Valencia granted work permit
WHUFC.com
Enner Valencia has completed his transfer to West Ham United after being granted a work permit
29.07.2014
West Ham United are delighted to announce that Enner Valencia has been granted a work permit following a hearing at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday. Valencia agreed to join the Hammers from Mexican side Pachuca earlier this month after a stellar performance in the FIFA World Cup, which saw him net three goals in as many games for Ecuador. West Ham fought off competition from a host of Europe's leading clubs to secure the services of the 25-year-old and he will now link up with Sam Allardyce's squad ahead of the new Barclays Premier League campaign. See Valencia and the new signings against Sampdoria in the Marathonbet Cup "I really appreciate the welcome I've been given and I'm excited to be here," he told West Ham TV. "I've already watched and read a lot about the club to learn about it - I know the fans are really passionate and I'm really glad to have signed. "The World Cup was a good tournament for me personally, I scored three times and for my first World Cup it was a good experience, but I hope my next one is better for me and the team. "Of course, the World Cup gives me confidence to come to Europe and I want to take and advance with this opportunity that West Ham have given to me."
Valencia notched an impressive 18 goals in 23 appearances for Mexican outfit Pachuca after moving from Ecuadorian side Emelec in January, and now he feels ready to take his skills to the biggest stage of all in England. He continued: "The Premier League is the top league and I have followed it in Mexico. Obviously my countryman Antonio Valencia has played here for a long time so it's a big step for me to come here from Mexico and I hope I can be as successful as Antonio. "It's exciting to be here in England and London. I want to repay the club in my performances for what they are investing in me and I'm really looking forward to it."
The striker already has experience of succeeding against Premier League defenders, having scored against England in a warm-up game for this summer's World Cup, and he has his eyes on adding to that tally as quickly as possible. He added: "For me, scoring against England, one of the big teams in the world, before the World Cup was important for me. Hopefully I can score again against those defenders! "I scored many goals as a striker. I'm fast, and I try to continue like that because I know the goals brought me to West Ham."
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Elliot's at the double to down Braintree
WHUFC.com
Elliot Lee scored twice to fire the Hammers on the way to a 2-0 victory at Braintree Town on Tuesday
29.07.2014
Braintree Town 0-2 West Ham United
Pre-season match
Elliot Lee's third double of pre-season gave the Development Squad a 2-0 victory at Skrill Premier side Braintree Town on Tuesday night. The livewire striker continued his fine summer form to notch either side of the break and maintain the young Hammers' unbeaten pre-season. West Ham had to withstand a decent start from Braintree, who only just missed out on a play-off place in non-league football's top tier last season, before stamping their authority on the contest.
Following their involvement in the Ruhr Cup, it was a return to action closer to home as Nick Haycock's side made the journey to Essex to take on Braintree.
The hosts were first out of the blocks, with left-winger Dan Sparkes' dead ball delivery causing a few problems early on. With 15 minutes on the clock, his corner was met by a trialist, who made a good run round the back, but he could not convert on the stretch, Then, six minutes later, a corner from the same right flank found Mitch Brundle, although once again he failed to trouble Tim Brown in the Hammers goal. As the half hour mark came and went, the Hammers began to impose themselves on the contest more, and Lee might have done better than fire over when Seb Lletget presented him with a shooting opportunity on 37 minutes. As it turned out, the No9 was merely setting his radar, as four minutes later Kieran Sadlier laid a ball on a plate for him to tuck home from close range and notch his fifth goal of pre-season.
The Hammers made six changes at the break and one of the players introduced, Manny Onariase, had an early opportunity to add to the lead when he made his way forward for a set play and headed wide of the mark. The U21s took a giant step towards their fourth win of pre-season with an hour on the clock and it was that man Lee on target again. This time Grady Diangana was the provider, feeding a pass into the striker, who took it into his stride to beat the last man and slot neatly past home keeper Nick Hamann. Seven minutes later Sadlier tried his luck as the Hammers searched for a third, but his shot after cutting inside from the flank took a deflection and dipped just wide of the near post. Braintree had the chance to notch a consolation three minutes from the end when Onariase was penalised for a trip on James Mulley inside the area, but Danzelle St Louis-Hamilton dived low to his right to deny Kenny Davis and preserve the Hammers' clean sheet.
West Ham United: T.Brown (St Louis-Hamilton 46); Westley (Amoo 76), Pask (Onariase 46), Burke (Akinola 46), Page (Knoyle 46); Cullen (Diangana 46), Bywater (Makasi 46); Turgott (Trialist 61), Lletget (Labonne 76), Sadlier (Parfitt-Williams 76); Lee (J.Brown 76)
Goals: Lee 41, 60
Attendance: 516
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Duo start as England U17s draw
BBC.co.uk
West Ham United youngsters Reece Oxford and Vashon Neufville started as England U17s drew 1-1 with Finland
29.07.2014
West Ham United youngsters Reece Oxford and Vashon Neufville started as England U17s drew 1-1 with Finland at the Nordic Tournament on Tuesday. Less than 18 hours after defeating Iceland 5-1 in their opening match, the Young Lions were held on a hot afternoon in Kolding, Denmark. Oxford captained the side from centre-back, while Neufville lined up alongside him in defence at left-back. Lucas Lingman put Finland in front on 31 minutes before Norwich City's Todd Cantwell equalised five minutes later. Having collected four points from their opening two fixtures, England will qualify for the final if they beat Sweden in their final group match in Kolding on Thursday afternoon. The final will be held on Saturday 2 August.
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West Ham sign Ecuador striker Enner Valencia in £12m deal
BBC.co.uk
West Ham have finalised the signing of Ecuador striker Enner Valencia after he was given a work permit. The striker has signed a five-year contract from Mexican club Pachuca for a fee reported to be £12m. Valencia, 24, scored three goals at the Fifa World Cup - two against Honduras and one against Switzerland - before Ecuador's group-stage elimination. He said: "I want to repay the club in my performances for what they are investing in me." In a statement, West Ham said they "fought off competition from a host of Europe's leading clubs" for Valencia. He played over 100 times for Ecuadorian club side Emelec before joining Pachuca in January. Valencia, who was a right winger until he joined the Mexican side, scored 18 goals in 23 league games last season.
"I really appreciate the welcome I've been given and I'm excited to be here," Valencia, who is no relation to Manchester United's Ecuador winger Antonio Valencia, told West Ham TV. "I've already watched and read a lot about the club to learn about it - I know the fans are really passionate and I'm really glad to have signed. "The World Cup was a good tournament for me personally, I scored three times and for my first World Cup it was a good experience, but I hope my next one is better for me and the team. "Of course, the World Cup gives me confidence to come to Europe and I want to take and advance with this opportunity that West Ham have given to me."
He joins West Ham following the signings of midfielder Diego Poyet from Charlton, striker Mauro Zarate from Velez Sarsfield, Anderlecht's Senegal international midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate and Ipswich full-back Aaron Cresswell.
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Valencia granted work permit
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 29th July 2014
By: Staff Writer
Enner Valencia's work permit application has been approved. Jack Sullivan, son of co-owner David Sullivan confirmed the news shortly before 2pm this afternoon. It means that Valencia should be involved with the trip to Germany this weekend, where West Ham will face Schalke and Malaga in the Schalke Cup.
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Valbuena in talks
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 29th July 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham - plus one other Premier League club - are in negotiations with French international Mathieu Valbuena over a permanent switch. According to L'Equipe this morning, both West Ham and Queens Park Rangers are vying for the 29-year-old's signature, with both reported to have been granted permission to speak to the player by his current club Marseille. Valbuena had previously looked set for a move to the Russian Premier League, but turned down the opportunity of joining Dynamo Moscow despite being offered £65,000-per-week for three years. Although believed to prefer a move to Spain, the World Cup star would also consider England and the Premier League.
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Gold admits Twitter error
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 29th July 2014
By: Staff Writer
Co-owner David Gold has apologised after inadvertently 'favouriting' a message calling for the replacement of Sam Allardyce. Several sources, including national media made a great deal out of Gold's error - which, for the uninitiated, is an easy mistake to make when using the social media network. However Gold once again took to Twitter this morning to apologise for the error. "After a 33 hour flight from New Zealand, I was in my car scanning through my tweets and it seems I accidently favourited one," he explained. "It has made some of the papers today so I should clarify that I did not and would never deliberately or intentionally endorse a tweet that questions our manager's position. Lesson: don't use twitter when you're jet lagged!"
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Poyet apologises for two-year old tweet
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 29th July 2014
By: Staff Writer
Diego Poyet has issued an apology after a two-year old tweet in which he criticised West Ham emerged. New signing Poyet, posting on Twitter in April 2012 when his father Gus was manager of Brighton & Hove Albion referred to West Ham as '#scum' when he wrote the throwaway note to friends ahead of a meeting between the two sides.
The tweet had long been forgotten before an unnamed individual trawled Poyet's timeline and found the message, which has since been re-posted on the social media platform leading to Poyet's apology this lunchtime. "For all yous getting on to me about that tweet two years ago it was banter between some of my friends and me when I went to watch a game," he wrote. "I was supporting my dads team (Brighton). Obviously I regret it looking at it now but there's nothing I can do about it. I apologise. "I was 16 at the time and very naive, I will learn from my mistakes. I'm very happy to be at the club and have loved my time here so far."
Sadly Poyet's tweets had little effect on the scoreline; West Ham thrashed Brighton 6-0 on the day, with Ricardo Vaz Te scoring a hat-trick.
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Spence on trial
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 29th July 2014
By: Staff Writer
Former Hammer Jordan Spence is hoping to secure a contract with Championship side Blackburn Rovers. Now 24, the right-sided full back was released by West Ham at the end of last season after spending almost a decade at the Boleyn Ground. And having been unable to find a club closer to home since, Spence has now joined Rovers on trial where he hopes to impress manager Gary Bowyer. The former England youth international is set to make his debut for the former Premier League club against Bury, when the two clubs meet in a pre-season friendly at Gigg Lane tomorrow night (Wednesday). Spence made his debut for West Ham in the final game of the 2009/10 season as an 88th-minute substitute against Manchester City. The following season he made two starts under Avram Grant - the first of which came in the 3-2 defeat at Wigan that condemned West Ham to the drop and the second a week later in the final home game of the season against Sunderland. In his final season at the club, Spence enjoyed a run of seven games under Sam Allardyce including four further starts. However his appearance at Old Trafford in the 1-0 FA Cup third round defeat in January 2013 was to prove to be his last for West Ham.
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Bruce admits defeat in Jenkinson chase
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 29th July 2014
By: Staff Writer
Steve Bruce has admitted that West Ham are favourites to land Arsenal full-back Carl Jenkinson on loan. At the weekend it looked as if the 22-year-old full back would be on his way to the KC Stadium after the Tigers made a bid worth around £4million. However Bruce, speaking to Talksport this morning admitted defeat in his attempts to lure the once-capped English international to Humberside, who is set to join West Ham on a season-long loan. "There's about five or six clubs who would be interested in Carl because he's a very good player," he told Alan Brazil. "But Sam's in the box seat because of being in London, so I'm led to believe. "He was someone in whom we showed an interest but when a really good, young player comes out of Arsenal or one of the other big clubs then a club like ours is always looking for something like that. "He's got about five or six [clubs] to choose from, I would have thought. We did show interest but I'm led to believe that the boy wants to stay in London."
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West Ham have signed striker Enner Valencia from Mexican side Pachuca
Last Updated: 29/07/14 3:06pm
SSN
West Ham United have completed the signing of Enner Valencia after the Ecuador striker was granted a work permit. Valencia agreed to join the Hammers from Mexican side Pachuca earlier this month but the signing was delayed until a hearing into his request for a permit. Record signing Andy Carroll has been ruled out for four months following surgery on an ankle injury so Valencia's successful hearing means the 25-year-old now joins Carlton Cole, Modibo Maiga and new recruit Mauro Zarate in the Hammers' strikeforce. "I scored many goals as a striker. I'm fast, and I try to continue like that because I know the goals brought me to West Ham."
Despite completing the capture of Valencia, who joins on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee, manager Sam Allardyce is still likely to try and sign another forward with question marks remaining over Carroll's long-term fitness. Valencia told the club's website: "It's exciting to be here in England and London. "I want to repay the club in my performances for what they are investing in me and I'm really looking forward to it. I really appreciate the welcome I've been given and I'm excited to be here. "I've already watched and read a lot about the club to learn about it - I know the fans are really passionate and I'm really glad to have signed. "The World Cup was a good tournament for me personally, I scored three times and for my first World Cup it was a good experience, but I hope my next one is better for me and the team. "Of course, the World Cup gives me confidence to come to Europe and I want to take and advance with this opportunity that West Ham have given to me."
Valencia also scored in Ecuador's 2-2 World Cup warm-up draw against England and wants to be just as successful when he comes up against the same opposition on a weekly basis. "For me, scoring against England, one of the big teams in the world, before the World Cup was important. Hopefully I can score again against those defenders," he said. "The Premier League is the top league and I have followed it in Mexico. Obviously my countryman Antonio Valencia has played here for a long time so it's a big step for me to come here from Mexico and I hope I can be as successful as Antonio. "I scored many goals as a striker. I'm fast, and I try to continue like that because I know the goals brought me to West Ham."
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LOAN FOR CARL JENKINSON MOVES CLOSER
By Sean Whetstone 29 Jul 2014 at 10:36
West Ham Till I Die
Multiple sources claim a loan deal for right back Carl Jenkinson appears to have taken a step closer after the Gooners signed Calum Chambers from Southampton.
Arsenal recently rejected a £3m bid from Hull City valuing him at £5m and it is also claimed the player wants to remain in London. It is understood that talks to conclude the loan deal with West Ham which includes an option to buy is continuing today with a decision expected soon.
Jenkinson is a product of the Charlton youth academy who was loaned Conference South side Welling United on loan in early 2010 before starting a three-month loan with Conference Premier side Eastbourne Borough in late 2010. He made his first appearance for Charlton Athletic in the Football League Trophy Southern Section semi-final clash with Brentford at Griffin Park in December 2010, playing the whole match in the right-back position. Jenkinson signed for Arsenal in June 2011, for a fee thought to be around £1 million.
In August 2011, Jenkinson made his Arsenal competitive debut in the final qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League against Udinese, coming on as a second half substitute, replacing the injured Johan Djourou early in the second half. Jenkinson made his Premier League debut against Liverpool also in August 2011, starting at right-back. He kept his place in the team, playing in the second leg against Udinese and then at Old Trafford against Manchester United in the Premier League, although he was sent off later in the game for a foul on Javier Hernández. He also assisted Robin van Persie to score Arsenal's second in the game in a 8–2 loss against Manchester United.
Jenkinson suffered a stress fracture in his lower back which kept him out for 3 months.
Due to an injury to first choice right back, Bacary Sagna, Jenkinson started the first five matches of the 2012–13 season, and earned plaudits for his performance against Manchester City, among others. Jenkinson featured in all three of Arsenal's opening games of the 2013–14 campaign as injuries to defenders Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny forced Bacary Sagna to fill in at centre-back and Jenkinson to deputise at right-back. Despite Koscielny later returning, Jenkinson kept his place in the first-team after impressing against Fenerbahçe S.K. In May 2014 Jenkinson scored his first senior team goal for Arsenal in their 2-0 victory over Norwich City on the last day of the 2013-14 season.
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950 HOMES TO RISE FROM BOLEYN GROUND ASHES
By Sean Whetstone 29 Jul 2014 at 08:30
West Ham Till I Die
A company called Boleyn Phoenix Limited have submitted a formal scoping opinion to the London Borough of Newham in respect of the proposed demolition and re-development of the Boleyn ground. The directors of Boleyn Phoenix are also directors of the Galliard group who have agreed to buy our ground once we vacate it.
The planning opinion suggests up to 950 residential homes in a number of buildings ranging in height from 4-16 storeys will be built, Another 950 square metres of the site will be developed to house small-scale commercial and community units. Associated infrastructure will also be built including new road access from Green Street, an extensive basement plus public and private open spaces and landscaping.
If planning permission is eventually granted for 950 homes at say an average of £200,000 per home that would gross £190 million Galliard homes less their expense of buying the land, demolition, the build and marketing!
The actual amount that West Ham United board sold the Boleyn Ground and it's land to the Galliard group has not been made public but it is thought to be considerably less the prize on offer for it's redevelopment. When Arsenal moved out of it's Highbury home they decided to develop it themselves by contracting the construction of 650 homes to Sir Robert McAlpine.
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Elliot Lee 6 West Ham First Team 4
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 29, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Elliot Lee scored twice in a West Ham United U21 pre season friendly game against Braintree Town this evening to take his pre season tally to six goals. This was his third double in the pre season campaign. His first double came against Havant and WaterlooVille on the 15th July in a 2-1 win, this was quickly followed 5 days later by another brace in a 4-2 win over RCD Espanyol. Just 9 days later he nets two again against Braintree. The whole of West Ham's first team have managed just four goals between them in their pre season friendlies so far.
Lee made his debut for the U21′ development squad in 2011 before signing his first professional contract in August 2012. His first appearance in a first-team squad was on 1 January 2013 when he was an unused substitute in a Premier League game against Norwich City. Lee then made his professional debut for West Ham, as a 78th minute substitute for Ricardo Vaz Tê, on 16th January 2013 in a 1–0 defeat in the FA Cup 3rd Round replay at Old Trafford against Manchester United. In 2013 he signed for Colchester United on a one month loan where he scored one goal. Lee signed a new two and a half year deal earlier this year.
Many fans are asking why he is not training with the first team and why he wasn't invited to the New Zealand tour.
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West Ham join QPR in chase for £7m Marseille playmaker Mathieu Valbuena
By SIMON JONES
PUBLISHED: 22:30, 29 July 2014 | UPDATED: 22:57, 29 July 2014
Daily Mail
West Ham have joined QPR by expressing an interest in Marseille midfielder Mathieu Valbuena. The 29-year-old France international midfield schemer is available for around £7million but is keen on a move to Spain. Despiet being a key part of Didier Deschamps' side in World Cup, Valbuena is not wanted by new Marseille manager Marcelo Bielsa. Marseille had agreed a fee with Dinamo Moscow but the player refused to go. West Ham formally announced the signing of striker Enner Valencia from Pachuca on Tuesday, their fifth signing of the summer. With club-record signing Andy Carroll ruled out for four months following surgery on an ankle injury, Sam Allardyce was desperate for a boost to his fortunes and with three goals in three games at the World Cup Valencia could be news he needed. Valencia, 24, joins on a five-year contract after attracting attention from around Europe.
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West Ham United are keen to land Cardiff City full-backs Fabio da Silva and Declan John
6:30pm Tuesday 29th July 2014 in News
East London and West Essex Guardian Series
West Ham are eyeing up Cardiff City full-backs Fábio da Silvia and Declan John as Sam Allardyce looks to bolster his defence, according to the Daily Mail.
Discussions have occurred to possibly bring in the Cardiff duo to challenge left-back, Aaron Cresswell, who signed from Championship side Ipswich Town earlier in the summer. Fábio, 24, signed for the Bluebirds from Manchester United in January, and John, 19, has come through the club's youth system. Brazilian international Fabio made 13 Premier League appearances for City last season as they were relegated from the Premier League under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Merthyr-born John made 16 top-flight starts last term, with a further four appearances coming from the bench for the South Wales outfit. Hammers boss Allardyce is keen to add more depth in the full-back positions after losing George McCartney, Matty Taylor and Pablo Armero at the end of last season.
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Tuesday, July 29
Daily WHUFC News - 29th July 2014
Academy boys help England to victory
WHUFC.com
Reece Oxford and Vashon Neufville both played as England U17 defeated
Iceland on Monday
28.07.2014
Academy players Reece Oxford and Vashon Neufville started as England U17s
began their Nordic Cup campaign with a 5-1 win over Iceland on Monday
evening. The pair both played 46 minutes as the Young Lions turned in a
ruthless performance to see off their opponents in Denmark. England took
their time to get going, but once Liverpool attacker Yan Dhanda gave them a
25th minute lead there was no looking back. Dhanda turned provider 12
minutes later, placing a ball over the right back for Admiral Muskwe of
Leicester City to power on to and drill home. England continued to dominate
after the game's resumption and Tottenham's Marcus Edwards made it three
soon after the restart. Edwards grabbed his second - from another Dhanda
assist - on 49 minutes and within five minutes of that strike they had a
fifth. This time Muskwe was on hand to complete his brace, and with the game
won by England, Iceland managed a consolation through Dagur Hilmarsson.
England are back in action on Tuesday when they take on Finland, with
Thursday's game against Sweden rounding off the group phase.
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Young Hammers compete in Ruhr Cup
WHUFc.com
A young West Ham United team placed eighth in the Evonik Ruhr-Cup
International
28.07.2014
West Ham United's Academy team placed eighth in the Evonik Ruhr-Cup
International in Germany over the weekend. A young Hammers side travelled to
the west of Germany for the tournament, which drew Under-19 teams from
across Europe. West Ham's team included several Under-16s players, with only
Amos Nasha, Nathan Mavila, Jaanai Gordon, Kieran Bywater and Moses Makasi
representing the older end of the age scale. The tournament got off to an
inauspicious start from the Hammers when, on Thursday, they opened the group
phase with a 2-0 defeat to Schalke 04 and a 3-0 loss at the hands of
Borussia Monchengladbach. A third defeat, on day two of the tournament, to
Galatasaray by a 3-1 scoreline threatened to leave the Hammers pointless,
but they recovered to defeat Israeli outfit Maccabi Netanya 2-0 and secure
fourth place in the group. That set up a play-off for seventh place against
the team who came fourth in the opposite group. That team was tournament
organisers Borussia Dortmund and the hosts came out on top, triumphing 4-1
to leave the Hammers in eighth. Georgian outfit Dinamo Tiblisi took the
overall honours, defeating Galatasaray on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
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Ladies open pre-season in style
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies scored a 5-0 win over Maidstone United in their first
pre-season match
28.07.2014
West Ham United Ladies opened their pre-season programme with a 5-0 win over
Maidstone United Ladies on Sunday. Goals in the first half from Alma Donohoe
and Emma Sherwood put the Hammers on course for victory, before Lily
Mellors, captain Stacey Little and Emily Masters made sure of the result in
the second period. New West Ham Ladies manager and former Hammers left back
Julian Dicks took charge of the club for the first time in a match situation
at Maidstone United's Gallagher Stadium. Dicks named several members of the
side that beat Barking Ladies in the Essex Cup Final back in April in his
starting line-up, including defenders Vicki King, Danica Revell and Katie
Bottom, with captain Little again lining up alongside Lindsey Morgan in the
heart of the midfield.
After a quiet opening to the game, the Hammers started pushing forward and
forced several important saves from the home goalkeeper as wide midfielder
Zoe Lipley-Hinton and the attacking partnership of Sherwood and Vicky Bruce
aimed shots at goal. The Hammers' pressure increased and they finally broke
through when Donohoe picked up the ball and fired a low shot at the
Maidstone goal, which found its way through the goalkeeper and into the back
on the net.
Just a short while later, West Ham doubled their lead when Sherwood ran
unmarked into the box to meet King's right wing cross and head into the back
of the net. After half time the difference between the two sides was really
starting to show. West Ham began having long spells of possession, before
regularly attempting shots at goal to add to the scoreline. It was the level
of fitness that spoke volumes for the Hammers third goal during the second
half as substitute Mellors used her pace to run clear of the home defence
and slot past the goalkeeper at the second attempt. Mellors was then
involved in West Ham's fourth goal, putting the home goalkeeper under
pressure and blocking her clearance on the edge of the box, before Little
finished with a long range strike from 35 yards.
Maidstone worked hard to try and get back into the game, but it Emily
Masters put the game to bed late in the second half with a finish to make it
5-0.
The West Ham Ladies' opening league match of the season will be away to QPR
Ladies on Sunday 24 August at 2pm, with their first home fixture against
Tottenham Hotspur Ladies on Thursday 4 September at 7:45pm.
Please note that West Ham United Ladies have moved their home ground. They
no longer play at Thurrock FC's Ship Lane and have moved to Aveley FC.
West Ham United Ladies: Runnicles, King (Powles), Bottom, Morgan (Masters),
Baxter, Revell, Bruce (Cleary), Little (c), Sherwood, Lipley-Hinton
(Mellors), Donohoe (Kelly).
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West Ham Utd 5-0 Maidstone Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 28th July 2014
By: Dave Maslen
West Ham United Ladies opened their pre-season programme with a 5-0 win over
Maidstone United Ladies. New manager and former KUMB columnist Julian Dicks
took charge of the team for the first time against Maidstone at the
Gallagher Stadium. Dicks had several members of the side that beat Barking
Ladies in the Essex Cup Final back in his starting line-up, including
defenders Vicki King, Danica Revell and Katie Bottom with captain Little
lining-up alongside Lindsey Morgan in the midfield. After a quiet opening to
the game, the Hammers started to edge their way into the game, forcing
several important saves from the Maidstone 'keeper. Following some
sustained pressure the Hammers finally broke the deadlock when Donohoe
picked up the ball and fired a low shot that found its way into the back on
the net. Moments later West Ham doubled their lead when Sherwood ran into
the box to meet a right wing cross that she nodded into to the back of the
net, giving the Hammers a two goal advantage. After the half time interval
West Ham began to dominate, enjoying long spells of possession.Their third
goal arrived when second half substitute Mellors sprinted clear of the home
defence and slotted past the goalkeeper. Mellors was again involved in West
Ham's fourth goal, putting the home goalkeeper under pressure and blocking
her clearance leaving Little to finish with a long-range strike from 35
yards. Emily Masters put the game to bed late in the second half with a
finish that made it 5-0. West Ham Ladies' opening league match of the season
will be away to QPR on Sunday, 24 August at 2pm, with their first home
fixture against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday, 4 September (7:45pm).
* Please note that West Ham United Ladies have moved their home ground. They
no longer play at Thurrock FC's Ship Lane and are now based at Aveley FC.
West Ham Utd Ladies: Runnicles, King (Powles), Bottom, Morgan (Masters),
Baxter, Revell, Bruce (Cleary), Little (c), Sherwood, Lipley-Hinton
(Mellors), Donohoe (Kelly).
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West Ham are set to sign Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson on loan
Last Updated: 28/07/14 10:01pm
SSN
Sky Sports understands West Ham are poised to win the race to sign Arsenal
defender Carl Jenkinson on loan. Arsenal are willing to loan out Jenkinson
following the recent arrivals of Mathieu Debuchy and Chambers meant the
England international's first-team chances limited this season. Gunners boss
Arsene Wenger sees Jenkinson as part of Arsenal's long-term future, but is
happy for him to go out on loan to get regular first-team football under his
belt. There has been no shortage of takers for Jenkinson with West Ham, Hull
City, Swansea City and Sunderland all thought to have enquired about the
22-year-old. However, West Ham are in pole position to land the former
Charlton man after holding talks with the player earlier on Monday. West Ham
boss Sam Allardyce is thought to be an admirer of Jenkinson and sees him as
a valuable addition to his defensive options next season. Jenkinson is happy
to go out on loan to play regularly next season as he looks to win his place
back in the England squad and the move to Upton Park is expected to be
sealed within the next 24 hours.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
BIG SAM - TIME TO SEE HOW GOOD HE REALLY IS
By Sean Whetstone 28 Jul 2014 at 13:36
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Bourne_Iron
Every so often, life throws you a curve ball and you have to face up to it
and make hard decisions – how you carry out those required decisions
determines how good you are at management – whether that be work, personal
life, money, football. Those having the nerve to make tough decisions and
difficult calls normally are the best managers – and carry out the changes
in a ruthless, focused and determined way leading to success (via initial
turmoil and criticism)
Big Sam has to be realistic – there is a very real potential that Andy
Carroll will not play again. As hard as that is to accept. With every month
out and with every new injury to already delicate feet, the % chances of him
returning as a top class footballer are reduced. This is an unacceptable
risk if not mitigated. When you don't mitigate obvious risks ventures fail
and you exhibit poor management.
Once you accept that conclusion and start to mitigate that risk, you come to
the following realizations very quickly. Without Carroll (or a Carroll
clone) there is no point in playing Nolan (no knock-downs / no "dream"
partnership) and no point employing wingers to float in crosses as there is
no target man.
So, you either go and get a Carroll clone (weak management choice as he is
unique in my opinion) or make the harder choice (which is what brave and
good managers do) and carry out the following:-
Accept that the current formation is now pointless and change it.
Drop the wide wingers playing crosses and long ball to target man mentality
Sell Nolan and make another player captain.
Sell Jarvis or Downing as two wingers in the new formation are no longer
required.
Look at new acquisitions and plan around them (otherwise no point in getting
them)
When working through it, you are left with a formation mindset of:-
Back four with:-
Keepers – covered
Solid defensive core – covered.
Attacking Full backs – covered at left back (cresswell / potts) but
attacking right back is an obvious shortfall.
Midfield of:-
2 defensive midfielders – covered here (Poyet, Noble, cheeky youth like
moncur)
3 Attacking flair players – covered here – Morrison, Whitehead, Zarate,
downing (not in winger mode), RVT, Fanimo, Turgott, Lletget
1 Fast counter attacking, running onto a ball striker – Valencia, Lee,
Gordon.
With the removal of Maiga, Jarvis, Nolan and Diame you would have funds
(hopefully) for a quality attacking right back.
The brave choice for Sam is to move to a 4-2-3-1 and fully utilize the youth
players with a quality signing at right back and one more striker- in this
type of fluid, counter attacking team someone like Agbonlahor or of a
similar type would be ideal.
In the coming weeks – a brave, risk aware manager would set the team up for
life without Carroll and carry out changes to personnel and players similar
to above – in my opinion, a weak manager would go and try and find a Carroll
clone. We are about to see how good Sam really is – if I was a director /
chairman I would act quickly and ruthlessly if Sam came to me for funds for
Crouch / Traore or similar as this is the ultimate sign of weakness.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WELL, THE NZ TOUR CERTAINLY DID WEST HAM'S GLOBAL BRAND AMBITIONS A POWER OF
GOOD!!
By S J Chandos 28 Jul 2014 at 08:00
West Ham Till I Die
West Ham are quite rightly concerned with propagating the West Ham United
brand on a global basis. Not least because merchandise/commercial income
streams are unrestricted and allow the club to circumvent FFFP constraints
and thus boost their transfer/salary budges. So, maximising overseas income
could eventually help transform the financial position of the club. In
English football, the pre-dominant club internationally is undoubtedly
Manchester Utd, with an instantly recognisable brand, world-wide shirt
sales, lucrative overseas tours and income streams to match. While Chelsea,
for instance, are very visible in Africa and their coaching and charitable
schemes are particularly strong in West African countries such as Ghana.
They are two leading examples, but of course, most of the PL clubs will have
their own international strategies. For West Ham's part, they have an
existing tie-up with the second tier of US football and, in the past, have
had partnership arrangements in Australia. This has served to raise the
profile of the Hammers in those countries and also supplied football talent
such as Stan Lazardis, Richard Garcia, the Tombides brothers and Sebastian
Lletget. Those existing international links need to be radically expanded.
And, of course, there are enormous potential financial rewards to be had in
the emerging markets of China, the far east and the Indian Sub-Continent.
Within this context, the club, and its charitable Trust, need to continue
not only to connect with the sizeable Asian communities in local boroughs
like Newham and Tower Hamlets, but also explore the possibility of overseas
charitable/coaching activity in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. There is a
powerful symmetry in pursuing a dual strategy of combining engagement work
with the Asian communities in East London (as part of delivering the 2012
sporting legacy) and coaching/charitable activity, further a field, in their
countries of origin. With each strategy reinforcing the other to produce
some very positive long-term outcomes in one of the key regions that the
club should prioritise.
The English PL is an amazingly powerful product, eagerly consumed
world-wide. It gives English clubs a great deal of positive exposure to a
huge international audience. The clubs seek to build upon that with
pre-season tours to their target continents/countries. This was obviously
the thinking behind the current tour to New Zealand. And judging by the
sizeable Hammers support at both matches it is clear that there is a strong
foundation to build upon. Unfortunately, those Kiwi and Aussie fans, and the
travelling UK contingent, were badly let down. Furthermore, it has to be
said that the ineptitude of our performances on the pitch probably
undermined the core commercial objectives of the tour. It is all well and
good 'winning friends and influencing people' off the pitch, but those gains
must be accompanied by positive performances on it. To be outplayed and
defeated by two local teams (equivalent in standard to English League 2)
does nothing to advance the club's popularity in New Zealand and Australia.
Quite the opposite, it holds us up to ridicule and probably affords the
likes of Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea even more of an advantage in
the region than they already possess.
The club's board have made real efforts to improve the squad this summer and
give the Manager the pre-requisite tools to play a more expansive game. The
key question was always going to be whether the manager was capable of
responding to the challenge? As I asked recently, can a leopard change his
spots? Now, apparently, we are being told that the transition from one style
of play to another takes time and it is the attempt to be more
attacking/expansive that is making us vulnerable defensively! Funny that we
were at our most attacking/expansive against Spurs, in the final match of
last season, and yet still retained our defensive solidarity. Yet we
(apparently) try the same approach in New Zealand and it causes a defensive
shambles against far weaker opposition! The truth is that in the two matches
in New Zealand there was no discernible new approach, it looked very much
like the same abject tactics that we suffered for the majority of last
season.
There are presently clear tensions within the club. Not only with respect to
playing style, but also last season's transfer strategy, the decision
(allegedly) to buy Zarate and the issue of whether to try to retain the
services of Ravel Morrison. The compromise reached, at the end of last
season, was clearly designed to paper over board room differences on the
wisdom of continuing with the present management. However, there was always
the probability that this would flounder as a result of old
inclinations/propensities re-asserting themselves. And we have arguably
started to see that occur, albeit it more quickly than one might have
anticipated. The obvious example being the managerial declaration
(presumably without prior consultation?) that Ravel Morrison was not part of
the club's first team plans this season. It was interesting to see David
Sullivan respond so swiftly to confirm that the board do actually see
Morrison as an part of their plans and the manager's subsequent public climb
down.
Can board and manager (to one degree or another) continue with the uneasy
compromise reached in May? Or will the tensions lead to managerial change
sooner rather than later? In my opinion the board must hold their line on
playing style, getting Morrison signed to a new contract and ensuring Zarate
is not marginalised. If that results in a parting of the ways with the
manager then so be it. West Ham cannot afford to continue with last season's
one-dimensional football, as they gear up for the move to the OS. That will
not fill 60,000 seats on a regular basis nor win new international
support/commercial income. To help change their style they need to deploy
the vision, skill and technique of a player like Zarate. His goal in the
first match in NZ was excellent and an obvious example of the type of flair,
skill and lethal finishing we have been lacking. They also need to persevere
with a talent of Morrison's magnitude. The idea of him leaving and fans
having to endure the spectacle of him realising his potential with another
club is horrendous to contemplate. Morrison's PL career may ultimately fall
short of expectations, but there is also a very good chance that he could
mature and realise his potential. The club should definitely make every
effort to sign him to a new contract. It would be a great pity to lose a
major young English talent on the assessment of a manager who is almost
certainly in his final season with the club.
It is a myth that we have to play like last season to survive in the PL. We
are at a stage now where we not only need to survive, but move forward and
prosper. The signing of Enner Valencia (subject to a work permit) is a very
good move. David Sullivan, from his reported comments, obviously sees the
signing of one or two extra strikers (adding extra height) as a priority
following Carroll's injury. And that is probably the correct call, but I
would be fascinated to see how Zarate/Valencia/Downing can combine, as a
front three, with Morrison playing just behind them. However, for that
strike force to work, we need to pass the ball and employ an approach a bit
more sophisticated than launching aimless high balls in to the opposition
box. Which neatly brings us back, full-circle, to the question of playing
style and whether the current management can deliver on the board's
ambitions? And if not, when it will finally be decided that enough is
enough?
SJ. Chandos.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Arsenal's West Ham transfer target Carl Jenkinson poised to make loan move
to Hammers
Jul 28, 2014 22:30 By John Cross
East Londoners have beaten Hull and Swansea to the England right-back after
the Gunners' signings of Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers
The Mirror
Carl Jenkinson is set to join West Ham on a season-long loan. Arsenal
full-back Jenkinson will go to Upton Park to get regular first-team games
under his belt in the hope of still making it at the Emirates. We revealed
Sam Allardyce's interest in the England international on July 17 and the
Hammers have beaten Hull and Swansea in the battle to sign Jenkinson. Hull
boss Steve Bruce wanted to sign Jenkinson on a permanent deal, but the
Gunners are only prepared to loan him as they still believe he can have a
future at the club. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has signed France
international Mathieu Debuchy from Newcastle to be his first choice
right-back following Bacary Sagna's free agent switch to Manchester City.
While £16m teenage signing Calum Chambers played the position for
Southampton last season, the Gunners see him as more of a centre-half in the
longer term.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Defender reports "premature"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 28, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham have described reports that the club has settled on Croatian Ivan
Strinic as their second left back as "premature." The Croatian was described
as going through medical processes at the club by the commentary team in New
Zealand during the defeat by Sydney FC. But ClaretandHugh was told earlier
today that is not the case at this stage and that there "are several balls
in the air." The 27 year old Dnipro defender has been one of those on the
Hammers 'possible' list for some time. But our source said: "There's plenty
of time to make decisions and we have several balls in the air. "We
certainly aren't ruling the player out but we want to make sure we get every
decision correct."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ireland Messi scores
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 28, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
When West Ham signed 18-year-old Sean Macquire from Republic of Ireland
club Waterford United he was compared to Messi by his then chairman.
Waterford chairman John O'Sullivan said "I'm a great fan of Lionel Messi at
Barcelona. When I look at Seanie, he really reminds me of him.Seanie has the
same kind of balance, burst of speed and he's powerful on the ball.He has a
great shot from any range and he's good in the air. He has everything going
for him. He still has to build up a bit of muscle, but there's no doubt West
Ham will help him do that. If Seanie keeps progressing the way he is, it
won't be long before he's getting first-team football at West Ham. There is
no question whatsoever he will be a star one day for the Republic of
Ireland."
The Republic of Ireland Under-19 international had previously scored 14
goals in 32 games for Waterford. One year later Macquire was loaned out to
Irish SSE Airtricity League Premier Division Sligo Rovers until the end of
July. After appearing as a substitute for most of loan period he finally got
his chance on Sunday against Shamrock Rovers when he got his first start for
Sligo. He quickly paid them back by scoring in 84th minute to secure a win
and picked up the man of the match accolade.
His loan with Sligo is set to finish on Thursday with no indication as yet
whether it will be extended or whether he will head back to the UK.
Macquire was signed on a two and a half year contract in January 2013
meaning it just has a year remaining on his contract.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tense situation as Sam sacking odds shorten
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 28, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sam Allardyce has moved to odds-on to become the first managerial casualty
of the season with some bookies. Sky Bet for example have him priced up at
10/11 for the bullet but word from inside Upton Park is that the
relationship between himself and the owners will need to markedly
deteriorate for the axe to fall. Relationships between the board and the
manager could best be described as tense at the moment after David
Sullivan's Talk Sport interview last week displayed a big difference of
opinion over Ravel Morrison's future. ClaretandHugh has also learned that
Allardyce's decision to claim pre-season results may have been affected by
the new attacking policy demanded by the board has not gone down well.
However, the owners are great believers in keeping their word on contracts
and are always totally loathe to break them. A source told us: "The odds on
saking are too short at the moment given the two Davids' track record with
managers. "They believe in keeping contracts. They believe that to be the
right thing to do. " They have never been hire and fire people but of course
there is always a line which can't be crossed. "A lot has been said of late
and results so far haven't helped anything. Sam has had a lot of backing but
apparent public differences aren't helping things."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
David Gold hints on Twitter at eagerness to axe Sam Allardyce as West Ham
manager
WEST HAM co-chairman David Gold has used his Twitter account to hint that
Sam Allardyce could soon be sacked.
By: Alex Harris
Published: Mon, July 28, 2014
Express
West Ham, David Gold, David Sullivan, Sam Allardyce, WUFC, Transfer News,
Sam Allardyce Sacked, Upton ParkWest Ham manager Sam Allardyce already
appears to be under pressure[AFP] Gold favourited a tweet from Twitter user
@harris2011_s which reads: "Is today the day we get rid of BFS ?? @davidgold
fingers crossed". BFS is a widely-used internet nickname among West Ham
fans for former Bolton manager Allardyce. West Ham, David Gold, David
Sullivan, Sam Allardyce, WUFC, Transfer News, Sam Allardyce Sacked, Upton
ParkWest Ham co-chairman David Gold's Twitter profile [TWITTER] Gold, 77, is
a prolific tweeter having sent 11,500 messages on the site but has only
favourited 71 tweets since joining in May 2011. Reports emerged over the
weekend that Allardyce and the board are at loggerheads over midfielder
Ravel Morrison. Allardyce shipped out fan-favourite Morrison on loan to QPR
last season and is open to offers for the 21-year-old as he does not feature
in his plans for the new season. West Ham, David Gold, David Sullivan, Sam
Allardyce, WUFC, Transfer News, Sam Allardyce Sacked, Upton ParkRavel
Morrison was sent to QPR last season [GETTY] But co-chairman David Sullivan
made the point of going on to talkSPORT to give an opposing view. "Sam has
said Ravel is not part of his plans but we do - as a board - see him as part
of our plans," he said.
"I think he [Allardyce] said in a press conference, if I read it correctly,
he's not part of his plans for this season. I think he said that in New
Zealand but we don't agree with that. We would like to sit down and give him
a longer contract."
To compound Allardyce's woes big striker Andy Carroll is out for four months
to recover from ankle surgery.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham: Allardyce is fighting an unwinnable battle
Sam Allardyce is low on allies in West Ham's boardroom and crowd
Betfair.com
Despite being a pro-Big Sam West Ham fan, Michael Lintorn can't see the
manager lasting much longer...
West Ham don't handle breakups well, with their list of sticky separations
running almost as long as Taylor Swift's.
Alan Curbishley was forced to quit after two starters were sold behind his
back, successfully suing for constructive dismissal. Gianfranco Zola was
publicly criticised by the owners for months, then axed despite securing
survival, while Avram Grant was required to maintain his dignity during a
bungled attempt to hire Martin O'Neill in his place on a Premier League
matchday.
They seem determined to ensure that the divorce with Sam Allardyce is their
messiest yet, with this summer set to serve as a prototype for generations
of difficult-to-please chairmen to come on how to undermine your manager.
The Premier League veteran is the 2.54 favourite to be the next tactician to
go. However, there is as much chance of it occurring via a resignation - and
perhaps another constructive dismissal case - than by a firing, as his
superiors appear eager to get rid, but unwilling to pay an estimated £4
million in compensation to make it happen.
Most expected Allardyce to be sacked at the end of last term, with a growing
number of supporters vocalising their discontent even though he ultimately
evaded the danger of second-season syndrome by a seven-point margin.
The former Bolton boss held on, allegedly because David Gold and Karren
Brady didn't share David Sullivan's desire to dismiss, but - in the first
phase of power-stifling - was told that the style of play must change and a
top-ten finish was a necessity, while he surrendered final say on transfers.
Since then, several players who don't look an ideal fit for the Allardyce
mould have been acquired, like Mauro Zarate, while Sullivan has publicised
an internal conflict over Ravel Morrison's future, revealing that the board
want him to stay, yet fear that the coach won't pick him.
Pre-season has been a disaster, with draws at Stevenage and Ipswich being
followed by defeats to Wellington and Sydney on their New Zealand tour.
Friendly results clearly shouldn't carry much weight, but the combination of
the final two games being televised, the perception Allardyce isn't
involving the newcomers enough and his claim that the insistence on more
attacking play is to blame for the losses have dealt them undue
significance.
Adding to the carnage is the way the anti-Allardyce fanbase online,
encouraged by Sullivan's unsubtle hints at discord with the manager, have
cranked up the antagonism level, even launching a campaign to fund his
payoff.
It all points at an inevitable conclusion, with the 2.54 on West Ham being
the first club to renovate their dugout in 2014/15 increasing in appeal by
the hour.
Recommended Bet: Back Sam Allardyce to be the next manager to go @ 2.54
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Former Manchester United boss David Moyes 'favourite' to replace Sam
Allardyce at West Ham
Monday 28 Jul 2014 4:51 pm
Metro.co.uk
Former Manchester United manager David Moyes has been tipped to replace Sam
Allardyce at West Ham next season. The Scottish coach is the 2/1 favourite
to become the Hammers' new boss in the coming months according to Paddy
Power – as questions remain over Allardyce's future at the East London club.
The Daily Star have reported that the West Ham board are 'at odds' with the
current manager after co-owner, David Sullivan, labelled the 59-year-old's
£15m signing of Andy Carroll in 2013 as a 'mistake'. The club's owners are
also reported to be unhappy that Allardyce does not see Ravel Morrison has a
long-term player in the squad. 'Sam has said Ravel is not part of his plans
but we do – as a board – see him as part of our plans,' Sullivan recently
said. 'I think he said in a press conference, if I read it correctly, he's
not part of his plans for this season. 'I think he said that in New Zealand
but we don't agree with that. We would like to sit down and give him a
longer contract.' West Ham co-owner, David Gold, also added fuel to the fire
when he favourited a tweet by a Hammers fan who had asked if Monday would be
the day that Allardyce left the club – although it is unclear whether it was
done by accident or not. Allardyce's rumoured replacement, Moyes, endured a
torrid time at Old Trafford after being named as Sir Alex Ferguson's
successor at United in 2013 and was sacked following just 10 months in
charge of the club.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jenkinson close to loan move
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 29th July 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are on the verge of signing Arsenal full-back Carl Jenkinson on
loan. The Mail, amongst others, reports this morning that Sam Allardyce has
beaten off interest from several other clubs to land the 22-year-old
right-sided defender on loan for the season. Arsenal are willing to allow
Jenkinson to move for the season having completed the signing of Southampton
youngster Calum Chambers and Newcastle's Mathieu Debuchy in recent days. It
was thought yesterday that Hull had beaten West Ham to the former England
under 21 international's signature, with reports of a deal in the region of
£4million having been agreed.
But Allardyce - who, despite previous spats with the Frenchman, enjoys a
good relationship with Arsene Wenger - appears to have hijacked that
particular deal to land his man at the eleventh hour.
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WHUFC.com
Reece Oxford and Vashon Neufville both played as England U17 defeated
Iceland on Monday
28.07.2014
Academy players Reece Oxford and Vashon Neufville started as England U17s
began their Nordic Cup campaign with a 5-1 win over Iceland on Monday
evening. The pair both played 46 minutes as the Young Lions turned in a
ruthless performance to see off their opponents in Denmark. England took
their time to get going, but once Liverpool attacker Yan Dhanda gave them a
25th minute lead there was no looking back. Dhanda turned provider 12
minutes later, placing a ball over the right back for Admiral Muskwe of
Leicester City to power on to and drill home. England continued to dominate
after the game's resumption and Tottenham's Marcus Edwards made it three
soon after the restart. Edwards grabbed his second - from another Dhanda
assist - on 49 minutes and within five minutes of that strike they had a
fifth. This time Muskwe was on hand to complete his brace, and with the game
won by England, Iceland managed a consolation through Dagur Hilmarsson.
England are back in action on Tuesday when they take on Finland, with
Thursday's game against Sweden rounding off the group phase.
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Young Hammers compete in Ruhr Cup
WHUFc.com
A young West Ham United team placed eighth in the Evonik Ruhr-Cup
International
28.07.2014
West Ham United's Academy team placed eighth in the Evonik Ruhr-Cup
International in Germany over the weekend. A young Hammers side travelled to
the west of Germany for the tournament, which drew Under-19 teams from
across Europe. West Ham's team included several Under-16s players, with only
Amos Nasha, Nathan Mavila, Jaanai Gordon, Kieran Bywater and Moses Makasi
representing the older end of the age scale. The tournament got off to an
inauspicious start from the Hammers when, on Thursday, they opened the group
phase with a 2-0 defeat to Schalke 04 and a 3-0 loss at the hands of
Borussia Monchengladbach. A third defeat, on day two of the tournament, to
Galatasaray by a 3-1 scoreline threatened to leave the Hammers pointless,
but they recovered to defeat Israeli outfit Maccabi Netanya 2-0 and secure
fourth place in the group. That set up a play-off for seventh place against
the team who came fourth in the opposite group. That team was tournament
organisers Borussia Dortmund and the hosts came out on top, triumphing 4-1
to leave the Hammers in eighth. Georgian outfit Dinamo Tiblisi took the
overall honours, defeating Galatasaray on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ladies open pre-season in style
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Ladies scored a 5-0 win over Maidstone United in their first
pre-season match
28.07.2014
West Ham United Ladies opened their pre-season programme with a 5-0 win over
Maidstone United Ladies on Sunday. Goals in the first half from Alma Donohoe
and Emma Sherwood put the Hammers on course for victory, before Lily
Mellors, captain Stacey Little and Emily Masters made sure of the result in
the second period. New West Ham Ladies manager and former Hammers left back
Julian Dicks took charge of the club for the first time in a match situation
at Maidstone United's Gallagher Stadium. Dicks named several members of the
side that beat Barking Ladies in the Essex Cup Final back in April in his
starting line-up, including defenders Vicki King, Danica Revell and Katie
Bottom, with captain Little again lining up alongside Lindsey Morgan in the
heart of the midfield.
After a quiet opening to the game, the Hammers started pushing forward and
forced several important saves from the home goalkeeper as wide midfielder
Zoe Lipley-Hinton and the attacking partnership of Sherwood and Vicky Bruce
aimed shots at goal. The Hammers' pressure increased and they finally broke
through when Donohoe picked up the ball and fired a low shot at the
Maidstone goal, which found its way through the goalkeeper and into the back
on the net.
Just a short while later, West Ham doubled their lead when Sherwood ran
unmarked into the box to meet King's right wing cross and head into the back
of the net. After half time the difference between the two sides was really
starting to show. West Ham began having long spells of possession, before
regularly attempting shots at goal to add to the scoreline. It was the level
of fitness that spoke volumes for the Hammers third goal during the second
half as substitute Mellors used her pace to run clear of the home defence
and slot past the goalkeeper at the second attempt. Mellors was then
involved in West Ham's fourth goal, putting the home goalkeeper under
pressure and blocking her clearance on the edge of the box, before Little
finished with a long range strike from 35 yards.
Maidstone worked hard to try and get back into the game, but it Emily
Masters put the game to bed late in the second half with a finish to make it
5-0.
The West Ham Ladies' opening league match of the season will be away to QPR
Ladies on Sunday 24 August at 2pm, with their first home fixture against
Tottenham Hotspur Ladies on Thursday 4 September at 7:45pm.
Please note that West Ham United Ladies have moved their home ground. They
no longer play at Thurrock FC's Ship Lane and have moved to Aveley FC.
West Ham United Ladies: Runnicles, King (Powles), Bottom, Morgan (Masters),
Baxter, Revell, Bruce (Cleary), Little (c), Sherwood, Lipley-Hinton
(Mellors), Donohoe (Kelly).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham Utd 5-0 Maidstone Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 28th July 2014
By: Dave Maslen
West Ham United Ladies opened their pre-season programme with a 5-0 win over
Maidstone United Ladies. New manager and former KUMB columnist Julian Dicks
took charge of the team for the first time against Maidstone at the
Gallagher Stadium. Dicks had several members of the side that beat Barking
Ladies in the Essex Cup Final back in his starting line-up, including
defenders Vicki King, Danica Revell and Katie Bottom with captain Little
lining-up alongside Lindsey Morgan in the midfield. After a quiet opening to
the game, the Hammers started to edge their way into the game, forcing
several important saves from the Maidstone 'keeper. Following some
sustained pressure the Hammers finally broke the deadlock when Donohoe
picked up the ball and fired a low shot that found its way into the back on
the net. Moments later West Ham doubled their lead when Sherwood ran into
the box to meet a right wing cross that she nodded into to the back of the
net, giving the Hammers a two goal advantage. After the half time interval
West Ham began to dominate, enjoying long spells of possession.Their third
goal arrived when second half substitute Mellors sprinted clear of the home
defence and slotted past the goalkeeper. Mellors was again involved in West
Ham's fourth goal, putting the home goalkeeper under pressure and blocking
her clearance leaving Little to finish with a long-range strike from 35
yards. Emily Masters put the game to bed late in the second half with a
finish that made it 5-0. West Ham Ladies' opening league match of the season
will be away to QPR on Sunday, 24 August at 2pm, with their first home
fixture against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday, 4 September (7:45pm).
* Please note that West Ham United Ladies have moved their home ground. They
no longer play at Thurrock FC's Ship Lane and are now based at Aveley FC.
West Ham Utd Ladies: Runnicles, King (Powles), Bottom, Morgan (Masters),
Baxter, Revell, Bruce (Cleary), Little (c), Sherwood, Lipley-Hinton
(Mellors), Donohoe (Kelly).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham are set to sign Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson on loan
Last Updated: 28/07/14 10:01pm
SSN
Sky Sports understands West Ham are poised to win the race to sign Arsenal
defender Carl Jenkinson on loan. Arsenal are willing to loan out Jenkinson
following the recent arrivals of Mathieu Debuchy and Chambers meant the
England international's first-team chances limited this season. Gunners boss
Arsene Wenger sees Jenkinson as part of Arsenal's long-term future, but is
happy for him to go out on loan to get regular first-team football under his
belt. There has been no shortage of takers for Jenkinson with West Ham, Hull
City, Swansea City and Sunderland all thought to have enquired about the
22-year-old. However, West Ham are in pole position to land the former
Charlton man after holding talks with the player earlier on Monday. West Ham
boss Sam Allardyce is thought to be an admirer of Jenkinson and sees him as
a valuable addition to his defensive options next season. Jenkinson is happy
to go out on loan to play regularly next season as he looks to win his place
back in the England squad and the move to Upton Park is expected to be
sealed within the next 24 hours.
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BIG SAM - TIME TO SEE HOW GOOD HE REALLY IS
By Sean Whetstone 28 Jul 2014 at 13:36
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Bourne_Iron
Every so often, life throws you a curve ball and you have to face up to it
and make hard decisions – how you carry out those required decisions
determines how good you are at management – whether that be work, personal
life, money, football. Those having the nerve to make tough decisions and
difficult calls normally are the best managers – and carry out the changes
in a ruthless, focused and determined way leading to success (via initial
turmoil and criticism)
Big Sam has to be realistic – there is a very real potential that Andy
Carroll will not play again. As hard as that is to accept. With every month
out and with every new injury to already delicate feet, the % chances of him
returning as a top class footballer are reduced. This is an unacceptable
risk if not mitigated. When you don't mitigate obvious risks ventures fail
and you exhibit poor management.
Once you accept that conclusion and start to mitigate that risk, you come to
the following realizations very quickly. Without Carroll (or a Carroll
clone) there is no point in playing Nolan (no knock-downs / no "dream"
partnership) and no point employing wingers to float in crosses as there is
no target man.
So, you either go and get a Carroll clone (weak management choice as he is
unique in my opinion) or make the harder choice (which is what brave and
good managers do) and carry out the following:-
Accept that the current formation is now pointless and change it.
Drop the wide wingers playing crosses and long ball to target man mentality
Sell Nolan and make another player captain.
Sell Jarvis or Downing as two wingers in the new formation are no longer
required.
Look at new acquisitions and plan around them (otherwise no point in getting
them)
When working through it, you are left with a formation mindset of:-
Back four with:-
Keepers – covered
Solid defensive core – covered.
Attacking Full backs – covered at left back (cresswell / potts) but
attacking right back is an obvious shortfall.
Midfield of:-
2 defensive midfielders – covered here (Poyet, Noble, cheeky youth like
moncur)
3 Attacking flair players – covered here – Morrison, Whitehead, Zarate,
downing (not in winger mode), RVT, Fanimo, Turgott, Lletget
1 Fast counter attacking, running onto a ball striker – Valencia, Lee,
Gordon.
With the removal of Maiga, Jarvis, Nolan and Diame you would have funds
(hopefully) for a quality attacking right back.
The brave choice for Sam is to move to a 4-2-3-1 and fully utilize the youth
players with a quality signing at right back and one more striker- in this
type of fluid, counter attacking team someone like Agbonlahor or of a
similar type would be ideal.
In the coming weeks – a brave, risk aware manager would set the team up for
life without Carroll and carry out changes to personnel and players similar
to above – in my opinion, a weak manager would go and try and find a Carroll
clone. We are about to see how good Sam really is – if I was a director /
chairman I would act quickly and ruthlessly if Sam came to me for funds for
Crouch / Traore or similar as this is the ultimate sign of weakness.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WELL, THE NZ TOUR CERTAINLY DID WEST HAM'S GLOBAL BRAND AMBITIONS A POWER OF
GOOD!!
By S J Chandos 28 Jul 2014 at 08:00
West Ham Till I Die
West Ham are quite rightly concerned with propagating the West Ham United
brand on a global basis. Not least because merchandise/commercial income
streams are unrestricted and allow the club to circumvent FFFP constraints
and thus boost their transfer/salary budges. So, maximising overseas income
could eventually help transform the financial position of the club. In
English football, the pre-dominant club internationally is undoubtedly
Manchester Utd, with an instantly recognisable brand, world-wide shirt
sales, lucrative overseas tours and income streams to match. While Chelsea,
for instance, are very visible in Africa and their coaching and charitable
schemes are particularly strong in West African countries such as Ghana.
They are two leading examples, but of course, most of the PL clubs will have
their own international strategies. For West Ham's part, they have an
existing tie-up with the second tier of US football and, in the past, have
had partnership arrangements in Australia. This has served to raise the
profile of the Hammers in those countries and also supplied football talent
such as Stan Lazardis, Richard Garcia, the Tombides brothers and Sebastian
Lletget. Those existing international links need to be radically expanded.
And, of course, there are enormous potential financial rewards to be had in
the emerging markets of China, the far east and the Indian Sub-Continent.
Within this context, the club, and its charitable Trust, need to continue
not only to connect with the sizeable Asian communities in local boroughs
like Newham and Tower Hamlets, but also explore the possibility of overseas
charitable/coaching activity in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. There is a
powerful symmetry in pursuing a dual strategy of combining engagement work
with the Asian communities in East London (as part of delivering the 2012
sporting legacy) and coaching/charitable activity, further a field, in their
countries of origin. With each strategy reinforcing the other to produce
some very positive long-term outcomes in one of the key regions that the
club should prioritise.
The English PL is an amazingly powerful product, eagerly consumed
world-wide. It gives English clubs a great deal of positive exposure to a
huge international audience. The clubs seek to build upon that with
pre-season tours to their target continents/countries. This was obviously
the thinking behind the current tour to New Zealand. And judging by the
sizeable Hammers support at both matches it is clear that there is a strong
foundation to build upon. Unfortunately, those Kiwi and Aussie fans, and the
travelling UK contingent, were badly let down. Furthermore, it has to be
said that the ineptitude of our performances on the pitch probably
undermined the core commercial objectives of the tour. It is all well and
good 'winning friends and influencing people' off the pitch, but those gains
must be accompanied by positive performances on it. To be outplayed and
defeated by two local teams (equivalent in standard to English League 2)
does nothing to advance the club's popularity in New Zealand and Australia.
Quite the opposite, it holds us up to ridicule and probably affords the
likes of Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea even more of an advantage in
the region than they already possess.
The club's board have made real efforts to improve the squad this summer and
give the Manager the pre-requisite tools to play a more expansive game. The
key question was always going to be whether the manager was capable of
responding to the challenge? As I asked recently, can a leopard change his
spots? Now, apparently, we are being told that the transition from one style
of play to another takes time and it is the attempt to be more
attacking/expansive that is making us vulnerable defensively! Funny that we
were at our most attacking/expansive against Spurs, in the final match of
last season, and yet still retained our defensive solidarity. Yet we
(apparently) try the same approach in New Zealand and it causes a defensive
shambles against far weaker opposition! The truth is that in the two matches
in New Zealand there was no discernible new approach, it looked very much
like the same abject tactics that we suffered for the majority of last
season.
There are presently clear tensions within the club. Not only with respect to
playing style, but also last season's transfer strategy, the decision
(allegedly) to buy Zarate and the issue of whether to try to retain the
services of Ravel Morrison. The compromise reached, at the end of last
season, was clearly designed to paper over board room differences on the
wisdom of continuing with the present management. However, there was always
the probability that this would flounder as a result of old
inclinations/propensities re-asserting themselves. And we have arguably
started to see that occur, albeit it more quickly than one might have
anticipated. The obvious example being the managerial declaration
(presumably without prior consultation?) that Ravel Morrison was not part of
the club's first team plans this season. It was interesting to see David
Sullivan respond so swiftly to confirm that the board do actually see
Morrison as an part of their plans and the manager's subsequent public climb
down.
Can board and manager (to one degree or another) continue with the uneasy
compromise reached in May? Or will the tensions lead to managerial change
sooner rather than later? In my opinion the board must hold their line on
playing style, getting Morrison signed to a new contract and ensuring Zarate
is not marginalised. If that results in a parting of the ways with the
manager then so be it. West Ham cannot afford to continue with last season's
one-dimensional football, as they gear up for the move to the OS. That will
not fill 60,000 seats on a regular basis nor win new international
support/commercial income. To help change their style they need to deploy
the vision, skill and technique of a player like Zarate. His goal in the
first match in NZ was excellent and an obvious example of the type of flair,
skill and lethal finishing we have been lacking. They also need to persevere
with a talent of Morrison's magnitude. The idea of him leaving and fans
having to endure the spectacle of him realising his potential with another
club is horrendous to contemplate. Morrison's PL career may ultimately fall
short of expectations, but there is also a very good chance that he could
mature and realise his potential. The club should definitely make every
effort to sign him to a new contract. It would be a great pity to lose a
major young English talent on the assessment of a manager who is almost
certainly in his final season with the club.
It is a myth that we have to play like last season to survive in the PL. We
are at a stage now where we not only need to survive, but move forward and
prosper. The signing of Enner Valencia (subject to a work permit) is a very
good move. David Sullivan, from his reported comments, obviously sees the
signing of one or two extra strikers (adding extra height) as a priority
following Carroll's injury. And that is probably the correct call, but I
would be fascinated to see how Zarate/Valencia/Downing can combine, as a
front three, with Morrison playing just behind them. However, for that
strike force to work, we need to pass the ball and employ an approach a bit
more sophisticated than launching aimless high balls in to the opposition
box. Which neatly brings us back, full-circle, to the question of playing
style and whether the current management can deliver on the board's
ambitions? And if not, when it will finally be decided that enough is
enough?
SJ. Chandos.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Arsenal's West Ham transfer target Carl Jenkinson poised to make loan move
to Hammers
Jul 28, 2014 22:30 By John Cross
East Londoners have beaten Hull and Swansea to the England right-back after
the Gunners' signings of Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers
The Mirror
Carl Jenkinson is set to join West Ham on a season-long loan. Arsenal
full-back Jenkinson will go to Upton Park to get regular first-team games
under his belt in the hope of still making it at the Emirates. We revealed
Sam Allardyce's interest in the England international on July 17 and the
Hammers have beaten Hull and Swansea in the battle to sign Jenkinson. Hull
boss Steve Bruce wanted to sign Jenkinson on a permanent deal, but the
Gunners are only prepared to loan him as they still believe he can have a
future at the club. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has signed France
international Mathieu Debuchy from Newcastle to be his first choice
right-back following Bacary Sagna's free agent switch to Manchester City.
While £16m teenage signing Calum Chambers played the position for
Southampton last season, the Gunners see him as more of a centre-half in the
longer term.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Defender reports "premature"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 28, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham have described reports that the club has settled on Croatian Ivan
Strinic as their second left back as "premature." The Croatian was described
as going through medical processes at the club by the commentary team in New
Zealand during the defeat by Sydney FC. But ClaretandHugh was told earlier
today that is not the case at this stage and that there "are several balls
in the air." The 27 year old Dnipro defender has been one of those on the
Hammers 'possible' list for some time. But our source said: "There's plenty
of time to make decisions and we have several balls in the air. "We
certainly aren't ruling the player out but we want to make sure we get every
decision correct."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ireland Messi scores
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 28, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
When West Ham signed 18-year-old Sean Macquire from Republic of Ireland
club Waterford United he was compared to Messi by his then chairman.
Waterford chairman John O'Sullivan said "I'm a great fan of Lionel Messi at
Barcelona. When I look at Seanie, he really reminds me of him.Seanie has the
same kind of balance, burst of speed and he's powerful on the ball.He has a
great shot from any range and he's good in the air. He has everything going
for him. He still has to build up a bit of muscle, but there's no doubt West
Ham will help him do that. If Seanie keeps progressing the way he is, it
won't be long before he's getting first-team football at West Ham. There is
no question whatsoever he will be a star one day for the Republic of
Ireland."
The Republic of Ireland Under-19 international had previously scored 14
goals in 32 games for Waterford. One year later Macquire was loaned out to
Irish SSE Airtricity League Premier Division Sligo Rovers until the end of
July. After appearing as a substitute for most of loan period he finally got
his chance on Sunday against Shamrock Rovers when he got his first start for
Sligo. He quickly paid them back by scoring in 84th minute to secure a win
and picked up the man of the match accolade.
His loan with Sligo is set to finish on Thursday with no indication as yet
whether it will be extended or whether he will head back to the UK.
Macquire was signed on a two and a half year contract in January 2013
meaning it just has a year remaining on his contract.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tense situation as Sam sacking odds shorten
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 28, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sam Allardyce has moved to odds-on to become the first managerial casualty
of the season with some bookies. Sky Bet for example have him priced up at
10/11 for the bullet but word from inside Upton Park is that the
relationship between himself and the owners will need to markedly
deteriorate for the axe to fall. Relationships between the board and the
manager could best be described as tense at the moment after David
Sullivan's Talk Sport interview last week displayed a big difference of
opinion over Ravel Morrison's future. ClaretandHugh has also learned that
Allardyce's decision to claim pre-season results may have been affected by
the new attacking policy demanded by the board has not gone down well.
However, the owners are great believers in keeping their word on contracts
and are always totally loathe to break them. A source told us: "The odds on
saking are too short at the moment given the two Davids' track record with
managers. "They believe in keeping contracts. They believe that to be the
right thing to do. " They have never been hire and fire people but of course
there is always a line which can't be crossed. "A lot has been said of late
and results so far haven't helped anything. Sam has had a lot of backing but
apparent public differences aren't helping things."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
David Gold hints on Twitter at eagerness to axe Sam Allardyce as West Ham
manager
WEST HAM co-chairman David Gold has used his Twitter account to hint that
Sam Allardyce could soon be sacked.
By: Alex Harris
Published: Mon, July 28, 2014
Express
West Ham, David Gold, David Sullivan, Sam Allardyce, WUFC, Transfer News,
Sam Allardyce Sacked, Upton ParkWest Ham manager Sam Allardyce already
appears to be under pressure[AFP] Gold favourited a tweet from Twitter user
@harris2011_s which reads: "Is today the day we get rid of BFS ?? @davidgold
fingers crossed". BFS is a widely-used internet nickname among West Ham
fans for former Bolton manager Allardyce. West Ham, David Gold, David
Sullivan, Sam Allardyce, WUFC, Transfer News, Sam Allardyce Sacked, Upton
ParkWest Ham co-chairman David Gold's Twitter profile [TWITTER] Gold, 77, is
a prolific tweeter having sent 11,500 messages on the site but has only
favourited 71 tweets since joining in May 2011. Reports emerged over the
weekend that Allardyce and the board are at loggerheads over midfielder
Ravel Morrison. Allardyce shipped out fan-favourite Morrison on loan to QPR
last season and is open to offers for the 21-year-old as he does not feature
in his plans for the new season. West Ham, David Gold, David Sullivan, Sam
Allardyce, WUFC, Transfer News, Sam Allardyce Sacked, Upton ParkRavel
Morrison was sent to QPR last season [GETTY] But co-chairman David Sullivan
made the point of going on to talkSPORT to give an opposing view. "Sam has
said Ravel is not part of his plans but we do - as a board - see him as part
of our plans," he said.
"I think he [Allardyce] said in a press conference, if I read it correctly,
he's not part of his plans for this season. I think he said that in New
Zealand but we don't agree with that. We would like to sit down and give him
a longer contract."
To compound Allardyce's woes big striker Andy Carroll is out for four months
to recover from ankle surgery.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham: Allardyce is fighting an unwinnable battle
Sam Allardyce is low on allies in West Ham's boardroom and crowd
Betfair.com
Despite being a pro-Big Sam West Ham fan, Michael Lintorn can't see the
manager lasting much longer...
West Ham don't handle breakups well, with their list of sticky separations
running almost as long as Taylor Swift's.
Alan Curbishley was forced to quit after two starters were sold behind his
back, successfully suing for constructive dismissal. Gianfranco Zola was
publicly criticised by the owners for months, then axed despite securing
survival, while Avram Grant was required to maintain his dignity during a
bungled attempt to hire Martin O'Neill in his place on a Premier League
matchday.
They seem determined to ensure that the divorce with Sam Allardyce is their
messiest yet, with this summer set to serve as a prototype for generations
of difficult-to-please chairmen to come on how to undermine your manager.
The Premier League veteran is the 2.54 favourite to be the next tactician to
go. However, there is as much chance of it occurring via a resignation - and
perhaps another constructive dismissal case - than by a firing, as his
superiors appear eager to get rid, but unwilling to pay an estimated £4
million in compensation to make it happen.
Most expected Allardyce to be sacked at the end of last term, with a growing
number of supporters vocalising their discontent even though he ultimately
evaded the danger of second-season syndrome by a seven-point margin.
The former Bolton boss held on, allegedly because David Gold and Karren
Brady didn't share David Sullivan's desire to dismiss, but - in the first
phase of power-stifling - was told that the style of play must change and a
top-ten finish was a necessity, while he surrendered final say on transfers.
Since then, several players who don't look an ideal fit for the Allardyce
mould have been acquired, like Mauro Zarate, while Sullivan has publicised
an internal conflict over Ravel Morrison's future, revealing that the board
want him to stay, yet fear that the coach won't pick him.
Pre-season has been a disaster, with draws at Stevenage and Ipswich being
followed by defeats to Wellington and Sydney on their New Zealand tour.
Friendly results clearly shouldn't carry much weight, but the combination of
the final two games being televised, the perception Allardyce isn't
involving the newcomers enough and his claim that the insistence on more
attacking play is to blame for the losses have dealt them undue
significance.
Adding to the carnage is the way the anti-Allardyce fanbase online,
encouraged by Sullivan's unsubtle hints at discord with the manager, have
cranked up the antagonism level, even launching a campaign to fund his
payoff.
It all points at an inevitable conclusion, with the 2.54 on West Ham being
the first club to renovate their dugout in 2014/15 increasing in appeal by
the hour.
Recommended Bet: Back Sam Allardyce to be the next manager to go @ 2.54
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Former Manchester United boss David Moyes 'favourite' to replace Sam
Allardyce at West Ham
Monday 28 Jul 2014 4:51 pm
Metro.co.uk
Former Manchester United manager David Moyes has been tipped to replace Sam
Allardyce at West Ham next season. The Scottish coach is the 2/1 favourite
to become the Hammers' new boss in the coming months according to Paddy
Power – as questions remain over Allardyce's future at the East London club.
The Daily Star have reported that the West Ham board are 'at odds' with the
current manager after co-owner, David Sullivan, labelled the 59-year-old's
£15m signing of Andy Carroll in 2013 as a 'mistake'. The club's owners are
also reported to be unhappy that Allardyce does not see Ravel Morrison has a
long-term player in the squad. 'Sam has said Ravel is not part of his plans
but we do – as a board – see him as part of our plans,' Sullivan recently
said. 'I think he said in a press conference, if I read it correctly, he's
not part of his plans for this season. 'I think he said that in New Zealand
but we don't agree with that. We would like to sit down and give him a
longer contract.' West Ham co-owner, David Gold, also added fuel to the fire
when he favourited a tweet by a Hammers fan who had asked if Monday would be
the day that Allardyce left the club – although it is unclear whether it was
done by accident or not. Allardyce's rumoured replacement, Moyes, endured a
torrid time at Old Trafford after being named as Sir Alex Ferguson's
successor at United in 2013 and was sacked following just 10 months in
charge of the club.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jenkinson close to loan move
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 29th July 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are on the verge of signing Arsenal full-back Carl Jenkinson on
loan. The Mail, amongst others, reports this morning that Sam Allardyce has
beaten off interest from several other clubs to land the 22-year-old
right-sided defender on loan for the season. Arsenal are willing to allow
Jenkinson to move for the season having completed the signing of Southampton
youngster Calum Chambers and Newcastle's Mathieu Debuchy in recent days. It
was thought yesterday that Hull had beaten West Ham to the former England
under 21 international's signature, with reports of a deal in the region of
£4million having been agreed.
But Allardyce - who, despite previous spats with the Frenchman, enjoys a
good relationship with Arsene Wenger - appears to have hijacked that
particular deal to land his man at the eleventh hour.
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Monday, July 28
Daily WHUFC News - 28th July 2014
Howes happy to make Hammers bow
WHUFc.com
Sam Howes was delighted to make his first-team debut during West Ham
United's tour of New Zealand
27.07.2014
Few players make their first-team debuts for top-flight clubs at the age of
16 - even fewer when it comes to goalkeepers. For those reasons, Sam Howes'
achievement in featuring in West Ham United's 3-1 Football United Tour
defeat by Sydney FC was all the greater. The teenager was handed his bow for
the final 15 minutes, showing admirable composure to control a misplaced
backpass and dribble past Sydney striker Corey Gameiro just seconds after
coming on as a late substitute for Adrian. Howes kept his goal intact during
his brief appearance, leaving the England U17 international feeling great
pride after the final whistle. "I'm not 17 until November, so to make my
debut for the first team on this tour was not just an achievement for me,
but for everyone around me - the coaching staff and everyone who has helped
me at West Ham," said the stopper. "It's a really big thing for me and I'm
really buzzing at the moment. As soon as I got on the pitch, my head was
spinning a bit and I was thinking 'Is this actually happening!' as I
couldn't believe it at first. "I took a free-kick and got a backpass off
Reidy and obviously it wasn't the best of backpasses, but at the same time I
dealt with it and I kept a clean sheet, albeit I was only on the pitch for
ten minutes or so. "I am really pleased with what I did out there, to be
fair."
For Howes, making a first-team appearance was the icing on the cake of an
amazing, if unexpected, nine-day stay in New Zealand. "I only found out on
the Tuesday before we left after a pre-season game for the reserves and to
get the call out here was unbelievable, really. "It's a dream come true for
me to play for the first team, training with the lads and also to meet all
the fans as well out here in New Zealand. "It's two weeks away from home and
words can't describe how I'm feeling at the moment. It's been blinding."
Howes' debut was just one of a series of highlights during an unforgettable
week that also saw him walk around the rim of the 200 metre-high Sky Tower
in Auckland. "I think the whole week has been my highlight. Everything I
have done has been unbelievable so I can't pick out one thing.It's been a
phenomenal experience for myself. "As a 16-year-old first-year scholar, I'm
going to relish every experience I can get and move on with my career."
Having made his debut in pre-season, Howes' ambition for the coming campaign
is to cement his place in the Development Squad - no small feat for a
first-year scholar. "A good season would be to play as many Under-21s games
as possible and to keep training with the first team. Hopefully I'll get
into the squad for some of the Capital One Cup or FA Cup games - I just have
to wait and see really. "I'll just take it as it comes and move onwards and
upwards, as you do."
Goalkeeper coach Martyn Margetson has been impressed by the maturity and
confidence shown by Howes during his first trip away with the first-team
squad.
"I'm pleased for him and I'm pleased that the manager had the confidence to
put him on for ten minutes," said Margetson. "Sam has had a good week's
training and has not looked out of place at all. He is an outstanding young
prospect. "He's got a long road ahead of him but he has got the potential."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
SHOULD WEST HAM SIGN SAMUEL ETO OR ARE THERE BETTER OPTIONS?
By S J Chandos 27 Jul 2014 at 15:30
West Ham Till I Die
The football pages of today's Sunday Mirror are reporting that West Ham may
be about to to compete with QPR for the signature of striker Samuel Eto on a
Bosman deal. Eto's name has has been touted as a possible replacement for
Andy Carroll, who is due to be absent for four months with an injured ankle.
Experienced Cameroon international, Eto, was released by Chelsea at the end
of last season. It is also reported that other possible options could
include Arsenal's Joel Campbell and Portugal striker Hugo Almeida. David
Sullivan has stated that we need to sign one or two strikers on permanent
and/or loan deals, with particular reference to adding some extra height to
the attack, which has been lost with Carroll's injury absence. So, which of
the three reported options are the best for the club? Or are there better
targets that should be pursued instead?
SJ. Chandos.
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West Ham in New Zealand? Pointless pre-season tours often do clubs more harm
than good
Jul 27, 2014 12:00
OPINION BY TOMHOPKINSON
You can understand Manchester United and Arsenal's thinking, but what do
West Ham hope to achieve in New Zealand this summer?
The Mirror
There is a very good reason why Manchester United are in the United States
this weekend, writes Tom Hopkinson in the Sunday People. Liverpool, Arsenal,
Manchester City and Tottenham, too. They are global brands representing
another global brand and the figures being generated will be mind-boggling.
These trips don't always sit well with managers and, over the years, no one
has bemoaned them more frequently than Arsene Wenger. The fact his players
were being dragged halfway around the world just to appease the commercial
department has long been a source of irritation, with the Frenchman
convinced they would have been far better served hiding away on an Austrian
Alp and focusing on the real business ahead. He still holds that opinion,
but, as with the rest of us, there is only so much tinkling into the wind he
is willing to do. No doubt the arrival of Mesut Ozil last summer and Alexis
Sanchez this time out will have offset some of his frustrations as well.
United boss Louis van Gaal picked up Wenger's baton last week despite being
only a few days into his new job. Things will change next summer, he
promised, although I will wager that in 12 months' time his players will
again find themselves a long way from home. Spend some time with the Premier
League's leading clubs on these trips and it is easy to see why they embark
upon them. The furore Chelsea have caused in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia
and Hong Kong in recent years has been a sight to behold, while in 2009 I
saw South African football fans going vuvuzela crazy as their sides took on
Manchester City. This summer, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has opted for a
pre-season of short-hop trips to Europe and it will be interesting to see if
they start the campaign any fresher than their globetrotting rivals. Next
summer, however, the Blues will be back in Asia and, whatever King Louis
might say, United will most likely be with them. The point is that, for the
top flight's biggest clubs, these trips are a necessary evil, promoting
themselves and the league. But what I cannot get my head around is what on
earth West Ham and Newcastle are doing in New Zealand. Sure, they are part
of the promotional bandwagon, as foreign broadcasters clamour to fill
Premier League coffers with astronomical sums. But wouldn't West Ham, in
particular, have been far better served staying closer to home, marching
around East London and Essex ahead of next season when they have the Olympic
Stadium to fill?
They could have been selling themselves to a new generation of fans.
Instead, they played Stevenage and Ipswich away before setting off on a
23,500-mile round-trip to the North Island for games against Australian
A-League sides Wellington Phoenix and Sydney, and will stop off in Germany
for three games on their way home. No doubt defender Winston Reid has
enjoyed the chance to grab a few extra days in his homeland, but the whole
exercise seems a waste of time and energy from a purely footballing point of
view. Not that boss Sam Allardyce seemed to mind. In fact he was delighted
his players' horizons were being broadened at their official greeting
party. "Our welcome was fantastic," he purred. "It's a tradition for New
Zealand and we've all seen the Haka before, but we'd not seen the whole
thing and had it explained to us as it was."
Which is all well and good, but will his star men be better prepared for the
hackers they will meet at one or two of the game's outposts this season? We
can only hope Andy Carroll wasn't showing off his Maori war dance shapes to
Kevin Nolan when he suffered his latest ankle injury. The Hammers'
season-ticket hotline will hardly have been ringing off the hook after
the 2-1 defeat by Wellington in Auckland on Wednesday. And it won't look
great from a marketing point of view when images of a half-empty Olympic
Stadium are being broadcast all over the world in 18 months' time. Of the 20
Premier League clubs, only three have played friendlies in this country over
the last couple of days, with new boys Burnley away at Accrington Stanley
and Hull at Barnsley yesterday.
On Friday, Southampton ventured the 30-odd miles along the south coast to
take on Bournemouth – and will have got as much out of it as West Ham and
Newcastle, without the jetlag. So leave the travelling to the big four or
five, lads, because they are the ones who are really selling the Premier
League in foreign lands anyway. And content yourselves with the knowledge
that you will be richer for it in every way.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham join QPR in hunt for Samuel Eto'o as Hammers seek replacement for
injured Andy Carroll
Jul 26, 2014 22:30 By Steve Stammers, Dave Kidd
With Carroll facing four months on the sidelines, Big Sam needs striking
reinforcements and has targeted the former Chelsea man
The Mirror
West Ham are set to compete with QPR for striker Samuel Eto'o. The east
London club are searching for a replacement frontman, having lost
record-signing Andy Carroll (ankle) yet again to injury. Eto'o is on their
radar along with Arsenal's Joel Campbell and Portugal striker Hugo Almeida.
Cameroon international Eto'o was released by Chelsea at the end of last
season. West Ham also have a defender in their sights – Arsenal's under-21
star Carl Jenkinson. Boss Sam Allardyce would like a load deal with the
player valued at around £8m.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam 7-4 for sack before season starts
Racingpost.com
BY IAN WILKERSON 6:25PM 27 JUL 2014
LADBROKES have moved quickly to go 7-4 that Sam Allardyce leaves West Ham
before the start of the season after reports he could be dismissed from the
Upton Park hotseat before the Premier League kicks off on August 16.
Allardyce is reportedly at odds with the club owners over the future of
midfielder Ravel Morrison, who spent the second half of last season on loan
to then-Championship side QPR. His cause has not been helped by the news
that striker Andy Carroll, who Allardyce signed from Liverpool for £15m,
will miss the first four months of the season with an ankle injury that has
required surgery. Former Hammers defender and ex-Cardiff manager Malky
Mackay is 7-2 to be the next occupant of the hotseat with David Moyes rated
a 4-1 chance to replace Allardyce after his ill-fated spell at Manchester
United. Loic Remy's £8.5m move to Liverpool from QPR has been called off
after reports the France striker failed a medical.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Veto on Eto'o Irons wage demand
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 27, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Samuel Eto'o's wage demands are likely to rule out a move to West Ham
United. ClaretandHugh has been assured that an inquiry has been made about
the striker but that wages of £80k a week have been quoted as a starting
point. The story that the Irons were considering a move for the player broke
in the national newspapers this morning and despite an Eto'o "pal" being
quoted as the source, the story has turned out to be correct. However, a
highly placed Upton Park insider told ClaretandHugh exclusively: "There's
been an approach but his wages are likely to inhibit a move. "He wants £80k
a week and is 33 years old MINIMUM! His record at Chelsea last season wasn't
that great. "He only scored nine goals last season for a top side and all
his goals were at home in games he started in. We've inquired but it's not
one to get THAT excited over."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce's style of play excuse doesn't wash
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 27, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sam Allardyce was always gonna do it – blame the demands for a new style of
play for the squad's disaster in New Zealand! But before going there, let's
recall the reasons – or should it be excuses – he used for the defeat by
Wellington Phoenix because they were legion. He claimed the players were
fatigued, lacked technique, that the Phoenix were well up for the game and
it was all a bit physical. And that was just for starters! None of it made
much sense to me but we'll let that go. The point is at no time did the
"development of our new style" come into the conversation or weren't we
doing that three days ago? P'raps he just forgot eh? Everybody who knows
anything about Sam Allardyce press conferences following a defeat, knows
there's usually an excuse is available that doesn't include any fault of his
own. Generally it's a ref, official, mistake or player who is at fault yet
when we enjoy a brilliant win it's been masterminded by his altar ego
"Allerdici."
So indirectly the defeat against Sydney FC appears to be the fault of the
owners wanting him to play in a different, more entertaining way. Now let's
be honest – is that much to ask???
Perhaps the two Davids made the mistake of believing they had a manager who
could adapt his game and that he wasn't the one dimensional, get it forward
quickly operator, most believe him to be. On several occasions the bloke
himself has denied this to be the case claiming that it's merely a
reputation he has been given and it isn't anywhere near the truth. If that's
the case why did he play one-up in both games in New Zealand and attack down
the wings. Had Andy Carroll been available would he not have been aiming
crosses at his head. Of course he would. To claim that we are still
developing "our new style" simply demonstrates that much of the stuff he's
claimed in the past about being "Allerdici" is a long way from reality.
Against Sydney FC there was no passion, no skill, no determination, no
creativity and a resounding lack of technique. AGAIN! None of that is down
to a demand for bright entertaining football much as Allardyce would perhaps
like it to be. That demand should not be used as a stick with which to beat
the owners. He's a manager earning a huge amount of money to apply his
abilities to requirements. If he can't manage that then best to be honest
about it and say so, thus allowing people to make a decision on who or what
next!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce facing West Ham United sack before the Premier League season -
reports
Under-pressure Allardyce is on a collision course with the Hammers board
SAMUEL STEVENS Sunday 27 July 2014
The Independent
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce's position at Upton Park is reportedly
under increasing jeopardy and the former Bolton Wanderers boss could even be
dismissed before the start of the upcoming Premier League campaign. The
Hammers' hierarchy have publicly criticised their manager for his transfer
policy in recent weeks, labelling the £15m signing of Andy Carroll a
'mistake' while openly disagreeing with him on Ravel Morrison's future at
the club. The Daily Mail report that Allardyce is on borrowed time at Upton
Park, with an agreement already in place which would give the 59-year-old
just ten games to prove himself, but the recent quarrels appear to have
accelerated matters. The United squad are in New Zealand this summer and
slipped to their second defeat of the pre-season tour, a 3-1 reverse to
Australian side Sydney FC, last night. Allardyce's men were also beaten 2-1
by Wellington Phoenix on Wednesday.
David Sullivan, the co-owner, raised eyebrows last week by using an
interview with talkSPORT to openly criticise his manager's decision to sell
Morrison - stating that the board had other ideas. "Sam has said Ravel is
not part of his plans but we do - as a board - see him as part of our
plans," he said. "I think he said in a press conference, if I read it
correctly, he's not part of his plans for this season. I think he said that
in New Zealand but we don't agree with that. We would like to sit down and
give him a longer contract. "We do like him. We do see him as part of the
long-term future of the club but we have to agree it with the manager
because there's no point signing a player he's not going to play."
The Hammers boss has endured a tough time of late, with a section of
supporters calling for his dismissal since last winter, but comfortably
secured the club's Premier League status. The signing of Enner Valencia, one
of the star performers of the World Cup in Brazil, had started a process
which Allardyce hopes will eventually appease his critics. Another
contentious issue is the club's reliance on Carroll's services up front
after the former England international was dealt with yet another injury
blow during the week. The former Newcastle United striker still has five
years to run on his contract in East London after joining the Hammers for a
considerable sum last summer following a successful loan spell. His latest
injury, an ankle problem, means that he won't be adding to his fifteen West
Ham starts until Christmas. While the reports could prove to be hearsay,
they won't help Allardyce's cause.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Samuel Eto'o offered to West Ham as Sam Allardyce eyes Arsenal's Joel
Campbell and Hugo Almeida as cover for Andy Carroll
Eto'o wants £100,000-a-week as Allardyce desperately seeks a replacement for
Andy Carroll
Daily Mail
By SIMON JONES
PUBLISHED: 23:04, 27 July 2014 | UPDATED: 01:05, 28 July 2014
Former Chelsea striker Samuel Eto'o has been offered to West Ham but the
33-year-old is understood to want £100,000 a week. Boss Sam Allardyce, who
needs a replacement for the injured Andy Carroll, has an interest in
Arsenal's Joel Campbell but so do AC Milan. West Ham have opened talks with
Hugo Almeida over a proposed move to Upton Park. The 30-year-old is a free
agent but wants around £2.5million a year in wages. The Portugal
international has been on West Ham's list in the past two transfer windows
but manager Sam Allardyce had concerns about the player's fitness. Almeida,
who was earning £3m a year in Turkey, has offers from the Bundesliga and
Portugal also. Meanwhile, the Hammers remain favourites to sign Arsenal
full-back Carl Jenkinson on loan ahead of interest from Hull.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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WHUFc.com
Sam Howes was delighted to make his first-team debut during West Ham
United's tour of New Zealand
27.07.2014
Few players make their first-team debuts for top-flight clubs at the age of
16 - even fewer when it comes to goalkeepers. For those reasons, Sam Howes'
achievement in featuring in West Ham United's 3-1 Football United Tour
defeat by Sydney FC was all the greater. The teenager was handed his bow for
the final 15 minutes, showing admirable composure to control a misplaced
backpass and dribble past Sydney striker Corey Gameiro just seconds after
coming on as a late substitute for Adrian. Howes kept his goal intact during
his brief appearance, leaving the England U17 international feeling great
pride after the final whistle. "I'm not 17 until November, so to make my
debut for the first team on this tour was not just an achievement for me,
but for everyone around me - the coaching staff and everyone who has helped
me at West Ham," said the stopper. "It's a really big thing for me and I'm
really buzzing at the moment. As soon as I got on the pitch, my head was
spinning a bit and I was thinking 'Is this actually happening!' as I
couldn't believe it at first. "I took a free-kick and got a backpass off
Reidy and obviously it wasn't the best of backpasses, but at the same time I
dealt with it and I kept a clean sheet, albeit I was only on the pitch for
ten minutes or so. "I am really pleased with what I did out there, to be
fair."
For Howes, making a first-team appearance was the icing on the cake of an
amazing, if unexpected, nine-day stay in New Zealand. "I only found out on
the Tuesday before we left after a pre-season game for the reserves and to
get the call out here was unbelievable, really. "It's a dream come true for
me to play for the first team, training with the lads and also to meet all
the fans as well out here in New Zealand. "It's two weeks away from home and
words can't describe how I'm feeling at the moment. It's been blinding."
Howes' debut was just one of a series of highlights during an unforgettable
week that also saw him walk around the rim of the 200 metre-high Sky Tower
in Auckland. "I think the whole week has been my highlight. Everything I
have done has been unbelievable so I can't pick out one thing.It's been a
phenomenal experience for myself. "As a 16-year-old first-year scholar, I'm
going to relish every experience I can get and move on with my career."
Having made his debut in pre-season, Howes' ambition for the coming campaign
is to cement his place in the Development Squad - no small feat for a
first-year scholar. "A good season would be to play as many Under-21s games
as possible and to keep training with the first team. Hopefully I'll get
into the squad for some of the Capital One Cup or FA Cup games - I just have
to wait and see really. "I'll just take it as it comes and move onwards and
upwards, as you do."
Goalkeeper coach Martyn Margetson has been impressed by the maturity and
confidence shown by Howes during his first trip away with the first-team
squad.
"I'm pleased for him and I'm pleased that the manager had the confidence to
put him on for ten minutes," said Margetson. "Sam has had a good week's
training and has not looked out of place at all. He is an outstanding young
prospect. "He's got a long road ahead of him but he has got the potential."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
SHOULD WEST HAM SIGN SAMUEL ETO OR ARE THERE BETTER OPTIONS?
By S J Chandos 27 Jul 2014 at 15:30
West Ham Till I Die
The football pages of today's Sunday Mirror are reporting that West Ham may
be about to to compete with QPR for the signature of striker Samuel Eto on a
Bosman deal. Eto's name has has been touted as a possible replacement for
Andy Carroll, who is due to be absent for four months with an injured ankle.
Experienced Cameroon international, Eto, was released by Chelsea at the end
of last season. It is also reported that other possible options could
include Arsenal's Joel Campbell and Portugal striker Hugo Almeida. David
Sullivan has stated that we need to sign one or two strikers on permanent
and/or loan deals, with particular reference to adding some extra height to
the attack, which has been lost with Carroll's injury absence. So, which of
the three reported options are the best for the club? Or are there better
targets that should be pursued instead?
SJ. Chandos.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham in New Zealand? Pointless pre-season tours often do clubs more harm
than good
Jul 27, 2014 12:00
OPINION BY TOMHOPKINSON
You can understand Manchester United and Arsenal's thinking, but what do
West Ham hope to achieve in New Zealand this summer?
The Mirror
There is a very good reason why Manchester United are in the United States
this weekend, writes Tom Hopkinson in the Sunday People. Liverpool, Arsenal,
Manchester City and Tottenham, too. They are global brands representing
another global brand and the figures being generated will be mind-boggling.
These trips don't always sit well with managers and, over the years, no one
has bemoaned them more frequently than Arsene Wenger. The fact his players
were being dragged halfway around the world just to appease the commercial
department has long been a source of irritation, with the Frenchman
convinced they would have been far better served hiding away on an Austrian
Alp and focusing on the real business ahead. He still holds that opinion,
but, as with the rest of us, there is only so much tinkling into the wind he
is willing to do. No doubt the arrival of Mesut Ozil last summer and Alexis
Sanchez this time out will have offset some of his frustrations as well.
United boss Louis van Gaal picked up Wenger's baton last week despite being
only a few days into his new job. Things will change next summer, he
promised, although I will wager that in 12 months' time his players will
again find themselves a long way from home. Spend some time with the Premier
League's leading clubs on these trips and it is easy to see why they embark
upon them. The furore Chelsea have caused in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia
and Hong Kong in recent years has been a sight to behold, while in 2009 I
saw South African football fans going vuvuzela crazy as their sides took on
Manchester City. This summer, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has opted for a
pre-season of short-hop trips to Europe and it will be interesting to see if
they start the campaign any fresher than their globetrotting rivals. Next
summer, however, the Blues will be back in Asia and, whatever King Louis
might say, United will most likely be with them. The point is that, for the
top flight's biggest clubs, these trips are a necessary evil, promoting
themselves and the league. But what I cannot get my head around is what on
earth West Ham and Newcastle are doing in New Zealand. Sure, they are part
of the promotional bandwagon, as foreign broadcasters clamour to fill
Premier League coffers with astronomical sums. But wouldn't West Ham, in
particular, have been far better served staying closer to home, marching
around East London and Essex ahead of next season when they have the Olympic
Stadium to fill?
They could have been selling themselves to a new generation of fans.
Instead, they played Stevenage and Ipswich away before setting off on a
23,500-mile round-trip to the North Island for games against Australian
A-League sides Wellington Phoenix and Sydney, and will stop off in Germany
for three games on their way home. No doubt defender Winston Reid has
enjoyed the chance to grab a few extra days in his homeland, but the whole
exercise seems a waste of time and energy from a purely footballing point of
view. Not that boss Sam Allardyce seemed to mind. In fact he was delighted
his players' horizons were being broadened at their official greeting
party. "Our welcome was fantastic," he purred. "It's a tradition for New
Zealand and we've all seen the Haka before, but we'd not seen the whole
thing and had it explained to us as it was."
Which is all well and good, but will his star men be better prepared for the
hackers they will meet at one or two of the game's outposts this season? We
can only hope Andy Carroll wasn't showing off his Maori war dance shapes to
Kevin Nolan when he suffered his latest ankle injury. The Hammers'
season-ticket hotline will hardly have been ringing off the hook after
the 2-1 defeat by Wellington in Auckland on Wednesday. And it won't look
great from a marketing point of view when images of a half-empty Olympic
Stadium are being broadcast all over the world in 18 months' time. Of the 20
Premier League clubs, only three have played friendlies in this country over
the last couple of days, with new boys Burnley away at Accrington Stanley
and Hull at Barnsley yesterday.
On Friday, Southampton ventured the 30-odd miles along the south coast to
take on Bournemouth – and will have got as much out of it as West Ham and
Newcastle, without the jetlag. So leave the travelling to the big four or
five, lads, because they are the ones who are really selling the Premier
League in foreign lands anyway. And content yourselves with the knowledge
that you will be richer for it in every way.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham join QPR in hunt for Samuel Eto'o as Hammers seek replacement for
injured Andy Carroll
Jul 26, 2014 22:30 By Steve Stammers, Dave Kidd
With Carroll facing four months on the sidelines, Big Sam needs striking
reinforcements and has targeted the former Chelsea man
The Mirror
West Ham are set to compete with QPR for striker Samuel Eto'o. The east
London club are searching for a replacement frontman, having lost
record-signing Andy Carroll (ankle) yet again to injury. Eto'o is on their
radar along with Arsenal's Joel Campbell and Portugal striker Hugo Almeida.
Cameroon international Eto'o was released by Chelsea at the end of last
season. West Ham also have a defender in their sights – Arsenal's under-21
star Carl Jenkinson. Boss Sam Allardyce would like a load deal with the
player valued at around £8m.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam 7-4 for sack before season starts
Racingpost.com
BY IAN WILKERSON 6:25PM 27 JUL 2014
LADBROKES have moved quickly to go 7-4 that Sam Allardyce leaves West Ham
before the start of the season after reports he could be dismissed from the
Upton Park hotseat before the Premier League kicks off on August 16.
Allardyce is reportedly at odds with the club owners over the future of
midfielder Ravel Morrison, who spent the second half of last season on loan
to then-Championship side QPR. His cause has not been helped by the news
that striker Andy Carroll, who Allardyce signed from Liverpool for £15m,
will miss the first four months of the season with an ankle injury that has
required surgery. Former Hammers defender and ex-Cardiff manager Malky
Mackay is 7-2 to be the next occupant of the hotseat with David Moyes rated
a 4-1 chance to replace Allardyce after his ill-fated spell at Manchester
United. Loic Remy's £8.5m move to Liverpool from QPR has been called off
after reports the France striker failed a medical.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Veto on Eto'o Irons wage demand
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 27, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Samuel Eto'o's wage demands are likely to rule out a move to West Ham
United. ClaretandHugh has been assured that an inquiry has been made about
the striker but that wages of £80k a week have been quoted as a starting
point. The story that the Irons were considering a move for the player broke
in the national newspapers this morning and despite an Eto'o "pal" being
quoted as the source, the story has turned out to be correct. However, a
highly placed Upton Park insider told ClaretandHugh exclusively: "There's
been an approach but his wages are likely to inhibit a move. "He wants £80k
a week and is 33 years old MINIMUM! His record at Chelsea last season wasn't
that great. "He only scored nine goals last season for a top side and all
his goals were at home in games he started in. We've inquired but it's not
one to get THAT excited over."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce's style of play excuse doesn't wash
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on July 27, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sam Allardyce was always gonna do it – blame the demands for a new style of
play for the squad's disaster in New Zealand! But before going there, let's
recall the reasons – or should it be excuses – he used for the defeat by
Wellington Phoenix because they were legion. He claimed the players were
fatigued, lacked technique, that the Phoenix were well up for the game and
it was all a bit physical. And that was just for starters! None of it made
much sense to me but we'll let that go. The point is at no time did the
"development of our new style" come into the conversation or weren't we
doing that three days ago? P'raps he just forgot eh? Everybody who knows
anything about Sam Allardyce press conferences following a defeat, knows
there's usually an excuse is available that doesn't include any fault of his
own. Generally it's a ref, official, mistake or player who is at fault yet
when we enjoy a brilliant win it's been masterminded by his altar ego
"Allerdici."
So indirectly the defeat against Sydney FC appears to be the fault of the
owners wanting him to play in a different, more entertaining way. Now let's
be honest – is that much to ask???
Perhaps the two Davids made the mistake of believing they had a manager who
could adapt his game and that he wasn't the one dimensional, get it forward
quickly operator, most believe him to be. On several occasions the bloke
himself has denied this to be the case claiming that it's merely a
reputation he has been given and it isn't anywhere near the truth. If that's
the case why did he play one-up in both games in New Zealand and attack down
the wings. Had Andy Carroll been available would he not have been aiming
crosses at his head. Of course he would. To claim that we are still
developing "our new style" simply demonstrates that much of the stuff he's
claimed in the past about being "Allerdici" is a long way from reality.
Against Sydney FC there was no passion, no skill, no determination, no
creativity and a resounding lack of technique. AGAIN! None of that is down
to a demand for bright entertaining football much as Allardyce would perhaps
like it to be. That demand should not be used as a stick with which to beat
the owners. He's a manager earning a huge amount of money to apply his
abilities to requirements. If he can't manage that then best to be honest
about it and say so, thus allowing people to make a decision on who or what
next!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce facing West Ham United sack before the Premier League season -
reports
Under-pressure Allardyce is on a collision course with the Hammers board
SAMUEL STEVENS Sunday 27 July 2014
The Independent
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce's position at Upton Park is reportedly
under increasing jeopardy and the former Bolton Wanderers boss could even be
dismissed before the start of the upcoming Premier League campaign. The
Hammers' hierarchy have publicly criticised their manager for his transfer
policy in recent weeks, labelling the £15m signing of Andy Carroll a
'mistake' while openly disagreeing with him on Ravel Morrison's future at
the club. The Daily Mail report that Allardyce is on borrowed time at Upton
Park, with an agreement already in place which would give the 59-year-old
just ten games to prove himself, but the recent quarrels appear to have
accelerated matters. The United squad are in New Zealand this summer and
slipped to their second defeat of the pre-season tour, a 3-1 reverse to
Australian side Sydney FC, last night. Allardyce's men were also beaten 2-1
by Wellington Phoenix on Wednesday.
David Sullivan, the co-owner, raised eyebrows last week by using an
interview with talkSPORT to openly criticise his manager's decision to sell
Morrison - stating that the board had other ideas. "Sam has said Ravel is
not part of his plans but we do - as a board - see him as part of our
plans," he said. "I think he said in a press conference, if I read it
correctly, he's not part of his plans for this season. I think he said that
in New Zealand but we don't agree with that. We would like to sit down and
give him a longer contract. "We do like him. We do see him as part of the
long-term future of the club but we have to agree it with the manager
because there's no point signing a player he's not going to play."
The Hammers boss has endured a tough time of late, with a section of
supporters calling for his dismissal since last winter, but comfortably
secured the club's Premier League status. The signing of Enner Valencia, one
of the star performers of the World Cup in Brazil, had started a process
which Allardyce hopes will eventually appease his critics. Another
contentious issue is the club's reliance on Carroll's services up front
after the former England international was dealt with yet another injury
blow during the week. The former Newcastle United striker still has five
years to run on his contract in East London after joining the Hammers for a
considerable sum last summer following a successful loan spell. His latest
injury, an ankle problem, means that he won't be adding to his fifteen West
Ham starts until Christmas. While the reports could prove to be hearsay,
they won't help Allardyce's cause.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Samuel Eto'o offered to West Ham as Sam Allardyce eyes Arsenal's Joel
Campbell and Hugo Almeida as cover for Andy Carroll
Eto'o wants £100,000-a-week as Allardyce desperately seeks a replacement for
Andy Carroll
Daily Mail
By SIMON JONES
PUBLISHED: 23:04, 27 July 2014 | UPDATED: 01:05, 28 July 2014
Former Chelsea striker Samuel Eto'o has been offered to West Ham but the
33-year-old is understood to want £100,000 a week. Boss Sam Allardyce, who
needs a replacement for the injured Andy Carroll, has an interest in
Arsenal's Joel Campbell but so do AC Milan. West Ham have opened talks with
Hugo Almeida over a proposed move to Upton Park. The 30-year-old is a free
agent but wants around £2.5million a year in wages. The Portugal
international has been on West Ham's list in the past two transfer windows
but manager Sam Allardyce had concerns about the player's fitness. Almeida,
who was earning £3m a year in Turkey, has offers from the Bundesliga and
Portugal also. Meanwhile, the Hammers remain favourites to sign Arsenal
full-back Carl Jenkinson on loan ahead of interest from Hull.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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Sunday, July 27
Daily WHUFC News - 27th July 2014
Senior pair laud NZ tour
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan said West Ham United's trip to New Zealand was an
unforgettable one
26.07.2014
Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan have thanked the people of New Zealand for making
West Ham United's Football United Tour such a success. While the Hammers may
not have tasted victory on the pitch, the Club has taken a huge amount from
the amazing impact the tour has made off it. Thousands upon thousands of
supporters from across New Zealand, Australia and beyond descended on
Auckland and Wellington to meet and greet the Joint-Chairman, players and
staff with warm smiles and open arms. Noble and Nolan, along with everyone
involved in the eleven-day trip, will never forget the time they spent on
the other side of the world. "Everyone in New Zealand has been absolutely
fantastic with the way they have welcomed us and the way they have
accommodated us," said Nolan. "They were just so pleased to see us and it
has been so nice to have that feeling of being wanted. They've thanked us
for being here and we thank them all for their hospitality."
Noble, in fact, would love to have stayed longer to enjoy the many natural
delights that the Land of the Long White Cloud has to offer. "I've really
enjoyed it and it's a shame we didn't have more time to see a lot more of
New Zealand," said Noble. "We have had a lot of media commitments and events
to go to, such as a lunch with the British High Commissioner, so we haven't
had that much time to go out and see everything. "We went to see the Weta
Workshop and Park Road Post Production, where they make all the films, and
that was really good. "The people have greeted us and treated us
unbelievably, like stars, and we've been looked after well. We've met an
amazing amount of fans who have moved here years and years ago from the East
End and it's great to see that they have stuck with the Club. "It's been
really nice to visit what is a beautiful country, and it's just a shame
we've not had a chance to see and enjoy more of it. It's a lovely place and
I've enjoyed my time here."
West Ham's visit to New Zealand is the furthest the Club has ever travelled
for a pre-season tour - and is likely to remain so - and forms part of a
strategy to enlarge the worldwide fan base. The Hammers already possess fans
all over the planet and, with a move to the Olympic Stadium to prepare for
in 2016, the continued growth of the supporter base is vital to the future
success of the Club, on and off the pitch. "I think it's massive for the
Club and they've got it absolutely spot-on with what we've done," said
Nolan. "A massive pat on the back must go to all the staff who have worked
hard to make sure that this tour ran as smoothly as possible, with us going
here, there and everywhere. "It's been brilliant for the Club and the
positive feedback we've had from the fans suggests we have increased our fan
base over here. "It's amazing how many people have emigrated who are West
Ham fans and have brought that here. They've not gone looking for the Club -
they were born and bred into it and they've taken it on to their families.
"It's been a long trip, but a good trip."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Work in progress for Big Sam
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce wants to ensure his team get things right at both end of the
pitch
26.07.2014
Sam Allardyce has said his evolution of the West Ham United squad is a work
in progress as the first-team squad and staff prepare to fly home from an
action-packed tour of New Zealand. The Hammers signed off the Football
United tour with a 3-1 defeat to Sydney FC in Wellington on Saturday
afternoon and Big Sam admitted the change to a more ambitious attacking
style of play will take some time to perfect. The West Ham United manager
still has three more friendly games - two in Germany next weekend followed
by a friendly against Sampdoria the following Saturday - before Tottenham
Hotspur visit the Boleyn Ground on 16 August at the start of the Barclays
Premier League season. "We're just working on our new style as we've got to
get a bit more open and expansive as it seems to be what's demanded in the
game now," Allardyce said. "We're working on that side of it but have lost
the defensive resilience that saw us get 14 clean sheets last season. "The
football was not good enough to get results but we're experimenting on
playing more open and attacking play. "We never play our best in pre-season
and I don't want the players to play their best in pre-season because I want
them to play their best on 16 August against Tottenham.
"We got caught on the break twice in the first half because we're trying to
open out the play more and more and we left too many spaces. We picked up
another injury [Guy Demel's hamstring tweak], which means it's been a bad
trip from an injury point of view."
West Ham fell two behind to two counter-attacking goals but the third had
more than an element of luck to it when Sydney defender Terry Antonis
clearly punched the ball over Aaron Cresswell to tee up team-mate Corey
Gameiro, who rounded Adrian to score. It was a decision, or lack of it, that
left Big Sam more than a little bemused. "You all saw it apart from the
referee and his officials! It's pretty embarrassing from their point of
view. We'd have been a bit more upset if we'd been in a league match as it
would have been a horrific mistake. It was at a time when we were working
our way back into the game."
Despite two defeats, Allardyce is still confident that once he has his full
squad available again his side will be a 'bigger force'. The Hammers have
made five high-profile signings already and Joint-Chairman David Sullivan
has promised more before the close of the transfer window, in addition to
the imminent return to training of Ravel Morrison. "When everyone is back
and fit we'll be fine. We've still got Ravel Morrison to come back, we've
signed Enner Valencia, who is going for a work permit. Cheikhou Kouyate and
James Tomkins are both out and Guy Demel came off so if we get them back we
can become a bigger force again. "On Ravel, he is contracted to West Ham and
once his operation has healed up I hope he becomes a better player as he's
been playing with it for a while. If he can do what he did at the beginning
of last season that would be great. He had a good spell when he first broke
into the team but couldn't sustain it."
All in all, Big Sam summarised everyone's feelings by stating that the
Hammers' trip to New Zealand has been a huge success off the field. "I'm
just a bit sorry that we didn't do more for the West Ham fans that came from
across the globe to watch the games but overall we've been very well looked
after on this tour.
"From our point of view we thank everyone for having us here. We've been
well looked after and treated very well. From a football point of view the
injuries have been a big worry but we've enjoyed everyone's warm welcome."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham lose but Newcastle and Palace win
BBC.co.uk
West Ham lost their second tour game in a row with a 3-1 defeat by
Australian side Sydney FC in New Zealand. The Hammers, beaten 2-1 by
Wellington Phoenix on Wednesday, were 2-0 down after 26 minutes with strikes
from Corey Gameiro and Alex Brosque. Sam Allardyce's men, who also lost
defender Guy Demel early on with a tweaked hamstring, pulled one back after
the break through Matt Jarvis. However, Gameiro scored again after 63
minutes to seal the win. The defeat is the latest setback in a troubled
tour, after striker Andy Carroll was ruled out for four months with an
injury sustained in the defeat by Phoenix. Co-owner David Sullivan has also
dismissed manager Allardyce's claims that 21-year-old playmaker Ravel
Morrison is not part of his plans. The former Manchester United player ended
the season on loan at QPR and a permanent move away from Upton Park appeared
likely. "We don't agree with that," Sullivan told Talksport. "We would like
to sit down and give him a longer contract. "Sam has said Ravel is not part
of his plans but we do - as a board - see him as part of our plans."
Line-up: Adrian, Demel (Cresswell 13), O'Brien (Potts 72), Reid (c),
Collins, Noble (Whitehead 68), Diame (Poyet 68), Nolan, Downing (Fanimo 81),
Jarvis (Vaz Te 59), Cole (Zarate 45)
Subs not used: Jaaskelainen, Howes.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce: these things take time
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 26th July 2014
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce believes last night's 3-1 defeat against Sydney was a result
of the new expansive tactical approach he and his team have been asked to
implement. At the end of last season Allardyce held on to his job by the
skin of his teeth having been ordered to deliver more aesthetically-pleasing
football, following a drab 2013/14 campaign. The result of that has been two
draws against Stevenage and Ipswich plus defeats to Wellington Phoenix and
Sydney FC - something that the manager attributed to the change in style,
which he has had less than three weeks to work on. "The football was not
good enough to get results, but we're experimenting and working on more open
attacking play," he told the press following the surprise reversal. "It
hasn't worked well from a defensive point of view. "We have to be more open
and expansive. That's what is demanded now so we are working on that side of
it, we just lost the defensive resilience that we had last season. Today we
got caught on the break twice in the first half; we're trying to play and
open teams up so we left too many spaces."
Meanwhile Graham Arnold, the far-happier Sydney boss, revealed that despite
running out 3-1 winners his team were far from fully fit. "I think we are
only at 30 per cent physically where we should be and I thought we played
better against Newcastle except we got punished for our mistakes," he said.
"I've been saying to the boys that results don't matter at this stage of the
season. Of course it's great to win the game but there are no points or
trophy for it. It's about us getting better every time we step on the pitch
and playing to the game plan and progressing as a team."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham, Swansea, Sunderland and Hull eye Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo | Last Updated: 26/07/14
8:12pm
SSN
Sky Sports understands four Premier League clubs are battling it out to sign
Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson on loan. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is
thought to be open to the idea of loaning out Jenkinson next season so that
he can play regular first-team football. There is no shortage of suitors for
Jenkinson, with West Ham, Swansea, Sunderland and Hull all interested in
taking the former Charlton man on loan. The quartet are ready to offer
Jenkinson, who made 22 appearances last season, regular first-team football
next term as they look to bolster their defensive options. Hull boss Steve
Bruce confirmed to Sky Sports News that he has enquired about Jenkinson's
availability. "I had a conversation with Arsenal about four or five weeks
ago to see if it was possible. And apparantly so, it might be," he said.
"We'll look at that situation but we haven't had confirmation from Arsenal.
I would hate to speak out of turn but we are led to believe the kid might be
available - and if he is, then of course we would be interested." Jenkinson
is expected to find his first-team opportunities limited at Arsenal
following the signing of Mathieu Debuchy and the imminent arrival of Calum
Chambers at Arsenal. Chambers is set to arrive from Southampton with the
19-year-old right-back viewed as a possible central defender in the future
by Arsenal. England international Jenkinson remains highly regarded at the
Emirates, but Wenger feels he would be best served by going out on loan to
another Premier League club next season to continue his development so that
he is ready to stake his claim for a regular spot in the Arsenal side upon
his return. Jenkinson sees his long-term future at Arsenal, but knows the
opportunity of first-team football in the Premier League next season will
boost his chances of reclaiming his place back in the England squad.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce snipes back….
Posted on July 26, 2014 by Headmaster —
Claret&Blues.com
I guess it was just a matter of time but Sam Allardyce has found a subtle
way of hitting back at what he clearly perceives to be the imposition of a
style that is totally alien to his nature. The fact that those of us that
have witnessed the feeble attempts in the last few days to supposedly adopt
a more attacking methodology have also failed to recognise any change in our
style whatsoever, is perhaps another issue altogether.
In any event, here is what Allardyce had to say that I believe is a thinly
veiled side-swipe back in the board's direction:
"We're just working on our new style as we've got to get a bit more open and
expansive as it seems to be what's demanded in the game now. We're working
on that side of it but have lost the defensive resilience that saw us get 14
clean sheets last season."
Is it just me or is he basically saying, 'Look, I tried to tell Gold and
Sully how to survive in this league but, deluded plonkers that they are,
they have listened to the whining mamby-pamby 'we want the West-Ham-way
brigade' and told me I have to try to appease the malcontents. As a result,
and because I have no clue what it is I am actually supposed to be doing, we
are now shipping goals which is the one bloody thing I used to be able to
get right. Be careful what you wish for I say! Ha ha ha….'
Allardyce has nothing to lose, does he? He is either sacked and walks away
with a year's money or he runs his contract down. As far as I can see he has
no respect for anything to do with our club from the Chairmen down to us,
the fans and increasingly he has no motivation to invest emotionally and
professionally on what he can see is a career cul-de-sac. Or maybe you see
it differently?
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce wants Ravel Morrison to stay at West Ham... if he recovers
from injury and doesn't demand too much money
By DAVID KENT
PUBLISHED: 18:55, 26 July 2014 | UPDATED: 18:59, 26 July 2014
Daily Mail
Sam Allardyce appears to have done a U-turn by claiming he wants Ravel
Morrison to stay at West Ham - providing his injury problems and wage
demands can be managed. Hammers co-owner David Sullivan had previously said
that the mercurial midfielder was not wanted by the manager, telling
talkSPORT: 'Sam has said Ravel is not part of his plans but we as a board
see him as part of our plans.' Allardyce now seems to support the club's
view after insisting the 21-year-old still has a role to play, especially if
he recovers from the hernia problems that plagued him last season. 'He's
contracted to West Ham,' Allardyce told reporters. 'I think he's had a
hernia op. Once that's healed up I hope he becomes a better player because
he has been playing with it for a while. The groins have been causing him a
problem for a while. 'If you've got pain, I don't think you perform to your
best. Hopefully that pain will have ended and he'll be a much freer, more
active player for us. If he could do what he did last season, that would be
great because, when he broke in to the side early last year, he had a great
spell. Unfortunately he couldn't sustain it.'
David Sullivan admits West Ham put 'all their eggs in one basket' with
injury-plagued Andy Carroll as co-owner reveals Hammers will search for a
new striker
Ravel Morrison undergoes successful minor groin operation during pre-season
The England Under 21 player made a bright start to his career at Upton Park
before fading out and spending the latter half of the season on loan to QPR.
Allardyce is willing to give the talented youngster another chance, but
added that Morrison's wage demands would influence his future at the east
London club. 'If he continues to do what he did last season then yes [we
want to keep him] but that does depend on how much players want, how much
they demand. If that demand is far too great then that becomes a difficulty
for us.'
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Levy may move late on Hammers duo
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 26, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy may be ready to test the Hammers resolve in
hanging onto Winston Reid and Ravel Morrison. Hammers co-chairman David
Sullivan has made it clear this week that he wants to hold onto both despite
claiming that Sam Allardyce may have no room for the midfielder in his
plans.
And we have been picking up murmurings from north London that Levy – who
loves a late deal for players in the last year of their contracts – may make
a move for the pair! We hear he's been encouraged by recent reports from
David Sullivan that Reid has turned down his latest contract offer and
Morrison has not been offered a new deal. West Ham confirmed today that no
inquires have been received for either player and are still locked in
talks with Reid. Should Levy want to bid he would expect to start at around
£8 million for the pair given their contract length.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ravel makes another odd move!
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 26, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Ravel Morrison's every social media move is scrutinized as fans try to work
out exactly what's going on in that head of his. Photos posted by him on
social media include his 'gang' which made the tabloid press. Others show
him smoking a cigar during an England game, donning a Chelsea shirt or
tweeting about CSKA Moscow before deleting moments later. Now comes a new
one with him deciding to follow a Spurs Instragram account on the day he
was linked with a possible move to Spurs. Coincidence? Who knows ? This is
the world according to Rav – move on!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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WHUFC.com
Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan said West Ham United's trip to New Zealand was an
unforgettable one
26.07.2014
Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan have thanked the people of New Zealand for making
West Ham United's Football United Tour such a success. While the Hammers may
not have tasted victory on the pitch, the Club has taken a huge amount from
the amazing impact the tour has made off it. Thousands upon thousands of
supporters from across New Zealand, Australia and beyond descended on
Auckland and Wellington to meet and greet the Joint-Chairman, players and
staff with warm smiles and open arms. Noble and Nolan, along with everyone
involved in the eleven-day trip, will never forget the time they spent on
the other side of the world. "Everyone in New Zealand has been absolutely
fantastic with the way they have welcomed us and the way they have
accommodated us," said Nolan. "They were just so pleased to see us and it
has been so nice to have that feeling of being wanted. They've thanked us
for being here and we thank them all for their hospitality."
Noble, in fact, would love to have stayed longer to enjoy the many natural
delights that the Land of the Long White Cloud has to offer. "I've really
enjoyed it and it's a shame we didn't have more time to see a lot more of
New Zealand," said Noble. "We have had a lot of media commitments and events
to go to, such as a lunch with the British High Commissioner, so we haven't
had that much time to go out and see everything. "We went to see the Weta
Workshop and Park Road Post Production, where they make all the films, and
that was really good. "The people have greeted us and treated us
unbelievably, like stars, and we've been looked after well. We've met an
amazing amount of fans who have moved here years and years ago from the East
End and it's great to see that they have stuck with the Club. "It's been
really nice to visit what is a beautiful country, and it's just a shame
we've not had a chance to see and enjoy more of it. It's a lovely place and
I've enjoyed my time here."
West Ham's visit to New Zealand is the furthest the Club has ever travelled
for a pre-season tour - and is likely to remain so - and forms part of a
strategy to enlarge the worldwide fan base. The Hammers already possess fans
all over the planet and, with a move to the Olympic Stadium to prepare for
in 2016, the continued growth of the supporter base is vital to the future
success of the Club, on and off the pitch. "I think it's massive for the
Club and they've got it absolutely spot-on with what we've done," said
Nolan. "A massive pat on the back must go to all the staff who have worked
hard to make sure that this tour ran as smoothly as possible, with us going
here, there and everywhere. "It's been brilliant for the Club and the
positive feedback we've had from the fans suggests we have increased our fan
base over here. "It's amazing how many people have emigrated who are West
Ham fans and have brought that here. They've not gone looking for the Club -
they were born and bred into it and they've taken it on to their families.
"It's been a long trip, but a good trip."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Work in progress for Big Sam
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce wants to ensure his team get things right at both end of the
pitch
26.07.2014
Sam Allardyce has said his evolution of the West Ham United squad is a work
in progress as the first-team squad and staff prepare to fly home from an
action-packed tour of New Zealand. The Hammers signed off the Football
United tour with a 3-1 defeat to Sydney FC in Wellington on Saturday
afternoon and Big Sam admitted the change to a more ambitious attacking
style of play will take some time to perfect. The West Ham United manager
still has three more friendly games - two in Germany next weekend followed
by a friendly against Sampdoria the following Saturday - before Tottenham
Hotspur visit the Boleyn Ground on 16 August at the start of the Barclays
Premier League season. "We're just working on our new style as we've got to
get a bit more open and expansive as it seems to be what's demanded in the
game now," Allardyce said. "We're working on that side of it but have lost
the defensive resilience that saw us get 14 clean sheets last season. "The
football was not good enough to get results but we're experimenting on
playing more open and attacking play. "We never play our best in pre-season
and I don't want the players to play their best in pre-season because I want
them to play their best on 16 August against Tottenham.
"We got caught on the break twice in the first half because we're trying to
open out the play more and more and we left too many spaces. We picked up
another injury [Guy Demel's hamstring tweak], which means it's been a bad
trip from an injury point of view."
West Ham fell two behind to two counter-attacking goals but the third had
more than an element of luck to it when Sydney defender Terry Antonis
clearly punched the ball over Aaron Cresswell to tee up team-mate Corey
Gameiro, who rounded Adrian to score. It was a decision, or lack of it, that
left Big Sam more than a little bemused. "You all saw it apart from the
referee and his officials! It's pretty embarrassing from their point of
view. We'd have been a bit more upset if we'd been in a league match as it
would have been a horrific mistake. It was at a time when we were working
our way back into the game."
Despite two defeats, Allardyce is still confident that once he has his full
squad available again his side will be a 'bigger force'. The Hammers have
made five high-profile signings already and Joint-Chairman David Sullivan
has promised more before the close of the transfer window, in addition to
the imminent return to training of Ravel Morrison. "When everyone is back
and fit we'll be fine. We've still got Ravel Morrison to come back, we've
signed Enner Valencia, who is going for a work permit. Cheikhou Kouyate and
James Tomkins are both out and Guy Demel came off so if we get them back we
can become a bigger force again. "On Ravel, he is contracted to West Ham and
once his operation has healed up I hope he becomes a better player as he's
been playing with it for a while. If he can do what he did at the beginning
of last season that would be great. He had a good spell when he first broke
into the team but couldn't sustain it."
All in all, Big Sam summarised everyone's feelings by stating that the
Hammers' trip to New Zealand has been a huge success off the field. "I'm
just a bit sorry that we didn't do more for the West Ham fans that came from
across the globe to watch the games but overall we've been very well looked
after on this tour.
"From our point of view we thank everyone for having us here. We've been
well looked after and treated very well. From a football point of view the
injuries have been a big worry but we've enjoyed everyone's warm welcome."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham lose but Newcastle and Palace win
BBC.co.uk
West Ham lost their second tour game in a row with a 3-1 defeat by
Australian side Sydney FC in New Zealand. The Hammers, beaten 2-1 by
Wellington Phoenix on Wednesday, were 2-0 down after 26 minutes with strikes
from Corey Gameiro and Alex Brosque. Sam Allardyce's men, who also lost
defender Guy Demel early on with a tweaked hamstring, pulled one back after
the break through Matt Jarvis. However, Gameiro scored again after 63
minutes to seal the win. The defeat is the latest setback in a troubled
tour, after striker Andy Carroll was ruled out for four months with an
injury sustained in the defeat by Phoenix. Co-owner David Sullivan has also
dismissed manager Allardyce's claims that 21-year-old playmaker Ravel
Morrison is not part of his plans. The former Manchester United player ended
the season on loan at QPR and a permanent move away from Upton Park appeared
likely. "We don't agree with that," Sullivan told Talksport. "We would like
to sit down and give him a longer contract. "Sam has said Ravel is not part
of his plans but we do - as a board - see him as part of our plans."
Line-up: Adrian, Demel (Cresswell 13), O'Brien (Potts 72), Reid (c),
Collins, Noble (Whitehead 68), Diame (Poyet 68), Nolan, Downing (Fanimo 81),
Jarvis (Vaz Te 59), Cole (Zarate 45)
Subs not used: Jaaskelainen, Howes.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce: these things take time
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 26th July 2014
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce believes last night's 3-1 defeat against Sydney was a result
of the new expansive tactical approach he and his team have been asked to
implement. At the end of last season Allardyce held on to his job by the
skin of his teeth having been ordered to deliver more aesthetically-pleasing
football, following a drab 2013/14 campaign. The result of that has been two
draws against Stevenage and Ipswich plus defeats to Wellington Phoenix and
Sydney FC - something that the manager attributed to the change in style,
which he has had less than three weeks to work on. "The football was not
good enough to get results, but we're experimenting and working on more open
attacking play," he told the press following the surprise reversal. "It
hasn't worked well from a defensive point of view. "We have to be more open
and expansive. That's what is demanded now so we are working on that side of
it, we just lost the defensive resilience that we had last season. Today we
got caught on the break twice in the first half; we're trying to play and
open teams up so we left too many spaces."
Meanwhile Graham Arnold, the far-happier Sydney boss, revealed that despite
running out 3-1 winners his team were far from fully fit. "I think we are
only at 30 per cent physically where we should be and I thought we played
better against Newcastle except we got punished for our mistakes," he said.
"I've been saying to the boys that results don't matter at this stage of the
season. Of course it's great to win the game but there are no points or
trophy for it. It's about us getting better every time we step on the pitch
and playing to the game plan and progressing as a team."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham, Swansea, Sunderland and Hull eye Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo | Last Updated: 26/07/14
8:12pm
SSN
Sky Sports understands four Premier League clubs are battling it out to sign
Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson on loan. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is
thought to be open to the idea of loaning out Jenkinson next season so that
he can play regular first-team football. There is no shortage of suitors for
Jenkinson, with West Ham, Swansea, Sunderland and Hull all interested in
taking the former Charlton man on loan. The quartet are ready to offer
Jenkinson, who made 22 appearances last season, regular first-team football
next term as they look to bolster their defensive options. Hull boss Steve
Bruce confirmed to Sky Sports News that he has enquired about Jenkinson's
availability. "I had a conversation with Arsenal about four or five weeks
ago to see if it was possible. And apparantly so, it might be," he said.
"We'll look at that situation but we haven't had confirmation from Arsenal.
I would hate to speak out of turn but we are led to believe the kid might be
available - and if he is, then of course we would be interested." Jenkinson
is expected to find his first-team opportunities limited at Arsenal
following the signing of Mathieu Debuchy and the imminent arrival of Calum
Chambers at Arsenal. Chambers is set to arrive from Southampton with the
19-year-old right-back viewed as a possible central defender in the future
by Arsenal. England international Jenkinson remains highly regarded at the
Emirates, but Wenger feels he would be best served by going out on loan to
another Premier League club next season to continue his development so that
he is ready to stake his claim for a regular spot in the Arsenal side upon
his return. Jenkinson sees his long-term future at Arsenal, but knows the
opportunity of first-team football in the Premier League next season will
boost his chances of reclaiming his place back in the England squad.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce snipes back….
Posted on July 26, 2014 by Headmaster —
Claret&Blues.com
I guess it was just a matter of time but Sam Allardyce has found a subtle
way of hitting back at what he clearly perceives to be the imposition of a
style that is totally alien to his nature. The fact that those of us that
have witnessed the feeble attempts in the last few days to supposedly adopt
a more attacking methodology have also failed to recognise any change in our
style whatsoever, is perhaps another issue altogether.
In any event, here is what Allardyce had to say that I believe is a thinly
veiled side-swipe back in the board's direction:
"We're just working on our new style as we've got to get a bit more open and
expansive as it seems to be what's demanded in the game now. We're working
on that side of it but have lost the defensive resilience that saw us get 14
clean sheets last season."
Is it just me or is he basically saying, 'Look, I tried to tell Gold and
Sully how to survive in this league but, deluded plonkers that they are,
they have listened to the whining mamby-pamby 'we want the West-Ham-way
brigade' and told me I have to try to appease the malcontents. As a result,
and because I have no clue what it is I am actually supposed to be doing, we
are now shipping goals which is the one bloody thing I used to be able to
get right. Be careful what you wish for I say! Ha ha ha….'
Allardyce has nothing to lose, does he? He is either sacked and walks away
with a year's money or he runs his contract down. As far as I can see he has
no respect for anything to do with our club from the Chairmen down to us,
the fans and increasingly he has no motivation to invest emotionally and
professionally on what he can see is a career cul-de-sac. Or maybe you see
it differently?
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce wants Ravel Morrison to stay at West Ham... if he recovers
from injury and doesn't demand too much money
By DAVID KENT
PUBLISHED: 18:55, 26 July 2014 | UPDATED: 18:59, 26 July 2014
Daily Mail
Sam Allardyce appears to have done a U-turn by claiming he wants Ravel
Morrison to stay at West Ham - providing his injury problems and wage
demands can be managed. Hammers co-owner David Sullivan had previously said
that the mercurial midfielder was not wanted by the manager, telling
talkSPORT: 'Sam has said Ravel is not part of his plans but we as a board
see him as part of our plans.' Allardyce now seems to support the club's
view after insisting the 21-year-old still has a role to play, especially if
he recovers from the hernia problems that plagued him last season. 'He's
contracted to West Ham,' Allardyce told reporters. 'I think he's had a
hernia op. Once that's healed up I hope he becomes a better player because
he has been playing with it for a while. The groins have been causing him a
problem for a while. 'If you've got pain, I don't think you perform to your
best. Hopefully that pain will have ended and he'll be a much freer, more
active player for us. If he could do what he did last season, that would be
great because, when he broke in to the side early last year, he had a great
spell. Unfortunately he couldn't sustain it.'
David Sullivan admits West Ham put 'all their eggs in one basket' with
injury-plagued Andy Carroll as co-owner reveals Hammers will search for a
new striker
Ravel Morrison undergoes successful minor groin operation during pre-season
The England Under 21 player made a bright start to his career at Upton Park
before fading out and spending the latter half of the season on loan to QPR.
Allardyce is willing to give the talented youngster another chance, but
added that Morrison's wage demands would influence his future at the east
London club. 'If he continues to do what he did last season then yes [we
want to keep him] but that does depend on how much players want, how much
they demand. If that demand is far too great then that becomes a difficulty
for us.'
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Levy may move late on Hammers duo
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 26, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy may be ready to test the Hammers resolve in
hanging onto Winston Reid and Ravel Morrison. Hammers co-chairman David
Sullivan has made it clear this week that he wants to hold onto both despite
claiming that Sam Allardyce may have no room for the midfielder in his
plans.
And we have been picking up murmurings from north London that Levy – who
loves a late deal for players in the last year of their contracts – may make
a move for the pair! We hear he's been encouraged by recent reports from
David Sullivan that Reid has turned down his latest contract offer and
Morrison has not been offered a new deal. West Ham confirmed today that no
inquires have been received for either player and are still locked in
talks with Reid. Should Levy want to bid he would expect to start at around
£8 million for the pair given their contract length.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ravel makes another odd move!
Posted by Sean Whetstone on July 26, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Ravel Morrison's every social media move is scrutinized as fans try to work
out exactly what's going on in that head of his. Photos posted by him on
social media include his 'gang' which made the tabloid press. Others show
him smoking a cigar during an England game, donning a Chelsea shirt or
tweeting about CSKA Moscow before deleting moments later. Now comes a new
one with him deciding to follow a Spurs Instragram account on the day he
was linked with a possible move to Spurs. Coincidence? Who knows ? This is
the world according to Rav – move on!
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