Manchester City match preview
WHUFC.com
A look ahead to Tueday night's Capital One Cup semi-final clash against Manchester City
20.01.2014
WEST HAM UNITED v MANCHESTER CITY
CAPITAL ONE CUP SEMI-FINAL SECOND LEG
TUESDAY 21 JANUARY 2014
BOLEYN GROUND
KICK-OFF: 7:45PM
REFEREE: MICHAEL OLIVER
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
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Introduction
• West Ham United welcome Manchester City to the Boleyn Ground on Tuesday night for the Capital One Cup semi-final second leg, trailing 6-0 from the first leg.
• The Hammers play their second home match in the space of four days having lost 3-1 to Newcastle United in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
• To reach this stage of the competition West Ham have beaten Cheltenham Town and Cardiff City at the Boleyn Ground, whilst defeating Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur away from home.
• Tuesday's meeting between the two teams will be the third of the season with the previous two having ended in Manchester City wins, including a 3-1 triumph in east London in the Barclays Premier League back on 19 October 2013.
• Manuel Pellegrini's side are currently unbeaten in their last 17 matches and have earned 15 victories during the run.
• The Citizens have seen off Leicester City, Wigan Athletic and Newcastle United en route to the semi-final stage.
• The hosts will be looking to inflict a first defeat on their opponents in eight away matches, a defeat which would be the first since a 1-0 loss to Sunderland back on 10 November 2013.
Team news
West Ham United
• Winston Reid is back in full training following an ankle injury but Tuesday's match will come too soon for him to feature. Fellow defender Guy Demel may not be risked after picking up a concussion against Cardiff City.
• Kevin Nolan and James Tomkins are both available following suspension.
Manchester City
• Samir Nasri is a confirmed absentee after picking up a knee injury in a 2-0 win over Newcastle United on 12 January.
• Manuel Pellegrini may choose to rest some of his big names for this game, choosing instead to start some of the club's younger players such as Marcos Lopes, who featured in the first leg.
Last time out
West Ham United 1-3 Newcastle United
Barclays Premier League
18 January 2014
West Ham United: Adrian, Taylor, Collins, Johnson, Rat, Jarvis (J.Cole 73), Noble, Diame (Carroll 62), Collison (Morrison 46), Downing, C Cole
Subs not used: Jaaskelainen, Maiga, Diarra, Chambers
Goal: Williamson og 45
Manchester City 4-2 Cardiff City
Barclays Premier League
18 January 2014
Manchester City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Kolarov, Toure, Navas (Clichy 82), Garcia, Dzeko, Negredo (Aguero 62), Silva (Milner 80)
Subs not used: Pantilimon, Nastasic, Fernandinho, Lescott
Goals: Dzeko 14, Navas 33, Toure 76, Aguero 79
Previous meeting
An entirely forgettable evening for the Hammers ended in a six-goal thrashing in the first leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final at the Etihad. A hat-trick from Alvaro Negredo set the home side en route to victory with a brace from Edin Dzeko and one from Yaya Toure finishing off the visitors.
Manchester City 6-0 West Ham United
Capital One Cup semi-final first leg
8 January 2014
Manchester City: Pantilimon, Clichy, Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Nasri, Garcia, Silva (Lopes 73), Toure (Demichelis 66), Negredo (Kolarov 79), Dzeko
Subs not used: Hart, Milner, Fernandinho, Nastasic
Goals: Negredo 12, 26, 49, Toure 40, Dzeko 60, 89
West Ham United: Adrian, Demel, O'Brien (Rat 75), Johnson, McCartney, Diame, Noble (Diarra 57), Taylor, Maiga (C Cole 45), J Cole, Downing
Subs not used: Jaaskelainen, Morrison, Collison, Jarvis
Head to head
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
8 January 2014 - Manchester City 6-0 West Ham United (Capital One Cup)
19 October 2013 - West Ham United 1-3 Manchester City
27 April 2013 - Manchester City 2-1 West Ham United
3 November 2012 - West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City
1 May 2011 - Manchester City 2-1 West Ham United
11 December 2010 - West Ham United 1-3 Manchester City
Overall record v Manchester City (all competitions) W 35 D 16 L 45
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 Division One 4th (74 points)
Manchester City
2012/13 Premier League 2nd (78 points)
2011/12 Premier League 1st (89 points - champions)
2010/11 Premier League 3rd (71 points)
2009/10 Premier League 5th (67 points)
2008/09 Premier League 10th (50 points)
2007/08 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2006/07 Premier League 14th (42 points)
2005/06 Premier League 15th (43 points)
2004/05 Premier League 8th (52 points)
2003/04 Premier League 16th (41 points)
Old boys
• Richard Wright signed for West Ham United in July 2007 following his release by Everton. The goalkeeper did not make a first-team appearance for the Hammers and, after being loaned to Southampton in March 2008, joined Ipswich Town in July of the same year. He is currently with Manchester City
• Other players to have turned out for both clubs include Tal Ben Haim, Craig Bellamy, Wayne Bridge, Ian Bishop, James Cumming, Justin Fashanu, Marc-Vivien Foe, Kevin Horlock, David James, Patrick Leonard, Steve Lomas, Trevor Morley, John Payne, Stuart Pearce, Trevor Sinclair, Carlos Tevez, Paulo Wanchope and Mark Ward.
• Former West Ham United centre-back Malcolm Allison joined Manchester City as assistant manager in 1965. Under the guidance of Allison and manager Joe Mercer, the club enjoyed a sustained period of success, winning the Division One title in 1968, the FA Cup in 1969 and both the League Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup in 1970. After taking over from Mercer in 1971, Allison resigned in March 1973, later returning to Maine Road for a second spell in charge between 1979 and 1980.
• Allison's former West Ham United team-mate John Bond took charge of Manchester City following Allison's departure in October 1983, remaining in charge until February 1983.
• One-time West Ham United left-back Stuart Pearce took charge of Manchester City between March 2005 and May 2007.
Background
• West Ham United have played Manchester City on 96 occasions with the Hammers winning 35, losing 45 and 16 meetings ending as draws.
• The first meeting between the two sides came back on 26 April 1924 when a William Moore goal wasn't enough to prevent the Hammers losing 2-1 at the Boleyn Ground.
• West Ham United's biggest home and away victories over Manchester City both came in the same season - 1962/63. A 6-1 away Division One success on 8 September 1962 was followed by victory by the same scoreline here on 18 May 1963 - a result that relegated the Citizens.
• West Ham United have not scored more than one goal in any of their last 15 matches against Manchester City and have only done so once in the previous 20 meetings - a 2-1 FA Cup sixth-round win at the City of Manchester Stadium on 20 March 2006, when Dean Ashton netted both. Yossi Benayoun also started the game.
• The biggest crowd ever to witness a West Ham United versus Manchester City fixture at the Boleyn Ground was the 35,050 who turned out for a goalless Premier League draw on 21 September 2002.
• Tony Cottee is the only West Ham United player ever to score a hat-trick against Manchester City. His treble fired the Hammers to a 3-0 Premier League win at the Boleyn Ground on 17 December 1994.
• Peter Dobing scored hat-tricks for Manchester City in both Division One meetings with West Ham United in 1961/62.
• Manchester City have twice recorded 4-0 victories at the Boleyn Ground - both in the old Division One on 24 March 1962 and 6 December 1969.
Referee
• Tuesday's match referee will be 51-year-old Chris Foy.
• Foy has been a Barclays Premier League referee since 2001, having originally made the Select Group list of assistant referees in 1995.
• In 2007, Foy took charge of the FA Trophy final at Wembley, before returning to the Home of Football a year later to act as fourth official for Portsmouth's FA Cup final victory over Cardiff.
• In 2009, he was back at Wembley to take charge of the League Cup final and Community Shield, while Portsmouth were in action again as Foy refereed the 2010 FA Cup final, which Pompey lost to today's visitors Chelsea.
• In all, Foy has taken charge of 28 West Ham fixtures - the first coming as long ago as 23 February 2002, when Frederic Kanoute scored the only goal in a 1-0 home Premier League win over Middlesbrough.
• He will be assisted by Peter Kirkup and Andrew Garratt, whilst his fourth official will be Michael Jones.
General information
• Tickets for Saturday's game remain on General Sale. You can secure your seat now at www.whufcboxoffice.com
• The weather forecast for Tuesday night is light cloud with temperatures around 5C (41F).
• Click here for the latest travel info on TfL routes, here for Greater Anglia train services, and here for c2c services
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Big Sam on: Manchester City
WHUFC.com
Manager Sam Allardyce spoke to the media ahead of the Capital One Cup semi-final second leg
20.01.2014
Sam Allardyce insists there is still much to be gained from Tuesday's Capital One Cup semi-final second leg against Manchester City. Faced with a 6-0 deficit from the first meeting, Big Sam called on his West Ham United players to restore some pride at the Boleyn Ground, hopeful of a positive result this time around. Elsewhere, the gaffer is pleased to welcome back Kevin Nolan and James Tomkins from suspension, while keen to give Andy Carroll a third run-out in the last ten days.
Good morning Sam, how do you approach Tuesday's game? It must be quite an odd situation going into a game 6-0 down.
SA: "Well, I think that obviously based on the first leg it's not something that we wanted to happen but of course it's something we have to face. It's about playing a game of football in a competitive manner at home and trying to win it. It's as simple as that. "We know it's highly, highly unlikely that we we're going to get through but you're playing at home, you're playing for pride, you're playing to try and get a result and your team's trying to play well. I have a couple of players back from suspension, which is important to me. They'll have a top competitive game after being suspended, Kevin Nolan and James Tomkins, which eases the problems that we've had recently. "Andy Carroll will get another game, at some stage he'll get more minutes than he's had in the last game, which is obviously another important factor for us. Hopefully we can give Manchester City a really tough game Tuesday night and try to get something out of it."
Do you use it as a chance to change the team a bit, apart from the return of the suspended players?
SA: "We haven't got too many options to change the team, but what I have got the option for is fresher players that haven't played on a consistent basis, with our problems recently. So the players who are fatigued based on their being called upon every single game and other players who are not quite as fatigued will play, who've had slight injuries and haven't had enough game time this season. "We will not have anybody of any inexperience out on the field, apart from probably Ravel Morrison, who's still early in his career at this level of football on a consistent basis. The rest of the team will be very, very experienced in terms of their games at this level."
You mentioned Andy Carroll, how close is he to full fitness now?
SA: "Just every game as we go along [he's getting fitter]. I think that there's a period of time where we're talking about increasing the game time and we have to be patient enough to increase that in competitive matches, where we're desperate for results. Our desperation for a result on Tuesday is about pride, not about anything else, rather than points in the Premier League. "Andy's going to compete in a game for the first time just a few days after competing on Saturday, which is something we're looking forward to, in the hope that there is no problem, knowing that he's getting even closer to a full 90 minutes. "Our other scenario of course is to continue to get Joey O'Brien, Winston Reid, George McCartney from the defensive point of view, back and playing as quickly as we can. "Ricardo Vaz Te joins in training, after however many weeks he has been out, I think it's around 12 or 14. We get another option by having him back. People tend to forget about the players who are on the long-term injury list, like him, that are very important to your team and your squad. When he went of the team he was scoring goals for us and was in good form and then we lost him. "We'll have a strong team out, but other players are looking closer to coming back from injury, which is very important for the next 16 Premier League games."
Does Andy have a bespoke warm-up, is that why he went down the tunnel on Saturday?
SA: "The lads sort that out, where's best to do the warm-up. As I suggested before, you can do a warm-up on the side of the pitch but be distracted by the game that's going on and not continue that warm-up correctly. In Andy's case, he's just come back from an eight-month lay-off, so the warm-up needs to be under more scrutiny and more intense than a normal substitute's would be."
Is the transfer window an unsettling time?
SA: "It has always been the case and it has never changed for us that this period has been particularly difficult, with the problems that we have at the moment. The transfer window adds to that, but it's something that we have to deal with."
Have you been frustrated that you've not been able to do much business so far?
SA: "Frustrated is an understatement on the basis of the number of deals we've tried to secure in the last six to eight weeks. I think that if you go across the board, as frustrated as we are, finding the right players is very, very difficult. There are very few deals happening across the board in this particular window and it's very difficult to get top players at this level."
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Allardyce frustrated by 'Mad January'
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 20th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce wore the expression of a troubled man as he faced a grilling over West Ham's transfer policy and inability to land any significant transfer targets this January.
The current Hammers boss, who was thwarted in his attempts to land Lacina Traore on loan last week has thus far managed to sign only Roger Johnson from League One Wolves and persuade Carlton Cole to accept an extended 18-month contract.
That's despite a joint-statement from the Club's owners, released on January 6 in which it was stated that "we are pleased to confirm we are close to securing one of our key striking targets" and "a defender is high on the list of priorities as well and progress is being made on that front".
The Hammers are unlikely to be boosted by any fresh faces ahead of tomorrow's visit of Manchester City for the second leg of the Capital One Cup semi final - a situation that Allardyce finds particularly irksome.
"Frustrated is an understatement based on the number of deals we've tried to secure in the last six to eight weeks," he said. "But as frustrated as we are - and our need is probably greater than everybody else's because of our problems at the minute - finding the right players is very difficult, in our experience, across the Premier League. There are very few deals happening.
"Mad January. Lunatic transfer window that creates havoc throughout the game for four weeks and probably two weeks before it starts through rumours. That creates a stir inside your football club which is not healthy. For us this period has been particularly difficult, with the problems that we have at the moment.
"The transfer window adds to that, but it's something that we have to deal with."
Allardyce also re-confirmed the situation regarding Monaco striker Traore, and his belief that the deal had been well and truly scuppered. "It looks very doubtful from our point of view," he stated. "That was a particular disappointment because of the quality of the player we'd secured, bar a signature.
"When it came down to a signature it didn't happen, unfortunately.
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London pride
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 20th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce says his team will be "playing for pride" when they face Manchester City in the second leg of the Capital One Cup semi final.
The League Cup, in its various guises, is a competition West Ham have never won despite having reached the Final twice - against West Brom back in 1966 and Liverpool in 1981 - and the semi finals on no less than nine occasions (or ten, if you include 1999's quarter final win over Aston Villa for which a replay was ordered).
Having been thumped 6-0 in the first leg at the Etihad Stadium, United's chances of adding a third Final appearance would appear to be slim, at the very best - or more accurately, almost completely impossible. However Allardyce, speaking to the press at Chadwell Heath this morning promised to field a team of sufficient quality to "get something out of it."
"Hopefully we can give Manchester City a really tough game Tuesday night and try to get something out of it," he said.
"It's about playing a game of football in a competitive manner at home and trying to win it. It's as simple as that. We know it's highly, highly unlikely that we we're going to get through but you're playing at home, you're playing for pride, you're playing to try and get a result and your team's trying to play well.
"I have a couple of players back from suspension, which is important. Kevin Nolan and James Tomkins will have a competitive game after being suspended which eases the problems that we've had recently. Andy Carroll will get another game which is obviously another important factor for us.
"We'll have a strong team out. Apart from probably Ravel Morrison, who's still early in his career at this level of football, we will not have anybody of any inexperience out on the field. The rest of the team will be very, very experienced at this level."
Allardyce also revealed that he was pleased with Carroll's progress and hopes that it won't be too long before he's fit enough to be considered for a starting spot.
"We're talking about increasing his game time and we have to be patient enough to increase that in competitive matches, where we're desperate for results," he said. "Our desperation for a result on Tuesday is about pride rather than points in the Premier League.
"Andy's going to compete in a game just a few days after competing on Saturday which is something we're looking forward to, knowing that he's getting even closer to a full 90 minutes. Our other scenario is to get Joey O'Brien, Winston Reid and George McCartney back and playing as quickly as we can."
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce admits January frustration
Last Updated: 20/01/14 4:23pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce believes every club will have a player unsettled because of the 'lunatic' January transfer window. Fulham have seen a bid for Hammers midfielder Ravel Morrison rejected, with Allardyce's side trying to strengthen in both defence and attack. Allardyce has hit out at the 'havoc' the window creates as he seeks to guide the Hammers up from 18th in the Premier League table, with a Capital One Cup semi-final second leg against Manchester City first up. He told the London Evening Standard: "I would think that across the country there is a player at every football club unsettled because of mad January and this lunatic transfer window which creates havoc throughout the game. There are rumours that somebody is after your player or you are after somebody else's player and that creates a stir within your club, which is unhealthy based on how many important games you have in this period. "For us, it's been particularly difficult with the problems we're facing and the transfer window adds to that but it's a problem we have to deal with."
Dead
Allardyce conceded a deal for Lacina Traore is "dead" after the Monaco striker seemed to chose Everton over the Hammers. Mooted moves for John Heitinga, Ishak Belfodil and Joleon Lescott have not materialised. "I would think that across the country there is a player at every football club unsettled because of mad January and this lunatic transfer window which creates havoc throughout the game." The only players to put pen to paper at Upton Park are on-loan Wolves defender Roger Johnson, Peterborough teenager Jaanai Gordon and Carlton Cole, who has signed a new contract until the end of the season. Allardyce added: "Frustrated is an understatement in the amount of deals we've tried to do in the last six to eight weeks. "There are very few deals happening across the board at the moment because it's difficult to get top players at this level at this particular time. "Later in this window things generally get a bit easier in financial terms, in that clubs want to move the players on. That's why you get a flood of deals in the last few days of the window. "Our need is to produce a really good signing that can hit the ground running and have an impact right away."
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A CLUB WITHOUT VALUES: THAT'S NOT MY WEST HAM
By Iain Dale 20 Jan 2014 at 22:36
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Robert Kelsey
I took my youngest son to Upton Park on Saturday (to see West Ham versus Newcastle) and came away more angry than I've ever left that ground before, which – believe me – is saying something.
No, it's not because we lost. It's not even because this defeat meant my six year old's introduction to the Boleyn Ground involved lots of angry people booing and shouting (and even swearing). That said, observing coarse and terse football fandom through the eyes of a six-year old does make the whole environment seem more shocking: starker, harder, more brutal.
It's because I realised that West Ham had lost something I truly loved about that club: it had lost its values.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not a starry-eyed fan assuming we all own the club, when it's really the play-thing of a few millionaires. I realise full well that we are no more than the punters – there to be relieved of our hard-earned cash in a myriad different ways (as attested by the £80 on tickets and £50 in the club shop).
Yet part of the deal is that – as fans – we're allowed to claim something of the club that's far deeper than mere ownership. It's something money can't buy, though it can seemingly lose. And that's its values. We are surely all part of a club's values. And these – under the current ownership and management – have completely disappeared.
My son's rite of passage on Saturday echoed my own – some long forgotten Saturday in the 1970s in which I too broke my football match virginity. Of course, we lost: this time 2-1 at home to Coventry City, although all I saw was the back of grown men straining forward to see over others (my father had been too mean to buy seats so we'd stood in the West Stand).
I cried – as did Eddie on Saturday.
However, on the way back my father told me about the pride many East Londoners (and those further afield) had in the team. He told me it was nicknamed the Academy of Football: so called because of the purity of its football and the way everyone in the club was dedicated to the nurturing of young talent. West Ham didn't always win he said. But they always played well – eschewing the rough-n-tumble of many football clubs in the era of Billy Bremner's Leeds United.
This was the club of Bobby Moore, he said. Moore was the finest footballer England has ever produced. He was a gentlemen footballer – a man every boy looked up to and every wife admired. And he's the only man (before or since) to have lifted the World Cup in an England shirt (thanks to four goals all scored by West Ham players).
West Ham's emphasis on youth had won England the World Cup, he said. The tough East London streets around the ground (contrary to popular belief West Ham is in East London not the East End, which stops at the River Lea) produced many great footballers – as, in more recent years, it has boxers and athletes.
West Ham's roots were some of the deepest of any English club's, he said: those hammers on the badge had nothing to do with the name West Ham (another popular misconception) but owed their place to the team's heritage as the Thames Ironworks FC: a shipmakers at the junction of the rivers Lea and Thames (hence the "Irons" nickname more-often used by the fans). This was also important because it set West Ham apart from other London clubs: as the team of an industrial area more akin to a northern city than the rest of London.
In fact, East London (now Newham) – with its docks and heavy industry and irrepressible working class humour – was the south's Liverpool, he said: another city more-than-proud of its footballing excellence and heritage.
Finally, I was told that West Ham was a well-run club: stable, not flash (unlike some of its neighbours). At that time – in the mid-70s – West Ham was on its fourth manager since 1902: an unheard of claim in English football, even then. Yet that was part of its values, which mattered.
So while West Ham may lose too often, he said. The club means something to its fans. It has strong, deep and unbreakable values that it upholds, which means the pride in West Ham comes less from the scant silverware and the wayward results – and more from the things it does and the way it behaves.
Of course, as I trudged home with my six-year old, I would have loved to have passed on this oral tradition: introducing him to what it means to follow West Ham. Yet I couldn't. Because those values seem to have entirely disappeared.
Where have they gone Mr Gold, Mr Sullivan and Ms Brady? I'd like to know what you've done with them because I want to tell my youngest son the truth about West Ham. He, unlike his older brother (who opted for Arsenal to be in with his schoolchums) wanted to follow his father's team. It meant as much to him as it meant to me. But there's nothing there for his pride to invest in.
Sure, it says The Academy of Football on the gravel around the pitch – the manager Sam Allardyce (our fourth in five years) even walks over it to and from his dugout. But the lovely passing, neat triangles and midfield creativity was all coming from the men in black and white on Saturday. West Ham – despite having some seriously skilful players on the pitch (Joe Cole etc) played like a hungover Sunday-team on Wanstead Flats. Balls lobbed into the box – one after the other (all failing to find their target). That's until Andy Carroll came on. Our missing target man – back after injury. Hurrah! Yet he immediately signalled to our goalkeeper to not even bother with the other outfielders – just hoof it up field towards him. That'll do!
Of course, Sam & Co may explain that this is due to the ever-lengthening injury list. Yet why, in that case, did they blow almost their entire pre-season transfer budget on this single route-one target man? Why has the entire team been constructed around this one-trick pony that promptly became injured (some trick!)?
Yes, I understand the financial pressures. We must stay in the premiership blah! I also understand that Sullivan and Gold (East Londoners both) inherited a financial mess after West Ham became an extraordinary victim of Iceland's financial meltdown. Yet that's to miss the point: perhaps one missed also by the vice-chairman Karren Brady due to her celebrity distractions.
Most West Ham fans – myself and my father before me – were used to seeing West Ham lose: even used to relegation. What they took most pride in, however, were the club's values, which are nowhere to be seen. And, as I say in What's Stopping You? and repeat in Get Things Done (out February) – without values you're as good as lost.
www.robert-kelsey.co.uk
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West Ham suspect Ravel Morrison transfer talk has turned Fulham target midfielder's head
Jan 20, 2014 22:30 By Darren Lewis 0 Comments
The Mirror
Allardyce says 20-year-old is "not an experienced man in life, never mind in football. And inexperienced young players can react in many different ways"
Sam Allardyce believes Ravel Morrison has had his head turned by a big payday at Fulham. West Ham have already complained to the Premier League after Fulham boss Rene Meulensteen claimed to be aware that the England Under-21 wanted to quit Upton Park for west London. Now, the Hammers' boss believes £15,000-a-week Morrison has been seduced by the prospect of a bigger wage packet at Craven Cottage. The west Londoners have already had a £4million bid turned down, but are understood to be ready to return with an improved offer. Pressed on why he felt the 20-year-old would want to leave for a club just one point and one place above his 18th-placed current employers, Allardyce said: "It's like everything. "This window creates a hysteria about the fact that people will tell you that somebody is going to come and get you. That could then turn your head - probably based on the money that people say you're going to make."
Big Sam was speaking ahead of Tuesday night's Capital One Cup semi-final second leg at Upton Park. West Ham will rewrite football history if they make it to Wembley, as they trail Manchester City 6-0 from a demoralising first leg at the Etihad two weeks ago. He added: "Ravel is a young man, and a young man with not much experience. You have to give a bit of leeway for that scenario. He's not an experienced man in life, never mind in football. And inexperienced young players can react in many different ways."
Morrison's complex contract dictates he is entitled to have his wages increased to £60,000-a-week if a club makes an offer of £10m or more for him.
West Ham are understood to be ready to accept £8m plus add-ons for the attacking midfielder - a substantial profit on a player they signed from Manchester United for just £650,000 in January 2012. Morrison has 18 months left on his contract at West Ham but talks over a new deal have collapsed. It is the latest in a string of transfer setbacks for the club. Everton defender John Heitinga turned them down at the last minute earlier this month, and the Toffees are poised to pinch Monaco's Lacina Traora on loan after the striker had looked set for a similar move to Upton Park. Asked whether he had given Morrison any advice, Allardyce added: "It's difficult for a manager to give advice to a young player when it comes to that. "They see you probably working for the club as the manager rather than working for them. You can offer the advice but whether they take it or not [is a different matter]. They are more going to listen to the advice of the agents, than they are to the manager, in most cases. "I think that's certainly the case when it comes to Lacina Traore. It wasn't Monaco and it wasn't us, it was all down to the player's agent. That is who he listened to. That is what happens in today's modern-day game."
City are undefeated in their last 17 matches, with their latest victory a 4-1 Premier League success over Cardiff on Saturday. West Ham are bidding to ensure the fragile morale of their players and fans is not shattered further by another heavy defeat. Allardyce also claimed he is under as much pressure as under-fire David Moyes at vhampions Manchester United. He said: "From my point of view, I think it's an equal pressure, not only because of now but because of the future of this club. The burden of this club is that it wants to move into the Olympic Stadium in two years' time or so and has to have a team in the Premier League to move into that stadium. "You have to build for that. That's a bit of extra pressure."
West Ham vs Manchester City: Probable teams
West Ham Adrian; Rat, Tomkins, Johnson, Taylor; Diame, Morrison, Downing, Nolan, Jarvis; Maiga.
Manchester City Pantilimon; Richards, Lescott, Boyata, Clichy; Lopes, Milner, Garcia, Navas; Aguero, Dzeko.
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Report: West Ham United eye Alan Pardew return
Newcastle manager looks on before kick-off against Manchester City in their Premier League match on January 12, 2014© Getty Images
By Shane Callaghan, Reporter
Filed: Sunday, January 19, 2014 at 07:23 UK
Last Updated: Monday, January 20, 2014 at 23:55 UK
West Ham United are reportedly toying with the idea of luring their former manager Alan Pardew back to Upton Park in the event that they part company with Sam Allardyce. Speculation is rife over Allardyce's long-term future in East London as the former Bolton Wanderers boss has failed to guide the capital outfit away from the Premier League relegation zone this season. Newcastle United manager Pardew enjoyed a three-year spell with the Hammers from 2003 until 2006 and, according to The Mirror, the 52-year-old is a close friend of co-owner David Gold and is an ideal candidate to replace the under-fire Allardyce. West Ham, who sit 18th in the Premier League table, went down 3-1 at home to Pardew's Magpies on Saturday.
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Sam Allardyce admits Ravel Morrison could leave West Ham in January
• Manager believes midfielder may have been unsettled
• But Fulham made a 'derisory' offer for the player
James Riach
The Guardian, Monday 20 January 2014 22.30 GMT
Sam Allardyce has accepted that Ravel Morrison could leave West Ham United this winter, saying that the midfielder may have been unsettled despite a "derisory" transfer offer from Fulham.
Morrison, who joined the Hammers in 2012 from Manchester United, is valued at £10m by the east London club but Fulham's initial bid, confirmed last week by their manager, René Meulensteen, was rejected.
Meulensteen said the 20-year-old, who is expected to play in Tuesday night's Capital One Cup semi-final second leg against Manchester City, was keen on a move to Craven Cottage but following his comments West Ham have lodged an official complaint to the Premier League accusing Fulham of tapping up the player.
Under the terms of Morrison's contract his wage would increase to £60,000 a week if West Ham received an offer of £10m but then decided to keep him at the club while his current salary is approximately one quarter of that amount.
Allardyce said the January window was a time when speculation could turn the heads of players but he refused to rule out the possibility of Morrison leaving. When asked if he was tempted to sell him, Allardyce said: "Well, who knows? You take each day as it comes in this window.
"This window creates a hysteria about the fact that people will tell you that somebody is going to come and get you. That could then turn your head, probably based on the money that people say you're going to make. Everybody as a human being is not all the same, some players will act and react a different way, to whatever they feel is best for them.
"I would probably think that across the country at every club there is a player unsettled because of mad January, the lunatic transfer window that creates havoc throughout the game.
"He's a young man, and a young man with not much experience, you have to give a bit of leeway for that scenario. He's not an experienced man in life, never mind in football. And inexperienced young players can react in many different ways.
"It's difficult for a manager to give advice to a young player when it comes to that because they see you probably working for the club as the manager rather than working for them."
When pressed on Fulham's bid for Morrison, Allardyce added: "That was a simple turn-down of a derisory offer, in our opinion. It's an offer that wasn't acceptable."
West Ham were thwarted in their efforts to sign the defender Johnny Heitinga from Everton earlier in the window, while the Merseyside club are expected to gazump them by signing the striker Lacina Traoré on loan from Monaco, despite the forward having been expected to join the Hammers.
Against City at Upton Park West Ham will seek to salvage some pride after their 6-0 thumping in the first leg at the Etihad Stadium. Allardyce is expected to name a strong side, hoping also to end a five-match losing streak, the latest reverse being the 3-1 home defeat by Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday.
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West Ham's Modibo Maiga a transfer target for Sivasspor of Turkey
Jan 20, 2014 22:29 By Alan Nixon 0 Comments
The Mirror
West Ham striker Modibo Maiga is in talks with Turkish club Sivasspor - after they flew in for a meeting with the Mali international. Maiga is available as the Hammers' boss Sam Allardyce tries to make a space for a new goal-scorer this month and the club have cleared him for a move to the ambitious outfit. Sivasspor are so keen to land Maiga, they rocked up at the West Ham training ground on Monday in a bid to state their case! Maiga is still hoping Harry Redknapp's Championship promotion chasers QPR sign him after spending a day with them last week. The Hammers want a sale and are keen to deal with Sivasspor, but the player needs persuading to uproot after settling in London following a summer 2012 move from French side Sochaux.
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Failure to land Lacina Traore sums up West Ham's transfer woes
Monday 20 Jan 2014 10:30 pm
Metro.co.uk
Sam Allardyce cannot believe his luck as Everton swoop in to lure Lacina Traore from his grasp (Picture: Reuters)
We are now three weeks into the January transfer window, and all West Ham have to show for it is the loan signing of Wolves defender Rodger Johnson. When considering the predicament the team where in league-wise, this has to be considered an underwhelming haul to say the least.
Having made the trip to Upton Park on Boxing Day to the 3-1 drubbing at the hands of Arsenal, I vividly recall the co-owner David Sullivan assuring the fans with a pre-recorded message that he and David Gold would delve into the market and make 'a number' of signings this month to help this team escape the drop – and so far, they haven't lived up to this promise.
If you believe what you read in the papers, the club have been linked with a number of players, especially strikers. Andre Pierre-Gignac, Marco Borriello, Ishak Belfodil and Rickie Lambert to name but a few, but the most tedious player of them all from a fans perspective to be linked to the club was Lacina Traore.
The Ivorian was reportedly set to join West Ham on loan from AS Monaco this month, and it was claimed that last week he had taken part in a preliminary medical in France ahead of a move. He would require a work permit, which Allardyce made a personal appearance at with the aim of boosting his chances of securing the player on loan, and to his joy it was granted, only for the player to back out of a move later in the week, in favour of joining high-flying Everton.
The former Anzhi Makhachkala striker looks set to join Everton, not West Ham, on loan from AS Monaco (Picture: Getty Images) This has been a recurring theme to West Ham's transfer business under Allardyce in the past year or so, especially regarding signing strikers – the main area of need on the team.
It's fair to say the signing of Andy Carroll has hampered us. Not only with the price we paid for him, which is a hefty amount and will surely impact future business, but he has been signed to be the first choice striker, regardless of whoever is at the club, and this will deter players from joining us. Players want to play regularly, and knowing they will be second-fiddle to Carroll is an easy out if they aren't keen.
So, with ten days left in the transfer window, it's time for Allardyce and the gang to take their finger out and get a move on bringing in reinforcements. There is a serious issue with defensive cover, playing a makeshift back four numerous times this month, and possibly a creative midfielder, in addition to a striker (or two).
The January window is notoriously hard to sign the players you have targeted, but the club doesn't appear to be making a strong enough effort to push through deals which could change our season. They need to be strong-willed, and really go hard for game-changing players, or we will have to rebuild from the Championship next season.
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Tuesday, January 21
Monday, January 20
Daily WHUFC News - 20th January 2014
U18s back on track
WHUFC.com
Josh Cullen bagged the game's only goal as the Hammers' U18s won 1-0 at
Norwich City
19.01.2014
West Ham United U18s returned to winning ways with an excellent 1-0 Barclays
U18 Premier League win at Norwich City on Saturday. Josh Cullen's goal five
minutes after the interval earned Steve Potts' charges all three points, as
they bounced back in style from last weekend's 2-1 reverse at Southampton.
Midfielder Cullen was the beneficiary of a ricochet in the box, turning
smartly and dispatching a low drive beyond the 'keeper. Though the hosts saw
a late free-kick cannon back off the crossbar, Academy Director Tony Carr
MBE insists the Hammers were worthy winners at the Canaries' Colney Training
Centre.
He told whufc.com: "I thought we dominated the game for the most part and
were the better team. The only disappointment is that we're not taking the
chances coming our way. "We're missing good opportunities and allowing
teams to stay in the game when, really, we should be out of sight. We could
have been two, even 3-0 up at half-time."
Saturday's success was all the more pleasing in the context of defeat by the
Saints last time out, a result that ended a ten-match unbeaten run. But the
Hammers' response was an excellent one and owed much to a mature defensive
display. "The boys responded really well," he added. "It was a similar
performance to last week, in the sense that we created chances and didn't
take them, but got punished and lost 2-1. This week we were a bit more
resolute, slightly more defensively minded and consequently we saw it
through and got the result."
Carr reserved particular praise for schoolboy duo Reece Oxford and Josh
Pask, who played their part at centre-half. In the absence of the more
experienced Kyle Knoyle, Jamie Harney and Reece Burke, Oxford and Pask stood
up to the challenge, helping the U18s secure a first clean sheet since
October.
"The two schoolboys who came in at centre-back, Reece Oxford and Josh Pask,
acquitted themselves really well and they can be very pleased with their
performance."
Next up for Steve Potts' side is the visit of Chelsea to Little Heath on
Saturday 25 January, with kick-off scheduled for 11am.
West Ham United U18s: Howes; Pike, Onariase (Oxford 45), Pask, Page; Nasha,
Cullen, Makasi; Parfitt-Williams (Amoo), J Brown (Martins), Mavila
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Taylor takes solace in second half
WHUFC.com
Stand-in right-back Matt Taylor hopes the Hammers can build on Saturday's
second-half display
19.01.2014
Matt Taylor insists momentum is all important for West Ham United and called
on the Hammers to take encouragement from a spirited second-half showing in
Saturday's 3-1 Barclays Premier League home defeat by Newcastle United.
Right-back for the day, Taylor reckons the hosts would have had something to
show for their efforts, but for their wayward finishing. Both Carlton Cole
and Andy Carroll passed up gilt-edged chances to level matters at two
apiece, before Yohan Cabaye put the contest to bed in the dying seconds.
Sam Allardyce's men had earlier fallen two goals behind before half-time and
the versatile Taylor lamented the Hammers' failure to make their dominance
count after the interval. He told West Ham TV: "I felt we didn't start the
game particularly well, but we were in the ascendancy in the second half and
had we taken the chances, then maybe it would have been a different result.
When we are on top, we need to take our chances. Unfortunately, you find out
the brutal reality of the Premier League and that is if you don't take your
chances, the opposition, because of their firepower, will. And we got
punished on Saturday because we didn't. "It didn't fall for us but we need
to try and take the positives out of it and the positives are the
second-half performance, which I though was very good. We just didn't score
when we were on top and because of that we got punished."
Of those positives, Taylor's link-up play with winger Stewart Downing ranked
highly, with the 32-year-old pressed into services at right-back.
Admittedly, not the geography to which he is accustomed, but Taylor was
little fussed by the reshuffle. "It was fine, I was just happy to be on the
pitch," he continued. "I would play anywhere that the manager asked me to,
so I'm not too worried about that. I think that I'm an experienced player
now and there isn't really too much that fazes me to be honest. "Stewart is
an exceptional footballer, he's a current England international, he has
great strengths going forward and I thought that, as a partnership, we did
OK today. It was just disappointing that we didn't get the result that all
the fans and the players wanted."
Attention now turns to Tuesday's Capital One Cup semi-final against
Manchester City, a competition in which Taylor has been ever-present this
season. While there may not be much life left in the tie, Taylor reckons the
return leg is no write-off, with plenty still at stake. He added: "What
we've got to do now is dust ourselves off and go into a game against
Manchester City and hopefully try to get something from it. We all know it's
going to be a huge, momentous task to get anything from it. They're playing
well and they won again on Saturday. But we're at home and we need to give
our fans a positive performance.
"We obviously all know the scoreline, but it's another chance for players
who are given the shirt to try and keep the shirt. It's just another
football match and we need to build some momentum going into the Chelsea
game."
In a similar vein, the returning Kevin Nolan and Carroll will be earmarking
Tuesday for an extended run-out, with Taylor adamant that the England
frontman is already making his mark on proceedings. "I'm sure Kevin will be
chomping at the bit to get back into the fold and I'm sure he will do. For
Andy, it's a great opportunity for him to get some minutes under his belt. I
thought again, we he came on against Newcastle and was exceptional. He
offers you such a presence up there, he occupies two or three of their
players at any one time."
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Demel on the mend
WHUFC.com
Guy Demel is on the mend after suffering a severe concussion in the victory
at Cardiff City
19.01.2014
Guy Demel is on the mend after suffering a severe concussion in the victory
at Cardiff City. The West Ham United right-back was knocked unconscious in
an accidental clash with fellow defender Roger Johnson eight minutes into
the game in South Wales. He was immediately tended to by Club medical staff
and the on-site pitch rescue team and treated on the turf for nine minutes
being stretchered off. The No20 was taken to a Cardiff hospital, where he
spent the night under observation before being discharged and allowed to
return home the following day - accompanied by physio Frazer Young. Speaking
for the first time since his injury, Demel admitted he could not remember
anything of West Ham's victory and thanked the medical team for the
attention they gave him throughout a worrying ordeal. "I don't remember
anything about it," he admitted. "It was hard to look at the video, but I
saw some pictures so I know what happened, but I cannot remember anything
for 48 hours before the incident happened. I don't remember travelling to
Cardiff or the match or anything. "The first thing I can remember is waking
up in hospital and they asked me where I was and I didn't know. I knew I was
in hospital but I thought I was in London because my last memory was of
being at home. "Nothing like this had ever happened to me before. I was very
confused for a couple of days after it happened but now I'm feeling better.
It is really hard when you cannot remember things, even if it was only for
two days. I had a headache, so it was hard for a few days after, but now I'm
feeling better."
Demel said his family had learnt of his injury and were concerned with the
initial reports that he had suffered a head injury and a dislocated elbow.
While the alarming images showed the Ivorian had landed heavily on his arm,
he thankfully did not suffer any injury to the limb. As for his head, the
defender did suffer a severe concussion and the Club are taking every
precaution before allowing Demel to return to training. "The doctor said to
me that I had suffered a severe concussion and it was a serious one because
I had been unconscious for a lot of minutes. They also had to put a tube in
my mouth because my blood was going backwards down my throat. They said that
when I woke up, I couldn't speak for an hour and a half and then I slowly
started to come back around.
"Actually, I would like to thank the medical team because their reaction was
really good, really quick and they made the right decisions. I would also
like to thank God because you never know what can happen in your life and I
am happy to be here. Now, I am getting right. "The Club has been really
good. They have not put any pressure on me and I have started doing things
at my own pace, like some running and some core work. Day after day, we
watching how my body reacts, so we are trying to make sure we don't take it
forward too fast before I start training again."
While he cannot remember anything of his trip to Wales, Demel said news of
West Ham's 2-0 victory had boosted his spirits as he laid in his hospital
bed.
"The doctor told me that when I woke up, I couldn't remember the game, so he
told me that we had won. I kept asking him every few minutes because I
couldn't remember. It wasn't that I didn't believe him! "It was an important
win for us because got some points on board. We're not in the position that
we should be with the quality that we have, but we can go forward and
improve our position in the table."
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Everton medical for Monaco striker Lacina Traore
Last Updated: 19/01/14 6:55pm
SSN
Monaco striker Lacina Traore is to have a medical ahead of a move to
Everton, according to Sky Sports sources. The 6ft 8ins striker looked set to
join West Ham last week, and even had a work permit granted, but Sam
Allardyce missed out on Ivory Coast international who now looks to be on his
way to Merseyside. Everton look to have hijacked the deal for Traore and
Allardyce admitted earlier this weekend there is nothing they can do to stop
the Goodison Park outfit signing the player. When asked after Saturday's
defeat to Newcastle if Traore would be signing for the Upton Park club, he
said: "It's unlikely by the sounds of it. "We're finding it extremely
difficult (to bring players in). "We had a terrible day yesterday (Friday)
when I thought a player was signing for us and then I found out he wasn't,
but there you go. "[Any other club] can apply for a work permit like we did.
"They would have to do a separate application."
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West Ham defender Guy Demel is hoping to return to action soon
Last Updated: 19/01/14 8:08pm
SSN
West Ham defender Guy Demel is hoping to return to action soon following his
recent head injury. Demel suffered severe concussion during West Ham's 2-0
win away at Cardiff on January 11 and spent the night in hospital. Speaking
for the first time since his injury, Demel admitted he could not even
remember playing in the match. Demel told the club's website: "I don't
remember anything about it. "It was hard to look at the video, but I saw
some pictures so I know what happened, but I cannot remember anything for 48
hours before the incident happened. I don't remember travelling to Cardiff
or the match or anything.
"The first thing I can remember is waking up in hospital and they asked me
where I was and I didn't know. I knew I was in hospital but I thought I was
in London because my last memory was of being at home. "Nothing like this
had ever happened to me before. I was very confused for a couple of days
after it happened but now I'm feeling better."
Demel also thanked the club's medical team for all their help. He added: " I
would like to thank the medical team because their reaction was really good,
really quick and they made the right decisions. "The club has been really
good. They have not put any pressure on me and I have started doing things
at my own pace, like some running and some core work. Day after day, we
watching how my body reacts, so we are trying to make sure we don't take it
forward too fast before I start training again."
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WHERE ARE YOU? WHY ISN'T THERE MORE OF AN ATMOSPHERE AT UPTON PARK NOWADAYS?
By Iain Dale 19 Jan 2014 at 19:57
West Ham Till I Die
Remember a couple of months ago I wrote a blogpost about falling out of love
with football, in much the same way as I have been falling out of love with
politics? Well yesterday's matchday experience just about tipped me over the
edge. I genuinely thought the Cardiff match heralded a new beginning, but it
was the same old-same old. With one or two notable exceptions it was a
performance lacking commitment and passion. The tactics didn't work from the
opening minute and Allardyce had no idea how to counter the Newcastle way of
playing. Even bringing Morrison on at half time had no discernible impact.
In addition, the introduction of Carroll for the hapless Diame didn't change
things much.
But it's the atmosphere which is of just as much concern. Namely, there is
none. At all. The Newcastle fans outsung us throughout the match, part from
a very loud rendition of Alan Pardew shagging who he wants. Jeremy Nicholas,
our erstwhile matchday announcer, has a theory on his BLOG. Admittedly he
has a vested interest, but nevertheless…
The standard of announcing and the pre-match build up have fallen to below
that should be expected from a Premier League club, particularly one with
such a fine reputation for doing things right. We've had Monreal of Arsenal
announced as Montreal, leading to speculation from The Mirror that a
Canadian international was on the bench! Substitutions have been announced
that haven't happened. Worst of all 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' has been
talked over! That should be a sackable offence in my book. On other
occasions 'Bubbles' has been played way too early, so the song is over by
the time the teams walk out, leaving a gap before the handshake music.
Second halves have started in virtual silence, without any kind of rousing
call to action. This team needs our help and they are not getting it. The
interviews pitchside have been stilted. The introduction of Julien Faubert
as a 'legend' was laughable. I apologise to Martin Godleman who has filled
my shoes as announcer. He's a smashing bloke and a friend of mine, but it's
just not working out. He wrote a book recently called 'We're West Ham United
– We Play on the Floor.' Two things emerged from that book: One is that he
never felt comfortable in the announcer's role, when he filled in for me
when Scott Duxbury sacked me in 2008 for a few months. The second is that
Martin's not a fan of the way Sam Allardyce's teams play football. Nice
bloke as Martin is, he's not the man we need rallying the support behind our
club. If I hear Twisted Firestarter at half-time again I think I'll go mad.
We need a rethink of the music to play some old favourites associated with
the good times, to get that feelgood factor back. The manager can pick
eleven players and seven subs, but at the moment he is being denied that all
important twelfth man. The Boleyn can be an intimidating place to come, but
not at the moment. Our away support is as magnificent as always, but at home
the supporters are being let down by the pre-match build up.
You may think that because of his desire to return as matchday announcer he
is overplaying his hand, but I think he has got a very valid point. People
who sit around me mutter often about "it not being the same" and they are
right. I suspect doing that job is a lot tougher than it looks, but at the
moment it's too local radio. Something needs to happen. And before anyone
accuses me of wanting the job for myself, let me rule myself out. I have the
self-knowledge to realise that it wouldn't be my cup of tea and I haven't
got the right voice for it.
Having said all that, it's not fair just to blame the announcer for failing
to whip up an atmosphere. And we can't just blame it on the performances of
the team, it's also down to us – those who pay good money to watch the
rubbish that's being served up to us. Perhaps we need Karren Brady to do a
Delia…
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WEST HAM HOPE TO SIGN ITALIAN VETERAN ALBERTO GILARDINO ON LOAN
By Sean Whetstone 19 Jan 2014 at 12:13
West Ham Till I Die
The Sunday Express claim West Ham hope to sign Italian international Alberto
Gilardino from Genoa on loan after failing with their loan bid for Lacina
Traore.
The 31-year-old has scored 19 goals in 57 international appearances and is
said to be targeted by Sam Allardyce for a permenent move in the summer. He
has scored 12 goals from 30 appearances for Genoa with another 13 goals from
35 appearances for Bologna while on loan. Genoa are believed to want around
£5m for Gilardino, but West Ham hope to tie up an initial loan deal until
the end of the season to try before they buy. It is claimed Allardyce wanted
to sign Gilardino on loan last summer but was unable to finalise a deal. The
\Forza Italiana website suggests that he now is planning a fresh move for
the Italian veteran. Gilardino was reportedly being lined up to become
Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe's strike partner at Toronto, but he rejected
a move to the MLS side.
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RICKIE LAMBERT ANYONE?
By Tony Hanna 19 Jan 2014 at 08:14
West Ham Till I Die
The promise of early new signings, in particular a quality striker, has not
been delivered by the owners this transfer window. But who really thought
things were going to be that easy? Hull City have got early business done
but the rest of the Premier League clubs have not exactly been running out
of ink. The Hammers have actually signed more players this window than any
other club, but with due respect to Jaanai Gordon, Roger Johnson and the
re-signing of Carlton Cole, it has not been exactly the inspiring season
saving stuff we were crying out for!
The anticipated signing of Lacina Traore has not yet eventuated, despite Big
Sam going in to bat for him successfully at the work permit tribunal. There
are many rumours around as to why this has not happened. Some sources are
saying that he is injured (knowing our luck that would have been at our
medical), whilst others are saying that Everton may have gazumped us-
(remember Lukaku)? Another theory is that we have actually gone cold
ourselves on the deal? The changing point may have been this weeks turmoil
at Southampton which reignites the hope that the Saints may actually sell
Rickie Lambert to us? A look at the bookies boards show that Lambert is 1/5
to join the Hammers this window. The re-signing of Carlton Cole to a new
contract suggests that signing both Traore and Lambert is something that is
not feasible.
UPDATE: Since writing this piece, Sam has told the press that Everton have
indeed gazumped us on the Traore deal. It also appears that the player may
be carrying an injury that may take several weeks to recover from. So, the
Lambert scenario may not have been the catalyst for Traore not signing for
us. However, it is interesting to see the bookies price so short for a deal
that would seem unlikely in our current predicament.
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Carroll will 'grab' Hammers and drag them to safety says Toon boss Pardew
By CRAIG HOPE
PUBLISHED: 13:30, 19 January 2014 | UPDATED: 13:32, 19 January 2014
DailY Mail
Alan Pardew has backed Andy Carroll to 'grab' hold of West Ham and drag them
to Premier League safety. The Newcastle boss, who sold the striker to
Liverpool for £35million three years ago, has never hidden his admiration
for the player and there was even talk of him re-signing for the Magpies
last season.
Carroll, though, became West Ham's £15millon record signing during the
summer, only for a heel injury to keep him sidelined for the first five
months of the campaign. He appeared for the first time at Upton Park on
Saturday as the Hammers were beaten 3-1 by Pardew's Geordies, the
second-half substitute skying one glorious chance over the crossbar. That
result left Sam Allardyce's third from bottom in the top flight, goal
difference only keeping them from the foot of the table. Pardew, however,
believes that Carroll's return will prove the catalyst for an upturn in
fortunes in East London. 'He is going to be important for Big Sam in this
second part of the season,' said the former West Ham boss. 'He had that one
big chance (on Saturday) but he's a bit rusty – he would have taken that on
another day.'He's a terrific character and I'm sure that he's going to grab
this team and keep them in the division. 'They have Kevin (Nolan) coming
back as well and Sam has a lot to lean on there and he can be encouraged by
their performance in the second half.'
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West Ham's Sam Allardyce feels pressure mount after loss to Newcastle
• West Ham manager rues transfer and injury frustrations
• Home fans jeer Sam Allardyce during another defeat
Jacob Steinberg at Upton Park
theguardian.com, Sunday 19 January 2014 11.22 GMT
Sam Allardyce was under increasing pressure after West Ham United dropped
back into the bottom three after a dismal 3-1 defeat against Newcastle at
Upton Park on Saturday, with the manager blaming defensive lapses and
expressing frustration over a number of setbacks in the transfer market this
month.
While West Ham believe that Allardyce remains the man to keep them up,
supporters could not hide their anger at their team's performance. One fan
made his way towards the home dugout after Newcastle's second goal to direct
abuse at Allardyce and West Ham were jeered during the match and booed off
after the final whistle.
However Allardyce defended himself by pointing to the number of absentees in
his back four. James Tomkins was suspended and Winston Reid, Joey O'Brien,
Guy Demel and George McCartney were all injured.
"Our defensive frailties were exposed in the first half," Allardyce said.
"It was about our defensive lapses rather than Newcastle's quality, even
though they were two good finishes. Our back four today never played
together. You don't get that solid unit when players don't play together."
Allardyce said that the chances of West Ham signing the Monaco striker
Lacina Traoré were "extremely unlikely" – Everton are the favourites to sign
the Ivory Coast forward – and revealed that a deal for another player had
fallen through on Friday.
"It's extremely difficult," he said. "I had a terrible day when I thought
one player was coming and he didn't."
Allardyce was insistent that results will improve once West Ham's injured
and suspended players are back but could at least take encouragement from
another appearance off the bench by Andy Carroll after his return from a
heel injury. However the £15m forward missed a great chance to earn West Ham
a point against his old club.
"It's eight months since he played," Allardyce said. "He's had a long
gruelling rehabilitation programme. Without those players, we see what
results we're getting. If we're going to get back we need those injured
players."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Be patient with Andy Carroll urges Matthew Taylor
Last Updated: 19/01/14 11:56pm
SSN
Matthew Taylor has warned West Ham and England fans not to expect too much,
too soon from striker Andy Carroll. Carroll was a second-half substitute on
Saturday in the Hammers' 3-1 defeat at home to his former club Newcastle.
The 25-year-old missed the start of the season with a foot injury and has
only just returned to the side. Carroll, who missed a decent opportunity to
score at Upton Park, could still be named by England head coach Roy Hodgson
in his England squad for this year's World Cup and Taylor insists people
must be patient. "Having Andy back is a huge lift. He's a huge player for us
and a huge presence in the squad. You can see that on the pitch as well,"
said Taylor. "It's great for him to be back in the fold and hopefully in the
next couple of games he'll be raring to go again. "He's our record signing
and is very good at occupying two or three players at a time when the ball
is played to him. "He'll be disappointed that he missed that chance, but it
wasn't an easy one. "He's been beating himself up in the changing room about
it, but it wasn't as easy as people are making out. "He hasn't played
football for a long time and we need to remember that. The next one will
come in and hopefully he'll put it away."
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WHUFC.com
Josh Cullen bagged the game's only goal as the Hammers' U18s won 1-0 at
Norwich City
19.01.2014
West Ham United U18s returned to winning ways with an excellent 1-0 Barclays
U18 Premier League win at Norwich City on Saturday. Josh Cullen's goal five
minutes after the interval earned Steve Potts' charges all three points, as
they bounced back in style from last weekend's 2-1 reverse at Southampton.
Midfielder Cullen was the beneficiary of a ricochet in the box, turning
smartly and dispatching a low drive beyond the 'keeper. Though the hosts saw
a late free-kick cannon back off the crossbar, Academy Director Tony Carr
MBE insists the Hammers were worthy winners at the Canaries' Colney Training
Centre.
He told whufc.com: "I thought we dominated the game for the most part and
were the better team. The only disappointment is that we're not taking the
chances coming our way. "We're missing good opportunities and allowing
teams to stay in the game when, really, we should be out of sight. We could
have been two, even 3-0 up at half-time."
Saturday's success was all the more pleasing in the context of defeat by the
Saints last time out, a result that ended a ten-match unbeaten run. But the
Hammers' response was an excellent one and owed much to a mature defensive
display. "The boys responded really well," he added. "It was a similar
performance to last week, in the sense that we created chances and didn't
take them, but got punished and lost 2-1. This week we were a bit more
resolute, slightly more defensively minded and consequently we saw it
through and got the result."
Carr reserved particular praise for schoolboy duo Reece Oxford and Josh
Pask, who played their part at centre-half. In the absence of the more
experienced Kyle Knoyle, Jamie Harney and Reece Burke, Oxford and Pask stood
up to the challenge, helping the U18s secure a first clean sheet since
October.
"The two schoolboys who came in at centre-back, Reece Oxford and Josh Pask,
acquitted themselves really well and they can be very pleased with their
performance."
Next up for Steve Potts' side is the visit of Chelsea to Little Heath on
Saturday 25 January, with kick-off scheduled for 11am.
West Ham United U18s: Howes; Pike, Onariase (Oxford 45), Pask, Page; Nasha,
Cullen, Makasi; Parfitt-Williams (Amoo), J Brown (Martins), Mavila
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Taylor takes solace in second half
WHUFC.com
Stand-in right-back Matt Taylor hopes the Hammers can build on Saturday's
second-half display
19.01.2014
Matt Taylor insists momentum is all important for West Ham United and called
on the Hammers to take encouragement from a spirited second-half showing in
Saturday's 3-1 Barclays Premier League home defeat by Newcastle United.
Right-back for the day, Taylor reckons the hosts would have had something to
show for their efforts, but for their wayward finishing. Both Carlton Cole
and Andy Carroll passed up gilt-edged chances to level matters at two
apiece, before Yohan Cabaye put the contest to bed in the dying seconds.
Sam Allardyce's men had earlier fallen two goals behind before half-time and
the versatile Taylor lamented the Hammers' failure to make their dominance
count after the interval. He told West Ham TV: "I felt we didn't start the
game particularly well, but we were in the ascendancy in the second half and
had we taken the chances, then maybe it would have been a different result.
When we are on top, we need to take our chances. Unfortunately, you find out
the brutal reality of the Premier League and that is if you don't take your
chances, the opposition, because of their firepower, will. And we got
punished on Saturday because we didn't. "It didn't fall for us but we need
to try and take the positives out of it and the positives are the
second-half performance, which I though was very good. We just didn't score
when we were on top and because of that we got punished."
Of those positives, Taylor's link-up play with winger Stewart Downing ranked
highly, with the 32-year-old pressed into services at right-back.
Admittedly, not the geography to which he is accustomed, but Taylor was
little fussed by the reshuffle. "It was fine, I was just happy to be on the
pitch," he continued. "I would play anywhere that the manager asked me to,
so I'm not too worried about that. I think that I'm an experienced player
now and there isn't really too much that fazes me to be honest. "Stewart is
an exceptional footballer, he's a current England international, he has
great strengths going forward and I thought that, as a partnership, we did
OK today. It was just disappointing that we didn't get the result that all
the fans and the players wanted."
Attention now turns to Tuesday's Capital One Cup semi-final against
Manchester City, a competition in which Taylor has been ever-present this
season. While there may not be much life left in the tie, Taylor reckons the
return leg is no write-off, with plenty still at stake. He added: "What
we've got to do now is dust ourselves off and go into a game against
Manchester City and hopefully try to get something from it. We all know it's
going to be a huge, momentous task to get anything from it. They're playing
well and they won again on Saturday. But we're at home and we need to give
our fans a positive performance.
"We obviously all know the scoreline, but it's another chance for players
who are given the shirt to try and keep the shirt. It's just another
football match and we need to build some momentum going into the Chelsea
game."
In a similar vein, the returning Kevin Nolan and Carroll will be earmarking
Tuesday for an extended run-out, with Taylor adamant that the England
frontman is already making his mark on proceedings. "I'm sure Kevin will be
chomping at the bit to get back into the fold and I'm sure he will do. For
Andy, it's a great opportunity for him to get some minutes under his belt. I
thought again, we he came on against Newcastle and was exceptional. He
offers you such a presence up there, he occupies two or three of their
players at any one time."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Demel on the mend
WHUFC.com
Guy Demel is on the mend after suffering a severe concussion in the victory
at Cardiff City
19.01.2014
Guy Demel is on the mend after suffering a severe concussion in the victory
at Cardiff City. The West Ham United right-back was knocked unconscious in
an accidental clash with fellow defender Roger Johnson eight minutes into
the game in South Wales. He was immediately tended to by Club medical staff
and the on-site pitch rescue team and treated on the turf for nine minutes
being stretchered off. The No20 was taken to a Cardiff hospital, where he
spent the night under observation before being discharged and allowed to
return home the following day - accompanied by physio Frazer Young. Speaking
for the first time since his injury, Demel admitted he could not remember
anything of West Ham's victory and thanked the medical team for the
attention they gave him throughout a worrying ordeal. "I don't remember
anything about it," he admitted. "It was hard to look at the video, but I
saw some pictures so I know what happened, but I cannot remember anything
for 48 hours before the incident happened. I don't remember travelling to
Cardiff or the match or anything. "The first thing I can remember is waking
up in hospital and they asked me where I was and I didn't know. I knew I was
in hospital but I thought I was in London because my last memory was of
being at home. "Nothing like this had ever happened to me before. I was very
confused for a couple of days after it happened but now I'm feeling better.
It is really hard when you cannot remember things, even if it was only for
two days. I had a headache, so it was hard for a few days after, but now I'm
feeling better."
Demel said his family had learnt of his injury and were concerned with the
initial reports that he had suffered a head injury and a dislocated elbow.
While the alarming images showed the Ivorian had landed heavily on his arm,
he thankfully did not suffer any injury to the limb. As for his head, the
defender did suffer a severe concussion and the Club are taking every
precaution before allowing Demel to return to training. "The doctor said to
me that I had suffered a severe concussion and it was a serious one because
I had been unconscious for a lot of minutes. They also had to put a tube in
my mouth because my blood was going backwards down my throat. They said that
when I woke up, I couldn't speak for an hour and a half and then I slowly
started to come back around.
"Actually, I would like to thank the medical team because their reaction was
really good, really quick and they made the right decisions. I would also
like to thank God because you never know what can happen in your life and I
am happy to be here. Now, I am getting right. "The Club has been really
good. They have not put any pressure on me and I have started doing things
at my own pace, like some running and some core work. Day after day, we
watching how my body reacts, so we are trying to make sure we don't take it
forward too fast before I start training again."
While he cannot remember anything of his trip to Wales, Demel said news of
West Ham's 2-0 victory had boosted his spirits as he laid in his hospital
bed.
"The doctor told me that when I woke up, I couldn't remember the game, so he
told me that we had won. I kept asking him every few minutes because I
couldn't remember. It wasn't that I didn't believe him! "It was an important
win for us because got some points on board. We're not in the position that
we should be with the quality that we have, but we can go forward and
improve our position in the table."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Everton medical for Monaco striker Lacina Traore
Last Updated: 19/01/14 6:55pm
SSN
Monaco striker Lacina Traore is to have a medical ahead of a move to
Everton, according to Sky Sports sources. The 6ft 8ins striker looked set to
join West Ham last week, and even had a work permit granted, but Sam
Allardyce missed out on Ivory Coast international who now looks to be on his
way to Merseyside. Everton look to have hijacked the deal for Traore and
Allardyce admitted earlier this weekend there is nothing they can do to stop
the Goodison Park outfit signing the player. When asked after Saturday's
defeat to Newcastle if Traore would be signing for the Upton Park club, he
said: "It's unlikely by the sounds of it. "We're finding it extremely
difficult (to bring players in). "We had a terrible day yesterday (Friday)
when I thought a player was signing for us and then I found out he wasn't,
but there you go. "[Any other club] can apply for a work permit like we did.
"They would have to do a separate application."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham defender Guy Demel is hoping to return to action soon
Last Updated: 19/01/14 8:08pm
SSN
West Ham defender Guy Demel is hoping to return to action soon following his
recent head injury. Demel suffered severe concussion during West Ham's 2-0
win away at Cardiff on January 11 and spent the night in hospital. Speaking
for the first time since his injury, Demel admitted he could not even
remember playing in the match. Demel told the club's website: "I don't
remember anything about it. "It was hard to look at the video, but I saw
some pictures so I know what happened, but I cannot remember anything for 48
hours before the incident happened. I don't remember travelling to Cardiff
or the match or anything.
"The first thing I can remember is waking up in hospital and they asked me
where I was and I didn't know. I knew I was in hospital but I thought I was
in London because my last memory was of being at home. "Nothing like this
had ever happened to me before. I was very confused for a couple of days
after it happened but now I'm feeling better."
Demel also thanked the club's medical team for all their help. He added: " I
would like to thank the medical team because their reaction was really good,
really quick and they made the right decisions. "The club has been really
good. They have not put any pressure on me and I have started doing things
at my own pace, like some running and some core work. Day after day, we
watching how my body reacts, so we are trying to make sure we don't take it
forward too fast before I start training again."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WHERE ARE YOU? WHY ISN'T THERE MORE OF AN ATMOSPHERE AT UPTON PARK NOWADAYS?
By Iain Dale 19 Jan 2014 at 19:57
West Ham Till I Die
Remember a couple of months ago I wrote a blogpost about falling out of love
with football, in much the same way as I have been falling out of love with
politics? Well yesterday's matchday experience just about tipped me over the
edge. I genuinely thought the Cardiff match heralded a new beginning, but it
was the same old-same old. With one or two notable exceptions it was a
performance lacking commitment and passion. The tactics didn't work from the
opening minute and Allardyce had no idea how to counter the Newcastle way of
playing. Even bringing Morrison on at half time had no discernible impact.
In addition, the introduction of Carroll for the hapless Diame didn't change
things much.
But it's the atmosphere which is of just as much concern. Namely, there is
none. At all. The Newcastle fans outsung us throughout the match, part from
a very loud rendition of Alan Pardew shagging who he wants. Jeremy Nicholas,
our erstwhile matchday announcer, has a theory on his BLOG. Admittedly he
has a vested interest, but nevertheless…
The standard of announcing and the pre-match build up have fallen to below
that should be expected from a Premier League club, particularly one with
such a fine reputation for doing things right. We've had Monreal of Arsenal
announced as Montreal, leading to speculation from The Mirror that a
Canadian international was on the bench! Substitutions have been announced
that haven't happened. Worst of all 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' has been
talked over! That should be a sackable offence in my book. On other
occasions 'Bubbles' has been played way too early, so the song is over by
the time the teams walk out, leaving a gap before the handshake music.
Second halves have started in virtual silence, without any kind of rousing
call to action. This team needs our help and they are not getting it. The
interviews pitchside have been stilted. The introduction of Julien Faubert
as a 'legend' was laughable. I apologise to Martin Godleman who has filled
my shoes as announcer. He's a smashing bloke and a friend of mine, but it's
just not working out. He wrote a book recently called 'We're West Ham United
– We Play on the Floor.' Two things emerged from that book: One is that he
never felt comfortable in the announcer's role, when he filled in for me
when Scott Duxbury sacked me in 2008 for a few months. The second is that
Martin's not a fan of the way Sam Allardyce's teams play football. Nice
bloke as Martin is, he's not the man we need rallying the support behind our
club. If I hear Twisted Firestarter at half-time again I think I'll go mad.
We need a rethink of the music to play some old favourites associated with
the good times, to get that feelgood factor back. The manager can pick
eleven players and seven subs, but at the moment he is being denied that all
important twelfth man. The Boleyn can be an intimidating place to come, but
not at the moment. Our away support is as magnificent as always, but at home
the supporters are being let down by the pre-match build up.
You may think that because of his desire to return as matchday announcer he
is overplaying his hand, but I think he has got a very valid point. People
who sit around me mutter often about "it not being the same" and they are
right. I suspect doing that job is a lot tougher than it looks, but at the
moment it's too local radio. Something needs to happen. And before anyone
accuses me of wanting the job for myself, let me rule myself out. I have the
self-knowledge to realise that it wouldn't be my cup of tea and I haven't
got the right voice for it.
Having said all that, it's not fair just to blame the announcer for failing
to whip up an atmosphere. And we can't just blame it on the performances of
the team, it's also down to us – those who pay good money to watch the
rubbish that's being served up to us. Perhaps we need Karren Brady to do a
Delia…
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WEST HAM HOPE TO SIGN ITALIAN VETERAN ALBERTO GILARDINO ON LOAN
By Sean Whetstone 19 Jan 2014 at 12:13
West Ham Till I Die
The Sunday Express claim West Ham hope to sign Italian international Alberto
Gilardino from Genoa on loan after failing with their loan bid for Lacina
Traore.
The 31-year-old has scored 19 goals in 57 international appearances and is
said to be targeted by Sam Allardyce for a permenent move in the summer. He
has scored 12 goals from 30 appearances for Genoa with another 13 goals from
35 appearances for Bologna while on loan. Genoa are believed to want around
£5m for Gilardino, but West Ham hope to tie up an initial loan deal until
the end of the season to try before they buy. It is claimed Allardyce wanted
to sign Gilardino on loan last summer but was unable to finalise a deal. The
\Forza Italiana website suggests that he now is planning a fresh move for
the Italian veteran. Gilardino was reportedly being lined up to become
Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe's strike partner at Toronto, but he rejected
a move to the MLS side.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
RICKIE LAMBERT ANYONE?
By Tony Hanna 19 Jan 2014 at 08:14
West Ham Till I Die
The promise of early new signings, in particular a quality striker, has not
been delivered by the owners this transfer window. But who really thought
things were going to be that easy? Hull City have got early business done
but the rest of the Premier League clubs have not exactly been running out
of ink. The Hammers have actually signed more players this window than any
other club, but with due respect to Jaanai Gordon, Roger Johnson and the
re-signing of Carlton Cole, it has not been exactly the inspiring season
saving stuff we were crying out for!
The anticipated signing of Lacina Traore has not yet eventuated, despite Big
Sam going in to bat for him successfully at the work permit tribunal. There
are many rumours around as to why this has not happened. Some sources are
saying that he is injured (knowing our luck that would have been at our
medical), whilst others are saying that Everton may have gazumped us-
(remember Lukaku)? Another theory is that we have actually gone cold
ourselves on the deal? The changing point may have been this weeks turmoil
at Southampton which reignites the hope that the Saints may actually sell
Rickie Lambert to us? A look at the bookies boards show that Lambert is 1/5
to join the Hammers this window. The re-signing of Carlton Cole to a new
contract suggests that signing both Traore and Lambert is something that is
not feasible.
UPDATE: Since writing this piece, Sam has told the press that Everton have
indeed gazumped us on the Traore deal. It also appears that the player may
be carrying an injury that may take several weeks to recover from. So, the
Lambert scenario may not have been the catalyst for Traore not signing for
us. However, it is interesting to see the bookies price so short for a deal
that would seem unlikely in our current predicament.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Carroll will 'grab' Hammers and drag them to safety says Toon boss Pardew
By CRAIG HOPE
PUBLISHED: 13:30, 19 January 2014 | UPDATED: 13:32, 19 January 2014
DailY Mail
Alan Pardew has backed Andy Carroll to 'grab' hold of West Ham and drag them
to Premier League safety. The Newcastle boss, who sold the striker to
Liverpool for £35million three years ago, has never hidden his admiration
for the player and there was even talk of him re-signing for the Magpies
last season.
Carroll, though, became West Ham's £15millon record signing during the
summer, only for a heel injury to keep him sidelined for the first five
months of the campaign. He appeared for the first time at Upton Park on
Saturday as the Hammers were beaten 3-1 by Pardew's Geordies, the
second-half substitute skying one glorious chance over the crossbar. That
result left Sam Allardyce's third from bottom in the top flight, goal
difference only keeping them from the foot of the table. Pardew, however,
believes that Carroll's return will prove the catalyst for an upturn in
fortunes in East London. 'He is going to be important for Big Sam in this
second part of the season,' said the former West Ham boss. 'He had that one
big chance (on Saturday) but he's a bit rusty – he would have taken that on
another day.'He's a terrific character and I'm sure that he's going to grab
this team and keep them in the division. 'They have Kevin (Nolan) coming
back as well and Sam has a lot to lean on there and he can be encouraged by
their performance in the second half.'
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's Sam Allardyce feels pressure mount after loss to Newcastle
• West Ham manager rues transfer and injury frustrations
• Home fans jeer Sam Allardyce during another defeat
Jacob Steinberg at Upton Park
theguardian.com, Sunday 19 January 2014 11.22 GMT
Sam Allardyce was under increasing pressure after West Ham United dropped
back into the bottom three after a dismal 3-1 defeat against Newcastle at
Upton Park on Saturday, with the manager blaming defensive lapses and
expressing frustration over a number of setbacks in the transfer market this
month.
While West Ham believe that Allardyce remains the man to keep them up,
supporters could not hide their anger at their team's performance. One fan
made his way towards the home dugout after Newcastle's second goal to direct
abuse at Allardyce and West Ham were jeered during the match and booed off
after the final whistle.
However Allardyce defended himself by pointing to the number of absentees in
his back four. James Tomkins was suspended and Winston Reid, Joey O'Brien,
Guy Demel and George McCartney were all injured.
"Our defensive frailties were exposed in the first half," Allardyce said.
"It was about our defensive lapses rather than Newcastle's quality, even
though they were two good finishes. Our back four today never played
together. You don't get that solid unit when players don't play together."
Allardyce said that the chances of West Ham signing the Monaco striker
Lacina Traoré were "extremely unlikely" – Everton are the favourites to sign
the Ivory Coast forward – and revealed that a deal for another player had
fallen through on Friday.
"It's extremely difficult," he said. "I had a terrible day when I thought
one player was coming and he didn't."
Allardyce was insistent that results will improve once West Ham's injured
and suspended players are back but could at least take encouragement from
another appearance off the bench by Andy Carroll after his return from a
heel injury. However the £15m forward missed a great chance to earn West Ham
a point against his old club.
"It's eight months since he played," Allardyce said. "He's had a long
gruelling rehabilitation programme. Without those players, we see what
results we're getting. If we're going to get back we need those injured
players."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Be patient with Andy Carroll urges Matthew Taylor
Last Updated: 19/01/14 11:56pm
SSN
Matthew Taylor has warned West Ham and England fans not to expect too much,
too soon from striker Andy Carroll. Carroll was a second-half substitute on
Saturday in the Hammers' 3-1 defeat at home to his former club Newcastle.
The 25-year-old missed the start of the season with a foot injury and has
only just returned to the side. Carroll, who missed a decent opportunity to
score at Upton Park, could still be named by England head coach Roy Hodgson
in his England squad for this year's World Cup and Taylor insists people
must be patient. "Having Andy back is a huge lift. He's a huge player for us
and a huge presence in the squad. You can see that on the pitch as well,"
said Taylor. "It's great for him to be back in the fold and hopefully in the
next couple of games he'll be raring to go again. "He's our record signing
and is very good at occupying two or three players at a time when the ball
is played to him. "He'll be disappointed that he missed that chance, but it
wasn't an easy one. "He's been beating himself up in the changing room about
it, but it wasn't as easy as people are making out. "He hasn't played
football for a long time and we need to remember that. The next one will
come in and hopefully he'll put it away."
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Sunday, January 19
Daily WHUFC News - 19th January 2014
Cabaye double defeats Hammers
WHUFC.com
West Ham United fell to a 3-1 defeat against Newcastle United on Saturday
18.01.2014
West Ham United 1-3 Newcastle United
Barclays Premier League
West Ham United's long wait for back-to-back Barclays Premier League
victories goes on after they fell to a 3-1 defeat to Newcastle United at the
Boleyn Ground on Saturday. Buoyed by last weekend's victory over Cardiff
City, the Hammers were hopeful of climbing towards mid-table, but were left
to rue a flat opening 33 minutes, which saw them fall two goals behind to
strikes from Yohan Cabaye and Loic Remy. Mike Williamson's own goal on the
stroke of half time gave West Ham hope, and after Carlton Cole and Andy
Carroll squandered chances to draw the Hammers level after the break, Cabaye
sealed it in stoppage time with an accurate free-kick. West Ham mounted the
first attack of the game, right from kick-off, with Mark Noble having a shot
deflected wide, but Newcastle soon settled and began to force the issue.
With six minutes on the clock, Remy received the ball in the Hammers box and
was able to work space for a shot, but failed to hit the target from 12
yards. The Hammers may have breathed a sigh of relief then, but it was only
shortlived as the visitors moved in front ten minutes later. Cabaye's first
touch from Yoan Gouffran's square pass was sublime to take him past Razvan
Rat on the edge of the box, then his second was even better to nudge beyond
Adrian in the home goal.
The Cabaye-Remy combination was causing the Hammers all sorts of problems,
and the former fed Moussa Sissoko inside the box on 23 minutes, but his
effort was gathered at the second attempt by Adrian. Newcastle were well on
top though, and duly doubled their lead twelve minutes before the break
through Remy, who peeled off at the far post as the Hammers defence got
caught under Sissoko's right-wing cross, controlled on his chest and poked
home. Cheick Tiote had a fierce shot blocked by Roger Johnson as Newcastle
looked for more, although it was the Hammers who had the final word of the
first half as Williamson's own goal gave them a timely lift. The game was
well into the two minutes of stoppage time signalled when Rat lifted the
ball into the box for Carlton Cole, who brought the ball down on his chest
and poked goalwards. Tim Krul blocked, but the ricochet off Williamson was
kind for the home side and travelled over the line.
West Ham made a change at the break, with Ravel Morrison replacing Jack
Collison, but it was the visitors who had the first chance of the second
period when Remy streaked clear down the right and forced a good save from
Adrian. The next opportunity fell to the Hammers, and it was a golden one
too, but Carlton Cole could only knock wide with the goal at his marcy after
Stewart Downing sent Matt Taylor clear down the right to deliver a low cross
into the danger area.
West Ham then called for Andy Carroll from the bench as the ex-Newcastle man
made his first Boleyn Ground appearance of the season, joining Cole up front
as the home side stepped up their search for a leveller. It was then
Carroll's turn to miss a sitter, knocking well over the top with 15 minutes
left after Downing's low cross had only been helped on by Krul's fingertips
and left the goal wide open. James Collins slammed a shot wide of the edge
of the box after a corner was only half cleared late on, but for all West
Ham's pressing, it was the Toon who sealed it at the death when Cabaye
curled a free-kick out of Adrian's desperate grasp.
West Ham United: Adrian; Taylor, Collins, Johnson, Rat; Collison (Collison
46), Noble, Diame (Carroll 62); Downing, C.Cole, Jarvis (J.Cole 73)
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Maiga, Diarra, Chambers
Goal: Williamson og 45+2
Newcastle United: Krul; Yanga-Mbiwa, Williamson, S.Taylor, Santon (Dummett
74); Cabaye, Tiote, Anita (Sh.Ameobi 60); Sissoko, Remy (Ben Arfa 78),
Gouffran
Subs: Elliot, Cisse, Haidara, Obertan
Goals: Cabaye 16, Remy 33, Cabaye 90+5
Referee: Andre Marriner
Attendance: 33,344
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Downing disappointed by sloppy start
WHUFC.com
Stewart Downing was frustrated as the Hammers slipped to a home defeat to
Newcastle United
18.01.2014
Stewart Downing felt the Hammers only had themselves to blame after falling
to a 3-1 defeat against Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon. The Hammers
improved after the break to give the Magpies a fright, but two goals in the
first 33 minutes from Yohan Cabaye and Loic Remy had already put them into a
position of power. Mike Williamson's own goal in first half stoppage time
reduced the deficit, and Carlton Cole and Andy Carroll both had glorious
chances to draw the hosts level, but Cabaye's last-gasp free-kick ultimately
sealed the Hammers' fate. Downing took some encouragement from that second
half revival, but admitted they needed to be sharper from the off. He
explained: "Them getting an early goal made things difficult for us and
giving them a two-goal start left us with a bit of a mountain [to climb].
"But after getting a goal back, we probably could have ended up with a draw
with the chances we had. "We wanted to start the second half well and
scoring the goal just before half-time changed the mood at half-time a bit.
"Then Carlton had a great chance, Andy had a chance too and we were putting
them under pressure, but a bit of quality from Cabaye on a free-kick at the
end, and the game was dead. "If we could have put one of those chances away
for 2-2, I think we could have gone on to get the winner. That's been the
story of our season a little bit, and we shot ourselves in the foot by
giving away two sloppy goals."
West Ham were looking for back-to-back home wins for the first time since
their promotion back to the top flight in 2012, and the fact they missed an
opportunity to do so was another source of disappointment for the No23.
"It's frustrating for everyone, but there's no point dwelling on it, we have
to look ahead and we have some big games coming up, in which we need goals
and wins," he continued. "Coming off a big result at Cardiff, it made it all
the more frustrating. Newcastle are a quality side, they've got goalscorers.
Two bits of brilliance from Cabaye for his goals and they've put their
chances away, which we didn't. "We're playing a lot of teams in and around
us in the next month, there's still a long way to go but we need to start
picking up points as quickly as we can."
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Big Sam on Newcastle setback
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce admitted the better team had won in West Ham United's 3-1 home
defeat by Newcastle United
18.01.2014
Sam Allardyce admitted the better team had won in West Ham United's 3-1 home
defeat by Newcastle United. The manager watched his team start well before
falling behind to two goals by Yohan Cabaye and Loic Remy. Carlton Cole
forced Mike Williamson to put through his own net on the stroke of half-time
to give the Hammers hope. West Ham went on the front foot after the break,
only for Cole and substitute Andy Carroll to miss presentable opportunities
to equalise before Cabaye's last-gasp free-kick rubbed salt into the wounds.
To add injury to insult, Big Sam was also forced to re-jig his starting XI
after George McCartney was ruled out hours before kick-off with a recurrence
of the neck injury he suffered at Cardiff City last weekend. "It was lapses
of concentration for their first two goals which cost us the game," said the
manager. "We started the game very well up until they scored the first goal
and then we got one back before half-time and that lifted us. We took that
impetus into the second half and continued to push Newcastle back, got the
chances but missed them, and it was as simple as that really. "You are going
to go behind in games and sometimes need to come from behind and we had the
opportunity to get something, but unfortunately failed to do it in the end.
By the time they scored the last goal, it was insignificant as it came in
the last few seconds, but everything we tried in the second half came good
apart from what we needed most, which was a finish on target to put the ball
in the back of the net. "From all the opportunities we created, we didn't do
that and, because of that, we didn't get the goal we were looking for to get
something out of the game."
The manager was asked what his reaction was to the result in terms of
whether or not he was pleased with the performance of a team without Winston
Reid, James Tomkins, Kevin Nolan, Ricardo Vaz Te, Guy Demel, George
McCartney, Joey O'Brien and, from the start, Andy Carroll. "I think, at the
end of the day, I've got to look at it overall and say that the lads are
trying hard. At times, they get a little bit nervous and you could see their
confidence had drained at 2-0 down, but you've got to be big enough to stand
up and drive yourself on. "I thought the response after half-time was very,
very good. If you look at Newcastle's squad and size of it and the money
they've spent on it, coupled with the players we're without at the minute,
we're a long way behind in talent terms to Newcastle United. "Until we
establish ourselves for longer in the Premier League and find more and more
quality players, we are getting the best out of the players we have got. At
the minute, it's not good enough to get consistent results, but we are
trying our hardest and our best and had a real opportunity to get something.
"We created lots of chances and the gulf in spending didn't show in the
second half on the field, which was very pleasing. At the end of the day is
that we need to get back to the defensive solidity we showed earlier this
season, because you can see what that is bringing Crystal Palace at the
moment. Tony Pulis has said it won't be easy to beat Crystal Palace and, if
you beat them at the minute, it's only by one goal. "If you do that, you end
up with the one-nil wins we should have had earlier in the season when we
had all those clean sheets. However, we can't get back to that until all our
defenders get back fit."
Yet again, the manager was forced to shuffle his pack when McCartney was
forced to pull out with a neck injury, adding to the long list of absentees
he has seemingly had to deal with all season long. "For the last two months
or so, every corner we turn around, there is another obstacle causing us
problems in terms of the selection process. It was hard enought last week at
Cardiff to get a result with James getting sent-off and Guy getting carried
off, then we got in on Saturday and George couldn't play due to the neck
injury he suffered last week and hadn't recovered from. "It's difficult at
the minute but one, we've got to be patient and wait for those players to
come back and two, we have got Ravel Morrison, Kevin, Ginge and James back
now and all of the players have a duty to give their best between now and
the end of the season. "If we get any additions in on top of what we have,
then that will make us a strong enough squad to get out of the situation
we're in at the moment."
On the subject of transfers, Big Sam revealed that the Club missed out on
signing a new player on Friday. "I was convinced that we had one on Friday.
I went out of my way and interrupted my training to make sure it got done,
only for the selling club to say they aren't going to let him come to us now
because another club has come in. "We will fight and fight on both fronts,
both on the field and to get new players in. The Chairman is trying as hard
as possible to get players to put on the pitch and get better results.
"Cardiff was now a brief moment of hope and relief, but now we're back in
where we don't want to be. We wanted to stay out of the bottom three but we
haven't done that, so we have to make sure we get out of it as quickly as we
can."
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Carlton named as Player of the Month
WHUFC.com
Strikers Carlton Cole and Modibo Maiga have taken this month's whufc.com
awards
18.01.2014
Carlton Cole has been named as the West Ham United Player of the Month for
December. The 30-year-old striker won a fan poll on whufc.com to take the
prize, after notching two goals in the month. He scored in the Hammers' 3-1
defeats to Arsenal and Manchester United, to take the position as the Club's
top Barclays Premier League goalscorer in 2013/14. Cole took 40% of the vote
to claim the prize, while Modibo Maiga was second and George McCartney
third.
Meanwhile, Maiga's header in the 2-1 Capital One Cup quarter-final victory
at Tottenham was December's West Ham United Goal of the Month. The Malian's
goal polled 50% of the whufc.com vote, while Matt Jarvis' goal in the same
game took second place.
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No go on Vermaelen
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 18th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham's interest in Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen is unlikely to go
any further, according to Sam Allardyce. The Hammers made an enquiry earlier
this week with view to taking the 28-year-old centre half on loan for the
remainder of the season. However Arsenal were unwilling to part with the
Belgian international who, whilst currently out of favour, is still seen as
an integral part of Arsene Wenger's first team squad. "Under the
circumstances Arsenal are in, with the Champions League coming up and other
Cup matches, they've had to use him as soon as any of the two [first choice]
central defenders have been injured," revealed Allardyce. "I don't think
there's any chance we'll get someone of his quality. It'd be nice if we
could..."
Speaking after this afternoon's 3-1 defeat at home to Newcastle, Allardyce
also revealed why the deal to sign Lacina Traore on loan from Monaco fell
through.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce on... Newcastle Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 18th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Having once again failed to achieve back-to-back Premier League wins, a
disappointed Sam Allardyce faces the press - whilst revealing exactly why
the Lacina Traore deal fell through...
Sam: you had two great chances to grab a point in that second half?
Yeah. It's been about not taking our chances most of the time for us of the
season, which is why we haven't achieved more points than we have.
Unfortunately at the opposite end our defensive frailties were exposed a
little bit today in that first half. We overcame them but unfortunately even
a spirited fightback in the second half hasn't got us anything. But we'll
keep our chins up as we've 16 games to go and we know how many points we
need in those 16 games to get safe in the Barclays Premier League. We've got
to keep fighting on.
I think there comes a time where the players have to realise it doesn't
become about performances any more, it becomes about results more than
anything. Whichever way you get them you've got to get them and that'll
start with us bringing back some of the players who are suspended and some
of the players who have been injured. That'll help us of course and if we
can get any additions - and we've been trying desperately hard in the window
- then we'll do that as well.
It's very disappointing to have won three points at Cardiff away from home
and got nothing here. Certainly from our point of view I felt it was more
about our defensive lapses than the quality of Newcastle's play to score
both goals, even though they were two good finishes. We could have done
better.
In the end, the fighting spirit and the fight back was there but, you know.
I was watching Sunderland before our game and I was thinking "come on lads,
do a Sunderland for me" - because they came back well today in the early
game against Southampton. It didn't look like they were going to get much
from the game in the first half-an-hour.
But chances were there and we missed them when we could have got it back to
2-2. I think the one at the end went in with just a few seconds left so it
didn't mean too much, that one.
Can you explain what happened in the first half?
We didn't defend very well.
In what way?
In the way that we had five defenders missing or injured and one who should
have played but pulled out this morning. Five of our defenders are not
playing and our back four today had never played together at all this
season.
When you get continuous disruption in your back four, you don't then get a
solid unit. Sometimes the solid unit that you would like is difficult to
keep when players aren't used to playing with each other. Newcastle's
players, in that period, exposed the weaknesses we have and scored two
goals.
Alan Pardew made the point that had Andy Carroll been fully match fit or
sharp he might have put that one away. Is it going to take a few games to
get full match fitness?
Well it's eight months since he's played and he's had a long, gruelling
rehabilitation programme that's frustrated everybody. With Andy back, Kevin
back, Ravel back and Winston Reid, Guy Demel, Joey O'Brien and George
McCartney back as soon as possible... It's critical for us.
Without those players we get the results we're getting and our run of
results recently contains too many defeats. Six defeats, two draws and only
one victory tells you the problem that all those injuries and all those
disruptions have caused us.
If we're going to get out of it, those players have to stay fit. If
additional players can come in... which we're finding extremely difficult to
achieve. I had a terrible day yesterday when I thought that one player was
signing for us and then I found out he wasn't. But there you go, we have to
carry on.
Was that Traore? Is the deal still alive?
It's unlikely, by the sound of it.
In your understanding of the work permit, is he now allowed to join another
team despite you lodging the..?
....They can apply for a work permit - like we did - now. They'll have to
make a second application but obviously they know that if we got it, they
know they'll get it.
Have you made an enquiry about taking Thomas Vermaelen on loan?
No, because I think that under the circumstances Arsenal are in, with the
Champions League coming up and other Cup matches they've had to use him as
soon as any of the two central defenders have been injured. I don't think
there's any chance we'll get someone of his quality. It'd be nice if we
could.
Have you got any other targets?
I've a long list of targets and I haven't got one of them yet apart from
Roger Johnson! So I'll keep going and hope we get some.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce: Traore deal dead
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 18th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce has admitted that the deal to sign Lacina Traore is almost
certainly dead in the water. Allardyce, speaking after West Ham's
disappointing 3-1 reversal at home to Newcastle this afternoon told
reporters that any deal is now "unlikely" after another unnamed club, known
to be Everton, came in for the player. "I had a terrible day yesterday when
I found out that one player I thought was signing for us wasn't," he said.
And on the question of obtaining a work permit, he added: "They [Everton]
can apply for a work permit like we did, they have to do a second
application. Obviously if we got it they know they can get it."
Everton are thought to have signed Traore on loan for the rest of the season
with view to an extra year should all parties agree. We'll have more from
Allardyce's post-match press conference later...
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Newcastle pile pressure on West Ham with Upton Park win
Last Updated: 18/01/14 6:51pm
SSN
Newcastle United got back to winning ways with a 3-1 victory at Upton Park
which pushed West Ham United into the Premier League drop zone. Yohan Cabaye
and Loic Remy made the most of the Magpies' control in the first half to
open up a commanding lead, and the Hammers were unable to build on the
lifeline of a Mike Williamson own goal as they conceded a third late on.
Best of the match
Man of the match: Yohan Cabaye. Two well-taken goals and makes Newcastle
tick.
Goal of the match: Cabaye's first saw him show great composure to collect a
pass, open up his body and stroke the ball into the bottom corner.
Moment of the match: Carlton Cole and Andy Carroll spurned glorious
opportunities to haul West Ham level, and were made to pay.
Talking point: Can West Ham steer clear of trouble? Are Newcastle contenders
for a European spot?
It took just 16 minutes for the visitors to break the deadlock, after three
Premier League games without a win or a goal, with Yoan Gouffran allowed to
carry the ball towards the box and tee up Cabaye to calmly stroke into the
bottom corner. Remy doubled that advantage on 33 minutes, with a Moussa
Sissoko cross picking him out six yards out - and the Frenchman made no
mistake as he controlled on his chest and poked under Adrian. West Ham found
a route back into the tie on the stroke of half-time, as Carlton Cole
bundled past a sliding Tim Krul and the unfortunate Williamson saw the ball
ricochet off his shin and over the line, but it was to be an afternoon of
further home discomfort for the Hammers. Cabaye made sure of that deep into
second half stoppage-time as he whipped a 20-yard free-kick over the wall
and past a full stretch Adrian, who could only touch the effort onto the
inside of the post. The Magpies in full flow were great to watch but they
will face few more accommodating back fours than Razvan Rat, James Collins,
Roger Johnson and Matt Taylor. Cabaye and Remy benefited from some woeful
defending and had the Magpies been just a little more clinical, the contest
would have been over by half-time. Injury-hit West Ham's shortcomings in
defence were exposed in the opening minutes when Cabaye threaded a terrific
pass to Remy. The Frenchman outfoxed Johnson and Collins and, having
created enough room to take a shot, sent the ball narrowly wide of the left
post. When Cabaye was given the opportunity to put Newcastle ahead in the
16th minute, he seized his chance. Yoan Gouffran darted infield and found
Cabaye, who took two touches and passed the ball into the net with West
Ham's passive defence all but waving him through.
It was turning into the Cabaye show as the French midfielder set up Moussa
Sissoko with a long pass, which should have been buried, before shooting
just wide himself. The half-hour mark saw West Ham's first chance, but
Stewart Downing stabbed the ball straight into the arms of Tim Krul. Any
hope that Downing's attempt might inspire the Hammers faded almost
immediately as Newcastle capitalised on more shambolic defending to surge
2-0 ahead. Sissoko floated in a cross that should have been cleared with
ease, but instead Remy was able to glide unmarked into the six-yard box and
stab home. West Ham have slipped back into the relegation zone but Sam
Allardyce is adamant he won't rush back star man Andy Carroll. Remarkably,
given the run of play, West Ham pulled one back deep into first-half injury
time and this time Newcastle's defence was at fault. Rat provided the cross
to Cole, who chested the ball down and muscled his way through two
defenders, Williamson adjudged to have got the final touch as the ball found
its way past Krul. The goal seemed only to be a momentary lapse in
concentration as Cabaye tested Adrian early in the second half, but slowly
West Ham began to display some stomach for the fight. A hint of complacency
had crept into Newcastle's play and it was now the Hammers who were driving
forward. Cole should have rounded off Matt Taylor's hard work by dispatching
the equaliser but instead he blundered over a simple chance, steering the
ball wide with the target at his mercy. Carroll's first appearance of the
season at Upton Park was greeted by a loud cheer, but when the stage
beckoned for the England forward to deliver he skied the ball into the
stands. Fittingly, it was the brilliant Cabaye who supplied Newcastle's
third goal in the 95th minute with a spectacular free-kick strike from the
edge of the box.
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Sam Allardyce admits West Ham are unlikely to sign Lacina Traore and Thomas
Vermaelen
Last Updated: 18/01/14 10:54pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has admitted they are set to miss out on Lacina
Traore and that a move for Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen is unlikely to happen.
Allardyce is desperately searching for new faces to bolster his injury-hit
squad as he looks to steer West Ham out of trouble at the wrong end of the
table.
Allarydce has admitted he was was considering a move for Vermaelen, but
concedes Arsenal are unlikely to let the Belgian leave as the battle for
honours on three fronts in the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
"I think under the circumstances at Arsenal with the situation they're in
with the Champions League and cup matches, they've had to use him
[Vermaelen] as soon as any of the two defenders are injured," noted
Allardyce. "I don't think there's any chance we'll get someone of his
quality, but it would be nice if we could. "I'll keep going and hope we get
some [new players]. Allardyce also confirmed Monaco striker Traore will not
be making the move to Upton Park despite the Hammers agreeing a deal with
Monaco and applying for a work permit for the Ivory Coast forward. Reports
have suggested Everton have hijacked the deal for Traore and Allardyce says
there is nothing they can do to stop the Goodison Park outfit signing the
player. When asked after Saturday's defeat to Newcastle if Traore would be
signing, he said: "It's unlikely by the sounds of it. "We're finding it
extremely difficult (to bring players in). "We had a terrible day yesterday
(Friday) when I thought a player was signing for us and then I found out he
wasn't, but there you go. [Any other club] can apply for a work permit like
we did. "They would have to do a separate application."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce says West Ham must ease Andy Carroll back
Last Updated: 18/01/14 6:29pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce says he has no choice but to ease Andy Carroll back into
action despite West Ham United sitting in the drop zone. The Hammers tumbled
back into the bottom three on Saturday after going down 3-1 at home to
Newcastle United. It had been suggested in the build-up to the game that
Carroll may be offered a starting berth against his former employers. He
made his long-awaited return to action after foot and ankle problems in a
2-0 win at Cardiff City, but is being forced to make do with a place on the
bench as West Ham favour a cautious approach when it comes to his long-term
fitness. On his decision to give Carroll half-an-hour against Newcastle,
Allardyce told Sky Sports: "I don't care what anyone says, we do what we
have been doing all season - it's the medical side that decide on how we get
Andy Carroll back fit and playing, not anyone else. "It's a difficult period
for us in the defensive side of it and I think that's the reason why we
conceded three goals today - not that they didn't try really hard, just the
unfamiliarity in our defensive unit at the moment."
"My decision, via the medical process, says that if you risk any more than
that, then you risk the lad getting injured again. Is that what we want? "He
is our biggest major asset that we have signed and we want him on the pitch
playing every week. We have to do that slowly. "Irrespective of how
desperate it gets, it's more about making sure Andy stays fit for the
entirety of this season to try and help us get some results than it is to
risk him for another 15 minutes and get him injured again."
Carroll spurned one glorious opportunity to level matters when West Ham
trailed 2-1, but Allardyce believes it is issues at the back - where he
continues to be denied the services of key senior performers - which are
costing his side dear. He said on a 12th defeat of the season: "We had quite
a bright start and had we shown a bit more quality in the final third, we
might have caused more problems. We didn't get a chance in that period and
then the two goals were a lot down to our deficiencies rather than the
opponent's play. "We came fighting back from that and got a lifeline just
before half-time with the goal, and the second half we piled the pressure on
but couldn't convert the chances that we created. "Again, it's really
disappointing because I keep telling the players and reminding them that
this period is difficult because we haven't drawn enough, never mind won
enough. You always set out in games thinking if you can win it, that's
great, but make sure you don't lose it. We are losing too many and we have
got to put that right as quickly as possible. "What will help us put that
right will be suspended players back - James Tomkins and Kevin Nolan - and
injured players as quickly as we possibly can. "George McCartney ended up
with a severe neck problem this morning, worse than we expected, so he
couldn't be selected. We put Matt Taylor in at right-back and two central
defenders who had never played together before, so it's a difficult period
for us in the defensive side of it and I think that's the reason why we
conceded three goals today - not that they didn't try really hard, just the
unfamiliarity in our defensive unit at the moment. "Because it has to change
every week, that is causing us a few problems in terms of the goals that
we're conceding. At the other end, we haven't scored enough all season."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
JUST WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE LACINA TRAORE LOAN?
By Sean Whetstone 18 Jan 2014 at 21:43
West Ham Till I Die
It is has widely reported in the media that Everton have hijacked our loan
deal for Lacina Traore. This now appears to be have been confirmed by Sam
Allardyce after the match.
West Ham successfully applied for a work permit through the FA appointed
appeal panel last week paying the required £1,000 + VAT fee as well as going
to the expense of preparing the appeal with Sam Allardyce and secretary
Andrew Pincher giving up their time to give evidence for the work permit. It
is my interpretation of the UK Border Agency rules that West Ham would be
named as the sponsor and the work permit issued is non transferable.
A certificate of Sponsorship is assigned to a player by the applicant Club
which must be submitted to the FA. The work permit situation is further
complicated that it went through on appeal. The regulations which can be
found HERE seem to suggest "If a player is moving to another club on loan
then the new club must make a fresh application before the player can play
for them. If the player does not meet the criteria and the club have
requested a panel, the panel will be arranged."
That would mean the FA appointed panel would need to sit again to make a
fresh recommendation to the UK Border Agency to issue a new work permit for
Everton. The panel regulations forbid another appeal hearing for the same
player within a four month period when the appeal has unsuccessful although
it is less clear within the rules if the appeal was successful. This is this
loophole Everton could use to get their own work permit building on West
Ham's effort to get the first one.
I understand West Ham agreed a loan fee with Monaco believed to be around
£500,000 but had not agreed personal terms and it was still subject to a
medical.
I also understand West Ham 's medical assessed Traore's match fitness and
possible hamstring injury which led them to believe he would not be fully
match fit for up to six weeks. At that stage I am told West Ham tried to
renegotiate the loan deal terms.
In the mean time the player had his head turned and decided he did want want
to come to West Ham and preferred Everton.
It may be no coincidence that West Ham's new Head of Sports Medicine and
former Everton physio Dominic Rogan may have advised West Ham on Traore's
fitness. Dominic Rogan was previously with Russian Premier League club Anzhi
Makhachkala where Lacina Traore has just transferred from. Rogan would have
been in a very good position to advise on Traore. Maybe this is a blessing
in disguise as we need a striker now not in six weeks time.
In his post match press conference Sam Allardyce admitted that it is
"unlikely by, the sound of it" that West Ham will be signing Lacina Traore,
He hinted that the move for 23-year-old Traore collapsed unexpectedly on
Friday. He said "We're finding it extremely difficult (to bring players in)
We had a terrible day yesterday (Friday) when I thought a player was signing
for us and then I found out he wasn't" You can see his post match interview
below.
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Alan Pardew a shock contender for West Ham job if Hammers decide to sack Sam
Allardyce
Jan 18, 2014 22:30 By Dave Kidd 3 Comments
The Mirror
The Newcastle boss remains close friends with David Gold, the east London
side's co-owner, and used to manage the club between 2003 and 2006
Alan Pardew will be a shock contender for the West Ham manager's job – if
they sack Sam Allardyce. The Newcastle boss is a close friend of Hammers
co-owner David Gold and was in charge of the Hammers from 2003 until 2006
under a previous regime. Pardew's family home is still in London. After
yesterday's defeat, Allardyce said: "The players have to realise it's now
about results, not performances. "There are 16 games to go and, at least
now, we have good players coming back from injury." West Ham's co-owners
Gold and David Sullivan are keen to back Allardyce, as they would have to
pay him £4million in compensation if they fire him.
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Newcastle defeat leaves West Ham desperate for Winston Reid's return
Saturday 18 Jan 2014 8:23 pm
Metro.co.uk
Winston Reid's extended absence has had a huge impact on West Ham's season.
In the darkest hours of the Blitz, the people of the East End took heart
from the leadership of Winston Churchill. As West Ham's season-long struggle
continues following their latest Premier League defeat, once again
Eastenders are left hoping a Winston can inspire them to victory – but this
one is from New Zealand, not Blenheim Palace. For all the attention paid to
their problems up front this season, arguably the real reason for West Ham's
current plight is weakness at the back, much of it down to the absence of
one player – Winston Reid. With the Kiwi calling the shots in defence, West
Ham kept six clean sheets in their opening 10 Premier League games; since he
was ruled out with a long-term ankle injury in November, they have managed
just three in 15 games in all competitions – tellingly, against the two
teams below them in the league, Sunderland and Cardiff, and the one above
them, Fulham. Every setback for the other strugglers is a positive for West
Ham. A week ago club co-owner David Gold tweeted that Reid had told him he
was 'close to a return' and with three out of four games in February against
teams in the bottom half of the table, his return cannot come soon enough.
No offence to Roger Johnson, drafted in on loan from Wolves earlier this
month to add height and experience to the defence, but Reid is the player
the back line and the whole team are crying out for. Johnson knows all about
relegation battles, having been involved in them for each of the last three
seasons at Birmingham and Wolves – but ominously for West Ham fans, they
have all ended in failure. Reid's absence was felt yet again on Saturday as
West Ham went down 3-1 at home to a Newcastle team who came into the match
on a poor run of form. The home team's defensive frailties were exposed as
early as the 16th minute when Yohan Cabaye shot the visitors ahead. Loic
Remy doubled the lead before only a fine save from Adrian prevented Cabaye
adding another, with Mike Williamson's own goal just before the break giving
the home fans something to cheer. Andy Caroll's second half introduction for
his first home appearance of the season was another positive but he could
not live up to the hoped-for script with a goal against his former side, and
at the death Cabaye's second wrapped up Newcastle's victory and put West Ham
back in the drop zone. Sam Allardyce's side should count their blessings
that things are so competitive at the foot of the table this season – the
bottom seven teams are covered by just three points – so February's fixture
list means that just a couple of decent results could make a huge difference
to the standings. If Reid is fit to play a part, those wins are a far more
realistic proposition. If not, then the likelihood of the curse of Roger
Johnson striking yet again grows ever greater.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Vermaelen to West Ham OFF as Allardyce fumes at losing Traore to Everton
Express.co.uk
By: James DickensonPublished: Sat, January 18, 2014
WEST HAM manager Sam Allardyce lamented his bad luck in the transfer market
after seeing moves for Thomas Vermaelen and Lacina Traore scuppered by
Arsenal and Everton. Sam Allardyce is struggling to bring in new faces at
West Ham Sam Allardyce is struggling to bring in new faces at West Ham
[REUTERS]
Allardyce's side were plunged deeper into relegation trouble after losing
3-1 at home to former club Newcastle. And the West Ham boss revealed after
the game that neither Vermaelen or Traore will be heading to Upton Park. "I
had a terrible day yesterday when I thought one player was signing for us
and then I found out he wasn't," Allardyce said. "It's unlikely," he added
when asked if a deal for Traore was still alive. "They can apply for a work
permit like we did although they would have to a separate application and
obviously if we got it they know they will get it." Express Sport
understands Everton are set to sign the Ivory Coast international on loan
from Monaco after muscling their way in front of the Hammers for his
services. And a move for Vermaelen has been pulled by Allardyce as he feels
Arsenal would be unlikely to allow him to leave. "No, because I think that
under the circumstances and position Arsenal are in with the Champions
League coming up and cup matches that they've had to use him as soon as any
of the other two central defenders are injured," he said. "I don't think
theres any chance we will get someone with his quality." Allardyce joked
about the length of his list of targets, having only brought in Roger
Johnson on loan so far in the January transfer window.
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WHUFC.com
West Ham United fell to a 3-1 defeat against Newcastle United on Saturday
18.01.2014
West Ham United 1-3 Newcastle United
Barclays Premier League
West Ham United's long wait for back-to-back Barclays Premier League
victories goes on after they fell to a 3-1 defeat to Newcastle United at the
Boleyn Ground on Saturday. Buoyed by last weekend's victory over Cardiff
City, the Hammers were hopeful of climbing towards mid-table, but were left
to rue a flat opening 33 minutes, which saw them fall two goals behind to
strikes from Yohan Cabaye and Loic Remy. Mike Williamson's own goal on the
stroke of half time gave West Ham hope, and after Carlton Cole and Andy
Carroll squandered chances to draw the Hammers level after the break, Cabaye
sealed it in stoppage time with an accurate free-kick. West Ham mounted the
first attack of the game, right from kick-off, with Mark Noble having a shot
deflected wide, but Newcastle soon settled and began to force the issue.
With six minutes on the clock, Remy received the ball in the Hammers box and
was able to work space for a shot, but failed to hit the target from 12
yards. The Hammers may have breathed a sigh of relief then, but it was only
shortlived as the visitors moved in front ten minutes later. Cabaye's first
touch from Yoan Gouffran's square pass was sublime to take him past Razvan
Rat on the edge of the box, then his second was even better to nudge beyond
Adrian in the home goal.
The Cabaye-Remy combination was causing the Hammers all sorts of problems,
and the former fed Moussa Sissoko inside the box on 23 minutes, but his
effort was gathered at the second attempt by Adrian. Newcastle were well on
top though, and duly doubled their lead twelve minutes before the break
through Remy, who peeled off at the far post as the Hammers defence got
caught under Sissoko's right-wing cross, controlled on his chest and poked
home. Cheick Tiote had a fierce shot blocked by Roger Johnson as Newcastle
looked for more, although it was the Hammers who had the final word of the
first half as Williamson's own goal gave them a timely lift. The game was
well into the two minutes of stoppage time signalled when Rat lifted the
ball into the box for Carlton Cole, who brought the ball down on his chest
and poked goalwards. Tim Krul blocked, but the ricochet off Williamson was
kind for the home side and travelled over the line.
West Ham made a change at the break, with Ravel Morrison replacing Jack
Collison, but it was the visitors who had the first chance of the second
period when Remy streaked clear down the right and forced a good save from
Adrian. The next opportunity fell to the Hammers, and it was a golden one
too, but Carlton Cole could only knock wide with the goal at his marcy after
Stewart Downing sent Matt Taylor clear down the right to deliver a low cross
into the danger area.
West Ham then called for Andy Carroll from the bench as the ex-Newcastle man
made his first Boleyn Ground appearance of the season, joining Cole up front
as the home side stepped up their search for a leveller. It was then
Carroll's turn to miss a sitter, knocking well over the top with 15 minutes
left after Downing's low cross had only been helped on by Krul's fingertips
and left the goal wide open. James Collins slammed a shot wide of the edge
of the box after a corner was only half cleared late on, but for all West
Ham's pressing, it was the Toon who sealed it at the death when Cabaye
curled a free-kick out of Adrian's desperate grasp.
West Ham United: Adrian; Taylor, Collins, Johnson, Rat; Collison (Collison
46), Noble, Diame (Carroll 62); Downing, C.Cole, Jarvis (J.Cole 73)
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Maiga, Diarra, Chambers
Goal: Williamson og 45+2
Newcastle United: Krul; Yanga-Mbiwa, Williamson, S.Taylor, Santon (Dummett
74); Cabaye, Tiote, Anita (Sh.Ameobi 60); Sissoko, Remy (Ben Arfa 78),
Gouffran
Subs: Elliot, Cisse, Haidara, Obertan
Goals: Cabaye 16, Remy 33, Cabaye 90+5
Referee: Andre Marriner
Attendance: 33,344
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Downing disappointed by sloppy start
WHUFC.com
Stewart Downing was frustrated as the Hammers slipped to a home defeat to
Newcastle United
18.01.2014
Stewart Downing felt the Hammers only had themselves to blame after falling
to a 3-1 defeat against Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon. The Hammers
improved after the break to give the Magpies a fright, but two goals in the
first 33 minutes from Yohan Cabaye and Loic Remy had already put them into a
position of power. Mike Williamson's own goal in first half stoppage time
reduced the deficit, and Carlton Cole and Andy Carroll both had glorious
chances to draw the hosts level, but Cabaye's last-gasp free-kick ultimately
sealed the Hammers' fate. Downing took some encouragement from that second
half revival, but admitted they needed to be sharper from the off. He
explained: "Them getting an early goal made things difficult for us and
giving them a two-goal start left us with a bit of a mountain [to climb].
"But after getting a goal back, we probably could have ended up with a draw
with the chances we had. "We wanted to start the second half well and
scoring the goal just before half-time changed the mood at half-time a bit.
"Then Carlton had a great chance, Andy had a chance too and we were putting
them under pressure, but a bit of quality from Cabaye on a free-kick at the
end, and the game was dead. "If we could have put one of those chances away
for 2-2, I think we could have gone on to get the winner. That's been the
story of our season a little bit, and we shot ourselves in the foot by
giving away two sloppy goals."
West Ham were looking for back-to-back home wins for the first time since
their promotion back to the top flight in 2012, and the fact they missed an
opportunity to do so was another source of disappointment for the No23.
"It's frustrating for everyone, but there's no point dwelling on it, we have
to look ahead and we have some big games coming up, in which we need goals
and wins," he continued. "Coming off a big result at Cardiff, it made it all
the more frustrating. Newcastle are a quality side, they've got goalscorers.
Two bits of brilliance from Cabaye for his goals and they've put their
chances away, which we didn't. "We're playing a lot of teams in and around
us in the next month, there's still a long way to go but we need to start
picking up points as quickly as we can."
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Big Sam on Newcastle setback
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce admitted the better team had won in West Ham United's 3-1 home
defeat by Newcastle United
18.01.2014
Sam Allardyce admitted the better team had won in West Ham United's 3-1 home
defeat by Newcastle United. The manager watched his team start well before
falling behind to two goals by Yohan Cabaye and Loic Remy. Carlton Cole
forced Mike Williamson to put through his own net on the stroke of half-time
to give the Hammers hope. West Ham went on the front foot after the break,
only for Cole and substitute Andy Carroll to miss presentable opportunities
to equalise before Cabaye's last-gasp free-kick rubbed salt into the wounds.
To add injury to insult, Big Sam was also forced to re-jig his starting XI
after George McCartney was ruled out hours before kick-off with a recurrence
of the neck injury he suffered at Cardiff City last weekend. "It was lapses
of concentration for their first two goals which cost us the game," said the
manager. "We started the game very well up until they scored the first goal
and then we got one back before half-time and that lifted us. We took that
impetus into the second half and continued to push Newcastle back, got the
chances but missed them, and it was as simple as that really. "You are going
to go behind in games and sometimes need to come from behind and we had the
opportunity to get something, but unfortunately failed to do it in the end.
By the time they scored the last goal, it was insignificant as it came in
the last few seconds, but everything we tried in the second half came good
apart from what we needed most, which was a finish on target to put the ball
in the back of the net. "From all the opportunities we created, we didn't do
that and, because of that, we didn't get the goal we were looking for to get
something out of the game."
The manager was asked what his reaction was to the result in terms of
whether or not he was pleased with the performance of a team without Winston
Reid, James Tomkins, Kevin Nolan, Ricardo Vaz Te, Guy Demel, George
McCartney, Joey O'Brien and, from the start, Andy Carroll. "I think, at the
end of the day, I've got to look at it overall and say that the lads are
trying hard. At times, they get a little bit nervous and you could see their
confidence had drained at 2-0 down, but you've got to be big enough to stand
up and drive yourself on. "I thought the response after half-time was very,
very good. If you look at Newcastle's squad and size of it and the money
they've spent on it, coupled with the players we're without at the minute,
we're a long way behind in talent terms to Newcastle United. "Until we
establish ourselves for longer in the Premier League and find more and more
quality players, we are getting the best out of the players we have got. At
the minute, it's not good enough to get consistent results, but we are
trying our hardest and our best and had a real opportunity to get something.
"We created lots of chances and the gulf in spending didn't show in the
second half on the field, which was very pleasing. At the end of the day is
that we need to get back to the defensive solidity we showed earlier this
season, because you can see what that is bringing Crystal Palace at the
moment. Tony Pulis has said it won't be easy to beat Crystal Palace and, if
you beat them at the minute, it's only by one goal. "If you do that, you end
up with the one-nil wins we should have had earlier in the season when we
had all those clean sheets. However, we can't get back to that until all our
defenders get back fit."
Yet again, the manager was forced to shuffle his pack when McCartney was
forced to pull out with a neck injury, adding to the long list of absentees
he has seemingly had to deal with all season long. "For the last two months
or so, every corner we turn around, there is another obstacle causing us
problems in terms of the selection process. It was hard enought last week at
Cardiff to get a result with James getting sent-off and Guy getting carried
off, then we got in on Saturday and George couldn't play due to the neck
injury he suffered last week and hadn't recovered from. "It's difficult at
the minute but one, we've got to be patient and wait for those players to
come back and two, we have got Ravel Morrison, Kevin, Ginge and James back
now and all of the players have a duty to give their best between now and
the end of the season. "If we get any additions in on top of what we have,
then that will make us a strong enough squad to get out of the situation
we're in at the moment."
On the subject of transfers, Big Sam revealed that the Club missed out on
signing a new player on Friday. "I was convinced that we had one on Friday.
I went out of my way and interrupted my training to make sure it got done,
only for the selling club to say they aren't going to let him come to us now
because another club has come in. "We will fight and fight on both fronts,
both on the field and to get new players in. The Chairman is trying as hard
as possible to get players to put on the pitch and get better results.
"Cardiff was now a brief moment of hope and relief, but now we're back in
where we don't want to be. We wanted to stay out of the bottom three but we
haven't done that, so we have to make sure we get out of it as quickly as we
can."
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Carlton named as Player of the Month
WHUFC.com
Strikers Carlton Cole and Modibo Maiga have taken this month's whufc.com
awards
18.01.2014
Carlton Cole has been named as the West Ham United Player of the Month for
December. The 30-year-old striker won a fan poll on whufc.com to take the
prize, after notching two goals in the month. He scored in the Hammers' 3-1
defeats to Arsenal and Manchester United, to take the position as the Club's
top Barclays Premier League goalscorer in 2013/14. Cole took 40% of the vote
to claim the prize, while Modibo Maiga was second and George McCartney
third.
Meanwhile, Maiga's header in the 2-1 Capital One Cup quarter-final victory
at Tottenham was December's West Ham United Goal of the Month. The Malian's
goal polled 50% of the whufc.com vote, while Matt Jarvis' goal in the same
game took second place.
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No go on Vermaelen
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 18th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham's interest in Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen is unlikely to go
any further, according to Sam Allardyce. The Hammers made an enquiry earlier
this week with view to taking the 28-year-old centre half on loan for the
remainder of the season. However Arsenal were unwilling to part with the
Belgian international who, whilst currently out of favour, is still seen as
an integral part of Arsene Wenger's first team squad. "Under the
circumstances Arsenal are in, with the Champions League coming up and other
Cup matches, they've had to use him as soon as any of the two [first choice]
central defenders have been injured," revealed Allardyce. "I don't think
there's any chance we'll get someone of his quality. It'd be nice if we
could..."
Speaking after this afternoon's 3-1 defeat at home to Newcastle, Allardyce
also revealed why the deal to sign Lacina Traore on loan from Monaco fell
through.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce on... Newcastle Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 18th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Having once again failed to achieve back-to-back Premier League wins, a
disappointed Sam Allardyce faces the press - whilst revealing exactly why
the Lacina Traore deal fell through...
Sam: you had two great chances to grab a point in that second half?
Yeah. It's been about not taking our chances most of the time for us of the
season, which is why we haven't achieved more points than we have.
Unfortunately at the opposite end our defensive frailties were exposed a
little bit today in that first half. We overcame them but unfortunately even
a spirited fightback in the second half hasn't got us anything. But we'll
keep our chins up as we've 16 games to go and we know how many points we
need in those 16 games to get safe in the Barclays Premier League. We've got
to keep fighting on.
I think there comes a time where the players have to realise it doesn't
become about performances any more, it becomes about results more than
anything. Whichever way you get them you've got to get them and that'll
start with us bringing back some of the players who are suspended and some
of the players who have been injured. That'll help us of course and if we
can get any additions - and we've been trying desperately hard in the window
- then we'll do that as well.
It's very disappointing to have won three points at Cardiff away from home
and got nothing here. Certainly from our point of view I felt it was more
about our defensive lapses than the quality of Newcastle's play to score
both goals, even though they were two good finishes. We could have done
better.
In the end, the fighting spirit and the fight back was there but, you know.
I was watching Sunderland before our game and I was thinking "come on lads,
do a Sunderland for me" - because they came back well today in the early
game against Southampton. It didn't look like they were going to get much
from the game in the first half-an-hour.
But chances were there and we missed them when we could have got it back to
2-2. I think the one at the end went in with just a few seconds left so it
didn't mean too much, that one.
Can you explain what happened in the first half?
We didn't defend very well.
In what way?
In the way that we had five defenders missing or injured and one who should
have played but pulled out this morning. Five of our defenders are not
playing and our back four today had never played together at all this
season.
When you get continuous disruption in your back four, you don't then get a
solid unit. Sometimes the solid unit that you would like is difficult to
keep when players aren't used to playing with each other. Newcastle's
players, in that period, exposed the weaknesses we have and scored two
goals.
Alan Pardew made the point that had Andy Carroll been fully match fit or
sharp he might have put that one away. Is it going to take a few games to
get full match fitness?
Well it's eight months since he's played and he's had a long, gruelling
rehabilitation programme that's frustrated everybody. With Andy back, Kevin
back, Ravel back and Winston Reid, Guy Demel, Joey O'Brien and George
McCartney back as soon as possible... It's critical for us.
Without those players we get the results we're getting and our run of
results recently contains too many defeats. Six defeats, two draws and only
one victory tells you the problem that all those injuries and all those
disruptions have caused us.
If we're going to get out of it, those players have to stay fit. If
additional players can come in... which we're finding extremely difficult to
achieve. I had a terrible day yesterday when I thought that one player was
signing for us and then I found out he wasn't. But there you go, we have to
carry on.
Was that Traore? Is the deal still alive?
It's unlikely, by the sound of it.
In your understanding of the work permit, is he now allowed to join another
team despite you lodging the..?
....They can apply for a work permit - like we did - now. They'll have to
make a second application but obviously they know that if we got it, they
know they'll get it.
Have you made an enquiry about taking Thomas Vermaelen on loan?
No, because I think that under the circumstances Arsenal are in, with the
Champions League coming up and other Cup matches they've had to use him as
soon as any of the two central defenders have been injured. I don't think
there's any chance we'll get someone of his quality. It'd be nice if we
could.
Have you got any other targets?
I've a long list of targets and I haven't got one of them yet apart from
Roger Johnson! So I'll keep going and hope we get some.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce: Traore deal dead
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 18th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce has admitted that the deal to sign Lacina Traore is almost
certainly dead in the water. Allardyce, speaking after West Ham's
disappointing 3-1 reversal at home to Newcastle this afternoon told
reporters that any deal is now "unlikely" after another unnamed club, known
to be Everton, came in for the player. "I had a terrible day yesterday when
I found out that one player I thought was signing for us wasn't," he said.
And on the question of obtaining a work permit, he added: "They [Everton]
can apply for a work permit like we did, they have to do a second
application. Obviously if we got it they know they can get it."
Everton are thought to have signed Traore on loan for the rest of the season
with view to an extra year should all parties agree. We'll have more from
Allardyce's post-match press conference later...
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Newcastle pile pressure on West Ham with Upton Park win
Last Updated: 18/01/14 6:51pm
SSN
Newcastle United got back to winning ways with a 3-1 victory at Upton Park
which pushed West Ham United into the Premier League drop zone. Yohan Cabaye
and Loic Remy made the most of the Magpies' control in the first half to
open up a commanding lead, and the Hammers were unable to build on the
lifeline of a Mike Williamson own goal as they conceded a third late on.
Best of the match
Man of the match: Yohan Cabaye. Two well-taken goals and makes Newcastle
tick.
Goal of the match: Cabaye's first saw him show great composure to collect a
pass, open up his body and stroke the ball into the bottom corner.
Moment of the match: Carlton Cole and Andy Carroll spurned glorious
opportunities to haul West Ham level, and were made to pay.
Talking point: Can West Ham steer clear of trouble? Are Newcastle contenders
for a European spot?
It took just 16 minutes for the visitors to break the deadlock, after three
Premier League games without a win or a goal, with Yoan Gouffran allowed to
carry the ball towards the box and tee up Cabaye to calmly stroke into the
bottom corner. Remy doubled that advantage on 33 minutes, with a Moussa
Sissoko cross picking him out six yards out - and the Frenchman made no
mistake as he controlled on his chest and poked under Adrian. West Ham found
a route back into the tie on the stroke of half-time, as Carlton Cole
bundled past a sliding Tim Krul and the unfortunate Williamson saw the ball
ricochet off his shin and over the line, but it was to be an afternoon of
further home discomfort for the Hammers. Cabaye made sure of that deep into
second half stoppage-time as he whipped a 20-yard free-kick over the wall
and past a full stretch Adrian, who could only touch the effort onto the
inside of the post. The Magpies in full flow were great to watch but they
will face few more accommodating back fours than Razvan Rat, James Collins,
Roger Johnson and Matt Taylor. Cabaye and Remy benefited from some woeful
defending and had the Magpies been just a little more clinical, the contest
would have been over by half-time. Injury-hit West Ham's shortcomings in
defence were exposed in the opening minutes when Cabaye threaded a terrific
pass to Remy. The Frenchman outfoxed Johnson and Collins and, having
created enough room to take a shot, sent the ball narrowly wide of the left
post. When Cabaye was given the opportunity to put Newcastle ahead in the
16th minute, he seized his chance. Yoan Gouffran darted infield and found
Cabaye, who took two touches and passed the ball into the net with West
Ham's passive defence all but waving him through.
It was turning into the Cabaye show as the French midfielder set up Moussa
Sissoko with a long pass, which should have been buried, before shooting
just wide himself. The half-hour mark saw West Ham's first chance, but
Stewart Downing stabbed the ball straight into the arms of Tim Krul. Any
hope that Downing's attempt might inspire the Hammers faded almost
immediately as Newcastle capitalised on more shambolic defending to surge
2-0 ahead. Sissoko floated in a cross that should have been cleared with
ease, but instead Remy was able to glide unmarked into the six-yard box and
stab home. West Ham have slipped back into the relegation zone but Sam
Allardyce is adamant he won't rush back star man Andy Carroll. Remarkably,
given the run of play, West Ham pulled one back deep into first-half injury
time and this time Newcastle's defence was at fault. Rat provided the cross
to Cole, who chested the ball down and muscled his way through two
defenders, Williamson adjudged to have got the final touch as the ball found
its way past Krul. The goal seemed only to be a momentary lapse in
concentration as Cabaye tested Adrian early in the second half, but slowly
West Ham began to display some stomach for the fight. A hint of complacency
had crept into Newcastle's play and it was now the Hammers who were driving
forward. Cole should have rounded off Matt Taylor's hard work by dispatching
the equaliser but instead he blundered over a simple chance, steering the
ball wide with the target at his mercy. Carroll's first appearance of the
season at Upton Park was greeted by a loud cheer, but when the stage
beckoned for the England forward to deliver he skied the ball into the
stands. Fittingly, it was the brilliant Cabaye who supplied Newcastle's
third goal in the 95th minute with a spectacular free-kick strike from the
edge of the box.
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Sam Allardyce admits West Ham are unlikely to sign Lacina Traore and Thomas
Vermaelen
Last Updated: 18/01/14 10:54pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has admitted they are set to miss out on Lacina
Traore and that a move for Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen is unlikely to happen.
Allardyce is desperately searching for new faces to bolster his injury-hit
squad as he looks to steer West Ham out of trouble at the wrong end of the
table.
Allarydce has admitted he was was considering a move for Vermaelen, but
concedes Arsenal are unlikely to let the Belgian leave as the battle for
honours on three fronts in the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
"I think under the circumstances at Arsenal with the situation they're in
with the Champions League and cup matches, they've had to use him
[Vermaelen] as soon as any of the two defenders are injured," noted
Allardyce. "I don't think there's any chance we'll get someone of his
quality, but it would be nice if we could. "I'll keep going and hope we get
some [new players]. Allardyce also confirmed Monaco striker Traore will not
be making the move to Upton Park despite the Hammers agreeing a deal with
Monaco and applying for a work permit for the Ivory Coast forward. Reports
have suggested Everton have hijacked the deal for Traore and Allardyce says
there is nothing they can do to stop the Goodison Park outfit signing the
player. When asked after Saturday's defeat to Newcastle if Traore would be
signing, he said: "It's unlikely by the sounds of it. "We're finding it
extremely difficult (to bring players in). "We had a terrible day yesterday
(Friday) when I thought a player was signing for us and then I found out he
wasn't, but there you go. [Any other club] can apply for a work permit like
we did. "They would have to do a separate application."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce says West Ham must ease Andy Carroll back
Last Updated: 18/01/14 6:29pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce says he has no choice but to ease Andy Carroll back into
action despite West Ham United sitting in the drop zone. The Hammers tumbled
back into the bottom three on Saturday after going down 3-1 at home to
Newcastle United. It had been suggested in the build-up to the game that
Carroll may be offered a starting berth against his former employers. He
made his long-awaited return to action after foot and ankle problems in a
2-0 win at Cardiff City, but is being forced to make do with a place on the
bench as West Ham favour a cautious approach when it comes to his long-term
fitness. On his decision to give Carroll half-an-hour against Newcastle,
Allardyce told Sky Sports: "I don't care what anyone says, we do what we
have been doing all season - it's the medical side that decide on how we get
Andy Carroll back fit and playing, not anyone else. "It's a difficult period
for us in the defensive side of it and I think that's the reason why we
conceded three goals today - not that they didn't try really hard, just the
unfamiliarity in our defensive unit at the moment."
"My decision, via the medical process, says that if you risk any more than
that, then you risk the lad getting injured again. Is that what we want? "He
is our biggest major asset that we have signed and we want him on the pitch
playing every week. We have to do that slowly. "Irrespective of how
desperate it gets, it's more about making sure Andy stays fit for the
entirety of this season to try and help us get some results than it is to
risk him for another 15 minutes and get him injured again."
Carroll spurned one glorious opportunity to level matters when West Ham
trailed 2-1, but Allardyce believes it is issues at the back - where he
continues to be denied the services of key senior performers - which are
costing his side dear. He said on a 12th defeat of the season: "We had quite
a bright start and had we shown a bit more quality in the final third, we
might have caused more problems. We didn't get a chance in that period and
then the two goals were a lot down to our deficiencies rather than the
opponent's play. "We came fighting back from that and got a lifeline just
before half-time with the goal, and the second half we piled the pressure on
but couldn't convert the chances that we created. "Again, it's really
disappointing because I keep telling the players and reminding them that
this period is difficult because we haven't drawn enough, never mind won
enough. You always set out in games thinking if you can win it, that's
great, but make sure you don't lose it. We are losing too many and we have
got to put that right as quickly as possible. "What will help us put that
right will be suspended players back - James Tomkins and Kevin Nolan - and
injured players as quickly as we possibly can. "George McCartney ended up
with a severe neck problem this morning, worse than we expected, so he
couldn't be selected. We put Matt Taylor in at right-back and two central
defenders who had never played together before, so it's a difficult period
for us in the defensive side of it and I think that's the reason why we
conceded three goals today - not that they didn't try really hard, just the
unfamiliarity in our defensive unit at the moment. "Because it has to change
every week, that is causing us a few problems in terms of the goals that
we're conceding. At the other end, we haven't scored enough all season."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
JUST WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE LACINA TRAORE LOAN?
By Sean Whetstone 18 Jan 2014 at 21:43
West Ham Till I Die
It is has widely reported in the media that Everton have hijacked our loan
deal for Lacina Traore. This now appears to be have been confirmed by Sam
Allardyce after the match.
West Ham successfully applied for a work permit through the FA appointed
appeal panel last week paying the required £1,000 + VAT fee as well as going
to the expense of preparing the appeal with Sam Allardyce and secretary
Andrew Pincher giving up their time to give evidence for the work permit. It
is my interpretation of the UK Border Agency rules that West Ham would be
named as the sponsor and the work permit issued is non transferable.
A certificate of Sponsorship is assigned to a player by the applicant Club
which must be submitted to the FA. The work permit situation is further
complicated that it went through on appeal. The regulations which can be
found HERE seem to suggest "If a player is moving to another club on loan
then the new club must make a fresh application before the player can play
for them. If the player does not meet the criteria and the club have
requested a panel, the panel will be arranged."
That would mean the FA appointed panel would need to sit again to make a
fresh recommendation to the UK Border Agency to issue a new work permit for
Everton. The panel regulations forbid another appeal hearing for the same
player within a four month period when the appeal has unsuccessful although
it is less clear within the rules if the appeal was successful. This is this
loophole Everton could use to get their own work permit building on West
Ham's effort to get the first one.
I understand West Ham agreed a loan fee with Monaco believed to be around
£500,000 but had not agreed personal terms and it was still subject to a
medical.
I also understand West Ham 's medical assessed Traore's match fitness and
possible hamstring injury which led them to believe he would not be fully
match fit for up to six weeks. At that stage I am told West Ham tried to
renegotiate the loan deal terms.
In the mean time the player had his head turned and decided he did want want
to come to West Ham and preferred Everton.
It may be no coincidence that West Ham's new Head of Sports Medicine and
former Everton physio Dominic Rogan may have advised West Ham on Traore's
fitness. Dominic Rogan was previously with Russian Premier League club Anzhi
Makhachkala where Lacina Traore has just transferred from. Rogan would have
been in a very good position to advise on Traore. Maybe this is a blessing
in disguise as we need a striker now not in six weeks time.
In his post match press conference Sam Allardyce admitted that it is
"unlikely by, the sound of it" that West Ham will be signing Lacina Traore,
He hinted that the move for 23-year-old Traore collapsed unexpectedly on
Friday. He said "We're finding it extremely difficult (to bring players in)
We had a terrible day yesterday (Friday) when I thought a player was signing
for us and then I found out he wasn't" You can see his post match interview
below.
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Alan Pardew a shock contender for West Ham job if Hammers decide to sack Sam
Allardyce
Jan 18, 2014 22:30 By Dave Kidd 3 Comments
The Mirror
The Newcastle boss remains close friends with David Gold, the east London
side's co-owner, and used to manage the club between 2003 and 2006
Alan Pardew will be a shock contender for the West Ham manager's job – if
they sack Sam Allardyce. The Newcastle boss is a close friend of Hammers
co-owner David Gold and was in charge of the Hammers from 2003 until 2006
under a previous regime. Pardew's family home is still in London. After
yesterday's defeat, Allardyce said: "The players have to realise it's now
about results, not performances. "There are 16 games to go and, at least
now, we have good players coming back from injury." West Ham's co-owners
Gold and David Sullivan are keen to back Allardyce, as they would have to
pay him £4million in compensation if they fire him.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Newcastle defeat leaves West Ham desperate for Winston Reid's return
Saturday 18 Jan 2014 8:23 pm
Metro.co.uk
Winston Reid's extended absence has had a huge impact on West Ham's season.
In the darkest hours of the Blitz, the people of the East End took heart
from the leadership of Winston Churchill. As West Ham's season-long struggle
continues following their latest Premier League defeat, once again
Eastenders are left hoping a Winston can inspire them to victory – but this
one is from New Zealand, not Blenheim Palace. For all the attention paid to
their problems up front this season, arguably the real reason for West Ham's
current plight is weakness at the back, much of it down to the absence of
one player – Winston Reid. With the Kiwi calling the shots in defence, West
Ham kept six clean sheets in their opening 10 Premier League games; since he
was ruled out with a long-term ankle injury in November, they have managed
just three in 15 games in all competitions – tellingly, against the two
teams below them in the league, Sunderland and Cardiff, and the one above
them, Fulham. Every setback for the other strugglers is a positive for West
Ham. A week ago club co-owner David Gold tweeted that Reid had told him he
was 'close to a return' and with three out of four games in February against
teams in the bottom half of the table, his return cannot come soon enough.
No offence to Roger Johnson, drafted in on loan from Wolves earlier this
month to add height and experience to the defence, but Reid is the player
the back line and the whole team are crying out for. Johnson knows all about
relegation battles, having been involved in them for each of the last three
seasons at Birmingham and Wolves – but ominously for West Ham fans, they
have all ended in failure. Reid's absence was felt yet again on Saturday as
West Ham went down 3-1 at home to a Newcastle team who came into the match
on a poor run of form. The home team's defensive frailties were exposed as
early as the 16th minute when Yohan Cabaye shot the visitors ahead. Loic
Remy doubled the lead before only a fine save from Adrian prevented Cabaye
adding another, with Mike Williamson's own goal just before the break giving
the home fans something to cheer. Andy Caroll's second half introduction for
his first home appearance of the season was another positive but he could
not live up to the hoped-for script with a goal against his former side, and
at the death Cabaye's second wrapped up Newcastle's victory and put West Ham
back in the drop zone. Sam Allardyce's side should count their blessings
that things are so competitive at the foot of the table this season – the
bottom seven teams are covered by just three points – so February's fixture
list means that just a couple of decent results could make a huge difference
to the standings. If Reid is fit to play a part, those wins are a far more
realistic proposition. If not, then the likelihood of the curse of Roger
Johnson striking yet again grows ever greater.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Vermaelen to West Ham OFF as Allardyce fumes at losing Traore to Everton
Express.co.uk
By: James DickensonPublished: Sat, January 18, 2014
WEST HAM manager Sam Allardyce lamented his bad luck in the transfer market
after seeing moves for Thomas Vermaelen and Lacina Traore scuppered by
Arsenal and Everton. Sam Allardyce is struggling to bring in new faces at
West Ham Sam Allardyce is struggling to bring in new faces at West Ham
[REUTERS]
Allardyce's side were plunged deeper into relegation trouble after losing
3-1 at home to former club Newcastle. And the West Ham boss revealed after
the game that neither Vermaelen or Traore will be heading to Upton Park. "I
had a terrible day yesterday when I thought one player was signing for us
and then I found out he wasn't," Allardyce said. "It's unlikely," he added
when asked if a deal for Traore was still alive. "They can apply for a work
permit like we did although they would have to a separate application and
obviously if we got it they know they will get it." Express Sport
understands Everton are set to sign the Ivory Coast international on loan
from Monaco after muscling their way in front of the Hammers for his
services. And a move for Vermaelen has been pulled by Allardyce as he feels
Arsenal would be unlikely to allow him to leave. "No, because I think that
under the circumstances and position Arsenal are in with the Champions
League coming up and cup matches that they've had to use him as soon as any
of the other two central defenders are injured," he said. "I don't think
theres any chance we will get someone with his quality." Allardyce joked
about the length of his list of targets, having only brought in Roger
Johnson on loan so far in the January transfer window.
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