Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce is determined not to alter West Ham United's attacking
philosophy in the pursuit of points following Saturday's 2-1 loss at
Leicester City. The Hammers went down to Andy King's later winner in an
enthralling contest at the King Power Stadium and, while the manager was
upset that his side did not put the game to bed earlier, he had no
complaints about his side's application. After creating – and missing – a
number of clear chances with some impressive build-up play, much of the talk
in the post-match press conference was about whether a more defensive-minded
approach could be adopted to try to secure games.
"No I'm not going to change the way we play," a defiant Allardyce said. "The
big shout at the beginning of the season was that we were going to attack
more and for that reason we've lacked a few more clean sheets than we
wanted. That would have got us a few more three point victories than draws
and got us higher up the table. "We've scored more goals than we've ever
scored and we now must push on over the next seven games to get more than 46
points, which is our best total from year one, and if we can do that by
continuing playing like we're playing then we'll go on and do it. "We played
like that and won earlier in the season, which was why we got to third or
fourth so I'm not going to stop the players playing like that. I'm going to
tell them to be a bit more careful when we haven't got possession as if we
continue to give goals away it means we're going to have to score two, three
or four goals to win games."
With only seven games remaining and the Hammers well out of the relegation
battle at the foot of the table, some may question whether the team still
have anything worthy to play for. But certainly on the evidence of the
performance in the East Midlands on Saturday, Big Sam has got his players
fired up to finish the season strongly. "We didn't play like a team that was
drifting on Saturday. We played like a team with a lot of creativity and
drive. Where we failed is that we're less clinical than we used to be. "I
think the lads in their first season in the Premier League have found out
what physical and mental attributes are needed for a long season so their
edge is not quite as good as it was, but they'll gain it for next season.
"We've still got to push on for the next seven games to get as many points
as we can. Our performance on Saturday suggests we'll get those points and
for us it was a good performance but a disappointing end. "We've done our
job against teams below us as that was only the third defeat against teams
below us in the table; all the others we've beaten. We've only lost to
Palace and Everton."
Overall, the manager shared the sense of disappointment over the defeat but
felt the result could have gone either way after a host of missed chances.
It is something he is likely to address with his team as they prepare for
the visit of Stoke City to the Boleyn Ground on Saturday. "To lose the game
right at the end when it looks like we'd at least get a point is extremely
disappointing. Either team could have won it. They did, we didn't and we're
disappointed. "We couldn't do much more in terms of opening a team up and
playing better than we did. It made us a little shorter on the defending
side but you take that risk when you play away from home and you try to open
the opposition up. "Cheik Kouyate has scored again after a super ball from
Alex Song and in doing so did what a lot of the others should have done with
arguably better chances."
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Stat's a Fact - Cheik's hot streak
WHUFC.com
Cheikhou Kouyate's goal at Leicester City on Saturday was his fourth of the
season for the Hammers – and his fourth in his last eleven appearances.
After a goalless first 14 games in claret and blue, the Senegal
international has found his touch in front of goal with a streak that could
have yielded even more goals on Saturday. As well as his 32nd minute strike,
which beat Kasper Schmeichel to bring the Hammers level at 1-1, he brought
an outstanding save from the Dane with a shot from outside of the box and
struck the post after combining superbly with Diafra Sakho. Four league
goals is the tally the 25-year-old scored for his previous club Anderlecht
in a total of 153 games, so this run of four in eleven is certainly new for
Kouyate. So why has he suddenly started to contribute in a goalscoring
sense? Part of his total at Anderlecht can be explained by the fact he spent
much of his time with the Belgian club as a centre back, but he has shown a
great composure in front of goal since moving to the Barclays Premier
League. After breaking his goalscoring duck with a deflected header against
Arsenal just before the New Year, Kouyate showed what he can do against
Manchester United, controlling superbly, before juggling the ball and
drilling past David de Gea on the turn. A powerful header against Tottenham
Hotspur after making a burst into the box from midfielder was his third
goal, before on Saturday he watched Alex Song's clipped pass onto his chest,
controlled and prodded past Schmeichel. It took his tally to four goals from
23 shots for West Ham, and Hammers fans will be hoping for more of the same
over the final seven games of the campaign.
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Kouyate vows to learn from Leicester loss
WHUFC.com
Cheikhou Kouyate apologised for Saturday's 2-1 Barclays Premier League
defeat at Leicester City but insisted the squad would learn from the
experience. The Senegal midfielder netted his fourth goal of the season at
the King Power Stadium, but was one of a host of Hammers to pass up
opportunities to secure a valuable victory over the struggling Foxes.
Kouyate hit a post and saw an long-range effort clawed aside by Kasper
Schmeichel, while the Danish stopper also denied Stewart Downing and Carl
Jenkinson – and those misses proved costly as Andy King scrambled home a
late winner for the bottom side. "It was a bad day for us and it was not
nice to lose the game," said the No8, who was restored to his normal,
preferred midfielder role. "Normally, I would score the second goal and the
game is finished. I had two chances but I didn't take them. We were not
lucky on Saturday, so it was a bad day.
"Leicester were giving it everything and attacking and attacking. They were
playing with four or five strikers, three defenders and two midfielders, so
they took a chance. This is football and on Saturday Leicester won. "For
West Ham, we fought, but we could not win the game. After Adrian made a stop
from the penalty it boosted the whole team and we were very good for a
moment after that. I scored and were playing easily and normally we would
score a second goal. "It was a problem for the team to score the second
goal. Every time I score and we lose, it is not good for me and it means
nothing. If we score and we draw or win, that's good. "I had a chance when I
took the ball and hit the post, and then the second time their goalkeeper
saved it. I had three chances and scored only one goal, when I needed to
score two or three times. "It's good for our experience because we need to
learn how to kill the game."
Kouyate closed his whufc.com interview by expressing his sympathy for the
3,300-plus Hammers who travelled to Leicester for Saturday's game. "I am
sorry for all the supporters and I want to thank them all. Normally we would
win this game, but on Saturday we didn't. They supported the team
fabulously, but the result was bad. We thank you and say sorry for this
result."
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Penalty-king Adrian set for Fans' Forum
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's penalty king Adrian offered a fascinating insight into the
preparation required to be a top Premier League goalkeeper after Saturday's
game. Despite slipping to a 2-1 defeat to Leicester City, Adrian emerged
once again as a Hammers' hero by saving David Nugent's 15th minute penalty.
Just as the Foxes striker was steadying himself to take the spot kick the
Spaniard had a few quick words in the striker's ear, before saving his
effort superbly. Speaking after the game, he revealed what he had said to
put Nugent off: "The day before every game, I look at videos of opposition
players taking penalties so I know where they like to put their penalties. I
said to him, 'I know which direction you're going go' and it worked!"
Now you can quiz Adrian, along with Carlton Cole and Stewart Downing at our
Fans' Forum Q&A at the Boleyn Ground from 6.30pm on Tuesday.
Season Ticket Holders and Members can secure their places online here - and
submit your questions in advance to seasonticketholder@westhamunited.co.uk
"It's hard when you save a penalty but you still don't get anything from the
game. It would have been very difficult to come back from two goals down,
especially when you conceded twice in five minutes."
Adrian's rigorous research of the opposition's penalty takers seems to be
paying dividends as he saved Harry Kane's effort at White Hart Lane earlier
in the season.
On Tuesday 7 April, West Ham United are hosting a Fans' Forum with Adrian,
alongside Stewart Downing and Carlton Cole, at the Boleyn Ground.
The trio will be on hand to answer questions on all manner of West Ham
subjects as the squad prepare to face Stoke City at home the following
Saturday.
With the last remaining tickets still available, this is your opportunity to
grill your heroes!
The Q&A session will kick-off at 7pm prompt, and after there will be an
informal opportunity for supporters to meet the players, collect autographs
and take photos.
Tickets will be allocated on a strictly first come, first served basis at a
rate of one per successful applicant with a capacity of 300 attendees.
Please note, Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult Season Ticket Holder.
Season Ticket Holders and Members can secure their places online here or
call the Ticket Office on 0871 529 1966 - option 1.
Supporters who have secured tickets for the event can submit questions for
consideration by emailing seasonticketholder@westhamunited.co.uk, clearly
stating if it is for Adrian, Carlton Cole or Stewart Downing.
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Cresswell confident of strong end to season
WHUFC.com
Aaron Cresswell insisted the Hammers still have plenty to play for in their
remaining seven games of the season. Despite slipping to a disappointing 2-1
defeat to Leicester City, the in-form left-back maintained his side are
focused on finishing the season as strongly as possible. Speaking after the
game, the 25-year-old said: "I don't think the fact that we're safe is any
excuse, it shouldn't be. We're all winners, we're professional and we came
here to win. We've got seven games left to try and make sure we don't let
the season fizzle out. "We've had some tough games recently but it's not an
excuse though. With seven games to go we have to try and get any many points
as possible."
In a highly entertaining game at the King Power Stadium, which saw both
teams create a number of chances, the hosts broke the deadlock through
Argentine international Esteban Cambiasso. The veteran midfielder lashed
home the loose ball from the edge of the area on twelve minutes, giving
Adrian little chance of getting his hands to it. The afternoon could have
gone a lot worse for the Hammers as Mark Clattenburg awarded the Foxes a
penalty just minutes later when Carl Jenkinson tripped Leonardo Ulloa. Up
stepped David Nugent yet Adrian confidently palmed his effort away, keeping
his side in the game. When asked about the Leicester's bright start,
Cresswell conceded: "We had a sloppy first ten, 15 minutes and we weren't
good enough. They scored and then Adrian saved the penalty which kept us in
it. After that we regrouped and took control. "With them being in a
relegation fight we knew the atmosphere was always going to be good. The
game could've been over if they scored the penalty. After that I thought we
controlled the first half and the second half was pretty end-to-end."
In response to going a goal down, the Hammers created a number of chances
either side of Cheikhou Kouyate's thumping equaliser on the half-hour mark.
In the second half, Kouyate hit the post after good work from Diafra Sakho
and Stewart Downing went close on two occasions. It was these missed
opportunities which left Cresswell ruing what might have been: "Cheik took
his goal very well. But we need to take our chances that we do create
because at this level you'll get punished and that's exactly what happened.
"Cheik hit the post and we had a fewer other chances too. We didn't take the
chances we did make and we suffered a sucker punch at the end."
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Makasi: "We need to be strong"
WHUFC.com
Development Squad midfielder Moses Makasi says his side need to be at their
best if they are get anything from their game with Manchester United on
Tuesday 7 April. Makasi, 19, has 12 appearances for the Dev Squad this
season, forming an important midfield partnership with Amos Nasha and Josh
Cullen in recent games. Speaking ahead of the match, Makasi said:
"Manchester United away will be a very tough game, we need to be solid as a
team for this game. We've lost the last few two games, our last win was
against Fulham in February so we need to bounce back. "We just need to stay
together and work hard. That's the only thing we can do, if we keep on doing
that than we'll get stronger."
In the reverse fixture earlier in the season, Manchester United came away
victorious, winning 2-1 in a tight contest. That night saw former hammer and
England international Michael Carrick return to Rush Green, and Makasi had
the arduous task of marking the Champions League winner."Michael Carrick
played against us at Rush Green. It was a great experience coming up against
a player of his stature because he's been at the top for a long time now.
"As a midfielder, I rate Carrick highly. He's great on the ball, always
composed and he always makes the right decision."
With Carrick now back to full fitness and forming an integral part of Louis
van Gaal's midfield, he is unlikely to feature on Tuesday evening. However,
Makasi is well aware that several other famous names have featured for the
United U21s this season, such as Radamel Falcao, Victor Valdes and James
Wilson. "It is always a massive incentive to play against players like
Radamel Falcao, especially for the centre-backs. To play against people who
have played in the Premier League but also internationally, it's a good test
to see if they can handle it and if they're ready. "It'll be good to test
ourselves, we know that whoever we play against will be tough, you don't
play for Manchester United unless you're a good player."
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Stubborn Sam loses fans
KUMb.com
Filed: Monday, 6th April 2015
By: Elliot Pollard
Saturday's away defeat to struggling Leicester City means it's now nine
Premier League away games without a win.
On top of this is the inconsistent home form resulting in West Ham's season
petering out hopelessly. Realistically I think most Hammers fans knew a top
four finish was extremely unlikely, but the Champions League dream at the
Boleyn was great whilst it lasted.
Sitting ninth in the table with seven games remaining should be seen as an
exceptional season for a club newly promoted in 2012, yet the manager with
only two months remaining on his contract looks likely to be jobless in the
summer. Every pundit and non-West Ham fan seems to find it difficult to
understand why Allardyce's job is in such jeopardy, and perhaps rightly so,
but as a Hammers fan it's easy to see.
Allardyce and some of the Hammers faithful have never seen eye-to-eye since
his appointment in 2011. His perceived arrogance seems to repel fans who
just simply haven't taken to him.
The historic victories over the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City
earlier in the season are a perfect example as he gladly accepted all the
praise from the media for playing more attacking football; yet the
embarrassing defeats to West Brom and Crystal Palace were down to "not
taking our chances".
However arguably Allardyce should have been absorbing the praises for the
team's fine form; yet I believe it was perhaps the owners and the
introduction of Teddy Sherringham that finally convinced him to veer from
the painful 4-5-1, and play with two strikers, something the fans were
crying out for last season.
As well as this Allardyce very rarely praises the fans and in fact more
often criticises us. It's almost as if he wants to be a villain in order to
prove the fans wrong, and that's simply not the right way to manage a
football club. This was evident in the home victory over Hull City last
season where Allardyce mocked the fans for booing.
Coincidently a very similar match was played out in the previous home game
against Sunderland and if our league position was slightly more precarious
I'm sure a similar incident may have occurred.
The problem Allardyce has is that the West Ham chairmen are fans as well.
However it appears Karren Brady is more in favour of Allardyce than the two
Davids, which makes it all more bizarre why Allardyce would attack Mrs Brady
live on Sky Sports, as he did in his post-match interview vs Sunderland.
In this interview Allardyce undermined comments made by Karren Brady in her
column claiming "she's wrong in what she's saying". However it was later
reported that Allardyce blamed Sky Sports for asking an inappropriate
question, perhaps realising it may be in his best interests to keep Karren
on his side in order to remain in a job.
As well as his arrogance, his stubbornness is another reason why Allardyce
is distancing himself from the fans. His reluctance to play players that the
owners have brought in such as Zarate and Nene simply angers fans.
Saturday's game versus Leicester was crying out for a spark of creativity or
a cutting edge to gain the lead yet Allardyce would rather aim to settle for
a point against a team who have nothing to lose at the bottom of the table.
West Ham fans appreciate the hard-working players but we adore the flair
players and would love to see more from Nene who has shown glimpses of
brilliance in his limited cameo appearances.
Another major disappointment was the embarrassing exit from the FA Cup. With
the European dream fading away this was West Ham's last chance of glory and
a decent draw against West Brom seemed a great opportunity for success.
Edging into the game as favourites it was devastating to be thrashed by an
out-of-form West Brom team with arguably our strongest 11 on show. This was
perhaps the lowest point of the season.
The defeats to West Brom, Crystal Palace and Leicester also makes you wonder
if Allardyce is struggling to motivate the players, which suggests he may be
having the same problems connecting with the players as he does with the
fans. The contract dispute with Winston Reid also reinforces this as
Allardyce himself speculated Reid may have agreed a deal with another club,
before Winston announced he had signed his new deal.
Nobody can dispute Allardyce has done a fantastic job at promoting West Ham
and building a squad which is more than capable of staying in the Premier
League, but as a match, I'm afraid it's a square peg in a round hole. As
cruel as it sounds the bottom line is Allardyce just isn't a very likeable
man which makes it difficult to get behind him and defend him.
Apart from the cheeky laugh at Chico Flores and the winding up of Jose
Mourinho following the 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge last season, it's very
difficult to get excited about him. Arguably people will say that football
is a results-based business in which Allardyce is fairly successful, but
there comes a time when you have to stop ignoring the fact the club and the
manager just don't match.
It just seems that with the season drawing to an end Hammers fans are just
waiting for the outcome of the end-of-season review, with Allardyce's job at
the top of the agenda. Having said this one more season under Allardyce may
not be the worst thing as his record would suggest Premier League football
would be assured for the upcoming move to the Olympic stadium, yet
speculation indicates a gamble may be taken in an attempt to push this club
further towards success.
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David Sullivan, it's time to make your mind up
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 6th April 2015
By: Geoff Toates
Indecision and uncertainty, in any business, inevitably leads to reduced
performance and profitability.
In football, substitute profitability for results and you have, in essence,
what I believe is a significant reason for our relegation candidate form
since December. The indecision and uncertainty surrounding our manager.
Whatever your views on Sam Allardyce - and I made mine clear in a recent
posting on KUMB - the current "will he or won't he still be here next
season?" scenario is harming the club. In my opinion the blame for that
situation can be placed squarely at the door of one man. David Sullivan.
I am well aware he has his admirers among our fans but, I have to confess, I
am not one of them. I don't buy into the "he saved us from bankruptcy"
argument. If he and David Gold hadn't bought the club someone else would
have. Of course we don't know who the "someone else" may have been. It could
have been a meddling buffoon, a Vincent Tan like character - or it could
have been someone with a genuine passion for a newly acquired toy, like
Roman Abramovich.
Say what you like about Chelsea, and I agree they have acquired a huge new
base of, errr 'fans', since they became successful but their owner at least
appears to enjoy watching his team's success. Contrast his demeanour when
the camera switches to him during a game with that of the stern-faced,
pseudo-Russian in his Cossack hat in our directors box.
So let's nail the lie that Sullivan and Gold saved the club. They didn't.
None of us know who might have come along if they hadn't but in my opinion
the lure of the Olympic Stadium would have ensured more than a passing
interest from potential owners. I think the OS was always going to end up as
a football stadium simply because the alternative would have been for it to
be a complete white elephant, used maybe a handful of times a year for
obscure athletics events.
There are a number of things I mistrust about Sullivan but, coming back to
my opening sentence, my main gripe isn't to do with trust. In my view since
Sullivan and Gold bought the club their decision-making has been muddled and
confused.
Rewind to January 2010. We had Gianfranco Zola in charge at the time and
from day one Sullivan made it clear he wasn't going to be in charge the
following season. The result was we had a struggling manager whose hands
were tied because of existing financial constraints who became even more of
a lame duck than he already was.
Of course, it was Sullivan's right to appoint whoever he wanted - but surely
he should have acted decisively and removed Zola immediately if he had
decided to replace him?
At least had he done that we might have been spared the sheer embarrassment
the club had to endure the following season under the hapless and
totally-unfit-for-purpose Avram Grant. If ever a managerial appointment
guaranteed relegation and ridicule that was it.
But Sullivan and Gold, having realised the error of their ways mid-season
spectacularly mismanaged the attempt to replace him in December. Who will
ever forget Grant throwing his scarf into the crowd in what was widely seen
at the time as his farewell? But, like Lazarus, he came back from the dead
to lead the team - if his management can by any stretch of the imagination
be called leadership - for the rest of the season.
Clearly the owners hadn't learned from the way they handled the Zola
replacement and once again we had a manager who was out of his depth and
struggling big time, undermined even further by reading in the press that he
was about to be replaced. And of course the absence of any denials from the
boardroom appeared to confirm that Martin O'Neill (a bullet dodged, in my
opinion) had indeed been sounded out but copped the hump when the news
leaked out.
And so we find ourselves, once again, in a situation where confusion is
king. Press speculation about Allardyce's future seems to be the only
newsworthy topic coming out of West Ham at the moment. I would like to feel
that, if the board have decided to make a change, the successor is already
lined up and some sort of contractual agreement already signed.
Unfortunately though I have absolutely no confidence that Messrs Sullivan
and Gold have any idea what they want to do.
I work in the city and there have been very strong rumours for the past 18
months or so that a buyer is waiting in the wings to take over the club once
we have moved into the OS. However, the rumour mill says, that purchase is
dependent on us still being in the Premier League. Sullivan and Gold will
make a small fortune if and when they sell. Good luck to them. I have no
problem with that.
However I do believe that, having so much riding on us retaining Premier
League status, they will go for the safety first option and offer Allardyce
an extension to his current contract. Personally speaking I don't agree with
that. But I would much prefer they came out openly and said that is what is
going to happen and kill the current uncertainty and speculation which, I
feel, is doing us no good whatsoever.
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WHY HASN'T MARK NOBLE RECEIVED THE RECOGNITION HE DESERVES?
By Iain Dale 6 Apr 2015 at 13:12
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Littlefork
Why don't we produce International players anymore? The nostalgia pieces we
have read from time to time often refer to the "West Ham Way" and days of
old when the club produced players who a) stuck around and b) represented
their country at the highest level. Younger readers, well, a lot younger
than my near 63 years must groan every time they hear about Moore, Peters
Hurst, and Brooking. But at the same time I ask them to question why Mark
Noble, so imposing as the England Under 21 captain, never got his full
international cap?
I'd have thought Mark would have been a nailed on certainty to reach such
heights but maybe to become a better, or should I say a "complete" player,
then he should have moved to a "top club" to finish off his development and
boost his career further.
Perhaps he should have followed the example of say Rio Ferdinand for one, a
player who came up through the ranks of the club who certainly showed great
potential. As a West Ham centre back he was good but not a world beater. But
when he moved clubs, when he had great players around him, he developed into
a genuine world class player.
Or, maybe Joe Cole? We all saw the potential in Joe, we loved the flicks and
tricks and his enthusiasm for the game. But his development didn't really
come to deliver anything outstanding until he moved to Chelsea. I don't know
what it is about top clubs but they seem able to take a player who has shown
real potential and boost their performance considerably. For a while, after
some infuriating spells in the first team at Chelsea, as well as some
maddening England performances where he would do too much and lose the ball
in the final third, he blossomed into a great, complete player.
The same could be said of Frank Lampard. Whilst at West ham, he was good
player, not a great one. Not even one who had shown glimpses of genius. But
after his move to Chelsea, with better players around him, with better
coaching maybe, he became one of the best attacking midfielders the PL has
seen. His International career was probably hindered by the Lampard/Gerard
issue, but still he didn't do too badly did he?
And then there is Glen Johnson of course, who left us for Chelsea, developed
his skills and awareness at full back, moved to Liverpool and became a real
force for both club and England.
And then of course there's Jermaine Defoe. Harry reckoned he was the best
promising forward to wear the West Ham shirt. In his early development he
joined the Hammers aged 16 and then rose through the ranks. But his
international career only really took off when he moved across London to
Spurs. 19 goals in 55 appearances for England wasn't a bad return.
If Mark is reading this, then there's the case of Michael Carrick. After his
move to Spurs and then Manchester United he's another player to blossom
after getting away from West Ham.
Admittedly, it's going back a bit but then there was Paul Ince. Another
player we couldn't hold on to but after his acrimonious move to Manchester
United what a force did "the guv'nor" become.
When I look back at the talent that has really blossomed after they left
West Ham I have to ask what might have been for players like Noble and
Tomkins. Have they hampered their careers by sticking with the club?
What might have been had they received higher level coaching with better,
more experienced and talented players around them? Would they have reached
greater heights and established themselves as regular Internationals?
The answer to those questions we will never know. We applaud their club
loyalty but perhaps we have never appreciated how much they have given up as
a price for that loyalty?
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Bielsa will cross language barrier
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 6, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Marseilles boss Marcelo Bielsa is understood to have given assurances he
will learn English within six months should West Ham want him for their new
boss. The Argentinian is keen to ply his trade in the Premier League and has
made it clear though intermediaries that he's ready to cross the language
barrier should be become the club's favoured candidate. He believes that he
would have a workable grasp of the language in four to six months. The
Hammers board remain keen on the 59 year old but his lack of English and
Premier League experience are worries although one source said: "They are
not necessarily issues that can't be overcome. Certainly he would be ready
to learn English."
David Moyes remains in the frame and Rafa Benitez would be the dream
appointment although ClaretandHugh was told on March 30 (
http://www.claretandhugh.info/hammers-on-the-rafa-link/) : "Our
understanding is that he wants either Liverpool or Manchester City.
"He's a top manager and most clubs would be interested should be become
interested but whether we could attract him is another question. "
And sources inside West Ham admitted to ClaretandHugh confirmed an earlier
story that any talks aimed at securing him anyway would have to start at
around £6 million.
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Hero Maiga may get Hammers off hook
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 6, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Now here's some really great news which may help the Hammers off a hook at
the end of the season. Modibo Maiga scored a hat-trick to help Metz to a 3-2
win over relegation rivals Toulouse in the French Ligue 1 at Stade
Saint-Symphorienover the weekend. He netted in the 25th, 42nd and 54th
minute as Metz held on for a valuable away win and the striker doubled his
goal tally for the season., The hat-trick also ended a run of 10 games in
all competitions without a goal, dating back to November of last year. The
news will bring a smile to the faces of our board who – should maiga keep
things going – could yet be retained by Metz next season. He is on £40k a
week at Upton Park and although Metz pay only a small percentage of his
wages the Irons are desperate for the player to see him spend the last year
of his contract on loan at the French club. One swallow doesn't make a
summer of course but should Maiga find his form it could save the club
having to fork out close to £1 million in a pay-off to the 27 year old.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
DG: "The fans know we have fine players"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 6, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
David Gold refuses to believe the Hammers have suddenly become an average
team! And he points to the thousands of messages he receives from fans who
have made their feelings known sometimes noisily on the social network over
the last year. Speaking exclusively to ClaretandHugh he said: "Of course
things have become disappointing – a blind man can see that but let's not
start calling out the players. "I have been on Twitter for a long time –
long enough to unnerstand how the fans feel and what they want from the
board. That's fair enough. I look at them all – it's why I'm out there "They
were desperate for us to re-sign Winston and we did. They are regularly
calling for us to sign Carl Jenkinson and Alex Song. They explain Aaron
Cresswell, Diafra Sakho and Chek Kouyate have been immense this season in
their first year and they are right. "That all suggests they believe we have
some very good players in the team so let's keep things in perspective.
"Adrian, Mark Noble, Enner Valencia – there's so many of them. We have very
good players indeed. I agree with the fans. "We are listening to all that's
said but such comments don't suggest we are a poor or average team – quite
the opposite and we will all be working very hard on things again this
summer."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
New Irons managerial name to consider
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 6, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
A stray thought hit me as I rose on this bright Easter Monday morning but
you will need to wind forward until the end of the season, having kept an
eye on events at the Stadium of Light, before considering it over-seriously
Sunderland yesterday scored their first win under caretaker boss Dick
Advocaat, just as the Dutchman had predicted and raised themselves to 15th
place in the Premier League.
Advocaat has declared emphatically that he will keep Sunderland up and then
he's off which given our own managerial situation is interesting. Now I know
he is 67 years old and has managed around 20 international and domestic
clubs but yesterday afternoon the old Dutch warhorse had his team rocking
against their deadliest enemy on his first match in charge at home. Having
been in charge only a couple of days, he had brought them to Upton Park and
was as close as it gets to gaining a draw.
Now he has a run-in which includes Arsenal and Chelsea and Everton (away) to
overcome but should he do so – given that he is free at the end of the
season – he might be an interesting contender for the Irons. Things may
change and it's more than possible – should they survive – that the Black
Cats will offer him a permanent job – but he would none the less be open to
offers. Meanwhile Marcelo Bielsa remains very much on the minds of our board
but we were told by a source this morning: "All the balls are still in the
air but there's a seriously growing atmosphere now that a change is
definitely required."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam: Carry on attacking
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 6, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sam Allardyce has pledged to continue the "attacking policy" that lifted the
team into fourth place earlier in the season! Defeat at Leicester appears to
have encouraged the manager into declaring that the requested offensive
style wanted by the board will stay in place.
Speaking to the official site the manager explained: "The big shout at the
beginning of the season was that we were going to attack more and for that
reason we've lacked a few more clean sheets than we wanted. That would have
got us a few more three point victories than draws and got us higher up the
table.
"We've scored more goals than we've ever scored and we now must push on over
the next seven games to get more than 46 points, which is our best total
from year one, and if we can do that by continuing playing like we're
playing then we'll go on and do it.
He added: "We played like that and won earlier in the season, which was why
we got to third or fourth so I'm not going to stop the players playing like
that.
"I'm going to tell them to be a bit more careful when we haven't got
possession as if we continue to give goals away it means we're going to have
to score two, three or four goals to win games."
He added on the Leicester defeat: "We didn't play like a team that was
drifting on Saturday. We played like a team with a lot of creativity and
drive. Where we failed is that we're less clinical than we used to be."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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Tuesday, April 7
Monday, April 6
Daily WHUFC News - 6th April 2015
Adrian left to rue 'lucky' winner
WHUFC.com
Adrian was disappointed that his first half penalty save from David Nugent
did not act as the catalyst for West Ham United to go on and claim three
points at Leicester City on Saturday. Trailing 1-0 to Esteban Cambiasso's
early strike, the Hammers were staring a daunting 2-0 deficit in the face
with just 15 minutes played when Carl Jenkinson tripped Leonardo Ulloa in
the box. But Adrian denied Nugent to keep his side in the contest before
Cheikhou Kouyate gave them real hope of a turnaround by levelling up before
the break. West Ham could not make their second half chances count though,
leaving Adrian frustrated on the journey home to London. We're disappointed
with the result," he explained. "We thought we had a draw there for us at
least, and we had very good chances to score. "Their keeper made some very
good saves, but this is football - if you score, you win. "We need to be
more clinical in the finish, but as I said that's the way it goes sometimes.
You have opportunities and shoot, but don't score. That's how it was for us
at Leicester."
Whilst happy to help his team by denying Nugent from 12 yards, Adrian was
ultimately disappointed that his intervention went unrewarded.
He continued: "Saving the penalty changed the mentality of the team at that
point. With my save it kept it at 1-0 and then Cheikhou's goal got us level.
"In the second half we should have scored again and finished the game off,
but it didn't work out that way. "It was hard for me on Saturday, because I
saved a penalty but we didn't get anything from the game. It's my job - I
try every time to save and help my teammates, but this time I couldn't help.
"After the first 15 minutes we played well, we got control of the game and
had chances but we didn't score. If you don't score you don' t get anything.
"In the last minutes of games, everybody is more tired and mistakes can
happen but on Saturday it wasn't a mistake. It was a lucky goal, they shot
and a deflection one metre in front of me means it's a goal."
The No13's attentions now turn to Stoke City on Saturday, with the Potters'
proximity to West Ham in the table heightening the need to take maximum
points. He added: "Next week we have Stoke at home and we need to get the
three points there. They are a direct rival for the position we're in and we
need to win at home again."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
From the Boardroom - David Gold
WHUFC.com
Joint-Chairman David Gold reflects on Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Leicester
City... I'm no different to the travelling fans. We feel a bit disappointed
at getting beaten by a team that's deep in a relegation fight. I felt very
down after the game but this morning on reflection I feel a bit better when
I look at the chances we created and the opportunities that we missed.
Leicester fought for their lives and played like this was their cup final.
It's just extraordinary the way the home fans were as they knew that if they
had lost if would have made it likely they would been relegated. They
rallied their team and it was a big, big game for them, I also didn't think
the ball ran well for us. Somehow every loose ball seemed to end up in the
path of a Leicester player and not one of ours. It wasn't that Leicester
were a better side than we were. It just didn't happen for us. I think if we
had got our noses ahead we would have won the game comfortably but having
said that they could have gone 2-0 ahead had they converted the penalty. It
was a magnificent save by Adrian and I felt like that would give us the
boost to go and get back into the game. When we went in at half time at 1-1
instead of 2-0 down I was optimistic that we would win. Sadly that didn't
happen and that's how the ball runs for you sometimes. Let's hope next week
when we play Stoke City that with a fair wind we go on and win the game. I
would like to conclude by thanking our travelling fans, who I thought were
fantastic. Even when it looked like we were going to be 2-0 down for the
penalty they gave the team a lift. I'm disappointed for them that we were
unable to get the win but I know they will stay behind the team for another
big game against Stoke on Saturday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WATCHING KEVIN NOLAN
By Iain Dale 5 Apr 2015 at 17:52
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Rugby Irons
It's obviously different watching the whole game for real as you see the
whole picture and not just where the ball is.Yesterday I watched the game in
a home part of the ground so obviously had to be smart.In the past I have
slated Kevin Nolan so I took it on myself to do a Nolan watch.Considering
opta thinks he runs more in a game than anyone else I had to challenge
this.So here goes.It looked early on as if he was supposed to be up behind
Sahko but he spent the first fifteen minutes sauntering around the middle
fifth of the pitch not really involved.They then scored and missed a
penalty.
As the Captain, he offerred nothing in encouraging the players to fight
back.I think he's a bottler and on fourteen minutes a ball was up in the air
to be challenged and he turned his back and chickened out.I've noticed this
previously with Nolan, he never now puts in any type of real tackle. He is
not prepared to get hurt for the team.£50k a week and wont even tackle!
Five minutes later he loses possession again from being non committed and
they get another shot off.Bynow Sakho was winning every header but Nolan was
no where for the flick ons.He seemed twenty yards behind the play and wasn't
getting any ball. He had virtually stopped running and then with his only
notable contribution in an hours play he missed a sitter of a header .A
peach of a cross and all he had to do was head it,but he tried to be clever
and a gilt edge chance went way wide, £50k a week for that! By now we were
well on top with a series of possessions that Nolan just wasn't involved in.
We had levelled by now and despite the usual hard graft from Noble with
decent support from Song and Koyoute we were bossing the half but Nolan
hardly got a touch. Even when he wanted the ball the others wouldn't risk
playing it into him.
After another inspirational halftime talk from Allardyce ,Leicester came out
and dominated for 20 minutes! Sakho was stopped from winning the flick ons
which gave us a real problem. Firstly Nolan was ten yards further up the
pitch for the flick ons around 25 yards out but by losing these headers he
was now stranded 40 yards from where the ball was. Ashe is so slow at half
heartedly trying to get back the Foxes kept pushing us back. On the hour he
gave the ball away again and created another chance for them. At this point
we were being overrun and even Allardyce had seen enough and took him
off.The impact was almost immediate as Almafitano picked up the ball ran at
their defence and the ball ended up being struck against their post.
So having seen it for myself it was pretty obvious why we have become a
middle not top team. The Lampard,Gerrards , Mata, Toures of the Premier add
work, presence and goals. Watching Nolan as a sixty minute passenger was
painful.I appreciate like Allardyce they have seen better days but at £50k a
week its just not on,for either of them. Yesterday you could see why
Leicester were bottom of the league.We should have had the game won by
halftime but Allardyces insistence on setting up so poorly asks huge
questions on his own ability to manage. Which brings us nicely to him
bringing on Cole.He lost the ball on his first involvement and then had the
ball bounce over him for the next before falling over a defender because
he's another one who won't put in a real tackle.Waiting for Cole to put in a
decent challenge is like waiting for a Nolan goal.For Cole,in his fifteen
minutes he made no contribution at all,nothing! Same as against Sunderland
its like he wasn't even on the field? Considering Nene was a better option,
and once again abused by Allardyce for another one minute appearance, you
have to ask why?
Be under no illusions yesterday was a very winnable game but picking Nolan
and then Cole shows that Allardyce is just going through the motions and has
no intention of really earning his £3m a year.With Gold saying he will not
put him on gardening leave which is another questinable decision, it's going
to be a very flat end of season,to which Mr Gold you have to be judged on
too.Every game Allardyce is in charge is costing you money and the team
credibility.Put the supporters first and give us hope.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammer of Year Adrian would be a blow
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
I heard it suggested on here that Adrian had staked a big claim for the
Hammer of the Year award! No reflection on the great man but I really hope
that turns out not to be the case as it will tell you a great deal more
about our season than we want to know. He's had a great season - is
everybody's favourite Hammers - and saved us on seen yesterday. Yesterday
he was seen in all his glory when flying to his left to save David Nugent's
penalty attempt and then there was the shoot-out winner! But just as it
tells you that your team has been very much on the back foot when the keeper
is man of the match, for him to become Player of the Year wouldn't say much
for the efforts of the team to become an attacking force. So please not
Adrian! However, having given him plenty of stick for many of his signings a
vote of thanks to the manager for unearthing the guy. My mind for Hammer of
the Year was made up weeks ago and it goes to a man who has shown more
passion and desire for the club in his first season than many before him.
Diafra Sakho's goals, the way he conducted himself during the African
Nations cup nonsense and his clear love of the club makes him an outright
winner in my book. Aaron Cresswell is a worthy runner-up thus proving the
point that you don't need to spend millions and millions to find great
players even in 2015.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers on Hoddle speculation
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Glenn Hoddle will NOT be a runner in the race to become the next West Ham
boss. Stories emerged from the national press this morning suggesting that
the former Chelsea boss had been linked to the job although the published
story appeared to be the only one doing so.
Ot added that 57, would be a high-profile replacement and his teams play
with the kind of style and flair that would be welcomed by fans.
And of course it pointed out that the board have not explained whether it
is time for a change ahead of their last season at Upton Park and before
they move to the Olympic Stadium. However, ClaretandHugh was told: "Glenn
Hoddle is not one of those we are looking at. He would not be a runner
should the club decide to make the change. It is another guess. Glenn's name
has not been mentioned." Everything we are hearing at this site is that
Allardyce will not be offered a new deal but the board are still considering
such as Marcelo Bielsa and David Moyes.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Irons blogger: "Sam needs divine intervention"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
London 24's West Ham blogger has coie to the conclusuin that Sam Allardyce
must probably go but that only a top class replacement should be considered.
Kwame Boakye has always given a balanced view on the divisive issue and
writes today: "In the increasingly fickle world of football his time is
running out as the fans demand a man who can take us to the proverbial 'next
level.' But he has warned the Irons board: that after the manager left
Bolton, Blackburn and Newcastle they all eventually slipped through the
trapdoor and only the Toon managed to make it back. A stark warning the
owners simply must heed. But he adds: "I'm not saying that the club must
stick with Sam as without him relegation is inevitable, what I am saying is
that if Sam' s services are dispensed with; the club simply cannot go with
the cheap/easy option." Nor, he argues can they give it to a relative rookie
like Bournemouth's Eddie Howe as such a gamble with what's at stake would be
too much of a risk? Names like David Moyes and Rafa Benitez who have managed
and excelled in the Premier League and would no doubt relish the opportunity
to return, should be the first names considered if Sam does leave in the
summer which with every passing ame is looking increasingly likely. With
seven games to go we've only registered a paltry two wins in the second half
of the season; it's simply not good enough. Sam couldn't afford this sort of
form in the final year of his contract and barring a biblical turnaround in
fortunes it will cost him his job.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Reported West Ham striker target Ishak Belfodil admits he will make free
transfer move
hitc
Olly Dawes
Parma striker Ishak Belfodil has admitted that he will make a free transfer
move this summer. Parma striker Ishak Belfodil has told FC Inter News that
he will leave the club on a free transfer this summer amid reported interest
from West Ham United. Belfodil, 23, started his football career in France
with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Clermont and Lyon, before moving to
Italy with Bologna on loan and eventually Parma. Eight goals in his first
season led to a move to Inter Milan in 2013, but after no goals he was
farmed out on loan to Livorno, with Parma re-purchasing him last summer. The
Algerian international has yet to find the net in 21 appearances this
summer, but speculation from Tutto Mercato Web in January suggested that
West Ham wanted to bring him to the Premier League. Manager Sam Allardyce
allowed Mauro Zarate to join QPR on loan, and wanted to bring in a striker -
but failed to do so, despite Belfodil reportedly being a target. After
facing former club Inter on Saturday night, Belfodil told FC Inter News that
he will be leaving Parma on a free transfer at the end of the season, with
the Serie A side being declared bankrupt last month, which will enable
players to move on this summer. That could be good news for West Ham as they
look to bring in a striker this summer, but his recent lack of goals could
be a concern for Hammers fans.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ex West Ham winger Vaz Te scores brace for Roberto Carlos' side
Emre Sarigul April 5, 2015 Akhisar Belediye, News 0 Views
TURKISHFOOTBALL.COM
Akhisar winger Ricardo Vaz Te scored a brace for Akhisar in their 3-0 win
over Gaziantepspor. Vaz Te opened the scoring on 14 minutes making the most
out of a goalkeeping blunder to slot the ball into an empty net. The former
West Ham man bagged his brace on 71 minutes with a well timed header. Vaz Te
wrapped up an impressive performance by providing the assist for Bilal
Kısa's goal in the last minutes.
The 28-year-old was selected as the Man of the Match by Whoscored with a
rating of 9.53. Roberto Carlos takes charge of his first training session as
Akhisar manager The Portuguese winger now has five goals and three assists
for Akhisar since joining in January. Vaz Te joined Akhisar from West Ham on
a free transfer over the winter transfer window. Akhisar are coached by
former Real Madrid and Brazil national team legend Roberto Carlos. The
World Cup winner took over a side in crisis but has managed to guide Akhisar
into 10th place on 32 points - 12 points clear of the relegation zone.
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WHUFC.com
Adrian was disappointed that his first half penalty save from David Nugent
did not act as the catalyst for West Ham United to go on and claim three
points at Leicester City on Saturday. Trailing 1-0 to Esteban Cambiasso's
early strike, the Hammers were staring a daunting 2-0 deficit in the face
with just 15 minutes played when Carl Jenkinson tripped Leonardo Ulloa in
the box. But Adrian denied Nugent to keep his side in the contest before
Cheikhou Kouyate gave them real hope of a turnaround by levelling up before
the break. West Ham could not make their second half chances count though,
leaving Adrian frustrated on the journey home to London. We're disappointed
with the result," he explained. "We thought we had a draw there for us at
least, and we had very good chances to score. "Their keeper made some very
good saves, but this is football - if you score, you win. "We need to be
more clinical in the finish, but as I said that's the way it goes sometimes.
You have opportunities and shoot, but don't score. That's how it was for us
at Leicester."
Whilst happy to help his team by denying Nugent from 12 yards, Adrian was
ultimately disappointed that his intervention went unrewarded.
He continued: "Saving the penalty changed the mentality of the team at that
point. With my save it kept it at 1-0 and then Cheikhou's goal got us level.
"In the second half we should have scored again and finished the game off,
but it didn't work out that way. "It was hard for me on Saturday, because I
saved a penalty but we didn't get anything from the game. It's my job - I
try every time to save and help my teammates, but this time I couldn't help.
"After the first 15 minutes we played well, we got control of the game and
had chances but we didn't score. If you don't score you don' t get anything.
"In the last minutes of games, everybody is more tired and mistakes can
happen but on Saturday it wasn't a mistake. It was a lucky goal, they shot
and a deflection one metre in front of me means it's a goal."
The No13's attentions now turn to Stoke City on Saturday, with the Potters'
proximity to West Ham in the table heightening the need to take maximum
points. He added: "Next week we have Stoke at home and we need to get the
three points there. They are a direct rival for the position we're in and we
need to win at home again."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
From the Boardroom - David Gold
WHUFC.com
Joint-Chairman David Gold reflects on Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Leicester
City... I'm no different to the travelling fans. We feel a bit disappointed
at getting beaten by a team that's deep in a relegation fight. I felt very
down after the game but this morning on reflection I feel a bit better when
I look at the chances we created and the opportunities that we missed.
Leicester fought for their lives and played like this was their cup final.
It's just extraordinary the way the home fans were as they knew that if they
had lost if would have made it likely they would been relegated. They
rallied their team and it was a big, big game for them, I also didn't think
the ball ran well for us. Somehow every loose ball seemed to end up in the
path of a Leicester player and not one of ours. It wasn't that Leicester
were a better side than we were. It just didn't happen for us. I think if we
had got our noses ahead we would have won the game comfortably but having
said that they could have gone 2-0 ahead had they converted the penalty. It
was a magnificent save by Adrian and I felt like that would give us the
boost to go and get back into the game. When we went in at half time at 1-1
instead of 2-0 down I was optimistic that we would win. Sadly that didn't
happen and that's how the ball runs for you sometimes. Let's hope next week
when we play Stoke City that with a fair wind we go on and win the game. I
would like to conclude by thanking our travelling fans, who I thought were
fantastic. Even when it looked like we were going to be 2-0 down for the
penalty they gave the team a lift. I'm disappointed for them that we were
unable to get the win but I know they will stay behind the team for another
big game against Stoke on Saturday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WATCHING KEVIN NOLAN
By Iain Dale 5 Apr 2015 at 17:52
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Rugby Irons
It's obviously different watching the whole game for real as you see the
whole picture and not just where the ball is.Yesterday I watched the game in
a home part of the ground so obviously had to be smart.In the past I have
slated Kevin Nolan so I took it on myself to do a Nolan watch.Considering
opta thinks he runs more in a game than anyone else I had to challenge
this.So here goes.It looked early on as if he was supposed to be up behind
Sahko but he spent the first fifteen minutes sauntering around the middle
fifth of the pitch not really involved.They then scored and missed a
penalty.
As the Captain, he offerred nothing in encouraging the players to fight
back.I think he's a bottler and on fourteen minutes a ball was up in the air
to be challenged and he turned his back and chickened out.I've noticed this
previously with Nolan, he never now puts in any type of real tackle. He is
not prepared to get hurt for the team.£50k a week and wont even tackle!
Five minutes later he loses possession again from being non committed and
they get another shot off.Bynow Sakho was winning every header but Nolan was
no where for the flick ons.He seemed twenty yards behind the play and wasn't
getting any ball. He had virtually stopped running and then with his only
notable contribution in an hours play he missed a sitter of a header .A
peach of a cross and all he had to do was head it,but he tried to be clever
and a gilt edge chance went way wide, £50k a week for that! By now we were
well on top with a series of possessions that Nolan just wasn't involved in.
We had levelled by now and despite the usual hard graft from Noble with
decent support from Song and Koyoute we were bossing the half but Nolan
hardly got a touch. Even when he wanted the ball the others wouldn't risk
playing it into him.
After another inspirational halftime talk from Allardyce ,Leicester came out
and dominated for 20 minutes! Sakho was stopped from winning the flick ons
which gave us a real problem. Firstly Nolan was ten yards further up the
pitch for the flick ons around 25 yards out but by losing these headers he
was now stranded 40 yards from where the ball was. Ashe is so slow at half
heartedly trying to get back the Foxes kept pushing us back. On the hour he
gave the ball away again and created another chance for them. At this point
we were being overrun and even Allardyce had seen enough and took him
off.The impact was almost immediate as Almafitano picked up the ball ran at
their defence and the ball ended up being struck against their post.
So having seen it for myself it was pretty obvious why we have become a
middle not top team. The Lampard,Gerrards , Mata, Toures of the Premier add
work, presence and goals. Watching Nolan as a sixty minute passenger was
painful.I appreciate like Allardyce they have seen better days but at £50k a
week its just not on,for either of them. Yesterday you could see why
Leicester were bottom of the league.We should have had the game won by
halftime but Allardyces insistence on setting up so poorly asks huge
questions on his own ability to manage. Which brings us nicely to him
bringing on Cole.He lost the ball on his first involvement and then had the
ball bounce over him for the next before falling over a defender because
he's another one who won't put in a real tackle.Waiting for Cole to put in a
decent challenge is like waiting for a Nolan goal.For Cole,in his fifteen
minutes he made no contribution at all,nothing! Same as against Sunderland
its like he wasn't even on the field? Considering Nene was a better option,
and once again abused by Allardyce for another one minute appearance, you
have to ask why?
Be under no illusions yesterday was a very winnable game but picking Nolan
and then Cole shows that Allardyce is just going through the motions and has
no intention of really earning his £3m a year.With Gold saying he will not
put him on gardening leave which is another questinable decision, it's going
to be a very flat end of season,to which Mr Gold you have to be judged on
too.Every game Allardyce is in charge is costing you money and the team
credibility.Put the supporters first and give us hope.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammer of Year Adrian would be a blow
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
I heard it suggested on here that Adrian had staked a big claim for the
Hammer of the Year award! No reflection on the great man but I really hope
that turns out not to be the case as it will tell you a great deal more
about our season than we want to know. He's had a great season - is
everybody's favourite Hammers - and saved us on seen yesterday. Yesterday
he was seen in all his glory when flying to his left to save David Nugent's
penalty attempt and then there was the shoot-out winner! But just as it
tells you that your team has been very much on the back foot when the keeper
is man of the match, for him to become Player of the Year wouldn't say much
for the efforts of the team to become an attacking force. So please not
Adrian! However, having given him plenty of stick for many of his signings a
vote of thanks to the manager for unearthing the guy. My mind for Hammer of
the Year was made up weeks ago and it goes to a man who has shown more
passion and desire for the club in his first season than many before him.
Diafra Sakho's goals, the way he conducted himself during the African
Nations cup nonsense and his clear love of the club makes him an outright
winner in my book. Aaron Cresswell is a worthy runner-up thus proving the
point that you don't need to spend millions and millions to find great
players even in 2015.
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Hammers on Hoddle speculation
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Glenn Hoddle will NOT be a runner in the race to become the next West Ham
boss. Stories emerged from the national press this morning suggesting that
the former Chelsea boss had been linked to the job although the published
story appeared to be the only one doing so.
Ot added that 57, would be a high-profile replacement and his teams play
with the kind of style and flair that would be welcomed by fans.
And of course it pointed out that the board have not explained whether it
is time for a change ahead of their last season at Upton Park and before
they move to the Olympic Stadium. However, ClaretandHugh was told: "Glenn
Hoddle is not one of those we are looking at. He would not be a runner
should the club decide to make the change. It is another guess. Glenn's name
has not been mentioned." Everything we are hearing at this site is that
Allardyce will not be offered a new deal but the board are still considering
such as Marcelo Bielsa and David Moyes.
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Irons blogger: "Sam needs divine intervention"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
London 24's West Ham blogger has coie to the conclusuin that Sam Allardyce
must probably go but that only a top class replacement should be considered.
Kwame Boakye has always given a balanced view on the divisive issue and
writes today: "In the increasingly fickle world of football his time is
running out as the fans demand a man who can take us to the proverbial 'next
level.' But he has warned the Irons board: that after the manager left
Bolton, Blackburn and Newcastle they all eventually slipped through the
trapdoor and only the Toon managed to make it back. A stark warning the
owners simply must heed. But he adds: "I'm not saying that the club must
stick with Sam as without him relegation is inevitable, what I am saying is
that if Sam' s services are dispensed with; the club simply cannot go with
the cheap/easy option." Nor, he argues can they give it to a relative rookie
like Bournemouth's Eddie Howe as such a gamble with what's at stake would be
too much of a risk? Names like David Moyes and Rafa Benitez who have managed
and excelled in the Premier League and would no doubt relish the opportunity
to return, should be the first names considered if Sam does leave in the
summer which with every passing ame is looking increasingly likely. With
seven games to go we've only registered a paltry two wins in the second half
of the season; it's simply not good enough. Sam couldn't afford this sort of
form in the final year of his contract and barring a biblical turnaround in
fortunes it will cost him his job.
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Reported West Ham striker target Ishak Belfodil admits he will make free
transfer move
hitc
Olly Dawes
Parma striker Ishak Belfodil has admitted that he will make a free transfer
move this summer. Parma striker Ishak Belfodil has told FC Inter News that
he will leave the club on a free transfer this summer amid reported interest
from West Ham United. Belfodil, 23, started his football career in France
with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Clermont and Lyon, before moving to
Italy with Bologna on loan and eventually Parma. Eight goals in his first
season led to a move to Inter Milan in 2013, but after no goals he was
farmed out on loan to Livorno, with Parma re-purchasing him last summer. The
Algerian international has yet to find the net in 21 appearances this
summer, but speculation from Tutto Mercato Web in January suggested that
West Ham wanted to bring him to the Premier League. Manager Sam Allardyce
allowed Mauro Zarate to join QPR on loan, and wanted to bring in a striker -
but failed to do so, despite Belfodil reportedly being a target. After
facing former club Inter on Saturday night, Belfodil told FC Inter News that
he will be leaving Parma on a free transfer at the end of the season, with
the Serie A side being declared bankrupt last month, which will enable
players to move on this summer. That could be good news for West Ham as they
look to bring in a striker this summer, but his recent lack of goals could
be a concern for Hammers fans.
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Ex West Ham winger Vaz Te scores brace for Roberto Carlos' side
Emre Sarigul April 5, 2015 Akhisar Belediye, News 0 Views
TURKISHFOOTBALL.COM
Akhisar winger Ricardo Vaz Te scored a brace for Akhisar in their 3-0 win
over Gaziantepspor. Vaz Te opened the scoring on 14 minutes making the most
out of a goalkeeping blunder to slot the ball into an empty net. The former
West Ham man bagged his brace on 71 minutes with a well timed header. Vaz Te
wrapped up an impressive performance by providing the assist for Bilal
Kısa's goal in the last minutes.
The 28-year-old was selected as the Man of the Match by Whoscored with a
rating of 9.53. Roberto Carlos takes charge of his first training session as
Akhisar manager The Portuguese winger now has five goals and three assists
for Akhisar since joining in January. Vaz Te joined Akhisar from West Ham on
a free transfer over the winter transfer window. Akhisar are coached by
former Real Madrid and Brazil national team legend Roberto Carlos. The
World Cup winner took over a side in crisis but has managed to guide Akhisar
into 10th place on 32 points - 12 points clear of the relegation zone.
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Sunday, April 5
Daily WHUFC News - 5th April 2015
Leicester late show floors Big Sam
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was yet again left to rue missed chances as West Ham United
suffered a 2-1 Barclays Premier League defeat at Leicester City.
The Hammers started badly at the King Power Stadium, falling behind to
Esteban Cambiasso's 20-yard strike before Adrian spectacularly saved David
Nugent's penalty moments later. That stop inspired the visitors, who
equalised through Cheikhou Kouyate on the half-hour mark and should have
gone onto win the game, only for a combination of wayward finishing, Kasper
Schmeichel's goalkeeping and the frame of the Leicester goal to deny them
three points. As it was, they left the division's bottom side with none as
Andy King converted Jamie Vardy's miss-hit shot with just four minutes of
the 90 remaining. "Both teams went for it and they have got one more than us
right at the end, and that's the disappointing thing," Big Sam told West Ham
TV. "We came here to go and get the win and we opened up to try and go for
that win, which left us a bit open at the back. "It was end to end stuff and
a hell of a game for entertainment value, but ours is a results business and
not having got a result at the end of it was very disappointing, considering
the number of chances we have missed.
"We have not played away from home and had this many chances all season and
we've only scored one. Then, at the other end, we gave away a sloppy goal to
Cambiasso on the edge of the box, although it was a great finish to be fair.
"Then we got away with Adrian saving the penalty, then got a grip on the
game and should have been in the lead by half-time, there's not doubt about
that. But we kept missing the chances, apart from a good finish from
Cheikhou from probably the hardest chance we created in the first half. "I
thought we'd have gone on from there and scored more. I know we've hit the
post and had a few more good chances, but I thought if we weren't going to
win it, we weren't going to lose it. "Then they had a bit of good fortune
near the end when their lad [Vardy] miss-hit a shot and it went straight to
King and he popped it in the net. In the end, it was a disappointing result
for us."
Aside from Kouyate's goal, taken well from Alex Song's pinpoint pass, it
proved a dreadful day in front of goal for West Ham. After weathering
another Leicester storm early in the second half, Kouyate hit the post,
while Schmeichel denied Downing and Jenkinson either side of the Senegal
midfielder's effort. At the other end, Big Sam said Cambiasso's opener
should have been dealt with before the Argentine let fly from 20 yards,
while he was also left dejected by the nature of substitute King's late
winner. "It was a good finish, but one of our midfield players should have
been on the edge of our box with him. They should have been there. "There
was no doubt it was a penalty, but when your keeper makes a great save like
that and you go on and take control of a game, you've really got to be
ruthless enough, and we have fallen foul of not being ruthless enough in
front of goal. "Had we scored the second and got in front, I think
Leicester's heads would have gone down. With us not doing that before
half-time and then after when Leicester couldn't find the goal despite us
continuing to miss chances, those were the key moments for us. "With them
fighting the way they are, I think it would really have knocked the stuffing
out of them but we couldn't find the quality we've found for most of the
season and we've ended up losing 2-1."
So, with West Ham now four points behind eighth-place Swansea City, what
does the manager hope to achieve between now and the season's end?
"We've got seven games and I hope it doesn't knock the confidence too much
because you've got to keep your belief and make sure we keep creating like
we're creating. "People have to take more responsibility when it comes to
putting the ball in the back of the net. You can look at the defenders at
the other end, but if you keep putting them under that much pressure by not
scoring, you're going to slip up.
"That said, I didn't see a mistake for their second goal, to be fair. I just
thought it was a little bit of fortune that the ball dropped in the right
area and even then Adrian nearly saved it."
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Hammers outfoxed by Leicester
WHUFC.com
West Ham United slipped to a 2-1 defeat away at Leicester City as the Foxes
kept their hopes of avoiding relegation alive. In an end-to-end game with
chances aplenty for both sides it was the hosts who came out victorious. The
celebrations at the final were indicative of a hard fought match which could
have gone either way. Esteban Cambiasso opened the deadlock with a fierce
shot before Adrian saved David Nugent's penalty. Cheikhou Kouyate rifled in
the equaliser after half an hour as West Ham steadied the ship, only to be
undone late on.
It looked as though the spoils would be shared before substitute Andy King
poked home from close range just two minutes from time to secure his side
what could be a crucial win. In a high-octane game which matched an
excellent pre-game atmosphere it was the hosts who took the lead in the 12th
minute as Cambiasso rifled in a fierce shot from outside of the box. The
experienced Argentine took full advantage of the loose ball and put it in
the right hand corner, giving goalkeeper Adrian little chance of saving it.
Just two minutes later and it looked like things were going from bad to
worse for the Hammers after Leonardo Ulloa won a penalty when he was brought
down by Carl Jenkinson. Up stepped Nugent but Adrian, not for the first time
this season, proved the hero as he dived to his left and made a terrific
save. The penalty seemed to serve as a wakeup call for the Hammers as they
began to create more opportunities.
Aaron Cresswell made an incisive run into the box, beating two men before
drilling a cross along the six-yard box towards Diafra Sakho who was unable
to get any meaningful contact on his shot. The ball fell to the onrushing
Kouyate but Leicester managed to scramble the ball away. Just minutes
later, Kevin Nolan almost equalised as he got his head to Stewart Downing's
arrowed cross, but the ball fell just wide of the post. The Hammers did
manage to find the equaliser just after the half-hour mark through Kouyate,
who was clearly enjoying life back in the midfield. Alex Song lofted an
inviting ball into the box which Kouyate chested down before lashing home
with his second touch.
With the game tied, the Hammers continued to grow into the match but the
score remained 1-1 at the half-time break. Into the second half and the
game remained an even contest with a lot of industry and hard work but
little end product. Tempers began to flare as the game neared its
conclusion with Vardy and Jenkinson sharing a few choice words. There was
certainly no holding back from either sides in terms of tackling as Cheikhou
Kouyate and Matty James were on the end of robust challenges. With 67
minutes on the clock, a long throw-in almost gave Leicester the lead as
Jamie Vardy got on the end of Ulloa's flick but the ball clipped the outside
of the post. Sensing that the momentum was beginning to build for the hosts
Vardy, whose pace proved to be a constant threat, again went close, but this
time he fired just wide from the edge of the box. Just as in the first
half, the Hammers responded with several chances of their own. First, Sakho
set Downing free to gallop down the pitch and, with time and space to run
into, he tried he luck from 20 yards out, his shot going agonisingly wide.
Moments later, Kouyate almost doubled his account for the afternoon when he
hit the post from a tight angle following superb hold up play from his
compatriot Sakho.
The game was getting more and more stretched as Sam Allardyce brought on
Morgan Amalfitano and Carlton Cole to try and find a winner. The changes
seemed to have an impact as the Leicester backline became stretched. Downing
had two more opportunities as Schmeichel pulled off a terrific save to tip
his deflected effort over. However, down the other end Cresswell came to
his side's rescue as he cleared a Kramaric shot off the line just in time
after it had beaten Adrian. Into the last few minutes and Leicester scored
what might prove to be their most important goal of the season. The Hammers
failed to deal with a ball into the box which eventually fell to Vardy whose
shot was diverted in by substitute Andy King. The King Power erupted to the
sound of 30,000 fans who may yet still have a chance of beating the drop,
while West Ham were again left to rue their inability to defend in the
closing moments.
Leicester City: Schmeichel, De Laet (King 78), Morgan (c), James, Vardy,
Huth, Schlupp, Cambiasso, Ulloa (Kramaric 71), Mahrez (Albrighton 46),
Nugent
Subs: Koncheskey, Drinkwater, Wasilewski, Schwarzer
Goals: Cambiasso (12), King (86)
West Ham United: Adrian, Reid, Cresswell, Nolan (c) (Amalfitano 65),
Kouyate, Downing, Sakho (Cole 79), Noble, Jenkinson, Collins, Song (Nene 88)
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Demel, O'Brien, Jarvis
Goal: Kouyate (32)
Bookings: Jenkinson (14), Reid (52), Collins (60), Cresswell (84)
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Jenkinson frustrated by Foxes defeat
WHUFC.com
Carl Jenkinson was disappointed to see points slip through West Ham United's
grasp at Leicester City on Saturday. The Hammers failed to build on their
victory over Sunderland, as goals from Esteban Cambiasso and Andy King
condemned them to a 2-1 defeat at the King Power Stadium. After Adrian saved
a penalty from David Nugent and Cheikhou Kouyate levelled in the first half,
it looked as though the Hammers could go on to boss the game, but it did not
happen and that frustrated the No18. He said: "We did well to get back in
the game, so to not go on and get the goal to win the game was frustrating.
"Even then we couldn't keep the ball out of our net and they've gone and
nicked one at the death. "We wanted to build some momentum after beating
Sunderland in the last game, but that's football. It's only one game and
we've got a big one against Stoke next. They're near us in the table and we
need to get a result. "We had quite a lot of chances against Leicester. I
had a header not long before they scored and I can think of quite a few
across the team. Cheik hit the post and the ball's rolled across the line
too. "We had the chances but the ball just didn't want to go in for us in
the second half. It's very frustrating but that's football sometimes. "It
seems the case at the moment that we can't quite get the results we deserve
at times. Hopefully that'll change because we want to finish as high up the
league as we can. "There's enough games for us, it's not going to be easy
because some of the teams we're playing are fighting against relegation.
Everyone's got something to play for, so it's going to be tough but we've
got to be prepared for that."
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Leicester 2 West Ham 1
4 April 2015
Last updated at 17:18
By Mike Whalley
BBC Sport
Substitute Andy King's late winner revived Leicester's Premier League
survival hopes as they beat West Ham. Esteban Cambiasso's superb 20-yard
left-footed strike gave Nigel Pearson's side the early lead, but the Foxes'
David Nugent then had a penalty saved. West Ham enjoyed a sustained spell of
pressure after that and deserved Chiekhou Kouyate's equaliser. Kouyate hit
the post in the second half, but King turned in Jamie Vardy's mis-hit shot
with four minutes to play. It was the Wales midfielder's first goal of the
season, and ended Leicester's run of eight league matches without a win,
stretching back to 10 January. Nigel Pearson's side remain bottom of the
table, four points adrift of safety, but the attacking threat they showed
will give their manager hope that they can yet avoid the drop.
Pearson's need for victories prompted him to play an extra attacking
midfielder in Riyad Mahrez, rather than bring in a direct replacement for
injured centre-back Matthew Upson. The result was a first-half display full
of attacking vigour, but marked by defensive vulnerability. Leicester's
decision to bring on Marc Albrighton for Mahrez at half-time did at least
reduce the threat that Aaron Cresswell had been providing down the West Ham
left, although both teams continued to create openings in a terrific match.
The hosts should have been two goals up inside the first 15 minutes of a
breathless contest, yet could have been behind by the break. Cambiasso's
strike gave them the ideal start, as he steered a shot into the corner after
Nugent's attempted pass had bounced off the back of defender James Collins.
Within moments, Hammers full-back Carl Jenkinson conceded a penalty with a
mistimed sliding challenge on Leonardo Ulloa, but keeper Adrian - who looked
to have come off his line early - dived to his left to save Nugent's
spot-kick. The visitors had several chances to equalise before they did,
eventually scoring when Jeffrey Schlupp got underneath Alex Song's diagonal
ball in, leaving Kouyate unmarked to control and finish at the far post.
Leicester have scored five goals in their last two Premier League matches -
as many as they had managed in their previous eight. The final 25 minutes
brought a glut of opportunities at both ends, with Leicester substitute
Jamie Vardy passing up three in quick succession.
West Ham rode that spell of pressure to create several good openings of
their own, the best of which ended with Kouyate hitting the post after being
set up by Diafra Sakho. Kasper Schmeichel made a terrific flying save to tip
over Downing's deflected shot, and Jenkinson headed Morgan Amalfitano's
cross straight at the Leicester keeper. But in a gripping finish, Andrej
Kramaric had a shot cleared off the line moments before fellow substitute
King scrambled in a winner to Pearson's delight.
Leicester manager Nigel Pearson: "In the first half, we got off to a good
start and missed a penalty - and I think the players had a moment of
doubting themselves. "That allowed West Ham to have a dominant spell. But in
the second half, we did a good job of taking the initiative again, and I
think we deserved to win the game."
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "I just can't believe we missed so many
chances. When you're in control of the game, you have to take the chances
when you get them. "Against a team battling for survival such as Leicester,
if you get the lead, it kills them. They start to think: 'Here we go again.'
That's how ruthless you have to be. Because we didn't do that, it gave them
the chance."
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Leicester City 2-1 West Ham Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 4th April 2015
By: Staff Writer
If Sam Allardyce really does have eight games to save his job his campaign
couldn't have got off to a worse start, as his West Ham side were beaten by
the Premier League's bottom club this afternoon. Leicester - just two wins
at home all season prior to today - secured all three points at the King
Power Stadium courtesy of a late winner from substitute Andy King; just the
latest in a string of goals conceded by West Ham in the closing stages of a
game. However few will argue that it was anything less than the Foxes
deserved - even if West Ham were denied by the woodwork with the game evenly
poised at one each. Leicester, who went into the game with just 19 points on
the board got off to a dream start when veteran midfielder Esteban Cambiasso
fired today's hosts ahead with just 12 minutes on the clock. However their
joy was to be short-lived as Cheik Kouyate, restored to his rightful place
in the centre of midfield fired an equaliser for the Hammers on the half
hour mark. That West Ham were afforded the opportunity to draw level was
largely due to the considerable influence of goalkeeper Adrian, who saved
David Nugent's 15th-minute spot kick penalty and denied City a second goal
inside three minutes.
Referee Mark Clattenburg awarded the hosts a penalty after Carl Jenkinson
felled Ulloa as he turned inside the full back, with the striker poised to
shoot. Jenkinson was further penalised with the award of a yellow card.
Those incidents aside West Ham enjoyed by far the better chances in the
opening half, with Kevin Nolan perhaps culpable for missing the best of
those when he could only send a 26th minute header wide of its intended
target with the goal at his mercy.
Sadly, the Hammers were to be distinctly second best after the break.
Leicester - inspired by the slightly surreal sound of 20,000 or so clapper
sticks being simultaneously slapped by their fans - pressed hard for a
second from the kick-off and spawned a string of chances before finally
breaking the deadlock with just four minutes of normal time remaining.
A scramble in the box saw the ball fall kindly to substitute King, who
couldn't miss from no more than five yards out with the goal at his mercy.
Meanwhile, over by the touchline City boss Nigel Pearson celebrated with the
same fans he told to "fuck off and die" just a matter of weeks earlier.
In the end, West Ham only have themselves to blame for failing to make the
most of the numerous opportunities that fell their way during the game -
many of which arose as Leicester chased a winning goal during the second
half. The closest Allarydce's woefully out-of-form side came to finding a
second for themselves came on 74 minutes when Kouyate was denied a second of
the afternoon by the woodwork, with Foxes 'keeper Kasper Schmeichel beaten
for once. As the game ebbed and flowed either side could have snatched all
three points; few will complain about the entertainment on offer as both
sides went all out for the win, with chances aplenty (34 shots in all, 20-14
in City's favour). In the end it was Leicester, desperate to keep their
miniscule chances of retaining their Premier League spot for a second season
alive who snatched the win. That's the way it's gone for West Ham since the
New Year - although they only have themselves to blame for conceding yet
another late goal - and falling to yet another miserable defeat.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce admits West Ham were 'not good enough' against Leicester
Last Updated: 04/04/15 6:55pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce says he is bitterly disappointed to not get anything out of
the game after West Ham were defeated 2-1 by Leicester. West Ham manager Sam
Allardyce was left "bitterly disappointed" after his side conceded a late
goal to lose 2-1 to Leicester City. The game looked to be heading for a draw
after Cheikhou Kouyate had cancelled out Esteban Cambiasso's early strike.
But Andy King came off the bench to snatch victory for Leicester in the 86th
minute and leave the Hammers empty-handed. "To not get anything is bitterly
disappointing based on the chances we created," Allardyce told Sky Sports.
"Too many chances went begging. If we had got another and got our noses in
front that might have knocked the stuffing out of Leicester, given their
position. "But because we didn't they always had that little bit of hope and
belief that they might get the winner and they did. "It was a little bit
fortunate for them but that's what happens when you don't take your chances,
sometimes you pay the price." Although the Hammers remain ninth in the
table, they have won just one of their last nine Premier League matches. But
Allardyce said: "It's quite a shame really because that's only the third
defeat by a team below us this season, that's how good we have been against
teams below us, but today we were not good enough. "We have scored more
goals this year than we ever have in the Premier League, we are playing more
attacking football and that's what we will carry on doing. "If it doesn't
bring us some results we are not going to change based on the basis that we
think that is the right way forward for us."
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Glenn Hoddle the new name in the frame to replace Sam Allardyce at West Ham
22:30, 4 April 2015 By Steve Stammers
The Hammers are heading to the Olympic Stadium in 15 months time and
Allardyce looks increasingly set to depart this summer with his contract set
to expire
The Mirror
Glenn Hoddle is the latest name to be linked with the manager's job at West
Ham should Sam Allardyce leave at the end of the season.
Allardyce has yet to agree a new deal at Upton Park. His contract runs out
next month and to date there have been no talks about a renewal. That has
led to speculation that Allardyce will decide to move on after guiding the
club to promotion from the Championship and keeping them in the Premier
League for two seasons. But some West Ham supporters have never taken to Big
Sam and make their disaffection known at every opportunity. The board have
yet to say whether it is time for a change ahead of their last season at
Upton Park and before they move to the Olympic Stadium. Hoddle, 57, would be
a high-profile replacement and his teams play with the kind of style and
flair that would be welcomed by fans.
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Jenks: We need a result against Stoke
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
I've spoken to too many players after games to be very surprised by what
they say! It usually amounts to "we showed spirit, character and set our
stall out" in the case of a draw or win or in the case of a defeat: "It was
disappointing but we move on." It's hard not to become cynical at the the
responses after - some might say - spending too many years waiting outside
dressing rooms on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.. I have a lot of time for
Carl Jenkinson because win, lose or draw he always has something to say
although he may have been better off saying nothing after yesterday's
massively disappointing result at Leicester City. However, he was the first
one to speak to the official website at www.whufc.com and here for the
record is what he had to say: "We did well to get back in the game, so to
not go on and get the goal to win the game was frustrating. "Even then we
couldn't keep the ball out of our net and they've gone and nicked one at the
death. "We wanted to build some momentum after beating Sunderland in the
last game, but that's football. It's only one game and we've got a big one
against Stoke next. They're near us in the table and we need to get a
result. "We had quite a lot of chances against Leicester. I had a header not
long before they scored and I can think of quite a few across the team.
Cheik hit the post and the ball's rolled across the line too. "We had the
chances but the ball just didn't want to go in for us in the second half.
It's very frustrating but that's football sometimes. "It seems the case at
the moment that we can't quite get the results we deserve at times.
Hopefully that'll change because we want to finish as high up the league as
we can. "There's enough games for us, it's not going to be easy because some
of the teams we're playing are fighting against relegation. Everyone's got
something to play for, so it's going to be tough but we've got to be
prepared for that."
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DG on Allardyce future
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
David Gold has tonight made it clear there will be no early Sam Allardyce
departure from Upton Park but admits he's devastated by today's result at
Leicester City. He said: "I was talking to one of City's directors
afterwards who said that was the best they had played all season but I think
we were very disappointing." He added: "We were beaten by a team who
regardless of today's win are very likely to be relegated and that's not
good. I know the word is overused but I am devastated."
Speaking exclusively to ClaretandHugh he accepted many fans will be calling
for Sam's head but said: "Our position remains as it always has - decisions
will be made at the end of the season."
We pointed out to the co chairman that some on the CandH Facebook forum and
Twitter suggested that the manager could be put on gardening leave to which
the two word response was: "Won't happen."He said: "Our policy is crystal
clear . You can't change your structure on these matters. Everything waits
for the end of season review."
Gold however, wanted to pay a massive tribute to the travelling Claret and
Blue army declaring: "They are amazing. They are suffering but their support
is incredible. "I will never miss the opportunity of praising them. They are
amazing people and I take every opportunity I get to say so. That will never
change."
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Thanks for everything Sam but that's enough!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
There will be those tonight who will be waiting for the opportunity to throw
as much abuse as possible at those who believe Sam Allardyce is past his
West Ham sell-by date. This won't take long but it needs saying! His day is
done. In fact it was done last summer but because of the cost of getting rid
of him the owners decided against doing so. That was a mistake and there
must not be another by the Daves at the end of this season. A defeat by
Leicester City is not acceptable in any circumstances. Last weekend Sam
Allardyce was celebrating an ugly 88th minute win over Sunderland as a
turning point. It was, we hit a new low!
With a couple of exceptions we had out strongest team on the pitch yet at
times we looked like an outfit that was already thinking of where they may
spend their summer holidays. Sam himself in his after match quotes said "We
weren't good enough." Now that really is some admission given he's the boss!
To argue that Leicester City had more to play for isn't good enough. Man for
man it's clear we are the better side yet there was a lethargy and lack of
hunger at times which certainly wasn't shared by Leicester. Let me make it
clear that I was delighted with Mr Allardyce's early efforts in bringing us
back from the Championship and of stabilising us as a Premier League club.
I'm honestly grateful that he has laid strong foundations for whoever comes
next to build on - but somebody must come and as quickly as possible because
this is now unbearable for everybody associated with the club and that
probably includes the the manager himself.
Nothing is forever. Time to move on. We need an entirwely new and fresh
approach. Oh, and by the way, to anybody considering telling me this suits
mine and the website's agenda a quiet word. Some of us have seen this team
through the leanest of times over 50 years but remain Irons to our backbone.
We bleed for this club and our loyalty remained - even through the Roeder
years - and those under Ron Greenwood when we had some horrible results
runs. I close this on a personal note without I hope causing offence to
anybody although on this particular subject I understand it's hard not to.
Don't ever say it. There is a limit to tolerance on some occasions! This is
one of them.
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New low for Irons at Leicester
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Leicester City 2 West Ham 1
A new low against a team who wanted it more and it might have been worse but
for a sensational early spot kick save by Adrian. Let's get the brutal facts
out of the way first: The hosts took the lead through Esteban Cambiasso
after a dinked ball in bounced off the back of James Collins and the striker
- who should have been closed down - moved forward to fire his team in front
from 20 yards. Two minutes later in the 14th, Jenkinson brought Ulloa down
in the box but Adrian threw himself to his left to turn Nugent's spot kick
around the post - brilliant but once again shocking defending. The Hammers
found a way back in the 32nd minute when Kouyate met Song's ball into the
box and after controlling it, fired into the bottom left hand corner. The
game was lost late on on the 86th minute via a scruffy goal from King who
turned Vardy's close range shot past Adrian.. Whilst we had been were
controlled in possession and both Song and Downing looked on their game, we
didn't really possess a sharp edge although Sakho had been denied by keeper
Schmeichel at the near post. Kouyate had also been unlucky when firing
against the upright after sending in a shot which Schmeichel did well to
turn away. After that it was all cut and thrust and Cresswell was forced to
make an unbelievable stop on the line just before the Leicester winner. For
all the huffing and puffing towards the end after we saw the usual late subs
- Carlton Cole (79th) and Nene (88th) all was lost. The attempted possession
stuff was well and good but the hosts - given their desperate position -
always looked the hungrier and in the end their appetite for the game proved
conclusive. The horrible truth is that we failed to grab victory over a team
which was incredibly vulnerable defensively and at times often offering us
acres of space. There's not a single positive to take from this 90 minutes
and where the Davids go from here isn't exactly rocket science. A serious
low of epic proportions I'm afraid!
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Allardyce: "We wont change attacking game!"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sam Allardyce admitted that West Ham were not good enough at Leicester but
claims he won'y change what he calls his attacking football" policy "because
we believe that's the right way forward for us." Speaking after the match on
Sky Sports he said: "To not get anything is bitterly disappointing based on
the chances we created. "Too many chances went begging. If we had got
another and got our noses in front that might have knocked the stuffing out
of Leicester, given their position. "But because we didn't they always had
that little bit of hope and belief that they might get the winner and they
did. "It was a little bit fortunate for them but that's what happens when
you don't take your chances, sometimes you pay the price."
Although ninth in the table, we have now won just one of our last nine
Premier League matches. But Allardyce said: "It's quite a shame really
because that's only the third defeat by a team below us this season, that's
how good we have been against teams below us, but today we were not good
enough. "We have scored more goals this year than we ever have in the
Premier League, we are playing more attacking football and that's what we
will carry on doing. "If it doesn't bring us some results we are not going
to change based on the basis that we think that is the right way forward for
us."
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WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was yet again left to rue missed chances as West Ham United
suffered a 2-1 Barclays Premier League defeat at Leicester City.
The Hammers started badly at the King Power Stadium, falling behind to
Esteban Cambiasso's 20-yard strike before Adrian spectacularly saved David
Nugent's penalty moments later. That stop inspired the visitors, who
equalised through Cheikhou Kouyate on the half-hour mark and should have
gone onto win the game, only for a combination of wayward finishing, Kasper
Schmeichel's goalkeeping and the frame of the Leicester goal to deny them
three points. As it was, they left the division's bottom side with none as
Andy King converted Jamie Vardy's miss-hit shot with just four minutes of
the 90 remaining. "Both teams went for it and they have got one more than us
right at the end, and that's the disappointing thing," Big Sam told West Ham
TV. "We came here to go and get the win and we opened up to try and go for
that win, which left us a bit open at the back. "It was end to end stuff and
a hell of a game for entertainment value, but ours is a results business and
not having got a result at the end of it was very disappointing, considering
the number of chances we have missed.
"We have not played away from home and had this many chances all season and
we've only scored one. Then, at the other end, we gave away a sloppy goal to
Cambiasso on the edge of the box, although it was a great finish to be fair.
"Then we got away with Adrian saving the penalty, then got a grip on the
game and should have been in the lead by half-time, there's not doubt about
that. But we kept missing the chances, apart from a good finish from
Cheikhou from probably the hardest chance we created in the first half. "I
thought we'd have gone on from there and scored more. I know we've hit the
post and had a few more good chances, but I thought if we weren't going to
win it, we weren't going to lose it. "Then they had a bit of good fortune
near the end when their lad [Vardy] miss-hit a shot and it went straight to
King and he popped it in the net. In the end, it was a disappointing result
for us."
Aside from Kouyate's goal, taken well from Alex Song's pinpoint pass, it
proved a dreadful day in front of goal for West Ham. After weathering
another Leicester storm early in the second half, Kouyate hit the post,
while Schmeichel denied Downing and Jenkinson either side of the Senegal
midfielder's effort. At the other end, Big Sam said Cambiasso's opener
should have been dealt with before the Argentine let fly from 20 yards,
while he was also left dejected by the nature of substitute King's late
winner. "It was a good finish, but one of our midfield players should have
been on the edge of our box with him. They should have been there. "There
was no doubt it was a penalty, but when your keeper makes a great save like
that and you go on and take control of a game, you've really got to be
ruthless enough, and we have fallen foul of not being ruthless enough in
front of goal. "Had we scored the second and got in front, I think
Leicester's heads would have gone down. With us not doing that before
half-time and then after when Leicester couldn't find the goal despite us
continuing to miss chances, those were the key moments for us. "With them
fighting the way they are, I think it would really have knocked the stuffing
out of them but we couldn't find the quality we've found for most of the
season and we've ended up losing 2-1."
So, with West Ham now four points behind eighth-place Swansea City, what
does the manager hope to achieve between now and the season's end?
"We've got seven games and I hope it doesn't knock the confidence too much
because you've got to keep your belief and make sure we keep creating like
we're creating. "People have to take more responsibility when it comes to
putting the ball in the back of the net. You can look at the defenders at
the other end, but if you keep putting them under that much pressure by not
scoring, you're going to slip up.
"That said, I didn't see a mistake for their second goal, to be fair. I just
thought it was a little bit of fortune that the ball dropped in the right
area and even then Adrian nearly saved it."
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Hammers outfoxed by Leicester
WHUFC.com
West Ham United slipped to a 2-1 defeat away at Leicester City as the Foxes
kept their hopes of avoiding relegation alive. In an end-to-end game with
chances aplenty for both sides it was the hosts who came out victorious. The
celebrations at the final were indicative of a hard fought match which could
have gone either way. Esteban Cambiasso opened the deadlock with a fierce
shot before Adrian saved David Nugent's penalty. Cheikhou Kouyate rifled in
the equaliser after half an hour as West Ham steadied the ship, only to be
undone late on.
It looked as though the spoils would be shared before substitute Andy King
poked home from close range just two minutes from time to secure his side
what could be a crucial win. In a high-octane game which matched an
excellent pre-game atmosphere it was the hosts who took the lead in the 12th
minute as Cambiasso rifled in a fierce shot from outside of the box. The
experienced Argentine took full advantage of the loose ball and put it in
the right hand corner, giving goalkeeper Adrian little chance of saving it.
Just two minutes later and it looked like things were going from bad to
worse for the Hammers after Leonardo Ulloa won a penalty when he was brought
down by Carl Jenkinson. Up stepped Nugent but Adrian, not for the first time
this season, proved the hero as he dived to his left and made a terrific
save. The penalty seemed to serve as a wakeup call for the Hammers as they
began to create more opportunities.
Aaron Cresswell made an incisive run into the box, beating two men before
drilling a cross along the six-yard box towards Diafra Sakho who was unable
to get any meaningful contact on his shot. The ball fell to the onrushing
Kouyate but Leicester managed to scramble the ball away. Just minutes
later, Kevin Nolan almost equalised as he got his head to Stewart Downing's
arrowed cross, but the ball fell just wide of the post. The Hammers did
manage to find the equaliser just after the half-hour mark through Kouyate,
who was clearly enjoying life back in the midfield. Alex Song lofted an
inviting ball into the box which Kouyate chested down before lashing home
with his second touch.
With the game tied, the Hammers continued to grow into the match but the
score remained 1-1 at the half-time break. Into the second half and the
game remained an even contest with a lot of industry and hard work but
little end product. Tempers began to flare as the game neared its
conclusion with Vardy and Jenkinson sharing a few choice words. There was
certainly no holding back from either sides in terms of tackling as Cheikhou
Kouyate and Matty James were on the end of robust challenges. With 67
minutes on the clock, a long throw-in almost gave Leicester the lead as
Jamie Vardy got on the end of Ulloa's flick but the ball clipped the outside
of the post. Sensing that the momentum was beginning to build for the hosts
Vardy, whose pace proved to be a constant threat, again went close, but this
time he fired just wide from the edge of the box. Just as in the first
half, the Hammers responded with several chances of their own. First, Sakho
set Downing free to gallop down the pitch and, with time and space to run
into, he tried he luck from 20 yards out, his shot going agonisingly wide.
Moments later, Kouyate almost doubled his account for the afternoon when he
hit the post from a tight angle following superb hold up play from his
compatriot Sakho.
The game was getting more and more stretched as Sam Allardyce brought on
Morgan Amalfitano and Carlton Cole to try and find a winner. The changes
seemed to have an impact as the Leicester backline became stretched. Downing
had two more opportunities as Schmeichel pulled off a terrific save to tip
his deflected effort over. However, down the other end Cresswell came to
his side's rescue as he cleared a Kramaric shot off the line just in time
after it had beaten Adrian. Into the last few minutes and Leicester scored
what might prove to be their most important goal of the season. The Hammers
failed to deal with a ball into the box which eventually fell to Vardy whose
shot was diverted in by substitute Andy King. The King Power erupted to the
sound of 30,000 fans who may yet still have a chance of beating the drop,
while West Ham were again left to rue their inability to defend in the
closing moments.
Leicester City: Schmeichel, De Laet (King 78), Morgan (c), James, Vardy,
Huth, Schlupp, Cambiasso, Ulloa (Kramaric 71), Mahrez (Albrighton 46),
Nugent
Subs: Koncheskey, Drinkwater, Wasilewski, Schwarzer
Goals: Cambiasso (12), King (86)
West Ham United: Adrian, Reid, Cresswell, Nolan (c) (Amalfitano 65),
Kouyate, Downing, Sakho (Cole 79), Noble, Jenkinson, Collins, Song (Nene 88)
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Demel, O'Brien, Jarvis
Goal: Kouyate (32)
Bookings: Jenkinson (14), Reid (52), Collins (60), Cresswell (84)
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Jenkinson frustrated by Foxes defeat
WHUFC.com
Carl Jenkinson was disappointed to see points slip through West Ham United's
grasp at Leicester City on Saturday. The Hammers failed to build on their
victory over Sunderland, as goals from Esteban Cambiasso and Andy King
condemned them to a 2-1 defeat at the King Power Stadium. After Adrian saved
a penalty from David Nugent and Cheikhou Kouyate levelled in the first half,
it looked as though the Hammers could go on to boss the game, but it did not
happen and that frustrated the No18. He said: "We did well to get back in
the game, so to not go on and get the goal to win the game was frustrating.
"Even then we couldn't keep the ball out of our net and they've gone and
nicked one at the death. "We wanted to build some momentum after beating
Sunderland in the last game, but that's football. It's only one game and
we've got a big one against Stoke next. They're near us in the table and we
need to get a result. "We had quite a lot of chances against Leicester. I
had a header not long before they scored and I can think of quite a few
across the team. Cheik hit the post and the ball's rolled across the line
too. "We had the chances but the ball just didn't want to go in for us in
the second half. It's very frustrating but that's football sometimes. "It
seems the case at the moment that we can't quite get the results we deserve
at times. Hopefully that'll change because we want to finish as high up the
league as we can. "There's enough games for us, it's not going to be easy
because some of the teams we're playing are fighting against relegation.
Everyone's got something to play for, so it's going to be tough but we've
got to be prepared for that."
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Leicester 2 West Ham 1
4 April 2015
Last updated at 17:18
By Mike Whalley
BBC Sport
Substitute Andy King's late winner revived Leicester's Premier League
survival hopes as they beat West Ham. Esteban Cambiasso's superb 20-yard
left-footed strike gave Nigel Pearson's side the early lead, but the Foxes'
David Nugent then had a penalty saved. West Ham enjoyed a sustained spell of
pressure after that and deserved Chiekhou Kouyate's equaliser. Kouyate hit
the post in the second half, but King turned in Jamie Vardy's mis-hit shot
with four minutes to play. It was the Wales midfielder's first goal of the
season, and ended Leicester's run of eight league matches without a win,
stretching back to 10 January. Nigel Pearson's side remain bottom of the
table, four points adrift of safety, but the attacking threat they showed
will give their manager hope that they can yet avoid the drop.
Pearson's need for victories prompted him to play an extra attacking
midfielder in Riyad Mahrez, rather than bring in a direct replacement for
injured centre-back Matthew Upson. The result was a first-half display full
of attacking vigour, but marked by defensive vulnerability. Leicester's
decision to bring on Marc Albrighton for Mahrez at half-time did at least
reduce the threat that Aaron Cresswell had been providing down the West Ham
left, although both teams continued to create openings in a terrific match.
The hosts should have been two goals up inside the first 15 minutes of a
breathless contest, yet could have been behind by the break. Cambiasso's
strike gave them the ideal start, as he steered a shot into the corner after
Nugent's attempted pass had bounced off the back of defender James Collins.
Within moments, Hammers full-back Carl Jenkinson conceded a penalty with a
mistimed sliding challenge on Leonardo Ulloa, but keeper Adrian - who looked
to have come off his line early - dived to his left to save Nugent's
spot-kick. The visitors had several chances to equalise before they did,
eventually scoring when Jeffrey Schlupp got underneath Alex Song's diagonal
ball in, leaving Kouyate unmarked to control and finish at the far post.
Leicester have scored five goals in their last two Premier League matches -
as many as they had managed in their previous eight. The final 25 minutes
brought a glut of opportunities at both ends, with Leicester substitute
Jamie Vardy passing up three in quick succession.
West Ham rode that spell of pressure to create several good openings of
their own, the best of which ended with Kouyate hitting the post after being
set up by Diafra Sakho. Kasper Schmeichel made a terrific flying save to tip
over Downing's deflected shot, and Jenkinson headed Morgan Amalfitano's
cross straight at the Leicester keeper. But in a gripping finish, Andrej
Kramaric had a shot cleared off the line moments before fellow substitute
King scrambled in a winner to Pearson's delight.
Leicester manager Nigel Pearson: "In the first half, we got off to a good
start and missed a penalty - and I think the players had a moment of
doubting themselves. "That allowed West Ham to have a dominant spell. But in
the second half, we did a good job of taking the initiative again, and I
think we deserved to win the game."
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "I just can't believe we missed so many
chances. When you're in control of the game, you have to take the chances
when you get them. "Against a team battling for survival such as Leicester,
if you get the lead, it kills them. They start to think: 'Here we go again.'
That's how ruthless you have to be. Because we didn't do that, it gave them
the chance."
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Leicester City 2-1 West Ham Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 4th April 2015
By: Staff Writer
If Sam Allardyce really does have eight games to save his job his campaign
couldn't have got off to a worse start, as his West Ham side were beaten by
the Premier League's bottom club this afternoon. Leicester - just two wins
at home all season prior to today - secured all three points at the King
Power Stadium courtesy of a late winner from substitute Andy King; just the
latest in a string of goals conceded by West Ham in the closing stages of a
game. However few will argue that it was anything less than the Foxes
deserved - even if West Ham were denied by the woodwork with the game evenly
poised at one each. Leicester, who went into the game with just 19 points on
the board got off to a dream start when veteran midfielder Esteban Cambiasso
fired today's hosts ahead with just 12 minutes on the clock. However their
joy was to be short-lived as Cheik Kouyate, restored to his rightful place
in the centre of midfield fired an equaliser for the Hammers on the half
hour mark. That West Ham were afforded the opportunity to draw level was
largely due to the considerable influence of goalkeeper Adrian, who saved
David Nugent's 15th-minute spot kick penalty and denied City a second goal
inside three minutes.
Referee Mark Clattenburg awarded the hosts a penalty after Carl Jenkinson
felled Ulloa as he turned inside the full back, with the striker poised to
shoot. Jenkinson was further penalised with the award of a yellow card.
Those incidents aside West Ham enjoyed by far the better chances in the
opening half, with Kevin Nolan perhaps culpable for missing the best of
those when he could only send a 26th minute header wide of its intended
target with the goal at his mercy.
Sadly, the Hammers were to be distinctly second best after the break.
Leicester - inspired by the slightly surreal sound of 20,000 or so clapper
sticks being simultaneously slapped by their fans - pressed hard for a
second from the kick-off and spawned a string of chances before finally
breaking the deadlock with just four minutes of normal time remaining.
A scramble in the box saw the ball fall kindly to substitute King, who
couldn't miss from no more than five yards out with the goal at his mercy.
Meanwhile, over by the touchline City boss Nigel Pearson celebrated with the
same fans he told to "fuck off and die" just a matter of weeks earlier.
In the end, West Ham only have themselves to blame for failing to make the
most of the numerous opportunities that fell their way during the game -
many of which arose as Leicester chased a winning goal during the second
half. The closest Allarydce's woefully out-of-form side came to finding a
second for themselves came on 74 minutes when Kouyate was denied a second of
the afternoon by the woodwork, with Foxes 'keeper Kasper Schmeichel beaten
for once. As the game ebbed and flowed either side could have snatched all
three points; few will complain about the entertainment on offer as both
sides went all out for the win, with chances aplenty (34 shots in all, 20-14
in City's favour). In the end it was Leicester, desperate to keep their
miniscule chances of retaining their Premier League spot for a second season
alive who snatched the win. That's the way it's gone for West Ham since the
New Year - although they only have themselves to blame for conceding yet
another late goal - and falling to yet another miserable defeat.
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Sam Allardyce admits West Ham were 'not good enough' against Leicester
Last Updated: 04/04/15 6:55pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce says he is bitterly disappointed to not get anything out of
the game after West Ham were defeated 2-1 by Leicester. West Ham manager Sam
Allardyce was left "bitterly disappointed" after his side conceded a late
goal to lose 2-1 to Leicester City. The game looked to be heading for a draw
after Cheikhou Kouyate had cancelled out Esteban Cambiasso's early strike.
But Andy King came off the bench to snatch victory for Leicester in the 86th
minute and leave the Hammers empty-handed. "To not get anything is bitterly
disappointing based on the chances we created," Allardyce told Sky Sports.
"Too many chances went begging. If we had got another and got our noses in
front that might have knocked the stuffing out of Leicester, given their
position. "But because we didn't they always had that little bit of hope and
belief that they might get the winner and they did. "It was a little bit
fortunate for them but that's what happens when you don't take your chances,
sometimes you pay the price." Although the Hammers remain ninth in the
table, they have won just one of their last nine Premier League matches. But
Allardyce said: "It's quite a shame really because that's only the third
defeat by a team below us this season, that's how good we have been against
teams below us, but today we were not good enough. "We have scored more
goals this year than we ever have in the Premier League, we are playing more
attacking football and that's what we will carry on doing. "If it doesn't
bring us some results we are not going to change based on the basis that we
think that is the right way forward for us."
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Glenn Hoddle the new name in the frame to replace Sam Allardyce at West Ham
22:30, 4 April 2015 By Steve Stammers
The Hammers are heading to the Olympic Stadium in 15 months time and
Allardyce looks increasingly set to depart this summer with his contract set
to expire
The Mirror
Glenn Hoddle is the latest name to be linked with the manager's job at West
Ham should Sam Allardyce leave at the end of the season.
Allardyce has yet to agree a new deal at Upton Park. His contract runs out
next month and to date there have been no talks about a renewal. That has
led to speculation that Allardyce will decide to move on after guiding the
club to promotion from the Championship and keeping them in the Premier
League for two seasons. But some West Ham supporters have never taken to Big
Sam and make their disaffection known at every opportunity. The board have
yet to say whether it is time for a change ahead of their last season at
Upton Park and before they move to the Olympic Stadium. Hoddle, 57, would be
a high-profile replacement and his teams play with the kind of style and
flair that would be welcomed by fans.
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Jenks: We need a result against Stoke
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 5, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
I've spoken to too many players after games to be very surprised by what
they say! It usually amounts to "we showed spirit, character and set our
stall out" in the case of a draw or win or in the case of a defeat: "It was
disappointing but we move on." It's hard not to become cynical at the the
responses after - some might say - spending too many years waiting outside
dressing rooms on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.. I have a lot of time for
Carl Jenkinson because win, lose or draw he always has something to say
although he may have been better off saying nothing after yesterday's
massively disappointing result at Leicester City. However, he was the first
one to speak to the official website at www.whufc.com and here for the
record is what he had to say: "We did well to get back in the game, so to
not go on and get the goal to win the game was frustrating. "Even then we
couldn't keep the ball out of our net and they've gone and nicked one at the
death. "We wanted to build some momentum after beating Sunderland in the
last game, but that's football. It's only one game and we've got a big one
against Stoke next. They're near us in the table and we need to get a
result. "We had quite a lot of chances against Leicester. I had a header not
long before they scored and I can think of quite a few across the team.
Cheik hit the post and the ball's rolled across the line too. "We had the
chances but the ball just didn't want to go in for us in the second half.
It's very frustrating but that's football sometimes. "It seems the case at
the moment that we can't quite get the results we deserve at times.
Hopefully that'll change because we want to finish as high up the league as
we can. "There's enough games for us, it's not going to be easy because some
of the teams we're playing are fighting against relegation. Everyone's got
something to play for, so it's going to be tough but we've got to be
prepared for that."
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DG on Allardyce future
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
David Gold has tonight made it clear there will be no early Sam Allardyce
departure from Upton Park but admits he's devastated by today's result at
Leicester City. He said: "I was talking to one of City's directors
afterwards who said that was the best they had played all season but I think
we were very disappointing." He added: "We were beaten by a team who
regardless of today's win are very likely to be relegated and that's not
good. I know the word is overused but I am devastated."
Speaking exclusively to ClaretandHugh he accepted many fans will be calling
for Sam's head but said: "Our position remains as it always has - decisions
will be made at the end of the season."
We pointed out to the co chairman that some on the CandH Facebook forum and
Twitter suggested that the manager could be put on gardening leave to which
the two word response was: "Won't happen."He said: "Our policy is crystal
clear . You can't change your structure on these matters. Everything waits
for the end of season review."
Gold however, wanted to pay a massive tribute to the travelling Claret and
Blue army declaring: "They are amazing. They are suffering but their support
is incredible. "I will never miss the opportunity of praising them. They are
amazing people and I take every opportunity I get to say so. That will never
change."
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Thanks for everything Sam but that's enough!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
There will be those tonight who will be waiting for the opportunity to throw
as much abuse as possible at those who believe Sam Allardyce is past his
West Ham sell-by date. This won't take long but it needs saying! His day is
done. In fact it was done last summer but because of the cost of getting rid
of him the owners decided against doing so. That was a mistake and there
must not be another by the Daves at the end of this season. A defeat by
Leicester City is not acceptable in any circumstances. Last weekend Sam
Allardyce was celebrating an ugly 88th minute win over Sunderland as a
turning point. It was, we hit a new low!
With a couple of exceptions we had out strongest team on the pitch yet at
times we looked like an outfit that was already thinking of where they may
spend their summer holidays. Sam himself in his after match quotes said "We
weren't good enough." Now that really is some admission given he's the boss!
To argue that Leicester City had more to play for isn't good enough. Man for
man it's clear we are the better side yet there was a lethargy and lack of
hunger at times which certainly wasn't shared by Leicester. Let me make it
clear that I was delighted with Mr Allardyce's early efforts in bringing us
back from the Championship and of stabilising us as a Premier League club.
I'm honestly grateful that he has laid strong foundations for whoever comes
next to build on - but somebody must come and as quickly as possible because
this is now unbearable for everybody associated with the club and that
probably includes the the manager himself.
Nothing is forever. Time to move on. We need an entirwely new and fresh
approach. Oh, and by the way, to anybody considering telling me this suits
mine and the website's agenda a quiet word. Some of us have seen this team
through the leanest of times over 50 years but remain Irons to our backbone.
We bleed for this club and our loyalty remained - even through the Roeder
years - and those under Ron Greenwood when we had some horrible results
runs. I close this on a personal note without I hope causing offence to
anybody although on this particular subject I understand it's hard not to.
Don't ever say it. There is a limit to tolerance on some occasions! This is
one of them.
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New low for Irons at Leicester
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Leicester City 2 West Ham 1
A new low against a team who wanted it more and it might have been worse but
for a sensational early spot kick save by Adrian. Let's get the brutal facts
out of the way first: The hosts took the lead through Esteban Cambiasso
after a dinked ball in bounced off the back of James Collins and the striker
- who should have been closed down - moved forward to fire his team in front
from 20 yards. Two minutes later in the 14th, Jenkinson brought Ulloa down
in the box but Adrian threw himself to his left to turn Nugent's spot kick
around the post - brilliant but once again shocking defending. The Hammers
found a way back in the 32nd minute when Kouyate met Song's ball into the
box and after controlling it, fired into the bottom left hand corner. The
game was lost late on on the 86th minute via a scruffy goal from King who
turned Vardy's close range shot past Adrian.. Whilst we had been were
controlled in possession and both Song and Downing looked on their game, we
didn't really possess a sharp edge although Sakho had been denied by keeper
Schmeichel at the near post. Kouyate had also been unlucky when firing
against the upright after sending in a shot which Schmeichel did well to
turn away. After that it was all cut and thrust and Cresswell was forced to
make an unbelievable stop on the line just before the Leicester winner. For
all the huffing and puffing towards the end after we saw the usual late subs
- Carlton Cole (79th) and Nene (88th) all was lost. The attempted possession
stuff was well and good but the hosts - given their desperate position -
always looked the hungrier and in the end their appetite for the game proved
conclusive. The horrible truth is that we failed to grab victory over a team
which was incredibly vulnerable defensively and at times often offering us
acres of space. There's not a single positive to take from this 90 minutes
and where the Davids go from here isn't exactly rocket science. A serious
low of epic proportions I'm afraid!
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Allardyce: "We wont change attacking game!"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 4, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sam Allardyce admitted that West Ham were not good enough at Leicester but
claims he won'y change what he calls his attacking football" policy "because
we believe that's the right way forward for us." Speaking after the match on
Sky Sports he said: "To not get anything is bitterly disappointing based on
the chances we created. "Too many chances went begging. If we had got
another and got our noses in front that might have knocked the stuffing out
of Leicester, given their position. "But because we didn't they always had
that little bit of hope and belief that they might get the winner and they
did. "It was a little bit fortunate for them but that's what happens when
you don't take your chances, sometimes you pay the price."
Although ninth in the table, we have now won just one of our last nine
Premier League matches. But Allardyce said: "It's quite a shame really
because that's only the third defeat by a team below us this season, that's
how good we have been against teams below us, but today we were not good
enough. "We have scored more goals this year than we ever have in the
Premier League, we are playing more attacking football and that's what we
will carry on doing. "If it doesn't bring us some results we are not going
to change based on the basis that we think that is the right way forward for
us."
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Saturday, April 4
Daily WHUFC News - 4th March 2015
Preview - Leicester City
WHUFC.com
In brief
West Ham United travel to Leicester City on Saturday to face a team who find
themselves at the wrong end of the table. Having beaten Sunderland 1-0 in
their last game before the international break, the Hammers will be looking
to keep the momentum going by picking up three valuable points.
Sam Allardyce's men are currently ninth in the Barclays Premier League and
are on course for the highest points total since they were promoted back to
top flight status in 2012.
Nigel Pearson's Leicester have struggled to pick up points this season
despite some impressive performances. Currently propping up the league with
19 points from 29 games, they nonetheless showed great fight against
Tottenham Hotspur in their recent 4-3 defeat and were unlucky to come away
from White Hart Lane empty handed.
Earlier in the season, West Ham recorded a 2-0 win over Leicester at the
Boleyn Ground courtesy of goals from Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing.
Who are they?
Created in 1884, originally known as Leicester Fosse, they won their first
ever game 5-0 against Syston Fosse on 1 November 1884. In 1890 they competed
in the FA Cup for the first time, losing 4-0 to Burton Wanderers. Fosse
joined the Football League in 1894.
The Foxes won their one and only league title way back in the 1928/29
season, however they have had more success in the FA Cup winning it four
times – 1949, 1961, 1963 and 1969.
More recently, the Foxes' silverware has come in the League Cup, winning
that competition in 1997 and 2000 as well as being runners up in 1999.
Having being relegated from the Premier League in the 2003/04 season they
are back in the top flight after a decade away.
Team news
West Ham United
The Hammers are boosted by the return of defensive rock Winston Reid. The
New Zealand international could go straight into the starting XI having been
out of action for a month following an injury picked up against Chelsea.
Enner Valencia's laceration in his big toe has healed and he started to
train in his boots again on an individual basis on Monday. Valencia is
unlikely to feature on Saturday but he could be back for next weekend's tie
with Stoke City.
James Tomkins and Doneil Henry are continuing with their rehabilitation from
shoulder and hamstring surgery.
Leicester City
Leicester's chances of survival are boosted by a relatively clean bill of
health. The only absentees for Pearson's side are former hammer Matthew
Upson and Dean Hammond. Both are suffering calf injuries.
Referee
Saturday's match referee is Mark Clattenburg. The Durham based official made
his Premier League debut in 2004. Eleven years on, the FIFA accredited
referee has taken charge of 232 games, dishing out 767 yellow and 38 red
cards.
This season Clattenburg has refereed three West Ham games – the 3-1 victory
away at Crystal Palace, the 2-1 defeat by Everton and the 1-1 draw with
Manchester United.
In addition, the 40-year-old has taken just the one Leicester game – their
famous 5-3 win over Manchester United.
One to Watch
West Ham United
James Collins
The central defender is likely to continue to hold the fort in defence as
Big Sam has to decide whether to stick with Cheikhou Kouyate or welcome back
Winston Reid.
The 31-year-old centre back has been in great form this season, particularly
in recent games. Having played in Wales' 3-0 win over Israel he will looking
to continue his collection of successive clean sheets, having played a key
role in the 1-0 over Sunderland.
Leicester City
Jamie Vardy
The 28-year-old striker may have only scored twice this season however his
blistering pace and impressive work rate could prove to be a handful on
Saturday afternoon.
Vardy played a key role in getting the Foxes promoted last season, scoring
16 goals in 41 appearances.
The striker has had an intriguing career path, only turning professional in
2011 when playing for Fleetwood Town. Four years later he's playing in the
Premier League. Having scored against Tottenham last time out he'll want to
get on the scoresheet again.
Tickets
Tickets for Saturday's game have all SOLD OUT.
Travel
For all travel information on getting to the King Power Stadium click here.
For fans travelling by public transport, there is a good train service from
London St Pancras International, with journey times of little over an hour
both ways. Click here for the National Rail website to book trains.
Weather
A cloudy day with sunny intervals is expected on Saturday, with temperatures
of 9C (48F) at kick-off.
Last away meeting
Leicester City 1-2 West Ham United
Championship
Saturday 23 April 2012
Leicester City: Schmeichel, Peltier, Konchesky, Bamba, Morgan, King (St
Ledger 46), Drinkwater, Wellens (Dyer 22), Marshall, Beckford, Nugent
(Waghorn 65)
Subs: Howard, Vassell
West Ham United: Green, Reid, Tomkins, Demel (Faubert 76), Nolan, Collison
(Lansbury 88), Taylor, Noble, O'Neil, C Cole (D Collins 81), Vaz Te
Subs: Diop, Baldock
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Big Sam on: Leicester City
WHUFC.com
Big Sam faced the media ahead of Saturday's game with Leicester City. The
West Ham United manager answered questions on Winston Reid's fitness, the
difficulties that Leicester will pose and keeping players focused for the
last part of the season.
Good afternoon Sam, what have you been up to over the last fortnight?
SA: "We've been looking after the players mainly, they've had a bit of time
off to spend with family and friends. We were waiting on one or two players
to come back from international duty and thankfully they've all come back
fit and ready, Cheikhou was the last one to come back.
"Winston is back in full training, in the end he didn't go on the New
Zealand trip because he hasn't played for a while. It's been good for him
because he has been able to work on his fitness rather than do all that
travelling.
"I don't think Enner Valencia will make it for Saturday but he is back in
light training which is good. Apart from that we are all fit and ready for a
very difficult game away at Leicester."
How far away is Winston would you say?
SA: "He's OK now, he's in full training. He'll be available for selection,
he's had seven or so days of full training. He might be a bit short of match
sharpness but it's obviously great to have him back."
After beating Sunderland, do you think the international break came at a bad
time?
SA: "No, not really. We wouldn't have had Winston fit or Enner available so
now we're in a stronger position than we would have been if we had had a
game last weekend."
With eight games to go, are you still hoping for a European spot or looking
to consolidate a top ten spot?
SA: "Looking at the table, it's very tight between eighth and tenth. We have
a reasonable run in, some games are certainly more winnable than others. No
game is ever easy, Burnley beating Manchester City showed how difficult it
is.
"I thought Leicester did enough to get something from the Tottenham game, it
just hinged on a decision that went against them. For us, it's about getting
as many points as possible, hopefully we'll build on our win over Sunderland
last time out."
Leicester are bottom, but if you look at their results, they've haven't been
turned over by anybody, they've always been pretty close games, haven't
they?
SA: "Nigel must be pulling his hair out and thinking why haven't we got more
points that we do. On occasion, they've been good enough to win or score but
not quite managed to do so. At this level you get punished for that.
"It's a result business and they haven't gone as well as the performances
merit. At this stage of the season teams at the bottom can go on a good run,
last year it was Sunderland. We've got to make sure that doesn't happen
against us."
Leicester are eight games without a win, before the win over Sunderland you
were on a similar run, can you sympathise with Nigel Pearson?
SA: "Absolutely, our performances in that run we're some of the best we've
had this season. We know what to expect, Leicester will be up for it and I
think they've got great hope that they stay up. It's happened before, Alan
Curbishley did it here a few years ago. I did it at Bolton early on,
Sunderland did it last year, Roy Hodgson did it at Fulham. When you're
fighting for Premier league survival it can bring out the best in players."
Nigel Pearson has been under a lot of scrutiny this season, how do you think
he's handled that?
SA: "I think he's done OK. He's his own man with his own methods, he
believes in what he's doing. Like everyone under pressure he said one or two
things but that's normal, football managers are only human.
"In general he's done an unbelievable job as a manager, not just at
Leicester, but overall. They'll be disappointed about where they are but
they'll be happy with their performances."
How do you make sure that players remain focused for the last part of the
season?
SA: "It is a concern as a manager because you can't afford to switch off the
gas, no matter where you are in the table. We have to create as much revenue
as possible and it's about a £1 million more per place you finish so each
position does what a difference."
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Jarvis keen to build momentum
WHUFC.com
Matt Jarvis and his West Ham United teammates are desperate to build on
victory over Sunderland when they take on Leicester City on Saturday. The
Hammers ended an eight-game wait for victory with that success against the
Black Cats and, with a trip to bottom-of-the-table Leicester next on the
agenda, three points is the aim once again. Jarvis has had to be patient
this season with appearances limited, but having started the last two
fixtures, is keen to help out again. He said: "It was a massive win against
Sunderland. We needed to get some points on the board, particularly at home
with the fans behind us and hopefully it's the start of a good run. "The aim
is to get back to the sort of form we were showing at the start of the
season. Other than Man City, everyone else we're playing is below us, but
that will be tough too because those teams will be fighting. "It will be a
tough end to the season but one that we'll be looking to pick up a lot of
points from to push us right up the league again. "The manager was
disappointed with results up to the Sunderland game, not picking up as many
points as we should have done, but it was about staying positive, keep
trying to do the basics. We did that against Sunderland and picked up the
three points, now we need to carry that on. "Leicester will be looking to
have a fast start and get the crowd up. They need to go for it so we know it
will be an extremely tough game. "They work hard as a team and create a lot
of opportunities. They've shown their quality in parts of games but you get
punished in the Premier League and that's what's happened to them."
Jarvis is happy to have been given his chance in the starting XI, but knows
how intense competition for places is at the Boleyn Ground.
He added: "We've got a fantastic squad and we have been playing well this
season so it's nice to get back in and play the last two games. Hopefully it
continues. "The thing about having a great squad is that it gives the
manager a headache and it pushes everyone else. That's why I'm sure we're
doing well this season."
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On this day - 4 April
WHUFC.com
Anniversary
Name: Samassi Abou
Born: 4 April 1973, Gagnoa, Ivory Coast
Clubs: FC Martigues, Olympique Lyonnais, AS Cannes, West Ham United, Ipswich
Town (loan), Walsall (loan), Troyes (loan), Kilmarnock (loan), AC Ajaccio,
FC Lorient
Ivorian striker Samassi Abou is today celebrating his 42st birthday. He
spent three years as a Hammer between 1997 and 2000, although his
involvement with the first team was largely restricted to the first of those
campaigns. He netted six goals for the club in the 1997/98 season, including
two in the final day 4-3 Premier League victory over Leicester City at the
Boleyn Ground. Abou was loaned out to Ipswich the following campaign, then
Walsall, Troyes and Kilmarnock before returning to France - the country
where he spent the majority of his career. Prior to his spell with the
Hammers, Abou turned out for Martigues, Olympique Lyonnais and Cannes, then
his career closed with spells at Ajaccio and Lorient. In total, he played 31
games for West Ham, scoring six goals.
Classic match
Tottenham Hotspur 1-4 West Ham United
Premier League
4 April 1994
The Hammers gained sweet revenge for a 3-1 defeat suffered to Tottenham
Hotspur earlier in the 1993/94 season with a fine 4-1 victory in the return
fixture at White Hart Lane on this day 21 years ago.
Teddy Sheringham, who would go on to feature for the Hammers, notched from
the spot for the home side, but his strike was to count for little as West
Ham swept their hosts aside with a display of goalscoring power.
Trevor Morley scored twice, including a penalty of his own, while the other
goals came from Mike Marsh - who will be on the bench against Liverpool on
Sunday as the Reds' first-team coach - and substitute Steve Jones.
The thumping victory helped Harry Redknapp's side finish above Spurs in the
table, as the Hammers ended in 13th place with 52 points - two positions and
seven points clear of the north Londoners.
Complete record - 4 April
1925 West Ham United 1-1 Bolton Wanderers (Division One)
1931 Leicester City 1-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1936 West Ham United 0-0 Fulham (Division Two)
1947 Bury 4-0 West Ham United (Division Two)
1953 Swansea Town 4-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1958 West Ham United 3-1 Notts County (Division Two)
1959 West Ham United 3-2 Everton (Division One)
1964 West Ham United 2-4 Bolton Wanderers (Division One)
1967 West Ham United 0-2 Sheffield United (Division One)
1970 Arsenal 2-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1972 Stoke City 0-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1977 Queens Park Rangers 1-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1981 West Ham United 2-0 Bristol Rovers (Division Two)
1988 West Ham United 0-0 Everton (Division One)
1990 West Bromwich Albion 1-3 West Ham United (Division Two)
1992 Chelsea 2-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1994 Tottenham Hotspur 1-4 West Ham United (Premier League)
1998 Aston Villa 2-0 West Ham United (Premier League)
2009 West Ham United 2-0 Sunderland (Premier League)
2010 Everton 2-2 West Ham United (Premier League)
Played 20, Won 6, Drawn 6, Lost 7, Scored 27, Conceded 29
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Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
Hello everyone,
I'm just back from playing three friendlies with the Uruguay U20s and it was
a good experience. I was a bit nervous about meeting a completely new group
but everything went well and all the lads were great with me.
There were three games and we didn't get the results we wanted but at the
end of the day it was about trying some new players ahead of the U20 World
Cup in the summer.
Most of the boys knew each other because they'd been part of all the ages
growing up but for players like me and a few others it was new, so it was
good to bring the whole group together.
The World Cup is an aim for me. As soon as I heard that I could play in
these friendlies it became one, but it's early days, there's still a way to
go.
It was a tough decision to take to play for Uruguay over England. It was a
new group for me to join, whereas with England I knew a lot of the players,
growing up with them and playing against them.
England is England and I've grown up here as well, but lately, in the last
year or so, I've said to both of them that I'd rather stay away until I made
the decision, and now I've decided to play for Uruguay.
We're now preparing for Leicester and it's a good game for us. They
obviously need the points as well but we can go there and hurt them if we
play to what we're capable of.
With the international break, most players are back fit so it might push me
back a bit, but being part of the group and just travelling with the boys in
my first season here Is more than enough for me. I'm very happy.
I'm very calm. I knew it was going to be a lot harder as soon as I joined
West Ham last summer, and I'm calm about things. I've got to learn my trade,
learn from the players who play week-in, week-out and see what the league's
about.
Hopefully in the future I'll get my chance and then can stay in the team.
Diego
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Leicester v West Ham
KO 15:00
3 April 2015
Last updated at 13:09
By Alistair Mann
BBC Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: King Power Stadium Date: Saturday, 4 April
TEAM NEWS
Leicester will be without injured pair Matthew Upson and Dean Hammond, while
Jeff Schlupp will be assessed after playing for Ghana in midweek. Defender
Liam Moore has returned from a loan spell at Brentford. West Ham have
Winston Reid available after a month out with a hamstring injury but Enner
Valencia is unlikely to be rushed back after a toe problem. Forward Andy
Carroll and defenders James Tomkins and Doneil Henry are all still sidelined
by injury.
MATCH PREVIEW
Of all the great footballing escapes that have occurred in recent times,
Sunderland's last season ranks among the most impressive in Premier League
history.
Seven points adrift of safety with just six games left to play, the
suggestion by then-head coach Gus Poyet that "only a miracle" could save
them seemed a realistic assessment.
Twelve months later it's Leicester with the seven-point gap to make up,
ironically with Sunderland the club in their sights.
Lawro's prediction
"Leicester are on the brink and, realistically, it is hard to see them
staying up. Nigel Pearson's side have got 19 points from their first 29
games, and are seven points adrift of safety. I don't know exactly what they
will need from their last nine matches to survive but even if they get
another 19 - which is not going to happen - that still leaves them short of
the magic 40-point mark."
Predictions: Lawro v Phil 'The Power' Taylor
The Black Cats' turnaround is just the kind of example that Nigel Pearson
can quote while others are writing his side off - he could also point to the
fact that they currently have nine games to plot their unlikely route,
rather than just six.
In the hunt for further positives there's no side in the top division with
as many as six home games left, while their three remaining away matches are
against relegation rivals.
In truth, though, the current statistics don't make pleasant reading for
even the most optimistic Foxes fan. Bottom since November, just four wins
all season, they must now realistically find more victories in the remaining
quarter of the campaign than they've managed in the first three quarters of
it.
If they are to defy the odds, this weekend's fixture seems to offer an
opportunity to begin their ascent, with West Ham in almost as poor form. The
Hammers' tally of just six points from a possible 24 recently has left
European qualification well out of reach. They were just four points off the
Champions League places prior to it.
While making predictions at this stage of the campaign can be foolhardy, if
Leicester succumb to their 19th league defeat on Saturday even a miracle may
not be sufficient to prevent their immediate return to the Championship.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
West Ham are unbeaten in their last seven matches against Leicester, winning
the last three.
The Foxes' most recent win over West Ham was a 2-1 Premier League triumph in
December 2000.
Leicester
Leicester have the Premier League's worst home record, having taken 11
points from 13 games (W2, D5, L6).
The Foxes are without a home goal in five hours and 15 minutes since Paul
Konchesky's 45th-minute winner against Aston Villa on 10 January.
Nigel Pearson's side have kept only one clean sheet in eight league games
and conceded 15 goals in the process.
Only 30 goals have been scored at the King Power Stadium this season - the
equal fewest, along with Villa Park.
Three of Leicester's four league wins have been by 1-0.
Leonardo Ulloa scored five goals in his first five Premier League
appearances but has since managed only two in 23 appearances.
West Ham
The Hammers have won only twice in their last 13 league games (D5, L6).
They are without an away league victory in seven attempts since beating West
Brom on 2 December (D4, L3),
Sam Allardyce's side have kept only one away clean sheet, the equal-fewest
in the league.
No side has scored more goals in the 15 minutes after half-time than West
Ham, who have scored 11 times.
The Hammers have scored a league-high 15 headed goals, while Diafra Sakho
owns the individual highest tally with five.
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Sam Allardyce wants West Ham to achieve best ever Premier League finish
Last Updated: 03/04/15 3:05pm
SSN
Manager Sam Allardyce insists everyone at West Ham is determined to ensure
the club finishes this season with a flourish. West Ham are ninth in the
Premier League and recorded their first win since January with a 1-0 victory
over Sunderland in their last match before the international break. The
Hammers, who looked in contention to qualify for Europe earlier this season,
travel to bottom club Leicester on Saturday and Allardyce is confident his
players are not in holiday-mode just yet. "It's sometimes a little bit of a
concern for any manager, but the reality is at this level, you cannot switch
off the gas," he said. "You have to be spot on no matter where you are in
the table. There is always emphasis on the size of the financial pot for the
football club. "If we want to get better we have to create more revenue -
and one of the ways is by finishing as high as possible. It's nearly a £1m a
place. That's not in the players mind but in terms of the club's. "For the
players it is a case of finishing the season with the best season we have
had since getting back into Premier League. That is the ultimate goal.
"Having finished better than 10th, finishing with more points, is very
important to us in last few games."
New Zealand centre-back Winston Reid is set to return for West Ham after
missing the last two games with a hamstring injury. James Collins is likely
to partner Reid at the heart of West Ham's defence and the Wales
international has his sights set on a record 8th-place Premier League finish
for The Hammers. "You can't take your foot off the pedal, we want to win
every game left, that's enough of an incentive," he told the club's official
website. "Realistically, eighth is the best we can do looking at the table
and that would be a fantastic achievement. We've got three home games left
and we are certainly looking to win them. Since we've been promoted, tenth
is the best we've done so to better that would be great."
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Leicester v West Ham preview: Time running out for Foxes survival bid
Last Updated: 04/04/15 7:16am
SSN
Leicester host West Ham in the Premier League sitting bottom of the table
with just nine games remaining. Nigel Pearson's side are seven points from
safety with a game in hand over their opponents, but are without a win since
January 10, losing six of their last eight games.
West Ham ended a seven-match winless streak in the league by beating
Sunderland 1-0 before the international break, but look consigned to
mid-table, sitting 11 points off seventh place but six points clear of the
bottom half. Sam Allardyce's Hammers won the return game earlier in the
season 2-0, thanks to goals from Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing.
Team news
Leicester welcome Liam Moore back to their squad after recalling the England
U21 defender from his loan spell at Brentford, but Dean Hammond (calf) and
Zoumana Bakayogo (knee) are still out.
West Ham have Winston Reid (hamstring) back, although Enner Valencia is not
fit to play as he is still recovering from a toe injury.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce says Leicester will be tough opposition to
play against as they look to avoid relegation
Opta facts
Leicester have won just one of their last 10 Premier League home matches (W1
D3 L6).
West Ham United are unbeaten in their last seven league games against
Leicester City (W4 D3 L0).
Allardyce's team have won none of their last seven Barclays Premier League
away matches (W0 D4 L3).
After scoring five goals in his first five Premier League appearances for
Leicester City, Leonardo Ulloa has scored only two in his 23 apps since.
Leicester manager Nigel Pearson believes home form will be key to their
survival
Diafra Sakho has scored a league-high five headed goals this season, while
only Graziano Pelle (25) has attempted more headed shots than the Hammer
(23).
Merson's prediction
This is Leicester's cup final. They just have to win. If they don't I think
that will be it and they will be relegated.
With six out of their last nine games at home Pearson's side definitely have
a chance of survival but they must beat West Ham. A draw is just not good.
But, backed by their home support, I think they can get the result they need
and I'm backing them for a 2-1 win against a West Ham side who have just one
win from their last eight in the league.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1 (8/1 with SkyBet)
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Hammers get a Foxes warning
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 3, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson has warned West Ham the Foxes "must make
their move now" if they are to esacape relegation from the Premier League.
The Irons arrive at the King Power Stadium tomorrow as City start bid to
breach a seven-point gap within nine games.
Pearson said: "We have got to win games. Drawing games is not good enough
now. It will be really important for us to remain positive."
Victory could see the hosts move off the bottom of the Premier League for
the first time since November and Pearson said: "I think it would be a big
lift. But we need to keep our focus on what we are doing and not get
involved in the tug of war that people like to ramp up at this stage of the
season. "We are coming up against a West Ham side that is very underrated.
Sam (Allardyce) has done a very good job there, I know him well, and I've
worked with him." "It is always striking the balance between being positive
in a game, and not setting yourself up to be caught out. "We can talk about
staying in touch, but we have got to make a move. We have got to keep our
focus on the fact we cannot affect other results. "It remains a huge
challenge for us, but it is one that I know the players are looking forward
t
"Is the pressure off us? Maybe a little bit. I think the teams we are up
against have a healthy respect for us. I don't think other teams expect an
easy game just because of our league position. There is plenty of fight left
in us."
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Leroy: Lots of brave talk but season looks over
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 3, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Let's be 100 per cent up front about it – the Hammers bubbles have been
bursting at a rate of knots and I can't fancy them to beat Leicester City
tomorrow. The season looks all over to me. Of course there will be a lot of
brave talk about finishing with a flourish but once you have hit the sort of
run we have been on, that's what it usually is …TALK! Despite their results
– and they were well unlucky to get beat by Spurs 4-3 – City have been
playing some great stuff. We haven't. And with no Enner Valencia available
it's all gonna be on Diafra Sakho's shoulders again which will be a real
test for the lad – good as he is. City – as Rob Savage said here yesterday –
have nothing to lose and I expect Nigel Pearson to go two- up as the Foxes
go in search of a win and a miracle. As for us, we are playing for pride now
and those players who are close to Sam Allardyce may be concerned for their
futures. I said in a previous piece on the site that players don't care who
the manager is so long as they are playing but those Sam likes may not be if
he's not around next term and that will be preying on their minds. Hugh said
yesterday he'd like to see Nene get a run-out. So would I because whenever
he's appeared he's shown flair and ingenuity. I'm not sure he'll get on of
course but he should – good player. It's all been very disappointing after
such a start to the season and the team have a long way to come to retain
that level of performance. For me tomorrow it looks like 1-1 AT BEST!
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Allardyce: Threatened teams can go on a run!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 3, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sam Allardyce has warned Hammers fans that whilst the Irons have a
reasonable run-in, Burnley's recent win over Manchester City showed how
difficult life can be. And of our game against Leicester City tomorrow he
said: "It's a result business and they (Leicester) haven't gone as well as
the performances merit. "At this stage of the season teams at the bottom can
go on a good run, last year it was Sunderland. We've got to make sure that
doesn't happen against us." "Looking at the table, it's very tight between
eighth and tenth. We have a reasonable run in, some games are certainly more
winnable than others. No game is ever easy. "Leicester will be up for it and
I think they've got great hope that they stay up. It's happened before, Alan
Curbishley did it here a few years ago. I did it at Bolton early on,
Sunderland did it last year, Roy Hodgson did it at Fulham. When you're
fighting for Premier league survival it can bring out the best in players."
"I thought Leicester did enough to get something from the Tottenham game, it
just hinged on a decision that went against them. For us, it's about getting
as many points as possible, hopefully we'll build on our win over Sunderland
last time out."
And commenting on how to keep the team focused given there's not too much
tpo play for at top or bottom of the table Allardyce said: "It is a concern
as a manager because you can't afford to switch off the gas, no matter where
you are in the table. We have to create as much revenue as possible and it's
about a £1 million more per place you finish so each position does what a
difference."
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Bring the swagger back …and no excuses
Posted by bubbles fanzine on April 3, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
By Richard Oses
Founder of Bubbles Fanzine Richard tells the Irons to finish with a flourish
as the finishing line comes into sight. Find Bubbles Fanzine
@https://www.facebook.com/bubblesfanzine?
The difficult run is over!
We have all accepted that West Ham were not good enough to pick up a string
of wins against the league's elite. Some would even say we did quite well to
draw against the likes of Man Utd and Spurs.
Whichever way anyone look at it we didn't win enough games, end of story.
So now the Hammers face an easier run of games but Sam Allardyce has already
put the stoppers on high expectations by stating that Leicester are too good
to be relegated and are simply unlucky.
Considering the majority of our remaining fixtures are versus teams fighting
for survival or for honour (Man City away) it leaves us as the only team
with nothing left to play for.
Where exactly does that leave us then? Are the other teams we face set to
put us to the sword because they need the points more?
Do we hold our hands up to the fact that by starting the season in such
spectacular fashion set us up nicely for a top ten finish therefore we can
all look ahead to next season with nothing to fear?
Absolutly not! Not in my books and I trust most certainly not in yours. That
early mentality; whoever we play, whatever the outcome we shall fight till
the bitter end for those three points or die trying needs to come back!
That swagger and confidence displayed by the Hammers is the stuff champions
are made off.
No, I do not think we should have been in the top four, but at the same
time, I think every game is a potentially winnable game if the attitude is
right.
This last month and a half of the Premier League that is left to play should
highlight and showcase how good this side really is and how no matter who we
play or why THEY need the points, we are not here to make up the numbers, we
are here to win!
No more half hearted attempts riddled with excuses please.
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WHUFC.com
In brief
West Ham United travel to Leicester City on Saturday to face a team who find
themselves at the wrong end of the table. Having beaten Sunderland 1-0 in
their last game before the international break, the Hammers will be looking
to keep the momentum going by picking up three valuable points.
Sam Allardyce's men are currently ninth in the Barclays Premier League and
are on course for the highest points total since they were promoted back to
top flight status in 2012.
Nigel Pearson's Leicester have struggled to pick up points this season
despite some impressive performances. Currently propping up the league with
19 points from 29 games, they nonetheless showed great fight against
Tottenham Hotspur in their recent 4-3 defeat and were unlucky to come away
from White Hart Lane empty handed.
Earlier in the season, West Ham recorded a 2-0 win over Leicester at the
Boleyn Ground courtesy of goals from Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing.
Who are they?
Created in 1884, originally known as Leicester Fosse, they won their first
ever game 5-0 against Syston Fosse on 1 November 1884. In 1890 they competed
in the FA Cup for the first time, losing 4-0 to Burton Wanderers. Fosse
joined the Football League in 1894.
The Foxes won their one and only league title way back in the 1928/29
season, however they have had more success in the FA Cup winning it four
times – 1949, 1961, 1963 and 1969.
More recently, the Foxes' silverware has come in the League Cup, winning
that competition in 1997 and 2000 as well as being runners up in 1999.
Having being relegated from the Premier League in the 2003/04 season they
are back in the top flight after a decade away.
Team news
West Ham United
The Hammers are boosted by the return of defensive rock Winston Reid. The
New Zealand international could go straight into the starting XI having been
out of action for a month following an injury picked up against Chelsea.
Enner Valencia's laceration in his big toe has healed and he started to
train in his boots again on an individual basis on Monday. Valencia is
unlikely to feature on Saturday but he could be back for next weekend's tie
with Stoke City.
James Tomkins and Doneil Henry are continuing with their rehabilitation from
shoulder and hamstring surgery.
Leicester City
Leicester's chances of survival are boosted by a relatively clean bill of
health. The only absentees for Pearson's side are former hammer Matthew
Upson and Dean Hammond. Both are suffering calf injuries.
Referee
Saturday's match referee is Mark Clattenburg. The Durham based official made
his Premier League debut in 2004. Eleven years on, the FIFA accredited
referee has taken charge of 232 games, dishing out 767 yellow and 38 red
cards.
This season Clattenburg has refereed three West Ham games – the 3-1 victory
away at Crystal Palace, the 2-1 defeat by Everton and the 1-1 draw with
Manchester United.
In addition, the 40-year-old has taken just the one Leicester game – their
famous 5-3 win over Manchester United.
One to Watch
West Ham United
James Collins
The central defender is likely to continue to hold the fort in defence as
Big Sam has to decide whether to stick with Cheikhou Kouyate or welcome back
Winston Reid.
The 31-year-old centre back has been in great form this season, particularly
in recent games. Having played in Wales' 3-0 win over Israel he will looking
to continue his collection of successive clean sheets, having played a key
role in the 1-0 over Sunderland.
Leicester City
Jamie Vardy
The 28-year-old striker may have only scored twice this season however his
blistering pace and impressive work rate could prove to be a handful on
Saturday afternoon.
Vardy played a key role in getting the Foxes promoted last season, scoring
16 goals in 41 appearances.
The striker has had an intriguing career path, only turning professional in
2011 when playing for Fleetwood Town. Four years later he's playing in the
Premier League. Having scored against Tottenham last time out he'll want to
get on the scoresheet again.
Tickets
Tickets for Saturday's game have all SOLD OUT.
Travel
For all travel information on getting to the King Power Stadium click here.
For fans travelling by public transport, there is a good train service from
London St Pancras International, with journey times of little over an hour
both ways. Click here for the National Rail website to book trains.
Weather
A cloudy day with sunny intervals is expected on Saturday, with temperatures
of 9C (48F) at kick-off.
Last away meeting
Leicester City 1-2 West Ham United
Championship
Saturday 23 April 2012
Leicester City: Schmeichel, Peltier, Konchesky, Bamba, Morgan, King (St
Ledger 46), Drinkwater, Wellens (Dyer 22), Marshall, Beckford, Nugent
(Waghorn 65)
Subs: Howard, Vassell
West Ham United: Green, Reid, Tomkins, Demel (Faubert 76), Nolan, Collison
(Lansbury 88), Taylor, Noble, O'Neil, C Cole (D Collins 81), Vaz Te
Subs: Diop, Baldock
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Big Sam on: Leicester City
WHUFC.com
Big Sam faced the media ahead of Saturday's game with Leicester City. The
West Ham United manager answered questions on Winston Reid's fitness, the
difficulties that Leicester will pose and keeping players focused for the
last part of the season.
Good afternoon Sam, what have you been up to over the last fortnight?
SA: "We've been looking after the players mainly, they've had a bit of time
off to spend with family and friends. We were waiting on one or two players
to come back from international duty and thankfully they've all come back
fit and ready, Cheikhou was the last one to come back.
"Winston is back in full training, in the end he didn't go on the New
Zealand trip because he hasn't played for a while. It's been good for him
because he has been able to work on his fitness rather than do all that
travelling.
"I don't think Enner Valencia will make it for Saturday but he is back in
light training which is good. Apart from that we are all fit and ready for a
very difficult game away at Leicester."
How far away is Winston would you say?
SA: "He's OK now, he's in full training. He'll be available for selection,
he's had seven or so days of full training. He might be a bit short of match
sharpness but it's obviously great to have him back."
After beating Sunderland, do you think the international break came at a bad
time?
SA: "No, not really. We wouldn't have had Winston fit or Enner available so
now we're in a stronger position than we would have been if we had had a
game last weekend."
With eight games to go, are you still hoping for a European spot or looking
to consolidate a top ten spot?
SA: "Looking at the table, it's very tight between eighth and tenth. We have
a reasonable run in, some games are certainly more winnable than others. No
game is ever easy, Burnley beating Manchester City showed how difficult it
is.
"I thought Leicester did enough to get something from the Tottenham game, it
just hinged on a decision that went against them. For us, it's about getting
as many points as possible, hopefully we'll build on our win over Sunderland
last time out."
Leicester are bottom, but if you look at their results, they've haven't been
turned over by anybody, they've always been pretty close games, haven't
they?
SA: "Nigel must be pulling his hair out and thinking why haven't we got more
points that we do. On occasion, they've been good enough to win or score but
not quite managed to do so. At this level you get punished for that.
"It's a result business and they haven't gone as well as the performances
merit. At this stage of the season teams at the bottom can go on a good run,
last year it was Sunderland. We've got to make sure that doesn't happen
against us."
Leicester are eight games without a win, before the win over Sunderland you
were on a similar run, can you sympathise with Nigel Pearson?
SA: "Absolutely, our performances in that run we're some of the best we've
had this season. We know what to expect, Leicester will be up for it and I
think they've got great hope that they stay up. It's happened before, Alan
Curbishley did it here a few years ago. I did it at Bolton early on,
Sunderland did it last year, Roy Hodgson did it at Fulham. When you're
fighting for Premier league survival it can bring out the best in players."
Nigel Pearson has been under a lot of scrutiny this season, how do you think
he's handled that?
SA: "I think he's done OK. He's his own man with his own methods, he
believes in what he's doing. Like everyone under pressure he said one or two
things but that's normal, football managers are only human.
"In general he's done an unbelievable job as a manager, not just at
Leicester, but overall. They'll be disappointed about where they are but
they'll be happy with their performances."
How do you make sure that players remain focused for the last part of the
season?
SA: "It is a concern as a manager because you can't afford to switch off the
gas, no matter where you are in the table. We have to create as much revenue
as possible and it's about a £1 million more per place you finish so each
position does what a difference."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jarvis keen to build momentum
WHUFC.com
Matt Jarvis and his West Ham United teammates are desperate to build on
victory over Sunderland when they take on Leicester City on Saturday. The
Hammers ended an eight-game wait for victory with that success against the
Black Cats and, with a trip to bottom-of-the-table Leicester next on the
agenda, three points is the aim once again. Jarvis has had to be patient
this season with appearances limited, but having started the last two
fixtures, is keen to help out again. He said: "It was a massive win against
Sunderland. We needed to get some points on the board, particularly at home
with the fans behind us and hopefully it's the start of a good run. "The aim
is to get back to the sort of form we were showing at the start of the
season. Other than Man City, everyone else we're playing is below us, but
that will be tough too because those teams will be fighting. "It will be a
tough end to the season but one that we'll be looking to pick up a lot of
points from to push us right up the league again. "The manager was
disappointed with results up to the Sunderland game, not picking up as many
points as we should have done, but it was about staying positive, keep
trying to do the basics. We did that against Sunderland and picked up the
three points, now we need to carry that on. "Leicester will be looking to
have a fast start and get the crowd up. They need to go for it so we know it
will be an extremely tough game. "They work hard as a team and create a lot
of opportunities. They've shown their quality in parts of games but you get
punished in the Premier League and that's what's happened to them."
Jarvis is happy to have been given his chance in the starting XI, but knows
how intense competition for places is at the Boleyn Ground.
He added: "We've got a fantastic squad and we have been playing well this
season so it's nice to get back in and play the last two games. Hopefully it
continues. "The thing about having a great squad is that it gives the
manager a headache and it pushes everyone else. That's why I'm sure we're
doing well this season."
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On this day - 4 April
WHUFC.com
Anniversary
Name: Samassi Abou
Born: 4 April 1973, Gagnoa, Ivory Coast
Clubs: FC Martigues, Olympique Lyonnais, AS Cannes, West Ham United, Ipswich
Town (loan), Walsall (loan), Troyes (loan), Kilmarnock (loan), AC Ajaccio,
FC Lorient
Ivorian striker Samassi Abou is today celebrating his 42st birthday. He
spent three years as a Hammer between 1997 and 2000, although his
involvement with the first team was largely restricted to the first of those
campaigns. He netted six goals for the club in the 1997/98 season, including
two in the final day 4-3 Premier League victory over Leicester City at the
Boleyn Ground. Abou was loaned out to Ipswich the following campaign, then
Walsall, Troyes and Kilmarnock before returning to France - the country
where he spent the majority of his career. Prior to his spell with the
Hammers, Abou turned out for Martigues, Olympique Lyonnais and Cannes, then
his career closed with spells at Ajaccio and Lorient. In total, he played 31
games for West Ham, scoring six goals.
Classic match
Tottenham Hotspur 1-4 West Ham United
Premier League
4 April 1994
The Hammers gained sweet revenge for a 3-1 defeat suffered to Tottenham
Hotspur earlier in the 1993/94 season with a fine 4-1 victory in the return
fixture at White Hart Lane on this day 21 years ago.
Teddy Sheringham, who would go on to feature for the Hammers, notched from
the spot for the home side, but his strike was to count for little as West
Ham swept their hosts aside with a display of goalscoring power.
Trevor Morley scored twice, including a penalty of his own, while the other
goals came from Mike Marsh - who will be on the bench against Liverpool on
Sunday as the Reds' first-team coach - and substitute Steve Jones.
The thumping victory helped Harry Redknapp's side finish above Spurs in the
table, as the Hammers ended in 13th place with 52 points - two positions and
seven points clear of the north Londoners.
Complete record - 4 April
1925 West Ham United 1-1 Bolton Wanderers (Division One)
1931 Leicester City 1-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1936 West Ham United 0-0 Fulham (Division Two)
1947 Bury 4-0 West Ham United (Division Two)
1953 Swansea Town 4-1 West Ham United (Division Two)
1958 West Ham United 3-1 Notts County (Division Two)
1959 West Ham United 3-2 Everton (Division One)
1964 West Ham United 2-4 Bolton Wanderers (Division One)
1967 West Ham United 0-2 Sheffield United (Division One)
1970 Arsenal 2-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1972 Stoke City 0-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1977 Queens Park Rangers 1-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1981 West Ham United 2-0 Bristol Rovers (Division Two)
1988 West Ham United 0-0 Everton (Division One)
1990 West Bromwich Albion 1-3 West Ham United (Division Two)
1992 Chelsea 2-1 West Ham United (Division One)
1994 Tottenham Hotspur 1-4 West Ham United (Premier League)
1998 Aston Villa 2-0 West Ham United (Premier League)
2009 West Ham United 2-0 Sunderland (Premier League)
2010 Everton 2-2 West Ham United (Premier League)
Played 20, Won 6, Drawn 6, Lost 7, Scored 27, Conceded 29
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Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
Hello everyone,
I'm just back from playing three friendlies with the Uruguay U20s and it was
a good experience. I was a bit nervous about meeting a completely new group
but everything went well and all the lads were great with me.
There were three games and we didn't get the results we wanted but at the
end of the day it was about trying some new players ahead of the U20 World
Cup in the summer.
Most of the boys knew each other because they'd been part of all the ages
growing up but for players like me and a few others it was new, so it was
good to bring the whole group together.
The World Cup is an aim for me. As soon as I heard that I could play in
these friendlies it became one, but it's early days, there's still a way to
go.
It was a tough decision to take to play for Uruguay over England. It was a
new group for me to join, whereas with England I knew a lot of the players,
growing up with them and playing against them.
England is England and I've grown up here as well, but lately, in the last
year or so, I've said to both of them that I'd rather stay away until I made
the decision, and now I've decided to play for Uruguay.
We're now preparing for Leicester and it's a good game for us. They
obviously need the points as well but we can go there and hurt them if we
play to what we're capable of.
With the international break, most players are back fit so it might push me
back a bit, but being part of the group and just travelling with the boys in
my first season here Is more than enough for me. I'm very happy.
I'm very calm. I knew it was going to be a lot harder as soon as I joined
West Ham last summer, and I'm calm about things. I've got to learn my trade,
learn from the players who play week-in, week-out and see what the league's
about.
Hopefully in the future I'll get my chance and then can stay in the team.
Diego
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Leicester v West Ham
KO 15:00
3 April 2015
Last updated at 13:09
By Alistair Mann
BBC Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: King Power Stadium Date: Saturday, 4 April
TEAM NEWS
Leicester will be without injured pair Matthew Upson and Dean Hammond, while
Jeff Schlupp will be assessed after playing for Ghana in midweek. Defender
Liam Moore has returned from a loan spell at Brentford. West Ham have
Winston Reid available after a month out with a hamstring injury but Enner
Valencia is unlikely to be rushed back after a toe problem. Forward Andy
Carroll and defenders James Tomkins and Doneil Henry are all still sidelined
by injury.
MATCH PREVIEW
Of all the great footballing escapes that have occurred in recent times,
Sunderland's last season ranks among the most impressive in Premier League
history.
Seven points adrift of safety with just six games left to play, the
suggestion by then-head coach Gus Poyet that "only a miracle" could save
them seemed a realistic assessment.
Twelve months later it's Leicester with the seven-point gap to make up,
ironically with Sunderland the club in their sights.
Lawro's prediction
"Leicester are on the brink and, realistically, it is hard to see them
staying up. Nigel Pearson's side have got 19 points from their first 29
games, and are seven points adrift of safety. I don't know exactly what they
will need from their last nine matches to survive but even if they get
another 19 - which is not going to happen - that still leaves them short of
the magic 40-point mark."
Predictions: Lawro v Phil 'The Power' Taylor
The Black Cats' turnaround is just the kind of example that Nigel Pearson
can quote while others are writing his side off - he could also point to the
fact that they currently have nine games to plot their unlikely route,
rather than just six.
In the hunt for further positives there's no side in the top division with
as many as six home games left, while their three remaining away matches are
against relegation rivals.
In truth, though, the current statistics don't make pleasant reading for
even the most optimistic Foxes fan. Bottom since November, just four wins
all season, they must now realistically find more victories in the remaining
quarter of the campaign than they've managed in the first three quarters of
it.
If they are to defy the odds, this weekend's fixture seems to offer an
opportunity to begin their ascent, with West Ham in almost as poor form. The
Hammers' tally of just six points from a possible 24 recently has left
European qualification well out of reach. They were just four points off the
Champions League places prior to it.
While making predictions at this stage of the campaign can be foolhardy, if
Leicester succumb to their 19th league defeat on Saturday even a miracle may
not be sufficient to prevent their immediate return to the Championship.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
West Ham are unbeaten in their last seven matches against Leicester, winning
the last three.
The Foxes' most recent win over West Ham was a 2-1 Premier League triumph in
December 2000.
Leicester
Leicester have the Premier League's worst home record, having taken 11
points from 13 games (W2, D5, L6).
The Foxes are without a home goal in five hours and 15 minutes since Paul
Konchesky's 45th-minute winner against Aston Villa on 10 January.
Nigel Pearson's side have kept only one clean sheet in eight league games
and conceded 15 goals in the process.
Only 30 goals have been scored at the King Power Stadium this season - the
equal fewest, along with Villa Park.
Three of Leicester's four league wins have been by 1-0.
Leonardo Ulloa scored five goals in his first five Premier League
appearances but has since managed only two in 23 appearances.
West Ham
The Hammers have won only twice in their last 13 league games (D5, L6).
They are without an away league victory in seven attempts since beating West
Brom on 2 December (D4, L3),
Sam Allardyce's side have kept only one away clean sheet, the equal-fewest
in the league.
No side has scored more goals in the 15 minutes after half-time than West
Ham, who have scored 11 times.
The Hammers have scored a league-high 15 headed goals, while Diafra Sakho
owns the individual highest tally with five.
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Sam Allardyce wants West Ham to achieve best ever Premier League finish
Last Updated: 03/04/15 3:05pm
SSN
Manager Sam Allardyce insists everyone at West Ham is determined to ensure
the club finishes this season with a flourish. West Ham are ninth in the
Premier League and recorded their first win since January with a 1-0 victory
over Sunderland in their last match before the international break. The
Hammers, who looked in contention to qualify for Europe earlier this season,
travel to bottom club Leicester on Saturday and Allardyce is confident his
players are not in holiday-mode just yet. "It's sometimes a little bit of a
concern for any manager, but the reality is at this level, you cannot switch
off the gas," he said. "You have to be spot on no matter where you are in
the table. There is always emphasis on the size of the financial pot for the
football club. "If we want to get better we have to create more revenue -
and one of the ways is by finishing as high as possible. It's nearly a £1m a
place. That's not in the players mind but in terms of the club's. "For the
players it is a case of finishing the season with the best season we have
had since getting back into Premier League. That is the ultimate goal.
"Having finished better than 10th, finishing with more points, is very
important to us in last few games."
New Zealand centre-back Winston Reid is set to return for West Ham after
missing the last two games with a hamstring injury. James Collins is likely
to partner Reid at the heart of West Ham's defence and the Wales
international has his sights set on a record 8th-place Premier League finish
for The Hammers. "You can't take your foot off the pedal, we want to win
every game left, that's enough of an incentive," he told the club's official
website. "Realistically, eighth is the best we can do looking at the table
and that would be a fantastic achievement. We've got three home games left
and we are certainly looking to win them. Since we've been promoted, tenth
is the best we've done so to better that would be great."
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Leicester v West Ham preview: Time running out for Foxes survival bid
Last Updated: 04/04/15 7:16am
SSN
Leicester host West Ham in the Premier League sitting bottom of the table
with just nine games remaining. Nigel Pearson's side are seven points from
safety with a game in hand over their opponents, but are without a win since
January 10, losing six of their last eight games.
West Ham ended a seven-match winless streak in the league by beating
Sunderland 1-0 before the international break, but look consigned to
mid-table, sitting 11 points off seventh place but six points clear of the
bottom half. Sam Allardyce's Hammers won the return game earlier in the
season 2-0, thanks to goals from Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing.
Team news
Leicester welcome Liam Moore back to their squad after recalling the England
U21 defender from his loan spell at Brentford, but Dean Hammond (calf) and
Zoumana Bakayogo (knee) are still out.
West Ham have Winston Reid (hamstring) back, although Enner Valencia is not
fit to play as he is still recovering from a toe injury.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce says Leicester will be tough opposition to
play against as they look to avoid relegation
Opta facts
Leicester have won just one of their last 10 Premier League home matches (W1
D3 L6).
West Ham United are unbeaten in their last seven league games against
Leicester City (W4 D3 L0).
Allardyce's team have won none of their last seven Barclays Premier League
away matches (W0 D4 L3).
After scoring five goals in his first five Premier League appearances for
Leicester City, Leonardo Ulloa has scored only two in his 23 apps since.
Leicester manager Nigel Pearson believes home form will be key to their
survival
Diafra Sakho has scored a league-high five headed goals this season, while
only Graziano Pelle (25) has attempted more headed shots than the Hammer
(23).
Merson's prediction
This is Leicester's cup final. They just have to win. If they don't I think
that will be it and they will be relegated.
With six out of their last nine games at home Pearson's side definitely have
a chance of survival but they must beat West Ham. A draw is just not good.
But, backed by their home support, I think they can get the result they need
and I'm backing them for a 2-1 win against a West Ham side who have just one
win from their last eight in the league.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1 (8/1 with SkyBet)
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Hammers get a Foxes warning
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 3, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson has warned West Ham the Foxes "must make
their move now" if they are to esacape relegation from the Premier League.
The Irons arrive at the King Power Stadium tomorrow as City start bid to
breach a seven-point gap within nine games.
Pearson said: "We have got to win games. Drawing games is not good enough
now. It will be really important for us to remain positive."
Victory could see the hosts move off the bottom of the Premier League for
the first time since November and Pearson said: "I think it would be a big
lift. But we need to keep our focus on what we are doing and not get
involved in the tug of war that people like to ramp up at this stage of the
season. "We are coming up against a West Ham side that is very underrated.
Sam (Allardyce) has done a very good job there, I know him well, and I've
worked with him." "It is always striking the balance between being positive
in a game, and not setting yourself up to be caught out. "We can talk about
staying in touch, but we have got to make a move. We have got to keep our
focus on the fact we cannot affect other results. "It remains a huge
challenge for us, but it is one that I know the players are looking forward
t
"Is the pressure off us? Maybe a little bit. I think the teams we are up
against have a healthy respect for us. I don't think other teams expect an
easy game just because of our league position. There is plenty of fight left
in us."
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Leroy: Lots of brave talk but season looks over
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 3, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Let's be 100 per cent up front about it – the Hammers bubbles have been
bursting at a rate of knots and I can't fancy them to beat Leicester City
tomorrow. The season looks all over to me. Of course there will be a lot of
brave talk about finishing with a flourish but once you have hit the sort of
run we have been on, that's what it usually is …TALK! Despite their results
– and they were well unlucky to get beat by Spurs 4-3 – City have been
playing some great stuff. We haven't. And with no Enner Valencia available
it's all gonna be on Diafra Sakho's shoulders again which will be a real
test for the lad – good as he is. City – as Rob Savage said here yesterday –
have nothing to lose and I expect Nigel Pearson to go two- up as the Foxes
go in search of a win and a miracle. As for us, we are playing for pride now
and those players who are close to Sam Allardyce may be concerned for their
futures. I said in a previous piece on the site that players don't care who
the manager is so long as they are playing but those Sam likes may not be if
he's not around next term and that will be preying on their minds. Hugh said
yesterday he'd like to see Nene get a run-out. So would I because whenever
he's appeared he's shown flair and ingenuity. I'm not sure he'll get on of
course but he should – good player. It's all been very disappointing after
such a start to the season and the team have a long way to come to retain
that level of performance. For me tomorrow it looks like 1-1 AT BEST!
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Allardyce: Threatened teams can go on a run!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on April 3, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sam Allardyce has warned Hammers fans that whilst the Irons have a
reasonable run-in, Burnley's recent win over Manchester City showed how
difficult life can be. And of our game against Leicester City tomorrow he
said: "It's a result business and they (Leicester) haven't gone as well as
the performances merit. "At this stage of the season teams at the bottom can
go on a good run, last year it was Sunderland. We've got to make sure that
doesn't happen against us." "Looking at the table, it's very tight between
eighth and tenth. We have a reasonable run in, some games are certainly more
winnable than others. No game is ever easy. "Leicester will be up for it and
I think they've got great hope that they stay up. It's happened before, Alan
Curbishley did it here a few years ago. I did it at Bolton early on,
Sunderland did it last year, Roy Hodgson did it at Fulham. When you're
fighting for Premier league survival it can bring out the best in players."
"I thought Leicester did enough to get something from the Tottenham game, it
just hinged on a decision that went against them. For us, it's about getting
as many points as possible, hopefully we'll build on our win over Sunderland
last time out."
And commenting on how to keep the team focused given there's not too much
tpo play for at top or bottom of the table Allardyce said: "It is a concern
as a manager because you can't afford to switch off the gas, no matter where
you are in the table. We have to create as much revenue as possible and it's
about a £1 million more per place you finish so each position does what a
difference."
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Bring the swagger back …and no excuses
Posted by bubbles fanzine on April 3, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
By Richard Oses
Founder of Bubbles Fanzine Richard tells the Irons to finish with a flourish
as the finishing line comes into sight. Find Bubbles Fanzine
@https://www.facebook.com/bubblesfanzine?
The difficult run is over!
We have all accepted that West Ham were not good enough to pick up a string
of wins against the league's elite. Some would even say we did quite well to
draw against the likes of Man Utd and Spurs.
Whichever way anyone look at it we didn't win enough games, end of story.
So now the Hammers face an easier run of games but Sam Allardyce has already
put the stoppers on high expectations by stating that Leicester are too good
to be relegated and are simply unlucky.
Considering the majority of our remaining fixtures are versus teams fighting
for survival or for honour (Man City away) it leaves us as the only team
with nothing left to play for.
Where exactly does that leave us then? Are the other teams we face set to
put us to the sword because they need the points more?
Do we hold our hands up to the fact that by starting the season in such
spectacular fashion set us up nicely for a top ten finish therefore we can
all look ahead to next season with nothing to fear?
Absolutly not! Not in my books and I trust most certainly not in yours. That
early mentality; whoever we play, whatever the outcome we shall fight till
the bitter end for those three points or die trying needs to come back!
That swagger and confidence displayed by the Hammers is the stuff champions
are made off.
No, I do not think we should have been in the top four, but at the same
time, I think every game is a potentially winnable game if the attitude is
right.
This last month and a half of the Premier League that is left to play should
highlight and showcase how good this side really is and how no matter who we
play or why THEY need the points, we are not here to make up the numbers, we
are here to win!
No more half hearted attempts riddled with excuses please.
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