Zarate loaned to QPR
WHUFC.com
Mauro Zarate has joined Queens Park Rangers on loan until the end of the
2014/15 season
06.01.2015
West Ham United can confirm that Mauro Zarate has joined Queens Park Rangers
on loan until the end of the 2014/15 season. The Argentine forward will link
up with Harry Redknapp's side, who currently sit 16th in the Barclays
Premier League table, and could make his Hoops debut at Burnley on Saturday.
Zarate will hope to enjoy some invaluable game-time with the R's, having
started just five league matches since his summer arrival at the Boleyn
Ground from Velez Sarsfield. In all, the 28-year-old has scored two goals in
eight appearances for West Ham, seeing his opportunities limited by the form
and presence of fellow forwards Diafra Sakho, Enner Valencia, Andy Carroll
and Carlton Cole.
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Westley delighted with Dev Squad
WHUFC.com
Academy Director Terry Westley was delighted with the Dev Squad's 1-0 win
over Leicester
06.01.2015
West Ham United Academy Director Terry Westley said he was pleased with his
side's efforts after they beat Leicester City 1-0 at Rush Green on Monday
night. In a tight game with few chances between either side, the Hammers
took the three points when substitute Djair Parfitt-Williams headed home
Lewis Page's corner on 84 minutes. The crucial victory keeps the Dev Squad's
hopes of avoiding relegation alive and speaking after the game, Westley
said: "It was a tough game, a bottom of the table battle from start to
finish. "I actually thought the first twenty minutes we did very well. We
created some really good opportunities, our shape of the team was very good.
The two wide men Matty Fanimo and Blair Turgott were dangerous in behind,
running past their full backs which led to some great opportunities. "I was
really pleased because with 15 minutes to go we got a second wind, a breath
of fresh air if you like. All three substitutes, Jordan Brown, Lewis Page
and Djair Parfitt-Williams made an impact and they gave us some energy. We
had more pace particularly, and I'm delighted for young Djair getting his
first goal for the U21s."
The Dev Squad's 84th minute winner was Parfitt-Williams' first for the Dev
Squad, having already netted six times for the U18s this season. "It was a
big moment for him and we need to keep pushing younger players up the age
group. He's impressed me in my time here, he needs to attack a bit quicker
but he'll learn to do that. He's training with the U21s and I'm pleased to
be able to give him an opportunity on the pitch."
The win also saw the Dev Squad secure their first clean sheet of the season,
after 14 attempts in all competitions. When asked about the defensive
performance, Westley enthused: "I think all the back players, Pottsy the
captain, Howes in goal, Sam Westley and the two Reeces were fantastic for
us. "I thought the two centre-backs were magnificent for us, they were
outstanding. Their management team couldn't believe how young they were.
Their striker Hopper has played league football but they kept battling away
and ultimately kept him quiet.
"Amos Nasha as well did superbly, he hasn't started many games this season
but he did very well today. Alongside Kieran Bywater in midfield they give
us a good basis to play off."
The win comes at an important time, with the Dev Squad facing a busy January
with five games in total. Their next game is on Friday against London rivals
Tottenham Hotspur. "We might mix the team up a bit, we've got a few bumps
and bruises from tonight. Also the window is open for loans so we'll see
about that. There were 23 clubs here tonight so we'll see if any one of them
want to take any of our players. If we think it's the right move then we'll
always consider it. Tottenham don't have a game this week so we'll have to
take that into consideration due to the physical effort these games take.
"We then play again next Wednesday away at Everton, so it's three quick
games. Tonight gives a little bit of impetus and confidence that we need to
get away from the bottom two."
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Djair delighted with winning goal
WHUFC.com
Djair Parfitt-Williams scored his first goal for the Dev Squad in 1-0 win
over Leicester City
06.01.2015
West Ham United Academy striker Djair Parfitt-Williams scored his first goal
for the Development Squad as the Hammers beat Leicester City 1-0 in a tight
encounter at Rush Green on Monday night. The 18-year-old has been in fine
form for Steve Potts' U18s this season, scoring six goals in 16 appearances
and he continued his impressive run of form with a header from a Lewis Page
corner in the 84th minute.
With the Dev Squad currently sitting bottom of the Barclays U21 Premier
League, Parfitt-Williams' goal was a crucial intervention to make sure they
do not fall further adrift. Speaking after the game, the Bermudan born goal
scorer said: "I scored my first goal for the U21s and hopefully the first of
many. I scored a header off a corner even though I'm probably one of the
shortest players on the pitch. It felt good to score. "I scored one header
before earlier this season for the U18s but this my only my second one this
season."
Having put in impressive performances for the U18s over the last 18 months,
Parfitt-Williams has played a handful of games for the Dev Squad, including
the 5-3 defeat by Bilbao Athletic. With three Dev Squad appearances to his
name this season, the exciting attacker is aiming to add to this number as
the season progresses. "Of course it's good for Jordan Brown and myself to
be getting opportunities in the U21s. We're both happy, we work well
together and hopefully that will continue. "It was a physical game and
everybody worked hard, definitely. We all put in a good shift, we kept going
until the end and we got a reward for it."
The Development Squad's next game is against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur
on Friday 9 January 2015 at Rush Green Stadium, kick off is 7pm. Admission
is FREE for all Season Ticket Holders, while general admission is just £3
and £1 for U16s.
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Alex Song will NOT go to AFCON
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 6th January 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce received a huge boost tonight after it was
revealed that Alex Song will not now be representing Cameroon at this
month's African Cup of Nations. Shortly after West Ham's 3rd round FA Cup
tie at Everton ended this evening (more on that soon), the Telegraph's Matt
Law revealed on Twitter that Song will be returning to West Ham imminently.
The news of Song's return is a major fillip for Allardyce, who was facing
the prospect of being without the on-loan midfielder and Senegal's Diafra
Sakho and Cheik Kouyate - both key to West Ham's revival this season - for
the next few weeks. Whilst the latter is preparing for the AFCON with his
squad, Sakho is currently receiving treatment for the back injury he
sustained against West Brom last week and it is by no means certain that he
will be fit enough to play in the tournament, which begins on 17 January.
* Keep an eye on KUMB for full details on where and when you'll be able to
see West Ham's representatives at the tournament in action.
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Alex Song: I want to rebuild my career at the Boleyn
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 6th January 2015
By: Staff Writer
Alex Song has released a statement explaining his decision to retire from
international football, citing his desire to "rebuild my career at West Ham
United". The on-loan midfielder looked set to join up with the Cameroon
squad as they prepare for the forthcoming African Cup of Nations. That was
until it was revealed negotiations had reached an impasse - and that he
would be returning to West Ham immediately.
"Since the World Cup in the summer and my subsequent exclusion from the
Cameroon squad for the African Cup of Nations I have taken the decision to
retire from international football," read a statement by Song. "It is true
that there were some discussions of late to include me in the squad for this
tournament, but I feel after a lot of careful though and numerous
discussions with my family this is the right decision. "My love for my
country will never change but I want to take time to focus purely on
domestic football and start to rebuild my career at West Ham United. I wish
Cameroon all the best and the team will always be in my heart."
Song has featured on 14 occasions for West Ham this season, having made his
debut against Hull City in the 2-2 draw at the KC Stadium back in September.
He is contracted to West Ham until the end of the current season, when he is
scheduled to return to parent club Barcelona - although the chances of him
resurrecting his career at the Nou Camp are slim, at best.
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Mauro Zarate: I needed to leave West Ham
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 6th January 2015
By: Staff Writer
Mauro Zarate says he has to leave West Ham as he needed to play on a regular
basis. Zarate, speaking via qpr.co.uk this lunchtime (Tuesday) revealed that
his biggest incentive for leaving the Boleyn Ground was a lack of first team
football, with the likes of Diafra Sakho, Enner Valencia and Andy Carroll
above him in the pecking order. "It's very difficult when you don't play,"
he said. "Last year I played every game in Argentina, so coming to West Ham
and not playing is very bad for me. So I decided to come to QPR and show
what I can do. "I need this, I need to play and Queens Park Rangers have
given me this chance to show what I can do. The Premier League is the best
in the world at this moment. Does my style suit the Premier League? Maybe.
We will see! "When I met the manager he told me he wanted to sign me for
Portsmouth, but I went to Lazio. Now I am here and I will play for him. I
will try to do different things with the ball, some skills to make the
difference for the team, for me and for the other players. " I am fit and I
hope I can be involved on Saturday."
Meanwhile Harry Redknapp, who little more than 24 hours ago gave the
impression that the deal was off, added: "We're really pleased to bring
Mauro in. He's a good footballer, someone with great ability who can play as
a number 10. "I first saw him when he was on loan at Birmingham quite a few
years back and I actually tried to take him to Portsmouth back then. He's a
more-than capable player, he's already shown that, and hopefully he can come
in here and do well for us."
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Hammers linked with Italian defender
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 6th January 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are being linked with a move for Watford's Italian defender
Gabriele Angella, according to reports emanating from Italy.
The 25-year-old centre half has spent the last 18 months at Vicarage Road
where he has continued to impress and that, say tuttomercatoweb.com, has led
West Ham and West Brom to make tentative enquiries into the player's
availability. Angella, who began his professional career with Udinese joined
Watford on a free transfer in July 2013, since when he has made more than 50
starts for the Hornets. Only last month he was linked with a return to his
former club, who were also keen to take Angella back to Italy last summer.
One Watford fan, posting on wfcforums.com recently, said of Angella: "He's
an absolute class player. Everything he does is so effortless and assured.
He's by far the best centre back we've had in the 15 years I've followed
Watford." Whilst another added: " I think he will go on to become a stalwart
in defence of a big Italian club for years to come. It is a pleasure to
watch him play."
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Romelu Lukaku rescues Everton against West Ham
Last Updated: 06/01/15 10:05pm
SSN
Romelu Lukaku's injury-time equaliser denied West Ham a place in the fourth
round of FA Cup and forced a replay after their 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.
James Collins' near-post header in the 56th-minute, converting Morgan
Amalfitano's whipped delivery, looked to have settled an even tie on
Merseyside before Lukaku's late intervention. The Hammers made the brighter
start to proceedings but ultimately conceded the better chances to their
hosts in the first half. For all of their endeavour Everton squandered
numerous opportunities to level the match with Lukaku the main culprit on
several occasions in both halves to hand his side a route back into the
game. The Hammers looked destined to have booked a trip to either Doncaster
or Bristol City in the next round but Lukaku swooped in second-half stoppage
time to force a replay. The Belgian controlled Bryan Oviedo's driven cross
before firing past Adrian in the Hammers goal to ensure the sides would have
to play again next week at Upton Park.
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Everton 1-1 West Ham: Under-par Toffees earn replay thanks to last-gasp
Romelu Lukaku goal
Jan 06, 2015 21:52 By David Maddock
The Irons looked to have booked their place in the Fourth Round but Roberto
Martinez's side managed to snatch a draw at the last
The Mirror
Romelu Lukaku produced a dramatic stoppage-time leveller to keep Everton's
FA Cup hopes alive. With the pressure reaching crisis point on boss Roberto
Martinez as West Ham led in the dying seconds through a James Collins header
that exposed serious Goodison fault lines, the Belgian striker pounced to
smash home an acrobatic left foot volley. It was justice for the big centre
forward too, who was the one bright note of an otherwise insipid performance
from the home side, as they were dominated for long periods by West Ham.
Collins was the latest to ruthlessly capitalise on an Everton set piece
weakness that has infected the previously indomitable Merseyside club at a
rate as surprising as it has been swift. He was completely unmarked as he
ran across the six yard box in the 56th minute to smash home a header at the
near post that embarrassed the home goalkeeper and the defenders in front of
him. With a tie against lower league opposition in the next round, the
Hammers started to dream of adding to their illustrious history in this
competition, given their form and imposing strength in recent months. But
with the referee looking at his watch after adding fur minutes of stoppage
time, the Blues launched one last desperate attack.
Bryan Oviedo broke down the left and sent in a hopeful cross that found
Lukaku for once given space by an otherwise admirable visiting defence. And
the Belgium star took one touch with his left foot before lashing in the
bouncing ball on the volley, to send the fans into raptures, and release the
pressure that had been building throughout the second half. Everton almost
had the perfect start, with the distinctly creaky Joel Robles showing why
Martinez indicated he will look for a new keeper this month in the absence
of the injured Tim Howard. He came, saw and flapped at a Stewart Downing
cross, and the Hammers would have opened their account but for a flag as
Enner Valencia strayed just offside. It is the sort of break Everton so
desperately needed – desperation being the operative word, given the frantic
nature of much of their play. Yet perhaps buoyed by that let off, they
eventually settled into this tie, inspired no doubt by their manager's
fondness for cup competition and the attention it brings. The Blues should
have been ahead by half time, with Steven Naismith heralding a better period
of play with a shot that flashed wide on 18 minutes. Before that Everton
were listless, after, they seemed much more the old Everton.
Lukaku twice raced through, showing more edge to his game than he has in the
past month, and was unlucky not to produce a goal. First, he raced away from
the defence, but saw his shot flick off a defender and fly just wide. Then
his ferocious effort stung Adrian's palms, and Naismith was close to
converting the rebound. In between, Naismith also fired across goal from a
narrow angle, and Seamus Coleman was inches away from getting on the end of
a Kevin Mirallas cross. West Ham will wonder how they survived that mini
onslaught, but it allowed them to come out after the break with the belief
that a goal would create frustration among the home support. How it did. The
Hammers, no doubt inspired by words from their manager, were more energetic,
more committed after the break, and pushed Everton back with real intent.
Their goal on 55 minutes seemed almost inevitable, with Jenkinson and
Downing denied in the minutes before, the latter's deflected shot producing
a corner that Amalfitano floated over, and James Collins headed home at the
near post. It was the sort of sloppy goal Everton have conceded too many
times this season, their marking of the big defender too slack as he ran
across the six yard box.
The Hammers almost doubled their lead soon after, Robles making a fine save
from Valencia's close-range header. But Lukaku was to have the last word,
saving the hosts' blushes in added time.
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Allardyce hits out at Valencia miss
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 6, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce was left bitterly disappointed after the
Hammers let a 1-0 lead over Everton slip in injury time and now face a
tricky FA Cup third round replay at the Boleyn. He claimed we hadn't
defender properly and of the Everton equaliser said: "The lad (Oviedo) was
incredibly lucky to get a cross in which was untouched by our defence and
that was that. It's all the more disappointing to concede so late in injury
time."
He then launched a tirade of criticism at Enner Valencia for placing a
header straight at the keeper Robles earlier in the game declaring: "You
expect someone of his ability to do better than that." He added: "But we put
in a really good team performance. I think they all played up to their
maximum but the overwhelming feeling is one of disappointment."
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Hammers hit by Lukaku late leveller
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 6, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
With Andy Carroll having suffered an injury in training, manager Sam
Allardyce started with Enner Valencia up top. Morgan Amalfitano was played
in an advanced role with Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan coming in as expected.
The game settled into into a nice tempo from the start and the Irons first
chance came when Matt Jarvis clipped in a cross for Winston Reid to head
wide. Everton went straight to the other end and a Lukaku drive was spilled
by Adrian but Reid was on hand to clear before Jenkins crossed for Jarvis
who flicked goalwards but with little pace for keeper Robles collected.
Although the Irons were dominating possession, the home side looked the more
dangerous going forward and Naismith had Adrian scrambling as a 25 yard shot
flew wide. Barkley then released Lukaku but his powerful shot too flew wide.
Naismith pushed forward again but saw his shot from a tight angle fly across
the face of goal.
Everton had yet another outstanding chance when Miralles fired a wicked
cross to the far post but Coleman just failed to get a touch.
At the other end Amafitano fired over the top before Reid, who had performed
well at the heart of the Hammers defence thwarted Lukaku from close in. The
Irons started the second half with a rattle and Robles was forced to save
well when Jenkinson galloped forward and unleashed a fierce drive. But on 56
minutes the Hammers produced a clasic training ground set piece when from
Amalfitano's outswinging corner saw Collins arriving at the near post to
crash home a brilliant header. The home side responded well but for all
their forward movement and the constant Lukaku threat they could not create
a real chance. Valencia could have added to the lead when his header from
Noble's fine ball in was palmed over the top by Robles. Manager Allardyce
adopted a "what we have we hold" approach bringing on Cole for Valencia and
Poyet for Jarvis but Lukaku was to have the last word deep into four minutes
of injury time. The huge striker arrived in the box tolas him from six yards
from Oviedpo's cross after the Hammers defence had failed to clear.
West Ham Adrian 7 Jenkinson 7 Reid 8 Collins 8, Cresswell 7; Noble 7, Nolan
4, Amalfitan0 7 Downing 7 Jarvis 6 Valencia 6
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Agent: "Sam may be trying to flush out an offer"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 6, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sam Allardyce's very public declaration that Winston Reid may have come to a
verbal agreement – with some club or other – was today described to
ClaretandHugh as looking like "a desperate attempt to flush out an offer."
We spoke to one of the country's top agents – who wished to remain anonymous
– but said: "It seems that Sam may be hoping bring one from the clubs
reported to be interested – Arsenal, Liverpool or Manchester United…or
indeed anywhere! "It's impossible to believe the Hammers won't have heard if
there's any real interest and most inside the game who have been close to
the situation know there hasn't been an inquiry. Had there been Sam would
hardly need to talk in these terms. "Big four clubs – or indeed any Premier
League clubs – aren't into doing private verbal agreements – the money does
the talking. Things are done properly "There's a game of bluff going on and
it looks more and more likely there has been absolutely no interest as the
club has regularly suggested. All agents plant stories in the press to whip
up interest when they are struggling to get a bite! "It's January and Sam's
may be attempting putting the pressure on any club where there may be an
interest by talking in these terms. It's the last window from which the club
can get a fee after all. "If – as most believe – there has been no interest
from anywhere it's even more worrying from Winston's point of view because
if his advisers go back trying to do a deal they may find the terms offered
earlier are no longer available."
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Irons see summer Zarate result
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 6, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham are in a "win win" situation following Mauro Zarate's departure to
Loftus Road and are looking at the possibility of a decent summer transfer
fee or a successful return to Upton Park "should a new manager be
appointed." With the club having moved £40k a week off the wage bill and
picked up a £500,000 loan fee, the financial advantage represents a saving
of nearly £1.5 million over the rest of the 2014-15 season. But one of
ClaretandHugh's top insiders made it clear that much bigger benefits may be
available further down the line. He said: "The finances are one thing but in
the middle to long term it may be even more interesting if Mauro proves to
be a success over there. "It could easily mean that we can sell him at a
decent price or, should a change of manager take place, the new man could
easily fancy him. "Given the circumstances surrounding the situation – which
haven't been all that clever – we appear to have got a result out of this.
To be honest we could be in a win win situation all the way."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Irons hammer out brilliant Zarate terms
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 6, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham have agreed an excellent financial deal following Mauro Zarate's
switch to Queens Park Rangers. With the player in great demand from Premier
League, La Liga and Serie A clubs, we have been able to negotiate a top
dollar package from the Hoops. ClaretandHugh understands that Rangers have
agreed to pay the whole of Zarate's £40k a week wages over the six months he
will be at the club and the Hammers have also agreed a loan fee in addition.
That is believed to be in or around £500,000 with the deal being boosted by
late interest from Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew. A Hammers source
said: "The deal is done and both sides are happy. It should be an
interesting six months for Rangers and us."
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Wednesday, January 7
Tuesday, January 6
Daily WHUFC News - 6th January 2015
Preview - Everton
WHUFC.com
Everything you need to know about Tuesday's FA Cup Third Round tie away at
Everton
05.01.2015
EVERTON v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
GOODISON PARK
TUESDAY 5 JANUARY 2015
KICK-OFF: 7.45PM
REFEREE: ANTHONY TAYLOR
In brief
West Ham United travel to Goodison Park for the second time this season as
they kick off their FA Cup campaign on Tuesday evening.
The Hammers lost narrowly to Roberto Martinez's men 2-1 in November when
goals from Romelu Lukaku and Leon Osman were enough to clinch the three
points despite a Mauro Zarate goal.
Everton have been hampered by injuries to key players as well as congested
fixture list which has contributed to their poor league form. The Toffees
currently sit in 13th position in the Premier League with 21 points from 20
games. In contrast, the Hammers are lying in seventh place having taken 32
points.
Fourth Round draw
The winners of this tie will travel to Doncaster Rovers or Bristol City in
the fourth round.
Who are they?
Formed from St Domingo's FC, they played their first game on 1 January 1878
in Stanley Park. They changed their name to Everton Football Club in 1879,
winning their first game under the new name 6-0 against St Peter's. Five
years later, Everton won the Liverpool Cup, their first ever cup with a 1-0
win over Earlestown.
Everton were one of the 12 founder members of the Football League in 1888,
winning their first league title at the third attempt. The Toffees moved to
Goodison Park in 1892, winning their first game 4-2 over Bolton Wanderers.
Since then, Everton have established themselves as one of the more
successful teams in Britain, winning the first division nine times as well
as an impressive five FA Cups.
More recently, trophies have been harder to come by - their last success
came in the FA Cup in the 1994/95 season. However ex-manager David Moyes
established them as one of the best teams in the Premier League, regularly
finishing in the top half and challenging for a European spot.
Team news
West Ham United
Diafra Sakho is unavailable due to a back injury sustained against West
Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day, he is currently being assessed by a
specialist to determine the extent of the injury. Fellow Senegalese
International Cheikhou Kouyate has joined up with the national team as they
prepare for their African Cup of Nations campaign. James Tomkins twisted his
ankle in training and is unlikely to be fit in time, James Collins is set to
continue alongside Winston Reid in defence.
Everton
The Toffees' injury problems have continued into the New Year with Tim
Howard (calf), Tony Hibbert (muscular injury) and Leon Osman (tendon) all
out injured. Further, Antolin Alcaraz is suspended after being sent off
against Hull City in their New Year's Day defeat while Christian Atsu is
also on international duty. Steven Pienaar (knee), Darron Gibson (knee) and
James McCarthy (hamstring) are all unfit. John Stones and Kevin Mirallas
(both ankle) are in contention to play but may not be risked.
Referee
Tuesday's referee is Anthony Taylor who has taken charge of 16 Premier
League games so far this season including the Hammers' 2-0 win over Queens
Park Rangers on Sunday 5 October 2014. Of those 16 games, the homes side has
won five times, with the away side winning seven and there have been four
draws. The assistant referees are Darren England and Michael McDonough,
Michael Jones is the Fourth Official.
Statistics
(2014/15 season - Barclays Premier League only)
Matches refereed: 16
Yellow cards shown: 67
Red cards shown: 3
Penalties awarded: 2
One to watch
West Ham United
With Cheikhou Kouyate on international duty, Mark Noble is likely to start
in the heart of midfield. The tenacious midfielder has not featured as
regularly as some may have expected as a problem with his Achilles tendon
has limited his game time.
However, now he has overcome the injury he will be raring to get back among
the thick of it.
Everton
The highly rated Ross Barkley has caught the attention of many football fans
and pundits alike with his impressive attacking ability and creative spark.
The England international has scored eight goals in 46 starts for his
boyhood club and Martinez may have a tough job keeping him on Merseyside
should his performances continue to impress.
Tickets
Tickets are still available for Tuesday's match, to purchase tickets please
click here.
Travel
For directions to Goodison Park please click here.
Weather
The temperature at kick off is forecast to be a chilly but dry 6C (42.8F).
During the day, Tuesday should be a sunny day.
Last meeting
Everton 2-1 West Ham United
Barclays Premier League
Saturday 22 November 2014
Close, but no cigar for the Hammers, who gave a really spirited performance
at Goodison Park but were ultimately punished for being caught on the break
in the second half.
Following Mauro Zarate's equaliser, it looked as though the Hammers were
beginning to gain the upper hand as the closing stages approached, but it
was not to be with goals from Romelu Lukaku and Leon Osman giving the
visitors their first defeat since late September.
Everton: Howard, Coleman, Jagielka, Distin, Hibbert, Osman, Mirallas (Eto'o
66), Naismith (Atsu 89), Barkley (Besic 80), Lukaku
Subs not used: Robles, Browning, Garbutt, Ledson
West Ham United: Adrian, Jenkinson, Tomkins, Reid, Collins, Cresswell,
Amalfitano (Vaz Te 82), Nolan, Noble (Jarvis 52), Carroll, Cole (Zarate 51)
Subs not used: Demel, Lletget, O'Brien, Jaaskelainen
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AC targets birthday victory
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll is hoping to celebrate his 26th birthday with an FA Cup win at
Everton
05.01.2015
Birthday boy Andy Carroll knows a thing or two about the FA Cup. The centre
forward scored in the third round, fifth round, semi-final and final as
Liverpool finished as runners-up to Chelsea in 2012. On Tuesday, the No9
returns to the city he called home between January 2011 and June 2013, as
West Ham United travel to Everton in the third round of the world's
most-famous knockout competition. As someone who knows first-hand how
passionate the people of Merseyside are for both football and the FA Cup,
Carroll is relishing a tie that will be played on his 26th birthday. "I've
played against Everton a few times when I was at Liverpool," he recalled.
"It's my birthday as well that day so hopefully I'll give myself a nice goal
on my birthday if I get a game! "I think it's a great competition. It gives
you a great chance of winning something. I think us as a club that's
growing, it's something we need to have in our sights. The way we're playing
at the minute I don't see why we couldn't get to the final and maybe even
win it."
Carroll came so close to doing just that three seasons ago, when he scored a
dramatic late winner in Liverpool's semi-final victory over their Merseyside
neighbours at Wembley. Unsurprisingly, he has fond memories of that day. "It
was a great feeling," he smiled. "As a derby it was massive for the fans.
The cross came in and I got my head on it. After the game it was a dream, a
lot of emotions."
The final saw Liverpool take on Chelsea. Again, Carroll found the target,
but it was not enough to deny the Blues a 2-1 success and FA Cup glory. The
striker's frustration was compounded when his 81st minute header was pushed
onto the underside of the crossbar by Petr Cech. Carroll claimed a goal, but
match officials decided it had not crossed the line. "We were getting beat
2-0 and I came on and scored," he recalled. "We got back into it and had
several chances. One chance went over the line but it wasn't given. I think
if we had goal line technology like we do now I think it would have been
given. It was a good game that we should've got something out of."
Fast forward to Tuesday evening, and Carroll believes West Ham can take
confidence from their own position in the Barclays Premier League table, as
well as their performance in a 2-1 defeat at Goodison Park back in November.
"It was a tough game and they're a great team. They've just been beaten by
Newcastle so we know they are vulnerable. The manager will show us how we
can break them down. We know how to break teams down so hopefully we can go
there and get the win. "I feel with the confidence the lads have got at the
moment and the way we're playing well, we can go through. I think it gives
the lads a big boost to know we're pretty much safe in the league and we can
give the cup a good go."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam on: Everton
WHUFC.com
The manager held his pre-Everton press conference on Monday morning
05.01.2015
Sam Allardyce has been grateful for the five-day gap between games ahead of
Tuesday's FA Cup third round tie against Everton. The Hammers had a blank
weekend, while many of their Premier League rivals were back in action just
days after their New Year's Day fixtures. That has allowed West Ham's
players to recover ahead of their Cup showdown, in which Big Sam wants to
see a return to winning ways.
Sam, considering how well you are doing in the league at the moment, would
it be right to assume you'll be really going for the FA Cup this season?
SA: "I think that wouldn't be the case if we were playing on Saturday,
having played on Thursday. That would have been nearly impossible with the
fatigue level and I think you could see that in the QPR players. Harry tried
to play his best side for four games in a row and it didn't work and they
ended up losing 3-0 to Sheffield United. "It's not possible to play the best
team each game because of the fatigue levels. But we've had four or five
days rest which has helped so we can play a strong team. It's quite strange
playing on Tuesday night but it has given us a little bit of breathing
space. "We won't have a few players available due to the African Cup of
Nations starting soon and Diafra Sakho has got a back injury which we are
assessing."
How serious is the injury and is Sakho likely to miss the African Cup of
Nations?
SA: "We're still assessing the situation, he's seeing a specialist in London
at the moment. He's all the appropriate scans but we need to see the extent
of it. Obviously the back is a sensitive area which can take some time to
mend depending on the scenario. Until we get the full diagnosis we won't
know the right way forward."
A word on Mauro Zarate, there was talk of Crystal Palace being interested,
among other clubs, do you have any updates on the situation?
SA: "I don't to be honest. I thought it was all done and dusted with QPR but
that doesn't seem to be the case for whatever reason. When the situation has
been decided we'll deal with it from there.
If he does leave, does that create a space for you to bring someone else in?
SA: "I don't think so. What Mauro's problem is, is that he feels he hasn't
played enough here at West Ham. He feels he needs to go play somewhere else,
and if he goes elsewhere he'll have a better chance of playing. I think his
problem is that if he'd played better here, he would have played more often.
But I haven't heard of any other club that is interested in him apart from
QPR."
You've signed Doneil Henry, what can you tell us about him?
SA: "He's a player for the near future we hope. He was recommended by Ryan
Nelsen from his time at Toronto FC, who was my captain at Blackburn Rovers.
Ryan himself was a fantastic central defender. Doneil came here on a trial
and impressed us. He's only 21 so he has a lot of potential and hopefully
he'll be challenging for a place soon."
Is he a player who could replace Winston Reid?
SA: "His contract is out at the end of the year. His future is that his
contract ends on 30 June, he hasn't said that he is or isn't going to sign
at the moment. By the feel of it you'd err on the side that he won't so I
think it's unlikely. We haven't had any approaches for him in January."
How is the rest of the squad fitness wise?
SA: "James Tomkins twisted his ankle yesterday so we'll assess that one. The
three Africa Cup of Nations players won't feature so we've got a bit of a
thin squad."
Does tomorrow's game give some of the players who haven't played as much as
they might have liked to show what they can do?
SA: "Looking at the team there won't be too many changes. Mark Noble and
Kevin Nolan will play a big part. Ricardo Vaz Te might get an opportunity
and Matt Jarvis hasn't played as much as he wants to so he'll get a few more
games soon. We haven't had the results we wanted recently but I think the
performances have still been very good. We'll play the strongest team
available against Everton."
Are you surprised at how Everton have struggled this season?
SA: "No not really, considering the injuries and the amount of fixtures
they've had. They've had injuries to key players in important positions so
that always has a huge effect. Stones, Distin and Jagielka have all been out
so that really disrupts the solidarity at the back which is why they have
conceded so many goals. If there's a lack of confidence hopefully we can
exploit that."
Do you feel you can prioritise the Cup more this year than any others?
SA: "Yes because of our league position. Last year it was the bottom of our
priorities because we were concentrating on getting out of trouble while
also being in the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup."
Has the glamour of the FA Cup gone a bit?
SA: "It's hard to say, it certainly has in terms of its attendances, I think
across the board they've gone down. But overall I don't think it has. It's a
great tournament with the opportunity of playing at Wembley at the end. I
remember watching it from the age of about eight or nine and the chances of
an underdog beating a big boy hasn't lost its glamour. There hasn't been so
many shocks in this round but the glamour is still there."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Dev Squad 1-0 Leicester
WHUFC.com
Minute-by-minute updates as the Dev Squad beat Leicester City 1-0 at Rush
Green
05.01.2015
DEVELOPMENT SQUAD v LEICESTER CITY U21
BARCLAYS U21 PREMIER LEAGUE
RUSH GREEN STADIUM
MONDAY 05 JANUARY 2015
KICK-OFF: 7 PM
REFEREE: NEIL HAIR
FT: Dev Squad 1-0 Leciester City
FT: The Dev Squad have done it! Parfitt-Williams with a crucial goal seals a
win just when a draw looked like the most likely outcome. The Dev Squad are
in action again this Friday against London rivals Tottenham Hostpur, kick
off 7pm from Rush Green.
92: A lot of tired legs out their now, but can they hold out?
90: Good hold up play by Turgott wastes a few seconds before Lletget buys a
free-kick off Leicester. Not long left to go.
88: The Hammers have got the ball exactly where they want it, right in the
far corner. They work it to Lletget who tries to curl it to the far post.
87: The Foxes have had the wind knocked out of their sails with that goal,
the Hammers have certainly been given a lift. Just a few minutes to hold out
for a vital win.
84: GOAL! 1-0 to the Hammers. Djair Parfitt-Williams gets his head to
another cross from Bywater and it flies into the far corner. A fine goal for
the youngster!
83: Turgott breaks again but his pass is tired and it is easily cut out.
Leicester break with a four on three in their favour, Oxford cuts it out
well.
81: Lewis Page is nailed by Jak McCourt who quite rightly goes into the book
for that challenge.
80: Another great delivery from Bywater, straight into the six-yard box
which goes agonizingly close to Parfitt-Williams. Any connection and it
would have gone in.
78: Bywater floats a terrific ball into the box which Brown attacks. It
falls just wide of the post via a deflection. Corner.
77: Into under the last 15 minutes here. Leicester have looked more
threatening in this second period yet the Hammers know they still in with a
chance.
75: Reece Burke does superbly to bring the ball from the half way line right
to Leicester's box, he tries to play in Brown but the linesman flags him for
offside, another tight call.
73: Djair Parfitt-Williams is coming on for Matty Fanimo who looked like he
had picked up a knock. The two U18s leading goal scorers are on for the
Hammers now, can they find their prolific form tonight?
71: Lletget volleys a dropping clearance which is blocked for a corner.
Jordan Brown almost gets to it at the back post.
70: Lewis Page is on in place of Dan Potts.
68: Dodoo tries his luck from distance, Howes sees it early and allows it go
wide of his post. Leicester have been on top for the majority of this second
half.
65: Hopper almosts scores as his neat flick falls dangerously close to the
near post, good invention from th Foxes' striker.
64: Potts throws himself in front of a shot from Barrington, excellent
defending from the left-back, good to see him back out on the pitch after a
lengthy injury.
62: Fanimo bursts to the by-line but his clipped cross narrowly evades
everyone and is headed out and away.
60: Panayiotou's snap shot goes just wide of Howes' post, the goalkeeper
looked to have it covered anyway.
58: Jordan Brown is on in place Paul McCallum.
56: Dan Potts is caught in posession resulting in Barrington running down on
the Hammers' area. Bywater trips the striker and goes into the book. Taking
one for the team.
53: Marcel Barrington is on in place of Louis Rowley.
51: The Hammers break down the right wing with Turgott who slides a good
ball in to McCallum. Elliot Moore slides in to clear the danger.
48: Lletget is flagged for offside despite looking well on. He and his
teammates look disgusted at the decision as he was clean through.
46: Both teams are back out on the pitch and we're about to resume play. A
big 45 minutes ahead for both sides, the Hammers really needs to find a way
through. Ben Chilwell has replaced Joe Davis in a like-for-like swap at
left-back.
HT: Half way here at Rush Green, both chances have had two good chances to
break the deadlock yet both goalkeepers have defended their clean sheets
admirably. A long way to go still.
41: Free kick for the Hammers in a dangerous position after Lletget was
fouled. The referee adjudges that Leicester's goalkeeper was fouled and they
clear it upfield.
39: Just a moment later and Leicester should really take the lead.
Panayiotou is through but he pokes it wide. Al real let off for the Hammers
there.
38: Jack McCourt stings the palms of Howes with a rasping shot from the edge
of the box. Bit of pressure from the visitors here.
34: Jack Barmby is away down the left flank. Trouble for the Hammers but
Howes dives forward to collect the cross, good goalkeeping from the young
shot-stopper.
31: Good sliding tackle by Reece Burke is stop Hopper making any progress
into the box.
28: Turgott's pace is causing the Foxes real problems. Again Lletget looks
to play Turgott in behind the defence, he sprints to keep up but Smith is
quick off his line to collect the ball. Half-hearted appeals for a penalty
which the referee waves away.
24: McCallum is adjudged to have fouled Elder. The resulting free-kick
causes a few more defensive problems until Burke brings the ball out
expertly, he tries to set Fanimo free but the ball is just over hit.
22: Free-kick to West Ham in a dangerous position, Fanimo to swing it
in...however he over hits it and the goalkeeper collects without any bother.
19: Chance for the visitors as a long throw bu Joe Davis causes the defence
all kinds of problems. Harry Panayiotou heads goalwards and Sam Howes has to
spring into action to save his team.
17: Turgott tries his luck from the edge of the box and he connects well.
The ball swings a bit in the air before Smith clutches it.
15: Smart work from Blair Turgott in a tight space wins his side a corner,
Leicester have got everyone back to defend this.
13: A frantic start here at Rush Green with both teams chasing a win that
they both need. The Hammers have shaded it so far but the Foxes look
dangerous on the break.
10: Great chance for the Hammers to take the lead as Matthias Fanimo is sent
through on goal by a glorious pass. He beats his man for pace but the
goalkeeper Adam Smith stays big and and saves well.
9: Lletget sets Turgott free down the right wing, his drilled cross is cut
out by the first man.
7: Dan Potts choses safety first as he clears it out for a throw in. He wins
the resulting header and clears up field.
5: Another chance for the Hammers as again they break through Lletget, his
cross is cut out for a corner. From the resulting corner, Leicester
eventually scramble it away after Reece Oxford's header was goal bound.
2: Bright start for the Hammers. McCallum knocks on to Lletget who plays the
No9 back in. Unfortunately the linesman has his flag raised and Leicester
get posession.
0: We're off! West Ham United get us under way with Paul McCallum from the
kick off.
It's a surprisingly mild night here at Rush Green, the floodlights are on
and the fans are beginning to
Both teams are out on the pitch warming up, we've got just over half an hour
until kick off.
Leicester City go into this game on the back of a good run having won four
of their last six games, including a 6-2 win over Manchester City and a 3-2
away win over Manchester United.
Academy Director Terry Westley makes four changes to the starting XI that
lost 4-1 away to Newcastle United. Amos Nasha, Reece Oxford, Blair Turgott
and Matthias Fanimo come in for Diego Poyet, Kieran Sadlier, Danny Whitehead
and Lewis Page.
West Ham United: Howes (GK), Westley, Potts © (Page 70), Nasha, Burke,
Oxford, Turgott, Bywater, McCallum (J. Brown 58), Lletget, Fanimo
(Parfitt-Williams 73)
Subs: Whitehead, Boness
Leicester City: Smith, Davis, Elder, McCourt, Sesay, Moore, Barmby, Rowley,
Hopper (c), Panayiotou, Dodoo
Subs: Chilwell, Maddison, Scott, Ndukwu, Barrington
In effect, this is a must win game for both as we reach towards half way
mark of the season.
Tonight's game is huge for both teams as they currently sit at the wrong end
of the table. The Hammers are currently bottom of the Barclays U21 Premier
League with five points from their opening games, meanwhile tonight's
visitors, the Foxes, are only three points better off in eleventh place with
eight points.
Hello and welcome to tonight's live coverage from Rush Green as West Ham
United's Development Squad take on Leicester City U21 in their first game of
2015.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce predicts Winston Reid exit
BBC.co.uk
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce says he expects Winston Reid to leave the
club when the central defender's contract expires at the end of June. Reid
has been in negotiations over a new deal with the Hammers but Allardyce does
not think the 26-year-old will extend his stay. "It's highly unlikely
Winston is going to sign for us based on what people have said to me," said
Allardyce. Reid has been linked with moves to Arsenal and Liverpool. The New
Zealand international joined West Ham from Danish side FC Midtjylland in
August 2010 and has developed into one of the club's key players. Allardyce
said no approaches had been made for Reid so far in the January transfer
window.
He added: "There is no future for Winston Reid at West Ham at the moment as
his contract finishes on 30 June. He hasn't said he is or isn't going to
sign. "You would err on the back that he isn't, by the feel and look of it,
at this moment in time."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Doncaster or Bristol City await in the FA Cup fourth round
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham will face either Doncaster or Bristol City in the next round of the
FA Cup, should they overcome Everton at Goodison Park tomorrow night.
The draw, made this evening at Wimbledon FC pitched Everton or the Hammers
away to either League One Doncaster or Championship Bristol City, who drew
1-1 at the Keepmoat Stadium on Saturday.
All ties will be played between 24-27 January. The full fourth round draw
was as follows:
Southampton or Ipswich Town v Crystal Palace
Cambridge United v Manchester United
Blackburn Rovers v Swansea City
Chelsea v Millwall or Bradford City
Derby County v Scunthorpe or Chesterfield
Preston North End v Sheffield United
Birmingham City v West Bromwich Albion
Aston Villa v AFC Bournemouth
Cardiff City v Reading
AFC Wimbledon or Liverpool v Bolton Wanderers
Burnley or Tottenham v Leicester City
Brighton & Hove Albion v Arsenal
Rochdale v Stoke City
Sunderland v Fulham or Wolves
Doncster or Bristol City v West Ham United
Manchester City v Middlesbrough
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Diafra Sakho to miss AFCON through injury?
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer
Hammers striker Diafra Sakho could miss the entire African Cup of Nations
tournament as a result of the injury he sustained against West Brom on New
Year's Day. As revealed here on KUMB last week, Sakho was sent for a scan on
his back following West Ham's 1-1 draw with West Brom at the Boleyn on the
opening day of 2015. And whilst those procedures have already taken place,
Sam Allardyce confirmed this morning that the extent of the damage remains
unknown presently. "We're still assessing the situation, he's seeing a
specialist in London at the moment," he said. "He's all the appropriate
scans but we need to see the extent of it. "Obviously the back is a
sensitive area which can take some time to mend depending on the scenario.
Until we get the full diagnosis we won't know the right way forward."
Sakho has been in sparkling form since moving to England last August,
scoring nine times in his first 15 appearances for West Ham United. He first
suffered a back problem when on international duty back in November and
missed three games as a result. Allardyce was particularly annoyed with the
way Sakho's injury was handled and labelled the way it was handled by
Senegal's medical team as "outrageous", adding that the injury had been
"mistreated so badly".
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Zarate out in the cold as Redknapp cools interest
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer
Harry Redknapp has once again dismissed reports that Mauro Zarate is on his
way to Queens Park Rangers. On New Year's Day it was revealed that the
Argentine's planned move to Loftus Road could be off, with rumours of a
failed medical arising from the KUMB Forum. Redknapp, when questioned,
replied that he was "not sure" or the current situation. Little appears to
have changed in west London over the course of the proceeding four days as
when asked about Zarate again this morning, Redknapp reiterated that the
striker was no closer to a move to Rangers. "We're not close to doing any
deals at all. Not a thing," he told the media. "We're looking for loans and
I really haven't got a clue as to where we're going to find any at the
moment. "I don't know where you find anybody on loan at this time of year.
Who are you going to find on loan who is going to come and make a big
difference to your team? "It's very difficult."
Ironically perhaps Zarate would have almost certainly started for West Ham
at Everton tomorrow night had he not spoken out against manager Sam
Allardyce, who he claimed was failing to utilise him correctly. Diafra Sakho
is definitely out with a back injury whilst Andy Carroll is a doubt having
complained of tightness in an ankle, following three successive starts over
the Christmas period. That leaves Allardyce with only Enner Valencia,
Carlton Cole and Ricardo Vaz Te - who last played for the first team in the
2-1 Premier League defeat at Goodison Park on 22 November - as fit strikers.
Allardyce himself was nonplussed when asked about the ongoing Zarate
situation during his press conference this morning. "I thought it was all
done and dusted with QPR but that doesn't seem to be the case for whatever
reason," he replied. "His problem is that if he'd played better here, he
would have played more often. But I haven't heard of any other club that is
interested in him apart from QPR."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce to field "strong" team for Everton trip
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce has revealed that he will be putting out a strong a side as
possible when the Hammers travel to Merseyside tomorrow to face struggling
Everton in the third round of the FA Cup. The hosts, unusually camped in the
lower half of the Premier League took just one point from their three
Christmas games - although of course West Ham fared little better, taking
just the one (WBA at home). However any concerns that Allardyce will rest
key players in order to boost his chances of winning United's next Premier
League clash at Swansea this weekend have been dispelled by the manager. As
revealed here on KUMB last week, Allardyce will be without Cheik Kouyate,
Diafra Sakho and Alex Song. However he still intends to field the best team
he possibly can. "It's not possible to play the best team each game because
of the fatigue levels," he told the media at this morning's pre-match press
conference. "But we've had four or five days rest which has helped, so we
can play a strong team. "It's quite strange playing on Tuesday night but it
has given us a little bit of breathing space. That wouldn't be the case if
we were playing on Saturday, having played on Thursday. That would have been
nearly impossible with fatigue.
"Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan will play a big part. Ricardo Vaz Te might get
an opportunity and Matt Jarvis hasn't played as much as he wants to so he'll
get a few more games soon. We'll play the strongest team available."
One player who definitely won't be available is Mauro Zarate, who is
currently in limbo having signalled his intentions to leave the Boleyn
Ground. Despite having been set to sign for QPR last week, he remains a West
Ham player. None the wiser apparently, is his manager. " I thought it was
all done and dusted with QPR but that doesn't seem to be the case for
whatever reason," said Allardyce. "When the situation has been decided we'll
deal with it from there."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Pardew looks to hijack Zarate QPR move
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer
Former Hammers boss Alan Pardew's is set to hijack (former Hammers boss)
Harry Redknapp's bid to sign Mauro Zarate on loan from West Ham, according
to reports. The unhappy forward appeared set to complete a loan move to the
west London club last week. However last weekend a member of KUMB's Forum
claimed that there had been a problem with Zarate's medical. Subsequently,
Harry Redknapp refused to confirm that the signing would proceed whilst no
official word has been given over the hold up, lending weight to the
aforementioned speculation.
And now the Mirror claim that Pardew, who officially returned to Selhurst
Park last weekend is keen to snatch Zarate from Redknapp's grasp. Pardew,
whose Palace side are desperately short of firepower would be able to offer
Zarate first team football, which he claims is his primary reason for
wanting to leave the Boleyn Ground.
* Rumours that West Ham may be interested in signing Swansea's combative
midfielder Jonjo Shelvey were dismissed earlier today by the son of co-owner
David Sullivan on Twitter. Speculation that the Romford-born player was on
the verge of signing for the Hammers spread this afternoon via social media,
after someone posted a photograph of a vehicle in the Boleyn Ground car park
said to belong to Shelvey.
However a later message posted via the Twitter account belonging to Jack
Sullivan dismissed the rumours - without refuting suggestions that the car
was in fact Shelvey's.
Jack Sullivan @jsullivanwhu
Jonjo Shelveys is not signing for west ham, despite photos of his car being
outside Upton park
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
MORE FROM THE SUPPORTERS ADVISORY BOARD
By Iain Dale 5 Jan 2015 at 22:09
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Safe Hands
There were a few other snippets that I wanted to tell you from the meeting
on 9 December, and even though most of them have surfaced in other
discussions, I thought I'd list them out as Iain's asked for articles.
(There's nothing like setting up a high level of expection for a read is
there?)
• The club want to engage with the fanbase more and give supporters
the opportunity to participate/feedback via Facebook, Twitter, email shots,
and the SAB. Looking at that list, I'd say the more static and less speedy
of these is the SAB (be nice people!).
• The club have adjusted the remit of the SAB as most of the high
activity of going to the OS has now taken place although there is still more
to be done. They have said they will be much more transparent and that when
they tell us something, it will also be published on the website. They have
also halved the number of SAB members and it now stands at 66 – the full
list is HERE
• The club have now employed a Supporter Liaison Officer, James
Rutherford, who will act as the fulcrum for fans' responses and the club's
'go-to' person to garner supporter opinion. FYI He is an ex-SAB member.
• The official website's going to be a changed early in the new year.
• There's going to be another Fan Forum in February – details will be
on the main site idc.
• Moving to the OS – information will be released in January as to how
the seat transition is going to be handled as well as how people can arrange
to sit together. The first appointments to meet with fans to discuss their
new seats will be in April. Despite being questioned, they wouldn't give us
any more information than that.
FYI Many thanks for all your responses to my post about the shirts for our
last season at The Boleyn. I've put them together and sent them to the club.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham set for Alex Song blow with star midfielder set to join Cameroon
for Africa Cup of Nations
Jan 05, 2015 17:00 By Darren Lewis
Song has not yet confirmed that he is set to leave for the tournament but he
is understood currently to be in Cameroon holding talks with key figures in
the national set up
The Mirror
West Ham are steeling themselves for confirmation that Alex Song IS set to
jet off to the Africa Cup of Nations after all. The u-turn is set to come as
a massive blow to the east Londoners' outside hopes of challenging for
Europe. They currently sit seventh in the Premier League, four points off
Southampton in fourth. Song has not yet confirmed that he is set to leave
for the tournament but he is understood currently to be in Cameroon holding
talks with key figures within the country's football federation, who do want
him back. MirrorFootball exclusively revealed last week that the nation was
poised to stage a change of heart over the Hammers' star midfielder, on loan
from Barcelona. Lions' Head Coach Volker Finke left the Irons delighted
before Christmas when he left the 27-year-old out of his squad for the
competition which begins on January 17.
Song has been out of Finke's plans since being sent off at the World Cup
against Croatia last summer. He has impressed hugely since his summer move
to West Ham, however, and Finke is understood to have been pressured by his
country's top brass into changing his mind.
Feelers were put out to Song two weeks ago and the player has responded
favourably to his country reaching out. It means, however, that he is set to
miss West Ham's upcoming Premier League games at Swansea and at home to
Hull, along with their FA Cup Fourth Round tie should they make it past
Everton tomorrow night. Should Cameroon make it to the AFCON quarter-finals
or beyond, Song will also be out of the massive League games against
Liverpool and Manchester United. West Ham are already set to lose Cheikhou
Kouyate to Senegal while that country's top-scorer Diafra Sakho is suffering
from a back problem which means he will unavailable to the club even if he
doesn't join up with his national side.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Arsenal transfer target Winston Reid has ''no future'' at West Ham, admits
Sam Allardyce
Jan 05, 2015 11:35 By Neil McLeman
It is "highly unlikely" that Reid - who has also been linked with Manchester
United - will stay beyond the summer, insists the Hammers boss
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce has admitted it is "highly unlikely" that Winston Reid will
sign a new contract at West Ham. The New Zealand defender is out of contract
at the end of the season and is refusing to sign a new deal. Arsenal and
Manchester United have been linked with signing the centre-back in the
summer. And before tomorrow's FA Cup tie at Everton, the Irons boss said:
"There is no future for Winston Reid at West Ham United at the moment
because his contract finishes. "The only thing is that his contract finishes
June 30. He hasn't said he is going to sign and he hasn't said he is isn't.
"But you would you err on the side that he isn't by the feel and the look of
it at this moment in time, by the know-how in the football world I have been
talking to - other managers and so forth about the situation so I would say
it is highly unlikely that Winston is going to sign for us based on what
people are saying to me." Allardyce has previously stated he would not sell
Reid in this transfer window for less than £20m. "We have had no
approaches," he said.
Diafra Sakho could be forced out of the African Nations Cup with the back
injury he suffered on international duty in November. The Senegal striker
had been due to join up with his country for the tournament in Equitorial
Guinea but Allardyce said: "He is being assessed at this moment by the
specialist in London. "He has had all the appropriate scans. We need to sit
down and assess the extent of the injury - has it got any worse since the
last time? Is it the same? With a back, it is a delicate scenario. "Until we
get the full diagnosis from the specialist today, we won't know which will
be the way forward."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Crystal Palace plot transfer hijack of Mauro Zarate's move to QPR from West
Ham
Jan 04, 2015 22:30 By Darren Lewis
Striker has had a medical and agreed terms with the Rs but HASN'T signed on
loan and now their relegation-fight rivals from across London hope to swoop
in
The Mirror
Crystal Palace are ready to hijack QPR's bid to sign Mauro Zarate on loan
following the appointment of Alan Pardew. The 27-year-old West Ham striker
has had a medical at Loftus Road and has already agreed personal term with
the west Londoners. However, the deal has been delayed as the Hoops are now
looking to lower the terms of the loan. And Palace have since expressed a
late interest. Despite their 4-0 FA Cup third round win at non-League Dover
on Sunday, the Eagles want more firepower up front as they prepare for a
run-in relegation battle under new boss Pardew. We revealed last week that
Zarate wants first-team action after accusing the Hammers' manager Sam
Allardyce of refusing to play him. Southampton, Sunderland, Aston Villa and
Newcastle are all also keen, but Argentine Zarate is settled in London and
would prefer to join another capital club. The forward has made only eight
appearances under Allardyce, scoring twice - with one of them coming AGAINST
Palace at Selhurst Park back in August.
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Gold: "FA Cup is high priority"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
David Gold has made it clear that the FA Cup remains a "big priority" for
the Irons this season and wants to see the strongest possible team take the
field at Everton tomorrow evening. The co chairman confirmed that despite
injuries and Cheik Kouyate's absence at the African Nations Cup,the board
have focused on this competition since early season. Talking exclusively to
ClaretandHugh he said: "It's always been high on our priority list and I see
no reason why we can't go up there and win. "Mark Noble will be in the side
and Enner Valencia comes in – remember he was the number one striker option
until Diafra Sakho started his heroics. "I know our record at Goodison is
bad but at some stage it has to change so why not tomorrow as Everton aren't
in the best shape."
With either Doncaster Rovers or Bristol City waiting in the fourth round,
there's plenty of incentive for the Irons. Gold said: "I'm very hopeful.
This gives players who haven't had much chance recently to make an
impression. "Unlike last year we can give it a real go with the number of
points we have gathered. I believe Sam Allardyce will put out his strongest
team possible and we are looking for a win."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
For Reid READ Upson
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
It's turning into the longest farewell in West Ham history and today Sam
Allardyce appeared to raise his own hand in farewell. We can of course only
be talking about Winston Reid who now looks totally certain to be on his way
and if I'm wrong, part of me will be sorry because I'm certainly not
convinced he is the player he believes himself to be. I was totally stunned
when I realised he'd collected eight yellow cards in 19 games recently which
at any level is simply not good enough. And I fear that he may be heading in
the same direction as a couple of former irons who fancied themselves a bit,
leaving the Boleyn in haste to regret it at their leisure. Both Mohamed
Diame and Matthew Upson are prominent examples of how it can all go terribly
wrong when players or their agents over-rate themselves or their 'product.'
Upson was looking for the ultimate move after becoming captain and an
England international but instead found himself with only Stoke City ready
to employ him from where he has gone onto the dizzy pinnacles of Brighton
and Leicester City. Given his form this season Winston Reid may be the
luckiest man in the world to receive an offer of around £60k a week from the
Irons. Should he leave for the top four club he's hoping will come in but
with no evidence beyond regular press reports to support it, I can only
forsee only a slow descent. Every one of the clubs he appears to crave would
have been in a long time ago had they really believed he was worth a few
quid.
Instead any move will be made when he becomes a freebie and clubs see him as
a useful squad addition – and therein lies the rub. For despite his average
form he can be assured of regular first team football at West Ham on a more
than decent wage. Personally I believe his and his advisers' behaviour has
not been the best over recent months when it would be just as easy to say:
"We're off" but when did football and straight dealing have much to do with
each other. I won't be unhappy if he leaves as I do believe there are more
reliable central defenders out there well worth the money being offered to
him and who won't be picking up yellows virtually every other game.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Irons in dark on Song call up
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham were this afternoon insisting the club has no word from Cameroon
whether Alex Song has been called into their squad for the African Nations
Cup tournament. The Mail is currently running a story claiming that he has
now been included in the squad after being left out by boss Volker Finke
initially last month. He had fallen out of favour with their national team
following his sending off in the World Cup against Croatia and has not
played since. However, his form for the Hammers has not gone unnoticed it
seems and according to the Mail that has led Finke to perform a U turn and
call the player into the squad. The Hammers however are claiming to still be
in the dark with a source making it clear they had not been contacted by any
Cameroon officials. A source at the club explained: "We've seen the report
but we have heard absolutely nothjing from Cameroon. They have right up to
the 17th to call him up if they choose. We continue to keep everything
crossed."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Leroy: "I cant see Irons failing at Everton"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Everton have a lot more problems than us and I am fully expecting the team
to beat them in tomorrow evening's Third Round clash at Goodison Park.
Wherever I look in the Toffees team they have issues – this is a team that
looks past it's best with the likes of Gareth Barry and Silvin Distin in
particular not the players they were. Tim Howard, Gareth Baines and Ross
Barkley don't look the part these days and Phil Jagielka doesn't look as
secure as he has been. Also I can't think of another club in the country
that would have given Samuel Eto'o a contract at this stage of his career.
All of this puts Roberto Martinez under a huge amount of pressure and I
believe the Hammers will ;pile a lot more on him by the end of the night.
I'm not at all sure Martinez even knows what his best team is. This is a
game the lads should win – given all of the above I don't believe there is a
better time to be playing Everton. Despite the absences of such as Diafra
Sakho, Cheik Kouyate and possibly Alex Song, I believe we have enough and a
way of playing that can unsettle them. The Hammers, like every other club,
has had a little dip in form and I see this as a perfect opportunity to get
back on track.
I don't see them failing.
COYI
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WHUFC.com
Everything you need to know about Tuesday's FA Cup Third Round tie away at
Everton
05.01.2015
EVERTON v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
GOODISON PARK
TUESDAY 5 JANUARY 2015
KICK-OFF: 7.45PM
REFEREE: ANTHONY TAYLOR
In brief
West Ham United travel to Goodison Park for the second time this season as
they kick off their FA Cup campaign on Tuesday evening.
The Hammers lost narrowly to Roberto Martinez's men 2-1 in November when
goals from Romelu Lukaku and Leon Osman were enough to clinch the three
points despite a Mauro Zarate goal.
Everton have been hampered by injuries to key players as well as congested
fixture list which has contributed to their poor league form. The Toffees
currently sit in 13th position in the Premier League with 21 points from 20
games. In contrast, the Hammers are lying in seventh place having taken 32
points.
Fourth Round draw
The winners of this tie will travel to Doncaster Rovers or Bristol City in
the fourth round.
Who are they?
Formed from St Domingo's FC, they played their first game on 1 January 1878
in Stanley Park. They changed their name to Everton Football Club in 1879,
winning their first game under the new name 6-0 against St Peter's. Five
years later, Everton won the Liverpool Cup, their first ever cup with a 1-0
win over Earlestown.
Everton were one of the 12 founder members of the Football League in 1888,
winning their first league title at the third attempt. The Toffees moved to
Goodison Park in 1892, winning their first game 4-2 over Bolton Wanderers.
Since then, Everton have established themselves as one of the more
successful teams in Britain, winning the first division nine times as well
as an impressive five FA Cups.
More recently, trophies have been harder to come by - their last success
came in the FA Cup in the 1994/95 season. However ex-manager David Moyes
established them as one of the best teams in the Premier League, regularly
finishing in the top half and challenging for a European spot.
Team news
West Ham United
Diafra Sakho is unavailable due to a back injury sustained against West
Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day, he is currently being assessed by a
specialist to determine the extent of the injury. Fellow Senegalese
International Cheikhou Kouyate has joined up with the national team as they
prepare for their African Cup of Nations campaign. James Tomkins twisted his
ankle in training and is unlikely to be fit in time, James Collins is set to
continue alongside Winston Reid in defence.
Everton
The Toffees' injury problems have continued into the New Year with Tim
Howard (calf), Tony Hibbert (muscular injury) and Leon Osman (tendon) all
out injured. Further, Antolin Alcaraz is suspended after being sent off
against Hull City in their New Year's Day defeat while Christian Atsu is
also on international duty. Steven Pienaar (knee), Darron Gibson (knee) and
James McCarthy (hamstring) are all unfit. John Stones and Kevin Mirallas
(both ankle) are in contention to play but may not be risked.
Referee
Tuesday's referee is Anthony Taylor who has taken charge of 16 Premier
League games so far this season including the Hammers' 2-0 win over Queens
Park Rangers on Sunday 5 October 2014. Of those 16 games, the homes side has
won five times, with the away side winning seven and there have been four
draws. The assistant referees are Darren England and Michael McDonough,
Michael Jones is the Fourth Official.
Statistics
(2014/15 season - Barclays Premier League only)
Matches refereed: 16
Yellow cards shown: 67
Red cards shown: 3
Penalties awarded: 2
One to watch
West Ham United
With Cheikhou Kouyate on international duty, Mark Noble is likely to start
in the heart of midfield. The tenacious midfielder has not featured as
regularly as some may have expected as a problem with his Achilles tendon
has limited his game time.
However, now he has overcome the injury he will be raring to get back among
the thick of it.
Everton
The highly rated Ross Barkley has caught the attention of many football fans
and pundits alike with his impressive attacking ability and creative spark.
The England international has scored eight goals in 46 starts for his
boyhood club and Martinez may have a tough job keeping him on Merseyside
should his performances continue to impress.
Tickets
Tickets are still available for Tuesday's match, to purchase tickets please
click here.
Travel
For directions to Goodison Park please click here.
Weather
The temperature at kick off is forecast to be a chilly but dry 6C (42.8F).
During the day, Tuesday should be a sunny day.
Last meeting
Everton 2-1 West Ham United
Barclays Premier League
Saturday 22 November 2014
Close, but no cigar for the Hammers, who gave a really spirited performance
at Goodison Park but were ultimately punished for being caught on the break
in the second half.
Following Mauro Zarate's equaliser, it looked as though the Hammers were
beginning to gain the upper hand as the closing stages approached, but it
was not to be with goals from Romelu Lukaku and Leon Osman giving the
visitors their first defeat since late September.
Everton: Howard, Coleman, Jagielka, Distin, Hibbert, Osman, Mirallas (Eto'o
66), Naismith (Atsu 89), Barkley (Besic 80), Lukaku
Subs not used: Robles, Browning, Garbutt, Ledson
West Ham United: Adrian, Jenkinson, Tomkins, Reid, Collins, Cresswell,
Amalfitano (Vaz Te 82), Nolan, Noble (Jarvis 52), Carroll, Cole (Zarate 51)
Subs not used: Demel, Lletget, O'Brien, Jaaskelainen
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
AC targets birthday victory
WHUFC.com
Andy Carroll is hoping to celebrate his 26th birthday with an FA Cup win at
Everton
05.01.2015
Birthday boy Andy Carroll knows a thing or two about the FA Cup. The centre
forward scored in the third round, fifth round, semi-final and final as
Liverpool finished as runners-up to Chelsea in 2012. On Tuesday, the No9
returns to the city he called home between January 2011 and June 2013, as
West Ham United travel to Everton in the third round of the world's
most-famous knockout competition. As someone who knows first-hand how
passionate the people of Merseyside are for both football and the FA Cup,
Carroll is relishing a tie that will be played on his 26th birthday. "I've
played against Everton a few times when I was at Liverpool," he recalled.
"It's my birthday as well that day so hopefully I'll give myself a nice goal
on my birthday if I get a game! "I think it's a great competition. It gives
you a great chance of winning something. I think us as a club that's
growing, it's something we need to have in our sights. The way we're playing
at the minute I don't see why we couldn't get to the final and maybe even
win it."
Carroll came so close to doing just that three seasons ago, when he scored a
dramatic late winner in Liverpool's semi-final victory over their Merseyside
neighbours at Wembley. Unsurprisingly, he has fond memories of that day. "It
was a great feeling," he smiled. "As a derby it was massive for the fans.
The cross came in and I got my head on it. After the game it was a dream, a
lot of emotions."
The final saw Liverpool take on Chelsea. Again, Carroll found the target,
but it was not enough to deny the Blues a 2-1 success and FA Cup glory. The
striker's frustration was compounded when his 81st minute header was pushed
onto the underside of the crossbar by Petr Cech. Carroll claimed a goal, but
match officials decided it had not crossed the line. "We were getting beat
2-0 and I came on and scored," he recalled. "We got back into it and had
several chances. One chance went over the line but it wasn't given. I think
if we had goal line technology like we do now I think it would have been
given. It was a good game that we should've got something out of."
Fast forward to Tuesday evening, and Carroll believes West Ham can take
confidence from their own position in the Barclays Premier League table, as
well as their performance in a 2-1 defeat at Goodison Park back in November.
"It was a tough game and they're a great team. They've just been beaten by
Newcastle so we know they are vulnerable. The manager will show us how we
can break them down. We know how to break teams down so hopefully we can go
there and get the win. "I feel with the confidence the lads have got at the
moment and the way we're playing well, we can go through. I think it gives
the lads a big boost to know we're pretty much safe in the league and we can
give the cup a good go."
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Big Sam on: Everton
WHUFC.com
The manager held his pre-Everton press conference on Monday morning
05.01.2015
Sam Allardyce has been grateful for the five-day gap between games ahead of
Tuesday's FA Cup third round tie against Everton. The Hammers had a blank
weekend, while many of their Premier League rivals were back in action just
days after their New Year's Day fixtures. That has allowed West Ham's
players to recover ahead of their Cup showdown, in which Big Sam wants to
see a return to winning ways.
Sam, considering how well you are doing in the league at the moment, would
it be right to assume you'll be really going for the FA Cup this season?
SA: "I think that wouldn't be the case if we were playing on Saturday,
having played on Thursday. That would have been nearly impossible with the
fatigue level and I think you could see that in the QPR players. Harry tried
to play his best side for four games in a row and it didn't work and they
ended up losing 3-0 to Sheffield United. "It's not possible to play the best
team each game because of the fatigue levels. But we've had four or five
days rest which has helped so we can play a strong team. It's quite strange
playing on Tuesday night but it has given us a little bit of breathing
space. "We won't have a few players available due to the African Cup of
Nations starting soon and Diafra Sakho has got a back injury which we are
assessing."
How serious is the injury and is Sakho likely to miss the African Cup of
Nations?
SA: "We're still assessing the situation, he's seeing a specialist in London
at the moment. He's all the appropriate scans but we need to see the extent
of it. Obviously the back is a sensitive area which can take some time to
mend depending on the scenario. Until we get the full diagnosis we won't
know the right way forward."
A word on Mauro Zarate, there was talk of Crystal Palace being interested,
among other clubs, do you have any updates on the situation?
SA: "I don't to be honest. I thought it was all done and dusted with QPR but
that doesn't seem to be the case for whatever reason. When the situation has
been decided we'll deal with it from there.
If he does leave, does that create a space for you to bring someone else in?
SA: "I don't think so. What Mauro's problem is, is that he feels he hasn't
played enough here at West Ham. He feels he needs to go play somewhere else,
and if he goes elsewhere he'll have a better chance of playing. I think his
problem is that if he'd played better here, he would have played more often.
But I haven't heard of any other club that is interested in him apart from
QPR."
You've signed Doneil Henry, what can you tell us about him?
SA: "He's a player for the near future we hope. He was recommended by Ryan
Nelsen from his time at Toronto FC, who was my captain at Blackburn Rovers.
Ryan himself was a fantastic central defender. Doneil came here on a trial
and impressed us. He's only 21 so he has a lot of potential and hopefully
he'll be challenging for a place soon."
Is he a player who could replace Winston Reid?
SA: "His contract is out at the end of the year. His future is that his
contract ends on 30 June, he hasn't said that he is or isn't going to sign
at the moment. By the feel of it you'd err on the side that he won't so I
think it's unlikely. We haven't had any approaches for him in January."
How is the rest of the squad fitness wise?
SA: "James Tomkins twisted his ankle yesterday so we'll assess that one. The
three Africa Cup of Nations players won't feature so we've got a bit of a
thin squad."
Does tomorrow's game give some of the players who haven't played as much as
they might have liked to show what they can do?
SA: "Looking at the team there won't be too many changes. Mark Noble and
Kevin Nolan will play a big part. Ricardo Vaz Te might get an opportunity
and Matt Jarvis hasn't played as much as he wants to so he'll get a few more
games soon. We haven't had the results we wanted recently but I think the
performances have still been very good. We'll play the strongest team
available against Everton."
Are you surprised at how Everton have struggled this season?
SA: "No not really, considering the injuries and the amount of fixtures
they've had. They've had injuries to key players in important positions so
that always has a huge effect. Stones, Distin and Jagielka have all been out
so that really disrupts the solidarity at the back which is why they have
conceded so many goals. If there's a lack of confidence hopefully we can
exploit that."
Do you feel you can prioritise the Cup more this year than any others?
SA: "Yes because of our league position. Last year it was the bottom of our
priorities because we were concentrating on getting out of trouble while
also being in the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup."
Has the glamour of the FA Cup gone a bit?
SA: "It's hard to say, it certainly has in terms of its attendances, I think
across the board they've gone down. But overall I don't think it has. It's a
great tournament with the opportunity of playing at Wembley at the end. I
remember watching it from the age of about eight or nine and the chances of
an underdog beating a big boy hasn't lost its glamour. There hasn't been so
many shocks in this round but the glamour is still there."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Dev Squad 1-0 Leicester
WHUFC.com
Minute-by-minute updates as the Dev Squad beat Leicester City 1-0 at Rush
Green
05.01.2015
DEVELOPMENT SQUAD v LEICESTER CITY U21
BARCLAYS U21 PREMIER LEAGUE
RUSH GREEN STADIUM
MONDAY 05 JANUARY 2015
KICK-OFF: 7 PM
REFEREE: NEIL HAIR
FT: Dev Squad 1-0 Leciester City
FT: The Dev Squad have done it! Parfitt-Williams with a crucial goal seals a
win just when a draw looked like the most likely outcome. The Dev Squad are
in action again this Friday against London rivals Tottenham Hostpur, kick
off 7pm from Rush Green.
92: A lot of tired legs out their now, but can they hold out?
90: Good hold up play by Turgott wastes a few seconds before Lletget buys a
free-kick off Leicester. Not long left to go.
88: The Hammers have got the ball exactly where they want it, right in the
far corner. They work it to Lletget who tries to curl it to the far post.
87: The Foxes have had the wind knocked out of their sails with that goal,
the Hammers have certainly been given a lift. Just a few minutes to hold out
for a vital win.
84: GOAL! 1-0 to the Hammers. Djair Parfitt-Williams gets his head to
another cross from Bywater and it flies into the far corner. A fine goal for
the youngster!
83: Turgott breaks again but his pass is tired and it is easily cut out.
Leicester break with a four on three in their favour, Oxford cuts it out
well.
81: Lewis Page is nailed by Jak McCourt who quite rightly goes into the book
for that challenge.
80: Another great delivery from Bywater, straight into the six-yard box
which goes agonizingly close to Parfitt-Williams. Any connection and it
would have gone in.
78: Bywater floats a terrific ball into the box which Brown attacks. It
falls just wide of the post via a deflection. Corner.
77: Into under the last 15 minutes here. Leicester have looked more
threatening in this second period yet the Hammers know they still in with a
chance.
75: Reece Burke does superbly to bring the ball from the half way line right
to Leicester's box, he tries to play in Brown but the linesman flags him for
offside, another tight call.
73: Djair Parfitt-Williams is coming on for Matty Fanimo who looked like he
had picked up a knock. The two U18s leading goal scorers are on for the
Hammers now, can they find their prolific form tonight?
71: Lletget volleys a dropping clearance which is blocked for a corner.
Jordan Brown almost gets to it at the back post.
70: Lewis Page is on in place of Dan Potts.
68: Dodoo tries his luck from distance, Howes sees it early and allows it go
wide of his post. Leicester have been on top for the majority of this second
half.
65: Hopper almosts scores as his neat flick falls dangerously close to the
near post, good invention from th Foxes' striker.
64: Potts throws himself in front of a shot from Barrington, excellent
defending from the left-back, good to see him back out on the pitch after a
lengthy injury.
62: Fanimo bursts to the by-line but his clipped cross narrowly evades
everyone and is headed out and away.
60: Panayiotou's snap shot goes just wide of Howes' post, the goalkeeper
looked to have it covered anyway.
58: Jordan Brown is on in place Paul McCallum.
56: Dan Potts is caught in posession resulting in Barrington running down on
the Hammers' area. Bywater trips the striker and goes into the book. Taking
one for the team.
53: Marcel Barrington is on in place of Louis Rowley.
51: The Hammers break down the right wing with Turgott who slides a good
ball in to McCallum. Elliot Moore slides in to clear the danger.
48: Lletget is flagged for offside despite looking well on. He and his
teammates look disgusted at the decision as he was clean through.
46: Both teams are back out on the pitch and we're about to resume play. A
big 45 minutes ahead for both sides, the Hammers really needs to find a way
through. Ben Chilwell has replaced Joe Davis in a like-for-like swap at
left-back.
HT: Half way here at Rush Green, both chances have had two good chances to
break the deadlock yet both goalkeepers have defended their clean sheets
admirably. A long way to go still.
41: Free kick for the Hammers in a dangerous position after Lletget was
fouled. The referee adjudges that Leicester's goalkeeper was fouled and they
clear it upfield.
39: Just a moment later and Leicester should really take the lead.
Panayiotou is through but he pokes it wide. Al real let off for the Hammers
there.
38: Jack McCourt stings the palms of Howes with a rasping shot from the edge
of the box. Bit of pressure from the visitors here.
34: Jack Barmby is away down the left flank. Trouble for the Hammers but
Howes dives forward to collect the cross, good goalkeeping from the young
shot-stopper.
31: Good sliding tackle by Reece Burke is stop Hopper making any progress
into the box.
28: Turgott's pace is causing the Foxes real problems. Again Lletget looks
to play Turgott in behind the defence, he sprints to keep up but Smith is
quick off his line to collect the ball. Half-hearted appeals for a penalty
which the referee waves away.
24: McCallum is adjudged to have fouled Elder. The resulting free-kick
causes a few more defensive problems until Burke brings the ball out
expertly, he tries to set Fanimo free but the ball is just over hit.
22: Free-kick to West Ham in a dangerous position, Fanimo to swing it
in...however he over hits it and the goalkeeper collects without any bother.
19: Chance for the visitors as a long throw bu Joe Davis causes the defence
all kinds of problems. Harry Panayiotou heads goalwards and Sam Howes has to
spring into action to save his team.
17: Turgott tries his luck from the edge of the box and he connects well.
The ball swings a bit in the air before Smith clutches it.
15: Smart work from Blair Turgott in a tight space wins his side a corner,
Leicester have got everyone back to defend this.
13: A frantic start here at Rush Green with both teams chasing a win that
they both need. The Hammers have shaded it so far but the Foxes look
dangerous on the break.
10: Great chance for the Hammers to take the lead as Matthias Fanimo is sent
through on goal by a glorious pass. He beats his man for pace but the
goalkeeper Adam Smith stays big and and saves well.
9: Lletget sets Turgott free down the right wing, his drilled cross is cut
out by the first man.
7: Dan Potts choses safety first as he clears it out for a throw in. He wins
the resulting header and clears up field.
5: Another chance for the Hammers as again they break through Lletget, his
cross is cut out for a corner. From the resulting corner, Leicester
eventually scramble it away after Reece Oxford's header was goal bound.
2: Bright start for the Hammers. McCallum knocks on to Lletget who plays the
No9 back in. Unfortunately the linesman has his flag raised and Leicester
get posession.
0: We're off! West Ham United get us under way with Paul McCallum from the
kick off.
It's a surprisingly mild night here at Rush Green, the floodlights are on
and the fans are beginning to
Both teams are out on the pitch warming up, we've got just over half an hour
until kick off.
Leicester City go into this game on the back of a good run having won four
of their last six games, including a 6-2 win over Manchester City and a 3-2
away win over Manchester United.
Academy Director Terry Westley makes four changes to the starting XI that
lost 4-1 away to Newcastle United. Amos Nasha, Reece Oxford, Blair Turgott
and Matthias Fanimo come in for Diego Poyet, Kieran Sadlier, Danny Whitehead
and Lewis Page.
West Ham United: Howes (GK), Westley, Potts © (Page 70), Nasha, Burke,
Oxford, Turgott, Bywater, McCallum (J. Brown 58), Lletget, Fanimo
(Parfitt-Williams 73)
Subs: Whitehead, Boness
Leicester City: Smith, Davis, Elder, McCourt, Sesay, Moore, Barmby, Rowley,
Hopper (c), Panayiotou, Dodoo
Subs: Chilwell, Maddison, Scott, Ndukwu, Barrington
In effect, this is a must win game for both as we reach towards half way
mark of the season.
Tonight's game is huge for both teams as they currently sit at the wrong end
of the table. The Hammers are currently bottom of the Barclays U21 Premier
League with five points from their opening games, meanwhile tonight's
visitors, the Foxes, are only three points better off in eleventh place with
eight points.
Hello and welcome to tonight's live coverage from Rush Green as West Ham
United's Development Squad take on Leicester City U21 in their first game of
2015.
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce predicts Winston Reid exit
BBC.co.uk
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce says he expects Winston Reid to leave the
club when the central defender's contract expires at the end of June. Reid
has been in negotiations over a new deal with the Hammers but Allardyce does
not think the 26-year-old will extend his stay. "It's highly unlikely
Winston is going to sign for us based on what people have said to me," said
Allardyce. Reid has been linked with moves to Arsenal and Liverpool. The New
Zealand international joined West Ham from Danish side FC Midtjylland in
August 2010 and has developed into one of the club's key players. Allardyce
said no approaches had been made for Reid so far in the January transfer
window.
He added: "There is no future for Winston Reid at West Ham at the moment as
his contract finishes on 30 June. He hasn't said he is or isn't going to
sign. "You would err on the back that he isn't, by the feel and look of it,
at this moment in time."
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Doncaster or Bristol City await in the FA Cup fourth round
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham will face either Doncaster or Bristol City in the next round of the
FA Cup, should they overcome Everton at Goodison Park tomorrow night.
The draw, made this evening at Wimbledon FC pitched Everton or the Hammers
away to either League One Doncaster or Championship Bristol City, who drew
1-1 at the Keepmoat Stadium on Saturday.
All ties will be played between 24-27 January. The full fourth round draw
was as follows:
Southampton or Ipswich Town v Crystal Palace
Cambridge United v Manchester United
Blackburn Rovers v Swansea City
Chelsea v Millwall or Bradford City
Derby County v Scunthorpe or Chesterfield
Preston North End v Sheffield United
Birmingham City v West Bromwich Albion
Aston Villa v AFC Bournemouth
Cardiff City v Reading
AFC Wimbledon or Liverpool v Bolton Wanderers
Burnley or Tottenham v Leicester City
Brighton & Hove Albion v Arsenal
Rochdale v Stoke City
Sunderland v Fulham or Wolves
Doncster or Bristol City v West Ham United
Manchester City v Middlesbrough
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Diafra Sakho to miss AFCON through injury?
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer
Hammers striker Diafra Sakho could miss the entire African Cup of Nations
tournament as a result of the injury he sustained against West Brom on New
Year's Day. As revealed here on KUMB last week, Sakho was sent for a scan on
his back following West Ham's 1-1 draw with West Brom at the Boleyn on the
opening day of 2015. And whilst those procedures have already taken place,
Sam Allardyce confirmed this morning that the extent of the damage remains
unknown presently. "We're still assessing the situation, he's seeing a
specialist in London at the moment," he said. "He's all the appropriate
scans but we need to see the extent of it. "Obviously the back is a
sensitive area which can take some time to mend depending on the scenario.
Until we get the full diagnosis we won't know the right way forward."
Sakho has been in sparkling form since moving to England last August,
scoring nine times in his first 15 appearances for West Ham United. He first
suffered a back problem when on international duty back in November and
missed three games as a result. Allardyce was particularly annoyed with the
way Sakho's injury was handled and labelled the way it was handled by
Senegal's medical team as "outrageous", adding that the injury had been
"mistreated so badly".
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Zarate out in the cold as Redknapp cools interest
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer
Harry Redknapp has once again dismissed reports that Mauro Zarate is on his
way to Queens Park Rangers. On New Year's Day it was revealed that the
Argentine's planned move to Loftus Road could be off, with rumours of a
failed medical arising from the KUMB Forum. Redknapp, when questioned,
replied that he was "not sure" or the current situation. Little appears to
have changed in west London over the course of the proceeding four days as
when asked about Zarate again this morning, Redknapp reiterated that the
striker was no closer to a move to Rangers. "We're not close to doing any
deals at all. Not a thing," he told the media. "We're looking for loans and
I really haven't got a clue as to where we're going to find any at the
moment. "I don't know where you find anybody on loan at this time of year.
Who are you going to find on loan who is going to come and make a big
difference to your team? "It's very difficult."
Ironically perhaps Zarate would have almost certainly started for West Ham
at Everton tomorrow night had he not spoken out against manager Sam
Allardyce, who he claimed was failing to utilise him correctly. Diafra Sakho
is definitely out with a back injury whilst Andy Carroll is a doubt having
complained of tightness in an ankle, following three successive starts over
the Christmas period. That leaves Allardyce with only Enner Valencia,
Carlton Cole and Ricardo Vaz Te - who last played for the first team in the
2-1 Premier League defeat at Goodison Park on 22 November - as fit strikers.
Allardyce himself was nonplussed when asked about the ongoing Zarate
situation during his press conference this morning. "I thought it was all
done and dusted with QPR but that doesn't seem to be the case for whatever
reason," he replied. "His problem is that if he'd played better here, he
would have played more often. But I haven't heard of any other club that is
interested in him apart from QPR."
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Allardyce to field "strong" team for Everton trip
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce has revealed that he will be putting out a strong a side as
possible when the Hammers travel to Merseyside tomorrow to face struggling
Everton in the third round of the FA Cup. The hosts, unusually camped in the
lower half of the Premier League took just one point from their three
Christmas games - although of course West Ham fared little better, taking
just the one (WBA at home). However any concerns that Allardyce will rest
key players in order to boost his chances of winning United's next Premier
League clash at Swansea this weekend have been dispelled by the manager. As
revealed here on KUMB last week, Allardyce will be without Cheik Kouyate,
Diafra Sakho and Alex Song. However he still intends to field the best team
he possibly can. "It's not possible to play the best team each game because
of the fatigue levels," he told the media at this morning's pre-match press
conference. "But we've had four or five days rest which has helped, so we
can play a strong team. "It's quite strange playing on Tuesday night but it
has given us a little bit of breathing space. That wouldn't be the case if
we were playing on Saturday, having played on Thursday. That would have been
nearly impossible with fatigue.
"Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan will play a big part. Ricardo Vaz Te might get
an opportunity and Matt Jarvis hasn't played as much as he wants to so he'll
get a few more games soon. We'll play the strongest team available."
One player who definitely won't be available is Mauro Zarate, who is
currently in limbo having signalled his intentions to leave the Boleyn
Ground. Despite having been set to sign for QPR last week, he remains a West
Ham player. None the wiser apparently, is his manager. " I thought it was
all done and dusted with QPR but that doesn't seem to be the case for
whatever reason," said Allardyce. "When the situation has been decided we'll
deal with it from there."
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Pardew looks to hijack Zarate QPR move
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 5th January 2015
By: Staff Writer
Former Hammers boss Alan Pardew's is set to hijack (former Hammers boss)
Harry Redknapp's bid to sign Mauro Zarate on loan from West Ham, according
to reports. The unhappy forward appeared set to complete a loan move to the
west London club last week. However last weekend a member of KUMB's Forum
claimed that there had been a problem with Zarate's medical. Subsequently,
Harry Redknapp refused to confirm that the signing would proceed whilst no
official word has been given over the hold up, lending weight to the
aforementioned speculation.
And now the Mirror claim that Pardew, who officially returned to Selhurst
Park last weekend is keen to snatch Zarate from Redknapp's grasp. Pardew,
whose Palace side are desperately short of firepower would be able to offer
Zarate first team football, which he claims is his primary reason for
wanting to leave the Boleyn Ground.
* Rumours that West Ham may be interested in signing Swansea's combative
midfielder Jonjo Shelvey were dismissed earlier today by the son of co-owner
David Sullivan on Twitter. Speculation that the Romford-born player was on
the verge of signing for the Hammers spread this afternoon via social media,
after someone posted a photograph of a vehicle in the Boleyn Ground car park
said to belong to Shelvey.
However a later message posted via the Twitter account belonging to Jack
Sullivan dismissed the rumours - without refuting suggestions that the car
was in fact Shelvey's.
Jack Sullivan @jsullivanwhu
Jonjo Shelveys is not signing for west ham, despite photos of his car being
outside Upton park
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MORE FROM THE SUPPORTERS ADVISORY BOARD
By Iain Dale 5 Jan 2015 at 22:09
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Safe Hands
There were a few other snippets that I wanted to tell you from the meeting
on 9 December, and even though most of them have surfaced in other
discussions, I thought I'd list them out as Iain's asked for articles.
(There's nothing like setting up a high level of expection for a read is
there?)
• The club want to engage with the fanbase more and give supporters
the opportunity to participate/feedback via Facebook, Twitter, email shots,
and the SAB. Looking at that list, I'd say the more static and less speedy
of these is the SAB (be nice people!).
• The club have adjusted the remit of the SAB as most of the high
activity of going to the OS has now taken place although there is still more
to be done. They have said they will be much more transparent and that when
they tell us something, it will also be published on the website. They have
also halved the number of SAB members and it now stands at 66 – the full
list is HERE
• The club have now employed a Supporter Liaison Officer, James
Rutherford, who will act as the fulcrum for fans' responses and the club's
'go-to' person to garner supporter opinion. FYI He is an ex-SAB member.
• The official website's going to be a changed early in the new year.
• There's going to be another Fan Forum in February – details will be
on the main site idc.
• Moving to the OS – information will be released in January as to how
the seat transition is going to be handled as well as how people can arrange
to sit together. The first appointments to meet with fans to discuss their
new seats will be in April. Despite being questioned, they wouldn't give us
any more information than that.
FYI Many thanks for all your responses to my post about the shirts for our
last season at The Boleyn. I've put them together and sent them to the club.
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West Ham set for Alex Song blow with star midfielder set to join Cameroon
for Africa Cup of Nations
Jan 05, 2015 17:00 By Darren Lewis
Song has not yet confirmed that he is set to leave for the tournament but he
is understood currently to be in Cameroon holding talks with key figures in
the national set up
The Mirror
West Ham are steeling themselves for confirmation that Alex Song IS set to
jet off to the Africa Cup of Nations after all. The u-turn is set to come as
a massive blow to the east Londoners' outside hopes of challenging for
Europe. They currently sit seventh in the Premier League, four points off
Southampton in fourth. Song has not yet confirmed that he is set to leave
for the tournament but he is understood currently to be in Cameroon holding
talks with key figures within the country's football federation, who do want
him back. MirrorFootball exclusively revealed last week that the nation was
poised to stage a change of heart over the Hammers' star midfielder, on loan
from Barcelona. Lions' Head Coach Volker Finke left the Irons delighted
before Christmas when he left the 27-year-old out of his squad for the
competition which begins on January 17.
Song has been out of Finke's plans since being sent off at the World Cup
against Croatia last summer. He has impressed hugely since his summer move
to West Ham, however, and Finke is understood to have been pressured by his
country's top brass into changing his mind.
Feelers were put out to Song two weeks ago and the player has responded
favourably to his country reaching out. It means, however, that he is set to
miss West Ham's upcoming Premier League games at Swansea and at home to
Hull, along with their FA Cup Fourth Round tie should they make it past
Everton tomorrow night. Should Cameroon make it to the AFCON quarter-finals
or beyond, Song will also be out of the massive League games against
Liverpool and Manchester United. West Ham are already set to lose Cheikhou
Kouyate to Senegal while that country's top-scorer Diafra Sakho is suffering
from a back problem which means he will unavailable to the club even if he
doesn't join up with his national side.
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Arsenal transfer target Winston Reid has ''no future'' at West Ham, admits
Sam Allardyce
Jan 05, 2015 11:35 By Neil McLeman
It is "highly unlikely" that Reid - who has also been linked with Manchester
United - will stay beyond the summer, insists the Hammers boss
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce has admitted it is "highly unlikely" that Winston Reid will
sign a new contract at West Ham. The New Zealand defender is out of contract
at the end of the season and is refusing to sign a new deal. Arsenal and
Manchester United have been linked with signing the centre-back in the
summer. And before tomorrow's FA Cup tie at Everton, the Irons boss said:
"There is no future for Winston Reid at West Ham United at the moment
because his contract finishes. "The only thing is that his contract finishes
June 30. He hasn't said he is going to sign and he hasn't said he is isn't.
"But you would you err on the side that he isn't by the feel and the look of
it at this moment in time, by the know-how in the football world I have been
talking to - other managers and so forth about the situation so I would say
it is highly unlikely that Winston is going to sign for us based on what
people are saying to me." Allardyce has previously stated he would not sell
Reid in this transfer window for less than £20m. "We have had no
approaches," he said.
Diafra Sakho could be forced out of the African Nations Cup with the back
injury he suffered on international duty in November. The Senegal striker
had been due to join up with his country for the tournament in Equitorial
Guinea but Allardyce said: "He is being assessed at this moment by the
specialist in London. "He has had all the appropriate scans. We need to sit
down and assess the extent of the injury - has it got any worse since the
last time? Is it the same? With a back, it is a delicate scenario. "Until we
get the full diagnosis from the specialist today, we won't know which will
be the way forward."
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Crystal Palace plot transfer hijack of Mauro Zarate's move to QPR from West
Ham
Jan 04, 2015 22:30 By Darren Lewis
Striker has had a medical and agreed terms with the Rs but HASN'T signed on
loan and now their relegation-fight rivals from across London hope to swoop
in
The Mirror
Crystal Palace are ready to hijack QPR's bid to sign Mauro Zarate on loan
following the appointment of Alan Pardew. The 27-year-old West Ham striker
has had a medical at Loftus Road and has already agreed personal term with
the west Londoners. However, the deal has been delayed as the Hoops are now
looking to lower the terms of the loan. And Palace have since expressed a
late interest. Despite their 4-0 FA Cup third round win at non-League Dover
on Sunday, the Eagles want more firepower up front as they prepare for a
run-in relegation battle under new boss Pardew. We revealed last week that
Zarate wants first-team action after accusing the Hammers' manager Sam
Allardyce of refusing to play him. Southampton, Sunderland, Aston Villa and
Newcastle are all also keen, but Argentine Zarate is settled in London and
would prefer to join another capital club. The forward has made only eight
appearances under Allardyce, scoring twice - with one of them coming AGAINST
Palace at Selhurst Park back in August.
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Gold: "FA Cup is high priority"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
David Gold has made it clear that the FA Cup remains a "big priority" for
the Irons this season and wants to see the strongest possible team take the
field at Everton tomorrow evening. The co chairman confirmed that despite
injuries and Cheik Kouyate's absence at the African Nations Cup,the board
have focused on this competition since early season. Talking exclusively to
ClaretandHugh he said: "It's always been high on our priority list and I see
no reason why we can't go up there and win. "Mark Noble will be in the side
and Enner Valencia comes in – remember he was the number one striker option
until Diafra Sakho started his heroics. "I know our record at Goodison is
bad but at some stage it has to change so why not tomorrow as Everton aren't
in the best shape."
With either Doncaster Rovers or Bristol City waiting in the fourth round,
there's plenty of incentive for the Irons. Gold said: "I'm very hopeful.
This gives players who haven't had much chance recently to make an
impression. "Unlike last year we can give it a real go with the number of
points we have gathered. I believe Sam Allardyce will put out his strongest
team possible and we are looking for a win."
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For Reid READ Upson
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
It's turning into the longest farewell in West Ham history and today Sam
Allardyce appeared to raise his own hand in farewell. We can of course only
be talking about Winston Reid who now looks totally certain to be on his way
and if I'm wrong, part of me will be sorry because I'm certainly not
convinced he is the player he believes himself to be. I was totally stunned
when I realised he'd collected eight yellow cards in 19 games recently which
at any level is simply not good enough. And I fear that he may be heading in
the same direction as a couple of former irons who fancied themselves a bit,
leaving the Boleyn in haste to regret it at their leisure. Both Mohamed
Diame and Matthew Upson are prominent examples of how it can all go terribly
wrong when players or their agents over-rate themselves or their 'product.'
Upson was looking for the ultimate move after becoming captain and an
England international but instead found himself with only Stoke City ready
to employ him from where he has gone onto the dizzy pinnacles of Brighton
and Leicester City. Given his form this season Winston Reid may be the
luckiest man in the world to receive an offer of around £60k a week from the
Irons. Should he leave for the top four club he's hoping will come in but
with no evidence beyond regular press reports to support it, I can only
forsee only a slow descent. Every one of the clubs he appears to crave would
have been in a long time ago had they really believed he was worth a few
quid.
Instead any move will be made when he becomes a freebie and clubs see him as
a useful squad addition – and therein lies the rub. For despite his average
form he can be assured of regular first team football at West Ham on a more
than decent wage. Personally I believe his and his advisers' behaviour has
not been the best over recent months when it would be just as easy to say:
"We're off" but when did football and straight dealing have much to do with
each other. I won't be unhappy if he leaves as I do believe there are more
reliable central defenders out there well worth the money being offered to
him and who won't be picking up yellows virtually every other game.
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Irons in dark on Song call up
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham were this afternoon insisting the club has no word from Cameroon
whether Alex Song has been called into their squad for the African Nations
Cup tournament. The Mail is currently running a story claiming that he has
now been included in the squad after being left out by boss Volker Finke
initially last month. He had fallen out of favour with their national team
following his sending off in the World Cup against Croatia and has not
played since. However, his form for the Hammers has not gone unnoticed it
seems and according to the Mail that has led Finke to perform a U turn and
call the player into the squad. The Hammers however are claiming to still be
in the dark with a source making it clear they had not been contacted by any
Cameroon officials. A source at the club explained: "We've seen the report
but we have heard absolutely nothjing from Cameroon. They have right up to
the 17th to call him up if they choose. We continue to keep everything
crossed."
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Leroy: "I cant see Irons failing at Everton"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Everton have a lot more problems than us and I am fully expecting the team
to beat them in tomorrow evening's Third Round clash at Goodison Park.
Wherever I look in the Toffees team they have issues – this is a team that
looks past it's best with the likes of Gareth Barry and Silvin Distin in
particular not the players they were. Tim Howard, Gareth Baines and Ross
Barkley don't look the part these days and Phil Jagielka doesn't look as
secure as he has been. Also I can't think of another club in the country
that would have given Samuel Eto'o a contract at this stage of his career.
All of this puts Roberto Martinez under a huge amount of pressure and I
believe the Hammers will ;pile a lot more on him by the end of the night.
I'm not at all sure Martinez even knows what his best team is. This is a
game the lads should win – given all of the above I don't believe there is a
better time to be playing Everton. Despite the absences of such as Diafra
Sakho, Cheik Kouyate and possibly Alex Song, I believe we have enough and a
way of playing that can unsettle them. The Hammers, like every other club,
has had a little dip in form and I see this as a perfect opportunity to get
back on track.
I don't see them failing.
COYI
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Monday, January 5
Daily WHUFC News - 5th January 2015
Adrian eyes winning return
WHUFC.com
Adrian is keen to celebrate his 28th birthday with victory at Everton on
Tuesday
04.01.2015
Birthday boy Adrian is determined to help the Hammers get back to winning
ways when they take on Everton in the FA Cup on Tuesday evening. The No13
celebrated his 28th birthday on Saturday, rounding off a fine spell for him,
which has seen him win many plaudits in the West Ham goal and take the
Club's Player of the Month prize for December. However, the team's results
dipped slightly over Christmas and Adrian is more concerned with changing
that at Goodison Park. "We had some chances to win against West Brom on
Thursday, but didn't score the second goal to take the points," he
reflected. "Maybe there was a little fatigue because it was a long week,
with three games in seven days. "The boys need to relax and recover, but we
did show good performances in the games and now we need to come back to our
form. "It's my job to make saves as a goalkeeper and sometimes you can save
the goal, and other times it's not possible. "I'm happy and need to continue
in this vein. It's my second season here and have really adapted to London,
the city, the weather and my English is much better now."
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SHOULD WEST HAM REALLY ASPIRE TO BE THE BEST?
By Iain Dale 4 Jan 2015 at 14:55
West Ham till I Die
Guest Post by DC
Much has been made recently of West Ham's chances of securing Champions
League football next season, or worst case scenario (by the sounds of it) a
lowly Europa League spot. Apparently, Arsenal are all over the place. Spurs
and Liverpool too! A recent suggestion was that only Chelsea and Man City
have better teams than us. The natural progression from this is that we must
therefore be on par with both Man Utd and Southampton. Goes without saying.
It's easy to look at the Top Teams on MOTD and watch how vulnerable they
look on a given day of the season, more often than not after a midweek
flight back from Europe. It's also easy to forget that these teams have
already played around 10 games more than the Mighty Hammers at this half-way
point of the season.
So what exactly does a team realistically contending for a Champions League
spot look like? ….. tell you what , lets stretch it out to the Top 6 just to
be on the safe side. How many points do the Hammers actually need to make
the grade? Take a look at the last 5 seasons of Premier League Football (190
games) and it makes for pretty daunting reading when you look at the average
points tally.
1st 86 pts | 2nd 81 pts | 3rd 75 pts | 4th 72 pts | 5th 68 pts | 6th 64 pts
What about the so-called "Big Six"? How did their points average out over
the same period?
Man U = 81 pts | Man C = 78 pts | Chelsea = 76 pts | Arsenal = 73 pts |
Spurs = 68 pts | Liverpool = 64 pts
Now, I'm no Data Analyst Expert, but I do detect a slight pattern emerging
here. YAWN! Why is the truth so boring?
I'm all for positive mental attitude. It seems vital that our lads really
believe they can turn the big boys over. It seems vital that our Board
aspire to be in and amongst these teams at the end of each season. In fact,
I'd go so far as to say it should be a non-negotiable that Gold and Sullivan
aspire to have the best team in the land – surely that's the only way we
will ever end up being the best team in the land!
Yet, there is a 'not so subtle' difference between aspiration and false
expectations. Recent history suggests that the so called "Big Six" – with
particular reference to Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool – are maybe not about
to roll-over quite as easily as some might think they are. It's tough at the
top!
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WOULD WEST HAM UNITED BE BETTER OFF UNDER FOREIGN OWNERSHIP WITH UNLIMITED
FINANCIAL BACKING?
By Iain Dale 4 Jan 2015 at 09:45
West Ham till I Die
Guest Post by Florida Hammer
I've been a frequent visitor to this site now for a while and there are
often some interesting opinions on WHTID, it can be clearly stated that most
folks do not hold back when commenting on this site. Whether it is football,
religion or politics there are always varied opinions on here often leading
to some spicy discussion.
Recently an off-topic discussion centered on foreign ownership; would West
Ham United Football Club be better off with a "sugar daddy owner" worth
billions rather than the paltry $629 million net worth of principal owner
David Sullivan? As fans of a traditional family club how do you feel about
selling the West Ham United franchise to a corporate entity, multi-national
conglomerate or faceless owner in return for a multi-billion dollar bankroll
and unlimited investment potential? The ultimate question remains do we sell
our soul to an unknown billionaire devil in return for Champions League
Football, a regular shot at the title and cup runs?
Before you answer the above questions take a look at the following synopsis
of each club with current foreign ownership in the Premier League. See how
these principal owners made their fortunes prior to purchasing a majority
stake at their respective football clubs. Then decide if this path is the
way to move forward and upwards for our beloved Hammers.
Arsenal
Arsenal is majority owned by American billionaire Stan Kroenke, according to
Forbes he is worth approximately $6 billion. Kroenke is married to Wal Mart
co-founder Bud Walton's daughter Ann, he also owns the Denver Nuggets
(National Basketball Association), Colorado Rapids (Major League Soccer),
Colorado Avalanche (National Hockey League), Colorado Mammoth (National
Lacrosse League), and the Saint Louis Rams (National Football League).
Kroenke is a sports enterprise and real estate mogul in the USA, but is
known as "silent Stan" as he rarely interferes in his teams day to day
operations nor does he give many interviews to the press.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa is owned by Randy Lerner, American businessman who once owned
the Cleveland Browns NFL franchise (sold in 2012). Lerner, who is worth
approximately $1.5 billion according to Forbes started out in life as a
Lawyer, graduating Columbia University in New York (he spent a year at
Cambridge in 1983) where he started to develop a passion for proper
football. Lerner is a major philanthropist who donates heavily to the
National Portrait Gallery and Clare College, Cambridge. The club is
currently up for sale as Lerner does not believe he can take them any
further.
Chelsea
Chelsea is owned by the infamous Russian oil baron Roman Abramovich. He has
a strong political background as he was once the governor of Chukotka
(2000-2008), a peninsular location in the far east of Russia. Abramovich has
a multitude of business and political interests and is considered an
extremely close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin and former
President Boris Yeltsin. However, he got his start in business by selling
imported rubber ducks from his apartment in Moscow with his first wife Olga.
Largely a product of "Perestroika" and the loosening of restrictions in
Russia, Abramovich is no stranger to controversy in terms of bribery and
corruption charges. He has an estimated fortune of $14.6 billion according
to Forbes.
Hull City
Hull is owned by the Allam family of Egypt (estimated net worth of $982
million), Assam and his son Ehab purchased Hull in 2010 stating a need to
pay back the area that adopted him many years ago. Assam fled Egypt and the
brutal regime of Gamel Abdel Nasser in 1968 and arrived in East Riding,
Yorkshire with barely £20 pounds to his name. He studied Economics at the
University of Hull before embarking on his own business interests; his
fortune is created primarily on his success with industrial generators
(Allam Marine). Recently, Assam Allam shockingly put up his team for sale
within 24 hours (as he promised) after the FA refused to allow the football
club to be renamed Hull Tigers. Apparently the matter has been forwarded to
CAS on appeal by Allam.
Leicester City
Leicester is owned by Thai billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who amassed
his $1.6 billion fortune (per Forbes) as the founder and CEO of King Power
Duty Free. Vichai also owns a minority stake in budget airline Nok Air, and
is an avid Polo player with ownership in a club outside of Bangkok. Upon
winning the Championship title last season Srivaddhanaprabha predicted his
team could finish in the top five of the Premiership within three years and
he pledged to spend up to £180 million pounds in order to get there. So far
Leicester is struggling upon their return to the Premiership and has seen
just a mild level of investment in the squad since its return to the top
flight of English football.
Liverpool
Liverpool is owned by American businessman John Henry (worth $1.4 billion
per Forbes) and the Fenway Sports Group; which includes the Boston Red Sox
(Major League Baseball), the Boston Globe newspaper and part ownership of
Roush Fenway racing. Henry bought Liverpool from Tom Hicks and George Gillet
Jr. at the end of the 2011 season. However, Henry subsequently fired
Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish at the end of the 2012 season despite
Liverpool having won the League Cup. Henry is also somewhat of a sports
mogul who started out by purchasing a minor league baseball team, over time
he has owned the Florida Marlins baseball team and negotiated for the
Orlando Magic Basketball team. No matter what he accomplishes in the future
Henry will be best remembered for ending the 86 year Major League Baseball
championship drought endured by the Boston Red Sox and ending the "curse" of
the Bambino (Babe Ruth).
Manchester City
Manchester City is owned in principal by Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan (Sheikh
Mansour) who has an estimated personal fortune worth $31.4 billion; however
this is part of a family fortune that is closer to $1 trillion. The majority
of the Sheikh's income derives from the International Petroleum Investment
Company & Aabar Investments, which is wholly owned by the Government of Abu
Dabhi. Other investments include a stake in Virgin Galactic, Daimler, Tesla
Motors, Falcon Private Bank, and XOJET to name just a few. The Sheikh is an
accomplished horse rider and has won a number of endurance racing events, in
addition to his role as the Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE (United Arab
Emirates).
Manchester United
Manchester United is owned by the Glazer family and was purchased initially
by the late Malcolm Glazer for his sons Avram and Joel Glazer; the Glazer
takeover became official from 2003 to 2005 when he controversially spent the
clubs own assets to complete the buyout leaving the club in debt by over
£525 million pounds. Joel, along with brothers Bryan and Edward are
co-Chairmen of Malcom's other sports team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL),
which has experienced an upswing in fortunes from perennial doormats in the
NFL. Since the Glazers took over (they won Super Bowl 37) and have finished
with multiple winning seasons. There are six total Glazer children who now
share the family fortunes which according to Forbes is $4 billion. The
family also owns and operates a real estate holding firm First Allied
corporation which is responsible for 6.7 million square feet of shopping
mall space over 20 States.
Queens Park Rangers
QPR is owned by Asian power duo (Malaysian) Tony Fernandes (a self-professed
Hammers fan who failed to buy the club in 2011) and Indian steel magnate
Lakshmi Mittal. Fernandes is the principal owner with his 66% stake in the
club after his purchase of shares owned by Bernie Ecclestone in August 2011.
Fernandes is another British educated entrepreneur that got his start with
Sir Richard Branson at Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Records. After joining
Warner music Fernandes decided to leave the company when the merger with
America Online was announced to revive budget, no frills Air Asia which at
the time was $11 million in debt. Within a year of takeover Fernandes had
cleared all debts and was operating with profits. Fernandes has invested in
the Caterham Formula One team, also known as Lotus Racing; his fortune per
Forbes is now estimated at $650 million.
Southampton
Southampton is currently owned by Katharina Liebherr, daughter of the late
Markus Liebherr; a German born Swiss entrepreneur and owner of MALI
International AG. Markus Leibherr took Southampton out of administration in
2009 when he purchased the club and they started play in League 1. Liebherr
had brought in Italian banker Nicola Cortese to run the show. Cortese &
Liebherr had a grand vision of making Southampton into a European power. It
was Cortese who fired Pardew, brought in Adkins and eventually Pochettino
all the while leading the Saints meteoric rise back to the Premier League.
Unfortunately Markus would not live to see out his vision of creating a
European power in Southampton FC as he died of a heart attack in 2010. But
Cortese continued until late October 2013 when a power struggle for MALI
International took place with Katharina who took over operations of her
father's company in January of 2014. Liebherr inherited the $3 billion
fortune of her father and is now in charge of day to day operations.
Sunderland
Sunderland is owned by Irish-American businessman Ellis Short, who is based
in London and the founder of Kildare Partners (a private equity fund that
deals in distressed European real estate). Short started out his career at
General Electric but made his reputation at Lone Star Funds in Dallas,
Texas. Short has incidentally bought Skibo Castle in Scotland (the location
of Madonna's wedding to Guy Ritchie). His ownership of Sunderland began in
2008 and subsequent firing of Roy Keane (who recently trashed Ellis Short in
his biography). Short has hired and fired Steve Bruce, Martin O'Neill and
Paulo Di Canio before finally settling on Gus Poyet as his team continue to
struggle for survival in the Premier League. Short is a very quiet and
unassuming man that prefers to stay out of the limelight, his net worth is
estimated at $6.3 billion.
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Irons won't budge as 14 clubs wait in wings
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham are in no rush to push through the Mauro Zarate loan deal to Queens
Park Rangers. Harry Redknapp and the club are understood to be trying to get
a cut price arrangement and the Irons are having none of it. With 14 other
clubs interested, including Newcastle, Sunderland, Torino, Valencia and
others as far afield as Mexico, the Hammers have no need to lower the loan
terms Reknapp remains keen on the player but a Hammers source told
ClaretandHugh: "Things should become a lot clearer on the Rangers thing this
week but we are certainly not short on other options. "And despite the
public fall-out between Mauro and the manager, with Diafra Sakho injured
there's no need for us to be rushing a deal through for the sake of it. "We
all understand how frustrated Mauro feels at the moment but the deal has to
suit all parties when it gets donme. "And with that amount of interest out
there, it's pretty obvious that this is a very decent player we are talking
about regardless of what may or may not have been said. "There's certainly
no way we'll be held to ransom by QPR. They know the terms if they want the
him."
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Time to forgive and truly be BIG Sam
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
We have reached the season-defining time of the year that Sam Allardyce has
been alluding to for a few weeks. At regular intervals he has made it clear
that he won't be discussing end of season objectives until the end of this
month. Tuesday night and the third round of the FA cup beckons with the
pressure mounting on him and the team with every successive game. In
different circumstances, with injuries and the African Nations Cup
intervening, this might have been the perfect game for Mauro Zarate to take
the pressure off himself and Allardyce. With the alternative being Kevin
Nolan for a game which calls for us to play with as much flair and adventure
as possible after looking shy in front of goal lately, how brave would it be
for manager and Argentinan striker to put their antagonism towards each
other aside. Ego is a highly destructive force and the stupid war of words
which broke out between the pair has not done them or the club any good at
all.
With three games yielding one point, the top scorer again injured, along we
are told with the guy on who has proved himself the heartbeat of things this
season – Alex Song – things don't look great for the trip to Goodison Park.
. Chiek Kouyate has joined the Senegal squad and there are persistent
rumours that Song himself will get a late call up for Cameroon. Brave
decisions are called for so and this one only needs a handshake and an arm
around the shoulder. Live up to the nickname Mr Allardyce – truly be BIG
SAM!. The board of directors are still looking for a decent FA Cup run after
the disappointment of the early departure from the Capital One Cup. In part
an end of season contract for the manager undoubtedly rests on an FA Cup
run. So from everybody's point of view this is something of a must win game.
We really can't be slipping out of the two domestic cups at the first hurdle
and there's absolutely nothing lost in telling Zarate: "Go on my son – prove
me wrong!"
I don't expect it to happen and I'm certainly not holding my breath but I am
convinced that given such a chance, Zarate would shine like never before. It
could be a managerial masterstroke and if it doesn't come off Sam Allardyce
has lost absolutely nothing!
Be bold …be BIG Sam!
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Song doubt for Hammers
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham could be without Alex Song for the Tuesday night's FA cup clash
with Everton at Goodison Park. And with Diafra Sakha injured and Cheik
Kouyate having joined Senegal for the African Cup of Nations tournament, we
are likely to be relying on the 'old firm' to help us through a difficult
Third Round clash. Mark Noble is likely to return to the midfield with
skipper Kevin Nolan for a clash which begins to look very tricky indeed.
ClaretandHugh has been told that Song has played the last couple of games
with a sore knee and is likely to be replaced by Noble for a match which has
the potential to define the Hammers season. A source said: "Alex is expected
to be rested as he played two quick games with a sore knee whilst Kouyate
has now joined the Senegal squad. "Logic dictates that it will be Carroll
and Valencia up front with Noble and Nolan coming in to fill the midfield
berths."
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Henry signs …but may have to wait!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 3, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
The Hammers have confirmed that 21 year old Canadian defender Doneil Henry
from Cypriot side Apollon Limassol has been signed on a year three year
contract. However, a club source told ClaretandHugh: "He's about six months
away from becoming a first team regular and will be carefully looked after
as he is prepared for the Premier League. "It's our policy to look for
promising young players this window although you can never rule out a bigger
name coming in! Watch this space" Co chairman David Sullivan's son Jack
announced the news on his Twitter account today but the news was expected as
soon as the window opening with Sam Allardyce having explained a few days
back the player had been recommended to him from former Blackburn defender
Ryan Nelsen.
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WHUFC.com
Adrian is keen to celebrate his 28th birthday with victory at Everton on
Tuesday
04.01.2015
Birthday boy Adrian is determined to help the Hammers get back to winning
ways when they take on Everton in the FA Cup on Tuesday evening. The No13
celebrated his 28th birthday on Saturday, rounding off a fine spell for him,
which has seen him win many plaudits in the West Ham goal and take the
Club's Player of the Month prize for December. However, the team's results
dipped slightly over Christmas and Adrian is more concerned with changing
that at Goodison Park. "We had some chances to win against West Brom on
Thursday, but didn't score the second goal to take the points," he
reflected. "Maybe there was a little fatigue because it was a long week,
with three games in seven days. "The boys need to relax and recover, but we
did show good performances in the games and now we need to come back to our
form. "It's my job to make saves as a goalkeeper and sometimes you can save
the goal, and other times it's not possible. "I'm happy and need to continue
in this vein. It's my second season here and have really adapted to London,
the city, the weather and my English is much better now."
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SHOULD WEST HAM REALLY ASPIRE TO BE THE BEST?
By Iain Dale 4 Jan 2015 at 14:55
West Ham till I Die
Guest Post by DC
Much has been made recently of West Ham's chances of securing Champions
League football next season, or worst case scenario (by the sounds of it) a
lowly Europa League spot. Apparently, Arsenal are all over the place. Spurs
and Liverpool too! A recent suggestion was that only Chelsea and Man City
have better teams than us. The natural progression from this is that we must
therefore be on par with both Man Utd and Southampton. Goes without saying.
It's easy to look at the Top Teams on MOTD and watch how vulnerable they
look on a given day of the season, more often than not after a midweek
flight back from Europe. It's also easy to forget that these teams have
already played around 10 games more than the Mighty Hammers at this half-way
point of the season.
So what exactly does a team realistically contending for a Champions League
spot look like? ….. tell you what , lets stretch it out to the Top 6 just to
be on the safe side. How many points do the Hammers actually need to make
the grade? Take a look at the last 5 seasons of Premier League Football (190
games) and it makes for pretty daunting reading when you look at the average
points tally.
1st 86 pts | 2nd 81 pts | 3rd 75 pts | 4th 72 pts | 5th 68 pts | 6th 64 pts
What about the so-called "Big Six"? How did their points average out over
the same period?
Man U = 81 pts | Man C = 78 pts | Chelsea = 76 pts | Arsenal = 73 pts |
Spurs = 68 pts | Liverpool = 64 pts
Now, I'm no Data Analyst Expert, but I do detect a slight pattern emerging
here. YAWN! Why is the truth so boring?
I'm all for positive mental attitude. It seems vital that our lads really
believe they can turn the big boys over. It seems vital that our Board
aspire to be in and amongst these teams at the end of each season. In fact,
I'd go so far as to say it should be a non-negotiable that Gold and Sullivan
aspire to have the best team in the land – surely that's the only way we
will ever end up being the best team in the land!
Yet, there is a 'not so subtle' difference between aspiration and false
expectations. Recent history suggests that the so called "Big Six" – with
particular reference to Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool – are maybe not about
to roll-over quite as easily as some might think they are. It's tough at the
top!
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WOULD WEST HAM UNITED BE BETTER OFF UNDER FOREIGN OWNERSHIP WITH UNLIMITED
FINANCIAL BACKING?
By Iain Dale 4 Jan 2015 at 09:45
West Ham till I Die
Guest Post by Florida Hammer
I've been a frequent visitor to this site now for a while and there are
often some interesting opinions on WHTID, it can be clearly stated that most
folks do not hold back when commenting on this site. Whether it is football,
religion or politics there are always varied opinions on here often leading
to some spicy discussion.
Recently an off-topic discussion centered on foreign ownership; would West
Ham United Football Club be better off with a "sugar daddy owner" worth
billions rather than the paltry $629 million net worth of principal owner
David Sullivan? As fans of a traditional family club how do you feel about
selling the West Ham United franchise to a corporate entity, multi-national
conglomerate or faceless owner in return for a multi-billion dollar bankroll
and unlimited investment potential? The ultimate question remains do we sell
our soul to an unknown billionaire devil in return for Champions League
Football, a regular shot at the title and cup runs?
Before you answer the above questions take a look at the following synopsis
of each club with current foreign ownership in the Premier League. See how
these principal owners made their fortunes prior to purchasing a majority
stake at their respective football clubs. Then decide if this path is the
way to move forward and upwards for our beloved Hammers.
Arsenal
Arsenal is majority owned by American billionaire Stan Kroenke, according to
Forbes he is worth approximately $6 billion. Kroenke is married to Wal Mart
co-founder Bud Walton's daughter Ann, he also owns the Denver Nuggets
(National Basketball Association), Colorado Rapids (Major League Soccer),
Colorado Avalanche (National Hockey League), Colorado Mammoth (National
Lacrosse League), and the Saint Louis Rams (National Football League).
Kroenke is a sports enterprise and real estate mogul in the USA, but is
known as "silent Stan" as he rarely interferes in his teams day to day
operations nor does he give many interviews to the press.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa is owned by Randy Lerner, American businessman who once owned
the Cleveland Browns NFL franchise (sold in 2012). Lerner, who is worth
approximately $1.5 billion according to Forbes started out in life as a
Lawyer, graduating Columbia University in New York (he spent a year at
Cambridge in 1983) where he started to develop a passion for proper
football. Lerner is a major philanthropist who donates heavily to the
National Portrait Gallery and Clare College, Cambridge. The club is
currently up for sale as Lerner does not believe he can take them any
further.
Chelsea
Chelsea is owned by the infamous Russian oil baron Roman Abramovich. He has
a strong political background as he was once the governor of Chukotka
(2000-2008), a peninsular location in the far east of Russia. Abramovich has
a multitude of business and political interests and is considered an
extremely close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin and former
President Boris Yeltsin. However, he got his start in business by selling
imported rubber ducks from his apartment in Moscow with his first wife Olga.
Largely a product of "Perestroika" and the loosening of restrictions in
Russia, Abramovich is no stranger to controversy in terms of bribery and
corruption charges. He has an estimated fortune of $14.6 billion according
to Forbes.
Hull City
Hull is owned by the Allam family of Egypt (estimated net worth of $982
million), Assam and his son Ehab purchased Hull in 2010 stating a need to
pay back the area that adopted him many years ago. Assam fled Egypt and the
brutal regime of Gamel Abdel Nasser in 1968 and arrived in East Riding,
Yorkshire with barely £20 pounds to his name. He studied Economics at the
University of Hull before embarking on his own business interests; his
fortune is created primarily on his success with industrial generators
(Allam Marine). Recently, Assam Allam shockingly put up his team for sale
within 24 hours (as he promised) after the FA refused to allow the football
club to be renamed Hull Tigers. Apparently the matter has been forwarded to
CAS on appeal by Allam.
Leicester City
Leicester is owned by Thai billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who amassed
his $1.6 billion fortune (per Forbes) as the founder and CEO of King Power
Duty Free. Vichai also owns a minority stake in budget airline Nok Air, and
is an avid Polo player with ownership in a club outside of Bangkok. Upon
winning the Championship title last season Srivaddhanaprabha predicted his
team could finish in the top five of the Premiership within three years and
he pledged to spend up to £180 million pounds in order to get there. So far
Leicester is struggling upon their return to the Premiership and has seen
just a mild level of investment in the squad since its return to the top
flight of English football.
Liverpool
Liverpool is owned by American businessman John Henry (worth $1.4 billion
per Forbes) and the Fenway Sports Group; which includes the Boston Red Sox
(Major League Baseball), the Boston Globe newspaper and part ownership of
Roush Fenway racing. Henry bought Liverpool from Tom Hicks and George Gillet
Jr. at the end of the 2011 season. However, Henry subsequently fired
Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish at the end of the 2012 season despite
Liverpool having won the League Cup. Henry is also somewhat of a sports
mogul who started out by purchasing a minor league baseball team, over time
he has owned the Florida Marlins baseball team and negotiated for the
Orlando Magic Basketball team. No matter what he accomplishes in the future
Henry will be best remembered for ending the 86 year Major League Baseball
championship drought endured by the Boston Red Sox and ending the "curse" of
the Bambino (Babe Ruth).
Manchester City
Manchester City is owned in principal by Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan (Sheikh
Mansour) who has an estimated personal fortune worth $31.4 billion; however
this is part of a family fortune that is closer to $1 trillion. The majority
of the Sheikh's income derives from the International Petroleum Investment
Company & Aabar Investments, which is wholly owned by the Government of Abu
Dabhi. Other investments include a stake in Virgin Galactic, Daimler, Tesla
Motors, Falcon Private Bank, and XOJET to name just a few. The Sheikh is an
accomplished horse rider and has won a number of endurance racing events, in
addition to his role as the Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE (United Arab
Emirates).
Manchester United
Manchester United is owned by the Glazer family and was purchased initially
by the late Malcolm Glazer for his sons Avram and Joel Glazer; the Glazer
takeover became official from 2003 to 2005 when he controversially spent the
clubs own assets to complete the buyout leaving the club in debt by over
£525 million pounds. Joel, along with brothers Bryan and Edward are
co-Chairmen of Malcom's other sports team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL),
which has experienced an upswing in fortunes from perennial doormats in the
NFL. Since the Glazers took over (they won Super Bowl 37) and have finished
with multiple winning seasons. There are six total Glazer children who now
share the family fortunes which according to Forbes is $4 billion. The
family also owns and operates a real estate holding firm First Allied
corporation which is responsible for 6.7 million square feet of shopping
mall space over 20 States.
Queens Park Rangers
QPR is owned by Asian power duo (Malaysian) Tony Fernandes (a self-professed
Hammers fan who failed to buy the club in 2011) and Indian steel magnate
Lakshmi Mittal. Fernandes is the principal owner with his 66% stake in the
club after his purchase of shares owned by Bernie Ecclestone in August 2011.
Fernandes is another British educated entrepreneur that got his start with
Sir Richard Branson at Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Records. After joining
Warner music Fernandes decided to leave the company when the merger with
America Online was announced to revive budget, no frills Air Asia which at
the time was $11 million in debt. Within a year of takeover Fernandes had
cleared all debts and was operating with profits. Fernandes has invested in
the Caterham Formula One team, also known as Lotus Racing; his fortune per
Forbes is now estimated at $650 million.
Southampton
Southampton is currently owned by Katharina Liebherr, daughter of the late
Markus Liebherr; a German born Swiss entrepreneur and owner of MALI
International AG. Markus Leibherr took Southampton out of administration in
2009 when he purchased the club and they started play in League 1. Liebherr
had brought in Italian banker Nicola Cortese to run the show. Cortese &
Liebherr had a grand vision of making Southampton into a European power. It
was Cortese who fired Pardew, brought in Adkins and eventually Pochettino
all the while leading the Saints meteoric rise back to the Premier League.
Unfortunately Markus would not live to see out his vision of creating a
European power in Southampton FC as he died of a heart attack in 2010. But
Cortese continued until late October 2013 when a power struggle for MALI
International took place with Katharina who took over operations of her
father's company in January of 2014. Liebherr inherited the $3 billion
fortune of her father and is now in charge of day to day operations.
Sunderland
Sunderland is owned by Irish-American businessman Ellis Short, who is based
in London and the founder of Kildare Partners (a private equity fund that
deals in distressed European real estate). Short started out his career at
General Electric but made his reputation at Lone Star Funds in Dallas,
Texas. Short has incidentally bought Skibo Castle in Scotland (the location
of Madonna's wedding to Guy Ritchie). His ownership of Sunderland began in
2008 and subsequent firing of Roy Keane (who recently trashed Ellis Short in
his biography). Short has hired and fired Steve Bruce, Martin O'Neill and
Paulo Di Canio before finally settling on Gus Poyet as his team continue to
struggle for survival in the Premier League. Short is a very quiet and
unassuming man that prefers to stay out of the limelight, his net worth is
estimated at $6.3 billion.
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Irons won't budge as 14 clubs wait in wings
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham are in no rush to push through the Mauro Zarate loan deal to Queens
Park Rangers. Harry Redknapp and the club are understood to be trying to get
a cut price arrangement and the Irons are having none of it. With 14 other
clubs interested, including Newcastle, Sunderland, Torino, Valencia and
others as far afield as Mexico, the Hammers have no need to lower the loan
terms Reknapp remains keen on the player but a Hammers source told
ClaretandHugh: "Things should become a lot clearer on the Rangers thing this
week but we are certainly not short on other options. "And despite the
public fall-out between Mauro and the manager, with Diafra Sakho injured
there's no need for us to be rushing a deal through for the sake of it. "We
all understand how frustrated Mauro feels at the moment but the deal has to
suit all parties when it gets donme. "And with that amount of interest out
there, it's pretty obvious that this is a very decent player we are talking
about regardless of what may or may not have been said. "There's certainly
no way we'll be held to ransom by QPR. They know the terms if they want the
him."
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Time to forgive and truly be BIG Sam
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
We have reached the season-defining time of the year that Sam Allardyce has
been alluding to for a few weeks. At regular intervals he has made it clear
that he won't be discussing end of season objectives until the end of this
month. Tuesday night and the third round of the FA cup beckons with the
pressure mounting on him and the team with every successive game. In
different circumstances, with injuries and the African Nations Cup
intervening, this might have been the perfect game for Mauro Zarate to take
the pressure off himself and Allardyce. With the alternative being Kevin
Nolan for a game which calls for us to play with as much flair and adventure
as possible after looking shy in front of goal lately, how brave would it be
for manager and Argentinan striker to put their antagonism towards each
other aside. Ego is a highly destructive force and the stupid war of words
which broke out between the pair has not done them or the club any good at
all.
With three games yielding one point, the top scorer again injured, along we
are told with the guy on who has proved himself the heartbeat of things this
season – Alex Song – things don't look great for the trip to Goodison Park.
. Chiek Kouyate has joined the Senegal squad and there are persistent
rumours that Song himself will get a late call up for Cameroon. Brave
decisions are called for so and this one only needs a handshake and an arm
around the shoulder. Live up to the nickname Mr Allardyce – truly be BIG
SAM!. The board of directors are still looking for a decent FA Cup run after
the disappointment of the early departure from the Capital One Cup. In part
an end of season contract for the manager undoubtedly rests on an FA Cup
run. So from everybody's point of view this is something of a must win game.
We really can't be slipping out of the two domestic cups at the first hurdle
and there's absolutely nothing lost in telling Zarate: "Go on my son – prove
me wrong!"
I don't expect it to happen and I'm certainly not holding my breath but I am
convinced that given such a chance, Zarate would shine like never before. It
could be a managerial masterstroke and if it doesn't come off Sam Allardyce
has lost absolutely nothing!
Be bold …be BIG Sam!
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Song doubt for Hammers
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham could be without Alex Song for the Tuesday night's FA cup clash
with Everton at Goodison Park. And with Diafra Sakha injured and Cheik
Kouyate having joined Senegal for the African Cup of Nations tournament, we
are likely to be relying on the 'old firm' to help us through a difficult
Third Round clash. Mark Noble is likely to return to the midfield with
skipper Kevin Nolan for a clash which begins to look very tricky indeed.
ClaretandHugh has been told that Song has played the last couple of games
with a sore knee and is likely to be replaced by Noble for a match which has
the potential to define the Hammers season. A source said: "Alex is expected
to be rested as he played two quick games with a sore knee whilst Kouyate
has now joined the Senegal squad. "Logic dictates that it will be Carroll
and Valencia up front with Noble and Nolan coming in to fill the midfield
berths."
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Henry signs …but may have to wait!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on January 3, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
The Hammers have confirmed that 21 year old Canadian defender Doneil Henry
from Cypriot side Apollon Limassol has been signed on a year three year
contract. However, a club source told ClaretandHugh: "He's about six months
away from becoming a first team regular and will be carefully looked after
as he is prepared for the Premier League. "It's our policy to look for
promising young players this window although you can never rule out a bigger
name coming in! Watch this space" Co chairman David Sullivan's son Jack
announced the news on his Twitter account today but the news was expected as
soon as the window opening with Sam Allardyce having explained a few days
back the player had been recommended to him from former Blackburn defender
Ryan Nelsen.
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