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Olympic Stadium decision delayed

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Olympic Stadium
West Ham may are sweating on decision over whether they will be chosen as the preferred tenants for the Olympic Stadium.

West Ham may have to wait beyond the October deadline for the decision to be made on who will be named the new tenants of the Olympic Stadium.

The Hammers are believed to be the front runners to be handed the stadium but it has been revealed today by the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) that a decision will not be rushed.

LDCC chief executive Dennis Hone told the Guardian: “If we can’t come to a conclusion, in the scheme of things if it slips another month or two I would rather get the right solution.

“Yes, the stadium is tricky, but it’s tricky because we want to get it right. I would hate to bung someone in there and see it fall apart in five years.

“If it takes a couple of extra months to get there, then so be it.”

The LDCC are considering bids from other organisations  including Leyton Orient, a football business college and a firm wanting to host a Formula One rate at the Olympic Park.

But a decision is said to be a lot harder to make due to the level of changes needed to make the stadium fit for purpose for the preferred bidder.

If West Ham are chosen as the stadium’s new tenants, it is thought it would cost around £160million to develop it in to a arena fit for football.

“We have had discussions with all of the bidders. The difficulty is that we are balancing the adaptations we have to make to the stadium against the proposals that have come in and the benefits – financial and otherwise – that those proposals bring.

“If it was a knockout [verdict] it would be an easy decision, but it’s not,” Hone added.

The Hammers hope to become tenants in time for the start of the 2014/2015 season.

Jarvis enjoying West Ham life

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West Ham winger Matt Jarvis
Matt Jarvis is happy with his start at West Ham and is looking forward to linking up with Andy Carroll throughout the season.

Matt Jarvis has revealed that he is happy with his start at West Ham and hopes to successfully link up with on-loan striker Andy Carroll throughout the season.

The winger moved to East London in a £12million move from relegated Wolves in the summer and has put in some impressive performances during the good the club’s good start to their first season back in the Premier League.

Jarvis told Talk Sport: “I enjoyed my start but unfortunately had a slight injury after my first game but I’m fully fit now, back playing and enjoying it.”

The 26-year old also agreed that his relationship with Andy Carroll is growing and that he feels the two of them can link up well for the Hammers over the coming season.

“He’s fantastic in the air and if I can provide the crosses for him to come in and head it I’m sure we’ll have a good season,” he said.

Jarvis also hailed the Hammers fans and the noise they can create at Upton Park.

He added: “It’s a great atmosphere. The supporters are close to the pitch and they do make a great noise and atmosphere in the stadium so it’s great to have them behind you.”

The club record signing also stated that the club’s prospective move to the Olympic Stadium was not a reason why he joined the club.

“No. I don’t know anything about the stadium. It was purely, simply about football for me and, at the minute, Upton Park is fantastic,” he added.

The Hammers return to action on Saturday week at home to Southampton, before an away trip to Wigan, and Jarvis hopes to take maximum points from those games as the side enter a difficult November month.

“November will be a tough month. We have got to make sure we’re in a good position going in to that and with some confidence because it will be very hard,” Jarvis said.

Noble settled both on and off the pitch

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West Ham midfielder Mark Noble
Mark Noble puts his good performances down to being settled off the field.

Mark Noble has admitted his impressive form on the pitch is down to being more settled off it.

The midfielder has been in fine form in the Premier League so far this season and he believes having everything comfortably in place off the pitch has contributed to his game.

He told the Official Site: “I think I would put my form down to hard work and believing in myself. I have also signed a new contract which has allowed me to get my head down and focus on playing football.”

The Hammer of the Year has already set his sights on a win against Southampton at Upton Park in two weeks time and believes the Hammers will be a hard team to beat at the Boleyn this season.

“We are looking for a win against Southampton in two weeks and there is no reason why we can’t get that because our home form has been very good this season,” he said.

“If Southampton come to Upton Park and we play anywhere near the same way we did against Arsenal then we will be a hard team to beat.”

The 25-year-old admits the performance against Arsenal, despite losing 3-1, is proof the team have made a good start to their first season back in the top-flight.

He said: “At the end of the day we still played well and we are still on a good run. We have a good points total for where we are in the season and we are looking forward to the next game.”

 

Diarra looking for quick recovery

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West Ham midfielder Alou Diarra
Diarra wants to get fit as soon as possible so he can make an impact on the Premier League.

Alou Diarra has spoken out for the first time since a thigh injury ruled him out for at least two months.

The 31-year-old French midfielder made his Hammers debut in the 3-0 away loss to Swansea but picked up a serious thigh problem just a couple of weeks later.

Diarra told France Football: “In my mind I am fine, but physically I am not so well.

“I picked up a serious right thigh strain about a fortnight ago. The examinations revealed quite a big hematoma.

“The club doctor stated I will need two months to recover, but I hope it will be a little less.

“You just have to put up with it, get good treatment, and let it heal to avoid relapse. But after starting for a new club it is quite annoying.”

Diarra joined the club for a free transfer from Marseille in the summer and is hoping to make a bigger impact in England than the last time he was here with Liverpool in 2002.

“(During my time at Liverpool) I passed like a mirage. I immediately asked to be loaned to France. I didn’t have time to become immersed with the English culture,” he said.

“I’ve wanted to come back to England for a while. It is not by chance if I made the decision to join West Ham. It is perfect club at which to adapt to England.”

Taking Stock

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Captain Fantastic: Kevin Nolan is playing a huge part in West Ham’s success so early in the season.

As I finish up this post, I am currently out of beer. You might think this would put me in a  bad mood… and normally you’d be right.  But we are mere hours away from our match up against QPR and have five Premier League matches under our belt, and so far this season, West Ham have made pundits look quite stupid and pre-season betting odds like like a joke.  

We are currently sitting on eight (8) points, with two wins, two draws, and a solitary loss (in a match that we simply did not turn up for).  In those five games, we have three clean sheets and a goal difference of +1.  All told, this is not what most “experts” expected of West Ham under Sam Allardyce at the start of this campaign.