Hammers do it again!
WHUFC.com
West Ham United produced a super turnaround to defeat Tottenham Hotspur on
Wednesday
18.12.2013
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 West Ham United
Capital One Cup quarter-final
West Ham United produced a superb turnaround to claim their second White
Hart Lane win of the season on Wednesday. Matt Jarvis and Modibo Maiga
notched inside the final ten minutes to cancel out Emmanuel Adebayor's
opener and send the Hammers into the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup. Sam
Allardyce's men produced a wonderful response to Adebayor's goal, with
Maiga's half-hour appearance from the bench proving central to their
success.
The 4,200 travelling fans revelled in another win in north London - after
waiting 14 years since their last success at the venue - to set up a
last-four tie with Manchester City.
The hosts gave a signal of intent in the very first minute when Aaron Lennon
showed considerable pace to burst past Razvan Rat down the flank and cross
low. Gylfi Sigurdsson's inital shot was blocked, then Jermain Defoe pulled
his effort wide when he really should have hit the target. Next it was
Andros Townsend's turn to try his luck as he moved onto his left foot from
25-yards and sent a fierce effort whistling just past Adrian's near post.
Spurs were finding joy by attacking down the right early on, but their next
chance started with a move down the opposite flank as Townsend crossed with
ten minutes on the clock and Emmanuel Adebayor headed wide.
Defoe tried his luck with an ambitious left footed volley after he latched
onto a lofted ball into the left channel, but his shot was closer to the
upper tier than the goal. The Hammers were undoubtedly under the cosh, but
weathered that early storm and began to restrict Tottenham's chances. Hugo
Lloris had to make his first save of the evening on 35 minutes when Carlton
Cole's snapshot needed to be gathered down low to his right. At the other
end, Adebayor sent a shot twice the height of the goal after Lennon cut back
and it was 0-0 at the break.
Ten minutes after the restart, Danny Rose continued the pattern of shooting
too high after he moved into a central position, screamed for the ball,
received it and curled off target. West Ham looked to be growing in
confidence, but just as they forced their first corner after 66 minutes,
Spurs broke with devastating effect. Townsend spread the play out wide to
the left, where Defoe advanced and crossed into the box, where Adebayor was
arriving like a train to smash home via the underside of the crossbar. The
Hammers responded well though and sub Mo Diame almost levelled with his
first contribution when his strong shot needed a good save from Lloris after
Maiga flicked on well. Maiga's flick-ons were proving profitable and another
dropped at the feet of Matt Taylor on 76 minutes, but as he ran out of space
he could not find the power to beat Lloris. West Ham were not beaten and
with ten minutes left the equaliser came, Jarvis ramming home after Maiga
won another header for Taylor to control and lay off.
If the travelling fans were happy enough at that effort, they were sent into
dreamland five minutes later when the Hammers completed the turnaround.
Ravel Morrison started the move by spreading play out to Diame on the right,
who clipped a cross over for Maiga to climb high and head home. The Hammers
even went close to extending the advantage in added time, as Maiga thundered
a shot against the bar and Jack Collison drew a save from Lloris, but two
goals were enough on a memorable evening at White Hart Lane.
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris; Walker, Capoue, Chiriches, Rose (Fryers 61);
Lennon, Dembele, Sigurdsson, Townsend (Chadli 72); Adebayor (Holtby 77),
Defoe
Subs: Friedel, Soldado, Eriksen, Fredericks
Goal: Adebayor 67
Booked: Adebayor
West Ham United: Adrian; O'Brien, Collins, McCartney, Rat; Collison, Diarra
(Morrison 77), Taylor; J.Cole (Diame 69), C.Cole (Maiga 64), Jarvis
Subs: Jaaskelainen, Noble, Demel, Chambers
Goals: Jarvis 80, Maiga 85
Booked: Diarra
Referee: Neil Swarbrick
Attendance: 34,080
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Big Sam delights in Spurs win
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce spoke exclusively to West Ham TV after his side reached the
Capital One Cup semi-finals
18.12.2013
Sam Allardyce was in high spirits following West Ham United's sensational
2-1 Capital One Cup quarter-final victory at Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs went
ahead midway through the second half through Emmanuel Adebayor, only for
West Ham to roar back through late goals from Matt Jarvis and Modibo Maiga
and set up a semi-final meeting with Manchester City in the New Year. Big
Sam told West Ham TV of his delight at his team's all-round display, Maiga's
first goal of the season and recording a second win of the season at White
Hart Lane. "We got better after we went 1-0 down," he said. "We were doing
pretty well up to then and starting to get more and more ball in Tottenham's
half and the game looked like it was panning out a lot like it did when we
won here 3-0 [in October].
"It was all about whether we would get an opportunity to score, then we got
a corner and we thought it would be dangerous for them, then they broke out
and Adebayor put a tremendous volley into the net. From there on, we picked
up the game and got better and better. "Mo Diame almost equalised straight
away after their goal, then Matt Taylor has hit a good strike and Matt
Jarvis has come up with the goods and put it in the top of the net. Then. it
was for us to go all out to win it because we didn't want extra time on a
Wednesday night and Manchester United coming up on the Saturday and only 16
senior players fit.
Read a full Match Report from the sensational win at Tottenham
"We went all out and got our just rewards in the end because we were the
dominant force in the final quarter of the game. Maiga scored his first goal
and I hope that will help him to produce a lot more in terms of goals, and
he almost got his second when he hit a fantastic shot that hit the bar and
Jack Collison nearly got one. "It went really well up until the scored and
it went even better after that when we came back from 1-0 down to win for
the first time this season, putting us in the semi-final of the Capital One
Cup."
Tactically, Big Sam got things spot-on. West Ham defended superbly before
half-time, restricting Spurs to long-range or wayward efforts, before
expanding their attacking play after the break. Even when Adebayor put the
hosts in front, the Hammers refused to panic and got the goals their play
warranted in the final ten minutes. "Fresh legs came on and when more space
develops they can make the difference for you. Modibo Maiga and Mo Diame
particularly did that after Carlton Cole and Joe Cole had run their socks
off to make sure we would not lose the game. "Then, they lifted up the level
of the play from the balls going forward, playing against tired defenders,
and in the end we fully capitalised on that. It all started from a free-kick
but it was a fantastic finish from Matt Jarvis and we had many chances in
the final third of the game. "Overall, when you look at what Tottenham's
possession delivered for them, it was not a lot of chances. If you look at
the amount of shots on target we had from our chances, it was very, very
good. "Our goalkeeper Adrian then came up with the goods when we needed him
in added-time with a great save low to his left, pushing the ball away and
stopping it from being 2-2 and going to extra time. It was a brilliant save
when we needed it and he showed he is the quality that we were looking for
and gives us two competitive goalkeepers in the squad. "The big
disappointment is that we have Manchester City in the semi-final! Away from
home they haven't been too clever, but at home they've been scoring an
average of four goals a game. You never know and we'll go and give it our
best shot, but we want to see more performances like that and pick up more
points in what is the main priority for us - the Premier League."
For Big Sam personally, the manager admitted that the victory was a boost
for him and for the supporters who did not stop singing from first to last.
"It's a relief. For me, the challenge is to get the players to kick on from
this. When we beat them last time, I thought we'd go on a run of results and
pick up more points than we have done. I don't know where we'll go from here
but it's just a fantastic result and the lads are absolutely delighted. "The
players have stepped in like Matt Taylor, Alou Diarra and Jack Collison and
Adrian in goal have done a fantastic job with the rest of the team. The
squad is struggling for numbers at the moment, but what a fantastic
performance from those who took part. "You have got to play to your best to
give the fans something to cheer about and we have sent them home extremely
happy, having beaten the old enemy again, twice on the trot. It's just a
delight for them and, in the end, a delight for us as players and staff."
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'It's just what we needed'
WHUFC.com
Matt Jarvis hopes to use Wednesday's Capital One Cup win at Spurs as a
springboard
18.12.2013
Matt Jarvis would be happy to play at White Hart Lane every week after
helping the Hammers secure their second away win of the season at Tottenham
Hotspur on Wednesday night. The winger crashed home with ten minutes
remaining to cancel out Emmanuel Adebayor's opener and set up the Hammers'
turnaround. Modibo Maiga won it for the visitors on 85 minutes and Jarvis
was thrilled to secure a place in the last four of the Capital One Cup. Sam
Allardyce utilised his squad, and the incoming players had a real impact -
another fact that pleased the No7. "It was a fantastic result for us and
just what we needed," Jarvis said. "This is a tough place to come to, so
we're delighted with the win. "This shows what a great squad we've got,
we're really working hard for each other and it paid off tonight."
Jarvis' goal was crucial to the Hammers fightback and he admitted that he
could not have picked a better moment to open his account for the campaign.
He added: "All that was going through my mind when I saw Matt Taylor laying
it off was to get on the end of it and hit the target. "I did that and I'm
absolutely delighted that it went in, especially in front of the West Ham
fans. "That's what it's all about, scoring goals, and to do it in front of
your own fans is a fantastic experience and let's hope we can get a few
more."
Maiga then sealed the win and Jarvis was thrilled for his teammate as he
also broke his duck for the campaign. He explained: "Modibo did really well,
he was really good in the air and managed to flick the ball on quite a few
times and we were able to pick up the knockdowns. "He took his goal really
well and I'm delighted for him. It's all about confidence and hopefully his
first goal of the season will push him on now. "This could be a massive
springboard for us and it's just what we needed. It was a win and a good
performance, and hopefully we can take it into the weekend now. "I'll be
looking to kick-on from this too, I was really pleased to get on the
scoresheet tonight."
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Hammers draw City in semi-finals
WHUFC.com
West Ham United have drawn Manchester City in the Capital One Cup semi-final
draw
18.12.2013
West Ham United have been drawn to face Manchester City in the Capital One
Cup semi-finals. The Hammers will take on Manuel Pellegrini's men over two
legs, with the first match taking place at the City of Manchester Stadium in
the week commencing 6 January. The teams will return to the Boleyn Ground
for the second leg in the week commencing 20 January with a place in the
final at Wembley the prize. Sunderland face Manchester United in the other
semi-final.
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce said: "I think Sunderland would have
fancied they'd have got us and we'd have fancied Sunderland but we got
Manchester City. It makes us the underdogs, of course, but underdogs have
won in the semi-finals before. I did it against Aston Villa a few years ago
and it was probably the best semi-final first leg you'll see as we won 5-3.
"We'll give it our best shot when that comes around but the most important
thing for me is not that just yet. I t's a great night for us, the draw's a
tough one and we will look forward to that in January but we've got a lot of
Premier League games to focus on before that."
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Tottenham 1 West Ham 2
18 December 2013
Last updated at 22:17
By Saj Chowdhury
BBC Sport
Tottenham suffered a second successive home defeat as Modibo Maiga's late
goal saw West Ham book a Capital One Cup semi-final tie with Manchester
City.
Spurs took the lead in the second half when Emmanuel Adebayor scored his
first goal since May with a superb volley. The Hammers levelled when Matt
Taylor found Matt Jarvis on the left side of the area and he smashed home.
Five minutes from time substitute Maiga grabbed the winner when he headed in
from Mohamed Diame's right-wing cross. It was a stunning end to a match that
only came alive in the 67th minute when Adebayor, who had previously only
played 45 minutes of club football this season, crashed home a spectacular
opener. But ultimately Spurs were left to contemplate another defeat so soon
after Sunday's 5-0 thrashing by Liverpool, which led to the sacking of
manager Andre-Villas Boas.
The Portuguese's temporary replacement, Tim Sherwood, will be hoping luck
changes for his side on Sunday when they travel to Southampton - but this
defeat will be a difficult one to recover from. It all started well for the
hosts, with three chances in the first five minutes. The first two came
during one move when Gylfi Sigurdsson's shot was blocked and Jermain Defoe
fired the follow-up a foot wide from about eight yards. In the next attack,
the marauding Andros Townsend, who later came off with what looked like a
hamstring injury, ran 15 yards with the ball before firing in a low strike
that went inches wide.
But Spurs hit a creative block for the rest of the half, with West Ham's
disciplined defence easily reading their opponents' predictable final balls.
Although Sam Allardyce's men spent much of the half on the back foot, they
did manage to test Hugo Lloris, on a rare foray forward, when he dived left
to prevent Carlton Cole's strike from creeping in. The first 20 minutes of
the second half were forgettable bar a moment when James Collins attempted a
lofted pass back to Lloris, after play was stopped for an injury, but
instead nearly caught out the keeper. It did finally improve as a spectacle
with just over 20 minutes remaining when Adebayor launched himself at
Defoe's cross and volleyed the ball in off the underside of the bar. That
woke the Hammers up, with the impressive Taylor launching a fierce drive
that Lloris prevented from bursting the net. They then equalised with a goal
typical of an Allardyce-led team. Keeper Adrian launched a long punt
downfield which was headed down to Taylor. The midfielder found Jarvis on
his left and he scampered a couple of yards before firing home. Five minutes
later, the match turned on its head when Maiga, who came on for Cole in the
65th minute, scored his first goal for a year when he rose highest to head
in Diame's delivery. The Mali forward came close to adding a spectacular
second in stoppage time, but saw his shot rebound back off the crossbar.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "As the game wore on both teams had to go
for it. Neither of us wanted it to go into extra-time. "It is what you can
do when the spaces get bigger and bigger. We improved after Emmanuel
Adebayor's goal. "We saw the shaken nerve ends of Tottenham when we scored.
We then went for the jugular. Our substitutes, who came on with fresh legs,
exploited the spaces."
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Sam panned for second string choice
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 18th December 2013
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce's apparent decision to refrain from employing a first choice
XI at Tottenham tonight has been met with derision in some quarters.
Allardyce revealed yesterday that he would be "using the squad to its full
intent" at White Hart Lane when the two local rivals meet in the quarter
final of the Capital One Cup. "I would have loved to have come to this game
with a bigger squad," he said. "We will play the team that has the desire
and the energy to go out there and give a great account of themselves
against a very good side."
Those comments, which appear to point to a weaker team being played tonight,
have led to criticism in some quarters. Martin Samuel, writing in the Mail
today accused Allardyce of "spurning one of the few chances he has to win a
trophy", adding: "If Allardyce was playing the reserves with an eye on
gaining momentum against Manchester United, that would be different. "Had
he decided that Saturday's lacklustre display was reason enough for changes,
and some of his first-team regulars were not up to the task of taking on a
rattled Tottenham team, fair enough. "But playing the reserves in a
quarter-final against a major rival because the players that got outclassed
by Sunderland need to recharge for the visit to Old Trafford? That is voodoo
economics. "Everything Allardyce appears to be rejecting is what really
defines a club, long term. It is the stuff of memories and schoolboy
scrapbooks and father-and-son tickets and days out, the delight of which
will be taken to the grave."
Supporters are fairly mixed over news of a potentially-weakened West Ham
team. KUMB member k-r-c agreed with Samuel's sentiments, calling for a 'best
XI' scenario. "We have Man Utd at Old Trafford at the weekend, we cannot
score in a brothel, the chances are we are going to lose easily up there so
why not just stick a full strength team out tonight?" he asked. "That still
gives them a week until Arsenal at home, which we have more chance of taking
a point from."
Meanwhile the celestial insect argued that regardless of being just two
games from Wembley, the league should remain a priority. "While I feel very
sorry for our loyal fans going to the game, I should hope Allardyce does
prioritise the league. "What are the consequences of going out of the Cup,
compared to relegation?"
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West Ham beat Tottenham 2-1 in quarter-finals
Last Updated: 19/12/13 12:08am
SSN
West Ham booked their place in the Capital One Cup semi-finals after beating
managerless Tottenham 2-1 at White Hart Lane on Wednesday evening.
Tottenham, with Tim Sherwood in charge for the first time, flew out of traps
and went close twice through Jermain Defoe and the lively Andros Townsend.
Emmanuel Adebayor, restored to the starting line-up after being frozen out
by Andre Villas-Boas, steered a header wide as Spurs continued to boss the
opening period without truly testing Adrian in the visting goal. West Ham
were much more positive after the break but it was Spurs who broke the
deadlock in the 66th minute when Defoe's cross to the far post was superbly
volleyed home by Adebayor. The Hammers drew level, however, with 10 minutes
to go when Jarvis beat Hugo Lloris at his near post after good work by
Modibo Maiga and Matt Taylor. And Sam Allardyce's men stunned the home
faithful with five minutes to go when Maiga powered a header past Lloris to
book their place in the semi-finals.
With the selection of Adebayor and Defoe as two of six changes in a
conventional 4-4-2 formation, Sherwood made a statement. The former Spurs
captain, wearing a tracksuit and trainers, showed more energy than Adebayor
in Spurs' opening attack, imploring Aaron Lennon to sprint down the right
before Defoe dragged a shot wide. Townsend shot wide from the edge of the
area before another Lennon cross caused danger in the Hammers' box and Joey
O'Brien headed too close to his own post for comfort in conceding a corner.
O'Brien conceded another set-piece when Adebayor attacked the right side of
the area and then the Togo striker headed a Townsend cross wide. Defoe
blasted over, much to Sherwood's frustration, as West Ham struggled to break
free of their own half. Carlton Cole shot straight at Hugo Lloris as the
visitors registered an effort on target for the first time after 36 minutes.
The Hammers resumed on the defensive and registered a second shot on target
in strange circumstances. James Collins kicked the ball back to Spurs
following an injury to George McCartney, but instead of a tame pass to a
member of the opposition, the Wales defender booted the ball from inside his
own half and forced Lloris to back-pedal to save.
Townsend fed Defoe, who ran down the left before crossing to the back post
where Adebayor did the rest, converting with a thunderous right-footed
volley which went in off the underside of the bar. Adebayor has now scored
three times in his last four Spurs starts. Mohamed Diame, on for Joe Cole,
forced Lloris to save low to his left as the Hammers sought a swift
response. Townsend pulled up worryingly for Spurs and departed with 17
minutes remaining, with Nacer Chadli on in his place. Lloris saved a Matt
Taylor effort from 25 yards before Adebayor made way with 12 minutes
remaining to a rousing reception from the home faithful. But instead of
Tottenham closing out victory, West Ham equalised when Maiga flicked on
goalkeeper Adrian's long ball to Taylor. With his back to goal, Taylor
turned and fed Jarvis on the left and the winger was granted enough space by
Kyle Walker to fire in.
O'Brien made a fine challenge to deny Chadli after the midfielder broke into
the West Ham box and shaped to shoot. The Hammers then struck again after
substitute Ravel Morrison found Diame. Diame's deep cross was met at the far
post by Maiga, whose header found the corner for his first goal in a year.
Sigurdsson was denied by Adrian in the first of five minutes of added time
as the visiting fans taunted Tottenham and Sherwood, exclaiming "You're
getting sacked in the morning". Maiga then struck the crossbar with a
powerful drive and Jack Collison forced Lloris to save as West Ham finished
the contest on top as they sealed their progress.
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West Ham manager Sam Allardyce hails anti-racism work in England
By Dev Trehan | Last Updated: 18/12/13 9:46pm
SSN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce says that England is streets ahead of other
European nations when it comes to tackling racism in football. Allardyce was
speaking after becoming one of four managers inducted into the Show Racism
the Red Card Hall of fame at a ceremony in the Speaker's Residence at the
Houses of Parliament on Tuesday night. And Allardyce insists people in
England should be proud of the various bodies that are leading the way in
trying to rid racism from the game. "I travel all over Europe and I travel
far and wide while I look for players," Allardyce told skysports.com.
"However much criticism there is about this country being racist, we are the
best. We've done the most - there's still a long way to go but I go to many
countries all over Europe and we've progressed so far compared to those and
I think we should be proud of that. "I know we're going to continue to push
this campaign but tonight is a show for everybody that we're moving in the
right direction. Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew, former Birmingham
City manager Alex McLeish and Northampton Town manager Aidy Boothroyd were
also recognised at the ceremony hosted by House of Commons speaker John
Bercow. Allardyce said he was a proud to be recognised for his work to
combat racism in the game but insisted a lot of credit must go to the people
working behind the scenes. "I'm obviously delighted and of course for more
years than I care to remember we've started our community campaign our
showing racism the red card for as far back as I can remember," he said. "To
listen to everybody speaking tonight about just how far it's come, and just
what we've achieved over a huge amount of time - particularly in football
circumstances - it's a great pleasure to be here tonight and to thank
everybody. "It's not just about me on the front line because I'm a
personality as a manager but also all the workers and the volunteers and all
the guys who do so much to continue to promote this fantastic campaign in
terms of continuing going forward."
Show Racism the Red Card was founded in 1996 and the organisation now
delivers training to more than 50,000 people in schools and football clubs
annually.
Allardyce paid tribute to the organisation's work and says football must
lead the way in terms of tackling the problem of racism in society. "There's
a lot of work that still needs to be done but football leads the way (in
tackling racism)," he said. "If you listen to Gordon Taylor and the people
running this campaign it has spread far and wide throughout Europe, UEFA and
FIFA and we have led the way. "The guys (at Show Racism the Red Card) have
led the way and done a fantastic job - not just in this country but also to
make more countries aware of the situation and sooner or later there has to
be zero tolerance of the situation."
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Hannover wait on any offers for Sebastian Pocognoli
By Thomas Zocher | Last Updated: 18/12/13 1:10pm
SSN
Hannover general manager Dirk Dufner has admitted the club might listen to
offers for Sebastian Pocognoli. The Belgium international left-back joined
Hannover last January from Standard Liege and he still has over two years
left on his current deal. However, reports in Germany claim a number of
Premier League clubs - including Aston Villa and West Ham - are monitoring
his situation. Now Dufner admits that the club would look at an offer should
it come in, and if it is what Pocognoli wants. "If he (Pocognoli) comes up
with a concrete offer, we will surely look into it," Dufner told Bild.
"Still he has to signal that to us.
"If he thinks he is in touch with a club that offers him better chances to
win a spot in the Belgium World Cup squad, then he should tell us about it!"
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Allardyce hails West Ham's "fantastic victory" over Spurs
Last Updated: 18/12/13 11:40pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce hailed West Ham's "resilient performance" after knocking Spurs
out of the Capital One Cup on Wednesday. The Hammers came from behind to
claim a second successive win at White Hart Lane. Allardyce's men won 3-0 in
the Premier League encounter in October in one of the results which
ultimately cost Andre Villas-Boas his job and saw Tim Sherwood placed in
charge of Spurs for the League Cup quarter-final. Sherwood thought he had
made a dream start to life in the dugout when Emmanuel Adebayor put Spurs in
front midway through the second half, but Matt Jarvis scored 10 minutes from
time and Modibo Maiga headed in an 85th-minute winner. That sent the
Hammers, struggling in the Premier League, into the semi-finals, where they
will face Manchester City. Allardyce hopes the win can provide a much-needed
fillip for his relegation-threatened side - and said: "It was a fantastic
victory for us. "It's a brilliant effort from the squad. It's a great night
for us, it's a great night for the West Ham fans, because it's twice on the
trot. "It's a victory we can enjoy tonight, but tomorrow it's up and at it
again and getting ready for Manchester United. "With a resilient performance
- like we showed tonight - against Manchester United, hopefully we might get
something there. Hopefully it will kick us on."
It was Maiga's first goal in more than a year and Allardyce hopes it will be
the start for him, too. "I'm delighted for him because he's showed glimpses
of what we saw when we watched him in France," Allardyce added. "All I hope
is it's unlocked the door for him and he goes on to continue to score more
goals."
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Tim Sherwood admits he is in the dark over Tottenham future following defeat
to West Ham
Dec 18, 2013 23:19 By Neil McLeman 1
The Mirror
Tim Sherwood claimed he was in the dark about his Tottenham future after
suffering defeat in his first game in charge on Wednesday night. Late goals
from Matt Jarvis and Modibo Maiga sent West Ham through to the semi-finals
of the Capital One Cup at White Hart Lane. And caretaker boss Sherwood, who
has replaced Andre Villas-Boas, said he was unsure whether he will still be
on charge for Sunday's trip to Southampton. "I was due to take the
development team out training on Monday morning and the chairman asked me to
take the first team training, which I did, and here we are now," Sherwood
explained. "The future beyond that, I need to have a chat with the chairman
and see what they're thinking. I don't know, to be honest. The immediate
future is up in the air, that's as much as I know." But the former Spurs
midfielder, 44, admitted he would be interested in the role after his quick
elevation to head coach. "It's madness, isn't it really?" he continued. "I'm
up for a challenge, I always have been. I'm very opinionated. I know a
certain way I need to play. I think I can manage men, deal with them, be
honest with them. "The decision that's going on is out of my hands,
unfortunately. "It would have to be right for me, and obviously right for
the football club. There are a lot of big names being bandied about to take
this job , as you would imagine. It's a huge football club.
"I just think the chairman and the football club need to take the best
decision, and find the manager who is best compatible to take this football
club forward.
"I've got to be in the frame, but it's not my decision, unfortunately."
On Wednesday Tottenham issued a press release saying Sherwood will hold a
pre-match press conference on Friday. Asked if he had any sympathy for AVB,
Sherwood said: "I wish him well. He's a really nice guy. "Everyone liked him
around the football club. But it's a decision the club decided to make and
we all have to abide by. Unfortunately that is football."
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Tottenham 1-2 West Ham: Matt Jarvis and Modibo Maiga's late goals clinch
Capital One Cup semi spot
Dec 18, 2013 21:49 By Mike Walters 1
The Mirror
Tim Sherwood's first sip from the poisoned chalice turned out to be pure
cyanide. For 80 minutes, Sherwood appeared to have consigned the dreary,
soulless era of Andre Villas-Boas and his dossiers to the dustbin at White
Hart Lane. But Santa's hat is claret and blue, and two goals in the last
five minutes earned West Ham the booby prize of a Capital One Cup semi-final
date with Manchester City. Good luck with that one, fellas.
If this was caretaker manager Sherwood's audition for the Tottenham job
full-time, he only fluffed his lines in the last 15 minutes when Tottenham
remembered to lock all the doors - but forgot that Santa comes down the
chimney. Sure enough, the Hammers took the aerial route to salvation,
leaving Sherwood to wonder if his spell in charge will be for one night
only. The job is already taking its toll on him. "It's different - I slept
like a baby last night," he said. "I woke up crying four times."
Tottenham's late collapse was the stuff of nightmares after Emmanuel
Adebayor, restored to the front line after being ludicrously exiled and
banished to train with the kids by AVB, had volleyed them in front, crashing
Jermain Defoe's left-wing cross in off the crossbar midway through the
second half. But West Ham boss Sam Allardyce spoiled Sherwood's coronation
expertly. If you need a house guest to spoil the party, mutilate the turkey
and scoff all the Quality Street next week, Big Sam's your man. Allardyce
sent on Mohamed Diame, Modibo Maiga and Ravel Morrison to retrieve the
cause, and before Sherwood knew what had hit him, the pearly kings were
celebrating an unlikely sequel to their 3-0 win at the Lane in October. The
equaliser was hardly from Barcelona's tiki-taka manual, Maiga and Matt
Taylor helping on goalkeeper Adrian's long clearance for Matt Jarvis to
finish high and handsome beyond Hugo Lloris. And it was just Sherwood's luck
that Maiga, without a goal in 2013, should rise to meet Diame's cross with a
firm header into the bottom corner five minutes later. There was even enough
time for the Mali goal machine to crash a long-range missile against the bar
as Allardyce's Christmases all came at once.
Sherwood said: "To be honest, we ran out of steam. I think the players are
fit enough to play a certain way, but I asked them to go a bit more gung-ho,
and it was a complete change of mindset. "West Ham bombarded us aerially
late on and they got the breaks, but it's a major disappointment to the
lads. They are absolutely sick in there, and so am I."
As if Tottenham's night did not end in enough crushing anti-climax, England
winger Andros Townsend will miss the Christmas and New Year programme after
pulling a hamstring. The only consolation for Sherwood was the reintegration
of Adebayor, whose brilliant goal and all-round contribution made a mockery
of AVB restricting him to just 45 minutes of Premier League action, in the
humiliating 6-0 rout at City, this season. Spurs' interim coach said:
"Adebayor showed enough to prove he can play a key role. He was dropping
deep, scored a fantastic goal and put us in the driving seat, but
unfortunately we fell off it."
With Aaron Lennon and Andros Townsend deployed as orthodox wingers -
club-record £30million signing Erik Lamela was not even on the bench - and
two strikers in a 4-4-2 formation AVB wouldn't touch with a bargepole, Spurs
made a bright start bristling with verve and purpose. In fact, there was
more excitement in the first 10 minutes of Sherwood's reign than in 18
months under the unlamented Portugese. But as the heavens opened and the
Hammers closed ranks, Tottenham's enthusiasm for an early kill was gradually
asphyxiated.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's League Cup win over Tottenham one for the fans says Sam Allardyce
Dec 18, 2013 23:30 By Neil McLeman 1 Comments
The Mirror
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce was delighted after beating big-spending
Tottenham to book a League Cup semi-final place. Goals in the last 10
minutes from Matt Jarvis and Modibo Maiga cancelled out a superb strike from
Emmanuel Adebayor and set the Hammers up for a two-legged battle with
Manchester City next month for a place at Wembley in March. After defeating
the home side's debutant caretaker manager Tim Sherwood, Allardyce crowed:
"It was a case of exploiting the spaces Tottenham left. "Territorially, we
didn't play as well as we would have liked, but I hope the way we finished
the game will give the players a big lift. "My squad is probably worth only
a fifth of the money Tottenham have spent on theirs, so it's been a great
night for us - that's two wins on the trot here, and I know how much that
means to West Ham fans."
West Ham, one place and one point above the bottom three, are back to
fighting relegation on Saturday when they travel to Old Trafford to meet
champions Manchester United in a potential league Cup Final dress rehearsal.
"We hope it's a big, big lift for the players," said Allardyce of
Wednesday's win. "We have only got 16 fit players today. It's a brilliant
effort from the squad today and a great night for the West Ham fans.
"It's a victory we can enjoy tonight but tomorrow it's up and at them again
and getting ready for Manchester United and with a resilience like we showed
tonight, who knows, we may get something there. Hopefully it will kick us
on." Allardyce, who made seven changes from Saturday, helped change the game
with his three second-half substitutions. "We knew Tottenham had had a few
problems with centre-halves and we exploited that, but that's what it is all
about," he said. "They can say they rested players but we had nine injuries.
We've really enjoyed it, and enjoyed coming back against our own rivals." On
facing in-form City in the semis, Allardyce conceded: "It's a tough one. If
it was one leg and it was at our place not at theirs it would have been
nice, but over two legs it makes it more difficult. Manchester City have
scored four goals every home game. So I am just hoping we play at home
first!"
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Thursday, December 19
Wednesday, December 18
Daily WHUFC News - 18th December 2013
Tottenham Hotspur match preview
WHUFC.com
A look ahead to Wednesday's Capital One Cup quarter-final against Tottenham
Hotspur
17.12.2013
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR v WEST HAM UNITED
CAPITAL ONE CUP QUARTER-FINAL
WEDNESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2013
KICK-OFF: 7.45PM
REFEREE: NEIL SWARBRICK
iPHONE APP I TWITTER I FACEBOOK I PODCAST
Introduction
• West Ham United visit White Hart Lane for the second time this season on
Wednesday night as they take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Capital One Cup
quarter-finals.
• The Hammers first trip to north London this season back on 6 October ended
in a brilliant 3-0 win in the Barclays Premier League, which represented the
Club's first away win over Spurs in 14 years.
• Sam Allardyce's team overcame Cheltenham Town and Cardiff City at the
Boleyn Ground in rounds two and three before they saw off Burnley at Turf
Moor to reach this stage of the competition.
• Ravel Morrison netted against both Cheltenham and Cardiff and returns to
the stadium where he scored a brilliant third goal in the league win over
Spurs.
• There will be no Andre Villas Boas in the home dugout after the Portuguese
was relieved of his duties following Sunday's heavy 5-0 defeat to Liverpool.
• Tim Sherwood has been placed in temporary charge of a team which has
beaten Aston Villa away and Hull City at home to earn their place in the
quarter-finals.
• Spurs have so far enjoyed more wins on their travels than at home in the
league this season, with the 3-0 defeat to West Ham one of three home
losses.
• Former Hammer Jermain Defoe is Tottenham's leading scorer in the Capital
One Cup following his brace in the third round win over Aston Villa.
Team news
West Ham United
• Andy Carroll (foot), Ricardo Vaz Te (shoulder), Stewart Downing (ankle),
Winston Reid (ankle) and Mladen Petric (calf) are all definitely out.
• James Tomkins will undergo a fitness test ahead of the game on Wednesday
after the recurrence of a groin injury.
Tottenham Hotspur
• Tottenham have injury doubts over Vlad Chiriches (knee), Younes Kaboul
(quad) and Jan Vertonghen (ankle), but Christian Eriksen and Danny Rose
should be fit enough to feature.
Background
• West Ham United first met Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup on 14
September 1966 at the Boleyn Ground, when Geoff Hurst scored the only goal
of the game to put the Hammers through to the third round.
• When these two teams last met in the quarter-finals of the League Cup the
Division Two Hammers hosted their top flight opponents. David Cross scored
the winning goal in a 1-0 win on 2 December 1980.
• Overall the sides have met on seven occasions in the League Cup with West
Ham winning two, Tottenham winning three times and two matches ending in
draws.
Last time out
West Ham United 0-0 Sunderland
Barclays Premier League
14 December 2013
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel (O'Brien 58), Collins, Tomkins,
McCartney, Noble, Morrison, Diame, J Cole (C Cole 75), Jarvis (Collison 56),
Maiga
Subs not used: Adrian, Rat, Diarra, Taylor
Tottenham Hotspur 0-5 Liverpool
Barclays Premier League
15 December 2013
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Walker, Capoue, Dawson, Naughton (Fryers 46),
Dembele (Townsend 61), Lennon, Sandro (Holtby 30), Soldado, Paulinho, Chadli
Subs not used: Friedel, Lamela, Defoe, Sigurdsson
Red card: Paulinho 62
Previous meeting
West Ham fans celebrated a famous win after a flawless team performance
earned the Hammers a first victory at White Hart Lane in 14 years. A
13-minute spell in the second half saw the visitors rack up three goals and
blow away their opponents. Winston Reid opened the scoring after 66 minutes
before Ricardo Vaz Te ran through to double the lead after 72 minutes. The
crowning glory came seven minutes later when Ravel Morrison picked the ball
up in his own half before beating two defenders and lifting the ball over
Hugo Lloris to jubilant scenes in the away section.
Tottenham Hotspur 0-3 West Ham United
Barclays Premier League
6 October 2013
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen, Naughton (Holtby 81),
Dembele, Townsend, Paulinho, Eriksen (Soldado 74), Sigurdsson (Lamela 63),
Defoe
Subs not used: Friedel, Chiriches, Chadli, Sandro
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Tomkins, Reid, Rat, Morrison, Diame
(Collins 80), Noble (O'Brien 90), Nolan, Downing, Vaz Te (J Cole 86)
Subs not used: Adrian, Jarvis, Maiga, Petric
Goals: Reid 66, Vaz Te 72, Morrison 79
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
06.10.13 Tottenham Hotspur 0-3 West Ham United
25.02.13 West Ham United 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur
25.11.12 Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 West Ham United
19.03.11 Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 West Ham United
25.09.10 West Ham United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
28.12.09 Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 West Ham United
Overall record v Tottenham Hotspur (all competitions) W 68 D 48 L 77
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2012/13 Premier League 10th (46 points)
2011/12 Championship 3rd (86 points - promoted via Play-Offs)
2010/11 Premier League 20th (33 points - relegated)
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted via play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
Tottenham Hotspur
2012/13 Premier League 5th (72 points)
2011/12 Premier League 3rd (69 points)
2010/11 Premier League 5th (62 points)
2009/10 Premier League 4th (70 points)
2008/09 Premier League 8th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 11th (46 points)
2006/07 Premier League 5th (60 points)
2005/06 Premier League 5th (65 points)
2004/05 Premier League 9th (52 points)
2003/04 Premier League 14th (45 points)
Old boys
• Spurs striker Jermain Defoe came through the ranks at West Ham before
scoring 29 goals in 93 league appearances between 1999 and 2004. He is in
his second spell at White Hart Lane after returning in January 2009.
• Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Calum
Davenport, Ilie Dumitrescu, Dave Dunmore, Matthew Etherington, Les
Ferdinand, Jimmy Greaves, Fred Griffiths, Pat Holland, Chris Hughton, Bill
Joyce, Bill Kaine, Frederic Kanoute, Kenny McKay, Fred Massey, Fred Milnes,
John Moncur, Jimmy Neighbour, Tony Parks, Martin Peters, Sergei Rebrov, Mark
Robson, Peter Shearing, Teddy Sheringham, Mauricio Taricco, Mitchell Thomas,
Michael Carrick, Bobby Zamora and Scott Parker.
Referee
• Wednesday night's referee will be Neil Swarbrick.
• Swarbrick began refereeing at the age of 29 and within six years he had
been promoted to the National List of assistant referees in 2005.
• Now 42, Swarbrick made his way up the leagues via the Football Conference
and the npower Football League before receiving his first Barclays Premier
League appointment on 11 December 2010. He was officially promoted to the
Select Group of top-flight referees in June 2011.
• The official last took charge of the Hammers in their 3-0 defeat to
Sunderland at the Stadium of Light back on 12 January 2013.
General information
• All standard and disabled tickets for this fixture are sold out.
• There are no planned engineering works on the London Underground network
on Wednesday. You can view live travel updates across the Underground here.
• Heavy rain is forecast for the game with temperatures expected to be
around 10C.
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Big Sam on: Tottenham Hotspur
WHUFC.com
Big Sam faces the media ahead of Wednesday night's Capital One Cup
quarter-final
17.12.2013
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has spoken to the media ahead of
Wednesday night's Capital One Cup quarter-final against Tottenham Hotspur.
Big Sam was asked about Spurs' recent managerial sacking, the Club's form in
the Barclays Premier League and the latest team news ahead of the trip to
White Hart Lane.
Morning Sam, is it a good or bad time to be facing Spurs?
SA: "We'll only know at the end of the game. Whatever the situation is at
Spurs from our point of view you look at the squad of players they've got
and they have an excellent squad. They had a very, very poor result against
Liverpool and that ultimately resulted in them removing Andre Villas-Boas
which was a surprise to me. From our point of view it's about the same
players that we all know about. We all know the quality of the team and the
quality of their squad. Whatever team they turn out against us on Wednesday
night is always going to be an exceptionally difficult game for us. "We had
one of the games of the season, or for us the game of the season against
them last time. That doesn't mean to say it's going to be any easier now
there's been a change, it may be more difficult. I have enough of my own
problems with injuries and suspensions with games coming up rapidly to have
too much concern about Tottenham other than what team I'm going to play, how
we're going to play and what we can do to combat them and get through to the
semi-finals."
You said you were surprised that AVB was sacked, why do you think that? And
also do you feel partly responsible after your win over them earlier in the
season?
SA: "Not really, no. At that stage it was their second defeat and they'd
only conceded two goals at the time. We had a fantastic 12 or 14 minute
spell when we took full advantage of a very good situation for ourselves and
we finished them off by scoring on the chances that we created. Before that
and since then we've played similar games on several occasions but failed to
score and ended up losing football matches so we're in a very difficult
position in the league. "We're now in the quarter-finals of the Capital One
Cup and it's a less pressured game than has fallen upon us recently in the
Barclays Premier League, so we've got to go out and give it all we've got.
It's a one-off tie, at the end of it it won't be a draw, one team will have
won and one team will have lost. It could be the end of your cup competition
or you go to the exciting semi-finals in the New Year. It's a different type
of game, a different pressure and hopefully the players will come out and
give their all on Wednesday night."
Five of the Premier League managers have gone before Christmas so it's been
a relatively bleak season in those terms so far, what have you made of it?
SA: "It's about the money now. The money's so big that the fear of losing
that status of being in the Premier League and losing that revenue is so big
now that it causes lots of thinking by owners of football clubs to try and
make sure they continue with that type of revenue. For Tottenham, not so
much, because they're not going to worry about getting relegated and it's
probably more about budgeting for Champions League football and what that
brings on top of what they've spent. "The removal of managers at this level
is probably the highest it's been in the entirety of the Premier League. I
don't think this many managers have ever changed this early in the Premier
League since it was born. More importantly you see the downside in the
Championship now where there are more and more managers being changed by all
the clubs that want to try and get back to the Premier League and that
creates a very volatile industry. You have to be well aware of that when you
step through the door and sit behind the desk, it's all about winning and
making sure your team lives up to the reality of where it should be with
what it spends and the quality of players you have, not perception. The
perception of where you should or shouldn't be compared to reality is always
that little bit greater at every football club."
With all these sackings, do you fear for your job?
SA: "No, I don't fear for my job. When you're a senior manager in the years
that I've been managing now, then that becomes one of those things that you
face on some occasions of your career. There's always going to be a time
when there's a difficult period and my responsibility is to manage the
players through that. You have to make sure you bring stability back to the
club and get where you want to be. My particular situation will ease and
will get better as long as we get our inured players fit, and our
communication between the Board of Directors and myself with everyone at the
Club is clear and precise. "I'm not saying that it wouldn't happen but we're
supportive in terms of trying to do something in January to help the players
and try to bring back the injured players to get the squad back to where it
was at the start of the season, which even if it didn't include Andy Carroll
was a very good squad. It's fraught with injuries and suspensions at the
minute and that is a great difficulty for us to deal with. I worry more
about my team than my own position, I always have done and I know everyone's
feeling the pressure; it's always going to happen to someone. We all can't
finish tenth, we all can't finish top and we've all got to find our place in
this league and we've got to continue to strive to do that."
Any news on the attacking player you're trying to bring in?
SA: "Not particularly, no. I've said before it's not an easy task to bring
players in at this time of the season. We're looking at loan players rather
than a permanent and I think it makes it that little bit more difficult. Who
knows if someone turns up and wants to talk then it can happen very swiftly.
When David Sullivan and David Gold make a decision, the reaction to the
decision is almost immediate and they try and get the deal done, we don't
dither. If we can't, we say 'thank you very much' and get on with it."
You've always said that you should stick with managers, are you looking
forward to proving that point this season?
SA: "I don't have to prove a point to anybody. The only thing I do is
continue to do my job and all the outside press can do and say what they
want to because that's their right and their industry. My confidence is in
myself and how I run a football club and I've been doing that for many, many
years now. We're in a difficult time and a difficult period, I know why.
We've got to go all out to try and get the squad back together, that's the
main reason why we are where we are at the moment. We've got to make sure we
do one thing better than we've done up to now. "We have the same amount of
clean sheets that Everton have had so it doesn't take a genius to know what
our problem is. We've been a few goals short of what would have been a very
good position in the league. We don't often go and lose by many goals
because we're that good defensively. What we have failed to do is score the
goals to win games that we should have done. Everton are near the top of the
league with eight clean sheets, we're fourth from bottom with eight clean
sheets so we know the one thing we've got to put right and that's score more
goals."
Why did it click so brilliantly on that day at White Hart Lane? And why have
you not been able to replicate that since?
SA: "We've got the same performance on a regular basis but we haven't
converted our chances into goals. In our last eight games we've had 71
chances to score a goal and scored five, that's our problem."
Does this game come at a time when you'd rather concentrate on the league?
SA: "I would have loved to have come to this game with a bigger squad; I'm
not saying a full squad because everybody has the odd injury or suspension.
We will use the squad to its full intent and play the team on Wednesday
night that hopefully has the desire and the energy to go out there and give
a great account of themselves against a very good side. I would expect there
to be a reaction from them after Sunday's defeat against Liverpool."
Finally Sam, what's your team news ahead of the game?
SA: "We wait for James Tomkins until tomorrow morning as he's had a slight
recurrence of the groin injury which he picked up last Saturday. Kevin's out
with a suspension and all the others that were injured before Sunderland are
still injured. To remember them all I'd need a list in front of me. Stewart
Downing, Andy Carroll, Winston Reid and Ricardo Vaz Te are all out. That's
where we have to work very, very hard to get them back into the squad as
soon as we can."
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Tottenham Hotspur away
WHUFC.com
All at West Ham United are looking forward to an exciting London derby at
Tottenham Hotspur
17.12.2013
West Ham United would like to thank all supporters who have purchased a
ticket to support the team in the Capital One Cup quarter-final at Tottenham
Hotspur on Wednesday 18 December. The Barclays Premier League fixture at
White Hart Lane in October was a memorable afternoon for all concerned with
West Ham United, with the resultant press coverage rightly focusing on the
action on the pitch following our stunning 3-0 win. Wednesday's game is
likely to be another passionate affair and, as ever, we know the players
will be backed by a loud and proud travelling support. However, the Club
seeks to remind all fans attending the match at White Hart Lane that they
will be acting as ambassadors for West Ham United and their behaviour should
reflect the values and standards of our Club. Any inappropriate behaviour is
completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated by West Ham United. The
Club, along with the Metropolitan Police, will continue to adopt a zero
tolerance policy towards any form of discriminatory behaviour this year and
any fan found to be acting inappropriately - including racist, anti-Semitic
and homophobic behaviour - will be punished to the full extent of the law
and banned from attending matches.
West Ham United is rightly proud of its world-famous support home and away
and will not allow the reputation of the tens of thousands of Hammers fans
who follow the Club over land and sea to be tarnished by any unacceptable
conduct from a small minority.
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'We all follow the West Ham'
WHUFC.com
The Martelli d'Italia Supporters' Club in Italy can be found in force at
most Hammers games
17.12.2013
The flags of the Martelli d'Italia West Ham United Supporters' Club are a
common sight at Hammers games across the country. Their presence reveals a
dedicated core of support for the Club from Italy, as members travel across
Europe to watch their team in person. West Ham TV caught up with several
members of the group on a recent trip to the Boleyn Ground, to discover more
about their passion for the Hammers. Luca Argiolas, from Sardinia, takes up
the story: "Twenty-two of us came over for the Chelsea game recently, from
every part of Italy - north to south and even the islands. "As a group, we
have 2,000 people who have liked our Facebook page, and 50 or 60 people who
come over to London at least once per season. On special occasions, like the
derbies, or Wembley two years ago, lots of people come over. "We are the
only group in Italy who have so many people who come over to matches in
London. It's a big sacrifice because we have to take flights and spend
money, but we do it for our passion for West Ham."
For the members who cannot make the journey to London, the group also
arrange meeting points at pubs in their homeland to watch games on
television.
"We have meet-ups in Italy to watch matches too, in the bigger cities like
Milan and Rome we have more people than in the smaller ones, so we make
meetings called Match Pint to see the games on TV in the pubs, whether
that's on Italian or English TV. "We go to away games too. Some of us went
to Liverpool the other week, and we'll travel for the League Cup too."
A love for the English game drives their passion for the Hammers, with the
Club's roots in the community behind their support for the east Londoners.
Argiolas explained: "I think that the good thing about West Ham is the
spirit - it maintains the English spirit. It's great for us to arrive here,
to come on the Tube and go to Green Street, see the people and see that it's
a club of the people. "We all prefer a club that maybe wins one time every
20 years, than a club that wins all the time. If we wanted a club that wins
a lot we'd support Chelsea or Manchester United, but we come here for West
Ham and we came here even when we were in the Championship. "We don't mind
about the category, we only want to come and see West Ham. "We enjoyed
seeing Italians like Di Canio and Diamanti playing for West Ham, but for us
it's the same - Italians, English, we want first all of them to wear the
shirt of West Ham. "The people who play for West Ham are what matters for
us, not the nationality."
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Collison aims for Cup boost
WHUFC.com
Jack Collison is eyeing another memorable White Hart Lane trip for the
Hammers
17.12.2013
Jack Collison is hoping Wednesday's Capital One Cup quarter-final at
Tottenham Hotspur can prove to be a springboard for West Ham United's
season. The Hammers are aiming to inflict a second defeat on the north
Londoners at White Hart Lane this term, following their 3-0 success in the
Barclays Premier League in October. Collison says the players like himself,
who have featured regularly in the cup run, are hungry for the chance to
shine once again. He told whufc.com: "I wouldn't say that the Tottenham game
is a distraction [from our position]. We have a big squad and the manager
has normally rotated the team for the Capital One Cup. "It's a good chance
for the players who haven't been playing so much in the league - the likes
of myself, Matty Taylor and boys like that who have been working hard in
training - and this is a chance to try and impress and try to force your way
into the team in the Premier League, where everyone wants to be playing.
"It's going to be a fantastic game on Wednesday. It's a massive game for the
fans, they love going to Spurs and beating them in the league this season
was the highlight of the season for them so far. "Hopefully we can give them
something to cheer about. They pay their money week in, week out, and we're
working hard to turn it around."
Following Saturday's 0-0 draw with Sunderland, the Hammers No10 is as
frustrated as anyone at the lack of goals, yet remains convinced that his
team will soon eliminate that issue from their game. He continued: "It's
frustrating for us as players, and I think the fans understand that we go
out there to win. We don't not win on purpose, we want to be winning games,
playing good football and scoring goals. "We're working hard on the training
pitch and we have every confidence that we can turn things around and pay
them back by treating them to good football, lots of goals and lots of
points. "It's a team game and we have a squad full of good players. It's up
to us - players like myself, Kevin Nolan and the wide players to chip in
with goals. If we can do that it takes the pressure off the front boys and
then hopefully they can start scoring and we can start winning games. At the
moment we'll take any sort of goal. "t's a very real position we're in,
we're not silly and the table doesn't lie. It's up to us as a group of
players to turn it around because to be fair to the staff and the management
they're working their socks off at the moment. We're working hard too to do
the right things, it's not quite going right for us at the moment but we
have every confidence we can turn it around."
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Reid happy at injury progress
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid is recovering well from the ankle surgery he underwent recently
17.12.2013
Winston Reid can see the light at the end of the tunnel following his recent
ankle injury. The 25-year-old defender has been absent since suffering a
high ankle sprain in early November, an injury which required surgery. Reid
is well along the road to recovery now and is looking forward to returning
to training sooner rather than later. "The recovery has been going okay," he
told West Ham TV. "I'm coming along and it'll be another month or so before
I'm back fit. "I've just been recovering from the operation so far - doing
my gym work in the first four weeks, so I probably couldn't have done as
much as I'd have wanted to, but I'm steadily getting better. "The hard bit
is those first couple of weeks when I was lying on my couch not able to do
much, but now I can try to get my fitness back so hopefully that won't take
so long."
Reid suffered the injury just before a run of crucial Hammers games, as well
as New Zealand's FIFA World Cup Qualification Play-Off with Mexico. The No2
was disappointed to miss out on those, and is keen to make up for lost time
upon his return. He continued: "The timing wasn't ideal with important games
for West Ham and World Cup qualifiers for New Zealand, but whenever you get
an injury it's never going to be ideal. "You just have to deal with these
things. I've sort of managed to put it behind me and get on with my everyday
life. Now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. "The staff around me
have been working well and trying to give me the best options to get back as
quickly as possible."
Reid has been happy to see the team remain defensively sound since his
injury-enforced absence, and he is hoping their fortunes in front of goal
will start to improve from Wednesday's Capital One Cup quarter-final at
Tottenham Hotspur onwards. He added: "Since I've been away the guys have
done okay, maybe not points-wise, but they've played some good games and
been unlucky. "That's the way the cookie crumbles, and hopefully we'll get
better. Our problem since the season started has been putting the ball in
the net. "Hopefully the boys can get a win and get through in the cup too,
as it would be great if we could get another win there."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ladies suffer cup exit
WHUFC.com
The Hammers ladies fell to a 4-2 London Capital Cup defeat at KIKK United on
Sunday
17.12.2013
West Ham United Ladies suffered a disappointing exit from the London FA
Capital Cup on Sunday when they were defeated by KIKK United. The Hammers
were below par in a game made difficult by the rain and blustery wind, and
the size of their task became clear when a deflected shot put the hosts in
front on 20 minutes. KIKK extended their lead on 43 minutes which a shot
which crept in under the crossbar, although the Hammers gave themselves hope
by reducing the deficit just before the interval thanks to a fantastic
strike from Sarah McCrea. Her left-footed drive from the edge of the box
gave the home keeper no chance, but West Ham were unable to move on from
there as KIKK pushed them back at the start of the second period. The hosts
scored two further goals to make it 4-1, meaning Stacey Little's late header
counted for little as the Hammers crashed out of the cup.
West Ham United Ladies: Lauren Picton, Sophie Reed, Katie Sorenson, Danica
Revell, Emily Masters (Olivia Sammons 46), Abbie Solly, Lily Mellors, Stacey
Little, Katie Bottom, Zoe Lipley-Hinton, Sarah McCrea
Subs (not used): Faye Picton
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tottenham v West Ham
KO 19:45
17 December 2013
Last updated at 15:25
CAPITAL ONE CUP QUARTER-FINAL
Venue: White Hart Lane Date: Wednesday, 18 December
TEAM NEWS
Tottenham's interim head coach Tim Sherwood is without the suspended duo of
Paulinho and captain Michael Dawson. Sandro has a calf injury and will not
feature, but Vlad Chiriches, Christian Eriksen, Younes Kaboul and Danny Rose
could return.
West Ham skipper Kevin Nolan serves the second game of a three-match ban.
Also missing are Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing, Mladen Petric, Winston Reid
and Ricardo Vaz Te, plus James Tomkins is a doubt with a groin problem.
MATCH PREVIEW
Christmas cheer has been thin on the ground for Tottenham fans this week as
the 5-0 mauling at the hands of Liverpool on Sunday resulted in Andre
Villas-Boas leaving his post at White Hart Lane. That result proved to be
the final straw for chairman Daniel Levy as he ruthlessly pulled the plug on
the man who had failed to get the best out of the £107m worth of new talent
that arrived over the summer - or cope with the departure of Gareth Bale.
One thing that would help put the smile back on the faces of the Spurs
faithful, though, would be revenge on rivals West Ham, who enjoyed a famous
3-0 victory at White Hart Lane two months ago. It has arguably been Sam
Allardyce's finest win in the Premier League during his tenure as Hammers
boss, but it is one of the few bright sparks of an otherwise dreadful season
that will could see him go the same way as Villas-Boas unless the club have
a swift upturn in fortunes. Allardyce says he is too busy worrying about the
current situation of his side, who lie just one point above the relegation
places, than what has been going on at Spurs.
"I have enough of my own problems with injuries and suspensions with games
coming up rapidly to have too much concern about Tottenham other than what
team I am going to play, how we are going to play and what we can do to
combat them and get through to the semi-finals," he said. "My particular
situation will ease and will get better as long as we get our injured
players fit, and our communication between the board of directors and myself
with everyone at the club is clear and precise."
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
West Ham ended a run of 12 league games without a win at White Hart Lane
that stretched back to 1999 when they won there in October
Tottenham are unbeaten against West Ham in their last three League Cup
clashes.
Their last meeting in the competition came back in 2003 with Tottenham
winning a third round tie 1-0 courtesy of a Bobby Zamora goal.
Tottenham
This is Tottenham's 22nd appearance in a League Cup quarter-final - only
Arsenal (25) have reached this stage more often.
Tottenham have won only one of their last six League Cup games against
fellow top-flight sides (D2 L3).
Their only defeat in their last 19 home League Cup games came against
Arsenal in the 2010-11 season.
They have only won one of their last six league matches at home.
They have won the competition four times - in 1971, 1973, 1999 and 2008.
West Ham
Their victory over Tottenham, and the win over Burnley in the last round of
this competition, are their only victories away from home this season.
The Hammers have scored in 20 of their last 21 League Cup games, including
the last 14 in a row.
They have not drawn any of their last 30 games in this competition, winning
19 and losing 11.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tottenham needed time to gel - Sam Allardyce
BBC.co.uk
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce claims it would have taken a "miracle worker"
to have got the best out of Tottenham this season. Spurs sacked coach Andre
Villas-Boas on Monday following indifferent form after signing seven players
in the summer. "You would have to be a miracle worker to get everybody
functioning to the best of their ability," said Allardyce. "They've arrived
from foreign countries in a different culture and an arena that they've
never played in before."
Tottenham were seventh in the Premier League when they decided to dismiss
Villas-Boas and Allardyce believes there is a "lack of patience in the game
today", which he blames on the financial rewards on offer. Allardyce will
take his Hammers side to play Spurs in the quarter-final of the Capital One
Cup on Wednesday. "To get the [Spurs] team playing together and
understanding each other in such a short period of time is nearly
impossible," said Allardyce. "I think the fruition of the change around at
Tottenham starts more next season, not this season." Allardyce's own
position has been questioned with his side just a point and a place above
the Premier League relegation zone. He has not been helped by injuries to
striker Andy Carroll, who has not played a game this season, centre-back
Winston Reid and winger Stewart Downing. Midfielder Kevin Nolan is also
serving a three-game suspension. "I don't fear for my job," said Allardyce,
who says he plans to bolster his squad in the January transfer window.
"There's always going to be a time when there's a difficult period and my
responsibility is to manage the players through that. "My particular
situation will ease and will get better as long as we get our injured
players fit." He added: "We have the same amount of clean sheets that
Everton have had so it doesn't take a genius to know what our problem is.
"We've been a few goals short of what would have been a very good position
in the league."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
THE BARRY HEARN INTERVIEW PART 5 'WHAT HARM CAN IT DO?"
By Sean Whetstone 17 Dec 2013 at 08:01
West Ham Till I Die
I asked Barry Hearn why he wants to ground share with West Ham United?
BH "What do I really want? Despite what people think I do not want
compensation just to throw in the black hole called football. What I want is
ground share, so I am going flat out for ground share!"
BH "The European argument with ground share is removed partially anyway
because it's a broader sponsorship rather than an individual to a commercial
enterprise"
I asked Barry didn't you say you would give up your challenge if you lost
the Judicial review?
BH "No, No, the papers said that! If I lose the judicial review I would give
up on the bidding process, that's what I have given up. I have given up
opposing the bidding process. I have accepted that West Ham are the anchor
tenants in the Olympic Stadium because I have lost and I know when I have
lost"
BH "On the bidding process we all signed up to the principle of ground
sharing. Karren Brady said in the House of Lords we all agreed to it!"
BH "The truth came out at the last judicial review when the lawyers said,
the West Ham lawyers said, we don't want to ground share because it will
affect our brand value. They were their exact words, the judge said this is
not about brand value, we still lost but it was the first time someone from
West ham said we don't want to ground share"
BH "What we are saying is really is what harm does it do for us to share the
Stadium? and to give us a chance on our doorstep to live our dreams"
I told Barry in personal view it could only be the spiritual home for one
football club.
BH "It happens all over Europe, 17 clubs around Europe ground share"
Barry challenged me asking
BH "West Ham occupancy will be harmful to us, Do you accept that? With
10,000 free tickets going out?"
I replied no I didn't see that, in my view it is slightly disrespectful to
Leyton Orient fans to suggest they would change their football club like
they would their tooth paste. Football is in the blood.
BH "Your totally wrong on this, our fan base is 6 to 7% local, 93% drive in,
What I am saying is football has changed now. It is not local residents so
much, its people returning to their roots. Your position will now change
because you are going to be a massive club in this iconic stadium. Every
year I analyse what happens to my small number of season ticket holders.
Every year we lose about 400 sometimes 500 season ticket holders, natural
wastage/death, moving out of the area, losing interest. There are the three
categories. The report says fundamentally with the value of the Premier
league brand, every year in the past we have replaced those with, almost to
the number with local people which decide to start going to Leyton Orient.
The report says and I believe them. The vast majority if not all of those
will now be enticed to go to West ham with cheaper tickets, better football
and certainly iconic building rather than join their local club and we will
be mathematically on the slippery slope down the leagues as we operate our
60% rule as our income will naturally fall. I find it very difficult to
disagree with that"
SW "But I do, why do I support West Ham? Why would I not support a more
successful club?"
BH "Because of your birth right, the new fans don't come from birth right"
SW "Don't they? They come from families. Did my son have a choice what team
he supported?"
BH Your in a time warp! This is a different world we live in now. Your'e
getting occasional visitors, you're getting new season ticket holders from
people that don't necessarily have an association because people die, people
move away. Your West ham through and through but not everyone shows your
depth of passion. People move off and they go somewhere else"
BH "We won't lose a hard core fan I know that, I am never saying that but
the numbers we are dealing with as so small. To lose 300 fans per year by
not being replaced because there is a better, more exciting, cheaper, much
more exciting version just across the road will have a negative effect on
us"
I said Leyton orient fans told me they have not been consulted on ground
sharing the Olympic Stadium
BH "Listen, Listen I am going spend a lot of time speaking to them aren't I?
To be honest with you NOT! At the end of the day I own the club, I run the
club, I will listen to them, I will sit down, I will listen to their
feelings but when you say, what is consultation? So we get everybody
together in a room, we discuss it, we let them to go away and talk to their
membership and to come back to us. Sometimes they do sometimes they don't!
but what is consultation?"
BH "I will listen to you and talk to you but that doesn't mean I going to do
what you want and I reserve that right as the owner"
You want to share the Olympic Stadium but your average gate al Leyton Orient
is around 5,500 when your current ground capacity is 9,271. Why aren't you
filling Brisbane Road now and how would you fill the Olympic Stadium?
BH "Two answers to that, firstly what the f**k has it got to do with you?, I
am tenant, I am not interested in whether you fill it or not, that's your
job, your West Ham, you shouldn't be interested in me, what the f**k has it
got to do with you if I have one person in it, I am paying my rent f**k off!
That's one answer! Right! The second answer, I believe we can get 9,000
Leyton orient fans in the lower tier if we are in the Championship. I think
that is realistic. I also believe that we will get , because I in the the
iconic status of the stadium a minimum of 3 to 4000 floating people because
this is going to a focal point of the whole of the East end, I also believe
I can go out certainly give away like West ham enough to fill the lower
tier, I think I can get to 18,000 if I am in the Championship! No More! I
think I will do well to get to 18,000 it may not happen quickly!"
You once said if you got a bung you would stop your challenge.
BH "That was a great line, that was on the back of Levy getting a bung and I
said to Boris. no-one gives me a bung and I am always up for a bung, hey do
you know what I am up for a bung!"
BH "The only person that I would look for compensation is the Premier league
for breaking in my view their own rules and that is something we will
decide, at the moment the action is stayed and we can re-open that action at
any time against the Premier League, that would be a compensation claim"
Since I did this interview Barry Hearn met with Denis Hone from the LLDC on
the 11th December. We are waiting to hear the outcome of that meeting.
The 1 hour and 20 minute interview can be heard in full on Moore Than Just A
Podcast Episode 15 which can be downloaded or listened to at
www.moorethanjustapodcast.co.uk
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham said interested in Brazilian striker
HITC.com
West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce is said to have shown an interest in
signing Valencia's Brazilian striker Jonas. Allardyce has spoken of his
frustration at his side's lack of attacking options and went back and
re-signed Carlton Cole for added cover earlier this season. With Andy
Carroll out injured, West Ham have struggled up front, and a total of just
13 Premier League goals in 16 matches has left the Hammers perilously close
to the relegation zone. January, therefore, can't come quick enough for the
17th placed Londoners. And the name that has been linked with a move to The
Boleyn Ground is Valencia's leading scorer, Jonas. Jonas Gonçalves Oliveira
Felisbino, 29, also known as Jonas, started his career for Brazilian side
Guarani. He went on to play for some of Brazil's leading clubs, including
Santos, Gremio and Portuguesa. It wasn't until 2011 that Jonas finally made
the switch to Europe, with Valencia taking advantage of his low release
clause and confirming his signature for a bargain £1m. The Valencia striker
went on to be a hit at the Mestalla, scoring more than 30 La Liga goals
since January 2011. Amongst those goals was an eight minute hat trick as
Valencia comfortably beat 10 man Osasuna two weeks ago. The 6-capped
Brazilian has been in the form of his life this season, scoring eight goals
in 13 appearances so Sam Allardyce's reported interest surely isn't a
surprise. Although it's hard to believe that Jonas would be willing to leave
Valencia, who have recently been drawn against Dynamo Kyiv in the next phase
of the Europa League and are currently midtable in La Liga, but crippling
debts have forced the Blanquinegro's hand, and they have recently
acknowldged that they would be willing to listen to offers for key players,
including Jonas, Guaita and Banega.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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WHUFC.com
A look ahead to Wednesday's Capital One Cup quarter-final against Tottenham
Hotspur
17.12.2013
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR v WEST HAM UNITED
CAPITAL ONE CUP QUARTER-FINAL
WEDNESDAY 18 DECEMBER 2013
KICK-OFF: 7.45PM
REFEREE: NEIL SWARBRICK
iPHONE APP I TWITTER I FACEBOOK I PODCAST
Introduction
• West Ham United visit White Hart Lane for the second time this season on
Wednesday night as they take on Tottenham Hotspur in the Capital One Cup
quarter-finals.
• The Hammers first trip to north London this season back on 6 October ended
in a brilliant 3-0 win in the Barclays Premier League, which represented the
Club's first away win over Spurs in 14 years.
• Sam Allardyce's team overcame Cheltenham Town and Cardiff City at the
Boleyn Ground in rounds two and three before they saw off Burnley at Turf
Moor to reach this stage of the competition.
• Ravel Morrison netted against both Cheltenham and Cardiff and returns to
the stadium where he scored a brilliant third goal in the league win over
Spurs.
• There will be no Andre Villas Boas in the home dugout after the Portuguese
was relieved of his duties following Sunday's heavy 5-0 defeat to Liverpool.
• Tim Sherwood has been placed in temporary charge of a team which has
beaten Aston Villa away and Hull City at home to earn their place in the
quarter-finals.
• Spurs have so far enjoyed more wins on their travels than at home in the
league this season, with the 3-0 defeat to West Ham one of three home
losses.
• Former Hammer Jermain Defoe is Tottenham's leading scorer in the Capital
One Cup following his brace in the third round win over Aston Villa.
Team news
West Ham United
• Andy Carroll (foot), Ricardo Vaz Te (shoulder), Stewart Downing (ankle),
Winston Reid (ankle) and Mladen Petric (calf) are all definitely out.
• James Tomkins will undergo a fitness test ahead of the game on Wednesday
after the recurrence of a groin injury.
Tottenham Hotspur
• Tottenham have injury doubts over Vlad Chiriches (knee), Younes Kaboul
(quad) and Jan Vertonghen (ankle), but Christian Eriksen and Danny Rose
should be fit enough to feature.
Background
• West Ham United first met Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup on 14
September 1966 at the Boleyn Ground, when Geoff Hurst scored the only goal
of the game to put the Hammers through to the third round.
• When these two teams last met in the quarter-finals of the League Cup the
Division Two Hammers hosted their top flight opponents. David Cross scored
the winning goal in a 1-0 win on 2 December 1980.
• Overall the sides have met on seven occasions in the League Cup with West
Ham winning two, Tottenham winning three times and two matches ending in
draws.
Last time out
West Ham United 0-0 Sunderland
Barclays Premier League
14 December 2013
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel (O'Brien 58), Collins, Tomkins,
McCartney, Noble, Morrison, Diame, J Cole (C Cole 75), Jarvis (Collison 56),
Maiga
Subs not used: Adrian, Rat, Diarra, Taylor
Tottenham Hotspur 0-5 Liverpool
Barclays Premier League
15 December 2013
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Walker, Capoue, Dawson, Naughton (Fryers 46),
Dembele (Townsend 61), Lennon, Sandro (Holtby 30), Soldado, Paulinho, Chadli
Subs not used: Friedel, Lamela, Defoe, Sigurdsson
Red card: Paulinho 62
Previous meeting
West Ham fans celebrated a famous win after a flawless team performance
earned the Hammers a first victory at White Hart Lane in 14 years. A
13-minute spell in the second half saw the visitors rack up three goals and
blow away their opponents. Winston Reid opened the scoring after 66 minutes
before Ricardo Vaz Te ran through to double the lead after 72 minutes. The
crowning glory came seven minutes later when Ravel Morrison picked the ball
up in his own half before beating two defenders and lifting the ball over
Hugo Lloris to jubilant scenes in the away section.
Tottenham Hotspur 0-3 West Ham United
Barclays Premier League
6 October 2013
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen, Naughton (Holtby 81),
Dembele, Townsend, Paulinho, Eriksen (Soldado 74), Sigurdsson (Lamela 63),
Defoe
Subs not used: Friedel, Chiriches, Chadli, Sandro
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Tomkins, Reid, Rat, Morrison, Diame
(Collins 80), Noble (O'Brien 90), Nolan, Downing, Vaz Te (J Cole 86)
Subs not used: Adrian, Jarvis, Maiga, Petric
Goals: Reid 66, Vaz Te 72, Morrison 79
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
06.10.13 Tottenham Hotspur 0-3 West Ham United
25.02.13 West Ham United 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur
25.11.12 Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 West Ham United
19.03.11 Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 West Ham United
25.09.10 West Ham United 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
28.12.09 Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 West Ham United
Overall record v Tottenham Hotspur (all competitions) W 68 D 48 L 77
Ten-year records
West Ham United
2012/13 Premier League 10th (46 points)
2011/12 Championship 3rd (86 points - promoted via Play-Offs)
2010/11 Premier League 20th (33 points - relegated)
2009/10 Premier League 17th (35 points)
2008/09 Premier League 9th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 10th (49 points)
2006/07 Premier League 15th (41 points)
2005/06 Premier League 9th (55 points)
2004/05 Championship 6th (73 points - promoted via play-offs)
2003/04 Championship 4th (74 points)
Tottenham Hotspur
2012/13 Premier League 5th (72 points)
2011/12 Premier League 3rd (69 points)
2010/11 Premier League 5th (62 points)
2009/10 Premier League 4th (70 points)
2008/09 Premier League 8th (51 points)
2007/08 Premier League 11th (46 points)
2006/07 Premier League 5th (60 points)
2005/06 Premier League 5th (65 points)
2004/05 Premier League 9th (52 points)
2003/04 Premier League 14th (45 points)
Old boys
• Spurs striker Jermain Defoe came through the ranks at West Ham before
scoring 29 goals in 93 league appearances between 1999 and 2004. He is in
his second spell at White Hart Lane after returning in January 2009.
• Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Calum
Davenport, Ilie Dumitrescu, Dave Dunmore, Matthew Etherington, Les
Ferdinand, Jimmy Greaves, Fred Griffiths, Pat Holland, Chris Hughton, Bill
Joyce, Bill Kaine, Frederic Kanoute, Kenny McKay, Fred Massey, Fred Milnes,
John Moncur, Jimmy Neighbour, Tony Parks, Martin Peters, Sergei Rebrov, Mark
Robson, Peter Shearing, Teddy Sheringham, Mauricio Taricco, Mitchell Thomas,
Michael Carrick, Bobby Zamora and Scott Parker.
Referee
• Wednesday night's referee will be Neil Swarbrick.
• Swarbrick began refereeing at the age of 29 and within six years he had
been promoted to the National List of assistant referees in 2005.
• Now 42, Swarbrick made his way up the leagues via the Football Conference
and the npower Football League before receiving his first Barclays Premier
League appointment on 11 December 2010. He was officially promoted to the
Select Group of top-flight referees in June 2011.
• The official last took charge of the Hammers in their 3-0 defeat to
Sunderland at the Stadium of Light back on 12 January 2013.
General information
• All standard and disabled tickets for this fixture are sold out.
• There are no planned engineering works on the London Underground network
on Wednesday. You can view live travel updates across the Underground here.
• Heavy rain is forecast for the game with temperatures expected to be
around 10C.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam on: Tottenham Hotspur
WHUFC.com
Big Sam faces the media ahead of Wednesday night's Capital One Cup
quarter-final
17.12.2013
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has spoken to the media ahead of
Wednesday night's Capital One Cup quarter-final against Tottenham Hotspur.
Big Sam was asked about Spurs' recent managerial sacking, the Club's form in
the Barclays Premier League and the latest team news ahead of the trip to
White Hart Lane.
Morning Sam, is it a good or bad time to be facing Spurs?
SA: "We'll only know at the end of the game. Whatever the situation is at
Spurs from our point of view you look at the squad of players they've got
and they have an excellent squad. They had a very, very poor result against
Liverpool and that ultimately resulted in them removing Andre Villas-Boas
which was a surprise to me. From our point of view it's about the same
players that we all know about. We all know the quality of the team and the
quality of their squad. Whatever team they turn out against us on Wednesday
night is always going to be an exceptionally difficult game for us. "We had
one of the games of the season, or for us the game of the season against
them last time. That doesn't mean to say it's going to be any easier now
there's been a change, it may be more difficult. I have enough of my own
problems with injuries and suspensions with games coming up rapidly to have
too much concern about Tottenham other than what team I'm going to play, how
we're going to play and what we can do to combat them and get through to the
semi-finals."
You said you were surprised that AVB was sacked, why do you think that? And
also do you feel partly responsible after your win over them earlier in the
season?
SA: "Not really, no. At that stage it was their second defeat and they'd
only conceded two goals at the time. We had a fantastic 12 or 14 minute
spell when we took full advantage of a very good situation for ourselves and
we finished them off by scoring on the chances that we created. Before that
and since then we've played similar games on several occasions but failed to
score and ended up losing football matches so we're in a very difficult
position in the league. "We're now in the quarter-finals of the Capital One
Cup and it's a less pressured game than has fallen upon us recently in the
Barclays Premier League, so we've got to go out and give it all we've got.
It's a one-off tie, at the end of it it won't be a draw, one team will have
won and one team will have lost. It could be the end of your cup competition
or you go to the exciting semi-finals in the New Year. It's a different type
of game, a different pressure and hopefully the players will come out and
give their all on Wednesday night."
Five of the Premier League managers have gone before Christmas so it's been
a relatively bleak season in those terms so far, what have you made of it?
SA: "It's about the money now. The money's so big that the fear of losing
that status of being in the Premier League and losing that revenue is so big
now that it causes lots of thinking by owners of football clubs to try and
make sure they continue with that type of revenue. For Tottenham, not so
much, because they're not going to worry about getting relegated and it's
probably more about budgeting for Champions League football and what that
brings on top of what they've spent. "The removal of managers at this level
is probably the highest it's been in the entirety of the Premier League. I
don't think this many managers have ever changed this early in the Premier
League since it was born. More importantly you see the downside in the
Championship now where there are more and more managers being changed by all
the clubs that want to try and get back to the Premier League and that
creates a very volatile industry. You have to be well aware of that when you
step through the door and sit behind the desk, it's all about winning and
making sure your team lives up to the reality of where it should be with
what it spends and the quality of players you have, not perception. The
perception of where you should or shouldn't be compared to reality is always
that little bit greater at every football club."
With all these sackings, do you fear for your job?
SA: "No, I don't fear for my job. When you're a senior manager in the years
that I've been managing now, then that becomes one of those things that you
face on some occasions of your career. There's always going to be a time
when there's a difficult period and my responsibility is to manage the
players through that. You have to make sure you bring stability back to the
club and get where you want to be. My particular situation will ease and
will get better as long as we get our inured players fit, and our
communication between the Board of Directors and myself with everyone at the
Club is clear and precise. "I'm not saying that it wouldn't happen but we're
supportive in terms of trying to do something in January to help the players
and try to bring back the injured players to get the squad back to where it
was at the start of the season, which even if it didn't include Andy Carroll
was a very good squad. It's fraught with injuries and suspensions at the
minute and that is a great difficulty for us to deal with. I worry more
about my team than my own position, I always have done and I know everyone's
feeling the pressure; it's always going to happen to someone. We all can't
finish tenth, we all can't finish top and we've all got to find our place in
this league and we've got to continue to strive to do that."
Any news on the attacking player you're trying to bring in?
SA: "Not particularly, no. I've said before it's not an easy task to bring
players in at this time of the season. We're looking at loan players rather
than a permanent and I think it makes it that little bit more difficult. Who
knows if someone turns up and wants to talk then it can happen very swiftly.
When David Sullivan and David Gold make a decision, the reaction to the
decision is almost immediate and they try and get the deal done, we don't
dither. If we can't, we say 'thank you very much' and get on with it."
You've always said that you should stick with managers, are you looking
forward to proving that point this season?
SA: "I don't have to prove a point to anybody. The only thing I do is
continue to do my job and all the outside press can do and say what they
want to because that's their right and their industry. My confidence is in
myself and how I run a football club and I've been doing that for many, many
years now. We're in a difficult time and a difficult period, I know why.
We've got to go all out to try and get the squad back together, that's the
main reason why we are where we are at the moment. We've got to make sure we
do one thing better than we've done up to now. "We have the same amount of
clean sheets that Everton have had so it doesn't take a genius to know what
our problem is. We've been a few goals short of what would have been a very
good position in the league. We don't often go and lose by many goals
because we're that good defensively. What we have failed to do is score the
goals to win games that we should have done. Everton are near the top of the
league with eight clean sheets, we're fourth from bottom with eight clean
sheets so we know the one thing we've got to put right and that's score more
goals."
Why did it click so brilliantly on that day at White Hart Lane? And why have
you not been able to replicate that since?
SA: "We've got the same performance on a regular basis but we haven't
converted our chances into goals. In our last eight games we've had 71
chances to score a goal and scored five, that's our problem."
Does this game come at a time when you'd rather concentrate on the league?
SA: "I would have loved to have come to this game with a bigger squad; I'm
not saying a full squad because everybody has the odd injury or suspension.
We will use the squad to its full intent and play the team on Wednesday
night that hopefully has the desire and the energy to go out there and give
a great account of themselves against a very good side. I would expect there
to be a reaction from them after Sunday's defeat against Liverpool."
Finally Sam, what's your team news ahead of the game?
SA: "We wait for James Tomkins until tomorrow morning as he's had a slight
recurrence of the groin injury which he picked up last Saturday. Kevin's out
with a suspension and all the others that were injured before Sunderland are
still injured. To remember them all I'd need a list in front of me. Stewart
Downing, Andy Carroll, Winston Reid and Ricardo Vaz Te are all out. That's
where we have to work very, very hard to get them back into the squad as
soon as we can."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tottenham Hotspur away
WHUFC.com
All at West Ham United are looking forward to an exciting London derby at
Tottenham Hotspur
17.12.2013
West Ham United would like to thank all supporters who have purchased a
ticket to support the team in the Capital One Cup quarter-final at Tottenham
Hotspur on Wednesday 18 December. The Barclays Premier League fixture at
White Hart Lane in October was a memorable afternoon for all concerned with
West Ham United, with the resultant press coverage rightly focusing on the
action on the pitch following our stunning 3-0 win. Wednesday's game is
likely to be another passionate affair and, as ever, we know the players
will be backed by a loud and proud travelling support. However, the Club
seeks to remind all fans attending the match at White Hart Lane that they
will be acting as ambassadors for West Ham United and their behaviour should
reflect the values and standards of our Club. Any inappropriate behaviour is
completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated by West Ham United. The
Club, along with the Metropolitan Police, will continue to adopt a zero
tolerance policy towards any form of discriminatory behaviour this year and
any fan found to be acting inappropriately - including racist, anti-Semitic
and homophobic behaviour - will be punished to the full extent of the law
and banned from attending matches.
West Ham United is rightly proud of its world-famous support home and away
and will not allow the reputation of the tens of thousands of Hammers fans
who follow the Club over land and sea to be tarnished by any unacceptable
conduct from a small minority.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'We all follow the West Ham'
WHUFC.com
The Martelli d'Italia Supporters' Club in Italy can be found in force at
most Hammers games
17.12.2013
The flags of the Martelli d'Italia West Ham United Supporters' Club are a
common sight at Hammers games across the country. Their presence reveals a
dedicated core of support for the Club from Italy, as members travel across
Europe to watch their team in person. West Ham TV caught up with several
members of the group on a recent trip to the Boleyn Ground, to discover more
about their passion for the Hammers. Luca Argiolas, from Sardinia, takes up
the story: "Twenty-two of us came over for the Chelsea game recently, from
every part of Italy - north to south and even the islands. "As a group, we
have 2,000 people who have liked our Facebook page, and 50 or 60 people who
come over to London at least once per season. On special occasions, like the
derbies, or Wembley two years ago, lots of people come over. "We are the
only group in Italy who have so many people who come over to matches in
London. It's a big sacrifice because we have to take flights and spend
money, but we do it for our passion for West Ham."
For the members who cannot make the journey to London, the group also
arrange meeting points at pubs in their homeland to watch games on
television.
"We have meet-ups in Italy to watch matches too, in the bigger cities like
Milan and Rome we have more people than in the smaller ones, so we make
meetings called Match Pint to see the games on TV in the pubs, whether
that's on Italian or English TV. "We go to away games too. Some of us went
to Liverpool the other week, and we'll travel for the League Cup too."
A love for the English game drives their passion for the Hammers, with the
Club's roots in the community behind their support for the east Londoners.
Argiolas explained: "I think that the good thing about West Ham is the
spirit - it maintains the English spirit. It's great for us to arrive here,
to come on the Tube and go to Green Street, see the people and see that it's
a club of the people. "We all prefer a club that maybe wins one time every
20 years, than a club that wins all the time. If we wanted a club that wins
a lot we'd support Chelsea or Manchester United, but we come here for West
Ham and we came here even when we were in the Championship. "We don't mind
about the category, we only want to come and see West Ham. "We enjoyed
seeing Italians like Di Canio and Diamanti playing for West Ham, but for us
it's the same - Italians, English, we want first all of them to wear the
shirt of West Ham. "The people who play for West Ham are what matters for
us, not the nationality."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Collison aims for Cup boost
WHUFC.com
Jack Collison is eyeing another memorable White Hart Lane trip for the
Hammers
17.12.2013
Jack Collison is hoping Wednesday's Capital One Cup quarter-final at
Tottenham Hotspur can prove to be a springboard for West Ham United's
season. The Hammers are aiming to inflict a second defeat on the north
Londoners at White Hart Lane this term, following their 3-0 success in the
Barclays Premier League in October. Collison says the players like himself,
who have featured regularly in the cup run, are hungry for the chance to
shine once again. He told whufc.com: "I wouldn't say that the Tottenham game
is a distraction [from our position]. We have a big squad and the manager
has normally rotated the team for the Capital One Cup. "It's a good chance
for the players who haven't been playing so much in the league - the likes
of myself, Matty Taylor and boys like that who have been working hard in
training - and this is a chance to try and impress and try to force your way
into the team in the Premier League, where everyone wants to be playing.
"It's going to be a fantastic game on Wednesday. It's a massive game for the
fans, they love going to Spurs and beating them in the league this season
was the highlight of the season for them so far. "Hopefully we can give them
something to cheer about. They pay their money week in, week out, and we're
working hard to turn it around."
Following Saturday's 0-0 draw with Sunderland, the Hammers No10 is as
frustrated as anyone at the lack of goals, yet remains convinced that his
team will soon eliminate that issue from their game. He continued: "It's
frustrating for us as players, and I think the fans understand that we go
out there to win. We don't not win on purpose, we want to be winning games,
playing good football and scoring goals. "We're working hard on the training
pitch and we have every confidence that we can turn things around and pay
them back by treating them to good football, lots of goals and lots of
points. "It's a team game and we have a squad full of good players. It's up
to us - players like myself, Kevin Nolan and the wide players to chip in
with goals. If we can do that it takes the pressure off the front boys and
then hopefully they can start scoring and we can start winning games. At the
moment we'll take any sort of goal. "t's a very real position we're in,
we're not silly and the table doesn't lie. It's up to us as a group of
players to turn it around because to be fair to the staff and the management
they're working their socks off at the moment. We're working hard too to do
the right things, it's not quite going right for us at the moment but we
have every confidence we can turn it around."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Reid happy at injury progress
WHUFC.com
Winston Reid is recovering well from the ankle surgery he underwent recently
17.12.2013
Winston Reid can see the light at the end of the tunnel following his recent
ankle injury. The 25-year-old defender has been absent since suffering a
high ankle sprain in early November, an injury which required surgery. Reid
is well along the road to recovery now and is looking forward to returning
to training sooner rather than later. "The recovery has been going okay," he
told West Ham TV. "I'm coming along and it'll be another month or so before
I'm back fit. "I've just been recovering from the operation so far - doing
my gym work in the first four weeks, so I probably couldn't have done as
much as I'd have wanted to, but I'm steadily getting better. "The hard bit
is those first couple of weeks when I was lying on my couch not able to do
much, but now I can try to get my fitness back so hopefully that won't take
so long."
Reid suffered the injury just before a run of crucial Hammers games, as well
as New Zealand's FIFA World Cup Qualification Play-Off with Mexico. The No2
was disappointed to miss out on those, and is keen to make up for lost time
upon his return. He continued: "The timing wasn't ideal with important games
for West Ham and World Cup qualifiers for New Zealand, but whenever you get
an injury it's never going to be ideal. "You just have to deal with these
things. I've sort of managed to put it behind me and get on with my everyday
life. Now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. "The staff around me
have been working well and trying to give me the best options to get back as
quickly as possible."
Reid has been happy to see the team remain defensively sound since his
injury-enforced absence, and he is hoping their fortunes in front of goal
will start to improve from Wednesday's Capital One Cup quarter-final at
Tottenham Hotspur onwards. He added: "Since I've been away the guys have
done okay, maybe not points-wise, but they've played some good games and
been unlucky. "That's the way the cookie crumbles, and hopefully we'll get
better. Our problem since the season started has been putting the ball in
the net. "Hopefully the boys can get a win and get through in the cup too,
as it would be great if we could get another win there."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ladies suffer cup exit
WHUFC.com
The Hammers ladies fell to a 4-2 London Capital Cup defeat at KIKK United on
Sunday
17.12.2013
West Ham United Ladies suffered a disappointing exit from the London FA
Capital Cup on Sunday when they were defeated by KIKK United. The Hammers
were below par in a game made difficult by the rain and blustery wind, and
the size of their task became clear when a deflected shot put the hosts in
front on 20 minutes. KIKK extended their lead on 43 minutes which a shot
which crept in under the crossbar, although the Hammers gave themselves hope
by reducing the deficit just before the interval thanks to a fantastic
strike from Sarah McCrea. Her left-footed drive from the edge of the box
gave the home keeper no chance, but West Ham were unable to move on from
there as KIKK pushed them back at the start of the second period. The hosts
scored two further goals to make it 4-1, meaning Stacey Little's late header
counted for little as the Hammers crashed out of the cup.
West Ham United Ladies: Lauren Picton, Sophie Reed, Katie Sorenson, Danica
Revell, Emily Masters (Olivia Sammons 46), Abbie Solly, Lily Mellors, Stacey
Little, Katie Bottom, Zoe Lipley-Hinton, Sarah McCrea
Subs (not used): Faye Picton
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tottenham v West Ham
KO 19:45
17 December 2013
Last updated at 15:25
CAPITAL ONE CUP QUARTER-FINAL
Venue: White Hart Lane Date: Wednesday, 18 December
TEAM NEWS
Tottenham's interim head coach Tim Sherwood is without the suspended duo of
Paulinho and captain Michael Dawson. Sandro has a calf injury and will not
feature, but Vlad Chiriches, Christian Eriksen, Younes Kaboul and Danny Rose
could return.
West Ham skipper Kevin Nolan serves the second game of a three-match ban.
Also missing are Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing, Mladen Petric, Winston Reid
and Ricardo Vaz Te, plus James Tomkins is a doubt with a groin problem.
MATCH PREVIEW
Christmas cheer has been thin on the ground for Tottenham fans this week as
the 5-0 mauling at the hands of Liverpool on Sunday resulted in Andre
Villas-Boas leaving his post at White Hart Lane. That result proved to be
the final straw for chairman Daniel Levy as he ruthlessly pulled the plug on
the man who had failed to get the best out of the £107m worth of new talent
that arrived over the summer - or cope with the departure of Gareth Bale.
One thing that would help put the smile back on the faces of the Spurs
faithful, though, would be revenge on rivals West Ham, who enjoyed a famous
3-0 victory at White Hart Lane two months ago. It has arguably been Sam
Allardyce's finest win in the Premier League during his tenure as Hammers
boss, but it is one of the few bright sparks of an otherwise dreadful season
that will could see him go the same way as Villas-Boas unless the club have
a swift upturn in fortunes. Allardyce says he is too busy worrying about the
current situation of his side, who lie just one point above the relegation
places, than what has been going on at Spurs.
"I have enough of my own problems with injuries and suspensions with games
coming up rapidly to have too much concern about Tottenham other than what
team I am going to play, how we are going to play and what we can do to
combat them and get through to the semi-finals," he said. "My particular
situation will ease and will get better as long as we get our injured
players fit, and our communication between the board of directors and myself
with everyone at the club is clear and precise."
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
West Ham ended a run of 12 league games without a win at White Hart Lane
that stretched back to 1999 when they won there in October
Tottenham are unbeaten against West Ham in their last three League Cup
clashes.
Their last meeting in the competition came back in 2003 with Tottenham
winning a third round tie 1-0 courtesy of a Bobby Zamora goal.
Tottenham
This is Tottenham's 22nd appearance in a League Cup quarter-final - only
Arsenal (25) have reached this stage more often.
Tottenham have won only one of their last six League Cup games against
fellow top-flight sides (D2 L3).
Their only defeat in their last 19 home League Cup games came against
Arsenal in the 2010-11 season.
They have only won one of their last six league matches at home.
They have won the competition four times - in 1971, 1973, 1999 and 2008.
West Ham
Their victory over Tottenham, and the win over Burnley in the last round of
this competition, are their only victories away from home this season.
The Hammers have scored in 20 of their last 21 League Cup games, including
the last 14 in a row.
They have not drawn any of their last 30 games in this competition, winning
19 and losing 11.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Tottenham needed time to gel - Sam Allardyce
BBC.co.uk
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce claims it would have taken a "miracle worker"
to have got the best out of Tottenham this season. Spurs sacked coach Andre
Villas-Boas on Monday following indifferent form after signing seven players
in the summer. "You would have to be a miracle worker to get everybody
functioning to the best of their ability," said Allardyce. "They've arrived
from foreign countries in a different culture and an arena that they've
never played in before."
Tottenham were seventh in the Premier League when they decided to dismiss
Villas-Boas and Allardyce believes there is a "lack of patience in the game
today", which he blames on the financial rewards on offer. Allardyce will
take his Hammers side to play Spurs in the quarter-final of the Capital One
Cup on Wednesday. "To get the [Spurs] team playing together and
understanding each other in such a short period of time is nearly
impossible," said Allardyce. "I think the fruition of the change around at
Tottenham starts more next season, not this season." Allardyce's own
position has been questioned with his side just a point and a place above
the Premier League relegation zone. He has not been helped by injuries to
striker Andy Carroll, who has not played a game this season, centre-back
Winston Reid and winger Stewart Downing. Midfielder Kevin Nolan is also
serving a three-game suspension. "I don't fear for my job," said Allardyce,
who says he plans to bolster his squad in the January transfer window.
"There's always going to be a time when there's a difficult period and my
responsibility is to manage the players through that. "My particular
situation will ease and will get better as long as we get our injured
players fit." He added: "We have the same amount of clean sheets that
Everton have had so it doesn't take a genius to know what our problem is.
"We've been a few goals short of what would have been a very good position
in the league."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
THE BARRY HEARN INTERVIEW PART 5 'WHAT HARM CAN IT DO?"
By Sean Whetstone 17 Dec 2013 at 08:01
West Ham Till I Die
I asked Barry Hearn why he wants to ground share with West Ham United?
BH "What do I really want? Despite what people think I do not want
compensation just to throw in the black hole called football. What I want is
ground share, so I am going flat out for ground share!"
BH "The European argument with ground share is removed partially anyway
because it's a broader sponsorship rather than an individual to a commercial
enterprise"
I asked Barry didn't you say you would give up your challenge if you lost
the Judicial review?
BH "No, No, the papers said that! If I lose the judicial review I would give
up on the bidding process, that's what I have given up. I have given up
opposing the bidding process. I have accepted that West Ham are the anchor
tenants in the Olympic Stadium because I have lost and I know when I have
lost"
BH "On the bidding process we all signed up to the principle of ground
sharing. Karren Brady said in the House of Lords we all agreed to it!"
BH "The truth came out at the last judicial review when the lawyers said,
the West Ham lawyers said, we don't want to ground share because it will
affect our brand value. They were their exact words, the judge said this is
not about brand value, we still lost but it was the first time someone from
West ham said we don't want to ground share"
BH "What we are saying is really is what harm does it do for us to share the
Stadium? and to give us a chance on our doorstep to live our dreams"
I told Barry in personal view it could only be the spiritual home for one
football club.
BH "It happens all over Europe, 17 clubs around Europe ground share"
Barry challenged me asking
BH "West Ham occupancy will be harmful to us, Do you accept that? With
10,000 free tickets going out?"
I replied no I didn't see that, in my view it is slightly disrespectful to
Leyton Orient fans to suggest they would change their football club like
they would their tooth paste. Football is in the blood.
BH "Your totally wrong on this, our fan base is 6 to 7% local, 93% drive in,
What I am saying is football has changed now. It is not local residents so
much, its people returning to their roots. Your position will now change
because you are going to be a massive club in this iconic stadium. Every
year I analyse what happens to my small number of season ticket holders.
Every year we lose about 400 sometimes 500 season ticket holders, natural
wastage/death, moving out of the area, losing interest. There are the three
categories. The report says fundamentally with the value of the Premier
league brand, every year in the past we have replaced those with, almost to
the number with local people which decide to start going to Leyton Orient.
The report says and I believe them. The vast majority if not all of those
will now be enticed to go to West ham with cheaper tickets, better football
and certainly iconic building rather than join their local club and we will
be mathematically on the slippery slope down the leagues as we operate our
60% rule as our income will naturally fall. I find it very difficult to
disagree with that"
SW "But I do, why do I support West Ham? Why would I not support a more
successful club?"
BH "Because of your birth right, the new fans don't come from birth right"
SW "Don't they? They come from families. Did my son have a choice what team
he supported?"
BH Your in a time warp! This is a different world we live in now. Your'e
getting occasional visitors, you're getting new season ticket holders from
people that don't necessarily have an association because people die, people
move away. Your West ham through and through but not everyone shows your
depth of passion. People move off and they go somewhere else"
BH "We won't lose a hard core fan I know that, I am never saying that but
the numbers we are dealing with as so small. To lose 300 fans per year by
not being replaced because there is a better, more exciting, cheaper, much
more exciting version just across the road will have a negative effect on
us"
I said Leyton orient fans told me they have not been consulted on ground
sharing the Olympic Stadium
BH "Listen, Listen I am going spend a lot of time speaking to them aren't I?
To be honest with you NOT! At the end of the day I own the club, I run the
club, I will listen to them, I will sit down, I will listen to their
feelings but when you say, what is consultation? So we get everybody
together in a room, we discuss it, we let them to go away and talk to their
membership and to come back to us. Sometimes they do sometimes they don't!
but what is consultation?"
BH "I will listen to you and talk to you but that doesn't mean I going to do
what you want and I reserve that right as the owner"
You want to share the Olympic Stadium but your average gate al Leyton Orient
is around 5,500 when your current ground capacity is 9,271. Why aren't you
filling Brisbane Road now and how would you fill the Olympic Stadium?
BH "Two answers to that, firstly what the f**k has it got to do with you?, I
am tenant, I am not interested in whether you fill it or not, that's your
job, your West Ham, you shouldn't be interested in me, what the f**k has it
got to do with you if I have one person in it, I am paying my rent f**k off!
That's one answer! Right! The second answer, I believe we can get 9,000
Leyton orient fans in the lower tier if we are in the Championship. I think
that is realistic. I also believe that we will get , because I in the the
iconic status of the stadium a minimum of 3 to 4000 floating people because
this is going to a focal point of the whole of the East end, I also believe
I can go out certainly give away like West ham enough to fill the lower
tier, I think I can get to 18,000 if I am in the Championship! No More! I
think I will do well to get to 18,000 it may not happen quickly!"
You once said if you got a bung you would stop your challenge.
BH "That was a great line, that was on the back of Levy getting a bung and I
said to Boris. no-one gives me a bung and I am always up for a bung, hey do
you know what I am up for a bung!"
BH "The only person that I would look for compensation is the Premier league
for breaking in my view their own rules and that is something we will
decide, at the moment the action is stayed and we can re-open that action at
any time against the Premier League, that would be a compensation claim"
Since I did this interview Barry Hearn met with Denis Hone from the LLDC on
the 11th December. We are waiting to hear the outcome of that meeting.
The 1 hour and 20 minute interview can be heard in full on Moore Than Just A
Podcast Episode 15 which can be downloaded or listened to at
www.moorethanjustapodcast.co.uk
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham said interested in Brazilian striker
HITC.com
West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce is said to have shown an interest in
signing Valencia's Brazilian striker Jonas. Allardyce has spoken of his
frustration at his side's lack of attacking options and went back and
re-signed Carlton Cole for added cover earlier this season. With Andy
Carroll out injured, West Ham have struggled up front, and a total of just
13 Premier League goals in 16 matches has left the Hammers perilously close
to the relegation zone. January, therefore, can't come quick enough for the
17th placed Londoners. And the name that has been linked with a move to The
Boleyn Ground is Valencia's leading scorer, Jonas. Jonas Gonçalves Oliveira
Felisbino, 29, also known as Jonas, started his career for Brazilian side
Guarani. He went on to play for some of Brazil's leading clubs, including
Santos, Gremio and Portuguesa. It wasn't until 2011 that Jonas finally made
the switch to Europe, with Valencia taking advantage of his low release
clause and confirming his signature for a bargain £1m. The Valencia striker
went on to be a hit at the Mestalla, scoring more than 30 La Liga goals
since January 2011. Amongst those goals was an eight minute hat trick as
Valencia comfortably beat 10 man Osasuna two weeks ago. The 6-capped
Brazilian has been in the form of his life this season, scoring eight goals
in 13 appearances so Sam Allardyce's reported interest surely isn't a
surprise. Although it's hard to believe that Jonas would be willing to leave
Valencia, who have recently been drawn against Dynamo Kyiv in the next phase
of the Europa League and are currently midtable in La Liga, but crippling
debts have forced the Blanquinegro's hand, and they have recently
acknowldged that they would be willing to listen to offers for key players,
including Jonas, Guaita and Banega.
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Tuesday, December 17
Daily WHUFC News - 17th December 2013
'We just need to keep digging deep'
WHUFC.com
Jussi Jaaskelainen says West Ham United need to retain their confidence to
turn recent results around
16.12.2013
Jussi Jaaskelainen says West Ham United need to 'dig deep' if they are to
turn recent results around and start climbing the Barclays Premier League
table.
The goalkeeper kept his eighth clean sheet in 16 league games, but was
forced to settle for a point in Saturday's goalless home draw with
Sunderland.
While things are not quite clicking in front of goal, Jaaskelainen and his
defenders were again on top form to shutout the Black Cats at the Boleyn
Ground.
"It was a little disappointing from the team because we didn't pass the ball
with the same fluency as we normally do in home games, so it was massively
important that we kept a clean sheet and got at least a point from the
game," said the Finn. "Sometimes when you don't play well you have to settle
for a point.
"I think they generally played a bit sharper than us and that hasn't been
happening since I've been here. Over the last season and a half we've been
very sharp at home and we've been better attacking-wise. "We just need to
keep digging deep. We've been a little low on confidence but we don't need
to be like that because we've not been playing badly. "We've got eight clean
sheets and we definitely should have a few more points, but if we keep
working hard and keep believing we will turn this around."
While confidence may not be at its highest in the camp, Jaaskelainen insists
this is no time for the Hammers to go into their shells. Instead, the No22
says the players need to knuckle down, learn from their errors and
experiences and go into each and every match believing they can achieve a
positive result. "Obviously you take the good and bad things from the games
before and you have to learn from your mistakes - that's the main thing as a
player, because you don't want to make the same mistakes again. "It's a
little bit easier to build on all those clean sheets, because we just need a
little bit of luck in front of goal and nick a goal because that's going to
make a massive change. "We're going to have a big Christmas period coming up
and hopefully we can go to Manchester United [and do well] and go on from
there."
Jaaskelainen's performance against Sunderland was exemplary, with the Finn
making a series of important saves, holding the ball well and punching and
parrying with authority. "That's my job and what I try to do every week. I
always try to work hard in training and take that into the games and
hopefully I can carry on the level I've been playing for the last few years
- that's my aim."
The 38-year-old was especially pleased with his display in the light of a
couple of recent fouls which led to penalties in defeats by Norwich City and
Chelsea.
"You always learn, even at my age. Against Chelsea I was a bit unfortunate
because Oscar wasn't even trying to score. "You realise now that players are
happier to get a penalty than try to score the goal, so if you go and commit
yourself you have to be 100 per cent sure you're going to get to the ball
first. If not, they will nick the ball away, go down and get the penalty.
"When a player goes through one-on-one with you, you'd expect him to try to
score, but that's not the case anymore."
Jaaskelainen says goalkeepers now have to act like defenders, in that
staying on their feet is often the best way to avoid conceding a spot-kick.
"The only way you can commit yourself is when you are 100 per cent sure
you're going to get to the ball first. That's the name of the game. "You can
see how many penalties come now from when the player kicks the ball towards
the corner flag and goes down to get the penalty. That's the way football is
going."
Jaaskelainen will be looking to produce two more unbeatable performances
this week, with the Hammers travelling to Tottenham Hotspur in the Capital
One Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday before Saturday's league trip to Old
Trafford. "We'll see what's going to happen on Wednesday as to whether I'll
play [or Adrian continues to start in that competition], but whoever players
we want to go there and put in a good performance. "Every player knows that
the cup is not the priority, but we want to win every game and if we do
we'll be in the semi-finals. "If I look back on my career, the best memories
were in the cups - an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley [in April 2011] and the
League Cup final in Cardiff [in 2004]. Those were very nice experiences, but
the money is in the Premier League so we have to make sure the main focus is
on the Premier League."
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Dev Squad match postponed
WHUFC.com
Monday's U21 match has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch
16.12.2013
The Development Squad's Barclays U21 Premier League match at Reading, due to
be played on Monday night, has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
A new date will now have to be set for this fixture and will be announced on
whufc.com in due course.
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Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce is planning to use an experienced team for Wednesday's Capital
One Cup tie with Tottenham Hotspur
15.12.2013
Sam Allardyce is planning to name experienced line-up for West Ham United's
mouthwatering Capital One Cup quarter-final at Tottenham Hotspur on
Wednesday. The West Ham United manager successfully utilised some of the key
players from the Hammers' Under-21 side in the earlier rounds of the
competition, but says that it will be his senior squad members who are
likely to get the nod at White Hart Lane this time around. The likes of Alou
Diarra, Joey O'Brien, Matt Taylor and Carlton Cole could all start as Big
Sam targets his second high-profile win at Spurs this season following the
3-0 win back in October.
"I remember Cardiff in the Capital One Cup third round at the Boleyn Ground
and playing the first team behind the first team," he said. "When we got
round to Burnley away the squad had diminished a lot with the injuries we
had then so we played a lot of the young players. "Now, we're in a position
where we have to see what we've got available for Wednesday night but there
won't be any young players in there that's for sure. But there will be
players who haven't played as much in the first team."
Wednesday's London derby marks the start of a hat-trick of three
tough-looking fixtures for the Hammers - on paper at least. After Tottenham,
Big Sam will take his team to Manchester United on Saturday, followed by a
Boxing Day derby at home to Spurs' neighbours Arsenal. "We've got some tough
games coming up. We've got the Capital One Cup on Wednesday and then
Manchester United away and Arsenal here. We've got to try to do what many
teams have done at Manchester United recently and take some points. If we
play our best we'll have a chance. "When I got to the Carling Cup final with
Bolton Wanderers I played the strongest possible team I had available at
that particular time because we were about eighth in the Premier League. Now
I've got to get a team ready to get some points at Manchester United next
Saturday. "That's not just my remit, that's everybody's remit here, not just
the owners. Premier League safety is the most important thing at the club."
While Big Sam will be burning the midnight oil on a strategy to get the
better of his Tottenham counterpart Andre Villas Boas once more, he is also
dedicating time to signing the new striker he so desperately desires.
Saturday's 0-0 draw at home to Sunderland highlighted the Hammers' struggles
in front of goal and their manager has hinted he is moving ever closer to
agreeing a deal with one of his primary targets. "We're looking at a
frontline attacking player, there's no doubt about that. We've been in
negotiations, not just for one but for many others. We're moving onto the
next phase and there are possibilities and we're talking to the club and the
players agents to see whether they're going to join us or not. "We've tried
to get a quick decision. We'll try to do the deal as soon as possibly can.
[Joint-Chairman] David Sullivan's the quickest owner of a football club that
I've ever had. He makes a decision and tries to do a deal. He doesn't ah and
um like some of the other owners that I've been involved with so if it's a
yes then bang, we try and get it done."
In an interview on Saturday, Joint-Chairman David Sullivan voiced his belief
that Big Sam and his management team will soon have the Hammers climbing the
table again once the spate of injuries clears up. The need for improvement
in results is a view shared by the manager, especially given the exciting
opportunity of a move to the Olympic Stadium in 2016 on the horizon. "As the
Joint-Chairman said and as I've said, going into the new stadium this club
has to be in the Premier League. If the club has to be in the Premier League
then we have to make sure we have a team capable and sustainable enough to
stay there. "At the moment we're not quite there but I think that's down to
the injuries to players and the players missing on a regular basis. Once we
get them back in the team then we'll be ok. Bearing in mind we can't do that
at the moment, we've got to get the players fit and try and do what we can
until we get them back."
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Loan watch - Spence plays in Dons win
WHUFC.com
Jordan Spence played his part as Milton Keynes Dons defeated Wolves on
Saturday
16.12.2013
Jordan Spence helped his loan club Milton Keynes Dons to a fine 2-0 win at
Wolverhampton Wanderers in Sky Bet League One on Saturday. The 23-year-old
defender played the 90 minutes as his team defeated the promotion contenders
thanks to goals from Patrick Bamford and Ben Reeves. Spence has now played
eight games for Karl Robinson's side since joining them on loan, with the
Dons currently sitting twelfth in the table. Meanwhile, Dan Potts was unable
to help Portsmouth halt their poor run of form as they lost 2-0 at Newport
County in League Two. Pompey have slipped down to 18th in the division after
a run of six games without a victory. They face fellow strugglers Bristol
Rovers in their next fixture. Pelly Ruddock enjoyed more success as his
Luton Town side knocked holders Wrexham out of the FA Trophy. The Hatters
won 2-0 thanks to a goal from Mark Cullen and an own goal from Wrexham's
Neil Ashton. They are now into the last 16 of the competition, which they
will be looking to win for the first time.
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce in talks for mystery striker
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo | Last Updated: 16/12/13
10:04am
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has revealed they are in advanced talks about
signing a mystery striker in the January transfer window. Allardyce is
desperate to bolster his attacking options after seeing West Ham struggle
for goals in the absence of the injured Andy Carroll. West Ham's co-owners
David Gold and David Sullivan have promised Allardyce they will fund a deal
for a new striker and the Hammers boss has confirmed they are close to
landing a new addition to the squad. Allardyce has been linked with the
likes of Rickie Lambert, Obafemi Martins and Diego Forlan, but the Hammers
boss refused to reveal the identity of his target. "It is an attacking
player there are no doubts about that," said Allardyce. "We are moving on to
the next phase and we are talking to the club and the player's agent to see
if he is going to join us or not. "We are moving on to the next phase and we
are talking to the club and the player's agent to see if he is going to join
us or not." "We will try and do the deal as quickly as we possibly can,
David Sullivan is the quickest owner of a football club I have ever had. He
doesn't 'ooh' 'ahh' and 'um' like most of the other owners I have been
involved with."
Meanwhile, Allardyce insists he has no problem with Sullivan's comments that
he regrets signing Carroll on a permanent basis in the summer with the
striker yet to feature this season due to injury. "David is the owner and he
can always say what he thinks because he pays for and looks after the club,"
added Allardyce. "The way he is as a person, he gets extremely anxious about
the situation. The pressure comes on him as much as it does on to me and
everyone else. "Dealing with that is one thing you have to be capable of
doing. "The commitment to go forward is a big responsibility for us all
because this club has to be in the Premier League when we go to the new
stadium."
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REMEMBERING THE 1923 FA CUP FINAL
By Tony Hanna 16 Dec 2013 at 14:51
West Ham Till I Die
Another part of my "remembering" series and I have to own up as to not
having been around for this game! The 1923 FA Cup Final is another part of
football history for West Ham. It was the first final ever to be played at
Wembley Stadium and we are in the history books as being the first team to
lose a Cup Final there. Our opponents on the day were Bolton Wanderers and
they beat us by two goals to nil. However, the football match was, in
comparison, a small part of what happened on this historic day. The match
has been for years remembered as the "White Horse" final.
The White Horse Cup Final was to go down as one of the most extraordinary
events in sporting history. The then new Wembley, officially known as The
Empire Stadium, was completed just 4 days prior to the 1923 Cup Final and
was considered to be the Worlds greatest sporting arena. The capacity was
believed to be 127,000 and it was considered ample as the previous year's
final had attracted a crowd of just 53,000. However, the organisers had not
taken into account the lure of the new National Stadium and before you could
say "make it all ticket", nearly half a million people were converging on
the ground.
By 1.45pm the gates were closed as the capacity limit had been reached.
However, a quarter of a million more people were swelling outside the
stadium in a tide that was not going to go away. The locked out crowd began
breaking down gates and scaling the walls to get in as the surge to get in
became overwhelming. Before long an estimated additional 100,000 fans had
made it into the ground and the groundswell had seen spectators spill from
the terraces and onto the pitch . We will never know how many people were
crammed into the stadium that day, estimates range from 240,000 to 300,000,
but it will go down as "unofficially" the highest non racing sports
attendance in World sport.
At 2.45pm after the King had overseen the singing of the National anthem, it
was unclear if a game could be played at all? The pitch was completely full
of spectators and it seemed impossible to see how the chaos could be
rectified. Then along came the hero's of the day – a police constable named
George Scorey and his white horse "Billy". He carefully picked his way to
the centre of the pitch and then started to circle, edging the crowd back
bit by bit. The horse nudging here, nudging there, as he continued to
enlarge the territory which was the green blades of grass of the playing
field. George persuaded the front ranks of spectators to link arms and push
backwards as the horse kept manoeuvring the crowd back until after 45
minutes the crowd had been retreated all the way back to the edge of the
pitch. It was then realised that any more retreating was impossible.
The game eventually started which often saw players, unable to stop
themselves near the touch lines, hurtling into the crowd and struggling to
get back onto the pitch amidst the mass of supporters. At half time both
teams had to stay on the field and several times in the second half play was
stopped as the crowd again spilled onto the playing area. Goals from David
Jack and Jack Smith ensured a 2-0 win to Bolton who were one of the
strongest teams of that era. In honour of Billy the white horse, the
footbridge outside the new Wembley was named the "White Horse Bridge".
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Sam Allardyce remains under pressure after owner writes-off painfully poor
West Ham's season
15 Dec 2013 22:30
The Hammers could field a weakened team this Wednesday, but fans (and maybe
David Sullivan) will be asking: "Can it get any weaker?"
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce plans to pick a weakened team against Spurs in the League Cup
on Wednesday. But after watching this goalless draw West Ham fans will ask:
'How can it get any weaker?' On the day co-owner David Sullivan went public
with his frustration and declared the season a "write-off" , the Hammers
were painfully poor in their latest goalless draw. Until the cavalry arrive
in January – either a new striker or the return of Andy Carroll –
Allardyce's side simply do not look like scoring. With their best players
Kevin Nolan and Stewart Downing also out, Saturday's team made the Hammers
side relegated in 2003 – including Joe Cole and Paolo Di Canio – look like
Brazil in 1970. And with Manchester United and Arsenal their next two
Premier League opponents, the trip to White Hart Lane is looking daunting.
Especially with Tottenham hurting from West Ham's 3-0 win there in October.
"I have to try and get a team ready to get some points at Manchester
United," Allardyce said. "Our Premier League status is the most important
thing at the club. The more important game for me, as much as I don't like
to say it, is Man U and getting points (rather than) Tottenham on Wednesday,
based on the position in the league and the squad I have available at the
moment. "There won't be any young players – that is one thing for sure – but
there will be some players who haven't played as much in the first team."
Sullivan's interview on BBC's Football Focus was surprisingly timed but
totally accurate. Carroll has not offered a return on his big investment.
And although Sullivan insisted he was backing Allardyce, he added
tellingly: "But let's judge him at the end of the season." Allardyce chose
his words carefully in response to the "write-off" comment, and effectively
urged his boss to hold his nerve. "David is obviously in a position where he
gets extremely anxious of the situation," he said. "That's the way he is as
a person. "The pressure comes on him as much as it does on me and everyone
else. I think dealing with pressure is one thing you have to be capable of
doing. "And he can always say what he thinks because he is the owner. But
it's a big responsibility for us all and going into the new stadium, this
club has to be in the Premier League. "So we have to make sure we have a
team capable of staying there. At the moment, we're not quite there but I
think that is down to the injured players and the players missing on a
regular basis. "Once we get them back and ready and back in the team and
hopefully staying in the team, we will be OK."
Sub Jack Collison admitted: "It's frustrating for us as players. It's not
through a lack of effort and the fans have to know we are trying hard."
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West Ham, Sunderland and Hull set for January transfer battle over Lorient
defender Lamine Kone
16 Dec 2013 22:30
English trio chasing 24-year-old former France under-20 centre-back who is
on the market for £2.2million
The Mirror
Premier League rivals West Ham, Sunderland and Hull are in a three-way fight
to land Lorient defender Lamine Kone in the January transfer window. The
powerhouse centre-back is available for £2.2million - despite signing a new
three-year deal with the Ligue 1 outfit only last summer. But he wants a
move to either England or Spain, and the French side will not stand in his
way if their valuation on the 24-year-old is met. Kone, who is also being
tracked by La Liga pair Malaga and Celta Vigo, confirmed:"I extended for
three years but, if there is a good offer, Lorient will not say 'no.'"
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce, Black Cats manager Gus Poyet and Tigers chief
Steve Bruce have all had Kone watched as they look to strengthen their
squads for the survival battle ahead of them in the second-half of the
season. Kone, a former France under-20 international who can also play at
right-back, is rated as one of his country's most solid and reliable
defenders. And his series of consistently impressive performances have
helped hoist Lorient into the top half of the table.
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An open letter to Sam Allardyce
Date: 16th December 2013 at 9:15 pm
Written by: Spencer Pratten |
ForeverWestHam.com
After watching the latest woeful West Ham home performance against bottom of
the table Sunderland. I think now I can now suggest to Big Sam Allardyce,
after suffering a series of dull, defensive minded efforts over several
months now, that packing the midfield and sitting the defence deep on top of
your own goalkeeper isn't working for us. Furthermore, this will fail to
produce goals for as long as this tired and predictable system is allowed to
operate.
The way we play simply allows opposition sides a starting platform 20 yards
closer to our goal, allows unemployed defenders to push into midfield and
overload us, and forces us to defend for our lives for most of the match. We
have neither the required pace or skill to counteract with any fluidity or
regularity, and all we succeed in doing is isolating the poor individual who
has been selected as 'striker' (that's the bloke who is supposed to be
scoring goals by the way), who we now require to make runs across the width
of the field, find space against two or more defenders, control the ball,
bring others into play and stick the ball in the net. Not much to ask then
Mr.Allardyce?
Do you know I actually feel sorry for Modibo Maiga and Carlton Cole. Even
the worlds best strikers would have their hands full as the lone man up
front, and even then with the benefit of clever and frequent support from
the midfielders. We are expecting journeyman players to do all of this with,
at times, no support at all, or at best one player looking to help our
overworked front man. It's an impossible job Sam, and that's precisely why
we have such a shocking goals for record. Surely you can see that…because we
can !
Sure, when (if ?) Andy Carroll finally makes an appearance we can give the
system another go, but until then, please do us a favour…at least try two
strikers…. one linking just behind the other, and see how we get on. Do you
really think things will be any worse than they have been of late Sam?
When you first came here you put a lot of backs up by claiming the famed
"West Ham way" was a losing way. Well that may well have been the case but
at least we lost with some style my friend and us fans went home having seen
some shots at goal. What exactly is the Allardyce way, Sam? Packed defence
and midfield? Lone striker or even none at all? Wingers with no one to hit?
The ball moving backwards or sideways, as forward options are hard to find?
They may have been happy at Bolton Wanderers or Blackburn Rovers to pay to
watch this bore-fest, but as Hammers we expect and want more than we are
getting. Start to think offensively because your way isn't our way!
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West Ham line up surprise January move for Southampton star Lambert
By James McLean
Monday 16 December 2013
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce could be set to make a shock move for
Southampton striker Rickie Lambert in the January transfer window, according
to The Independent. Lambert was thought to be on the Hammers; radar in the
summer, but any approaches were rebuffed as Saints sought to hold on to
their prized asset. With Dani Osvaldo's arrival at St. Mary's, however,
Lambert is no longer considered a sure-fire selection – at least not the
club's first choice striker – the forward could seek a move away from the
south coast in the hopes of maintaining his hopes of booking a seat on the
plane to Brazil for the World Cup in the summer. West Ham have appeared
considerably lackluster in attack this season, especially since losing
striker Andy Carroll to injury, and with only bottom club Sunderland having
scored less in the league this season Big Sam is thought to be keen on
taking Lambert to east London. Lambert's contract runs until 2016, but he
has only found the net four times so far this season – and so a move could
both freshen up the striker's campaign and help West Ham's struggling Goals
For tally.
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Why we owe a lot of Gold and Sullivan
Moorethanjustaclub.com
Due to the difficult times the club are going through at the moment there's
been a lot of negativity towards the owners and particularly David Gold
because he has twitter and fans can message him easily. I don't think the
hard time he's getting is fair because looking at the bigger picture he's
done a lot of good for the club.
I don't think we'd be in the premier league right now if they hadn't been
there to help out and really all fans want is for us to do well in the
league. The Olympic Stadium is notably the big thing that Gold, Sullivan and
Brady have achieved and at this moment it doesn't bare thinking about how
it's going to feel to leave Upton Park but the OS should help us move on to
bigger things. With some hope and luck we should still have Andy Carroll
maybe Ravel and some of our youngsters Lee, Chambers, Lletget etc. so
there's plenty of reasons to be optimistic as long as were still in the
premier league and I think we will be, this season will be a struggle but
we'll pull through. We're not the team or fans that give up. Another factor
that comes with the OS is that the debt will be cleared, we will never know
the complete ins and outs of what's going on money wise but if we are then
the club can focus on getting good players and I think the bigger stadium
will help attract good players.
The fact that David Gold has twitter automatically earns my respect, it
can't be easy, we are a very passionate group of fans and he puts up with
the tweets and often comes out with responses that make us laugh. I do
believe he tries to be as honest as he can but it's not like he can share a
lot of details that other teams may see. He has been very quiet recently
which hasn't looked great because it's a time when the fans want answers but
overall it's a good interaction to have with the fans.
He's a lifelong fan of the club but that doesn't mean he can go and do
whatever he wants, he has finance and business decisions to think about. At
the current time, like him or not he deserves respect for what he's done as
do Sullivan and Brady.
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Chelsea Legend and former West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola resigns as manager
of Watford
CHELSEA legend Gianfranco Zola has walked away from his role as manager of
Championship side Watford after struggling to recapture last season's form.
Daily Star
By Colin Harvey/Published 16th December 2013
Gianfranco Zola, Chelsea, Watford, West Ham,Gianfranco Zola feels the strain
as his former Watford are on a run of no wins in nine games. [GETTY]
His Hornets side hadn't won in nine games in the build up to the
resignation. Zola was unable to recreate the form that saw Watford reach
last season's plays-offs with a dramatic last-grasp win over Leicester on
the final day. They lost the final to Crystal Palace and haven't pushed on
this year. Watford lie in 13th, eight points adrift of the playoff places.
In an open letter addressed to the fans on their official site, Zola said:
"I am writing this today with a very heavy heart and after a lot of
consideration, to tell you that I have resigned from my Head Coach position
at Watford. "First of all, this decision has not been made quickly. I
mentioned after the game on Saturday that I wanted to think about things
overnight and that is exactly what I have done. "I feel that it is in the
best interests of the team that somebody new is given the chance to bring
the success which we have all hoped for and worked very hard for" "I feel
that it is in the best interests of the team that somebody new is given the
chance to bring the success which we have all hoped for and worked very hard
for. "It is for a variety of reasons, and not just over one matter or one
moment, that I feel this is the right decision for me, in the best interests
of the club - and I know I can trust you, the supporters, to respect my
decision fully. "Last season was such an amazing time, for the players, the
staff and the supporters. And I loved that journey. Every minute of it
brought a new challenge, different experiences and a lot of learning. "It
has been a privilege and a pleasure to serve this club and I am sure we will
see each other again one day."
He has been given odds of 10/1 to become the new West Brom manager.
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WHUFC.com
Jussi Jaaskelainen says West Ham United need to retain their confidence to
turn recent results around
16.12.2013
Jussi Jaaskelainen says West Ham United need to 'dig deep' if they are to
turn recent results around and start climbing the Barclays Premier League
table.
The goalkeeper kept his eighth clean sheet in 16 league games, but was
forced to settle for a point in Saturday's goalless home draw with
Sunderland.
While things are not quite clicking in front of goal, Jaaskelainen and his
defenders were again on top form to shutout the Black Cats at the Boleyn
Ground.
"It was a little disappointing from the team because we didn't pass the ball
with the same fluency as we normally do in home games, so it was massively
important that we kept a clean sheet and got at least a point from the
game," said the Finn. "Sometimes when you don't play well you have to settle
for a point.
"I think they generally played a bit sharper than us and that hasn't been
happening since I've been here. Over the last season and a half we've been
very sharp at home and we've been better attacking-wise. "We just need to
keep digging deep. We've been a little low on confidence but we don't need
to be like that because we've not been playing badly. "We've got eight clean
sheets and we definitely should have a few more points, but if we keep
working hard and keep believing we will turn this around."
While confidence may not be at its highest in the camp, Jaaskelainen insists
this is no time for the Hammers to go into their shells. Instead, the No22
says the players need to knuckle down, learn from their errors and
experiences and go into each and every match believing they can achieve a
positive result. "Obviously you take the good and bad things from the games
before and you have to learn from your mistakes - that's the main thing as a
player, because you don't want to make the same mistakes again. "It's a
little bit easier to build on all those clean sheets, because we just need a
little bit of luck in front of goal and nick a goal because that's going to
make a massive change. "We're going to have a big Christmas period coming up
and hopefully we can go to Manchester United [and do well] and go on from
there."
Jaaskelainen's performance against Sunderland was exemplary, with the Finn
making a series of important saves, holding the ball well and punching and
parrying with authority. "That's my job and what I try to do every week. I
always try to work hard in training and take that into the games and
hopefully I can carry on the level I've been playing for the last few years
- that's my aim."
The 38-year-old was especially pleased with his display in the light of a
couple of recent fouls which led to penalties in defeats by Norwich City and
Chelsea.
"You always learn, even at my age. Against Chelsea I was a bit unfortunate
because Oscar wasn't even trying to score. "You realise now that players are
happier to get a penalty than try to score the goal, so if you go and commit
yourself you have to be 100 per cent sure you're going to get to the ball
first. If not, they will nick the ball away, go down and get the penalty.
"When a player goes through one-on-one with you, you'd expect him to try to
score, but that's not the case anymore."
Jaaskelainen says goalkeepers now have to act like defenders, in that
staying on their feet is often the best way to avoid conceding a spot-kick.
"The only way you can commit yourself is when you are 100 per cent sure
you're going to get to the ball first. That's the name of the game. "You can
see how many penalties come now from when the player kicks the ball towards
the corner flag and goes down to get the penalty. That's the way football is
going."
Jaaskelainen will be looking to produce two more unbeatable performances
this week, with the Hammers travelling to Tottenham Hotspur in the Capital
One Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday before Saturday's league trip to Old
Trafford. "We'll see what's going to happen on Wednesday as to whether I'll
play [or Adrian continues to start in that competition], but whoever players
we want to go there and put in a good performance. "Every player knows that
the cup is not the priority, but we want to win every game and if we do
we'll be in the semi-finals. "If I look back on my career, the best memories
were in the cups - an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley [in April 2011] and the
League Cup final in Cardiff [in 2004]. Those were very nice experiences, but
the money is in the Premier League so we have to make sure the main focus is
on the Premier League."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Dev Squad match postponed
WHUFC.com
Monday's U21 match has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch
16.12.2013
The Development Squad's Barclays U21 Premier League match at Reading, due to
be played on Monday night, has been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
A new date will now have to be set for this fixture and will be announced on
whufc.com in due course.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce is planning to use an experienced team for Wednesday's Capital
One Cup tie with Tottenham Hotspur
15.12.2013
Sam Allardyce is planning to name experienced line-up for West Ham United's
mouthwatering Capital One Cup quarter-final at Tottenham Hotspur on
Wednesday. The West Ham United manager successfully utilised some of the key
players from the Hammers' Under-21 side in the earlier rounds of the
competition, but says that it will be his senior squad members who are
likely to get the nod at White Hart Lane this time around. The likes of Alou
Diarra, Joey O'Brien, Matt Taylor and Carlton Cole could all start as Big
Sam targets his second high-profile win at Spurs this season following the
3-0 win back in October.
"I remember Cardiff in the Capital One Cup third round at the Boleyn Ground
and playing the first team behind the first team," he said. "When we got
round to Burnley away the squad had diminished a lot with the injuries we
had then so we played a lot of the young players. "Now, we're in a position
where we have to see what we've got available for Wednesday night but there
won't be any young players in there that's for sure. But there will be
players who haven't played as much in the first team."
Wednesday's London derby marks the start of a hat-trick of three
tough-looking fixtures for the Hammers - on paper at least. After Tottenham,
Big Sam will take his team to Manchester United on Saturday, followed by a
Boxing Day derby at home to Spurs' neighbours Arsenal. "We've got some tough
games coming up. We've got the Capital One Cup on Wednesday and then
Manchester United away and Arsenal here. We've got to try to do what many
teams have done at Manchester United recently and take some points. If we
play our best we'll have a chance. "When I got to the Carling Cup final with
Bolton Wanderers I played the strongest possible team I had available at
that particular time because we were about eighth in the Premier League. Now
I've got to get a team ready to get some points at Manchester United next
Saturday. "That's not just my remit, that's everybody's remit here, not just
the owners. Premier League safety is the most important thing at the club."
While Big Sam will be burning the midnight oil on a strategy to get the
better of his Tottenham counterpart Andre Villas Boas once more, he is also
dedicating time to signing the new striker he so desperately desires.
Saturday's 0-0 draw at home to Sunderland highlighted the Hammers' struggles
in front of goal and their manager has hinted he is moving ever closer to
agreeing a deal with one of his primary targets. "We're looking at a
frontline attacking player, there's no doubt about that. We've been in
negotiations, not just for one but for many others. We're moving onto the
next phase and there are possibilities and we're talking to the club and the
players agents to see whether they're going to join us or not. "We've tried
to get a quick decision. We'll try to do the deal as soon as possibly can.
[Joint-Chairman] David Sullivan's the quickest owner of a football club that
I've ever had. He makes a decision and tries to do a deal. He doesn't ah and
um like some of the other owners that I've been involved with so if it's a
yes then bang, we try and get it done."
In an interview on Saturday, Joint-Chairman David Sullivan voiced his belief
that Big Sam and his management team will soon have the Hammers climbing the
table again once the spate of injuries clears up. The need for improvement
in results is a view shared by the manager, especially given the exciting
opportunity of a move to the Olympic Stadium in 2016 on the horizon. "As the
Joint-Chairman said and as I've said, going into the new stadium this club
has to be in the Premier League. If the club has to be in the Premier League
then we have to make sure we have a team capable and sustainable enough to
stay there. "At the moment we're not quite there but I think that's down to
the injuries to players and the players missing on a regular basis. Once we
get them back in the team then we'll be ok. Bearing in mind we can't do that
at the moment, we've got to get the players fit and try and do what we can
until we get them back."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Loan watch - Spence plays in Dons win
WHUFC.com
Jordan Spence played his part as Milton Keynes Dons defeated Wolves on
Saturday
16.12.2013
Jordan Spence helped his loan club Milton Keynes Dons to a fine 2-0 win at
Wolverhampton Wanderers in Sky Bet League One on Saturday. The 23-year-old
defender played the 90 minutes as his team defeated the promotion contenders
thanks to goals from Patrick Bamford and Ben Reeves. Spence has now played
eight games for Karl Robinson's side since joining them on loan, with the
Dons currently sitting twelfth in the table. Meanwhile, Dan Potts was unable
to help Portsmouth halt their poor run of form as they lost 2-0 at Newport
County in League Two. Pompey have slipped down to 18th in the division after
a run of six games without a victory. They face fellow strugglers Bristol
Rovers in their next fixture. Pelly Ruddock enjoyed more success as his
Luton Town side knocked holders Wrexham out of the FA Trophy. The Hatters
won 2-0 thanks to a goal from Mark Cullen and an own goal from Wrexham's
Neil Ashton. They are now into the last 16 of the competition, which they
will be looking to win for the first time.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce in talks for mystery striker
By Pete O'Rourke - Follow me: @skysportspeteo | Last Updated: 16/12/13
10:04am
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has revealed they are in advanced talks about
signing a mystery striker in the January transfer window. Allardyce is
desperate to bolster his attacking options after seeing West Ham struggle
for goals in the absence of the injured Andy Carroll. West Ham's co-owners
David Gold and David Sullivan have promised Allardyce they will fund a deal
for a new striker and the Hammers boss has confirmed they are close to
landing a new addition to the squad. Allardyce has been linked with the
likes of Rickie Lambert, Obafemi Martins and Diego Forlan, but the Hammers
boss refused to reveal the identity of his target. "It is an attacking
player there are no doubts about that," said Allardyce. "We are moving on to
the next phase and we are talking to the club and the player's agent to see
if he is going to join us or not. "We are moving on to the next phase and we
are talking to the club and the player's agent to see if he is going to join
us or not." "We will try and do the deal as quickly as we possibly can,
David Sullivan is the quickest owner of a football club I have ever had. He
doesn't 'ooh' 'ahh' and 'um' like most of the other owners I have been
involved with."
Meanwhile, Allardyce insists he has no problem with Sullivan's comments that
he regrets signing Carroll on a permanent basis in the summer with the
striker yet to feature this season due to injury. "David is the owner and he
can always say what he thinks because he pays for and looks after the club,"
added Allardyce. "The way he is as a person, he gets extremely anxious about
the situation. The pressure comes on him as much as it does on to me and
everyone else. "Dealing with that is one thing you have to be capable of
doing. "The commitment to go forward is a big responsibility for us all
because this club has to be in the Premier League when we go to the new
stadium."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
REMEMBERING THE 1923 FA CUP FINAL
By Tony Hanna 16 Dec 2013 at 14:51
West Ham Till I Die
Another part of my "remembering" series and I have to own up as to not
having been around for this game! The 1923 FA Cup Final is another part of
football history for West Ham. It was the first final ever to be played at
Wembley Stadium and we are in the history books as being the first team to
lose a Cup Final there. Our opponents on the day were Bolton Wanderers and
they beat us by two goals to nil. However, the football match was, in
comparison, a small part of what happened on this historic day. The match
has been for years remembered as the "White Horse" final.
The White Horse Cup Final was to go down as one of the most extraordinary
events in sporting history. The then new Wembley, officially known as The
Empire Stadium, was completed just 4 days prior to the 1923 Cup Final and
was considered to be the Worlds greatest sporting arena. The capacity was
believed to be 127,000 and it was considered ample as the previous year's
final had attracted a crowd of just 53,000. However, the organisers had not
taken into account the lure of the new National Stadium and before you could
say "make it all ticket", nearly half a million people were converging on
the ground.
By 1.45pm the gates were closed as the capacity limit had been reached.
However, a quarter of a million more people were swelling outside the
stadium in a tide that was not going to go away. The locked out crowd began
breaking down gates and scaling the walls to get in as the surge to get in
became overwhelming. Before long an estimated additional 100,000 fans had
made it into the ground and the groundswell had seen spectators spill from
the terraces and onto the pitch . We will never know how many people were
crammed into the stadium that day, estimates range from 240,000 to 300,000,
but it will go down as "unofficially" the highest non racing sports
attendance in World sport.
At 2.45pm after the King had overseen the singing of the National anthem, it
was unclear if a game could be played at all? The pitch was completely full
of spectators and it seemed impossible to see how the chaos could be
rectified. Then along came the hero's of the day – a police constable named
George Scorey and his white horse "Billy". He carefully picked his way to
the centre of the pitch and then started to circle, edging the crowd back
bit by bit. The horse nudging here, nudging there, as he continued to
enlarge the territory which was the green blades of grass of the playing
field. George persuaded the front ranks of spectators to link arms and push
backwards as the horse kept manoeuvring the crowd back until after 45
minutes the crowd had been retreated all the way back to the edge of the
pitch. It was then realised that any more retreating was impossible.
The game eventually started which often saw players, unable to stop
themselves near the touch lines, hurtling into the crowd and struggling to
get back onto the pitch amidst the mass of supporters. At half time both
teams had to stay on the field and several times in the second half play was
stopped as the crowd again spilled onto the playing area. Goals from David
Jack and Jack Smith ensured a 2-0 win to Bolton who were one of the
strongest teams of that era. In honour of Billy the white horse, the
footbridge outside the new Wembley was named the "White Horse Bridge".
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce remains under pressure after owner writes-off painfully poor
West Ham's season
15 Dec 2013 22:30
The Hammers could field a weakened team this Wednesday, but fans (and maybe
David Sullivan) will be asking: "Can it get any weaker?"
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce plans to pick a weakened team against Spurs in the League Cup
on Wednesday. But after watching this goalless draw West Ham fans will ask:
'How can it get any weaker?' On the day co-owner David Sullivan went public
with his frustration and declared the season a "write-off" , the Hammers
were painfully poor in their latest goalless draw. Until the cavalry arrive
in January – either a new striker or the return of Andy Carroll –
Allardyce's side simply do not look like scoring. With their best players
Kevin Nolan and Stewart Downing also out, Saturday's team made the Hammers
side relegated in 2003 – including Joe Cole and Paolo Di Canio – look like
Brazil in 1970. And with Manchester United and Arsenal their next two
Premier League opponents, the trip to White Hart Lane is looking daunting.
Especially with Tottenham hurting from West Ham's 3-0 win there in October.
"I have to try and get a team ready to get some points at Manchester
United," Allardyce said. "Our Premier League status is the most important
thing at the club. The more important game for me, as much as I don't like
to say it, is Man U and getting points (rather than) Tottenham on Wednesday,
based on the position in the league and the squad I have available at the
moment. "There won't be any young players – that is one thing for sure – but
there will be some players who haven't played as much in the first team."
Sullivan's interview on BBC's Football Focus was surprisingly timed but
totally accurate. Carroll has not offered a return on his big investment.
And although Sullivan insisted he was backing Allardyce, he added
tellingly: "But let's judge him at the end of the season." Allardyce chose
his words carefully in response to the "write-off" comment, and effectively
urged his boss to hold his nerve. "David is obviously in a position where he
gets extremely anxious of the situation," he said. "That's the way he is as
a person. "The pressure comes on him as much as it does on me and everyone
else. I think dealing with pressure is one thing you have to be capable of
doing. "And he can always say what he thinks because he is the owner. But
it's a big responsibility for us all and going into the new stadium, this
club has to be in the Premier League. "So we have to make sure we have a
team capable of staying there. At the moment, we're not quite there but I
think that is down to the injured players and the players missing on a
regular basis. "Once we get them back and ready and back in the team and
hopefully staying in the team, we will be OK."
Sub Jack Collison admitted: "It's frustrating for us as players. It's not
through a lack of effort and the fans have to know we are trying hard."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham, Sunderland and Hull set for January transfer battle over Lorient
defender Lamine Kone
16 Dec 2013 22:30
English trio chasing 24-year-old former France under-20 centre-back who is
on the market for £2.2million
The Mirror
Premier League rivals West Ham, Sunderland and Hull are in a three-way fight
to land Lorient defender Lamine Kone in the January transfer window. The
powerhouse centre-back is available for £2.2million - despite signing a new
three-year deal with the Ligue 1 outfit only last summer. But he wants a
move to either England or Spain, and the French side will not stand in his
way if their valuation on the 24-year-old is met. Kone, who is also being
tracked by La Liga pair Malaga and Celta Vigo, confirmed:"I extended for
three years but, if there is a good offer, Lorient will not say 'no.'"
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce, Black Cats manager Gus Poyet and Tigers chief
Steve Bruce have all had Kone watched as they look to strengthen their
squads for the survival battle ahead of them in the second-half of the
season. Kone, a former France under-20 international who can also play at
right-back, is rated as one of his country's most solid and reliable
defenders. And his series of consistently impressive performances have
helped hoist Lorient into the top half of the table.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
An open letter to Sam Allardyce
Date: 16th December 2013 at 9:15 pm
Written by: Spencer Pratten |
ForeverWestHam.com
After watching the latest woeful West Ham home performance against bottom of
the table Sunderland. I think now I can now suggest to Big Sam Allardyce,
after suffering a series of dull, defensive minded efforts over several
months now, that packing the midfield and sitting the defence deep on top of
your own goalkeeper isn't working for us. Furthermore, this will fail to
produce goals for as long as this tired and predictable system is allowed to
operate.
The way we play simply allows opposition sides a starting platform 20 yards
closer to our goal, allows unemployed defenders to push into midfield and
overload us, and forces us to defend for our lives for most of the match. We
have neither the required pace or skill to counteract with any fluidity or
regularity, and all we succeed in doing is isolating the poor individual who
has been selected as 'striker' (that's the bloke who is supposed to be
scoring goals by the way), who we now require to make runs across the width
of the field, find space against two or more defenders, control the ball,
bring others into play and stick the ball in the net. Not much to ask then
Mr.Allardyce?
Do you know I actually feel sorry for Modibo Maiga and Carlton Cole. Even
the worlds best strikers would have their hands full as the lone man up
front, and even then with the benefit of clever and frequent support from
the midfielders. We are expecting journeyman players to do all of this with,
at times, no support at all, or at best one player looking to help our
overworked front man. It's an impossible job Sam, and that's precisely why
we have such a shocking goals for record. Surely you can see that…because we
can !
Sure, when (if ?) Andy Carroll finally makes an appearance we can give the
system another go, but until then, please do us a favour…at least try two
strikers…. one linking just behind the other, and see how we get on. Do you
really think things will be any worse than they have been of late Sam?
When you first came here you put a lot of backs up by claiming the famed
"West Ham way" was a losing way. Well that may well have been the case but
at least we lost with some style my friend and us fans went home having seen
some shots at goal. What exactly is the Allardyce way, Sam? Packed defence
and midfield? Lone striker or even none at all? Wingers with no one to hit?
The ball moving backwards or sideways, as forward options are hard to find?
They may have been happy at Bolton Wanderers or Blackburn Rovers to pay to
watch this bore-fest, but as Hammers we expect and want more than we are
getting. Start to think offensively because your way isn't our way!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham line up surprise January move for Southampton star Lambert
By James McLean
Monday 16 December 2013
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce could be set to make a shock move for
Southampton striker Rickie Lambert in the January transfer window, according
to The Independent. Lambert was thought to be on the Hammers; radar in the
summer, but any approaches were rebuffed as Saints sought to hold on to
their prized asset. With Dani Osvaldo's arrival at St. Mary's, however,
Lambert is no longer considered a sure-fire selection – at least not the
club's first choice striker – the forward could seek a move away from the
south coast in the hopes of maintaining his hopes of booking a seat on the
plane to Brazil for the World Cup in the summer. West Ham have appeared
considerably lackluster in attack this season, especially since losing
striker Andy Carroll to injury, and with only bottom club Sunderland having
scored less in the league this season Big Sam is thought to be keen on
taking Lambert to east London. Lambert's contract runs until 2016, but he
has only found the net four times so far this season – and so a move could
both freshen up the striker's campaign and help West Ham's struggling Goals
For tally.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Why we owe a lot of Gold and Sullivan
Moorethanjustaclub.com
Due to the difficult times the club are going through at the moment there's
been a lot of negativity towards the owners and particularly David Gold
because he has twitter and fans can message him easily. I don't think the
hard time he's getting is fair because looking at the bigger picture he's
done a lot of good for the club.
I don't think we'd be in the premier league right now if they hadn't been
there to help out and really all fans want is for us to do well in the
league. The Olympic Stadium is notably the big thing that Gold, Sullivan and
Brady have achieved and at this moment it doesn't bare thinking about how
it's going to feel to leave Upton Park but the OS should help us move on to
bigger things. With some hope and luck we should still have Andy Carroll
maybe Ravel and some of our youngsters Lee, Chambers, Lletget etc. so
there's plenty of reasons to be optimistic as long as were still in the
premier league and I think we will be, this season will be a struggle but
we'll pull through. We're not the team or fans that give up. Another factor
that comes with the OS is that the debt will be cleared, we will never know
the complete ins and outs of what's going on money wise but if we are then
the club can focus on getting good players and I think the bigger stadium
will help attract good players.
The fact that David Gold has twitter automatically earns my respect, it
can't be easy, we are a very passionate group of fans and he puts up with
the tweets and often comes out with responses that make us laugh. I do
believe he tries to be as honest as he can but it's not like he can share a
lot of details that other teams may see. He has been very quiet recently
which hasn't looked great because it's a time when the fans want answers but
overall it's a good interaction to have with the fans.
He's a lifelong fan of the club but that doesn't mean he can go and do
whatever he wants, he has finance and business decisions to think about. At
the current time, like him or not he deserves respect for what he's done as
do Sullivan and Brady.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chelsea Legend and former West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola resigns as manager
of Watford
CHELSEA legend Gianfranco Zola has walked away from his role as manager of
Championship side Watford after struggling to recapture last season's form.
Daily Star
By Colin Harvey/Published 16th December 2013
Gianfranco Zola, Chelsea, Watford, West Ham,Gianfranco Zola feels the strain
as his former Watford are on a run of no wins in nine games. [GETTY]
His Hornets side hadn't won in nine games in the build up to the
resignation. Zola was unable to recreate the form that saw Watford reach
last season's plays-offs with a dramatic last-grasp win over Leicester on
the final day. They lost the final to Crystal Palace and haven't pushed on
this year. Watford lie in 13th, eight points adrift of the playoff places.
In an open letter addressed to the fans on their official site, Zola said:
"I am writing this today with a very heavy heart and after a lot of
consideration, to tell you that I have resigned from my Head Coach position
at Watford. "First of all, this decision has not been made quickly. I
mentioned after the game on Saturday that I wanted to think about things
overnight and that is exactly what I have done. "I feel that it is in the
best interests of the team that somebody new is given the chance to bring
the success which we have all hoped for and worked very hard for" "I feel
that it is in the best interests of the team that somebody new is given the
chance to bring the success which we have all hoped for and worked very hard
for. "It is for a variety of reasons, and not just over one matter or one
moment, that I feel this is the right decision for me, in the best interests
of the club - and I know I can trust you, the supporters, to respect my
decision fully. "Last season was such an amazing time, for the players, the
staff and the supporters. And I loved that journey. Every minute of it
brought a new challenge, different experiences and a lot of learning. "It
has been a privilege and a pleasure to serve this club and I am sure we will
see each other again one day."
He has been given odds of 10/1 to become the new West Brom manager.
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