Sam bemoans Spurs 'luck'
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce claimed West Ham United were unfortunate to be denied a win at
White Hart Lane
22.02.2015
Sam Allardyce claimed West Ham United were hugely unfortunate to be denied
another famous victory at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. The Hammers looked to
be on course to make it three consecutive wins at White Hart Lane when
Senegal duo Cheikhou Kouyate and Diafra Sakho had the visitors 2-0 up going
into the final ten minutes. However, Spurs snatched an unlikely point
through Danny Rose's fortuitous looping finish and Harry Kane's 97th-minute
equaliser - tapped in after the striker had seen his penalty saved by
Adrian. A pulsating game of 39 efforts on goal saw both teams create chances
galore. Early on, Spurs were denied twice, with Adrian saving from Nabil
Bentaleb and Kane poking against the post. However, West Ham got stronger as
the half went on and took the lead when Kouyate nodded in Aaron Cresswell's
left-wing cross on 22 minutes. Sakho was denied by Hugo Lloris before the
same player volleyed in Mark Noble's cross on 62, seemingly putting the
Hammers in control. Enner Valencia was then denied by Lloris and Spurs came
roaring back late on. First, Rose's first-time shot bounced over Adrian,
then Alex Song was penalised by referee Jonathan Moss and Kane converted
after the Spaniard had kept his spot-kick out.
"It is very frustrating and a very lucky Tottenham because I think the first
goal was a huge slice of luck from their point of view," the manager
commented. "We had them nice and quiet and they weren't causing any real
problems, then that goal lifted the crowd because they had a chance. They
had a huge slice of fortune because he miss-hit the shot and it has bounced
over Adrian's head. "I thought we were going to see the game out nicely, but
we made a dreadful mistake when we put a hand on somebody in the box at that
late stage. When you're away from home there is huge pressure on the referee
and the player goes down brilliantly and the referee has to make a decision
and he gives a penalty. "It's a soft one, but it's given and a huge slice of
luck went Tottenham's way again because it's a brilliant save from Adrian
and it fell straight back to Harry Kane, who put it in. It's a real
disappointment for us because we were magnificent."
While he was left frustrated by the nature of Tottenham's goals, Big Sam was
happier with the way Kouyate and Sakho put their chances away. But, having
missed presentable opportunities to put the game out of Spurs' reach, the
manager was ultimately left with just one point instead of three after his
team squandered a lead for the fourth time in 2015. "The header was a
classic from Cheikhou and Diafra's finish was very good from a tight angle.
You have to say we had chances and could have scored more, but we missed
easier chances, including two at 1-0 that would have made it 2-0. "We should
have done enough to see it out at 2-0. It's a big disappointment and it's
been our Achilles heel since the turn of the year, getting in front and not
closing it out. "We were in front against West Brom, at Swansea and against
Man United, but drew them all 1-1, and now we've drawn this one 2-2."
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Reid proud of performance
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid was delighted to be back playing after returning from injury
22.02.2015
West Ham United defender Winston Reid said the Hammers can be proud of their
performance against Tottenham Hotspur, despite a last minute Harry Kane
equaliser. In an impressive display, the Hammers took a deserved lead as
Cheikhou Kouyate scored his third goal of the season with a powerful header
pass Hugo Lloris. The Hammers doubled their advantage in the 62nd minute
when Diafra Sakho finished well after a wonderful through ball by Mark
Noble. With ten minutes to go, Danny Rose halved the arrears as his shot
bounced off the turf and into the far right hand corner. Tottenham completed
the comeback deep into injury time as Harry Kane was on hand to score his
24th goal of the season as he tucked in the rebound after Adrian had saved
his penalty. Speaking after the game, Reid, who played his first game in
just under a month having recovered from injury, said: "We can take a lot of
pride in our performance. I thought we started really well today, especially
in the first 20 minutes. Cheik scored a good goal but by the end we were
just hanging on. "After they got one goal back we didn't keep the ball
perhaps as well as we should have done. I think fatigue was beginning to
show too because we didn't have the same energy levels in the last ten
minutes. They grew in confidence and scored another goal at the death, it
was disappointing from our point of view."
The 26-year-old New Zealand captain has been in good form for the Hammers
this season, and he put in a typically assured performance at the heart of
the defence. Having returned from injury, Reid completed the full 90
minutes, his 25th appearance of the season. He continued to say: "We've
conceded a few late goals this season, recently against Manchester United
and again today. Coming here we knew it was going to be tough and we had
chances to finish it off. Enner had a good chance and Adrian had to make
some fantastic saves. "It was nice to be back playing. I had a couple of
days training and I felt good so it was nice to be back out on the pitch.
"We won't let the season fizzle out, and I don't think today's result counts
as the season fizzling out. We're going to try and finish as high as we can,
that hasn't stopped from the start of the season. But we need to get the
results our performances deserve."
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Tottenham 2 West Ham 2
22 February 2015
Last updated at 14:55
By Dominic Raynor
BBC Sport
Harry Kane won a penalty and scored with the last kick of the game to earn
Tottenham a draw against West Ham. Kane's 96th-minute penalty was saved but
he reacted quickest to give Spurs an unlikely point at White Hart Lane. West
Ham had led 2-0 through goals from Diafra Sakho and Cheikhou Kouyate with
just nine minutes left to play. Danny Rose's mis-hit long-range shot set up
the comeback before Kane, who was felled by Alex Song, pounced to score his
24th goal of the season. Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino made six changes to
the side that drew 1-1 with Fiorentina in the last 32 of the Europa League
in midweek, as he prepared for the second match of a demanding schedule of
six games in 17 days that includes Thursday's return leg in Florence and
next Sunday's League Cup final against Chelsea. With Spurs also chasing
Champions League qualification via a top-four finish in the Premier League,
Pochettino recalled top-scorer Kane for this London derby but opted to rest
his other star performer this season, Christian Eriksen. Spurs started in
typically quick fashion as Nabil Bentaleb twice tested West Ham goalkeeper
Adrian with long-range efforts before Kane struck the post in an opening
10-minute spell in which Spurs enjoyed 82% possession.
The late, late show
Harry Kane's goal was the second latest in the Premier League this season at
95mins 57sec, with only Martin Skrtel's being later(96mins 05secs). However,
it was the robust-tackling Hammers who took the lead on 22 minutes when
Mousa Dembele lost possession on the edge of his own box and midfielder
Kouyate rose between two defenders to powerfully head home Aaron Cresswell's
cross. That proved to be Dembele's key contribution to the match as he was
replaced at half-time by Eriksen, who had started Tottenham's last 34
Premier League games and notched 11 goals and four assists in all
competitions this season. But it was West Ham who continued to create the
better chances and after Sakho had squandered a one-on-one with Hugo Lloris,
the Senegal striker made no mistake at the back post on 62 minutes,
squeezing in Mark Noble's cross for his 11th goal of the season. West Ham
looked set for a first victory in four Premier League games to ease the
pressure on manager Sam Allardyce, whose future had been the subject of
speculation following a humiliating 4-0 FA Cup loss to West Brom in midweek.
Down to the wire
Tottenham have won 13 points from the final five minutes of matches - a
Premier League high. However, Spurs had other ideas and after Rose had
halved the deficit with his fortuitous strike, Kane once again stepped
forward as Spurs' saviour this season. The striker went down in the box
under the slightest pressure from Song and after seeing his penalty saved by
Adrian kept his composure to slot home the rebound for the Premier League's
sixth-placed side.
Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino: "I think we deserved more than point. We
had 21 or 22 shots. We created many chances. We had possession of ball. "But
after they scored they created chances on counter-attack, they have very
fast players up front. But in general, if we analyse, we are better than
them. "In the second half I thought some decisions were against us - the
second goal was offside. But we need to finish better and score more goals.
"I think we showed character - that's the most important thing. Going into
the last 10 minutes at 2-0 down, to finish the game 2-2 is something to be
proud of."
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "I thought we were going to see the game
through nicely but we made a huge mistake at the end. Whether it's a soft
penalty or it isn't, it is something we shouldn't have done. "It's a real
disappointment but it was a magnificent performance. The reason we lost the
game was a bit of luck for them. We should have done enough at 2-0 up to see
it out. That's been our Achilles heel since the turn of the year. We were in
front against West Brom and drew 1-1, we were in front against Manchester
United and drew 1-1, and we were in front at Swansea and drew 1-1. "I'm not
blaming Harry Kane for going down in the box - we should do more of that.
We're an honest team and we've only got one penalty this season. We're not
getting rewards for our honesty."
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Sam Allardyce angry at 'NFL timekeeping' in Spurs draw
BBc.co.uk
West Ham were denied a win at Tottenham because the referee played too much
added time, says manager Sam Allardyce. Spurs drew 2-2 after Harry Kane's
late penalty was saved and he scored the rebound with the last kick of the
game. But asked if the whistle should have gone immediately after Adrian's
save, Allardyce said: "The answer is yes. But he [referee Jon Moss] wouldn't
be brave enough to do that at home would he?" "So we're doing NFL now aren't
we. I'd like a timekeeper to be honest."
In American football's NFL, the clock stops when the ball goes out of play,
meaning a 60-minute game lasts much longer and the game can also run on
after the final whistle until the ball is dead. "He [the referee] will say
there was still two seconds to go," the Hammers boss said. "He will say when
the penalty was taken, there were five seconds left, when the rebound came
off there were three second left."
West Ham, looking for a third straight win at Tottenham, were leading 2-0
with just 10 minutes remaining thanks to goals from Cheikhou Kouyate and
Diafra Sakho. But Danny Rose struck to reduce the deficit before Kane, who
scored his 24th goal of the season, was brought down in the box by Alex Song
in the last moments of five minutes of stoppage time. Allardyce claimed Kane
had "fallen over" as Spurs were "desperate" to win the penalty, but said
Song had been foolish to give Moss a decision to make. "From our point of
view, Alex has to keep his hands off him because he's going to feel that
contact and take to the floor. He's got to. "Whether it's the right decision
or not, it's the way football is today. If we're to learn anything by it, we
have to do the same as what Tottenham do more often, because we stay on our
feet and don't get fouls and they get touched and go down and they do get
fouls. In the end it's make a difference."
The result keeps West Ham eighth in the Premier League table, five points
behind sixth placed Spurs.
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Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 West Ham Utd
KUMb.com
Filed: Sunday, 22nd February 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham were cruelly denied all three points at White Hart Lane this
afternoon after the in-form Harry Kane scored in the sixth minute of
added-on time to rescue a point for a lucky Tottenham.
However it was a contentious equaliser according to some, who claimed
post-match that the goal should not have been allowed to stand given that
Kane scored a rebound from a missed penalty deep into injury time.
With a minimum of five minutes added-on time having previously been
signalled by fourth official Mike Dean, Kane's effort crossed the line with
95 minutes and 57 seconds on the clock - leading to some questioning whether
referee Jon Moss should have blown the whistle upon his penalty being saved
by West Ham's Spanish goalkeeper Adrian and before the striker had the
opportunity to convert the rebound.
Whilst the additional time added on is a minimum requirement, there was
little to suggest the official was justified in adding yet another minute on
top of the five indicated - meaning that technically, Moss should have blown
the moment Adrian saved the spot kick.
Althuogh Kane's effort only rescued a point for his team, the goal was a
sickening blow to West Ham who had looked good value for all three points
prior to that moment.
Cheik Kouyate had given West Ham a first half lead after 22 minutes when
some excellent work on the left flank involving Alex Song, Stewart Downing
and Aaron Cresswell gave the Senegal midfielder the opportunity to score
from point blank range with a header that flew into the roof of the net.
And the Hammers doubled their advantage with 62 minutes on the clock when
Sakho - who, moments earlier had opted for personal glory, rather than
squaring a pass to Enner Valencia who had the entire goal at his mercy -
scored from an acute angle to give West Ham what appeared at the time to be
an unassailable lead.
The turning point came when Allardyce decided to replace the effective Mark
Noble moments after he had narrowly escaped a second booking for a rash
challenge. The midfielder was walking a tightrope having been booked for an
innocuous challenge in the first half, a minor shirt tug that happens many
times every game.
He was replaced by Carlton Cole, with Kevin Nolan - booed off by fans at
West Brom last week - left on the bench. Morgan Amalfitano, who would have
offered another option, was absent having been sent off at the Hawthorns
last weekend.
Buoyed by the removal of the industrious Noble, the home side halved the
deficit nine minutes ahead of the end of normal time when Danny Rose mis-hit
a volley that wrong-footed Adrian and looped over the 'keeper into the
corner of the net.
Despite conceding that goal, it appeared as if West Ham had managed to hold
on to all three points - until the controversy of the final few seconds of
added on time.
The penalty decision itself was a soft one, with Alex Song - who has been
out of sorts since Christmas - unlucky to be penalised for tripping Kane -
who, as is too often the case these days, went down at the slightest hint of
a challenge - as he entered the area.
Hammers' hearts were briefly lifted when Kane struck his spot kick straight
at Adrian, who pushed it away - but only straight into the path of the
22-year-old, who placed it beyond the 'keeper to steal a point for
Tottenham.
Despite failing to hold on for the win, the 2-2 draw means West Ham have now
played the teams in fourth, fifth and sixth place in the Premier League in
their last three outings and avoided defeat on each occasion. On the reverse
side, none of those have resulted in three points - and on two of those
three occasions, points have been dropped in injury time.
Plenty for Sam Allardyce to chew over as he and his squad look forward to
the visit of struggling Crystal Palace to the Boleyn next weekend.
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Harry Kane's injury-time goal earns Spurs a 2-2 draw with West Ham
Last Updated: 22/02/15 7:16pm
SSN
Harry Kane missed an injury-time penalty but converted the rebound as
Tottenham snatched a dramatic 2-2 draw against West Ham at White Hart Lane.
West Ham had held a two-goal lead through Cheikhou Kouyate and Diafra Sakho
with 10 minutes remaining but Danny Rose's scuffed shot set up a grandstand
finish and then Kane - brought down by Alex Song - struck at the second
attempt, six minutes into time added on.
Tottenham, who have earned 16 points from losing positions this season,
remain three points off the top four in seventh, while the visitors sit a
place back after being denied what would have been a first victory in four
Premier League games. Kane - now with 24 goals to his name this season -
was recalled alongside Moussa Dembele and Ryan Mason after starting the
midweek draw against Fiorentina on the bench, boss Mauricio Pochettino keen
to keep legs fresh for a gruelling schedule that includes next weekend's
Capital One Cup final. The home side started the game brightly with Nabil
Bentaleb recording the first shot on target in the eighth minute, Adrian
pushing the ball around his right-hand post. Kane followed that up moments
later when he tried to cheekily chip the West Ham keeper but failed to get a
proper strike on the ball. Kouyate gave Sam Allardyce's men the lead against
the run of play in the 22nd minute. A good run down the left saw Aaron
Cresswell deliver a pinpoint cross into the box and the midfielder outjumped
Eric Dier and Jan Vertonghen to head home. Harry Kane missed an injury-time
penalty but converted the rebound as Tottenham snatched a dramatic 2-2 draw
against West Ham at White Hart Lane
Cresswell was causing problems again six minutes later but this time Spurs
were alert to the danger and cleared the ball. Spurs struggled to create any
real chances in the first-half and their passing looked disjointed as time
went on. Enner Valencia should have doubled the visitors' lead just before
the hour when he beat Kyle Walker for pace before unleashing a shot from
just outside the box, but Dier and Vertonghen were there to block it with
their bodies and keep the score at 1-0.
West Ham finally increased their lead two minutes after the hour as Sakho
got his first away goal since October 18. The forward started the move when
his cross-shot bounced across the box and Mark Noble - on hand to pick up
the loose ball - allowed Sakho to knock it past Hugo Lloris at the near
post. That appeared to the belated impetus that Spurs needed as Kane had a
goal ruled out for offside, before Adrian saved low to his left from
substitute Christian Eriksen's dipping free-kick. Nine minutes from time the
assured Adrian made his first mistake of the game as he punched Erik
Lamela's shot away but mistimed his jump, allowing Rose's effort to sneak
in. Allardyce fumed at lengthy stoppage-time as Spurs continued to attack
and with seconds left, Kane - running into the box - was caught by Alex
Song.
The referee pointed to the spot and when Adrian parried his spot-kick, the
in-form striker was alert enough to send the rebound home.
Tottenham: Lloris (7), Walker (6), Dier (6), Vertonghen (7), Rose (7), Mason
(7), Bentaleb (6), Townsend (6), Dembele (6), Lamela (6), Kane (7).
Used subs: Soldado (6), Chadli (6), Eriksen (7)
West Ham: Adrian (7), Jenkinson (7), Reid (6), Tomkins (6), Cresswell (8),
Noble (7), Song (6), Kouyate (7), Downing (6), Valencia (7), Sakho (7).
Used subs: Jarvis (5), Collins (5), Cole (5)
Man of the match: Aaron Cresswell
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Sam Allardyce blames referee and Tottenham after West Ham concede late
equaliser
Last Updated: 22/02/15 5:54pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce hit out at both the Tottenham players and
referee Jon Moss after a late Harry Kane equaliser cost his another win at
White Hart Lane. The visitors, hoping for a third straight victory at Spurs,
were deservedly leading 2-0 with just 10 minutes remaining thanks to goals
from Cheikhou Kouyate and Diafra Sakho. But Danny Rose struck to reduce the
arrears before Kane was brought down in the box by Alex Song in the fifth
minute of injury time. Kane stepped up to take the penalty and though Adrian
parried his initial effort, he buried the rebound. That proved to be the
last meaningful kick of the game but Allardyce was left fuming at referee
Moss, as well as the Spurs players, whom he accused of going to ground too
easily.
Asked if Moss should have blown for full-time immediately after Adrian had
saved the penalty, Allardyce replied: "The answer to that is yes, but he
wouldn't be brave enough to do that at home would he? "He'll say there were
still two seconds to go. He will say when the penalty was taken, there were
five seconds left, when the rebound came off there were three seconds left.
So we're doing NFL now aren't we? I'd like a time-keeper to be perfectly
honest with you. "From our point of view, Alex has to keep his hands off him
because he's going to feel that contact and take to the floor. He's got to.
No-one is in doubt that when you're losing at that stage of the game and you
know you're not going to score because he's kicked it too far. "You're going
to take the chance (by going to ground) and the referee gives him the
opportunity to take the penalty - he wasn't good enough to score that but
lucky enough to get the rebound."
Straight after the game, the former Bolton manager said: "You can argue
whether it's enough contact from Alex's arm or whether it's not, but when
you're desperate like Tottenham are and you get touched, a player's going to
fall over and ask the referee to make a decision.
"Whether it's the right decision or not, it's the way football is today. If
we're to learn anything by it, we have to do the same as what Tottenham do
more often, because we stay on our feet and don't get fouls and they get
touched and go down and they do get fouls. In the end it's make a
difference."
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Sam Allardyce blasts Tottenham players for ''falling over'' after West Ham's
late penalty heartbreak, adding "maybe we should too"
14:49, 22 February 2015 By Aaron Flanagan
West Ham gave away a two-goal lead after Harry Kane bagged a 96th minute
penalty, following a clumsy challenge from Alex Song in the area
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce has blasted Tottenham's 'desperate' players for 'falling over'
in order to deny West Ham victory at White Hart Lane.
The Hammers had led 2-0 through goals from Cheikhou Kouyate and Diafra
Sakho, but a Danny Rose strike before Harry Kane's 96th minute rebounded
penalty earned Spurs a point. But the controversial penalty decision in
stoppage time left Big Sam raging, as he believed there was minimal contact
in the challenge. Kane was inside the box but running away from goal when
Alex Song appeared to force the in-form England star to the ground with a
push in the back. And Allardyce says that it is becoming too easy for
players to fall to the ground in order to force the referees into decisions.
Kane himself got up and took the spot kick, which was awarded by Jon Moss,
firing home the rebound after Adrian's initial save. Allardyce told the BBC:
"You can't put your hands on anyone today otherwise they will go to ground
and make the referee's mind up. "You can argue whether Alex Song has made
enough contact for Harry Kane to go down, but when you're desperate like
Tottenham are, you get touched and the player is going to fall over. "Maybe
we should be more like Tottenham - we stay on our feet. They're so lucky
today. One with the first goal - Danny Rose has mishit it - and the second
goal Adrian saved the penalty and it has gone straight back to Harry Kane."
But the under-fire Hammers boss has praised the "magnificent" performance of
his side, despite not taking full points from White Hart Lane for a second
successive year.He admits that the foul for the penalty could have been
prevented. "I thought we were going to see the game through nicely but we
made a huge mistake at the end. Whether it's a soft penalty or it isn't, it
is something we shouldn't have done," he added. "It's a real disappointment
but it was a magnificent performance. The reason we lost the game was a bit
of luck for them. We should have done enough at 2-0 up to see it out. That's
been our Achilles heel since the turn of the year. We were in front against
West Brom and drew 1-1, we were in front against Manchester United and drew
1-1, and we were in front at Swansea and drew 1-1. "I'm not blaming Harry
Kane for going down in the box - we should do more of that. We're an honest
team and we've only got one penalty this season. We're not getting rewards
for our honesty."
Meanwhile, Kane believes that when things are going your way, you continue
to get the rub of the green - as proven by the way the ball fell for him on
the rebound from the penalty kick. He said: "The ball bounced nicely for me,
I got in front of Alex Song, was about to shoot and got tumbled over. It was
a nervous penalty to take but when your luck is in your luck is in. My heart
was in my mouth when the keeper saved the first shot but it fell nicely for
the rebound. "I think we deserved the draw, we dug deep at 2-0 down and it
shows our character."
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Sympathy for Sam…but a team that can't win
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 22, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
I am suffering an unfamiliar emotion this afternoon – I feel rather sorry
for Sam Allardyce and certainly am not in a mood to blame the man for
today's result at White Hart Lane. Nor do I blame Harry Kane for grabbing a
soft penalty at the end although I hold Alex Song fully responsible for
today's debacle. This man surely has to know at this stage of his career
that laying hands on the back of a striker moving AWAY FROM GOAL inside the
penalty area in the last seconds is dangerous bordering on stupid. Today's
game, however, cannot and shouldn't be taken in isolation. We have now
managed one victory in eight games and for every decent performance we get a
less than average display.
Sam himself in assessing the game today said: "We were in front against West
Brom and drew 1-1, we were in front against Manchester United and drew 1-1,
and we were in front at Swansea and drew 1-1." Don't ask me what the problem
is because the manager himself doesn't seem to know how to solve it. But a
team throwing games away at the death is not good and whether the pro-Sam
lobby like it or not, in the end it becomes his issue simply because he's
the boss. He is the man charged with getting results and to see a senior pro
make a colossal error of judgement in helping Kane to go down needs some
addressing. I would like to have been a fly on the wall of the dressing room
after the game but fair play he refused to blame the bloke publicly. The
bottom line is simple! The longer this win-less run continues the more the
pressure builds because the hard luck stories from individual games
disappear within a couple of days as has been seen with the Manchester
United match for example.
An overall picture is emerging of a team that has forgotten how to win and
frets even when it looks as though it might. The first text I received after
the game read: "See you threw it away again – that team has a problem," At
the end of the day ( as they love to say ) I am afraid, love him or hate
him, it really is a managerial problem!
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Board plan for 'aggressive' manager action
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 22, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham's board will "aggressively" tackle the appointment of a new manager
towards the middle of April. ClaretandHugh understands the board has no
limit on the number of candidates they are ready to consider but the list
will be narrowed down to the most suitable three or four closer to the end
of season. The club expect to be ready to move in with offers for their top
candidates in late April or early May.
We have learned, however, that although Rafa Benitez was virtually
everybody's top choice, he is unlikely to make the move. We were told: "The
club would love him but he's not overly keen on coming and is a £6 million
manager minimum anyway. Slaven Bilic is very much in the frame but agents
are looking right across Europe at suitable candidates." "They are on a
timetable as the club will be ready to move aggressively once they have the
candidates in place."
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Allardyce: "Our Achilles heel"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 22, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Bitterly disappointed Sam Allardyce cut a forlorn figure after the Irons had
been caught in the dying seconds. And it was hard not to feel sorry for the
manager as the team trooped off at the end devastated by the late leveller
He said: "I thought we were going to see the game through nicely but we made
a huge mistake at the end. Whether it's a soft penalty or it isn't, it is
something we shouldn't have done. "It's a real disappointment but it was a
magnificent performance. The reason we lost the game was a bit of luck for
them. "We should have done enough at 2-0 up to see it out. That's been our
Achilles heel since the turn of the year. We were in front against West Brom
and drew 1-1, we were in front against Manchester United and drew 1-1, and
we were in front at Swansea and drew 1-1. "I'm not blaming Harry Kane for
going down in the box – we should do more of that. We're an honest team and
we've only got one penalty this season. We're not getting rewards for our
honesty."
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Bitter blow as Irons get caught late again
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 22, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Spurs 2 Irons 2
Alex Song's last minute challenge on Harry Kane gave Spurs a penalty and an
equaliser they didn't deserve after the Hammers had led by two goals. Cheik
Kouyate headed home a superb 21st minute goal and Diafra Sakho put them
further ahead with a fabulous close range strike before the north Londoners
dragged themselves back with two fortunate strikes. First Rose drove his
shot into the ground from distance and with Adrian mistiming his jump saw
the ball fly past him for the arrears to be reduced. Then came the Song
challenge on Kane and after Adrian had saved the penalty the striker
followed up to strike home the leveller with the last kick of the game. The
Cameroonian had bundled into Kane's back when he would have been better off
allowing him to continue running away from goal. It's arguable whether there
was enough contact but it's a pointless discussion – two points had gone
down the swanee.
So once again the Irons had failed to see out a game that they had bossed
from the 15th minute onwards but it's hard to find fault after a game which
saw them at their best. However, these late equalisers are becoming too
regular and the count is now one league win in eight! Sam Allardyce argued
after the game that West Ham could almost take a leaf out of the Spurs book
and go down themselves in similar situations to Kane's thus forcing referees
to make a decision. He commented: "We don't do it enough but Spurs can
consider themselves very luck with both goals. it was desperately
disappointing" Spurs had started in the ascendancy and Adrian was forced
into a fine save from Bentaleb when he flew to his left to palm a rocket
shot around the post. And in the tenth minute Kane charged onto a ball from
the back but after some lazy defending by Reid and Tomkins but saw his
flicked effort hit the post. The Hammers found their feet after the two
early scares and on 17 minutes Cresswell fired in a long range shot which
flew wide. But four minutes later the left back was instrumental in setting
up the lead with a great run and cross which Kouyate thudded into the back
of the net with a great header. Rose was close for Spurs at the other end
when he dived forward to peroduce a brav e header from Kane's chip forward
but the ball beat the bar.
As play switched to the other end Creswell's fine cross was met bny Valencia
but Lloris advanced bravely to block. Kane was again at the heart of things
though producing a neat ball for Mason but his shot was driven wide of an
upright. Noble held his head in frustration minutes later when he tried his
luck with a fierce goal bound shot which which thudded into a defender and
flew behind. The Hammers were a better team throughout the second period and
could have gone two up early in the second half when Sakho tried his luck
with Valencia much better positioned to take advantage. But when the
Senegalese hitman fired home from a right angle from Noble's far post free
kick in the 61st minute, it looked all over. Valencia then saw Lloris save
well before Noble and the striker made early departures to be replaced by
Carlton Cole and Matt Jarvis. The hosts piled on the pressure before the
goals but at the end of 90 minutes there wouldn't have been many who would
argue that the Irons were desperately unlucky not to take all three points.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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Monday, February 23
Sunday, February 22
Daily WHUFC News - 22nd February 2015
Preview - Tottenham Hotspur
WHUFC.com
Everything you need to know about Sunday's London derby with Tottenham
21.02.2015
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
WHITE HART LANE
SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2015
KICK-OFF: 12PM
REFEREE: JONATHAN MOSS
In brief
West Ham United travel to north London to face rivals Tottenham Hotspur as
the Hammers look to continue their good run of results at White Hart Lane,
having beaten them twice there last season. After being knocked out of the
FA Cup by West Bromwich Albion last weekend, the Hammers can focus on trying
to finish in a European qualification spot. Having secured valuable draws
against Manchester United and Southampton, Sam Allardyce's men are looking
to avenge the opening day defeat to Spurs courtesy of Eric Dier's last
minute winner.
Tottenham meanwhile are in good form as Mauricio Pochettino's men are
competing on three fronts with the upcoming League Cup final against Chelsea
as well as the Europa League second leg with Fiorentina just around the
corner. Sunday's hosts currently sit in sixth with 43 points from 25 games,
just three points away from a much coveted fourth place spot. A win for the
Hammers will take them to just two points behind their London rivals.
View on the Opposition
Who are they?
Tottenham Hotspur were formed in 1882 and won the FA Cup for the first time
in 1901, when still a Southern League team. They remain the only non-league
team to lift the Cup following the formation of the Football League. Twice
league winners, in 1950/51 and 1960/61, they also won the FA Cup in the
latter season to become the first team to win the double in the 20th
century. They have won the FA Cup eight times in all - their last triumph
being in 1991 - with their trophy cabinet also home to four League Cups, two
UEFA Cups and a European Cup Winners' Cup. In recent times they reached the
UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in 2010/11 and finished last season in
sixth place.
Team news
Tottenham Hotspur
Mauricio Pochettino has the luxury of a fully fit squad to choose from
however as Tottenham played in the Europa League on Thursday evening, a 1-1
draw at home with Fiorentina, the Argentine manager may well rotate his
squad.
West Ham United
Having suffered from a depleted squad in recent games, Sam Allardyce can
welcome back Matt Jarvis, Winston Reid and James Collins who all returned to
training this week and are available for selection. Diego Poyet, Guy Demel
and Doneil Henry are also back. Andy Carroll (knee) and Morgan Amalfitano
(suspended) are both out while Nene is short of match fitness. The Brazilian
could feature against Crystal Palace next weekend.
Referee
The man in the middle on Sunday is Jonathan Moss. The West Riding based
official made his Premier League debut in 2011 and has now become an
established referee. This season, Moss has taken charge of two West Ham
games, both home draws against Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion.
One to watch
Tottenham Hotspur
While Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen have deservedly won the most
plaudits, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is just as vital to Tottenham's recent run
of form. The French international has made 30 starts this campaign, totaling
12 clean sheets. While some pundits have questioned his tendency to rush out
of his area given half a chance, his shot-stopping and overall ability is
unquestionable. Come Sunday he could prove to be the biggest obstacle in the
Hammers path to a positive result.
West Ham United
Arsenal loanee Carl Jenkinson will be anticipating Sunday's match more than
most as he looks to get his first win at White Hart Lane.
The 23-year-old has made the right-back position his own this season, making
24 first team appearances, contributing two assists.
The England international may well be in for a hostile reception due to his
links to the red half of north London, however his talent and experience
should be enough to silence the Spurs' faithful.
Tickets
All tickets for Sunday's game are SOLD OUT. A very limited number of tickets
remain for West Ham's next home game against Crystal Palace on Saturday 28
February. Click here to buy now.
Travel
For all the details on how to get to White Hart Lane please click here.
Please note there are planned disruptions to Tube services on the District,
Hammersmith & City and Jubilee lines. To see how this may affect your
journey, click here.
Weather
The forecast on Sunday is for an overcast afternoon with chances of rain
starting in the second half with a maximum temperature of 8C (46F).
Last away meeting
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 West Ham United
White Hart Lane
Capital One Cup
Wednesday 18 December 2013
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris; Walker, Rose (Fryers 62), Chiriches, Lennon,
Capoue, Townsend (Chadli 73), Dembele, Sigurdsson; Adebayor (Holtby 78),
Defoe
Subs not used: Friedel, Fredericks, Ericksen, Soldado
Goals: Adebayor 67
West Ham United: Adrian; McCartnet, Rat, O'Brien, Collins, Jarvis, Collison,
Taylor, Diarra (Morrison 79), J Cole (Diame 70), C Cole (Maiga 65)
Subs not used: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Chambers, Noble
Goals: Jarvis 80, Maiga 85
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Song targets derby day win
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Alex Song is looking forward to his first Spurs-West Ham
derby
21.02.2015
West Ham United midfielder Alex Song said the Hammers must be at their best
on Sunday if they are to come away from White Hart Lane with a positive
result. The 27-year-old midfielder has been in fine form since joining on
loan from Catalan giants Barcelona, playing at the base of midfield diamond.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's London derby with rivals Tottenham Hotspur, the
No30 said: "Sunday is a very big game. Every derby is special and Tottenham
are playing very well at the moment, they've had some very good results
recently. We have to prepare very well because it won't be easy. "It's
always good to play in the derbies, they mean a lot to everyone. If we win
then the fans will celebrate a lot so we have to give 200 percent to make
them happy."
Having made 21 appearances so this season, Song has been a regular member of
Sam Allardyce's starting XI. When it comes to playing in derbies, Song has
extensive experience of playing in arguably football's biggest derby - El
Clasico. "You can't really compare two different derbies. It is very
different to Barcelona-Real Madrid games but then so is Arsenal and
Tottenham. "West Ham and Tottenham is a good game. It'll be a special day
for everyone, especially the fans which is why we have to do well. If we
play well and get a good result, everyone will have a good Sunday."
Sunday's opponents Tottenham have found a rich vein of form as they look to
finish in a much coveted Champions League qualifying spot.
Currently sixth in the Premier League with 43 points from 25 games, Mauricio
Pochettino's men are also competing for silverware on two counts, with the
Europa League as well as a date with Chelsea at Wembley in the League Cup
final booked. Speaking about Sunday's opponents, Song continued: "I think
Tottenham didn't have the best of starts but now they keep on winning and
they are playing good football. "I watched their game against Arsenal
recently and they played very, very well. They are a good team, good manager
and a good squad. But we know what we are capable of when we are 100%, we've
shown that before."
Much has been made of Tottenham's top goal scorer, 21-year-old forward Harry
Kane. In a breakthrough season, the Spurs striker has scored an impressive
23 goals, including against the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.
However, while Song agrees that Kane is an exceptionally talented player,
the midfielder explained that Tottenham are much more than a one man team.
"Harry Kane is a good player and he's playing very well. He's scored a lot
of goals but I don't like to talk about just one player. I prefer to look at
the whole of the team and the shape of the team. We won't just focus on him,
we will at whole team and how to try and win the game. "Yes Tottenham played
on Thursday but every game is a different story. They played yesterday but
they are professional. It's like when we play every few days at Christmas
when you don't have much time to recover or prepare. That'll be the same on
Sunday, there is no excuses."
While the Hammers have slipped a few places down the league, Song firmly
believes that with 13 games left of the season, the Hammers are capable of
finishing in a European qualification place. Currently sitting in eighth
with 38 points from 25 games, a win on Sunday would take the Hammers to just
two points behind Spurs. "I've said all season that we have to have to look
to finish in the top ten and then see if we can finish any higher than that.
We have to keep on going, we've had some problems with injuries but they are
coming back. We need to continue to improve with each game. "I remember when
I was playing for Arsenal I crossed the ball for Aaron Ramsey and he scored
so that was a very good moment. Now I am West Ham player I want to help
write history with them. We are all very motivated to go there and get a
good result."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Raphael Spiegel: Carlisle sign West Ham keeper on loan
BBC.co.uk
League Two side Carlisle United have signed West Ham goalkeeper Raphael
Spiegel on a one-month loan deal. The 22-year-old, who is yet to make his
debut for the Hammers, had spells at Crawley and Barnet earlier this season.
"I've watched him play a couple of times and we've been given a lot of
footage to review as well," Carlisle goalkeeping coach Tony Caig said. "He's
a good size, he's mobile and vocal, and he's a Swiss Under-21 international
so he has good pedigree." He added: "West Ham are looking for him to make
that next step and an opportunity to get out and play some football provides
that opening for him." Spiegel will remain at Brunton Park until after
Carlisle's match against Morecambe on Saturday, 21 March.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'Keeper makes Blues switch
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 21st February 2015
By: Staff Writer
Carlisle United have signed West Ham's reserve goalkeeper Raphael Spiegel on
a short-term loan deal. The 22-year-old - who will wear the number 24 shirt
at Brunton Park - is yet to make a single first team appearance for West ham
but will spend the next month with the League Two side. Blues' goalkeeping
coach Tony Caig told Carlisle's website that he was looking forward to
working with Spiegel, who the club had been tracking for a while. "I've
known about him for over 12 months now," said Caig. "He was actually in our
thoughts last season, when we brought Jordan Pickford in on loan. "Bobby
Mimms is down at West Ham at the moment, and I spoke to him and Neil
McDonald about Raphael to get their thoughts on where he is at. They both
rate him highly and they think he's one with a real future. "I've watched
him play a couple of times and we've been given a lot of footage to review
as well. He's a good size, he's mobile and vocal, and he's a Swiss Under 21
international so he has a very good pedigree. "West Ham are looking for him
to make that next step and an opportunity to get out and play some football
provides that opening for him. He definitely has good attributes but he has
to come here now and back all of that up. "He joined us for his first
training session on Friday morning and he has already asked questions about
how we do certain things and how we work. That's really good to see. He's
shown us a bit of his personality and he seems to have a confident head on
his shoulders." The Cumbrian side are currently 20th in League Two, just
two points above the drop zone. Spiegel will remain with Carlisle until 21
March.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gold: I'd have banned DS abusers
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 21, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
David Gold is stunned that none of those involved in verbally attacking
co-chairman David Sullivan last weekend have bothered to send "even an
anonymous letter of apology." Shocked DG has maintained a dignified silence
throughout the week since a mob made their foul mouthed protest in the
Hawthorns car park as he left early to visit his sick mother. But today -
speaking exclusively to ClaretandHugh he said: "What happened will be a
smear on this club for a long time to come in my mind. "Had they come out
publicly and apologised I would have banned them anyway so I can understand
their reluctance on that front. "But surely they feel ashamed enough to send
a private and anonymous apology - that's the very least that David might
have expected. "I was personally utterly disgusted and could barely believe
what I was watching. We have had wonderful messages of support from the
proper fans but nothing from the culprits which is shocking."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gus Poyet's son Diego opts to play for Uruguay instead of England on the
international stage
13:41, 21 February 2015 By James Whaling
The 19-year-old, who is currently on the books at West Ham, has been given
permission to play for Uruguay's Under-20s in March
The Mirror
West Ham's Diego Poyet, son of Sunderland boss Gus, has opted to play for
Uruguay instead of England. The 19-year-old has been given permission by
parent club West Ham to represent his country's Under-20s team in two
friendlies against Uzbekistan and Portugal at the end of March. He had
previously represented England at Under-16 and Under-17 levels, but withdrew
from the Under-20s squad for a match with Romania in September last year.
Head coach Aidy Boothroyd subsequently stated: "Diego hasn't decided whether
he wants to play for Uruguay or not so, rather than wait for him to make his
mind up, we have decided to leave him to it." His dad Gus made 26
appearances for Uruguay between 1993 and 2000. Poyet will be eligible for
the Under-20s World Cup in New Zealand later this year.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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WHUFC.com
Everything you need to know about Sunday's London derby with Tottenham
21.02.2015
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
WHITE HART LANE
SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2015
KICK-OFF: 12PM
REFEREE: JONATHAN MOSS
In brief
West Ham United travel to north London to face rivals Tottenham Hotspur as
the Hammers look to continue their good run of results at White Hart Lane,
having beaten them twice there last season. After being knocked out of the
FA Cup by West Bromwich Albion last weekend, the Hammers can focus on trying
to finish in a European qualification spot. Having secured valuable draws
against Manchester United and Southampton, Sam Allardyce's men are looking
to avenge the opening day defeat to Spurs courtesy of Eric Dier's last
minute winner.
Tottenham meanwhile are in good form as Mauricio Pochettino's men are
competing on three fronts with the upcoming League Cup final against Chelsea
as well as the Europa League second leg with Fiorentina just around the
corner. Sunday's hosts currently sit in sixth with 43 points from 25 games,
just three points away from a much coveted fourth place spot. A win for the
Hammers will take them to just two points behind their London rivals.
View on the Opposition
Who are they?
Tottenham Hotspur were formed in 1882 and won the FA Cup for the first time
in 1901, when still a Southern League team. They remain the only non-league
team to lift the Cup following the formation of the Football League. Twice
league winners, in 1950/51 and 1960/61, they also won the FA Cup in the
latter season to become the first team to win the double in the 20th
century. They have won the FA Cup eight times in all - their last triumph
being in 1991 - with their trophy cabinet also home to four League Cups, two
UEFA Cups and a European Cup Winners' Cup. In recent times they reached the
UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in 2010/11 and finished last season in
sixth place.
Team news
Tottenham Hotspur
Mauricio Pochettino has the luxury of a fully fit squad to choose from
however as Tottenham played in the Europa League on Thursday evening, a 1-1
draw at home with Fiorentina, the Argentine manager may well rotate his
squad.
West Ham United
Having suffered from a depleted squad in recent games, Sam Allardyce can
welcome back Matt Jarvis, Winston Reid and James Collins who all returned to
training this week and are available for selection. Diego Poyet, Guy Demel
and Doneil Henry are also back. Andy Carroll (knee) and Morgan Amalfitano
(suspended) are both out while Nene is short of match fitness. The Brazilian
could feature against Crystal Palace next weekend.
Referee
The man in the middle on Sunday is Jonathan Moss. The West Riding based
official made his Premier League debut in 2011 and has now become an
established referee. This season, Moss has taken charge of two West Ham
games, both home draws against Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion.
One to watch
Tottenham Hotspur
While Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen have deservedly won the most
plaudits, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is just as vital to Tottenham's recent run
of form. The French international has made 30 starts this campaign, totaling
12 clean sheets. While some pundits have questioned his tendency to rush out
of his area given half a chance, his shot-stopping and overall ability is
unquestionable. Come Sunday he could prove to be the biggest obstacle in the
Hammers path to a positive result.
West Ham United
Arsenal loanee Carl Jenkinson will be anticipating Sunday's match more than
most as he looks to get his first win at White Hart Lane.
The 23-year-old has made the right-back position his own this season, making
24 first team appearances, contributing two assists.
The England international may well be in for a hostile reception due to his
links to the red half of north London, however his talent and experience
should be enough to silence the Spurs' faithful.
Tickets
All tickets for Sunday's game are SOLD OUT. A very limited number of tickets
remain for West Ham's next home game against Crystal Palace on Saturday 28
February. Click here to buy now.
Travel
For all the details on how to get to White Hart Lane please click here.
Please note there are planned disruptions to Tube services on the District,
Hammersmith & City and Jubilee lines. To see how this may affect your
journey, click here.
Weather
The forecast on Sunday is for an overcast afternoon with chances of rain
starting in the second half with a maximum temperature of 8C (46F).
Last away meeting
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 West Ham United
White Hart Lane
Capital One Cup
Wednesday 18 December 2013
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris; Walker, Rose (Fryers 62), Chiriches, Lennon,
Capoue, Townsend (Chadli 73), Dembele, Sigurdsson; Adebayor (Holtby 78),
Defoe
Subs not used: Friedel, Fredericks, Ericksen, Soldado
Goals: Adebayor 67
West Ham United: Adrian; McCartnet, Rat, O'Brien, Collins, Jarvis, Collison,
Taylor, Diarra (Morrison 79), J Cole (Diame 70), C Cole (Maiga 65)
Subs not used: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Chambers, Noble
Goals: Jarvis 80, Maiga 85
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Song targets derby day win
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Alex Song is looking forward to his first Spurs-West Ham
derby
21.02.2015
West Ham United midfielder Alex Song said the Hammers must be at their best
on Sunday if they are to come away from White Hart Lane with a positive
result. The 27-year-old midfielder has been in fine form since joining on
loan from Catalan giants Barcelona, playing at the base of midfield diamond.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's London derby with rivals Tottenham Hotspur, the
No30 said: "Sunday is a very big game. Every derby is special and Tottenham
are playing very well at the moment, they've had some very good results
recently. We have to prepare very well because it won't be easy. "It's
always good to play in the derbies, they mean a lot to everyone. If we win
then the fans will celebrate a lot so we have to give 200 percent to make
them happy."
Having made 21 appearances so this season, Song has been a regular member of
Sam Allardyce's starting XI. When it comes to playing in derbies, Song has
extensive experience of playing in arguably football's biggest derby - El
Clasico. "You can't really compare two different derbies. It is very
different to Barcelona-Real Madrid games but then so is Arsenal and
Tottenham. "West Ham and Tottenham is a good game. It'll be a special day
for everyone, especially the fans which is why we have to do well. If we
play well and get a good result, everyone will have a good Sunday."
Sunday's opponents Tottenham have found a rich vein of form as they look to
finish in a much coveted Champions League qualifying spot.
Currently sixth in the Premier League with 43 points from 25 games, Mauricio
Pochettino's men are also competing for silverware on two counts, with the
Europa League as well as a date with Chelsea at Wembley in the League Cup
final booked. Speaking about Sunday's opponents, Song continued: "I think
Tottenham didn't have the best of starts but now they keep on winning and
they are playing good football. "I watched their game against Arsenal
recently and they played very, very well. They are a good team, good manager
and a good squad. But we know what we are capable of when we are 100%, we've
shown that before."
Much has been made of Tottenham's top goal scorer, 21-year-old forward Harry
Kane. In a breakthrough season, the Spurs striker has scored an impressive
23 goals, including against the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.
However, while Song agrees that Kane is an exceptionally talented player,
the midfielder explained that Tottenham are much more than a one man team.
"Harry Kane is a good player and he's playing very well. He's scored a lot
of goals but I don't like to talk about just one player. I prefer to look at
the whole of the team and the shape of the team. We won't just focus on him,
we will at whole team and how to try and win the game. "Yes Tottenham played
on Thursday but every game is a different story. They played yesterday but
they are professional. It's like when we play every few days at Christmas
when you don't have much time to recover or prepare. That'll be the same on
Sunday, there is no excuses."
While the Hammers have slipped a few places down the league, Song firmly
believes that with 13 games left of the season, the Hammers are capable of
finishing in a European qualification place. Currently sitting in eighth
with 38 points from 25 games, a win on Sunday would take the Hammers to just
two points behind Spurs. "I've said all season that we have to have to look
to finish in the top ten and then see if we can finish any higher than that.
We have to keep on going, we've had some problems with injuries but they are
coming back. We need to continue to improve with each game. "I remember when
I was playing for Arsenal I crossed the ball for Aaron Ramsey and he scored
so that was a very good moment. Now I am West Ham player I want to help
write history with them. We are all very motivated to go there and get a
good result."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Raphael Spiegel: Carlisle sign West Ham keeper on loan
BBC.co.uk
League Two side Carlisle United have signed West Ham goalkeeper Raphael
Spiegel on a one-month loan deal. The 22-year-old, who is yet to make his
debut for the Hammers, had spells at Crawley and Barnet earlier this season.
"I've watched him play a couple of times and we've been given a lot of
footage to review as well," Carlisle goalkeeping coach Tony Caig said. "He's
a good size, he's mobile and vocal, and he's a Swiss Under-21 international
so he has good pedigree." He added: "West Ham are looking for him to make
that next step and an opportunity to get out and play some football provides
that opening for him." Spiegel will remain at Brunton Park until after
Carlisle's match against Morecambe on Saturday, 21 March.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'Keeper makes Blues switch
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 21st February 2015
By: Staff Writer
Carlisle United have signed West Ham's reserve goalkeeper Raphael Spiegel on
a short-term loan deal. The 22-year-old - who will wear the number 24 shirt
at Brunton Park - is yet to make a single first team appearance for West ham
but will spend the next month with the League Two side. Blues' goalkeeping
coach Tony Caig told Carlisle's website that he was looking forward to
working with Spiegel, who the club had been tracking for a while. "I've
known about him for over 12 months now," said Caig. "He was actually in our
thoughts last season, when we brought Jordan Pickford in on loan. "Bobby
Mimms is down at West Ham at the moment, and I spoke to him and Neil
McDonald about Raphael to get their thoughts on where he is at. They both
rate him highly and they think he's one with a real future. "I've watched
him play a couple of times and we've been given a lot of footage to review
as well. He's a good size, he's mobile and vocal, and he's a Swiss Under 21
international so he has a very good pedigree. "West Ham are looking for him
to make that next step and an opportunity to get out and play some football
provides that opening for him. He definitely has good attributes but he has
to come here now and back all of that up. "He joined us for his first
training session on Friday morning and he has already asked questions about
how we do certain things and how we work. That's really good to see. He's
shown us a bit of his personality and he seems to have a confident head on
his shoulders." The Cumbrian side are currently 20th in League Two, just
two points above the drop zone. Spiegel will remain with Carlisle until 21
March.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gold: I'd have banned DS abusers
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 21, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
David Gold is stunned that none of those involved in verbally attacking
co-chairman David Sullivan last weekend have bothered to send "even an
anonymous letter of apology." Shocked DG has maintained a dignified silence
throughout the week since a mob made their foul mouthed protest in the
Hawthorns car park as he left early to visit his sick mother. But today -
speaking exclusively to ClaretandHugh he said: "What happened will be a
smear on this club for a long time to come in my mind. "Had they come out
publicly and apologised I would have banned them anyway so I can understand
their reluctance on that front. "But surely they feel ashamed enough to send
a private and anonymous apology - that's the very least that David might
have expected. "I was personally utterly disgusted and could barely believe
what I was watching. We have had wonderful messages of support from the
proper fans but nothing from the culprits which is shocking."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gus Poyet's son Diego opts to play for Uruguay instead of England on the
international stage
13:41, 21 February 2015 By James Whaling
The 19-year-old, who is currently on the books at West Ham, has been given
permission to play for Uruguay's Under-20s in March
The Mirror
West Ham's Diego Poyet, son of Sunderland boss Gus, has opted to play for
Uruguay instead of England. The 19-year-old has been given permission by
parent club West Ham to represent his country's Under-20s team in two
friendlies against Uzbekistan and Portugal at the end of March. He had
previously represented England at Under-16 and Under-17 levels, but withdrew
from the Under-20s squad for a match with Romania in September last year.
Head coach Aidy Boothroyd subsequently stated: "Diego hasn't decided whether
he wants to play for Uruguay or not so, rather than wait for him to make his
mind up, we have decided to leave him to it." His dad Gus made 26
appearances for Uruguay between 1993 and 2000. Poyet will be eligible for
the Under-20s World Cup in New Zealand later this year.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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Saturday, February 21
Daily WHUFC News -21st February 2015
Big Sam on: Tottenham Hotspur
WHUFC.com
The manager faces the press ahead of Sunday's trip to White Hart Lane
20.02.2015
Sam Allardyce is keen for his West Ham United side to show their
bouncebackability when they take on Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. On the back
of a disappointing FA Cup exit at West Bromwich Albion, the Hammers boss is
well aware of the need to give the fans something to cheer at White Hart
Lane and he believes his side possess the tools to do that.
In his pre-match press conference he faced questions on team news, European
ambitions and more.
Has Nene's international clearance come through yet and is he available to
play on Sunday?
SA: "Whether it has come through or not he won't be available to play
because he isn't match fit yet. He's a naturally fit player and he's not far
away, I think ten days to two weeks before he's ready. We'll monitor his
progress, he could be ready for the Crystal Palace game, we'll have to wait
and see. It's nice to have him here with the CV he's got and we're looking
forward to working to with him."
With 13 games to go, does he have an important role in the club?
SA: "I think so definitely. We've lost our goalscoring touch at the moment
and we've struggled to put our chances in the back of the net. We had been
fluent in that area at the start of the season. Obviously that is key to any
team doing well and I think that is why we have drawn some games we should
have won. "Hopefully we find that touch on Sunday, against Tottenham our big
rivals in a big London derby. It's a massive game for us and hopefully we do
as well as we did there last season."
How important is this game in terms of reaching a European place?
SA: "We need to rekindle our winning mentality, we've been playing very well
recently but haven't been collecting enough wins. We have to maintain that
level to qualify for Europe and certainly beating the big boys will be
difficult but not impossible.
There have been question marks over your future at the Club, how do you deal
with that?
SA: "The same way I deal with most things in the game, I don't listen to it.
It's not my desire to listen to praise or criticism. I like to be
professional and work with the people within the football club to try and
get the best out of them. I hear things but I don't take any notice of it. "
Does it concern you that information is getting out there about X, Y and Z
being linked with your job?
SA: "Not really, there was speculation last season same as this season, I
think there always will be. It seems to me it occurs if and when you get a
bad result."
Andy Carroll is out injured for a while. How have the players reacted to
that?
SA: "Everyone is very disappointed and he's very disappointed himself. These
things happen in football, unfortunately for Andy it is happening too often.
He's managed to overcome the last injury and came back and did well. I think
he was getting back to his best and then a different injury happened. We can
only hope that sooner rather than later he can overcome these problems for
good. He was scoring goals and playing well, it was difficult making choices
between him, Diafra Sakho, Carlton Cole and Enner Valencia because they were
all at the top of their game.
It isn't quite happening for the strikers at the moment. Can you put your
finger on quite why?
SA: "Yes, it's their first season here, in English football. They're not
used to the level of football we play on a regular basis. They're not used
to the demand, both physically and mentally and as a result there in a
little bit of a lull trying to cope with that. There is no let up at this
level. They haven't experienced a Christmas like we have here. It takes it
toll on everyone but the experienced players know how to deal with it
better."
Apart from Andy Carroll and Nene, is everybody else fit and raring to go?
SA: "Yes at the moment. Matt Jarvis, Winston Reid and James Collins have all
recovered. Where we go from here will depend on how fit we keep the players.
We will strive to push on and try and get as many players fit for the rest
of the season."
Harry Kane has been in excellent form this season, scoring all types of
goals. Will you be looking to stop the supply line to him?
SA: "Absolutely, that's one way of stopping him. We are aware of his
capabilities. He was a surprise at the start of the season and no one
expected him to make such an impact. But he's been brilliant. He was an
unknown quantity, a bit like Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho. But now
everyone knows what to expect, the fact he's managed to keep on scoring
shows you how good he really is."
When you cast your mind back to that 3-0 win last season, does it seem like
a long time ago now?
SA: "Yeah, with no strikers either. It was a great result, one of the best
performances and results in my time here at the Club. We were in such a
difficult position with no strikers available and it seemed to work
surprisingly well.
Tottenham have played the most games out of any side in the Premier League.
Have you been surprised with how well they've coped?
SA: "I wouldn't say I've been surprised but I am impressed. He's managed to
find out as quickly as possible what his players are capable of. He's
rotated his team on a regular basis and he has a very talented squad to work
with. As a result he's managed to keep his players happy which is very
important. They've performed for him exceptionally well and he's done an
excellent job."
Following Sunday's game, you've got three other London derbies afterwards.
Is it fair to say your season will be determined by what happens in London?
SA: "I think the next 13 games as a whole will determine our season. A win
in a derby team is a bonus for us all, particularly the fans. We're
concentrating on winning as many games as possible from now on until the end
of the season."
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Page signs new contract
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Lewis Page has signed a new contract keeping him at the
club until 2017
20.02.2015
West Ham United are delighted to announce that 18-year-old defender Lewis
Page has signed a professional contract with the Club, keeping him at the
Boleyn Ground until summer 2017. The highly rated left-back has been a
mainstay of the West Ham United Development Squad this term, making 13
starts as well as featuring on the bench for the first team in their League
Cup game against Sheffield United. Speaking after signing his new contract,
Page said: "I'm delighted, I can't wait to get going. I heard the new
contract was coming about two or three weeks ago. I've just been waiting to
sign it. "Alongside signing my scholarship, it's definitely one of the
highlights of my career so far, it's great."
Having joined the Club at just ten years old, the talented left-back, who
can also play at centre-back, is the latest player from West Ham United's
prestigious Academy to sign a contract with the club. When asked to describe
his best attributes, Page replied: "I like to go forward from left-back and
get crosses in to the box. I'm enthusiastic and I'd like to think I can
defend well too. "I love watching Aaron Cresswell play, in games as well as
training. He's great going forward as well as defensively. He's got
everything you need to be a good left back. "It's a great experience to be
training with him, I'm learning a lot. Carl Jenkinson too, he's on the other
wing but I still look up to him and see what he does."
Page is one of a number of exciting prospects to make the first-team bench
this season, alongside the likes of Reece Burke, Elliot Lee and Reece
Oxford, among others. Having been forced out of action for the last few
weeks due to injury, Page is raring to get back playing.
"I had a thigh injury which has kept me out for almost six weeks but I'm
almost ready to get back into training. I just want to get out there and
show what I can do. "Being involved with the first team squad is great.
Obviously I hope I can be involved as much as possible for the rest of the
season."
West Ham United Academy Manager and Head of Coaching and Player Development
Director Terry Westley spoke of his delight at the news of Page committing
his future to the Club. "I'm delighted for him. He's a great player and he
always works hard. I'm delighted with the progress he's been making and he
deserves the new deal. "He's been training with the first team for a while
now and he's impressed all the coaching staff there. I hope Lewis continues
to work hard because he has a bright future here at West Ham United."
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A message from the Joint-Chairmen
WHUFC.com
A message to our supporters travelling to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday
20.02.2015
We would like to thank you for purchasing a ticket to support the team in
Sunday's Barclays Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur.
Your loyal and unwavering support is greatly appreciated by all at the Club,
from us on the Board right through to the players, and we are looking
forward to you creating a superb atmosphere in what promises to be a
passionate London derby at White Hart Lane.
Sunday's match will see us take 3,000 fans a few miles across London, but
the 5,500 who travelled last week to West Bromwich Albion had further to
travel and we are sorry that you did not have more to cheer that day. We
wanted to thank our fans for making the effort to travel to the Midlands
last week and in particular for the many messages we have received this week
in support for the direction we have taken over this season, building again
for an improved finish in the Premier League.
Sam and the team have been working hard on the training pitch this week to
put last week's wrongs right and Sunday's game offers an exciting
opportunity for us to bounce back. We would also like to remind all fans
attending the match at White Hart Lane that they will be acting as
ambassadors for West Ham United and their behaviour should reflect the
values and standards of our Club.
Working with the Metropolitan Police, the Club will continue to adopt a zero
tolerance policy towards any form of discriminatory behaviour and any fan
found to be acting inappropriately - including racist, anti-Semitic and
homophobic behaviour - will be punished to the full extent of the law and
banned from attending matches.
We are rightly proud of our world-famous support home and away and we look
forward to the famous Claret and Blue Army once again getting behind the
team with all their heart and showing the world that following the Hammers
means supporting with pride, passion and respect.
David Sullivan and David Gold
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New date for Man City
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will travel to Manchester City on Sunday 19 April
20.02.2015
West Ham United's away Barclays Premier League fixture at Manchester City
has been moved back a day to Sunday 19 April. The City of Manchester Stadium
clash will kick-of at 1.30pm as the Hammers look to complete a league double
over last season's champions. Please note that this date remains subject to
change in the event Manchester City qualify for the UEFA Champions League
quarter-finals and are scheduled to play the following Tuesday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
Lifelong West Ham United fan Mark Noble looks forward to Sunday's trip to
north London
19.02.2015
Hello everyone,
We are off to White Hart Lane on Sunday and you don't need me to tell you
how important Tottenham away is to everyone associated with West Ham United.
We won there twice last season and we'd love to make it three in a row, but
it will not be easy by any stretch. I think they are a different team now.
Mauricio Pochettino has got them playing very well and obviously they've got
the likes of Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane is flying now. They've got a
good team and a good squad and it's going to be tough, so we need to go
there and play our best game, or else we'll get turned over. I'm sure the
fans will be buzzing for the game on Sunday and it's live on TV, so I'm
looking forward to it, as are all the lads.
After going to Spurs, we have Crystal Palace and Chelsea at home in the
space of five days, then we go into the closing straight of the last ten
games. A lot of our final set of fixtures are against teams in the bottom
half, but those can be the hardest matches. We've been in that position
ourselves and we've done it to other teams when we're scrapping for our
lives and they are safe and they have less to play for. We need to go into
those games fully equipped to have a battle or else we'll get turned over,
so I'm sure we'll be ready for them. We can't let the season tail-off - we
need to finish as strong as we can.
Expectations are as high as I can remember at this Club but that's a help
rather than a hindrance because we want to be as high as we can. You can't
get used to fighting relegation. Any team in the bottom ten is in the
relegation scrap and has been over the last few seasons. If you lose a
couple of games and the teams below you win a couple, you are suddenly two
points away from safety. Every team is getting stronger and that's the way
seasons are going now, so you have to be as strong as possible to cope in
this league.
I was delighted to see Tonks sign a new long-term contract recently and it's
great to see the home-grown players representing this Club.
We have seen a few of the Academy boys in the squad, but it's getting a lot
harder to break into the first team - and that's the same for young players
at every Premier League club. The mental side of playing in the Premier
League now and the pressure on clubs financially to stay in it makes it more
difficult for them to bring youngsters in, especially if they are fighting
against relegation.
It's tough but I'd say to those boys to keep working hard, don't get bored
of training well and not playing because you will get your chance, whether
it is here or somewhere else. They need to be ready when that chance comes.
Back to this weekend and I hope all of you travelling to north London have a
safe and enjoyable trip, and the rest of you enjoy watching the game with
your family and your mates.
Come on you Irons!
Nobes
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Akinola eyeing Canaries win
WHUFC.com
U18 defender Tunji Akinola believes his team has what it takes to overcome
Norwich
20.02.2015
West Ham United U18 defender Tunji Akinola is looking forward to facing
Norwich City on Saturday 21 February as the Hammers look to finish inside
the top four of the Barclays U18 Premier League south division. The
16-year-old defender has been an important figure at the back for the U18s,
playing 15 games. Speaking ahead of Saturday game, at Little Heath, the
young defender said: "I played against Aston Villa last weekend, it was a
good game. They're second in the league so they're a decent team. They have
a few internationals in their side."I thought we played well, we dominated
for large parts of the game so we were unlucky not to win." In the reverse
fixture, the Hammers secured a 1-0 win over Norwich thanks to a late Jerry
Amoo goal. Since then, the Canaries have struggled this season, and are
currently bottom of the south division with 12 points from 19 games.
"Hopefully, we'll be able to beat Norwich, we've beaten them before this
season. They haven't won many games this season, so hopefully we'll get the
result we want. "We want to get into the top four for the play offs. With
the players we've got, that's definitely something we're aiming for and
something we all think we can achieve. We'll need to win our last two games
but I don't see why that won't happen." "We've pressed the opposition really
well recently, particularly as a team and we've been creating chances.
Hopefully we'll continue to do that on Saturday."
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West Ham fined by the FA for failing to control players
BBC.co.uk
West Ham have been fined £30,000 by the Football Association for failing to
control their players in their recent 0-0 draw at Southampton.
The sanction relates to an incident which followed the dismissal of West Ham
goalkeeper Adrian for handling the ball outside his penalty area. The red
card was subsequently overturned on appeal. West Ham admitted a charge of
failing to ensure its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion.
Adrian was sent off by referee Craig Pawson for the first time in his career
after losing possession under pressure from Southampton striker Sadio Mane
and falling on the ball. The Spaniard, 28, appeared to touch the ball with a
hand to prompt the red card which was met with protests from a number of
West Ham players. Southampton, who are third in the Premier League, face
Liverpool at St Mary's on Sunday (16.15 GMT) while the Hammers, who are
eighth, face a London derby against Tottenham at White Hart Lane (12.00
GMT).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tottenham v West Ham
KO 12:00
20 February 2015
By Conor McNamara
BBC Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: White Hart Lane Date: Sunday, 22 February
TEAM NEWS
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino rotated his squad against Fiorentina on
Thursday and is set to recall key players such as Harry Kane.
Pochettino has reported no new injury concerns and will have a fully-fit
squad at his disposal.
West Ham trio Winston Reid, Matt Jarvis and James Collins are all available
after recovering from injuries. Andy Carroll remains out with a knee problem
and new signing Nene will not feature as he lacks match fitness.
MATCH PREVIEW
If you're a Tottenham Hotspur fan the dream scenario over the next week is
to win three games and virtually guarantee that this season is deemed a
success. Three victories would deliver the League Cup, a place in the last
16 of the Europa League and a continued presence in the race for a top-four
finish. With Harry Kane having scored 11 times in his last 10 top-flight
appearances, anything seems possible.
There is always a flip side of course, and three defeats could drag
Tottenham's season off the rails. Which is a bit how West Ham United fans
are feeling at the moment, having seen their team only score one goal in
the past four league and cup games. Lawro's prediction
"Tottenham pinched the points with an injury-time winner at Upton Park when
these two sides met on the first day of the season. They are a completely
different side now, though, and I think they will show it with a much more
convincing performance."
Sam Allardyce's side have improved in leaps and bounds this season, helped
by a strong recruitment drive last summer. Players like Alex Song, Diafra
Sakho, Enner Valencia and Cheikhou Kouyate elevated the club to a top-four
place until mid-December. But with improvement comes expectation, and last
weekend's humiliating 4-0 exit from the FA Cup at West Bromwich Albion has
left West Ham's season in danger of petering out. At the club's Chadwell
Heath training ground on Friday, Allardyce said any new contract would not
be talked about until the end of the season. "I don't listen to praise or
criticism" said Big Sam, reminding fans of his cupped ear gesture to the
crowd after the home win against Hull last season. The last time these sides
met, both had a man sent off and Eric Dier scored a last-minute winner on
his Spurs' debut. It was also Mauricio Pochettino's first league game in
charge of Tottenham. Next weekend the Argentine will hope to lift his first
trophy for the club - and victory against the Hammers would be the perfect
fillip ahead of the short trip to Wembley.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
West Ham have won just one of their last 12 league games at White Hart Lane
(D4, L7) - but the Hammers are chasing a third successive win there in all
competitions. They won this fixture 3-0 last season, claiming their first
win at Spurs since 1999, and two months later triumphed 2-1 in a League Cup
game.
Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs are unbeaten in their last seven home matches in the league (W5, D2) -
having lost four of their first six. They have conceded 10 goals in their
six Premier League games in 2015, keeping just one clean sheet. Harry Kane
has scored 11 times in his last 10 top-flight appearances. Eight of Spurs'
last 10 Premier League victories have been by a 2-1 scoreline. Tottenham
have conceded seven Premier League penalties - more than any other side
prior to the latest round of matches. They have recovered 15 points from
losing positions this term - the joint-highest figure in the division (along
with Crystal Palace) prior to this weekend.
West Ham United
The Hammers have won one of eight league games since Christmas (D4, L3).
West Ham have never had more points at this stage of a Premier League
season. They also claimed 38 points from their opening 25 games in 1997-98
and 2005-06. The last top-flight season in which they did better was
1985-86, when they had 48 points at this stage. This is the first of four
successive London derbies for West Ham - after Sunday's game they host
Crystal Palace and Chelsea before visiting Arsenal.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
In brief - Saturday's news round-up
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 21st February 2015
By: Jack Hammer
Get the very latest West Ham news in one place, with our new daily media
round-up!
West Ham's Sam Allardyce to Tottenham's Harry Kane: PROVE you're not a one
season wonder!
SAM ALLARDYCE has challenged Harry Kane to prove he is not a one season
wonder.
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/426749/West-Ham-s-Sam-Allardyce-To
ttenham-s-Harry-Kane-PROVE-you-re-not-one-season-wonder
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce laments missing out on Tottenham's Emmanuel
Adebayor
Sam Allardyce believes he could have gotten the best out of Emmanuel
Adebayor had he been able to land the Tottenham striker in January.
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11685/9724381/west-ham-boss-sam-alla
rdyce-laments-missing-out-on-tottenhams-emmanuel-adebayor
Sam Allardyce: I am not losing grip on West Ham job
AM ALLARDYCE has defended his record as West Ham manager amid growing
speculation he will depart this summer.
http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/559548/Sam-Allardyce-West-Ham-job
West Ham fined £30,000 for failing to control their players
West Ham have been fined £30,000 by the Football Association for failing to
control their players during the recent draw at Southampton.
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11685/9723904/west-ham-fined-1633000
0-for-failing-to-control-their-players
Sam Allardyce's relationship with West Ham United and its fans has never
been a harmonious one
There is no love story between Sam Allardyce and West Ham United. Never has
been, never will be.
http://metro.co.uk/2015/02/20/sam-allardyces-relationship-with-west-ham-unit
ed-and-its-fans-has-never-been-a-harmonious-one-5071764/
Nene to make his West Ham debut in two weeks time
BRAZILIAN FORWARD Nene is unlikely to play for West Ham for potentially two
weeks – due to fitness concerns and administration delays.
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/426660/Nene-to-make-his-West-Ham-d
ebut-in-two-weeks-time
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FA steal another 30 grand
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 20th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham have been fined £30,000 by the FA for apparently failing to control
their players. According to the Football Association, the club have been
fined as a result of "failing to ensure its players conducted themselves in
an orderly fashion," during the goalless draw at Southampton last week. The
charge is said to relate to "an incident which occurred in or around the
61st minute of the game" - roughly the same time Adrian was dismissed by
referee Craig Pawson, a decision rescinded three days later upon appeal.
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Nene set to miss Spurs trip
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 20th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce says that new arrival Nene is unlikely to feature at Tottenham
on Sunday due to a lack of match fitness. The 33-year-old Brazilian striker
arrived at West Ham this week on a free transfer. However he is unlikely to
be thrown into the lion's den at White Hart Lane this weekend, according to
Allardyce. "It's great to have a player like Nene, with his CV, at the club.
We're all looking forward to seeing him play," said Allardyce, speaking at
this morning's pre-match press conference. "But Nene isn't ready physically
yet as he's just started training with us. It'll be about 10 days - maybe
two weeks - before he's ready."
On the plus side, Big Sam is delighted to have first team defenders Winston
Reid and James Collins available for selection once more following their
recent lay-offs - plus winger Matt Jarvis. "Having those players back for us
is huge," he admitted. "If we avoid further injuries we'll have a good rest
of the season."
Meanwhile Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino faces something of a selection
quandary this weekend as he prepares to approach three games within a week.
Four days after West Ham's visit to White Hart Lane, Tottenham travel to
Italy for the second leg of a Europa League tie - which itself comes just
three days before the face Chelsea in the Capital One Cup Final.
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Allardyce concerned by string of Carroll injuries
KUMB.com,
Filed: Friday, 20th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce admitted this morning that he has concerns over Andy Carroll's
long-term future in the game. West Ham's 26-year-old striker is likely to
miss the rest of the season and part of next year's pre-season having
recently undergone surgery to resolve a ligament problem. And that, combined
with the numerous other medical complaints the Newcastle-born goalscorer has
sustained during his time in east London, have led Allardyce to question
whether Carroll will ever be able to complete a full season. "It has to be a
concern, there's no doubt about that," admitted Big Sam this morning. "He's
been picking up injuries for three or four years. "But the specialists say
there's no long-term problem there, so we would hope that he'll recover from
this - and hopefully that'll be the case for a period of time." Allardyce
then likened the target man to Manchester United's Dutch international Robin
Van Persie, another player who suffered a string of injuries during his
younger years. "When he played for Arsenal, people were saying that Van
Persie never seems to finish a season," he added. "Then all of a sudden, at
maybe 27, he was free of all those injuries and started playing games on a
more regular basis and became an even better player than he was before. "So
we have to hope that'll be the case for Andy."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce: West Ham new boy Nene not fit for Tottenham trip
Last Updated: 20/02/15 2:52pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce has contradicted his chairman's claim that new signing Nene is
fit to make his debut this weekend. West Ham signed the Brazilian striker
this week on a deal until the end of the season, and David Gold tweeted on
Thursday to say the 33-year-old "is fit and ready to play". Gold added that
former Paris Saint-Germain forward Nene could be on the bench at Tottenham
on Sunday, but Allardyce dismissed that idea at his pre-match press
conference. He said: "Nene isn't ready physically yet. He's just started
training with us, it'll be about 10 days maybe two weeks before he's ready."
Reports this week suggested there had been tension between Allardyce and the
board over the signing, and West Ham's owners have form for making signings
above the manager's head having instigated last summer's move for Diafra
Sakho. But Allardyce said: "It's great to have a player like Nene, with his
CV, at the club. We're all looking forward to seeing him play."
The manager's contract is up in the summer, and there are no plans to
discuss his future until then. In the meantime, last weekend's FA Cup defeat
at West Brom brought criticism from some supporters. He said: "It's not my
desire to listen to praise or criticism, it's my desire to be professional
and work with the people in the football club to try and get best out of
them. "I know about it, but I don't take any notice of it. I just do my job
and on a day-to-day basis work with everybody at the football club,
including the owners. We move forward after the disappointment of last
week."
Allardyce expects to have centre-halves Winston Reid and James Collins
available this weekend for the first time since January 31, while winger
Matt Jarvis is also fit. "Having those players back for us is huge," he
said. "If we avoid further injuries we'll have a good rest of the season."
Reid was among the scorers when West Ham won 3-0 at White Hart Lane last
season, a result Allardyce described as "one of the best results in my time
here". Harry Kane has emerged as a consistent goalscorer for Spurs since
then, and the England hopeful is fresh after starting on the bench against
Fiorentina on Thursday. "Harry Kane is the main danger man," Allardyce said.
"He didn't start last night so we expect him to be ready for Sunday."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce laments missing out on Tottenham's Emmanuel
Adebayor
Last Updated: 21/02/15 9:19am
SSN
Sam Allardyce believes he could have gotten the best out of Emmanuel
Adebayor had he been able to land the Tottenham striker in January.
West Ham came close to completing a loan move for the striker on the final
day of the January transfer window only for Spurs to pull out of the deal at
the last minute. With Harry Kane in inspired form, Adebayor faces an uphill
battle to break into the Spurs starting line-up and Allardyce says he would
have relished the prospect of working with the former Arsenal and Manchester
City man - despite his reputation for causing unrest. When asked what the
signing of Adebayor would have brought to West Ham, Allardyce simply
replied: "Goals. "If you see where he has gone and his initial impact at
where he has been would be that he comes into a football club and scores
goals on a regular basis. "If you see where he has gone and his initial
impact at where he has been would be that he comes into a football club and
scores goals on a regular basis." "So you use your management skills in
terms of looking at his personality, like you do with most players and
talking about wanting the best out of him while you are here, and wanting
him to enjoy your football and do what you do best - play and score goals.
"If you are in the transfer window and a quality player comes your way and
you think he is a quality player, some people say 'do you need a player in
that position?' - but the bottom line is that he is a quality player. "If
you can get him, for me you get him if you can afford him. That is what we
tried to do. There was such a short time frame at that time it was not
possible to be pulled off."
Allardyce's frustrations at missing out on Adebayor have been heightened by
the season-ending knee injury suffered by Hammers frontman Andy Carroll.
Allardyce conceded Adebayor would have been the perfect fit to step in with
Carroll sidelined but has now called on the likes of Enner Valencia, Carlton
Cole, Diafra Sakho and new arrival Nene to prove their worth. "Any player
with the ability that he has got is my kind of player," he added of
Adebayor. "Particularly with a relatively good goalscoring record. There can
be the odd blip that happens with a player of his character but sometimes
you deal with that as a manager. But it was not to be. "We have players here
that have got to perform from now to the end of the season. There is no let
up. "They can't take it easy and sit back on what they have done in the past
and they have got to continue to strive for the future and hit the levels we
have performed at for most of the season."
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West Ham fined £30,000 for failing to control their players
Last Updated: 20/02/15 5:39pm
SSN
West Ham have been fined £30,000 by the Football Association for failing to
control their players during the recent draw at Southampton.
The incident in question occurred after referee Craig Pawson sent off
goalkeeper Adrian just after the hour mark for handling the ball outside of
his penalty area. Although the Spaniard's red card was later overturned on
appeal, the FA has announced the club have been punished for their players'
reaction. A statement on the FA's official website confirmed: "Following an
independent regulatory commission hearing, West Ham United have been fined
£30,000 after the club admitted an FA charge of failing to ensure its
players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion. "The charge was in
relation to an incident which occurred in or around the 61st minute of the
game against Southampton on 11 February 2015." Adrian's dismissal saw West
Ham play with 10 men for the remaining half an hour at St Mary's - with Sam
Allardyce's side able to hold on for a goalless draw. Allardyce confirmed
immediately after the game that the club would appeal the red card and,
while that proved to be successful, the club have now been hit with a fine
for the separate charge. It is the second time this season West Ham have
been punished for failing to control their players following an incident in
a 2-1 defeat at Everton which saw both clubs handed the same charge.
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Tottenham host West Ham in second game of congested 17-day period
Last Updated: 20/02/15 6:17pm
SSN
Tottenham play the second of six games in 17 days as West Ham travel to
White Hart Lane on Sunday. Spurs kicked off their congested fixture list
with a disappointing draw with Fiorentina in the Europa League on Thursday.
Mauricio Pochettino now finds himself in the difficult position of having to
prioritise between trying to finish fourth in the league and trying to win
the Europa League as he looks to bring Champions League football back to the
Lane. Such was the nature of the draw; Pochettino may have an eye on the
second leg in Florence, as well as the Capital One Cup final which follows
three days later. West Ham will hope to catch Spurs off-guard just as they
did last season, when their 3-0 victory in the corresponding fixture proved
to be the highlight of their three victories against their London rivals.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has concerns that Andy Carroll may never
reach his full potential due to injuries. Eric Dier scored the winner in a
close encounter between the two sides on the opening day of the season, and
West Ham will be out to stop a run of four games without a victory.
Team news
Harry Kane is expected to return to Spurs starting line-up after he started
the Europa League last-32 tie with Fiorentina on the bench.
Kane, Ryan Mason and Mousa Dembele were rested for the 1-1 draw at White
Hart Lane on Thursday but all three are likely to come back in against the
Hammers. Spurs head coach Mauricio Pochettino has no injury concerns as his
side embark on their second of six games in 17 days.
West Ham will welcome both Winston Reid and James Collins back into their
squad for the short trip to North London. The defensive duo have been
missing with hamstring problems but are both back in training - as are Diego
Poyet and Cheikhou Kouyate, who is available despite suffering a minor arm
injury earlier in the week. Morgan Amalfitano is suspended and Nene, who was
signed earlier in the week after Andy Carroll (knee) had been ruled out for
the season, will also miss out as he is not yet match fit.
Opta facts
Harry Kane has scored 11 goals in his last 10 Premier League matches for
Tottenham.
There have been three red cards in the last two Premier League meetings
between West Ham and Spurs.
Eight of Spurs' last 10 Premier League victories have been by a 2-1
scoreline.
Tottenham have conceded more penalties than any other Premier League side
this season (7).
West Ham have scored more headed goals (14) than any other Premier League
team this season, also accounting for a divisional high 39 per cent of total
scored.
The Hammers have won just one of their last eight Premier League matches (W1
D4 L3).
Merson's prediction
The Europa League is back and that will have an effect on Tottenham in the
long run – but not against West Ham. It's difficult to play on Thursdays and
then again on a Sunday but they can put that to one side against a West Ham
side who have hit a brick wall. Spurs will keep the pressure on in the race
for the top four with a very good win.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1
Betting
Tottenham are Sky Bet's marginal odds-on favourites at 4/5 to claim the
points on Super Sunday, with West Ham 100/30 to leave White Hart Lane with a
win and 13/5 to share the spoils. Spurs head into the weekend behind
Arsenal, Manchester United, Southampton and Liverpool in the top-four
betting at 4/1. Harry Kane unsurprisingly commands favouritism in the first
goalscorer market at 100/30, while Diafra Sakho is considered the visitors'
biggest threat at 15/2 to net first.
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MATCH PREVIEW: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
By Dan Coker 21 Feb 2015 at 09:17
West Ham Till I Die
Greetings from the homeland of West Ham legend Ludek Miklosko and West Ham
liability Tomas Repka! This week's preview comes direct from a short break
in Prague, the beautiful capital city of the Czech Republic which, it turns
out, is not that "near Moscow" after all…
Blast from the past
2nd September 1981 – Soft Cell were number one with 'Tainted Love' but there
was nothing soft about David 'Psycho' Cross as he astonishingly bagged all
four goals in a 4-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in front of 41,200 at
White Hart Lane.
Tottenham, having opened the 1981/82 season with a 3-1 win at Middlesbrough,
were making their first appearance at White Hart Lane since winning the 1981
FA Cup. The Hammers, meanwhile, were back in the top flight after the Second
Division title-winning campaign the previous year and had drawn 1-1 at home
with Brighton in their opening fixture.
It was the visitors who opened the scoring in the first half though when a
Jimmy Neighbour cross from the right beat a crowd of players to find Cross
who fired a low first-time shot underneath the body of England goalkeeper
Ray Clemence, who was making his home debut for Spurs.
The second half was a treat for the travelling Claret and Blue Army – Cross
grabbed his second when firing in at the near post at the second attempt.
His hat-trick goal was a cracker after neat, one-touch build-up play; Frank
Lampard's lofted pass found Paul Goddard who sent a side-foot volleyed pass
down the left for Geoff Pike who, in turn, centred first-time for Cross to
finish expertly into the net. 'Psycho' grabbed his, and the Hammers', fourth
when Clemence went walkabout in his own penalty area and Cross provided the
finishing touch after a goalmouth melee by hammering home from within the
six-yard box.
Cross later said of his four-goal salvo: "For me to get four goals against
Tottenham in a West Ham shirt was the pinnacle of my career in terms of the
joy it brought to the West Ham fans". The Hammers would end the 1981/82
season in ninth position, while Tottenham would finish fourth.
The goals from this match, as well as an interview with 'Psycho' from that
evening, can be seen in the video below.
Tottenham Hotspur: Ray Clemence, Paul Price (Gordon Smith), Graham Roberts,
Paul Miller, Steve Perryman, Micky Hazard, Glenn Hoddle, Garry Brooke, Ricky
Villa, Tony Galvin, Mark Falco.
West Ham United: Phil Parkes, Ray Stewart, Alvin Martin, Billy Bonds, Frank
Lampard, Jimmy Neighbour, Geoff Pike, Paul Allen, Alan Devonshire, Paul
Goddard, David Cross.
Club Connections
A large group of players have turned out for Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham
United. Divided here by position, they include:
Goalkeepers: Bill Kaine, Tony Parks, Fred Griffiths.
Defenders: Calum Davenport, Paul Konchesky, Mark Bowen, Mauricio Tarrico,
Steve Walford, Simon Webster, Chris Hughton, Mitchell Thomas, Neil Ruddock.
Midfielders: Paul Allen, Jimmy Neighbour, Matthew Etherington, Mark Robson,
David Bentley, Ilie Dumitrescu, Martin Peters, John Smith, Michael Carrick,
John Moncur.
Strikers: Mido, Frederic Kanoute, Clive Allen, Sergei Rebrov, Dave Dunmore,
Teddy Sheringham, Jermain Defoe, Bill Joyce, Robbie Keane, Fred Massey,
Bobby Zamora, Les Ferdinand, Jimmy Greaves.
Both Jack Tresadern and Harry Redknapp played for the Hammers and managed
Spurs.
This week's focus though is on one of West Ham United's greatest players of
the twenty-first century who also spent two years with Tottenham Hotspur.
Scott Parker was born in Lambeth on 13th October 1980. A Lilleshall
graduate, Parker was the 13-year-old keepie-uppie star of a McDonalds advert
during the 1994 World Cup. He began his professional career at Charlton,
making his debut in 1997; he also had a brief loan spell with Norwich in
2000. He joined Chelsea in the winter window of 2004 for a fee of £10m but
found first team opportunities hard to come by and signed for Newcastle in
July 2005 for £6.5m. He was made captain the following summer by Glenn
Roeder but left for West Ham United to be reunited with his former Charlton
manager, Alan Curbishley, in a £7m deal in the summer of 2007.
Injury played a large part in Parker's early career in east London, with the
midfielder unable to make his debut until a League Cup win over Plymouth at
the Boleyn Ground in late September. Three days later Parker was injured
again during a home defeat to Arsenal and ruled out for a further two
months. His first goal for the club came three days before Christmas, the
last-minute winner in West Ham's first ever victory at Middlesbrough's
Riverside Stadium.
Parker's second goal for the club was over a year later, from close range in
a 2-1 defeat at Bolton in February 2009, by which time Gianfranco Zola had
taken over from Curbishley. His season was ended by injury the following
month but he had still done enough to win the 2008/09 Hammer of the Year
prize. The Irons struggled in 2009/10 and were second bottom of the Premier
League when Parker was sent off for two yellow cards in the 2-2 home draw
with Arsenal in October. His first goal of that season was a stunning,
dipping half-volley from distance to bring the Hammers level at the home of
his old club Chelsea in March, although the match would ultimately be lost
4-1. His only other goal that season was infinitely more significant, the
winner in a tense 3-2 victory over Wigan at Upton Park on 24th April which
secured the Hammers' survival – Parker's sensational 77th-minute strike from
25 yards was followed by an emotionally-charged celebration. Two weeks
later, he would become the first player to retain the Hammer of the Year
trophy since Julian Dicks in 1997.
A 17th-placed finish in 2009/10 resulted in Zola being replaced by Avram
Grant and the Hammers would endure a turbulent 2010/11 campaign. Parker was
the bright light shining in the east end gloom as he displayed the fight,
determination and character sadly lacking in many of his team-mates – he was
often mistaken as the club's captain by an inattentive national media. This
was epitomised by his best goalscoring season during his time with the club,
Parker opening with three goals in his first six games (the injury-time
winner against Oxford in the League Cup, a wonderfully-lofted volley in a
3-1 defeat to Chelsea and a scrambled effort in a 1-1 draw at Stoke).
Another three-goals-in-six-games spell followed in October/November as he
scored the equaliser in a 3-1 extra-time win over the Potters in the League
Cup, struck a thunderbolt in a 2-2 draw with West Brom and grabbed the
clincher in a 3-1 win over Wigan. On 9 February 2011, he became the first
England player to receive his first four full caps whilst playing for four
different teams, coming on as a second-half substitute for Frank Lampard in
a friendly against Denmark. Three days later, Parker's inspirational
half-time team-talk when 3-0 down at The Hawthorns would be the catalyst for
a stirring comeback to claim a 3-3 draw. Parker was to score once more for
the Hammers that season, a beautifully-executed effort with the outside of
his right foot from the edge of the area in a 3-1 home victory over
Liverpool in late February. The following month, Parker played in a 0-0 draw
at Tottenham hours after the death of his father. He also started in
England's victory over Wales at the Millennium Stadium. Parker would again
be crowned Hammer of the Year, the only player other than Sir Trevor
Brooking to claim the award three seasons in a row. He was also named as the
Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year, an incredible feat
considering his club were relegated in bottom place. In doing so, he became
the only Hammer aside from Bobby Moore to win the award.
Parker started West Ham's 2011/12 Championship campaign, notching one goal
in four league appearances, this coming in a 4-0 win at Watford. At the age
of 30, Parker knew he may only have one opportunity left to play in an
international tournament and, with Euro 2012 on the horizon, was aware that
he would have to be playing Premier League football. With his children in
school in the local area, Parker opted to remain in London and signed for
close rivals Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £5.5m. Parker made 129
appearances for West Ham in all competitions, scoring 12 goals.
Parker was named Tottenham's Player of the Year in his first season with the
club, playing in 29 league matches as the club finished fourth but were
denied Champions League qualification as Chelsea won that competition and
would compete as holders despite finishing sixth in the Premier League.
Parker's move to Spurs paid off in that he cemented his England place, being
named Man of the Match in a friendly against European and World champions
Spain in November 2011 and appearing as captain of his country against the
Netherlands in February 2012. Parker started all four matches at Euro 2012
as England made the quarter-finals. However, an Achilles injury picked up
during the tournament would keep him out of the first four months of
2012/13. After 63 matches without scoring for Tottenham, he was on the move
to Fulham in August 2013, for whom he still plays today.
Scott Parker, disappointingly, received a mixed reception when he returned
to Upton Park as a Tottenham player in February 2013. I was one of the many
who gave him a standing ovation when he left the field that night,
remembering his four years of exceptional service rather than focusing on
the club he left us for. For me, Parker was a perfect picture of passion,
perseverance and pirouettes and I am sure he will be long remembered as a
West Ham United great. The video below is a tribute to his time in claret
and blue.
Referee
The referee on Sunday will be Jonathan Moss. West Ham lost all three games
in which Moss officiated in during 2013/14 – a 1-0 home defeat to Stoke, the
3-1 loss at Norwich and the 1-0 reverse at Everton. Moss was the man in the
middle for our 1-0 victory at Stoke the season before. He also took charge
of our home draws against Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion earlier this
season
Possible line-ups
Tottenham Hotspur have a fully fit squad to call upon for the visit of the
Hammers. Harry Kane is almost certain to be restored to the starting line-up
after being rested against Fiorentina on Thursday.
West Ham United will be without Morgan Amalfitano who serves the first of a
three-match suspension for his red card at West Brom. Winston Reid and James
Collins are back in contention, as is Matt Jarvis. Cheikhou Kouyate injured
an arm in training earlier this week and is a doubt, as is Diafra Sakho who
has reportedly suffered a slight recurrence of his back injury.
Possible Tottenham Hotspur XI: Lloris; Walker, Fazio, Vertonghen, Davies;
Paulinho, Bentaleb; Lamela, Dembele, Eriksen; Kane.
Possible West Ham United XI: Adrian; Jenkinson, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell;
Song, Noble, Nolan; Downing; Cole, Valencia.
Enjoy the game – Up The Hammers!
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A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE
By Iain Dale 20 Feb 2015 at 12:42
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Marvin Carter
I wanted to add a comment in support of Bianca Westwood's post yesterday,
but wanted to add something a little more in depth.
If I can start with the F A Cup. The performance at West Brom was no worse
than when we played Bristol City. Both games were poor from our point of
view and I felt we approached the games with the same arrogant attitude that
we were going to win whatever happened as this was going to be our year. It
seemed the players, the manager, the owners and the fans had already seen
our name written on the Cup and therefore the team didn't really have to do
very much to get through. We were lucky against Bristol City as we managed
to clear their two main chances off the line in the first half and were only
saved from embarrassment by Diafra Sakho. At West Brom, the body language
and attitude of the players was exactly the same, even when we went 2-0
down. It seemed we all thought that a bit of magic from Sakho would get us
back into it. He nearly did score, but it was 3-0 by then and too late for
it to have made any difference.
How can the owners have stipulated a good cup run this year as some kind of
demand on the manager and the team? Shouldn't we try our best to have a good
cup run every year? The F A Cup has so many variables being a knock out
competition that it's impossible to demand that we do well on any one
particular campaign. We should be giving it our best shot every time, every
game, always hoping to get in the hat for the next round. We should have
gone to West Brom with a siege mentality, defending for our lives, fighting
for every ball and breaking quickly on the counter attack. Did the manager
not remember what Tony Pulis did to us when he took over at Palace last
season? We went into the game at the Hawthorns believing our own hype,
thinking that we'd just need to turn up to get through. I don't think it had
anything to do with tiredness or anything else, it was simply a misguided
conception that we were going to get to Wembley this year regardless.
Big Sam has been pilloried for his style of play since the day he was
appointed as manager. But as Bianca has pointed out, he has done everything
that has been asked of him and has put us on a solid footing for going
forwards. I would like to draw a comparison with his seemingly obstinate
favouritism of his Captain, Kevin Nolan. I remember John Lyall always
picking Pat Holland in the 1970's. Holland was a trier, but he was booed
more often than not and ridiculed by the fans for a decade or more. I used
to stand in the North Bank and there was a bloke in the crowd who always
used to shout out 'take off Holland'. He always got a laugh as it was always
what everyone else was thinking. He got an even bigger laugh when he said it
when Holland wasn't even playing, such was the irony of using Holland as a
scapegoat for every poor performance. The point I'm making is that all
managers have their favourites, players that rarely seem to justify their
inclusion in the team as far as the fans are concerned.
I've read that the performance at West Brom is the worst that West Ham have
ever played. Well, I've seen plenty worse, that's for sure. I'm thinking of
the time I went to Loftus Road, 31/01/78, to watch in horror as QPR thrashed
us 6-1 in the F A Cup and even worse, far worse, when I went to Anfield,
07/04/84, to witness a 6-0 drubbing in Division 1. Liverpool could have
scored 10 that day, it was so easy. And for those with rose tinted
spectacles, we had Brooking and Bonds playing against both QPR and Liverpool
and John Lyall was the manager!
What is the West Ham way? To me the West Ham way is how we played against
Eintracht Frankfurt in 1976, in the semi final of the ECWC, how we played
against Liverpool in 2006, in the F A Cup final and how we played against
Man City earlier on this season. We play the West Ham way when we've got
good players, who are good on the ball and are skilful. We've played some
good stuff under Big Sam, under Alan Pardew, under John Lyall and Ron
Greenwood. But we've played some dire stuff under every single one of them
too!
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IT AIN'T OVER UNTIL....
By Sean Whetstone 20 Feb 2015 at 08:12
West Ham Till I Die
Despite all the hype about Sam Allardyce leaving in the summer at the end of
his contract I understand no final decision has been made and won't be made
until a board meeting is held towards or at the end of the season.
What is clear and very prudent of the West Ham board is they are preparing a
list of possible replacements for Sam Allardyce should they eventually agree
it is time for a change, should Sam decide he wants a change or negotiations
over a new contract break down. Sam Allardyce's contracts are negotiated by
his agent Mark Curtis and there is every chance Sam & Mark want more than
the reported £3m in wages and bonuses he already receives as manager of West
Ham.
One name who is definitely on that list is former Hammers central defender
Slavan Bilic who refused to deny West Ham had contacted him indirectly.
Yesterday he said "Have West Ham contacted me? I wouldn't like to talk about
that, and that's it."
Back in 2008 Blilic 'I always said that, if I come back to English football,
I want it to be as manager of West Ham, but I have a contract with Croatia
until 2010 and intend to honour it.'
Bilic made 48 league appearances for the Hammers from 1996-97 after being
bought by Harry Redknapp for £1.3m which was a club record at the time.
Bilic wanted a move to a bigger club and in 1997 he moved to Everton for
£4.5m. Things didn't work out at Everton and they decided to cut their
losses with Bili? in1999, leaving him free to choose a new club but unwanted
in England he continued to play only for Croatia on a £27,000-a-week
contract with Everton, while living in Zagreb. Everton eventually agreed to
give Bili? a million-pound payoff, representing around half of the balance
remaining on his lucrative contract which still had 28 months to run.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce defends his West Ham record as speculation grows over his
Upton Park future
22:30, 20 February 2015 By Rob Maul
Big Sam met with his paymasters after last week's defeat at West Brom and
looks increasingly likely to leave in the summer
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce defended his record as West Ham manager – as his spell in
charge looks to be coming to an end. MirrorSport reported on Wednesday that
Allardyce held talks with the owners in the aftermath of last weekend's 4-0
FA Cup hammering at West Brom (see gallery below). His deal expires at the
end of the season and the club hierarchy are considering replacements.
Yesterday, though, the 60-year-old spoke with pride about his
three-and-a-half-year tenure at Upton Park and how the club had progressed
from the depths of the Championships, via the play-offs, to Premier League
stability. Asked if he wanted to remain in charge, with the club moving to
the Olympic stadium in 2016, Allardyce said: "I've never said I didn't want
to stay here. We've made good progress. "Look back at what the club were
when I got here. Look back at 2011 and you can say we have since forged a
structure at the football club that is hopefully going to breed success.
"We've managed to put in an infrastructure that has grown the club from
where it was when I came in until, at this moment in time, a top-half
Premier League club in my fourth season."
On the subject of his own future, with numerous managers being linked to his
position, Allardyce said: "I don't really listen to it. It doesn't affect
me. I don't take any notice of it. I just do my job." Allardyce wants a
response from his players following the Hawthorns horror show. But is
without new Brazilian forward Nene over fitness and international clearance.
Allardyce missed out on Emmanuel Adebayor in the transfer window and has
lamented the failure since. He added: "Any player with the ability he has,
is my kind of player. But it wasn't to be."
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Hammers unsure on midfielder deal
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 20, 2015 in Whispers
Claret 7 Hugh
West Ham are cooling on a permanent Alex Song deal. The midfielder hasn't
been at his best since returning from Africa in January when ending his
international career with the Cameroon. And the failed move for Darren
Fletcher later in the month was an indicator the club may be ready to look
elsewhere. Now it is becoming increasingly unlikely that the club will be
ready to splash out up to £15 million on the transfer fee and £70k – £80k
wages the player will want. A source told ClaretandHugh said: "He has been
out of sorts in recent weeks although it's important to remember he's not a
guy who tries to play the easy pass. "However, some questions are being
asked and the chances of the club getting involved in a battle for him are
receding a bit. "It's still too early to make a final judgement but from all
I hear I'd say the chances have gone from 50/50 t0 about 70/30 against."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gold leaps to Carroll's defence
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 20, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
David Gold is convinced that Andy Carroll has a bright West Ham future
despite his ongoing injury problems. Manager Sam Allardyce this morning
declared of the latest Carroll injury: "It has to be a concern, there's no
doubt about that. He's been picking up injuries for three or four years.
"But the specialists say there's no long-term problem there, so we would
hope that he'll recover from this – and hopefully that'll be the case for a
period of time." But Gold believes the player's major problems – heel and
ankle are now totally under control and told ClaretandHugh: "Once he returns
from the knee setback – which is an entirely new issue – he should be fine.
"We have learned how to look after the heel problem and the ankle problem
has now been dealt with. He had a loose ankle and should have had surgery
before joining us but that is now totally solved. The ankle is fine."Once we
get him back from his latest problem he and the club are due an injury-free
spell. We need a change of luck because what happened at southampton was
just desperately UNLUCKY. "People have been writing him off for a long time
and he has this playboy image promoted by the media but I know better. he's
a complete professional and I'm sure he has a long and bright future at this
club.
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Let's remember Sam's Nene words!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 20, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
I never believed we were likely to see Nene on the bench against Spurs on
Sunday even if required despite David Gold's optimistic tweet of a few days
ago. The Brazilian hasn't played for a month and I trust Sam Allardyce's
assessment that he is probably ten days to a fortnight away despite being
told privately that he could be ready within a week. What I'm not so sure
about is whether we will see him against Palace or indeed very much at all!
Time will of course tell. At heart I'm a cynic and have sat through too many
press conferences where managers have said the right thing at the right time
before allowing the initial high interest to erode along with fan interest.
Nene has been a big issue this week – along with the manager's own position
– on which he has really said nothing at all.
Indeed the Brazilian's arrival was perhaps a convenient distraction with the
manager claiming: "He's a naturally fit player and he's not far away. I
think ten days to two weeks before he's ready.. He could be ready for the
Crystal Palace – we'll have to wait and see."
Indeed we will although with a fortnight being such a long time in football
there's a danger of course that we will all forget the assessment from Sam.
I hope that Sakho and Valencia are in such fine form that there's no need to
call on him and will be carefully tracking and remembering these words. The
manager's comments on his own position in fact represented a zero response.
Indeed it would be difficult for him to do anything else and he's probably
responding in the only way possible by repeating the party line that all
will be decided at the end of the season. However, the situation is in fact
very straightforward. The club is looking for a replacement and only should
they fail to find the right person will he be offered some sort of deal. And
should that be the case can any of us see him turning around and saying:
"Thank you very much Daves …of course!"
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16 weeks for Carroll
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 20, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Andy Carroll is facing 16 WEEKS on the sidelines. ClaretandHugh has learned
the player will be ready to re-start his battle for match fitness in plenty
of time for the new season. The club learned earlier this week that the four
month lay-off has been confirmed with a source declaring: "It's 16 weeks.
That's been confirmed." "Andy should – according to our reports from medics
– be okay to join the squad as it reassembles for the pre-season." "There
should be no problems beyond that."
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Sam proud of his Irons reign
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 21, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce – having seemingly started a long goodbye from
Upton Park – has taken time out to defend his record at the club. Sam is
very much a 'Marmite Man' – you either do or you don't – but the guy himself
has no doubts that he has done a great job with us. It is a fact that with
his deal ending at the end of the season the club are lcompiling a list of
possible replacements with one source telling ClaretandHugh last night
"It's time for a change. Everything moves on…we need a different brand of
football." But as the clouds hover around him the 60 year old spoke with
justified pride about his three-and-a-half-years in charge, And when asked
if he ACTUALLY wants to stay he said: "I've never said I didn't want to stay
here. We've made good progress. "Look back at what the club were when I got
here. Look back at 2011 and you can say we have since forged a structure at
the football club that is hopefully going to breed success. "We've managed
to put in an infrastructure that has grown the club from where it was when I
came in until, at this moment in time, a top-half Premier League club in my
fourth season." Tomnorrow he meets Spurs – a team the Hammers beat three
times last season following last weekend's devastating FA Cup shocker at
West Bromwich Albion.
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Sam is right: This game is MASSIVE
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 21, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Finally, back to the football and after the horror show of last weekend.
tomorrow can't come soon enough! Once again Sam has dominated the agenda
throughout the week but tomorrow the team really has to perform for him at
White Hart Lane. With the exception of Andy Carroll, everybody is reported
fit and in the words of co chairman David Gold: "There has to be a
response." Victory will see the team close within two points of Spurs
although regardless of what happens at Swansea immediately below us (v
Manchester United ) or at Southampton where Liverpool (immediately above us)
are involved tomorrow, our position in eighth place is safe for the weekend.
Last season the manager came up with an extraordinary plan to play no
strikers in our first White Hart Lane encounter as we scored a 3-0 victory.
That was only our second win in seven league games and we had to wait until
the end of November for our next – another 3-0 win over Fulham. Victory
tomorrow is even more important given we have had just one win in the last
eight PL games along with the disastrous FA Cup excursion last weekend. The
manager – despite all the chat surrounding his future – sums tomorrow up
like this: " We've lost our goalscoring touch at the moment and we've
struggled to put our chances in the back of the net. "We had been fluent in
that area at the start of the season. Obviously that is key to any team
doing well and I think that is why we have drawn some games we should have
won.
" It's a massive game for us and hopefully we do as well as we did there
last season. "I think the next 13 games as a whole will determine our
season. A win in a derby team is a bonus for us all, particularly the fans.
We're concentrating on winning as many games as possible from now on until
the end of the season."
Defeat at White Hart Lane is incredibly hard to take – and pride is the key
to everything tomorrow. With only AC absent there can be no excuses. And
after the events of last weekend every fan expects! Sam used exactly the
right word. This game is indeed MASSIVE!
COYI
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Irons drop big Bilic hint
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 19, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Slaven Bilic is in the frame as a possible next West Ham boss. Media reports
that the former Hammer could maker a hero's return to the Boleyn next season
look to be worth respect as the club continues to compile a list of
possibles candidates that also includes Marseilles boss Marcelo Bielsa. A
well placed club source told ClaretandHugh, however, that it could be
another two months before a final decision is taken on who will become the
club's 21st manager.
Bilic – who made 48 appearances for the club in the nineties – refused to
deny there had been contact between himself and the club in Liverpool this
today. The former Hammer is on merseyside for a Europa League clash and was
asked whether his future may be at the Boleyn.
He said: "All I can say is I am happy at Besiktas. Have West Ham contacted
me? I wouldn`t like to talk about that."
Bilic, however, is a contender with our West Ham source dropping a massive
hint when telling ClaretandHugh this afternoon: "He has to say he's happy
doesn't he? "There are a number of irons in the fire but the situation won't
be aggressively addressed until 5-6 weeks before the end of the season.
"Currently we are looking and getting our list together because you can't
put all your eggs in one or two baskets."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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http://www.avast.com
WHUFC.com
The manager faces the press ahead of Sunday's trip to White Hart Lane
20.02.2015
Sam Allardyce is keen for his West Ham United side to show their
bouncebackability when they take on Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. On the back
of a disappointing FA Cup exit at West Bromwich Albion, the Hammers boss is
well aware of the need to give the fans something to cheer at White Hart
Lane and he believes his side possess the tools to do that.
In his pre-match press conference he faced questions on team news, European
ambitions and more.
Has Nene's international clearance come through yet and is he available to
play on Sunday?
SA: "Whether it has come through or not he won't be available to play
because he isn't match fit yet. He's a naturally fit player and he's not far
away, I think ten days to two weeks before he's ready. We'll monitor his
progress, he could be ready for the Crystal Palace game, we'll have to wait
and see. It's nice to have him here with the CV he's got and we're looking
forward to working to with him."
With 13 games to go, does he have an important role in the club?
SA: "I think so definitely. We've lost our goalscoring touch at the moment
and we've struggled to put our chances in the back of the net. We had been
fluent in that area at the start of the season. Obviously that is key to any
team doing well and I think that is why we have drawn some games we should
have won. "Hopefully we find that touch on Sunday, against Tottenham our big
rivals in a big London derby. It's a massive game for us and hopefully we do
as well as we did there last season."
How important is this game in terms of reaching a European place?
SA: "We need to rekindle our winning mentality, we've been playing very well
recently but haven't been collecting enough wins. We have to maintain that
level to qualify for Europe and certainly beating the big boys will be
difficult but not impossible.
There have been question marks over your future at the Club, how do you deal
with that?
SA: "The same way I deal with most things in the game, I don't listen to it.
It's not my desire to listen to praise or criticism. I like to be
professional and work with the people within the football club to try and
get the best out of them. I hear things but I don't take any notice of it. "
Does it concern you that information is getting out there about X, Y and Z
being linked with your job?
SA: "Not really, there was speculation last season same as this season, I
think there always will be. It seems to me it occurs if and when you get a
bad result."
Andy Carroll is out injured for a while. How have the players reacted to
that?
SA: "Everyone is very disappointed and he's very disappointed himself. These
things happen in football, unfortunately for Andy it is happening too often.
He's managed to overcome the last injury and came back and did well. I think
he was getting back to his best and then a different injury happened. We can
only hope that sooner rather than later he can overcome these problems for
good. He was scoring goals and playing well, it was difficult making choices
between him, Diafra Sakho, Carlton Cole and Enner Valencia because they were
all at the top of their game.
It isn't quite happening for the strikers at the moment. Can you put your
finger on quite why?
SA: "Yes, it's their first season here, in English football. They're not
used to the level of football we play on a regular basis. They're not used
to the demand, both physically and mentally and as a result there in a
little bit of a lull trying to cope with that. There is no let up at this
level. They haven't experienced a Christmas like we have here. It takes it
toll on everyone but the experienced players know how to deal with it
better."
Apart from Andy Carroll and Nene, is everybody else fit and raring to go?
SA: "Yes at the moment. Matt Jarvis, Winston Reid and James Collins have all
recovered. Where we go from here will depend on how fit we keep the players.
We will strive to push on and try and get as many players fit for the rest
of the season."
Harry Kane has been in excellent form this season, scoring all types of
goals. Will you be looking to stop the supply line to him?
SA: "Absolutely, that's one way of stopping him. We are aware of his
capabilities. He was a surprise at the start of the season and no one
expected him to make such an impact. But he's been brilliant. He was an
unknown quantity, a bit like Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho. But now
everyone knows what to expect, the fact he's managed to keep on scoring
shows you how good he really is."
When you cast your mind back to that 3-0 win last season, does it seem like
a long time ago now?
SA: "Yeah, with no strikers either. It was a great result, one of the best
performances and results in my time here at the Club. We were in such a
difficult position with no strikers available and it seemed to work
surprisingly well.
Tottenham have played the most games out of any side in the Premier League.
Have you been surprised with how well they've coped?
SA: "I wouldn't say I've been surprised but I am impressed. He's managed to
find out as quickly as possible what his players are capable of. He's
rotated his team on a regular basis and he has a very talented squad to work
with. As a result he's managed to keep his players happy which is very
important. They've performed for him exceptionally well and he's done an
excellent job."
Following Sunday's game, you've got three other London derbies afterwards.
Is it fair to say your season will be determined by what happens in London?
SA: "I think the next 13 games as a whole will determine our season. A win
in a derby team is a bonus for us all, particularly the fans. We're
concentrating on winning as many games as possible from now on until the end
of the season."
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Page signs new contract
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Lewis Page has signed a new contract keeping him at the
club until 2017
20.02.2015
West Ham United are delighted to announce that 18-year-old defender Lewis
Page has signed a professional contract with the Club, keeping him at the
Boleyn Ground until summer 2017. The highly rated left-back has been a
mainstay of the West Ham United Development Squad this term, making 13
starts as well as featuring on the bench for the first team in their League
Cup game against Sheffield United. Speaking after signing his new contract,
Page said: "I'm delighted, I can't wait to get going. I heard the new
contract was coming about two or three weeks ago. I've just been waiting to
sign it. "Alongside signing my scholarship, it's definitely one of the
highlights of my career so far, it's great."
Having joined the Club at just ten years old, the talented left-back, who
can also play at centre-back, is the latest player from West Ham United's
prestigious Academy to sign a contract with the club. When asked to describe
his best attributes, Page replied: "I like to go forward from left-back and
get crosses in to the box. I'm enthusiastic and I'd like to think I can
defend well too. "I love watching Aaron Cresswell play, in games as well as
training. He's great going forward as well as defensively. He's got
everything you need to be a good left back. "It's a great experience to be
training with him, I'm learning a lot. Carl Jenkinson too, he's on the other
wing but I still look up to him and see what he does."
Page is one of a number of exciting prospects to make the first-team bench
this season, alongside the likes of Reece Burke, Elliot Lee and Reece
Oxford, among others. Having been forced out of action for the last few
weeks due to injury, Page is raring to get back playing.
"I had a thigh injury which has kept me out for almost six weeks but I'm
almost ready to get back into training. I just want to get out there and
show what I can do. "Being involved with the first team squad is great.
Obviously I hope I can be involved as much as possible for the rest of the
season."
West Ham United Academy Manager and Head of Coaching and Player Development
Director Terry Westley spoke of his delight at the news of Page committing
his future to the Club. "I'm delighted for him. He's a great player and he
always works hard. I'm delighted with the progress he's been making and he
deserves the new deal. "He's been training with the first team for a while
now and he's impressed all the coaching staff there. I hope Lewis continues
to work hard because he has a bright future here at West Ham United."
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A message from the Joint-Chairmen
WHUFC.com
A message to our supporters travelling to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday
20.02.2015
We would like to thank you for purchasing a ticket to support the team in
Sunday's Barclays Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur.
Your loyal and unwavering support is greatly appreciated by all at the Club,
from us on the Board right through to the players, and we are looking
forward to you creating a superb atmosphere in what promises to be a
passionate London derby at White Hart Lane.
Sunday's match will see us take 3,000 fans a few miles across London, but
the 5,500 who travelled last week to West Bromwich Albion had further to
travel and we are sorry that you did not have more to cheer that day. We
wanted to thank our fans for making the effort to travel to the Midlands
last week and in particular for the many messages we have received this week
in support for the direction we have taken over this season, building again
for an improved finish in the Premier League.
Sam and the team have been working hard on the training pitch this week to
put last week's wrongs right and Sunday's game offers an exciting
opportunity for us to bounce back. We would also like to remind all fans
attending the match at White Hart Lane that they will be acting as
ambassadors for West Ham United and their behaviour should reflect the
values and standards of our Club.
Working with the Metropolitan Police, the Club will continue to adopt a zero
tolerance policy towards any form of discriminatory behaviour and any fan
found to be acting inappropriately - including racist, anti-Semitic and
homophobic behaviour - will be punished to the full extent of the law and
banned from attending matches.
We are rightly proud of our world-famous support home and away and we look
forward to the famous Claret and Blue Army once again getting behind the
team with all their heart and showing the world that following the Hammers
means supporting with pride, passion and respect.
David Sullivan and David Gold
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New date for Man City
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will travel to Manchester City on Sunday 19 April
20.02.2015
West Ham United's away Barclays Premier League fixture at Manchester City
has been moved back a day to Sunday 19 April. The City of Manchester Stadium
clash will kick-of at 1.30pm as the Hammers look to complete a league double
over last season's champions. Please note that this date remains subject to
change in the event Manchester City qualify for the UEFA Champions League
quarter-finals and are scheduled to play the following Tuesday.
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Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
Lifelong West Ham United fan Mark Noble looks forward to Sunday's trip to
north London
19.02.2015
Hello everyone,
We are off to White Hart Lane on Sunday and you don't need me to tell you
how important Tottenham away is to everyone associated with West Ham United.
We won there twice last season and we'd love to make it three in a row, but
it will not be easy by any stretch. I think they are a different team now.
Mauricio Pochettino has got them playing very well and obviously they've got
the likes of Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane is flying now. They've got a
good team and a good squad and it's going to be tough, so we need to go
there and play our best game, or else we'll get turned over. I'm sure the
fans will be buzzing for the game on Sunday and it's live on TV, so I'm
looking forward to it, as are all the lads.
After going to Spurs, we have Crystal Palace and Chelsea at home in the
space of five days, then we go into the closing straight of the last ten
games. A lot of our final set of fixtures are against teams in the bottom
half, but those can be the hardest matches. We've been in that position
ourselves and we've done it to other teams when we're scrapping for our
lives and they are safe and they have less to play for. We need to go into
those games fully equipped to have a battle or else we'll get turned over,
so I'm sure we'll be ready for them. We can't let the season tail-off - we
need to finish as strong as we can.
Expectations are as high as I can remember at this Club but that's a help
rather than a hindrance because we want to be as high as we can. You can't
get used to fighting relegation. Any team in the bottom ten is in the
relegation scrap and has been over the last few seasons. If you lose a
couple of games and the teams below you win a couple, you are suddenly two
points away from safety. Every team is getting stronger and that's the way
seasons are going now, so you have to be as strong as possible to cope in
this league.
I was delighted to see Tonks sign a new long-term contract recently and it's
great to see the home-grown players representing this Club.
We have seen a few of the Academy boys in the squad, but it's getting a lot
harder to break into the first team - and that's the same for young players
at every Premier League club. The mental side of playing in the Premier
League now and the pressure on clubs financially to stay in it makes it more
difficult for them to bring youngsters in, especially if they are fighting
against relegation.
It's tough but I'd say to those boys to keep working hard, don't get bored
of training well and not playing because you will get your chance, whether
it is here or somewhere else. They need to be ready when that chance comes.
Back to this weekend and I hope all of you travelling to north London have a
safe and enjoyable trip, and the rest of you enjoy watching the game with
your family and your mates.
Come on you Irons!
Nobes
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Akinola eyeing Canaries win
WHUFC.com
U18 defender Tunji Akinola believes his team has what it takes to overcome
Norwich
20.02.2015
West Ham United U18 defender Tunji Akinola is looking forward to facing
Norwich City on Saturday 21 February as the Hammers look to finish inside
the top four of the Barclays U18 Premier League south division. The
16-year-old defender has been an important figure at the back for the U18s,
playing 15 games. Speaking ahead of Saturday game, at Little Heath, the
young defender said: "I played against Aston Villa last weekend, it was a
good game. They're second in the league so they're a decent team. They have
a few internationals in their side."I thought we played well, we dominated
for large parts of the game so we were unlucky not to win." In the reverse
fixture, the Hammers secured a 1-0 win over Norwich thanks to a late Jerry
Amoo goal. Since then, the Canaries have struggled this season, and are
currently bottom of the south division with 12 points from 19 games.
"Hopefully, we'll be able to beat Norwich, we've beaten them before this
season. They haven't won many games this season, so hopefully we'll get the
result we want. "We want to get into the top four for the play offs. With
the players we've got, that's definitely something we're aiming for and
something we all think we can achieve. We'll need to win our last two games
but I don't see why that won't happen." "We've pressed the opposition really
well recently, particularly as a team and we've been creating chances.
Hopefully we'll continue to do that on Saturday."
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West Ham fined by the FA for failing to control players
BBC.co.uk
West Ham have been fined £30,000 by the Football Association for failing to
control their players in their recent 0-0 draw at Southampton.
The sanction relates to an incident which followed the dismissal of West Ham
goalkeeper Adrian for handling the ball outside his penalty area. The red
card was subsequently overturned on appeal. West Ham admitted a charge of
failing to ensure its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion.
Adrian was sent off by referee Craig Pawson for the first time in his career
after losing possession under pressure from Southampton striker Sadio Mane
and falling on the ball. The Spaniard, 28, appeared to touch the ball with a
hand to prompt the red card which was met with protests from a number of
West Ham players. Southampton, who are third in the Premier League, face
Liverpool at St Mary's on Sunday (16.15 GMT) while the Hammers, who are
eighth, face a London derby against Tottenham at White Hart Lane (12.00
GMT).
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Tottenham v West Ham
KO 12:00
20 February 2015
By Conor McNamara
BBC Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: White Hart Lane Date: Sunday, 22 February
TEAM NEWS
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino rotated his squad against Fiorentina on
Thursday and is set to recall key players such as Harry Kane.
Pochettino has reported no new injury concerns and will have a fully-fit
squad at his disposal.
West Ham trio Winston Reid, Matt Jarvis and James Collins are all available
after recovering from injuries. Andy Carroll remains out with a knee problem
and new signing Nene will not feature as he lacks match fitness.
MATCH PREVIEW
If you're a Tottenham Hotspur fan the dream scenario over the next week is
to win three games and virtually guarantee that this season is deemed a
success. Three victories would deliver the League Cup, a place in the last
16 of the Europa League and a continued presence in the race for a top-four
finish. With Harry Kane having scored 11 times in his last 10 top-flight
appearances, anything seems possible.
There is always a flip side of course, and three defeats could drag
Tottenham's season off the rails. Which is a bit how West Ham United fans
are feeling at the moment, having seen their team only score one goal in
the past four league and cup games. Lawro's prediction
"Tottenham pinched the points with an injury-time winner at Upton Park when
these two sides met on the first day of the season. They are a completely
different side now, though, and I think they will show it with a much more
convincing performance."
Sam Allardyce's side have improved in leaps and bounds this season, helped
by a strong recruitment drive last summer. Players like Alex Song, Diafra
Sakho, Enner Valencia and Cheikhou Kouyate elevated the club to a top-four
place until mid-December. But with improvement comes expectation, and last
weekend's humiliating 4-0 exit from the FA Cup at West Bromwich Albion has
left West Ham's season in danger of petering out. At the club's Chadwell
Heath training ground on Friday, Allardyce said any new contract would not
be talked about until the end of the season. "I don't listen to praise or
criticism" said Big Sam, reminding fans of his cupped ear gesture to the
crowd after the home win against Hull last season. The last time these sides
met, both had a man sent off and Eric Dier scored a last-minute winner on
his Spurs' debut. It was also Mauricio Pochettino's first league game in
charge of Tottenham. Next weekend the Argentine will hope to lift his first
trophy for the club - and victory against the Hammers would be the perfect
fillip ahead of the short trip to Wembley.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
West Ham have won just one of their last 12 league games at White Hart Lane
(D4, L7) - but the Hammers are chasing a third successive win there in all
competitions. They won this fixture 3-0 last season, claiming their first
win at Spurs since 1999, and two months later triumphed 2-1 in a League Cup
game.
Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs are unbeaten in their last seven home matches in the league (W5, D2) -
having lost four of their first six. They have conceded 10 goals in their
six Premier League games in 2015, keeping just one clean sheet. Harry Kane
has scored 11 times in his last 10 top-flight appearances. Eight of Spurs'
last 10 Premier League victories have been by a 2-1 scoreline. Tottenham
have conceded seven Premier League penalties - more than any other side
prior to the latest round of matches. They have recovered 15 points from
losing positions this term - the joint-highest figure in the division (along
with Crystal Palace) prior to this weekend.
West Ham United
The Hammers have won one of eight league games since Christmas (D4, L3).
West Ham have never had more points at this stage of a Premier League
season. They also claimed 38 points from their opening 25 games in 1997-98
and 2005-06. The last top-flight season in which they did better was
1985-86, when they had 48 points at this stage. This is the first of four
successive London derbies for West Ham - after Sunday's game they host
Crystal Palace and Chelsea before visiting Arsenal.
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In brief - Saturday's news round-up
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 21st February 2015
By: Jack Hammer
Get the very latest West Ham news in one place, with our new daily media
round-up!
West Ham's Sam Allardyce to Tottenham's Harry Kane: PROVE you're not a one
season wonder!
SAM ALLARDYCE has challenged Harry Kane to prove he is not a one season
wonder.
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/426749/West-Ham-s-Sam-Allardyce-To
ttenham-s-Harry-Kane-PROVE-you-re-not-one-season-wonder
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce laments missing out on Tottenham's Emmanuel
Adebayor
Sam Allardyce believes he could have gotten the best out of Emmanuel
Adebayor had he been able to land the Tottenham striker in January.
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11685/9724381/west-ham-boss-sam-alla
rdyce-laments-missing-out-on-tottenhams-emmanuel-adebayor
Sam Allardyce: I am not losing grip on West Ham job
AM ALLARDYCE has defended his record as West Ham manager amid growing
speculation he will depart this summer.
http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/559548/Sam-Allardyce-West-Ham-job
West Ham fined £30,000 for failing to control their players
West Ham have been fined £30,000 by the Football Association for failing to
control their players during the recent draw at Southampton.
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11685/9723904/west-ham-fined-1633000
0-for-failing-to-control-their-players
Sam Allardyce's relationship with West Ham United and its fans has never
been a harmonious one
There is no love story between Sam Allardyce and West Ham United. Never has
been, never will be.
http://metro.co.uk/2015/02/20/sam-allardyces-relationship-with-west-ham-unit
ed-and-its-fans-has-never-been-a-harmonious-one-5071764/
Nene to make his West Ham debut in two weeks time
BRAZILIAN FORWARD Nene is unlikely to play for West Ham for potentially two
weeks – due to fitness concerns and administration delays.
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/426660/Nene-to-make-his-West-Ham-d
ebut-in-two-weeks-time
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FA steal another 30 grand
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 20th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham have been fined £30,000 by the FA for apparently failing to control
their players. According to the Football Association, the club have been
fined as a result of "failing to ensure its players conducted themselves in
an orderly fashion," during the goalless draw at Southampton last week. The
charge is said to relate to "an incident which occurred in or around the
61st minute of the game" - roughly the same time Adrian was dismissed by
referee Craig Pawson, a decision rescinded three days later upon appeal.
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Nene set to miss Spurs trip
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 20th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce says that new arrival Nene is unlikely to feature at Tottenham
on Sunday due to a lack of match fitness. The 33-year-old Brazilian striker
arrived at West Ham this week on a free transfer. However he is unlikely to
be thrown into the lion's den at White Hart Lane this weekend, according to
Allardyce. "It's great to have a player like Nene, with his CV, at the club.
We're all looking forward to seeing him play," said Allardyce, speaking at
this morning's pre-match press conference. "But Nene isn't ready physically
yet as he's just started training with us. It'll be about 10 days - maybe
two weeks - before he's ready."
On the plus side, Big Sam is delighted to have first team defenders Winston
Reid and James Collins available for selection once more following their
recent lay-offs - plus winger Matt Jarvis. "Having those players back for us
is huge," he admitted. "If we avoid further injuries we'll have a good rest
of the season."
Meanwhile Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino faces something of a selection
quandary this weekend as he prepares to approach three games within a week.
Four days after West Ham's visit to White Hart Lane, Tottenham travel to
Italy for the second leg of a Europa League tie - which itself comes just
three days before the face Chelsea in the Capital One Cup Final.
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Allardyce concerned by string of Carroll injuries
KUMB.com,
Filed: Friday, 20th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce admitted this morning that he has concerns over Andy Carroll's
long-term future in the game. West Ham's 26-year-old striker is likely to
miss the rest of the season and part of next year's pre-season having
recently undergone surgery to resolve a ligament problem. And that, combined
with the numerous other medical complaints the Newcastle-born goalscorer has
sustained during his time in east London, have led Allardyce to question
whether Carroll will ever be able to complete a full season. "It has to be a
concern, there's no doubt about that," admitted Big Sam this morning. "He's
been picking up injuries for three or four years. "But the specialists say
there's no long-term problem there, so we would hope that he'll recover from
this - and hopefully that'll be the case for a period of time." Allardyce
then likened the target man to Manchester United's Dutch international Robin
Van Persie, another player who suffered a string of injuries during his
younger years. "When he played for Arsenal, people were saying that Van
Persie never seems to finish a season," he added. "Then all of a sudden, at
maybe 27, he was free of all those injuries and started playing games on a
more regular basis and became an even better player than he was before. "So
we have to hope that'll be the case for Andy."
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Sam Allardyce: West Ham new boy Nene not fit for Tottenham trip
Last Updated: 20/02/15 2:52pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce has contradicted his chairman's claim that new signing Nene is
fit to make his debut this weekend. West Ham signed the Brazilian striker
this week on a deal until the end of the season, and David Gold tweeted on
Thursday to say the 33-year-old "is fit and ready to play". Gold added that
former Paris Saint-Germain forward Nene could be on the bench at Tottenham
on Sunday, but Allardyce dismissed that idea at his pre-match press
conference. He said: "Nene isn't ready physically yet. He's just started
training with us, it'll be about 10 days maybe two weeks before he's ready."
Reports this week suggested there had been tension between Allardyce and the
board over the signing, and West Ham's owners have form for making signings
above the manager's head having instigated last summer's move for Diafra
Sakho. But Allardyce said: "It's great to have a player like Nene, with his
CV, at the club. We're all looking forward to seeing him play."
The manager's contract is up in the summer, and there are no plans to
discuss his future until then. In the meantime, last weekend's FA Cup defeat
at West Brom brought criticism from some supporters. He said: "It's not my
desire to listen to praise or criticism, it's my desire to be professional
and work with the people in the football club to try and get best out of
them. "I know about it, but I don't take any notice of it. I just do my job
and on a day-to-day basis work with everybody at the football club,
including the owners. We move forward after the disappointment of last
week."
Allardyce expects to have centre-halves Winston Reid and James Collins
available this weekend for the first time since January 31, while winger
Matt Jarvis is also fit. "Having those players back for us is huge," he
said. "If we avoid further injuries we'll have a good rest of the season."
Reid was among the scorers when West Ham won 3-0 at White Hart Lane last
season, a result Allardyce described as "one of the best results in my time
here". Harry Kane has emerged as a consistent goalscorer for Spurs since
then, and the England hopeful is fresh after starting on the bench against
Fiorentina on Thursday. "Harry Kane is the main danger man," Allardyce said.
"He didn't start last night so we expect him to be ready for Sunday."
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce laments missing out on Tottenham's Emmanuel
Adebayor
Last Updated: 21/02/15 9:19am
SSN
Sam Allardyce believes he could have gotten the best out of Emmanuel
Adebayor had he been able to land the Tottenham striker in January.
West Ham came close to completing a loan move for the striker on the final
day of the January transfer window only for Spurs to pull out of the deal at
the last minute. With Harry Kane in inspired form, Adebayor faces an uphill
battle to break into the Spurs starting line-up and Allardyce says he would
have relished the prospect of working with the former Arsenal and Manchester
City man - despite his reputation for causing unrest. When asked what the
signing of Adebayor would have brought to West Ham, Allardyce simply
replied: "Goals. "If you see where he has gone and his initial impact at
where he has been would be that he comes into a football club and scores
goals on a regular basis. "If you see where he has gone and his initial
impact at where he has been would be that he comes into a football club and
scores goals on a regular basis." "So you use your management skills in
terms of looking at his personality, like you do with most players and
talking about wanting the best out of him while you are here, and wanting
him to enjoy your football and do what you do best - play and score goals.
"If you are in the transfer window and a quality player comes your way and
you think he is a quality player, some people say 'do you need a player in
that position?' - but the bottom line is that he is a quality player. "If
you can get him, for me you get him if you can afford him. That is what we
tried to do. There was such a short time frame at that time it was not
possible to be pulled off."
Allardyce's frustrations at missing out on Adebayor have been heightened by
the season-ending knee injury suffered by Hammers frontman Andy Carroll.
Allardyce conceded Adebayor would have been the perfect fit to step in with
Carroll sidelined but has now called on the likes of Enner Valencia, Carlton
Cole, Diafra Sakho and new arrival Nene to prove their worth. "Any player
with the ability that he has got is my kind of player," he added of
Adebayor. "Particularly with a relatively good goalscoring record. There can
be the odd blip that happens with a player of his character but sometimes
you deal with that as a manager. But it was not to be. "We have players here
that have got to perform from now to the end of the season. There is no let
up. "They can't take it easy and sit back on what they have done in the past
and they have got to continue to strive for the future and hit the levels we
have performed at for most of the season."
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West Ham fined £30,000 for failing to control their players
Last Updated: 20/02/15 5:39pm
SSN
West Ham have been fined £30,000 by the Football Association for failing to
control their players during the recent draw at Southampton.
The incident in question occurred after referee Craig Pawson sent off
goalkeeper Adrian just after the hour mark for handling the ball outside of
his penalty area. Although the Spaniard's red card was later overturned on
appeal, the FA has announced the club have been punished for their players'
reaction. A statement on the FA's official website confirmed: "Following an
independent regulatory commission hearing, West Ham United have been fined
£30,000 after the club admitted an FA charge of failing to ensure its
players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion. "The charge was in
relation to an incident which occurred in or around the 61st minute of the
game against Southampton on 11 February 2015." Adrian's dismissal saw West
Ham play with 10 men for the remaining half an hour at St Mary's - with Sam
Allardyce's side able to hold on for a goalless draw. Allardyce confirmed
immediately after the game that the club would appeal the red card and,
while that proved to be successful, the club have now been hit with a fine
for the separate charge. It is the second time this season West Ham have
been punished for failing to control their players following an incident in
a 2-1 defeat at Everton which saw both clubs handed the same charge.
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Tottenham host West Ham in second game of congested 17-day period
Last Updated: 20/02/15 6:17pm
SSN
Tottenham play the second of six games in 17 days as West Ham travel to
White Hart Lane on Sunday. Spurs kicked off their congested fixture list
with a disappointing draw with Fiorentina in the Europa League on Thursday.
Mauricio Pochettino now finds himself in the difficult position of having to
prioritise between trying to finish fourth in the league and trying to win
the Europa League as he looks to bring Champions League football back to the
Lane. Such was the nature of the draw; Pochettino may have an eye on the
second leg in Florence, as well as the Capital One Cup final which follows
three days later. West Ham will hope to catch Spurs off-guard just as they
did last season, when their 3-0 victory in the corresponding fixture proved
to be the highlight of their three victories against their London rivals.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has concerns that Andy Carroll may never
reach his full potential due to injuries. Eric Dier scored the winner in a
close encounter between the two sides on the opening day of the season, and
West Ham will be out to stop a run of four games without a victory.
Team news
Harry Kane is expected to return to Spurs starting line-up after he started
the Europa League last-32 tie with Fiorentina on the bench.
Kane, Ryan Mason and Mousa Dembele were rested for the 1-1 draw at White
Hart Lane on Thursday but all three are likely to come back in against the
Hammers. Spurs head coach Mauricio Pochettino has no injury concerns as his
side embark on their second of six games in 17 days.
West Ham will welcome both Winston Reid and James Collins back into their
squad for the short trip to North London. The defensive duo have been
missing with hamstring problems but are both back in training - as are Diego
Poyet and Cheikhou Kouyate, who is available despite suffering a minor arm
injury earlier in the week. Morgan Amalfitano is suspended and Nene, who was
signed earlier in the week after Andy Carroll (knee) had been ruled out for
the season, will also miss out as he is not yet match fit.
Opta facts
Harry Kane has scored 11 goals in his last 10 Premier League matches for
Tottenham.
There have been three red cards in the last two Premier League meetings
between West Ham and Spurs.
Eight of Spurs' last 10 Premier League victories have been by a 2-1
scoreline.
Tottenham have conceded more penalties than any other Premier League side
this season (7).
West Ham have scored more headed goals (14) than any other Premier League
team this season, also accounting for a divisional high 39 per cent of total
scored.
The Hammers have won just one of their last eight Premier League matches (W1
D4 L3).
Merson's prediction
The Europa League is back and that will have an effect on Tottenham in the
long run – but not against West Ham. It's difficult to play on Thursdays and
then again on a Sunday but they can put that to one side against a West Ham
side who have hit a brick wall. Spurs will keep the pressure on in the race
for the top four with a very good win.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1
Betting
Tottenham are Sky Bet's marginal odds-on favourites at 4/5 to claim the
points on Super Sunday, with West Ham 100/30 to leave White Hart Lane with a
win and 13/5 to share the spoils. Spurs head into the weekend behind
Arsenal, Manchester United, Southampton and Liverpool in the top-four
betting at 4/1. Harry Kane unsurprisingly commands favouritism in the first
goalscorer market at 100/30, while Diafra Sakho is considered the visitors'
biggest threat at 15/2 to net first.
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MATCH PREVIEW: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
By Dan Coker 21 Feb 2015 at 09:17
West Ham Till I Die
Greetings from the homeland of West Ham legend Ludek Miklosko and West Ham
liability Tomas Repka! This week's preview comes direct from a short break
in Prague, the beautiful capital city of the Czech Republic which, it turns
out, is not that "near Moscow" after all…
Blast from the past
2nd September 1981 – Soft Cell were number one with 'Tainted Love' but there
was nothing soft about David 'Psycho' Cross as he astonishingly bagged all
four goals in a 4-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in front of 41,200 at
White Hart Lane.
Tottenham, having opened the 1981/82 season with a 3-1 win at Middlesbrough,
were making their first appearance at White Hart Lane since winning the 1981
FA Cup. The Hammers, meanwhile, were back in the top flight after the Second
Division title-winning campaign the previous year and had drawn 1-1 at home
with Brighton in their opening fixture.
It was the visitors who opened the scoring in the first half though when a
Jimmy Neighbour cross from the right beat a crowd of players to find Cross
who fired a low first-time shot underneath the body of England goalkeeper
Ray Clemence, who was making his home debut for Spurs.
The second half was a treat for the travelling Claret and Blue Army – Cross
grabbed his second when firing in at the near post at the second attempt.
His hat-trick goal was a cracker after neat, one-touch build-up play; Frank
Lampard's lofted pass found Paul Goddard who sent a side-foot volleyed pass
down the left for Geoff Pike who, in turn, centred first-time for Cross to
finish expertly into the net. 'Psycho' grabbed his, and the Hammers', fourth
when Clemence went walkabout in his own penalty area and Cross provided the
finishing touch after a goalmouth melee by hammering home from within the
six-yard box.
Cross later said of his four-goal salvo: "For me to get four goals against
Tottenham in a West Ham shirt was the pinnacle of my career in terms of the
joy it brought to the West Ham fans". The Hammers would end the 1981/82
season in ninth position, while Tottenham would finish fourth.
The goals from this match, as well as an interview with 'Psycho' from that
evening, can be seen in the video below.
Tottenham Hotspur: Ray Clemence, Paul Price (Gordon Smith), Graham Roberts,
Paul Miller, Steve Perryman, Micky Hazard, Glenn Hoddle, Garry Brooke, Ricky
Villa, Tony Galvin, Mark Falco.
West Ham United: Phil Parkes, Ray Stewart, Alvin Martin, Billy Bonds, Frank
Lampard, Jimmy Neighbour, Geoff Pike, Paul Allen, Alan Devonshire, Paul
Goddard, David Cross.
Club Connections
A large group of players have turned out for Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham
United. Divided here by position, they include:
Goalkeepers: Bill Kaine, Tony Parks, Fred Griffiths.
Defenders: Calum Davenport, Paul Konchesky, Mark Bowen, Mauricio Tarrico,
Steve Walford, Simon Webster, Chris Hughton, Mitchell Thomas, Neil Ruddock.
Midfielders: Paul Allen, Jimmy Neighbour, Matthew Etherington, Mark Robson,
David Bentley, Ilie Dumitrescu, Martin Peters, John Smith, Michael Carrick,
John Moncur.
Strikers: Mido, Frederic Kanoute, Clive Allen, Sergei Rebrov, Dave Dunmore,
Teddy Sheringham, Jermain Defoe, Bill Joyce, Robbie Keane, Fred Massey,
Bobby Zamora, Les Ferdinand, Jimmy Greaves.
Both Jack Tresadern and Harry Redknapp played for the Hammers and managed
Spurs.
This week's focus though is on one of West Ham United's greatest players of
the twenty-first century who also spent two years with Tottenham Hotspur.
Scott Parker was born in Lambeth on 13th October 1980. A Lilleshall
graduate, Parker was the 13-year-old keepie-uppie star of a McDonalds advert
during the 1994 World Cup. He began his professional career at Charlton,
making his debut in 1997; he also had a brief loan spell with Norwich in
2000. He joined Chelsea in the winter window of 2004 for a fee of £10m but
found first team opportunities hard to come by and signed for Newcastle in
July 2005 for £6.5m. He was made captain the following summer by Glenn
Roeder but left for West Ham United to be reunited with his former Charlton
manager, Alan Curbishley, in a £7m deal in the summer of 2007.
Injury played a large part in Parker's early career in east London, with the
midfielder unable to make his debut until a League Cup win over Plymouth at
the Boleyn Ground in late September. Three days later Parker was injured
again during a home defeat to Arsenal and ruled out for a further two
months. His first goal for the club came three days before Christmas, the
last-minute winner in West Ham's first ever victory at Middlesbrough's
Riverside Stadium.
Parker's second goal for the club was over a year later, from close range in
a 2-1 defeat at Bolton in February 2009, by which time Gianfranco Zola had
taken over from Curbishley. His season was ended by injury the following
month but he had still done enough to win the 2008/09 Hammer of the Year
prize. The Irons struggled in 2009/10 and were second bottom of the Premier
League when Parker was sent off for two yellow cards in the 2-2 home draw
with Arsenal in October. His first goal of that season was a stunning,
dipping half-volley from distance to bring the Hammers level at the home of
his old club Chelsea in March, although the match would ultimately be lost
4-1. His only other goal that season was infinitely more significant, the
winner in a tense 3-2 victory over Wigan at Upton Park on 24th April which
secured the Hammers' survival – Parker's sensational 77th-minute strike from
25 yards was followed by an emotionally-charged celebration. Two weeks
later, he would become the first player to retain the Hammer of the Year
trophy since Julian Dicks in 1997.
A 17th-placed finish in 2009/10 resulted in Zola being replaced by Avram
Grant and the Hammers would endure a turbulent 2010/11 campaign. Parker was
the bright light shining in the east end gloom as he displayed the fight,
determination and character sadly lacking in many of his team-mates – he was
often mistaken as the club's captain by an inattentive national media. This
was epitomised by his best goalscoring season during his time with the club,
Parker opening with three goals in his first six games (the injury-time
winner against Oxford in the League Cup, a wonderfully-lofted volley in a
3-1 defeat to Chelsea and a scrambled effort in a 1-1 draw at Stoke).
Another three-goals-in-six-games spell followed in October/November as he
scored the equaliser in a 3-1 extra-time win over the Potters in the League
Cup, struck a thunderbolt in a 2-2 draw with West Brom and grabbed the
clincher in a 3-1 win over Wigan. On 9 February 2011, he became the first
England player to receive his first four full caps whilst playing for four
different teams, coming on as a second-half substitute for Frank Lampard in
a friendly against Denmark. Three days later, Parker's inspirational
half-time team-talk when 3-0 down at The Hawthorns would be the catalyst for
a stirring comeback to claim a 3-3 draw. Parker was to score once more for
the Hammers that season, a beautifully-executed effort with the outside of
his right foot from the edge of the area in a 3-1 home victory over
Liverpool in late February. The following month, Parker played in a 0-0 draw
at Tottenham hours after the death of his father. He also started in
England's victory over Wales at the Millennium Stadium. Parker would again
be crowned Hammer of the Year, the only player other than Sir Trevor
Brooking to claim the award three seasons in a row. He was also named as the
Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year, an incredible feat
considering his club were relegated in bottom place. In doing so, he became
the only Hammer aside from Bobby Moore to win the award.
Parker started West Ham's 2011/12 Championship campaign, notching one goal
in four league appearances, this coming in a 4-0 win at Watford. At the age
of 30, Parker knew he may only have one opportunity left to play in an
international tournament and, with Euro 2012 on the horizon, was aware that
he would have to be playing Premier League football. With his children in
school in the local area, Parker opted to remain in London and signed for
close rivals Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £5.5m. Parker made 129
appearances for West Ham in all competitions, scoring 12 goals.
Parker was named Tottenham's Player of the Year in his first season with the
club, playing in 29 league matches as the club finished fourth but were
denied Champions League qualification as Chelsea won that competition and
would compete as holders despite finishing sixth in the Premier League.
Parker's move to Spurs paid off in that he cemented his England place, being
named Man of the Match in a friendly against European and World champions
Spain in November 2011 and appearing as captain of his country against the
Netherlands in February 2012. Parker started all four matches at Euro 2012
as England made the quarter-finals. However, an Achilles injury picked up
during the tournament would keep him out of the first four months of
2012/13. After 63 matches without scoring for Tottenham, he was on the move
to Fulham in August 2013, for whom he still plays today.
Scott Parker, disappointingly, received a mixed reception when he returned
to Upton Park as a Tottenham player in February 2013. I was one of the many
who gave him a standing ovation when he left the field that night,
remembering his four years of exceptional service rather than focusing on
the club he left us for. For me, Parker was a perfect picture of passion,
perseverance and pirouettes and I am sure he will be long remembered as a
West Ham United great. The video below is a tribute to his time in claret
and blue.
Referee
The referee on Sunday will be Jonathan Moss. West Ham lost all three games
in which Moss officiated in during 2013/14 – a 1-0 home defeat to Stoke, the
3-1 loss at Norwich and the 1-0 reverse at Everton. Moss was the man in the
middle for our 1-0 victory at Stoke the season before. He also took charge
of our home draws against Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion earlier this
season
Possible line-ups
Tottenham Hotspur have a fully fit squad to call upon for the visit of the
Hammers. Harry Kane is almost certain to be restored to the starting line-up
after being rested against Fiorentina on Thursday.
West Ham United will be without Morgan Amalfitano who serves the first of a
three-match suspension for his red card at West Brom. Winston Reid and James
Collins are back in contention, as is Matt Jarvis. Cheikhou Kouyate injured
an arm in training earlier this week and is a doubt, as is Diafra Sakho who
has reportedly suffered a slight recurrence of his back injury.
Possible Tottenham Hotspur XI: Lloris; Walker, Fazio, Vertonghen, Davies;
Paulinho, Bentaleb; Lamela, Dembele, Eriksen; Kane.
Possible West Ham United XI: Adrian; Jenkinson, Tomkins, Reid, Cresswell;
Song, Noble, Nolan; Downing; Cole, Valencia.
Enjoy the game – Up The Hammers!
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A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE
By Iain Dale 20 Feb 2015 at 12:42
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Marvin Carter
I wanted to add a comment in support of Bianca Westwood's post yesterday,
but wanted to add something a little more in depth.
If I can start with the F A Cup. The performance at West Brom was no worse
than when we played Bristol City. Both games were poor from our point of
view and I felt we approached the games with the same arrogant attitude that
we were going to win whatever happened as this was going to be our year. It
seemed the players, the manager, the owners and the fans had already seen
our name written on the Cup and therefore the team didn't really have to do
very much to get through. We were lucky against Bristol City as we managed
to clear their two main chances off the line in the first half and were only
saved from embarrassment by Diafra Sakho. At West Brom, the body language
and attitude of the players was exactly the same, even when we went 2-0
down. It seemed we all thought that a bit of magic from Sakho would get us
back into it. He nearly did score, but it was 3-0 by then and too late for
it to have made any difference.
How can the owners have stipulated a good cup run this year as some kind of
demand on the manager and the team? Shouldn't we try our best to have a good
cup run every year? The F A Cup has so many variables being a knock out
competition that it's impossible to demand that we do well on any one
particular campaign. We should be giving it our best shot every time, every
game, always hoping to get in the hat for the next round. We should have
gone to West Brom with a siege mentality, defending for our lives, fighting
for every ball and breaking quickly on the counter attack. Did the manager
not remember what Tony Pulis did to us when he took over at Palace last
season? We went into the game at the Hawthorns believing our own hype,
thinking that we'd just need to turn up to get through. I don't think it had
anything to do with tiredness or anything else, it was simply a misguided
conception that we were going to get to Wembley this year regardless.
Big Sam has been pilloried for his style of play since the day he was
appointed as manager. But as Bianca has pointed out, he has done everything
that has been asked of him and has put us on a solid footing for going
forwards. I would like to draw a comparison with his seemingly obstinate
favouritism of his Captain, Kevin Nolan. I remember John Lyall always
picking Pat Holland in the 1970's. Holland was a trier, but he was booed
more often than not and ridiculed by the fans for a decade or more. I used
to stand in the North Bank and there was a bloke in the crowd who always
used to shout out 'take off Holland'. He always got a laugh as it was always
what everyone else was thinking. He got an even bigger laugh when he said it
when Holland wasn't even playing, such was the irony of using Holland as a
scapegoat for every poor performance. The point I'm making is that all
managers have their favourites, players that rarely seem to justify their
inclusion in the team as far as the fans are concerned.
I've read that the performance at West Brom is the worst that West Ham have
ever played. Well, I've seen plenty worse, that's for sure. I'm thinking of
the time I went to Loftus Road, 31/01/78, to watch in horror as QPR thrashed
us 6-1 in the F A Cup and even worse, far worse, when I went to Anfield,
07/04/84, to witness a 6-0 drubbing in Division 1. Liverpool could have
scored 10 that day, it was so easy. And for those with rose tinted
spectacles, we had Brooking and Bonds playing against both QPR and Liverpool
and John Lyall was the manager!
What is the West Ham way? To me the West Ham way is how we played against
Eintracht Frankfurt in 1976, in the semi final of the ECWC, how we played
against Liverpool in 2006, in the F A Cup final and how we played against
Man City earlier on this season. We play the West Ham way when we've got
good players, who are good on the ball and are skilful. We've played some
good stuff under Big Sam, under Alan Pardew, under John Lyall and Ron
Greenwood. But we've played some dire stuff under every single one of them
too!
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IT AIN'T OVER UNTIL....
By Sean Whetstone 20 Feb 2015 at 08:12
West Ham Till I Die
Despite all the hype about Sam Allardyce leaving in the summer at the end of
his contract I understand no final decision has been made and won't be made
until a board meeting is held towards or at the end of the season.
What is clear and very prudent of the West Ham board is they are preparing a
list of possible replacements for Sam Allardyce should they eventually agree
it is time for a change, should Sam decide he wants a change or negotiations
over a new contract break down. Sam Allardyce's contracts are negotiated by
his agent Mark Curtis and there is every chance Sam & Mark want more than
the reported £3m in wages and bonuses he already receives as manager of West
Ham.
One name who is definitely on that list is former Hammers central defender
Slavan Bilic who refused to deny West Ham had contacted him indirectly.
Yesterday he said "Have West Ham contacted me? I wouldn't like to talk about
that, and that's it."
Back in 2008 Blilic 'I always said that, if I come back to English football,
I want it to be as manager of West Ham, but I have a contract with Croatia
until 2010 and intend to honour it.'
Bilic made 48 league appearances for the Hammers from 1996-97 after being
bought by Harry Redknapp for £1.3m which was a club record at the time.
Bilic wanted a move to a bigger club and in 1997 he moved to Everton for
£4.5m. Things didn't work out at Everton and they decided to cut their
losses with Bili? in1999, leaving him free to choose a new club but unwanted
in England he continued to play only for Croatia on a £27,000-a-week
contract with Everton, while living in Zagreb. Everton eventually agreed to
give Bili? a million-pound payoff, representing around half of the balance
remaining on his lucrative contract which still had 28 months to run.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce defends his West Ham record as speculation grows over his
Upton Park future
22:30, 20 February 2015 By Rob Maul
Big Sam met with his paymasters after last week's defeat at West Brom and
looks increasingly likely to leave in the summer
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce defended his record as West Ham manager – as his spell in
charge looks to be coming to an end. MirrorSport reported on Wednesday that
Allardyce held talks with the owners in the aftermath of last weekend's 4-0
FA Cup hammering at West Brom (see gallery below). His deal expires at the
end of the season and the club hierarchy are considering replacements.
Yesterday, though, the 60-year-old spoke with pride about his
three-and-a-half-year tenure at Upton Park and how the club had progressed
from the depths of the Championships, via the play-offs, to Premier League
stability. Asked if he wanted to remain in charge, with the club moving to
the Olympic stadium in 2016, Allardyce said: "I've never said I didn't want
to stay here. We've made good progress. "Look back at what the club were
when I got here. Look back at 2011 and you can say we have since forged a
structure at the football club that is hopefully going to breed success.
"We've managed to put in an infrastructure that has grown the club from
where it was when I came in until, at this moment in time, a top-half
Premier League club in my fourth season."
On the subject of his own future, with numerous managers being linked to his
position, Allardyce said: "I don't really listen to it. It doesn't affect
me. I don't take any notice of it. I just do my job." Allardyce wants a
response from his players following the Hawthorns horror show. But is
without new Brazilian forward Nene over fitness and international clearance.
Allardyce missed out on Emmanuel Adebayor in the transfer window and has
lamented the failure since. He added: "Any player with the ability he has,
is my kind of player. But it wasn't to be."
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Hammers unsure on midfielder deal
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 20, 2015 in Whispers
Claret 7 Hugh
West Ham are cooling on a permanent Alex Song deal. The midfielder hasn't
been at his best since returning from Africa in January when ending his
international career with the Cameroon. And the failed move for Darren
Fletcher later in the month was an indicator the club may be ready to look
elsewhere. Now it is becoming increasingly unlikely that the club will be
ready to splash out up to £15 million on the transfer fee and £70k – £80k
wages the player will want. A source told ClaretandHugh said: "He has been
out of sorts in recent weeks although it's important to remember he's not a
guy who tries to play the easy pass. "However, some questions are being
asked and the chances of the club getting involved in a battle for him are
receding a bit. "It's still too early to make a final judgement but from all
I hear I'd say the chances have gone from 50/50 t0 about 70/30 against."
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Gold leaps to Carroll's defence
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 20, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
David Gold is convinced that Andy Carroll has a bright West Ham future
despite his ongoing injury problems. Manager Sam Allardyce this morning
declared of the latest Carroll injury: "It has to be a concern, there's no
doubt about that. He's been picking up injuries for three or four years.
"But the specialists say there's no long-term problem there, so we would
hope that he'll recover from this – and hopefully that'll be the case for a
period of time." But Gold believes the player's major problems – heel and
ankle are now totally under control and told ClaretandHugh: "Once he returns
from the knee setback – which is an entirely new issue – he should be fine.
"We have learned how to look after the heel problem and the ankle problem
has now been dealt with. He had a loose ankle and should have had surgery
before joining us but that is now totally solved. The ankle is fine."Once we
get him back from his latest problem he and the club are due an injury-free
spell. We need a change of luck because what happened at southampton was
just desperately UNLUCKY. "People have been writing him off for a long time
and he has this playboy image promoted by the media but I know better. he's
a complete professional and I'm sure he has a long and bright future at this
club.
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Let's remember Sam's Nene words!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 20, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
I never believed we were likely to see Nene on the bench against Spurs on
Sunday even if required despite David Gold's optimistic tweet of a few days
ago. The Brazilian hasn't played for a month and I trust Sam Allardyce's
assessment that he is probably ten days to a fortnight away despite being
told privately that he could be ready within a week. What I'm not so sure
about is whether we will see him against Palace or indeed very much at all!
Time will of course tell. At heart I'm a cynic and have sat through too many
press conferences where managers have said the right thing at the right time
before allowing the initial high interest to erode along with fan interest.
Nene has been a big issue this week – along with the manager's own position
– on which he has really said nothing at all.
Indeed the Brazilian's arrival was perhaps a convenient distraction with the
manager claiming: "He's a naturally fit player and he's not far away. I
think ten days to two weeks before he's ready.. He could be ready for the
Crystal Palace – we'll have to wait and see."
Indeed we will although with a fortnight being such a long time in football
there's a danger of course that we will all forget the assessment from Sam.
I hope that Sakho and Valencia are in such fine form that there's no need to
call on him and will be carefully tracking and remembering these words. The
manager's comments on his own position in fact represented a zero response.
Indeed it would be difficult for him to do anything else and he's probably
responding in the only way possible by repeating the party line that all
will be decided at the end of the season. However, the situation is in fact
very straightforward. The club is looking for a replacement and only should
they fail to find the right person will he be offered some sort of deal. And
should that be the case can any of us see him turning around and saying:
"Thank you very much Daves …of course!"
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16 weeks for Carroll
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 20, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Andy Carroll is facing 16 WEEKS on the sidelines. ClaretandHugh has learned
the player will be ready to re-start his battle for match fitness in plenty
of time for the new season. The club learned earlier this week that the four
month lay-off has been confirmed with a source declaring: "It's 16 weeks.
That's been confirmed." "Andy should – according to our reports from medics
– be okay to join the squad as it reassembles for the pre-season." "There
should be no problems beyond that."
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Sam proud of his Irons reign
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 21, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce – having seemingly started a long goodbye from
Upton Park – has taken time out to defend his record at the club. Sam is
very much a 'Marmite Man' – you either do or you don't – but the guy himself
has no doubts that he has done a great job with us. It is a fact that with
his deal ending at the end of the season the club are lcompiling a list of
possible replacements with one source telling ClaretandHugh last night
"It's time for a change. Everything moves on…we need a different brand of
football." But as the clouds hover around him the 60 year old spoke with
justified pride about his three-and-a-half-years in charge, And when asked
if he ACTUALLY wants to stay he said: "I've never said I didn't want to stay
here. We've made good progress. "Look back at what the club were when I got
here. Look back at 2011 and you can say we have since forged a structure at
the football club that is hopefully going to breed success. "We've managed
to put in an infrastructure that has grown the club from where it was when I
came in until, at this moment in time, a top-half Premier League club in my
fourth season." Tomnorrow he meets Spurs – a team the Hammers beat three
times last season following last weekend's devastating FA Cup shocker at
West Bromwich Albion.
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Sam is right: This game is MASSIVE
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 21, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Finally, back to the football and after the horror show of last weekend.
tomorrow can't come soon enough! Once again Sam has dominated the agenda
throughout the week but tomorrow the team really has to perform for him at
White Hart Lane. With the exception of Andy Carroll, everybody is reported
fit and in the words of co chairman David Gold: "There has to be a
response." Victory will see the team close within two points of Spurs
although regardless of what happens at Swansea immediately below us (v
Manchester United ) or at Southampton where Liverpool (immediately above us)
are involved tomorrow, our position in eighth place is safe for the weekend.
Last season the manager came up with an extraordinary plan to play no
strikers in our first White Hart Lane encounter as we scored a 3-0 victory.
That was only our second win in seven league games and we had to wait until
the end of November for our next – another 3-0 win over Fulham. Victory
tomorrow is even more important given we have had just one win in the last
eight PL games along with the disastrous FA Cup excursion last weekend. The
manager – despite all the chat surrounding his future – sums tomorrow up
like this: " We've lost our goalscoring touch at the moment and we've
struggled to put our chances in the back of the net. "We had been fluent in
that area at the start of the season. Obviously that is key to any team
doing well and I think that is why we have drawn some games we should have
won.
" It's a massive game for us and hopefully we do as well as we did there
last season. "I think the next 13 games as a whole will determine our
season. A win in a derby team is a bonus for us all, particularly the fans.
We're concentrating on winning as many games as possible from now on until
the end of the season."
Defeat at White Hart Lane is incredibly hard to take – and pride is the key
to everything tomorrow. With only AC absent there can be no excuses. And
after the events of last weekend every fan expects! Sam used exactly the
right word. This game is indeed MASSIVE!
COYI
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Irons drop big Bilic hint
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 19, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Slaven Bilic is in the frame as a possible next West Ham boss. Media reports
that the former Hammer could maker a hero's return to the Boleyn next season
look to be worth respect as the club continues to compile a list of
possibles candidates that also includes Marseilles boss Marcelo Bielsa. A
well placed club source told ClaretandHugh, however, that it could be
another two months before a final decision is taken on who will become the
club's 21st manager.
Bilic – who made 48 appearances for the club in the nineties – refused to
deny there had been contact between himself and the club in Liverpool this
today. The former Hammer is on merseyside for a Europa League clash and was
asked whether his future may be at the Boleyn.
He said: "All I can say is I am happy at Besiktas. Have West Ham contacted
me? I wouldn`t like to talk about that."
Bilic, however, is a contender with our West Ham source dropping a massive
hint when telling ClaretandHugh this afternoon: "He has to say he's happy
doesn't he? "There are a number of irons in the fire but the situation won't
be aggressively addressed until 5-6 weeks before the end of the season.
"Currently we are looking and getting our list together because you can't
put all your eggs in one or two baskets."
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