'Nobody gives you points for free'
WHUFC.com
Hammers defender Guy Demel knows the Hammers have to continue at
full-throttle
19.02.2014
Guy Demel is eyeing yet another clean sheet when West Ham United take on
Southampton on Saturday. The Ivorian has helped Sam Allardyce's men shut out
their last four opponents, and a fifth in a row could see them move into the
top half of the Barclays Premier League table. It represents a remarkable
turnaround for the Hammers, who were in the division's bottom three just two
games ago - but the No20 remains well aware that the recovery job is far
from complete yet. He said: "We've had some good results recently and that's
why we need to keep on getting points, to make sure we stay on the good side
[of the table] and keep the positive atmosphere. "The league is so tight and
that's one of the reasons that the Premier League is the best league in the
world.
"You look at Spain and there's three teams at the top, then the fourth is 16
points behind, but here in England it's really close, both at the top and
the bottom.
"That's why you have to perform in every game because nobody is going to
give you points for free."
The Hammers returned to home shores this week after a warm-weather training
camp in Dubai and Demel believes the chance to recharge their batteries will
have clear benefits over the final 12 games of the campaign. He added: "It
was important for the team to go to Dubai and relax a bit. It's the Premier
League, the best in the world, so it's really demanding. Sometimes you need
that few days just to be relaxed to get a fresh mind and come back with the
energy to finish the season strongly. "We did it last year and it worked
really well, so I think it was a good idea. It also makes the team be
together for the team building, so i think it's really important."
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Like my dreams - Nicholas Harvey
WHUFC.com
Nicholas Harvey was invited to visit Chadwell Heath as part of the Like My
Dreams initiative
19.02.2014
Nicholas Harvey enjoyed a day to remember when he was invited to spend a day
at the Club's Chadwell Heath training ground as part of West Ham United's
Like My Dreams initiative. The 20-year-old has endured a tough few months
after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma - a type of blood cancer - and
has since been undertaking a debilitating course of chemotherapy. While his
illness means it's difficult for him to attend the Hammers' matches, there
was no stopping Nicholas from making the long journey from Swindon for the
visit to the West Ham training base which took place earlier this month. He
told West Ham TV of his delight at being invited to take part in the day.
"It was a massive, massive boost when I found out about what had been
arranged. Before I found out about this I was heading into the chemotherapy
sessions without any motivation whatsoever to carry on. "It's really, really
tough going. I can be bed bound at the age of 20 for nine, ten days at a
time. The chemotherapy knocks me our big time and when I found out that I'd
be coming to meet some of my idols that I've only seen on TV before, it was
a massive boost, an absolutely huge boost. It's what kept me going over the
past week or so."
Driving through the entrance to Chadwell Heath at 9.30am, Nicholas was
accompanied by father Simon and girlfriend Mercedes who watched as he was
presented with his West Ham training gear shortly after his arrival. Once
changed, Nicholas was taken to the indoor pitch to meet the squad before
they began their activation session. After a group photo and some
autographs, Nicholas was kitted out in Big Sam's coat as he headed outside
to watch the rest of the training session, making for a day which lived up
to his expectations. "My work helped put this together for me, I received an
email from them telling me that they'd arranged for me to come and meet all
the players and coaching staff at West Ham. "They put this together for me
as a light at the end of a pretty dark tunnel at the moment so I've used it
as a motivational tool. It's got me through chemotherapy at the moment and
that was the purpose of the day.
With training finished it was time for lunch and something which wasn't on
the menu had soon been served up to the training ground guest. As Nicholas
sat in the canteen collecting his heroes' signatures, Spanish goalkeeper
Adrian came over to the table and handed the 20-year-old a pair of his
gloves, which he proceeded to sign. A special memento of a special day, a
day which provided a young Hammers fan with memories to cherish. "I've had a
tour of the training ground, seen what it's all about, had a look at what
the players do on a day-to-day basis and their match preparations. It's
amazing. "I've got all their signatures along the way which I'll keep
forever. It's a massive dream come true, definitely. It's been massive, a
really, really enjoyable day."
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Morrison loaned to QPR
WHUFC.com
Ravel Morrison has joined Championship promotion-chasers Queens Park Rangers
on a three-month loan
19.02.2014
West Ham United can confirm that Ravel Morrison has joined Sky Bet
Championship club Queens Park Rangers on a 93-day emergency loan. The
21-year-old could make his Hoops debut in their London derby at Charlton
Athletic on Saturday, where QPR will hope to end a run of three games
without a win and strengthen their challenge for automatic promotion. A
clause has been included in Morrison's loan agreement that would allow West
Ham to recall the England U21 midfielder after 28 days of his spell at QPR.
The terms of the deal will allow Morrison, who has made 21 first-team
appearances for the Hammers this term, to remain with QPR for the
Championship Play-Offs, should the west London side finish between third and
sixth in the table. Morrison joins a number of players with West Ham
connections at Loftus Road, including goalkeeper Robert Green, midfielders
Gary O'Neil and Yossi Benayoun and forward Bobby Zamora. Current Hammers
forward Modibo Maiga is also on loan at QPR, who are managed by ex-West Ham
player and manager Harry Redknapp.
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The Big Interview - Carlton Cole
WHUFC.com
Carlton Cole is refreshed and ready to go after a week of warm weather
training
19.02.2014
West Ham United striker Carlton Cole feels refreshed and ready to fire after
a productive spell of warm weather training in Dubal. The Hammers made use
of a blank weekend in the fixture calendar to escape the miserable British
winter ahead of Saturday's game against Southampton. Now back in London, the
No24 feels ready to extend West Ham's fine winning streak.
Carlton, we're back training in London after that week in Dubai now - how
was it?
CC: "It was a much needed break for us. I think we deserved it too with our
run of form, to regroup and try and get refreshed for the hard games we've
got coming up."
After the hectic Christmas period and lots of games in January too, how
important was it to have that more relaxed time out there?
CC: "It is important that we went out there to get some warm weather
training. It wasn't a jolly-up, we went out there to work. I didn't know we
had so many fans out there too, so we got to meet them and it was a nice
experience to get all the fellas together and train in the warm weather."
With a few new arrivals at the end of the last transfer window, was it good
for them to get integrated in the team this way?
CC: "It was perfect for them. Obviously Marco and Antonio are used to their
warm weather anyway, and it was nice to be in that kind of climate for them
to get integrated into the team and get to know them as well."
Since Andy Carroll's red card, you and Marco Borriello have been sharing the
striking duties. Has that been good for you to push each other on?
CC: "Yeah, of course. Although I'd like to play more than a half, it's only
fair that we both get a fair share of the games and what the manager has
done so far is change us at half-time. It has worked because we've gone on
to score two goals in both games and keep a clean sheet. That's what we're
doing so well at the moment.
With the defence in the form they are, how helpful is it as a striker to
know that if you nick a goal, it'll more than likely be a winning one?
CC: "That's what we're focusing on and me as a striker, I'm always focusing
on trying to get a goal and soften up the defence. Marco has done a great
job when he's come on for me and our defence has been solid, and it's been
brilliant to win three in a row."
We're at home on Saturday against Southampton and after wins against Norwich
and Swansea do you feel the home form is starting to get there now?
CC: "Yeah of course. I think we played brilliantly against Swansea, and
against Norwich, that was a difficult game in the first half, but we got the
rub of the green and capitalised on a good situation with goals from James
Collins and Mo Diame. We're really in fine form at the moment and hopefully
we can progress and get more.
Just finally, you trained in front of Season Ticket Holders on Tuesday. How
nice is it to reward them with a behind the scenes look at how it all works?
CC: "The fans are very important to us. We need them singing for us because
they're the twelfth man and I really appreciate it when they're singing my
name and the other boys' names. That gives us a great boost."
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Ravel Morrison: QPR sign West Ham midfielder on loan
BBC.co.uk
Championship side QPR have agreed the signing of West Ham midfielder Ravel
Morrison on a 93-day loan deal. The 21-year-old, who can be recalled by the
Hammers after 28 days, will officially complete the move on Friday. Should
the loan run its course it means Morrison will be eligible to play for
Rangers in the play-offs should they miss out on automatic promotion. "I
just want to help QPR get to the Premier League - that's my objective during
my time here," he said.
"If we manage to do that, it would be great for everybody connected with the
club."
Morrison has made 21 appearances for Premier League West Ham this season,
scoring five goals. The England Under-21 international, who joined the
Hammers from Manchester United in January 2012, has missed out on first-team
action recently after featuring regularly earlier in the campaign. "All I
want to do is play football," he added. "I just want to show everyone what I
can do week in, week out. "The aim here is to get the club promoted and I
want to contribute in helping QPR to get there." Rangers currently lie
fourth in the Championship, four points behind second-placed Burnley.
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Hammers coach faces assault charge
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 19th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United's first team coach Ian Hendon has appeared in court to face
a charge of assault. The 42-year-old, who joined West Ham from Gillingham in
July 2011 appeared at Colchester magistrates' court today where he was
accused of assaulting his now ex-wife in Witham last year. Hendon, whose
lawyer requested that a hearing take place before the end of the season due
to summer commitments with the first team was bailed until April 23, when he
will stand trial. The former defender, who hails from Ilford, enjoyed a
playing career that spanned more than 20 years with clubs such as Orient,
Notts County and Barnet, with whom he ended his career. He also made seven
appearances for England's Under 21s between 1992 and 1993. Having dipped in
and out of management with brief spells at Barnet and Skrill South club
Dover Athletic, Hendon became assistant to Andy Hessenthaler at Gillingham
before joining West Ham three years ago this summer.
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West Ham United sign 12-year-old striker
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 19th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
It's no misprint ... Cypriot Odysseas Spyrides, not a teenager until next
year, has joined West Ham United on a youth contract. Spyrides, who was born
in 2002 has moved to England in order to continue his dream of being a
professional footballer having emerged from the Island's
internationally-renowned 'Elite Players' football camp , according to a
report in the Cypriot Mail. The CM reports that Spyrides was one of three
young Cypriot hopefuls who travelled to London last September to take part
in a series of trials. Those ended with Spyrides being snapped up by the
Hammers and another 12-year-old - Charalambos Charalambous - being offered a
contract by Tottenham (which he rejected). Spyrides has since moved to
England on a permanent basis and is hoping to follow in the footsteps of
fellow Cypriot stars such as Ioannis Okkas and Constantinos Charalambidis,
both of whom enjoyed a pro career in mainland Europe. The pre-teen striker
is the youngest player to leave the Island in order to pursue a career
abroad.
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The lonely Ranger
KUMB.com
Filed: Wednesday, 19th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
Ravel Morrison has completed his temporary switch to Championship club
Queens Park Rangers. The 21-year-old Hammer has moved to Loftus Road for the
remainder of the current campaign having fallen out spectacularly with
administrators at the Boleyn Ground. Rangers boss Harry Redknapp told
qpr.co.uk: "Ravel is fit and ready to play and I'm hoping he can come in and
make an impact. He's got fantastic ability, there's no doubting that. "He's
got great pace, can dribble and score a goal. If we can get the best out of
him, he could make a big difference. He's certainly a talented footballer –
he's just got to step up now. He's got to come here and show what he can do
consistently. "He's got everything and we're pleased to have him here."
Meanwhile Morrison himself says he is pleased to have dropped a division in
order to play on a regular basis. "I just want to help QPR get to the
Premier League – that's my only objective during my time here," he said. "If
we manage to do that, it would be great for everybody connected with the
club. "All I want to do is play football. I just want to show everyone what
I can do week in, week out. The aim here is to get the club promoted and I
want to contribute in helping QPR to get there."
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QPR sign West Ham's Ravel Morrison on loan until end of season
Last Updated: 19/02/14 1:45pm
SSN
QPR have confirmed the signing of midfielder Ravel Morrison on a 93-day loan
deal from West Ham. Morrison will officially complete the move on Friday and
will stay with the Sky Bet Championship promotion chasers until after the
play-offs in May. The England Under-21 international got off to a fine start
to the season but has since struggled for playing time, making just one
Premier League appearance off the bench since Christmas. "I just want to
help QPR get to the Premier League - that's my only objective during my time
here."
But he is excited about the chance of taking the R's into the top division
and he could make his debut in Saturday's clash away to Charlton. QPR are
currently in fourth place, four points behind second-placed Burnley but with
a game in hand on them and Derby who sit in third. Morrison told QPR's
official website: "I just want to help QPR get to the Premier League -
that's my only objective during my time here. "If we manage to do that, it
would be great for everybody connected with the club. All I want to do is
play football. I just want to show everyone what I can do week in, week out.
"The aim here is to get the club promoted and I want to contribute in
helping QPR to get there."
QPR manager Harry Redknapp is hoping that Morrison can help the Hoops in
their promotion bid. "Ravel is fit and ready to play and I'm hoping he can
come in and make an impact," said Redknapp. "He's got fantastic ability,
there's no doubting that. He's got great pace, can dribble and score a goal.
"If we can get the best out of him, he could make a big difference. "He's
certainly a talented footballer - he's just got to step up now. He's got to
come here and show what he can do consistently. He's got everything. "We're
pleased to have him here."
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AGENTS HAVE GROWN ROTTEN WITH GREED, DOUBLE DEALING, LIES AND CHEATING
By Sean Whetstone 19 Feb 2014 at 08:23
West Ham Till I Die
Karren Brady has spoken about the world of agents in her weekly football
diary in The Sun.
Karren said:
"So far every attempt to limit the cut agents take from players from fees
and wages has failed. There is another bus in the distance driven by UEFA,
who are asking Prem clubs what they would think of a maximum three per cent
commission on both. We like it, of course – I'd like one per cent even more.
Currently agents' earnings from transfers in Europe is a staggering 30 per
cent or so and while I would hate to the poor dears without two pennies to
rub together, it really is time to the bus came to a halt. It is important
there is representation for players when vast sums of money are at stake –
but their business has grown rotten with greed, double dealing, lies and
cheating."
West Ham paid agents £4,169,134 and 9 pence between 1st October 2012 to 30th
September 2013 and ranked 9th in terms of agent spend in the Premier League
just behind Manchester United. In the past four years West ham have paid out
£ 17,552,764 and 8 pence to football agents.
In August 2012 David Sullivan told the Daily Mail he had no concerns about
the continuing close links between manager Sam Allardyce and agent Mark
Curtis. Mark Curtis is the agent for Sam Allardyce, Kevin Nolan, James
Tomkins, Jack Collison, Matt Jarvis and Andy Carroll. In the same interview
Sullivan confirmed Willie McKay received more in agency fees than Mark
Curtis in the summer of 2012. He revealed 'Mark [Curtis] receives five per
cent of the player's wages over five years, which is a lot of money but the
standard rate'.
Last year just after the January 2013 transfer window ended, David Sullivan
called for the FA to look into agents' conduct and cap fees. He said:
"I can see it spilling over into violence in the future, unless there is
legislation from the FA. I had an agent threaten me and one of our players
with physical violence, because he thought he was being cut out of a deal."
Sullivan claimed the financial demands by agents had got out of control
adding: "We are talking millions of pounds here around a transfer and not
enough deals to go around. There are too many agents and not enough
transfers to feed them. Agents who would once demand £50,000 for their part
in a transfer now want £500,000 to £1m to either bring a player or keep a
player. It is quite outrageous and the FA should cap the amount paid to
agents for their work"
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West Ham defender impressed by Pablo Armero in training
By Nick Wright
Thursday, February 20, 2014
7:00 AM
London24
Guy Demel has backed West Ham new boy Pablo Armero to make an impact at
Upton Park. Colombia international Armero became the Hammers' third loan
signing of the January transfer window when he joined from Napoli on
deadline day after the arrivals of Italian duo Antonio Nocerino and Marco
Borriello.
The left-back, who can also play on the wing, is yet to make his debut for
Sam Allardyce's side but was an unused substitute in their 2-0 wins over
Norwich and Aston Villa. Demel says Armero is looking sharp in training and
he expects the 27-year-old to shine when he gets his chance. "He's settled a
bit," Demel told London24. "You can see he looks really good on the ball.
He's a good left-footer and a good lad. "On the pitch he's going to be
great, he just needs to get used to the way we play and to the team. "I
think the fans are going to see him some time soon."
The in-form Hammers welcome Southampton to Upton Park on Saturday, when they
will be hoping to extend their run of three consecutive wins and four clean
sheets. Demel was speaking at West Ham's open training session, where season
ticket holders and corporate members were able to watch the first team in
action up close.
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Thursday, February 20
Wednesday, February 19
Daily WHUFC News - 19th February 2014
Duo represent England U18s
WHUFC.com
Kyle Knoyle and Reece Burke played as England U18s beat Belgium at St
George's park on Tuesday
18.02.2014
Two of West Ham United's Academy players were involved as England Under-18s
beat Belgium 4-0 at St George's Park on Tuesday afternoon. Reece Burke
played the whole match at centre-back while defensive partner Kyle Knoyle
played 65 minutes at right-back before being substituted. It's not the first
time the pair have represented their country, with both players having
featured for the Three Lions on 14 October 2013 in a 4-0 win against
Hungary. Burke and Knoyle have been regulars for the Academy side this
season and have helped their ascent up the Barclays Under-18 Premier League
in recent weeks. This season has also seen a first team debut for Burke who
appeared from the substitutes bench against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup
with Budweiser third round.
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Adrian's Wall
WHUFC.com
Adrian and his defensive partners will be looking for another clean sheet
this weekend
18.02.2014
West Ham United boast the highest number of clean sheets in the Barclays
Premier League this season and will be looking for another when they
entertain Southampton on Saturday. Last Tuesday's shutout against Norwich
City was the Hammers' fourth in succession - their best run of clean sheets
since the Boys of '86 season. Adrian has been a key part of the defensive
solidity - ably assisted by his 'wall' in front of him - and you could be
there this weekend to see the Hammers as they look to extend their fine run.
Tickets are available for the match from www.whufcboxoffice.com - with adult
prices starting at £37 for members (£42 non-member) and just £24 concessions
(£14 Youth Academy Members). Adrian said: "It's only my job! It's my job to
stop everything. Four in a row is really, really difficult in the Premier
League and I am really happy. We have to keep going in this direction. "As a
goalkeeper, when you have confidence, confidence in the manager and in the
other players, you are happy on the pitch. Sometimes I have to help my
teammates and other times, not too much, but against Norwich I made three or
four saves to help the team. "It's really, really amazing. The clean sheets
are important for the team and it's even more important for me, because I'm
the goalkeeper.
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce reiterates the need for a winter break
Last Updated: 18/02/14 4:30pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has reiterated calls for a mid-season break
despite an upsurge in form from his side. The Hammers, who have been on a
warm-weather training trip to Dubai, have won their last three Premier
League games and kept four clean sheets in a row to help them move up into
mid-table. Although results have gone the Londoners' way in January,
Allardyce has again expressed his belief that there should be a winter
break. "I've said for many, many years that our country needs to close down
at some stage in mid-season for a few days. I think the data and the stats
prove that," he told Sky Sports. "The rest of Europe do it but we, because
of our fixture list, find it impossible to do which is obviously putting
players at greater risk. "I've been doing it for 12-13 years now and
everything when you come back indicates that it's the right thing to do." If
you look at the injury count over Christmas and New Year, it's shot up
immensely because of the extra games in that particular period. "With all
the data and the period of time, the Premier League feel they can't fit it
in, so as a manager I have to find the time to fit it in and find the
opportunity to take my players away. "I've been doing it for 12-13 years now
and everything when you come back indicates that it's the right thing to do.
"You get an increase in fitness, you get an increase in output and hopefully
that helps you get an increase in results so let's hope it works this time."
Asked if anything has changed in the Hammers' camp following their upturn in
fortunes, Allardyce replied: "Nothing special really. Just getting the
players fit again. "There were that many players devastated by injury it
became very difficult for us to compete at this level of football. "We
always felt that once we got those players fit again that they would
increase that level of performance and of course new players coming in the
(January) window has helped us and that's why results have got better."
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WINSTON REID - A LITMUS TEST OF RESOLVE AND AMBITION
By S J Chandos 18 Feb 2014 at 12:00
West Ham Till I Die
There are lingering rumours in the media that Arsenal have made Winston Reid
a £8m priority transfer target for the summer. These rumours originally
commenced before Reid picked up his ankle injury and it was anticipated that
a approach would be made in the winter transfer window. As far as I am
aware, Wenger has never actually confirmed an interest in signing the
player, but who could blame him if he was interested. Winston Reid is a top
class central defender and a leader on the pitch.
That last statement is one that most Hammers fans would now warmly endorse.
However, that was not always the case and many will clearly recall his
deeply unconvincing debut season of 2010-11. A (undisclosed fee) signing
from Danish club, FC Midtjylland, Winston had a disastrous PL debut, in an
abject 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa, and went on to make a mere 12 first team
appearances throughout that relegation season. At the time, Reid's signing
was often put forward as evidence of yet another negative aspect of the
Avram Grant managerial regime. Yet Ironically, over time the contrary has
proven true, Reid's capture is the one major positive legacy of Grant's
period of management.
Reid stayed with the club in the Championship and rebuilt his confidence and
reputation with some outstanding defensive displays. In that 2011-12
promotion season, He flourished under Sam Allardyce's management and become
a regular first teamer, as the club were promoted 'at the first time of
asking' via the Play-off Final victory over Blackpool. There were some who
thought that he may have just found his level and that he would struggle on
the club's return to the top flight. All such thoughts were dispelled by
Reid's outstanding performances last season, as the Hammers secured a very
creditable 10th place finish. And he started the current, 2013-14 season, in
a similiar vein, until an ankle injury, sustained in training, in November
2013 resulted in a three month absence. It is no coincidence that the West
Ham's results seriously declined with Reid's absence and his return on 1
February 2014 was certainly a factor directly contributing to our recent
revival.
Winston Reid is an excellent all-round defender, strong in the air and the
tackle, with good positional sense and distribution and a decent turn of
pace. Moreover, he demonstrates good leadership qualities and could very
well be a future club captain. He always strikes one as a dedicated
professional, who works on his game and seeks continual improvement. It is a
great testimony to the player that he forewent the opportunity to play for
New Zealand in their 2012 Olympics team and instead chose to participate in
West Ham's pre-season. It is also to his credit that he so successfully
manages the periodic long haul trips to play for his country, without it
seeming to adversely impact upon his West Ham performances.
At 25 years of age, Reid has not yet reached his peak as a central defender.
He can only get better and must be one of the key building blocks that we
use to build a team worthy of West Ham's move to the iconic Olympic Stadium.
If the previously expressed ambitions of the board are to be believed, that
they wish to incrementally build a top class team, then Reid must be signed
on a new long-term contract. The rumours are that Arsenal are prepared to
offer £8m for Reid, a figure that does not nearly compensate for the loss of
such an important player. There is further conjecture that a raised bid of
£10m plus could convince the club to accept the bid. Once again, so
influential is Reid, even an increased fee of that level would be a
sufficient catalyst to justify a deal.
The West Ham board should not wait for Arsenal, or anyone else, to submit a
bid. They should, as a matter of urgency, sign him on a new improved,
long-term deal and kill off their interest. We need to show ambition and
build a team that can compete for honours and Champions League football. If
we are to do that then we must keep our best players as a foundation upon
which to build. Only in that way can we hope to challenge for a top six
finish and eventually aspire to Champions qualification. It is always
difficult when a top four side shows an interest in one of your players,
particularly in terms of managing the player's ambitions. Champions League
football is of great attraction for most players and one can fully
understand that. However, Reid is a good professional, who has hitherto
shown considerable commitment to the club. As such, it should be possible to
sell him an improved deal, linked to the club's future ambitions and his
central role in achieving them.
To me, retaining Reid is a litmus test of the board's prior rhetoric about
its future ambitions. I am not totally sure about Winston Reid's current
contract position. But some sources state that he will be entering the final
year of his current contract in 2014-15. If that is true, then West Ham
should seek to get a new contract in place now, as a matter of urgency. One
may well question whether Reid would sign before West Ham's PL status is
secure this season? If necessary, offer a new contract with a transfer
clause in the event of relegation, if that is what it takes to get his
signature on a new contract ahead of the conclusion of the current campaign.
SJ. Chandos.
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WHUFC.com
Kyle Knoyle and Reece Burke played as England U18s beat Belgium at St
George's park on Tuesday
18.02.2014
Two of West Ham United's Academy players were involved as England Under-18s
beat Belgium 4-0 at St George's Park on Tuesday afternoon. Reece Burke
played the whole match at centre-back while defensive partner Kyle Knoyle
played 65 minutes at right-back before being substituted. It's not the first
time the pair have represented their country, with both players having
featured for the Three Lions on 14 October 2013 in a 4-0 win against
Hungary. Burke and Knoyle have been regulars for the Academy side this
season and have helped their ascent up the Barclays Under-18 Premier League
in recent weeks. This season has also seen a first team debut for Burke who
appeared from the substitutes bench against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup
with Budweiser third round.
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Adrian's Wall
WHUFC.com
Adrian and his defensive partners will be looking for another clean sheet
this weekend
18.02.2014
West Ham United boast the highest number of clean sheets in the Barclays
Premier League this season and will be looking for another when they
entertain Southampton on Saturday. Last Tuesday's shutout against Norwich
City was the Hammers' fourth in succession - their best run of clean sheets
since the Boys of '86 season. Adrian has been a key part of the defensive
solidity - ably assisted by his 'wall' in front of him - and you could be
there this weekend to see the Hammers as they look to extend their fine run.
Tickets are available for the match from www.whufcboxoffice.com - with adult
prices starting at £37 for members (£42 non-member) and just £24 concessions
(£14 Youth Academy Members). Adrian said: "It's only my job! It's my job to
stop everything. Four in a row is really, really difficult in the Premier
League and I am really happy. We have to keep going in this direction. "As a
goalkeeper, when you have confidence, confidence in the manager and in the
other players, you are happy on the pitch. Sometimes I have to help my
teammates and other times, not too much, but against Norwich I made three or
four saves to help the team. "It's really, really amazing. The clean sheets
are important for the team and it's even more important for me, because I'm
the goalkeeper.
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce reiterates the need for a winter break
Last Updated: 18/02/14 4:30pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has reiterated calls for a mid-season break
despite an upsurge in form from his side. The Hammers, who have been on a
warm-weather training trip to Dubai, have won their last three Premier
League games and kept four clean sheets in a row to help them move up into
mid-table. Although results have gone the Londoners' way in January,
Allardyce has again expressed his belief that there should be a winter
break. "I've said for many, many years that our country needs to close down
at some stage in mid-season for a few days. I think the data and the stats
prove that," he told Sky Sports. "The rest of Europe do it but we, because
of our fixture list, find it impossible to do which is obviously putting
players at greater risk. "I've been doing it for 12-13 years now and
everything when you come back indicates that it's the right thing to do." If
you look at the injury count over Christmas and New Year, it's shot up
immensely because of the extra games in that particular period. "With all
the data and the period of time, the Premier League feel they can't fit it
in, so as a manager I have to find the time to fit it in and find the
opportunity to take my players away. "I've been doing it for 12-13 years now
and everything when you come back indicates that it's the right thing to do.
"You get an increase in fitness, you get an increase in output and hopefully
that helps you get an increase in results so let's hope it works this time."
Asked if anything has changed in the Hammers' camp following their upturn in
fortunes, Allardyce replied: "Nothing special really. Just getting the
players fit again. "There were that many players devastated by injury it
became very difficult for us to compete at this level of football. "We
always felt that once we got those players fit again that they would
increase that level of performance and of course new players coming in the
(January) window has helped us and that's why results have got better."
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WINSTON REID - A LITMUS TEST OF RESOLVE AND AMBITION
By S J Chandos 18 Feb 2014 at 12:00
West Ham Till I Die
There are lingering rumours in the media that Arsenal have made Winston Reid
a £8m priority transfer target for the summer. These rumours originally
commenced before Reid picked up his ankle injury and it was anticipated that
a approach would be made in the winter transfer window. As far as I am
aware, Wenger has never actually confirmed an interest in signing the
player, but who could blame him if he was interested. Winston Reid is a top
class central defender and a leader on the pitch.
That last statement is one that most Hammers fans would now warmly endorse.
However, that was not always the case and many will clearly recall his
deeply unconvincing debut season of 2010-11. A (undisclosed fee) signing
from Danish club, FC Midtjylland, Winston had a disastrous PL debut, in an
abject 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa, and went on to make a mere 12 first team
appearances throughout that relegation season. At the time, Reid's signing
was often put forward as evidence of yet another negative aspect of the
Avram Grant managerial regime. Yet Ironically, over time the contrary has
proven true, Reid's capture is the one major positive legacy of Grant's
period of management.
Reid stayed with the club in the Championship and rebuilt his confidence and
reputation with some outstanding defensive displays. In that 2011-12
promotion season, He flourished under Sam Allardyce's management and become
a regular first teamer, as the club were promoted 'at the first time of
asking' via the Play-off Final victory over Blackpool. There were some who
thought that he may have just found his level and that he would struggle on
the club's return to the top flight. All such thoughts were dispelled by
Reid's outstanding performances last season, as the Hammers secured a very
creditable 10th place finish. And he started the current, 2013-14 season, in
a similiar vein, until an ankle injury, sustained in training, in November
2013 resulted in a three month absence. It is no coincidence that the West
Ham's results seriously declined with Reid's absence and his return on 1
February 2014 was certainly a factor directly contributing to our recent
revival.
Winston Reid is an excellent all-round defender, strong in the air and the
tackle, with good positional sense and distribution and a decent turn of
pace. Moreover, he demonstrates good leadership qualities and could very
well be a future club captain. He always strikes one as a dedicated
professional, who works on his game and seeks continual improvement. It is a
great testimony to the player that he forewent the opportunity to play for
New Zealand in their 2012 Olympics team and instead chose to participate in
West Ham's pre-season. It is also to his credit that he so successfully
manages the periodic long haul trips to play for his country, without it
seeming to adversely impact upon his West Ham performances.
At 25 years of age, Reid has not yet reached his peak as a central defender.
He can only get better and must be one of the key building blocks that we
use to build a team worthy of West Ham's move to the iconic Olympic Stadium.
If the previously expressed ambitions of the board are to be believed, that
they wish to incrementally build a top class team, then Reid must be signed
on a new long-term contract. The rumours are that Arsenal are prepared to
offer £8m for Reid, a figure that does not nearly compensate for the loss of
such an important player. There is further conjecture that a raised bid of
£10m plus could convince the club to accept the bid. Once again, so
influential is Reid, even an increased fee of that level would be a
sufficient catalyst to justify a deal.
The West Ham board should not wait for Arsenal, or anyone else, to submit a
bid. They should, as a matter of urgency, sign him on a new improved,
long-term deal and kill off their interest. We need to show ambition and
build a team that can compete for honours and Champions League football. If
we are to do that then we must keep our best players as a foundation upon
which to build. Only in that way can we hope to challenge for a top six
finish and eventually aspire to Champions qualification. It is always
difficult when a top four side shows an interest in one of your players,
particularly in terms of managing the player's ambitions. Champions League
football is of great attraction for most players and one can fully
understand that. However, Reid is a good professional, who has hitherto
shown considerable commitment to the club. As such, it should be possible to
sell him an improved deal, linked to the club's future ambitions and his
central role in achieving them.
To me, retaining Reid is a litmus test of the board's prior rhetoric about
its future ambitions. I am not totally sure about Winston Reid's current
contract position. But some sources state that he will be entering the final
year of his current contract in 2014-15. If that is true, then West Ham
should seek to get a new contract in place now, as a matter of urgency. One
may well question whether Reid would sign before West Ham's PL status is
secure this season? If necessary, offer a new contract with a transfer
clause in the event of relegation, if that is what it takes to get his
signature on a new contract ahead of the conclusion of the current campaign.
SJ. Chandos.
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Tuesday, February 18
Daily WHUFC News - 18th February 2014
A fitting farewell to the Boleyn Ground
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are calling on supporters to offer their views on a fitting
finale for the Boleyn Ground
17.02.2014
As West Ham United prepare for a future at the Olympic Stadium, the Club are
pressing on with plans to finalise a fitting farewell to the Club's home of
110 years. With two-and-a-half years to give the Boleyn Ground the perfect
send-off, the Hammers are calling on supporters to leave their mark on
proceedings.
The Hammers' Supporter Advisory Board (SAB) members have already got the
ball rolling and this is your chance to tell them how you envisage the
Club's final Upton Park season taking shape. So should you know an SAB
member and would like to share your ideas and memories, please get in touch
with them. During a recent meeting, the SAB discussed the prospect of themed
matches for each and every game of the final season and the celebrations
surrounding the very last game. The Club is also collating opinion on a
grand final-curtain event. Meanwhile, the SAB showed a great deal of
interest in the auction of Boleyn Ground memorabilia, as well as
commemorative tours in the final season. As it stands, the SAB has already
offered the following suggestions and the Club is keen to compile many more.
· A countdown clock in the Boleyn, ticking down to the first whistle of the
final game.
· Breaking the world record for the most people simultaneously blowing
bubbles on the last day at the Boleyn.
· A commemorative programme similar to the very first ever issued.
· Guard of honour of both former and current players as part of the last
moments at the Boleyn.
As expected, there were differing views on how exactly the final Boleyn
Ground game might shape up and similarly on the look of a commemorative home
shirt. With that in mind, the wider consultation of the fan base is even
more important, so make sure your voice is heard.
For the full report of the SAB's last meeting, click here, while the
Farewell to the Boleyn Ground focus group is set to reconvene on Tuesday 25
February. Future consultation topics will include:
· What would supporters like the commemorative kit to look like? Should it
be the traditional claret and blue or a limited edition kit?
· Suggestions on possible themed matches, allowing supporters to vote for
their favourites.
· Detailed list of what Boleyn Ground tours should include in the lead-up to
the move.
· Begin to outline and elaborate on plans for a closing ceremony at the
Boleyn Ground.
· Thoughts on how the Club can best collate fan stories and memories through
the years at the Boleyn.
· Conduct a detailed discussion of possible items to be included in the
auction.
The SAB is your platform and the Club looks forward to hearing from as many
supporters as possible in the coming weeks and months,not least with the
prospect of celebrating the Club's 120th anniversary next season.
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Macca looking forward to Open Training
WHUFC.com
West Ham United assistant boss is looking forward to welcoming Season Ticket
Holders to training
17.02.2014
West Ham United will swap their warm-weather training camp for a setting
closer to home when they host an exclusive open training session for Season
Ticket Holders and Corporate Members at the Boleyn Ground on Tuesday. The
Hammers will train in front of the fans as the preparations for Saturday's
Barclays Premier League clash with Southampton continue. Gates open at 10am,
with training scheduled to begin at 10.30am, and assistant boss Neil
McDonald is looking forward to allowing the supporters a behind-the-scenes
look at how the first team squad prepares for a game. McDonald said: "The
fans have been fantastic, even when we haven't been performing to where we
thought we would. They stood by the team, so it's great that our form is
improving as it sends people home with smiles on their faces. "We'll try and
show them what we do, all the way from pre warm-up to warm-up, a little bit
of possession and finishing. It just gives them a little outline of how we
work."
McDonald believes the week of training in Dubai has set his team up for a
strong end to the 2013/14 Barclays Premier League campaign. The Hammers have
visited the Middle East for similar trips the last two years, with promotion
to the Premier League and a top-half finish last season being secured upon
their return to action. "I thought it was a great camp," he continued. "It
was perfect timing for us, as leading up to the last few weeks, we hadn't
been getting good results, so fixing the trip up in itself had a motivation
for the lads as they had something to look forward to. "We got some good
results, beating Norwich, Aston Villa and Swansea, and drawing with Chelsea.
The results have been fantastic over the last three or four weeks and that's
just cemented the good week we had in Dubai. Hopefully we can get the same
results when we come back. "We hope this trip has a positive impact on
results like it has done the previous two seasons. Everybody coming back
from injury has given everyone a boost. The signings that the manager has
made have done the same and there's lots of competition for places. "That's
certainly shown at the moment - we have Winston Reid who was at the heart of
the defence before who can't get in the team because we're keeping clean
sheets and playing well. "The bar has been set a little bit higher, which is
great, and everybody is full of confidence - that has shown on the field in
the last four games. When the confidence comes back everyone performs that
little bit better and everyone has a smile on their face.
"Certainly Dubai has made everyone happier too, because it was beautiful
weather, we were staying in a beautiful place and training was at a
fantastic facility, so hopefully that will kick us on for the rest of the
season."
The Hammers made the most of the conditions in Dubai to train with the sun
on their backs and McDonald says the benefits will be both physical and
mental in nature. He continued: "You can see from the photographs that we
were able to train in t-shirts and shorts. The weather, as everybody knows,
has been horrendous at home over the last few weeks, so it has been good for
them to get some vitamin D in their bodies. "We were still doing a little
bit of technical work and work in the gym. It was time for them to relax
their aching bodies, because the majority of them have played a lot of games
over the Christmas and January periods."
West Ham returned to London on Sunday, although Andy Carroll and Joey
O'Brien remained in Dubai for additional warm-weather work as they remain
unavailable for first team selection due to suspension and injury
respectively. McDonald explained: "With Joey's shoulder injury, it's good
for him to do some work in the sea. It's good for him to have the sun on his
back when he's working, so that will try to cheer him up because you know
what players are like when they're injured. He's been out with the rest of
the lads and that's fantastic for him. "For Andy it's just a continuation of
his rehabilitation, really. He's worked very, very hard to get himself fit
and he's made an impact since coming back. "Unfortunately he got sent-off
against Swansea, and we still can't believe that happened. He's still got
one more game of his suspension against Southampton, so we decided to leave
him out there with the rehab fitness coach Eduardo Garcia. He's there with
both of them to do some work in the sun, and Andy will come back ready and
raring to go for Everton."
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The public gets what the public wants
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 17th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
Referee Mark Clattenburg is to take charge of West Ham United's Premier
League clash with Southampton this weekend - his first Saints appointment
since they filed a complaint against him last year.
The south coast club reported Clattenburg to the Professional Game Match
Officials Board back in December when it was claimed he told Saints captain
Adam Lallana: "You are very different now, since you've played for England -
you never used to be like this". The complaint was later dismissed by the
FA.
It will also be the first time that Clattenberg - who West Ham supporters
ironically chanted for during the 3-1 victory against Chelsea in December
2012 - has officiated a United game since New Years' Day, when he dismissed
Kevin Nolan in the 2-1 defeat at Fulham. That was the most recent incident
in a long charge sheet for Clattenburg where the Hammers are concerned.
On New Years' Day 2013, the Durham official angered Norwich boss Chris
Hughton for refusing to either of two penalty appeals - correctly, so it was
later proved - in a 2-1 win for the Hammers at the Boleyn Ground. Earlier
that season he was criticised for being "card happy" when booking ten
players in a 2-1 win for West Ham at QPR.
In 2010 Clattenburg left fans questioning his parentage on no less than
three occasions. A 4-0 Carling Cup quarter final win against Manchester
United would have been even more emphatic had he spotted a clear foul on
substitute Zavon Hines in the game's closing stages, whilst his decision to
rule out Freddie Piquionne's perfectly legal injury time 'winner' at Wolves
baffled many.
The FA Cup 3rd round tie with Arsenal in January at that year also ended
controversially when Clattenburg ignored a clear infringement on Alessandro
Diamanti with the score at 0-0. West Ham went on to lose the game 2-1.
Clattenburg had previously left Gianfranco Zola fuming during a 3-3 draw at
Hull in November 2009 when awarding a soft penalty against Julien Faubert -
though Zola's mood improved somewhat when the 38-year-old failed to spot a
far worse offence by Matthew Upson later in the same game. Zola was less
forgiving three months previously when Clattenburg refused to award a
penalty when Luis Jimenez was tripped inside the box by Spurs' Essou-Ekotto.
Lee Bowyer was another victim of Clattenburg's back in 2008, when he was
dismissed for what appeared to be an innocuous challenge during a 1-1 draw
against Birmingham. The FA agreed and rescinded the card on appeal.
Then-manager Alan Curbishley had also criticised the referee in January of
that year for denying Bowyer (again) a clear penalty at Manchester City.
West Ham's biggest away win in recent years - a 5-0 thrashing of Derby
County at Pride Park back in 2007 - was also marred (very slightly,
admittedly) by Clattenburg's decision to award a free kick instead of a
penalty when Luis Boa Morte was felled inside the area during the first
half.
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Getting mean
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 17th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham required 17 points from their remaining 12 Premier League fixtures
to match the mean number of points accrued by the Club in the Premier League
since the turn of the century.
The Hammers have spent ten seasons in the top flight since 2000, since when
the various teams - managed by Harry Redknapp, Glenn Roeder, Alan Pardew,
Alan Curbishley, Gianfranco Zola, Avram Grant and now Sam Allardyce - have
averaged 45 points over the course of the campaign with an average
13th-place finish.
Currently, West Ham have accrued 28 points from their first 26 games, just
slightly lower than the average tally of 30 points (with an average position
of 14th) for the same period at this stage.
However Sam Allardyce will be hoping his team can continue their excellent
recent form, which has earned West Ham ten vital points from their last four
outings - keeping clean sheets in all four - for the remainder of the
2013/14 season.
In order to achieve the average points tally of 45, West Ham need to take
1.4 points per game for the remainder of the season.
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Go on my sun!
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 17th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce will be hoping the mid-season trip to Dubai will have a
similar effect on his team's fortunes to that in the last two seasons. Since
first making the now-annual trip with his squad at the end of February 2012,
Allardyce's West Ham have posted generally favourable results immediately
after returning to the UK. Two years ago, when still a Championship side,
the Hammers returned from Dubai at the end of February before embarking on a
seven-match unbeaten run that finally ended with a 4-2 home defeat against
Reading on the final day of March - the only defeat they suffered prior to
the end of the campaign. And last year the Hammers guaranteed their Premier
League place thanks to another decent run of form that followed the trip.
Despite losing 3-2 at home to Spurs - thanks to a last-minute Gareth Bale
'worldy' - in their first game back on British soil, only one of the seven
subsequent fixtures was to end in defeat (a 2-0 reversal at Chelsea) as West
Ham went on the secure a top ten finish in their first season back in the
top flight. Speaking about the 2011/12 promotion push last year, Allardyce
recalled: "We had a fantastic finish to the season and I still think the
trip that we had at this time last year was a big benefit in the end for
getting us promoted into the Premier League. "Nearly everybody does it today
which obviously is a benefit to you and the team, and the results when you
come back."
Allardyce will be hoping his team can emulate that form in the next few
weeks, when Southampton (h), Everton (a), Hull City (h) and Stoke (a) await.
West Ham are currently 11th in the Premier League with 28 points from 26
games - just two points shy of last season's tally at the same stage.
First five back
How a rejuvenated West Ham performed after returning from Dubai
2011/12 (February 2012)
Spurs (h) 2-3
Stoke (a) 1-0
Chelsea (a) 0-2
West Brom (h) 3-1
Liverpool (a) 0-0
2012/13 (February 2013)
Cardiff (a) 2-0
Watford (h) 1-1
Doncaser (h) 1-1
Leeds Utd (a) 1-1
Middlesbrough (h) 1-1
2013/14 (February 2014)
Southampton (h)
Everton (a)
Hull City (h)
Stoke City (a)
Man Utd (h)
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Antonio Nocerino joined West Ham to aid World Cup push
Last Updated: 17/02/14 4:00pm
SSN
Antonio Nocerino is hoping to enjoy a productive loan spell at West Ham
United and force his way into Italy's World Cup squad. The combative
midfielder completed a move from AC Milan towards the end of the January
transfer window and will see out the season at Upton Park. He has been eased
into English football by Hammers boss Sam Allardyce, making four substitute
appearances so far. It is the 28-year-old's intention to soon step off the
bench and into the starting XI, with a desire to take in regular football
having driven his switch from Serie A. Nocerino believes that if he can
convince Allardyce that he is deserving of a prominent role in his Premier
League plans, than a seat on the plane to Brazil this summer could also be
within his reach. A man who has been capped on 15 occasions by his country
told Radio Deejay: "I hope this spell with help me get back into the Italian
squad. "One of the reasons I came to West Ham and to the Premier League is
to play on a regular basis. "My first objective is to play for West Ham and
help the club move up the table. "From that, if I am playing well and I get
picked to go to the World Cup in Brazil, that will be an added bonus."
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INTERVIEW: JONJO HEUERMAN - A TRUE INSPIRATION.
By ExWHUemployee 17 Feb 2014 at 22:05
West ham Till I Die
"Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes
life meaningful". –Joshua J. Marine.
I like to think I set myself challenges and that I have met the majority
that I have. However, I have never set challenges as great as Jonjo Heuerman
or achieved as much as he has and all by the age of 12. I have followed
Jonjo's work from the very start as he raises money for charities very close
to my own heart and of course is a fellow Hammer. As Jonjo is about to
embark on his next challenge on Tuesday 18th Feb, I thought it was the
perfect time to ask him some questions and find out more about his work.
I am sure most people who follow West Ham know of your work but could you
please tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am 12 years old and I was my Nanny's only grandson when she passed away
from bowel cancer. I started secondary school in September and I have only
just told my school that I fundraise. I like to keep my school life and my
friends separate from my fundraising. I really like meeting people and I
love football.
What else do you like to do when you are not raising money?
I love to be at West Ham United, I have been a season ticket holder since I
was 4 years old. I also collect 1966 World Cup and West Ham United football
memorabilia. I'm just a normal kid and I do normal things. I play on my Xbox
and I love to play football and see my friends. My favourite time is playing
football with my dog. She is a great goalkeeper. I am really interested in
cooking and I would like to be a chef when I am older.
Which charities do you raise money for?
I fund raise for The Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK. I chose this
charity because my Nanny and Bobby Moore both died from bowel cancer.
When and how did your charity work start?
When my Nanny died my sister did some fundraising. She raised £10,000 for
our local hospice. I watched what she did and I helped her. I wanted to do
something for my Nanny's memory too so I asked my Mum if I could walk from
Wembley to West Ham United. She is not very good at directions and she
thought because they were in London they were close. My first walk took me 3
days and was 27 miles and I way 9 years old. I started on my own with my
family and I was on TV a lot and when I finished lots of people came to walk
with me.
I do my walk every year in February half term because it's the same week as
my Nanny and Bobby's anniversary. People from around the world come to walk
with me and people send me angel names of people who they lost to cancer
too. I put all the names on my walk Tshirt and I read out the names on the
last day of my challenge at a special memorial ceremony. I have walked
almost 200 miles now for nearly 300 angels. I also help by organising events
all year too.
Can you tell me about some of your biggest fundraising events?
My biggest event was The Big Football Tag. I asked every one of the 92
English Football League club captains to give me a signed captains armband.
I then organised a tag event where fans from each club took their club
captain's armband to the next club in the tag. The armbands were attached to
sashes with GPS trackers attached. On the first day of my 2013 challenge I
waited at the gates of Upton Park to wait for the armbands to arrive on foot
and to tag me. It was amazing, from all around the country they came and
within half an hour I had every armband. I carried them to Wembley to get
the England captain's armband for Bobby and bring it back to Upton Park. My
walk took me 6 days and I walked 66 miles. All of the armbands are being
auctioned for the charity.
I have seen many West Ham greats and other famous people support your work,
have you any special memories from any dealings with them?
I was invited to meet David Cameron at Downing Street. That was pretty
special. He is an Aston Villa supporter and I told him he supported the
wrong claret and blue and he thought it was funny. Speaking at events at the
House of Lords was great too.
I have met Billy Bonds a lot and last time he was telling me off for not
eating properly. I am a really bad eater and he was trying to get me to eat
chicken with him. He made me promise and to train properly for my challenge.
All of The Boys of 86 are kind to me and is the first team squad, the owners
and staff at West Ham too. A lot of celebrity fans follow me on Twitter and
they are kind too and Stephanie Moore is very proud of me. I have had a
great time meeting people.
You are due to start another event this Tuesday, could you tell me more
about it?
I am starting a 50 mile 5 day football dribble from the centre circle of
Southend United to the centre circle of West Ham United before kick off
against Southampton. I start the day after my nanny's anniversary and I
finish the day before Bobby's anniversary. I have two footballs and I am
inviting people to come and dribble with me. Lots of people are joining in
and I am trying to raise £50,000 for The Bobby Moore Fund.
How can readers support you and contribute to the cause?
They can support me by visiting my Website and buying my charity badges and
wristbands or by donating on JustGiving or by coming and joining in. I am
trying to get fans to walk the last mile with me – One Moore Mile. They can
meet me at the junction of Romford Road and Green Street on 22nd February
2014 at 1:30pm. There is a lot of information about my challenge on my
website and I will be wearing a GPS tracker so people can watch my progress
or find me to join in. There are maps on my website too.
If fans cannot walk with me they can meet me at the Barking Road statue at
2pm on 22nd February for my memorial service. There is a lot of people
coming and it's going to be really special this year. They can also follow
me on Facebook and Twitter. I like reading the messages on there because it
encourages me.
What are your future ambitions?
I want to be a chef and I want to keep fundraising and help find a cure one
day. I am walking in Ireland in April and I have been asked to walk to The
Vatican, and to walk in New York but I don't know how or when because of my
school work.
Is there anything you would like to say to the readers out there?
I want to say a big thank you to West Ham fans and the club for helping me.
I have raised £150,000 so far and the charity estimates that I have
generated over £1m in awareness too and I couldn't do it without lots of
help. Thank you for helping me Make Bobby Proud
I would really like to thank Jonjo for taking the time to answer these
questions for me, the day before such a big event. I am sure, like me, you
find his work inspirational and would encourage you all to support Jonjo and
help him reach his fundraising targets. Good luck Jonjo from the West Ham
family!!
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EXCLUSIVE: THE PLAN TO BECOME DEBT FREE BEFORE WE MOVE
By Sean Whetstone 17 Feb 2014 at 08:46
West Ham Till I Die
When the recent West Ham company accounts were published it showed an
outstanding bank debt of £44m in 2013. The re-financing of that debt on 1st
July last year appears to have reduced the current bank debt from £44m to
£32m not including the £5m short term season pay day loan from Vibrac. The
new refinancing deal was secured as a mortgage against the Boleyn Ground and
the other freehold land held by the club. The terms of the new loans are the
bank debts need to be paid off or refinanced by the end of 2016.
Interestingly the new bankers are named as CB Holding ehf and David Sullivan
replacing the previous syndicate of five banks from the Icelandic days.
I can exclusive reveal the terms of the re-financing deal for the first
time.
In May/June 2013 David Sullivan bought a further 25% of the shares in the
club from CB holdings on condition they used the money David paid them to
loan back to the club to replace the main bank debt for 3 years by paying
off the existing bankers. David Sullivan paid £25.5m for these shares which
ultimately ended back in the club to refinance the bank debt. However, there
remained a 15% hole of £3.8m in cash needed to pay off the syndicate of five
banks, so David Sullivan personally took 15% of the main bank debt so that
it could be paid off. It was the only way it could be done as no other banks
were prepared to loan us the money. Effectively, David Sullivan become one
of our bankers and is named as such in the 2013 financial accounts. It means
he invested another £25.5m last year on top of the £10.5m Gold and himself
loaned the club last season as shareholder loans. CB Holdings have also
loaned West ham £6.7m to take the total bank debt to £32.2m.
With the sale of the Boleyn ground announced last week the chairmen have a
plan to be almost debt free by May 2016 when we move to the Olympic Stadium.
The current plan is to pay off £5m per year off the bank debt over the next
two remaining years at the Boleyn. This reduces the bank debt to £22m by
which time we will need to move out and pay off the loans secured against
the Boleyn ground. The proceeds of the sale of the Boleyn ground to Galliard
Homes will pay the £15m we owe to the LLDC towards Olympic Stadium
transformation costs and the surplus of the sale will be used to pay off the
remaining bank debt.
I understand Galliard homes were not the highest bidder in the tender
process by some distance but considered by the directors as the best fit to
preserve the history of the area. Hopes that there would be a surplus from
the sale to invest in redeveloping Rush Green or investing in new players
now appear to be unfounded. This debt reduction plan relies on West Ham
remaining in Premier League until 2016. If we get relegated in the next 3
years all bets and plans to be debt free are off!
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Is Ravel Morrison really the problem?
James Jones
February 17, 2014
WestHamWorld.co.uk
Ravel Morrison's high profile loan switch to QPR has uncovered a number of
'conspiracies' behind his rise and fall at West Ham this season.
When things started going pear shaped and we began seeing less and less of
Morrison in the starting line-up, and then the match day squad, the
automatic feeling was that the player himself had been causing trouble
behind the scenes.
His reputation of being a bad boy automatically meant that he was the one
orchestrating the trouble in the dressing room, apparently pushing for a
move to Fulham and frequently missing training.
Such accusations, along with the Fulham debacle, sparked fans giving
Morrison abuse on Twitter and Instagram, some of which was quite disgusting
and uncalled for.
Of course, a lot of the bad comments people made towards him were out of
frustration more than anything. Hearing that your club's most promising
youngster has been pushing for a move and causing trouble in the dressing
room is obviously going to frustrate and upset the fans who had enjoyed
watching him play earlier in the season, and had also given him hero-like
status for his goal in the 3-0 win over Spurs at White Hart Lane.
But after all of that and all of the accusations towards Ravel, stories have
emerged this week that suggest it's actually Sam Allardyce who has played a
big part in Ravel being sent out on loan and potentially going AWOL.
On the back of Allardyce's claims that Morrison is refusing to play with a
groin injury that he has 100% recovered from, Morrison's agent Nick Rubery
went public to claim Morrison had fallen out with the manager due to
attempts to get him to switch agents.
According to Rubery, Allardyce asked Morrison to ditch him for his own agent
Mark Curtis. The trouble is, Morrison sees Rubery as a very close friend and
is unwilling to ditch him under the orders of Allardyce. And why should he?
To help line the pockets of Allardyce? Perhaps Big Sam is looking for one
last pay day before the owners tell him to pack his bags in the summer?
Maybe we'll never know.
But this is, in a nutshell, the reason behind the fall-out. We may never
find out the truth behind what has happened over the last couple of months,
but what I think is vital to all of this is that we shouldn't be publicly
attacking Morrison for his apparent trouble making when, in fact, he may not
have actually done anything wrong at all.
Yes, he has a history and a reputation but, given how successful and grown
up he had become early on this season, it does seem a bit strange that
suddenly it's all been ruined and he's off to QPR. Surely something must
have sparked the current situation? Why would he have thrown away what was
promising to be a successful and popular West Ham career for a loan move to
a Championship side?
Underneath one of Morrison's recent Instagram posts he reacted to an angry
comment towards by saying something like 'You wait until the truth comes
out.' To me, that suggests there was behind this than just him being the bad
boy he is always being made out to be.
So with all of that in mind, perhaps it's time to stop hounding the player
and wait to see if the actual truth does come out. Let Morrison go to QPR
and continue his development as a player – he'll certainly do that under
Harry Redknapp – and then assess the situation once he returns in the
summer.
If we are going to hold on to Ravel by offering him a new contract and him
agreeing to pen-to-paper, he is going to need to feel wanted not just by the
club, but by the fans.
So until we learn all the ins and outs about this, we should support
Morrison and wish him all the best at Loftus Road.
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http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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WHUFC.com
West Ham United are calling on supporters to offer their views on a fitting
finale for the Boleyn Ground
17.02.2014
As West Ham United prepare for a future at the Olympic Stadium, the Club are
pressing on with plans to finalise a fitting farewell to the Club's home of
110 years. With two-and-a-half years to give the Boleyn Ground the perfect
send-off, the Hammers are calling on supporters to leave their mark on
proceedings.
The Hammers' Supporter Advisory Board (SAB) members have already got the
ball rolling and this is your chance to tell them how you envisage the
Club's final Upton Park season taking shape. So should you know an SAB
member and would like to share your ideas and memories, please get in touch
with them. During a recent meeting, the SAB discussed the prospect of themed
matches for each and every game of the final season and the celebrations
surrounding the very last game. The Club is also collating opinion on a
grand final-curtain event. Meanwhile, the SAB showed a great deal of
interest in the auction of Boleyn Ground memorabilia, as well as
commemorative tours in the final season. As it stands, the SAB has already
offered the following suggestions and the Club is keen to compile many more.
· A countdown clock in the Boleyn, ticking down to the first whistle of the
final game.
· Breaking the world record for the most people simultaneously blowing
bubbles on the last day at the Boleyn.
· A commemorative programme similar to the very first ever issued.
· Guard of honour of both former and current players as part of the last
moments at the Boleyn.
As expected, there were differing views on how exactly the final Boleyn
Ground game might shape up and similarly on the look of a commemorative home
shirt. With that in mind, the wider consultation of the fan base is even
more important, so make sure your voice is heard.
For the full report of the SAB's last meeting, click here, while the
Farewell to the Boleyn Ground focus group is set to reconvene on Tuesday 25
February. Future consultation topics will include:
· What would supporters like the commemorative kit to look like? Should it
be the traditional claret and blue or a limited edition kit?
· Suggestions on possible themed matches, allowing supporters to vote for
their favourites.
· Detailed list of what Boleyn Ground tours should include in the lead-up to
the move.
· Begin to outline and elaborate on plans for a closing ceremony at the
Boleyn Ground.
· Thoughts on how the Club can best collate fan stories and memories through
the years at the Boleyn.
· Conduct a detailed discussion of possible items to be included in the
auction.
The SAB is your platform and the Club looks forward to hearing from as many
supporters as possible in the coming weeks and months,not least with the
prospect of celebrating the Club's 120th anniversary next season.
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Macca looking forward to Open Training
WHUFC.com
West Ham United assistant boss is looking forward to welcoming Season Ticket
Holders to training
17.02.2014
West Ham United will swap their warm-weather training camp for a setting
closer to home when they host an exclusive open training session for Season
Ticket Holders and Corporate Members at the Boleyn Ground on Tuesday. The
Hammers will train in front of the fans as the preparations for Saturday's
Barclays Premier League clash with Southampton continue. Gates open at 10am,
with training scheduled to begin at 10.30am, and assistant boss Neil
McDonald is looking forward to allowing the supporters a behind-the-scenes
look at how the first team squad prepares for a game. McDonald said: "The
fans have been fantastic, even when we haven't been performing to where we
thought we would. They stood by the team, so it's great that our form is
improving as it sends people home with smiles on their faces. "We'll try and
show them what we do, all the way from pre warm-up to warm-up, a little bit
of possession and finishing. It just gives them a little outline of how we
work."
McDonald believes the week of training in Dubai has set his team up for a
strong end to the 2013/14 Barclays Premier League campaign. The Hammers have
visited the Middle East for similar trips the last two years, with promotion
to the Premier League and a top-half finish last season being secured upon
their return to action. "I thought it was a great camp," he continued. "It
was perfect timing for us, as leading up to the last few weeks, we hadn't
been getting good results, so fixing the trip up in itself had a motivation
for the lads as they had something to look forward to. "We got some good
results, beating Norwich, Aston Villa and Swansea, and drawing with Chelsea.
The results have been fantastic over the last three or four weeks and that's
just cemented the good week we had in Dubai. Hopefully we can get the same
results when we come back. "We hope this trip has a positive impact on
results like it has done the previous two seasons. Everybody coming back
from injury has given everyone a boost. The signings that the manager has
made have done the same and there's lots of competition for places. "That's
certainly shown at the moment - we have Winston Reid who was at the heart of
the defence before who can't get in the team because we're keeping clean
sheets and playing well. "The bar has been set a little bit higher, which is
great, and everybody is full of confidence - that has shown on the field in
the last four games. When the confidence comes back everyone performs that
little bit better and everyone has a smile on their face.
"Certainly Dubai has made everyone happier too, because it was beautiful
weather, we were staying in a beautiful place and training was at a
fantastic facility, so hopefully that will kick us on for the rest of the
season."
The Hammers made the most of the conditions in Dubai to train with the sun
on their backs and McDonald says the benefits will be both physical and
mental in nature. He continued: "You can see from the photographs that we
were able to train in t-shirts and shorts. The weather, as everybody knows,
has been horrendous at home over the last few weeks, so it has been good for
them to get some vitamin D in their bodies. "We were still doing a little
bit of technical work and work in the gym. It was time for them to relax
their aching bodies, because the majority of them have played a lot of games
over the Christmas and January periods."
West Ham returned to London on Sunday, although Andy Carroll and Joey
O'Brien remained in Dubai for additional warm-weather work as they remain
unavailable for first team selection due to suspension and injury
respectively. McDonald explained: "With Joey's shoulder injury, it's good
for him to do some work in the sea. It's good for him to have the sun on his
back when he's working, so that will try to cheer him up because you know
what players are like when they're injured. He's been out with the rest of
the lads and that's fantastic for him. "For Andy it's just a continuation of
his rehabilitation, really. He's worked very, very hard to get himself fit
and he's made an impact since coming back. "Unfortunately he got sent-off
against Swansea, and we still can't believe that happened. He's still got
one more game of his suspension against Southampton, so we decided to leave
him out there with the rehab fitness coach Eduardo Garcia. He's there with
both of them to do some work in the sun, and Andy will come back ready and
raring to go for Everton."
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The public gets what the public wants
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 17th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
Referee Mark Clattenburg is to take charge of West Ham United's Premier
League clash with Southampton this weekend - his first Saints appointment
since they filed a complaint against him last year.
The south coast club reported Clattenburg to the Professional Game Match
Officials Board back in December when it was claimed he told Saints captain
Adam Lallana: "You are very different now, since you've played for England -
you never used to be like this". The complaint was later dismissed by the
FA.
It will also be the first time that Clattenberg - who West Ham supporters
ironically chanted for during the 3-1 victory against Chelsea in December
2012 - has officiated a United game since New Years' Day, when he dismissed
Kevin Nolan in the 2-1 defeat at Fulham. That was the most recent incident
in a long charge sheet for Clattenburg where the Hammers are concerned.
On New Years' Day 2013, the Durham official angered Norwich boss Chris
Hughton for refusing to either of two penalty appeals - correctly, so it was
later proved - in a 2-1 win for the Hammers at the Boleyn Ground. Earlier
that season he was criticised for being "card happy" when booking ten
players in a 2-1 win for West Ham at QPR.
In 2010 Clattenburg left fans questioning his parentage on no less than
three occasions. A 4-0 Carling Cup quarter final win against Manchester
United would have been even more emphatic had he spotted a clear foul on
substitute Zavon Hines in the game's closing stages, whilst his decision to
rule out Freddie Piquionne's perfectly legal injury time 'winner' at Wolves
baffled many.
The FA Cup 3rd round tie with Arsenal in January at that year also ended
controversially when Clattenburg ignored a clear infringement on Alessandro
Diamanti with the score at 0-0. West Ham went on to lose the game 2-1.
Clattenburg had previously left Gianfranco Zola fuming during a 3-3 draw at
Hull in November 2009 when awarding a soft penalty against Julien Faubert -
though Zola's mood improved somewhat when the 38-year-old failed to spot a
far worse offence by Matthew Upson later in the same game. Zola was less
forgiving three months previously when Clattenburg refused to award a
penalty when Luis Jimenez was tripped inside the box by Spurs' Essou-Ekotto.
Lee Bowyer was another victim of Clattenburg's back in 2008, when he was
dismissed for what appeared to be an innocuous challenge during a 1-1 draw
against Birmingham. The FA agreed and rescinded the card on appeal.
Then-manager Alan Curbishley had also criticised the referee in January of
that year for denying Bowyer (again) a clear penalty at Manchester City.
West Ham's biggest away win in recent years - a 5-0 thrashing of Derby
County at Pride Park back in 2007 - was also marred (very slightly,
admittedly) by Clattenburg's decision to award a free kick instead of a
penalty when Luis Boa Morte was felled inside the area during the first
half.
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Getting mean
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 17th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
West Ham required 17 points from their remaining 12 Premier League fixtures
to match the mean number of points accrued by the Club in the Premier League
since the turn of the century.
The Hammers have spent ten seasons in the top flight since 2000, since when
the various teams - managed by Harry Redknapp, Glenn Roeder, Alan Pardew,
Alan Curbishley, Gianfranco Zola, Avram Grant and now Sam Allardyce - have
averaged 45 points over the course of the campaign with an average
13th-place finish.
Currently, West Ham have accrued 28 points from their first 26 games, just
slightly lower than the average tally of 30 points (with an average position
of 14th) for the same period at this stage.
However Sam Allardyce will be hoping his team can continue their excellent
recent form, which has earned West Ham ten vital points from their last four
outings - keeping clean sheets in all four - for the remainder of the
2013/14 season.
In order to achieve the average points tally of 45, West Ham need to take
1.4 points per game for the remainder of the season.
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Go on my sun!
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 17th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce will be hoping the mid-season trip to Dubai will have a
similar effect on his team's fortunes to that in the last two seasons. Since
first making the now-annual trip with his squad at the end of February 2012,
Allardyce's West Ham have posted generally favourable results immediately
after returning to the UK. Two years ago, when still a Championship side,
the Hammers returned from Dubai at the end of February before embarking on a
seven-match unbeaten run that finally ended with a 4-2 home defeat against
Reading on the final day of March - the only defeat they suffered prior to
the end of the campaign. And last year the Hammers guaranteed their Premier
League place thanks to another decent run of form that followed the trip.
Despite losing 3-2 at home to Spurs - thanks to a last-minute Gareth Bale
'worldy' - in their first game back on British soil, only one of the seven
subsequent fixtures was to end in defeat (a 2-0 reversal at Chelsea) as West
Ham went on the secure a top ten finish in their first season back in the
top flight. Speaking about the 2011/12 promotion push last year, Allardyce
recalled: "We had a fantastic finish to the season and I still think the
trip that we had at this time last year was a big benefit in the end for
getting us promoted into the Premier League. "Nearly everybody does it today
which obviously is a benefit to you and the team, and the results when you
come back."
Allardyce will be hoping his team can emulate that form in the next few
weeks, when Southampton (h), Everton (a), Hull City (h) and Stoke (a) await.
West Ham are currently 11th in the Premier League with 28 points from 26
games - just two points shy of last season's tally at the same stage.
First five back
How a rejuvenated West Ham performed after returning from Dubai
2011/12 (February 2012)
Spurs (h) 2-3
Stoke (a) 1-0
Chelsea (a) 0-2
West Brom (h) 3-1
Liverpool (a) 0-0
2012/13 (February 2013)
Cardiff (a) 2-0
Watford (h) 1-1
Doncaser (h) 1-1
Leeds Utd (a) 1-1
Middlesbrough (h) 1-1
2013/14 (February 2014)
Southampton (h)
Everton (a)
Hull City (h)
Stoke City (a)
Man Utd (h)
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Antonio Nocerino joined West Ham to aid World Cup push
Last Updated: 17/02/14 4:00pm
SSN
Antonio Nocerino is hoping to enjoy a productive loan spell at West Ham
United and force his way into Italy's World Cup squad. The combative
midfielder completed a move from AC Milan towards the end of the January
transfer window and will see out the season at Upton Park. He has been eased
into English football by Hammers boss Sam Allardyce, making four substitute
appearances so far. It is the 28-year-old's intention to soon step off the
bench and into the starting XI, with a desire to take in regular football
having driven his switch from Serie A. Nocerino believes that if he can
convince Allardyce that he is deserving of a prominent role in his Premier
League plans, than a seat on the plane to Brazil this summer could also be
within his reach. A man who has been capped on 15 occasions by his country
told Radio Deejay: "I hope this spell with help me get back into the Italian
squad. "One of the reasons I came to West Ham and to the Premier League is
to play on a regular basis. "My first objective is to play for West Ham and
help the club move up the table. "From that, if I am playing well and I get
picked to go to the World Cup in Brazil, that will be an added bonus."
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INTERVIEW: JONJO HEUERMAN - A TRUE INSPIRATION.
By ExWHUemployee 17 Feb 2014 at 22:05
West ham Till I Die
"Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes
life meaningful". –Joshua J. Marine.
I like to think I set myself challenges and that I have met the majority
that I have. However, I have never set challenges as great as Jonjo Heuerman
or achieved as much as he has and all by the age of 12. I have followed
Jonjo's work from the very start as he raises money for charities very close
to my own heart and of course is a fellow Hammer. As Jonjo is about to
embark on his next challenge on Tuesday 18th Feb, I thought it was the
perfect time to ask him some questions and find out more about his work.
I am sure most people who follow West Ham know of your work but could you
please tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am 12 years old and I was my Nanny's only grandson when she passed away
from bowel cancer. I started secondary school in September and I have only
just told my school that I fundraise. I like to keep my school life and my
friends separate from my fundraising. I really like meeting people and I
love football.
What else do you like to do when you are not raising money?
I love to be at West Ham United, I have been a season ticket holder since I
was 4 years old. I also collect 1966 World Cup and West Ham United football
memorabilia. I'm just a normal kid and I do normal things. I play on my Xbox
and I love to play football and see my friends. My favourite time is playing
football with my dog. She is a great goalkeeper. I am really interested in
cooking and I would like to be a chef when I am older.
Which charities do you raise money for?
I fund raise for The Bobby Moore Fund for Cancer Research UK. I chose this
charity because my Nanny and Bobby Moore both died from bowel cancer.
When and how did your charity work start?
When my Nanny died my sister did some fundraising. She raised £10,000 for
our local hospice. I watched what she did and I helped her. I wanted to do
something for my Nanny's memory too so I asked my Mum if I could walk from
Wembley to West Ham United. She is not very good at directions and she
thought because they were in London they were close. My first walk took me 3
days and was 27 miles and I way 9 years old. I started on my own with my
family and I was on TV a lot and when I finished lots of people came to walk
with me.
I do my walk every year in February half term because it's the same week as
my Nanny and Bobby's anniversary. People from around the world come to walk
with me and people send me angel names of people who they lost to cancer
too. I put all the names on my walk Tshirt and I read out the names on the
last day of my challenge at a special memorial ceremony. I have walked
almost 200 miles now for nearly 300 angels. I also help by organising events
all year too.
Can you tell me about some of your biggest fundraising events?
My biggest event was The Big Football Tag. I asked every one of the 92
English Football League club captains to give me a signed captains armband.
I then organised a tag event where fans from each club took their club
captain's armband to the next club in the tag. The armbands were attached to
sashes with GPS trackers attached. On the first day of my 2013 challenge I
waited at the gates of Upton Park to wait for the armbands to arrive on foot
and to tag me. It was amazing, from all around the country they came and
within half an hour I had every armband. I carried them to Wembley to get
the England captain's armband for Bobby and bring it back to Upton Park. My
walk took me 6 days and I walked 66 miles. All of the armbands are being
auctioned for the charity.
I have seen many West Ham greats and other famous people support your work,
have you any special memories from any dealings with them?
I was invited to meet David Cameron at Downing Street. That was pretty
special. He is an Aston Villa supporter and I told him he supported the
wrong claret and blue and he thought it was funny. Speaking at events at the
House of Lords was great too.
I have met Billy Bonds a lot and last time he was telling me off for not
eating properly. I am a really bad eater and he was trying to get me to eat
chicken with him. He made me promise and to train properly for my challenge.
All of The Boys of 86 are kind to me and is the first team squad, the owners
and staff at West Ham too. A lot of celebrity fans follow me on Twitter and
they are kind too and Stephanie Moore is very proud of me. I have had a
great time meeting people.
You are due to start another event this Tuesday, could you tell me more
about it?
I am starting a 50 mile 5 day football dribble from the centre circle of
Southend United to the centre circle of West Ham United before kick off
against Southampton. I start the day after my nanny's anniversary and I
finish the day before Bobby's anniversary. I have two footballs and I am
inviting people to come and dribble with me. Lots of people are joining in
and I am trying to raise £50,000 for The Bobby Moore Fund.
How can readers support you and contribute to the cause?
They can support me by visiting my Website and buying my charity badges and
wristbands or by donating on JustGiving or by coming and joining in. I am
trying to get fans to walk the last mile with me – One Moore Mile. They can
meet me at the junction of Romford Road and Green Street on 22nd February
2014 at 1:30pm. There is a lot of information about my challenge on my
website and I will be wearing a GPS tracker so people can watch my progress
or find me to join in. There are maps on my website too.
If fans cannot walk with me they can meet me at the Barking Road statue at
2pm on 22nd February for my memorial service. There is a lot of people
coming and it's going to be really special this year. They can also follow
me on Facebook and Twitter. I like reading the messages on there because it
encourages me.
What are your future ambitions?
I want to be a chef and I want to keep fundraising and help find a cure one
day. I am walking in Ireland in April and I have been asked to walk to The
Vatican, and to walk in New York but I don't know how or when because of my
school work.
Is there anything you would like to say to the readers out there?
I want to say a big thank you to West Ham fans and the club for helping me.
I have raised £150,000 so far and the charity estimates that I have
generated over £1m in awareness too and I couldn't do it without lots of
help. Thank you for helping me Make Bobby Proud
I would really like to thank Jonjo for taking the time to answer these
questions for me, the day before such a big event. I am sure, like me, you
find his work inspirational and would encourage you all to support Jonjo and
help him reach his fundraising targets. Good luck Jonjo from the West Ham
family!!
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EXCLUSIVE: THE PLAN TO BECOME DEBT FREE BEFORE WE MOVE
By Sean Whetstone 17 Feb 2014 at 08:46
West Ham Till I Die
When the recent West Ham company accounts were published it showed an
outstanding bank debt of £44m in 2013. The re-financing of that debt on 1st
July last year appears to have reduced the current bank debt from £44m to
£32m not including the £5m short term season pay day loan from Vibrac. The
new refinancing deal was secured as a mortgage against the Boleyn Ground and
the other freehold land held by the club. The terms of the new loans are the
bank debts need to be paid off or refinanced by the end of 2016.
Interestingly the new bankers are named as CB Holding ehf and David Sullivan
replacing the previous syndicate of five banks from the Icelandic days.
I can exclusive reveal the terms of the re-financing deal for the first
time.
In May/June 2013 David Sullivan bought a further 25% of the shares in the
club from CB holdings on condition they used the money David paid them to
loan back to the club to replace the main bank debt for 3 years by paying
off the existing bankers. David Sullivan paid £25.5m for these shares which
ultimately ended back in the club to refinance the bank debt. However, there
remained a 15% hole of £3.8m in cash needed to pay off the syndicate of five
banks, so David Sullivan personally took 15% of the main bank debt so that
it could be paid off. It was the only way it could be done as no other banks
were prepared to loan us the money. Effectively, David Sullivan become one
of our bankers and is named as such in the 2013 financial accounts. It means
he invested another £25.5m last year on top of the £10.5m Gold and himself
loaned the club last season as shareholder loans. CB Holdings have also
loaned West ham £6.7m to take the total bank debt to £32.2m.
With the sale of the Boleyn ground announced last week the chairmen have a
plan to be almost debt free by May 2016 when we move to the Olympic Stadium.
The current plan is to pay off £5m per year off the bank debt over the next
two remaining years at the Boleyn. This reduces the bank debt to £22m by
which time we will need to move out and pay off the loans secured against
the Boleyn ground. The proceeds of the sale of the Boleyn ground to Galliard
Homes will pay the £15m we owe to the LLDC towards Olympic Stadium
transformation costs and the surplus of the sale will be used to pay off the
remaining bank debt.
I understand Galliard homes were not the highest bidder in the tender
process by some distance but considered by the directors as the best fit to
preserve the history of the area. Hopes that there would be a surplus from
the sale to invest in redeveloping Rush Green or investing in new players
now appear to be unfounded. This debt reduction plan relies on West Ham
remaining in Premier League until 2016. If we get relegated in the next 3
years all bets and plans to be debt free are off!
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Is Ravel Morrison really the problem?
James Jones
February 17, 2014
WestHamWorld.co.uk
Ravel Morrison's high profile loan switch to QPR has uncovered a number of
'conspiracies' behind his rise and fall at West Ham this season.
When things started going pear shaped and we began seeing less and less of
Morrison in the starting line-up, and then the match day squad, the
automatic feeling was that the player himself had been causing trouble
behind the scenes.
His reputation of being a bad boy automatically meant that he was the one
orchestrating the trouble in the dressing room, apparently pushing for a
move to Fulham and frequently missing training.
Such accusations, along with the Fulham debacle, sparked fans giving
Morrison abuse on Twitter and Instagram, some of which was quite disgusting
and uncalled for.
Of course, a lot of the bad comments people made towards him were out of
frustration more than anything. Hearing that your club's most promising
youngster has been pushing for a move and causing trouble in the dressing
room is obviously going to frustrate and upset the fans who had enjoyed
watching him play earlier in the season, and had also given him hero-like
status for his goal in the 3-0 win over Spurs at White Hart Lane.
But after all of that and all of the accusations towards Ravel, stories have
emerged this week that suggest it's actually Sam Allardyce who has played a
big part in Ravel being sent out on loan and potentially going AWOL.
On the back of Allardyce's claims that Morrison is refusing to play with a
groin injury that he has 100% recovered from, Morrison's agent Nick Rubery
went public to claim Morrison had fallen out with the manager due to
attempts to get him to switch agents.
According to Rubery, Allardyce asked Morrison to ditch him for his own agent
Mark Curtis. The trouble is, Morrison sees Rubery as a very close friend and
is unwilling to ditch him under the orders of Allardyce. And why should he?
To help line the pockets of Allardyce? Perhaps Big Sam is looking for one
last pay day before the owners tell him to pack his bags in the summer?
Maybe we'll never know.
But this is, in a nutshell, the reason behind the fall-out. We may never
find out the truth behind what has happened over the last couple of months,
but what I think is vital to all of this is that we shouldn't be publicly
attacking Morrison for his apparent trouble making when, in fact, he may not
have actually done anything wrong at all.
Yes, he has a history and a reputation but, given how successful and grown
up he had become early on this season, it does seem a bit strange that
suddenly it's all been ruined and he's off to QPR. Surely something must
have sparked the current situation? Why would he have thrown away what was
promising to be a successful and popular West Ham career for a loan move to
a Championship side?
Underneath one of Morrison's recent Instagram posts he reacted to an angry
comment towards by saying something like 'You wait until the truth comes
out.' To me, that suggests there was behind this than just him being the bad
boy he is always being made out to be.
So with all of that in mind, perhaps it's time to stop hounding the player
and wait to see if the actual truth does come out. Let Morrison go to QPR
and continue his development as a player – he'll certainly do that under
Harry Redknapp – and then assess the situation once he returns in the
summer.
If we are going to hold on to Ravel by offering him a new contract and him
agreeing to pen-to-paper, he is going to need to feel wanted not just by the
club, but by the fans.
So until we learn all the ins and outs about this, we should support
Morrison and wish him all the best at Loftus Road.
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Monday, February 17
Daily WHUFC News - 17th February 2014
Hammers complete Dubai stay
WHUFC.com
West Ham United ended their four-day trip to the UAE with a lively training
session at Dubai Sports City
16.02.2014
West Ham United ended their four-day trip to the UAE with a lively training
session at Dubai Sports City on Saturday afternoon. The players pulled on
their training kit and boots for the final time for a practice match at the
facility as they completed a hugely beneficial visit to the Emirate. Manager
Sam Allardyce, who organised the trip through his friendship with Dubai
Sports City Football Academy director of football and former Blackburn
Rovers defender Michel Salgado, said the players enjoyed the opportunity to
train in shorts and t-shirts, rather than the hats, gloves and tracksuits
needed back home at Chadwell Heath. "You can see from the mood of the
players how much they enjoy it," said Big Sam. "The amount of games we have
to play in December and January is our peak time so the players, physically
and mentally, are very tired. So getting out in the sun, relaxing in the
sun, training in the sun and enjoying each other's company is extremely
important. "We are the only country in Europe that does not have a
mid-season break sadly, so we have to try and fit the trip to Dubai in at
times like this. "The lads can recharge their batteries and experience has
taught me that after trips like this the lads' energy levels have
increased."
Big Sam has brought the Hammers to Dubai in each of the last three seasons,
with the team going on to achieve big things on their return in each of the
past two years. In 2012, West Ham went on to gain promotion via the
Championship Play-Offs. A year ago, they went on to finish tenth in the
Barclays Premier League. The manager said the use of state-of-the-art
facilities in Dubai for the past few days will, hopefully, lead to his squad
completing a hat-trick of strong finishes. "We contacted Michel and asked if
we could come and train here and, as always with Michel, he has been more
than helpful giving us these good facilities and in particular the grass,"
said Big Sam. "As everyone knows, it is not easy to grow grass in Dubai but
this is a very good surface for us. "Now the training facilities are
exceptionally good and with the warm weather you are guaranteed the sun as
well as the exceptional service."
Dubai Sports City were equally happy to welcome West Ham to the Emirate for
another successful trip. Salgado was proud to welcome a couple of very
familiar faces in Big Sam and assistant Neil McDonald, saying: "It was easy.
I worked with both the manager and the assistant manager at Blackburn
Rovers, they called me, told me they were coming to Dubai and asked if we
could organise training at our facilities. "I told them 'Look, we have got
amazing facilities, the best in Dubai, I think', and of course it is great
to have them here. Having West Ham United here after Swansea City and
(Russian side) Anzhi Makhachkala, it is one of the reasons why we have got
these facilities. "Having sides like this here makes the Dubai Sports City
Football Academy talked about and stand out - and rightly so given what we
have got here. We are absolutely delighted."
Dubai Sports City General Manager (Sports Business) Maqbul Dudhia explained:
"We are extremely proud to be hosting West Ham United at the Dubai Sports
City Football Academy and I know they have been delighted with what they
have found here - with world-class turf and artificial pitches and, of
course, perfect weather."The club's presence with us is another illustration
of Dubai Sports City's growing reputation around the sporting world and we
look forward to hosting more top clubs in the future. "The Dubai Sports City
Football Academy is just one of a host of outstanding, world-class
facilities we have, with others including the ICC Academy, The Els Club, the
Butch Harmon School of Golf and the Dubai International Stadium. All of them
are available to everyone, but the fact elite athletes are using them in
greater and greater numbers tells you all you need to know about the quality
of what we have to offer."
Having won their previous three matches without conceding, West Ham return
to action on Saturday 22 February, when they host Southampton at the Boleyn
Ground in the Barclays Premier League. Tickets are still available here.
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Lennox lauds Hammers' fight
WHUFC.com
West Ham United had Lennox Lewis in their corner as they floored the
Canaries on Tuesday evening
16.02.2014
Lennox Lewis has praised the battling qualities of his boyhood team West Ham
United after they went toe-to-toe with Norwich City on Tuesday. Lewis was at
the Boleyn Ground to cheer on the Hammers as they won 2-0 thanks to James
Collins' header and Mo Diame's last-minute sucker punch. Big Sam's side's
quick one-two pleased the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the
world, who was invited in to the dressing room to deliver some words of
encouragement before the game. "It felt great coming back," Lewis said.
"I've been away from West ham for a long time and I'm finally back. The guys
looked focused and pumped. "[When I went in the dressing room] I told the
boys that they should go out there and knock this team out, simple as that,
and if they need any help I'm here!"
Lewis' affection for West Ham can be traced back to his formative days
growing up as a youngster just around the corner from the Boleyn Ground.
Although he is now based in Jamaica, the 43-year-old insists his love for
the Club has not diminished and he will be a member of the Claret and Blue
Army for life. "I grew up in West Ham and I used to love West Ham United -
they were always my team. Just because I've got older it doesn't mean
they're not my team any more. I am West Ham for life! "Even if I'm in
Jamaica or in Miami I'm trying to find where I can watch a game so it
doesn't matter where I am, I'll always follow West Ham."
Lewis made his name by becoming Olympic Champion in 1988 before moving on to
a professional career that delivered an outstanding 41 wins from 44 fights.
His football team have Olympic ambitions of their own, with a move to the
iconic Olympic Stadium in 2016 on the horizon - a switch that excites the
most recent undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. "I'm very excited
about the move to the Olympic Stadium. I'm glad they got it - I don't know
what all the fuss was about," he concluded.
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Cole unveils new MRI scanner
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Joe Cole has officially opened a new 3-Tesla MRI scanner
at Holly House Hospital
16.02.2014
West Ham United midfielder Joe Cole has officially opened a new £1.5m
3-Tesla MRI scanner at Holly House Hospital in Buckhurst Hill. The
revolutionary machine is the first of its kind in Essex and the surrounding
area and means Holly House can provide more detailed images with greater
resolution and also scan smaller lesions and anatomy, particularly in
musculoskeletal, oncology and brain imaging. Cole cut the ribbon to open the
scanner, making Holly House one of only a handful of independent hospitals
outside central London to have a 3-Tesla - tesla is the unit of magnet
strength - MRI scanner. The Hammers use diagnostic services at Holly House
to assess the fitness and health of players through diagnostic
investigation, meaning Cole has been a regular visitor since his return to
the Club in January 2013. He said: "On behalf of West Ham United Football
Club, I would like to thank Holly House for all the help they have given us
over the years. We know how the MRI scanner can help with hamstring strain,
ankle problems and so on. But, we also understand how important the scanner
is to the local community's health."
Patients can enter the new MRI either feet or head first, so along with the
larger magnet bore the whole experience of having an MRI is far more
comfortable and less claustrophobic for patients. The process is also far
quicker and faster on a 3-Tesla scanner. The higher resolution imaging means
that it will no longer always be necessary to inject a dye into patients to
pick up internal images for certain examinations. Holly House imaging
services manager Michele Fox said: "The 3T MRI scanner is a new generation
in imaging technology - the imaging quality is very advanced and enables us
to see very fine bone and joint detail. We can even look at fine detailed
imaging of the brain. "Cancer patients will benefit from this advanced
technology greatly and for the first time ever our diagnostics team will now
be able to undertake cardiac work - which opens up a whole new world of
imaging for us."
This additional investment follows a major £20m expansion project at Holly
House in 2013, which doubled the size of the hospital's premises. New
facilities within the £20m development include a new outpatients department,
with 23 consulting rooms, as well as three new integrated theatres, a
pharmacy, pathology lab and endoscopy unit.
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It's time to mobilise
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 13th February 2014
By: Tom Kilbey
The scene is being set for the real conversation about safe standing in
English football grounds to begin.
Bristol City have this week become the first team to install safe standing
at their stadium, Ashton Gate. While the facilities will only initially be
used for rugby games that are played at the venue, it is another small step
in the journey. As a result of this, as well as some good work from lobbying
groups, the Football League have agreed to take up the discussion with the
government.
It's a start, albeit a small one.
It's time that fans come together to make it happen. What we lack in
legislative power, we make up for in numbers. Multiple groups have been set
up, and have collected signatures on various e-petitions. A quick Google
search took me to an e-petition which has collected 12,000 signatures from
football fans in support of safe standing at football grounds. This may
sound respectable at first glance, but I argue that this is a drop in the
ocean when compared to the number of fans who actually are in favour of safe
standing.
Consider for instance, that at every game at Upton Park, around 5,000 fans
stand throughout the entire game – and that's not even including away
supporters. It is safe to assume that each of them would be in favour of
safe standing, for multiple reasons which I shall come to in a moment.
Considering Upton Park is an average-sized Premier League ground, as an
extremely rough estimate, 20 lots of 5,000 fans is 100,000. And that's
before you factor in the thousands of fans from outside the Premier League,
and the inevitable thousands of fans who wish they could stand up at games,
and are forbidden to do so by stewards.
So while this is an appeal that applies to football fans across the country,
us West Ham fans have the potential to make the biggest difference. We have
a chairman who is fiercely in favour of introducing safe standing. We have a
body of hugely passionate fans who stand every game anyway. And most
importantly, we are moving into a new football stadium in the coming years,
which will require the building of new seating to incorporate the innovative
solution which will bring fans closer to the pitch. We have the potential to
lead the charge in making something happen.
Signing e-petitions is a start, but there's something hollow about adding
your name and email address to a list. You don't really have to be
passionate about something to sign an e-petition, and politicians and public
figures know this. Nor will complaining on Twitter make a difference. No
number of re-tweets will make your view heard by the people who really
matter. What's important is that we target those concerned directly. Local
MP's are a fantastic place to start. Plenty of clubs would, in theory, be in
support of the scheme. However, the reason it is not discussed is that it is
currently against the law to do so.
We can follow suit and take the "it's illegal so why waste time discussing
it?" approach. Or we can do something about it.
The main concerns with the lobbying attempts thus far are two fold; the
first, which I have already mentioned, is that not enough is being done to
target those who matter – in particular MP's. Secondly, there still appears
to be some misconception among fans about what safe standing will involve.
There remains a negative stigma attached to the phrase.
Some people envisage the idea as a return to the 1980s, a time when
hooliganism was rife in football and 96 people lost their lives on that
fateful afternoon of 15th April 1986. It is completely understandable why
people may have reservations, and the important thing is to acknowledge
these issues, and explaining why these would not be a problem under the
proposed solution by continuing to emphasise the key word – "safe".
The misconceptions of safe standing have been well emphasised by the
Football Supporters Federation. They key point regarding the Hillsborough
Tragedy is that standing fans did not cause the disaster per se. A report
cited overcrowding and poor policing as the main causes. This clearly would
not apply with safe standing, as the numbers of people being let into the
stadium would be just as regulated as for anywhere else in the stadium.
One key point that I would add is that, as I mentioned earlier, tens of
thousands stand at football games in areas designed for seating every single
week. This is caused by an overwhelming dismissal of current regulations
which forbids standing. In short, the current system is broken, and clearly,
standing in areas designed for sitting is far more dangerous than standing
in areas which are designed for standing. Introducing safe seating into
areas of some stadiums would surely make them a safer place to be.
The Football Supporters' Federation claim that every notable survey on the
issue has conclusively shown that fans are in favour of safe standing at
football ground. It is the perfect way to galvanise home atmospheres in a
safe and regulated environment. They cite a recent survey which was
completed by over 4,000 fans. 92 per cent of fans said that supporters
should have the option the stand at football grounds. The issue is that this
majority does not voice their opinion enough on the issue, and while groups
such as the FSF are pro-actively trying to change that, so much more needs
to be done.
This evening, I plan to write a letter to my local MP, Angela Watkinson,
asking for her support in the issue. I pledge for other West Ham fans who
are passionate about the issue to do the same. We need to bring the issue
into the limelight, and start to win over the people who have the potential
to make a difference. If we can do so, in 2016, when West Ham move into
their new home at the Olympic Stadium, we could be in a safe standing area
of the stadium.
And we can be proud that we helped make it happen.
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Reality Finally Kicks In
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 11th February 2014
By: Paul Walker
It all came as a bit of a shock in the end, something you always knew was
going to happen but up until now it had been a rather remote, distant dream.
So when that annoying little yellow strap-line across the bottom of the SSN
channel kicked into life, I was only half paying attention. More interested
in my morning coffee and a good old laugh at Manchester United's painful
decline.
But there it was. West Ham have sold the Boleyn ground. Ouch! I must admit
to feeling like I had been stabbed, and I was momentarily overcome by a
cold, sinking feeling. So my second home for more than 50 years was really
going to be bulldozed, the football ground that has been so very special to
four generations of my family, has been flogged off, seemingly not even to
the highest bidder.
Reality is such a painful thing. We all know that nobody really wants to go
to Stratford, but the vast majority of us have accepted the need for growth,
expansion and a bigger modern, new home. And yes, I voted that way too.
I have listened to Ms Torygirl CBE waffling on about how wonderful it will
be, well 'she would say that, wouldn't she?' with us paying her £1.6m for
seemingly doing her job… Planning and organising our move to the Olympic
Park was part of the job description so why the vast bonus? Wish I'd been
paid a bonus whenever I did my job properly.
I sense dear Karren will be around just long enough for the final details to
be sorted out before she is off to become the prospective Tory party
candidate for Cannock Chase, just up the road from where she lives. She
could even find herself with Stan Collymore as her very own constituent. Now
there's a thought.
Of course I see the sense in the move to Stratford, I just hope the £40m
plus we will get from the sale is used to pay off our debts. But there are
still nagging worries.
With the detail of the financial fair play regulations making it clear that
a small club will no longer be able to find a rich sugar daddy to pump in
Manchester City style billions, and with Barry Hearn still an annoying
sideshow, I just hope we get to the Olympic Stadium without any more
hiccups. And, of course, when we get there we will have sold our home, our
land and our memories.
And that is the real point for me. I had the chance recently to drive past
what used to be Manchester City's old Maine Road site, somewhere I have not
visited for ten years. It is a shock really, the place is a mess of tiny
white boxes (sorry, modern estate social housing) with bricked up roads
stopping traffic flow through it, and those rather nasty allyways that cut
through the area. Absolutely no Manchester City heritage.
We can only trust that the developers of Upton Park and Green Street will
provide a very different legacy, the say they will and it all sounds very
nice with statues and green space with buildings named after our past
heroes.
It is hard to visualise it parachuted into the space between the flats
behind the east stand and the old north bank, the school, church and
supporters club premises.
So while we are on the subject of legacy, I challenge our club not to make a
mess of three very important anniversaries coming up in the next few years,
dates that really underline exactly what our true history is.
One of them, the 50th anniversary of our first trophy victory, the 1964 FA
Cup Final win over Preston, is just a few weeks away now and so far I have
only noted Tony McDonald's excellent Ex magazine showing, not surprisingly,
any real interest.
But May 2 this year, the day before our final home game of the season
against Spurs, should be marked with every respect. It was the first great
occasion of our golden 60s era, for me a magical day watching the heroes of
my youth triumph at Wembley.
This weekend, in fact, will be the exact day 50 years ago that West Ham won
3-1 at Swindon in the fifth round. Of course we are just watching this
season's tournament from the sidelines after abdicating all interest in
proceedings after that shameful third round defeat at Nottingham Forest,
when the youth team were made to look silly on TV.
But I can remember that '64 run in detail. We had already beaten Charlton
and Leyton Orient--after a replay--when the Os were still a proper football
club that saw 36,000 crammed into Brisbane Road when it was still a real
stadium rather than Hearn's lego ground.
The Swindon victory was followed by a stunning 3-2 quarter final victory
over Burnley, when I can still see John Sissons squeezing the ball home from
a ridiculous acute angle, two goal Johnny Byrne did the rest.
The memorable mud lark in Sheffield followed when a truly great Manchester
United side were beaten 3-2 in the semi-finals, Ronnie Boyce's double doing
the damage that time. The Preston final did not live up to the billing, but
it was still a memorable day.
I didn't have a ticket until a few hours before kick-off, but my late father
got a phone call from a mate and we drove like lunatics from west London to
Slough to lay hands on the precious ticket(it had come south with a friend
of former Burnley owner Bob Lord).
So I found myself being driven at breakneck speed back to Wembley, dumped
there by my dad at the top of Wembley Way, only to find myself the only
person in claret and blue in the Preston end. I was still all on my own
there when Sir Bobby and the boys paraded the cup round the ground,
seemingly just for me in a near-empty section.
I was too excited to be properly grateful to my dad. It was only a long
while after that it dawned on me that he had given me his ticket for the
final and gone home to watch it on TV with mum, who had also been to Slough
and Wembley just for the ride! Not sure I could have done that.
That season saw Hurst and Byrne score 59 goals between them, with Sir Geoff
scoring seven in the cup run. And we only managed to finish 14th. A really
remarkable partnership.
The next 50th anniversary will be on May 19 next year, the day of our
European Cup Winners' Cup final victory over TSV Munich at Wembley. Dad even
got mum a ticket for that one, the only time she ever went to a football
match, when seemingly the whole of east London was there.
Dad and me saw all the home matches of the European run, tremendous
occasions that will live me forever.
Now there are six players left alive of the seven who played in both cup
final victories, Jim Standen, Jack Burkett, Ken Brown, Ronnie Boyce, Geoff
Hurst and John Sissons. Sadly Mooro is no longer with us. To me these seven
players are truly the greatest in our history by virtue of being in those
two final line-ups, 12 fantastic months apart.
They need to be remembered in the planned memorial gardens at the Boleyn
when we have all moved to Stratford, as well as in our new home. We used 15
players in those two finals, they must never be forgotten.
The final 50th anniversary will be on July 30, 2016 which marks the day we
won the World Cup. It is hard to believe those wonderful days were 50 years
ago, and I can recall them in great detail.
It should not be lost on our owners that the World Cup glory co-incides with
our move to the Olympic Stadium, give or take a couple of months. It surely
is not beyond the talents of our owners to build a tribute to our World Cup
heroes into the celebrations that will mark our move to Stratford. It should
nicely mark our legacy to England and to our great club.
I leave it in your hands lady and gentlemen. You need to get these three
days spot on, anything else will disrespect the legacy of our club you keep
on about.
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Sam Allardyce hopes West Ham will be raring to go after 'relaxing' Dubai
trip
Feb 16, 2014 16:07 By Alex Richards
The Mirror
West Ham's players have been put through their paces at Dubai Sports City in
the UAE in the last four days, a move which manager Sam Allardyce says will
rejuvenate them ahead of their final 12 Premier League matches. The Hammers
headed to Dubai on a trip organised by former Blackburn and Real Madrid
defender Michel Salgado, as they went for warm weather training ahead of the
season's run-in. The Irons went to the Emirates in high spirits after three
successive wins - which have moved them into 11th, four points clear of the
drop zone. And Allardyce believes that the enjoyment and relaxation enjoyed
in Dubai will help his players recharge after a busy New Year period. "You
can see from the mood of the players how much they enjoy it," said
Allardyce, speaking to West Ham's official website. "The amount of games we
have to play in December and January is our peak time so the players,
physically and mentally, are very tired. "So getting out in the sun,
relaxing in the sun, training in the sun and enjoying each other's company
is extremely important. "We are the only country in Europe that does not
have a mid-season break sadly, so we have to try and fit the trip to Dubai
in at times like this. "The lads can recharge their batteries and experience
has taught me that after trips like this the lads' energy levels have
increased."
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THE TWO SIDES OF RAVEL MORRISON & WHY HE IS OFF TO QPR
By ExWHUemployee 16 Feb 2014 at 19:50
West Ham Till I Die
It was yesterday that I brought my version of the Ravel Morrison story in my
Ironviews column. For those of you who haven't seen it, it may be a good
start point before reading this article. Here is the link at Ironviews
I wrote the article knowing that The Guardian were planning to release a
story that evening. I was informed that their column would be very one sided
and be backing the "mistreatment" of Morrison. I am led to believe that the
information provided for the article had been passed on via someone very
close to Ravel, so naturally it will be written to support their side to the
story and not the club's. The agent story has been around for at least two
months so you have to question how and why The Guardian has only just got
hold of the story as Ravel is due to leave. Read The Guardian story and make
up your own mind. I intend to give a more balanced view to the debate.
As I stated in yesterday's Ironviews article, Mark Curtis is the agent for
Big Sam as well as Nolan, Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Collison, Demel, Jarvis,
Tomkins and Andy Carroll. As well as this, he is also credited with being
the man who brought our new goalkeeping sensation Adrian to the club. You do
not have to look far for articles on Sam's relationship with Mark Curtis. A
simple search on Google brings up a list of allegations dating back way
before Sam's spell at West Ham.
So according to The Guardian, Ravel's imminent departure to QPR has been
blamed on the fact that Big Sam and Nolan (amongst others) have been putting
constant pressure on Ravel to switch agents. As I have stated previously
Ravel (and of course his agent) found this to be very offensive and
unprofessional such is the close relationship of Nick Rubery and Ravel
Morrison. The Guardian says West Ham have put this to the relevant people
and they strenuously deny it. Mark Curtis says it is "nonsense", and there
is no suggestion of any wrongdoing.
As has been well documented Ravel had been through a lot previous to joining
West Ham and during his time here and he feels Mr Rubery has helped him
through this. The pressure was apparently constant with threats of not being
picked for the team if he didn't change and promises of big contracts if he
did.
Of course if this is true, and I am merely speculating, then it is a very
worrying position for us to be in as a club. In my opinion no signing should
be dictated by who their agent is. The sheer amount of money spent on agents
in the game in itself is wrong, let alone if it is dictating transfer
policy.
It has been well documented that Ravel has had some difficulties before he
joined the club, which it was felt were behind him but almost immediately he
joined there was an incident which the club understandably tried to 'hush
up'. It occurred at a pre-season training camp in Germany where there was an
altercation between Morrison and one of the coaches, in which there was a
physical bust-up. Ravel was then sent home to get "his teeth fixed" and
promptly moved on loan to Birmingham.
He settled down and did well during this loan spell and his talent meant he
was deservedly given a chance to impress this season and he did. After the
3-0 win at Spurs there were claims for him to be a surprise selection in the
World Cup team and things seemed to be going really well at the club.
Morrison and his agent have put his problems down to the agent situation but
I believe there are other reasons.
I was told that Ravel went to see the manager and demanded that he started
in front of Nolan, due to his captain's poor form. This naturally upset both
the manager and the captain and they believed this had been prompted by his
agent. Ravel was unhappy at never being played in Nolan's position and
having to settled for being on the wing or in a deeper role. I am also
informed that he questioned the team's style of play and this is backed up
by Nick Rubery's comments during the Chelsea game, where he tweeted that
only one team was trying to play football and it wasn't us.
I've just witnessed some serious anti-football tonight from one team. No
need to guess which one it was.
The tweet was promptly deleted.
Naturally these sorts of demands have turned a number of players against
Ravel. He has upset quite a few high profile players at the training ground,
one of which is Mr. West Ham, Mark Noble. You can also see players getting
frustrated during games. Matt Jarvis showing his frustration with during the
Nottingham Forest cup game being the last that I can remember. One or two
players voiced the view that they didn't want him in the team and that he
was having a negative impact.
Indeed, the straw which broke the camel's back for the West Ham management
was an alleged bustup in training last week between Winston Reid and Ravel
Morrison. It was a few days after this, a week ago tonight, that West Ham
Till I Die broke the exclusive that he would be sent out on loan.
There has also been speculation that some of Ravel's off-pitch antics have
continued. It has been said that after the Manchester United away game that
he didn't return to training like the other players and that he was
impossible to get hold of over Christmas. It has also been suggested that he
was recorded not being too complimentary about the manager in public and
that the video surfaced on the internet before being quickly removed,
although I didn't see it myself. This is not the only story that I have
heard regarding incidents off the pitch, but due to the nature of them and
not having concrete evidence I will not disclose them here.
It is clear that there is no "groin" injury. This has been an excuse used by
either the club or Ravel to hide the true goings on. The club may be using
it to hide why he isn't being selected, Ravel may be saying it in order to
prevent his selection. Either way of looking at it, it is hiding the real
reasons for his absence.
Ravel clearly has some attitude issues that I feel may always be with him,
possibly even medically related, but if you look at some of the best players
produced in Britain: George Best, Paul Gascoigne, John Terry and Tony Adams
all have had difficulties in their personal lives but their clubs stuck by
them and ultimately the benefits out-weighed the negatives.
The timing of the article in The Guardian is really unfortunate as always
seems to be the way with the club. There is a good positive mood at the club
and the results are showing this. We do not need these stories coming out
now. I had decided not to share these stories and a few others publicly
because I don't like the negative publicity that inevitably ensues, but in
light of The Guardian's story I felt I had to write. It would be interesting
to see what the club say in the coming days about the situation.
One thing is for certain the story really does split opinion.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Morrison departure confirmed
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 16th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
It was confirmed tonight that Ravel Morrison will join Queens Park Rangers
on loan for the rest of the season later this week. As revealed here last
week, the hugely-talented 21-year-old is on his way to the Championship a
mere matter of months after his stunning solo goal at White Hart Lane helped
West Ham United to a memorable 3-0 Premier League win. Jack Sullivan, son of
co-owner David Sullivan confirmed tonight [Sunday] that Morrison will join
Harry Redknapp and co at Loftus Road on a "93 day loan", which will coincide
with the Championship play-off Final on May 24.
The reasons behind Morrison's departure have been hotly debated across the
web all day following the publication of an article in the Guardian that
repeated claims first made here on KUMB.com last November revealing a rift
between the midfielder and manager Sam Allardyce. It was claimed that
Morrison - who has enjoyed a close relationship with agent Nick Rubery for
several years - reacted angrily to a suggestion that he should consider a
change of representation. Despite this, the England Under 21 international
was picked for a string of matches immediately following the incident in
question.
The relationship between Club and player/agent worsened when Rubery posted a
message on Twitter indirectly criticising West Ham's style of play under Sam
Allardyce, although this was removed shortly after. A proposed transfer
window move for Morrison to Fulham fell through after the Cottagers failed
with a derisory bid.
Since moving to Upton Park on the final day of the 2012 winter transfer
window, the former Manchester United youngster has made just 22 appearances
for West Ham (including six substitute appearances).
As well as scoring that memorable strike at Tottenham back in October,
Morrison also hit the target against Cheltenham, Everton, Cardiff and
Norwich prior to Christmas. His last appearance in a West Ham shirt came in
the 3-0 Capital One Cup semi final, second leg defeat at home to Manchester
City.
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WHUFC.com
West Ham United ended their four-day trip to the UAE with a lively training
session at Dubai Sports City
16.02.2014
West Ham United ended their four-day trip to the UAE with a lively training
session at Dubai Sports City on Saturday afternoon. The players pulled on
their training kit and boots for the final time for a practice match at the
facility as they completed a hugely beneficial visit to the Emirate. Manager
Sam Allardyce, who organised the trip through his friendship with Dubai
Sports City Football Academy director of football and former Blackburn
Rovers defender Michel Salgado, said the players enjoyed the opportunity to
train in shorts and t-shirts, rather than the hats, gloves and tracksuits
needed back home at Chadwell Heath. "You can see from the mood of the
players how much they enjoy it," said Big Sam. "The amount of games we have
to play in December and January is our peak time so the players, physically
and mentally, are very tired. So getting out in the sun, relaxing in the
sun, training in the sun and enjoying each other's company is extremely
important. "We are the only country in Europe that does not have a
mid-season break sadly, so we have to try and fit the trip to Dubai in at
times like this. "The lads can recharge their batteries and experience has
taught me that after trips like this the lads' energy levels have
increased."
Big Sam has brought the Hammers to Dubai in each of the last three seasons,
with the team going on to achieve big things on their return in each of the
past two years. In 2012, West Ham went on to gain promotion via the
Championship Play-Offs. A year ago, they went on to finish tenth in the
Barclays Premier League. The manager said the use of state-of-the-art
facilities in Dubai for the past few days will, hopefully, lead to his squad
completing a hat-trick of strong finishes. "We contacted Michel and asked if
we could come and train here and, as always with Michel, he has been more
than helpful giving us these good facilities and in particular the grass,"
said Big Sam. "As everyone knows, it is not easy to grow grass in Dubai but
this is a very good surface for us. "Now the training facilities are
exceptionally good and with the warm weather you are guaranteed the sun as
well as the exceptional service."
Dubai Sports City were equally happy to welcome West Ham to the Emirate for
another successful trip. Salgado was proud to welcome a couple of very
familiar faces in Big Sam and assistant Neil McDonald, saying: "It was easy.
I worked with both the manager and the assistant manager at Blackburn
Rovers, they called me, told me they were coming to Dubai and asked if we
could organise training at our facilities. "I told them 'Look, we have got
amazing facilities, the best in Dubai, I think', and of course it is great
to have them here. Having West Ham United here after Swansea City and
(Russian side) Anzhi Makhachkala, it is one of the reasons why we have got
these facilities. "Having sides like this here makes the Dubai Sports City
Football Academy talked about and stand out - and rightly so given what we
have got here. We are absolutely delighted."
Dubai Sports City General Manager (Sports Business) Maqbul Dudhia explained:
"We are extremely proud to be hosting West Ham United at the Dubai Sports
City Football Academy and I know they have been delighted with what they
have found here - with world-class turf and artificial pitches and, of
course, perfect weather."The club's presence with us is another illustration
of Dubai Sports City's growing reputation around the sporting world and we
look forward to hosting more top clubs in the future. "The Dubai Sports City
Football Academy is just one of a host of outstanding, world-class
facilities we have, with others including the ICC Academy, The Els Club, the
Butch Harmon School of Golf and the Dubai International Stadium. All of them
are available to everyone, but the fact elite athletes are using them in
greater and greater numbers tells you all you need to know about the quality
of what we have to offer."
Having won their previous three matches without conceding, West Ham return
to action on Saturday 22 February, when they host Southampton at the Boleyn
Ground in the Barclays Premier League. Tickets are still available here.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Lennox lauds Hammers' fight
WHUFC.com
West Ham United had Lennox Lewis in their corner as they floored the
Canaries on Tuesday evening
16.02.2014
Lennox Lewis has praised the battling qualities of his boyhood team West Ham
United after they went toe-to-toe with Norwich City on Tuesday. Lewis was at
the Boleyn Ground to cheer on the Hammers as they won 2-0 thanks to James
Collins' header and Mo Diame's last-minute sucker punch. Big Sam's side's
quick one-two pleased the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the
world, who was invited in to the dressing room to deliver some words of
encouragement before the game. "It felt great coming back," Lewis said.
"I've been away from West ham for a long time and I'm finally back. The guys
looked focused and pumped. "[When I went in the dressing room] I told the
boys that they should go out there and knock this team out, simple as that,
and if they need any help I'm here!"
Lewis' affection for West Ham can be traced back to his formative days
growing up as a youngster just around the corner from the Boleyn Ground.
Although he is now based in Jamaica, the 43-year-old insists his love for
the Club has not diminished and he will be a member of the Claret and Blue
Army for life. "I grew up in West Ham and I used to love West Ham United -
they were always my team. Just because I've got older it doesn't mean
they're not my team any more. I am West Ham for life! "Even if I'm in
Jamaica or in Miami I'm trying to find where I can watch a game so it
doesn't matter where I am, I'll always follow West Ham."
Lewis made his name by becoming Olympic Champion in 1988 before moving on to
a professional career that delivered an outstanding 41 wins from 44 fights.
His football team have Olympic ambitions of their own, with a move to the
iconic Olympic Stadium in 2016 on the horizon - a switch that excites the
most recent undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. "I'm very excited
about the move to the Olympic Stadium. I'm glad they got it - I don't know
what all the fuss was about," he concluded.
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Cole unveils new MRI scanner
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Joe Cole has officially opened a new 3-Tesla MRI scanner
at Holly House Hospital
16.02.2014
West Ham United midfielder Joe Cole has officially opened a new £1.5m
3-Tesla MRI scanner at Holly House Hospital in Buckhurst Hill. The
revolutionary machine is the first of its kind in Essex and the surrounding
area and means Holly House can provide more detailed images with greater
resolution and also scan smaller lesions and anatomy, particularly in
musculoskeletal, oncology and brain imaging. Cole cut the ribbon to open the
scanner, making Holly House one of only a handful of independent hospitals
outside central London to have a 3-Tesla - tesla is the unit of magnet
strength - MRI scanner. The Hammers use diagnostic services at Holly House
to assess the fitness and health of players through diagnostic
investigation, meaning Cole has been a regular visitor since his return to
the Club in January 2013. He said: "On behalf of West Ham United Football
Club, I would like to thank Holly House for all the help they have given us
over the years. We know how the MRI scanner can help with hamstring strain,
ankle problems and so on. But, we also understand how important the scanner
is to the local community's health."
Patients can enter the new MRI either feet or head first, so along with the
larger magnet bore the whole experience of having an MRI is far more
comfortable and less claustrophobic for patients. The process is also far
quicker and faster on a 3-Tesla scanner. The higher resolution imaging means
that it will no longer always be necessary to inject a dye into patients to
pick up internal images for certain examinations. Holly House imaging
services manager Michele Fox said: "The 3T MRI scanner is a new generation
in imaging technology - the imaging quality is very advanced and enables us
to see very fine bone and joint detail. We can even look at fine detailed
imaging of the brain. "Cancer patients will benefit from this advanced
technology greatly and for the first time ever our diagnostics team will now
be able to undertake cardiac work - which opens up a whole new world of
imaging for us."
This additional investment follows a major £20m expansion project at Holly
House in 2013, which doubled the size of the hospital's premises. New
facilities within the £20m development include a new outpatients department,
with 23 consulting rooms, as well as three new integrated theatres, a
pharmacy, pathology lab and endoscopy unit.
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It's time to mobilise
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 13th February 2014
By: Tom Kilbey
The scene is being set for the real conversation about safe standing in
English football grounds to begin.
Bristol City have this week become the first team to install safe standing
at their stadium, Ashton Gate. While the facilities will only initially be
used for rugby games that are played at the venue, it is another small step
in the journey. As a result of this, as well as some good work from lobbying
groups, the Football League have agreed to take up the discussion with the
government.
It's a start, albeit a small one.
It's time that fans come together to make it happen. What we lack in
legislative power, we make up for in numbers. Multiple groups have been set
up, and have collected signatures on various e-petitions. A quick Google
search took me to an e-petition which has collected 12,000 signatures from
football fans in support of safe standing at football grounds. This may
sound respectable at first glance, but I argue that this is a drop in the
ocean when compared to the number of fans who actually are in favour of safe
standing.
Consider for instance, that at every game at Upton Park, around 5,000 fans
stand throughout the entire game – and that's not even including away
supporters. It is safe to assume that each of them would be in favour of
safe standing, for multiple reasons which I shall come to in a moment.
Considering Upton Park is an average-sized Premier League ground, as an
extremely rough estimate, 20 lots of 5,000 fans is 100,000. And that's
before you factor in the thousands of fans from outside the Premier League,
and the inevitable thousands of fans who wish they could stand up at games,
and are forbidden to do so by stewards.
So while this is an appeal that applies to football fans across the country,
us West Ham fans have the potential to make the biggest difference. We have
a chairman who is fiercely in favour of introducing safe standing. We have a
body of hugely passionate fans who stand every game anyway. And most
importantly, we are moving into a new football stadium in the coming years,
which will require the building of new seating to incorporate the innovative
solution which will bring fans closer to the pitch. We have the potential to
lead the charge in making something happen.
Signing e-petitions is a start, but there's something hollow about adding
your name and email address to a list. You don't really have to be
passionate about something to sign an e-petition, and politicians and public
figures know this. Nor will complaining on Twitter make a difference. No
number of re-tweets will make your view heard by the people who really
matter. What's important is that we target those concerned directly. Local
MP's are a fantastic place to start. Plenty of clubs would, in theory, be in
support of the scheme. However, the reason it is not discussed is that it is
currently against the law to do so.
We can follow suit and take the "it's illegal so why waste time discussing
it?" approach. Or we can do something about it.
The main concerns with the lobbying attempts thus far are two fold; the
first, which I have already mentioned, is that not enough is being done to
target those who matter – in particular MP's. Secondly, there still appears
to be some misconception among fans about what safe standing will involve.
There remains a negative stigma attached to the phrase.
Some people envisage the idea as a return to the 1980s, a time when
hooliganism was rife in football and 96 people lost their lives on that
fateful afternoon of 15th April 1986. It is completely understandable why
people may have reservations, and the important thing is to acknowledge
these issues, and explaining why these would not be a problem under the
proposed solution by continuing to emphasise the key word – "safe".
The misconceptions of safe standing have been well emphasised by the
Football Supporters Federation. They key point regarding the Hillsborough
Tragedy is that standing fans did not cause the disaster per se. A report
cited overcrowding and poor policing as the main causes. This clearly would
not apply with safe standing, as the numbers of people being let into the
stadium would be just as regulated as for anywhere else in the stadium.
One key point that I would add is that, as I mentioned earlier, tens of
thousands stand at football games in areas designed for seating every single
week. This is caused by an overwhelming dismissal of current regulations
which forbids standing. In short, the current system is broken, and clearly,
standing in areas designed for sitting is far more dangerous than standing
in areas which are designed for standing. Introducing safe seating into
areas of some stadiums would surely make them a safer place to be.
The Football Supporters' Federation claim that every notable survey on the
issue has conclusively shown that fans are in favour of safe standing at
football ground. It is the perfect way to galvanise home atmospheres in a
safe and regulated environment. They cite a recent survey which was
completed by over 4,000 fans. 92 per cent of fans said that supporters
should have the option the stand at football grounds. The issue is that this
majority does not voice their opinion enough on the issue, and while groups
such as the FSF are pro-actively trying to change that, so much more needs
to be done.
This evening, I plan to write a letter to my local MP, Angela Watkinson,
asking for her support in the issue. I pledge for other West Ham fans who
are passionate about the issue to do the same. We need to bring the issue
into the limelight, and start to win over the people who have the potential
to make a difference. If we can do so, in 2016, when West Ham move into
their new home at the Olympic Stadium, we could be in a safe standing area
of the stadium.
And we can be proud that we helped make it happen.
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Reality Finally Kicks In
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 11th February 2014
By: Paul Walker
It all came as a bit of a shock in the end, something you always knew was
going to happen but up until now it had been a rather remote, distant dream.
So when that annoying little yellow strap-line across the bottom of the SSN
channel kicked into life, I was only half paying attention. More interested
in my morning coffee and a good old laugh at Manchester United's painful
decline.
But there it was. West Ham have sold the Boleyn ground. Ouch! I must admit
to feeling like I had been stabbed, and I was momentarily overcome by a
cold, sinking feeling. So my second home for more than 50 years was really
going to be bulldozed, the football ground that has been so very special to
four generations of my family, has been flogged off, seemingly not even to
the highest bidder.
Reality is such a painful thing. We all know that nobody really wants to go
to Stratford, but the vast majority of us have accepted the need for growth,
expansion and a bigger modern, new home. And yes, I voted that way too.
I have listened to Ms Torygirl CBE waffling on about how wonderful it will
be, well 'she would say that, wouldn't she?' with us paying her £1.6m for
seemingly doing her job… Planning and organising our move to the Olympic
Park was part of the job description so why the vast bonus? Wish I'd been
paid a bonus whenever I did my job properly.
I sense dear Karren will be around just long enough for the final details to
be sorted out before she is off to become the prospective Tory party
candidate for Cannock Chase, just up the road from where she lives. She
could even find herself with Stan Collymore as her very own constituent. Now
there's a thought.
Of course I see the sense in the move to Stratford, I just hope the £40m
plus we will get from the sale is used to pay off our debts. But there are
still nagging worries.
With the detail of the financial fair play regulations making it clear that
a small club will no longer be able to find a rich sugar daddy to pump in
Manchester City style billions, and with Barry Hearn still an annoying
sideshow, I just hope we get to the Olympic Stadium without any more
hiccups. And, of course, when we get there we will have sold our home, our
land and our memories.
And that is the real point for me. I had the chance recently to drive past
what used to be Manchester City's old Maine Road site, somewhere I have not
visited for ten years. It is a shock really, the place is a mess of tiny
white boxes (sorry, modern estate social housing) with bricked up roads
stopping traffic flow through it, and those rather nasty allyways that cut
through the area. Absolutely no Manchester City heritage.
We can only trust that the developers of Upton Park and Green Street will
provide a very different legacy, the say they will and it all sounds very
nice with statues and green space with buildings named after our past
heroes.
It is hard to visualise it parachuted into the space between the flats
behind the east stand and the old north bank, the school, church and
supporters club premises.
So while we are on the subject of legacy, I challenge our club not to make a
mess of three very important anniversaries coming up in the next few years,
dates that really underline exactly what our true history is.
One of them, the 50th anniversary of our first trophy victory, the 1964 FA
Cup Final win over Preston, is just a few weeks away now and so far I have
only noted Tony McDonald's excellent Ex magazine showing, not surprisingly,
any real interest.
But May 2 this year, the day before our final home game of the season
against Spurs, should be marked with every respect. It was the first great
occasion of our golden 60s era, for me a magical day watching the heroes of
my youth triumph at Wembley.
This weekend, in fact, will be the exact day 50 years ago that West Ham won
3-1 at Swindon in the fifth round. Of course we are just watching this
season's tournament from the sidelines after abdicating all interest in
proceedings after that shameful third round defeat at Nottingham Forest,
when the youth team were made to look silly on TV.
But I can remember that '64 run in detail. We had already beaten Charlton
and Leyton Orient--after a replay--when the Os were still a proper football
club that saw 36,000 crammed into Brisbane Road when it was still a real
stadium rather than Hearn's lego ground.
The Swindon victory was followed by a stunning 3-2 quarter final victory
over Burnley, when I can still see John Sissons squeezing the ball home from
a ridiculous acute angle, two goal Johnny Byrne did the rest.
The memorable mud lark in Sheffield followed when a truly great Manchester
United side were beaten 3-2 in the semi-finals, Ronnie Boyce's double doing
the damage that time. The Preston final did not live up to the billing, but
it was still a memorable day.
I didn't have a ticket until a few hours before kick-off, but my late father
got a phone call from a mate and we drove like lunatics from west London to
Slough to lay hands on the precious ticket(it had come south with a friend
of former Burnley owner Bob Lord).
So I found myself being driven at breakneck speed back to Wembley, dumped
there by my dad at the top of Wembley Way, only to find myself the only
person in claret and blue in the Preston end. I was still all on my own
there when Sir Bobby and the boys paraded the cup round the ground,
seemingly just for me in a near-empty section.
I was too excited to be properly grateful to my dad. It was only a long
while after that it dawned on me that he had given me his ticket for the
final and gone home to watch it on TV with mum, who had also been to Slough
and Wembley just for the ride! Not sure I could have done that.
That season saw Hurst and Byrne score 59 goals between them, with Sir Geoff
scoring seven in the cup run. And we only managed to finish 14th. A really
remarkable partnership.
The next 50th anniversary will be on May 19 next year, the day of our
European Cup Winners' Cup final victory over TSV Munich at Wembley. Dad even
got mum a ticket for that one, the only time she ever went to a football
match, when seemingly the whole of east London was there.
Dad and me saw all the home matches of the European run, tremendous
occasions that will live me forever.
Now there are six players left alive of the seven who played in both cup
final victories, Jim Standen, Jack Burkett, Ken Brown, Ronnie Boyce, Geoff
Hurst and John Sissons. Sadly Mooro is no longer with us. To me these seven
players are truly the greatest in our history by virtue of being in those
two final line-ups, 12 fantastic months apart.
They need to be remembered in the planned memorial gardens at the Boleyn
when we have all moved to Stratford, as well as in our new home. We used 15
players in those two finals, they must never be forgotten.
The final 50th anniversary will be on July 30, 2016 which marks the day we
won the World Cup. It is hard to believe those wonderful days were 50 years
ago, and I can recall them in great detail.
It should not be lost on our owners that the World Cup glory co-incides with
our move to the Olympic Stadium, give or take a couple of months. It surely
is not beyond the talents of our owners to build a tribute to our World Cup
heroes into the celebrations that will mark our move to Stratford. It should
nicely mark our legacy to England and to our great club.
I leave it in your hands lady and gentlemen. You need to get these three
days spot on, anything else will disrespect the legacy of our club you keep
on about.
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Sam Allardyce hopes West Ham will be raring to go after 'relaxing' Dubai
trip
Feb 16, 2014 16:07 By Alex Richards
The Mirror
West Ham's players have been put through their paces at Dubai Sports City in
the UAE in the last four days, a move which manager Sam Allardyce says will
rejuvenate them ahead of their final 12 Premier League matches. The Hammers
headed to Dubai on a trip organised by former Blackburn and Real Madrid
defender Michel Salgado, as they went for warm weather training ahead of the
season's run-in. The Irons went to the Emirates in high spirits after three
successive wins - which have moved them into 11th, four points clear of the
drop zone. And Allardyce believes that the enjoyment and relaxation enjoyed
in Dubai will help his players recharge after a busy New Year period. "You
can see from the mood of the players how much they enjoy it," said
Allardyce, speaking to West Ham's official website. "The amount of games we
have to play in December and January is our peak time so the players,
physically and mentally, are very tired. "So getting out in the sun,
relaxing in the sun, training in the sun and enjoying each other's company
is extremely important. "We are the only country in Europe that does not
have a mid-season break sadly, so we have to try and fit the trip to Dubai
in at times like this. "The lads can recharge their batteries and experience
has taught me that after trips like this the lads' energy levels have
increased."
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THE TWO SIDES OF RAVEL MORRISON & WHY HE IS OFF TO QPR
By ExWHUemployee 16 Feb 2014 at 19:50
West Ham Till I Die
It was yesterday that I brought my version of the Ravel Morrison story in my
Ironviews column. For those of you who haven't seen it, it may be a good
start point before reading this article. Here is the link at Ironviews
I wrote the article knowing that The Guardian were planning to release a
story that evening. I was informed that their column would be very one sided
and be backing the "mistreatment" of Morrison. I am led to believe that the
information provided for the article had been passed on via someone very
close to Ravel, so naturally it will be written to support their side to the
story and not the club's. The agent story has been around for at least two
months so you have to question how and why The Guardian has only just got
hold of the story as Ravel is due to leave. Read The Guardian story and make
up your own mind. I intend to give a more balanced view to the debate.
As I stated in yesterday's Ironviews article, Mark Curtis is the agent for
Big Sam as well as Nolan, Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Collison, Demel, Jarvis,
Tomkins and Andy Carroll. As well as this, he is also credited with being
the man who brought our new goalkeeping sensation Adrian to the club. You do
not have to look far for articles on Sam's relationship with Mark Curtis. A
simple search on Google brings up a list of allegations dating back way
before Sam's spell at West Ham.
So according to The Guardian, Ravel's imminent departure to QPR has been
blamed on the fact that Big Sam and Nolan (amongst others) have been putting
constant pressure on Ravel to switch agents. As I have stated previously
Ravel (and of course his agent) found this to be very offensive and
unprofessional such is the close relationship of Nick Rubery and Ravel
Morrison. The Guardian says West Ham have put this to the relevant people
and they strenuously deny it. Mark Curtis says it is "nonsense", and there
is no suggestion of any wrongdoing.
As has been well documented Ravel had been through a lot previous to joining
West Ham and during his time here and he feels Mr Rubery has helped him
through this. The pressure was apparently constant with threats of not being
picked for the team if he didn't change and promises of big contracts if he
did.
Of course if this is true, and I am merely speculating, then it is a very
worrying position for us to be in as a club. In my opinion no signing should
be dictated by who their agent is. The sheer amount of money spent on agents
in the game in itself is wrong, let alone if it is dictating transfer
policy.
It has been well documented that Ravel has had some difficulties before he
joined the club, which it was felt were behind him but almost immediately he
joined there was an incident which the club understandably tried to 'hush
up'. It occurred at a pre-season training camp in Germany where there was an
altercation between Morrison and one of the coaches, in which there was a
physical bust-up. Ravel was then sent home to get "his teeth fixed" and
promptly moved on loan to Birmingham.
He settled down and did well during this loan spell and his talent meant he
was deservedly given a chance to impress this season and he did. After the
3-0 win at Spurs there were claims for him to be a surprise selection in the
World Cup team and things seemed to be going really well at the club.
Morrison and his agent have put his problems down to the agent situation but
I believe there are other reasons.
I was told that Ravel went to see the manager and demanded that he started
in front of Nolan, due to his captain's poor form. This naturally upset both
the manager and the captain and they believed this had been prompted by his
agent. Ravel was unhappy at never being played in Nolan's position and
having to settled for being on the wing or in a deeper role. I am also
informed that he questioned the team's style of play and this is backed up
by Nick Rubery's comments during the Chelsea game, where he tweeted that
only one team was trying to play football and it wasn't us.
I've just witnessed some serious anti-football tonight from one team. No
need to guess which one it was.
The tweet was promptly deleted.
Naturally these sorts of demands have turned a number of players against
Ravel. He has upset quite a few high profile players at the training ground,
one of which is Mr. West Ham, Mark Noble. You can also see players getting
frustrated during games. Matt Jarvis showing his frustration with during the
Nottingham Forest cup game being the last that I can remember. One or two
players voiced the view that they didn't want him in the team and that he
was having a negative impact.
Indeed, the straw which broke the camel's back for the West Ham management
was an alleged bustup in training last week between Winston Reid and Ravel
Morrison. It was a few days after this, a week ago tonight, that West Ham
Till I Die broke the exclusive that he would be sent out on loan.
There has also been speculation that some of Ravel's off-pitch antics have
continued. It has been said that after the Manchester United away game that
he didn't return to training like the other players and that he was
impossible to get hold of over Christmas. It has also been suggested that he
was recorded not being too complimentary about the manager in public and
that the video surfaced on the internet before being quickly removed,
although I didn't see it myself. This is not the only story that I have
heard regarding incidents off the pitch, but due to the nature of them and
not having concrete evidence I will not disclose them here.
It is clear that there is no "groin" injury. This has been an excuse used by
either the club or Ravel to hide the true goings on. The club may be using
it to hide why he isn't being selected, Ravel may be saying it in order to
prevent his selection. Either way of looking at it, it is hiding the real
reasons for his absence.
Ravel clearly has some attitude issues that I feel may always be with him,
possibly even medically related, but if you look at some of the best players
produced in Britain: George Best, Paul Gascoigne, John Terry and Tony Adams
all have had difficulties in their personal lives but their clubs stuck by
them and ultimately the benefits out-weighed the negatives.
The timing of the article in The Guardian is really unfortunate as always
seems to be the way with the club. There is a good positive mood at the club
and the results are showing this. We do not need these stories coming out
now. I had decided not to share these stories and a few others publicly
because I don't like the negative publicity that inevitably ensues, but in
light of The Guardian's story I felt I had to write. It would be interesting
to see what the club say in the coming days about the situation.
One thing is for certain the story really does split opinion.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Morrison departure confirmed
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 16th February 2014
By: Staff Writer
It was confirmed tonight that Ravel Morrison will join Queens Park Rangers
on loan for the rest of the season later this week. As revealed here last
week, the hugely-talented 21-year-old is on his way to the Championship a
mere matter of months after his stunning solo goal at White Hart Lane helped
West Ham United to a memorable 3-0 Premier League win. Jack Sullivan, son of
co-owner David Sullivan confirmed tonight [Sunday] that Morrison will join
Harry Redknapp and co at Loftus Road on a "93 day loan", which will coincide
with the Championship play-off Final on May 24.
The reasons behind Morrison's departure have been hotly debated across the
web all day following the publication of an article in the Guardian that
repeated claims first made here on KUMB.com last November revealing a rift
between the midfielder and manager Sam Allardyce. It was claimed that
Morrison - who has enjoyed a close relationship with agent Nick Rubery for
several years - reacted angrily to a suggestion that he should consider a
change of representation. Despite this, the England Under 21 international
was picked for a string of matches immediately following the incident in
question.
The relationship between Club and player/agent worsened when Rubery posted a
message on Twitter indirectly criticising West Ham's style of play under Sam
Allardyce, although this was removed shortly after. A proposed transfer
window move for Morrison to Fulham fell through after the Cottagers failed
with a derisory bid.
Since moving to Upton Park on the final day of the 2012 winter transfer
window, the former Manchester United youngster has made just 22 appearances
for West Ham (including six substitute appearances).
As well as scoring that memorable strike at Tottenham back in October,
Morrison also hit the target against Cheltenham, Everton, Cardiff and
Norwich prior to Christmas. His last appearance in a West Ham shirt came in
the 3-0 Capital One Cup semi final, second leg defeat at home to Manchester
City.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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