WHUFC.com
A rare but memorable goal from Jon Harley is remembered today as we look
through Hammers history
17.01.2012
Classic Match
Sheffield United 3-3 West Ham United
First Division
17 January 2004
West Ham United maintained their promotion challenge with a fine away point
although felt they should have taken all three in what was a thrilling
contest.
After going a goal down to Paul Peschisolido's fifth-minute opener, the
Hammers battled back to take a commanding lead at the interval in front of
22,287 fans packed into a chilly Bramall Lane. Michael Carrick restored
parity in the 19th minute before Jon Harley smashed in a 20-yarder against
his old club to spark wild celebrations among team-mates and fans alike. It
was to be the left-back's only goal in the claret and blue - or rather dark
blue as was worn on the day - in 15 appearances.
It seemed as if the Hammers would go on and take all three points when
Marlon Harewdood converted from close range before the half-time whistle.
Paul Shaw, on as a second-half substitute, reduced the arrears for the
Blades in the 73rd minute before Stephen Bywater made a fine penalty save
from Michael Tonge three minutes later to keep the visitors in front.
Matthew Etherington then had a great chance to make the game safe only to
spurn the opportunity. The Hammers were punished deep into added time when
Phil Jagielka equalised to make it 3-3 but the main job of not losing to a
promotion rival had been achieved. It proved to be a very precious point as,
come the end of the season, West Ham United earned a Play-Offs place after
finishing fourth in the table - just three points ahead of Sheffield United
who missed out in eighth place. The Hammers saw off Ipswich Town in the
semi-finals before losing out 1-0 to Crystal Palace in the final at
Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. The West Ham fans would only have to wait 12
months more though for the chance to make amends....
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Papa positive
WHUFC.com
The Hammers are being urged on this year by midfield powerhouse Papa Bouba
Diop
17.01.2012
Papa Bouba Diop is pushing to do all he can to help West Ham United make it
three npower Championship wins from three in 2012. The stylish Hammers
enforcer was in commanding form last Saturday at Portsmouth, helping the
Hammers to a second successive 1-0 win after they started January in similar
fashion at home to Coventry City. Not surprisingly given his vast
experience, Diop was more concerned with the team securing a hat-trick of
New Year triumphs with this weekend's visit of Nottingham Forest than
dwelling on the past. "It was a great win and we simply want to keep going
like that," he told whufc.com. "Since the New Year we have two wins in two
games, it is good way to start the year. "We know how important this year is
to the fans and the club. We have Nottingham Forest next and we must win
this game as well. We are at home and we have to keep winning games."
The Senegalese midfielder was an irresistible force at Fratton Park, driving
the team on from a holding role that even saw him drop into the defence for
the frenetic closing stages. Even so, there was still time for two
lung-bursting surges forward to ease the pressure as Pompey pushed for an
equaliser to Mark Noble's penalty.
"I was very tired after those runs but I had to do it for the team," he
added with a smile that belied the fact his 34th birthday is coming up on 28
January. "Everything we do is for the team and we cannot forget that."
Coming off the pitch to hear that leaders Southampton had won, the Hammers
were boosted to find out their two nearest rivals below had both dropped
points. Nevertheless, Diop knows that Cardiff City and Middlesbrough will
come back strong again in future. "It is tough because we are being pushed
hard by the teams behind us and also Southampton won again. We cannot make a
mistake because if we do the other teams will take advantage. "The win
against Portsmouth means we could keep the pressure off and we needed it to
get the win. If we want to get to the Premier League we have to give
everything. All that we do is to come back to the Premier League."
Nothing else matters, even if it was sweet for Diop to play such a leading
role at his former employers last Saturday. "It was nice to come back to my
old club and even nicer to come back and get a win. "I remember my time here
but I am a West Ham player and I want to help my team-mates to get on. That
is all that matters to me."
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Leo happy with England call-up
WHUFC.com
Leo Chambers has been named in the England U17 squad for the Algarve
Tournament
17.01.2012
Leo Chambers is targeting more success after being named in the England
Under-17 squad for the Algarve Tournament in Portugal. The West Ham United
Academy defender has been a regular for his country over the last few
seasons, winning the Victory Shield as an U16 before helping England to win
the FA International Tournament against strong opposition in August 2011.
The prestigious Algarve Tournament sees England drawn against host nation
Portugal, Netherlands and France, with the competition taking place in early
February. "I'm looking forward to it," Chambers told whufc.com "I'm glad
I've been called up and I'm hoping that both myself and the team can do
well. "I played in the summer when we played against Portugal, Czech
Republic and Italy and we won that tournament did really well.
"We have got a very strong squad and lots of depth so hopefully we can do
well in the Algarve Tournament as well."
Chambers has made his mark at club level too this season, appearing 17 times
in all competitions for the U18s and on four occasions for Ian Hendon's
development squad. As the 16-year-old continues his development, he has also
appeared at right-back in training, but believes his future lies at the
heart of the defence. Despite his achievements, Chambers also freely admits
he needs to find a greater level of consistency in his game, having not
enjoyed the best of night's in the 4-1 FA Youth Cup fourth-round win over
Brighton and Hove Albion - a sure sign of his maturity at such a tender age.
"I'm getting on. All the boys have done well. The league is quite tight and
I don't think there are many points between the top five or six clubs.
Hopefully we can do well in the league and the Youth Cup. "I did have a poor
game aganist Brighton and I need to bounce back from that. I think I needed
that, to be honest, because I need to know where I am standing as a player.
The pressure got to me and I need to bounce back. "Nick has spoken to me
about playing right-back and has said I can play there. He also knows I can
play centre-back and I'm just hoping to develop as a player. I see myself as
a centre-half though."
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Loanees in action
WHUFC.com
Three of West Ham United's loanees were in action in league and cup on
Tuesday evening
17.01.2012
Three of West Ham United's loanees were in action in league and cup on
Tuesday evening. Ahmed Abdulla (pictured) and Eoin Wearen turned out for
Dagenham and Redbridge in their 5-0 FA Cup with Budweiser third-round replay
defeat by Millwall at The Den. Elsewhere, Peter Kurucz kept his first clean
sheet for Rochdale in their goalless npower League One draw at Tranmere
Rovers. Having kept the Lions to a 0-0 draw in the initial tie at Victoria
Road, the Daggers' hopes were high of upsetting their Championship rivals -
who came into the match on the back of a 6-0 home league defeat by
Birmingham City on Saturday. However, Millwall were too good on home turf,
with Darius Henderson scoring a hat-trick and on-loan Tottenham Hotspur
forward Harry Kane netting two goals.
A third Hammer on loan at Dagenham, Cristian Montano, was forced to miss the
match as he was ineligible. At Prenton Park, Kurucz was in unbeatable form
for the Dale as they boosted their survival hopes by collecting a point
against mid-table Tranmere. The former Hungary Under-21 stopper made fine
saves to deny John Welsh, Robbie Weir and Lucas Akins before making an
outstanding stop to deny Rovers substitute Cole Stockton in added-time.
Elsewhere, former Hammer Danny Gabbidon scored his first goal since 2005 as
Queens Park Rangers edged out MK Dons at Loftus Road. Gabbidon's goal was
scored past goalkeeper David Martin, the son of West Ham great Alvin Martin.
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West Ham's Cristian Montano signs Dagenham & Redbridge extension
BBC.co.uk
Page last updated at 12:20 GMT, Tuesday, 17 January 2012
West Ham striker Cristian Montano has had his loan spell at Dagenham &
Redbridge extended for a third and final time. The 20-year-old, who has made
seven appearances and scored three times since arriving in November, will
remain with the club for a further month. Boss John Still told the club
website: "It gives us a player who has done very well for a little bit
longer." The West Ham academy product has not featured for the Hammers'
first-team.
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Referendum on OS move
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 17th January 2012
By: Staff Writer
Campaign group WHU's View have received assurances from the club over a
ballot on the Olympic Stadium move. The group - which has received the
backing of nearly 2,000 people so far in their campaign to force West Ham
United's board to hold a referendum of supporters over the stadium switch -
recently gained confirmation from vice-chair Karren Brady that should the
club opt to move to Stratford, a poll will be held. "We have been contacted
by Karren Brady confirming that the Club will hold a ballot of some sort if
they decide to bid for the Olympic Stadium," read the group's latest
missive. "The Club are also to arrange a meeting with members of the
committee to discuss issues such as who will be balloted, when and how. We
hope to have a constructive debate with the Club in the near future and then
intend to report back. "Sufficient numbers have registered with WHU's View
to prompt the club to confirm a ballot will be held. We are now anxious to
avoid delay and we will continue to press for this and to hold the Club to
their promises."
The campaign started last Autumn after the group accused David Gold and
David Sullivan of reneging on their ten point pledge, made in May 2010 after
Gianfranco Zola had narrowly managed to avoid relegation. The final point on
the list insisted that the board would 'listen to the supporters' - a
promise that the board were accused of failing to adhere to when pressing on
with plans to move to Stratford despite opposition from a sizeable
proportion of the club's fanbase.
* You may register your support for WHU's View by visiting their website at
www.whusvoice.com.
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The 2011 accounts reviewed
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 17th January 2012
By: Brian Evans
Before getting stuck into the Board, I would just make the point that the
club paid a group of players in excess of £48million last season , and they
took us down. That's £8m more than Gianfranco Zola's squad earned. Whatever
these set of books reveal, let's not hide from that irrefutable fact.
Overall the financial result is horrendous. A loss of £18.6million, whilst
an improvement on the previous year, ignores the fact the club had an
additional income of £9million last season compared with the year before. So
for all the talk of "ratios" the hard facts are our income increased but so
did our costs , and much of the increased income disappeared straight out of
the door to players and agents.
Thankfully the cost of paying off Avram Grant at £885,000 was rather less
than the cost of paying off the previous management team. Both decisions
though have been taken by the current Board and have involved payouts in
excess of £4.2million.
In fairness much of the loss - £8.1million of it - was as a result of
offloading players to get them off the books. Benni McCarthy (probably) and
Alessandro Diamanti will probably be the principle hits and both, in their
way, were decisions made by the current Board.
However, it gets worse. The recent policy of signing players on short term
loans to avoid future amortisation costs has yet to bear fruit. The asset
value of the playing staff in the course of last year reduced from
£26.6million to £17.4million, but the costs of amortising player contracts
during the year remained at £14.5million.
Tha total amount owed to other people at £91.2million is substantial when
weighed against a playing staff asset base of £17.4million. That of course
is their book value but we should remember players such as James Tomkins,
who will be in the books at zero, are worth significantly more in the
market.
Call it a stab in the dark, but I doubt the Board have missed that fact.
In their first year of ownership, Mr Sullivan and Mr Gold invested
£24million of equity into the club but last year just £2million in equity -
and a further £3million in interest bearing loans. So in effect they have
invested just £26million into the club since buying it (up to the date of
these accounts, May 2011).
Given the write off costs on Diamanti, McCarthy and the firing of Grant and
Zola, very nearly half of that equity value has already been wiped out as a
direct consequence of their decisions. The losses we are likely to accrue
this season will surely see the rest of it disappear.
Little wonder Mr Gold was rueful when expressing his opinion that he felt
they had spent enough to stay up.
The club's highest paid Director last year picked up a cool
quarter-of-a-million; no wonder she was wearing such a nice suit on SSN this
morning. In fairness she at least delivered on her end of the bargain, which
is more than the people who picked up the £48million- the players - did.
The timing of the release of these accounts whilst the transfer window
remains open is in my opinion significant, but looking ahead I would expect
next year's losses to be lower as a result of actions the Board have already
taken.
This set of accounts probably represents a low point, strange as it may
seem. The big improvements we will see in next year's set of accounts will
be a £13million improvement in the wage bill, probably a £10million
improvement in the reduction of amortisation costs and a significantly lower
write off costs on the disposal of players. Maybe even a profit if we sell
James Tomkins.
Those three areas combined will more than offset the loss of TV money this
year.
However none of that will put a dent in the club's debt - only significant
additional funds being injected are likely to solve that anytime soon.
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Wind of change - or playing hardball?
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 16th January 2012
By: Staff
Karren Brady has claimed that West Ham United's board are considering
redeveloping the Boleyn Ground - despite having categorically ruled the
option out previously. Brady, speaking in the wake of recent comments from
Government sources that suggested football might not be the only option for
the post-2012 games stadium told SSN that the club were keeping their
options open - comments in stark contrast to those of her boss David Gold,
who recently told supporters that redeveloping the Green Street ground was
non viable. Speaking about the club's proposals for Stratford - and the
forthcoming tender application deadline - Brady said: "The new tender has
come out and we're going through that at the moment. "If we decide to
tender again our application will go in by the 23rd of March and the
deadline for a decision is the 21st of May, so it will come around pretty
quickly. "We're in the data room at the minute looking at the processes,
looking at what's on offer, looking at being a tenant and an owner and
working out whether that fits in with West Ham's plan. "I think we'd look to
improve and develop Upton Park if we stayed. If we moved it would be to the
Olympic Stadium due to its close proximity. It's in our borough. It's in our
heartland. It needs a legacy."
Brady's comments represent a complete sea-change in the board's view, for it
was just 15 months ago that the club placed an advertisement requesting
contact from developer's interested in redeveloping the site. The Boleyn
Ground's last remaining pre-1990s stand, the East Stand, was initially due
to be redeveloped more than a decade ago after the club received the
go-ahead for a 43,000 capacity stadium from the local council. However the
plug was pulled when the council requested revisions to the club's plans in
2002.
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Cole rules out Hammers exit
Striker has no intention of leaving West Ham
Last Updated: January 18, 2012 8:21am
SSN
West Ham striker Carlton Cole has poured cold water on speculation linking
him with a move away from the club by insisting he is going nowhere this
month. The 28-year-old has been tipped to leave Upton Park during the
current transfer window, with Fulham and Turkish giants Galatasaray thought
to be potential destinations.
But Cole says he has no intention of leaving the Hammers and is hoping to
stay on next term. "I told everybody at the start of the season, I'm there
for the whole season," he told Sky Sports News. "Next season I want to be
here at West Ham again. I'm not looking for a move. "Obviously when you're
connected to other teams it's a bit unsettling and unnerving sometimes but I
know the chairman has got 100 per cent faith in me and he wants me to do
well, the manager as well. "I've got no reason to move at the moment."
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2 Bids In For Strikers
http://westhamclaretinmyblood.blogspot.com
There are very strong rumours on Twitter, allegedly attributed to David
Sullivan's son, Jack, that West Ham have two bids in right now for two
strikers. Usually, I don't pay much attention to Clunge or any of the self
annointed Tweeters, but there is one fellow with a good track record - an
agent, and he is among many who is independently confirming this news. One,
the lesser of the two bids - around 3.5 million, is supposedly for Watford's
21 year old striker, Marvin Sordell. Sordell has scored ten goals (8 in the
league) this season for Watford, which, considering their position and the
support he gets, isn't bad. It's certainly more than anyone at West Ham has
scored so far this season.
There is considerable conjecture regarding the second bid of around 4 to 5
million pounds. One of the favourites seems to be 23 year old Celtic
striker Gary Hooper. But, in my opinion, this is highly unlikely as the
English striker is said to want to stay at Celtic, and the management are
very outspoken in their desire to keep him at Celtic Park. The other target
is touted as Jordan Rhodes; however, it is well known that Huddersfield
won't sell him for a penny less than 8 million, and they would prefer not to
sell him at all. I would be extremely surprised if another bid was put in
for Rhodes: if he's going anywhere, then, likely it will be to sit on a
Premier League bench. Which is a shame...
That leaves a few other possibilities, one of which I believe is highly
likely to be Doncaster Rovers' 25 year old striker Billy Sharp. If you
remember Billy Sharp was destined for Leicester City a week or so ago, after
they had an offer accepted for 3 million by Doncaster. However, Doncaster
had second thoughts and offered Billy an improved contract in order to keep
him at the club. He has also scored ten goals this season, and if Sordell's
ten for Watford seem impressive, then, by the same token, Sharpe's ten for
23rd placed Doncaster is even more impressive. If Sharp can score goals
with the quality of players around him at Doncaster (no disrespect
intended), then he should be more successful at West Ham with players like
Taylor, Lansbury, Faubert, Collison, Noble, Nolan, and McCartney whipping
balls in, not mention Cole holding them up for him. I'm not sure why we
haven't heard more about Bristol City's 8 goal striker Nicky Maynard up
until this point. Perhaps it could be him?
Given our recent toothless displays in front of goal, Sam's recent comments
echoing fan concern about our profligacy in front of goal, let's hope this
speculation leads to substance.
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RUMOUR MILL: BIG SAM TO BE REUNITED WITH RED DEVILS STRIKER
Posted on Monday, 16th January 2012 by Henry Lowe
ForeverWestHam.com
I have to admit that when it was reported that Sir Alex would be letting
Mame Biram Diouf go out on loan my head was turned. Now I am going to be
completely honest I don't know a great deal about the 24 year old however
from what I have seen he looks like a decent player and in my opinion at the
age of 24 he is the type of player that we should be looking to bring in and
as we all know Big Sam managed to bring the Red Devils striker in on loan to
Blackburn when he was in charge.
The only thing about this move I do not like is the fact it is a loan
approach. Yes, he might get us the goals this season, but we should be
looking for a permanent striker given our problems in that area of the
pitch. As I always do I'll bore you with some stats; Diouf has only made 5
appearances for Manchester United scoring a single goal. His most successful
spell came at Norwegian club Molde. From 2007-2009 he scored 29 goals in 62
appearances which is respectable. His loan spell under our very own
Allardyce saw him score only 3 goals in 26 appearances. Although I regret to
inform you that this deal like many of our others looks unlikely as Diouf
looks to be on his way to Wigan, but we are an optimistic bunch, we can
hope!
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West Ham concerned about new rental terms for Olympic Stadium
By Paul Kelso11:00PM GMT 17 Jan 2012 1
Telegraph.co.uk
As the Olympic Park Legacy Company opens discussions with potential tenants
for the main stadium, West Ham are yet to be convinced that the new terms on
offer make sense for the club. West Ham were selected as preferred bidder
for the lease in the original bidding process, but the terms of the new
rental agreement are less attractive for the club. The OPLC has begun
"preliminary clarification meetings" with parties, and concert promoters
Live Nation and O2 Arena owners AEG are also understood to be interested in
taking on a management contract for the stadium. Persuading West Ham remains
the key to making the stadium work, however, and without certainty about the
commercial benefits of the stadium, a bid is not certain. The OPLC is
understood to be seeking around £10 million a year for naming rights for the
stadium and the aquatic centre, though it is unclear how revenue will be
shared with tenants. There are also reservations about the provision of
temporary seating on the track to make the ground more attractive for
football, something West Ham co-chairman David Gold has said is crucial to
the stadium working. The club are also reluctant to share with a rugby club
because of the damage to the pitch.
It is understood that in the specifications laid out for bidders, the OPLC
is proposing that 3,500 to 4,000 of the 60,000 seats will be reserved for
corporate hospitality. For athletics and other lower-capacity events the
OPLC is proposing to screen off around 14,000 seats in the upper tier behind
the goals to make the gaps less obvious on television. Interested parties
have until Jan 30 to decide whether to lodge full bids.
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DO WE REALLY NEED THIS ENGLAND U21 STRIKER?
Posted on Tuesday, 17th January 2012 by Bill West
ForeverWestHam.com
We all know that West Ham are in need of a striker, having struggling to
score in the last few games. In the last week the Hammers have been linked
with Watford forward Marvin Sordell. This season, Sordell has scored 8
league goals in 23 games, which isn't a bad record whilst playing for a
bottom half team in Watford. He scored 12 in the league last season and with
8 already this season, Sordell has shown he is a decent player, scoring
goals for a team like Watford who don't create many chances, I am sure he
would relish the amount of chances West Ham create, especially in recent
home games. Sordell is only 20 years of age; the way he has played so far in
his short career could end up with him having a bright future in the game. I
haven't seen much of Sordell but I watched him in the Sky game against
Reading on Saturday. He seems to have lots of energy, pace and always looks
to get a shot on goal. I think Sordell would be a good addition to the West
Ham team. He has got great potential and could end up being a Premier League
finisher. If he is to sign for us, we shouldn't put all our expectations on
him to fire us to promotion though. He is still learning the game at 20
years of age. Some of our other strikers need to step up to the plate.
Carlton Cole and Sam Baldock need to get back to the form they showed
earlier this season, before injuries ruined the middle of their season.
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Avram Grant aiming to be reunited with West Ham striker
By talkSPORT
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Avram Grant is preparing to make West Ham striker Frederic Piquionne one of
his first signings since he took charge of Partizan Belgrade. Piquionne has
failed to make any impact under Sam Allardyce this season and was expected
to join Wolves on a free transfer. But the move broke down and he is now
expected to look for a switch elsewhere before the end of January. The
French striker has enjoyed some of his best football playing under Grant at
both Portsmouth and West Ham and could be tempted by a move to the Serbian
champions. Grant is back in football following his sacking as West Ham boss
after the club suffered relegation from the Premier League last season. But
the Israeli coach is determined to maintain Partizan's Belgrade lead at the
top of the table and hopes Piquionne can score the goals to help them
qualify for the Champions League next season.
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Reading want to keep West Ham United target Kebe
12:36pm Tuesday 17th January 2012 in News
Guardian Series
Reading have confirmed they do not want to sell West Ham United target Jimmy
Kebe. The Hammers have reportedly had an offer turned down for the attacker
during the transfer window. Reading director of football Nick Hammond told
the club website: "There's no pressure from upstairs for us to do a deal on
Jimmy. He's been offered a new contract, we hope he's going to stay.
"There's been some offers on the table but we've got no desire to sell."
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West Ham United defender selected in England squad
10:55am Tuesday 17th January 2012 in News
Guardian Series
West Ham youngster Leo Chambers has been named in the England Under-17 squad
for the Algarve Tournament next month. The central defender is one of 18
players selected by head coach John Peacock for the five-day event that will
see the Young Lions take on hosts Portugal, France and the Netherlands from
February 2 to 6. The tournament is seen as ideal preparation for the UEFA
European Under-17 Championship Elite Qualifying Round at the end of March.
This will be held in Georgia and also contain Spain and Ukraine. England
have a good recent record in the Algarve Tournament, finishing second last
year before going on to reach the semi-finals of the Euros and the last
eight of the World Cup. The previous year, Peacock led his charges to
victory in Portugal ahead of their European Championship success.
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Sam has Saints in his sights
Last Updated: 17/01/12 at 10:49 Post Comment
TeamTalk
West Ham edged four points clear of third-placed Cardiff after Saturday's
win at Portsmouth and victory over Nottingham Forest next weekend will take
them, at least temporarily, above Saints who do not play until Monday when
they host Leicester. "Even though Southampton won, Middlesbrough slipped up
and Cardiff drew so it gives us a little more distance to them which I think
is important," said Allardyce. "Now we're over the worst of our injuries
we've got two victories on the trot and won eight games away from home.
"We've got one of the best away records in the league and our home form
recently has been win-win with Barnsley and Coventry. "We want to continue
that next week against Forest now and see whether we can keep up with
Southampton."
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Diop happy to drive Hammers on
Tuesday 17th January 2012 10:13
TeamTalk
West Ham midfielder Papa Bouba Diop is desperate for the Hammers to continue
their fine form and secure promotion back to the Premier League. The Hammers
suffered a shock FA Cup third-round defeat by Sheffield Wednesday but two
successive league wins have kept them breathing down the neck on
table-topping Southampton. Diop, 33, was instrumental in the 1-0 home win
over Coventry on 2 January and the hard-fought 1-0 win at his former club
Portsmouth last Saturday.
And with strugglers Nottingham Forest set to visit Upton Park at the
weekend, Diop told the club's website: "It was a great win and we simply
want to keep going like that. "Since the New Year we have two wins in two
games - it is a good way to start the year. We know how important this year
is to the fans and the club. "We have Nottingham Forest next and we must win
this game as well. We have to keep winning games. If we want to get to the
Premier League we have to give everything. All that we do is to come back to
the Premier League."
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