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Big Sam wants Upton Park fortress

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Sam Allardyce

Sam Allardyce has admitted he wants to make sure Upton Park remains a difficult place to come for visiting sides in the Premier League next season.

The Hammers lost only four games at home in the Premier League last season, all of which were against teams that finished in the top-six, and pulled off battling results against Chelsea (3-1) and Manchester United (2-2) and Manchester City (0-0).

And Allardyce wants his side to get off to a great start against newly promoted Cardiff City on the opening day of the 2013/2014 season in order to send out a warning to the other top-flight sides, while also admitted he is looking for revenge against the side that beat him 1-0 at Upton Park on his first competitive match in charge of the Irons.

He told whufc.com: “I’m pleased that at least we are playing them at home and not away. It casts my mind back to the start of my career at West Ham and a 1-0 defeat to them in my first game and I want to make sure we don’t repeat that.

“The other games will be about us maintaining our home form and making people aware that when they come to West Ham they will be in for a tough afternoon because we play attacking football against the opposition and create chances.”

Big Sam also revealed that he will be challenging his players to achieve the same good start as they did last season.

“It will be important to challenge the players to try and achieve the same amount – 14 points from our first eight games – as they did last season,” he said.

He also admitted that he, Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan will be looking to get one over their former club Newcastle United when they go there for their first away game of the campaign.

“One thing we must do is ensure our away form improves,” Allardyce stressed.

“Our first away game is Newcastle United. Myself, Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan are all ex-Newcastle and it will spur us on to get the first away points on the board as we did last year.”

You can see the full list of next season’s fixtures here.

Carroll signs permanent deal

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Andy Carroll - Adidas
Andy Carroll is a Hammer.

Andy Carroll has ended weeks of speculation by finally putting pen-to-paper on a six-year deal at Upton Park, the club have confirmed.

West Ham had a £15million offer accepted by Liverpool last month but were made to wait for Carroll to return from him pre-season holiday for a decision on whether he was happy to remain in East London. The deal is also thought to include around £5million in add-ons should the Hammers win some silverware or achieve European football.

The 24-year-old returned from his holiday in the States earlier this week and underwent a medical on Tuesday night before signing his contract, which is thought to be worth around £80,000-a-week.

Carroll, who will wear the No.9 shirt next season, told whufc.com: It’s fantastic for me to be here. I really enjoyed last season, and that shows in me coming back and making it permanent.

“The fans, the lads and the Club itself has been great to me, and what I wanted to do was come back here and play football. Since the end of the season I’ve had a lot of time to think, I’ve missed it and that’s why I’m back. Getting promoted the season before last, then finishing where we did, we did great and it can only get better for us.

“The way the club is being run, obviously getting the new stadium and everything like that, it’s only going up.”

The England striker scored seven goals in 24 Premier League appearances while on a season-long loan spell last season and his fantastic work ethic and enthusiasm won the hearts of the Hammers faithful.

Manager Sam Allardyce and co-owner David Gold had both made it no secret that signing Andy Carroll was their biggest priority this summer as they begin preparing for their move to the Olympic Stadium and another season in the Premier League.

A source close to SportsDirectNews.com also said before Carroll’s signing was officially announced: “It’s a fantastic moment in the club’s history – we are moving forward and have no intentions of being the poor relation of London Premier League football.

“We intend to become as big as Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal and will achieve it as we move on towards the Olympic Stadium.”

As expected, the club announced Carroll’s permanent arrival with him proudly wearing the club’s new Adidas home shirt, which wasn’t scheduled to be revealed until tomorrow.

Hammers to host Cardiff on Opening Day

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West Ham will play Cardiff City at home on the opening day of the 2013/2014 Premier League season.

The Hammers faced Cardiff at home on the opening day of the 2011/2012 Championship season, where we suffered a last minute 1-0 defeat. The Hammers’ first away game will be a tip to St. James’ Park to face Newcastle United.

We will end the season with an away trip to Manchester City, which will be the first time in seven years the Hammers have ended  the season with an away fixture.

Arsenal will visit Upton Park on Boxing Day while the Hammers will visit Fulham on New Year’s Day.

The other most notable fixtures are:

5 October – Tottenham Hotspur (Away)

19 October – Manchester City (Home)

23 November – Chelsea (Home)

7 December – Liverpool (Away)

21 December – Manchester United (Away)

26 December – Arsenal (Home)

29 January – Chelsea (Away)

22 March – Manchester United (Home)

5 April – Liverpool (Home)

12 April – Arsenal (Away)

3 May – Tottenham Hotspur (Home)

11 May – Manchester City (Away)

View our 2013/2014 Premier League page for all the fixtures, the squad list and the club’s transfer activity.

All fixtures are subject to change. 

Carroll to undergo thorough medical

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Andy Carroll

Andy Carroll will undergo one of West Ham’s strictest ever medicals if he agrees terms with the club this week.

The England striker has returned from his holiday and is expected to make a decision on his future in the next couple of days.

And if he decides to join the Hammers on a permanent deal  he will be put through an intense medical to ensure there are no underlying injury problems that could leave him on the sidelines for lengthy periods of time.

The Hammers feel that such a medical is necessary due to the financial risk they are taking by smashing both their transfer record and wage structure to secure Carroll’s signature.

A source told The Sun: “The club really wants Andy but the medical needs to be a tough one.

“When he joined on loan he only got a relatively quick check-up. This time it will be different. This is a huge deal for West Ham and one which represents a real commitment by the club.”

Hammers in talks with Bordeaux ace

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Ludovic Sane

Bordeaux midfielder Ludovic Sané has confirmed that he is in talks with West Ham over a possible move to Upton Park this summer, according to Get French Football.

The 26-year-old Senegalese holding midfielder, who can also feature at centre-half, has one year left on his contract at Bordeaux and it is believed the Ligue 1 side are ready to let him go.

And Get French Football announced last night that Sané was in talks with the Hammers:

https://twitter.com/GFN_France/status/346296934887198721

The 6ft 3in midfielder has made 141 appearances in all competitions for Bordeaux, scoring eight goals.