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Osasuna anger as Loe deal collapses
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 26th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Spanish club Osasuna were left fuming after West Ham pulled out of a deal to sign defensive midfielder Raoul Loe. According to the Primera Liga club, a deal worth €2.2million was agreed last week with the Hammers set to pay half of the fee immediately and the remainder in the summer. As a result, the player flew to London on Friday for a medical - which, according to Los Rojillos, never happened. "We do not understand the lack of formality when it was they who asked us to send Raoul to London to undergo a medical and sign the contract," a Club spokesman told Navarra Sport. "They have apologised, but that does not justify their actions."
It is thought that Loe was considered a back-up option for Milan's Antionio Nocerino, who completed his short-term loan move to the Boleyn Ground on Saturday along with fellow Italian Marco Borriello.
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ROSS MCCORMACK OR DANI OSVALDO?
By S J Chandos 27 Jan 2014 at 00:15
West Ham Till I Die
The latest reports are claiming that West Ham will submit a revised £5m offer to Leeds Utd for Ross McCormack. Last week, a bid of £3.5m was submitted for the player, which was duly rejected by the Leeds Utd board. However, the speculation is that Leeds Utd would seriously consider selling the Championship's leading goal scorer, but are holding out for a higher fee. It appears that West Ham may be about to test that theory with a revised offer. Although the player only signed a new contract last summer, it is thought that McCormack is keen for another crack at the Premier League. McCormack has scored 17 Championship goals so far this season in a average Leeds Utd team. He may be well worth a £5m punt, in the absence of other options. I would argue that Jordan Rhodes is a better long-term prospect, but the estimated £10m fee to secure his services is likely to be too rich for West Ham's blood in this January window.
It was good to see the club finally making some significant progress in the transfer market. The double loan deal for Roma's Marco Borriello and AC Milan's Antonio Nocerino was a welcome development. Both players have a good pedigree, having played for some of the biggest names in Italian football. However, it is also something of a gamble, in the sense that both midfielder Nocerino and striker Borriello have had been in indifferent form for their respective Serie A clubs this season. Nocerino had lost his regular starting place to Nigel De Jong and would have been pushed further down the AC Milan midfield pecking order with the impending signing of Michael Essien from Chelsea. While Borriello has been less than prolific in front of goal, scoring 1 goal in 11 appearances for Roma.
However, if the players had been in top form this season, would we have got them in this transfer window? Most probably not. We have to hope that both Borriello and Nocerino respond positively to a new club environment and quickly recapture the form that previously saw Borriello score regularly at Genoa and Nocerino rise to prominence at Palermo. Borriello has been characterised in Italy as 'inconsistent,' although it is probably true to say that he is a confidence player who responds positively to the adulation of the crowd. He will need careful handling by the coaching staff, but if they get it right then Borriello will score goals. While Nocerino is a powerful box-to-box type of player and if he can regain his form he will be a a very good addition. Significantly, this is, of course, a World Cup year and both players nurture ambitions to make the Italian squad. What greater incentive do they need to make an impact at West Ham?
Elsewhere, it appears that West Ham have pulled out of the deal to sign Osasuna's defensive midfielder, Raoul Loe. It was reported that the player had attended for a medical and the clubs had agreed a £1.5m deal. However, it transpires that West Ham have pulled out of the deal, much to the annoyance of Osasuna. It seems that Loe was a back up deal in case they could not agree terms with AC Milan and Nocerino. And when the latter deal went through, Loe was surplus to requirements it appears. While, the rumours still circulate regarding our alleged interest in, ex-Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder, Raul Meireles and, Man City central defender, Joleon Lescott. Of the two, the need for Lescott is probably the greater. However, to make the deal happen, the West Ham board will need to commit to paying his £90,000 a week wages for the remainder of this season and offer a £70,000 a week, three year deal, if he helps us to escape relegation. Will they 'bite the bullet' and agree to that? Its expensive, but relegation will cost a lot more and Lescott is a player that can make a real contribution to our PL survival.
Finally, there is a story in the Monday morning papers that West Ham Utd are going to make a surprise bid to sign Southampton's out of favour striker, Dani Osvaldo, on loan to the end of the season. It seems pretty unlikely, on the face of it, but stranger things have happened! It's more likely that Southampton will seek to to retrieve the majority of Osvaldo's £15m fee by offloading him to Juventus or AC Milan. That would probably be the player's preference. And in all honesty, do we need such a potentially problematic signing, who has only managed 3 goals this season?
SJ Chandos.
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West Ham to return with improved £5m offer for McCormack after initital rejected bid
By SIMON JONES
PUBLISHED: 21:53, 26 January 2014 | UPDATED: 22:15, 26 January 2014
Daily Mail
West Ham are poised to make an improved £5million offer for Leeds United striker Ross McCormack on Monday. Leeds have rejected an initial proposal of £3million plus and extra £1m on appearances and the Upton Park club will return with £4m plus £1m. Leeds are willing to accept that as talks continue over a takeover from Cagliari businessman Cellino. Scotland international McCormack is the Championship's leading scorer this season with 17 goals, one more than Jordan Rhodes of Blackburn. The 27-year-old was also made Leeds captain just last week. Leeds chairman Salah Nouruddin said on Twitter last week: 'I'd like to reassure all £lufc fans that we're working hard for the club and can confirm we've rejected an offer from West Ham for Ross.' West Ham are third from bottom in the Premier League with 18 points, the same amount as the two teams below them Sunderland and Cardiff, and one behind Fulham and safety.
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West Ham target Dani Osvaldo transfer after Southampton striker's ruck with team-mate
Jan 26, 2014 22:30 By Alex Crook 0 Comments
The Mirror
West Ham are lining up a shock move for bad-boy Southampton forward Dani Osvaldo. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce wants to take Osvaldo on loan, after missing out on No.1 striker target Lacina Traore and despite signing Roma hitman Marco Borriello on loan on Saturday. Saints are desperate to offload Osvaldo after the fiery Italian head-butted teammate Jose Fonte at training last week. Allardyce was hoping to lure Rickie Lambert from St Mary's to the Londoners, but Osvaldo's antics scuppered any potential deal for the England international. Osvaldo, 28, would prefer a return to Serie A and is waiting to see if Inter Milan or Juventus firm up their interest in him. Former Roma star Osvaldo has scored three goals in 13 games since joining Maurico Pochettino's men in a club-record £15million deal in August. He was banned from the club for two weeks following the attack on Fonte.
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S"INCE" OF THE FATHER - TOM INCE TO WEST HAM?
By Iain Dale 26 Jan 2014 at 19:08
West Ham Till I Die
Just seen this on a site called Eyefootball.com
Sam Allardyce is prepared to face the wrath of some West Ham fans by signing the son of Paul Ince, Tom, in a deal that will be completed prior to the end of the transfer window.Allardyce is looking to add some attacking impetus to his struggling squad and is confident that Tom Ince is the right man for the job.
Sam Allardyce is prepared to face the wrath of some West Ham fans by signing the son of Paul Ince, Tom, in a deal that will be completed prior to the end of the transfer window.Allardyce is looking to add some attacking impetus to his struggling squad and is confident that Tom Ince is the right man for the job.Ince, whose contract expires in six months time, will be looking to make a transfer this month away from Blackpool and secure his current team some funds.Ince's father, Paul, used to play for the Hammers in the 80's but left in contentious circumstances and is still considered a hate figure for many Hammers fans.
Can't see it myself. He's a winger. We have quite a few of those already. But if it's true, would he be welcomed to Upton Park with open arms? There's no doubt he's a quality player, and personally I don't believe in visiting the sins of the father on the son. Not sure I am typical though…
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West Ham star Guy Demel was badly damaged after his collision with Roger Johnson
WEST HAM defender Guy Demel has revealed the full extent of the sickening head injury which left him fearing the worst.
Daily Star
By Paul Brown/Published 26th January 2014
Demel is on the mend after a clash of heads with team-mate Roger Johnson in the club's win over Cardiff City earlier this month. The Ivory Coast full- back spent the night in a Cardiff hospital after being knocked out cold and suffered severe memory loss for days afterwards. Demel said: "The doctor told me it was a serious one because I was unconscious for a lot of minutes. They had to put a tube down my mouth because my blood was going backwards down my throat. When I woke up I couldn't speak for an hour and a half. "I couldn't remember the game so he told me we had won. I cannot remember anything for 48 hours before the incident. I don't remember travelling to Cardiff or the match. "I would like to thank the medical team because their reaction was quick and they made the right decisions. "I would also like to thank God because you never know what can happen in your life. "Nothing like this had ever happened to me before. "But now I am feeling better."
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Monday, January 27
Sunday, January 26
Daily WHUFC News - 26th January 2014
Borriello signs
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are delighted to announce the loan signing of Marco Borriello from AS Roma
25.01.2014
West Ham United are delighted to announce their second signing of the day - Italy international Marco Borriello has joined on loan until the end of the 2013/14 season. Capped seven times, Borriello joins the Hammers from Serie A club AS Roma and will add strength, presence and goals to Sam Allardyce's squad.
The 31-year-old has spent the past decade in the Italian top-flight, appearing in the UEFA Champions League scoring nearly 100 career goals - many of them spectacular - for Roma, AC Milan, Juventus and Genoa, among others. Born in Naples in June 1982, Borriello joined AC Milan as a schoolboy before making his senior debut during a loan spell at Serie C2 side Triestina in 2001. Ten goals in 27 Serie C1 appearances for loan club Treviso led to Borriello making his Serie A debut for AC Milan against Perugia on 21 September 2002. After further loan spells with Serie A clubs Empoli, Reggina, Sampdoria and Treviso, Borriello enjoyed a breakthrough season with Genoa - who had acquired co-ownership of the striker - in 2007/08. That season, the forward scored his first career hat-trick against Udinese in September 2007. A treble in the reverse fixture in February 2008 helped Borriello to 19 goals in 35 Serie A appearances. The Neapolitan spent the next two seasons with AC Milan, with 2009/10 being particularly successful - Borriello netted 14 goals in 26 league games and his maiden UEFA Champions League strike against French side Marseille. Borriello moved to Roma in summer 2010, despite reported interest from Barclays Premier League side Manchester City, and continued to find the net regularly, netting 17 in all competitions. A change of manager saw the forward fall out of favour at the Stadio Olimpico and Borriello moved to Juventus on loan in January 2012, helping the Old Lady to win the Serie A title and reach the Italian Cup final.
After spending the 2012/13 season with Genoa, he returned to Roma for a second spell last summer, making eleven Serie A appearances this season. At international level, Borriello made his Italy debut as a substitute for Luca Toni in a 3-1 friendly win over Belgium in Florence in May 2008. He has since featured in five further friendlies and a Euro 2012 qualifier with Northern Ireland in October 2010.
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Hammers net Nocerino
WHUFC.com
Antonio Nocerino has joined West Ham United on loan from AC Milan until the end of the season
25.01.2014
West Ham United are delighted to announce the arrival of AC Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino on loan until the end of the season. The 28-year-old has been capped by his country on 15 occasions, going to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Euro 2012, where he scored one of the penalties that knocked out England at the quarter-final stage. Born in Naples, Nocerino's career began at Juventus, where he played 32 league games, as well as gaining experience with loan spells at the likes of Genoa, Messina and Piacenza. He moved on to Palermo in 2008 and went on to establish himself at the Sicilian club in a three-year spell which yielded 106 league outings and six goals. After helping the Rosanero qualify for the UEFA Europa League, Nocerino left for AC Milan in the summer of 2011, making his UEFA Champions League debut shortly afterwards when Milan drew 2-2 with Barcelona. His first goal for Milan came against his former club Palermo, and a successful first season at the San Siro also included a hat-trick in a 4-1 victory over Parma. The Neapolitan notched eleven goals in all in the 2011/12 campaign and backed that up with a further 31 appearances last term. With eleven Serie A games and two appearances in the Champions League under his belt in 2013/14, Nocerino will now be bringing his talents to the Barclays Premier League with the Hammers.
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Guy gearing up for return
WHUFC.com
Guy Demel is working hard to prove his fitness ahead of Wednesday's capital clash with Chelsea
26.01.2014
Guy Demel expects to be back at the peak of his powers sooner rather than later, after stepping up his recovery from the nasty concussion he suffered at Cardiff City. The powerful full-back played an hour in Thursday's friendly at home to Tottenham Hotspur and happily reported feeling better for the outing.
Demel now plans to put in the hard yards over the coming days, as he looks forward to a prospective Barclays Premier League return at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. He told whufc.com: "It's good to be on the pitch now, I'm happy to feel that I'm getting back to normal. I still have a couple of days of hard work to be sure that I'll be ready for the next game. "I'm working hard with the physios and with fitness coaches and I'm sure the extra couple of days before Chelsea will be useful. I'll be alright. "I'm obviously a little bit tired because the shock lowered my energy levels as well, as if I've been out for a month or something. "It's an hour and it's always good to have game practice, better sometimes than training sessions, especially when you play a team like that. They came here with a lot of international players, so it was a really good test."
Chelsea's team, too, will be awash with seasoned internationals, but Demel is approaching Wednesday's clash like any other, insistent that anything is possible. The 32-year-old Ivorian cares not for reputations, concentrating all his efforts on improving the Hammers' modest points tally. "Every game is winnable," he added. "It depends how prepared you are and how focused you are. I think that even Chelsea is a winnable game. Of course they're a big team but it's a football game and when I step onto the pitch each weekend I'm not expecting to lose - no matter which team is in front of me. That's not the way I grew up and it's not the way I see things. "Of course there will be some opponents that might be slightly easier, so to speak, but we just have to get the points. It doesn't matter where we get them, we just need points, points, points. It's not like [it's extra special] because we beat Chelsea, no, I just want points!"
While the Hammers will, no doubt, have to defend well at Stamford Bridge, Demel insists it will take a collective effort to keep the Blues at bay. But the the right-back is, of course, pleased to see defensive numbers swell, with James Collins and James Tomkins both back in the reckoning, and Winston Reid not too far behind either. "When you talk about defending, you defend with ten players on the pitch plus the goalkeeper, not only the defenders," he continued. "As a team we have to perform well. If you want the defence to be solid we have to play well and the defence can then make the difference. "We're now going to have some players back on board, but it's really hard when you come back from injury for a long time to go straight back into that type of environment. Winston Reid will be really important, James Collins is getting better and Tomkins is back, I hope Joey will be back soon too."
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U18s beat the Blues
WHUFC.com
First-half goals from Kieran Bywater and Jordan Brown fire the U18s to a 2-0 home win over Chelsea
25.01.2014
West Ham United U18s continued their charge toward the summit of the Barclays U18 Premier League with a 2-0 win over Chelsea at Little Heath on Saturday.
Captain Kieran Bywater added yet another to his season's goal tally early in the piece, before Jordan Brown doubled the Hammers' lead with only 24 minutes gone.
Victory sees West Ham stay second in the South Group, two points behind leaders Fulham who came from behind to win 2-1 at Reading. Steve Potts' men were again without defenders Reece Burke and Jamie Harney, so schoolboy Josh Pask partnered Emmanuel Onariase at centre-half, just as he did in last weekend's 1-0 success at Norwich City. It was the Hammers who made the early running and were rewarded with the opening goal after just five minutes. As the ball was worked into the Chelsea penalty area, Brown held it up before playing in Bywater, who finished into the bottom right-hand corner. Skipper Bywater's 15th league goal of the campaign saw the hosts firmly on the front foot and Josh Cullen might have added a second, but fired well wide having been teed up Amos Nasha. Chelsea, however, then had three chances in a matter of minutes, all from Charly Musonda free-kicks. While the first failed to trouble 'keeper Sam Howes, the second was narrowly headed over the top by Tammy Abraham, before Howes tipped a third over the crossbar. But having escaped unscathed at one end, West Ham were soon celebrating a second at the other. Brown profited from a mix-up in the Chelsea ranks to get a low shot away, one that proved too strong for Bradley Collins to keep out. The Hammers continued to control proceedings after the break, with both Pask and Onariase spurning headed chances from corner kicks. Chelsea, for their part, went close to halving the deficit when Chike Kandi collected a long through ball, clattering past Howes, before hurriedly hitting the bar with the goal at his mercy. The high-flying U18s return to action next Saturday, when they entertain West Bromwich Albion in a midday kick-off at Little Heath.
West Ham United U18s: Howes, Pike, Pask, Onariase, Page, Cullen, Makasi, Nasha, Mavila, Brown, Bywater (Parfitt-Williams)
Subs not used: Guzman, Martins, Amoo, Oxford
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Rocket backs Hammers to lift-off
WHUFC.com
Snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan has given his support to West Ham United's survival bid
25.01.2014
Snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan knows a thing or two about comebacks. O'Sullivan took a break from the game a year ago before returning to win his fifth world title in April 2013. Last weekend, 'The Rocket' blasted to his fifth Masters victory at London's Alexandra Palace. By way of celebration, the 38-year-old brought his son to watch West Ham United take on Manchester City in the Capital One Cup semi-final second leg at the Boleyn Ground. While the Hammers may have lost on Tuesday evening, Chigwell-based O'Sullivan has backed the east London Club to pull themselves clear of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone, while also revealing that he has close links with West Ham. A keen runner, O'Sullivan trains alongside Club chaplain and keen sprinter Rev Alan Bolding, 73, at Woodford Green Athletic Club. "I have known Alan for years and I know he has close links with West Ham and he's always telling me how it is going over here and he's a good lad," the snooker legend told West Ham TV. "[Some people have put my good snooker form down to my running] but I think people read so much into stuff these days. I just think that I'm blessed with a talent and when it comes together I find it easy and that's it, really. "I just run to keep trim and keep fit and so I don't implode as I get older."
Even by his own unrivalled standards, O'Sullivan was in outstanding form at Alexandra Palace, brushing aside the Robert Milkins, Ricky Walden, Stephen Maguire and Mark Selby, winning 28 frames and losing just seven in the process. "Any victory is good but as you get a bit older you start to appreciate them a little bit more, I think. When you're young, you think it's never going to end, but as you get a little bit older you see the players you grew up with fade away, and think it's only a matter of time before that happens to me. "You get a bit more wily as you get older, so I enjoy it more now. I've been around the block a few times and now I enjoy pitting myself against the younger players coming through."
A football fan in general rather than a supporter of a particular club, O'Sullivan enjoys watching the sport played at a high level. "My son is mad into football. He loves Arsenal and Man City and I brought him here because Man City are playing West Ham. My best mate and manager is friends with the owners of West Ham, so I'm here supporting West Ham. "They are all top-quality players at Man City and just that little bit better than the rest and that's how it is in sport in general."
While City are enjoying an all-conquering season, O'Sullivan says West Ham need to 'dig in' if they are to turn things around at the other end of the Barclays Premier League table. "You've got to dig in. There are times in your career when not everything goes well for you but in bad games you've still got to find a a way of winning and that's what separates the best from the rest. "I'm sure West Ham will come through it. They've got great fans and great support so I hope they come through this and stay in the Premier League and have a better season next season."
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West Ham sign Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino
BBC.co.uk
West Ham United have signed Roma striker Marco Borriello and AC Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino on loan until the end of the season. Both players are Italy internationals, with Borriello having won seven caps and Nocerino playing 15 times. Borriello, 31, has made 11 Serie A appearances this season for title-chasing Roma, scoring once. Nocerino, 28, has played 16 times this season, including in the Champions League. He began his career with Juventus and joined Palermo in 2008 before moving to the San Siro in 2011. The Naples-born player was part of the Italy team which knocked England out of Euro 2012 in the quarter-finals. Borriello started his senior career at Milan, having several spells away on loan before joining Roma in 2010. He had a loan spell with Juventus in 2012 and spent last season with Genoa. West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is looking to strengthen his struggling squad and failed in a bid, reportedly worth £3.5m, to sign Leeds United striker Ross McCormack on Friday.
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What did the Romans ever do for us?
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 25th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United have completed their second signing of the day - Roma striker Marco Borriello, who joins on loan. The 31-year-old former Italian international completed his move to Upton Park a matter of hours after fellow countryman Antonio Nocerino - who also joins on loan for the remainder of the 2013/14 campaign - was confirmed as a Hammer. Roma confirmed the deal has been struck earlier this afternoon in a brief press release. "AS Roma announces that it has signed to West Ham United the contract for the temporary transfer of the rights to the player Borriello, until 30 June 2014, for a consideration of € 0.7 million," it read. Borriello has played for a number of top flight clubs including Juventus, Milan and Sampdoria prior to arriving at Roma for £10million in 2010. Yet despite the large fee, the 6'1" forward has made just 18 appearances for i Giallorossi, having spent more time out on loan since.
Last season he spent the entire campaign with Genoa, for whom he scored 12 times in 28 Serie A appearances. His 11 games for his parent club this term have yielded just one goal so far, that coming in the 1-0 win over Chievo at the end of October.
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Forza West Ham
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 25th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United have completed the signing of Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino - with Roma striker Marco Borriello set to follow. The Club confirmed this afternoon (Saturday) that Nocerino had completed his move to West Ham, where he will remain for the rest of the season. It is expected that 31-year-old Borriello will be announced as a second arrival from Serie A soon. Nocerino has been with Milan since 2011, since when he has made 87 appearances for the Rossoneri. Capped 15 times for Italy since making his international debut in 2007, the midfielder last appeared for his country in the 2012 European Championships and the 0-0 draw with England. Boriello has played for a number of top flight clubs including Juventus, Milan and Sampdoria prior to arriving at Roma for £10million in 2010. Yet despite the large fee, the 6'1" forward has made just 18 appearances for i Giallorossi, having spent more time out on loan since. Last season he spent the entire campaign with Genoa, for whom he scored 12 times in 28 Serie A appearances. His 11 games for his parent club this term have yielded just one goal so far, that coming in the 1-0 win over Chievo at the end of October.
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Di Canio plots West Ham return
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 25th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham legend Paolo Di Canio has insisted that he will return to West Ham as manager - one day. The former Hammers striker was speaking in an interview with the BBC's Football Focus this lunchtime, in the wake of his recent sacking from Sunderland. When asked what the future held for him, Di Canio replied: "To be a manager in England. It's obvious." And when asked about a potential return to east London, he added: "They [the fans] chant my name all the time, even years ago before I was a manager. Because of my experiences there, they were always my family. "Everybody know it'd be special for me to return. But I don't want to say now, it's not fair [on the current manager]. All I can say is one day, before the end, before I go up [to heaven] or down [to Hell] or whatever place they're going to send me, it has to happen. It's obvious. "That is my destiny."
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West Ham complete deals for Antonio Nocerino and Marco Borriello
Last Updated: 25/01/14 5:37pm
SSN
West Ham have completed the loan signings of Italy internationals Antonio Nocerino and Marco Borriello. Milan midfielder Nocerino and Roma striker Marco Borriello both join on deals until the end of the season. Nocerino has been capped 15 times by Italy and played at Euro 2012, but he has made just 11 appearances in this season's Serie A. Borriello won the last of his seven caps in 2011 and has been a bit-part player for Roma this term, starting only six games. But Sam Allardyce has identified the 31-year-old as a potential solution to his side's goalscoring problems: they have managed just 22 in as many Premier League games. West Ham have also made a failed bid for Leeds captain Ross McCormack in recent days.
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TRANSFER NEWS - FOUR ON THE RADAR
By Tony Hanna 25 Jan 2014 at 12:35
West Ham Till I Die
Whilst the first few weeks of the January transfer window have been disappointing, the last 24 hours has seen West Ham strongly linked with no less than four players. It is reported that Marco Borriello, a 31yo Italian striker from Roma, has signed a temporary deal that will keep him at Upton Park until the end of this season. Reports suggest he will have a medical over the weekend. Borriello made his debut for Milan in 2002 and played 54 matches for them over the next 9 seasons. The reason for so few appearances with Milan was that he spent the majority of the time out on loan to no less than seven other clubs! He signed a permanent deal with Roma in 2010 and since then has been loaned out to Juventus and Genoa. Nuff said – we will almost certainly get him with that track record.
The second player we are being strongly linked with is Italian midfield player Antonio Nocerino. The 28yo midfielder has flown in to London today and is expected to accept a similar deal as Borriello. Nocerino made his debut in 2003 for Juventus and played 32 times for the club in five years. Again, like Borriello, he spent most of his time out on loan to six different clubs. He enjoyed a good spell at Palermo before becoming a Milan player in 2011. He was used as a holding midfielder in his time at Palermo but his move to Milan saw him play a more attacking role from midfield. Nocerino has not been in good form of late and Squawka stats show that when he dribbles he has a 90% chance of losing the ball, his tackle success is 48% and he loses 75% of aerial duels. On the positive side, both Borriello (pictured) and Nocerino have represented Italy at National level.
The third player we have made a move for us Leeds striker and captain, Ross McCormack. It is believed we have made a 3 million pound offer for the Scottish player but Leeds are holding out for a bigger offer. Leeds director David Haigh has confirmed West Ham made the bid and it is likely we will sign the player if we up the ante. Over the past five seasons McCormack has averaged a goal every three games for Cardiff and his current club Leeds United. He has represented Scotland on ten occasions scoring two goals.
Finally, sources claim that Cameroon midfielder Raoul Loe has flown to London to undergo a medical before a possible 2 million pound move from Spanish club Osasuna. Loe is a defensive midfielder who has one cap for the Cameroon National side. He is 24yo and stands at 6'4". With two midfielders and two strikers on the radar it would seem that Maiga and Diarra would be two players we are hoping to offload prior to the deadline.
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10 POINT PLEDGE REPORT CARD
By Sean Whetstone 25 Jan 2014 at 08:35
West Ham Till I Die
In 2010 the then new West Ham board made a 10 point pledge. The 4 year anniversary of their take over passed a few weeks ago and I thought it would be ideal time to review how their 10 point pledge is progressing and give my personal verdict.
1. Appoint the right manager
Our efforts are focused on recruiting a high-calibre manager with the necessary experience to deliver good football and, most importantly, results. A shortlist of candidates has been identified and the appointment will be made with enough time to prepare for pre-season.
VERDICT: FAIL Maybe he was the right manager for the championship and he did well getting 10th place last season but most fans would agree he is not the right manager for this season. 68% of fans think he is not the right manager in the recent WHTID poll.
2. Sign new players
For too long, the focus has been on players leaving rather than arriving. We will strengthen in the right areas to ensure an exciting and balanced squad that is well placed to cope with the rigours of a Premier League season. Our main aim will be to bring in players hungry to do well who share our ambitions and aspirations.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED It could be argued our squad are neither exciting or balanced and they are struggling to cope with the rigours of a Premier League this season.
3. More investment in the Academy
Tony Carr remains at the heart of the club and his work in developing future first-team players remains essential for the long-term success of this club. We will make sure homegrown talent nurtured in the 'West Ham way' will always be given the chance to complement established players brought in from elsewhere.
VERDICT: FAIL Disappointing that few home grown talent have progressed to play in the first team with the brief exception of Danny Potts.
4. Continue to clear the debt
We have a responsibility to ensure this club is never again placed in a perilous position. Great strides have been taken to get us on a sound financial footing but there is still a way to go. Difficult decisions have had to be made – and that will continue to be the case – but our bottom line on the bottom line is to ensure the club survives.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED After a good start debts has risen again last season and the relegation season added more debt.
5. Freeze season ticket prices for renewals
We are delighted we have been able to freeze season ticket prices, save for the VAT increase, but we will not stop there. We are looking at more ways of rewarding those fans who make such a long-term commitment and have excellent offers for younger supporters, who are the lifeblood of this club. Member benefits will also improve.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED Although the season ticket freeze happened and the 5 year discount was honoured the price increase for disabled fans has left a sour taste in the mouth,
6. Build the status and image of the club
Our standing at home and abroad is rightly built on our proud history and our commitment to young talent. The values of the Academy of Football developed since the days of Bobby Moore define what we are all about. With the world's spotlight set to shine on this part of London, the time is right to spread the word further.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED Marketing own goals and the desperate sales tactics of selling tickets on groupon, the Metro and Talksport have weakened our brand and image.
7. Make it enjoyable to come and watch
We want to bring the fun back. It is a serious business but we know you work hard all week and want to kick back at the weekend and enjoy yourselves. We want you to be excited on a matchday, and not just about the style of football. We are looking at ways to improve our pre-match and half-time entertainment and will welcome suggestions.
VERDICT: EPIC FAIL Do I really need to say any-more here? I can't remember the last time I had fun at a West Ham match!
8. Get closer to the community
This club does excellent work in the local area already but we want to move even closer to schools and businesses on our doorstep. We can extend our commitment to multi-sports, education and healthy living and show there is more to this club than just first-team football. We take our social responsibility very seriously.
VERDICT: SUCCESS The Community Sports trust do a good job with the community. I know the community ticket offer for Man City was a PR disaster but I believe the club works well with the community in general.
9. Go for the Olympic Stadium
Leaving the Boleyn Ground will be a wrench but the Olympic Stadium is an amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in a financial and football sense. Our potential partnership with Newham Council promises to take this club to a new level, while protecting our history and traditions. To move forward, we have to move – but always with an eye on the past.
VERDICT: SUCCESS Some may not agree with moving to the Olympic Stadium but few could argue they delivered this pledge.
10. Listen to supporters
Arguably the most important of all is our commitment to listen to what you have to say. We know we are just the custodians of this club. You who follow us every week, whether near or far, are the true owners. Whether talking to you online or in print, or face to face at fan forums, we will be open, transparent and available.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED The success of Supporter Advisory Board success which I it on is very debatable, the recent Season Ticket Fans Forum was stage managed.
I would agree the chairman are available but question whether the club is transparent at all times.
My score report card is 2/10 Please try harder!
I would interested to know other people's verdicts on the 10 pledges of 2010 as these verdicts are just my personal opinion.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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WHUFC.com
West Ham United are delighted to announce the loan signing of Marco Borriello from AS Roma
25.01.2014
West Ham United are delighted to announce their second signing of the day - Italy international Marco Borriello has joined on loan until the end of the 2013/14 season. Capped seven times, Borriello joins the Hammers from Serie A club AS Roma and will add strength, presence and goals to Sam Allardyce's squad.
The 31-year-old has spent the past decade in the Italian top-flight, appearing in the UEFA Champions League scoring nearly 100 career goals - many of them spectacular - for Roma, AC Milan, Juventus and Genoa, among others. Born in Naples in June 1982, Borriello joined AC Milan as a schoolboy before making his senior debut during a loan spell at Serie C2 side Triestina in 2001. Ten goals in 27 Serie C1 appearances for loan club Treviso led to Borriello making his Serie A debut for AC Milan against Perugia on 21 September 2002. After further loan spells with Serie A clubs Empoli, Reggina, Sampdoria and Treviso, Borriello enjoyed a breakthrough season with Genoa - who had acquired co-ownership of the striker - in 2007/08. That season, the forward scored his first career hat-trick against Udinese in September 2007. A treble in the reverse fixture in February 2008 helped Borriello to 19 goals in 35 Serie A appearances. The Neapolitan spent the next two seasons with AC Milan, with 2009/10 being particularly successful - Borriello netted 14 goals in 26 league games and his maiden UEFA Champions League strike against French side Marseille. Borriello moved to Roma in summer 2010, despite reported interest from Barclays Premier League side Manchester City, and continued to find the net regularly, netting 17 in all competitions. A change of manager saw the forward fall out of favour at the Stadio Olimpico and Borriello moved to Juventus on loan in January 2012, helping the Old Lady to win the Serie A title and reach the Italian Cup final.
After spending the 2012/13 season with Genoa, he returned to Roma for a second spell last summer, making eleven Serie A appearances this season. At international level, Borriello made his Italy debut as a substitute for Luca Toni in a 3-1 friendly win over Belgium in Florence in May 2008. He has since featured in five further friendlies and a Euro 2012 qualifier with Northern Ireland in October 2010.
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Hammers net Nocerino
WHUFC.com
Antonio Nocerino has joined West Ham United on loan from AC Milan until the end of the season
25.01.2014
West Ham United are delighted to announce the arrival of AC Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino on loan until the end of the season. The 28-year-old has been capped by his country on 15 occasions, going to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Euro 2012, where he scored one of the penalties that knocked out England at the quarter-final stage. Born in Naples, Nocerino's career began at Juventus, where he played 32 league games, as well as gaining experience with loan spells at the likes of Genoa, Messina and Piacenza. He moved on to Palermo in 2008 and went on to establish himself at the Sicilian club in a three-year spell which yielded 106 league outings and six goals. After helping the Rosanero qualify for the UEFA Europa League, Nocerino left for AC Milan in the summer of 2011, making his UEFA Champions League debut shortly afterwards when Milan drew 2-2 with Barcelona. His first goal for Milan came against his former club Palermo, and a successful first season at the San Siro also included a hat-trick in a 4-1 victory over Parma. The Neapolitan notched eleven goals in all in the 2011/12 campaign and backed that up with a further 31 appearances last term. With eleven Serie A games and two appearances in the Champions League under his belt in 2013/14, Nocerino will now be bringing his talents to the Barclays Premier League with the Hammers.
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Guy gearing up for return
WHUFC.com
Guy Demel is working hard to prove his fitness ahead of Wednesday's capital clash with Chelsea
26.01.2014
Guy Demel expects to be back at the peak of his powers sooner rather than later, after stepping up his recovery from the nasty concussion he suffered at Cardiff City. The powerful full-back played an hour in Thursday's friendly at home to Tottenham Hotspur and happily reported feeling better for the outing.
Demel now plans to put in the hard yards over the coming days, as he looks forward to a prospective Barclays Premier League return at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. He told whufc.com: "It's good to be on the pitch now, I'm happy to feel that I'm getting back to normal. I still have a couple of days of hard work to be sure that I'll be ready for the next game. "I'm working hard with the physios and with fitness coaches and I'm sure the extra couple of days before Chelsea will be useful. I'll be alright. "I'm obviously a little bit tired because the shock lowered my energy levels as well, as if I've been out for a month or something. "It's an hour and it's always good to have game practice, better sometimes than training sessions, especially when you play a team like that. They came here with a lot of international players, so it was a really good test."
Chelsea's team, too, will be awash with seasoned internationals, but Demel is approaching Wednesday's clash like any other, insistent that anything is possible. The 32-year-old Ivorian cares not for reputations, concentrating all his efforts on improving the Hammers' modest points tally. "Every game is winnable," he added. "It depends how prepared you are and how focused you are. I think that even Chelsea is a winnable game. Of course they're a big team but it's a football game and when I step onto the pitch each weekend I'm not expecting to lose - no matter which team is in front of me. That's not the way I grew up and it's not the way I see things. "Of course there will be some opponents that might be slightly easier, so to speak, but we just have to get the points. It doesn't matter where we get them, we just need points, points, points. It's not like [it's extra special] because we beat Chelsea, no, I just want points!"
While the Hammers will, no doubt, have to defend well at Stamford Bridge, Demel insists it will take a collective effort to keep the Blues at bay. But the the right-back is, of course, pleased to see defensive numbers swell, with James Collins and James Tomkins both back in the reckoning, and Winston Reid not too far behind either. "When you talk about defending, you defend with ten players on the pitch plus the goalkeeper, not only the defenders," he continued. "As a team we have to perform well. If you want the defence to be solid we have to play well and the defence can then make the difference. "We're now going to have some players back on board, but it's really hard when you come back from injury for a long time to go straight back into that type of environment. Winston Reid will be really important, James Collins is getting better and Tomkins is back, I hope Joey will be back soon too."
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U18s beat the Blues
WHUFC.com
First-half goals from Kieran Bywater and Jordan Brown fire the U18s to a 2-0 home win over Chelsea
25.01.2014
West Ham United U18s continued their charge toward the summit of the Barclays U18 Premier League with a 2-0 win over Chelsea at Little Heath on Saturday.
Captain Kieran Bywater added yet another to his season's goal tally early in the piece, before Jordan Brown doubled the Hammers' lead with only 24 minutes gone.
Victory sees West Ham stay second in the South Group, two points behind leaders Fulham who came from behind to win 2-1 at Reading. Steve Potts' men were again without defenders Reece Burke and Jamie Harney, so schoolboy Josh Pask partnered Emmanuel Onariase at centre-half, just as he did in last weekend's 1-0 success at Norwich City. It was the Hammers who made the early running and were rewarded with the opening goal after just five minutes. As the ball was worked into the Chelsea penalty area, Brown held it up before playing in Bywater, who finished into the bottom right-hand corner. Skipper Bywater's 15th league goal of the campaign saw the hosts firmly on the front foot and Josh Cullen might have added a second, but fired well wide having been teed up Amos Nasha. Chelsea, however, then had three chances in a matter of minutes, all from Charly Musonda free-kicks. While the first failed to trouble 'keeper Sam Howes, the second was narrowly headed over the top by Tammy Abraham, before Howes tipped a third over the crossbar. But having escaped unscathed at one end, West Ham were soon celebrating a second at the other. Brown profited from a mix-up in the Chelsea ranks to get a low shot away, one that proved too strong for Bradley Collins to keep out. The Hammers continued to control proceedings after the break, with both Pask and Onariase spurning headed chances from corner kicks. Chelsea, for their part, went close to halving the deficit when Chike Kandi collected a long through ball, clattering past Howes, before hurriedly hitting the bar with the goal at his mercy. The high-flying U18s return to action next Saturday, when they entertain West Bromwich Albion in a midday kick-off at Little Heath.
West Ham United U18s: Howes, Pike, Pask, Onariase, Page, Cullen, Makasi, Nasha, Mavila, Brown, Bywater (Parfitt-Williams)
Subs not used: Guzman, Martins, Amoo, Oxford
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Rocket backs Hammers to lift-off
WHUFC.com
Snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan has given his support to West Ham United's survival bid
25.01.2014
Snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan knows a thing or two about comebacks. O'Sullivan took a break from the game a year ago before returning to win his fifth world title in April 2013. Last weekend, 'The Rocket' blasted to his fifth Masters victory at London's Alexandra Palace. By way of celebration, the 38-year-old brought his son to watch West Ham United take on Manchester City in the Capital One Cup semi-final second leg at the Boleyn Ground. While the Hammers may have lost on Tuesday evening, Chigwell-based O'Sullivan has backed the east London Club to pull themselves clear of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone, while also revealing that he has close links with West Ham. A keen runner, O'Sullivan trains alongside Club chaplain and keen sprinter Rev Alan Bolding, 73, at Woodford Green Athletic Club. "I have known Alan for years and I know he has close links with West Ham and he's always telling me how it is going over here and he's a good lad," the snooker legend told West Ham TV. "[Some people have put my good snooker form down to my running] but I think people read so much into stuff these days. I just think that I'm blessed with a talent and when it comes together I find it easy and that's it, really. "I just run to keep trim and keep fit and so I don't implode as I get older."
Even by his own unrivalled standards, O'Sullivan was in outstanding form at Alexandra Palace, brushing aside the Robert Milkins, Ricky Walden, Stephen Maguire and Mark Selby, winning 28 frames and losing just seven in the process. "Any victory is good but as you get a bit older you start to appreciate them a little bit more, I think. When you're young, you think it's never going to end, but as you get a little bit older you see the players you grew up with fade away, and think it's only a matter of time before that happens to me. "You get a bit more wily as you get older, so I enjoy it more now. I've been around the block a few times and now I enjoy pitting myself against the younger players coming through."
A football fan in general rather than a supporter of a particular club, O'Sullivan enjoys watching the sport played at a high level. "My son is mad into football. He loves Arsenal and Man City and I brought him here because Man City are playing West Ham. My best mate and manager is friends with the owners of West Ham, so I'm here supporting West Ham. "They are all top-quality players at Man City and just that little bit better than the rest and that's how it is in sport in general."
While City are enjoying an all-conquering season, O'Sullivan says West Ham need to 'dig in' if they are to turn things around at the other end of the Barclays Premier League table. "You've got to dig in. There are times in your career when not everything goes well for you but in bad games you've still got to find a a way of winning and that's what separates the best from the rest. "I'm sure West Ham will come through it. They've got great fans and great support so I hope they come through this and stay in the Premier League and have a better season next season."
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West Ham sign Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino
BBC.co.uk
West Ham United have signed Roma striker Marco Borriello and AC Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino on loan until the end of the season. Both players are Italy internationals, with Borriello having won seven caps and Nocerino playing 15 times. Borriello, 31, has made 11 Serie A appearances this season for title-chasing Roma, scoring once. Nocerino, 28, has played 16 times this season, including in the Champions League. He began his career with Juventus and joined Palermo in 2008 before moving to the San Siro in 2011. The Naples-born player was part of the Italy team which knocked England out of Euro 2012 in the quarter-finals. Borriello started his senior career at Milan, having several spells away on loan before joining Roma in 2010. He had a loan spell with Juventus in 2012 and spent last season with Genoa. West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is looking to strengthen his struggling squad and failed in a bid, reportedly worth £3.5m, to sign Leeds United striker Ross McCormack on Friday.
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What did the Romans ever do for us?
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 25th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United have completed their second signing of the day - Roma striker Marco Borriello, who joins on loan. The 31-year-old former Italian international completed his move to Upton Park a matter of hours after fellow countryman Antonio Nocerino - who also joins on loan for the remainder of the 2013/14 campaign - was confirmed as a Hammer. Roma confirmed the deal has been struck earlier this afternoon in a brief press release. "AS Roma announces that it has signed to West Ham United the contract for the temporary transfer of the rights to the player Borriello, until 30 June 2014, for a consideration of € 0.7 million," it read. Borriello has played for a number of top flight clubs including Juventus, Milan and Sampdoria prior to arriving at Roma for £10million in 2010. Yet despite the large fee, the 6'1" forward has made just 18 appearances for i Giallorossi, having spent more time out on loan since.
Last season he spent the entire campaign with Genoa, for whom he scored 12 times in 28 Serie A appearances. His 11 games for his parent club this term have yielded just one goal so far, that coming in the 1-0 win over Chievo at the end of October.
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Forza West Ham
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 25th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United have completed the signing of Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino - with Roma striker Marco Borriello set to follow. The Club confirmed this afternoon (Saturday) that Nocerino had completed his move to West Ham, where he will remain for the rest of the season. It is expected that 31-year-old Borriello will be announced as a second arrival from Serie A soon. Nocerino has been with Milan since 2011, since when he has made 87 appearances for the Rossoneri. Capped 15 times for Italy since making his international debut in 2007, the midfielder last appeared for his country in the 2012 European Championships and the 0-0 draw with England. Boriello has played for a number of top flight clubs including Juventus, Milan and Sampdoria prior to arriving at Roma for £10million in 2010. Yet despite the large fee, the 6'1" forward has made just 18 appearances for i Giallorossi, having spent more time out on loan since. Last season he spent the entire campaign with Genoa, for whom he scored 12 times in 28 Serie A appearances. His 11 games for his parent club this term have yielded just one goal so far, that coming in the 1-0 win over Chievo at the end of October.
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Di Canio plots West Ham return
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 25th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham legend Paolo Di Canio has insisted that he will return to West Ham as manager - one day. The former Hammers striker was speaking in an interview with the BBC's Football Focus this lunchtime, in the wake of his recent sacking from Sunderland. When asked what the future held for him, Di Canio replied: "To be a manager in England. It's obvious." And when asked about a potential return to east London, he added: "They [the fans] chant my name all the time, even years ago before I was a manager. Because of my experiences there, they were always my family. "Everybody know it'd be special for me to return. But I don't want to say now, it's not fair [on the current manager]. All I can say is one day, before the end, before I go up [to heaven] or down [to Hell] or whatever place they're going to send me, it has to happen. It's obvious. "That is my destiny."
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West Ham complete deals for Antonio Nocerino and Marco Borriello
Last Updated: 25/01/14 5:37pm
SSN
West Ham have completed the loan signings of Italy internationals Antonio Nocerino and Marco Borriello. Milan midfielder Nocerino and Roma striker Marco Borriello both join on deals until the end of the season. Nocerino has been capped 15 times by Italy and played at Euro 2012, but he has made just 11 appearances in this season's Serie A. Borriello won the last of his seven caps in 2011 and has been a bit-part player for Roma this term, starting only six games. But Sam Allardyce has identified the 31-year-old as a potential solution to his side's goalscoring problems: they have managed just 22 in as many Premier League games. West Ham have also made a failed bid for Leeds captain Ross McCormack in recent days.
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TRANSFER NEWS - FOUR ON THE RADAR
By Tony Hanna 25 Jan 2014 at 12:35
West Ham Till I Die
Whilst the first few weeks of the January transfer window have been disappointing, the last 24 hours has seen West Ham strongly linked with no less than four players. It is reported that Marco Borriello, a 31yo Italian striker from Roma, has signed a temporary deal that will keep him at Upton Park until the end of this season. Reports suggest he will have a medical over the weekend. Borriello made his debut for Milan in 2002 and played 54 matches for them over the next 9 seasons. The reason for so few appearances with Milan was that he spent the majority of the time out on loan to no less than seven other clubs! He signed a permanent deal with Roma in 2010 and since then has been loaned out to Juventus and Genoa. Nuff said – we will almost certainly get him with that track record.
The second player we are being strongly linked with is Italian midfield player Antonio Nocerino. The 28yo midfielder has flown in to London today and is expected to accept a similar deal as Borriello. Nocerino made his debut in 2003 for Juventus and played 32 times for the club in five years. Again, like Borriello, he spent most of his time out on loan to six different clubs. He enjoyed a good spell at Palermo before becoming a Milan player in 2011. He was used as a holding midfielder in his time at Palermo but his move to Milan saw him play a more attacking role from midfield. Nocerino has not been in good form of late and Squawka stats show that when he dribbles he has a 90% chance of losing the ball, his tackle success is 48% and he loses 75% of aerial duels. On the positive side, both Borriello (pictured) and Nocerino have represented Italy at National level.
The third player we have made a move for us Leeds striker and captain, Ross McCormack. It is believed we have made a 3 million pound offer for the Scottish player but Leeds are holding out for a bigger offer. Leeds director David Haigh has confirmed West Ham made the bid and it is likely we will sign the player if we up the ante. Over the past five seasons McCormack has averaged a goal every three games for Cardiff and his current club Leeds United. He has represented Scotland on ten occasions scoring two goals.
Finally, sources claim that Cameroon midfielder Raoul Loe has flown to London to undergo a medical before a possible 2 million pound move from Spanish club Osasuna. Loe is a defensive midfielder who has one cap for the Cameroon National side. He is 24yo and stands at 6'4". With two midfielders and two strikers on the radar it would seem that Maiga and Diarra would be two players we are hoping to offload prior to the deadline.
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10 POINT PLEDGE REPORT CARD
By Sean Whetstone 25 Jan 2014 at 08:35
West Ham Till I Die
In 2010 the then new West Ham board made a 10 point pledge. The 4 year anniversary of their take over passed a few weeks ago and I thought it would be ideal time to review how their 10 point pledge is progressing and give my personal verdict.
1. Appoint the right manager
Our efforts are focused on recruiting a high-calibre manager with the necessary experience to deliver good football and, most importantly, results. A shortlist of candidates has been identified and the appointment will be made with enough time to prepare for pre-season.
VERDICT: FAIL Maybe he was the right manager for the championship and he did well getting 10th place last season but most fans would agree he is not the right manager for this season. 68% of fans think he is not the right manager in the recent WHTID poll.
2. Sign new players
For too long, the focus has been on players leaving rather than arriving. We will strengthen in the right areas to ensure an exciting and balanced squad that is well placed to cope with the rigours of a Premier League season. Our main aim will be to bring in players hungry to do well who share our ambitions and aspirations.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED It could be argued our squad are neither exciting or balanced and they are struggling to cope with the rigours of a Premier League this season.
3. More investment in the Academy
Tony Carr remains at the heart of the club and his work in developing future first-team players remains essential for the long-term success of this club. We will make sure homegrown talent nurtured in the 'West Ham way' will always be given the chance to complement established players brought in from elsewhere.
VERDICT: FAIL Disappointing that few home grown talent have progressed to play in the first team with the brief exception of Danny Potts.
4. Continue to clear the debt
We have a responsibility to ensure this club is never again placed in a perilous position. Great strides have been taken to get us on a sound financial footing but there is still a way to go. Difficult decisions have had to be made – and that will continue to be the case – but our bottom line on the bottom line is to ensure the club survives.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED After a good start debts has risen again last season and the relegation season added more debt.
5. Freeze season ticket prices for renewals
We are delighted we have been able to freeze season ticket prices, save for the VAT increase, but we will not stop there. We are looking at more ways of rewarding those fans who make such a long-term commitment and have excellent offers for younger supporters, who are the lifeblood of this club. Member benefits will also improve.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED Although the season ticket freeze happened and the 5 year discount was honoured the price increase for disabled fans has left a sour taste in the mouth,
6. Build the status and image of the club
Our standing at home and abroad is rightly built on our proud history and our commitment to young talent. The values of the Academy of Football developed since the days of Bobby Moore define what we are all about. With the world's spotlight set to shine on this part of London, the time is right to spread the word further.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED Marketing own goals and the desperate sales tactics of selling tickets on groupon, the Metro and Talksport have weakened our brand and image.
7. Make it enjoyable to come and watch
We want to bring the fun back. It is a serious business but we know you work hard all week and want to kick back at the weekend and enjoy yourselves. We want you to be excited on a matchday, and not just about the style of football. We are looking at ways to improve our pre-match and half-time entertainment and will welcome suggestions.
VERDICT: EPIC FAIL Do I really need to say any-more here? I can't remember the last time I had fun at a West Ham match!
8. Get closer to the community
This club does excellent work in the local area already but we want to move even closer to schools and businesses on our doorstep. We can extend our commitment to multi-sports, education and healthy living and show there is more to this club than just first-team football. We take our social responsibility very seriously.
VERDICT: SUCCESS The Community Sports trust do a good job with the community. I know the community ticket offer for Man City was a PR disaster but I believe the club works well with the community in general.
9. Go for the Olympic Stadium
Leaving the Boleyn Ground will be a wrench but the Olympic Stadium is an amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in a financial and football sense. Our potential partnership with Newham Council promises to take this club to a new level, while protecting our history and traditions. To move forward, we have to move – but always with an eye on the past.
VERDICT: SUCCESS Some may not agree with moving to the Olympic Stadium but few could argue they delivered this pledge.
10. Listen to supporters
Arguably the most important of all is our commitment to listen to what you have to say. We know we are just the custodians of this club. You who follow us every week, whether near or far, are the true owners. Whether talking to you online or in print, or face to face at fan forums, we will be open, transparent and available.
VERDICT: UNDECIDED The success of Supporter Advisory Board success which I it on is very debatable, the recent Season Ticket Fans Forum was stage managed.
I would agree the chairman are available but question whether the club is transparent at all times.
My score report card is 2/10 Please try harder!
I would interested to know other people's verdicts on the 10 pledges of 2010 as these verdicts are just my personal opinion.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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Saturday, January 25
Daily WHUFC News - 25th January 2014
Howes hails Tottenham test
WHUFC.com
Academy stopper Sam Howes enjoyed pitting his wits against an experienced Spurs side on Thursday
24.01.2014
Academy goalkeeper Sam Howes is currently studying for his GCSEs this summer, but took on altogether different test on Thursday when turning out in a behind-closed-doors-friendly against Tottenham Hotspur.
In a performance which belied his years, the 16-year-old produced superb saves to deny Lewis Holtby and Paulinho, as a youthful West Ham United XI went down 3-0 to a Spurs outfit containing no fewer than eight internationals.
A pupil at Sackville School in East Grinstead, Howes is knuckling down both on and off the pitch, keen to strike the right balance between football and academic pursuits. And for those still to learn of the goalkeeper's ascent through the Academy, Howes was on hand to fill in the gaps. Speaking after the match against Spurs, he told West Ham TV: "I was born in Sussex and I've lived there all my life. I've been at West Ham for six years now, progressed through the ranks and at the moment I'm playing regularly for the Under-18s and getting chances for the Development Squad. "Obviously games like today have given me the chance to play with players like Guy Demel as well and play against what was pretty much Tottenham's first team, so it was a really good experience for me as a young player. "I'm into my last year at school where I'm doing my GCSEs. Getting the balance between football and school is very important to me. It's going well so far, the Club have been very supportive of me and my studies, so it's been very positive."
On Thursday afternoon, Howes' opposite number was Brad Friedel, a 'keeper who, at 42-years-old, is 26 years his senior. The West Ham stopper did not look out of his depth in the encounter, showing the skills which have made him a regular for Steve Potts' U18s and seen him appear for the Club's Development Squad this season. Combining his studies with a burgeoning football career does not seem to faze the level-headed youngster, who has so far taken it all in his stride. "The school are really good with me and I've dropped a couple of GCSEs, so I'm not doing quite as many as some other students," he explained. "In U21 football I've been coming up here and going to places like Cambridge after school to play, so I've just had to adapt to it really quickly. "I haven't had any problems and my advice to anyone who is in my situation in the future is just to keep your head down and keep focused, that's the best way forward."
Howes will be back in action on Saturday when the U18s take on Chelsea at Littleheath and the gloveman will be hoping to continue the form which has already seen him earn high praise from the Club's staff. The stopper believes that working with the Hammers' goalkeeping coaches has been at the heart of his improvements through the season. He continued: "Shot-stopping is one of my strengths, my decision making is getting better and also my kicking. Confidence-wise I'm pretty confident before every single game. "All the coaches here have been very good to me, especially Jerome John. Obviously Lee Harrison has come in now with Martyn Margetson, so they've all helped me out big time. They've passed a lot of experience onto me and I'm taking on board everything I can so it's all been very good."
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Ross McCormack: West Ham bid for Leeds United captain rejected
BBC.co.uk
Leeds United chairman Salah Nooruddin says they have rejected a bid from West Ham for captain Ross McCormack. Nooruddin wrote on Twitter: "I'd like to reassure all (Leeds) fans that we're working hard for the club and can confirm we've rejected an offer from West Ham for Ross." Leeds will not confirm the details of the bid, which is reported to have been around £3.5m. McCormack, 27, is the Championship's top scorer with 17 goals this season. West Ham have been in the market for a striker, having only just welcomed back striker Andy Carroll from injury. Their pursuit of Monaco striker Lacina Traore failed, with the 23-year-old Ivorian moving to Everton on loan. Leeds managing director David Haigh added: "As a club we showed our intentions as far as Ross is concerned during the summer." Leeds rejected several bids from Championship rivals Middlesbrough earlier this season before the Scottish international signed a new four-year contract.
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And there's more... Hammers poised to land Cameroon midfielder
KUMb.com
Filed: Friday, 24th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
It's been a hectic 48 hours for West Ham on the transfer front - and there was yet more movement tonight with Osasuna's Raoul Loe reported to be on his way to Upton Park. According to sources in Spain, the 24-year-old Osasuna defensive midfielder has flown to London via Bilbao airport this evening to undergo a medical ahead of a €2.2million move. Navarra Sport claim the Hammers will pay €1.1million up front for Loe - who made his sole international appearance last year and has made just seven appearances for the Primera Liga side this season - with the remaining 50 per cent to follow this summer. In other transfer news, former Liverpool midfielder Mohamed Sissoko has claimed he rejected a move to West Ham earlier this week. The 29-year-old, who has not played since last season is now set to join Crystal Palace.
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Leeds confirm McCormack bid
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 24th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Leeds United confirmed tonight they have rejected an offer from West Ham for their striker and captain Ross McCormack. In a statement posted on leedsunited.com, the Championship club confirmed that a bid - thought to be worth around £3million - had been knocked back. "The London club made an offer for the player on Friday afternoon which was rejected by the club's board," it read. Leeds' director David Haigh added: "We received an offer from West Ham this afternoon for Ross which we have rejected. As a club we showed our intentions as far as Ross is concerned during the summer by offering him a new contract."
The Yorkshire club are thought to be holding out for around £5million for the 27-year-old Scottish international, although a figure somewhere between that and the Hammers' opening gambit is likely to sway Leeds. West Ham already have Carlton Cole, Modibo Maiga and Andy Carroll on the books with Marco Borriello set to become the club's fourth striker this weekend. That sudden abundance of strikers has led to speculation that Sam Allardyce may be looking at a more attacking approach for the remainder of the 2013/14 Premier League season, which has 16 games left to run.
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Italian duo set for medicals
KUMb.com
Filed: Friday, 24th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Roma striker Marco Borriello is understood to have signed for West Ham United, according to fresh reports. The 31-year-old striker is reported to have put pen to paper on a contract that will see the Italian join West Ham for the remainder of the current season. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Borriello agreed to move to London on a temporary basis this morning and is due to fly to England tomorrow for a medical. His agent, Giuseppe Bozzo is understood to have arranged the contract on behalf of his client. Meanwhile fellow Italian, midfielder Antonio Nocerino, has also flown into England today for talks with representatives of West Ham. The 28-year-old Milan star flew to Gatwick via Turin this morning and is expected to agree a similar deal with the Hammers.
West Ham's next game is against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next Wednesday, giving the Club plenty of time in which to register one or both deals.
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Leeds United reject West Ham bid for striker Ross McCormack
Last Updated: 24/01/14 10:18pm
SSN
Leeds have rejected a bid from West Ham for their captain Ross McCormack. Sky Sports understands the bid was in the region of £3 million plus add-ons. West Ham are expected to come back with a new offer over the weekend. Sky Sports revealed earlier on Friday that the Hammers had made a bid for the Scotland international striker, who is the top scorer in the Championship with 18 goals to his name already. McCormack signed a new long-term deal last summer, when Leeds fended off multiple bids from rivals Middlesbrough for the the 27-year-old. And on Friday night a statement on Leeds' official website read: "Leeds United have rejected an offer from West Ham United for striker Ross McCormack. "The London club made an offer for the player on Friday afternoon which was rejected by the club's board."
Separately, Leeds' Managing Director David Haigh tweeted: "As a club we showed our intentions as far as Ross is concerned during the summer." And chairman Salah Nouruddin said on Twitter: "I'd like to reassure all #lufc fans that we're working hard for the club and can confirm we've rejected an offer from West Ham for Ross." Sam Allardyce's Hammers, who are desperate to bolster their squad as they battle to avoid relegation, saw McCormack as a potential solution to their goalscoring problems. McCormack has just been made captain at Elland Road by manager Brian McDermott.
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West Ham line up Italians Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino
Last Updated: 24/01/14 7:30am
SSN
Sky Sports understands West Ham are in talks to capture Italy internationals Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino. 31-year-old striker Borriello is currently with Roma, but is on the fringes of the first team at the Stadio Olimpico. Sky Sports understands that Borriello is due to fly to England in the next 48 hours, subject to him agreeing to a loan deal until the end of the season. A source close to the deal told Sky Sports that they expect Borriello to have a medical on Saturday. Likewise, West Ham are hoping Milan midfielder Nocerino, 28, will agree to move to Upton Park. Nocerino would also be a loan deal until the end of the campaign.
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Alan McNee's column: Just who is advising Roger Johnson and what has he done to deserve West Ham?
Jan 24, 2014 08:070 Comments
The Mirror
In 2004 Buck's Fizz's very own Cheryl Baker had a colonic irrigation broadcast on national telly for Channel 4's The Salon. That same year, cameras whirred as she was pushed out of an aeroplane at 10,000 feet for our delectation. Fun to watch, but I wondered at the time exactly which showbiz agent was advising our glorious Eurovision 'skirt-removing' champ to demean herself like this.
Ten years later, and I feel sure the same person has now transferred his dubious skills to the world of football agent-ing. His latest client? One Roger Johnson, the new West Ham centre back. Roger is a pretty decent defender, so who on earth has brokered the deals that took him to clubs that between them were relegated three times in as many years...er..and now.. to West Ham, teetering on the edge.
Unlike Cheryl - we haven't witnessed any of Roger's colonic expulsions, though Negredo certainly extracted the urine out of him at the Ethiad, the other week. What I'm saying is, the lad deserves better. Come on Rog' ....who's advising you, pal!?
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Leeds reject West Ham's opening £4m bid for McCormack
By SIMON JONES
PUBLISHED: 22:30, 24 January 2014 | UPDATED: 22:57, 24 January 2014
Daily Mail
West Ham have had a bid for Leeds striker Ross McCormack rejected by the Sky Bet Championship club. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce has been looking to bring in reinforcements during the January transfer window to aid his side's fight against relegation from the Barclays Premier League. However, an offer for McCormack has been rebuffed, Leeds announced on Friday night. A statement on Leeds' official site read: 'Leeds United have rejected an offer from West Ham United for striker Ross McCormack. 'The London club made an offer for the player on Friday afternoon which was rejected by the club's board.' Scotland international McCormack is the Championship's leading scorer this season with 17 goals, one more than Jordan Rhodes of Blackburn. The 27-year-old was also made Leeds captain just last week. Leeds chairman Salah Nouruddin said on Twitter: "I'd like to reassure all £lufc fans that we're working hard for the club and can confirm we've rejected an offer from West Ham for Ross.' Managing director David Haigh, who in August gave McCormack a new deal amid interest from Middlesbrough, added: 'As a club we showed our intentions as far as Ross is concerned during the summer.' Haigh is currently attempting a takeover at Leeds with his own consortium, having been part of the GFH Capital group which bought Leeds from Ken Bates in December 2012. West Ham are third from bottom in the Premier League with 18 points, the same amount as the two teams below them Sunderland and Cardiff, and one behind Fulham and safety.
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Mohamed Sissoko closes in on Crystal Palace switch after West Ham snub
Evening Standard
ED AARONS
Published: 24 January 2014 Updated: 19:16, 24 January 2014
Mohamed Sissoko is closing in on a switch to Crystal Palace after rejecting the chance to join London rivals West Ham. The former Liverpool and Juventus midfielder, 29, is currently a free agent and held talks with the Eagles on Friday, with boss Tony Pulis reportedly keen to sign him on a short-term deal. But it is also understood that Sissoko, 29, has already turned down the opportunity to join West Ham earlier in the week having met with Hammers officials on Wednesday. Sam Allardyce's men were in pole position to sign him as cover for injured Mohamed Diame but could not agree personal terms. And that has given Pulis the opportunity to sign a player he was linked with during his spell as Stoke manager. Sissoko's agent Jose Segui denied any agreement had been reached on Friday night but talks are thought to be ongoing. The Mali international has been without a club since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in June. He has been offered to several Premier League clubs having reportedly recovered from injury problems. With Allardyce having also failed with a bid to sign Michael Essien on loan from Chelsea, that makes Sissoko the fourth player to turn down West Ham in this window following John Heitinga and Lacina Traore.
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Tony Cottee's column: Either play Ravel or sell him
Date: 24th January 2014 at 6:00 pm
Written by: Tony Cottee | Comments (1)
London 24
Tony Cottee is back with his EXCLUSIVE Forever West Ham column. Read about Tony's thoughts on Ravel Morrison, his career regrets and much, much more.
Capital One Cup
I went to the first-leg, not as a pundit or an ex-pro, but as a fan. I cannot tell you how disappointed I was at the performance – or the lack of it! There was a no passion, which I just cannot accept. I've played in a fair few West Ham teams and you could never accuse us of not trying. I'm not saying it is the right way, but someone like Bonzo or Dicksy or Stewart would've lost their temper, made a reckless challenge and received a yellow card, to show they're fighting for the cause. The fans deserved more. The second-leg was a dead rubber. I was a Sky Sports pundit for the night and it was an eerie experience being in a half empty Upton Park – I still feel that the board should've done more to slash ticket prices and get the numbers through the gates. What's done is done but I can't help but think we've missed an opportunity of a great day out at Wembley. I'm sure we all remember the day against Blackpool and the club and fans deserve a lot more of those moments.
Who is to blame?
I'm sure, like me, you didn't expect West Ham to be in the situation they currently find themselves in. Tensions are high and the fans, quite rightly, want answers; for me, it is a 'full house' with everyone open to criticism. It goes right back to last summer's transfer window policy (a policy that doesn't seem to be improving this window). The board has to take the flak for West Ham's shortcomings in the transfer market, as they're the ones doing the deals. Obviously, as manager, Sam Allardyce is open to a lot of criticism, as it is his players, his formation and his managerial techniques that aren't delivering the desired results.
Ultimately though, the players are the ones who can make a real difference. They continually choose to turn in passionless and below par performances.
Overall, I'm confident we will avoid relegation from the Premier League. There are 11 teams in the relegation dogfight and, on paper, I'm certain we have more than enough talent in the squad to finish at least fourth from bottom.
Ravel Morrison
Find a position for him or sell him, it is that simple. The problem is, Morrison's best position is probably as a 'No.10' but Sam prefers club captain Kevin Nolan.
Ravel does appear to be unsettled and if we aren't going to utilise his qualities properly, then we may as well get the money in and use that towards bringing in other targets.
Transfer Window
It's not looking good and things are starting to get desperate. We all thought we were going to sign Lacina Traore but Everton made an eleventh-hour bid to take him to Goodison Park. Traore's decision is no reflection on West Ham; as everyone knows it is a great club. Everton can just offer the lad more exciting possibilities and, if I take my West Ham hat off, I'd always choose a Champions League push over a relegation battle. There are several areas of the team that need addressing but that needs to be done in the summer. Right now, we are desperate for a goal scoring centre forward and another centre-back. Sadly, I think we will probably end up on transfer deadline day, bringing in two or three players that won't improve our starting XI.
Regrets
I saw Alou Diarra's comments about moving to West Ham being a mistake for his career. I don't really want to get too focused on Diarra's comments – I'm sure you can have an educated guess at my opinion on the matter! However, it did get me thinking, do I have any regrets? It is easy to look back, after you've retired, and say: "I wish I hadn't done that." With hindsight, I would've loved to have stayed at West Ham my whole career, I probably wouldn't have gone to Malaysia and I definitely wouldn't have signed for Millwall. Each decision I made, though was right for me at the time. I made the decisions in good faith and I considered what was best for me financially and what was best for my family. Regrets? None. Things I would've done differently? Most definitely. Tony Cottee was talking to Forever West Ham's Editor
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Borriello: 'Arrivederci Roma!'
By Football Italia staff
Marco Borriello confirmed his imminent move to West Ham by saying goodbye to Roma fans on Twitter. "A salute for all the fans of Roma... These have been fantastic months, crowned by a wonderful record. Thank you all!" It was reported in Italian media today that the 31-year-old had accepted a loan move to the Hammers, pending a medical and personal terms. It's also claimed by Sky Sport Italia that Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino passed the first part of his West Ham medical and will sign the contract tomorrow.
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WHUFC.com
Academy stopper Sam Howes enjoyed pitting his wits against an experienced Spurs side on Thursday
24.01.2014
Academy goalkeeper Sam Howes is currently studying for his GCSEs this summer, but took on altogether different test on Thursday when turning out in a behind-closed-doors-friendly against Tottenham Hotspur.
In a performance which belied his years, the 16-year-old produced superb saves to deny Lewis Holtby and Paulinho, as a youthful West Ham United XI went down 3-0 to a Spurs outfit containing no fewer than eight internationals.
A pupil at Sackville School in East Grinstead, Howes is knuckling down both on and off the pitch, keen to strike the right balance between football and academic pursuits. And for those still to learn of the goalkeeper's ascent through the Academy, Howes was on hand to fill in the gaps. Speaking after the match against Spurs, he told West Ham TV: "I was born in Sussex and I've lived there all my life. I've been at West Ham for six years now, progressed through the ranks and at the moment I'm playing regularly for the Under-18s and getting chances for the Development Squad. "Obviously games like today have given me the chance to play with players like Guy Demel as well and play against what was pretty much Tottenham's first team, so it was a really good experience for me as a young player. "I'm into my last year at school where I'm doing my GCSEs. Getting the balance between football and school is very important to me. It's going well so far, the Club have been very supportive of me and my studies, so it's been very positive."
On Thursday afternoon, Howes' opposite number was Brad Friedel, a 'keeper who, at 42-years-old, is 26 years his senior. The West Ham stopper did not look out of his depth in the encounter, showing the skills which have made him a regular for Steve Potts' U18s and seen him appear for the Club's Development Squad this season. Combining his studies with a burgeoning football career does not seem to faze the level-headed youngster, who has so far taken it all in his stride. "The school are really good with me and I've dropped a couple of GCSEs, so I'm not doing quite as many as some other students," he explained. "In U21 football I've been coming up here and going to places like Cambridge after school to play, so I've just had to adapt to it really quickly. "I haven't had any problems and my advice to anyone who is in my situation in the future is just to keep your head down and keep focused, that's the best way forward."
Howes will be back in action on Saturday when the U18s take on Chelsea at Littleheath and the gloveman will be hoping to continue the form which has already seen him earn high praise from the Club's staff. The stopper believes that working with the Hammers' goalkeeping coaches has been at the heart of his improvements through the season. He continued: "Shot-stopping is one of my strengths, my decision making is getting better and also my kicking. Confidence-wise I'm pretty confident before every single game. "All the coaches here have been very good to me, especially Jerome John. Obviously Lee Harrison has come in now with Martyn Margetson, so they've all helped me out big time. They've passed a lot of experience onto me and I'm taking on board everything I can so it's all been very good."
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Ross McCormack: West Ham bid for Leeds United captain rejected
BBC.co.uk
Leeds United chairman Salah Nooruddin says they have rejected a bid from West Ham for captain Ross McCormack. Nooruddin wrote on Twitter: "I'd like to reassure all (Leeds) fans that we're working hard for the club and can confirm we've rejected an offer from West Ham for Ross." Leeds will not confirm the details of the bid, which is reported to have been around £3.5m. McCormack, 27, is the Championship's top scorer with 17 goals this season. West Ham have been in the market for a striker, having only just welcomed back striker Andy Carroll from injury. Their pursuit of Monaco striker Lacina Traore failed, with the 23-year-old Ivorian moving to Everton on loan. Leeds managing director David Haigh added: "As a club we showed our intentions as far as Ross is concerned during the summer." Leeds rejected several bids from Championship rivals Middlesbrough earlier this season before the Scottish international signed a new four-year contract.
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And there's more... Hammers poised to land Cameroon midfielder
KUMb.com
Filed: Friday, 24th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
It's been a hectic 48 hours for West Ham on the transfer front - and there was yet more movement tonight with Osasuna's Raoul Loe reported to be on his way to Upton Park. According to sources in Spain, the 24-year-old Osasuna defensive midfielder has flown to London via Bilbao airport this evening to undergo a medical ahead of a €2.2million move. Navarra Sport claim the Hammers will pay €1.1million up front for Loe - who made his sole international appearance last year and has made just seven appearances for the Primera Liga side this season - with the remaining 50 per cent to follow this summer. In other transfer news, former Liverpool midfielder Mohamed Sissoko has claimed he rejected a move to West Ham earlier this week. The 29-year-old, who has not played since last season is now set to join Crystal Palace.
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Leeds confirm McCormack bid
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 24th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Leeds United confirmed tonight they have rejected an offer from West Ham for their striker and captain Ross McCormack. In a statement posted on leedsunited.com, the Championship club confirmed that a bid - thought to be worth around £3million - had been knocked back. "The London club made an offer for the player on Friday afternoon which was rejected by the club's board," it read. Leeds' director David Haigh added: "We received an offer from West Ham this afternoon for Ross which we have rejected. As a club we showed our intentions as far as Ross is concerned during the summer by offering him a new contract."
The Yorkshire club are thought to be holding out for around £5million for the 27-year-old Scottish international, although a figure somewhere between that and the Hammers' opening gambit is likely to sway Leeds. West Ham already have Carlton Cole, Modibo Maiga and Andy Carroll on the books with Marco Borriello set to become the club's fourth striker this weekend. That sudden abundance of strikers has led to speculation that Sam Allardyce may be looking at a more attacking approach for the remainder of the 2013/14 Premier League season, which has 16 games left to run.
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Italian duo set for medicals
KUMb.com
Filed: Friday, 24th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Roma striker Marco Borriello is understood to have signed for West Ham United, according to fresh reports. The 31-year-old striker is reported to have put pen to paper on a contract that will see the Italian join West Ham for the remainder of the current season. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Borriello agreed to move to London on a temporary basis this morning and is due to fly to England tomorrow for a medical. His agent, Giuseppe Bozzo is understood to have arranged the contract on behalf of his client. Meanwhile fellow Italian, midfielder Antonio Nocerino, has also flown into England today for talks with representatives of West Ham. The 28-year-old Milan star flew to Gatwick via Turin this morning and is expected to agree a similar deal with the Hammers.
West Ham's next game is against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next Wednesday, giving the Club plenty of time in which to register one or both deals.
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Leeds United reject West Ham bid for striker Ross McCormack
Last Updated: 24/01/14 10:18pm
SSN
Leeds have rejected a bid from West Ham for their captain Ross McCormack. Sky Sports understands the bid was in the region of £3 million plus add-ons. West Ham are expected to come back with a new offer over the weekend. Sky Sports revealed earlier on Friday that the Hammers had made a bid for the Scotland international striker, who is the top scorer in the Championship with 18 goals to his name already. McCormack signed a new long-term deal last summer, when Leeds fended off multiple bids from rivals Middlesbrough for the the 27-year-old. And on Friday night a statement on Leeds' official website read: "Leeds United have rejected an offer from West Ham United for striker Ross McCormack. "The London club made an offer for the player on Friday afternoon which was rejected by the club's board."
Separately, Leeds' Managing Director David Haigh tweeted: "As a club we showed our intentions as far as Ross is concerned during the summer." And chairman Salah Nouruddin said on Twitter: "I'd like to reassure all #lufc fans that we're working hard for the club and can confirm we've rejected an offer from West Ham for Ross." Sam Allardyce's Hammers, who are desperate to bolster their squad as they battle to avoid relegation, saw McCormack as a potential solution to their goalscoring problems. McCormack has just been made captain at Elland Road by manager Brian McDermott.
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West Ham line up Italians Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino
Last Updated: 24/01/14 7:30am
SSN
Sky Sports understands West Ham are in talks to capture Italy internationals Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino. 31-year-old striker Borriello is currently with Roma, but is on the fringes of the first team at the Stadio Olimpico. Sky Sports understands that Borriello is due to fly to England in the next 48 hours, subject to him agreeing to a loan deal until the end of the season. A source close to the deal told Sky Sports that they expect Borriello to have a medical on Saturday. Likewise, West Ham are hoping Milan midfielder Nocerino, 28, will agree to move to Upton Park. Nocerino would also be a loan deal until the end of the campaign.
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Alan McNee's column: Just who is advising Roger Johnson and what has he done to deserve West Ham?
Jan 24, 2014 08:070 Comments
The Mirror
In 2004 Buck's Fizz's very own Cheryl Baker had a colonic irrigation broadcast on national telly for Channel 4's The Salon. That same year, cameras whirred as she was pushed out of an aeroplane at 10,000 feet for our delectation. Fun to watch, but I wondered at the time exactly which showbiz agent was advising our glorious Eurovision 'skirt-removing' champ to demean herself like this.
Ten years later, and I feel sure the same person has now transferred his dubious skills to the world of football agent-ing. His latest client? One Roger Johnson, the new West Ham centre back. Roger is a pretty decent defender, so who on earth has brokered the deals that took him to clubs that between them were relegated three times in as many years...er..and now.. to West Ham, teetering on the edge.
Unlike Cheryl - we haven't witnessed any of Roger's colonic expulsions, though Negredo certainly extracted the urine out of him at the Ethiad, the other week. What I'm saying is, the lad deserves better. Come on Rog' ....who's advising you, pal!?
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Leeds reject West Ham's opening £4m bid for McCormack
By SIMON JONES
PUBLISHED: 22:30, 24 January 2014 | UPDATED: 22:57, 24 January 2014
Daily Mail
West Ham have had a bid for Leeds striker Ross McCormack rejected by the Sky Bet Championship club. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce has been looking to bring in reinforcements during the January transfer window to aid his side's fight against relegation from the Barclays Premier League. However, an offer for McCormack has been rebuffed, Leeds announced on Friday night. A statement on Leeds' official site read: 'Leeds United have rejected an offer from West Ham United for striker Ross McCormack. 'The London club made an offer for the player on Friday afternoon which was rejected by the club's board.' Scotland international McCormack is the Championship's leading scorer this season with 17 goals, one more than Jordan Rhodes of Blackburn. The 27-year-old was also made Leeds captain just last week. Leeds chairman Salah Nouruddin said on Twitter: "I'd like to reassure all £lufc fans that we're working hard for the club and can confirm we've rejected an offer from West Ham for Ross.' Managing director David Haigh, who in August gave McCormack a new deal amid interest from Middlesbrough, added: 'As a club we showed our intentions as far as Ross is concerned during the summer.' Haigh is currently attempting a takeover at Leeds with his own consortium, having been part of the GFH Capital group which bought Leeds from Ken Bates in December 2012. West Ham are third from bottom in the Premier League with 18 points, the same amount as the two teams below them Sunderland and Cardiff, and one behind Fulham and safety.
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Mohamed Sissoko closes in on Crystal Palace switch after West Ham snub
Evening Standard
ED AARONS
Published: 24 January 2014 Updated: 19:16, 24 January 2014
Mohamed Sissoko is closing in on a switch to Crystal Palace after rejecting the chance to join London rivals West Ham. The former Liverpool and Juventus midfielder, 29, is currently a free agent and held talks with the Eagles on Friday, with boss Tony Pulis reportedly keen to sign him on a short-term deal. But it is also understood that Sissoko, 29, has already turned down the opportunity to join West Ham earlier in the week having met with Hammers officials on Wednesday. Sam Allardyce's men were in pole position to sign him as cover for injured Mohamed Diame but could not agree personal terms. And that has given Pulis the opportunity to sign a player he was linked with during his spell as Stoke manager. Sissoko's agent Jose Segui denied any agreement had been reached on Friday night but talks are thought to be ongoing. The Mali international has been without a club since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in June. He has been offered to several Premier League clubs having reportedly recovered from injury problems. With Allardyce having also failed with a bid to sign Michael Essien on loan from Chelsea, that makes Sissoko the fourth player to turn down West Ham in this window following John Heitinga and Lacina Traore.
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Tony Cottee's column: Either play Ravel or sell him
Date: 24th January 2014 at 6:00 pm
Written by: Tony Cottee | Comments (1)
London 24
Tony Cottee is back with his EXCLUSIVE Forever West Ham column. Read about Tony's thoughts on Ravel Morrison, his career regrets and much, much more.
Capital One Cup
I went to the first-leg, not as a pundit or an ex-pro, but as a fan. I cannot tell you how disappointed I was at the performance – or the lack of it! There was a no passion, which I just cannot accept. I've played in a fair few West Ham teams and you could never accuse us of not trying. I'm not saying it is the right way, but someone like Bonzo or Dicksy or Stewart would've lost their temper, made a reckless challenge and received a yellow card, to show they're fighting for the cause. The fans deserved more. The second-leg was a dead rubber. I was a Sky Sports pundit for the night and it was an eerie experience being in a half empty Upton Park – I still feel that the board should've done more to slash ticket prices and get the numbers through the gates. What's done is done but I can't help but think we've missed an opportunity of a great day out at Wembley. I'm sure we all remember the day against Blackpool and the club and fans deserve a lot more of those moments.
Who is to blame?
I'm sure, like me, you didn't expect West Ham to be in the situation they currently find themselves in. Tensions are high and the fans, quite rightly, want answers; for me, it is a 'full house' with everyone open to criticism. It goes right back to last summer's transfer window policy (a policy that doesn't seem to be improving this window). The board has to take the flak for West Ham's shortcomings in the transfer market, as they're the ones doing the deals. Obviously, as manager, Sam Allardyce is open to a lot of criticism, as it is his players, his formation and his managerial techniques that aren't delivering the desired results.
Ultimately though, the players are the ones who can make a real difference. They continually choose to turn in passionless and below par performances.
Overall, I'm confident we will avoid relegation from the Premier League. There are 11 teams in the relegation dogfight and, on paper, I'm certain we have more than enough talent in the squad to finish at least fourth from bottom.
Ravel Morrison
Find a position for him or sell him, it is that simple. The problem is, Morrison's best position is probably as a 'No.10' but Sam prefers club captain Kevin Nolan.
Ravel does appear to be unsettled and if we aren't going to utilise his qualities properly, then we may as well get the money in and use that towards bringing in other targets.
Transfer Window
It's not looking good and things are starting to get desperate. We all thought we were going to sign Lacina Traore but Everton made an eleventh-hour bid to take him to Goodison Park. Traore's decision is no reflection on West Ham; as everyone knows it is a great club. Everton can just offer the lad more exciting possibilities and, if I take my West Ham hat off, I'd always choose a Champions League push over a relegation battle. There are several areas of the team that need addressing but that needs to be done in the summer. Right now, we are desperate for a goal scoring centre forward and another centre-back. Sadly, I think we will probably end up on transfer deadline day, bringing in two or three players that won't improve our starting XI.
Regrets
I saw Alou Diarra's comments about moving to West Ham being a mistake for his career. I don't really want to get too focused on Diarra's comments – I'm sure you can have an educated guess at my opinion on the matter! However, it did get me thinking, do I have any regrets? It is easy to look back, after you've retired, and say: "I wish I hadn't done that." With hindsight, I would've loved to have stayed at West Ham my whole career, I probably wouldn't have gone to Malaysia and I definitely wouldn't have signed for Millwall. Each decision I made, though was right for me at the time. I made the decisions in good faith and I considered what was best for me financially and what was best for my family. Regrets? None. Things I would've done differently? Most definitely. Tony Cottee was talking to Forever West Ham's Editor
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Borriello: 'Arrivederci Roma!'
By Football Italia staff
Marco Borriello confirmed his imminent move to West Ham by saying goodbye to Roma fans on Twitter. "A salute for all the fans of Roma... These have been fantastic months, crowned by a wonderful record. Thank you all!" It was reported in Italian media today that the 31-year-old had accepted a loan move to the Hammers, pending a medical and personal terms. It's also claimed by Sky Sport Italia that Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino passed the first part of his West Ham medical and will sign the contract tomorrow.
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Friday, January 24
Daily WHUFC News - 24th January 2014
Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
West Ham United forward Ricardo Vaz Te is targeting a first-team comeback after another successful run out
23.01.2014
Hello everyone,
I am pleased to report that I should be back in action soon. My shoulder has been all right for a few weeks now but, as I have been out for a while, when I came back to training I felt a little pain down my shin so I had to adjust that as well. It was something I was not familiar with, but it has been addressed so I have been training for the last week now. I managed to play 60 minutes in a behind-closed-doors match on Thursday and it's feeling quite all right now. I have no pain, but I'm not as sharp as I should or as I was, but that will come quickly, I've no doubt. I'm feeling good, so I just need a few more training sessions and games and I'll be sweet. I feel like I can play a part, so there is no problem. I didn't make the best of starts to the season, considering what happened in the transfer window and stuff like that, but all that was put aside and we worked out our differences. I went back into the team and I was very pleased. I'm happy to be here and have been from day one, really. I always felt glad to be part of this amazing Club, so I'm happy to be back now and hopefully I can contribute to anything that is positive. I will train for the next week and, barring any setbacks, I will make myself available for selection next week. After that, it is up to the manager because he decides which players will play. As long as I am available, if he plays me then I am ready and if not, I am working so that when he gives me my chance, I take it.
We also have a number of important players who are either back or close to returning. Winston Reid was the Hammer of the Year last season and obviously he has been very important for us and still is. Andy Carroll was very unfortunate with his injury, too.
Injuries happen and you have good times and bad times. This was our dip in the road, so we will address it and there is no need to shy away from it.
We are in a difficult situation. I remember coming here when we were in the Championship and we lost first and second position and had to go through the Play-Offs and people started turning on us. As long as you keep your head up and know what is required, everything will be OK.
The main priority is obviously to stay in the Premier League. Last year, we finished in the top ten, which was OK. Personally, I feel that this Club should be in the top ten. Now things are difficult so we have to make sure we stay in the Premier League, which I think will be no problem whatsoever, and then we'll build on that.
It's easy to lose faith but supporters have been in this place many times. I am sure that nobody is going down. The fans have emotion and if they want to boo, they boo and if they want to cheer, they cheer - hopefully we will give them something to cheer. We want to do that all the time, but it's not always possible.
It's easy to wish we had something else, but let's count our blessings and hopefully things will get better. It is tough at the moment, but I don't think there is anything to worry about. The main thing is to stay positive, because I think we'll be fine.
Enjoy your weekend,
Vaz
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Guy and Vaz feature in friendly
WHUFC.com
West Ham United pair Guy Demel and Ricardo Vaz Te played in a behind-closed-doors game on Thursday
23.01.2014
West Ham United duo Guy Demel and Ricardo Vaz Te returned to action in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday. The pair played for an hour following their recent injury lay-offs as they move closer to full fitness once more. Vaz Te suffered a dislocated shoulder back in October, while Demel has been sidelined with a severe concussion picked up in the Barclays Premier League victory at Cardiff City earlier this month. Now, with a series of important games coming up for Sam Allardyce's men, both will be hoping to play a full part before long. First team coach Ian Hendon said: "Guy and Vaz got an important hour under their belts on Thursday. That's what the game was arranged for - we thought we might have a few more of the seniors available to play, but a lot of those played against Man City. "The main thing was that they came through unscathed. We've got a 16-game season and it's going to be massive to have extra bodies back. The more we have fit and ready to go the easier it'll be. February is going to be a massive month with the games against teams in and around us."
An experienced Spurs side, which included eight internationals who had commanded transfer fees in excess of £60m, saw off the youthful Hammers 3-0, with two goals from Harry Kane and one for Paulinho sealing their victory. Hendon was pleased with how the Hammers applied themselves and felt they were unfortunate not to get on the scoresheet themselves. He added: "There were a few decent performances against a very good Spurs side - that was pretty much their Europa League team, I'd say. It was a good test for the younger lads, but the main objective today was to give Guy and Vaz minutes. "To be fair to the boys, they created a few chances in the second half, but we just couldn't convert them."
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Striker deal agreed - Di Marzio
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 23rd January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Roma striker Marco Boriello has agreed a deal to join West Ham on loan for the remainder of the season, according to reports emanating from Italy tonight.
According to Italian reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, earlier this afternoon Boriello agreed a deal with West Ham that will see him move to London for the remainder of the current campaign, with the relevant paperwork set to be signed tomorrow. Now 31, Boriello played for a number of top flights clubs including Juventus, Milan and Sampdoria prior to arriving at Roma for £10million in 2010. Yet despite the large fee, the 6'1" forward has made just 18 appearances for i Giallorossi since having spent more time out on loan since. Last season Boriello spent the entire season with Genoa for whom he scored 12 times in 28 Serie A appearances. His 11 appearances for his parent club this term have yielded just one goal so far, that coming in the 1-0 win over Chievo at the end of October.
However he has not played a first team fixture since November 25, when he came on as a 69th minute substitute for Alessandro Florenzi in a goalless draw with Chievo.
Here's KUMB member VeniceHammer: "Borriello is two things - a confidence player and a player who thrives in "big fish in a small pond" situations. He quite regularly failed to take his chances in big teams (Roma, Juventus, Milan) but had very good seasons, for example, at Genoa where he felt loved and scored a lot. "I hope that, if he really comes to us, his "too good looking to be a good footballer" fame quiets down a bit because, all in all, he is not a bad player. Decent technique and strong but mobile, the only thing we need to give him is patience and support (and that is what worries me, in our current situation).
"His goalscoring record, when supported, has always been decent. He's not a world beater, but I struggle to see us signing one."
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Hammers make second Serie A raid
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 23rd January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are poised to snap up a second Serie A star on loan for the rest of the season. Having already agreed a provisional deal with Roma to sign 31-year-old striker Marco Boriello on loan the Hammers are hoping to make a second raid on the Italian league in order to land midfielder Antonio Nocerino from Milan.
According to sources in Italy the two clubs have reached agreement on a loan deal, possibly with view to a permanent transfer should both parties agree. Gianluca Di Marzio, who broke the story adds that West Ham will cover the player's wages during his stay in London and that a medical is expected to take place before the weekend.
28-year-old Nocerino has been at Milan since 2011, since when he has made 87 appearances for the Rossoneri. It is thought that the players favours a move in order to gain first team football and stake a claim for next summer's World Cup Finals in Brazil.
Capped 15 times for Italy since making his international debut in 2007, the midfielder last appeared for his country in the 2012 European Championships and the 0-0 draw with England.
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Hammers fall but duo return
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 23rd January 2014
By: Staff Writer
There was good news for Sam Allardyce today after Guy Demel and Ricardo Vaz Te both came through a behind-closed-doors friendly unscathed.
A West Ham United XI were beaten 3-0 by Tottenham at the Boleyn Ground this afternoon in a match specifically-tailored to allow the duo some important match time, with the Hammers' next fixture - at Chelsea, on Wednesday- still a week away.
The visitors, featuring several first team squad players including Gylfi Sigurdsson, Paulinho and Jan Vertonghen took the lead after 12 minutes through young striker Harry Kane. The 20-year-old had the ball in the net again shortly after but saw his effort ruled out for offside - however £17million summer-signing Paulinho's 36th-minute effort did count, giving his side a 2-0 half time lead.
The only goal of the second half came with just 18 minutes of time remaining and followed a good move involving Sigurdsson, Holtby and goalscorer Kane who picked his spot from inside the box. The striker had previously seen a second effort ruled out for offside.
Despite suffering defeat, First team coach Ian Hendon was pleased with his team's overall performance - and delighted that both Demel and Vaz Te emerged intact. "That's what the game was arranged for," he told whufc.com. "We thought we might have a few more of the seniors available to play, but a lot of those played against Man City [on Tuesday night].
"The main thing was that they came through unscathed. We've got a 16-game season and it's going to be massive to have extra bodies back. The more we have fit and ready to go the easier it'll be. February is going to be a massive month with the games against teams in and around us.
"It was a good test for the younger lads, but the main objective today was to give Guy and Vaz minutes."
Sam Allardyce and the remainder of his senior squad jetted off to Dubai this week for some 'warm weather' training. Hammers fans will be hoping that it has a similar effect to the last two trips to the United Arab Emirates.
Following their mid-season sojourn last year, the Hammers lost 3-2 at home to Tottenham courtesy of Gareth Bale's last-minute wondergoal before losing just one of the next seven games (away to Chelsea).
And in 2012, the Hammers won 2-0 at Cardiff in their first game back through goals from Kevin Nolan and George McCartney before embarking on a seven-match unbeaten run in the Championship.
West Ham Utd: Howes, Demel, Vaz Te, Moncur, Lletget, McCallum, Maguire.
Tottenham: Friedel, Naughton (A McQueen 75), Kaboul (Gallifuoco 60), Vertonghen (Stewart 60), Fryers, Capoue, Paulinho (Ward 60), Sandro (Veljkovic 46), Holtby (Couleybaly 75), Kane, Sigurdsson.
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West Ham defender Winston Reid upbeat over his recovery from injury
Last Updated: 23/01/14 12:19pm
SSN
Injured West Ham defender Winston Reid says he is close to returning to training. The New Zealand international has not played since November 2nd and has missed his club's last 15 matches with an ankle problem. The 25-year-old from Auckland was hurt during training but has now told the club's website he should be back in action very soon. Reid said: "I'm as close as I've ever been to returning to training. We'll just have to see how it feels as to how we play it. "Unfortunately, I had to have an operation and it took a little bit longer than I expected. "There was a ligament torn in my ankle so they had to repair it by putting a screw through it to stabilise the joint. "Now, it's pretty much good to go again. It was painful when it happened and it got even worse in the couple of days afterwards, but after that it settled down. "People probably don't understand but you work hardest when you are injured because the days are pretty long. "I've been working in the gym and trying to get my body back in shape after spending the initial four weeks after the injury doing nothing, because I wasn't allowed to. "I had to keep my foot elevated and off the floor but the last seven-odd weeks I've been working hard to get my fitness back."
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EXCLUSIVE: GUEST POST BY DAVID SULLIVAN: "FANS MISUNDERSTAND OUR LOANS"
By Iain Dale 23 Jan 2014 at 20:00
West Ham Till I Die
From David Sullivan, joint chairman of WHU
To: WHTID readers
I do read your site regularly. People seem to misunderstand our loans. On our loans to the club there is a 'notional interest rate' as it's unrealistic if there isn't, and HMRC might question the loans. However. no interest has been paid or will be paid until the club is solvent/financially self sufficient. It just rolls up as a debt that may or may not ever be paid.
In contrast loans and repayment and interest to the bank have to be paid or the club is declared bankrupt. It is our money that then replaces these loans when they become due to avoid default.
It hurts us when supporters imply we are somehow collecting interest on our loans. In reality we have to put more and more in as the bank loans become due for payment.
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IT IS NOT JUST SAM
By Iain Dale 23 Jan 2014 at 12:38
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by iRoNcOrK
I write this as a deeply concerned fan, in an effort to be constructive rather than critical. I have thought many times recently that the club really needs "sorting out" and currently everything is pointing to the need for a root and branch review of the whole organisation, top to bottom.
We all know there is a team management issue which has taken up miles of column space on here but I believe we have deeper problems so I don't want to discuss the merit (?)s of Sam. One of the challenges in any organisation is keeping it fresh and competitive and there is every sign that our club not only has this challenge but is also at a turning point. The question is, will things turn for the better and make us a regular top half club capable, in time, of challenging for a place in Europe or do we face a future of being a regular bottom half club with the inevitable bouts of fighting relegation which the law of averages dictates that you will lose every once in a while?
A perennial problem for shareholders or CEOs is competitiveness. Good, solid performers in any organisation do get stale and though they may do nothing wrong, they often reach a comfort level where they stop driving the organisation forward. Sometimes they also get complacent, where they also start making mistakes, or less than optimal decisions, and the organisation goes into decline.
In the context of West Ham, let's start at the top. The owners are the chairmen. They can do what they wish with the club and whether they stay or go is their choice. Whether we like them or not, that is probably how it should be in most circumstances. However, Karren Brady needs consideration. She is a very smart and capable lady who the owners have worked with for many years, but is she performing to her best ability now? If I owned the club, I would have to ask myself whether she has become involved in too many outside activities to be able to perform at her absolute maximum level in the interests of the club. If the role was perceived as a part time one in the past, it is certainly not now. A proper full time CEO is needed to get to grips with all the off-field issues which are affecting on field results.
Clearly too many contracts, playing and non-playing, have been entered into without full consideration of the likely effects in differing scenarios. Hence Sam's compensation is too expensive to sack him, we will never afford Nolan or Carroll, given their contribution levels, in the Championship, together with players who seemingly hardly play. We also have players on contracts with "interesting" clauses,….interesting but not in our interest. A firmer strategy with scenario planning is needed for all contracts and older players.
Looking at some of the comings and goings over the last couple of years we should be forgiven for thinking that we have been regularly manipulated by agents and/or our own manager in the signing of new players. We have brought in far too many who have not played enough games, either because they were simply not good enough anyway or because they were not given a chance. Some of these have played but been paid far too much for their ability level and contribution. It has to stop. The manager, assuming he chooses the players, needs to be held accountable for those he signs. We need a review of our scouting organisation (do we have one to speak of?), so that we may successfully compete with (often smaller) clubs who seem to regularly discover relatively cheap but outstanding performers from both inside and outside the UK. At the very least we need to know much more about players before we sign them.
The club has three training facilities, Chadwell Heath, Rush Green and Little Heath. There needs to be a long term strategy in place to consolidate these in one location and bring the facilities up to modern Premier League standards. This is not visionary and it is not optional if we want to thrive and be successful. After all, the club's business is the performance of professional athletes. Our performances, injury record and ongoing advances in technology dictate that we should regularly review our facilities, support personnel and treatment regimens. The Andy Carroll debacle alone indicates that. Obviously there is a serious debt issue to resolve before we could take on the costs involved but there should be a plan and there should be a measure of urgency.
We have one of the best academy coaches in the land but the throughput of young players has slowed dramatically so this is another area crying out for a review and new strategy, also linked to scouting, support personnel, facilities and actually giving the youngsters opportunities at the appropriate time.
The club has become something of a laughing stock in terms of its public relations and communications strategy, or lack thereof. The puerile nature of the club's emails has come in for a lot of criticism recently. Also, delegating implementation of information dissemination to a dyslexic thirteen year old is not the hallmark of a professional organisation and it is quite clear that the club's relationship with its fans is adversely affected by this on a regular basis.
If you will pardon the pun, these issues are not indicative of a CEO with her eye on the ball and there are no doubt other matters of serious concern. Often, and I would venture in this case, it is better to bring someone from outside the organisation to review current practices with fresh eyes. Maybe it needs a small team with both football and non-football experience to be brought in, for a limited time, to examine everything the club does – and how it does it – and then come up with recommendations to improve. Maybe it just needs a full time, hands-on CEO who is not trying to juggle too many balls at once in the wider society.
There will be many good things going on inside the club and these need to be not only reinforced but improved upon as well. However, it is quite clear that there are too many areas of the club not performing as they should and the organisational structure is a long way from optimal.
We have too many pressing issues. Karren Brady needs to refocus her attention on West Ham or step aside. The club desperately needs leadership, and leaders must be accountable.
Perhaps Messrs. Gold and Sullivan should appoint a competent and full time CEO to run the club and become less hands on themselves, sit back and enjoy being fans. It may increase their objectivity as their current approach is not working.
If we were flying high it would not be a problem. When we look at all the challenges that are now arising, together with the potential turmoil and indeed opportunities of the Olympic Stadium on the horizon, something has to change, and change fast.
Corky
COYI
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WEST HAM WANDERERS?
By Sean Whetstone 23 Jan 2014 at 08:53
West Ham Till I Die
It has often been claimed West Ham have turned into a sh*t version of Bolton on the pitch since Sam Allardyce's arrival as manager. Whether you agree with that sentiment or not the question now needs to be asked whether we are turning into a version of Bolton off the pitch in financial terms? Earlier this month Bolton Wanderers have admitted their debts have grown to a staggering £163.8m, with £50.7m haemorrhaging during the 12 months to June 2013. There are fears that the club may follow Leeds United and Portsmouth into financial armageddon.
In a statement Bolton's chairman Phil Gartside, said…
"This year's results show the difficulties faced in the football business when a club has enjoyed a sustained and successful period in the Premier League – in our case 11 years – then suffers relegation to the Football League Championship. The ever-widening gap between the two leagues makes the transition extremely difficult, even with the benefit of parachute payments."
The club's financial position underlines the dangers of overspending and dropping out of the Premier League as Wanderers did in May 2012. Bolton is dependent on a single benefactor, the owner Eddie Davies. Yet as £151.3m of the debt is owed to Davies through his company, Moonlight Investment Ltd. Gartside conceded the club's future hinges on Davies' continuing goodwill while admitting that financial fair play rules mean he can no longer support the club as before.
"However, [owners'] financial support is no longer possible in this league without severe penalty. We are responding to a changing environment … " said Gartside.
Owner Davies's decision to charge interest on loans to the club has been questioned. Although he ended the policy in July, Mohamed Al Fayed, for example, never charged interest on loans that left Fulham £193m in debt. Fayed sold Fulham to Shahid Khan last summer.
When West ham got relegated Sullivan & Gold injected £32.5m into the club as we made a loss of £25.5m during our season in the championship. They charge interest on their loans to the club.
David Sullivan was recently quoted as saying "If we go down we cannot afford to subsidise the club any longer"
Since our last relegation Financial Fair Play rules have been implemented in the Championship which change the landscape. Championship clubs are allowed to lose up to £3 million a season, which will incur no sanction or punishment. If a club loses between £3-8 million that season, then the owner of the club is required to cover the loss, which if done, then there are no further sanctions. If the owner cannot or will not cover the loss, then a transfer embargo is placed on the club until they can demonstrate an acceptable financial situation.
If the club loses over £8 million for that season, then the punishment depends on whether they were promoted or not. If promoted, the club will pay a Fair Play Tax out of the revenue produced from competing in the Premier League, with the proceeds going to charity. The Fair Play Tax was controversially applied to FFP in the Championship, with many clubs wanting the Fair Play Tax proceeds going back to the clubs that abide by the rules. Nevertheless, if a club has not been promoted, then the transfer embargo will be placed upon that club until they can demonstrate an acceptable financial situation.
Relegation for West Ham this season could cause our own financial armageddon without the ability to buy ourselves out of the championship like we did last time.
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Big Sam considering swoop for Newcastle outcast
Date: 23rd January 2014 at 3:00 pm
Written by: Irons Maiden | Forever West Ham
Steven TaylorIf West Ham fail to convince Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott to join them, the Telegraph are reporting that Sam Allardyce will turn his attentions to Newcastle United defender Steven Taylor. Newcastle are apparently willing to listen to offers for the 28-year-old, as Alan Pardew continues to prefer the defensive options of Fabricio Coloccini, Mike Williamson and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa. Taylor, who has been at Newcastle since his youth, has only made three Premier League appearances this season. Yet another rumour and still no substantial signings from our beloved West Ham…I'm starting to worry.
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Di Marzio: "Borriello accepts offer from West Ham"0
Danny Hansen Thursday January 23rd, 2014 Latest articles
Sempreinter.com
Marco Borriello has been mentioned as a possible target for Inter during this transfer window but Gianluca Di Marzio reports that the striker is on his way to another club: "It will be the Premier League in the future of Marco Borriello. Right now the striker, in fact, has accepted an offer from West Ham: a loan until the end of the season, a solution that finally convinced the striker who has for some time been about to leave Roma. The signature on the contract is expected to be made tomorrow. There is an ongoing exchange of documents between the two clubs, early on Saturday he could undergo the medical examination. Borriello bids farewell to Roma, Premier League awaits him."
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West Ham United Set For Double Italian Swoop
Forzaitalianfootball.com
West Ham United are reportedly close to sealing deals for AC Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino and Roma striker Marco Borriello. The duo have been linked away from their current clubs as they have been deemed a surplus to requirements, and it appears they have found a new home in London. Gazzetta.it report that Nocerino has accepted a loan move to the Hammers where he will spend the remainder of the season. Sky Sport Italia report that Borriello has also accepted a move to the London club after weeks of rumours linking him with a move to the Premier League. It is believed Borriello will land in England on Saturday for a medical before completing a loan move. Nocerino has 11 league appearances for Milan this season while Borriello has scored one goal in 11 appearances for Roma.
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Serbian striker in line for Premier League move to West Ham
Labrokes.com
Sam Alllardyce could be set to turn his attentions to in-form Nantes striker Filip Djordjevic this January as West Ham continue their search for a striker to boost the club's ailing fortunes.
The 26-year-old has been in excellent form for the newly-promoted Ligue 1 side, scoring eight goals for Les Canaris in a haul to rival that of PSG forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Monaco man Radamel Falcao.
Equally adept in the air as he is with the ball at his feet, the forward could be the perfect antidote to the Hammers' current malaise under Big Sam, with the Irons struggling for goals in the Premier League at present, having scored just three in their last five competitive fixtures.
It's a tally that, when allied with a run of six losses in their last eight games, has seen West Ham priced at 8/5 to be relegated this term with Allardyce the 6/4 favourite to be the next Premier League manager to leave his post.
Djordjevic could provide some respite though, with the young Serb something of a late bloomer having previously risen through the ranks at Red Star Belgrade before moving to France, where he took time to blossom at Nantes.
Nevertheless his signature could represent something of a coup for West Ham, with Hull City previously close to landing the highly-regarded striker, amid reports of an imminent move last month.
However talk of that deal has subsequently cooled, with Tigers boss Steve Bruce instead turning to Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long this month.
A Hammers move would mean a happy ending to Big Sam's current striker crisis, with the club previously failing to land Lacina Traore on loan, as well as being linked with Birmingham target man Nikola Zigic and former Blackburn goalscorer Yakubu.
Djordjevic, meanwhile, will no doubt relish the chance to test his skills in the English top flight and follow in the footsteps of fellow countrymen Nemanja Vidic and Aleksandar Kolarov.
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Belfodil set to choose QPR as West Ham miss out on ANOTHER striker
HITC.com
Inter Milan striker Ishak Belfodil is set to turn down a move to West Ham in favour of Championship side Queens Park Rangers.
The Algerian international, 22, only joined the Serie A giants in the summer following an impressive season with Parma. Inter Milan paid €7.5m for 50% of the former Lyon striker in a co-ownership deal, yet after struggling to break into Walter Mazzarri's team, Belfodil wants to go out on loan in a bid to play first-team football. He was recently told by his national team coach that his in Algeria's squad for the upcoming World Cup in Brazil is not assured if he does not play regular football.
Fellow Serie A side Sassuolo had lined up a £7m bid for Belfodil, though it is believed that the striker wants to play in London, and subsequently narrowed his choice down to either West Ham United or Queens Park Rangers.
Now, this would seem like an easy decision for any foreign player. West Ham are, whilst currently struggling, a Premier League team, whilst QPR are currently in the Championship following their relegation last season. A no-brainer, right?
Well, it seemingly isn't that simple. Reports today suggest that Belfodil will choose to sign for QPR in a loan deal until the end of the season, becoming the latest player to spurn the advances of Sam Allardyce and his Hammers, after Lacina Traore turned down a move to Upton Park in favour of Roberto Martinez's Everton.
Allardyce desperately needs to land a striker after seeing his side hit just 22 goals in 22 games this season, but has so far struggled to attract any of his targets, and Belfodil can now be added to that particular list. It's incredibly concerning for Hammers fans that Belfodil, a promising striker who made his name in a tough league in Serie A, would rather play in the second tier of English football than move to West Ham.
Perhaps the reasoning for Belfodil's decision is simply because West Ham currently lie 18th in the Premier League table, and are in real danger of being relegated. Meanwhile, Harry Redknapp's QPR are second in the Championship, and are one of the favourites for promotion. At such a young age, it's important to feature in a winning team, and perhaps Belfodil feels this will aid his development as a player.
With the latest rejection fresh in Allardyce's mind, he now has to consider alternatives – but if they can't compete with QPR for signings, how can they expect to land a striker that will score the goals to keep them in the Premier League?
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West Ham United keen on Catania forward Maxi Lopez
5:04pm Thursday 23rd January 2014 in News
East London and West Essex Guardian Series
West Ham United are reportedly keen on signing Catania forward Maxi Lopez. The Argentine striker is understood to want a move away from Italy and would probably welcome a move to the Premier League. Lopez has enjoyed a busy career having played for the likes of AC Milan, Barcelona and River Plate.
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West Ham set sights on Feyenoord striker
By talkSPORT | Thursday, January 23, 2014
Sam Allardyce is desperate to bring in another forward before the transfer window closes at the end of January. The West Ham boss was left fuming when Monaco forward Lacina Traore pulled out of a move to the east London club at the last minute. Allardyce could now switch his attentions to Pelle who has been one of the star performers for Feyenoord and has also attracted interest from both Chelsea and Barcelona. The Italian striker scored an impressive 27 goals in just 29 games last season and would be an ideal choice for West Ham as they look to move out of the bottom three. But Allardyce faces a major battle to clinch his signature as the prolific forward says he is happy to stay in Holland and is enjoying his time at Feyenoord. Pelle told RTV Rijnmond: "It's always an honour to be in the interest of clubs, maybe I deserved that. But right now, I do not think about a transfer. "I have often said that I'm enjoying myself at Feyenoord. I love this club and I'm happy with how the season goes."
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West Ham rule out Ravel Morrison transfer in the current window after rejecting Fulham bid
Jan 23, 2014 22:29 By John Cross
The Mirror
West Ham have told Ravel Morrison he is going nowhere in the current transfer window. Hammers co-owner David Sullivan has made it clear that they will run the risk of losing money on his fee in the summer rather than cash in on him between now and next Friday's deadline. The Upton Park club have knocked back a £4million bid from Fulham for Morrison, even though the England Under-21 international will only have 12 months left on his contract in the summer. They have decided to take a strong stance and resist any temptation to sell Morrison, in the hope he can help them beat relegation back to the Championship.
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Borriello heads to London for talks with West Ham as Allardyce targets striker
By DECLAN WARRINGTON
PUBLISHED: 22:57, 23 January 2014 | UPDATED: 23:05, 23 January 2014
Daily Mail
Marco Borriello is ready to fly to London for talks over a transfer to West Ham. Despite Andy Carroll's return to fitness and Carlton Cole's contract extension, manager Sam Allardyce remains keen on recruiting a striker. Boriello, 31, has agreed a deal in principle to leave Roma, and could become one of several new signings. The striker has scored only one Serie A goal this season, but has been a reliable finisher for Roma, Juventus and Milan in recent years.
West Ham are to also hold talks with Raul Meireles, formerly of Liverpool and Chelsea, though they look set to miss out on Michael Essien, who is close to a loan move to AC Milan. Osasuna's Raoul Loe, who has also been looked at by relegation rivals Crystal Palace, and Milan's Antonio Nocerino are further midfield options.
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Nice work if you can get it
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 24th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
It has been revealed that an unnamed director of West Ham United was paid in excess of £1.6million last season. The huge sum, almost certainly a bonus payment in relation to a particular target being reached was revealed in the latest set of accounts for season 2012/13, which were released this week. From a total of £1,962,000 paid to the Club's directors during the season, £1.634,000 went to just one director. The accounts also revealed that WH Holdings, West Ham United FC's parent company enjoyed a turnover just shy of £90million in 2012/23 - the club's first season back in the Premier League following promotion from the Championship - and recorded an operating profit of £1.05million. However with interest payments taken into account, an overall loss of £3.5million was made. The steady process of shifting debts from the banks into personal loans by the Club's -co-owners, David Gold and David Sullivan, is also clearly evident. And whilst the overall figure owed to creditors stands well in excess of £100million, the vast majority of that sum remains manageable following the refinancing of the Club (a re-arranged loan with Barclays Bank covering some £45million) plus the co-owners' decision to convert a similar amount of debt into personal loans. "My board and I are delighted with the achievements we have made this season," wrote David Sullivan. "During the year we bought Matt Jarvis, Mo Diame, James Collins, Alou Diarra and Modibo Maiga, investing a total of £26.7million. "Subsequent to the year end, we have further invested in the playing staff for the 2013/14 season with the significant purchase of Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing. After the season ended I further invested in the Club by purchasing 25 per cent of the Club from CB Holdings ehf, taking the combined shareholding of myself and David Gold to 86.2 per cent. "This season will bring its own challenges but we continue to believe that we will deliver both on and off the pitch by investing in the team, the brand and managing the business well."
Vice-Chair Karren Brady added: "2012/13 was a very successful year for the Club both on and off the pitch. Off the pitch all areas of income increased, from ticket sales to commercial revenue, creating total additional revenue of £43.6million this year. "The Retail team drove a 25 per cent increase in sale achieving a Club record high in turnover. The Commercial and Sponsorship departments generated £13.9million of revenue, another record. The Marketing team delivered 17 sell-out crowds and the Ticketing team increased match day sales by 32 per cent to £18million. "Through the hard work of a fantastic, dedicated, loyal and determined team the Club has grown in size, revenue and in stature. The management team off the pitch were able to capitalise and maximise on all the opportunities the manager and the team delivered on the pitch."
To see how the latest set of accounts compare with the 2011/12 Championship season, see below...
The 2012/13 Accounts: Main Points
The main changes in the last 12 months
* Turnover UP from £46million to £90million
* Operating Profit UP from -£22million to £1million
* Wage bill UP from £35million to £49million
* Directors' Remuneration UP from £669,000 to £2million
* Net debt UP from £71million to £77million
* Sponsorships (including TV revenue) UP from £20million to £52million
* Shareholders loans UP from zero to £45.7million
* Number of staff DOWN from 586 to 580
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Kuzmanovic turns down West Ham0
Hampus Kärki Friday January 24th, 2014
Sempreinter.com
SportMediaset reports today the Serbian Inter-midfielder Zdravko Kuzmanovic has caught the eyes of West Ham United, but the Serbian international has already turned down a move to West Ham. Instead, the Hammers will go for Antonio Nocerino from AC Milan.
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Michael Essien rejects late West Ham United offer
Posted On Friday, 24th January 2014
GhanaSoccer.net
By Akyereko Frimpong Manson
Ghana midfielder Michael Essien told West Ham United officials he is not interested in joining the club as he reached a persona terms with AC Milan, GHANAsoccernet.com can exclusively confirm. The Hammers were among top clubs hoping to secure the signature of the 31-year-old by signing him from Chelsea but Essien reportedly told Chelsea officials he is not interested in a move to the Upton Park. Essien has made just five appearances for Chelsea since the start of the season and the Blues re-signed midfielder Nemanja Matic from Benfica which means they were ready to allow the experienced Ghanaian leave the club. West Ham joined Galatasaray, Milan and PSG as clubs hoping to land Essien but he told Chelsea officials he wants to move abroad. He is expected to finalise a move to AC Milan in the next 24 hours.
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WHUFC.com
West Ham United forward Ricardo Vaz Te is targeting a first-team comeback after another successful run out
23.01.2014
Hello everyone,
I am pleased to report that I should be back in action soon. My shoulder has been all right for a few weeks now but, as I have been out for a while, when I came back to training I felt a little pain down my shin so I had to adjust that as well. It was something I was not familiar with, but it has been addressed so I have been training for the last week now. I managed to play 60 minutes in a behind-closed-doors match on Thursday and it's feeling quite all right now. I have no pain, but I'm not as sharp as I should or as I was, but that will come quickly, I've no doubt. I'm feeling good, so I just need a few more training sessions and games and I'll be sweet. I feel like I can play a part, so there is no problem. I didn't make the best of starts to the season, considering what happened in the transfer window and stuff like that, but all that was put aside and we worked out our differences. I went back into the team and I was very pleased. I'm happy to be here and have been from day one, really. I always felt glad to be part of this amazing Club, so I'm happy to be back now and hopefully I can contribute to anything that is positive. I will train for the next week and, barring any setbacks, I will make myself available for selection next week. After that, it is up to the manager because he decides which players will play. As long as I am available, if he plays me then I am ready and if not, I am working so that when he gives me my chance, I take it.
We also have a number of important players who are either back or close to returning. Winston Reid was the Hammer of the Year last season and obviously he has been very important for us and still is. Andy Carroll was very unfortunate with his injury, too.
Injuries happen and you have good times and bad times. This was our dip in the road, so we will address it and there is no need to shy away from it.
We are in a difficult situation. I remember coming here when we were in the Championship and we lost first and second position and had to go through the Play-Offs and people started turning on us. As long as you keep your head up and know what is required, everything will be OK.
The main priority is obviously to stay in the Premier League. Last year, we finished in the top ten, which was OK. Personally, I feel that this Club should be in the top ten. Now things are difficult so we have to make sure we stay in the Premier League, which I think will be no problem whatsoever, and then we'll build on that.
It's easy to lose faith but supporters have been in this place many times. I am sure that nobody is going down. The fans have emotion and if they want to boo, they boo and if they want to cheer, they cheer - hopefully we will give them something to cheer. We want to do that all the time, but it's not always possible.
It's easy to wish we had something else, but let's count our blessings and hopefully things will get better. It is tough at the moment, but I don't think there is anything to worry about. The main thing is to stay positive, because I think we'll be fine.
Enjoy your weekend,
Vaz
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Guy and Vaz feature in friendly
WHUFC.com
West Ham United pair Guy Demel and Ricardo Vaz Te played in a behind-closed-doors game on Thursday
23.01.2014
West Ham United duo Guy Demel and Ricardo Vaz Te returned to action in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday. The pair played for an hour following their recent injury lay-offs as they move closer to full fitness once more. Vaz Te suffered a dislocated shoulder back in October, while Demel has been sidelined with a severe concussion picked up in the Barclays Premier League victory at Cardiff City earlier this month. Now, with a series of important games coming up for Sam Allardyce's men, both will be hoping to play a full part before long. First team coach Ian Hendon said: "Guy and Vaz got an important hour under their belts on Thursday. That's what the game was arranged for - we thought we might have a few more of the seniors available to play, but a lot of those played against Man City. "The main thing was that they came through unscathed. We've got a 16-game season and it's going to be massive to have extra bodies back. The more we have fit and ready to go the easier it'll be. February is going to be a massive month with the games against teams in and around us."
An experienced Spurs side, which included eight internationals who had commanded transfer fees in excess of £60m, saw off the youthful Hammers 3-0, with two goals from Harry Kane and one for Paulinho sealing their victory. Hendon was pleased with how the Hammers applied themselves and felt they were unfortunate not to get on the scoresheet themselves. He added: "There were a few decent performances against a very good Spurs side - that was pretty much their Europa League team, I'd say. It was a good test for the younger lads, but the main objective today was to give Guy and Vaz minutes. "To be fair to the boys, they created a few chances in the second half, but we just couldn't convert them."
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Striker deal agreed - Di Marzio
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 23rd January 2014
By: Staff Writer
Roma striker Marco Boriello has agreed a deal to join West Ham on loan for the remainder of the season, according to reports emanating from Italy tonight.
According to Italian reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, earlier this afternoon Boriello agreed a deal with West Ham that will see him move to London for the remainder of the current campaign, with the relevant paperwork set to be signed tomorrow. Now 31, Boriello played for a number of top flights clubs including Juventus, Milan and Sampdoria prior to arriving at Roma for £10million in 2010. Yet despite the large fee, the 6'1" forward has made just 18 appearances for i Giallorossi since having spent more time out on loan since. Last season Boriello spent the entire season with Genoa for whom he scored 12 times in 28 Serie A appearances. His 11 appearances for his parent club this term have yielded just one goal so far, that coming in the 1-0 win over Chievo at the end of October.
However he has not played a first team fixture since November 25, when he came on as a 69th minute substitute for Alessandro Florenzi in a goalless draw with Chievo.
Here's KUMB member VeniceHammer: "Borriello is two things - a confidence player and a player who thrives in "big fish in a small pond" situations. He quite regularly failed to take his chances in big teams (Roma, Juventus, Milan) but had very good seasons, for example, at Genoa where he felt loved and scored a lot. "I hope that, if he really comes to us, his "too good looking to be a good footballer" fame quiets down a bit because, all in all, he is not a bad player. Decent technique and strong but mobile, the only thing we need to give him is patience and support (and that is what worries me, in our current situation).
"His goalscoring record, when supported, has always been decent. He's not a world beater, but I struggle to see us signing one."
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Hammers make second Serie A raid
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 23rd January 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham are poised to snap up a second Serie A star on loan for the rest of the season. Having already agreed a provisional deal with Roma to sign 31-year-old striker Marco Boriello on loan the Hammers are hoping to make a second raid on the Italian league in order to land midfielder Antonio Nocerino from Milan.
According to sources in Italy the two clubs have reached agreement on a loan deal, possibly with view to a permanent transfer should both parties agree. Gianluca Di Marzio, who broke the story adds that West Ham will cover the player's wages during his stay in London and that a medical is expected to take place before the weekend.
28-year-old Nocerino has been at Milan since 2011, since when he has made 87 appearances for the Rossoneri. It is thought that the players favours a move in order to gain first team football and stake a claim for next summer's World Cup Finals in Brazil.
Capped 15 times for Italy since making his international debut in 2007, the midfielder last appeared for his country in the 2012 European Championships and the 0-0 draw with England.
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Hammers fall but duo return
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 23rd January 2014
By: Staff Writer
There was good news for Sam Allardyce today after Guy Demel and Ricardo Vaz Te both came through a behind-closed-doors friendly unscathed.
A West Ham United XI were beaten 3-0 by Tottenham at the Boleyn Ground this afternoon in a match specifically-tailored to allow the duo some important match time, with the Hammers' next fixture - at Chelsea, on Wednesday- still a week away.
The visitors, featuring several first team squad players including Gylfi Sigurdsson, Paulinho and Jan Vertonghen took the lead after 12 minutes through young striker Harry Kane. The 20-year-old had the ball in the net again shortly after but saw his effort ruled out for offside - however £17million summer-signing Paulinho's 36th-minute effort did count, giving his side a 2-0 half time lead.
The only goal of the second half came with just 18 minutes of time remaining and followed a good move involving Sigurdsson, Holtby and goalscorer Kane who picked his spot from inside the box. The striker had previously seen a second effort ruled out for offside.
Despite suffering defeat, First team coach Ian Hendon was pleased with his team's overall performance - and delighted that both Demel and Vaz Te emerged intact. "That's what the game was arranged for," he told whufc.com. "We thought we might have a few more of the seniors available to play, but a lot of those played against Man City [on Tuesday night].
"The main thing was that they came through unscathed. We've got a 16-game season and it's going to be massive to have extra bodies back. The more we have fit and ready to go the easier it'll be. February is going to be a massive month with the games against teams in and around us.
"It was a good test for the younger lads, but the main objective today was to give Guy and Vaz minutes."
Sam Allardyce and the remainder of his senior squad jetted off to Dubai this week for some 'warm weather' training. Hammers fans will be hoping that it has a similar effect to the last two trips to the United Arab Emirates.
Following their mid-season sojourn last year, the Hammers lost 3-2 at home to Tottenham courtesy of Gareth Bale's last-minute wondergoal before losing just one of the next seven games (away to Chelsea).
And in 2012, the Hammers won 2-0 at Cardiff in their first game back through goals from Kevin Nolan and George McCartney before embarking on a seven-match unbeaten run in the Championship.
West Ham Utd: Howes, Demel, Vaz Te, Moncur, Lletget, McCallum, Maguire.
Tottenham: Friedel, Naughton (A McQueen 75), Kaboul (Gallifuoco 60), Vertonghen (Stewart 60), Fryers, Capoue, Paulinho (Ward 60), Sandro (Veljkovic 46), Holtby (Couleybaly 75), Kane, Sigurdsson.
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West Ham defender Winston Reid upbeat over his recovery from injury
Last Updated: 23/01/14 12:19pm
SSN
Injured West Ham defender Winston Reid says he is close to returning to training. The New Zealand international has not played since November 2nd and has missed his club's last 15 matches with an ankle problem. The 25-year-old from Auckland was hurt during training but has now told the club's website he should be back in action very soon. Reid said: "I'm as close as I've ever been to returning to training. We'll just have to see how it feels as to how we play it. "Unfortunately, I had to have an operation and it took a little bit longer than I expected. "There was a ligament torn in my ankle so they had to repair it by putting a screw through it to stabilise the joint. "Now, it's pretty much good to go again. It was painful when it happened and it got even worse in the couple of days afterwards, but after that it settled down. "People probably don't understand but you work hardest when you are injured because the days are pretty long. "I've been working in the gym and trying to get my body back in shape after spending the initial four weeks after the injury doing nothing, because I wasn't allowed to. "I had to keep my foot elevated and off the floor but the last seven-odd weeks I've been working hard to get my fitness back."
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EXCLUSIVE: GUEST POST BY DAVID SULLIVAN: "FANS MISUNDERSTAND OUR LOANS"
By Iain Dale 23 Jan 2014 at 20:00
West Ham Till I Die
From David Sullivan, joint chairman of WHU
To: WHTID readers
I do read your site regularly. People seem to misunderstand our loans. On our loans to the club there is a 'notional interest rate' as it's unrealistic if there isn't, and HMRC might question the loans. However. no interest has been paid or will be paid until the club is solvent/financially self sufficient. It just rolls up as a debt that may or may not ever be paid.
In contrast loans and repayment and interest to the bank have to be paid or the club is declared bankrupt. It is our money that then replaces these loans when they become due to avoid default.
It hurts us when supporters imply we are somehow collecting interest on our loans. In reality we have to put more and more in as the bank loans become due for payment.
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IT IS NOT JUST SAM
By Iain Dale 23 Jan 2014 at 12:38
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by iRoNcOrK
I write this as a deeply concerned fan, in an effort to be constructive rather than critical. I have thought many times recently that the club really needs "sorting out" and currently everything is pointing to the need for a root and branch review of the whole organisation, top to bottom.
We all know there is a team management issue which has taken up miles of column space on here but I believe we have deeper problems so I don't want to discuss the merit (?)s of Sam. One of the challenges in any organisation is keeping it fresh and competitive and there is every sign that our club not only has this challenge but is also at a turning point. The question is, will things turn for the better and make us a regular top half club capable, in time, of challenging for a place in Europe or do we face a future of being a regular bottom half club with the inevitable bouts of fighting relegation which the law of averages dictates that you will lose every once in a while?
A perennial problem for shareholders or CEOs is competitiveness. Good, solid performers in any organisation do get stale and though they may do nothing wrong, they often reach a comfort level where they stop driving the organisation forward. Sometimes they also get complacent, where they also start making mistakes, or less than optimal decisions, and the organisation goes into decline.
In the context of West Ham, let's start at the top. The owners are the chairmen. They can do what they wish with the club and whether they stay or go is their choice. Whether we like them or not, that is probably how it should be in most circumstances. However, Karren Brady needs consideration. She is a very smart and capable lady who the owners have worked with for many years, but is she performing to her best ability now? If I owned the club, I would have to ask myself whether she has become involved in too many outside activities to be able to perform at her absolute maximum level in the interests of the club. If the role was perceived as a part time one in the past, it is certainly not now. A proper full time CEO is needed to get to grips with all the off-field issues which are affecting on field results.
Clearly too many contracts, playing and non-playing, have been entered into without full consideration of the likely effects in differing scenarios. Hence Sam's compensation is too expensive to sack him, we will never afford Nolan or Carroll, given their contribution levels, in the Championship, together with players who seemingly hardly play. We also have players on contracts with "interesting" clauses,….interesting but not in our interest. A firmer strategy with scenario planning is needed for all contracts and older players.
Looking at some of the comings and goings over the last couple of years we should be forgiven for thinking that we have been regularly manipulated by agents and/or our own manager in the signing of new players. We have brought in far too many who have not played enough games, either because they were simply not good enough anyway or because they were not given a chance. Some of these have played but been paid far too much for their ability level and contribution. It has to stop. The manager, assuming he chooses the players, needs to be held accountable for those he signs. We need a review of our scouting organisation (do we have one to speak of?), so that we may successfully compete with (often smaller) clubs who seem to regularly discover relatively cheap but outstanding performers from both inside and outside the UK. At the very least we need to know much more about players before we sign them.
The club has three training facilities, Chadwell Heath, Rush Green and Little Heath. There needs to be a long term strategy in place to consolidate these in one location and bring the facilities up to modern Premier League standards. This is not visionary and it is not optional if we want to thrive and be successful. After all, the club's business is the performance of professional athletes. Our performances, injury record and ongoing advances in technology dictate that we should regularly review our facilities, support personnel and treatment regimens. The Andy Carroll debacle alone indicates that. Obviously there is a serious debt issue to resolve before we could take on the costs involved but there should be a plan and there should be a measure of urgency.
We have one of the best academy coaches in the land but the throughput of young players has slowed dramatically so this is another area crying out for a review and new strategy, also linked to scouting, support personnel, facilities and actually giving the youngsters opportunities at the appropriate time.
The club has become something of a laughing stock in terms of its public relations and communications strategy, or lack thereof. The puerile nature of the club's emails has come in for a lot of criticism recently. Also, delegating implementation of information dissemination to a dyslexic thirteen year old is not the hallmark of a professional organisation and it is quite clear that the club's relationship with its fans is adversely affected by this on a regular basis.
If you will pardon the pun, these issues are not indicative of a CEO with her eye on the ball and there are no doubt other matters of serious concern. Often, and I would venture in this case, it is better to bring someone from outside the organisation to review current practices with fresh eyes. Maybe it needs a small team with both football and non-football experience to be brought in, for a limited time, to examine everything the club does – and how it does it – and then come up with recommendations to improve. Maybe it just needs a full time, hands-on CEO who is not trying to juggle too many balls at once in the wider society.
There will be many good things going on inside the club and these need to be not only reinforced but improved upon as well. However, it is quite clear that there are too many areas of the club not performing as they should and the organisational structure is a long way from optimal.
We have too many pressing issues. Karren Brady needs to refocus her attention on West Ham or step aside. The club desperately needs leadership, and leaders must be accountable.
Perhaps Messrs. Gold and Sullivan should appoint a competent and full time CEO to run the club and become less hands on themselves, sit back and enjoy being fans. It may increase their objectivity as their current approach is not working.
If we were flying high it would not be a problem. When we look at all the challenges that are now arising, together with the potential turmoil and indeed opportunities of the Olympic Stadium on the horizon, something has to change, and change fast.
Corky
COYI
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WEST HAM WANDERERS?
By Sean Whetstone 23 Jan 2014 at 08:53
West Ham Till I Die
It has often been claimed West Ham have turned into a sh*t version of Bolton on the pitch since Sam Allardyce's arrival as manager. Whether you agree with that sentiment or not the question now needs to be asked whether we are turning into a version of Bolton off the pitch in financial terms? Earlier this month Bolton Wanderers have admitted their debts have grown to a staggering £163.8m, with £50.7m haemorrhaging during the 12 months to June 2013. There are fears that the club may follow Leeds United and Portsmouth into financial armageddon.
In a statement Bolton's chairman Phil Gartside, said…
"This year's results show the difficulties faced in the football business when a club has enjoyed a sustained and successful period in the Premier League – in our case 11 years – then suffers relegation to the Football League Championship. The ever-widening gap between the two leagues makes the transition extremely difficult, even with the benefit of parachute payments."
The club's financial position underlines the dangers of overspending and dropping out of the Premier League as Wanderers did in May 2012. Bolton is dependent on a single benefactor, the owner Eddie Davies. Yet as £151.3m of the debt is owed to Davies through his company, Moonlight Investment Ltd. Gartside conceded the club's future hinges on Davies' continuing goodwill while admitting that financial fair play rules mean he can no longer support the club as before.
"However, [owners'] financial support is no longer possible in this league without severe penalty. We are responding to a changing environment … " said Gartside.
Owner Davies's decision to charge interest on loans to the club has been questioned. Although he ended the policy in July, Mohamed Al Fayed, for example, never charged interest on loans that left Fulham £193m in debt. Fayed sold Fulham to Shahid Khan last summer.
When West ham got relegated Sullivan & Gold injected £32.5m into the club as we made a loss of £25.5m during our season in the championship. They charge interest on their loans to the club.
David Sullivan was recently quoted as saying "If we go down we cannot afford to subsidise the club any longer"
Since our last relegation Financial Fair Play rules have been implemented in the Championship which change the landscape. Championship clubs are allowed to lose up to £3 million a season, which will incur no sanction or punishment. If a club loses between £3-8 million that season, then the owner of the club is required to cover the loss, which if done, then there are no further sanctions. If the owner cannot or will not cover the loss, then a transfer embargo is placed on the club until they can demonstrate an acceptable financial situation.
If the club loses over £8 million for that season, then the punishment depends on whether they were promoted or not. If promoted, the club will pay a Fair Play Tax out of the revenue produced from competing in the Premier League, with the proceeds going to charity. The Fair Play Tax was controversially applied to FFP in the Championship, with many clubs wanting the Fair Play Tax proceeds going back to the clubs that abide by the rules. Nevertheless, if a club has not been promoted, then the transfer embargo will be placed upon that club until they can demonstrate an acceptable financial situation.
Relegation for West Ham this season could cause our own financial armageddon without the ability to buy ourselves out of the championship like we did last time.
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Big Sam considering swoop for Newcastle outcast
Date: 23rd January 2014 at 3:00 pm
Written by: Irons Maiden | Forever West Ham
Steven TaylorIf West Ham fail to convince Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott to join them, the Telegraph are reporting that Sam Allardyce will turn his attentions to Newcastle United defender Steven Taylor. Newcastle are apparently willing to listen to offers for the 28-year-old, as Alan Pardew continues to prefer the defensive options of Fabricio Coloccini, Mike Williamson and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa. Taylor, who has been at Newcastle since his youth, has only made three Premier League appearances this season. Yet another rumour and still no substantial signings from our beloved West Ham…I'm starting to worry.
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Di Marzio: "Borriello accepts offer from West Ham"0
Danny Hansen Thursday January 23rd, 2014 Latest articles
Sempreinter.com
Marco Borriello has been mentioned as a possible target for Inter during this transfer window but Gianluca Di Marzio reports that the striker is on his way to another club: "It will be the Premier League in the future of Marco Borriello. Right now the striker, in fact, has accepted an offer from West Ham: a loan until the end of the season, a solution that finally convinced the striker who has for some time been about to leave Roma. The signature on the contract is expected to be made tomorrow. There is an ongoing exchange of documents between the two clubs, early on Saturday he could undergo the medical examination. Borriello bids farewell to Roma, Premier League awaits him."
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West Ham United Set For Double Italian Swoop
Forzaitalianfootball.com
West Ham United are reportedly close to sealing deals for AC Milan midfielder Antonio Nocerino and Roma striker Marco Borriello. The duo have been linked away from their current clubs as they have been deemed a surplus to requirements, and it appears they have found a new home in London. Gazzetta.it report that Nocerino has accepted a loan move to the Hammers where he will spend the remainder of the season. Sky Sport Italia report that Borriello has also accepted a move to the London club after weeks of rumours linking him with a move to the Premier League. It is believed Borriello will land in England on Saturday for a medical before completing a loan move. Nocerino has 11 league appearances for Milan this season while Borriello has scored one goal in 11 appearances for Roma.
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Serbian striker in line for Premier League move to West Ham
Labrokes.com
Sam Alllardyce could be set to turn his attentions to in-form Nantes striker Filip Djordjevic this January as West Ham continue their search for a striker to boost the club's ailing fortunes.
The 26-year-old has been in excellent form for the newly-promoted Ligue 1 side, scoring eight goals for Les Canaris in a haul to rival that of PSG forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Monaco man Radamel Falcao.
Equally adept in the air as he is with the ball at his feet, the forward could be the perfect antidote to the Hammers' current malaise under Big Sam, with the Irons struggling for goals in the Premier League at present, having scored just three in their last five competitive fixtures.
It's a tally that, when allied with a run of six losses in their last eight games, has seen West Ham priced at 8/5 to be relegated this term with Allardyce the 6/4 favourite to be the next Premier League manager to leave his post.
Djordjevic could provide some respite though, with the young Serb something of a late bloomer having previously risen through the ranks at Red Star Belgrade before moving to France, where he took time to blossom at Nantes.
Nevertheless his signature could represent something of a coup for West Ham, with Hull City previously close to landing the highly-regarded striker, amid reports of an imminent move last month.
However talk of that deal has subsequently cooled, with Tigers boss Steve Bruce instead turning to Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long this month.
A Hammers move would mean a happy ending to Big Sam's current striker crisis, with the club previously failing to land Lacina Traore on loan, as well as being linked with Birmingham target man Nikola Zigic and former Blackburn goalscorer Yakubu.
Djordjevic, meanwhile, will no doubt relish the chance to test his skills in the English top flight and follow in the footsteps of fellow countrymen Nemanja Vidic and Aleksandar Kolarov.
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Belfodil set to choose QPR as West Ham miss out on ANOTHER striker
HITC.com
Inter Milan striker Ishak Belfodil is set to turn down a move to West Ham in favour of Championship side Queens Park Rangers.
The Algerian international, 22, only joined the Serie A giants in the summer following an impressive season with Parma. Inter Milan paid €7.5m for 50% of the former Lyon striker in a co-ownership deal, yet after struggling to break into Walter Mazzarri's team, Belfodil wants to go out on loan in a bid to play first-team football. He was recently told by his national team coach that his in Algeria's squad for the upcoming World Cup in Brazil is not assured if he does not play regular football.
Fellow Serie A side Sassuolo had lined up a £7m bid for Belfodil, though it is believed that the striker wants to play in London, and subsequently narrowed his choice down to either West Ham United or Queens Park Rangers.
Now, this would seem like an easy decision for any foreign player. West Ham are, whilst currently struggling, a Premier League team, whilst QPR are currently in the Championship following their relegation last season. A no-brainer, right?
Well, it seemingly isn't that simple. Reports today suggest that Belfodil will choose to sign for QPR in a loan deal until the end of the season, becoming the latest player to spurn the advances of Sam Allardyce and his Hammers, after Lacina Traore turned down a move to Upton Park in favour of Roberto Martinez's Everton.
Allardyce desperately needs to land a striker after seeing his side hit just 22 goals in 22 games this season, but has so far struggled to attract any of his targets, and Belfodil can now be added to that particular list. It's incredibly concerning for Hammers fans that Belfodil, a promising striker who made his name in a tough league in Serie A, would rather play in the second tier of English football than move to West Ham.
Perhaps the reasoning for Belfodil's decision is simply because West Ham currently lie 18th in the Premier League table, and are in real danger of being relegated. Meanwhile, Harry Redknapp's QPR are second in the Championship, and are one of the favourites for promotion. At such a young age, it's important to feature in a winning team, and perhaps Belfodil feels this will aid his development as a player.
With the latest rejection fresh in Allardyce's mind, he now has to consider alternatives – but if they can't compete with QPR for signings, how can they expect to land a striker that will score the goals to keep them in the Premier League?
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West Ham United keen on Catania forward Maxi Lopez
5:04pm Thursday 23rd January 2014 in News
East London and West Essex Guardian Series
West Ham United are reportedly keen on signing Catania forward Maxi Lopez. The Argentine striker is understood to want a move away from Italy and would probably welcome a move to the Premier League. Lopez has enjoyed a busy career having played for the likes of AC Milan, Barcelona and River Plate.
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West Ham set sights on Feyenoord striker
By talkSPORT | Thursday, January 23, 2014
Sam Allardyce is desperate to bring in another forward before the transfer window closes at the end of January. The West Ham boss was left fuming when Monaco forward Lacina Traore pulled out of a move to the east London club at the last minute. Allardyce could now switch his attentions to Pelle who has been one of the star performers for Feyenoord and has also attracted interest from both Chelsea and Barcelona. The Italian striker scored an impressive 27 goals in just 29 games last season and would be an ideal choice for West Ham as they look to move out of the bottom three. But Allardyce faces a major battle to clinch his signature as the prolific forward says he is happy to stay in Holland and is enjoying his time at Feyenoord. Pelle told RTV Rijnmond: "It's always an honour to be in the interest of clubs, maybe I deserved that. But right now, I do not think about a transfer. "I have often said that I'm enjoying myself at Feyenoord. I love this club and I'm happy with how the season goes."
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West Ham rule out Ravel Morrison transfer in the current window after rejecting Fulham bid
Jan 23, 2014 22:29 By John Cross
The Mirror
West Ham have told Ravel Morrison he is going nowhere in the current transfer window. Hammers co-owner David Sullivan has made it clear that they will run the risk of losing money on his fee in the summer rather than cash in on him between now and next Friday's deadline. The Upton Park club have knocked back a £4million bid from Fulham for Morrison, even though the England Under-21 international will only have 12 months left on his contract in the summer. They have decided to take a strong stance and resist any temptation to sell Morrison, in the hope he can help them beat relegation back to the Championship.
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Borriello heads to London for talks with West Ham as Allardyce targets striker
By DECLAN WARRINGTON
PUBLISHED: 22:57, 23 January 2014 | UPDATED: 23:05, 23 January 2014
Daily Mail
Marco Borriello is ready to fly to London for talks over a transfer to West Ham. Despite Andy Carroll's return to fitness and Carlton Cole's contract extension, manager Sam Allardyce remains keen on recruiting a striker. Boriello, 31, has agreed a deal in principle to leave Roma, and could become one of several new signings. The striker has scored only one Serie A goal this season, but has been a reliable finisher for Roma, Juventus and Milan in recent years.
West Ham are to also hold talks with Raul Meireles, formerly of Liverpool and Chelsea, though they look set to miss out on Michael Essien, who is close to a loan move to AC Milan. Osasuna's Raoul Loe, who has also been looked at by relegation rivals Crystal Palace, and Milan's Antonio Nocerino are further midfield options.
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Nice work if you can get it
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 24th January 2014
By: Staff Writer
It has been revealed that an unnamed director of West Ham United was paid in excess of £1.6million last season. The huge sum, almost certainly a bonus payment in relation to a particular target being reached was revealed in the latest set of accounts for season 2012/13, which were released this week. From a total of £1,962,000 paid to the Club's directors during the season, £1.634,000 went to just one director. The accounts also revealed that WH Holdings, West Ham United FC's parent company enjoyed a turnover just shy of £90million in 2012/23 - the club's first season back in the Premier League following promotion from the Championship - and recorded an operating profit of £1.05million. However with interest payments taken into account, an overall loss of £3.5million was made. The steady process of shifting debts from the banks into personal loans by the Club's -co-owners, David Gold and David Sullivan, is also clearly evident. And whilst the overall figure owed to creditors stands well in excess of £100million, the vast majority of that sum remains manageable following the refinancing of the Club (a re-arranged loan with Barclays Bank covering some £45million) plus the co-owners' decision to convert a similar amount of debt into personal loans. "My board and I are delighted with the achievements we have made this season," wrote David Sullivan. "During the year we bought Matt Jarvis, Mo Diame, James Collins, Alou Diarra and Modibo Maiga, investing a total of £26.7million. "Subsequent to the year end, we have further invested in the playing staff for the 2013/14 season with the significant purchase of Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing. After the season ended I further invested in the Club by purchasing 25 per cent of the Club from CB Holdings ehf, taking the combined shareholding of myself and David Gold to 86.2 per cent. "This season will bring its own challenges but we continue to believe that we will deliver both on and off the pitch by investing in the team, the brand and managing the business well."
Vice-Chair Karren Brady added: "2012/13 was a very successful year for the Club both on and off the pitch. Off the pitch all areas of income increased, from ticket sales to commercial revenue, creating total additional revenue of £43.6million this year. "The Retail team drove a 25 per cent increase in sale achieving a Club record high in turnover. The Commercial and Sponsorship departments generated £13.9million of revenue, another record. The Marketing team delivered 17 sell-out crowds and the Ticketing team increased match day sales by 32 per cent to £18million. "Through the hard work of a fantastic, dedicated, loyal and determined team the Club has grown in size, revenue and in stature. The management team off the pitch were able to capitalise and maximise on all the opportunities the manager and the team delivered on the pitch."
To see how the latest set of accounts compare with the 2011/12 Championship season, see below...
The 2012/13 Accounts: Main Points
The main changes in the last 12 months
* Turnover UP from £46million to £90million
* Operating Profit UP from -£22million to £1million
* Wage bill UP from £35million to £49million
* Directors' Remuneration UP from £669,000 to £2million
* Net debt UP from £71million to £77million
* Sponsorships (including TV revenue) UP from £20million to £52million
* Shareholders loans UP from zero to £45.7million
* Number of staff DOWN from 586 to 580
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Kuzmanovic turns down West Ham0
Hampus Kärki Friday January 24th, 2014
Sempreinter.com
SportMediaset reports today the Serbian Inter-midfielder Zdravko Kuzmanovic has caught the eyes of West Ham United, but the Serbian international has already turned down a move to West Ham. Instead, the Hammers will go for Antonio Nocerino from AC Milan.
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Michael Essien rejects late West Ham United offer
Posted On Friday, 24th January 2014
GhanaSoccer.net
By Akyereko Frimpong Manson
Ghana midfielder Michael Essien told West Ham United officials he is not interested in joining the club as he reached a persona terms with AC Milan, GHANAsoccernet.com can exclusively confirm. The Hammers were among top clubs hoping to secure the signature of the 31-year-old by signing him from Chelsea but Essien reportedly told Chelsea officials he is not interested in a move to the Upton Park. Essien has made just five appearances for Chelsea since the start of the season and the Blues re-signed midfielder Nemanja Matic from Benfica which means they were ready to allow the experienced Ghanaian leave the club. West Ham joined Galatasaray, Milan and PSG as clubs hoping to land Essien but he told Chelsea officials he wants to move abroad. He is expected to finalise a move to AC Milan in the next 24 hours.
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