U21s head for Newcastle
WHUFC.com
The Development Squad travel to Newcastle United in the Barclays U21 Premier
League on Monday
01.09.2013
Nick Haycock is hoping his Development Squad can return to winning ways when
they head to Newcastle United in the Barclays U21 Premier League on Monday.'
After beating Aston Villa and Everton, West Ham United lost their 100 per
cent record after surrendering a 2-0 lead at home to Tottenham Hotspur last
time out, losing 3-2. Now, Haycock's young professionals make the long trip
north to take on Newcastle at the Northumberland FA ground at Whitley Park
in Benton, and the U21s manager is keen to taste victory again. "We spoke
about the Spurs game and told them 'You've got to get over that second
half', but in fairness to the lads there was a lot right about the first
half as well," said Haycock. "You try to concentrate upon the positives and
touch upon the negatives of the second half. "I think you'll see a different
performance up at Newcastle. We spoke about getting the lines tighter
between the different parts of the team and making sure we're on the front
foot for the entire game. "It's an away game so we'll set up slightly
differently to the way we do at home, but the lads have trained well all
week and prepared well."
Haycock will be without defender Leo Chambers, who is away on international
duty with England U19s in Estonia, in the week following the right-back's
first-team debut in the Capital One Cup second-round victory over Cheltenham
Town. The U21s manager said Chambers' impressive bow, and that of Elliot Lee
in the Barclays Premier League in Saturday's 1-0 home defeat by Stoke City,
were credit to everyone involved in player development at the Academy of
Football.
"That's what it's all about. There are lots of people involved in the
Academy, from coaches to scouts and kit men to the people who run the
Academy House and they all get a pat on the back for those debuts. We're a
big family and that's how we look at it. "I'm delighted for Leo because he
has worked hard and it's the first rung of the ladder of him trying to
assert himself in the first-team squad. He knows he has to keep working hard
every day. He's now gone away with England so he won't be available for the
game up at Newcastle, but he deserves all the accolades he got. "Elliot got
a little feel for the Premier League on Saturday and he'll have benefitted
from that, but he was back in training on Sunday preparing for Newcastle."
Following Monday's meeting with the Magpies, Haycock will take a team to
Colchester United for a friendly match on Thursday evening. With the
first-team squad playing RCD Espanyol in Spain on the same evening, a number
of younger players will be given the opportunity to play at the Weston Homes
Community Stadium. "Thursday night is literally giving lads who have not
been playing regularly some minutes on the pitch. All those will get 90
minutes on Thursday. It's nice of Colchester to put the game on and I expect
they will do similar and one or two of their first-team squad who have not
been starting will also play.
"Where we can, we'll put a bit of experience in there just to strengthen the
team up, but it's more a minute-protocol game rather than a game we're
looking to do anything else with."
Both the Newcastle and Colchester matches will be covered with live text
commentary on whufc.com, while highlights and reaction will be available
after each on West Ham TV.
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Reid about Stoke defeat
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid reflects on a bad day at the Boleyn Ground as West Ham United
went down 1-0 to Stoke City
01.09.2013
Winston Reid admitted West Ham United had simply not produced the goods in
losing 1-0 at home to Stoke City in the Barclays Premier League. The Hammers
lost their first game of the 2013/14 season and first at home since February
as the Potters edged an unattractive contest at the Boleyn Ground. Stoke
substitute Jermaine Pennant produced one of few moments of quality to settle
matters with eight minutes remaining, curling a free-kick past Jussi
Jaaskelainen after Reid had been penalised for a foul on another
replacement, Glenn Whelan. "They obviously came and made it tough for us and
on the day they were the better team," Reid told West Ham TV. "We played
poorly and that's what you get sometimes in the league. They scored about
five minutes before full-time and unfortunately we lost. "I thought it
wasn't a foul [on Whelan] but you get some and you don't get some in the
league and the referee is trying to make the best decision, but I thought we
were a bit unlucky."
Whether it was due to Stoke's incessant pressing or their own inability to
create clear-cut openings, West Ham could not find a way through a solid
Potters defence. When asked why things had not clicked on Saturday, Reid was
brutally honest in his assessment. "Stoke didn't give us any time or space
and when we had the ball we were really bad with it. Everyone was. It's just
a really, really bad day at the office for us and under different
circumstances we might have got a point out of it, but we lost this one and
we'll learn from it."
While many of his team-mates will fly to Spain for a meeting with Primera
Division side RCD Espanyol on Thursday evening, Reid will be boarding a
place for the Middle East, where he will captain New Zealand in the
four-nation OSN Cup in Saudi Arabia. The All Whites take on the host nation
in Riyadh on Thursday before facing either United Arab Emirates or Trinidad
and Tobago on Monday 9 September. The games will not only serve as
preparation for New Zealand's FIFA World Cup final-round qualifiers with
Panama in November, but also help Reid get over the disappointment of
Saturday's defeat in time for the trip to Southampton on Sunday 15
September. "It's is going to be hot in Saudi Arabia so I'm going to have to
make sure I take my fluids. It's going to be good to get away for a bit with
the national team, as we're trying to build towards going to another World
Cup. It'll be nice to see the guys again. "We have two competitive games and
my job as captain is to get the boys together and make sure we get on the
same track and are ready for our games in November.
"I'm looking forward to our next game with West Ham and putting things
right. We need to re-group for Southampton and I'm sure the guys are looking
forward to that opportunity to put things right."
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West Ham line up Fabio Quagliarella transfer from Juventus to boost
attacking threat
1 Sep 2013 22:30
The Mirror
Panicking West Ham will make a last-minute dive through the transfer window
for Juventus striker Fabio Quagliarella after the desultory flop against
Stoke.
Owners David Sullivan and David Gold were singing from different songsheets
at the weekend as the penny dropped that Modibo Maiga is insufficient cover
for the Hammers' injury-prone Andy Carroll. In his programme notes on
Saturday, Sullivan wrote: "There are no imminent signings as Sam and I are
both very happy with the squad at present." But less than 24 hours later,
Gold admitted on Twitter: "Disappointing result yesterday. We clearly need
more strike power and our people are working flat out to solve the problem."
Hammers are now closing in on a loan swoop for Italy international
Quagliarella, who they were linked with back in June but has also been a
target for Norwich.
Boss Sam Allardyce is desperate to bring in a new striker, and has seen
proposed moves for Duvan Zapata and Roger Rojas collapse. Allardyce will
have to sell before he can buy, but he insisted: "Last year we brought three
players in at the end of the window and they were a major factor in us
finishing 10th in the League. "We are not quite in that desperate a position
now." Upton Park sources are hopeful of getting Quagliarella, 30. His
arrival will see a frustrated Ricardo Vaz Te leave with Swansea, Cardiff and
Palace chasing him. Vaz Te wants to stay in the Premier League, despite
additional interest from Championship promotion hopefuls Wigan and Leeds.
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Joe Cole out for six weeks
By Liam Power, Reporter
Filed: Monday, September 2, 2013 at 00:59 UK
Last Updated: Monday, September 2, 2013 at 00:59 UK
SportsMole.co.uk
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce will reportedly be without midfielder
Joe Cole for at least six weeks after he suffered a hamstring tear in
training last week. Cole was ruled out of Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Stoke
City with the problem, which is now thought to be worse than first feared.
The 31-year-old had a scan on the injury which showed a grade three
hamstring tear, ruling him out of the Hammers next four Premier League
games, according to the Daily Star.
Allardyce already has injury problems in central midfield, after losing Alou
Diarra to a cruciate ligament injury in last week's League Cup win over
Cheltenham Town. West Ham fans watched Cole get their first goal of the
Premier League campaign against Cardiff City two weeks ago, but will now not
see the England international in action until October at the earliest.
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Stuart Downing joins West Ham's injury list
SUNDAY 01 SEPTEMBER 2013
Stewart Downing may not play for three weeks, after the West Ham winger
suffered a leg injury in Saturday's 1-0 home defeat by Stoke City. Downing
was making only his fourth appearance for the club since his £6m summer
transfer from Liverpool but ended up in hospital after the match. His
absence leaves the West Ham manager Sam Allardyce in a quandary, as he is
already missing Joe Cole, while Ricardo Vaz Te has expressed his desire to
leave. Allardyce said after the game that the chances of buying more players
were "slim" unless he also sells. "We roll with what we've got unless
something happens going out," Allardyce said.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Monday, September 2
Sunday, September 1
Daily WHUFC News - 1st September 2013
Pennant free-kick beats Hammers
WHUFC.com
West Ham United were below par as they lost 1-0 to Stoke City on Saturday
31.08.2013
West Ham United's unbeaten start to the Barclays Premier League season went
up in smoke at home to Stoke City on Saturday afternoon. The Hammers were
subdued as they tried to make it back-to-back home wins at the start of the
new campaign, and Mark Hughes' Stoke side took advantage. Jermaine Pennant's
free kick eight minutes from the end made the difference, as Stoke became
the first side to score past the Hammers in the league this term. West Ham
rarely offered a serious threat at the other end and could have few
complaints over the result at the end. Stoke were the team showing the
greater intent early on and Kenwyne Jones created a chance for himself with
ten minutes on the clock when he outmuscled Winston Reid just inside the
Hammers half to set a run in motion. As he neared the penalty area it looked
as though he would be able to get a clear shot away, but James Collins
tracked back superbly to pressurise the away striker and force his eventual
effort off target. Four minutes later Mark Noble gave away a free kick 25
yards from goal and Jussi Jaaskelainen showed good hands to gather Charlie
Adam's shot as it bounced just in front of him. The biggest moment of danger
in the first half arrived with 22 minutes played when Marc Wilson's volley
from the edge of the box swerved and dipped on Jaaskelainen, meaning he
could not gather cleanly, and the Finn had to spring back up sharply to deny
Jonathan Walters on the rebound. Stoke were enjoying the better of the
possession and territory as the Hammers struggled to move the ball at a
tempo. Modibo Maiga still had a presentable chance to nod the Hammers into a
34th minute lead when he pulled off Ryan Shawcross to meet a Matt Jarvis
cross, but he failed the hit the target from close range and Stoke survived
that scare.
West Ham needed to improve in the second half, and they did do a better job
of keeping a handle on their visitors in the third quarter as chances at
both ends were restricted to those of a long range variety. Steven N'Zonzi
and Wilson both fired off target from outside the box for the visitors,
while Reid could not control a header for the Hammers following a floated
Collins free kick from deep, with the ball passing over the top. Reid was
involved again on 70 minutes, volleying over the top after a corner from the
left was only partially cleared. The Hammers looked to be edging towards a
third clean sheet in succession, but a foul by Mo Diame on Glenn Whelan on
the edge of the box eight minutes from time gave Stoke the chance to end the
hosts' unblemished defensive record. Pennant stepped up to take the free
kick and found the net to Jaaskelainen's left, sending West Ham off on the
international break on a sour note.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen; Demel, Collins, Reid, O'Brien; Nolan, Noble
(Collison 84), Diame (Lee 88); Downing (Morrison 64), Maiga, Jarvis
Subs: Adrian, Tomkins, Rat, Taylor
Booked: Reid, Collins
Stoke City: Begovic; Cameron, Shawcross, Huth, Pieters; Wilson, N'Zonzi;
Etherington (Pennant 76), Adam (Whelan 76), Walters; Jones
Subs: Sorensen, Muniesa, Assaidi, Crouch, Jerome
Goal: Pennant 82
Booked: Cameron
Attendance: 34,946
Referee: Jon Moss
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Under-18s defeated at Wolves
WHUFC.com
The Academy side lost by the odd goal in three at Wolverhampton Wanderers on
Saturday
31.08.2013
West Ham United's Under-18s were made to rue two moments of defensive
sloppiness in their 2-1 Barclays U18 Premier League defeat at Wolverhampton
Wanderers on Saturday. The Hammers switched off from two corners either side
of half time and paid the ultimate price on both, meaning Kieran Bywater's
free-kick counted for little. There was little to choose between the sides
in a scrappy opening period, which saw Jordan Brown go close from a half
chance.
However, Wolves managed to edge in front from a set play, and they repeated
the trick just three minutes after the break. West Ham rallied, with Jerry
Amoo hitting the post and Jamie Harney having a header cleared off the line.
Bywater then halved the deficit with a free-kick right out of the top
drawer, and although the young Hammers ended the contest strongly, time was
against them in their efforts to find a leveller. Academy Director Tony Carr
MBE was frustrated that set plays proved to be the Hammers' downfall. He
said: "It's disappointing because we knew their strengths were at set pieces
and we'd done a lot of work on them in the week before the game. "To lose a
marker again so soon after half time, when we had worked on organising
ourselves was disappointing too. "The pleasing part of the performance was
in the way we rallied. Our heads could have dropped, but they didn't and
Kieran Bywater scored a fantastic free-kick."
West Ham United: Nemrava, Girdlestone, Mavila, Harney, Burke, Makasi, Amoo,
Parfitt-Williams, Martins, Bywater, Brown
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Spence loaned to Owls
WHUFC.com
Jordan Spence has joined Championship side Sheffield Wednesday on loan until
28 September
31.08.2013
Jordan Spence has joined Championship side Sheffield Wednesday on emergency
loan until 28 September. The former England Under-21 defender is expected to
make his debut for the Owls at Middlesbrough this afternoon. Spence, 23, has
previously enjoyed loan spells at Leyton Orient, Scunthorpe United and
Bristol City. The Woodford-born player made his West Ham United debut in May
2010, when he appeared as a late substitute in the final-day draw with
Manchester City at the Boleyn Ground. Spence has totalled ten first-team
appearances for the Hammers, but has not played for Sam Allardyce's side
since the FA Cup third-round replay at Manchester United in January.
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Sam shocked by Stoke loss
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was taken aback by West Ham United's 1-0 home Barclays Premier
League defeat by Stoke City
31.08.2013
Manager Sam Allardyce admitted to being taken aback by West Ham United's 1-0
home Barclays Premier League defeat by Stoke City on Saturday. The Hammers
were second best to the Potters at the Boleyn Ground and were left with
nothing to show for their efforts when substitute Jermaine Pennant curled a
disputed free-kick past Jussi Jaaskelainen with just eight minutes to play.
Speaking to West Ham TV, Big Sam was not impressed with his team's display
in losing their first home game since February.
What is your reaction to a rare bad day at the Boleyn Ground?
SA: "Well it's a real shock to me and I think everybody who came to watch
the game will be as shocked as I am because we obviously were looking
forward to this home game after how far we've come in a short period of
time. "Certainly after the week when we beat Cardiff and were disappointed
not to win at Newcastle where we were the better side, to see a performance
that is the complete opposite to what we normally are [was disappointing].
"Stoke go away with the three points and there's not a lot of arguing I
could do against that because we just didn't get to the level we know we
can. Because we didn't do that, we didn't put Stoke City under any real
pressure. "In the end, they scored after a sloppy bit of play by ourselves
giving the ball away in our own half and then giving the free-kick away.
Obviously, the technical part of Jermaine Pennant's free-kick was superb,
but we should never have let ourselves get into that position. "Instead of
digging it out and, despite being decidedly average, come out with a
nil-nil, we've ended up losing the game."
Can you put your finger on why we didn't perform to the same level we have
done at home so consistently in recent months?
SA: "No, not really. I'll have to have a think about that for a while and
review the game again but what I can say is that when you have a player
performing to his normal best, we had the team rally round him, but when you
get so many who don't play how we know they can like they did today [it's
difficult]. "I have to give the back four a lot of credit because they are
really void of any criticism. For all the game, they defended with great
spirit because Stoke had the majority of the possession and put us under
more pressure than we did them. "It's disappointing from our front-six point
of view and what they didn't create, but from a back-four and goalkeeper
point of view, they nearly mastered their way through to another clean sheet
and a point for us, which would have been very precious. Unfortunately, they
got the blow with that free-kick at the end. "In creative terms, our players
who do create didn't, and that's why we had such a lacklustre performance."
Presumably the international break will give you the time to get the likes
of Andy Carroll (heel), Joe Cole (hamstring) and Joey O'Brien (managing his
knee following historic injuries) up to speed ahead of the trip to
Southampton on Sunday 15 September?
SA: "When we finished Newcastle away we were in a perfectly good position
because we were going to make sure that the players who played could have a
rest against Cheltenham. It also meant we could play some of the players who
were sitting on the bench or who had been left out of squad in our first two
games, and some of the younger end like Leo Chambers. "It was a thoroughly
good game and a really good result for us, apart from the fact Alou Diarra
crushed his cruciate ligament which finishes this season. "George McCartney
making his comeback after a long time out with a serious injury was
pleasing, but then on Thursday Ricardo Vaz Te said he is not happy and wants
to leave, Joe Cole got injured on Friday morning and we lost on Saturday. It
shows you how quickly things can change. "I was very happy last weekend and
now I'm as miserable as sin."
Finally, the transfer window closes on Monday night. Can we expect much
activity?
SA: "I keep telling everybody that, budget-wise, we've come to an end and we
roll with what we've got unless something happens going out. "One thing is
for sure - at this late stage we have 48 hours and there is probably enough
time to complete the process of bringing somebody in on its own. The
transition of one out and one in, the timing has to be perfect because the
player we're allowing to go out cannot go before the player we're bringing
in has signed. "If the player goes out and he's gone, he's gone. If the one
coming in changes his mind or someone else rings him up and offers more
money, then we're absolutely finished so we cannot allow that to happen.
"That's why I think it'll be very difficult to bring someone in, but we'll
always have a look and if someone wants to buy one of our players for the
right fee and they want to go - for example, Vaz Te at the moment who has
decided he wants to leave - we'll have some funds to bring someone else in.
"We have a list of targets but more loan players than permanent deals at
this stage. It's not difficult to bring a player in if you have funds, but
it's difficult to bring the right player in. That's the ultimate test for us
- if we bring one in at this stage, are we bringing him in because the
window is closing when deep down we know he's not quite good enough? I saw a
lot of that happening at this stage, but we want to avoid that if we can.
"If there is a top player who wants to come and join us, then that would be
very good."
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'We've got to put it behind us'
WHUFC.com
James Collins was defiant in defeat, hoping the Hammers will come back
strongly next time out
31.08.2013
James Collins was as bemused as anyone as to why West Ham United struggled
to hit the heights against Stoke City, as the Hammers' unbeaten start to the
campaign ended in a low-key 1-0 Barclays Premier League defeat at the Boleyn
Ground. A frustrating afternoon for Sam Allardyce's men looked to be headed
for a goalless draw, before second-half substitute Jermaine Pennant planted
a fine free-kick beyond Jussi Jaaskelainen with just eight minutes to play.
It proved sufficient to see the Potters depart east London with all three
points, a result that left Collins wondering why the hosts had struggled to
reproduce their typical tempo and fluency. "We weren't great," he
admitted. "Obviously in the first half we weren't the best and at half-time
we could only improve, but unfortunately we weren't able to do that. It was
a strange one. We've just talked about it in the dressing room, but we never
got out the blocks. I think to be fair to Stoke they came and did a very
good job. They stopped us playing and we didn't have too many passes on.
"We didn't want to just lump it up front, because they're good in the air at
the back. They made it difficult for us and to be honest I thought it was
going to be a 0-0. Unless there was something special and Jermaine has
produced a free-kick from nowhere."
In his attempts to explain the Hammers' sluggish start, Collins confessed it
is not the first time that he and his colleagues have struggled to hit the
ground running, pointing to last year's visit of Southampton. "We did it a
couple of last times last year. The gaffer has just mentioned Southampton at
home last season, we were terrible first half and then came out and ended up
winning 4-1. "It just didn't click today, no one can quite put their finger
on it. We've just got to put it behind us. We've got a long time until the
next game to work on it and that's what we'll do."
With an international break now upon them, Big Sam's side have a fortnight
before a trip to St Mary's and Collins is hopeful the Hammers will use the
extended break to their advantage. "You want to get rid of it straight
away, we've got 15 days to dwell on a loss at home, so we don't really want
that, but it gives us more time on the training pitch to work on stuff. I
think you've got to [write this one off]. It's hard sometimes to do that,
but you don't want to dwell on it for too long. We'll get back on the
training pitch and working hard. A few of the boys are going away on
international duty, so we'll miss them, but we've got to look forward to
getting three points at Southampton."
Even in defeat, Collins collected the Man of the Match award, though he was
not about to take solace in his own accolades, nor in another solid
defensive display. That said, the Welsh centre-half was certainly impressed
with the application of fellow Welshman Mark Hughes' men. He continued:
"The back four did alright, they had a few shots and Jussi's made a great
save first half. But it doesn't really matter, we still lost 1-0. If it were
0-0 we'd obviously be happier, but you're never content as a defender if you
lose. They changed it about. A new manager and a new style of play. They did
a job on us. They stopped us playing and when they had the ball they did
very well. It looks good for them."
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Saunderson eyes Pompey victory
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies manager Mark Saunderson is targeting a win over
Portsmouth on Sunday
31.08.2013
West Ham United Ladies manager Mark Saunderson is feeling confident that his
side can bounce back from an opening day defeat when they face Portsmouth
Ladies on Sunday. The Hammers went ahead against Charlton Ladies at Sporting
Club Thamesmead last weekend through a goal from new signing Cherrelle
Albert, only for Charlton to turn the game on its head to take the spoils.
When reflecting on Sunday's 2-1 FA Women's Premier League Southern Division
defeat, Saunderson believed that a share of the points would have been a
fairer result. "I believe that a draw would have been a fair result to both
teams," said Saunderson. "Charlton had the greater possession in the first
half but I was pleased that the defensive shape and movement that we have
been working on in pre-season was evident. "I thought the midfield three of
Becky Merritt, Lindsey Morgan and Stacey Little worked well as a unit and
protected the back line. The front three worked hard to close the ball down
in the final third and the back line was solid. As a result, we really
restricted Charlton to shooting from distance but I was also pleased that we
still created chances. "At half-time we asked to the team to open up the
field with their movement and we looked the better team in the second half.
I thought that the build-up play for our goal was excellent and I don't
think Kelley Blanchflower has ever hit a sweeter shot that hit the post for
Cherrelle to tuck away the rebound. "To be fair to Charlton the free-kick
strike from Kim Dixon for the equaliser was special and Emma Harrison took
her goal well, but we kept going and had chances to get back into the game
right until the final whistle."
One area that Saunderson has been working hard on throughout pre-season with
his squad is improving the overall team spirit and bonding throughout the
club. The former Fulham Ladies boss was impressed with the character his
team showed. "Most importantly, I was impressed with the team spirit that we
showed and you can see that from the team celebration when we scored," he
continued. "We showed real character and some of the individual
performances, Danica Revell, Natalie Crinean and Hayley West to name but a
few were really top draw. "I was pleased to hand Sasha Kelly her debut at
left-back and felt that she grew into the game as time went on. Overall, I
was disappointed with the final result but not the performance or the
character displayed."
West Ham Ladies' opening home fixture of the season takes place on Sunday,
when they face another tough opponent in the shape of Portsmouth Ladies.
However, Saunderson is adamant that his squad understand the need to prepare
properly and that, should they perform to expectation, the right result will
come. "I think that whilst the team performance was good on Sunday it is
still not at the level that the team can attain. I feel that the pre-season
preparation has really indicated the quality that we have as a squad and the
performances on the training ground and in matches are starting to highlight
this to others. I genuinely feel that the game plan that we are working
towards has been embraced by all of the players and management team and that
we are on the right track. "What is pleasing about this group of players is
that they understand the importance of preparation and approach one game at
a time. They understand the game plan and have the motivation to learn from
games and apply that to training and the next match. "Some people would
suggest that we have a tough start because the opening schedule has thrown
us against teams that were in the National Division last season but I
genuinely sense that the squad see these games as an opportunity to test
ourselves. "It will be another tough test against Portsmouth but we are at
home and we will prepare in the right way. Our focus is not on the result
but on our performance because ultimately the right performance determines
the right result."
Kick-off in Sunday's game at Thurrock FC in Ship Lane, Aveley is at 2pm.
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West Ham display against Stoke not good enough - Sam Allardyce
BBC.co.uk
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has criticised his side following their first
defeat at home since February. Stoke claimed three points at Upton Park
through a late Jermaine Pennant free-kick, but the hosts did not trouble
visiting keeper Asmir Begovic "At home, I haven't seen us play that badly
since we've been back in the Premier League, sadly," Allardyce said. "We
still can't reach the level of consistency this league demands. It was a
really off day for us, a bad day." The Hammers did not manage a single shot
on target against the Potters, and their only goals in the Premier League so
far this season came in their 2-0 opening day win over Cardiff City.
Although Pennant's strike was the first goal West Ham have conceded in the
league this campaign, Allardyce was unhappy with his side's all-round
performance. "We have to accept that at this moment in time it looks like
we're still establishing ourselves in the Premier League," he said.
"Our back four limited Stoke very well. But the front six, in terms of
creativity, really wasn't there. It really wasn't good enough and we played
poorly, individually and collectively."
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Allardyce on.....Stoke City
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 31st August 2013
By: Staff Writer No.2
Sam Allardyce gives his view of today's poor performance against Stoke City.
Like us he was not impressed…..
Sam: Was that a case of too many players being off colour?
It were a bit more than "off colour" for me! At home, I haven't seen us play
that bad since our arrival back in the Premier League last season, sadly.
As a group and as a squad of players, we've started the season very well.
The players that had competed so well in the Cardiff and Newcastle games
were, in the main, rested for the Cheltenham game to prepare themselves
properly and to build on our good performances and to elaborate on them.
Unfortunately, we got the opposite today. So we have to take it on the chin
and accept that, at this moment in time, we're still establishing ourselves
in the Premier League and that our lads can't quite get to the level of
consistency that this league demands.
So, it's a really off day for us and a bad day. Stoke City capitalised in
the end with a tremendous free-kick from Jermaine Pennant.
The only plus for me is the back four and the goalkeeper who limited Stoke
very well. Unfortunately it wasn't quite enough to get that all-important
clean sheet again. The front six, in terms of creativity... It really wasn't
there today.
Why do you think that was? Is there any reason they should all be like that?
Well you've got to give some credit to Stoke. They were on the front foot
more than we were. We kept getting the possession we were looking for but we
kept giving it straight back to the opposition with poor passing. That
encourages the opposition and they begin to come out and play more.
They actually took control of the game in the first half. We tried to make
things better in the second half – we did force them back much better than
we did in the first but it really really wasn't good enough. We didn't
create any chances out of that and Stoke got behind the ball and crowded us
out.
So individually and collectively we've played poorly today. Stoke have
played very well – I don't want to take anything away from them – but in the
end I was saying that it would have been a very well-earned point had we got
one, one we didn't probably deserve.
Do you think you need to strengthen the squad up front given that Andy
Carroll is so injury-prone?
No; it's a bit naughty to say he's injury prone. I understand why you say
that because he had three injuries last year. We don't have – unless anybody
gets sold – any money to spend.
Can you tell us what the situation is with Joey O'Brien? He's not going to
play for Ireland but he played today?
I'm not sure that he was actually called up. He was in the preliminary squad
– nothing else.
They've released a statement saying he'll be having surgery this week?
I have no idea. I'm not the medical man – I simply have no idea what you are
talking about. Our medical team will be in severe trouble because you're
telling me something I do not know. [A club spokesman later clarified that
the statement in question referred to Joey having "treatment" and not
"surgery" as suggested by the journalist in question]
What are the chances of you selling someone in time and doing that
strengthening?
Slim, I would say. There's what, 48 hours to go? Just over. If you're going
to get somebody out to get someone else in, you can't move anybody out until
you've brought somebody in. The timing's critical.
If you only need to get players in like we did last year when we got Andy
Carroll, Matt Jarvis and Yossi Benayoun in on loan, that's an easy job. But
if you've got to overlap one going out and one coming in because of the
financial differences, you're almost having to have them sign at the same
time. That makes things extremely difficult.
I can't let a player go to the opposition until a player coming in has
signed – even if he's in the building. If something goes wrong at that late
stage, it's finished – there's nothing you can do about it.
It's also extremely difficult to find players of the quality to play at this
level. The player that we bring in we might need or want to play at
Southampton. If there's a player that we bring in it's not going to be from
this country. It's going to be from abroad.
Andy Carroll; how far away is he?
He's training now on a daily basis. We'd hope by the end of this week he'll
be joining in with the other players.
So possibly Southampton?
At the very very earliest, yes. Thank you.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Late Jermaine Pennant free-kick wins game for Stoke
Last Updated: August 31, 2013 6:12pm
SSN
A fantastic free-kick from Jermaine Pennant earned Stoke City a deserved 1-0
victory over West Ham in the Premier League at Upton Park. The hosts seemed
destined to record a third successive clean sheet in the Premier League as
the game headed towards a goalless draw, only for referee Jonathan Moss to
penalise Mohamed Diame for shoving Glenn Whelan in the 82nd minute.
Best of the match
Man of the match: Jermaine Pennant. He came on with 12 minutes to go and won
the game with eight left on the clock.
Goal of the match: Pennant's free-kick was very special. He lifted the ball
over the wall and past Jaaskelainen in a flash.
Save of the match: Jaaskelainen made a stunning double save to deny Wilson
and Walters.
Stat of the match: The much travelled Pennant scored his first goal in 63
games, stretching back almost two years.
Talking points: Will Potters boss Mark Hughes be pleased with his side's
early season progress? Do West Ham need to bring in new faces before
transfer deadline day?
Pennant stepped up and struck a stunning right-foot curler over the wall to
earn the Potters back-to-back wins in the Premier League for only the second
time this year.
It was his first goal in 63 games, which stretched back over two years, as
City ended the Hammers' unbeaten start to the season. Visiting Stoke were
the more dominant side, but failed to make their possession pay. Jussi
Jaaskelainen repelled a point-blank shot from Jonathan Walters in the first
period after parrying out Marc Wilson's long-range effort, while Matt
Jarvis' right-wing cross was headed just wide of goal by Modibo Maiga. There
was very little between the sides in the second half and one moment of magic
was enough for the visitors to earn their second league win of the season.
The return of Andy Carroll, out with a heel injury, cannot come soon enough
and the England striker is expected to be available for Southampton on
September 15. This performance may convince Sam Allardyce that
reinforcements are needed before the transfer window closes on Monday, while
in contrast Hughes must be pleased with the early progress he is making at
Stoke. The visitors' superiority was evident from the start as they moved
the ball forward purposefully.
Kenwyne Jones ran almost half the pitch as his strength took him past Kevin
Nolan and, when James Collins arrived to provide pressure, he skied his shot
into the stands from 15 yards out. Stoke began to ride their luck a bit as
Diame and Joey O'Brien caused problems either side of the area, but they
went desperately close to taking the lead in the 23rd minute. A dipping
long-range shot from Wilson deceived Jaaskelainen, who could only parry it
to the side. Walters arrived to bury the follow-up but the West Ham keeper
reacted just in time. Stoke were dominating the game but needed to make more
of their chances as Steven N'Zonzi thumped a shot into the advertising
boards. It was West Ham who proved wasteful with 10 minutes of the first
half remaining after Maiga directed a perfect cross from Jarvis wide. The
match desperately needed a goal, but as the second half progressed it seemed
farther away than ever.
Winston Reid landed heavily on his left shoulder following an aerial duel
with Jones but, despite being in obvious pain, he continued playing after a
brief spell on the sidelines.
West Ham replaced the ineffective Stewart Downing with Ravel Morrison with
almost half an hour left, but a burst of pace from Jarvis proved he was
still his side's most dangerous player. Finally Stoke's defence was having
to work as crosses began to arrive into their box with increasing
regularity, Reid going close on one occasion. Guy Demel squared the ball
across the face of goal but there were no team-mates in place to take
advantage. Then Stoke struck the telling blow with both substitutes involved
- Whelan winning the free-kick that was beautifully buried by Pennant.
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Stoke consider Matt Taylor and Joel Pohjanpalo transfers - but Cameron
Jerome could join Reading
31 Aug 2013 22:29
The Mirror
Stoke boss Mark Hughes is weighing up a deadline-day move for West Ham
midfielder Matt Taylor, writes Dave Kidd in the Sunday People. Taylor has
been made available by Hammers boss Sam Allardyce and has attracted interest
from several Championship clubs, including Reading. But the 31-year-old is
holding out for a loan or permanent deal at a top-flight club. Meanwhile,
Reading chief Nigel Adkins is in talks with Stoke for striker Cameron
Jerome, writes Alan Nixon. Adkins is prepared to pay £2million, but it
depends on the Potters finding a new forward. The Royals' boss is willing to
wait for the loan window to re-open if Jerome is still out of favour.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
West Ham United were below par as they lost 1-0 to Stoke City on Saturday
31.08.2013
West Ham United's unbeaten start to the Barclays Premier League season went
up in smoke at home to Stoke City on Saturday afternoon. The Hammers were
subdued as they tried to make it back-to-back home wins at the start of the
new campaign, and Mark Hughes' Stoke side took advantage. Jermaine Pennant's
free kick eight minutes from the end made the difference, as Stoke became
the first side to score past the Hammers in the league this term. West Ham
rarely offered a serious threat at the other end and could have few
complaints over the result at the end. Stoke were the team showing the
greater intent early on and Kenwyne Jones created a chance for himself with
ten minutes on the clock when he outmuscled Winston Reid just inside the
Hammers half to set a run in motion. As he neared the penalty area it looked
as though he would be able to get a clear shot away, but James Collins
tracked back superbly to pressurise the away striker and force his eventual
effort off target. Four minutes later Mark Noble gave away a free kick 25
yards from goal and Jussi Jaaskelainen showed good hands to gather Charlie
Adam's shot as it bounced just in front of him. The biggest moment of danger
in the first half arrived with 22 minutes played when Marc Wilson's volley
from the edge of the box swerved and dipped on Jaaskelainen, meaning he
could not gather cleanly, and the Finn had to spring back up sharply to deny
Jonathan Walters on the rebound. Stoke were enjoying the better of the
possession and territory as the Hammers struggled to move the ball at a
tempo. Modibo Maiga still had a presentable chance to nod the Hammers into a
34th minute lead when he pulled off Ryan Shawcross to meet a Matt Jarvis
cross, but he failed the hit the target from close range and Stoke survived
that scare.
West Ham needed to improve in the second half, and they did do a better job
of keeping a handle on their visitors in the third quarter as chances at
both ends were restricted to those of a long range variety. Steven N'Zonzi
and Wilson both fired off target from outside the box for the visitors,
while Reid could not control a header for the Hammers following a floated
Collins free kick from deep, with the ball passing over the top. Reid was
involved again on 70 minutes, volleying over the top after a corner from the
left was only partially cleared. The Hammers looked to be edging towards a
third clean sheet in succession, but a foul by Mo Diame on Glenn Whelan on
the edge of the box eight minutes from time gave Stoke the chance to end the
hosts' unblemished defensive record. Pennant stepped up to take the free
kick and found the net to Jaaskelainen's left, sending West Ham off on the
international break on a sour note.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen; Demel, Collins, Reid, O'Brien; Nolan, Noble
(Collison 84), Diame (Lee 88); Downing (Morrison 64), Maiga, Jarvis
Subs: Adrian, Tomkins, Rat, Taylor
Booked: Reid, Collins
Stoke City: Begovic; Cameron, Shawcross, Huth, Pieters; Wilson, N'Zonzi;
Etherington (Pennant 76), Adam (Whelan 76), Walters; Jones
Subs: Sorensen, Muniesa, Assaidi, Crouch, Jerome
Goal: Pennant 82
Booked: Cameron
Attendance: 34,946
Referee: Jon Moss
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Under-18s defeated at Wolves
WHUFC.com
The Academy side lost by the odd goal in three at Wolverhampton Wanderers on
Saturday
31.08.2013
West Ham United's Under-18s were made to rue two moments of defensive
sloppiness in their 2-1 Barclays U18 Premier League defeat at Wolverhampton
Wanderers on Saturday. The Hammers switched off from two corners either side
of half time and paid the ultimate price on both, meaning Kieran Bywater's
free-kick counted for little. There was little to choose between the sides
in a scrappy opening period, which saw Jordan Brown go close from a half
chance.
However, Wolves managed to edge in front from a set play, and they repeated
the trick just three minutes after the break. West Ham rallied, with Jerry
Amoo hitting the post and Jamie Harney having a header cleared off the line.
Bywater then halved the deficit with a free-kick right out of the top
drawer, and although the young Hammers ended the contest strongly, time was
against them in their efforts to find a leveller. Academy Director Tony Carr
MBE was frustrated that set plays proved to be the Hammers' downfall. He
said: "It's disappointing because we knew their strengths were at set pieces
and we'd done a lot of work on them in the week before the game. "To lose a
marker again so soon after half time, when we had worked on organising
ourselves was disappointing too. "The pleasing part of the performance was
in the way we rallied. Our heads could have dropped, but they didn't and
Kieran Bywater scored a fantastic free-kick."
West Ham United: Nemrava, Girdlestone, Mavila, Harney, Burke, Makasi, Amoo,
Parfitt-Williams, Martins, Bywater, Brown
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Spence loaned to Owls
WHUFC.com
Jordan Spence has joined Championship side Sheffield Wednesday on loan until
28 September
31.08.2013
Jordan Spence has joined Championship side Sheffield Wednesday on emergency
loan until 28 September. The former England Under-21 defender is expected to
make his debut for the Owls at Middlesbrough this afternoon. Spence, 23, has
previously enjoyed loan spells at Leyton Orient, Scunthorpe United and
Bristol City. The Woodford-born player made his West Ham United debut in May
2010, when he appeared as a late substitute in the final-day draw with
Manchester City at the Boleyn Ground. Spence has totalled ten first-team
appearances for the Hammers, but has not played for Sam Allardyce's side
since the FA Cup third-round replay at Manchester United in January.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam shocked by Stoke loss
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was taken aback by West Ham United's 1-0 home Barclays Premier
League defeat by Stoke City
31.08.2013
Manager Sam Allardyce admitted to being taken aback by West Ham United's 1-0
home Barclays Premier League defeat by Stoke City on Saturday. The Hammers
were second best to the Potters at the Boleyn Ground and were left with
nothing to show for their efforts when substitute Jermaine Pennant curled a
disputed free-kick past Jussi Jaaskelainen with just eight minutes to play.
Speaking to West Ham TV, Big Sam was not impressed with his team's display
in losing their first home game since February.
What is your reaction to a rare bad day at the Boleyn Ground?
SA: "Well it's a real shock to me and I think everybody who came to watch
the game will be as shocked as I am because we obviously were looking
forward to this home game after how far we've come in a short period of
time. "Certainly after the week when we beat Cardiff and were disappointed
not to win at Newcastle where we were the better side, to see a performance
that is the complete opposite to what we normally are [was disappointing].
"Stoke go away with the three points and there's not a lot of arguing I
could do against that because we just didn't get to the level we know we
can. Because we didn't do that, we didn't put Stoke City under any real
pressure. "In the end, they scored after a sloppy bit of play by ourselves
giving the ball away in our own half and then giving the free-kick away.
Obviously, the technical part of Jermaine Pennant's free-kick was superb,
but we should never have let ourselves get into that position. "Instead of
digging it out and, despite being decidedly average, come out with a
nil-nil, we've ended up losing the game."
Can you put your finger on why we didn't perform to the same level we have
done at home so consistently in recent months?
SA: "No, not really. I'll have to have a think about that for a while and
review the game again but what I can say is that when you have a player
performing to his normal best, we had the team rally round him, but when you
get so many who don't play how we know they can like they did today [it's
difficult]. "I have to give the back four a lot of credit because they are
really void of any criticism. For all the game, they defended with great
spirit because Stoke had the majority of the possession and put us under
more pressure than we did them. "It's disappointing from our front-six point
of view and what they didn't create, but from a back-four and goalkeeper
point of view, they nearly mastered their way through to another clean sheet
and a point for us, which would have been very precious. Unfortunately, they
got the blow with that free-kick at the end. "In creative terms, our players
who do create didn't, and that's why we had such a lacklustre performance."
Presumably the international break will give you the time to get the likes
of Andy Carroll (heel), Joe Cole (hamstring) and Joey O'Brien (managing his
knee following historic injuries) up to speed ahead of the trip to
Southampton on Sunday 15 September?
SA: "When we finished Newcastle away we were in a perfectly good position
because we were going to make sure that the players who played could have a
rest against Cheltenham. It also meant we could play some of the players who
were sitting on the bench or who had been left out of squad in our first two
games, and some of the younger end like Leo Chambers. "It was a thoroughly
good game and a really good result for us, apart from the fact Alou Diarra
crushed his cruciate ligament which finishes this season. "George McCartney
making his comeback after a long time out with a serious injury was
pleasing, but then on Thursday Ricardo Vaz Te said he is not happy and wants
to leave, Joe Cole got injured on Friday morning and we lost on Saturday. It
shows you how quickly things can change. "I was very happy last weekend and
now I'm as miserable as sin."
Finally, the transfer window closes on Monday night. Can we expect much
activity?
SA: "I keep telling everybody that, budget-wise, we've come to an end and we
roll with what we've got unless something happens going out. "One thing is
for sure - at this late stage we have 48 hours and there is probably enough
time to complete the process of bringing somebody in on its own. The
transition of one out and one in, the timing has to be perfect because the
player we're allowing to go out cannot go before the player we're bringing
in has signed. "If the player goes out and he's gone, he's gone. If the one
coming in changes his mind or someone else rings him up and offers more
money, then we're absolutely finished so we cannot allow that to happen.
"That's why I think it'll be very difficult to bring someone in, but we'll
always have a look and if someone wants to buy one of our players for the
right fee and they want to go - for example, Vaz Te at the moment who has
decided he wants to leave - we'll have some funds to bring someone else in.
"We have a list of targets but more loan players than permanent deals at
this stage. It's not difficult to bring a player in if you have funds, but
it's difficult to bring the right player in. That's the ultimate test for us
- if we bring one in at this stage, are we bringing him in because the
window is closing when deep down we know he's not quite good enough? I saw a
lot of that happening at this stage, but we want to avoid that if we can.
"If there is a top player who wants to come and join us, then that would be
very good."
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'We've got to put it behind us'
WHUFC.com
James Collins was defiant in defeat, hoping the Hammers will come back
strongly next time out
31.08.2013
James Collins was as bemused as anyone as to why West Ham United struggled
to hit the heights against Stoke City, as the Hammers' unbeaten start to the
campaign ended in a low-key 1-0 Barclays Premier League defeat at the Boleyn
Ground. A frustrating afternoon for Sam Allardyce's men looked to be headed
for a goalless draw, before second-half substitute Jermaine Pennant planted
a fine free-kick beyond Jussi Jaaskelainen with just eight minutes to play.
It proved sufficient to see the Potters depart east London with all three
points, a result that left Collins wondering why the hosts had struggled to
reproduce their typical tempo and fluency. "We weren't great," he
admitted. "Obviously in the first half we weren't the best and at half-time
we could only improve, but unfortunately we weren't able to do that. It was
a strange one. We've just talked about it in the dressing room, but we never
got out the blocks. I think to be fair to Stoke they came and did a very
good job. They stopped us playing and we didn't have too many passes on.
"We didn't want to just lump it up front, because they're good in the air at
the back. They made it difficult for us and to be honest I thought it was
going to be a 0-0. Unless there was something special and Jermaine has
produced a free-kick from nowhere."
In his attempts to explain the Hammers' sluggish start, Collins confessed it
is not the first time that he and his colleagues have struggled to hit the
ground running, pointing to last year's visit of Southampton. "We did it a
couple of last times last year. The gaffer has just mentioned Southampton at
home last season, we were terrible first half and then came out and ended up
winning 4-1. "It just didn't click today, no one can quite put their finger
on it. We've just got to put it behind us. We've got a long time until the
next game to work on it and that's what we'll do."
With an international break now upon them, Big Sam's side have a fortnight
before a trip to St Mary's and Collins is hopeful the Hammers will use the
extended break to their advantage. "You want to get rid of it straight
away, we've got 15 days to dwell on a loss at home, so we don't really want
that, but it gives us more time on the training pitch to work on stuff. I
think you've got to [write this one off]. It's hard sometimes to do that,
but you don't want to dwell on it for too long. We'll get back on the
training pitch and working hard. A few of the boys are going away on
international duty, so we'll miss them, but we've got to look forward to
getting three points at Southampton."
Even in defeat, Collins collected the Man of the Match award, though he was
not about to take solace in his own accolades, nor in another solid
defensive display. That said, the Welsh centre-half was certainly impressed
with the application of fellow Welshman Mark Hughes' men. He continued:
"The back four did alright, they had a few shots and Jussi's made a great
save first half. But it doesn't really matter, we still lost 1-0. If it were
0-0 we'd obviously be happier, but you're never content as a defender if you
lose. They changed it about. A new manager and a new style of play. They did
a job on us. They stopped us playing and when they had the ball they did
very well. It looks good for them."
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Saunderson eyes Pompey victory
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies manager Mark Saunderson is targeting a win over
Portsmouth on Sunday
31.08.2013
West Ham United Ladies manager Mark Saunderson is feeling confident that his
side can bounce back from an opening day defeat when they face Portsmouth
Ladies on Sunday. The Hammers went ahead against Charlton Ladies at Sporting
Club Thamesmead last weekend through a goal from new signing Cherrelle
Albert, only for Charlton to turn the game on its head to take the spoils.
When reflecting on Sunday's 2-1 FA Women's Premier League Southern Division
defeat, Saunderson believed that a share of the points would have been a
fairer result. "I believe that a draw would have been a fair result to both
teams," said Saunderson. "Charlton had the greater possession in the first
half but I was pleased that the defensive shape and movement that we have
been working on in pre-season was evident. "I thought the midfield three of
Becky Merritt, Lindsey Morgan and Stacey Little worked well as a unit and
protected the back line. The front three worked hard to close the ball down
in the final third and the back line was solid. As a result, we really
restricted Charlton to shooting from distance but I was also pleased that we
still created chances. "At half-time we asked to the team to open up the
field with their movement and we looked the better team in the second half.
I thought that the build-up play for our goal was excellent and I don't
think Kelley Blanchflower has ever hit a sweeter shot that hit the post for
Cherrelle to tuck away the rebound. "To be fair to Charlton the free-kick
strike from Kim Dixon for the equaliser was special and Emma Harrison took
her goal well, but we kept going and had chances to get back into the game
right until the final whistle."
One area that Saunderson has been working hard on throughout pre-season with
his squad is improving the overall team spirit and bonding throughout the
club. The former Fulham Ladies boss was impressed with the character his
team showed. "Most importantly, I was impressed with the team spirit that we
showed and you can see that from the team celebration when we scored," he
continued. "We showed real character and some of the individual
performances, Danica Revell, Natalie Crinean and Hayley West to name but a
few were really top draw. "I was pleased to hand Sasha Kelly her debut at
left-back and felt that she grew into the game as time went on. Overall, I
was disappointed with the final result but not the performance or the
character displayed."
West Ham Ladies' opening home fixture of the season takes place on Sunday,
when they face another tough opponent in the shape of Portsmouth Ladies.
However, Saunderson is adamant that his squad understand the need to prepare
properly and that, should they perform to expectation, the right result will
come. "I think that whilst the team performance was good on Sunday it is
still not at the level that the team can attain. I feel that the pre-season
preparation has really indicated the quality that we have as a squad and the
performances on the training ground and in matches are starting to highlight
this to others. I genuinely feel that the game plan that we are working
towards has been embraced by all of the players and management team and that
we are on the right track. "What is pleasing about this group of players is
that they understand the importance of preparation and approach one game at
a time. They understand the game plan and have the motivation to learn from
games and apply that to training and the next match. "Some people would
suggest that we have a tough start because the opening schedule has thrown
us against teams that were in the National Division last season but I
genuinely sense that the squad see these games as an opportunity to test
ourselves. "It will be another tough test against Portsmouth but we are at
home and we will prepare in the right way. Our focus is not on the result
but on our performance because ultimately the right performance determines
the right result."
Kick-off in Sunday's game at Thurrock FC in Ship Lane, Aveley is at 2pm.
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West Ham display against Stoke not good enough - Sam Allardyce
BBC.co.uk
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has criticised his side following their first
defeat at home since February. Stoke claimed three points at Upton Park
through a late Jermaine Pennant free-kick, but the hosts did not trouble
visiting keeper Asmir Begovic "At home, I haven't seen us play that badly
since we've been back in the Premier League, sadly," Allardyce said. "We
still can't reach the level of consistency this league demands. It was a
really off day for us, a bad day." The Hammers did not manage a single shot
on target against the Potters, and their only goals in the Premier League so
far this season came in their 2-0 opening day win over Cardiff City.
Although Pennant's strike was the first goal West Ham have conceded in the
league this campaign, Allardyce was unhappy with his side's all-round
performance. "We have to accept that at this moment in time it looks like
we're still establishing ourselves in the Premier League," he said.
"Our back four limited Stoke very well. But the front six, in terms of
creativity, really wasn't there. It really wasn't good enough and we played
poorly, individually and collectively."
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Allardyce on.....Stoke City
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 31st August 2013
By: Staff Writer No.2
Sam Allardyce gives his view of today's poor performance against Stoke City.
Like us he was not impressed…..
Sam: Was that a case of too many players being off colour?
It were a bit more than "off colour" for me! At home, I haven't seen us play
that bad since our arrival back in the Premier League last season, sadly.
As a group and as a squad of players, we've started the season very well.
The players that had competed so well in the Cardiff and Newcastle games
were, in the main, rested for the Cheltenham game to prepare themselves
properly and to build on our good performances and to elaborate on them.
Unfortunately, we got the opposite today. So we have to take it on the chin
and accept that, at this moment in time, we're still establishing ourselves
in the Premier League and that our lads can't quite get to the level of
consistency that this league demands.
So, it's a really off day for us and a bad day. Stoke City capitalised in
the end with a tremendous free-kick from Jermaine Pennant.
The only plus for me is the back four and the goalkeeper who limited Stoke
very well. Unfortunately it wasn't quite enough to get that all-important
clean sheet again. The front six, in terms of creativity... It really wasn't
there today.
Why do you think that was? Is there any reason they should all be like that?
Well you've got to give some credit to Stoke. They were on the front foot
more than we were. We kept getting the possession we were looking for but we
kept giving it straight back to the opposition with poor passing. That
encourages the opposition and they begin to come out and play more.
They actually took control of the game in the first half. We tried to make
things better in the second half – we did force them back much better than
we did in the first but it really really wasn't good enough. We didn't
create any chances out of that and Stoke got behind the ball and crowded us
out.
So individually and collectively we've played poorly today. Stoke have
played very well – I don't want to take anything away from them – but in the
end I was saying that it would have been a very well-earned point had we got
one, one we didn't probably deserve.
Do you think you need to strengthen the squad up front given that Andy
Carroll is so injury-prone?
No; it's a bit naughty to say he's injury prone. I understand why you say
that because he had three injuries last year. We don't have – unless anybody
gets sold – any money to spend.
Can you tell us what the situation is with Joey O'Brien? He's not going to
play for Ireland but he played today?
I'm not sure that he was actually called up. He was in the preliminary squad
– nothing else.
They've released a statement saying he'll be having surgery this week?
I have no idea. I'm not the medical man – I simply have no idea what you are
talking about. Our medical team will be in severe trouble because you're
telling me something I do not know. [A club spokesman later clarified that
the statement in question referred to Joey having "treatment" and not
"surgery" as suggested by the journalist in question]
What are the chances of you selling someone in time and doing that
strengthening?
Slim, I would say. There's what, 48 hours to go? Just over. If you're going
to get somebody out to get someone else in, you can't move anybody out until
you've brought somebody in. The timing's critical.
If you only need to get players in like we did last year when we got Andy
Carroll, Matt Jarvis and Yossi Benayoun in on loan, that's an easy job. But
if you've got to overlap one going out and one coming in because of the
financial differences, you're almost having to have them sign at the same
time. That makes things extremely difficult.
I can't let a player go to the opposition until a player coming in has
signed – even if he's in the building. If something goes wrong at that late
stage, it's finished – there's nothing you can do about it.
It's also extremely difficult to find players of the quality to play at this
level. The player that we bring in we might need or want to play at
Southampton. If there's a player that we bring in it's not going to be from
this country. It's going to be from abroad.
Andy Carroll; how far away is he?
He's training now on a daily basis. We'd hope by the end of this week he'll
be joining in with the other players.
So possibly Southampton?
At the very very earliest, yes. Thank you.
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Late Jermaine Pennant free-kick wins game for Stoke
Last Updated: August 31, 2013 6:12pm
SSN
A fantastic free-kick from Jermaine Pennant earned Stoke City a deserved 1-0
victory over West Ham in the Premier League at Upton Park. The hosts seemed
destined to record a third successive clean sheet in the Premier League as
the game headed towards a goalless draw, only for referee Jonathan Moss to
penalise Mohamed Diame for shoving Glenn Whelan in the 82nd minute.
Best of the match
Man of the match: Jermaine Pennant. He came on with 12 minutes to go and won
the game with eight left on the clock.
Goal of the match: Pennant's free-kick was very special. He lifted the ball
over the wall and past Jaaskelainen in a flash.
Save of the match: Jaaskelainen made a stunning double save to deny Wilson
and Walters.
Stat of the match: The much travelled Pennant scored his first goal in 63
games, stretching back almost two years.
Talking points: Will Potters boss Mark Hughes be pleased with his side's
early season progress? Do West Ham need to bring in new faces before
transfer deadline day?
Pennant stepped up and struck a stunning right-foot curler over the wall to
earn the Potters back-to-back wins in the Premier League for only the second
time this year.
It was his first goal in 63 games, which stretched back over two years, as
City ended the Hammers' unbeaten start to the season. Visiting Stoke were
the more dominant side, but failed to make their possession pay. Jussi
Jaaskelainen repelled a point-blank shot from Jonathan Walters in the first
period after parrying out Marc Wilson's long-range effort, while Matt
Jarvis' right-wing cross was headed just wide of goal by Modibo Maiga. There
was very little between the sides in the second half and one moment of magic
was enough for the visitors to earn their second league win of the season.
The return of Andy Carroll, out with a heel injury, cannot come soon enough
and the England striker is expected to be available for Southampton on
September 15. This performance may convince Sam Allardyce that
reinforcements are needed before the transfer window closes on Monday, while
in contrast Hughes must be pleased with the early progress he is making at
Stoke. The visitors' superiority was evident from the start as they moved
the ball forward purposefully.
Kenwyne Jones ran almost half the pitch as his strength took him past Kevin
Nolan and, when James Collins arrived to provide pressure, he skied his shot
into the stands from 15 yards out. Stoke began to ride their luck a bit as
Diame and Joey O'Brien caused problems either side of the area, but they
went desperately close to taking the lead in the 23rd minute. A dipping
long-range shot from Wilson deceived Jaaskelainen, who could only parry it
to the side. Walters arrived to bury the follow-up but the West Ham keeper
reacted just in time. Stoke were dominating the game but needed to make more
of their chances as Steven N'Zonzi thumped a shot into the advertising
boards. It was West Ham who proved wasteful with 10 minutes of the first
half remaining after Maiga directed a perfect cross from Jarvis wide. The
match desperately needed a goal, but as the second half progressed it seemed
farther away than ever.
Winston Reid landed heavily on his left shoulder following an aerial duel
with Jones but, despite being in obvious pain, he continued playing after a
brief spell on the sidelines.
West Ham replaced the ineffective Stewart Downing with Ravel Morrison with
almost half an hour left, but a burst of pace from Jarvis proved he was
still his side's most dangerous player. Finally Stoke's defence was having
to work as crosses began to arrive into their box with increasing
regularity, Reid going close on one occasion. Guy Demel squared the ball
across the face of goal but there were no team-mates in place to take
advantage. Then Stoke struck the telling blow with both substitutes involved
- Whelan winning the free-kick that was beautifully buried by Pennant.
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Stoke consider Matt Taylor and Joel Pohjanpalo transfers - but Cameron
Jerome could join Reading
31 Aug 2013 22:29
The Mirror
Stoke boss Mark Hughes is weighing up a deadline-day move for West Ham
midfielder Matt Taylor, writes Dave Kidd in the Sunday People. Taylor has
been made available by Hammers boss Sam Allardyce and has attracted interest
from several Championship clubs, including Reading. But the 31-year-old is
holding out for a loan or permanent deal at a top-flight club. Meanwhile,
Reading chief Nigel Adkins is in talks with Stoke for striker Cameron
Jerome, writes Alan Nixon. Adkins is prepared to pay £2million, but it
depends on the Potters finding a new forward. The Royals' boss is willing to
wait for the loan window to re-open if Jerome is still out of favour.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Saturday, August 31
Daily WHUFC News - 31st August 2013
Stoke City match preview
WHUFC.com
All the key pre-match info ahead of Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash with Stoke City
30.08.2013
WEST HAM UNITED v STOKE CITY
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
BOLEYN GROUND
SATURDAY 31 AUGUST 2013
KICK-OFF: 3PM
REFEREE: JON MOSS
WEST HAM TV I iPHONE APP I TWITTER I FACEBOOK I PODCAST I YOUTUBE
Introduction
· West Ham United play host to Stoke City in the Barclays Premier League fresh from a 2-1 victory over Cheltenham Town in the Capital One Cup.
· Tuesday night's win continues the Hammers unbeaten start to the season and if they avoid defeat against Stoke it will be the first time since the 1999/2000 season that the club has not suffered a defeat in their opening four fixtures.
· West Ham could be top of the table on Saturday night if victory over Stoke is achieved, as Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester United all play on Sunday, with current leaders Chelsea not in action.
· Three points on Saturday would leave Sam Allardyce's side a point better off than after three games last season when two wins and a defeat yielded six points. After the opening day victory over Cardiff and last weekend's 0-0 draw with Newcastle seven points from a possible nine is now in the team's sights.
· Stoke come into the game on the back of Wednesday night's win over Walsall in the Capital One Cup and a victory over Crystal Palace in their last league outing. That win was however preceded by an opening day defeat to Liverpool.
· Mark Hughes has never been on the winning side at the Boleyn Ground in six previous attempts with three different clubs (Blackburn, Fulham and Manchester City). This is his first visit to the ground as manager of Stoke City.
· Former Hammer of the year Matt Etherington again returns to the Boleyn Ground where he made 195 appearances for the club before leaving to join the Potters in 2009.
· In this fixture last year Stoke held the Hammers to a 1-1 draw on 19 November 2012. In the return game a Jack Collison goal was enough to earn West Ham a 1-0 win at the Brittania Stadium in March.
Team news
West Ham United
· Alou Diarra will miss the game after picking up a serious knee injury during the win against Cheltenham, whilst Andy Carroll continues his recovery from a heel injury.
· George McCartney stepped up his recovery from injury with a 90 minute run out in the midweek win and is in contention to make the squad for Saturday.
Stoke City
· Jamie Ness is expected to miss the game as he continues his recovery from a thigh injury.
· Wilson Palacios and Brek Shea could feature after making their comebacks during the win over Walsall on Wednesday night.
· Hat-trick hero Kenwyne Jones may have done enough to earn a start after his midweek heroics.
Last time out
Tuesday 27 August 2013
Capital One Cup second round
West Ham United 2-1 Cheltenham Town
West Ham United: Adrian, Chambers, Tomkins, McCartney, Rat, Morrison, Diarra (Diame 35), Cole (Downing 46), Collison, Vaz Te, Taylor.
Subs not used: Henderson, Lletget, Ruddock, Nolan, Lee.
Goals: Vaz Te 42, Morrison 46.
Wednesday 28 August 2013
Capital One Cup second round
Stoke City 3-1 Walsall
Stoke City: Sorensen, Huth, Muniesa, Shawcross, Wilkinson, Whelan, Pennant, Palacios (Wilson 50), Shea (Assaidi 46), Adam (Nzonzi 75), Jones.
Subs not used: Butland, Shotton, Kightly, Jerome.
Goals: Jones 22, 31, 84.
Last meeting
The two sides last met at the Brittania Stadium on 2 March 2013. A Jack Collison goal in first-half stoppage time was enough to secure a valuable three points for the Hammers on their ultimately successful quest for a top-ten place. A late Charlie Adam volley which thumped the bar was the only real scare for the West Ham defence as they recorded a crucial three points.
Stoke City: Begovic, Shotton, Shawcross, Wilson, Wilkinson, Walters (Jones 74), Nzonzi, Whelan (Adam 77), Kightly (Shea 66), Jerome, Crouch.
Subs not used: Sorensen, Cameron, Palacios, Whitehead.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins, Reid, O'Brien, O'Neil, J.Cole (Vaz Te 11), Taylor (Collison 11), Diame, Jarvis (Pogatetz 83), Carroll.
Subs not used: Spiegel, C.Cole, Maiga, Chamakh.
Goals: Collison 45+3
Background
· Monday's game is the 85th time West Ham United and Stoke City have faced one another in competitive fixtures. West Ham have won 34, Stoke 30 and there have been 20 draws.
· Stoke City are considered to be the second-oldest professional football club in the world behind Notts County. Formed in 1863, the Potters were also one of the 12 founding members of the Football League in 1888.
· West Ham first faced Stoke in a Southern League First Division match at the Boleyn Ground on 16 December 1911. The Potters won the game 4-3 with William Kennedy (two) and Tom Randall on target for the Hammers.
· West Ham's biggest win over Stoke City came in the 1957/58 season. Vic Keeble bagged a hat-trick in a 5-0 Division Two victory on 6 November 1957, the Hammers would go onto be promoted. Keeble also scored twice in the reverse fixture - a 4-1 win at the Victoria Ground the following March.
Head to head
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
2 March 2013 - Stoke City 0-1 West Ham United
19 November 2012 - West Ham United 1-1 Stoke City
13 March 2011 - Stoke City 2-1 West Ham United (FA Cup sixth round)
5 March 2011 - West Ham United 3-0 Stoke City
27 October 2010 - West Ham United 3-1 Stoke City (Carling Cup fourth round)
18 September 2010 - Stoke City 1-1 West Ham United
Overall record v Stoke City (all competitions) W 34 D 20 L 30
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2012/13 Premier League 10th (46 points)
2011/12 Championship 3rd (86 points - promoted to Premier League via Play-Offs)
2010/11 Premier League 20th (33 points - relegated to Championship)
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted to Premier League via Play-Offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
Stoke City
2012/13 Premier League 13th (42 points)
2011/12 Premier League 14th (45 points)
2010/11 Premier League 13th (46 points)
2009/10 Premier League 11th (47 points)
2008/09 Premier League 12th (45 points)
2007/08 Championship 2nd (79 points - promoted to the Premier League)
2006/07 Championship 8th (73 points)
2005/06 Championship 13th (58 points)
2004/05 Championship 12th (61 points)
2003/04 Division One 11th (66 points)
Referee
· Saturdays referee will be Jonathan Moss.
· Moss was in charge of the last meeting between the two sides on 2 March 2013, when West Ham recorded a 1-0 win over the Potters at the Britannia Stadium.
· In all, Moss showed 86 yellow cards; sent-off one player and awarded nine penalties in the 31 matches he took charge of last season.
· Headteacher Moss was promoted to the Select Group of Referees in June 2011.
· He took charge of the 2005 Conference Play-Off final between Carlisle United and Stevenage and was then promoted to the National Group of Referees.
· He will be assisted by Steve Child and Andrew Halliday, while the fourth official will be Andy D'Urso.
Old boys
· Former West Ham United captain Matthew Upson played 147 matches for the Club between January 2007 and May 2011. He captained the club for the final two years of his stay and scored four goals in total before joining the Potters in the summer of 2011 where he made 25 appearances.
· Stoke winger Matthew Etherington made 195 appearances for West Ham between August 2003 and January 2009, scoring 18 goals. He joined the Potters on 8 January 2009, having moved to the Boleyn Ground from Tottenham Hotspur five-and-a-half years previously.
· Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Clive Clarke, Bob Dixon, Sir Geoff Hurst, Lawrie Leslie, Nicky Morgan, Henri Camara, Abdoulaye Faye and Frank Richardson.
General information
· A handful of tickets remain for this Kids for a Quid match. Click here to buy now.
· The weather forecast predicts a sunny day in east London on Saturday, with temperatures at kick-off of 20C (68F).
· The District and Hammersmith & City Lines have no closures planned this weekend.
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Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
Matt Taylor blogs on Cheltenham, Stoke, fishing and more
30.08.2013
Matt Taylor made his first start of the season in Tuesday's 2-1 victory over Cheltenham Town in the Capital One Cup and is the latest player to blog for whufc.com in our Chadwell Chatter series. It was nice to start a game and play on Tuesday. That ultimately is what we're all striving for, so from that point of view it was nice to play 90 minutes and nice to be on the winning team. I must say that we probably should have won by more than the goal that we did. We reviewed the game on Thursday morning and we had 23 chances, and hit the target ten times. Their keeper has made some very good saves, and for us we should have won the game by more than just one goal but the main thing is that we're in the hat for the next round. From a personal point of view, I had five or six shots and I hit the target with all but one of them which was a positive. I made the keeper made some saves and the defender made a goalline block right at the end. If I'd not struck them so well, they might well have gone in, but it's important to get in those positions. If I wasn't then I'd have concerns.
It's the first game I started since I got knocked out at Stoke away last year so I can't be too unhappy about that. Talking of Stoke, I don't have any memories of that last game, happy or sad, because I don't remember anything after being knocked out so early!. One thing I do know is that it'll be a tough game on Saturday, but we're at home and hopefully we can pack the stadium out, continue our good form and give the crowd something to shout about. We've got a decent record at home, we haven't conceded a goal yet this season in the Premier League and that's something we've got to keep going. We know the threats that Stoke possess, but maybe you'll see them change slightly under the new management. Outside of the top six, I'd suggest that the home form is imperative to the success of your season. That will be no different for us this year, we need to pick up as many points as we can at home. Last season we were only defeated at home by teams inside the top six and that needs to continue if we are to have a successful campaign as lwe did last year.
Off the pitch, I had a little trip fishing last week. Nobes and I took the kids along, and we had some fun for a few hours in the afternoon. The kids enjoyed it which was great as well. I think Nobes is starting to get a bit more into it. I'm trying to persuade him to go on a trip next year to France, but I think he's weighing up France or Vegas. For me it's fishing but you'd have to ask him what he's going to choose! It's something I've done, like a lot of the boys here, since childhood and it's nice to be able to introduce one of your passions to your children as well.
See you on Saturday.
Come on you Irons!
Matt
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The Opposition View - Chris Kamara
WHUFC.com
whufc.com spoke to former Stoke player and boss Chris Kamara ahead of Saturday's game.
30.08.2013
Having played for and managed Stoke City, Sky Sports pundit Chris Kamara is well-placed to know what new Potters boss Mark Hughes is going through as he gets to grips with life at the Britannia Stadium. Stoke arrive in east London on Saturday with three points from their opening two Barclays Premier League fixtures and Kamara expects them to give the Hammers a stern test. He also envisages a gradual change in the style of play under the new boss. He said: "It has all changed [at Stoke this summer]. Tony Pulis did such a wonderful job, but sometimes you have a sell-by date and I think he realised that himself. "He was trying to improve the squad in terms of quality season-on-season and he was with the faces, but the football wasn't changing. "I think the chairman and himself decided between them that he'd done such a wonderful job, quit while he's ahead and that's given Mark Hughes the opportunity to come in. "I think anybody taking over there would have a really good chance because they have got really good players. "I'm not going to criticise Tony in any way, shape or form because what he did was effective. They got results and never were in any danger of going down from the league, and were always competitive in the league. "Mark Hughes is going to change the philosophy, they're going to play a bit more, have a go, but sometimes you have to wait and see, give him his chance. Mark Hughes did a good job at Blackburn Rovers, but he's not at Blackburn any more, he's at Stoke, and he has to prove himself again after QPR."
"They'll be tough to beat, that's one thing for certain. There's no easy games in the Premier League, no matter who you play. "For West Ham, Sam's done some really good business. To get Carroll and Downing was really good, and I don't see any reason why they can't better their 10th place finish from last year."
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Hall compensation package set
WHUFC.com
The Professional Football Compensation Committee have set Bolton's compensation for Robert Hall
30.08.2013
West Ham United can confirm that the Professional Football Compensation Committee have set the compensation package with Bolton Wanderers for the transfer of Rob Hall.
An independent tribunal has ruled that Bolton Wanderers must pay West Ham United an initial sum of £450,000 with the following further additions:
• £250,000 if Bolton are promoted to the Premier League in the next three seasons
• £2,500 per appearance for the first 100 appearances (for Bolton) in the Championship
• or £10,000 per appearance for the first 100 appearances (for Bolton) if in the Premier League
• 20% of any profit made by Bolton Wanderers in selling the player to another club at any point in the future.
West Ham United would like to thank Robert for his efforts during his time with the Club and wish him well in his future career.
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Noble stoked for Potters clash
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble is looking forward to another game at the Boleyn Ground this weekend
30.08.2013
West Ham United midfielder Mark Noble is hopeful home advantage will help the team build upon their unbeaten start to the season, when they entertain Stoke City on Saturday. The Hammers have the opportunity to extend their run to four games without defeat after an opening day win over Cardiff City was followed up with a 0-0 draw away to Newcastle and then a Capital One Cup victory over Cheltenham Town. Noble was rested for Tuesday night's win, but returns to the team eager to carry on the side's decent run against an opponent who has undergone big changes over the summer. He said: "Stoke City pass it a lot more now, they've got some quality players. "It will be a tough game on Saturday. We'll need to be on it to win the game and hopefully we can come away with another three points and make it an even better start."
A win will mean Sam Allardyce's team have taken a point more than at the same stage last season, where two wins and a defeat yielded six points. This season though, the popular midfielder believes the team have raised their expectations and are satisfied with the start they've made. "It's been a strong start; I've just said to someone else that when you're disappointed with a point away to Newcastle it shows how far you've come as a club. "We sat in the changing room after the game disappointed that we hadn't won the game. "We had more than one chance to score a goal and we didn't manage to finish them off. We move onto Stoke on Saturday now which we're looking forward to."
A key reason for the team's strong start to the season has been a miserly defence which has only allowed one shot on target over the course of two matches in the Barclays Premier League. Noble believes that if their fine form is to be maintained then the whole team will have to contribute to keeping the ball away from the Hammers goal. "The whole team works hard for each other, from the forwards through the midfield to the wingers to the backs; we're all working as one. "When you work together you get results and if teams don't have shots on target they don't score, so if we keep that up it will be fantastic. "It's a credit to the lads that we've only had one shot on target against us and it's got to continue all through the team. "The less time the defence have to defend the fewer mistakes there will be and obviously mistakes cost you goals."
Despite not featuring in Tuesday night's win over Cheltenham, Noble is hopeful that the team can make good progress in the Capital One Cup this year and in the process provide fans with the entertainment they deserve. "The lads did brilliantly; a win is a win in the cup no matter what. "We'd like to have a cup run and take the fans all-round the country and hopefully to Wembley, that's the goal. And if we keep our Premier League form up then hopefully it will be a good year. "The fans have been brilliant, they need to keep up what they're doing, keep getting behind the team and hopefully we can reward them with another three points."
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Big Sam on: Stoke City
WHUFC.com
West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce looks ahead to Saturday's visit of Stoke City
30.08.2013
Sam Allardyce has challenged his West Ham United team to continue their fine defensive form when they welcome Stoke City to the Boleyn Ground on Saturday. Big Sam's team have yet to concede in the first two games of the new Barclays Premier League season, and are looking to continue that run against a team who they took four points from in the last campaign. The team will however be without French international Alou Diarra, whose season looks likely to be over after a knee injury he suffered in the Capital One Cup victory over Cheltenham Town.
Good morning Sam, could you start by giving us team news for the weekend?
SA: "Our team news is that only Alou Diarra, who unfortunately got injured the other night, is not involved in the squad. The injury is more serious than we expected and it's an ACL reconstruction it looks like, so that will almost certainly finish Alou's season. It's a big blow to us in squad terms, he was hoping to force his way into the side this season but obviously after that injury that now won't be the case."
Does the injury to Alou affect your thinking ahead of the transfer deadline?
SA: "Like I said, at the moment funds are the restriction in the new rules and regulations and our funds are almost, if not to the limit. Having spoken to David Sullivan, unless it's a really good deal and it's on loan then that might be a possibility, but anything other than that and we will find it difficult to do."
Ravel Morrison is someone you've had to steer in the right direction at times so how pleasing was it to see his performance in midweek?
SA: "It's a carry-on of his pre-season performances and we're all delighted to see the performance he gave against Cheltenham, particularly the goal because that's added to a total of seven in pre-season. He's making a big statement now and that's good. From a midfield point of view now it's Kevin Nolan, Mark Noble and Mo Diame watch out, this boy's after your place. "It's going to really kick-start those three to make sure they perform at the level we know they can because this lad, sooner or later, will get the chance and maybe take it. It's really pleasing that we've got competition for places, and for the lads to come down and watch him play like that, perks their ears up and makes them think they don't want it to be me that they're replacing."
Stoke have undergone a lot of changes over the summer, what do you expect from them on Saturday?
SA: "There's no doubt that every manager has a different way of managing a football club. Every manager, his coaches and backroom staff will have different ideas on what squad you've got, what system you play, and it's all about you getting the best out of your players. So I imagine Mark has adjusted the team, I don't think he will have done anything dramatic, because dramatic change unhinges players from what they're used to. I think his turn will be a slow process, but as we know when you move into a new club fans want you to get results, and they want you to get results and victories as quick as you can otherwise they show their dissatisfaction very quickly these days."
Regarding Mark Hughes, how do you think he will fare taking over from Tony Pulis?
SA: "Mark Hughes is hugely experienced and he'll be glad to get the chance to manage in the Premier League again after the disappointment he had at QPR. He's had his rest, he's no doubt learned huge amounts from the experience he had at QPR, he'll take that and become a better manager than he was before and he was a pretty good manager before that. He knows the pressures of this league so I can't see him having any problems dealing with it. He knows like everyone else that your job is judged on results. You can play whatever system you want, pick whichever players you want to choose but if you don't win then people are dissatisfied and when people are dissatisfied owners change managers and they do it very quickly, so your responsibility first and foremost is to get results for the first team."
It must be pleasing that you've yet to concede in two league matches so far?
SA: "It's very pleasing indeed; the only disappointment is that we don't have six points on the board after last week. It was our own fault that we didn't get it, but the players realise that and in the days after when we've reviewed the game against Newcastle they saw the fact that it was there for the taking and but for their poor finishing in front of goal we would have secured the three points. Defensively speaking, two games in the Premier League and Jussi hasn't had to make a save yet. If Jussi is in the same boat again on Saturday afternoon and he gets a clean sheet then I think we'll win the game. I think we'll score here at Upton Park, it's not often it goes to a 0-0 here, so if we can get that all important clean sheet then I think we'll definitely grab the three points."
What's the situation with Ricardo Vaz Te after he handed in a transfer request?
SA: "He might leave now, if anybody's going to leave now it would be Vaz. You don't keep anybody that doesn't want to stay. If a club comes and makes the right offer for him then we would be more than happy to accommodate the transfer request he's given us."
Have you had any offers for him yet?
SA: "No, but like I said I would expect that in the next few days that we probably will have an inquiry."
Is your relationship with Vaz beyond repair?
SA: "No 18 to 20 years ago he'd probably never have kicked a ball for the club again. In today's world and me perhaps being a bit more mature and mellow, then I'm always ready to give someone a second chance, but at this moment in time if he wants to leave then he can, I've no problem with that. It's just that the club who wants him will have to pay a fair price that we consider is right for Vaz. He won't get to leave this football club just because he wants to and somebody thinks they can get him for a price that we don't value him at."
Where will you be on transfer deadline day?
SA: "I don't know yet, I don't have to be anywhere special because contacts between phone and computer mean you can link up anywhere at any time. But like I said I expected it to be a quiet one for us this year, not like last year when we had Matt Jarvis, Andy Carroll and Yossi Benayoun arriving in the last week. I'm glad to say we haven't got to find three players this time, we haven't got the money to find three players this time either, but if there is the chance of one loan player or if someone goes out it might be two loan players, but if no one does then it might not be anybody."
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West Ham v Stoke
KO 15:00
30 August 2013
Last updated at 13:28
By Simon Brotherton
Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday, 31 August
West Ham are without midfielder Alou Diarra, who looks set to miss the rest of the season after picking up a knee ligament injury in the League Cup. Andy Carroll (heel) and George McCartney (knee) remain out but could return after the international break.
Stoke striker Peter Crouch is back after missing the Potters' League Cup win through illness, although hat-trick hero Kenwyne Jones may keep his place. Jamie Ness has a thigh injury and is City's only certain absentee.
MATCH PREVIEW
This match finished in a 1-1 draw last season and there's every chance there won't be much between the two sides in this one as well.
West Ham have started with two clean sheets, beating newly-promoted Cardiff on the opening day and drawing 0-0 at Newcastle a week ago.
Stoke secured their first win of the season under new manager Mark Hughes last weekend with a 2-1 victory over another of the Premier league new boys, Crystal Palace. That followed their tough opener at Anfield, where they were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool. "Stoke boss Mark Hughes will be pleased so far but he has two problems: first, he has very little money to spend and second, he is trying to change the way they play. That can't happen overnight but he is looking for more quality in the final third and more goals."
The defeat on Merseyside could easily have been a draw, but Simon Mignolet saved Jonathan Walters' late penalty. That result continued a run that has seen Stoke win only one of their last dozen away matches in the Premier league, at QPR in April. I'm interested to see what changes Hughes has implemented already at Stoke following the summer departure of Tony Pulis. I noticed a clear change of style from Everton under Roberto Martinez even on the opening day at Norwich. This game also brings together two former managers of Blackburn Rovers, who were in charge during happier times at Ewood Park. Mark Hughes took them into Europe, while Sam Allardyce started his reign there with a 3-0 win over Stoke City in December 2008 and was surprisingly sacked two years later with the club 13th in the table. What they'd give to be in that position now. Last season's 2-1 win for West Ham over QPR was Allardyce's first Premier League success in the last seven over a Mark Hughes team. The Hammers' solid home form probably makes them slight favourites here, though once again they'll be without striker Andy Carroll, who is still recovering from a heel injury.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
West Ham are enjoying a four-match unbeaten run against Stoke (W2, D2). This includes a 1-0 win at the Britannia Stadium in March courtesy of a Jack Collison goal.
Stoke's only Premier League win in four previous attempts at Upton Park (D1, L2) came in March 2010, when Ricardo Fuller scored in a 1-0 win.
The Potters are two goals away from reaching a 100 goals against the Hammers in all competitions.
West Ham and Stoke have both been involved in six 0-0 draws since the beginning of last season, joint league highs. However, there has never been a goalless Premier League draw between the clubs.
West Ham
The Hammers are unbeaten in their last six home league games (W4, D2) since a 3-2 defeat to Tottenham last February.
Sam Allardyce's men are yet to concede a goal so far this campaign. They have not kept three clean sheets in their opening three Premier League games since the 1998-99 season.
West Ham have kept clean sheets in three of their last four home matches.
The 617 passes attempted by West Ham is fewer than any other side in the Premier League so far this season.
Stoke
Mark Hughes has lost only three of 12 previous Premier League encounters against Sam Allardyce (W5, D4). One of those defeats was in the last meeting between the two men as West Ham saw off Hughes' QPR 2-1 last October.
Stoke, beaten at Liverpool on the opening weekend, won only twice away last season, the equal-lowest tally in last season's Premier League.
Asmir Begovic (14) has made more saves in this season's Premier League than any other goalkeeper.
The Potters' pass completion in their victory over Crystal Palace last week was 78%. Last season they averaged only 70%.
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Alou Diarra: West Ham midfielder likely to miss the rest of the season
BBC.co.uk
West Ham midfielder Alou Diarra is likely to miss the rest of the season with a serious knee ligament injury. Diarra, 31, picked up the knock in Wednesday's Capital One Cup second round win against Cheltenham. "It's a big blow to us in squad terms" said manager Sam Allardyce. "He was hoping to force his way into the side." The France international arrived from Marseille in August 2012. He struggled to settle and joined Rennes on loan for the rest of last season in January.
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West Ham United v Stoke City
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 30th August 2013
By: Preview Percy
We've kept Preview Percy busy this week. Well it stops him from going out and breaking all those restraining orders. Here's his look at this weekend's opponents Stoke City....
Next we entertain Stoke City at the Boleyn – 3pm kick-off on a Saturday. Excellent.
I have a major shock for you all at this point. Are you sitting down? Put that cuppa down. Seriously. Ready? Ok here goes: There are no engineering works on the District Line this weekend. I know, incredible isn't it? The last time that happened Arsenal had won a trophy – I think it was the Inter Cities Fairs Cup.
Our visitors this weekend come having replaced the manager during the close season. Tony Pulis had spent most of his career at the Britannia openly boasting of how he spent training sessions coaching his players in how to break the laws of the game. Quite how he escaped a disrepute charge for tis is a mystery. Actually it isn't – the FA are in charge of disciplinary matters so nobody should have been in the least bit surprised.
Towards the end of last season their form was a bit patchy and the stirrings of fans' unrest were there – at our 1-0 win at their place there was a "Pulis Out" banner on display for example.
Pulis is supposed to have turned up for a meeting at the end of last season with a big dossier over his vision for the view of the club's future. Chairman Peter Coates, possibly worried by a whole generation of Academy players being taught how to dive, punch and kick, decided that it was time for a change in footballing direction and, although the official announcement stated that the parting of the ways was "by mutual agreement" few bought that particular euphemism.
Pulis's replacement was Mark Hughes who had a few issues to sort out. Someone had left a pig's head in Kenwyne Jones' locker, something that resulted in Jones putting a brick through the car window of team-mate Glenn Whelan. This event was dismissed by Pulis as some sort of light-hearted high spirits, though given that it costs a few thousand to replace a sidelight on the average footballer's car, lord knows how much it cost to replace a whole window. I somehow doubt that that Brummie bloke from the ads would have been able to repair it with his "special resin" anyway.
There were other disciplinary issues to be dealt with. Striker Camerone Jerome found himself a cool £50k lighter in the wallet having infringed betting rules – though everyone was keen to point out that the offence involved neither match-fixing nor any matches in which the player or Stoke had had any involvement. So that's alright then. Jerome was highly critical of his former boss, by the way, suggesting that he had a favourite clique of players that were guaranteed a place irrespective of form.
Usually a new manager gets busy in the transfer market. However, with the transfer window about to close, their official site lists only three arrivals. And one of those is hardly a "new" signing, what with it being a re-signing of Jermaine Pennant. Pennant looked to be on his way from the Potteries having fallen out of favour during the latter part of last term. He spent a spell on loan at Wolves but failed to make any impression, other than to become the target of the boo-boys. On his return to the Britannia he was left on the sidelines and, since his contract expired at the close of the season, it looked like tag boy was on his way. However, the player was subsequently offered a one year deal and his name now sits proudly at the head of the list of new signings on their official site. Pennant's chequered personal life has been covered in these columns before – my favourite story is the one about him getting a phone call from the bloke in charge of the car park at Zaragosa Railway Station asking him if he was thinking about picking up that Porsche Turbo he'd left there several months back. "Ah – so that's where I left it". Easily done I suppose.
The biggest outlay so far this summer was the €3.6m (no idea but it doesn't sound much even if I knew what the exchange rate was) spent on left-back Erik Pieters, who arrived from PSV Eindhoven. Pieters was first choice left back for the Dutch national side for much of the past couple of years, though he did miss out on Euro 2012 due to a foot injury. In one of his final games for PSV he came on as sub and was involved in a defensive mix-up with the splendidly-named 'keeper Boy Waterman which let in Ajax for what turned out to be the winner. Ajax went on to win the title and there are some that say that Pieters' subsequent move to the Britannia was some form of punishment for his role in handing the Amsterdam side the title, although the player was quick to come out with the standard speech beloved of foreign players coming to these shores: "I have always wanted to play in the Premier League".
Another who has "always wanted to play in the Premier League" is central defender Marc Munisea. Munisea arrived on a free from Barcelona, signing a four year deal in the process. The 21 year old was part of the squad that won the Euro U21 tournament this summer – though his pitch time was limited to a ten minute cameo at the end of the 3-0 victory in the final group match against the Dutch when qualification for the semi finals had already been assured.. His "full" international career to date consists of a solitary cap for the Catalonian "national" side. This is something of an anomaly in world football as, although there is a Catalonian FA it is neither a member of UEFA or FIFA so their matches are sort of only semi-officially recognised. Gibraltar's recent election to full membership of UEFA and FIFA must have gone down well then.
Munisea was an unused sub in the 1-0 defeat at Anfield which opened their season with Huth and Shawcross preferred as the central partnership. Clearly the transition to total football is going to be a gradual one. They followed up that defeat with a home win against Palace – something I suspect may not be the last for them on the road. They then entertained Walsall in the League Cup coming out 3-1 winners, a slightly flattering result which came courtesy of a Kenwyne Jones hat-trick.
With the retirement of Michael Owen (who we all thought had knocked it on the head years ago), forward duties in the league have been entrusted to Peter Crouch and the somewhat hapless Jonathan Waters. Waters, you will recall, had the ultimate nightmare against Chelsea back in January, managing to score two own goals and miss a penalty all in the one match. He missed another penalty a few weeks later but, strangely, Stoke persisted with him as their spot-kick man into the current season. With only a couple of minutes left on the clock at Liverpool Agger's, handball gave Stoke a lifeline which they handed to Walters, who promptly saw his poor kick saved by Mignolet. I wouldn't have thought we'd be lucky enough to see Walters taking any spot kicks against us should they get one.
Our turn now. The Cheltenham match taught us little to be honest. I'd have thought that we already knew that Ravel Morrison has the potential to be a hell of a player. It's always nice to see Academy youngsters get a run out and Chambers can be happy with his night's work after a slightly nervy start, though I'd say he's still a while away from a challenge for a regular place. Collison disappointed me though. He hasn't featured in the league this season and did little to suggest that he should be pushing for more regular appearances, which is a shame as we all know that he's a good player on his day.
We will obviously revert back to a "first team" line up for this one. Andy Carroll is still not ready – the international break trip to Barcelona where those not on national service will be playing Espanyol in a friendly should see him see some pitch time with a view to seeing him turn out at some point during the Southampton game. So expect to see returns for the likes of JJ, Reid, Ginge, Noble, Nolan, Jarvis etc. I suspect that Joey O'B might get the nod over Roland as well. At time of writing the elusive new striker signing seems as far away as ever with the deal to sign this Roger Ramjet character seemingly now dead in the water.
Prediction time. As mentioned the continued reliance on a central defensive partnership comprised of the far from Messi-like pairing of Huth and Shawcross does suggest that if the leopard is changing its spots, it's not going to happen overnight. This would be the sort of battle that Carroll would relish. Maiga is a different sort of player so if we're to get the best out of him it'll be vital that we get play to his strengths and allow him to get amongst the defence on the deck.
Having said that, it's not been the greatest of starts for them – Liverpool ought to have been out of sight well before Walters' penalty faux pas and, let's face it, they're not going to be the last team to beat Palace at home this season are they? So I'm going to place the AGORHFTB fund to send Catherine Zeta Jones the fare to come and visit me (£2.50) – I believe that she's rather partial to older gentlemen and finds herself a t a loose end at the moment – on a home win. I'll plump for a battling 2-1 to us on this occasion.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met At The Boleyn Drew 1-1 November 2012
Walters scored from a corner where most observers noted at least three fouls by Stoke players blocking off potential challenges to the penalty kid. Joey O'B steered home a second half equaliser that was probably the least we deserved.
Referee: Jon Moss. Took charge of the reverse fixture last season and remained resolute in the face of some of the worst dives seen outside Anfield. The only blot on his copybook that day was his refusal to get the yellow card out for such transgressions. Still not to be confused with the "I'm sorry but they were no good then and I'm not accepting irony as an excuse now" crap 80's pop band drummer from Culture Club.
Danger Man: Ryan Shawcross – I use the word "danger" in its literal sense here – has a history of hospitalising opponents. His selection for an England squad is possibly the only time I've ever thought Carragher actually have been worth a call up.
Daft Fact Of The Week: The Captain of the Titanic Edward Smith, came from Stoke. With a captain from Stoke and its Port of Registry being Liverpool it's little wonder that the ship ended up taking a dive, resulting in the demise of over 1,500 souls and the creation of a film so gobsmackingly awful it made Plan 9 From Outer Space look like Citizen Kane. Had he been around Walters would probably have missed the resulting penalty as well.
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Bolton and West Ham agree Hall package
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 30th August 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham could potentially land around £2million from the sale of Rob Hall to Bolton, after a tribunal agreed a transfer fee this morning. Hall, touted for several years as one of the Academy's brightest prospects left for the Reebok Stadium in the summer after rejecting a new contract offer from United.
And this morning a panel agreed that West Ham would received £450,000 up front for the 19-year-old plus a further £250,000 should Bolton be promoted to the Premier League. Additionally, West Ham will receive a lump sum from Bolton for the first 100 games Hall plays for them. For Championship appearances the figure is £2,500 per game, and £10,000 per game for Premier League games. Additionally West Ham would receive 20 per cent of any profit from a future sale. Sam Allardyce, who was present at the tribunal admitted to being reasonable pleased with its outcome. "Often no one emerges from these tribunals fully satisfied," he said, "but the decisions have been made and we wish Robert all the best at his new club and move on."
The compensation package agreed is however a fraction of the fees West Ham were ordered to pay 15 years ago when signing Stephen Bywater from Rochdale and Jermain Defoe from Charlton. Both clubs received fees of circa £1.5million from West Ham for the pair, both only 16 at the time of their transfers.
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RVT can leave West Ham, says Allardyce
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 30th August 2013
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce says that Ricardo Vaz Te can leave West Ham, after the Portuguese forward handed in a transfer request. The 26-year-old former Bolton and Barnsley attacker asked to be made available for transfer when submitting a request to leave the club earlier this week. And Allardyce - who still harbours hopes of bringing in one or two new faces ahead of the transfer deadline - says that he will be happy to listen to offers. "Iif anybody's going to leave [ahead of the transfer deadline] now it would be Vaz," he confirmed. "You don't keep anybody that doesn't want to stay. If a club comes and makes the right offer for him then we would be more than happy to accommodate the transfer request he's given us. "[We've had no offers yet but] I would expect that in the next few days that we probably will have an inquiry. "I'm always ready to give someone a second chance, but at this moment in time if he wants to leave then he can, I've no problem with that. It's just that the club who wants him will have to pay a fair price that we consider is right for Vaz. "He won't get to leave this football club just because he wants to and somebody thinks they can get him for a price that we don't value him at."
Vaz Te joined West Ham in January 2012 and has scored 16 times in 48 appearances - although just four of those have been scored since West Ham returned to the Premier League. The wantaway forward earned a place in Hammers folklore on 19th May last year when his 87th minute strike aganst Blackpool at Wembley gave the Irons a 2-1 play-off Final win that catapulted them back into the top flight at the first attempt.
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Allardyce: Diarra out for the season
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 30th August 2013
By: Staff Writer
Alou Diarra could be out for the remainder of the 2013/14 campaign having sustained an anterior cruciate injury during Tuesday night's Capital One Cup win over Cheltenham. The French midfielder, who has barely made a first team appearance for West Ham since moving from France to London last summer will be sidelined until early 2014 after the ligament injury was confirmed. Sam Allardyce, speaking about the injury during this morning's pre-match press conference said: "The injury is more serious than we expected and it look like an ACL reconstruction. That will almost certainly finish Alou's season. "It's a big blow to us in squad terms, he was hoping to force his way into the side this season but obviously after that injury that won't be the case." 32-year-old Diarra, who moved to West Ham via Marseille a year ago this month has made just five starts for United since making his £2million switch. Of those five, only one has come in the Premier League.
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Unbeaten West Ham welcome Stoke to Upton Park
Last Updated: August 30, 2013 3:43pm
SSN
West Ham will look to continue their unbeaten start to the Premier League season against Stoke at Upton Park on Saturday. Both sides go into the clash in buoyant mood, with West Ham yet to lose this season, while Stoke are looking for a third-straight win in all competitions. West Ham began the campaign with victory over Premier League new boys Cardiff and the Hammers followed that up last week with a creditable goalless draw at Newcastle. Indeed, Sam Allardyce is disappointed not be going into this match with a 100 per cent record. Stoke opened their season with a one-goal defeat at Liverpool but Mark Hughes' men would likely have taken a point from Anfield had Jon Walters' late penalty not been saved. The Potters came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 at the Britannia Stadium last week and built upon that win with another home victory in the Capital One Cup against Sky Bet League One side Walsall.
Stoke have changed their traditionally-direct style slightly since Hughes took over from Tony Pulis and the new manager is hoping to go into the international break with a third consecutive win.
Paul Merson's prediction
I'm doing this game on Soccer Saturday and I don't see there being too many goals at all. I think West Ham are very strong at home; I've said a few times before that I think they'll pick up a lot of points at Upton Park this year and it will be a tough place to go for a lot of teams. I fancy them to win this game.
Stoke haven't been great in front of goal this season. They gave Crystal Palace a goal head-start last week and turned it around, but you don't want to be doing that away at West Ham. I think they'll lose this narrowly.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-0
West Ham Badge West Ham
Last 6
Cheltenham (h)2-1
Newcastle (a)0-0
Cardiff (h)2-0
Pacos Ferreira (h)2-1
Braga (a)1-0
Hamburg (a)1-3
West Ham midfielder Alou Diarra will be absent after he was ruled out for the season. A serious knee injury in the Capital One Cup second-round victory over Cheltenham appears to have ended Diarra's campaign just two weeks in. Andy Carroll (foot) and George McCartney (knee) are also absent, but could be back in contention after the international break.
Stoke City Badge Stoke City
Last 6
3-1
C Palace (h)2-1
Liverpool (a)1-0
Genoa (a)0-0
Wrexham (a)0-1
Macc'field (a)1-2
Stoke striker Peter Crouch comes back into contention for the Barclays Premier League trip to West Ham on Saturday. Crouch missed Wednesday's midweek Capital One Cup win over Walsall due to illness, but will be vying for the lead forward role alongside Kenwyne Jones following the latter's hat-trick against the Saddlers. Manager Mark Hughes has only one player out through injury, with midfielder Jamie Ness still struggling with a thigh problem.
Opta stats:
West Ham have kept a clean sheet in three of their last four Barclays Premier League games at home.
Since the beginning of last season, West Ham and Stoke have both been involved in six 0-0 draws; joint highs in the Premier League.
Last season, 16.2% of the passes Stoke attempted in the Premier League were long passes. This season, that figure has dropped to 10.3%.
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce suspects illegal approach for Ricardo Vaz Te
Last Updated: August 30, 2013 3:30pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Alladyce suspects wantaway striker Ricardo Vaz Te has been illegally "tapped up". Vaz Te, out of favour at Upton Park this season, has asked to leave the Hammers and Allardyce believes that the timing - just a few days before the end of the transfer window - points to an illegal approach. And Allardyce says he will allow Vaz Te to leave, provided the price is right. "If anybody's going to leave now it'll be Vaz," he said. "You don't keep anybody that doesn't want to stay. If a club comes in to make the right offer for him we'll be more than happy to accommodate the transfer request he's given us. "Generally when you make (a statement) like that, they've been tapped up. Someone would've probably already contacted him. "I am expecting a bid for him in the next couple of days because you don't do that sort of thing this late in the transfer window. "I would expect in the next couple of days we will have an inquiry. If not he's put himself in a difficult position having said what he's said if he doesn't have another club lined up." If Vaz Te does not leave, Allardyce says the former Barnsley star can fight for a first team place. "Nothing is beyond repair with me," he added. "20 years ago, 18 years ago, he'd probably never kick a ball again. In today's world of football and me being a bit more mature and mellow, I'm always ready to give someone a second chance. "At this moment in time if he wants to leave he can. There's no problem with that. The club who wants him will have to pay a fair price we consider is right. He won't just leave the club because he wants to."
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West Ham midfielder Alou Diarra 'out for season'
Last Updated: August 30, 2013 12:30pm
SSN
West Ham midfielder Alou Diarra could be out for the rest of the season after he suffered a serious injury in their Capital One Cup victory over Cheltenham on Tuesday night. The France international was stretchered off in the 34th minute of the second round match at Upton Park and could now be out for an extended period of time with an anterior cruciate ligament problem. "Our team news is that Alou Diarra got injured the other night and is not involved in the squad," Allardyce said of Saturday's Premier League clash with Stoke. "It's more serious than we expected and it looks like an ACL reconstruction, unfortunately.
"That will probably finish his season, that is a big blow to us in squad terms. He was hoping to forge his way into the side this season but, obviously with the injury, now that won't be the case."
No Vaz Te bids yet
Allardyce also confirmed they are yet to receive any bids for striker Ricardo Vaz Te, who recently put in a transfer request. "We've had no offers for Vaz Te yet but I'd expect that we have an enquiry for him in the next couple of days. If he wants to leave, he can," added Allardyce. "But the offer has to be right for us."Meanwhile, Allardyce admits he is happy with the club's start to the top-flight campaign, which has seen them pick up four points from their opening two matches. But he has demanded his team be more ruthless in front of goal after they spurned some excellent chances to claim victory as they were held 0-0 at Newcastle last weekend. "It's pleasing to have two league games without conceding, but our disappointment is that it's not six points," he said. "It's our fault we didn't get the three points at Newcastle, it was there for the taking. "In defensive terms though, two games in and Jussi Jaaskelainen hasn't had to make a save yet. Let's hope that he's in the same boat tomorrow. "If he keeps a clean sheet, I think we'll win."
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MATCH PREVIEW: WEST HAM V STOKE CITY
By Iain Dale 30 Aug 2013 at 22:04
West Ham Till I Die
Will he, won't he? Will Sam Allardyce have the courage to blood Ravel Morrison for the first time in a Premier League game? My bet is that he won't, for the very valid reason that none of our central midfield threesome of Diame, Noble and Nolan deserve to be dropped. Two games in and none of them have had a bad game. Hopefully, the knowledge that Morrison is knocking on the door will spur them on to greater things against Stoke. But I know we all hope that we will see Ravel Morrison at some point during the game.
I can see little case for making many other changes. It's possible that Razvan Rat could make his Premier League debut too, but to be honest it would be hard on Joey O'Brien. One thing I think we can be sure of is that Ricardo Vaz Te won't feature at all. Sam Allardyce is clearly furious with him and sent him to train on his own today.
On the wings, it looks as if Joe Cole will miss out to Stewart Downing, with Matt Jarvis on the other wing and Maiga in front of them.
I'm bringing my web designer Russell to the game tomorrow. He has never been to a football match and has no understanding of the game whatsoever. I'll let you know if he becomes a Hammers convert!
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Chelsea willing to let Demba Ba return to Newcastle on loan for £3million fee
30 Aug 2013 22:43
The Mirror
Mike Hewitt
Chelsea are ready to loan Demba Ba back to Newcastle – but they want £3million to do the deal for one season. Blues owner Roman Abramovich is willing to shake up his squad after signing Samuel Eto'o, which has left question marks over Ba and Fernando Torres. Newcastle are watching developments closely and fancy taking Ba with West Ham also keen – but both will be quoted the sky-high loan fee. Signed from Toon for £7m in January, striker Ba is the most likely departure from Chelsea before the window shuts but if £3m is a stumbling block, Newcastle will firm up their interest in Lyon's Bafetimbi Gomis. Southampton have joined West Brom, Liverpool and Crystal Palace in the battle to sign Chelsea winger Victor Moses on loan. Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino, who has already spoken to Jose Mourinho about the former Wigan ace, said: "We are keeping an eye on what happens in the market before the window closes. "We are not specifically looking at any one position but all teams expect perhaps to add one more player to improve the squad."
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West Ham United's Alou Diarra ruled out for season after cruel knee ligament injury blow
30 Aug 2013 16:24
The Mirror
West Ham United powerhouse midfielder Alou Diarra will be ruled out for the rest of the season with a serious knee injury, according to Hammers boss Sam Allardyce . The French international - who spent the second half of last season on loan to Rennes - tore knee ligaments in the Premier League side's 2-1 win against League Two Cheltenham on Tuesday. Diarra, signed from Marseille in 2012, was only on the pitch for 34 minutes before tearing his cruciate, and Allardyce admitted the injury was a cruel blow for him and his squad. "Alou got injured the other night unfortunately," he said. "The injury is more serious than we expected and it is an ACL [anterior cruciate ligament] reconstruction unfortunately. "That will probably finish his season, that is a big blow to us in squad terms. He was hoping to forge his way into the side this season but, obviously with the injury, now that wont be the case."
The Hammers will be looking to get back to maintain their unbeaten run against Mark Hughes's Stoke City after the 0-0 draw against struggling Newcastle United last weekend . Record signing Andy Carroll is still a week away from a return while George McCartney will also miss out through a knee injury, but could be back in contention after the international break.
Wets Ham United squad: Jaaskelainen, Adrian, Reid, Collins, Tomkins, Rat, Demel, O'Brien, Nolan, Collison, Morrison, Noble, Diame, Taylor, Vaz Te, Jarvis, Cole, Downing, Maiga
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West Ham United Make Offer For Juventus Striker
ForzaItalianFootball.com
West Ham United have reportedly made an offer for Juventus striker Fabio Quagliarella in hopes of signing him on loan for the 2013-14 campaign. According to Sportitalia, the English side have made a bid of €750,000 for the 30-year-old and are aiming to secure his services in a season-long loan deal with an option to buy later on. The proposal was reportedly submitted through Beppe Bozzo, agent of the former Udinese and Napoli man, who is now waiting along with West Ham for an answer from the Bianconeri. Juventus have been on a mission to unload two of their strikers this summer after signing Carlos Tevez from Manchester City and Fernando Llorente from Athletic Bilbao, and have already sold Alessandro Matri to AC Milan for a fee of around €11 million. Quagliarella, who has been with The Old Lady since 2010, has also been linked to other European clubs including Arsenal, Norwich City, Sunderland, and Shakhtar Donetsk.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
All the key pre-match info ahead of Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash with Stoke City
30.08.2013
WEST HAM UNITED v STOKE CITY
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
BOLEYN GROUND
SATURDAY 31 AUGUST 2013
KICK-OFF: 3PM
REFEREE: JON MOSS
WEST HAM TV I iPHONE APP I TWITTER I FACEBOOK I PODCAST I YOUTUBE
Introduction
· West Ham United play host to Stoke City in the Barclays Premier League fresh from a 2-1 victory over Cheltenham Town in the Capital One Cup.
· Tuesday night's win continues the Hammers unbeaten start to the season and if they avoid defeat against Stoke it will be the first time since the 1999/2000 season that the club has not suffered a defeat in their opening four fixtures.
· West Ham could be top of the table on Saturday night if victory over Stoke is achieved, as Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester United all play on Sunday, with current leaders Chelsea not in action.
· Three points on Saturday would leave Sam Allardyce's side a point better off than after three games last season when two wins and a defeat yielded six points. After the opening day victory over Cardiff and last weekend's 0-0 draw with Newcastle seven points from a possible nine is now in the team's sights.
· Stoke come into the game on the back of Wednesday night's win over Walsall in the Capital One Cup and a victory over Crystal Palace in their last league outing. That win was however preceded by an opening day defeat to Liverpool.
· Mark Hughes has never been on the winning side at the Boleyn Ground in six previous attempts with three different clubs (Blackburn, Fulham and Manchester City). This is his first visit to the ground as manager of Stoke City.
· Former Hammer of the year Matt Etherington again returns to the Boleyn Ground where he made 195 appearances for the club before leaving to join the Potters in 2009.
· In this fixture last year Stoke held the Hammers to a 1-1 draw on 19 November 2012. In the return game a Jack Collison goal was enough to earn West Ham a 1-0 win at the Brittania Stadium in March.
Team news
West Ham United
· Alou Diarra will miss the game after picking up a serious knee injury during the win against Cheltenham, whilst Andy Carroll continues his recovery from a heel injury.
· George McCartney stepped up his recovery from injury with a 90 minute run out in the midweek win and is in contention to make the squad for Saturday.
Stoke City
· Jamie Ness is expected to miss the game as he continues his recovery from a thigh injury.
· Wilson Palacios and Brek Shea could feature after making their comebacks during the win over Walsall on Wednesday night.
· Hat-trick hero Kenwyne Jones may have done enough to earn a start after his midweek heroics.
Last time out
Tuesday 27 August 2013
Capital One Cup second round
West Ham United 2-1 Cheltenham Town
West Ham United: Adrian, Chambers, Tomkins, McCartney, Rat, Morrison, Diarra (Diame 35), Cole (Downing 46), Collison, Vaz Te, Taylor.
Subs not used: Henderson, Lletget, Ruddock, Nolan, Lee.
Goals: Vaz Te 42, Morrison 46.
Wednesday 28 August 2013
Capital One Cup second round
Stoke City 3-1 Walsall
Stoke City: Sorensen, Huth, Muniesa, Shawcross, Wilkinson, Whelan, Pennant, Palacios (Wilson 50), Shea (Assaidi 46), Adam (Nzonzi 75), Jones.
Subs not used: Butland, Shotton, Kightly, Jerome.
Goals: Jones 22, 31, 84.
Last meeting
The two sides last met at the Brittania Stadium on 2 March 2013. A Jack Collison goal in first-half stoppage time was enough to secure a valuable three points for the Hammers on their ultimately successful quest for a top-ten place. A late Charlie Adam volley which thumped the bar was the only real scare for the West Ham defence as they recorded a crucial three points.
Stoke City: Begovic, Shotton, Shawcross, Wilson, Wilkinson, Walters (Jones 74), Nzonzi, Whelan (Adam 77), Kightly (Shea 66), Jerome, Crouch.
Subs not used: Sorensen, Cameron, Palacios, Whitehead.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins, Reid, O'Brien, O'Neil, J.Cole (Vaz Te 11), Taylor (Collison 11), Diame, Jarvis (Pogatetz 83), Carroll.
Subs not used: Spiegel, C.Cole, Maiga, Chamakh.
Goals: Collison 45+3
Background
· Monday's game is the 85th time West Ham United and Stoke City have faced one another in competitive fixtures. West Ham have won 34, Stoke 30 and there have been 20 draws.
· Stoke City are considered to be the second-oldest professional football club in the world behind Notts County. Formed in 1863, the Potters were also one of the 12 founding members of the Football League in 1888.
· West Ham first faced Stoke in a Southern League First Division match at the Boleyn Ground on 16 December 1911. The Potters won the game 4-3 with William Kennedy (two) and Tom Randall on target for the Hammers.
· West Ham's biggest win over Stoke City came in the 1957/58 season. Vic Keeble bagged a hat-trick in a 5-0 Division Two victory on 6 November 1957, the Hammers would go onto be promoted. Keeble also scored twice in the reverse fixture - a 4-1 win at the Victoria Ground the following March.
Head to head
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
2 March 2013 - Stoke City 0-1 West Ham United
19 November 2012 - West Ham United 1-1 Stoke City
13 March 2011 - Stoke City 2-1 West Ham United (FA Cup sixth round)
5 March 2011 - West Ham United 3-0 Stoke City
27 October 2010 - West Ham United 3-1 Stoke City (Carling Cup fourth round)
18 September 2010 - Stoke City 1-1 West Ham United
Overall record v Stoke City (all competitions) W 34 D 20 L 30
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2012/13 Premier League 10th (46 points)
2011/12 Championship 3rd (86 points - promoted to Premier League via Play-Offs)
2010/11 Premier League 20th (33 points - relegated to Championship)
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted to Premier League via Play-Offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
Stoke City
2012/13 Premier League 13th (42 points)
2011/12 Premier League 14th (45 points)
2010/11 Premier League 13th (46 points)
2009/10 Premier League 11th (47 points)
2008/09 Premier League 12th (45 points)
2007/08 Championship 2nd (79 points - promoted to the Premier League)
2006/07 Championship 8th (73 points)
2005/06 Championship 13th (58 points)
2004/05 Championship 12th (61 points)
2003/04 Division One 11th (66 points)
Referee
· Saturdays referee will be Jonathan Moss.
· Moss was in charge of the last meeting between the two sides on 2 March 2013, when West Ham recorded a 1-0 win over the Potters at the Britannia Stadium.
· In all, Moss showed 86 yellow cards; sent-off one player and awarded nine penalties in the 31 matches he took charge of last season.
· Headteacher Moss was promoted to the Select Group of Referees in June 2011.
· He took charge of the 2005 Conference Play-Off final between Carlisle United and Stevenage and was then promoted to the National Group of Referees.
· He will be assisted by Steve Child and Andrew Halliday, while the fourth official will be Andy D'Urso.
Old boys
· Former West Ham United captain Matthew Upson played 147 matches for the Club between January 2007 and May 2011. He captained the club for the final two years of his stay and scored four goals in total before joining the Potters in the summer of 2011 where he made 25 appearances.
· Stoke winger Matthew Etherington made 195 appearances for West Ham between August 2003 and January 2009, scoring 18 goals. He joined the Potters on 8 January 2009, having moved to the Boleyn Ground from Tottenham Hotspur five-and-a-half years previously.
· Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Clive Clarke, Bob Dixon, Sir Geoff Hurst, Lawrie Leslie, Nicky Morgan, Henri Camara, Abdoulaye Faye and Frank Richardson.
General information
· A handful of tickets remain for this Kids for a Quid match. Click here to buy now.
· The weather forecast predicts a sunny day in east London on Saturday, with temperatures at kick-off of 20C (68F).
· The District and Hammersmith & City Lines have no closures planned this weekend.
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Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
Matt Taylor blogs on Cheltenham, Stoke, fishing and more
30.08.2013
Matt Taylor made his first start of the season in Tuesday's 2-1 victory over Cheltenham Town in the Capital One Cup and is the latest player to blog for whufc.com in our Chadwell Chatter series. It was nice to start a game and play on Tuesday. That ultimately is what we're all striving for, so from that point of view it was nice to play 90 minutes and nice to be on the winning team. I must say that we probably should have won by more than the goal that we did. We reviewed the game on Thursday morning and we had 23 chances, and hit the target ten times. Their keeper has made some very good saves, and for us we should have won the game by more than just one goal but the main thing is that we're in the hat for the next round. From a personal point of view, I had five or six shots and I hit the target with all but one of them which was a positive. I made the keeper made some saves and the defender made a goalline block right at the end. If I'd not struck them so well, they might well have gone in, but it's important to get in those positions. If I wasn't then I'd have concerns.
It's the first game I started since I got knocked out at Stoke away last year so I can't be too unhappy about that. Talking of Stoke, I don't have any memories of that last game, happy or sad, because I don't remember anything after being knocked out so early!. One thing I do know is that it'll be a tough game on Saturday, but we're at home and hopefully we can pack the stadium out, continue our good form and give the crowd something to shout about. We've got a decent record at home, we haven't conceded a goal yet this season in the Premier League and that's something we've got to keep going. We know the threats that Stoke possess, but maybe you'll see them change slightly under the new management. Outside of the top six, I'd suggest that the home form is imperative to the success of your season. That will be no different for us this year, we need to pick up as many points as we can at home. Last season we were only defeated at home by teams inside the top six and that needs to continue if we are to have a successful campaign as lwe did last year.
Off the pitch, I had a little trip fishing last week. Nobes and I took the kids along, and we had some fun for a few hours in the afternoon. The kids enjoyed it which was great as well. I think Nobes is starting to get a bit more into it. I'm trying to persuade him to go on a trip next year to France, but I think he's weighing up France or Vegas. For me it's fishing but you'd have to ask him what he's going to choose! It's something I've done, like a lot of the boys here, since childhood and it's nice to be able to introduce one of your passions to your children as well.
See you on Saturday.
Come on you Irons!
Matt
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The Opposition View - Chris Kamara
WHUFC.com
whufc.com spoke to former Stoke player and boss Chris Kamara ahead of Saturday's game.
30.08.2013
Having played for and managed Stoke City, Sky Sports pundit Chris Kamara is well-placed to know what new Potters boss Mark Hughes is going through as he gets to grips with life at the Britannia Stadium. Stoke arrive in east London on Saturday with three points from their opening two Barclays Premier League fixtures and Kamara expects them to give the Hammers a stern test. He also envisages a gradual change in the style of play under the new boss. He said: "It has all changed [at Stoke this summer]. Tony Pulis did such a wonderful job, but sometimes you have a sell-by date and I think he realised that himself. "He was trying to improve the squad in terms of quality season-on-season and he was with the faces, but the football wasn't changing. "I think the chairman and himself decided between them that he'd done such a wonderful job, quit while he's ahead and that's given Mark Hughes the opportunity to come in. "I think anybody taking over there would have a really good chance because they have got really good players. "I'm not going to criticise Tony in any way, shape or form because what he did was effective. They got results and never were in any danger of going down from the league, and were always competitive in the league. "Mark Hughes is going to change the philosophy, they're going to play a bit more, have a go, but sometimes you have to wait and see, give him his chance. Mark Hughes did a good job at Blackburn Rovers, but he's not at Blackburn any more, he's at Stoke, and he has to prove himself again after QPR."
"They'll be tough to beat, that's one thing for certain. There's no easy games in the Premier League, no matter who you play. "For West Ham, Sam's done some really good business. To get Carroll and Downing was really good, and I don't see any reason why they can't better their 10th place finish from last year."
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Hall compensation package set
WHUFC.com
The Professional Football Compensation Committee have set Bolton's compensation for Robert Hall
30.08.2013
West Ham United can confirm that the Professional Football Compensation Committee have set the compensation package with Bolton Wanderers for the transfer of Rob Hall.
An independent tribunal has ruled that Bolton Wanderers must pay West Ham United an initial sum of £450,000 with the following further additions:
• £250,000 if Bolton are promoted to the Premier League in the next three seasons
• £2,500 per appearance for the first 100 appearances (for Bolton) in the Championship
• or £10,000 per appearance for the first 100 appearances (for Bolton) if in the Premier League
• 20% of any profit made by Bolton Wanderers in selling the player to another club at any point in the future.
West Ham United would like to thank Robert for his efforts during his time with the Club and wish him well in his future career.
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Noble stoked for Potters clash
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble is looking forward to another game at the Boleyn Ground this weekend
30.08.2013
West Ham United midfielder Mark Noble is hopeful home advantage will help the team build upon their unbeaten start to the season, when they entertain Stoke City on Saturday. The Hammers have the opportunity to extend their run to four games without defeat after an opening day win over Cardiff City was followed up with a 0-0 draw away to Newcastle and then a Capital One Cup victory over Cheltenham Town. Noble was rested for Tuesday night's win, but returns to the team eager to carry on the side's decent run against an opponent who has undergone big changes over the summer. He said: "Stoke City pass it a lot more now, they've got some quality players. "It will be a tough game on Saturday. We'll need to be on it to win the game and hopefully we can come away with another three points and make it an even better start."
A win will mean Sam Allardyce's team have taken a point more than at the same stage last season, where two wins and a defeat yielded six points. This season though, the popular midfielder believes the team have raised their expectations and are satisfied with the start they've made. "It's been a strong start; I've just said to someone else that when you're disappointed with a point away to Newcastle it shows how far you've come as a club. "We sat in the changing room after the game disappointed that we hadn't won the game. "We had more than one chance to score a goal and we didn't manage to finish them off. We move onto Stoke on Saturday now which we're looking forward to."
A key reason for the team's strong start to the season has been a miserly defence which has only allowed one shot on target over the course of two matches in the Barclays Premier League. Noble believes that if their fine form is to be maintained then the whole team will have to contribute to keeping the ball away from the Hammers goal. "The whole team works hard for each other, from the forwards through the midfield to the wingers to the backs; we're all working as one. "When you work together you get results and if teams don't have shots on target they don't score, so if we keep that up it will be fantastic. "It's a credit to the lads that we've only had one shot on target against us and it's got to continue all through the team. "The less time the defence have to defend the fewer mistakes there will be and obviously mistakes cost you goals."
Despite not featuring in Tuesday night's win over Cheltenham, Noble is hopeful that the team can make good progress in the Capital One Cup this year and in the process provide fans with the entertainment they deserve. "The lads did brilliantly; a win is a win in the cup no matter what. "We'd like to have a cup run and take the fans all-round the country and hopefully to Wembley, that's the goal. And if we keep our Premier League form up then hopefully it will be a good year. "The fans have been brilliant, they need to keep up what they're doing, keep getting behind the team and hopefully we can reward them with another three points."
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Big Sam on: Stoke City
WHUFC.com
West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce looks ahead to Saturday's visit of Stoke City
30.08.2013
Sam Allardyce has challenged his West Ham United team to continue their fine defensive form when they welcome Stoke City to the Boleyn Ground on Saturday. Big Sam's team have yet to concede in the first two games of the new Barclays Premier League season, and are looking to continue that run against a team who they took four points from in the last campaign. The team will however be without French international Alou Diarra, whose season looks likely to be over after a knee injury he suffered in the Capital One Cup victory over Cheltenham Town.
Good morning Sam, could you start by giving us team news for the weekend?
SA: "Our team news is that only Alou Diarra, who unfortunately got injured the other night, is not involved in the squad. The injury is more serious than we expected and it's an ACL reconstruction it looks like, so that will almost certainly finish Alou's season. It's a big blow to us in squad terms, he was hoping to force his way into the side this season but obviously after that injury that now won't be the case."
Does the injury to Alou affect your thinking ahead of the transfer deadline?
SA: "Like I said, at the moment funds are the restriction in the new rules and regulations and our funds are almost, if not to the limit. Having spoken to David Sullivan, unless it's a really good deal and it's on loan then that might be a possibility, but anything other than that and we will find it difficult to do."
Ravel Morrison is someone you've had to steer in the right direction at times so how pleasing was it to see his performance in midweek?
SA: "It's a carry-on of his pre-season performances and we're all delighted to see the performance he gave against Cheltenham, particularly the goal because that's added to a total of seven in pre-season. He's making a big statement now and that's good. From a midfield point of view now it's Kevin Nolan, Mark Noble and Mo Diame watch out, this boy's after your place. "It's going to really kick-start those three to make sure they perform at the level we know they can because this lad, sooner or later, will get the chance and maybe take it. It's really pleasing that we've got competition for places, and for the lads to come down and watch him play like that, perks their ears up and makes them think they don't want it to be me that they're replacing."
Stoke have undergone a lot of changes over the summer, what do you expect from them on Saturday?
SA: "There's no doubt that every manager has a different way of managing a football club. Every manager, his coaches and backroom staff will have different ideas on what squad you've got, what system you play, and it's all about you getting the best out of your players. So I imagine Mark has adjusted the team, I don't think he will have done anything dramatic, because dramatic change unhinges players from what they're used to. I think his turn will be a slow process, but as we know when you move into a new club fans want you to get results, and they want you to get results and victories as quick as you can otherwise they show their dissatisfaction very quickly these days."
Regarding Mark Hughes, how do you think he will fare taking over from Tony Pulis?
SA: "Mark Hughes is hugely experienced and he'll be glad to get the chance to manage in the Premier League again after the disappointment he had at QPR. He's had his rest, he's no doubt learned huge amounts from the experience he had at QPR, he'll take that and become a better manager than he was before and he was a pretty good manager before that. He knows the pressures of this league so I can't see him having any problems dealing with it. He knows like everyone else that your job is judged on results. You can play whatever system you want, pick whichever players you want to choose but if you don't win then people are dissatisfied and when people are dissatisfied owners change managers and they do it very quickly, so your responsibility first and foremost is to get results for the first team."
It must be pleasing that you've yet to concede in two league matches so far?
SA: "It's very pleasing indeed; the only disappointment is that we don't have six points on the board after last week. It was our own fault that we didn't get it, but the players realise that and in the days after when we've reviewed the game against Newcastle they saw the fact that it was there for the taking and but for their poor finishing in front of goal we would have secured the three points. Defensively speaking, two games in the Premier League and Jussi hasn't had to make a save yet. If Jussi is in the same boat again on Saturday afternoon and he gets a clean sheet then I think we'll win the game. I think we'll score here at Upton Park, it's not often it goes to a 0-0 here, so if we can get that all important clean sheet then I think we'll definitely grab the three points."
What's the situation with Ricardo Vaz Te after he handed in a transfer request?
SA: "He might leave now, if anybody's going to leave now it would be Vaz. You don't keep anybody that doesn't want to stay. If a club comes and makes the right offer for him then we would be more than happy to accommodate the transfer request he's given us."
Have you had any offers for him yet?
SA: "No, but like I said I would expect that in the next few days that we probably will have an inquiry."
Is your relationship with Vaz beyond repair?
SA: "No 18 to 20 years ago he'd probably never have kicked a ball for the club again. In today's world and me perhaps being a bit more mature and mellow, then I'm always ready to give someone a second chance, but at this moment in time if he wants to leave then he can, I've no problem with that. It's just that the club who wants him will have to pay a fair price that we consider is right for Vaz. He won't get to leave this football club just because he wants to and somebody thinks they can get him for a price that we don't value him at."
Where will you be on transfer deadline day?
SA: "I don't know yet, I don't have to be anywhere special because contacts between phone and computer mean you can link up anywhere at any time. But like I said I expected it to be a quiet one for us this year, not like last year when we had Matt Jarvis, Andy Carroll and Yossi Benayoun arriving in the last week. I'm glad to say we haven't got to find three players this time, we haven't got the money to find three players this time either, but if there is the chance of one loan player or if someone goes out it might be two loan players, but if no one does then it might not be anybody."
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West Ham v Stoke
KO 15:00
30 August 2013
Last updated at 13:28
By Simon Brotherton
Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday, 31 August
West Ham are without midfielder Alou Diarra, who looks set to miss the rest of the season after picking up a knee ligament injury in the League Cup. Andy Carroll (heel) and George McCartney (knee) remain out but could return after the international break.
Stoke striker Peter Crouch is back after missing the Potters' League Cup win through illness, although hat-trick hero Kenwyne Jones may keep his place. Jamie Ness has a thigh injury and is City's only certain absentee.
MATCH PREVIEW
This match finished in a 1-1 draw last season and there's every chance there won't be much between the two sides in this one as well.
West Ham have started with two clean sheets, beating newly-promoted Cardiff on the opening day and drawing 0-0 at Newcastle a week ago.
Stoke secured their first win of the season under new manager Mark Hughes last weekend with a 2-1 victory over another of the Premier league new boys, Crystal Palace. That followed their tough opener at Anfield, where they were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool. "Stoke boss Mark Hughes will be pleased so far but he has two problems: first, he has very little money to spend and second, he is trying to change the way they play. That can't happen overnight but he is looking for more quality in the final third and more goals."
The defeat on Merseyside could easily have been a draw, but Simon Mignolet saved Jonathan Walters' late penalty. That result continued a run that has seen Stoke win only one of their last dozen away matches in the Premier league, at QPR in April. I'm interested to see what changes Hughes has implemented already at Stoke following the summer departure of Tony Pulis. I noticed a clear change of style from Everton under Roberto Martinez even on the opening day at Norwich. This game also brings together two former managers of Blackburn Rovers, who were in charge during happier times at Ewood Park. Mark Hughes took them into Europe, while Sam Allardyce started his reign there with a 3-0 win over Stoke City in December 2008 and was surprisingly sacked two years later with the club 13th in the table. What they'd give to be in that position now. Last season's 2-1 win for West Ham over QPR was Allardyce's first Premier League success in the last seven over a Mark Hughes team. The Hammers' solid home form probably makes them slight favourites here, though once again they'll be without striker Andy Carroll, who is still recovering from a heel injury.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
West Ham are enjoying a four-match unbeaten run against Stoke (W2, D2). This includes a 1-0 win at the Britannia Stadium in March courtesy of a Jack Collison goal.
Stoke's only Premier League win in four previous attempts at Upton Park (D1, L2) came in March 2010, when Ricardo Fuller scored in a 1-0 win.
The Potters are two goals away from reaching a 100 goals against the Hammers in all competitions.
West Ham and Stoke have both been involved in six 0-0 draws since the beginning of last season, joint league highs. However, there has never been a goalless Premier League draw between the clubs.
West Ham
The Hammers are unbeaten in their last six home league games (W4, D2) since a 3-2 defeat to Tottenham last February.
Sam Allardyce's men are yet to concede a goal so far this campaign. They have not kept three clean sheets in their opening three Premier League games since the 1998-99 season.
West Ham have kept clean sheets in three of their last four home matches.
The 617 passes attempted by West Ham is fewer than any other side in the Premier League so far this season.
Stoke
Mark Hughes has lost only three of 12 previous Premier League encounters against Sam Allardyce (W5, D4). One of those defeats was in the last meeting between the two men as West Ham saw off Hughes' QPR 2-1 last October.
Stoke, beaten at Liverpool on the opening weekend, won only twice away last season, the equal-lowest tally in last season's Premier League.
Asmir Begovic (14) has made more saves in this season's Premier League than any other goalkeeper.
The Potters' pass completion in their victory over Crystal Palace last week was 78%. Last season they averaged only 70%.
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Alou Diarra: West Ham midfielder likely to miss the rest of the season
BBC.co.uk
West Ham midfielder Alou Diarra is likely to miss the rest of the season with a serious knee ligament injury. Diarra, 31, picked up the knock in Wednesday's Capital One Cup second round win against Cheltenham. "It's a big blow to us in squad terms" said manager Sam Allardyce. "He was hoping to force his way into the side." The France international arrived from Marseille in August 2012. He struggled to settle and joined Rennes on loan for the rest of last season in January.
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West Ham United v Stoke City
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 30th August 2013
By: Preview Percy
We've kept Preview Percy busy this week. Well it stops him from going out and breaking all those restraining orders. Here's his look at this weekend's opponents Stoke City....
Next we entertain Stoke City at the Boleyn – 3pm kick-off on a Saturday. Excellent.
I have a major shock for you all at this point. Are you sitting down? Put that cuppa down. Seriously. Ready? Ok here goes: There are no engineering works on the District Line this weekend. I know, incredible isn't it? The last time that happened Arsenal had won a trophy – I think it was the Inter Cities Fairs Cup.
Our visitors this weekend come having replaced the manager during the close season. Tony Pulis had spent most of his career at the Britannia openly boasting of how he spent training sessions coaching his players in how to break the laws of the game. Quite how he escaped a disrepute charge for tis is a mystery. Actually it isn't – the FA are in charge of disciplinary matters so nobody should have been in the least bit surprised.
Towards the end of last season their form was a bit patchy and the stirrings of fans' unrest were there – at our 1-0 win at their place there was a "Pulis Out" banner on display for example.
Pulis is supposed to have turned up for a meeting at the end of last season with a big dossier over his vision for the view of the club's future. Chairman Peter Coates, possibly worried by a whole generation of Academy players being taught how to dive, punch and kick, decided that it was time for a change in footballing direction and, although the official announcement stated that the parting of the ways was "by mutual agreement" few bought that particular euphemism.
Pulis's replacement was Mark Hughes who had a few issues to sort out. Someone had left a pig's head in Kenwyne Jones' locker, something that resulted in Jones putting a brick through the car window of team-mate Glenn Whelan. This event was dismissed by Pulis as some sort of light-hearted high spirits, though given that it costs a few thousand to replace a sidelight on the average footballer's car, lord knows how much it cost to replace a whole window. I somehow doubt that that Brummie bloke from the ads would have been able to repair it with his "special resin" anyway.
There were other disciplinary issues to be dealt with. Striker Camerone Jerome found himself a cool £50k lighter in the wallet having infringed betting rules – though everyone was keen to point out that the offence involved neither match-fixing nor any matches in which the player or Stoke had had any involvement. So that's alright then. Jerome was highly critical of his former boss, by the way, suggesting that he had a favourite clique of players that were guaranteed a place irrespective of form.
Usually a new manager gets busy in the transfer market. However, with the transfer window about to close, their official site lists only three arrivals. And one of those is hardly a "new" signing, what with it being a re-signing of Jermaine Pennant. Pennant looked to be on his way from the Potteries having fallen out of favour during the latter part of last term. He spent a spell on loan at Wolves but failed to make any impression, other than to become the target of the boo-boys. On his return to the Britannia he was left on the sidelines and, since his contract expired at the close of the season, it looked like tag boy was on his way. However, the player was subsequently offered a one year deal and his name now sits proudly at the head of the list of new signings on their official site. Pennant's chequered personal life has been covered in these columns before – my favourite story is the one about him getting a phone call from the bloke in charge of the car park at Zaragosa Railway Station asking him if he was thinking about picking up that Porsche Turbo he'd left there several months back. "Ah – so that's where I left it". Easily done I suppose.
The biggest outlay so far this summer was the €3.6m (no idea but it doesn't sound much even if I knew what the exchange rate was) spent on left-back Erik Pieters, who arrived from PSV Eindhoven. Pieters was first choice left back for the Dutch national side for much of the past couple of years, though he did miss out on Euro 2012 due to a foot injury. In one of his final games for PSV he came on as sub and was involved in a defensive mix-up with the splendidly-named 'keeper Boy Waterman which let in Ajax for what turned out to be the winner. Ajax went on to win the title and there are some that say that Pieters' subsequent move to the Britannia was some form of punishment for his role in handing the Amsterdam side the title, although the player was quick to come out with the standard speech beloved of foreign players coming to these shores: "I have always wanted to play in the Premier League".
Another who has "always wanted to play in the Premier League" is central defender Marc Munisea. Munisea arrived on a free from Barcelona, signing a four year deal in the process. The 21 year old was part of the squad that won the Euro U21 tournament this summer – though his pitch time was limited to a ten minute cameo at the end of the 3-0 victory in the final group match against the Dutch when qualification for the semi finals had already been assured.. His "full" international career to date consists of a solitary cap for the Catalonian "national" side. This is something of an anomaly in world football as, although there is a Catalonian FA it is neither a member of UEFA or FIFA so their matches are sort of only semi-officially recognised. Gibraltar's recent election to full membership of UEFA and FIFA must have gone down well then.
Munisea was an unused sub in the 1-0 defeat at Anfield which opened their season with Huth and Shawcross preferred as the central partnership. Clearly the transition to total football is going to be a gradual one. They followed up that defeat with a home win against Palace – something I suspect may not be the last for them on the road. They then entertained Walsall in the League Cup coming out 3-1 winners, a slightly flattering result which came courtesy of a Kenwyne Jones hat-trick.
With the retirement of Michael Owen (who we all thought had knocked it on the head years ago), forward duties in the league have been entrusted to Peter Crouch and the somewhat hapless Jonathan Waters. Waters, you will recall, had the ultimate nightmare against Chelsea back in January, managing to score two own goals and miss a penalty all in the one match. He missed another penalty a few weeks later but, strangely, Stoke persisted with him as their spot-kick man into the current season. With only a couple of minutes left on the clock at Liverpool Agger's, handball gave Stoke a lifeline which they handed to Walters, who promptly saw his poor kick saved by Mignolet. I wouldn't have thought we'd be lucky enough to see Walters taking any spot kicks against us should they get one.
Our turn now. The Cheltenham match taught us little to be honest. I'd have thought that we already knew that Ravel Morrison has the potential to be a hell of a player. It's always nice to see Academy youngsters get a run out and Chambers can be happy with his night's work after a slightly nervy start, though I'd say he's still a while away from a challenge for a regular place. Collison disappointed me though. He hasn't featured in the league this season and did little to suggest that he should be pushing for more regular appearances, which is a shame as we all know that he's a good player on his day.
We will obviously revert back to a "first team" line up for this one. Andy Carroll is still not ready – the international break trip to Barcelona where those not on national service will be playing Espanyol in a friendly should see him see some pitch time with a view to seeing him turn out at some point during the Southampton game. So expect to see returns for the likes of JJ, Reid, Ginge, Noble, Nolan, Jarvis etc. I suspect that Joey O'B might get the nod over Roland as well. At time of writing the elusive new striker signing seems as far away as ever with the deal to sign this Roger Ramjet character seemingly now dead in the water.
Prediction time. As mentioned the continued reliance on a central defensive partnership comprised of the far from Messi-like pairing of Huth and Shawcross does suggest that if the leopard is changing its spots, it's not going to happen overnight. This would be the sort of battle that Carroll would relish. Maiga is a different sort of player so if we're to get the best out of him it'll be vital that we get play to his strengths and allow him to get amongst the defence on the deck.
Having said that, it's not been the greatest of starts for them – Liverpool ought to have been out of sight well before Walters' penalty faux pas and, let's face it, they're not going to be the last team to beat Palace at home this season are they? So I'm going to place the AGORHFTB fund to send Catherine Zeta Jones the fare to come and visit me (£2.50) – I believe that she's rather partial to older gentlemen and finds herself a t a loose end at the moment – on a home win. I'll plump for a battling 2-1 to us on this occasion.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met At The Boleyn Drew 1-1 November 2012
Walters scored from a corner where most observers noted at least three fouls by Stoke players blocking off potential challenges to the penalty kid. Joey O'B steered home a second half equaliser that was probably the least we deserved.
Referee: Jon Moss. Took charge of the reverse fixture last season and remained resolute in the face of some of the worst dives seen outside Anfield. The only blot on his copybook that day was his refusal to get the yellow card out for such transgressions. Still not to be confused with the "I'm sorry but they were no good then and I'm not accepting irony as an excuse now" crap 80's pop band drummer from Culture Club.
Danger Man: Ryan Shawcross – I use the word "danger" in its literal sense here – has a history of hospitalising opponents. His selection for an England squad is possibly the only time I've ever thought Carragher actually have been worth a call up.
Daft Fact Of The Week: The Captain of the Titanic Edward Smith, came from Stoke. With a captain from Stoke and its Port of Registry being Liverpool it's little wonder that the ship ended up taking a dive, resulting in the demise of over 1,500 souls and the creation of a film so gobsmackingly awful it made Plan 9 From Outer Space look like Citizen Kane. Had he been around Walters would probably have missed the resulting penalty as well.
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Bolton and West Ham agree Hall package
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 30th August 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham could potentially land around £2million from the sale of Rob Hall to Bolton, after a tribunal agreed a transfer fee this morning. Hall, touted for several years as one of the Academy's brightest prospects left for the Reebok Stadium in the summer after rejecting a new contract offer from United.
And this morning a panel agreed that West Ham would received £450,000 up front for the 19-year-old plus a further £250,000 should Bolton be promoted to the Premier League. Additionally, West Ham will receive a lump sum from Bolton for the first 100 games Hall plays for them. For Championship appearances the figure is £2,500 per game, and £10,000 per game for Premier League games. Additionally West Ham would receive 20 per cent of any profit from a future sale. Sam Allardyce, who was present at the tribunal admitted to being reasonable pleased with its outcome. "Often no one emerges from these tribunals fully satisfied," he said, "but the decisions have been made and we wish Robert all the best at his new club and move on."
The compensation package agreed is however a fraction of the fees West Ham were ordered to pay 15 years ago when signing Stephen Bywater from Rochdale and Jermain Defoe from Charlton. Both clubs received fees of circa £1.5million from West Ham for the pair, both only 16 at the time of their transfers.
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RVT can leave West Ham, says Allardyce
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 30th August 2013
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce says that Ricardo Vaz Te can leave West Ham, after the Portuguese forward handed in a transfer request. The 26-year-old former Bolton and Barnsley attacker asked to be made available for transfer when submitting a request to leave the club earlier this week. And Allardyce - who still harbours hopes of bringing in one or two new faces ahead of the transfer deadline - says that he will be happy to listen to offers. "Iif anybody's going to leave [ahead of the transfer deadline] now it would be Vaz," he confirmed. "You don't keep anybody that doesn't want to stay. If a club comes and makes the right offer for him then we would be more than happy to accommodate the transfer request he's given us. "[We've had no offers yet but] I would expect that in the next few days that we probably will have an inquiry. "I'm always ready to give someone a second chance, but at this moment in time if he wants to leave then he can, I've no problem with that. It's just that the club who wants him will have to pay a fair price that we consider is right for Vaz. "He won't get to leave this football club just because he wants to and somebody thinks they can get him for a price that we don't value him at."
Vaz Te joined West Ham in January 2012 and has scored 16 times in 48 appearances - although just four of those have been scored since West Ham returned to the Premier League. The wantaway forward earned a place in Hammers folklore on 19th May last year when his 87th minute strike aganst Blackpool at Wembley gave the Irons a 2-1 play-off Final win that catapulted them back into the top flight at the first attempt.
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Allardyce: Diarra out for the season
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 30th August 2013
By: Staff Writer
Alou Diarra could be out for the remainder of the 2013/14 campaign having sustained an anterior cruciate injury during Tuesday night's Capital One Cup win over Cheltenham. The French midfielder, who has barely made a first team appearance for West Ham since moving from France to London last summer will be sidelined until early 2014 after the ligament injury was confirmed. Sam Allardyce, speaking about the injury during this morning's pre-match press conference said: "The injury is more serious than we expected and it look like an ACL reconstruction. That will almost certainly finish Alou's season. "It's a big blow to us in squad terms, he was hoping to force his way into the side this season but obviously after that injury that won't be the case." 32-year-old Diarra, who moved to West Ham via Marseille a year ago this month has made just five starts for United since making his £2million switch. Of those five, only one has come in the Premier League.
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Unbeaten West Ham welcome Stoke to Upton Park
Last Updated: August 30, 2013 3:43pm
SSN
West Ham will look to continue their unbeaten start to the Premier League season against Stoke at Upton Park on Saturday. Both sides go into the clash in buoyant mood, with West Ham yet to lose this season, while Stoke are looking for a third-straight win in all competitions. West Ham began the campaign with victory over Premier League new boys Cardiff and the Hammers followed that up last week with a creditable goalless draw at Newcastle. Indeed, Sam Allardyce is disappointed not be going into this match with a 100 per cent record. Stoke opened their season with a one-goal defeat at Liverpool but Mark Hughes' men would likely have taken a point from Anfield had Jon Walters' late penalty not been saved. The Potters came from behind to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 at the Britannia Stadium last week and built upon that win with another home victory in the Capital One Cup against Sky Bet League One side Walsall.
Stoke have changed their traditionally-direct style slightly since Hughes took over from Tony Pulis and the new manager is hoping to go into the international break with a third consecutive win.
Paul Merson's prediction
I'm doing this game on Soccer Saturday and I don't see there being too many goals at all. I think West Ham are very strong at home; I've said a few times before that I think they'll pick up a lot of points at Upton Park this year and it will be a tough place to go for a lot of teams. I fancy them to win this game.
Stoke haven't been great in front of goal this season. They gave Crystal Palace a goal head-start last week and turned it around, but you don't want to be doing that away at West Ham. I think they'll lose this narrowly.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-0
West Ham Badge West Ham
Last 6
Cheltenham (h)2-1
Newcastle (a)0-0
Cardiff (h)2-0
Pacos Ferreira (h)2-1
Braga (a)1-0
Hamburg (a)1-3
West Ham midfielder Alou Diarra will be absent after he was ruled out for the season. A serious knee injury in the Capital One Cup second-round victory over Cheltenham appears to have ended Diarra's campaign just two weeks in. Andy Carroll (foot) and George McCartney (knee) are also absent, but could be back in contention after the international break.
Stoke City Badge Stoke City
Last 6
3-1
C Palace (h)2-1
Liverpool (a)1-0
Genoa (a)0-0
Wrexham (a)0-1
Macc'field (a)1-2
Stoke striker Peter Crouch comes back into contention for the Barclays Premier League trip to West Ham on Saturday. Crouch missed Wednesday's midweek Capital One Cup win over Walsall due to illness, but will be vying for the lead forward role alongside Kenwyne Jones following the latter's hat-trick against the Saddlers. Manager Mark Hughes has only one player out through injury, with midfielder Jamie Ness still struggling with a thigh problem.
Opta stats:
West Ham have kept a clean sheet in three of their last four Barclays Premier League games at home.
Since the beginning of last season, West Ham and Stoke have both been involved in six 0-0 draws; joint highs in the Premier League.
Last season, 16.2% of the passes Stoke attempted in the Premier League were long passes. This season, that figure has dropped to 10.3%.
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce suspects illegal approach for Ricardo Vaz Te
Last Updated: August 30, 2013 3:30pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Alladyce suspects wantaway striker Ricardo Vaz Te has been illegally "tapped up". Vaz Te, out of favour at Upton Park this season, has asked to leave the Hammers and Allardyce believes that the timing - just a few days before the end of the transfer window - points to an illegal approach. And Allardyce says he will allow Vaz Te to leave, provided the price is right. "If anybody's going to leave now it'll be Vaz," he said. "You don't keep anybody that doesn't want to stay. If a club comes in to make the right offer for him we'll be more than happy to accommodate the transfer request he's given us. "Generally when you make (a statement) like that, they've been tapped up. Someone would've probably already contacted him. "I am expecting a bid for him in the next couple of days because you don't do that sort of thing this late in the transfer window. "I would expect in the next couple of days we will have an inquiry. If not he's put himself in a difficult position having said what he's said if he doesn't have another club lined up." If Vaz Te does not leave, Allardyce says the former Barnsley star can fight for a first team place. "Nothing is beyond repair with me," he added. "20 years ago, 18 years ago, he'd probably never kick a ball again. In today's world of football and me being a bit more mature and mellow, I'm always ready to give someone a second chance. "At this moment in time if he wants to leave he can. There's no problem with that. The club who wants him will have to pay a fair price we consider is right. He won't just leave the club because he wants to."
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West Ham midfielder Alou Diarra 'out for season'
Last Updated: August 30, 2013 12:30pm
SSN
West Ham midfielder Alou Diarra could be out for the rest of the season after he suffered a serious injury in their Capital One Cup victory over Cheltenham on Tuesday night. The France international was stretchered off in the 34th minute of the second round match at Upton Park and could now be out for an extended period of time with an anterior cruciate ligament problem. "Our team news is that Alou Diarra got injured the other night and is not involved in the squad," Allardyce said of Saturday's Premier League clash with Stoke. "It's more serious than we expected and it looks like an ACL reconstruction, unfortunately.
"That will probably finish his season, that is a big blow to us in squad terms. He was hoping to forge his way into the side this season but, obviously with the injury, now that won't be the case."
No Vaz Te bids yet
Allardyce also confirmed they are yet to receive any bids for striker Ricardo Vaz Te, who recently put in a transfer request. "We've had no offers for Vaz Te yet but I'd expect that we have an enquiry for him in the next couple of days. If he wants to leave, he can," added Allardyce. "But the offer has to be right for us."Meanwhile, Allardyce admits he is happy with the club's start to the top-flight campaign, which has seen them pick up four points from their opening two matches. But he has demanded his team be more ruthless in front of goal after they spurned some excellent chances to claim victory as they were held 0-0 at Newcastle last weekend. "It's pleasing to have two league games without conceding, but our disappointment is that it's not six points," he said. "It's our fault we didn't get the three points at Newcastle, it was there for the taking. "In defensive terms though, two games in and Jussi Jaaskelainen hasn't had to make a save yet. Let's hope that he's in the same boat tomorrow. "If he keeps a clean sheet, I think we'll win."
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MATCH PREVIEW: WEST HAM V STOKE CITY
By Iain Dale 30 Aug 2013 at 22:04
West Ham Till I Die
Will he, won't he? Will Sam Allardyce have the courage to blood Ravel Morrison for the first time in a Premier League game? My bet is that he won't, for the very valid reason that none of our central midfield threesome of Diame, Noble and Nolan deserve to be dropped. Two games in and none of them have had a bad game. Hopefully, the knowledge that Morrison is knocking on the door will spur them on to greater things against Stoke. But I know we all hope that we will see Ravel Morrison at some point during the game.
I can see little case for making many other changes. It's possible that Razvan Rat could make his Premier League debut too, but to be honest it would be hard on Joey O'Brien. One thing I think we can be sure of is that Ricardo Vaz Te won't feature at all. Sam Allardyce is clearly furious with him and sent him to train on his own today.
On the wings, it looks as if Joe Cole will miss out to Stewart Downing, with Matt Jarvis on the other wing and Maiga in front of them.
I'm bringing my web designer Russell to the game tomorrow. He has never been to a football match and has no understanding of the game whatsoever. I'll let you know if he becomes a Hammers convert!
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Chelsea willing to let Demba Ba return to Newcastle on loan for £3million fee
30 Aug 2013 22:43
The Mirror
Mike Hewitt
Chelsea are ready to loan Demba Ba back to Newcastle – but they want £3million to do the deal for one season. Blues owner Roman Abramovich is willing to shake up his squad after signing Samuel Eto'o, which has left question marks over Ba and Fernando Torres. Newcastle are watching developments closely and fancy taking Ba with West Ham also keen – but both will be quoted the sky-high loan fee. Signed from Toon for £7m in January, striker Ba is the most likely departure from Chelsea before the window shuts but if £3m is a stumbling block, Newcastle will firm up their interest in Lyon's Bafetimbi Gomis. Southampton have joined West Brom, Liverpool and Crystal Palace in the battle to sign Chelsea winger Victor Moses on loan. Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino, who has already spoken to Jose Mourinho about the former Wigan ace, said: "We are keeping an eye on what happens in the market before the window closes. "We are not specifically looking at any one position but all teams expect perhaps to add one more player to improve the squad."
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West Ham United's Alou Diarra ruled out for season after cruel knee ligament injury blow
30 Aug 2013 16:24
The Mirror
West Ham United powerhouse midfielder Alou Diarra will be ruled out for the rest of the season with a serious knee injury, according to Hammers boss Sam Allardyce . The French international - who spent the second half of last season on loan to Rennes - tore knee ligaments in the Premier League side's 2-1 win against League Two Cheltenham on Tuesday. Diarra, signed from Marseille in 2012, was only on the pitch for 34 minutes before tearing his cruciate, and Allardyce admitted the injury was a cruel blow for him and his squad. "Alou got injured the other night unfortunately," he said. "The injury is more serious than we expected and it is an ACL [anterior cruciate ligament] reconstruction unfortunately. "That will probably finish his season, that is a big blow to us in squad terms. He was hoping to forge his way into the side this season but, obviously with the injury, now that wont be the case."
The Hammers will be looking to get back to maintain their unbeaten run against Mark Hughes's Stoke City after the 0-0 draw against struggling Newcastle United last weekend . Record signing Andy Carroll is still a week away from a return while George McCartney will also miss out through a knee injury, but could be back in contention after the international break.
Wets Ham United squad: Jaaskelainen, Adrian, Reid, Collins, Tomkins, Rat, Demel, O'Brien, Nolan, Collison, Morrison, Noble, Diame, Taylor, Vaz Te, Jarvis, Cole, Downing, Maiga
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West Ham United Make Offer For Juventus Striker
ForzaItalianFootball.com
West Ham United have reportedly made an offer for Juventus striker Fabio Quagliarella in hopes of signing him on loan for the 2013-14 campaign. According to Sportitalia, the English side have made a bid of €750,000 for the 30-year-old and are aiming to secure his services in a season-long loan deal with an option to buy later on. The proposal was reportedly submitted through Beppe Bozzo, agent of the former Udinese and Napoli man, who is now waiting along with West Ham for an answer from the Bianconeri. Juventus have been on a mission to unload two of their strikers this summer after signing Carlos Tevez from Manchester City and Fernando Llorente from Athletic Bilbao, and have already sold Alessandro Matri to AC Milan for a fee of around €11 million. Quagliarella, who has been with The Old Lady since 2010, has also been linked to other European clubs including Arsenal, Norwich City, Sunderland, and Shakhtar Donetsk.
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