Rat bemused at Norwich turnaround
WHUFC.com
Hammers defender Razvan Rat says they should have been out of sight at
Norwich on Saturday
10.11.2013
Razvan Rat is still scratching his head as to how West Ham United came away
from Norwich City on Saturday with nothing to show for their efforts. After
a first half of total dominance, they appeared to be heading for a second
away win of the campaign, but Norwich came fighting back after the break to
overturn their one-goal deficit with three goals of their own. The Hammers
now have not tasted victory since their 3-0 triumph at Tottenham at the
start of October and Romania international Rat says they need to play with
that level of ruthlessness more often. He explained: "It is difficult to
think how we lost the game after the first half, in which we played very
well, had a lot of chances and controlled the game. It's amazing how we lost
it. "It should have been all over by half-time, if we had scored the second
goal and maybe a third one, it would have been hard for Norwich, but I think
this is our problem - we created a lot of chances, but we hit the target not
too often. We need to improve on that. "We have a good team and we
demonstrated that in the first half on Saturday, at Swansea, at Tottenham.
"If you make a review of all our performances and all the points we've lost,
it's really unbelievable."
Rat has started the last seven league fixtures after initially beginning the
season on the bench and he was pleased to be able to show a glimpse of his
attacking talents in the opening period at Norwich. He added: "Always there
are places to improve, and it doesn't matter how well you play, all the time
you can make an improvement. "I like to play forward, to attack. This is my
style of play and it was nice to have a hand in our goal on Saturday."
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Bobby's the people's choice
WHUFC.com
West Ham United and England legend Bobby Moore OBE is to join Madame
Tussauds' iconic collection
10.11.2013
The football fraternity has once more showcased its great affection and
respect for the late and great Bobby Moore OBE, with the World Cup winning
captain overwhelmingly topping a vote to be honoured with a wax figure. With
West Ham United firmly behind the cause, Moore polled upward of 90 per cent,
seeing off fellow World Cup greats Ronaldo, Maradona, Pele and Franz
Beckenbauer to join Madame Tussauds' iconic London collection. The unveiling
of Moore's wax figure is set to coincide with next summer's FIFA World Cup
finals in Brazil, some 48 years after the Hammers legend lifted aloft the
Jules Rimet trophy at Wembley.
West Ham United Joint-Chairman David Sullivan spoke of his delight at the
outcome, thanking the many thousands of Hammers who backed the Barking-born
defender. "With the Club having commemorated the 20th anniversary of Bobby's
tragic passing last February, it is fantastic to see that his star still
shines as brightly as ever," said Mr Sullivan. "We would like to thank all
of the supporters who voted for Bobby and in particular the thousands of
West Ham fans who got behind our most famous son. I'm sure everyone at West
Ham United will be looking forward to seeing the finished product when it is
unveiled next year."
Meanwhile, Madame Tussauds London PR Manager Nicole Fenner hailed Moore's
landslide victory, insisting the legendary Londoner is the perfect addition
to their Marylebone Road exhibit. "Although we are an international
attraction, our roots are firmly planted in London so it does seem fitting
that a London boy who captained West Ham for ten years and led England to
World Cup victory on home soil has been selected to take up residence here
in 2014," Fenner confirmed. "From day one Bobby Moore was way out in front
and it's clear fans have really taken this campaign to heart and voted in
their thousands to secure his place in the attraction next year. "With a
place in the history books as the Captain of England's only World Cup
winning team, 108 caps for his country, a long and illustrious career and a
deep-seated affection in the hearts of the public, Bobby Moore will make a
wonderful addition in a World Cup year."
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Hammers highly commended
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Community Sports Trust were on the role of honour at the
2013 Football Business Awards
09.11.2013
West Ham United Community Sports Trust earned special recognition at the
second annual Football Business Awards. Staged at Stamford Bridge, the
showpiece event saw representatives of clubs and companies from up and down
the land, as well as overseas, turn out to celebrate business excellence.
The Trust, shortlisted for both Best Football Community Scheme and Best
Corporate Social Responsibility Scheme, were 'highly commended' for the
latter by a distinguished panel. Head of Community Joe Lyons spoke of his
great pride at the accolade, insisting that it speaks volumes for the
Hammers' Moore than a Football Club ethos. He told whufc.com: "This
recognition is just reward for all Club and Trust employees, who have worked
tirelessly over the past decade to make even greater strides with the local
community. "The Board have shown great faith in the Community Sports Trust
and their backing of our community cohesion strategy is rapidly coming to
fruition. Our much-admired Asians in Football programme has enabled us to
engage with many more local community groups and partners, thereby
continuing to break down barriers.
"While we acknowledge that this is a complex and long-term task, we are
determined to harness the momentum of the Club's exciting move to the Queen
Elizabeth Olympic Park, such that our Club can be a source of great pride to
all members of our community." Of the seven finalists, Albion in the
Community, (of Brighton and Hove Albion), scooped the top prize, with the
Hammers seeing off the likes of Liverpool, Cardiff City and Aston Villa to
receive acclaim for their efforts. A summary of each submission can be found
here. With compere Jo Brand's voice having deserted her, BBC Sport duo Ray
Stubbs and Mark Lawrenson stepped in to dish out some 17 awards on the
night. Brighton and Hove Albion's Paul Barber won fcbusiness Football CEO of
the Year, following in the footsteps of West Ham United Vice-Chairman Karren
Brady. Elsewhere, Chief Executive of the Premier League Richard Scudamore
was recognised for his outstanding contribution to football, with Chelsea
Chairman Bruce Buck presenting the award.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Goal-shy West Ham feel like there's a ''forcefield'' guarding the net sighs
Kevin Nolan
10 Nov 2013 22:30
The Mirror
West Ham skipper Kevin Nolan is wondering if there's a forcefield in front
of the other team's goal after another frustrating afternoon. The Hammers,
again playing without a recognised striker, were the driving attacking force
early on against Norwich, but ended up losing 3-1. Sam Allardyce's men have
won just two of their first 11 league games, and have failed to score in six
of those matches. But although they have now slipped below the Canaries in
the table and are still without injured striker Andy Carroll and Ricardo Vaz
Te, Nolan is certain results will come. Nolan said: "It's like there's a
forcefield on the opposition goal. I firmly believe if we continue doing
what we're doing it will turn for us and we'll be smiling instead of these
sad faces. "We firmly believe we'll get ourselves back up where we feel we
belong - and that's in the middle tier of the Premier League."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Norwich half-time shouting match fuelled win over West Ham reveals Robert
Snodgrass
10 Nov 2013 22:29
The Mirror
Big characters and Chris Hughton's cool head under pressure dragged Norwich
back to winning ways. That was the verdict of Robert Snodgrass after the
Canaries responded to half-time boos to come from behind and claim a
precious three points, with a 3-1 win over West Ham. Hughton's future as
Norwich manager was looking distinctly shaky when Ravel Morrison gave the
visitors a half-time lead at Carrow Road. But players venting their views at
the break, combined with Hughton's focus on the job in hand, produced a much
improved second half showing - and a much-needed win. Snodgrass said: "There
are big characters in the team and they let out their frustrations. "But the
manager just said, 'Relax, calm down, get hold of the ball and try to pass
it. You haven't played the way you can play. You are good players, you need
to show it.' "He calmed the situation down and the players had a little
think about things. "There has been pressure on the manager. But the boys
have got to take a great deal of that as well. "He can't wave a magic wand
and make everything right. "It was up to us as men, as players who've come
up through the lower leagues. Hard work, that's what it takes. Desire. "It's
even harder work to stay in the league. If we want to stay in this league we
need performances like that in the second half."
Norwich were gifted a way back into the game when Irons keeper Jussi
Jaaskelainen gave away a penalty. But they took full advantage, Gary Hooper
smashing the spot kick home before a sweetly struck free kick from Snodgrass
put Norwich in front. Leroy Fer sealed the win in stoppage time. It was
sweet relief for players, manager and fans at the final whistle - with a
welcome return to cheers at Carrow Road. Snodgrass admitted the catcalls had
put doubts into players' minds and called for supporters to think twice
about booing their team if the season brings another testing spell. He said:
"The fans have let out their frustration over the last month. But I think
they've done it at the wrong times. "If the fans are booing the players
start to think, 'Are we doing the right thing here?' "That's when you need
the characters in the changing room to say, 'Listen, just keep doing what
we're doing. Keep doing what's got us joy.' "Obviously we need to get
results but I think we all have to stick together. We're going to go through
ups and downs - this is the Premier League. "When it's like that, the fans
have got to stick with us."
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Daily WHUFC News - 10th November 2013
Hammers undone by Canaries fightback
WHUFC.com
West Ham United saw a 1-0 lead go to waste as Norwich City recovered to win
3-1
09.11.2013
Norwich City 3-1 West Ham United
Barclays Premier League
West Ham United failed to take advantage of a dominant first half at Norwich
City as the Canaries recovered from a one-goal deficit to triumph 3-1 on
Saturday evening. The Hammers were the only team in the opening period as
they bossed proceedings and took the lead through Ravel Morrison. But after
handing Gary Hooper a gift-wrapped leveller from the spot after the break,
Norwich grew in strength and won the game with two goals inside the final 18
minutes. Robert Snodgrass notched the first, curving a free-kick into the
West Ham net before Leroy Fer clinched the points at the death. Norwich
started brightly as they looked to break quickly on the Hammers backline and
Jussi Jaaskelainen had to be off his line quickly to mop up after Gary
Hooper exchanged passes with strike partner Johan Elmander in the sixth
minute to make his way towards goal. The Hammers soaked up that early
pressure and soon set about taking control, going close for the first time
with 12 minutes on the clock. Morrison drew the defenders to him before
poking through to Kevin Nolan, whose shot was blocked by the foot of
goalkeeper John Ruddy. West Ham kept the intensity up and Guy Demel was then
denied by the crossbar after he got up highest to meet Mark Noble's left
wing corner. Razvan Rat was finding acres of room down the left hand side
and he supplied a cross for Nolan in the 28th minute, but the skipper's
guided effort was kept out by Ruddy. Sam Allardyce's men did not have to
wait long to take the lead though, edging in front with 32 minutes played
after Rat again got in down his flank to cross low to Nolan. His shot was
blocked, but he recovered to keep the ball in and roll across the six yard
box for Morrison to sweep home. The Hammers' first half dominance was
reflected in the statistics, which showed that they had forced nine attempts
on goal to Norwich's two and enjoyed 57% possession at that stage. But they
handed the hosts a route back into the contest nine minutes after the
restart with a real gift. Jaaskelainen was unable to hold a high ball as
Michael Turner applied the pressure, and as he scrambled to try and gather
possession, he took Hooper down. Referee Jon Moss pointed to the spot and
Hooper made no mistake from 12 yards to net his first Barclays Premier
League goal.
West Ham were not able to find and exploit the same kind of space as they
did in the first half and the hosts' unexpected goal galvanised their
efforts. James Collins did go close after Turner made a hash of clearing a
deep free kick immediately after the equaliser, but it was Norwich who were
to strike next, when Collins was penalised for a foul 28 yards from goal.
Snodgrass took the free kick and got his effort over the wall and down in
time to give Jaaskelainen no chance. After an opening period of such
dominance, the turnaround in fortunes was barely believable, but despite
introducing Mohamed Diame, Carlton Cole and Matt Jarvis from the bench West
Ham were unable to find a response. Instead, Norwich made the game safe in
stoppage time as Fer cut through the visitors and finished into the bottom
right hand corner.
Norwich City: Ruddy; Martin, Turner, R.Bennett, Olsson; Snodgrass, Fer,
Howson, Pilkington (Redmond 33); Elmander, Hooper (Johnson 87)
Subs: Bunn, Whittaker, Bassong, Hoolahan, Becchio
Goals: Hooper pen 54, Snodgrass 72, Fer 90
Booked: Turner
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen; Demel, Collins, Rat; Morrison, Noble (Jarvis
87), Collison (C.Cole 74); Downing, Nolan, J.Cole (Diame 72)
Subs: Adrian, McCartney, Maiga, O'Brien
Goal: Morrison 32
Booked: Nolan
Referee: Jon Moss
Attendance: 26,824
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Second half show disappoints Sam
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was not impressed with the way his West Ham United side
surrendered at Norwich City
09.11.2013
Sam Allardyce admitted a poor second-half performance cost West Ham United
dear in Saturday's 3-1 Barclays Premier League defeat at Norwich City. The
Hammers looked to be in control and on the way to a valuable three points at
half-time courtesy of Ravel Morrison's 32nd-minute goal, with Big Sam's side
dominant in almost every area during the opening 45 minutes. After the break
it was a completely different game, with Jussi Jaaskelainen's mistake
allowing Gary Hooper to level emphatically with a 54th-minute penalty.
Robert Snodgrass then scored with a direct free-kick after James Collins had
fouled Jonny Howson before Leroy Fer wrapped up the home victory in added
time. "All the West Ham fans who travelled to Norwich have seen us play away
all season with a fantastically resilient record, conceding one goal at Hull
City from a penalty that should have been a penalty," said Big Sam. "Then we
put in a performance in the first half here and completely dominated the
game and finally got the goal we were searching for to give us the platform
to go on and get three points rather than drawing. "Our defending then threw
it away from our point of view, rather than actually showing that resilience
yet again to gather the three precious points we should have won. "The
disappointed lies in the fact that when the opposition beats you because
they have been better than you, you accept that, but when you have gifted
the opposition three points that is so difficult to take based on our first
half performance."
Big Sam admitted that Norwich's penalty early in the second half altered the
course of a game his team should have won. The spot-kick was awarded when
Jaaskelainen dropped a routine catch and then tripped Hooper as he tried to
retrieve the situation. However, replays suggested that the Finn may have
got to the ball first. "It was a soft one but at the end of the day there
was contact from Jussi's arm and the player has made the best of it and the
referee has seen it as a penalty," observed Big Sam. "So you could say you
have seen them given and you've seen them not given. "The bottom line is
that Jussi doesn't normally make that sort of mistake and you'd hope he
would get away with it, but this time he didn't get away with it and it
resulted in a penalty. He shouldn't have gone diving for the ball, but
because he knew he had made the mistake, he got over-anxious trying to put
it right and ended up making another mistake by sadly giving the penalty
away. "What really surprised me was that it seemed to kill the spirit of the
team for a bit and then we recovered from it. We then conceded a second goal
which was another blow for us. Snodgrass put the free-kick, which was the
fourth one against us in eleven games this season, when in two years
previously at West Ham I haven't had four scored against me. That's a
bizarre stat because Leighton Baines and Jermaine Pennant haven't scored one
since and it will probably be a while before Snodgrass gets another one. "He
got it when it mattered for Norwich and it was a killer for us."
The manager also offered his opinion on why West Ham dominated the opening
half but failed to reach the same heights after the interval. "The first
error by Jussi gave them the massive lift they were looking for and we
gifted them the boost of confidence that they were searching for but looked
like they were never going to get. It's a psychological thing in that it
lifted the crowd. They were booing at half-time but ten minutes after, they
were cheering, which makes a massive difference and that was our fault. "We
gifted Norwich three points and made life difficult for ourselves when we
shouldn't have done, but there we are. We've faltered in our defensive side
for the first time this season when we were one-nil up and ended up with no
points when you'd have thought at half-time that we'd be stood here with a
very valuable three points. "Had the game gone on at one-nil for another ten
or 15 minutes I think we would have been stood here saying we'd won two-nil
because they would have got more and more desperate, thrown more and more
men forward and lost their confidence. That would have given us more chances
to add a second, but unfortunately it didn't pan out that way and we only
have ourselves to blame."
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Norwich 3 West Ham 1
9 November 2013
Last updated at 20:15
By Andy Cryer
BBC Sport
A trio of second-half goals moved Norwich City out of the relegation zone
and above 16th-placed West Ham to ease the pressure on manager Chris
Hughton.
Gary Hooper scored his first league goal for Norwich from the penalty spot
after Jussi Jaaskelainen's foul, before Robert Snodgrass curled in a
free-kick.
Leroy Fer secured Norwich's third win of the season with an injury-time
goal, slotting in from 18 yards. Ravel Morrison's close-range goal gave West
Ham a deserved half-time lead. The Hammers looked like they were going to
make it a miserable evening for Hughton after a dominant first-half display
but Jaaskelainen's 54th-minute error turned the game in Norwich's favour.
The Finland goalkeeper sent Hooper tumbling after dropping a
comfortable-looking cross and the former Celtic striker emphatically
levelled from the spot. From there Norwich, who were poor before the break,
took control and a first Premier League goal of the season from Snodgrass
and Fer's individual late effort capped a rousing second-half comeback. The
defeat leaves West Ham with just two wins this season and just one point
above the relegation zone, with Norwich a position and a point above them.
The Norwich fans would have been expecting a reaction from their side after
last weekend's 7-0 thrashing at Manchester City but they did not initially
get it as West Ham bossed the opening 45 minutes.
Former Newcastle boss Hughton has been quick to point out his side have
already played Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham but
Morrison's opener deservedly left his side trailing at the break. In a spell
of concerted pressure, the visitors went close on 13 minutes when Guy
Demel's powerful header cannoned off the bar to safety. Sam Allardyce's side
were now in control and Morrison rewarded their dominance on 32 minutes,
converting Kevin Nolan's pull-back from close range after Razvan Rat's
left-wing cross had caused problems. After being gifted a route back into
the game by Jaaskelainen, Norwich looked a different side as Jonny Howson
hit the bar from 25 yards before Snodgrass brilliantly curled the hosts
ahead on 72 minutes. And their second-half control was rewarded when Fer
finished low into the net after breaking from from midfield.
Norwich manager Chris Hughton: "It's a bit of relief. The level of
performance has not been that bad. On the back of some difficult results
against the Manchester clubs there was some nervousness. "We told the
players we have to build on this. We had a similar start last season. We
beat Arsenal and that was a bit of spring for us to go on to better things
and let's hope that this is the same. "We'll enjoy it during the
international break but we'll look forward to playing Newcastle in a few
weeks."
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "When we got the first goal today I thought
the lads would be the same as they have been all season. But we've
capitulated with our own errors. "We should have picked up a win on the
balance of play. We've only got ourselves to blame and I didn't expect that
error from Jussi Jaaskelainen. We needed that clean sheet and didn't get
that. "I warned the players that Chris Hughton would change something and
try to shut us down more. At the end of the day we lost was because it was
such an unusual error. It killed the players and played on their minds."
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Norwich City 3-1 West Ham Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 9th November 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are heading for another relegation battle following a dreadful
second half performance at Carrow Road. Despite producing some of the best
football they've played all season in the opening half Sam Allardyce's side
capitulated after the break, conceding three goals in the space of 37
minutes against a Norwich side that conceded seven without reply at
Manchester City last weekend. The kind of performance that had relegation
written all over it, a series of awful individual errors combined with a
worrying lack of drive and intent condemned Allardyce's shellshocked side to
a second away defeat of the campaign.
Yet it had all started so brightly for the Hammers, who enjoyed near total
domination in the first half and deservedly lead at the break thanks to
Ravel Morrison's fifth goal of the season. However both Allardyce and his
players will have felt disappointed that they hadn't managed to fully
capitalise on their supremacy by adding further goals. The deadlock was
broken on the half-hour mark following a clever move on the left involving
Razvan Rat and Kevin Nolan.
The Romanian's low cross found Kevin Nolan whose initial shot was blocked,
before the Hammers captain managed to turn the ball back into the centre to
meet Morrison's run. Nolan in particular enjoyed the freedom of Carrow Road
in the first half, where Norwich's four-man midfield simply couldn't cope
with West Ham's 4-6-0 formation. He should have scored after only 12
minutes when his telegraphed shot was stopped by the feet of City 'keeper
John Ruddy - and also 14 minutes later when he failed to connect properly
with one of several good crosses from the left by Rat. However he more than
atoned for those errors with his part in West Ham's only goal. The half time
break couldn't have come soon enough for Chris Hughton, whose team had been
completely overrun up to that point. But whatever it was he said to his team
at the break worked wonders, for they looked a different prospect after the
break.
It took City just nine minutes after the restart to draw level - and not for
the first time in the second half, West Ham only had themselves to blame. As
Jaaskelainen rose to collect a cross, he fumbled it before tripping
Norwich's Gary Hooper as he scrambled to reach the loose ball. Hooper
stepped up himself to blast City level from the spot. West Ham then survived
a major scare when Johnny Howson's dipping volley crashed against the
crossbar. Once again it was a West Ham error - this time by Mark Noble who
gave the ball away 30 yards from goal - that led to the chance. But the
Hammers failed to heed that warning and two minutes later Norwich took the
lead when Robert Snodgrass despatched a curling free kick into the near
post. Jaaskelainen, as is too often the case, failed to move from his
standing position as the ball flew past him. Not for the first time this
season West Ham had been a victim of a terrible decision by the referee,
with James Collins penalised for foul play when he accidentally collided
with an opponent just outside the penalty box. But that was of little
concern to the home side who had somehow managed to completely turn the game
around. The home side still had time to rub salt into West Ham's wounds
however - and Leroy Fer, who would usually have trouble picking up the banjo
let alone hitting a barn door with it shrugged off a weak challenge from
James Tomkins before sliding the ball past Jaaaskelainen from 12 yards deep
into injury time. In the end it was a combination of personal moments of
madness and a dodgy refereeing decision that cost West Ham dearly today.
However had they made the most of their numerous chances in a first half
which they dominated, Norwich would have been all but beaten before the
second half even started. That lack of goals has been West Ham's Achilles
heel all season - and shows no sign of abating.
Sam Allardyce, when reflecting upon the game will no doubt refer to a
Snodgrass "worldy" that put Norwich ahead for the first time in the game, in
much the same vein as he did when speaking of Leighton Baines' brace for
Everton and Jermaine Pennant's free kick for Stoke earlier this season- all
of which beat Jussi Jaaskelainen from a similar distance.
But if Big Sam is seeking a common denominator he should perhaps look no
further than his goalkeeper - for as keen observers will have noticed,
Jaaskelainen failed to move from his standing position for any of the above
goals, something that must have been noted by our opponents. Basically, hit
the target and it's a goal.
Whilst Jaaskelainen looks far from reassuring in goal, at the other end of
the pitch captain Kevin Nolan is currently a shadow of his former self. As
calls for him to be dropped as a result of poor form increase, it remains to
be seen how long Allardyce will persist with a player who is clearly
struggling right now.
Norwich City v West Ham Utd: Match Facts
West Ham Utd: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins, Tomkins, Rat, Noble, Nolan (c),
Collison, Downing, J.Cole, Morrison.
Subs: Adrian, O'Brien, McCartney, Maiga, Jarvis, Diame, C.Cole.
Norwich City: Ruddy; Martin, Turner, R Bennett, Olsson; Snodgrass, Howson,
Fer, Pilkington; Elmander, Hooper..
Subs: Bunn, Whittaker, Johnson, Bassong, Hoolahan, Becchio, Redmond..
Referee: Jonathan Moss.
Referee's Assistants: M Mullarkey, D Eaton.
Fourth Official:A Haines.
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Norwich climbed out of bottom three with 3-1 win over West Ham
Last Updated: November 9, 2013 8:21pm
SSN
Norwich responded to last weekend's 7-0 humiliation at Manchester City with
a valuable 3-1 win against West Ham at Carrow Road. Ravel Morrison handed
the Hammers a first-half lead but Norwich bounced back with three
second-half goals. Gary Hooper scored from the penalty spot to restore
parity before a wonderful Robert Snodgrass free-kick handed City the lead
and Leroy Fer settled the contest deep in stoppage-time. Both sides also saw
efforts come back off the woodwork but it was Norwich, who had started the
day in the bottom three, who held on to take all three points and climb
above the Hammers and up to 15th place.
Best of the Match:
Man of the match: Robert Snodgrass - The Scotland international was an
inspirational figure in the Norwich side as he led them to victory.
Goal of the match: Snodgrass' free-kick from the edge of the area was pure
class. He lifted the ball over the wall and beyond Jussi Jaaskelainen.
Moment of the match: Leroy Fer wrapped up the win deep in stoppage time and
the relief inside Carrow Road was palpable.
Chances of the match: Both sides also saw efforts come back off the woodwork
through Guy Demel and Leroy Fer.
Stat of the match: It was the first time Norwich had scored more than once
in a league game since the opening day 2-2 draw with Everton.
Talking point: Will Hammers boss Sam Allardyce persist in using a
strikerless formation after today's defeat?
West Ham started to exert their authority on the game with Norwich proving
wasteful in possession all too often, looking nervous. Norwich goalkeeper
John Ruddy was forced into the first meaningful save of the game on 12
minutes as he pushed away Kevin Nolan's effort. The ball was eventually
turned behind for a corner with Guy Demel's header coming back off the
crossbar. It was Nolan who had the next good chance as the West Ham skipper
opened up his body to take Razvan Rat's cross first time, but his shot was
too close to Ruddy to cause the England goalkeeper problems. Nolan was once
again heavily involved as the visitors deservedly broke the deadlock through
Morrison. After seeing his initial shot blocked, Nolan collected the ball on
the byline and pulled it back perfectly for Morrison to tuck his chance away
and give Allardyce's side the lead after a long spell of dominance from the
Hammers. Nathan Redmond was introduced from the bench by Chris Hughton in
the immediate aftermath of the goal as Anthony Pilkington appeared to have
been struggling with a knock for some time.
With no further chances for either side, West Ham led at the break and the
home fans vented their frustration as the teams headed towards the dressing
rooms. The toxic atmosphere inside Carrow Road soon changed as referee Jon
Moss awarded Norwich a penalty eight minutes into the second half.
Jussi Jaaskelainen failed to hold a tame header from Michael Turner and,
after clambering around to deal with his spillage, the experienced Finn
brought down Hooper, who stepped up to tuck away the resulting spot-kick.
The lead was almost very short-lived as the Norwich defence could not deal
with a ball into their box, with the returning James Collins thrashing a
volley wide for the visitors. Fer then bent an effort high over the crossbar
after being afforded far too much time and space on the edge of the West Ham
box as the Canaries continued to come back into the game. West Ham enjoyed a
spell on the ball before Jonny Howson went much closer in the 70th minute
with a dipping long-range effort cannoning off the crossbar with
Jaaskelainen well beaten. The ball bounced out to Snodgrass, who was brought
down by Collins and the Scotland winger curled the free-kick over the wall
and into the net to put the home side ahead.
The goal seemed to inject new belief into the Norwich players and they
continued to create chances as good work from Fer resulted in Hooper letting
fly with a well-struck effort that was too close to Jaaskelainen. The best
chance to add a third was spurned by Snodgrass, who hacked at a clever
knockdown by Johan Elmander when well placed in front of goal. But the
Canaries did manage to make it 3-1, with Fer tucking away a coolly taken
chance in stoppage-time as Norwich sealed their third win of the season and,
if Allardyce is to be believed, helped convert the pressure from Hughton on
to the West Ham boss.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce blames 'errors and mistakes' for Norwich defeat
Last Updated: November 9, 2013 9:19pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce said West Ham had only themselves to blame after suffering a
3-1 defeat by Norwich at Carrow Road. The Hammers surrendered their
first-half lead given to them through Ravel Morrison to come away with
nothing from the game. The hosts fought back with goals from Gary Hooper,
Robert Snodgrass and Leroy Fer to seal victory for the Canaries. "What
disappoints me more is that the confidence we have gained from our
away-performance results was there for all to see in the first half,"
Allardyce told Sky Sports 1. "I expected that one of the things we'd been
short of was getting the first goal and going ahead, and I thought once we
got that the lads were going to be as good as they've been all season -
having conceded one goal away from home from a penalty that shouldn't have
actually been a penalty. "But then our own errors and our own mistakes have
let Norwich back into a game that they shouldn't have got back into and
we've ended up with no points instead of picking up points and a win. "We've
only ourselves to blame. "When we needed that all-important clean sheet
today to get the three points it's deserted us on our own failings rather
than Norwich's good play."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
REMEMBERING THE 37,404 WEST HAM PALS KILLED IN WW1
By Sean Whetstone 10 Nov 2013 at 08:00
West Ham Till I Die
This Remembrance Sunday at 11am please remember the 37,404 West Ham Pals
killed in the first world war. One of the reasons why the First World War
was so traumatic an event to British society was that so many of the new
infantry Battalions formed to fight in the trenches were the so called "Pals
Battalions". Where men could serve with local friends, neighbours or
workers. The West Ham Pals were officially called the 13th Battalion of the
Essex Regiment. Unofficially they were West Ham football team supporters who
joined on mass with their mates and whose battle cry (and bayonet charge)
was "Up the Irons".
The Battalion fought in some of the worse battles in the War and suffered in
total 37,404 causalities killed, wounded or missing. The impact of all these
deaths and casualties in battle on the local community was therefore
immense. When you imagine more than a sold out Boleyn ground home crowd
being slaughtered or baldy injured you begin to understand the enormity of
the whole thing. The West Ham Pals website can be found
http://westhampals.blogspot.co.uk/ or on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/west.pals
In 2009 Sir Trevor Brooking unveiled a plague at the Boleyn ground to
remember the West Ham Pals. I always feel proud when the army march around
the Boleyn ground at the home match before Remembrance Sunday like they did
in the game against Villa. Just a shame a minority of Aston Villa fans
couldn't keep their mouths shut for the one minute silence.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
MATCH REPORT: NORWICH CITY 3 WEST HAM 1
By Iain Dale 9 Nov 2013 at 19:32
West Ham Till I Die
Well that must have been some kind of team talk from Sam Allardyce at
half-time. As my LBC colleague Steve Allen would say "dreadful, Ladies and
Gentlemen, dreadful". Having dominated the first half we yet again paid the
price for missing chance after chance as we went in only 1-0 up. We had 57%
of the possession and Norwich looked there for the taking. But we looked a
totally different team in the second half. Razvan Rat seemed to hardly give
a damn and Kevin Nolan looked positively Dowie-esque in his inability to
control the ball when he received it. And as for Jussi's performance, don't
get me started. Was he Joe Hart in disguise? I suppose every goalkeeper has
an off day, and Jussi has fewer than most, but he was to blame, at least in
part, for all three goals. He gave away the penalty having flapped, he
remained rooted to the spot for the Snodgrass free kick and should have
easily parried the last goal from Leroy Fer.
But there are plenty of other candidates for anti-man of the match. Stewart
Downing did nothing during the game. Carlton Cole might as well not have
been on the pitch after he came on for all the difference he made.Even Mark
Noble was invisible in the second half and gave away the ball which led to
James Collins's foul, which led to the Snodgrass goal. James Collins looked
fairly ring rusty, and James Tomkins wasn't at the top of his game either.
But for me, Rat and Nolan vie with each other for worst West Ham player on
the pitch, Twice in the second half Rat was in a good attacking position but
failed to receive the ball properly. He was constantly out of position and
made Joe Cole's task even harder than it ought to have been. As for Kevin
Nolan, yes he passed the ball for Morrison to score, but what else did he
actually contribute during the whole game? More than Diame would have? It
has to be said that after last week's good performance against Villa, Jack
Collison was off his game too.
Has anyone noticed that we have conceded at least 6 goals from free kicks
outside the area this season so far. For a shot stopper Jussi needs to do
far much better with these, and the wall does too. They didn't even jump up
today. Had they done so, they might have stopped the shot. Jussi didn't even
seem to see it and remained rooted to the spot. He's done that far too often
for my liking.
All very depressing. It's the last result you'd want before a two week
international break, which is then followed by a home match against Chelsea.
The thing is, when Andy Carroll does eventually return (around Christmas, I
imagine) it will take at least seven or eight games for him to gel into the
team.
I am depressed. Cheer me up.
Jussi 4 – All over the place
Tomkins 5 – Distinctly average, partly to balme for the final goal
Collins 6 – Ring rusty – gave away the foul for the Snodgrass screamer
Demel 8 – Great game
Rat 4 – Truly awful. Come back Joey.
Morrison 6 – Faded badly in the second half
Noble 6 – Failed to orchestrate midfield in this usual manner
Collison 5 – Largely anonymous
Downing 4 – Might as well not have played. No threat at all
Nolan 5 – Only redeeming factor was the pass which led to the goal
Joe Cole 6 – Flashes of brilliance but what did he achieve
Carlton Cole 4 – Did nothing. Nichts. Nada.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham 'should sign Jermain Defoe' says former striker Dean Ashton
9 Nov 2013 15:35
The Mirror
Former West Ham United striker Dean Ashton feels that the club should target
Spurs striker Jermain Defoe when the transfer window opens. The Hammers are
currently short of options upfront as Andy Carroll continues to recover from
a heel injury that has wrecked his season following his record breaking £15m
move from Liverpool in the summer. Modibo Maiga, Ricardo Vaz Te and Mladen
Petric have all failed to find the net regularly, while Carlton Cole was
recently re-signed on a free transfer last month. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce
has preferred to field a team without a recognised striker on a number of
occasions this season, and Ashton, who played for the club from 2006-2009
before he was forced to retire, feels Defoe would be an ideal solution to
their striking woes.
Ashton told talkSPORT: "He's certainly the type of player West Ham could do
with at the moment, a player that is going to get goals. "I think the West
Ham fans wouldn't mind having Jermain back even though he divided the club
when he left. "I'm like a lot of players who have played with Jermain Defoe
who will definitely say he's up there with the best finishers we've ever
played with."
Defoe is currently behind team-mate Roberto Soldado in the pecking order at
White Hart Lane following the Spaniard's £26m move from Valencia in the
summer. The England striker has been restricted largely to starts in the
Europa League, but recently became Spurs' all-time leading scorer in
European competition when he netted his 23rd goal in the 2-1 win against
Sheriff Tiraspol on Thursday . The 31-year-old has been linked with a move
to North America, but recently claimed that leaving the Hammers in 2003 was
a "massive mistake" .
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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WHUFC.com
West Ham United saw a 1-0 lead go to waste as Norwich City recovered to win
3-1
09.11.2013
Norwich City 3-1 West Ham United
Barclays Premier League
West Ham United failed to take advantage of a dominant first half at Norwich
City as the Canaries recovered from a one-goal deficit to triumph 3-1 on
Saturday evening. The Hammers were the only team in the opening period as
they bossed proceedings and took the lead through Ravel Morrison. But after
handing Gary Hooper a gift-wrapped leveller from the spot after the break,
Norwich grew in strength and won the game with two goals inside the final 18
minutes. Robert Snodgrass notched the first, curving a free-kick into the
West Ham net before Leroy Fer clinched the points at the death. Norwich
started brightly as they looked to break quickly on the Hammers backline and
Jussi Jaaskelainen had to be off his line quickly to mop up after Gary
Hooper exchanged passes with strike partner Johan Elmander in the sixth
minute to make his way towards goal. The Hammers soaked up that early
pressure and soon set about taking control, going close for the first time
with 12 minutes on the clock. Morrison drew the defenders to him before
poking through to Kevin Nolan, whose shot was blocked by the foot of
goalkeeper John Ruddy. West Ham kept the intensity up and Guy Demel was then
denied by the crossbar after he got up highest to meet Mark Noble's left
wing corner. Razvan Rat was finding acres of room down the left hand side
and he supplied a cross for Nolan in the 28th minute, but the skipper's
guided effort was kept out by Ruddy. Sam Allardyce's men did not have to
wait long to take the lead though, edging in front with 32 minutes played
after Rat again got in down his flank to cross low to Nolan. His shot was
blocked, but he recovered to keep the ball in and roll across the six yard
box for Morrison to sweep home. The Hammers' first half dominance was
reflected in the statistics, which showed that they had forced nine attempts
on goal to Norwich's two and enjoyed 57% possession at that stage. But they
handed the hosts a route back into the contest nine minutes after the
restart with a real gift. Jaaskelainen was unable to hold a high ball as
Michael Turner applied the pressure, and as he scrambled to try and gather
possession, he took Hooper down. Referee Jon Moss pointed to the spot and
Hooper made no mistake from 12 yards to net his first Barclays Premier
League goal.
West Ham were not able to find and exploit the same kind of space as they
did in the first half and the hosts' unexpected goal galvanised their
efforts. James Collins did go close after Turner made a hash of clearing a
deep free kick immediately after the equaliser, but it was Norwich who were
to strike next, when Collins was penalised for a foul 28 yards from goal.
Snodgrass took the free kick and got his effort over the wall and down in
time to give Jaaskelainen no chance. After an opening period of such
dominance, the turnaround in fortunes was barely believable, but despite
introducing Mohamed Diame, Carlton Cole and Matt Jarvis from the bench West
Ham were unable to find a response. Instead, Norwich made the game safe in
stoppage time as Fer cut through the visitors and finished into the bottom
right hand corner.
Norwich City: Ruddy; Martin, Turner, R.Bennett, Olsson; Snodgrass, Fer,
Howson, Pilkington (Redmond 33); Elmander, Hooper (Johnson 87)
Subs: Bunn, Whittaker, Bassong, Hoolahan, Becchio
Goals: Hooper pen 54, Snodgrass 72, Fer 90
Booked: Turner
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen; Demel, Collins, Rat; Morrison, Noble (Jarvis
87), Collison (C.Cole 74); Downing, Nolan, J.Cole (Diame 72)
Subs: Adrian, McCartney, Maiga, O'Brien
Goal: Morrison 32
Booked: Nolan
Referee: Jon Moss
Attendance: 26,824
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Second half show disappoints Sam
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce was not impressed with the way his West Ham United side
surrendered at Norwich City
09.11.2013
Sam Allardyce admitted a poor second-half performance cost West Ham United
dear in Saturday's 3-1 Barclays Premier League defeat at Norwich City. The
Hammers looked to be in control and on the way to a valuable three points at
half-time courtesy of Ravel Morrison's 32nd-minute goal, with Big Sam's side
dominant in almost every area during the opening 45 minutes. After the break
it was a completely different game, with Jussi Jaaskelainen's mistake
allowing Gary Hooper to level emphatically with a 54th-minute penalty.
Robert Snodgrass then scored with a direct free-kick after James Collins had
fouled Jonny Howson before Leroy Fer wrapped up the home victory in added
time. "All the West Ham fans who travelled to Norwich have seen us play away
all season with a fantastically resilient record, conceding one goal at Hull
City from a penalty that should have been a penalty," said Big Sam. "Then we
put in a performance in the first half here and completely dominated the
game and finally got the goal we were searching for to give us the platform
to go on and get three points rather than drawing. "Our defending then threw
it away from our point of view, rather than actually showing that resilience
yet again to gather the three precious points we should have won. "The
disappointed lies in the fact that when the opposition beats you because
they have been better than you, you accept that, but when you have gifted
the opposition three points that is so difficult to take based on our first
half performance."
Big Sam admitted that Norwich's penalty early in the second half altered the
course of a game his team should have won. The spot-kick was awarded when
Jaaskelainen dropped a routine catch and then tripped Hooper as he tried to
retrieve the situation. However, replays suggested that the Finn may have
got to the ball first. "It was a soft one but at the end of the day there
was contact from Jussi's arm and the player has made the best of it and the
referee has seen it as a penalty," observed Big Sam. "So you could say you
have seen them given and you've seen them not given. "The bottom line is
that Jussi doesn't normally make that sort of mistake and you'd hope he
would get away with it, but this time he didn't get away with it and it
resulted in a penalty. He shouldn't have gone diving for the ball, but
because he knew he had made the mistake, he got over-anxious trying to put
it right and ended up making another mistake by sadly giving the penalty
away. "What really surprised me was that it seemed to kill the spirit of the
team for a bit and then we recovered from it. We then conceded a second goal
which was another blow for us. Snodgrass put the free-kick, which was the
fourth one against us in eleven games this season, when in two years
previously at West Ham I haven't had four scored against me. That's a
bizarre stat because Leighton Baines and Jermaine Pennant haven't scored one
since and it will probably be a while before Snodgrass gets another one. "He
got it when it mattered for Norwich and it was a killer for us."
The manager also offered his opinion on why West Ham dominated the opening
half but failed to reach the same heights after the interval. "The first
error by Jussi gave them the massive lift they were looking for and we
gifted them the boost of confidence that they were searching for but looked
like they were never going to get. It's a psychological thing in that it
lifted the crowd. They were booing at half-time but ten minutes after, they
were cheering, which makes a massive difference and that was our fault. "We
gifted Norwich three points and made life difficult for ourselves when we
shouldn't have done, but there we are. We've faltered in our defensive side
for the first time this season when we were one-nil up and ended up with no
points when you'd have thought at half-time that we'd be stood here with a
very valuable three points. "Had the game gone on at one-nil for another ten
or 15 minutes I think we would have been stood here saying we'd won two-nil
because they would have got more and more desperate, thrown more and more
men forward and lost their confidence. That would have given us more chances
to add a second, but unfortunately it didn't pan out that way and we only
have ourselves to blame."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Norwich 3 West Ham 1
9 November 2013
Last updated at 20:15
By Andy Cryer
BBC Sport
A trio of second-half goals moved Norwich City out of the relegation zone
and above 16th-placed West Ham to ease the pressure on manager Chris
Hughton.
Gary Hooper scored his first league goal for Norwich from the penalty spot
after Jussi Jaaskelainen's foul, before Robert Snodgrass curled in a
free-kick.
Leroy Fer secured Norwich's third win of the season with an injury-time
goal, slotting in from 18 yards. Ravel Morrison's close-range goal gave West
Ham a deserved half-time lead. The Hammers looked like they were going to
make it a miserable evening for Hughton after a dominant first-half display
but Jaaskelainen's 54th-minute error turned the game in Norwich's favour.
The Finland goalkeeper sent Hooper tumbling after dropping a
comfortable-looking cross and the former Celtic striker emphatically
levelled from the spot. From there Norwich, who were poor before the break,
took control and a first Premier League goal of the season from Snodgrass
and Fer's individual late effort capped a rousing second-half comeback. The
defeat leaves West Ham with just two wins this season and just one point
above the relegation zone, with Norwich a position and a point above them.
The Norwich fans would have been expecting a reaction from their side after
last weekend's 7-0 thrashing at Manchester City but they did not initially
get it as West Ham bossed the opening 45 minutes.
Former Newcastle boss Hughton has been quick to point out his side have
already played Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham but
Morrison's opener deservedly left his side trailing at the break. In a spell
of concerted pressure, the visitors went close on 13 minutes when Guy
Demel's powerful header cannoned off the bar to safety. Sam Allardyce's side
were now in control and Morrison rewarded their dominance on 32 minutes,
converting Kevin Nolan's pull-back from close range after Razvan Rat's
left-wing cross had caused problems. After being gifted a route back into
the game by Jaaskelainen, Norwich looked a different side as Jonny Howson
hit the bar from 25 yards before Snodgrass brilliantly curled the hosts
ahead on 72 minutes. And their second-half control was rewarded when Fer
finished low into the net after breaking from from midfield.
Norwich manager Chris Hughton: "It's a bit of relief. The level of
performance has not been that bad. On the back of some difficult results
against the Manchester clubs there was some nervousness. "We told the
players we have to build on this. We had a similar start last season. We
beat Arsenal and that was a bit of spring for us to go on to better things
and let's hope that this is the same. "We'll enjoy it during the
international break but we'll look forward to playing Newcastle in a few
weeks."
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "When we got the first goal today I thought
the lads would be the same as they have been all season. But we've
capitulated with our own errors. "We should have picked up a win on the
balance of play. We've only got ourselves to blame and I didn't expect that
error from Jussi Jaaskelainen. We needed that clean sheet and didn't get
that. "I warned the players that Chris Hughton would change something and
try to shut us down more. At the end of the day we lost was because it was
such an unusual error. It killed the players and played on their minds."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Norwich City 3-1 West Ham Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 9th November 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are heading for another relegation battle following a dreadful
second half performance at Carrow Road. Despite producing some of the best
football they've played all season in the opening half Sam Allardyce's side
capitulated after the break, conceding three goals in the space of 37
minutes against a Norwich side that conceded seven without reply at
Manchester City last weekend. The kind of performance that had relegation
written all over it, a series of awful individual errors combined with a
worrying lack of drive and intent condemned Allardyce's shellshocked side to
a second away defeat of the campaign.
Yet it had all started so brightly for the Hammers, who enjoyed near total
domination in the first half and deservedly lead at the break thanks to
Ravel Morrison's fifth goal of the season. However both Allardyce and his
players will have felt disappointed that they hadn't managed to fully
capitalise on their supremacy by adding further goals. The deadlock was
broken on the half-hour mark following a clever move on the left involving
Razvan Rat and Kevin Nolan.
The Romanian's low cross found Kevin Nolan whose initial shot was blocked,
before the Hammers captain managed to turn the ball back into the centre to
meet Morrison's run. Nolan in particular enjoyed the freedom of Carrow Road
in the first half, where Norwich's four-man midfield simply couldn't cope
with West Ham's 4-6-0 formation. He should have scored after only 12
minutes when his telegraphed shot was stopped by the feet of City 'keeper
John Ruddy - and also 14 minutes later when he failed to connect properly
with one of several good crosses from the left by Rat. However he more than
atoned for those errors with his part in West Ham's only goal. The half time
break couldn't have come soon enough for Chris Hughton, whose team had been
completely overrun up to that point. But whatever it was he said to his team
at the break worked wonders, for they looked a different prospect after the
break.
It took City just nine minutes after the restart to draw level - and not for
the first time in the second half, West Ham only had themselves to blame. As
Jaaskelainen rose to collect a cross, he fumbled it before tripping
Norwich's Gary Hooper as he scrambled to reach the loose ball. Hooper
stepped up himself to blast City level from the spot. West Ham then survived
a major scare when Johnny Howson's dipping volley crashed against the
crossbar. Once again it was a West Ham error - this time by Mark Noble who
gave the ball away 30 yards from goal - that led to the chance. But the
Hammers failed to heed that warning and two minutes later Norwich took the
lead when Robert Snodgrass despatched a curling free kick into the near
post. Jaaskelainen, as is too often the case, failed to move from his
standing position as the ball flew past him. Not for the first time this
season West Ham had been a victim of a terrible decision by the referee,
with James Collins penalised for foul play when he accidentally collided
with an opponent just outside the penalty box. But that was of little
concern to the home side who had somehow managed to completely turn the game
around. The home side still had time to rub salt into West Ham's wounds
however - and Leroy Fer, who would usually have trouble picking up the banjo
let alone hitting a barn door with it shrugged off a weak challenge from
James Tomkins before sliding the ball past Jaaaskelainen from 12 yards deep
into injury time. In the end it was a combination of personal moments of
madness and a dodgy refereeing decision that cost West Ham dearly today.
However had they made the most of their numerous chances in a first half
which they dominated, Norwich would have been all but beaten before the
second half even started. That lack of goals has been West Ham's Achilles
heel all season - and shows no sign of abating.
Sam Allardyce, when reflecting upon the game will no doubt refer to a
Snodgrass "worldy" that put Norwich ahead for the first time in the game, in
much the same vein as he did when speaking of Leighton Baines' brace for
Everton and Jermaine Pennant's free kick for Stoke earlier this season- all
of which beat Jussi Jaaskelainen from a similar distance.
But if Big Sam is seeking a common denominator he should perhaps look no
further than his goalkeeper - for as keen observers will have noticed,
Jaaskelainen failed to move from his standing position for any of the above
goals, something that must have been noted by our opponents. Basically, hit
the target and it's a goal.
Whilst Jaaskelainen looks far from reassuring in goal, at the other end of
the pitch captain Kevin Nolan is currently a shadow of his former self. As
calls for him to be dropped as a result of poor form increase, it remains to
be seen how long Allardyce will persist with a player who is clearly
struggling right now.
Norwich City v West Ham Utd: Match Facts
West Ham Utd: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Collins, Tomkins, Rat, Noble, Nolan (c),
Collison, Downing, J.Cole, Morrison.
Subs: Adrian, O'Brien, McCartney, Maiga, Jarvis, Diame, C.Cole.
Norwich City: Ruddy; Martin, Turner, R Bennett, Olsson; Snodgrass, Howson,
Fer, Pilkington; Elmander, Hooper..
Subs: Bunn, Whittaker, Johnson, Bassong, Hoolahan, Becchio, Redmond..
Referee: Jonathan Moss.
Referee's Assistants: M Mullarkey, D Eaton.
Fourth Official:A Haines.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Norwich climbed out of bottom three with 3-1 win over West Ham
Last Updated: November 9, 2013 8:21pm
SSN
Norwich responded to last weekend's 7-0 humiliation at Manchester City with
a valuable 3-1 win against West Ham at Carrow Road. Ravel Morrison handed
the Hammers a first-half lead but Norwich bounced back with three
second-half goals. Gary Hooper scored from the penalty spot to restore
parity before a wonderful Robert Snodgrass free-kick handed City the lead
and Leroy Fer settled the contest deep in stoppage-time. Both sides also saw
efforts come back off the woodwork but it was Norwich, who had started the
day in the bottom three, who held on to take all three points and climb
above the Hammers and up to 15th place.
Best of the Match:
Man of the match: Robert Snodgrass - The Scotland international was an
inspirational figure in the Norwich side as he led them to victory.
Goal of the match: Snodgrass' free-kick from the edge of the area was pure
class. He lifted the ball over the wall and beyond Jussi Jaaskelainen.
Moment of the match: Leroy Fer wrapped up the win deep in stoppage time and
the relief inside Carrow Road was palpable.
Chances of the match: Both sides also saw efforts come back off the woodwork
through Guy Demel and Leroy Fer.
Stat of the match: It was the first time Norwich had scored more than once
in a league game since the opening day 2-2 draw with Everton.
Talking point: Will Hammers boss Sam Allardyce persist in using a
strikerless formation after today's defeat?
West Ham started to exert their authority on the game with Norwich proving
wasteful in possession all too often, looking nervous. Norwich goalkeeper
John Ruddy was forced into the first meaningful save of the game on 12
minutes as he pushed away Kevin Nolan's effort. The ball was eventually
turned behind for a corner with Guy Demel's header coming back off the
crossbar. It was Nolan who had the next good chance as the West Ham skipper
opened up his body to take Razvan Rat's cross first time, but his shot was
too close to Ruddy to cause the England goalkeeper problems. Nolan was once
again heavily involved as the visitors deservedly broke the deadlock through
Morrison. After seeing his initial shot blocked, Nolan collected the ball on
the byline and pulled it back perfectly for Morrison to tuck his chance away
and give Allardyce's side the lead after a long spell of dominance from the
Hammers. Nathan Redmond was introduced from the bench by Chris Hughton in
the immediate aftermath of the goal as Anthony Pilkington appeared to have
been struggling with a knock for some time.
With no further chances for either side, West Ham led at the break and the
home fans vented their frustration as the teams headed towards the dressing
rooms. The toxic atmosphere inside Carrow Road soon changed as referee Jon
Moss awarded Norwich a penalty eight minutes into the second half.
Jussi Jaaskelainen failed to hold a tame header from Michael Turner and,
after clambering around to deal with his spillage, the experienced Finn
brought down Hooper, who stepped up to tuck away the resulting spot-kick.
The lead was almost very short-lived as the Norwich defence could not deal
with a ball into their box, with the returning James Collins thrashing a
volley wide for the visitors. Fer then bent an effort high over the crossbar
after being afforded far too much time and space on the edge of the West Ham
box as the Canaries continued to come back into the game. West Ham enjoyed a
spell on the ball before Jonny Howson went much closer in the 70th minute
with a dipping long-range effort cannoning off the crossbar with
Jaaskelainen well beaten. The ball bounced out to Snodgrass, who was brought
down by Collins and the Scotland winger curled the free-kick over the wall
and into the net to put the home side ahead.
The goal seemed to inject new belief into the Norwich players and they
continued to create chances as good work from Fer resulted in Hooper letting
fly with a well-struck effort that was too close to Jaaskelainen. The best
chance to add a third was spurned by Snodgrass, who hacked at a clever
knockdown by Johan Elmander when well placed in front of goal. But the
Canaries did manage to make it 3-1, with Fer tucking away a coolly taken
chance in stoppage-time as Norwich sealed their third win of the season and,
if Allardyce is to be believed, helped convert the pressure from Hughton on
to the West Ham boss.
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce blames 'errors and mistakes' for Norwich defeat
Last Updated: November 9, 2013 9:19pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce said West Ham had only themselves to blame after suffering a
3-1 defeat by Norwich at Carrow Road. The Hammers surrendered their
first-half lead given to them through Ravel Morrison to come away with
nothing from the game. The hosts fought back with goals from Gary Hooper,
Robert Snodgrass and Leroy Fer to seal victory for the Canaries. "What
disappoints me more is that the confidence we have gained from our
away-performance results was there for all to see in the first half,"
Allardyce told Sky Sports 1. "I expected that one of the things we'd been
short of was getting the first goal and going ahead, and I thought once we
got that the lads were going to be as good as they've been all season -
having conceded one goal away from home from a penalty that shouldn't have
actually been a penalty. "But then our own errors and our own mistakes have
let Norwich back into a game that they shouldn't have got back into and
we've ended up with no points instead of picking up points and a win. "We've
only ourselves to blame. "When we needed that all-important clean sheet
today to get the three points it's deserted us on our own failings rather
than Norwich's good play."
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REMEMBERING THE 37,404 WEST HAM PALS KILLED IN WW1
By Sean Whetstone 10 Nov 2013 at 08:00
West Ham Till I Die
This Remembrance Sunday at 11am please remember the 37,404 West Ham Pals
killed in the first world war. One of the reasons why the First World War
was so traumatic an event to British society was that so many of the new
infantry Battalions formed to fight in the trenches were the so called "Pals
Battalions". Where men could serve with local friends, neighbours or
workers. The West Ham Pals were officially called the 13th Battalion of the
Essex Regiment. Unofficially they were West Ham football team supporters who
joined on mass with their mates and whose battle cry (and bayonet charge)
was "Up the Irons".
The Battalion fought in some of the worse battles in the War and suffered in
total 37,404 causalities killed, wounded or missing. The impact of all these
deaths and casualties in battle on the local community was therefore
immense. When you imagine more than a sold out Boleyn ground home crowd
being slaughtered or baldy injured you begin to understand the enormity of
the whole thing. The West Ham Pals website can be found
http://westhampals.blogspot.co.uk/ or on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/west.pals
In 2009 Sir Trevor Brooking unveiled a plague at the Boleyn ground to
remember the West Ham Pals. I always feel proud when the army march around
the Boleyn ground at the home match before Remembrance Sunday like they did
in the game against Villa. Just a shame a minority of Aston Villa fans
couldn't keep their mouths shut for the one minute silence.
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MATCH REPORT: NORWICH CITY 3 WEST HAM 1
By Iain Dale 9 Nov 2013 at 19:32
West Ham Till I Die
Well that must have been some kind of team talk from Sam Allardyce at
half-time. As my LBC colleague Steve Allen would say "dreadful, Ladies and
Gentlemen, dreadful". Having dominated the first half we yet again paid the
price for missing chance after chance as we went in only 1-0 up. We had 57%
of the possession and Norwich looked there for the taking. But we looked a
totally different team in the second half. Razvan Rat seemed to hardly give
a damn and Kevin Nolan looked positively Dowie-esque in his inability to
control the ball when he received it. And as for Jussi's performance, don't
get me started. Was he Joe Hart in disguise? I suppose every goalkeeper has
an off day, and Jussi has fewer than most, but he was to blame, at least in
part, for all three goals. He gave away the penalty having flapped, he
remained rooted to the spot for the Snodgrass free kick and should have
easily parried the last goal from Leroy Fer.
But there are plenty of other candidates for anti-man of the match. Stewart
Downing did nothing during the game. Carlton Cole might as well not have
been on the pitch after he came on for all the difference he made.Even Mark
Noble was invisible in the second half and gave away the ball which led to
James Collins's foul, which led to the Snodgrass goal. James Collins looked
fairly ring rusty, and James Tomkins wasn't at the top of his game either.
But for me, Rat and Nolan vie with each other for worst West Ham player on
the pitch, Twice in the second half Rat was in a good attacking position but
failed to receive the ball properly. He was constantly out of position and
made Joe Cole's task even harder than it ought to have been. As for Kevin
Nolan, yes he passed the ball for Morrison to score, but what else did he
actually contribute during the whole game? More than Diame would have? It
has to be said that after last week's good performance against Villa, Jack
Collison was off his game too.
Has anyone noticed that we have conceded at least 6 goals from free kicks
outside the area this season so far. For a shot stopper Jussi needs to do
far much better with these, and the wall does too. They didn't even jump up
today. Had they done so, they might have stopped the shot. Jussi didn't even
seem to see it and remained rooted to the spot. He's done that far too often
for my liking.
All very depressing. It's the last result you'd want before a two week
international break, which is then followed by a home match against Chelsea.
The thing is, when Andy Carroll does eventually return (around Christmas, I
imagine) it will take at least seven or eight games for him to gel into the
team.
I am depressed. Cheer me up.
Jussi 4 – All over the place
Tomkins 5 – Distinctly average, partly to balme for the final goal
Collins 6 – Ring rusty – gave away the foul for the Snodgrass screamer
Demel 8 – Great game
Rat 4 – Truly awful. Come back Joey.
Morrison 6 – Faded badly in the second half
Noble 6 – Failed to orchestrate midfield in this usual manner
Collison 5 – Largely anonymous
Downing 4 – Might as well not have played. No threat at all
Nolan 5 – Only redeeming factor was the pass which led to the goal
Joe Cole 6 – Flashes of brilliance but what did he achieve
Carlton Cole 4 – Did nothing. Nichts. Nada.
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West Ham 'should sign Jermain Defoe' says former striker Dean Ashton
9 Nov 2013 15:35
The Mirror
Former West Ham United striker Dean Ashton feels that the club should target
Spurs striker Jermain Defoe when the transfer window opens. The Hammers are
currently short of options upfront as Andy Carroll continues to recover from
a heel injury that has wrecked his season following his record breaking £15m
move from Liverpool in the summer. Modibo Maiga, Ricardo Vaz Te and Mladen
Petric have all failed to find the net regularly, while Carlton Cole was
recently re-signed on a free transfer last month. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce
has preferred to field a team without a recognised striker on a number of
occasions this season, and Ashton, who played for the club from 2006-2009
before he was forced to retire, feels Defoe would be an ideal solution to
their striking woes.
Ashton told talkSPORT: "He's certainly the type of player West Ham could do
with at the moment, a player that is going to get goals. "I think the West
Ham fans wouldn't mind having Jermain back even though he divided the club
when he left. "I'm like a lot of players who have played with Jermain Defoe
who will definitely say he's up there with the best finishers we've ever
played with."
Defoe is currently behind team-mate Roberto Soldado in the pecking order at
White Hart Lane following the Spaniard's £26m move from Valencia in the
summer. The England striker has been restricted largely to starts in the
Europa League, but recently became Spurs' all-time leading scorer in
European competition when he netted his 23rd goal in the 2-1 win against
Sheriff Tiraspol on Thursday . The 31-year-old has been linked with a move
to North America, but recently claimed that leaving the Hammers in 2003 was
a "massive mistake" .
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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Saturday, November 9
Daily WHUFC News - 9th November 2013
Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
James Collins on his return from injury, Norwich City, his Wales comeback
and culinary talents
08.11.2013
Hello everyone,
I'm delighted to say that I'm back in full training and hope to be involved
at Norwich on Saturday. I thought I would be out for about seven weeks, but
it's just about three weeks now and I'm happy to be back. After not playing
for West Ham the weekend before, I played two quick games for Wales. We had
a tough game on the Friday night against Macedonia and then a game in
Belgium on the Tuesday and unfortunately I pulled my hamstring. Maybe it was
too much work, or perhaps just old age! They thought it would be seven
weeks, but the staff here have done great and got me back in three.
Obviously it's disappointing circumstances for me to come back with Winston
Reid getting injured at a time when he is playing so well, but we had clean
sheets when I was playing earlier in the season and hopefully we can
continue our form. I am happy to get my place back, but it's tinged with a
bit of sadness on Reidy's side.
We do a lot of work on the defensive side of the game. The Gaffer works hard
on it on the training pitch and that's how we start every game - we know if
we don't concede we're not going to lose the game. Whoever fills in, in the
centre or in the full-back positions, we know have a solid base to keep a
clean sheet.
We've got a great record away from home at the minute - we've only conceded
one penalty away to Hull - so we'll be looking to keep a clean sheet again.
Hopefully we can pop up and score at the other end and I can chip in as
well.
Last season at Norwich we kept a clean sheet and nicked a nil-nil. I
conceded a free-kick that was VERY close to being a penalty, but thankfully
it wasn't and we defended well. We'll have to do that again on Saturday and
hopefully we can nick a couple of goals. I don't think it matters how
Norwich got on last week. I have been on the end of an 8-1 defeat at Chelsea
when I was at Aston Villa and we went out the next week and probably played
the best we had all year. On other occasions, we've been thrashed and played
twice as bad the following game. You can't really say how the match will pan
out. We've just got to go there, defend well and create chances and score
goals.
Our last victory at Norwich was in January 2006 in the FA Cup third round
and I remember it well. I played against my old Cardiff team-mate Peter
Thorne, who was playing up front for them, and it was a tough game. It's
always a hard one up at Norwich because their fans are passionate about
their club and about their local community. It's always a good atmosphere
there, too.
Talking of good atmospheres, I watched my old team Cardiff's win over
Swansea last Sunday and it was great. It was a tense game and the rivalry is
massive down there, but I think the best team won on the day. I hope to be
returning to Cardiff myself next weekend when Wales take on Finland in a
friendly. Me and the manager Chris Coleman sorted out our differences and I
played in the last two World Cup qualifiers and I hope to be in the squad
again and help my country. This will be our first international following
Craig Bellamy's retirement and it will be a bit strange. I was with him a
lot on our last trip to Belgium and he has been around the Welsh set-up for
as long as I've been playing. It will be strange, but Bellars said himself
that his retirement gives another youngster a chance to come in and do well.
He's got to look after his body as he becomes an old man, but it gives
someone else a chance.
Two of our younger players, Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, are doing great.
it speaks for itself, the way Gareth has gone to Real Madrid for a record
fee and he has done well, setting up and scoring goals. Aaron has been the
player of the season by far this year so far. They're both great lads and
have stayed grounded. They have family back in Wales and go back there,
which I think helps them off the pitch. If they can perform anywhere near
the way they have for their clubs for Wales, then we have a bright future.
Just before I go, I want to mention my proud record of identifying the
various types of fish served in the canteen! I do like my food so I tend to
get the chefs to quiz me now and then. I try to cook as much as I can at
home, even though the wife usually tries to dissuade me! I take an interest
in the kitchen and my signature dishes are usually fish, but I'll have a go
at whatever I can rustle up.
Myself and a few of the boys have opened a restaurant in Chelmsford called
59 New Street and I hope to do some cooking in there before Christmas, so
watch this space! Tim De'Ath, our old chef and current player liaison
officer and England team chef, has devised the menu there and we often go
there with our families to eat and the food is great. Hopefully a few West
Ham fans can come down and eat there, too!
Have a great weekend,
Ginge
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Hammers pair open sports centre
WHUFC.com
Sir Trevor Brooking and Jack Collison opened a new community sports centre
in Bedfordshire
08.11.2013
Two famous West Ham United No10s were on hand to open a new community sports
centre in Bedfordshire this week. Sir Trevor Brooking and Jack Collison both
attended the ceremony to mark the opening of the £1.3m Shefford Sports Club
facility, which will play host to a number of local football clubs. Among
them will be the junior club Collison played for as a schoolboy growing up,
Shefford Saints FC, as well as the town's Bedfordshire County Football
League side Shefford Town and Campton FC. Funded by the Football Foundation
- the nation's largest sports charity that is funded by the Premier League,
The FA, and the Government via Sport England - the Football Stadia
Improvement Fund and WREN, Landfill Communities Fund, the new facilities
include a full-size adult pitch, training area and five junior pitches, plus
a new clubhouse. Sir Trevor praised everyone involved in enabling the
development to take place, pointing to the importance of grassroots football
to the fortunes of English national team. "This is a really good example of
a variety of different groups working together to do the funding," he said.
"Obviously The FA had an involvement through the Football Foundation and you
have to admire the officials who have taken a long time going through the
process. "For a club with 21 junior teams to get a venue like this, with an
important clubhouse to pay for the ongoing costs of things like coaching
courses for the managers, improving the facilities, kits and everything else
that is needed to sustain a club. "As we celebrate England's qualification
for the World Cup in Brazil next year it is always heartening to attend an
event like this and see how we are benefiting our younger players, both boys
and girls. "All of the players who will be representing England at the World
Cup finals will have played for a grassroots club when they were starting
out and that is why facilities like this are so important for the future of
football in this country."
After Sir Trevor had cut the ribbon to officially open the new complex, both
he and Wales midfielder Collison spent time meeting young footballers,
posing for photographs, signing autographs and passing on advice on how to
follow in their illustrious footsteps. Collison has kept a close eye on the
development at his old club, attending a ground-breaking ceremony when work
got underway in June 2012. "The club still means a lot to me," revealed the
25-year-old. "I played here as child and my family are still local. I had a
great time playing here and so it is important that these clubs are given
the support in this way to try and improve and be able to offer the chance
for youngsters to play."
Collison won the Shefford Saints Player of the Year award as an Under-9 and
the club now has a special award named in his honour that is presented
annually to a player with the greatest potential.
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Potts expects tough test
WHUFC.com
Steve Potts believes his U18s will face their toughest test yet when they
play Aston Villa on Saturday
08.11.2013
West Ham United Under-18s manager Steve Potts is expecting a tough match on
Saturday when his team welcome Aston Villa to Little Heath (1pm kick-off).
The ex-Hammers defender believes the third place Villans will provide the
sternest test yet for his charges in their Barclays Under-18 Premier League
campaign. Potts' team are on a six match unbeaten run which has seen them
move into sixth place in the table but he believes their resilience will be
put to the test this weekend. He told West Ham TV: "I get clips of the
opposition the week before we play each team and from the clips I've seen so
far of Aston Villa, they look like the best team I've seen - I think it will
be a real test for us come Saturday. "Every game we're being tested in
different ways, on Saturday I do think Aston Villa are a very good all-round
team so that will be a real test for us whether we're playing home or away."
If Potts' team keep up their fine defensive work then all three points may
well be within their grasp against Villa. The Hammers boast the second best
defensive record in the league, a fact which is pleasing for a man who made
505 appearances at the back for West Ham United. "I often think that the
forwards get all the headlines but the defenders have to do the nitty gritty
side of the game. "You can enjoy your defending that's for sure. You can
enjoy getting a clean sheet or getting good tackles in but I think when you
talk about a defensive record it's a group thing not just the defenders.
"Everyone has to play a role now, even the forwards because gone are the
days when you could have luxury players who don't defend. You look at all
the top teams now and I think everyone puts a shift in and that's the way
the game's gone."
The 46-year-old has seen several of his squad make their bow for the
Development Squad in recent times with Reece Burke, Moses Makasi, Amos Nasha
and Josh Cullen all appearing in the Barclays Under-21 Premier League draw
against Chelsea. Burke played the full 90 minutes in that match, turning in
a strong performance alongside Pelly Ruddock at the heart of the defence and
Potts believes his performance was testament to his development. "He's
really come on over the last couple of years. With Reece he's got a
fantastic attitude, he wants to learn and I've never had a problem with him
training wise. "He's always on his game giving 100 per cent in training and
takes that into matches. He's the sort of kid that deserves to do well
because of that."
Potts also explained he is a happy man when any of his side make the step-up
to the Under-21s. "That's why we're here, to try and push the boys on as
much as we can. When you have an involvement with the boys on a day-to-day
basis and then they do get pushed up higher you're keen to see how they cope
with it and I think they've done ok with that so far."
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Six of the best - Norwich City
WHUFC.com
A look into the past at six memorable triumphs for West Ham United against
Norwich City
08.11.2013
West Ham United travel to Carrow Road on Saturday looking to extend their
unbeaten away run to four matches in all competitions when they take on
Norwich City in the Barclays Premier League. Sam Allardyce's side take a
brilliant record of six clean sheets to Norfolk and will feel confident of
extending that against Chris Hughton's goal-shy team Here whufc.com takes a
look at six memorable wins over the Canaries for Hammers fans to savour
ahead of the Saturday evening fixture.
Norwich City 1-2 West Ham United
FA Cup third tound
7 January 2006
Premier League West Ham overcame Championship side Norwich to get through to
the fourth round of the FA Cup. The Hammers were in front after just six
minutes when Bobby Zamora laid the ball to Hayden Mullins who lashed his
shot past Robert Green. Zamora himself then got on the score sheet when he
capitalised on Green's error to nod home from close-range. Paul McVeigh
pulled one back from the penalty spot after James Collins handled but the
Hammers held on to progress to the next round. Alan Pardew's team would make
it all the way to the final where they would eventually lose on penalties to
Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium.
West Ham United 1-0 Norwich City
FA Cup third round
8 January 2005
Just under a year previously, the sides would meet at this stage of the FA
Cup again, Championship side West Ham knocked out their Premier League
visitors.
An 81st minute header from striker Marlon Harewood put the Hammers into the
fourth round draw at the expense of their ailing opponents. West Ham didn't
make it any further in the competition however and after a home draw with
Sheffield United the Blades eliminated them in the replay.
West Ham 4-0 Norwich City
Division One
11 April 1992
Bottom of the table West Ham bought their ten match winless run to an abrupt
halt with a thumping win over the Canaries. Matthew Rush grabbed two goals
with Ian Bishop also scoring whilst Julian Dicks got in on the act with a
trademark penalty. The big win wasn't enough to save the Hammers who were
relegated after finishing bottom of the league.
West Ham United 4-2 Norwich City
Division One
1 January 1974
The Hammers begun the New Year in style after they put four goals past
Norwich at the Boleyn Ground. The win was vital for West Ham who started the
day in the relegation zone but climbed out of it with this big win. Graham
Paddon struck twice with Bobby Gould and Trevor Brooking also scoring to
ease their relegation fears.
Norwich City 0-1 West Ham United
Division One
10 February 1973
West Ham completed a fine double over the Canaries thanks to a goal from
Bryan Robson in front of over 32,000 fans at Carrow Road. Earlier in the
season the Hammers had beaten Norwich 4-0 at the Boleyn Ground and took all
three points once again. West Ham went on to record a fifth place finish in
the division whilst Norwich flirted with relegation before finishing a place
above the drop zone.
Norwich City 2-6 West Ham United
Division Two
11 March 1939
Charlie Paynter's West Ham side hit six past Norwich to continue the Norfolk
club's slide towards relegation. A hat-trick from centre-forward Sam Small,
two from Joseph Stanley Foxall and one from John Morton sent the visitors to
a thumping win. The Canaries were relegated on goal difference that season
whilst the Hammers finished in eleventh place.
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Olympic Stadium bid: Three admit spying on West Ham United
BBC.co.uk
Three men have admitted spying on West Ham United during the bidding process
for the Olympic Stadium. Richard Forrest, Lee Stewart and Howard Hill
admitted illegally obtaining confidential information from the football club
and Olympic Park Legacy Company at Inner London Crown Court. They were
arrested after claims that Tottenham Hotspur had spied on Olympic officials,
which the club denied. The three men will be sentenced on 20 December.
Forrest, 31, of Furzefield in Crawley, Stewart, 40, of More Lane in Esher,
and Hill, 59, of Shrigley Road South in Stockport, all admitted one charge
of obtaining personal data contrary to Section 55 Data Protection Act 1998.
A charge of fraud by false representation was left to lie on file for each
of the defendants. The men had previously denied the charge at Southwark
Crown Court. Tottenham Hotspur, Leyton Orient and West Ham all made bids to
use the stadium after the 2012 Olympic Games, with the Hammers eventually
being awarded sole use.
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Norwich v West Ham
KO 17:30
8 November 2013
By John Roder
Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Carrow Road Date: Saturday, 9 November
Norwich midfielder Robert Snodgrass returns after concussion, but striker
Ricky van Wolfswinkel will again miss out with a continuing toe injury.
Nathan Redmond is still nursing a hip problem and is a doubt.
West Ham defender Winston Reid is out with an ankle injury but James Collins
has overcome a hamstring complaint. Striker Mladen Petric has a calf
problem, while Andy Carroll (foot) and Ricardo vaz Te (shoulder) are
long-term absentees.
MATCH PREVIEW
Norwich manager Chris Hughton has been the focus of considerable attention
ahead of this fixture, which is being billed by some as a match the Canaries
must win if the personable former Birmingham boss is to keep his job.
Norwich have played Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea in three of their
last four league matches, a difficult run for anyone, but the manner of
their 7-0 defeat by Manuel Pellegrini's Blues last weekend has raised
considerable questions about the direction the Canaries season is taking.
Both of these teams have the same problem, namely a lack of goals, with
Norwich scoring just six times in the Premier League so far and West Ham
eight. City's new signings up front - Ricky van Wolfswinkel, Gary Hooper,
Johan Elmander and Nathan Redmond - have between them contributed just two
league goals since arriving in Norfolk, while Andy Carroll's injury means
that Sam Allardyce is short of attacking options. "There are a few Norwich
players who are due a good performance. It would be great for their manager
Chris Hughton if they can produce one against West Ham because it would take
the pressure off him a bit. "Hughton needs more than one good result,
though. After West Ham is the international break, then Norwich are away at
Newcastle and at home to Crystal Palace. Those three games will be crucial
for him." At the back it's a tale of two very different defences. Norwich
have conceded an average of two goals per match, while the Hammers have six
clean sheets so far. With all the attention on Norwich it's easy to overlook
the fact that West Ham have only two more points than their opponents this
weekend. Nonetheless, the Hammers have a better away record than at home so
far, with just one goal conceded on their travels, and they've kept a clean
sheet in their last three on the road. The atmosphere at Carrow Road in the
past few seasons has generally been positive, with the club making huge
strides since the last time they conceded seven goals. That, you may
remember, was at home to Colchester in a League One fixture back in August
2009 and led to a change of manager. Whatever happens this Saturday, it is
going to be a rather tense evening for the home fans as they look for a
positive reaction to last week's events at the Etihad.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Norwich City are unbeaten in 15 home league games against West Ham United
(W8, D7) since a 1-0 top-flight defeat in February 1973.
West Ham did, however, win 1-0 at Carrow Road in the FA Cup in January 2006
on their way to reaching the final.
Last season's meeting at Norwich in September 2012 finished goalless.
Norwich City
Only Crystal Palace (21) have conceded more goals than Norwich (20), with
the 7-0 loss at Manchester City their heaviest since they were defeated by
the same scoreline at Sheffield Wednesday in November 1938.
The Canaries have conceded 18 goals in the last five games.
Chris Hughton's side have already played four of the current top five
(Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham) in the Premier League -
losing all four games.
No club has trailed more often at half-time in the Premier League than
Norwich (six), who have gone on to lose all of those games.
West Ham United
West Ham have failed to find the net in six league games - the joint highest
number in the Premier League along with Crystal Palace.
Only Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has kept more Premier League clean
sheets (seven) than West Ham's Jussi Jaaskelainen (six) this season.
All four of United draws this season have been goalless, the most in the top
flight.
Ravel Morrison has scored with both of his shots on target this season, with
his two goals also making him the club's top league scorer.
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Guilty
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 8th November 2013
By: Staff Writer
The three men accused of spying on Karren Brady and other individuals
employed by West Ham United have all pleaded guilty. 59-year-old Howard Hill
- a former partner at accountancy firm PKF, Richard Forrest, 31, and Lee
Stewart, 40 all pleaded guilty to charges of unlawfully obtaining phone
records and bank statements belonging to vice-Chairman Karren Brady and
other members of staff involved with the Club's Olympic Stadium bid. The
entire episode was exposed by a Sunday Times article in July 2011 in which
Tottenham Hotspur - who, at the time were also involved with the Olympic
Stadium bidding process - were accused of hiring PKF in order to unearth any
'conflicts of interest' which may have arisen from West Ham's bid for the
stadium. Hill, Forrest and Stewart will be sentenced on 20 December. Three
further individuals arrested in connection with the case have since been
released and will face no charges.
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Rio calling for Ravel
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 8th November 2013
By: Liam Newman
West Ham's Ravel Morrison has once again been included in Gareth Southgate's
England Under 21 side as the Young Lions prepare to for a double-header
against Finland and San Marino.
The Young Lions sit atop Group One of the European Qualifiers and will look
to extend their unbeaten start to the campaign as they bid to reach the 2015
tournament, which is being held in the Czech Republic.
Morrison's inclusion suggests that Southgate sees the West Ham midfielder as
a key part of his plans although the player himself might still harbour
hopes of forcing his way into the senior setup in time for next summer's
World Cup.
Morrison made an instant impact for the Young Lions, scoring two on his
first home appearance against Lithuania. He was instrumental in that 5-0
victory and only took three minutes to open the scoring before completing
his brace with England's fourth. That fine performance was preceded by his
Under 21 debut against San Marino, just five days earlier, but already the
20-year-old looks like a fundamental component of Southgate's setup.
As West Ham fans will tell you, the midfielder is blessed with a raw talent
that not too many English players seem to possess. His natural ability to
take a man on was demonstrated to perfection with that incredible solo goal
at White Hart Lane and that is gift that we rarely see from home-grown
talent.
However, for all the skill and dribbling technique that the West Ham man
possesses, you could never classify him as selfish. For many young players,
the inability to spot a pass or play the final ball is the primary weakness
that prevents them from progressing to the very highest level. Morrision on
the other hand has already shown that upon those naturally gifted shoulders
lies a genuine football brain and that arguably is what sets him aside from
some of the country's other emerging stars.
Despite all of the highly publicised problems that he encountered as a
'tearaway teen', it is impossible to overlook the significance of his time
at Old Trafford. At Manchester United he was encouraged to express an
unquestionable raw talent whilst also developing an understanding of the
game under the guidance of some of the world's greatest coaching staff.
Although it ultimately didn't work out there, he could have hardly asked for
a better foundation to grow as a player.
On leaving Old Trafford, West Ham is one of the very few places that could
allow the player to continue his growth. Nearly two years down the line it
is clear to see that Morrison has been nurtured by two of the best youth
systems in the country and the rewards are now showing for both club and
country.
Whilst it is still early days in Morrison's career at both domestic and
international level, the potential is clear for all to see and makes his
future a mouth-watering prospect for supporters of West Ham and indeed
England. The year-long loan spell at Birmingham City definitely helped the
player mature and adapt to the physical demands of first-team football
whilst simultaneously allowing him to grow in confidence and ability.
Since returning to West Ham, the youngster has been somewhat of a Ravelation
in the Hammers midfield and is proving to be one of the most exciting
talents in the entire Premier League. Whilst we've previously seen plenty of
cases where fans and pundits alike have overhyped a player based on a
promising few matches, there is a genuine feeling that Morrison will live up
to expectations and eventually become a main fixture of the senior England
setup as well as being a vital piece in Allardyce's jigsaw.
Although Morrison has burst onto the scene in recent weeks, it is an outcome
that has threatened to occur for a number of years and is only the
culmination of dedicated hard work from one of England's finest young
talents. With his troublesome past well behind him, it now seems that the
world is at Ravel's young feet and there is no reason that he can't go on to
fulfil his full potential.
The call-up to Southgate's side is another stepping stone as the young
Hammer continues his rapid development in what is already proving to be a
monumental year in the 20-year-old's career. It's another great opportunity
to force himself into Roy Hodgson's plans in this important World Cup year
and two strong performances, at the Stadium:MK and New Meadow, will
certainly do him no harm.
Elsewhere, Mohammed Diame is included in the Senegal squad and will be
expected to start in their second leg playoff match against Ivory Coast in
Dakar. However, the Lions are trailing 3-1 and qualification for the World
Cup looks unlikely.
Meanwhile, Martin O'Neill's first squad sees a recall for Joey O'Brien and
the West Ham defender could make his first international appearance in over
a year.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Norwich City v West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 8th November 2013
By: Preview Percy
More from the man who failed the audition for the "Grumpy Old Men" TV show
because he was too miserable. Television's loss is, er, our loss as
well.....
Next we journey up the M11 to the land of the extra digit where we will be
entertained by Norwich City. Kick-off is at 5.30pm for the benefit of the
be-saucered amongst you. There doesn't seem to be anything in the way of
engineering works on the appropriate railway lines so an early start should
see you sampling the local ales for a decent session.
Our hosts are not in the rudest of health at present, sitting third from
bottom with 8 points from their 10 games thus far. They have a four point
and five point cushion over Sunderland & Palace respectively at the moment.
The 8 points have come courtesy of an opening day 2-2 home draw with
Everton, a 1-0 win over Southampton (also at home) later that month, a 1-0
win over Stoke at the Britannia in September and a 0-0 draw with Cardiff
last month. Other than that it's been defeats all the way, most notably last
weekend when they shipped 7 (seven) without response against Man City,
something that left them with a goal difference of -14, only one goal better
off than the bottom two.
The Cardiff game ended controversially as Leroy Fer put the ball into an
unguarded net whilst all around were expecting him to play the ball back to
the 'keeper, the ball having been played out by Cardiff to enable a Norwich
player to receive treatment. After a minute or two of pushing and shoving
the goal was chalked off, the "handbags" earning both clubs a fine – Norwich
coughing up £20k with Cardiff's share yet to be decided at the time of
writing. Fer later owned up that he'd "scored" deliberately, an admission
which, I suppose, contained honesty, if not sportsmanship. Of course one
should not ignore the role of the referee in all this. Mike Jones (for 'twas
he) claimed that he'd disallowed the goal because he hadn't blown the
whistle for the restart. Strangely, nobody asked Jones a) why he didn't blow
up in the several seconds that elapsed between the throw being taken and the
ball entering the net; b) why he hadn't felt it necessary to signal the
restart for any of the other throw-ins that afternoon; and c) whether he
would have signalled play on had the Cardiff 'keeper picked the ball up.
Actually, it's not that strange that nobody asked. Everyone knows the
answers anyway – unlike Fer, Jones has never given the impression of being
over-familiar with the concept of honesty.
Norwich are, famously, majority owned by Mr & Mrs Wynn-Jones. You may, of
course know Mrs Wynn-Jones better as Delia Smith, Norfolk's answer to Fanny
Craddock. This fact got us thinking here at the Avram Grant Olympic Rest
Home For The Bewildered. We reckon the tv companies may be missing a trick.
The other afternoon there were at least three of the tv channels available
in the day room that weren't showing some sort of cookery programme.
A few years ago the Wynn-Joneses looked as if they were about to sell up.
Minority shareholdings were purchased by interested parties, places on the
board were arranged and it seems that Delia was to ride off into the sunset
to concentrate on her spam fritters. However, the new investors came and
went and the only major new appearance on the board in recent years has been
Stephen Fry. Which is, I suppose, quite interesting.
There were a number of changes on the personnel front during the summer. The
aforementioned Fer, whose surname is French for "Iron", came in for a
reported £7m from Dutchmen FC Twente. Norwich represents Fer's second
attempt at forging (forging, geddit? Oh suit yourselves) a career in
England. He'd agreed a deal to join Everton back in January but a problem
with one of his knees (either the right or the left – it's really not that
important you know), led to Everton trying to negotiate the transfer fee on
a pay as you go basis. Twente weren't impressed and pulled out of the deal.
Which is how he ended up in Norfolk.
Grant Holt left for Wigan to be replaced by no fewer than three strikers (as
a well-known search engine might say "three strikers? Did you mean No
strikers?). You have to say that whatever his footballing pedigree, Ricky
Van Wolfswinkel is a damned fine name. Apparently he got the nickname
"Hat-ricky" as a kid but, lets face it, when you have a name that good any
attempt to jazz it up is, frankly, a waste of time. Sometimes less is more.
RVW came in from Sporting (Lisbon), having been contacted by Dutch legend
Johan Neeskens who told him he should join the Canaries. Robin Van Persie
also called him and said the same thing, but he joined anyway, £8.5m being
the alleged fee. Van Wolfswinkel missed the Man City drubbing and the spotty
work experience oik has just told me that he'll be absent this weekend as
well, which is a shame as it would have been interesting to hear the home
support trying to shoehorn that name into a popular terrace chant.
The second striker in is the less-spectacularly-named Gary Hooper, whose
transfer in from Celtic seemed to take forever to sort out. It probably
didn't, but it just seemed that every time I saw a newspaper it contained
the words "Gary Hooper is expected to compete his transfer to Norwich soon".
Hooper's journey through the football world has been a strange one. An Essex
boy, he didn't last too long in the Spurs youth system and elected to go up
in the world by joining Grays Athletic. A bit cheesed off with getting only
two or three minutes off the bench each week, he left Grays and ended up at
Southend. His two year spell at Roots Hall was punctuated with loan spells
at Hereford and Leyton Orient before he moved on permanently to Scunthorpe,
where he averaged a goal roughly every other game. Celtic, of all people,
won the inevitable bidding war and North of the border he went for a
reported £2.4m. Up there he improved his average to a goal every game and a
half and he spent his three years in the coveted no.88 shirt (the year he
was born if you're that interested) being linked with a move back to
civilisation (or, in one case, Hull), eventually ending up at Carrow Road
for £5m. His Norwich career has been a bit stop start due to injury and it
wasn't until the Cardiff match that he made his first start.
The third striker to arrive was former Bolton chappie Johan Elmander. The
much-capped Swede has come in on a season-long loan from Galatasary. During
his Bolton career he once went through a scoreless spell that lasted no less
than nine months. Have a guess which team he broke his duck against. Yup.
Winger Robert Snodgrass is thought to be ok for this match. He was knocked
cold during the 4-0 League Cup defeat at Old Trafford, an injury that meant
he was missing from the 7-0 at Man City – though I'm not sure anyone would
have noticed one more Norwich player walking about in a daze last weekend.
And what about us? Well we had the better of the match against Villa without
quite having the cutting edge that some of the approach play deserved. Who'd
have thought that would happen what with us playing without strikers and
all.
It's been a bit quiet on the disciplinary front - I've been waiting all week
for the FA to announce Villa full-back Matt Lowton's punishment for hi stamp
on Mark Noble. I've seen the un-broadcast footage (don't ask) and it's a
shocking piece of video – all the more so for the fact that ref Webb was
close enough to have seen had he actually been looking the right way. Any
time you'd like to announce that 3 match ban would be good guys.
There will be changes afoot for this one. The club had put Biggles on
standby to whisk the Kiwi away to represent his country. However, the plan
ran into a snag when nobody in Norfolk knew where the nearest airport
capable of taking a decent-sized jet was. Or indeed where the nearest
airport was. Or what an airport actually is. Whilst the club travel agent
was patiently explaining the principles behind powered flight to a baffled
Norwich City Council official, out came the news that Reid had injured a
foot in training, thus sparing the club official the tricky bit about the
Wright Brothers. James Collins is now fit enough to return to the side
alongside James Tomkins, who has been in good form of late.
The aforementioned Noble has also been in good form but, according to
Hodgson, he's no Tom Cleverley. From a club point of view we're all glad
about that I suppose but it must be galling for the lad to see players
getting international recognition on the basis of the fact that they're
playing poorly in the right colour shirt.
Up front Mr Allardyce's comments suggest that we'll go with the zero option
once more, which would mean another spot of benchwarming for Cole C (though
with all the mind games that bosses play these days it wouldn't be a total
surprise to see him start). I suppose that this is a good a game as any to
do the 4-6-0 thing in – as the match against Spurs showed it's a formation
you can get away with against weaker opposition.
Prediction? Well their defeat last week was against Mn City who, as we know
only too well, can be devastating when they're on form. However, most
observers came away shaking their heads muttering about how poor Norwich
actually were. It's one thing picking yourselves up from a tonking from a
superior team if you're not a bad side yourselves, but the psychological
damage that must come from the realisation that you're an average side that
is going to rely heavily on there being three sides in the league even worse
than you is something that will be more difficult to overcome.
Though they will undoubtedly try to come out of the traps fighting (to mix a
metaphor), I think an early goal would see heads go down. So, assuming that
instructions to get at the opposition early doors are issued and carried
out, I can see us having a bit too much for them. With that in mind, the
Avram Grant Olympic Rest Home Fund to buy Roy Hodgson a copy of the AtoZ
that actually contains the E13 postcode (£2.50) will be placed on an away
win this week. 2-1 shall we say? Lovely.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met At Carrow Road – Drew 0-0 (Sept 2012) They moaned like
anything that they should have had a penalty instead of a free kick. Had
they got television up there they'd have seen from the replay that the foul
was outside the box.
Jonathan Moss Cost us the match against Stoke at the Boleyn this season by
falling for a blatant dive then ignoring Shawcross's barge into the wall as
the resulting free-kick was taken. I mean it's not as if Stoke are known for
that sort of thing is it. Oh hang on....
Danger Man: Robert Snodgrass – main source of chances for them this season –
when he knows where he is.
Daft Fact Of The Week: In 2008 Norwich put itself forward to be "European
City Of Culture". A City councillor was supposed to have blamed their
failure to win on "The Partridge Effect" - an assumed sense of ridicule
deriving from Steve Coogan's comic creation. The councillor later claimed
his comments had been exaggerated, though, in a Partridge-esque aside, he
conceded: " At the back of my mind I'm honest enough to accept that Norwich
is a bit of a cultural backwater" No kidding!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Norwich City face West Ham with both teams struggling at wrong end of table
Last Updated: November 8, 2013 11:23am
SSN
Norwich City and West Ham United are both desperate for points to ease their
relegation woes in the Premier League when they meet at Carrow Road on
Saturday. Heading into Saturday's evening kick-off, with the match live on
Sky Sports 1HD, Chris Hughton's Norwich find themselves third from bottom
with eight points from 10 matches, having scored just six goals and conceded
20. The Canaries must still be smarting from their humiliating 7-0 hammering
by Manchester City last weekend that extended their winless run to five
matches in all competitions. In fact, Norwich have not won since September
29 when they edged past Stoke City 1-0 away from home, and the pressure is
increasing on manager Hughton. Sam Allardyce's West Ham are also struggling
for points, having picked up just 10 from as many matches to languish in
15th position in the table. The Hammers, though, are unbeaten in their last
three competitive fixtures and got the better of London rivals Tottenham
Hotspur 3-0 at White Hart Lane a month ago. West Ham have struggled for
goals just like Norwich, but they have conceded only eight - fewer than
Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Everton and Manchester United and as many as
Chelsea.
Paul Merson's prediction
This is a massive game for Norwich. Whenever you get beat 7-0 it comes up as
S-E-V-E-N on the vidiprinter and that doesn't help any manager. The fans
will be on Chris Hughton's back a bit and you're always under pressure when
you're near the bottom of the league, especially when you've just been on
the wrong end of a big scoreline.
West Ham have kept a few clean sheets of late and have one of the best
defensive records in the division away from home. However, I am going to go
for Norwich to win 1-0 because I just feel they need it a little bit more
than West Ham. The first goal in this game will be as big as any we've seen
this season from these teams because it will probably settle the match.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-0
Norwich
Last 6
Man City (a)7-0
Man Utd (a)4-0
Cardiff (h)0-0
Arsenal (a)4-1
1-3
0-1
Hughton is hopeful of having Scotland winger Robert Snodgrass available for
Norwich following his recovery from concussion. However, midfielder Nathan
Redmond is doubtful because of a hip problem, while record-signing Ricky van
Wolfswinkel remains out with a foot injury. Midfielders Alexander Tettey
(ankle) and Elliott Bennett (knee) are both long-term absentees for the
hosts.
West Ham
Last 6
A Villa (h)0-0
0-2
Swansea (a)0-0
Man City (h)1-3
Tottenham (a)0-3
Hull City (a)1-0
West Ham will be without defender Winston Reid for their trip to Norwich, as
the New Zealand international is out with an ankle injury he suffered in
training.
However, fellow defender James Collins is available following a hamstring
problem. The Hammers' forward options remain limited with Andy Carroll
(heel) and Mladen Petric (thigh) both ruled out, while Matthew Taylor
(thigh), George McCartney and Alou Diarra (both knee) are also absent.
Opta Stats
Norwich have lost only one of their six Premier League games against West
Ham and are unbeaten in home meetings.
West Ham have conceded only one goal in five Premier League away games this
season.
The Hammers could become the first team to draw three Premier League games
in a row 0-0 since 2009.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham midfielder Kevin Nolan believes they should be higher up table
Last Updated: November 8, 2013 9:40pm
SSN
West Ham midfielder Kevin Nolan feels their current league position does not
accurately reflect how they have been playing as they prepare to face
Norwich in Saturday Night Football. Sam Allardyce's side lie 15th in the
Premier League table, just two points clear of the relegation zone ahead of
this weekend's fixtures.
The Londoners have conceded just eight league goals all season, with
Southampton and Tottenham the only teams with meaner defences. But they have
managed to score only eight goals themselves, a factor which Nolan concedes
has prevented them from climbing the table. "When you look at the
performances we've put out this year I think we should be a lot higher,"
Nolan told Weekend Warm-Up. "We've ended up being in and around the bottom
three for most of the season but to have six clean sheets at this stage of
the season, 10 games gone in the Premier League, you can't really ask for
more. "It's just down to us now to start putting the ball in the back of the
net, that's the be all and end all." Nolan scored 10 goals for West Ham last
season, including a hat-trick in their 4-2 victory over Reading on the final
day of the campaign. He has struggled for goals this season though, with his
only one to date coming in the opening day win over Cardiff, and with his
side usually going on to win matches he scores in, Nolan is keen to find his
goalscoring touch once more. "When I score, we win games!" he added.
"There's no doubt about that, when I score a goal I want to make sure it
means something and we go on to win a game. "I'm not about personal
accolades or trying to score just to get my numbers up. "I've got to score
goals, that's a major part of my armoury if you like. I'm feeling that I'm
starting to get the chances again." Nolan will go up against an old
team-mate from his Bolton days on Saturday, with Sweden striker Johan
Elmander now leading the line for Norwich. Elmander has fond memories of his
time at the Reebok Stadium and feels Nolan remains a major threat in front
of goal.
"He's been up on the top for so many years and he's always delivering, he
just keeps on going," he said. "He's always fighting and giving everything
in every game. He'll turn up in that hole where the ball is coming, and when
he gets the chance he puts in the goal. That's something you're born with."
Elmander admits he is looking forward to testing himself against a number of
former Bolton team-mates, but insists he will do them no favours on the
field. "I think there are four or five of them there now, Jussi
Jaaskelainen, Kevin Nolan, (Ricardo) Vaz Te, (Matthew) Taylor and Andy
O'Brien," he added. "It's good friends of mine, they were really nice to me
when I was up in Bolton so it's going to be something special to play
against West Ham. "But when you're on the pitch you don't think about that
much."
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Olympic Stadium: Three plead guilty to illegally obtaining private data
Last Updated: November 8, 2013 9:12pm
SSN
Three men have pleaded guilty to illegally obtaining private information
regarding the future of London's Olympic Stadium, ahead of the decision to
award West Ham use of the venue from 2016. In a criminal case at Inner
London Crown Court, Howard Hill, Richard Michael Forrest and Lee Stewart
accepted their guilt and will be sentenced next month. Following the
Olympics and before West Ham were granted use of the stadium, football club
Tottenham was accused by the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) of ordering
surveillance by private investigators on board members tasked with deciding
the fate of the arena after the Games. Accountancy firm PKF was employed by
Tottenham who denied being involved in illegal activity. Hill, a former
partner at PKF, was accused of unlawfully obtaining personal data such as
phone bills and bank statements from West Ham and OPLC workers. At a
separate court case, PKF was accused of unlawfully obtaining telephone
records of West Ham's vice-chairman Karren Brady during the bidding process.
After much wrangling and many meetings, West Ham agreed on a 99-year deal to
move from Upton Park and rent the revamped £486m stadium. The 80,000-seat
venue will be downsized to 54,000 and reconfigured with a new roof and
retractable seats. As the anchor tenant, West Ham will have primary of use
of the stadium, although the venue will retain the running track and stage
other sporting events and concerts.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
SPURSGATE
By Sean Whetstone 9 Nov 2013 at 08:24
West Ham Till I Die
Forty one years ago Howard Hunt (HH) put together a team of private
investigators nicknamed the Plumbers to break into the Watergate hotel. An
act that would turn into a massive cover up which ended the reign & career
of President Richard Nixon.
A few days after the break-in, Nixon was recorded saying,, "This fellow
Hunt, he knows too damn much." Howard Hunt later put pressure on the White
House for cash payments to cover legal fees, family support, and expenses,
for himself and his fellow burglars. In 2011 another HH (Howard Hill) is
alleged to have put together a team of private investigators who went on to
obtain phone records belonging to West Ham Vice Chairman Karren Brady.
These phone records were passed to Tottenham Hotspur's lawyers in early
March 2011, although Spurs continue to claim that the club did not receive
copies itself.
At a high court hearing in 2011 lawyers for Karren Brady and West Ham won an
order requiring accountants PKF, hired by Spurs to conduct "due diligence"
on the first bidding process for the Olympic Stadium, to hand over
"unlawfully obtained" copies of Brady's itemised phone bills.
Spurs lawyers were gathering material for a possible judicial review, which
eventually reached court in October 2011 but was then halted in its tracks
when the government and the OPLC pulled the plug on their deal with West Ham
and Newham council in the face of delays caused by legal challenges from
Spurs. The records are believed to show details of phone calls between Brady
and OPLC board members, including the then chief executive Andrew Altman.
In his witness statement the Spurs finance director Matthew Collecott said:
"I understand [Howard] Hill produced Brady's phone records to the lawyers.
When asked he confirmed they had been received anonymously. The lawyers
claim they made it clear to Howard Hill it was imperative that all
investigations were carried out within the law."
Matthew Collecott confirmed that PKF was engaged in February 2011 to carry
out "due diligence" on the process. Spurs were concerned details of their
tender for the Olympic Stadium had been leaked. West Ham's legal counsel,
said his reading of Matthew Collecott's desciption of the sequence of the
events was that Howard Hill was being painted as a "rogue agent" who had
"exceeded his authority". Both PKF and Howard Hill claimed not to know where
the phone bills came from, saying they had been sent anonymously. "I did not
attach any significance to Howard Hill's reference to receiving telephone
records," claimed Matthew Collecott.
The 2011 court case brought by West Ham heard an individual calling
themselves "Thomas Brady" with a fictional West Ham email address had
managed to obtain Brady's itemised Vodafone mobile phone bills from its
customer services department. PKF claimed not to know where the documents
had come from and said that its partner Howard Hill had claimed the
telephone records arrived "in the proverbial brown envelope".
Howard Hill admitted passing the records to the Sunday Times, which used
them as part of the basis for an article. Hill later apologised to the Spurs
chairman, Daniel Levy, after the Sunday Times article appeared, the court
was told. The judge had described how West Ham and Brady were given the
"traditional run around" by Spurs and PKF as they attempted to establish
whether the phone bills existed and who had access to them.
This week Howard Hill pleaded guilty at Inner London crown court to
unlawfully obtaining personal data such as phone bills and bank records from
executives working for West Ham and the Olympic Park Legacy Company. Two
other men Richard Forrest and Lee Stewart also pleaded guilty to the same
offence and all three will be sentenced on 20th December. Three counts of
fraud by false representation were left to lie on file.
Spurs have repeatedly insisted that they knew nothing of Hill's illegal
behaviour and PKF, which has since merged with BDO, has also said it was
unaware of any illegal activity.
In the seventies the New York Times asked 'What did Nixon Know & When Did He
Know It?'
I would like to ask that same question to Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy and
finance director Matthew Collecott.
Will this turn out to be Spursgate?
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce says the pressure will be on him if West Ham lose to Norwich
9 Nov 2013 01:24
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce could not care less about Chris Hughton's plight – because
defeat for West Ham will put his job on the line. Big Sam's Hammers travel
to Carrow Road today and victory for the visitors could spell the end for
under-fire Hughton, whose side have taken just eight points from 10 games in
the Premier League. But Allardyce said Norwich will go above his side if
they win, which would put the heat on him. "If they beat us on Saturday, he
(Chris Hughton) is in a much better position than I am and the pressure then
comes on me," said Allardyce. "I'm not foolish enough, I know the pressure
is on us all. "I'm two points off Chris Hughton, so it is a massive game for
us both. "I don't want to finish on Saturday and be below Norwich City
because then the pressure reverts on to me."
Allardyce has been rocked by the news that star defender Winston Reid is
unavailable for the trip after suffering an ankle injury. But fellow
centre-half James Collins is now back from his hamstring strain and will
partner James Tomkins in defence.
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WHUFC.com
James Collins on his return from injury, Norwich City, his Wales comeback
and culinary talents
08.11.2013
Hello everyone,
I'm delighted to say that I'm back in full training and hope to be involved
at Norwich on Saturday. I thought I would be out for about seven weeks, but
it's just about three weeks now and I'm happy to be back. After not playing
for West Ham the weekend before, I played two quick games for Wales. We had
a tough game on the Friday night against Macedonia and then a game in
Belgium on the Tuesday and unfortunately I pulled my hamstring. Maybe it was
too much work, or perhaps just old age! They thought it would be seven
weeks, but the staff here have done great and got me back in three.
Obviously it's disappointing circumstances for me to come back with Winston
Reid getting injured at a time when he is playing so well, but we had clean
sheets when I was playing earlier in the season and hopefully we can
continue our form. I am happy to get my place back, but it's tinged with a
bit of sadness on Reidy's side.
We do a lot of work on the defensive side of the game. The Gaffer works hard
on it on the training pitch and that's how we start every game - we know if
we don't concede we're not going to lose the game. Whoever fills in, in the
centre or in the full-back positions, we know have a solid base to keep a
clean sheet.
We've got a great record away from home at the minute - we've only conceded
one penalty away to Hull - so we'll be looking to keep a clean sheet again.
Hopefully we can pop up and score at the other end and I can chip in as
well.
Last season at Norwich we kept a clean sheet and nicked a nil-nil. I
conceded a free-kick that was VERY close to being a penalty, but thankfully
it wasn't and we defended well. We'll have to do that again on Saturday and
hopefully we can nick a couple of goals. I don't think it matters how
Norwich got on last week. I have been on the end of an 8-1 defeat at Chelsea
when I was at Aston Villa and we went out the next week and probably played
the best we had all year. On other occasions, we've been thrashed and played
twice as bad the following game. You can't really say how the match will pan
out. We've just got to go there, defend well and create chances and score
goals.
Our last victory at Norwich was in January 2006 in the FA Cup third round
and I remember it well. I played against my old Cardiff team-mate Peter
Thorne, who was playing up front for them, and it was a tough game. It's
always a hard one up at Norwich because their fans are passionate about
their club and about their local community. It's always a good atmosphere
there, too.
Talking of good atmospheres, I watched my old team Cardiff's win over
Swansea last Sunday and it was great. It was a tense game and the rivalry is
massive down there, but I think the best team won on the day. I hope to be
returning to Cardiff myself next weekend when Wales take on Finland in a
friendly. Me and the manager Chris Coleman sorted out our differences and I
played in the last two World Cup qualifiers and I hope to be in the squad
again and help my country. This will be our first international following
Craig Bellamy's retirement and it will be a bit strange. I was with him a
lot on our last trip to Belgium and he has been around the Welsh set-up for
as long as I've been playing. It will be strange, but Bellars said himself
that his retirement gives another youngster a chance to come in and do well.
He's got to look after his body as he becomes an old man, but it gives
someone else a chance.
Two of our younger players, Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, are doing great.
it speaks for itself, the way Gareth has gone to Real Madrid for a record
fee and he has done well, setting up and scoring goals. Aaron has been the
player of the season by far this year so far. They're both great lads and
have stayed grounded. They have family back in Wales and go back there,
which I think helps them off the pitch. If they can perform anywhere near
the way they have for their clubs for Wales, then we have a bright future.
Just before I go, I want to mention my proud record of identifying the
various types of fish served in the canteen! I do like my food so I tend to
get the chefs to quiz me now and then. I try to cook as much as I can at
home, even though the wife usually tries to dissuade me! I take an interest
in the kitchen and my signature dishes are usually fish, but I'll have a go
at whatever I can rustle up.
Myself and a few of the boys have opened a restaurant in Chelmsford called
59 New Street and I hope to do some cooking in there before Christmas, so
watch this space! Tim De'Ath, our old chef and current player liaison
officer and England team chef, has devised the menu there and we often go
there with our families to eat and the food is great. Hopefully a few West
Ham fans can come down and eat there, too!
Have a great weekend,
Ginge
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Hammers pair open sports centre
WHUFC.com
Sir Trevor Brooking and Jack Collison opened a new community sports centre
in Bedfordshire
08.11.2013
Two famous West Ham United No10s were on hand to open a new community sports
centre in Bedfordshire this week. Sir Trevor Brooking and Jack Collison both
attended the ceremony to mark the opening of the £1.3m Shefford Sports Club
facility, which will play host to a number of local football clubs. Among
them will be the junior club Collison played for as a schoolboy growing up,
Shefford Saints FC, as well as the town's Bedfordshire County Football
League side Shefford Town and Campton FC. Funded by the Football Foundation
- the nation's largest sports charity that is funded by the Premier League,
The FA, and the Government via Sport England - the Football Stadia
Improvement Fund and WREN, Landfill Communities Fund, the new facilities
include a full-size adult pitch, training area and five junior pitches, plus
a new clubhouse. Sir Trevor praised everyone involved in enabling the
development to take place, pointing to the importance of grassroots football
to the fortunes of English national team. "This is a really good example of
a variety of different groups working together to do the funding," he said.
"Obviously The FA had an involvement through the Football Foundation and you
have to admire the officials who have taken a long time going through the
process. "For a club with 21 junior teams to get a venue like this, with an
important clubhouse to pay for the ongoing costs of things like coaching
courses for the managers, improving the facilities, kits and everything else
that is needed to sustain a club. "As we celebrate England's qualification
for the World Cup in Brazil next year it is always heartening to attend an
event like this and see how we are benefiting our younger players, both boys
and girls. "All of the players who will be representing England at the World
Cup finals will have played for a grassroots club when they were starting
out and that is why facilities like this are so important for the future of
football in this country."
After Sir Trevor had cut the ribbon to officially open the new complex, both
he and Wales midfielder Collison spent time meeting young footballers,
posing for photographs, signing autographs and passing on advice on how to
follow in their illustrious footsteps. Collison has kept a close eye on the
development at his old club, attending a ground-breaking ceremony when work
got underway in June 2012. "The club still means a lot to me," revealed the
25-year-old. "I played here as child and my family are still local. I had a
great time playing here and so it is important that these clubs are given
the support in this way to try and improve and be able to offer the chance
for youngsters to play."
Collison won the Shefford Saints Player of the Year award as an Under-9 and
the club now has a special award named in his honour that is presented
annually to a player with the greatest potential.
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Potts expects tough test
WHUFC.com
Steve Potts believes his U18s will face their toughest test yet when they
play Aston Villa on Saturday
08.11.2013
West Ham United Under-18s manager Steve Potts is expecting a tough match on
Saturday when his team welcome Aston Villa to Little Heath (1pm kick-off).
The ex-Hammers defender believes the third place Villans will provide the
sternest test yet for his charges in their Barclays Under-18 Premier League
campaign. Potts' team are on a six match unbeaten run which has seen them
move into sixth place in the table but he believes their resilience will be
put to the test this weekend. He told West Ham TV: "I get clips of the
opposition the week before we play each team and from the clips I've seen so
far of Aston Villa, they look like the best team I've seen - I think it will
be a real test for us come Saturday. "Every game we're being tested in
different ways, on Saturday I do think Aston Villa are a very good all-round
team so that will be a real test for us whether we're playing home or away."
If Potts' team keep up their fine defensive work then all three points may
well be within their grasp against Villa. The Hammers boast the second best
defensive record in the league, a fact which is pleasing for a man who made
505 appearances at the back for West Ham United. "I often think that the
forwards get all the headlines but the defenders have to do the nitty gritty
side of the game. "You can enjoy your defending that's for sure. You can
enjoy getting a clean sheet or getting good tackles in but I think when you
talk about a defensive record it's a group thing not just the defenders.
"Everyone has to play a role now, even the forwards because gone are the
days when you could have luxury players who don't defend. You look at all
the top teams now and I think everyone puts a shift in and that's the way
the game's gone."
The 46-year-old has seen several of his squad make their bow for the
Development Squad in recent times with Reece Burke, Moses Makasi, Amos Nasha
and Josh Cullen all appearing in the Barclays Under-21 Premier League draw
against Chelsea. Burke played the full 90 minutes in that match, turning in
a strong performance alongside Pelly Ruddock at the heart of the defence and
Potts believes his performance was testament to his development. "He's
really come on over the last couple of years. With Reece he's got a
fantastic attitude, he wants to learn and I've never had a problem with him
training wise. "He's always on his game giving 100 per cent in training and
takes that into matches. He's the sort of kid that deserves to do well
because of that."
Potts also explained he is a happy man when any of his side make the step-up
to the Under-21s. "That's why we're here, to try and push the boys on as
much as we can. When you have an involvement with the boys on a day-to-day
basis and then they do get pushed up higher you're keen to see how they cope
with it and I think they've done ok with that so far."
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Six of the best - Norwich City
WHUFC.com
A look into the past at six memorable triumphs for West Ham United against
Norwich City
08.11.2013
West Ham United travel to Carrow Road on Saturday looking to extend their
unbeaten away run to four matches in all competitions when they take on
Norwich City in the Barclays Premier League. Sam Allardyce's side take a
brilliant record of six clean sheets to Norfolk and will feel confident of
extending that against Chris Hughton's goal-shy team Here whufc.com takes a
look at six memorable wins over the Canaries for Hammers fans to savour
ahead of the Saturday evening fixture.
Norwich City 1-2 West Ham United
FA Cup third tound
7 January 2006
Premier League West Ham overcame Championship side Norwich to get through to
the fourth round of the FA Cup. The Hammers were in front after just six
minutes when Bobby Zamora laid the ball to Hayden Mullins who lashed his
shot past Robert Green. Zamora himself then got on the score sheet when he
capitalised on Green's error to nod home from close-range. Paul McVeigh
pulled one back from the penalty spot after James Collins handled but the
Hammers held on to progress to the next round. Alan Pardew's team would make
it all the way to the final where they would eventually lose on penalties to
Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium.
West Ham United 1-0 Norwich City
FA Cup third round
8 January 2005
Just under a year previously, the sides would meet at this stage of the FA
Cup again, Championship side West Ham knocked out their Premier League
visitors.
An 81st minute header from striker Marlon Harewood put the Hammers into the
fourth round draw at the expense of their ailing opponents. West Ham didn't
make it any further in the competition however and after a home draw with
Sheffield United the Blades eliminated them in the replay.
West Ham 4-0 Norwich City
Division One
11 April 1992
Bottom of the table West Ham bought their ten match winless run to an abrupt
halt with a thumping win over the Canaries. Matthew Rush grabbed two goals
with Ian Bishop also scoring whilst Julian Dicks got in on the act with a
trademark penalty. The big win wasn't enough to save the Hammers who were
relegated after finishing bottom of the league.
West Ham United 4-2 Norwich City
Division One
1 January 1974
The Hammers begun the New Year in style after they put four goals past
Norwich at the Boleyn Ground. The win was vital for West Ham who started the
day in the relegation zone but climbed out of it with this big win. Graham
Paddon struck twice with Bobby Gould and Trevor Brooking also scoring to
ease their relegation fears.
Norwich City 0-1 West Ham United
Division One
10 February 1973
West Ham completed a fine double over the Canaries thanks to a goal from
Bryan Robson in front of over 32,000 fans at Carrow Road. Earlier in the
season the Hammers had beaten Norwich 4-0 at the Boleyn Ground and took all
three points once again. West Ham went on to record a fifth place finish in
the division whilst Norwich flirted with relegation before finishing a place
above the drop zone.
Norwich City 2-6 West Ham United
Division Two
11 March 1939
Charlie Paynter's West Ham side hit six past Norwich to continue the Norfolk
club's slide towards relegation. A hat-trick from centre-forward Sam Small,
two from Joseph Stanley Foxall and one from John Morton sent the visitors to
a thumping win. The Canaries were relegated on goal difference that season
whilst the Hammers finished in eleventh place.
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Olympic Stadium bid: Three admit spying on West Ham United
BBC.co.uk
Three men have admitted spying on West Ham United during the bidding process
for the Olympic Stadium. Richard Forrest, Lee Stewart and Howard Hill
admitted illegally obtaining confidential information from the football club
and Olympic Park Legacy Company at Inner London Crown Court. They were
arrested after claims that Tottenham Hotspur had spied on Olympic officials,
which the club denied. The three men will be sentenced on 20 December.
Forrest, 31, of Furzefield in Crawley, Stewart, 40, of More Lane in Esher,
and Hill, 59, of Shrigley Road South in Stockport, all admitted one charge
of obtaining personal data contrary to Section 55 Data Protection Act 1998.
A charge of fraud by false representation was left to lie on file for each
of the defendants. The men had previously denied the charge at Southwark
Crown Court. Tottenham Hotspur, Leyton Orient and West Ham all made bids to
use the stadium after the 2012 Olympic Games, with the Hammers eventually
being awarded sole use.
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Norwich v West Ham
KO 17:30
8 November 2013
By John Roder
Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Carrow Road Date: Saturday, 9 November
Norwich midfielder Robert Snodgrass returns after concussion, but striker
Ricky van Wolfswinkel will again miss out with a continuing toe injury.
Nathan Redmond is still nursing a hip problem and is a doubt.
West Ham defender Winston Reid is out with an ankle injury but James Collins
has overcome a hamstring complaint. Striker Mladen Petric has a calf
problem, while Andy Carroll (foot) and Ricardo vaz Te (shoulder) are
long-term absentees.
MATCH PREVIEW
Norwich manager Chris Hughton has been the focus of considerable attention
ahead of this fixture, which is being billed by some as a match the Canaries
must win if the personable former Birmingham boss is to keep his job.
Norwich have played Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea in three of their
last four league matches, a difficult run for anyone, but the manner of
their 7-0 defeat by Manuel Pellegrini's Blues last weekend has raised
considerable questions about the direction the Canaries season is taking.
Both of these teams have the same problem, namely a lack of goals, with
Norwich scoring just six times in the Premier League so far and West Ham
eight. City's new signings up front - Ricky van Wolfswinkel, Gary Hooper,
Johan Elmander and Nathan Redmond - have between them contributed just two
league goals since arriving in Norfolk, while Andy Carroll's injury means
that Sam Allardyce is short of attacking options. "There are a few Norwich
players who are due a good performance. It would be great for their manager
Chris Hughton if they can produce one against West Ham because it would take
the pressure off him a bit. "Hughton needs more than one good result,
though. After West Ham is the international break, then Norwich are away at
Newcastle and at home to Crystal Palace. Those three games will be crucial
for him." At the back it's a tale of two very different defences. Norwich
have conceded an average of two goals per match, while the Hammers have six
clean sheets so far. With all the attention on Norwich it's easy to overlook
the fact that West Ham have only two more points than their opponents this
weekend. Nonetheless, the Hammers have a better away record than at home so
far, with just one goal conceded on their travels, and they've kept a clean
sheet in their last three on the road. The atmosphere at Carrow Road in the
past few seasons has generally been positive, with the club making huge
strides since the last time they conceded seven goals. That, you may
remember, was at home to Colchester in a League One fixture back in August
2009 and led to a change of manager. Whatever happens this Saturday, it is
going to be a rather tense evening for the home fans as they look for a
positive reaction to last week's events at the Etihad.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Norwich City are unbeaten in 15 home league games against West Ham United
(W8, D7) since a 1-0 top-flight defeat in February 1973.
West Ham did, however, win 1-0 at Carrow Road in the FA Cup in January 2006
on their way to reaching the final.
Last season's meeting at Norwich in September 2012 finished goalless.
Norwich City
Only Crystal Palace (21) have conceded more goals than Norwich (20), with
the 7-0 loss at Manchester City their heaviest since they were defeated by
the same scoreline at Sheffield Wednesday in November 1938.
The Canaries have conceded 18 goals in the last five games.
Chris Hughton's side have already played four of the current top five
(Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham) in the Premier League -
losing all four games.
No club has trailed more often at half-time in the Premier League than
Norwich (six), who have gone on to lose all of those games.
West Ham United
West Ham have failed to find the net in six league games - the joint highest
number in the Premier League along with Crystal Palace.
Only Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has kept more Premier League clean
sheets (seven) than West Ham's Jussi Jaaskelainen (six) this season.
All four of United draws this season have been goalless, the most in the top
flight.
Ravel Morrison has scored with both of his shots on target this season, with
his two goals also making him the club's top league scorer.
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Guilty
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 8th November 2013
By: Staff Writer
The three men accused of spying on Karren Brady and other individuals
employed by West Ham United have all pleaded guilty. 59-year-old Howard Hill
- a former partner at accountancy firm PKF, Richard Forrest, 31, and Lee
Stewart, 40 all pleaded guilty to charges of unlawfully obtaining phone
records and bank statements belonging to vice-Chairman Karren Brady and
other members of staff involved with the Club's Olympic Stadium bid. The
entire episode was exposed by a Sunday Times article in July 2011 in which
Tottenham Hotspur - who, at the time were also involved with the Olympic
Stadium bidding process - were accused of hiring PKF in order to unearth any
'conflicts of interest' which may have arisen from West Ham's bid for the
stadium. Hill, Forrest and Stewart will be sentenced on 20 December. Three
further individuals arrested in connection with the case have since been
released and will face no charges.
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Rio calling for Ravel
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 8th November 2013
By: Liam Newman
West Ham's Ravel Morrison has once again been included in Gareth Southgate's
England Under 21 side as the Young Lions prepare to for a double-header
against Finland and San Marino.
The Young Lions sit atop Group One of the European Qualifiers and will look
to extend their unbeaten start to the campaign as they bid to reach the 2015
tournament, which is being held in the Czech Republic.
Morrison's inclusion suggests that Southgate sees the West Ham midfielder as
a key part of his plans although the player himself might still harbour
hopes of forcing his way into the senior setup in time for next summer's
World Cup.
Morrison made an instant impact for the Young Lions, scoring two on his
first home appearance against Lithuania. He was instrumental in that 5-0
victory and only took three minutes to open the scoring before completing
his brace with England's fourth. That fine performance was preceded by his
Under 21 debut against San Marino, just five days earlier, but already the
20-year-old looks like a fundamental component of Southgate's setup.
As West Ham fans will tell you, the midfielder is blessed with a raw talent
that not too many English players seem to possess. His natural ability to
take a man on was demonstrated to perfection with that incredible solo goal
at White Hart Lane and that is gift that we rarely see from home-grown
talent.
However, for all the skill and dribbling technique that the West Ham man
possesses, you could never classify him as selfish. For many young players,
the inability to spot a pass or play the final ball is the primary weakness
that prevents them from progressing to the very highest level. Morrision on
the other hand has already shown that upon those naturally gifted shoulders
lies a genuine football brain and that arguably is what sets him aside from
some of the country's other emerging stars.
Despite all of the highly publicised problems that he encountered as a
'tearaway teen', it is impossible to overlook the significance of his time
at Old Trafford. At Manchester United he was encouraged to express an
unquestionable raw talent whilst also developing an understanding of the
game under the guidance of some of the world's greatest coaching staff.
Although it ultimately didn't work out there, he could have hardly asked for
a better foundation to grow as a player.
On leaving Old Trafford, West Ham is one of the very few places that could
allow the player to continue his growth. Nearly two years down the line it
is clear to see that Morrison has been nurtured by two of the best youth
systems in the country and the rewards are now showing for both club and
country.
Whilst it is still early days in Morrison's career at both domestic and
international level, the potential is clear for all to see and makes his
future a mouth-watering prospect for supporters of West Ham and indeed
England. The year-long loan spell at Birmingham City definitely helped the
player mature and adapt to the physical demands of first-team football
whilst simultaneously allowing him to grow in confidence and ability.
Since returning to West Ham, the youngster has been somewhat of a Ravelation
in the Hammers midfield and is proving to be one of the most exciting
talents in the entire Premier League. Whilst we've previously seen plenty of
cases where fans and pundits alike have overhyped a player based on a
promising few matches, there is a genuine feeling that Morrison will live up
to expectations and eventually become a main fixture of the senior England
setup as well as being a vital piece in Allardyce's jigsaw.
Although Morrison has burst onto the scene in recent weeks, it is an outcome
that has threatened to occur for a number of years and is only the
culmination of dedicated hard work from one of England's finest young
talents. With his troublesome past well behind him, it now seems that the
world is at Ravel's young feet and there is no reason that he can't go on to
fulfil his full potential.
The call-up to Southgate's side is another stepping stone as the young
Hammer continues his rapid development in what is already proving to be a
monumental year in the 20-year-old's career. It's another great opportunity
to force himself into Roy Hodgson's plans in this important World Cup year
and two strong performances, at the Stadium:MK and New Meadow, will
certainly do him no harm.
Elsewhere, Mohammed Diame is included in the Senegal squad and will be
expected to start in their second leg playoff match against Ivory Coast in
Dakar. However, the Lions are trailing 3-1 and qualification for the World
Cup looks unlikely.
Meanwhile, Martin O'Neill's first squad sees a recall for Joey O'Brien and
the West Ham defender could make his first international appearance in over
a year.
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Norwich City v West Ham United
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 8th November 2013
By: Preview Percy
More from the man who failed the audition for the "Grumpy Old Men" TV show
because he was too miserable. Television's loss is, er, our loss as
well.....
Next we journey up the M11 to the land of the extra digit where we will be
entertained by Norwich City. Kick-off is at 5.30pm for the benefit of the
be-saucered amongst you. There doesn't seem to be anything in the way of
engineering works on the appropriate railway lines so an early start should
see you sampling the local ales for a decent session.
Our hosts are not in the rudest of health at present, sitting third from
bottom with 8 points from their 10 games thus far. They have a four point
and five point cushion over Sunderland & Palace respectively at the moment.
The 8 points have come courtesy of an opening day 2-2 home draw with
Everton, a 1-0 win over Southampton (also at home) later that month, a 1-0
win over Stoke at the Britannia in September and a 0-0 draw with Cardiff
last month. Other than that it's been defeats all the way, most notably last
weekend when they shipped 7 (seven) without response against Man City,
something that left them with a goal difference of -14, only one goal better
off than the bottom two.
The Cardiff game ended controversially as Leroy Fer put the ball into an
unguarded net whilst all around were expecting him to play the ball back to
the 'keeper, the ball having been played out by Cardiff to enable a Norwich
player to receive treatment. After a minute or two of pushing and shoving
the goal was chalked off, the "handbags" earning both clubs a fine – Norwich
coughing up £20k with Cardiff's share yet to be decided at the time of
writing. Fer later owned up that he'd "scored" deliberately, an admission
which, I suppose, contained honesty, if not sportsmanship. Of course one
should not ignore the role of the referee in all this. Mike Jones (for 'twas
he) claimed that he'd disallowed the goal because he hadn't blown the
whistle for the restart. Strangely, nobody asked Jones a) why he didn't blow
up in the several seconds that elapsed between the throw being taken and the
ball entering the net; b) why he hadn't felt it necessary to signal the
restart for any of the other throw-ins that afternoon; and c) whether he
would have signalled play on had the Cardiff 'keeper picked the ball up.
Actually, it's not that strange that nobody asked. Everyone knows the
answers anyway – unlike Fer, Jones has never given the impression of being
over-familiar with the concept of honesty.
Norwich are, famously, majority owned by Mr & Mrs Wynn-Jones. You may, of
course know Mrs Wynn-Jones better as Delia Smith, Norfolk's answer to Fanny
Craddock. This fact got us thinking here at the Avram Grant Olympic Rest
Home For The Bewildered. We reckon the tv companies may be missing a trick.
The other afternoon there were at least three of the tv channels available
in the day room that weren't showing some sort of cookery programme.
A few years ago the Wynn-Joneses looked as if they were about to sell up.
Minority shareholdings were purchased by interested parties, places on the
board were arranged and it seems that Delia was to ride off into the sunset
to concentrate on her spam fritters. However, the new investors came and
went and the only major new appearance on the board in recent years has been
Stephen Fry. Which is, I suppose, quite interesting.
There were a number of changes on the personnel front during the summer. The
aforementioned Fer, whose surname is French for "Iron", came in for a
reported £7m from Dutchmen FC Twente. Norwich represents Fer's second
attempt at forging (forging, geddit? Oh suit yourselves) a career in
England. He'd agreed a deal to join Everton back in January but a problem
with one of his knees (either the right or the left – it's really not that
important you know), led to Everton trying to negotiate the transfer fee on
a pay as you go basis. Twente weren't impressed and pulled out of the deal.
Which is how he ended up in Norfolk.
Grant Holt left for Wigan to be replaced by no fewer than three strikers (as
a well-known search engine might say "three strikers? Did you mean No
strikers?). You have to say that whatever his footballing pedigree, Ricky
Van Wolfswinkel is a damned fine name. Apparently he got the nickname
"Hat-ricky" as a kid but, lets face it, when you have a name that good any
attempt to jazz it up is, frankly, a waste of time. Sometimes less is more.
RVW came in from Sporting (Lisbon), having been contacted by Dutch legend
Johan Neeskens who told him he should join the Canaries. Robin Van Persie
also called him and said the same thing, but he joined anyway, £8.5m being
the alleged fee. Van Wolfswinkel missed the Man City drubbing and the spotty
work experience oik has just told me that he'll be absent this weekend as
well, which is a shame as it would have been interesting to hear the home
support trying to shoehorn that name into a popular terrace chant.
The second striker in is the less-spectacularly-named Gary Hooper, whose
transfer in from Celtic seemed to take forever to sort out. It probably
didn't, but it just seemed that every time I saw a newspaper it contained
the words "Gary Hooper is expected to compete his transfer to Norwich soon".
Hooper's journey through the football world has been a strange one. An Essex
boy, he didn't last too long in the Spurs youth system and elected to go up
in the world by joining Grays Athletic. A bit cheesed off with getting only
two or three minutes off the bench each week, he left Grays and ended up at
Southend. His two year spell at Roots Hall was punctuated with loan spells
at Hereford and Leyton Orient before he moved on permanently to Scunthorpe,
where he averaged a goal roughly every other game. Celtic, of all people,
won the inevitable bidding war and North of the border he went for a
reported £2.4m. Up there he improved his average to a goal every game and a
half and he spent his three years in the coveted no.88 shirt (the year he
was born if you're that interested) being linked with a move back to
civilisation (or, in one case, Hull), eventually ending up at Carrow Road
for £5m. His Norwich career has been a bit stop start due to injury and it
wasn't until the Cardiff match that he made his first start.
The third striker to arrive was former Bolton chappie Johan Elmander. The
much-capped Swede has come in on a season-long loan from Galatasary. During
his Bolton career he once went through a scoreless spell that lasted no less
than nine months. Have a guess which team he broke his duck against. Yup.
Winger Robert Snodgrass is thought to be ok for this match. He was knocked
cold during the 4-0 League Cup defeat at Old Trafford, an injury that meant
he was missing from the 7-0 at Man City – though I'm not sure anyone would
have noticed one more Norwich player walking about in a daze last weekend.
And what about us? Well we had the better of the match against Villa without
quite having the cutting edge that some of the approach play deserved. Who'd
have thought that would happen what with us playing without strikers and
all.
It's been a bit quiet on the disciplinary front - I've been waiting all week
for the FA to announce Villa full-back Matt Lowton's punishment for hi stamp
on Mark Noble. I've seen the un-broadcast footage (don't ask) and it's a
shocking piece of video – all the more so for the fact that ref Webb was
close enough to have seen had he actually been looking the right way. Any
time you'd like to announce that 3 match ban would be good guys.
There will be changes afoot for this one. The club had put Biggles on
standby to whisk the Kiwi away to represent his country. However, the plan
ran into a snag when nobody in Norfolk knew where the nearest airport
capable of taking a decent-sized jet was. Or indeed where the nearest
airport was. Or what an airport actually is. Whilst the club travel agent
was patiently explaining the principles behind powered flight to a baffled
Norwich City Council official, out came the news that Reid had injured a
foot in training, thus sparing the club official the tricky bit about the
Wright Brothers. James Collins is now fit enough to return to the side
alongside James Tomkins, who has been in good form of late.
The aforementioned Noble has also been in good form but, according to
Hodgson, he's no Tom Cleverley. From a club point of view we're all glad
about that I suppose but it must be galling for the lad to see players
getting international recognition on the basis of the fact that they're
playing poorly in the right colour shirt.
Up front Mr Allardyce's comments suggest that we'll go with the zero option
once more, which would mean another spot of benchwarming for Cole C (though
with all the mind games that bosses play these days it wouldn't be a total
surprise to see him start). I suppose that this is a good a game as any to
do the 4-6-0 thing in – as the match against Spurs showed it's a formation
you can get away with against weaker opposition.
Prediction? Well their defeat last week was against Mn City who, as we know
only too well, can be devastating when they're on form. However, most
observers came away shaking their heads muttering about how poor Norwich
actually were. It's one thing picking yourselves up from a tonking from a
superior team if you're not a bad side yourselves, but the psychological
damage that must come from the realisation that you're an average side that
is going to rely heavily on there being three sides in the league even worse
than you is something that will be more difficult to overcome.
Though they will undoubtedly try to come out of the traps fighting (to mix a
metaphor), I think an early goal would see heads go down. So, assuming that
instructions to get at the opposition early doors are issued and carried
out, I can see us having a bit too much for them. With that in mind, the
Avram Grant Olympic Rest Home Fund to buy Roy Hodgson a copy of the AtoZ
that actually contains the E13 postcode (£2.50) will be placed on an away
win this week. 2-1 shall we say? Lovely.
Enjoy the game!
When Last We Met At Carrow Road – Drew 0-0 (Sept 2012) They moaned like
anything that they should have had a penalty instead of a free kick. Had
they got television up there they'd have seen from the replay that the foul
was outside the box.
Jonathan Moss Cost us the match against Stoke at the Boleyn this season by
falling for a blatant dive then ignoring Shawcross's barge into the wall as
the resulting free-kick was taken. I mean it's not as if Stoke are known for
that sort of thing is it. Oh hang on....
Danger Man: Robert Snodgrass – main source of chances for them this season –
when he knows where he is.
Daft Fact Of The Week: In 2008 Norwich put itself forward to be "European
City Of Culture". A City councillor was supposed to have blamed their
failure to win on "The Partridge Effect" - an assumed sense of ridicule
deriving from Steve Coogan's comic creation. The councillor later claimed
his comments had been exaggerated, though, in a Partridge-esque aside, he
conceded: " At the back of my mind I'm honest enough to accept that Norwich
is a bit of a cultural backwater" No kidding!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Norwich City face West Ham with both teams struggling at wrong end of table
Last Updated: November 8, 2013 11:23am
SSN
Norwich City and West Ham United are both desperate for points to ease their
relegation woes in the Premier League when they meet at Carrow Road on
Saturday. Heading into Saturday's evening kick-off, with the match live on
Sky Sports 1HD, Chris Hughton's Norwich find themselves third from bottom
with eight points from 10 matches, having scored just six goals and conceded
20. The Canaries must still be smarting from their humiliating 7-0 hammering
by Manchester City last weekend that extended their winless run to five
matches in all competitions. In fact, Norwich have not won since September
29 when they edged past Stoke City 1-0 away from home, and the pressure is
increasing on manager Hughton. Sam Allardyce's West Ham are also struggling
for points, having picked up just 10 from as many matches to languish in
15th position in the table. The Hammers, though, are unbeaten in their last
three competitive fixtures and got the better of London rivals Tottenham
Hotspur 3-0 at White Hart Lane a month ago. West Ham have struggled for
goals just like Norwich, but they have conceded only eight - fewer than
Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Everton and Manchester United and as many as
Chelsea.
Paul Merson's prediction
This is a massive game for Norwich. Whenever you get beat 7-0 it comes up as
S-E-V-E-N on the vidiprinter and that doesn't help any manager. The fans
will be on Chris Hughton's back a bit and you're always under pressure when
you're near the bottom of the league, especially when you've just been on
the wrong end of a big scoreline.
West Ham have kept a few clean sheets of late and have one of the best
defensive records in the division away from home. However, I am going to go
for Norwich to win 1-0 because I just feel they need it a little bit more
than West Ham. The first goal in this game will be as big as any we've seen
this season from these teams because it will probably settle the match.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-0
Norwich
Last 6
Man City (a)7-0
Man Utd (a)4-0
Cardiff (h)0-0
Arsenal (a)4-1
1-3
0-1
Hughton is hopeful of having Scotland winger Robert Snodgrass available for
Norwich following his recovery from concussion. However, midfielder Nathan
Redmond is doubtful because of a hip problem, while record-signing Ricky van
Wolfswinkel remains out with a foot injury. Midfielders Alexander Tettey
(ankle) and Elliott Bennett (knee) are both long-term absentees for the
hosts.
West Ham
Last 6
A Villa (h)0-0
0-2
Swansea (a)0-0
Man City (h)1-3
Tottenham (a)0-3
Hull City (a)1-0
West Ham will be without defender Winston Reid for their trip to Norwich, as
the New Zealand international is out with an ankle injury he suffered in
training.
However, fellow defender James Collins is available following a hamstring
problem. The Hammers' forward options remain limited with Andy Carroll
(heel) and Mladen Petric (thigh) both ruled out, while Matthew Taylor
(thigh), George McCartney and Alou Diarra (both knee) are also absent.
Opta Stats
Norwich have lost only one of their six Premier League games against West
Ham and are unbeaten in home meetings.
West Ham have conceded only one goal in five Premier League away games this
season.
The Hammers could become the first team to draw three Premier League games
in a row 0-0 since 2009.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham midfielder Kevin Nolan believes they should be higher up table
Last Updated: November 8, 2013 9:40pm
SSN
West Ham midfielder Kevin Nolan feels their current league position does not
accurately reflect how they have been playing as they prepare to face
Norwich in Saturday Night Football. Sam Allardyce's side lie 15th in the
Premier League table, just two points clear of the relegation zone ahead of
this weekend's fixtures.
The Londoners have conceded just eight league goals all season, with
Southampton and Tottenham the only teams with meaner defences. But they have
managed to score only eight goals themselves, a factor which Nolan concedes
has prevented them from climbing the table. "When you look at the
performances we've put out this year I think we should be a lot higher,"
Nolan told Weekend Warm-Up. "We've ended up being in and around the bottom
three for most of the season but to have six clean sheets at this stage of
the season, 10 games gone in the Premier League, you can't really ask for
more. "It's just down to us now to start putting the ball in the back of the
net, that's the be all and end all." Nolan scored 10 goals for West Ham last
season, including a hat-trick in their 4-2 victory over Reading on the final
day of the campaign. He has struggled for goals this season though, with his
only one to date coming in the opening day win over Cardiff, and with his
side usually going on to win matches he scores in, Nolan is keen to find his
goalscoring touch once more. "When I score, we win games!" he added.
"There's no doubt about that, when I score a goal I want to make sure it
means something and we go on to win a game. "I'm not about personal
accolades or trying to score just to get my numbers up. "I've got to score
goals, that's a major part of my armoury if you like. I'm feeling that I'm
starting to get the chances again." Nolan will go up against an old
team-mate from his Bolton days on Saturday, with Sweden striker Johan
Elmander now leading the line for Norwich. Elmander has fond memories of his
time at the Reebok Stadium and feels Nolan remains a major threat in front
of goal.
"He's been up on the top for so many years and he's always delivering, he
just keeps on going," he said. "He's always fighting and giving everything
in every game. He'll turn up in that hole where the ball is coming, and when
he gets the chance he puts in the goal. That's something you're born with."
Elmander admits he is looking forward to testing himself against a number of
former Bolton team-mates, but insists he will do them no favours on the
field. "I think there are four or five of them there now, Jussi
Jaaskelainen, Kevin Nolan, (Ricardo) Vaz Te, (Matthew) Taylor and Andy
O'Brien," he added. "It's good friends of mine, they were really nice to me
when I was up in Bolton so it's going to be something special to play
against West Ham. "But when you're on the pitch you don't think about that
much."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Olympic Stadium: Three plead guilty to illegally obtaining private data
Last Updated: November 8, 2013 9:12pm
SSN
Three men have pleaded guilty to illegally obtaining private information
regarding the future of London's Olympic Stadium, ahead of the decision to
award West Ham use of the venue from 2016. In a criminal case at Inner
London Crown Court, Howard Hill, Richard Michael Forrest and Lee Stewart
accepted their guilt and will be sentenced next month. Following the
Olympics and before West Ham were granted use of the stadium, football club
Tottenham was accused by the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC) of ordering
surveillance by private investigators on board members tasked with deciding
the fate of the arena after the Games. Accountancy firm PKF was employed by
Tottenham who denied being involved in illegal activity. Hill, a former
partner at PKF, was accused of unlawfully obtaining personal data such as
phone bills and bank statements from West Ham and OPLC workers. At a
separate court case, PKF was accused of unlawfully obtaining telephone
records of West Ham's vice-chairman Karren Brady during the bidding process.
After much wrangling and many meetings, West Ham agreed on a 99-year deal to
move from Upton Park and rent the revamped £486m stadium. The 80,000-seat
venue will be downsized to 54,000 and reconfigured with a new roof and
retractable seats. As the anchor tenant, West Ham will have primary of use
of the stadium, although the venue will retain the running track and stage
other sporting events and concerts.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
SPURSGATE
By Sean Whetstone 9 Nov 2013 at 08:24
West Ham Till I Die
Forty one years ago Howard Hunt (HH) put together a team of private
investigators nicknamed the Plumbers to break into the Watergate hotel. An
act that would turn into a massive cover up which ended the reign & career
of President Richard Nixon.
A few days after the break-in, Nixon was recorded saying,, "This fellow
Hunt, he knows too damn much." Howard Hunt later put pressure on the White
House for cash payments to cover legal fees, family support, and expenses,
for himself and his fellow burglars. In 2011 another HH (Howard Hill) is
alleged to have put together a team of private investigators who went on to
obtain phone records belonging to West Ham Vice Chairman Karren Brady.
These phone records were passed to Tottenham Hotspur's lawyers in early
March 2011, although Spurs continue to claim that the club did not receive
copies itself.
At a high court hearing in 2011 lawyers for Karren Brady and West Ham won an
order requiring accountants PKF, hired by Spurs to conduct "due diligence"
on the first bidding process for the Olympic Stadium, to hand over
"unlawfully obtained" copies of Brady's itemised phone bills.
Spurs lawyers were gathering material for a possible judicial review, which
eventually reached court in October 2011 but was then halted in its tracks
when the government and the OPLC pulled the plug on their deal with West Ham
and Newham council in the face of delays caused by legal challenges from
Spurs. The records are believed to show details of phone calls between Brady
and OPLC board members, including the then chief executive Andrew Altman.
In his witness statement the Spurs finance director Matthew Collecott said:
"I understand [Howard] Hill produced Brady's phone records to the lawyers.
When asked he confirmed they had been received anonymously. The lawyers
claim they made it clear to Howard Hill it was imperative that all
investigations were carried out within the law."
Matthew Collecott confirmed that PKF was engaged in February 2011 to carry
out "due diligence" on the process. Spurs were concerned details of their
tender for the Olympic Stadium had been leaked. West Ham's legal counsel,
said his reading of Matthew Collecott's desciption of the sequence of the
events was that Howard Hill was being painted as a "rogue agent" who had
"exceeded his authority". Both PKF and Howard Hill claimed not to know where
the phone bills came from, saying they had been sent anonymously. "I did not
attach any significance to Howard Hill's reference to receiving telephone
records," claimed Matthew Collecott.
The 2011 court case brought by West Ham heard an individual calling
themselves "Thomas Brady" with a fictional West Ham email address had
managed to obtain Brady's itemised Vodafone mobile phone bills from its
customer services department. PKF claimed not to know where the documents
had come from and said that its partner Howard Hill had claimed the
telephone records arrived "in the proverbial brown envelope".
Howard Hill admitted passing the records to the Sunday Times, which used
them as part of the basis for an article. Hill later apologised to the Spurs
chairman, Daniel Levy, after the Sunday Times article appeared, the court
was told. The judge had described how West Ham and Brady were given the
"traditional run around" by Spurs and PKF as they attempted to establish
whether the phone bills existed and who had access to them.
This week Howard Hill pleaded guilty at Inner London crown court to
unlawfully obtaining personal data such as phone bills and bank records from
executives working for West Ham and the Olympic Park Legacy Company. Two
other men Richard Forrest and Lee Stewart also pleaded guilty to the same
offence and all three will be sentenced on 20th December. Three counts of
fraud by false representation were left to lie on file.
Spurs have repeatedly insisted that they knew nothing of Hill's illegal
behaviour and PKF, which has since merged with BDO, has also said it was
unaware of any illegal activity.
In the seventies the New York Times asked 'What did Nixon Know & When Did He
Know It?'
I would like to ask that same question to Spurs Chairman Daniel Levy and
finance director Matthew Collecott.
Will this turn out to be Spursgate?
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce says the pressure will be on him if West Ham lose to Norwich
9 Nov 2013 01:24
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce could not care less about Chris Hughton's plight – because
defeat for West Ham will put his job on the line. Big Sam's Hammers travel
to Carrow Road today and victory for the visitors could spell the end for
under-fire Hughton, whose side have taken just eight points from 10 games in
the Premier League. But Allardyce said Norwich will go above his side if
they win, which would put the heat on him. "If they beat us on Saturday, he
(Chris Hughton) is in a much better position than I am and the pressure then
comes on me," said Allardyce. "I'm not foolish enough, I know the pressure
is on us all. "I'm two points off Chris Hughton, so it is a massive game for
us both. "I don't want to finish on Saturday and be below Norwich City
because then the pressure reverts on to me."
Allardyce has been rocked by the news that star defender Winston Reid is
unavailable for the trip after suffering an ankle injury. But fellow
centre-half James Collins is now back from his hamstring strain and will
partner James Tomkins in defence.
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