Daily WHUFC News - 28th September 2014

Big Sam feels Old Trafford frustration
WHUFC.com
The manager said three main factors contributed to an unwarranted 2-1 defeat
at Manchester United
27.09.2014

Vital errors, missed chances and a disallowed goal left Sam Allardyce hugely
frustrated as West Ham United were edged out 2-1 at Manchester United. The
Hammers yet again produced an eye-catching attacking performance at Old
Trafford, highlighted by Diafra Sakho's fourth goal in four starts, only for
two early goals and Kevin Nolan's disallowed late strike to leave them
pointless.

West Ham dominated the second half, both before and after Wayne Rooney's
sending-off for a wild kick on Stewart Downing, but ultimately had nothing
to show for their efforts. Speaking to West Ham TV, Big Sam lamented the
circumstances which combined to condemn his side to an unwarranted defeat.
"There were three main factors - one is that we gifted Man United two goals
when we shouldn't have done. If you gift that quality of player a chance, as
we did on both occasions, then they will punish you. "They were good
finishes by Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie but that is why they pay
millions and millions of pounds for them. "We've created more chances than
them, but we haven't taken those chances and that's the second reason why
we've lost the game. We created chance after chance after chance,
particularly after their first goal when Enner Valencia got a clean shot at
goal from 12 yards out with only the goalie to beat and he blasted over the
bar, then after we got back to 2-1. "I'm a little sick on that basis, then
thirdly we have the decision at the end with Kevin Nolan's goal which I've
looked at four times and we now know was the wrong decision. "We leave Old
Trafford extremely frustrated, having played well, but that means absolutely
nothing to me because we didn't get anything from the game. The game is
about getting the result but we've lost and that's more our fault than the
assistant referee's. "He's made one crucial decision that's wrong, but we
made two bad decisions and they scored two and missed too many chances to
get back to 2-2 before the assistant referee's mistake."

While the manager was rightly annoyed with the decision to disallow Nolan's
89th-minute tap-in, he felt the decision to send-off Wayne Rooney just
before the hour-mark was justified. "We'll have to see what [PGMO chief]
Mike Riley says about it, but I'm sure he'll say it was reckless and if it's
reckless and dangerous then it's a red card. "Wayne made it too obvious.
Instead of doing what some players do when their opponent gets away from
them, which is just trip them up and get a yellow, he just hacked him down.
It looked pretty bad from where I was."

While naturally disappointed to see his side lose on the road for the first
time this season, Big Sam was content to see Sakho score for the fourth
consecutive game. The Senegal striker nodded in when James Tomkins' header
from Stewart Downing's corner bounced back off the crossbar and later saw a
superbly controlled second-half volley saved by David de Gea. "Sakho is
looking great, isn't he? He could have had a hat-trick and he has scored
again. He had a volley on the far post which was beautifully saved by De Gea
and a header on the far post which he could have done better with. "Him and
the other lads have had enough chances. A couple have just gone the wrong
side of the post and stuff like that, but when we finally broke the then men
down the goal was disallowed. We know how hard it is to break ten men
down because we won with ten men ourselves twice last season."

The manager was also asked about the performances of full Barclays Premier
League debutants Diego Poyet and Morgan Amalfitano, who were drafted into
the starting XI due to injuries to Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate. "They
did OK. I think Morgan is finding is feet after joining us on the last day
of the transfer window, so he still isn't 100 per cent match-fit, and it's
the same with Alex Song. Mark has a calf injury and Cheikhou is going to be
out for a while, as we know, so they did all right. "We just didn't do well
enough in the first 25-30 minutes, but we got back to 2-1 and we had chances
to get a point. Once we scored, we found our feet and the team responded
well after a miserable start. They showed what they are made of, so from
that point of view I was really pleased with how we stuck at it."

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Hammers edged out at Old Trafford
WHUFC.com
West Ham United succumb to a slender 2-1 defeat by ten-man Manchester United
27.09.2014

Barclays Premier League
Manchester United 2-1 West Ham United

A spirited West Ham United were edged out by ten-man Manchester United at
Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon, as the Hammers were beaten on their
travels for the first time in the Barclays Premier League this season. Wayne
Rooney's stylish finish and a typically clinical Robin Van Persie fired
Louis Van Gaal's men into a two-goal lead inside 21 minutes, before Diafra
Sakho halved the Hammers' arrears from point-blank range. Goalscorer Rooney
saw red on the hour mark for a wild challenge on Stewart Downing and yet for
all their second-half pressure, Sam Allardyce's men were unable to make
their numerical or territorial advantage count.

Allardyce had earlier been forced to shuffle his winning pack, with
midfielders Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate both injury absentees. It meant
a first start for last weekend's hero Morgan Amalfitano and 19-year-old
Diego Poyet. Elsewhere, skipper Kevin Nolan, having recovered from a
fractured shoulder, was restored to the matchday 18.

If Manchester United were still a little nervy from their second-half
collapse at Leicester City, they certainly did not show it first up. With a
patched up back-four, Van Gaal's men made sure it was the Hammers doing all
the defending early on.

Rooney's second-minute free-kick just evaded Radamel Falcao at the far post
and had Adrian scurrying across his goal too. Alex Song had a second nibble
at Angel Di Maria, prompting Lee Mason to produce an early yellow card. And
while the Argentine looked menacing over on the left-hand side, the opener
came from the opposite flank. Rafael Da Silva burst free, swung in an
inviting cross towards Rooney, who hardly broke strike to brilliantly sweep
into the far corner beyond the dive of Adrian.

But just as they did against Leicester City, the Reds switched off from the
restart. A woeful attempted back-pass sent Enner Valencia in the clear, but
he rushed his effort, blasting high into the Stretford End.

Daley Blind then fed Di Maria on the left edge of the box, who shifted it
onto his right foot but curled over. Midway through the half and the hosts
should really have had a second, courtesy of the same duo who conjured the
first. Rafael again picked out Rooney 12 yards from goal, but this time he
scuffed it and James Tomkins headed away.

That second, however, was not long in coming. Song was robbed in his own
half and once Falcao fed Van Persie, the Hammers' goal was in serious peril.
Faced with Winston Reid, the Dutchman worked half a yard and angled a low
drive across Adrian and in off the post.

But West Ham's response was a spirited one and they were well and truly back
in it after 38 minutes, thanks to that man Sakho, again. Downing's
right-wing corner caused all sorts of bother in the hosts' box, with
Amalfitano the first to challenge and his header only partially repelled by
David De Gea. The rebound dropped kindly for Valencia and though his header
came back off the bar, Sakho gleefully nodded into the unguarded net.

Allardyce's side started the second half in positive fashion and twice
produced half chances in the opening exchanges. Valencia's cleverly flighted
free-kick landed on the chest of Reid, but with no West Ham man in close
attendance, the Reds smuggled it away. Then, Aaron Cresswell's long ball
flicked off the head of Sakho and just ran away from the advanced
Amalfitano.

Back at the Stretford End, Falcao let fly from distance once more and though
Poyet flung himself in the line of fire, the deflection forced Adrian into
an eye-catching stop away to his left.

But West Ham continued to force the issue and went close with 55 on the
clock. Cresswell's deep cross found the unmarked Sakho at the far post,
whose side-foot volley was well saved by De Gea. The resulting corner, not
for the first time, caused chaos and so nearly fell for Tomkins.

The real drama, however, was still to follow, as Rooney unwisely aimed a
wild kick at the shins of Downing, as the Hammers man looked to race across
half way. Referee Lee Mason sent the England man packing, much to the horror
of most inside Old Trafford. Allardyce responded by introducing Carlton Cole
for the flagging Amalfitano, while Darren Fletcher replaced Falcao for the
Reds.

As the Hammers piled on the pressure, Valencia's deflected effort drifted
the wrong side of De Gea's left-hand upright, before Jenkinson's cross was
brilliantly cleared by youngster Patrick McNair from under his own crossbar.


West Ham looked to have bagged a dramatic leveller in the 89th minute, but
the linesman's flag cut short the Hammers' celebrations after substitute
Nolan had turned home Jenkinson's cross. Try as they might, an equaliser
would ultimately prove elusive as Allardyce's men departed Old Trafford
empty handed.

Manchester United: De Gea, Rafael, McNair, Rojo, Shaw, Blind, Herrera
(Valencia 74), Di Maria (Thorpe 90+4), Rooney, van Persie, Falcao (Fletcher
65)
Subs: Lindegaard, Pereira, Mata, Januzaj

Goals: Rooney 5, Van Persie 22

Booked: Herrera
Sent off: Rooney

West Ham United: Adrian, Demel (Jenkinson 64), Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell,
Poyet (Nolan 75), Song, Amalfitano (Cole 60), Downing, Sakho, Valencia
Subs: Zarate, Vaz Te, Collins, Jaaskelainen

Goal: Sakho 38

Booked: Song, Sakho, Adrian

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Nolan - 'We deserved a draw'
WHUFC.com
Kevin Nolan was disappointed that a positive performance was not rewarded
with a result at Man Utd
27.09.2014

Kevin Nolan returned from injury with a 15-minute run-out in West Ham
United's 2-1 defeat at Manchester United on Saturday and the skipper came so
close to earning the Hammers what would have been a richly deserved point.
Nolan converted Carl Jenkinson's low cross in the penultimate minute, only
to see the linesman's flag go up for a marginal offside decision. On another
day the goal could well have stood and Nolan was of the firm belief that it
should have done so. Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie struck early to give
the hosts their advantage, but Diafra Sakho hit back before half-time and
the No4 could not believe his side came away from Old Trafford empty handed.

"It's a feeling of disappointment," he admitted. "I thought we thoroughly
deserved a draw and we're gutted we didn't get it, but there are lots of
positives to take away."If we carry on playing the way we have done in the
last few weeks we'll get the results we deserve."It's fantastic to be part
of it again. I only trained on Thursday with the boys and actually was due
to have a day off on Friday, but with Nobes [Mark Noble] going down injured,
I got the call and I was delighted to that the gaffer put me on."I was even
more delighted when I scored because I knew I wasn't offside. Jenks
[Jenkinson] put a great ball in. I knew he was going to whip it, so I just
had to try and get something on it. I couldn't believe it when I saw the
flag had gone up - I'd even started to celebrate - and I think they've
gambled on it really. That's the biggest disappointment, "We fully deserved
to get a result and we're just disappointed that we gave two sloppy goals
away. "That's how the cookie crumbles sometimes and we'll get the luck later
in the season."

Nolan, who has been out since the season's opening week after fracturing his
shoulder in training, has nonetheless been impressed with the team's
performances in his absence and expects them to build on their positive
start with several an absentee still to return. He continued: "We were
missing Andy Carroll, Mark Noble, Matt Jarvis and Joey O'Brien, while Carl
Jenkinson has only just come back We've had a long injury list, but because
of the acquisitions we've made this summer, we've shown we can keep the
level of performance really high."It's exciting times for us and as we get
the injured players back there'll be great competition for places. It means
you know you've got to perform, because if you don't, you won't be picked.
"I think we have to get in and around that top ten. That;s a realistic aim
for this year, but we'll get to Christmas, see where we are and sit down and
talk about it again."

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U18s produce four-star display
WHUFC.com
Jordan Brown was on target again as West Ham United U18s comfortably beat
Reading
27.09.2014

West Ham United's scholars maintained their unbeaten start to the 2014/15
Barclays U18 Premier League season with a fantastic 4-0 win at Reading on
Saturday. The Hammers produced a convincing display in Berkshire as goals
from Josh Pask, Grady Diangana, Jordan Brown and substitute Oscar Borg saw
them make it six league games without defeat. Steve Potts' side created
chance after chance and England U16 international Jahmal Hector-Ingram had
already gone close twice before Brown fired a shot narrowly over the
crossbar. It was defender Pask who broke the deadlock, however, diverting
Kieran Bailey's strike into the net after Reading had failed to clear a
Djair Parfitt-Williams corner. Having fallen behind, the Royals enjoyed
arguably their best period of the match, but Pask's central defensive
partner Emmanuel Onariase threw his giant frame in the way of a goalbound
shot to maintain West Ham's lead. Bermuda-born Parfitt-Williams shot
narrowly over the top as the first half came to a close with the Hammers
still in the ascendancy. After the break, it took just a few moments for the
visitors to double their advantage. Again, a Parfitt-Williams corner led to
the goal, with Diangana scrambling the ball home after Onariase's header had
been blocked. Brown went close yet again before finally netting his fifth
goal in six league matches when he latched onto a pass from Onariase and
slotted into the net for 3-0. West Ham were now in top gear and could have
had a fourth when Hector-Ingram showed good strength to hold off his man
before cutting back for Diangana, whose shot was blocked behind for a
corner. The Hammers' dominance was rewarded with 15 minutes to go when
Parfitt-Williams showed good awareness to pick out Brown, whose low cross
was converted by substitute Borg. With three wins, three draws and 15 goals
scored under their belts, the Hammers will seek to extend their unbeaten
start to seven matches when they travel to Brighton & Hove Albion next
weekend.

U18s: Bogard, Sylvestre, Neufville, Bailey, Pask, Onariase, Hector-Ingram,
Browne (Elsom 80), Brown (Sheriff 85), Diangana (Borg 70), Parfitt-Williams
Subs not used: Boness, Rice

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Man Utd 2 West Ham 1
27 September 2014
Last updated at 17:30
By Mandeep Sanghera
BBC Sport

Wayne Rooney was sent off for Manchester United as his side clung on to
resolutely beat West Ham for their second league win of the season. The home
side were cruising after Rooney swept in a Rafael cross and Robin van Persie
rifled in a low shot. But Diafra Sakho nodded in for the Hammers before
Rooney was sent off for a reckless tackle on Stewart Downing. Enner Valencia
shot wide and Kevin Nolan had an effort ruled out for offside as the home
side held on. The relief was palpable around Old Trafford at the final
whistle, while there was also anger at referee Lee Mason for his decision to
dismiss Rooney just before the hour mark. However, the England striker
kicked out at Downing as the Hammers threatened to launch a counter-attack
and is now set to miss games against former club Everton, West Brom and
Chelsea. West Ham will be left to rue being on the wrong end of a close
offside call when Nolan's last-gasp prod was disallowed but they have now
lost 20 of their last 22 league games at Old Trafford.

Robin van Persie is the second non-British player (after Dwight Yorke) to
score 40+ Premier League goals for two different clubs. Wayne Rooney and
Robin van Persie have scored in the same Premier League game for the first
time since February against Crystal Palace.
West Ham had 13 attempts on goal during the match compared to Manchester
United's eight. Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal had been looking for a
response from his side following their 5-3 humbling at Leicester last Sunday
and, although his side won, it was almost a similar story. Injuries in
defence saw the Dutchman start with 19-year-old Paddy McNair in central
defence and £27m summer signing Luke Shaw at left-back as both made their
club debuts. But, for all of the home side's struggles at the back, they
still had a vast array of attacking artillery and it did not take long for
that to fire. Rafael raced down the right flank and delivered a cross which
Rooney converted with a first-time glanced shot to the far post. Van Gaal
has questioned the England international's ability to play as a striker but
Rooney's finish was clinical and took his tally to 175 as he overtook
Thierry Henry to move into the outright third position in the Premier
League's record of all-time top scorers.

The home side almost ruined their eye-catching forward play when a poor back
pass from midfield released Enner Valencia on the home goal only for the
Ecuadorian to blaze his effort over. United's second came when Ander Herrera
dispossessed Alex Song before Radamel Falcao slid a pass through to Van
Persie, who angled in a right-foot shot.

BBC pundit Phil Neville on Match of the Day "When Rooney made the foul I
thought United must have been in trouble at the back but United were four
against two and all the defenders were in good positions. It's just a
reckless tackle. There's no need to make the foul because of the position
the United defenders were in."

But, Van Gaal's side had shown against Leicester that they have a propensity
for hitting the self destruct button and they again made life difficult for
themselves. Referee Lee Mason denied the Hammers a penalty when Morgan
Amalfitano's hooked cross appeared to strike the arm of Falcao before the
visitors pulled a goal back. Home keeper David De Gea missed punching away a
corner and, after Valencia's header came back off the crossbar, Sakho was on
hand to nod home for his fourth goal in five games. Rooney's red card then
gave the visiting side hope but, despite a Sakho header into the
side-netting and Nolan's late effort, Van Gaal's side secured a much-needed
victory.

Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal: "The win is very important, you
can imagine that. We played a very good first half with attractive football.
We conceded again a goal from a set play. "But OK, I am very happy that we
hold the result until the end because it is very difficult to play against a
team who not only have have one more player but who also play a lot of high
balls. I am very pleased with the attitude of my players."
On Rooney red card: "It was a break out of a set play of ours and he makes a
professional foul, I think you can call it like that. I don't think Wayne
wanted to do it that way but he did it and you can give a red card."

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce: "I've looked on the laptop and Kevin Nolan made
a good run from deep and put the ball in the net. Unfortunately for us, the
assistant saw something we didn't. "It's unfortunate when you've worked so
hard to get back in the game.
"We gifted Manchester United two goals and at 11 v 11 we had the best
chances. Diafra Sakho could easily have had a hat-trick."

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Nolan: I was onside
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 27th September 2014
By: Staff Writer

Kevin Nolan has accused referee Lee Mason of taking a gamble by ruling out
what would have been an 89th-minute equaliser for West Ham at Old Trafford
this afternoon. With West Ham trailing 2-1 Nolan, on as a second half
substitute latched on to a Carl Jenkinson centre to fire home - only to see
referee Lee Mason, who hails from Greater Manchester, rule the 'goal' out on
the advice of a linesman. That decision left the club captain - who also won
the penalty that Mark Noble failed to convert against Tottenham on the
opening day of the season - bitterly disappointed. "I thought we thoroughly
deserved a draw and when it's a referee's decision that takes it away from
you it's even more disappointing," he said. "It was either Sakho or Song who
played Jenks in. I knew he was going to whip it so I knew I just had to try
and get something on it. I couldn't believe when I got up out of the net to
start celebrating the flag was up. "I think the referee was behind me and he
just sort of gambled on it. He's definitely gambled on it because if he had
seen it, he wouldn't have given it offside - so that's the biggest
disappointment."

Despite the defeat, Nolan admitted that he was delighted to make his return
from a shoulder injury. "I couldn't wait to get on and I was even more
delighted when I scored because I knew I wasn't offside," he added."But
that's just how the cookie crumbles sometimes; hopefully I will get the luck
later on in the season."

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Manchester Utd 2-1 West Ham Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 27th September 2014
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United's unbeaten away record ended at Old Trafford this afternoon
- albeit in the most controversial of circumstances. At 2-1 down and with
less than two minutes of normal time remaining the Hammers thought they had
grabbed a late equaliser when substitute Kevin Nolan - who initially
appeared to be onside - bundled a cross over the line, only to see the
'goal' ruled out by a linesman's flag.

That moment of controversy came at the end of a second half in which West
Ham had battered their hosts - who were reduced to ten men on the hour mark
following the dismissal of captain Wayne Rooney - without finding the
clinical touch necessary to restore parity.

And ultimately, West Ham - who were missing their engine room in the shape
of Cheikhou Kouyate and Mark Noble (a late withdrawal from the squad) - only
had themselves to blame for a third Premier League defeat of the season.

A poor start resulted in the Irons being two goals behind inside 25 minutes
as pre-match fears regarding the strength of the opposition attack
manifested themselves in devastating fashion.

There were just five minutes on the clock when England striker Rooney got in
front of West Ham's Spanish goalkeeper Adrian to convert Rafael's cross from
the right - not the last time the hosts would exploit space on West Ham's
left side - to give Man U an early advantage.

Alex Song may have enjoyed a wonderful start to his time in east London but
he was at fault for the goal that left his new team two behind, with 22
minutes on the clock. A poor goal kick from Adrian was collected by Song,
who promptly conceded possession inside his own half.

With West Ham stretched Falcao played in van Persie, who had pulled wide of
Winston Reid, and the Dutch striker stroked the ball into the far corner to
make it 2-0.

Many West Ham teams in the past would have folded at that stage, so it was
encouraging to see the Hammers continue to seek to attack where possible.
Having made a slight tactical change, United left Enner Valencia - who'd
missed a sitter at 0-1, just moments after Rooney's goal - alone up front
and got their reward from a corner.

Stewart Downing's floated centre was met by Morgan Amalfitano, who forced a
save from David De Gea. Valencia pounced upon the rebound only to see his
header crash off the bar, but Sakho was present to nod the ball over the
line.

By doing so, the former Metz man continued his prolific run of form having
scored in every game he's started since moving to London - a total of four
goals in four games.

The second half exploded into life in bizarre fashion seconds ahead of the
hour mark when Rooney, whose petulance has cast a shadow over his entire
professional career received a straight red card for kicking out at Stewart
Downing in order to prevent him starting a counter attack.

Whilst the challenge was cynical rather than dangerous, and perhaps more
deserving of a comedy award than a red card, the rules stated that Rooney
had to walk and so he did, leaving an already under-pressure Man U to face
the final half-hour with a man disadvantage.

What followed afterwards was almost equally as bizarre - the sight of West
Ham bossing a game at Old Trafford. Desperate to protect their narrow
advantage having shipped five at newly-promoted Leicester last week, the
Reds resorted to defending desperately as the Hammers threw everything but
the kitchen sink at their hosts.

Ultimately it was to no avail, but only by the narrowest of margins - and
the eagerness of a referee's assistant to err on the side of caution/the
more high-profile team by raising his flag when the game-changing 50/50
incident arose two minutes from time.

Although the linesman's call will almost certainly be hailed as the correct
one by the media, there's no doubt that he got lucky. Nolan, if offside at
all could only have been so by a fraction, inches maybe - and to detect that
with the naked eye would require superhuman powers.

So not for the first time this season it was an encouraging performance by
West Ham - for which their reward was zero points, but perhaps a little more
respect amongst their peers for the manner in which they took the game to
their purportedly more-illustrious opponents.

Next up for Big Sam and his continually improving squad come Queens Park
Rangers eight days from now, the first of the three promoted clubs to visit
the Boleyn Ground this season.

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West Ham's Kevin Nolan unhappy with disallowed goal against Man United
Last Updated: 27/09/14 10:26pm
SSN

West Ham midfielder Kevin Nolan is convinced referee Lee Mason took a
'gamble' by ruling out what appeared to be a perfectly good goal for
offside. Nolan latched on to an 89th minute cross from right-back Carl
Jenkinson to poke the ball into the back of the net only to see the
assistant referee's flag up as he turned to celebrate. And the 32-year-old
was left to rue a decision which condemned West Ham to their 20th defeat in
their last 22 visits to Old Trafford. "I thought we thoroughly deserved a
draw and then when it comes down to a decision from the referee that takes
it away from you it's even more disappointing," Nolan said. "It was either
(Diafra) Sakho or (Alex) Song who played Jenks (Carl Jenkinson) in and I
knew he was going to whip it so I knew I just had to try and get something
on it.

Speaking after West Ham's loss at Old Trafford, Kevin Nolan insists that his
goal was perfectly good after it was ruled out for offside.
"I couldn't believe when I got up out of the net to start celebrating that
the flag was up but I think even the referee was behind me and he just sort
of gambled on it. Well I know he's definitely gambled on it because if he
had of seen it, he wouldn't have given it off-side so that's the biggest
disappointment. "I couldn't wait to get on and was delighted that he
(manager Sam Allardyce) put me on and I was even more delighted when I
scored because I knew I wasn't off-side. But that's just how the cookie
crumbles sometimes and hopefully I will get the luck later on in the
season."

Nolan insisted his team-mates can take positives from the defeat and hopes
they can use their performance at Old Trafford as a springboard to push on
in the Premier League this season. "I think we've got to get in around that
top 10 and above it really," he added. "I think that would be a realistic
aim for us this year but I think we'll get to Christmas, see where we are,
and then we can have a sit down and have a good talk about what our
realistic aim will be really."

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Wayne Rooney sent off as Manchester United beat West Ham
Last Updated: 28/09/14 6:05am
SSN

Manchester United survived Wayne Rooney's moment of madness as their captain
scored and was then sent off in the 2-1 victory over West Ham at Old
Trafford. Rooney was red carded just before the hour mark after a rush of
blood saw him kick out at Stewart Downing, but Louis van Gaal's men held out
with teenage defender Paddy McNair impressing on his debut for the club
alongside Marcos Rojo.

Best of the match

Man of the match: Paddy McNair. The teenage defender was making his
Manchester United debut but looked composed in the first half and stood firm
in the second.
Goal of the match: Wayne Rooney's opener was a sublime first-time finish,
guiding Rafael's cross beyond Adrian with a very deft touch that used the
pace of the cross to beat the keeper.
Moment of the match: Rooney's second half red card was totally unnecessary
and put his side on the back foot for the remainder of the game.
Controversy of the match: Kevin Nolan thought he had levelled when he turned
home Carl Jenkinson's cross late on, but the flag had gone up for offside. A
very close call.

Rooney had opened the scoring with just five minutes on the clock, applying
a superb first-time finish to Rafael's run and cross down the right to guide
the ball across Adrian and into the back of the net. United made it 2-0
midway through the half, Robin van Persie feinting past Winston Reid before
shooting low across goal into the bottom corner from Radamel Falcao's pass
after Alex Song had been robbed of possession in his own half.

But the home side's frailties returned to haunt them once again as David de
Gea came and missed Downing's corner, allowing Enner Valencia to head
against the bar and Diafra Sakho nodded home the rebound. The home side were
sluggish at the start of the second period and were left clinging on after
Rooney was rightly dismissed by referee Lee Mason, with McNair producing one
excellent defensive header and Kevin Nolan seeing an effort ruled out for
offside.

Rooney's red card is set to rule the United skipper out of the forthcoming
games against Everton, West Brom and Chelsea - three games United will want
to win to put themselves firmly back in the hunt for the Champions League
places. The desire to put last week's capitulation at Leicester to bed was
clear from the first whistle as United hit West Ham with attack after
attack, and it took less than five minutes for the hosts to break the
deadlock.

Rafael sprinted down the right flank after dinking the ball over Aaron
Cresswell. The Brazilian paused and crossed for Rooney, who fired past
Adrian after one bounce. The expert execution across the West Ham goalkeeper
was befitting of a striker whose Premier League scoring record is now only
bettered by Andy Cole and Alan Shearer. United's creaky defence almost cost
them the lead within one minute of Rooney's goal. Daley Blind's miscued
clearance landed straight into the stride of Valencia, but he blasted into
the Stretford End.

It was a let-off for the hosts, who quickly sought to settle the nervy home
crowd with a second goal. Rooney found Van Persie at the back post with a
delightful cross, but the Dutchman headed wide. Manchester United manager
Louis van Gaal told Sky Sports he accepts Wayne Rooney's red card in his
side's 2-1 win over West Ham. Angel di Maria shot high and wide from inside
the West Ham box and Rooney then fluffed a shot inside the area, but Van
Persie had no such trouble in the 22nd minute when he put United 2-0 up.

Ander Herrera nicked the ball off Barcelona loanee Song and Van Persie
angled his shot past West Ham goalkeeper Adrian after a clever pass from
Falcao. For all their attacking brilliance, at the back United still looked
suspect. Song slipped Sakho in behind, but Rojo raced across to put in a
vital tackle. Sakho found the net a few minutes later due to a rare error
from De Gea. Valencia hit the bar with a header after the Spaniard flapped
at a corner and the ball fell to Sakho, who headed into an empty net.

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes his side were denied a point after
Kevin Nolan's goal was ruled offside in their loss to Manchester United.
After the break, West Ham continued to press and aside from a shot by
Falcao, United offered little on the attack.
Slack marking from debutant Luke Shaw allowed Sakho to sting De Gea's palms
with a fierce volley. United looked shaky in the face of West Ham's
attacking play, and their task was made much harder when Rooney was sent off
just before the hour. The United captain, unable to catch Downing,
needlessly kicked the midfielder from behind while he was at full pace,
earning his first red card for United in five-and-a-half years.

Van Gaal looked to shore up his team by bringing Darren Fletcher on for
Falcao after West Ham sent Carlton Cole on and looked to press home their
numerical advantage. Herrera hobbled off with a back injury before McNair
made an outstanding defensive header deep inside the home box. Nolan turned
in Carl Jenkinson's cross in the 89th minute, but linesman Andrew Garratt
flagged for offside and United held on to record the second win of Van
Gaal's tenure.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce questions Manchester United offside decision
By Rob Parrish - Follow me on Twitter @RobParrish75 | Last Updated: 27/09/14
7:00pm
SSN

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce claimed his side were denied a deserved
equaliser after going down 2-1 to 10-man Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Kevin Nolan thought he had equalised for the visitors in the 89th minute of
an absorbing contest when he converted fellow substitute Carl Jenkinson's
cross, only to be denied by the offside flag. Allardyce was left frustrated
by the decision, claiming that the midfielder was 'blatantly onside' as
United were left clinging on following Wayne Rooney's red card for kicking
out at Stewart Downing. Rooney had earlier given United an early lead, which
was doubled by Robin van Persie before Diafra Sakho pulled one back before
the interval. Allardyce told Sky Sports: "Somebody told me his nose or his
head might be offside, but I don't think you can base a decision on the fact
that it's a nose or a head offside. "There's no way if that's the case that
the assistant referee can see it.
For me it's blatantly onside and it should have stood as a goal. Nobody else
can convince me any other way. "The linesman shouldn't have seen it that
way, but we're all under pressure when we play at Old Trafford and he was
under enough pressure to make the wrong decision. "It cost us a very
valuable point today after a fantastic comeback against Man Utd."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce pleased with West Ham's improved form
Last Updated: 27/09/14 10:00am
SSN

Sam Allardyce is delighted with the reaction his West Ham players have put
in following a recent "kick up the backside". The Hammers boss was upset by
their performance in the 3-1 defeat by Southampton, when they lost a second
successive game at Upton Park, but things have started to look up since the
international break. Allardyce has been pleased with the turnaround, which
sees them go to Manchester United on Saturday in good form having drawn at
Hull and beaten Liverpool. "We were off form but Southampton were a good
team on the day and every game since," he said. "I think we have had the
kick up the backside and the lads have responded brilliantly to that
disappointing performance. "We had to wait a long time to put that right -
we had to wait 16 days before we played Hull City away after the
international break. "Players like Enner Valencia and Cheikhou Kouyate
played two games in that time so our response has been very good.
"It has been a good reaction. We have looked at the players and changed the
system and it looks like they are very adaptable to different ways of
playing which is nice for me. "I think it is good if you can change the
shape of a team in any stage of the game or have it for one game and
different for the next, there's an old thing about why change it, but you
have got to accommodate the opposition you're playing when you're in my
position. "Certain ways of playing have to be adjusted sometimes if you want
to get the best out of your players against that team to try and win."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
MANCHESTER UNITED 2, WEST HAM 1. EXPECTED WORSE, WANTED MORE.
By David Hautzig 27 Sep 2014 at 18:31
West Ham Till I Die

The other night, my wife took our son out to an event in a nearby town,
leaving our daughter and I to wing it. I do the majority of the cooking, but
on nights like that I prefer to slum it. Pizza and a movie that I recorded
on the DVR; The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy. I may be in the minority
here, but I think that film is a damned riot. It also turned out to be
insightful for today's game. Somehow, I deduced, we have accidentally
activated our own version of something called the Infinite Improbability
Drive.

According to The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy, if a spaceship has one of
these toys, once it reaches what is known as infinite Improbability, it
passes through every conceivable point in every conceivable universe
simultaneously. Side effects of using the Infinite Improbability Drive
include temporary (and sometimes permanent,) changes to environment and
morphological structure, hallucinations, and the calling into being of large
marine mammals. There is no other rational explanation to explain a universe
in which West Ham United enter a game at Old Trafford as a team full of
optimism, hope, and verve, while the home side is…well….a complete and utter
wreck. Someone in East London, maybe on their way home from the Liverpool
Game, activated an Improbability Drive inside of their Vauxhall and we are
all now collectively coming out of it. Will the changes be temporary or
permanent? Today would probably clear a bit of that up.

I was convinced last week while watching Man U build a comfy 3-1 lead at
Leicester City that Louis Van Gaal was doing what he has done many times in
his highly impressive career. Yeah, we know he was won enough silverware to
fill many a granny's dining room armoire. But what's more interesting is
that in a few of those seasons at clubs in Holland, Spain, and Germany his
teams have started poorly and ended up on top. Yet the reality of
dismantling the core of their back four, with literally months of notice and
time to set up for the future yet doing bubkus (an absolutely great Yiddish
synonym for nothing), threw a crow bar in that narrative. That is the kind
of negligence that a team like, say, US would do. But not these guys.

That's not to say I went into today's game brimming with confidence. Hell
no. I don't do confidence when The Hammers are involved. I still believe Man
U will right their ship, and today was as good a day as any to anticipate
that happening. If the big red bear wakes up from hibernation with us
sitting on his paw, there will be hell to pay.

As has been the case since the start of the season, the announcement of the
starting eleven is a pretty big event in Twitterland. Kouyate's injury
sparked the debate once again, so before I crashed into my kids induced coma
last night I asked a few of my fellow Twitter nutters what they expected. I
figured Zarate was the most likely to step up, the question was if he would
play in the #10 role or if he would be pushed wide to accommodate Downing
staying there. But other ideas were floated around.

Lee Clayton of The Daily Mail was nice enough to join the chat, saying
"Could go three at the back, with Collins coming in, could bring in
Amalfitano. Or Poyet?" My less famous yet equally football savvy friend
@RockyWhu suggested Jenkinson replacing Kouyate, and @MarkHarrison23
wondered if Amalfitano could slot in there. No mention of Zarate from
anyone. Then, right after returning from the garbage dump, I see the news
from ExWHUemployee that Noble picked up an injury and Poyet might get the
call. Minutes later, in what has become a pretty common occurrence, Ex was
spot on.

Not that I was happy to see Noble out, which would be nuts, it did add a bit
of unpredictability to the squad. Amalfitano and Poyet are players I doubt
Van Gaal spent a lot of time planning for. And that's not to say it will
help us at all. But it's a far cry from seeing Matty Taylor and Vaz Te play
in a pinch.

I remember a game a few years ago at Stoke. Matthew Etherington was playing
very well for Stoke at the time, and early in the game Lucas Neill made it
clear he wanted that to stop. Any player on the New York Rangers ice hockey
team would have been proud to have delivered the shoulder check Neill did to
Etherington, and Matthew was invisible the rest of the day. I wondered if
Song was doing the same thing early on with not one, not two, but three hard
and somewhat reckless challenges. Risky game to play, Alex. And in
hindsight, it was more a sign of a very bad day at the office then a few bad
decisions. The less said about Mr. Fashion's game the better.

When Rafael streaked down the sideline with a green ocean of space in front
of him I was pretty sure it wouldn't end well. For us, it didn't. Rooney was
breaking into the box un-marked and casually redirected Rafael's cross past
Adrian. You could make an argument that Diego Poyet should have been closer
to Rooney, but the re-direction of the ball could have happened in a shoe
box.

1-0 to Manchester United.

Yet only two minutes later, Blind acted like he was his surname and headed a
back pass right to Enner Valencia. The dictionary says adrenaline is
released by the body at times of strong emotion, such as excitement. It
should add that it can cause wildly bad football shots that sail into the
crowd. It should be 1-1, but the gift was not used.

In the 9th minute Rooney almost found RVP with a looping pass but Cresswell
does a nice bit of defending to bock the Dutchman off. A little later
DiMaria gets the ball after some nice interplay between Rooney and Blind.
Then it was Déjà vu all over again with Rafael down the right but Rooney's
finish was not there.

Their attack is as good and as dangerous as we all feared it would be. But
at the same time we seem to have forgotten how to attack. Granted, we
haven't seen much of the ball but going down a goal shouldn't make you
abandon what you have been working on effectively the past few games. They
need to worry a little as well.

In the 22nd minute we had our first real attempt of the game, but Rojo made
perhaps his best play in his early Manchester United career by blocking
Sakho's attempt from Valencia. And a minute later, our captain and enforcer
for the day, Alex Song forgot he was back in England and took way too much
time on the ball. Falcao said "I'll take it, thank you" and passed it to
RVP. He always scores against us. Today would be no different.

2-0.

It could have been, and probably should have been, 3-0 when Rafael passed to
RVP after another impressive run down the right. RVP then got the ball to
DiMaria but this time he played like a mortal and missed the target
completely. If Rafael plays this well more consistently, and doesn't melt
down as consistently, Man U will have a handy player for a long time.

At this point I feel bad for my son, who wants me to play Harry Potter with
him. Normally, down 2-0 at Old Trafford, I'd happily take a break and grab
my wand. But Iain would be mad, unless I can cast a spell that puts the ball
behind de Gea.

Goaliarmus!

Holy cow. It worked!

Downing takes a corner and puts it on Tompkins noggin, the ball bounces off
the bar and right to our current goal scoring machine Sakho and he gets it
in there to pull a goal back. It felt like an interesting combination of old
and new. We used our new on the floor stuff to work the corner, and our old
get it in the box style to score. I take that as a good sign, not reverting
to hoofball.

2-1 at the half.

Today's lunch. Bolognese sauce from the side of beef I buy every year,
served over pappardelle made by a guy using a local variety of New York
wheat. Best pasta I've ever had. Seriously.

The first ten minutes of the second half were pretty good from our point of
view. We didn't capitulate the way we so often have when playing at one of
the bigger clubs. Downing started to move a bit more, forcing Herrera to
bring him down and get the first yellow card of the game. Sakho was ohhhh
soooo close to bringing us level in the 55th minute when he got on the end
of a Cresswell cross and forced a good save from de Gea. We started to make
their defenders work, and think, in their penalty area. Will their youth
rise to the challenge or fail them?

What should have been the game changer came in the 59th minute when Wayne
Rooney tried to perform a vasectomy on Stuart Downing. A bag of frozen peas
should have been part of our physio's treatment. He was probably mad that
Manchester United were not awarded a hand ball seconds before, and he let
his emotions get the better of him. I'm biased, but it was a really dumb
move. The red was deserved, and he will be lucky not to be charged with
violent conduct.

Twitter, as well as yours truly, was dumbstruck in the 61st minute when
Amalfitano came off for Carlton Cole. At a time when we have just been given
more space to work in, Sam chose to take off a guy who can get into said
space and cause them problems and replace him for a guy who stays in one
space and causes us problems. That is NOT Cole bashing. I respect him
tremendously. But that made no sense to me.

Sakho came close again on a pass from Downing in the 62nd minute, leading to
me to jot down this question. Is Sakho more of a threat on long balls than
Andy Carroll? Not looking for answers or debates just yet, just musing.

Jenkinson came on for Demel in the 64th. That's more like it, Sam.

Yet our first ten minutes up a man didn't look much different than the
previous 59 minutes we played at even strength. In fact, Manchester United
barely looked threatened at times. They have so many quality players I
shouldn't have been that shocked. But I was annoyed.

In the 74th minute, Ander Herrera came off. He had been one of their better
players on the day, so it was more or less good news. But could it have been
a blessing in disguise when Antonio Valencia came on.

Like Sakho last week, let's get it straight. Good Valencia, and Bad
Valencia.

Van Gaal was rightfully angry when his team couldn't kill off Leicester
City. Bad Valencia has the experience needed to do that job. Experience on
the whole as an invaluable tool was in evidence moments later when Sakho got
the ball on a break but hurried his pass to Good Valencia when a wee bit of
patience…and experience…might have done wonders.

With Kevin Nolan out, I've been pondering a theory. It's a theory I made up,
so I've had a lot of time to ponder it. With Good Valencia and Sakho working
well together, moving in and around the box, could there be more opportunity
for Nolan to do his poaching regimen than he has with Carroll as a lone
target? So when Nolan came on for Poyet, with Twitter going apoplectic, I
was a bit intrigued. Zarate might have been a better choice, but with 15
minutes to go I understood the argument.

In the 82nd minute Good Valencia started something that looked a bit like
the moves he used to score his rocket at Hull. Move to his right, move a bit
more, and fire. I prayed, but the prayer wasn't answered. Blind deflected
the shot wide and we did very little with the corner.

He then made two plays in quick order that I am going to punish him by
dropping the word Good from the paragraph. Because he was awful. He took a
corner that didn't come close to reaching the box, and wasn't high enough
for my seven year old to head it. Then he wasted a free kick by trying to do
it himself when they were so vulnerable in the box. I swear every human
being associated with West Ham threw their hands up and said "what are you
doing"?

I watched the final few minutes while on the phone with my best mate, Jon.
For whatever reason he was about two seconds ahead of me. He screamed "YES"!
I watched Nolan attack the cross, and yelled "YES"! My yelling made it
impossible for me to hear Jon then say "Flag Up". When I saw that two
seconds later I didn't say that. I'm confident in your ability to guess what
I did say.

A little bit more flurrying in the final moments gave us slim hope, but
despite the man advantage for over half an hour we couldn't get it done.

After a game it can be very hard to separate how you feel about the result
from what your expectations were. I expected Sam to revert a bit back to old
form, not go after them, and we get flogged. That didn't happen. So despite
the loss, in a game most expected us to lose, I'm looking at the positive
signs of a work in progress. Yes, I still question Amalfitano coming off for
Cole. I think even if Morgan was spent, Zarate would have been a better fit.
And I understand the questions about Nolan, but as I said before that is a
role he might be suited for. And if it weren't for a very close offside call
it would have turned out to be a master stroke.

We went to Old Trafford. We lost. But if things continue on the path we are
on, normal service has most definitely not been restored.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Wayne Rooney's third Man United red card leaves Van Gaal refusing to discuss
his role as captain
Sep 27, 2014 22:31 By Simon Mullock
The Mirror

Louis van Gaal leapt to the defence of Wayne Rooney after seeing his captain
sent off for an ugly professional foul during his side's 2-1 victory over
West Ham. The England skipper took Stewart Downing out at the knees to halt
a 59th-minute Hammers counter-attack. But, when asked if the red card had
given him reason to rethink his ­decision to hand Rooney the armband, Van
Gaal reacted angrily. "For me, it is not a good ­analysis or a good
question," said the Dutchman. "It is my right not to answer it." He added:
"Wayne's foul was too unfriendly. That was his biggest mistake. "Wayne could
have made the foul in a more friendly way. "Wayne has spoken to me and said
he didn't mean for it to be like that. But, whether you like to hear it or
not, football is a professional game with professional fouls - I've seen
five or six other professional fouls today that didn't get a red or even a
yellow card."

It was the sixth red card of Rooney's career and the third time he has been
dismissed playing for United. He will now miss ALL of October through
suspension, ruling him out of games against Everton, West Brom and Chelsea,
before returning for the Manchester derby on November 2. Rooney had put Van
Gaal's men ahead with a glorious fifth-minute finish and then seen Robin van
Persie double the ­advantage in the 22nd minute. But West Ham hit back
through Diafra Sakho before the break, and boss Sam Allardyce thought Kevin
Nolan had grabbed a last-minute ­equaliser - only for celebrations to be cut
short by the offside flag of assistant referee Andy Garratt. Allardyce said:
"The assistant referee has dropped a massive b*****k. The Superman linesman
has got X-ray vision. "If he has seen the Kevin Nolan's head is offside,
then he must have super-human vision."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
MATCH VERDICT – Many reasons to be cheerful
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 27, 2014 in Whispers
Manchester United 2 Irons 1
Claret & Hugh

Match verdict
by Hugh Southon

To come away from Old Trafford feeling sick that we didn't win tells me one
thing: This squad has come one hell of a long way and we should all feel
very content with the way things are heading. Our man of the season Cheikhou
Kouyate was missing and the late withdrawal of Mark Noble could have proved
seriously harmful. Instead it gave us the opportunity to take a look at
Morgan Amalfitano and Diego Poyet and both looked more than comfortable in
what is always seen as one of the toughest tests of the season. These are
big reasons to be very cheerful. That United cruised into a two goal lead
was down to the fact that captain for the day Alex Song made a colossal
ricket for the first goal – but for that we would have come away with a
point we always richly deserved.

What I believe we saw this afternoon was that Sam Allardyce and David
Sullivan ( because trust me that's what it amounts to ) have assembled a
squad which Noble describes as the best he's been involved in over his 10
years at the club. We looked very strong throughout but what's changed is
that there is now a touch of class about the Hammers with a squad of players
having been assembled who can play in several different ways. I really like
the look of Amalfitano and I believe Enner Valencia will be one of those who
brings moments of delirium and desperation but I'd sooner have him in my
team than in the opposition's. The player who excites though – a guy who I
believe will still be going at the end of the season as he has started – is
Diafra Sakho. He's always involved, always sniffing out chances, playing
simple lay offs to get things set- up and SCORING GOALS. At one stage – when
a far post volley was saved by David De Gea at close range – Diafra's first
reaction was to wind-up the Irons fans. Love it.

But what's better than anything is that we really do have our West Ham back
although the sight of Carlton Cole and Kevin Nolan arriving on the pitch
wasn't the best. West Ham 2014/15 are light years in front of what we have
been looking at over the last two or three seasons and this is no time to
call the manager or anyone else. Let's just see how well this develops
because it truly is looking very good. One final thought on the game: Wayne
Rooney's sending off was 100 per cent deserved. He scythed Stewart Downing
down with a knee high kick. And unbelievably the United fans cheered and
clapped him off. If that's what they have come to, Manchester United is
really is in trouble!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
This was the Davids most important decision of all
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 27, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Of all the decisions that were made at the end of last season the most
important was that the board were going to take a much closer interest in
who came into the Boleyn during the summer transfer market. The likes of
Modibo Maiga and Alou Diarra has sharpened and concentrated minds – David
Sullivan and David Gold were not ready to entertain anymore flops. The
public announcements that this was set to happen brought the normal chorus
of disapproval in some places with the usuaal murmurs that the board wanted
to pick the team and other such nonsense. What it actually meant was that
there would be much closer cooperation between the manager and the owners –
no longer would a player be suggested and bought just like that - there
would be greater discussion. It really was as simple as that!

All the talk of Sam Allardyce's job being undermined was ridiculous – like
any other employer in any other walk of life, he became more
accountable…nothing wrong with that. And the outcome has been first class.
We have seen some terrific players come through the doors such as Kouyate,
Song, Valencia and Sakho and in total we spent around £31 million. It's
been a success story we should celebrate. OK it's very early in the season
but it's clear we have a great squad and for me, with absolutely no axe to
grind on behalf of anybody I would say one thing. The board – as is their
total right because it's their money – gave a great lead on the issue, Sam
Allardyce concurred, everybody has been working together and we are seeing
great benefits as a result. For now, it's the supporters' job to unite as
strongly as we tend to divide when it all goes tits up – now that would be
nice wouldn't it?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sakho financial package brings boardroom smiles
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 27, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

The Irons top brass deserve to be giving themselves some hefty slaps on the
back after watching Diafra Sakho start his season with four goals from four
starts. For they put a truly top class deal together when finally deciding
to offer the former Metz striker a permanent deal at the club. And after his
storming start to the campaign, the financials involved are looking very
good indeed. It now seems astonishing that the deal nearly broke down when
the club tried to change it from a permanent to loan deal but it's now a
very clever package from our point of view Co-chairman David Sullivan is the
man who put the deals together and he finally agreed a fee of £3.5 million
with add-ons. And ClaretandHugh has discovered exclusively from club
insiders that the add ons were all based on appearance with the money only
rising to £7 million after 130 games – or in around three to four seasons!
And additionally the French outfit won't receive another penny until the
player has made a minimum of 35 appearances. After their shocking luck with
Modibo Maiga and injury-stricken Andy Carroll, the board finally has an
investment to bring a smile to their faces.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com



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Daily WHUFC News - 27th September 2014

Preview - Manchester United
WHUFC.com
All the key information ahead of Saturday's Barclays Premier League visit to
Old Trafford
26.09.2014

MANCHESTER UNITED v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
OLD TRAFFORD
SATURDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 2014
KICK-OFF: 3.00PM
REFEREE: LEE MASON

In brief
West Ham United travel to Old Trafford to play Manchester United on Saturday
as Sam Allardyce's men look to extend their good run of form. The Hammers
beat Liverpool 3-1 at the Boleyn Ground last Saturday through goals from
Winston Reid, Diafra Sakho and Morgan Amalfitano.

West Ham have made a bright start to the campaign, securing seven points
from five games. Yet there is a feeling around the club that the level of
performances deserve even more.

Manchester United, however, suffered a humiliating 5-3 loss to Leicester
City last Sunday as they collapsed having been 3-1 ahead. The new Red Devils
manager, Louis van Gaal, has had a turbulent start to his reign at Old
Trafford, taking only five points from as many games.

Related stories

Big Sam on: Manchester United

Chadwell Chatter

Manchester United betting preview
Who are they?

Formed in 1878, Manchester United are one of the most successful clubs in
English football. Having won the record amount of league titles - a
staggering 20 times - they have also won eleven FA Cups, four League Cups
and three European Cups.

However, since the retirement of manager Sir Alex Ferguson at the end of the
2012/13 season they have struggled. David Moyes' tenure lasted less than a
season as the Red Devils finished seventh in a poor season.

Former Barcelona, Ajax and Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal has since
taken the reigns. The Dutchman has spent over £150m on new players including
the likes of Angel Di Maria, Daley Blind and Luke Shaw, yet the Manchester
club are yet to hit their stride.

Team news

West Ham United

The Hammers will be without midfield engine Cheikhou Kouyate who picked up a
groin injury against Liverpool. He is expected to be out for around six
weeks.

Also on the sidelines are Andy Carroll (ankle) and Joey O'Brien (knee). The
good news for Hammers' fans is that captain Kevin Nolan is back in full
training. Both Nolan and Jarvis could feature in an U21 match on Monday
night in an attempt to regain match fitness.

Manchester United

The Red Devils' defensive problems have been worsened by the injury to Jonny
Evans (foot). England internationals Phil Jones (hamstring) and Chris
Smalling (thigh) are both a few weeks away from fitness. Luke Shaw is
expected to make his first league start at left-back.

United will also be without ex-West Ham midfielder Michael Carrick (ankle),
Ashley Young (groin) and Marouane Fellaini (ankle).

Referee

Lee Mason will take charge of proceedings on Saturday. The experienced
referee has overseen Liverpool's defeat to Aston Villa and Manchester City's
loss against Stoke City - two of the surprise results of the season. In his
three games so far he has given seven yellow cards and is yet to show anyone
a red card.

Last season, West Ham won only one of the four league games Mason refereed,
which included red cards for James Tomkins and Mark Noble.

The assistant referees are Andrew Garratt and Ian Hussin, Mike Dean is the
fourth official.
One to watch

West Ham United

Morgan Amalfitano was the last of nine signings to join the club in a busy
summer. The French midfielder scored four goals on loan at West Bromwich
Albion last season including a fantastic solo effort against Manchester
United.

Amalfitano is a versatile player who can play on either wing, as a No10 and
in a central position. He could play in place of the injured Cheikhou
Kouyate as Sam Allardyce looks to continue his team's good run of form.

Manchester United
Having impressed at the 2014 World Cup Daley Blind looks to be a good bit of
business at £14m. The energetic Dutchman can play in a number of positions
both in defence and midfield.

Having come through the prestigious Ajax youth system he was voted Dutch
Player of the Year for the 2013/14 season.

Alongside the capture of Angel Di Maria, Blind impressed on his debut as
Manchester United dismantled QPR 4-0. Blind has started in central midfield
in both of his two appearances, yet in light of the defensive injuries, van
Gaal may well play Blind in defence.
Tickets
All tickets for the match, including coach travel have now sold out.
Travel
By Car: Leave the M6 motorway at Junction 19 taking the A556 towards
Altrincham. This leads onto the A56 to Manchester. Follow the A56 for about
six miles and look for Sir Matt Busby Way on your left. The ground lies
about 400 metres down Sir Matt Busby way although on match days this road is
closed to all cars without parking permits.


Train: Regular services run to Manchester Piccadilly. From there you can
take a train to Old Trafford. A similar train operates after the game back
to Manchester Piccadilly.
For more information go to: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares
Tram/Metrolink: The nearest tram station to Old Trafford is located next to
Lancashire County Cricket Club on Warwick Road, which leads straight up to
Sir Matt Busby Way and takes about a ten-minute walk.

To plan your tram journey use:
http://www.gmpte.com/content.cfm?category_id=102783
Weather

Cloudy, with brief sunny spells. The temperature is forecast to be around
17C (63F).

Last Old Trafford meeting
Manchester United 3-1 West Ham United
Barclays Premier League
21 December 2013
The hosts won comfortably as Danny Welbeck and Adnan Januzaj scored to put
Man United 2-0 up at half-time. Ashley Young's goal sealed the points as
Carlton Cole netted a consolation late on. The away defeat left West Ham a
point off the relegation zone before a revival in the second half of the
season.
Manchester United: de Gea; Rafael, Evra (Buttner 80), Smalling, Evans;
Valencia, Jones, Cleverley, Januzaj (Young 69); Welbeck (Hernandez 54),
Rooney
Subs: Johnstone, Giggs, Fletcher, Kagawa
Goals: Welbeck 26, Januzaj 36, Young 72
West Ham United: Adrian; Demel, McCartney, Collins (Rat 75), Tomkins; Taylor
(Collison 62), Diame, Noble, Morrison, Jarvis (C Cole 71); Maiga
Subs: Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Diarra, J Cole
Goal: Cole 81

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actically speaking - Man Utd
WHUFc.com
An in-depth analysis of how the Red Devils might approach Saturday's meeting
with the Hammers
26.09.2014

Tactically speaking - Manchester United
The starting XI

De Gea
Rafael Fletcher Rojo Shaw
Blind Herrera Di Maria
Rooney
Van Persie Falcao

The formation
Manchester United's formation has been a source of much fascination since
the arrival of Louis van Gaal as manager and the influx of big-money summer
signings. In last weekend's 5-3 defeat at Leicester City, the Red Devils
employed a fluid system that made it difficult to pinpoint exactly where
each player was lined up formation-wise. However, educated observers have
labelled the starting formation as a 4-3-1-2, albeit with attacking
midfielder Angel di Maria lined up alongside defensive midfielders Daley
Blind and Ander Herrera. At the back, Rafael and Marcos Rojo were flying
forward at every opportunity from their nominal starting positions as
full-backs. Both centre-backs from last weekend's defeat at the King Power
Stadium - Jonny Evans and Tyler Blackett - are expected to miss Saturday's
game, with the Northern Ireland international nursing a foot injury and
Blackett suspended after his red card against the Foxes. Up front, Wayne
Rooney lined up behind central strikers Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao.

The playing style
Manchester United are clearly still looking for a settled playing style
under new manager Van Gaal. However, it appears that one thing is already
set in stone - there will be goals and chances at both ends of the pitch
when the Red Devils are in action. With so many talented attackers and
midfielders in their side, Manchester United are a team which prize
possession of the football, playing a short, passing style inside the
opposition half. The Red Devils have thrown men forward with abandon in
recent matches, with the full-backs in particular keen to support the
attack. This, however, has left their centre-backs and defensive midfielders
exposed and allowed opposition teams to create decent opportunities to score
against them. While their defensive solidity may not be so convincing, going
forward Manchester United remain a real threat - hardly surprising when you
list the likes of Di Maria, Van Persie, Rooney and Falcao in their side.
Individually, Di Maria has caught the eye since his arrival from Real Madrid
by picking up the ball and running at pace at the defence, either creating
an opportunity to shoot, exchange passes or to play in one of his
team-mates. Di Maria is just one of a host of players who will not be afraid
to let fly from range, with the deep-lying Rooney a major threat to do just
that.

The players
While his favoured formation remains something of a mystery, Van Gaal's
selection of players also presents something of a guessing game.
David De Gea is the clear first-choice goalkeeper. The Spaniard may not
appear physically imposing, but he is 6'4 tall and is both agile and brave.
Like many continental goalkeepers, De Gea is also a quick and accurate
distributor of the football. The back four - or three - that Van Gaal
utilises against West Ham is likely to be a very unfamiliar one. Youngster
Blackett, who has started all five league games so far, will miss the game
through suspension. Meanwhile, England internationals Phil Jones and Chris
Smalling are nursing hamstring and thigh injuries respectively, and Evans is
out with the ankle problem he suffered at Leicester. If news reports are to
be believed, Argentine Marcos Rojo, who filled the left-back berth at
Leicester, could partner one of Manchester United's younger defenders at
centre-back. Either Tom Thorpe, 21, or Paddy McNair, 19, could start.
Alternatively, Scotland midfielder Darren Fletcher or Dutchman Daley Blind
could drop into the back four.

Lively Brazilian Rafael is likely to start at right-back, while the
left-back position could be filled by England youngster Luke Shaw. Should
Shaw start, it would mark a debut for the former Southampton player, who is
blessed with great pace and stamina.
In midfield, Blind and Spaniard Ander Herrera will provide the shield for
the back four. Blind is a versatile performer who came through the Ajax
Academy and has all the hallmarks of his upbringing - good technique, calm
in possession and keeps the game moving.
Herrera is more attack-minded and will appear in the opposition penalty box.
Both are mobile and get around the pitch well, as you would expect for
players aged 24 and 25 respectively.

The front four for Manchester United need little introduction.

Di Maria is a top player. Predominantly left-sided, the Argentine is quick,
technically superb and always on the move. With or without the ball, he is a
constant threat. Rooney gets on the ball regularly in his new attacking
midfielder/No10 role behind the two strikers. As always, he will work hard
for the team and help out defensively when the need arises - both from open
play and set pieces. Van Persie is well-known to Premier League audiences,
but Colombian Falcao perhaps less so. Having arrived from Monaco with a huge
reputation, Falcao is a quick, strong right-sided centre forward who
finishes accurately from all positions, when he receives service from his
colleagues.

The statistics
By Ben McAleer
Ahead of West Ham United's meeting with Manchester United, football stats
website WhoScored.com has taken the chance to preview the encounter. The
Hammers enter the fixture high on confidence after a morale-boosting 3-1 win
over Liverpool last weekend. West Ham's performance against the Reds won
them plenty of plaudits and supporters will be hopeful they can repeat the
display when they travel to Old Trafford on Saturday. United have ample
attacking talent but have proven to be shaky at the back, particularly in
the shock 5-3 reverse at Leicester on Sunday.

With Louis van Gaal short on defensive options heading into the encounter,
West Ham will be confident that the high-pressing game adopted in the win
over Liverpool will reap rewards once more. Strikers Diafra Sakho and Enner
Valencia both played essential roles in Saturday's victory and the duo
between them have netted three of West Ham's nine league goals this season.

The pair were hugely influential at the weekend, pressuring the Liverpool
defence and not allowing them time to settle, and against United, similar
could occur if they repeat their performances from the Boleyn Ground
victory.

One of United's statistically calculated WhoScored.com weaknesses is
'defending against long shots' and West Ham have developed a knack for
netting from distance this season, Valencia's effort in the 2-2 draw with
Hull a case in point. The Hammers could punish the 2012/13 Premier League
champions if they are afforded space to shoot from distance, which could
result in a second home league defeat of the season for United.

With a rejuvenated Stewart Downing operating behind Sakho and Valencia, West
Ham have become a much more unpredictable side going forwards and the team
are benefitting as a result. Only three teams - Chelsea, Everton and Arsenal
- have scored more league goals than the Hammers (nine) so far this season
and against a defence that conceded five last time out, Sam Allardyce will
look to attack on Saturday.

Despite their short time together, Sakho, Valencia and Downing's blossoming
partnership has contributed to West Ham's impressive start to the season.
With Mauro Zarate in reserve, Allardyce has plenty of options in attack and
if the starting trio are on song this weekend, the chance of West Ham coming
away from Old Trafford with all three points increases considerably.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble talks about the win over Liverpool, the Olympic Stadium and
facing Manchester United
25.09.2014

Hello,

I hope everybody enjoyed our 3-1 win over Liverpool last Saturday, I
certainly did! As captain, I was incredibly proud of the effort every single
one of players put in. The result was no less than we deserved and I came
off the pitch on Saturday thinking that was a proper team performance.

Another positive is the effect the new players have had. Diafra Sakho has
been in great goal scoring form and Enner Valencia's talent is clear to see.
Another player who has done really well who perhaps has gone under the radar
a little bit is Aaron Cresswell. He seems to have made the step up from the
Championship to the Premier League pretty seamlessly so full credit to him.
Overall the new players have all settled in really well and have undoubtedly
improved the team. It is definitely the best squad I've been involved in
during my ten years as a first team player. We are a powerful, strong team
now. We've got a lot of skilful players and boys that can finish well so
it's a pleasure to be playing at the moment.

On Tuesday I was at the opening of the Reservation Centre at Westfield
Stratford where everyone can buy their Season Tickets and hospitality
packages for the New Stadium. It's less than two years to go until the move.
As everyone knows, time goes very quickly in football. I remember making my
debut ten years ago now and the time since then has flown by! Just thinking
ahead to match-days at the new ground it's going to be amazing. The fans
will be able to do a bit of sightseeing and then come to a West Ham game,
it's going to be fantastic.

Having seen the progress made on the stadium, it looks like everything is
coming together and I'm really looking to it. Once it is completed it will
be truly be an amazing arena to play in, certainly as good, if not better
than any stadium I've ever played in before.
Speaking of great stadiums, we're heading to Old Trafford this Saturday with
every chance of coming back with a good result. I've had some mixed results
there during my time but I always look forward to playing there. How can you
not?

My most memorable game was the day Carlos Tevez scored as we won on the last
day of the season to save us from relegation. If I can have half that
feeling of when we stayed up that would be amazing.

Whereas in previous years we've had to 'park the bus' due to their quality,
we're going up there now with a good chance of getting something out of the
game. The Club, the staff and certainly the players are looking forward to
it.
Don't get me wrong, they're still a fantastic team with world class players
and we're certainly not going to underestimate them. Coming back from that
incredible 5-3 game with Leicester they'll be hurting and looking to bounce
back.
Having said that we know they've got some chinks in their armour and we'll
be looking to exploit them come Saturday. We're in good form, we've got good
players and we're feeling confident. We'll take that onto the pitch at Old
Trafford and hopefully come away with a positive result!

Come on you Irons
Nobes

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Six of the best: Manchester United
WHUFC.com
A look back at six memorable away wins over Saturday's opponents Manchester
United
25.09.2014

Old Trafford was for years regarded as a fortress for Manchester United
under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson. But perhaps now, after an
indifferent 2013/14 campaign, there is an air of vulnerability about the Red
Devils. Here, whufc.com takes a look at six memorable away wins for West Ham
against Saturday's opponents.

Manchester United 0-1 West Ham United
Barclays Premier League
13 May 2007
West Ham travelled to newly-crowned Champions Manchester United on the final
day of the 2006/07 season needing a point to be sure of their Premier League
status. As it was, the Hammers took all three points thanks to Carlos Tevez,
who scored on the stroke of half-time, placing his shot past Edwin Van der
Sar after exchanging passes with Bobby Zamora. The visitors were able to
hold out in the second half as they ensured top-flight football would be
played at the Boleyn Ground for another season.

Manchester United 0-1 West Ham United
Premier League
8 December 2001
West Ham inflicted a third straight league defeat on the Red Devils as a
single goal from Jermain Defoe was enough to earn them all three points. The
defining moment came with 64 minutes on the clock as the diminutive striker
headed home unchallenged at the far post following excellent work by Paolo
Di Canio. Visiting keeper David James then made a string of fine saves to
keep his side in front and earn himself a precious clean sheet.

Manchester United 0-1 West Ham United
FA Cup Round Four
28 January 2001
A game famous for the antics of United's eccentric French goalkeeper, Fabian
Barthez, saw the Hammers through to the fifth round of the FA Cup. 76
minutes had elapsed when Paolo Di Canio bore down on goal with Barthez
stood, one hand aloft, appealing in vain for an offside decision which never
came. The Italian proceeded to slot the ball past the Frenchman, leaving the
Red Devils and their bemused fans out of the FA Cup.

Manchester United 2-3 West Ham United
First Division
25 August 1986
The second game of the 1986/87 season saw the Hammers rise to the top of the
first division with an entertaining win over Manchester United. A goal from
Alan Devonshire and two from Frank McAvennie steered the away side to their
second successive win at Old Trafford.
United did however to go onto finish four places above West Ham, ending the
season in eleventh place.

Manchester United 0-2 West Ham United
FA Cup round five replay
9 March 1986
The Hammers had disposed of Ipswich and Charlton to earn a fifth round tie
with Manchester United. After a 1-1 draw four days earlier the visitors
eased through to the sixth round thanks to a trademark penalty from Ray
Stewart and a goal from Geoff Pike. The cup run was halted just three days
later in the next round, as a 2-1 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday sent the
Hammers crashing out.

Manchester United 0-2 West Ham United
First Division
27 November 1976
West Ham had suffered eight defeats out of nine games before they journeyed
to Old Trafford lying in a precarious 22nd place in the league. Billy
Jennings and Trevor Brooking were the heroes in claret and blue as they
eased the mounting pressure on the Club. By the end of the season the
Hammers had managed to stabilise and finished the campaign in 17th place.

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Brown aims to bring down Royals
WHUFC.com
Goal-hungry U18s striker Jordan Brown wants to fire the Hammers to victory
over Reading on Saturday
26.09.2014

West Ham United U18s striker Jordan Brown is aiming to continue his
impressive goal scoring record when the Hammers travel to Reading on
Saturday. Having started the season with four goals in five Barclays U18
Premier League fixtures, along with a further two at the Champions Cup event
at Tottenham Hotspur in early September, Brown told whufc.com that he is
determined to keep banging in the goals.
"The season has gone well for me personally," said Brown, who joined the
Hammers from Arsenal at the start of his two-year scholarship in summer
2013. "There are areas of my game that I still need to work on that, if I
put the work in to change them, I'll be able to take my game to a higher
level."I'd like to be adding more goals to my game. I've scored a few now
but I want to score even more."That's four goals in five league games for
me, but I also scored two in the Champions Cup tournament at Spurs so things
are going well for me!"
This season, Brown has become one of the more experienced players in the
Hammers' Academy side, after being joined in the U18s by several members of
the U16 squad.
The former Gunner is setting his sights on moving up to Nick Haycock's
Development Squad, for whom he featured at Tottenham Hotspur from the bench
in August. Despite wanting to reach that level as soon as possible, Brown
understands that with the quality ahead of him, he will have to be
patient."I want to be playing at the highest level that is available," Brown
continued. "I'm being patient at the moment because I know that there are
some fantastic strikers ahead of me."I know that I've just got to keep
performing well on the pitch and also keep banging the goals in because it's
playing well like that will get me noticed more."

West Ham's U18s head into Saturday's fixture at Reading off the back of a
3-2 home victory over Southampton last weekend. England U16 international
Brown got himself on the scoresheet again by netting the equaliser as the
Hammers came back from 2-0 down after 22 minutes to be level by half-time,
before substitute midfielder Kieran Bailey volleyed in a late winner. Brown
and his team-mates were delighted to achieve success from a losing position,
although they know how important it is to learn from the opening half-hour
as they look to push on this season. "We were impressed with the result but
know which areas that we have to work on. In the first half, we came out
quite slow. We are happy with the final hour of the match, but the first 30
minutes wasn't good enough and we know that. "We could stand here and blame
a change in formation, but we are all good enough players to be able to
adapt to whatever system that Steve Potts and Mark Phillips put out on the
pitch each game.

"It seems to happen often that we come out quite slowly in games and give
the other team the upper hand. If we can change that and come out dominating
the game from the start, it will give us a better chance of scoring more
goals and winning more games in the future."
West Ham take on Reading at Hogwood Park on Saturday 27 September at 11am.
The game will be played behind closed doors, but we will bring you live
Twitter updates here.

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Mediawatch - 26 September
WHUFC.com
Our daily look at West Ham United in the news
26.09.2014

The manager's pre-Manchester United press conference is covered extensively
in Friday morning's papers, with Big Sam admitting in the Mirror that he
expects a Red Devils backlash following their 5-3 defeat to Leicester City.
The Daily Express carries quotes from Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal,
in which he suggests he has only one fit central defender. In the Guardian,
Enner Valencia says the Hammers have a bright future, particularly with
their impending move to the Olympic Stadium. The Evening Standard says Kevin
Nolan and Matt Jarvis are on the verge of returning from injury.

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Nations Cup 2015: No place for Song in Cameroon squad
BBC.co.uk

There is no place in the latest Cameroon squad for West Ham's Alex Song,
despite the fact he has completed a three-match ban. The Indomitable Lions
are set to play Sierra Leone on 10 and 15 October in Group D of 2015 Africa
Cup of Nations qualifiers. Song was given the suspension after being sent
off during Cameroon's second match at the World Cup. He was dismissed for
elbowing Croatia's Mario Mandzukic in the 4-0 loss. The 28-year-old missed
the final Group A match in Brazil, a 4-1 loss to the hosts, and then
Cameroon's opening two Nations Cup qualifiers. Following the World Cup, he
joined English Premier League side West Ham on a season-long loan from
Spanish giants Barcelona. There is a recall for the Lyon defender Henri
Bedimo, who missed the qualifying wins against DR Congo and Ivory Coast
through injury. Cameroon are set to host both qualifiers against Sierra
Leone in Yaounde as the Leone Stars are unable to play at home due to the
ongoing outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the country.The Indomitable
Lions are top of Group D after the first two matches with the top two sides
in each group guaranteed to qualify for January's finals in Morocco.

Cameroon squad:
Goalkeepers: Pierre Sylvain Abogo (Tonnerre Yaounde), Guy Roland Ndy Assembe
(Nancy, France), Joseph Ondoua (Barcelona, Spain)
Defenders: Frank Bagnack (Barcelona, Spain), Henri Bedimo (Lyon, France),
Cedric Djeugoue (Coton Sport), Jerome Guihoata (Valenciennes, France), Bana
Moussa (Coton Sport), Nicolas Nkoulou, Brice Nlate (both Marseille),
Ambroise Oyongo (New York Red Bulls, USA)
Midfielders: Enoh Eyong (Standard Liege, Belgium), Marc Kibong Mbamba
(Konyaspor, Turkey), Raoul Cedric Loe (Osasuna, Spain), Georges Mandjeck
(Kayseri Erciyesspor, Turkey), Stephane Mbia (Sevilla, Spain), Benjamin
Moukandjo (Stade Reims, France), Edgar Salli (Monaco, France), Guy Christian
Zock (Cosmos Bafia)
Forwards: Vincent Aboubakar (Porto, Portugal), Eric-Maxim Choupo Moting
(Schalke 04, Germany), Jean Marie Dongou (Barcelona, Spain), Frank Etoundi
(FC Zurich, Switzerland), Leonard Kwueke (Caykur Rizespor, Turkey), Clinton
N'Jie(Lyon)

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Man Utd v West Ham
KO 15:00
26 September 2014
Last updated at 11:05
By John Motson
BBC Match of the Day commentator

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Old Trafford Date: Saturday, 27 September

TEAM NEWS

Marcos Rojo is Manchester United's only fit central defender, with Phil
Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans injured and Tyler Blackett suspended.
That could mean a debut for Tom Thorpe or Paddy McNair, along with summer
signing Luke Shaw at left-back. West Ham will be without midfielder Cheikhou
Kouyate, who has been ruled out for six weeks with a groin injury. Fellow
midfielders Kevin Nolan and Matt Jarvis have returned to training but are
not ready to be involved. I can't remember a match in modern times when
Manchester United have needed a result more than they do this weekend.
Leicester created shockwaves with their amazing comeback victory on Sunday,
leaving United with their worst ever start to a Premier League season.
That's even more remarkable considering they are yet to face a team who
finished higher than 12th last season. It's not going to get any easier this
weekend with Louis van Gaal's fragile defence shorn of more players. Tyler
Blackett, Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling are missing from the side that lost
to the Foxes, so Van Gaal may need to turn to youth to make up the
numbers."I would like to think that West Ham will play the same way they did
against Hull and Liverpool, which was both about as far away from a typical
performance from a Sam Allardyce team as you can get. "In both of those
games, the Hammers got in the opposition's faces and attacked them with lots
of pace. I was really impressed."

Wayne Rooney hasn't had an easy to start to life as captain, but this game
comes a day before the 10th anniversary of his United debut. He hit a
hat-trick against Fenerbahce on that occasion and will be desperate to
celebrate in style this weekend. It's hardly a lucky ground for West Ham,
with 16 defeats in their 18 Premier League meetings and just two victories,
although the last of those wins in 2007 particularly sticks in the memory.
Carlos Tevez, embroiled in a row over his registration, controversially
scored the winner to save the Hammers from relegation and instead send down
Sheffield United. West Ham have improved considerably since last season -
demonstrated by last weekend's 3-1 win over Liverpool. Their attacking
reinforcements of Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho have impressed and Sam
Allardyce has praised the impact of new attacking coach Teddy Sheringham in
helping the movement of his forwards. Stewart Downing didn't have much end
product last season but has already provided three assists in this campaign,
while Alex Song has stiffened up midfield alongside Mark Noble, although
Cheikhou Kouyate's absence against United is a blow. Even with a record as
bad as theirs, West Ham can go into Saturday full of confidence. Old
Trafford is no longer the fortress it once was.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head
Manchester United have taken 31 points from their last 11 Premier League
games against West Ham.
The Hammers have won just two matches in their last 21 visits to Old
Trafford in the top flight - the other 19 were defeats.
West Ham have scored nine goals in 18 Premier League games at Old Trafford
and never more than one in a single game.

Manchester United
United have made their worst ever start to a Premier League season with five
points from five games. Defeat against West Ham would make it their worst
start to a top-flight season since 1986-87, when they had four points after
six games.
They have won just one of their last six league games.
Louis van Gaal's side are yet to face a team who finished in the top half of
the table last season, having played Sunderland and Swansea and all three
promoted clubs.
They have lost 10 of their last 25 home games in the league. The previous 10
defeats came across a period of 148 games.
Wayne Rooney needs one more goal to reach 175 and become the outright
third-top scorer in Premier League history, overtaking Thierry Henry. Only
Alan Shearer (260) and Andy Cole (189) have scored more.

West Ham
West Ham have scored five goals in their last two away games. That is one
more than they managed in their previous six matches on the road.
Sam Allardyce's side have kept just one clean sheet in their last 17 Premier
League matches.
Stewart Downing's three assists in five games this season is more than he
managed in the whole of 2013-14 when he managed two in 32 appearances.

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Collison completes Ipswich switch
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 26th September 2014
By: Staff Writer

Former Hammer Jack Collison has signed for Ipswich Town on short-term deal.
Collison, who was released by West Ham at the end of the last season had
been training with a number of clubs since leaving but finally put pen to
paper earlier today with the Championship club.
"There is a good squad here and a lot of competition for places so I know it
will be no easy task to get in the side," Collison told itfc.co.uk. "It's
down to me to get my head down and work hard and impress the manager enough
for him to give me a chance in the team. Then I've got to take that chance.
"In the short space of time I've been here I have enjoyed working with the
players and the manager. There is a good feel about the place and everyone
knows what a great club Ipswich is. "I'm here until the end of December and
we will see what happens after that. All I am focused on at the moment is
getting back to playing football again, enjoying my football again and
getting in the team. "It's been well documented about my injuries over the
last few years but I feel fit and ready to go. It will take me a couple of
weeks before I'm knocking on the door but I'll be working hard and doing my
best to get in the team." Collison made 121 appearances for West Ham in his
seven years at the club.

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Manchester United meet West Ham at Old Trafford
Last Updated: 26/09/14 10:27am
SSN

Louis van Gaal is already having to deal with the word 'crisis' as
Manchester United welcome West Ham United to Old Trafford on Saturday.
United have won just once in six competitive games since Van Gaal took
charge in the summer and the experienced Dutchman also has defensive worries
for the visit of West Ham. Last week's 5-3 defeat at Leicester saw United
throw away a two-goal lead to lose in the Premier League for the first time
and left the 20-time champions with just five points from five games. Louis
van Gaal has confirmed he is down to just one fit centre-back for Manchester
United's home game against West Ham on Saturday. Van Gaal is also likely to
have a mix-and-match pairing at the heart of his defence as he contends with
criticism of the club's failure to sign a dominant centre-half during the
transfer window. The splurge on attacking reinforcements, though, has reaped
dividends after seven goals in the last two games, and record signing Angel
di Maria has made an instant impact since his arrival from Real Madrid.
United will hope that, given their defensive travails, West Ham will head
north displaying the impotence which has delivered just three goals in their
last nine league games at Old Trafford.

West Ham have also lost 10 of the last 11 league meetings between the two
clubs, but will go into the game four places above their opponents in the
table.Sam Allardyce's side are also unbeaten in their two away games this
season after following up a 3-1 win at Crystal Palace with a 2-2 draw at
Hull City.

Opta Facts

Manchester United's total of five points from five games is their worst haul
at this stage since 1989-90.
West Ham have scored a league-high four goals from outside the box this
season.
Manchester United have conceded six penalties in their last 15 Premier
League games – before this run, they hadn't conceded one in 85 PL matches.
Allardyce also saw his team impress in beating Liverpool at home last week
as two goals in the opening seven minutes laid the foundations for a 3-1
success.

Andy Carroll's absence will deprive West Ham of a physical presence to
unsettle United's makeshift defence, but Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho
have the talent to cause plenty of problems.

Team news

Teenage defender Paddy McNair could make his first-team debut against West
Ham after Van Gaal's squad was decimated by injury. Tyler Blackett
(suspended), Jonny Evans (ankle), Chris Smalling (thigh) and Phil Jones
(hamstring) are all out, which leaves Marcos Rojo as Van Gaal's only fit
senior centre-half. Left-back Luke Shaw is expected to make his debut, but
midfielders Ashley Young (groin), Michael Carrick (ankle), Jesse Lingard
(knee) and Marouane Fellaini (ankle) are unavailable.

West Ham will be without midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate for Saturday's trip to
United. The Senegal international has been ruled out with a groin injury
suffered in the 3-1 win over Liverpool and could be missing for up to six
weeks. Captain Kevin Nolan is back in training following a fractured
shoulder but will not be considered at Old Trafford, whilst Matt Jarvis
(thigh) is in a similar position.
Joey O'Brien (knee) and Carroll (ankle) are also missing but James Collins
is in contention to start after coming off the bench last weekend.

Paul Merson's prediction:

This game all depends on how Sam Allardyce approaches it. If West Ham go to
Old Trafford and have a go at them, like they did at home to Liverpool, then
they will cause absolutely loads of problems because United are terrible at
the back. If they go there, sit back and try to defend then they will fizzle
out and lose, so surely you have to go there and go for them? I hope they do
that because they'll give them a right game. It could go one way or another
and that's why I'm making two predictions for this game!

PAUL PREDICTS: 2-2 (if Allardyce goes for it) or 2-0 (if he doesn't).

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Striker Enner Valencia glad to be playing for West Ham
Last Updated: 26/09/14 9:13am
SSN

West Ham striker Enner Valencia admits he is 'living the dream' following
his £12million summer move to the Premier League club. Having joined the
Hammers in July from Pachuca, Valencia made his first league start earlier
this month against Hull City and capped off an impressive performance with a
superb long-range goal. After getting his Premier League career off to a
good start, the Ecuador forward says his hopes have been realised and is now
eagerly anticipating Saturday's trip to Manchester United. "I had to work
with my dad on the farm milking cows and then sell the milk to buy my first
boots," Valencia explained. "I used to watch the Premier League on TV and
now I'm living the dream. I can say that it has been a good start, the way
that I have adapted to the Premier League. "I knew about West Ham mainly
from films. I remember Green Street. I was not scared. I respected the fact
they are very passionate supporters and, when I found out I was coming here,
I didn't know what to expect." "Anyone can beat anyone in this league.
Everyone loves to play United and I would love to beat them." Valencia
admits he was initially wary of life in England after watching 'Green
Street' – a film about football hooliganism which was named after a road
next to West Ham's ground Upton Park. "I knew about West Ham mainly from
films. I remember Green Street," the former Emelec striker said. "I was not
scared. I respected the fact they are very passionate supporters and, when I
found out I was coming here, I didn't know what to expect. "As soon as I
arrived I was told that all that was in the old days and it has all changed
now. "Also, here in England, fans are respectful whereas in South America,
if you lose a match you can't even go out in the street. "Here, after we
lost the opening game (to Tottenham) people stayed in the stadium and showed
their support. I liked that."

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West Ham hotshot Diafra Sakho can beat my record says former Hammer Leroy
Rosenior
Sep 26, 2014 22:30 By Darren Lewis
Sakho has enjoyed a good start to life in claret and blue scoring in his
first three fixtures; at Old Trafford, he goes in search of four in four
The Mirror

The last man to score in his first three West Ham games believes Diafra
Sakho has every chance of breaking his 26-year-old record at Manchester
United this afternoon. Leroy Rosenior netted against Watford, United and
Sheffield Wednesday back in 1988. Sakho, who has hit the target against
Sheffield United, Hull and Liverpool, has Louis van Gaal's Gaalacticos in
his sights. Rosenior, now a Premier League commentator, said: "It is
difficult as a striker at any level but scoring in three games on the trot
at the start of your career at a new club is very, very difficult. "To do it
for West Ham, with the pressure and the situation that they had found
themselves in – anxious at having not taken their opportunities in front of
goal – is even more impressive. "West Ham really do take players to their
hearts if they start well. But it isn't just the goalscoring that will have
impressed them, they'll also be delighted with Sakho's work rate and his
effort."Those goals, though, will give him time to settle in. To be playing
like that is terrific. It will give him real confidence in himself going to
Old Trafford."

Sakho, 24, signed a four-year deal at Upton Park in August after plundering
20 goals to help Metz win the Ligue 2 title in France.
Club insiders are delighted that they spent just £4.7million on the
Senegalese striker instead of the £8million Sunderland were demanding for
Connor Wickham, who has yet to score this season in five Premier League
appearances. Rosenior believes Sakho provides the cutting edge to what many
fans believe is the strongest Hammers squad for some time. He added:
"Sometimes you go to Manchester United with a bit of fear, thinking 'What
are we going to get?' "But West Ham can go there with a bit of confidence
feeling that they can definitely score.
If they can get their noses in front they have every chance of getting a
result. Sakho gives them that belief."The other new faces have helped him.
Their arrival has sparked a change of tactics. West Ham are now playing with
a diamond. "Stewart Downing is playing the best football I've seen from him
for many years and Enner Valencia is creating space for Sakho as well. "Then
you've got Alex Song behind them bringing an air of confidence. They will go
to United full of belief. Whether they can keep a clean sheet or not is
another thing.
I remember scoring on my debut for West Ham against Watford. That was
massive for me because I'd only joined the day before. "I signed on the
Friday and turned up in the dressing room at Upton Park an hour before the
game and met the team the following day! I knew Tony Gale, who had been at
Fulham."I put on my strip, went out and played, scored the winner and came
off exhausted after an hour and collapsed."I hadn't trained with the team
beforehand. I remember running through, whacking the ball and seeing it go
through the their keeper Tony Coton's legs."I took a lot of confidence from
it though – and I hope Sakho does even better now."

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Downing: This West Ham United signing has helped me improve
John Verrall
HITC

Stewart Downing says that West Ham United signing Alex Song has helped his
own performances. The addition of Song at Upton Park has allowed Downing to
play with more freedom, as he knows that there is more defensive solidarity
behind him, and he cites this as one of the major reasons for the
improvement in his performances. "Signing Alex Song has helped me," Downing
said to The Telegraph. "I'm playing further up and he does a lot of the
other (defensive) work. This season it is like a totally different club. The
new signings have given everyone a lift." Song joined on a season-long loan
deal from Barcelona in the summer transfer window and was quite a coup for
Sam Allardyce's side. Although the Cameroonian has a questionable
temperament, he is a talented midfielder, who has spent large parts of his
career playing Champions League football, and his arrival offers some
valuable experience to the Hammers' squad.

Song made his debut for the side in a 2-2 draw against Hull City, where he
came off the bench late on, but it was against Liverpool last weekend where
he showed his true value. The defensive midfielder dictated player and
showed good energy in one of the most impressive performances West Ham have
put in for some time. The Hammers ran out 3-1 winners with their new brand
of attacking football catching the eye against the top-four contenders. In
that match, Downing thrived in an attacking midfield role, as he adopted a
new central position.

The England international has spent most of his playing career as a winger,
but has been resurgent as the side's main creator and he is clearly enjoying
life at Upton Park as a result. "I'm absolutely loving it at the minute,''
said the 30-year-old. "I always thought when I got older I would go inside
but probably not this early. It's certainly given me a new lease of life.''

Song and Downing will now be hoping to build on their impressive
performances when the Hammers take on Manchester United on Saturday, and
their experience should prove key for Allardyce's men as they try to cause
an upset.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"Pressure on AC will do him the world of good"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 26, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

David Gold is convinced that Andy Carroll is set to thrive on the
competition provided by Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho when he returns to
action. That now looks likely to be around the middle of November with the
striker already running and preparing to start kicking balls next week.
After that he can look forward to rejoining the first team squad , reserve
team games and a return to first team action.But's not going to be a
cakewalk slipping back into the new look Irons team where Valencia and Sakho
look to have settled in double quick time.
Gold – speaking exclusively to ClaretandHugh – said: "I believe we will have
a player back who has been sorted…all his problems will be behind him. "The
plantar fascia injury is now totally understood by our medics maintained and
he has had surgery on the loose ankle – a problem suffered by many
footballers. He added: "Andy know the competition he faces and will thrive
on it. These are exciting times for him and everybody else. This is a
really good squad." Sam Allardyce has this week spoken of the importance
that Carroll suffers no more long term injuries and that he keeps himself in
tip top condition. And Gold saying: "It's up to every player to keep himself
in good shape and I'm sure Andy will do so – he's a professional who wants
to give everything to the cause. "I know too that he's desperate to get back
into the England team and the pressure for places at the club can only be
good for him on that front. Exciting times for us all."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Former Hammer: Great time to meet Man Utd
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 26, 2014 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh

Former Hammers central defender turned pundit Tony Gale disagrees with
manager Sam Allardyce that this is not a good time to meet Manchester
United. Allardyce has made it clear that he wants to hear no such talk as
the Irons squad head for Old Trafford. But Gale clearly isn't listening
declaring: "It's a terrific time to meet them but what we musn't do is sit
back and defend because we have two excellent guys up front. "Enner Valencia
and Diafra Sakho are not 6ft 4 in strikers – they have real pace and can
cause big problems.
"Luis van Gaal has some real troubles and West Ham can go up there with a
real chance."

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com



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