January 23, 2026
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Allardyce in search for back-to-back wins

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Jamie Freeman
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Mark Noble, West Ham midfielder
Mark Noble celebrates scoring his second goal against Southampton.

Sam Allardyce wants his players to build on their 4-1 home win over Southampton and secure their first back-to-back victories in the Premier League this season with a win away to Wigan on Saturday.

Second half goals from Kevin Nolan, Modibo Maiga and a Mark Noble brace secured an emphatic win over fellow top-flight new boys Southampton at Upton Park on Saturday, lifting the Hammers in to seventh spot with 14 points.

And Allardyce thinks that result will give them confidence to come away from the DW Stadium with a much needed three points as his side approach a difficult run of fixtures in November and December.

He told the official site: “We focus on Wigan away now. Our last away game was against Queens Park Rangers, which was a terrific performance and a well-deserved victory.

“Can we now go and get our first back-to-back wins in the Premier League? When you’ve won a game, to go and try to win the next one is a massive ask and it makes a huge difference. That’s our aim. Wigan haven’t won at home this season so there might be a lack of confidence there, so if we can take advantage of that then we might do back-to-back wins.”

Allardyce also praised his side’s start to their first season back in the Premier League and admitted he is a little surprised at how his side have been able to make the step up from the Championship.

“This is a fantastic start considering we have just been promoted. We don’t get too carried away because the fixtures have been very kind to us. The teams that we have played in our first eight games were very difficult but there’s only Arsenal in there that might be in the top four that we’ve played,” he said.

“We’ve done the job better than I expected with 14 points from eight and we’re on two or three points more than I had hoped.”

West Ham v Southampton – Match Preview

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admin
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Mark Noble plays against Southampton
Mark Noble does battle with Southampton in last season’s 1-1 draw in the Championship

West Ham head into the weekend following the 3-1 loss to Arsenal last time out.  A bounce back with a win is imperative if we are to regain momentum after a painfully boring international break.

This Saturday West Ham face Southampton, our old rivals from last season. A tale of two styles then, it is now a tale of two starts, with Southampton really struggling at the start of this campaign.

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Vaz Te crocked for up to 12 weeks

By
Jamie Freeman
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West Ham winger Vaz Te
Vaz Te is expected to be out for around 12 weeks as he recovers from a dislocated shoulder.

Ricardo Vaz Te has is facing up to 12 weeks on the sidelines after having keyhole surgery on the dislocated shoulder he suffered in the 3-1 home loss to Arsenal earlier this month.

The Hammers’ play-off final hero underwent keyhole surgery on Monday evening after the club’s medical staff decided it was the best option to ensure the forward wouldn’t have any problems in the future.

Sam Allardyce told the official website: “First and foremost Andy Rolls and his medical team have researched the best possible treatment and the quickest recovery, which was keyhole surgery.

“There would have been a slightly quicker option to get him back but we would have been unsure on the stability of the shoulder and it could have been more susceptible to dislocate again.

“We think we’ve chosen the best option to strengthen the shoulder and get him back as quickly as we can.”

Allardyce will now choose between the likes of Modibo Maiga, Yossi Benayoun, Matty Taylor, Gary O’Neil and youngster Robert Hall to see who is best placed to replace the crocked winger.

“We’ve got some good players ready to step up in place. Matt Taylor has been there and there are others in the squad that haven’t quite played as much such as Gary O’Neil,” Allardyce added.

“Whichever option we pick it’s up to them to step up to the mark. They need to provide the attacking opportunities that we need.”

Vaz Te has scored 13 goals in 27 appearances for the Hammers since signing from Barnsley in the January transfer window.

West Ham ’til I die

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admin
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West Ham United - Academy of Football
West Ham United – Academy of Football

You don’t have a choice when it comes to supporting a club like West Ham – you are chosen. Ever since I was a child I have never felt confident when it comes to watching my club play. Even if we are playing a team three leagues below us and we are 3-0 up at half time, I still know there’s a big change we will end up on the losing side.

I have supported West Ham for over 20 years and we’ve never won anything. Every season is an emotional rollercoaster and it’s edge of your seat stuff, year in year out. That’s what being a fan is all about.

If you cut a West Ham fan you will see claret and blue pour from every vein in his or her body. Sometimes it feels like a burden and a ten-kilogram weight of frustration hanging over my stressed out shoulder blades. I often hear people say if West Ham would’ve kept the players they produced they’d be up there challenging for the league. Jermain Defoe, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard are just a handful of names who have used ‘the academy of football’ as a stepping stone to superstar status. Why is this?

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O’Neil pleased with good start

By
Jamie Freeman
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West Ham midfielder Gary O'Neil
O’Neil is happy to back playing and is pleased with West Ham’s good start to the season.

Gary O’Neil believes West Ham can enjoy a successful first season back in the Premier League and admits he is feeling great following his career threatening injury in April 2011.

The midfielder is confident the side can build on their current good form and meet the challenges faced with them over the next six weeks.

O’Neil told the official site: “We have made a good start and want to get better as the season goes on. We have had good results in first few weeks and started to build the foundations of what we want to achieve.

“There is a really good vibe around the place. The lads have done fantastically so far this season. We have had a decent start and coming up from the Championship is hard, so getting a good beginning to the campaign is important.

“Yes, we have tough games coming up but the form we have been in and the squad we have, we are all looking forward to the challenges ahead and believe we are capable of meeting them.”

The 29-year-old also claimed that he is delighted to be back playing again after a serious ankle injury came close to ending his career in 2011.

“I have said that it was a shock when we all realised how serious and how bad it was. It was frightening and I took a while to come to terms with it. But I never accepted that I wouldn’t play again and always had in my mind that I would play again,” he said.

“I am really lucky. Everyone here – the staff, medical and sports science staff – have been great and I have managed to get back out there. The surgeon did a fantastic job and here I am back playing and enjoying being in this squad.

“It was hard being away from the rest of the team for most of that time. It was all about the long-term goal, though, and I knew I had to train on my own and work hard. So when I came back four months early to play against Derby – which was quicker than we expected – it was all worth it.”

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