Manager on Monday
WHUFC.com
West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce is demanding consistency ahead of
Arsenal's visit
22.12.2013
Sam Allardyce is not planning to dwell on Saturday's Barclays Premier League
defeat at Manchester United, instead calling on his West Ham United players
to forget about the weekend's disappointment ahead of a flurry of festive
fixtures. The Hammers host Arsenal and West Bromwich Albion in the space of
just three days this week and Big Sam expects a more consistent showing than
the one he witnessed at Old Trafford. While the weekend's trip to the
champions was always likely to prove challenging, Big Sam was nevertheless
aggrieved to see his men give the hosts a helping hand. Conceding twice
prior to the interval put the visitors firmly on the back foot and the
Hammers boss admits that a slow start made life all but impossible
thereafter. A modest tally of 14 points from 17 games is certainly not what
Big Sam had envisaged at this stage, but he knows perfectly well what is
required to remedy the situation. "It's a difficult test for us now and it's
going to be a long haul in terms of digging ourselves out of this position,"
he explained. "We just have to make sure that we don't make the types of
error that we made in the first half on Saturday. "We have to be more
consistent in our performances and certainly we've got to find more goals.
"I can't complain about Saturday's result and I can't complain about the
fact that we were 2-0 down at half-time because of our own deficiencies in
our performance. "Manchester United's players will take full advantage of
basic mistakes in your own half, which they did on the two goals. "You
always have to weather the storm when you start at Old Trafford, not giving
too much encouragement. I think unfortunately for us we weren't able to do
that and ended up fighting a losing battle in the second half. "It's always
a tough task from there on and my disappointment was that our first half was
not good enough. It's about forgetting Saturday and moving on to Arsenal as
we quickly as we can."
Skipper Kevin Nolan will be back in contention for the Gunners' Boxing Day
visit, having served his three-match ban, and Big Sam is understandably keen
to see the return of other influential absentees. He explained: "We've got
to go all out to get some of the players who are injured back in the team,
because they will make a difference to us. "There are too few players who
are fit at the moment for me. My position is always this. When Stewart
Downing, Winston Reid, Ricardo Vaz Te and Andy Carroll are playing back in
the team, it will make the team bigger, stronger and bring more quality.
"That's no disrespect to what the players are doing at the moment, but
everyone wants their best players fit. We're missing them and we need to try
to get them back as soon as we possibly can."
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'We thought we could cause an upset'
WHUFC.com
Carlton Cole was disappointed at Saturday's loss at Manchester United
despite getting on the scoresheet
22.12.2013
Carlton Cole showed that practice proves perfect with his consolation goal
at Manchester United on Saturday. The Hammers striker has put in extra work
on the Chadwell Heath training pitches to hone his ability when one-on-one
with the goalkeeper, and he was given the perfect opportunity to benefit
when Modibo Maiga played him through with nine minutes left to play. The
No24 made no mistake to push the ball through David de Gea's legs, but he
admitted the goal would have meant a whole lot more had his team not been
3-0 down at the time. Second half sub Ashley Young added to earlier goals
from Danny Welbeck and Adnan Januzaj to leave the Hammers frustrated in
their quest to inflict a third straight home league defeat on the Red
Devils. Cole explained: "We wanted to at least get a result from the game,
so the gloss is taken off scoring at Old Trafford. "For the goal Van [Maiga]
picked up the ball in midfield, they got turned and when you're playing with
two strikers one goes to the ball and one pulls away. "He saw my run, I was
kept onside by their left-back [Alexander Buttner], so I ran along his line
and behind the centre-back and right-back. It was a lovely timed ball and I
was in. "I saw the goalkeeper coming up towards me with his legs wide open,
so I made up my mind to go through his legs. "He put his knees down to try
and close the gap, and it just went through that, so I hit it in a good
place and I'm happy with that goal because I've been practicing one-on-ones.
I did about 10 or 20 in a row, just before the Tottenham game so I'm happy
that came off. "I just wish it was a bit earlier so we could have done
something with it."
The game had already slipped the Hammers by when Cole entered the fray at
3-0 down, but he felt that even before his goal the Hammers were making a
better first of the match after the break. He continued: "I thought we
didn't have a great first half, but we imposed ourselves a little bit better
in the second half. We changed formation and gave them a few more things to
think about. "Going 2-0 down at Old Trafford before half time makes things
difficult as it would need heroics to get back in the game. "At the end of
the day, we were away at Old Trafford, but we did really think that we could
come here and upset things. We didn't, that's football and hopefully we can
go on to our next game now and get the result we need."
The Hammers entertain Arsenal next up, with the Gunners coming across London
to contest a Boxing Day derby. Arsene Wenger's men may be riding high in the
Barclays Premier League table, but Cole still believes his team can achieve
a positive result. He added: "We need any sort of result we can get against
Arsenal. We need to get our home form much better than it is but we can feel
we can produce another upset in the away games we have, like we did at
Tottenham. "It didn't happen on Saturday, but I do feel that we have a
chance in every game we play, it's just about capitalising on our chances."
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Winston Reid targets January return
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 22nd December 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United's Winston Reid says he is looking forward to playing
football once again - which he hopes to be sometime in January.
West Ham's key Kiwi has been out of action since sustaining the injury
during a routine training exercise at the beginning of November, having
twisted an ankle after getting his foot trapped between an opponent's legs.
And whilst the Hammers have desperately missed Reid's calming influence
since - in the first four games without the 25-year-old at the heart of what
had previously been a rock-solid defence, the Hammers conceded 14 goals - he
too is desperate to get back playing again as soon as possible.
"I recently had surgery for my injury and it'll be several weeks until I'm
ready to play for West Ham again," he said in a blog for Wunderelf. "Now
comes the monotonous program of physical therapy and rehabilitation.
"Unfortunately with my injury I can't play again this year, but the
rehabilitation is going really well and I'm now without pain. My goal is to
be fit again sometime in January, but when exactly I dare not predict."
Reid, who was an Avram Grant acquisition in 2010 is now one of the Club's
most important assets and a player whose presence many supporters view as
vital in the fight to avoid relegation.
West Ham too value his importance - hence why he has been given extra leave
in order to aid his recovery. "The club has given me permission to go home
to Sonderborg for a few days at Christmas," revealed Reid.
"It's super that they understand it's probably not very encouraging,
mentally speaking, if you have to sit alone in your apartment without family
who are far away in a different country when you are already unable to play.
"It's not the most fun for a football player, but the Club have a really
good understanding of the situation. They know that a player's morale can
rapidly deteriorate with such a rehabilitation program so they give you some
liberties you would not otherwise have.
"I was also sent to Dubai for seven days to enable me to exercise in nice
weather and beautiful surroundings. It gives you a nice boost ahead of the
everyday life of rehabilitation. When I'm back in London I start at 8am and
work with different exercises and treatments until four in the afternoon."
Whilst he can't be part of West Ham's hectic Christmas programme - which
includes three Premier League matches against Arsenal, West Brom and Fulham
within a week - Reid says he'll be there in spirit, at least - and willing
his team mates on to get more vital BPL points on the board.
"Right now we face the Premier League's legendary Christmas program. It's a
lot of games in a very short period and with a very special Christmas
atmosphere in the stadium," he said. "We can't afford a poor run of results
as we need points on the table.
"Arsenal [on Boxing Day] is obviously a difficult game - that goes without
saying - but it's a big London derby, a big game for the Club and the fans
and winnable - especially as it's also a Christmas game. But we must taste
victory at Upton Park against West Bromwich Albion."
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Hammers bag young striker
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 22nd December 2013
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are poised to complete the signing of Peterborough United's teenage
striker Jaanai Gordon-Hutton. Following weeks of speculation the deal is now
set to be confirmed after the two clubs reached agreement over a transfer
fee for the promising 18-year-old. The youngster spent a brief period on
trial at Chadwell Heath last month during which he impressed sufficiently to
draw a firm bid from the Hammers. That initial offer was rejected by Posh,
who it has been suggested were looking for up to £5million for the player.
However a deal was finally struck when West Ham submitted an improved bid.
Jack Sullivan, the son of co-Chairman David Sullivan confirmed the deal had
been done on his Twitter timeline, stating: "We have signed Jaanai
Gordon-Hutton! Four-year deal will start in January. He's one for the
future."
Born in Northampton in 1995, Gordon-Hutton signed his first contract with
Peterborough in 2009 at the age of just 14, before turning pro in 2012. He
made his first team debut for the Posh in September 2012 as a second half
substitute in their 2-0 home defeat against Wolves. Gordon-Hutton went on to
make three more appearances for Peterborough in 2012/13 including his first
start against Hull in January 2013 - a 1-1 draw in which he played for 82
minutes. This season he made three brief first team substitute appearances
before joining West Ham on trial in November.
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HOW DO WE TURN THIS AROUND?
By Tony Hanna 22 Dec 2013 at 12:28
West Ham Till I Die
The beginning of this season had a sense of anticipation about it. Last
season had seen a relatively comfortable 10th place finish, and whilst we
were never completely clear of the relegation zone our home form was good
enough to allay any fears of an immediate return to the Championship. This
season our preseason form was excellent with Jarvis, J Cole and Ravel
looking really sharp. Andy Carroll was still injured but was due back any
time soon and any doubts of anything but a comfortable season were wiped
away with a 2-0 win against Cardiff in our first game of the season.
Four months later and we have won only two more Premier League games – that
is three wins in 17 matches and that form is confirmed on the league table
as we sit just one point above the bottom three and five points adrift of
14th place. This is the form of a relegation candidate and the way the teams
performances have dipped alarmingly in recent times, it is a high
probability. The preseason was hugely deceptive. Jarvis and Cole have only
showed glimpses of form and Ravel, whilst shining in the match highlights,
has not stamped himself as a midfield force. Perhaps we expect too much of
him? Perhaps it is the support of the players around him? And then we have
Andy Carroll. The player the manager has built his team around has not
kicked a ball yet this season. Then to throw salt into the wounds we have
our best player, Winston Reid injured for months, and Downing who had been
the best performer in recent games, injured for a couple of months as well.
So the hounds have been let loose and the blood letting is rampant for Sam
to be axed. As the season wore on and defeats became the norm, the negative
football and lack of ambition from the players has become dire. The only
real highlights for us 'Ammers have been the twin victories in League and
Cup at Spurs. They certainly will provide great memories for us but to be
realistic, we were awful in both games for the majority of play. In both
games Spurs should have been out of sight before a twenty minute spell in
the League game, and a ten minute spell in the Cup game, brought us dramatic
victories in both.
I have long been in Sam's corner but even now I am doubting myself. The
problem with sacking Sam is what manager is going to get any better results
out of the current squad? In his time at Upton Park he has surrounded
himself with ex Bolton players, players with the same agent as himself, and
other players suited to one style – HIS style. My real concern is if another
manager did come in, would he get the full support of these Sam clones? I
have my doubts. Our current squad of players has serious limitations – but
one thing is for certain, at full strength and playing a physical game we
are a match for many. Two wingers and Andy in the middle, or set pieces with
Andy, Collins or Tomkins and Reid in the box and we will create havoc. With
the current players we have at the moment this is our strength. However, at
present we don't have Andy and now we don't have Reid or Downing and what
are we doing? We are playing the only way we know but without our most
powerful players and it looks, and is, dire!
If we did bring in a new man how much would change? We do not have any
midfield players who can hold the ball. Noble is all heart and grunt, but
can't put his foot on the ball and dictate. Nolan is just the grunt and is
too old and slow. Diame is a fantastic dynamic player with his drives
forward, but again has no composure or patience. For me, it has all come a
bit too quickly for Ravel. He has sublime talent but again his burden of
Noble sitting too deep and Diame exhausted after his forward thrusts, he
just seems to be a bit overwhelmed, especially in a side that is obviously
lacking confidence. I am sure Ravel would excel in a good side playing with
confidence. When Joe Cole plays, he too, is devoid of his old guile and is
often caught out and way out of position. The whole midfield just lacks
cohesion and is crying out for a revamp if we want to change our "Sam Style"
Unfortunately, the job is too big for a new man to fix this season IMO. It
would be unfair and unrealistic for a new manager with new ideas to inherit
such a one dimensional squad of players and expect the results to change.
Our best bet is to let Sam and Andy try to get us out of this fix and either
way Au Revoir to both before next season when we will need to rebuild a new
squad – whatever division we are playing in.
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Sam Allardyce says West Ham need to pick up their points-to-games ratio
Dec 22, 2013 22:30 By David McDonnell 0 Comments
The Mirror
"It's 14 points from 17 games and that's fewer points than games played.
That's got to be caught up as soon as possible
Sam Allardyce admitted West Ham must improve their points-to-games ratio to
haul themselves out of trouble. The Hammers are just one place above the
drop zone and without a win in the Premier League since November 30. Next up
for Allardyce's side is a home encounter against Arsenal on Boxing Day, with
Big Sam conceding they need to put points on the board. "It doesn't matter
if we're in the bottom three or not," said Allardyce. "It's 14 points from
17 games and that's fewer points than games played. That's got to be caught
up as soon as possible and that's a massive task that will take six, seven
or eight games.
"Everyone talks about winning one game after the other and us being all
right but it hasn't happened since we got back into the Premier League.
"It's got to happen now. It's a long haul through Christmas and January now
for us to get ourselves away from the relegation zone. "Manchester United
were always going to come out fighting as they'd lost two home games in a
row, but we didn't make life difficult for them. "I looked at the stats and
they're not very good in the second-half if they're drawing at half-time.
But we gave them two goals early on with some poor play and made it easy for
them."
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce unhappy with side's lack of determination in
Manchester United defeat
Dec 21, 2013 18:57 By Alex Richards 1 Comments
The Mirror
West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce was left disappointed with his side's
lack of desire and resilience during their 3-1 defeat by Manchester United.
The Hammers arrived at Old Trafford on the back of a 2-1 win against
Tottenham in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday evening, but a similar result
never looked likely. Danny Welbeck and Adnan Januzaj eased United into a 2-0
half-time lead and Ashley Young added a third after the break. Carlton Cole
came off the bench to score the away side a late consolation - only the 14th
goal of their Premier League season. But Allardyce, having rotated his squad
to ensure fresh legs, felt his side made life too easy for David Moyes' men.
"My disappointment was we played so well at Tottenham away a short time
ago," said the ex-Blackburn boss. "We changed the team around to play some
fresh legs but you didn't see the resilience and determination today. United
were always going to come out fighting as they had lost two home games in a
row but we didn't make life difficult for them. "I looked at the stats and
Manchester United are not very good in the second half if they are drawing
at half-time. "But we gave them two goals early on with some poor play and
made it easy for them."
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Sunday, December 22
Daily WHUFC News - 22nd December 2013
Big Sam on Red Devils reverse
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce admitted first-half mistakes cost West Ham United any chance
of victory at Manchester United
21.12.2013
Sam Allardyce admitted first-half mistakes cost his West Ham United side any
chance of achieving a positive result at Manchester United. The Hammers made
two fatal errors before the break, allowing Danny Welbeck and Adnan Januzaj
to put the Red Devils into an unassailable 2-0 half-time lead.
While West Ham improved after the break at Old Trafford, substitute Ashley
Young curled in a superb third before Carlton Cole pulled a consolation goal
back late on. The visitors then had a penalty shout for handball by Tom
Cleverley turned down but, in truth, David Moyes' side deserved the three
points.
"They were two silly mistakes for the first and second goals, full-stop,"
admitted Big Sam. "You don't do that at Manchester United or else you'll get
punished and punished we got. "While we didn't those sort of errors on
Wednesday night at Tottenham, we have seen them here. We played against two
top sides and we've won against Tottenham because we didn't make those sorts
of errors, but we've made them against Manchester United and lost the
football match. "That gave Manchester United that little bit of relief that
they were looking for because they were going to be nervous if we carried on
sticking to the gameplan, which was very much as it was at Tottenham. We
wanted to get to half-time and then the opposition would tire and we would
have had more space to exploit and would have created more chances. "The
stats tell us that Manchester United, when only drawing at half-time are won
none, drawn two and lost three. We made our players very clear about that
and how important it was to get to half-time because Manchester United's
energy would all be at the beginning of the game "To relieve the pressure on
us, we told them to defend correctly and we'd always have a chance in the
second half. Unfortunately, because of our mistakes, we made life extremely
difficult for ourselves to come back."
Manchester United's first goal came when Mo Diame gave away a free-kick
inside his own half on 25 minutes. The set piece was taken quickly, allowing
Wayne Rooney and Welbeck to exchange passes before the latter fired low past
Barclays Premier League debutant Adrian. Then, as half-time approached,
youngster Januzaj benefitted when James Collins saw his clearance blocked.
The ball was worked to Welbeck, who found the teenager to turn Collins and
finish confidently past the Spaniard. "You can't afford to make simple
errors inside your own half," continued the manager. "We keep telling the
players the fact that you have to give yourself enough time and space to
play it the right way in your own half. "If you volunteer possession, then
one pass from opposition with this sort of quality can mean they score
against you. When we do our attacking play, we talk a lot about trying to
win the ball back as quickly as we can, as high up the pitch as we can,
because we're going to find Manchester United even more difficult to break
down than they will find breaking us down. "To promote that in our own
attacking play and then to do the opposite by giving possession to the
opposition in our half, and them score from it, was the big disappointment.
At the end of the day, fresh players came in and weren't as on top of their
game as I expected them to be. "After Wednesday, I thought everybody would
be dying to get out there and play, but in the first half I didn't think we
had the same belief that we had on Wednesday night against Tottenham."
West Ham did improve after half-time, but was that down to the Hammers
themselves or Moyes' men sitting back on their two-goal advantage?
"A bit of both, really," said the manager. "I still think we should have had
a penalty at 3-1, which would have made the last few minutes interesting. On
the balance of what referees give these days, I still think Cleverley has
handled the ball, but it didn't happen. We saw it happen here last year in
the FA Cup third round replay and it happened again here, but we haven't got
a penalty. "You can only ask the referee in those positions to give what he
sees and for me it was a definite penalty. That's not the crux of the
matter, though, because the crux of the matter was ourselves. "We need to
get our injured players back and I'm trying to move them back into the team
as quickly as possible. Our small squad is being really tested at the moment
and we really need as many players fit as possible at this stage of the
season."
The manager is not concerned about the Club's league position as much as he
is by the haul of 14 points from 17 league games played. "It doesn't matter
if we're in the bottom three or not - it's 14 points from 17 games and
that's fewer points than games played. That's got to be caught up as soon as
possible and that's a massive task that will take six, seven or eight games.
"Everyone talks about winning one game after the other and us being all
right but it has to happen when it hasn't happened since we got back into
the Premier League. It's got to happen now. It's a long haul through
Christmas and January now for us to get ourselves away from the relegation
zone. "Like I said, we'll be OK when we get everybody back - Andy Carroll,
Ricardo Vaz Te, Stewart Downing and Winston Reid. All these players need to
be fit and part of the squad. When they are, along with the others, we'll
achieve better results and pick up more points."
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Hammers sunk at Old Trafford
WHUFC.com
West Ham United fell to a 3-1 defeat at Manchester United on Saturday
21.12.2013
Manchester United 3-1 West Ham United
Barclays Premier League
West Ham United were unable to inflict a third straight home defeat on
Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League, as the Red Devils returned
to their
usual home form on Saturday. Danny Welbeck and Adnan Januzaj struck before
the break to put the hosts firmly in control, and their position was
strengthened further in the second period by Ashley Young's curled shot.
Carlton Cole came off the bench to pull one back for the Hammers, but in
truth they were unable to build on Wednesday's victory at Tottenham Hotspur
as David Moyes' men controlled the contest from start to finish. Adrian was
handed his first Barclays Premier League start since joining the Club from
Real Betis in the summer and he was called into action very early on, diving
down to his left and raising his hand to claw away Tom Cleverley's
second-minute effort. Wayne Rooney was also given an early sighter when
Ravel Morrison fouled him on the edge of the box. He took the free-kick
himself and was only just off target with his curling effort.
Manchester United were looking the more purposeful and Adrian, who has
performed excellently in the Capital One Cup run, had to be alert again by
his near-post after Antonio Valencia's cross-shot deflected off George
McCartney and flew towards goal. The Hammers were not helping their cause by
giving the ball away cheaply, and a quick free kick proved their undoing
with 26 minutes on the clock. Welbeck and Rooney exchanged passes neatly,
allowing the former to advance into the area and drill across Adrian and
into the bottom corner, Ten minutes later it was 2-0, and again it was too
easy as Januzaj passed to Welbeck, received the return ball, cut inside
James Collins and stroked home. The hosts could even have made it three
before the break as, with 40 minutes played, they broke with pace following
a Hammers free-kick. Rafael flew down the right and laid back to Valencia,
but his shot was off target.
The second period began in much the same vein as a Januzaj cross almost
picked out Welbeck, and then from the resulting corner Jonny Evans' header
was cleared off the line. West Ham were struggling to make an impression in
the attacking third and the home side kept their possession ticking over as
they closed in on the points. Young came off the bench and sealed their
success 18 minutes from the end, whipping a right-footed effort into the top
right-hand corner from 16 yards. West Ham gave their supporters something to
cheer nine minutes from the end. Alexander Buttner dropped behind the line
of his defence to play Cole onside from Modibo Maiga's pass, and the striker
raced clear before finishing through David de Gea's legs. But it would prove
just a consolation, as the Hammers failed to mount an improbable revival in
the closing minutes.
Manchester United: de Gea, Rafael, Smalling, Evans, Evra (Buttner 80);
Cleverley, Jones; Valencia, Rooney, Januzaj (Young 69); Welbeck (Chicharito
54)
Subs: Johnstone, Giggs, Fletcher, Kagawa
Goals: Welbeck 26, Januzaj 36, Young 72
Booked: Januzaj
West Ham United: Adrian; Demel, Collins (Rat 75), Tomkins, McCartney; Noble,
Taylor (Collison 62); Diame, Morrison, Jarvis (C.Cole 71); Maiga
Subs: Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Diarra, J.Cole
Goal: C.Cole 81
Booked: Morrison, Jarvis, Tomkins, McCartney
Referee: Mike Jones
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Man Utd 3 West Ham 1
21 December 2013
Last updated at 17:57
By Andy Cryer
BBC Sport
Danny Welbeck's first Old Trafford goal for 14 months helped Manchester
United to a fourth straight win to leave West Ham a point off the relegation
zone.
The England striker drove the ball low into the net from an angle early on
as the dominant hosts recorded a seventh consecutive win at home to the
Hammers.
Teenager Adnan Januzaj bent home his maiden Old Trafford goal, before
substitute Ashley Young curled in. Carlton Cole slotted in a consolation
goal after racing clear. Welbeck had not scored at Old Trafford since the
4-2 win over Stoke on 20 October 2012 but, from the moment he struck, there
only looked one winner.
However, the striker then limped out of the action after the break with what
looked like a knee injury, a troubling sight for United with Robin van
Persie already missing for a month with a thigh strain. There was better
news in the return of Wayne Rooney, who missed the midweek League Cup win
over Stoke with a groin strain. The England international was at the heart
of an impressive home display with two assists. West Ham fans have few good
memories of trips to Manchester United, having lost on 20 of their previous
23 visits, including a run of six straight defeats and not a goal scored in
the past five. But United's own recent problems at Old Trafford gave
travelling Hammers a bit more hope, David Moyes's men looking to avoid a
third consecutive home league defeat for the first time since 1978-79.
United have not lost more home games in a season since 2001-02, but three
wins on the road in the past 11 days - including securing a League Cup
semi-final against Sunderland - went some way to quieten the dissenting
voices. West Ham have won just two of their last 16 Premier League matches,
a run that has included nine defeats. And the hosts would have made the
perfect start had it not been for goalkeeper Adrian, on his Premier League
debut, beating out Tom Cleverley's close-range strike. The former Real Betis
man, given his chance ahead of Jussi Jaaskelainen after impressing in West
Ham's midweek League Cup win at Spurs, quickly repaid Sam Allardyce's faith
in him with a second important save, turning away Antonio Valencia's angled
drive wide. He was beaten soon after, however, as Welbeck, played in by the
energetic Rooney, fired low across the goalkeeper and into the corner of the
net. And United extended their lead before the break as 18-year-old Januzaj
played a one-two with Welbeck, cut inside a defender, and bent an
unstoppable shot past Adrian from an angle.
Play media
After the break Jonny Evans saw a header cleared off the line and Javier
Hernandez had a goal disallowed for offside before Young, on for Januzaj,
curled the ball into the top corner after Rooney and Valencia combined. The
Hammers did pull a goal back late on as Cole, kept onside by substitute
Alexander Buttner, raced clear and calmly slotted past David de Gea but it
never looked like being enough to threaten their hosts. See a photo gallery
of all the action from Saturday's Premier League matches on the BBC Sport
Facebook site.
Manchester United manager David Moyes: "We played well today. I'm a wee bit
disappointed we didn't take some more opportunities and I was disappointed
not to keep a clean sheet but we got done on the break. "The job is to keep
our head down and keep winning games. There is confidence among the players.
We are creating a lot of opportunities right now. "Adnan Januzaj is doing
really well. We are always hard on him, we always want more but he is doing
remarkably well. He can score goals, he is a real talent. "We would like to
be doing much better, we want to be right at the top but we will continue to
keep going."
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "My disappointment was we played so well at
Tottenham away a short time ago. We changed the team around to play some
fresh legs but you didn't see the resilience and determination today.
"United were always going to come out fighting as they had lost two home
games in a row but we didn't make life difficult for them. "I looked at the
stats and Manchester United are not very good in the second half if they are
drawing at half-time. But we gave them two goals early on with some poor
play and made it easy for them. The referee should have given us a penalty -
I've seen them given here, but it wasn't given to us."
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Manchester United ease past West Ham 3-1 at Old Trafford
Last Updated: 21/12/13 7:03pm
SSN
Manchester United continued their resurgence by recording a fourth straight
win which proved enough to see off a disappointing West Ham outfit 3-1 at
Old Trafford. Danny Welbeck's first goal on home soil since October 2012 was
followed by a superb effort from Adnan Januzaj as United took command before
the break.
Best of the match
Goal of the match: Januzaj tricked his way past Collins inside the area and
found the bottom corner beautifully. The giant defender had no answer to his
brilliance all afternoon. Superb piece of skill in a tight area.
Moment of the match: Januzaj's goal illuminated Old Trafford and provided
the home side with that vital second goal.
Man of the match: Rooney had a hand in all three goals. He found space all
afternoon and West Ham struggled to cope with him.
Save of the match: Adrian saved early on from Welbeck. He did well with that
Welbeck effort but not so well with the later attempt.
Talking point: United back?
Substitute Ashley Young then produced the perfect first-time finish to Wayne
Rooney's lay-off to ensure Carlton Cole's late strike was nothing more than
a consolation. It was not all good news for United manager David Moyes.
Welbeck departed with an injury early in the second half and Januzaj blotted
his copybook when he was booked for diving.
However, their present winning streak equals the best United have managed
since Moyes replaced Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer and represents an
encouraging entrance to the festive campaign, when the reigning champions
really need to hit the accelerator if they are to mount any challenge
towards the top end of the table.
A brilliant reaction save from Adrian to deny Tom Cleverley inside the first
minute, followed by an extended period of possession without creating too
much hinted at another difficult afternoon for the Red Devils.
Staring at the potential of losing three successive home games in the league
for the first time since 1979, any anxiety at Old Trafford that had
previously been suggested, might just have been starting to show itself.
Yet, with the home supporters remaining resolutely behind their team, United
retained the confidence to attack.
And when Welbeck found the returning Rooney and was on hand to collect the
return, he had sufficient self-belief to drive an effort goalwards.
David Moyes feels things are starting to click into place as his United side
beat West Ham 3-1 at Old Trafford.
Making his Premier League debut, Adrian did not really cover himself in
glory as the ball flew under him.
Not that Welbeck was complaining. His first goal in this stadium for an
incredible 427 days took him to six for the campaign.
After that, Januzaj took centre stage.
The 18-year-old received a rebuke from Mark Noble when he went down in the
box, yet the West Ham man had levered him out of the way and was fortunate
not to concede a penalty.
Within a minute, Januzaj was exchanging passes with Welbeck and powering
home his first goal on home soil.
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is disappointed with some of his players effort
against Manchester United.
It was not a moment James Collins will remember with any affection. As
experienced as he is, Collins was made to look foolish by the ease with
which Januzaj stepped aside him.
Clearly a player with huge promise, whom Moyes confirmed on Friday had far
exceeded expectations, the wide-man evidently has some learning to do.
A blatant dive by the touchline drew a deserved booking from Michael Jones.
Moyes has already spoken to Young about this unsavoury tactic, with some
success, and doubtless will do the same to Januzaj.
Tom Cleverley was happy with Manchester Utd's improved home performance in
their 3-1 over West Ham.
For Ravel Morrison, dumped by Ferguson as the Scot grew weary of trying to
get him to concentrate on fulfilling his immense talent, it was a rather
inauspicious return.
The contest itself rather passed him by and, whilst Morrison was not the
only West Ham player to suffer that fate, he was also booked for a crude
swipe at Cleverley.
Welbeck's departure 10 minutes after the re-start with what appeared to be
an ankle injury was not the greatest development for Moyes given his already
lengthy list of absentees.
United do have options though, as substitute Javier Hernandez proved when he
fired home from 12 yards, only for the effort to be incorrectly ruled out
for offside.
The hosts did not need to wait long for their third though, with Young
continuing his superb week by applying the finish to Rooney's lay-off.
Moyes took the opportunity to give hard-working full-back Patrice Evra a
break and it was the Frenchman's replacement, Alexander Buttner, who lost
his concentration to allow Cole to break the offside trap for the Hammers'
late strike, which denied United their biggest home win of the campaign.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce expected more from West Ham following 3-1 defeat at Manchester
United
Last Updated: 21/12/13 7:31pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce says that he expects more from West Ham following their 3-1
defeat at Manchester United on Saturday. United raced into a three-goal lead
before Carlton Cole grabbed a late consolation for the visitors. Speaking to
Sky Sports after the game, Allardyce could not hide his disappointment at
the result.
Allardyce said: "I think we made the victory too easy for them. I didn't
think we made them work hard enough for it. "We made silly mistakes and when
Manchester United get a sniff like that they are not going to turn it down.
We did get better in the second half and played a little more like we know
we can but it was too late for us to try and get any points. "From my point
of view there were a few players who didn't play against Tottenham in the
week who I expected more from. Those that did play were tired at the end but
some should have contributed more." Allardyce handed a Premier League debut
to goalkeeper Adrian and thought he performed well. Allardyce added: "I
haven't seen the goals but from our point of view we'll look at his overall
performance tomorrow, as we do all the players, but it looked like he had a
good game." West Ham entertain Arsenal on Boxing Day before rounding off
2013 with a game against West Brom at Upton Park next Saturday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's Jack Collison relishing Andy Carroll's return
Last Updated: 21/12/13 12:25pm
SSN
West Ham's Jack Collison has "a new lease of life" after going out on loan -
and is now relishing Andy Carroll's return. The Wales international
midfielder made his 100th league appearance for the Hammers last weekend,
and played 90 minutes in midweek as Sam Allardyce's won 2-1 at Tottenham to
reach the Capital One Cup semi-finals. In October, Collison was sent out on
loan to Championship side Bournemouth for a month by Allardyce, in a bid to
get a run of games under his belt. The 25-year-old, who has suffered serious
knee problems in the past, made four 90-minutes appearances for the Cherries
and returned back raring to go again. "I jumped at the chance and it was
great to get some games," Collison told The Sun. "I have come back a lot
fitter and sharper and ready to get back into the team here. "I felt I'd hit
a bit of a brick wall at West Ham. I wasn't really anywhere near the team. I
just don't want to sit here and pick up my dough. "To play four games back
to back is something I had not done for a long time. "It did me the world of
good. It has given me a new lease of life. I have come back determined to
win back a place in the team."
Also looking to return to the Hammers side soon is £19million striker
Carroll, who is back in light training after fracturing his foot. Collison
hopes the England international can be involved in the two-legged cup
semi-final against Manchester City. "You only have to watch him (Carroll)
back out there on the pitch in training, you can see the hunger and desire
in his eyes." "Andy looks as though he is not too far away and his return
will be a massive boost for everyone," added Collison. "He's taken a bit of
stick for growing a beard but fair play to him for getting himself back
after what he has been through. "The semi-finals of the Capital One Cup
would be nice games for him to come back into. "I've experienced what it's
like to have a tough, long-term injury and what it takes to get back. "Andy
has worked morning, noon and night to get back training again. We don't want
to put pressure on him but he's a fantastic talent and he will make a
massive difference to our team."
Collison says all the Hammers squad have rallied around Carroll as he has
gradually battled back from injury. "We are a very close group of lads and
we've all been there to help pick Andy up when he has needed it in his dark
days," said Collison. "He knows I've been through it so we've had a few
chats. I think he just knows he is going to come back and start scoring
goals again. "You only have to watch him back out there on the pitch in
training, you can see the hunger and desire in his eyes. "He's been a
massive miss for us and looks determined to make up for lost time."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's Ravel Morrison maturing, says Sam Allardyce
Last Updated: 21/12/13 12:04pm
SSN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes midfielder Ravel Morrison has
matured since leaving Manchester United to join the Hammers. Morrison will
return to Old Trafford on Saturday as Allardyce's team aim to pile yet more
home misery on David Moyes' struggling side. And Allardyce has been full of
praise for the 20-year-old England Under-21 international, who initially
spent a year on loan at Birmingham before re-joining West Ham, with whom he
has flourished this season, scoring five goals so far. "Sir Alex [Ferguson]
let Ravel go for his own benefit," he said. "He [Ferguson] said that if he
comes down to you, hopefully he will find a new life and a new way of
living. "His ability will then start to come through because all he asks and
all he wants in his life is to play first-team football, that was all he
said he wanted to do and why he wanted to leave. "In actual fact, he
struggled to look like he was capable of playing football in the first team
with us. That's why we sent him on loan to Birmingham and I thought since
that year, he's grown up. "Somewhere along the line, the lad has woken up
and I think he's changed himself and delivered." However, despite Morrison's
impressive displays, Allardyce is keen to keep the player focused and also
not to allow expectations to put too much pressure on him. "The expectation
becomes 'will it come every single week?' and that can't really happen at
such a young age," Allardyce added. "It's nice if it does. We've got to
manage the situation and just try and keep encouraging him. "I think from
our point of view, if he gets selected for Old Trafford on Saturday, that
the real message from me to him would be to try and get a result as a team
and play one of your top performances in a team situation when you would
help to get us that result by using your abilities in a team performance.
"When you've got his ability, there is going to be the temptation to go out
and think 'look at me' - and I have to try and guard and avoid that
situation."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Moyes defends Januzaj dive
442.com
Manchester United manager David Moyes defended Adnan Januzaj after he was
booked for simulation in the side's 3-1 win over West Ham. Januzaj scored an
excellent goal for United to double their lead during the first half on
Saturday at Old Trafford, showing excellent skill to skip past James Collins
and place an effort beyond West Ham goalkeeper Adrian. Danny Welbeck and
Ashley Young also scored for the Premier League champions as United moved to
seventh, but 18-year-old Januzaj was booked for diving late in the first
half. The teenager has already been booked for simulation this season – in
the same match he scored twice on his full debut at Sunderland – but
although Moyes reiterated his stance against diving, after previously
speaking out against Young for it, he stood up for Januzaj. Asked if he
supported players diving, Moyes said: "Definitely not. I've had a chance to
see it and I think he believes he is going to get sized. "He has been kicked
in every game, upside down. But we will make sure and do everything that we
can to make sure it doesn't happen. "Everybody can see the talent the boy
has got. He has got great composure and he is a very good player. "He is 18
– he has had a lot of games – maybe more than he would have thought. I
thought he has warranted his place, though."
Moyes hailed his team for their professional display against West Ham after
United won a league match at Old Trafford for the first time in nearly six
weeks.
"We are (delighted). We are pleased," he added. "We played well, we scored
three goals and on another day we might have scored more." Moyes added that
striker Welbeck – who went off early in the second half with an injury – was
suffering from a knee problem, while he also lauded the efforts of
substitute Young. Young, who also scored in United's 2-0 League Cup win at
Stoke City on Wednesday, came off the bench to seal the win before Carlton
Cole's late consolation. On Young's goal, Moyes said: "It was a magnificent
finish. "He got a great goal in midweek and really made sure he put the game
to bed with his goal."
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WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce admitted first-half mistakes cost West Ham United any chance
of victory at Manchester United
21.12.2013
Sam Allardyce admitted first-half mistakes cost his West Ham United side any
chance of achieving a positive result at Manchester United. The Hammers made
two fatal errors before the break, allowing Danny Welbeck and Adnan Januzaj
to put the Red Devils into an unassailable 2-0 half-time lead.
While West Ham improved after the break at Old Trafford, substitute Ashley
Young curled in a superb third before Carlton Cole pulled a consolation goal
back late on. The visitors then had a penalty shout for handball by Tom
Cleverley turned down but, in truth, David Moyes' side deserved the three
points.
"They were two silly mistakes for the first and second goals, full-stop,"
admitted Big Sam. "You don't do that at Manchester United or else you'll get
punished and punished we got. "While we didn't those sort of errors on
Wednesday night at Tottenham, we have seen them here. We played against two
top sides and we've won against Tottenham because we didn't make those sorts
of errors, but we've made them against Manchester United and lost the
football match. "That gave Manchester United that little bit of relief that
they were looking for because they were going to be nervous if we carried on
sticking to the gameplan, which was very much as it was at Tottenham. We
wanted to get to half-time and then the opposition would tire and we would
have had more space to exploit and would have created more chances. "The
stats tell us that Manchester United, when only drawing at half-time are won
none, drawn two and lost three. We made our players very clear about that
and how important it was to get to half-time because Manchester United's
energy would all be at the beginning of the game "To relieve the pressure on
us, we told them to defend correctly and we'd always have a chance in the
second half. Unfortunately, because of our mistakes, we made life extremely
difficult for ourselves to come back."
Manchester United's first goal came when Mo Diame gave away a free-kick
inside his own half on 25 minutes. The set piece was taken quickly, allowing
Wayne Rooney and Welbeck to exchange passes before the latter fired low past
Barclays Premier League debutant Adrian. Then, as half-time approached,
youngster Januzaj benefitted when James Collins saw his clearance blocked.
The ball was worked to Welbeck, who found the teenager to turn Collins and
finish confidently past the Spaniard. "You can't afford to make simple
errors inside your own half," continued the manager. "We keep telling the
players the fact that you have to give yourself enough time and space to
play it the right way in your own half. "If you volunteer possession, then
one pass from opposition with this sort of quality can mean they score
against you. When we do our attacking play, we talk a lot about trying to
win the ball back as quickly as we can, as high up the pitch as we can,
because we're going to find Manchester United even more difficult to break
down than they will find breaking us down. "To promote that in our own
attacking play and then to do the opposite by giving possession to the
opposition in our half, and them score from it, was the big disappointment.
At the end of the day, fresh players came in and weren't as on top of their
game as I expected them to be. "After Wednesday, I thought everybody would
be dying to get out there and play, but in the first half I didn't think we
had the same belief that we had on Wednesday night against Tottenham."
West Ham did improve after half-time, but was that down to the Hammers
themselves or Moyes' men sitting back on their two-goal advantage?
"A bit of both, really," said the manager. "I still think we should have had
a penalty at 3-1, which would have made the last few minutes interesting. On
the balance of what referees give these days, I still think Cleverley has
handled the ball, but it didn't happen. We saw it happen here last year in
the FA Cup third round replay and it happened again here, but we haven't got
a penalty. "You can only ask the referee in those positions to give what he
sees and for me it was a definite penalty. That's not the crux of the
matter, though, because the crux of the matter was ourselves. "We need to
get our injured players back and I'm trying to move them back into the team
as quickly as possible. Our small squad is being really tested at the moment
and we really need as many players fit as possible at this stage of the
season."
The manager is not concerned about the Club's league position as much as he
is by the haul of 14 points from 17 league games played. "It doesn't matter
if we're in the bottom three or not - it's 14 points from 17 games and
that's fewer points than games played. That's got to be caught up as soon as
possible and that's a massive task that will take six, seven or eight games.
"Everyone talks about winning one game after the other and us being all
right but it has to happen when it hasn't happened since we got back into
the Premier League. It's got to happen now. It's a long haul through
Christmas and January now for us to get ourselves away from the relegation
zone. "Like I said, we'll be OK when we get everybody back - Andy Carroll,
Ricardo Vaz Te, Stewart Downing and Winston Reid. All these players need to
be fit and part of the squad. When they are, along with the others, we'll
achieve better results and pick up more points."
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Hammers sunk at Old Trafford
WHUFC.com
West Ham United fell to a 3-1 defeat at Manchester United on Saturday
21.12.2013
Manchester United 3-1 West Ham United
Barclays Premier League
West Ham United were unable to inflict a third straight home defeat on
Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League, as the Red Devils returned
to their
usual home form on Saturday. Danny Welbeck and Adnan Januzaj struck before
the break to put the hosts firmly in control, and their position was
strengthened further in the second period by Ashley Young's curled shot.
Carlton Cole came off the bench to pull one back for the Hammers, but in
truth they were unable to build on Wednesday's victory at Tottenham Hotspur
as David Moyes' men controlled the contest from start to finish. Adrian was
handed his first Barclays Premier League start since joining the Club from
Real Betis in the summer and he was called into action very early on, diving
down to his left and raising his hand to claw away Tom Cleverley's
second-minute effort. Wayne Rooney was also given an early sighter when
Ravel Morrison fouled him on the edge of the box. He took the free-kick
himself and was only just off target with his curling effort.
Manchester United were looking the more purposeful and Adrian, who has
performed excellently in the Capital One Cup run, had to be alert again by
his near-post after Antonio Valencia's cross-shot deflected off George
McCartney and flew towards goal. The Hammers were not helping their cause by
giving the ball away cheaply, and a quick free kick proved their undoing
with 26 minutes on the clock. Welbeck and Rooney exchanged passes neatly,
allowing the former to advance into the area and drill across Adrian and
into the bottom corner, Ten minutes later it was 2-0, and again it was too
easy as Januzaj passed to Welbeck, received the return ball, cut inside
James Collins and stroked home. The hosts could even have made it three
before the break as, with 40 minutes played, they broke with pace following
a Hammers free-kick. Rafael flew down the right and laid back to Valencia,
but his shot was off target.
The second period began in much the same vein as a Januzaj cross almost
picked out Welbeck, and then from the resulting corner Jonny Evans' header
was cleared off the line. West Ham were struggling to make an impression in
the attacking third and the home side kept their possession ticking over as
they closed in on the points. Young came off the bench and sealed their
success 18 minutes from the end, whipping a right-footed effort into the top
right-hand corner from 16 yards. West Ham gave their supporters something to
cheer nine minutes from the end. Alexander Buttner dropped behind the line
of his defence to play Cole onside from Modibo Maiga's pass, and the striker
raced clear before finishing through David de Gea's legs. But it would prove
just a consolation, as the Hammers failed to mount an improbable revival in
the closing minutes.
Manchester United: de Gea, Rafael, Smalling, Evans, Evra (Buttner 80);
Cleverley, Jones; Valencia, Rooney, Januzaj (Young 69); Welbeck (Chicharito
54)
Subs: Johnstone, Giggs, Fletcher, Kagawa
Goals: Welbeck 26, Januzaj 36, Young 72
Booked: Januzaj
West Ham United: Adrian; Demel, Collins (Rat 75), Tomkins, McCartney; Noble,
Taylor (Collison 62); Diame, Morrison, Jarvis (C.Cole 71); Maiga
Subs: Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Diarra, J.Cole
Goal: C.Cole 81
Booked: Morrison, Jarvis, Tomkins, McCartney
Referee: Mike Jones
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Man Utd 3 West Ham 1
21 December 2013
Last updated at 17:57
By Andy Cryer
BBC Sport
Danny Welbeck's first Old Trafford goal for 14 months helped Manchester
United to a fourth straight win to leave West Ham a point off the relegation
zone.
The England striker drove the ball low into the net from an angle early on
as the dominant hosts recorded a seventh consecutive win at home to the
Hammers.
Teenager Adnan Januzaj bent home his maiden Old Trafford goal, before
substitute Ashley Young curled in. Carlton Cole slotted in a consolation
goal after racing clear. Welbeck had not scored at Old Trafford since the
4-2 win over Stoke on 20 October 2012 but, from the moment he struck, there
only looked one winner.
However, the striker then limped out of the action after the break with what
looked like a knee injury, a troubling sight for United with Robin van
Persie already missing for a month with a thigh strain. There was better
news in the return of Wayne Rooney, who missed the midweek League Cup win
over Stoke with a groin strain. The England international was at the heart
of an impressive home display with two assists. West Ham fans have few good
memories of trips to Manchester United, having lost on 20 of their previous
23 visits, including a run of six straight defeats and not a goal scored in
the past five. But United's own recent problems at Old Trafford gave
travelling Hammers a bit more hope, David Moyes's men looking to avoid a
third consecutive home league defeat for the first time since 1978-79.
United have not lost more home games in a season since 2001-02, but three
wins on the road in the past 11 days - including securing a League Cup
semi-final against Sunderland - went some way to quieten the dissenting
voices. West Ham have won just two of their last 16 Premier League matches,
a run that has included nine defeats. And the hosts would have made the
perfect start had it not been for goalkeeper Adrian, on his Premier League
debut, beating out Tom Cleverley's close-range strike. The former Real Betis
man, given his chance ahead of Jussi Jaaskelainen after impressing in West
Ham's midweek League Cup win at Spurs, quickly repaid Sam Allardyce's faith
in him with a second important save, turning away Antonio Valencia's angled
drive wide. He was beaten soon after, however, as Welbeck, played in by the
energetic Rooney, fired low across the goalkeeper and into the corner of the
net. And United extended their lead before the break as 18-year-old Januzaj
played a one-two with Welbeck, cut inside a defender, and bent an
unstoppable shot past Adrian from an angle.
Play media
After the break Jonny Evans saw a header cleared off the line and Javier
Hernandez had a goal disallowed for offside before Young, on for Januzaj,
curled the ball into the top corner after Rooney and Valencia combined. The
Hammers did pull a goal back late on as Cole, kept onside by substitute
Alexander Buttner, raced clear and calmly slotted past David de Gea but it
never looked like being enough to threaten their hosts. See a photo gallery
of all the action from Saturday's Premier League matches on the BBC Sport
Facebook site.
Manchester United manager David Moyes: "We played well today. I'm a wee bit
disappointed we didn't take some more opportunities and I was disappointed
not to keep a clean sheet but we got done on the break. "The job is to keep
our head down and keep winning games. There is confidence among the players.
We are creating a lot of opportunities right now. "Adnan Januzaj is doing
really well. We are always hard on him, we always want more but he is doing
remarkably well. He can score goals, he is a real talent. "We would like to
be doing much better, we want to be right at the top but we will continue to
keep going."
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "My disappointment was we played so well at
Tottenham away a short time ago. We changed the team around to play some
fresh legs but you didn't see the resilience and determination today.
"United were always going to come out fighting as they had lost two home
games in a row but we didn't make life difficult for them. "I looked at the
stats and Manchester United are not very good in the second half if they are
drawing at half-time. But we gave them two goals early on with some poor
play and made it easy for them. The referee should have given us a penalty -
I've seen them given here, but it wasn't given to us."
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Manchester United ease past West Ham 3-1 at Old Trafford
Last Updated: 21/12/13 7:03pm
SSN
Manchester United continued their resurgence by recording a fourth straight
win which proved enough to see off a disappointing West Ham outfit 3-1 at
Old Trafford. Danny Welbeck's first goal on home soil since October 2012 was
followed by a superb effort from Adnan Januzaj as United took command before
the break.
Best of the match
Goal of the match: Januzaj tricked his way past Collins inside the area and
found the bottom corner beautifully. The giant defender had no answer to his
brilliance all afternoon. Superb piece of skill in a tight area.
Moment of the match: Januzaj's goal illuminated Old Trafford and provided
the home side with that vital second goal.
Man of the match: Rooney had a hand in all three goals. He found space all
afternoon and West Ham struggled to cope with him.
Save of the match: Adrian saved early on from Welbeck. He did well with that
Welbeck effort but not so well with the later attempt.
Talking point: United back?
Substitute Ashley Young then produced the perfect first-time finish to Wayne
Rooney's lay-off to ensure Carlton Cole's late strike was nothing more than
a consolation. It was not all good news for United manager David Moyes.
Welbeck departed with an injury early in the second half and Januzaj blotted
his copybook when he was booked for diving.
However, their present winning streak equals the best United have managed
since Moyes replaced Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer and represents an
encouraging entrance to the festive campaign, when the reigning champions
really need to hit the accelerator if they are to mount any challenge
towards the top end of the table.
A brilliant reaction save from Adrian to deny Tom Cleverley inside the first
minute, followed by an extended period of possession without creating too
much hinted at another difficult afternoon for the Red Devils.
Staring at the potential of losing three successive home games in the league
for the first time since 1979, any anxiety at Old Trafford that had
previously been suggested, might just have been starting to show itself.
Yet, with the home supporters remaining resolutely behind their team, United
retained the confidence to attack.
And when Welbeck found the returning Rooney and was on hand to collect the
return, he had sufficient self-belief to drive an effort goalwards.
David Moyes feels things are starting to click into place as his United side
beat West Ham 3-1 at Old Trafford.
Making his Premier League debut, Adrian did not really cover himself in
glory as the ball flew under him.
Not that Welbeck was complaining. His first goal in this stadium for an
incredible 427 days took him to six for the campaign.
After that, Januzaj took centre stage.
The 18-year-old received a rebuke from Mark Noble when he went down in the
box, yet the West Ham man had levered him out of the way and was fortunate
not to concede a penalty.
Within a minute, Januzaj was exchanging passes with Welbeck and powering
home his first goal on home soil.
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is disappointed with some of his players effort
against Manchester United.
It was not a moment James Collins will remember with any affection. As
experienced as he is, Collins was made to look foolish by the ease with
which Januzaj stepped aside him.
Clearly a player with huge promise, whom Moyes confirmed on Friday had far
exceeded expectations, the wide-man evidently has some learning to do.
A blatant dive by the touchline drew a deserved booking from Michael Jones.
Moyes has already spoken to Young about this unsavoury tactic, with some
success, and doubtless will do the same to Januzaj.
Tom Cleverley was happy with Manchester Utd's improved home performance in
their 3-1 over West Ham.
For Ravel Morrison, dumped by Ferguson as the Scot grew weary of trying to
get him to concentrate on fulfilling his immense talent, it was a rather
inauspicious return.
The contest itself rather passed him by and, whilst Morrison was not the
only West Ham player to suffer that fate, he was also booked for a crude
swipe at Cleverley.
Welbeck's departure 10 minutes after the re-start with what appeared to be
an ankle injury was not the greatest development for Moyes given his already
lengthy list of absentees.
United do have options though, as substitute Javier Hernandez proved when he
fired home from 12 yards, only for the effort to be incorrectly ruled out
for offside.
The hosts did not need to wait long for their third though, with Young
continuing his superb week by applying the finish to Rooney's lay-off.
Moyes took the opportunity to give hard-working full-back Patrice Evra a
break and it was the Frenchman's replacement, Alexander Buttner, who lost
his concentration to allow Cole to break the offside trap for the Hammers'
late strike, which denied United their biggest home win of the campaign.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce expected more from West Ham following 3-1 defeat at Manchester
United
Last Updated: 21/12/13 7:31pm
SSN
Sam Allardyce says that he expects more from West Ham following their 3-1
defeat at Manchester United on Saturday. United raced into a three-goal lead
before Carlton Cole grabbed a late consolation for the visitors. Speaking to
Sky Sports after the game, Allardyce could not hide his disappointment at
the result.
Allardyce said: "I think we made the victory too easy for them. I didn't
think we made them work hard enough for it. "We made silly mistakes and when
Manchester United get a sniff like that they are not going to turn it down.
We did get better in the second half and played a little more like we know
we can but it was too late for us to try and get any points. "From my point
of view there were a few players who didn't play against Tottenham in the
week who I expected more from. Those that did play were tired at the end but
some should have contributed more." Allardyce handed a Premier League debut
to goalkeeper Adrian and thought he performed well. Allardyce added: "I
haven't seen the goals but from our point of view we'll look at his overall
performance tomorrow, as we do all the players, but it looked like he had a
good game." West Ham entertain Arsenal on Boxing Day before rounding off
2013 with a game against West Brom at Upton Park next Saturday.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's Jack Collison relishing Andy Carroll's return
Last Updated: 21/12/13 12:25pm
SSN
West Ham's Jack Collison has "a new lease of life" after going out on loan -
and is now relishing Andy Carroll's return. The Wales international
midfielder made his 100th league appearance for the Hammers last weekend,
and played 90 minutes in midweek as Sam Allardyce's won 2-1 at Tottenham to
reach the Capital One Cup semi-finals. In October, Collison was sent out on
loan to Championship side Bournemouth for a month by Allardyce, in a bid to
get a run of games under his belt. The 25-year-old, who has suffered serious
knee problems in the past, made four 90-minutes appearances for the Cherries
and returned back raring to go again. "I jumped at the chance and it was
great to get some games," Collison told The Sun. "I have come back a lot
fitter and sharper and ready to get back into the team here. "I felt I'd hit
a bit of a brick wall at West Ham. I wasn't really anywhere near the team. I
just don't want to sit here and pick up my dough. "To play four games back
to back is something I had not done for a long time. "It did me the world of
good. It has given me a new lease of life. I have come back determined to
win back a place in the team."
Also looking to return to the Hammers side soon is £19million striker
Carroll, who is back in light training after fracturing his foot. Collison
hopes the England international can be involved in the two-legged cup
semi-final against Manchester City. "You only have to watch him (Carroll)
back out there on the pitch in training, you can see the hunger and desire
in his eyes." "Andy looks as though he is not too far away and his return
will be a massive boost for everyone," added Collison. "He's taken a bit of
stick for growing a beard but fair play to him for getting himself back
after what he has been through. "The semi-finals of the Capital One Cup
would be nice games for him to come back into. "I've experienced what it's
like to have a tough, long-term injury and what it takes to get back. "Andy
has worked morning, noon and night to get back training again. We don't want
to put pressure on him but he's a fantastic talent and he will make a
massive difference to our team."
Collison says all the Hammers squad have rallied around Carroll as he has
gradually battled back from injury. "We are a very close group of lads and
we've all been there to help pick Andy up when he has needed it in his dark
days," said Collison. "He knows I've been through it so we've had a few
chats. I think he just knows he is going to come back and start scoring
goals again. "You only have to watch him back out there on the pitch in
training, you can see the hunger and desire in his eyes. "He's been a
massive miss for us and looks determined to make up for lost time."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham's Ravel Morrison maturing, says Sam Allardyce
Last Updated: 21/12/13 12:04pm
SSN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes midfielder Ravel Morrison has
matured since leaving Manchester United to join the Hammers. Morrison will
return to Old Trafford on Saturday as Allardyce's team aim to pile yet more
home misery on David Moyes' struggling side. And Allardyce has been full of
praise for the 20-year-old England Under-21 international, who initially
spent a year on loan at Birmingham before re-joining West Ham, with whom he
has flourished this season, scoring five goals so far. "Sir Alex [Ferguson]
let Ravel go for his own benefit," he said. "He [Ferguson] said that if he
comes down to you, hopefully he will find a new life and a new way of
living. "His ability will then start to come through because all he asks and
all he wants in his life is to play first-team football, that was all he
said he wanted to do and why he wanted to leave. "In actual fact, he
struggled to look like he was capable of playing football in the first team
with us. That's why we sent him on loan to Birmingham and I thought since
that year, he's grown up. "Somewhere along the line, the lad has woken up
and I think he's changed himself and delivered." However, despite Morrison's
impressive displays, Allardyce is keen to keep the player focused and also
not to allow expectations to put too much pressure on him. "The expectation
becomes 'will it come every single week?' and that can't really happen at
such a young age," Allardyce added. "It's nice if it does. We've got to
manage the situation and just try and keep encouraging him. "I think from
our point of view, if he gets selected for Old Trafford on Saturday, that
the real message from me to him would be to try and get a result as a team
and play one of your top performances in a team situation when you would
help to get us that result by using your abilities in a team performance.
"When you've got his ability, there is going to be the temptation to go out
and think 'look at me' - and I have to try and guard and avoid that
situation."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Moyes defends Januzaj dive
442.com
Manchester United manager David Moyes defended Adnan Januzaj after he was
booked for simulation in the side's 3-1 win over West Ham. Januzaj scored an
excellent goal for United to double their lead during the first half on
Saturday at Old Trafford, showing excellent skill to skip past James Collins
and place an effort beyond West Ham goalkeeper Adrian. Danny Welbeck and
Ashley Young also scored for the Premier League champions as United moved to
seventh, but 18-year-old Januzaj was booked for diving late in the first
half. The teenager has already been booked for simulation this season – in
the same match he scored twice on his full debut at Sunderland – but
although Moyes reiterated his stance against diving, after previously
speaking out against Young for it, he stood up for Januzaj. Asked if he
supported players diving, Moyes said: "Definitely not. I've had a chance to
see it and I think he believes he is going to get sized. "He has been kicked
in every game, upside down. But we will make sure and do everything that we
can to make sure it doesn't happen. "Everybody can see the talent the boy
has got. He has got great composure and he is a very good player. "He is 18
– he has had a lot of games – maybe more than he would have thought. I
thought he has warranted his place, though."
Moyes hailed his team for their professional display against West Ham after
United won a league match at Old Trafford for the first time in nearly six
weeks.
"We are (delighted). We are pleased," he added. "We played well, we scored
three goals and on another day we might have scored more." Moyes added that
striker Welbeck – who went off early in the second half with an injury – was
suffering from a knee problem, while he also lauded the efforts of
substitute Young. Young, who also scored in United's 2-0 League Cup win at
Stoke City on Wednesday, came off the bench to seal the win before Carlton
Cole's late consolation. On Young's goal, Moyes said: "It was a magnificent
finish. "He got a great goal in midweek and really made sure he put the game
to bed with his goal."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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Saturday, December 21
Daily WHUFC News - 21st December 2013
Manchester United match preview
WHUFC.com
All of the pre-match information ahead of the Hammers trip to Manchester
United
20.12.2013
MANCHESTER UNITED V WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
SATURDAY 21 DECEMBER 2013
KICK-OFF: 3PM
REFEREE: MIKE JONES
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
iPHONE APP I TWITTER I FACEBOOK I PODCAST
Introduction
• West Ham United travel to reigning Champions Manchester United in the
Barclays Premier League this Saturday, looking to end a run of three
consecutive away league defeats.
• The Hammers will however be boosted by the fact they recorded a win on
their travels in midweek as they produced a stirring fightback to beat
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on Wednesday night in the Capital One Cup.
• Sam Allardyce's side last won away in the league at White Hart Lane too,
as they triumphed 3-0 over Spurs in October, with Ravel Morrison notching
the third goal.
• The midfielder is the Hammers' top-scorer with three goals so far this
season and he returns to the club at which he started his career before
moving to east London in January 2012.
• Jussi Jaaskelainen has kept eight clean sheets in the Premier League this
season, joint-highest with fifth placed Everton and four more than
Manchester United.
• A draw with Sunderland at the Boleyn Ground last time out left the Hammers
with 14 points from 16 games and 17th in the table.
• Manchester United return to Old Trafford after also reaching the
semi-finals of the Capital One Cup in midweek, following a 2-0 win over
Stoke City.
• In the Premier League, the Red Devils have under-performed so far and sit
eighth in the standings following a 3-0 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park
in their last league outing.
• Two home league defeats on the spin, 1-0 losses to both Newcastle and
Everton, have added to Moyes' difficult start to life at Old Trafford.
• He may however take heart from the fact that in four meetings against the
Hammers last season the Red Devils were unbeaten, winning two and drawing
two.
Team news
West Ham United
• James Tomkins should return to the team to face Manchester United after
missing the win over Spurs in midweek following a groin problem.
• Ricardo Vaz Te (shoulder), Andy Carroll (foot), Stewart Downing (ankle),
Stephen Henderson (shoulder), Winston Reid (ankle) and Mladen Petric (calf)
will all miss out.
• Captain Kevin Nolan serves the last of his three-game suspension against
Manchester United following his dismissal against Liverpool.
Manchester United
• Wayne Rooney is doubtful for Saturday's clash after picking up a groin
injury in training.
• Strike partner Robin Van Persie is however out of the match with a thigh
injury.
Background
• The first meeting between West Ham United and Manchester United came on 25
February 1911 in the FA Cup. The Hammers won 2-1 with Thomas Caldwell and
Danny Shea scoring the goals.
• West Ham United's biggest win over Manchester United came at the Boleyn
Ground on 11 October 1930. A Viv Gibbins hat-trick inspired the Hammers to a
5-1 win with Jim Barrett and Jimmy Ruffell also on the score sheet.
• Manchester United's biggest win over West Ham United came almost 70 years
later on 1 April 2000. This time they had a hat-trick hero of their own as
Paul Scholes scored a treble in a 7-1 win. Denis Irwin, Andrew Cole, David
Beckham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored the other goals with Paulo Wanchope
on target for the Hammers.
• Of the Hammers last six trips to Old Trafford they have accrued no wins
and suffered defeat on all six occasions.
• The Club's overall record has seen West Ham play Manchester United on 127
occasions, winning 43, drawing 26 and losing 58.
Last time out
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 West Ham United
Capital One Cup quarter-final
18 December 2013
West Ham United: Adrian, O'Brien, Rat, Collins (c), McCartney, Diarra
(Morrison 79), Taylor, Collison, J.Cole (Diame 70), Jarvis, C.Cole (Maiga
65)
Subs not used: Jaaskelainen, Noble, Demel, Chambers
Goals: Jarvis 80, Maiga 85
Stoke City 0-2 Manchester United
Capital One Cup quarter-final
18 December 2013
Manchester United: de Gea, Rafael, Evra, Jones, Smalling, Evans, Cleverley,
Anderson (Hernandez 58), Welbeck (Fletcher 82), Young, Valencia
Subs not used: Nani, Kagawa, Buttner, Johnstone, Zaha
Goals: Young 62, Evra 78
Previous meeting
A valiant West Ham were twice pegged back by Manchester United as the teams
played out an exciting 2-2 draw at the Boleyn Ground. Ricardo Vaz Te gave
the home side the lead after 16 minutes, stooping low to head home an Andy
Carroll knockdown from a Matt Jarvis cross. After Antonio Valencia had
equalised, the Hammers regained control when Mohamed Diame struck a fierce
low effort past David de Gea with 55 minutes gone. The home side were denied
a win however as Robin Van Persie tapped home with 13 minutes left.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, O'Brien, Collins, Reid, O'Neil (Noble
65), Diame (Taylor 82), Nolan (Collison 82), Vaz Te, Jarvis, Carroll
Subs: C.Cole, Maiga, Henderson, Pogatetz
Goals: Vaz Te 16, Diame 55
Manchester United: De Gea, Rafael, Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Jones, Carrick,
Valencia, Kagawa (Hernandez 79), Rooney (Giggs 71), Van Persie
Subs: Amos, Evans, Cleverley, Giggs, Nani, Welbeck, Hernandez
Goals: Valencia 31, Van Persie 77
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
17 April 2013 - West Ham United 2-2 Manchester United
16 January 2013 - Manchester United 1-0 West Ham United
5 January 2013 - West Ham United 2-2 Manchester United
28 November 2012 - Manchester United 1-0 West Ham United
2 April 2011 - West Ham United 2-4 Manchester United
30 November 2010 - West Ham United 4-0 Manchester United (Carling Cup fifth
round)
Overall record v Manchester United (all competitions) W 43 D 26 L 58
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 to Championship)
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)
Manchester United
2012/13 Premier League 1st (89 points)
2011/12 Premier League 2nd (89 points)
2010/11 Premier League 1st (80 points)
2009/10 Premier League 2nd (85 points)
2008/09 Premier League 1st (90 points)
2007/08 Premier League 1st (87 points)
2006/07 Premier League 1st (89 points)
2005/06 Premier League 2nd (83 points)
2004/05 Premier League 3rd (77 points)
2003/04 Premier League 3rd (75 points)
Old boys
• Manchester United have two former West Ham United players in their squad.
England defender Rio Ferdinand made 158 appearances for the club between May
1996 and November 2000, scoring two goals. Midfielder Michael Carrick scored
six goals in 159 appearances between July 1999 and May 2004.
• Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Jonathan
Spector, Roy Carroll, Noel Cantwell, Luke Chadwick, Billy Grassam, Paul
Ince, Ralph Milne, Frederick Milnes, Ravel Morrison, Frank O'Farrell, Stuart
Pearson, Les Sealey, Dave Sexton, Teddy Sheringham, Carlos Tevez and Raimond
van der Gouw.
Referee
• The man in the middle at Old Trafford on Saturday will be Mike Jones.
• Jones plied his trade as a Football League referee for 11 years before he
was added to the Select Group in 2008 and began officiating in the Premier
League.
• Jones, who made his refereeing debut in August 1997 when Mansfield Town
played host to Hull City, regularly officiated in the Football League during
his tenure.
• He made his first appearance at Wembley Stadium when he took control of
the League Two Play-off Final between Bristol Rovers and Shrewsbury Town in
2007.
• Jones was in the middle for a Premier League match for the first time when
Hull City took on Wigan Athletic in August 2008. He has been a permanent
fixture in the top flight ever since.
• Jones did not referee the Hammers at all in 2012/13 and his last game in
charge of a West Ham match came in March 2011 in an FA Cup sixth round tie
against Stoke City.
General information
• All of the away ticket allocation for Saturday's game have sold out.
• The weather is set to be overcast with temperatures around 7C.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam on: Manchester United
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce speaks to the media ahead of Saturday's trip to Champions
Manchester United
20.12.2013
Sam Allardyce has spoken to the gathered media ahead of West Ham United's
Barclays Premier League match against reigning champions Manchester United
on Saturday. Big Sam fielded questions about Wednesday's win against
Tottenham Hotspur in the Capital One Cup, Modibo Maiga and David Moyes'
start to life as United manager.
Morning Sam, any team news for us ahead of Saturday?
SA: "The only addition to the squad from Wednesday night will be James
Tomkins. He's recovered from a groin injury, he'll join in training this
morning and if there's no reaction then he'll join the squad to go to
Manchester United. The rest of the players are recovering from their gallant
efforts on Wednesday night and are hopefully ready to put in a similar
performance at Old Trafford. We can take a lot of satisfaction out of
Wednesday's result and I just hope I can get the same reaction for a very
big Premier League game at Old Trafford. As difficult as it is for us, it's
not beyond what we can do if we get everything right like we did on
Wednesday."
How much can you take from the result on Wednesday given the circumstances
you were in?
SA: "Players play to win and when they win they feel so much better, life is
so much better for them. We've not won as many games as we should have done
in the Premier League and that's left everybody a little down. When you win
such a game as at your local rivals, who are such a big club these days,
then it does lift everybody but you must use and take that into the next
game and make sure you deliver the same performance again. Whether it gets
the result at Old Trafford or not, who knows? Manchester United we all know,
if they're on song, on top of their form on that particular day it could be
very difficult for us.
"We have to go and deliver that type of performance and resilience again and
if we can be as clinical in front of goal as we were on Wednesday night,
even though the opposition territorially and possession wise were far better
than we were. We had more shots on target than they did and shots on target
ultimately lead to goals. We limited them to a few shots on target and when
we went up the other end we did the business. We had eleven attempts at
goal, seven on target and scored two goals. The top line's always the most
important and it's got us through to a big semi-final."
What could that goal do for Modibo Maiga's confidence?
SA: "Hopefully it'll kick him on. Goals come in a flurry sometime for
forwards and hopefully the next chance that comes his way he'll be as good
as was on Wednesday night. He was very unfortunate that it wasn't two. The
way he carved out the second attempt at goal, that rattled the bar, showed
the ultimate ability and shooting power that he's got. We want to see more
of it; more end product and hopefully then it will help us get more results.
Hopefully he can kick-on for himself, kick-on for us because we've been
desperate for someone to start putting some goals in upfront. I think Rav's
still our leading goal scorer with three so we need somebody to start
regularly putting the ball in the back of the net, and I hope it's him."
What do you make of David Moyes' start to life at Manchester United?
SA: "Semi-finals of the Capital One Cup, qualified winners of their European
group and unfortunately for him, a league position that he wouldn't have
wanted but obviously he'll face the task as he knew it was going to be a
difficult takeover period from Sir Alex. Old Trafford particularly is where
he wants it to be the fortress that Sir Alex always seemed to make it and on
occasion that hasn't seemed to happen for him. David will be planning as
always to get the right team out to beat us and go on from there. Like
everybody says, the transition cannot happen overnight and it's like every
manager there's a transitional period that you've got to try and get through
before you make your own mark on it. For him, at the moment I don't think
it's quite as bad as everyone makes out."
They've lost their last two home games, do you think Old Trafford's lost a
bit of its aura this year?
SA: "You've stacked the odds against us there! Looking back at Manchester
United's history when was the last time that Manchester United lost three
home games on the trot? What the odds be for that? It's not what Manchester
United or David Moyes wants to do or the players in fact. On that basis,
knowing Manchester United players, their desire and determination to win
that game will be greater against us.
"That will focus them even more and make sure that when they come of they've
beat us. We have to make sure we match their desire and determination and
the tactical organisation we showed against Tottenham. The key element will
be, if you get a chance try and score, see if there's any frailties that may
come out in Manchester United. I expect a tough match and I expect
Manchester United to make sure they go all out to win. In our position I
expect us to go and play our best within the tactical structure that we need
to."
Do you think Ravel Morrison feels he has a point to prove going back to
Manchester United?
SA: "He probably would, if selected. My concern is that if he is going to
play, if I do select him, then don't try and win the game by yourself. This
is a team game and if you want to win it play as a team, not as an
individual."
Do you think his form is getting close to what he was showing at the
beginning of the season?
SA: "I think his form, to be honest with you, has dipped a little bit.
That's only to be expected for such a young man who hit such great heights
when he arrived in the team. His average performance in terms of all of his
stats has gone down. He needs to pick that back up and kick back on to where
he was after two or three games in the first team and then improve it from
there. You expect a dip from a youngster somewhere along the line and it's
our responsibility to pick him back up, move him forward and improve him
again. He's a hugely talented player and we want to have his ability not in
flashes but to have it as constant as possible."
With such a busy schedule coming up, how do you approach coping with games
coming thick and fast with a small squad at your disposal?
SA: "It'll be using the members of the squad, even though small, that are
available on a regular basis. To ask the same eleven players to get through
that period and not change is an impossibility in today's modern-day
football by the huge amount of physical effort and mental fatigue that
players suffer in a game situation. The game is so fast and ferocious with
so much pressure on the players that fatigue levels are at their highest.
"Our programme changes completely where training is virtually non-existent
and it's travel, recover, play, travel, recover, play and we have to spend a
lot of time doing our tactical analysis. The training ground is only a
matter of re-energising the players and getting the blood flowing through
the system again and getting ready for the next battle. By the time we've
finished January we will have had a massive game programme and we hope that
by the end of January we are one, in the final of the Capital One Cup and
two, not in the same position in the league. That will be my ultimate late
Christmas present."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam honoured by anti-racism charity
WHUFC.com
Hammers manager Sam Allardyce was inducted into the Show Racism the Red Card
Hall of Fame
19.12.2013
West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce was honoured at Show Racism the Red
Card's third Hall of Fame event at Parliament this week. The event centred
around an award ceremony to induct supporters, patrons and sponsors of the
Show Racism the Red Card campaign into the Hall of Fame under five different
categories. Big Sam was one of four managers to be honoured, alongside
Newcastle United chief Alan Pardew, Northampton Town boss Aidy Boothroyd and
former Scotland manager Alex McLeish. 'Role Models' who received awards were
stand up comedian Ava Vidal, Premier League Referee Chris Foy, presenter of
the Football League Show Manish Bhasin, Former Arsenal winger Perry Groves
and ex-West Bromwich Albion defender Darren Moore.
League Two outfit Dagenham and Redbridge, Unison Assistant General secretary
Liz Snape, the Hilton in the Community Foundation and the building society
Nationwide were also given awards for being dedicated 'Supporters of the
Campaign'.
Professional footballers were recognised too, including Tottenham Hotspur
striker Jermain Defoe, Wigan's Emmerson Boyce, England's most capped player
Rachel Yankey, Everton Ladies goalkeeper Rachel Brown and the PFA's Director
of Community John Hudson.
For their Commitment to Education, ex-Norwich City and Watford defender
Clint Easton, former Charlton Athletic and Southend United defender Osei
Sankofa, ex-Leicester City striker Trevor Benjamin and Redbridge Council's
Diversity Programme Manager, Mike O'Hanlon were inducted too.
Guest presenters at the event included Gordon Taylor of the PFA, film
director Ken Loach and Hammers legend Sir Trevor Brooking.
Allardyce commented: "I'm delighted to collect this award. For more years
than I care to remember we've used our community campaigns to support Show
Racism the Red Card. "It was a pleasure to attend the event and I want to
thank everyone, especially the volunteers and workers behind the scenes, for
the hard work they put in to promote the good work of the Show Racism the
Red Card campaign. It was great to see how far Show Racism the Red Card has
come and how much it has achieved. "I must add that I travel all over Europe
while I look for players. For all the criticism we get in the UK, I think
we've done the most. There is still a long way to go but I go to many
countries all over Europe and we've progressed so far we should be proud of
campaigns like this. An event like the one on Tuesday shows everyone that we
are moving in the right direction."
Show Racism the Red Card Chief Executive Ged Grebby said: "This is Show
Racism the Red Card's third Hall of Fame event in our 17-year history. The
last major Hall of Fame occasion was in 2008 at 10 Downing Street. We are
delighted to be at the Speaker's Residence for this year's ceremony. "The
Hall of Fame is a way of thanking some of our key supporters, patrons and
sponsors for all the work they have done for our charity over many years.
"We are particularly pleased at the turn out for this year's Hall of Fame
event, having so many high profile managers and supporters attending. "At a
time when both Islamophobia and anti-migrant racism are on the increase, it
is vital for anti racism campaigners to increase their profile."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
Alou Diarra blogs for whufc.com on his return from injury, the win at
Tottenham and more
20.12.2013
Bonjour,
I was very happy to play my first game at Tottenham since my anterior
cruciate ligament injury and it was a great performance from us to win there
for the second time this season. It was not easy because it was a derby and
they lost their manager a few days before, so there was a lot of pressure on
the game, but we stayed strong, only conceded the one goal, and then with
the fresh players from the bench we scored two ourselves. We stayed focused,
even when we went behind, and after Matt Jarvis equalised, we pushed on and
we're very happy that we're in the next round of the Capital One Cup. We
know it will be hard against Man City, but we can do something good in this
competition. Personally, I'm feeling good, my knee was stable in the game at
Tottenham. It gives me more confidence, because it was a good test for me
and my knee. I think now I'm ready to play and I feel good. Obviously I need
some games for my physical condition, but the best thing for me was that my
knee was stable and I was able to do everything without a problem. I didn't
expect to come back so quickly when I suffered the injury in that second
round tie against Cheltenham Town. It's amazing really, but I've worked hard
with the medical staff and with the specialists in England and in France.
I've made a good rehab with Monte, the Strength and Conditioning Coach,
Rollsy, the Head of Sports Science and Sport Medicine, the physiotherapists,
and after six weeks I was ready to train with the team. That was amazing
after suffering as serious an injury as that, and the recovery has been
good. Looking to Saturday, the game at Tottenham will give us more
confidence for when we go to Manchester United. It will be hard there
because they lost their last game at home and there will be a lot of
pressure. We must be strong, like at White Hart Lane, not concede a goal and
we'll have some chances to score. I know Patrice Evra, he is a good friend!
I don't want him to score against us, but I respect him because he is a good
player. He has done a lot of great things for Manchester United, so we'll
see on Saturday. I hope we can win at Old Trafford, it would be great for
us.
À bientôt
Alou
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U18s look to get back on track
WHUFC.com
The Academy side take on Leicester City at Little Heath on Saturday
lunchtime
20.12.2013
West Ham United's Under-18s return to Barclays U18 Premier League action on
Saturday morning, looking to put their FA Youth Cup exit behind them. The
young Hammers suffered a shock exit at the hands of Accrington Stanley in
their last fixture, but are flying in the league and will hope to recapture
that form when they host Leicester City. Steve Potts' men are unbeaten in
nine league games and have risen to fourth in the table. Leicester,
meanwhile, sit ninth, although they drew 1-1 with Arsenal in their last
outing. The match will be played at Little Heath with a 12pm kick-off.
Admission and parking is free of charge.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Man Utd v West Ham
KO 15:00
20 December 2013
Last updated at 12:45
By Guy Mowbray
BBC Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Old Trafford Date: Saturday, 21 December
Manchester United manager David Moyes says Wayne Rooney, who missed
Wednesday's win over Stoke with a groin injury, has "a chance" of being fit.
Nemanja Vidic is also doubtful, while Michael Carrick and Robin van Persie
are definitely out. West Ham skipper Kevin Nolan serves the last of his
three-match ban.
James Tomkins returns after a groin problem but Andy Carroll, Stewart
Downing, Mladen Petric, Winston Reid and Ricardo Vaz Te are all injured.
MATCH PREVIEW
Are we all ready for the magic and madness of Christmas? It's the Premier
League's busiest time, with four rounds of fixtures in a week and a half -
time which will see us pass the season's halfway mark and usually gives the
table a sense of true order for the race to the finish. With the greatest
respect to their opponents, Manchester United won't be satisfied with
anything other than a maximum 12 points from their four games.
"West Ham boss Sam Allardyce still badly needs three points, and I cannot
see him getting them at Old Trafford, but I also cannot see them going down
Winning at home to West Ham has been all but a 'given' for years. The facts?
Twenty wins from 23 Hammers visits since 1986; a current run of six wins in
a row; not a single goal from the visitors in the last five. This season,
though, the overriding fact is that United can be beaten at home. They have
been three times in the league already. They haven't lost more home games in
a season since 2001-02 - and we aren't yet halfway through. They're
vulnerable at Old Trafford like never before in some people's lifetime, with
this game carrying the possibility of three successive home league defeats
for the first time since 1978-79. Buoyed by their comeback Capital One Cup
win at Spurs, you can be sure that Sam Allardyce will be hammering home that
message to his West Ham side - THIS is the season when you can go there and
get something. Goals are a problem for both sides. West Ham have only scored
five away, Man United only eight at home - and with Robin van Persie out and
Wayne Rooney a doubt, Danny Welbeck needs to come to the fore. His two at
Aston Villa last weekend ought to help him break a home run of 14 months (18
games) without scoring. It's the time of year when belief plays a huge part
in all our lives. Does he believe he'll score? Do West Ham fans believe they
can win? In the hope of an early present of a game to savour, I'm happy to
say "I believe". Merry Christmas.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
This is the fourth time in 2013 these two sides have met. Two of the
previous three matches have been 2-2 draws with the other ending in a 1-0
win for
Manchester United.
West Ham have won just twice in 17 Premier League trips to play Manchester
United and they were both 1-0 wins - in 2001 and 2007.
Manchester United have not lost to West Ham in their last nine league
encounters.
Manchester United have 25 points after 16 matches - their lowest at this
stage of a Premier League season since 2001-02.
They have won 14 points away but just 11 at Old Trafford, and have scored 17
away league goals, compared to just eight at home.
Their victory over Aston Villa last Sunday was the first league match they
had won without Robin van Persie being in the side since he arrived at the
club (D2 L2).
West Ham
West Ham have won just two of their last 15 Premier League matches (W2 D5
L8).
No Premier League team has kept more clean sheets than West Ham's eight this
season and their total of five goalless draws is more than any other team
has had in the Premier League.
In fact, five 0-0 draws is more than there has been in the Bundesliga this
season.
They have failed to score a first-half goal this season in 13 Premier League
matches - the joint-most in the division.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Manchester United welcome West Ham to Old Trafford
Last Updated: 20/12/13 11:29am
SSN
Manchester United will want to maintain the momentum they have started to
rebuild when they welcome West Ham United to Old Trafford. The Red Devils
have offered a positive response to a recent wobble - with successes enjoyed
in Premier League, UEFA Champions League and Capital One Cup competition.
Whether they have left themselves with too much to do in the defence of
their top-flight title remains to be seen, with a 10-point gap separating
them from the summit. David Moyes is not about to throw in the towel,
though, and a productive run through the busy festive period would help to
push United back towards the frontrunners. West Ham, though, will make the
long journey north determined to become the latest side to frustrate the Red
Devils in their own backyard.
The Hammers could do with the morale boost a positive result would bring,
with only one place and a solitary point keeping them out of the drop zone
at present. Victory at capital rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Capital One
Cup quarter-finals in midweek should have them in buoyant mood but points
are all that matter to Sam Allardyce's side at present, and they know they
have not taken enough of them so far.
If Manchester United win this then it will be four wins in 10 days, which
makes a big difference to David Moyes all of a sudden! West Ham had a great
result in the Capital One Cup in midweek, but they have been struggling in
the league and I think they are going to struggle again here. The West Ham
fans will be looking forward to the semi-final, but you wonder if their
squad can cope with too many extra games! It will only be a matter of time
before Man United break them down.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-0
Man Utd
Last 6
Stoke City (a)0-2
A Villa (a)0-3
Shak Donetsk (h)1-0
Newcastle (h)0-1
Everton (h)0-1
Tottenham (a)2-2
Manchester United will hand a late fitness test to Wayne Rooney after seeing
him sit out Wednesday's 2-0 victory over Stoke City in the League Cup with a
knock. David Moyes is hopeful the England international will figure
prominently over the Christmas period, and he needs him to as fellow forward
Robin van Persie is missing with a thigh problem. Michael Carrick will not
be ready for a return until Boxing Day at the earliest, but club captain
Nemanja Vidic is fit again and Marouane Fellaini could come back into
contention after a back complaint.
West Ham
Last 6
Tottenham (a)1-2
Sunderland (h)0-0
Liverpool (a)4-1
C Palace (a)1-0
Fulham (h)3-0
Chelsea (h)0-3
West Ham will welcome James Tomkins back into their ranks on Saturday, with
the defender having recovered from a groin problem. He will be the only
addition to a squad which edged out Spurs 2-1 in midweek, with Kevin Nolan
set to serve the final game of a three-match ban. Record signing Andy
Carroll will not be ready until the New Year as he eases his way back from a
foot injury, while Stewart Downing (Achilles) and Winston Reid (ankle) are
among those still on the treatment table.
Opta stats
Manchester United have not lost three successive home league games since Dec
1978 - Feb 1979.
The Hammers have won just one of their eight Premier League away games this
season (D3 L4), failing to score five times.
Man Utd have scored only eight goals in eight Premier League home games this
season, only four clubs have managed fewer.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Three have been sentenced after admitting spying on West Ham directors
Last Updated: 20/12/13 4:26pm
SSN
Three investigators have been sentenced today after admitting spying on West
Ham directors including Karren Brady in 2011. Brady's mobile phone records
were obtained during an investigation which centred around the bidding
process for the Olympic Stadium. Tottenham asked the firm PKF to investigate
that process. Howard Hill, Richard Forrest and Lee Stewart all pleaded
guilty on 8 November to illegally obtaining confidential information on West
Ham directors and officials from the Olympic Park Legacy Company. Tottenham
strongly deny any claims of spying and it was said in court one of the
investigators had told the club he did not believe he had been acting
illegally. Hill was fined £100,000 as the main investigator, with Judge
McCreath saying: "You had full control over this project. You engaged others
to do your dirty work for you."
Stewart was fined £13,250. The judge said his involvement was limited to two
of the victims. Forrest was fined £10,000. The judge said, like Stewart, he
had acted on Hill's instructions. As well as Brady, victims included fellow
joint-chairman David Sullivan and Ian Tomkins of West Ham, along with a
number of Olympic officials and the Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales. David
Gold, another joint-chairman of the Hammers, was named as someone who became
the focus of attention.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce backs David Moyes to be a hit at Manchester United
Last Updated: 20/12/13 2:25pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has backed David Moyes to be a success at
Manchester United and feels his efforts so far have been undervalued. United
sit eighth in the Premier League table after losing their last two home
league games and face a must-win clash with the Hammers at Old Trafford on
Saturday.
Moyes replaced Sir Alex Ferguson as United boss last summer and Allardyce
acknowledged the size of the job he has. "For him, at the moment I don't
think it's quite as bad as everyone makes out," said Allardyce. "(United are
in the) semi-finals of the Capital One Cup, qualified (as) winners of their
European group and unfortunately for him, (they are in) a league position
that he wouldn't have wanted. "But obviously he'll face the task as he knew
it was going to be a difficult takeover period from Sir Alex. "Old Trafford
particularly is where he wants it to be the fortress that Sir Alex always
seemed to make it and on occasion that hasn't seemed to happen for him.
"David will be planning as always to get the right team out to beat us and
go on from there. "Like everybody says, the transition cannot happen
overnight and it's like every manager, there's a transitional period that
you've got to try and get through before you make your own mark on it."
West Ham joined United in the final four of the Capital One Cup after coming
from behind to beat rivals Tottenham on Wednesday night, and Allardyce hopes
it kick-start their stuttering league campaign. He said: "When you win such
a game at your local rivals, who are such a big club these days, then it
does lift everybody but you must use and take that into the next game and
make sure you deliver the same performance again. "We've not won as many
games as we should have done in the Premier League and that's left everybody
a little down. "Manchester United we all know, if they're on song, on top of
their form on that particular day it could be very difficult for us. "We
have to go and deliver that type of performance and resilience again and be
as clinical in front of goal as we were on Wednesday night, even though the
opposition territorially and possession-wise were far better than we were."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
KEVIN NOLAN'S BAN IN DECEMBER MAKES IT FIFTH SEASON IN A ROW!
By Sean Whetstone 20 Dec 2013 at 08:33
West Ham Till I Die
West Ham captain Kevin Nolan's three match ban over Christmas is the fifth
season in a row he has picked up a suspension in December. Nolan's straight
red card for a deliberate stamp at Liverpool's Jordan Henderson at Anfield
will rule him out of the trip up north to Manchester United. Last season he
picked up a fifth booking of the season against Reading on Boxing Day that
saw him suspended for our next game against Norwich on New Year's Day. In
2011 he was banned for West Ham's match against Derby on December 29th after
collecting five bookings after a tackle on Zigic of Birmingham which was
almost a carbon copy of the Jordan Hendicerson which got him sent off!. A
fifth caution of the season against Manchester City on Boxing Day 2010 while
playing for Newcastle meant he missed the trip to Spurs two days later.
In 2009, while a Newcastle player a red card against Watford on December 5th
led to a one-game ban. At the Season Ticket Holders Fans Forum earlier this
moth he apologised for his silly challenge but strongly denied he wanted to
have time off. The video can be seen below. Kevin said "It was a silly
tackle and stupid of me. I'm rarely disappointed in myself but I am sorry
for that. I apologised to all the lads as well" "I'll be working hard on the
training ground," the 31-year-old said. "I'm certainly not getting away with
it. I'll be in on Wednesday while all the other lads are off"
David Gold later that evening suggested Kevin Nolan's ban would give Ravel
Morrison a chance to shine and gave a strange analogy of how catching his
best friend with his wife led to strange twist of good fortune in his life.
I met Kevin Nolan on Wednesday at the Fans Forum and submitted a question on
why the gaffer always chooses him to start if he is fit. The question didn't
make the cut for questions to be asked.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham signed Ravel Morrison based on a single sentence spoken by
Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson
Dec 20, 2013 22:30 By Neil Rowlands 0 Comments
The Mirror
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has revealed how one sentence from Sir Alex
Ferguson was enough to make him take the gamble on Ravel Morrison. Many
thought it was a big risk when Allardyce brought in the troubled teen in
January 2012 with his side battling for promotion back to the Premier
League. At 18, Morrison had already been convicted of witness intimidation
and criminal damage and had never appeared for United in the league. But Big
Sam explained: "Fergie told me about his talent and that was it – that's
enough for me. "He said, 'If you can sort this lad out, Sam, you'll have one
of the best players you've ever had'. I don't need anything more than that
do I?"
Morrison returns to Old Trafford this weekend for the first time since he
was bombed out by the Premier League champions. Since then he has impressed
on loan at Birmingham, has scored five in 17 for the Hammers this term and
could even be in line for a shock call-up to Roy Hodgson's World Cup squad.
Allardyce added: "Sir Alex let Ravel go for his own benefit. He said that if
Ravel's going to be a player he has to leave Manchester and go somewhere
else in this country because he felt being in Manchester wasn't helping him
develop. "[He said] if he comes down to you hopefully he'll find a new life
and a new way of living and then his performances and his ability will then
start to come through. "In actual fact, he struggled to look like he was
capable of playing football in the first team with us. That's why we sent
him on loan to Birmingham and I thought since that year he's grown up.
"Somewhere along the line lads wake up and they start coming in and
thinking, 'I can have all the help I need but if I don't change myself then
I'm not going to be successful'. I think he's changed himself and
delivered."
With his eye-catching displays for the Hammers, including a dazzling solo
goal in the 3-0 win at Tottenham in October, talk of a new contract has
emerged.
Morrison has about 18 months left on his current agreement and it has been
suggested the east London club are lining up a bumper new deal for the
England Under-21 midfielder. But Allardyce has told him that if he keeps
concentrating on football then "mega-bucks" will come his way. The Hammers
manager, who will be without suspended skipper Kevin Nolan at Old Trafford
on Saturday, said: "A lot of the time, too often, it revolves around money
and not football. But it should revolve around having a good career and then
money follows. "If it ends up in the Premier League then it's mega-bucks. If
you don't get there and you take the money then the career can stagnate on
that basis."
Morrison is fresh after sitting out West Ham's Capital One Cup quarter-final
win over Tottenham on Wednesday – and is expected to start against David
Moyes' side, who are hoping to avoid a third straight home defeat in the
Premier League.
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WHUFC.com
All of the pre-match information ahead of the Hammers trip to Manchester
United
20.12.2013
MANCHESTER UNITED V WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
SATURDAY 21 DECEMBER 2013
KICK-OFF: 3PM
REFEREE: MIKE JONES
FULL AUDIO AND TEXT COMMENTARY - WEST HAM TV
iPHONE APP I TWITTER I FACEBOOK I PODCAST
Introduction
• West Ham United travel to reigning Champions Manchester United in the
Barclays Premier League this Saturday, looking to end a run of three
consecutive away league defeats.
• The Hammers will however be boosted by the fact they recorded a win on
their travels in midweek as they produced a stirring fightback to beat
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 on Wednesday night in the Capital One Cup.
• Sam Allardyce's side last won away in the league at White Hart Lane too,
as they triumphed 3-0 over Spurs in October, with Ravel Morrison notching
the third goal.
• The midfielder is the Hammers' top-scorer with three goals so far this
season and he returns to the club at which he started his career before
moving to east London in January 2012.
• Jussi Jaaskelainen has kept eight clean sheets in the Premier League this
season, joint-highest with fifth placed Everton and four more than
Manchester United.
• A draw with Sunderland at the Boleyn Ground last time out left the Hammers
with 14 points from 16 games and 17th in the table.
• Manchester United return to Old Trafford after also reaching the
semi-finals of the Capital One Cup in midweek, following a 2-0 win over
Stoke City.
• In the Premier League, the Red Devils have under-performed so far and sit
eighth in the standings following a 3-0 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park
in their last league outing.
• Two home league defeats on the spin, 1-0 losses to both Newcastle and
Everton, have added to Moyes' difficult start to life at Old Trafford.
• He may however take heart from the fact that in four meetings against the
Hammers last season the Red Devils were unbeaten, winning two and drawing
two.
Team news
West Ham United
• James Tomkins should return to the team to face Manchester United after
missing the win over Spurs in midweek following a groin problem.
• Ricardo Vaz Te (shoulder), Andy Carroll (foot), Stewart Downing (ankle),
Stephen Henderson (shoulder), Winston Reid (ankle) and Mladen Petric (calf)
will all miss out.
• Captain Kevin Nolan serves the last of his three-game suspension against
Manchester United following his dismissal against Liverpool.
Manchester United
• Wayne Rooney is doubtful for Saturday's clash after picking up a groin
injury in training.
• Strike partner Robin Van Persie is however out of the match with a thigh
injury.
Background
• The first meeting between West Ham United and Manchester United came on 25
February 1911 in the FA Cup. The Hammers won 2-1 with Thomas Caldwell and
Danny Shea scoring the goals.
• West Ham United's biggest win over Manchester United came at the Boleyn
Ground on 11 October 1930. A Viv Gibbins hat-trick inspired the Hammers to a
5-1 win with Jim Barrett and Jimmy Ruffell also on the score sheet.
• Manchester United's biggest win over West Ham United came almost 70 years
later on 1 April 2000. This time they had a hat-trick hero of their own as
Paul Scholes scored a treble in a 7-1 win. Denis Irwin, Andrew Cole, David
Beckham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored the other goals with Paulo Wanchope
on target for the Hammers.
• Of the Hammers last six trips to Old Trafford they have accrued no wins
and suffered defeat on all six occasions.
• The Club's overall record has seen West Ham play Manchester United on 127
occasions, winning 43, drawing 26 and losing 58.
Last time out
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 West Ham United
Capital One Cup quarter-final
18 December 2013
West Ham United: Adrian, O'Brien, Rat, Collins (c), McCartney, Diarra
(Morrison 79), Taylor, Collison, J.Cole (Diame 70), Jarvis, C.Cole (Maiga
65)
Subs not used: Jaaskelainen, Noble, Demel, Chambers
Goals: Jarvis 80, Maiga 85
Stoke City 0-2 Manchester United
Capital One Cup quarter-final
18 December 2013
Manchester United: de Gea, Rafael, Evra, Jones, Smalling, Evans, Cleverley,
Anderson (Hernandez 58), Welbeck (Fletcher 82), Young, Valencia
Subs not used: Nani, Kagawa, Buttner, Johnstone, Zaha
Goals: Young 62, Evra 78
Previous meeting
A valiant West Ham were twice pegged back by Manchester United as the teams
played out an exciting 2-2 draw at the Boleyn Ground. Ricardo Vaz Te gave
the home side the lead after 16 minutes, stooping low to head home an Andy
Carroll knockdown from a Matt Jarvis cross. After Antonio Valencia had
equalised, the Hammers regained control when Mohamed Diame struck a fierce
low effort past David de Gea with 55 minutes gone. The home side were denied
a win however as Robin Van Persie tapped home with 13 minutes left.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, Demel, O'Brien, Collins, Reid, O'Neil (Noble
65), Diame (Taylor 82), Nolan (Collison 82), Vaz Te, Jarvis, Carroll
Subs: C.Cole, Maiga, Henderson, Pogatetz
Goals: Vaz Te 16, Diame 55
Manchester United: De Gea, Rafael, Evra, Vidic, Ferdinand, Jones, Carrick,
Valencia, Kagawa (Hernandez 79), Rooney (Giggs 71), Van Persie
Subs: Amos, Evans, Cleverley, Giggs, Nani, Welbeck, Hernandez
Goals: Valencia 31, Van Persie 77
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
17 April 2013 - West Ham United 2-2 Manchester United
16 January 2013 - Manchester United 1-0 West Ham United
5 January 2013 - West Ham United 2-2 Manchester United
28 November 2012 - Manchester United 1-0 West Ham United
2 April 2011 - West Ham United 2-4 Manchester United
30 November 2010 - West Ham United 4-0 Manchester United (Carling Cup fifth
round)
Overall record v Manchester United (all competitions) W 43 D 26 L 58
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 to Championship)
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)
Manchester United
2012/13 Premier League 1st (89 points)
2011/12 Premier League 2nd (89 points)
2010/11 Premier League 1st (80 points)
2009/10 Premier League 2nd (85 points)
2008/09 Premier League 1st (90 points)
2007/08 Premier League 1st (87 points)
2006/07 Premier League 1st (89 points)
2005/06 Premier League 2nd (83 points)
2004/05 Premier League 3rd (77 points)
2003/04 Premier League 3rd (75 points)
Old boys
• Manchester United have two former West Ham United players in their squad.
England defender Rio Ferdinand made 158 appearances for the club between May
1996 and November 2000, scoring two goals. Midfielder Michael Carrick scored
six goals in 159 appearances between July 1999 and May 2004.
• Among the other players who have represented both clubs are Jonathan
Spector, Roy Carroll, Noel Cantwell, Luke Chadwick, Billy Grassam, Paul
Ince, Ralph Milne, Frederick Milnes, Ravel Morrison, Frank O'Farrell, Stuart
Pearson, Les Sealey, Dave Sexton, Teddy Sheringham, Carlos Tevez and Raimond
van der Gouw.
Referee
• The man in the middle at Old Trafford on Saturday will be Mike Jones.
• Jones plied his trade as a Football League referee for 11 years before he
was added to the Select Group in 2008 and began officiating in the Premier
League.
• Jones, who made his refereeing debut in August 1997 when Mansfield Town
played host to Hull City, regularly officiated in the Football League during
his tenure.
• He made his first appearance at Wembley Stadium when he took control of
the League Two Play-off Final between Bristol Rovers and Shrewsbury Town in
2007.
• Jones was in the middle for a Premier League match for the first time when
Hull City took on Wigan Athletic in August 2008. He has been a permanent
fixture in the top flight ever since.
• Jones did not referee the Hammers at all in 2012/13 and his last game in
charge of a West Ham match came in March 2011 in an FA Cup sixth round tie
against Stoke City.
General information
• All of the away ticket allocation for Saturday's game have sold out.
• The weather is set to be overcast with temperatures around 7C.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam on: Manchester United
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce speaks to the media ahead of Saturday's trip to Champions
Manchester United
20.12.2013
Sam Allardyce has spoken to the gathered media ahead of West Ham United's
Barclays Premier League match against reigning champions Manchester United
on Saturday. Big Sam fielded questions about Wednesday's win against
Tottenham Hotspur in the Capital One Cup, Modibo Maiga and David Moyes'
start to life as United manager.
Morning Sam, any team news for us ahead of Saturday?
SA: "The only addition to the squad from Wednesday night will be James
Tomkins. He's recovered from a groin injury, he'll join in training this
morning and if there's no reaction then he'll join the squad to go to
Manchester United. The rest of the players are recovering from their gallant
efforts on Wednesday night and are hopefully ready to put in a similar
performance at Old Trafford. We can take a lot of satisfaction out of
Wednesday's result and I just hope I can get the same reaction for a very
big Premier League game at Old Trafford. As difficult as it is for us, it's
not beyond what we can do if we get everything right like we did on
Wednesday."
How much can you take from the result on Wednesday given the circumstances
you were in?
SA: "Players play to win and when they win they feel so much better, life is
so much better for them. We've not won as many games as we should have done
in the Premier League and that's left everybody a little down. When you win
such a game as at your local rivals, who are such a big club these days,
then it does lift everybody but you must use and take that into the next
game and make sure you deliver the same performance again. Whether it gets
the result at Old Trafford or not, who knows? Manchester United we all know,
if they're on song, on top of their form on that particular day it could be
very difficult for us.
"We have to go and deliver that type of performance and resilience again and
if we can be as clinical in front of goal as we were on Wednesday night,
even though the opposition territorially and possession wise were far better
than we were. We had more shots on target than they did and shots on target
ultimately lead to goals. We limited them to a few shots on target and when
we went up the other end we did the business. We had eleven attempts at
goal, seven on target and scored two goals. The top line's always the most
important and it's got us through to a big semi-final."
What could that goal do for Modibo Maiga's confidence?
SA: "Hopefully it'll kick him on. Goals come in a flurry sometime for
forwards and hopefully the next chance that comes his way he'll be as good
as was on Wednesday night. He was very unfortunate that it wasn't two. The
way he carved out the second attempt at goal, that rattled the bar, showed
the ultimate ability and shooting power that he's got. We want to see more
of it; more end product and hopefully then it will help us get more results.
Hopefully he can kick-on for himself, kick-on for us because we've been
desperate for someone to start putting some goals in upfront. I think Rav's
still our leading goal scorer with three so we need somebody to start
regularly putting the ball in the back of the net, and I hope it's him."
What do you make of David Moyes' start to life at Manchester United?
SA: "Semi-finals of the Capital One Cup, qualified winners of their European
group and unfortunately for him, a league position that he wouldn't have
wanted but obviously he'll face the task as he knew it was going to be a
difficult takeover period from Sir Alex. Old Trafford particularly is where
he wants it to be the fortress that Sir Alex always seemed to make it and on
occasion that hasn't seemed to happen for him. David will be planning as
always to get the right team out to beat us and go on from there. Like
everybody says, the transition cannot happen overnight and it's like every
manager there's a transitional period that you've got to try and get through
before you make your own mark on it. For him, at the moment I don't think
it's quite as bad as everyone makes out."
They've lost their last two home games, do you think Old Trafford's lost a
bit of its aura this year?
SA: "You've stacked the odds against us there! Looking back at Manchester
United's history when was the last time that Manchester United lost three
home games on the trot? What the odds be for that? It's not what Manchester
United or David Moyes wants to do or the players in fact. On that basis,
knowing Manchester United players, their desire and determination to win
that game will be greater against us.
"That will focus them even more and make sure that when they come of they've
beat us. We have to make sure we match their desire and determination and
the tactical organisation we showed against Tottenham. The key element will
be, if you get a chance try and score, see if there's any frailties that may
come out in Manchester United. I expect a tough match and I expect
Manchester United to make sure they go all out to win. In our position I
expect us to go and play our best within the tactical structure that we need
to."
Do you think Ravel Morrison feels he has a point to prove going back to
Manchester United?
SA: "He probably would, if selected. My concern is that if he is going to
play, if I do select him, then don't try and win the game by yourself. This
is a team game and if you want to win it play as a team, not as an
individual."
Do you think his form is getting close to what he was showing at the
beginning of the season?
SA: "I think his form, to be honest with you, has dipped a little bit.
That's only to be expected for such a young man who hit such great heights
when he arrived in the team. His average performance in terms of all of his
stats has gone down. He needs to pick that back up and kick back on to where
he was after two or three games in the first team and then improve it from
there. You expect a dip from a youngster somewhere along the line and it's
our responsibility to pick him back up, move him forward and improve him
again. He's a hugely talented player and we want to have his ability not in
flashes but to have it as constant as possible."
With such a busy schedule coming up, how do you approach coping with games
coming thick and fast with a small squad at your disposal?
SA: "It'll be using the members of the squad, even though small, that are
available on a regular basis. To ask the same eleven players to get through
that period and not change is an impossibility in today's modern-day
football by the huge amount of physical effort and mental fatigue that
players suffer in a game situation. The game is so fast and ferocious with
so much pressure on the players that fatigue levels are at their highest.
"Our programme changes completely where training is virtually non-existent
and it's travel, recover, play, travel, recover, play and we have to spend a
lot of time doing our tactical analysis. The training ground is only a
matter of re-energising the players and getting the blood flowing through
the system again and getting ready for the next battle. By the time we've
finished January we will have had a massive game programme and we hope that
by the end of January we are one, in the final of the Capital One Cup and
two, not in the same position in the league. That will be my ultimate late
Christmas present."
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Big Sam honoured by anti-racism charity
WHUFC.com
Hammers manager Sam Allardyce was inducted into the Show Racism the Red Card
Hall of Fame
19.12.2013
West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce was honoured at Show Racism the Red
Card's third Hall of Fame event at Parliament this week. The event centred
around an award ceremony to induct supporters, patrons and sponsors of the
Show Racism the Red Card campaign into the Hall of Fame under five different
categories. Big Sam was one of four managers to be honoured, alongside
Newcastle United chief Alan Pardew, Northampton Town boss Aidy Boothroyd and
former Scotland manager Alex McLeish. 'Role Models' who received awards were
stand up comedian Ava Vidal, Premier League Referee Chris Foy, presenter of
the Football League Show Manish Bhasin, Former Arsenal winger Perry Groves
and ex-West Bromwich Albion defender Darren Moore.
League Two outfit Dagenham and Redbridge, Unison Assistant General secretary
Liz Snape, the Hilton in the Community Foundation and the building society
Nationwide were also given awards for being dedicated 'Supporters of the
Campaign'.
Professional footballers were recognised too, including Tottenham Hotspur
striker Jermain Defoe, Wigan's Emmerson Boyce, England's most capped player
Rachel Yankey, Everton Ladies goalkeeper Rachel Brown and the PFA's Director
of Community John Hudson.
For their Commitment to Education, ex-Norwich City and Watford defender
Clint Easton, former Charlton Athletic and Southend United defender Osei
Sankofa, ex-Leicester City striker Trevor Benjamin and Redbridge Council's
Diversity Programme Manager, Mike O'Hanlon were inducted too.
Guest presenters at the event included Gordon Taylor of the PFA, film
director Ken Loach and Hammers legend Sir Trevor Brooking.
Allardyce commented: "I'm delighted to collect this award. For more years
than I care to remember we've used our community campaigns to support Show
Racism the Red Card. "It was a pleasure to attend the event and I want to
thank everyone, especially the volunteers and workers behind the scenes, for
the hard work they put in to promote the good work of the Show Racism the
Red Card campaign. It was great to see how far Show Racism the Red Card has
come and how much it has achieved. "I must add that I travel all over Europe
while I look for players. For all the criticism we get in the UK, I think
we've done the most. There is still a long way to go but I go to many
countries all over Europe and we've progressed so far we should be proud of
campaigns like this. An event like the one on Tuesday shows everyone that we
are moving in the right direction."
Show Racism the Red Card Chief Executive Ged Grebby said: "This is Show
Racism the Red Card's third Hall of Fame event in our 17-year history. The
last major Hall of Fame occasion was in 2008 at 10 Downing Street. We are
delighted to be at the Speaker's Residence for this year's ceremony. "The
Hall of Fame is a way of thanking some of our key supporters, patrons and
sponsors for all the work they have done for our charity over many years.
"We are particularly pleased at the turn out for this year's Hall of Fame
event, having so many high profile managers and supporters attending. "At a
time when both Islamophobia and anti-migrant racism are on the increase, it
is vital for anti racism campaigners to increase their profile."
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Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
Alou Diarra blogs for whufc.com on his return from injury, the win at
Tottenham and more
20.12.2013
Bonjour,
I was very happy to play my first game at Tottenham since my anterior
cruciate ligament injury and it was a great performance from us to win there
for the second time this season. It was not easy because it was a derby and
they lost their manager a few days before, so there was a lot of pressure on
the game, but we stayed strong, only conceded the one goal, and then with
the fresh players from the bench we scored two ourselves. We stayed focused,
even when we went behind, and after Matt Jarvis equalised, we pushed on and
we're very happy that we're in the next round of the Capital One Cup. We
know it will be hard against Man City, but we can do something good in this
competition. Personally, I'm feeling good, my knee was stable in the game at
Tottenham. It gives me more confidence, because it was a good test for me
and my knee. I think now I'm ready to play and I feel good. Obviously I need
some games for my physical condition, but the best thing for me was that my
knee was stable and I was able to do everything without a problem. I didn't
expect to come back so quickly when I suffered the injury in that second
round tie against Cheltenham Town. It's amazing really, but I've worked hard
with the medical staff and with the specialists in England and in France.
I've made a good rehab with Monte, the Strength and Conditioning Coach,
Rollsy, the Head of Sports Science and Sport Medicine, the physiotherapists,
and after six weeks I was ready to train with the team. That was amazing
after suffering as serious an injury as that, and the recovery has been
good. Looking to Saturday, the game at Tottenham will give us more
confidence for when we go to Manchester United. It will be hard there
because they lost their last game at home and there will be a lot of
pressure. We must be strong, like at White Hart Lane, not concede a goal and
we'll have some chances to score. I know Patrice Evra, he is a good friend!
I don't want him to score against us, but I respect him because he is a good
player. He has done a lot of great things for Manchester United, so we'll
see on Saturday. I hope we can win at Old Trafford, it would be great for
us.
À bientôt
Alou
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U18s look to get back on track
WHUFC.com
The Academy side take on Leicester City at Little Heath on Saturday
lunchtime
20.12.2013
West Ham United's Under-18s return to Barclays U18 Premier League action on
Saturday morning, looking to put their FA Youth Cup exit behind them. The
young Hammers suffered a shock exit at the hands of Accrington Stanley in
their last fixture, but are flying in the league and will hope to recapture
that form when they host Leicester City. Steve Potts' men are unbeaten in
nine league games and have risen to fourth in the table. Leicester,
meanwhile, sit ninth, although they drew 1-1 with Arsenal in their last
outing. The match will be played at Little Heath with a 12pm kick-off.
Admission and parking is free of charge.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Man Utd v West Ham
KO 15:00
20 December 2013
Last updated at 12:45
By Guy Mowbray
BBC Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Old Trafford Date: Saturday, 21 December
Manchester United manager David Moyes says Wayne Rooney, who missed
Wednesday's win over Stoke with a groin injury, has "a chance" of being fit.
Nemanja Vidic is also doubtful, while Michael Carrick and Robin van Persie
are definitely out. West Ham skipper Kevin Nolan serves the last of his
three-match ban.
James Tomkins returns after a groin problem but Andy Carroll, Stewart
Downing, Mladen Petric, Winston Reid and Ricardo Vaz Te are all injured.
MATCH PREVIEW
Are we all ready for the magic and madness of Christmas? It's the Premier
League's busiest time, with four rounds of fixtures in a week and a half -
time which will see us pass the season's halfway mark and usually gives the
table a sense of true order for the race to the finish. With the greatest
respect to their opponents, Manchester United won't be satisfied with
anything other than a maximum 12 points from their four games.
"West Ham boss Sam Allardyce still badly needs three points, and I cannot
see him getting them at Old Trafford, but I also cannot see them going down
Winning at home to West Ham has been all but a 'given' for years. The facts?
Twenty wins from 23 Hammers visits since 1986; a current run of six wins in
a row; not a single goal from the visitors in the last five. This season,
though, the overriding fact is that United can be beaten at home. They have
been three times in the league already. They haven't lost more home games in
a season since 2001-02 - and we aren't yet halfway through. They're
vulnerable at Old Trafford like never before in some people's lifetime, with
this game carrying the possibility of three successive home league defeats
for the first time since 1978-79. Buoyed by their comeback Capital One Cup
win at Spurs, you can be sure that Sam Allardyce will be hammering home that
message to his West Ham side - THIS is the season when you can go there and
get something. Goals are a problem for both sides. West Ham have only scored
five away, Man United only eight at home - and with Robin van Persie out and
Wayne Rooney a doubt, Danny Welbeck needs to come to the fore. His two at
Aston Villa last weekend ought to help him break a home run of 14 months (18
games) without scoring. It's the time of year when belief plays a huge part
in all our lives. Does he believe he'll score? Do West Ham fans believe they
can win? In the hope of an early present of a game to savour, I'm happy to
say "I believe". Merry Christmas.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
This is the fourth time in 2013 these two sides have met. Two of the
previous three matches have been 2-2 draws with the other ending in a 1-0
win for
Manchester United.
West Ham have won just twice in 17 Premier League trips to play Manchester
United and they were both 1-0 wins - in 2001 and 2007.
Manchester United have not lost to West Ham in their last nine league
encounters.
Manchester United have 25 points after 16 matches - their lowest at this
stage of a Premier League season since 2001-02.
They have won 14 points away but just 11 at Old Trafford, and have scored 17
away league goals, compared to just eight at home.
Their victory over Aston Villa last Sunday was the first league match they
had won without Robin van Persie being in the side since he arrived at the
club (D2 L2).
West Ham
West Ham have won just two of their last 15 Premier League matches (W2 D5
L8).
No Premier League team has kept more clean sheets than West Ham's eight this
season and their total of five goalless draws is more than any other team
has had in the Premier League.
In fact, five 0-0 draws is more than there has been in the Bundesliga this
season.
They have failed to score a first-half goal this season in 13 Premier League
matches - the joint-most in the division.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Manchester United welcome West Ham to Old Trafford
Last Updated: 20/12/13 11:29am
SSN
Manchester United will want to maintain the momentum they have started to
rebuild when they welcome West Ham United to Old Trafford. The Red Devils
have offered a positive response to a recent wobble - with successes enjoyed
in Premier League, UEFA Champions League and Capital One Cup competition.
Whether they have left themselves with too much to do in the defence of
their top-flight title remains to be seen, with a 10-point gap separating
them from the summit. David Moyes is not about to throw in the towel,
though, and a productive run through the busy festive period would help to
push United back towards the frontrunners. West Ham, though, will make the
long journey north determined to become the latest side to frustrate the Red
Devils in their own backyard.
The Hammers could do with the morale boost a positive result would bring,
with only one place and a solitary point keeping them out of the drop zone
at present. Victory at capital rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Capital One
Cup quarter-finals in midweek should have them in buoyant mood but points
are all that matter to Sam Allardyce's side at present, and they know they
have not taken enough of them so far.
If Manchester United win this then it will be four wins in 10 days, which
makes a big difference to David Moyes all of a sudden! West Ham had a great
result in the Capital One Cup in midweek, but they have been struggling in
the league and I think they are going to struggle again here. The West Ham
fans will be looking forward to the semi-final, but you wonder if their
squad can cope with too many extra games! It will only be a matter of time
before Man United break them down.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-0
Man Utd
Last 6
Stoke City (a)0-2
A Villa (a)0-3
Shak Donetsk (h)1-0
Newcastle (h)0-1
Everton (h)0-1
Tottenham (a)2-2
Manchester United will hand a late fitness test to Wayne Rooney after seeing
him sit out Wednesday's 2-0 victory over Stoke City in the League Cup with a
knock. David Moyes is hopeful the England international will figure
prominently over the Christmas period, and he needs him to as fellow forward
Robin van Persie is missing with a thigh problem. Michael Carrick will not
be ready for a return until Boxing Day at the earliest, but club captain
Nemanja Vidic is fit again and Marouane Fellaini could come back into
contention after a back complaint.
West Ham
Last 6
Tottenham (a)1-2
Sunderland (h)0-0
Liverpool (a)4-1
C Palace (a)1-0
Fulham (h)3-0
Chelsea (h)0-3
West Ham will welcome James Tomkins back into their ranks on Saturday, with
the defender having recovered from a groin problem. He will be the only
addition to a squad which edged out Spurs 2-1 in midweek, with Kevin Nolan
set to serve the final game of a three-match ban. Record signing Andy
Carroll will not be ready until the New Year as he eases his way back from a
foot injury, while Stewart Downing (Achilles) and Winston Reid (ankle) are
among those still on the treatment table.
Opta stats
Manchester United have not lost three successive home league games since Dec
1978 - Feb 1979.
The Hammers have won just one of their eight Premier League away games this
season (D3 L4), failing to score five times.
Man Utd have scored only eight goals in eight Premier League home games this
season, only four clubs have managed fewer.
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Three have been sentenced after admitting spying on West Ham directors
Last Updated: 20/12/13 4:26pm
SSN
Three investigators have been sentenced today after admitting spying on West
Ham directors including Karren Brady in 2011. Brady's mobile phone records
were obtained during an investigation which centred around the bidding
process for the Olympic Stadium. Tottenham asked the firm PKF to investigate
that process. Howard Hill, Richard Forrest and Lee Stewart all pleaded
guilty on 8 November to illegally obtaining confidential information on West
Ham directors and officials from the Olympic Park Legacy Company. Tottenham
strongly deny any claims of spying and it was said in court one of the
investigators had told the club he did not believe he had been acting
illegally. Hill was fined £100,000 as the main investigator, with Judge
McCreath saying: "You had full control over this project. You engaged others
to do your dirty work for you."
Stewart was fined £13,250. The judge said his involvement was limited to two
of the victims. Forrest was fined £10,000. The judge said, like Stewart, he
had acted on Hill's instructions. As well as Brady, victims included fellow
joint-chairman David Sullivan and Ian Tomkins of West Ham, along with a
number of Olympic officials and the Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales. David
Gold, another joint-chairman of the Hammers, was named as someone who became
the focus of attention.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce backs David Moyes to be a hit at Manchester United
Last Updated: 20/12/13 2:25pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has backed David Moyes to be a success at
Manchester United and feels his efforts so far have been undervalued. United
sit eighth in the Premier League table after losing their last two home
league games and face a must-win clash with the Hammers at Old Trafford on
Saturday.
Moyes replaced Sir Alex Ferguson as United boss last summer and Allardyce
acknowledged the size of the job he has. "For him, at the moment I don't
think it's quite as bad as everyone makes out," said Allardyce. "(United are
in the) semi-finals of the Capital One Cup, qualified (as) winners of their
European group and unfortunately for him, (they are in) a league position
that he wouldn't have wanted. "But obviously he'll face the task as he knew
it was going to be a difficult takeover period from Sir Alex. "Old Trafford
particularly is where he wants it to be the fortress that Sir Alex always
seemed to make it and on occasion that hasn't seemed to happen for him.
"David will be planning as always to get the right team out to beat us and
go on from there. "Like everybody says, the transition cannot happen
overnight and it's like every manager, there's a transitional period that
you've got to try and get through before you make your own mark on it."
West Ham joined United in the final four of the Capital One Cup after coming
from behind to beat rivals Tottenham on Wednesday night, and Allardyce hopes
it kick-start their stuttering league campaign. He said: "When you win such
a game at your local rivals, who are such a big club these days, then it
does lift everybody but you must use and take that into the next game and
make sure you deliver the same performance again. "We've not won as many
games as we should have done in the Premier League and that's left everybody
a little down. "Manchester United we all know, if they're on song, on top of
their form on that particular day it could be very difficult for us. "We
have to go and deliver that type of performance and resilience again and be
as clinical in front of goal as we were on Wednesday night, even though the
opposition territorially and possession-wise were far better than we were."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
KEVIN NOLAN'S BAN IN DECEMBER MAKES IT FIFTH SEASON IN A ROW!
By Sean Whetstone 20 Dec 2013 at 08:33
West Ham Till I Die
West Ham captain Kevin Nolan's three match ban over Christmas is the fifth
season in a row he has picked up a suspension in December. Nolan's straight
red card for a deliberate stamp at Liverpool's Jordan Henderson at Anfield
will rule him out of the trip up north to Manchester United. Last season he
picked up a fifth booking of the season against Reading on Boxing Day that
saw him suspended for our next game against Norwich on New Year's Day. In
2011 he was banned for West Ham's match against Derby on December 29th after
collecting five bookings after a tackle on Zigic of Birmingham which was
almost a carbon copy of the Jordan Hendicerson which got him sent off!. A
fifth caution of the season against Manchester City on Boxing Day 2010 while
playing for Newcastle meant he missed the trip to Spurs two days later.
In 2009, while a Newcastle player a red card against Watford on December 5th
led to a one-game ban. At the Season Ticket Holders Fans Forum earlier this
moth he apologised for his silly challenge but strongly denied he wanted to
have time off. The video can be seen below. Kevin said "It was a silly
tackle and stupid of me. I'm rarely disappointed in myself but I am sorry
for that. I apologised to all the lads as well" "I'll be working hard on the
training ground," the 31-year-old said. "I'm certainly not getting away with
it. I'll be in on Wednesday while all the other lads are off"
David Gold later that evening suggested Kevin Nolan's ban would give Ravel
Morrison a chance to shine and gave a strange analogy of how catching his
best friend with his wife led to strange twist of good fortune in his life.
I met Kevin Nolan on Wednesday at the Fans Forum and submitted a question on
why the gaffer always chooses him to start if he is fit. The question didn't
make the cut for questions to be asked.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham signed Ravel Morrison based on a single sentence spoken by
Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson
Dec 20, 2013 22:30 By Neil Rowlands 0 Comments
The Mirror
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has revealed how one sentence from Sir Alex
Ferguson was enough to make him take the gamble on Ravel Morrison. Many
thought it was a big risk when Allardyce brought in the troubled teen in
January 2012 with his side battling for promotion back to the Premier
League. At 18, Morrison had already been convicted of witness intimidation
and criminal damage and had never appeared for United in the league. But Big
Sam explained: "Fergie told me about his talent and that was it – that's
enough for me. "He said, 'If you can sort this lad out, Sam, you'll have one
of the best players you've ever had'. I don't need anything more than that
do I?"
Morrison returns to Old Trafford this weekend for the first time since he
was bombed out by the Premier League champions. Since then he has impressed
on loan at Birmingham, has scored five in 17 for the Hammers this term and
could even be in line for a shock call-up to Roy Hodgson's World Cup squad.
Allardyce added: "Sir Alex let Ravel go for his own benefit. He said that if
Ravel's going to be a player he has to leave Manchester and go somewhere
else in this country because he felt being in Manchester wasn't helping him
develop. "[He said] if he comes down to you hopefully he'll find a new life
and a new way of living and then his performances and his ability will then
start to come through. "In actual fact, he struggled to look like he was
capable of playing football in the first team with us. That's why we sent
him on loan to Birmingham and I thought since that year he's grown up.
"Somewhere along the line lads wake up and they start coming in and
thinking, 'I can have all the help I need but if I don't change myself then
I'm not going to be successful'. I think he's changed himself and
delivered."
With his eye-catching displays for the Hammers, including a dazzling solo
goal in the 3-0 win at Tottenham in October, talk of a new contract has
emerged.
Morrison has about 18 months left on his current agreement and it has been
suggested the east London club are lining up a bumper new deal for the
England Under-21 midfielder. But Allardyce has told him that if he keeps
concentrating on football then "mega-bucks" will come his way. The Hammers
manager, who will be without suspended skipper Kevin Nolan at Old Trafford
on Saturday, said: "A lot of the time, too often, it revolves around money
and not football. But it should revolve around having a good career and then
money follows. "If it ends up in the Premier League then it's mega-bucks. If
you don't get there and you take the money then the career can stagnate on
that basis."
Morrison is fresh after sitting out West Ham's Capital One Cup quarter-final
win over Tottenham on Wednesday – and is expected to start against David
Moyes' side, who are hoping to avoid a third straight home defeat in the
Premier League.
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Friday, December 20
Daily WHUFC News - 20th December 2013
'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 notch his second goal of 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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Dates set for semi-final ties
WHUFC.com
Fixture details have been confirmed for the Capital One Cup semi-final
19.12.2013
West Ham United will travel to Manchester City for the first leg of their
Capital One Cup semi-final on Wednesday 8 January with a 7.45pm kick-off.
The teams will then return to the Boleyn Ground for the second leg of the
tie on Tuesday 21 January, with kick-off again at 7.45pm. The Hammers booked
their place in the competition's last four with a stunning 2-1 victory at
London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, with Matt Jarvis and Modibo
Maiga on target. City, meanwhile, proved too hot for Leicester City in their
quarter-final, as they defeated the Championship side 3-1 at the King Power
Stadium the day before.
Ticketing details are yet to be confirmed and will be announced on whufc.com
in due course.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Maiga celebrates 'special moment'
WHUFC.com
Match-winner Modibo Maiga was in high spirits after heading the Hammers into
the last four
19.12.2013
Modibo Maiga certainly knows how to pick his moments. His last West Ham
United goal was a late clincher in a 3-1 Barclays Premier League win over
Chelsea. This time, the Mali frontman leapt off the bench against Tottenham
Hotspur to transform the Hammers' evening. A dominant force in the air, one
of Maiga's many flick-ons laid the groundwork for Matt Jarvis' leveller,
before he powered home Mohamed Diame's cross to bag an 85th-minute winner.
And this, his first goal of the season, right in front of 4,200 jubilant
Hammers fans at White Hart Lane, to send West Ham United into the last four
of the Capital One Cup. As good timing goes, this was just about immaculate.
Though it has, by his own admission, been a frustrating wait for a first
goal of the campaign, the 26-year-old has complete faith in his own ability
and saw Wednesday night as just reward for his perseverance. He exclusively
told West Ham TV: "Definitely, it was a special moment. I'm absolutely
delighted, it's a huge reward for me and I hope it's going to continue that
way. "I've had quite a few chances in the last three or four games and
particularly with my head. It has really annoyed me, because in France I was
known for my ability in the air. "It's not happened for me until now, but
I've got my rewards in the Spurs game and I'm really happy, for the team
too! They all worked really hard in the first half, particularly
defensively, so as a unit we've got what we deserved and I'm chuffed."
With his account for the season now opened, Maiga is planning to make the
most of the momentum, hopeful that the goals will now flow. That very surge
of confidence was in evidence almost instantly, as the No11 rattled the
crossbar with a long-range drive in stoppage time. He continued: "Already
it feels great, because for me, what was going on wasn't normal! But that's
football and that's how it goes. You have to think, you have to work and,
sometimes, to wait. It [the goal] was always going to come and it happened
on Wednesday night. Here's hoping it carries on."
As with the Hammers' 3-0 league win at Spurs back in October, the visitors'
goals were scored in front of West Ham's traveling faithful, an experience
that Maiga absolutely loved. "As I always say, the supporters are
incredible, just incredible," he confirmed. "I love it, I really do and I
respect them a lot. They're fantastic, that's for sure. "The atmosphere was
mad! It's impressive, really impressive. Even though it was a cup match and
all that they bring, the support was still brilliant."
Admittedly, the Hammers have not had a whole lot to celebrate in recent
weeks, but Maiga reckons the tide is turning and they were good value for
victory on Wednesday. "Absolutely, we deserved it," he said. "We've had a
tough time in the last few games, where we've managed to create chances but
not got our rewards, like me, for example. "But now we're really happy.
Honestly, we really deserved it and I hope we're going to continue in this
vein and with results like this."
While Manchester City await in the semi-final, Maiga would rather
concentrate on league matters for now, starting with Saturday's trip to Old
Trafford. As tough a fixture as it is, the centre-forward is adamant that
West Ham will be positive in their approach. "Well, the draw's good and
we'll see how it goes. But that's done and now we go again for the next
league game, which is very, very important for us as well, for West Ham, for
everyone. So for now, we're thinking about that. "It's Manchester United, we
know what to expect. We're going to push to beat them. That's all I can say,
we're going there to win and come the end we'll see."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce wants league boost from Cup win
BBC.co.uk
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce hopes his players can "kick on" from their
Capital One Cup quarter-final victory against Tottenham as the Hammers look
to improve their Premier League form. The Irons, who are 17th in the
league, beat managerless Spurs 2-1 at White Hart Lane on Wednesday to reach
the last four of the League Cup. It was their first win in four games and
Allardyce said: "It's a relief. "For me, the challenge is to get the players
to kick on from this."
West Ham - last eight league games
Swansea City - drew 0-0
Aston Villa - drew 0-0
Norwich City - lost 3-1
Chelsea - lost 3-0
Fulham - won 3-0
Crystal Palace - lost 1-0
Liverpool - lost 4-1
Sunderland - drew 0-0
Spurs, with caretaker manager Tim Sherwood in charge following Andre
Villas-Boas's sacking on Monday, took the lead in the second half when
Emmanuel Adebayor volleyed home superbly for his first goal since May. But
the Hammers levelled late on through Matt Jarvis before substitute Modibo
Maiga headed in the winner five minutes from time. They will play Manchester
City in the semi-final, with the first leg taking place in the week
commencing 6 January. "We saw the shaken nerve-ends of Tottenham when we
scored," said Allardyce. "We then went for the jugular. Our substitutes, who
came on with fresh legs, exploited the spaces." It was West Ham's second win
at Spurs in three months, following October's 3-0 victory in the league.
Allardyce's men have only won two other Premier League games so far this
season, though, and are just one point above the relegation zone. "When we
beat [Tottenham] last time, I thought we'd go on a run of results and pick
up more points than we have done," he told West Ham's official website. "I
don't know where we'll go from here but it's just a fantastic result and the
lads are absolutely delighted."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam gives Sullivan reasons to believe
KUMb.com
Filed: Thursday, 19th December 2013
By: Paul Walker
David Sullivan got the sort of result and performance he no doubt feels
justify his claims that if West Ham were looking for a new manager, Sam
Allardyce would be the sort of person they would want in a mounting
relegation crisis.
Our co-chairman was given all the ammunition he needs to ride out the storm
over Allardyce's tenure as manager with that remarkable 2-1 League Cup win
at Spurs.
I feel now you can write off any thoughts of the axe falling on Big Sam
after such a morale-boosting triumph at White Hart Lane, certainly
unexpected by anyone who witnessed Saturday's turgid, feeble display against
Sunderland. Only shame really is that it wasn't another league game because
points are more important than cup wins to us at the moment.
Now we all have to pray that we can get something at Manchester United on
Saturday and then against Arsenal on Boxing Day before the more winnable
games at home to West Brom and then away to Fulham on New Years day arrive.
The euphoria of another victory at Spurs - getting too easy, isn't it? -
will be swept away, I fear, when reality bites again in our next two
matches.
But let's be happy for small mercies. Actually, if you read the coverage
after the win at Spurs, you would be forgiven for thinking we were not
really there. It was all about Spurs' downfall, Tim Sherwood's chances of
being manager (not a hope with Daniel Levy wanting another fantasy manager)
and the shambles that is now White Hart Lane.
Do we really care about all that? So it is worth underlining what a very
good win it was for our lot in the circumstances. Sam says he had 16 fit
players, with James Tomkins clearly failing a fitness test as he was not
even on the bench.
Then there was the little problem of having three full-backs in our back
four, and George McCartney as a central defender alongside James Collins.
Both were outstanding on the night.
Then we had the rare opportunity of seeing Alou Diarra in a starting line-up
(only his sixth) since he joined at the beginning of last season. And the
big Frenchman did very well in a holding role.
Our Spanish goalkeeper Adrian was excellent and Jack Collison produced
another high-energy display. All this has generally gone unnoticed in what
has became a Spurs wake in the national media. And of course we had the even
more unlikely situation of Modibo Maiga scoring, Matt Jarvis too, only his
fourth for the club.
All in all, Sam threw together one of the weakest sides we have fielded this
season and they showed spirit and effort for the cause. That is what
Sullivan was talking about when he praised the sort of professionalism that
Sam provides in a crisis.
Now Sam is cute (no not like that, even his old lady must feel the grizzled
old groaner has gone past the cute stage by now) and he may feel he can
utilise a few of the cup heroes at Old Trafford on Saturday. We are not
expected to get anything, so why not give Adrian a run out, as well as
Diarra?
If Adrian can produce a miracle performance, there could be a point in it
for us. And you never know how long it will be before Diarra gets injured
again, so why not play him now?
After the win at Spurs, both probably feel they deserve another crack.
Getting the best out of a job lot of our fringe players was the requirement,
and the result unexpected. The sack race stuff seems to wash over Sam, and
the fact that emerged on Thursday that he is one of the highest paid
managers in the world just underlines why.
Let's face it. He is a very, very rich man with business interests in Dubai
and elsewhere, and he doesn't need to work. If we sack him, he will care
because it will hurt his pride, but financially it's not an issue.
Not say for someone like David Flitcroft who was axed by Barnsley and jumped
straight into a new job at Rochdale. He, like many others in the lower
divisions, does need the money.
If Sam leaves West Ham, someone, somewhere, will give him a job. He's a
fire-fighter and a tough as old boots realist. None of that, however, will
appease the many West Ham fans who were brought up on the fine traditions of
our past.
But that's the way it is. Sullivan got the performance he needed to justify
his backing for the manager. Now we will see Sam working through the
transfer window trying to bring in new faces and no doubt sell a few too.
He now has three cup ties in January, only one - at Nottingham Forest -
where anyone gives us a dogs' chance. Manchester City home and away could be
very painful, and it is not as if they have the Champions League to distract
them again until February.
City are averaging over four goals per home game. as Manchester United,
Spurs and Arsenal have discovered, as well as Norwich. But on their travels
they are not as predictable, even over-cocky to be honest.
If we can just survive the away leg without being massacred, maybe, just
maybe, we can do to them what Cardiff and Sunderland have managed against
them on their own patches. You never know. And by then Andy Carroll will be
back and maybe another new striker could be in the squad. You can always
hope.
But just for now, let's bask in another humiliation for Spurs. It's worth it
just to see Levy's face (but don't expect him to sell us anyone in the
window!)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce praises his West Ham players ahead of Manchester United trip
By Dev Trehan | Last Updated: 19/12/13 6:42pm
SSN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce insists he cannot fault the attitude of his
players ahead of their visit to Manchester United in the Premier League on
Saturday. Both teams progressed to the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup on
Wednesday night, with West Ham coming from behind late on to score two goals
in five minutes to beat Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Allardyce's men lie
17th in the Barclays Premier League - one place above the relegation zone -
and know they face a difficult task against David Moyes' side at Old
Trafford this weekend. The West Ham manager admitted that while he is not
satisfied with the club's current league placing, he is delighted with the
attitude, application and determination his players are showing. "I'm not
happy with the way things are progressing because we are in the position we
are," Allardyce told skysports.com. "I expected us to be in a better
position than we are but what I am happy with is the amount of work the
players have put in, the amount of commitment they shown as a team to try
and win. "The end result is we have not won the games that we should have
done. We certainly are creating the chances and we're certainly doing our
very, very best to try and improve the situation." Allardyce added: "What
goes against us at this moment in time is too many key players injured and
suspended. Once we overcome that I am confident we will improve our position
in the league and improve our results."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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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 notch his second goal of 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."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Dates set for semi-final ties
WHUFC.com
Fixture details have been confirmed for the Capital One Cup semi-final
19.12.2013
West Ham United will travel to Manchester City for the first leg of their
Capital One Cup semi-final on Wednesday 8 January with a 7.45pm kick-off.
The teams will then return to the Boleyn Ground for the second leg of the
tie on Tuesday 21 January, with kick-off again at 7.45pm. The Hammers booked
their place in the competition's last four with a stunning 2-1 victory at
London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, with Matt Jarvis and Modibo
Maiga on target. City, meanwhile, proved too hot for Leicester City in their
quarter-final, as they defeated the Championship side 3-1 at the King Power
Stadium the day before.
Ticketing details are yet to be confirmed and will be announced on whufc.com
in due course.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Maiga celebrates 'special moment'
WHUFC.com
Match-winner Modibo Maiga was in high spirits after heading the Hammers into
the last four
19.12.2013
Modibo Maiga certainly knows how to pick his moments. His last West Ham
United goal was a late clincher in a 3-1 Barclays Premier League win over
Chelsea. This time, the Mali frontman leapt off the bench against Tottenham
Hotspur to transform the Hammers' evening. A dominant force in the air, one
of Maiga's many flick-ons laid the groundwork for Matt Jarvis' leveller,
before he powered home Mohamed Diame's cross to bag an 85th-minute winner.
And this, his first goal of the season, right in front of 4,200 jubilant
Hammers fans at White Hart Lane, to send West Ham United into the last four
of the Capital One Cup. As good timing goes, this was just about immaculate.
Though it has, by his own admission, been a frustrating wait for a first
goal of the campaign, the 26-year-old has complete faith in his own ability
and saw Wednesday night as just reward for his perseverance. He exclusively
told West Ham TV: "Definitely, it was a special moment. I'm absolutely
delighted, it's a huge reward for me and I hope it's going to continue that
way. "I've had quite a few chances in the last three or four games and
particularly with my head. It has really annoyed me, because in France I was
known for my ability in the air. "It's not happened for me until now, but
I've got my rewards in the Spurs game and I'm really happy, for the team
too! They all worked really hard in the first half, particularly
defensively, so as a unit we've got what we deserved and I'm chuffed."
With his account for the season now opened, Maiga is planning to make the
most of the momentum, hopeful that the goals will now flow. That very surge
of confidence was in evidence almost instantly, as the No11 rattled the
crossbar with a long-range drive in stoppage time. He continued: "Already
it feels great, because for me, what was going on wasn't normal! But that's
football and that's how it goes. You have to think, you have to work and,
sometimes, to wait. It [the goal] was always going to come and it happened
on Wednesday night. Here's hoping it carries on."
As with the Hammers' 3-0 league win at Spurs back in October, the visitors'
goals were scored in front of West Ham's traveling faithful, an experience
that Maiga absolutely loved. "As I always say, the supporters are
incredible, just incredible," he confirmed. "I love it, I really do and I
respect them a lot. They're fantastic, that's for sure. "The atmosphere was
mad! It's impressive, really impressive. Even though it was a cup match and
all that they bring, the support was still brilliant."
Admittedly, the Hammers have not had a whole lot to celebrate in recent
weeks, but Maiga reckons the tide is turning and they were good value for
victory on Wednesday. "Absolutely, we deserved it," he said. "We've had a
tough time in the last few games, where we've managed to create chances but
not got our rewards, like me, for example. "But now we're really happy.
Honestly, we really deserved it and I hope we're going to continue in this
vein and with results like this."
While Manchester City await in the semi-final, Maiga would rather
concentrate on league matters for now, starting with Saturday's trip to Old
Trafford. As tough a fixture as it is, the centre-forward is adamant that
West Ham will be positive in their approach. "Well, the draw's good and
we'll see how it goes. But that's done and now we go again for the next
league game, which is very, very important for us as well, for West Ham, for
everyone. So for now, we're thinking about that. "It's Manchester United, we
know what to expect. We're going to push to beat them. That's all I can say,
we're going there to win and come the end we'll see."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce wants league boost from Cup win
BBC.co.uk
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce hopes his players can "kick on" from their
Capital One Cup quarter-final victory against Tottenham as the Hammers look
to improve their Premier League form. The Irons, who are 17th in the
league, beat managerless Spurs 2-1 at White Hart Lane on Wednesday to reach
the last four of the League Cup. It was their first win in four games and
Allardyce said: "It's a relief. "For me, the challenge is to get the players
to kick on from this."
West Ham - last eight league games
Swansea City - drew 0-0
Aston Villa - drew 0-0
Norwich City - lost 3-1
Chelsea - lost 3-0
Fulham - won 3-0
Crystal Palace - lost 1-0
Liverpool - lost 4-1
Sunderland - drew 0-0
Spurs, with caretaker manager Tim Sherwood in charge following Andre
Villas-Boas's sacking on Monday, took the lead in the second half when
Emmanuel Adebayor volleyed home superbly for his first goal since May. But
the Hammers levelled late on through Matt Jarvis before substitute Modibo
Maiga headed in the winner five minutes from time. They will play Manchester
City in the semi-final, with the first leg taking place in the week
commencing 6 January. "We saw the shaken nerve-ends of Tottenham when we
scored," said Allardyce. "We then went for the jugular. Our substitutes, who
came on with fresh legs, exploited the spaces." It was West Ham's second win
at Spurs in three months, following October's 3-0 victory in the league.
Allardyce's men have only won two other Premier League games so far this
season, though, and are just one point above the relegation zone. "When we
beat [Tottenham] last time, I thought we'd go on a run of results and pick
up more points than we have done," he told West Ham's official website. "I
don't know where we'll go from here but it's just a fantastic result and the
lads are absolutely delighted."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam gives Sullivan reasons to believe
KUMb.com
Filed: Thursday, 19th December 2013
By: Paul Walker
David Sullivan got the sort of result and performance he no doubt feels
justify his claims that if West Ham were looking for a new manager, Sam
Allardyce would be the sort of person they would want in a mounting
relegation crisis.
Our co-chairman was given all the ammunition he needs to ride out the storm
over Allardyce's tenure as manager with that remarkable 2-1 League Cup win
at Spurs.
I feel now you can write off any thoughts of the axe falling on Big Sam
after such a morale-boosting triumph at White Hart Lane, certainly
unexpected by anyone who witnessed Saturday's turgid, feeble display against
Sunderland. Only shame really is that it wasn't another league game because
points are more important than cup wins to us at the moment.
Now we all have to pray that we can get something at Manchester United on
Saturday and then against Arsenal on Boxing Day before the more winnable
games at home to West Brom and then away to Fulham on New Years day arrive.
The euphoria of another victory at Spurs - getting too easy, isn't it? -
will be swept away, I fear, when reality bites again in our next two
matches.
But let's be happy for small mercies. Actually, if you read the coverage
after the win at Spurs, you would be forgiven for thinking we were not
really there. It was all about Spurs' downfall, Tim Sherwood's chances of
being manager (not a hope with Daniel Levy wanting another fantasy manager)
and the shambles that is now White Hart Lane.
Do we really care about all that? So it is worth underlining what a very
good win it was for our lot in the circumstances. Sam says he had 16 fit
players, with James Tomkins clearly failing a fitness test as he was not
even on the bench.
Then there was the little problem of having three full-backs in our back
four, and George McCartney as a central defender alongside James Collins.
Both were outstanding on the night.
Then we had the rare opportunity of seeing Alou Diarra in a starting line-up
(only his sixth) since he joined at the beginning of last season. And the
big Frenchman did very well in a holding role.
Our Spanish goalkeeper Adrian was excellent and Jack Collison produced
another high-energy display. All this has generally gone unnoticed in what
has became a Spurs wake in the national media. And of course we had the even
more unlikely situation of Modibo Maiga scoring, Matt Jarvis too, only his
fourth for the club.
All in all, Sam threw together one of the weakest sides we have fielded this
season and they showed spirit and effort for the cause. That is what
Sullivan was talking about when he praised the sort of professionalism that
Sam provides in a crisis.
Now Sam is cute (no not like that, even his old lady must feel the grizzled
old groaner has gone past the cute stage by now) and he may feel he can
utilise a few of the cup heroes at Old Trafford on Saturday. We are not
expected to get anything, so why not give Adrian a run out, as well as
Diarra?
If Adrian can produce a miracle performance, there could be a point in it
for us. And you never know how long it will be before Diarra gets injured
again, so why not play him now?
After the win at Spurs, both probably feel they deserve another crack.
Getting the best out of a job lot of our fringe players was the requirement,
and the result unexpected. The sack race stuff seems to wash over Sam, and
the fact that emerged on Thursday that he is one of the highest paid
managers in the world just underlines why.
Let's face it. He is a very, very rich man with business interests in Dubai
and elsewhere, and he doesn't need to work. If we sack him, he will care
because it will hurt his pride, but financially it's not an issue.
Not say for someone like David Flitcroft who was axed by Barnsley and jumped
straight into a new job at Rochdale. He, like many others in the lower
divisions, does need the money.
If Sam leaves West Ham, someone, somewhere, will give him a job. He's a
fire-fighter and a tough as old boots realist. None of that, however, will
appease the many West Ham fans who were brought up on the fine traditions of
our past.
But that's the way it is. Sullivan got the performance he needed to justify
his backing for the manager. Now we will see Sam working through the
transfer window trying to bring in new faces and no doubt sell a few too.
He now has three cup ties in January, only one - at Nottingham Forest -
where anyone gives us a dogs' chance. Manchester City home and away could be
very painful, and it is not as if they have the Champions League to distract
them again until February.
City are averaging over four goals per home game. as Manchester United,
Spurs and Arsenal have discovered, as well as Norwich. But on their travels
they are not as predictable, even over-cocky to be honest.
If we can just survive the away leg without being massacred, maybe, just
maybe, we can do to them what Cardiff and Sunderland have managed against
them on their own patches. You never know. And by then Andy Carroll will be
back and maybe another new striker could be in the squad. You can always
hope.
But just for now, let's bask in another humiliation for Spurs. It's worth it
just to see Levy's face (but don't expect him to sell us anyone in the
window!)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce praises his West Ham players ahead of Manchester United trip
By Dev Trehan | Last Updated: 19/12/13 6:42pm
SSN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce insists he cannot fault the attitude of his
players ahead of their visit to Manchester United in the Premier League on
Saturday. Both teams progressed to the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup on
Wednesday night, with West Ham coming from behind late on to score two goals
in five minutes to beat Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Allardyce's men lie
17th in the Barclays Premier League - one place above the relegation zone -
and know they face a difficult task against David Moyes' side at Old
Trafford this weekend. The West Ham manager admitted that while he is not
satisfied with the club's current league placing, he is delighted with the
attitude, application and determination his players are showing. "I'm not
happy with the way things are progressing because we are in the position we
are," Allardyce told skysports.com. "I expected us to be in a better
position than we are but what I am happy with is the amount of work the
players have put in, the amount of commitment they shown as a team to try
and win. "The end result is we have not won the games that we should have
done. We certainly are creating the chances and we're certainly doing our
very, very best to try and improve the situation." Allardyce added: "What
goes against us at this moment in time is too many key players injured and
suspended. Once we overcome that I am confident we will improve our position
in the league and improve our results."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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