West Ham look set to be one of a host of Premier League clubs who will miss out signing Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku this summer, according to the Sun.
The Hammers were reported to have inquired about the 20 year old's availability and were told by Chelsea that no decision will be made on Lukaku's future until a new permanent manager is appointed to the Stamford Bridge hotseat.
However, the Sun claim today that Lukaku, who notched 14 goals on loan at West Bromwich Albion this season, is keen on a move to German outfit Borussia Dortmund.
The Bundesliga side finished 2nd in the league this season and face a Champions League final showdown with rivals Bayern Munich later this month, and with German football in the ascendancy, Lukaku is said to feel that his best opportunities may be abroad and looks likely to snub the Irons, as well as Swansea, Everton, Fulham, Aston Villa and Newcastle.
By Alex Shilling, News Editor
@alexshilling
Friday, 24 May 2013
Marseille in for Maiga as striker nears Upton Park exit
Mobido Maiga is set to leave West Ham this summer after the striker's representatives met with French giants Marseille in order to negotiate a summer move for the Mali international, according to reports coming from France today.
The 25 year old has made just four starts for the Hammers this season and was linked with an immediate return to France in January with both Marseille and Bordeaux being credited with an interest in the pacy forward.
Maiga also found himself in hot water with the club after returning home late after the African Cup of Nations in February, and the £4m has failed to tie down a regular place in Sam Allardyce's side.
With an offer in the region of £13m reported to have been made for Liverpool striker Andy Carroll, Allardyce knows he has to trim his squad in order to stay on the right side of the Premier League's Financial Fair play regulations coming in next season and Maiga could be the next striker to leave the club, after Carlton Cole was shown the door earlier this week.
By Alex Shilling, News Editor
@alexshilling
The 25 year old has made just four starts for the Hammers this season and was linked with an immediate return to France in January with both Marseille and Bordeaux being credited with an interest in the pacy forward.
Maiga also found himself in hot water with the club after returning home late after the African Cup of Nations in February, and the £4m has failed to tie down a regular place in Sam Allardyce's side.
With an offer in the region of £13m reported to have been made for Liverpool striker Andy Carroll, Allardyce knows he has to trim his squad in order to stay on the right side of the Premier League's Financial Fair play regulations coming in next season and Maiga could be the next striker to leave the club, after Carlton Cole was shown the door earlier this week.
By Alex Shilling, News Editor
@alexshilling
Thursday, 23 May 2013
EXCLUSIVE: West Ham Ladies awards 2012/2013- as nominated by the girls.
The West Ham Ladies finished their season last weekend with a defeat away at league
champions Reading. Shortly after the game, Blowing Bubbles caught up with Toni Anne Wayne, Hannah Gowland, Zoe Lipley- Hinton, Stacey Little, Becky Merritt, Lindsey Morgan and captain Rosey Sullivan to give their votes in six categories.At the bottom of each category, we have also decided who we think should win.
Goal of the Season
Hannah Gowland v Leeds United Ladies
TAW: Hannah Gowland’s goal against Leeds in the FA Cup. It was a game of limited
chances and she took it well.
Hannah Gowland v Gillingham Ladies.
HG: For me it has to be the second goal we scored against Gillingham away. I scored it which I am proud about but that’s not why. It was such a great team goal. It all started from the goalkeeper, worked its way through all positions, before it was given to me to score.
Becky Merritt v Brighton and Hove Albion Ladies.
ZLH: Becky Merritt’s goal against Brighton because it was just a lovely clean hit.
Kelley Branchflower v Queens Park Rangers Ladies.
SL: This goal sticks in my mind for the way Kell picked the ball up and ran through the QPR defence before sliding the ball underneath the keeper. Unfortunately, Kell also went on to break her collarbone in this game.
Lindsey Morgan v Gillingham Ladies.
BM: We were 2-1 down with minutes to play and Lindsey smashed a half volley to earn us a point.
Becky Merritt v Brighton and Hove Albion Ladies.
LM: Even though we lost the game it was an unbelievable strike from outside the box.
Katie Bottom v Reading Ladies.
RS: Katie Bottom’s goal against Reading last weekend.
The Blowing Bubbles Award for Ladies Goal of the Season goes to Becky Merritt for her goal against Brighton and Hove Albion Ladies.
Best Team Performance
Tottenham Hotspur Ladies 0 West Ham United Ladies 1
TAW: Spurs away where we won 1-0. We played well as a team, everyone from front to back contributed to the win.
Leeds United Ladies 3 West Ham United Ladies 2
HG: Our FA Cup game against Leeds was our best team performance. We were 3-0 down at half time and after a decent talk in the changing room, we came out in the second half such a better team. We got two goals back and was [sic] unlucky not to get a third in the last few minutes. Our fighting spirit to get back at them, determination and team effort was great. We couldn’t have worked harder. If only we were like that first half.
Tottenham Hotspur Ladies 0 West Ham United Ladies 1
ZLH: Tottenham away. We just played really well as a team and played some great football.
West Ham United Ladies 2 Brighton and Hove Albion Ladies 0
SL: Our home match against Brighton which we won 2-0. We always seem to struggle against Brighton and we never play well in both halves against anyone. So to beat Brighton (who had a very strong team this year) 2-0and play well in both the first
and second half was very pleasing for both players and
management.
West Ham United Ladies 2 Brighton and Hove Albion Ladies 0
BM: Our best team performance was when we beat Brighton at home 2-0. We were hungry for the win from the first whistle, everyone put their bodies on the line to prevent and score goals.
West Ham United Ladies 2 Brighton and Hove Albion Ladies 0
LM: For me it has to be Brighton at home. I scored the goal after 10 mins and it was just a brilliant team performance.
West Ham United Ladies 3 Tottenham Hotspur Ladies 0
RS: For me, it has to be our 3-0 win over Tottenham.
The Blowing Bubbles Award for Best Ladies Performance of the Season goes to the performance against Brighton and Hove Albion at home.
Best Individual Performance
Becky Merritt v Brighton and Hove Albion (home)
TAW: Becky Merritt against Brighton at home. High work rate, first touch was brilliant and she scored a screamer.
Toni Anne Wayne v Millwall (home)
ZLH: Toni Anne Wayne against Millwall. She pulled off some amazing saves to keep us in that game.
Hannah Gowland v Witham Abbey
SL: Hannah Gowland vs Witham. Although Witham are ranked way below us, nothing should be taken away from Hannah for scoring a hat trick in six minutes in this game. Hannah had only just joined West Ham Ladies so she had done well to fit in to the team and made her mark early on. She was a massive miss for us the rest of the season after she broke her ankle.
Toni Anne Wayne v Millwall (home).
BM: Toni Anne Wayne against Millwall. She pulled off some incredible saves to help us gain a well-earned point from the league leaders at the time.
Vicki King v Tottenham (away).
LM: She stepped up this season from the reserves and she made the right back position her own and away at Tottenham this year she was brilliant. She has improved her game and become a regular first team player.
Stacey Little in numerous games
RS: Stacey Little on so many occasions. She works so hard on the pitch and covers so much ground.
The Blowing Bubbles Award for Ladies Individual Performance of the Season goes to Toni Anne Wayne for her performance away at Millwall Ladies.
Best Goal Celebration
The 'train' after April Bowers' goal away at Tottenham Hotspur Ladies.
TAW: The team celebration after April Bowers’ goal against Spurs away.
Team celebration after Lindsey Morgan's goal away at Gillingham Ladies.
The best goal celebration for me would be after the second goal against Gillingham. After such a great team goal and great team effort, we all celebrated and come[sic] together to cheer and congratulate each other. It was nice.
The 'train' after April Bowers' goal away at Tottenham Hotspur Ladies
ZLH: The celebration after April Bowers’ goal against Spurs. Before the game we said if we scored we would do the train celebration out of [2001 film directed by Gurinder Chadha] Bend It Like Beckham.
The 'train' after April Bowers' goal away at Tottenham Hotspur Ladies.
SL: Tottenham away, April Bowers’ goal. We had actually been discussing this
before the game if we scored what our celebration would be.
The 'train' after April Bowers' goal away at Tottenham Hotspur Ladies.
BM: The team celebration after April Bowers’ goal against Spurs away.
The 'train' after April Bowers' goal away at Tottenham Hotspur Ladies
LM: The team celebration after April Bowers’ goal against Spurs away.
The 'train' after April Bowers' goal away at Tottenham Hotspur Ladies.
RS: The best goal celebration was against Tottenham. The girls walked on their hands and knees in a row holding onto each others ankles. It was also a great result against Tottenham.
The Blowing Bubbles Award for Best Ladies Goal Celebration of the Season goes to the celebration of April Bowers' goal away at Tottenham Hotspur Ladies.
Funniest in Dressing Room
April Bowers
TAW: April Bowers because she says the most
stupid things.
April Bowers
HG: The funniest in the dressing room is difficult because we all crack jokes but if I had to pick someone it would be April Bowers. She is very random, always comes
out with weird sayings, sings and loves a boogie. Plus she brings sweets before a game
and calls them "badman" sweets.
Stacey Little
ZLH: Stacey Little. She just comes out with the best little comments.
April Bowers
SL: I’d have to say April due to the fact that we’ll all be sitting there, music playing and she will burst into song or impress us with her dance moves all of a sudden.
April Bowers
BM: April Bowers because she pretty much reinvents the English language with her gangster spin!
Danica Revell
LM: Danica Revell. She is funny without even knowing it. She can be so blonde.
Stacey Little
RS: Funniest in the changing room is Stacey
Little. She is always coming out with funny comments or jokes that have the whole
team laughing. Very comical girl.
The Blowing Bubbles Award for Dressing Room Joker goes to April Bowers.
Team Diva
Stacey Little
TAW: Stacey Little because if there is anything to moan about she will find it.
Rosey Sullivan
HG: The team diva is Rosey. She is always worrying about her hair and makeup.
Both have to be perfect and she never likes it going wrong especially when it rains. She loves the fake tan too.
Kelley Blanchflower.
ZLH: Kelley Blanchflower.
Rosey Sullivan
SL: Rosey Sullivan. That’s easy and I’m sure she will be everyone else’s choice too.
The moisturising to make sure the tan doesn’t peel, the panic when it starts raining that her hair is going to go knotty and mascara will run. Wouldn’t change our Rose though.
Rosey Sullivan/Kelly Blanchflower
BM: Rosey Sullivan or Kelley Blanchflower. Pure TOWIE. You should see them if there is a photo and they were not given sufficient time to prepare.
Kelly Blanchflower.
LM: Kelley Blanchflower.
Kelley Blanchflower.
RS: I am the biggest diva (or so I have been told plenty of times) but if I'm not voting
for myself it would be Kelley Blanchflower. She's kind of similar to me with having our hair perfect, making sure we are pretty and smelling good before the game. She can also get the hump if things aren't going positively but guess that's the whole team.
We still love her.
The Blowing Bubbles Award for Biggest Diva goes to Rosey Sullivan.
champions Reading. Shortly after the game, Blowing Bubbles caught up with Toni Anne Wayne, Hannah Gowland, Zoe Lipley- Hinton, Stacey Little, Becky Merritt, Lindsey Morgan and captain Rosey Sullivan to give their votes in six categories.At the bottom of each category, we have also decided who we think should win.
Goal of the Season
Hannah Gowland v Leeds United Ladies
TAW: Hannah Gowland’s goal against Leeds in the FA Cup. It was a game of limited
chances and she took it well.
Hannah Gowland v Gillingham Ladies.
HG: For me it has to be the second goal we scored against Gillingham away. I scored it which I am proud about but that’s not why. It was such a great team goal. It all started from the goalkeeper, worked its way through all positions, before it was given to me to score.
Becky Merritt v Brighton and Hove Albion Ladies.
ZLH: Becky Merritt’s goal against Brighton because it was just a lovely clean hit.
Kelley Branchflower v Queens Park Rangers Ladies.
SL: This goal sticks in my mind for the way Kell picked the ball up and ran through the QPR defence before sliding the ball underneath the keeper. Unfortunately, Kell also went on to break her collarbone in this game.
Lindsey Morgan v Gillingham Ladies.
BM: We were 2-1 down with minutes to play and Lindsey smashed a half volley to earn us a point.
Becky Merritt v Brighton and Hove Albion Ladies.
LM: Even though we lost the game it was an unbelievable strike from outside the box.
Katie Bottom v Reading Ladies.
RS: Katie Bottom’s goal against Reading last weekend.
The Blowing Bubbles Award for Ladies Goal of the Season goes to Becky Merritt for her goal against Brighton and Hove Albion Ladies.
Best Team Performance
Tottenham Hotspur Ladies 0 West Ham United Ladies 1
TAW: Spurs away where we won 1-0. We played well as a team, everyone from front to back contributed to the win.
Leeds United Ladies 3 West Ham United Ladies 2
HG: Our FA Cup game against Leeds was our best team performance. We were 3-0 down at half time and after a decent talk in the changing room, we came out in the second half such a better team. We got two goals back and was [sic] unlucky not to get a third in the last few minutes. Our fighting spirit to get back at them, determination and team effort was great. We couldn’t have worked harder. If only we were like that first half.
Tottenham Hotspur Ladies 0 West Ham United Ladies 1
ZLH: Tottenham away. We just played really well as a team and played some great football.
West Ham United Ladies 2 Brighton and Hove Albion Ladies 0
SL: Our home match against Brighton which we won 2-0. We always seem to struggle against Brighton and we never play well in both halves against anyone. So to beat Brighton (who had a very strong team this year) 2-0and play well in both the first
and second half was very pleasing for both players and
management.
West Ham United Ladies 2 Brighton and Hove Albion Ladies 0
BM: Our best team performance was when we beat Brighton at home 2-0. We were hungry for the win from the first whistle, everyone put their bodies on the line to prevent and score goals.
West Ham United Ladies 2 Brighton and Hove Albion Ladies 0
LM: For me it has to be Brighton at home. I scored the goal after 10 mins and it was just a brilliant team performance.
West Ham United Ladies 3 Tottenham Hotspur Ladies 0
RS: For me, it has to be our 3-0 win over Tottenham.
The Blowing Bubbles Award for Best Ladies Performance of the Season goes to the performance against Brighton and Hove Albion at home.
Best Individual Performance
Becky Merritt v Brighton and Hove Albion (home)
TAW: Becky Merritt against Brighton at home. High work rate, first touch was brilliant and she scored a screamer.
Toni Anne Wayne v Millwall (home)
ZLH: Toni Anne Wayne against Millwall. She pulled off some amazing saves to keep us in that game.
Hannah Gowland v Witham Abbey
SL: Hannah Gowland vs Witham. Although Witham are ranked way below us, nothing should be taken away from Hannah for scoring a hat trick in six minutes in this game. Hannah had only just joined West Ham Ladies so she had done well to fit in to the team and made her mark early on. She was a massive miss for us the rest of the season after she broke her ankle.
Toni Anne Wayne v Millwall (home).
BM: Toni Anne Wayne against Millwall. She pulled off some incredible saves to help us gain a well-earned point from the league leaders at the time.
Vicki King v Tottenham (away).
LM: She stepped up this season from the reserves and she made the right back position her own and away at Tottenham this year she was brilliant. She has improved her game and become a regular first team player.
Stacey Little in numerous games
RS: Stacey Little on so many occasions. She works so hard on the pitch and covers so much ground.
The Blowing Bubbles Award for Ladies Individual Performance of the Season goes to Toni Anne Wayne for her performance away at Millwall Ladies.
Best Goal Celebration
The 'train' after April Bowers' goal away at Tottenham Hotspur Ladies.
TAW: The team celebration after April Bowers’ goal against Spurs away.
Team celebration after Lindsey Morgan's goal away at Gillingham Ladies.
The best goal celebration for me would be after the second goal against Gillingham. After such a great team goal and great team effort, we all celebrated and come[sic] together to cheer and congratulate each other. It was nice.
The 'train' after April Bowers' goal away at Tottenham Hotspur Ladies
ZLH: The celebration after April Bowers’ goal against Spurs. Before the game we said if we scored we would do the train celebration out of [2001 film directed by Gurinder Chadha] Bend It Like Beckham.
The 'train' after April Bowers' goal away at Tottenham Hotspur Ladies.
SL: Tottenham away, April Bowers’ goal. We had actually been discussing this
before the game if we scored what our celebration would be.
The 'train' after April Bowers' goal away at Tottenham Hotspur Ladies.
BM: The team celebration after April Bowers’ goal against Spurs away.
The 'train' after April Bowers' goal away at Tottenham Hotspur Ladies
LM: The team celebration after April Bowers’ goal against Spurs away.
The 'train' after April Bowers' goal away at Tottenham Hotspur Ladies.
RS: The best goal celebration was against Tottenham. The girls walked on their hands and knees in a row holding onto each others ankles. It was also a great result against Tottenham.
The Blowing Bubbles Award for Best Ladies Goal Celebration of the Season goes to the celebration of April Bowers' goal away at Tottenham Hotspur Ladies.
Funniest in Dressing Room
April Bowers
TAW: April Bowers because she says the most
stupid things.
April Bowers
HG: The funniest in the dressing room is difficult because we all crack jokes but if I had to pick someone it would be April Bowers. She is very random, always comes
out with weird sayings, sings and loves a boogie. Plus she brings sweets before a game
and calls them "badman" sweets.
Stacey Little
ZLH: Stacey Little. She just comes out with the best little comments.
April Bowers
SL: I’d have to say April due to the fact that we’ll all be sitting there, music playing and she will burst into song or impress us with her dance moves all of a sudden.
April Bowers
BM: April Bowers because she pretty much reinvents the English language with her gangster spin!
Danica Revell
LM: Danica Revell. She is funny without even knowing it. She can be so blonde.
Stacey Little
RS: Funniest in the changing room is Stacey
Little. She is always coming out with funny comments or jokes that have the whole
team laughing. Very comical girl.
The Blowing Bubbles Award for Dressing Room Joker goes to April Bowers.
Team Diva
Stacey Little
TAW: Stacey Little because if there is anything to moan about she will find it.
Rosey Sullivan
HG: The team diva is Rosey. She is always worrying about her hair and makeup.
Both have to be perfect and she never likes it going wrong especially when it rains. She loves the fake tan too.
Kelley Blanchflower.
ZLH: Kelley Blanchflower.
Rosey Sullivan
SL: Rosey Sullivan. That’s easy and I’m sure she will be everyone else’s choice too.
The moisturising to make sure the tan doesn’t peel, the panic when it starts raining that her hair is going to go knotty and mascara will run. Wouldn’t change our Rose though.
Rosey Sullivan/Kelly Blanchflower
BM: Rosey Sullivan or Kelley Blanchflower. Pure TOWIE. You should see them if there is a photo and they were not given sufficient time to prepare.
Kelly Blanchflower.
LM: Kelley Blanchflower.
Kelley Blanchflower.
RS: I am the biggest diva (or so I have been told plenty of times) but if I'm not voting
for myself it would be Kelley Blanchflower. She's kind of similar to me with having our hair perfect, making sure we are pretty and smelling good before the game. She can also get the hump if things aren't going positively but guess that's the whole team.
We still love her.
The Blowing Bubbles Award for Biggest Diva goes to Rosey Sullivan.
Blowing Bubbles awards 2012/2013
In a season of thrills, spills, goals and the odd defensive howler, uncharacteristic for a Sam Allardyce side, there has been a lot to admire about the Hammers this season as the side secured a highly creditable 10th placed finish on their return to the Premier League.
With the season having drawn to a close with a 4-2 victory over already-relegated Reading, four of our top writers, Andrew Hosie, Geoff Hillyer, Thomas Johnson, Joell Mayoh and Lucy Woolford run the rule over the 2012/2013 campaign and nominate their favourites of this season.
Player of the Season
AH: Andy Carroll.
OK, there has been frustration with injury but when Carroll plays our threat doubles or even triples. Strong, athletic and skilful, he's able to set up others and score crucial
goals himself. No doubt he will be a loss next season if he does go.
goals himself. No doubt he will be a loss next season if he does go.
GH: Winston Reid.
An astonishing improvement when you think back to the last season we had in the Premier League, when he looked out of his depth. The icing on the cake was his fantastic clearance against Newcastle United to save what seemed like a certain goal.
TJ: Winston Reid.
My player of the season has been a revelation, especially considering how he played in the first year of his West Ham career, a complete flop under Avram Grant. The Kiwi has been a terrific player this season, captaining the side for a game or two when [Kevin] Nolan and [Mark] Noble were out. He is the central defender we must build the team around.
JM: Winston Reid.
He has been nothing other than superb for the Hammers this season. His consistently excellent displays have been a joy to behold. We can only hope the Kiwi’s contract extension means he will be playing that way in the claret and blue for years to come.
LW: Winston Reid.
I voted for Winston Reid in the official awards and I haven’t changed my mind. He’s been solid, consistent and calm and I really do think he could fit in at one of the “big four” clubs. He plays with his heart on his sleeve, and that’s why we love him!
The Blowing Bubbles Player of the Season Award goes to Winston Reid.
Young Player of the Season
GH: Dan Potts.
Not really many candidates for this one this time around but Dan Potts has continued his upward trajectory and featured in the first team once again this season. A local lad through and through, his clash of heads in the away game at Arsenal showed the bravery of the player.
TJ: Dan Potts.
The young left-back has impressed with his scattered appearances over the past two seasons under Allardyce. Unfortunately for the son of former Hammer Steve Potts, he was left concussed after a collision in the game away against Arsenal and wasn’t able to recapture his place in the side after some solid games from Joey O’Brien, but Potts will hopefully keep improving and make the left-back berth his own for the future.
JM: Dylan Tombides.
Selecting an outstanding young player for the Hammers has become a slightly difficult task with Sam Allardyce in charge of the team; given that few young players are handed the opportunity to shine in the first team. Yet I find no difficulty in naming Dylan Tombides as my choice because of the incredible adversity that the 19-year-old striker had to battle through before making his first team debut for West Ham in September.
The young Australian was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2011 and had to undergo treatment before receiving the all-clear from doctors in June 2012. Just four months later he came on as a sub for the Hammers in the 4-1 defeat to Wigan Athletic in the league cup. If that is the kind of steely determination West Ham’s young professionals have to offer, we know the club has a bright future ahead under the lights of the Olympic Stadium.
LW: I think Dan Potts would have been in with a shout if it hadn’t been for his head injury against Arsenal but Elliot Lee gets my vote. He’s been strong for the U21s this season scoring seven goals. He made his first team debut in the FA Cup and was impressive.
The Blowing Bubbles Award for Young Player of the Season goes to Dan Potts.
Goal of the Season
AH: Andy Carroll v West Bromwich Albion (home).
A great deal of belters to choose from: Taylor against Fulham earlier on, Collison away to Arsenal and Diame's goals against Arsenal and Man Utd come to mind, O'Neill's sweet strike against West Brom is up there with the best of them, but I'm going to go with Carroll's strike which gave us the third in that same match, terrific technique to despatch that volley from Collins' free kick.
GH: Mohammed Diame v Manchester United (home).
A brilliantly executed goal. Demel, Vaz Te and Mo Diame combining cleverly before Diame receives the ball close to the right of the penalty area, spins away from his marker and then curls in a first-time shot from 20 yards to put West Ham 2-1 in front.
TJ: Mohammed Diame against Manchester United (home).
The beauty and skill of the move, some great link-up play from Ricardo Vaz Te to Guy Demel and a simple stroke of the ball to Diame who showed great composure to curl the ball around the Manchester United defence and past the goalkeeper David De Gea- it was a great goal that deserved to be the
winner.
winner.
JM: Mohammed Diame vs Chelsea (home).
The Hammers had managed to pull level with Chelsea with a Carlton Cole header having gone 1-0 down in the first half. After that the game was an incredibly open affair. It must have been thrilling viewing for the neutral, but it was nail-biting stuff for us fans before Momo scored. West Ham had a throw-in on the left wing. After a quick exchange the ball was chipped into Carlton Cole on the corner of the penalty area by the byline.
The striker, who was excellent throughout the game, controlled the bouncing ball on his chest and laid it onto Diame lurking on the edge of penalty area. As it bobbled towards the midfielder, he adjusted his body and then unleashed a ferocious drive into Chelsea’s net. That goal put the Hammers 2-1 up against the European Champions and completely deflated Chelsea, allowing West Ham to secure a famous victory when Modibo Maiga scored again in the dying minutes to make it 3-1.
LW: Andy Carroll v West Bromwich Albion (home).
I’ve got to say Andy Carroll’s volley against West Brom. It was so stunningly controlled and sweetly hit. That really showed us what he can do. Great ball from Collins too.
The Blowing Bubbles Goal of the Season Award goes to Andy Carroll for his goal against West Bromwich Albion.
Best Team Performance of the Season
AH: West Ham United 3 Chelsea 1.
It has to be the match against Chelsea, although the team actually only really performed for 45 minutes in that game and could well have been a few goals down at half time. That's why it gets the nod for me, a second half comeback with passion, energy and fight after a tactical shuffle by Allardyce at the interval left Chelsea with no answer and plunged the club further into crisis at the start of Benitez's tenure.
GH: West Ham United 3 Chelsea 1.
1-0 down, West Ham came out all guns firing in the second half and turned the match on its head. Diame's strike to put West Ham 2-1 up was only matched by the satisfaction of Maiga firing in to seal the win after an Ashley Cole mistake. A close second was the team involved in the draw against Manchester United, but we won the match against Chelsea, deservedly so.
TJ: West Ham United 0 Manchester City 0.
Against last season’s Premier League champions, the team put in a great defensive performance and came out with a point, that should have been three had the linesman not wrongly ruled Kevin Nolan’s goal offside. This was the game that I sensed we would remain a top flight side as we showed grit, determination and passion throughout the team.
JM: West Ham United 3 Chelsea 1.
Although I chose Diame’s goal as the highlight, the whole team performed excellently against Chelsea to come from 1-0 down and win 3-1. It would have been a superb victory for any newly promoted side, but for the Hammers to do it against their London rivals was something else. It also seemed to give West Ham the impetus they needed going into a very tough run of fixtures during the winter period.
LW: West Ham United 3 Fulham 0.
For me, West Ham’s most memorable performance was in our 3-0 home win against Fulham. I know we’ve faced tougher opponents and played well, but after watching our style against Fulham, I was astounded.
The Blowing Bubbles Performance of the Season Award goes to the performance against Chelsea at home.
Best Individual Performance of the Season
AH: Mohammed Diame v Chelsea (home).
Diame in that match against Chelsea. He was the driving force of that second half performance. Almost pulling the team up single handedly with his strength, poise and surging runs from the midfield. If he hadn't got injured in the match at home
against Liverpool, I'm thinking I'd have ended up voting for that one - I maintain we wouldn't have lost if he'd remained on the pitch but overall his Chelsea performance shades it.
against Liverpool, I'm thinking I'd have ended up voting for that one - I maintain we wouldn't have lost if he'd remained on the pitch but overall his Chelsea performance shades it.
GH: Mohammed Diame v Chelsea (home).
An absolute powerhouse, particularly in the second half and Chelsea simply couldn't live with him. Scoring the goal in the second half to put us 2-1 up was the icing on the cake.
TJ: Mohammed Diame v Chelsea (home).
My signing of the season proved his worth greatly in the home game
against the ‘champions of Europe’ as he came on at half-time and his high pressing and great work ethic revived the side as he influenced the team to come back from 1-0 down and to come out 3-1 winners. An astute signing and tactical decision by Sam Allardyce that worked wonders, and Diame got himself a goal.
against the ‘champions of Europe’ as he came on at half-time and his high pressing and great work ethic revived the side as he influenced the team to come back from 1-0 down and to come out 3-1 winners. An astute signing and tactical decision by Sam Allardyce that worked wonders, and Diame got himself a goal.
JM: Andy Carroll v Fulham (home).
I have never seen one man make such a difference to a team than when Andy Carroll made his West Ham debut. He breathed fresh air into the side by terrorising the Fulham defence and proved to be instrumental as the Hammers battered Martin Jol’s side 3-0. After the third goal, all West Ham fans were surely brimming with excitement about what the rest of the season had in store for the team now Carroll was leading the line.
Unfortunately the 24-year-old was injured 68 minutes into that game and his time at Upton Park has been a bit stop start ever since. Hopefully we will see many more performances like that from the big Geordie next season though, should the Hammers be able to sign him permanently.
LW: James Collins v Liverpool (away).
James Collins at Anfield just edges it for me. He faced the unstoppable Suarez and in-form Coutinho and his defensive performance was second to none. He made tackles that we never expected him (or anyone else) to make.
The Blowing Bubbles Individual Performance of the Season Award goes to Mohammed Diame for his performance against Chelsea at home.
Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Carlton departs
Striker Carlton Cole will leave West Ham this summer, it was understood last night after what were believed to be unsuccessful contract negotiations between the England striker's representatives and the club.
The 29 year old tweeted last night, saying 'Life is filled with ups & downs today is a down but i'll be back! Carlton Cole/CFC as I have been called has left the building #UNDERCHUFFED'.
The striker went on to thank the West Ham fans, saying 'i want to thank the West Ham fans for their support especially the 1's (sic) who made the away games feel like a home 1 #COYI.. i came to East London not knowing what to expect but i'm glad i did the last 7 years i've met a lot of good honest decent people #THANKYOU'.
Cole signed from London rivals Chelsea for £2m in summer 2006 and after Academy graduate Mark Noble, was the Hammers' longest serving player. The big striker went on to score 47 goals in 206 appearances in a West Ham shirt and made his England debut, against Spain in 2009, while at the club.
The powerful number nine has always divided opinion amongst Hammers fans, but earnt respect from many by turning down offers from Stoke and Galatasary and taking a 50% wage cut following relegation from the Premier League in 2011. Cole went on to enjoy his most prolific season in claret and blue last term, notching 15 goals, including the opening goal in the 2-1 victory over Blackpool in the Championship play off at Wembley that sealed the club's immediate return to the top flight.
West Ham co-chairman David Gold tweeted as well last night and wished Cole good luck for the future, saying 'Good luck @CarltonCole1 one of the nicest men I've ever met in football.'
Championship side Crystal Palace, who face a date with Watford at Wembley later this month for Premier League football next season, have been linked with the striker in recent weeks, as have newly-relegated Reading.
By Alex Shilling, News Editor
@alexshilling
The 29 year old tweeted last night, saying 'Life is filled with ups & downs today is a down but i'll be back! Carlton Cole/CFC as I have been called has left the building #UNDERCHUFFED'.
The striker went on to thank the West Ham fans, saying 'i want to thank the West Ham fans for their support especially the 1's (sic) who made the away games feel like a home 1 #COYI.. i came to East London not knowing what to expect but i'm glad i did the last 7 years i've met a lot of good honest decent people #THANKYOU'.
Cole signed from London rivals Chelsea for £2m in summer 2006 and after Academy graduate Mark Noble, was the Hammers' longest serving player. The big striker went on to score 47 goals in 206 appearances in a West Ham shirt and made his England debut, against Spain in 2009, while at the club.
The powerful number nine has always divided opinion amongst Hammers fans, but earnt respect from many by turning down offers from Stoke and Galatasary and taking a 50% wage cut following relegation from the Premier League in 2011. Cole went on to enjoy his most prolific season in claret and blue last term, notching 15 goals, including the opening goal in the 2-1 victory over Blackpool in the Championship play off at Wembley that sealed the club's immediate return to the top flight.
West Ham co-chairman David Gold tweeted as well last night and wished Cole good luck for the future, saying 'Good luck @CarltonCole1 one of the nicest men I've ever met in football.'
Championship side Crystal Palace, who face a date with Watford at Wembley later this month for Premier League football next season, have been linked with the striker in recent weeks, as have newly-relegated Reading.
By Alex Shilling, News Editor
@alexshilling
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Rat attack! Hammers seal deal for Romanian defender
West Ham have signed Romania captain Razvan Rat on a free transfer, after negotiations with the player's representatives reached a satisfactory conclusion this afternoon.
Hammers co-chairman David Sullivan's son Jack tweeted this afternoon, 'Just signed the Romanian captain RAZVAN RAT, the first of 4 to 6 Summer signings #COYI #WHU #whufc'.
The 31 year old's agent told the Romanian press earlier this month that he and his client had had meetings with the Irons and now Rat, who can play at right back or centre half, has put pen to paper on a permanent deal which will see him move to Upton Park and officially become a West Ham player when the transfer window reopens next month.
Official confirmation of the deal is expected from the club in the next 24 hours.
By Alex Shilling, News Editor
@alexshilling
Hammers co-chairman David Sullivan's son Jack tweeted this afternoon, 'Just signed the Romanian captain RAZVAN RAT, the first of 4 to 6 Summer signings #COYI #WHU #whufc'.
The 31 year old's agent told the Romanian press earlier this month that he and his client had had meetings with the Irons and now Rat, who can play at right back or centre half, has put pen to paper on a permanent deal which will see him move to Upton Park and officially become a West Ham player when the transfer window reopens next month.
Official confirmation of the deal is expected from the club in the next 24 hours.
By Alex Shilling, News Editor
@alexshilling
Monday, 20 May 2013
EXCLUSIVE: Our interview with @DavidGoldWHU in full
Meet David Gold the West Ham fan in a pub or a restaurant and he’ll tell you we’ll finish in an Europa League place next season before securing a Champions League slot after we move into the Olympic Stadium.
But meet David Gold the businessman and West Ham joint-chairman and you’ll get more of a realistic assessment of the club’s current situation and where we will be by the time we leave Upton Park.
Speaking exclusively to Blowing Bubbles from his office near Croydon, Mr Gold said he has been delighted with how the men in claret and blue have fared in the club’s first season back in the Premier League.
Asked about what his expectations were, he said: “After getting promoted via the play offs, the euphoria settles and you say right where do we go from here? You are already a few weeks behind the other promoted clubs and are still years behind other established clubs in the Premier League so you have to plan for the worst and hope for the best. You immediately plan for the possibility of relegation.
“Now that’s not being negative, that’s being realistic and we put a plan in place that was realistic and being candid with you, we budgeted for 15th place.
“So I’ve been delighted with what we’ve achieved this season. I know fans want to hear optimism as oppose to realism but I think I owe it to them to be realistic as a fan. I also have a duty to them to be realistic and plan.”
Mr Gold admits the standout games for him this season were beating Chelsea at home as well as drawing against both Manchester clubs.
“It was performances like these that help you realise we are very capable of beating the big teams,” Mr Gold continued. “We also had amazing performances against Everton and Tottenham and lost.
“It’s at these games you see the potential of the group of the players you have. Matt Jarvis is a very talented wide player who can beat anything and can play for England. Can he score six or seven goals a season for us? Yes I think he can but at the moment he has been a terrific supplier.
“Then you look at Andy Carroll who has been excellent and then the qualities of the homegrown players like Jack Collison and Mark Noble, who will go through a brick wall for you.
“You’ve then got players like George McCartney and Joey O’Brien who never let you down. But at the start of the season, you don’t know if these players are going to get you relegated, finish 15th or secure mid-table.
“So to finish mid-table in this first season back must be considered a success.
“Some fans will question if finishing mid-table is a success and my reply is it is in our first season back in the Premier League. Why? Because I’m being realistic.
“If I wasn’t the chairman, I’d be in the pub with the other guys saying mid-table is not good enough and that we should be going for the Europa League because we are optimistic and we have our dreams and we want success for our heroes but at the same time, somebody has to be guiding the ship and being realistic.”
Tweaking and improving the strength of the squad will be the club’s aims building up to the new season.
Mr Gold continued: “But we can’t suddenly think we can go out and spend incredible amounts of money and challenge for Europe. We need to be realistic and remember the club was £110m in debt when we came here.
“We should’ve got relegated that first season and it was a miracle we didn’t but sadly, we made mistakes and we couldn’t sustain our Premier League status and we got relegated.
“It felt like it had to happen so that the phoenix could rise from the ashes and at this moment of time, this is the best moment of the football club since we’ve been here. Not just on the field but around the training ground and right the way through the football club, there’s a comfortable feeling of optimism.”
It was confirmed at last weekend that Sam Allardyce has signed a new contract to stay on as manager of West Ham and Mr Gold had nothing but praise for the former Bolton, Blackburn and Newcastle boss.
“It is always important to have a good relationship between the chairman and the manager and of course, our situation is unusual because there are two chairmen,” Mr Gold continued. “You are asking a bit more from the manager in our situation because it’s like having two wives but we have proper respect for each other which is the key.”
He added: “We are two years into our relationship with Sam and I don’t recall any issues and that is unusual but it’s also very good.”
Our conversation moves onto the Olympic Stadium and Mr Gold tells he believes 80 per cent of fans are in favour of the move.
He continued: “It was great to finally be confirmed as the tenants because it’s been a lengthy business caused by a number of factors which we are all very aware of but we battled on and we won.
“I think the announcement by the LLDC (London Legacy Development Corporation) was the start of a new chapter for West Ham United. But we have still got lots of work to do as has the LLDC through no fault of its own.
“It’s also not the fault of Boris or the government - it’s the people who put together the original deal.
“Seb Coe said the stadium will be for athletics and he got the Olympics on the basis of that and I wouldn’t disagree with that.
“What I would disagree with is they then went on and built a stadium that was clearly not fit for purpose.
“You cannot have a stadium just for athletics. It doesn’t work anywhere in the world. They are pulling them down or being left to rot.
“People simply do not go to watch hop, skip and jump. They do not find it very interesting.
“I’m not being demeaning to athletics because it plays a big part in young people’s lives and it’s great to watch the Olympics every four years for two weeks but you cannot build a stadium purely for athletics.
“The stadium should’ve been built so that it could be converted to a stadium for football, rugby, cricket, or baseball – all sports that millions of people around the world watch. I’m irritated because if this had been done, we could be in that stadium now. The minute the Olympics were over, West Ham, Spurs or Leyton Orient – whoever won the bid – should have walked straight into that stadium.”
As for the naming of the new stadium, it will inevitably be up for grabs to the highest bidder.
“We are currently calling it the new stadium at the Queen Elizabeth Park but the naming rights to the stadium will be sold by the LLDC and we will get a share of that income,” Mr Gold said.
“There are some clubs that say they will never change the name of their stadium. But in my opinion any football club that doesn’t have a wealthy owner like Chelsea which says it turns down £5m a year in naming rights for their stadium, will eventually get relegated because ultimately everybody with a decent sized stadium will be selling the naming rights.
“If we refused naming rights, we will get relegated because our competitors, like Hull, WBA, Sunderland, Newcastle, have or will sell the naming rights.
“Of course I want everything but in my life I have learnt that you can’t have everything and you have to compromise and have got to decide what is the priority and our priority is to bring success to this football club.
“That’s what we get up for every morning. We want to bring success and our fans demand success.
“They do also demand that we charge £140 for our season tickets like they do in Germany and they demand we pay Andy Carroll what he wants but the two things don’t equate.
“You can’t have £140 season tickets and pay Andy Carroll what he wants otherwise you will go bust.”
Asked if the increase in capacity to 54,000 will be a tough ask when moving into the new stadium, Mr Gold replied: “We don’t think it will be much of an ask at all.
“If you look at the statistics, even clubs who aren’t filling their stadium say at 20,000 but move to a 30,000, see an increase in their average gate from 20,000 to 25,000. That’s just by moving.
“Our situation is also very different to other clubs because first of all we have a wider fan base than most clubs. We go out miles and miles, all of Essex is our territory. Although I promise you our fans come in from far and wide.
“Whenever I go into a restaurant, someone always comes up and says they are a West Ham fan. I never got that at Birmingham.
“In all the time I was there, not once did anyone in a restaurant in the south come up to me and say I’m a Birmingham fan.
“So what I’m trying to say is that Birmingham fans are from Birmingham but West Ham fans come from a much wider area and that’s why we don’t think it will be a tough ask.”
Looking ahead to next season, Mr Gold believes West Ham will not suffer the same fate as QPR did this season.
“I do not believe in second season syndrome,” he said. “What I do believe is some teams over perform in the first season because of the adrenaline.
“Look at Blackpool at few seasons ago. They went off to an amazing flyer and looked like they were going to challenge for Europe but then they collapsed.
“It’s players playing above themselves who are compensating their skill with work rate and you see it time and time again.
“The toughest season is undoubtedly the first and you do see clubs that come up and make big changes to their squads in order to compete and that’s always a poor thing.
“You don’t want to change your team radically but what you want is a settled squad that you tweak and improve every season while keeping your good players.
“I don’t fear this second season syndrome one bit. In fact, I’m thrilled the first season is behind us and we can look forward to embarking on the next season with a stronger squad.
He continued: “There is no doubt we will push our budget up for next season. This year it was set at the club finishing 15th. What would we set it to for next season? Probably for us to finish 12th but that’s only a budget.
“What do I hope is achievable? Certainly breaking into the top 10 and it wouldn’t be unreasonable for us to sneak into the Europa League places although I must confess, and this is not a feeling shared with David Sullivan, I fear of the dangers of the Europa League on a fledging Premiership club.
“I say fledging because we don’t have a huge squad and part of the reason we don’t have a huge squad is because we have a huge debt.
“Once we get rid of the huge debt, we can then spend the money that we are currently paying in interest and repayments on increasing the size of the squad and then you can challenge in the Europa League.”
Mr Gold admits the club “ideally” needs to be a Premier League side between now and moving into the new stadium.
But he added: “I want us to be a Premier League football club for the rest of my life and there is no reason why we can’t be. No reason whatsoever. We are not Wigan, Blackburn or Bolton, we are West Ham.
“Nobody has a divine right to play in this league but what we do have is our fans. “Our fans are Premier League fans and what I mean by that is in our passion, attitude and volume.
“Our aim is to become a club that can drive a stake in the ground which says we are a Premiership club that will not be relegated.
“Manchester City and Chelsea can do it because they have rich owners.
“Arsenal can also do that because they have a fan base, a business model and a financial structure which allows them to drive that stake in the ground and we need to press on to catch up with these teams and stop being in the bottom half of the table. Every club which regularly finishes in the bottom of the table has a chance of being relegated so you’ve got to get up into that top half and stay there year after year to get stronger and increase durability.
“You do that first of all by moving stadiums – we can’t do it by staying at Upton Park.
“You would not build your stadium at Upton Park today if there was a green field there and somebody offered it to us. Why? Because all new stadiums are close to motorways and have good transport links and that’s what we’ve got at Stratford.”
Mr Gold also responded to those fans who have been “bombarding” him with requests for the East Stand to be developed.
He continued: “The economics of any development there are disastrous. If you take a stand and rebuild it to give yourself another 5,000 fans, the cost is prohibitive.
“It just does not work, plus everyone is against you. The police are against you, the roadways team are against you, the transport people are against you, the council is against you. Why? Because it doesn’t work. The area can’t handle the extra people.
“In the early days we looked at it because I didn’t want to leave Upton Park because all my memories are there.
“I can remember West Ham beating the mighty Blackpool with Stanley Matthews at Upton Park. But what I soon realised when I worried about my memories was that I can take them anywhere.
“In the beginning it was a huge hurdle to overcome but it’s one I’ve personally overcome. I also believe there is memorabilia we can all take from Upton Park which will ensure our memories will remain forever.”
Another issue which West Ham fans have been calling for action on is safe standing at the new stadium.
Asked about his view on safe standing, Mr Gold replied: “I’m in favour in the principle of safe standing.
“I believe the Taylor report saved British football which was in terrible decline at the time and what the report did by recommending all-seater stadiums helped to bring an end to the violence.
“But I also believe times and technology have changed.
“We now don’t have the violence we once had and already what exists is unsafe standing.
“At Upton Park, we currently have unsafe standing that is illegal and anti-social.
“It’s time to give something back to the fans. The fans who want to stand should be given an area to stand.
“That way everybody who buys a ticket for that area knows they are going to stand. Not that you’ve brought a ticket for a seat only to find out you have to stand because the guy in front of you stands which is the situation we have at the moment.”
He continued: “Safe standing in football stadiums will happen. I promise you it will happen.
“Initially it won’t happen when we move to the new stadium because I’m of the view the move will be before any decision is made but it could come shortly after.”
He added: “I’d be stunned if we don’t have some form of safe standing experiment soon.
“I think in five years we will see safe standing at football stadiums because let’s face it, it’s not very expensive to install and it’s safe, very safe, in fact it’s twice or three times safer than what we have at the moment.”
But meet David Gold the businessman and West Ham joint-chairman and you’ll get more of a realistic assessment of the club’s current situation and where we will be by the time we leave Upton Park.
Speaking exclusively to Blowing Bubbles from his office near Croydon, Mr Gold said he has been delighted with how the men in claret and blue have fared in the club’s first season back in the Premier League.
Asked about what his expectations were, he said: “After getting promoted via the play offs, the euphoria settles and you say right where do we go from here? You are already a few weeks behind the other promoted clubs and are still years behind other established clubs in the Premier League so you have to plan for the worst and hope for the best. You immediately plan for the possibility of relegation.
“Now that’s not being negative, that’s being realistic and we put a plan in place that was realistic and being candid with you, we budgeted for 15th place.
“So I’ve been delighted with what we’ve achieved this season. I know fans want to hear optimism as oppose to realism but I think I owe it to them to be realistic as a fan. I also have a duty to them to be realistic and plan.”
Mr Gold admits the standout games for him this season were beating Chelsea at home as well as drawing against both Manchester clubs.
“It was performances like these that help you realise we are very capable of beating the big teams,” Mr Gold continued. “We also had amazing performances against Everton and Tottenham and lost.
“It’s at these games you see the potential of the group of the players you have. Matt Jarvis is a very talented wide player who can beat anything and can play for England. Can he score six or seven goals a season for us? Yes I think he can but at the moment he has been a terrific supplier.
“Then you look at Andy Carroll who has been excellent and then the qualities of the homegrown players like Jack Collison and Mark Noble, who will go through a brick wall for you.
“You’ve then got players like George McCartney and Joey O’Brien who never let you down. But at the start of the season, you don’t know if these players are going to get you relegated, finish 15th or secure mid-table.
“So to finish mid-table in this first season back must be considered a success.
“Some fans will question if finishing mid-table is a success and my reply is it is in our first season back in the Premier League. Why? Because I’m being realistic.
“If I wasn’t the chairman, I’d be in the pub with the other guys saying mid-table is not good enough and that we should be going for the Europa League because we are optimistic and we have our dreams and we want success for our heroes but at the same time, somebody has to be guiding the ship and being realistic.”
Tweaking and improving the strength of the squad will be the club’s aims building up to the new season.
Mr Gold continued: “But we can’t suddenly think we can go out and spend incredible amounts of money and challenge for Europe. We need to be realistic and remember the club was £110m in debt when we came here.
“We should’ve got relegated that first season and it was a miracle we didn’t but sadly, we made mistakes and we couldn’t sustain our Premier League status and we got relegated.
“It felt like it had to happen so that the phoenix could rise from the ashes and at this moment of time, this is the best moment of the football club since we’ve been here. Not just on the field but around the training ground and right the way through the football club, there’s a comfortable feeling of optimism.”
It was confirmed at last weekend that Sam Allardyce has signed a new contract to stay on as manager of West Ham and Mr Gold had nothing but praise for the former Bolton, Blackburn and Newcastle boss.
“It is always important to have a good relationship between the chairman and the manager and of course, our situation is unusual because there are two chairmen,” Mr Gold continued. “You are asking a bit more from the manager in our situation because it’s like having two wives but we have proper respect for each other which is the key.”
He added: “We are two years into our relationship with Sam and I don’t recall any issues and that is unusual but it’s also very good.”
Our conversation moves onto the Olympic Stadium and Mr Gold tells he believes 80 per cent of fans are in favour of the move.
He continued: “It was great to finally be confirmed as the tenants because it’s been a lengthy business caused by a number of factors which we are all very aware of but we battled on and we won.
“I think the announcement by the LLDC (London Legacy Development Corporation) was the start of a new chapter for West Ham United. But we have still got lots of work to do as has the LLDC through no fault of its own.
“It’s also not the fault of Boris or the government - it’s the people who put together the original deal.
“Seb Coe said the stadium will be for athletics and he got the Olympics on the basis of that and I wouldn’t disagree with that.
“What I would disagree with is they then went on and built a stadium that was clearly not fit for purpose.
“You cannot have a stadium just for athletics. It doesn’t work anywhere in the world. They are pulling them down or being left to rot.
“People simply do not go to watch hop, skip and jump. They do not find it very interesting.
“I’m not being demeaning to athletics because it plays a big part in young people’s lives and it’s great to watch the Olympics every four years for two weeks but you cannot build a stadium purely for athletics.
“The stadium should’ve been built so that it could be converted to a stadium for football, rugby, cricket, or baseball – all sports that millions of people around the world watch. I’m irritated because if this had been done, we could be in that stadium now. The minute the Olympics were over, West Ham, Spurs or Leyton Orient – whoever won the bid – should have walked straight into that stadium.”
As for the naming of the new stadium, it will inevitably be up for grabs to the highest bidder.
“We are currently calling it the new stadium at the Queen Elizabeth Park but the naming rights to the stadium will be sold by the LLDC and we will get a share of that income,” Mr Gold said.
“There are some clubs that say they will never change the name of their stadium. But in my opinion any football club that doesn’t have a wealthy owner like Chelsea which says it turns down £5m a year in naming rights for their stadium, will eventually get relegated because ultimately everybody with a decent sized stadium will be selling the naming rights.
“If we refused naming rights, we will get relegated because our competitors, like Hull, WBA, Sunderland, Newcastle, have or will sell the naming rights.
“Of course I want everything but in my life I have learnt that you can’t have everything and you have to compromise and have got to decide what is the priority and our priority is to bring success to this football club.
“That’s what we get up for every morning. We want to bring success and our fans demand success.
“They do also demand that we charge £140 for our season tickets like they do in Germany and they demand we pay Andy Carroll what he wants but the two things don’t equate.
“You can’t have £140 season tickets and pay Andy Carroll what he wants otherwise you will go bust.”
Asked if the increase in capacity to 54,000 will be a tough ask when moving into the new stadium, Mr Gold replied: “We don’t think it will be much of an ask at all.
“If you look at the statistics, even clubs who aren’t filling their stadium say at 20,000 but move to a 30,000, see an increase in their average gate from 20,000 to 25,000. That’s just by moving.
“Our situation is also very different to other clubs because first of all we have a wider fan base than most clubs. We go out miles and miles, all of Essex is our territory. Although I promise you our fans come in from far and wide.
“Whenever I go into a restaurant, someone always comes up and says they are a West Ham fan. I never got that at Birmingham.
“In all the time I was there, not once did anyone in a restaurant in the south come up to me and say I’m a Birmingham fan.
“So what I’m trying to say is that Birmingham fans are from Birmingham but West Ham fans come from a much wider area and that’s why we don’t think it will be a tough ask.”
Looking ahead to next season, Mr Gold believes West Ham will not suffer the same fate as QPR did this season.
“I do not believe in second season syndrome,” he said. “What I do believe is some teams over perform in the first season because of the adrenaline.
“Look at Blackpool at few seasons ago. They went off to an amazing flyer and looked like they were going to challenge for Europe but then they collapsed.
“It’s players playing above themselves who are compensating their skill with work rate and you see it time and time again.
“The toughest season is undoubtedly the first and you do see clubs that come up and make big changes to their squads in order to compete and that’s always a poor thing.
“You don’t want to change your team radically but what you want is a settled squad that you tweak and improve every season while keeping your good players.
“I don’t fear this second season syndrome one bit. In fact, I’m thrilled the first season is behind us and we can look forward to embarking on the next season with a stronger squad.
He continued: “There is no doubt we will push our budget up for next season. This year it was set at the club finishing 15th. What would we set it to for next season? Probably for us to finish 12th but that’s only a budget.
“What do I hope is achievable? Certainly breaking into the top 10 and it wouldn’t be unreasonable for us to sneak into the Europa League places although I must confess, and this is not a feeling shared with David Sullivan, I fear of the dangers of the Europa League on a fledging Premiership club.
“I say fledging because we don’t have a huge squad and part of the reason we don’t have a huge squad is because we have a huge debt.
“Once we get rid of the huge debt, we can then spend the money that we are currently paying in interest and repayments on increasing the size of the squad and then you can challenge in the Europa League.”
Mr Gold admits the club “ideally” needs to be a Premier League side between now and moving into the new stadium.
But he added: “I want us to be a Premier League football club for the rest of my life and there is no reason why we can’t be. No reason whatsoever. We are not Wigan, Blackburn or Bolton, we are West Ham.
“Nobody has a divine right to play in this league but what we do have is our fans. “Our fans are Premier League fans and what I mean by that is in our passion, attitude and volume.
“Our aim is to become a club that can drive a stake in the ground which says we are a Premiership club that will not be relegated.
“Manchester City and Chelsea can do it because they have rich owners.
“Arsenal can also do that because they have a fan base, a business model and a financial structure which allows them to drive that stake in the ground and we need to press on to catch up with these teams and stop being in the bottom half of the table. Every club which regularly finishes in the bottom of the table has a chance of being relegated so you’ve got to get up into that top half and stay there year after year to get stronger and increase durability.
“You do that first of all by moving stadiums – we can’t do it by staying at Upton Park.
“You would not build your stadium at Upton Park today if there was a green field there and somebody offered it to us. Why? Because all new stadiums are close to motorways and have good transport links and that’s what we’ve got at Stratford.”
Mr Gold also responded to those fans who have been “bombarding” him with requests for the East Stand to be developed.
He continued: “The economics of any development there are disastrous. If you take a stand and rebuild it to give yourself another 5,000 fans, the cost is prohibitive.
“It just does not work, plus everyone is against you. The police are against you, the roadways team are against you, the transport people are against you, the council is against you. Why? Because it doesn’t work. The area can’t handle the extra people.
“In the early days we looked at it because I didn’t want to leave Upton Park because all my memories are there.
“I can remember West Ham beating the mighty Blackpool with Stanley Matthews at Upton Park. But what I soon realised when I worried about my memories was that I can take them anywhere.
“In the beginning it was a huge hurdle to overcome but it’s one I’ve personally overcome. I also believe there is memorabilia we can all take from Upton Park which will ensure our memories will remain forever.”
Another issue which West Ham fans have been calling for action on is safe standing at the new stadium.
Asked about his view on safe standing, Mr Gold replied: “I’m in favour in the principle of safe standing.
“I believe the Taylor report saved British football which was in terrible decline at the time and what the report did by recommending all-seater stadiums helped to bring an end to the violence.
“But I also believe times and technology have changed.
“We now don’t have the violence we once had and already what exists is unsafe standing.
“At Upton Park, we currently have unsafe standing that is illegal and anti-social.
“It’s time to give something back to the fans. The fans who want to stand should be given an area to stand.
“That way everybody who buys a ticket for that area knows they are going to stand. Not that you’ve brought a ticket for a seat only to find out you have to stand because the guy in front of you stands which is the situation we have at the moment.”
He continued: “Safe standing in football stadiums will happen. I promise you it will happen.
“Initially it won’t happen when we move to the new stadium because I’m of the view the move will be before any decision is made but it could come shortly after.”
He added: “I’d be stunned if we don’t have some form of safe standing experiment soon.
“I think in five years we will see safe standing at football stadiums because let’s face it, it’s not very expensive to install and it’s safe, very safe, in fact it’s twice or three times safer than what we have at the moment.”
Blowing Bubbles Editor
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