Poll: Should Sam Be Our Manager Next Season?

VOTE HERE

Social media gives West Ham fans a voice. Sometimes that voice makes uncomfortable listening for those in power. Hundreds of thousands of us use social media to vent our views on all things West Ham most days of the week. It’s rare that we all come together as one but in a unique, probably one-off initiative, virtually all the most popular West Ham sites, blogs and forums have decided to come together and run a unique poll on Sam Allardyce's future. It asks one significant question...

Should Sam Allardyce be retained as West Ham manager next season?

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/F6HN5LJ

The participating sites are listed below. Between the sites we probably have more than a quarter of a million unique users each month between us. Maybe many more. We hope as many supporters as possible will take part. You will also be asked how often you go to a game, your age and where you live, just to ensure transparency and so we can't be derided as armchair supporters who never watch a game.

Please only take part in this poll if you are a supporter of West Ham United Football Club. And please only vote once. Multiple votes will be rejected by the polling software. Each of the participating sites will publish the results of the poll simultaneously next week. The results will also be forwarded to David Sullivan, David Gold and Karren Brady. Please spread the word and encourage all your West Ham supporting friends to register their vote...

VOTE HERE

Blowing Bubbles

Claret & Blues

Claret & Hugh

Forever West Ham

Iron Views

KUMB

Moore Than Just a Club

Very West Ham

West Ham Online

West Ham Till I Die

West Ham World

West Ham Supporters Advisory Board Questions: Deadline is 8th Feb 5pm

At the last SAB meeting in December, it was agreed that Supporter Advisory Board members would consult with the West Ham wider supporter base and report back to the club in respect of the following proposed questions:


* Should the club carry out a supporter poll?
* What are the pros and cons of holding a poll?

* If so how should such a poll be executed?

* What questions would supporters like to see asked in such a poll?


* It was generally agreed at the meeting that were a full poll to be carried out that those eligible to vote should be all Corporate Members, Season Ticket Holders and Match attending Academy Members - do you/the supporters you have consulted with agree that this is the correct criteria to qualify?


* What would be required to make a New Stadium West Ham's home? E.g. John Lyall gates, Bobby Moore statue etc.


* What facilities would you like to see at a potential New Stadium?


* If the potential move to the Olympic Stadium did proceed, please provide details of what you would see as a fitting farewell tribute to the Boleyn Ground ?
In addition to the above we confirmed at the meeting that the club was required to submit to the LLDC a comprehensive and exhaustive list of everything that would be needed to:











 
- Make the New Stadium a 'home ground' of West Ham if we were to move
- Ensure it would continue to have the 'look and feel' of West Ham's home ground.







- Adequately replace the Boleyn Ground in terms of acceptability to supporters/commercial revenue

The SAB have been asked to consult with the wider supporter base and feedback but feel free email your feedback direct and comments to these questions to  Dan Mason, the chair for this focus group via whusab@yahoo.co.uk .


The deadline for feedback regarding the supporter poll and views on the Stadium move is fast approaching and is this Friday 8^th February 5pm.

Here is the reason why Emanuel Pogatetz is called the Mad Dog

West Ham have signed former Middlesbrough defender Emanuel Pogatetz on loan from German Bundesliga club Wolfsburg until the end of the season in a deal thought to be worth £500,000

Pogatertz who made 158 appearances for Middlesbrough is nicknamed "Mad Dog" for his aggressive style of play. This is how he got his nick name!

In 2005 Emanuel Pogatetz broke the leg of Shinnik Yaroslavl player Yaroslav Kharitonskiy and faced a 24 week ban from Russian Football Association while on loan to Spartak Moscow. This was later reduced to eight weeks when he joined Middlesbrough. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/middlesbrough/4639289.stm





In 2008 Emanuel Pogatetz has apologised to Rodrigo Possebon for the horror tackle which nearly broke Possebon leg. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/middlesbrough/7634077.stm




In 2006 Pogatetz broke his nose and cheekbone in an accidental clash with Basle's Mladen Petric in lin the Uefa Cup quarter-final.  He was warned he could lose his sight and needed 3 months to recover.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/middlesbrough/4903838.stm

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/43365/.html

He received another bashing and cut eye in Middlesborough's 4-3 over Bolton when Sam Allardyce managed them. Kevin Nolan & Jussi Jaaskelainen played for Bolton in that match.

Allardyce said after the match  "Pogatetz lost his cool, that's where the problem lay"

McClaren admitted Pogatetz's fuse is too short.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/42017/.html 

Geoff Pike West Ham Unsung Hero & Unvalued

Geoff made 372 appearances and scored 41 goals for West Ham in all competitions, until his departure in 1987

He joined West Ham United in 1972 as an apprentice and became professional in 1975.

He was a member of the side that reached the 1975 FA Youth Cup Final with Alvin Martin, Paul Brush, Alan Curbishley which Lost 5-1 to Ispwich.

His first full debut in a match where West ham beat Spurs 5-3 in 6th November 1976

In 1977 he both missed a penalty and scored in a historic match in which we beat Manchester Utd 4-2 which kept us up in the top flight of division one.

He picked his FA Cup winners medal in 1980 and Brian Clough described him as the Key man on ITV coverage after we beat Arsenal in the cup final. Others have described Pikey as an Un sung hero, the forgotten man, under valued and under appreciated during his time at  West Ham. 

He went on to be  a member of the team that became Division Two champions in 1980–81 & League Cup runners-up medal in 1981 after losing to Liverpool in the final

In 1986 when West Ham came 3rd he was one of the 86 Boys playing 10 games that year because of injury . His most famous goal was a screaming header on 9th March 1986 at Old Trafford in the FA Cup 5th round which can be seen below on youtube.



After West Ham he worked with the PFA for nine years before he obtained his coaching badge in 2004 and has worked for the FA for 6 years and now occupies the position of National Coach Educator.

I interviewed him on 25th January for the West Ham podcast Moore Than Just A Podcast for publication in two parts in early February.

The podcast is available at

http://www.moorethanjustapodcast.co.uk  on ITunes & Tunedin.com 

Here is what Trevor Brooking had to say about him with his amazing back spin goal against Wolves

 

#Westham January Transfer Window Week 2 Round up

Possible Transfers Inbound

West ham could make a move to sign Troyes defender Fabrice N'Sakala says Talk Sport today

The Daily Express  have linked Watford's on-loan striker Matej Vydra but Zola is keen to keep hold of  him says the Daily Express today

Big Sam says he is concentrating in filling the void that is our left-back position. He has also rubbished reports that Blackburn are asking for £7 million for Martin Olsson but has confirmed two failed bids believed to be £1M and £2M for Olsson have been turned down.

West Ham are interested in 24-year-old defender Gaëtan Bong.Apparently, Big Sam has sent out scouts to see the defender play on Sunday, where his team Valenciennes lost 5-0.  It believed Bong is back-up if Olsson deal doesn't come off.

TalkSPORT claimed last week that West Ham are interested in signing Toulouse midfielder Etienne Capoue. However, Capoue has spoken to the media regarding interest from West Ham and has said he wouldn't join 'A team like West Ham'.

Evening Standard claims West Ham have made an enquiry for Blackburn keeper Paul Robinson

Talksport also say we are ready to make a move for Everton's Sylvain Distin.

MLS star Graham Zusi had a trial at West Ham last week. Zusi is allegedly one of the best attacking midfielders in the american league and impressed Big Sam we are told. 

Possible Transfers Outbound

Sam Allardyce stated today that "We have never been in a position to sell anybody & we don't want to. We want to increase the size of the squad, not decrease"

However that doesn't stop the rumours!:

Newcastle are interested in James Tomkins but West Ham have slapped a £10m price tag on him say Daily Express. Sam said today "It was less likely James [Tomkins] was going to leave in the first place, even less likely now!”

QPR are interested in midfielder Alou Diarra. It is believed that the French international is unsettled at West Ham.

Daily Mirror say Carlton Cole has been told he can leave West Ham but Big Sam has denied this saying “I haven’t told him he can leave so I don’t know who has told him that he can” . Talksport have linked him to a move to the US MLS league today.

There are claims that Arsene Wenger has been keeping his eye on the situation with Mohamed Diame with no news of him signing a new contract as yet. Harry & QPR are rumoured to be considering a late bid to unsettle him.

Everything you wanted to know about Wellington Paulista but were afraid to ask

West Ham have finally confirmed the worst kept secret in football that Wellington Paulista has signed for us on a six month loan.

This is how it came about:

Wellington's own club  Cruzeiro confirmed they had agreed terms for a loan last week even before Wellington Paulista had boarded a plane

http://www.cruzeiro.com.br/index.php?section=conteudo&id=1942

When Wellington disembarked the other end at London City Airport on Monday afternoon  Chairman's son Jack Sullivan snapped him on his smart phone and posted the photo and message to the world

All about Wellington?

Brazilan born Wellington Paulista is 29 and signs from Cruzeiro in Brazil

He is a 6 foot striker who can also operate on the wing, most usually in a 4-3-3 formation

West Ham will become Wellington Paulista's ninth club - the longest he has been anywhere is Cruzeiro, which he joined in 2009- although this has included a brief loan at Palmeiras.

He has played in Europe before with Spanish side Alaves in 2006/07 - and has scored against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey

Wellington was Cruzeiro's top scorer last year, scoring 27 times for his club from 16 starts and 4 times as a sub. He has scored 10 goals from 19 starts this season!

Speaking to Lancenet in his homeland over the weekend, Paulista said: ‘I have had two successful spells at Cruzeiro. I thank the fans for their kindness during the time I was honouring the blue shirt' ‘I am sure I am leaving via the front door and I hope I can return in the future. The transfer was good for everyone involved, now I’ll work hard to succeed in this new stage of my career.

Below is a photo of him at Chadwell Heath on Wednesday 9th Jan undergoing a medical, fitness test and possibly some training as announced on his official facebook page. He is wearing a GPS vest hooked up to Sam's Sabermetrics laptop.

Wellington's Official Facebook Page  http://www.facebook.com/WellingtonPaulista9

The delay in the  official announcement was connected to his International clearance. Although he holds a EU passport paperwork between the FA, FIFA & Brazilian Football authorities take some time I'm told.

Although there seems to be some sour grapes from his club's Brazilian fans who claim he will be a flop. Here is that article

http://www.sabotagetimes.com/reportage/west-hams-latest-signing-wellington-paulista-a-brazilian-fan-on-why-hell-flop/

If you will excuse the pun will Wellington get the boot after 6 months or stay with us longer?

Wellington Paulista Goals in Brazil

The two faces of Joey Cole

Is it the return of the prodigal East end son? Well first Joe was born Islington, North London and moved to Camden when he was six. This is tradional Arsenal terrority.

However Joe Cole shunned his local club Arsenal and supported Chelsea as a boy,  fact he has repeated several times in interviews and a biography. 

What is not in any doubt is he joined Tony Carr's Academy system aged 13 and quickly became a rising star loved by West Ham supporters including myself.

A year before he made his professional debut,  Harry Redknapp was writing about him in his West Ham programme notes, dismissing reports linking the 16-year-old boy with a £10 million move to Manchester United.

On his 17th birthday Joey Cole signed his first professional contract on pitch at the Boleyn ground before a game against Chelsea. That date was 8th November 1998. "You can tell your grandchildren you were here when Joe Cole signed," said West ham stadium announcer Jeremy Nicholas.
He made his debut in January 1999, coming off the subs bench in the 3rd round of the FA Cup against Swansea City and a week later he made his first appearance in the league in a 4-1 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford, where he grabbed the attention by showing off the flicks and tricks that now define him. 

In May 1999 he helped West Ham win the FA Youth Cup. Coventry City were beaten 9-0 over two legs in the final, West Ham winning the second leg 6-0 at the Boleyn ground watched by a sell out crowd.

Harry Redknapp played Joey Cole behind two strikers, but often there were not enough assists and he only scored 15 goals in his five years with West ham.

Glenn Roeder made him West Ham's captain at age 21 in December 2002 and moved him to a deep midfield role. He did much better in his role but despite his efforts, West Ham were still relegated the end of that season.

Cole's last game for West Ham came on 11 May 2003 in a 2–2 draw with Birmingham City, a game which saw West Ham relegated from the Premier League.

Joey Cole won the "Hammer of the Year award" for 2003 that year.

No, He did not put in a transfer request like Jermain Defoe but many believed he deliberately run down his contract and certainly rejected signing a new contract with West Ham before leaving for Chelsea In August 2003 for a £6.8 million transfer fee. 

This is what Joey said when he left “It was the hardest decision of my life to leave West Ham. I think I would have left West Ham even if they had stayed up. I thought the time was right to move on. It’s time for me to move on and learn from the best players in the world. I think I have gone as far as I can with West Ham"
Joe added a few days later “It would upset me if I got the same treatment as Frank. If I could I’d like to sit down with every West Ham fan and explain my decision. It was a mentally hard decision to leave the club because it was where I was brought up. I have seen what has happened to Frank and I wouldn’t want the same. I wish the fans could step into your life as a footballer and realise how much pressure you put on yourself to improve. I wouldn’t want to look in the mirror in ten years’ time knowing I had turned down this opportunity.”

What Joe said on Manchester United Oppotunity “I’d gone to Manchester United and had a trial game. They were a very welcoming club, they looked after me and my family. But I just had a feeling for West Ham as I felt at home there. My Dad rang up Sir Alex Ferguson and said: “Sorry, he wants to stay with West Ham and doesn’t want to take liberties with you”. He just wished me all the best in my career.”

By the time he left West Ham he had put in 150 appearances for the hammers scoring 15 goals!

So he joined our London rivals Chelsea. He went on to play 189 games for the Blues scoring 40 goals in all competitions.

Joey before he played in a Chelsea shirt against West Ham in 2007

He said “I’ve not been back there as a player because I was suspended for the game last season. I’ll probably get some stick, but that’s football. I was skipper at West Ham. I did everything I could for the club. I left under good terms. Obviously we went down, but I was as gutted as everyone else. But when Chelsea come calling, you can’t turn it down. This club has been amazing for me – I owe the people here a lot, I want to repay them.”

One of those goal's was against us at Stamford Bridge when Joe Cole scored the only goal in the 76th minute winning Chelsea the match on 1st December 2007. It was on this one occasion he is alleged to have kissed the Chelsea badge and was photographed jumping into the Chelsea crowd to celebrate against his old club. In his defense many have said West Ham fans were giving him grief and abuse all game while singing the usual song about his sexuality and Frank Lampard's weight. 

What Joe Cole said in 2008 while at Chelsea

“If I was to finish my career at Chelsea, I’d be delighted. I have played well this season and it will be my best for the club if we win something. But the next five to six years will see the best of me. Hopefully, I will play for a long time because I am not someone who relies on pace. I am someone who always puts his heart and soul into every game. I have a great relationship with the fans and it is great to be playing under a manager who really believes in me"

"There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than Chelsea. I’m right where I want to be. I supported the club as a boy and now I am here playing for them. So I am living the dream. I’ve got the chance to chase the biggest prizes in the game and I want to make the most of it by winning as many trophies as I possibly can.”

What Joe Cole said on joining Liverpool in 2010

“I know I have made the right decision and I am looking forward to the challenge. This is a challenge for me. I have played in London all my life. I could have stayed at Chelsea because the fans loved me and I won things, but I wanted to challenge myself and when I knew Liverpool were interested it was a no-brainer because they are the biggest club in the country. This is a massive club. I tried to take everything out of the equation, take the financial and location side out and just thought in football terms"

He played 23 full apperances for Liverpool coming on a sub 17 further times and goaling 5 goals.

Obviously one of those five goals was against us in the recent Liverpool match at the Boleyn when he came on as sub. This time he was mute and refused to celebrate which was good. Maybe a sign of his maturity now he is 31.

After the game he was quoted as saying "I’ve scored a few against West Ham for Chelsea and never celebrated,” he wrongly claimed. “But it’s nice to come back to your former club and win.”

His loan at Lille saw 25 apperances and 5 further goals. 

What Joe Cole said on Joining West Ham in 2013

“It is a great move for me. Coming back here brings back all the memories of the pitches I learnt how to play on. This is where I learnt my trade and I’m happy to have another chance to be here. I’ve always loved West Ham and I hope I can give the club a few memorable seasons. The timing was right for me to come back and I’m happy. I’m back in London and I’m delighted to be here. I want to be here and I want to make an impact. Sam Allardyce didn’t have to sell me the club for me to come back. For me, I have had 18 months at Liverpool where I haven’t played much football and Sam wants to play me. I feel like I owe the club a little bit as well because if it wasn’t for West Ham I wouldn’t be a footballer.”

I was interviewed the day after Joey Cole rejoined us on Sports Tonight TV and this is what I said to Darren Lewis on air.




Despite what I have said above I still hope Joey does very well and proves me wrong. I went to the West ham v Manchester United FA Cup 3rd round game last Saturday. It took him about 20 minutes to get going but he then produced two fantastic crosses to setup both of Ginger Pele's headers to get our goals.

Later on in the second half he was completely knackered and looked like he had cramp. As he said himself it might take 3 or 4 games to get fully match fit.

I applauded him off the pitch like every other West ham fan at the Boleyn that day and also sung the original 'Joey Cole your indestructible always believing' song which has been on loan to Carlton Cole since 2003.

Lets hope I have to eat my words and his second spell is better than his first!

Come on you irons!