WHUFC.com
The manager believes the future is looking good for West Ham United in all
areas of the club
20.01.2012
Sam Allardyce believes things are looking rosy for West Ham United - on and
off the pitch. While Big Sam's team seek to go top of the npower
Championship for the first time when they play Nottingham Forest on
Saturday, Thursday saw Joint-Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold mark two
years at the Hammers helm. The manager was in understandably upbeat mood as
he made his final preparations for this weekend's fixture, speaking
positively about his side's prospects and glowingly of his relationship with
Mr Sullivan and Mr Gold. Taking first the football side of things, Big Sam
is eager for his players to push on, even if they do reach the summit come
5pm on Saturday. "I think it would be great for us. It has been a very
difficult job catching Southampton and when we've finally got closer and
closer we've then ultimately failed and then slipped back again," he said.
"For most of this season we've climbed the mountain and then we've just
slipped off the peak and back down slightly again. What we can do this time
is stay on top of the peak of the mountain and try and win the three points
to get a little bit ahead of them even though it might only be for a short
period of time. "More importantly it may then create an even wider gap
between us and third and fourth."
While the Hammers hold a four-point lead over third-place Cardiff City going
into the weekend, the manager is aware that a host of clubs could still
mount a late charge for the automatic promotion positions. "My worry is the
challenge of Middlesbrough, Cardiff, Hull City, Reading now, even a big
danger is Birmingham.
"I think that Chris Hughton and his squad, looking at the changes he made
from Millwall to [the midweek FA Cup win over] Wolves and winning both
games, are strong. "I know Millwall were down to nine men, but the changes
he made and then to beat a Premier League side in the cup and to use a
different set of players in different positions shows you just how strong a
squad they are. "So, the two-way scenario is, yes we would like to be at the
top and we'd like to stay at the top but we've also got to fend off any of
those super-duper late runs."
Concentrating on his relationship with the Joint-Chairmen, Big Sam said his
dealings had been overwhelmingly positive during the eight months since his
appointment.
"At the moment, the relationship is as good as I've had. As in any business,
it is vitally important how you communicate with your bosses, and I think
that my levels of communication have always been one of my strengths as a
manager - it hasn't just been about managing players, it's been about
managing all the different factors of the Football Club. "The biggest factor
is managing in terms of how we communicate between ourselves for the good of
the Football Club. It's about how we go about doing our jobs in a very
difficult industry and making sure that we work as harmoniously as hard as
we can. "For me, adjusting to how they run the Football Club has been what
I've done and communicating to them in a way that they like to be
communicated in. "That has made life for me easier, to get on with the
football side of it and to try and get the players out on the field and
continue to work. So that has been fine as far as I'm concerned. "It's been
a good working relationship between myself and David Sullivan particularly
and David Gold in terms of whenever he wants he can come in."
Big Sam has also welcomed the Joint-Chairmen's enthusiasm in the transfer
market - most notably the eye-catching move to bring captain Kevin Nolan to
the Club from Premier League Newcastle United. "In terms of transfers, we're
still ambitious enough to get back in the premier league and we're ambitious
enough to get players like Kevin Nolan to come and join us and that made a
big statement. "David [Sullivan] is interested in a million players and I
think he really enjoys it. I think he really enjoys the nature of the
transfer market and the wheeling and dealing of the 'can you find a player?'
and he is obviously very knowledgeable in that direction. "My job is to make
sure that first and foremost we don't sign the wrong one, because there's
that many thrown at us that it's easy to take the gamble. I want to reduce
the gamble to a minimum so that when we bring in that player, 90 or 80 per
cent of the time it's going to be successful."
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Captain's blog
WHUFC.com
Kevin Nolan is fired up for the visit of Nottingham Forest on Saturday
20.01.2012
We are all ready and raring to go against Nottingham Forest this Saturday.
The aim is to follow up on what was a well-earned and well-fought win away
at Portsmouth last weekend, especially with Fratton Park being no easy place
to go. We dug in and got the three points and now it is up to us to make
that count even more with another good result and boss it here at home. I
mentioned that Fratton Park was a difficult place to play, their fans have
made it an intimidating place, but despite that, all of you who made the
trip to Pompey more than made yourselves heard and that was brilliant to
hear. It was great to hear the singing and support which helped us on to an
important victory, so on behalf of myself and all the lads, thanks to all of
you. We are getting there now after a little spell of injuries and
suspensions and we are all on track in working towards our goal - promotion.
This Saturday's match against Forest is a pay on the day, so hopefully as
many of you as possible will again be cheering us on. As you can see by my
words in this blog, it does help us a lot. Forest may not have had the best
of times lately, but it will be no easy match and a lot of patience is
needed for us all to work and get a result.
A few other things I want to mention, a big congratulations to our Under-18
team who won through to the next round of the FA Youth Cup. Myself and some
of the other lads were there to see them win and put in a great performance,
so well done to them and all the Academy staff. It is also two years ago
this week since owners David Sullivan and David Gold took over the club. I
have had a good working relationship with them since arriving here in the
summer. I know they are doing all they can to back the team and get the club
back up to the top flight and I am sure this is something they will continue
to do and that can only be a good thing for our club.
As this is my first captain's blog of the new year, I do hope all of you had
a safe and happy Christmas and I look forward to hopefully sharing what we
hope is a great 2012 for all associated with West Ham United.
Make lots of noise for us on Saturday and we will do our best in return.
Come on you Irons!
Kevin Nolan
Captain
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Nottingham Forest match preview
All the background and team news ahead of Saturday's npower Championship
visit of the Reds
WHUFC.com
20.01.2012
WEST HAM UNITED v NOTTINGHAM FOREST
npower CHAMPIONSHIP
SATURDAY 21 JANUARY 2012
KICK-OFF: 3PM
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
iPHONE APP I TWITTER I FACEBOOK I PODCAST
Introduction
• West Ham United welcome Nottingham Forest knowing a draw will be enough to
take them top of the npower Championship table for the first time this
season.
• The Hammers go into Saturday's match level on points with leaders
Southampton, but with an inferior goal difference by four goals. However,
the Saints do not play again until Monday evening, when they host Leicester
City.
• Saturday's match sees Sam Allardyce's side look to complete a third
consecutive league victory following a 1-0 home win over Coventry City on
Monday 2 January and success by an identical scoreline at Portsmouth on
Saturday 14 January. The Hammers would also complete a third straight league
'double' should they triumph this weekend.
• Should he start on Saturday, Robert Green will make his 200th league
appearance in goal for the club.
• Nottingham Forest arrive in east London in 22nd place in the table and
staring at the possibility of being relegated to the third tier for the
second time in eight seasons. The two-times European Cup winners have scored
just 21 goals and collected just 21 points from 26 league matches played.
The Tricky Trees were also dumped out of the FA Cup on Wednesday, losing 4-0
at Leicester City in a third-round replay.
• Nottingham Forest are enduring a terrible run of form in front of goal,
having failed to score in nine of their previous ten matches in all
competitions - eight of which have come in the npower Championship. However,
Steve Cotterill's side hit the net three times when they did manage to
score, winning 3-1 at Ipswich Town on 2 January.
• Steve Cotterill has already ended up on the losing side as a manager at
the Boleyn Ground this season. His Portsmouth side were beaten 4-3 here in
the npower Championship on 10 September 2011.
• On the Reds' most-recent visit to east London on 30 January 2011, West Ham
United defeated Nottingham Forest 3-2 in last season's FA Cup third round at
the Boleyn Ground, with Victor Obinna netting a hat-trick. West Ham are
unbeaten in their previous five home matches against Forest dating back to a
1-0 Premier League win for the visitors on 1 January 1997.
Us and them
• West Ham United's biggest-ever home victory over Nottingham Forest was a
5-0 Division Two success on 18 February 1939. Benny Fenton scored twice and
Joseph Stanley Foxall, Archie Macaulay and Len Goulden once each in front of
16,200 supporters.
• Nottingham Forest's largest victory at the Boleyn Ground came in the shape
of a 5-0 Division Two win on 30 April 1949. Amazingly, Forest would end the
1948/49 season by being relegated to Division Three (South), while West Ham
would lose just three home games in finishing seventh in the table.
• The largest crowd to witness a West Ham United versus Nottingham Forest
fixture was the 36,589 who turned out for the Hammers' 3-0 Division One win
over the Tricky Trees on 12 April 1968. Brian Dear scored twice and John
Sissons once for the hosts.
• West Ham United caused a massive upset when they beat Nottingham Forest
2-1 in the FA Cup first round on 14 January 1911. Then a Southern League
First Division club, the Hammers scored a victory over their Football League
Division One opponents thanks to two goals from forward Danny Shea.
• West Ham United defender Tony Gale was infamously sent-off in the 1991 FA
Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest at Villa Park on 14 April 1991
after a foul on Gary Crosby. Referee Keith Hackett later revealed that he
had been given a directive before the game on the interpretation of the
professional foul rule. Forest would go on to win the game 4-0 but lost 2-1
to Tottenham Hotspur in the final. Future Hammers Gary Charles and Stuart
Pearce filled the full-back positions for Forest in the semi-final.
• George John's FC Dallas eliminated Nottingham Forest striker Robbie
Findley's Real Salt Lake from the MLS Play-Offs in October 2010 courtesy of
a 3-2 aggregate victory.
• Nottingham Forest striker Matt Derbyshire was plucked from the obscurity
of non-league Great Harwood Town by Blackburn Rovers in 2003, having been
recommended to then Rovers chief scout and present West Ham United head of
player recruitment Martyn Glover. Derbyshire appeared for Birmingham City in
last season's Carling Cup semi-final victory over the Hammers.
• Victor Obinna scored a hat-trick in West Ham United's 3-2 FA Cup
fourth-round win over Nottingham Forest at the Boleyn Ground on 30 January
2011. The Nigeria forward is one of four players to score a hat-trick
against Forest alongside Dave Mangnall (September 1935), Frank McAvennie
(May 1992) and Syd Puddefoot, who netted four times in a 5-1 Division Two
victory in April 1920. McAvennie's treble came in his final game for the
Hammers and after the Scot had appeared as a substitute for Mitchell Thomas.
• Nottingham Forest player Chris Cohen played 21 times in all competition
for the Hammers between 2003 and 2006, having come through the youth ranks
at the Boleyn Ground.
• Jim Barrett, Horace Brown, Franz Carr, Gary Charles, Charlie Craig, Colin
Foster, Marlon Harewood, Andy Melville, Ian Moore, Adam Nowland, Stuart
Pearce, Teddy Sheringham and Fred Wallbanks are among those to have worn the
colours of both clubs.
• Fifteen players have made their West Ham United debuts against Nottingham
Forest - Frank Birchenough (April 1920), Vivian Gibbins (December 1923),
William Kaine (October 1924), Arthur Tonner (September 1935), Robert Black
(February 1937), Brian Moore (May 1955), Geoff Hurst (February 1960), Paul
Heffer and Bill Kitchener (March 1967), Bryan 'Pop' Robson (February 1971),
Alexander Clarke (August 1982), Robbie Slater (August 1995), Dani (February
1996), Hayden Mullins (October 2003) and Gavin Williams (December 2004).
• Glaswegian Arthur Tonner's appearance in the 5-2 win over Nottingham
Forest in September 1935 was his one and only game in a West Ham United
shirt.
Previous meeting
• West Ham United last met Nottingham Forest on 28 August 2011, when the
Hammers ran out 4-1 npower Championship winners at the City Ground.
• Luke Chambers netted an own-goal before Kevin Nolan and Carlton Cole put
West Ham in total charge before half-time. Robbie Findley pulled one back
before Winston Reid completed the scoring late on. The lineups were:
Nottingham Forest: Camp, Morgan, Chambers, Gunter, Boateng (Lynch 58),
Cohen, Greening, McGugan (Derbyshire 64), Majewski (Reid 64), Miller,
Findley
Subs not used: Smith, Garner
West Ham United: Green, O'Brien, Faubert , Reid, Tomkins, McCartney, Noble,
Taylor, Collison (Faye 75), Nolan, Cole (Piquionne 68)
Subs not used: Boffin, Stanislas, Carew
Team news
West Ham United
• Sam Allardyce has no fresh injury concerns ahead of Saturday's match.
However, Matt Taylor (calf), Guy Demel (thigh) and Marek Stech (shoulder)
remain sidelined.
• New signing George John is not expected to be involved as he continues to
work his way towards full match-fitness following his arrival on loan from
MLS club FC Dallas.
• Pablo Barrera and Jordan Spence are on season-long loans at Real Zaragoza
and Bristol City respectively. Cristian Montano, Ahmed Abdulla and Eoin
Wearen are on temporary loans at Dagenham & Redbridge, while Peter Kurucz
(Rochdale), Callum Driver (Burton Albion) and George Moncur (AFC Wimbledon)
are also away.
Nottingham Forest
• Nottingham Forest defender Luke Chambers is suspended after being sent-off
in the 3-0 home npower Championship defeat by Southampton last weekend.
• The Reds will be without former Hammer Chris Cohen (knee ligaments),
Ishmael Miller (fractured foot), Brendan Moloney (knee), Wes Morgan (foot)
and Jamaal Lascelles (back).
Last time out
Saturday 15 January 2012
npower Championship
Portsmouth 0-1 West Ham United
West Ham United: Green, O'Brien, Faubert (Lansbury 84), Reid, Tomkins,
McCartney, Diop, Noble, Collison, Nolan , Cole
Goal: Noble 24 (pen)
Wednesday 17 January 2012
FA Cup with Budweiser third-round replay
Leicester City 4-0 Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest: Camp, Lynch, Gunter, Cunningham, Boateng (McGoldrick 46),
Greening (McGugan 46), Anderson, Moussi, Reid, Harewood (Blackstock 81),
Findley
Previous meetings
(Last six meetings, npower Championship unless stated)
28 August 2011 - Nottingham Forest 1-4 West Ham United
30 January 2011 - West Ham United 3-2 Nottingham Forest (FA Cup fourth
round)
26 December 2004 - West Ham United 3-2 Nottingham Forest
26 September 2004 - Nottingham Forest 2-1 West Ham United
28 December 2003 - Nottingham Forest 0-2 West Ham United
22 October 2003 - West Ham United 1-1 Nottingham Forest
Overall record v Nottingham Forest (all competitions) W 45 D 26 L 43
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2010/11 Premier League 20th (33 points)
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted to Premier League via
Play-Offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
2002/03 Premier League 18th (42 points - relegated to Championship)
2001/02 Premier League 7th (53 points)
Nottingham Forest
2010/11 Championship 6th (75 points)
2009/10 Championship 3rd (79 points)
2008/09 Championship 19th (53 points)
2007/08 League One 2nd (82 points - promoted to Championship)
2006/07 League One 4th (82 points)
2005/06 League One 7th (69 points)
2004/05 Championship 23rd (44 points - relegated to League One)
2003/04 Championship 14th (60 points)
2002/03 Championship 6th (74 points)
2001/02 Championship 16th (54 points)
Referee
• Saturday's referee will be the experienced Tony Bates - the
longest-serving referee in the Football League. Aged 50, Bates has been
officiating in the Football League since being appointed as an assistant
referee as long ago as 1993, having begun his career a decade earlier at
junior level.
• Two years later, he took the flag in the Charity Shield before doing the
same job as England hosted the UEFA European Championship in 1996, running
the line in the group-stage meeting between eventual finalists Germany and
Czech Republic. The same year, he also ran the line at the FA Cup final.
Bates completed a fine year by being appointed to the Football League List
of referees for the 1996/97 season.
• More recently, during a Championship fixture between Coventry City and
Nottingham Forest in February 2010, an injury to Bates saw him replaced by
assistant Amy Fearn, who subsequently became the first female to referee a
Football League match.
• Bates officiated his West Ham United match when he took charge of the 1-0
home npower Championship win over Peterborough United on 24 September 2011.
• Away from football, Bates is a big speedway fan.
• Bates will be assisted by Carl Fitch and Simon Knapp, while the fourth
official will be Michael Webb.
Old boys
• Chris Cohen played 21 times in all competition for the Hammers between
2003 and 2006, having come through the youth ranks at the Boleyn Ground.
• Jim Barrett, Horace Brown, Franz Carr, Charlie Craig, Colin Foster, Marlon
Harewood, Andy Melville, Ian Moore, Adam Nowland, Stuart Pearce, Teddy
Sheringham and Fred Wallbanks are among those to have worn the colours of
both West Ham United and Nottingham Forest.
Next up
• West Ham United have a weekend off before returning to action with an
npower Championship trip to Ipswich Town on the evening of Tuesday 31
January.
General information
• Saturday's match has been designated as a Youth Academy match, meaning ALL
Youth Academy tickets are FREE. For ticket information, click here.
• Sunday's forecast in east London is for a cloudy afternoon with
temperatures peaking around the 11C (52F) mark.
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U18s target Palace victory
WHUFC.com
Nick Haycock believes the youth team can continue their perfect 2012 at
Crystal Palace
20.01.2012
West Ham United Under-18s coach Nick Haycock believes his young side will
continue their perfect start to 2012 when they travel to Crystal Palace on
Saturday.
The Hammers have registered three wins out of three so far this year,
scoring FA Premier Academy victories over Chelsea and Norwich City and an FA
Youth Cup fourth-round success against Brighton and Hove Albion - scoring 13
goals in the process. Having beaten Palace 3-0 in their reverse league
fixture at Little Heath in November, Haycock is confident his side can
record their fourth consecutive win this weekend. "The boys have made a good
start this year. We've had three tough games and the next four matches will
be equally so - Palace, Arsenal, Southampton and Chelsea in the FA Youth
Cup. "It'll be a good test of the squad but the squad responded well last
week [winning 6-1 against Norwich] and I fully expect them to put the same
sort of effort and endeavour into their performances as they have so far in
2012. "Any one of eight teams can win our group so it'll depend on players
being available and cup runs. The biggest target for us is to have more
players in the first team than any other club. That's always the ultimate
goal, but a good cup run and a nice position in the league is something we
strive for. "Us and Palace are two Academies who produce players for their
first teams by doing it in the right way. I've got respect for what they
do."
A number of players also know the next few matches will help the coaching
staff decide whether or not to offer them their first professional
contracts. "It's a tough time for them, but all the way through their
careers they will have to handle the pressure of earning contracts because
that is what the game is about. "Individually, it's something for them to
push for. Equally, the boys who have already got contracts cannot afford to
take their foot off the gas. They have to work to catch the manager's eye."
One player who has already signed a professional contract is Dylan Tombides.
The striker is continuing to undergo treatment after being diagnosed with
testicular cancer last summer, but is hopeful of being able to return to
light training in the next few months. "Obviously Dylan is undergoing
treatment and all our thoughts are with him at this testing time. The squad
are striving to improve their standards for him to come back into a better
place as well."
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West Ham v Nott'm Forest
BBC.co.uk
Page last updated at 13:50 GMT, Friday, 20 January 2012
Npower Championship
Venue: Upton Park Date: Saturday 21 August Kick-off: 1500 BST Coverage:
Watch highlights on The Football League Show; listen on BBC Radio 5 live and
BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC Sport website
TEAM NEWS
West Ham could include defender George John following his arrival on loan
from FC Dallas. Sam Baldock is pushing to partner Carlton Cole in attack,
but midfielder Matt Taylor (calf) and defender Guy Demel (thigh) are both
still out.
Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cotterill has no new injury or suspension
worries. Defender Wes Morgan (ankle), midfielder Chris Cohen (knee) and
striker Ishmael Miller (foot) are still missing.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• These clubs have been facing each other for a hundred years and
there is only two wins between them; West Ham have won 45 and Nottingham
Forest 43 of 114 competitive matches.
• West Ham won the reverse fixture 4-1 in August, and are looking to
do the double over Forest for the first time since the 1968/69 top-flight
season.
• Forest have won only one of their last nine league trips to Upton
Park since 1987; 1-0 on New Years' Day 1997, in the Premier League.
West Ham United
• West Ham are vying to become the first club to reach 16 Championship
wins, which would put them top of the table for the first time this season.
• They are one of three clubs with a 100% record in this division in
2012.
• The Hammers are boasting the meanest defence in the second tier (23
goals conceded) and an unrivalled 32 points have been picked up from the 12
games in which clean sheets were kept.
Nottingham Forest
• Third-bottom Forest, two points from safety, have lost an unequalled
16 Championship matches; 11 against current top-half clubs.
• The 3-1 win at Ipswich on 2 January is their only victory and only
goals in 11 in all competitions.
• They have picked up 16 points out of a possible 48 under Steve
Cotterill.
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£6m Jelavic bid would not tempt Rangers - Ally McCoist
BBC.co.uk
Page last updated at 17:49 GMT, Friday, 20 January 2012
A £6m offer would fall far short of Rangers' valuation of Croatia striker
Nikica Jelavic, according to manager Ally McCoist. McCoist was responding to
reports that West Ham counterpart Sam Allardyce had made such a bid. "They
have not made an official bid," said McCoist about the Scottish champions'
top scorer. "The reported amount would not be enough to meet the demands of
the owner - £6m is not nearly enough." Rangers rejected a £6.5m offer from
Leicester City for Jelavic in the summer and claimed they also rebuffed a
£9m approach from an unnamed club shortly before the closure of the transfer
window. Jelavic later revealed that he had turned down overtures from
Turkish outfit Fenerbahce but admitted ambitions to play in England's top
flight. Some Friday reports suggested that informal talks had begun with
Allardyce's Championship club. However, McCoist suggested that no bids -
from West Ham or any other club - had been tabled since the January window
opened, despite much speculation about the striker's future. "I know Sam
very well and I think, if there was a real interest, he and I would have
spoken, but there has been no official bid made and I certainly haven't
spoken to anyone about it," he said.
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Jelavic interest genuine
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 20th January 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are understood to have held intial talks with Rangers with regards
to the acquisition of striker Nikica Jelavic. Rumours of a purported
£6million bid from West Ham for the 26-year-old Croat were dismissed earlier
in the day by Rangers boss Ally McCoist who claimed that, "£6million is not
nearly enough." But despite McCoist's comments, KUMB understands that talks
between the two clubs are ongoing. West Ham are thought to have made initial
contact more than a week ago and discussions have continued throughout the
week. The Croatian international joined Rangers in 2010 when making a
$4million move from Rapid Vienna. He scored 19 times from 31 appearances in
his first season in Scotland, whilst he has already scored 17 times this
term.
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Take me to the top
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 20th January 2012
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce has told his players to fire West Ham to the the top of the
Championship tomorrow. West Ham are currently neck and neck with Southampton
at the top of the tree having accred 50 points from their opening 26 matches
- just two points shy of Allardyce's two points-per-game target. And with
the Saints - who are above West Ham by virtue of a superior goal difference
(+22 to +18) not playing until Monday evening, a win against Nottingham
Forest at the Boleyn Ground would send United three points clear of their
closest rivals. "If we defeat Forest tomorrow we will go top of the
Championship for the first time this season," Allardyce said in his weekly
column for the ES. "At least until Monday when Southampton play Leicester.
"But there's still a clutch of clubs still in contention for promotion. All
we can do is look after ourselves and tomorrow's match provides us with that
extra incentive of going top." Forest will arrive in east London entrenched
in the bottom three of the Championship having won just one of their last
eleven games. The former European champions have also failed to score in
seven of their last eight outings. Steve Cotterill was appointed as the new
Forest boss in October. He was in charge of Portsmouth when they were beaten
4-3 by the Hammers at the Boleyn back in September, making him one of a
select few managers to have overseen two seperate teams at the BG in the
same season.
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West Ham United v Nottingham Forest
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 20th January 2012
By: Preview Percy
Next we entertain Nottingham Forest at the Boleyn in a 3pm kick-off this
Saturday. Lovely. Tubes? Well the Hammersmith & City is out, which will mean
a detour for visitors arriving at St Pancras. The bottom end of the District
is also out, though the section serving Upton Park and points East will be
open.
Our opponents this week, not to put too fine a point on things, are
struggling. They currently lie third from bottom with 24 points from 26
games. The team above them are Millwall who are two points clear of Forest
(with a much better goal difference despite last week's hilarious home
thrashing).
Current form is not impressive with one win (3-1 at Ipswich), one draw (0-0
at Bristol City) and four defeats (all at home to Southampton (0-3),
Peterborough, Cardiff and Palace (all 0-1)). coming from their last six. In
the cup they managed a goalless draw with Leicester who then walloped then
4-0 in the replay the other night. Only Millwall have a worse last six – and
that's only on goal difference with them having managed a solitary league
goal in that period.
For the second week running we face a side who have changed manager since we
last met. Steve Cotterill left last week's opponents in October to take over
at the City Ground from Steve McClaren, who recently returned to polish up
his comedy Dutch accent with FC Twente.
Cotterill isn't a total stranger to the city of Nottingham, though quite how
much of the place he saw during his three month spell at neighbours County a
while back is debatable. Those three months were enough, however, to see
County through to the League 2 title for 2009/10, though I suppose Forest
fans might forgive him for that if he can keep them up.
Forest's current position means that there is already talk that Cotterill
might not see out the season. A current conspiracy theory that suggests that
Mark Arthur, the club's Chief Executive, may be looking to return to
Nottinghamshire CCCC, his previous employer. Looking about at this web we
call "inter" it seems that few supporters would be too upset at that
prospect.
The follow-up to this theory goes that Arthur's departure would pave the way
for a return for former boss Billy Davies. Neil Warnock is also being linked
with the place should Cotterill fall on his sword (or be knifed in the
back). I suppose the appointment of Warnock would at least mean one thing:
should they be relegated it will be entirely somebody else's fault.
Cotterill, meanwhile, is presumably ignoring all the scuttlebutt and has
taken the step of boosting the coaching staff by appointing Sean O'Driscoll
as first team coach until the end of the season. O'Driscoll has been out of
work since Doncaster dispensed with his services, though he had been acting
"on an advisory basis" down at Plymouth Argyle.
As yet there's been little movement in on the player transfer front this
window – though the one arrival thus far is a familiar face – to both sides.
Marlon Harewood is now in his second spell at the club he left in 2003/04
when he joined the Hammers. He was instrumental in the side that gained
promotion in 2004/05 and reached the Cup Final in 2005/06. Since moving on
he's been about a bit, with Villa and Blackpool holding his full
registration, and Wolves, Newcastle & Barnsley all having him in on loan at
times.
Released by Blackpool at the end of last season he pitched up at Chinese
outfit Guangzhou who he helped to promotion during a six-month spell out
there. Returning to Blighty, he ended up training with Forest and impressed
enough to earn a short-term contract. He made his first start for Forest in
nine years in the 3-0 defeat at home to Southampton.
The squad's other former Hammer Chris Cohen will miss this match. Cohen, who
set up Forest's goal in our 4-1 win at the City Ground, picked up a nasty
cruciate knee ligament injury in September's Brian Clough Cup defeat to
Derby. He'll be out not only for the rest of the season but for a good
couple of months next term as well.
The Southampton defeat proved costly in more ways than one. The dismissal of
skipper Luke Chambers for a referee-imagined elbowing offence means that
he'll be serving a ban this weekend, Cotterill having (probably wisely)
decided that appealing against a decision using a system inherently designed
to back-up refereeing incompetence would be a waste of time.
Chambers' absence has left them a bit short in defence. It had been hoped
that Wes Morgan would be available for firstly the Southampton match, then
the Leicester Cup match following an ankle injury sustained against Palace
back in early December. Similarly, right back Brendan Moloney was pencilled
in for a return following a knee injury.
However, in the event neither was selected – possibly with one eye on the
club's league position and another on this weekend's match. This meant that
midfielder Guy Moussi was co-opted into the centre of defence against
Leicester – the 4-0 reverse tells its own story as to how successful that
was. Look to see one or both of Morgan and Moloney co-opted in on Saturday
if either is able to pull on a pair of those carpet slippers they laughingly
call "boots" these days.
The injury problems at the back have led to a reported trial for
English-born Andy Iro who is currently on the books at MLS side Toronto FC.
There have been rumours that Iro is on his way out of Canada, though whether
this would be on a loan deal or something more permanent is far from clear.
Either way there has been the odd raised eyebrow amongst the Toronto
faithful at the idea that Iro might be of the required standard, with the
player being described by one source as being "loveable but clumsy".
The official line is that there will be no money for new signings this
window, unless, of course, a few bob can be raised from sales. Middlesbrough
were said to be sniffing around striker Ishmail Miller – another current
absentee whose broken metatarsal seems to have pre-dated the current trend
to refer to such injuries merely as broken toes. The other asset about whom
"discreet enquiries" are said to have been made is defender Chris Gunther,
though the wisdom of flogging one of the few fit defenders you have
available to you is questionable to say the least.
"What news of us?" I hear you ask. Well team availability is similar to last
week. Demel and Taylor are still on the sick list though both have trained
with the first team squad this week. A spot on the bench for either/both
might be the more prudent option given that our past habit of rushing people
back from injury hasn't been the most productive of tactics over the years.
We now have extra cover for the central defensive positions with the arrival
of George John, initially on loan, from FC Dallas. John isn't one I'd expect
to see an awful lot of initially unless we get another injury crisis. It
would have been interesting to see the player's reaction on arriving at the
Boleyn for the first time if only to see his reaction to having a home
ground not called Pizza Hut Park.
There was much gnashing of teeth and wringing of hands over the manner of
the victory at Pompey. For the first few minutes we did take the game to
them. However we did revert to away match stereotype as the game wore on,
particularly after we had taken the lead.
Once the sending-off had happened we did much of what you need to do against
ten men – we spread the game well across the pitch – but failed to look for
anything incisive. The manager has referred to various chances during the
match that, had we taken them, would have made the score look a bit nicer.
However, with the possible exception of Collison's post-shaver, most of
those so-called chances consisted of hopeful efforts hit high into the crowd
(Nolan & McCartney leap to mind).
A more meaningful stat might be to consider how many saves that Pompey's
'keeper had to make. I have no idea what the answer is to that one but I
wouldn't imagine that it's large number. Playing the match out without
picking up the second goal can, of course, leave you open to late goals and
two dubiously-awarded free-kicks at Fratton Park could well have seen Pompey
pinch a point had they been better at set pieces -making us pay for the
earlier lack of ambition.
For this one I'd expect the manager to consider this to be a "two up front"
or maybe even a "proper three" match which will see a welcome start for
Baldock alongside Cole. As for a third striker, should the manager elect to
play that route neither Piquionne nor Carew seem to be in the boss's good
books at present which may be good news for Nouble.
Prediction – well I got last week right, somehow (though we'll gloss over
the bit where I though this week's opponents might give Southampton a few
problems). When you look at this from a dispassionate point of view we will
be up against a team with a makeshift defence, probably containing a mixture
of out of position and half-fit players. They've been struggling in any case
so you'd expect this to be a romp.
We are, of course, West Ham, and nothing is ever that simple for us. I still
think we'll win but we'll be made to work for it I suspect. An early goal
followed by 80 minutes of frustration followed by a late goal I reckon. So
2-0 to us which would see us clear at the top at least until Monday night
when Southampton entertain Leicester.
Enjoy the game!
When last we met: We came away from the City Ground with a 4-1 win back in
September, goals from Chambers (og) Nolan, Cole & Reid giving us the points,
Finlay netting for Forest to make it 3-1. It wasn't quite as comfortable as
the score suggests and Forest did have their chances. It was, however, much
more comfortable than our 3-2 win at the Boleyn just over a year ago as an
Obinna hat-trick saw us struggle to a 3-2 win in the cup.
Referee: Tony Bates. Handled the 1-0 win over Peterborough. Was supposed to
be in charge of the away trip to Middlesbrough but cried off for some
unexplained reason (The Paolo Syndrome as I believe it's known). This will
be his second time in charge of one of our matches.
Danger man: Marlon Harewood. The law of the "ex" doesn't always apply – I've
seen the chap the bloke behind me at away matches used to 'hilariously' call
"Marlene" miss sitters against us in the past. However, I still have a nasty
suspicion that there's a goal against us in him somewhere.
Daft Fact Of The Week: The name Nottingham comes from the old Saxon meaning
"the home of Snot's people". The town should really therefore be called
"Snottingham". Snot's original settlement is where the City's lace market is
situated these days. Presumably the market specialises in handkerchiefs.
Stat man John: Northcutt's corner
Seeing red
1996-97: Mark Rieper (a)
1990-91: Tony Gale (FA Cup semi final)
They Played For Both
Chris Cohen; Jim Barrett; Marlon Harewood; Gary Charles; Stuart Pearce;
Horace Biggin; Franz Carr; Colin Foster; Ian Moore; Lee Chapman; Justin
Fashanu; Peter Shilton; Fred Wallbanks; Paul Konchesky; Adam Nowland; Teddy
Sheringham; Ian Wright.
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West Ham v N Forest preview
Last updated: 20th January 2012
SSN
Team news for Saturday afternoon's Championship clash between West Ham and
Nottingham Forest at Upton Park. West Ham have no new injury worries for the
visit of Forest. Abdoulaye Faye returned from a thigh problem to be on the
bench at Portsmouth last weekend and should be involved again, while fellow
defender George John could be added to the squad following his recent loan
switch from FC Dallas. Midfielder Matt Taylor has returned to training
following six weeks out with a calf injury and, although he will not be
ready for the weekend, has been pencilled for a return at the end of the
month. Defender Guy Demel is the only other absentee with a thigh injury.
Striker Sam Baldock could return to partner Carlton Cole if boss Sam
Allardyce opts for two up front at home.
Marcus Tudgay is expected to return to the Forest squad. Tudgay did not
travel as the Reds crashed out of the FA Cup to Midlands rivals Leicesteron
Tuesday night, but the striker should be involved in east London. Fellow
forwards Matt Derbyshire, Garath McCleary, David McGoldrick and Dexter
Blackstock and midfielders Lewis McGugan and Radoslaw Majewski will come
into contention for starts following the dismal 4-0 defeat at the King Power
Stadium. Manager Steve Cotterill has no new injury or suspension problems
ahead of the fixture against the npower Championship's joint leaders.
Captain Luke Chambers will serve the second game of a three-match ban while
fellow centre-half Wes Morgan (ankle), midfielder Chris Cohen (knee) and
striker Ishmael Miller (foot) remain sidelined through injury.
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Hammers make Jelavic contact
West Ham speak to Rangers, but no bid made
Last Updated: January 20, 2012 8:29pm
SSN
Sky Sports sources understand West Ham have contacted Rangers about prolific
striker Nikica Jelavic. Hammers co-owner David Sullivan is believed to have
spoken with Gers' owner Craig Whyte, although no bid has been tabled. The
promotion-chasing Championship outfit are keen to bolster their attacking
options for the push to the Premier League and have targeted the Croatia
international. Earlier on Friday manager Ally McCoist stated the Scottish
champions had not received anything official. However, talks are now
understood to have taken place concerning the 26-year-old, who has proved an
excellent signing after joining from Rapid Vienna in August 2010, scoring 30
SPL goals in 44 appearances. Jelavic was the subject of a failed £6.5million
bid from Leicester in August and has also been linked with Liverpool and
QPR.
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Sagbo waiting on offers
Evian forward open to English switch but is yet to receive a bid
By Patrick Haond. Last Updated: January 20, 2012 3:47pm
SSN
Yannick Sagbo has reiterated his desire to secure a move to England, but
admits nothing will happen until an official approach is received. The Evian
forward was recently linked with a switch to West Ham, and he openly
admitted to being interested in such a deal. Numerous other clubs are also
reported to be keeping a close eye on the Ivory Coast international, with
the 23-year-old claiming that Tottenham are among them. He is, however,
still waiting for contact to be made by any of the supposedly interested
parties, with there having been no movement as yet during the January
transfer window. "Am I attracted by a move to England? Of course," Sagbo
told France Football.
Future
"I have always loved that league, but I am waiting for concrete propositions
before I make a decision. "I am fully committed to Evian at the moment but
if an interesting offer arrives, we would look to talk with the club
officials. "I have not spoken about my future with them as yet, but they
know that I would like to leave. The best situation would be for me to move
in the summer. "But, if a club like Tottenham or West Ham look to sign me,
it would be an amazing opportunity. I don't want to miss my chance."
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McCoist hammers out warning
Croatia international is being monitored by English clubs
Last Updated: January 20, 2012 3:41pm
SSN
Rangers manager Ally McCoist has warned West Ham they will not get Nikica
Jelavic on the cheap. The 26-year-old has been linked with Liverpool and
more recently the Hammers after netting 17 goals in 31 games this season. It
is a record that has seen Rangers place a high premium on the Croatia
international's value, while the speculation around him continues to grow.
English Championship side West Ham have so far been frustrated in their
search to land a striker after Huddersfield rebuffed their bids for Jordan
Rhodes. And McCoist maintains that if they want to lure the in-form marksman
to Upton Park, they will have to stump up the cash and dismissed rumours
they had already made a bid. "They have not made an official bid," he said.
"The reported amount would not be enough to meet the demands of the owner;
£6million is not nearly enough."
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A Deal that Shows Ambition and an Eye to the Future!
January 21st, 2012 - 12:53 am by S J Chandos
West Ham Till I Die
The speculation on West Ham's alleged transfer targets continues apace. It
has ranged from Huddersfield's Jordan Rhodes to veterans like Bolton's Kevin
Davies and through to the latest rumours concerning our supposed interest in
Jelavic at Rangers. However, one mooted deal that does stand out for me is
the bid for Watford's Marvin Sordell. Sordell is an U-21 England
international, who can either play wide or as an out and out striker. He
has the stamp of quality about him, together with the tools to perform not
only this season in the Championship, but also (hopefully) next season in
the PL. I have seen watching his progress at Watford and he is strong,
possesses pace and has shown the ability to finish clinically. Sordell is
not the finished product, far from it, but he is ready and able to do a good
job at this level. The real test for him would be adapting to the different
requirements of the PL, but we can have every expectation that he could be
successful in making the transition. For me, it is a deal that ticks all
the boxes. It would show ambition and an eye to the future.
On occasions this season, Sam Allardyce has been criticised for allegedly
not trusting sufficiently in youth and relying too much on the likes of
Faye, McCartney, Diop and even Nolan. Well, the fact is that having a core
of such experienced players is essential. They have been there, done it
and have the battles honours to prove it. I personally agree with those who
have argued that Montano should have been retained in the squad, and given
his chance on the left flank, with the prolonged injury absence of Matt
Taylor. In contrast, it probably has to be admitted that the likes of Lee,
Brown and Nouble were not ready for the first team and the decision to loan
them out was correct. As Allardyce stated recently on TV, nothing aids the
development of youngsters like going out on loan and experiencing first
team football. Yes, you are looking for them to learn whilst on loan, but
you also want to see prospects shining at a lower level of football. Thus,
demonstrating their promise and the fact that they are ultimately a 'cut or
two above.' In that respect, the likes of Montano, Hall, Lee and, now,
George Moncur have done just that; while Frank Nouble came on significantly
during his last loan period at Gillingham. The really worrying sitation is
where prospects do not deliver the goods whilst on loan. And there are one
or two that currently fall in to that category.
Anyway, I digress slightly, we have substantial experience in this squad and
that has stood us in good stead at times this season. However, I do feel
that it also affords us the opportunity to sign a younger players like
Sordell. The names being mentioned for an exit this January usually include
Piquionne, Carew and Sears. Of these, Piquionne is probably most likely to
depart; whilst Carew is almost certain to be retained this season. As for
Freddie Sears, well the lad's situation has certainly proven to be
something of a enigma. He has a very good goal scoring record at youth and
reserve team level, but has largely disappointed at first team level and
whilst on loan. He originally looked to be a natural penalty box poacher,
but more recently has been played wide right, with varying degrees of
success. As a result, some fans have run out of patience and have openly
called for him to be sold. Well, I suppose we might need a part-exchange
'sweetner' to oil the wheels of a deal for Marvin Sordell, and perhaps Sears
could figure in the equation? Although it does not necessarily have to be a
permanent deal, it could be a longer-term loan arrangement to see whether
Sears might be something of a 'late developer.' I would favour a long term
loan, myself, as I feel that Sears needs to secure regular first team
football somewhere to prove once and for all if he has what it takes?
Although others would no doubt conclude that he has had his chances and its
time to cash in!
Finally, we should be looking for a healthy victory at home to Notts Forest
this afternoon. Hopefully, we can win by at least a two goal margin, of say
2-0 or 3-1. Here's hoping, COYI!
ps. Thanks to Bradez for his helpful and informative transfer window
updates, keep up the good work.
pps. And a concluding thought for Dylan Tombides, an outstanding Hammers
youth product, who has undergone treatment for testicular cancer. Recent
reports have suggested that he now requires further treatment for his
condition. Lets pray that it is merely a temporary set back in his recovery
back to health, fitness and a successful football career.
SJ. Chandos.
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Is Nikita Jelavic really worth £9m???
January 20th, 2012 - 9:57 pm by Bradley Palmer
West Ham Till I Die
So this evening we were all informed from Sky Sports News that West Ham had
opened discussion with Rangers for top goal scorer Jelavic to make the move
down south to our boys in claret and blue. Ever since the news had been
broadcasted, tweeters went crazy. Adzman immediately contacted his famous
ClungeWhu and tweeted that we WILL bid for Jelavic on monday. This fee is
believed to be around the £9m mark.
Now Jelavic undoubtedly has an incredible goals per game ratio with the
scottish outfit scoring 30 goals in 44 appearances since arriving at
Rangers. Before this he scored 25 goals in 75 games for Rapid Vienna so it
is clear that with age, he is improving. At only 26 years of age and stands
at 6ft 2inches tall, he would certainly strike us all as a player Big Sam
would identify. But is he worth £9m. In the short term, I would say
undoubtedly yes. In the long run, I cant be completely sure.
The Scottish League in my opinion is a very similar standard of play to the
Championship. And with his record of goals, he would certainly do the
business up top to get us the goals we need to get promoted. However, IF we
are to gain promotion, either automatically or via the dreaded play offs,
will Jelavic rise to the occasion and be the Demba Ba type player for us on
the big stage. Anyone remember Savio Nsereko. We payed a similar fee for
that young lad who we were led to believe would be a superstar. And look
what happened. I don't blame him as a player but the club for investing such
a high amount for a player with no premiership experience. Will be very
interesting to see how Jelavic would cope if he were to sign for us.
In other news, Adzman has further stated that an offer of £5m from Stoke for
Tomkins was immediately rejected with Tomkins set to sign a new 5 year deal
with a high increase in his wage package from £14,000 a week to £34,000 a
week.
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Hammers can be cream of crop
By EMILY FAIRBAIRN
Published: Today
The Sun
DAVID SULLIVAN and David Gold this week celebrate their second anniversary
as West Ham owners. And manager Sam Allardyce wants to give them the perfect
present — by taking the Hammers top of the Championship. Big Sam's boys will
reach the summit with victory over struggling Nottingham Forest. And
Allardyce insists his relationship with the owners could not be better —
despite his initial fears about their outspoken reputation. He explained: "I
think that reputation has put them in the wrong context because I had that
impression before I came. "But I have found them not to be like what they've
perhaps portrayed themselves and what they've said in the media." Sullivan
and Gold, who made their fortune in the porn industry, have a history of
clashes with managers, including Allardyce's predecessor Avram Grant, who
was sacked as Hammers boss one season into a four-year contract. During
their 16-year reign at Birmingham City, the pair faced accusations of
interfering because of their frequent public criticism of managers, players
and even fans. But Allardyce defended his bosses, saying: "The media have
caught them when they have been disappointed with what's happening at their
club and they've made a statement that has created some headlines. "I
haven't found them to be like that yet — and I certainly hope it continues
that way for some time. It's been a good working relationship between myself
and David Sullivan particularly, and David Gold, whenever he wants to come
in. "Whether that changes if we had a bad run of results and the pressure
comes on, I don't know. It may do, it may not."
Allardyce says he has the owners' full support when it comes to transfers —
and was wowed by how quickly they closed the deal for midfielder Kevin
Nolan. Big Sam said: "I went away and I got a phone call 48 hours later
saying, 'Come and meet Kevin'. They said, 'He's here, it's done'. It is
magnificent in terms of making a statement on what we wanted to do. I
haven't experienced that before."
Like all good relationships, Allardyce says theirs is built on good
communication. He added: "The biggest factor is how do we communicate for
the good of the football club. How do we go about doing our jobs in a very
difficult industry and making sure that we work as harmoniously as we can."
Today Allardyce has the chance to reward Gold and Sullivan's gamble on West
Ham, which they bought while it was £110million in debt. They can overhaul
leaders Southampton today — at least until the Saints host Leicester on
Monday. Allardyce said: "Most of this season we have climbed the mountain
and then we've just slipped off the peak, and just slid back down slightly
again. "What we can do this time is stay on top of the peak of the mountain
and try and win the three points to get a little bit ahead of Southampton —
even for a short time."
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West Ham's search for a striker takes them to the SPL
Ladbrokes.co.uk
The fact that Ally McCoist has had an offer rejected for Norwich striker
suggests that he is expecting Nikica Jelavic to leave the club in the
January transfer window.
Jelavic is the top scorer in the Scottish Premier League this season and his
14 goals have helped attract interest from a host of clubs in England. A
move to the Premier League seemed highly likely, with Liverpool one of the
clubs linked, alongside Fulham. However, it is Championship club West Ham
that have emerged as the slightly surprising front runners to secure his
signature. Sam Allardyce's desire to sign a striker is well documented, with
a £5m offer for Huddersfield hotshot Jordan Rhodes having already reportedly
been rebuffed in the current transfer window. Meanwhile, West Ham have also
been linked with Watford's Marvin Sordell and even a spectacular loan switch
to bring Carlos Tevez back to Upton Park. But it now seems that Jelavic has
moved to the head of the shortlist and it is reported that an offer of
around £6m has already been put on the table. Although Rangers value the
Croatian at closer to £10m, their need for money may force them into
accepting the offer, while it would also give them time in the transfer
window to seek a replacement.
Fulham should not be ruled out though, as Martin Jol knows the importance of
signing a striker, especially with the futures of Bobby Zamora and Andy
Johnson seemingly unclear. West Ham's odds are currently 1/1 to win the
Championship and a prolific striker would certainly do their challenge more
good than harm. After 26 games, Carlton Cole is their present top scorer
with just eight goals.
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Fulham and West Ham are understood to have bid around £6 million for the
Rangers striker Nikica Jelavic
By Jason Burt8:30PM GMT 20 Jan 2012 Comment
Telegraph.co.uk
Championship club West Ham — who are pushing for an immediate return to the
Premier League — are understood to have made the running in their attempts
to sign the Croatian. A bid of £5 million cash but £1 million based on
appearances is understood to have been submitted by West Ham who are keen to
bolster their attacking options and have been thwarted in their attempts to
sign Huddersfield Town's Jordan Rhodes or Cardiff City's Peter Whittingham.
If Jelavic was signed by West Ham it would be a clear sign of intent by the
owners, David Sullivan and David Gold, and also a significant fee for a club
outside of the Premier League. Fulham are also desperate to improve their
strike force with significant questions marks over the future of Bobby
Zamora and, more immediately, Andy Johnson who is out of contract this
summer. Rangers have suggested that £6 million would not be enough to
persuade them to sell Jelavic but West Ham will not go above that figure for
a player who remains relatively unproven.
Rangers claimed they rejected a bid of £6.5 million from Leicester City for
Jelavic last summer and also an offer of £9 million from an unnamed club
shortly before the transfer window closed. Jelavic later said that he had
rejected an approach from the Turkish club, Fenerbahce. Jelavic, 26, has
been a revelation this season in Scottish football, scoring 17 goals and
Rangers are understood to be considering replacements for him should a deal
be struck. Rangers have confirmed the signing of Swedish midfielder Mervan
Celik. The 21-year-old has joined the Scottish champions on a
three-and-a-half year deal after passing a medical earlier today. Celik was
a free agent after leaving GAIS and becomes Ally McCoist's first signing of
the January transfer window. Celik has been given the number 24 shirt last
worn by Madjid Bougherra but has not yet gained international clearance,
meaning he will not be available for Saturday's Clydesdale Bank Premier
League game against Aberdeen.
Meanwhile, Craig Brown has urged Aberdeen fans not to aim abuse at former
player Sone Aluko during this afternoon's Clydesdale Bank Premier League
game against Rangers.
The winger quit the Pittodrie club when his contract ended in the summer and
joined the Scottish champions in November. Aluko has impressed so far for
Rangers and is likely to be named in the team who welcome the Dons to Ibrox
this weekend. Brown said: "It is not uncommon to play against players who
used to play for you, that happens quite regularly and Sone is no exception.
"He is a popular guy and a likeable lad so I don't think there will be any
animosity. "There will be a determination, of course, to show that we are as
good as or better than he is. "I would ask the fans, although I don't think
the Aberdeen fans would be offensive to him, to not be critical because he
gave good service here. You've got to wish him well in his career and not be
churlish about it."
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