Noble signs new contract
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble has signed a new long-term contract with West Ham United
West Ham United are delighted to announce that Mark Noble has signed a new long-term contract. The two-time Hammer of the Year put pen to paper on a deal until the summer of 2021, underlining his commitment to the Club that he joined as a 13-year-old schoolboy. The Canning Town-born midfielder, who is the Hammers' all-time Premier League appearance record holder, said that signing a new contract with his boyhood Club was an easy decision to make. "I'm obviously over the moon because it takes me until I'm 33!" said Noble, who passed 300 first-team games for the Club in November 2014. "I'm very happy with the contract and very grateful to the Chairmen for giving me it and I'm looking forward to the next five years. "I love playing football and I love playing for the Club so to be rewarded with a new five-and-a-half year contract is fantastic. "In football you don't get any younger, but I keep myself fit and this is great for me and my family, because it gives us security for the rest of our lives. "It's not about the money, though. I always give 100 per cent in every game I play, even if it's not enough. As a West Ham fan, I know we'll lose games like everyone does, but I'm settled, I'm happy and that's when I play my best football."
While he has seemingly been around for decades – Noble actually joined the Hammers at 13 in 2000 and made his first-team debut in September 2004 – the new deal will, in theory, see the midfielder through the prime of his career. With teammate, fellow Academy graduate and close friend James Tomkins also signing a new contract, the Club bringing in a host of top players in recent months and the 2016 move to Stratford to look forward to, the No16 has much to look forward to. "I'm 27, 28 in May, and coming into the pinnacle of my career, really, and I've still got a few miles left in me yet, I'm sure, and I'm really hopeful it's going to be here at West Ham," he continued. "Myself and Tonks have been here for a long time and we know what the Club is about and know everyone who is here. For all the new players who come in, we're there for them if they need to know anything, because we've been here all of our lives. It's nice that we'll be together for the next five years. "The move to the Stadium is a major part in the Club's history, and what a place in London to have a football stadium! Things are only going to get better for the Club, as the Chairmen are looking to bring in top, top players and also look after those who have been there over the years, through the promotions and the tough times. "When we move to that Stadium, it's going to be a massive plus for the whole Club."
In a modern football world where players move from club to club regularly, Noble is a throwback to the old days of loyal 'one-club men' like West Ham's own Trevor Brooking. The No16 became the Hammers' youngest-ever reserve-team player when he turned out in February 2003 – three months before his 16th birthday – and signed his first full-time contract later the same year. Noble's first-team debut arrived under Alan Pardew aged 17 years and three months in the 2-0 home League Cup second-round win over Southend United. He has not looked back since, helping the Hammers gain promotion in 2005, enjoying loan spells with Hull City and Ipswich Town and establishing himself as a West Ham regular under Alan Curbishley during the unforgettable 'Great Escape' run in spring 2007. After signing a new contract in summer 2007, Noble has continued to impress with his consistency, tenacity and technical ability, scoring on his 100th appearance for the Club against Blackburn Rovers in 2009. The midfielder stayed loyal to the Hammers following relegation in 2011, scoring eight goals to help them bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt and earning his first Hammer of the Year award in the process. A rare shoulder condition kept Noble on the side-lines during the 2012/13 season, but the fans' favourite still managed four goals as West Ham returned to the top flight with a tenth-place finish.
Last term, with the Hammers battling to avoid the drop, the east London native again stood up to be counted, starting all 38 Premier League games and being voted Hammer of the Year for a second time. At international level, Noble was capped at every age-group level, captaining the U21s at the 2009 UEFA European Championship finals, and has been tipped for senior honours on numerous occasions. Having penned a new five-and-a-half year contract with the Club he has represented with honour for 15 season, the 27-year-old now has the impending move to the Hammers' new home in Stratford to look forward to.
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The Big Interview
WHUFC.com
Cheikhou Kouyate has scored three goals in his last six appearances
West Ham United midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate has been in superb form recently, scoring crucial goals against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. The 25-year-old midfielder has been a hit with the West Ham fans since his summer move Anderlecht, making 20 appearances in an impressive debut season. Ahead of Saturday's London derby with Crystal Palace, whufc.com caught up with the versatile, enthusiastic Senegalese international.
Sunday's performance shows that we can compete with the likes of Spurs, Southampton and Manchester United. That must give us great confidence ahead of facing Crystal Palace?
CK: "While it remains mathematically possible, we're going to fight right until the end to try to grab hold of a European place for next season. For that to happen we have to try to control the end of games, not like Sunday, but it was still a good performance from the whole team.
The goals continue to come for you recently, a third for you in total now?
CK: "It's my third goal and on top of that it was against Tottenham away. It was a special game for all the fans. I really wanted to score and then go on to win the game, so that the goal would become even more special."
Diaf would have been proud of a header like that!
CK: "For sure! Even was disgusted by the result last Sunday but it's done now and we've got prepare ourselves for the game against Crystal Palace. This time try to take all three points."
It goes without saying that conceding in the last minute is disappointing, but football can be cruel sometimes...
CK: "We were all really disappointed. It's a game that you can't lose and a game for the supporters. We lost two points again on Sunday and that's the disappointing thing, especially as we did enough to win the game.
"It was painful, with, I don't know, perhaps ten seconds left to play and a penalty which came from nowhere. But what's done is done. We've got concentrate on the next game, Crystal Palace at home."
Another positive from Sunday's game was our fans, they really got behind the team…
CK: "We're sorry because we knew that had we won the game they would really have been proud of us. And we want to say thank you as well, because it was truly fantastic, they supported us right until the end, so thank you to all the fans."
Despite the result, there were still plenty of positives to take into Saturday's game?
CK: "For sure, the team played very well. We scored goals and that's what the manager wanted. It obviously wasn't good at the end, but
what we've got to take from the match is the team's good performance."
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Backroom Blog - Tony Carr MBE
WHUFC.com
Tony Carr has known Mark Noble for nearly 15 years
Hello everyone,
It's great news for West Ham United that Mark Noble has signed a new long-term contract. Mark came to the Club as a 12 or 13-year-old after he had trained at various clubs but chosen West Ham. He has come through the ranks, like many others have in the past and is now our longest-serving player and has captained the side on many occasions. Mark signing a new contract is fantastic for everybody – the Academy, the fans and the first-team squad. Hopefully the days are over when we sell our best home-grown talent and we will benefit ourselves, rather than watching them play in other clubs' shirts. Mark was always a great talent as a youngster. He played for England all through the age-groups and captained the Under-21s, while he is also a prominent Premier League player. The new contract suggests that the Club has faith in Mark as a player for the next four or five years or more. He is a great lad, too. He is a local boy who has made good and done well and he can relate with the fans, so I think it's great news for everybody connected with the Club. Mark has never got carried away and has always remembered where he came from and, at the end of the day, he has reaped the rewards. He is still hungry and still wants to improve. I think in every game he wants to prove he is the best player on the pitch and I don't think I can remember him ever having a serious dip in form. He's been a model professional all the way through his career.
Alongside Mark, James Tomkins also signed a new contract recently and I can remember taking James as a 14-year-old to play against all the big clubs in Italy. One particular match was against Juventus and he was outstanding and their people were asking if we would sell him, and he was only a schoolboy. We always thought he had the potential and, a little bit like Mark, he has fulfilled his potential and I think it's great for the Club and great for the future of the Club. Certainly, when we have talented young players we want to keep them, but it is getting harder and harder for youngsters to make it to the Premier League. We would prefer every young player to come through and play in a West Ham shirt, but it's a lot tougher than it was – there is no question about that, because the Premier League has grown and the standards have got higher.
Take Freddie Sears, for example. He was a goalscorer in the youth and reserve teams here with a bit of pace and an eye for goal. He scored on his debut, but he found it hard to establish himself in the first team, so he had to move down the divisions to Colchester United and now to Ipswich Town. Ipswich are chasing promotion from the Championship and so Freddie might emerge once again as a Premier League player. We can take pride from both – I'd prefer them in a West Ham shirt like Mark and James, but sometimes it is not always possible and they make careers elsewhere.
Tony Carr MBE
Club Ambassador
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Foot in Both Camps - Jobi McAnuff
WHUFC.com
Jobi McAnuff in action for the Hammers
His West Ham United career may have only been 14 games long, but Jobi McAnuff still draws on the invaluable experience he gleaned from his time at the Boleyn Ground. The 33-year-old Leyton Orient midfielder suffered Play-Off heartache with the Hammers before going close to winning promotion to the Premier League again with Crystal Palace. He finally made it to the top table with Reading and as two of his former clubs prepare to go head-to-head this weekend, whufc.com caught up with the Jamaica international for the first of our Foot in Both Camps series. "I've kept an eye out for all my former clubs over the years" he explained. "All the teams you play for you have an affinity with and I always look to see how they're getting on. "I had a good spell, although it was a short one at West Ham, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I had a bit longer at Palace and likewise, I enjoyed my time there too."
McAnuff joined the Hammers from Wimbledon in February 2004 as Alan Pardew's men looked to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. The north Londoner had to largely make do with substitute outings during his six months in E13 before moving on to Cardiff City, but he still credits his time at West Ham as being pivotal to his later success as a stalwart in the top two divisions. "For me at the time, being a fairly young lad it was a real eye-opener and an experience to play for such a big club as West Ham," he explained. "It's definitely stood me in good stead for the rest of my career. "The support was incredible, not just the numbers, but the passion of the fans too. Obviously we went pretty close to promotion that year and to experience a Play-Off final at Cardiff with that many fans was a massive learning curve. "It's a shame I couldn't stay a bit longer. I just wanted to play football and the manager at the time couldn't promise me that. An opportunity came up for me to play at Cardiff and I took it, but yes, West Ham is a fantastic club. "Being at West Ham gave me a taste of a Club that wants to be successful and that helped with being at teams who wanted to be promoted from the Championship after. We went close with Palace, and they are all experiences that you draw on as you get older and fortunately enough we managed to get there with Reading."
A year at Cardiff followed before McAnuff moved back to London with Crystal Palace. With the Eagies now under the charge of his former Hammers boss, Pardew, the midfielder is expecting their recent revival to continue. He continued: "He's obviously a real top manager with a good pedigree at the highest level. When I was at West Ham the aim was to get up and although we didn't manage it that year, they made it the following year then had a little success in the cups. "It was unfortunate for myself that I didn't quite play as much as I would have liked under him, but managers have tough jobs and they've got to make decisions that they feel are best for the club. "Overall, he had a fairly good spell at West Ham and is now at Palace, where he's started fairly well. He's had that impact, so fair play to him – it's a big decision for him to leave Newcastle, but the support at Palace is massive and I'm sure from the experience of playing there he knew all about that. Good luck to him. "It should be a good game on Saturday. Pardew always wanted his teams to go out and play good attacking football and he seems to have been doing that with Crystal Palace lately. They've got some really good players.
"As for West Ham they've had a fantastic season this year and credit goes to Sam Allardyce as well, He was under a bit of pressure, but they've had a good season and it should be a cracking game. London derbies are always feisty and that always adds to the game."Since moving down the road to Orient last summer, McAnuff has endured a difficult first season at Brisbane Road to date, with a recent injury preventing him from playing his part in their battle to dodge the drop to League Two. However, having returned to the team in last weekend's 3-0 win over Oldham Athletic, he is confident in their ability to climb to safety just a year on from being denied promotion to the Championship by a penalty shoot-out defeat in the Play-Off final. "I feel we can end the season strongly but we've still got some work to do," he admitted. "I feel we can do that – it's about doing it on the pitch. We had a good win last Saturday and we've got to back that up. "We've had a few false dawns this season, so that's something we're wary of and we've got to try to put that right to get on a run to get away from the bottom four as quickly as we can. "Hopefully we can have a good end to the season and start building for next year once we're safe and everything's fine."
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From the Boardroom
WHUFC.com
I am delighted to welcome you to our new website. It has a host of new features and functionality that we hope will make following West Ham easier wherever you are.
One of the most exciting elements is the introduction of a free TV service. This was highlighted as a key priority by our SAB focus group so we have moved to offer free West Ham TV to all fans. All you have to do is register to My West Ham. I hope you enjoy using it; hopefully to watch free highlights from some great victories between now and the end of the season!
One of the other key elements of the new site will be the inclusion of more opinion and analysis and, as part of that, David Gold and I will be writing to you more frequently in our 'From the Boardroom' column. For our first one, I thought it would be appropriate to tackle a topic that has been at the very front of the news agenda over the past few weeks.
I should make clear from the outset that I absolutely reject and condemn discrimination in whatever form it takes. Prior to Sunday's game at Spurs, David Gold and I emailed every supporter who had bought a ticket to remind them of our stance, so we were naturally disappointed to see the reports of unacceptable behaviour from a small group of individuals earlier this week.
But while the unsavoury videos and reports of inappropriate chanting from a mindless few following the game have rightly been condemned, I think it is also important to highlight the good work that football and more specifically West Ham United do to help educate and eradicate such issues, which are not just confined to our sport but society as a whole.
I strongly believe that football can be a force for good as it offers an unrivalled opportunity to reach out and engage with a huge audience. I think many of the issues we see are as a result of a lack of awareness and understanding of different issues so wherever possible we try to use football to educate and inform.
When David and I arrived at West Ham United more than five years ago, one of our first priorities was to expand the Club's work with organisations that promote inclusion and reject discrimination.
We are now proud advocates of Kick It Out, Show Racism the Red Card, Football v Homophobia and Holocaust Memorial Day, to name but a few leading campaigns, and we make it our business to promote tolerance and education wherever and however we can.
Our West Ham United Foundation does an excellent job in that regard too. Providing equal opportunities and educating people about discrimination is at the very heart of what it stands for, with very many disability and awareness charities working by their side.
Football does do a tremendous amount of work for good, which I think is often overlooked in light of the kind of incidents we have seen in Paris and north London. It is clear such occurrences are completely unacceptable, but we must not let the actions of small minority tarnish the name of our beautiful game and the hundreds of thousands of fans that support their team in exactly the right way every single weekend.
David Sullivan
The views in this article are that of the author and not necessarily those of West Ham United
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On this day - February 26
WHUFC.com
Classic match
West Ham United 2-2 Manchester United
FA Carling Premiership
26 February 1994
West Ham United came within three minutes of scoring a shock home victory over FA Carling Premiership champions-elect Manchester United on this day in 1994. The Hammers were sat safely in mid-table and had snuck past non-league Kidderminster Harriers in to reach the FA Cup sixth round prior to the Red Devils' visit to the Boleyn Ground. With redevelopment work underway to replace the North Bank with what became the all-seater Centenary Stand the following year, a crowd of 28,832 filled a sold-out stadium for the mouth-watering clash with Alex Ferguson's side. It took just six minutes for Mark Hughes to put the high-flying visitors ahead, but Billy Bonds' team rallied and went ahead through two goals in three second-half minutes from Lee Chapman and Trevor Morley. Just when it looked like the Hammers would pull off a surprising win, Academy of Football graduate Paul Ince netted an equaliser with just three minutes remaining. West Ham would end the season in 13th, while the visitors would retain their title, finishing eight points ahead of runners-up Blackburn Rovers.
Classic match
Luton Town 1-4 West Ham United
Division Two
26 February 1979
The Hammers travelled to Luton Town on this day in 1979 looking to extend their unbeaten run to a fourth game and maintain their promotion push from the second tier. They had beaten Oldham Athletic 3-0 at the Boleyn Ground just two days previously so were in good spirits for their journey to Kenilworth Road and that was reflected in the scoreline. The majority of the 14,205 in attendance were to be left disappointed as a David Cross brace provided the cornerstone for the Hammers' victory. Alan Devonshire and Bryan Robson were also on target as the visitors smashed in four goals with just one coming in reply for Luton. The victory lifted West Ham up to third in the table, but a run of one win in the next seven saw their promotion bid stall and they ended up in fifth place with 50 points, six behind Sunderland in that vital third spot.
Complete record - 26 February
1921 Bristol City 1-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1927 Bury 1-2 West Ham United (Division One)
1938 Barnsley 1-0 West Ham United (Division Two)
1968 Stoke City 2-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1969 Mansfield Town 3-0 West Ham United (FA Cup)
1972 Huddersfield Town 4-2 West Ham United (FA Cup)
1977 West Ham United 2-0 Bristol City (Division One)
1979 Luton Town 1-4 West Ham United (Division Two)
1983 West Ham United 1-1 Southampton (Division One)
1992 West Ham United 2-3 Sunderland (FA Cup)
1994 West Ham United 2-2 Manchester United (Premier League)
2000 West Ham United 0-4 Everton (Premier League)
2005 Leeds United 2-1 West Ham United (Championship)
Played 13, Won 3, Drawn 2, Lost 8, Scored 16, Conceded 25
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Mediawatch - 26 February
WHUFC.com
The Daily Star look at Cheikhou Kouyate's nomination for the PFA Fans' Player of the Month award. The Senegal midfielder is up against the likes of Harry Kane, Olivier Giroud and Philippe Coutinho but would certainly be a worthy winner after his outstanding February.
Amid the fallout from the weekend's fan incidents, there is a positive voice from the BBC's Scottish football correspondent Tom English for the swift and strong way West Ham dealt with the issue.
ESPN report that Mark Noble is to be offered a new long-term deal with the Club. We can report that he has signed that deal as you can read here!
On London 24, Tony Cottee writes in his weekly column that the Hammers need to stop throwing away points from winning positions.
Transfer speculation is also surfacing in today's press, so the end of the season must be growing ever closer!
In the Mail, Simon Jones reports that Swedish youngster Robert Lipovac is flattered to have been offered the opportunity to train with our Development Squad.
The Mirror's John Cross reports that West Ham are on the trail of Ghanaian midfielder Bernard Mensah, who is with Portuguese side Vitoria.
According to talkSPORT, AC Milan have joined the race for 20-year-old Montpelier midfielder Morgan Sanson.
Click here for your full, bite-size round-up of today's West Ham news.
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Mark Noble signs West Ham contract extension to 2020
BBC.co.uk
West Ham midfielder Mark Noble has signed a contract extension to 2020, with a further one-year option. The 27-year-old former England under-21 international has twice been named the club's player of the year. Noble joined West Ham as a 13-year-old in 2000 and made his first-team debut four years later. He has since made more than 300 appearances for the club. "I'm over the moon because it takes me until I'm 33," the vice-captain told the club's official website. "I love playing football and I love playing for the club so to be rewarded with a new five-and-a-half-year contract is fantastic," he added.
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West Ham v Crystal Palace
KO 12:45
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce and Palace manager Alan Pardew
26 February 2015
By Steve Bower
BBC Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday, 28 February
TEAM NEWS
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce says Brazilian striker Nene will make his debut against Crystal Palace because Carlton Cole has a damaged hamstring. Andy Carroll's knee injury has prematurely ended his season.
Crystal Palace are bolstered by the return to fitness of captain Mile Jedinak and James McArthur. Fraizer Campbell, Marouane Chamakh and fellow striker Yaya Sanogo all miss out with hamstring injuries, with Campbell likely to be out for up to six weeks.
MATCH PREVIEW
When Alan Pardew visited Upton Park in November with his then-Newcastle side I bet he didn't envisage that he'd be back at his old stomping ground before the season was out. During three years as West Ham boss, Pardew came within a whisker of winning the FA Cup , and like current incumbent Sam Allardyce he established the club as a Premier League side after winning promotion, despite not being universally loved by the supporters.
SAM ALLARDYCE v ALAN PARDEW
Pld 9: Allardyce wins 5, Pardew wins 1, draws 3
West Ham (Pardew) 1-2 Bolton (Allardyce) - 2005
Bolton (Allardyce) 4-1 West Ham (Pardew) - 2006
Bolton (Allardyce) 4-0 West Ham (Pardew) - 2006
Charlton (Pardew) 1-1 Bolton (Allardyce) - 2007
Newcastle (Pardew) 0-1 West Ham (Allardyce) - 2012
West Ham (Allardyce) 0-0 Newcastle (Pardew) - 2013
Newcastle (Pardew) 0-0 West Ham (Allardyce) - 2013
West Ham (Allardyce) 1-3 Newcastle (Pardew) - 2014
West Ham (Allardyce) 1-0 Newcastle (Pardew) - 2014
Very much wanted by Palace, Pardew is now nearing the end of his second month in charge and has set about a mini-evolution. His Eagles side already have a new look to them and were unlucky in defeat to Arsenal last weekend. One element of Palace's play that Pardew will not want to change is their ability to hit teams on the break, especially in this type of fixture. The pace of Yannick Bolasie is key, while the combative skills of fit-again captain Mile Jedinak are the team's very foundations.
I saw West Ham's 2-2 draw with Tottenham last Sunday and, although it's now just one win in nine league games, I was impressed by the way they responded after their FA Cup capitulation at West Brom. Whatever the fans feel about Big Sam, he got his tactics spot on and any other week they would have been rewarded with three points.
Impressive duo Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia may hold the key to the remainder of West Ham's season. Andy Carroll's season-ending injury and Carlton Cole's absence means there is little in the way of back-up, hence the addition of 33-year-old Brazilian Nene. Both Sakho and Valencia are used to winter breaks so I can't help but wonder what they each have left in the tank?
This game is the second of four successive London derbies for the Hammers and this run of fixtures could help refocus the club and its supporters' minds and kill off talk of their season fading away. West Ham were fifth when they beat Pardew's Newcastle at the end of November; another win over their former manager could just re-ignite their season.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Palace have won only two of 15 visits to Upton Park in all competitions. One of those victories was by 1-0 last season, courtesy of a Mile Jedinak penalty.
West Ham beat the Eagles 3-1 at Selhurst Park earlier this season. Victory would complete a first league double over them since 1972-73.
West Ham
The Hammers have won only one of their last nine league games (D5, L3), taking eight points from a possible 27.
However, they have suffered just one defeat in their last 11 home league matches (W7, D3).
They have scored in all but one of their last 12 league games at Upton Park.
West Ham have scored 14 headed goals this season, five more than any other top-flight club.
Crystal Palace
The Eagles are sixth in the Premier League form table based on the last six games (W3, D1, L2).
Palace are unbeaten in their last six away league and cup matches (W4, D2), keeping clean sheets in four of them - this includes two games under the caretaker management of Keith Millen.
They can set a new Premier League club record of five away games unbeaten.
Palace have scored the equal-fewest first-half goals this season (nine), yet only Southampton have conceded fewer than Palace's six goals in the opening 45 minutes.
Twenty-seven points is the equal-most Palace have ever had after 26 games of a Premier League season. They also had 27 at this stage of 1994-95.
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Three down, 11 to go
KUMb.com
Filed: Thursday, 26th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
The third of 14 floodlight towers to be erected at the Olympic Stadium has been set in place. As you can see from our images below, the tower - which has a span of around 18 metres and weighs circa 45 tons - was carefully hoisted into position on the arena's new roof by site engineers earlier this week. With each floodlight structure taking up to 12 hours to affix, the process is a slow and arduous - yet ultimately rewarding - one. West Ham are due to move into the stadium in time for the start of the 2016/17 season.
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Mark Noble signs five-year deal
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 26th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
Mark Noble has committed his long-term future to West Ham United by signing a new five-year contract. The 27-year-old midfielder, who has spent his entire career at West Ham put pen to paper on a new, long-term deal earlier this week. Canning Town-born Noble's new contract, which followed prolonged negotiations ties him to the Boleyn - and subsequently, the Olympic Stadium - until 2020. Although his existing contract, which was due to end this summer, included an option for the club to extend it until the end of the 2016/17 season both parties agreed to a new deal - one that should ensure Noble remains at West Ham until his early thirties.
A hugely popular figure with the club's supporters 'Nobes' has made 310 competitive appearances for the Hammers, having made his first team debut in a 2-0 Carling Cup win over Southend United in August 2004. Last season readers of KUMB.com named Noble their Player of the Year, having previously made him runner up in 2011/12. Previously he was also voted KUMB's Young Player of the Year, in 2004/05, 2006/07 and 2007/08.
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Noble hails 'fantastic' new contract
KUMb.com
Filed: Thursday, 26th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
Mark Noble says he is looking forward to seeing out the remainder of his career at West Ham. Noble, a rare breed these days having featured for only one club during his career admitted that he was delighted at penning the new contract that ties him to West Ham until his mid-thirties. "I'm very happy with the contract, very grateful to the Chairmen for giving it to me and I'm looking forward to the next five years." he told whufc.com. "I love playing football and I love playing for the club, so to be rewarded with a new five-and-a-half year contract is fantastic. "In football you don't get any younger, but I keep myself fit and this is great for me and my family, because it gives us security for the rest of our lives. It's not about the money, though. "I always give 100 per cent in every game I play, even if it's not enough. As a West Ham fan, I know we'll lose games like everyone does, but I'm settled, I'm happy and that's when I play my best football. "I'm 27, 28 in May, and coming into the pinnacle of my career, really, and I've still got a few miles left in me yet, I'm sure, and I'm really hopeful it's going to be here at West Ham. "Myself and Tonks have been here for a long time; we know what the club is about and know everyone who is here. For all the new players who come in, we're there for them if they need to know anything, because we've been here all of our lives. "It's nice that we'll be together for the next five years."
Jack collison ✔ @Jcollison31
Well done Nobes on the new contract... One hell of a player and an absolute gent... 👴 great news for all you west ham fans... #WHUFC
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One year on: Tombides foundation launches
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 26th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
A Foundation created in memory of former Hammer Dylan Tombides is being launched at this weekend's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace. The DT38 Foundation has been set up to raise awareness and provide support for those suffering from testicular cancer, the disease which cost the young striker his life in 2014. Dylan had barely celebrated his 20th birthday when, in April of last year, he died having failed to respond to specialist treatement. Prior to his passing he had bravely fought the disease for three years, having first found a lump in his testicle in April 2011. Mum Tracy, writing on the Foundation's website, recalls the devastating loss of her eldest son. "On 18 April 2014, Dylan's organs failed and we said goodbye to our beloved son and brother," she said. "If we had known about testicular cancer and what we needed to do to catch it early, we would have insisted on an ultra sound when we went to the GP. It breaks our heart to think that this could have been prevented. "Dylan was robbed of a future that he dreamed of as a young boy. It robbed Taylor of a brother and it robbed my husband and I of watching our beautiful son grow and fulfil his dreams. "Please do not let this happen to your son, brother, friend or father. If you have a concern with your testicles please see a doctor straight away and insist on an ultrasound – it may just save your life."
The Foundation is being launched this Saturday at the Boleyn Ground when West Ham take on Palace. It was at last season's corresponding fixture that Dylan's father Jim and brother Taylor laid his cherished #38 shirt in the centre circle ahead of the game. In addition, West Ham fans are being invited to remember Dylan with a minute's applause in the 38th minute of the match. The club will be screening a picture of Dylan on the big screens as a reminder to supporters.
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Allardyce admits Academy drought
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 26th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce believes it is becoming increasingly difficult for young players to graduate from West Ham's Academy to the first team squad. One of the charges often levelled at Allardyce is the lack of young players he has promoted from Chadwell Heath for inclusion in his first team squads - bar the one disastrous attempt at Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup last season, for which he was heavily criticised. However the stark truth of the matter is that few players - if any - have proved capable of stepping up to the ever-increasingly competitive Premier League standard in recent seasons. And the problem, according to Allardyce, is likely to be exacerbated by the new £5billion TV deal that will grant English top-flight clubs even greater muscle in the international transfer market. "It's something that is becoming harder and harder to achieve," said the boss, speaking to the media at this morning's pre-match press conference. "You only have to look at when I played the youngsters in the FA Cup and got slaughtered for it. "I think the system is broken. At the moment we have to get them in the first team on loan somewhere else, before we bring them into our first team."
That managers rarely last long enough in their jobs to make development of youth players worthwhile is, according to Sam, another major issue. "I think we live in a world of less patience, especially football," he continued. "It's almost a week by week, month by month mentality. Long term policies don't seem to be so attractive any more due to the need of instant success. On the basis of that, It's harder to feed a youngster into the first team."
However the 60-year-old, who leads his team out against Crystal Palace this weekend for the 170th time is delighted that he can count on two former Chadwell Heath youth prospects, James Tomkins and Mark Noble, to boost West Ham's fight for a European spot. And he was especially pleased that the club had managed to tie the latter down to a new five-year contract earlier this week - which, says the manager, will prove to be a popular move. "Mark Noble is West Ham born and bred," he said. "Somebody who commits to one club like he's done is pretty rare these days. I think its good news for everybody. He's one of their own, there's no doubt about that."
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West Ham Ladies seeking Senior Secretary
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 26th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United Ladies are looking for a volunteer to take on the role of Senior club Secretary. The role will include the general week-to-week running of the Ladies' senior section; tasks include dealing with organisation of games, making travel arrangements for away fixtures and being a point of contact for communication with the FA. These duties will be carried out whilst working alongside first team manager Julian Dicks and Development Squad manager Andy Hill. Previous experience in a similar role would be an advantage, but not necessary. If you would to like to be considered for the position - which is an unpaid role, as are all at West Ham United Ladies, please send a short CV to Lea Hodges, the club's Junior Secretary at westhamunitedladiesjuniors@hotmail.co.uk.
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Mark Noble secures West Ham future with new contract
Last Updated: 26/02/15 3:24pm
SSN
West Ham midfielder Mark Noble has signed a new contract which keeps him at the Premier League club until the summer of 2020. The 27-year-old vice-captain, who hails from nearby Canning Town, joined as a 13-year-old and has played over 300 games for the club. West Ham co-owner David Gold tweeted: "I am absolutely delighted to announce that two-time Hammer of the Year Mark Noble has signed a new contract."
Noble, who made his first-team debut in August 2004, said: "I'm obviously over the moon because it takes me until I'm 33. "I'm very happy with the contract and very grateful to the chairmen for giving me it and I'm looking forward to the next five years. "I love playing football and I love playing for the club so to be rewarded with a new five-and-a-half-year contract is fantastic. "In football you don't get any younger but I keep myself fit and this is great for me and my family, because it gives us security for the rest of our lives. It's not about the money, though. I always give 100 per cent in every game." Manager Sam Allardyce hailed Noble as one of a dying breed of one-club men. "He is West Ham born and bred. Somebody who commits to one club like he's done is pretty rare these days. I think it's good news for everybody. "We've got James Tomkins as well, another West Ham boy. They've both come through the academy which is what we're all striving for these days. "It's something that is becoming harder and harder to achieve. As academy boys it's great to see them still here and doing well."
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NOBLE SIGNS £14.3M DEAL
By Sean Whetstone 26 Feb 2015 at 13:35
West Ham Till I Die
West Ham have signed up Mark Noble with a new £50,000-a-week, five-and-a-half year contract to become a Hammer for life. His wages add up to £14.3m over five and a half years. He is also expected to have a testimonial, which will be the final ever game at the Boleyn Ground, at the end of next season before the Olympic Stadium move
Noble's current deal was due to expire this summer but West Ham had a further two year option on the reigning Hammer of the year. Noble's fresh deal runs until 2020 and will take him up to the age of 33.
Noble told the new look WHUFC.com launched today
"I'm obviously over the moon because it takes me until I'm 33!" said Noble, who passed 300 first-team games for the Club in November 2014. "I'm very happy with the contract and very grateful to the Chairmen for giving me it and I'm looking forward to the next five years. I love playing football and I love playing for the Club so to be rewarded with a new five-and-a-half year contract is fantastic. In football you don't get any younger, but I keep myself fit and this is great for me and my family, because it gives us security for the rest of our lives. It's not about the money, though. I always give 100 per cent in every game I play, even if it's not enough. As a West Ham fan, I know we'll lose games like everyone does, but I'm settled, I'm happy and that's when I play my best football."
Nobes went on to say
"I'm 27, 28 in May, and coming into the pinnacle of my career, really, and I've still got a few miles left in me yet, I'm sure, and I'm really hopeful it's going to be here at West Ham, myself and Tonks have been here for a long time and we know what the Club is about and know everyone who is here. For all the new players who come in, we're there for them if they need to know anything, because we've been here all of our lives. It's nice that we'll be together for the next five years.The move to the Stadium is a major part in the Club's history, and what a place in London to have a football stadium! Things are only going to get better for the Club, as the Chairmen are looking to bring in top, top players and also look after those who have been there over the years, through the promotions and the tough times.When we move to that Stadium, it's going to be a massive plus for the whole Club."
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STICKS AND STONES
By Bianca Westwood 26 Feb 2015 at 08:07
West Ham Till I Die
Not the best week for West Ham. Again. It was disappointing on several fronts. Unfortunately I didn't get to see the Tottenham game live I was at a yoga workshop. So while I was stretching into downward facing dog it seemed we were running riot at White Hart Lane. I couldn't believe it when I came out of the studio and we were two up. I've been pretty confident going into most games this season but I had an uneasy trepidation about this one. Surely even we can see the game out with ten minutes left on the clock. Nope. Never underestimate the power of a West Ham team's ability to snatch defeat (or certainly what felt like one) from the jaws of victory! So near…and yet so far.
Despite not having seen the action I must admit I was somewhat mystified by the first substitution. Not that Big Sam had taken Noble off as, by all accounts, he was lucky to still be on the pitch by that stage, more so because of his inclusion of Carlton Cole. Why bring him on at such a crucial time? No offence to the club cult hero, I'm a big fan of CC but I couldn't understand why Allardyce went for a forward rather than a defender, or Nolan. Carlton is not necessarily known for his ability to keep possession so it baffled me. Were we going for a third? And if so, pushing Sakho and Valencia out wide, how? Now, Allardyce is often slated for not being positive enough, but he doesn't ever appear to be swayed by public opinion so it seemed to be a strange decision from him. It was, on the outside I guess, a positive tactical switch but it didn't work. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm no master tactician and hindsight is a wonderful thing, I'm not criticising him it just confused me. We'll never know what would have happened if he'd brought on the much-maligned Nolan in Noble's stead. Then again, imagine if he had and we'd still conceded two? Or worse, lost?! The furore would have been phenomenal. The anti-Sam brigade would have been burning effigies in the streets! It's a no win situation…literally.
And yet, despite bringing on another striker, we sat back anyway. Deeper and deeper, inviting them on, a team that loves a the high press at the best of times. It was inevitable that, even in that short space of time, our negativity would prove to be our undoing, and Tottenham's superior energy levels made all the difference. The questions have to be asked now because we did look tired towards the end and Spurs had another gear to go to. Why have we conceded late goals recently? Manchester United, both cup games against Everton. Why are we finding it difficult to hold onto a lead full stop? Swansea away, WBA at home. If, as Sam mentioned post-Hawthorns disaster, we are feeling the effects of a heavy fixture list and are suffering from fatigue, how on earth would we manage to deal with the rigours of a European competition, going into one of the most important seasons in our club's history? I'm all for not running before we can walk. Our pre-season priority was survival at all costs. Short of an unmitigated footballing disaster we've pretty much taken care of that. So it's a catch 22 for me…I want to win all of the games this season…but I'm worried about the final cost!
These are all issues I will bring to the attention of Mark Noble later today in our interview for Soccer Saturday…we'll see what he says.
Whatever happened at White Hart Lane, it was such a shame that the game was overshadowed by crowd (mis)behaviour. I spoke about pride last week. For me there wasn't much there to be proud of.
Yes it was a small minority on that train, and, it hasn't even been proven that they were indeed Hammers fans. Highlighting a lack of foreskin maybe isn't offensive. I wouldn't know. They obviously value that precious piece of flesh covering their tiny penises. Good for them. However, shouting "f**king Jew" and making hissing noises or using the Y word in the stands is totally unacceptable. I've heard the whole…"well they sing it about themselves" argument. Sorry that doesn't sit right with me. We're not in the playground…"well he was doing it first Miss!" Give me strength. "It's just banter!" Banter. A word now appropriated by numbskulls looking to excuse all sorts of vile behaviour and abusiveness. Please.
The right way to behave starts with us.
David Baddiel tweeted me and said that the origins are irrelevant. It should stop across the board. He's right. He also sent me a link to something that I hope you will take a look at… Click on THIS
Real people's lives were, and still are, affected by the holocaust. It was an atrocity that should never be forgotten or made fun of. Over a million Jews went to their deaths at Auschwitz. I recently read Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor E Frankl and it was so powerful and poignant it really affected me.
Would they sing a song making light of 9/11? Why not? Does that not fit their football "banter" agenda? Would they enjoy a song sung by opposing fans about bowel cancer and our favourite son Bobby Moore? No? It would be a disgrace. Some things you can make light of, laugh at even. But there's a limit.
Then there's the Harry Kane chant. I saw the video a few weeks ago and I didn't like it then. I was really disappointed to hear our fans had sung it again at Spurs. It's playground stuff. It's infantile. It's hurtful to people with disabilities and their families. I don't wish to sanitise football terrace humour. I'd never advocate that. Some of our songs are hilarious and I'd hate to see that disappear.
But do we have to abuse? Do we have to use sexually derogatory, racist, anti-Semitic or homophobic language? Do we really still have to sink to those levels?
Now I hold my hands up I'm no fan of the "East London is full of t***, f*** and West Ham" song. It makes me feel uncomfortable. It's archaic. It's 70s & 80s humour at best and one that objectifies women in a way I don't approve. In this day and age I'd hate to take my niece over to Upton Park or the Olympic stadium and have her hear it. It's best left behind where it belongs. Having said that I'm no PC pc plod. I don't trawl the internet for things to get offended about and report to the necessary authorities forthwith. I wouldn't make an official complaint. I just suffer it. But I certainly wouldn't abuse someone who doesn't just sit there and take it. The use of the word mong is another step too far in my book. It is one that's used to mock people with disabilities. Just because it doesn't offend you personally it doesn't make it right. Or even ok.
I'll probably get pelters for this…so be it. I'm not just paying lip service here. It's something I believe in. I'm not being a wuss, over-sensitive, nor a big girl's blouse in a man's game. None of those things.
Yes it's an outrage culture. We are a social media world all so quick to be offended. Believe me some of the misogynistic sexist crap I've heard over the years would offend Jim Davidson. Listen I can take a joke. I know what's funny. I've got five brothers I've heard it all and I've given as good as I've got. But call me slag, or bitch or whore…or gash? To my face? At a football match or even in a public place among non football fans who just want to use public transport in peace? That would separate the "men" from the boys believe me. You'd find out who really has balls.
When I first started match reporting for Soccer Saturday the abuse I received on Twitter was horrific. Think of the worst things you could call a woman, or even a fellow human being and you'll come close. It affected me. It affected my work to a certain extent. It knocked my confidence and I truly began to question my ability.
Initially there were a lot of malicious tweets attacking me. There was an I HATE BIANCA WESTWOOD Twitter page questioning my credentials and attempting to gain others' support. I had never been spoken to like that before. I HADN'T just appeared. I wasn't sleeping with my boss or anyone else at Sky for that matter. I had never even been in the kitchen let alone left it! It took me over ten years to get to that stage in my professional career I wasn't ticking a politically correct box. It took me a long time, a lot of hard work, of knocking on doors, doing interviews and editing features, trying to convince my boss I was good enough and knew enough.
I still never thought in a million years I'd end up in-vision reporting. No other female had. I was gobsmacked when they asked me to do it. A woman! Least of all me. From a single parent family and a council estate in Chingford, the girl with the estuary accent! Fortunately for me my producer believed in me and his bosses took the gamble.
Of course I made mistakes, stumbled over words, got a name or two wrong. It wasn't because of a lack of football knowledge. I'd never done any live TV before and I don't mind admitting I was petrified. At times, especially with all the online abuse, which I did my best to ignore, my nerves got the better of me. You try verbally recreating a goal in 10 seconds with no replay, sometimes without even a monitor or knowing all the players in a team from the lower leagues. Remembering who passed it to who, how, where from, did he cross it, head it, curl it, place it, pass it.
It's a lot harder than it looks and my minor mistakes really angered some people and wow did they let me know about it. Now you can question my morals or call me old (& that's just Jeff ha kidding!) or a lady of the night, or an idiot, call me ugly I don't care that's just an opinion. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder anyway. But question my knowledge of the game?? That cut me more than any sexist slur. I know my football!
Now, thankfully, fans are used to seeing a female face and hearing a female voice and they aren't so threatened anymore. The trolling has stopped. I can sleep the night before a game and I've had a bit of practice so I'm not frightened anymore. No I'm not perfect but who is??
I'm not tub-thumping here. I'm not on my soapbox, I'm not trying to "make a change". I'm no socio-political activist. I didn't come into this game to make any demands I'm just a female reporter in a male dominated industry trying to make my own way. I have gone quietly about my business and I was determined to make it. Along with all the other female producers and directors that Sky Sports now have in the ranks. Clare Tomlinson was the only female reporter at Sky when I started. I know she had a tough ride at times. Being in a man's world isn't for the faint of hearts but she made me believe I could do it too. I just wanted to work in a job that I love in a sport that I adore and have been watching since I was 6 years old. Oh and get paid the same as my male counterparts please. It's not asking too much. Just a bit of equality. Thanks!
This is only my opinion but it is my message. The world is not a lads dressing room I'm afraid. The culture doesn't apply in real life. Not anymore. Sorry guys!
As I said before I'm not calling for an end to terrace comedy. I am not the fun police. I would just like to see fans (especially ours) use a bit of sensitivity. Some sense and sensibility. Imagine if it was your kid. How would you feel? It's not really about Kane per se. I'm sure he's big enough to get over it, it's probably water off a duck's back to him. But for my cousin Charlotte who was severely disabled, for my dad who had MS and spent the last ten years of his life in a wheelchair. I feel I have to speak for them. My dad always tried to see the humour in his situation and would jokingly use some terrible names for his disability to make us laugh. That was his prerogative. We would laugh with him but if anyone else had referred to him in those terms, especially in an abusive way I would have fought them and fought them hard.
Do we really NEED to use the word mong? It's not important. Let's drop it. I know there was no maliciousness involved. It's just ill-judged & misinformed that's all.
West Ham has got some of the funniest fans I've ever encountered. The brilliant reenactment of the train situation in Paris was a case in point. I loved it. When my mate Claire-Louise was in the Upton Park away end against Everton in the cup she was in stitches at some of the Hammers' comedians in the crowd. East End humour is sarcastic and dark and usually utterly genius. We must never lose that about ourselves. But some jokes aren't really that funny. I know we're better than that.
COYI
B x
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Alan Pardew writes open letter urging Crystal Palace fans to attend Saturday's game at West Ham
17:23, 26 February 2015 By Neil McLeman
The Eagles boss admits tickets are expensive at £44 but wants supporters to "leave the sofa for this one"
The Mirror
Alan Pardew has written an open letter to Crystal Palace fans urging them to attend Saturday's match at West Ham. But the Eagles boss has admitted the £44 cost of tickets at Upton Park is "expensive". With Palace struggling to sell their allocation, the Selhurst Park club have lifted restrictions on the number of tickets each fan can buy. In his letter, Pardew said he wanted supporters to "leave the sofa for this one" - a 12.45pm kickoff to be shown live on BT Sport. The Eagles boss said: "I wrote the letter because I wanted to highlight the fact we hadn't sold all the tickets, the fact they're expensive and that I understand that. I wish they were cheaper and I was asking them if they can possibly afford it to try to come along because it's a big afternoon for us. "It's an agenda that we as a club are focusing on - that away fans should get a better rate to make it easier. With all the finance coming into the game, its something that has to be looked at by the Premier League and by the chairmen in the premier league. "I'm just echoing my personal opinion with what I think our fans want and what fans up and down the country want. They want to follow their team, in a place where they have a good view of the game and at a decent price that makes it viable to be able to travel. "I think it will resonate with clubs up an down the country, with the new TV contract there seems to be no reason why that can't be addressed."
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West Ham reward Mark Noble with new £50,000-a-week, five-and-a-half year contract at Upton Park
09:43, 26 February 2015 By Adrian Kajumba
The Hammers stalwart is also set to have a testimonial, which will be the final ever game at Upton Park, at the end of next season before the Olympic Stadium move
The Mirror
Mark Noble has signed a new five-and-a-half year, £50,000-a-week West Ham deal. And the Hammers stalwart is set to be rewarded for his service next season with a testimonial which has been pencilled in to be the final game at Upton Park. Midfielder Noble's current deal was due to expire this summer. West Ham had an option to extend it by a further two years. But Noble has instead signed a fresh deal which runs until 2020 and will take him up to the age of 33. The new deal will see Noble bank a £10,000-a-week pay increase. Noble marked 10 years in the West Ham first team last August. And the Hammers are planning to honour their longest serving player by making his testimonial their Upton Park send off before they move to the Olympic Stadium. Sam Allardyce was quick to play tribute to his vice-captain. "Mark is West Ham born and bred and when somebody commits to one club for all his career up to now and then extends that, that is a rare thing today," the Hammers boss told the club's official website. "He loves West Ham and the area and it's good news for everybody.
"The supporters can relate to Mark Noble as one of their own and there is more affection as he is one of their own. "It's the same with James Tomkins. It seems to be a more difficult task these days to develop an academy player into the first team and those two are both academy boys and it's great to see them both here playing for West Ham regularly in the first team."
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Reid: "Not a whisper he's signed elsewhere"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 26, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham haven't heard the remotest whisper that Winston Reid has agreed a pre-contract deal with another club despite talks at Upton Park having seemingly stalled. The Irons believe that had a deal been done elsewhere it's certain news would have leaked back to them but not a single agent or outside source anywhere has been in touch with them. A well placed Irons insider told ClaretandHugh: "It's impossible to keep those things a secret. Something always spills out if a deal has been done but there's been nothing – not a word.
"There has been an absolute silence which suggests the lad is still making up his mind and playing a very cagey game indeed. "Everybody is hopeful that he and his agents will come back to the negotiating table. After seeing Mark Noble and James Tomkins agree deals it would be great to make it a hat-trick
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DG: Ref must tell skippers: "Pen is the last kick"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 26, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
David Gold wants refs to make it 100 per cent clear to captains, penalty takers and keepers that a last second penalty will LITERALLY be the final kick of the match! The co chairman is still barely over the Spurs equaliser which was converted by Harry Keane off a rebound following a great save by Adrian last Sunday. And speaking exclusively to ClaretandHugh he said: "Whilst we can't appeal the goal, lessons have to be learned and I believe there is one big thing to be done. "Referees get all sorts of training and I think that if ever such a situation arises again the official should go to all the parties involved – keeper, penalty taker and captain – making it clear that the kick is the very last thing that will happen in the game. If the ball hits the back of the net then ok it's a goal but nothing other than that should be allowable. "It was a dreadful situation for us. I'm barely over it. Six and a half minutes had been played at the time and you have to think there was just the time for the spot kick and nothing else. "It mis something that needs to be addressed and I believe my suggestion can help."
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It really isn't about money with Nobes!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 26, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
When a footballer says: "It's not about money" a sceptical collective sigh usually goes passes through the listeners. When Mark Noble used the same words this morning after signing a new five and half year deal not only did you believe it emotionally but it was impossible to disbelieve him factually. For Mark, despite his years of loyal service, is some way down the pecking order in the Hammers wage League headed by Andy Carroll on an eye-watering £80k a week. He is followed by the likes of Alex Song on around £70k, Stewart Downing (£57k) and Kevin Nolan £50k plus. Nobes, you see, is a throwback – a man who will end his days, or at least the best of them, -a Hammer and in the 21st century when it's usually about money and nothing but money we cherish him. Many tributes have been paid to the man today but Sam Allardyce put it as well – if not better than anybody – when he said: "He is West Ham born and bred. Somebody who commits to one club like he's done is pretty rare these days." In signing a new long term deal Nobes has shown that he's not one to sit trying to screw the last few bob out of the club. West Ham is his world and he's just thrilled the club are ready to do the right thing by him in days when for most it's all about the dough. Mark Noble is a breath of fresh air – we value and respect him!
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It won't all come falling down without Sam
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 26, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
By Rich Sprent
At the end of the 2014/15 season West Ham will have several positions vacant. Not only the expected management team but also on the pitch.. Ten players could be out of contract including the current loan players. This total can rise taking in account club options on several players. Link that to the u-21 team purge which is well under way and that the backroom staff has TWO heads of recruitment, in newly appointed Tony Henry and Martyn Glover, change is a coming.
Concerns have been expressed by those looking at the fortunes of Bolton and Blackburn should Allardyce leave the Hammers. But he was at Bolton for many years and it was a club infrastructure built by him. Blackburn was a team in decline and their new non-football understanding owners made a real hash of things. There's no real comparison with West Ham here. The Irons have been rebuilt by the owners and the move to the OS signifies more progressive change rather than anything else.
Allardyce has steadied the ship, built foundations, reorganised. Whatever the descriptive term used, he has brought on West Ham from a Championship mess to a team currently sitting in eighth in the Premier League. That's sound footing. If the right appointment is made in his place then his going should not mean that it all comes falling down without Sam at the helm.
Back to the team. Winston Reid is the high profile name on the list of probable outgoings. He is still 'considering his options' but is unlikely to stay and continues to be being strongly linked to a move to N17.
Alex Song and Carl Jenkinson appear to be surplus to requirements at Barca and Arsenal. The estimated combined £23m fee to sign both of them permanently would be a huge dent in the West Ham budget just to enable the club to try and stand still.
Squad players, Guy Demel, Carlton Cole, Danny Potts and Jussi Jaaskelainen are also out of contract. None of these have pushed for permanent places in the starting XI this season.
Young keeper, Raphael Spiegel, has a club option on a year's extension to his contract. Whether he is deemed good enough remains to be seen. He has just been given another loan opportunity. That he hasn't been paid off yet suggests that he has made the initial cut of the young players.
Morgan Amalfitano appears to have hampered his chances of an automatic two year contract with his sending off. He now cannot start enough games this season to trigger the clause. He can be exciting but doesn't play narrow when required to do so by the current manager. Whether he will still be of interest in the summer is an interesting side story.
Mark Noble is now nailed down to a new five and a half year deal and the following season, big contracts for Kevin Nolan and Modibo Maiga come to an end as do those for Joey O'Brien and James Collins.
Rumours in the media are that Ginge will be offered a new contract soon. An interesting one is that Adrian has a 2 year club option starting at the end of 2016. These options give the club good control over players who may or may not succeed. It also allows them to be released if they fail.
The one constant is change. This is no more so true than at a football club. If the management team is to change then any new appointment has an immediate and excellent opportunity to freshen things up from top to bottom.
They will have the chance to put their own stamp on things without necessarily having to worry about selling players first. A possible swing of 10+ players could really change the dynamic of West Ham United for 2015/16.
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Hammers on midfielder link
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 26, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham have this morning rubbished stories they are tracking Ghanian midfielder Bernard Mensah. The 20-year-old midfielder is currently at Portuguese club Vitoria De Guimaraes who have also had interest from Juventus in a part-ownership deal. Stories that Upton Park scouts have been watching the player regularly in the past couple of months and a summer move was in the offing were received with astonished scepticism. Mensah has played 20 games in the Primeira Liga so far this season and our source said: "This is a new one and there is no interest."
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DT38 Foundation will be launched at West Ham v Crystal Palace Premier League clash
FOX SPORTS February 27, 2015 8:00AM SHARE
WEST Ham manager Sam Allardyce says Dylan Tombides should be an inspiration for those who played with him, as the club prepares to host the launch of the DT38 Foundation this weekend when they play Crystal Palace in the Premier League. Allardyce, who gave Tombides his senior debut, will be part of the lauch on Sunday of a foundation set up in the 20-year-old striker's memory, with a mission to raise awareness of testicular cancer and early prevention. Speaking to Fox Sports ahead of the weekend, Allardyce said it's a wonderful example of the football world coming together. "There's far too much publicity on the not so nice side of football and not enough publicity about the outstanding work that goes on behind the scenes, particularly in the community, the foundation, things that have gone on from Dylan's legacy," he said."From Dylan's family's point of view, it's nice to see he won't be forgotten at West Ham." Allardyce reflected on his memory of a brave, gutsy and inspirational Tombides, and says his tenacity should spur on others. "The bravery of the lad impressed me the most; he was fighting back to play football more than anything else. He added: "He should be an inspiration for all the young players who played with him, or were younger with him, to fight and make a career."
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West Ham to try and sign PSG youngster Fode Toure Ballo
By Greg Evans
Posted on February 26, 2015
www.squawka.com
The Hammers are looking at recruiting 18-year-old Fode Toure Ballo, after the midfielder has impressed for the French team's reserve side, report The Daily Mail. West Ham are hoping to sign Paris Saint-Germain's promising young winger Fode Toure Ballo in the summer after the teenager has shown signs of real potential in a string of impressive matches for the Ligue 1 side's reserve team. Ballo has also featured in the Under-19 UEFA Youth League for PSG, and scouts have been said to have recommended him to West Ham. Apparently West Ham tried to sign the player last month along with his teammate and centre-forward, Jean Kevin Agustin but no deal could be reached, according to the Daily Mail. Arsenal and a number of other clubs are said to be interested in Fode Toure Ballo, hence why West Ham are stepping up their game and making their intents known early. The Frenchman can play either on the left-wing or at left-back which would strengthen Sam Allardyce's options on that side of the pitch. The Hammers currently only have Matt Jarvis as a recognised left-winger as Stewart Downing has made a successful transition into the centre of the pitch. Downing is the Premier League team's top assister with six already to his name this season. Regular left-back Aaron Cresswell has had an impressive debut season in the Premier League so Ballo would have difficulty replacing him. Stewart Downing has been one of the best players at West Ham this season but the left side of the pitch is short of options. Ballo is yet to feature for the PSG's first XI but with his ex-teammate, Nene recently joining the London based team, as per the BBC, it might not be too long before the French youngster travels across the channel and puts pen to paper.
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Thursday, February 26
Daily WHUFC News - 26th February 2015
Police investigate offensive chanting by Tottenham supporters
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 25th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
Tottenham Hotspur could face a Police probe after it was revealed that
offensive chants aimed at West Ham supporters during Sunday's derby at White
Hart Lane are being investigated by the FA. Both the Police and the FA have
been informed of the offensive chanting - which included references to
"pikeys", a derogatory term for members of the travelling community - by
Kick It Out, football's equality and inclusion organisation. And the north
London club now face a potential fine after their supporters were filmed -
by their own fans, no less - singing songs with racist overtones at visiting
supporters. Spurs supporters are no strangers to being caught participating
in songs featuring offensive lyrics. In 2008 they were accused of racist
chanting when referring to the father of African striker Emmanuel Adebayor -
who ironically now plays for Tottenham - as an "elephant washer" and his
mother as "a whore". And for several years, references to West Ham
supporters as "pikeys" - an offensive reference to Roma, Gypsies and
Travellers - have been heard on the terraces at White Hart Lane and whenever
they have visited the Boleyn Ground. West Ham fans are also being
investigated as a result of Sunday's game for referring to Spurs striker
Harry Kane as a "mong" - a derogatory term for someone with Downs Syndrome.
Meanwhile a video purporting to feature a group of West Ham fans singing an
offensive chant on a tube at some stage on Sunday has been dismissed as
potentially fraudulent, despite featuring in most of the national newspapers
since.
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Sullivan sympathises with fans who confronted his father
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 25th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
The son of co-owner David Sullivan has expressed sympathy for the supporters
who accosted his father following West Ham United's recent FA Cup exit at
West Brom.
18-year-old Dave Sullivan, the Chairman's eldest son was not present when
his father was besieged by enraged fans after West Ham were unexpectedly
thrashed 4-0 by Albion on Valentine's Day, as he was leaving for a short
holiday with younger brother Jack.
The appalling scenes - which saw the club's co-owner surrounded by a small
but vocal group of furious supporters demanding the dismissal of manager Sam
Allardyce - were posted for the world to see on You Tube a matter of hours
after the game had ended.
But despite the fact that his father was clearly shaken by the incident
Sullivan Jnr admitted he empathised with the fans who confronted his dad,
some of whom had spent hours stuck in traffic jams travelling to the West
Midlands - only to see the team fail to arrive.
"It sounds weird, but you can see why they're annoyed," said Sullivan,
talking exclusively on the latest episode of the KUMB West Ham Podcast. "But
it's not the right way to react.
"The thing is, me and Jack would have been there if we hadn't been going
away. It's the first away game we've missed so we were very lucky we weren't
there, but it does happen. You can see in some games there's a bit of
tension - and you don't get security at every club.
"At West Brom, Dad had to walk past the station where you had a lot of angry
West Ham fans going home. He had to walk past - and it's inviting trouble.
There was nowhere else for him to go, so he had to walk past it.
"He's a fan. He's as upset as everyone else. He was going to see his mum,
who's ill in hospital, so it's not like he was just leaving early. He was
upset, but there's a certain feeling of sympathy with the fans who are
angry. But that's not the way to react."
Sullivan, who spoke at length on the Podcast about his experiences at the
club since Sullivan Snr and co-owner David Gold gained control in 2010, was
happy to quash concerns regarding any lasting effects on his father.
"He's fine. You haven't got to worry, he's alright!" he laughed, before
adopting a more serious tone. "It's not right, but for some reason football
does have that effect on some people. You've just got to deal with it,
because it's going to happen to varying degrees."
However he admitted that scenes such as those witnessed outside the
Hawthorns can take their toll - with Sullivan Snr having considered his own
future as the club's owner at times, if only momentarily. "If you've got
people screaming at you, that's always going to happen," he said.
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REMEMBER DYLAN TOMBIDES ON 38 MINUTES
By Sean Whetstone 25 Feb 2015 at 14:09
West Ham till I Die
Hammer Dylan Tombides, who tragically passed away in April 2014, will be
remembered this weekend when the DT38 Foundation is launched at West Ham's
game with Crystal Palace. West Ham made a touching tribute of retiring his
No.38 jersey last year.
Dylan was robbed of a future that he dreamed of as a young boy. It robbed
Taylor of a brother and it robbed my husband and I of watching our beautiful
son grow and fulfil his dreams. Please do not let this happen to your son,
brother, friend or father," writes Tracy Tombides on the DT38 Foundation
website.
DT38 is a foundation which aims to "change the way testicular cancer is
diagnosed". The disease is the most common cancer for men between the ages
of 15 and 40, and the foundation hopes to raise awareness as well as educate
to help prevent the disease. The club will be putting a picture of Dylan up
on the big screens at 38 minutes and it would be fitting way to remember
Dylan if all home and away fans joined in one minute applause.
Dylan's mother Tracy Tombides details his final years on the foundation
website from joining West Ham in 2008 to his untimely death in 2014.
"In 2008, Dylan joined West Ham United and he flourished. He scored many
goals in the Under 16s and quickly found himself playing in the Under 18s,
the reserves, and finally in and around the first team. Dylan proudly spent
his 17th birthday with the first team in Portugal where he won the crossbar
challenge and made a commercial. He returned to England and continued to
shine.
In April 2011, at the age of 17, Dylan found a lump in his testicle. He
didn't say anything straight away because he felt no pain or discomfort. He
was playing so much football that when he did start to feel pain he put it
down to all his exercise. When the discomfort became a little more
consistent Dylan visited his General Practitioner. His GP informed Dylan
that he had a cyst and that there was nothing to worry about as many people
live with cysts. So Dylan continued on with his feeling of being on top of
the world – by firstly finishing the Barclays Premier League season on the
bench against Sunderland on 22 May. and He then travelled to Australia four
days later to join up with his Aussie teammates to prepare for the Under-17
World Cup in Mexico."
While in Mexico, Dylan caught the eye of Nike and he was offered a five-year
contract. However, following the last game of the tournament for Australia,
Dylan had a random drugs test and the results came back positive for a
tumour. Dylan was finally diagnosed with testicular cancer – three months
after his initial GP consultation. Dylan fought very hard to maintain his
fitness and strength while going through chemotherapy. He amazed everyone
with his determination and his constant smile and banter. He once described
himself as the happiest kid with cancer, but his cancer would not go
away.Every time Dylan had treatment, the tumour would return within
six-eight weeks. It returned stronger and more resilient than before."
In January 2012, he had RPLND (Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection)
surgery to remove his lymph nodes, but by June his cancer returned.
Amid Dylan's brave battle came his brightest day, his senior West Ham United
debut on 25 September 2012. Dylan replaced Gary O'Neil in the 84th minute of
a third round Capital One Cup tie with Wigan Athletic. Though the Hammers
lost 4-1, it was a moment that Dylan would never forget. The culmination of
a life-time's determination and desire, a dream come true.In December 2012,
Dylan had high dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplant twice within eight
weeks."
"In March 2013, Dylan was preparing for the Under-20 World Cup and his
cancer resurfaced in his liver and he had to have his liver resected and was
out for the next three months.During this time Dylan went into the Club
every day and worked on his banter, snooker and the exercise bike. He
continued to do mild exercise until he was allowed to do more physical
training.Dylan had a couple of minor procedures throughout July – October
and in November 2013 Dylan's cancer returned again. He was determined to
have his three-week course of Chemotherapy and be fit for the Under-22
tournament in Oman in January 2014. Dylan completed his course of
chemotherapy and played for Australia in January just three weeks later. But
by the time he returned he was informed the cancer had not responded to the
treatment and the doctors said that they could no longer offer Dylan a cure.
Dylan travelled to Germany where they offered hope and treatments not
available in the UK. Dylan stayed strong throughout his next phase of
treatment but Dylan's cancer was rare and he had had so much chemotherapy
that they were worried that his organs would fail.
"On 18 April 2014, Dylan's organs failed and we said goodbye to our beloved
son and brother. His West Ham family thought so highly of him they retired
his number 38 shirt. It breaks our heart to think that this could have been
prevented. If we had known about testicular cancer and what we needed to do
to catch it early, we would have insisted on an ultra sound when we went to
the GP. Dylan was robbed of a future that he dreamed of as a young boy. It
robbed Taylor of a brother and it robbed my husband and I of watching our
beautiful son grow and fulfil his dreams. Please do not let this happen to
your son, brother, friend or father."
"If you have a concern with your testicles please see a doctor straight away
and insist on an ultrasound – it may just save your life
We miss you so much Dylan. You have left a void that no one can fill.Tracy
Tombides"
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ZERO TOLERANCE IS BUT ONE HALF OF THE EQUATION!
By S J Chandos 25 Feb 2015 at 08:00
West Ham till I Die
It is regrettable that the club is once again the focus of controversy in
the aftermath of a match at White Hart Lane. There have been various reports
that a group of Hammers supporters were recorded (by public spirited Spurs
fans!) singing anti-Semitic songs, on public transport, whilst travelling to
last Sunday's match. Moreover, TV pundit, Kevin Kilbane (even though he was
not present at WHL and did not personally witness the alleged behaviour),
has formally reported alleged chants made by a section of the West Ham
support that have been interpreted as mocking disabled people. And the FA,
urged by groups such as Kick it Out, are said to be taking swift action to
investigate the claims. We await the outcome of those investigations and, if
proven, it is only right that appropriate action is taken.
At the same time, video evidence of the Spurs support singing songs
referring to Hammers supporters as 'pikeys,' (a similarly discriminatory and
offensive term) have so far received less media and official attention. That
is disappointing, because Kick it Out and the FA must be seen to be even
handed in investigating all incidents of discriminatory conduct, whatever
its origins. So far, West Ham's official position has been that any Hammers
fans found guility of such conduct will be banned from Upton Park. That is
the correct position to adopt, but zero tolerance is arguably but one half
of this particular equation
In November 2012, there was there incidents of anti-Semitic chanting in the
3-1 defeat at White Hart Lane. The club's initial response was swift and
extremely positive. It both adopted a zero tolerance position (which remains
in place today) and began a number of anti-discrimination and inclusion
initiatives that gave leadership and set a strong example for all
supporters. This included the club's high profile public support for a
number of equalities campaigns, being the first club in the country to
commemorate Holocaust Memorial Month in January 2013 and developing some
promising grass root equalities activities via the club's community Trust.
Indeed, West Ham deserved real praise for the strength of its response and
the initial work that was undertaken, with strong leadership being supplied
from the very top of the club.
Unfortunately, after that initial phase of positive activity, the club
appeared (for whatever reason) to take its foot off the accelerator. Perhaps
the club felt that it had done sufficient on the
inclusion/anti-discrimination agenda to address the issues? Maybe I am
wrong, but the turning point seemed to be the very public (captured on
U-Tube) incident involving hostility towards Muslim fans at a match vs
Manchester City and later fan criticism of discounted ticket schemes for
excluded groups. Certain elements raised a fuss and the club seemed to back
off. At least that is the way that it appeared to me. Subsequently, as part
of this trend, it was noticeable that the flag ship Holocaust Memorial
annual event at the ground was quietly dropped this season.
In the summer of 2013, far from backing off, I argued that the club needed
to continue to systematically build on its good work. What was needed, in my
view, was a joint Club-Community Trust led equalities initiative that
promoted grass root work with youngsters and, indeed, the wider fan base. A
proactive 'West Ham Together' campaign modelled on the hugely successful
initiative piloted by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Such a campaign would
have brought all of its separate equalities initiatives together and
provided a standing vehicle to organise and deliver an ongoing programme of
engagement with the fan base. It would have disseminated the view of West
Ham Utd as an inclusive organisation, with a valued diverse and
international fan base. And the key message would be that all fans proudly
support the club, regardless of diverse origins or identity/background, and
it is a factor that unites us all. Within that, it would be a positive
lesson to visually underline the true richness and diversity that exists
within our fan base via a colteral advertising/publicity campaign.
The probability is that discriminatory and reactionary elements will always
be part of any large fan base. The objective, however, is to maintain
positive social values at the mainstream of the club's ethos/ethics and, in
doing so, unite the vast majority of decent supporters around those shared
progressive values. That way, you effectively side line the reactionaries
and ensure that they are marginal and non-representative. A 'West Ham
Together' type initiative would provide the means to do this, in an ongoing
fashion. Because the thing with successful equalities strategies is that
they are invariably long-term projects that are led at all levels of the
organisation, mainstreamed, reach/empower key stakeholders and are
continuously/corporately driven forward.
Zero tolerance positions are right and proper, but they are but half of the
equation. It should be accompanied by a programme of grass root engagement
work to 'win hearts and minds' and help set the mainstream values of the
club's support to a progressive default. In this way, you can proactively
work to ensure that discriminatory incidents are less likely to occur, in
the first place, and when they do they are widely seen as the actions of an
unrepresentative fringe. Indeed, an ultimate objective should be to create a
climate in which fans feel confident to report and, to a degree, self-police
by challenging all such behaviour and making clear to transgressors that it
is unacceptable. As well as encouraging many more fan based interventions
like the excellent West Ham video response to the Paris train incident.
Proactive work with fans groups can surely harness more of that type of fan
led initiative that utilise humour to challenge discrimination and
positively influence other fans. Thus, ensuring a multi-faceted approach
that enlists the skills and initiative of fans/fan groups themselves in
support of that which we wish to achieve.
The club has adopted the strapline 'Moore than a football club.' Well it was
never more true than within this context. The club has enormous influence
and can give inspiring community leadership. Hopefully, the club will
respond to this latest episode in the right way. The aim should be to
transform West Ham Utd FC in to a model football club in all matters
pertaining to equalities and inclusion. It is possible to achieve and,
what's more, it is essential in support of the club's core business
objectives pertaining the move to the Olympic Stadium and delivering the
Olympic legacy in East London.
Even if the social justice argument for equalities/inclusion action does not
convince everyone at the club, the business case should!
SJ. Chandos.
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est Ham tracking young Ghanaian sensation Bernard Mensah after impressive
season in Portugal
18:41, 25 February 2015 By John Cross
Mensah has scored four times in 20 appearances for Premeira Liga side
Vitoria De Guimaraes, sparking interest from a host of European teams
The Mirror
West Ham are tracking Ghanian midfielder Bernard Mensah. The 20-year-old
midfielder is currently at Portuguese club Vitoria De Guimaraes who have
also had interest from Juventus in a part-ownership deal. West Ham scouts
have been looking at Mensah in the past couple of months and may make a move
in the summer. Mensah has played 20 games in the Primeira Liga so far this
season, finding the net on four different occasions, including a striker
against Porto in September. He signed a deal with Vitoria until 2018
following an impressive season with the club's 'B' team last season, which
saw him promoted to the senior ranks.
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38th minute applause in memory of Dylan
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 25, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
ClaretandHugh is today calling on all followers/readers to join a 38th
minute round of applause on Saturday afternoon for Dylan Tombides who
tragically passed away in April last year. He is to be especially remembered
when the DT38 Foundation is launched at West Ham's Premier League clash with
Crystal Palace where his family will be in attendance. A picture of Dylan up
on the big screens at 38 minutes when the Upton Park crowd are urged to
remember one of the finest prospects – and young men – to emerge from the
club in years.
Tracy Tombides – writing on the DT38 Foundation website – said: "Dylan was
robbed of a future that he dreamed of as a young boy.
"It robbed Taylor of a brother and it robbed my husband and I of watching
our beautiful son grow and fulfil his dreams. Please do not let this happen
to your son, brother, friend or father."
CANDH AGAIN URGES YOU TO REMEMBER THIS FINE YOUNG MAN ON 38 MINUTES!
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Lampard's ghastly Mooro/Terry comparison
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 25, 2015 in Whispers
Claret 7 Hugh
Sorry everybody – I just can't let this pass!
Here's what Frank Lampard has had to say about the great Mooro and his
personal bestie John Terry. "It's not easy to compare to Bobby Moore but in
terms of the ability that they have on the football field I think the
closest you could get would be John Terry in the modern day. "He'd [Moore]
take a moment and kick a ball about like I always used to do with my Dad at
the time. I remember stories from my Dad telling me 'this is the type of
player you want to be, but also more than that this is the type of man you
want to be'."
I think the clue is in his Dad's words: "the type of man you want to be'." I
won't go into details because we all know enough about Mooro's lifestyle and
Terry's to merely say: "Shut up Frank and talk about things of which you
actually have some knowledge because you were far too young to ever watch
the great man."
For the record Lampard was born in 1978 and Mooro played his last league
game in 1977 – enough said!
Disgraceful comparison which makes Lampard a laughing stock!
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Hammers: The missing top six link
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 25, 2015 in Whispers
Claret 7 Hugh
By Rich Sprent
The last three league games have highlighted a multitude of unreported
issues! Yes we've all read about poor refereeing decisions, manager
decisions, substitutions, Sam out/Sam in, next manager, injuries, singing,
diving and late, late leads thrown away. However, the real story, as ever,
is the team.
Look at the table and it clearly shows that West Ham currently sits in
eighth place in the Premier League. The team is only a couple of wins away
from challenging for a European place. The last three league results have
been draws against the 4th, 5th and 6th place teams.
Many would have taken eighth place at this stage before the season started.
There is no doubt that the team has progressed fantastically from the mess
of the last relegation.
Coupled with the club's shrewd running and with such a low wage to turnover
rate, it makes it even more of an achievement. With our best XI on the pitch
it requires just a little more to push on and actively be a force in the top
six places.
Whether that best XI is deployed in a diamond or a more counter attacking
4-5-1, the team have shown that they are more than a match for the teams
above them. The squad is however creaking with a lack of midfielders.
The bench on Sunday had just Kevin Nolan representing the engine room. Diego
Poyet has had a calf strain and is only recently back in training. He has
not been entrusted in the first team squad as yet.
Morgan Amalfitano still has two games to sit out after his petulance at The
Hawthorns. If the three were blended then we'd have the answer. All three
however just don't make the grade… yet. For Poyet, there is time to develop.
If he does then he will save the club a lot of searching and money.
The defenders are all back in town; Nene is in to cover Carroll and Cole.
But why did we not have a plan B for Darren Fletcher failing his
medical/deal …cancelled by the board….chose a better deal at Smethwick ?
The arguments for not signing Fletcher were there for all to see. And yet,
with no fee involved he could easily have been the difference in turning the
last three draws into wins.
Song, Noble and Kouyate work so well together. Song: always available, on
the ball, creating space. In effect, he is class. Noble: endeavour,
enthusiasm, work rate and an excellent pass completion rate.
He's the heartbeat of the Irons but for him to raise himself to the level
above he requires a better player next to him. Kouyate: breaking play up and
then making those runs into the opposition box. He compliments the whole
team so well. He is always willing and seemingly always there. The three
allow Downing to play with freedom at the tip of the diamond at home and be
that wide threat on the road.
Next season? For me, Song must be retained. He has had his critics for his
performances since the AFCON squad debacle. But this team needs a player of
his class. And for Song to shine he needs players around him to be able to
play as well.
That fourth midfielder is required urgently. To either challenge the current
starters or improve the options off of the bench. Either way, until we can
rely on that fourth midfielder, through a transfer or Poyet stepping up,
then we will struggle to dominate top six sides for 90 minutes and make that
jump to Europe .
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Sam's situation unchanged despite Shearer
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 25, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sam Allardyce's situation at West Ham remains unchanged despite an attempted
intervention by Alan Shearer. The former England striker believes the Irons
will be making a big mistake if they get rid of Sam Allardyce in the summer.
Writing in the Sun he says: "It now looks increasingly likely Sam Allardyce
will not have his contract renewed but West Ham fans need to be careful what
they wish for. "There are not many teams Big Sam has left that have gone on
to bigger and better things — just look at the state of Bolton, Newcastle
and Blackburn. Hammers fans need reminding the grass is not always greener."
However, it no seems that the 60 year old's chances of remaining in charge
are receding with a source saying: "The situation remains unchanged as far
as I know. The reports that the club are putting a list of candidates
together remain correct."
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Boleyn Ground flats plan in doubt
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 25, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Newham Mayor Sir Robin Wales has hit out at Galliard homes plans to build
838 apartments on the former home of West Ham United. "This initial offer
from Galliard Homes is insulting, the developers need to drastically rethink
this ridiculous offer and ensure it offers a good mixture of tenures
including social, affordable and intermediate rents." Sir Robin told the
Newham Recorder. The mayor holds a season ticket at West Ham, and has
previously declared 35 gifts from the club over a three year period, mainly
of hospitality. The plans have also been criticised by local action group
Friends of Queen's Market for proposing 332 car parking spaces at a site
expecting more than 2,000 residents. The planning application will go to
Newham council's strategy and development committee, but no date has been
set for a hearing. There is a good chance that Galliard may need to go back
to the drawing board with their plans.
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£9m West Ham flop Savio Nsereko's debut with obscure Bulgarian club hits a
bump
HITC
Mathew Nash
Savio Nsereko is now plying his trade for Beroe Stara Zagora ... well,
maybe. When Gianfranco Zola spent £9 million, according to the Daily Mail,
on 19-year-old German youth international Savio Nsereko in January 2009 he
became the club's record signing. But after just ten games for The Hammers
he failed to score and left for Fiorentina. His time in Florence was also
poor. In that time he was consistently AWOL, out on loan and generally
misbehaving at La Viola. He spent time on loan with Bologna, Juve Stabia and
1860 Munich whilst also sampling football in Bulgaria and Romania with
Chernomerets Burgas and FC Vaslui respectively. He then moved back to
Germany with SpVgg Unterhaching and eventually found himself playing for
Viktoria Koln in German football's fourth tier. It is not only on the pitch
where he has struggled - In 2012 he spent three weeks in a Thai jail after
faking a kidnapping to extort money from a family member, according to
Metro.
At the end of 2013 the West Ham flop was dealt a lifeline from an unlikely
location - Kazakhstan. Nsereko signed for Kazakh Premier League side FC
Atyrau in December 2013 and it proved to be a moderate hit. He scored a
sensational goal on his debut. It was his first goal in professional
football since he netted as a teenager for Brescia, against Pisa, in January
2009! He was player of the month in the Kazakh Premier League back in March
but at the end of the season he did not renew his deal with the club and
went to undergo a trial period at Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala back in
July. That deal never came to fruition and now he is back in Bulgaria, where
things have hit something of a snag. He joined Bulgarian side Beroe Stara
Zagora earlier this month after a successful trial period and made his debut
in the Bulgarian Cup match against Ludogorets Razgrad on the 15th February.
Now it has become clear that he should not have played in that fixture. A
report in Focus-Sport states that Beroe manager Petar Hubchev has confirmed
that he missed the second leg at the weekend, as he is still contracted to
Atyrau. However his Bulgarian adventure is not over yet. Hubchev also
confirmed that he should be signed on in time for the game with Lokomotiv
Plovdiv at the weekend.
Yet another bizarre twist in the career of this former West Ham record
holder, who at 25-years-old, has already done more than most veterans have
in their careers.
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Robert Lipovac 'flattered' after West Ham hand trial to Swedish teenage
striker
The BK Hacken striker will train with West Ham Under 21s this week
Robert Lipovac is 'flattered' according to his agent Linus Jacobsson
Hammers are currently without injured Carlton Cole and Andy Carroll
By SIMON JONES FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 17:23, 25 February 2015 | UPDATED: 17:23, 25 February 2015
West Ham are giving a trial to Swedish striker Robert Lipovac. The
18-year-old plays for BK Hacken but his club have given him permission to
visit West Ham this week where he is training with the club's U21 squad. His
representative Linus Jacobsson said: 'West Ham sent an official invitation
to Hacken, who thought it was good timing and a good experience for Robert,
so they released him for a week. The Hammers are currently short up front
following injuries to Andy Carroll and Carlton Cole, which could see new
signing Nene fast tracked into action against Crystal Palace. The
33-year-old Brazilian forward arrived last week on a free transfer and
manager Sam Allardyce admits recent injuries have forced his hand in
Saturday's team selection. 'Nene would have probably featured anyway but he
will definitely be involved now because we're down to the two strikers with
Andy Carroll's injury and Carlton Cole's new hamstring problem,' said
Allardyce.
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West Ham Cottee: I want to know if Kane goal should have been allowed
15:08 25 February 2015
London 24
Former West Ham star Tony Cottee questions the validity of Harry Kane's
late, late rebound
I was at White Hart Lane on Sunday with Tony Gale and was all ready to
celebrate what would have been a superb and throughly deserved victory
against our great rivals. Tottenham were not on their game and at 2-0 we
could have added at least one more, before it all went horribly wrong in the
last 10 minutes. You have to say that we were unlucky on the day. I don't
think Adrian did well enough for their first goal, though he has to be
forgiven as he has been so good this season. And then came the penalty and I
would like to make a point about the way they equalised in the last second.
The referee had allowed for five minutes of injury time and when Spurs won
their penalty, which I thought was definitely a spot kick by the way, he had
played six minutes extra. I would like to know how much time had elapsed
when Harry Kane's shot was saved because if time was up, the referee should
have blown for full time, before he had put in the rebound.
Mind you it would have been a brave referee to blow the whistle at that
point. Winston Reid returned to the team on Sunday and I thought he handled
Kane pretty well all afternoon. I think he is the best defender at the club
and he and James Tomkins are the best pair we have. We certainly need him in
the team. James Collins has also been excellent this season and is an
important part of the squad. Sunday saw us drop another two points from a
winning position and it is proving very costly. It is difficult to work out
the reason for it. It could prove very costly, but I still believe that we
are capable of making it into the Europa League this season. The way things
are panning out, finishing seventh could be enough to secure a spot and for
me that means catching Southampton, which we are certainly capable of.
To do that we must start holding on to leads, starting with Saturday's match
against Crystal Palace at Upton Park. Alan Pardew has galvanised Palace
since coming in as manager and I think they will stay up because of him.
They have lost their last two home games, though, and I think it might be a
good time to play them, so I am going for a 2-0 victory to keep us in the
hunt for Europe.
COYI!
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KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 25th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
Tottenham Hotspur could face a Police probe after it was revealed that
offensive chants aimed at West Ham supporters during Sunday's derby at White
Hart Lane are being investigated by the FA. Both the Police and the FA have
been informed of the offensive chanting - which included references to
"pikeys", a derogatory term for members of the travelling community - by
Kick It Out, football's equality and inclusion organisation. And the north
London club now face a potential fine after their supporters were filmed -
by their own fans, no less - singing songs with racist overtones at visiting
supporters. Spurs supporters are no strangers to being caught participating
in songs featuring offensive lyrics. In 2008 they were accused of racist
chanting when referring to the father of African striker Emmanuel Adebayor -
who ironically now plays for Tottenham - as an "elephant washer" and his
mother as "a whore". And for several years, references to West Ham
supporters as "pikeys" - an offensive reference to Roma, Gypsies and
Travellers - have been heard on the terraces at White Hart Lane and whenever
they have visited the Boleyn Ground. West Ham fans are also being
investigated as a result of Sunday's game for referring to Spurs striker
Harry Kane as a "mong" - a derogatory term for someone with Downs Syndrome.
Meanwhile a video purporting to feature a group of West Ham fans singing an
offensive chant on a tube at some stage on Sunday has been dismissed as
potentially fraudulent, despite featuring in most of the national newspapers
since.
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Sullivan sympathises with fans who confronted his father
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 25th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
The son of co-owner David Sullivan has expressed sympathy for the supporters
who accosted his father following West Ham United's recent FA Cup exit at
West Brom.
18-year-old Dave Sullivan, the Chairman's eldest son was not present when
his father was besieged by enraged fans after West Ham were unexpectedly
thrashed 4-0 by Albion on Valentine's Day, as he was leaving for a short
holiday with younger brother Jack.
The appalling scenes - which saw the club's co-owner surrounded by a small
but vocal group of furious supporters demanding the dismissal of manager Sam
Allardyce - were posted for the world to see on You Tube a matter of hours
after the game had ended.
But despite the fact that his father was clearly shaken by the incident
Sullivan Jnr admitted he empathised with the fans who confronted his dad,
some of whom had spent hours stuck in traffic jams travelling to the West
Midlands - only to see the team fail to arrive.
"It sounds weird, but you can see why they're annoyed," said Sullivan,
talking exclusively on the latest episode of the KUMB West Ham Podcast. "But
it's not the right way to react.
"The thing is, me and Jack would have been there if we hadn't been going
away. It's the first away game we've missed so we were very lucky we weren't
there, but it does happen. You can see in some games there's a bit of
tension - and you don't get security at every club.
"At West Brom, Dad had to walk past the station where you had a lot of angry
West Ham fans going home. He had to walk past - and it's inviting trouble.
There was nowhere else for him to go, so he had to walk past it.
"He's a fan. He's as upset as everyone else. He was going to see his mum,
who's ill in hospital, so it's not like he was just leaving early. He was
upset, but there's a certain feeling of sympathy with the fans who are
angry. But that's not the way to react."
Sullivan, who spoke at length on the Podcast about his experiences at the
club since Sullivan Snr and co-owner David Gold gained control in 2010, was
happy to quash concerns regarding any lasting effects on his father.
"He's fine. You haven't got to worry, he's alright!" he laughed, before
adopting a more serious tone. "It's not right, but for some reason football
does have that effect on some people. You've just got to deal with it,
because it's going to happen to varying degrees."
However he admitted that scenes such as those witnessed outside the
Hawthorns can take their toll - with Sullivan Snr having considered his own
future as the club's owner at times, if only momentarily. "If you've got
people screaming at you, that's always going to happen," he said.
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REMEMBER DYLAN TOMBIDES ON 38 MINUTES
By Sean Whetstone 25 Feb 2015 at 14:09
West Ham till I Die
Hammer Dylan Tombides, who tragically passed away in April 2014, will be
remembered this weekend when the DT38 Foundation is launched at West Ham's
game with Crystal Palace. West Ham made a touching tribute of retiring his
No.38 jersey last year.
Dylan was robbed of a future that he dreamed of as a young boy. It robbed
Taylor of a brother and it robbed my husband and I of watching our beautiful
son grow and fulfil his dreams. Please do not let this happen to your son,
brother, friend or father," writes Tracy Tombides on the DT38 Foundation
website.
DT38 is a foundation which aims to "change the way testicular cancer is
diagnosed". The disease is the most common cancer for men between the ages
of 15 and 40, and the foundation hopes to raise awareness as well as educate
to help prevent the disease. The club will be putting a picture of Dylan up
on the big screens at 38 minutes and it would be fitting way to remember
Dylan if all home and away fans joined in one minute applause.
Dylan's mother Tracy Tombides details his final years on the foundation
website from joining West Ham in 2008 to his untimely death in 2014.
"In 2008, Dylan joined West Ham United and he flourished. He scored many
goals in the Under 16s and quickly found himself playing in the Under 18s,
the reserves, and finally in and around the first team. Dylan proudly spent
his 17th birthday with the first team in Portugal where he won the crossbar
challenge and made a commercial. He returned to England and continued to
shine.
In April 2011, at the age of 17, Dylan found a lump in his testicle. He
didn't say anything straight away because he felt no pain or discomfort. He
was playing so much football that when he did start to feel pain he put it
down to all his exercise. When the discomfort became a little more
consistent Dylan visited his General Practitioner. His GP informed Dylan
that he had a cyst and that there was nothing to worry about as many people
live with cysts. So Dylan continued on with his feeling of being on top of
the world – by firstly finishing the Barclays Premier League season on the
bench against Sunderland on 22 May. and He then travelled to Australia four
days later to join up with his Aussie teammates to prepare for the Under-17
World Cup in Mexico."
While in Mexico, Dylan caught the eye of Nike and he was offered a five-year
contract. However, following the last game of the tournament for Australia,
Dylan had a random drugs test and the results came back positive for a
tumour. Dylan was finally diagnosed with testicular cancer – three months
after his initial GP consultation. Dylan fought very hard to maintain his
fitness and strength while going through chemotherapy. He amazed everyone
with his determination and his constant smile and banter. He once described
himself as the happiest kid with cancer, but his cancer would not go
away.Every time Dylan had treatment, the tumour would return within
six-eight weeks. It returned stronger and more resilient than before."
In January 2012, he had RPLND (Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection)
surgery to remove his lymph nodes, but by June his cancer returned.
Amid Dylan's brave battle came his brightest day, his senior West Ham United
debut on 25 September 2012. Dylan replaced Gary O'Neil in the 84th minute of
a third round Capital One Cup tie with Wigan Athletic. Though the Hammers
lost 4-1, it was a moment that Dylan would never forget. The culmination of
a life-time's determination and desire, a dream come true.In December 2012,
Dylan had high dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplant twice within eight
weeks."
"In March 2013, Dylan was preparing for the Under-20 World Cup and his
cancer resurfaced in his liver and he had to have his liver resected and was
out for the next three months.During this time Dylan went into the Club
every day and worked on his banter, snooker and the exercise bike. He
continued to do mild exercise until he was allowed to do more physical
training.Dylan had a couple of minor procedures throughout July – October
and in November 2013 Dylan's cancer returned again. He was determined to
have his three-week course of Chemotherapy and be fit for the Under-22
tournament in Oman in January 2014. Dylan completed his course of
chemotherapy and played for Australia in January just three weeks later. But
by the time he returned he was informed the cancer had not responded to the
treatment and the doctors said that they could no longer offer Dylan a cure.
Dylan travelled to Germany where they offered hope and treatments not
available in the UK. Dylan stayed strong throughout his next phase of
treatment but Dylan's cancer was rare and he had had so much chemotherapy
that they were worried that his organs would fail.
"On 18 April 2014, Dylan's organs failed and we said goodbye to our beloved
son and brother. His West Ham family thought so highly of him they retired
his number 38 shirt. It breaks our heart to think that this could have been
prevented. If we had known about testicular cancer and what we needed to do
to catch it early, we would have insisted on an ultra sound when we went to
the GP. Dylan was robbed of a future that he dreamed of as a young boy. It
robbed Taylor of a brother and it robbed my husband and I of watching our
beautiful son grow and fulfil his dreams. Please do not let this happen to
your son, brother, friend or father."
"If you have a concern with your testicles please see a doctor straight away
and insist on an ultrasound – it may just save your life
We miss you so much Dylan. You have left a void that no one can fill.Tracy
Tombides"
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ZERO TOLERANCE IS BUT ONE HALF OF THE EQUATION!
By S J Chandos 25 Feb 2015 at 08:00
West Ham till I Die
It is regrettable that the club is once again the focus of controversy in
the aftermath of a match at White Hart Lane. There have been various reports
that a group of Hammers supporters were recorded (by public spirited Spurs
fans!) singing anti-Semitic songs, on public transport, whilst travelling to
last Sunday's match. Moreover, TV pundit, Kevin Kilbane (even though he was
not present at WHL and did not personally witness the alleged behaviour),
has formally reported alleged chants made by a section of the West Ham
support that have been interpreted as mocking disabled people. And the FA,
urged by groups such as Kick it Out, are said to be taking swift action to
investigate the claims. We await the outcome of those investigations and, if
proven, it is only right that appropriate action is taken.
At the same time, video evidence of the Spurs support singing songs
referring to Hammers supporters as 'pikeys,' (a similarly discriminatory and
offensive term) have so far received less media and official attention. That
is disappointing, because Kick it Out and the FA must be seen to be even
handed in investigating all incidents of discriminatory conduct, whatever
its origins. So far, West Ham's official position has been that any Hammers
fans found guility of such conduct will be banned from Upton Park. That is
the correct position to adopt, but zero tolerance is arguably but one half
of this particular equation
In November 2012, there was there incidents of anti-Semitic chanting in the
3-1 defeat at White Hart Lane. The club's initial response was swift and
extremely positive. It both adopted a zero tolerance position (which remains
in place today) and began a number of anti-discrimination and inclusion
initiatives that gave leadership and set a strong example for all
supporters. This included the club's high profile public support for a
number of equalities campaigns, being the first club in the country to
commemorate Holocaust Memorial Month in January 2013 and developing some
promising grass root equalities activities via the club's community Trust.
Indeed, West Ham deserved real praise for the strength of its response and
the initial work that was undertaken, with strong leadership being supplied
from the very top of the club.
Unfortunately, after that initial phase of positive activity, the club
appeared (for whatever reason) to take its foot off the accelerator. Perhaps
the club felt that it had done sufficient on the
inclusion/anti-discrimination agenda to address the issues? Maybe I am
wrong, but the turning point seemed to be the very public (captured on
U-Tube) incident involving hostility towards Muslim fans at a match vs
Manchester City and later fan criticism of discounted ticket schemes for
excluded groups. Certain elements raised a fuss and the club seemed to back
off. At least that is the way that it appeared to me. Subsequently, as part
of this trend, it was noticeable that the flag ship Holocaust Memorial
annual event at the ground was quietly dropped this season.
In the summer of 2013, far from backing off, I argued that the club needed
to continue to systematically build on its good work. What was needed, in my
view, was a joint Club-Community Trust led equalities initiative that
promoted grass root work with youngsters and, indeed, the wider fan base. A
proactive 'West Ham Together' campaign modelled on the hugely successful
initiative piloted by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Such a campaign would
have brought all of its separate equalities initiatives together and
provided a standing vehicle to organise and deliver an ongoing programme of
engagement with the fan base. It would have disseminated the view of West
Ham Utd as an inclusive organisation, with a valued diverse and
international fan base. And the key message would be that all fans proudly
support the club, regardless of diverse origins or identity/background, and
it is a factor that unites us all. Within that, it would be a positive
lesson to visually underline the true richness and diversity that exists
within our fan base via a colteral advertising/publicity campaign.
The probability is that discriminatory and reactionary elements will always
be part of any large fan base. The objective, however, is to maintain
positive social values at the mainstream of the club's ethos/ethics and, in
doing so, unite the vast majority of decent supporters around those shared
progressive values. That way, you effectively side line the reactionaries
and ensure that they are marginal and non-representative. A 'West Ham
Together' type initiative would provide the means to do this, in an ongoing
fashion. Because the thing with successful equalities strategies is that
they are invariably long-term projects that are led at all levels of the
organisation, mainstreamed, reach/empower key stakeholders and are
continuously/corporately driven forward.
Zero tolerance positions are right and proper, but they are but half of the
equation. It should be accompanied by a programme of grass root engagement
work to 'win hearts and minds' and help set the mainstream values of the
club's support to a progressive default. In this way, you can proactively
work to ensure that discriminatory incidents are less likely to occur, in
the first place, and when they do they are widely seen as the actions of an
unrepresentative fringe. Indeed, an ultimate objective should be to create a
climate in which fans feel confident to report and, to a degree, self-police
by challenging all such behaviour and making clear to transgressors that it
is unacceptable. As well as encouraging many more fan based interventions
like the excellent West Ham video response to the Paris train incident.
Proactive work with fans groups can surely harness more of that type of fan
led initiative that utilise humour to challenge discrimination and
positively influence other fans. Thus, ensuring a multi-faceted approach
that enlists the skills and initiative of fans/fan groups themselves in
support of that which we wish to achieve.
The club has adopted the strapline 'Moore than a football club.' Well it was
never more true than within this context. The club has enormous influence
and can give inspiring community leadership. Hopefully, the club will
respond to this latest episode in the right way. The aim should be to
transform West Ham Utd FC in to a model football club in all matters
pertaining to equalities and inclusion. It is possible to achieve and,
what's more, it is essential in support of the club's core business
objectives pertaining the move to the Olympic Stadium and delivering the
Olympic legacy in East London.
Even if the social justice argument for equalities/inclusion action does not
convince everyone at the club, the business case should!
SJ. Chandos.
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est Ham tracking young Ghanaian sensation Bernard Mensah after impressive
season in Portugal
18:41, 25 February 2015 By John Cross
Mensah has scored four times in 20 appearances for Premeira Liga side
Vitoria De Guimaraes, sparking interest from a host of European teams
The Mirror
West Ham are tracking Ghanian midfielder Bernard Mensah. The 20-year-old
midfielder is currently at Portuguese club Vitoria De Guimaraes who have
also had interest from Juventus in a part-ownership deal. West Ham scouts
have been looking at Mensah in the past couple of months and may make a move
in the summer. Mensah has played 20 games in the Primeira Liga so far this
season, finding the net on four different occasions, including a striker
against Porto in September. He signed a deal with Vitoria until 2018
following an impressive season with the club's 'B' team last season, which
saw him promoted to the senior ranks.
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38th minute applause in memory of Dylan
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 25, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
ClaretandHugh is today calling on all followers/readers to join a 38th
minute round of applause on Saturday afternoon for Dylan Tombides who
tragically passed away in April last year. He is to be especially remembered
when the DT38 Foundation is launched at West Ham's Premier League clash with
Crystal Palace where his family will be in attendance. A picture of Dylan up
on the big screens at 38 minutes when the Upton Park crowd are urged to
remember one of the finest prospects – and young men – to emerge from the
club in years.
Tracy Tombides – writing on the DT38 Foundation website – said: "Dylan was
robbed of a future that he dreamed of as a young boy.
"It robbed Taylor of a brother and it robbed my husband and I of watching
our beautiful son grow and fulfil his dreams. Please do not let this happen
to your son, brother, friend or father."
CANDH AGAIN URGES YOU TO REMEMBER THIS FINE YOUNG MAN ON 38 MINUTES!
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Lampard's ghastly Mooro/Terry comparison
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 25, 2015 in Whispers
Claret 7 Hugh
Sorry everybody – I just can't let this pass!
Here's what Frank Lampard has had to say about the great Mooro and his
personal bestie John Terry. "It's not easy to compare to Bobby Moore but in
terms of the ability that they have on the football field I think the
closest you could get would be John Terry in the modern day. "He'd [Moore]
take a moment and kick a ball about like I always used to do with my Dad at
the time. I remember stories from my Dad telling me 'this is the type of
player you want to be, but also more than that this is the type of man you
want to be'."
I think the clue is in his Dad's words: "the type of man you want to be'." I
won't go into details because we all know enough about Mooro's lifestyle and
Terry's to merely say: "Shut up Frank and talk about things of which you
actually have some knowledge because you were far too young to ever watch
the great man."
For the record Lampard was born in 1978 and Mooro played his last league
game in 1977 – enough said!
Disgraceful comparison which makes Lampard a laughing stock!
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Hammers: The missing top six link
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 25, 2015 in Whispers
Claret 7 Hugh
By Rich Sprent
The last three league games have highlighted a multitude of unreported
issues! Yes we've all read about poor refereeing decisions, manager
decisions, substitutions, Sam out/Sam in, next manager, injuries, singing,
diving and late, late leads thrown away. However, the real story, as ever,
is the team.
Look at the table and it clearly shows that West Ham currently sits in
eighth place in the Premier League. The team is only a couple of wins away
from challenging for a European place. The last three league results have
been draws against the 4th, 5th and 6th place teams.
Many would have taken eighth place at this stage before the season started.
There is no doubt that the team has progressed fantastically from the mess
of the last relegation.
Coupled with the club's shrewd running and with such a low wage to turnover
rate, it makes it even more of an achievement. With our best XI on the pitch
it requires just a little more to push on and actively be a force in the top
six places.
Whether that best XI is deployed in a diamond or a more counter attacking
4-5-1, the team have shown that they are more than a match for the teams
above them. The squad is however creaking with a lack of midfielders.
The bench on Sunday had just Kevin Nolan representing the engine room. Diego
Poyet has had a calf strain and is only recently back in training. He has
not been entrusted in the first team squad as yet.
Morgan Amalfitano still has two games to sit out after his petulance at The
Hawthorns. If the three were blended then we'd have the answer. All three
however just don't make the grade… yet. For Poyet, there is time to develop.
If he does then he will save the club a lot of searching and money.
The defenders are all back in town; Nene is in to cover Carroll and Cole.
But why did we not have a plan B for Darren Fletcher failing his
medical/deal …cancelled by the board….chose a better deal at Smethwick ?
The arguments for not signing Fletcher were there for all to see. And yet,
with no fee involved he could easily have been the difference in turning the
last three draws into wins.
Song, Noble and Kouyate work so well together. Song: always available, on
the ball, creating space. In effect, he is class. Noble: endeavour,
enthusiasm, work rate and an excellent pass completion rate.
He's the heartbeat of the Irons but for him to raise himself to the level
above he requires a better player next to him. Kouyate: breaking play up and
then making those runs into the opposition box. He compliments the whole
team so well. He is always willing and seemingly always there. The three
allow Downing to play with freedom at the tip of the diamond at home and be
that wide threat on the road.
Next season? For me, Song must be retained. He has had his critics for his
performances since the AFCON squad debacle. But this team needs a player of
his class. And for Song to shine he needs players around him to be able to
play as well.
That fourth midfielder is required urgently. To either challenge the current
starters or improve the options off of the bench. Either way, until we can
rely on that fourth midfielder, through a transfer or Poyet stepping up,
then we will struggle to dominate top six sides for 90 minutes and make that
jump to Europe .
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Sam's situation unchanged despite Shearer
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 25, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sam Allardyce's situation at West Ham remains unchanged despite an attempted
intervention by Alan Shearer. The former England striker believes the Irons
will be making a big mistake if they get rid of Sam Allardyce in the summer.
Writing in the Sun he says: "It now looks increasingly likely Sam Allardyce
will not have his contract renewed but West Ham fans need to be careful what
they wish for. "There are not many teams Big Sam has left that have gone on
to bigger and better things — just look at the state of Bolton, Newcastle
and Blackburn. Hammers fans need reminding the grass is not always greener."
However, it no seems that the 60 year old's chances of remaining in charge
are receding with a source saying: "The situation remains unchanged as far
as I know. The reports that the club are putting a list of candidates
together remain correct."
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Boleyn Ground flats plan in doubt
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 25, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Newham Mayor Sir Robin Wales has hit out at Galliard homes plans to build
838 apartments on the former home of West Ham United. "This initial offer
from Galliard Homes is insulting, the developers need to drastically rethink
this ridiculous offer and ensure it offers a good mixture of tenures
including social, affordable and intermediate rents." Sir Robin told the
Newham Recorder. The mayor holds a season ticket at West Ham, and has
previously declared 35 gifts from the club over a three year period, mainly
of hospitality. The plans have also been criticised by local action group
Friends of Queen's Market for proposing 332 car parking spaces at a site
expecting more than 2,000 residents. The planning application will go to
Newham council's strategy and development committee, but no date has been
set for a hearing. There is a good chance that Galliard may need to go back
to the drawing board with their plans.
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£9m West Ham flop Savio Nsereko's debut with obscure Bulgarian club hits a
bump
HITC
Mathew Nash
Savio Nsereko is now plying his trade for Beroe Stara Zagora ... well,
maybe. When Gianfranco Zola spent £9 million, according to the Daily Mail,
on 19-year-old German youth international Savio Nsereko in January 2009 he
became the club's record signing. But after just ten games for The Hammers
he failed to score and left for Fiorentina. His time in Florence was also
poor. In that time he was consistently AWOL, out on loan and generally
misbehaving at La Viola. He spent time on loan with Bologna, Juve Stabia and
1860 Munich whilst also sampling football in Bulgaria and Romania with
Chernomerets Burgas and FC Vaslui respectively. He then moved back to
Germany with SpVgg Unterhaching and eventually found himself playing for
Viktoria Koln in German football's fourth tier. It is not only on the pitch
where he has struggled - In 2012 he spent three weeks in a Thai jail after
faking a kidnapping to extort money from a family member, according to
Metro.
At the end of 2013 the West Ham flop was dealt a lifeline from an unlikely
location - Kazakhstan. Nsereko signed for Kazakh Premier League side FC
Atyrau in December 2013 and it proved to be a moderate hit. He scored a
sensational goal on his debut. It was his first goal in professional
football since he netted as a teenager for Brescia, against Pisa, in January
2009! He was player of the month in the Kazakh Premier League back in March
but at the end of the season he did not renew his deal with the club and
went to undergo a trial period at Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala back in
July. That deal never came to fruition and now he is back in Bulgaria, where
things have hit something of a snag. He joined Bulgarian side Beroe Stara
Zagora earlier this month after a successful trial period and made his debut
in the Bulgarian Cup match against Ludogorets Razgrad on the 15th February.
Now it has become clear that he should not have played in that fixture. A
report in Focus-Sport states that Beroe manager Petar Hubchev has confirmed
that he missed the second leg at the weekend, as he is still contracted to
Atyrau. However his Bulgarian adventure is not over yet. Hubchev also
confirmed that he should be signed on in time for the game with Lokomotiv
Plovdiv at the weekend.
Yet another bizarre twist in the career of this former West Ham record
holder, who at 25-years-old, has already done more than most veterans have
in their careers.
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Robert Lipovac 'flattered' after West Ham hand trial to Swedish teenage
striker
The BK Hacken striker will train with West Ham Under 21s this week
Robert Lipovac is 'flattered' according to his agent Linus Jacobsson
Hammers are currently without injured Carlton Cole and Andy Carroll
By SIMON JONES FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 17:23, 25 February 2015 | UPDATED: 17:23, 25 February 2015
West Ham are giving a trial to Swedish striker Robert Lipovac. The
18-year-old plays for BK Hacken but his club have given him permission to
visit West Ham this week where he is training with the club's U21 squad. His
representative Linus Jacobsson said: 'West Ham sent an official invitation
to Hacken, who thought it was good timing and a good experience for Robert,
so they released him for a week. The Hammers are currently short up front
following injuries to Andy Carroll and Carlton Cole, which could see new
signing Nene fast tracked into action against Crystal Palace. The
33-year-old Brazilian forward arrived last week on a free transfer and
manager Sam Allardyce admits recent injuries have forced his hand in
Saturday's team selection. 'Nene would have probably featured anyway but he
will definitely be involved now because we're down to the two strikers with
Andy Carroll's injury and Carlton Cole's new hamstring problem,' said
Allardyce.
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West Ham Cottee: I want to know if Kane goal should have been allowed
15:08 25 February 2015
London 24
Former West Ham star Tony Cottee questions the validity of Harry Kane's
late, late rebound
I was at White Hart Lane on Sunday with Tony Gale and was all ready to
celebrate what would have been a superb and throughly deserved victory
against our great rivals. Tottenham were not on their game and at 2-0 we
could have added at least one more, before it all went horribly wrong in the
last 10 minutes. You have to say that we were unlucky on the day. I don't
think Adrian did well enough for their first goal, though he has to be
forgiven as he has been so good this season. And then came the penalty and I
would like to make a point about the way they equalised in the last second.
The referee had allowed for five minutes of injury time and when Spurs won
their penalty, which I thought was definitely a spot kick by the way, he had
played six minutes extra. I would like to know how much time had elapsed
when Harry Kane's shot was saved because if time was up, the referee should
have blown for full time, before he had put in the rebound.
Mind you it would have been a brave referee to blow the whistle at that
point. Winston Reid returned to the team on Sunday and I thought he handled
Kane pretty well all afternoon. I think he is the best defender at the club
and he and James Tomkins are the best pair we have. We certainly need him in
the team. James Collins has also been excellent this season and is an
important part of the squad. Sunday saw us drop another two points from a
winning position and it is proving very costly. It is difficult to work out
the reason for it. It could prove very costly, but I still believe that we
are capable of making it into the Europa League this season. The way things
are panning out, finishing seventh could be enough to secure a spot and for
me that means catching Southampton, which we are certainly capable of.
To do that we must start holding on to leads, starting with Saturday's match
against Crystal Palace at Upton Park. Alan Pardew has galvanised Palace
since coming in as manager and I think they will stay up because of him.
They have lost their last two home games, though, and I think it might be a
good time to play them, so I am going for a 2-0 victory to keep us in the
hunt for Europe.
COYI!
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