Hammers denied by Blind's late show
WHUFC.com
A stoppage-time Daley Blind strike denies West Ham United all three Barclays Premier League points
08.02.2015
Barclays Premier League
West Ham United 1-1 Manchester United
A stoppage-time Daley Blind strike denied West Ham United all three Barclays Premier League points against Manchester United on Sunday, leaving the Hammers to rue missed chances in an outstanding Boleyn Ground display. Cheikhou Kouyate had earlier announced his return from the Africa Cup of Nations with a splendid strike to fire Sam Allardyce's men into a 49th minute lead, before birthday boy Carl Jenkinson and Mark Noble both went close to wrapping up the points. But there was to be a sting in the tail as Blind seized on Jenkinson's header to direct an exquisite half-volley into the bottom right corner and earn Louis van Gaal's side a share of the spoils.
It was arguably more than Manchester United deserved, not least on the balance of chances. They were, however, presented with the first sniff of a goal when Alex Song stroked a careless ball across his own box in the fifth minute. Robin van Persie duly intercepted but was denied by the swift intervention of centre-half for the day Kouyate. At the other end, Marcos Rojo's headed clearance fell kindly for Enner Valencia, who lashed it goalward from 20 yards and forced de Gea into action down low to his left. The Spaniard was again called upon from the resulting corner, this time tipping Valencia's acrobatic volley over the top from point-blank range. The Ecuadorian then led the breakout from a corner and having slipped in strike-partner Sakho, Antonio Valencia slid in to dispossess West Ham's top marksman. With 32 on the clock, Aaron Cresswell's free-kick picked out James Tomkins at the far post, whose downward header was repelled by a de Gea boot. Tomkins' aerial threat by now a recurring theme, having thrice threatened in the visitors' box.
Still West Ham came, once more on the counter. Rojo clumsily bundled into Valencia and then cynically took down Noble. Sakho picked up the pieces and broke away, but his square ball was deflected into the arms of de Gea, while the Argentine collected the afternoon's first caution. As the game ticked towards the interval, Angel Di Maria leathered one straight down Adrian's throat and two late Manchester United corners caused little alarm.
The Hammers were in front inside four second-half minutes and in spectacular fashion. Noble's free-kick ricocheted off Wayne Rooney into the path of Kouyate, who juggled it with his back to goal before slamming home on the volley with a thunderous third touch on the swivel. Quite the way to announce his return from the Africa Cup of Nations. The goal prompted the inevitable response, with Radamel Falcao firstly lashing a drive wide of Adrian's left-hand upright. Then van Persie ominously took aim from the right-hand side of the box, but slammed it straight into the midriff of Adrian. After Tomkins had timed his tackle to perfection to block another van Persie effort, before Jenkinson's right wing cross had de Gea worried as it drifted inches wide of the far post.
With 13 minutes still to play, Falcao arguably had the Reds' best chance, collecting from van Persie only to stab well wide of the post with just Adrian to beat. But the Spaniard had to be it at his very best moments later to foil van Persie with an outstretched right leg.
The Hammers might have settled it late on, but Noble side-footed straight at de Gea and, from the rebound, Nolan saw his volley tipped around the post. Those spurned chances were to prove costly as the visitors launched a trademark late raid. After Rooney's free-kick had cannonned off Noble's head, the ball was slung back into the box and fell invitingly for Blind, who needed no second invitation to bury a sweet left-foot strike. A second caution for Luke Shaw meant the Reds played out the dying seconds a man light, but the damage had since been done and West Ham were left with just the solitary point to show for their efforts.
West Ham United: Adrian, Cresswell, Nolan, Tomkins, Kouyate, Downing, Sakho, Noble, Jenkinson, Song, Valencia (Jarvis 83)
Subs: Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Amalfitano, Cole, Oxford, Lee
Goal: Kouyate 49
Booked: Song, Adrian
Manchester United: De Gea, Shaw, Jones, Rojo, Di Maria, (Smalling 90+5) Falcao, Rooney, Januzaj (Fellaini 72), Blind, Van Persie, Valencia
Subs: Valdes, Mata, Herrera, McNair, Wilson
Goal: Blind 90+2
Booked: Rojo, Shaw, Rooney
Sent off: Shaw
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
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Downing feels Red Devils frustration
WHUFC.com
Stewart Downing was disappointed to see two points slip through the Hammers' grasp on Sunday
08.02.2015
Stewart Downing felt a sense of frustration as two points slipped away from West Ham United in stoppage time of Sunday's 1-1 draw with Manchester United. The Hammers looked set for maximum points when Cheikhou Kouyate's superb piece of individual skill gave him his second goal of the season. However, Daley Blind hit back at the death leaving Downing to rue the hosts not making the most of a fine performance. "We're frustrated because we thought we were the better team," he admitted. "They played a lot more direct than I thought they would, but we dealt with it and it's the only real chance they've had. We had a good chance at 1-0 when the keeper saved from Mark and obviously you're frustrated to concede in the last minute, but it was a great effort from the lads. "What a great goal for Cheik and I thought he did very well playing at centre half. I didn't know he could play there but I thought he dealt with Falcao very well.
"For the goal it was a great touch and good finish. It gave us a bit of momentum in the game at that time. "The only thing [missing] was that we didn't score the second because if we had I think we'd have won the game."
The Hammers suffered a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford earlier this season when they probably deserved more, so Downing was disappointed to suffer at the hands of the Red Devils again. "It's Manchester United and as long as it's 1-0 they're always in the game with the quality players they have," he explained. "It's two games that we've had against them this season and ended up frustrated. When we played them away we should have beaten them , but on a positive we've played well against a lot of the big teams here. "We needed the win today to go back above Liverpool, but we didn't lose the game and got a point, so we can go to Southampton and look to win."
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Sam hails 'outstanding' West Ham
WHUFC.com
Sam Allardyce felt pride and disappointment as Manchester United snatched a 1-1 draw at the Boleyn
08.02.2015
Sam Allardyce hailed his 'outstanding' team following Sunday's 1-1 Barclays Premier League draw with Manchester United. West Ham United looked on course to beat the Red Devils for the first time since December 2007 when Cheikhou Kouyate volleyed them in front on 49 minutes at the Boleyn Ground. Both before and after the stand-in centre-back's goal, the Hammers were denied repeatedly by goalkeeper David De Gea, who saved well from Enner Valencia, James Tomkins, Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan. At the other end, Adrian denied Robin van Persie and Falcao fired wide but, just when it looked like the hosts would secure a fine win, Carl Jenkinson's header dropped to Daley Blind, who volleyed into the bottom corner from 18 yards. "It is disappointing because we were at the level when we beat Liverpool and Manchester City earlier this season and it allowed us to perform so well against Manchester United," the manager began. "The disappointing thing is that they have popped in the equaliser in the 92nd minute, which was nothing to do with any sort of great play you would normally associate with Manchester United, but a long punt down the middle in desperation that they might get half a chance. "Let's face it, it wasn't an easy goal he scored, but they have quality all over their team and they can sniff one out from half a chance, which is what that was. Sadly for us, it ended up as a draw and not another famous win at Upton Park."
Big Sam lamented the display of Spain stopper De Gea who, at times, was the only man standing between West Ham and a comfortable victory.
"You've got a £20m goalkeeper who has kept Man United in the game and he was more responsible for them getting a draw than Blind's late equaliser because he made so many good saves when they needed him," he continued. "He kept the score down to 1-0 and they've finally managed to snatch a draw, but everybody had an outstanding game for us and Cheik Kouyate was a well-deserved Man of the Match - not only for the quality of his goal, but his overall performance at centre-half against Van Persie, Falcao, Rooney and Di Maria. "Everybody played well and I couldn't ask for any more. It's just disappointing for them that they haven't won the game."
West Ham will need to get over any disappointment in double-quick time, with a trip to third-place Southampton up next on Wednesday evening. The Hammers were beaten 3-1 by the Saints in the reverse fixture in east London back in August and have conceded just 17 goals in 24 league matches, but Big Sam says West Ham will give it their all to overcome Ronald Koeman's side in midweek. "It's difficult to maintain this level and recover because we've played Man United on Sunday and Southampton played QPR on Saturday, but they've got to take a lot of confidence from how they played and try and lift themselves, starting on Monday morning, to be ready for Southampton," the manager explained. "We know how difficult that game will be. People were surprised they beat us here at the start of the season, but they've now seen what a quality team they are throughout the season. "We've been outstanding as well, but not been quite as consistent as them with the victories that we've gained. They've had one or two more victories, but hopefully we can lift ourselves to the same level of performance on Wednesday. "With where Southampton are, we will need to be at our best to get anything out of the game."
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West Ham 1 Man Utd 1
8 February 2015
Last updated at 18:30
By Neil Johnston
BBC Sport
Daley Blind rescued a point for Manchester United with a 93rd-minute equaliser after Cheikhou Kouyate's sublime volley put West Ham ahead. Kouyate juggled the ball twice, swivelled, and volleyed in, after Mark Noble's free-kick dropped in his path. United looked to be running out of time when Blind volleyed home from 16 yards after Angel Di Maria's cross. The visitors finished with 10 men, defender Luke Shaw sent off for a second yellow card. John Hartson: "With the talent that United manager Louis van Gaal has got in forward positions, I was expecting a lot more from them in front of goal this season. But, as we saw against the Hammers, the dynamic is not working at present."
West Ham, who remain eighth in the table, have not beaten United since 2007 and they will feel they allowed a great opportunity to end that run slip. The Hammers were on top from the early stages - hustling in defence and attacking with pace. In contrast, United lacked creativity and were too easily dispossessed at Upton Park before Blind's dramatic late comeback stretched their unbeaten Premier League away record to seven games. David De Gea rescued the visitors three times in the opening half an hour, twice keeping out Enner Valencia - one a 25-yard drive and the other an acrobatic close range volley - before James Tomkins was denied by the Spaniard's right foot. United omitted Juan Mata yet their midfield struggled to carve out chances. A mistake by Alex Song almost let in Robin van Persie but Hammers keeper Adrian's only serious save of the opening half was a tame effort by Angel Di Maria. West Ham got the breakthrough their play deserved in the 49th minute, Kouyate showing great skill to volley home after United's defence had failed to deal with Noble's set-piece delivery. Noble went close to doubling the Hammers' lead before United came strong in the closing stages. Falcao looked certain to equalise in the 77th minute after combining with van Persie, but the Colombia forward stabbed wide from close range. Van Persie was then denied by Adrian's right leg before the Hammers keeper scrambled across his line to keep out Marouane Fellaini in a frantic finish. It looked to be enough for the hosts - but there was still time for Blind to volley home after West Ham had failed to clear a ball into the area. A dramatic finish was concluded when United were reduced to 10 men following a second bookable offence for Shaw.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce: "We have to give the players credit for how well they defended as well as how well they played in possession, which was almost the perfect performance. "It's not a result we deserved or wanted, but we're back to a level that we know we can play at. "It was just a great shame we conceded a goal as late as we did, which wasn't the normal goal you concede against Manchester United."
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Ravel Morrison: West Ham terminate midfielder's contract
BBC.co.uk
West Ham have terminated the contract of England Under-21 midfielder Ravel Morrison with immediate effect. The 22-year-old, whose contract was due to expire this summer, joined the Hammers from Manchester United in 2012. But he did not establish a first-team place and after a number of loan spells he travelled to Italy last month for talks with Lazio. A statement from the Premier League club said: "We would like to wish Ravel every success in his future career." Morrison joined West Ham after United manager Sir Alex Ferguson labelled his contract demands "unrealistic" and said he was "better out of Manchester". After just one Championship appearance for the Hammers in the second half of the 2011-12 season Morrison was sent out on a season-long loan to Birmingham City. Subsequent loan spells at QPR and Cardiff City followed as Morrison racked up just 18 league appearances for West Ham in three years. Morrison travelled to Italy with West Ham's consent in order to sign a pre-contract agreement with Lazio last month.
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West Ham Utd 1-1 Manchester Utd
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 8th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham were cruelly denied all three points against Manchester Utd at the Boleyn this afternoon by an equaliser deep into added-on time. Earlier in the season United had been denied a share of the spoils at Old Trafford when Kevin Nolan's last minute effort was ruled out for offside. And the Hammers were a mere matter of seconds away from inflicting what would have been a second defeat in 17 games on today's visitors before Daley Blind stole in to snatch a point, with three of the four added minutes having already been played. Despite going into the game with just one recognised centre half, it was the stand-in for James Collins and Winston Reid who was to prove pivotal for West Ham throughout the game. Cheik Kouyate, making his first start since returning from the African Cup of Nations with an ankle injury deputised efficiently at centre half and popped up in the opposition's penalty area to score his second goal for the Irons, four minutes into the second half, to give West Ham a lead they were to hold until the 93rd minute. The goal came from Mark Noble's free kick, drifted into the box. Kouyate, with his back to goal took the ball under control on the edge of the six-yard box before turning adroitly and firing beyond David De Gea to make it 1-0. The goal followed a closely-fought and even first half, in which goalscoring opportunities were at a premium. Still, Enner Valencia managed to test De Gea's reflexes on 14 minutes with a fierce drive and then again a minute later, w with a shinned shot from close range that required a fingertip save.
Following Kouyate's opening goal however, the tables turned as Louis Van Gaal's side began to find their range. Falcao fluffed a good chance two minutes after his side had fallen behind, firing across goal from an acute angle, but it wasn't until the final quarter-of-an-hour that Manchester began to look consistently dangerous. The introduction of Marouane Fellaini saw the Red Devils switch to a rather more direct tactical approach. Di Maria narrowly missed the target with a 25-yard free kick before Falcao missed his side's best chance of the game, poking the ball wide of the goal with only Adrian to beat. With just seven minutes to play, Adrian's foot intervened at the right time to deny Van Persie, whose drilled effort was heading into the far corner. As the match entered added-on time West Ham's Spanish 'keeper flung himself to his right to deny substitute Fellaini. United must have thought they'd clung on to win the game when Rooney's free kick went straight into the wall. However Van Gaal's side had other ideas and as they worked the ball back into West Ham's box, Blind emerged to find Adrian's bottom left corner with a precise effort.
West Ham could - and probably should - have wrapped the game up prior to that point, most notably when Mark Noble has the entire goal at his mercy but failed to find the net thanks to a superb reaction save from De Gea three minutes from time. Matt Jarvis, on as a replacement for the tiring Valencia could also perhaps done better when presented with a golden opportunity from a defensive mix-up, but could only send his header over the bar. It was the sort of chance one suspects the missing Andy Carroll would have gobbled up. The Hammers also ended the game with a man advantage after Luke Shaw saw red for a second bookable offence, according to referee Mark Clattenburg; if anything, it was far worse than that with the England full-back going in to a 50/50 with studs showing, ankle high.
Regardless, West Ham had barely any time to make anything of their numerical superiority and the game ended a stalemate - much to the disappointment of Sam Allardyce and his whole side, who certainly deserved a whole lot more than one point from their two encounters with Manchester this season.
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Ravel Morrison a free agent as West Ham terminate contract
KUMb.com
Filed: Sunday, 8th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
Ravel Morrison is free to join another club with immediate effect after it was confirmed that West Ham had released the midfielder from his contract. The 21-year-old signed a pre-contact agreement with Serie A club Lazio last month but was due to spend the remainder of the current season at West Ham. However that will not happen after it was confirmed that the club had terminated the troubled Morrison's contract.
West Ham United FC ✔ @whufc_official
NEWS: West Ham United can confirm that Ravel Morrison has left the Club - http://www.whufc.com/articles/20150208/ravel-morrison_2236884_4471767 …
Just 18 months ago Morrison was being valued around the £20million mark after scoring a wonder goal at Tottenham in the Carling Cup quarter final. However his stock fell dramatically in the ensuing months after a series of highly-publicised incidents at the club and in his public life.
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Child's play for Alex Song as he considers future
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 8th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
Alex Song says he is being implored to remain in London after the end of the current season - by his sons. Song is on loan at West Ham until the end of the current cmpaign, when he is due to return to Barcelona. Sam Allardyce, for one, has hinted that retaining the midfielder's services would prove a huge boost ahead of the final season at the Boleyn Ground. And now the player himself is seriously considering extending his time in the UK - as the result of his boys' wishes! "My boys were saying yesterday, 'Daddy I don't want to leave here any more, you have to stay'," he told the media. "They love London. They are very happy here and for my family, the most important thing is happiness. All they want me to do is perform to make them happy. "The thing that hurt me the most was my kids, because they were seeing me play every single game, every single week at Arsenal. Then when I left my boys were going, 'Daddy why aren't you playing? Is it because the manager doesn't like you?' It was hard for me to explain to them that it isn't easy at Barcelona. "When I wake up in the morning I'm more than happy because I know I have the opportunity to play and I do what I love to do - play football. I enjoy it and make people happy, make the fans happy. If the fans are happy with the way we are playing I'm always happy. "I want to just perform to give them something back. When you come somewhere and people give you the love, what do you want to do? If I'm a football player it is to just perform. "I will put everything together and at the end of the day I will choose what I want to do.I have to continue improving my game, which I was doing before."
Song also confirmed that it was the persistence of Allardyce who sold the club to him last summer. "I didn't want to go to Italy, I wanted to come back [to England]," he added. I have friends here. "One day I spoke with the manager and the gaffer said: 'Would you like to come to West Ham?' He said 'we are playing very well, come and see'. My wife was telling me we had to come to London as well, so I said okay. She is right for telling me to come here."
The chances of Song remaining at West Ham beyond his season-long loan have always been slim at best. However given this latest news, who's to say he can't be swayed? One of the major lures will be the opportunity to play in the Olympic Stadium the season after next. Whether Song hangs around to do so remains to be seen, but the 27-year-old former Cameroon international certainly believes that move will change the face of West Ham. "I am sure in the next five years West Ham will challenge with clubs like Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea," he predicted. "Then, when they jump to the new stadium, I think more players will come in and the club will look different.
"I think everything is going well; we just have to continue improving. If we play very well at the end of the season I think more players will come in and the project will get going."
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Daley Blind's injury-time equaliser earns Manchester United a point at West Ham
By Gerard Brand. Last Updated: 08/02/15 8:02pm
SSN
Daley Blind's late equaliser earned Manchester United a point against West Ham in a 1-1 draw dominated by the hosts at Upton Park.
Defender Cheikhou Kouyate's second-half goal gave West Ham the lead, but Blind volleyed home a 92nd-minute leveller from the edge of the area. Luke Shaw was sent off after the equaliser for a second bookable offence, but the result means Louis van Gaal's side have lost just once in 17 games in all competitions. Manchester United had not lost away from home since a 1-0 defeat by neighbours Manchester City in early November, while West Ham had lost just once at Upton Park since August. David de Gea was forced into action by Enner Valencia twice in quick succession, first parrying a 25-yard drive out for a corner, and then denying the Ecuadorian from close-range with an acrobatic save. When James Tomkins lost Phil Jones at the far post from another cross, De Gea had to save well with his feet from the defender's free header from eight yards. West Ham took the lead four minutes into the second half after a fine piece of skill from Kouyate. The Senegal international brought the ball down from a free-kick, turned with another fine touch and fired into the net.
Manchester United then decided to up the ante, and Radamel Falcao had a fine chance to equalise in the 78th minute, but he could not lift the ball over Adrian after being put through on goal by Robin van Persie. Van Persie himself broke through minutes later, but his powerful low drive was blocked well by Adrian as Van Gaal's side pushed for an equaliser. At the other end West Ham should have had the points wrapped up late on only to be denied by the impressive De Gea again from Mark Noble's close-range drive. Van Gaal introduced Marouane Fellaini with just under 20 minutes remaining, and the Belgian immediately caused problems for West Ham. First, his shot on the turn was saved turned wide well by Adrian, and then the midfielder was involved in the equaliser. After Fellaini headed the ball down Marcos Rojo's long delivery into the box, Blind finished on the volley from 18 yards with his left foot into the corner through a crowded penalty area. Shaw was deservedly sent off after the equaliser for bringing down Stewart Downing, his second bookable defence.
Player ratings:
West Ham: Adrian (7), Jenkinson (7), Tomkins (7), Kouyate (8), Cresswell (7), Song (7), Noble (7), Nolan (6), Downing (6), Sakho (7), Valencia (7)
Subs: Jarvis (5)
Man Utd: De Gea (8), Valencia (5), Jones (5), Rojo (6), Shaw (4), Blind (7), Rooney (5), Di Maria (3), Januzaj (4), Van Persie (4), Falcao (4)
Subs: Fellaini (7), Smalling (5)
Man of the match: Kouyate
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West Ham boss Sam Allardyce in 'long ball' dig at Manchester United after 1-1 draw
Last Updated: 08/02/15 10:18pm
SSN
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce described Manchester United as "long ball" after conceding a late equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Upton Park on Sunday. Louis van Gaal's visitors brought on Marouane Fellaini for the final stages of the game, and changed their style of play before getting a reward through Daley Blind's 92nd-minute goal. Allardyce, who has received criticism in the past for his side's own style, admitted West Ham struggled to cope with the aerial balls, with Manchester United playing 30 more long passes than their opponents. He told Sky Sports: "We couldn't cope with 'long-ball United', it was 'thump it forward and see what they could get'. In the end it paid off. "When you've got Fellaini up there it was difficult for us, it's not how you normally see Man United play, but it got them a point in the end. The likes of Radamel Falcao, Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Angel Di Maria hardly got a look in." The draw leaves West Ham eighth in the Premier League table, still seven points behind their opponents in fourth. Allardyce admitted his side were low in the dressing room, having thoroughly deserved to win the game. "The lads are absolutely gutted in there, and so they should be.
"It was an absolutely fantastic performance and from the point of view where we were at the end, we were going to see it through. It wasn't to be. "I think we needed to find the second goal, we had the chance but we didn't do it."
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Louis van Gaal says he thanked his Manchester United players for their second-half show at West Ham
Last Updated: 08/02/15 7:33pm
SSN
Louis van Gaal said he personally thanked his Manchester United players for their second-half performance in the 1-1 draw at West Ham.
Daley Blind's late equaliser denied West Ham what would have been a deserved win after Cheikhou Kouyate's opener, and despite the hosts having chances to win the game, the Dutchman was pleased with the second-half showing. Van Gaal told Sky Sports: "I think we played very badly in the first half, but we showed a lot of fight and spirit in the second, especially after their goal. "We gave it away, and then we played football, but you have to do it from the first minute. "But I have to say what spirit my team showed after going behind, and I have thanked my players for that." Manchester United introduced Marouane Fellaini for the final stages at Upton Park, and the Belgian provided the assist for Blind's equaliser by winning an aerial ball. West Ham boss Sam Allardyce claimed his side could not cope with long ball United", but Van Gaal returned the compliment by insisting he had prepared to face long balls from the hosts themselves.
They are playing long balls, we know that in advance, but they won all the second balls. "I think with Fellaini you have to change your style, and we did, and because of Fellaini we have created a lot of chances." United remain in fourth place in the Premier League, and have now lost just once in 17 games in all competitions.
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BE PROUD, VERY PROUD
By Iain Dale 8 Feb 2015 at 18:21
West Ham till I Die
As we await with baited breath David Hautzig's full match report, here are ten observations from today's game.
1. We should be proud of this performance. We outplayed a team which cost several hundred million pounds.
2. Our set piece play was superb. We won virtually every duel.
3. Enner Valencia was on fire, especially in the first half. Sakho ran them ragged in the second half.
4. You have to take the chances you get. If Mark Noble or Matt Jarvis had taken their chances things might have been different.
5. Kouyate put in a top performance both as a defender and for his goal.
6. Adrian never looked ruffled. He had a couple of reaction shots to save and did it well.
7. Our commitment was top class.
8. Kevin Nolan wasn't mentioned much in the commentary but he put in some very timely challenges and played a couple of exquisite forward passes.
9. The crowd were superb today. Lots of noise.
10. Hilarious that Man U had to resort to the long ball. Would never happen at Upton Park. No Sirreee.
This somewhat makeshift team proves that we have a squad which can develop into a very good team indeed. This was an outstanding performance in every part of the pitch. It was a real team effort. There was no one player that outshone the others and there was no player that failed to put in a shift. We can go to St Mary's on Wednesday in confident mood.
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WEST HAM 1, MANCHESTER UNITED 1. LIKE IAIN, I'M VERY PROUD.
By David Hautzig 8 Feb 2015 at 20:31
West Ham till I Die
As gargantuan as Manchester United have been, we have had some nice moments against them. Dicanio making Barthez look like an idiot in the FA Cup. Spector of all people running circles around them with Moron Grant in charge. Even Curbs won three in a row against them. Perhaps that history coupled with what is still a pretty good side, recent results notwithstanding, was why both Paul Merson and Lawro picked us to win today. Having said that, we were winless in our last twelve meetings against them.
I wasn't as fixated on the result leading up to the match as I normally am. At the risk of being overly dramatic, I saw today as a watershed moment for Sam Allardyce. With Andy Carroll injured, would Sam go back to the formation that saw us not only win a hatful of matches earlier in the season but saw us play the kind of football that was asked of him? Or would he use the injury crisis at the back to institute a safe, forget the midfield at all costs kind of setup? Would he move Downing out wide again, against all levels of common sense, to accommodate Nolan? I sincerely thought that question would go a long way in determining if Sam would be offered a new deal at the end of the campaign. All things being equal, I think Sam checked most of the right boxes.
Yesterday, the West Ham universe was lifted by the news that Alex Song's kids are threatening him with inhuman levels of torture if he makes them leave London. He may have not said exactly that, but if you're a parent you can read between the lines. But if he makes more mistakes like the one he made in the 5th minute then Sam Allardyce will be the one delivering the torture. Inside the West Ham penalty area, Song attempted a short pass to Kouyate. It was intercepted by Van Persie, but as he was teeing up what should have been an early opening goal Kouyate came to the rescue with a clearing tackle. Liam Spencer of Iron Views put it best when he tweeted "Alex Song needs to learn to just boot it sometimes. It goes against everything in his footballing brain but it has to be done now and then."
One thing Song has done brilliantly time and time again is send laser guided balls, on the carpet, for someone to run onto. A few minutes after his absurd mistake, he sent one of those missiles in for Valencia. Rojo got in the way, but in less than ten minutes we saw glimpses of the kind of football that enthralled us early in the season. Valencia and Sakho ran into space, giving realistic targets to Song and Downing. That kind of pressure led to West Ham's first chance of the game in the 14th minute when Rojo's attempted clearance landed at the feet of our Valencia, who forced de Gea to push his shot out for a corner. The corner found its way back to Valencia but his volley was this time pushed over the bar by de Gea. Two more corners resulted in one attempted header by Sakho that went wide.
Manchester United had a spell of pressure starting in the 23rd minute. Di Maria sent Van Persie in down the left, but his cross was too deep. It was collected by Rooney, who found Falcao in the middle. However, three hundred grand per week didn't buy him a good first touch and it was cleared for a corner, and the resulting kick was handled by Adrian.
West Ham came close to opening the scoring in the 32nd minute when Phil Jones took down Valencia. Aaron Cresswell has shown glimpses of quality when taking free kicks, and this attempt found Tomkins at the far post. However, his header was stopped by de Gea's right leg. Minutes later, Kevin Nolan closed down on Jones and won West Ham another corner.
Yes. I said Nolan. Yes, he pressed high and forced a corner. No, really. It happened. I swear.
It was odd seeing Manchester United as the team that couldn't keep possession, that looked unnerved and uncomfortable on the ball. They were often bypassing the midfield and sending hopeful balls downfield. Roles were certainly reversed.
If Diafra Sakho has elements of his game that need significant improvement, it is his first touch and decision making. When those two are sorted out, he will be an even more frightening specimen to behold. But for now, we will have to see things like we saw in the 40th minute when he led a two on two attack. But instead of either shooting or trying to find Valencia in the box, he rolled the ball towards de Gea. Was it a shot? Was it a pass? It was just a blown chance.
The first half ended with the Red Devils winning a few corners after another ill conceived pass by Song. On the final one before the halftime whistle, Di Maria played a short corner to Rooney. After their version of Valencia had a touch, the ball came back to Di Maria but his cross was cleared by Tomkins.
Halftime. West Ham 0, Manchester United 0.
No matter who plays for Sam Allardyce, they will know how to execute a set piece. The man would insist that Messi get in the box and wait for a flick on. In the 49th minute, Noble was fouled by their Ecuadorian named Valencia and Clattenburg awarded West Ham a free kick from about 35 yards out. For a second, it looked like Cresswell wanted Noble to take it quickly. Tim Howard, who was presenting the game here on NBC, chuckled and said it was silly for Cresswell to be on a Big Sam team and think that was ever going to happen.
Noble lofted the ball into the box. It took a deflection and headed towards Kouyate. He handled it out of the air with his right foot, and turned away from the defenders. He then gave it another little touch with his right foot while swiveling his body to his left. Then, with the ball never touching the ground, he turned into the ball and sent it past de Gea. Replays showed it took a slight deflection, but it wouldn't have mattered if it didn't.
West Ham 1, Manchester United 0.
My feeling at that point was summed up perfectly by The Guardian's Jacob Steinberg, who tweeted that he was going to hide behind his couch for the next forty minutes. It wasn't a terrible idea, because the goal slapped Manchester United into action. In the 53rd minute, Di Maria found Van Persie with a pass over the top of the West Ham defense. The Dutchman's half volley tried to beat Adrian to the near post, but to no avail. Minutes later Januzaj linked up with Van Persie only to have Tomkins slide in with a crucial block. West Ham were pinned back and in desperate need of relief. That relief came when Sakho used his strength and persistence to keep the ball deep in the Manchester United end and eventually win a corner.
I used to hate Mark Clattenburg. Intensely, actually. I think it started when he disallowed a perfectly good goal by Picchione for a hand ball that wasn't. To now say that he is one of the better officials in The Premier League says more about the lack of quality down the line than it does about Clattenburg. In the 73rd minute, he gifted Manchester United a free kick from a dangerous position when Song clearly won the ball from an onrushing Wayne Rooney. To add some salt to the open wound, he showed Song a yellow card for telling him how wrong the call was. If Di Maria had scored on the free kick Song should have threatened to pick Clattenburg's wardrobe. Instead it sailed into the crowd.
You know the invisible force field defense systems in pretty much every science fiction movie? When Radamel Falcao won the ball from Kouyate about ten yards in front of Adrian, a goal was the only outcome that seemed possible. But Adrian must have turned on the deflector shields in front of him because the ball looked like it bounced off of it and went harmlessly wide. Minutes later Falcao tried to redeem himself with a lovely pass to Van Persie, but his left footed attempt was saved by our cult hero between the posts.
Mark Noble had a golden opportunity to kill off the game in the 87th minute, and he will likely wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat thinking about it. Matt Jarvis, who had replaced Valencia, worked with Cresswell in the corner to keep possession and eat up some clock. The ball came loose at the top of the box, right in front of Noble. He tried to hit the bottom corner with his strike, but de Gea was there to stop it.
Two minutes later, Manchester United's version of a big hairy guy came close to an equalizer. If he had a pony tail, he would have looked just like AC as he handled a long pass on his chest and tried to turn it into the goal. Adrian pushed it wide to keep the Hammers on top.
But not for long.
With all of the offensive firepower at their disposal, it has to be one hell of a feat to keep a clean sheet against them. God knows we tried, and we were almost over the finish line. But two minutes into added time, a Jenkinson clearance inside the box fell right to Daley Blind and his bouncing volley beat Adrian to the bottom right hand corner.
West Ham 1, Manchester United 1.
Manchester United ended the game on ten men after Luke Shaw became the second Manchester United player to see red for an attempted assault on Stuart Downing. I tried to envision a lofted ball into the box from the resulting free kick that Sakho would slam home. That didn't happen, and the game was over.
Final Score. West Ham 1, Manchester United 1.
When you give up a late goal, either to turn a win into a draw or a draw into a loss, it's difficult to remember what your expectations and hopes were going into the game. And if I weren't sitting down to write, I probably wouldn't have tried to analyze what I saw. But two plus hours after the final whistle, the truth is I got what I wanted.
I wanted Sakho to play up top with Valencia, and I wanted the combination to look dangerous.
It did.
I wanted Downing at the top of the midfield, the position that has seen his career raised from the near dead.
He was.
And I wanted us to play good, attractive football, regardless of the outcome.
I think we did.
West Ham are a work in progress. Today we played more like the team that terrorized opponents in September and October. Today we played better than we had since we beat Swansea at Upton Park. We can only hope that if we saw it that way, Sam did as well, and there will be more of the same for the rest of the season.
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West Ham 1-1 Manchester United: Blind's injury-time strike rescues point for below-par Red Devils
18:11, 8 February 2015 By Joe Mewis
The Dutchman spared his team-mate's blushes when he popped up in stoppage time to cancel out Cheikhou Kouyate's spectacular opener at Upton Park
The Mirror
Manchester United snatched a point from the jaws of defeat at Upton Park, thanks to an injury time Daley Blind strike, to put gloss on another below-par away day showing. Sam Allardyce's side looked on their way to a deserved win thanks to Cheikhou Kouyate's goal just after the break, in a match which saw the Hammers dominate the visitors. Louis van Gaal's starting XI saw the Red Devils set out with four at the back in a diamond formation that saw Daley Blind offering protection in front of the defence. Sam Allardyce had to make do without centre-back pairing Winston Reid and James Collins, meaning that James Tomkins and Cheikhou Kouyate filled in. West Ham were quickest out pf the blocks, with Stewart Downing and Alex Song both putting dangerous balls into the box in the opening five minutes, before Enner Valencia forced two decent saves from David de Gea. The first was a dipping volley from outside the box, which the Spaniard palmed behind the goal, before he again denied the Ecuadorian from the resulting corner, stopping his header at close range. With Valencia and Diafra Sakho looking dangerous up top, the Hammers looked to capitalise on their strong early showing, but as the half went on, Louis van Gaal's side began to weather the storm, without being able to bring their striking duo of Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao into the game.
In fact it was - as usual on the Red Devils' travels this season - De Gea that shone for the visitors, as he superbly dealt with two clear-cut headers from James Tomkins as the sides went into the half-time break level pegging. The deadlock was soon broken when the teams were back out, thanks to a moment of superlative skill from Kouyate, who received the ball with his back to goal in a crowded penalty area, did two keep-uppies as he spun himself round and fired past De Gea into the back of the net, albeit with a deflection.
The Red Devils responded to going one down strongly, dominating possession and laying siege to the Hammers goal, but the closest they got was a Van Persie shot that was blocked by Tomkins. The home side almost doubled their lead with 25 minutes to go, when Carl Jenkinson's cross-cum-shot almost caught out De Gea, but the ball floated just wide of the Spaniard's back post. The increasingly anonymous Radamel Falcao spurned a golden opportunity to level the scores with 15 minutes to go, when he sliced the ball well wide with the outside of his right foot with the goal at his mercy after a lovely flick from Van Persie. So bad was the miss that social media immediately went haywire, with Fernando Torres comparisons appearing all over any football fan's Twitter timeline. Falcao's blushes were spared however, when Daley Blind rescued a point in injury-time for the visitors with a low pinpoint finish from outside the box after Jenkinson failed to effectively deal with a Rooney free-kick. Luke Shaw was given his marching orders at the death when he deservedly received a second yellow card for a studs up challenge on Downing, but it came too late to effect the outcome.
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West Ham's bargain-bucket brawlers bossed the million-dollar men of Manchester United
22:30, 8 February 2015
OPINION Neil McLeman BY NEILMCLEMAN
For all the away side's big-name firepower, it was the Hammers who set the agenda in Sunday afternoon's big game
The Mirror
Louis van Gaal sent out an all-star forward line but needed a late equaliser from a midfielder. And the Manchester United defence was run ragged by the bargain buys of Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho while an an emergency centre-back scored a blinder on a topsy-turvy afternoon in East London. Cheikhou Kouyate's match should have been all about stopping Robin Van Persie, Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria. Yet the Senegal midfielder showed the multi-millionaire superstars how to finish while his two forwards displayed the workrate and teamwork lacking in the Dutchman's side. One first-half move summed up the difference between the two sides - and their forwards. Hammers keeper Adrian picked up a cross and rolled the ball out to Sakho. He surged forward, found Valencia and took the return pass in the Manchester United box only for Antonio Valencia to make a goal-saving tackle. It was simple, direct and perfect Premier League football. By contrast, Falcao fluffed his best chance after 77 minutes before getting subbed off looking angry and frustrated. For the £6m loan fee and £18m in wages Manchester United are paying for the Colombian this season, they could have bought Kouyate, Valencia and Sakho and had change to spare. And got more energy and goals. The £12m Ecuadorian and the Senegalese striker, who cost £3.5m, were kept off the scoresheet by the brilliance of David De Gea but their relentless running still contributed to the cause. West Ham's defended from the front. "When we weren't in possession, the closing down of their team as a team was the key to upsetting Man Utd today," said Sam Allardyce." The Hammers have now won only one Premier League game in seven to remain eighth but this performance promises to re-start the momentum in their season. "We're back to a level we know we can play at which has been difficult to get to over the Christmas and New Year period with injuries and the African Nations Cup," Allardyce added. "I have to give the players credit for how well they defended as well as how well they played in possession. It was almost the perfect performance."
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Sam Allardyce says West Ham couldn't cope with "long ball United" after surrendering late equaliser
19:02, 8 February 2015 By Alex Richards
The Hammers conceded a 92nd minute equaliser to Daley Blind having failed to add to their lead, thanks to another inspired showing from David de Gea
The Mirror
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce was disappointed that his side had failed to hold on for all three points after their 1-1 draw with Manchester United, believing his side were good value for victory and lamenting their inability to deal with "long ball United".
Cheikhou Kouyate scored a wonderful opening goal five minutes into the second period, and the Hammers looked set for what would have been a deserved three points. But in the 92nd minute, Dutch international Daley Blind cracked home a perfectly-executed volley to hand Louis van Gaal's men a share of the spoils, putting a dent in West Ham's European ambitions. "A win would have been nothing more than we deserved if we had won," declared Allardyce. "The lads are absolutely gutted and so they should be. It was a fantastic performance and I thought we were going to see it through but it wasn't to be. "We just needed to find the second goal and didn't manage to even though we had chances. "In the end, we couldn't cope with long ball United - it was thump it forward and see what happens. It's not how you normally see United play but it worked for them in the end. "If you look at the amount of saves David de Gea made today he is probably just as worthy of them getting the draw as Daley Blind getting the equaliser." Hammers midfielder Mark Noble was similarly unhappy at having failed to land three points. Noble stated: "It's feels like a loss. It shows how far we have come that we are gutted we drew with Manchester United. "In many spells I thought we were the better team and just couldn't hold out until the end. "You can't switch off against these top teams because they will punish you and that's what happened."
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Sakho and Valencia HAS to be way forward
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 8, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
I have never believed that Sam Allardyce – or come to that, any other manager – picks teams to annoy the fans. Nor do I believe that captain Kevin Nolan is useless and that fans should demand a season ticket rebate every time his name appears on the team sheet.I mention this only because many on the often very petty and silly Twitter seem to believe the manager's sole intention is to annoy them personally by doing the first and including the second along the way! I will never apologise for disliking a brand of football which depends on getting it from back to front as quickly as possible whether it's promoted by the West Ham manager or – as was the case today – Louis van Gaal. And looking at the forums tonight shows that the United fans are as cheesed off with the Dutchman as many Irons fans have been with our manager when he chooses to play that way. Tonight in his press conference Sam said these words: "Our strength was in playing the ball into our front men from the midfielders not by going from back to front." That of course can only happen when Diafra and Enner play together and the Ecuadorian was a revelation today as he returned "at a stroke" to the early season form which had us all drooling. It was no accident that today's was the most enjoyable game at the Boleyn for the many weeks stretching back to Andy Carroll's injury days. Diafra and Enner are a front pairing made in heaven and it seems – from his remarks – that even our often stubborn manager has to accept that our better football is played when they are in harness.
So just what happens when Carroll returns? Do we return to a brand of football which I believe has seen us slip down the table and is nothing like as exciting as most of us want to see? Or do we give the deadly duo a fair crack of the whip with AC being used as an impact sub not unlike Fellaini was for United today. Sam's admission that our strength is in getting the ball into the front pair's feet out of midfield surely only applies to today's front two. He has a decision to make and to be entirely frank it really isn't very difficult – stick with today's pairing Mr Allardyce. It really is the way forward as you have implied yourself.
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Monday, February 9
Sunday, February 8
Daily WHUFC News - 8th February 2015
Preview - Manchester United
WHUFC.com
All you need to know about Sunday's match against Manchester United
07.02.2015
WEST HAM UNITED v MANCHESTER UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
BOLEYN GROUND
SUNDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2015
KICK-OFF: 4.15PM
REFEREE: MARK CLATTENBURG
In brief
West Ham United host Manchester United this Sunday looking to bounce back
from a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool last Saturday.
The Hammers are looking for their second league win of 2015, having beaten
Hull City 3-0 last month.
Meanwhile, Manchester United look to be finding their feet after an initial
slow start to the season.
Currently sitting third in the Premier League, with 36 points from their 23
games, the Red Devils are looking for to complete the double over the
Hammers having beaten them 2-1 at Old Trafford earlier in the season.
Formed in 1878, Manchester United are one of the most successful clubs in
English football. Having won the record amount of league titles - a
staggering 20 times - they have also won eleven FA Cups, four League Cups
and three European Cups. However, since the retirement of manager Sir Alex
Ferguson at the end of the 2012/13 season they have struggled somewhat.
David Moyes' tenure lasted less than a season as the Red Devils finished
seventh in a poor year. Former Barcelona, Ajax and Netherlands manager Louis
van Gaal has since taken the reins. The Dutchman has spent over £150m on new
players including the likes of Angel Di Maria, Daley Blind and Luke Shaw,
the Manchester club are yet to hit their best form but there are signs that
the United of old are not far from returning.
Team news
West Ham United
Big Sam has a few defensive issues to ponder as Carl Jenkinson, James
Collins, Winston Reid and Guy Demel all face late fitness tests.
Additionally, Andy Carroll suffered a knee injury against Liverpool and is a
doubt, while youngsters Diego Poyet and Doneil Henry are also struggling to
be fit. Cheikhou Kouyate has returned from international duty following
Senegal's elimination from the African Cup of Nations, and is available to
play.
Manchester United
In contrast to Sam Allardyce, Louis van Gaal has an almost full bill of
health as Michael Carrick is the only absentee. The Dutchman has had several
injury problems to deal with this season but they look to be easing.
Referee
The man in the middle for Sunday afternoon's game will be Mark Clattenburg.
The Durham based referee has taken charge of two West Ham games this season
so far, the Hammers' 3-1 win away at Crystal Palace and the 2-1 away defeat
to Everton.
One to watch
West Ham United
Cheikhou Kouyate could make his first appearance for the Hammers since
returning from international duty. The energetic midfielder missed the
Hammers' 2-0 defeat by Liverpool last weekend through injury, which he has
since recovered from. With a number of injuries to deal with, Sam Allardyce
may well turn to the Senegalese international who has played at centre-back
for his national side.
Manchester United
Having scored a brace in the same fixture last season, Wayne Rooney will be
hoping to add to his goal tally of eight league goals.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has deployed the England captain as
a central midfielder as he tries to accommodate the 29-year-old alongside
Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao.
Tickets
Tickets for Sunday have all SOLD OUT.
Travel
For all planned tube closures, including work on the Circle, Hammersmith &
City and Jubilee lines, please click here.
Weather
The forecast for Sunday is predicted to be a cloudy, cold but dry day with
temperatures around 8C (46F).
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Special day for Sheringham
WHUFC.com
Teddy Sheringham looks forward to Sunday's visit of his former club
Manchester United
07.02.2015
Sunday's Barclays Premier League visit of Manchester United will be special
for Teddy Sheringham. The West Ham United attacking coach spent four seasons
at Old Trafford as a player between 1997 and 2001, winning three Premier
League titles, the FA Cup and scoring in the Red Devils' 1999 UEFA Champions
League final victory over Bayern Munich. Sheringham sat down with West Ham
TV to discuss his time at Manchester United, his thoughts on their current
form and to assess Sunday's showdown.
Teddy, Manchester United is always one of the biggest fixtures on the
calendar and this season is no different?
TS: "Always. I think for any club that's in the Premier League, it's the
first game they look at because it's when the big crowds come."
Sunday's game will be interesting, as West Ham are seeking to regain their
best form, while Manchester United seem to be winning every game they play…
TS: "I think from the outside looking in, I don't think Manchester United
have been fantastic this year, but they've ground out nice results,
especially recently, getting wins when other teams might only get a draw.
That's the sign of a good team, because when they do click everyone could be
in trouble."
Looking at Manchester United's front six, it is arguably the best front six
in the Premier League, but it hasn't quite come together yet. Would you
agree?
TS: "Yes, exactly. I don't think it always works out like that when you have
so many strikers all vying for the same positions, but it looks like it is
working out at the moment. I think when the big games come around for them
against the top two or three in the division, that's when you'll be able to
tell if you have a well-rounded team or if it's just top-heavy."
There is a weight of expectation at every club, but at Manchester United the
expectation is that you will challenge for the title every season. So, has
there been a change in mind-set up there, or are they still expecting the
same level of success?
TS: "I still remember the first words Sir Alex Ferguson said to me when I
joined Manchester United and they were 'You won't believe what it is like to
play for Manchester United and how many people want to beat you' and I still
see it as being the same.
"Perhaps the expectations in and around the club aren't quite so high
because of last season, when they finished seventh, and their aim is to get
back into the Champions League. It's not quite as high as looking at winning
the title, but when you have top players in the club, they are used to
winning things and they want to get back to the top as soon as possible."
You spent four great seasons at Manchester United. Can you sum up what it
meant to you to play for them?
TS: "For me, it is still the biggest club in the world, up there Barcelona
and Real Madrid as the biggest club in the world. Wherever we went there
were thousands of people who wanted to see Manchester United players and I
think that still remains the same. When you go through a winning period like
they did under Sir Alex, that grows even more so with the more you win.
"It was great to play for them and it was a real eye-opener. When you played
at teams like Leicester, Middlesbrough or Nottingham Forest, you went to
their ground and they were absolutely delighted with a goalless draw, and
that doesn't happen with any other club.
"With Manchester United, for any team to take points of you meant a huge
amount to them up and down the country. Until you have played in that, you
don't realise how much pressure is on you to win every game."
So how do you create that environment? How do you change the mind-set at a
club like West Ham to one where you go into every game with the expectation
that you will win it?
TS: "We've got a steady team here. We're down to the bare bones a bit at the
moment, but when we have our first team out there it's a formidable team. I
think the lads can look around inside the dressing room and think 'I don't
mind playing against Manchester United or Liverpool with you alongside me'.
The more you look around at the players in your team and think 'We've got a
chance of doing well here' that's fantastic, and the expectancy levels have
risen. "We brought in a few good players at the start of the season and
they've hit the ground running, they've done very well and they've gelled in
with the rest of the team. That makes it fantastic for West Ham fans, who
expect us to win, especially at home."
How does that change in confidence manifest itself in the way you play?
TS: "It definitely puts pressure on you. It's fantastic to know that you all
expect to win and are going for a win. When you're going forward in the last
five minutes, you put a cross in and instead of having one person in the
middle, you have three or four in the box and a fifth arriving. You have a
better chance of scoring and that was the difference playing for Manchester
United - with five or two minutes to go, you knew you'd be pushing everybody
forward to try and get that winning goal. "If we didn't get it, everyone got
back in position to ensure we'd get another chance after that. It was truly
fantastic to play with all those top players and all be on the same
wavelength."
So, looking forward to Sunday's game, West Ham are more confident on home
turf and Manchester United are winning virtually every game - should we
expect a classic or a cagey affair?
TS: "I would expect goals. Both teams have got good firepower. Manchester
United's defensive difficulties have been speculated about a lot this year
and they've found players to come in. They're winning games so they'll be
confident coming to Upton Park and expect to win again, but we're a
formidable team with big firepower, so I expect goals and, sorry Manchester
United fans, but I expect us to edge it by one!"
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Song happy to take his chance
WHUFC.com
Alex Song is grateful to West Ham United for giving him the platform to
shine again
07.02.2015
Alex Song is not about to rest on his laurels having made a big impact
during the first five months of his loan spell at West Ham United.
Song made just 19 La Liga apperances for his parent club Barcelona last
season, but it already just three short of that figure this term and is
making the most of playing regular football once again. The Hammers take on
Manchester United at the Boleyn Ground on Sunday with Song eager to play his
part in what promises to be a fine Boleyn Ground occasion. He said:
"Everything has gone very well for me here and the fans, the Club and my
teammates have helped me a lot. I'm happy, my family is happy and I just
want to perform to pay them back.
"it was frustrating last year. The thing that hurt was my kids not being
able to see me play every week. My boys say to me 'Daddy why aren't you
playing' and it's hard to explain how it's not easy at Barcelona, there are
a lot of good players and I have to improve myself. "That's football,
sometimes you go somewhere and the people don't like the way you play. You
have to keep believing - I've come back to England and I just have to keep
going. "I had a lot of opportunities and it wasn't very hard to make the
decision to come here. I wanted to come to England, I spoke to the Gaffer
and he asked if I'd like to go to West Ham. "I asked how we would be playing
because if I went to a team who doesn't play football I would be lost. He
said we're playing very well, and I said to my wife, ok, what shall we do?
"She was telling me we had to come to London as well. So I said we'll go and
today I think she's right to tell me to come here."
Looking at Sunday's game, Song is expecting a tough test from Manchester
United, but one his team could overcome should they hit their best form. He
added: "It will be a very good game for us on Sunday. They're a big team and
a big club and it's a big week for us.
"We have a lot of players injured, but we just have to fight with this team.
I played against Di Maria when I was at Barcelona and he's a good player,
but it's not just him, they have good players. "We don't focus on one
player, we focus on the team. We know the danger can come from everywhere.
We need teamwork and with that we can get results."
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Big Sam forced to shuffle pack
WHUFC.com
The manager will look to overcome a lengthy injury list when the Hammers
take on Man Utd
07.02.2015
Sam Allardyce and his West Ham United team will grin and bear it as they
face up to their injury worries ahead of Sunday's game against Manchester
United. The Hammers have a lengthy list of potential absentees with Winston
Reid, James Collins, Doneil Henry, Guy Demel, Diego Poyet and Andy Carroll
all missing training this week. It gives the manager a particular headache
in defence, but he says his team will get on with the task at hand as they
aim to topple the Red Devils at the Boleyn Ground. He said: "It's always the
same in the modern game today which is why we work so hard to try and
prevent this kind of situation. "I think it's nearly impossible for any team
to go through an entire season without going through a spell of this nature.
"It's how well can you cope with it? How hard can the medical staff work to
reduce the length of those injuries and get the players back in the team as
quickly as possible? "We'll soon find out by the end of this week how well
we can cope with these injuries and it falls at a particularly unfortunate
time for us in a week when there's three games. "We just have to cope as
best as we can, and the particular problem is at central defence. Everywhere
else I think is ok to cope with, but certainly we're going to have to play
somebody who's not used to playing at centre back in the Barclays Premier
League there. "If we get two or three of those players fit we would be
absolutely delighted."
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Alex Song admits he would be happy to stay at West Ham
Last Updated: 08/02/15 8:33am
SSN
West Ham fans have seen their hopes of signing Alex Song given a boost after
the midfielder revealed his children have fallen in love with the club. The
27-year-old is enjoying a season-long loan spell at Upton Park and has
admitted he would like to quit parent-club Barcelona and seal a permanent
move back to the Premier League in the summer. With reported interest from
Liverpool and former club Arsenal, Song will not be short of options at the
end of the campaign but insists his first-choice would be to keep his two
sons happy by staying at West Ham. "They are more than happy," he said of
his children's mood at returning to England. "My boys were saying yesterday
"Daddy I don't want to leave here any more, you have to stay. They love
London. "They are very happy here and for my family, the most important
thing is happiness, all they want me to do is perform to make them happy.
"The thing that hurt me the most was my kids because they were seeing me
play every single game, every single week at Arsenal. "Then when I left my
boys one day were coming to me going, 'Daddy why aren't you playing? Is it
because the manager doesn't like you?' It was hard for me to explain to them
that it isn't easy at Barcelona."
Song also revealed he has fallen back in love with the game thanks to the
fans in the east end of London. "When I wake up in the morning I'm more than
happy because I know I have the opportunity to play and I do what I love to
do - play football," he added. "I enjoy it and make people happy, make the
fans happy. If the fans are happy with the way we are playing I'm always
happy. "I want to just perform to give them something back. When you come
somewhere and people give you the love, what do you want to do? If I'm a
football player it is to just perform. "I will put everything together and
at the end of the day I will choose what I want to do. I was in Barcelona
and I was not playing. "I did not have the opportunity to play (at
Barcelona), but I just kept believing because I know what I can do. Then I
had the opportunity to come to England and I have to continue improving my
game, which I was doing before."
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce wants to thrash out a permanent deal for Song and
the player revealed he was sold on West Ham after chatting to the
60-year-old. Song said: "I was at home and I was trying to choose where I
wanted to go. I had a lot of opportunities, for me it was not very hard tot
take the decision. "I didn't want to go to Italy, I cancelled it straight
away. I wanted to come back, I have friends here. One day I spoke with the
manager and the gaffer said "would you like to come to West Ham?" "He said:
"we are playing very well, come and see." My wife was telling me we had to
come to London as well, so I said "okay" and now today she is right for
telling me to come here. "I am sure in the next five years West Ham will
challenge with clubs like Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea. Then when
they jump to the new stadium I think more players will come in and the club
will look different. "Now we just have to finish very well this season and
then we'll see. I think everything is going well, we just have to continue
improving and if we play very well at the end of the season I think more
players will come in and the project will get going."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
RAVEL MORRISON CONTRACT TERMINATED
By Sean Whetstone 7 Feb 2015 at 10:33
West Ham till I Die
Ravel Morrison has had his contract terminated by mutual consent after West
Ham paid up a percentage of his £330,000 wages in advance.
It had been hoped the club could loan him out to a Championship club for his
remaining six months using a FA loophole to save on some or all of his
wages. The football league loan window opens again on Monday. Unfortunately
nobody in the Championship wanted to loan him on his £15,000 per week wages.
They would have wanted a discount on the wages and only paid them to last
day of the season in May when his contract runs to June 30th.
Morrison has signed a pre contact with Lazio on a four year deal. Sam
Allardyce was confident he could tame the youngster when he signed him in
2012 after Sir Alex Ferguson's patience finally snapped but, like his close
friend, he has failed to get the best out of the player for any sustained
period of time.
Morrison made just 12 league starts for West Ham and 6 sub appearances
scoring 3 goals. he made 5 Cup starts and one sub scoring another two goals.
He made 25 starts for Birmingham while on loan from West Ham, 14 for QPR and
just 1 for Cardiff.
He cost West Ham an initial £650,000 transfer fee from Manchester United but
that climbed to £1m after £25,000 per first appearance clause was fulfilled.
He signed a three and a half year contract on the 31st January 2012 earning
him £2.7m in wages some of which was offset by loaning him out.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham will be fighting for the TITLE within five years, reckons Alex Song
23:00, 7 February 2015 By Rob Burnett, Will Burton
"I am sure that in five years time West Ham will be challenging with
Manchester City and Chelsea," says former Barca and Arsenal midfielder
The Mirror
Alex Song says West Ham will be competing for the title within five years -
and has hinted he wants to make his loan deal with the Hammers permanent.
Song has made 12 appearances in claret and blue so far this season, making
his debut as a substitute in a 2-2 draw with Hull City. The 27-year-old said
his family have settled well in the capital and he does not regret the
switch from Barcelona. "I'm very happy here," said the midfielder. "I like
the way everything is going and I think my future will be in England. "My
family love it here in London. My boys are saying they do not want to leave,
they say to me you have to stay. "This project at West Ham is unbelievable
and it's good for me to be part of that story. "We want to be one of the
best clubs in England. I am sure that in five years time West Ham will be
challenging with Manchester City and Chelsea." Song arrived at Upton Park on
a year-long loan in August having been limited to just 39 appearances for
Barcelona since his move from Arsenal in 2012. "At Barcelona I wasn't
playing. Football is like that sometimes, you go somewhere and you don't
play all the time. "But now I am happy at West Ham because I am getting the
chance to play." Hammers' boss Sam Allardyce tried to sign Song's former
teammate Emmanuel Adebayor in the January transfer window but Spurs wouldn't
sell the striker to a top four rival. "Ade is a great player and a great
guy," said Song. "I know he could have helped us, but now I just want to
wish him good luck."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Alex Song: I would love to stay at West Ham next season – but decision must
wait until the summer
22:30, 7 February 2015 By Steve Stammers
The midfielder has been linked with a switch to Liverpool at the end of the
campaign but insists he is happy in east London
The Mirror
Alex Song has given West Ham a significant boost ahead of Sunday's clash
with Manchester United at Upton Park. The midfield player has played a huge
part in West Ham's impressive season in which they have established
themselves in the top half of the Premier League and reached the fifth round
of the FA Cup. He is currently on a year's loan from Barcelona – but has
indicated that he could well be at West Ham for the long-term. The
27-year-old is thriving on life in the East End and has revealed that he
would relish a return to London on a full-time basis – with West Ham a
potential destination. Manager Sam Allardyce has made it clear he wants the
Cameroon international to stay. Now Song may grant that wish. He spoke of
his frustration at the lack of playing time at the Nou Camp – but he wanted
re-assurance from Allardyce about the West Ham style of play before he
committed himself to a year at Upton Park. Offside Sports PhotographyAlex
Song of West Ham plays a 'Rabona' pass in the penalty areaInspired: Song has
got his groove back at Upton Park this term
Song had been used to the passing game of Arsenal and Barcelona and recalled
the conversation with Allardyce. "I asked him how he played here because if
he played different football, I would be lost," said Song. "He said: 'No,
no, no – we are playing very well.' I talked to my wife and she said: 'You
have to go to London.' And she was right to tell me to come here. "It was
frustrating at Barcelona. What hurt me was my kids. They saw me play every
single week at Arsenal and then when I left and joined Barcelona my boy
Nolan said to me: 'Why are you not playing? Does the manager not like you?'
"It was hard for me to explain to him that at Barcelona it is not easy. The
children are happier now. They told me last week they don't want to move any
more, that I have to stay. They love London." As for the future, Song, who
has two years left on his contract at Barcelona, said: "I am very happy here
and my family is very happy here. And the most important thing is happiness.
"I would love to stay here at West Ham but I will choose at the end of the
season." Also on the horizon is the incentive of playing in the revamped
Olympic Stadium where West Ham will move in 2016. Song added: "West Ham want
to be be one of the best clubs in England in the next five years. "When they
get in the stadium, more players will look and want to come here and join
the project."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham to offer Diafra Sakho new double-your-money contract at Upton Park
22:30, 7 February 2015 By Dean Jones
The 25-year-old Senegalese striker has scored 10 goals in 16 appearances
since signing for Sam Allardyce's side in the summer
The Mirror
West Ham are ready to show just how much Diafra Sakho means to them – by
handing him a new contract, writes Dean Jones in the Sunday People. This
week the club were fined £71,000 for fielding Sakho in an FA Cup tie against
Bristol City after FIFA claimed the player was ineligible as he had been
declared unfit for international duty with Senegal. It has infuriated club
officials but now they are more determined than ever to prove how valuable
he is to Hammers. The striker has been in negotiations with the Londoners
for months over the possibility of improved terms at Upton Park. And he is
now set to be rewarded for the 10 goals he has scored since joining from
Metz in the summer. He signed a four-year deal worth around £15,000 a week
in August but that figure is set to double.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham call up teenage defender Reece Oxford for Manchester United clash
amid injury crisis
21:13, 7 February 2015 By John Cross
Oxford only turned 16 in December but could be thrown in by Sam Allardyce
due to injury doubts over Carl Jenkinson, james Tomkins, Winston Reid and
James Collins
The Mirror
West Ham teenager Reece Oxford could make his senior debut against
Manchester United on Sunday. Defender Oxford, who turned 16 in December, has
been called up to the first team squad after an injury crisis and will at
least be on the bench at Upton Park. Oxford, who recently committed himself
to a long term contract , would become West Ham's youngest player should he
get on the pitch. West Ham face fitness doubts over Carl Jenkinson, James
Tomkins, Winston Reid and James Collins. The Hammers have won just one of
their last six Premier League matches and haven't beaten United in the
top-flight since December 2007.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Wayne Rooney insists Manchester United must beat ''aggressive'' West Ham to
keep top-four push on track
09:20, 7 February 2015 By David McDonnell
PLUS The England captain believes David Beckham's 1996 wonder goal at
Wimbledon eclipses his own gem from the halfway line at Upton Park last
season
The Mirror
Wayne Rooney has admitted Manchester United must win at West Ham tomorrow to
maintain their push for a top-four place. United, currently third, are
eyeing an immediate return to the Champions League after a disappointing
seventh-placed finish last season under former boss David Moyes. Victory
over the Hammers at Upton Park on Sunday would consolidate Louis van Gaal's
side 's position, with Rooney underlining the importance of taking three
points against Sam Allardyce's men. "They're always important games and
obviously the most important one for us is our game against West Ham," said
Rooney. "We have to try to focus on getting three points there. "It's the
end of a big week for us. We knew going into the Leicester game that the
next three games - Leicester, Cambridge and West Ham - it was going to be an
important week for us. "It's a difficult place to go and win, especially
this season, you can see they're playing some good football as well.
"They're aggressive, they get in your face, so it's a tough place to go, but
we have to be ready for that, ready for the battle, and hopefully show our
football."
Rooney was sent off at Old Trafford against West Ham earlier this season
after kicking out at Stewart Downing, earning him a three-game ban. But the
England captain has an excellent record against the Hammers - 12 goals in 14
starts - including a wonder goal from the halfway line at Upton Park last
year in a 2-0 win for United. The goal was reminiscent of former United and
England skipper David Beckham's strike against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park
back in 1996. But Rooney reckons Beckham's effort eclipsed his own. "I just
caught the goalkeeper out of position a little bit and had a go," Rooney
told MUTV. "Sometimes it goes over, or wide, but thankfully, on this
occasion, it went in. "They're obviously two good goals, but his [Beckham's]
one is probably a bit better than mine one, I'd say.
"West Ham are a team I enjoy playing against and, thankfully, I've scored
quite a few goals against them over the years and hopefully I can get
another one this weekend. "You don't really think about what's happened in
the past at stadiums, whether you've won or lost, you just focus on that day
and that game, and trying to do well on that occasion. "But I've done well
at their stadium and scored a few goals."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sakho's new deal close
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 8, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Diafra Sakho is close to agreeing new terms with the Irons which will see
him double his money to around £30k a week basic. We first reported several
weeks ago that the player would be rewarded personally by co chairman David
Sullivan for his excellence and we understand terms are now close to being
agreed. Until now a percentage of Sakho's wages has been paid on appearances
but the new deal will see him with goal and appearance clauses. Initially
the new deal was planned after 25 games but it could now kick in before
that with the player having made 14 league and two Cup appearances.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Be brave Sam – time for Reece Oxford
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 8, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Media reports that Reece Oxford could make his senior debut against
Manchester United may not overly pressure manager Sam Allardyce but how we
would all love to see the kid start his first team career later today. This
is one of our own – who recently signed to a new deal amid fierce
competition from the likes of United, City, Chelsea and Arsenal – ready
willing and able to make everybody's Sunday.
Oxford, who turned 16 in December, has been called into the first team squad
after an injury crisis and so the chance is there… however small. It almost
recalls the days when a certain R Moore was blooded into the first team
after Malcolm Allison turned to manager Ted Fenton following illness and
uttered the words written into Boleyn immortality: "Play the kid." Bob was
17 years old! Oxford's current reputation as one of the greatest young
talents on the world footballing landscape bears the comparison. The big
question is whether Sam will be brave and launch the kid upon us in the
biggest game of the young man's life and my question would be: "Why not?" We
are "safe" and there is little reason why in these circumstances the kid
shouldn't be handed the opportunity with all those inside the stadium being
able to say in years to come: "I was there when ….." The Hammers have won
just one of their last six Premier League matches and haven't beaten United
in the top-flight since December 2007.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gold: "We can overcome injury worries"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 7, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Upbeat David Gold believes the Irons will have a real go against Manchester
United tomorrow and said: "Injuries or not we have a real chance." The co
chairman is unfazed by the recent wins to games played ratio ( three from
ten) told ClaretandHugh: "Whatever you want to say this is not the United of
old and we have fantastic win record at Upton Park. "I will go to my seat
on Sunday expecting to win the game as will most of our fans. Yes, we have
some injuries at the back but that's part of the business. You have to
overcome that.
"It will be interesting top see who gets the shout up front as I am aware
many fans would love to see Diafra (Sakho) and Enner (Valencia) back
together. "That's the manager's decision and we'll have to wait and see but
they are both fit so the opportunity is there. "It's a always a great day
when Manchester United come to the Boleyn and I'm looking for the win as
they are a good team to beat and after this we have a tough league programme
coming up."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The one that got away
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 7, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Last summer Arsenal raided West Ham's academy to poach promising young
midfielder Ben Sheaf. Sheaf immediately signed scholarship forms with
Arsenal and became be part of their U18 squad. At the time the midfielder
has been capped twice by England at U16. West Ham are thought to have
received next to nothing in compensation.
This week Ben Sheaf his first professional contract with Arsenal after he
turned 17 on Thursday. Sheaf has made 12 appearances in the Under-18 Premier
League for Arsenal this season and has also featured for the north
London-based outfit in both the FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League. The
midfielder is renowned for his range of shooting and passing ability in the
middle of the park, and has been tipped to make a big impact at Arsenal in
the coming years.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sunday morning tests for Irons big three
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 7, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham's trio of injured defenders all face fitness tests on Sunday
morning with hopes rising that "at least one of them will be fit to start."
It seems that James Tomkins is edging the race for fitness with both James
Collins and Winston Reid rated at "50/50."
Chiek Kouyate is very possible to take one of the central defensive
positions although Joey O'Brien is also in manager Sam Allardyce's
thinking. O'Brien's possible involvement is likely to rest on the outcome of
the fitness tests on Winston Reid. Tomkins and Collins.
A Hammers source told ClaretandHugh this afternoon: "There will be no
decisions until the three have been put through their paces in the morning.
It's difficult to see which is the most advanced, James may just be edging
it. with the other two rated 50/50 "It will be very disappointing of at
least one of them isn't fit to line up from the start against United but
with two more games coming up next week no chances will be taken."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers top Premier League table
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 7, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Believe it or not, within the Premier League there is another league. A
league which any team can win, a truly level playing field in which any side
– no matter the wage budget, the stadium or the resources – can come out on
top. The Fair Play League. Of course, nobody takes any real interest in it –
but nevertheless the Fair Play League serves an important purpose. Teams may
not actively try to "win it", but nobody wants to come bottom either. The
Fair Play Table endures, now run by the Premier League, with it's own unique
system of separating out the good guys from the bad, those that play fair to
those that play rough. West Ham currently top the Premier League fair play
league! The UEFA Fair Play League puts England in third place. The top three
countries who finish in the UEFA Fair Play league get a space in the Europa
league. As it stands if the season were to finish today West Ham would
qualify for Europe through the fair play route for topping the Premier
League table.
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Championship snubs departing Ravel
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 7, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Ravel Morrison – unwanted by any Championship club on loan – has been paid
up by West Ham United as a result! The Hammers came to a deal with the
midfielder which has allowed him to leave the club ahead of his summer move
to Lazio. The Irons were ready to allow the 21 year old to move to another
loan club on loan in the window that opens on Monday. But it quickly became
clear there were no clubs out there for the player and that even had there
been he would have been wanted on a bottom of the barrel cut price deal. A
source said: "We have paid him up. We came to an agreement. Nobody in the
Championship wanted to loan him and they would have wanted a discount on the
wages had there been. "That would have seen them only paying them them to
last day of the season, when his contract runs to June 30th.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers rise up sponsorship league
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 7, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham's new £20m sponsorship deal raises them to eighth place in Premier
League value terms, leap frogging above Sunderland and Aston Villa. Although
it is a big step in the right direction it remains a fraction of what the
bigger clubs earn in sponsorship.
1st: Manchester United Chevrolet: 8 year deal worth £315m at £45m per
season
2nd Manchester City Etihad 10 year deal worth £400m at £40m per season
3rd Arsenal Fly Emirates 6 year deal worth £150m at £30m per season
4th Liverpool Standard Charted 4 year deal worth £80m at £20m per season
(just about to do new deal at £30m per season)
5th Spurs AIA 5 year deal worth £80m at £16m per season
6th Chelsea Samsung 3 year deal worth £41.4m at £13.8m per season
7th Newcastle Wonga 2 year deal worth £16m at £8m per season
8th West Ham Betway 3.5 year deal worth £20m at £5.75m per season
Villa have a deal with DafaBet worth £4m per season while Sunderland have a
deal with Bidvest at £5m per season. The surprising deal is Everton's 10
year deal with Chang in 2014 which earns them just £1.6m per season.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"Warrior" Ginge may rush to rescue
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 7, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sam Allardyce looks set to have to decide whether he needs to lose Alex
Song's creativity or Cheik Kouyate's energy from the Irons midfield for the
clash against Manchester United. With problems at the back in involving all
three central defenders, one of the two look set to be pressed into
emergency defensive duties. James Collins looks the more likely to partner
one or the other of the two at the back although both James Tomkins and
Winston Reid will be tested before the game. A source told ClaretandHugh:
"Ginge is a real warrior and if it's obvious we have a real problem he's the
one I'd be backing to come to the rescue even were he to need a pain killing
injection to get through it." "However, should that not be the case we
appear to be looking at the Joey O'Brien option in the centre of defence
with Carl Jenkinson returning at right back." He added: "The injury
situation is pretty bad but we can put out a semi-ok team."
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WHUFC.com
All you need to know about Sunday's match against Manchester United
07.02.2015
WEST HAM UNITED v MANCHESTER UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
BOLEYN GROUND
SUNDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2015
KICK-OFF: 4.15PM
REFEREE: MARK CLATTENBURG
In brief
West Ham United host Manchester United this Sunday looking to bounce back
from a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool last Saturday.
The Hammers are looking for their second league win of 2015, having beaten
Hull City 3-0 last month.
Meanwhile, Manchester United look to be finding their feet after an initial
slow start to the season.
Currently sitting third in the Premier League, with 36 points from their 23
games, the Red Devils are looking for to complete the double over the
Hammers having beaten them 2-1 at Old Trafford earlier in the season.
Formed in 1878, Manchester United are one of the most successful clubs in
English football. Having won the record amount of league titles - a
staggering 20 times - they have also won eleven FA Cups, four League Cups
and three European Cups. However, since the retirement of manager Sir Alex
Ferguson at the end of the 2012/13 season they have struggled somewhat.
David Moyes' tenure lasted less than a season as the Red Devils finished
seventh in a poor year. Former Barcelona, Ajax and Netherlands manager Louis
van Gaal has since taken the reins. The Dutchman has spent over £150m on new
players including the likes of Angel Di Maria, Daley Blind and Luke Shaw,
the Manchester club are yet to hit their best form but there are signs that
the United of old are not far from returning.
Team news
West Ham United
Big Sam has a few defensive issues to ponder as Carl Jenkinson, James
Collins, Winston Reid and Guy Demel all face late fitness tests.
Additionally, Andy Carroll suffered a knee injury against Liverpool and is a
doubt, while youngsters Diego Poyet and Doneil Henry are also struggling to
be fit. Cheikhou Kouyate has returned from international duty following
Senegal's elimination from the African Cup of Nations, and is available to
play.
Manchester United
In contrast to Sam Allardyce, Louis van Gaal has an almost full bill of
health as Michael Carrick is the only absentee. The Dutchman has had several
injury problems to deal with this season but they look to be easing.
Referee
The man in the middle for Sunday afternoon's game will be Mark Clattenburg.
The Durham based referee has taken charge of two West Ham games this season
so far, the Hammers' 3-1 win away at Crystal Palace and the 2-1 away defeat
to Everton.
One to watch
West Ham United
Cheikhou Kouyate could make his first appearance for the Hammers since
returning from international duty. The energetic midfielder missed the
Hammers' 2-0 defeat by Liverpool last weekend through injury, which he has
since recovered from. With a number of injuries to deal with, Sam Allardyce
may well turn to the Senegalese international who has played at centre-back
for his national side.
Manchester United
Having scored a brace in the same fixture last season, Wayne Rooney will be
hoping to add to his goal tally of eight league goals.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has deployed the England captain as
a central midfielder as he tries to accommodate the 29-year-old alongside
Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao.
Tickets
Tickets for Sunday have all SOLD OUT.
Travel
For all planned tube closures, including work on the Circle, Hammersmith &
City and Jubilee lines, please click here.
Weather
The forecast for Sunday is predicted to be a cloudy, cold but dry day with
temperatures around 8C (46F).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Special day for Sheringham
WHUFC.com
Teddy Sheringham looks forward to Sunday's visit of his former club
Manchester United
07.02.2015
Sunday's Barclays Premier League visit of Manchester United will be special
for Teddy Sheringham. The West Ham United attacking coach spent four seasons
at Old Trafford as a player between 1997 and 2001, winning three Premier
League titles, the FA Cup and scoring in the Red Devils' 1999 UEFA Champions
League final victory over Bayern Munich. Sheringham sat down with West Ham
TV to discuss his time at Manchester United, his thoughts on their current
form and to assess Sunday's showdown.
Teddy, Manchester United is always one of the biggest fixtures on the
calendar and this season is no different?
TS: "Always. I think for any club that's in the Premier League, it's the
first game they look at because it's when the big crowds come."
Sunday's game will be interesting, as West Ham are seeking to regain their
best form, while Manchester United seem to be winning every game they play…
TS: "I think from the outside looking in, I don't think Manchester United
have been fantastic this year, but they've ground out nice results,
especially recently, getting wins when other teams might only get a draw.
That's the sign of a good team, because when they do click everyone could be
in trouble."
Looking at Manchester United's front six, it is arguably the best front six
in the Premier League, but it hasn't quite come together yet. Would you
agree?
TS: "Yes, exactly. I don't think it always works out like that when you have
so many strikers all vying for the same positions, but it looks like it is
working out at the moment. I think when the big games come around for them
against the top two or three in the division, that's when you'll be able to
tell if you have a well-rounded team or if it's just top-heavy."
There is a weight of expectation at every club, but at Manchester United the
expectation is that you will challenge for the title every season. So, has
there been a change in mind-set up there, or are they still expecting the
same level of success?
TS: "I still remember the first words Sir Alex Ferguson said to me when I
joined Manchester United and they were 'You won't believe what it is like to
play for Manchester United and how many people want to beat you' and I still
see it as being the same.
"Perhaps the expectations in and around the club aren't quite so high
because of last season, when they finished seventh, and their aim is to get
back into the Champions League. It's not quite as high as looking at winning
the title, but when you have top players in the club, they are used to
winning things and they want to get back to the top as soon as possible."
You spent four great seasons at Manchester United. Can you sum up what it
meant to you to play for them?
TS: "For me, it is still the biggest club in the world, up there Barcelona
and Real Madrid as the biggest club in the world. Wherever we went there
were thousands of people who wanted to see Manchester United players and I
think that still remains the same. When you go through a winning period like
they did under Sir Alex, that grows even more so with the more you win.
"It was great to play for them and it was a real eye-opener. When you played
at teams like Leicester, Middlesbrough or Nottingham Forest, you went to
their ground and they were absolutely delighted with a goalless draw, and
that doesn't happen with any other club.
"With Manchester United, for any team to take points of you meant a huge
amount to them up and down the country. Until you have played in that, you
don't realise how much pressure is on you to win every game."
So how do you create that environment? How do you change the mind-set at a
club like West Ham to one where you go into every game with the expectation
that you will win it?
TS: "We've got a steady team here. We're down to the bare bones a bit at the
moment, but when we have our first team out there it's a formidable team. I
think the lads can look around inside the dressing room and think 'I don't
mind playing against Manchester United or Liverpool with you alongside me'.
The more you look around at the players in your team and think 'We've got a
chance of doing well here' that's fantastic, and the expectancy levels have
risen. "We brought in a few good players at the start of the season and
they've hit the ground running, they've done very well and they've gelled in
with the rest of the team. That makes it fantastic for West Ham fans, who
expect us to win, especially at home."
How does that change in confidence manifest itself in the way you play?
TS: "It definitely puts pressure on you. It's fantastic to know that you all
expect to win and are going for a win. When you're going forward in the last
five minutes, you put a cross in and instead of having one person in the
middle, you have three or four in the box and a fifth arriving. You have a
better chance of scoring and that was the difference playing for Manchester
United - with five or two minutes to go, you knew you'd be pushing everybody
forward to try and get that winning goal. "If we didn't get it, everyone got
back in position to ensure we'd get another chance after that. It was truly
fantastic to play with all those top players and all be on the same
wavelength."
So, looking forward to Sunday's game, West Ham are more confident on home
turf and Manchester United are winning virtually every game - should we
expect a classic or a cagey affair?
TS: "I would expect goals. Both teams have got good firepower. Manchester
United's defensive difficulties have been speculated about a lot this year
and they've found players to come in. They're winning games so they'll be
confident coming to Upton Park and expect to win again, but we're a
formidable team with big firepower, so I expect goals and, sorry Manchester
United fans, but I expect us to edge it by one!"
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Song happy to take his chance
WHUFC.com
Alex Song is grateful to West Ham United for giving him the platform to
shine again
07.02.2015
Alex Song is not about to rest on his laurels having made a big impact
during the first five months of his loan spell at West Ham United.
Song made just 19 La Liga apperances for his parent club Barcelona last
season, but it already just three short of that figure this term and is
making the most of playing regular football once again. The Hammers take on
Manchester United at the Boleyn Ground on Sunday with Song eager to play his
part in what promises to be a fine Boleyn Ground occasion. He said:
"Everything has gone very well for me here and the fans, the Club and my
teammates have helped me a lot. I'm happy, my family is happy and I just
want to perform to pay them back.
"it was frustrating last year. The thing that hurt was my kids not being
able to see me play every week. My boys say to me 'Daddy why aren't you
playing' and it's hard to explain how it's not easy at Barcelona, there are
a lot of good players and I have to improve myself. "That's football,
sometimes you go somewhere and the people don't like the way you play. You
have to keep believing - I've come back to England and I just have to keep
going. "I had a lot of opportunities and it wasn't very hard to make the
decision to come here. I wanted to come to England, I spoke to the Gaffer
and he asked if I'd like to go to West Ham. "I asked how we would be playing
because if I went to a team who doesn't play football I would be lost. He
said we're playing very well, and I said to my wife, ok, what shall we do?
"She was telling me we had to come to London as well. So I said we'll go and
today I think she's right to tell me to come here."
Looking at Sunday's game, Song is expecting a tough test from Manchester
United, but one his team could overcome should they hit their best form. He
added: "It will be a very good game for us on Sunday. They're a big team and
a big club and it's a big week for us.
"We have a lot of players injured, but we just have to fight with this team.
I played against Di Maria when I was at Barcelona and he's a good player,
but it's not just him, they have good players. "We don't focus on one
player, we focus on the team. We know the danger can come from everywhere.
We need teamwork and with that we can get results."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Big Sam forced to shuffle pack
WHUFC.com
The manager will look to overcome a lengthy injury list when the Hammers
take on Man Utd
07.02.2015
Sam Allardyce and his West Ham United team will grin and bear it as they
face up to their injury worries ahead of Sunday's game against Manchester
United. The Hammers have a lengthy list of potential absentees with Winston
Reid, James Collins, Doneil Henry, Guy Demel, Diego Poyet and Andy Carroll
all missing training this week. It gives the manager a particular headache
in defence, but he says his team will get on with the task at hand as they
aim to topple the Red Devils at the Boleyn Ground. He said: "It's always the
same in the modern game today which is why we work so hard to try and
prevent this kind of situation. "I think it's nearly impossible for any team
to go through an entire season without going through a spell of this nature.
"It's how well can you cope with it? How hard can the medical staff work to
reduce the length of those injuries and get the players back in the team as
quickly as possible? "We'll soon find out by the end of this week how well
we can cope with these injuries and it falls at a particularly unfortunate
time for us in a week when there's three games. "We just have to cope as
best as we can, and the particular problem is at central defence. Everywhere
else I think is ok to cope with, but certainly we're going to have to play
somebody who's not used to playing at centre back in the Barclays Premier
League there. "If we get two or three of those players fit we would be
absolutely delighted."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Alex Song admits he would be happy to stay at West Ham
Last Updated: 08/02/15 8:33am
SSN
West Ham fans have seen their hopes of signing Alex Song given a boost after
the midfielder revealed his children have fallen in love with the club. The
27-year-old is enjoying a season-long loan spell at Upton Park and has
admitted he would like to quit parent-club Barcelona and seal a permanent
move back to the Premier League in the summer. With reported interest from
Liverpool and former club Arsenal, Song will not be short of options at the
end of the campaign but insists his first-choice would be to keep his two
sons happy by staying at West Ham. "They are more than happy," he said of
his children's mood at returning to England. "My boys were saying yesterday
"Daddy I don't want to leave here any more, you have to stay. They love
London. "They are very happy here and for my family, the most important
thing is happiness, all they want me to do is perform to make them happy.
"The thing that hurt me the most was my kids because they were seeing me
play every single game, every single week at Arsenal. "Then when I left my
boys one day were coming to me going, 'Daddy why aren't you playing? Is it
because the manager doesn't like you?' It was hard for me to explain to them
that it isn't easy at Barcelona."
Song also revealed he has fallen back in love with the game thanks to the
fans in the east end of London. "When I wake up in the morning I'm more than
happy because I know I have the opportunity to play and I do what I love to
do - play football," he added. "I enjoy it and make people happy, make the
fans happy. If the fans are happy with the way we are playing I'm always
happy. "I want to just perform to give them something back. When you come
somewhere and people give you the love, what do you want to do? If I'm a
football player it is to just perform. "I will put everything together and
at the end of the day I will choose what I want to do. I was in Barcelona
and I was not playing. "I did not have the opportunity to play (at
Barcelona), but I just kept believing because I know what I can do. Then I
had the opportunity to come to England and I have to continue improving my
game, which I was doing before."
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce wants to thrash out a permanent deal for Song and
the player revealed he was sold on West Ham after chatting to the
60-year-old. Song said: "I was at home and I was trying to choose where I
wanted to go. I had a lot of opportunities, for me it was not very hard tot
take the decision. "I didn't want to go to Italy, I cancelled it straight
away. I wanted to come back, I have friends here. One day I spoke with the
manager and the gaffer said "would you like to come to West Ham?" "He said:
"we are playing very well, come and see." My wife was telling me we had to
come to London as well, so I said "okay" and now today she is right for
telling me to come here. "I am sure in the next five years West Ham will
challenge with clubs like Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea. Then when
they jump to the new stadium I think more players will come in and the club
will look different. "Now we just have to finish very well this season and
then we'll see. I think everything is going well, we just have to continue
improving and if we play very well at the end of the season I think more
players will come in and the project will get going."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
RAVEL MORRISON CONTRACT TERMINATED
By Sean Whetstone 7 Feb 2015 at 10:33
West Ham till I Die
Ravel Morrison has had his contract terminated by mutual consent after West
Ham paid up a percentage of his £330,000 wages in advance.
It had been hoped the club could loan him out to a Championship club for his
remaining six months using a FA loophole to save on some or all of his
wages. The football league loan window opens again on Monday. Unfortunately
nobody in the Championship wanted to loan him on his £15,000 per week wages.
They would have wanted a discount on the wages and only paid them to last
day of the season in May when his contract runs to June 30th.
Morrison has signed a pre contact with Lazio on a four year deal. Sam
Allardyce was confident he could tame the youngster when he signed him in
2012 after Sir Alex Ferguson's patience finally snapped but, like his close
friend, he has failed to get the best out of the player for any sustained
period of time.
Morrison made just 12 league starts for West Ham and 6 sub appearances
scoring 3 goals. he made 5 Cup starts and one sub scoring another two goals.
He made 25 starts for Birmingham while on loan from West Ham, 14 for QPR and
just 1 for Cardiff.
He cost West Ham an initial £650,000 transfer fee from Manchester United but
that climbed to £1m after £25,000 per first appearance clause was fulfilled.
He signed a three and a half year contract on the 31st January 2012 earning
him £2.7m in wages some of which was offset by loaning him out.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham will be fighting for the TITLE within five years, reckons Alex Song
23:00, 7 February 2015 By Rob Burnett, Will Burton
"I am sure that in five years time West Ham will be challenging with
Manchester City and Chelsea," says former Barca and Arsenal midfielder
The Mirror
Alex Song says West Ham will be competing for the title within five years -
and has hinted he wants to make his loan deal with the Hammers permanent.
Song has made 12 appearances in claret and blue so far this season, making
his debut as a substitute in a 2-2 draw with Hull City. The 27-year-old said
his family have settled well in the capital and he does not regret the
switch from Barcelona. "I'm very happy here," said the midfielder. "I like
the way everything is going and I think my future will be in England. "My
family love it here in London. My boys are saying they do not want to leave,
they say to me you have to stay. "This project at West Ham is unbelievable
and it's good for me to be part of that story. "We want to be one of the
best clubs in England. I am sure that in five years time West Ham will be
challenging with Manchester City and Chelsea." Song arrived at Upton Park on
a year-long loan in August having been limited to just 39 appearances for
Barcelona since his move from Arsenal in 2012. "At Barcelona I wasn't
playing. Football is like that sometimes, you go somewhere and you don't
play all the time. "But now I am happy at West Ham because I am getting the
chance to play." Hammers' boss Sam Allardyce tried to sign Song's former
teammate Emmanuel Adebayor in the January transfer window but Spurs wouldn't
sell the striker to a top four rival. "Ade is a great player and a great
guy," said Song. "I know he could have helped us, but now I just want to
wish him good luck."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Alex Song: I would love to stay at West Ham next season – but decision must
wait until the summer
22:30, 7 February 2015 By Steve Stammers
The midfielder has been linked with a switch to Liverpool at the end of the
campaign but insists he is happy in east London
The Mirror
Alex Song has given West Ham a significant boost ahead of Sunday's clash
with Manchester United at Upton Park. The midfield player has played a huge
part in West Ham's impressive season in which they have established
themselves in the top half of the Premier League and reached the fifth round
of the FA Cup. He is currently on a year's loan from Barcelona – but has
indicated that he could well be at West Ham for the long-term. The
27-year-old is thriving on life in the East End and has revealed that he
would relish a return to London on a full-time basis – with West Ham a
potential destination. Manager Sam Allardyce has made it clear he wants the
Cameroon international to stay. Now Song may grant that wish. He spoke of
his frustration at the lack of playing time at the Nou Camp – but he wanted
re-assurance from Allardyce about the West Ham style of play before he
committed himself to a year at Upton Park. Offside Sports PhotographyAlex
Song of West Ham plays a 'Rabona' pass in the penalty areaInspired: Song has
got his groove back at Upton Park this term
Song had been used to the passing game of Arsenal and Barcelona and recalled
the conversation with Allardyce. "I asked him how he played here because if
he played different football, I would be lost," said Song. "He said: 'No,
no, no – we are playing very well.' I talked to my wife and she said: 'You
have to go to London.' And she was right to tell me to come here. "It was
frustrating at Barcelona. What hurt me was my kids. They saw me play every
single week at Arsenal and then when I left and joined Barcelona my boy
Nolan said to me: 'Why are you not playing? Does the manager not like you?'
"It was hard for me to explain to him that at Barcelona it is not easy. The
children are happier now. They told me last week they don't want to move any
more, that I have to stay. They love London." As for the future, Song, who
has two years left on his contract at Barcelona, said: "I am very happy here
and my family is very happy here. And the most important thing is happiness.
"I would love to stay here at West Ham but I will choose at the end of the
season." Also on the horizon is the incentive of playing in the revamped
Olympic Stadium where West Ham will move in 2016. Song added: "West Ham want
to be be one of the best clubs in England in the next five years. "When they
get in the stadium, more players will look and want to come here and join
the project."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham to offer Diafra Sakho new double-your-money contract at Upton Park
22:30, 7 February 2015 By Dean Jones
The 25-year-old Senegalese striker has scored 10 goals in 16 appearances
since signing for Sam Allardyce's side in the summer
The Mirror
West Ham are ready to show just how much Diafra Sakho means to them – by
handing him a new contract, writes Dean Jones in the Sunday People. This
week the club were fined £71,000 for fielding Sakho in an FA Cup tie against
Bristol City after FIFA claimed the player was ineligible as he had been
declared unfit for international duty with Senegal. It has infuriated club
officials but now they are more determined than ever to prove how valuable
he is to Hammers. The striker has been in negotiations with the Londoners
for months over the possibility of improved terms at Upton Park. And he is
now set to be rewarded for the 10 goals he has scored since joining from
Metz in the summer. He signed a four-year deal worth around £15,000 a week
in August but that figure is set to double.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham call up teenage defender Reece Oxford for Manchester United clash
amid injury crisis
21:13, 7 February 2015 By John Cross
Oxford only turned 16 in December but could be thrown in by Sam Allardyce
due to injury doubts over Carl Jenkinson, james Tomkins, Winston Reid and
James Collins
The Mirror
West Ham teenager Reece Oxford could make his senior debut against
Manchester United on Sunday. Defender Oxford, who turned 16 in December, has
been called up to the first team squad after an injury crisis and will at
least be on the bench at Upton Park. Oxford, who recently committed himself
to a long term contract , would become West Ham's youngest player should he
get on the pitch. West Ham face fitness doubts over Carl Jenkinson, James
Tomkins, Winston Reid and James Collins. The Hammers have won just one of
their last six Premier League matches and haven't beaten United in the
top-flight since December 2007.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Wayne Rooney insists Manchester United must beat ''aggressive'' West Ham to
keep top-four push on track
09:20, 7 February 2015 By David McDonnell
PLUS The England captain believes David Beckham's 1996 wonder goal at
Wimbledon eclipses his own gem from the halfway line at Upton Park last
season
The Mirror
Wayne Rooney has admitted Manchester United must win at West Ham tomorrow to
maintain their push for a top-four place. United, currently third, are
eyeing an immediate return to the Champions League after a disappointing
seventh-placed finish last season under former boss David Moyes. Victory
over the Hammers at Upton Park on Sunday would consolidate Louis van Gaal's
side 's position, with Rooney underlining the importance of taking three
points against Sam Allardyce's men. "They're always important games and
obviously the most important one for us is our game against West Ham," said
Rooney. "We have to try to focus on getting three points there. "It's the
end of a big week for us. We knew going into the Leicester game that the
next three games - Leicester, Cambridge and West Ham - it was going to be an
important week for us. "It's a difficult place to go and win, especially
this season, you can see they're playing some good football as well.
"They're aggressive, they get in your face, so it's a tough place to go, but
we have to be ready for that, ready for the battle, and hopefully show our
football."
Rooney was sent off at Old Trafford against West Ham earlier this season
after kicking out at Stewart Downing, earning him a three-game ban. But the
England captain has an excellent record against the Hammers - 12 goals in 14
starts - including a wonder goal from the halfway line at Upton Park last
year in a 2-0 win for United. The goal was reminiscent of former United and
England skipper David Beckham's strike against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park
back in 1996. But Rooney reckons Beckham's effort eclipsed his own. "I just
caught the goalkeeper out of position a little bit and had a go," Rooney
told MUTV. "Sometimes it goes over, or wide, but thankfully, on this
occasion, it went in. "They're obviously two good goals, but his [Beckham's]
one is probably a bit better than mine one, I'd say.
"West Ham are a team I enjoy playing against and, thankfully, I've scored
quite a few goals against them over the years and hopefully I can get
another one this weekend. "You don't really think about what's happened in
the past at stadiums, whether you've won or lost, you just focus on that day
and that game, and trying to do well on that occasion. "But I've done well
at their stadium and scored a few goals."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sakho's new deal close
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 8, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Diafra Sakho is close to agreeing new terms with the Irons which will see
him double his money to around £30k a week basic. We first reported several
weeks ago that the player would be rewarded personally by co chairman David
Sullivan for his excellence and we understand terms are now close to being
agreed. Until now a percentage of Sakho's wages has been paid on appearances
but the new deal will see him with goal and appearance clauses. Initially
the new deal was planned after 25 games but it could now kick in before
that with the player having made 14 league and two Cup appearances.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Be brave Sam – time for Reece Oxford
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 8, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Media reports that Reece Oxford could make his senior debut against
Manchester United may not overly pressure manager Sam Allardyce but how we
would all love to see the kid start his first team career later today. This
is one of our own – who recently signed to a new deal amid fierce
competition from the likes of United, City, Chelsea and Arsenal – ready
willing and able to make everybody's Sunday.
Oxford, who turned 16 in December, has been called into the first team squad
after an injury crisis and so the chance is there… however small. It almost
recalls the days when a certain R Moore was blooded into the first team
after Malcolm Allison turned to manager Ted Fenton following illness and
uttered the words written into Boleyn immortality: "Play the kid." Bob was
17 years old! Oxford's current reputation as one of the greatest young
talents on the world footballing landscape bears the comparison. The big
question is whether Sam will be brave and launch the kid upon us in the
biggest game of the young man's life and my question would be: "Why not?" We
are "safe" and there is little reason why in these circumstances the kid
shouldn't be handed the opportunity with all those inside the stadium being
able to say in years to come: "I was there when ….." The Hammers have won
just one of their last six Premier League matches and haven't beaten United
in the top-flight since December 2007.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Gold: "We can overcome injury worries"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 7, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Upbeat David Gold believes the Irons will have a real go against Manchester
United tomorrow and said: "Injuries or not we have a real chance." The co
chairman is unfazed by the recent wins to games played ratio ( three from
ten) told ClaretandHugh: "Whatever you want to say this is not the United of
old and we have fantastic win record at Upton Park. "I will go to my seat
on Sunday expecting to win the game as will most of our fans. Yes, we have
some injuries at the back but that's part of the business. You have to
overcome that.
"It will be interesting top see who gets the shout up front as I am aware
many fans would love to see Diafra (Sakho) and Enner (Valencia) back
together. "That's the manager's decision and we'll have to wait and see but
they are both fit so the opportunity is there. "It's a always a great day
when Manchester United come to the Boleyn and I'm looking for the win as
they are a good team to beat and after this we have a tough league programme
coming up."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The one that got away
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 7, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Last summer Arsenal raided West Ham's academy to poach promising young
midfielder Ben Sheaf. Sheaf immediately signed scholarship forms with
Arsenal and became be part of their U18 squad. At the time the midfielder
has been capped twice by England at U16. West Ham are thought to have
received next to nothing in compensation.
This week Ben Sheaf his first professional contract with Arsenal after he
turned 17 on Thursday. Sheaf has made 12 appearances in the Under-18 Premier
League for Arsenal this season and has also featured for the north
London-based outfit in both the FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League. The
midfielder is renowned for his range of shooting and passing ability in the
middle of the park, and has been tipped to make a big impact at Arsenal in
the coming years.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sunday morning tests for Irons big three
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 7, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham's trio of injured defenders all face fitness tests on Sunday
morning with hopes rising that "at least one of them will be fit to start."
It seems that James Tomkins is edging the race for fitness with both James
Collins and Winston Reid rated at "50/50."
Chiek Kouyate is very possible to take one of the central defensive
positions although Joey O'Brien is also in manager Sam Allardyce's
thinking. O'Brien's possible involvement is likely to rest on the outcome of
the fitness tests on Winston Reid. Tomkins and Collins.
A Hammers source told ClaretandHugh this afternoon: "There will be no
decisions until the three have been put through their paces in the morning.
It's difficult to see which is the most advanced, James may just be edging
it. with the other two rated 50/50 "It will be very disappointing of at
least one of them isn't fit to line up from the start against United but
with two more games coming up next week no chances will be taken."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers top Premier League table
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 7, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Believe it or not, within the Premier League there is another league. A
league which any team can win, a truly level playing field in which any side
– no matter the wage budget, the stadium or the resources – can come out on
top. The Fair Play League. Of course, nobody takes any real interest in it –
but nevertheless the Fair Play League serves an important purpose. Teams may
not actively try to "win it", but nobody wants to come bottom either. The
Fair Play Table endures, now run by the Premier League, with it's own unique
system of separating out the good guys from the bad, those that play fair to
those that play rough. West Ham currently top the Premier League fair play
league! The UEFA Fair Play League puts England in third place. The top three
countries who finish in the UEFA Fair Play league get a space in the Europa
league. As it stands if the season were to finish today West Ham would
qualify for Europe through the fair play route for topping the Premier
League table.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Championship snubs departing Ravel
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 7, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Ravel Morrison – unwanted by any Championship club on loan – has been paid
up by West Ham United as a result! The Hammers came to a deal with the
midfielder which has allowed him to leave the club ahead of his summer move
to Lazio. The Irons were ready to allow the 21 year old to move to another
loan club on loan in the window that opens on Monday. But it quickly became
clear there were no clubs out there for the player and that even had there
been he would have been wanted on a bottom of the barrel cut price deal. A
source said: "We have paid him up. We came to an agreement. Nobody in the
Championship wanted to loan him and they would have wanted a discount on the
wages had there been. "That would have seen them only paying them them to
last day of the season, when his contract runs to June 30th.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers rise up sponsorship league
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 7, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham's new £20m sponsorship deal raises them to eighth place in Premier
League value terms, leap frogging above Sunderland and Aston Villa. Although
it is a big step in the right direction it remains a fraction of what the
bigger clubs earn in sponsorship.
1st: Manchester United Chevrolet: 8 year deal worth £315m at £45m per
season
2nd Manchester City Etihad 10 year deal worth £400m at £40m per season
3rd Arsenal Fly Emirates 6 year deal worth £150m at £30m per season
4th Liverpool Standard Charted 4 year deal worth £80m at £20m per season
(just about to do new deal at £30m per season)
5th Spurs AIA 5 year deal worth £80m at £16m per season
6th Chelsea Samsung 3 year deal worth £41.4m at £13.8m per season
7th Newcastle Wonga 2 year deal worth £16m at £8m per season
8th West Ham Betway 3.5 year deal worth £20m at £5.75m per season
Villa have a deal with DafaBet worth £4m per season while Sunderland have a
deal with Bidvest at £5m per season. The surprising deal is Everton's 10
year deal with Chang in 2014 which earns them just £1.6m per season.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
"Warrior" Ginge may rush to rescue
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 7, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Sam Allardyce looks set to have to decide whether he needs to lose Alex
Song's creativity or Cheik Kouyate's energy from the Irons midfield for the
clash against Manchester United. With problems at the back in involving all
three central defenders, one of the two look set to be pressed into
emergency defensive duties. James Collins looks the more likely to partner
one or the other of the two at the back although both James Tomkins and
Winston Reid will be tested before the game. A source told ClaretandHugh:
"Ginge is a real warrior and if it's obvious we have a real problem he's the
one I'd be backing to come to the rescue even were he to need a pain killing
injection to get through it." "However, should that not be the case we
appear to be looking at the Joey O'Brien option in the centre of defence
with Carl Jenkinson returning at right back." He added: "The injury
situation is pretty bad but we can put out a semi-ok team."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
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Saturday, February 7
Daily WHUFC News - 7th February 2015
Dev Squad 2-1 Fulham U21
WHUFC.com
The Dev Squad win 2-1 after putting in their best performance of the season
06.02.2015
DEVELOPMENT SQUAD v FULHAM U21
BARCLAYS U21 PREMIER LEAGUE
RUSH GREEN STADIUM
FRIDAY 6 FEBRUARY 2015
KICK-OFF: 7.00 PM
REFEREE: IAN RATHBONE
FT: Dev Squad 2-1 Fulham U21
A superb, deserved win for the Dev Squad as they beat Fulham 2-1. To a man,
the Dev Squad put in a performance full of creativity, graft and hard work.
95: More superb hold up play from Brown, definitely one of his best
performances for the U21s.
94: Final few seconds here surely...Fulham are pressing with everything
they've got left to force an equaliser. They have the ball in the back of
the net but the linesman had flagged for offside.
92: Spiegel rises high to claim a cross, the big Swiss goalie has been solid
all night.
90: Jordan Brown is on the end of a heavy challenge from Baba and is
receiving treatment. Last few minutes.
88: Corner to Fulham after Joe Powell gets across to block the cross. A man
in white gets his head to it but Spiegel is equal to it.
85: The Hammers monumental effort continues as they press and harry every
ball. It is working well for them as they win the ball high up and the
field.
82: The young left back Vashon Neufville is having an excellent debut for
the U21s tonight. Solid in defence, tough tackling and a great outlet going
forward, looking forward to seeing more of him in the near future.
79: Brilliant hold up play by Jordan Brown in the corner as he fends off two
men and buys a throw in.
76: Goal saving tackle from Manny Onariase! De La Torre was through on goal
and about to pull the trigger only for the big centre back to come out of
nowhere and make an inch perfect tackle. Superb defending.
73: A brief break in play as Tunji Akinola and Alex Pike are both receiving
treatment for cramp.
70: Some tired legs beginning to show such is the effort been put in by both
sides. Fulham playing on Monday night may also be starting to take it's
toll.
67: Another wonderful move from the Hammers. It starts with Spiegel and
works its way through the team via several one-twos to Brown on the six yard
box who's shot is blocked. What a move that was, great invention from a very
young line up, think Argentina in the 2006 World Cup sort of vibe.
64: Josh Cullen gets a ticking off from the referee for one too many fouls.
The central midfielder has been superb tonight, leading by example and
showing his credentials as captain.
61: Another good move from the Hammers as they press high up the pitch and
retain possession. Nasha flicks on to Joe Powell who wins a corner. The
resulting delivery causes all sorts of problems but the Cottagers clear
their lines eventually.
59: Stoppage in play as Jordan Evans receives some treatment after being
left in a heap.
56: Fulham's Ange-Freddy Plumain tries his luck from distance but it goes
harmlessly wide.
53: Good move from the Hammers sees Josh Cullen shoot from the edge of the
box. His effort is blocked seconds before Parfitt-Williams is tackled well
by Noe Baba as he burst into the box. The central defender had to get that
right otherwise it would have been a penalty.
50: Fulham make all three substitutes as they look to turn this game around.
Ryan Williams, Noe Baba and Luca De La Torre are all on.
47: The Dev Squad have the ball in the back of the net almost immediately as
Pafitt-Williams taps in Brown's cross-cum-shot however he is flagged for
offside and it will not count.
46: We're back under way here at Rush Green and here's hoping for more of
the same!
HT: Dev Squad 2-1 Fulham U21. Undoubtedly one of the halfs of the season
from the Dev Squad, to a man they are pulling their weight and then some.
42: Close! Fulham could hardly get any closer to an equaliser as Pike's
scuffed clearance canons off the crossbar before the rebound hits the post
too. A real let off for the Hammers.
39: Jordan Brown rounds the keeper following another sloppy backpass before
he shoots from an incredibly tight angle. Fulham's Jordan Evans recovers
just in time to make a goaline clearance. So unlucky, the big No9 did
everything right.
37: Alex Pike tries his luck from the edge of the box but it fires just
wide. Worth an effort from the right back, who is having a superb game.
35: This game really is being played at a hundred miles an hour. Nasha is
fouled on the half way line which allows both sides a short breather.
Captain Cullen is doing a fantastic job of directing the midfield battle,
both win the ball and verbally so far.
32: Fulham are growing into the game and enjoying more possession. They
don't have anything to show for their efforts but are building the pressure
gradually.
30: Superb defending by Vashon Neufville who was beaten once, but sprints 30
yards and recovers well. Fulham win a corner which forces Spiegel into a
fantastic save, low to his right.
26: Great defence-splitting pass from the youngster Neufville as he searches
for Parfitt-Williams. Norman has to come rushing off his line to clear the
danger. Excellent vision from the left back.
24: Superb one-two between Parfitt-Williams and Jordan Brown sets the free
from the defender. The ball unfortunately just gets caught between his feet
which allows the Fulham defence to regroup.
22: Again Fulham go close as Taggart throws himself at Tue Na's drilled
cross from the left wing. He connects well but it falls just wide of
Spiegel's far post.
20: Fulham go close to an equaliser following a goal mouth scramble after an
inswinging corner. The Dev Squad eventually clear their lines. End to end
stuff here at Rush Green!
17: Yet again the Hammers are finding a lot of joy down the right wing. This
time Alex Pike gets forward and finds Powell on the edge of the box. He tees
himself up before unleashing a vicious shot which goalkeeper Magnus Norman
just gets behind.
14: GOAL! Jordan Brown restores the Hammers' lead with an almost identical
goal to Cullen's. Again, Powell puts a great ball across the six yard box
which Brown heads intside the far post.
11: Goal! Equaliser for Fulham as the visitors respond almost immediately.
No9 Adam Taggart is on hand to slot home coolly past Spiegel after running
on to long ball. All square.
9: GOAL! 1-0 to the Dev Squad. Joe Powell puts in a fantastic cross which
Josh Cullen runs onto at the back post, an excellent goal.
6: Another opportunity for the Hammers after a short goal kick goes straight
to Parfitt-Williams, he turns and feeds Brown on the edge of the area who
unselfishly passes into Powell instead of shooting. The Fulham defence just
manage to scramble it away.
5: Free kick for the Hammers out on the right wing. Powell floats a good
ball into the back post but Fulham's height advantage helps them to clear it
away.
3: Good intensity frm the Hammers. Amos Nasha, Joe Powell and Josh Cullen
all going in strongly trying to win the ball back.
2: Bright start from the Hammers as they look to go on the offensive
immediately. First Djair Parfitt-Williams and then Jordan Brown have a go at
running at the back four.
1: Tonight's captain Josh Cullen has won the toss and chosen to kick off.
Game on!
Both teams are out on the pitch, prematch handshakes are concluded and we're
all set! The Hammers, in their traditional claret and blue strip are kicking
left to right, the Cottagers are in their customary white and back strip.
Just five minutes until kick off! An excellent game in prospect tonight, one
which both teams will be going all out to win.
Little under half an hour to go until kick off and the fans are beginning to
stream in. There's a great atmosphere building up inside Rush Green, superb
set list from the stadium DJ too.
Both teams, under the lights, are out on the Rush Green Stadium pitch.
They'll need an extra vigorous warm up tonight as it is seriously chilly.
Tonight's teams have already played each other twice this season. In the
reverse fixture the Hammers came away from Motspur Park with a 1-1 draw,
while the Cottagers won 3-2 in the Barclays U21 Premier League International
Cup fixture back in December.
Just under an hour until kick off here at a very chilly Rush Green. The
Hammers are looking for their first win in five games as they look to get
off the foot of the table while the Cottagers go into tonight's game off the
back of an impressive 2-1 win away at Manchester United.
West Ham United: Spiegel, Pike, Neufville, Nasha, Onariase, Akinola, Powell,
Makasi, Brown, Cullen (c), Parfitt-Williams
Subs: Diangana, Bogard (GK), Borg, Carter, Hector-Ingram
Fulham: Norman, Voser, Evans, Hoogland, Buatu, Amorebieta, Tue Na, Della
Verde, Taggart, Plumain, Richards
Subs: Barnes, Baba, Williams, De La Torre
Tonight's teams are in...
Hello and welcome to tonight's coverage as the West Ham Unitd Development
Squad take on Fulham U21 in tonight's Barclays U21 Premier League match.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
'We're not afraid of anyone'
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble is confident of recording another big home win when Manchester
United come to visit
06.02.2015
Mark Noble says West Ham United have nothing to fear from an in-form
Manchester United. While the Red Devils have lost just once since early
November, the Hammers have enjoyed some fantastic results on home turf this
season and go into Sunday's game sitting eighth in the Barclays Premier
League. Having already beaten last season's champions and runners-up, Noble
insists West Ham can complete a Boleyn Ground hat-trick of victories by
defeating Louis van Gaal's side. "It's a different kettle of fish when it's
at our place," said Noble. "Man United have probably flown a little bit
under the radar with the results they've been having, as they just seem to
keep nicking wins and I expect them to be up there at the end of the season.
"But our place is a bit of a fortress now and everyone is looking forward to
it. Look at the teams we've beaten at home already - Man City and Liverpool
- and we gave Arsenal a really good go. "We're not afraid of any of the big
teams and we know if we play to how we can play, we have every chance of
winning the game on Sunday. It's a long way away from last season when we
went into these games in the bottom three and a little bit worried about
what the score was going to be. "We can enjoy these games now with the
points we've got and try and go for the three points. Man to man it's not
much of a gulf these days compared to a couple of years ago. "Hopefully
we'll get our players back out on the pitch and ready to go and we can go
out and give them a proper go. If we get them out there then we've beat a
lot of big teams at our place and there is no reason we can't do Man U as
well."
One player who will be important to the Hammers' hopes on Sunday is Aaron
Cresswelll, the left-back who has impressed so much since his summer switch
from Ipswich Town. Noble is in no doubt that the No3 - an ever-present this
term - has been one of West Ham's standout performers all season long. "Do
you know what, he is one of the best signings I've seen come to the Club
since I've been here," the midfielder purred. "A lot of clubs delve into the
foreign market and don't dip into the Championship any more, but we've
signed a fantastic player in Cress. "Not only is he a good player but he's
great around the squad. He's a great lad and when you get someone like that
who comes in and plays so well, you're really happy for them. "When he first
came, he was a little bit quiet but he has settled down now. Our dressing
room has got a lot of good characters who welcome players and help them to
settle in and that spirit helped us to stay up last year. "A lesser team
probably would have been relegated, but because we've got such a strong
squad and a good bunch of boys we stayed up. We've brought the new boys into
the fold I'm sure if you spoke to Cress he'd tell you he is thoroughly
enjoying it."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Potts delighted with performance
WHUFC.com
U21 coach Steve Potts was delighted with the Dev Squad's performance against
Fulham
06.02.2015
West Ham United U21 coach Steve Potts was delighted with the Development
Squad's 2-1 win over Fulham at Rush Green on Friday 6 February.
The Hammers, who fielded another young side, took an early lead as captain
Josh Cullen headed home Joe Powell's cross into the net.
Cullen's opener sparked a frantic five minutes as Adam Taggart equalised a
minute later, only for striker Jordan Brown to restore the Hammers' lead
with a similar header at the back post. The win was only the Hammers third
in the league this season as they hope to beat the drop. Speaking after the
game, Potts said: "I was really pleased with the performance. Obviously I'm
very pleased to win, but the way we went about it was very, very good. "We
started on the front foot from the first minute and pushed on from there. We
wanted to take the game to Fulham and ask them a few questions. We did that,
we went 1-0 up but was then very naïve and all of a sudden it was 1-1.
"Sometimes that can cause you to doubt yourself but we stood firm and
refocused. Went 2-1 up and then it was a case of keeping it going."
The starting eleven included a number of younger players including Vashon
Neufville who made his first start for the U21s as well as Tunji Akinola,
making only second U21 appearance. Potts continued to praise the efforts of
the youngsters: "The younger lads were excellent, we had three school boys
playing out there tonight. It was a risk but certainly one worth taking and
they showed that tonight. The whole team was pretty young and they did very
well collectively and individually. I couldn't fault any of them. "It can
help them to improve as players. We could've faced sharper players, stronger
maybe but they'll learn quickly from tonight."
The Dev Squad's next home game is against Manchester City at the Boleyn
Ground on Friday 13 March, kick off 7pm.
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Hammers announce Betway sponsorship
WHUFC.com
Long-term partnership marks Betway's first foray into football sponsorship
06.02.2015
West Ham United are delighted to announce a new long-term partnership that
will see leading online gaming platform Betway become the Club's new
principal sponsor. The deal, the biggest in the Club's history, will see the
Betway logo feature on the front of all of the Club's senior teams' playing
shirts and trainingwear, starting with Sunday's first-team fixture with
Manchester United, along with naming rights to the Boleyn Ground's West
Stand. The new partnership will cover an incredibly exciting period for West
Ham, who start their final season at the Boleyn Ground in August before
moving to a state-of-the-art new home in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park the
following summer. Betway's Executive Director Bob Dutnall said: "West Ham
United are a club with a rich history and passionate supporters and we're
thrilled to have secured this sponsorship at a time when the team are
performing so well. "The Barclays Premier League is the world's most popular
football competition and the sport is synonymous with excitement and
betting, making it a perfect fit for our growing brand.
"We are looking forward to supporting the Hammers on the pitch and rewarding
their fans off it with innovative Betway offers and special markets."
West Ham United Vice-Chairman Karren Brady said: "We are pleased to welcome
Betway to the Club as our new principal sponsor, in what is our biggest-ever
commercial deal. "Like us, Betway are an ambitious, forward-thinking company
and the size of the agreement reflects our status as one of the fastest
growing brands in world football. "Betway join us at one of the most
exciting periods in our history and we will be working closely with them as
we prepare to bid an emotional farewell to our home of more than 110 years
before moving into our stunning new Stadium in 2016."
Betway deliver world-class sports betting, casino and poker to nearly two
million customers globally. This is the brand's first venture into football
and the next step in a sponsorship strategy that has already seen the
sportsbook invest heavily in darts as the Premier League sponsors and UK
horseracing, penning deals to lend their name to the Queen Mother Champion
Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and four major races throughout the 2015
Flat season. The Club will be making a further statement next week on how
supporters can update their 2014/15 replica shirts to include the Betway
logo. The official Club stores and the online store will also be stocking
the newly branded shirts - more information on this will follow next week.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
Adrian blogs for whufc.com ahead of Sunday's Barclays Premier League visit
of Manchester United
05.02.2015
Hola everyone!
Sunday is a big game for us and a tough one also. We're playing at home
though, in front of our fans and on our pitch. We have a strong squad and I
think it's a good moment for us to try and get three points again. It might
be a busy game for me with all the top class attacking players they have but
in the Premier League, you never have an easy game. I just want to help my
teammates and we'll be focused and going for the victory. Nobody has scored
a goal against me from as far out as Wayne Rooney last year, so I need to be
careful. It was an amazing goal for him, and you need to be wary of that
kind of skill. I work every day at the training ground to improve and it's
my job to make saves. I enjoy it every time when I help my teammates.
Overall we need to be strong to finish off our season well over the next few
months ands get as many wins as we can. Back to Sunday's game and Manchester
United have two fantastic Spanish goalkeepers, David de Gea and Victor
Valdes. I know them both and they are great people and great keepers. Valdes
was amazing at Barcelona for the last few years and de Gea has given good
performances for his team as well. It'll be a good Spanish battle in the
goal!
See you at the Boleyn Ground!
Adrian
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham v Man Utd
KO 16:15
Last updated at 12:57
By Steve Bower
BBC Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Sunday, 8 February
TEAM NEWS
West Ham central defenders James Collins and Winston Reid are out with
hamstring injuries suffered last week. Andy Carroll may not be risked after
hurting his ankle, but Diafra Sakho returns after a row over his withdrawal
from international duty was resolved. Manchester United are again without
injured midfielder Michael Carrick. Radamel Falcao will hope for a recall,
while Ashley Young is in contention after recovering from a hamstring strain
suffered on New Year's Day.
MATCH PREVIEW
When Manchester United's season so far is the topic of conversation, an
opinion you often hear is that they are not playing particularly well.
That always sparks a good debate, but the cold facts are that they begin the
weekend in the top three, five points behind reigning champions Manchester
City and with just one defeat in 16 league and cup matches. They have won
nine of their last 13 Premier League games and yet does Louis van Gaal know
his best team? Has he been able to name it yet? The United boss has had to
assess players and systems as he's gone along since the start of the season.
The fact that he has used 31 players in the campaign so far tells you
everything. He's used the transfer window to try to trim the squad and will
hope the injuries are kinder to him in the remaining months of the season
and he can find some consistency in his team selection. They haven't lost on
the road since the Manchester derby in November and have only been beaten
twice away in the league all season. However, their task of achieving a
league double over West Ham will be a challenging one.
"West Ham have only won one of their last six Premier League games but I
think they will give Manchester United some problems defensively. The pitch
is so tight at Upton Park and the Hammers will load the ball in to Andy
Carroll, presuming he is fit."
The Hammers have been excellent at home - only Arsenal have won at Upton
Park in the last 10 league games, during which they have picked up 23 points
from a possible 30. Sam Allardyce, who hasn't beaten United as West Ham
manager, was left frustrated in his attempts to conclude some ins and outs
at the end of the transfer window. However, his squad has enough depth to
continue to make this a positive season. This fixture has always had
intensity about it - last season's meeting saw Wayne Rooney score from the
halfway line - and the East End will expect drama once again.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Manchester United are unbeaten in their last 12 top-flight games against
West Ham, winning 11 of those matches.
West Ham's last win came on 29 December 2007 when Anton Ferdinand and
Matthew Upson scored late goals after Cristiano Ronaldo gave United an early
lead -but then missed a penalty.
West Ham United
The Hammers have 17 more points than at this stage last season - despite
having half as many clean sheets (five instead of 10).
They have scored a league-high 14 headed goals in the Premier League this
season.
Only Chelsea (8) have scored more Premier League goals from corners than
West Ham (7) in 2014-15.
West Ham's next defeat will be their 300th in the Premier League.
Manchester United
The Red Devils are unbeaten in their last six Premier League away matches
(W3, D3).
United could keep back-to-back clean sheets in Premier League away matches
for the first time this season.
Wayne Rooney has 10 goals in his last nine Premier League games against West
Ham, while Robin van Persie has netted six times in his last five top-flight
appearances against them.
Radamel Falcao has been involved in seven goals in nine league starts for
Manchester United (four goals and three assists).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce: Emmanuel Adebayor deal collapse 'frustrating'
BBC.co.uk
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce says the collapse of Emmanuel Adebayor's loan
deal was "frustrating". The Tottenham forward's move was blocked by Spurs
chairman Daniel Levy. Allardyce said: "A lot of moves were blocked for
various reasons so I'm not that bothered. From our point of view it left us
a bit frustrated. "It didn't look like we were going to be active until the
very end, but then we picked up five injuries and now we are very short."
On the Hammers injury list:
"It's particularly worrying at the moment, I've had to bring a list of the
injuries with me. James Collins, Winston Reid, Guy Demel, Diego Poyet,
Doneil Henry and Andy Carroll lie in our medical room at the moment. "We're
not sure how many of those will make it for Sunday. With such a big week
coming, three games in a week, there'll be very few risks taken, unless
they're 100% fit. If we play them it may exacerbate the injuries so we will
go to battle with what we've got."
On Diafra Sakho replacing Andy Carroll:
"Maybe, we'll have to wait and see." The Hammers were fined £71,000 by Fifa
following Senegalese striker Sakho's match-winning appearance against
Bristol City in the FA Cup, despite missing the African Cup of Nations with
a back injury.
On injury problems in defence:
"We went all out for a defender in the window after the Liverpool game.
However, it didn't work out, we were only in a position to get someone in on
a loan but we couldn't pull it off. "Everyone that wanted to come, wanted a
permanent deal, which we couldn't do at that time, so that's the position
we're in. Someone will have to fill in at the back and maybe stay there for
a while."
On using their 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford earlier in the season as
motivation:
"We certainly took some positives from the game as we almost came away with
a result. Had it not been for a poor decision to rule out Kevin Nolan's
equaliser we would have done. That would have been a great boost for us at
the time.
"On Sunday, it's about us keeping a clean sheet, the longer we do that the
more we will frustrate them and the better chance we have of winning."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Betway confirmed as new principal sponsor
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 6th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United have confirmed that gambling firm Betway will be the club's
new long-term sponsor. The Hammers were left without a principal sponsor
after former associate Alpari went into liquidation following a run on the
Swiss France recently. And this morning the club confirmed a brand new
partneship with Betway, which will result in the company's logo replacing
Alpari's on the clubs shirt with immediate effecte.
Additionally, the Boleyn Ground's West Stand will also be known as the
Betway Stand in any future club literature. Karren Brady, West Ham's part
time vice chair told whufc.com: " We are pleased to welcome Betway to the
Club as our new principal sponsor, in what is our biggest-ever commercial
deal. "Like us, Betway are an ambitious, forward-thinking company and the
size of the agreement reflects our status as one of the fastest growing
brands in world football. "Betway join us at one of the most exciting
periods in our history and we will be working closely with them as we
prepare to bid an emotional farewell to our home of more than 110 years
before moving into our stunning new Stadium in 2016."
Betway's Executive Director Bob Dutnall added: "West Ham United are a club
with a rich history and passionate supporters and we're thrilled to have
secured this sponsorship at a time when the team are performing so well.
"The Barclays Premier League is the world's most popular football
competition and the sport is synonymous with excitement and betting, making
it a perfect fit for our growing brand.
"We are looking forward to supporting the Hammers on the pitch and rewarding
their fans off it with innovative Betway offers and special markets."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce on the defensive
KUMb.com
Filed: Friday, 6th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce is delighted to welcome Diafra Sakho back into his team - but
admits he is struggling to field a defence against Manchester United this
Sunday. The Hammers boss could be without several first team players when
West Ham host the Red Devils on Sunday afternoon, including Winston Reid,
James Collins, Guy Demel, Diego Poyet and Andy Carroll. Additionally, his
only other first team central defender - James Tomkins - is also struggling
for fitness following recent injury - and that has given Allardyce a major
selection headache ahead of this weekend's big game. "The injuries are
worrying," he said. "I've brought my list with me - Reid, Collins, Demel,
Henry, Carroll and Poyet are all doubtful and lie in our medical room at the
moment. "We are not sure how many if any of those will make Sunday's game.
Obviously, with a very busy week, very few risks will be taken. Unless they
are 100 percent fit, they won't be playing. "With such a big week coming -
three games in a week - there'll be very few risks taken unless they're 100%
fit. If we play them it may exacerbate the injuries, so we will go to battle
with what we've got." West Ham will be attempting to beat Man U for the
first time since goals from Carlton Cole and Jonathan Spector gave West Ham
a 4-0 Carling Cup win in the snow, back in November 2010. Since then the two
sides have met on eight occasions, with the Hammers drawing two and losing
six.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham battling long injury list ahead of Manchester United clash
Last Updated: 06/02/15 1:04pm
SSN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has bemoaned a lengthy list of injuries ahead
of Sunday's clash with Manchester United. The Hammers welcome Louis van
Gaal's side to Upton Park with several key men unavailable - and Allardyce
is frustrated he was unable to bring in more personnel before the transfer
deadline. "(The injury list) is particularly worrying at the moment," said
Allardyce. "I've had to bring a list of the injuries with me. James Collins,
Winston Reid, Guy Demel, Diego Poyet, Doneil Henry and Andy Carroll lie in
our medical room at the moment. "We're not sure how many of those will make
it for Sunday. With such a big week coming, three games in a week, there'll
be very few risks taken, unless they're 100 per cent fit. If we play them it
may exacerbate the injuries so we will go to battle with what we've got. "It
is why we went all out for a defender in the window after the Liverpool
game. However it didn't work out, we were only in a position to get someone
in on a loan but we couldn't pull it off. "Everyone that wanted to come
wanted a permanent deal, which we couldn't do at that time, so that's the
position we're in. Someone will have to fill in at the back and maybe stay
there for a while."
When asked about the rumoured failed move for Tottenham striker Emmanuel
Adebayor, Alladyce added: "A lot of moves were blocked for various different
reasons, so I'm not that bothered. "From our point of view it left us a bit
frustrated, and especially Carlton Cole on the basis that he would've moved
had Adebayor joined, as it happened we couldn't afford to let him go. "It
was a frustrating day, originally it didn't look like we were going to be
active until the very end, but then we picked up five injuries and now we
are very short. We don't have a problem with (Tottenham), it is their
decision. If anything that was the only loan available, it just didn't work
out at the end."
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West Ham host Manchester United in part three of Super Sunday triple-header
Last Updated: 06/02/15 10:06pm
SSN
West Ham host Manchester United on Super Sunday looking to revive their
stuttering drive for a top-four finish. Just a point and a place separated
the two sides before the Christmas interval as the Hammers went five games
unbeaten in the league to strengthen their Champions League credentials. But
Sam Allardyce's side have faltered of late, picking up just five points from
their last six league outings and now sit in eighth position, seven points
adrift of Sunday's opponents. United, who have lost just one game in 16,
travel to east London having booked their place in the fifth round of the FA
Cup with a 3-0 win over Cambridge United on Tuesday. Louis van Gaal's side
have lost just one of their last 20 trips to the capital, a run the club
will be keen to extend as they look to pull away from the sides jostling for
European football.
West Ham are facing a defensive injury crisis ahead of the game, with
Allardyce likely to have just one fit centre-back as both Winston Reid and
James Collins are ruled out with hamstring injuries. Cheikhou Kouyate could
be called upon to provide defensive cover having recovered from an ankle
problem. Andy Carroll picked up an ankle injury in the defeat at Liverpool
and may not be risked whilst Diego Poyet and Doneil Henry are also missing
with unspecified knocks.
United will be missing midfielder Michael Carrick with a calf strain, but
that is their own injury worry, with both Radamel Falcao and Ashley Young
back in contention.
Opta stats
The Hammers have scored the most headed goals in the Premier League this
season (14).
Manchester United have won 11 and lost none of their last 12 Premier League
matches against West Ham.
Wayne Rooney has scored 10 goals in his last nine Premier League games
against West Ham.
Robin van Persie has scored in each of his last five Premier League games
against the Hammers, netting a total of six goals in that run.
Manchester United are unbeaten in their last six Premier league away games
(W3 D3).
Sam Allardyce's side have lost just one of their last 10 Premier League
games at the Boleyn Ground (W7 D2 L1).
Merson's prediction
Home win. I'm not convinced by Man United, I don't think they're playing
well enough, and sooner or later they'll lose again. They beat Leicester
last week, had three shots and scored three goals, but I just wouldn't be
shocked if West Ham won. Would you? It's a hard place to go. Even though the
Hammers were poor at Liverpool last week, I think they have got a really
good chance of winning this game.
Van Gaal is a good talker, that's why he's not getting a hard time, and to
be fair they're in the top four. That's what they were looking for this
season, a bit of stability - but this game is not a foregone conclusion.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1 (Sky Bet odds 11/1)
Betting
United are marginally odds-on at 10/11 to see off West Ham on Super Sunday,
with the Hammers up against odds of 14/5 to win and 13/5 to secure a draw.
Van Persie heads the first goalscorer market at 9/2, but is closely followed
by Falcao (5/1) and Rooney (6/1), while Carroll and Diafra Sahko are
considered the biggest threats from Allardyce's side at 7/1 apiece.
Jamie Redknapp is backing Carroll to break the deadlock in his Red Hot Tips
and is expecting a close encounter at Upton Park, going for a 1-1 draw at
11/2.
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West Ham confirm record shirt sponsorship deal with Betway
Last Updated: 06/02/15 12:52pm
SSN
West Ham United have confirmed a new record shirt sponsorship deal with
online bookmakers Betway. Betway will take over from Alpari, who went into
liquidation last month, and they will have their logo on the club's shirts
starting on Sunday against Manchester United.
The previous deal was worth £3m but Sky sources understand the new contract
is worth significantly more. The club's official Twitter account posted: "We
are delighted to announce Betway as our new principal partner. Our new
shirts are ready for Sunday #COYI." Betway confirmed the deal would be a
'long-term partnership' with the East London club. Currency broker Alpari
closed in mid-January after turmoil in the currency markets and has been in
administration since.
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£20 MILLION RECORD DEAL FOR HAMMERS
By Sean Whetstone 6 Feb 2015 at 17:02
West Ham till I Die
West Ham's commercial department pulled off a master stroke by negotiating a
principal sponsor half way through the season for almost twice that of the
previous sponsor Alpari FX Trading who went into administration in mid
January.
Online betting company Betway has signed a three and a half year sponsorship
deal worth over £20m valuing each season at over £5.75m per season. This
dwarfs the former Alpari deal worth £9m over three years. It appears the
Hammers have actually profited from the sad demise of the foreign currency
trading company.
West Ham commercial director Felicity Croft who joined us Arsenal is thought
to have been instrumental in landing the deal.
The new logo will be worn on first team players shirts on Sunday against
Manchester United and the re-branding of the Boleyn ground will begin
including the renaming of the West stand to the Betway stand. The deal
includes the lucrative first two years at the Olympic Stadium.
While there has been some criticism from some fans about the white
background on the Betway logo for this season it is understood the logo will
be redesigned to fit with next year's Umbro shirt. The white patch is
thought to have been designed to cover up existing Adidas manufactured
shirts with the Alpari logo on them.
Karren Brady said: "We are pleased to welcome Betway to the Club as our new
principal sponsor, in what is our biggest-ever commercial deal. Like us,
Betway are an ambitious, forward-thinking company and the size of the
agreement reflects our status as one of the fastest growing brands in world
football. Betway join us at one of the most exciting periods in our history
and we will be working closely with them as we prepare to bid an emotional
farewell to our home of more than 110 years before moving into our stunning
new Stadium in 2016."
The Club say they will be making a further statement next week on how
supporters can update their 2014/15 replica shirts to include the Betway
logo. The official Club stores and the online store will also be stocking
the newly branded shirts.
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COLE - ALWAYS BELIEVE IN YOUR SOUL
By Iain Dale 6 Feb 2015 at 10:00
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Neil Clack
No doubt all this Sakho business will end up in the High Court, where a
combination of random has-been 1980s coaches like Peter Shreeves and Graham
Taylor, accompanied by Henry Winter of the Daily Telegraph, will convince
some geriatric judge with a rugby-background that Senegal would have won the
African Nations Cup hands down if Sakho had played in it. We'll have to pay
£30 million to Senegal in compensation, as well as the £20 million to
Bristol City who would have gone on to win the FA Cup had Sakho not come on
and scored against them.
Well, after sitting through last week's annual non-event at Anfield, things
have certainly been a lot more interesting off the pitch than on it over the
last seven days. It all began to look a bit ominous when the team was
announced at Liverpool. Many fans around me, in the Essex pub I frequent to
watch the away games live, asked the obvious question,"If we've got such a
cast-iron case, as Sam had claimed in the papers the day before, why isn't
Sakho on the team-sheet?"
Another thing I don't really get either is that, considering how many West
Ham fans all over the forums knew the FIFA rules, even before the match at
Bristol City, how come the club didn't?
Or did West Ham know the rules, but just decided to chance their luck?
'We're West Ham and we do what we want, so up-yours FIFA!'.
Now the Bristol City forums are baying for blood. And cash. "What about the
money from the replay at Upton Park that would have happened had Sakho not
come on and scored?",they rage. And if they'd won the replay, "what about
the money from the 5th round match at West Brom". The Bristol City board
probably feels obliged to react to fan sentiment and this could escalate,
ending up with Henry Winter, Bobby Gould and Ron Atkinson explaining to
Judge know-nothing about football how Bristol City would have gone on to win
back to back promotions to the Premier League if only Sakho had not come on.
The disappointment experienced by 13.5m Senegalese nationals will need to be
compensated too.
It does take an almost inconceivable level of institutional incompetence to
do this three times, and with a different spin on each. Omoyimni was cup
tied, Tevez was owned by a third party and Sakho was barred due to
international rules.
And what's this bit all about? From the Guardian, "The club, who omitted the
forward for Saturday's 2-0 Premier League defeat at Liverpool having been
made aware of the Fifa investigation, had been so unnerved by the
controversy that they had attempted to placate Senegal via an intermediary".
It's at times like this that we have to look on the lighter side of West
Ham, and the good news for all Carlton Cole fans like me is that he's still
here; his move to WBA having broken down at the last moment. For one
horrible hour or so on Monday night, even I really did start to consider
that an era may be coming to an end, but I should have known better – it was
just another one of those ruses from Carlton that he likes to tease us with
every now and then. Finally, as always, he stayed, this time due to
Tottenham Chairman David Levy putting a block on Adebayour's loan deal (Levy
can't seriously see us rival top 4 challengers, surely? – it looked more
like spitefulness over the Olympic Stadium if you ask me?).
Whatever, Carlton's here to stay. And we can now tick off the name of Mauro
Zarate on that long list of strikers that he's seen off in the last 9 years.
(see here for the definitive list – 4th paragraph down)
If Andy Carroll's previous injury history is anything to go, his reckless
Gazza-type lunge that only served to injure himself at Liverpool, will
probably keep him out for the rest of the season now, and with Sakho's
life-time ban from all football imminent, and Valencia's lack of interest
now that his head's been turned by Chelsea, it all leads to one thing –
Carlton rising once again to become our number 1 striker.
So once again, I urge you to get behind our cult-hero, the man who is
destined to wear the West Ham shirt forever and ever. Let's hear it sung
with gusto on Sunday, 'Cole – always believe in your soul'.
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Man United boss Van Gaal putting a cork in traditional post-game tipple
makes West Ham's Allardyce whine
22:30, 6 February 2015 By Adrian Kajumba
Hammers manager was not invited for a drink and chat by opposite number at
Old Trafford in September but says HIS office door will be open on Sunday
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce claims managers such as Louis van Gaal are helping ruin one of
English football's great traditions. The West Ham boss fears the ritual of
managers sharing a private post-match drink and a chat will soon become a
thing of the past. Big Sam has not forgotten the lack of an invitation from
Van Gaal after Manchester United's 2-1 win over the Hammers in September. He
said at the time: "I was told it didn't happen any more, so I said 'Fair
enough' and left." But he has vowed to try to keep the tradition alive by
leaving his door open, despite being snubbed by Van Gaal. Allardyce, used to
sharing a glass of wine with former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, said: "I
did miss the red wine. My office door is always open, but the sad thing is
that lots of managers don't even bother any more, not just the foreign
managers, but the Brits as well. "It's another tradition gone out of the
window. I can understand it because there is so much media we have to do
after a game. It's a chance to talk, isn't it? It's not very long these
days, maybe five or 10 minutes, but it is a chance to chat that you don't
often get. "Managers don't get that much time, there is only our managers
association do at the end of the season where most of the managers turn up
and then a few regional meetings. "But I don't think somebody like Louis van
Gaal will turn up to one of those. He may do one day when he settles in. But
yes, it's a shame it's slipping away."
While there's little chance of a drink, Allardyce has a huge headache ahead
of United's visit because of injuries. Defenders Winston Reid, James
Collins, Guy Demel, Doneil Henry, midfielder Diego Poyet and striker Andy
Carroll were named as injury doubts by Allardyce who feared they may all
miss out. That could leave him with no option but to pick a makeshift
defence to face United's star-studded attack. Having failed to land a
defender on deadline day – Tottenham's Younes Kaboul and Everton's Sylvain
Distin were among those targeted – midfielders Cheikhou Kouyate or Alex Song
could be pressed into emergency centre-back duty. Allardyce said: "Someone
will now have to fit in at central defender and maybe stay there for a
while."
Carroll's ankle injury, meanwhile, could open the door for 10-goal top
scorer Diafra Sakho to return. He missed West Ham's 2-0 defeat at Liverpool
last Saturday due to the club vs country row between the Irons and Senegal.
The Hammers were fined £71,000 after playing Sakho, who scored the winner,
in the FA Cup victory against Bristol City after he was declared unfit for
Senegal's Africa Cup of Nations campaign. Asked if Sakho will replace
Carroll if the Geordie is ruled out, Allardyce smiled and said: "You will
have to wait and see."
Even though his side are almost certain to be depleted, Allardyce is
nevertheless eyeing another big-name scalp. The Hammers manager added: "In
many ways, this is a bonus game, one where the expectations are not so
great. But we have done it twice this year at home, against Liverpool and
Man City, where nobody expected us to win that game, yet we won. "Can we do
another one at home against the big boys?"
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce admits West Ham face an injury crisis ahead of Manchester
United clash on Sunday
13:48, 6 February 2015 By Adrian Kajumba
Six of Allardyce's regular first team players are in line to miss the clash
at Upton Park after missing out on transfer targets on deadline day
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce has a huge injury crisis on his hands ahead of West Ham's
clash with Manchester United. Allardyce revealed Winston Reid, James
Collins, Guy Demel, Andy Carroll, Doneil Henry and Diego Poyet could all
miss Sunday's Upton Park showdown. The Hammers boss said: "It's obviously
particularly worrying at the moment. I've got that many players injured I
brought my list in to read out. "Reid, Collins, Demel, Henry, Poyet and
Carroll lie in our medical room at the moment so we are not so sure how many
of those are going to make Sundays game. "Could they all be out?
Definitely." But with trips to Southampton in the league and West Brom in
the FA Cup to come next week after they host United Allardyce insists he
won't gamble on any player not 100 per cent fit. He said: "With such a big
week as well, three games in the week there will be very few risks taken on
players unless they are 100 per cent fit. "If I risk anyone on Sunday, that
may increase the length of the injury so we will go to battle with what we
have got, but players who are 100 per cent fit on Sunday, and hopefully some
of these lads will get fit next week and into the week after."
Allardyce's biggest headache could be fielding a defence against Louis Van
Gaal's men. And his concerns about the fitness of Reid, Collins, Demel and
Canadian January signing Henry explain why he was so desperate to try and
bring in a central defender on deadline day.
Tottenham's Younes Kaboul and Everton's Sylvain Distin were among the
defenders Allardyce's tried to sign before the window slammed shut on
Monday. He said: "That's why we went all out from the game finishing against
Liverpool to try and secure a central defender to fill that gap that was
going to be left with the injuries but unfortunately however hard we tried
in terms of a loan deal we could not pull it off. "Everybody who wanted to
come wanted a permanent deal and we weren't in a position to do a permanent
deal so unfortunately we didn't get anyone in. "That is particularly
worrying as someone will have to fill in as a central defender and stay
there perhaps and hopefully no other players pick up any more injuries at
this stage."
Striker Diafra Sakho is back in contention after being left out of the 2-0
defeat at Liverpool last week due to the club v country row between West Ham
and Senegal. Allardyce stayed tight-lipped on FIFA's decision to fine the
Hammers £71,000 for playing him in last month's FA Cup tie against Bristol
City, in which he scored the winner, just 18 days after he was ruled out of
the Africa Cup of Nations with a back injury. Asked if he would start
against Manchester United if Carroll was ruled out, Allardyce smiled: "You
have to wait and see."
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Biggest deal in Hammers history
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 6, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Claret and Hugh can reveal that West Ham United have landed the biggest
financial sponsorship deal in it's 120 year history. Betway have been
announced as principle sponsors of West Ham this morning in a long term deal
lasting three and a half years. The sponsorship deal is worth just over £20m
over three and a half years making each season worth around £5.75m. This
dwarfs the previous deal with Alpari worth £9m deal over three years. It
understood that Chairman David Sullivan, along with Managing Director Angus
Kinear and Commercial Director Felicity Croft trashed out the record deal
with Betway. The Betway logo will be worn on Hammers shirts this Sunday
against Manchester United and the West stand will be renamed the Betway
stand as part of the deal.
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Nolan future under review
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 6, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham look ready to allow Kevin Nolan to move on from the club in the
summer. The Irons captain hits his 33rd birthday in June and with a year
left on the five year deal he signed in 2011 the club are ready to allow him
a move if they receive a suitable offer.
Nolan's position in the team has been the subject of long term controversy
but at 33 the club believe this is the time to reward his loyalty by
allowing him the chance of making a lucrative move if they receive the right
offer.
Nolan arrived from Newcastle on a five year deal worth a reported £50,000 a
week which over five years would have grossed him £12 million. The transfer
fee involved was £4 million. However, a well placed Hammers source said: "We
are looking to the future and will be looking to sign young energetic
players. "Kevin has been a great player for the club but the summer will be
a critical time for various members of the squad – nothing is for ever!"
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WHUFC.com
The Dev Squad win 2-1 after putting in their best performance of the season
06.02.2015
DEVELOPMENT SQUAD v FULHAM U21
BARCLAYS U21 PREMIER LEAGUE
RUSH GREEN STADIUM
FRIDAY 6 FEBRUARY 2015
KICK-OFF: 7.00 PM
REFEREE: IAN RATHBONE
FT: Dev Squad 2-1 Fulham U21
A superb, deserved win for the Dev Squad as they beat Fulham 2-1. To a man,
the Dev Squad put in a performance full of creativity, graft and hard work.
95: More superb hold up play from Brown, definitely one of his best
performances for the U21s.
94: Final few seconds here surely...Fulham are pressing with everything
they've got left to force an equaliser. They have the ball in the back of
the net but the linesman had flagged for offside.
92: Spiegel rises high to claim a cross, the big Swiss goalie has been solid
all night.
90: Jordan Brown is on the end of a heavy challenge from Baba and is
receiving treatment. Last few minutes.
88: Corner to Fulham after Joe Powell gets across to block the cross. A man
in white gets his head to it but Spiegel is equal to it.
85: The Hammers monumental effort continues as they press and harry every
ball. It is working well for them as they win the ball high up and the
field.
82: The young left back Vashon Neufville is having an excellent debut for
the U21s tonight. Solid in defence, tough tackling and a great outlet going
forward, looking forward to seeing more of him in the near future.
79: Brilliant hold up play by Jordan Brown in the corner as he fends off two
men and buys a throw in.
76: Goal saving tackle from Manny Onariase! De La Torre was through on goal
and about to pull the trigger only for the big centre back to come out of
nowhere and make an inch perfect tackle. Superb defending.
73: A brief break in play as Tunji Akinola and Alex Pike are both receiving
treatment for cramp.
70: Some tired legs beginning to show such is the effort been put in by both
sides. Fulham playing on Monday night may also be starting to take it's
toll.
67: Another wonderful move from the Hammers. It starts with Spiegel and
works its way through the team via several one-twos to Brown on the six yard
box who's shot is blocked. What a move that was, great invention from a very
young line up, think Argentina in the 2006 World Cup sort of vibe.
64: Josh Cullen gets a ticking off from the referee for one too many fouls.
The central midfielder has been superb tonight, leading by example and
showing his credentials as captain.
61: Another good move from the Hammers as they press high up the pitch and
retain possession. Nasha flicks on to Joe Powell who wins a corner. The
resulting delivery causes all sorts of problems but the Cottagers clear
their lines eventually.
59: Stoppage in play as Jordan Evans receives some treatment after being
left in a heap.
56: Fulham's Ange-Freddy Plumain tries his luck from distance but it goes
harmlessly wide.
53: Good move from the Hammers sees Josh Cullen shoot from the edge of the
box. His effort is blocked seconds before Parfitt-Williams is tackled well
by Noe Baba as he burst into the box. The central defender had to get that
right otherwise it would have been a penalty.
50: Fulham make all three substitutes as they look to turn this game around.
Ryan Williams, Noe Baba and Luca De La Torre are all on.
47: The Dev Squad have the ball in the back of the net almost immediately as
Pafitt-Williams taps in Brown's cross-cum-shot however he is flagged for
offside and it will not count.
46: We're back under way here at Rush Green and here's hoping for more of
the same!
HT: Dev Squad 2-1 Fulham U21. Undoubtedly one of the halfs of the season
from the Dev Squad, to a man they are pulling their weight and then some.
42: Close! Fulham could hardly get any closer to an equaliser as Pike's
scuffed clearance canons off the crossbar before the rebound hits the post
too. A real let off for the Hammers.
39: Jordan Brown rounds the keeper following another sloppy backpass before
he shoots from an incredibly tight angle. Fulham's Jordan Evans recovers
just in time to make a goaline clearance. So unlucky, the big No9 did
everything right.
37: Alex Pike tries his luck from the edge of the box but it fires just
wide. Worth an effort from the right back, who is having a superb game.
35: This game really is being played at a hundred miles an hour. Nasha is
fouled on the half way line which allows both sides a short breather.
Captain Cullen is doing a fantastic job of directing the midfield battle,
both win the ball and verbally so far.
32: Fulham are growing into the game and enjoying more possession. They
don't have anything to show for their efforts but are building the pressure
gradually.
30: Superb defending by Vashon Neufville who was beaten once, but sprints 30
yards and recovers well. Fulham win a corner which forces Spiegel into a
fantastic save, low to his right.
26: Great defence-splitting pass from the youngster Neufville as he searches
for Parfitt-Williams. Norman has to come rushing off his line to clear the
danger. Excellent vision from the left back.
24: Superb one-two between Parfitt-Williams and Jordan Brown sets the free
from the defender. The ball unfortunately just gets caught between his feet
which allows the Fulham defence to regroup.
22: Again Fulham go close as Taggart throws himself at Tue Na's drilled
cross from the left wing. He connects well but it falls just wide of
Spiegel's far post.
20: Fulham go close to an equaliser following a goal mouth scramble after an
inswinging corner. The Dev Squad eventually clear their lines. End to end
stuff here at Rush Green!
17: Yet again the Hammers are finding a lot of joy down the right wing. This
time Alex Pike gets forward and finds Powell on the edge of the box. He tees
himself up before unleashing a vicious shot which goalkeeper Magnus Norman
just gets behind.
14: GOAL! Jordan Brown restores the Hammers' lead with an almost identical
goal to Cullen's. Again, Powell puts a great ball across the six yard box
which Brown heads intside the far post.
11: Goal! Equaliser for Fulham as the visitors respond almost immediately.
No9 Adam Taggart is on hand to slot home coolly past Spiegel after running
on to long ball. All square.
9: GOAL! 1-0 to the Dev Squad. Joe Powell puts in a fantastic cross which
Josh Cullen runs onto at the back post, an excellent goal.
6: Another opportunity for the Hammers after a short goal kick goes straight
to Parfitt-Williams, he turns and feeds Brown on the edge of the area who
unselfishly passes into Powell instead of shooting. The Fulham defence just
manage to scramble it away.
5: Free kick for the Hammers out on the right wing. Powell floats a good
ball into the back post but Fulham's height advantage helps them to clear it
away.
3: Good intensity frm the Hammers. Amos Nasha, Joe Powell and Josh Cullen
all going in strongly trying to win the ball back.
2: Bright start from the Hammers as they look to go on the offensive
immediately. First Djair Parfitt-Williams and then Jordan Brown have a go at
running at the back four.
1: Tonight's captain Josh Cullen has won the toss and chosen to kick off.
Game on!
Both teams are out on the pitch, prematch handshakes are concluded and we're
all set! The Hammers, in their traditional claret and blue strip are kicking
left to right, the Cottagers are in their customary white and back strip.
Just five minutes until kick off! An excellent game in prospect tonight, one
which both teams will be going all out to win.
Little under half an hour to go until kick off and the fans are beginning to
stream in. There's a great atmosphere building up inside Rush Green, superb
set list from the stadium DJ too.
Both teams, under the lights, are out on the Rush Green Stadium pitch.
They'll need an extra vigorous warm up tonight as it is seriously chilly.
Tonight's teams have already played each other twice this season. In the
reverse fixture the Hammers came away from Motspur Park with a 1-1 draw,
while the Cottagers won 3-2 in the Barclays U21 Premier League International
Cup fixture back in December.
Just under an hour until kick off here at a very chilly Rush Green. The
Hammers are looking for their first win in five games as they look to get
off the foot of the table while the Cottagers go into tonight's game off the
back of an impressive 2-1 win away at Manchester United.
West Ham United: Spiegel, Pike, Neufville, Nasha, Onariase, Akinola, Powell,
Makasi, Brown, Cullen (c), Parfitt-Williams
Subs: Diangana, Bogard (GK), Borg, Carter, Hector-Ingram
Fulham: Norman, Voser, Evans, Hoogland, Buatu, Amorebieta, Tue Na, Della
Verde, Taggart, Plumain, Richards
Subs: Barnes, Baba, Williams, De La Torre
Tonight's teams are in...
Hello and welcome to tonight's coverage as the West Ham Unitd Development
Squad take on Fulham U21 in tonight's Barclays U21 Premier League match.
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'We're not afraid of anyone'
WHUFC.com
Mark Noble is confident of recording another big home win when Manchester
United come to visit
06.02.2015
Mark Noble says West Ham United have nothing to fear from an in-form
Manchester United. While the Red Devils have lost just once since early
November, the Hammers have enjoyed some fantastic results on home turf this
season and go into Sunday's game sitting eighth in the Barclays Premier
League. Having already beaten last season's champions and runners-up, Noble
insists West Ham can complete a Boleyn Ground hat-trick of victories by
defeating Louis van Gaal's side. "It's a different kettle of fish when it's
at our place," said Noble. "Man United have probably flown a little bit
under the radar with the results they've been having, as they just seem to
keep nicking wins and I expect them to be up there at the end of the season.
"But our place is a bit of a fortress now and everyone is looking forward to
it. Look at the teams we've beaten at home already - Man City and Liverpool
- and we gave Arsenal a really good go. "We're not afraid of any of the big
teams and we know if we play to how we can play, we have every chance of
winning the game on Sunday. It's a long way away from last season when we
went into these games in the bottom three and a little bit worried about
what the score was going to be. "We can enjoy these games now with the
points we've got and try and go for the three points. Man to man it's not
much of a gulf these days compared to a couple of years ago. "Hopefully
we'll get our players back out on the pitch and ready to go and we can go
out and give them a proper go. If we get them out there then we've beat a
lot of big teams at our place and there is no reason we can't do Man U as
well."
One player who will be important to the Hammers' hopes on Sunday is Aaron
Cresswelll, the left-back who has impressed so much since his summer switch
from Ipswich Town. Noble is in no doubt that the No3 - an ever-present this
term - has been one of West Ham's standout performers all season long. "Do
you know what, he is one of the best signings I've seen come to the Club
since I've been here," the midfielder purred. "A lot of clubs delve into the
foreign market and don't dip into the Championship any more, but we've
signed a fantastic player in Cress. "Not only is he a good player but he's
great around the squad. He's a great lad and when you get someone like that
who comes in and plays so well, you're really happy for them. "When he first
came, he was a little bit quiet but he has settled down now. Our dressing
room has got a lot of good characters who welcome players and help them to
settle in and that spirit helped us to stay up last year. "A lesser team
probably would have been relegated, but because we've got such a strong
squad and a good bunch of boys we stayed up. We've brought the new boys into
the fold I'm sure if you spoke to Cress he'd tell you he is thoroughly
enjoying it."
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Potts delighted with performance
WHUFC.com
U21 coach Steve Potts was delighted with the Dev Squad's performance against
Fulham
06.02.2015
West Ham United U21 coach Steve Potts was delighted with the Development
Squad's 2-1 win over Fulham at Rush Green on Friday 6 February.
The Hammers, who fielded another young side, took an early lead as captain
Josh Cullen headed home Joe Powell's cross into the net.
Cullen's opener sparked a frantic five minutes as Adam Taggart equalised a
minute later, only for striker Jordan Brown to restore the Hammers' lead
with a similar header at the back post. The win was only the Hammers third
in the league this season as they hope to beat the drop. Speaking after the
game, Potts said: "I was really pleased with the performance. Obviously I'm
very pleased to win, but the way we went about it was very, very good. "We
started on the front foot from the first minute and pushed on from there. We
wanted to take the game to Fulham and ask them a few questions. We did that,
we went 1-0 up but was then very naïve and all of a sudden it was 1-1.
"Sometimes that can cause you to doubt yourself but we stood firm and
refocused. Went 2-1 up and then it was a case of keeping it going."
The starting eleven included a number of younger players including Vashon
Neufville who made his first start for the U21s as well as Tunji Akinola,
making only second U21 appearance. Potts continued to praise the efforts of
the youngsters: "The younger lads were excellent, we had three school boys
playing out there tonight. It was a risk but certainly one worth taking and
they showed that tonight. The whole team was pretty young and they did very
well collectively and individually. I couldn't fault any of them. "It can
help them to improve as players. We could've faced sharper players, stronger
maybe but they'll learn quickly from tonight."
The Dev Squad's next home game is against Manchester City at the Boleyn
Ground on Friday 13 March, kick off 7pm.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers announce Betway sponsorship
WHUFC.com
Long-term partnership marks Betway's first foray into football sponsorship
06.02.2015
West Ham United are delighted to announce a new long-term partnership that
will see leading online gaming platform Betway become the Club's new
principal sponsor. The deal, the biggest in the Club's history, will see the
Betway logo feature on the front of all of the Club's senior teams' playing
shirts and trainingwear, starting with Sunday's first-team fixture with
Manchester United, along with naming rights to the Boleyn Ground's West
Stand. The new partnership will cover an incredibly exciting period for West
Ham, who start their final season at the Boleyn Ground in August before
moving to a state-of-the-art new home in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park the
following summer. Betway's Executive Director Bob Dutnall said: "West Ham
United are a club with a rich history and passionate supporters and we're
thrilled to have secured this sponsorship at a time when the team are
performing so well. "The Barclays Premier League is the world's most popular
football competition and the sport is synonymous with excitement and
betting, making it a perfect fit for our growing brand.
"We are looking forward to supporting the Hammers on the pitch and rewarding
their fans off it with innovative Betway offers and special markets."
West Ham United Vice-Chairman Karren Brady said: "We are pleased to welcome
Betway to the Club as our new principal sponsor, in what is our biggest-ever
commercial deal. "Like us, Betway are an ambitious, forward-thinking company
and the size of the agreement reflects our status as one of the fastest
growing brands in world football. "Betway join us at one of the most
exciting periods in our history and we will be working closely with them as
we prepare to bid an emotional farewell to our home of more than 110 years
before moving into our stunning new Stadium in 2016."
Betway deliver world-class sports betting, casino and poker to nearly two
million customers globally. This is the brand's first venture into football
and the next step in a sponsorship strategy that has already seen the
sportsbook invest heavily in darts as the Premier League sponsors and UK
horseracing, penning deals to lend their name to the Queen Mother Champion
Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and four major races throughout the 2015
Flat season. The Club will be making a further statement next week on how
supporters can update their 2014/15 replica shirts to include the Betway
logo. The official Club stores and the online store will also be stocking
the newly branded shirts - more information on this will follow next week.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chadwell Chatter
WHUFC.com
Adrian blogs for whufc.com ahead of Sunday's Barclays Premier League visit
of Manchester United
05.02.2015
Hola everyone!
Sunday is a big game for us and a tough one also. We're playing at home
though, in front of our fans and on our pitch. We have a strong squad and I
think it's a good moment for us to try and get three points again. It might
be a busy game for me with all the top class attacking players they have but
in the Premier League, you never have an easy game. I just want to help my
teammates and we'll be focused and going for the victory. Nobody has scored
a goal against me from as far out as Wayne Rooney last year, so I need to be
careful. It was an amazing goal for him, and you need to be wary of that
kind of skill. I work every day at the training ground to improve and it's
my job to make saves. I enjoy it every time when I help my teammates.
Overall we need to be strong to finish off our season well over the next few
months ands get as many wins as we can. Back to Sunday's game and Manchester
United have two fantastic Spanish goalkeepers, David de Gea and Victor
Valdes. I know them both and they are great people and great keepers. Valdes
was amazing at Barcelona for the last few years and de Gea has given good
performances for his team as well. It'll be a good Spanish battle in the
goal!
See you at the Boleyn Ground!
Adrian
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham v Man Utd
KO 16:15
Last updated at 12:57
By Steve Bower
BBC Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Upton Park Date: Sunday, 8 February
TEAM NEWS
West Ham central defenders James Collins and Winston Reid are out with
hamstring injuries suffered last week. Andy Carroll may not be risked after
hurting his ankle, but Diafra Sakho returns after a row over his withdrawal
from international duty was resolved. Manchester United are again without
injured midfielder Michael Carrick. Radamel Falcao will hope for a recall,
while Ashley Young is in contention after recovering from a hamstring strain
suffered on New Year's Day.
MATCH PREVIEW
When Manchester United's season so far is the topic of conversation, an
opinion you often hear is that they are not playing particularly well.
That always sparks a good debate, but the cold facts are that they begin the
weekend in the top three, five points behind reigning champions Manchester
City and with just one defeat in 16 league and cup matches. They have won
nine of their last 13 Premier League games and yet does Louis van Gaal know
his best team? Has he been able to name it yet? The United boss has had to
assess players and systems as he's gone along since the start of the season.
The fact that he has used 31 players in the campaign so far tells you
everything. He's used the transfer window to try to trim the squad and will
hope the injuries are kinder to him in the remaining months of the season
and he can find some consistency in his team selection. They haven't lost on
the road since the Manchester derby in November and have only been beaten
twice away in the league all season. However, their task of achieving a
league double over West Ham will be a challenging one.
"West Ham have only won one of their last six Premier League games but I
think they will give Manchester United some problems defensively. The pitch
is so tight at Upton Park and the Hammers will load the ball in to Andy
Carroll, presuming he is fit."
The Hammers have been excellent at home - only Arsenal have won at Upton
Park in the last 10 league games, during which they have picked up 23 points
from a possible 30. Sam Allardyce, who hasn't beaten United as West Ham
manager, was left frustrated in his attempts to conclude some ins and outs
at the end of the transfer window. However, his squad has enough depth to
continue to make this a positive season. This fixture has always had
intensity about it - last season's meeting saw Wayne Rooney score from the
halfway line - and the East End will expect drama once again.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Manchester United are unbeaten in their last 12 top-flight games against
West Ham, winning 11 of those matches.
West Ham's last win came on 29 December 2007 when Anton Ferdinand and
Matthew Upson scored late goals after Cristiano Ronaldo gave United an early
lead -but then missed a penalty.
West Ham United
The Hammers have 17 more points than at this stage last season - despite
having half as many clean sheets (five instead of 10).
They have scored a league-high 14 headed goals in the Premier League this
season.
Only Chelsea (8) have scored more Premier League goals from corners than
West Ham (7) in 2014-15.
West Ham's next defeat will be their 300th in the Premier League.
Manchester United
The Red Devils are unbeaten in their last six Premier League away matches
(W3, D3).
United could keep back-to-back clean sheets in Premier League away matches
for the first time this season.
Wayne Rooney has 10 goals in his last nine Premier League games against West
Ham, while Robin van Persie has netted six times in his last five top-flight
appearances against them.
Radamel Falcao has been involved in seven goals in nine league starts for
Manchester United (four goals and three assists).
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce: Emmanuel Adebayor deal collapse 'frustrating'
BBC.co.uk
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce says the collapse of Emmanuel Adebayor's loan
deal was "frustrating". The Tottenham forward's move was blocked by Spurs
chairman Daniel Levy. Allardyce said: "A lot of moves were blocked for
various reasons so I'm not that bothered. From our point of view it left us
a bit frustrated. "It didn't look like we were going to be active until the
very end, but then we picked up five injuries and now we are very short."
On the Hammers injury list:
"It's particularly worrying at the moment, I've had to bring a list of the
injuries with me. James Collins, Winston Reid, Guy Demel, Diego Poyet,
Doneil Henry and Andy Carroll lie in our medical room at the moment. "We're
not sure how many of those will make it for Sunday. With such a big week
coming, three games in a week, there'll be very few risks taken, unless
they're 100% fit. If we play them it may exacerbate the injuries so we will
go to battle with what we've got."
On Diafra Sakho replacing Andy Carroll:
"Maybe, we'll have to wait and see." The Hammers were fined £71,000 by Fifa
following Senegalese striker Sakho's match-winning appearance against
Bristol City in the FA Cup, despite missing the African Cup of Nations with
a back injury.
On injury problems in defence:
"We went all out for a defender in the window after the Liverpool game.
However, it didn't work out, we were only in a position to get someone in on
a loan but we couldn't pull it off. "Everyone that wanted to come, wanted a
permanent deal, which we couldn't do at that time, so that's the position
we're in. Someone will have to fill in at the back and maybe stay there for
a while."
On using their 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford earlier in the season as
motivation:
"We certainly took some positives from the game as we almost came away with
a result. Had it not been for a poor decision to rule out Kevin Nolan's
equaliser we would have done. That would have been a great boost for us at
the time.
"On Sunday, it's about us keeping a clean sheet, the longer we do that the
more we will frustrate them and the better chance we have of winning."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Betway confirmed as new principal sponsor
KUMB.com
Filed: Friday, 6th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
West Ham United have confirmed that gambling firm Betway will be the club's
new long-term sponsor. The Hammers were left without a principal sponsor
after former associate Alpari went into liquidation following a run on the
Swiss France recently. And this morning the club confirmed a brand new
partneship with Betway, which will result in the company's logo replacing
Alpari's on the clubs shirt with immediate effecte.
Additionally, the Boleyn Ground's West Stand will also be known as the
Betway Stand in any future club literature. Karren Brady, West Ham's part
time vice chair told whufc.com: " We are pleased to welcome Betway to the
Club as our new principal sponsor, in what is our biggest-ever commercial
deal. "Like us, Betway are an ambitious, forward-thinking company and the
size of the agreement reflects our status as one of the fastest growing
brands in world football. "Betway join us at one of the most exciting
periods in our history and we will be working closely with them as we
prepare to bid an emotional farewell to our home of more than 110 years
before moving into our stunning new Stadium in 2016."
Betway's Executive Director Bob Dutnall added: "West Ham United are a club
with a rich history and passionate supporters and we're thrilled to have
secured this sponsorship at a time when the team are performing so well.
"The Barclays Premier League is the world's most popular football
competition and the sport is synonymous with excitement and betting, making
it a perfect fit for our growing brand.
"We are looking forward to supporting the Hammers on the pitch and rewarding
their fans off it with innovative Betway offers and special markets."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce on the defensive
KUMb.com
Filed: Friday, 6th February 2015
By: Staff Writer
Sam Allardyce is delighted to welcome Diafra Sakho back into his team - but
admits he is struggling to field a defence against Manchester United this
Sunday. The Hammers boss could be without several first team players when
West Ham host the Red Devils on Sunday afternoon, including Winston Reid,
James Collins, Guy Demel, Diego Poyet and Andy Carroll. Additionally, his
only other first team central defender - James Tomkins - is also struggling
for fitness following recent injury - and that has given Allardyce a major
selection headache ahead of this weekend's big game. "The injuries are
worrying," he said. "I've brought my list with me - Reid, Collins, Demel,
Henry, Carroll and Poyet are all doubtful and lie in our medical room at the
moment. "We are not sure how many if any of those will make Sunday's game.
Obviously, with a very busy week, very few risks will be taken. Unless they
are 100 percent fit, they won't be playing. "With such a big week coming -
three games in a week - there'll be very few risks taken unless they're 100%
fit. If we play them it may exacerbate the injuries, so we will go to battle
with what we've got." West Ham will be attempting to beat Man U for the
first time since goals from Carlton Cole and Jonathan Spector gave West Ham
a 4-0 Carling Cup win in the snow, back in November 2010. Since then the two
sides have met on eight occasions, with the Hammers drawing two and losing
six.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham battling long injury list ahead of Manchester United clash
Last Updated: 06/02/15 1:04pm
SSN
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has bemoaned a lengthy list of injuries ahead
of Sunday's clash with Manchester United. The Hammers welcome Louis van
Gaal's side to Upton Park with several key men unavailable - and Allardyce
is frustrated he was unable to bring in more personnel before the transfer
deadline. "(The injury list) is particularly worrying at the moment," said
Allardyce. "I've had to bring a list of the injuries with me. James Collins,
Winston Reid, Guy Demel, Diego Poyet, Doneil Henry and Andy Carroll lie in
our medical room at the moment. "We're not sure how many of those will make
it for Sunday. With such a big week coming, three games in a week, there'll
be very few risks taken, unless they're 100 per cent fit. If we play them it
may exacerbate the injuries so we will go to battle with what we've got. "It
is why we went all out for a defender in the window after the Liverpool
game. However it didn't work out, we were only in a position to get someone
in on a loan but we couldn't pull it off. "Everyone that wanted to come
wanted a permanent deal, which we couldn't do at that time, so that's the
position we're in. Someone will have to fill in at the back and maybe stay
there for a while."
When asked about the rumoured failed move for Tottenham striker Emmanuel
Adebayor, Alladyce added: "A lot of moves were blocked for various different
reasons, so I'm not that bothered. "From our point of view it left us a bit
frustrated, and especially Carlton Cole on the basis that he would've moved
had Adebayor joined, as it happened we couldn't afford to let him go. "It
was a frustrating day, originally it didn't look like we were going to be
active until the very end, but then we picked up five injuries and now we
are very short. We don't have a problem with (Tottenham), it is their
decision. If anything that was the only loan available, it just didn't work
out at the end."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham host Manchester United in part three of Super Sunday triple-header
Last Updated: 06/02/15 10:06pm
SSN
West Ham host Manchester United on Super Sunday looking to revive their
stuttering drive for a top-four finish. Just a point and a place separated
the two sides before the Christmas interval as the Hammers went five games
unbeaten in the league to strengthen their Champions League credentials. But
Sam Allardyce's side have faltered of late, picking up just five points from
their last six league outings and now sit in eighth position, seven points
adrift of Sunday's opponents. United, who have lost just one game in 16,
travel to east London having booked their place in the fifth round of the FA
Cup with a 3-0 win over Cambridge United on Tuesday. Louis van Gaal's side
have lost just one of their last 20 trips to the capital, a run the club
will be keen to extend as they look to pull away from the sides jostling for
European football.
West Ham are facing a defensive injury crisis ahead of the game, with
Allardyce likely to have just one fit centre-back as both Winston Reid and
James Collins are ruled out with hamstring injuries. Cheikhou Kouyate could
be called upon to provide defensive cover having recovered from an ankle
problem. Andy Carroll picked up an ankle injury in the defeat at Liverpool
and may not be risked whilst Diego Poyet and Doneil Henry are also missing
with unspecified knocks.
United will be missing midfielder Michael Carrick with a calf strain, but
that is their own injury worry, with both Radamel Falcao and Ashley Young
back in contention.
Opta stats
The Hammers have scored the most headed goals in the Premier League this
season (14).
Manchester United have won 11 and lost none of their last 12 Premier League
matches against West Ham.
Wayne Rooney has scored 10 goals in his last nine Premier League games
against West Ham.
Robin van Persie has scored in each of his last five Premier League games
against the Hammers, netting a total of six goals in that run.
Manchester United are unbeaten in their last six Premier league away games
(W3 D3).
Sam Allardyce's side have lost just one of their last 10 Premier League
games at the Boleyn Ground (W7 D2 L1).
Merson's prediction
Home win. I'm not convinced by Man United, I don't think they're playing
well enough, and sooner or later they'll lose again. They beat Leicester
last week, had three shots and scored three goals, but I just wouldn't be
shocked if West Ham won. Would you? It's a hard place to go. Even though the
Hammers were poor at Liverpool last week, I think they have got a really
good chance of winning this game.
Van Gaal is a good talker, that's why he's not getting a hard time, and to
be fair they're in the top four. That's what they were looking for this
season, a bit of stability - but this game is not a foregone conclusion.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1 (Sky Bet odds 11/1)
Betting
United are marginally odds-on at 10/11 to see off West Ham on Super Sunday,
with the Hammers up against odds of 14/5 to win and 13/5 to secure a draw.
Van Persie heads the first goalscorer market at 9/2, but is closely followed
by Falcao (5/1) and Rooney (6/1), while Carroll and Diafra Sahko are
considered the biggest threats from Allardyce's side at 7/1 apiece.
Jamie Redknapp is backing Carroll to break the deadlock in his Red Hot Tips
and is expecting a close encounter at Upton Park, going for a 1-1 draw at
11/2.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
West Ham confirm record shirt sponsorship deal with Betway
Last Updated: 06/02/15 12:52pm
SSN
West Ham United have confirmed a new record shirt sponsorship deal with
online bookmakers Betway. Betway will take over from Alpari, who went into
liquidation last month, and they will have their logo on the club's shirts
starting on Sunday against Manchester United.
The previous deal was worth £3m but Sky sources understand the new contract
is worth significantly more. The club's official Twitter account posted: "We
are delighted to announce Betway as our new principal partner. Our new
shirts are ready for Sunday #COYI." Betway confirmed the deal would be a
'long-term partnership' with the East London club. Currency broker Alpari
closed in mid-January after turmoil in the currency markets and has been in
administration since.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
£20 MILLION RECORD DEAL FOR HAMMERS
By Sean Whetstone 6 Feb 2015 at 17:02
West Ham till I Die
West Ham's commercial department pulled off a master stroke by negotiating a
principal sponsor half way through the season for almost twice that of the
previous sponsor Alpari FX Trading who went into administration in mid
January.
Online betting company Betway has signed a three and a half year sponsorship
deal worth over £20m valuing each season at over £5.75m per season. This
dwarfs the former Alpari deal worth £9m over three years. It appears the
Hammers have actually profited from the sad demise of the foreign currency
trading company.
West Ham commercial director Felicity Croft who joined us Arsenal is thought
to have been instrumental in landing the deal.
The new logo will be worn on first team players shirts on Sunday against
Manchester United and the re-branding of the Boleyn ground will begin
including the renaming of the West stand to the Betway stand. The deal
includes the lucrative first two years at the Olympic Stadium.
While there has been some criticism from some fans about the white
background on the Betway logo for this season it is understood the logo will
be redesigned to fit with next year's Umbro shirt. The white patch is
thought to have been designed to cover up existing Adidas manufactured
shirts with the Alpari logo on them.
Karren Brady said: "We are pleased to welcome Betway to the Club as our new
principal sponsor, in what is our biggest-ever commercial deal. Like us,
Betway are an ambitious, forward-thinking company and the size of the
agreement reflects our status as one of the fastest growing brands in world
football. Betway join us at one of the most exciting periods in our history
and we will be working closely with them as we prepare to bid an emotional
farewell to our home of more than 110 years before moving into our stunning
new Stadium in 2016."
The Club say they will be making a further statement next week on how
supporters can update their 2014/15 replica shirts to include the Betway
logo. The official Club stores and the online store will also be stocking
the newly branded shirts.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
COLE - ALWAYS BELIEVE IN YOUR SOUL
By Iain Dale 6 Feb 2015 at 10:00
West Ham Till I Die
Guest Post by Neil Clack
No doubt all this Sakho business will end up in the High Court, where a
combination of random has-been 1980s coaches like Peter Shreeves and Graham
Taylor, accompanied by Henry Winter of the Daily Telegraph, will convince
some geriatric judge with a rugby-background that Senegal would have won the
African Nations Cup hands down if Sakho had played in it. We'll have to pay
£30 million to Senegal in compensation, as well as the £20 million to
Bristol City who would have gone on to win the FA Cup had Sakho not come on
and scored against them.
Well, after sitting through last week's annual non-event at Anfield, things
have certainly been a lot more interesting off the pitch than on it over the
last seven days. It all began to look a bit ominous when the team was
announced at Liverpool. Many fans around me, in the Essex pub I frequent to
watch the away games live, asked the obvious question,"If we've got such a
cast-iron case, as Sam had claimed in the papers the day before, why isn't
Sakho on the team-sheet?"
Another thing I don't really get either is that, considering how many West
Ham fans all over the forums knew the FIFA rules, even before the match at
Bristol City, how come the club didn't?
Or did West Ham know the rules, but just decided to chance their luck?
'We're West Ham and we do what we want, so up-yours FIFA!'.
Now the Bristol City forums are baying for blood. And cash. "What about the
money from the replay at Upton Park that would have happened had Sakho not
come on and scored?",they rage. And if they'd won the replay, "what about
the money from the 5th round match at West Brom". The Bristol City board
probably feels obliged to react to fan sentiment and this could escalate,
ending up with Henry Winter, Bobby Gould and Ron Atkinson explaining to
Judge know-nothing about football how Bristol City would have gone on to win
back to back promotions to the Premier League if only Sakho had not come on.
The disappointment experienced by 13.5m Senegalese nationals will need to be
compensated too.
It does take an almost inconceivable level of institutional incompetence to
do this three times, and with a different spin on each. Omoyimni was cup
tied, Tevez was owned by a third party and Sakho was barred due to
international rules.
And what's this bit all about? From the Guardian, "The club, who omitted the
forward for Saturday's 2-0 Premier League defeat at Liverpool having been
made aware of the Fifa investigation, had been so unnerved by the
controversy that they had attempted to placate Senegal via an intermediary".
It's at times like this that we have to look on the lighter side of West
Ham, and the good news for all Carlton Cole fans like me is that he's still
here; his move to WBA having broken down at the last moment. For one
horrible hour or so on Monday night, even I really did start to consider
that an era may be coming to an end, but I should have known better – it was
just another one of those ruses from Carlton that he likes to tease us with
every now and then. Finally, as always, he stayed, this time due to
Tottenham Chairman David Levy putting a block on Adebayour's loan deal (Levy
can't seriously see us rival top 4 challengers, surely? – it looked more
like spitefulness over the Olympic Stadium if you ask me?).
Whatever, Carlton's here to stay. And we can now tick off the name of Mauro
Zarate on that long list of strikers that he's seen off in the last 9 years.
(see here for the definitive list – 4th paragraph down)
If Andy Carroll's previous injury history is anything to go, his reckless
Gazza-type lunge that only served to injure himself at Liverpool, will
probably keep him out for the rest of the season now, and with Sakho's
life-time ban from all football imminent, and Valencia's lack of interest
now that his head's been turned by Chelsea, it all leads to one thing –
Carlton rising once again to become our number 1 striker.
So once again, I urge you to get behind our cult-hero, the man who is
destined to wear the West Ham shirt forever and ever. Let's hear it sung
with gusto on Sunday, 'Cole – always believe in your soul'.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Man United boss Van Gaal putting a cork in traditional post-game tipple
makes West Ham's Allardyce whine
22:30, 6 February 2015 By Adrian Kajumba
Hammers manager was not invited for a drink and chat by opposite number at
Old Trafford in September but says HIS office door will be open on Sunday
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce claims managers such as Louis van Gaal are helping ruin one of
English football's great traditions. The West Ham boss fears the ritual of
managers sharing a private post-match drink and a chat will soon become a
thing of the past. Big Sam has not forgotten the lack of an invitation from
Van Gaal after Manchester United's 2-1 win over the Hammers in September. He
said at the time: "I was told it didn't happen any more, so I said 'Fair
enough' and left." But he has vowed to try to keep the tradition alive by
leaving his door open, despite being snubbed by Van Gaal. Allardyce, used to
sharing a glass of wine with former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, said: "I
did miss the red wine. My office door is always open, but the sad thing is
that lots of managers don't even bother any more, not just the foreign
managers, but the Brits as well. "It's another tradition gone out of the
window. I can understand it because there is so much media we have to do
after a game. It's a chance to talk, isn't it? It's not very long these
days, maybe five or 10 minutes, but it is a chance to chat that you don't
often get. "Managers don't get that much time, there is only our managers
association do at the end of the season where most of the managers turn up
and then a few regional meetings. "But I don't think somebody like Louis van
Gaal will turn up to one of those. He may do one day when he settles in. But
yes, it's a shame it's slipping away."
While there's little chance of a drink, Allardyce has a huge headache ahead
of United's visit because of injuries. Defenders Winston Reid, James
Collins, Guy Demel, Doneil Henry, midfielder Diego Poyet and striker Andy
Carroll were named as injury doubts by Allardyce who feared they may all
miss out. That could leave him with no option but to pick a makeshift
defence to face United's star-studded attack. Having failed to land a
defender on deadline day – Tottenham's Younes Kaboul and Everton's Sylvain
Distin were among those targeted – midfielders Cheikhou Kouyate or Alex Song
could be pressed into emergency centre-back duty. Allardyce said: "Someone
will now have to fit in at central defender and maybe stay there for a
while."
Carroll's ankle injury, meanwhile, could open the door for 10-goal top
scorer Diafra Sakho to return. He missed West Ham's 2-0 defeat at Liverpool
last Saturday due to the club vs country row between the Irons and Senegal.
The Hammers were fined £71,000 after playing Sakho, who scored the winner,
in the FA Cup victory against Bristol City after he was declared unfit for
Senegal's Africa Cup of Nations campaign. Asked if Sakho will replace
Carroll if the Geordie is ruled out, Allardyce smiled and said: "You will
have to wait and see."
Even though his side are almost certain to be depleted, Allardyce is
nevertheless eyeing another big-name scalp. The Hammers manager added: "In
many ways, this is a bonus game, one where the expectations are not so
great. But we have done it twice this year at home, against Liverpool and
Man City, where nobody expected us to win that game, yet we won. "Can we do
another one at home against the big boys?"
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Sam Allardyce admits West Ham face an injury crisis ahead of Manchester
United clash on Sunday
13:48, 6 February 2015 By Adrian Kajumba
Six of Allardyce's regular first team players are in line to miss the clash
at Upton Park after missing out on transfer targets on deadline day
The Mirror
Sam Allardyce has a huge injury crisis on his hands ahead of West Ham's
clash with Manchester United. Allardyce revealed Winston Reid, James
Collins, Guy Demel, Andy Carroll, Doneil Henry and Diego Poyet could all
miss Sunday's Upton Park showdown. The Hammers boss said: "It's obviously
particularly worrying at the moment. I've got that many players injured I
brought my list in to read out. "Reid, Collins, Demel, Henry, Poyet and
Carroll lie in our medical room at the moment so we are not so sure how many
of those are going to make Sundays game. "Could they all be out?
Definitely." But with trips to Southampton in the league and West Brom in
the FA Cup to come next week after they host United Allardyce insists he
won't gamble on any player not 100 per cent fit. He said: "With such a big
week as well, three games in the week there will be very few risks taken on
players unless they are 100 per cent fit. "If I risk anyone on Sunday, that
may increase the length of the injury so we will go to battle with what we
have got, but players who are 100 per cent fit on Sunday, and hopefully some
of these lads will get fit next week and into the week after."
Allardyce's biggest headache could be fielding a defence against Louis Van
Gaal's men. And his concerns about the fitness of Reid, Collins, Demel and
Canadian January signing Henry explain why he was so desperate to try and
bring in a central defender on deadline day.
Tottenham's Younes Kaboul and Everton's Sylvain Distin were among the
defenders Allardyce's tried to sign before the window slammed shut on
Monday. He said: "That's why we went all out from the game finishing against
Liverpool to try and secure a central defender to fill that gap that was
going to be left with the injuries but unfortunately however hard we tried
in terms of a loan deal we could not pull it off. "Everybody who wanted to
come wanted a permanent deal and we weren't in a position to do a permanent
deal so unfortunately we didn't get anyone in. "That is particularly
worrying as someone will have to fill in as a central defender and stay
there perhaps and hopefully no other players pick up any more injuries at
this stage."
Striker Diafra Sakho is back in contention after being left out of the 2-0
defeat at Liverpool last week due to the club v country row between West Ham
and Senegal. Allardyce stayed tight-lipped on FIFA's decision to fine the
Hammers £71,000 for playing him in last month's FA Cup tie against Bristol
City, in which he scored the winner, just 18 days after he was ruled out of
the Africa Cup of Nations with a back injury. Asked if he would start
against Manchester United if Carroll was ruled out, Allardyce smiled: "You
have to wait and see."
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Biggest deal in Hammers history
Posted by Sean Whetstone on February 6, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
Claret and Hugh can reveal that West Ham United have landed the biggest
financial sponsorship deal in it's 120 year history. Betway have been
announced as principle sponsors of West Ham this morning in a long term deal
lasting three and a half years. The sponsorship deal is worth just over £20m
over three and a half years making each season worth around £5.75m. This
dwarfs the previous deal with Alpari worth £9m deal over three years. It
understood that Chairman David Sullivan, along with Managing Director Angus
Kinear and Commercial Director Felicity Croft trashed out the record deal
with Betway. The Betway logo will be worn on Hammers shirts this Sunday
against Manchester United and the West stand will be renamed the Betway
stand as part of the deal.
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Nolan future under review
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on February 6, 2015 in Whispers
Claret & Hugh
West Ham look ready to allow Kevin Nolan to move on from the club in the
summer. The Irons captain hits his 33rd birthday in June and with a year
left on the five year deal he signed in 2011 the club are ready to allow him
a move if they receive a suitable offer.
Nolan's position in the team has been the subject of long term controversy
but at 33 the club believe this is the time to reward his loyalty by
allowing him the chance of making a lucrative move if they receive the right
offer.
Nolan arrived from Newcastle on a five year deal worth a reported £50,000 a
week which over five years would have grossed him £12 million. The transfer
fee involved was £4 million. However, a well placed Hammers source said: "We
are looking to the future and will be looking to sign young energetic
players. "Kevin has been a great player for the club but the summer will be
a critical time for various members of the squad – nothing is for ever!"
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