Chelsea match preview
WHUFC.com
All the need-to-know information ahead of West Ham United's game against
Chelsea on Wednesday night
28.01.2014
CHELSEA v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
STAMFORD BRIDGE
WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY 2014
KICK-OFF: 7:45PM
REFEREE: NEIL SWARBRICK
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
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Introduction
• Stamford Bridge is the destination for West Ham United on Wednesday night
as they return to Barclays Premier League action against Chelsea.
• The Hammers' last league encounter ended in a 3-1 defeat to Newcastle
United at the Boleyn Ground back on 18 January.
• Sam Allardyce's side did however enjoy better fortunes on their last away
league outing, beating Cardiff City 2-0 in the Welsh capital.
• By the time West Ham take to the field in west London it will be just over
a week since the Hammers exited the Capital One Cup following a 9-0
aggregate loss to Manchester City.
• Chelsea will play their second home game in four days on Wednesday night
following a 1-0 FA Cup with Budweiser fourth round win over Stoke City on
Sunday afternoon.
• The Blues' last Premier League match was also in front of their own fans,
a 3-1 success against Manchester United on 19 January.
• In all, Jose Mourinho's team are on a good run and have gone seven league
matches without defeat, since a 3-2 defeat against Stoke City on 7 December.
Team news
West Ham United
• New signing Antonio Nocerino could go straight into the squad for
Wednesday night, although Sam Allardyce admitted that fellow new boy Marco
Borriello may not be fit enough to feature.
• Winston Reid is back in first team training after recovering from an ankle
injury which has side-lined him for the best part of three months, but will
not feature against the Blues.
Chelsea
• Chelsea may hand a debut to new signing Mohamed Salah, who joined the west
London club from Basle on Sunday.
Last time out
West Ham United 0-3 Manchester City
Capital One Cup semi-final second leg
21 January 2014
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Taylor, Johnson, Tomkins, Rat, Morrison,
Diame (Collison 89), Nolan, Diarra, J Cole (Downing 47), Carroll (C Cole 45)
Subs not used: Adrian, Jarvis, Noble, Chambers
Chelsea 1-0 Stoke City
FA Cup with Budweiser fourth round
26 January 2014
Chelsea: Schwarzer, Ivanovic, Cahill, Luiz, Cole, Matic, Lampard, Schurrle
(Ramires 70), Oscar (Willian 81), Hazard, Eto'o (Ba 85)
Subs not used: Cech, Mikel, Terry, Azpilicueta
Goal: Oscar 27
Previous meeting
Frank Lampard returned to haunt the Hammers once again as he netted two of
three Chelsea goals as they eased to victory in east London. The Academy
graduate opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 21 minutes and
finished the scoring off with eight minutes remaining after Oscar had
doubled the visitors' advantage.
West Ham United 0-3 Chelsea
Barclays Premier League
23 November 2013
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins, Tomkins, O'Brien, Collison
(Maiga 40), Noble, J Cole (Diame 40), Morrison, Downing, Nolan (Jarvis 76)
Subs not used: Adrian, McCartney, Taylor, C Cole
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Ramires, Mikel,
Lampard, Oscar (Schurrle 83), Eto'o (Ba 79), Hazard (Essien 84)
Subs not used: Schwarzer, Cole, Willian, Mata
Goals: Lampard 21, 82, Oscar 34
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
23 November 2013 - West Ham United 0-3 Chelsea
17 March 2013 - Chelsea 2-0 West Ham United
1 December 2012 - West Ham United 3-1 Chelsea
23 April 2011 - Chelsea 3-0 West Ham United
11 September 2010 - West Ham United 1-3 Chelsea
13 March 2010 - Chelsea 4-1 West Ham United
v Chelsea (all competitions) W 53 D 28 L 53
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2012/13 Premier League 10th (46 points)
2011/12 Championship 3rd (86 points - promoted via Play-Offs)
2010/11 Premier League 20th (33 points - relegated to Championship)
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted via play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
Chelsea
2012/13 Premier League 3rd (75 points)
2011/12 Premier League 6th (64 points)
2010/11 Premier League 2nd (71 points)
2009/10 Premier League 1st (86 points - champions)
2008/09 Premier League 3rd (83 points)
2007/08 Premier League 2nd (85 points)
2006/07 Premier League 2nd (83 points)
2005/06 Premier League 1st (91 points - champions)
2004/05 Premier League 1st (95 points - champions)
2003/04 Premier League 2nd (79 points)
Background
• Wednesday's fixture marks the 90th league meeting between the two clubs.
West Ham have 35 wins to their opponents' 37, while there have been just 17
draws. In 32 Premier League meetings, Chelsea have chalked up 17 victories,
West Ham have won ten times and there have been just five draws.
• The first-ever meeting between the two clubs in any competition came on 11
September 1915 in the war-time London Combination principal tournament. West
Ham United were at home and the game ended goalless.
• The first-ever league meeting between the two clubs took place on 20
October 1923 and also ended goalless. That match was played in Division One
at Stamford Bridge.
• West Ham's biggest league victory over Chelsea came in Division Two on
Valentine's Day 1981. The Hammers romped to a 4-0 success on their way to
winning the title and promotion to the top-flight.
• Chelsea's biggest win over West Ham came on 9 April 1966 at Stamford
Bridge, when the Blues thumped the Hammers 6-2. At the Boleyn Ground,
Chelsea won 4-0 on 1 March 2008, a result that also marks the Blues' biggest
Premier League win over the Hammers.
• The biggest crowd to witness a Chelsea versus West Ham fixture at Stamford
Bridge was the estimated 65,000 who witnessed the Blues' 2-0 FA Cup
fourth-round win on 26 January 1946.
• Tony Cottee has scored more goals against Chelsea than any other West Ham
United player, scoring eight times. Geoff Hurst and John Dick managed six
each, while the Hammers' all-time leading scorer Vic Watson scored three in
five appearances against the Blues.
• John Bond scored the first league hat-trick by a West Ham United player
against Chelsea when he was pressed into an emergency centre-forward role on
6 February 1960. Right-back Bond netted three times, including one penalty,
in a 4-2 Division One success at the Boleyn Ground. Billy Bonds also netted
an unlikely hat-trick against Chelsea in a 3-0 Division One home win on 2
March 1974.
• Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard started his career at West Ham, working
his way up through the ranks before making 187 appearances and scoring 38
goals for the Club between 1995 and 2001. The England international left
east London for Stamford Bridge and has gone on to make 634 appearances for
the Blues, scoring 209 goals.
• West Ham midfielder Joe Cole, also came through the famous Academy before
leaving to join Chelsea in 2003. He spent seven years in west London, making
over 180 league appearances and collecting no fewer than ten winners' medals
during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Referee
• Wednesday night's man in the middle is 48-year-old Neil Swarbrick.
• Swarbrick began refereeing at the age of 29 and within six years he had
been promoted to the National List of assistant referees in 2005.
• Now 42, Swarbrick made his way up the leagues via the Football Conference
and the npower Football League before receiving his first Barclays Premier
League appointment on 11 December 2010. He was officially promoted to the
Select Group of top-flight referees in June 2011.
• The official last took charge of the Hammers when they recorded an
excellent 2-1 Capital One Cup quarter-final win against Tottenham Hotspur.
General information
• All standard tickets for this fixture have sold out. There are however
still a number of disabled tickets remaining priced at Adults £42 and £13.50
Over-65s and Under-18s.
• There are no planned closures on the c2c mainline train service scheduled
for Wednesday. For full travel information and updates on the c2c network
click here.
• There are also no planned engineering works across the London Underground
scheduled for Wednesday. For live travel information click here.
• The weather forecast for Wednesday night is cloudy with temperatures
around 5C (41F).
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'We will wear the shirt with pride'
WHUFC.com
New loan arrival Marco Borriello cannot wait to make his West Ham United
debut
28.01.2014
Marco Borriello is relishing the prospect of testing himself in the Barclays
Premier League. The Italy international, who has seven caps to his name, has
spent his entire career to date in his homeland, notching 71 Serie A goals
in 253 appearances. Having turned out for the likes of AC Milan, Juventus
and AS Roma, from whom he joined the Hammers on loan, he is now looking
forward to showcasing his talents on a different stage. In an exclusive West
Ham TV interview, he said: "I was given the opportunity to move in the
summer and I was looking to come over to England and the Premier League, but
I decided to stay at Roma at that time. "However, when the opportunity arose
to join West Ham in this transfer window, I was very happy to make the move.
"I can't wait to start playing in the Premier League - I know the fans are
very passionate and I'm very excited by the challenge. "I know it is a very
tough league, but I am very much looking forward to testing myself here.
"Serie A and the Premier League are two different leagues. The Italian
league is a bit more tactical, whereas the English league is maybe more
physical. "However, the ball is round in both countries, so if you are good
player you can play in any league in the world."
Marco Borriello
The new No46 was born in Naples - the same city from which fellow Italian
and new arrival Antonio Nocerino hails. Borriello is looking forward to
linking up with his countryman and he says the pair are well-versed on what
to expect in east London. Watch fellow Italian Antonio Nocerino's first West
Ham TV interview here! He continued: "I have joked with Antonio - we have
two Italians, Neapolitans even, who have now met and are playing for a club
in London.
"We both have loads of enthusiasm and are excited to start playing and
hopefully bring West Ham up the table. "Being Italian and following the
English league, I know a lot about West Ham in terms of Gianfranco Zola
having managed here and Paolo Di Canio being a great idol at the Club. "I've
read a lot about the history of the Club and know they have the nickname of
the Irons. Both myself and Antonio are players who will wear the shirt with
honour, with pride and with heart - we will give 100 percent whenever we
play for the Club."
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Ruddock departs
WHUFC.com
Pelly Ruddock has joined Skrill Premier club Luton Town on a permanent basis
28.01.2014
West Ham United can confirm that Pelly Ruddock has joined Skrill Premier
club Luton Town on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee. The 20-year-old
Ruddock enjoyed a successful loan spell with the Hatters between November
2013 and January 2014. During his time at Kenilworth Road, Ruddock helped
John Still's men to win all four league matches in which he featured and
progress to the FA Trophy third round. The youngster now returns to
Bedfordshire with Luton top of the table and on course to return to the
Football League after a five-year absence. Ruddock began his career with
Boreham Wood before joining West Ham at the age of 18 in December 2011. He
made his one and only first-team appearance for the Club in a 2-0 Capital
One Cup fourth round win at Burnley on 29 October 2013. West Ham United
would like to thank Pelly for his efforts and wish him every success in his
future career.
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Academy striker making progress
WHUFC.com
Jordan Brown was delighted to net in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Chelsea in
the Barclays U18 Premier League
28.01.2014
West Ham United's Under-18s continued their fine form this season at the
weekend with an impressive 2-0 victory over Chelsea at Little Heath. Captain
Kieran Bywater put the Hammers ahead after five minutes with a well-taken
effort following good work from striker Jordan Brown, before the 17-year-old
forward added to his own tally for the season after 24 minutes. Speaking
after the match, former Arsenal striker Brown spoke of his delight with the
result, believing that performances like Saturday's from the Hammers could
keep them within touching distance of the Barclays Under-18 Premier League
South title. "I'm really happy with the result," said Brown. "Before the
game, I think Chelsea were third with a few games in hand, but that result
has given us a boost to stay near the top of the league. "The title is
definitely in reach for us. At the start of the season, we let a few games
slip, but the recent ten-game unbeaten run has really helped us and although
we ended that the other week at Southampton, we are still on course this
season for a good finish."
After netting the Hammers' second goal in the first half against Chelsea,
Brown spurned an excellent chance to put the home side further ahead, which
has added to the former England U16 striker's desire to improve his goal
ratio this season. "I didn't really expect it to come to me if I'm being
honest," he explained. "It came off a few knees and legs and then just fell
in front of me, so I was quite blessed that I was given the chance to score.
I thought it was quite an easy opportunity to take. "I really thought that I
was going to score the one in the second half, but as I went to shoot, I
caught more of the grass than the ball and it just trickled along, hit the
outside of the post and went wide. "When I get the opportunities in front of
goal, I really want to improve my ratio and start finishing off more than I
do at the moment."
Brown signed for West Ham United on a scholarship from July 2013, before
putting pen to paper on his first professional deal in November 2013, which
was a dream come true for him, although he admits that he still hasn't made
it as a professional. "It's a boy's dream to sign a professional contract
with a football club so I was over the moon when signing the contract. I
don't really see it as a proper professional contract because I know that
I'm not at that stage yet. I want to work hard to become a professional
footballer in the first team, not the Under-18s."
Personal development is high on this young Academy prospect's mind and since
signing for the Hammers, Brown has seen his confidence on the pitch improve
the most. "It's been quite a weird season to be honest because at the start,
I was scoring the goals but I didn't feel like my performances were that
good, whereas now, I feel like I've been playing much better but without the
goals. "Going into the final third of the season, hopefully I can match the
two and play regularly like how I did against Chelsea. "At the start of the
season when I moved to a new club, when I was shooting and struggling to
hold the ball up, my head was bound to drop. As I got more comfortable and
started playing better, it gives you that extra confidence that you need as
a striker to continue working hard and scoring goals. "The coaching staff
just kept helping me in training by telling me what I needed to change and
make sure I had it in my head what I needed to focus on."
It is in key areas like ball retention that Brown also feels like he has
improved, hoping that being stronger on the ball will eventually get him
closer to featuring in Nick Haycock's Development Squad. "When I first
joined the club, I knew that I wasn't ready to begin looking up at the
Development Squad, but now I am hoping to maybe feature once or twice
whenever I'm wanted. "I've improved my game a lot recently as I didn't
really know when I joined how to use my body to hold the ball up properly,
but I've learnt what to do now. "In the Development Squad games, if you lose
possession of the ball, the opposition can go down the other end and punish
you for it, so it was vital that I improved my ball retention."
Moving clubs can be a stressful time for any new player, but Brown settled
in quickly and is now a firm part of the West Ham family, which he feels
will help the club's bid for the title this season. "Football's not an
individual game so you need to have a strong bond with your team mates.
"I've noticed that at West Ham, it's like glue because everyone sticks
together and moves together as a team. For example, if someone goes for the
ball, someone is automatically covering him. "Obviously there are smaller
groups of friends within the team, but no one argues with each other and
everyone is friends. "That all helps when we go out on the pitch because we
are out there playing for each other and ourselves. I think that has helped
us earn the results that we have deserved this season."
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Chelsea v West Ham
KO 19:45
28 January 2014
Last updated at 14:08
By Jonathan Pearce
BBC Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Stamford Bridge Date: Wednesday, 29 January
TEAM NEWS
Chelsea's new signing Mohamed Salah will not feature as he is yet to arrive
in the country. Fernando Torres (knee) and midfielder Marco van Ginkel
(knee) are the Blues' only absentees, while Demba Ba is vying for a start
against his former club.
West Ham could give debuts to new Italian loanees Antonio Nocerino and Marco
Borriello. Kevin Nolan is back following a four-match ban, but Joe Cole
(groin) misses out on a return to Stamford Bridge.
MATCH PREVIEW
Chelsea are on the march and even West Ham die-hards must fear the worst
going to Stamford Bridge, where they haven't won since September 2002.
"Chelsea, who are at home and look capable of getting a positive result
against anybody, are up against a West Ham side that have been struggling up
front and at the back. "Let's forget about the Hammers' lack of goals for
now because they were never going to get many chances at Stamford Bridge
anyhow. It is at the back where West Ham boss Sam Allardyce will be most
concerned." The Blues have won their last seven matches in all competitions,
keeping five clean sheets in that run. The Hammers have lost five of their
last six, conceding 19 and scoring just four. Jose Mourinho was really
positive speaking at last week's Football Writers' Association tribute night
in his honour and has been eminently sensible in his explanation for selling
Juan Mata to Manchester United. To me, it's good business for all concerned.
The little Spaniard wasn't getting enough football under Mourinho and gets a
dream move to another giant. He can't stop Chelsea winning the title this
season but he can impair the chances of their rivals. Though brilliant for
the club in his first two seasons. Mourinho wants defensive work out of his
midfield creators. Oscar and Hazard will track back. Schurrle, Willian and
now Salah too all have a more devastating turn of foot than Mata. Critics
say Mata will come back and haunt Chelsea next season. That might be so. But
it'll take more than his arrival to turn Manchester United into a team that
can topple Chelsea over 40 weeks.
Mourinho's side certainly should have enough to beat West Ham, as they have
done in 13 of the last 16 meetings. They're not conceding, largely down to
John Terry's form. He's having his longest injury-free run in the league
side since 2011. The return of West Ham's key defender Winston Reid from
injury can't come soon enough for Sam Allardyce. He told me he's never had a
squad so decimated by injuries. Andy Carroll is nearing full fitness, while
the loaning of Italians Boriello and Nocerino may help. Their survival won't
depend on this game. They must beat Swansea, Villa and Norwich in the next
three. Nocerino was in Italy's Euro 2012 squad, scoring against England in
the penalty shoot out, but he and striker Boriello have had injuries this
season. It's a big ask to expect miracles from them. I expect West Ham to
stay up but it'll be desperately close - unlike this game at the Bridge.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Chelsea have won 12 and lost just one of their last 15 Premier League
matches against West Ham.
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last seven Premier League home games against
West Ham, with the Hammers' last victory at Stamford Bridge coming in 2002
thanks to a Paolo Di Canio brace (3-2).
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has picked up just two points in his previous
seven top-flight meetings with Jose Mourinho.
Chelsea
Chelsea have won five Premier League games in a row and seven in all
competitions.
The Blues have dropped only two points at home this season - in a 2-2 draw
with West Brom.
They have allowed just 68 shots on target against them this season, fewer
than any other team in the Premier League.
Jose Mourinho's side have recovered more points from losing positions than
any other side in the top flight this season (14).
Oscar has been involved in five goals in his last six appearances for
Chelsea (three goals, two assists).
Frank Lampard has scored five goals in his last five league games against
West Ham and Fernando Torres six in his last seven.
West Ham United
West Ham have won just four of their 22 Premier League matches this season
(18%).
They have kept nine league clean sheets this season but have conceded 23
games in their last eight matches in all competitions.
The Hammers are the only team in the Premier League who have not scored a
headed goal this season.
They have hit the target with just 35% of their shots this season, the
lowest accuracy of any team in the top flight.
West Ham have dropped more points from winning positions than any other side
in the Premier League this season (14).
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Youngster departs
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 28th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Skrill Premier side Luton Town have signed West Ham United youngster Pelly
Ruddock on a permanent basis. The surprise departure comes just four weeks
after the Hammers recalled Ruddock from a short-term loan spell at the
Bedfordshire club in order to cover for a first team defensive crisis. The
news was confirmed by the fifth tier club earlier this afternoon. "Luton
Town Football Club are delighted to announce the permanent signing of Pelly
Ruddock Mpanzu from West Ham United for an undisclosed fee," it read. "The
20-year-old has penned a two-and-a-half year deal at Kenilworth Road and
returns to the club following a hugely successful loan spell with the
Hatters this season."
Ruddock joined West Ham from Boreham Wood in December 2011. He made his sole
first team appearance for the club against Burnley in the 2-0 Carling Cup
win last October. Whilst on loan at Kenilworth Road last year he made four
appearances in midfield for the current Conference Premier leaders.
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Sam Allardyce optimistic ahead of Chelsea trip
Last Updated: 28/01/14 5:04pm
SSN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes his struggling side can get a result
against Chelsea on Wednesday despite Jose Mourinho's superb home record as
Blues boss. The Portuguese, in his second spell at Stamford Bridge, is
unbeaten in all 71 Premier League home games in charge and will welcome
18th-placed West Ham looking to keep pace with Arsenal and Manchester City
at the top of the table. But Allardyce is not prepared to write off his
side's chances against their London rivals as the Hammers battle against the
drop. "We can't go to Chelsea and lie down," he said. "We can't go to
Chelsea and think that we're not going to get a result. When all said and
done, West Bromwich Albion should have beaten Chelsea this season. "In a
one-off game, if you play to your best and Chelsea aren't functioning at
their best, then you can get to the end result like West Brom did. It can be
achieved at any one time in any one game and we've got to believe that it
can be achieved."
West Ham have not played since their Capital One Cup defeat at home to
Manchester City a week ago whereas Chelsea were beating Stoke 1-0 in the FA
Cup fourth round on Sunday. However Allardyce believes the number of options
available to Mourinho means there is no benefit to the prolonged rest for
his players. "He [Mourinho] changes his squad and he's got 25 international
players to choose from so that's never been a particular problem for a club
like Chelsea," Allardyce added. "Keeping that amount of players and rotating
them keeps them relatively happy. Their massive programme throughout the
season means that players that don't play so much, generally play 20-plus
games. "We're happy in our squad if players are getting to the 25-game mark
because we will only play 40-plus games whereas they will play 60-plus."
Andy Carroll has a chance of starting his first Premier League game for West
Ham since May after the forward finally returned to the first-team fold
following two troublesome foot injuries. The 25-year-old will be hoping to
offer more of a goal threat to the Hammers but Allardyce conceded that
breaching the Chelsea backline in not an easy task. "The defensive unit has
become so difficult to breakdown again which shows that Jose has been
concentrating on that," he added. "It was apparent when I was watching them
against Stoke City. "Stoke found it very, very difficult to create any
opportunities against Chelsea and it frees up their quality players.
"Stopping Oscar, [Eden] Hazard, [Samuel] Eto'o is one of the elements for us
which we have to be very careful of. When those players get the ball we have
to make sure we're very sharp and that we close them down, otherwise their
skills and abilities will make life difficult for us."
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Osasuna criticise West Ham for pulling out of a deal for Raoul Loe
By Lucas Brown | Last Updated: 28/01/14 2:21pm
SSN
Osasuna have accused West Ham United of being two-faced for pulling out of a
deal for Raoul Loe after the Spanish league side thought everything had been
agreed. The Cameroon international midfielder flew to London at the weekend
only for the Hammers to cancel the agreement via e-mail on the morning of
the medical, explaining they had agreed to loan Antonio Nocerin from AC
Milan. "Everything that has happened has surprised me. It was all done and
we left it with them. I cannot understand how a club at that level can
negotiate and work in a two-faced way like that," Osasuna's sporting
director Petar Vasiljevic stated.
"It was a real shock how a club at this level was doing this. But every club
know how things go and it was the same with this. We thought the subject was
concluded and felt the talks had been completed. "I want to explain what
happened with Raoul Loe and how strange things became throughout the
negotiations. "The club received a firm offer from West Ham and we reached
an agreement. "It was then left in the player's hands to go ahead and pass
the medical. He travelled to London with his agent where they waited and
went to a hotel. Up until then everything went well. "The following day when
they had to undergo the tests they pulled out of the deal, blaming it on the
fact that they signed someone else. "I was then sent an e-mail confirming
that West Ham had chosen to go with another player with different conditions
and was a deal they had been working on for several weeks. "It was a loan
deal that they said was completed and gave their apologies."
Osasuna did not want to lose Loe but accepted West Ham United's offer for
financial reasons, but Vasiljevic is pleased that the player is now set to
stay.
"Raoul is a strong boy and knows that he had a chance to take a step forward
in his career. But that was not possible and he had a bad Saturday night.
Now he is back with the squad and it is all forgotten," he added.
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WEST HAM DEBT IS INCREASING AGAIN
By Sean Whetstone 28 Jan 2014 at 12:15
West Ham Till I Die
After four years in charge West Ham United debt appears to be rising again
after previous claims it was under control and was steadily reducing. In
2010 David Sullivan famously revealed in a press conference that West Ham
were over £100 million in debt. Sullivan explained at the time…
We've paid down some of the debt and injected some working capital but
there's still more than £100 million of debt. In that there's £50 million
owed to banks, there's £40 million owed to other clubs. There's not a penny
to come in, they (the previous owners) have borrowed against the next two
years of season-ticket money. The sponsors have paid 70% of their
three-years up front. In addition there's the club's settlement to (former
manager) Alan Curbishley, so the real debt is about £110 million."
Four years on Net debt has increased by nearly seven million pounds last
season from £70.7m in 2012 to £77.4m in 2013 in accounts published last
week. In previous years net debt was published as £55.4m in 2009 before
dropping after their take over to £33.5m in 2010 before rising again to
£41.6m in 2011.
Net debt is just a metric that shows a company's overall debt situation by
netting the value of a company's liabilities and debts such as bank loans
with its cash held in the bank.
Bank debt also increased by over fourteen million pounds from £30.5m in 2012
to £44.6m in 2013. In 2009 prior to their take over Bank debt was almost
identical at £44.9m, In 2010 post take over it dropped to £31.1m and in 2011
it dropped further to £28.9m.
Refinancing of the bank debt happened in July last year which saw a new
facility worth £26.7m which is repayable by 31st December 2016 and is
secured against Upton Park as a mortgage The new £44.6m figure is a point
time figure on 31st May 2013 so may have changed since the refinancing deal
in July.
Debt from loans from shareholders increased from £35.2m in 2012 to £45.7m in
2013 as David Sullivan and David Gold injected a further £10.5m of cash last
season. In their first year in 2010 share holder loans were just £3m.
Total borrowings including share holder loans have increased from £72.5m in
2012 to £90.9m in 2013. Although these loans attract interest, the total
£3.4m of interest is rolled up on the balance sheet and added to the debt
rather than paid out to the owners.
West Ham took out two short term loans from Vibrac Corporation to aid their
cash flow secured against future TV income from the Premier League. These
were a £12.8m loan in 2012 and a £15m loan. These are thought to attract an
interest rate of 10% and replaced a previous £12m overdraft facility
provided by 4 banks which expired on 31st December 2013.
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WHY FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY IS NO LONGER A PROBLEM
By Sean Whetstone 28 Jan 2014 at 08:27
West Ham Till I Die
With the recent publication of West Ham's financial accounts last week came
along some important information with regards to our wage bill restrictions
this season. The accounts told us the total wage bill for West Ham was
£49.2m for last season (£56.2m if you include National Insurance, Pension
and compensation costs for loss of office). Considering those figures
included Manager Sam Allardyce and Vice Chairman Karren Brady's
multi-million pound salaries of around £4.6m between them plus over 750
other ordinary West Ham employees I think we can safety assume the actual
players wage bill including National Insurance, bonuses, image rights and
pension contributions was around or just under £48m as claimed on WHUFC.com
earlier this year.
This means our official FFP wage cap is £52m for this season as has been
claimed all along.
However the West Ham accounts also reveal a twist that we achieved improved
sales in both Commercial and Retail sales. The Premier League FFP rules say
the difference in this extra income can also be used as wages for this
season only.
Commercial revenue grew From £7.9m to £13.9m and Retail sales from £4.8m to
£6m giving us another £7.2m to spend this year so that pushes our maximum
wage cap up to £61.2m!
Not to play down the efforts of the West Ham United sales teams but the
majority of this increase in sales is down our promotion back to the Premier
League.
Maybe not the message our board want the fans to hear right now as it will
put more pressure on them to spend, spend, spend but still a relief we will
not face a points deduction or other sanctions if we go over the £52m wage
bill which is what the board claimed we were perilously close to at the
summer transfer window.
The recent reported loss of £3.5m for last season is also is well within the
permitted £105m losses over 3 years as long as the owners continue to inject
equity as they have done again last season to the tune of £10.5m.
So maybe the Chairman did over play the FFP card too much to the media last
summer. The financial accounts just released relate to the financial year
end 31st May 2013 so they should of known about the improved commercial and
retail sales at the time of the claims.
A good explanation about Premier League and Championship Cost Control and
Sustainability Provisions can be found from Daniel Geey at his website
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West Ham's new Italian duo Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino could
feature against Chelsea
Jan 28, 2014 16:09 By Alex Richards 2 Comments
The Mirror
West Ham could hand debuts to new signings as Antonio Nocerino and Marco
Borriello as both are in contention to feature at Chelsea on Wednesday
night.
The two Italy internationals have signed on loan until the end of the season
to bolster the Hammers' squad, which is starting to recover from injury
setbacks over the Christmas period. Borriello will compete with Andy Carroll
and Carlton Cole for a starting place up front. Antonio Nocerino could come
into the midfield after his arrival from AC Milan, while captain Kevin Nolan
returns from a four-match ban. However, Joe Cole (groin) a definite absentee
against one of his former clubs.
Provisional squad: Jaaskelainen, Adrian, O'Brien, Johnson, Tomkins, Collins,
Rat, Demel, McCartney, Diarra, Noble, Nocerino, Collison, Jarvis, Taylor,
Diame, Nolan, Morrison, Vaz Te, Maiga, C Cole, Carroll, Borriello.
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Chelsea v West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 28th January 2014
By: Preview Percy
In honour of our new signings Preview Percy has gone all Italian. To be
honest it's not a pretty sight.....
Next up we hop onto the District Line to the Stamford Bridge Laundromat for
a Wednesday night trip to Chelsea. Kick-off is at 7:45pm and, this being
midweek, only the rush-hour fun that is the tube will delay your journey.
We are forever told that the league is a "marathon not a sprint" in which
case we currently have a group of three just beginning to (to paraphrase the
late Ron Pickering) open their legs to show their class. Arsenal are top of
course, looking nervously over their shoulders at the rather good Manchester
City who (at the time of writing with Arsenal being 1-0 down at Southampton)
are tucked in nicely one point behind them on 50 points.
Then, in the manner of a runner who wants the two guys in front of him to at
least consider the possibility that he might have something of a sprint
finish left in the locker, come Chelsea with 49 points from their 22 matches
played so far.
Current form looks good – they've won five and drawn one of their last six
in the league. The wins came at home to Swansea (1-0), at home to Liverpool
(2-1), away at Southampton and Hull (3-0 and 2-0 respectively) and a 3-1
home stroll against Man Utd. The one draw came away at the library on a
filthy Monday night just before Christmas that you wouldn't have sent the
spotty work experience kid out on.
Of course their unlimited source of funds (to them "Financial Fair Play"
simply means pulling up the drawbridge behind them) means that that transfer
windows are just a bit of a laugh. The best thing about the current one has
been their fans making themselves look a bit daft at the hands of some Man
Utd supporters armed with a video camera and a microphone. "Yeah – great
passer of the ball from what I've seen on YouTube" was the general reaction
as a couple of eejits with Cork accents dangled a few unsubtly made-up names
in front of the sort of people who all went "who?" when Bobby Tambling was
paraded in front of them at half-time in a match against us a few years ago.
To be fair the eejits did eventually encounter a group of blokes who were
prepared to admit that they had never heard of the putative "targets". There
again they seemed so "refreshed" that you could probably have mentioned
Lionel Messi to them without getting a reaction.
One real player they did bring in was Nemanja "Professor Matt" Matic who
really old readers of similar vintage to myself might remember used to be
the engineer on Fireball XL5 (back when kids' tv was slightly better than
the extended advert for tat that it is today). Matic is now in his second
spell at the club and has been rehired to fill a perceived need in the
defensive midfield department. Received wisdom has it that this area hasn't
been the same since Makalele left, what with Essien's knee having been a bit
on the fragile side in recent years. Talking of Essien's knee, it has now
departed, loosely connected to the rest of him, in the general direction of
Milan. That would have been an interesting medical.
Also gone is Juan "Whassa" Mata who has gone to Old Trafford to help with
their relegation battle. Given the Salford mob's current plight one could
argue that the dropping of such a player like crumbs from the Chelsea table
will act as a psychological downer for Moyes lot. Certainly if Chelsea
wanted to send a message along the lines of "we consider you to be that
small a threat that we'll sell you a half decent player" it was a pretty
unsubtle way of doing so.
There's little to like about the Russian's plaything. There's the lionising
of a racist thug and the love-in for an obnoxious little git who actually
did sell his kids' grandma down the river. Then there's all the diving.
When the paper boy brought round my copy of the Standard the other night I
was somewhat bemused to discover an article from Patrick Barclay extolling
the virtues of goals from free-kicks. The argument went that, since
free-kicks are awarded as punishment for foul play, the true football
supporter should rejoice when a goal is scored from one. Which is all well
and good until you start praising the likes of Oscar, whose effort against
Stoke at the weekend was the difference between the two teams in the Cup. Mr
Barclay's rather naive argument sort of ignores one vital thing, that being
the simple fact that Oscar is a cheat who often dives to win those
free-kicks in the first place.
Take the reverse fixture earlier this season. Latching on to an admittedly
rotten back pass Oscar's dive was so far in advance of any contact from
Jaaskalainen he still had his street clothes on. The only thing more
embarrassing than Oscar's dive was the failure of the referee to spot what
was one of the worst dives ever seen outside Anfield. I'll start applauding
free-kick goals Mr Barclay when the likes of Chelsea stop diving to get them
– though I suspect we'll all be getting about on jet packs by then.
It might help if there was a bit of honesty in the media about it. Niall
Quinn commented to the effect that Oscar "saw Jaaskalainen coming" – so
here's a novel idea for commentators and journalists: stop mincing your
words. If you see Oscar throw himself to the floor in an obvious dive don't
say "he made the most of what contact there was". Tell it like it is and say
that he cheated. Maybe then referees might just stop using the get out of
jail free card given to them by the media and actually start doing their
jobs.
According to their manager, Chelsea "have no divers", a "fact" that will
come as news to West Brom who came within a gnat's of winning until a last
minute spot of "simulation" gave Chelsea a point-saving spot kick.
Rant over and so to us. There are some new faces about the place what with
this being the window and all. So it's a warm welcome from La Casa Riposo
Olimpico Del Avram Grant per lo Sconcertato (blame the spotty work
experience kid and something called "Google Translate" for that one) to
midfielder Antonio Nocerino and striker Marco Borriello.
Nocerino has, over his career, apparently played both as a defensive
midfielder and in more of an attacking role – he has a Serie A hat-trick to
his name for Milan. Nocerino's surname apparently translates as "little
walnut" which, by strange coincidence, is an affliction quite common amongst
the more elderly of us here at the Rest Home.
Borriello's name doesn't translate into anything much in English. He
survived a childhood in Naples that included his father being killed by the
Camorra when he was only 10. He seems an "interesting" character – in
2006-07 he seems to have served a ban for doping having tested positive for
a number of steroid-type compounds, something his then girlfriend attributed
to creams she was using to counter an infection in an "intimate" area. I
would ask Matron for clarification but I've just had my tea.
Injury news continues to improve, though this match would appear to be a few
days too soon for Winston Reid. Tomkins will be available for selection
after his suspension and will probably partner James Collins in the middle.
Diame's knee is an odd one. It looked like one of those "painful for a bit
but not serious" knocks at first so it was some surprise to see the player
stretchered off. The initial comments from the manager suggested that the
knock was "quite serious" though later reports suggested that this was not
the case.
So a prediction then. We'll lose of course – as we've seen time and time
again referees are far too scared of Abrahamovic to give visiting teams a
fair crack of the whip. However, this will be more about the performance and
getting something to carry over into future matches. We're vulnerable at
free-kicks and our opponents are past masters at conning them out of the
officials. I'll be putting the Avram Grant Olympic Rest Home For The
Bewildered's Pickled Walnut Budget (£2.50) on a 3-1 home win as we look to
bed in the new faces.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met At Stamford Bridge – Lost 0-2 (March 2013) Andy Carroll had
a perfectly good goal disallowed as a fat obnoxious pensioner-hating
midfielder and Hazard were on the scoresheet for the home side.
Referee: Neil Swarbrick Last seen trying to liven up our otherwise dull 2-0
home win over Wigan last season by dishing out yellow cards on a whim.
Danger Man:Dember Ba – him and the fat gerontophobe will be looking to prove
that the "law of the ex" actually exisits.
Daft fact of the week: If "by a man's friends shall ye know him", it's worth
pointing out that Roman Abrahamovic is said to be close mates with oafish
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Putin's bid to make the forthcoming
Winter Olympics a paradise for homophobes hasn't quite got as far as
renaming the skiing plus shooting event as "The Athlon" but it's probably
only a matter of time.
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Wednesday, January 29
Tuesday, January 28
Daily WHUFC News - 28th January 2014
Nocerino - The First Interview
WHUFC.com
Antonio Nocerino has spoken to West Ham TV following his loan move from AC
Milan
27.01.2014
Antonio Nocerino says he has huge motivation to impress after joining West
Ham United on loan from AC Milan. Not only does the Hammers' new No47 want
to help the Club climb clear of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone,
but the Italy international is determined to force his way into the
Azzurri's 2014 FIFA World Cup squad. Capped 15 times, the 28-year-old
midfielder scored a penalty for Italy in their quarter-final win over
England at Euro 2012, but for now Nocerino is concentrating all his efforts
on helping West Ham's fight for top-flight survival. A veteran of 221 Serie
A and 15 UEFA Champions League appearances, the Napoli-born star spoke to
West Ham TV following his first training session at Chadwell Heath.
Antonio, welcome to West Ham United! What is your reaction to joining the
Club and moving to London?
AN: "I am very happy because it's a very, very important experience for me,
playing for a very traditional and historical Club such as West Ham. It is a
great honour."
How did the transfer happen?
AN: "The transfer came about very quickly. A request was made for me to join
West Ham and I accepted straight away. I am very pleased to have joined West
Ham United."
Are you fit and ready to play immediately?
AN: "I am ready to play and I am happy to play immediately, if the manager
wants to put me in the team. I am at the Club's disposal to play me as soon
as possible. "It will maybe take me a little time to settle in, but I am
ready to play straight away, if needed."
What do you know about West Ham United?
AN: "When I was told I was coming to West Ham, I was already aware of the
large following that the Club has in Italy. "When I realised how big the
fanbase is and the traditions and very, very important history that the Club
has, I was more than happy to come to England. "A lot of the traditions of
the Club, I learned from the West Ham fans who are already there in Italy."
What qualities will you bring to the squad?
AN: "I am really enthusiastic about playing for West Ham. I am aware of the
Barclays Premier League and what will bring with me is my enthusiasm.
"I want to show my qualities on the pitch and not just talk about them. I
feel I have got the ability and skill to adapt to the English game and I am
confident that, once I am ready to play, I will be able to show the fans
what I can do. "I feel my qualities match what is required in the Barclays
Premier League."
Do you see playing for West Ham as a chance to force your way into the Italy
squad for the 2014 World Cup?
AN: "I hope so, I hope so. I hope to get into the Italian squad. One of the
reasons I came to West Ham and to the Premier League is to play on a regular
basis.
"My first objective is to play for West Ham and help the Club to move up the
table. From that, if I am playing well and I get picked to go to the World
Cup in Brazil, that will be an added bonus. "The main priority is to play
for West Ham and to move up the table."
Finally, for our supporters, what is your message?
AN: "I hope to give the supporters great satisfaction with the way that I
play. I know many supporters come over from Italy to watch our games, so I
hope as a player and as a person to make them proud. "Our fans are colourful
and spend a lot of to watch us play, so I want to do the best I can for the
fans and for the Club and go from there. I hope my response will be the one
they are looking for."
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Big Sam lauds Serie A swoop
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce is looking forward to working with West Ham United's two
Italian recruits
27.01.2014
Sam Allardyce is thrilled with the Club's latest January dealings, having
secured the signatures of Italian duo Antonio Nocerino and Marco Borriello
on loan until the end of the season. While the Hammers boss is confident
the pair will make a considerable impact in the coming weeks and months, he
insists that their arrival, alone, will boost all at West Ham United.
Experienced campaigners and Italy internationals, the Naples-born players
bring no shortage of quality to the party and are both said to be delighted
at the prospect of Barclays Premier League football. "At long last,
after a gruelling eight weeks or so, we've finally managed to secure two new
faces," said Big Sam. "We've found Antonio on the back of the fact it's a
one in, one out situation. They've taken Michael Essien from Chelsea, which
left the door open for Antonio to come and try and play in the Premier
League, which he's very excited about. He wants to play and wants to achieve
as much as he did in Italy, as well as wanting to get in the Italian squad
for the World Cup. "Marco wants to come and chance his arm, like most
players will, in the most exciting league in the world. He has got a good
track record for being a lively frontman scoring a few goals, even though
recently that's not been the case due to a few niggly injuries. "From a
fitness point of view, Antonio's fine to be selected whenever. I think
there's always a settling in period, but it has to be very quickly because
of the window that we're in and because of the games coming thick and fast.
So we hope that's going to be a quick integration."
With players steadily returning from injury too, Big Sam believes there is
now plenty of reason to be positive ahead of Wednesday's trip to Stamford
Bridge and four crucial February fixtures. As for his new additions, Sam
has suitably high hopes for their Hammers careers, confident that two
intelligent footballers will have little trouble adapting to the demands of
English football. He continued: "With the reintroduction of Andy [Carroll]
now as well as Marco, it should bring a bit more optimism to everyone at
West Ham at the moment, with the fact that these players are coming back,
new players have signed and obviously some big games coming up for us.
"Antonio is a box-to-box midfielder with a certain quality of understanding
where the space is, finding space and knowing the position of linking, but
also getting up into the final third. Playing at the top level in Italy
brings a great deal of experience with the talent that he has got. "When you
come into this league and play in this league, you need intelligence. What
goes between the ears is the most important thing and certainly he's an
intelligent footballer and that's what we're looking forward to him
hopefully bringing. More at both ends, in terms of out of possession and in
possession, as every midfielder has to do today. "With Marco, it's about
getting him on the field and talking about nothing else other than scoring
goals. I think that's the bottom line for us. In the end, if he's not doing
too much outside the box, but he's doing it in the box, this is what we need
now. We need someone in that to start being productive in terms of how many
goals they score and when they get a chance, they only need one or two to
score. Goals are what we want from him."
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March fixture changes
WHUFC.com
New kick-off details have been announced for the Hammers' games with Man Utd
and Sunderland
27.01.2014
Two of West Ham United's Barclays Premier League fixtures in March have
moved from their original slots. The home match with Manchester United will
now kick-off at 5.30pm on Saturday 22 March, and not 3pm as originally
scheduled. Meanwhile, West Ham's trip to Sunderland will now be on Monday 31
March with an 8pm kick-off.
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Big Sam on: Chelsea
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce has spoken to the assembled press ahead of facing Chelsea on
Wednesday night
27.01.2014
The media gathered at Chadwell Heath on Monday morning to quiz Sam Allardyce
ahead of Wednesday night's Barclays Premier League match against Chelsea at
Stamford Bridge. Big Sam answered questions regarding the latest team news,
the Club's business in the transfer market and how to stop Jose Mourinho's
men on Wednesday night.
Morning Sam, four days to go until the end of the transfer window, do you
expect to do any more deals?
SA: "I don't expect to be that busy now. I think that at the moment, with
our two new signings, we're at our 25-man squad limit. So unless somebody
leaves within the next four days I can't see us doing any more business than
the business we've just done. We achieved two signings over the weekend, at
long last. After a hard, gruelling eight weeks or so we finally managed to
secure two signings."
What's your team news ahead of the Chelsea match?
SA: "Things are looking good on the injury front again. For the first time
in many, many, many weeks we have got our defensive players back into
training. Winston Reid is actually training with the squad for the first
time today but he won't be considered at all for Wednesday after a ten-week
break. James Collins is ok, George McCartney is back and Joey O'Brien's
back. For the first time, and I don't want to tempt fate, there's only Joe
Cole that's injured and I can't ever remember having just one player injured
over the last three months. Let's hope it's an injury free 2014 because that
would certainly make a big difference to us and the fight we have over the
next 16 games."
Chelsea will present a very tough game for you but do you think that not
having played on the weekend gives you an advantage?
SA: "Yes, but he changes his squad and he's got 25 international players to
choose from so that's never been a particular problem for a club like
Chelsea. Keeping that amount of players and rotating them keeps them
relatively happy. Their massive programme throughout the season means that
players that don't play so much, generally play 20-plus games. We're happy
in our squad if players are getting to the 25-game mark, 28-game mark
because we will only play 40-plus games whereas they will play 60-plus."
They played well yesterday, only getting the one goal, but you have to stop
them getting free-kicks on the edge of the box as they're pretty lethal from
them, aren't they?
SA: "It's not just free-kicks. You've got to stop the quality of player
which they rely on to turn the game in their favour. The defensive unit has
become so difficult to breakdown again which shows that Jose has been
concentrating on that. It was apparent yesterday when I was watching them
against Stoke City. Stoke found it very, very difficult to create any
opportunities against Chelsea and it frees up their quality players.
Stopping Oscar, Hazard, Eto'o is one of the elements for us which we have to
be very careful of. When those players get the ball we have to make sure
we're very sharp and that we close them down, otherwise their skills and
abilities will make life difficult for us."
How difficult is January for a manager when you have to deal with the
transfer situation as well as the pressures of getting results?
SA: "I've never liked January anyway. It's been particularly difficult this
time because of what we've been suffering from in terms of injuries and
results. That heaps even more pressure on you as a team, as a squad and as a
manager particularly. You've got to try and see the light at the end of the
tunnel and stay positive. The re-introduction of Andy that's coming forward
now should bring a bit more optimism to everybody at West Ham. Players are
coming back, new players have come in and we obviously have some big games
coming up. If we try and go on a bit of a run, an undefeated run at first, I
know everybody's desperate to win but first and foremost it's about not
losing. Building the confidence up, not losing in the hope that we start
producing more goals which will give us more victories. Scoring goals has
been our Achilles heel this season and on too many occasions we haven't
converted opportunities into goals."
Is it fair to say that, whilst it would be great to get something against
Chelsea, the focus is on upcoming games against Swansea City, Norwich City
and Aston Villa?
SA: "We can't go to Chelsea and lie down. We can't go to Chelsea and think
that we're not going to get a result. When all said and done, West Bromwich
Albion should have beaten Chelsea this season. In a one-off game, if you
play to your best and Chelsea aren't functioning at their best, then you can
get to the end result like West Brom did. It can be achieved at any one-time
in any one-game and we've got to believe that it can be achieved."
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New signings choose squad numbers
WHUFC.com
Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino have taken the No46 and No47 shirts
respectively
27.01.2014
West Ham United's new signings Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino have
chosen their squad numbers ahead of Wednesday's Barclays Premier League game
at Chelsea. Striker Borriello, who joins on loan from AS Roma, will wear the
No46 shirt during his time with the Hammers, while midfielder Nocerino, on
loan from AC Milan, takes No47. The pair trained with their new team-mates
for the first time at Chadwell Heath on Monday, after completing their moves
to London on Saturday.
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Travelling fans ignored again
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 27th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham's trip to Sunderland has been moved to a Monday night - for for the
benefit of TV. Hundreds of Hammers fans who would have otherwise made the
long, gruelling trip to the North East for a fixture originally planned for
the previous Saturday afternoon will now miss out due to the decision to
postpone the fixture by 48 hours. With many having to get up for work the
next morning, hundreds of regular away supporters will now miss out on what
will be a vital trip for the Hammers as they fight to avoid relegation from
the Premier League - a trip the team will now face without the full backing
of the Club's tremendous away following. United's home match against Man U
on Saturday, 22 March has also been moved - from 3:00pm to 5:30pm. That is
also for the benefit of TV.
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Forty-somethings
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 27th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham's new signings Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino have been
assigned their new squad numbers. For the reminder of the current season,
striker Boriello will wear the number 46 shirt and midfielder Nocerino the
number 47, it was confirmed today. According to whufc.com, the two players
were allowed to select their shirt numbers personally. The highest squad
number previously handed to a West Ham United player is 48, which was
allocated to Academy players Ashley Miller (now with Bishop's Stortford FC)
in 2008/09 and Danny Potts in 2011/12. However whereas Miller failed to
make a single first team appearance, Potts made four during 2011/12 meaning
that he holds the record for the highest number to be featured by a Hammer
on the field of play.
Highest Squad Number by Season
2013/14: Antonio Nocerino - 47
2012/13: Elliot Lee - 47
2011/12: Danny Potts - 48
2010/11: Jake Larkins - 46
2009/10: Junior Stanislas - 46
2008/09: Ashley Miller - 48
2007/08: Jordan Spence - 45
2006/07: Kepa Blanco - 37
2005/06: Matthew Reed - 41
2004/05: Gavin Williams - 35
2003/04: Chris Cohen - 35
2002/03: Sebastien Schemmel - 30
2001/02: David Forde - 41
2000/01: Svetoslav Todorov - 37
Read more at http://kumb.com/story.php?id=127316#vV7gfXbAg1MVTD1D.99
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Allardyce happy with double signing
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 27th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce says that he is unlikely to do any more business this transfer
window. It was a productive weekend for Big Sam as he made a double-swoop on
Serie A with the capture of Marco Borriello and Antionio Nocerino from Roma
and Milan respectively, both on loan, for the remainder of the season. With
his allotted 25-man squad now full, Allardyce will have to move one or two
out before bringing in any further new faces - although the manager insists
he is happy with the players at his disposal. "I don't expect to be that
busy now," he told the press this morning. "With our two new signings, we're
at our 25-man squad limit so unless somebody leaves within the next four
days I can't see us doing any more. "We achieved two signings over the
weekend, at long last. After a hard, gruelling eight weeks or so we finally
managed to secure two signings."
New signings Nocerino and Borriello took part in their first ever training
session at Chadwell Heath this morning, with both set to be included in
Wednesday's squad for the trip to Stamford Bridge. And Allardyce hopes that
the duo can help the Hammers get a result at a venue that hasn't yielded too
many points in recent years. "Players are coming back, new players have come
in and we have some big games coming up," he said. "We need to go on a bit
of a run - undefeated at first. I know everybody's desperate to win but
first and foremost it's about not losing. "Building the confidence up, not
losing in the hope that we start producing more goals which will give us
more victories. Scoring goals has been our Achilles heel this season and on
too many occasions we haven't converted opportunities into goals. "We can't
go to Chelsea and lie down. We can't go to Chelsea and think that we're not
going to get a result. When all said and done, West Bromwich Albion should
have beaten Chelsea this season. "In a one-off game, if you play to your
best and Chelsea aren't functioning at their best, then you can get to the
end result like West Brom did. It can be achieved at any one-time in any
one-game and we've got to believe that it can be achieved."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Transfer news: No more signings for West Ham, says Sam Allardyce
Last Updated: 27/01/14 12:27pm
SSN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce says he does not expect to make any more
signings following the arrival of Italians Antonio Nocerino and Marco
Borriello.
AC Milan midfielder Nocerino and Roma striker Borriello have both joined the
club on deals until the end of the season and Allardyce says that will be
the end of his transfer dealings in the January window. He said: "I don't
expect to be too busy now. Those two signings reach our 25-man squad limit
so I don't see us doing any more business. "Antonio is very excited to play
in the Premier League. He's very excited and wants to get into the Italy
squad for the World Cup. He is a box-to-box midfielder who's capable in all
areas of the pitch. "When you come into this league, you need intelligence
and he has that. It's about what's in between the ears and he's a very
experienced player. "Antonio is fine to be selected as soon as possible,
whereas Marco needs a bit of time as he hasn't played a game for six weeks."
Allardyce feels things are slowing getting better on the injury front, with
a number of players finally returning to training at Chadwell Heath.
"Antonio is fine to be selected as soon as possible, whereas Marco needs a
bit of time as he hasn't played a game for six weeks." "Things are looking
good on the injury front," added the Hammers boss. "We've got our defensive
players back into training, including Winston Reid. "We hope it will be an
injury-free 2014, to help us fight over the course of the next 16 games."
Allardyce is looking forward to facing Chelsea on Wednesday night and feels
his side are capable of getting a result at Stamford Bridge. "Jose seems to
have made Chelsea very difficult to breakdown again and that frees up their
quality players to make an impact," he added.
"West Brom should have beaten Chelsea earlier in the season. So if we play
to our best we can get a good end result."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Brom midfielder Graham Dorrans attracting interest
By Graeme Bailey - Tweet me: @graemebailey | Last Updated: 27/01/14 4:03pm
SSN
West Bromwich Albion have fielded a number of enquiries for Graham Dorrans,
who is out of contract at the end of the season. The Scotland international
almost joined Nottingham Forest in the summer and Sky Sports understands
that Billy Davies has rekindled his interest in Dorrans. West Brom have not
offered Dorrans new terms, and the 26-year-old is eager for first-team
football with just two starts under his belt this season. Reading and
Middlesbrough are also monitoring the situation, as are West Ham, who tried
to sign the player back in 2010 but had a £4million offer rejected
..
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
SAM'S FANTASTIC FOUR
By Tony Hanna 27 Jan 2014 at 17:21
West Ham Till I Die
Just over ten years ago Sam Allardyce, manager of Bolton Wanderers,
conceptualised a rigid game plan around data sourced from a company called
Prozone. It was a total success as Bolton were promoted to the Premier
league and enjoyed many seasons in the top flight punching well above their
weight. With his background staff of analysts,(David Fallows a former
Prozone analyst, Gavin Fleig and Ed Sulley), they came up with a model for
the club called the "Fantastic Four". Sam sticks by these principles to this
day. These were the four areas that dictated success.
Over a season of 38 games they "knew" that if they had 16 clean sheets they
would avoid relegation.
If they scored first they would have a 70% chance of winning the game.
They knew that set pieces, corners and free kicks accounted for a third of
all goals and in-swinging corners accounted for 70% of goals scored from all
corners. So they practiced on their own set pieces and defending the
oppositions. Long throws were another set piece to put the ball into the
zone.
They also knew that if they outworked their opposition by covering more
distance at speeds above 5.5m/s they would increase their chances of winning
by 80%.
Other factors that were important were knowing that a team will score on
average once from nine shots. Also 80% of goals would be scored from
movements of less than four passes and that half of all goals scored would
be from winning possession back in the final third of the pitch.
Prozones player tracking stats are believed to be used by 19 of the 20 PL
clubs including West Ham. However, Sam's analytic plan from the early years
at Bolton may now be outdated? For instance, the scoring goals from less
than four passes stat is flawed. That stat is just because most movements in
football are like that, it was not that the odds of scoring were better. The
odds of scoring is actually higher if you maintain possession.
What I would be asking Sam is if we are playing to the Fantastic Four is; Do
you really think that if we keep seven more clean sheets this season we will
stay up? Why have we only scored 4 goals in the first 30 minutes of all
matches in the PL all season? Why have we not scored a goal direct from a
free kick in the PL this season and our opposition have scored four? Why
have we lost on four occasions this season when we have scored first? Why if
long throws are such an important strategy, do we not have any one with a
long throw? And finally, do you think our injury list this season may have
anything to do with our players expected to work harder and faster than the
opposition, rather than keep the ball?
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MAYBE ONE MORE TRANSFER!
By Sean Whetstone 27 Jan 2014 at 13:17
West Ham Till I Die
After the weekend's two Italian signing the chairman son Jack was asked is
that all the West Ham transfer business concluded? It replied "No maybe 1
more"
On Saturday the Daily Mirror claimed West Ham are having second thoughts
about signing Joleon Lescott from Manchester City. There are claims Fulham
and Aston Villa have entered the race and are keen to sign Lescott on loan,
but Man City still say they will keep him until the summer unless they find
a replacement before next week's transfer deadline. Manchester City are said
to be in the hunt for Saint-Etienne defender Kurt Zouma.
West Ham are said to be getting cold feet about a loan deal because they are
unsure about matching Lescott's City reported £90,000 per week wages. It has
been claimed West Ham would offer him a £70,000 per week 3 year permanent
deal in the summer if a loan was successful but Lescott is believed to
reluctant to drop his wage demands for any loan period. It is also claimed
that Turkish club Besiktas made Lescott,, a lucrative offer, but he wants to
stay in the Premier League. Lescott cost Man City £24m when he signed from
Everton in 2009 but will be available on a free transfer from the end of the
season.
It is also curious how we would balance our £52m wage cap under FFP rules.
After a confirmed wage bill of £48m last season and the addition of Stewart
Downing adding around £3m we were already close to the cap at the start of
the season.
Roma has confirmed we paid 700,000 euros Loan fee for Borriello and Nocerino
is likely to be a similar amount so that's another £1m on top until the end
of the season. Lescott would add around £1.8m for 5 months. Roger Johnson is
believed to be on £20,000 per week and Carlton Cole is understood to have
agreed a £25,000 a week deal for a 18 month deal so that adds another
£900,000 to the wage until the end of the season.
I am confused how we will balance the books to meet the £52m wage cap unless
1) We ignore FFP and face the consequences or 2) Sell and/or release a
number of players in this week before the transfer window shuts!
Meanwhile Newcastle's Steven Taylor has been mooted as a possible
alternative target if the Lescott loan fails to materialise claims Matt Law
in the Telegraph.
UPDATE: In Sam's Monday Morning Press Conference he said "I don't expect to
be too busy now. Those two signings reach our 25-man squad limit so I don't
see us doing any more business" Do we believe him?
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Deadline day looms large for Big Sam as he looks to lift the Hammers out of
trouble
Jan 27, 2014 06:56 By John Cross 0
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce will spend this week desperately trying to push through a last
minute rush of deals. The West Ham manager will not have the luxury of
putting together multi-million pound transfers for big names. Big Sam will
have to raid the loan market and hope that he can do a last gasp deal for a
defender or centre forward. Allardyce will not be alone as the final week of
the January window always represents panic deals which can seem even more
desperate than in the summer. You could sense Allardyce's frustration last
week when he stormed out of a press conference after being asked about
whether he would be able to do any deals. "Every time I line up a player -
someone else comes along and nicks them," Allardyce said angrily. He
actually swore as well but we'll leave that out as this is a family
newspaper. But you can understand his point. West Ham have gone for big
names like Rickie Lambert, loan deals like Lacina Traore from Monaco and
also the potential signing of Joleon Lescott. The problem is attracting
players who could be entering a relegation battle and they are taking a
gamble on their careers as well as the clubs they are joining. These are
desperate times at the bottom as well as the top and the loan market is one
area where some managers excel as they look to pull off deals which can make
or break their season. Everton boss Roberto Martinez did wonders with loans
in August in the final days. He got Romelu Lukaku on loan from Chelsea. Then
came in Gareth Barry from Manchester City. They have been great successes in
the first team. Martinez also signed Gerard Deulofeu on loan from Barcelona,
a great young attacking talent who will cost Everton less the more they play
him.
The loan market divides opinion as Arsene Wenger doesn't like it and
Martinez clearly does. But one thing is for sure: the final week will see
more and more clubs utilise loan signings if they cannot do permanent deals.
There will be a lot of movement even if clubs aren't spending on big fees.
The truth is that managers become more desperate. And the window has
generally been quiet apart from the odd mega deal like Juan Mata or Nemanja
Matic. But the final few days is when it hots up. And Allardyce and his
fellow strugglers know that the final days of the transfer window will hold
the key to their survival. Those who do well in the market will survive.
Expect West Ham, Crystal Palace and Sunderland to be busy. Those who fail
and don't get the reinforcements will go down. Over to you, Big Sam.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce excited to work with new recruits Marco
Borriello and Antonio Nocerino
Jan 27, 2014 14:42 By Liam Prenderville
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce is confident new West Ham signings Marco Borriello and Antonio
Nocerino will be successful in the Premier League. The Hammers completed the
loan signings of the Italian pair over the weekend after a frustrating time
in the transfer market. Nocerino arrives from AC Milan while his
international colleague secured his switch from Roma and Allardyce can't
wait to get both of them on the pitch. He told the club's website: "At long
last, after a gruelling eight weeks or so, we've finally managed to secure
two new faces. "I think there's always a settling in period, but it has to
be very quickly because of the window that we are in and because of the
games coming thick and fast. So we hope that's going to be a quick
integration." West Ham's struggles this season have been largely down to a
lack of options in the final third, with Allardyce often choosing to play
with no out-and-out striker. However he has been boosted by the return from
injury of Andy Carroll and the Hammers boss hopes the England international
can strike a great relationship with new recruit Borriello. He added: "With
the reintroduction of Andy now as well as Marco, it should bring a bit more
optimism to everyone at the club. "With Marco, it's about getting him on the
field and talking about nothing else other than scoring goals. "I think
that's the bottom line for us. In the end, if he's not doing too much
outside the box, but he's doing it in the box, this is what we need now."
West Ham face London rivals Chelsea in the Premier League on Wednesday night
and the duo could be in line to feature
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WHUFC.com
Antonio Nocerino has spoken to West Ham TV following his loan move from AC
Milan
27.01.2014
Antonio Nocerino says he has huge motivation to impress after joining West
Ham United on loan from AC Milan. Not only does the Hammers' new No47 want
to help the Club climb clear of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone,
but the Italy international is determined to force his way into the
Azzurri's 2014 FIFA World Cup squad. Capped 15 times, the 28-year-old
midfielder scored a penalty for Italy in their quarter-final win over
England at Euro 2012, but for now Nocerino is concentrating all his efforts
on helping West Ham's fight for top-flight survival. A veteran of 221 Serie
A and 15 UEFA Champions League appearances, the Napoli-born star spoke to
West Ham TV following his first training session at Chadwell Heath.
Antonio, welcome to West Ham United! What is your reaction to joining the
Club and moving to London?
AN: "I am very happy because it's a very, very important experience for me,
playing for a very traditional and historical Club such as West Ham. It is a
great honour."
How did the transfer happen?
AN: "The transfer came about very quickly. A request was made for me to join
West Ham and I accepted straight away. I am very pleased to have joined West
Ham United."
Are you fit and ready to play immediately?
AN: "I am ready to play and I am happy to play immediately, if the manager
wants to put me in the team. I am at the Club's disposal to play me as soon
as possible. "It will maybe take me a little time to settle in, but I am
ready to play straight away, if needed."
What do you know about West Ham United?
AN: "When I was told I was coming to West Ham, I was already aware of the
large following that the Club has in Italy. "When I realised how big the
fanbase is and the traditions and very, very important history that the Club
has, I was more than happy to come to England. "A lot of the traditions of
the Club, I learned from the West Ham fans who are already there in Italy."
What qualities will you bring to the squad?
AN: "I am really enthusiastic about playing for West Ham. I am aware of the
Barclays Premier League and what will bring with me is my enthusiasm.
"I want to show my qualities on the pitch and not just talk about them. I
feel I have got the ability and skill to adapt to the English game and I am
confident that, once I am ready to play, I will be able to show the fans
what I can do. "I feel my qualities match what is required in the Barclays
Premier League."
Do you see playing for West Ham as a chance to force your way into the Italy
squad for the 2014 World Cup?
AN: "I hope so, I hope so. I hope to get into the Italian squad. One of the
reasons I came to West Ham and to the Premier League is to play on a regular
basis.
"My first objective is to play for West Ham and help the Club to move up the
table. From that, if I am playing well and I get picked to go to the World
Cup in Brazil, that will be an added bonus. "The main priority is to play
for West Ham and to move up the table."
Finally, for our supporters, what is your message?
AN: "I hope to give the supporters great satisfaction with the way that I
play. I know many supporters come over from Italy to watch our games, so I
hope as a player and as a person to make them proud. "Our fans are colourful
and spend a lot of to watch us play, so I want to do the best I can for the
fans and for the Club and go from there. I hope my response will be the one
they are looking for."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam lauds Serie A swoop
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce is looking forward to working with West Ham United's two
Italian recruits
27.01.2014
Sam Allardyce is thrilled with the Club's latest January dealings, having
secured the signatures of Italian duo Antonio Nocerino and Marco Borriello
on loan until the end of the season. While the Hammers boss is confident
the pair will make a considerable impact in the coming weeks and months, he
insists that their arrival, alone, will boost all at West Ham United.
Experienced campaigners and Italy internationals, the Naples-born players
bring no shortage of quality to the party and are both said to be delighted
at the prospect of Barclays Premier League football. "At long last,
after a gruelling eight weeks or so, we've finally managed to secure two new
faces," said Big Sam. "We've found Antonio on the back of the fact it's a
one in, one out situation. They've taken Michael Essien from Chelsea, which
left the door open for Antonio to come and try and play in the Premier
League, which he's very excited about. He wants to play and wants to achieve
as much as he did in Italy, as well as wanting to get in the Italian squad
for the World Cup. "Marco wants to come and chance his arm, like most
players will, in the most exciting league in the world. He has got a good
track record for being a lively frontman scoring a few goals, even though
recently that's not been the case due to a few niggly injuries. "From a
fitness point of view, Antonio's fine to be selected whenever. I think
there's always a settling in period, but it has to be very quickly because
of the window that we're in and because of the games coming thick and fast.
So we hope that's going to be a quick integration."
With players steadily returning from injury too, Big Sam believes there is
now plenty of reason to be positive ahead of Wednesday's trip to Stamford
Bridge and four crucial February fixtures. As for his new additions, Sam
has suitably high hopes for their Hammers careers, confident that two
intelligent footballers will have little trouble adapting to the demands of
English football. He continued: "With the reintroduction of Andy [Carroll]
now as well as Marco, it should bring a bit more optimism to everyone at
West Ham at the moment, with the fact that these players are coming back,
new players have signed and obviously some big games coming up for us.
"Antonio is a box-to-box midfielder with a certain quality of understanding
where the space is, finding space and knowing the position of linking, but
also getting up into the final third. Playing at the top level in Italy
brings a great deal of experience with the talent that he has got. "When you
come into this league and play in this league, you need intelligence. What
goes between the ears is the most important thing and certainly he's an
intelligent footballer and that's what we're looking forward to him
hopefully bringing. More at both ends, in terms of out of possession and in
possession, as every midfielder has to do today. "With Marco, it's about
getting him on the field and talking about nothing else other than scoring
goals. I think that's the bottom line for us. In the end, if he's not doing
too much outside the box, but he's doing it in the box, this is what we need
now. We need someone in that to start being productive in terms of how many
goals they score and when they get a chance, they only need one or two to
score. Goals are what we want from him."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
March fixture changes
WHUFC.com
New kick-off details have been announced for the Hammers' games with Man Utd
and Sunderland
27.01.2014
Two of West Ham United's Barclays Premier League fixtures in March have
moved from their original slots. The home match with Manchester United will
now kick-off at 5.30pm on Saturday 22 March, and not 3pm as originally
scheduled. Meanwhile, West Ham's trip to Sunderland will now be on Monday 31
March with an 8pm kick-off.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam on: Chelsea
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce has spoken to the assembled press ahead of facing Chelsea on
Wednesday night
27.01.2014
The media gathered at Chadwell Heath on Monday morning to quiz Sam Allardyce
ahead of Wednesday night's Barclays Premier League match against Chelsea at
Stamford Bridge. Big Sam answered questions regarding the latest team news,
the Club's business in the transfer market and how to stop Jose Mourinho's
men on Wednesday night.
Morning Sam, four days to go until the end of the transfer window, do you
expect to do any more deals?
SA: "I don't expect to be that busy now. I think that at the moment, with
our two new signings, we're at our 25-man squad limit. So unless somebody
leaves within the next four days I can't see us doing any more business than
the business we've just done. We achieved two signings over the weekend, at
long last. After a hard, gruelling eight weeks or so we finally managed to
secure two signings."
What's your team news ahead of the Chelsea match?
SA: "Things are looking good on the injury front again. For the first time
in many, many, many weeks we have got our defensive players back into
training. Winston Reid is actually training with the squad for the first
time today but he won't be considered at all for Wednesday after a ten-week
break. James Collins is ok, George McCartney is back and Joey O'Brien's
back. For the first time, and I don't want to tempt fate, there's only Joe
Cole that's injured and I can't ever remember having just one player injured
over the last three months. Let's hope it's an injury free 2014 because that
would certainly make a big difference to us and the fight we have over the
next 16 games."
Chelsea will present a very tough game for you but do you think that not
having played on the weekend gives you an advantage?
SA: "Yes, but he changes his squad and he's got 25 international players to
choose from so that's never been a particular problem for a club like
Chelsea. Keeping that amount of players and rotating them keeps them
relatively happy. Their massive programme throughout the season means that
players that don't play so much, generally play 20-plus games. We're happy
in our squad if players are getting to the 25-game mark, 28-game mark
because we will only play 40-plus games whereas they will play 60-plus."
They played well yesterday, only getting the one goal, but you have to stop
them getting free-kicks on the edge of the box as they're pretty lethal from
them, aren't they?
SA: "It's not just free-kicks. You've got to stop the quality of player
which they rely on to turn the game in their favour. The defensive unit has
become so difficult to breakdown again which shows that Jose has been
concentrating on that. It was apparent yesterday when I was watching them
against Stoke City. Stoke found it very, very difficult to create any
opportunities against Chelsea and it frees up their quality players.
Stopping Oscar, Hazard, Eto'o is one of the elements for us which we have to
be very careful of. When those players get the ball we have to make sure
we're very sharp and that we close them down, otherwise their skills and
abilities will make life difficult for us."
How difficult is January for a manager when you have to deal with the
transfer situation as well as the pressures of getting results?
SA: "I've never liked January anyway. It's been particularly difficult this
time because of what we've been suffering from in terms of injuries and
results. That heaps even more pressure on you as a team, as a squad and as a
manager particularly. You've got to try and see the light at the end of the
tunnel and stay positive. The re-introduction of Andy that's coming forward
now should bring a bit more optimism to everybody at West Ham. Players are
coming back, new players have come in and we obviously have some big games
coming up. If we try and go on a bit of a run, an undefeated run at first, I
know everybody's desperate to win but first and foremost it's about not
losing. Building the confidence up, not losing in the hope that we start
producing more goals which will give us more victories. Scoring goals has
been our Achilles heel this season and on too many occasions we haven't
converted opportunities into goals."
Is it fair to say that, whilst it would be great to get something against
Chelsea, the focus is on upcoming games against Swansea City, Norwich City
and Aston Villa?
SA: "We can't go to Chelsea and lie down. We can't go to Chelsea and think
that we're not going to get a result. When all said and done, West Bromwich
Albion should have beaten Chelsea this season. In a one-off game, if you
play to your best and Chelsea aren't functioning at their best, then you can
get to the end result like West Brom did. It can be achieved at any one-time
in any one-game and we've got to believe that it can be achieved."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
New signings choose squad numbers
WHUFC.com
Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino have taken the No46 and No47 shirts
respectively
27.01.2014
West Ham United's new signings Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino have
chosen their squad numbers ahead of Wednesday's Barclays Premier League game
at Chelsea. Striker Borriello, who joins on loan from AS Roma, will wear the
No46 shirt during his time with the Hammers, while midfielder Nocerino, on
loan from AC Milan, takes No47. The pair trained with their new team-mates
for the first time at Chadwell Heath on Monday, after completing their moves
to London on Saturday.
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Travelling fans ignored again
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 27th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham's trip to Sunderland has been moved to a Monday night - for for the
benefit of TV. Hundreds of Hammers fans who would have otherwise made the
long, gruelling trip to the North East for a fixture originally planned for
the previous Saturday afternoon will now miss out due to the decision to
postpone the fixture by 48 hours. With many having to get up for work the
next morning, hundreds of regular away supporters will now miss out on what
will be a vital trip for the Hammers as they fight to avoid relegation from
the Premier League - a trip the team will now face without the full backing
of the Club's tremendous away following. United's home match against Man U
on Saturday, 22 March has also been moved - from 3:00pm to 5:30pm. That is
also for the benefit of TV.
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Forty-somethings
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 27th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham's new signings Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino have been
assigned their new squad numbers. For the reminder of the current season,
striker Boriello will wear the number 46 shirt and midfielder Nocerino the
number 47, it was confirmed today. According to whufc.com, the two players
were allowed to select their shirt numbers personally. The highest squad
number previously handed to a West Ham United player is 48, which was
allocated to Academy players Ashley Miller (now with Bishop's Stortford FC)
in 2008/09 and Danny Potts in 2011/12. However whereas Miller failed to
make a single first team appearance, Potts made four during 2011/12 meaning
that he holds the record for the highest number to be featured by a Hammer
on the field of play.
Highest Squad Number by Season
2013/14: Antonio Nocerino - 47
2012/13: Elliot Lee - 47
2011/12: Danny Potts - 48
2010/11: Jake Larkins - 46
2009/10: Junior Stanislas - 46
2008/09: Ashley Miller - 48
2007/08: Jordan Spence - 45
2006/07: Kepa Blanco - 37
2005/06: Matthew Reed - 41
2004/05: Gavin Williams - 35
2003/04: Chris Cohen - 35
2002/03: Sebastien Schemmel - 30
2001/02: David Forde - 41
2000/01: Svetoslav Todorov - 37
Read more at http://kumb.com/story.php?id=127316#vV7gfXbAg1MVTD1D.99
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Allardyce happy with double signing
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 27th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce says that he is unlikely to do any more business this transfer
window. It was a productive weekend for Big Sam as he made a double-swoop on
Serie A with the capture of Marco Borriello and Antionio Nocerino from Roma
and Milan respectively, both on loan, for the remainder of the season. With
his allotted 25-man squad now full, Allardyce will have to move one or two
out before bringing in any further new faces - although the manager insists
he is happy with the players at his disposal. "I don't expect to be that
busy now," he told the press this morning. "With our two new signings, we're
at our 25-man squad limit so unless somebody leaves within the next four
days I can't see us doing any more. "We achieved two signings over the
weekend, at long last. After a hard, gruelling eight weeks or so we finally
managed to secure two signings."
New signings Nocerino and Borriello took part in their first ever training
session at Chadwell Heath this morning, with both set to be included in
Wednesday's squad for the trip to Stamford Bridge. And Allardyce hopes that
the duo can help the Hammers get a result at a venue that hasn't yielded too
many points in recent years. "Players are coming back, new players have come
in and we have some big games coming up," he said. "We need to go on a bit
of a run - undefeated at first. I know everybody's desperate to win but
first and foremost it's about not losing. "Building the confidence up, not
losing in the hope that we start producing more goals which will give us
more victories. Scoring goals has been our Achilles heel this season and on
too many occasions we haven't converted opportunities into goals. "We can't
go to Chelsea and lie down. We can't go to Chelsea and think that we're not
going to get a result. When all said and done, West Bromwich Albion should
have beaten Chelsea this season. "In a one-off game, if you play to your
best and Chelsea aren't functioning at their best, then you can get to the
end result like West Brom did. It can be achieved at any one-time in any
one-game and we've got to believe that it can be achieved."
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Transfer news: No more signings for West Ham, says Sam Allardyce
Last Updated: 27/01/14 12:27pm
SSN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce says he does not expect to make any more
signings following the arrival of Italians Antonio Nocerino and Marco
Borriello.
AC Milan midfielder Nocerino and Roma striker Borriello have both joined the
club on deals until the end of the season and Allardyce says that will be
the end of his transfer dealings in the January window. He said: "I don't
expect to be too busy now. Those two signings reach our 25-man squad limit
so I don't see us doing any more business. "Antonio is very excited to play
in the Premier League. He's very excited and wants to get into the Italy
squad for the World Cup. He is a box-to-box midfielder who's capable in all
areas of the pitch. "When you come into this league, you need intelligence
and he has that. It's about what's in between the ears and he's a very
experienced player. "Antonio is fine to be selected as soon as possible,
whereas Marco needs a bit of time as he hasn't played a game for six weeks."
Allardyce feels things are slowing getting better on the injury front, with
a number of players finally returning to training at Chadwell Heath.
"Antonio is fine to be selected as soon as possible, whereas Marco needs a
bit of time as he hasn't played a game for six weeks." "Things are looking
good on the injury front," added the Hammers boss. "We've got our defensive
players back into training, including Winston Reid. "We hope it will be an
injury-free 2014, to help us fight over the course of the next 16 games."
Allardyce is looking forward to facing Chelsea on Wednesday night and feels
his side are capable of getting a result at Stamford Bridge. "Jose seems to
have made Chelsea very difficult to breakdown again and that frees up their
quality players to make an impact," he added.
"West Brom should have beaten Chelsea earlier in the season. So if we play
to our best we can get a good end result."
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West Brom midfielder Graham Dorrans attracting interest
By Graeme Bailey - Tweet me: @graemebailey | Last Updated: 27/01/14 4:03pm
SSN
West Bromwich Albion have fielded a number of enquiries for Graham Dorrans,
who is out of contract at the end of the season. The Scotland international
almost joined Nottingham Forest in the summer and Sky Sports understands
that Billy Davies has rekindled his interest in Dorrans. West Brom have not
offered Dorrans new terms, and the 26-year-old is eager for first-team
football with just two starts under his belt this season. Reading and
Middlesbrough are also monitoring the situation, as are West Ham, who tried
to sign the player back in 2010 but had a £4million offer rejected
..
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SAM'S FANTASTIC FOUR
By Tony Hanna 27 Jan 2014 at 17:21
West Ham Till I Die
Just over ten years ago Sam Allardyce, manager of Bolton Wanderers,
conceptualised a rigid game plan around data sourced from a company called
Prozone. It was a total success as Bolton were promoted to the Premier
league and enjoyed many seasons in the top flight punching well above their
weight. With his background staff of analysts,(David Fallows a former
Prozone analyst, Gavin Fleig and Ed Sulley), they came up with a model for
the club called the "Fantastic Four". Sam sticks by these principles to this
day. These were the four areas that dictated success.
Over a season of 38 games they "knew" that if they had 16 clean sheets they
would avoid relegation.
If they scored first they would have a 70% chance of winning the game.
They knew that set pieces, corners and free kicks accounted for a third of
all goals and in-swinging corners accounted for 70% of goals scored from all
corners. So they practiced on their own set pieces and defending the
oppositions. Long throws were another set piece to put the ball into the
zone.
They also knew that if they outworked their opposition by covering more
distance at speeds above 5.5m/s they would increase their chances of winning
by 80%.
Other factors that were important were knowing that a team will score on
average once from nine shots. Also 80% of goals would be scored from
movements of less than four passes and that half of all goals scored would
be from winning possession back in the final third of the pitch.
Prozones player tracking stats are believed to be used by 19 of the 20 PL
clubs including West Ham. However, Sam's analytic plan from the early years
at Bolton may now be outdated? For instance, the scoring goals from less
than four passes stat is flawed. That stat is just because most movements in
football are like that, it was not that the odds of scoring were better. The
odds of scoring is actually higher if you maintain possession.
What I would be asking Sam is if we are playing to the Fantastic Four is; Do
you really think that if we keep seven more clean sheets this season we will
stay up? Why have we only scored 4 goals in the first 30 minutes of all
matches in the PL all season? Why have we not scored a goal direct from a
free kick in the PL this season and our opposition have scored four? Why
have we lost on four occasions this season when we have scored first? Why if
long throws are such an important strategy, do we not have any one with a
long throw? And finally, do you think our injury list this season may have
anything to do with our players expected to work harder and faster than the
opposition, rather than keep the ball?
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MAYBE ONE MORE TRANSFER!
By Sean Whetstone 27 Jan 2014 at 13:17
West Ham Till I Die
After the weekend's two Italian signing the chairman son Jack was asked is
that all the West Ham transfer business concluded? It replied "No maybe 1
more"
On Saturday the Daily Mirror claimed West Ham are having second thoughts
about signing Joleon Lescott from Manchester City. There are claims Fulham
and Aston Villa have entered the race and are keen to sign Lescott on loan,
but Man City still say they will keep him until the summer unless they find
a replacement before next week's transfer deadline. Manchester City are said
to be in the hunt for Saint-Etienne defender Kurt Zouma.
West Ham are said to be getting cold feet about a loan deal because they are
unsure about matching Lescott's City reported £90,000 per week wages. It has
been claimed West Ham would offer him a £70,000 per week 3 year permanent
deal in the summer if a loan was successful but Lescott is believed to
reluctant to drop his wage demands for any loan period. It is also claimed
that Turkish club Besiktas made Lescott,, a lucrative offer, but he wants to
stay in the Premier League. Lescott cost Man City £24m when he signed from
Everton in 2009 but will be available on a free transfer from the end of the
season.
It is also curious how we would balance our £52m wage cap under FFP rules.
After a confirmed wage bill of £48m last season and the addition of Stewart
Downing adding around £3m we were already close to the cap at the start of
the season.
Roma has confirmed we paid 700,000 euros Loan fee for Borriello and Nocerino
is likely to be a similar amount so that's another £1m on top until the end
of the season. Lescott would add around £1.8m for 5 months. Roger Johnson is
believed to be on £20,000 per week and Carlton Cole is understood to have
agreed a £25,000 a week deal for a 18 month deal so that adds another
£900,000 to the wage until the end of the season.
I am confused how we will balance the books to meet the £52m wage cap unless
1) We ignore FFP and face the consequences or 2) Sell and/or release a
number of players in this week before the transfer window shuts!
Meanwhile Newcastle's Steven Taylor has been mooted as a possible
alternative target if the Lescott loan fails to materialise claims Matt Law
in the Telegraph.
UPDATE: In Sam's Monday Morning Press Conference he said "I don't expect to
be too busy now. Those two signings reach our 25-man squad limit so I don't
see us doing any more business" Do we believe him?
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Deadline day looms large for Big Sam as he looks to lift the Hammers out of
trouble
Jan 27, 2014 06:56 By John Cross 0
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce will spend this week desperately trying to push through a last
minute rush of deals. The West Ham manager will not have the luxury of
putting together multi-million pound transfers for big names. Big Sam will
have to raid the loan market and hope that he can do a last gasp deal for a
defender or centre forward. Allardyce will not be alone as the final week of
the January window always represents panic deals which can seem even more
desperate than in the summer. You could sense Allardyce's frustration last
week when he stormed out of a press conference after being asked about
whether he would be able to do any deals. "Every time I line up a player -
someone else comes along and nicks them," Allardyce said angrily. He
actually swore as well but we'll leave that out as this is a family
newspaper. But you can understand his point. West Ham have gone for big
names like Rickie Lambert, loan deals like Lacina Traore from Monaco and
also the potential signing of Joleon Lescott. The problem is attracting
players who could be entering a relegation battle and they are taking a
gamble on their careers as well as the clubs they are joining. These are
desperate times at the bottom as well as the top and the loan market is one
area where some managers excel as they look to pull off deals which can make
or break their season. Everton boss Roberto Martinez did wonders with loans
in August in the final days. He got Romelu Lukaku on loan from Chelsea. Then
came in Gareth Barry from Manchester City. They have been great successes in
the first team. Martinez also signed Gerard Deulofeu on loan from Barcelona,
a great young attacking talent who will cost Everton less the more they play
him.
The loan market divides opinion as Arsene Wenger doesn't like it and
Martinez clearly does. But one thing is for sure: the final week will see
more and more clubs utilise loan signings if they cannot do permanent deals.
There will be a lot of movement even if clubs aren't spending on big fees.
The truth is that managers become more desperate. And the window has
generally been quiet apart from the odd mega deal like Juan Mata or Nemanja
Matic. But the final few days is when it hots up. And Allardyce and his
fellow strugglers know that the final days of the transfer window will hold
the key to their survival. Those who do well in the market will survive.
Expect West Ham, Crystal Palace and Sunderland to be busy. Those who fail
and don't get the reinforcements will go down. Over to you, Big Sam.
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce excited to work with new recruits Marco
Borriello and Antonio Nocerino
Jan 27, 2014 14:42 By Liam Prenderville
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce is confident new West Ham signings Marco Borriello and Antonio
Nocerino will be successful in the Premier League. The Hammers completed the
loan signings of the Italian pair over the weekend after a frustrating time
in the transfer market. Nocerino arrives from AC Milan while his
international colleague secured his switch from Roma and Allardyce can't
wait to get both of them on the pitch. He told the club's website: "At long
last, after a gruelling eight weeks or so, we've finally managed to secure
two new faces. "I think there's always a settling in period, but it has to
be very quickly because of the window that we are in and because of the
games coming thick and fast. So we hope that's going to be a quick
integration." West Ham's struggles this season have been largely down to a
lack of options in the final third, with Allardyce often choosing to play
with no out-and-out striker. However he has been boosted by the return from
injury of Andy Carroll and the Hammers boss hopes the England international
can strike a great relationship with new recruit Borriello. He added: "With
the reintroduction of Andy now as well as Marco, it should bring a bit more
optimism to everyone at the club. "With Marco, it's about getting him on the
field and talking about nothing else other than scoring goals. "I think
that's the bottom line for us. In the end, if he's not doing too much
outside the box, but he's doing it in the box, this is what we need now."
West Ham face London rivals Chelsea in the Premier League on Wednesday night
and the duo could be in line to feature
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Daily WHUFC News - 27th January 2014
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Osasuna anger as Loe deal collapses
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 26th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Spanish club Osasuna were left fuming after West Ham pulled out of a deal to sign defensive midfielder Raoul Loe. According to the Primera Liga club, a deal worth €2.2million was agreed last week with the Hammers set to pay half of the fee immediately and the remainder in the summer. As a result, the player flew to London on Friday for a medical - which, according to Los Rojillos, never happened. "We do not understand the lack of formality when it was they who asked us to send Raoul to London to undergo a medical and sign the contract," a Club spokesman told Navarra Sport. "They have apologised, but that does not justify their actions."
It is thought that Loe was considered a back-up option for Milan's Antionio Nocerino, who completed his short-term loan move to the Boleyn Ground on Saturday along with fellow Italian Marco Borriello.
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ROSS MCCORMACK OR DANI OSVALDO?
By S J Chandos 27 Jan 2014 at 00:15
West Ham Till I Die
The latest reports are claiming that West Ham will submit a revised £5m offer to Leeds Utd for Ross McCormack. Last week, a bid of £3.5m was submitted for the player, which was duly rejected by the Leeds Utd board. However, the speculation is that Leeds Utd would seriously consider selling the Championship's leading goal scorer, but are holding out for a higher fee. It appears that West Ham may be about to test that theory with a revised offer. Although the player only signed a new contract last summer, it is thought that McCormack is keen for another crack at the Premier League. McCormack has scored 17 Championship goals so far this season in a average Leeds Utd team. He may be well worth a £5m punt, in the absence of other options. I would argue that Jordan Rhodes is a better long-term prospect, but the estimated £10m fee to secure his services is likely to be too rich for West Ham's blood in this January window.
It was good to see the club finally making some significant progress in the transfer market. The double loan deal for Roma's Marco Borriello and AC Milan's Antonio Nocerino was a welcome development. Both players have a good pedigree, having played for some of the biggest names in Italian football. However, it is also something of a gamble, in the sense that both midfielder Nocerino and striker Borriello have had been in indifferent form for their respective Serie A clubs this season. Nocerino had lost his regular starting place to Nigel De Jong and would have been pushed further down the AC Milan midfield pecking order with the impending signing of Michael Essien from Chelsea. While Borriello has been less than prolific in front of goal, scoring 1 goal in 11 appearances for Roma.
However, if the players had been in top form this season, would we have got them in this transfer window? Most probably not. We have to hope that both Borriello and Nocerino respond positively to a new club environment and quickly recapture the form that previously saw Borriello score regularly at Genoa and Nocerino rise to prominence at Palermo. Borriello has been characterised in Italy as 'inconsistent,' although it is probably true to say that he is a confidence player who responds positively to the adulation of the crowd. He will need careful handling by the coaching staff, but if they get it right then Borriello will score goals. While Nocerino is a powerful box-to-box type of player and if he can regain his form he will be a a very good addition. Significantly, this is, of course, a World Cup year and both players nurture ambitions to make the Italian squad. What greater incentive do they need to make an impact at West Ham?
Elsewhere, it appears that West Ham have pulled out of the deal to sign Osasuna's defensive midfielder, Raoul Loe. It was reported that the player had attended for a medical and the clubs had agreed a £1.5m deal. However, it transpires that West Ham have pulled out of the deal, much to the annoyance of Osasuna. It seems that Loe was a back up deal in case they could not agree terms with AC Milan and Nocerino. And when the latter deal went through, Loe was surplus to requirements it appears. While, the rumours still circulate regarding our alleged interest in, ex-Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder, Raul Meireles and, Man City central defender, Joleon Lescott. Of the two, the need for Lescott is probably the greater. However, to make the deal happen, the West Ham board will need to commit to paying his £90,000 a week wages for the remainder of this season and offer a £70,000 a week, three year deal, if he helps us to escape relegation. Will they 'bite the bullet' and agree to that? Its expensive, but relegation will cost a lot more and Lescott is a player that can make a real contribution to our PL survival.
Finally, there is a story in the Monday morning papers that West Ham Utd are going to make a surprise bid to sign Southampton's out of favour striker, Dani Osvaldo, on loan to the end of the season. It seems pretty unlikely, on the face of it, but stranger things have happened! It's more likely that Southampton will seek to to retrieve the majority of Osvaldo's £15m fee by offloading him to Juventus or AC Milan. That would probably be the player's preference. And in all honesty, do we need such a potentially problematic signing, who has only managed 3 goals this season?
SJ Chandos.
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West Ham to return with improved £5m offer for McCormack after initital rejected bid
By SIMON JONES
PUBLISHED: 21:53, 26 January 2014 | UPDATED: 22:15, 26 January 2014
Daily Mail
West Ham are poised to make an improved £5million offer for Leeds United striker Ross McCormack on Monday. Leeds have rejected an initial proposal of £3million plus and extra £1m on appearances and the Upton Park club will return with £4m plus £1m. Leeds are willing to accept that as talks continue over a takeover from Cagliari businessman Cellino. Scotland international McCormack is the Championship's leading scorer this season with 17 goals, one more than Jordan Rhodes of Blackburn. The 27-year-old was also made Leeds captain just last week. Leeds chairman Salah Nouruddin said on Twitter last week: 'I'd like to reassure all £lufc fans that we're working hard for the club and can confirm we've rejected an offer from West Ham for Ross.' West Ham are third from bottom in the Premier League with 18 points, the same amount as the two teams below them Sunderland and Cardiff, and one behind Fulham and safety.
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West Ham target Dani Osvaldo transfer after Southampton striker's ruck with team-mate
Jan 26, 2014 22:30 By Alex Crook 0 Comments
The Mirror
West Ham are lining up a shock move for bad-boy Southampton forward Dani Osvaldo. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce wants to take Osvaldo on loan, after missing out on No.1 striker target Lacina Traore and despite signing Roma hitman Marco Borriello on loan on Saturday. Saints are desperate to offload Osvaldo after the fiery Italian head-butted teammate Jose Fonte at training last week. Allardyce was hoping to lure Rickie Lambert from St Mary's to the Londoners, but Osvaldo's antics scuppered any potential deal for the England international. Osvaldo, 28, would prefer a return to Serie A and is waiting to see if Inter Milan or Juventus firm up their interest in him. Former Roma star Osvaldo has scored three goals in 13 games since joining Maurico Pochettino's men in a club-record £15million deal in August. He was banned from the club for two weeks following the attack on Fonte.
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S"INCE" OF THE FATHER - TOM INCE TO WEST HAM?
By Iain Dale 26 Jan 2014 at 19:08
West Ham Till I Die
Just seen this on a site called Eyefootball.com
Sam Allardyce is prepared to face the wrath of some West Ham fans by signing the son of Paul Ince, Tom, in a deal that will be completed prior to the end of the transfer window.Allardyce is looking to add some attacking impetus to his struggling squad and is confident that Tom Ince is the right man for the job.
Sam Allardyce is prepared to face the wrath of some West Ham fans by signing the son of Paul Ince, Tom, in a deal that will be completed prior to the end of the transfer window.Allardyce is looking to add some attacking impetus to his struggling squad and is confident that Tom Ince is the right man for the job.Ince, whose contract expires in six months time, will be looking to make a transfer this month away from Blackpool and secure his current team some funds.Ince's father, Paul, used to play for the Hammers in the 80's but left in contentious circumstances and is still considered a hate figure for many Hammers fans.
Can't see it myself. He's a winger. We have quite a few of those already. But if it's true, would he be welcomed to Upton Park with open arms? There's no doubt he's a quality player, and personally I don't believe in visiting the sins of the father on the son. Not sure I am typical though…
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West Ham star Guy Demel was badly damaged after his collision with Roger Johnson
WEST HAM defender Guy Demel has revealed the full extent of the sickening head injury which left him fearing the worst.
Daily Star
By Paul Brown/Published 26th January 2014
Demel is on the mend after a clash of heads with team-mate Roger Johnson in the club's win over Cardiff City earlier this month. The Ivory Coast full- back spent the night in a Cardiff hospital after being knocked out cold and suffered severe memory loss for days afterwards. Demel said: "The doctor told me it was a serious one because I was unconscious for a lot of minutes. They had to put a tube down my mouth because my blood was going backwards down my throat. When I woke up I couldn't speak for an hour and a half. "I couldn't remember the game so he told me we had won. I cannot remember anything for 48 hours before the incident. I don't remember travelling to Cardiff or the match. "I would like to thank the medical team because their reaction was quick and they made the right decisions. "I would also like to thank God because you never know what can happen in your life. "Nothing like this had ever happened to me before. "But now I am feeling better."
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Osasuna anger as Loe deal collapses
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 26th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Spanish club Osasuna were left fuming after West Ham pulled out of a deal to sign defensive midfielder Raoul Loe. According to the Primera Liga club, a deal worth €2.2million was agreed last week with the Hammers set to pay half of the fee immediately and the remainder in the summer. As a result, the player flew to London on Friday for a medical - which, according to Los Rojillos, never happened. "We do not understand the lack of formality when it was they who asked us to send Raoul to London to undergo a medical and sign the contract," a Club spokesman told Navarra Sport. "They have apologised, but that does not justify their actions."
It is thought that Loe was considered a back-up option for Milan's Antionio Nocerino, who completed his short-term loan move to the Boleyn Ground on Saturday along with fellow Italian Marco Borriello.
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ROSS MCCORMACK OR DANI OSVALDO?
By S J Chandos 27 Jan 2014 at 00:15
West Ham Till I Die
The latest reports are claiming that West Ham will submit a revised £5m offer to Leeds Utd for Ross McCormack. Last week, a bid of £3.5m was submitted for the player, which was duly rejected by the Leeds Utd board. However, the speculation is that Leeds Utd would seriously consider selling the Championship's leading goal scorer, but are holding out for a higher fee. It appears that West Ham may be about to test that theory with a revised offer. Although the player only signed a new contract last summer, it is thought that McCormack is keen for another crack at the Premier League. McCormack has scored 17 Championship goals so far this season in a average Leeds Utd team. He may be well worth a £5m punt, in the absence of other options. I would argue that Jordan Rhodes is a better long-term prospect, but the estimated £10m fee to secure his services is likely to be too rich for West Ham's blood in this January window.
It was good to see the club finally making some significant progress in the transfer market. The double loan deal for Roma's Marco Borriello and AC Milan's Antonio Nocerino was a welcome development. Both players have a good pedigree, having played for some of the biggest names in Italian football. However, it is also something of a gamble, in the sense that both midfielder Nocerino and striker Borriello have had been in indifferent form for their respective Serie A clubs this season. Nocerino had lost his regular starting place to Nigel De Jong and would have been pushed further down the AC Milan midfield pecking order with the impending signing of Michael Essien from Chelsea. While Borriello has been less than prolific in front of goal, scoring 1 goal in 11 appearances for Roma.
However, if the players had been in top form this season, would we have got them in this transfer window? Most probably not. We have to hope that both Borriello and Nocerino respond positively to a new club environment and quickly recapture the form that previously saw Borriello score regularly at Genoa and Nocerino rise to prominence at Palermo. Borriello has been characterised in Italy as 'inconsistent,' although it is probably true to say that he is a confidence player who responds positively to the adulation of the crowd. He will need careful handling by the coaching staff, but if they get it right then Borriello will score goals. While Nocerino is a powerful box-to-box type of player and if he can regain his form he will be a a very good addition. Significantly, this is, of course, a World Cup year and both players nurture ambitions to make the Italian squad. What greater incentive do they need to make an impact at West Ham?
Elsewhere, it appears that West Ham have pulled out of the deal to sign Osasuna's defensive midfielder, Raoul Loe. It was reported that the player had attended for a medical and the clubs had agreed a £1.5m deal. However, it transpires that West Ham have pulled out of the deal, much to the annoyance of Osasuna. It seems that Loe was a back up deal in case they could not agree terms with AC Milan and Nocerino. And when the latter deal went through, Loe was surplus to requirements it appears. While, the rumours still circulate regarding our alleged interest in, ex-Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder, Raul Meireles and, Man City central defender, Joleon Lescott. Of the two, the need for Lescott is probably the greater. However, to make the deal happen, the West Ham board will need to commit to paying his £90,000 a week wages for the remainder of this season and offer a £70,000 a week, three year deal, if he helps us to escape relegation. Will they 'bite the bullet' and agree to that? Its expensive, but relegation will cost a lot more and Lescott is a player that can make a real contribution to our PL survival.
Finally, there is a story in the Monday morning papers that West Ham Utd are going to make a surprise bid to sign Southampton's out of favour striker, Dani Osvaldo, on loan to the end of the season. It seems pretty unlikely, on the face of it, but stranger things have happened! It's more likely that Southampton will seek to to retrieve the majority of Osvaldo's £15m fee by offloading him to Juventus or AC Milan. That would probably be the player's preference. And in all honesty, do we need such a potentially problematic signing, who has only managed 3 goals this season?
SJ Chandos.
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West Ham to return with improved £5m offer for McCormack after initital rejected bid
By SIMON JONES
PUBLISHED: 21:53, 26 January 2014 | UPDATED: 22:15, 26 January 2014
Daily Mail
West Ham are poised to make an improved £5million offer for Leeds United striker Ross McCormack on Monday. Leeds have rejected an initial proposal of £3million plus and extra £1m on appearances and the Upton Park club will return with £4m plus £1m. Leeds are willing to accept that as talks continue over a takeover from Cagliari businessman Cellino. Scotland international McCormack is the Championship's leading scorer this season with 17 goals, one more than Jordan Rhodes of Blackburn. The 27-year-old was also made Leeds captain just last week. Leeds chairman Salah Nouruddin said on Twitter last week: 'I'd like to reassure all £lufc fans that we're working hard for the club and can confirm we've rejected an offer from West Ham for Ross.' West Ham are third from bottom in the Premier League with 18 points, the same amount as the two teams below them Sunderland and Cardiff, and one behind Fulham and safety.
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West Ham target Dani Osvaldo transfer after Southampton striker's ruck with team-mate
Jan 26, 2014 22:30 By Alex Crook 0 Comments
The Mirror
West Ham are lining up a shock move for bad-boy Southampton forward Dani Osvaldo. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce wants to take Osvaldo on loan, after missing out on No.1 striker target Lacina Traore and despite signing Roma hitman Marco Borriello on loan on Saturday. Saints are desperate to offload Osvaldo after the fiery Italian head-butted teammate Jose Fonte at training last week. Allardyce was hoping to lure Rickie Lambert from St Mary's to the Londoners, but Osvaldo's antics scuppered any potential deal for the England international. Osvaldo, 28, would prefer a return to Serie A and is waiting to see if Inter Milan or Juventus firm up their interest in him. Former Roma star Osvaldo has scored three goals in 13 games since joining Maurico Pochettino's men in a club-record £15million deal in August. He was banned from the club for two weeks following the attack on Fonte.
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S"INCE" OF THE FATHER - TOM INCE TO WEST HAM?
By Iain Dale 26 Jan 2014 at 19:08
West Ham Till I Die
Just seen this on a site called Eyefootball.com
Sam Allardyce is prepared to face the wrath of some West Ham fans by signing the son of Paul Ince, Tom, in a deal that will be completed prior to the end of the transfer window.Allardyce is looking to add some attacking impetus to his struggling squad and is confident that Tom Ince is the right man for the job.
Sam Allardyce is prepared to face the wrath of some West Ham fans by signing the son of Paul Ince, Tom, in a deal that will be completed prior to the end of the transfer window.Allardyce is looking to add some attacking impetus to his struggling squad and is confident that Tom Ince is the right man for the job.Ince, whose contract expires in six months time, will be looking to make a transfer this month away from Blackpool and secure his current team some funds.Ince's father, Paul, used to play for the Hammers in the 80's but left in contentious circumstances and is still considered a hate figure for many Hammers fans.
Can't see it myself. He's a winger. We have quite a few of those already. But if it's true, would he be welcomed to Upton Park with open arms? There's no doubt he's a quality player, and personally I don't believe in visiting the sins of the father on the son. Not sure I am typical though…
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West Ham star Guy Demel was badly damaged after his collision with Roger Johnson
WEST HAM defender Guy Demel has revealed the full extent of the sickening head injury which left him fearing the worst.
Daily Star
By Paul Brown/Published 26th January 2014
Demel is on the mend after a clash of heads with team-mate Roger Johnson in the club's win over Cardiff City earlier this month. The Ivory Coast full- back spent the night in a Cardiff hospital after being knocked out cold and suffered severe memory loss for days afterwards. Demel said: "The doctor told me it was a serious one because I was unconscious for a lot of minutes. They had to put a tube down my mouth because my blood was going backwards down my throat. When I woke up I couldn't speak for an hour and a half. "I couldn't remember the game so he told me we had won. I cannot remember anything for 48 hours before the incident. I don't remember travelling to Cardiff or the match. "I would like to thank the medical team because their reaction was quick and they made the right decisions. "I would also like to thank God because you never know what can happen in your life. "Nothing like this had ever happened to me before. "But now I am feeling better."
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Sunday, January 26
Daily WHUFC News - 26th January 2014
Borriello signs
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are delighted to announce the loan signing of Marco Borriello from AS Roma
25.01.2014
West Ham United are delighted to announce their second signing of the day - Italy international Marco Borriello has joined on loan until the end of the 2013/14 season. Capped seven times, Borriello joins the Hammers from Serie A club AS Roma and will add strength, presence and goals to Sam Allardyce's squad.
The 31-year-old has spent the past decade in the Italian top-flight, appearing in the UEFA Champions League scoring nearly 100 career goals - many of them spectacular - for Roma, AC Milan, Juventus and Genoa, among others. Born in Naples in June 1982, Borriello joined AC Milan as a schoolboy before making his senior debut during a loan spell at Serie C2 side Triestina in 2001. Ten goals in 27 Serie C1 appearances for loan club Treviso led to Borriello making his Serie A debut for AC Milan against Perugia on 21 September 2002. After further loan spells with Serie A clubs Empoli, Reggina, Sampdoria and Treviso, Borriello enjoyed a breakthrough season with Genoa - who had acquired co-ownership of the striker - in 2007/08. That season, the forward scored his first career hat-trick against Udinese in September 2007. A treble in the reverse fixture in February 2008 helped Borriello to 19 goals in 35 Serie A appearances. The Neapolitan spent the next two seasons with AC Milan, with 2009/10 being particularly successful - Borriello netted 14 goals in 26 league games and his maiden UEFA Champions League strike against French side Marseille. Borriello moved to Roma in summer 2010, despite reported interest from Barclays Premier League side Manchester City, and continued to find the net regularly, netting 17 in all competitions. A change of manager saw the forward fall out of favour at the Stadio Olimpico and Borriello moved to Juventus on loan in January 2012, helping the Old Lady to win the Serie A title and reach the Italian Cup final.
After spending the 2012/13 season with Genoa, he returned to Roma for a second spell last summer, making eleven Serie A appearances this season. At international level, Borriello made his Italy debut as a substitute for Luca Toni in a 3-1 friendly win over Belgium in Florence in May 2008. He has since featured in five further friendlies and a Euro 2012 qualifier with Northern Ireland in October 2010.
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Hammers net Nocerino
WHUFC.com
Antonio Nocerino has joined West Ham United on loan from AC Milan until the end of the season
25.01.2014
West Ham United are delighted to announce the arrival of AC Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino on loan until the end of the season. The 28-year-old has been capped by his country on 15 occasions, going to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Euro 2012, where he scored one of the penalties that knocked out England at the quarter-final stage. Born in Naples, Nocerino's career began at Juventus, where he played 32 league games, as well as gaining experience with loan spells at the likes of Genoa, Messina and Piacenza. He moved on to Palermo in 2008 and went on to establish himself at the Sicilian club in a three-year spell which yielded 106 league outings and six goals. After helping the Rosanero qualify for the UEFA Europa League, Nocerino left for AC Milan in the summer of 2011, making his UEFA Champions League debut shortly afterwards when Milan drew 2-2 with Barcelona. His first goal for Milan came against his former club Palermo, and a successful first season at the San Siro also included a hat-trick in a 4-1 victory over Parma. The Neapolitan notched eleven goals in all in the 2011/12 campaign and backed that up with a further 31 appearances last term. With eleven Serie A games and two appearances in the Champions League under his belt in 2013/14, Nocerino will now be bringing his talents to the Barclays Premier League with the Hammers.
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Guy gearing up for return
WHUFC.com
Guy Demel is working hard to prove his fitness ahead of Wednesday's capital clash with Chelsea
26.01.2014
Guy Demel expects to be back at the peak of his powers sooner rather than later, after stepping up his recovery from the nasty concussion he suffered at Cardiff City. The powerful full-back played an hour in Thursday's friendly at home to Tottenham Hotspur and happily reported feeling better for the outing.
Demel now plans to put in the hard yards over the coming days, as he looks forward to a prospective Barclays Premier League return at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. He told whufc.com: "It's good to be on the pitch now, I'm happy to feel that I'm getting back to normal. I still have a couple of days of hard work to be sure that I'll be ready for the next game. "I'm working hard with the physios and with fitness coaches and I'm sure the extra couple of days before Chelsea will be useful. I'll be alright. "I'm obviously a little bit tired because the shock lowered my energy levels as well, as if I've been out for a month or something. "It's an hour and it's always good to have game practice, better sometimes than training sessions, especially when you play a team like that. They came here with a lot of international players, so it was a really good test."
Chelsea's team, too, will be awash with seasoned internationals, but Demel is approaching Wednesday's clash like any other, insistent that anything is possible. The 32-year-old Ivorian cares not for reputations, concentrating all his efforts on improving the Hammers' modest points tally. "Every game is winnable," he added. "It depends how prepared you are and how focused you are. I think that even Chelsea is a winnable game. Of course they're a big team but it's a football game and when I step onto the pitch each weekend I'm not expecting to lose - no matter which team is in front of me. That's not the way I grew up and it's not the way I see things. "Of course there will be some opponents that might be slightly easier, so to speak, but we just have to get the points. It doesn't matter where we get them, we just need points, points, points. It's not like [it's extra special] because we beat Chelsea, no, I just want points!"
While the Hammers will, no doubt, have to defend well at Stamford Bridge, Demel insists it will take a collective effort to keep the Blues at bay. But the the right-back is, of course, pleased to see defensive numbers swell, with James Collins and James Tomkins both back in the reckoning, and Winston Reid not too far behind either. "When you talk about defending, you defend with ten players on the pitch plus the goalkeeper, not only the defenders," he continued. "As a team we have to perform well. If you want the defence to be solid we have to play well and the defence can then make the difference. "We're now going to have some players back on board, but it's really hard when you come back from injury for a long time to go straight back into that type of environment. Winston Reid will be really important, James Collins is getting better and Tomkins is back, I hope Joey will be back soon too."
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U18s beat the Blues
WHUFC.com
First-half goals from Kieran Bywater and Jordan Brown fire the U18s to a 2-0 home win over Chelsea
25.01.2014
West Ham United U18s continued their charge toward the summit of the Barclays U18 Premier League with a 2-0 win over Chelsea at Little Heath on Saturday.
Captain Kieran Bywater added yet another to his season's goal tally early in the piece, before Jordan Brown doubled the Hammers' lead with only 24 minutes gone.
Victory sees West Ham stay second in the South Group, two points behind leaders Fulham who came from behind to win 2-1 at Reading. Steve Potts' men were again without defenders Reece Burke and Jamie Harney, so schoolboy Josh Pask partnered Emmanuel Onariase at centre-half, just as he did in last weekend's 1-0 success at Norwich City. It was the Hammers who made the early running and were rewarded with the opening goal after just five minutes. As the ball was worked into the Chelsea penalty area, Brown held it up before playing in Bywater, who finished into the bottom right-hand corner. Skipper Bywater's 15th league goal of the campaign saw the hosts firmly on the front foot and Josh Cullen might have added a second, but fired well wide having been teed up Amos Nasha. Chelsea, however, then had three chances in a matter of minutes, all from Charly Musonda free-kicks. While the first failed to trouble 'keeper Sam Howes, the second was narrowly headed over the top by Tammy Abraham, before Howes tipped a third over the crossbar. But having escaped unscathed at one end, West Ham were soon celebrating a second at the other. Brown profited from a mix-up in the Chelsea ranks to get a low shot away, one that proved too strong for Bradley Collins to keep out. The Hammers continued to control proceedings after the break, with both Pask and Onariase spurning headed chances from corner kicks. Chelsea, for their part, went close to halving the deficit when Chike Kandi collected a long through ball, clattering past Howes, before hurriedly hitting the bar with the goal at his mercy. The high-flying U18s return to action next Saturday, when they entertain West Bromwich Albion in a midday kick-off at Little Heath.
West Ham United U18s: Howes, Pike, Pask, Onariase, Page, Cullen, Makasi, Nasha, Mavila, Brown, Bywater (Parfitt-Williams)
Subs not used: Guzman, Martins, Amoo, Oxford
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Rocket backs Hammers to lift-off
WHUFC.com
Snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan has given his support to West Ham United's survival bid
25.01.2014
Snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan knows a thing or two about comebacks. O'Sullivan took a break from the game a year ago before returning to win his fifth world title in April 2013. Last weekend, 'The Rocket' blasted to his fifth Masters victory at London's Alexandra Palace. By way of celebration, the 38-year-old brought his son to watch West Ham United take on Manchester City in the Capital One Cup semi-final second leg at the Boleyn Ground. While the Hammers may have lost on Tuesday evening, Chigwell-based O'Sullivan has backed the east London Club to pull themselves clear of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone, while also revealing that he has close links with West Ham. A keen runner, O'Sullivan trains alongside Club chaplain and keen sprinter Rev Alan Bolding, 73, at Woodford Green Athletic Club. "I have known Alan for years and I know he has close links with West Ham and he's always telling me how it is going over here and he's a good lad," the snooker legend told West Ham TV. "[Some people have put my good snooker form down to my running] but I think people read so much into stuff these days. I just think that I'm blessed with a talent and when it comes together I find it easy and that's it, really. "I just run to keep trim and keep fit and so I don't implode as I get older."
Even by his own unrivalled standards, O'Sullivan was in outstanding form at Alexandra Palace, brushing aside the Robert Milkins, Ricky Walden, Stephen Maguire and Mark Selby, winning 28 frames and losing just seven in the process. "Any victory is good but as you get a bit older you start to appreciate them a little bit more, I think. When you're young, you think it's never going to end, but as you get a little bit older you see the players you grew up with fade away, and think it's only a matter of time before that happens to me. "You get a bit more wily as you get older, so I enjoy it more now. I've been around the block a few times and now I enjoy pitting myself against the younger players coming through."
A football fan in general rather than a supporter of a particular club, O'Sullivan enjoys watching the sport played at a high level. "My son is mad into football. He loves Arsenal and Man City and I brought him here because Man City are playing West Ham. My best mate and manager is friends with the owners of West Ham, so I'm here supporting West Ham. "They are all top-quality players at Man City and just that little bit better than the rest and that's how it is in sport in general."
While City are enjoying an all-conquering season, O'Sullivan says West Ham need to 'dig in' if they are to turn things around at the other end of the Barclays Premier League table. "You've got to dig in. There are times in your career when not everything goes well for you but in bad games you've still got to find a a way of winning and that's what separates the best from the rest. "I'm sure West Ham will come through it. They've got great fans and great support so I hope they come through this and stay in the Premier League and have a better season next season."
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West Ham sign Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino
BBC.co.uk
West Ham United have signed Roma striker Marco Borriello and AC Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino on loan until the end of the season. Both players are Italy internationals, with Borriello having won seven caps and Nocerino playing 15 times. Borriello, 31, has made 11 Serie A appearances this season for title-chasing Roma, scoring once. Nocerino, 28, has played 16 times this season, including in the Champions League. He began his career with Juventus and joined Palermo in 2008 before moving to the San Siro in 2011. The Naples-born player was part of the Italy team which knocked England out of Euro 2012 in the quarter-finals. Borriello started his senior career at Milan, having several spells away on loan before joining Roma in 2010. He had a loan spell with Juventus in 2012 and spent last season with Genoa. West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is looking to strengthen his struggling squad and failed in a bid, reportedly worth £3.5m, to sign Leeds United striker Ross McCormack on Friday.
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What did the Romans ever do for us?
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 25th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United have completed their second signing of the day - Roma striker Marco Borriello, who joins on loan. The 31-year-old former Italian international completed his move to Upton Park a matter of hours after fellow countryman Antonio Nocerino - who also joins on loan for the remainder of the 2013/14 campaign - was confirmed as a Hammer. Roma confirmed the deal has been struck earlier this afternoon in a brief press release. "AS Roma announces that it has signed to West Ham United the contract for the temporary transfer of the rights to the player Borriello, until 30 June 2014, for a consideration of € 0.7 million," it read. Borriello has played for a number of top flight clubs including Juventus, Milan and Sampdoria prior to arriving at Roma for £10million in 2010. Yet despite the large fee, the 6'1" forward has made just 18 appearances for i Giallorossi, having spent more time out on loan since.
Last season he spent the entire campaign with Genoa, for whom he scored 12 times in 28 Serie A appearances. His 11 games for his parent club this term have yielded just one goal so far, that coming in the 1-0 win over Chievo at the end of October.
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Forza West Ham
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 25th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United have completed the signing of Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino - with Roma striker Marco Borriello set to follow. The Club confirmed this afternoon (Saturday) that Nocerino had completed his move to West Ham, where he will remain for the rest of the season. It is expected that 31-year-old Borriello will be announced as a second arrival from Serie A soon. Nocerino has been with Milan since 2011, since when he has made 87 appearances for the Rossoneri. Capped 15 times for Italy since making his international debut in 2007, the midfielder last appeared for his country in the 2012 European Championships and the 0-0 draw with England. Boriello has played for a number of top flight clubs including Juventus, Milan and Sampdoria prior to arriving at Roma for £10million in 2010. Yet despite the large fee, the 6'1" forward has made just 18 appearances for i Giallorossi, having spent more time out on loan since. Last season he spent the entire campaign with Genoa, for whom he scored 12 times in 28 Serie A appearances. His 11 games for his parent club this term have yielded just one goal so far, that coming in the 1-0 win over Chievo at the end of October.
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Di Canio plots West Ham return
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 25th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham legend Paolo Di Canio has insisted that he will return to West Ham as manager - one day. The former Hammers striker was speaking in an interview with the BBC's Football Focus this lunchtime, in the wake of his recent sacking from Sunderland. When asked what the future held for him, Di Canio replied: "To be a manager in England. It's obvious." And when asked about a potential return to east London, he added: "They [the fans] chant my name all the time, even years ago before I was a manager. Because of my experiences there, they were always my family. "Everybody know it'd be special for me to return. But I don't want to say now, it's not fair [on the current manager]. All I can say is one day, before the end, before I go up [to heaven] or down [to Hell] or whatever place they're going to send me, it has to happen. It's obvious. "That is my destiny."
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West Ham complete deals for Antonio Nocerino and Marco Borriello
Last Updated: 25/01/14 5:37pm
SSN
West Ham have completed the loan signings of Italy internationals Antonio Nocerino and Marco Borriello. Milan midfielder Nocerino and Roma striker Marco Borriello both join on deals until the end of the season. Nocerino has been capped 15 times by Italy and played at Euro 2012, but he has made just 11 appearances in this season's Serie A. Borriello won the last of his seven caps in 2011 and has been a bit-part player for Roma this term, starting only six games. But Sam Allardyce has identified the 31-year-old as a potential solution to his side's goalscoring problems: they have managed just 22 in as many Premier League games. West Ham have also made a failed bid for Leeds captain Ross McCormack in recent days.
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TRANSFER NEWS - FOUR ON THE RADAR
By Tony Hanna 25 Jan 2014 at 12:35
West Ham Till I Die
Whilst the first few weeks of the January transfer window have been disappointing, the last 24 hours has seen West Ham strongly linked with no less than four players. It is reported that Marco Borriello, a 31yo Italian striker from Roma, has signed a temporary deal that will keep him at Upton Park until the end of this season. Reports suggest he will have a medical over the weekend. Borriello made his debut for Milan in 2002 and played 54 matches for them over the next 9 seasons. The reason for so few appearances with Milan was that he spent the majority of the time out on loan to no less than seven other clubs! He signed a permanent deal with Roma in 2010 and since then has been loaned out to Juventus and Genoa. Nuff said – we will almost certainly get him with that track record.
The second player we are being strongly linked with is Italian midfield player Antonio Nocerino. The 28yo midfielder has flown in to London today and is expected to accept a similar deal as Borriello. Nocerino made his debut in 2003 for Juventus and played 32 times for the club in five years. Again, like Borriello, he spent most of his time out on loan to six different clubs. He enjoyed a good spell at Palermo before becoming a Milan player in 2011. He was used as a holding midfielder in his time at Palermo but his move to Milan saw him play a more attacking role from midfield. Nocerino has not been in good form of late and Squawka stats show that when he dribbles he has a 90% chance of losing the ball, his tackle success is 48% and he loses 75% of aerial duels. On the positive side, both Borriello (pictured) and Nocerino have represented Italy at National level.
The third player we have made a move for us Leeds striker and captain, Ross McCormack. It is believed we have made a 3 million pound offer for the Scottish player but Leeds are holding out for a bigger offer. Leeds director David Haigh has confirmed West Ham made the bid and it is likely we will sign the player if we up the ante. Over the past five seasons McCormack has averaged a goal every three games for Cardiff and his current club Leeds United. He has represented Scotland on ten occasions scoring two goals.
Finally, sources claim that Cameroon midfielder Raoul Loe has flown to London to undergo a medical before a possible 2 million pound move from Spanish club Osasuna. Loe is a defensive midfielder who has one cap for the Cameroon National side. He is 24yo and stands at 6'4". With two midfielders and two strikers on the radar it would seem that Maiga and Diarra would be two players we are hoping to offload prior to the deadline.
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10 POINT PLEDGE REPORT CARD
By Sean Whetstone 25 Jan 2014 at 08:35
West Ham Till I Die
In 2010 the then new West Ham board made a 10 point pledge. The 4 year anniversary of their take over passed a few weeks ago and I thought it would be ideal time to review how their 10 point pledge is progressing and give my personal verdict.
1. Appoint the right manager
Our efforts are focused on recruiting a high-calibre manager with the necessary experience to deliver good football and, most importantly, results. A shortlist of candidates has been identified and the appointment will be made with enough time to prepare for pre-season.
VERDICT: FAIL Maybe he was the right manager for the championship and he did well getting 10th place last season but most fans would agree he is not the right manager for this season. 68% of fans think he is not the right manager in the recent WHTID poll.
2. Sign new players
For too long, the focus has been on players leaving rather than arriving. We will strengthen in the right areas to ensure an exciting and balanced squad that is well placed to cope with the rigours of a Premier League season. Our main aim will be to bring in players hungry to do well who share our ambitions and aspirations.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED It could be argued our squad are neither exciting or balanced and they are struggling to cope with the rigours of a Premier League this season.
3. More investment in the Academy
Tony Carr remains at the heart of the club and his work in developing future first-team players remains essential for the long-term success of this club. We will make sure homegrown talent nurtured in the 'West Ham way' will always be given the chance to complement established players brought in from elsewhere.
VERDICT: FAIL Disappointing that few home grown talent have progressed to play in the first team with the brief exception of Danny Potts.
4. Continue to clear the debt
We have a responsibility to ensure this club is never again placed in a perilous position. Great strides have been taken to get us on a sound financial footing but there is still a way to go. Difficult decisions have had to be made – and that will continue to be the case – but our bottom line on the bottom line is to ensure the club survives.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED After a good start debts has risen again last season and the relegation season added more debt.
5. Freeze season ticket prices for renewals
We are delighted we have been able to freeze season ticket prices, save for the VAT increase, but we will not stop there. We are looking at more ways of rewarding those fans who make such a long-term commitment and have excellent offers for younger supporters, who are the lifeblood of this club. Member benefits will also improve.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED Although the season ticket freeze happened and the 5 year discount was honoured the price increase for disabled fans has left a sour taste in the mouth,
6. Build the status and image of the club
Our standing at home and abroad is rightly built on our proud history and our commitment to young talent. The values of the Academy of Football developed since the days of Bobby Moore define what we are all about. With the world's spotlight set to shine on this part of London, the time is right to spread the word further.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED Marketing own goals and the desperate sales tactics of selling tickets on groupon, the Metro and Talksport have weakened our brand and image.
7. Make it enjoyable to come and watch
We want to bring the fun back. It is a serious business but we know you work hard all week and want to kick back at the weekend and enjoy yourselves. We want you to be excited on a matchday, and not just about the style of football. We are looking at ways to improve our pre-match and half-time entertainment and will welcome suggestions.
VERDICT: EPIC FAIL Do I really need to say any-more here? I can't remember the last time I had fun at a West Ham match!
8. Get closer to the community
This club does excellent work in the local area already but we want to move even closer to schools and businesses on our doorstep. We can extend our commitment to multi-sports, education and healthy living and show there is more to this club than just first-team football. We take our social responsibility very seriously.
VERDICT: SUCCESS The Community Sports trust do a good job with the community. I know the community ticket offer for Man City was a PR disaster but I believe the club works well with the community in general.
9. Go for the Olympic Stadium
Leaving the Boleyn Ground will be a wrench but the Olympic Stadium is an amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in a financial and football sense. Our potential partnership with Newham Council promises to take this club to a new level, while protecting our history and traditions. To move forward, we have to move – but always with an eye on the past.
VERDICT: SUCCESS Some may not agree with moving to the Olympic Stadium but few could argue they delivered this pledge.
10. Listen to supporters
Arguably the most important of all is our commitment to listen to what you have to say. We know we are just the custodians of this club. You who follow us every week, whether near or far, are the true owners. Whether talking to you online or in print, or face to face at fan forums, we will be open, transparent and available.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED The success of Supporter Advisory Board success which I it on is very debatable, the recent Season Ticket Fans Forum was stage managed.
I would agree the chairman are available but question whether the club is transparent at all times.
My score report card is 2/10 Please try harder!
I would interested to know other people's verdicts on the 10 pledges of 2010 as these verdicts are just my personal opinion.
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WHUFC.com
West Ham United are delighted to announce the loan signing of Marco Borriello from AS Roma
25.01.2014
West Ham United are delighted to announce their second signing of the day - Italy international Marco Borriello has joined on loan until the end of the 2013/14 season. Capped seven times, Borriello joins the Hammers from Serie A club AS Roma and will add strength, presence and goals to Sam Allardyce's squad.
The 31-year-old has spent the past decade in the Italian top-flight, appearing in the UEFA Champions League scoring nearly 100 career goals - many of them spectacular - for Roma, AC Milan, Juventus and Genoa, among others. Born in Naples in June 1982, Borriello joined AC Milan as a schoolboy before making his senior debut during a loan spell at Serie C2 side Triestina in 2001. Ten goals in 27 Serie C1 appearances for loan club Treviso led to Borriello making his Serie A debut for AC Milan against Perugia on 21 September 2002. After further loan spells with Serie A clubs Empoli, Reggina, Sampdoria and Treviso, Borriello enjoyed a breakthrough season with Genoa - who had acquired co-ownership of the striker - in 2007/08. That season, the forward scored his first career hat-trick against Udinese in September 2007. A treble in the reverse fixture in February 2008 helped Borriello to 19 goals in 35 Serie A appearances. The Neapolitan spent the next two seasons with AC Milan, with 2009/10 being particularly successful - Borriello netted 14 goals in 26 league games and his maiden UEFA Champions League strike against French side Marseille. Borriello moved to Roma in summer 2010, despite reported interest from Barclays Premier League side Manchester City, and continued to find the net regularly, netting 17 in all competitions. A change of manager saw the forward fall out of favour at the Stadio Olimpico and Borriello moved to Juventus on loan in January 2012, helping the Old Lady to win the Serie A title and reach the Italian Cup final.
After spending the 2012/13 season with Genoa, he returned to Roma for a second spell last summer, making eleven Serie A appearances this season. At international level, Borriello made his Italy debut as a substitute for Luca Toni in a 3-1 friendly win over Belgium in Florence in May 2008. He has since featured in five further friendlies and a Euro 2012 qualifier with Northern Ireland in October 2010.
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Hammers net Nocerino
WHUFC.com
Antonio Nocerino has joined West Ham United on loan from AC Milan until the end of the season
25.01.2014
West Ham United are delighted to announce the arrival of AC Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino on loan until the end of the season. The 28-year-old has been capped by his country on 15 occasions, going to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Euro 2012, where he scored one of the penalties that knocked out England at the quarter-final stage. Born in Naples, Nocerino's career began at Juventus, where he played 32 league games, as well as gaining experience with loan spells at the likes of Genoa, Messina and Piacenza. He moved on to Palermo in 2008 and went on to establish himself at the Sicilian club in a three-year spell which yielded 106 league outings and six goals. After helping the Rosanero qualify for the UEFA Europa League, Nocerino left for AC Milan in the summer of 2011, making his UEFA Champions League debut shortly afterwards when Milan drew 2-2 with Barcelona. His first goal for Milan came against his former club Palermo, and a successful first season at the San Siro also included a hat-trick in a 4-1 victory over Parma. The Neapolitan notched eleven goals in all in the 2011/12 campaign and backed that up with a further 31 appearances last term. With eleven Serie A games and two appearances in the Champions League under his belt in 2013/14, Nocerino will now be bringing his talents to the Barclays Premier League with the Hammers.
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Guy gearing up for return
WHUFC.com
Guy Demel is working hard to prove his fitness ahead of Wednesday's capital clash with Chelsea
26.01.2014
Guy Demel expects to be back at the peak of his powers sooner rather than later, after stepping up his recovery from the nasty concussion he suffered at Cardiff City. The powerful full-back played an hour in Thursday's friendly at home to Tottenham Hotspur and happily reported feeling better for the outing.
Demel now plans to put in the hard yards over the coming days, as he looks forward to a prospective Barclays Premier League return at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. He told whufc.com: "It's good to be on the pitch now, I'm happy to feel that I'm getting back to normal. I still have a couple of days of hard work to be sure that I'll be ready for the next game. "I'm working hard with the physios and with fitness coaches and I'm sure the extra couple of days before Chelsea will be useful. I'll be alright. "I'm obviously a little bit tired because the shock lowered my energy levels as well, as if I've been out for a month or something. "It's an hour and it's always good to have game practice, better sometimes than training sessions, especially when you play a team like that. They came here with a lot of international players, so it was a really good test."
Chelsea's team, too, will be awash with seasoned internationals, but Demel is approaching Wednesday's clash like any other, insistent that anything is possible. The 32-year-old Ivorian cares not for reputations, concentrating all his efforts on improving the Hammers' modest points tally. "Every game is winnable," he added. "It depends how prepared you are and how focused you are. I think that even Chelsea is a winnable game. Of course they're a big team but it's a football game and when I step onto the pitch each weekend I'm not expecting to lose - no matter which team is in front of me. That's not the way I grew up and it's not the way I see things. "Of course there will be some opponents that might be slightly easier, so to speak, but we just have to get the points. It doesn't matter where we get them, we just need points, points, points. It's not like [it's extra special] because we beat Chelsea, no, I just want points!"
While the Hammers will, no doubt, have to defend well at Stamford Bridge, Demel insists it will take a collective effort to keep the Blues at bay. But the the right-back is, of course, pleased to see defensive numbers swell, with James Collins and James Tomkins both back in the reckoning, and Winston Reid not too far behind either. "When you talk about defending, you defend with ten players on the pitch plus the goalkeeper, not only the defenders," he continued. "As a team we have to perform well. If you want the defence to be solid we have to play well and the defence can then make the difference. "We're now going to have some players back on board, but it's really hard when you come back from injury for a long time to go straight back into that type of environment. Winston Reid will be really important, James Collins is getting better and Tomkins is back, I hope Joey will be back soon too."
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U18s beat the Blues
WHUFC.com
First-half goals from Kieran Bywater and Jordan Brown fire the U18s to a 2-0 home win over Chelsea
25.01.2014
West Ham United U18s continued their charge toward the summit of the Barclays U18 Premier League with a 2-0 win over Chelsea at Little Heath on Saturday.
Captain Kieran Bywater added yet another to his season's goal tally early in the piece, before Jordan Brown doubled the Hammers' lead with only 24 minutes gone.
Victory sees West Ham stay second in the South Group, two points behind leaders Fulham who came from behind to win 2-1 at Reading. Steve Potts' men were again without defenders Reece Burke and Jamie Harney, so schoolboy Josh Pask partnered Emmanuel Onariase at centre-half, just as he did in last weekend's 1-0 success at Norwich City. It was the Hammers who made the early running and were rewarded with the opening goal after just five minutes. As the ball was worked into the Chelsea penalty area, Brown held it up before playing in Bywater, who finished into the bottom right-hand corner. Skipper Bywater's 15th league goal of the campaign saw the hosts firmly on the front foot and Josh Cullen might have added a second, but fired well wide having been teed up Amos Nasha. Chelsea, however, then had three chances in a matter of minutes, all from Charly Musonda free-kicks. While the first failed to trouble 'keeper Sam Howes, the second was narrowly headed over the top by Tammy Abraham, before Howes tipped a third over the crossbar. But having escaped unscathed at one end, West Ham were soon celebrating a second at the other. Brown profited from a mix-up in the Chelsea ranks to get a low shot away, one that proved too strong for Bradley Collins to keep out. The Hammers continued to control proceedings after the break, with both Pask and Onariase spurning headed chances from corner kicks. Chelsea, for their part, went close to halving the deficit when Chike Kandi collected a long through ball, clattering past Howes, before hurriedly hitting the bar with the goal at his mercy. The high-flying U18s return to action next Saturday, when they entertain West Bromwich Albion in a midday kick-off at Little Heath.
West Ham United U18s: Howes, Pike, Pask, Onariase, Page, Cullen, Makasi, Nasha, Mavila, Brown, Bywater (Parfitt-Williams)
Subs not used: Guzman, Martins, Amoo, Oxford
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Rocket backs Hammers to lift-off
WHUFC.com
Snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan has given his support to West Ham United's survival bid
25.01.2014
Snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan knows a thing or two about comebacks. O'Sullivan took a break from the game a year ago before returning to win his fifth world title in April 2013. Last weekend, 'The Rocket' blasted to his fifth Masters victory at London's Alexandra Palace. By way of celebration, the 38-year-old brought his son to watch West Ham United take on Manchester City in the Capital One Cup semi-final second leg at the Boleyn Ground. While the Hammers may have lost on Tuesday evening, Chigwell-based O'Sullivan has backed the east London Club to pull themselves clear of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone, while also revealing that he has close links with West Ham. A keen runner, O'Sullivan trains alongside Club chaplain and keen sprinter Rev Alan Bolding, 73, at Woodford Green Athletic Club. "I have known Alan for years and I know he has close links with West Ham and he's always telling me how it is going over here and he's a good lad," the snooker legend told West Ham TV. "[Some people have put my good snooker form down to my running] but I think people read so much into stuff these days. I just think that I'm blessed with a talent and when it comes together I find it easy and that's it, really. "I just run to keep trim and keep fit and so I don't implode as I get older."
Even by his own unrivalled standards, O'Sullivan was in outstanding form at Alexandra Palace, brushing aside the Robert Milkins, Ricky Walden, Stephen Maguire and Mark Selby, winning 28 frames and losing just seven in the process. "Any victory is good but as you get a bit older you start to appreciate them a little bit more, I think. When you're young, you think it's never going to end, but as you get a little bit older you see the players you grew up with fade away, and think it's only a matter of time before that happens to me. "You get a bit more wily as you get older, so I enjoy it more now. I've been around the block a few times and now I enjoy pitting myself against the younger players coming through."
A football fan in general rather than a supporter of a particular club, O'Sullivan enjoys watching the sport played at a high level. "My son is mad into football. He loves Arsenal and Man City and I brought him here because Man City are playing West Ham. My best mate and manager is friends with the owners of West Ham, so I'm here supporting West Ham. "They are all top-quality players at Man City and just that little bit better than the rest and that's how it is in sport in general."
While City are enjoying an all-conquering season, O'Sullivan says West Ham need to 'dig in' if they are to turn things around at the other end of the Barclays Premier League table. "You've got to dig in. There are times in your career when not everything goes well for you but in bad games you've still got to find a a way of winning and that's what separates the best from the rest. "I'm sure West Ham will come through it. They've got great fans and great support so I hope they come through this and stay in the Premier League and have a better season next season."
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West Ham sign Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino
BBC.co.uk
West Ham United have signed Roma striker Marco Borriello and AC Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino on loan until the end of the season. Both players are Italy internationals, with Borriello having won seven caps and Nocerino playing 15 times. Borriello, 31, has made 11 Serie A appearances this season for title-chasing Roma, scoring once. Nocerino, 28, has played 16 times this season, including in the Champions League. He began his career with Juventus and joined Palermo in 2008 before moving to the San Siro in 2011. The Naples-born player was part of the Italy team which knocked England out of Euro 2012 in the quarter-finals. Borriello started his senior career at Milan, having several spells away on loan before joining Roma in 2010. He had a loan spell with Juventus in 2012 and spent last season with Genoa. West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is looking to strengthen his struggling squad and failed in a bid, reportedly worth £3.5m, to sign Leeds United striker Ross McCormack on Friday.
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What did the Romans ever do for us?
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 25th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United have completed their second signing of the day - Roma striker Marco Borriello, who joins on loan. The 31-year-old former Italian international completed his move to Upton Park a matter of hours after fellow countryman Antonio Nocerino - who also joins on loan for the remainder of the 2013/14 campaign - was confirmed as a Hammer. Roma confirmed the deal has been struck earlier this afternoon in a brief press release. "AS Roma announces that it has signed to West Ham United the contract for the temporary transfer of the rights to the player Borriello, until 30 June 2014, for a consideration of € 0.7 million," it read. Borriello has played for a number of top flight clubs including Juventus, Milan and Sampdoria prior to arriving at Roma for £10million in 2010. Yet despite the large fee, the 6'1" forward has made just 18 appearances for i Giallorossi, having spent more time out on loan since.
Last season he spent the entire campaign with Genoa, for whom he scored 12 times in 28 Serie A appearances. His 11 games for his parent club this term have yielded just one goal so far, that coming in the 1-0 win over Chievo at the end of October.
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Forza West Ham
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 25th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United have completed the signing of Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino - with Roma striker Marco Borriello set to follow. The Club confirmed this afternoon (Saturday) that Nocerino had completed his move to West Ham, where he will remain for the rest of the season. It is expected that 31-year-old Borriello will be announced as a second arrival from Serie A soon. Nocerino has been with Milan since 2011, since when he has made 87 appearances for the Rossoneri. Capped 15 times for Italy since making his international debut in 2007, the midfielder last appeared for his country in the 2012 European Championships and the 0-0 draw with England. Boriello has played for a number of top flight clubs including Juventus, Milan and Sampdoria prior to arriving at Roma for £10million in 2010. Yet despite the large fee, the 6'1" forward has made just 18 appearances for i Giallorossi, having spent more time out on loan since. Last season he spent the entire campaign with Genoa, for whom he scored 12 times in 28 Serie A appearances. His 11 games for his parent club this term have yielded just one goal so far, that coming in the 1-0 win over Chievo at the end of October.
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Di Canio plots West Ham return
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 25th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham legend Paolo Di Canio has insisted that he will return to West Ham as manager - one day. The former Hammers striker was speaking in an interview with the BBC's Football Focus this lunchtime, in the wake of his recent sacking from Sunderland. When asked what the future held for him, Di Canio replied: "To be a manager in England. It's obvious." And when asked about a potential return to east London, he added: "They [the fans] chant my name all the time, even years ago before I was a manager. Because of my experiences there, they were always my family. "Everybody know it'd be special for me to return. But I don't want to say now, it's not fair [on the current manager]. All I can say is one day, before the end, before I go up [to heaven] or down [to Hell] or whatever place they're going to send me, it has to happen. It's obvious. "That is my destiny."
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West Ham complete deals for Antonio Nocerino and Marco Borriello
Last Updated: 25/01/14 5:37pm
SSN
West Ham have completed the loan signings of Italy internationals Antonio Nocerino and Marco Borriello. Milan midfielder Nocerino and Roma striker Marco Borriello both join on deals until the end of the season. Nocerino has been capped 15 times by Italy and played at Euro 2012, but he has made just 11 appearances in this season's Serie A. Borriello won the last of his seven caps in 2011 and has been a bit-part player for Roma this term, starting only six games. But Sam Allardyce has identified the 31-year-old as a potential solution to his side's goalscoring problems: they have managed just 22 in as many Premier League games. West Ham have also made a failed bid for Leeds captain Ross McCormack in recent days.
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TRANSFER NEWS - FOUR ON THE RADAR
By Tony Hanna 25 Jan 2014 at 12:35
West Ham Till I Die
Whilst the first few weeks of the January transfer window have been disappointing, the last 24 hours has seen West Ham strongly linked with no less than four players. It is reported that Marco Borriello, a 31yo Italian striker from Roma, has signed a temporary deal that will keep him at Upton Park until the end of this season. Reports suggest he will have a medical over the weekend. Borriello made his debut for Milan in 2002 and played 54 matches for them over the next 9 seasons. The reason for so few appearances with Milan was that he spent the majority of the time out on loan to no less than seven other clubs! He signed a permanent deal with Roma in 2010 and since then has been loaned out to Juventus and Genoa. Nuff said – we will almost certainly get him with that track record.
The second player we are being strongly linked with is Italian midfield player Antonio Nocerino. The 28yo midfielder has flown in to London today and is expected to accept a similar deal as Borriello. Nocerino made his debut in 2003 for Juventus and played 32 times for the club in five years. Again, like Borriello, he spent most of his time out on loan to six different clubs. He enjoyed a good spell at Palermo before becoming a Milan player in 2011. He was used as a holding midfielder in his time at Palermo but his move to Milan saw him play a more attacking role from midfield. Nocerino has not been in good form of late and Squawka stats show that when he dribbles he has a 90% chance of losing the ball, his tackle success is 48% and he loses 75% of aerial duels. On the positive side, both Borriello (pictured) and Nocerino have represented Italy at National level.
The third player we have made a move for us Leeds striker and captain, Ross McCormack. It is believed we have made a 3 million pound offer for the Scottish player but Leeds are holding out for a bigger offer. Leeds director David Haigh has confirmed West Ham made the bid and it is likely we will sign the player if we up the ante. Over the past five seasons McCormack has averaged a goal every three games for Cardiff and his current club Leeds United. He has represented Scotland on ten occasions scoring two goals.
Finally, sources claim that Cameroon midfielder Raoul Loe has flown to London to undergo a medical before a possible 2 million pound move from Spanish club Osasuna. Loe is a defensive midfielder who has one cap for the Cameroon National side. He is 24yo and stands at 6'4". With two midfielders and two strikers on the radar it would seem that Maiga and Diarra would be two players we are hoping to offload prior to the deadline.
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10 POINT PLEDGE REPORT CARD
By Sean Whetstone 25 Jan 2014 at 08:35
West Ham Till I Die
In 2010 the then new West Ham board made a 10 point pledge. The 4 year anniversary of their take over passed a few weeks ago and I thought it would be ideal time to review how their 10 point pledge is progressing and give my personal verdict.
1. Appoint the right manager
Our efforts are focused on recruiting a high-calibre manager with the necessary experience to deliver good football and, most importantly, results. A shortlist of candidates has been identified and the appointment will be made with enough time to prepare for pre-season.
VERDICT: FAIL Maybe he was the right manager for the championship and he did well getting 10th place last season but most fans would agree he is not the right manager for this season. 68% of fans think he is not the right manager in the recent WHTID poll.
2. Sign new players
For too long, the focus has been on players leaving rather than arriving. We will strengthen in the right areas to ensure an exciting and balanced squad that is well placed to cope with the rigours of a Premier League season. Our main aim will be to bring in players hungry to do well who share our ambitions and aspirations.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED It could be argued our squad are neither exciting or balanced and they are struggling to cope with the rigours of a Premier League this season.
3. More investment in the Academy
Tony Carr remains at the heart of the club and his work in developing future first-team players remains essential for the long-term success of this club. We will make sure homegrown talent nurtured in the 'West Ham way' will always be given the chance to complement established players brought in from elsewhere.
VERDICT: FAIL Disappointing that few home grown talent have progressed to play in the first team with the brief exception of Danny Potts.
4. Continue to clear the debt
We have a responsibility to ensure this club is never again placed in a perilous position. Great strides have been taken to get us on a sound financial footing but there is still a way to go. Difficult decisions have had to be made – and that will continue to be the case – but our bottom line on the bottom line is to ensure the club survives.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED After a good start debts has risen again last season and the relegation season added more debt.
5. Freeze season ticket prices for renewals
We are delighted we have been able to freeze season ticket prices, save for the VAT increase, but we will not stop there. We are looking at more ways of rewarding those fans who make such a long-term commitment and have excellent offers for younger supporters, who are the lifeblood of this club. Member benefits will also improve.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED Although the season ticket freeze happened and the 5 year discount was honoured the price increase for disabled fans has left a sour taste in the mouth,
6. Build the status and image of the club
Our standing at home and abroad is rightly built on our proud history and our commitment to young talent. The values of the Academy of Football developed since the days of Bobby Moore define what we are all about. With the world's spotlight set to shine on this part of London, the time is right to spread the word further.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED Marketing own goals and the desperate sales tactics of selling tickets on groupon, the Metro and Talksport have weakened our brand and image.
7. Make it enjoyable to come and watch
We want to bring the fun back. It is a serious business but we know you work hard all week and want to kick back at the weekend and enjoy yourselves. We want you to be excited on a matchday, and not just about the style of football. We are looking at ways to improve our pre-match and half-time entertainment and will welcome suggestions.
VERDICT: EPIC FAIL Do I really need to say any-more here? I can't remember the last time I had fun at a West Ham match!
8. Get closer to the community
This club does excellent work in the local area already but we want to move even closer to schools and businesses on our doorstep. We can extend our commitment to multi-sports, education and healthy living and show there is more to this club than just first-team football. We take our social responsibility very seriously.
VERDICT: SUCCESS The Community Sports trust do a good job with the community. I know the community ticket offer for Man City was a PR disaster but I believe the club works well with the community in general.
9. Go for the Olympic Stadium
Leaving the Boleyn Ground will be a wrench but the Olympic Stadium is an amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in a financial and football sense. Our potential partnership with Newham Council promises to take this club to a new level, while protecting our history and traditions. To move forward, we have to move – but always with an eye on the past.
VERDICT: SUCCESS Some may not agree with moving to the Olympic Stadium but few could argue they delivered this pledge.
10. Listen to supporters
Arguably the most important of all is our commitment to listen to what you have to say. We know we are just the custodians of this club. You who follow us every week, whether near or far, are the true owners. Whether talking to you online or in print, or face to face at fan forums, we will be open, transparent and available.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED The success of Supporter Advisory Board success which I it on is very debatable, the recent Season Ticket Fans Forum was stage managed.
I would agree the chairman are available but question whether the club is transparent at all times.
My score report card is 2/10 Please try harder!
I would interested to know other people's verdicts on the 10 pledges of 2010 as these verdicts are just my personal opinion.
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