupted bedlam for the next 78 plus minutes. And
that's how it ended.
In the car ride back into Manhattan, which took well over two hours to cover
the roughly 15 miles from Giants Stadium to my apartment, Derek and Roy were
in the back seat dissecting the game. "That was clever of ol' Jack to place
five across the middle. Really gave the Italians trouble," Derek commented.
I asked him what he meant, because at that time I truly had no idea about
4-4-2, or 4-5-1, or any of that. They might as well have been map
coordinates. He started to give me a lesson on the basic set-ups on the
pitch. What they were intended to do, what kind of issues they can create
for the opposition, and why some teams play one way while others don't.
Somewhere inside The Lincoln Tunnel I had my very first "ah-hah" moment as a
football fan.
"Italy play a style that uses quick passes and a lot of movement off the
ball, so by having only one striker and an extra midfielder it's simply more
crowded in the middle and harder for Italy to do their thing. Right?" I
asked.
"Exactly", Derek replied. All of a sudden the game I had just finished
watching made more sense to me. I understood a few of the strategic elements
well after the fact, and I couldn't wait to watch the next game on
television to see if I could retain my new found knowledge.
Which brings me to Sam. Whether you agree with him and think he plays a
4-3-3, or you think you see through him as a peddler of 4-5-1, one theme
that is constantly brought up among supporters is a desire to see him try a
traditional 4-4-2. Last season when goals were hard to come by, you could
almost see the hair being pulled by some of us fly out from our computer or
tablet screens.
Yet in the past decade or so, that very same 4-4-2 has been labeled as
ancient and outdated by many a football commentator. Some have even blamed
its continued existence and some English managers fixation on it as the
reason for England's "failures" at The World Cup and Euros. Even within
Premier League clubs there is almost a resignation that in order for a team
to win in Europe they MUST learn to play one striker and protect the centre
of the pitch.
Are supporters wrong to call for Sam to play two up top? Or worse,
hypocritical? Johan Aarnio is a retired coach that lives near me. He worked
with a number of professional teams in North America during his career,
including the Montreal Impact. He was also the head coach at The University
Of Albany for 11 years before he packed up his bibs and cones. I threw the
question his way.
"There is never more arguing among football fans then there is about
tactics. As far as I'm concerned, Allardyce has always set up his teams in a
way that plays to their strengths and mitigates their weakness. It's all
about the players, and formations and tactics are nothing more than starting
points. You need movement on the pitch. So a 4-5-1 can quickly become a
4-3-3 if there is an opportunity to penetrate on the attack. And it can go
the other way when you need to cover on defence."
I could see by the look in his eye that just talking about it for a few
minutes got him all charged up. You can take the man away from the game...
Johan only pays attention to West Ham because every time I see him I cackle
on and on about us. I wanted to converse with someone from within The Tribe.
And lucky for me I have just the person. When Bob Woodward was uncovering
Tricky Dick Nixon and Watergate in the 1970's, he had his mysterious
informer that went by the name Deep Throat.
I have @ExWHUemployee.
The Twitter legend himself has made himself available to me while remaining
nameless. I know from "chatting" with him that he is a Sam supporter and was
enthusiastic about signing Andy Carroll from day one. So was I, which made
us kindred spirits of sorts. So I asked him for his take on it.
"I personally believe that fans will always favour a system with two up
front rather than one. Quite simply because the fans want to see their team
score more goals and believe that having double the forwards is the answer.
Whilst there is an obvious clear logic in that, the logic only works if both
forwards are of a good quality and that the midfielders behind them are
providing them with enough service to create the chances.
"The effectiveness of that also depends on how the opposition have set up.
As you say the current trend is to not play 4-4-2 and to favour a formation
where there are usually five midfielders. Unless those midfielders are of a
significantly better quality than the opposition they will always be
outnumbered and therefore make them self more vulnerable to conceding and
less likely to break through to create chances."
I think the majority of fans now accept Sam's starting formation and I
believe Andy Carroll is the perfect forward to fit into that system. What I
think annoys people is that when we are chasing a lead he doesn't change it
and become more attacking. I can see this argument but I do think you have
to have the players to do it.
It is also very hard for clubs to have at least two quality forwards because
a forward's value is always that much higher than other positions. Generally
modern day forwards wish to be the ones that score the goals and grab the
headlines so often it is hard to find a partnership where both are equally
contributing or creating for each other.
I take Newcastle when they had Demba Ba and then signed Cisse. It was no
surprise that at the start of the 2011/12 season Ba was scoring regularly.
When Cisse joined and they originally played together, with Ba either up
front or pushed out to the wing, he stopped scoring and Cisse took over. I
am a fan of Sam and believe that he plays to the strengths of the players
that he has available to him and currently 4-5-1 or 4-3-2-1 as I like to
call it is that system."
So what happens if some of the rumors flying around daily come true? Getting
a Demba Ba to play with Andy Carroll does not seem like a Sam style of play.
The man never pays two up front, right? What would he do if he actually
signed more hotshots?
"I think Sam will play the system that is right for the players. When Bolton
were first around in the Premiership under Sam they were known to be a rough
side with a route one playing style. As they became more established he
started to bring in the likes of Djorkaeff and Okocha.
"These players were far more known for their flair and skills then their
physical attributes and ability to kick it up to a big man. Sam was also
very close to landing Samuel Eto'o at one point and of course these players
would not have fitted into a system that didn't allow creativity and
something different to what Sam had tried before.
"Sam has a reputation amongst some fans as playing boring, long ball and
physical tactics at West Ham. The fact that both Yossi Benayoun and Joe Cole
were signed back, both of which I would describe as not physical but
creative show that depending on the players that Sam has available he would
change systems.
"I like to describe the system and the style that we play as "situational
football". There are times when we play long ball tactics depending on the
opposition, players available and score. There are other times when we do
play some lovely passes and quick interchanges, which I often feel is
overlooked."
At the end of the day, it's probably safe to say that Sam Allardyce knows
more about managing a football club than we do. And instead of fixating on a
particular tactic and how some numbers represent it, we should look at the
overall. And that says we are in a far better place than we have been in a
very long time.
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McDonald dismisses Downing rumours
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 10th July 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham's assistant manager Neil McDonald has dismissed reports of interest
in Liverpool winger Stuart Downing as "paper talk". Speaking on Talksport
last night, Sam Allardyce's right hand man admitted that Downing was highly
thought of at West Ham - but not a player the club were intending to make an
approach for anytime soon. "He's a very good player and I think West Ham
being involved with a player of that calibre would be great - but it's all
paper talk at the moment, " McDonald told host Andy Goldstein. "I'm not 100
per cent sure where it's come from, to tell you the truth. "We've been back
[from our summer break] for over a week now and the manager and the Chairman
are obviously working hard behind the scenes trying to strengthen the team
so we can improve on what we did last season. There will be lots of names
mentioned, few of which will be true but hopefully a few that will [be].
We're always looking to strengthen if we can."
The 47-year-old, who has been at West Ham for two years since (re-)joining
Sam Allardyce in east London also revealed that the squad's minimum target
next season was 46 points - the same number of points the (newly-promoted)
team secured in the 2012/13 Premier League campaign. "I think you've always
got to set the target of how you did last year. We were under the radar for
most of the season really and finished well," he mused. "To finish tenth
after getting promoted through the play-offs was a tremedous effort by
everybody. "So the standard is to get 46 points or more and to try and
improve on last season - which I'm sure we can with the recruits we've had
so far and hopefull to arrive in the future. But privately we'll set a
higher target than we do publicly and if we fall somewhere between the two,
then we'll have had a great season."
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West Ham play down interest in Liverpool's Stewart Downing
Last Updated: July 10, 2013 2:04pm
SSN
West Ham assistant boss Neil McDonald says he rates Stewart Downing highly,
but has played down talk of a transfer bid. Reports earlier this week
suggested that the Hammers were preparing an offer to Liverpool for their
England winger. Since moving to Anfield from Aston Villa for a fee in the
region of £20million two summers ago, Downing has struggled to hold down a
place in the Reds side. The 28-year-old made 25 starts and four substitute
appearances for the Merseysiders in the Premier League in 2012/13, scoring
three goals and claiming five assists. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce is in the
market for wide players as he seeks to improve the service to record signing
Andy Carroll, now recruited on a permanent basis from Liverpool. But
although Allardyce's right-hand man McDonald is a fan of Downing and would
like to see him at Upton Park, he insists the claims about an impending bid
are premature. "He's a very good player," the Hammers coach told talkSPORT.
"A player of that calibre and West Ham being involved would be great, but
it's all paper talk at the moment."
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Striker off to Russia with love after 'rejecting West Ham, Newcastle and
West Brom'
Bwbetting.com
Chelsea forward Demba Ba looks set to leave Stamford Bridge and Russian
champions Anzhi are ready to take the Senegal international. Demba Ba looks
set to become the latest member of Jose Mourinho's clear out but it appears
that the Chelsea forward is about to disappoint West Ham United, Newcastle
and West Brom by heading to Russia to sign for Anzhi Makhachkala. Ba only
joined Chelsea in January, but he struggled to make much of an impact under
interim boss Rafael Benitez and scored just two Premier League goals
following a £7 million move from Newcastle. And with winger Mario Marin
already farmed out on loan to Sevilla and Jon Obi Mikel set for a move to
Turkish champions Galatasaray as Mourinho reshapes the Blues' squad, it
appears that Ba will be next out of the door. Mourinho has been searching
for another top-class forward to complement the signing of Andre Schurrle,
an £18 million capture from Bayer Leverkusen.
And although Chelsea have seemingly missed out on Napoli's Edinson Cavani,
who is set for Paris Saint-Germain, and Borussia Dortmund contract rebel
Robert Lewandowski, it woudl appear that Ba is still surplus to
requirements. But unfortunately for Ba's potential suitors, who include his
old clubs West Ham and Newcastle as well as West Brom, it appears that Anzhi
are in pole position to sign the Senegal international. After reports today
suggested that Guus Hiddink's side are ready to move in with a lucrative
contract offer to convince Ba to join Samuel Eto'o and company, bwin go 7/4
that the forward signs for the Russian champions. Ba has reportedly already
told the Premier League clubs he has no intention of signing for them and
bwin now go 3/1 (West Ham) and 12/1 (Newcastle) that he remains in England.
Despite the reports, it is still 3/5 that the 28-year-old stays at Chelsea
until January at the earliest and 14/1 and bigger he signs for another club.
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Macca hails Boreham Wood workout
WHUFC.com
Assistant manager Neil McDonald believes hitting the ground running with
early games is beneficial
11.07.2013
It was another case of a job well done for West Ham United after their 3-0
win at Boreham Wood in their latest pre-season match, according to assistant
manager Neil McDonald. The Hammers began to ease away from their Conference
South hosts with two goals in 60 seconds around the 20 minute mark - the
first coming from Ravel Morrison, with that strike quickly followed by a
Ricardo Vaz Te header. Kevin Nolan's shot on the turn then made it 3-0 late
on and McDonald was delighted to continue a positive start to pre-season.
Wednesday's victory came on the back of a 6-2 win at Cork City on Sunday and
McDonald believes having matches so soon after the start of pre-season
training helps to focus the players' minds. "It was a good workout," he
explained. "Two sets of 45 minutes for the players, which was great and no
injuries, which is even better. "We scored some good goals as well, so we're
on track to where we want to be. We've just come back from Cork, we had a
good week there, the boys have been getting their fitness up and that
certainly showed on Wednesday. "I thought we were dominant, we passed the
ball really well and moved it on with a bit of tempo, more so than we did on
Sunday, so that's encouraging. We were nice and tight too, so all in all
it's a good start to pre-season and it gives everybody lots of confidence to
try and push on. "Games always focus the mind a little more because there's
a little bit on it, "With all due respect to them, we're playing teams who
maybe don't move the ball on or have better touches than us, but we've got
to make sure we get our touch right, we move it on and don't get ourselves
in trouble."
New arrivals Adrian, Razvan Rat and Danny Whitehead all played 45 minutes at
Meadow Park and McDonald is pleased with how the trio are integrating into
the squad. "They've all settled in really well," he added. "Last week in
Cork and now this week back here. "We switched the teams around again from
Cork to try and get a different balance and dynamic between everybody else
and everyone's settled in really, really well."
Hammers youngster Pelly Ruddock, who joined the Club last year from Boreham
Wood, captained the team in the opening period and McDonald has been
impressed with his progress. He said: "Pelly Ruddock led the team out and
that was nice for him. He's developed into a decent player since he came
from Boreham Wood last year. "Everyone can see a difference, he's much
stronger, much more comfortable on the ball and he seems to be enjoying the
position we're playing him in. "So let's see how he progresses and hopefully
he can put pressure on some of the first team players."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham confident Andy Carroll will be fit for start of season
Last Updated: July 10, 2013 10:53pm
SSN
West Ham remain confident that record signing Andy Carroll will be fit for
the start of the new Premier League season. Carroll joined the Hammers on a
permanent deal from Liverpool last month for an undisclosed fee, coming
through a medical despite being hampered by a heel injury after his
season-long loan. The England international is yet to feature for Sam
Allardyce's men in their pre-season campaign, which continued with a 3-0
victory over Boreham Wood at Meadow Park on Wednesday evening. "The injury
that he has is quite extensive and it takes time for the body to heal
itself. He is doing everything he can to push on."
Neil McDonald
And assistant manager Neil McDonald admitted after the friendly, in which
Ravel Morrison, Ricardo Vaz Te and Kevin Nolan found the net, that it may be
some time before Hammers fans see the powerful forward in action. McDonald
told Sky Sports News: "He is well under way in his rehab, he is working hard
on the training ground and we just have to be a little bit patient. "The
injury that he has is quite extensive and it takes time for the body to heal
itself. He is doing everything he can to push on. "He has been working
really hard and there is still plenty of time for him to get himself fit for
the start of the season."
McDonald also admitted that the Upton Park outfit were looking to make
further additions to their squad ahead of the new campaign, which kicks off
next month with a home date against Cardiff. He added: "The manager and the
hierarchy are working very hard behind the scenes to strengthen the team
even more. "If we can bring one or two others in to give competition for
places we will be in a really good place come the 17th of August."
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West Ham want Scott Parker back from Tottenham but QPR are determined to win
the race
10 Jul 2013 22:30
The Mirror
Tony Fernandes is leading Queens Park Rangers into the battle for Scott
Parker's signature - but faces opposition from West Ham. QPR supremo
Fernandes is personally involved in trying to back manager Harry Redknapp's
move for Tottenham and England midfielder Parker. West Ham are among the
other clubs interested and Parker, still highly regarded at 32, is keen to
stay in London. However, while the Hammers can only stretch to taking him on
loan, relegated Rangers are prepared to pay a fee to Spurs for Parker's
services. And Loftus Road chief Fernandes is trying hard to see off the
competition ahead of next month's Championship kick-off. Parker is
considering his options, following last week's £17million arrival of
Brazilian Confederations Cup hero Paulinho.
The signing of the 24-year-old midfielder from Corinthians has pushed Parker
down to fourth choice at White Hart Lane. Redknapp, who signed him from West
Ham two years ago, remains a fan of Parker's leadership qualities and see
him as the player to spearhead the club's efforts for a quick return to the
Premier League.
The move for Parker has only come about after concerns expressed behind the
scenes at Loftus Road over Tottenham's possible demand for a transfer fee
combined with Parker's £70,000-a-week wages. QPR chief executive Phil Beard
vetoed a move for another 32-year-old England international, left-back Wayne
Bridge, on the basis that the package to sign him was too expensive. But
Parker is seen as a player still very much capable of competing at the top
level, and Redknapp has convinced Fernandes that the former Charlton man can
lead the club back into the big time. Once QPR managed to sell defender
Christopher Samba back to Anzhi Makhachkala, the Russian club they bought
him from in January, they began to seriously explore signing Parker with
Fernandes taking the lead.
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Cole targets West Ham silverware after seeing new signings in action in 3-0
win over Boreham Wood
By MARK BRYANS
PUBLISHED: 00:36, 11 July 2013 | UPDATED: 00:41, 11 July 2013
Daily Mail
After playing in West Ham's 3-0 win over Boreham Wood on Wednesday, Joe Cole
has targeted taking West Ham to Wembley and challenging for silverware.
The Hammers, featuring new signings Adrian, Ravzan Rat and Danny Whitehead,
comfortably won at Meadow Park thanks to goals from Ravel Morrison, Ricardo
Vaz Te and Kevin Nolan. And now Cole, 31, who returned to his boyhood club
in January after he failed to nail down a place at Liverpool, wants to see
the club improve on last season's top-10 finish and collect a winners' medal
along the way. 'I think the ambition of the club at the moment is
improvement,' he said. 'But for me personally, I would love to finish better
than 10th but I would love to take this club to Wembley because at the end
of the day they are the days you remember in your career - it would be a
massive achievement. 'You look at Swansea and Wigan last year and that is
their day, we would like a bit of that because it has been such a long time
since West Ham have been there, so that would be nice.' Sam Allardyce led
the Hammers to 10th on their return to the Barclays Premier League and has
already added to his squad ahead of the new campaign. The stand-out signings
are those of Andy Carroll, who spent last season on loan at West Ham from
Liverpool, and Romania captain Rat - brought in on a free transfer from
Shakhtar Donetsk. Cole believes the calibre of such players proves that West
Ham are able to attract big names. 'It is a boost for the club and shows
where we are going,' he added. 'Andy Carroll is a young, England
centre-forward and clubs do not usually sell them and he is a big talent. He
did a good job and we just want him to get fit and come back because he is a
big part of our team.
'West Ham is a big club but it has been starved of success. You look at
where we are in London and people want to come here and play in London and
play for West Ham. 'It is great that players like Razvan and Andy are coming
in and hopefully there will be a few more as well.' The former Chelsea ace
has had his fair share of injury problems in recent years and admits his
first aim for the forthcoming season is to play as often as possible and
even maybe attract the attention of England manager Roy Hodgson. 'I always
keep my goals to myself and take it day-by-day but I just want to keep fit
first and foremost,' said Cole.
'When I was fit last season my performances were good so the key for me is
just staying fit and if I do that, the football for me has never been a
problem.
'The ambition will always burn every time you go out on the football pitch
and you want to do well, if you're an Englishman and you're playing well you
are inevitably going to be talked about. 'I have played over 50 times for my
country so if I can get playing you never know but at the moment I'm just
concentrating on West Ham.'
Morrison tapped home on 20 minutes after Boreham Wood goalkeeper James
Russell had made a sprawling save to prevent Rat's deflected cross creeping
in.
The second came just moments later as Vaz Te headed home after a
short-corner routine but, despite the visitors dominating for large periods,
they did not add to their lead until skipper Nolan volleyed home with just
under 10 minutes remaining.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'Plenty of time' for Carroll to be fit
July 11, 2013
By ESPN staff
West Ham officials are confident that England international Andy Carroll
will be fighting fit for the start of the Premier League season. West Ham
are confident Andy Carroll will be fit for the start of the season. The
24-year-old completed a permanent move to Upton Park from Liverpool last
month after leading the line for the Hammers last season while on loan from
the Anfield club. However, a heel injury has so far kept the club's record
signing out of manager Sam Allardyce's pre-season squads, restricted to the
training paddock as he continues his recovery. But despite fears Carroll's
injury may interrupt his preparations for the new season, assistant manager
Neil McDonald was confident there was enough time to return the striker to
the head of the attack. "He is well under way in his rehab, he is working
hard on the training ground and we just have to be a little bit patient,"
McDonald told Sky Sports. "The injury that he has is quite extensive and it
takes time for the body to heal itself. He is doing everything he can to
push on. "He has been working really hard and there is still plenty of time
for him to get himself fit for the start of the season."
However, West Ham may not need to rely solely on Carroll's goals to shoot
the club up the ladder, with McDonald confirming the club are still in the
market to strengthen the squad. "The manager and the hierarchy are working
very hard behind the scenes to strengthen the team even more," he said. "If
we can bring one or two others in to give competition for places we will be
in a really good place come the 17th of August."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Captain Kevin Nolan is looking forward to another pre-season workout at
Boreham Wood on Wednesday
10.07.2013
West Ham United's pre-season schedule continues with a trip to Conference
South side Boreham Wood on Wednesday evening. The Hammers make the short
journey to Hertfordshire to take on the Wood for the second summer in
succession, with kick-off scheduled for 7.30pm. Tickets for the match will
be available to purchase at Meadow Park on the day. Kevin Nolan and his
team-mates enjoyed a superb opening week of training in the Republic of
Ireland that culminated with a resounding 6-2 victory at Cork City on Sunday
evening. Nolan was part of the side held 1-1 at Boreham Wood a year ago and
the captain will be part of the squad again this time around.
"We came back earlier than most Premier League teams, which is something I'm
used to, having worked with Sam Allardyce for so many years," confirmed the
skipper. "I have to say Cork was one of the nicest set ups I've been to. The
pitches were fantastic, the weather wasn't too hot and the facilities on
site were fantastic. They couldn't do enough for us. All in all it was a
great first week. It was very tiring, with 7am starts every day and three
training sessions a day. "The main thing that has changed is that you come
back to balls now. You never used to see a football for a week and you used
to run until you were sick! That was the old-school mentality but it has all
moved on from that. I knew that when I signed for Sam he'd give me the best
opportunity to prolong my career for as long as I possibly can and he's done
that. Being back with him has made me hungrier to make sure I can succeed at
such a fantastic Club.
"For Sam to move to this club, get us back in the Premier League and then
what we achieved last season was fantastic. You can see from the owners and
what the gaffer wants, and with the signing of the big man Andy Carroll,
there's only one way that we're going in the league and I want to be a major
part of that. I want to get this Club back in the higher ranks of the
Premier League, which is where I truly and firmly believe it belongs."
Wednesday's fixture will be the second of eight pre-season matches held in
preparation for the big Barclays Premier League kick-off at home to Cardiff
City on Saturday 17 August. Last year, West Ham were the newly-promoted side
when they hosted Aston Villa on the opening day, but this time around the
boot is on the other foot.
"Obviously last year we were the new boys and this year it's going to be a
tough one with Cardiff coming up to the Premier League, because they will
all be really up for it. It's at Upton Park so we expect a win. We had a
fantastic home record last year when we only lost on four occasions to
top-six sides, so we'll be expecting to get the season up and running. "It's
going to be tough because Cardiff will come with a gameplan, but we're just
hoping we can start as we did last season with a win. I'm looking forward to
it and I'm sure it's going to be a tasty and feisty game."
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Hammers impress Irish hosts
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will be welcomed back to Cork after a fantastic week in
south west Ireland
10.07.2013
West Ham United will be welcomed back to Cork after a fantastic week in
south west Ireland. The Hammers enjoyed a productive pre-season training
camp in County Cork, impressing their hosts at the Fota Island Resort,
University College Cork and Cork City FC. The facilities, weather, food and
hospitality all exceeded the expectations of Sam Allardyce and his squad and
the manager has already expressed a wish to return to the region in the
future. Likewise, Fota Island Resort general manager John O'Flynn and Cork
City FC chief executive Timmy Murphy praised West Ham for the way the Club
approached their visit to Ireland. "Fota Island is just a small bit outside
Cork city centre and is a beautiful resort," O'Flynn explained. "We have
golf courses here and the wildlife park next door, but we are also proud of
our training facilities and were delighted to have West Ham over here. It's
a great buzz for the resort and a great buzz for the city and, thanks be to
God, we got the weather to add to it as well. "At the hotel we have a
hydrotherapy facility with pools and a bath to aid the whole player recovery
process, while we also have a walking river which helps with rehabilitation
of leg injuries and the like. We also have the swimming pools for bits and
pieces. We also have two training pitches and a fully-equipped gym. "The
fact we have these facilities on site means the players can rest much more
easily during their down-time. We also have the golf courses, driving range
and cycling and walking tracks which they can use there as well."
Fota Island has played host to a number of high-profile sports clubs
previously, including Manchester United, Watford, the Munster Rugby squad
and a variety of Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) football and hurling
teams. "All the teams who come to us are well looked after. The groundstaff
here make sure we always have immaculate pitches and we have a lot of GAA
teams come to use them - nearly every county has been here at some stage.
The first team to use it was Tipperary and they went on to win the
All-Ireland title that year, so it's a lucky pitch, that's for sure!"
O'Flynn said that, while Fota Island is a five-star resort, the venue has
accommodation to suit families and he has encouraged West Ham fans to come
and visit. "We have the full menu of facilities here, from the family lodges
to the top-end corporate. Everybody is welcome at Fota Island, where we have
the lodges and wildlife park for families and the pitches for Premier League
football teams. We look forward to welcoming West Ham supporters, so bring
them on!"
Murphy, meanwhile, was delighted to welcome a Barclays Premier League club
to play at the Rebel Army's Turner's Cross stadium. The match, of course,
ended in a 6-2 victory for the Hammers, but the Cork City FC chief executive
said the whole event had been a rousing success. "Without a doubt, West Ham
is one of the biggest teams we've had come to Cork in quite a number of
years," Murphy confirmed. "West Ham has huge connections with the city of
Cork. A lot of the older generation of Corkonians would have spent time in
London working in Dagenham for the Ford Motor Company, so there would have
been huge connectivity with West Ham. The younger generation are now getting
the feel of that. "The whole week has been brilliant, with huge interaction
between the players and local Cork people, which we're grateful for. There
is huge goodwill on both sides, so it's been fantastic."
While West Ham's week-long stay in Cork may now be over, Murphy has
encouraged West Ham fans to pay the club a visit if they are ever in south
west Ireland. Likewise, the chief executive would love to see the two clubs
forge a more formal connection in the future. "Looking around Cork city on
Sunday, there were lots of West Ham people in the city centre showing their
colours. I was out in Turner's Cross and one of the houses by the away end
had West Ham colours up! We'll forgive him on this occasion! "We would love
to see an association with West Ham United. Quite a lot of Cork people go to
England to watch games so hopefully the trip will boost West Ham as well.
When West Ham move to the Olympic Stadium and need a few more fans to fill
it, some Cork people will come across! "Any time West Ham go abroad, we'd
love to see them here and we'd welcome them with open arms."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Boreham Wood 0-3 West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 10th July 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham secured a second successive pre-season friendly win after coasting
to victory against non-league Boreham Wood tonight. Having started
pre-season in fine fashion with a 6-2 win in Cork last weekend, Sam
Allardyce's team continued in a similar vein at Meadow Park tonight. And it
was two first half goals within the space of a minute that did for the home
side, who are celebrating their 65th anniversary this year. New signing
Razvan Rat, making his second appearance in claret and blue played a major
part in West Ham's opener. It was his cross that was almost turned into his
own net by Ben Nunn before Ravel Morrison applied the finishing touch. With
the home side still reeling from going a goal behind, United doubled their
lead when Ricardo Vaz Te climbed highest to meet a Mark Noble cross, which
he diverted expertly into the back of the net.
Despite dominating the game throughout, West Ham were forced to wait until
seven minutes from time before adding a third and final goal. This time it
was captain Kevin Nolan who volleyed home from inside the box to complete a
comfortable victory.
West Ham Utd: Adrian (Jussi Jaaskelainen 46), Guy Demel (Jordan Spence 46),
Pelly Ruddock (James Tomkins 46), Winston Reid (James Collins 46), Razvan
Rat (Dan Potts 46), Mark Noble (Alou Diarra 46), Jack Collison (Kevin Nolan
46), Matt Taylor (Matt Jarvis 46), Ricardo Vaz Te (Joe Cole 46), Paul
McCallum (Modibo Maiga 46), Ravel Morrison (Danny Whitehead 46).
Subs Not Used: Elliot Lee, George Moncur, Sam Baxter.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham miss out on Deulofeu
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 10th July 2013
By: Staff Writer
An audacious bid by West Ham to sign Barcelona starlet Gerard Deulofeu has
failed, after the youngster decided to join Premier League rivals Everton
instead.
Described elsewhere as "one of Spain's most exciting young talents",
Deulofeu's season-long loan move to Goodison Park was confirmed earlier
today. However in the last few minutes, the Twitter account attributed to
Jack Sullivan - the 13-year-old son of co-owner David - has revealed that
West Ham had hoped to sign the 19-year-old ahead of the Toffees. Following
an earlier Tweet (on 25th June) in which it was announced that United were
hoping to "sign one of the most exciting youngsters in Europe", Sullivan
revealed on Wednesday afternoon that the player in question was the Spanish
forward. "I am sorry to announce the 'young player' we were trying to sign
was Gerard Deulofeu who has decided to go to Everton over us," read the
message. Sullivan's Twitter account also revealed earlier in the day that no
new signings were imminent, despite the club being linked with a string of
players in recent days. Everton boss Roberto Martínez, who confirmed the
capture of Deulofeu earlier in the day said: "Gerard is a real diamond of
Spanish football and a boy with incredible footballing talent. I am
delighted that he has chosen to take the next step of his career with
Everton."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tactically Speaking
KUMb.com
Filed: Wednesday, 10th July 2013
By: David Hautzig
I grew up watching football with my dad.
It started with shows available here in the United States like Soccer Made
In Germany, which were condensed versions of Bundesliga games. Then the NASL
really took hold when Pele joined The New York Cosmos and a friend from
school and I got season tickets. But it wasn't until the 1994 World Cup that
I even noticed the tactical side of the game.
June 18th, 1994. Italy against The Republic of Ireland. I'm there with my
friend Derek, his brother Roy, and my dad. Derek is solely responsible for
dragging me into this West Ham supporting life of torment and pain, and
along with Roy and their father John were season ticket holders at Upton
Park.
Twelve minutes in, Italian defender Franco Baresi tries to clear the ball
out of danger while being pressured by Ireland's lone striker Tommy Coyne.
Ray Houghton intercepts, does a quick turn to his left and loops it into the
net. Bedlam. Pure, uninterrupted bedlam for the next 78 plus minutes. And
that's how it ended.
In the car ride back into Manhattan, which took well over two hours to cover
the roughly 15 miles from Giants Stadium to my apartment, Derek and Roy were
in the back seat dissecting the game. "That was clever of ol' Jack to place
five across the middle. Really gave the Italians trouble," Derek commented.
I asked him what he meant, because at that time I truly had no idea about
4-4-2, or 4-5-1, or any of that. They might as well have been map
coordinates. He started to give me a lesson on the basic set-ups on the
pitch. What they were intended to do, what kind of issues they can create
for the opposition, and why some teams play one way while others don't.
Somewhere inside The Lincoln Tunnel I had my very first "ah-hah" moment as a
football fan.
"Italy play a style that uses quick passes and a lot of movement off the
ball, so by having only one striker and an extra midfielder it's simply more
crowded in the middle and harder for Italy to do their thing. Right?" I
asked.
"Exactly", Derek replied. All of a sudden the game I had just finished
watching made more sense to me. I understood a few of the strategic elements
well after the fact, and I couldn't wait to watch the next game on
television to see if I could retain my new found knowledge.
Which brings me to Sam. Whether you agree with him and think he plays a
4-3-3, or you think you see through him as a peddler of 4-5-1, one theme
that is constantly brought up among supporters is a desire to see him try a
traditional 4-4-2. Last season when goals were hard to come by, you could
almost see the hair being pulled by some of us fly out from our computer or
tablet screens.
Yet in the past decade or so, that very same 4-4-2 has been labeled as
ancient and outdated by many a football commentator. Some have even blamed
its continued existence and some English managers fixation on it as the
reason for England's "failures" at The World Cup and Euros. Even within
Premier League clubs there is almost a resignation that in order for a team
to win in Europe they MUST learn to play one striker and protect the centre
of the pitch.
Are supporters wrong to call for Sam to play two up top? Or worse,
hypocritical? Johan Aarnio is a retired coach that lives near me. He worked
with a number of professional teams in North America during his career,
including the Montreal Impact. He was also the head coach at The University
Of Albany for 11 years before he packed up his bibs and cones. I threw the
question his way.
"There is never more arguing among football fans then there is about
tactics. As far as I'm concerned, Allardyce has always set up his teams in a
way that plays to their strengths and mitigates their weakness. It's all
about the players, and formations and tactics are nothing more than starting
points. You need movement on the pitch. So a 4-5-1 can quickly become a
4-3-3 if there is an opportunity to penetrate on the attack. And it can go
the other way when you need to cover on defence."
I could see by the look in his eye that just talking about it for a few
minutes got him all charged up. You can take the man away from the game...
Johan only pays attention to West Ham because every time I see him I cackle
on and on about us. I wanted to converse with someone from within The Tribe.
And lucky for me I have just the person. When Bob Woodward was uncovering
Tricky Dick Nixon and Watergate in the 1970's, he had his mysterious
informer that went by the name Deep Throat.
I have @ExWHUemployee.
The Twitter legend himself has made himself available to me while remaining
nameless. I know from "chatting" with him that he is a Sam supporter and was
enthusiastic about signing Andy Carroll from day one. So was I, which made
us kindred spirits of sorts. So I asked him for his take on it.
"I personally believe that fans will always favour a system with two up
front rather than one. Quite simply because the fans want to see their team
score more goals and believe that having double the forwards is the answer.
Whilst there is an obvious clear logic in that, the logic only works if both
forwards are of a good quality and that the midfielders behind them are
providing them with enough service to create the chances.
"The effectiveness of that also depends on how the opposition have set up.
As you say the current trend is to not play 4-4-2 and to favour a formation
where there are usually five midfielders. Unless those midfielders are of a
significantly better quality than the opposition they will always be
outnumbered and therefore make them self more vulnerable to conceding and
less likely to break through to create chances."
I think the majority of fans now accept Sam's starting formation and I
believe Andy Carroll is the perfect forward to fit into that system. What I
think annoys people is that when we are chasing a lead he doesn't change it
and become more attacking. I can see this argument but I do think you have
to have the players to do it.
It is also very hard for clubs to have at least two quality forwards because
a forward's value is always that much higher than other positions. Generally
modern day forwards wish to be the ones that score the goals and grab the
headlines so often it is hard to find a partnership where both are equally
contributing or creating for each other.
I take Newcastle when they had Demba Ba and then signed Cisse. It was no
surprise that at the start of the 2011/12 season Ba was scoring regularly.
When Cisse joined and they originally played together, with Ba either up
front or pushed out to the wing, he stopped scoring and Cisse took over. I
am a fan of Sam and believe that he plays to the strengths of the players
that he has available to him and currently 4-5-1 or 4-3-2-1 as I like to
call it is that system."
So what happens if some of the rumors flying around daily come true? Getting
a Demba Ba to play with Andy Carroll does not seem like a Sam style of play.
The man never pays two up front, right? What would he do if he actually
signed more hotshots?
"I think Sam will play the system that is right for the players. When Bolton
were first around in the Premiership under Sam they were known to be a rough
side with a route one playing style. As they became more established he
started to bring in the likes of Djorkaeff and Okocha.
"These players were far more known for their flair and skills then their
physical attributes and ability to kick it up to a big man. Sam was also
very close to landing Samuel Eto'o at one point and of course these players
would not have fitted into a system that didn't allow creativity and
something different to what Sam had tried before.
"Sam has a reputation amongst some fans as playing boring, long ball and
physical tactics at West Ham. The fact that both Yossi Benayoun and Joe Cole
were signed back, both of which I would describe as not physical but
creative show that depending on the players that Sam has available he would
change systems.
"I like to describe the system and the style that we play as "situational
football". There are times when we play long ball tactics depending on the
opposition, players available and score. There are other times when we do
play some lovely passes and quick interchanges, which I often feel is
overlooked."
At the end of the day, it's probably safe to say that Sam Allardyce knows
more about managing a football club than we do. And instead of fixating on a
particular tactic and how some numbers represent it, we should look at the
overall. And that says we are in a far better place than we have been in a
very long time.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
McDonald dismisses Downing rumours
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 10th July 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham's assistant manager Neil McDonald has dismissed reports of interest
in Liverpool winger Stuart Downing as "paper talk". Speaking on Talksport
last night, Sam Allardyce's right hand man admitted that Downing was highly
thought of at West Ham - but not a player the club were intending to make an
approach for anytime soon. "He's a very good player and I think West Ham
being involved with a player of that calibre would be great - but it's all
paper talk at the moment, " McDonald told host Andy Goldstein. "I'm not 100
per cent sure where it's come from, to tell you the truth. "We've been back
[from our summer break] for over a week now and the manager and the Chairman
are obviously working hard behind the scenes trying to strengthen the team
so we can improve on what we did last season. There will be lots of names
mentioned, few of which will be true but hopefully a few that will [be].
We're always looking to strengthen if we can."
The 47-year-old, who has been at West Ham for two years since (re-)joining
Sam Allardyce in east London also revealed that the squad's minimum target
next season was 46 points - the same number of points the (newly-promoted)
team secured in the 2012/13 Premier League campaign. "I think you've always
got to set the target of how you did last year. We were under the radar for
most of the season really and finished well," he mused. "To finish tenth
after getting promoted through the play-offs was a tremedous effort by
everybody. "So the standard is to get 46 points or more and to try and
improve on last season - which I'm sure we can with the recruits we've had
so far and hopefull to arrive in the future. But privately we'll set a
higher target than we do publicly and if we fall somewhere between the two,
then we'll have had a great season."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham play down interest in Liverpool's Stewart Downing
Last Updated: July 10, 2013 2:04pm
SSN
West Ham assistant boss Neil McDonald says he rates Stewart Downing highly,
but has played down talk of a transfer bid. Reports earlier this week
suggested that the Hammers were preparing an offer to Liverpool for their
England winger. Since moving to Anfield from Aston Villa for a fee in the
region of £20million two summers ago, Downing has struggled to hold down a
place in the Reds side. The 28-year-old made 25 starts and four substitute
appearances for the Merseysiders in the Premier League in 2012/13, scoring
three goals and claiming five assists. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce is in the
market for wide players as he seeks to improve the service to record signing
Andy Carroll, now recruited on a permanent basis from Liverpool. But
although Allardyce's right-hand man McDonald is a fan of Downing and would
like to see him at Upton Park, he insists the claims about an impending bid
are premature. "He's a very good player," the Hammers coach told talkSPORT.
"A player of that calibre and West Ham being involved would be great, but
it's all paper talk at the moment."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Striker off to Russia with love after 'rejecting West Ham, Newcastle and
West Brom'
Bwbetting.com
Chelsea forward Demba Ba looks set to leave Stamford Bridge and Russian
champions Anzhi are ready to take the Senegal international. Demba Ba looks
set to become the latest member of Jose Mourinho's clear out but it appears
that the Chelsea forward is about to disappoint West Ham United, Newcastle
and West Brom by heading to Russia to sign for Anzhi Makhachkala. Ba only
joined Chelsea in January, but he struggled to make much of an impact under
interim boss Rafael Benitez and scored just two Premier League goals
following a £7 million move from Newcastle. And with winger Mario Marin
already farmed out on loan to Sevilla and Jon Obi Mikel set for a move to
Turkish champions Galatasaray as Mourinho reshapes the Blues' squad, it
appears that Ba will be next out of the door. Mourinho has been searching
for another top-class forward to complement the signing of Andre Schurrle,
an £18 million capture from Bayer Leverkusen.
And although Chelsea have seemingly missed out on Napoli's Edinson Cavani,
who is set for Paris Saint-Germain, and Borussia Dortmund contract rebel
Robert Lewandowski, it woudl appear that Ba is still surplus to
requirements. But unfortunately for Ba's potential suitors, who include his
old clubs West Ham and Newcastle as well as West Brom, it appears that Anzhi
are in pole position to sign the Senegal international. After reports today
suggested that Guus Hiddink's side are ready to move in with a lucrative
contract offer to convince Ba to join Samuel Eto'o and company, bwin go 7/4
that the forward signs for the Russian champions. Ba has reportedly already
told the Premier League clubs he has no intention of signing for them and
bwin now go 3/1 (West Ham) and 12/1 (Newcastle) that he remains in England.
Despite the reports, it is still 3/5 that the 28-year-old stays at Chelsea
until January at the earliest and 14/1 and bigger he signs for another club.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Macca hails Boreham Wood workout
WHUFC.com
Assistant manager Neil McDonald believes hitting the ground running with
early games is beneficial
11.07.2013
It was another case of a job well done for West Ham United after their 3-0
win at Boreham Wood in their latest pre-season match, according to assistant
manager Neil McDonald. The Hammers began to ease away from their Conference
South hosts with two goals in 60 seconds around the 20 minute mark - the
first coming from Ravel Morrison, with that strike quickly followed by a
Ricardo Vaz Te header. Kevin Nolan's shot on the turn then made it 3-0 late
on and McDonald was delighted to continue a positive start to pre-season.
Wednesday's victory came on the back of a 6-2 win at Cork City on Sunday and
McDonald believes having matches so soon after the start of pre-season
training helps to focus the players' minds. "It was a good workout," he
explained. "Two sets of 45 minutes for the players, which was great and no
injuries, which is even better. "We scored some good goals as well, so we're
on track to where we want to be. We've just come back from Cork, we had a
good week there, the boys have been getting their fitness up and that
certainly showed on Wednesday. "I thought we were dominant, we passed the
ball really well and moved it on with a bit of tempo, more so than we did on
Sunday, so that's encouraging. We were nice and tight too, so all in all
it's a good start to pre-season and it gives everybody lots of confidence to
try and push on. "Games always focus the mind a little more because there's
a little bit on it, "With all due respect to them, we're playing teams who
maybe don't move the ball on or have better touches than us, but we've got
to make sure we get our touch right, we move it on and don't get ourselves
in trouble."
New arrivals Adrian, Razvan Rat and Danny Whitehead all played 45 minutes at
Meadow Park and McDonald is pleased with how the trio are integrating into
the squad. "They've all settled in really well," he added. "Last week in
Cork and now this week back here. "We switched the teams around again from
Cork to try and get a different balance and dynamic between everybody else
and everyone's settled in really, really well."
Hammers youngster Pelly Ruddock, who joined the Club last year from Boreham
Wood, captained the team in the opening period and McDonald has been
impressed with his progress. He said: "Pelly Ruddock led the team out and
that was nice for him. He's developed into a decent player since he came
from Boreham Wood last year. "Everyone can see a difference, he's much
stronger, much more comfortable on the ball and he seems to be enjoying the
position we're playing him in. "So let's see how he progresses and hopefully
he can put pressure on some of the first team players."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham confident Andy Carroll will be fit for start of season
Last Updated: July 10, 2013 10:53pm
SSN
West Ham remain confident that record signing Andy Carroll will be fit for
the start of the new Premier League season. Carroll joined the Hammers on a
permanent deal from Liverpool last month for an undisclosed fee, coming
through a medical despite being hampered by a heel injury after his
season-long loan. The England international is yet to feature for Sam
Allardyce's men in their pre-season campaign, which continued with a 3-0
victory over Boreham Wood at Meadow Park on Wednesday evening. "The injury
that he has is quite extensive and it takes time for the body to heal
itself. He is doing everything he can to push on."
Neil McDonald
And assistant manager Neil McDonald admitted after the friendly, in which
Ravel Morrison, Ricardo Vaz Te and Kevin Nolan found the net, that it may be
some time before Hammers fans see the powerful forward in action. McDonald
told Sky Sports News: "He is well under way in his rehab, he is working hard
on the training ground and we just have to be a little bit patient. "The
injury that he has is quite extensive and it takes time for the body to heal
itself. He is doing everything he can to push on. "He has been working
really hard and there is still plenty of time for him to get himself fit for
the start of the season."
McDonald also admitted that the Upton Park outfit were looking to make
further additions to their squad ahead of the new campaign, which kicks off
next month with a home date against Cardiff. He added: "The manager and the
hierarchy are working very hard behind the scenes to strengthen the team
even more. "If we can bring one or two others in to give competition for
places we will be in a really good place come the 17th of August."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham want Scott Parker back from Tottenham but QPR are determined to win
the race
10 Jul 2013 22:30
The Mirror
Tony Fernandes is leading Queens Park Rangers into the battle for Scott
Parker's signature - but faces opposition from West Ham. QPR supremo
Fernandes is personally involved in trying to back manager Harry Redknapp's
move for Tottenham and England midfielder Parker. West Ham are among the
other clubs interested and Parker, still highly regarded at 32, is keen to
stay in London. However, while the Hammers can only stretch to taking him on
loan, relegated Rangers are prepared to pay a fee to Spurs for Parker's
services. And Loftus Road chief Fernandes is trying hard to see off the
competition ahead of next month's Championship kick-off. Parker is
considering his options, following last week's £17million arrival of
Brazilian Confederations Cup hero Paulinho.
The signing of the 24-year-old midfielder from Corinthians has pushed Parker
down to fourth choice at White Hart Lane. Redknapp, who signed him from West
Ham two years ago, remains a fan of Parker's leadership qualities and see
him as the player to spearhead the club's efforts for a quick return to the
Premier League.
The move for Parker has only come about after concerns expressed behind the
scenes at Loftus Road over Tottenham's possible demand for a transfer fee
combined with Parker's £70,000-a-week wages. QPR chief executive Phil Beard
vetoed a move for another 32-year-old England international, left-back Wayne
Bridge, on the basis that the package to sign him was too expensive. But
Parker is seen as a player still very much capable of competing at the top
level, and Redknapp has convinced Fernandes that the former Charlton man can
lead the club back into the big time. Once QPR managed to sell defender
Christopher Samba back to Anzhi Makhachkala, the Russian club they bought
him from in January, they began to seriously explore signing Parker with
Fernandes taking the lead.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Cole targets West Ham silverware after seeing new signings in action in 3-0
win over Boreham Wood
By MARK BRYANS
PUBLISHED: 00:36, 11 July 2013 | UPDATED: 00:41, 11 July 2013
Daily Mail
After playing in West Ham's 3-0 win over Boreham Wood on Wednesday, Joe Cole
has targeted taking West Ham to Wembley and challenging for silverware.
The Hammers, featuring new signings Adrian, Ravzan Rat and Danny Whitehead,
comfortably won at Meadow Park thanks to goals from Ravel Morrison, Ricardo
Vaz Te and Kevin Nolan. And now Cole, 31, who returned to his boyhood club
in January after he failed to nail down a place at Liverpool, wants to see
the club improve on last season's top-10 finish and collect a winners' medal
along the way. 'I think the ambition of the club at the moment is
improvement,' he said. 'But for me personally, I would love to finish better
than 10th but I would love to take this club to Wembley because at the end
of the day they are the days you remember in your career - it would be a
massive achievement. 'You look at Swansea and Wigan last year and that is
their day, we would like a bit of that because it has been such a long time
since West Ham have been there, so that would be nice.' Sam Allardyce led
the Hammers to 10th on their return to the Barclays Premier League and has
already added to his squad ahead of the new campaign. The stand-out signings
are those of Andy Carroll, who spent last season on loan at West Ham from
Liverpool, and Romania captain Rat - brought in on a free transfer from
Shakhtar Donetsk. Cole believes the calibre of such players proves that West
Ham are able to attract big names. 'It is a boost for the club and shows
where we are going,' he added. 'Andy Carroll is a young, England
centre-forward and clubs do not usually sell them and he is a big talent. He
did a good job and we just want him to get fit and come back because he is a
big part of our team.
'West Ham is a big club but it has been starved of success. You look at
where we are in London and people want to come here and play in London and
play for West Ham. 'It is great that players like Razvan and Andy are coming
in and hopefully there will be a few more as well.' The former Chelsea ace
has had his fair share of injury problems in recent years and admits his
first aim for the forthcoming season is to play as often as possible and
even maybe attract the attention of England manager Roy Hodgson. 'I always
keep my goals to myself and take it day-by-day but I just want to keep fit
first and foremost,' said Cole.
'When I was fit last season my performances were good so the key for me is
just staying fit and if I do that, the football for me has never been a
problem.
'The ambition will always burn every time you go out on the football pitch
and you want to do well, if you're an Englishman and you're playing well you
are inevitably going to be talked about. 'I have played over 50 times for my
country so if I can get playing you never know but at the moment I'm just
concentrating on West Ham.'
Morrison tapped home on 20 minutes after Boreham Wood goalkeeper James
Russell had made a sprawling save to prevent Rat's deflected cross creeping
in.
The second came just moments later as Vaz Te headed home after a
short-corner routine but, despite the visitors dominating for large periods,
they did not add to their lead until skipper Nolan volleyed home with just
under 10 minutes remaining.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'Plenty of time' for Carroll to be fit
July 11, 2013
By ESPN staff
West Ham officials are confident that England international Andy Carroll
will be fighting fit for the start of the Premier League season. West Ham
are confident Andy Carroll will be fit for the start of the season. The
24-year-old completed a permanent move to Upton Park from Liverpool last
month after leading the line for the Hammers last season while on loan from
the Anfield club. However, a heel injury has so far kept the club's record
signing out of manager Sam Allardyce's pre-season squads, restricted to the
training paddock as he continues his recovery. But despite fears Carroll's
injury may interrupt his preparations for the new season, assistant manager
Neil McDonald was confident there was enough time to return the striker to
the head of the attack. "He is well under way in his rehab, he is working
hard on the training ground and we just have to be a little bit patient,"
McDonald told Sky Sports. "The injury that he has is quite extensive and it
takes time for the body to heal itself. He is doing everything he can to
push on. "He has been working really hard and there is still plenty of time
for him to get himself fit for the start of the season."
However, West Ham may not need to rely solely on Carroll's goals to shoot
the club up the ladder, with McDonald confirming the club are still in the
market to strengthen the squad. "The manager and the hierarchy are working
very hard behind the scenes to strengthen the team even more," he said. "If
we can bring one or two others in to give competition for places we will be
in a really good place come the 17th of August."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Wednesday, July 10
Daily WHUFC News - 10th July 2013
Young duo eyeing progression
WHUFC.com
Paul McCallum and Dan Potts are looking to make their mark after impressing
against Cork City
09.07.2013
West Ham United youngsters Paul McCallum and Dan Potts are looking to make
their mark after impressing in Sunday's pre-season victory at Cork City.
McCallum made the most of his opportunity to shine by scoring with a
powerful header, while Potts was the only Hammer to complete the full 90
minutes at Turner's Cross. Speaking to West Ham TV, the two teenagers were
happy to have been given the chance to get more first-team minutes under
their belts in Ireland. For McCallum, his goal marked the end of a whirlwind
week that started with him training with the Under-21s at Chadwell Heath.
"Yes, I started the week with the 21s and didn't think I had a sniff of
coming out here," confirmed the 19-year-old forward. "I got a phone call
during a gym session and had to fly over that night. I came over here and
I'm just delighted to be given the chance to show the Gaffer what I can do.
I'm even happier that I got a goal."
For the former Dulwich Hamlet youngster, who joined West Ham at the age of
17 in January 2011, the opportunity to train and play with experienced
internationals at an overseas training camp is one he relished. "It's a huge
experience for me. I had never been away with the first team before and we
never went away in non-league. I'm just delighted to be here."
McCallum's goal arrived in the second half when he rose to nod in fellow
youngster Danny Whitehead's clipped cross, and the forward then added an
assist by holding off a defender to set up Ravel Morrison. "To be fair, I
tihnk everybody would put their money on me scoring a header. I'd have put
my house on it. Then, for Ravel's goal, I showed a bit of pace to get in
behind and I've not really got pace! I've out-muscled the left-back, who was
only about 5'6, but I'm still buzzing off it! I cut it back for Rav when I
probably should have gone for goal myself and got my second."
Potts has more first-team experience than his fellow teenager, having
featured ten times under Sam Allardyce, and the England Under-20 defender is
eager for more. With the manager having trimmed his squad ahead of the
2013/14 Barclays Premier League campaign, the left-back knows he and his
fellow Under-21s have a chance to stake a claim for a regular place in the
matchday squad. "I'm definitely looking for more. Every year, especially in
pre-season, as a young lad you want to set your stall out for the rest of
the season. You know, pre-season games are going to give you chances and you
have to take those chances to show the Gaffer what you can do and if you're
good enough to step up to the Premier League. "Definitely, this year is a
massive year for everyone at the Club."
McCallum knows his physical approach and imposing 6'3 frame make him an
archetypal Big Sam forward. With just Andy Carroll and Modibo Maiga ahead
him in the pecking order, he is desperate to muscle his way into the
first-team reckoning. "We have only got two strikers at the Club at the
moment in Maiga and Andy and I don't know if the manager will sign another
one. I've got to watch Andy because he is the main striker here and I've got
to do what he does, add it to my game and see if I can get my chance."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam hails top flight diversity
WHUFC.com
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce believes the Barclays Premier League is the most
inclusive in the world
09.07.2013
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce was interviewed for a BBC programme on
Muslim footballers in the Barclays Premier League, which aired on Sunday.
Forty Muslim players now feature in the top flight of English football and
Big Sam believes that is an indicator of how inclusive the game is. Speaking
on The Muslim Premier League, Allardyce explained how the Hammers embrace
players from all cultures. He said: "We're fortunate enough to have a
chaplain who comes in on a regular basis. The chaplain is well-versed with
the lads and is adept at talking to the players, particularly about their
religious beliefs. "He does quite a bit of the liasion with me to help the
players for their particular way or their particular need. You have to make
sure you have a prayer room, halal meat if you need it. That's all very,
very important to you to make sure everybody is integrated into the club. "I
think we live in a multicultural society full stop. Our integration is one
of the best in the world. While you'll never get rid of some of the problems
that occur between religions or race, generally in this country and
particularly in football we're all blessed to be footballers and we're all
blessed to be together. "We choose to get on together because that helps you
to become a better team and if you're a better team you live life a better
way. There shouldn't be anything that causes you too many frictions or
frustrations when you're getting paid for something you love doing. The team
spirit and integration at West Ham has been fantastic."
The Hammers have shown themselves to be at the forefront of inclusion in
football through their successful Community Sports Trust, which was the
first in the country to launch a scheme targeted at the Asian community back
in 1998. The Asians in Football scheme aims to increase participation in
football among the local Asian community in Tower Hamlets and Newham, as
well as training up Asian coaches. As the scheme has progressed, the Hammers
have also hosted the UK Asian Community Cup at the Boleyn Ground, and are
opening up pathways for talent from the Asian community through to
mainstream football. Rashid Abba, Social Inclusion Projects Manager at the
West Ham United Community Sports Trust said: "When West Ham launched the
Asians in Football scheme in 1998, no other club had done that. It has gone
on to be hugely successful and the work of the Trust here can be used as an
example for other clubs to follow.
"At the Community Sports Trust we have coaches from all different
backgrounds, so it is very diverse and it reflects our local community."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Is Kuz the Man?
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 9th July 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are being linked with a move for Inter's Serbian international
midfielder Zdravko Kuzmanovic. According to Sky Sports Italy the Hammers
have made tentative enquiries into the availablity of the 25-year-old, who
only joined the Italian giants from German Bundesliga side Stuttgart six
months ago.
Born in Switzerland to Bosnian Serb expat parents, Kuzmanovic is one of a
few players to have represented two countries at international level. He
appeared for the Swiss Under 21s on four occasions before becoming a full
Serbian international in 2007 - for whom he has since featured on 47
occasions. The central midfielder began his pro career with FC Basel in 2005
before joining Italian side Fiorentina two years later, having snubbed
fellow Italians Palermo in the process. After two successful years in Italy
with La Viola, Kuzmanovic moved to Stuttgart in 2009 for a fee of around
£7million. Having continued to impress in the Bundesliga, it was no
surprise when major clubs began to show interest; Stuttgart are said to have
rejected a £23million bid from Chelsea in 2011 whilst Jeventus and Lazio
were also listed as admirers. But a series of minor injuries from the
beginning of 2012 led to Kuzmanovic losing his place in the first team squad
at Stuttgart and after relations with the club turned sour, he agreed to
return to Italy in order to join Inter, for an undisclosed fee. Kuzmanovic
made his debut for Inter in a 3-1 defeat away to Siena at the beginning of
February and went on to appear 13 times (including three from the bench) for
Inter in the second half of the 2012/13 season.
Other players linked with West Ham in the past 24 hours include Liverpool's
Stewart Downing, Lille's Salomon Kalou (again) and West Brom's Graham
Dorrans (who United first bid for three years ago).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Only Way Is Up
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 9th July 2013
By: Ed Brooks
A new dawn is on the horizon. When you consider the arrival of Andy Carroll
in a club record transfer, a new kit deal with sportswear supergiants adidas
and a forthcoming 54,000 stadium, all on the back of a top-10 finish in the
Premier League, the future undeniably looks rosy for those in claret and
blue.
The club, commendably led by Davids Gold and Sullivan, has cut off ties with
its recent turbulent history, instead forging a new direction, one which
surely can only promise further improvement and success. Every aspect of the
club is growing and evolving, ensuring that it is an exciting time to
support West Ham.
The club's transfer policy can be seen to have adopted a new strategy; West
Ham is no longer regarded as a selling club. For the first time in many
summers West Ham's prize assets are not being touted around lazily in the
gossip columns; there is no distinct possibility of any key players
departing.
Earlier this month Gold quashed the possibility selling James Tomkins,
asserting that: "This is no longer a selling club. We are moving forward
into a big future and we will therefore be keeping our biggest players;
James is one of them."
Instead, West Ham is the club linked with everyone and anyone, though the
club's ambition is reflected in this; so far this summer we have been linked
with loan moves for Wilfried Zaha, Romelu Lukaku, and Demba Ba and, perhaps
more sensationally, Antonio Valencia and James Milner amongst many others.
It seems that West Ham is establishing a new reputation as a club with an
unrelenting desire for self-improvement and success. This can be largely
attributed to the efforts of Gold and Sullivan in their stewardship of the
club. They, along with Allardyce, have recognised the overachievement of the
side last year, a squad containing many Championship standard players who,
it must be said, performed outstandingly.
It is for this reason that a proactive transfer policy has been adopted, in
the form of substantial investment and astute short-term deals. West Ham's
unofficial publicity chief - teenager Jack Sullivan - has promised two to
four more signings in this transfer window to build on a so-far fruitful
summer period. Whilst investment is essential in order to progress on the
field next season, the current playing squad has many positives.
The squad can be seen to have a healthy mix of young and old; of upcoming
and established players. The remarkable improvement of Winston Reid over the
last two seasons has seen him rise to prominence in a team littered with
natural leaders. The regular presence of Reid, Jussi Jaaskelainen, James
Collins, Mark Noble, and Kevin Nolan in the starting line-up ensures that
the team displays the steel and fighting spirit required to grind out
results in the top league.
Furthermore, the increasing effectiveness of Matt Jarvis towards the latter
stages of last season provides another source of excitement. His flair and
ability to send crosses into dangerous areas was particularly effective when
combined with Andy Carroll's aerial threat, and so Carroll's permanent
transfer ensures that the relationship between the two successive club
record signings can continue to flourish in the coming years.
The combined cost of these two players amounts to over £25million, a
significant and concrete illustration of the club's willingness to invest.
The players' ages (Jarvis, 27; Carroll, 24) demonstrates the club's ambition
to source English players with career longevity. Such investment signifies
the ambition and determination of Gold and Sullivan to improve the club year
on year, and the wider long-term goal to establish West Ham as a major force
within English football.
So, as the players and staff prepare to return for pre-season training, the
club can be seen to be at its healthiest for years. Admirably led by Gold
and Sullivan, stability and longevity are the terms that are shaping the
team's progression. Gone are the days of the rash, uninformed decision
making that saw players like Freddie Ljungberg and Kieron Dyer brought in on
unsustainable and unjustified contracts.
The forthcoming season should promise further improvement, both on the pitch
and off it. The ambition is undeniably there; now all that needs to follow
is the results.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Awards for a Rewarding Season
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 9th July 2013
By: Julie Stewart
From a completely unbiased point of view, the 2012/13 season was pretty
decent for the Hammers.
Finishing top ten is never a bad thing and there were plenty of highlights
along the way. Not to mention the fact that the best home goal scoring
record outside of the top four surely provided something for the faithful to
sing about.
There is always room for improvement and the securing of the on-going
services of Andy Carroll cannot hurt, but before the anticipation of the new
season begins in earnest, here is a look back in a completely random and not
too serious manner. You have heard of the Oscars, well here are the Josephs
(named after West Ham's own diminutive bloke with a touch of gold, Joe
Cole). Roll out the claret and blue carpet and let the fun begin...
Best Scouser in a Midfield Role
Admittedly there is not an awful lot of competition for this one. Unless
they are hiding it well there are not many extras from 'Bread' in the team.
Even with the lack of competition Kevin Nolan deserves recognition. The
tenacious, Toxteth born, 31-year-old is a 'lead by example' captain, having
scored ten Premier League goals from his midfield position in the 2012/13
season, including the end of season hat-trick at home to Reading. So now
Kevin has a Joseph to add to that match ball.
Best Striker in a Ponytail-Wearing Role
Now there may be a need for a recount in the hairstyle stakes, but whatever
your opinion on the luscious locks, Andy Carroll gets extra votes for being
one of the best 'traditional centre forwards' around. With seven goals in
twenty two Premier League appearances he always makes his presence felt. We
really do not want him to cut that hair either. Andy already has a bit of a
tendency to pick up injuries and we all know what happened to Samson when
his hair was cut.
Best Art Direction
Not really related to last season but the new kit pictures are classic. The
'footballers looking all mean and moody' theme is very 'Magnificent Seven'
except these heroes tend to shoot at goal and run around a football pitch as
opposed to shooting at 'bad guys' and riding around the Wild West. A Joseph
to everyone involved, in the spirit of generosity.
The Joseph for that Person who is Good and Important but you Have Never
Heard of Them
Everyone has seen the highlights of The Academy Awards when they whizz
through lots of awards and you wonder who those people are on the screen.
This Joseph goes to head groundsman Dougie Robertson. He may be known in
footballing circles but no-one would guess him in the mystery guest spot on
'A Question of Sport'. He is the relatively anonymous, but completely vital,
cog in the West Ham wheel.
Most Popular Sequel
The awards were named after him; it has to be the prodigal son, Joe Cole.
Having started his career at West Ham, before leaving to grace the teams of
Chelsea, Liverpool, and Lille, the midfield magician is back home. We could
not give Joe a statue of himself; that would just be weird. So we would need
to look at other award possibilities. We could take look at these awards
available to purchase after all a little glistening is a good thing. Or
maybe Mr Cole would be happy with watching a DVD of his team in the
performance that wins the final Joseph.
Most Satisfying Victorious Role
There are plenty of possibilities for a winner here. From an outside point
of view it would seem that there would be great satisfaction in beating one
of the teams that a lot of football fans love to hate; Chelsea. In anyone's
eyes a 3-1 defeat of any top four club is a pretty big deal. Awards to the
whole winning team for this one.
So that is it, the Josephs are over, the after show parties are about to
begin and the claret and blue carpet has been stored away for another year.
This season may not quite have been a champagne one but the wine has
definitely been sparkling; let's hope that next season The Josephs are an
even bigger celebration.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chelsea looking to tie down Islam Feruz to a new deal at Stamford Bridge
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo. Last Updated: July
9, 2013 3:02pm
SSN
Sky Sports understands Chelsea are in talks with Islam Feruz about a new
deal with a number of Premier League rivals weighing up moves for the
teenager.
The 17-year-old is regarded as one of the most exciting prospects in the UK
after bursting onto the scene with Celtic. Chelsea snapped up Feruz from
Celtic in September 2011 after he turned down a professional contract at
Celtic Park and he is highly-regarded within the corridors of power at
Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are keen to tie down Feruz to a new long-term deal as they see him
as one for the future, but the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United,
Manchester City, Liverpool, West Ham and Fulham are all monitoring his
contract situation in West London.
The skilful attacker, who turns 18 in September, has impressed for Chelsea's
Under 21s and in the Next Gen series over the last couple of seasons and it
has been suggested he could be included in Chelsea's first-team plans during
pre-season this summer.
Should Chelsea secure Feruz on a new deal a host of sides are thought to be
keen on taking the Scotland Under 21 international on loan.
West Brom, Crystal Palace, Wigan, Brighton, QPR, Birmingham, Reading, Bolton
and Blackpool are all believed to have expressed an interest in taking Feruz
on a temporary basis if Chelsea decide to loan him out.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tomkins rumours spoil positive vibe
Posted by Peter Thorne
ESPN
West Ham could be making a mistake if they are entertaining offers for James
Tomkins. Supporters of West Ham United have long known that relative success
for the club depends on the number of steps taken back whenever one is taken
forward; for rest assured, no matter how claret-and-blue tinted your
spectacles are, the faithful know that there has always been a 'crunchy with
the smooth' element to contend with, and that distant light at the end of
the tunnel will surely involve a thundering train. The only good times --
and they never seem to last for long -- are those when, at best, a nifty
sidestep is involved.
You can understand then the disquieting murmurs emanating from the East End
at rumours that an enquiry from Newcastle United about defender James
Tomkins was met -- not with a full rebuff as it was last season and should
have been this -- but reputedly with the suggestion of 6-million-pound price
tag.
It's true that those same rumours also surmise that the asking fee has
caused the North-Eastern side to consider whether they want to pursue the
matter further or not, but that is scant consolation. These worrying stories
have gained further credence because former Newcastle and Sunderland
centre-back Titus Bramble has been training with the Hammers, featured in a
notable 6-2 friendly win over Cork City and has been tagged as 'good enough
for the Premiership' by manager Sam Allardyce just last week. Please, say it
ain't so, Joe!
Tomkins is a popular local lad and most fans were seeing him possibly
bracketed with Alvin Martin and even Rio Ferdinand after West Ham's play-off
final success at the end of the 2011-12 season ensured a short stay in the
Championship. Tomkins was even thought good enough to join the GB squad for
last summer's Olympics but -- as further proof that things don't always go
as they should at the Boleyn -- Tomkins suffered from the football squad's
appalling performances in what was otherwise a Team GB triumph in virtually
every other sport.
Joining the West Ham squad late for preseason training following the
Olympics, Tomkins never seemed to capture his form. When he did play due to
injuries to James Collins, he struggled to strike up the partnership with
Winston Reid he had the previous season. Nevertheless, there were few fans
who didn't think the Basildon-born 24-year-old would find his form again
sooner rather than later and, at very worst, the player could provide
excellent cover in what is a fairly thin roster.
Considering West Ham were so keen to get Tomkins to extend his contract back
in early 2012, it's difficult to see what the player has done to even allow
a suggestion that he might be surplus to requirements -- particularly at the
price being quoted.
Hopefully, these rumours are just the result of some scurrilous
tittle-tattle because few fans would see the advantage of losing Tomkins and
gaining Bramble, even if the fee would plug a few holes in the bank balance.
Fingers crossed then for more positive suggestions the club have been
seriously considering making a bid for Stewart Downing. The winger looks
surplus to requirements at Liverpool and Big Sam apparently likes the idea
of two wingers supplying Andy Carroll with crosses. It does seem a Plan A
that is likely to cost in the region of another £15m -- money that may be
better spent holding onto a local defender and trying to strategise a Plan B
-- but the fact the Hammers are even involved in this type of rumour is
encouraging.
Also on the plus side is the news that the notoriously difficult Ravel
Morrison -- loaned to last season to Birmingham City, where he was highly
thought of by the fans and the local media -- has returned to the Hammers
fold a new and highly motivated young man.
Morrison was the man who was tagged by Sir Alex Ferguson as "Manchester
United's most technically gifted player since Paul Scholes" when he first
broke into the ranks at Old Trafford, but Fergie tired of Morrison's antics
and allowed the player to join West Ham where he hoped -- without much
faith, we suspect -- that Allardyce might be able to achieve what the
famously volatile Scot couldn't.
There wasn't much suggestion of any Road-to-Damascus type revelation early
on when the midfielder signed for West Ham in January of 2012, but
Morrison's inclusion in this preseason's games and, more important, the
favourable quotes coming from the coaching staff are suggesting that the
Hammers may have effectively gained a potent option.
Perhaps I'm being unnecessarily pessimistic, but I do sense Morrison will
always be hard work and West Ham supporters would do well to not get overly
excited by the promise of a 20-year-old with a delicate past and no
Premiership history to speak of. But it would undoubtedly be a feather in
the cap of Big Sam if he could succeed with Morrison where Sir Alex
couldn't.
So, some preseason positives that we don't want spoilt by silly-season
transfer speculation. Let's hope Tomkins benefits from a proper preseason
and shows the manager and board why the Hammers don't want to take a step
back as the club -- encouragingly for early July -- continue to push
forward.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham considering Downing bid
ESPN staff
July 9, 2013
West Ham are weighing up a move for Liverpool winger Stewart Downing, a
source has told ESPN. Hammers manager Sam Allardyce is shaping up his squad
for the new campaign and is considering Downing, 28, as an option, although
no bid has yet been made. The England international has had a difficult time
at Anfield since arriving from Aston Villa for £20 million in 2011, but did
manage to improve over the second half of last season. It is unlikely,
though, that the Reds would recoup anything like that fee if they were to
agree to a sale. Allardyce is looking at the possibility of reuniting
Downing with Andy Carroll, who completed a permanent move from Liverpool to
West Ham on June 19, in a deal worth an initial £15.5 million. Downing
failed to score or provide a single assist in the Premier League during his
first season at Anfield, while he then had a tough start to his second
campaign, following the arrival of Brendan Rodgers to replace Kenny Dalglish
as manager. The winger frequently found himself playing out of position at
left-back, and also had his attitude questioned publicly by Rodgers in the
early weeks of the season. Downing was linked with a November loan move to
Championship side Middlesbrough - his first club - and was told by the Reds
boss that he was free to leave. However, the former Villa man responded with
greatly improved displays, earning praise from his manager in the process.
He scored his first league goal for Liverpool against Fulham on December 22
and won back a regular place on the wing.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Paul McCallum and Dan Potts are looking to make their mark after impressing
against Cork City
09.07.2013
West Ham United youngsters Paul McCallum and Dan Potts are looking to make
their mark after impressing in Sunday's pre-season victory at Cork City.
McCallum made the most of his opportunity to shine by scoring with a
powerful header, while Potts was the only Hammer to complete the full 90
minutes at Turner's Cross. Speaking to West Ham TV, the two teenagers were
happy to have been given the chance to get more first-team minutes under
their belts in Ireland. For McCallum, his goal marked the end of a whirlwind
week that started with him training with the Under-21s at Chadwell Heath.
"Yes, I started the week with the 21s and didn't think I had a sniff of
coming out here," confirmed the 19-year-old forward. "I got a phone call
during a gym session and had to fly over that night. I came over here and
I'm just delighted to be given the chance to show the Gaffer what I can do.
I'm even happier that I got a goal."
For the former Dulwich Hamlet youngster, who joined West Ham at the age of
17 in January 2011, the opportunity to train and play with experienced
internationals at an overseas training camp is one he relished. "It's a huge
experience for me. I had never been away with the first team before and we
never went away in non-league. I'm just delighted to be here."
McCallum's goal arrived in the second half when he rose to nod in fellow
youngster Danny Whitehead's clipped cross, and the forward then added an
assist by holding off a defender to set up Ravel Morrison. "To be fair, I
tihnk everybody would put their money on me scoring a header. I'd have put
my house on it. Then, for Ravel's goal, I showed a bit of pace to get in
behind and I've not really got pace! I've out-muscled the left-back, who was
only about 5'6, but I'm still buzzing off it! I cut it back for Rav when I
probably should have gone for goal myself and got my second."
Potts has more first-team experience than his fellow teenager, having
featured ten times under Sam Allardyce, and the England Under-20 defender is
eager for more. With the manager having trimmed his squad ahead of the
2013/14 Barclays Premier League campaign, the left-back knows he and his
fellow Under-21s have a chance to stake a claim for a regular place in the
matchday squad. "I'm definitely looking for more. Every year, especially in
pre-season, as a young lad you want to set your stall out for the rest of
the season. You know, pre-season games are going to give you chances and you
have to take those chances to show the Gaffer what you can do and if you're
good enough to step up to the Premier League. "Definitely, this year is a
massive year for everyone at the Club."
McCallum knows his physical approach and imposing 6'3 frame make him an
archetypal Big Sam forward. With just Andy Carroll and Modibo Maiga ahead
him in the pecking order, he is desperate to muscle his way into the
first-team reckoning. "We have only got two strikers at the Club at the
moment in Maiga and Andy and I don't know if the manager will sign another
one. I've got to watch Andy because he is the main striker here and I've got
to do what he does, add it to my game and see if I can get my chance."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam hails top flight diversity
WHUFC.com
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce believes the Barclays Premier League is the most
inclusive in the world
09.07.2013
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce was interviewed for a BBC programme on
Muslim footballers in the Barclays Premier League, which aired on Sunday.
Forty Muslim players now feature in the top flight of English football and
Big Sam believes that is an indicator of how inclusive the game is. Speaking
on The Muslim Premier League, Allardyce explained how the Hammers embrace
players from all cultures. He said: "We're fortunate enough to have a
chaplain who comes in on a regular basis. The chaplain is well-versed with
the lads and is adept at talking to the players, particularly about their
religious beliefs. "He does quite a bit of the liasion with me to help the
players for their particular way or their particular need. You have to make
sure you have a prayer room, halal meat if you need it. That's all very,
very important to you to make sure everybody is integrated into the club. "I
think we live in a multicultural society full stop. Our integration is one
of the best in the world. While you'll never get rid of some of the problems
that occur between religions or race, generally in this country and
particularly in football we're all blessed to be footballers and we're all
blessed to be together. "We choose to get on together because that helps you
to become a better team and if you're a better team you live life a better
way. There shouldn't be anything that causes you too many frictions or
frustrations when you're getting paid for something you love doing. The team
spirit and integration at West Ham has been fantastic."
The Hammers have shown themselves to be at the forefront of inclusion in
football through their successful Community Sports Trust, which was the
first in the country to launch a scheme targeted at the Asian community back
in 1998. The Asians in Football scheme aims to increase participation in
football among the local Asian community in Tower Hamlets and Newham, as
well as training up Asian coaches. As the scheme has progressed, the Hammers
have also hosted the UK Asian Community Cup at the Boleyn Ground, and are
opening up pathways for talent from the Asian community through to
mainstream football. Rashid Abba, Social Inclusion Projects Manager at the
West Ham United Community Sports Trust said: "When West Ham launched the
Asians in Football scheme in 1998, no other club had done that. It has gone
on to be hugely successful and the work of the Trust here can be used as an
example for other clubs to follow.
"At the Community Sports Trust we have coaches from all different
backgrounds, so it is very diverse and it reflects our local community."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Is Kuz the Man?
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 9th July 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are being linked with a move for Inter's Serbian international
midfielder Zdravko Kuzmanovic. According to Sky Sports Italy the Hammers
have made tentative enquiries into the availablity of the 25-year-old, who
only joined the Italian giants from German Bundesliga side Stuttgart six
months ago.
Born in Switzerland to Bosnian Serb expat parents, Kuzmanovic is one of a
few players to have represented two countries at international level. He
appeared for the Swiss Under 21s on four occasions before becoming a full
Serbian international in 2007 - for whom he has since featured on 47
occasions. The central midfielder began his pro career with FC Basel in 2005
before joining Italian side Fiorentina two years later, having snubbed
fellow Italians Palermo in the process. After two successful years in Italy
with La Viola, Kuzmanovic moved to Stuttgart in 2009 for a fee of around
£7million. Having continued to impress in the Bundesliga, it was no
surprise when major clubs began to show interest; Stuttgart are said to have
rejected a £23million bid from Chelsea in 2011 whilst Jeventus and Lazio
were also listed as admirers. But a series of minor injuries from the
beginning of 2012 led to Kuzmanovic losing his place in the first team squad
at Stuttgart and after relations with the club turned sour, he agreed to
return to Italy in order to join Inter, for an undisclosed fee. Kuzmanovic
made his debut for Inter in a 3-1 defeat away to Siena at the beginning of
February and went on to appear 13 times (including three from the bench) for
Inter in the second half of the 2012/13 season.
Other players linked with West Ham in the past 24 hours include Liverpool's
Stewart Downing, Lille's Salomon Kalou (again) and West Brom's Graham
Dorrans (who United first bid for three years ago).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The Only Way Is Up
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 9th July 2013
By: Ed Brooks
A new dawn is on the horizon. When you consider the arrival of Andy Carroll
in a club record transfer, a new kit deal with sportswear supergiants adidas
and a forthcoming 54,000 stadium, all on the back of a top-10 finish in the
Premier League, the future undeniably looks rosy for those in claret and
blue.
The club, commendably led by Davids Gold and Sullivan, has cut off ties with
its recent turbulent history, instead forging a new direction, one which
surely can only promise further improvement and success. Every aspect of the
club is growing and evolving, ensuring that it is an exciting time to
support West Ham.
The club's transfer policy can be seen to have adopted a new strategy; West
Ham is no longer regarded as a selling club. For the first time in many
summers West Ham's prize assets are not being touted around lazily in the
gossip columns; there is no distinct possibility of any key players
departing.
Earlier this month Gold quashed the possibility selling James Tomkins,
asserting that: "This is no longer a selling club. We are moving forward
into a big future and we will therefore be keeping our biggest players;
James is one of them."
Instead, West Ham is the club linked with everyone and anyone, though the
club's ambition is reflected in this; so far this summer we have been linked
with loan moves for Wilfried Zaha, Romelu Lukaku, and Demba Ba and, perhaps
more sensationally, Antonio Valencia and James Milner amongst many others.
It seems that West Ham is establishing a new reputation as a club with an
unrelenting desire for self-improvement and success. This can be largely
attributed to the efforts of Gold and Sullivan in their stewardship of the
club. They, along with Allardyce, have recognised the overachievement of the
side last year, a squad containing many Championship standard players who,
it must be said, performed outstandingly.
It is for this reason that a proactive transfer policy has been adopted, in
the form of substantial investment and astute short-term deals. West Ham's
unofficial publicity chief - teenager Jack Sullivan - has promised two to
four more signings in this transfer window to build on a so-far fruitful
summer period. Whilst investment is essential in order to progress on the
field next season, the current playing squad has many positives.
The squad can be seen to have a healthy mix of young and old; of upcoming
and established players. The remarkable improvement of Winston Reid over the
last two seasons has seen him rise to prominence in a team littered with
natural leaders. The regular presence of Reid, Jussi Jaaskelainen, James
Collins, Mark Noble, and Kevin Nolan in the starting line-up ensures that
the team displays the steel and fighting spirit required to grind out
results in the top league.
Furthermore, the increasing effectiveness of Matt Jarvis towards the latter
stages of last season provides another source of excitement. His flair and
ability to send crosses into dangerous areas was particularly effective when
combined with Andy Carroll's aerial threat, and so Carroll's permanent
transfer ensures that the relationship between the two successive club
record signings can continue to flourish in the coming years.
The combined cost of these two players amounts to over £25million, a
significant and concrete illustration of the club's willingness to invest.
The players' ages (Jarvis, 27; Carroll, 24) demonstrates the club's ambition
to source English players with career longevity. Such investment signifies
the ambition and determination of Gold and Sullivan to improve the club year
on year, and the wider long-term goal to establish West Ham as a major force
within English football.
So, as the players and staff prepare to return for pre-season training, the
club can be seen to be at its healthiest for years. Admirably led by Gold
and Sullivan, stability and longevity are the terms that are shaping the
team's progression. Gone are the days of the rash, uninformed decision
making that saw players like Freddie Ljungberg and Kieron Dyer brought in on
unsustainable and unjustified contracts.
The forthcoming season should promise further improvement, both on the pitch
and off it. The ambition is undeniably there; now all that needs to follow
is the results.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Awards for a Rewarding Season
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 9th July 2013
By: Julie Stewart
From a completely unbiased point of view, the 2012/13 season was pretty
decent for the Hammers.
Finishing top ten is never a bad thing and there were plenty of highlights
along the way. Not to mention the fact that the best home goal scoring
record outside of the top four surely provided something for the faithful to
sing about.
There is always room for improvement and the securing of the on-going
services of Andy Carroll cannot hurt, but before the anticipation of the new
season begins in earnest, here is a look back in a completely random and not
too serious manner. You have heard of the Oscars, well here are the Josephs
(named after West Ham's own diminutive bloke with a touch of gold, Joe
Cole). Roll out the claret and blue carpet and let the fun begin...
Best Scouser in a Midfield Role
Admittedly there is not an awful lot of competition for this one. Unless
they are hiding it well there are not many extras from 'Bread' in the team.
Even with the lack of competition Kevin Nolan deserves recognition. The
tenacious, Toxteth born, 31-year-old is a 'lead by example' captain, having
scored ten Premier League goals from his midfield position in the 2012/13
season, including the end of season hat-trick at home to Reading. So now
Kevin has a Joseph to add to that match ball.
Best Striker in a Ponytail-Wearing Role
Now there may be a need for a recount in the hairstyle stakes, but whatever
your opinion on the luscious locks, Andy Carroll gets extra votes for being
one of the best 'traditional centre forwards' around. With seven goals in
twenty two Premier League appearances he always makes his presence felt. We
really do not want him to cut that hair either. Andy already has a bit of a
tendency to pick up injuries and we all know what happened to Samson when
his hair was cut.
Best Art Direction
Not really related to last season but the new kit pictures are classic. The
'footballers looking all mean and moody' theme is very 'Magnificent Seven'
except these heroes tend to shoot at goal and run around a football pitch as
opposed to shooting at 'bad guys' and riding around the Wild West. A Joseph
to everyone involved, in the spirit of generosity.
The Joseph for that Person who is Good and Important but you Have Never
Heard of Them
Everyone has seen the highlights of The Academy Awards when they whizz
through lots of awards and you wonder who those people are on the screen.
This Joseph goes to head groundsman Dougie Robertson. He may be known in
footballing circles but no-one would guess him in the mystery guest spot on
'A Question of Sport'. He is the relatively anonymous, but completely vital,
cog in the West Ham wheel.
Most Popular Sequel
The awards were named after him; it has to be the prodigal son, Joe Cole.
Having started his career at West Ham, before leaving to grace the teams of
Chelsea, Liverpool, and Lille, the midfield magician is back home. We could
not give Joe a statue of himself; that would just be weird. So we would need
to look at other award possibilities. We could take look at these awards
available to purchase after all a little glistening is a good thing. Or
maybe Mr Cole would be happy with watching a DVD of his team in the
performance that wins the final Joseph.
Most Satisfying Victorious Role
There are plenty of possibilities for a winner here. From an outside point
of view it would seem that there would be great satisfaction in beating one
of the teams that a lot of football fans love to hate; Chelsea. In anyone's
eyes a 3-1 defeat of any top four club is a pretty big deal. Awards to the
whole winning team for this one.
So that is it, the Josephs are over, the after show parties are about to
begin and the claret and blue carpet has been stored away for another year.
This season may not quite have been a champagne one but the wine has
definitely been sparkling; let's hope that next season The Josephs are an
even bigger celebration.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chelsea looking to tie down Islam Feruz to a new deal at Stamford Bridge
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo. Last Updated: July
9, 2013 3:02pm
SSN
Sky Sports understands Chelsea are in talks with Islam Feruz about a new
deal with a number of Premier League rivals weighing up moves for the
teenager.
The 17-year-old is regarded as one of the most exciting prospects in the UK
after bursting onto the scene with Celtic. Chelsea snapped up Feruz from
Celtic in September 2011 after he turned down a professional contract at
Celtic Park and he is highly-regarded within the corridors of power at
Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are keen to tie down Feruz to a new long-term deal as they see him
as one for the future, but the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United,
Manchester City, Liverpool, West Ham and Fulham are all monitoring his
contract situation in West London.
The skilful attacker, who turns 18 in September, has impressed for Chelsea's
Under 21s and in the Next Gen series over the last couple of seasons and it
has been suggested he could be included in Chelsea's first-team plans during
pre-season this summer.
Should Chelsea secure Feruz on a new deal a host of sides are thought to be
keen on taking the Scotland Under 21 international on loan.
West Brom, Crystal Palace, Wigan, Brighton, QPR, Birmingham, Reading, Bolton
and Blackpool are all believed to have expressed an interest in taking Feruz
on a temporary basis if Chelsea decide to loan him out.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tomkins rumours spoil positive vibe
Posted by Peter Thorne
ESPN
West Ham could be making a mistake if they are entertaining offers for James
Tomkins. Supporters of West Ham United have long known that relative success
for the club depends on the number of steps taken back whenever one is taken
forward; for rest assured, no matter how claret-and-blue tinted your
spectacles are, the faithful know that there has always been a 'crunchy with
the smooth' element to contend with, and that distant light at the end of
the tunnel will surely involve a thundering train. The only good times --
and they never seem to last for long -- are those when, at best, a nifty
sidestep is involved.
You can understand then the disquieting murmurs emanating from the East End
at rumours that an enquiry from Newcastle United about defender James
Tomkins was met -- not with a full rebuff as it was last season and should
have been this -- but reputedly with the suggestion of 6-million-pound price
tag.
It's true that those same rumours also surmise that the asking fee has
caused the North-Eastern side to consider whether they want to pursue the
matter further or not, but that is scant consolation. These worrying stories
have gained further credence because former Newcastle and Sunderland
centre-back Titus Bramble has been training with the Hammers, featured in a
notable 6-2 friendly win over Cork City and has been tagged as 'good enough
for the Premiership' by manager Sam Allardyce just last week. Please, say it
ain't so, Joe!
Tomkins is a popular local lad and most fans were seeing him possibly
bracketed with Alvin Martin and even Rio Ferdinand after West Ham's play-off
final success at the end of the 2011-12 season ensured a short stay in the
Championship. Tomkins was even thought good enough to join the GB squad for
last summer's Olympics but -- as further proof that things don't always go
as they should at the Boleyn -- Tomkins suffered from the football squad's
appalling performances in what was otherwise a Team GB triumph in virtually
every other sport.
Joining the West Ham squad late for preseason training following the
Olympics, Tomkins never seemed to capture his form. When he did play due to
injuries to James Collins, he struggled to strike up the partnership with
Winston Reid he had the previous season. Nevertheless, there were few fans
who didn't think the Basildon-born 24-year-old would find his form again
sooner rather than later and, at very worst, the player could provide
excellent cover in what is a fairly thin roster.
Considering West Ham were so keen to get Tomkins to extend his contract back
in early 2012, it's difficult to see what the player has done to even allow
a suggestion that he might be surplus to requirements -- particularly at the
price being quoted.
Hopefully, these rumours are just the result of some scurrilous
tittle-tattle because few fans would see the advantage of losing Tomkins and
gaining Bramble, even if the fee would plug a few holes in the bank balance.
Fingers crossed then for more positive suggestions the club have been
seriously considering making a bid for Stewart Downing. The winger looks
surplus to requirements at Liverpool and Big Sam apparently likes the idea
of two wingers supplying Andy Carroll with crosses. It does seem a Plan A
that is likely to cost in the region of another £15m -- money that may be
better spent holding onto a local defender and trying to strategise a Plan B
-- but the fact the Hammers are even involved in this type of rumour is
encouraging.
Also on the plus side is the news that the notoriously difficult Ravel
Morrison -- loaned to last season to Birmingham City, where he was highly
thought of by the fans and the local media -- has returned to the Hammers
fold a new and highly motivated young man.
Morrison was the man who was tagged by Sir Alex Ferguson as "Manchester
United's most technically gifted player since Paul Scholes" when he first
broke into the ranks at Old Trafford, but Fergie tired of Morrison's antics
and allowed the player to join West Ham where he hoped -- without much
faith, we suspect -- that Allardyce might be able to achieve what the
famously volatile Scot couldn't.
There wasn't much suggestion of any Road-to-Damascus type revelation early
on when the midfielder signed for West Ham in January of 2012, but
Morrison's inclusion in this preseason's games and, more important, the
favourable quotes coming from the coaching staff are suggesting that the
Hammers may have effectively gained a potent option.
Perhaps I'm being unnecessarily pessimistic, but I do sense Morrison will
always be hard work and West Ham supporters would do well to not get overly
excited by the promise of a 20-year-old with a delicate past and no
Premiership history to speak of. But it would undoubtedly be a feather in
the cap of Big Sam if he could succeed with Morrison where Sir Alex
couldn't.
So, some preseason positives that we don't want spoilt by silly-season
transfer speculation. Let's hope Tomkins benefits from a proper preseason
and shows the manager and board why the Hammers don't want to take a step
back as the club -- encouragingly for early July -- continue to push
forward.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham considering Downing bid
ESPN staff
July 9, 2013
West Ham are weighing up a move for Liverpool winger Stewart Downing, a
source has told ESPN. Hammers manager Sam Allardyce is shaping up his squad
for the new campaign and is considering Downing, 28, as an option, although
no bid has yet been made. The England international has had a difficult time
at Anfield since arriving from Aston Villa for £20 million in 2011, but did
manage to improve over the second half of last season. It is unlikely,
though, that the Reds would recoup anything like that fee if they were to
agree to a sale. Allardyce is looking at the possibility of reuniting
Downing with Andy Carroll, who completed a permanent move from Liverpool to
West Ham on June 19, in a deal worth an initial £15.5 million. Downing
failed to score or provide a single assist in the Premier League during his
first season at Anfield, while he then had a tough start to his second
campaign, following the arrival of Brendan Rodgers to replace Kenny Dalglish
as manager. The winger frequently found himself playing out of position at
left-back, and also had his attitude questioned publicly by Rodgers in the
early weeks of the season. Downing was linked with a November loan move to
Championship side Middlesbrough - his first club - and was told by the Reds
boss that he was free to leave. However, the former Villa man responded with
greatly improved displays, earning praise from his manager in the process.
He scored his first league goal for Liverpool against Fulham on December 22
and won back a regular place on the wing.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Tuesday, July 9
Daily WHUFC News - 9th July 2013
Allardyce seeking 'top quality' player
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 8th July 2013
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce believes that his squad isn't a million miles away from that
with which he hopes to start the new 2013/14 season. Allardyce, whose team
opened their pre-season campaign with a 6-2 win against Cork City at the
Turner's Cross Stadium last night has already brought in three players to
challenge for a first team berth, namely goalkeeper Adrian San Miguel del
Castillo, defender Razvan Rat and striker Andy Carroll. And whilst he
continues to seek further improvements - albeit with limited available
finances - Allardyce admits that he won't be looking to make too many more
changes before now and the start of the new campaign against Cardiff on
August 17th. "I think they [the new signings] will add real quality to the
squad, but you always want a little bit more and you are never satisfied as
a manager," he told whufc.com. "I am not saying that is the end of what we
are going to bring in and we will look to add one more player at least. If
we can secure that one more player, that would probably be it. "What I want
in that one player is top quality. I want that player to challenge the
players already here for their place immediately and keep it. That would
help improve the team. "I want somebody to come in and make a real
difference, as we did last year when the players we brought in made a
massive difference. That took us to the next level and led to us having a
fantastic season and finish tenth."
West Ham continue to be linked with a number of players in all areas of the
field, although Allardyce remains most keen to add at least one more striker
to his pack before the start of the new season. Co-chairmen David Sullivan
and David Gold spent much of last week in France on transfer business
although no details from that trip have emerged as of yet.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The season ahead
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 8th July 2013
By: Andrew Patterson
With the pretty bubbles at the Boleyn Ground flying high, following a
successful first season back in the big league, Big Sam has completed the
biggest transfer in West Ham's history. But are all these positives leading
to a false sense of security? What happens when those bubbles burst?
The season to come can go one of two ways. We can be as successful as last
season which, let's be honest, would be a massive achievement - or it can
all go wrong; relegation.
What would we be left with if we took a trip back to the Championship? A
striker on a five-year deal costing us £100,000 a week? A contract worth
that much would cover most Championship squads! Needless to say, some
vulturesque, Premier League club would snap Andy Carroll up at a
not-so-handsome price.
In the 2004/05 season we were promoted from the Championship and finished
the following season in a very respectable 9th place - not so unlike last
season. However we failed to finish higher than 9th again in that particular
Premier League run. West Ham started on a downhill slope finishing 15th the
season. After that we enjoyed two successful seasons followed by a narrow
escape and eventual relegation, finishing in a pitiful 20th place.
But when you look back at our Premier League history, you don't see a side
who have always struggled to stay up - you see a fairly mid-table side who
have been unluckily relegated, twice! What Big Sam has realised is that, we
need a side, confident and ready.
We acquired a deal with adidas to produce our shirts. I'm not saying that
this is the independent variable, which will inevitably lead to West Ham
becoming England's Real Madrid, but it is reflective of the positive future
the Hammers have on the horizon. We've signed the most expensive English
player in football history, we are moving to a colossal new (Olympic)
stadium and we still worry about relegation?
Ludicrous! Too many people still see West Ham as the 'up and down' side but
with such a promising future ahead, how can we justify fears of relegation?
Rather than asking: "How long till we go back down?" I'm thinking: "How long
till we qualify for Europe?"
We enter season 2013/2014 in a tricky situation. We haven't been back in the
Premier League long enough to be considered a serious threat to the
longer-serving members, yet we finished too high last season to be ignored.
We are in a state of limbo and the season coming will decide our fate; sink
or swim.
Is Big Sam getting it right? Absolutely. A massive signing has already
arrived at the club and our targets are set on another striker to accompany
him. News of a £10million offer for Vitesse star Wilfried Bony was recently
all over the West Ham transfer pages, as well as the possibility of loaning
Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea (and even a slightly less expensive option in,
Salomon Kalou from French side Lille OSC).
Carlton Cole has regrettably left the Hammers so bringing in another
successful, goalscoring striker is imperative to our success this coming
season. My one complaint last season was the lack of goals from strikers.
Our top scorer was skipper Kevin Nolan in midfield; if we want to be
consistent next season we need reliable forwards. Big Sam is making the
right decision bringing big name forwards to the club, as to be taken
seriously West Ham need big players coming in to show other sides we are a
genuine force to be reckoned with.
So will those pretty bubbles continue to fly high next season, or will they
fade and die? Time will only tell on that one, but we can be sure that Big
Sam is making the right decisions now. You couldn't blame anyone for being
sceptical of the money we've spent so far, but in the footballing industry
it's 'go hard or go home'! West Ham potentially have a very promising season
ahead. Our first game against Cardiff promises to be an exciting start to
what should be another successful season in the top flight!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Interest mounts in West Brom midfielder Graham Dorrans
Last Updated: July 8, 2013 6:17pm
SSN
A number of clubs are ready to launch moves for West Brom midfielder Graham
Dorrans. The Scotland international was told in January that he could look
for a new club, but the 26-year-old remained at the Hawthorns and completed
the season with the Baggies. He played over 20 games for West Brom, but it
is still understood that boss Steve Clarke will not stand in his way should
an offer come in. Sky Sports understands that a number of Premier League
clubs are ready to make offers. Amongst them are West Ham, who have
previously had bids rejected, and they remain abreast of the situation along
with newly-promoted Cardiff City. Dorrans currently has two years left on
his deal with the Baggies.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Liverpool In Talks With West Ham Over Stewart Downing Sale
by Thomas Bore July 9th, 2013
caughtoffside.com
Upton Park side look to seal second Anfield raid of the summer. West Ham
United have held talks with Liverpool for the second time this transfer
window, this time over the availability of Stewart Downing according to the
Guardian. The Merseyside club have told the Hammers they want £8million for
their 28 year-old winger as they look to remove him from the club's wage
bill. It is unlikely that David Sullivan and co will be interested in a fee
of that size, especially after just paying £15.5million for 24 year-old
striker Andy Carroll. A fee in the region of £4million is a lot closer to
what the Hammers valuate the winger at, who has two years remaining on his
Anfield contract.
The former Aston Villa star has failed to impress for Liverpool since his
£20million move back in 2011, managing just 7 goals, and 11 assists, in his
91 appearances. But with the likes of Carlton Cole and Robert Hall leaving
the London based club this summer, Allardyce is fairly limited when it comes
to attacking options – with only one striker with more than 20 Premier
League appearances (Andy Carroll).
In other news, West Ham are trying to fight off interest from Newcastle for
their English centre back James Tomkins. The 24 year-old was being tracked
by Joe Kinnear and his team but when the Hammers responded to their enquiry
with an asking price of £6million, the Magpies appeared to have refused to
follow up their interest. Although negotiations are ongoing, it is unlikely
that David Sullivan will allow James Tomkins to leave the Boleyn Ground for
anything less than £6million this summer – especially with no replacement
lined up.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Everton close in on Diame move
By talkSPORT | Monday, July 8, 2013
Everton could be poised to make a bid for West Ham midfielder Mohamed Diame.
The Senegal international was strongly linked with moves to Tottenham and
Arsenal back in the January transfer window as he is reported to have a
£3.5m buy-out clause in his contract. Diame was outstanding for the east
London club last season and played a major role in helping the Hammers
secure a top-half finish in the Premier League. New Everton manager Roberto
Martinez is keen to bring in his own players and following the signing of
Arouna Kone from Wigan, he is now looking to bring in a new midfielder. The
Spanish coach knows Diame well having managed him at Wigan, which could work
in his favour as he knows the qualities he can bring to a team. But West Ham
will be doing everything in their power to ensure the 26-year-old remains at
Upton Park and could even offer him a new long-term deal.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 8th July 2013
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce believes that his squad isn't a million miles away from that
with which he hopes to start the new 2013/14 season. Allardyce, whose team
opened their pre-season campaign with a 6-2 win against Cork City at the
Turner's Cross Stadium last night has already brought in three players to
challenge for a first team berth, namely goalkeeper Adrian San Miguel del
Castillo, defender Razvan Rat and striker Andy Carroll. And whilst he
continues to seek further improvements - albeit with limited available
finances - Allardyce admits that he won't be looking to make too many more
changes before now and the start of the new campaign against Cardiff on
August 17th. "I think they [the new signings] will add real quality to the
squad, but you always want a little bit more and you are never satisfied as
a manager," he told whufc.com. "I am not saying that is the end of what we
are going to bring in and we will look to add one more player at least. If
we can secure that one more player, that would probably be it. "What I want
in that one player is top quality. I want that player to challenge the
players already here for their place immediately and keep it. That would
help improve the team. "I want somebody to come in and make a real
difference, as we did last year when the players we brought in made a
massive difference. That took us to the next level and led to us having a
fantastic season and finish tenth."
West Ham continue to be linked with a number of players in all areas of the
field, although Allardyce remains most keen to add at least one more striker
to his pack before the start of the new season. Co-chairmen David Sullivan
and David Gold spent much of last week in France on transfer business
although no details from that trip have emerged as of yet.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The season ahead
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 8th July 2013
By: Andrew Patterson
With the pretty bubbles at the Boleyn Ground flying high, following a
successful first season back in the big league, Big Sam has completed the
biggest transfer in West Ham's history. But are all these positives leading
to a false sense of security? What happens when those bubbles burst?
The season to come can go one of two ways. We can be as successful as last
season which, let's be honest, would be a massive achievement - or it can
all go wrong; relegation.
What would we be left with if we took a trip back to the Championship? A
striker on a five-year deal costing us £100,000 a week? A contract worth
that much would cover most Championship squads! Needless to say, some
vulturesque, Premier League club would snap Andy Carroll up at a
not-so-handsome price.
In the 2004/05 season we were promoted from the Championship and finished
the following season in a very respectable 9th place - not so unlike last
season. However we failed to finish higher than 9th again in that particular
Premier League run. West Ham started on a downhill slope finishing 15th the
season. After that we enjoyed two successful seasons followed by a narrow
escape and eventual relegation, finishing in a pitiful 20th place.
But when you look back at our Premier League history, you don't see a side
who have always struggled to stay up - you see a fairly mid-table side who
have been unluckily relegated, twice! What Big Sam has realised is that, we
need a side, confident and ready.
We acquired a deal with adidas to produce our shirts. I'm not saying that
this is the independent variable, which will inevitably lead to West Ham
becoming England's Real Madrid, but it is reflective of the positive future
the Hammers have on the horizon. We've signed the most expensive English
player in football history, we are moving to a colossal new (Olympic)
stadium and we still worry about relegation?
Ludicrous! Too many people still see West Ham as the 'up and down' side but
with such a promising future ahead, how can we justify fears of relegation?
Rather than asking: "How long till we go back down?" I'm thinking: "How long
till we qualify for Europe?"
We enter season 2013/2014 in a tricky situation. We haven't been back in the
Premier League long enough to be considered a serious threat to the
longer-serving members, yet we finished too high last season to be ignored.
We are in a state of limbo and the season coming will decide our fate; sink
or swim.
Is Big Sam getting it right? Absolutely. A massive signing has already
arrived at the club and our targets are set on another striker to accompany
him. News of a £10million offer for Vitesse star Wilfried Bony was recently
all over the West Ham transfer pages, as well as the possibility of loaning
Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea (and even a slightly less expensive option in,
Salomon Kalou from French side Lille OSC).
Carlton Cole has regrettably left the Hammers so bringing in another
successful, goalscoring striker is imperative to our success this coming
season. My one complaint last season was the lack of goals from strikers.
Our top scorer was skipper Kevin Nolan in midfield; if we want to be
consistent next season we need reliable forwards. Big Sam is making the
right decision bringing big name forwards to the club, as to be taken
seriously West Ham need big players coming in to show other sides we are a
genuine force to be reckoned with.
So will those pretty bubbles continue to fly high next season, or will they
fade and die? Time will only tell on that one, but we can be sure that Big
Sam is making the right decisions now. You couldn't blame anyone for being
sceptical of the money we've spent so far, but in the footballing industry
it's 'go hard or go home'! West Ham potentially have a very promising season
ahead. Our first game against Cardiff promises to be an exciting start to
what should be another successful season in the top flight!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Interest mounts in West Brom midfielder Graham Dorrans
Last Updated: July 8, 2013 6:17pm
SSN
A number of clubs are ready to launch moves for West Brom midfielder Graham
Dorrans. The Scotland international was told in January that he could look
for a new club, but the 26-year-old remained at the Hawthorns and completed
the season with the Baggies. He played over 20 games for West Brom, but it
is still understood that boss Steve Clarke will not stand in his way should
an offer come in. Sky Sports understands that a number of Premier League
clubs are ready to make offers. Amongst them are West Ham, who have
previously had bids rejected, and they remain abreast of the situation along
with newly-promoted Cardiff City. Dorrans currently has two years left on
his deal with the Baggies.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Liverpool In Talks With West Ham Over Stewart Downing Sale
by Thomas Bore July 9th, 2013
caughtoffside.com
Upton Park side look to seal second Anfield raid of the summer. West Ham
United have held talks with Liverpool for the second time this transfer
window, this time over the availability of Stewart Downing according to the
Guardian. The Merseyside club have told the Hammers they want £8million for
their 28 year-old winger as they look to remove him from the club's wage
bill. It is unlikely that David Sullivan and co will be interested in a fee
of that size, especially after just paying £15.5million for 24 year-old
striker Andy Carroll. A fee in the region of £4million is a lot closer to
what the Hammers valuate the winger at, who has two years remaining on his
Anfield contract.
The former Aston Villa star has failed to impress for Liverpool since his
£20million move back in 2011, managing just 7 goals, and 11 assists, in his
91 appearances. But with the likes of Carlton Cole and Robert Hall leaving
the London based club this summer, Allardyce is fairly limited when it comes
to attacking options – with only one striker with more than 20 Premier
League appearances (Andy Carroll).
In other news, West Ham are trying to fight off interest from Newcastle for
their English centre back James Tomkins. The 24 year-old was being tracked
by Joe Kinnear and his team but when the Hammers responded to their enquiry
with an asking price of £6million, the Magpies appeared to have refused to
follow up their interest. Although negotiations are ongoing, it is unlikely
that David Sullivan will allow James Tomkins to leave the Boleyn Ground for
anything less than £6million this summer – especially with no replacement
lined up.
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Everton close in on Diame move
By talkSPORT | Monday, July 8, 2013
Everton could be poised to make a bid for West Ham midfielder Mohamed Diame.
The Senegal international was strongly linked with moves to Tottenham and
Arsenal back in the January transfer window as he is reported to have a
£3.5m buy-out clause in his contract. Diame was outstanding for the east
London club last season and played a major role in helping the Hammers
secure a top-half finish in the Premier League. New Everton manager Roberto
Martinez is keen to bring in his own players and following the signing of
Arouna Kone from Wigan, he is now looking to bring in a new midfielder. The
Spanish coach knows Diame well having managed him at Wigan, which could work
in his favour as he knows the qualities he can bring to a team. But West Ham
will be doing everything in their power to ensure the 26-year-old remains at
Upton Park and could even offer him a new long-term deal.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Monday, July 8
Daily WHUFC News - 8th July 2013
Macca pleased with Cork victory
WHUFC.com
Neil McDonald hailed a successful end to a hugely productive week in the
Republic of Ireland
07.07.2013
West Ham United signed-off a hugely successful week in the Republic of
Ireland with a 6-2 pre-season victory at Cork City. The Hammers kicked-off
their preparations for the 2013/14 Barclays Premier League campaign by going
goal-crazy at Turner's Cross, with six different players getting on the
scoresheet.
Alou Diarra headed in the opener before Joe Cole doubled the advantage with
a low first-time finish. Adam Rundle pulled one back before half-time before
Mark Noble uncharacteristically saw his penalty saved just after the
interval. Matt Taylor's long-range effort made it 3-1 before the youngsters
took centre-stage. Paul McCallum headed in Danny Whitehead's inch-perfect
cross before Noble made no mistake with a second spot-kick. McCallum then
turned provider for Ravel Morrison before Cork substitute Danny Morrissey
tapped in a late consolation. All in all, the match provided fine
entertainment for the 4,213 fans at the home of the Rebel Army, with
hundreds of those present wearing West Ham shirts. Assistant manager Neil
McDonald was understandably happy with what was a good 90 minutes at the
climax of a superb week of training at the Fota Island Resort. "It was a
fantastic workout. We've had a really, really good week and some superb
training sessions and everybody has got through everything, so the base is
there which is fantastic. We look forward to next week at Borehamwood and
Bournemouth. "I have to say we scored a few goals which gives everybody lots
of confidence. We conceded a couple but that's what happens in pre-season
and we've made a really good start. "Everybody got 45 minutes and has had a
really good week's training as well, so we're well pleased."
McDonald said every player and staff member had enjoyed their week in south
west Ireland, from the facilities and food laid on at the hotel to the
welcome they received from everyone at Cork City. "I would like to think
everyone was a winner. The facilities have been great and we've been well
looked after and I don't think we could have come to a better place. All in
all, it's a satisfying week, that's for sure."
The assistant manager was naturally pleased with the performances of
youngsters McCallum, Whitehead and Morrison, while also delighted to see all
the players blend together so well after just a few days on the training
pitch. "It was great. We've got a few young ones knocking on the door and
we've got to do that on a regular basis. We're looking for consistency, not
just from the young kids but from the seniors as well. "We had a good mix in
both games and everyone complemented each other and worked hard for each
other. When the chances came along, we put them in the back of the net, so
it was a great start but nothing to get too excited about. "We've still got
a lot of work to do and we need to make sure that this first week's training
is under our belt. We move on and get stronger and fitter and better with
and without the ball leading up to the Cardiff game [on 17 August], which is
the most important game of the season."
West Ham return to England on Monday before contesting their second
pre-season fixture at Conference South side Boreham Wood on Wednesday
evening.
A year ago, the Hammers were held to a 1-1 draw at Meadow Park and McDonald
is expecting a similarly testing evening this time around. "Everybody who
was in Ireland will probably be involved again. Everybody is fit so they'll
play another 45 minutes and we'll switch the team around again, which will
be a great experience for the young ones and a great workout for everybody.
"The pitch will be good and the atmosphere will be good as well. We're
looking forward to it."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam happy to be back
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce says West Ham United are looking forward to a productive
2013/14 season
07.07.2013
Sam Allardyce has been through more than 40 pre-seasons during his career as
a player, coach and manager, but the anticipation remains as big as ever for
the West Ham United boss. Big Sam starts his third campaign in charge at the
Boleyn Ground with the Barclays Premier League visit of Cardiff City on
Saturday 17 August. Before then, however, the manager hopes to further
strengthen his squad, while also ensuring his players are fit and ready for
the season ahead.
Speaking exclusively to West Ham TV at the Club's pre-season training camp
in Cork, Republic of Ireland, Big Sam also praised their opening pre-season
opponents Cork City for their hospitality on the Emerald Isle. "Our norm is
to go Switzerland or Austria at this time of year in pre-season for a little
bit of altitude training in the forests, but this year we have come to
Ireland and the overall care and hospitality that Cork City have shown us
has been absolutely excellent," said Big Sam. "Along with the facilities -
two fabulous pitches, a great hotel and superb areas in the forest for the
lads to do their early-morning bike rides - it is also a lot shorter journey
than going to Austria so everybody has enjoyed it that little bit more. "The
training has been as intense as ever at this time of year and everybody is
feeling a little fatigued now, but they'll get 45 minutes in and, as long as
we don't get any injuries it will have been a very worthwhile trip. Both us
and Cork City have also enjoyed it very much and hopefully we can stay in
contact in the future because of the facilities here and the way they have
looked after us."
While Big Sam enjoyed his summer break, the constant nature of the transfer
market and planning for the upcoming campaign meant he was never far from
his mobile phone or laptop. While he anticipates a quieter time than in the
previous two years, the manager still has plenty of work to do between now
and the big kick-off. "For me, it's two years in and fewer players will have
to leave or come into the Club, which is great for me. The last two seasons
have been traumatic in change-around terms, particularly the first one when
I look back on it. It was horrendous, with something like 28 players going
out and 20 coming in during one season. We had to cope with that and
re-build the football team. "At this moment in time, I'm a lot more
comfortable because the players and staff know what I am looking for and how
I work. They know what I want and it is their responsibility to drive the
players forward in every department to extract even more out of them this
year than they did last season."
Big Sam and his staff have already been busy in the market, bringing in
England forwar Andy Carroll, Romania captain Razvan Rat, Spanish goalkeeper
Adrian and youngster Danny Whitehead on permanent deals. While he does not
expect to be signing too many more new players, the manager confirmed that
his business is not yet complete. "I think they will add real quality to the
squad. You always want a little bit more and you are never satisfied as a
manager. I am not saying that is the end of what we are going to bring in
and we will look to add one more player at least. If we can secure that one
more player, that would probably be it. "What I want in that one player is
top quality. I want that player coming in to challenge the players already
here for their place immediately and keep it. That would help improve the
team. I want somebody to come in and make a real difference, as we did last
year when the players we brought in made a massive difference. That took us
to the next level and led to us having a fantastic season and finish tenth."
More follows shortly...
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Cork City 2-6 West Ham Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 7th July 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham's pre-season got off to a flying start here in Cork tonight as Big
Sam's boys thrashed their hosts by six goals to two. Goals from Alou Diarra
and Joe Cole gave the Hammers an early two-goal advantage before the hosts
reduced the deficit through Rundle to keep within reach of United at the
break. The visitors had a chance to extend their lead just 90 seconds after
the restart but Mark Noble saw his spot kick saved by City 'keeper Kevin
Burns. However West Ham finally restored their two-goal lead on the hour
mark when a low Matt Taylor drive whistled into the back of the next. It was
4-1 ten minutes later when Paul McCallum combined with Danny Whitehead to
finish with a fine header - and Mark Noble redeemed himself for his earlier
miss with a converted spot kick with 15 minutes of normal time remaining.
Still not done, United added a sixth goal when the lively Ravel Morrison
scored his first goal for the first team squad with a fierce drive after
being set up by goalscorer McCallum. But the final cheer of the night was
reserved for the home side who grabbed their second goal of the game through
Morrissey, who converted a Kilduff cross from close range.
West Ham Utd: Jaaskelainen (Adrian 46), Demel (Rat 46), Collins (Reid 46),
Bramble (Tomkins 46), Potts, Diarra (Noble 46), Collison (McCallum 46),
Nolan (Morrison 46), Cole (Vaz Te 46), Jarvis (Taylor 46), Maiga (Whitehead
46).
Cork City: Burns, D.Murphy (J.Kavanagh 46), Duggan (E.Murphy 46), Behan,
Rundle (Forde 46), Furlong (Turner 46), Dunleavy, Spillane (Morrissey 46),
Kenny (O'Connell 46), Buckley (Horgan 46), Browne (D.Kavanagh 46).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'Noble misses penalty' shocker
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 7th July 2013
By: Staff Writer
Well it had to happen eventually; Mark Noble's run of successful spot kicks
is over after his second half penalty was saved in tonight's pre-season
friendly in Cork. Noble stepped up confidently - as usual - to take the
penalty just 90 seconds after the restart in tonight's match. However the
entire 4,213 crowd were stunned when Kevin Burns tipped the midfielder's
spot kick wide of his post. Fortunately for Noble, he was able to redeem
himself with quarter-of-an-hour remaining in tonight's friendly when he sent
Burns the wrong way, scoring the fifth of West Ham's goals in a 6-2 win. The
last time Noble missed from 12 yards was in a 1-0 home defeat to Chelsea in
April 2009.
Mark Noble's Penalty Record
8 Aug 2007 v Birmingham (a)
30 Jan 2008 v Liverpool (h)
03 Jan 2009 v Barnsley (h)
18 Jan 2009 v Fulham (h)
24 Jan 2009 v Hartlepool (a)
28 Jan 2009 v Hull City (h, miss)
04 Nov 2009 v Aston Villa (h)
25 April 2009 v Chelsea (h, miss)
21 Aug 2010 v Bolton (h)
16 Oct 2010 v Wolves (a)
02 April 2011 v Manchester United (h, 2)
10 Sept 2011 v Portsmouth (h)
24 Sept 2011 v Peterborough (h)
26 Nov 2011 v Derby (h)
14 Jan 2012 v Portsmouth (a)
21 Jan 2012 v Nottingham Forest (h, 2)
14 Feb 2012 v Southampton (h)
20 Oct 2012 v Southampton (h)
9 Dec 2012 v Liverpool (h)
1 Jan 2013 v Norwich (h)
Mark has scored from 20 of his 22 penalty attempts.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham beat Cork City 6-2 in first pre-season friendly
Last Updated: July 7, 2013 9:27pm
SSN
West Ham United kicked off their pre-season friendly programme with a
convincing 6-2 victory over Cork City. Sam Allardyce's side have spent the
past few days training in Ireland and used 21 players against Cork,
including former Sunderland defender Titus Bramble. The Premier League club
made a flying start to the game as Alou Diarra headed home Joe Cole's corner
after just five minutes and the same two players were involved in the second
goal on 18 minutes.
Diarra picked up possession and fed Kevin Nolan, who played in Cole to
finish, and it was almost 3-0 on the half-hour when Modibo Maiga clipped the
crossbar.
Cork pulled a goal back on 38 minutes through former Rochdale winger Adam
Rundle and the hosts were given a reprieve two minutes into the second half
when Mark Noble saw a penalty saved after Ravel Morrison had been fouled.
Matt Taylor drilled home a low shot from 25 yards on 62 minutes and West Ham
made it 4-1 on 72 minutes when new signing Danny Whitehead's cross was
headed home by Paul McCallum. Noble was successful from the penalty spot a
minute later and Morrison got in on the act with five minutes to go before
Cork notched a second through Rob Lehane.
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Matt Jarvis dreaming of silverware at West Ham
Last Updated: July 7, 2013 2:33pm
SSN
Matt Jarvis hopes Wigan's shock FA Cup triumph last season will inspire
clubs like West Ham to grab silverware. The Hammers came tantalisingly close
to lifting the cup in Cardiff in 2006, only to lose on penalties to
Liverpool after a thrilling 3-3 draw. It was the Latics who bundled Jarvis
and his team-mates out of the Capital One Cup last season, while the FA Cup
dreams of Sam Allardyce's side were ended by Manchester United in a
third-round replay. However, seeing Wigan celebrate at Wembley has whetted
Jarvis' appetite for the cup campaigns ahead. "What Wigan did in beating
Manchester City to lift the FA Cup has made clubs like us realise it can be
done now - that trophies are not the preserve of the so-called big boys,"
said Jarvis. "Our first aim will be to go on a winning spree in the Premier
League so that when the cup competitions come around, we'll be able to hit
the ground running. "We have ambitious players here. There isn't one of us
who does not want to win a trophy."
Jarvis believes the arrival of striker Andy Carroll on a permanent
£19million deal from Liverpool will be a major boost to West Ham's hopes of
success in 2013/14. "Andy isn't a new player as such. He has already had a
year on loan here so he knows the place inside out," added Jarvis to the
Daily Star Sunday.
"That is the kind of advantage that can fill you with confidence after a
move like this. "He is an experienced man. He had the same burden at
Liverpool that he has to deal with now. That was a huge learning experience.
"For us, he has already proved to be a massive player - and I've no doubt he
will have a major impact this year."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bram stoker
Published: 07th July 2013
The Sun
TITUS BRAMBLE helped West Ham to a 6-2 friendly victory over Cork City. The
centre-back, 31, has been training with the Hammers after being released by
Sunderland. Bramble, who is not wanted by the fans, played 45 minutes in
Ireland. Alou Diarra, Joe Cole, Matt Taylor, Paul McCallum, Mark Noble and
Ravel Morrison netted for the Irons.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Cork City 2 West Ham 6: Bramble starts as Hammers kick off pre-season in
style with SIX different players getting on scoresheet
By ELLIOTT BRETLAND
PUBLISHED: 22:39, 7 July 2013 | UPDATED: 00:52, 8 July 2013
Daily Mail
West Ham United kicked off their pre-season preparations in style with a 6-2
victory against League of Ireland Premier Division side Cork City as six
different Hammers' players got themselves on the scoresheet. New boys Razvan
Rat, Adrian and Danny Whitehead all began the game on the bench for West Ham
while boss Sam Allardyce handed a start to defender Titus Bramble as he
continues to work on his fitness with the club. West Ham have spent the last
few days in Ireland but new record signing Andy Carroll didn't travel,
instead he stayed in England to receive treatment for a heel injury.
TEAMS
Cork City: Burns, D.Murphy, Duggan, Behan, Rundle, Furlong, Dunleavy,
Spillane, Kenny, Buckley, Browne.
Second-half XI: Burns, J Kavanagh, Dunleavy, O'Connell, D Murphy, E Murphy,
Morrissey, Turner, Horgan, D Kavanagh, Kilduff.
Goals: Rundle 38, Lehane 86.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins, Bramble, Potts, Diarra,
Collison, Nolan, Cole, Jarvis, Maiga.
Second-half XI: Adrian, Potts, Tomkins, Reid, Rat, Noble, Morrison,
Whitehead, Vaz Te, Taylor, McCallum.
Goals: Diarra 5, Cole 18, Taylor 63, McCallum 73, Mark Noble 75, Morrison
85.
Attendance: 4,213.
The Hammers started brightly at Turners Cross and took an early lead through
Alou Diarra as the Frenchman headed home a Joe Cole corner after just five
minutes. Dominating the opening stages, the Premier League side doubled
their advantage on 18 minutes as Cole switched from provider to goalscorer,
finishing past the onrushing Kevin Burns in the Cork net. Mali international
Modibo Maiga nearly made it three on the half-hour mark as his left-footed
shot shaved the crossbar. Having beaten reigning Champions Sligo Rovers 3-1
in a league match on Friday evening, Cork pulled a goal back on 38 minutes
through former Rochdale frontman Adam Rundle. Both sides made a host of
changes at half-time and West Ham were awarded a penalty just a minute into
the second-half after Ravel Morrison was fouled in the area. However Mark
Noble failed to find the net as he saw his spot-kick saved. Former
Portsmouth and Bolton winger Matt Taylor scored the Hammers' third on 62
minutes as he drilled home a low shot from distance. Young striker Paul
McCallum extended West Ham's lead ten minutes later, rising highest to
convert new signing Danny Whitehead's cross. Sam Allardyce's men added a
fifth just a minute later as Mark Noble was given a reprieve, making no
mistake with his second penalty after the referee had deemed Cork defender
John Kavanagh to have handled the ball in the box.
Morrison scored a sixth for West Ham on 85 minutes before Cork scored a
consolation shortly after through Rob Lehane. Hammers assistant Neil
McDonald was pleased with the side's performance and told the Official West
Ham United website: 'It was a fantastic workout. 'We've had a really,
really good week and some superb training sessions and everybody has got
through everything, so the base is there which is fantastic.' On their
return to England, West Ham will face Borehamwood and Bournemouth next week.
The club kick off their 2013/14 Premier League campaign against Cardiff City
at Upton Park on August 17.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Neil McDonald hailed a successful end to a hugely productive week in the
Republic of Ireland
07.07.2013
West Ham United signed-off a hugely successful week in the Republic of
Ireland with a 6-2 pre-season victory at Cork City. The Hammers kicked-off
their preparations for the 2013/14 Barclays Premier League campaign by going
goal-crazy at Turner's Cross, with six different players getting on the
scoresheet.
Alou Diarra headed in the opener before Joe Cole doubled the advantage with
a low first-time finish. Adam Rundle pulled one back before half-time before
Mark Noble uncharacteristically saw his penalty saved just after the
interval. Matt Taylor's long-range effort made it 3-1 before the youngsters
took centre-stage. Paul McCallum headed in Danny Whitehead's inch-perfect
cross before Noble made no mistake with a second spot-kick. McCallum then
turned provider for Ravel Morrison before Cork substitute Danny Morrissey
tapped in a late consolation. All in all, the match provided fine
entertainment for the 4,213 fans at the home of the Rebel Army, with
hundreds of those present wearing West Ham shirts. Assistant manager Neil
McDonald was understandably happy with what was a good 90 minutes at the
climax of a superb week of training at the Fota Island Resort. "It was a
fantastic workout. We've had a really, really good week and some superb
training sessions and everybody has got through everything, so the base is
there which is fantastic. We look forward to next week at Borehamwood and
Bournemouth. "I have to say we scored a few goals which gives everybody lots
of confidence. We conceded a couple but that's what happens in pre-season
and we've made a really good start. "Everybody got 45 minutes and has had a
really good week's training as well, so we're well pleased."
McDonald said every player and staff member had enjoyed their week in south
west Ireland, from the facilities and food laid on at the hotel to the
welcome they received from everyone at Cork City. "I would like to think
everyone was a winner. The facilities have been great and we've been well
looked after and I don't think we could have come to a better place. All in
all, it's a satisfying week, that's for sure."
The assistant manager was naturally pleased with the performances of
youngsters McCallum, Whitehead and Morrison, while also delighted to see all
the players blend together so well after just a few days on the training
pitch. "It was great. We've got a few young ones knocking on the door and
we've got to do that on a regular basis. We're looking for consistency, not
just from the young kids but from the seniors as well. "We had a good mix in
both games and everyone complemented each other and worked hard for each
other. When the chances came along, we put them in the back of the net, so
it was a great start but nothing to get too excited about. "We've still got
a lot of work to do and we need to make sure that this first week's training
is under our belt. We move on and get stronger and fitter and better with
and without the ball leading up to the Cardiff game [on 17 August], which is
the most important game of the season."
West Ham return to England on Monday before contesting their second
pre-season fixture at Conference South side Boreham Wood on Wednesday
evening.
A year ago, the Hammers were held to a 1-1 draw at Meadow Park and McDonald
is expecting a similarly testing evening this time around. "Everybody who
was in Ireland will probably be involved again. Everybody is fit so they'll
play another 45 minutes and we'll switch the team around again, which will
be a great experience for the young ones and a great workout for everybody.
"The pitch will be good and the atmosphere will be good as well. We're
looking forward to it."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam happy to be back
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce says West Ham United are looking forward to a productive
2013/14 season
07.07.2013
Sam Allardyce has been through more than 40 pre-seasons during his career as
a player, coach and manager, but the anticipation remains as big as ever for
the West Ham United boss. Big Sam starts his third campaign in charge at the
Boleyn Ground with the Barclays Premier League visit of Cardiff City on
Saturday 17 August. Before then, however, the manager hopes to further
strengthen his squad, while also ensuring his players are fit and ready for
the season ahead.
Speaking exclusively to West Ham TV at the Club's pre-season training camp
in Cork, Republic of Ireland, Big Sam also praised their opening pre-season
opponents Cork City for their hospitality on the Emerald Isle. "Our norm is
to go Switzerland or Austria at this time of year in pre-season for a little
bit of altitude training in the forests, but this year we have come to
Ireland and the overall care and hospitality that Cork City have shown us
has been absolutely excellent," said Big Sam. "Along with the facilities -
two fabulous pitches, a great hotel and superb areas in the forest for the
lads to do their early-morning bike rides - it is also a lot shorter journey
than going to Austria so everybody has enjoyed it that little bit more. "The
training has been as intense as ever at this time of year and everybody is
feeling a little fatigued now, but they'll get 45 minutes in and, as long as
we don't get any injuries it will have been a very worthwhile trip. Both us
and Cork City have also enjoyed it very much and hopefully we can stay in
contact in the future because of the facilities here and the way they have
looked after us."
While Big Sam enjoyed his summer break, the constant nature of the transfer
market and planning for the upcoming campaign meant he was never far from
his mobile phone or laptop. While he anticipates a quieter time than in the
previous two years, the manager still has plenty of work to do between now
and the big kick-off. "For me, it's two years in and fewer players will have
to leave or come into the Club, which is great for me. The last two seasons
have been traumatic in change-around terms, particularly the first one when
I look back on it. It was horrendous, with something like 28 players going
out and 20 coming in during one season. We had to cope with that and
re-build the football team. "At this moment in time, I'm a lot more
comfortable because the players and staff know what I am looking for and how
I work. They know what I want and it is their responsibility to drive the
players forward in every department to extract even more out of them this
year than they did last season."
Big Sam and his staff have already been busy in the market, bringing in
England forwar Andy Carroll, Romania captain Razvan Rat, Spanish goalkeeper
Adrian and youngster Danny Whitehead on permanent deals. While he does not
expect to be signing too many more new players, the manager confirmed that
his business is not yet complete. "I think they will add real quality to the
squad. You always want a little bit more and you are never satisfied as a
manager. I am not saying that is the end of what we are going to bring in
and we will look to add one more player at least. If we can secure that one
more player, that would probably be it. "What I want in that one player is
top quality. I want that player coming in to challenge the players already
here for their place immediately and keep it. That would help improve the
team. I want somebody to come in and make a real difference, as we did last
year when the players we brought in made a massive difference. That took us
to the next level and led to us having a fantastic season and finish tenth."
More follows shortly...
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Cork City 2-6 West Ham Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 7th July 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham's pre-season got off to a flying start here in Cork tonight as Big
Sam's boys thrashed their hosts by six goals to two. Goals from Alou Diarra
and Joe Cole gave the Hammers an early two-goal advantage before the hosts
reduced the deficit through Rundle to keep within reach of United at the
break. The visitors had a chance to extend their lead just 90 seconds after
the restart but Mark Noble saw his spot kick saved by City 'keeper Kevin
Burns. However West Ham finally restored their two-goal lead on the hour
mark when a low Matt Taylor drive whistled into the back of the next. It was
4-1 ten minutes later when Paul McCallum combined with Danny Whitehead to
finish with a fine header - and Mark Noble redeemed himself for his earlier
miss with a converted spot kick with 15 minutes of normal time remaining.
Still not done, United added a sixth goal when the lively Ravel Morrison
scored his first goal for the first team squad with a fierce drive after
being set up by goalscorer McCallum. But the final cheer of the night was
reserved for the home side who grabbed their second goal of the game through
Morrissey, who converted a Kilduff cross from close range.
West Ham Utd: Jaaskelainen (Adrian 46), Demel (Rat 46), Collins (Reid 46),
Bramble (Tomkins 46), Potts, Diarra (Noble 46), Collison (McCallum 46),
Nolan (Morrison 46), Cole (Vaz Te 46), Jarvis (Taylor 46), Maiga (Whitehead
46).
Cork City: Burns, D.Murphy (J.Kavanagh 46), Duggan (E.Murphy 46), Behan,
Rundle (Forde 46), Furlong (Turner 46), Dunleavy, Spillane (Morrissey 46),
Kenny (O'Connell 46), Buckley (Horgan 46), Browne (D.Kavanagh 46).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'Noble misses penalty' shocker
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 7th July 2013
By: Staff Writer
Well it had to happen eventually; Mark Noble's run of successful spot kicks
is over after his second half penalty was saved in tonight's pre-season
friendly in Cork. Noble stepped up confidently - as usual - to take the
penalty just 90 seconds after the restart in tonight's match. However the
entire 4,213 crowd were stunned when Kevin Burns tipped the midfielder's
spot kick wide of his post. Fortunately for Noble, he was able to redeem
himself with quarter-of-an-hour remaining in tonight's friendly when he sent
Burns the wrong way, scoring the fifth of West Ham's goals in a 6-2 win. The
last time Noble missed from 12 yards was in a 1-0 home defeat to Chelsea in
April 2009.
Mark Noble's Penalty Record
8 Aug 2007 v Birmingham (a)
30 Jan 2008 v Liverpool (h)
03 Jan 2009 v Barnsley (h)
18 Jan 2009 v Fulham (h)
24 Jan 2009 v Hartlepool (a)
28 Jan 2009 v Hull City (h, miss)
04 Nov 2009 v Aston Villa (h)
25 April 2009 v Chelsea (h, miss)
21 Aug 2010 v Bolton (h)
16 Oct 2010 v Wolves (a)
02 April 2011 v Manchester United (h, 2)
10 Sept 2011 v Portsmouth (h)
24 Sept 2011 v Peterborough (h)
26 Nov 2011 v Derby (h)
14 Jan 2012 v Portsmouth (a)
21 Jan 2012 v Nottingham Forest (h, 2)
14 Feb 2012 v Southampton (h)
20 Oct 2012 v Southampton (h)
9 Dec 2012 v Liverpool (h)
1 Jan 2013 v Norwich (h)
Mark has scored from 20 of his 22 penalty attempts.
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West Ham beat Cork City 6-2 in first pre-season friendly
Last Updated: July 7, 2013 9:27pm
SSN
West Ham United kicked off their pre-season friendly programme with a
convincing 6-2 victory over Cork City. Sam Allardyce's side have spent the
past few days training in Ireland and used 21 players against Cork,
including former Sunderland defender Titus Bramble. The Premier League club
made a flying start to the game as Alou Diarra headed home Joe Cole's corner
after just five minutes and the same two players were involved in the second
goal on 18 minutes.
Diarra picked up possession and fed Kevin Nolan, who played in Cole to
finish, and it was almost 3-0 on the half-hour when Modibo Maiga clipped the
crossbar.
Cork pulled a goal back on 38 minutes through former Rochdale winger Adam
Rundle and the hosts were given a reprieve two minutes into the second half
when Mark Noble saw a penalty saved after Ravel Morrison had been fouled.
Matt Taylor drilled home a low shot from 25 yards on 62 minutes and West Ham
made it 4-1 on 72 minutes when new signing Danny Whitehead's cross was
headed home by Paul McCallum. Noble was successful from the penalty spot a
minute later and Morrison got in on the act with five minutes to go before
Cork notched a second through Rob Lehane.
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Matt Jarvis dreaming of silverware at West Ham
Last Updated: July 7, 2013 2:33pm
SSN
Matt Jarvis hopes Wigan's shock FA Cup triumph last season will inspire
clubs like West Ham to grab silverware. The Hammers came tantalisingly close
to lifting the cup in Cardiff in 2006, only to lose on penalties to
Liverpool after a thrilling 3-3 draw. It was the Latics who bundled Jarvis
and his team-mates out of the Capital One Cup last season, while the FA Cup
dreams of Sam Allardyce's side were ended by Manchester United in a
third-round replay. However, seeing Wigan celebrate at Wembley has whetted
Jarvis' appetite for the cup campaigns ahead. "What Wigan did in beating
Manchester City to lift the FA Cup has made clubs like us realise it can be
done now - that trophies are not the preserve of the so-called big boys,"
said Jarvis. "Our first aim will be to go on a winning spree in the Premier
League so that when the cup competitions come around, we'll be able to hit
the ground running. "We have ambitious players here. There isn't one of us
who does not want to win a trophy."
Jarvis believes the arrival of striker Andy Carroll on a permanent
£19million deal from Liverpool will be a major boost to West Ham's hopes of
success in 2013/14. "Andy isn't a new player as such. He has already had a
year on loan here so he knows the place inside out," added Jarvis to the
Daily Star Sunday.
"That is the kind of advantage that can fill you with confidence after a
move like this. "He is an experienced man. He had the same burden at
Liverpool that he has to deal with now. That was a huge learning experience.
"For us, he has already proved to be a massive player - and I've no doubt he
will have a major impact this year."
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Bram stoker
Published: 07th July 2013
The Sun
TITUS BRAMBLE helped West Ham to a 6-2 friendly victory over Cork City. The
centre-back, 31, has been training with the Hammers after being released by
Sunderland. Bramble, who is not wanted by the fans, played 45 minutes in
Ireland. Alou Diarra, Joe Cole, Matt Taylor, Paul McCallum, Mark Noble and
Ravel Morrison netted for the Irons.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Cork City 2 West Ham 6: Bramble starts as Hammers kick off pre-season in
style with SIX different players getting on scoresheet
By ELLIOTT BRETLAND
PUBLISHED: 22:39, 7 July 2013 | UPDATED: 00:52, 8 July 2013
Daily Mail
West Ham United kicked off their pre-season preparations in style with a 6-2
victory against League of Ireland Premier Division side Cork City as six
different Hammers' players got themselves on the scoresheet. New boys Razvan
Rat, Adrian and Danny Whitehead all began the game on the bench for West Ham
while boss Sam Allardyce handed a start to defender Titus Bramble as he
continues to work on his fitness with the club. West Ham have spent the last
few days in Ireland but new record signing Andy Carroll didn't travel,
instead he stayed in England to receive treatment for a heel injury.
TEAMS
Cork City: Burns, D.Murphy, Duggan, Behan, Rundle, Furlong, Dunleavy,
Spillane, Kenny, Buckley, Browne.
Second-half XI: Burns, J Kavanagh, Dunleavy, O'Connell, D Murphy, E Murphy,
Morrissey, Turner, Horgan, D Kavanagh, Kilduff.
Goals: Rundle 38, Lehane 86.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins, Bramble, Potts, Diarra,
Collison, Nolan, Cole, Jarvis, Maiga.
Second-half XI: Adrian, Potts, Tomkins, Reid, Rat, Noble, Morrison,
Whitehead, Vaz Te, Taylor, McCallum.
Goals: Diarra 5, Cole 18, Taylor 63, McCallum 73, Mark Noble 75, Morrison
85.
Attendance: 4,213.
The Hammers started brightly at Turners Cross and took an early lead through
Alou Diarra as the Frenchman headed home a Joe Cole corner after just five
minutes. Dominating the opening stages, the Premier League side doubled
their advantage on 18 minutes as Cole switched from provider to goalscorer,
finishing past the onrushing Kevin Burns in the Cork net. Mali international
Modibo Maiga nearly made it three on the half-hour mark as his left-footed
shot shaved the crossbar. Having beaten reigning Champions Sligo Rovers 3-1
in a league match on Friday evening, Cork pulled a goal back on 38 minutes
through former Rochdale frontman Adam Rundle. Both sides made a host of
changes at half-time and West Ham were awarded a penalty just a minute into
the second-half after Ravel Morrison was fouled in the area. However Mark
Noble failed to find the net as he saw his spot-kick saved. Former
Portsmouth and Bolton winger Matt Taylor scored the Hammers' third on 62
minutes as he drilled home a low shot from distance. Young striker Paul
McCallum extended West Ham's lead ten minutes later, rising highest to
convert new signing Danny Whitehead's cross. Sam Allardyce's men added a
fifth just a minute later as Mark Noble was given a reprieve, making no
mistake with his second penalty after the referee had deemed Cork defender
John Kavanagh to have handled the ball in the box.
Morrison scored a sixth for West Ham on 85 minutes before Cork scored a
consolation shortly after through Rob Lehane. Hammers assistant Neil
McDonald was pleased with the side's performance and told the Official West
Ham United website: 'It was a fantastic workout. 'We've had a really,
really good week and some superb training sessions and everybody has got
through everything, so the base is there which is fantastic.' On their
return to England, West Ham will face Borehamwood and Bournemouth next week.
The club kick off their 2013/14 Premier League campaign against Cardiff City
at Upton Park on August 17.
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