Daily WHUFC News - 20th October 2011

'We have to put it behind us'
WHUFC.com
George McCartney is confident the Hammers can recover quickly from their
Southampton disappointment
19.10.2011

George McCartney insisted West Ham United's players will recover from their
short bout of travel sickness in time for Monday's npower Championship trip
to Brighton & Hove Albion. The Hammers suffered their first away defeat of
the season at Southampton on Tuesday, going down to a 1-0 reverse courtesy
of Jos Hooiveld's first-half header. The loss prevented Sam Allardyce's side
from leap-frogging the Saints to go top of the table, leaving the No3
feeling that West Ham had missed out on a big opportunity to put some
daylight between themselves and the chasing pack. With that in mind,
McCartney is targeting a happier night out on the south coast when he and
his team-mates visit the American Express Community Stadium early next week.
"Games like Tuesday you have to win if you want to win the league. You have
to try to pull away from other teams. The longer you hang around third,
fourth or fifth place, the harder it gets because games run out. "We have to
put it behind us. We're all disappointed but we're all confident of
finishing in first or second place come the end of the season. "You try to
go as long into the season not losing away from home or at home. We had good
away form before Tuesday night so we'll get back on the training pitch and
see where we went wrong. "We have another tough game down at Brighton on
Monday night and we have to improve, bounce back and get the three points
down there. "It's a long season and there are going to be ups and downs.
It's about how you bounce back after a defeat and I'm sure everyone will be
working hard on the training pitch to try and put things right and eradicate
the mistakes."

While McCartney and his team-mates had been fantastic on the road in their
previous five away fixtures, the left-back admitted they had not been at
anywhere near their best at St Mary's. The full-back turned in a typically
committed performance against the leaders, defending resolutely and joining
the attack down the left flank wherever possible. It was from one forward
run that McCartney won a free-kick that so nearly turned into a late
equaliser for Mark Noble, whose effort was tipped over by Kelvin Davis. One
defeat does not define a season, though, and the 30-year-old knows there is
still plenty of time remaining for him and his colleagues to put things
right. "Obviously it was our first defeat away from home. All the lads were
disappointed in the changing room because we could have played better in the
first half. We played a bit better in the second half and came into the bit
more and created some more chances, but it wasn't to be. "We just couldn't
get the goal to get us back into the game. "They passed the ball well in the
first half without creating too many chances, so to concede a goal right on
half-time and especially from a set piece, was disappointing. We just lost a
bit of concentration. "In the second half we played a little bit better, but
nowhere near as well as we can play. We created a few more chances, but the
ball just wouldn't fall in their box to allow us to get the goal we needed."

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Sebastian Coe rejects 'white elephant' Olympic Stadium claims
Page last updated at 15:05 GMT, Wednesday, 19 October 2011 16:05 UK
BBC.co.uk

London 2012 chairman Lord Coe has rejected claims the Olympic Stadium is set
to become a "white elephant". West Ham's deal to buy it fell through this
month, the government instead revealing the venue would be leased. London
assembly member John Biggs said: "The decision... is at very high risk of
creating a white elephant." Coe responded: "I do think it is very important
that we maintain a commitment to an Olympic legacy and to a mix of tenancies
in there." He added: "That is a commitment we made and I think we should see
it through." West Ham's deal collapsed amid concerns over delays caused by
the legal dispute with Tottenham and League One side Leyton Orient.

The Olympic Park Legacy Company, government and mayor of London instead came
to the agreement that the stadium, which will retain the running track, will
be leased out to a mixture of sporting events. London 2012 and Olympic
Delivery Authority officials met in London on Wednesday to answer questions
about the preparation for the Games. When Lord Coe was asked whether he
believed athletics meetings had the potential to fill the Olympic Stadium
after the Games, the two-time 1500m Olympic champion noted that the capital
was bidding for the 2017 World Athletics Championships in the belief there
would be full crowds. He added that Britain's successful hosting of two
Diamond League meetings at Crystal Palace shows there is sufficient interest
in the sport. "London is now the only city that stages two of those
back-to-back," he commented. "We not only sell out for every one of those
meetings but we would also probably be able to sell five times that number
of tickets. "There is no lack of demand for top-class track and field in
this country but clearly sitting alongside the use of the stadium for local
events, English schools championships and the plethora of events and other
competitions that are there."

The Olympic Stadium's 80,000-seat capacity will drop to 60,000 after the
Games, but with Diamond League meetings in Brussels or Paris drawing crowds
of 50,000-70,000 people, Coe is adamant they can fill the stadium. "If we
had a larger venue we would fill that venue," he added. "You have only got
to go to Crystal Palace for any of those Diamond League meetings to know how
many people turn up on spec hoping to get tickets. "Don't run away with the
idea that track and field is a sport that is not supported."

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Anti-OS protest plans announced
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 19th October 2011
By: Staff Writer

A group of West Hams fans have confirmed details of a meeting to discuss the
club's failure to consult supporters over the planned move to Stratford. The
board's plans to move West Ham to the Olympic Stadium from the Boleyn Ground
- United's home for the last 107 years - have split the club's fan base
since they were first announced. Despite being granted use of the
£500million stadium in February, West Ham found itself back at stage one
recently when the original decision was overturned amidst a series of legal
challenges. Yet as was the case prior to the club's first bid for the
Olympic Stadium, there are still no signs of West Ham seeking any kind of
meaningful representation with regards to the move from its supporters - a
situation that some fans feel is simply unacceptable. A spokesman for the
meeting's organisers - who are considering staging a demonstration in
protest at the lack of representation - told KUMB.com: "There is concern at
the lack of a proper consultation of fans before an irreversable and
uncertain process begins. "Supporters who frequent KUMB and other websites
will meet at Hamilton Hall, Liverpool Street on Thursday 20th October to
discuss how their opposition to the move and their wish for a full
independent poll can be taken forward. "Anything agreed will be put forward
for wider agreement. The organisers have no agenda other than bringing fans
together to discuss matters."

The meeting is scheduled to start at 7:00pm; all supporters are welcome to
attend and share their views.

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Hammers blast Hearn's 'squatters'
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 19th October 2011
By: Staff Writer

West Ham have issued a statement reiterating the club's commitment to the
Olympic Stadium. Following comments made by Orient chairman Barry Hearn last
night regarding the League One club's chances of moving into the stadium
post next summer's games, West Ham released a statement on whufc.com that
re-affirmed their own 'legacy proposals'. Hearn claimed last night that
Orient would go out of business should West Ham be awarded use of the iconic
£500million stadium for a second time. "We don't want West Ham on our
doorstep", he told BBC FiveLive. That rather spurious claim saw West Ham
fire back in their statement, accusing Hearn - whose club have never been
located within the Olympic borough of Newham - of being a trespasser, rather
than the other way round. "The club remain committed to east London and
believe we are the right choice," read West Ham's statement. "In contrast,
back in May 2009, our neighbours Leyton Orient were looking at a move away
to Harlow or Basildon. "The Olympic Stadium is in Newham and Leyton Orient
is in Waltham Forest. We will not move away from Newham, after all its our
home borough. "We have always focused on our legacy plan for the stadium,
and in turn the East End and London as a whole, and already have the right
permissions from the game's governing bodies to tender again."

Irons v Os: timeline

1881 Leyton Orient FC formed by members of the Glyn Cricket Club, which
consisted of former members of Homerton College (Cambridge). In 1886 they
became the Eagle Cricket club.

1888 The Eagle Cricket Club renamed Orient Football Club - in honour of, say
some, the Orient Shipping Company.

1895 Thames Iron Works FC formed. The club play at Hermit Road, Canning Town
(LB of Newham).

1897 TIWFC move home venue temporarily to Browning Road, East Ham (LB of
Newham).

1897 TIWFC move to the newly-built 100,000 capacity Memorial Ground,
Plaistow (LB of Newham).

1898 Orient FC renames Clapton Orient to represent their local area (LB of
Hackney).

1900 West Ham Utd formed from the ashes of TIWFC. The new club continue to
play at the Memorial Ground.

1904 West Ham Utd move to the Boleyn Ground in Upton Park (LB of Newham).

1937 Orient move from Clapton (in the borough of Hackney) to Leyton.

1966 Clapton Orient FC renamed Orient FC after Leyton is absorbed by the
London Borough of Waltham Forest.

1987 Orient renamed once again - this time they will be known as Leyton
Orient.

Feb 2011 West Ham Utd granted use of the Olympic Stadium, Stratford (LB of
Newham).

Sep 2011 OPLC announce new bidding process.

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Glovers a perfect fit for Stech
Last Updated: October 19, 2011 1:15pm
SSN

On-loan goalkeeper Marek Stech wants to extend his temporary stay in Yeovil,
despite only having been at the club for a matter of days. Stech, who
previously enjoyed a week-long trial at Huish Park, joined on a one-month
deal from West Ham on Friday after injury curtailed Jed Steer's loan from
Norwich. And despite conceding three goals on his debut in the 3-0 home
defeat to Carlisle on Saturday, the Czech Under-21 international told BBC
Somerset he would be more than happy to remain with the Glovers for longer
than the length of time originally stipulated in the terms of his
arrangement. He said: "I am really happy to get some games and hopefully, if
I do well for this month, then maybe they will extend it. "But that's not up
to me, and we'll see what happens. So far I've really been enjoying it and
hopefully everything will go well."

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McCartney issues Irons warning
Wednesday 19th October 2011 15:07
TeamTalk

George McCartney has warned his West Ham team-mates there is little room for
error if they are to achieve automatic promotion. The Hammers were beaten
1-0 at league leaders Southampton on Tuesday night - their first away defeat
of the campaign - and the 30-year-old left-back admitted it is crucial they
respond immediately when they travel to Brighton on Monday. "Games like
Tuesday you have to win if you want to win the league," the Northern Ireland
international told the club's official website. "You have to try to pull
away from other teams. The longer you hang around third, fourth or fifth
place, the harder it gets because games run out. "We have to put it behind
us. We're all disappointed but we're all confident of finishing in first or
second place come the end of the season. "You try to go as long into the
season not losing away from home or at home. We had good away form before
Tuesday night so we'll get back on the training pitch and see where we went
wrong."

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Tony Cottee column: Saints loss is a blow but no disaster for West Ham
London 24
Tony Cottee, London24 West Ham Columnist
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
2:36 PM

Make no mistake about it, the defeat at Southampton was disappointing, for a
number of different reasons. We all knew before the game that St Mary's was
a difficult place to go, as the Saints were unbeaten in 16 games, but West
Ham had their chances but failed to take them. In this league, as we have
already seen, anyone can beat anyone on their day, and if you don't take
your chances, then you will get punished. Every Hammers fan would have been
pleased with a point from Tuesday night's game and I think that a draw
would've been a fairer result. Southampton started the game the better side
and may have had one or two more chances, but West Ham's opportunities were
clear cut, we hit the post, but we should have made Kelvin Davis work a lot
harder in the Saints' goal. From what I've seen of Southampton this season
and last, they are the best team in the Championship when they are playing
at home, and their unbeaten record of 17 games is just ridiculous.

Another blow on Tuesday was when Matty Taylor had to be taken off with a
calf injury. I am a big fan of Taylor's and when he is not playing, we
really miss the width that he gives us. The last time we had that sort of
width and delivery from the left-hand side was probably when Matty
Etherington was at the club a few years ago.
So to lose someone like Taylor really affects the team. Sam Allardyce chose
to replace Taylor with Freddie Piquionne, and I thought that this was a bold
move and it showed West Ham's attacking intent. Unfortunately, it didn't pay
off and we ended up coming away from St Mary's with nothing. The only plus
from the game was that the teams around us like Middlesbrough, Derby and
Brighton lost or drew, so we remain in second place, which I think gives
West Ham a psychological edge, even if it is only on goal difference.
Looking at the league table, there are just three points separating 10
teams, which just goes to show how strong the teams in the Championship are.

Luckily for West Ham, their goal difference is quite strong, so that could
really help them out as the season progresses. After Tuesday's win,
Southampton are five points clear at the top, but I think that the other
teams can still catch them. As I have said before, it is a long season, but
Hammers fans should be pleased that West Ham are in the automatic promotion
places. This season being in the top two would be ideal, but being in the
top six is a necessity. West Ham have no divine right to get promoted to the
Premier League, they have to earn it and the season will be tough and there
will be setbacks along the way. On a more positive note, it was great to see
Sam Baldock get off the mark last weekend. I am a big fan of his and I met
him at the training ground last week and told him to make the most of any
opportunity he got to play and he certainly did that with his two goals.
Some people are comparing him to me as a striker, due to our height and
similar style, but I want him to be the first Sam Baldock, not the next Tony
Cottee. Having lost on Tuesday, I think that the Hammers now have to go to
Brighton and get a positive result. It won't be easy, but I am confident
that if we play like we did against Blackpool then we will get the three
points and return from the south coast as happy Hammers.

Tony Cottee was talking to Nathaniel John

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 19th October 2011

Olympic Stadium update
WHUFC.com
The club remains committed to east London and always has been
18.10.2011

West Ham United continue to press ahead with our legacy proposals for the
Olympic Stadium. The club remain committed to east London and believe we are
the right choice. In contrast, back in May 2009, our neighbours Leyton
Orient were looking at a move away to Harlow or Basildon. The Olympic
Stadium is in Newham and Leyton Orient is in Waltham Forest. We will not
move away from Newham, after all its our home borough. We have always
focused on our legacy plan for the stadium, and in turn the East End and
London as a whole, and already have the right permissions from the game's
governing bodies to tender again. We know we can make the Olympic Stadium
work for the capacity required for a successful staging of major sporting
events like the 2017 World Athletics Championships. Our attendances and
fanbase are both on the up and we are confident that we have a revenue model
and ability to generate the income that will make the stadium legacy a
lasting success.

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Saints setback frustrates Sam
WHUFC.com
The manager could not hide his disappointment at seeing the team's unbeaten
run ended on Tuesday
18.10.2011

Sam Allardyce rued a solitary defensive lapse that cost his side dear away
to Southampton on Tuesday night. While the npower Championship table may
still show the Hammers in second spot, they are now five points adrift of
the Saints, who made it 17 straight home victories with their 1-0 triumph in
front of a biggest-ever St. Mary's crowd. It came from a Jos Hooiveld header
just before half-time, something Big Sam felt should have been avoided with
his team's aerial capabilities. "It was disappointing to lose our unbeaten
away record but even more disappointing to lose it off a set-play," the
manager said. "We didn't really do anything in the first half although still
had some chances. We conceded a soft goal from a situation we practice
regularly. We are one of the biggest sides in the league but that didn't
stop us going one-nil down. "We deserved something out of the game for our
second-half performance. Unfortunately, our sharpshooting centre-forwards
who were magnificent on Saturday didn't have their shooting boots or the
heading ability to score today. At least we came back and showed something
of what we are really like in the second half. We took the game to them,
were creative and created chances."

Those chances were all spurned with John Carew, Kevin Nolan and Sam Baldock
all unable to convert good opportunities. Carew might even have equalised in
the few seconds between Hooiveld's goal and the half-time whistle while
Nolan was perfectly placed late on when substitute Mark Noble's ball into
the box was deflected on to a post, only for it to run behind rather than
out to the waiting skipper. Allardyce's plans were complicated by Matt
Taylor's new calf injury in the first half, while he had travelled without
James Tomkins (groin) and, for the second game running, Carlton Cole (knee).
Abdoulaye Faye and Henri Lansbury came in, meanwhile, with Jack Collison
dropping to the bench. Joey O'Brien returned from his hamstring injury late
in the proceedings but he and fellow sub Freddie Piquionne could not affect
a positive change. Big Sam, regardless, was not making excuses. "Injuries
happen to players and squads throughout the season," he said. "You have to
cope for it. The thing that was disappointing was that we could not maintain
our clinical form from Saturday. "Perhaps it wasn't our day and it is a big
disappointment to lose to Southampton, to lose our away record and find out
when we wake up that they are five points clear of us. On the balance of
play we should have still only been two points behind them. "We knew it
would be a difficult game because they have the best home record in the
league. They are a good team but we should have rescued a point."

Allardyce will take Wednesday - his 57th birthday - to take stock but is not
expecting too much in the way of festivities. "I don't celebrate birthdays
at all at my age," he said with a wry smile when asked. "I try to forget
them." Points not presents were more on his wish list and he was clear what
defeat meant to his men as they look towards Monday's trip to Brighton &
Hove Albion.. "It can take between eight and ten games to make up five
points. That is how important it was not to lose but we have. "At the end of
the day, we cannot complain about the chances we have made at the best home
record in this league. With our quality I would have expected us to score at
least one or two. "When we wanted it right at the most important time
against someone in direct competition it hasn't happened. We are second but
still have a lot of ground to catch up. We will try and do that as quickly
as we can."

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Hearn: I'm here to stop West Ham
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 18th October 2011
By: Staff Writer

Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn has admitted that the driving force
behind his Olympic Stadium campaign is to prevent West Ham United from
taking occupancy.
Hearn, speaking with BBC FiveLive ahead of West Ham's Championship clash
with Southampton tonight also revealed that he wouldn't consider moving
Orient to Stratford should the current plans to make the stadium a 60,000
seater venue post next summer's games be adhered to. "My whole driving force
behind this is I totally believe that if West Ham take occupancy [of the
Olympic Stadium], Leyton Orient will go out of business," he said. "I don't
believe enough people have spent enough time thinking about us. "Obviously
we don't want West Ham on our doorstep so we'd like the opportunity to bid.
But there is no way that Orient will move in as a football club and play
with 50 yards of athletics track between the fans and the footballers. "But
if we do it and can restrict the capacity down to the original plan of
25,000, we're players."

Hearn also raised the possibility of reaching agreement with, "a consortium
of people interested in a variety of sports", with whom to share use of the
£500million stadium - echoing West Ham's previously accepted proposal which
included Newham Council (whom he suggested had "thrown the towel in"), Essex
Cricket Club plus a worldwide concert promoter. Despite having been partly
responsible for the breakdown in the previous process by continuing to
proceed with legal action against the OPLC's decision to award use of the
stadium to West Ham United - a stance that could hit the taxpayer with an
unexpected £95million bill - Hearn claimed that forcing a new completely new
application process would actually be for the benefit of the public purse.
"It gives us the chance to create a better funding vehicle so that the whole
episode does not come at a huge cost to the public purse in these difficult
times," the former accountant surmised, without a trace of irony. "I'm more
hopeful now the whole thing has blown up that people will exercise a little
more common sense and a little more restraint when it comes to spending the
Government's money. This is my primary concern. "We've all got to pull in
the same direction. We don't want anything to detract from the spirit of the
Olympic Games."

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Southampton 1 West Ham Utd 0
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 18th October 2011
By: Staff Writer

Sam Allardyce will be getting the jitters tonight after his side fell to a
third league defeat of the season, going down 1-0 to Southampton at St
Mary's tonight. Speaking at the beginning of the 2011/12 campaign, Allardyce
highlighted the point that teams likely to win promotion from the
Championship are unlikely to do so should they lose more than eight games.
Tonight's defeat - which yet again saw Allardyce's team concede in the final
minute of a half - means that West Ham are almost halfway towards that
figure with just a third of the season played. Yet they remain second in the
table as both Derby and Middlesbrough failed to capitalise on United's
misfortune. The Irons were a shadow of the team that comprehesively beat
Blackpool at the BG lat weekend, yet they suffered more than their fair
share of bad luck in falling to defeat tonight. An early injury to Matt
Taylor, a shot cleared off the line and another effort that hit the post
were key moments in a game that ebbed and flowed with both sides enjoying
plenty of chances.

Also key to the game were Sam Allardyce's tactical choices - both chosen and
enforced. Having surprised many by starting with John Carew and Sam Baldock
in a 4-4-2 formation - including, it seemed, Southampton themselves - the
Hammers started the stronger of the two teams and continued to command the
game until Taylor, who was a risk having been injured against Blackpool
limped off just 20 minutes in. Despite having Joey O'Brien and Jack Collison
on the bench (both of whom were still short of match fitness and presumably
considered unlikely to last for 70-plus minutes), Allardyce introduced
Freddie Piquionne and changed shape to 4-3-3.

That suited the home side who began to look far more at ease and, as the
half wore on, a goal for the Saints began to look inevitable. For it to
arrive in the final minute of the half, with Sam Allardyce having reinforced
to his players the need to stay alert until the final whistle will no doubt
have led to a few heated words being said by the manager in the visitors'
dressing room at the break. With the half-time whistle literally seconds
away, big defender Jos Hooiveld rose highest to meet a Dean Hammond corner
to nod the Saints ahead - a huge blow to West Ham who had coped adequately
with the pressure exerted by Southampton prior to that point.

As far as goals were concerned, that's how it remained until the final
whistle - although both sides had a number of opportunities to add to
Hooiveld's effort. At the heart of nearly every West Ham chance was the
lively Sam Baldock, full of confidence from his two-goal show at the BG on
Saturday. It was the former MK Dons striker's effort that was prevented from
crossing the line by Kelvin Davis' outstretched foot late in the first half
and his alertness that almost caused goalkeeper Davis to err in the final
minute of the match.

Ironically perhaps, the occasion on which West Ham came closest to scoring
in the second half had little to do with the energetic forward. Mark Noble,
on as a second half sub - and possibly West Ham's best player in the latter
stages of the match, which saw United revert to a 4-4-2 formation - sent a
cross towards the far post that was erroneously deflected by a defender off
his own post with the 'keeper well beaten. By that stage of the game -
there were just four minutes left on the clock when the woodwork denied West
Ham - Sam Allardyce must have known the game was up. Southampton, who had
found Manuel Almunia in good form throughout, thought they had a second in
injury time when the keeper was beaten by sub Steve De Ridder's shot -
although the Hammers were saved, somewhat controversially, by referee Darren
Deadman who pulled play back for an earlier infringement.

However that decision, jeered as it was by the majority of a record crowd of
32,150 inside St.Mary's tonight, made no difference to the final outcome
which leaves Sam Allardyce with plenty of food for thought ahead of next
Monday's trip to Brighton. One player he will be keen to have available for
what promises to be another tough away trip is Matt Taylor, without whom the
Hammers have looked bereft of guile and creativity recently. Another is
centre half James Tomkins, perhaps Sam Allardyce's most consistent performer
so far this season. And whilst the supporters have expressed their extreme
disappointment at Sky's insistence on switching the game from Saturday to
Monday at short notice, Sam Allardyce will no doubt be grateful for the
extra 48 hours afforded to him with which to patch up the likes of Tomkins
and Taylor. Regardless of their availablility, tonight's defeat raises the
pressure slightly on Big Sam to get a result against Albion at the AmEx
Community Stadium.

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Hooiveld header beats Hammers
Last updated: 18th October 2011
SSN

Southampton stretched their lead at the top of the Championship as Jos
Hooiveld's header beat second-placed West Ham 1-0 at St Mary's. On-loan
Celtic defender Hooiveld powered home the winner on the stroke of half-time
in front of a St Mary's record crowd of 32,150, but they were put under
immense pressure by the Hammers, who hit the post late on through Mark
Noble's cross-shot. The visitors - with an unbeaten away record - started
brightly, with Matt Taylor testing Kelvin Davis with a low drive inside the
opening minute. Saints' response came from returning skipper Dean Hammond
who fizzed a shot over the crossbar from 30 yards and then tried his luck
again from distance but with the same outcome shortly afterwards. West Ham
were forced to make an early substitution when Taylor limped off to be
replaced by Frederic Piquionne with what looked to be a recurrence of a calf
injury. It was the home side who were on top as the half progressed. Richard
Chaplow should have done better with a close-range volley. The Hammers hit
back as Piquionne sent John Carew clear down the left. He picked out captain
Kevin Nolan but his 22-yard curling shot flew inches past the upright.

Striker Sam Baldock, who scored his first goals for West Ham on Saturday,
looked set to get his name on the scoresheet again in the 36th minute but
his hooked effort from eight yards was well blocked by the legs of Davis.
That sparked Southampton back into life, and after David Connolly saw a
first-time volley gathered by Manuel Almunia, they opened the scoring on the
stroke of half-time. Hammond's corner from the right picked out Hooiveld and
the on-loan Celtic defender powered a header past the keeper. It was the
home side who bossed the opening stages of the second half, with a
succession of corners ending with Winston Reid blazing over.

A Rickie Lambert free-kick was deflected wide for Saints and at the other
end Baldock found himself one on one with Davis but sent his curling strike
past the post as the game opened up. A slip from Papa Bouba Diop allowed
Connolly to race forward and bend a shot just wide, and the same player
spurned another chance moments later. Sam Allardyce's side continued to
press, though, and a well-worked free-kick saw Nolan roll his marker and
bring another good stop from Davis. Chaplow was not too far away with an
angled drive and Guly Do Prado curled an effort past the far post as Saints
came back into it. Guly was presented with another opportunity when a mix-up
between George McCartney and Noble allowed Lambert to pick him out, but the
Brazilian saw his shot blocked by Almunia. In a frantic finish, Noble saw a
free-kick tipped onto the roof of the net and from the resulting corner his
cross flicked off the head of a defender and came back off the far post but
Southampton held on to maintain their 100% home record.

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Southampton 1-0 West Ham: Saints march on in promotion six-pointer
Published 22:09 18/10/11 By Mike Walters
The Mirror

Fancy that – Sam Allardyce was undone by a set piece as plain as the scowl
on his face as it went in. Big Sam was furious as West Ham surrendered their
unbeaten away record and Southampton moved five points clear, in front of a
record St Mary's crowd of 32,150, at the Championship summit. Hammers
manager Allardyce cursed his luck as Julien Faubert's late, deflected cross
rebounded to safety off the foot of a post. But for all the drama of a
hair-raising finish, shaven-headed Faubert did not deserve redemption in the
last chance salon. And Allardyce, 57 on Wednesday, chuntered: "When you get
to my age, you don't celebrate birthdays - you try to forget them. And it's
a big disappointment to lose our away record to the softest of goals. "We
put so much practice into defending set plays, and we have arguably one of
the biggest sides in the League, but for all our big men we didn't have one
who could head the ball clear and prevent us from going 1-0 down. "And after
being so clinical against Blackpool on Saturday, it's even more
disappointing that we fell woefully short of those standards [tonight] in
terms of taking our chances. "Our sharp-shooting goalscorers couldn't find
their shooting boots, so when we wake up in the morning we will find
Southampton are five points ahead of us when, on the balance of play, we
should still have been within two points of them."

Saints were worthy winners, even if this top-of-the-table duel lived down to
most expectations, and the only goal - Dutch defender Jos Hooiveld's header
from a Danny Fox corner - was closer to Bansky graffiti than a Rembrandt
masterpiece for artistic impression. The minute before the interval proved
pivotal, Sam Baldock snatching horribly at a yawning chance six yards out at
one end before Hooiveld, on loan from Celtic, galloped upfield to smuggle
his header past Faubert on the line.

Fortified by 17 consecutive home wins on the bounce, Southampton have
prospered since they subscribed to Nigel Adkins' cocktail of enthusiasm,
high tempo and energy. But this Adkins diet is no passing fad. Saints are
serious contenders for back-to-back promotions, and their ultra-positive
manager said: "There is a belief here that we are moving in the right
direction. "We want to get back in the Premier League, and if we don't do
it this season we will come back and have another go next year. But we are
here on merit because we have good players and a winning mentality.
"Although we didn't keep the ball so well in the second half, we have no
divine right to dominate West Ham."

Baldock, scampering clear after Jose Fonte's slip, planted one chance the
wrong side of the woodwork and saw another smothered by Kelvin Davis as the
Hammers - lacking creativity and composure in the final third - fought in
vain to salvage a point But the Saints marched on, leaving Allardyce holding
out for a halo in vain.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Southampton 1 West Ham 0: Saints display title credentials with hard-fought
win
By GRAHAM OTWAY
Last updated at 11:30 PM on 18th October 2011
Daily Mail

Southampton will not face too many greater physical challenges in the months
ahead as they attempt to turn their best league start for 52 years into
promotion to the Barclays Premier League. West Ham were uncompromising in
their bid to extend their unbeaten away record this season against the only
team above them in the table. But having instilled such discipline in his
side, Sam Allardyce forgot to allow for flexibility once they had fallen
behind to Dutchman Jos Hooiveld's header a minute before half–time. As a
result entertainment was a scarce commodity all night, but it didn't matter
to the home majority among the 32,152 crowd, which represented a club record
since the move to St Mary's from the Dell in 2001. Heading for goal: Jos
Hooiveld beats the West Ham defence to give Southampton the lead just before
half-time On the final whistle, Saints fans were ecstatic to hear that
Middlesbrough had also lost and their lead at the top had been extended to
five points.
Southampton boss Nigel Adkins refused to go over the top about a victory
that maintained their unbeaten start to the season and to a run of 17
straight home victories in all competitions stretching back to last season.
But he did say: 'Twelve games into the season, that's a quarter of the way
through the season, we are top of the table, five points clear and
justifiably so. 'We knew it would be a tough game against West Ham who have
just come down from the Premier League and are looking to get straight back
up. 'But I thought we played some good passing football in the first half
and then when we had to defend in the second half we did it well.'

West Ham manager Allardyce admitted he was disappointed that his side could
not follow up their four-goal rout of Blackpool on Saturday and conceded
from a set piece. 'Our sharp-shooting goalscorers did not have their
shooting boots with them,' he said. 'And we lost to the softest of goals.
'We practise defending against set pieces and we have arguably the biggest
side in the league but those big men could not defend a set piece.' But
Allardyce denied that West Ham created barely a handful of chances all
night. In a bright start, Matt Taylor seized upon confusion in the home
defence following a corner to switch the ball to his favoured left boot and
force veteran Kelvin Davis to deflect the ball around his post with his
body. But the adventurous Taylor, a doubt with a calf injury before the
match, limped off after only 21 minutes and many of West Ham's attacking
ideas went down the tunnel with him.

Just after half-time, Sam Baldock seized on a slip by Jose Fonte to have a
clear run on goal but he shot too early and too wide. Had the deflection
which in the dying minutes diverted Julien Faubert's cross onto the Saints'
woodwork been more telling, it might have given Hammers a point, but one
their lack of forward movement did not deserve. Yet the visitors'
organisation at the back, with Abdoulaye Faye a man mountain as a
replacement for the injured James Tomkins, was effective in
making sure Southampton would struggle to add to their tally of 25 goals
from their previous 11 games. West Ham keeper Manuel Almunia was barely
troubled in the first half, although Fonte glanced a header wide in the 22nd
minute. Without their injured goal creator Adam Lallana for the second match
running, the home side struggled to find a way through and the goal that
turned out to be the match winner arrived from a set piece.

Hooiveld, on loan from Celtic until January, rose above the defence to meet
Daniel Fox's corner and his header was too powerful for Faubert, standing
sentry on the goal-line, to clear. Late in the game, Southampton substitute
Steve de Ridder squeezed the ball under Almunia's body to suggest the
winning margin might have been
doubled. But in the noise from the crowd he had failed to hear referee
Darren Deadman's whistle for an earlier infringement.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Southampton 1 West Ham United 0: match report
By Oliver Brown10:45PM BST 18 Oct 2011 8 Comments
Telegraph.co.uk

Southampton are looking radiant on the 'Adkins diet'. Nigel Adkins might
cultivate the air of an unassuming PE teacher, but he is engineering a quiet
revolution on the South Coast, guiding his charges to an extraordinary
streak of 17 home matches unbeaten. These are auspicious times at St Mary's
Stadium, and never more so in the wake of this doughty thwarting of West
Ham, extending the club's lead at the Championship summit to five points.
Aptly enough, the ground drew a record gate of 32,150; truly, it is becoming
an even greater Southampton attraction than the QEII. And little wonder,
when Adkins' team can play so unconvincingly and yet still prevail in this
tense battle of the division's top two. Jos Hooiveld, the Dutch centre-back
on loan from Celtic, provided the decisive contribution here on the cusp of
half-time, heading in the goal that dispatched Sam Allardyce's physical but
one-dimensional West Ham.

Giddily, Southampton sought to digest their best league start for 52 years.
Even at this early juncture, theirs is the form of champions-elect: indeed,
the last side to beat them at St Mary's were Manchester United in the fourth
round of last season's FA Cup. Their last stumble in the league came, barely
credibly, in Dec 2010.
"There's a lot of positivity around Southampton," Adkins said. "And 12 games
in, a quarter of the way through the season, we sit justifiably at the top
of the league. We're trying to have a winning mentality about everything we
do."

For Sam Allardyce, the missed opportunities were maddening. It is the West
Ham's manager birthday on Wednesday, but he hardly felt like celebrating
after watching John Carew head wide from an enticing position, and Kevin
Nolan miscue in a one-on-one with Southampton goalkeeper Kelvin Davies.
There was also the anxiety of losing midfielder Matt Taylor to a calf
injury. "Unfortunately, our sharp-shooters didn't find their shooting boots.
At least we showed something about what we're really like. We conceded the
softest of goals from our point of view. We were woefully short in terms of
being clinical," he said. The relief was intense at the final whistle, as
Southampton surmounted their most onerous test yet. By the end, they were
simply lining up on the edge of the West Ham box as wave after wave of
attack were beaten back.

Allardyce's players began positively enough, as Henri Lansbury drew a sharp
save from Kelvin Davies. Matt Taylor was also a dynamic presence, forcing
the goalkeeper to deflect the ball around the post. Gradually, though, the
natural hierarchy began to assert itself in an attritional game. Southampton
ratcheted up the pressure, as two chances fell to centre-back Jose Fonte.
Sam Baldock was also guilty of wasting a fine counter-attacking opportunity
for West Ham. Sure enough, the home guard punished the mistake, as Danny Fox
swung in a corner that Hooiveld, the towering Dutchman, headed powerfully
beyond Manuel Almunia. West Ham pressed remorselessly in search of their
point. One deftly-worked free-kick allowed Nolan to evade his marker,
bringing another impressive stop from the overworked Davis. Southampton's
incursions were growing ever fewer, although Guly do Prado was unfortunate
not to capitalise when a mix-up between Mark Noble and George McCartney put
him through. His shot, though, cannoned straight into Almunia's diving
frame. In a frenetic conclusion, Noble saw his free-kick tipped on to the
roof of the net. From the ensuing corner, his attempted cross struck the far
post as Southampton clung on. United, their last conquerors here, have
perfected the technique of winning when playing badly and Adkins' side —
promisingly for their hopes of converting this start into promotion — proved
last night that they could also be masters of that art.

Match details
Southampton (4-4-2): Davis; Richardson, Fonte, Hooiveld, Fox; Hammond,
Chaplow (Harding 74), Schneiderlin, Guly; Lambert, Connolly (Cork 82).
Subs: Bialkowski (g), Harding, Martin, De Ridder.
Booked: Hooiveld, Chaplow.
West Ham United (4-4-2): Almunia; Faubert, Reid, Faye, McCartney; Lansbury,
Bouba Diop (Noble 66), Nolan, Taylor (Piquionne 20); Baldock, Carew.
Subs: Boffin (g), O'Brien, Collison.
Booked: Nolan, Baldock.
Referee: D Deadman (Cambridgeshire).

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham hit back at Hearn, saying club should be Olympic Stadium tenants
By SPORTSMAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 10:49 PM on 18th October 2011
Daily Mail

West Ham have disputed the claim by Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn that
they should be ruled out of the running to be tenants of the Olympic Stadium
in east London after the 2012 Games. Hearn, who revealed Orient had applied
for permission to move to the Olympic Stadium, said the Hammers should be
ruled out under Football League rules. Hearn said last week that his club
would be interested in becoming tenants at the Stratford site after the
Olympic Park Legacy Company reopened the tender process to rent the stadium.
A deal with West Ham and Newham Council collapsed amid legal challenges,
with the Government announcing last week that the stadium would remain in
public ownership and be leased out.

Hearn believes the application to the Football League is significant,
arguing that they would not sanction another member club - West Ham - moving
closer to Orient's home if it affected their business. But West Ham have now
refuted that claim. A spokesman for the club said: 'West Ham have applied in
accordance with the rules and regulations and have been granted permission
to move to the Olympic Stadium.' Hearn told his club's official website: 'We
are asking for a 25,000-seat stadium and we want to see if we can get around
the athletics track. It has to stay, we know that. But can we build up, if
not down, and see if it's possible to get it covered while we play? 'If it
isn't possible, it isn't - and we wouldn't move in with a running track
between the pitch and the crowd.

'We have submitted an application for permission to move to the Football
League, and that permission is something that West Ham don't yet have. 'It
was the Premier League who gave them the green light to move in their
original plan, but they are no longer members of the Premier League. 'The
rules are that the Football League would not sanction a club moving closer
to another club if it affects the business of that other club, and there's
no doubt that West Ham moving there would affect us.
'West Ham can't just assume that they will be in the Premier League by then.
How, therefore, can the Olympic Park Legacy Company, whose job it is to
decide who takes over the stadium, allow West Ham to remain in the bidding
process? We want them thrown out because they don't have permission from the
relevant authority - the Football League.' The Football League were
unavailable for a response to Hearn's comments or West Ham's response.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - II 18th October 2011

Big Sam on Southampton
WHUFC.com
The manager expects his team to defend their unbeaten run at the very least
on Tuesday night
18.10.2011

Sam Allardyce is relishing the prospect of a top-two showdown with Nigel
Adkins' Southampton at the summit of the npower Championship on Tuesday
night. The manager has plenty to ponder as he takes an unbeaten away record
to the team with the best home form in the country - 16 straight wins and
counting. He may well have to make changes but Big Sam is convinced that
whoever wears the claret and blue will rise to the occasion. To help the
cause, the squad were boosted by a visit from an Olympian, who spoke to them
about the will to win and a positive attitude - as well as the benefits of
26 hours of training a week. The manager is keen to make sure his men are as
prepared mentally as they need to be physically ready every time they play.

Olympic gold medallist and world champion rower Mark Hunter came in to speak
to the team on Friday. How has that helped?

SA: He told the lads where he came from and how he got to where he got to.
It was an unbelievably difficult journey. You will have thought most people
would have given up and thought 'it's beyond me' - especially when he
finished last in the first Olympics he was competing in. But he found the
right avenues and he was determined enough to find where the best place was
to get better and better and dedicated himself more and more. It runs along
very similar lines to football. However much you dedicate yourself is what
you reap at the end of it in this game. If you choose to ignore that, you
may be a talented player and you may get a living out of the game but you
won't maximise it. Certainly you strive and ask the players to do that on a
regular basis and it is that which will give us the opportunity to win at
Southampton.

It is a big game, isn't it on Tuesday?

SA: It is a massive game. We have the confidence and opportunity to go and
spoil Southampton's fantastic home record. The amount of wins they have had
on the trot is outstanding. We will have to upset them and try and be the
ones to break that run. Hopefully we can do that. It has been a great start
for Nigel's side and carrying on where they left off last season. It will be
a hugely difficult game, it will be the biggest test we have had this
season. We don't want to give up our away record. It will be a terrific
match and hopefully at the end of it we will still be undefeated.

How do you feel knowing you can go top if you win?

SA: Southampton is a different scenario to Saturday but for me it is about
the players being determined enough to make sure we stay unbeaten away from
home and that will be our goal going into the game. At the very least, when
we finish that game, let's make sure we still have our precious unbeaten
record. We want to hang on to that. Let's see how long we can go in terms of
not getting defeated that will make other teams fear us even more when we go
away and it will grow our confidence away from home to continue that kind of
run.

What's the team news after the weekend?

SA: Carlton [Cole] has a little problem to the ligament at the side of the
knee. They couldn't guarantee that if he went out on the pitch on Saturday
that he would make it worse. We didn't risk him at all. We rested Henri
[Lansbury] because he has played every game and he hasn't really done that
in his career up to now. He went and played two games back to back for the
U21s including one on artificial turf as well. Even though he is a young lad
he looked a little tired. I will have to change the team based on maybe a
couple of injuries - Matt Taylor and James Tomkins - but we will hopefully
have one or two back as well. Mark Noble will be disappointed he didn't
start on Saturday but Papa [Bouba Diop] came in and showed what he can do.
We have good competition for places. We are worried about Matt Taylor's calf
and James Tomkins' groin. We have other players in the frame, hopefully
Carlton and Joey O'Brien. I don't have selection headaches, not now. It is
about selecting the right team and pleasing some people and disappointing
others and dealing with it on a daily basis. It is about pointing out to the
player who is disappointed what the reason is. It could be he isn't playing
well or it could be from a tactical or fatigue point of view.

Important not to rest on your laurels for Tuesday. Will you change the
formation?

SA: I have warned the lads, enjoy the victory on Saturday but we have to be
100 per cent focused on Southampton. We have a very important away record to
keep hold of so we had a little bit of enjoyment on Saturday but we had to
focus the next day. I don't know on the formation. We will have a look at
it. I would think if they are very strong in certain areas then I will adapt
my side to nullify their strength. If we don't we will be one of many teams
that loses there, in fact every team has lost there during the last 16,
haven't they? My tactics will be to nullify the strength that means they win
games at home on a regular basis. If that needs a change of system we will
look at it and then we will build from that. Five away games not being
beaten is one we have to look to continue to master for as long as we
possibly can because it makes life an awful lot easier when we play at home.

Will this be the acid test for you?

SA: They are top of the league and we have Brighton and Leicester after
that. Perhaps the lads will shine above all else when they play the bigger
boys and really show what their abilities are all about. That is what I am
hoping for. We all know how competitive this division is, this division runs
harder, longer and faster at high intensity in distance than the Premier
League. It is the one thing it does better than the Premier League, the one
big thing that stands out. If you are not capable of getting around the
pitch in this league it is always going to be difficult even if you have the
ability because you won't be able to show the ability you have got.

Would a win at Southampton be the perfect birthday present for you ahead of
Wednesday?

SA: I forget about the birthdays now. I am getting closer to 60 and I don't
really want to know about that! The lads have given me a really good shot in
the arm by the way they have played and hopefully they will give me an early
birthday present Tuesday night before Wednesday.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Joy for John
WHUFC.com
John Carew is revelling in his role as both goalscorer and mentor at West
Ham United
18.10.2011

He has played at the very highest level and alongside some of the finest
forwards in the modern game, but John Carew is thoroughly enjoying life at
West Ham United. The Norway striker, who has been capped 90 times and won
league titles in his homeland, Spain and France, has partnered the likes of
Francesco Totti and David Villa during a hugely successful career. However,
his appetite for playing football, winning matches and passing on his
immense experience to new strike partner Sam Baldock have not been
diminished. The 32-year-old was at his best in Saturday's 4-0 npower
Championship win over Blackpool, scoring a trademark header - his third goal
in three games for club and country - setting up a goal for Baldock and
giving the Tangerines back four a thorough going over with his power,
movement and outstanding technique.

The three-times Norwegian Footballer of the Year might has won plenty of
medals already, but he now has his sights on adding another one to his
collection. "It felt good to have a game like this at home that we won
convincingly against a decent team who came down from the Premier League
last year," he told West Ham TV. "I think we took another step up to where
we should be level-wise so it was a good feeling. "We played really good
offensive football, so it was great. We know we haven't taken enough points
at home from the beginning - the reason for that I don't know - but I think
we've taken a step in the right direction in the last few games.
"We showed that we're near where we should be and I really enjoyed playing
out there, being out on the pitch. The fans were fantastic, so I really
enjoyed the atmosphere and playing good football. The spirit is so nice and
they're a great bunch of lads, so it's very enjoyable."

While his roll call of former partners is like a who's who of European
football, Carew admitted he is relishing the opportunity to help 22-year-old
Baldock on his own path to the top of the game. The pair have spent time
working on their partnership on and off the pitch - something that was
clearly evident to anyone who saw their movement and combination play on
Saturday. The only sour note came when Carew chose to curl a shot over the
crossbar rather than tee-up Baldock for what would have been his hat-trick
goal midway through the second half. "Sam loves me! I set up his second
goal, remember? I actually didn't see him. I looked up early and then
lowered my head again and decided what to do, then I saw him come in after.
Luckily it wasn't decisive, but he still has to thank me for his second
goal! "We do talk in the dressing room. It's important we do that, because
he is young and I have played for 15 years at the top level and I have
played with quite a few top strikers in my career. I think he could be
really, really good. "I think he has a big future ahead of him, so I'm just
trying to give him small bits of advice all the time - things that I've
learned playing with great players like Pablo Aimar, Francesco Totti and
David Villa. I also played with Gabriel Agbonlahor together for three years
and we did really well together. "I spoke a lot to Agbonlahor as well and he
has turned into a great player, so the advice I can give to Sam I will
always be ready to give. "If I can help him to develop and be a good
influence, I will do my best to do so because I have been in the game for
one and a half decades. Hopefully I've learned something along the way that
I can pass on to someone else."

While he is looking forward to seeing Baldock continue to develop, Carew is
also excited about the prospect of Tuesday's table-top clash at Southampton.
Victory over the Saints - wrecking their 100 per cent home record in the
process - would send West Ham top of the table. Carew also believes success
on the south coast would further strengthen the Hammers' title credentials
following Saturday's thumping win over Blackpool. "I think it will be the
next step for us to do something there because we are good enough to change
their home record. Giving Southampton their first loss at home is our goal
and I think we're good enough to do that. Hopefully we can do that. "Being
in the top two doesn't put pressure on us - in fact it has the opposite
effect. It has given us a confidence boost, because it's a bit more of a
struggle if you're fourth or fifth and you know you have pressure on
yourself to win and not drop even further. "We played against a direct
opponent in Blackpool on Saturday - I think they'll be up there in fourth or
fifth in the course of the season - so I think it was a very important for
us to win. If we had lost, there would have been more pressure on us to have
to try to catch up. "This gave us more confidence to go up to second."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Leyton Orient 'applies for London 2012 Olympic Stadium'
BBC.co.uk

Leyton Orient says it is applying to move to the Olympic Stadium - after the
deal handing it to West Ham collapsed. The Olympic Park Legacy Company
(OPLC) cancelled the original deal, blaming delays caused by a legal dispute
with Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs had launched a bid for a judicial review into
the decision after its own campaign to move to the venue was overlooked in
favour of the Hammers. But Orient said it would only move if the athletics
track was covered. The club's chairman, Barry Hearn, said: "We want to see
if we can get around the athletics track. "It has to stay, we know that.
"But can we build up, not down, and see if it's possible to get it covered
while we play?"

West Ham has already said it still hopes to move into the stadium after the
games. Tottenham Hotspur is negotiating with the Mayor of London for public
money to help it develop a new ground in Tottenham. On Monday the club
withdrew its bid for a judicial review into the handing of the Olympic
Stadium to West Ham, according to a government spokeswoman.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Joey's back
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 18th October 2011
By: Staff Writer

Joey O'Brien could make his return to first team action in tonight's top of
the table clash at Southampton. West Ham travel to St Mary's in second place
in the Championship following Saturday's 4-0 demolition of Blackpool at the
Boleyn Ground. And with Sam Allardyce set to make changes to the team that
brushed aside the Tangerines' challenge, less than 72 hours ago, O'Brien is
poised to make his return to first team action having just recovered from
injury. Allardyce, who will almost certainly revert to his favoured 4-5-1
formation for the trip to the current league leaders - who currently enjoy
an unblemished home record that reads played five, won five - will almost
certainly drop last weekend's man of the match Sam Baldock.

Mark Noble, who was a late substitute against Blackpool could also come into
the reckoning, although Papa Boupa Diop - who has been magnificent in his
first two starts for the club - is expected to retain his starting spot.
Definitely out are Rob Green - for whom Manuel Almunia will continue to
deputise - and Guy Demel, who is yet to make his Hammers debut due to a
hamstring injury that has plagued him since moving to England at the end of
August. Allardyce is also without the services of David Bentley, who has
returned to Tottenham for treatment after being told he was likely to miss
the next six months through injury.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Southampton v West Ham United - Match Preview
KUMb.com
Filed: Tuesday, 18th October 2011
By: Preview Percy

We're working Preview Percy hard this week. The theory was that if we asked
him to write two columns in four days he'd finally take the hint and get
lost. Oh well, at least the nurses in his rest home will get a few hours off
from being chased all over the place as he takes his usual slightly warped
look at Tuesday's visit to Southampton. We're just surprised he's realised
that they've moved from the Dell. As usual, John Northcutt supplies a
welcome burst of statistical sanity at the end. Or at least he will do once
one or two technical glitches are sorted out here at Kumb Towers...

And so we head to the deep south for the first of two matches on the
seaside. First up we have Southampton who we face in a 7.45pm kick off at St
Mary's.

I need hardly tell anyone that this match represents a clash of the top two
in the league, with us sitting two points behind them. They have a 100%
record at St Mary's having seen off Leeds, Millwall, Forest, Birmingham and
Watford on their own turf, whilst we are unbeaten on the road so this is a
big one for both clubs. Their two defeats this season have come at Leicester
(2-3) and at Cardiff (1-2).

This will be the second top four clash in four days for the home team,
having come away from Saturday's clash with Derby County with a point from a
1-1 draw. Although the Saints came from behind, the fact that Rams' keeper
Frank Fielding gained many of the man of the match plaudits should give some
sort of clue as to how deserved the point was, though other reports suggest
that Derby had chances to pinch it at the end.

They've had some fun in recent years on the ownership front. After a period
of administration they were bought in 2009 by Markus Liebherr whose family
made their fortune making construction equipment. Liebherr appointed Nicola
Cortese as executive chairman and a certain Alan Pardew as manager. Sadly,
Liebherr passed away in August 2010 after suffering a heart attack. Rumours
abounded that all was not well between Pardew and those charged with the day
to day running of the club and it had been suggested that Pardew remained in
place only due to Liebherr's patronage. True or not, it is a fact that
Pardew was sacked within three weeks of Liebherr's demise, though there were
some who mischievously suggested that Pardew left out of disappointment when
he discovered that Nicola Cortese was an Italian businessman rather than a
woman as he had hoped.

Pardew's replacement was Scunthorpe manager Nigel Adkins who guided them to
promotion from the third tier alongside Brighton. Like their fellow
south-coasters they have made a decent start to the season, though Brighton
have faded a little of late.

In goal they have veteran 'keeper Kelvin Davies. Club captain Davies nearly
became a Hammer in the summer of 2009 when all was chaos at St Marys.
However the arrival of the new owners prompted Davies to stay with the club,
preferring guaranteed first team action to a life on the bench understudying
Rob Green, which is fair enough.

A brief trawl through various Southampton discussion boards suggests that
the potential absence of attacking midfielder Adam Lallana is a worry –well
for the supporters at least. There is a perception amongst the faithful that
they struggle when the player isn't about and he did miss the trip to Pride
Park at the weekend with a foot problem. Official reports suggest that they
are hopeful that Lallana will be fit for this match. On the other hand,
unofficial reports suggest that the player missed Monday training and that
he was seen at the training ground (or "complex" as I understand we must
call such places these days) on crutches. Such comments are obviously about
as reliable as the tube these days (has Wright-Phillips finished that
medical yet?) so caution is advised before placing any credence in such
reports.

One who definitely won't be making an appearance is defender Dan Seaborne.
Seaborne was on the wrong end of a beating outside a nightclub a few weeks
ago that left him with a serious head injury. Arrests have been made and it
would be probably be prudent to say no more.

In midfield during the summer they picked up Jack Cork from Chelsea for a
reported £750,000. Cork is the son of the old Wimbledon striker Alan Cork,
who gave his son the decidedly un-Crazy Gang middle name of "Porteous" ,
though I suppose knowing that lot it's always possible that he did it for a
bet. Cork made exactly zero appearances for Chelsea, presumably Abrahamovic
thinking him too cheap to display in his nice shiny first team.

Up front the current form horse is Ricky Lambert. The first signing of the
Pardew era, his goals were instrumental in securing last season's promotion
and his nine league goals so far this season suggests that the move up a
division is not one that has caused him many sleepless nights. He's capable
of scoring in the air and on the ground from open play and I seem to recall
the odd free kick from time to time on the highlights shows as well – though
they tend to be on late at night and the medication they give me in this
place to keep me out of mischief can often play tricks with the memory.
However, he's definitely one to keep an eye on.

Disappointingly for those who remember the movie "Mike Bassett England
Manager" Lambert's strike partner is the familiar figure of David Connolly,
rather than someone named Butler. During his spell at the Boleyn Connolly
was famously christened "Angry Ant" by Glenn Roeder when the player took
exception to being left out of the side in favour of Neil Mellor, whose
first contact with his team mates was being picked up at a motorway service
area on his way to the match. He's been with Southampton for two years now,
which, early spells with Watford and Feyenoord apart, is just about as long
as he's spent in any one place. At 34 he's entering the veteran stage of his
career but, like the aforementioned Lallana, he has scored 4 times in the
league this season, which indicates that he can still do a job at this
level.

Our turn now. Well that was a decent performance and result at the weekend
wasn't it?! It did come at something of a cost though. James Tomkins is
struggling with a recurrence of the groin problem that kept him out a few
weeks ago and once more we look a bit short in depth in the central
defensive areas. If Tomkins is not available – and the noises emanating from
the club suggest that this will be the case - Faye will come in to accompany
Reid. If anything happens to them we'll then be looking at people to "fill
in" in unfamiliar positions – always a worry.

Also doubtful is Matt Taylor, who was limping for a good few minutes before
the ball went dead and he could be replaced on Saturday. Sadly, during this
spell he did try and chase back a few times, bless him. Laudable as his
efforts were one hopes that they didn't worsen the calf injury from which he
was clearly suffering.

Another absentee will be Guy Demel whose hamstring continues to delay his
debut. Another player injured before he starts then. We must be up to three
figures for those by now.

On the bright side Joey O'Brien is ready again, though Faubert's recent good
form on the right hand side means that O'Brien's selection may depend on
which of the half dozen or so formations Mr Allardyce has in mind for this
one. The boss has already hinted that, despite the fine game that Baldrick
had at the weekend, he might not form part of the manager's cunning plans
for this one.

Of those given the day off against Blackpool, Lansbury and Cole will both
return to the squad. If we do go with one up front (or three as Mr Allardyce
insists we do) Carew's form last week suggests that he might be a better
bet. The Norwegian held the ball up exceedingly well against the Tangerines,
though we'll need to get the "other two" up alongside him a lot better than
we've been doing with that formation thus far this season if that plan is to
work.

This is the biggest match of the season thus far. We've managed to hit
second spot without ever quite having an extended run of good form. Whether
the lack of consistency can be attributed to chopping and changing
formations to deal with the opposition is a fair question. Certainly the
manager's comments about picking a team to nullify Southampton's strengths –
as opposed to making them worry about ours – seems to suggest that we'd have
seem a different starting line-up for this one even without the changes that
are likely to be enforced through injury.

A win here would take us into top spot and I think that the confidence to be
gained from taking three points from this one would see the start of a run
that would see us start to pull away. However they are no mugs and they will
be up for this with a decent-sized crowd under the lights. So this week's
Preview Percy Prediction –which is invariably totally wrong – is for a 2-2
draw.

Enjoy the game!

When Last We Met: In our relegation season of 2003 we drew 1-1 down there
with a poacher's goal from Defoe giving us the point. Earlier that season at
home we went down 1-0 to an injury time goal from James Baettie in what was
just about the visitors' only attack of the match. It's not a new problem
then.

Referee: Darren Deadman – I can't find any trace of him having refereed us
in the past. He has shuttled between The Championship and League One this
season, taking charge of four matches in the higher level. He was in charge
at Leyton Orient on Saturday but unfortunately he failed to annoy Barry
Hearn.

Danger Man: Ricky Lambert – the division's top scorer – 'nuff said. (though
that unwritten law that says players will score against their old side means
that Connolly will also be a threat).

Daft Fact of The Week: One of Southampton's most famous sons was the late
Benny Hill. Hill's career went on the slide when his tv series was cancelled
and he died in 1992 – on the same day a contract arrived in the post for him
to produce a whole new series of specials for Central TV. Frankie Howerd
died about the same time and some newspapers published a tribute from Hill
not realising that he himself had been dead for a few days.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Almunia eyes Hammers stay
Spanish stopper enjoying time with Hammers
Last Updated: October 18, 2011 10:36am
SSN

Arsenal's goalkeeper Manuel Almunia says he hopes to extend his loan at West
Ham. The 34-year-old was signed by the Hammers as cover for Robert Green
after falling out of favour at the Emirates. Almunia is set to deputise for
Green once again at Southamptonon Tuesday night and admits he is enjoying
his spell with the club.
"It's good to feel the game again," he told The Sun. "We will see if I
extend my loan. At the moment I am happy - it is a great club with nice
people and that's enough for me." West Ham are currently second in the
Championship table following the demolition of Blackpool at the weekend.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hearn fuming with Johnson
O's chairman was Mayor removed from decision process
Last Updated: October 18, 2011 10:05am
SSN

Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn is fuming with London mayor Boris Johnson
for stating West Ham were favourites for the Olympic Stadium. Orient will
bid again to occupy the stadium when the re-tendering process begins next
month but Hearn has written to the Government to try to have Johnson
excluded from the decision-making process. This is because Johnson, when
confirming that the venue would be rented to a football club, stated that
The Hammers were the favourites to win the bidding. That comment has irked
Hearn and The O's supremo has confirmed his lawyers have written to the
Government in a bid to try and have the mayor excluded from deciding the
future the stadium.

Outrageous

"The crux of this is that we have a mayor who has come out with the most
outrageous statement," commented Hearn. "He has effectively said that West
Ham are off-on certainties. This is the man who has the final sign-off on
the Olympic Stadium. But by his statement he has rendered the whole bidding
process a waste of time.
"My lawyers have written to the Government asking, in light of Boris
Johnson's comments, whether he is the right man to make the decision and,
more importantly, if a deal has already been done behind closed doors:
'Don't worry West Ham, we have to do this a different way, but you are in.'
"Boris could have said anything better for us. It is so challengeable."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Bevan comments met with concern
Clubs angered by suggestions of Premier League franchise
Last Updated: October 18, 2011 11:59am
SSN

A number of club chairmen, owners and managers have spoken of their concern
at suggestions that promotion and relegation in the Premier League could be
scrapped. The chief executive of the League Managers' Association, Richard
Bevan, said on Monday that American and Asian owners of top-flight sides are
keen on a franchising model. However, the widespread reaction to Bevan's
comments has been negative. The Wigan chairman, Dave Whelan, said: "It's the
most stupid suggestion I've ever heard in my life. "If it was to happen I
would resign Wigan from the Premier League and go back and play in the
Football League. "It's a worrying thought that if we get 14 or 15 foreign
owners (in the Premier League), they come up with some mad idea and it gets
voted through. It would ruin and kill English football. "It's got to be
competitive, every club has got to have that ambition to get to the Premier
League, that's why our league is so good. It's an appalling suggestion. It
would ruin and kill English football." The Manchester United manager, Sir
Alex Ferguson, said on Monday: "I don't see where the end product comes in.
"There are at least eight teams in the Championship at the moment with great
history. "What do you say to those eight teams, they can never play in the
Premier League? "You may as well lock the doors. It would be absolute
suicide for the rest of the teams in the country, particularly the
Championship."

History

West Ham's co-owner David Sullivan told The Sun: "With no promotion or
relegation to or from the Prem it's not football as we know it - all history
and tradition.
"The 'new' brigade would argue the Premier League is a new entity and a new
brand. But in reality it's Division One under another name. "I'm sure they'd
like to turn it into the NFL. Yet it would kill the game outside the Premier
League if no clubs could be promoted to it and it would even hurt a lot of
the excitement within it."

Meanwhile, Leeds owner Ken Bates said in the Daily Mail: "Maybe there is
some insecurity or feelings of inferiority driving these ideas. "Maybe they
don't have the confidence to run a successful club. Maybe they are scared of
going down. All I would say is that if they don't like our system and our
rules, they should go somewhere else. "English football was a first-class
operation before the foreign owners came and it will still be first class
when they have gone. If they don't like it then they should get out."

And Aston Villa, whose chairman Randy Lerner is American, released a
statement on their official website asking Bevan to clarify his comments. It
read: "We were confused and surprised by Mr Bevan's remarks today stating
that unnamed American and Asian owners have been talking about scrapping
promotion and relegation to the Premier League. "If he intended this group
to specifically include Aston Villa, as could be inferred from his comments,
then we would ask him to confirm as much.
"We might also add that the founding of the Football League in 1888 was led
by a previous chairman of Aston Villa, William McGregor."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Southampton and West Ham seek seasonal surge in top-of-the-table clash
The sense of two teams still seeking their level makes for a fascinating
prospect as first meets second in the Championship
Guardian.co.uk

On the face of it tonight's match between Southampton and West Ham at St
Mary's represents a collision of the mutually buoyant: it is the biggest
game in the Championship so far this season, a meeting of first and second
in the table and a chance for two clubs with a genuine (and in West Ham's
case rather desperate) hunger for promotion to gouge an early-season lump
out of each other's ambitions of setting up a decisive autumnal surge away
from the chasing pack.

Beyond that it is still impossible to contemplate a meeting between these
two attractive middleweight top-tier regulars of the 1980s and 1990s without
seeing the joins, noting the scar tissue and being reminded that these are
still essentially two clubs in the process of bouncing back.

Southampton, with their enviable stable ownership, their recent promotion,
their settled team may in fact claim to have already bounced back. But it is
still a process and successes have come only very recently. That these two
clubs are both operating in reduced circumstances is illustrated by the
simple fact of their own most recent meetings. The last time they played
each other outside the top tier was in 1952 (a full 54 matches ago).

Generally, at this stage of the season at least one Championship promotion
hopeful will stir itself and make a decisive push for breathing space away
from the pack. Both West Ham and Southampton have a convincing case for an
autumnal surge, albeit their differing strengths are perhaps best
illustrated by comparing their squads. West Ham in particular still bear the
scars of last season's relegation in their 35-man jambalaya of pressed men,
coming men, men who once were and men who might still be.

Sam Allardyce is perhaps still stumbling across the right combinations in
among this superfluity of manpower. The pairing of John Carew and Sam
Baldock up front against Blackpool last weekend brought three goals in eight
second-half minutes and a hint of an encouraging big-man-small-man
chemistry. Allardyce enthused, in particular, about Baldock's movement
afterwards. Whether Carlton Cole regains his place this evening after being
rested might be telling.

There is a managerial contrast here too. In Allardyce, West Ham have opted
for an unpopular pragmatist – and with some immediate dividends.
Southampton's Nigel Adkins is a rather more modern breed, the kind of
media-trained, visibly ambitious, holistically inclined career manager that
appears to be very much current trend, a Championship-level André
Villas-Boas. Adkins has known nothing but success so far and is clearly a
man riding a crest of momentum. He is a likeable and energetic figure,
extremely popular with a settled squad that has tended to nurture and
promote from below rather than hauling in a land-grab of established stars.

No doubt this has helped provide a welcome sense of continuity after a spell
of seven managerial changes in three years before the advent of Adkins, not
to mention 15 changes of manager since the turn of the century.

Southampton have won every single home game this season, success based
around a tendency to keep the ball and attack in waves. Rickie Lambert, who
has 11 goals so far this season ahead of his 400th career appearance, has
been a continued revelation this season, his ability to find space and use
the ball intelligently key to Southampton's success at the higher level.

Saints missed Adam Lallana's explosive qualities against Derby at the
weekend. He may return tonight after a foot injury. If he does Lallana will
embody another passing point of comparison between these two sides:
Southampton currently have one of the most successful youth set-ups in the
country, another attribute that is often a barometer of internal stability.
During West Ham's happier times it was a status quo in the manager's office
that helped nurture and promote the fruits of what is still a productive
academy.

Whoever wins at St Mary's will be top of the table and well-placed to launch
a gear shift towards promotion. It is a slightly giddy time for both these
newcomers to the division, a clash of two sets of players with differing
expectations and two managers with contrasting styles. It is always a bit of
a shame the Championship's most resonant matches often centre around the key
issue of not to wanting to play in the division any more, but in this case
the sense of two teams still seeking their level makes for a genuinely
fascinating prospect.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Irons Insight: Hammers face stern test at St Mary's
London24
Matt Porter
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
1:59 PM

I've got a fairly decent recollection of 15 August 2009. After a lovely
detour around our long-standing away day nemesis – the M6 toll road – we
arrived at Molineux in the baking sunshine to see West Ham open the Premier
League season with a convincing 2-0 win over Wolves. On that same day,
battle-hardened Southampton fans navigated their way up the country to the
Galpharm Stadium in Huddersfield to witness their team crashing to a 3-1
defeat. The result left the club rooted to the bottom of the League One
table with an implausible minus 9 points, having entered administration
during the close season. How quickly fortunes change. While the Saints have
enjoyed a fairytale renaissance over the past two years, the Irons have
lurched from one crisis to another. Now on a level playing field, they meet
at St. Mary's this evening in a top-of-the-table Championship clash. On the
face of it, the match promises to be an entertaining contest between the two
highest scorers in the division, the reality is that we may see an
altogether more cagey affair. The tone may be set by the team selection.
Despite his two goals against Blackpool at the weekend, it would appear
almost certain that Sam Baldock will drop back down to the bench tonight.
And rightly so. The team remain unbeaten away from home playing a 4-5-1
formation (however much Big Sam protests that it's actually 4-3-3) and it
makes perfect sense to stick to that formula.

It's harsh on Baldock – whose pace and composure in front of goal provided a
breath of fresh air on Saturday – but this is a results business. Upon his
arrival Big Sam promised we'd see two different types of West Ham – a home
team and an away team. At the weekend we finally saw the 'home' team in
action. For the meantime, it would seem that Baldock's role within the squad
will see him feature more at the Boleyn than on the road. With back-to-back
games on the South Coast in the coming days, Allardyce's squad promises to
be put to the test, and this time next week we'll have a much better idea as
to how well-equipped the Hammers are to make that immediate return to the
top flight.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce: He's got the mark of a champion
Ken Dyer
18 Oct 2011
Evening Standard

Sam Allardyce is hoping that the testimony of Olympic gold medallist Mark
Hunter will help inspire his players to turn promotion dreams into reality.
Allardyce, who is looking for his team to overtake Southampton at the top of
the Championship tonight with a win at St Mary's, said: "If you get a
world-class sportsman who wants to come and talk to you it's an opportunity
you can't afford to turn down. "As a West Ham fan, Mark was thrilled to come
down and talk to our players on the day before the Blackpool game and it
showed the players what an outstanding individual he is, not just in terms
of his time but his dedication and the way he dealt with, particularly, the
setbacks in his quest to reach his targets. "He gave us an indication of not
just the commitment but the pain he had to suffer to get to the top in
rowing. "Most people would probably have given up before he won his biggest
race but he drove himself to the end to realise his dream. Unfortunately,
sportsmen like Mark don't get the accolades they deserve because rowing is
not a high-profile sport but what was impressive was the satisfaction that
oozed out of him because he had made those dreams a reality. "The lads
enjoyed it because, although we might believe we are dedicated in what we
do, we can always do that little bit more and he demonstrated that
dedication."

West Ham midfielder Jack Collison, meanwhile, believes his recent omission
from the team has helped him regain some sharpness. He scored his first goal
for 22 months in the 4-0 win over Blackpool and said today: "I can't knock
the manager for not playing me because I was disappointed in my own form.
"Tonight is a massive game and all the boys are really looking forward to
it. Our away form is superb, so we're not going there with any fear."

James Tomkins (groin) and Matt Taylor (calf) are major doubts but Joey
O'Brien, Carlton Cole and Henri Lansbury return to the squad.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Abolishing Premier League relegation would 'kill' football: David Sullivan
London, Oct 18 : new.Kerala.com

West Ham supreme David Sullivan reckons abolishing Premier League relegation
would ''kill'' football. Sullivan said: "With no promotion or relegation to
or from the Prem it''s not football as we know it — all history and
tradition. The ''new'' brigade would argue the Premier League is a new
entity and a new brand. But in reality it''s Division One under another
name," The Sun quoted Sullivan, as saying. "I''m sure they''d like to turn
it into the National Football League (NFL). Yet it would kill the game
outside the Premier League if no clubs could be promoted to it and it would
even hurt a lot of the excitement within it," he added. zullivan does,
though, feel a revamp of the traditional system could lift the razzmatazz
value. "I could see two relegation spots making sense, instead of three.
Maybe even the 19th club in play-offs with second, third and fourth in the
Championship," he said. Having the Premier League as a safe haven for
failure would also harm the much-needed cash flow in football, he said,
insisting: "Abolishing relegation would hurt Sky TV as well. I bet they sold
a lot of satellite dishes in Swansea, Norwich and West London this year. And
had this rule been brought in 10 years ago, Manchester City would not even
be in the Premier League!"
--ANI

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Championship Previews: Saints' home record to take a Hammering
Andrew French / 18 October 2011
Betfair.com

"Despite being second, you get the feeling that West Ham haven't yet found
their stride – it may be harsh, but you also get the impression that Saints
really are currently at the top of their game." Top of the table Southampton
have won every home game this season, but Andrew French believes that run
will come to an end when title favourites West Ham visit St Mary's Stadium
tonight.

Southampton v West Ham, KO: Tuesday 19:45, Match Odds: Southampton 2.3, West
Ham 3.4, The Draw 3.6

Top of the league with a 100% home record - this isn't some early-season
dizzy spell, Southampton are looking down on the rest of the Championship by
rights. Yet this is a division where nothing - good or bad - lasts for very
long, and they will get one of their sternest tests so far when they host
second-placed West Ham, especially as the visitors can go top with a win.

Having lauded the Saints, let's just get a little bit picky: three of their
five home successes have come against teams currently 20th, 21st and 23rd.
The Hammers are unbeaten in their five away games and, crucially against a
side that has been scoring for fun on home soil, they've kept three clean
sheets on the road. Despite being second, you get the feeling that West Ham
haven't yet found their stride - it may be harsh, but you also get the
impression that Saints really are currently at the top of their game. In
other words, there's more headroom for improvement from Sam Allardyce's
side, and therefore it's not unreasonable to expect them to be able to find
that bit more when it counts in this division.

It's tempting to suggest laying The Saints but the price is a little too big
for me to advise that, so instead I think backing the Hammers in the Draw No
Bet market makes plenty of appeal.

Back West Ham @ 2.44 in Draw No Bet

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Almunia: West Ham are the best team in the Championship
London24
Dave Evans, West Ham Correspondent
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
8:41 AM

West Ham's new goalkeeper Manuel Almunia believes the Hammers are the best
team in the Championship after keeping a clean sheet in his second West Ham
game against Blackpool on Saturday. The experienced Arsenal goalkeeper
stepped in at a day's notice for the Crystal Palace match following the
injury to Robert Green, but he now feels that he has settled into his new
surroundings at Upton Park. "The first game came very quickly, I just
trained one day and then I played after not playing for a few months,"
explained the 34-year-old Spaniard. "But in the last week I've been training
every day, making contact with the players and setting things up and
everything is right now. "I feel very good and happy with the victory
today."

In truth, Almunia had very little to do against the Seasiders as the West
Ham defence held them at bay, and the goalkeeper rates the Hammers back-line
very highly.
"I was very pleased with a clean sheet and with the work and effort of the
team," he said. "Blackpool are a good side, they played in the Premier
League last season and we were expecting some better play from them, but I
think we used our style well. "We have a strong defence. They are Premier
League players and they have the qualities and the skills to be great
defenders in this league," he insisted. "With good communication we can do
anything because these players have talent to be playing in the Premier
League."

So are they better than the Arsenal defence at the moment? Almunia was
suitably diplomatic. "It is a different style," he said. "Arsenal like to
play with the ball from the back, so that is different to West Ham's style,
but we have the right players for that. "For me, we have the best team in
the league. As well as that I think everyone is very committed, the team as
well as the manager and I think we are going to be at the top of the table
for the whole season."

So what about the goalkeeper's ambitions? Does he want to stay at West Ham
and is it a huge drop to play in the Championship? "I want to play as many
games as I can here and not disappoint the manager and the club," he said.
"We will have to see about anything else, but at the moment I am happy. "It
is a good club, nice people and that is enough for me. It is good to play
the game again and with people here it is easy. "It is football. Champions
League or Championship or anything, you have to do the same things. "The
style is different and the quality of the players is different, but it is
football and I enjoy playing no matter what category."

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http://vyperz.blogspot.com

Daily WHUFC News - 18th October 2011

Southampton match preview
WHUFC.com
All the background and early team news for Tuesday night's meeting of the
top two
17.10.2011

SOUTHAMPTON V WEST HAM UNITED
npower CHAMPIONSHIP
TUESDAY 18 OCTOBER 2011
KICK-OFF: 7.45PM
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV

Introduction
• West Ham United travel to the league leaders Southampton knowing that a
victory would take them to the top of the npower Championship. The Saints,
however, have been imperious at home, and are on a run of 16 straight wins
at St. Mary's.
• Victory would be the perfect early birthday present for Sam Allardyce,
with the manager turning 57 on Wednesday. The Hammers are one of only two
teams in the division - along with Middlesbrough - who have not lost away
from home this season.
• The Hammers have not topped a table since they led the way for 24 hours in
the fledgling Barclays Premier League standings on 22 August 2006 with a 1-1
draw at Watford.
• Both teams are new to the Championship this campaign. The Hammers were
relegated from the Premier League while the Saints finished second in League
One, three points behind Brighton & Hove Albion, to earn promotion. West Ham
go to Brighton on Monday.
• This is the Hammers' 12th npower Championship fixture of 2011/12 after a
third home league victory of the season on Saturday. The Hammers have
previously beaten Portsmouth (4-3) and Peterborough United (1-0), drawn with
Leeds United (2-2) and lost to Cardiff City and Ipswich Town (both 0-1).
• Southampton sit two points ahead of the Hammers after a fantastic start to
life back in the second tier. In all, the Saints have won their previous 16
home matches in all competitions - a run stretching back to a 2-1 FA Cup
fourth-round defeat by Manchester United on 29 January.
• In the league, Southampton have won their previous 14 home matches, won 16
of their last 17 and not lost since going down 2-0 to Brentford on 11
December 2010.
• Southampton have scored in every league game they have played this season,
although have just one win in their last four matches.
• West Ham have never won at St Mary's, losing 2-0 in January 2002 and
drawing 1-1 in April 2003. The clubs have not been in the same division
since that campaign, although there was a 2-2 friendly draw on 1 August 2008
- the last meeting of the clubs.
• Southampton's best home showing against the Hammers was a 6-2 win on 4
February 1967, while they also won 4-0 on 27 August 1988. Both games were
played at The Dell.
• West Ham have four times won by a two-goal margin at Southampton. Three of
which were 2-0 wins, the most recent being courtesy of Trevor Morley and Lee
Chapman on 29 November 1993. There was also a 4-2 away triumph for the
Hammers on 26 December 1935.
• Only Kevin Nolan has started every league game for West Ham this season.
He also played in the Carling Cup first round.
• Rickie Lambert has scored eleven goals in all competitions and is the
league's leading scorer this season with nine. Sam Baldock has eight in all
competitions, including six for MK Dons.
Team news
West Ham United
• Joey O'Brien should be fit for a recall if selected after a hamstring
problem. The manager is also keeping an eye on Brian Montenegro's form after
three goals in three matches for the development squad.
• Henri Lansbury could also be involved after being rested against
Blackpool. It remains to be seen if Carlton Cole will be fit after a minor
ligament issue that cost him his place at the weekend, although he has been
training.
• Matt Taylor (calf) and James Tomkins (groin) are doubtful after limping
off on Saturday.
• Robert Green is nearly halfway through a six-week recovery after his knee
cartiliage surgery.
• Guy Demel is making good progress from a hamstring injury that has delayed
his debut.
• Gary O'Neil (ankle) is out with long-term ankle injury.
• On-loan David Bentley is unlikely to play again this season after major
knee surgery on Tuesday.
• Pablo Barrera and Jordan Spence are on season-long loans at Real Zaragoza
and Bristol City respectively. Ahmed Abdulla and Cristian Montano (Swindon
Town), Jordan Brown (Aldershot Town), Robert Hall (Oxford United), Herita
Ilunga (Doncaster Rovers), Olly Lee (Dagenham & Redbridge), Callum
McNaughton (AFC Wimbledon), Frank Nouble (Gillingham), Marek Stech (Yeovil
Town) and Dominic Vose (Braintree) are all out on temporary loans.

Southampton
• Attack-minded midfielder Adam Lallana is set to return after a foot injury
kept him out of the 1-1 draw at Derby on Saturday.
• Frazer Richardson is doubtful after coming off against Derby, meaning a
possible recall for Danny Butterfield at right-back. Dan Seabourne is still
sidelined.
Last time out
Saturday 15 October 2011
npower Championship
West Ham United 4-0 Blackpool
West Ham: Almunia, Faubert, Tomkins (Faye 60), Reid, McCartney, Collison,
Bouba Diop, Nolan, Taylor (Sears 62), Baldock, Carew (Noble 80)
Subs not used: Boffin, Piquionne
Goals: Carew 12, Baldock 47, 51, Collison 55
Saturday 15 October 2011
npower Championship
Derby County 1-1 Southampton
Southampton: Davis, Richardson (Hammond 73), Fonte, Fox, Hooiveld,
Schneiderlin, Cork, Guly (Harding 90), Chaplow (De Ridder 59), Lambert,
Connolly
Subs not used: Bialkowski, Martin
Goal: Lambert 61
Previous meetings
• The most recent competitive meeting between the sides was the 1-1 draw at
St Mary's on 5 April 2003. James Beattie put the home side in front on 44
minutes before Jermain Defoe's equaliser seven minutes from time.
Southampton: Niemi, Telfer, Lundekvam, Bridge, M Svensson (A Svensson),
Fernandes, Oakley, Marsden, Prutton, Beattie, Ormerod (Davies 67)
West Ham United: James, Johnson, Pearce, Repka, Brevett, Sinclair, Bowyer,
Lomas (Cisse 45), Cole, Ferdinand (Kanoute 58), Defoe
Last six meetings
5 April 2003 - Southampton 1-1 West Ham United
2 December 2002 - West Ham United 0-1 Southampton
30 January 2002 - Southampton 2-0 West Ham United
20 October 2001 - West Ham United 2-0 Southampton
5 May 2001 - West Ham United 3-0 Southampton
25 November 2000 - Southampton 2-3 West Ham United
Overall record v Southampton (all competitions) W 36 D 26 L 29
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2010/11 Premier League 20th (relegated to Championship)
2009/10 Premier League 17th
2008/09 Premier League 9th
2007/08 Premier League 10th
2006/07 Premier League 15th
2005/06 Premier League 9th
2004/05 Championship 6th (promoted to Premier League via play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th
2002/03 Premier League 18th (relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th
Southampton
2010/11 League One 2nd (promoted to Championship
2009/10 League One 7th
2008/09 Championship 23rd (relegated to League One)
2007/08 Championship 20th
2006/07 Championship 6th
2005/06 Championship 12th
2004/05 Premier League 20th (relegated to Championship)
2003/04 Premier League 12th
2002/03 Premier League 8th
2001/02 Premier League 11th
Referee
• Darren Deadman will be taking charge of a Hammers first-team game for the
first time on Tuesday.
• His last Southampton fixture was the 2-0 home win at St Mary's against
Sheffield Wednesday on 19 March 2011.
• His biggest match to date was the League Two play-off final last May when
he took charge of Stevenage's 1-0 defeat of Torquay United at Old Trafford.
• He has been a fourth official in the Premier League.
• Deadman did officiate in a Hammers reserve match on 15 October 2002 when
they drew 1-1 with Tottenham.
Us and them
• The teams have not met since a 1 August 2008 friendly at St Mary's when
goals in the second half from Calum Davenport and Zavon Hines cancelled out
David McGoldrick's first-half double.
Southampton: Bartosz Bialkowski, Lloyd James, Andrew Surman, Morgan
Schneiderlin, Michael Svensson, Chris Perry, Jake Thomson, Simon Gillett,
Adam Lallana, David McGoldrick, Lee Holmes
Subs: Tommy Forecast, Aarran Racine, Paul Wotton, Joseph Mills, Bradley
Wright-Phillips, Stern John, Grzegorz Rasiak, Nathan Dyer
West Ham United: Marek Stech, Valon Behrami, Calum Davenport, Matthew Upson,
Lucas Neill, Julien Faubert, Hayden Mullins, Scott Parker, Kyel Reid,
Carlton Cole, Craig Bellamy
Subs: Robert Green, Joe Widdowson, Anton Ferdinand, Jordan Spence, Jack
Collison, Mark Noble, Tony Stokes, Junior Stanislas, Zavon Hines
• Sam Baldock, who has eight goals in ten matches this season, scored at St
Mary's last season when MK Dons lost 3-2 in a League One encounter on 2
April 2011.
• Frazer Richardson scored the only goal when Stoke City won 1-0 at West Ham
on 9 December 2003.
• David Connolly spent the 2003/04 season at the Hammers, after signing for
£285,000 from Wimbledon. He went on to score 14 goals before moving on to
Leicester, with the Hammers doubling their money.
• Kelvin Davis had a trial at the Hammers in summer 2010 but a move could
not be agreed and he rejoined Southampton.
• Among the other players to have played for both clubs are William Adams,
Eyal Berkovic, Wayne Bridge, Henri Camara, Alistair Campbell, Frank
Costello, Christian Dailly, Calum Davenport, Iain Dowie, Bob Fairman, Jack
Foster, Horace Glover, Richard Hall, Jimmy Harris, Fred Harrison, Joe
Kirkup, George Kitchen, Alex McDonald, Walter Pollard, Nigel Quashie, Albert
Roles, Robbie Slater, David Speedie, Vic Watson, Arthur Wilson, Richard
Wright

Up next
• West Ham United will travel to Brighton & Hove Albion next Monday.
Southampton are also on the road, making the trip up to Reading for a
Saturday evening kick-off.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Almunia aiming for the top
WHUFC.com
Manuel Almunia insists West Ham United have the ability to go to the summit
by winning at Southampton
18.10.2011

Manuel Almunia has played in the UEFA Champions League final, the Premier
League and Spain's La Liga, but he still cannot wait to play in Tuesday's
top-of-the-Championship clash with Southampton. The on-loan Arsenal
goalkeeper has made a fine start to his West Ham United career, keeping his
first clean sheet in Saturday's 4-0 thumping of Blackpool at the Boleyn
Ground. That result, combined with Southampton's 1-1 draw at Derby County,
means victory at St Mary's in midweek will take the Hammers to the summit.
Almunia, for one, it itching to be involved. "My ambition is to play as many
games as I can. I want to do well for the manager and the club. We will see
if I extend my loan. At the moment I am happy - it is a great club with nice
people and that's enough for me. It's good to feel the game again and with
this club, that is easy. "Of course I am looking forward to Tuesday's game.
We all like big games. Despite it being a Championship game, it's going to
be hard and a good test for us to see where we're going to be at the end of
the league. "At the end of the day, it is football. Champions League or
Championship, it is all the same. The style and quality are different, but
it is football and I enjoy playing football whatever the category. Of
course, I believe we can go there and win."

Standing in for the injured Robert Green, who is expected to be sidelined
until the middle of November, Almunia brings valuable experience and calm to
West Ham's promotion challenge. Having made his debut at Crystal Palace just
24 hours after joining the club on loan, the 34-year-old has spent the past
fortnight settling into life in east London. He already feels at home. "I
was very pleased and happy with the work of the team and very pleased for
the effort of every player. It was a great game to play in. "Blackpool has a
good side who were playing in the Premier League last season and we were
maybe expecting better play from them, but I feel we played well and imposed
our style very well. We used John Carew very well up front and that was the
difference. "For me we have the best team in the league. I think everybody
is very committed to reaching our target and I think we're going to be up at
the top of the table until the end of the season."

"The first game everything was very quick. I just trained for one day and
then I played at Crystal Palace. I hadn't played for a few months, but I've
been training every day for the past week and making contact with the
players and everything is right now. I feel well, ready and everything is
going well, so I'm happy."

Having played behind a strong Arsenal back four in seasons gone by, Almunia
knows a good defence when he sees one. With that in mind, the Spaniard is
effusive in his praise of West Ham's current batch of defenders. "It is a
strong defence. Every one is a Premier League player and they have the
quality and the skill to be great defenders and they will show that in the
league. With good communication, we can do everything because they have the
talent to play in the Premier League. "It's a different style from Arsenal,
where they like to play the ball out from the back a lot, but West Ham have
their own style and we have the right players for that style."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jack's got the X-Factor
WHUFC.com
Jack Collison celebrated his first goal in 22 months with an evening in
front of the television
17.10.2011

X-Factor fan Jack Collison is hoping West Ham United can impress the judges
by going top of the npower Championship at Southampton on Tuesday evening.
The midfielder netted his first goal in 22 months in Saturday's 4-0 home win
over Blackpool and celebrated by spending the evening on the sofa watching
wannabe pop stars being put through their paces on television. Collison will
hope his finest performance of the season so far will be enough to see him
keep his place at St Mary's for what promises to be a top-of-the-table
cracker. "To be honest, I have not been too pleased with my form this
season. Obviously the gaffer has stuck by me in the last couple of games and
I feel I'm starting to get there. "My fitness is starting to come. I don't
want to use the injury as an excuse, but obviously it was a big thing. In
the past few weeks, I feel I'm starting to get my fitness back and am
getting sharper all the time, so it was nice to be out there again on
Saturday and have the opportunity to have a go. "It was nice to get the
goal, but once again it was another terrific team performance and a clean
sheet at home. I was so tired I didn't have the energy to celebrate - I just
went home and watched the X-Factor and went to bed! "Tuesday is first versus
second so it's a massive game, even early on in the season. It's a great
opportunity for us to go out there and send out a statement to everyone in
the league that we mean business and we don't just want to go up, we want to
win the league and be emphatic. "If you look throughout our squad, there is
a lot of experience there and also a nice mix of youth as well. The manager
has already said that we will need our experienced heads on Tuesday - the
likes of Kevin Nolan and Mark Noble who have been there and done it. "We are
all looking forward to it and have our fingers crossed that it's another
three points."

Collison has returned to action this season after missing almost the whole
of 2010/11 with a serious knee injury. It has taken the 23-year-old some
time to get up to speed, but the Wales international believes he is
approaching his best form after impressing in West Ham's previous two league
matches against Crystal Palace and Blackpool. "I think having a run of games
is very important for me, but with the amount of games in the Championship
they are always coming thick and fast. There are going to be disappointments
when the manager doesn't pick you and I have had a couple of games when I
wasn't even in the squad. "I got my head down, worked hard and the manager
has put me in for the last two games. I can't knock him for his decision
because I haven't been playing too great this season, so I just want to keep
improving. "I think I've just been finding my feet and getting used to the
system. I'm playing out wide again, which I've got to try to get used to.
I'll always enjoy my football and Saturday was my most enjoyable game of the
season. "It was great fun. You've always got to enjoy your football.
Especially myself, I've learned that I've just got to enjoy every minute out
there. "The boys were magnificent. We had a 15-minute spell in the second
half when we could have scored four or five goals and, as I said, it was a
real team performance. It was also great to see Sam get off the mark and I
don't think he's going to stop scoring now. "As for my goal, it's come out
lovely to me and I've taken a touch but it took an age to drop down to hit.
Lots of things were going through my mind as I've not scored for a little
while, but obviously it was great to see it go in and I think you could see
from my reaction how much it meant to me."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
Big Sam has plenty to ponder as he looks to succeed where 16 other teams
have failed at St Mary's this week
17.10.2011

West Ham United will head south to take on the all-conquering league leaders
on Tuesday night in full confidence after their best display of the season.
Southampton have won seven out of seven in all competitions this season at
St. Mary's, having incredibly collected maximum points in each of their last
nine League One fixtures at the end of the previous promotion-winning
campaign. As such, Nigel Adkins men have 23 points from the first eleven
matches to sit clear at the top of the npower Championship. The
second-placed Hammers, just two points behind, will aim to test that perfect
16-match record to the fullest after what Sam Allardyce described as a
"complete performance" in their 4-0 weekend win courtesy of John Carew and
Jack Collison either side of man of the match Sam Baldock's first two West
Ham goals.
Big Sam said: "We punished Blackpool to the hilt. We have to bear in mind
that they came to us on the back of a 5-0 win going into the international
break. Their position in the league shows they are no mugs but we
overwhelmed them in all departments. "We made sure we had a very comfortable
victory to please everyone and get us off to a good start on what is a big
week again."

That big week will see the Saints showdown followed by another testing
awayday at Brighton & Hove Albion a week today. The manager already knew he
would have to assess his squad quickly before they hit the M3 on Monday
evening, with post-Blackpool concerns over James Tomkins (groin) - brilliant
alongside Winston Reid at the back again - and Matt Taylor (calf). He had
already lost Carlton Cole, who was back in training at the end of the week
after a slight ligament issue that has been fully resolved, and David
Bentley with a season-ending knee injury. The manager may well change things
with Joey O'Brien, Henri Lansbury, Frederic Piquionne and Cole all itching
to be involved. There will be some tough decisions with Big Sam admitting
his team were "magnificent" from back to front on Saturday. "I would say it
is the complete performance we have been looking for. I actually expected to
have a few more fit after a two-week break and to have a bigger squad to
choose from.
"The staff sat down on Friday morning and juggled it about a bit for 45
minutes and we said 'let's go with a 4-4-2'. We got a terrific start and we
should have finished it before half-time. Big John had two one-on-ones and
Sam too. It was a little disappointing to only have one in the first half
but the way we finished it off in the first ten minutes of the second half
was great. "If your front two plays well, the team plays well and that's
exactly why we have won 4-0, and they had great service from the rest of the
team. "It also pleased me that we never looked like conceding. We have been
suspect at home before but this time we never looked like giving a soft goal
away."

While there was rightly praise for Manuel Almunia's clean sheet on his home
debut in goal, the manager's thoughts have rightly focused on Carew's
contribution and Baldock's brilliance. "John has been an outstanding player
in the Premier League for many years and Sam is trying to make his name
coming up the leagues as a prolific goalscorer. Both tested the Blackpool
centre-backs throughout the game. It was four but could have been a lot
more."

Most encouraging for Big Sam was the sight he saw in the dressing room after
the game. Rather than bask in the glory, the two front-men were deep in
discussion.
"You would have thought they had been playing together for years. I listened
to John in the dressing room saying 'When I do this I want you to do that,
and when I do that, I want you to go there.' " I was delighted to stand back
and just listen to that. The co-chairmen were good enough to splash the sort
of dough they did for Sam, and we've seen why. He not only got two goals but
he could have got a lot more. That will give him a huge amount of
confidence. "John was unplayable at times. When you are 6'5 with that amount
of ability and strength, he takes some stopping. It was great to see him.
Now he has continued with a goal in the last three games, two for us and one
for his country, and he is in a goal mood."

The final word was for those packed inside the Boleyn, with even more
expected to flock to the visit of big-spending Leicester City on 29 October
judging by the ticket office rush. "Hopefully we can continue this form at
Upton Park. There were 32,000 there and they were singing away. We gave them
something to sing about and that is what you want when you play at home. You
want to look forward to playing at home "We needed to give the fans a big
performance, entertain them and win. We have done all of that and then
some."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Southampton v West Ham
Page last updated at 13:18 GMT, Monday, 17 October 2011 14:18 UK
BBC.co.uk

Npower Championship
Venue: St Mary's Stadium Date: Tuesday, 18 October Kick-off: 1945 BST
Coverage: Listen to commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra; coverage on
BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC Sport website

TEAM NEWS
Southampton midfielder Adam Lallana could return after missing Saturday's
match against Derby with a foot injury. Frazer Richardson is doubtful after
he was forced off against the Rams, so Danny Butterfield could replace him.

West Ham's James Tomkins and Matt Taylor are major doubts due to groin and
calf injuries respectively. Joey O'Brien, Henri Lansbury and striker Carlton
Cole return to the squad and Manuel Almunia will keep his place in goal.

MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• Southampton have a 33% winning record in competitive matches against
West Ham; 31 of 93. The Hammers have prevailed in 36, with 26 drawn.
• This is their first meeting since drawing 1-1 at St Mary's in the
Premier League in April 2003.
• The Hammers have recorded one win in nine league trips to the Saints
over 16 years; an odd goal in five Premier League victory in November 2000.

Southampton
• Southampton go into this top of the table tussle with second placed
West Ham, still two points clear at the top, despite just one win in four
league games.
• They are looking to stretch their club record of consecutive home
league victories to 15.
• The top scorers in the division (26 in 11) and are one of two clubs
to have netted in every Championship game this term, in partnership with
Birmingham.

West Ham United

• West Ham go into this match on the back of Saturday's 4-0 home win
over Blackpool. They have avoided defeat in nine of the last 10 Championship
outings, following the opening day home loss to Cardiff.
• The Hammers are one of two clubs still holding an unbeaten away
record in the Championship, in unison with Middlesbrough. Victory will give
them 14 away points; one more than was claimed in the whole of last season's
Premier League campaign.
• Three points would also provide Sam Allardyce with a welcome early
birthday present. He turns 57 the day after this game.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tottenham Hotspur ends 2012 Olympic Stadium legal bid
BBC.co.uk

Tottenham Hotspur has withdrawn its bid for a judicial review into the
handing of the Olympic Stadium to West Ham, the government has said. The
move follows the collapse of the deal to award the stadium to West Ham after
the London 2012 Games. The Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) blamed the
collapse on delays caused by the legal dispute with Tottenham. The
Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) confirmed the latest move.
Tottenham is yet to comment. It is thought a legal hearing into the matter
scheduled for Tuesday will not now take place.

A DCMS spokeswoman said: "We have come to an agreement with Tottenham
Hotspur, where all parties will bear their own legal costs." The OPLC,
government and mayor of London currently agree the stadium will remain in
public ownership. West Ham has said it will bid to be the stadium tenant.
The OPLC has been asked to start a new process to secure tenants for the
stadium and any interested bidders will have to submit proposals by January.
A fund of £35m has been set aside from public money to convert the stadium,
which will have an 80,000-capacity during the Games, to a 60,000-seater
venue afterwards. Leyton Orient has also been challenging the award of the
stadium in the courts. It has also withdrawn its bid for judicial review.

'Whole process flawed'
The club is afraid West Ham moving to the stadium would affect numbers
attending matches at its nearby ground. Chairman Barry Hearn said on Monday:
"The whole process has been flawed. The last four or five years has been
largely wasted and we have to go back to the beginning. "If the OPLC try to
fast track the whole process they will be challenged again. "Someone has to
convince me how Leyton Orient, with its history in east London, can keep in
existence."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Spurs drop stadium legal bid
Collapse of West Ham deal sees end to legal action
Last Updated: October 17, 2011 8:50pm
SSN

Tottenham has dropped its legal action over the future of London's Olympic
Stadium. The move follows the collapse of the deal to award the stadium to
West Ham after the London 2012 Games. Tottenham and Leyton Orient both
lodged complaints after West Ham initially won the tendering process to take
control of the Olympic Stadium following next summer's games. After growing
concerns that a lengthy courtroom battle could leave the stadium empty for
years, the OPLC came to an agreement with the government and Mayor of London
Boris Johnson that the ground should remain in public ownership. t is
thought a legal hearing into the matter scheduled for Tuesday will now not
take place. West Ham have confirmed they will look to lease the Olympic
Stadium, but it remains to be seen if Spurs would contemplate making a bid
to do the same. Spurs, who had wanted to remove the athletics track, are
currently moving forward with plans to redevelop White Hart Lane.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Southampton v West Ham preview
Last updated: 17th October 2011
SSN

Team news for Tuesday night's Championship clash between Southampton and
West Ham at St Mary's Stadium. Adam Lallana could be available when
table-topping Saints take on second-placed West Ham. The attacking
midfielder was ruled out of Saturday's 1-1 draw at Derby with a foot injury
but boss Nigel Adkins is hopeful he will be passed fit. Defender Frazer
Richardson is a doubt after he limped off against the Rams. Midfielder Jack
Cork dropped into the back four at Pride Park but Danny Butterfield is a
natural replacement at right-back and could earn a recall to the squad.
Centre-half Dan Seabourne is still recovering from head injuries sustained
in an assault. Veteran striker David Connolly, who spent a season with the
Hammers eight years ago, will line up against his old club alongside 11-goal
top scorer Rickie Lambert.

James Tomkins and Matt Taylor are injury doubts for the Hammers ahead of the
game. Centre-half Tomkins came off against Blackpool on Saturday with a
groin problem and midfielder Taylor is still feeling a calf injury. But
fit-again full-back Joey O'Brien (hamstring) returns along with midfielder
Henri Lansbury and striker Carlton Cole, who were rested at the weekend.
Robert Green (knee) is still out so Manuel Almunia keeps his place in goal,
while wingers David Bentley (knee) and Gary O'Neil (ankle) are long-term
absentees. Boss Sam Allardyce must decide whether to stick with two up front
after John Carew and Sam Baldock were both on target in Saturday's 4-0 win,
or revert to a lone striker against the leaders.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gazza Wanted to Play for West Ham!
October 17th, 2011 - 11:25 am by Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die

This evening on LBC I will be interviewing one of my sporting heroes, Paul
Gascoigne. For an hour! I get the good gigs, don't I? I can't tell you how
much I am looking forward to it. Tune in at 9pm. If you aren't in an area
where you can get LBC on fm or dab you can listen live via www.LBC.co.uk.

Anyway, reading his book, I was astonished to see that he wanted to sign for
West Ham in 1988, but instead went to Spurs. Here's the extract…

"I took matters into my own hands. I got me mate Jimmy Gardner involved,
naturally. I asked him to go to the newspapers and pretend he was on the
staff at West Ham, and say they were coming in with a million quid for me. I
picked West Ham because they looked a quality club with passionate fans,
just like Newcastle. Strangely, my final appearance was against West Ham on
7 May 1988. I was sad but I couldn't let on as nothing had been settled yet
with a move. I knew I would never play in front of them again as a Newcastle
player. It was time to move to but not to the East End as it turned out."

Just think what John Lyall could have done with Gazza. Although, at the same
time, imagine how Frank McAvennie might have led him astray – or had he left
by then?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Manuel Almunia wants to continue his loan at West Ham
Published: Today
The Sun

MANUEL ALMUNIA reckons West Ham's 999 call has rescued his career. The
Spaniard hopes he can extend his loan from Arsenal beyond a month as
emergency cover for crock keeper Robert Green. Almunia, who will deputise
for Green again tonight at leaders Southampton, said: "It's good to feel the
game again. "We will see if I extend my loan. At the moment I am happy — it
is a great club with nice people and that's enough for me."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Nigel Adkins says Southampton won't get cocky against West Ham
Published: Today
The Sun

NIGEL ADKINS wants to deck Sam Allardyce tonight after showing his
Southampton players a DVD of a cocky boxer being KO'd. Saints can open up a
five-point lead over Allardyce's West Ham with victory at St Mary's. Adkins
said: "The DVD shows a boxer showing off with a lot of fancy footwork only
to get laid out cold with the first punch of the bout. You will not catch
this side showboating like that."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Almunia: Southampton clash is like facing Barcelona
Published 21:45 17/10/11 By Mike Walters
The Mirror

Manuel Almunia is relishing West Ham's top-of-the-table duel at Southampton
as much as a Champions League final. The Hammers will go top of the
Championship if they can puncture Saints' 100 per cent record at St Mary's
on Tuesday, and Arsenal goalkeeper Almunia is already keen to extend his
loan spell at Upton Park. Almunia, standing in for crocked England keeper
Robert Green, has fallen behind Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski in
the Gunners' pecking order. But he kept his first clean sheet since April in
West Ham's 4-0 drubbing of ­Blackpool at the weekend, and the Spanish
stopper said: "I want to play as many games as I can for West Ham and want
to do well for the manager and the club, and we will see if I extend my
loan. "At the moment I am very happy – it's a great club with nice people
and that's enough for me. "It's good to feel the game again and, with this
club, that is easy. "We all like to play in big games, and Southampton will
be a good test for us to see where we're going to be at the end of the
season. "The Championship's style and quality may be different from a
Champions League final, but I enjoy playing football ­whatever the category.
And, of course, I believe we can go there and win."

Almunia, 34, played in ­Arsenal's 2006 European Cup heartbreaker against
Barcelona in Paris, when he came on as a substitute following Jens Lehmann's
red card after 20 minutes. But he has no superiority complex about the muck
and nettles of the Championship, where West Ham put their unbeaten away
record on the line against Nigel Adkins' surprise front runners. He added:
"For me, we have the best team in the ­Championship. Everybody is very
committed and I think we're going to be up at the top of the table until the
end of the season. "Everything happened very quick when I first came here –
I trained for one day and then played at Crystal Palace. "I hadn't played
for a few months, but I've been training every day for the past week and
everything's right now."

But Hammers boss Sam Allardyce has warned he could change a winning side –
despite West Ham's dominant display against the Seasiders. He admitted: "I
will adapt my team, first and foremost to nullify Southampton's strengths.
If we don't do that, we will become the latest of many teams to lose down
there." Meanwhile, Saints skipper Dean Hammond insists his side's surge to
the top of the table is no surprise to them. "It may have caught out some
people, but it hasn't surprised us," he said. "We went into the season
fitter than ever and in a ­positive frame of mind."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham to make changes for Saints clash
Published 15:27 17/10/11 By MirrorFootball
The Mirror

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has warned he could make changes for
tomorrow's top of the table npower Championship clash against leaders
Southampton despite a dominant display over Blackpool. The Hammers climbed
to second in the table after a convincing 4-0 hammering of the Seasiders in
what Allardyce called a "complete performance". The win included a brace for
22-year-old striker Sam Baldock and goals for John Carew and Jack Collison.
Southampton, who have won all their home games this season, are now just two
points ahead of West Ham after their 1-1 draw at Derby on Saturday. But
Allardyce could switch from a 4-4-2 system to 4-3-3 in a bid to nullify
Saints' threat at St Mary's. "I will change things if I think it's
necessary," Allardyce told the Evening Standard. "I will adapt my team first
and foremost to nullify Southampton's strengths. "If we don't do that we
will become one of many teams to lose at Southampton. "Sam did very well and
he's different to the other strikers we have. People were saying he ought to
be in the team as soon as we signed him but he is a young player and I
wanted him to settle in first."

James Tomkins is a doubt for the Hammers after he picked up a groin problem
in the Blackpool game and Matt Taylor could also miss out due to a calf
strain. Rickie Lambert, who scored his ninth goal of the league campaign
against Derby, praised strike partner David Connolly and backed him to
impress against his former club tomorrow. "He's an excellent player, one of
the best strikers to play with," Lambert told the Southern Daily Echo. "He's
so clever and sees the little runs most people don't. "He knows how to get
into the right areas around the six-yard box, how to pull off defenders,
turn them, put people in - and not many players can do that." Adam Lallana
could be available for Southampton after he missed the game at Pride Park
due to a foot injury sustained in training.

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London Olympics 2012: Barry Hearn demands Boris Johnson cuts ties with
decision on Olympic Stadium future
Telegraph.co.uk
By Paul Kelso, Chief Sports Reporter11:45PM BST 17 Oct 2011

Barry Hearn has demanded that Boris Johnson be removed from any discussions
over the future of the Olympic Stadium after the London Mayor said that West
Ham would "almost certainly" end up occupying the arena. Describing the
mayor as "inept", the Leyton Orient chairman has written to the Government
asking for Johnson to be stripped of any decision-making power because he
fears his views will prejudice Orient's chances in the new tender process.
The Olympic Park Legacy Company last week ended negotiations with West Ham
after the club's bid for the stadium collapsed amid continuing uncertainty
about the legality of their financing arrangements with Newham Council. The
OPLC is currently working on tender documents that would see any tenants
renting the £500 million Olympic stadium, with ownership remaining in public
hands. No details of the tender have been released but sports minister Hugh
Robertson has suggested the stadium would have a capacity of 60,000 and that
a further £95 million of taxpayer money would be spent upgrading it for
Premier League football.

Hearn is keen to submit a bid on behalf of Orient for a reduced capacity of
around 25,000, and believes his chances of success have been prejudiced by
Johnson's comments. "The plans are now that Government, OPLC and Newham
Borough Council have thrown in the towel, they realise the process was
flawed, they have wasted five years and we now go back to the beginning,"
Hearn told The Daily Telegraph.

"The Government now seems to want to fast-track it but they won't be allowed
to fast-track it. Our Mayor of London says West Ham are a "near certainty"
and by that statement he has rendered useless the entire procedure in one
line. The ineptitude of our mayor of London in this is unbelievable, the
fact that he can say something like that and put the whole process in
jeopardy. "Why should anyone now bid if the mayor of London who makes the
final decision, says West Ham are a near certainty? What's the point in
spending tens of thousands of pounds on evaluations and reports when the
mayor has made his mind up? "So we have written to the government saying
that he should be removed from the process because he has over-stepped the
mark." Hearn's comments came as the judicial review of the stadium process
brought by Tottenham was formally dissolved in the High Court. Spurs, the
OPLC and Newham will bear their own costs. Leyton Orient continue to seek
their costs in the case.

Tottenham have until Wednesday night to accept an offer from Johnson of a
£17 million contribution to the planning costs of upgrading the area around
their proposed new stadium development at Northumberland Park in Haringey.
The money would be used to improve infrastructure and facilities around the
stadium, requirements that could be placed on Spurs as a developer in the
area. Last night the mayor's office said that they had not had any word from
Tottenham about whether the deal would be accepted. Hearn said that in his
view the stadium was not viable for football if the running track was
retained, and would look at alternative configurations including building
stands on the track during the football season. "We all have to work
together with common sense, without pre-judging it as Boris appears to have
done. I would not want to play football in that stadium with the running
track. If the track has to stay, which seems to be the mood, then you have
to look at design features to rectify that by covering the track in some
way."

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Barry Hearn: There's no place like home...and greedy West Ham should be kept
out of ours
By JONATHAN MCEVOY
Last updated at 11:31 PM on 17th October 2011
Daily Mail

Barry Hearn ponders a newspaper headline that reads: 'We are the home team
and only we understand this area and all its proud fans,' and turns his ire
on the author of the accompanying article. 'Karren Brady,' says Leyton
Orient chairman Hearn of the West Ham vice-chairman, 'is paid by The Sun and
is entitled to give her opinion. But it is condescending in the extreme. It
is patronising. She always is patronising. And it is backed up with a huge
lack of knowledge.' The background is that West Ham want to take over the
Olympic Stadium post-2012 and so do Leyton Orient of League One. 'Her
appearances on TV, on The Apprentice, may have led her to believe that she
has another role in life,' he adds. 'I told her when the decision to award
West Ham the stadium, now overturned of course, was made that we would go
for a judicial review. Her exact words to me were, "My dear, you can't go to
judicial review because the Government have already agreed what's
happening". 'I replied, "Karren, that's the whole basis for going for
judicial review. I don't think you know what a judicial review is, do you?"'

'This says it all about West Ham,' adds Hearn. 'One, Avram Grant was in the
original picture (he's now been sacked as manager). Two, there are too many
West Ham players in the opposition penalty area - they never get that many
players forward. Three, there is no sign of the running track on this
picture. Can you believe that? This represents exactly the bull****
philosophy coming out of West Ham.' Hearn, 63, and looking trim after
losing a pound a week for 16 weeks as he unloads his thoughts in a central
London hotel, makes it clear he has known West Ham's co-owners David
Sullivan and David Gold for 25 years and has no personal gripe with them.
Nor with West Ham fans.

But as for London Mayor Boris Johnson, he is, says Hearn, central to the
whole problem and put his foot in his mouth last week when it was announced
that rather than West Ham and partners Newham Council buying the stadium as
planned, the process would be re-opened. The chosen club would then rent the
stadium from the mayor. Johnson said West Ham would 'almost certainly' end
up in the stadium.

Hearn is livid. 'The crux of this,' he says, 'is that we have a mayor who
has come out with the most outrageous statement. 'He has effectively said
that West Ham are odds-on certainties. This is the man who has the final
sign-off on the Olympic Stadium. But by his statement he has rendered the
whole bidding process a total waste of time. 'My lawyers have written to
the Government asking, in light of Boris Johnson's comments, whether he is
the right man to make the decision and, more importantly, if a deal has
already been done behind closed doors: "Don't worry West Ham, we have to do
this a different way but you are in". Boris couldn't have said anything
better for us. It is so challengeable.'

Hearn says the Olympic Park is 750 metres away from their Brisbane Road
ground and the Olympic Stadium a further mile away. If West Ham moved closer
to Orient, Hearn believes the fan base would gradually be eroded to a point
where the club could go out of existence. With this in mind, he spoke to
Greg Clarke, the Football League chairman, at Saturday's home win over Bury.
'West Ham asked the Premier League if they could move, but they have been
relegated to the Football League,' says Hearn. 'The rules are that the
Football League would not sanction a club moving closer to another club if
it affects the business of that other club. So I handed Mr Clarke a letter
asking permission for Leyton Orient to move into the Olympic Stadium. He now
has to answer it. 'West Ham can't just assume that they will be in the
Premier League by then. How, therefore, can the Olympic Park Legacy Company,
whose job it is to decide who takes over the stadium, allow West Ham to
remain in the bidding process? We want them thrown out because they don't
have permission from the relevant authority - the Football League.' The
OPLC's plan is that their prefer red bidder will be announced, for a second
time, in January 2012. 'Impossible,' says Hearn of the prospects of such a
fast process allowing all the issues to be resolved. 'The notion that it
could be is almost childlike in its simplicity. If you are going to run it
as a proper business, with cricket and rugby properly involved, it takes
time. It would take until, say, January 2013. You have to speak to stadium
operators, get in survey reports, etc. I know - this is my business. What's
the rush?

'We are asking for a 25,000-seat stadium and we want to see if we can get
around the athletics track. It has to stay, we know that. But can we build
up, if not down, and see if it's possible to get it covered while we play?
'If it isn't possible, it isn't - and we wouldn't move in with a running
track betwixt pitch and crowd.' Spurs were reported to have dropped out of
the battle on Monday night, something which would have come as no surprise
to Hearn. 'They got what I call a bung to withdraw,' he said, referring to
Johnson's offer of £17m to help Tottenham with new transport costs at White
Hart Lane. 'I would take a bung if it helped us. But what I really want is a
level playing field.'

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Allardyce wary of rampant Saints
Monday 17 October 2011
Morning Star

Football: West Ham boss Sam Allardyce could ring the changes for tomorrow's
top of the table Championship clash against leaders Southampton despite a
dominant display over Blackpool. The Hammers climbed to second in the table
after a convincing 4-0 hammering of the Seasiders at the weekend in what
Allardyce called a "complete performance." The win included a brace for
22-year-old striker Sam Baldock and goals for John Carew and Jack Collison.
Southampton, who have won all their home games this season, are now just two
points ahead of West Ham after their 1-1 draw at Derby on Saturday. But
Allardyce could switch from a 4-4-2 system to 4-3-3 in a bid to nullify
Saints' threat at St Mary's. "I will change things if I think it's
necessary," Allardyce said. "I will adapt my team first and foremost to
nullify Southampton's strengths. "If we don't do that we will become one of
many teams to lose at Southampton. "Sam did very well and he's different to
the other strikers we have. People were saying he ought to be in the team as
soon as we signed him but he is a young player and I wanted him to settle in
first."

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Baldock left sweating on West Ham place despite double blast
Ken Dyer
17 Oct 2011
Evening Standard

West Ham striker Sam Baldock is keeping his fingers crossed that his two
goals in the 4-0 win over Blackpool will be enough to keep his place for
tomorrow night's top-of-the-table clash at Southampton. Baldock, a £2million
signing from MK Dons in August, became an instant fans' favourite with his
brace against Blackpool, forming a potent partnership with John Carew. But
manager Sam Allardyce could change the system at Southampton from a 4-4-2 to
a 4-3-3, which will leave the 22-year-old sweating on his place. "I will
change things if I think it's necessary," said Allardyce. "I will adapt my
team first and foremost to nullify Southampton's strengths. "If we don't do
that we will become one of many teams to lose at Southampton. Sam did very
well and he's different to the other strikers we have. People were saying he
ought to be in the team as soon as we signed him but he is a young player
and I wanted him to settle in first." Matt Taylor is doubtful with a calf
injury, so Baldock may yet keep his place. He said: "I hope I won't just get
the odd chance."

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Allardyce hails hitman Carew
Monday 17th October 2011 11:11
TeamTalk

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce wants John Carew to stay on the goal trail
and fire them to the top of the Championship. Norway striker Carew goes into
Tuesday night's clash with leaders Southampton on the back of three goals in
his last three games. Allardyce, whose side will leapfrog Saints with a
victory at St Mary's, said: "When you are 6ft 5ins with that amount of
ability and strength, he takes some stopping. "He has a goal in his last
three games, two for us and one for his country, and he is in a goal mood."
Allardyce played Sam Baldock alongside Carew against Blackpool on Saturday
and the former MK Dons frontman hit his first two goals for the club in the
resounding 4-0 win. "That will give him a huge amount of confidence," added
Allardyce.

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