WHUFC.com
The FA Premier Academy League season begins with the visit of Sheffield
United on 20 August
18.07.2011
West Ham United's Under-18 side will kick-off the 2011/12 FA Premier Academy
League season with the visit of Sheffield United. The Hammers will begin the
campaign when the Blades come to Little Heath on Saturday 20 August for the
first of ten inter-group fixtures. Academy Director Tony Carr's side will
also contest 18 Group A matches - home and away against the nine other teams
in their division - to complete a 28-match league season. The highlights of
the fixture list include derby matches against Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal
and Chelsea, as well as an inter-group trip to Sunderland in their second
league fixture on Saturday 27 August. Alongside the Hammers in Group A are
Arsenal, Charlton Athletic, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Ipswich Town,
Norwich City, Portsmouth and Southampton.
West Ham will be looking to build on last season's third-place finish, when
they recovered from winning just two of their opening ten league matches to
challenge for the title after Christmas.
Carr will have an exciting squad at his disposal in 2011/12, with the likes
of England age-group internationals Robert Hall (pictured), Blair Turgott
and Matthias Fanimo and Australia U17 striker Dylan Tombides being joined by
ten new scholars, including former England U16 captain Leo Chambers and
Republic of Ireland U17 midfielder Kieran Sadlier.
2011/12 FA Premier Academy League fixtures
Sat 20 Aug Sheffield United
Sat 27 Aug Sunderland
Sat 3 Sep Tottenham Hotspur
Sat 10 Sep Watford
Sat 17 Sep Coventry City
Sat 24 Sep Southampton
Sat 1 Oct Portsmouth
Sat 8 Oct Ipswich Town
Sat 15 Oct Charlton Athletic
Sat 29 Oct Fulham
Sat 5 Nov Chelsea
Sat 12 Nov Norwich City
Sat 19 Nov Crystal Palace
Sat 3 Dec Arsenal
Sat 10 Dec Charlton Athletic
Sat 17 Dec Fulham
Sat 7 Jan Chelsea
Sat 14 Jan Norwich City
Sat 21 Jan Crystal Palace
Sat 28 Jan Arsenal
Sat 11 Feb Southampton
Sat 18 Feb Portsmouth
Sat 25 Feb Ipswich Town
Sat 3 Mar Bristol City
Sat 10 Mar Cardiff City
Sat 17 Mar Reading
Sat 31 Mar Leicester City
Sat 21 Apr Milton Keynes Dons
Home matches will kick-off at 11am at the West Ham United Academy, Little
Heath, Hainault Road, Romford, Essex, RM6 5RX unless otherwise stated.
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Cristian coming through
WHUFC.com
Cristian Montano is in form and hoping to get a further chance to stake his
claim against FC Copenhagen
17.07.2011
Cristian Montano has been given an opportunity to shine in pre-season and,
so far, he has taken it with both feet. The talented Colombia-born winger
has featured in all three of the club's matches so far this summer,
climaxing in an eye-catching display in Saturday's 3-0 victory at Bishop's
Stortford. Montano, who was introduced as an early substitute for fellow
Academy graduate Junior Stanislas at Woodside Park, will have no doubt
impressed watching manager Sam Allardyce with his elusive running and
intricate dribbling skills, as well as his late slide-rule pass from which
Jack Collison completed the scoring. "It was very good for me to perform in
front of the first-team manager and it was also good for me to keep my
performances going," he told whufc.com "Obviously it's helping me a lot to
be playing week-in, week-out and I've played in every game in pre-season.
That has helped me a lot. "I've got my fitness, which is obviously a very
important thing for me to have this year. Hopefully I can kick-on from this
and keep showing what I can do and keep improving game by game."
While he has a number of strengths to his game, notably his tenacity,
heading ability and keen eye for goal, the 2009/10 Doris Bell Award winner
knows his running with the ball is what gets supporters excited. "That's my
attribute really. I like taking players on and causing trouble and help the
team out in that way. I want to keep putting balls into the box and getting
my shots in whenever I can, really. "Like I said, I just want to keep
building on my performances game by game and keep improving."
Montano was one of a number of young players to have joined the first-team
squad on their pre-season visit to Switzerland. There, the 19-year-old
worked hard on his fitness and showed glimpses of his undoubted potential in
the pre-season meetings with Swiss Super League sides BSC Young Boys and FC
Basel. Having tasted plenty of action on the club's first foray onto the
continent, Montano is eyeing another chance to showcase his talents in
Wednesday's fixture against FC Copenhagen in Denmark. "It would be a good
thing to go away with them again because it would be another good
experience. "Playing against Copenhagen would be great because they are
another big club. It would help me to learn a bit more, so I'm going to keep
training hard and hopefully I can make the squad."
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Hendon is a Hammer
WHUFC.com
New Development Coach Ian Hendon helped the Hammers to score a pre-season
victory
18.07.2011
West Ham United can confirm that Ian Hendon has been appointed as the club's
new Development Coach. The 39-year-old has arrived at the Boleyn Ground from
League Two side Gillingham, where he held the role of assistant manager.
Hendon, who played professionally for a host of clubs including Tottenham
Hotspur, Leyton Orient, Sheffield Wednesday and Barnet during a 20-year
career, was capped seven times by England at Under-21 level. Following his
retirement, the Ilford-born defender spent 18 months as manager of Barnet
before filling the same role at Dover Athletic. He had joined Gillingham in
June 2010. Hendon told West Ham TV that his time spent as a player under
manager Sam Allardyce at Notts County had played a big role in his own
coaching philosophies. "Since I finished playing about four or five years
ago, I've been a coach, an assistant manager and a manager and then, last
year, I went down to Gillingham with Andy Hessenthaler as his assistant. I
got the shout to come and see the gaffer, had an interview with him and
luckily for me he thought I could bring good things to the club and I got
offered the job. "It's all happened very quickly in the last ten days to two
weeks. "I definitely get the feeling that there is an optimistic atmosphere
around the club. I worked with the manager a long time ago when I was a
player under him at Notts County and I've been in touch with him over the
years. "He knows exactly how he wants his players to play and what he wants
from them. If I can instil that in the younger players it bodes well for the
future."
West Ham's relegation to the npower Championship means the club will no
longer field a reserve team in a league structure. Instead, the club's young
professionals will play friendly matches as part of a newly-formed
Development Squad, with Hendon calling the shots. "My role is literally what
it says on the tin, if you like - to develop the young players, to work with
them and to try and push them through that transition from the Academy to
the first team. "It's very similar to a reserve-team role, but there's no
reserve league this year. There will be games, and it will be my role to
arrange fixtures and to get the lads playing in games. "There will also be a
possibility along the way of some of the lads going out on loan to aid their
development and to help them, when they come back, to be more ready for the
first team."
Hendon's first work assignment saw him assist first-team coach Wally Downes
at the 3-0 pre-season victory at Bishop's Stortford on Saturday. While the
appearances of Scott Parker, Mark Noble and Jack Collison stole the
headlines, the new Development Coach was keeping a closer eye on the
performances of the players he will work with day-in, day-out - most notably
United States Under-20 playmaker Sebastian Lletget. "The young players
really rose to the occasion, especially Sebby. I thought he did really well
in the hole in what was his first hour of football this pre-season. "I have
got my eye on them and how they fit in with the older players. In the second
half, we had a few big-hitters who came on and I was looking at how the
young lads fared with the bigger boys. I was very pleased."
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Youngsters head for Estonia
WHUFC.com
The Under-18s will take part in a four-team tournament in Estonia as part of
their pre-season schedule
18.07.2011
West Ham United's Under-18 squad will step up their pre-season with a trip
to Estonia this week. The Hammers youth-team squad have been working hard at
Little Heath in preparation for the international tournament in Tallinn,
which will see them take on the Estonia Under-19 national team, Dutch giants
PSV Eindhoven and Russian side Dinamo Moscow. Before they fly out on
Thursday 22 July, however, the youngsters will return to match action by
taking on Dagenham & Redbridge and Notts County in two 60-minute warm-up
matches. Academy coach Nick Haycock said he and his staff were looking for
the players to take a positive approach to their intense pre-season training
schedule. "Training has gone well," said Haycock. "We've put in a hard ten
days of double sessions and obviously we tapered it off towards the end of
the week because we have games on Monday and Tuesday against Dagenham &
Redbridge and Notts County when we're going to play 60 minutes. "The boys
will play 45 minutes in one game and 15 in the other and then we travel to
Estonia next Thursday. "We play PSV Eindhoven on the Friday and then the
Estonia Under-19 side, which should be interesting, and then DInamo Moscow.
"PSV will play in the Dutch style and I expect we'll play similar to them in
terms of shape, style and system. We expect Estonia to be big, fit and
strong but also technically-gifted, and Dinamo Moscow always present a test.
"Hopefully the lads can look after themselves and behave - how they conduct
themselves while we're away is also important and we'll be looking at that -
and we'll also organise a team-bonding activity so we can gel the lads into
more of a team. "It will be a great test for the boys. We'll obviously have
to limit their game-time out there because three games in five days isn't
ideal at this stage of pre-season, so everything we do will be looking
towards our first game of the season against Sheffield United. "We'll move
onwards and upwards and it's all-systems go for the tournament. Then, when
we get back we'll hit the ground running and take it into the start of the
season."
The new FA Premier Academy League season will kick-off "The games on Monday
and Tuesday will be about getting the cobwebs out of their systems and
getting them back into game-play situations. "They've done a lot of hard
running this week and have been out into the forest, which replicated the
first team and everyone had a good time. "We've got a good set of lads and
we're looking forward to hopefully having a successful season."
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West Ham end interest in striker Eider Gudjohnsen
Page last updated at 14:07 GMT, Sunday, 17 July 2011 15:07 UK
BBC.co.uk
West Ham have pulled out of a deal to sign former Stoke striker Eidur
Gudjohnsen, who was a free agent after leaving the Potters. The 32-year-old
Icelandic international was poised to join the Hammers on a one-year deal
after passing a medical at Upton Park. But manager Sam Allardyce decided to
withdraw the offer after Gudjohnsen hesitated over signing it. Reports
suggest he could instead be going to AEK Athens on a two-year deal.
Gudjohnsen had previously worked with Allardyce at Bolton, the club he
joined from KR Reykjavik in 1998. He went on to enjoy highly successful
spells at Chelsea and then Barcelona before returning to England, first on
loan at Spurs and then at Stoke. The frontman, who has 66 caps for Iceland,
spent the second half of last season on loan at Fulham and had been linked
with a move to Premier League newcomers Swansea City.
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Hendon arrival confirmed
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 18th July 2011
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United have confirmed the arrival of Ian Hendon as the club's new
Development Coach. The 39-year-old was formerly assistant manager of
Gilligham before being lured to the Boleyn Ground by new boss Sam Allardyce,
whose backroom team is now beginning to take shape nicely. Speaking about
his new role, Hendon said: "I got the shout to come and see the gaffer, went
and had an interview with him and luckily for me he thought what I could
bring to it was good I got offered the job. "That all happened very quickly,
in the last seven days to two weeks."
Hendon's playing career, which began at Tottenham in 1989 and ended at
Barnet 20 years later saw him appear for ten clubs, mostly in the lower
leagues - although he also made seven appearances for England under 21's
between 1992 and 1993. A right back by trade, Hendon also played in central
defence and midfield. His first foray into coaching came shortly after his
retirement when he joined Paul Fairclough's coaching staff at Barnett, the
club for whom he had been playing at the end of his career.
In April 2009 he took his first management role, also at Barnet. However
that was to end in disaster when Hendon was fired a year later with the Bees
facing relegation. Undeterred by that experience he was named manager of
Dover Athletic the following month, but after just 18 days in charge at the
Crabble Athletic Ground left to become assistant to Andy Henssethaler at
Gillingham - where he remained until being offered his current post.
Sam's gang: the new-look backroom team
Manager: Sam Allardyce
Assistant Manager: Neil McDonald
First Team Coach: Wally Downes (joined in 2010)
Head of Sports Medicine: Andy Rolls (2009)
First Team Physio: Stijn Vandenbroucke (2009)
Fitness Coach: Eamon Swift (2010)
Development Coach: Ian Hendon
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West Ham: live TV schedule
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 18th July 2011
By: Staff Writer
Three of West Ham United's August fixtures are being broadcast live on UK
TV. Sam Allardyce's side begin their 2011/12 Championship campaign less than
three weeks from today when they host Cardiff City at the Boleyn. That is
the first of thee games being broadcast by the BBC and Sky Sports that
Hammers fans will be able to see in full. In addition to the Cardiff
fixture, the games against Leeds United and Nottigham Forest are also being
shown in their entirety - a welcome boost for Hammers supporters concerned
by the lack of TV coverage afforded to the Championship.
Live and uninterrupted: West Ham on TV in August
Sunday, 7th August West Ham United v Cardiff City: 1:00pm (BBC)
Sunday, 21st August West Ham United v Leeds United 1:15pm (Sky Sports)
Sunday, 28th August Nottingham Forest v West Ham United: 1:15pm (Sky Sports)
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Squad watch: pre-season special
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 18th July 2011
By: Staff Writer
West Ham have used used no less than 32 players so far in the opening three
games of pre-season. Sam Allarydyce - who led the team for the two
pre-season friendlies in Switzerland - and Wally Downes - manager for the
day at Bishops Stortford - have used almost three teams'-worth of players as
they attempt to mould a side to challenge for the Championship. The player
currently leading the 'Pitch Minutes' table is young striker Cristian
Montero, who has appeared all three pre-season games thus far. Close behind
is 'keeper Marek Stech with two full appearances to his name whilst young
full-backs Jordan Spence and Jordan Brown complete the top three (three
appearances each). Of the established first team squad members, only
Frederic Piquionne, Freddie Sears and James Tomkins make it into the top ten
at present. Just three first team squad players are yet to be used, those
being Robert Green, Pablo Barrera and Peter Kurucz.
Pre-season player watch: Pitch Minutes
Number of appearances in brackets.
1. Cristian Montano (3) 197
2. Marek Stech (2) 180
3. Jordan Spence (3) 152
3. Jordan Brown (3) 152
5. Robert Hall (3) 147
6. Olly Lee (3) 135
7. Freddie Piquionne (2) 135
7. George Moncur (2) 135
7. James Tomkins (2) 135
7. Freddie Sears (2) 135
11. Junior Stanislas (2) 118
12. Frank Nouble (2) 107
12. Winston Reid (2) 107
14. Luis Boa Morte (2) 90
14. Julien Faubert (2) 90
14. Herita Ilunga (2) 90
14. Joey O'Brien (2) 90
18. Ruud Boffin (1) 90
18. Jose Hernani (1) 90
18. Callum McNaughton (1) 90
21. Seb Lletget (1) 78
22. Abdoulaye Faye (2) 77
23. Mark Noble (1) 45
23. Scott Parker (1) 45
23. Jack Collison (1) 45
23. Kevin Nolan (1) 45
23. Ahmed Abdulla (1) 45
28. Sergio Sanchez (1) 28
28. Callum Driver (1) 28
28. Matthew Fry (1) 28
28. Paul McCallum (1) 28
32. Carlton Cole (1) 13
Unused: Robert Green, Pablo Barrera, Peter Kurucz, Zavon Hines (currently
out of contract), Gary O'Neil (injured).
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QPR ready to nab Gabb for tour
Published: Today
The Sun
DANNY GABBIDON looks set to join QPR after being invited on their pre-season
tour. The defender, 31, is a free agent after leaving West Ham this summer.
QPR boss Neil Warnock wants to strengthen his squad ahead of their return to
the Premier League. Gabbidon will be offered a deal if he impresses at their
Cornish training camp. Ex-Ipswich keeper Brian Murphy has also been invited
on tour.
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Boa closes in on Hammer Parker
By CHARLIE WYETT
Published: Today
The Sun
SCOTT PARKER is hoping to seal a move to Chelsea - but not on loan. New
Stamford Bridge boss Andre Villas-Boas is weighing up a £7.5million bid for
the England and West Ham midfielder. Aston Villa have already failed with a
£7m attempt for Parker, 30. Tottenham have ruled themselves out of the
running, insisting the overall package would be too expensive. SunSport
revealed last week that Parker, who signed for Chelsea from Charlton for
£10m in 2004, was initially a loan target for the Blues. Making it a
temporary switch did interest West Ham but Parker would have found himself
back at Upton Park in a year's time - so is keen for a permanent deal.
Parker, though, has still impressed the Hammers with his attitude and played
45 minutes in a pre-season game at Bishop's Stortford on Saturday. Chelsea
are set to loan new keeper Thibaut Courtois to Atletico Madrid. Villas-Boas
has agreed a £7.8m fee for the Genk keeper, 19, who had a medical yesterday.
But when the deal goes through, the 6ft 5in Belgian international is off to
Spain for a season - where he will replace David de Gea after his exit to
Manchester United. Courtois said: "I could be loaned out for a second or
third season before becoming part of Chelsea's first-team squad."
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We couldn't risk Cole burning us
Published: Today
The Sun
TONY PULIS has revealed he refused to risk Stoke's future to meet Carlton
Cole's wage demands. The Potters boss pulled the plug on a £4.5million deal
because the West Ham striker wanted more than £40,000 a week. He said: "We
don't want to put ourselves in the position where, if it went wrong, the
club would be in a bad state financially."
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Fit's just not good enough
By SHAUN CUSTIS
Published: Today
The Sun
SAM ALLARDYCE reckons West Ham got relegated because they were not fit
enough. The new Hammers boss took his squad to Switzerland to make sure they
are in peak condition for the new Championship season. Allardyce was armed
with a series of stats on his players' fitness levels from last season using
the ProZone system and he admits he was shocked how poor they were. Big Sam
said: "Fitness has always been a massive part of football but never more so
than now. If you haven't got the capabilities of an athlete, you can't be a
top footballer. "I've looked at their stats and it doesn't reflect well
physically. It wasn't great. "I was shocked considering the size of the
squad and the quality of the players, many of whom were internationals. They
really should have been pulling out much more. "You look at their ability to
perform at a high intensity and their sprint distances which is the level of
speed needed to create the opportunities to win football matches. "Compared
to the levels at Blackburn and Bolton, they weren't good."
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Matt Taylor set for Allardyce reunion
Published 23:00 18/07/11 By Alan Nixon - EXCLUSIVE
The Mirror
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is raiding his old club Bolton to sign Matty
Taylor in a £2.2million deal. Allardyce has made an offer for the left-sided
midfielder, who was in and out of Owen Coyle's side last season but is still
a respected Premier League performer. The Hammers have already snapped up
Bolton old boys Kevin Nolan and Abdoulaye Faye since hiring Allardyce, who
also tried for three more of his former players - Eidur Gudjohnsen, Ricardo
Gardner and Jlloyd Samuel.
Taylor will be offered a lucrative deal and is to fly back from Bolton's
club tour of the US to discuss terms and have a medical. Coyle will use the
Taylor money as part of a signing spree, with a £5million fee for
Barcelona's Jeffren Suarez already agreed.
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Tony Pulis refuses to risk Stoke City's finances by breaking bank for West
Ham's Carlton Cole
By Ross Jackson
18 Jul 2011 14:11:00
Goal.com
Tony Pulis has revealed he is willing to give up the chase for the signature
of Carlton Cole for the sake of the club's financial security. Stoke
appeared to be hot favourites to sign the 27-year-old England international
after a £6 million fee had been agreed with West Ham, yet talks have since
broke down due to Cole's reported demands of £45,000 a week. Pulis has no
complaints about Stoke's reluctance to accept Cole's demands, and insists he
is not prepared to risk the club's financial health. "We have spoken as a
board and management team, and it is very important we try to keep to a
level," Pulis told The Sentinel. "We have overachieved enormously over four
years and we know that. "What we don't want to do is chase and chase and
then put ourselves in the position where, if it went wrong, the football
club would be in a bad state financially. That will not happen at Stoke
City."
Stoke are preparing themselves for their first involvement in a major
European competition in 37 years, having drawn Hajduk Split in the Europa
League qualifiers following their FA Cup run last season, and Pulis is well
aware of the task ahead for his team if they are to do well in the
competition. He continued: "It is a very difficult competition because to
get through to the final we would have had to play 18 games – nearly half
the amount of our Premier League matches. "To do that you have to have a
very strong squad and quality in depth. Whether we have that at the moment I
am not sure, but I want to win every game."
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West Ham striker linked with West Brom
3:36pm Monday 18th July 2011
By Simon Mail »
Guardian Series
West Ham striker Carlton Cole has been linked with a move to West Brom. The
27-year-old's move to Stoke City fell through last week after he failed to
agree personal terms.The Baggies are reportedly interested in signing Cole
but could find his wage demands a stumbling block. After the proposed move
collapsed, the Hammers released a statement which said: "West Ham United
would like to clear up media speculation regarding Carlton Cole's offer to
join Stoke City. "Carlton has not asked for a transfer and has remained
committed to the club at all times. In being given permission to talk to
Stoke, the negotiations did not break down as a result of him asking for too
much money. He was discussing wage parity with other key players and was
well within his right to do so."
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Allardyce to decide on Barrera's West Ham future
By talkSPORT
Monday, July 18
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce wants to cast his eye over Pablo Barrera when he
returns for pre-season training this week before he makes a decision over
his long-term future. Barrera has been strongly linked with a move away from
Upton Park during the summer with Real Zaragoza, Espanyol and Wigan leading
the chase to sign him. The Mexico international has a major point to prove
after failing to make any impact at Upton Park under former boss Avram Grant
following his £4m move last summer. Barrera was the star performer for his
country at the Gold Cup during the summer and scored two goals in the final
to help Mexico win the tournament.
Allardyce is in the process of re-assembling his squad following their
relegation into the Championship and wants to see if Barrera can play a
major role under him next season. Barrera was allowed extra holiday
following Mexico's success at the Gold Cup but has now joined up with his
West Ham team-mates and will hold talks over his future.
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Allardyce targets six new faces for West Ham
By talkSPORT
Monday, July 18
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is planning to sign at least SIX more players to
ensure his side can gain immediate promotion straight back into the Premier
League.
Allardyce has wasted no time stamping his authority at the club and pulled
off one of the biggest transfer coups of the summer when he signed Newcastle
captain Kevin Nolan. Abdoulaye Faye has also been brought in from Stoke and
the club are hopeful of signing Blackpool striker DJ Campbell. But with the
club losing a number of players at the end of the season, including Robbie
Keane, Victor Obinna, Thomas Hitzlsperger and Danny Gabbidon, Allardyce is
well aware that he needs to strengthen his squad before the transfer window
closes at the end of August. Allardyce said: "Thirteen professionals have
already left West Ham to address the situation that we find ourselves in
from a financial point of view. "When you lose more than 50 per cent of your
squad that means you have to boost the squad up in areas where you think it
is most important. "It could be five or six more players [coming in] before
the end of the transfer window."
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Hammers to launch bid for Bolton midfielder Taylor as Allardyce looks to
rebuild squad
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 11:22 PM on 18th July 2011
Daily Mail
West Ham are lining up a £1.2million deal for Bolton midfielder Matty
Taylor. Manager Sam Allardyce has moved for the 29-year-old with Leeds
United's Max Gradel angling for a transfer to France with Lille. Taylor, who
has just one year left on contract, has been looking to move back south and
had been attracting interest from Stoke and West Brom. However, Allardyce is
ready to steal a march on his Premier League rivals and offer better wages.
West Brom remain interested in West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green and are
willing to offer £3million but may struggle to match his personal terms.
They also have an interest in Carlton Cole and Reading's Shane Long but the
latter is rated at £8.5m by the Championship club. They will speak to
former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves in Portland tomorrow and
retain an interest in Birmingham's Liam Ridgewell. Hodgson said: 'There are
a couple of major targets that I have identified and would like to see the
club sign. For me, it's the sooner the better on them.'
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EIDUR GUDJOHNSEN SNUBS WEST HAM
Daily Express
Tuesday July 19,2011
By Daily Express reporter
FORMER Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen will not be moving to West Ham and
instead is set to join AEK Athens after arriving in the Greek capital
yesterday to complete a medical.
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Noble: 'West Ham need to sign five or six players still'
London24
Dave Evans, West Ham Correspondent
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
7:35 AM
Hammers midfield star Mark Noble is confident about the new season, but
still thinks that they have to seriously add to their squad before the end
of the transfer window. West Ham midfielder Mark Noble believes the club has
to strengthen the squad if they are to achieve their goal of returning to
the Premier League at the first attempt. The 24-year-old made his first
appearance of pre-season in the 3-0 victory at Bishop's Stortford, playing
the entire second half, but he knows that the Hammers have much more
difficult tasks in front of them. "I am confident about the new season, but
obviously we have got to sign a lot more players," said Noble, who is the
club's current longest serving player. "The squad is nowhere near good
enough or big enough at the minute. Whoever comes and whoever goes we've got
to replace them. "We've got to make five or six signings, good quality
signings for this club who are going to help us achieve what we want to
achieve."
Noble's arrival for the second half of Saturday's friendly coincided with
appearances by Jack Collison and footballer of the year Scott Parker, a
formidable midfield, and with Kevin Nolan still to come into it, one that
could put fear into the hearts of many a Championship club. "It would be
lovely to have a midfield like that one," admitted Noble. "But what happens
in the window up until the end of August, who knows? We are cracking away,
we are working hard, but obviously we know it is going to be a massive
season for us."
Noble missed the last four games of last season with injury, left on the
sidelines as West Ham slipped out of the Premier League, but despite that,
and the fact that he is a lifelong Hammers fan, he has already got over the
club's demise. "I'm over it," he insisted. "I can't dwell on it, that's it.
We just need to get on with it and get the club back into the Premier League
as quickly as possible. "It was nice to get a half after going off to
Switzerland and training hard but not getting on the field to play a match,
for different reasons. "We are training hard, we've got a new manager and
new staff, so we have to get used to each other, but we are looking forward
to the season to come."
Many have blamed Avram Grant for last season's humiliating demotion, but how
have the squad taken to the new regime at the club under Sam Allardyce?
Noble thinks that things are going well: "The atmosphere is good and all the
staff have welcomed the new manager," he said. "He is a big character and a
big influence and hopefully it can work out and if we all pull together we
can get the club back where it belongs."
Noble will play an important part in the coming season. He has already
played 171 games in claret and blue and is wise to the fact that despite
their billing as second favourites to Leicester City, it will be no easy job
to get the Hammers back up at the first attempt. "It is going to be a lot
more difficult than that," explained Noble. "We aren't just going to walk
out there and win every week, it doesn't work like that, especially with the
teams we are going to be playing against. "We need to go out there, put 100
per cent in and if we can get some more players who are going to do that,
I'm sure we will have no problems."
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