Sullivan: Bids tabled for three strikers
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Joint-Chairman David Sullivan says the Club's pursuit of
striking targets is gathering pace
07.08.2014
West Ham United have tabled bids for three strikers, as Joint-Chairman David
Sullivan continues the pursuit of a prolific forward to provide more
firepower for his side. With Andy Carroll sidelined for four months due to
an ankle injury, Mr Sullivan's focus has been on signing another striker to
provide manager Sam Allardyce with more options. The Hammers have already
added six new faces to their squad, with a raft of hungry, young players
joining the Club this summer, and Mr Sullivan is hopeful that the chase for
the final piece of the jigsaw could soon bear fruit. He exclusively told
whufc.com: "We've got offers in for three or four strikers - one in England,
three abroad - and we just hope to land one of them. We do need to sign
another player. "We have worked 24/7 all summer and we still want to get at
least one more striker in. It's been very, very tough but we're pleased with
what we've got - there are players with massive potential for the future but
we know there isn't enough goals in the team at the moment."
The targeted new arrival will join Enner Valencia and Mauro Zarate in
supplementing the Hammers' frontline in 2014/15 and Mr Sullivan believes
both will have a positive impact in east London. He continued: "The player
we've spent the most money on, Enner Valencia, is our big summer signing and
he is about two or three weeks away from being able to play, because he was
at the World Cup. "He's now in full training but I think the earliest he'll
play is in the Capital One Cup match, so it'll be exciting for people to see
him make his debut in that match. "We were looking at Enner from before the
World Cup, when Ecuador played Australia at Crystal Palace and he was the
leading goalscorer in Mexico. "Goalscorers are goalscorers and his goals per
game for Ecuador since he's been playing centre forward is very high. He
scored more goals at the World Cup than the England football team, he was in
the top ten goalscorers of the tournament, even though his team got
eliminated at the second stage, so he's a player with potential. "He might
be in the top five scorers in the Premier League next season, he might take
time to adjust, you just don't know with foreign players, but potentially
he's a top, top player. "If Zarate gets the supply he will score goals. He
probably needs to play off a big centre forward but at least we now have a
plan B. If we're losing in a game we have someone who can go on and change
things."
The Hammers also signed two young English players of real potential in Aaron
Cresswell and Diego Poyet and Mr Sullivan is excited by both. He added:
"Poyet could be a world-class player within 12 or 18 months. Whether he's
ready now or needs six months, I don't know. People at Charlton tell me he's
their best young player in the history of Charlton. "Cresswell is the
left-back of the season in the Championship and may need time to adjust to
the Premier League, but you don't know. Potentially they are both very good
players. We needed some younger legs in the side and that's what we've tried
to bring in."
Taking the pre-season as a whole, Mr Sullivan would have hoped for a
smoother ride but believes the Hammers can overcome the obstacles laid in
their path to make a positive start of the campaign. He said: "The
pre-season hasn't gone quite as planned - the worst thing is that we picked
up injuries and in particular Andy Carroll, who is out for four months and
makes a huge difference to us. "We've got to overcome these things and if
you look at the history of football, often people with a good pre-season
have a terrible season, and people who have a bad pre-season have a good
season. "I'm hoping on Saturday that we may see a little taste of what we're
going to see against Tottenham, but Tottenham is the key game. We want to
make it four in a row, but they're about even money with the bookies and
we're about 2/1 to win, so we're not the favourites. If the crowd can get
behind the team it really does make a huge difference. We just need a little
bit of luck on the day. "Like everybody we're looking forward to the season
with a little bit of nervousness. It's what happens in those first three or
four league games that matters, not what happens in pre-season."
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Enner excited by 'dream' switch
WHUFc.com
Summer recruit Enner Valencia has grand plans for his future at West Ham
United
07.08.2014
West Ham United new boy Enner Valencia says it would be a dream come true to
fire the Hammers into Europe come the Club's move to the former Olympic
Stadium in 2016. Fresh from his goalscoring exploits at the FIFA World Cup
with Ecuador, the 24-year-old is now determined to repay the faith shown in
him by West Ham. Valencia thanked the Hammers fans for their warm welcome
and insists it will not be long before he is pulling on the Claret and Blue.
Speaking at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Thursday, he said: "Being so
close to the Stadium I just want to go inside and start playing. "I'm very
happy to be part of this great Club and I'm hoping to do well. I'm going try
to do my best. "I'm training normally at the moment. I'm training very hard
and trying to get match fit. I could be OK for the first or second game. I'm
not quite sure yet, that's up to the manager."
Having bagged all three of Ecuador's goals in Brazil this summer, Valencia
was hardly short of prospective suitors, but feels sure that he has made the
right move. "It was a dream come true to score three goals at a World Cup,"
he added. "It's not something that happens every day. It was massive for my
career and after that a lot of Clubs showed an interest in me. But thanks to
West Ham, it happened. "I want to repay the investment the Club have made in
me. I appreciate the welcome that all the West Ham fans have shown me and
hopefully I'll produce my best."
Valencia explained that the prospect of running out at the former Olympic
Stadium played a massive part in his decision and believes there is every
chance of bringing European football to Stratford. "I saw the Olympics on
television, but I never dreamed of standing here and one day I'm looking
forward to playing in this great Stadium," he confirmed. "It played a big
part of me coming to West Ham. "It would be fantastic [to be in Europe] and
a dream to come true. Hopefully we can make it happen in a couple of years."
Known as Superman, a nickname bestowed on him by the Spanish press, Valencia
is not ruling out a comic-inspired celebration when he first fires for the
Hammers. "I've not done the Superman celebration just yet, but let's see how
it goes!"
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West Ham's George Moncur joins Colchester United on loan
BBC.co.uk
Colchester United have signed midfielder George Moncur on loan from West Ham
until January. The 20-year-old, who is the son of former Hammers player John
Moncur, has already spent pre-season on loan with the U's. He has made two
first-team appearances for West Ham and has had loan spells at AFC Wimbledon
and Partick "Having George here for the whole of pre-season, he knows how we
work," U's boss Joe Dunne told BBC Essex. "George could have easily stayed
at West Ham during pre-season and hoped for the best. "My trademark is
finding those players who need that moment to move into league games and
we'll hopefully progress him."
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West Ham's Ravel Morrison's 'acid threats' to ex-girlfriend
BBC.co.uk
West Ham footballer Ravel Morrison threatened to throw acid in the face of
his ex-girlfriend and have her killed, a court has heard. He is accused of
threatening to blow up Reah Mansoor's house in a four-year campaign of
harassment against his ex-girlfriend, Manchester Magistrates' Court heard. A
harassment charge against him was added to two counts of common assault. Mr
Morrison, 21, was bailed to appear at Manchester Crown Court on 28 August.
'Fear of violence'
The footballer was initially arrested and charged with two counts of common
assault after allegedly punching and slapping Miss Mansoor, 19, and her
mother Parveen Mansoor, 39, in the early hours of 27 July. The court heard
the additional charge of causing his ex-girlfriend fear of violence from
him, spanned from January 2010 to 20 July. The prosecution alleges he
threatened to throw acid in her face, blow up her house and have her killed,
as well as other threats of violence. His bail conditions state he cannot
contact Reah and Parveen Mansoor, he cannot go on to the street where they
live and cannot enter the Greater Manchester area except for a court
appearance, to see his lawyers or for a West Ham game in the area. He must
then immediately return to London after the match. David Fish QC,
representing Mr Morrison, indicated the defendant would plead not guilty to
the charges. Mr Morrison started his career with Manchester United's youth
teams before he was sold to West Ham in 2012. The midfielder, who has also
played on loan for QPR and Birmingham City, has four England Under-21 caps.
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce steps up striker search
BBC.co.uk
West Ham have made bids for four strikers in an effort to bolster manager
Sam Allardyce's squad. Andy Carroll could be out until November following
ankle surgery, while £12m summer signing Enner Valencia will also miss the
start of the season. "We've got offers in for one striker in England and
three abroad - and we just hope to land one of them," co-owner David
Sullivan told the club website. "We have worked 24/7 all summer and want at
least one more striker."
Allardyce has been linked with moves for Stoke's Peter Crouch, Arsenal's
Joel Campbell and unattached Portugal international Hugo Almeida. West Ham
have signed six players already this summer, including Mauro Zarate and
Ecuador World Cup star Valencia. "Enner is now in full training but I think
the earliest he'll play is in the Capital One Cup match (on 26-27 August),"
said Sullivan. "He might be in the top five scorers in the Premier League
next season, he might take time to adjust, you just don't know with foreign
players, but potentially he's a top, top player."
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Mauve-ing on up
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 7th August 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United have revealed their new third kit - an unusual mix of mauve
and gold. Mauro Zarate was pictured wearing the club's new third kit at a
meet-and-greet session in the club's Romford shop this afternoon, at which
he was joined by fellow new signings Diego Poyet and Cheikhou Kouyate. But
Zarate was the talk of the town due to the new shirt, which was unveiled for
the first today and goes on sale from this weekend.
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Ravel Morrison case goes to Crown Court
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 7th August 2014
By: Staff Writer
Ravel Morrison's assault case will be heard in a Crown Court, it was
announced today. The West Ham midfielder will now face a total of three
charges when he appears in Manchester later this month, after a third charge
of harassment was added to his charge sheet. Morrison arrived at court this
morning dressed in an open shirt, jeans and trainers. The court were told
that the 21-year-old midfielder threatened to throw acid into the face of
former girlfriend Real Masoor's, blow up her house and "have her killed".
Today's brief hearing saw the England under 21 international confirm his
address as Canary Wharf, London, unlike at last week's initial court
appearance when he gave an address in Urmston, Manchester. Morrison was
bailed until August 28 when he will appear at Manchester Crown Court. One of
the conditions of bail is that he return to London immediately. QC David
Fish suggested that Morrison would plead not guilty to all charges. Morrison
was arrested after Police were called to an address in Peel Green, Salford
in the early hours of Sunday, 27 July to respond to an accusation of
assault. Charged with common assault, Morrison was remanded in custody upon
his arrest but bailed on Monday.
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Sullivan reveals scattergun approach
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 7th August 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan says West Ham have placed four bids for
strikers in the past few days. With Andy Carroll injured until November, at
the earliest, and new signing Enner Valencia not fit until mid-August, West
Ham's search for a new goalscorer has intensified. And this morning Sullivan
told whufc.com that he has made a number of enquires and firm offers in the
past few days. "We've got offers in for three or four strikers - one in
England, three abroad - and we just hope to land one of them," he said. "We
do need to sign another player. "We have worked 24/7 all summer and we still
want to get at least one more striker in. It's been very, very tough but
we're pleased with what we've got - there are players with massive potential
for the future but we know there isn't enough goals in the team at the
moment. "The player we've spent the most money on, Enner Valencia, is our
big summer signing and he is about two or three weeks away from being able
to play, because he was at the World Cup. "He's now in full training but I
think the earliest he'll play is in the Capital One Cup match, so it'll be
exciting for people to see him make his debut in that match. "He's a player
with potential. He might be in the top five scorers in the Premier League
next season, he might take time to adjust, you just don't know with foreign
players, but potentially he's a top, top player. Sullivan, who was largely
behind the capture of the South American also played a major part in
bringing Mauro Zarate - who played for Birmingham when Sullivan and partner
David Gold owned the club - to east London this summer. And although little
has been seen of the Argentine in pre-season, Sullivan maintains that he can
have an influence this season - IF played alongside a fellow striker. "If
Zarate gets the supply he will score goals," he added. "He probably needs to
play off a big centre forward but at least we now have a plan B. If we're
losing in a game we have someone who can go on and change things."
One of the players West Ham have bid for is understood to be Stoke City's
giant striker Peter Crouch. The Hammers are reported to have offered circa
£1million for the 33-year-old, but the Potters are holding out for around
£3million.
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West Ham joint-chairman says he has bid for several strikers
Last Updated: 07/08/14 2:37pm
SSN
West Ham United joint-chairman David Sullivan has revealed that the club has
tabled bids for several strikers, including one in England. With Andy
Carroll sidelined for four months due to an ankle injury, Sullivan is
looking to bring in another striker to provide manager Sam Allardyce with
more options. The Hammers have already made six signings this window, but
are looking to further add to their squad. Sullivan told the club's website:
"We've got offers in for three or four strikers - one in England, three
abroad - and we just hope to land one of them. We do need to sign another
player. "We've got offers in for three or four strikers - one in England,
three abroad - and we just hope to land one of them. We do need to sign
another player." "We have worked 24/7 all summer and we still want to get at
least one more striker in. It's been very, very tough but we're pleased with
what we've got - there are players with massive potential for the future but
we know there isn't enough goals in the team at the moment."
West Ham are looking to bring in one more striker to join Enner Valencia and
Mauro Zarate in supplementing the Hammers' frontline for the new season -
but Sullivan believes both players will have a positive impact. "The player
we've spent the most money on, Enner Valencia, is our big summer signing and
he is about two or three weeks away from being able to play, because he was
at the World Cup," he added. "He's now in full training but I think the
earliest he'll play is in the Capital One Cup match, so it'll be exciting
for people to see him make his debut in that match. "We were looking at
Enner from before the World Cup, when Ecuador played Australia at Crystal
Palace and he was the leading goalscorer in Mexico. "Goalscorers are
goalscorers and his goals per game for Ecuador since he's been playing
centre forward is very high. He scored more goals at the World Cup than the
England football team, he was in the top ten goalscorers of the tournament,
even though his team got eliminated at the second stage, so he's a player
with potential. "He might be in the top five scorers in the Premier League
next season, he might take time to adjust, you just don't know with foreign
players, but potentially he's a top, top player. "If Zarate gets the supply
he will score goals. He probably needs to play off a big centre forward but
at least we now have a plan B. If we're losing in a game we have someone who
can go on and change things."
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SUMMERTIME SADNESS
By Iain Dale 7 Aug 2014 at 20:00
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Adam Darlington
I think we all must be suffering from a case of déjà vu this summer. Ravel
Morrison made headlines for more off field activity, Andy Carroll has a long
term injury and if David Gold's twitter blunder is anything to go by,
there's still a very prominent discontent between the board and manager.
It's a shame really, as I think a majority of us were feeling very
optimistic about the new season, certainly the early transfer activity was a
refreshing change and the quality of signings such as Mauro Zárate, Cheikhou
Kouyaté, Aaron Cresswell, Diego Poyet, Enner Valencia and Carl Jenkinson
undoubtedly show the right sort of intent from the club to go on and improve
from last season. That, plus the welcome return of Teddy Sheringham to the
club as 'attacking coach' (whether or not that role holds any real meaning,
time will tell) certainly meant the early signs were positive.
Admittedly the pre-season games have yet to produce the kind of results, or
more importantly, the performances we'd all like to see (I can't imagine our
shirt sales in New Zealand would of gained a significant boost) but I think
it's important to bear in mind that, realistically, you can't read too much
into these games; I've seen it quoted a couple of times, but it is worth
remembering that Avram Grant went undefeated in pre-season and we all know
what happened after that.
However the things that are more concerning include the ongoing circus
regarding Sam Allardyce's future, in reality I don't think anyone believes
it is a future as such, more a stay of execution. As has been well
documented, the David's have now instructed him to a deliver a more
attacking, entertaining brand of football to try and improve what is frankly
a hostile relationship with the fans, but history suggests Big Sam playing
attacking football is about as likely to succeed as asking Harry Redknapp to
not go over the wage cap. I hope I'm wrong, but I just can't see Sam
deviating from the tactics he's been, unfairly or not, pigeon holed with his
whole managerial career. Some things are a cliché for a reason, and the
'long ball' tag is justified more times than not when it comes to watching
West Ham nowadays.
Things took a turn for the worst with the 'Jet lagged' cringe inducing
antics from David Gold who by favouring a tweet calling for Big Sam to be
sacked, further increased the pressure for the team to get off to a good
start, otherwise it's nailed on Big Sam will be the first managerial
casualty of the new season. At the very least, David Gold's exploits on
twitter made Jack Sullivan the second most embarrassing West Ham presence on
social media. I still don't think having the chairmen's son relay transfer
activity and personal opinion on players is healthy for any club; even if,
credit where it's due, he turned out to be spot on about Marouane Chamakh's
fledgling West Ham career.
If there is one player who underlines the seemingly ongoing power struggle
between the board and manager, it would have to be Mauro Zárate, you would
imagine given the Birmingham connection this was a signing very much pushed
through by the David's, yet you get the feeling he's not an atypical 'Big
Sam' player and given the choice between him and a certain C.Cole, then
it'll be Carlton starting against Tottenham on the 16th August. Zarate is
clearly Sam's equivalent of the Christmas/Birthday present you were given
that you never wanted, and then went on to never use (Personally for me it
was a pair of 'Planet of the ape socks' aged 9; even though I'd expressed no
interest in socks or the film)
All this plus the now seemingly mandatory problem regarding injury's and
player's fitness; is the only way you can fail a West Ham medical not to
turn up? Considering that Andy Carroll was actually injured at the time of
when we signed him on a six year contract, the answer to that question is
probably a depressing one. As much of a blow as it is, nobody can be truly
surprised by another long term lay off for AC but what is surprising is that
Enner Valencia is deemed three weeks away from 'full fitness', even though
to the eyes of the world he looked in pretty decent shape when he scored
three goals for Ecuador at this summer's world cup. To add to this, Carl
Jenkinson suffered a hamstring injury in his first pre-season game for the
club and now looks likely to miss the start of the season. Considering our
seemingly moth to light like fixation with acquiring injured personal, I'm
amazed we haven't signed the England Physio; Gary Lewin for the forthcoming
season.
But despite all the above, I am trying to stay optimistic (or as Big Sam
himself would label me 'delusional') for the coming season, I notice that
Ravel was released on bail this week, which I'm counting as crumb of good
news and if worst comes to worst and we continue to have an injury raved
forward line come August the 16th and are left with only Maiga (who I've
checked and amazingly is still on the books), I'm sure we could do a lot
worse than get Teddy to strap on his boots! Whatever happens this season,
life at E13 is never dull.
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WOULD A FEMALE FOOTBALL MANAGER EVERY BE ACCEPTED AT WEST HAM?
By Iain Dale 7 Aug 2014 at 16:00
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Russ
All the talk on this site at the moment revolves around Sam, should he be
sacked now, should he be given till the end of the season etc etc, they are
all basically the same subject. I wanted to start people thinking
about/discussing something a bit more challenging: Would a Female manager
ever be accepted at West Ham? Recently Emma Hayes (Chelsea ladies manager)
stated that she would one day like to manage a male league team, Corrine
Diacre is manager of a male team in the French leagues, Helena Costa managed
in Portugal so it can only be a matter of time until the question seriously
starts to be asked in this country. Could it be possible at the highest
level and if not why not? If they have the correct qualifications and spend
time managing a male league team lets say in division 1, could they move up
to the premier league or is it a closed shop? As Karren Brady is such a
torch bearer for womens equality in the workplace, would we be the likely
destination if it were to happen? I dont want to see loads of chauvenistic
insults about women managing mens teams just a sensible debate.
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SHOULD THE NUMBER SIX SHIRT COME OUT OF RETIREMENT?
By Iain Dale 7 Aug 2014 at 12:00
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Bubbles
Here is a great OT debate to have. There is no right or wrong so we don't
need to fall out and no one needs to blame Sam or the skipper! In fact this
could be the first Sam free thread. (Apart from me mentioning him twice in
the first paragraph, sorry!)
I noticed a debate going down elsewhere regarding the suggestion to
"un-retire" and I'm not sure there is such a word, probably the correct term
is " to bring out of retirement, but stay with me, Bobby Moore's No. 6
shirt.
This needs a little more thought before fans throw their hands up in horror
at the very thought.
This could be done to recognise the end of the Upton Park era and the
beginning of the OS era, so would not happen until the end of next season.
It would be done as a fitting tribute to the great man and fans could have a
vote on who wears the shirt at the OS. Of course we know who that will be
now it will be our captain at the OS – step forward Mark Noble.
My initial thought was that won't happen but the more I think about it the
more I like the idea. It would bring Bobby Moore back into the limelight
once again and it would be entirely appropriate in marking the UP to OS
transmission.
What do you think?
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IS MARCO STRELLER THE LATEST STRIKER TO BE TARGETED?
By S J Chandos 7 Aug 2014 at 08:00
West Ham Till I Die
A number of sources have reported that West Ham have made a move for Basel
centre forward, Marco Streller. The player's legal representative, Marco
Balmelli, has been quoted as stating that:
"It is true that West Ham have approached us. Maybe Marco needs a new
challenge again after seven years at FC Basel. It would be like a World Cup
final for him."
The reports suggest that West Ham are prepared to offer the 33 year old,
6ft. 5in, former Swiss international striker, a two year contract, with the
option of a third year. And that is where the reports appear slightly
suspect. Would the club offer, what is effectively, a three year deal to a
33 year old? Also there is no indication of the size of the salary package
in the contract allegedly on offer. Is this another case of a player's
agent/representative publicly declaring a transfer approach by West Ham Utd
in order to generate wider interest? Or is there genuine interest in
acquiring the veteran Swiss centre forward to cover Andy Carroll's injury
absence?
Since 2007 (his second stint at FC Basel), Marco Streller has scored 86
goals in 189 matches for his current club. Prior to that, Streller played
for VfB Stuttgart (2004-07) scoring 9 goals in 55 matches, FC Thurn (loan –
2002-03) 8 goals in 16 matches, Concordia Basel (loan 2001-02) 16 goals in
30 matches and FC Basel (2000-04 – his first period at the club) 13 goals in
20 matches. At full international level, between 2003-11, he chalked up 12
goals in 37 senior matches for Switzerland.
So, it appears the player has a half-way decent goal scoring record in the
Swiss Super League. But is it significant that he only managed 9 goals in 55
matches in Germany, which is undoubtedly the strongest league he has played
in to date? Is there anything to indicate that Streller would perform any
better in the more competitive English Premier League? And at 33 years of
age he is not likely to improve on past achievements, is he? Similiarly,
Streller's goal scoring record for Switzerland is just under a 1 in 3 ratio
and that is at best respectable.
With the club being linked to the likes of Almeida, Crouch and now Streller
it looks increasingly as if we are actively pursuing the 'jouneyman option'
to acquire extra striker cover. Of the centre forwards referred to above,
Almeida is probably the best option. In fact, with Stoke City allegedly
demanding a £3m fee for Crouch (and the player's personal terms likely to
take the total cost of the deal to c.£7m) and counter-reports now emerging
that Streller has confirmed his intention to stay at FC Basel, Almeida may
well prove to be the only viable option remaining out of the three targets!
SJ. Chandos.
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TWO STRIKERS AND 54 GOALS IN A SEASON - REMEMBERING 1986
By Iain Dale 6 Aug 2014 at 21:36
West ham till I Die
Guest Post by Julian
Over the past few weeks the optimism of a potential new approach to how we
play coupled with some exciting signings has turned in to fear and
trepidation at what the pre-season performances mean for the upcoming
season, so I thought I would take a trip down memory lane and look back at
our best ever season of 1986.
I was 20, had been released by Southampton due to a triple leg break in a
reserves match against Chelsea ending a promising career, and had decided to
go and work on a campsite in Southern Germany. Now that is an interesting
story but not for this article, so back to our best ever finish.
How many of you who followed the fortunes of the team that year remember
that we only won 1 of our first 5 games, a 3-1 home win against QPR that
witnessed the first two ever goals for the club by one Frank McAvennie. He
wasn't even our first choice strike partner for TC but was played initially
in midfield and only moved up top alongside Tony when Paul Goddard became
injured; but, as they say, the rest is history.
By the end of September we were in 13th place, however come the end of Dec
were had turned our increasingly impressive performances in to third place
having won all of our games in September and November with Franky Boy the
league's stop scorer with 17. The style of play was the very antithesis of
what we are having to suffer under Allardyce; no matter how many the
opposition could score we could score more; we had Cottee and McAvennie, who
just needed to poke the ball in the direction of the goal and it would fly
in!
By the end of March we had put Manchester United out of the FA Cup, were
fifth in the league, 10 points behind leaders Liverpool but with 5 games in
hand.
However it was April that will go down in the annals of West Ham as one of
the club's most memorable months ever. It started with a 2-1 loss to
Nottingham Forest but that was it, thereafter we went on an 8 match winning
streak that included the memorable demolition of Newcastle 8-1, which even
witnessed a hat-trick by one Alvin Martin, one of a small group of defenders
to have scored a hat-trick in the top flight of English football. We were
back up to third, 4 points behind Liverpool but with 1 game in hand; it was
still all to be played for, but we needed Liverpool with one Ian Rush up
front to mess up.
On the final Saturday of the season we went to the Black Country and put
West Brom to the sword 2-3 but those party poopers in the North West just
had to go and win their final game which left us having to beat Everton in a
rearranged game to finish in second 1 point behind Liverpool. Unfortunately
we went down 3-1 leaving us finishing in third, but what a glorious and
exciting third it was, filled with performances, creativity throughout the
team that we can only dream about under Allardyce.
Liniker finished as league's top scorer with 30, with Frank not far behind
on 28 and Tony with 26;since when have we ever seen anything like that from
our strikers in the intervening 28 years. A strike force that scored 54
goals between them just blows the mind and has you weeping with the majority
we have had to endure ever since.
For Hammers fans who weren't either alive in 1986, I am sure you have grown
up with not only the traditions of our beloved Bobby et al but of the boys
of 1986, a West Ham team to be truly proud of, including 3 players who came
up from the Academy in Cottee, Orr and Martin.
We won 26 of our 42 games, 81% win ratio at home and 43% away, losing only
10% of our home games and 38% of our away ones,finishing with 84 points and
scoring 34 more goals than we conceded; oh for these to be the stats we look
back on at the end of the upcoming season.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ravel Morrison poses in ARSENAL shirt in his Ferrari hours after being in
court
Aug 07, 2014 20:50 By Alex Richards
The four-cap England under-21 international is in hot water away from the
pitch - and his latest picture will only earn him more ire from West Ham
fans
The Mirror
West Ham United midfielder Ravel Morrison has uploaded an Instagram photo of
himself in a Ferrari wearing the shirt of London rivals Arsenal - just hours
after being in court. Manchester Magistrates' Court heard on Thursday how
the 21-year-old threatened to throw acid in the face of his ex-girlfriend
following his arrest and subsequent charging on two counts of common
assault. It is alleged that Morrison punched and slapped both Reah Mansoor,
19, and her mother Parveen Mansoor, 39, in the early hours of July 27 in
Salford. Morrison, who spoke only to confirm his name, age and address, sat
in the dock at the court for the brief hearing as the harassment allegation
was also added to the charges. The court heard the additional charge of
causing his ex-girlfriend to fear violence would be used against her spanned
the period from January 1 2010 to July 20 this year. But just hours after
his appearance in the dock, the former Manchester United starlet - who spent
time on loan with QPR last season - posted a picture of himself, posing in
his Ferrari. It led to an outcry from Hammers supporters on social media,
with many questioning whether he should have a future at the club.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham close to sealing £3.5million deal for Metz striker Diafra Sakho
Aug 07, 2014 17:24 By Alan Nixon
The Hammers board are hoping that the Senegalese striker will fill the boots
left by injured club-record signing Andy Carroll
The Mirror
West Ham have agreed a shock £3.5million deal for Metz's Senegalese striker
Diafra Sakho. Supremo David Sullivan has been chasing a new hit man to fill
Andy Carroll's boots and has gone in for the powerful 24-year-old. Sakho had
a prolific season with Metz in the French second tier and his cost and
availability have been in his favour. The Hammers were looking for one or
two strikers, including experienced Peter Crouch, with Sullivan confessing
they had a short list of six. Sakho is keen to come and is expected to be on
his way from France immediately for talks and a medical. Boss Sam Allardyce
has taken a back seat in the chase as Sullivan and his advisers try to find
the missing link. Sakho has scored 19 and 20 goals in the last two seasons,
an excellent average even if the opposition is not top flight.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Irons: "can't agree terms" with French striker
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 7, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Metz striker Diafra Sakho is still some way from becoming a Hammer despite
widespread reports tonight that he's on his way to the club. Both the Mirror
and Mail have claimed tonight the player is close to signing for the club
from the French second division outfit. But within the last few minutes
Claretandhugh has learned that whilst there's an agreement in place with the
club, the player's terms are proving difficult to agree. A source told us:
"It's true we are talking but at this stage we can't agree a deal with the
player at the moment and he'd be a big gamble." The 24 year old has a decent
goals record over the last few years but the Hammers are aware that it's a
big step up from where he is now to the Premier League even if it as a cover
striker. "The source said: "We'll keep talking but at this moment there's
not a deal in prospect. However, that can change quite quickly."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Now it's Gooner Morrison (oh dear)
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 7, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Daily Mail journo and friend of ClaretandHugh Matty Lawless has hit the nail
on the head as a picture emerges of Ravel Morrison in an Arsenal shirt. The
21 year old – currently involved in a Manchester court case which saw him
make an appearance today – has plenty of form for attracting attention. But
on a day like today this picture may just be a step too far after he
appeared to be pictured in a Chelsea shirt on Twitter a few weeks ago. Matt
tweeted: "Ravel Morrison has admitted before that he is an Arsenal fan. But
not sure now is the right time to wear their shirt." To be honest this Ravel
stuff really is becoming more than a little tedious.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Cottee: Injury excuses don't wash anymore
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 7, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Tony Cottee believes he is speaking for all Hammers fans when he says:
"Let's hear no more moaning and groaning about injuries." The former striker
has been discussing the upcoming season with Claretandhugh during this week
and has covered the two-up system he wants to see and the pre-season so far.
He believes that once he has everyone fit – ahead of Andy Carroll's return –
the front line will see Enner Valencia playing off Carlton Cole. And he
believes that can be effective with Mauro Zarate appearing as an impact sub
when things need to be changed. But he believes the fans have tired – as he
has – of the injuries excuse which has been a feature of Upton Park life
last season and this so far. He said It's ridiculous to keep on about
it…injuries have been part of the game to 50 to 100 years – you deal with
it. It's as simple as that. "Too often we have heard it trotted out and it's
just not good enough – nor can it be used an excuse. "That's why you have a
squad of 25 players. We accept it's disappointing but it's not on to keep
using it as an excuse for failure."
He believes the pressure is now on every pressure position – including the
captain's. He said: "Kev is a good skipper on and off the pitch but his game
has to be more consistent and he has to be scoring goals. "If that's not
happening many will be wondering how he can keep his place with Zarate in
the squad given his game is so similar."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham agree £3.5million fee to sign Metz striker Diafra Sakho
Frontman named best player in Ligue 2 last season
By SIMON JONES
PUBLISHED: 21:58, 7 August 2014 | UPDATED: 22:02, 7 August 2014
Daily Mail
West Ham have agreed a surprise £3.5million deal for Metz's Senegalese
striker Diafra Sakho. Newcastle and Wigan had also been watching the
24-year-old who helped Metz gain promotion last season before declaring his
intent to leave. Sakho has scored 19 and 20 goals in the last two seasons
with Metz in the French second division. Sakho was also named the best
player in the French Ligue 2 last season. Agent Willie Mckay said: 'The fee
is agreed between the clubs but Diafra is yet to agree personal terms. He is
keen to come to England.' The move comes as a boost for the Hammers with
record signing Andy Carroll out of action for four months following surgery
on his ankle.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ravel Morrison pictured wearing Arsenal shirt - but West Ham midfielder is
quick to reiterate his love for the Hammers with a message on Twitter
The 21-year-old admitted he is an Arsenal fan ahead of a West Ham match
against their rivals Tottenham last year
West Ham midfielder posted an Instagram picture of him in the Gunners' new
Puma home shirt, with the Premier League season just over a week away
Morrison quickly tweeted a message afterwards saying he loved West Ham and
the way they have stood by him
Hammers kick off their league campaign against Tottenham on August 16
Sam Allardyce's side face Arsenal midway through season on December 28
Morrison was granted bail this week ahead of an appearance at Manchester
Crown Court for an alleged assault of his ex-girlfriend and her mother
By CHARLIE SCOTT
PUBLISHED: 21:59, 7 August 2014 | UPDATED: 22:05, 7 August 2014
Daily Mail
Ravel Morrison has risked the wrath of West Ham supporters after the
controversial midfielder posted a picture of himself on Instagram wearing an
Arsenal shirt. But he was quick to tweet a message to calm any irate Hammers
fans, insisting he loves his current club and the manner in which they have
stood by him. He wrote: 'West Ham is I'm [sic] my (heart) Love the Club and
the way the have stood by me.' The 21-year-old was in Manchester Magistrates
Court on Thursday where he was facing charges for two counts of common
assault after allegedly attacking his former girlfriend. The court heard
that the England Under 21 international threatened to throw acid in Reah
Mansoor's face and blow up her house in a course of harassment. Morrison,
who spoke only to confirm his name, age and address, sat in the dock at the
court for the brief hearing as the harassment allegation was also added to
the charges. District Judge Khalid Qureshi bailed Morrison to appear at
Manchester Crown Court for a preliminary hearing on August 28. His bail
conditions are that he lives in Canary Wharf, London, does not contact
directly or indirectly the two women complainants, does not go on to the
street where they live, and does not enter the Greater Manchester area
except for a court appearance, to see his lawyers or to visit for a West Ham
game in the area and to return to London immediately after the match. But
hours after his court appearance, Morrison uploaded an image on the social
media site wearing the kit of the Hammers London rivals seating in the
driver's seat of a Ferrari sports car. Morrison, who joined West Ham from
Manchester United for £650,000 in January 2012, has admitted before that he
is a Gunners supporter. But with his future at Upton Park uncertain, Hammers
fans are unlikely to favour his choice of clothing ahead of the start of the
new season. The Hammers face Arsenal later this season on December 28. But
Morrison, who underwent minor groin surgery last month, is unlikely to
feature at all in West Ham's first Premier League match of the season is
against Tottenham on August 16.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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Friday, August 8
Thursday, August 7
Daily WHUFC News - 7th August 2014
Lee treble defeats Woking
WHUFC.com
Elliot Lee's hat-trick gave the Development Squad a 3-2 victory over Woking
on Tuesday night
06.08.2014
Elliot Lee's rich vein of pre-season form continued on Tuesday as his hat
trick fired the Development Squad to a 3-2 victory over Vanarama Conference
Premier side Woking. Lee sealed his treble in the final minute to edge a
topsy-turvy match and help the U21s bounce back from defeat to Newport
County last time out. The Hammers started superbly and were 2-0 up by the
18th minute. Lee's first came with 14 on the clock as he pounced on
goalkeeper Aaron Howe's fumble to crash home. Four minutes later it was two
as Matthias Fanimo fed Blair Turgott, who crossed for Lee to finish again.
West Ham held their advantage until the closing stages, when Woking
threatened to turn the game on its head with two goals in as many minutes.
Home trialist Dean Morgan was the man to do the damage, first curling into
the top corner with his left foot, then neatly slotting past Sam Howes after
Woking regained possession from kick-off. West Ham were not done yet,
however, and with just 60 seconds remaining, Lee notched a fine solo effort,
picking up possession in midfield and eventually round Howe to score his
third of the game and ninth of pre-season.
West Ham United: Howes, Westley, Onariase (Makasi 71), Harney, Mavila,
Cullen, Bywater, Turgott, Fanimo (Powell 68), Sadlier (Gordon 78), Lee
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Cole feeling pre-season benefit
WHUFC.com
Carlton Cole is feeling stronger with every passing day in pre-season
06.08.2014
Carlton Cole is feeling sharper by the day as the start of the 2014/15
season closes in. The striker had a useful 80-minute run out in Saturday's
penalties victory over Schalke 04 and feels ready to make his mark in the
Barclays Premier League again. Having missed out on pre-season last year, he
is reaping the benefits of being able to hit the ground running this time
around. "It was great conditioning for me on Saturday," he explained. "I
needed those minutes under my belt, and we also needed to up the tempo
because Schalke are a Champions League team and we gave a good account of
ourselves. "I played 80 minutes and hopefully I'll get a 90 before it all
starts in twe weeks. We were chuffed with the penalties, we haven't been
practising them but we beat Germans on penalties! For Cole himself, he is
looking to step into Andy Carroll's shoes with a pre-season ankle injury
sidelining the big No9 for four months. He is looking forward to fighting
with new arrivals Enner Valencia and Mauro Zarate for a starting berth He
added: "When Andy was out last year, I felt I did a good job in that period
of time, so I know I can do that. It's not a problem for me, it's just about
getting fit. "I have a great opportunity to get fit and get the games under
my belt so I can start the season well. "We've got competition for places
and that's what going's to spur me on to even do better."
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Boleyn Ground immortalised
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 6th August 2014
By: Andy Robinson
The Boleyn Ground is to be immortalised for the first time in the FIFA video
game series - just two years before the real-life stadium is set to be
redeveloped into housing. As part of a renewed licensing agreement with the
Premier League, FIFA 15 creator EA Sports will include all 20 team stadia,
with attention to detail extending to "authentic" fan chants and animated
advertising boards. The company was given access to the Boleyn in order to
build a realistic recreation, it said, which includes capture of the
'ambience' of the ground during match days. The club's famous anthem,
'Bubbles', was added to the game last year. Beyond the 15/16 season, when
the ground is set to be redeveloped into a number of new homes and retail
facilities, the virtual Boleyn will represent fans' only option to revisit
the stadium as they remember it. In addition to new stadia, the FIFA 15
development team claims to have scanned the players of every Barclays
Premier League club to capture their likeness, with over 200 new player
heads promised for FIFA 15. Game-playing West Ham United fans in particular
stand to benefit from the deal, as the club was previously lumped in the
generic 'Forest Park' arena, with a squad of players which often looked
nothing like their real-life counterparts.
FIFA 15 will release on September 26 in the UK on PC, Xbox One and the
PlayStation 4. FIFA 15 will also release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3,
Wii, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita, although it's not yet clear if these
versions will include the stadia and Premier League updates.
* Did you know? KUMB.com can be heard in the 2010 edition of the world's
best-selling football game. Game announcer Jeremy Nicholas gave us a mention
as one of his 'extra' lines of commentary in that year's edition.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Mark Noble hoping to enjoy his football at West Ham in 2014/15
Last Updated: 06/08/14 8:46am
SSN
Mark Noble is hoping to see the fun factor return to West Ham United in
2014/15 and a few more fresh faces drafted in. The midfielder admits last
season was testing for all concerned at Upton Park, with long periods spent
looking over their shoulder. A relegation scrap was eventually avoided, with
the club finishing in 13th place. There is, however, plenty of room for
improvement as Sam Allardyce looks to win over his doubters and West Ham aim
to push on into the top 10.
Money has been spent over the summer in an effort to bring about a reversal
in fortune, and Noble hopes that investment will help to lift the mood
around the camp. He said: "I only enjoyed about two months of last season.
We were in the bottom three and then put a few results together. "From 10th
downwards everyone was in a scrap and that's definitely not where we want to
be."
The likes of Enner Valencia and Aaron Cresswell have been added to the ranks
ahead of a Premier League opener against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on
August 16, but Noble feels more additions could be made before the summer
window closes on September 1. He added: "The boss will be doing his best to
get another couple of players in so we can enjoy it this time. "We can try
to produce a more entertaining side – but winning games is entertainment
enough. "If you don't win games then you get relegated. It really is just as
simple as that for us."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
LET'S ALL SING FOR CARLTON COLE - ALWAYS BELIEVING...
By Iain Dale 6 Aug 2014 at 17:00
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Neil Clack
He sneaked in under the radar back in the summer of 06. West Ham had just
thrilled the nation in the most exciting Cup final for years, and now
popular manager Alan Pardew, dressed in Gucchi, explained during a close
season fan forum that he had signed a 5th striker to cover for the
inevitable accumulation of games that the forthcoming UEFA Cup run would
bring. Pardew left that evening to a roaring round of applause before
driving away in a red Ferrari.
A couple of weeks later, and that 5th striker became an even more low-key
figure at the club as West Ham pulled off the most sensational deal in their
history, Tevez and Mascherano. The 5th striker was now 6th choice, hardly
likely to get a game, unlikely to have even been signed had it been known at
the beginning of the summer that Tevez was coming.
But one by one, the 6th striker saw them all off: Record-signing Dean
Ashton, in one of those 'only at West Ham' moments had his ankle smashed at
an England training session that pretty much finished his career. Zamora
struggled with a niggly knee and Sheringham's Zimmer-frame began to limit
him to 15 minute cameos. Harewood, indicative of Pardew's West Ham as a
whole, simply lost all form and confidence on the pitch, while charading as
a painter and decorator in an off the pitch affair. As for Tevez, well, a
whole book could be written about his time at West Ham (lawyers permitting),
but, in a nutshell, what seemed too good to be true at the time, turned out
to be exactly that.
So, one year on from signing on as a fringe player, and now with Alan
Curbishly in charge, Carlton Cole emerged as the club's main striker – and
that's the way it's been for the last 8 years! Others strikers have come and
gone, threatening Carlton's position, but he's seen them all off: Dean
Ashton, Teddy Sheringham, Carlos Tevez, Craig Bellamy, Bobby Zamora, Benni
McCarthy, Robbie Keane, Marlon Harewood, Kepa Blanco, Mido, David Di
Michele, Diego Tristan, Guillermo Franco, Ilan, Piquionne, Obinna, Demba Ba,
Jon Carew, Sam Baldock, Nicky Maynard, and Maiga.
Having dealt with that little lot, the arrival of the 15 million pound
manager's favourite Andy Carroll last summer must have seen like child's
play for Carlton. Even with the indignity of not having his contract
renewed, having no offers from other clubs, and getting out of shape due to
no proper training, come March-time and Carlton was back roaming his natural
habitat, the final third of the Upton Park pitch, surrounded by three
defenders, with no team-mate within 25 metres.
Zarate? Valencia? A possible Eto'o or Connor Wickham? – it's all pointless
kidding yourselves… Carlton Cole will be the striker who once again plays
the most games for West Ham this season. It's written in the stars and
there's nothing anyone can do about it; a little-known Premier League rule
that states West Ham must play Carlton Cole – I think it stems from part of
the Judges ruling on the Tevez punishment?
Tactically, it was Claudio Ranieri at Chelea, followed by Jose Mourinho, who
first introduced the Premier League to the concept of playing with a lone
striker – the tall all-rounder, who disrupts defences with height, power,
and speed, setting up chances for on-rushing midfielders, as well as being a
clinical finisher himself, and they saw in the teenage Carlton Cole, a
natural heir to Torre Andre Flo and Didier Drogba. At Liverpool, Rafa
Benítez also introduced his versión of 4-5-1 when he signed Diego Torres,
and the style then became fashionable throughout the Premier League – Peter
Crouch, Kenwyne Jones, Adebayour, and not least Kevin Davies under Sam
Allardyce at Bolton. Michael Owen said a couple of years ago that he was
glad he was at his peak in the previous era as there were scant
opportunities for his type now. No doubt Tony Cottee and Gary Lineker were
thinking the same.
And that's probably one of the reasons, Carlton infuriates a lot of West Ham
fans; he is at the fulcrum of a style of play that is far removed from the
Greenwood/Lyall template. Those two highly-influential managers were at the
club so long that we can refer to the Greenwood or Lyall eras and fans would
know exactly what we are talking about in terms of style of play, but since
then, no manager has lasted long enough to truly define their period in the
dugout as an 'era'. Redknapp was there for seven seasons (nine if you
include his time as assistant to Billy Bonds), so perhaps that time could be
called 'The Redknapp Years', but it could be argued that Bonds and Redknapp,
having both received their formative coaching under Greenwood and Lyall,
were a continuation, or at least a modern versión, of the same
Greenwood/Lyall eras, tactically speaking, if not in personality.
Managers have come and gone so quickly since Redknapp, and, outside of that
one-cracking season under Pardew, the only real consistency and continuity
at the club has been the sight of Carlton Cole toiling away on his own
up-front, often isolated from the rest of his team. He, more than anyone,
represents the style of play of the last decade, an era as far removed from
the old Greenwood/ Lyall model as you can get.
However, during a very brief period under Zola/Clarke – I'd say it lasted
about 6 weeks at best – from the end of Jan 2009 to the beginning of March
2009, we saw a different Carlton; a player with a good first touch and
awareness, showing perhaps why Ranieri and Mourinho had had such high hopes
of him. And while many fans may dig out Carlton for his lack of control and
nous, the irony is that during that brief golden period, he scored one of
the best West Ham goals ever, skilfully and clinically finishing off a
beautiful team move at Wigan. David Di Micheli played no small part in that
move, and I would say it was the best West Ham goal of the last decade. Best
team goal, anyway.
I wonder how significant it is that goal was scored under Zola? Sometimes
you can't help thinking that maybe Carlton is a better player than he
sometimes looks, but that under the tactics of Curbishly, Grant, and
Allardyce, ie. for the majority of his time at West Ham, he's been played so
isolated from the rest of the team and asked to get his head on the end of
hopeful high balls, which perhaps he is not naturally suited to?
Whatever, let's embrace the madness. Don't forget, we are a silly club, the
club that signed Bury's centre-back Paul Hilton, immediately after we beat
them 10-0, the club where Manny Onoyimni came on for 2 minutes without
touching the ball and got our first Cup final appearance for 17 years wiped
out, the club where fatties like Titi Camara and Benni McCarthy get through
the medicals – where Andy Carroll got through the medical despite not being
able to walk properly! – where Haydn Mullins was preferred to Mascherano.
C'mon, if you didn't laugh, you'd cry.
Embrace the madness. The Carlton Cole era has also coincided with the rise
of social media and ranting radio pone-in, and, of course, you can always
rely on West Ham to put their foot in it on that front, whether it's the
owner undermining the manager live on air while the team's away in New
Zealand, a 14 year old tweeting news of new signings before the official
site, or the other accident-prone chairman agreeing with a tweet that calls
for the sacking of BFS, an acronym for 'Big Fat Sam'.
C'mon, let's have a laugh and embrace the madness. All my West Ham
supporting friends – a bunch of 40 somethings (and their kids) from
Upminster, who've all been going since we were kids, tell me how down they
are with West Ham at the moment (and it's not just West Ham, but part of
something bigger I think, a disillusionment with modern football, in
general), and how they won't renew their season tickets this time (but they
all did – I knew they would, ha,ha!), but C'mon, let's just have a laugh
now…
By a process of elimination, Carlton's my favourite player now, and he
should be our cult figure. More than anything this season (well, apart from
avoiding relegation), I want to hear the crowd cheering Carlton. I want to
hear the song, 'Cole – always believe in your soul'. Ok, it was meant for
Joe originally, but he's gone now, and there's a poetic pathos in singing it
now for Carlton.
Another facet of modern football that's arisen during the Carlton Cole era
is the live screening and scrutinising of pre-season friendlies, with all
the in-depth analysis and opinión afforded a proper match. In my opinión,
these pre-season friendlies mean nothing; they're just glorified training
sessions/physical workouts aimed at gradually getting fitness up to peak
level for the first league match. Have a break from West Ham if they get you
down, enjoy the sunny weather and do something different until the season
starts proper. Tottenham at home in two weeks time is the only thing that
matters. And I think we're going to get a result (probably 0-0, but I'd
settle for that),with Carlton leading the line. Most of all, I want the
banter back.
And here's the really silly thing. Carlton Cole will be due a testimonial at
the end of next season, an era defining 10 years. Don't tell me he's out of
contract at the end of this season. He'll be here, don't worry about that.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
ISLAM SLIMANI - A MISSED OPPORTUNITY!
By S J Chandos 6 Aug 2014 at 08:00
West Ham Till I DIe
It is self-evident that a good World Cup campaign can greatly augment a
player's reputation and valuation. We have seen that with the club's signing
of Enner Valencia, a striker who joined his former Mexican club only a year
ago for a modest fee of c.£2.5m. Yet, his stand out performances for Equador
saw that valuation increase to over £12m, a price that West Ham gladly paid
to secure a striker who made a real impact in Brazil. Similiarly, Algeria's
Islam Slimani was available for c.£4m prior to the World Cup, but in the
aftermath of his impressive centre forward displays in Brazil, we are
reliably informed that the asking price has rocketed to £10m!
West Ham's board must be absolutely kicking themselves over letting Slimani
slip through their fingers last January. A bid of £4m would likely have
secured Slimani on a permanent contract. However, it appears that we chose
to pushed for an initial loan deal, with a subsequent option to buy in May.
Sporting Lisbon were not keen on loaning the player and rejected West Ham's
approach, which in turn resulted in our focus shifting to alternative
targets. That is very unfortunate, because Slimani is exactly the type of
player that we would do well to add to the squad. He leads the line very
well, has good technique and is a skillful finisher. Moreover, Slimani is
both mobile and surprisingly pacy. In short, he is ideal competition/cover
for Andy Carroll. Indeed, if Slimani was on board would we be nearly so
concerned over Carroll's current injury absence? A forward line of Slimani,
flanked by Valencia and Downing, with either Zarate or Morrison playing
behind them would certainly pose some problems for the opposition next
season.
Unfortunately, at the moment, it is looking more likely that Slimani will
end up elsewhere in the PL, with both Everton and Newcastle Utd reportedly
interested in acquiring the player. The West Ham board must surely be
reproaching themselves that they did not buy him outright for £4m when they
had the chance. While Sporting Lisbon will make a financial killing as a
consequence of West Ham's former reticence; a clear case of the Portugese
club 'laughing all the way to the bank'!. Basically, we had a march on rival
clubs and did not follow through. And that has to be a cause for regret.
Hopefully, the club's appointment of a new Head of Recruitment, at first
team level, will help ensure that similar mistakes are less likely in
future.
SJ. Chandos
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Venezuelan young striker on trial
Posted by Sean Whetstone on August 6, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
A 15 year old Venezuelan young striker is on trial with the Hammers for 15
days. Aitor López from clu Deportivo La Guaira was an un-used sub in the
West Ham XI v Woking FC match on Tuesday night. Speaking to the Venezuelan
media Lopez said "It's a very big chance they are giving me. I must know how
to take advantage of it and not waste it. I've arrived in London well
thanks to the work of West Ham. I feel well physically & I'm very excited to
give it everything" Lopez's 15 day trial started on Saturday 2nd August.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Elliot looks like a young Cottee
Posted by Sean Whetstone on August 6, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Last night I was at Kingfield Stadium in Surrey to watch a West Ham United
XI take on Woking FC in a pre season friendly. I was there to see Elliot
Lee, knowing he had already managed six goals – three doubles in his pre
season campaign – and I must say he didn't disappoint for my £8 entrance
fee. The Irons Development team worked hard all night and deserved the 3-2
win but the star of the show was undoubtedly Elliot. We were two nil up
after 18 minutes. Lee's first on 14 minutes came from a mistake from their
goal keeper Howe and the second came on 18 minutes from an assist from Blair
Turgott who also had a great game The game went a bit stale after that until
Woking equalised in the 82nd minute after Woking Trialist Dean Morgan two
in two minutes. Step forward the man of the hour Elliot Lee in 89th minute
with a solo effort to get his hat trick and ninth goal of the pre season. I
must say Ellior Lee reminds me of a young Tony Cottee. He knows where the
goal is and his confidence is sky high. Sure it is a massive jump to the
Premier League but what have we got to lose? He could ne just the surprise
striker we are looking for instead of spending tens of thousands per week on
a has been. Give the kid a chance in the first team and lets see what he can
do!
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Irons make their Crouch decision
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 6, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham have dropped their interest in Peter Crouch after being quoted
"crazy figures" to sign the 33 year old. Given Sam Allardyce's brand of
football, Crouch was clearly an option but the Hammers have turned their
back on a possible deal given the figures in the frame. Stoke City boss Mark
Hughes had made it clear he didn't want to lose the player as reported on
ClaretandHugh earlier today. But we can now reveal that the Potteries club
wanted between £4-5 million for a 33 years old player who would have no sell
on value at the end of a two year deal. A source told us: The wages were
also crazy with the whole deal working out around £7 million. It made no
sense "The club could somebody tomorrow but whoever they get is going to be
a risk."
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WHUFC.com
Elliot Lee's hat-trick gave the Development Squad a 3-2 victory over Woking
on Tuesday night
06.08.2014
Elliot Lee's rich vein of pre-season form continued on Tuesday as his hat
trick fired the Development Squad to a 3-2 victory over Vanarama Conference
Premier side Woking. Lee sealed his treble in the final minute to edge a
topsy-turvy match and help the U21s bounce back from defeat to Newport
County last time out. The Hammers started superbly and were 2-0 up by the
18th minute. Lee's first came with 14 on the clock as he pounced on
goalkeeper Aaron Howe's fumble to crash home. Four minutes later it was two
as Matthias Fanimo fed Blair Turgott, who crossed for Lee to finish again.
West Ham held their advantage until the closing stages, when Woking
threatened to turn the game on its head with two goals in as many minutes.
Home trialist Dean Morgan was the man to do the damage, first curling into
the top corner with his left foot, then neatly slotting past Sam Howes after
Woking regained possession from kick-off. West Ham were not done yet,
however, and with just 60 seconds remaining, Lee notched a fine solo effort,
picking up possession in midfield and eventually round Howe to score his
third of the game and ninth of pre-season.
West Ham United: Howes, Westley, Onariase (Makasi 71), Harney, Mavila,
Cullen, Bywater, Turgott, Fanimo (Powell 68), Sadlier (Gordon 78), Lee
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Cole feeling pre-season benefit
WHUFC.com
Carlton Cole is feeling stronger with every passing day in pre-season
06.08.2014
Carlton Cole is feeling sharper by the day as the start of the 2014/15
season closes in. The striker had a useful 80-minute run out in Saturday's
penalties victory over Schalke 04 and feels ready to make his mark in the
Barclays Premier League again. Having missed out on pre-season last year, he
is reaping the benefits of being able to hit the ground running this time
around. "It was great conditioning for me on Saturday," he explained. "I
needed those minutes under my belt, and we also needed to up the tempo
because Schalke are a Champions League team and we gave a good account of
ourselves. "I played 80 minutes and hopefully I'll get a 90 before it all
starts in twe weeks. We were chuffed with the penalties, we haven't been
practising them but we beat Germans on penalties! For Cole himself, he is
looking to step into Andy Carroll's shoes with a pre-season ankle injury
sidelining the big No9 for four months. He is looking forward to fighting
with new arrivals Enner Valencia and Mauro Zarate for a starting berth He
added: "When Andy was out last year, I felt I did a good job in that period
of time, so I know I can do that. It's not a problem for me, it's just about
getting fit. "I have a great opportunity to get fit and get the games under
my belt so I can start the season well. "We've got competition for places
and that's what going's to spur me on to even do better."
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Boleyn Ground immortalised
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 6th August 2014
By: Andy Robinson
The Boleyn Ground is to be immortalised for the first time in the FIFA video
game series - just two years before the real-life stadium is set to be
redeveloped into housing. As part of a renewed licensing agreement with the
Premier League, FIFA 15 creator EA Sports will include all 20 team stadia,
with attention to detail extending to "authentic" fan chants and animated
advertising boards. The company was given access to the Boleyn in order to
build a realistic recreation, it said, which includes capture of the
'ambience' of the ground during match days. The club's famous anthem,
'Bubbles', was added to the game last year. Beyond the 15/16 season, when
the ground is set to be redeveloped into a number of new homes and retail
facilities, the virtual Boleyn will represent fans' only option to revisit
the stadium as they remember it. In addition to new stadia, the FIFA 15
development team claims to have scanned the players of every Barclays
Premier League club to capture their likeness, with over 200 new player
heads promised for FIFA 15. Game-playing West Ham United fans in particular
stand to benefit from the deal, as the club was previously lumped in the
generic 'Forest Park' arena, with a squad of players which often looked
nothing like their real-life counterparts.
FIFA 15 will release on September 26 in the UK on PC, Xbox One and the
PlayStation 4. FIFA 15 will also release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3,
Wii, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita, although it's not yet clear if these
versions will include the stadia and Premier League updates.
* Did you know? KUMB.com can be heard in the 2010 edition of the world's
best-selling football game. Game announcer Jeremy Nicholas gave us a mention
as one of his 'extra' lines of commentary in that year's edition.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Mark Noble hoping to enjoy his football at West Ham in 2014/15
Last Updated: 06/08/14 8:46am
SSN
Mark Noble is hoping to see the fun factor return to West Ham United in
2014/15 and a few more fresh faces drafted in. The midfielder admits last
season was testing for all concerned at Upton Park, with long periods spent
looking over their shoulder. A relegation scrap was eventually avoided, with
the club finishing in 13th place. There is, however, plenty of room for
improvement as Sam Allardyce looks to win over his doubters and West Ham aim
to push on into the top 10.
Money has been spent over the summer in an effort to bring about a reversal
in fortune, and Noble hopes that investment will help to lift the mood
around the camp. He said: "I only enjoyed about two months of last season.
We were in the bottom three and then put a few results together. "From 10th
downwards everyone was in a scrap and that's definitely not where we want to
be."
The likes of Enner Valencia and Aaron Cresswell have been added to the ranks
ahead of a Premier League opener against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on
August 16, but Noble feels more additions could be made before the summer
window closes on September 1. He added: "The boss will be doing his best to
get another couple of players in so we can enjoy it this time. "We can try
to produce a more entertaining side – but winning games is entertainment
enough. "If you don't win games then you get relegated. It really is just as
simple as that for us."
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LET'S ALL SING FOR CARLTON COLE - ALWAYS BELIEVING...
By Iain Dale 6 Aug 2014 at 17:00
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Neil Clack
He sneaked in under the radar back in the summer of 06. West Ham had just
thrilled the nation in the most exciting Cup final for years, and now
popular manager Alan Pardew, dressed in Gucchi, explained during a close
season fan forum that he had signed a 5th striker to cover for the
inevitable accumulation of games that the forthcoming UEFA Cup run would
bring. Pardew left that evening to a roaring round of applause before
driving away in a red Ferrari.
A couple of weeks later, and that 5th striker became an even more low-key
figure at the club as West Ham pulled off the most sensational deal in their
history, Tevez and Mascherano. The 5th striker was now 6th choice, hardly
likely to get a game, unlikely to have even been signed had it been known at
the beginning of the summer that Tevez was coming.
But one by one, the 6th striker saw them all off: Record-signing Dean
Ashton, in one of those 'only at West Ham' moments had his ankle smashed at
an England training session that pretty much finished his career. Zamora
struggled with a niggly knee and Sheringham's Zimmer-frame began to limit
him to 15 minute cameos. Harewood, indicative of Pardew's West Ham as a
whole, simply lost all form and confidence on the pitch, while charading as
a painter and decorator in an off the pitch affair. As for Tevez, well, a
whole book could be written about his time at West Ham (lawyers permitting),
but, in a nutshell, what seemed too good to be true at the time, turned out
to be exactly that.
So, one year on from signing on as a fringe player, and now with Alan
Curbishly in charge, Carlton Cole emerged as the club's main striker – and
that's the way it's been for the last 8 years! Others strikers have come and
gone, threatening Carlton's position, but he's seen them all off: Dean
Ashton, Teddy Sheringham, Carlos Tevez, Craig Bellamy, Bobby Zamora, Benni
McCarthy, Robbie Keane, Marlon Harewood, Kepa Blanco, Mido, David Di
Michele, Diego Tristan, Guillermo Franco, Ilan, Piquionne, Obinna, Demba Ba,
Jon Carew, Sam Baldock, Nicky Maynard, and Maiga.
Having dealt with that little lot, the arrival of the 15 million pound
manager's favourite Andy Carroll last summer must have seen like child's
play for Carlton. Even with the indignity of not having his contract
renewed, having no offers from other clubs, and getting out of shape due to
no proper training, come March-time and Carlton was back roaming his natural
habitat, the final third of the Upton Park pitch, surrounded by three
defenders, with no team-mate within 25 metres.
Zarate? Valencia? A possible Eto'o or Connor Wickham? – it's all pointless
kidding yourselves… Carlton Cole will be the striker who once again plays
the most games for West Ham this season. It's written in the stars and
there's nothing anyone can do about it; a little-known Premier League rule
that states West Ham must play Carlton Cole – I think it stems from part of
the Judges ruling on the Tevez punishment?
Tactically, it was Claudio Ranieri at Chelea, followed by Jose Mourinho, who
first introduced the Premier League to the concept of playing with a lone
striker – the tall all-rounder, who disrupts defences with height, power,
and speed, setting up chances for on-rushing midfielders, as well as being a
clinical finisher himself, and they saw in the teenage Carlton Cole, a
natural heir to Torre Andre Flo and Didier Drogba. At Liverpool, Rafa
Benítez also introduced his versión of 4-5-1 when he signed Diego Torres,
and the style then became fashionable throughout the Premier League – Peter
Crouch, Kenwyne Jones, Adebayour, and not least Kevin Davies under Sam
Allardyce at Bolton. Michael Owen said a couple of years ago that he was
glad he was at his peak in the previous era as there were scant
opportunities for his type now. No doubt Tony Cottee and Gary Lineker were
thinking the same.
And that's probably one of the reasons, Carlton infuriates a lot of West Ham
fans; he is at the fulcrum of a style of play that is far removed from the
Greenwood/Lyall template. Those two highly-influential managers were at the
club so long that we can refer to the Greenwood or Lyall eras and fans would
know exactly what we are talking about in terms of style of play, but since
then, no manager has lasted long enough to truly define their period in the
dugout as an 'era'. Redknapp was there for seven seasons (nine if you
include his time as assistant to Billy Bonds), so perhaps that time could be
called 'The Redknapp Years', but it could be argued that Bonds and Redknapp,
having both received their formative coaching under Greenwood and Lyall,
were a continuation, or at least a modern versión, of the same
Greenwood/Lyall eras, tactically speaking, if not in personality.
Managers have come and gone so quickly since Redknapp, and, outside of that
one-cracking season under Pardew, the only real consistency and continuity
at the club has been the sight of Carlton Cole toiling away on his own
up-front, often isolated from the rest of his team. He, more than anyone,
represents the style of play of the last decade, an era as far removed from
the old Greenwood/ Lyall model as you can get.
However, during a very brief period under Zola/Clarke – I'd say it lasted
about 6 weeks at best – from the end of Jan 2009 to the beginning of March
2009, we saw a different Carlton; a player with a good first touch and
awareness, showing perhaps why Ranieri and Mourinho had had such high hopes
of him. And while many fans may dig out Carlton for his lack of control and
nous, the irony is that during that brief golden period, he scored one of
the best West Ham goals ever, skilfully and clinically finishing off a
beautiful team move at Wigan. David Di Micheli played no small part in that
move, and I would say it was the best West Ham goal of the last decade. Best
team goal, anyway.
I wonder how significant it is that goal was scored under Zola? Sometimes
you can't help thinking that maybe Carlton is a better player than he
sometimes looks, but that under the tactics of Curbishly, Grant, and
Allardyce, ie. for the majority of his time at West Ham, he's been played so
isolated from the rest of the team and asked to get his head on the end of
hopeful high balls, which perhaps he is not naturally suited to?
Whatever, let's embrace the madness. Don't forget, we are a silly club, the
club that signed Bury's centre-back Paul Hilton, immediately after we beat
them 10-0, the club where Manny Onoyimni came on for 2 minutes without
touching the ball and got our first Cup final appearance for 17 years wiped
out, the club where fatties like Titi Camara and Benni McCarthy get through
the medicals – where Andy Carroll got through the medical despite not being
able to walk properly! – where Haydn Mullins was preferred to Mascherano.
C'mon, if you didn't laugh, you'd cry.
Embrace the madness. The Carlton Cole era has also coincided with the rise
of social media and ranting radio pone-in, and, of course, you can always
rely on West Ham to put their foot in it on that front, whether it's the
owner undermining the manager live on air while the team's away in New
Zealand, a 14 year old tweeting news of new signings before the official
site, or the other accident-prone chairman agreeing with a tweet that calls
for the sacking of BFS, an acronym for 'Big Fat Sam'.
C'mon, let's have a laugh and embrace the madness. All my West Ham
supporting friends – a bunch of 40 somethings (and their kids) from
Upminster, who've all been going since we were kids, tell me how down they
are with West Ham at the moment (and it's not just West Ham, but part of
something bigger I think, a disillusionment with modern football, in
general), and how they won't renew their season tickets this time (but they
all did – I knew they would, ha,ha!), but C'mon, let's just have a laugh
now…
By a process of elimination, Carlton's my favourite player now, and he
should be our cult figure. More than anything this season (well, apart from
avoiding relegation), I want to hear the crowd cheering Carlton. I want to
hear the song, 'Cole – always believe in your soul'. Ok, it was meant for
Joe originally, but he's gone now, and there's a poetic pathos in singing it
now for Carlton.
Another facet of modern football that's arisen during the Carlton Cole era
is the live screening and scrutinising of pre-season friendlies, with all
the in-depth analysis and opinión afforded a proper match. In my opinión,
these pre-season friendlies mean nothing; they're just glorified training
sessions/physical workouts aimed at gradually getting fitness up to peak
level for the first league match. Have a break from West Ham if they get you
down, enjoy the sunny weather and do something different until the season
starts proper. Tottenham at home in two weeks time is the only thing that
matters. And I think we're going to get a result (probably 0-0, but I'd
settle for that),with Carlton leading the line. Most of all, I want the
banter back.
And here's the really silly thing. Carlton Cole will be due a testimonial at
the end of next season, an era defining 10 years. Don't tell me he's out of
contract at the end of this season. He'll be here, don't worry about that.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
ISLAM SLIMANI - A MISSED OPPORTUNITY!
By S J Chandos 6 Aug 2014 at 08:00
West Ham Till I DIe
It is self-evident that a good World Cup campaign can greatly augment a
player's reputation and valuation. We have seen that with the club's signing
of Enner Valencia, a striker who joined his former Mexican club only a year
ago for a modest fee of c.£2.5m. Yet, his stand out performances for Equador
saw that valuation increase to over £12m, a price that West Ham gladly paid
to secure a striker who made a real impact in Brazil. Similiarly, Algeria's
Islam Slimani was available for c.£4m prior to the World Cup, but in the
aftermath of his impressive centre forward displays in Brazil, we are
reliably informed that the asking price has rocketed to £10m!
West Ham's board must be absolutely kicking themselves over letting Slimani
slip through their fingers last January. A bid of £4m would likely have
secured Slimani on a permanent contract. However, it appears that we chose
to pushed for an initial loan deal, with a subsequent option to buy in May.
Sporting Lisbon were not keen on loaning the player and rejected West Ham's
approach, which in turn resulted in our focus shifting to alternative
targets. That is very unfortunate, because Slimani is exactly the type of
player that we would do well to add to the squad. He leads the line very
well, has good technique and is a skillful finisher. Moreover, Slimani is
both mobile and surprisingly pacy. In short, he is ideal competition/cover
for Andy Carroll. Indeed, if Slimani was on board would we be nearly so
concerned over Carroll's current injury absence? A forward line of Slimani,
flanked by Valencia and Downing, with either Zarate or Morrison playing
behind them would certainly pose some problems for the opposition next
season.
Unfortunately, at the moment, it is looking more likely that Slimani will
end up elsewhere in the PL, with both Everton and Newcastle Utd reportedly
interested in acquiring the player. The West Ham board must surely be
reproaching themselves that they did not buy him outright for £4m when they
had the chance. While Sporting Lisbon will make a financial killing as a
consequence of West Ham's former reticence; a clear case of the Portugese
club 'laughing all the way to the bank'!. Basically, we had a march on rival
clubs and did not follow through. And that has to be a cause for regret.
Hopefully, the club's appointment of a new Head of Recruitment, at first
team level, will help ensure that similar mistakes are less likely in
future.
SJ. Chandos
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Venezuelan young striker on trial
Posted by Sean Whetstone on August 6, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
A 15 year old Venezuelan young striker is on trial with the Hammers for 15
days. Aitor López from clu Deportivo La Guaira was an un-used sub in the
West Ham XI v Woking FC match on Tuesday night. Speaking to the Venezuelan
media Lopez said "It's a very big chance they are giving me. I must know how
to take advantage of it and not waste it. I've arrived in London well
thanks to the work of West Ham. I feel well physically & I'm very excited to
give it everything" Lopez's 15 day trial started on Saturday 2nd August.
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Elliot looks like a young Cottee
Posted by Sean Whetstone on August 6, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Last night I was at Kingfield Stadium in Surrey to watch a West Ham United
XI take on Woking FC in a pre season friendly. I was there to see Elliot
Lee, knowing he had already managed six goals – three doubles in his pre
season campaign – and I must say he didn't disappoint for my £8 entrance
fee. The Irons Development team worked hard all night and deserved the 3-2
win but the star of the show was undoubtedly Elliot. We were two nil up
after 18 minutes. Lee's first on 14 minutes came from a mistake from their
goal keeper Howe and the second came on 18 minutes from an assist from Blair
Turgott who also had a great game The game went a bit stale after that until
Woking equalised in the 82nd minute after Woking Trialist Dean Morgan two
in two minutes. Step forward the man of the hour Elliot Lee in 89th minute
with a solo effort to get his hat trick and ninth goal of the pre season. I
must say Ellior Lee reminds me of a young Tony Cottee. He knows where the
goal is and his confidence is sky high. Sure it is a massive jump to the
Premier League but what have we got to lose? He could ne just the surprise
striker we are looking for instead of spending tens of thousands per week on
a has been. Give the kid a chance in the first team and lets see what he can
do!
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Irons make their Crouch decision
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 6, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham have dropped their interest in Peter Crouch after being quoted
"crazy figures" to sign the 33 year old. Given Sam Allardyce's brand of
football, Crouch was clearly an option but the Hammers have turned their
back on a possible deal given the figures in the frame. Stoke City boss Mark
Hughes had made it clear he didn't want to lose the player as reported on
ClaretandHugh earlier today. But we can now reveal that the Potteries club
wanted between £4-5 million for a 33 years old player who would have no sell
on value at the end of a two year deal. A source told us: The wages were
also crazy with the whole deal working out around £7 million. It made no
sense "The club could somebody tomorrow but whoever they get is going to be
a risk."
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Wednesday, August 6
Daily WHUFC News - 6th August 2014
Book your place at the fans' forum
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will hold a fans' forum for Season Ticket Holders at the Circus Tavern on 12 August
05.08.2014
West Ham United are delighted to announce ticketing details for an exclusive free fans' forum for Season Ticket Holders at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet with Hammers boss Sam Allardyce, Hammer of the Year Mark Noble, winger Stewart Downing and summer signing Aaron Cresswell on Tuesday 12 August at 6.30pm. The quartet will be on hand to talk about all manner of Hammers matters, including the Clubs ambitious plans for the 2014/15 season, how the six new signings are settling in at Chadwell Heath, the work Teddy Sheringham is doing on the training pitch and the hopes and targets for the new season.
This first fans' forum of the season will kick-off a regular series of Q&A events throughout the season, keeping fans abreast of all the goings on at the Boleyn Ground. The Q&A session will kick-off at 7pm prompt, and after there will be an informal opportunity for supporters to meet the manager and players, collect autographs and take photos. Limited parking is available on site and a pay bar will be in operation on the evening. Tickets will be allocated on a strictly first come, first served basis at a rate of one per successful applicant. Please note, Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult Season Ticket Holder.
To secure one of the places available for this exclusive event, please call the Ticket Office on 0871 529 1966 - option 3*. The Club will announce, via whufc.com, as and when all spaces are filled. Supporters who have secured tickets for the event can submit questions for consideration by emailing seasonticketholder@westhamunited.co.uk, clearly stating if it is for Sam Allardyce, Mark Noble, Stewart Downing or Aaron Creswell.
If your question is selected we will then come to you on the night so please ensure you remember what you send in! The deadline for submissions is 5pm on Monday 11 August so please make sure your email reaches us by then.
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Blair's buzzing for new season
WHUFC.com
Blair Turgott is ready for Tuesday night's Development Squad game against Newport County
05.08.2014
Blair Turgott says the Development Squad's varied pre-season will stand them in good stead for the challenges that await in the 2014/15 campaign. Nick Haycock's side have gained strong results, playing a mixture of European sides of a similar age to themselves and senior non-league outfits over the summer.
Their latest test takes them to Vanarama Conference Premier side Woking on Tuesday night, with the Young Hammers looking to bounce back from their first defeat of pre-season, having suffered a 3-0 reverse to League Two outfit Newport County on Saturday. Turgott said: "Of course it was tough against Newport, obviously we had a different set of lads out there and a couple of the young boys got a chance. The result wasn't the best, nor what we were looking for but it's definitely another experience gained and everyone can take something from it and that's what pre-season is all about. "It's a different challenge up against senior players, a bit more physical. Their experience comes into play a lot but it's good to play against men. We'll try to reap the benefits from it and hopefully in the season we can become stronger from it. "This pre-season we've played against all different set of age groups and different types of teams and Saturday was probably our toughest test so far. But something that we can all get the benefits from and make us a stronger team in the long run."
Turgott is hoping to gain more minutes on the pitch at Woking, having shrugged off a back injury. He continued: "It's more about getting minutes but it's also good to win, good to get that winning feeling. There's nothing better than winning, no matter what game you play in. We've lost on Saturday, which wasn't the best result, but we can take a lot of the benefits from it. It's been good, we've got some good results, playing against different countries, different philosophies but it's been good. "I've had a back injury, I didn't train that much throughout the week and then I played against Braintree. I was meant to play 45, but I felt alright so I played 60 and it's good to get more minutes on Saturday and hopefully I can push on towards Tuesday night at Woking. I'm feeling better so hopefully I can really kick on from now. "I'm looking forward to the new season. Of course places are up for grabs and Tuesday is another opportunity for us to go out there and show what we're all about."
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Transfer latest
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 5th August 2014
By: Staff Writer
Stoke manager Mark Hughes has denied reports that he is really to sell Peter Crouch to West Ham United. Amidst ludicrous rumours of a £10million bid for a player worth no more than a fifth of that, Hughes said: "It's just speculation. We're looking to build a strong squad and add to the quality we already have. Peter was very much part of that quality last year and we expect him to stay." The 33-year-old former England international joined Stoke in 2011.
* West Ham are keeping tabs on Cagliari striker Mauricio Pinilla, say TMW. The Chile international is prepared to leave Serie A and is keen on a return to the UK. The former Hearts striker, now 30, has represented his country on 30 occasions and featured on three occasions at this summer's World Cup Finals as a late substitute.
* Atletico Madrid striker Leo Baptistao is another on West Ham's hit list, say reports emanating from Spain. The 21-year-old Brazilian - who also holds an Italian passport and plays in the 'Kevin Nolan' role - made 11 appearances in La Liga last season for the European Champions League finalists before joining Real Betis on loan for the second half of the campaign.
* Sunderland are the latest club to be linked with a move for free agent Samuel Eto'o, who was released on a free by Chelsea at the end of last season. Sam Allardyce hinted at the weekend that Eto'o was a player he is keen on, although that doesn't appear to be a view shared in the boardroom.
* Paraguay international Oscar Cardozo is on the verge of joining Turkish club Trabzonspor. The 31-year-old Benfica forward is said to have rejected the opportunity to move to the Premier League, with both West Ham and new boys Leicester City having previously expressed an interest.
* 29-year-old Jimmy Briand has told Sky Sports that he regrets not having tried his luck in the Premier League. Briand, currently available on a free having been released by Olympique Lyonnais said: "I should have come to England a long time ago as I got the opportunities to go there, but I never went and I regret my decision." West Ham are said to be keeping tabs on the 29-year-old Frenchman's status.
* Further discussions with Portuguese striker Hugo Almeida are reported to have been pencilled in for later this week. Another free agent, the 30-year-old was released by Besiktas at the end of his three-year contract with the Turkish club. Preliminary talks between the player's representatives and West Ham have already taken place, according to the Mail.
* Mischievous rumours suggesting that West Ham United captain Kevin Nolan may be a target for Cardiff City have been dismissed.
* Connor Wickham continues to be linked with a move to West Ham, despite no bid yet having been placed. The Hereford-born Sunderland forward, previously of Ipswich, is entering the final year of his contract at the Stadium of Light and Black Cats manager Gus Poyet has already indicated that he will sell the player should a new deal not be agreed.
* Former Hammer Freddie Piquionne is on the verge of joining Ligue 2 side Creteil. A free agent having been released by Portland Timbers, the French striker will team with again with former Hammer Herita Ilunga, should he complete the move. Piquionne made 62 appearances for West Ham between 2010 and 2013, when he was released.
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Hammers back in Europe
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 5th August 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United's development squad will feature in a brand new Premier League European competition this coming season.
The Hammers are one of eight teams selected from England who will be tackling major European competition in the tournament, which will run in conjunction with the 2014/15 Under 21s Premier League campaign.
The 16 teams will be entered into four groups of four, with the winners and runners-up from each of the groups qualifying for the knock-out phases. Additionally, both Sky and BT have indicated they will feature games live on TV.
Nick Hancock's West Ham Utd will be joined in the competition by fellow English teams Chelsea, Fulham, Leicester City, Manchester City, Manchester Utd, Southampton and Sunderland according to the Mail.
The eight European teams entering the tournament are Celtic (Scotland), Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal (Spain), Benfica and FC Porto (Portugal), Borussia Monchengladbach and Schalke (Germany) plus PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands).
West Ham's Under 21s kick off the Under 21 Premier League campaign with a trip to Tottenham on Monday, 18 August, before hosting Southampton at the Boleyn Ground four days later (Friday 22 August).
Dates, times and fixtures for the new format are yet to be released.
West Ham Utd Under 21s: 2014/15 Premier League Fixtures
All games kick-off at 7pm unless otherwise stated.
Mon 18 Aug: Tottenham Hotspur (a)
Fri 22 Aug: Southampton (h)
Fri 12 Sep: Liverpool (h)
Fri 19 Sep: Fulham (a)
Mon 29 Sep: Sunderland (h)
Fri 17 Oct: Manchester City (a)
Fri 24 Oct: Manchester Utd (h)
Wed 5 Nov: Norwich City (a)
Fri 28 Nov: Chelsea (h)
Mon 15 Dec: Everton (a)
Mon 5 Jan: Leicester City (h)
Fri 9 Jan: Tottenham Hotspur (h)
Mon 26 Jan: Southampton (a) 2.30pm
Fri 6 Feb: Fulham (h)
Mon 23 Feb: Liverpool (a)
Mon 9 Mar: Sunderland (a)
Fri 13 Mar: Manchester City (h)
Tue 7 Apr: Manchester Utd (a)
Fri 17 Apr: Norwich City (h)
Sun 3 May: Chelsea (a) 1pm
Fri 8 May: Everton (h)
Mon 18 May: Leicester City (a)
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Premier League plans under-21 league involving English and European clubs
Last Updated: 05/08/14 12:33pm
SSN
The Premier League has unveiled plans for a new under-21 league involving clubs from England and across Europe. The competition, which does not yet have the blessing of UEFA, would include eight under-21 teams from England and eight from other countries, including Scottish champions Celtic. But the Premier League claims the competition would not be a rival to FA chairman Greg Dyke's ambitions for some form of 'B-league' involving top-flight reserve teams.
In May, Dyke's England Commission proposed a B league to operate below League Two which is aimed at giving young players more match experience - something the new Premier League competition also aims to do. Communications director Dan Johnson said the Premier League's proposal had been under consideration for several years and was completely unrelated to Dyke's scheme. "We do believe it would be good for the development of talented young players but it is not an answer to the B league proposal at all. It is something we have wanted to do for a number of years," Johnson said. "We are keen to work with UEFA on what we think is a good development opportunity and there has been a lot of support from clubs on the continent. "Our view is that an under-21 competition with a significant programme of international fixtures at lower age levels is a good opportunity to expose players to this level of competition. "We now need to work with UEFA for their agreement."
The new competition would see 16 clubs split into four groups of four with the top two in each group going through to the knockout stage. Current plans are for the top eight from the Premier League's under-21 development league to take part, although Liverpool have already decided not to take up the chance, allowing West Ham in. Chelsea, Fulham, Leicester, Manchester City, Manchester United, Southampton, Sunderland and West Ham would compete from that league along with Celtic, Athletic Bilbao, Benfica, Borussia Monchengladbach, Schalke, Porto, PSV Eindhoven and Villarreal.
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AM I ALONE IN NOT BEING CONVINCED BY ADRIAN?
By Iain Dale 5 Aug 2014 at 20:32
West Ham Till I Die
Gues Post by Sam Dickeson
It has been obvious to see over the past couple of weeks that more and more West Ham fans are becoming increasingly concerned with the performances of Adrian. I admit myself having watched all of our pre-season games he has hardly filled me with confidence. He seems incapable of holding on to any shots and seems to palm everything back towards his own penalty spot.
It begs the question..
Do we need a new goalkeeper? Big Sam clearly had enough faith in the Spaniard after signing him last year and giving him enough time to settle in to the squad, before handing him his starting spot. Now with the season looming and Adrian in less than sparkling form should we be assessing the situation and looking to make a purchase? Henderson has recently left for Charlton and Jussi isn't the keeper he once was in 2003.
Such options as Ospina (3mil), Vorm (5mil), Ochoa (free) Pantilimon (free) already taken who would be available and seen as decent competition for Adrian? Many rumour mills have suggested Pepe Reina. I don't see the Spaniard prepared to sit on the bench week in week out at Liverpool but also I don't see him being interested in a move to London. I personally think Jack Butland could be worth looking at, he's young and exciting and would really push Adrian. Could even possibly oust him and take his spot?
It's all food for thought, but really does make you think.. Is Adrian really good enough?
Note from Iain – No, Sam, you are not alone in not being convinced…
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WHY I'M DREADING THE SPURS GAME
By Iain Dale 5 Aug 2014 at 17:30
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by IronFish
As the start of a new season draws ever closer, I like most of you, am totally dreading the game at home to Spurs on Saturday 16th August. Let's face it, it has been a terrible pre-season with awful tactics, boring football and even worse luck with injuries. But, it had looked very promising, with our new approach to the transfer window, getting in early bids for Zarate, Kouyate, Cresswell, Poyate, Valencia and then Jenkinson on a loan deal.
Clearly it will take time for new players to fit in with the rest of the squad – will they fit in with Sam's style of play? and does he want them all in the team anyway? These are all the questions that many of us are asking.
The injury to Andy Carroll (yet again) has been terribly unlucky – do we sign a similar style player, in the mould of Crouch or Wickham, or do we go for something different? All will be revealed shortly, I am sure.
But, let me put a slightly different perspective on things…….let me take you all back to the summer of 2010, under the leadership of Avram Grant at that time…………….
16 July: Pablo Barrera signs on a four-year contract, with a one-year option, for a fee of £4 million. He becomes West Ham's second summer signing of 2010.
16 July: Frédéric Piquionne joins West Ham for an undisclosed fee on a three-year contract, becoming West Ham's third summer signing.
28 July: West Ham appoint Željko Petrovi? as assistant manager.8
3 August: Tal Ben Haim joins West Ham on loan from Championship side Portsmouth until January 2011.
5 August: The signing of New Zealand international Winston Reid is completed. Reid signs a three-year contract for £4 million.
24 August: West Ham sell Alessandro Diamanti to Serie A club Brescia for €2.2m.
27 August: Nigerian international Victor Obinna is signed on a season-long loan from Inter.
31 August: Danish international, Lars Jacobsen signs a one-year contract, moving on a free transfer from Blackburn Rovers.
31 August: Belgian goalkeeper Ruud Boffin signs a two-year contract for a nominal fee moving from Dutch side MVV.
We then went on to have a very good pre-season, beating Peterborough 2-1, winning at Monchengladbach and Panathinaikos (2-0 and 1-0 respectively). We beat the mighty MK Dons 2-0, then Ipswich Town 1-0, before drawing at Southend 1-1, with the final pre-season game at Upton Park, drawing 0-0 with Deportivo La Coruna, winning 5-3 on penalties.
Everything in the garden was rosey – new manager, new players and a very good pre-season……..BUT, disaster struck – we only get 4 points from the opening 6 games of the new season, losing to Villa, Bolton, Man Utd and Chelsea, before drawing at Stoke and then beating Spurs 1-0……we then had to wait until the end of November, for our next win, a 3-1 victory against Wigan.
The season was a complete disaster, no leadership, no passion and not many wins under our belts, until we crashed out of the Premiership and were relegated to the Championship…….need I say more, a total disaster.
So, my thoughts fellow Hammers, are that we should wait and see what the new season brings……it's been a summer World Cup and I am guessing not many Premiership teams will be at full strength or at full fitness, so for me I think we have to try and put the poor pre-season behind us. We have many positives, in terms of new players, and I am sure they can find their feet quickly and we can build and develop again to have a fairly successful season.
The spot-light is under Sam more than ever, but I feel we have to give him at least 6 games to show what he can do again. Anything less that 6-8 points in those first half dozen games will probably spell the end of the big man's reign, with Messrs Moyes, Laudrup and Mackay waiting in the wings…….whatever happens, it won't be dull and boring, even if it appears that way on the pitch, it will be West Ham, and I for one am always forever blowing bubbles…….Come on you irons !!
What's your prediction for result and starting line-up for that 1st game of the season?
I'm going for a 1-1 draw and I reckon Sam will opt for the following starting 11:
Adrian…..O'Brien, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell…..Zarate, Kouyate, Noble, Nolan, Downing….C. Cole.
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IS TROY DEENEY WORTH A PUNT?
By S J Chandos 5 Aug 2014 at 13:00
West Ham Till I DIe
The club are currently casting their nets far and wide to secure an additional striker to cover for the injury absence of Andy Carroll. The latest to be linked with us is Connor Wickham of Sunderland, but the media have also recently linked us with a move for Samuel Eto (a free agent), Peter Couch of Stoke City, Gary Hooper of Norwich City and Hugo Almeida (free agent). However, it appears that the alleged excessive personal terms of Eto are ruling him out of the equation; while you have to seriously question whether Hooper is any better than the strikers that we already have in the squad? Almeida might be the best option available to us, but again personal terms could be a major obstacle to closing a deal. Connor Wickham clearly has significant potential and we can probably sign him for the right price (because he is in the final year of his contract), but might we be better advised targeting a more experienced striker? Then there is Peter Crouch who could be an effective short-term option. However, the latest reports suggest that Mark Hughes wishes to retain him at Stoke City. So, unless Hughes changes his position that move also appears a non-starter.
Looking elsewhere, and playing Devil's advocate, what about making a move for Troy Deeney? He has done very well for Watford FC in the Championship, playing in a decidedly average team. In the last two Championship seasons, Deeney has scored a total of 45 goals (25 in 2013-14 and 20 in 2012-13) and has a overall career total of 96 goals in 323 matches. He is 26 years of age, mobile and a decent finisher. At 6 foot tall, he can lead the line, provide a strong physical presence and get on the end of high balls played in to the box. He is also good on the ground, holding up the ball, link-up and bringing others in to play. A number of clubs have been looking at Deeney recently, the latest being QPR and Leicester City. But it appears that they are being put off by the £8m price tag placed on him by Watford FC.
In terms of possible striker reinforcements, I do not think that he would be the first choice of most Hammers fans, but he clearly has ability, is hungary for success and seems to be maturing in to a genuine goal scorer. Even if he pitches in with 10-12 goals in the PL, next season, it would be a useful addition to our underwhelming strike force. If all other striker options lead nowhere, then might Deeney be worth a punt? And that £8m price tag? Go for a part-exchange deal, with Vaz Te moving to Watford FC. After all, they need to replace him and Vaz Te is a proven Championship goal scorer. If you value Vaz Te at £3.5m, that would bring Deeney's fee down to £4.5m, which is a reasonable figure for a Championship striker with the potential to make the step up to PL football.
Is it worth taking a chance on Troy Deeney, as a possible last resort, or should we look elsewhere?
SJ. Chandos.
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LET'S COPY GERMANY AND BRING DOWN THE COST OF SEASONTICKETS AT WEST HAM!
By Iain Dale 5 Aug 2014 at 08:43
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post from DannyUK.com
There was a recent tweet doing the rounds which detailed why a football club in Germany had such low season ticket prices. The tweet was a quote from Uli Hoeness who is president of Bayern Munich – a German team that can rightfully call itself one of the biggest and best in Europe.
Talking about the low cost of their season ticket prices – in particular for a standing season ticket (which we don't have available in the UK) costing just £104 behind the goal, Hoeness said…
"We could charge more than £104, let's say we charged £300. We would get £2m more in income but what is £2m to us? In a transfer discussion you argue about that sum for five minutes but the difference between £104 and £300 is huge for the fan. We don't think that the fans are like cows who you milk. Football has got to be for everybody and that is the biggest difference between us and England."
The quote has got the UK football community talking, and it made me think how it would affect my own club, West Ham. West Ham are – as they will tell everyone and anyone at any given opportunity – a club in debt. The present owners took over a few years ago and vowed to get £100m worth of debt (well, £100m give or take a few million) down over the next few years. To their credit, they have started doing this successfully, while still breaking the club transfer record more than once. In the 2013 accounts the net debt figure for the end of the year was quoted at £77.4m. I should note that all figures hereon in are taken from the same accounts which can be found online here.
However, let's do some maths here. The lowest price Season Ticket at Upton Park is £640. The highest, £910. Obviously we are only talking about adult ticket prices here.
The ground currently holds 36,000 supporters, and is generally a sell out for the majority of games.
West Ham have mentioned in the past that they have 20,000 season ticket holders However the official 2013 accounts show "season ticket and other receipts in advance" brought in £8.5m, which is the figure I will work on.
This season the lowest price season ticket at Upton Park will cost £640, and the highest £910.
My initial thought was that if the cost of these tickets were halved, it would mean that the season tickets would cost between £320 and £455 each – An absolutely vast saving. Naturally this would result in a loss of revenue for the club of around £4.25m.
The club's response to this would be no doubt to restate how much in debt the club currently are. It's interesting to point out that the shareholders (of whom David Sullivan is the sole majority shareholder, and David Gold holds the second highest amount) currently receive £2.3m per year on interest payable from loans.
Now I'm not denying the good that the two Davids have done for the club. I am firmly in the "they are good for West Ham" camp, which I know is the opposite to many fans. I'd be inclined to suggest that if they are in it for the love of the club though – which is another oft-spoken line – are they not able to provide the loans interest free?
I appreciate that the value of the loans (£45.7m) is huge, and that they would be able to make a profit elsewhere had they invested the money wisely. My issue is that they keep saying they aren't in it for the money. That £2.3m per year – if knocked off the price of season ticket prices – could reduce prices down to £397 for the lowest and £565 for the highest.
Although that's not the half-price that I initially thought about, it still makes the season tickets much more affordable to fans. This in turn grows the fan base and protects the long term future of the club.
If you want to look elsewhere for savings, consider that the directors are receiving almost £2m per year, which isn't part of a total of £49.2m paid out in wages and salary. A further £1.36m went towards Olympic Stadium project costs, which you can argue will either not be ongoing, or will be swallowed up by the increase in revenue of taking over the stadium.
This is without touching on the massive Sky sponsorship that comes in. £51.8m was the figure quoted under "Broadcast and central sponsorship deals" – a figure that is set to rise when the new round of Sky sponsorship begins.
I know that this article may come across as a little bit of board-bashing, but it's really not meant to. As I've already said, Gold and Sullivan took the club on when we were extremely down on our luck, and have done extremely well to keep us alive, much less begin to turn the tide.
I'd love to see them turn around and write off interest on loans, and reinvest that money into reduced season ticket costs. I dare say that they could afford to do that whereas the average fan will struggle to pay out the high costs of the tickets.
However, I would much rather see the money diverted away from players and agents to be put towards ticket prices. This would involve a massive undertaking by all professional clubs and the FA. No one club could choose to restrict the wages they offer without running the risk of losing out on players to a team that hasn't taken up that remit.
Financial Fair Play offers a step in the right direction, though already people are questioning how well that will succeed.
In the meantime I'll use this as an open letter to the board. I apologise if my sums are wrong or my assumptions are incorrect. I'm not an accountant and there will be hundreds if not thousands of people far better qualified to look through the accounts and come up with suggestions.
But even if my calculations are out. Even if they are completely and wildly wide of the mark, the sentiment remains. Bringing down the cost of season tickets is – must be! – somehow viable. Doing so would strengthen relationships between fans and board members, encourage people to come along to the ground more often and build our future by doing so.
Until such time that safe standing becomes a real option in the UK, which should see a natural reduction in ticket prices for those areas, the price of tickets needs to be looked at. Season Tickets seem the ideal place to start.
Visit Danny's site at dannyuk.com
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West Ham's Mark Noble dreading another season as miserable as the last one
Aug 05, 2014 22:30 By Marc Isaacs
Midfielder "probably only enjoyed about two months" of 2013-14 campaign as they fought the drop and fans grumbled with key man Carroll crocked
The Mirror
West Ham midfielder Mark Noble admits last season was one of the worst experiences of his career - but is ready to ease the pressure on under-fire boss Sam Allardyce and restore the party atmosphere at Upton Park. The Hammers were involved a relegation dogfight for the majority of the season, angry fans turned on Allardyce over his tactics, their record signing, England striker Andy Carroll, missed much of the campaign through injury and the club's owners demanded a more entertaining team for 2014-15. Noble says he never wants to go through that ordeal again and believes the club are doing everything they can to bring in attacking players who can change the way West Ham play. "I probably only enjoyed about two months of last season," claimed Noble, as the opening game against London rivals Tottenham on August 16 looms. "We were in the bottom three and then put a few results together and jumped to 10th. But from 10th downwards last year everyone was in a relegation scrap and that's not where we want to be. "We've got two weeks to knuckle down and do what we need to do to become a proper team. Hopefully we can get another couple of signings in and enjoy this season. "I hope we can [produce a more entertaining side], but winning games is entertaining enough. If you don't win games, you get relegated, it's as simple as that."
Noble says he would love to help West Ham get to a cup final next season and give the fans a big day out at Wembley. But with the club facing one of the biggest moves in their history when they relocate from Upton Park to the Olympic Stadium in nearby Stratford 2016, he has also stressed the importance of retaining their top flight status. He added: "A cup run would be a bonus. For the club, with the new stadium coming, the main concentration will be the league. We want to improve on 13th spot."
West Ham have suffered a poor pre-season campaign and failed to score once from open play in the two games against hosts Schalke and Spain's Malaga at a tournament last weekend in Germany. The players were forced to trek to the other side of the world when the club played two friendlies in New Zealand last month, and they suffered more bad news when Carroll was ruled out for four months with ankle ligament damage. But despite the bad run of results, Noble is convinced they will get things right before Tottenham arrive. He said: "New Zealand was a tough trip, (going to) the other side of the world. It was tough for the lads, we were up until all sorts of hours in the morning. "But you've got to do what you've got to do - when you play in the Premier League now, it's worldwide. The likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United are always all over the world and that seems the way forward. "You don't know [how it has affected you]. As long as you get minutes under your belts then hopefully it won't affect us too much. "I've been through pre-seasons where we've battered everyone and then lost the first three. But you need a good start."
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"Invisible" Elliot Lee bags another 3 goals as Development squad edge past Woking
http://www.westhamfan.net/
The invisible man of West Ham's playing staff, young Elliot Lee, scored a hat-trick tonight as the West Ham Development squad edged a competitive affair against Woking at the Kingfield Stadium. This follows a barrage of goals already this pre-season, and the poor lad must be wondering what he has to do to make it into the first team on a regular basis. Perhaps growing another 12 inches might help, eh Sam?
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Late goal sees Hammers edge past Cards
Alan Worth - 5th August 2014
Late goal sees Hammers edge past Cards Woking 2 West Ham United XI 3
Pre-Season Friendly
5th August 2014
wokingfc.co.uk
The Cards completed their pre-season programme this evening, hosting the West Ham Development Squad. In what proved to be a highly entertaining evening and a game that, at times, defied its billing as a "friendly", the Hammers needed to rely on their captain and hat-trick hero Elliot Lee to see them scrape a win in this competitive affair.
Despite dominating possession for long periods the Cards struggled to test the Hammers keeper Howes. However late into the second period, trialist Dean Morgan lit up Kingfield with a brace of goals inside a minute – both beautifully finished and with all the hallmarks of an experiences goal scorer, his performance certainly had the Woking fans taking notice!
Garry Hill again rang the changes for this game and paired Mark Ricketts and Joey Jones at the centre of defence with Adam Newton and John Nutter starting as full backs. The ubiquitous central midfield duo of Josh Payne and Kieran Murtagh with Theo Lewis and John Goddard on the flanks provided a strong midfield with Scott Rendell and trialist Morgan up front.
Morgan, though clearly not yet match fit, was immediately involved flicking a pass on to Rendell who, tripped by the keeper in the box, was judged to be offside. And it was Morgan again working the ball in from the left – an inviting cross but no one able to benefit.
After fourteen minutes West Ham opened the scoring. The impressive Blair Turgott was too quick for Nutter and his dangerous cross flew across the Cards box. The ball was returned and as Aaron Howe failed to gather Lee was on hand to fire into the roof of the net from six yards.
Woking almost equalised immediately. Nutter's cross from the left was flicked on by Rendell in the box, but just beyond Goddard as the ball flew past the far post.
The Hammers had already shown enough to warn Woking that they were a very pacey side and quick on the break. On eighteen minutes a lightening break by Fanimo saw him set up the ever-dangerous Turgott as the Hammers pressed high up the pitch. The winger's cross again found Lee who made no mistake as he scored his and the visitors' second.
Two down already and now it was the turn of the Cards to press as they began to dominate possession. Jones headed over from Goddard's pinpoint free kick and again Jones headed goalwards from a Nutter free kick but it was straight at Howes.
Woking then had the ball in the net after a deft Morgan cross was met by the head of Rendell. His effort was half saved and the Cards striker buried the rebound but only to see the linesman's flag raised for an offside.
It was now all Woking as they pushed forward. Morgan controlled a long kick out from Howe and played in Rendell but his pass to Goddard ended with the ball fired well over the top. Lewis then set up Payne but his effort was well over. Howes was out quickly to deny Rendell who was attempting to reach Ricketts long clearance and there was still time for Goddard to blaze a shot over the bar before the break.
Half-time: Woking 0 West Ham United XI 2
As so often happens with pre-season games, the second period was disrupted by numerous substitutions. Joe McNerney and trialist Troy Hewitt both started the second half in place of Murtagh and Jones.
But it was the Hammers who made the brighter start with the lightening pace of Turgott causing Woking the most difficulty. His two efforts after five minutes of the restart were both close and the second coming after a mesmerising run through the heart of the Woking midfield.
With ten minutes of the second half gone Kingfield had its first glimpse of signing James Clarke who replaced Josh Payne. The central defender immediately made his presence felt; looking calm and solid in defence and spraying a number of excellent, accurate passes from the back.
As the substitutions continued it was Woking who now looked the most likely to score as they again dominated play.
With ten minutes remaining Dean Morgan opened his and the Cards account after good work on the right by Xapi. The ex Wycombe's delicious curling left foot shot, from outside the box, flew past Howes and into the far corner.
And then straight from the kick off Woking regained possession and there was Morgan repeating the trick again from outside the box. This time a cool finish as he slotted the ball past a despairing Howes into the opposite corner.
The game had been turned on its head! McNerney now up front as Woking strained for what would have been a deserved winner in what was now becoming an almost testy affair. But Elliot Lee was to have the last word. His solo effort after the Cards gave away the ball cheaply in midfield saw him round Howe to finish and then lead the Hammers celebrations.
This again proved to be a very useful workout for the Cards. Certainly Morgan's brace will give the management team something to think about and the first sighting of James Clarke looked extremely positive. Who will start next Saturday at Alfreton is not entirely easy to predict. What is certain is that the football from now on becomes really meaningful.
Woking begin their home fixtures in the league against Dartford on Tuesday 12th August. Come down to Kingfield and get behind the team!
Woking: Aaron Howe, Adam Newton (Xapi* 66), John Nutter (Mike Cestor 56), Joey Jones (Joe McNerney 46), Mark Ricketts, Josh Payne (James Clarke 56), Keiran Murtagh (Troy Hewitt* 46), Theo Lewis (Reece Beccles 74), John Goddard (Ebby Nelson-Abby* 66), Scott Rendell (Giuseppe Sole 66), Dean Morgan* (Adam Brice 86)
Unused subs: Jake Cole
*denotes trialist
West Ham United XI: Sam Howes, Sam Westley, Nathan Mavila, Josh Cullan, Manny Onariase (Moses Makasi 71), Jamie Harney, Blair Turgott, Kieran Bywater, Elliot Lee, Matthias Fanimo (Joe Powell 68), Kieran Sadlier (Jaanai Gordon 78)
Unused subs: Modibo Maiga, Tim Brown, Decarrey Sheriff
Attendance: 1072
MOTM: Dean Morgan – two excellent goals and plenty of promise despite lacking match fitness.
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Sam's six crunch games
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 5, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sam Allardyce will get the first six games of the season to prove he is the man to contiue as West Ham United. ClaretandHugh has learned that the opening games against Spurs, Palace, Southampton, Hull, Liverpool and Manchester United will see Sam on Trial. There's never been any danger of the manager losing his job in pre-season but a weak start to the campaign and the axe will fall. Allardyce knows he is under pressure from above to produce results with style and although pre-season has left many unhappy it's seen as wrong to sack during friendly games. However, with the work that has gone into getting the targets the manager wanted there's an expectancy that the team gets away to a good start. We were told: "I guess the crunch could come as soon as the second or third game if things were to go really wrong but the trial period is likely o be extended until the end of November. "They are a good mix of matches on which to make a judgement."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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WHUFC.com
West Ham United will hold a fans' forum for Season Ticket Holders at the Circus Tavern on 12 August
05.08.2014
West Ham United are delighted to announce ticketing details for an exclusive free fans' forum for Season Ticket Holders at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet with Hammers boss Sam Allardyce, Hammer of the Year Mark Noble, winger Stewart Downing and summer signing Aaron Cresswell on Tuesday 12 August at 6.30pm. The quartet will be on hand to talk about all manner of Hammers matters, including the Clubs ambitious plans for the 2014/15 season, how the six new signings are settling in at Chadwell Heath, the work Teddy Sheringham is doing on the training pitch and the hopes and targets for the new season.
This first fans' forum of the season will kick-off a regular series of Q&A events throughout the season, keeping fans abreast of all the goings on at the Boleyn Ground. The Q&A session will kick-off at 7pm prompt, and after there will be an informal opportunity for supporters to meet the manager and players, collect autographs and take photos. Limited parking is available on site and a pay bar will be in operation on the evening. Tickets will be allocated on a strictly first come, first served basis at a rate of one per successful applicant. Please note, Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult Season Ticket Holder.
To secure one of the places available for this exclusive event, please call the Ticket Office on 0871 529 1966 - option 3*. The Club will announce, via whufc.com, as and when all spaces are filled. Supporters who have secured tickets for the event can submit questions for consideration by emailing seasonticketholder@westhamunited.co.uk, clearly stating if it is for Sam Allardyce, Mark Noble, Stewart Downing or Aaron Creswell.
If your question is selected we will then come to you on the night so please ensure you remember what you send in! The deadline for submissions is 5pm on Monday 11 August so please make sure your email reaches us by then.
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Blair's buzzing for new season
WHUFC.com
Blair Turgott is ready for Tuesday night's Development Squad game against Newport County
05.08.2014
Blair Turgott says the Development Squad's varied pre-season will stand them in good stead for the challenges that await in the 2014/15 campaign. Nick Haycock's side have gained strong results, playing a mixture of European sides of a similar age to themselves and senior non-league outfits over the summer.
Their latest test takes them to Vanarama Conference Premier side Woking on Tuesday night, with the Young Hammers looking to bounce back from their first defeat of pre-season, having suffered a 3-0 reverse to League Two outfit Newport County on Saturday. Turgott said: "Of course it was tough against Newport, obviously we had a different set of lads out there and a couple of the young boys got a chance. The result wasn't the best, nor what we were looking for but it's definitely another experience gained and everyone can take something from it and that's what pre-season is all about. "It's a different challenge up against senior players, a bit more physical. Their experience comes into play a lot but it's good to play against men. We'll try to reap the benefits from it and hopefully in the season we can become stronger from it. "This pre-season we've played against all different set of age groups and different types of teams and Saturday was probably our toughest test so far. But something that we can all get the benefits from and make us a stronger team in the long run."
Turgott is hoping to gain more minutes on the pitch at Woking, having shrugged off a back injury. He continued: "It's more about getting minutes but it's also good to win, good to get that winning feeling. There's nothing better than winning, no matter what game you play in. We've lost on Saturday, which wasn't the best result, but we can take a lot of the benefits from it. It's been good, we've got some good results, playing against different countries, different philosophies but it's been good. "I've had a back injury, I didn't train that much throughout the week and then I played against Braintree. I was meant to play 45, but I felt alright so I played 60 and it's good to get more minutes on Saturday and hopefully I can push on towards Tuesday night at Woking. I'm feeling better so hopefully I can really kick on from now. "I'm looking forward to the new season. Of course places are up for grabs and Tuesday is another opportunity for us to go out there and show what we're all about."
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Transfer latest
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 5th August 2014
By: Staff Writer
Stoke manager Mark Hughes has denied reports that he is really to sell Peter Crouch to West Ham United. Amidst ludicrous rumours of a £10million bid for a player worth no more than a fifth of that, Hughes said: "It's just speculation. We're looking to build a strong squad and add to the quality we already have. Peter was very much part of that quality last year and we expect him to stay." The 33-year-old former England international joined Stoke in 2011.
* West Ham are keeping tabs on Cagliari striker Mauricio Pinilla, say TMW. The Chile international is prepared to leave Serie A and is keen on a return to the UK. The former Hearts striker, now 30, has represented his country on 30 occasions and featured on three occasions at this summer's World Cup Finals as a late substitute.
* Atletico Madrid striker Leo Baptistao is another on West Ham's hit list, say reports emanating from Spain. The 21-year-old Brazilian - who also holds an Italian passport and plays in the 'Kevin Nolan' role - made 11 appearances in La Liga last season for the European Champions League finalists before joining Real Betis on loan for the second half of the campaign.
* Sunderland are the latest club to be linked with a move for free agent Samuel Eto'o, who was released on a free by Chelsea at the end of last season. Sam Allardyce hinted at the weekend that Eto'o was a player he is keen on, although that doesn't appear to be a view shared in the boardroom.
* Paraguay international Oscar Cardozo is on the verge of joining Turkish club Trabzonspor. The 31-year-old Benfica forward is said to have rejected the opportunity to move to the Premier League, with both West Ham and new boys Leicester City having previously expressed an interest.
* 29-year-old Jimmy Briand has told Sky Sports that he regrets not having tried his luck in the Premier League. Briand, currently available on a free having been released by Olympique Lyonnais said: "I should have come to England a long time ago as I got the opportunities to go there, but I never went and I regret my decision." West Ham are said to be keeping tabs on the 29-year-old Frenchman's status.
* Further discussions with Portuguese striker Hugo Almeida are reported to have been pencilled in for later this week. Another free agent, the 30-year-old was released by Besiktas at the end of his three-year contract with the Turkish club. Preliminary talks between the player's representatives and West Ham have already taken place, according to the Mail.
* Mischievous rumours suggesting that West Ham United captain Kevin Nolan may be a target for Cardiff City have been dismissed.
* Connor Wickham continues to be linked with a move to West Ham, despite no bid yet having been placed. The Hereford-born Sunderland forward, previously of Ipswich, is entering the final year of his contract at the Stadium of Light and Black Cats manager Gus Poyet has already indicated that he will sell the player should a new deal not be agreed.
* Former Hammer Freddie Piquionne is on the verge of joining Ligue 2 side Creteil. A free agent having been released by Portland Timbers, the French striker will team with again with former Hammer Herita Ilunga, should he complete the move. Piquionne made 62 appearances for West Ham between 2010 and 2013, when he was released.
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Hammers back in Europe
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 5th August 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United's development squad will feature in a brand new Premier League European competition this coming season.
The Hammers are one of eight teams selected from England who will be tackling major European competition in the tournament, which will run in conjunction with the 2014/15 Under 21s Premier League campaign.
The 16 teams will be entered into four groups of four, with the winners and runners-up from each of the groups qualifying for the knock-out phases. Additionally, both Sky and BT have indicated they will feature games live on TV.
Nick Hancock's West Ham Utd will be joined in the competition by fellow English teams Chelsea, Fulham, Leicester City, Manchester City, Manchester Utd, Southampton and Sunderland according to the Mail.
The eight European teams entering the tournament are Celtic (Scotland), Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal (Spain), Benfica and FC Porto (Portugal), Borussia Monchengladbach and Schalke (Germany) plus PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands).
West Ham's Under 21s kick off the Under 21 Premier League campaign with a trip to Tottenham on Monday, 18 August, before hosting Southampton at the Boleyn Ground four days later (Friday 22 August).
Dates, times and fixtures for the new format are yet to be released.
West Ham Utd Under 21s: 2014/15 Premier League Fixtures
All games kick-off at 7pm unless otherwise stated.
Mon 18 Aug: Tottenham Hotspur (a)
Fri 22 Aug: Southampton (h)
Fri 12 Sep: Liverpool (h)
Fri 19 Sep: Fulham (a)
Mon 29 Sep: Sunderland (h)
Fri 17 Oct: Manchester City (a)
Fri 24 Oct: Manchester Utd (h)
Wed 5 Nov: Norwich City (a)
Fri 28 Nov: Chelsea (h)
Mon 15 Dec: Everton (a)
Mon 5 Jan: Leicester City (h)
Fri 9 Jan: Tottenham Hotspur (h)
Mon 26 Jan: Southampton (a) 2.30pm
Fri 6 Feb: Fulham (h)
Mon 23 Feb: Liverpool (a)
Mon 9 Mar: Sunderland (a)
Fri 13 Mar: Manchester City (h)
Tue 7 Apr: Manchester Utd (a)
Fri 17 Apr: Norwich City (h)
Sun 3 May: Chelsea (a) 1pm
Fri 8 May: Everton (h)
Mon 18 May: Leicester City (a)
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Premier League plans under-21 league involving English and European clubs
Last Updated: 05/08/14 12:33pm
SSN
The Premier League has unveiled plans for a new under-21 league involving clubs from England and across Europe. The competition, which does not yet have the blessing of UEFA, would include eight under-21 teams from England and eight from other countries, including Scottish champions Celtic. But the Premier League claims the competition would not be a rival to FA chairman Greg Dyke's ambitions for some form of 'B-league' involving top-flight reserve teams.
In May, Dyke's England Commission proposed a B league to operate below League Two which is aimed at giving young players more match experience - something the new Premier League competition also aims to do. Communications director Dan Johnson said the Premier League's proposal had been under consideration for several years and was completely unrelated to Dyke's scheme. "We do believe it would be good for the development of talented young players but it is not an answer to the B league proposal at all. It is something we have wanted to do for a number of years," Johnson said. "We are keen to work with UEFA on what we think is a good development opportunity and there has been a lot of support from clubs on the continent. "Our view is that an under-21 competition with a significant programme of international fixtures at lower age levels is a good opportunity to expose players to this level of competition. "We now need to work with UEFA for their agreement."
The new competition would see 16 clubs split into four groups of four with the top two in each group going through to the knockout stage. Current plans are for the top eight from the Premier League's under-21 development league to take part, although Liverpool have already decided not to take up the chance, allowing West Ham in. Chelsea, Fulham, Leicester, Manchester City, Manchester United, Southampton, Sunderland and West Ham would compete from that league along with Celtic, Athletic Bilbao, Benfica, Borussia Monchengladbach, Schalke, Porto, PSV Eindhoven and Villarreal.
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AM I ALONE IN NOT BEING CONVINCED BY ADRIAN?
By Iain Dale 5 Aug 2014 at 20:32
West Ham Till I Die
Gues Post by Sam Dickeson
It has been obvious to see over the past couple of weeks that more and more West Ham fans are becoming increasingly concerned with the performances of Adrian. I admit myself having watched all of our pre-season games he has hardly filled me with confidence. He seems incapable of holding on to any shots and seems to palm everything back towards his own penalty spot.
It begs the question..
Do we need a new goalkeeper? Big Sam clearly had enough faith in the Spaniard after signing him last year and giving him enough time to settle in to the squad, before handing him his starting spot. Now with the season looming and Adrian in less than sparkling form should we be assessing the situation and looking to make a purchase? Henderson has recently left for Charlton and Jussi isn't the keeper he once was in 2003.
Such options as Ospina (3mil), Vorm (5mil), Ochoa (free) Pantilimon (free) already taken who would be available and seen as decent competition for Adrian? Many rumour mills have suggested Pepe Reina. I don't see the Spaniard prepared to sit on the bench week in week out at Liverpool but also I don't see him being interested in a move to London. I personally think Jack Butland could be worth looking at, he's young and exciting and would really push Adrian. Could even possibly oust him and take his spot?
It's all food for thought, but really does make you think.. Is Adrian really good enough?
Note from Iain – No, Sam, you are not alone in not being convinced…
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WHY I'M DREADING THE SPURS GAME
By Iain Dale 5 Aug 2014 at 17:30
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by IronFish
As the start of a new season draws ever closer, I like most of you, am totally dreading the game at home to Spurs on Saturday 16th August. Let's face it, it has been a terrible pre-season with awful tactics, boring football and even worse luck with injuries. But, it had looked very promising, with our new approach to the transfer window, getting in early bids for Zarate, Kouyate, Cresswell, Poyate, Valencia and then Jenkinson on a loan deal.
Clearly it will take time for new players to fit in with the rest of the squad – will they fit in with Sam's style of play? and does he want them all in the team anyway? These are all the questions that many of us are asking.
The injury to Andy Carroll (yet again) has been terribly unlucky – do we sign a similar style player, in the mould of Crouch or Wickham, or do we go for something different? All will be revealed shortly, I am sure.
But, let me put a slightly different perspective on things…….let me take you all back to the summer of 2010, under the leadership of Avram Grant at that time…………….
16 July: Pablo Barrera signs on a four-year contract, with a one-year option, for a fee of £4 million. He becomes West Ham's second summer signing of 2010.
16 July: Frédéric Piquionne joins West Ham for an undisclosed fee on a three-year contract, becoming West Ham's third summer signing.
28 July: West Ham appoint Željko Petrovi? as assistant manager.8
3 August: Tal Ben Haim joins West Ham on loan from Championship side Portsmouth until January 2011.
5 August: The signing of New Zealand international Winston Reid is completed. Reid signs a three-year contract for £4 million.
24 August: West Ham sell Alessandro Diamanti to Serie A club Brescia for €2.2m.
27 August: Nigerian international Victor Obinna is signed on a season-long loan from Inter.
31 August: Danish international, Lars Jacobsen signs a one-year contract, moving on a free transfer from Blackburn Rovers.
31 August: Belgian goalkeeper Ruud Boffin signs a two-year contract for a nominal fee moving from Dutch side MVV.
We then went on to have a very good pre-season, beating Peterborough 2-1, winning at Monchengladbach and Panathinaikos (2-0 and 1-0 respectively). We beat the mighty MK Dons 2-0, then Ipswich Town 1-0, before drawing at Southend 1-1, with the final pre-season game at Upton Park, drawing 0-0 with Deportivo La Coruna, winning 5-3 on penalties.
Everything in the garden was rosey – new manager, new players and a very good pre-season……..BUT, disaster struck – we only get 4 points from the opening 6 games of the new season, losing to Villa, Bolton, Man Utd and Chelsea, before drawing at Stoke and then beating Spurs 1-0……we then had to wait until the end of November, for our next win, a 3-1 victory against Wigan.
The season was a complete disaster, no leadership, no passion and not many wins under our belts, until we crashed out of the Premiership and were relegated to the Championship…….need I say more, a total disaster.
So, my thoughts fellow Hammers, are that we should wait and see what the new season brings……it's been a summer World Cup and I am guessing not many Premiership teams will be at full strength or at full fitness, so for me I think we have to try and put the poor pre-season behind us. We have many positives, in terms of new players, and I am sure they can find their feet quickly and we can build and develop again to have a fairly successful season.
The spot-light is under Sam more than ever, but I feel we have to give him at least 6 games to show what he can do again. Anything less that 6-8 points in those first half dozen games will probably spell the end of the big man's reign, with Messrs Moyes, Laudrup and Mackay waiting in the wings…….whatever happens, it won't be dull and boring, even if it appears that way on the pitch, it will be West Ham, and I for one am always forever blowing bubbles…….Come on you irons !!
What's your prediction for result and starting line-up for that 1st game of the season?
I'm going for a 1-1 draw and I reckon Sam will opt for the following starting 11:
Adrian…..O'Brien, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell…..Zarate, Kouyate, Noble, Nolan, Downing….C. Cole.
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IS TROY DEENEY WORTH A PUNT?
By S J Chandos 5 Aug 2014 at 13:00
West Ham Till I DIe
The club are currently casting their nets far and wide to secure an additional striker to cover for the injury absence of Andy Carroll. The latest to be linked with us is Connor Wickham of Sunderland, but the media have also recently linked us with a move for Samuel Eto (a free agent), Peter Couch of Stoke City, Gary Hooper of Norwich City and Hugo Almeida (free agent). However, it appears that the alleged excessive personal terms of Eto are ruling him out of the equation; while you have to seriously question whether Hooper is any better than the strikers that we already have in the squad? Almeida might be the best option available to us, but again personal terms could be a major obstacle to closing a deal. Connor Wickham clearly has significant potential and we can probably sign him for the right price (because he is in the final year of his contract), but might we be better advised targeting a more experienced striker? Then there is Peter Crouch who could be an effective short-term option. However, the latest reports suggest that Mark Hughes wishes to retain him at Stoke City. So, unless Hughes changes his position that move also appears a non-starter.
Looking elsewhere, and playing Devil's advocate, what about making a move for Troy Deeney? He has done very well for Watford FC in the Championship, playing in a decidedly average team. In the last two Championship seasons, Deeney has scored a total of 45 goals (25 in 2013-14 and 20 in 2012-13) and has a overall career total of 96 goals in 323 matches. He is 26 years of age, mobile and a decent finisher. At 6 foot tall, he can lead the line, provide a strong physical presence and get on the end of high balls played in to the box. He is also good on the ground, holding up the ball, link-up and bringing others in to play. A number of clubs have been looking at Deeney recently, the latest being QPR and Leicester City. But it appears that they are being put off by the £8m price tag placed on him by Watford FC.
In terms of possible striker reinforcements, I do not think that he would be the first choice of most Hammers fans, but he clearly has ability, is hungary for success and seems to be maturing in to a genuine goal scorer. Even if he pitches in with 10-12 goals in the PL, next season, it would be a useful addition to our underwhelming strike force. If all other striker options lead nowhere, then might Deeney be worth a punt? And that £8m price tag? Go for a part-exchange deal, with Vaz Te moving to Watford FC. After all, they need to replace him and Vaz Te is a proven Championship goal scorer. If you value Vaz Te at £3.5m, that would bring Deeney's fee down to £4.5m, which is a reasonable figure for a Championship striker with the potential to make the step up to PL football.
Is it worth taking a chance on Troy Deeney, as a possible last resort, or should we look elsewhere?
SJ. Chandos.
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LET'S COPY GERMANY AND BRING DOWN THE COST OF SEASONTICKETS AT WEST HAM!
By Iain Dale 5 Aug 2014 at 08:43
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post from DannyUK.com
There was a recent tweet doing the rounds which detailed why a football club in Germany had such low season ticket prices. The tweet was a quote from Uli Hoeness who is president of Bayern Munich – a German team that can rightfully call itself one of the biggest and best in Europe.
Talking about the low cost of their season ticket prices – in particular for a standing season ticket (which we don't have available in the UK) costing just £104 behind the goal, Hoeness said…
"We could charge more than £104, let's say we charged £300. We would get £2m more in income but what is £2m to us? In a transfer discussion you argue about that sum for five minutes but the difference between £104 and £300 is huge for the fan. We don't think that the fans are like cows who you milk. Football has got to be for everybody and that is the biggest difference between us and England."
The quote has got the UK football community talking, and it made me think how it would affect my own club, West Ham. West Ham are – as they will tell everyone and anyone at any given opportunity – a club in debt. The present owners took over a few years ago and vowed to get £100m worth of debt (well, £100m give or take a few million) down over the next few years. To their credit, they have started doing this successfully, while still breaking the club transfer record more than once. In the 2013 accounts the net debt figure for the end of the year was quoted at £77.4m. I should note that all figures hereon in are taken from the same accounts which can be found online here.
However, let's do some maths here. The lowest price Season Ticket at Upton Park is £640. The highest, £910. Obviously we are only talking about adult ticket prices here.
The ground currently holds 36,000 supporters, and is generally a sell out for the majority of games.
West Ham have mentioned in the past that they have 20,000 season ticket holders However the official 2013 accounts show "season ticket and other receipts in advance" brought in £8.5m, which is the figure I will work on.
This season the lowest price season ticket at Upton Park will cost £640, and the highest £910.
My initial thought was that if the cost of these tickets were halved, it would mean that the season tickets would cost between £320 and £455 each – An absolutely vast saving. Naturally this would result in a loss of revenue for the club of around £4.25m.
The club's response to this would be no doubt to restate how much in debt the club currently are. It's interesting to point out that the shareholders (of whom David Sullivan is the sole majority shareholder, and David Gold holds the second highest amount) currently receive £2.3m per year on interest payable from loans.
Now I'm not denying the good that the two Davids have done for the club. I am firmly in the "they are good for West Ham" camp, which I know is the opposite to many fans. I'd be inclined to suggest that if they are in it for the love of the club though – which is another oft-spoken line – are they not able to provide the loans interest free?
I appreciate that the value of the loans (£45.7m) is huge, and that they would be able to make a profit elsewhere had they invested the money wisely. My issue is that they keep saying they aren't in it for the money. That £2.3m per year – if knocked off the price of season ticket prices – could reduce prices down to £397 for the lowest and £565 for the highest.
Although that's not the half-price that I initially thought about, it still makes the season tickets much more affordable to fans. This in turn grows the fan base and protects the long term future of the club.
If you want to look elsewhere for savings, consider that the directors are receiving almost £2m per year, which isn't part of a total of £49.2m paid out in wages and salary. A further £1.36m went towards Olympic Stadium project costs, which you can argue will either not be ongoing, or will be swallowed up by the increase in revenue of taking over the stadium.
This is without touching on the massive Sky sponsorship that comes in. £51.8m was the figure quoted under "Broadcast and central sponsorship deals" – a figure that is set to rise when the new round of Sky sponsorship begins.
I know that this article may come across as a little bit of board-bashing, but it's really not meant to. As I've already said, Gold and Sullivan took the club on when we were extremely down on our luck, and have done extremely well to keep us alive, much less begin to turn the tide.
I'd love to see them turn around and write off interest on loans, and reinvest that money into reduced season ticket costs. I dare say that they could afford to do that whereas the average fan will struggle to pay out the high costs of the tickets.
However, I would much rather see the money diverted away from players and agents to be put towards ticket prices. This would involve a massive undertaking by all professional clubs and the FA. No one club could choose to restrict the wages they offer without running the risk of losing out on players to a team that hasn't taken up that remit.
Financial Fair Play offers a step in the right direction, though already people are questioning how well that will succeed.
In the meantime I'll use this as an open letter to the board. I apologise if my sums are wrong or my assumptions are incorrect. I'm not an accountant and there will be hundreds if not thousands of people far better qualified to look through the accounts and come up with suggestions.
But even if my calculations are out. Even if they are completely and wildly wide of the mark, the sentiment remains. Bringing down the cost of season tickets is – must be! – somehow viable. Doing so would strengthen relationships between fans and board members, encourage people to come along to the ground more often and build our future by doing so.
Until such time that safe standing becomes a real option in the UK, which should see a natural reduction in ticket prices for those areas, the price of tickets needs to be looked at. Season Tickets seem the ideal place to start.
Visit Danny's site at dannyuk.com
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West Ham's Mark Noble dreading another season as miserable as the last one
Aug 05, 2014 22:30 By Marc Isaacs
Midfielder "probably only enjoyed about two months" of 2013-14 campaign as they fought the drop and fans grumbled with key man Carroll crocked
The Mirror
West Ham midfielder Mark Noble admits last season was one of the worst experiences of his career - but is ready to ease the pressure on under-fire boss Sam Allardyce and restore the party atmosphere at Upton Park. The Hammers were involved a relegation dogfight for the majority of the season, angry fans turned on Allardyce over his tactics, their record signing, England striker Andy Carroll, missed much of the campaign through injury and the club's owners demanded a more entertaining team for 2014-15. Noble says he never wants to go through that ordeal again and believes the club are doing everything they can to bring in attacking players who can change the way West Ham play. "I probably only enjoyed about two months of last season," claimed Noble, as the opening game against London rivals Tottenham on August 16 looms. "We were in the bottom three and then put a few results together and jumped to 10th. But from 10th downwards last year everyone was in a relegation scrap and that's not where we want to be. "We've got two weeks to knuckle down and do what we need to do to become a proper team. Hopefully we can get another couple of signings in and enjoy this season. "I hope we can [produce a more entertaining side], but winning games is entertaining enough. If you don't win games, you get relegated, it's as simple as that."
Noble says he would love to help West Ham get to a cup final next season and give the fans a big day out at Wembley. But with the club facing one of the biggest moves in their history when they relocate from Upton Park to the Olympic Stadium in nearby Stratford 2016, he has also stressed the importance of retaining their top flight status. He added: "A cup run would be a bonus. For the club, with the new stadium coming, the main concentration will be the league. We want to improve on 13th spot."
West Ham have suffered a poor pre-season campaign and failed to score once from open play in the two games against hosts Schalke and Spain's Malaga at a tournament last weekend in Germany. The players were forced to trek to the other side of the world when the club played two friendlies in New Zealand last month, and they suffered more bad news when Carroll was ruled out for four months with ankle ligament damage. But despite the bad run of results, Noble is convinced they will get things right before Tottenham arrive. He said: "New Zealand was a tough trip, (going to) the other side of the world. It was tough for the lads, we were up until all sorts of hours in the morning. "But you've got to do what you've got to do - when you play in the Premier League now, it's worldwide. The likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United are always all over the world and that seems the way forward. "You don't know [how it has affected you]. As long as you get minutes under your belts then hopefully it won't affect us too much. "I've been through pre-seasons where we've battered everyone and then lost the first three. But you need a good start."
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"Invisible" Elliot Lee bags another 3 goals as Development squad edge past Woking
http://www.westhamfan.net/
The invisible man of West Ham's playing staff, young Elliot Lee, scored a hat-trick tonight as the West Ham Development squad edged a competitive affair against Woking at the Kingfield Stadium. This follows a barrage of goals already this pre-season, and the poor lad must be wondering what he has to do to make it into the first team on a regular basis. Perhaps growing another 12 inches might help, eh Sam?
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Late goal sees Hammers edge past Cards
Alan Worth - 5th August 2014
Late goal sees Hammers edge past Cards Woking 2 West Ham United XI 3
Pre-Season Friendly
5th August 2014
wokingfc.co.uk
The Cards completed their pre-season programme this evening, hosting the West Ham Development Squad. In what proved to be a highly entertaining evening and a game that, at times, defied its billing as a "friendly", the Hammers needed to rely on their captain and hat-trick hero Elliot Lee to see them scrape a win in this competitive affair.
Despite dominating possession for long periods the Cards struggled to test the Hammers keeper Howes. However late into the second period, trialist Dean Morgan lit up Kingfield with a brace of goals inside a minute – both beautifully finished and with all the hallmarks of an experiences goal scorer, his performance certainly had the Woking fans taking notice!
Garry Hill again rang the changes for this game and paired Mark Ricketts and Joey Jones at the centre of defence with Adam Newton and John Nutter starting as full backs. The ubiquitous central midfield duo of Josh Payne and Kieran Murtagh with Theo Lewis and John Goddard on the flanks provided a strong midfield with Scott Rendell and trialist Morgan up front.
Morgan, though clearly not yet match fit, was immediately involved flicking a pass on to Rendell who, tripped by the keeper in the box, was judged to be offside. And it was Morgan again working the ball in from the left – an inviting cross but no one able to benefit.
After fourteen minutes West Ham opened the scoring. The impressive Blair Turgott was too quick for Nutter and his dangerous cross flew across the Cards box. The ball was returned and as Aaron Howe failed to gather Lee was on hand to fire into the roof of the net from six yards.
Woking almost equalised immediately. Nutter's cross from the left was flicked on by Rendell in the box, but just beyond Goddard as the ball flew past the far post.
The Hammers had already shown enough to warn Woking that they were a very pacey side and quick on the break. On eighteen minutes a lightening break by Fanimo saw him set up the ever-dangerous Turgott as the Hammers pressed high up the pitch. The winger's cross again found Lee who made no mistake as he scored his and the visitors' second.
Two down already and now it was the turn of the Cards to press as they began to dominate possession. Jones headed over from Goddard's pinpoint free kick and again Jones headed goalwards from a Nutter free kick but it was straight at Howes.
Woking then had the ball in the net after a deft Morgan cross was met by the head of Rendell. His effort was half saved and the Cards striker buried the rebound but only to see the linesman's flag raised for an offside.
It was now all Woking as they pushed forward. Morgan controlled a long kick out from Howe and played in Rendell but his pass to Goddard ended with the ball fired well over the top. Lewis then set up Payne but his effort was well over. Howes was out quickly to deny Rendell who was attempting to reach Ricketts long clearance and there was still time for Goddard to blaze a shot over the bar before the break.
Half-time: Woking 0 West Ham United XI 2
As so often happens with pre-season games, the second period was disrupted by numerous substitutions. Joe McNerney and trialist Troy Hewitt both started the second half in place of Murtagh and Jones.
But it was the Hammers who made the brighter start with the lightening pace of Turgott causing Woking the most difficulty. His two efforts after five minutes of the restart were both close and the second coming after a mesmerising run through the heart of the Woking midfield.
With ten minutes of the second half gone Kingfield had its first glimpse of signing James Clarke who replaced Josh Payne. The central defender immediately made his presence felt; looking calm and solid in defence and spraying a number of excellent, accurate passes from the back.
As the substitutions continued it was Woking who now looked the most likely to score as they again dominated play.
With ten minutes remaining Dean Morgan opened his and the Cards account after good work on the right by Xapi. The ex Wycombe's delicious curling left foot shot, from outside the box, flew past Howes and into the far corner.
And then straight from the kick off Woking regained possession and there was Morgan repeating the trick again from outside the box. This time a cool finish as he slotted the ball past a despairing Howes into the opposite corner.
The game had been turned on its head! McNerney now up front as Woking strained for what would have been a deserved winner in what was now becoming an almost testy affair. But Elliot Lee was to have the last word. His solo effort after the Cards gave away the ball cheaply in midfield saw him round Howe to finish and then lead the Hammers celebrations.
This again proved to be a very useful workout for the Cards. Certainly Morgan's brace will give the management team something to think about and the first sighting of James Clarke looked extremely positive. Who will start next Saturday at Alfreton is not entirely easy to predict. What is certain is that the football from now on becomes really meaningful.
Woking begin their home fixtures in the league against Dartford on Tuesday 12th August. Come down to Kingfield and get behind the team!
Woking: Aaron Howe, Adam Newton (Xapi* 66), John Nutter (Mike Cestor 56), Joey Jones (Joe McNerney 46), Mark Ricketts, Josh Payne (James Clarke 56), Keiran Murtagh (Troy Hewitt* 46), Theo Lewis (Reece Beccles 74), John Goddard (Ebby Nelson-Abby* 66), Scott Rendell (Giuseppe Sole 66), Dean Morgan* (Adam Brice 86)
Unused subs: Jake Cole
*denotes trialist
West Ham United XI: Sam Howes, Sam Westley, Nathan Mavila, Josh Cullan, Manny Onariase (Moses Makasi 71), Jamie Harney, Blair Turgott, Kieran Bywater, Elliot Lee, Matthias Fanimo (Joe Powell 68), Kieran Sadlier (Jaanai Gordon 78)
Unused subs: Modibo Maiga, Tim Brown, Decarrey Sheriff
Attendance: 1072
MOTM: Dean Morgan – two excellent goals and plenty of promise despite lacking match fitness.
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Sam's six crunch games
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on August 5, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sam Allardyce will get the first six games of the season to prove he is the man to contiue as West Ham United. ClaretandHugh has learned that the opening games against Spurs, Palace, Southampton, Hull, Liverpool and Manchester United will see Sam on Trial. There's never been any danger of the manager losing his job in pre-season but a weak start to the campaign and the axe will fall. Allardyce knows he is under pressure from above to produce results with style and although pre-season has left many unhappy it's seen as wrong to sack during friendly games. However, with the work that has gone into getting the targets the manager wanted there's an expectancy that the team gets away to a good start. We were told: "I guess the crunch could come as soon as the second or third game if things were to go really wrong but the trial period is likely o be extended until the end of November. "They are a good mix of matches on which to make a judgement."
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