Matt and Coley meet Hammers fans
WHUFC.com
Matt Taylor and Carlton Cole were welcome visitors to the Stadium Superstore
on Tuesday
18.12.2012
Matt Taylor and Carlton Cole brought plenty of festive cheer when they met
supporters at the Stadium Superstore on Tuesday. Both West Ham United
players got straight into the Christmas spirit by wearing seasonal hats as
they signed autographs and posed for photographs. Supporters of all ages
queued to get shirts, footballs and other merchandise signed, including
gifts they are planning to hand out to family and friends on Christmas Day.
Midfielder Taylor said: "It was nice to meet our fans. Everyone said they
were looking forward to Christmas and also wished both us and the rest of
the team luck for our forthcoming matches, which was nice. We hope to carry
on from last weekend and get some good results over Christmas."
Meeting the Hammers supporters was also enjoyed by popular striker Cole. "It
was really good, as everyone was happy with what is happening on the pitch
and we hope to do more," he said. "It is good to meet our fans and give them
our time, sign autographs and everything, so it was really good."
Supporters still have time to purchase the perfect Christmas gift for
Hammers fans, with a wide range of official merchandise available, including
the 2012/13 Macron replica kit and trainingwear. You can order now here at
the Online Store, but you will have to hurry as the final delivery dates for
Christmas are fast approaching! To guarantee delivery to UK mainland
addresses for Christmas, orders must be placed on or before Thursday 20
December.
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'It was great to be back out there'
WHUFC.com
West Ham United midfielder Jack Collison was happy to return to action after
a spell on the sidelines
18.12.2012
Jack Collison was in positive mood after making his first West Ham United
appearance since last season's npower Championship Play-Off final. The
midfielder returned from a long-standing knee problem by starting the
Development Squad's 3-1 Barclays U21 Premier League Group 1 defeat at
Norwich City on Monday. Collison came through 45 minutes as planned before
being replaced at half-time. Speaking exclusively to whufc.com after the
game, the Wales international admitted he still has some way to go before he
can make a first-team return, but admitted he loved every minute of his
return. "It was great to be back out there again," said the No10, whose two
Play-Off semi-final goals at Cardiff City in May paved the way for the
Hammers' promotion. "I am obviously a little bit rusty but I have ticked a
box by completing 45 minutes and hopefully it will be onwards and upwards
from there. "I loved it. It was great to be playing football again, even
though it was not the best conditions out there. I thought the boys did well
and were unlucky to not to get a point out of it."
While a Development Squad appearance is an undoubted step in the right
direction, Collison will not pinpoint a date on a first-team return,
insteadd leaving it in the hands of Sam Allardyce and his backroom staff. "I
will leave that for the manager to decide. I have obviously been out for
quite a while so for me it is all about building up my fitness and getting
that sharpness back. "I am not sure whether the reserves will have any more
games or have arranged any friendlies [before the Elite Group Stage starts
in January] but I will be training more now so hopefully I can return as
quickly as possible."
However, with Mohamed Diame out with a hamstring injury and both Ricardo Vaz
Te and Yossi Benayoun also on the sidelines, Collison knows his first-team
chance could come sooner rather than later. "It is nice to be back and
unfortunately we have more than a few injuries at the moment so hopefully I
can help bolster the squad a little bit. Like I said, it will be whenever
the gaffer needs me and when he feels like the time is right, I will be
ready to step in."
While he would clearly have rather been on the pitch than in the stands,
Collison declared his admiration for way the Hammers have settled into life
back in the Barclays Premier League. "The boys have been brilliant and it
has been great to see them doing so well. It also helps me because, when I
am fit and ready to go back into the first team, it will be good to go into
a side that is enjoying playing football in the top flight."
Collison's absence has opened up a space in the first-team squad for a
number of his fellow Academy graduates in recent months - most notably
midfielders George Moncur and Sebastian Lletget. The young professionals
have been in and around Big Sam's matchday 18 for the last few matches and
the 24-year-old has been keeping tabs on their progress. "It is nice to see
so many youngsters coming through and developing, Sebby and Moncs have both
been on the bench for the last few games which is great to see. Hopefully it
is not too long before one of them gets their chance in the first team
because it was great to play with them and even better to see them doing so
well."
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Jack Collison delighted with return after seven months out
BBC.co.uk
Wales midfielder Jack Collison said he was delighted after playing for the
first time following seven months out with a knee injury. Collison played 45
minutes for a West Ham development squad in an under-21 match against
Norwich on Monday. The 24-year-old hadn't played since the Hammers'
Championship play-off final victory over Blackpool in May. "It was great to
be back out there again," Collison told West Ham's official website . West
Ham lost 3-1, but Collison was happy to be back. "I am obviously a little
bit rusty, but I have ticked a box by completing 45 minutes and hopefully it
will be onwards and upwards from there," he said. "It was great to be
playing football again, even though it was not the best conditions out
there."
Collison's return is a welcome boost to injury-hit West Ham, who are without
the likes of Mohamed Diame, Ricardo Vaz Te and Yossi Benayoun. The player
has a long-standing knee problem and suffers with fluid on the joint, which
manager Sam Allardyce has said has to be managed carefully. Collison would
not pinpoint a date for his first-team return, focusing instead on
continuing his rehabilitation. "I will leave that for the manager to
decide," Collison said. Wales boss Chris Coleman, however, welcomed the
player's return. "I'm delighted for Jack. He's had such a traumatic time
with the injury. "He's still a good age Jack, it's all in front of him he's
just got to try and get himself fit. "He deserves to be back."
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Hammers land Irish starlet
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 18th December 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United have signed Irish teenager Sean Maguire, who impressed
during a recent trial. The 18-year-old former Waterford United striker, who
spent a fortnight at the club last month has put pen to paper on a
two-and-a-half year contract with the Hammers. Despite having been courted
by a string of clubs the 5'9", Luton-born striker opted to move to east
London where he will join the newly-promoted Nick Haycock's development
squad. A talented young forward, Maguire - whose family hail from Cois Na
hAbhann - played junior football for Deen Celtic and Ormonde Villa before
being snapped up by League of Ireland First Division side Waterford last
year. Having been almost instantly promoted to the Blues first team, he went
on to score 13 goals in the 2011/12 campaign helping his club to second
place in the First Division table. He has also represented the Republic of
Ireland under-18 Schools team. Speaking about the talented youngster, one
Irish KUMB member said: "I seen him a few times for Waterford last year and
he looks a decent prospect". Another Blues fan said: "I've been watching
Seani for the last two years at Waterford United, he's an amazing talent and
it was only a matter of time. It was inevitable that we'd lose him to a
bigger club."
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Collison aiming for speedy return
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 18th December 2012
By: Staff Writer
Jack Collison had admitted that he is desperate to return to first team
football having taken the first step to recovery at Norwich last night. The
midfielder has not played competitive football since the play-off Final win
against Blackpool at Wembley on May 19th, but played a full 45 minutes in
the development squad's 3-1 defeat to the Canaries. And now the 24-year-old
has his sights firmly set on a speedy return to first team action. "I am
obviously a little bit rusty but I have ticked a box by completing 45
minutes and hopefully it will be onwards and upwards from there," he told
whufc.com. "I have obviously been out for quite a while so for me it is all
about building up my fitness and getting that sharpness back. I will be
training more now so hopefully I can return as quickly as possible.
"Unfortunately we have more than a few injuries at the moment so hopefully I
can help bolster the squad a little bit. It will be whenever the gaffer
needs me and when he feels like the time is right, I will be ready to step
in."
The Welsh international, who made his West Ham debut at Arsenal on New Years
Day 2008 has already had his short career punctuated by injuries - mostly as
the result of a persistent knee problem from which he has been told he will
never fully recover. In the 2010/11 season, Collison made just four
appearances - all in May - having undergone surgery to repair his knee that
kept him sidelined for 15 months. His most productive season came in the
Championship last term when he made 37 appearances.
Jack Collison: West Ham United FC Career Stats
2007/08: Pld 2
2008/09: Pld 25; Gls 2; Bkd 2
2009/10: Pld 24; Gls 2; Bkd 4
2010/11: Pld 4
2011/12: Pld 37; Gls 6; Bkd 1; S/o 1
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Tube strike leaves Arsenal's Boxing Day fixture under threat for second year
in succession
Last Updated: December 18, 2012 5:10pm
SSN
Arsenal expect to make a decision soon on whether to postpone their Boxing
Day derby against West Ham. The London Underground is likely to be closed if
planned industrial action by drivers goes ahead, and there are limited
mainline train services in and out of the capital. Arsenal warned earlier
this month they would consider rearranging the derby in the event of a
strike. And a statement on the club website read: "We are currently in
discussions with the Premier League, West Ham United, police and relevant
authorities over the possible postponement of the Boxing Day fixture. "The
match is in doubt due to the difficulties of getting 60,000 supporters, plus
matchday staff and employees to the stadium safely in the advent of
disruption to public transport on a public holiday. "The club will make a
further announcement as soon as a final decision is made."
Arsenal put back for 24 hours last year's Boxing Day fixture with Wolves in
similar circumstances, but Newcastle are due to visit on 29 December so it
would almost certainly be January before the West Ham game could be played.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Long-term injury absentee Jack Collison played 45 minutes for West Ham's
reserves
Last Updated: December 18, 2012 10:43am
SSN
Jack Collison took the first tentative steps on his comeback from a
long-term knee injury with a run-out in the West Ham development squad. The
Wales international, who has not featured since the Championship play-off
final, played 45 minutes of the U21 Premier League defeat at Norwich on
Monday. "It was great to be back out there again," the 24-year-old told the
club's official website. "I am obviously a little bit rusty, but I have
ticked a box by completing 45 minutes and hopefully it will be onwards and
upwards from there. "I loved it. It was great to be playing football again,
even though it was not the best conditions out there. I thought the boys did
well and were unlucky to not to get a point out of it."
The midfielder is still reluctant to put an exact date on his return to
first-team action, saying: "I will leave that for the manager to decide. "I
have obviously been out for quite a while so for me it is all about building
up my fitness and getting that sharpness back. "I am not sure whether the
reserves will have any more games or have arranged any friendlies (before
the Elite Group Stage starts in January) but I will be training more now so
hopefully I can return as quickly as possible."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jack Collison steps up recovery
Published: 11 hrs ago
The Sun
WEST HAM'S Jack Collison has moved a step closer to a return to first-team
action after a long lay-off with a knee problem. The 24-year-old Welsh
midfield ace, who last featured for the Hammers in the Championship play-off
final in May, came through 45 minutes of a reserve team fixture against
Norwich yesterday. Collison said: "It was great to be back out there again.
"I am obviously a little bit rusty, but I have ticked a box by completing 45
minutes and hopefully it will be onwards and upwards from there. "I loved
it. It was great to be playing football again, even though it was not the
best conditions out there. I thought the boys did well and were unlucky to
not to get a point out of it." His return is a boost to the injury-hit
London club who are without Mohamed Diame, Ricardo Vaz Te and Yossi
Benayoun. On giving a date for a first-team return he said: "I will leave
that for the manager to decide. "I have obviously been out for quite a while
so for me it is all about building up my fitness and getting that sharpness
back. "I am not sure whether the reserves will have any more games or have
arranged any friendlies but I will be training more now so hopefully I can
return as quickly as possible."
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Alonso to train with EPL club West Ham United
Posted by: Matt Gaschk
12/18/2012
www.soundersfc.com
The midfielder will travel across the pond to train with the English Premier
League side for a weeks time. During the MLS offseason, it's not uncommon
for players to train at top clubs around the world. Before the 2011 season,
Osvaldo Alonso and Steve Zakuani had separate, week-long stints training
with Everton in England. This year, Alonso is back across the pond with
another one-week training stint with West Ham United in England. Managed by
Sam Allardyce, West Ham features the likes of forwards Andy Carroll and
Carlton Cole and midfielders Kevin Nolan and Mark Noble.
Alonso has 151 career appearances for the Sounders in all competitions,
netting 14 goals and 15 assists. Last season, he started in all 30 MLS
matches that he played in, leading the Sounders with 2,688 minutes. In
addition to earning MLS Best XI honors, he is a two-time MLS All-Star and
was the 2012 US Open Cup Player of the Tournament after leading the Sounders
with four goals in their fourth consecutive run to the US Open Cup Final. It
was the fifth straight appearance in the Open Cup Final for Alonso, who
earned a trip to the final in 2008 while playing with the Charleston Battery
of the USL.
The three-time Sounders FC MVP, Alonso, 27, led the league in tackles and
recoveries in each of the last two seasons. In 2012, he had 166 tackles.
According to Opta, who compiles stats for Major League Soccer, no other
player in the league had more than 110 and only three others had more than
100. His 667 recoveries since the start of the 2011 season puts him 197
clear of the next highest field player.
Born in Cuba, Alonso played with the Cuban National Team until defecting to
the US in 2007 during the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament. This year, he earned
his US citizenship, but his caps with the Cuban National Team have prevented
him from earning a spot on the US National Team.
He is scheduled for a one-week training stint with the London-based club
before returning to Seattle.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Wednesday, December 19
Tuesday, December 18
Daily WHUFC News - 18th December 2012
Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce praised West Ham United defensive unit after a gritty 0-0 draw
at West Bromwich Albion
16.12.2012
Sam Allardyce was delighted after his side's superb defensive display earned
a hard-fought goalless draw at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. The result
was all the more pleasing considering the skeletal squad Big Sam had to
choose from ahead of the game, which forced him to name just six out of a
possible seven substitutes on the bench. That said, those that were fit and
available more than made up for their missing team-mates with a performance
boasting teamwork, endeavour and commitment. "We really earned our point.
You know when you've got that many injuries you're always worried as a
manager because you wonder whether you're team's going to be able or capable
of holding out. "Certainly based on that performance and the way they
defended I was happy. We didn't create as much as we wanted and we tried as
hard as we could to do that but our defensive qualities were exceptionally
good. "That frustrated West Bromwich and limited them to little or no
clear-cut chances. So the players take great credit for how well they've
snuffed out their attack."
In addition to delivering a point against the high-flying Baggies, Big Sam
provided a further festive boost by confirming Jack Collison is set to make
his long-awaited comeback from injury for the Development Squad on Monday
afternoon. Along with the near-fit Alou Diarra, he is one long-term injury
that the West Ham medical staff can hopefully tick off their books soon,
although George McCartney's knee injury could keep him out for some time.
"You could probably say we had seven injuries because we haven't seen Alou
Diarra since he joined us because he tore a thigh muscle. So it's difficult
to know how good he's going to be for us because he's been out for a long
time - probably ten to twelve weeks now. "That, on top of the other six,
made it very difficult for us to go to West Brom. That's why we only had six
subs on the bench. We only had two really recognised players who have played
any part in Modibo Maiga and James Tomkins, who we put on at the end. The
rest of the lads are Development Squad players."
As expected, the absence of so many first teamers led the assembled press to
question whether Allardyce was working with the Joint-Chairmen to identify
targets for the upcoming January window. Although he admitted there were a
few names under consideration, he insisted that task was not as important as
getting the players he currently has at his disposal fighting fit again. "If
there's anybody there who can enhance or better the team then we would like
to go for them. Whether that's short-term, long-term, it depends when the
window opens who is actually available and who we can to get to come in.
"But the main priority for us is to get the players back. Look at how many
flair players were missing - Yossi Benayoun, Andy Carroll, Ricardo Vaz Te,
Jack Collison and Mo Diame. They are our players who, in possession, can
create lots and lots of problems. We had a good day but not good as it could
be because of the injuries."
Injuries aside, Big Sam concluded that his side can be proud of what they
achieved on Sunday as he looks ahead with optimism to the busy Christmas
fixture list. There are less than 150 tickets left for Saturday's first
fixture with Everton, where Under-16s can get in for just £1. To secure your
seat today, click here.
"I'm really relieved we got a point. I have to say the lads did a great job
coping. Getting through the holiday period in December is always difficult
for us all.
"But if the lads keep up the way they play, we know we're capable of winning
when we play to our best. We're 17 games in and we've produced some great,
great results this season so we know we're capable now."
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Collison returns for Development Squad
WHUFC.com
Jack Collison returned as the Hammers were beaten 3-1 at Norwich City in the
Barclays U21 Premier League
17.12.2012
West Ham United Development Squad ended their title-winning Barclays U21
Premier League Group 1 fixture list with a 3-1 defeat at Norwich City on
Monday.
With Nick Haycock in charge for the first time since his promotion from
Under-18s coach last week, the Hammers were edged out at the Canaries'
Colney Training Ground. While the defeat marked a low-key end to the opening
half of the campaign, it was tempered by the welcome sight of Jack Collison
making his first appearance of 2012/13. As planned, the midfielder played
the opening 45 minutes before being substituted. The Wales international,
who has been dealing with a knee problem, was to the fore in much of West
Ham's best moves in the first half, setting up one shooting chance for
Sebastian Lletget before heading Nathan Mavila's cross narrowly wide
himself.
Norwich rode out the early Hammers storm, however, and took the lead through
Tottenham Hotspur loanee Harry Kane on 25 minutes. The 19-year-old, who made
his first-team debut for the Canaries against West Ham in September,
finished a move that also involved Josh Murphy and Jamar Loza. Collison was
replaced by second-year scholar Taylor Miles at half-time, but it would not
be long before Norwich doubled their advantage. Pelly Ruddock upended Kane
inside the penalty area and Olumide Durojaiye converted the resulting
spot-kick. West Ham battled on gamely and won a penalty of their own ten
minutes into the second period when Adel Gafaiti brought down Mavila.
However, captain Jordan Spence was denied by Norwich goalkeeper Remi
Matthews and, just 60 seconds later, Murphy fed Kane to make it 3-0.
To the Hammers' credit, they did not give up and Haycock's youngsters were
rewarded with a consolation goal on 85 minutes. First-year scholar Mavila,
who impressed in last week's FA Youth Cup third-round win at Aldershot Town,
capped another promising display by netting a direct free-kick. There was
still time for Loza to hit the underside of the crossbar for the hosts as
Norwich secured a victory that saw them finish in sixth place.
West Ham, meanwhile, ended the pre-Christmas campaign four points clear at
the top of the Group 1 table and will now prepare for the Elite Group Stage.
Development Squad: Spiegel, Spence, Ruddock, K Lee, Driver, Lletget, Moncur,
Collison (Miles 46), Mavila, Shaw, Sadlier(Harney 82)
Subs not used: Baxter, Nasha, Cullen
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'It's a decent point for us'
WHUFC.com
Gary O'Neil said West Ham United got the point they deserved from Sunday's
trip to West Bromwich Albion
17.12.2012
Gary O'Neil had plenty of reasons to be happy following Sunday's goalless
Barclays Premier League draw at West Bromwich Albion. Not only did the No32
help West Ham United to collect another valuable point at The Hawthorns, but
he also completed a welcome 90 minutes and did so in his preferred position
of central midfield. O'Neil was one of a number of impressive performers in
claret and blue, producing a determined and energetic display to help the
Hammers to become just the third team to avoid defeat at the Baggies this
season. "I think it's a decent point for us because West Brom have been in
good home form," the 29-year-old confirmed. "We had a few chances but so did
they, so a point is probably a fair result and come the end of the season I
don't think a draw at West Brom will be considered to be a bad result. "It
was hard work. We were obviously down to about 13 senior fit players on
Sunday so it was tough because we couldn't make too many changes. A few of
the boys who came in hadn't played 90 minutes recently and they had to play
the full 90 minutes so it was a good team performance. "It wasn't pretty and
there wasn't much football played but we dug in, created some chances and
got the basics right and it's a decent result."
A year after returning from a career-threatening ankle injury, O'Neil looked
fitter and stronger than ever at The Hawthorns, making a number of decisive
interventions to keep Steve Clarke's fast-flowing side at bay. At the other
end, he came within a whisker of curling West Ham to victory when his
50th-minute shot flashed past the angle of post and crossbar. "Leg fitness
has never been too much of an issue for me. I've always been fairly lucky on
that note in that I've maintained my fitness. It was nice to be able to play
in the middle as well with Nobes and Nobby, which I did a lot last season
and is where I prefer to play.
"It's a big blow losing Mo, obviously, because he's been fantastic so to
come away and get a point without the likes of him, Andy Carroll and the
other lads who are missing was a good result."
Tactically, West Ham set-up to sit deep and attack West Brom on the counter.
As a result, Sam Allardyce's team dealt with the Baggies far better than
they did with similar passing sides like Swansea City and Wigan Athletic
earlier this term. "We decided that we weren't going to press quite as high
up. We thought the midfield would drop off a little bit more than usual and
sit closer to the back-four, rather than go hunting the ball farther up the
pitch and leave big gaps. I thought it worked quite well as we kept them in
front of us most of the time."
When the home side did get past the West Ham midfield, they found
centre-backs James Collins and Winston Reid in imperious form - an
observation acknowledged by O'Neil. "Yes, that's the thing about the lads at
the back there - if we do drop deep and let teams stick it in the box, they
are magnificent at dealing with stuff like that, so it plays to our
strengths when they are slinging balls in there."
West Ham will now prepare for their final home fixture of a memorable year.
Saturday's visit of Everton marks the last match of 2012 at the Boleyn
Ground - a stadium at which West Ham have lost just three of their 22 league
matches this year. O'Neil would love nothing more than to finish on a high
on home turf.
"The group of fixtures we have come through was tough and playing against
the top-four teams has knocked us down the league a little bit, but we have
done fantastic and picked up a decent amount of points out of those
fixtures. "They are still tough now - West Brom were in the top-six and
Everton were fourth before the weekend, so it's not going to be easy again
on Saturday. We need to dig in again and hopefully we can pick up as many
points as we can and we'll just keep going because it's a long season."
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Arsenal match in jeopardy
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 17th December 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United's trip to the Emirates on Boxing Day is under serious threat
after the underground drivers' union confirmed that strike action would go
ahead.
ASLEF, the drivers' union confirmed this morning that strike action would be
taking place on Boxing Day and two dates in January - Friday 18th and Friday
25th.
And should a resolution to the issues - which centre around holiday pay -
not be found within the next few days, West Ham's trip to North London would
be unlikely to proceed as strike action would affect travellers accessing
the capital's entire public transport network. A spokesman for ASLEF, whose
members are understood to have voted 9-1 in favour of strike action - and
who will be walking out for the third successive Boxing Day - told the BBC:
"The ballot result shows the strength of feeling that remains on this
issue."
Neither West Ham United or Arsenal are yet to comment.
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The difference a summer makes
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 17th December 2012
By: Bud Hedges
The Olympics were great for London, but not so great for a born-and-bred
Essex boy who suffered more than most.
Probably the best signing West Ham United made during the last January
transfer window was when awarding a new contract to fans' favorite James
Tomkins. Despite this, since he played for Team GB in a warm up game against
Brazil at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesborough, 2012 has been, quite
frankly, miserable for James.
Leading up to the summer of 2012 was probably the best year Tomkins has
enjoyed as a professional. A week in, week out first team centre back
alingside Winston Reid he was scoring goals for fun (by a central defender's
standards) and he was part of the Hammers side that won promotion at
Wembley. The world was at his feet and it would have been an injustice to
him if Stuart Pearce didn't call him up for the Olympics in his own nation.
Tomkins started the warm-up match versus Brazil however the attacking
talents of the eventual runners-up made James look silly and he was
subsequently dropped and hardly featured in the tournament. This caused him
to miss out on valuable pre-season training with West Ham and this in turn
caused him to start the season as second favorite behind James Collins and
Reid.
Due to the impressive form of Reid and the solidity that Collins, signed
from Aston Villa brought with him, Tomkins failed to get in the side. Many
fans will say that Collins is slow and a liability - and many Villa fans
held this opinion - but is it just a coincidence that since he left Villa
they have been struggling to hold teams out? Meanwhile we have been
relatively solid at the back with Collins in the side.
This was clearly affecting James; he went from being a regular in the West
Ham side to a player struggling for form who couldn't get a start. You could
see how much it was affecting him in the pre-match warm ups. Tomkins seems
like a model pro and wants to play all the time, but when you watch him warm
up with the subs he looks bored, uninterested and fed-up. I sympathise with
him as a player of his calibre doesn't deserve to be a serial bencher.
In my opinion, he is part of the catch 22 that goes with being a
professional footballer. He should be in the team but the the partnership
that Collins and Reid have built together looks strong and, at times, quite
formidable. Tomkins deserves to be in the team, but he fell out of favour
through no fault of his own and last weekend against Liverpool, his
introduction - as a holding midfielder -was the turning point in the match.
As much as I feel that he deserves to be in the team it's hard to make a
case for dropping Reid, who has been the most improved player at the club
for many a year. It's quite unbelievable how well he has performed and
turned himself into one of the best centre backs in the country.
If Reid carries on progressing as he has, the 24-year-old has a chance to go
on and be a top-quality centre back, and one whom I wouldn't begrudge a move
to one of England or Europe's biggest clubs.
Reid's situation could have been similar to Tomkins', but you cannot doubt
Winston's loyalty to the club when he chose to train with West Ham United
during pre-season than represent New Zealand at the Olympics. This is why I
believe that James couldn't, on current form, usurp Reid, though with the
very recent departure of Wally Downes the next defensive coach might see fit
to partner James with Reid instead of Collins.
Tomkins is one of West Ham's brightest Academy products for a while, and if
he can prove himself he could one day earn a call-up to the England squad,
Whilst that is a long way off, you cannot rule out the possibility. Despite
this, it's worrying how much his form has dropped in just a short time -
clearly illustrating just how much difference a full pre-season - or lack of
one - can make for professional footballers.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jack Collison plays 45 minutes for West Ham reserves
Last Updated: December 17, 2012 6:51pm
SSN
Injury-plagued midfielder Jack Collison stepped up his quest for a
first-team return when he played 45 minutes of West Ham's reserve team match
at Norwich.
Collison has not played for the Hammers this season after suffering a
recurrence of a knee problem. The Wales international played the first-half
of the 3-1 defeat in Norfolk. Collison set up a chance for Sebastian Lletget
before heading Nathan Mavila's cross narrowly wide before departing while
Mavila bagged a late consolation.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andy who? 'Unplayable' Carlton Cole means Carroll hasn't been missed, says
Collins
The Mirror
17 Dec 2012 22:29
West Ham are coping without Andy Carroll thanks to "unplayable" Carlton
Cole, according to James Collins. On-loan striker Carroll is out for at
least another month with a knee injury and Sam Allardyce has turned to Cole.
Cole ploughed a lone furrow for the Hammers in Sunday's stalemate at West
Brom, yet he has scored just once all season - against old club Chelsea. But
Collins insists he has been a nightmare for opposition defences of late and
deserves credit for his tireless work rate. "It is obviously a blow to be
without Andy, it would be a blow to anyone," said the Wales international.
"But to be fair, since Carlton's been in he's been unplayable. He spent a
lot of time on his own on Sunday, he holds it up well and brings the other
boys into play. "Any team is going to miss a player like Andy but all credit
to Carlton, he's been superb since he's come back in for the last three
games. "At home against Chelsea I don't think anybody could have lived with
him. He was superb. He puts himself about, he works his socks off, so all
credit to him. "The thing with Carlton, regardless of whether if he's
scoring or he's not playing well he'll always work hard. "He certainly
worked his socks off on Sunday. He was unlucky not to get a goal, but he put
his shift in for the boys."
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce made a desperate January cash plea to the club's
board after naming just SIX substitutes against the Baggies. Yossi Benayoun,
Andy Carroll, Ricardo Vaz Te, Jack Collison, Mo Diame, Alou Diarra and
George McCartney are all sidelined. Apart from James Tomkins and Modibo
Maiga, Big Sam's bench was made up of untested youngsters - but Collins
insists the 11th-placed Hammers won't be using injuries as an excuse. "I'm
sure every team has a look in January and I'm sure the manager will be the
same," he said. We have got a few injuries, but we can't use that as an
excuse. "We've got off to a terrific start and we want to keep that going
regardless of injuries. You have to deal with it. If you haven't got the
players there is nothing we can do. "A lot of young lads on the bench but we
see them every day in training and they're certainly good enough to be
there."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Collison hands West Ham some Christmas cheer with long-awaited injury return
against Norwich reserves
By JOHN DRAYTON
PUBLISHED: 19:34, 17 December 2012 | UPDATED: 19:34, 17 December 2012
Daily Mail
Injury-plagued midfielder Jack Collison took a significant step towards a
return to first-team action today when he played 45 minutes of West Ham's
reserve team defeat at Norwich. Collison has not played for the Hammers this
season after he suffered a recurrence of the knee injury that has troubled
him over the past two-and-a-half years. The Wales international moved closer
to a recall today, however, stepping out in a Hammers shirt for the first
time this season during a 3-1 defeat at Norwich. Collins, 24, set up a
chance for Sebastian Lletget before heading Nathan Mavila's cross narrowly
wide. He was then replaced at half-time in a pre-planned substitution.
Norwich striker Harry Kane, who has not played a first-team match since
September due to a foot injury, pressed his claim for a recall to the
Canaries' starting XI by scoring twice in the match.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham and QPR at front of queue to take Anelka in January
QPR may be best suited as they will utilise Anelka as the main centre
forward
News.ladbrokes.com
A move to London looks all but guaranteed should Nicolas Anelka be
successful in his efforts to terminate his contract with Shanghai Shenhua
early, but West Ham and QPR are both incredibly keen to seal his signature.
Anelka has managed just three goals since moving to China, but still has a
year of his £200,000-a-week contract to see out. However, he is in talks to
reach an agreement a year early, which will make him a valuable free agent
in the January transfer window as he chases a return to the Premier League.
The most logical destination would seem a switch to QPR and relegation
candidates can be backed at 5/4 to be Anelka's next club. A new striker is
certainly QPR's biggest need in the window, with no club scoring fewer than
their 15 league goals this season and Harry Redknapp having Bobby Zamora and
Andy Johnson injured. The problem with Anelka is that his attributes largely
match those of Djibril Cisse, QPR's only current fit striker, and so it is
unlikely that the pair will form a revered partnership. Teaming up again
with Sam Allardyce is the other obvious option open to Anelka, with West Ham
considered the most likely to be the Frenchman's next club at 11/10.
Allardyce was responsible for bringing Anelka to Bolton previously and the
striker helped himself to a useful 21 goals in 53 Premier League starts.
Although Anelka is not best suited to performing the lone striker role at
West Ham, he could have plenty to offer in a wider position, similar to
where he played off Didier Drogba previously at Chelsea.
Given that he will start in his preferred position and the likeliness that
QPR will be able to pay closer to Anelka's China wages, the Loftus Road
outfit must hold the slight edge over West Ham. Alternatively, it is 10/1
that Anelka's next move is a return to Chelsea, which is the same price as a
move to another of his former clubs in Liverpool, who like QPR could do with
bolstering their attacking options at present.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce praised West Ham United defensive unit after a gritty 0-0 draw
at West Bromwich Albion
16.12.2012
Sam Allardyce was delighted after his side's superb defensive display earned
a hard-fought goalless draw at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. The result
was all the more pleasing considering the skeletal squad Big Sam had to
choose from ahead of the game, which forced him to name just six out of a
possible seven substitutes on the bench. That said, those that were fit and
available more than made up for their missing team-mates with a performance
boasting teamwork, endeavour and commitment. "We really earned our point.
You know when you've got that many injuries you're always worried as a
manager because you wonder whether you're team's going to be able or capable
of holding out. "Certainly based on that performance and the way they
defended I was happy. We didn't create as much as we wanted and we tried as
hard as we could to do that but our defensive qualities were exceptionally
good. "That frustrated West Bromwich and limited them to little or no
clear-cut chances. So the players take great credit for how well they've
snuffed out their attack."
In addition to delivering a point against the high-flying Baggies, Big Sam
provided a further festive boost by confirming Jack Collison is set to make
his long-awaited comeback from injury for the Development Squad on Monday
afternoon. Along with the near-fit Alou Diarra, he is one long-term injury
that the West Ham medical staff can hopefully tick off their books soon,
although George McCartney's knee injury could keep him out for some time.
"You could probably say we had seven injuries because we haven't seen Alou
Diarra since he joined us because he tore a thigh muscle. So it's difficult
to know how good he's going to be for us because he's been out for a long
time - probably ten to twelve weeks now. "That, on top of the other six,
made it very difficult for us to go to West Brom. That's why we only had six
subs on the bench. We only had two really recognised players who have played
any part in Modibo Maiga and James Tomkins, who we put on at the end. The
rest of the lads are Development Squad players."
As expected, the absence of so many first teamers led the assembled press to
question whether Allardyce was working with the Joint-Chairmen to identify
targets for the upcoming January window. Although he admitted there were a
few names under consideration, he insisted that task was not as important as
getting the players he currently has at his disposal fighting fit again. "If
there's anybody there who can enhance or better the team then we would like
to go for them. Whether that's short-term, long-term, it depends when the
window opens who is actually available and who we can to get to come in.
"But the main priority for us is to get the players back. Look at how many
flair players were missing - Yossi Benayoun, Andy Carroll, Ricardo Vaz Te,
Jack Collison and Mo Diame. They are our players who, in possession, can
create lots and lots of problems. We had a good day but not good as it could
be because of the injuries."
Injuries aside, Big Sam concluded that his side can be proud of what they
achieved on Sunday as he looks ahead with optimism to the busy Christmas
fixture list. There are less than 150 tickets left for Saturday's first
fixture with Everton, where Under-16s can get in for just £1. To secure your
seat today, click here.
"I'm really relieved we got a point. I have to say the lads did a great job
coping. Getting through the holiday period in December is always difficult
for us all.
"But if the lads keep up the way they play, we know we're capable of winning
when we play to our best. We're 17 games in and we've produced some great,
great results this season so we know we're capable now."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Collison returns for Development Squad
WHUFC.com
Jack Collison returned as the Hammers were beaten 3-1 at Norwich City in the
Barclays U21 Premier League
17.12.2012
West Ham United Development Squad ended their title-winning Barclays U21
Premier League Group 1 fixture list with a 3-1 defeat at Norwich City on
Monday.
With Nick Haycock in charge for the first time since his promotion from
Under-18s coach last week, the Hammers were edged out at the Canaries'
Colney Training Ground. While the defeat marked a low-key end to the opening
half of the campaign, it was tempered by the welcome sight of Jack Collison
making his first appearance of 2012/13. As planned, the midfielder played
the opening 45 minutes before being substituted. The Wales international,
who has been dealing with a knee problem, was to the fore in much of West
Ham's best moves in the first half, setting up one shooting chance for
Sebastian Lletget before heading Nathan Mavila's cross narrowly wide
himself.
Norwich rode out the early Hammers storm, however, and took the lead through
Tottenham Hotspur loanee Harry Kane on 25 minutes. The 19-year-old, who made
his first-team debut for the Canaries against West Ham in September,
finished a move that also involved Josh Murphy and Jamar Loza. Collison was
replaced by second-year scholar Taylor Miles at half-time, but it would not
be long before Norwich doubled their advantage. Pelly Ruddock upended Kane
inside the penalty area and Olumide Durojaiye converted the resulting
spot-kick. West Ham battled on gamely and won a penalty of their own ten
minutes into the second period when Adel Gafaiti brought down Mavila.
However, captain Jordan Spence was denied by Norwich goalkeeper Remi
Matthews and, just 60 seconds later, Murphy fed Kane to make it 3-0.
To the Hammers' credit, they did not give up and Haycock's youngsters were
rewarded with a consolation goal on 85 minutes. First-year scholar Mavila,
who impressed in last week's FA Youth Cup third-round win at Aldershot Town,
capped another promising display by netting a direct free-kick. There was
still time for Loza to hit the underside of the crossbar for the hosts as
Norwich secured a victory that saw them finish in sixth place.
West Ham, meanwhile, ended the pre-Christmas campaign four points clear at
the top of the Group 1 table and will now prepare for the Elite Group Stage.
Development Squad: Spiegel, Spence, Ruddock, K Lee, Driver, Lletget, Moncur,
Collison (Miles 46), Mavila, Shaw, Sadlier(Harney 82)
Subs not used: Baxter, Nasha, Cullen
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'It's a decent point for us'
WHUFC.com
Gary O'Neil said West Ham United got the point they deserved from Sunday's
trip to West Bromwich Albion
17.12.2012
Gary O'Neil had plenty of reasons to be happy following Sunday's goalless
Barclays Premier League draw at West Bromwich Albion. Not only did the No32
help West Ham United to collect another valuable point at The Hawthorns, but
he also completed a welcome 90 minutes and did so in his preferred position
of central midfield. O'Neil was one of a number of impressive performers in
claret and blue, producing a determined and energetic display to help the
Hammers to become just the third team to avoid defeat at the Baggies this
season. "I think it's a decent point for us because West Brom have been in
good home form," the 29-year-old confirmed. "We had a few chances but so did
they, so a point is probably a fair result and come the end of the season I
don't think a draw at West Brom will be considered to be a bad result. "It
was hard work. We were obviously down to about 13 senior fit players on
Sunday so it was tough because we couldn't make too many changes. A few of
the boys who came in hadn't played 90 minutes recently and they had to play
the full 90 minutes so it was a good team performance. "It wasn't pretty and
there wasn't much football played but we dug in, created some chances and
got the basics right and it's a decent result."
A year after returning from a career-threatening ankle injury, O'Neil looked
fitter and stronger than ever at The Hawthorns, making a number of decisive
interventions to keep Steve Clarke's fast-flowing side at bay. At the other
end, he came within a whisker of curling West Ham to victory when his
50th-minute shot flashed past the angle of post and crossbar. "Leg fitness
has never been too much of an issue for me. I've always been fairly lucky on
that note in that I've maintained my fitness. It was nice to be able to play
in the middle as well with Nobes and Nobby, which I did a lot last season
and is where I prefer to play.
"It's a big blow losing Mo, obviously, because he's been fantastic so to
come away and get a point without the likes of him, Andy Carroll and the
other lads who are missing was a good result."
Tactically, West Ham set-up to sit deep and attack West Brom on the counter.
As a result, Sam Allardyce's team dealt with the Baggies far better than
they did with similar passing sides like Swansea City and Wigan Athletic
earlier this term. "We decided that we weren't going to press quite as high
up. We thought the midfield would drop off a little bit more than usual and
sit closer to the back-four, rather than go hunting the ball farther up the
pitch and leave big gaps. I thought it worked quite well as we kept them in
front of us most of the time."
When the home side did get past the West Ham midfield, they found
centre-backs James Collins and Winston Reid in imperious form - an
observation acknowledged by O'Neil. "Yes, that's the thing about the lads at
the back there - if we do drop deep and let teams stick it in the box, they
are magnificent at dealing with stuff like that, so it plays to our
strengths when they are slinging balls in there."
West Ham will now prepare for their final home fixture of a memorable year.
Saturday's visit of Everton marks the last match of 2012 at the Boleyn
Ground - a stadium at which West Ham have lost just three of their 22 league
matches this year. O'Neil would love nothing more than to finish on a high
on home turf.
"The group of fixtures we have come through was tough and playing against
the top-four teams has knocked us down the league a little bit, but we have
done fantastic and picked up a decent amount of points out of those
fixtures. "They are still tough now - West Brom were in the top-six and
Everton were fourth before the weekend, so it's not going to be easy again
on Saturday. We need to dig in again and hopefully we can pick up as many
points as we can and we'll just keep going because it's a long season."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Arsenal match in jeopardy
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 17th December 2012
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United's trip to the Emirates on Boxing Day is under serious threat
after the underground drivers' union confirmed that strike action would go
ahead.
ASLEF, the drivers' union confirmed this morning that strike action would be
taking place on Boxing Day and two dates in January - Friday 18th and Friday
25th.
And should a resolution to the issues - which centre around holiday pay -
not be found within the next few days, West Ham's trip to North London would
be unlikely to proceed as strike action would affect travellers accessing
the capital's entire public transport network. A spokesman for ASLEF, whose
members are understood to have voted 9-1 in favour of strike action - and
who will be walking out for the third successive Boxing Day - told the BBC:
"The ballot result shows the strength of feeling that remains on this
issue."
Neither West Ham United or Arsenal are yet to comment.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The difference a summer makes
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 17th December 2012
By: Bud Hedges
The Olympics were great for London, but not so great for a born-and-bred
Essex boy who suffered more than most.
Probably the best signing West Ham United made during the last January
transfer window was when awarding a new contract to fans' favorite James
Tomkins. Despite this, since he played for Team GB in a warm up game against
Brazil at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesborough, 2012 has been, quite
frankly, miserable for James.
Leading up to the summer of 2012 was probably the best year Tomkins has
enjoyed as a professional. A week in, week out first team centre back
alingside Winston Reid he was scoring goals for fun (by a central defender's
standards) and he was part of the Hammers side that won promotion at
Wembley. The world was at his feet and it would have been an injustice to
him if Stuart Pearce didn't call him up for the Olympics in his own nation.
Tomkins started the warm-up match versus Brazil however the attacking
talents of the eventual runners-up made James look silly and he was
subsequently dropped and hardly featured in the tournament. This caused him
to miss out on valuable pre-season training with West Ham and this in turn
caused him to start the season as second favorite behind James Collins and
Reid.
Due to the impressive form of Reid and the solidity that Collins, signed
from Aston Villa brought with him, Tomkins failed to get in the side. Many
fans will say that Collins is slow and a liability - and many Villa fans
held this opinion - but is it just a coincidence that since he left Villa
they have been struggling to hold teams out? Meanwhile we have been
relatively solid at the back with Collins in the side.
This was clearly affecting James; he went from being a regular in the West
Ham side to a player struggling for form who couldn't get a start. You could
see how much it was affecting him in the pre-match warm ups. Tomkins seems
like a model pro and wants to play all the time, but when you watch him warm
up with the subs he looks bored, uninterested and fed-up. I sympathise with
him as a player of his calibre doesn't deserve to be a serial bencher.
In my opinion, he is part of the catch 22 that goes with being a
professional footballer. He should be in the team but the the partnership
that Collins and Reid have built together looks strong and, at times, quite
formidable. Tomkins deserves to be in the team, but he fell out of favour
through no fault of his own and last weekend against Liverpool, his
introduction - as a holding midfielder -was the turning point in the match.
As much as I feel that he deserves to be in the team it's hard to make a
case for dropping Reid, who has been the most improved player at the club
for many a year. It's quite unbelievable how well he has performed and
turned himself into one of the best centre backs in the country.
If Reid carries on progressing as he has, the 24-year-old has a chance to go
on and be a top-quality centre back, and one whom I wouldn't begrudge a move
to one of England or Europe's biggest clubs.
Reid's situation could have been similar to Tomkins', but you cannot doubt
Winston's loyalty to the club when he chose to train with West Ham United
during pre-season than represent New Zealand at the Olympics. This is why I
believe that James couldn't, on current form, usurp Reid, though with the
very recent departure of Wally Downes the next defensive coach might see fit
to partner James with Reid instead of Collins.
Tomkins is one of West Ham's brightest Academy products for a while, and if
he can prove himself he could one day earn a call-up to the England squad,
Whilst that is a long way off, you cannot rule out the possibility. Despite
this, it's worrying how much his form has dropped in just a short time -
clearly illustrating just how much difference a full pre-season - or lack of
one - can make for professional footballers.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jack Collison plays 45 minutes for West Ham reserves
Last Updated: December 17, 2012 6:51pm
SSN
Injury-plagued midfielder Jack Collison stepped up his quest for a
first-team return when he played 45 minutes of West Ham's reserve team match
at Norwich.
Collison has not played for the Hammers this season after suffering a
recurrence of a knee problem. The Wales international played the first-half
of the 3-1 defeat in Norfolk. Collison set up a chance for Sebastian Lletget
before heading Nathan Mavila's cross narrowly wide before departing while
Mavila bagged a late consolation.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Andy who? 'Unplayable' Carlton Cole means Carroll hasn't been missed, says
Collins
The Mirror
17 Dec 2012 22:29
West Ham are coping without Andy Carroll thanks to "unplayable" Carlton
Cole, according to James Collins. On-loan striker Carroll is out for at
least another month with a knee injury and Sam Allardyce has turned to Cole.
Cole ploughed a lone furrow for the Hammers in Sunday's stalemate at West
Brom, yet he has scored just once all season - against old club Chelsea. But
Collins insists he has been a nightmare for opposition defences of late and
deserves credit for his tireless work rate. "It is obviously a blow to be
without Andy, it would be a blow to anyone," said the Wales international.
"But to be fair, since Carlton's been in he's been unplayable. He spent a
lot of time on his own on Sunday, he holds it up well and brings the other
boys into play. "Any team is going to miss a player like Andy but all credit
to Carlton, he's been superb since he's come back in for the last three
games. "At home against Chelsea I don't think anybody could have lived with
him. He was superb. He puts himself about, he works his socks off, so all
credit to him. "The thing with Carlton, regardless of whether if he's
scoring or he's not playing well he'll always work hard. "He certainly
worked his socks off on Sunday. He was unlucky not to get a goal, but he put
his shift in for the boys."
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce made a desperate January cash plea to the club's
board after naming just SIX substitutes against the Baggies. Yossi Benayoun,
Andy Carroll, Ricardo Vaz Te, Jack Collison, Mo Diame, Alou Diarra and
George McCartney are all sidelined. Apart from James Tomkins and Modibo
Maiga, Big Sam's bench was made up of untested youngsters - but Collins
insists the 11th-placed Hammers won't be using injuries as an excuse. "I'm
sure every team has a look in January and I'm sure the manager will be the
same," he said. We have got a few injuries, but we can't use that as an
excuse. "We've got off to a terrific start and we want to keep that going
regardless of injuries. You have to deal with it. If you haven't got the
players there is nothing we can do. "A lot of young lads on the bench but we
see them every day in training and they're certainly good enough to be
there."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Collison hands West Ham some Christmas cheer with long-awaited injury return
against Norwich reserves
By JOHN DRAYTON
PUBLISHED: 19:34, 17 December 2012 | UPDATED: 19:34, 17 December 2012
Daily Mail
Injury-plagued midfielder Jack Collison took a significant step towards a
return to first-team action today when he played 45 minutes of West Ham's
reserve team defeat at Norwich. Collison has not played for the Hammers this
season after he suffered a recurrence of the knee injury that has troubled
him over the past two-and-a-half years. The Wales international moved closer
to a recall today, however, stepping out in a Hammers shirt for the first
time this season during a 3-1 defeat at Norwich. Collins, 24, set up a
chance for Sebastian Lletget before heading Nathan Mavila's cross narrowly
wide. He was then replaced at half-time in a pre-planned substitution.
Norwich striker Harry Kane, who has not played a first-team match since
September due to a foot injury, pressed his claim for a recall to the
Canaries' starting XI by scoring twice in the match.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham and QPR at front of queue to take Anelka in January
QPR may be best suited as they will utilise Anelka as the main centre
forward
News.ladbrokes.com
A move to London looks all but guaranteed should Nicolas Anelka be
successful in his efforts to terminate his contract with Shanghai Shenhua
early, but West Ham and QPR are both incredibly keen to seal his signature.
Anelka has managed just three goals since moving to China, but still has a
year of his £200,000-a-week contract to see out. However, he is in talks to
reach an agreement a year early, which will make him a valuable free agent
in the January transfer window as he chases a return to the Premier League.
The most logical destination would seem a switch to QPR and relegation
candidates can be backed at 5/4 to be Anelka's next club. A new striker is
certainly QPR's biggest need in the window, with no club scoring fewer than
their 15 league goals this season and Harry Redknapp having Bobby Zamora and
Andy Johnson injured. The problem with Anelka is that his attributes largely
match those of Djibril Cisse, QPR's only current fit striker, and so it is
unlikely that the pair will form a revered partnership. Teaming up again
with Sam Allardyce is the other obvious option open to Anelka, with West Ham
considered the most likely to be the Frenchman's next club at 11/10.
Allardyce was responsible for bringing Anelka to Bolton previously and the
striker helped himself to a useful 21 goals in 53 Premier League starts.
Although Anelka is not best suited to performing the lone striker role at
West Ham, he could have plenty to offer in a wider position, similar to
where he played off Didier Drogba previously at Chelsea.
Given that he will start in his preferred position and the likeliness that
QPR will be able to pay closer to Anelka's China wages, the Loftus Road
outfit must hold the slight edge over West Ham. Alternatively, it is 10/1
that Anelka's next move is a return to Chelsea, which is the same price as a
move to another of his former clubs in Liverpool, who like QPR could do with
bolstering their attacking options at present.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Monday, December 17
Daily WHUFC News - 17th December 2012
Ginge hails defensive display
WHUFC.com
James Collins was delighted to be part of a resolute performance in Sunday's
goalless draw at West Brom
16.12.2012
James Collins hailed West Ham United's resilience and spirit after a heroic
defensive display earned a deserved goalless Barclays Premier League draw at
West Bromwich Albion. The Hammers travelled to The Hawthorns having conceded
three goals at home to Liverpool last weekend and without a clean sheet in
their previous five league matches. West Ham also arrived in the West
Midlands with just 17 fit senior players, having added George McCartney to a
daunting-looking injury list in midweek. However, led by the outstanding
Collins and man of the match Winston Reid - and aided by the frame of the
goal on three occasions - Sam Allardyce's team picked up a point against the
fifth-place Baggies.
"We worked very hard," the Wales international told West Ham TV. "Coming
away from home, especially to a place like West Brom where they have a great
home record this season, was never going to be easy but we did work hard and
we got a point. "We could have nicked a victory. Winston has had a good
chance in the first half when I nodded one down to him. Away from home
you've got to have a bit of luck to get something and they have hit the post
and the bar twice but all in all we defended very well. "These are the most
satisfying games to play in as a centre-back. To get a clean sheet,
especially away from home, is vital and after conceding three at home to
Liverpool last week we needed to stop conceding and we were delighted to get
the clean sheet."
The No19 said the clean sheet gained at The Hawthorns was a mark of belief
within the squad. Collins also said the goalless draw showed that last
week's Liverpool defeat had not adversely affected the players. "I don't
think we were a team that deserved to concede three goals last weekend. It
was a little bit harsh, especially my own-goal at the end where I had to go
in and make the tackle, but we bounced straight back with a very solid
defensive performance.
"We have got a few injuries, but that happens all the time, especially
around Christmas. It's a busy period but everybody knows the spirit in our
dressing room is unbelievable and whoever is asked to come in and play will
do a decent job."
West Ham's gameplan at The Hawthorns was clearly to sit deep and let West
Brom have possession - a tactical approach confirmed by Collins. The
approach reduced the hosts to putting in hopeful crosses and shooting from
outside the penalty area, rather than getting in behind the Hammers and
peppering Jussi Jaaskelainen's goal with shots on target. "That was the
plan. Fair play to the gaffer because he said they like to keep the ball so
if we sat back and tried to hit them on the break, we could get a positive
result and that's how it panned out."
Looking forward, West Ham end their complement of home fixtures for 2012
with the visit of another of the Barclays Premier League's top six in
Everton. David Moyes' side go into next weekend on a five-match unbeaten run
and Collins knows they will be no pushover at the Boleyn Ground. "It will be
tough. They have done very well. They usually start off slow and come good
at the end of the season but they have had a great start and we're expecting
a tough game. If we can perform how we did at West Brom then I'm sure we can
get three points."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Lee learning fast
WHUFC.com
Elliot Lee is hoping to make another goalscoring impact for the Development
Squad on Monday
16.12.2012
Elliot Lee is hoping to cement his place in the Development Squad in 2013
after another impressive showing in the 3-1 FA Youth Cup win against
Aldershot Town. Lee, who has already scored once for the Hammers second
string this season, scored two goals in Hampshire on Monday night and is now
likely called back to the Development Squad when they face Norwich City on
Monday night. It will be Nick Haycock's first game in charge of the
Development Squad following his promotion and Lee hopes to give his old
coach a fresh reminder of his undoubted ability in the 1pm kick-off at
Norwich's Colney training centre.
"We have got the last Development Squad game on Monday against Norwich City
which I will hopefully be starting in," Lee said. "I feel I have done okay
so far so hopefully I can push on and cement my place within the Development
Squad after Christmas."
A number of youngsters that featured in the win against Aldershot are likely
to be called up by Haycock with the majority of Development Squad regulars
either out on loan or away with the first team. Jordan Spence, George Moncur
and Sebastian Lletget were all on the bench for Sam Allardyce's side at West
Bromwich Albion on Sunday and may be given some valuable game time. "It was
a good feeling to score two goals against Aldershot, it was a difficult game
but after we got the first goal it allowed the lads to relax a little bit.
"We then got another which made things even better but when they got one
back with 15 minutes to go it made things harder so it was great to get the
third goal that ensured we progressed to the next round. "No disrespect to
Aldershot Town but when you come down to these lower league clubs they are
always going to fight you but Nick [Haycock] warned me before the game. "He
said they would try and get into my head but I stayed strong, got my two
goals and I am very happy with my performance."
Both of Lee's goals were smart finishes with the striker once again showing
his poaching prowess to ease the pressure on Nick Haycock's side at crucial
times in the contest. "I was in the right place at the right time but as a
forward that is where you have to be - I am happy to score those goals all
day long. "For the second, I saw the ball bounce so I put pressure on the
defender, luckily it broke for me and I managed to squeeze it in the bottom
corner."
Lee's brother, and former Hammers midfielder, Olly Lee is now plying his
trade at Barnet alongside Edgar Davids and his younger brother revealed he
is making good progress. "He is really enjoying his time at Barnet, he is
starting games now and playing well so hopefully he can carry on doing it
and push his way back up the ladder. "There are a few former West Ham
players there and they are all enjoying it, they are not in the best
position at the minute but hopefully they will come together and turn it
round."
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Jack's back!
WHUFC.com
Jack Collison is set to make his long-awaited return from injury for the
Development Squad on Monday
16.12.2012
Sam Allardyce confirmed Jack Collison is set to provide a perfect tonic to
West Ham United's injury concerns with a run out for the Development Squad
in Monday's game at Norwich City. The popular homegrown Hammer has not
featured for the first team since his stunning contribution in the Play-Offs
at the end of last season. Collison scored both goals in the away game of
the semi-final as the Hammers overcame Cardiff City 5-0 on aggregate to
reach the Wembley final. He is now set to take his first step back to
first-team action with an appearance in Nick Hancock's first outing as
Development Squad manager at Norwich City's Colney training ground. Fellow
absentees Ricardo Vaz Te and Yossi Benayou are also edging closer to a
return but are unlikely to make the 1pm kick-off with the Canaries.
"Collison plays his first game of the season since the play-off final on
Monday with the Development Squad," Allardyce confirmed. "Ricardo Vaz Te is
probably another couple of weeks before he's training and that will be 12
weeks he's been out. We hope Yossi Benayoun will be back with us this week
as he's being treated at Chelsea at the moment."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Brom 0 West Ham 0
16 December 2012
Last updated at 18:15
By Mandeep Sanghera
BBC Sport
An uninspiring match between West Brom and West Ham ended with both earning
a point from a goalless draw. Hammers defender Winston Reid fired a
close-range shot over the bar in a rare first-half chance before the game
improved after the break. James Morrison flicked a shot onto the West Ham
crossbar, while Gary O'Neil curled an effort wide for the Hammers. Morrison
was again denied by the woodwork when he headed a corner against the
crossbar late on. Both sides might be happy with a point after recent
stutters in form but the game made for a disappointing spectacle compared
with the sparkling starts to the season both clubs had enjoyed. West Brom
ended a run of three straight defeats to remain sixth, while 11th-placed
West Ham, who had lost four of their preceding five league games, earned
their point despite the depleted squad at manager Sam Allardyce's disposal.
The Hammers boss's predicament meant he only named six substitutes rather
than the permitted seven. That did not appear to bode well against a Baggies
side whose tally of home points this season was the third highest in the
division, behind only Manchester United and Manchester City. But West Brom
struggled to show that form early on as the visitors comfortably kept their
hosts at arm's length, with central defensive duo James Collins and Reid, in
particular, proving a stubborn barrier. West Ham keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen
was given a rare scare when Baggies striker Shane Long cut inside from the
right, only for his left-footed shot to trickle a couple of yards wide. "I'm
sure West Ham manager Sam Allardyce would have settled for a point with all
his absentees. West Brom were frustrated on an afternoon of few
opportunities when the Hammers probably did enough to earn a point."
Albion's lack of invention or intensity, allied to West Ham's solidity, was
making for a dour affair, and it was the visitors who came closet to opening
the scoring in the first half. Collins sent a header back across West Brom's
goal where Reid shot over from six yards, before Baggies keeper Boaz Myhill
fended away a fierce Carlton Cole strike. The match livened up after the
break and the home side went close when Zoltan Gera sent a corner back
across West Ham's goal where Morrison flicked a shot onto the top of the
crossbar. The home side had their own escape, with O'Neil curling a shot
narrowly the wrong side of the post.
West Brom began to show more urgency and Jaaskelainen had to parry a
swerving Gera strike before catching the looped follow-up effort from Long.
O'Brien volleyed a Mark Noble free-kick over for West Ham as they almost
stole a goal from a set-piece before Morrison again struck the frame of the
goal after rising highest to meet Chris Brunt's corner.
West Brom manager Steve Clarke: "If you look at the season as a whole we
have done OK. Sometimes you have to draw games. Today there were not many
chances. "Both sides huffed and puffed a little bit. If you assess the game
properly then I think a draw was a fair result. "I don't think either
ourselves or West Ham played as well as we can. We knew today we had to stop
a run of three defeats."
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce: "Today we were a very well organised, solid and
hardworking team who have shown very good defensive qualities. "Even though
West Brom had a lot of territorial advantage we have come off with Jussi
only having to have made a couple of saves. "It is a really good result for
us. Under the circumstances with our injury list, we are very pleased. When
you pick up a point with seven of your first team missing that is very
pleasing. The lads who went out there did us proud and picked up a precious
point."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Brom 0-0 West Ham Utd
KUMb.com
Filed: Sunday, 16th December 2012
By: Staff Writer
A strong defensive performance was the basis for Sam Allardyce's side
earning another valuable point away from home at The Hawthorns this
afternoon.
West Ham's eighth away fixture of the 2012/13 campaign ended in stalemate as
the home side, who have enjoyed a superb first half of the campaign were
frustrated in their attempts to break down a resolute Hammers defence that
coped with almost everything thrown at them. Rendered virtually impotent by
a resolute rearguard action, the Albion attack failed to seriously trouble
United number one Jussi Jaaskelainen who barely had a save of note to make -
although there was little he could do about the sole effort from James
Morrison that beat him, but not his crossbar. Indeed, it was West Ham who
created the better chances - especially in the opening half - and Winston
Reid, for one, should have been celebrating adidng another goal to his
career tally tonight instead of reflecting upon a wasted opportunity when he
blasted over from just four yards having been set up by central defensive
partner James Collins.
Additionally, Matt Taylor gave the home side a scare with just five minutes
on the clock when his header from a Carlton Cole cross landed on the roof of
the net - and Cole himself stung the hands of Albion goalkeeper Boaz Myhill
nine minutes ahead of the break when he won the ball in midfield before
firing from long range.
In the second period Cole, who performed superbly again as the sole striker
forced a great save from Myhill before being penalised for a non-existent
foul. Joey O'Brien, who was picked out at the far post by Mark Noble could
perhaps have done better with an effort he sliced back across goal whilst
captain Kevin Nolan unusually squandered his best chance of the game early
on in the second half.
West Brom, whose sparking early season form has deserted them somewhat of
late never really looked like sparking their season back into life with a
win today but even still, Zoltan Gera should have done better with a free
header from a corner midway through the second period whilst.
The Hungarian also stung Jaaskelainen's palms on the hour mark but
fortunately the rebound fell kindly for West Ham. But it was Morrison's 74th
minute header from Chirs Brunt's inswinging corner that crashed against the
woodwork which almost won the game for Albion - a win that they would have
barely deserved.
The Baggies went into today's game five places ahead of injury-hit West Ham,
who both started and ended the day in 11th place in the Premier League.
Irons boss Sam Allardyce, whose side was missing the likes of Mo Diame,
George McCartney, Ricardo Vaz Te and Andy Carroll will no doubt be delighted
with the outcome - a third clean sheet away from home this season and an
eighth point from eight games. Next up for Big Sam and his boys are
high-flying Everton, who visit the Boleyn Ground in six days time.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce adamant Mohamed Diame won't leave West Ham in January
Last Updated: December 16, 2012 12:10pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce is adamant Mohamed Diame 'won't go anywhere' in January and
believes that West Ham United could have a 'really top player' on their
hands.
Diame has impressed since joining West Ham on a three-year contract from
Wigan Athletic in the summer, although he does have a release clause in his
deal.
The 25-year-old's performances have seen Arsenal linked with a bid and
reports in Sunday's papers claimed West Ham are ready to offer Diame a
'double-your-money' contract to scare off interest. But Allardyce is
confident that Diame, who is facing a few weeks on the sidelines after
picking up a hamstring injury against Liverpool last weekend, will stay at
Upton Park. "He has similar capabilities to Yaya Toure though, unbelievably,
Manchester City don't seem to be using those capabilities at the moment."
"[His improvement] is down to the challenge he's taken on. The size of a
club demands a certain size of performance and we're a sell-out club, with
35,000 people, great tradition. He's responded. "We changed his role. The
ability he has to break through the opposition's midfield is rare. Other
players have to pass their way through. "He has similar capabilities to Yaya
Toure though, unbelievably, Manchester City don't seem to be using those
capabilities at the moment. "That's why West Ham fans love him, those long,
penetrating, weavey runs. He gets into the positions so often that if we can
work on the finishing and final pass we could be talking about a really top
player."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Brom and West Ham play out a goalless draw at The Hawthorns
Last Updated: December 16, 2012 8:31pm
SSN
West Brom and West Ham have not been in the best of form of late, so it came
as little surprise to see them cancel each other out in a 0-0 draw at The
Hawthorns. The best of the chances during the first half fell to Winston
Reid, but he volleyed over the top from close range.
Best of the match
Man of the match: Winston Reid. Came close to forcing a breakthrough and
stood firm at the heart of West Ham's back four under mounting pressure in
the second half.
Effort of the match: James Morrison came as close as anyone to finding the
target, with his header coming back off the outside of the crossbar.
Moment of the match: Morrison also hit the woodwork with a hooked effort in
the second half, with it clear that it was not going to be a day for goals.
Talking point: Can West Brom get going again after ending their losing
sequence? Will West Ham be happy with a point on the road given how many
injuries they have?
The tempo was raised slightly after the interval, but West Brom saw their
scoreless run stretched to three games - with two efforts from James
Morrison which cannoned back off the crossbar as close as they came to
forcing a breakthrough. Albion made a promising start but the first
semblance of a chance fell to the visitors, with Mark Noble heading a deep
cross from Carlton Cole over the bar. West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie was
on target with a low 25-yard drive, although Jussi Jaaskelainen got his body
behind the ball. But there was little goalmouth action in the opening
quarter of the game as both sides struggled to find a creative spark,
although Morrison ventured forward to fire a low shot past the post. Chris
Brunt drilled a long-range attempt into the hands of Jaaskelainen before
Reid spurned a gilt-edged chance for West Ham. Cole stung the palms of
Albion keeper Boaz Myhill with a 30-yard drive but it was Albion who started
the second period on the offensive and Morrison's hooked volley struck the
top of the bar. Then the Scottish international sliced his shot wide after
Gareth McAuley had headed a fourth successive corner from Brunt into his
path. Reid produced a vital clearance to turn a low Odemwingie centre over
his own bar under pressure from Long. But West Ham looked dangerous on the
counter-attack and Joey O'Brien volleyed over at full stretch from a deep
Noble free-kick.
Morrison struck the bar for the second time with 17 minutes remaining with a
header from Brunt's corner. Cole nearly made the breakthrough in the final
seconds when his snap shot had Myhill scrambling across his line to save at
the foot of a post but a draw was a fair outcome.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce satisfied with 0-0 draw at West Brom as injuries
bite
Last Updated: December 16, 2012 8:23pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce described himself "well satisfied" with a point after his
injury-hit West Ham side took a point home from West Brom. Excitement was in
scant supply during a match between two sides stuttering in the league after
fine starts but Allardyce was content to see a gritty defensive display from
a side missing six regulars. "We defended really well all the way through,"
he told Sky Sports. "Apart from a couple of shots from outside the box,
which Jussi (Jaaskelainen) has dealt with well, I can't think he's had to
make a save. "On the set plays, particularly in the second half, West Brom
had a lot of pressure, put in a lot of good balls, but there was some great
defending from our lads. "We broke well into the final third but didn't find
enough quality. When we did, we created a couple of half-chances - I thought
Gary O'Neil's effort was in just after half-time - but I'm well satisfied
with a 0-0. It's a great point for us under the circumstances. "(Peter)
Odemwingie, (Shane) Long, (Romelu) Lukaku have been very dangerous for West
Brom this year and we kept them very quiet; those players haven't had a shot
from inside the box. "It's been a while since we've had a clean sheet and
we've had a habit of conceding the first goal in the first half. We've cut
that out today, we've tried to win it and it's a tough place to come. "We've
six first-team players out injured so we're down to the bare bones. It was a
real good, honest, solid performance from the players."
Allardyce admitted he hopes he will have the chance to strengthen in
January. He added: "We want to push on, we don't want to slip down the
league and to do that we'll either have to do a bit in the window or
certainly get the players who are injured fit. "Two or three (injuries),
that happens, but six is too many. We coped well today but I'm not sure how
long we will cope if we have them out too long."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Collins & Reid Key To WBA Away Point
By Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die
An away point is always something to be pleased about, and on this occasion
it is worth celebrating, because how we kept WBA at bay in the second half,
I just do not know. It was a constant barrage, and totally relentless, but
try as they might, the Baggies just couldn't get the ball in the net. And
that is down in large part to two men - Winston Reid and James Collins. They
had the games of their lives, and they needed to. Both won crucial tackles
and headers and looked as safe as houses. And Winston Reid could have had a
couple of goals too. James Tomkins is going to find it very difficult to get
his place back in central defence.
Elsewhere we really missed Diame. Gary O'Neil is, I am sorry to say, a very
inadequate replacement. I can't fault his effort, but you have to ask to
what effect it was. He did harry the West Brom players, but too often gave
away free kicks in dangerous places and failed to create anything positive.
Nolan and Noble did well enough, but you could sense they missed Diame and
his positive influence. Demel was a real weak link in the second half,
giving Odumwinge acres of space down the left. It was little surprise he was
replaced by James Tomkins.
Carlton Cole looked very much alone and although he put in his usual ball
holding performance, with a couple of chances, he didn't have lady luck on
his side. Maiga came on for the last 15 minutes and looked bright, but never
threatened their goal. Yet again, Matt Jarvis was largely anonymous.
This was a Sam Allardyce inspired performance. We ground out the result. I
doubt that would have happened under any of his immediate predecessors. He
had a game plan, the team stuck to it and it worked. On to Everton.
Jussi 6
Reid 8
Collins 8
O'Brien 7
Demel 5
Tomkins 6
Noble 6
Nolan 6
Jarvis 5
Cole 6
Maiga 6
O'Neil 5
Taylor 5
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Brom 0 West Ham 0
The Sun
By GRAEME BRYCE
Last Updated: 17th December 2012
CHRISTMAS turkey anyone? Well West Brom and West Ham served up a festive
offering that was about as appetising as a bowl of soggy Brussels sprouts.
In the end, a draw was not just predictable but also a fair result as
neither side showed enough quality to deserve all three points. Steve
Clarke's Baggies will point to a couple of James Morrison efforts that
bounced off the bar. And Sam Allardyce's visitors will claim they went close
when Joey O'Brien flashed a shot wide and that Winston Reid should have
buried a great first-half chance. But, overall, this was such poor fare that
it made Christmas shopping with the missus seem a pleasurable experience.
Albion managed to halt their recent mini-slump by taking a point after three
straight defeats. The Hammers, too, earned a useful away point. But, apart
from those small crumbs of comfort, there was little pleasure to be drawn
from the whole 90 minutes. The last three meetings between the sides had all
ended in draws and there were ominous signs early on that another stalemate
was on the cards. In fact, after 15 minutes, you kind of knew this was going
to be a bad day at the office. Both teams were high on energy but low on
quality as they struggled to make any inroads on the other's no-nonsense
defence.
But do not let anyone fool you, even the defenders were not on their game -
and there was no need to be. Passes went astray with a monotonous regularity
while players often ran down blind alleys. If there was a flash of
brilliance anywhere during the worst first half I've seen this season, then
I must have blinked and missed it. Before kick-off, the biggest talking
point had been Allardyce's failure to fill his bench. The tittle-tattle in
the Press box suggested it was a bold message to club owners David Gold and
David Sullivan that he urgently required reinforcements during the January
transfer window. Or perhaps Big Sam simply could not find seven players
willing to sit and watch this rubbish. Baggies quickly lost their patience
and started banging hopeful efforts at Hammers keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen
from long range - in fact any range.
At least Nigeria striker Peter Odemwingie managed to keep his shot on target
when he rifled in a fierce 25-yarder on 15 minutes. It skipped nastily off
the wet turf just in front of the Finn but he managed to gather it with the
minimum of fuss nonetheless. But enough of the good stuff. Morrison, Shane
Long twice and Chris Brunt all tried their luck from distance as they queued
up like kids at a coconut shy to have a go at the goalie. But there was
never any likelihood of Jaaskelainen handing out any prizes as most of their
efforts flew off target. West Ham fans need not snigger, though, as their
charges were not much better.
The visitors launched a number of booming diagonals up to Matty Taylor at
the Baggies' back post in order to test out Goran Popov's aerial prowess. It
worked on a couple of occasions - up to a point. Five minutes in Carlton
Cole's expertly delivered cross picked out Taylor, who headed over. Then,
after 29 minutes, Taylor nodded across the face of goal but there were no
takers apart from Baggies goalie Boaz Myhill. West Brom probably should have
fallen behind on 32 minutes when James Collins nodded Mark Noble's corner
down to Reid. But the New Zealand defender blazed over from eight yards with
the goal at his mercy.
The only real piece of quality came nine minutes before the break. Baggies
ace Youssouf Mulumbu lost possession in midfield, Cole pounced and then
smashed a ferocious right-footed shot which Myhill was relieved to beat out.
The second half had to be better than this because, quite frankly, things
could not get much worse.
The early signs were certainly promising as the game finally flickered into
life. Brunt's deep corner three minutes after the restart was knocked back
across goal by Jonas Olsson and Morrison's attempt bounced off the top of
the bar. To the Hammers' fury, referee Phil Dowd awarded a corner as he
wrongly assumed Reid had headed off the goal-line. West Brom tried a similar
ploy as Olsson again got on the end of Brunt's corner but, this time,
Morrison's shot flew well wide. The game was opening up and Hammers winger
Matt Jarvis came close with a curling shot which had Myhill scrambling as it
scraped past his far post. Zoltan Gera then had Jaaskelainen worried with a
dipping long-range effort that the Hammers keeper spilled. But Albion
striker Long could not get any power on the rebound and Jaaskelainen
recovered. Reid then denied Long with a perfectly timed tackle as the
Republic of Ireland frontman threatened to convert Gera's cross. As the
teams traded chances near the end, O'Brien flashed a shot narrowly wide.
Then Morrison soared to head a Brunt corner off the bar. Albion boss Clarke
moved Brunt to a holding role and released Morrison further forward. Both
managers made a couple of changes and there were late bookings for Billy
Jones, Kevin Nolan, Mulumbu and James Tomkins. Cole even tried an
injury-time snapshot but Myhill flopped on it - and that was that.
Mercifully.
STAR MAN - COLLINS (West Ham)
WEST BROM: Myhill 6, Jones 6, McAuley 7, Olsson 7, Popov 7, Brunt 5,
Morrison 6, Mulumbu 6, Gera 5 (Lukaku 5), Odemwingie 6, Long 6 (Rosenberg
5). Subs not used: Daniels, Dorrans, Dawson, Tamas, Fortune. Booked: Jones,
Mulumbu, Olsson.
WEST HAM: Jaaskelainen 6, Demel 6 (Tomkins 6), Reid 7, Collins 8, O'Brien 7,
Noble 6, O'Neil 6, Jarvis 5 (Maiga 5), Nolan 5, Taylor 6, Cole 6. Subs not
used: Spiegel, Spence, Moncur, Lletget. Booked: O'Brien, Nolan, Tomkins.
REF: P Dowd 6
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Window of opportunity
Sam in cash plea
The Sun
By GRAHAM HILL
Published: 6 hrs ago
SAM ALLARDYCE made a plea for fresh faces in the transfer window - after
naming just SIX subs at West Brom. Allardyce's West Ham battled to a point
in a goalless draw yesterday. But Big Sam admitted he is down to the bare
bones because of the size of his injury list - and issued a cry for help in
the January transfer window. Allardyce would be happy enough with his squad
if they were fit - but they are some way from that. He said: "We always need
a bit of help. We're never going to turn one down are we? Or two! "If
there's anybody there who can enhance the team then we'd like to go for
them. "Whether that's short-term, long-term, it depends when the window
opens who is actually available and who we can get to come in. "But the main
priority for us is to get the injured players back. "Look at how many we're
missing - Yossi Benayoun, Andy Carroll, Vaz Te, Jack Collison, Mo Diame, all
flair players. "They are our players who, in possession, can create lots and
lots of problems. "You could probably say seven injuries because we haven't
seen Alou Diarra since he joined us because he tore a thigh muscle. "Vaz Te
is probably another couple of weeks before he's training and that will be 12
weeks he's been out. With Benayoun, we hope he will be back with us this
week. He's being treated at Chelsea at the moment. "Collison plays his first
game of the season since the play-off final on Monday with the development
squad. "Diame has injured a hamstring. And then lo and behold just when you
didn't want it George McCartney did his knee ligaments in a training
session. "So I'm relieved we got a point. You know when you've got that many
injuries you're always worried as a manager because you wonder whether your
team's going to be capable of holding out." Albion boss Steve Clarke
admitted he made a mistake with his first-half tactics. Clarke was pleased
his side ended a run of three defeats, but said: "Maybe it was my fault in
the first half, we went 4-4-2 and it didn't quite click. "But we looked a
bit more lively when we went to a more normal set-up in the second half. I
can't say I'm disappointed, I thought a draw was probably just about the
right result.
"We didn't quite do enough to get the three points. As the home team, the
onus was on us to try and win it. "We tried to, but nothing really fell for
us."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
James Collins was delighted to be part of a resolute performance in Sunday's
goalless draw at West Brom
16.12.2012
James Collins hailed West Ham United's resilience and spirit after a heroic
defensive display earned a deserved goalless Barclays Premier League draw at
West Bromwich Albion. The Hammers travelled to The Hawthorns having conceded
three goals at home to Liverpool last weekend and without a clean sheet in
their previous five league matches. West Ham also arrived in the West
Midlands with just 17 fit senior players, having added George McCartney to a
daunting-looking injury list in midweek. However, led by the outstanding
Collins and man of the match Winston Reid - and aided by the frame of the
goal on three occasions - Sam Allardyce's team picked up a point against the
fifth-place Baggies.
"We worked very hard," the Wales international told West Ham TV. "Coming
away from home, especially to a place like West Brom where they have a great
home record this season, was never going to be easy but we did work hard and
we got a point. "We could have nicked a victory. Winston has had a good
chance in the first half when I nodded one down to him. Away from home
you've got to have a bit of luck to get something and they have hit the post
and the bar twice but all in all we defended very well. "These are the most
satisfying games to play in as a centre-back. To get a clean sheet,
especially away from home, is vital and after conceding three at home to
Liverpool last week we needed to stop conceding and we were delighted to get
the clean sheet."
The No19 said the clean sheet gained at The Hawthorns was a mark of belief
within the squad. Collins also said the goalless draw showed that last
week's Liverpool defeat had not adversely affected the players. "I don't
think we were a team that deserved to concede three goals last weekend. It
was a little bit harsh, especially my own-goal at the end where I had to go
in and make the tackle, but we bounced straight back with a very solid
defensive performance.
"We have got a few injuries, but that happens all the time, especially
around Christmas. It's a busy period but everybody knows the spirit in our
dressing room is unbelievable and whoever is asked to come in and play will
do a decent job."
West Ham's gameplan at The Hawthorns was clearly to sit deep and let West
Brom have possession - a tactical approach confirmed by Collins. The
approach reduced the hosts to putting in hopeful crosses and shooting from
outside the penalty area, rather than getting in behind the Hammers and
peppering Jussi Jaaskelainen's goal with shots on target. "That was the
plan. Fair play to the gaffer because he said they like to keep the ball so
if we sat back and tried to hit them on the break, we could get a positive
result and that's how it panned out."
Looking forward, West Ham end their complement of home fixtures for 2012
with the visit of another of the Barclays Premier League's top six in
Everton. David Moyes' side go into next weekend on a five-match unbeaten run
and Collins knows they will be no pushover at the Boleyn Ground. "It will be
tough. They have done very well. They usually start off slow and come good
at the end of the season but they have had a great start and we're expecting
a tough game. If we can perform how we did at West Brom then I'm sure we can
get three points."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Lee learning fast
WHUFC.com
Elliot Lee is hoping to make another goalscoring impact for the Development
Squad on Monday
16.12.2012
Elliot Lee is hoping to cement his place in the Development Squad in 2013
after another impressive showing in the 3-1 FA Youth Cup win against
Aldershot Town. Lee, who has already scored once for the Hammers second
string this season, scored two goals in Hampshire on Monday night and is now
likely called back to the Development Squad when they face Norwich City on
Monday night. It will be Nick Haycock's first game in charge of the
Development Squad following his promotion and Lee hopes to give his old
coach a fresh reminder of his undoubted ability in the 1pm kick-off at
Norwich's Colney training centre.
"We have got the last Development Squad game on Monday against Norwich City
which I will hopefully be starting in," Lee said. "I feel I have done okay
so far so hopefully I can push on and cement my place within the Development
Squad after Christmas."
A number of youngsters that featured in the win against Aldershot are likely
to be called up by Haycock with the majority of Development Squad regulars
either out on loan or away with the first team. Jordan Spence, George Moncur
and Sebastian Lletget were all on the bench for Sam Allardyce's side at West
Bromwich Albion on Sunday and may be given some valuable game time. "It was
a good feeling to score two goals against Aldershot, it was a difficult game
but after we got the first goal it allowed the lads to relax a little bit.
"We then got another which made things even better but when they got one
back with 15 minutes to go it made things harder so it was great to get the
third goal that ensured we progressed to the next round. "No disrespect to
Aldershot Town but when you come down to these lower league clubs they are
always going to fight you but Nick [Haycock] warned me before the game. "He
said they would try and get into my head but I stayed strong, got my two
goals and I am very happy with my performance."
Both of Lee's goals were smart finishes with the striker once again showing
his poaching prowess to ease the pressure on Nick Haycock's side at crucial
times in the contest. "I was in the right place at the right time but as a
forward that is where you have to be - I am happy to score those goals all
day long. "For the second, I saw the ball bounce so I put pressure on the
defender, luckily it broke for me and I managed to squeeze it in the bottom
corner."
Lee's brother, and former Hammers midfielder, Olly Lee is now plying his
trade at Barnet alongside Edgar Davids and his younger brother revealed he
is making good progress. "He is really enjoying his time at Barnet, he is
starting games now and playing well so hopefully he can carry on doing it
and push his way back up the ladder. "There are a few former West Ham
players there and they are all enjoying it, they are not in the best
position at the minute but hopefully they will come together and turn it
round."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Jack's back!
WHUFC.com
Jack Collison is set to make his long-awaited return from injury for the
Development Squad on Monday
16.12.2012
Sam Allardyce confirmed Jack Collison is set to provide a perfect tonic to
West Ham United's injury concerns with a run out for the Development Squad
in Monday's game at Norwich City. The popular homegrown Hammer has not
featured for the first team since his stunning contribution in the Play-Offs
at the end of last season. Collison scored both goals in the away game of
the semi-final as the Hammers overcame Cardiff City 5-0 on aggregate to
reach the Wembley final. He is now set to take his first step back to
first-team action with an appearance in Nick Hancock's first outing as
Development Squad manager at Norwich City's Colney training ground. Fellow
absentees Ricardo Vaz Te and Yossi Benayou are also edging closer to a
return but are unlikely to make the 1pm kick-off with the Canaries.
"Collison plays his first game of the season since the play-off final on
Monday with the Development Squad," Allardyce confirmed. "Ricardo Vaz Te is
probably another couple of weeks before he's training and that will be 12
weeks he's been out. We hope Yossi Benayoun will be back with us this week
as he's being treated at Chelsea at the moment."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Brom 0 West Ham 0
16 December 2012
Last updated at 18:15
By Mandeep Sanghera
BBC Sport
An uninspiring match between West Brom and West Ham ended with both earning
a point from a goalless draw. Hammers defender Winston Reid fired a
close-range shot over the bar in a rare first-half chance before the game
improved after the break. James Morrison flicked a shot onto the West Ham
crossbar, while Gary O'Neil curled an effort wide for the Hammers. Morrison
was again denied by the woodwork when he headed a corner against the
crossbar late on. Both sides might be happy with a point after recent
stutters in form but the game made for a disappointing spectacle compared
with the sparkling starts to the season both clubs had enjoyed. West Brom
ended a run of three straight defeats to remain sixth, while 11th-placed
West Ham, who had lost four of their preceding five league games, earned
their point despite the depleted squad at manager Sam Allardyce's disposal.
The Hammers boss's predicament meant he only named six substitutes rather
than the permitted seven. That did not appear to bode well against a Baggies
side whose tally of home points this season was the third highest in the
division, behind only Manchester United and Manchester City. But West Brom
struggled to show that form early on as the visitors comfortably kept their
hosts at arm's length, with central defensive duo James Collins and Reid, in
particular, proving a stubborn barrier. West Ham keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen
was given a rare scare when Baggies striker Shane Long cut inside from the
right, only for his left-footed shot to trickle a couple of yards wide. "I'm
sure West Ham manager Sam Allardyce would have settled for a point with all
his absentees. West Brom were frustrated on an afternoon of few
opportunities when the Hammers probably did enough to earn a point."
Albion's lack of invention or intensity, allied to West Ham's solidity, was
making for a dour affair, and it was the visitors who came closet to opening
the scoring in the first half. Collins sent a header back across West Brom's
goal where Reid shot over from six yards, before Baggies keeper Boaz Myhill
fended away a fierce Carlton Cole strike. The match livened up after the
break and the home side went close when Zoltan Gera sent a corner back
across West Ham's goal where Morrison flicked a shot onto the top of the
crossbar. The home side had their own escape, with O'Neil curling a shot
narrowly the wrong side of the post.
West Brom began to show more urgency and Jaaskelainen had to parry a
swerving Gera strike before catching the looped follow-up effort from Long.
O'Brien volleyed a Mark Noble free-kick over for West Ham as they almost
stole a goal from a set-piece before Morrison again struck the frame of the
goal after rising highest to meet Chris Brunt's corner.
West Brom manager Steve Clarke: "If you look at the season as a whole we
have done OK. Sometimes you have to draw games. Today there were not many
chances. "Both sides huffed and puffed a little bit. If you assess the game
properly then I think a draw was a fair result. "I don't think either
ourselves or West Ham played as well as we can. We knew today we had to stop
a run of three defeats."
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce: "Today we were a very well organised, solid and
hardworking team who have shown very good defensive qualities. "Even though
West Brom had a lot of territorial advantage we have come off with Jussi
only having to have made a couple of saves. "It is a really good result for
us. Under the circumstances with our injury list, we are very pleased. When
you pick up a point with seven of your first team missing that is very
pleasing. The lads who went out there did us proud and picked up a precious
point."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Brom 0-0 West Ham Utd
KUMb.com
Filed: Sunday, 16th December 2012
By: Staff Writer
A strong defensive performance was the basis for Sam Allardyce's side
earning another valuable point away from home at The Hawthorns this
afternoon.
West Ham's eighth away fixture of the 2012/13 campaign ended in stalemate as
the home side, who have enjoyed a superb first half of the campaign were
frustrated in their attempts to break down a resolute Hammers defence that
coped with almost everything thrown at them. Rendered virtually impotent by
a resolute rearguard action, the Albion attack failed to seriously trouble
United number one Jussi Jaaskelainen who barely had a save of note to make -
although there was little he could do about the sole effort from James
Morrison that beat him, but not his crossbar. Indeed, it was West Ham who
created the better chances - especially in the opening half - and Winston
Reid, for one, should have been celebrating adidng another goal to his
career tally tonight instead of reflecting upon a wasted opportunity when he
blasted over from just four yards having been set up by central defensive
partner James Collins.
Additionally, Matt Taylor gave the home side a scare with just five minutes
on the clock when his header from a Carlton Cole cross landed on the roof of
the net - and Cole himself stung the hands of Albion goalkeeper Boaz Myhill
nine minutes ahead of the break when he won the ball in midfield before
firing from long range.
In the second period Cole, who performed superbly again as the sole striker
forced a great save from Myhill before being penalised for a non-existent
foul. Joey O'Brien, who was picked out at the far post by Mark Noble could
perhaps have done better with an effort he sliced back across goal whilst
captain Kevin Nolan unusually squandered his best chance of the game early
on in the second half.
West Brom, whose sparking early season form has deserted them somewhat of
late never really looked like sparking their season back into life with a
win today but even still, Zoltan Gera should have done better with a free
header from a corner midway through the second period whilst.
The Hungarian also stung Jaaskelainen's palms on the hour mark but
fortunately the rebound fell kindly for West Ham. But it was Morrison's 74th
minute header from Chirs Brunt's inswinging corner that crashed against the
woodwork which almost won the game for Albion - a win that they would have
barely deserved.
The Baggies went into today's game five places ahead of injury-hit West Ham,
who both started and ended the day in 11th place in the Premier League.
Irons boss Sam Allardyce, whose side was missing the likes of Mo Diame,
George McCartney, Ricardo Vaz Te and Andy Carroll will no doubt be delighted
with the outcome - a third clean sheet away from home this season and an
eighth point from eight games. Next up for Big Sam and his boys are
high-flying Everton, who visit the Boleyn Ground in six days time.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce adamant Mohamed Diame won't leave West Ham in January
Last Updated: December 16, 2012 12:10pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce is adamant Mohamed Diame 'won't go anywhere' in January and
believes that West Ham United could have a 'really top player' on their
hands.
Diame has impressed since joining West Ham on a three-year contract from
Wigan Athletic in the summer, although he does have a release clause in his
deal.
The 25-year-old's performances have seen Arsenal linked with a bid and
reports in Sunday's papers claimed West Ham are ready to offer Diame a
'double-your-money' contract to scare off interest. But Allardyce is
confident that Diame, who is facing a few weeks on the sidelines after
picking up a hamstring injury against Liverpool last weekend, will stay at
Upton Park. "He has similar capabilities to Yaya Toure though, unbelievably,
Manchester City don't seem to be using those capabilities at the moment."
"[His improvement] is down to the challenge he's taken on. The size of a
club demands a certain size of performance and we're a sell-out club, with
35,000 people, great tradition. He's responded. "We changed his role. The
ability he has to break through the opposition's midfield is rare. Other
players have to pass their way through. "He has similar capabilities to Yaya
Toure though, unbelievably, Manchester City don't seem to be using those
capabilities at the moment. "That's why West Ham fans love him, those long,
penetrating, weavey runs. He gets into the positions so often that if we can
work on the finishing and final pass we could be talking about a really top
player."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Brom and West Ham play out a goalless draw at The Hawthorns
Last Updated: December 16, 2012 8:31pm
SSN
West Brom and West Ham have not been in the best of form of late, so it came
as little surprise to see them cancel each other out in a 0-0 draw at The
Hawthorns. The best of the chances during the first half fell to Winston
Reid, but he volleyed over the top from close range.
Best of the match
Man of the match: Winston Reid. Came close to forcing a breakthrough and
stood firm at the heart of West Ham's back four under mounting pressure in
the second half.
Effort of the match: James Morrison came as close as anyone to finding the
target, with his header coming back off the outside of the crossbar.
Moment of the match: Morrison also hit the woodwork with a hooked effort in
the second half, with it clear that it was not going to be a day for goals.
Talking point: Can West Brom get going again after ending their losing
sequence? Will West Ham be happy with a point on the road given how many
injuries they have?
The tempo was raised slightly after the interval, but West Brom saw their
scoreless run stretched to three games - with two efforts from James
Morrison which cannoned back off the crossbar as close as they came to
forcing a breakthrough. Albion made a promising start but the first
semblance of a chance fell to the visitors, with Mark Noble heading a deep
cross from Carlton Cole over the bar. West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie was
on target with a low 25-yard drive, although Jussi Jaaskelainen got his body
behind the ball. But there was little goalmouth action in the opening
quarter of the game as both sides struggled to find a creative spark,
although Morrison ventured forward to fire a low shot past the post. Chris
Brunt drilled a long-range attempt into the hands of Jaaskelainen before
Reid spurned a gilt-edged chance for West Ham. Cole stung the palms of
Albion keeper Boaz Myhill with a 30-yard drive but it was Albion who started
the second period on the offensive and Morrison's hooked volley struck the
top of the bar. Then the Scottish international sliced his shot wide after
Gareth McAuley had headed a fourth successive corner from Brunt into his
path. Reid produced a vital clearance to turn a low Odemwingie centre over
his own bar under pressure from Long. But West Ham looked dangerous on the
counter-attack and Joey O'Brien volleyed over at full stretch from a deep
Noble free-kick.
Morrison struck the bar for the second time with 17 minutes remaining with a
header from Brunt's corner. Cole nearly made the breakthrough in the final
seconds when his snap shot had Myhill scrambling across his line to save at
the foot of a post but a draw was a fair outcome.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce satisfied with 0-0 draw at West Brom as injuries
bite
Last Updated: December 16, 2012 8:23pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce described himself "well satisfied" with a point after his
injury-hit West Ham side took a point home from West Brom. Excitement was in
scant supply during a match between two sides stuttering in the league after
fine starts but Allardyce was content to see a gritty defensive display from
a side missing six regulars. "We defended really well all the way through,"
he told Sky Sports. "Apart from a couple of shots from outside the box,
which Jussi (Jaaskelainen) has dealt with well, I can't think he's had to
make a save. "On the set plays, particularly in the second half, West Brom
had a lot of pressure, put in a lot of good balls, but there was some great
defending from our lads. "We broke well into the final third but didn't find
enough quality. When we did, we created a couple of half-chances - I thought
Gary O'Neil's effort was in just after half-time - but I'm well satisfied
with a 0-0. It's a great point for us under the circumstances. "(Peter)
Odemwingie, (Shane) Long, (Romelu) Lukaku have been very dangerous for West
Brom this year and we kept them very quiet; those players haven't had a shot
from inside the box. "It's been a while since we've had a clean sheet and
we've had a habit of conceding the first goal in the first half. We've cut
that out today, we've tried to win it and it's a tough place to come. "We've
six first-team players out injured so we're down to the bare bones. It was a
real good, honest, solid performance from the players."
Allardyce admitted he hopes he will have the chance to strengthen in
January. He added: "We want to push on, we don't want to slip down the
league and to do that we'll either have to do a bit in the window or
certainly get the players who are injured fit. "Two or three (injuries),
that happens, but six is too many. We coped well today but I'm not sure how
long we will cope if we have them out too long."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Collins & Reid Key To WBA Away Point
By Iain Dale
West Ham Till I Die
An away point is always something to be pleased about, and on this occasion
it is worth celebrating, because how we kept WBA at bay in the second half,
I just do not know. It was a constant barrage, and totally relentless, but
try as they might, the Baggies just couldn't get the ball in the net. And
that is down in large part to two men - Winston Reid and James Collins. They
had the games of their lives, and they needed to. Both won crucial tackles
and headers and looked as safe as houses. And Winston Reid could have had a
couple of goals too. James Tomkins is going to find it very difficult to get
his place back in central defence.
Elsewhere we really missed Diame. Gary O'Neil is, I am sorry to say, a very
inadequate replacement. I can't fault his effort, but you have to ask to
what effect it was. He did harry the West Brom players, but too often gave
away free kicks in dangerous places and failed to create anything positive.
Nolan and Noble did well enough, but you could sense they missed Diame and
his positive influence. Demel was a real weak link in the second half,
giving Odumwinge acres of space down the left. It was little surprise he was
replaced by James Tomkins.
Carlton Cole looked very much alone and although he put in his usual ball
holding performance, with a couple of chances, he didn't have lady luck on
his side. Maiga came on for the last 15 minutes and looked bright, but never
threatened their goal. Yet again, Matt Jarvis was largely anonymous.
This was a Sam Allardyce inspired performance. We ground out the result. I
doubt that would have happened under any of his immediate predecessors. He
had a game plan, the team stuck to it and it worked. On to Everton.
Jussi 6
Reid 8
Collins 8
O'Brien 7
Demel 5
Tomkins 6
Noble 6
Nolan 6
Jarvis 5
Cole 6
Maiga 6
O'Neil 5
Taylor 5
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Brom 0 West Ham 0
The Sun
By GRAEME BRYCE
Last Updated: 17th December 2012
CHRISTMAS turkey anyone? Well West Brom and West Ham served up a festive
offering that was about as appetising as a bowl of soggy Brussels sprouts.
In the end, a draw was not just predictable but also a fair result as
neither side showed enough quality to deserve all three points. Steve
Clarke's Baggies will point to a couple of James Morrison efforts that
bounced off the bar. And Sam Allardyce's visitors will claim they went close
when Joey O'Brien flashed a shot wide and that Winston Reid should have
buried a great first-half chance. But, overall, this was such poor fare that
it made Christmas shopping with the missus seem a pleasurable experience.
Albion managed to halt their recent mini-slump by taking a point after three
straight defeats. The Hammers, too, earned a useful away point. But, apart
from those small crumbs of comfort, there was little pleasure to be drawn
from the whole 90 minutes. The last three meetings between the sides had all
ended in draws and there were ominous signs early on that another stalemate
was on the cards. In fact, after 15 minutes, you kind of knew this was going
to be a bad day at the office. Both teams were high on energy but low on
quality as they struggled to make any inroads on the other's no-nonsense
defence.
But do not let anyone fool you, even the defenders were not on their game -
and there was no need to be. Passes went astray with a monotonous regularity
while players often ran down blind alleys. If there was a flash of
brilliance anywhere during the worst first half I've seen this season, then
I must have blinked and missed it. Before kick-off, the biggest talking
point had been Allardyce's failure to fill his bench. The tittle-tattle in
the Press box suggested it was a bold message to club owners David Gold and
David Sullivan that he urgently required reinforcements during the January
transfer window. Or perhaps Big Sam simply could not find seven players
willing to sit and watch this rubbish. Baggies quickly lost their patience
and started banging hopeful efforts at Hammers keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen
from long range - in fact any range.
At least Nigeria striker Peter Odemwingie managed to keep his shot on target
when he rifled in a fierce 25-yarder on 15 minutes. It skipped nastily off
the wet turf just in front of the Finn but he managed to gather it with the
minimum of fuss nonetheless. But enough of the good stuff. Morrison, Shane
Long twice and Chris Brunt all tried their luck from distance as they queued
up like kids at a coconut shy to have a go at the goalie. But there was
never any likelihood of Jaaskelainen handing out any prizes as most of their
efforts flew off target. West Ham fans need not snigger, though, as their
charges were not much better.
The visitors launched a number of booming diagonals up to Matty Taylor at
the Baggies' back post in order to test out Goran Popov's aerial prowess. It
worked on a couple of occasions - up to a point. Five minutes in Carlton
Cole's expertly delivered cross picked out Taylor, who headed over. Then,
after 29 minutes, Taylor nodded across the face of goal but there were no
takers apart from Baggies goalie Boaz Myhill. West Brom probably should have
fallen behind on 32 minutes when James Collins nodded Mark Noble's corner
down to Reid. But the New Zealand defender blazed over from eight yards with
the goal at his mercy.
The only real piece of quality came nine minutes before the break. Baggies
ace Youssouf Mulumbu lost possession in midfield, Cole pounced and then
smashed a ferocious right-footed shot which Myhill was relieved to beat out.
The second half had to be better than this because, quite frankly, things
could not get much worse.
The early signs were certainly promising as the game finally flickered into
life. Brunt's deep corner three minutes after the restart was knocked back
across goal by Jonas Olsson and Morrison's attempt bounced off the top of
the bar. To the Hammers' fury, referee Phil Dowd awarded a corner as he
wrongly assumed Reid had headed off the goal-line. West Brom tried a similar
ploy as Olsson again got on the end of Brunt's corner but, this time,
Morrison's shot flew well wide. The game was opening up and Hammers winger
Matt Jarvis came close with a curling shot which had Myhill scrambling as it
scraped past his far post. Zoltan Gera then had Jaaskelainen worried with a
dipping long-range effort that the Hammers keeper spilled. But Albion
striker Long could not get any power on the rebound and Jaaskelainen
recovered. Reid then denied Long with a perfectly timed tackle as the
Republic of Ireland frontman threatened to convert Gera's cross. As the
teams traded chances near the end, O'Brien flashed a shot narrowly wide.
Then Morrison soared to head a Brunt corner off the bar. Albion boss Clarke
moved Brunt to a holding role and released Morrison further forward. Both
managers made a couple of changes and there were late bookings for Billy
Jones, Kevin Nolan, Mulumbu and James Tomkins. Cole even tried an
injury-time snapshot but Myhill flopped on it - and that was that.
Mercifully.
STAR MAN - COLLINS (West Ham)
WEST BROM: Myhill 6, Jones 6, McAuley 7, Olsson 7, Popov 7, Brunt 5,
Morrison 6, Mulumbu 6, Gera 5 (Lukaku 5), Odemwingie 6, Long 6 (Rosenberg
5). Subs not used: Daniels, Dorrans, Dawson, Tamas, Fortune. Booked: Jones,
Mulumbu, Olsson.
WEST HAM: Jaaskelainen 6, Demel 6 (Tomkins 6), Reid 7, Collins 8, O'Brien 7,
Noble 6, O'Neil 6, Jarvis 5 (Maiga 5), Nolan 5, Taylor 6, Cole 6. Subs not
used: Spiegel, Spence, Moncur, Lletget. Booked: O'Brien, Nolan, Tomkins.
REF: P Dowd 6
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Window of opportunity
Sam in cash plea
The Sun
By GRAHAM HILL
Published: 6 hrs ago
SAM ALLARDYCE made a plea for fresh faces in the transfer window - after
naming just SIX subs at West Brom. Allardyce's West Ham battled to a point
in a goalless draw yesterday. But Big Sam admitted he is down to the bare
bones because of the size of his injury list - and issued a cry for help in
the January transfer window. Allardyce would be happy enough with his squad
if they were fit - but they are some way from that. He said: "We always need
a bit of help. We're never going to turn one down are we? Or two! "If
there's anybody there who can enhance the team then we'd like to go for
them. "Whether that's short-term, long-term, it depends when the window
opens who is actually available and who we can get to come in. "But the main
priority for us is to get the injured players back. "Look at how many we're
missing - Yossi Benayoun, Andy Carroll, Vaz Te, Jack Collison, Mo Diame, all
flair players. "They are our players who, in possession, can create lots and
lots of problems. "You could probably say seven injuries because we haven't
seen Alou Diarra since he joined us because he tore a thigh muscle. "Vaz Te
is probably another couple of weeks before he's training and that will be 12
weeks he's been out. With Benayoun, we hope he will be back with us this
week. He's being treated at Chelsea at the moment. "Collison plays his first
game of the season since the play-off final on Monday with the development
squad. "Diame has injured a hamstring. And then lo and behold just when you
didn't want it George McCartney did his knee ligaments in a training
session. "So I'm relieved we got a point. You know when you've got that many
injuries you're always worried as a manager because you wonder whether your
team's going to be capable of holding out." Albion boss Steve Clarke
admitted he made a mistake with his first-half tactics. Clarke was pleased
his side ended a run of three defeats, but said: "Maybe it was my fault in
the first half, we went 4-4-2 and it didn't quite click. "But we looked a
bit more lively when we went to a more normal set-up in the second half. I
can't say I'm disappointed, I thought a draw was probably just about the
right result.
"We didn't quite do enough to get the three points. As the home team, the
onus was on us to try and win it. "We tried to, but nothing really fell for
us."
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
Sunday, December 16
Daily WHUFC News - 16th December 2012
Cole stoked for West Brom return
WHUFC.com
Carlton Cole is looking to get one over his mentor and West Bromwich Albion
manager Steve Clarke
16.12.2012
Carlton Cole hopes to play just as big a part this Sunday against West
Bromwich Albion as he did the last time West Ham United visited The
Hawthorns.
Back in February 2011, Cole was among the scorers when the Hammers roared
back from 3-0 down at half-time to grab a thrilling 3-3 draw. The match had
plenty of drama, not only did the team claw their way back from defeat with
a brave header from Cole and a brace from Demba Ba, but it also saw an
inspirational half-time team talk delivered by then-Hammers midfielder Scott
Parker. Now flourishing under Sam Allardyce, whom Cole says is a 'top-notch'
manager, the No9 is looking to strike again and hopes that his team can
collect three points instead of one this time around. "I know we lost our
last game against Liverpool but I don't think it was a game we should have
lost," said Cole, "but the positives were that we played well against a team
like Liverpool. They are still a big team and no one can take away from us
the way we played against them. "We were just disappointed that we didn't
take the opportunity to win the game, but we are doing well and hopefully we
can do the same against West Brom and get a result."
Cole will come up against a West Brom side which is now managed by his
former Chelsea coach and ex-West Ham assistant manager Steve Clarke, as well
as another former West Ham man in coach Kevin Keen. "Steve was my coach when
I was a youth-team player at Chelsea. He was the one who pushed me through
to the first team. Jim Duffy had been there before that, but Steve replaced
him and I have always appreciated what he did for me. "He gave me a chance
and when he came to West Ham, it was like a blessing in disguise. I was
like, wow, Steve Clarke is here and he is going to get the best out of me,
because he knows me as a player. With him and Gianfranco Zola, it helped my
game. "I'm happy to see him with the No1 baton. He is doing what I thought
he could do because he knows about tactics. He learnt a lot from Jose
Mourinho and took it all on board. He is making West Brom into a good team
and I am pleased for him. But I have a few tricks up my sleeve, so hopefully
I can outwit him!"
While Cole had to play more of a role from the bench for much of this season
before Andy Carroll's injury saw him recalled to the starting XI in recent
weeks, he is enjoying life under Big Sam and being part of the team's solid
start to the season. The striker spoke to the press this week ahead of
Sunday's match and revealed how the manager has kept him concentrating on
the right things. "The gaffer has been top-notch to keep me in terms of
focus. It's a really hard skill to keep a player happy who has been playing
regularly but is then out of the team. When he first arrived, he said to me
that the secret to being a manager is keeping the ones that are not playing
happier than the ones that are playing. Full credit to him, because he's
doing his job and I know this is my chance now to make an impact. "In the
last two games I know I have made our fans happy and it's been a privilege
to play under Sam. The whole team is thriving under him and the atmosphere
is great around the place. "The manager has brought in the right people. He
may look to strengthen the team again, but we will also have injured players
coming back which will be key for us. Right now, we're looking to the future
and everyone's in a happy place."
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Captain's Blog
WHUFC.com
West Ham United skipper Kevin Nolan writes ahead of Sunday's trip to West
Bromwich Albion
15.12.2012
Hello to all and I hope everyone has had a good week. We put everything into
last Sunday's game against Liverpool and I think all of you who were there
and saw the match may have been going out of the stadium a bit bewildered by
the result. It was tough to take, especially after losing Mo Diame to injury
during the game. He had been such an influential figure for us in the team
and was having such a fantastic match, so to lose him for a few weeks now is
disappointing. But it was another good performance from us. We were
disappointed of course with the goals we conceded, but these have been
things we have been working on in training this week again to put right
ahead of our trip to West Bromwich Albion. We have just come out of what was
a tricky schedule of games for us. We break the games down into eight-game
slots with targets and we have met them both so far. It is now about
starting another little mini-league, with new targets for another eight
games and looking to achieve them again. If we can keep doing that, we can
look at the bigger picture and we can be where we want to be at the end of
the season.
As for West Brom, Steve Clarke and Kevin Keen are in charge there - two
former West Ham fellas who you will know well. We are really looking forward
to going there and matching them, because they are a fantastic side. We hope
that their bubble has burst a bit and we can go there on Sunday and get a
result. They will be a tough side to come up against, I don't think I have
ever been involved in an easy game at The Hawthorns, but we go there with
confidence.
We have a few injuries but it is about us all pulling together even more and
sticking close and working hard for each other and the team.I just think,
with us all mucking in together, we can get through times when we have a few
injuries or whatever. That is what we are all about as a team - if we put
the hard work in then hopefully we can get the results we deserve at the end
of it.
This week we saw what the possible plans could be if we are given the
Olympic Stadium to be our new home. I think it will be fantastic for the
club. Our Vice-Chairman, Karren Brady, came down to the training ground to
give us a presentation and to fill us in with what is happening at this
stage of the process and what the plans are. I must say, I was taken aback
about how superb it will look if we get the Stadium and I think it is going
to be absolutely magnificent for us, I really do. I think, as a club, we can
do the Olympic Stadium absolute justice. With our fans, we can not only fill
it but it will be fantastic for our club and for the whole of east London.
We would make sure it is a Stadium full of life and I think, as a club, it
will help us move on and build great teams for the future.
It will help us move towards bigger and better things, put us among the
elite facility-wise and help bring more top players to the club.
The last few days have seen us visit Whipps Cross Hospital and the Richard
House Children's Hospice.It was nice to get out in the community and spread
some Christmas cheer. Obviously the people we visited are going through
difficult times, but attending these events and visits is definitely
something myself and all the lads feel very passionate about. I would like,
on behalf of all of us, thank the hospital and the hospice for the time they
gave us to come in and see them. We know how much hard work and sacrifice is
made by the people working there. They are there for us if we need them, so
it was great to go there and put smiles on a few faces.
There is an update to the tea-making rota that I mentioned in my last blog.
Since then, I have seen our Head of Performance Analysis, David Woodfine
make a cup of tea - well, two to be fair - in the last three weeks. He made
one for himself and I think he made one for Jack Collison. That's
fantastic,, because he's learning and obviously he saw my comments on his
tea-making or lack of it in my last blog! So it is a thumbs-up for Woody, as
there has been a definite improvement on that front and it might mean I get
a cuppa off him as a Christmas present! I would like to finish off by saying
a big thank you to all of you who will be travelling to West Brom on Sunday
to cheer us on and, of course, all of you everywhere who will be willing us
to get a good result.
Come on you Irons!
Kevin Nolan
Captain
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West Bromwich Albion v West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 15th December 2012
By: Preview Percy
Next we visit The Hawthorns, home of West Bromwich Albion for a 4pm kick-off
on Sunday. I can't see any engineering work is due to take place on any of
the normal routes up there but as ever check before you travel.
The Baggies (or "men in ill-fitting trousers" as it was once allegedly
translated into Chinese) have enjoyed a fine start to the season having won
eight, drawn two and lost six of their 16 matches so far. This leaves them
in sixth place on 26 points, four places and four points above us. Current
form has been slightly less impressive.
Whilst out of their last six they've won three (2-1 away at Wigan, 2-1 at
home to Chelsea and 4-2 away at Sunderland) and lost three (3-1 at Swansea,
1-0 at home to Stoke and 2-0 away at Arsenal) the three defeats have come in
their last three matches. They haven't won since November 24th and will
therefore be seeking to end the run that continued last weekend thanks to
yet another disgraceful display of diving at the Emirates. Assisted it has
to be said by yet another substandard performance in the middle from Mike
Jones. Incidentally, I am indebted to all 200 of you who chose to share the
"now he's been to Bradford, Corzola knows what a real dive is" text message
with me.
The run of defeats has come too late to avoid manager Steve Clarke from
picking up the dreaded "Manager of the Month" award (is it still sponsored
by Bells Whisky?). Clarke of course is no stranger to us having had the job
of assisting Gianfranco Zola in his ultimately unsuccessful spell at the
Boleyn, an era that preceded the even less successful Avram Grant era.
Zola and Clarke were unfortunate in that their tenure included the
"rudderless ship" period in which the club was owned by those Icelandic
chaps who had been charged with sorting out the mess left by the previous
Icelandic chaps. This included trying to save banks and effectively sorting
out a whole country, so it was possibly quite understandable that they
didn't get themselves overly involved in the running of a football club.
Unfortunately, this situation meant that funding for the club was
effectively done on a hand to mouth basis, investment in the team was next
to nothing, a situation not helped by the fact that what meagre resources
there were got wasted on the likes of Savio. When the current owners came in
they were keen to install their own man and, once Zola had been dismissed,
Clarke went soon after. After a spell working with Dalglish at Liverpool
(presumably as an interpreter) Clarke left to join West Brom, a job that
became his first full-blown managerial role.
First choice 'keeper is Ben Foster who finally abandoned what looked as if
it was going to be a whole career on loan from Man Utd when he signed a full
proper grown-up contract with the Throstles. Like myself, Foster has made
himself "temporarily unavailable" for England selection, citing his desire
to prolong his club career by giving himself more recovery time between
matches, the idea being that he would avoid niggling injuries.
There is therefore some irony (in the incorrect Alanis Morrissette-type use
of that word) in the fact that a recurring groin problem has kept him on the
sidelines in recent weeks and the usual sources suggest that a late fitness
test will be required to see if he is fit for Sunday. The weirdly-named Boaz
Myhill will deputise should Foster not make the cut.
Another on the Late Fitness Test list is defender Liam Ridgewell. Ridgewell
is, technically, an ex-Hammer having spent a nominal two years at the
Academy. However, he had effectively left the club long before his eventual
official move to Villa, with whom he was an FA Youth Cup winner. Maybe it's
the funny accent or something in the water but having moved up to the
Midlands he seems pretty settled in the area and his career now involves
spells with Villa, Birmingham City and West Brom.
It's probably fair to say that the local branch of Pickfords doesn't get any
excitement out of transfer speculation when his name is involved and
supporters of Wolves and Walsall are probably quietly waiting their turn for
him to turn up as his career winds down. Ridgewell recently hit the
headlines as photographs of him wiping his backside with £20 notes appeared
on the web. The photos were apparently taken 8 months ago but it's only
recently that the good people of the West Midlands took offence, mainly
because few people in that part of the world had ever seen a £20 note.
In midfield they will have James Morrison. Morrison, was capped at every age
level for England but when it came to full recognition he decided to pledge
his allegiance to Scotland having (like many others) discovered the
existence of a Scottish grandmother at almost exactly the same time that he
realised that his chances of a full England cap were virtually non-existent.
He is usually used on the wing or as an attacking midfielder but reports out
of Smethwick suggest that he may be used in a withdrawn role if Argentinian
midfielder Claudio Yacob fails to recover from a hamstring injury (another
late fitness test case). Meanwhile, Morrison is the only Midlands-based
Scottish international footballer to be interred in the famous Pere Lachaise
cemetery in Paris, though the Rugby League careers of Edith Piaf, Gertrude
Stein and Oscar Wilde are, of course, well-documented.
Up front they will have top scorer (seven goals) Shane Long. Think Kevin
Nolan but more irritating. Long was discovered in 2004 by a chap called Pat
Dolan who was then manager of Cork City. Dagenham-born Dolan left the
Leesiders in 2005 and shortly after Reading signed both Long and Kevin Doyle
having allegedly become aware of confidential release clauses in the
players' contracts.
Nobody's quite sure how Reading might have become aware of such release
clauses and we're sure that the fact that Reading coach (and former Hammer)
Eamonn Dolan is Pat Dolan's twin brother is totally coincidental. Long has a
habit of committing those horrible niggly fouls that wind players up almost
as much as the full over the ball two-footer so a spot of discipline won't
go amiss this weekend.
Also available up front will be Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku
famously refused to hold the Champions League trophy on the grounds that he
hadn't felt involved in winning it, an honourable position to take that
obviously didn't occur to John Terry. In his native Belgium Lukaku was
awarded the 2011 "Belgian Ebony Shoe" award, the oddly-named trophy given to
the best player in the Belgian League of African descent. Previous winners
of the award include Mido, who was most disappointed to discover that the
award was a "shoe" rather than a "chew".
Lukaku is second top scorer to Long having found the net five times this
season. However, the fact that 10 of his 14 league appearances have come
from the bench suggests that he's been used as an "impact sub" (as opposed
to all those substitutions that are made in the hope that the new player
will have no influence on the game at all, I suppose). Lukaku was at one
point linked with a move to the Boleyn, but only by a slightly hard of
hearing journalist after a good lunch.
Lukaku has been behind Uzbek-Nigerian Peter Odemwingie. Odemwingie arrived a
few years back having had horrible racist abuse from supporters at his
former club Lokomotiv Moscow, who presumably would rather have someone like
John Terry in the team. The Muscovites celebrated Odemwingie's departure
with the same sort of enthusiasm as a Scouser getting a dole cheque. It's
not recorded what punishment UEFA dished out but rumours persist that the
Russians were fined three packets of digestives for their actions, a fine
which, if confirmed, would still be a record today for a racial offence.
Unusually this week for Crimewatch corner we look to the coaching staff
rather than the players for the award recipient – though there is an
honourable mention for midfielder Scott Allan who is on loan at Pompey and
was questioned by Hampshire plod over his running over of a pedestrian last
month. However, Academy coach Mark O'Shea is the clear winner of this week's
award.
O'Shea was arrested back in April after allegations of a sexual nature were
made against him. A look at the internet failed to establish how the case
had progressed, though those of you who like to make up your own punchlines
to this sort of thing will no doubt be chortling over the fact that there is
a Mark O'Shea at a local safari park whose main job there appears to be
"snake handler".
Us? One was highly disappointed last week to not get anything out of that
one – heck I'd have been slightly miffed with a draw. The turning point was
obviously Diame's injury and he'll be a big miss for however long it's going
to be. The player himself suggested three weeks but I reckon there was
something lost in translation for that one. In Diame and Cole, who was a
revelation, we had the two best players on the pitch and neither deserved to
be on the losing side.
Hilariously, one thick scouser (tautology I know) pointed to the five
minutes of stoppage time at the end of the second half as evidence of some
sort of FA conspiracy, ignoring the fact that Diame's injury, the various
second half substitutions and the scousers' habit of going down in fake
agony every few seconds during stoppage time all contributed to the added
time. Meanwhile if you want a conspiracy involving the most corrupt club in
the country you could do worse than look at the authorities' continued
failure to take any action over their transfer activities for which any
other club would have been in big trouble by now.
Injury news is not great. Apart from Diame, who joins the long termers
Carroll, Vaz Te Collison and Diarra (a name beginning to sound suspiciously
like Dyer), we'll also be without Benayoun whose been sent back to Chelsea
to get his knee sorted out, and probably McCartney who, having recovered
from a recent ankle problem, has now managed to do his knee in whilst
training. Bare bones then.
Now I'm an old codger who whiles away his days here at the Avram Grant Rest
Home For the Bewildered going all rheumy-eyed at all the matches that I've
seen over the years that have elapsed since I first suggested to a
10-year-old Arnold Hills that he might want to think about setting up a
football team when he grew up.
Whilst I wouldn't in anyway profess to be more of an expert than the
management, I would say that all the games that I have seen over those years
have given me some sort of knowledge about the game and one thing that I'm
pretty sure of is this: James Tomkins – fine defender. Not so fine in
midfield. Now I don't see them in training but the Tomkins in midfield
experiment is one that I've never felt too comfortable with – and I suspect
that the player may be of similar opinion so, if we have any left that are
fit to play, I'd prefer to see a midfielder in midfield this weekend. If
that's ok.
Prediction? Quite simply I think that this one will end up evens. With that
in mind, Mr Winstone will be receiving the contents of the Avram Grant Rest
Home Collection to provide Liam Ridgewell with something more suitable with
which to wipe his bum (£2.50 and a Liverpool scarf) with a view to the whole
darn lot going on a 2-2 draw and hang the consequences!
Enjoy the game!
When last we met at the Hawthorns: Drew 3-3 (February 2011). File this match
in the section marked "Bonkers". Winston Reid had a complete nightmare,
conceding an OG and being fortunate to get away with a clear penalty shout
as we went 3-0 down. Cole had a goal wrongly chalked off for offside. In the
second half full debutant Dember Ba picked up a couple either side of a
brave Cole header and both sides failed to take good chances to take all
three points. Winston Reid is much better these days.
Referee: Phil Dowd. Notoriously calorifically-challenged official who will
need a rest break just after the toss-up. Last seen at the Boleyn hauling
his carcass around during the 3-1 home defeat to Arsenal. Hopefully he's got
his breath back by now.
Danger Man: Shane Long. Top scorer and a right horrible little so and so to
boot.
Daft Fact Of The Week: The world of science and mathematics continues to be
baffled by a phenomenon called "The Hawthorns Paradox". The average home
gate up there is a shade over 25,000 each match. However, apart from Frank
Skinner, and the bloke who wrote "New Tricks" and gave all the characters
Baggies-related names, statistically speaking West Brom supporters do not
actually exist.
You don't believe me? Ok ask yourself this: Do you, or does anyone you know
actually know a West Brom fan? Thought not. It has been postulated that they
come from another dimension each week - a theory backed up by the fact that
their ground is the highest above sea-level in England which means that they
are closer to any wormhole in space that might exist over Smethwick. Or
something. (Note to Ed:– can we afford Dr Brian Cox to check this out? Ed's
note: No).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce says Carlton Cole could keep Andy Carroll out of
side
Last Updated: December 15, 2012 2:36pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce insists striker Andy Carroll has got a job on
his hands getting back into the starting line-up after the recent hot form
shown by Carlton Cole. The Liverpool loanee is expected to be sidelined
with a knee injury until mid-January, which has paved the way for stand-in
Cole to enjoy a rare run in the team. Cole scored a powerful header past
Petr Cech on his return to the side and set up another in the Hammers' 3-1
win against Chelsea,before turning in another eye-catching display in their
defeat to Liverpool last weekend. And Allardyce has backed the 29-year-old
to take his opportunity, with a busy Christmas period coming up for the
club.
He said: "Carlton has contributed well. He has not played quite as much as
he'd wanted to but, when he has got the chance, he's done the business. "We
now need him to continue that. With Andy out for a number of weeks, Carlton
can establish himself in the team and keep his place. It'll be Andy's
problem to get back in. "In fact if Carlton's playing that well when Andy
gets back, it's nearly impossible for me to leave him out. Allardyce admits
the Hammers are ahead of where he thought they would be at this point of the
season with the club having taken 22 points from their opening 16 games and
just four points off the top four. Allardyce added: "We're slightly ahead of
where we thought we might be in terms of points but that's good news for us.
"This period is a concern, though, as we are talking about having 14
first-team players fit. That's all, right now."
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West Ham captain Kevin Nolan looking to inflict fourth straight defeat on
West Brom
Last Updated: December 15, 2012 1:42pm
SSN
West Ham captain Kevin Nolan hopes that West Brom's recent poor form will
continue at The Hawthorns on Sunday. Steve Clarke's side were the big
surprise of the season as they stormed to third in the Premier League with
four wins in a row last month. But the Baggies have since lost their last
three matches, and Nolan believes his side have a great chance to atone for
last week's defeat to Liverpool. "We are really looking forward to going
there and matching them, because they are a fantastic side," he said. "We
hope that their bubble has burst a bit and we can go there on Sunday and get
a result. "They will be a tough side to come up against, I don't think I
have ever been involved in an easy game at The Hawthorns, but we go there
with confidence. "We have just come out of what was a tricky schedule of
games for us. We break the games down into eight-game slots with targets and
we have met them both so far. "We have a few injuries but it is about us all
pulling together even more and sticking close and working hard for each
other and the team."
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Double up for Diame
Exclusive
By PHIL THOMAS
Published: 15th December 2012
The Sun
MOHAMED DIAME is in line for a new double-your-money deal at West Ham —
despite being sidelined for the next 12 weeks. The Senegal midfielder, 25,
is out until March after tearing a hamstring during last week's 3-2 defeat
to Liverpool. But that has not stopped the Hammers offering to boost his
wages to £60,000 a week to scare off Arsenal. Diame will get the bumper pay
rise as long as he agrees to having a buy-out clause also doubled to
£7million. He has been a sensation since moving to Upton Park after Wigan
released him in the summer and the club are confident he will put pen to
paper.
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Cole: Clarke won't bully me
The Sun
By CARL LONG
Published: 15th December 2012
CARLTON COLE has vowed to beat Steve Clarke's 'bullying' tactics when he
faces his old mentor's West Brom side today. West Ham striker Cole credits
the Baggies boss with playing a big part in his development at both Chelsea
and Upton Park where the Scot was Gianfranco Zola's right-hand man. But
despite their relationship, he has promised not to go easy on Clarke's team
at The Hawthorns — and says the Scot could be in for a few surprises. Cole
said: "I worked with Steve Clarke when I was a youth-team player at Chelsea
— he was the one who pushed me through to the first team. I've always
appreciated him from then.
"I know he gave me my chance and when he came to West Ham, it was a blessing
in disguise. "I was like, 'Wow, we've got Steve Clarke here, he's going to
get the best out of me — I know he loves me as a player'. It helped me. "I
know he's going to try to bully me. He thinks he knows me but I've got a few
tricks up my sleeve nowadays. Hopefully, I can outwit him."
Clarke, who is in his first job as a manager, has excelled since arriving in
the West Midlands this summer, with the Baggies launching a shock assault on
the Premier League's top four. Cole says he is not surprised by how well the
49-year-old has adapted from being a No 2 to becoming a manager. He added:
"I'm so happy to see him as a No 1. "He's doing what I always knew he could
do because he knows a lot about tactics. "He learned a lot from Jose
Mourinho and took a lot on board, and that's what's happening now. "He has
taken West Brom from being a mediocre team to a really good team, so I'm
really happy for him."
Cole has thrived during fellow striker Andy Carroll's injury absence. He
scored and provided an assist during the 3-1 win against his old club
Chelsea and then troubled Liverpool's defence in last week's 3-2 defeat. But
he feels the arrival of the giant Geordie on loan from Anfield has helped
him to up his game. Cole, who has been at West Ham since the summer of 2006,
said: "I had to up the level again and you need that as a striker.
"Sometimes you need someone to push you. "You can always learn from someone
else's game, you can learn from other people's strengths. "Andy Carroll is a
fantastic player and I need to show what I can do as well. "He's doing the
same thing, showing what he can do — and now I'm pushing him."
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Hammered: West Ham have just 14 fit players for tricky trip to West Brom
The Mirror
15 Dec 2012 09:30
By Graham Moody
Sam Allardyce's injury headache at West Ham has left him with just 14 fit
first-team players for their game against West Brom on Sunday. George
McCartney jarred his knee in training this week to join six other first-team
regulars on the treatment table, and leave Allardyce to fill his bench with
players from his development squad. Although Jack Collison resumed training
this week after a knee injury, he will not be risked until the New Year at
the earliest and, with no one else near a comeback, Allardyce is keeping his
fingers crossed the jinx doesn't strike again at the Hawthorns "At this
moment in time, we needed not to have any more injuries, unfortunately, we
have," he said. "I think we're talking about 14 fit first-team players fit,
that's all. I've had this kind of crisis before, you work so hard to avoid
this type of thing but when you look at the injuries, apart from Mo Diame
(hamstring), all of them are trauma injuries, which mean they've happened in
a tackle or a change of direction. "It's a huge concern for us, but, like
everything else, it will be no excuse, because nobody allows you to use
injuries as an excuse, so we've got to go and get on with it. "What we can't
afford is any more injuries. And we can't afford any suspensions to either
James Collins or Winston Reid, who are the two who are on four bookings at
the moment. "They've been on four bookings for the last four games and
neither of them has got booked. But now I've mentioned it, knowing my luck
they'll both get booked on Sunday."
One player to benefit from the injuries is Carlton Cole, who has started the
past two games, since Andy Carroll was ruled out for six weeks with a knee
problem, and will lead the line again on Sunday. "When Carlton has got the
opportunity he's done the business and we need him to continue that," added
Allardyce. "Because Andy is out for a number of weeks he can establish
himself in the team and he can keep his place if he continues like that,
because it will be Andy's problem to get back in. "If Carlton continues to
play as well as he's played and score goals, then when Andy gets it will be
nearly impossible for me to leave him out." Yossi Benayoun (knee), Ricardo
Vaz Te (shoulder) and Alou Diarra (thigh) are West Ham's other crocks.
Clarke: 'Don't make me angry...'
By Brendan McLoughlin
Steve Clarke has insisted he can be 'Mr Nasty', after defending his time at
West Ham with Gianfranco Zola. Boss Zola and No.2 Clarke were axed by the
Hammers in 2010 after escaping the drop by a place. West Ham insiders
claimed the pair were too nice – but the club were relegated under Avram
Grant the following year. "I've never actually been called too nice before,"
said Clarke. "Obviously the owners didn't know me too well. "I think people
who know me realise there's an edge there if it needs to be there. Hopefully
the players here never see it. "It doesn't mean to say you have to go around
being a nasty guy all the time to get that image."
Clarke believes the credit crunch wrecked any hopes of success for him and
Zola under then-owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson. The Hammers were then bought
in January 2010 by David Gold and David Sullivan, who by May had sacked the
duo. Clarke added: "There were a lot of extenuating circumstances. When I
first went into that job it was on the promise that we'd always have money
to spend and would push on into the top six. "But within a fortnight of
being in the club, the credit crunch collapse happened. The Icelandic
owner's bank went bust and the circumstances changed completely. "There was
a gradual erosion of the squad and it was an achievement just to keep West
Ham in the Premier League that year. "That second season was a lot more
difficult, the year before we'd finished ninth. "They had to decide what is
the best way forward for their club, and that's what Mr Sullivan and Mr Gold
did at the time."
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Loic who's talking: West Ham plan move for Marseille striker Remy
The Mirror
15 Dec 2012 23:00
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce will target Marseille striker Loic Remy in the
January transfer window, writes the Sunday People. The Hammers manager fears
that the lack of a prolific goalscorer will scupper their season. Joint
Upton Park owners David Sullivan and David Gold are willing to back
Allardyce – and Remy is Big Sam's top choice. The France striker, 26 next
month, has scored 39 goals in 95 games for Marseille since joining them for
£13million in 2010. Marseille want around £10m for Remy, who is also on
Arsenal's radar. Allardyce is ready to give Momo Diame a new deal – to make
his £3.5m release clause null and void. The Senegalese midfielder has been a
big hit since signing on a free from Wigan. Meanwhile, Allardyce is also
chasing Argentinian centre-half Lisandro Lopez, writes Alan Nixon. Allardyce
sent his chief scout to watch the classy defender and is keen on the
£3million-rated Arsenal de Sarandi star, who is also wanted by Brazilian
side Palmeiras in the January window. Lopez is a ball-playing centre-back
who would bring a touch of style to the Hammers side as Allardyce looks to
build on an impressive start. The 23-year-old is open to coming to the
Premier League and holds an EU passport so would not need a work permit,
while his wage demands are also sensible.
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Magic man: Carlton Cole warns West Brom boss he has some new tricks
The Mirror
15 Dec 2012 22:30
Carlton Cole has warned West Brom boss Steve Clarke to watch out for his box
of tricks when West Ham travel to The Hawthorns today. The Hammers striker,
restored to the first-team in Andy Carroll's injury-enforced absence, knows
Clarke from their time together at Chelsea and Upton Park. Cole hailed the
Scot for helping him make his breakthrough at Stamford Bridge, but insists
he will be going all out to outfox his old pal. He said: "When I was a
youth-team player at Chelsea, Steve Clarke was the one who pushed me through
to the first-team. I've always appreciated him from then. "When he came to
Upton Park, I was like, 'Wow, we've got Steve Clarke here, he's going to
get the best out of me, I know he loves me as a player', and it helped me. I
know he's going to try and bully me, but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve.
Hopefully, I can outwit him."
Cole also hailed strike rival Carroll for getting the best out of him. "I
had to up the level again and you need that as a striker," he said. "Andy
Carroll is a fantastic player and I needed to show what I could do as well,
and now I'm pushing him." Meanwhile, West Ham boss Sam Allardyce will target
Marseille striker Loic Remy in the January transfer window.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
WHUFC.com
Carlton Cole is looking to get one over his mentor and West Bromwich Albion
manager Steve Clarke
16.12.2012
Carlton Cole hopes to play just as big a part this Sunday against West
Bromwich Albion as he did the last time West Ham United visited The
Hawthorns.
Back in February 2011, Cole was among the scorers when the Hammers roared
back from 3-0 down at half-time to grab a thrilling 3-3 draw. The match had
plenty of drama, not only did the team claw their way back from defeat with
a brave header from Cole and a brace from Demba Ba, but it also saw an
inspirational half-time team talk delivered by then-Hammers midfielder Scott
Parker. Now flourishing under Sam Allardyce, whom Cole says is a 'top-notch'
manager, the No9 is looking to strike again and hopes that his team can
collect three points instead of one this time around. "I know we lost our
last game against Liverpool but I don't think it was a game we should have
lost," said Cole, "but the positives were that we played well against a team
like Liverpool. They are still a big team and no one can take away from us
the way we played against them. "We were just disappointed that we didn't
take the opportunity to win the game, but we are doing well and hopefully we
can do the same against West Brom and get a result."
Cole will come up against a West Brom side which is now managed by his
former Chelsea coach and ex-West Ham assistant manager Steve Clarke, as well
as another former West Ham man in coach Kevin Keen. "Steve was my coach when
I was a youth-team player at Chelsea. He was the one who pushed me through
to the first team. Jim Duffy had been there before that, but Steve replaced
him and I have always appreciated what he did for me. "He gave me a chance
and when he came to West Ham, it was like a blessing in disguise. I was
like, wow, Steve Clarke is here and he is going to get the best out of me,
because he knows me as a player. With him and Gianfranco Zola, it helped my
game. "I'm happy to see him with the No1 baton. He is doing what I thought
he could do because he knows about tactics. He learnt a lot from Jose
Mourinho and took it all on board. He is making West Brom into a good team
and I am pleased for him. But I have a few tricks up my sleeve, so hopefully
I can outwit him!"
While Cole had to play more of a role from the bench for much of this season
before Andy Carroll's injury saw him recalled to the starting XI in recent
weeks, he is enjoying life under Big Sam and being part of the team's solid
start to the season. The striker spoke to the press this week ahead of
Sunday's match and revealed how the manager has kept him concentrating on
the right things. "The gaffer has been top-notch to keep me in terms of
focus. It's a really hard skill to keep a player happy who has been playing
regularly but is then out of the team. When he first arrived, he said to me
that the secret to being a manager is keeping the ones that are not playing
happier than the ones that are playing. Full credit to him, because he's
doing his job and I know this is my chance now to make an impact. "In the
last two games I know I have made our fans happy and it's been a privilege
to play under Sam. The whole team is thriving under him and the atmosphere
is great around the place. "The manager has brought in the right people. He
may look to strengthen the team again, but we will also have injured players
coming back which will be key for us. Right now, we're looking to the future
and everyone's in a happy place."
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Captain's Blog
WHUFC.com
West Ham United skipper Kevin Nolan writes ahead of Sunday's trip to West
Bromwich Albion
15.12.2012
Hello to all and I hope everyone has had a good week. We put everything into
last Sunday's game against Liverpool and I think all of you who were there
and saw the match may have been going out of the stadium a bit bewildered by
the result. It was tough to take, especially after losing Mo Diame to injury
during the game. He had been such an influential figure for us in the team
and was having such a fantastic match, so to lose him for a few weeks now is
disappointing. But it was another good performance from us. We were
disappointed of course with the goals we conceded, but these have been
things we have been working on in training this week again to put right
ahead of our trip to West Bromwich Albion. We have just come out of what was
a tricky schedule of games for us. We break the games down into eight-game
slots with targets and we have met them both so far. It is now about
starting another little mini-league, with new targets for another eight
games and looking to achieve them again. If we can keep doing that, we can
look at the bigger picture and we can be where we want to be at the end of
the season.
As for West Brom, Steve Clarke and Kevin Keen are in charge there - two
former West Ham fellas who you will know well. We are really looking forward
to going there and matching them, because they are a fantastic side. We hope
that their bubble has burst a bit and we can go there on Sunday and get a
result. They will be a tough side to come up against, I don't think I have
ever been involved in an easy game at The Hawthorns, but we go there with
confidence.
We have a few injuries but it is about us all pulling together even more and
sticking close and working hard for each other and the team.I just think,
with us all mucking in together, we can get through times when we have a few
injuries or whatever. That is what we are all about as a team - if we put
the hard work in then hopefully we can get the results we deserve at the end
of it.
This week we saw what the possible plans could be if we are given the
Olympic Stadium to be our new home. I think it will be fantastic for the
club. Our Vice-Chairman, Karren Brady, came down to the training ground to
give us a presentation and to fill us in with what is happening at this
stage of the process and what the plans are. I must say, I was taken aback
about how superb it will look if we get the Stadium and I think it is going
to be absolutely magnificent for us, I really do. I think, as a club, we can
do the Olympic Stadium absolute justice. With our fans, we can not only fill
it but it will be fantastic for our club and for the whole of east London.
We would make sure it is a Stadium full of life and I think, as a club, it
will help us move on and build great teams for the future.
It will help us move towards bigger and better things, put us among the
elite facility-wise and help bring more top players to the club.
The last few days have seen us visit Whipps Cross Hospital and the Richard
House Children's Hospice.It was nice to get out in the community and spread
some Christmas cheer. Obviously the people we visited are going through
difficult times, but attending these events and visits is definitely
something myself and all the lads feel very passionate about. I would like,
on behalf of all of us, thank the hospital and the hospice for the time they
gave us to come in and see them. We know how much hard work and sacrifice is
made by the people working there. They are there for us if we need them, so
it was great to go there and put smiles on a few faces.
There is an update to the tea-making rota that I mentioned in my last blog.
Since then, I have seen our Head of Performance Analysis, David Woodfine
make a cup of tea - well, two to be fair - in the last three weeks. He made
one for himself and I think he made one for Jack Collison. That's
fantastic,, because he's learning and obviously he saw my comments on his
tea-making or lack of it in my last blog! So it is a thumbs-up for Woody, as
there has been a definite improvement on that front and it might mean I get
a cuppa off him as a Christmas present! I would like to finish off by saying
a big thank you to all of you who will be travelling to West Brom on Sunday
to cheer us on and, of course, all of you everywhere who will be willing us
to get a good result.
Come on you Irons!
Kevin Nolan
Captain
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West Bromwich Albion v West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 15th December 2012
By: Preview Percy
Next we visit The Hawthorns, home of West Bromwich Albion for a 4pm kick-off
on Sunday. I can't see any engineering work is due to take place on any of
the normal routes up there but as ever check before you travel.
The Baggies (or "men in ill-fitting trousers" as it was once allegedly
translated into Chinese) have enjoyed a fine start to the season having won
eight, drawn two and lost six of their 16 matches so far. This leaves them
in sixth place on 26 points, four places and four points above us. Current
form has been slightly less impressive.
Whilst out of their last six they've won three (2-1 away at Wigan, 2-1 at
home to Chelsea and 4-2 away at Sunderland) and lost three (3-1 at Swansea,
1-0 at home to Stoke and 2-0 away at Arsenal) the three defeats have come in
their last three matches. They haven't won since November 24th and will
therefore be seeking to end the run that continued last weekend thanks to
yet another disgraceful display of diving at the Emirates. Assisted it has
to be said by yet another substandard performance in the middle from Mike
Jones. Incidentally, I am indebted to all 200 of you who chose to share the
"now he's been to Bradford, Corzola knows what a real dive is" text message
with me.
The run of defeats has come too late to avoid manager Steve Clarke from
picking up the dreaded "Manager of the Month" award (is it still sponsored
by Bells Whisky?). Clarke of course is no stranger to us having had the job
of assisting Gianfranco Zola in his ultimately unsuccessful spell at the
Boleyn, an era that preceded the even less successful Avram Grant era.
Zola and Clarke were unfortunate in that their tenure included the
"rudderless ship" period in which the club was owned by those Icelandic
chaps who had been charged with sorting out the mess left by the previous
Icelandic chaps. This included trying to save banks and effectively sorting
out a whole country, so it was possibly quite understandable that they
didn't get themselves overly involved in the running of a football club.
Unfortunately, this situation meant that funding for the club was
effectively done on a hand to mouth basis, investment in the team was next
to nothing, a situation not helped by the fact that what meagre resources
there were got wasted on the likes of Savio. When the current owners came in
they were keen to install their own man and, once Zola had been dismissed,
Clarke went soon after. After a spell working with Dalglish at Liverpool
(presumably as an interpreter) Clarke left to join West Brom, a job that
became his first full-blown managerial role.
First choice 'keeper is Ben Foster who finally abandoned what looked as if
it was going to be a whole career on loan from Man Utd when he signed a full
proper grown-up contract with the Throstles. Like myself, Foster has made
himself "temporarily unavailable" for England selection, citing his desire
to prolong his club career by giving himself more recovery time between
matches, the idea being that he would avoid niggling injuries.
There is therefore some irony (in the incorrect Alanis Morrissette-type use
of that word) in the fact that a recurring groin problem has kept him on the
sidelines in recent weeks and the usual sources suggest that a late fitness
test will be required to see if he is fit for Sunday. The weirdly-named Boaz
Myhill will deputise should Foster not make the cut.
Another on the Late Fitness Test list is defender Liam Ridgewell. Ridgewell
is, technically, an ex-Hammer having spent a nominal two years at the
Academy. However, he had effectively left the club long before his eventual
official move to Villa, with whom he was an FA Youth Cup winner. Maybe it's
the funny accent or something in the water but having moved up to the
Midlands he seems pretty settled in the area and his career now involves
spells with Villa, Birmingham City and West Brom.
It's probably fair to say that the local branch of Pickfords doesn't get any
excitement out of transfer speculation when his name is involved and
supporters of Wolves and Walsall are probably quietly waiting their turn for
him to turn up as his career winds down. Ridgewell recently hit the
headlines as photographs of him wiping his backside with £20 notes appeared
on the web. The photos were apparently taken 8 months ago but it's only
recently that the good people of the West Midlands took offence, mainly
because few people in that part of the world had ever seen a £20 note.
In midfield they will have James Morrison. Morrison, was capped at every age
level for England but when it came to full recognition he decided to pledge
his allegiance to Scotland having (like many others) discovered the
existence of a Scottish grandmother at almost exactly the same time that he
realised that his chances of a full England cap were virtually non-existent.
He is usually used on the wing or as an attacking midfielder but reports out
of Smethwick suggest that he may be used in a withdrawn role if Argentinian
midfielder Claudio Yacob fails to recover from a hamstring injury (another
late fitness test case). Meanwhile, Morrison is the only Midlands-based
Scottish international footballer to be interred in the famous Pere Lachaise
cemetery in Paris, though the Rugby League careers of Edith Piaf, Gertrude
Stein and Oscar Wilde are, of course, well-documented.
Up front they will have top scorer (seven goals) Shane Long. Think Kevin
Nolan but more irritating. Long was discovered in 2004 by a chap called Pat
Dolan who was then manager of Cork City. Dagenham-born Dolan left the
Leesiders in 2005 and shortly after Reading signed both Long and Kevin Doyle
having allegedly become aware of confidential release clauses in the
players' contracts.
Nobody's quite sure how Reading might have become aware of such release
clauses and we're sure that the fact that Reading coach (and former Hammer)
Eamonn Dolan is Pat Dolan's twin brother is totally coincidental. Long has a
habit of committing those horrible niggly fouls that wind players up almost
as much as the full over the ball two-footer so a spot of discipline won't
go amiss this weekend.
Also available up front will be Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku
famously refused to hold the Champions League trophy on the grounds that he
hadn't felt involved in winning it, an honourable position to take that
obviously didn't occur to John Terry. In his native Belgium Lukaku was
awarded the 2011 "Belgian Ebony Shoe" award, the oddly-named trophy given to
the best player in the Belgian League of African descent. Previous winners
of the award include Mido, who was most disappointed to discover that the
award was a "shoe" rather than a "chew".
Lukaku is second top scorer to Long having found the net five times this
season. However, the fact that 10 of his 14 league appearances have come
from the bench suggests that he's been used as an "impact sub" (as opposed
to all those substitutions that are made in the hope that the new player
will have no influence on the game at all, I suppose). Lukaku was at one
point linked with a move to the Boleyn, but only by a slightly hard of
hearing journalist after a good lunch.
Lukaku has been behind Uzbek-Nigerian Peter Odemwingie. Odemwingie arrived a
few years back having had horrible racist abuse from supporters at his
former club Lokomotiv Moscow, who presumably would rather have someone like
John Terry in the team. The Muscovites celebrated Odemwingie's departure
with the same sort of enthusiasm as a Scouser getting a dole cheque. It's
not recorded what punishment UEFA dished out but rumours persist that the
Russians were fined three packets of digestives for their actions, a fine
which, if confirmed, would still be a record today for a racial offence.
Unusually this week for Crimewatch corner we look to the coaching staff
rather than the players for the award recipient – though there is an
honourable mention for midfielder Scott Allan who is on loan at Pompey and
was questioned by Hampshire plod over his running over of a pedestrian last
month. However, Academy coach Mark O'Shea is the clear winner of this week's
award.
O'Shea was arrested back in April after allegations of a sexual nature were
made against him. A look at the internet failed to establish how the case
had progressed, though those of you who like to make up your own punchlines
to this sort of thing will no doubt be chortling over the fact that there is
a Mark O'Shea at a local safari park whose main job there appears to be
"snake handler".
Us? One was highly disappointed last week to not get anything out of that
one – heck I'd have been slightly miffed with a draw. The turning point was
obviously Diame's injury and he'll be a big miss for however long it's going
to be. The player himself suggested three weeks but I reckon there was
something lost in translation for that one. In Diame and Cole, who was a
revelation, we had the two best players on the pitch and neither deserved to
be on the losing side.
Hilariously, one thick scouser (tautology I know) pointed to the five
minutes of stoppage time at the end of the second half as evidence of some
sort of FA conspiracy, ignoring the fact that Diame's injury, the various
second half substitutions and the scousers' habit of going down in fake
agony every few seconds during stoppage time all contributed to the added
time. Meanwhile if you want a conspiracy involving the most corrupt club in
the country you could do worse than look at the authorities' continued
failure to take any action over their transfer activities for which any
other club would have been in big trouble by now.
Injury news is not great. Apart from Diame, who joins the long termers
Carroll, Vaz Te Collison and Diarra (a name beginning to sound suspiciously
like Dyer), we'll also be without Benayoun whose been sent back to Chelsea
to get his knee sorted out, and probably McCartney who, having recovered
from a recent ankle problem, has now managed to do his knee in whilst
training. Bare bones then.
Now I'm an old codger who whiles away his days here at the Avram Grant Rest
Home For the Bewildered going all rheumy-eyed at all the matches that I've
seen over the years that have elapsed since I first suggested to a
10-year-old Arnold Hills that he might want to think about setting up a
football team when he grew up.
Whilst I wouldn't in anyway profess to be more of an expert than the
management, I would say that all the games that I have seen over those years
have given me some sort of knowledge about the game and one thing that I'm
pretty sure of is this: James Tomkins – fine defender. Not so fine in
midfield. Now I don't see them in training but the Tomkins in midfield
experiment is one that I've never felt too comfortable with – and I suspect
that the player may be of similar opinion so, if we have any left that are
fit to play, I'd prefer to see a midfielder in midfield this weekend. If
that's ok.
Prediction? Quite simply I think that this one will end up evens. With that
in mind, Mr Winstone will be receiving the contents of the Avram Grant Rest
Home Collection to provide Liam Ridgewell with something more suitable with
which to wipe his bum (£2.50 and a Liverpool scarf) with a view to the whole
darn lot going on a 2-2 draw and hang the consequences!
Enjoy the game!
When last we met at the Hawthorns: Drew 3-3 (February 2011). File this match
in the section marked "Bonkers". Winston Reid had a complete nightmare,
conceding an OG and being fortunate to get away with a clear penalty shout
as we went 3-0 down. Cole had a goal wrongly chalked off for offside. In the
second half full debutant Dember Ba picked up a couple either side of a
brave Cole header and both sides failed to take good chances to take all
three points. Winston Reid is much better these days.
Referee: Phil Dowd. Notoriously calorifically-challenged official who will
need a rest break just after the toss-up. Last seen at the Boleyn hauling
his carcass around during the 3-1 home defeat to Arsenal. Hopefully he's got
his breath back by now.
Danger Man: Shane Long. Top scorer and a right horrible little so and so to
boot.
Daft Fact Of The Week: The world of science and mathematics continues to be
baffled by a phenomenon called "The Hawthorns Paradox". The average home
gate up there is a shade over 25,000 each match. However, apart from Frank
Skinner, and the bloke who wrote "New Tricks" and gave all the characters
Baggies-related names, statistically speaking West Brom supporters do not
actually exist.
You don't believe me? Ok ask yourself this: Do you, or does anyone you know
actually know a West Brom fan? Thought not. It has been postulated that they
come from another dimension each week - a theory backed up by the fact that
their ground is the highest above sea-level in England which means that they
are closer to any wormhole in space that might exist over Smethwick. Or
something. (Note to Ed:– can we afford Dr Brian Cox to check this out? Ed's
note: No).
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce says Carlton Cole could keep Andy Carroll out of
side
Last Updated: December 15, 2012 2:36pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce insists striker Andy Carroll has got a job on
his hands getting back into the starting line-up after the recent hot form
shown by Carlton Cole. The Liverpool loanee is expected to be sidelined
with a knee injury until mid-January, which has paved the way for stand-in
Cole to enjoy a rare run in the team. Cole scored a powerful header past
Petr Cech on his return to the side and set up another in the Hammers' 3-1
win against Chelsea,before turning in another eye-catching display in their
defeat to Liverpool last weekend. And Allardyce has backed the 29-year-old
to take his opportunity, with a busy Christmas period coming up for the
club.
He said: "Carlton has contributed well. He has not played quite as much as
he'd wanted to but, when he has got the chance, he's done the business. "We
now need him to continue that. With Andy out for a number of weeks, Carlton
can establish himself in the team and keep his place. It'll be Andy's
problem to get back in. "In fact if Carlton's playing that well when Andy
gets back, it's nearly impossible for me to leave him out. Allardyce admits
the Hammers are ahead of where he thought they would be at this point of the
season with the club having taken 22 points from their opening 16 games and
just four points off the top four. Allardyce added: "We're slightly ahead of
where we thought we might be in terms of points but that's good news for us.
"This period is a concern, though, as we are talking about having 14
first-team players fit. That's all, right now."
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West Ham captain Kevin Nolan looking to inflict fourth straight defeat on
West Brom
Last Updated: December 15, 2012 1:42pm
SSN
West Ham captain Kevin Nolan hopes that West Brom's recent poor form will
continue at The Hawthorns on Sunday. Steve Clarke's side were the big
surprise of the season as they stormed to third in the Premier League with
four wins in a row last month. But the Baggies have since lost their last
three matches, and Nolan believes his side have a great chance to atone for
last week's defeat to Liverpool. "We are really looking forward to going
there and matching them, because they are a fantastic side," he said. "We
hope that their bubble has burst a bit and we can go there on Sunday and get
a result. "They will be a tough side to come up against, I don't think I
have ever been involved in an easy game at The Hawthorns, but we go there
with confidence. "We have just come out of what was a tricky schedule of
games for us. We break the games down into eight-game slots with targets and
we have met them both so far. "We have a few injuries but it is about us all
pulling together even more and sticking close and working hard for each
other and the team."
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Double up for Diame
Exclusive
By PHIL THOMAS
Published: 15th December 2012
The Sun
MOHAMED DIAME is in line for a new double-your-money deal at West Ham —
despite being sidelined for the next 12 weeks. The Senegal midfielder, 25,
is out until March after tearing a hamstring during last week's 3-2 defeat
to Liverpool. But that has not stopped the Hammers offering to boost his
wages to £60,000 a week to scare off Arsenal. Diame will get the bumper pay
rise as long as he agrees to having a buy-out clause also doubled to
£7million. He has been a sensation since moving to Upton Park after Wigan
released him in the summer and the club are confident he will put pen to
paper.
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Cole: Clarke won't bully me
The Sun
By CARL LONG
Published: 15th December 2012
CARLTON COLE has vowed to beat Steve Clarke's 'bullying' tactics when he
faces his old mentor's West Brom side today. West Ham striker Cole credits
the Baggies boss with playing a big part in his development at both Chelsea
and Upton Park where the Scot was Gianfranco Zola's right-hand man. But
despite their relationship, he has promised not to go easy on Clarke's team
at The Hawthorns — and says the Scot could be in for a few surprises. Cole
said: "I worked with Steve Clarke when I was a youth-team player at Chelsea
— he was the one who pushed me through to the first team. I've always
appreciated him from then.
"I know he gave me my chance and when he came to West Ham, it was a blessing
in disguise. "I was like, 'Wow, we've got Steve Clarke here, he's going to
get the best out of me — I know he loves me as a player'. It helped me. "I
know he's going to try to bully me. He thinks he knows me but I've got a few
tricks up my sleeve nowadays. Hopefully, I can outwit him."
Clarke, who is in his first job as a manager, has excelled since arriving in
the West Midlands this summer, with the Baggies launching a shock assault on
the Premier League's top four. Cole says he is not surprised by how well the
49-year-old has adapted from being a No 2 to becoming a manager. He added:
"I'm so happy to see him as a No 1. "He's doing what I always knew he could
do because he knows a lot about tactics. "He learned a lot from Jose
Mourinho and took a lot on board, and that's what's happening now. "He has
taken West Brom from being a mediocre team to a really good team, so I'm
really happy for him."
Cole has thrived during fellow striker Andy Carroll's injury absence. He
scored and provided an assist during the 3-1 win against his old club
Chelsea and then troubled Liverpool's defence in last week's 3-2 defeat. But
he feels the arrival of the giant Geordie on loan from Anfield has helped
him to up his game. Cole, who has been at West Ham since the summer of 2006,
said: "I had to up the level again and you need that as a striker.
"Sometimes you need someone to push you. "You can always learn from someone
else's game, you can learn from other people's strengths. "Andy Carroll is a
fantastic player and I need to show what I can do as well. "He's doing the
same thing, showing what he can do — and now I'm pushing him."
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Hammered: West Ham have just 14 fit players for tricky trip to West Brom
The Mirror
15 Dec 2012 09:30
By Graham Moody
Sam Allardyce's injury headache at West Ham has left him with just 14 fit
first-team players for their game against West Brom on Sunday. George
McCartney jarred his knee in training this week to join six other first-team
regulars on the treatment table, and leave Allardyce to fill his bench with
players from his development squad. Although Jack Collison resumed training
this week after a knee injury, he will not be risked until the New Year at
the earliest and, with no one else near a comeback, Allardyce is keeping his
fingers crossed the jinx doesn't strike again at the Hawthorns "At this
moment in time, we needed not to have any more injuries, unfortunately, we
have," he said. "I think we're talking about 14 fit first-team players fit,
that's all. I've had this kind of crisis before, you work so hard to avoid
this type of thing but when you look at the injuries, apart from Mo Diame
(hamstring), all of them are trauma injuries, which mean they've happened in
a tackle or a change of direction. "It's a huge concern for us, but, like
everything else, it will be no excuse, because nobody allows you to use
injuries as an excuse, so we've got to go and get on with it. "What we can't
afford is any more injuries. And we can't afford any suspensions to either
James Collins or Winston Reid, who are the two who are on four bookings at
the moment. "They've been on four bookings for the last four games and
neither of them has got booked. But now I've mentioned it, knowing my luck
they'll both get booked on Sunday."
One player to benefit from the injuries is Carlton Cole, who has started the
past two games, since Andy Carroll was ruled out for six weeks with a knee
problem, and will lead the line again on Sunday. "When Carlton has got the
opportunity he's done the business and we need him to continue that," added
Allardyce. "Because Andy is out for a number of weeks he can establish
himself in the team and he can keep his place if he continues like that,
because it will be Andy's problem to get back in. "If Carlton continues to
play as well as he's played and score goals, then when Andy gets it will be
nearly impossible for me to leave him out." Yossi Benayoun (knee), Ricardo
Vaz Te (shoulder) and Alou Diarra (thigh) are West Ham's other crocks.
Clarke: 'Don't make me angry...'
By Brendan McLoughlin
Steve Clarke has insisted he can be 'Mr Nasty', after defending his time at
West Ham with Gianfranco Zola. Boss Zola and No.2 Clarke were axed by the
Hammers in 2010 after escaping the drop by a place. West Ham insiders
claimed the pair were too nice – but the club were relegated under Avram
Grant the following year. "I've never actually been called too nice before,"
said Clarke. "Obviously the owners didn't know me too well. "I think people
who know me realise there's an edge there if it needs to be there. Hopefully
the players here never see it. "It doesn't mean to say you have to go around
being a nasty guy all the time to get that image."
Clarke believes the credit crunch wrecked any hopes of success for him and
Zola under then-owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson. The Hammers were then bought
in January 2010 by David Gold and David Sullivan, who by May had sacked the
duo. Clarke added: "There were a lot of extenuating circumstances. When I
first went into that job it was on the promise that we'd always have money
to spend and would push on into the top six. "But within a fortnight of
being in the club, the credit crunch collapse happened. The Icelandic
owner's bank went bust and the circumstances changed completely. "There was
a gradual erosion of the squad and it was an achievement just to keep West
Ham in the Premier League that year. "That second season was a lot more
difficult, the year before we'd finished ninth. "They had to decide what is
the best way forward for their club, and that's what Mr Sullivan and Mr Gold
did at the time."
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Loic who's talking: West Ham plan move for Marseille striker Remy
The Mirror
15 Dec 2012 23:00
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce will target Marseille striker Loic Remy in the
January transfer window, writes the Sunday People. The Hammers manager fears
that the lack of a prolific goalscorer will scupper their season. Joint
Upton Park owners David Sullivan and David Gold are willing to back
Allardyce – and Remy is Big Sam's top choice. The France striker, 26 next
month, has scored 39 goals in 95 games for Marseille since joining them for
£13million in 2010. Marseille want around £10m for Remy, who is also on
Arsenal's radar. Allardyce is ready to give Momo Diame a new deal – to make
his £3.5m release clause null and void. The Senegalese midfielder has been a
big hit since signing on a free from Wigan. Meanwhile, Allardyce is also
chasing Argentinian centre-half Lisandro Lopez, writes Alan Nixon. Allardyce
sent his chief scout to watch the classy defender and is keen on the
£3million-rated Arsenal de Sarandi star, who is also wanted by Brazilian
side Palmeiras in the January window. Lopez is a ball-playing centre-back
who would bring a touch of style to the Hammers side as Allardyce looks to
build on an impressive start. The 23-year-old is open to coming to the
Premier League and holds an EU passport so would not need a work permit,
while his wage demands are also sensible.
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Magic man: Carlton Cole warns West Brom boss he has some new tricks
The Mirror
15 Dec 2012 22:30
Carlton Cole has warned West Brom boss Steve Clarke to watch out for his box
of tricks when West Ham travel to The Hawthorns today. The Hammers striker,
restored to the first-team in Andy Carroll's injury-enforced absence, knows
Clarke from their time together at Chelsea and Upton Park. Cole hailed the
Scot for helping him make his breakthrough at Stamford Bridge, but insists
he will be going all out to outfox his old pal. He said: "When I was a
youth-team player at Chelsea, Steve Clarke was the one who pushed me through
to the first-team. I've always appreciated him from then. "When he came to
Upton Park, I was like, 'Wow, we've got Steve Clarke here, he's going to
get the best out of me, I know he loves me as a player', and it helped me. I
know he's going to try and bully me, but I've got a few tricks up my sleeve.
Hopefully, I can outwit him."
Cole also hailed strike rival Carroll for getting the best out of him. "I
had to up the level again and you need that as a striker," he said. "Andy
Carroll is a fantastic player and I needed to show what I could do as well,
and now I'm pushing him." Meanwhile, West Ham boss Sam Allardyce will target
Marseille striker Loic Remy in the January transfer window.
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